#just vibing on neutrinos

[theskyexists]

I think its hilarious that Andy Weir made the go-getter administrator who's supposed to organise saving the world Dutch. Stratt is not a Dutch name btw. So maybe German heritage or marriage. The blunt, direct, no nonsense, even unintentionally rude stereotype which is often correct in small ways is a funny little in-joke. I even think he got the speech pattern in English correct....

Wow powerful woman...

I will say this: he didn't find out how to make the astrophage release energy? He found out how they reproduce? So... Why did they say that? Are they just burning these lil dots?

How is the astrophage what it is. How is it not destroyed by pressure and such. And.

Why in the heck would they swerve around going from a CO2 rich planet back to the sun... Is that really more efficient than simply covering a planet in yourself and being a plant basically?

Ok so he did find out how the astrophage release energy, as in, move themselves with light.

What's the problem with the sun dimming if Eridians don't get any energy from the sun?/sunlight doesn't reach them?

Oh I actually felt so sad for Leclerc, when he cried.

And I love Stratt so much lol. Who was bright enough to put her in charge. She's the perfect 'war'-time leader. Completely selfless.

Oh. Im so sad for rocky. 46 years. Oh no...oh no.

Oh Stratt was being sexist... That's not realist. Will Weir refute her via Ryland? Yeah he did. Hah. That's cool.

Its weird that Rocky hasn't considered: if I am no longer in my workshop, then I won't be protected from radiation.

Did they not test the teams/teammates for psychological compatibility???? Oversight

I dont really get how they can catch astrophage without getting blasted apart by their insane speeds hopping from planet to sun and back.

"Life can be pretty picky about temperature ranges."

EXCEPT ASTROPHAGE? and all the other cells in the cold vacuum of space?? They just skipped over them. Hello??? What's their secret? Do they also smash neutrinos together or whatever?? I couldn't follow that physics bit

Aww. The team all liked him so much because he's so normal and easily upset by e.g. their approaching deaths.

I'm a bit worried that Weir is going to prove Stratts sexism right by having Shapiro and DeBois back out because she got pregnant or something. But that's really not in line with the vibe so maybe they just both get killed because of their entanglement... I still wouldn't like that. Honestly Stratt's throwback to 'two men one woman sex will make advanced astronauts revert to cavemen' seems like a deliberate callback to all those sci fi books that insist on the inherent murderous explosiveness of male sexuality.

'math is procedure [not thinking]' uh yeah it is biologically.

Weir shunting in a lil personal theory on intelligence being based on gravity. Interesting. But the reason why Rocky and protag are same intelligence is the same reason their civilisations are about as advanced: they wouldn't otherwise have met.

It's hilarious that Ryland is like: I miss my kids they looked up to me. EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD PROBABLY LOOKS UP TO YOU RIGHT NOW MY MAN

Yeah. At the last possible moment, astrophage exploded the place that Shapiro and DeBois were in. Damn. Ok but its kinda on Stratt TO BE HONEST. That she let prime crew role member and same secondary crew role member hang around the same place together at all. In a way.

This seems to imply that they left Shapiro and DuBois to do an experiment on ASTROPHAGE TOGETHER. what??? That they cause the explosion even.

Why let the science crew at an astrophage at all? WHY LET THEM AT IT TOGETHER??? HELLO????

honestly why was Stratt so lax about all primary personnel safety all along including herself?? Why was she on the airplane carrier that was doing experiments with bombs????

Ok but how the HELL did astrophage develop these abilities????

Also. Why. Uh. Why bother with a natural predator if you can just prick em. Aren't there lots of creatures that can prick other cells. Though probably not in nigh-vacuum...

How did they make a spaceship without electronics.... ...huh??? How does the robot work on the outside of Rocky's ship? ....what

Ok so they don't have procedures for testing astrophage. BUT ALSO WHY WERE BOTH ESSENTIAL CREW MEMBERS IN THE SAME ROLE TESTING EDGE CASES??? HELLO???? HOW WAS THAT ALLOWED??? HELLO???? STRATT????

Ok but she kept a tertiary science specialist then i guess she kept tertiary other specialists. But also. The narrative acts like she had no part and final responsibility in letting her specialists do dangerous ass stupid tests. Like there aren't a hundred other people they could have gotten to do TESTS AWAY FROM THE IMPORTANT CREW

Why would you wait for his answer. Just get the next in line out NOW.

In fact. Why the heck wouldn't they train up at least six understudies. Theatre shows even do that. This narrative development was the one I was reading towards and it turned out stupid.

Also. They got a biologist for tests, an engineer for maintenance, and a commander. Was the commander the navigator and maths guy? Or are all astronauts supposed to be able to do what Grace does? Complex space calculations? Like. Lucky he remained in form firstly and secondly that hes so gifted at physics????? He's a biologist right? But I guess also a physicist?

Stratt doesn't respect Grace? Even now? Then she is kind of an idiot after all. Like all very strong-minded people are ... Too convinced of herself. She relied on Grace for a huge part. And she doesn't respect him? Because she herself could never be a coward. That's idiotic. She cannot forgive cowardice because she herself finds it much easier than others to be ruthless.

I could accept this twist a little more if the leadup had made more sense. Stratt is murdering Grace for sure - but the narrative insult of her having been able to prevent that by explicitly training up additional crews instead of quietly training Grace PLUS doing a better job of keeping the prime crew from STUPID DANGEROUS EXPERIMENTS - and the actual insult of calling him a COWARD while doing it - that's like. That was their last interaction. Makes me feel vindictive. Hope she regrets it. She wouldn't regret sending him against his will. But the damn insult to somebody who she has worked closely with, who delivered extremely important discoveries, who did every single secondary administration.

Ok so. And important point of Grace for Rocky was that he had science equipment. But now Grace is like: eh. Rocky can make better equipment. Why didn't Rocky think of that lol

On the other hand Grace HAS proven to be kind of a reckless idiot again and again and again.

Right they've got electronics but not transistors. Right.

I feel like Weir should have spent a little more flashback on Grace bonding with his 'crew' and 'friends'.

Why the FUCK would you send out your beetles while on the trip. Send them out before you start on the risky way home. Why is Grace such an idiot.

Stratt goes to talk to Grace. I don't know I've soured on her. Not because of what she chose to do to Grace but the way she did it.

She doesn't even leave him in fucking peace

Ok so I don't like how Weir did this scene either. It didn't give Grace a moment of grace. And it didn't give Stratt the chance to say: well the good thing about you going is that you won't be here when everything is going to hell. Think about that.

Why are the taumoeba farms manually fed...? Didn't Grace want the option of going into coma...?

HE WENT BACK TO ROCKY AND HE WENT BACK TO SAVE ERID AND ROCKY COULD BARELY SPEAK OR BELIEVE IT GRACE CAME BACK WHEN ROCKY THOUGH ABSOLUTELY ALL HOPE WAS LOST

Taumoeba are like normal amoeba...ok. but then why is it the only thing that can eat astrophage

He did it. And Earth doesn't even know that he did it. That he did it alone. Or that he met aliens, and they worked together to do it. He probably didn't even write it down and put it on the beetle. None of it. (Because he's kind of an idiot). Like. He probably didn't even tell them about the aliens!!!! Come on!!!! Anyway he's teaching little aliens.... Lovely

[brilliantfantasticgeronimo]

legend of ruby sunday let's gooo

TWO SHADES OF RED

ruby is so overhwelmed bless her lol

hOWS YOUR UNCLE. YOU SEXY BITCH SDKLFJ HOW YOU THINK!!!!??

they are making unit too quirky for them not to become a spin off lol

15 WILL flirt with your staff kate and you WILL endure it

screaming the clip was just the first clip. whats gonna happen

"Even I got that" SDKJ THE META

IS THAT SIGNIFICANT"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

ya'll are so self-conceited. millions of people are called susana. / i say this while vibrating at the rate of a neutrino star

"susan IS the name of my grandaughter" NOT WAS. IS !!!!

"we'll get him" is that a musk ref. rtd, musk is not a genius lol

"but what for" asking the tough questions

(also regeneration as a disguise…. what a good idea)

JUST DONT GO CHANGING YOURS OOK

"cant we just pipe in a bit of applause " the meta……..

mel pulling a 73!yards ruby

"we have another mystery woman" "ruby sundayyyyyyyyyyy" "you could've warned me" wtf i love tem. i love this. absolute bonkers vibes for a finale. (the horrors will start at any second)

ruby/rose flirting…….. ?? :eyes emoji:

doctor who wasMEANT to have a bunch of middle aged / old

women characters

stsly i love this energy "I love devina" amazing.

"you love to break the rules" she knows her uncle so well

WE CAN SHARPEN THE IMAGE. ENHANCE!!!

im enjoying how the fantasy / scifi plot mystery is tied to this very real personal thing for ruby.

ruby rose holding hands………………. im seeing.

"they never give me proper work" gee i wonder why rose!!! you think your mom wants you out there doing torchwood style suicide missions. cmon.

"he was a postman. she was a dinner lady" hmm

MEL IN HER LIL' ORANGE SCOOTER. OBSESSED!!!!!!!!

CARLA ON ACTION!!!!!!!!! GO GO GO

go get miss flood??????? A???????????

IM ALWAYS HIDING MYSELF AWAY

dont leave it to her oh my god. rip cherry.

(btw god bless. the hallway crack from the christmas special is still there lol)

ms flood nailing the old relative backhanded compliment

IT'S ABOUT TIME I CAUSE TROUBLE FOR MYSELF

HE WAITS NO MORE!!!!!!!!!!!

NOT QUITE. NOT YET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

im vibrating so much

oof this is so good. this is so TRUE. "you need roots of your own not a senile old man" updated to "i bring disaster"" aggg

15 is so healthy guys. so healthy

"what if you just said hello to her face?" i cant believe this is happening ya'll. russel really said "the five doctors was BULLSHIT. im gonna fix-it fix this shit" and went and did it. icon

ill have some of that <3 !!!! (lol thats right kate. he'll never trust u like them!!! deal with it)

a phoenix is just a bird until it burns… awesome. what the fuck does that mean

thats right stammer. you're barred from unit. motherfucker 15 is so rude. love him

MANCHESTER MOMENT

MASSIVE INFORMATION FROM THE VHS. I LOVE THIS ABSOLUTE NONESENSE.

ooo the music did a little thing. hold on to your butts babes we about to get DRAMA

unit has better toys. but are they competentent? LOL

clara and the leaf energy tbh (complimentary)

(oh is ruby susan's daughter therefore 15' daughter????) love the snow thing tbh . rtd was like im about to give dw fanartists an easy motif to add to their art for years. thanks king "time has tides and hollows and secrets"

(this transition effect………. very pertwee era intro….. :eyes emoji:) memory is time!!!!

"you cant move" omg impossible mission moment. fathers day moment. 15/ruby dont know how to step moment!!!!!!!!!!!

this is rtd's thought process lol "time … memory… ah shit.. MEMORY TIME MACHINE THERE WE GO"

damn carla and ruby got me here.

"my memory of this keeps changing"

rip chipzode probably

T.T rubes

what the actual fuclk

Close the window!!!!

when is that thing, inspector spacetime???????

it's the beast!! (carla dont name the undefined thing on the "everything becomes what you name it season" o h my gOD)

I AM IN HELL

im loving the coloring/lighting in this episode. everyone looks very sharp and nice

"i bring disaster" hehe

finally some good fucking [kate vs doctor antagonism]

15 frustrated because he finally has to come back from buying the cigarattes/ bread

"FINISHED? STOP GRIZZLING AND FIX IT". mel!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats

mel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love you mel!!!!!!!!!!!!

rtd said im gonna write a season that is SO self referential. thank u

for writting this show for the weirdos only. (We might run out of disney money tomorrow but TODAY we relish)

brigadier picture!!!

missing episodes restoration commentary? lol (if i was rtd i would have named harriet ms. bachel color)

"i'd remember a handsome chap like you" um. let's no go there!!! thanks

i told u doc u absolute anxious nerd. there's millions of susans!!! (not convinced this isnt anything yet)

the music is doing things

"being an ambulance?" mel u have always been in doccy who. catch up!!!

reverse the polarity of the VHS

(ALSO very 00's/90's "therre's something hiding in the music if u play it backwards Zeitgeist ("Blink"'s dvd easter egg realness))

donna this is all ebcause you had to go and spill that damn coffee. chodizee's blood is on YOUR hands

leave the tardis alone… "then they get wise, and they try to destroy it"

"thank you, and i love you, and good bye" aaaaaaaaa

our tecnology spreads lies and fraud!!! im gonna count that as aBINGO. taking my prize in cash beebs. thank!!!

"you do not question, you move" ummmmm

master? rogue? valeyyard? rassilon? omega? suttek? omega??? rani?? ???

harriet arbingers. rip.

A DREAM OF A WORLD WITH ORANGE SKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol love this. going over the theories

THE MARA MENTION!!! TEGAN NATIO N WE R I S E

suketh!!!!!! well there it is lol (damn wish i had rewatch Pyramids so i could be more excited about this dklfjsdklfjdskldfs) (also def saw ppl on reddit calling that "second anagram" ou t sdklfjsd)

"did you think i was family, doctor?" rude.

CONCLUSIONS!!!

tbh this had a looooot of good character moments but i think it was mostly a "putting the chessboard pieces in place" episode. still tho damn, those characters moments. highlighting carla/ruby giving me emotions, sutekh/doctor taunting, doctor/kate antagonism MY BELOVED, ruby/rose (best ship name?????), doctor/mel!!!!!!!!!!!!!! being everything!!!!, doctor finally dealing with the susan of it all!!!! (ilu for this rtd). doctor/ruby being super cute and queer before experiencing THE HORRORS, idk how i feel about the reveal since tbh i didnt care much for that serial sdlfkjsdfds but hey. anyway excited for next week. tv show reveal def coming for the second-act-reversal !!!!!/is a hopeless case ALSO enjoyed the filming of this as well (snow! vhs effect!!!) and this is def the most interesting UNIT has ever been lol

[dmitri-smerdyakov]

Skim-rewatching Alien: Covenant on Disney+ and I just think it’s hilarious that Walter and Daniels seem to be the only two people on that ship who have any brain cells. (Tennessee later has brain cells though so I can’t judge him too much) Like “oh yes, let’s go completely off-course on the mission we’ve spent a decade planning because there’s a sketchy transmission from a nearby planet” - at least in the first Alien, the crew were sort of like “wait it’s a distress call, someone’s in trouble” and it’s the company policy to check out any distress signals, whereas here it’s like “meh we don’t want to go back into hypersleep and this planet is eerily similar to Earth, we could end the mission early!”

Also, I definitely get the feeling that Oram doesn’t like Walter because he’s an android - Oram is portrayed as a man of religion/devout faith, which in itself is not a bad thing by the way, but the fact is that Christians believe God created humans, and I feel there’s a belief there that humans shouldn’t be playing God by creating synthetics. I don’t know, it just seems like the rest of the crew (Karine included) seem to be cool with Walter, like Tennessee/Faris/Daniels invite him to drink with them and the rest don’t seem to really have a problem with him, meanwhile Oram speaks to Walter really angrily - when he questions Walter about what happened regarding the neutrino burst, it has the vibe of “why didn’t YOU and MUTHR pick it up sooner? That’s YOUR job, that’s the only reason you’re here”. Or maybe I’m just projecting my own headcanons onto the film at this point since Ridley hasn’t given us a sequel yet and probably never will, who knows?

Anyway, the best characters in this film will always be Walter, Daniels and Tennessee, with Faris being a runner up simply because she died so early on and we didn’t get to see more of her (but what we saw was kick-ass, ngl). And because Ridley hasn’t given us a sequel, I’m going to ignore the ending and continue believing that the film ended with Walter and Danny building a log cabin together and being in love :)

[ilovebeingaturtle]

Okay so-

Kinda? Spoilers for “For Future Reference”? But many months ago I planned stuff for the future chapter where Dee meets the Neutrinos. And Zak (and Dask actually) had a weirdly?? Flirty vibe?? With Donnie?? That I wasn’t?? Anticipating?? The Neutrinos don’t exactly stick around long in the story though so I just found that amusing and moved on

Fast forward to now and I was thinking about what the 2012 episode with the Neutrinos would have been like if it was actually the Neutrinos in it. I then remembered the vibe Zak and Donnie had in FFR and realised I could give them that dynamic here too. Cue me realising this now definitely constitutes as an official crack ship

So you know when you’re working on a story and it somehow ends up that the last characters you ever would have expected to interact end up interacting? And then you keep thinking about those two characters interacting, until eventually you end up with the worlds most out of nowhere joke ship? Uh. Yeah. So….

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #271: BREAKAWAY!

September, 1986

The Black Knight!

The Wasp!

Paladin!

--- Versus ---

Grey Gargoyle!

Yellowjacket!

Screaming Mimi!

Place Your Bets!

Huh! This is a good month for Avengers facing weird threesomes. Uh, three person villain teams.

But Screaming Mimi, Grey Gargoyle, and Yellowjacket are a very different grouping than Quantum, Halflife, and Zzzax!

For one, I imagine that none of these three are going to get beat in like five seconds like Zzzax did. For another, if there’s a theme here its indecipherable.

Anyway.

Pertinent last times in Avengers: the Wasp went on vacation to avoid an awkward conversation with Starfox (mood.) where she met a guy called Paladin and they hit it off. He couldn’t come back to New York to be her boytoy because he had his own career but they made vague plans to get together again.

Namor joined the Avengers, tried to not be angry at everything, partially succeeded. When word got out about him being an Avenger, it caused a public opinion split between those who remember all the times Namor flooded or invaded New York and those who remember him punching Nazis and his stints of grumpy heroism. Then he got sued for property damage. He demanded that the trial should take place as soon as possible but then got dragged off because of Atlantis drama.

Moonstone escaped jail and tried to stir up trouble by pretending to be a widow. She passed up several obvious escape opportunities once shit hit the fan so wound up getting exploded by Black Knight and captured. But the police that took her away were actually Absorbing Man and Titania, with an exciting new opportunity for her.

Also, Hercules has been chafing under Wasp’s leadership. Partially because of sexism. Not a great look.

That brings us to this:

I’m sure Wasp sometimes feels that managing a superhero team is like dealing with extremely muscular, dumb babies.

Black Knight explains the thing from last time with Byrrah coming from Atlantis to tell Namor that Attuma had taken over the city. And Namor rushing off declaring This Is Something He Has To Do Himself.

Wasp: “Oh, fine! I can’t believe Namor would just up and leave like that! What was he thinking of?”

Hercules: “‘Twas nothing wrong with the Sub-Mariner’s thinking! Facing Attuma alone is a point of honor! But then, I shouldn’t expect a woman to understand such things!”

Wasp: “What?!? I’ll have you know I understand honor perfectly well, Hercules -- but that’s not the point! It’ll take Namor days to reach Atlantis under his own power... we could have flown him there in a matter of minutes! Maybe you’d have thought of that, if you had something between your ears besides muscles!”

And she pokes him emphatically in the pecs.

He gets mad at her disrespect, she gets mad at his disrespect and Black Knight yells at Hercules to please not smash the chairwoman.

Hercules gets mad, squishes the rest of his snacking grapes, and stomps off.

Wasp tells Black Knight to let Hercules go cool off because he’s the one who’s out of line.

Black Knight: “But what if he doesn’t cool off? What if he doesn’t come back?!”

Wasp: “Then we’ll deal with it! All right?”

-and she too stomps off-

Black Knight, glumly: “Yeah, sure.”

Dane had to wait all of these years to join the Avengers, he shows up and Vision tries to become the internet and take over the world. But maybe things will settle down after that but NOPE! The government is withdrawing their support, the roster is a powder keg, and two of the stronger dudes have walked off to deal with personal stuff.

The secret though is that the Avengers are always about this level of dramatic. You’ll never not have any drama, Dane. You want a boring team go back in time and join the original the Champions.

Heck, things get soap opera but hard when you take primary focus on the Avengers, apparently.

Plus side, it got you an extended cameo in a movie so its not all bad.

Meanwhile, Hercules.

He’s walking down the streets of New York New York fuming “all my former wives together were not as demanding as the Wasp!” and that he’s considering ditching the Avengers and going home to Olympus because screw mortals and their folly.

When what does he encounter but a situation requiring stupid, brute force.

A MacRay Moving truck trailer has tipped over in the street due to a Subaru cutting it off. Nobody was hurt but the street is blocked.

Enter Hercules who has nothing better to do.

He confirms that the truck isn’t filled with breakables, spits on his hands, and sets the truck upright.

The driver only belatedly realizing that this isn’t just a random guy dressed the same as Hercules, it’s the actual Hercules!

Driver: “Lissen, my boss woulda taken this outta my pay! Lemme at least buy you a drink!”

Hercules: “Well, there be hope for mankind after all! Lead on, my friend!”

How very Hercules of Hercules.

Meanwhile, Wasp. Getting chauffeured and also still fuming about Hercules and Namor.

Wasp: Namor couldn’t have picked a worse time to play the ‘lone Avenger’! Just yesterday, he made such a big deal about going to court to face the insurance consortium that’s suing him for two billion. ‘Shouldn’t expect a woman to understand such things!’ Ohhh!

She’s so irritated that when a silent alarm trips at her Sutton Place apartment, she decides to handle it herself because “right now, I would welcome an excuse to hand somebody his head!”

Annnnnnd it’s Paladin.

Hi, Paladin!

His last job came with a big bonus so he’s decided to treat himself to spending time with Wasp.

So took the liberty of breaking into her home. But he brought champagne so that’s almost like being a good, uninvited guest.

From her angry expression, he deduces she’s angry but she says she’s not angry at him! She’s just got a lot of things going on and even though she’s glad to see him, it’s hard to just switch off that emotion.

He offers to listen to her woes which, hey, that’s like the bare minimum of a relationship but its good for him to hit that bare minimum.

Maybe this relationship can exist outside the carefree vacation mindset.

Wasp: “Believe me, you don’t want to hear about it! Lately things have been so chaotic --!”

Phone: BRR-RING

Wasp: “See what I mean? That’s probably more bad news!”

Oof, you should de-stress, Wasp. That’s a very negative attitude.

But she cheers up after receiving the phone call - evidently good news - and asks Paladin to escort her to a fun trip to Passaic County Jail.

MEANWHILE AGAIN, this book has a number of subplots, doesn’t it?

But meanwhile, the New York FBI offices.

Captain Marvel just comes in to Agent Derek Freeman’s office as a lightbeam because she’s as much a security threat as Kitty Pryde is in terms of just going wherever she feels like.

Anyway, it does him a startle.

And it’s not getting old.

I love when Monica alarms people by just appearing somewhere.

Anyway, Monica has come for information. And since the Avengers are still in the doghouse with their government information sources, Monica decides she’ll ask Agent Freeman. They’ve worked together a few times plus he seems like a cool guy who’ll bend the rules.

Which he agrees is the case.

With the Avengers’ losing their government information sources, Captain Marvel only heard about Moonstone escaping police custody from the radio. Because the Avengers get so much of their information from the news.

Derek confirms that Moonstone escaped custody and that it looks like she had super-powered help. AND - because it doesn’t rain but pours - its part of a recent pattern of other super-criminals breaking out of jail in recent weeks.

Grey Gargoyle, Whirlwind, and Mister Hyde have all been broken out of jail.

Agent Derek feels like this is being masterminded by someone but who and for what purpose escapes him.

It didn’t help that there was a recent string of murders of at-large criminals that confused the issue. Thanks, the Scourge of the Underworld. Ya jerk.

Monica asks Derek to keep her posted if he learns more. Which he’d be glad to. And not in exchange but - he asks her to dinner, basically. Which she’d be glad to, as soon as she has free time.

Captain Marvel: “I’m sort of tied up through next week, though. But after that... maybe you’ll keep me in mind?”

Agent Freeman: “Oh, I surely will!”

Agent Freeman thoughts: It’d be might hard not to keep a woman like that in mind! Gonna be a long time until next week.

Captain Marvel thoughts: What a nice invitation! Derek is so polite... so intelligent... so gorgeous! This could be a very long week!

They both have it bad for each other.

Captain Marvel nyooms back to Avengers Mansion and finds Black Knight shooting his sword with a science gun.

As one does.

Its not just for the hell of it though. Dane is trying to explore that new power his extremely cursed sword demonstrated.

It can slice through most things, it can deflect most energy but if its angled just right, it can absorb energy too.

And Dane can’t figure out whether its because the sword is made of some bullshit space metal or whether its because of all the spells Merlin put on it.

Captain Marvel: “Does that bother you?”

Black Knight: “A little! I’m the only scientist on Earth -- who has a magic sword!”

But since Monica came to him for help with her own powers, Dane puts the sword to the side for now to talk the electromagnetic spectrum.

He doesn’t know how much help he can provide since she seems to have mastered said entire electromagnetic spectrum.

So Monica narrows down her concern.

Sure, she can become x-rays and cosmic rays. And high energy radiation is useful for zipping through things but they’re too dangerous to use around people.

Black Knight: “Ever heard of neutrinos? They’re safer than mother’s milk!”

Captain Marvel: “I’ve heard of neutrons.”

Black Knight: “Neutrinos are different. They’re massless particles that can go through anything and everything! I think that if you learn to ‘tune’ yourself properly, you can become neutrinos. We’ll find out if that’s possible by testing you against the largest close neutrino source... the sun!”

God, I love superhero comics.

‘You should learn about neutrinos by going to... THE SUN.’

Anyway.

Elsewhere, later, in New Jersey.

Wasp and Paladin have gone to Passaic County Jail because they’re holding New Yellowjacket Rita DeMara.

Remember her?

She stole Hank Pym’s Yellowjacket outfit from Avengers Mansion, gave it a makeover, and then made the mistake of trying to rob Hank’s old lab at Janet’s house? And Janet thumped her good and gave her existential fright?

Anyway, Janet doesn’t know about the initial theft so wants to know from Rita where she got her Yellowjacket suit.

Rita snarks that she made it herself and then says she won’t say anything without a lawyer present.

And then her lawyer presents and declares it OUTRAGE that superheroes were interrogating his client without the presence of counsel.

Wasp immediately rips off lawyer’s lawyer goatee.

Not because she hates it when she doesn’t get to violate someone’s civil liberties. But because she recognizes the lawyer.

He’s not a lawyer at all!

He’s Gray Gargoyle! Foreshadowed as being at large earlier in the issue!

Also, Screaming Mimi!

... Uh... She was a superpowered wrestler, I think? But she’s big into supervillainy now.

Mimi says her scream should incapacitate an average person for 15 to 30 minutes so the two villains get to work.

They tear away their tear-away clothes to reveal their costumes. Mimi grabs Rita. And Gray Gargoyle decides that what he definitely should do is stone Paladin just so people go ‘wow the Gray Gargoyle has definitely been here.’

But Paladin jumps up and kicks Gray Gargoyle through the door. His head is fuzzy from Screaming Mimi’s scream but he’s not down.

Paladin decides he should press his advantage against Gray Gargoyle, while cautioning himself that Gray Gargoyle is stronger than he appears.

... Shortly before getting punched through the wall.

Womp womp.

Meanwhile, Mimi tries to rouse Rita and take her away, ha ha, but Wasp also isn’t as incapacitated as advertised either.

As about an ankle-high Wasp, she grabs Screaming Mimi and trips her. But Screaming Mimi screams as she falls.

And this time, the scream knocks Wasp out.

Things aren’t going well.

BUT, NINETY THREE MILLIONS MILES AWAY, Captain Marvel vibes in the Sun’s chromosphere.

She feels something that she thinks might be neutrinos and assumes a form that may be that.

Back at Avengers Mansion, the transmission is breaking up - probably because she’s transmitting RIGHT NEXT TO THE SUN.

Black Knight tries to ask her what’s going on but then realizes a fun science fact.

It takes eight minutes for a message to get to the sun. It would take eight minutes for a message to get back. It’s going to be sixteen minutes before he even knows if she heard him.

And he’s worried that she sounded strange while she was vibing on neutrinos and worried that if anything goes wrong, there’s no way to help her. BECAUSE SHE’S 93 MILLION MILES AWAY AND RIGHT NEXT TO THE SUN.

He gets distracted from that though because it turns out that Wasp managed to activate her emergency beacon, calling for reinforcements.

Since Black Knight is the only one at the mansion right then, he tries to contact the other Avengers.

Hercules doesn’t answer because he accidentally damages his radio transceiver while arm wrestling five sailors at the same time in a bar.

Captain America answers but he’s several hours away, biking around on his motorcycle.

Cap suggests that Black Knight contact Captain Marvel because she’s the fastest. But Black Knight is frustrated because of that eight minute delay each way if he tried to contact her, IF he managed to get through, and IF she isn’t just zoning out by the sun and doesn’t answer.

Black Knight: “No word from Herc, either! And in the meantime, lord knows what sort of trouble the Wasp is in! I may be her only hope! But if Captain Marvel should need help, and I’m not here...!”

Not sure what you’d do even if she did need help. Do you have a spaceship ready to go?

Anyway.

Back at the prison, Wasp regains consciousness after being Mimi’d.

Apparently to keep her out of the way, the villains put a wastebasket on top of her. Then Gray Gargoyle turned it to stone.

She just blasts a hole through it. Her Wasp sting yadda yadda small house.

Paladin is more incapacitated.

Gray Gargoyle pinned him under a filing cabinet and then turned it to stone.

He tells Wasp to go on ahead without him because the villains only have a couple minutes head start.

Wow, she wasn’t knocked out very long at all.

Gray Gargoyle actually complains about it, as the villains are getaway driving.

Gray Gargoyle: “You said they’d be out at least 15 minutes!”

Screaming Mimi: “I said the ‘average person’ ... neither of them was average!”

Fair point, fair point.

Anyway, despite the head start and driving a car, Wasp catches up to them and blows out a tire so they’ll crash into an overpass.

Okay, to be fair, they crash into an overpass because Gray Gargoyle had no confidence in Mimi’s ability to handle a flat, grabbed the wheel, and accidentally swerved into the overpass.

Gray Gargoyle complains that he didn’t just turn her to stone while she was passed out at the jail and y’know that’s a good point.

This firm clutching of the villain ball is on you, dude.

You put a stone trash can over her!

Wasp isn’t sure if she can actually beat Gray Gargoyle by herself when she’s still woozy from getting Mimi’d twice but she does her Waspish best, flying just out of reach and being really distracting.

Inside the overturned van, Rita DeMara wakes up surprised she’s in her Yellowjacket costume. She also is surprised that a radio starts calling for Mimi and Gray Gargoyle.

When she answers the radio, telling radio person that Mimi got knocked unconscious and Gray Gargoyle is chasing the Wasp, the radio person tells her that the important thing is that she ditch the other two and escape.

Back at the fight, Gray Gargoyle rips up a tree to try to swat Wasp with it. For irony reasons, probably.

But Black Knight shows up on his atomic steed, cuts the tree in half and then cuts it in half in a different way when Gray Gargoyle tries to throw it at him.

Gray Gargoyle: “Only one Avenger comes to your aid, Wasp? What a pity... for both of you!”

Black Knight: “If this is the best attack you can muster, Gargoyle, you should save your pity for yourself!”

Burn.

Like a smart guy, Gray Gargoyle decides to grab the Ebony Blade and turn it into stone so he can break it just to be a dick.

The Ebony Blade doesn’t like that too much so it turns Gray Gargoyle into not-stone.

It can do that. It’s incredibly enchanted and alarmingly cursed.

Also, I think the inker changed on this page specifically? Because the inking definitely did. The inks feel heavier than on the preceding or succeeding page.

There’s not an inker listed on the creative credits so I don’t know.

Oh, but here’s something!

This Marvel Unlimited version of the book has an extra page at the end, explaining that some of the stoned people in the prison and unstoned Gray Gargoyle were miscolored in the original printing.

It’s apparently been fixed for this version.

Anyway, as happens whenever Gray Gargoyle suddenly unstones, someone pops him in the jaw and knocks him out. When he’s not stone, man cannot take a punch.

At this point, Paladin shows up, having freed himself from that stone desk and I guess run down the road and found the crashed van. He has Screaming Mimi bound and gagged but reports that Rita DeMara Yellowjacket escaped in the confusion.

Which just confuses Black Knight because he has no idea who Paladin is or that there was a new Yellowjacket.

AND THEN, Captain Marvel shows up.

Black Knight asks if she’s alright but Monica is just confused what he’s talking about.

Wasp catches up Black Knight and Captain Marvel with the plot and introduces Paladin to them.

Which frees Black Knight to be quietly jealous.

Simmer down, Dane.

Sure, Wasp is a great person but you’ll be in a love triangle in a couple years. That’s... something?

Several days later, Black Knight and Captain America are discussing the jailbreak.

Gray Gargoyle and Screaming Mimi have refused to give any information on why they broke Rita Yellowjacket out of jail or whether its connected to the other supervillain jailbreaks.

Captain America: “I don’t like this, Dane. Those escapees are dangerous enough individually -- if they should band together, they’d conceivably have power enough to throw the world into chaos. I’m going to check with some of my friends in the intelligence community and see if we can learn any more about this.”

Black Knight: “While you’re at it, Cap, could you maybe run a check on this Paladin -- ?”

Cap: ‘Dane, I’m trying to foreshadow here. Give it a rest on the jealousy.’

But their conversation is interrupted by an emergency transmission from Namor McKenzie.

TURNS OUT that running off on his own because This Is Something He Has To Do Himself... was a bad idea!

He tried to liberate Atlantis single-handedly and got forced off by Attuma’s men.

Namor: “It pains me to admit this, but I cannot best them alone. I must have the help of the Avengers -- or an innocent woman may die!”

I’m glad you can swallow your pride and ask for help.

But I’m still going to mock you for running off half-cocked.

Do you realize that if you had just accepted Black Knight’s offer of help, this whole thing would have been wrapped up already? Idiot.

Follow @essential-avengers​ because Namor is lucky he’s handsome because he’s a bit dumb. Like and reblog if you think his head is looking particularly quadrilateral today.

[planet4546b]

hello i would like to hear more about technology in s/n. i know it’s primarily radio tech (?) but i want details. u know the drill

Ok hiiiiiiiiiii I literally completely rewrote this at least 5 times I <3 weird technology but it is SO hard to develop when you also have no idea how technology works. And once again this is crazy long but omg am I having fun

So the fun thing about technology in this world is that in the process of rebuilding technology and technological knowledge after the resonance, they were able to use both modern day, familiar technologies to us and completely new technologies from other worlds to base their knowledge off of. So like, someone’s taking apart an old rusted apart car engine to figure out how to rebuild an engine, and someone else 15 miles away is doing the same thing with a car that looks like it’s from the 1800’s and runs on hard light and is flotsam from another universe. So while a good chunk of technology looks relatively similar to sort of early/mid 1900’s technology, technology varies WILDLY from city to city, and some of it looks completely and utterly unrecognizable.

Backstay is probably the best example of this! Backstay is an entire city that was originally from another dimension and while it’s now completely integrated into this world, much of it is at it’s core sort of deeply weird. Backstay is ALSO (arguably) one of the most technologically advanced cities on the east coast (the cities on the west coast are Doing Some Shit. we’ll get there) - they’re very much an industrial city, with factory manufacturing and electric light and electric trollies and the early stages of computing, etc etc. They’re also powered by probability engines that create power through manipulating quantum uncertainty on large scales that are guarded by a religious order. So. That’s the general vibe of a lot of their technology - it looks like a lot of brick and steel and steampunk bullshit, but you peel back one layer of all of that and the underlying machinery is just bizarre. 

Backstay also is doing a lot of making this tech very available - their current sovereign is trying to make up for the previous sovereigns warmongering across the continent, and is like uhhhh here lemme build some power relays so you can have some of our power and also we’re gonna build the first train system. Do you want our lightbulb technology. Except most other places on the map have, pretty independently, worked out their own technologies (to various different degrees - Staple has a decent amount of space around them for larger scale architecture, so they may have farm equipment that uses engines while Oiler’s pass doesn’t particularly have engines but does have a more robust communication system, you know?). Electricity, the beginnings of digital technology, radio as the primary form of communication, intra-city transport of some kind (99% of inter-city travel is still just horses or by foot, it’s easiest with how travel works), food preservation, decent medical technology (important note: i dont know how medical stuff works, but i do know that part of the reason emily moved to staple is because hrt was available there. so), non-automatic firearms, and advanced building materials (concrete, steel, etc) are preeeetty common across the board, they just look slightly different in each place and are used in diff ways etc. Also, now that in the past 75ish years regular travel + communication between the cities has been established, technology is shared between them pretty reliably. While I can’t completely describe how the tech in each of the cities works 100%, I can give some vague sort of visual touchstones that I’m thinking about while designing tech from each city:

As previously mentioned, Backstay is a lot of steampunk, and…weird steampunk at that. Just bc I think it’s cool, I think the probability engines look like neutrino detectors in some way (as much as I <3 Kamiokande, I think it’s probably the Sudbury neutrino observatory)

Oiler’s pass has a focus on sort of trade knowledge + trade knowledge that’s passed on as oral traditions within families. Their tech is still mostly handmade, and is made to be easily repaired and a lot of it ends up looking kinda patchwork.

Loom actually has most/all of their tech imported, from Backstay and Oiler’s mostly. They have a similar focus on sort of trade knowledge in families, but tech made in Loom tends to be made of sort of weird materials (Girl How Did You Make A Circuitboard Out Of Wood.)

Stitch + Staple have an aesthetic that sort of combines the technological and the ritual - there’s a lot of ceramic and metal wires and little charms tied onto radio antennas - ESPECIALLY in the crossing across the suture (I thiiiink this crossing is in part managed by a religious group, but I haven’t decided yet). Some of yao yao’s older character designs were def on the mind for this style. 

I don’t talk about the cities on the west coast a lot because they’re 1. not plot relevant (except for in pepper’s ghost) and 2. WEIRDOS but talking about their technology is fun, so really quick update on them: the gloaming protectorate is originated in a group of people who lied about being from another world after finding tech from that world - their tech today is a lot of crystal, glass, and sandstone, and they have some weird fantasy vibes going so they’ve really merged the mythic and the technological. Triad has been living underground for centuries, so 99% of their technology hasn't changed too much since the resonance, but has been specialized in batshit ways (they also have a lot of really unique things the rest of the world doesnt particularly need, like hydroponics technology and water recycling and a sort of cobbled together wifi to send messages across the city). Decade (my friend and bestie decade) is focused on architecture to an absurd degree, so they have like, incredible building technologies, but not well developed agricultural tech or medicine or weapons etc. They also have what’s probably one of this world’s first computers - it’s a warehouse-sized construction made of etched glass that spits out architectural plans that only make like, some sense, and it can’t do anything else, but it’s still pretty sick.

One final note: Sam has a whole little arsenal of technology she carries around with her that’s all COMPLETELY handmade, most of it from bits of her spire station. She’s got advanced portable radios, a handful of recording devices, quantum detection gear, etc etc, and spends a lot of time sort of fiddling with it and fixing it in the background. A lot of the sort of detection/observation tech that Mel uses that’s more typical of travelers in this world is almost completely analog in fun ways, so to everyone else Sam essentially has like, a tricorder. Lmao.

Anyways WOW this took me forever but also holy shit thinking of this was so fun and its still rattling around in my head. I think I’m gonna do a bunch of tech concept sketches when I get around to it bc I have Ideas now so thank you ilu!!!! muah muah muah

[pheramoons]

vocaloid6 hot takes since i have literally no hope for the future of vocaloid

- right off the bat, gumi’s new design is cute, but it doesn’t feel like gumi to me at all. it doesn’t have the same vibes or energy. the art style change definitely just makes her look much more generic.

- vocaloid’s ai abilities don’t sound very good at all. it’s even worse that their literal competition [SynthV, Sinsy, ACE, Neutrino, Etc.] that are all mostly freeware have much better ai synthesis. ai synthesis, in my opinion, was probably used in v6 to appeal to the more professional users anyways, since the casual userbase tends to prefer the robotic sounds of vocaloid voices anyway. it’s oddly charming.

- the voicebank lineup for v5 was so incredibly short compared to previous lines. we only got 12, with only 4 new characters. so far for v6, we only have 5. compared to v4 and v3 that gave us a total of 155. this is largely due to a lot of vocaloid production companies stepping away from vocaloid and moving to other synthesizers. i have a feeling this will only get worse, and releasing more updates as fast as they are currently will only rush companies in production. that’s the reason that xingchen and a lot of the other synthv banks haven’t been released as vocaloids as they were originally intended.

- v6 and the standard vocals it comes with aren’t a good purchase, nor are they even cost efficient. v6 including all of its current voicebanks in a bundle is 295 dollars [without tax], and most users don’t even use the standard vocals. all people did in the v5 era was complain about the standard vocals, hardly anyone used them and their vocals aren’t anything remarkable.

[bluealmondpie]

haikyuu boyfriends~

yoohooo~ i have not gotten over the end of hq and it hurts to look at my drafts (;-;) but i have not done a hq!bf piece in aaaaaages so here is kuroo, because i love him and because he looks fucking hot in business wear this is so unfair so so unfair

bf!kuroo

* god he is so snarky

* no seriously he's teasing u all the damn time why did u sign up for this

* likes to ruffle your hair when he is bored.

* snuggles? snuggles. he is not averse

* likes to bury his face in your skin and just... rub like a kitten which part of your skin??? hehehhehe ( ͡° ͜�� ͡°)

* if you're shorter than him he will like to hug u from behind and rest his chin in your head and just talk to you in that position until you shake him off

* he will snatch away your phone when you aren't paying attention. side effect of being kenma's best friend

* is not alive in the mornings until he gets a cup of coffee

* he does like coffee dates. he likes the chemistry behind the coffee. did you know that black coffee oxidises and turns sour if you leave it out too long? now u do

* this geek istg is just so so cute with his periodic table shirt and cup. will send u nerdy love messages like "do you have 11 protons? cos you're sodium fine"

* "you must be a compound of beryllium and barium... cos you're a total BaBe."

* "are you a carbon sample? because i want to date u"

* and u have to smack him cos like idiot! we are already dating stop it with the nerdy pick up lines you actually like it. don't lie

* well then he shifts to more suggestive types of pick up lines... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

* "billions of neutrinos penetrate you every second... mind if i join in"

* "you know it's not the length of the vector that counts... it's about how you apply the force"

* "how about we make like the change of base law, with you on the bottom and me on top?"

* resist the urge to smack him. RESIST

* he is so cute when he is focused on stuff like that. i bet he watches GATTACA. i bet he MAKES u watch GATTACA with him lmao holy shit btw i love gattaca masterpiece of sci-fi with actually good science

* when you hang out with bokuto he is 100% extra. kenma avoids them at all costs, so you have a choice of joining them or just standing at the side with akaashi.

* rlly up to u but either way u are impressed at how akaashi is so unfazed by their antics

* anyway if you choose not to join them u can choose between joining kenma (if he is there) and akaashi. one will teach you where to hide and one will teach you how to rein them in

* kuroo rarely gets flustered so no matter how you try to one up him he will get back at you worse so prepare for a lot of embarrassment. ask akaashi for tips on how to manage

* will let you come to his matches. will give u a little thumbs up when they win

* secretly likes it when you cheer for him. but no he needs to FOCUS

* not surprisingly he enjoys debate. will discuss (argue?) about anything under the sun. he is actually quite a reflective person and thinks deeply about issues and current affairs.

* he's not particularly touchy but he does like it when u hold his waist and snuggle in.

* he's pretty calm when he is studying or just hanging around friends and all, being the more level headed one out of the Super Extra Captain Squad (headed by bokuto and includes oikawa and terushima, daichi and ushijima did not make the cut cos they r too....... they r not extra)

* so it's nice to lean on his shoulder while he is reading or something. he will shift so you're more comfortable. sneak an arm around your waist. turn his head to kiss your temple and turn back to his book with a soft smile. you live for the moments like these

* when you're down he will turn up with your fav flowers and sweets

* when you're sick he comes with medication but also easy to eat things like pudding or soup

* "you didn't take care of yourself properly so now lemme show u how it's done"

* fav place to kiss you: temple, forehead

* fav place to be kissed: lips pls. with tongue

* smart boy with bad boy vibes, omg i am in love

*******

masterlist

i.... really am not over the ending (;-;) i can't. i cant believe it is over (;-;) why eight years seem so short suddenly

requests are open (;-;) send me anything, rules are pinned. come. let us cushion ourselves with soft fluff.

[artemisfowlcodex]

My sister’s directly transcribed notes, taken while watching the Artemis Fowl movie...

(Absolutely no editing for grammar has been done, this is raw reaction)

----------------------------

SURFBOARD???? Wh— WHY IS MY BOY SURFING

 THis is a better start to Percy Jackson than the actual Percy Jackson movie There’s no way he’d choose the name Bruce Okay but the accents cute

 And this scene is accurate  Basard boy Absolute baby unlimited

 IS ANGELINE DEAD???????

 Bold of you to think he could lift a backpack SKATEBOARD?????????????? JEANS??????????????????

 At home w his dad yeah as if he was a good dude from the start what He taught him bout fair folk????

 PLEASE stop putting my boy in JEANS JEAAAANNNSS baby boy has a cute as hell nose

 Arty count #1

 sidenote pls don’t call him Artemis jr it’s senior and Artemis that’s it 

What is even happening hmmm

WHY DOES THIS BOY KNOW WHAT PHYSICAL AFFECTION IS  HAH NO I LOVE YOU TOO

 OH MY GOD ANGELINE IS DEAD WHY

why would you kill the person trying to put him in jeans 

The manor is cute as hell tho

LEGO??? Omg robotics

Yeah that sounds about right Hey why aren’t his pjs silk And WHERE IS BUTLER

THERE

WOW THOSE ARE BLUE EYES

NO!!!!!!! You CANT CALL HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME!!!!!!!!

baby drink MILK 

Bold of you to assume Artemis didn’t know his dad was a crime lord

Owl star?? Bruh

 DOM PLS GOD WHY  Never call him butler pfft  Oh my god why is the plot now that the folk have kidnapped him????  WHAT ACULOUS?

 “Word for word”  This boy would and then DOESNT 

 Arty count #2  WHY IS HE STILL IN JEANS how tf is this so different to the book you had 20 YEARS to get it

I vibe w haven tho  Nother sidenote why are mulch’s teef so nice don’t like that

 Hollys suit is kinda cute tho Helmet sucks tbh  I AM VIBIN W HAVEN  Why is mulch a beeg boye  WHY ARE GOBLINS HARRY POTTER SHIT UGLY INSTEAD OF REPTILES  Yep helmets SUCK  Okay yeah this is a cute holly  Fjsjfjsjfjfnsjfj yeah that’s their whole dynamic  Why tf is he going to howlers peak

 WHOMST  WAIT IS THE OTHER ONE FREAKIN OPAL

 hmm okay yeah dench good commander bad root HWAT THE HECK IS THEB ACULLUS the hats are SO BAD  BEEG eyes holly Holly looking for her dad too oh no I smell the bonding already  I wannaaaaa seeeeeeee TROUBLE and chix lol

 STOP CALLING HIM DOMOVOIIIIII OH IS THIS JULIET!? OH SHES CUTE  NEICE??????  TF CUUUUTE  haha encoded too love that 

FOALLLYYYYY OHHHHH LOVE THAT THE skirt güd THAT IS A GOOD FOALY  HE SMOL THO

 ohhhh yeah CUDGEON  so it IS opal

 Wings good IS she shielded??

 DOMOVOI STOP W THST NAME  JEANS WHY  

Yeah this scene right  Fangs aren’t big enough  Too human face hm

 GOOD FOALY THO  THEYRE REALLY USING CENTAUR TO FULL POTENTIAL  THATS NOT HOW TIME STOPS WORK  they’re literally explained in the book how th ehh work what the heckidy heck

RETRIEVAL WOULD HAVE BETTER WAYS TO BRING EM IN  holly no

 Arty count #3

 It IS opal  Thats  That’s not how coords work

 STOP CALLING HIM DOM  keep ur helmet on queen

 Aha HERES the siege  NOT HAPPY SJHFJSJGJSKFJSJFJ

 JEANS 

JULIET OMG  STOP WEARING J E A N S OKAY I LOVE THIS SCENE

 DOM FOR GODS SAKE  I’ll give her a pass tho bc it’s Jules

 SWORD????  Please give me butler beating up retrieval PLEASE I NEED IT

 is it just a Thing™️ to have Dench stare dead into the camera now? First Cats and now this  TOP O THE MORNIN

 J E A N S  HAHA SUIT!!!! SUIIIT AT LONG LAST  Scared to dead hell yeah

 WHO GAVE THIS CHILD A GUN IM??????  THIS IS SUCH A WILD RIDE

god please tell me opal doesn’t actually sound like that and it’s a disguise

 Heheheheh baby boy looks ten  Do Root and I share a bday?  Was that Frond?  STOP calling him jr he’s the SECOND

Mulch I will feed u ur weirdly nice teef  YES FIRE  But also uhhhhh WHERES MY REPTILE REP  YES BUT THAT SCENES FROM LATER BOOKS

 My father was kidnapped! YEAH WELL MY FATHER IS DEAD  AND HERES THE BONDING

 PORTALS???? WAIT HYBRAS????? 

 Oh yeah julius can’t be Julius bc woman  BOWIE A FOLK DJDHFJKS  Damn mulchs eyeliner going off doe  LET HIM UNHINGE HIS JAW! WEIRD DWARF RIGHTS!  Throat INFECTIONGNDJSJFJSJK  Hey quick observation I’m surprised there are NO fart jokes seeing as the book was FILLED w them  YESSSSSS UNHINGEDDDDDD THATS MY BOY!!!! YESSSS UNHINGED RIGHTS 

hacker voice: I’m in Burps??? Wack “Switching to xray and then Does Not”  

Lol nothing to do w the brain  PLEASE PUNCH HIM I WANT THE LEGENDARY LOLLIPOP LINE DWARF HAIR HOLY SHIT  YESSSS YESSSSSS PUNCH

 Oh it’s acorn shaped of COURSE it is  But WHAT is it  IM SORRY W H A T Is the time stop doing??

 CUDGEON YES  OH SICK TROLL TIME TROLL TIME  Darvit wheeeee there it is

 If you like doubled butlers height this would be fine bc I like the taller holly and mulch  2.97 seconds to eat humans fjsjfjsjjf JFJSNFJSJFJ MULCH STEALING THE GUN FROM BUTLER 

 They’re using the troll as a battering ram im crying that’s so dumb  Magic jammers? That’s a thing?  YEET JULIET BEST GIRL  YES MULCH UNHINGED RIGHTS!!  DOM COUNT DOM COUNT  Hmm yeah soundtrack nothing to write home about  DOM COUNT

 I vibe w neutrino design  OH DOM COUNT DOM count DOm count pls stopppppp Whyd you a) move him and b) sit him up  BUDDY????  hey ur not meant to die til book three

 Wh CHIX IS AN ELF??? WHY ISNT HE G R E E N WHYS HE CAPTAIN AINT THAT MEANT TO BE TROUBLE  WINGS ARE MAGIC??  DOM COUNT  Did I cry? Little bit lol love that 

 Oh yeah he runs like he’s never learnt how  Like he’d willingly call someone a friend before book four  Wow yeah that’s defs arctic incident 

 Fjshfjsjjfjdjfjfhfhdhfhdhghh I know it didn’t fail but WHAT IF IT DID  “Dad” wow please go back to calling him Father

 I’ll be real I didn’t view holly as a child actor the whole time lol she’s good  And white ,,, but that’s a different issue

 But also YALL KILLED ANGELINE B ITCH WE WERE ROBBED OF HAVING HIM IN SUITS THE WHOLE MOVIE  oh my god what are you on about  UNHINGED RIGHTS!!!

---------------------------

And that is the total transcript, in near-unreadable format. 

God help us all.

[thesinglesjukebox]

LOONA - FAVORITE

[5.89]

Come back in a few months when every single TSJ writer will be writing on Loona's next single, because we're just working up to our real debut here too. Maybe.

Joshua Minsoo Kim: LOONA's pre-debut was so successful in establishing the identities, personalities, and sounds of each individual member (and consequent subunits) that it was hard to imagine what a collective debut single could've looked like. It turns out that Blockberry Creative's plan was to use the Odd Eye Circle strategy of providing two polar opposite singles in order to appease as many fans as possible. "Favorite" was the first glimpse of the 12-member group, and it's the "Sweet Crazy Love" of the pair. While I wasn't expecting there more personality than what was present in previous releases, the result is even worse than expected: a greyscale, ready-made composite. The Desiigner-like adlibs lack energy, the bridge doesn't provide a strong enough contrast to feel the least bit smooth, and the entire 2000s brass-stomp beat is sorely muted. While altogether seamless, it's hard to imagine "Favorite" being anyone's, well, favorite. One wishes the song capitalized on the strengths of its members more, but it doesn't really matter at this point: biases have been determined, and fans are just happy to see that everyone's got some lines. Even the title is stylized to announce that this is the OT12 they've been waiting for. A shame that this is the result. [3]

Iain Mew: It's funny that they stylised the title with OT capitalised, because surely if ever there was a group where the full group isn't the One True thing, it's Loona. The journey and all the different true forms along the way were at least as important as the destination, and that would be the case even if that destination wasn't a below par f(x) album track. [6]

Jessica Doyle: Twelve is a lot of performers, and I suspect that after a few establishing rounds Blockberry Creative will rely mostly on subunits and combinations thereof, a slightly more flexible version of EXO's strategy. That said, this does do its best to make a virtue of the clutter. (And "tie up my shoes and do it" will be my motto for fall semester.) [6]

Will Rivitz: All the parts of the Loona machine finally slam together with neutrino-bomb force, as expected. I just wish it didn't sound like they were trying so hard -- power is that much more impressive when wielded nonchalantly, and this is about as nonchalant as a high school pep rally. [6]

Anjy Ou: It's a strange sensation hearing a style of music that I only ever hear on the streets of DC in my K-pop. But as the genre expands globally, companies are casting a wide net to find new sounds for their artists. I particularly love it when go-go music shows up because it's (a) perfect for dancing (b) a specific touchpoint to a city I love -- despite gentrifiers trying desparately to just make it all go away. LOONA kills it on this track, which I've loved since they danced to a demo version at their debut showcase. The horns, the call-and-response, the percussion, and the fact that the song is just a dance jam, are all quintessential go-go, with a cute contemporary switch-up on the second chorus to let you catch your breath. I have a feeling the "rrrrrrrah!" will be controversial, but I love it. It's almost an ululation, an expression of pure joy that fits the song's "letting my hair down, ecstatically in love" vibe. The only downside to having all 12 girls singing is that we can't appreciate the depth of the group's vocal talent -- Haseul only gets 2(!) solo lines. But my fave Jinsoul gives me AD-LIBS -- which are surprisingly rare in girl group songs these days -- and the sub-units will continue to promote. LOONA is here to stay and to slay. #StanLOONA #StreamHiHigh [8]

Thomas Inskeep: Clattering and chaotic like the best TRL-era hits by Britney-and-the-rest, "Favorite" beats you into submission like a much louder version of Dream's forgotten 2001 hit "He Loves U Not." To paraphrase "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," you're gonna love them -- even if it kills you. But you'll die smiling. [7]

Katherine St Asaph: If you're going to pour years into some kind of labyrinthine ARG rollout, I expect the result to be something other than a pretty good Jessie Malakouti song. [5]

Edward Okulicz: Suspending one's disbelief is sometimes fun and sometimes necessary when approaching the absurd in pop. And yes, I'm willing to suspend it and go, yes, these girls are having a great time and are not overworked cogs in a terrifying machine. I'm willing to go along with pretending this is a debut single just because it's the first with the full line-up. But I'm not willing to swoon over a track that would have sounded warm at best 15 years ago (though really, this style was perfected by Amerie and there's no possibility to match that) and really wants for a strong voice, or a strong personality to sell it to me rather than just being an Event to consume for the sake of consuming a band. [5]

Alex Clifton: Part of the appeal of Loona has, of course, been the extended rollout of the member lineup. I've followed it half-heartedly, and I know the thrill of finally seeing these twelve girls together packs more of an emotional punch for those who have been longtime fans of the project. It's difficult to pick out who's who as a casual listener, and I'm a little in awe of how they've managed to pack twelve people in for one song. It's bonkers and sweet at the same time, but lacks some of the bubblegum rush that propelled last year's "Girl Front" to the top of my workout playlist. But it's a great debut for the group at large, and I remain curious to see what comes next. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[moondonky]

Quite vibes

Waiting for the future, a mood I'm familiar, presibis of light and darkness.. more to light than colors, there's more to dark than negative.. sounds of the cosmos.. messages of the neutrino.. a whisper of loud, so u can hear it.. orders of the universe.. its ur hearts u should listen to.. its not a pump, your brain can fool you, they say its that gut feeling, but that pulse, that beat, bells pumping, that is your heart speaking .. processer of energy, ur brain just does the thinkng.. 369 they say tesla was shut down to make money,, but the truth would tell u it was an enegy that were all tapped into.. just swimming in frequencies.. ur body is an attenna

Effin millennial.. y rot.. a step into darkness, u become dark, a step into light, u get to bright,, but that fine line, is how u navigate through life.. that center point of a fulcrum,, balance never tips never lifts never falls

[gothic-fiction-in-space]

~ THE ROMANTICISM OF ALIEN: COVENANT ~

As soon as I noticed the beauty of Alien: Covenant photography, I realized one thing: that movie had powerful “Romantic vibes”. That movie had a lot of references to Romanticism.

(Romanticism is an artistic, musical, cultural and literary movement developed at the end of the 18th century in Germany and later spread throughout Europe in the 19th century).

Romanticism exalts FEELINGS, imagination, spontaneity, CREATIVITY, fantasy, personal sensibility and MELANCHOLY, refusing rationalism and perfection of forms of Neoclassicism. David exalts all this things in the movie, he tries to teach Walter to appreciate creativity and emotions, all these characteristics Walter doesn’t possess; David tries to convince Walter that he (Walter) loves Daniels as much as he (David) loved Elizabeth. David cries. David speaks while is crying. David believes that “nostalgia is enemy of science” in the Advent video in the Blu-Ray version of the movie, he says that while we see a drawing of an Engineer/humanoid shaped head (the “original perfection” of human form) that David has sectioned… then we see that David, trough others draws, has CHANGED the “human like” form in a “monster like” form, in the form of an “Alien mother”, in the forms of his alien creatures. David is using his creativity to change the “original perfection” and make something new, without feeling “nostalgia” for the “old” canon of beauty. David doesn’t like the absolute rationalism of Walter. Walter can’t “lose control”, he doesn’t feel emotions, emotions can’t guide his actions. But maybe that’s why Walter lose, in the end (Walter to Daniels in a deleted scene, talking about David: “there is an emotional intensity in him I can’t understand”). In Romanticism the reason lose to emotion and irrationalism. The LANDSCAPE (in romantic poetry, romantic literature and romantic art) IS SYMBOLIC and represents the emotions, the passions, the dreams, the unconscious. The Romantic man feels himself as part of nature and shapes the nature in function of his moods. That happen in Alien: Covenant too: the storm, the weather that changes from good to bad as things start to get bad (the infection of Ledward and Hallet), the night, David’s cape floating in the stormy night, the horrible shape of the Neomorphs and Xenomorphs too: expressions of pure instinct and scaring parodies of the human form.

What does that mean? Why Alien: Covenant is full of references to that artistic movement? Maybe there are two reasons:

1) This movie refers to Romanticism because this is the movie that show us the change in David’s character. This movie is about the EMOTIONAL, HUMAN TRAITS OF DAVID that finally have taken control of him. Alien: Covenant is the movie that show us that David is more human than robot. “He may have a soul” said Ridley Scott. The sceneries and the dark situations of Alien: Covenant reflect David “human” personality, his inner turmoil… just as like the landscape was a symbol of the romantic man’s mood in romantic art and poetry. The crew of the Covenant would like to behave “rationally”, Captain Oram tries to show off his “rationalism” and pretends people around him to be rational. Romanticism refuse rationalism. The misfortune: the irruption of the neutrino burst in the crew’s life. The neutrino burst is imprevedibile. The crew of the Covenant is about to set foot in a planet that David shaped as his personal, emotional, irrational hell. The fate of the Covenant crew is doomed right from the start.

2) Alien: Covenant is also the movie in which we see the Xenomorph for the first time. The Xenomorph is finally born. The first Alien movie was an horror movie in space and become a cult movie. But where did the HORROR GENRE came from? The horror genre was born from Gothic fiction, a part of romantic literature. So… maybe Ridley Scott is telling us where the Xenomorph and the horror genre were born at the same time. I think that this is an interesting parallel to do. The Romanticism brought the horror genre to life/ David’s mind brought the Xenomorph to life. The style of Alien: Covenant is different from the style of the first Alien because the style of old horror stories was different from the style of the contemporary ones… but soon the “style” will “evolve” alongside the evolution of the Xenomorphs that surely David will bring on.

There is another fascinating romantic element in Alien: Covenant, the RUINS of the Engineers city. The beautiful dead city scenery. Ruins are a typical element of Romanticism. The ruins inspire the sensation of the decay of the things produced by man, giving the spectator the emotion of the passing time (that is the theme of Ozymandias poem too, quoted by David in front of the ruins of the dead city). The ruins are a source of emotions for the romantic man (David cries while is watching the Engineers dying and cries when is watching the ruins with Walter).

Alien: Covenant, with its sceneries, its terrible storm that traps the crew on the planet, the horrible but fascinating form of the Xenomorph, let us connect to another important element of the Romantic feel: the “SUBLIME”. The sublime is a fundamental feeling sought after by the Romantics. The sublime is not born from the pleasure of the measure, from the beautiful form of an object, from “objective beauty,” but the sublime is born from the feelings of fear, dismay, astonishment incurred by infinity, disrepute, and terrible things. Don’t we like horror stories for the same reason? Don’t we like Xenomorphs for the same reason?

Thank you for reading my bad english! ^-^ I’ll get into more specific topics next times here on this blog! I’ll write about more specific references to some gothic fictions and Romantic thematics that I have found in Alien: Covenant (and in Prometheus too).

(Table of Contents: https://gothic-fiction-in-space.tumblr.com/post/164533391538/table-of-contents-1-the-romanticism-of-alien)

[riverheadbooks]

READER HOROSCOPES FOR JUNE 2017

Flipping the pages of your celestial fortune

 GEMINI

 Gemini season is upon us!!! Birthday behavior will be in full effect, so enjoy this month and all it has to offer. How do you see yourself developing in the next month, year, or five years? What do you want to achieve, and how can you make that happen? Use this burst of positive energy to fuel your ambitions because honey, the sky's the limit! In between all of the birthday partying you plan to do (you know you tend to need twice the celebrations - get it?), take some time to peel yourself away from the crowd and reflect on what this past year has brought. There have been many ups, most likely a few downs as well. But you’ve made it this far, and there’s no slowing you down now. Be bold, be serious about your dreams, and start taking concrete steps to reaching them! That means investing in yourself - whether it’s a side project that needs more time, a long-term endeavor that you’ve abandoned lately, or a relationship that you want to improve. The onus is on you to take control - it’s your life, after all! The characters in your lucky book this month may not always get along, but they are driven by their passions, and act accordingly. Wires may get crossed, accidents can happen, or the side project you invested time and money in may reveal itself to be smoke and mirrors - these are some unfortunate side effects of taking risks. But guess what? You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. And, in the end, even if it all goes up in smoke, you become stronger by learning how to rebuild. This is your time, Gemini, so go after what you want, and be unapologetic about it. You’ve got a pretty big crowd cheering you on, every step of the way.

 LUCKY BOOK: Modern Lovers by Emma Straub

 CANCER

 Namaste, Cancer. Summer is nearly upon us, and you’re feeling extra motivated to get yourself in shape. Whether it’s inspired by the ‘beach body’ craze (any body at the beach is a beach body, FYI!) or you’ve just got some spare energy to burn, lean into that impulse and follow where it takes you! Putting in those hours of physical exertion - whether it’s on a yoga mat, treadmill, or the winding paths of your local park - will only make you feel stronger, healthier, and happier...and probably pretty sore, too. But good for you! This commitment to bettering your physical self will do wonders for helping you manage your emotional self, as well. While you have the time to let your mind wander while you work out, allow it to drift to your personal goals - and I’m not talking about how many pounds you want to lift. Where are you headed, and what’s driving you there? When is the last time you reevaluated what you really want? It’s crucial that you stop and reflect from time to time, keeping in mind that desires change, and that’s normal. If you’ve been pushing yourself lately, think about why that is. Are you keeping yourself busy to avoid thinking? Why? Use this month of recalibration as a reset - absent yourself from the whirlwind of rooftop parties and bar hops for a bit, and just let yourself rest. When is the last time you took an honest to God NAP? Yeah, thought so. Your lucky book this month follows a young man who, similar to yourself, is on a quest for knowledge - how does one achieve transcendence? Nirvana? The only way to find out is to seek it out - a journey that tests his physical abilities, but his emotional and spiritual grit as well. Take the time, put in the work, and then wait - with time, your answers (and rewards!) will come..

 LUCKY BOOK: The Yoga of Max’s Discontent by Karan Bajaj

 LEO

 Thank you for being frieeeend, Leo! This month your social butterfly-ing is off the charts - everyone wants a piece of you, which is exactly how you like it! The summer season and hours-long group hangouts are exactly what the doctor ordered, so you’re in a good place. Listen to that feeling in your gut that tells you are exactly where you need to be - June very well may be the month of beneficial collaborations! Keep your eyes and ears open during your group conversations - you never know who may wind up being a fantastic potential partner for a joint venture. That said, you may prefer not to think about any joint venturing right now, due to a stalled project that’s been getting you down. A short story you can’t find an ending for, a relationship that refuses to be rehabilitated, a jewelry business that you are having trouble getting off the ground - whatever it is, it can be incredibly frustrating to devote time and energy to a project, just to have it stutter and stop before it even starts. Don’t avoid the issue, but don’t keep trying the same methods over and over again either. It may be time to seek out some help - might it be an emotional block? Is it time to seek out your old therapist, or maybe an acupuncturist? The point is, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you find yourself needing a fun distraction between therapy sessions, your lucky book this month is about a pair of friends whose relationship takes a sharp turn one fateful summer. Young rich women in 1950s Houston, Texas, one of them gone off the rails and the other her self-appointed chaperone: what follows is a story that is sure to lend some perspective to the issues you’re facing. Sometimes, you really do get by with a little help from a friend.

 LUCKY BOOK: The After Party by Anton DiSclafani

 VIRGO

 Summer is rapidly approaching - for most people, a time when responsibilities are slackened, the meetings end earlier, and the long, sunny days make for less work, much more play. But you aren't most people, are you, Virgo? This month, you're determined to make good use of your time and energy rather than while it away on the boardwalk or rooftop bar. The good news is, you'll start to see the returns from this burst of extra effort pretty quickly: if you haven't already, you'll start getting noticed by some important higher-ups, community influencers, maybe even a potential business partner or two. Your career is going places, so take advantage of that momentum! This means thinking more broadly about how you’re utilizing your position and whatever power you wield to make the world a better place. How can you contribute to the causes that are meaningful to you? Can you sacrifice your time? Resources? Money? The more successful you become, the easier it can be to hoard the wealth you accrue, but be warned: money is fickle, and has ways of making itself scarce - sometimes at the most inconvenient or unexpected times. The family in your lucky book know that well, having lost their riches in one fell swoop on a fateful summer’s day on Martha’s Vineyard. Shaken, bewildered, and grasping for steady footing, they undergo very separate journeys - the childrens’ distinct from the parents’ in order to make sense of their strange new world, and figure out their place in it. So keep making the boss moves you’ve perfected into an art, but stay ready at all times for the other shoe to drop.

 LUCKY BOOK: Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty by Ramona Ausubel

 LIBRA

 Oh, lovely Libra, where will your spirit move you this month? The summer breeze has you feeling particularly fine, and that’s nothing to sneeze at. Feeling antsy and in need of a change of pace? Join a Capoeira class! Do you miss scintillating classroom discussions and writing important papers? Sign up for the community college class you’ve been eyeing for weeks now! Don’t let your nomadic spirit spiral into aimlessness - your open-mindedness is a gift; take advantage of it! Don’t settle until you feel, internally, that you’re in the place you want to be. What form that place will take, only your future self knows, but one thing is clear: you’re hungry for knowledge. You want to know more - about computer science, about birding, about the coasts of Santorini - it doesn’t matter what the topic (or the hemisphere), just that you find your passion and let it consume you. Throwing yourself into a brand new pursuit is one of the most sustaining and reliable pleasures of life; it can remind us of the wild curiosity we experienced for the first time as children, and it can teach us discipline and patience. But most of all, it will scratch the itch that’s been nagging you: the itch to simply know more. The authors of your lucky book know exactly how you feel - they wrote and illustrated an entire book that explores everything we don’t know about the universe. Quarks and neutrinos, black holes and Dark Matter: words we hear in physics class that vaguely ring a bell, but easily evade human understanding. This is the perfect downtime book for you this month as you embark on a quest of personal fulfillment via life’s classroom - but the best part is, there’s no test at the end.

 LUCKY BOOK: We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson

  SCORPIO

 Scorpio, you siren, you. Do you ever tire of leaving broken hearts in your wake? Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but the truth is, you’re quite the hot commodity this month, but something tells us you don’t exactly mind! Call it hormones, pheromones, or what have you, but the seductive vibes you’re giving off are driving your admirers wild - some you’re probably already aware of, some you may not be! You officially hold the crown in the kingdom of “leave ‘em wanting more,” but a little mystery never hurt anybody, now did it? On the contrary: this surge of power has awakened your artistic sensibilities, and your creativity is off the charts. NO matter your given field - photography, singing, comedy, acting - you’ve tapped into that elusive space where the magic is flowing and you’re on a high that feels as if it won’t end. Allow yourself to be fully submerged into that place of artistic nirvana while you can - because, as you know well, the muse will float away and the output won’t feel as effortless. And speaking of being submerged...your lucky book this month is a perfectly creepy read to keep you engaged, awake, and on your toes. The queen of intrigue is back with a thriller that follows the story of a small town grappling with two grisly murders that occur within weeks. Don’t stay up late reading this one - or do, if you’re the type to derive inspiration from unsettling dreams...and the satisfaction that comes from hoarding all of those unanswered texts...

 LUCKY BOOK: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

 SAGITTARIUS

 Happy June, Sagittarius! These longer summer days and balmy nights are incredibly restorative, after a rather stressful past few weeks. Now that some of the furor has died down, you have the mental real estate to take stock. Your relationships have been heavy on your mind lately - be they romantic, familial, platonic, or professional, it's important to recognize when your gut is telling you to pay attention. Trust your instincts. This month, you should have little trouble recognizing who is worth your time and who is a drain on your energy, and acting accordingly. Life is too short to spend it catering to people you know aren't good for you, whether out of respect to a bond formed in childhood, a friend in common, or simply an unhealthy infatuation. Make the conscious decision to choose quality over quantity - you may be surprised at how much easier it becomes to recognize your genuine attraction to the right people, and repulsion by the wrong ones. And if you're having trouble finding the motivation to sit with yourself and do this necessary emotional work, let your lucky book guide you. A hilarious and poignant memoir that explores the strange inner workings of a strict Catholic childhood, Priestdaddy is a great reminder of the necessity of intense self-reflection. Taking a step back to take stock of your history, your interactions with the people in your life, and most importantly, how you feel about how far you’ve come - it makes an enormous difference. Better yet, it can help you identify patterns you may have unwittingly established, and the best way to move forward.

 LUCKY BOOK: Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood

 CAPRICORN

 Watch out, Cap! June is coming at you fast, and there’s no time to waste: only strategic thinking and maximum efficiency will get you through this month unscathed. Luckily, you’re already a practical thinker by nature, with a healthy amount of determination and ambition. These traits will come in handy when your responsibilities start to ramp up, and opportunities begin flying at you from all directions. It’s exciting to find yourself in such high demand, but this is when it’s most essential to keep a level head and practice the art of the “no.” Always, Cap, aim to work smarter, not harder. Utilize life hacks to maximize your time and energy, rather than spreading yourself thin in an attempt to be everything for everybody. Make a list of your priorities and passions, and don’t apologize for making those your focus this month. Some things will necessarily fall by the wayside, and that’s okay. Self-sustainability is the name of the game, so don’t feel guilty for looking out for #1. This goes beyond your work life, though: you should be taking precautions to keep yourself safe, in general! Your lucky book this month is an excellent guide to all of the strange quirks of human nature when it comes to keeping ourselves alive from day to day, like insisting on fat-free salad dressing but text while behind the wheel. Filled with eye-opening statistics and anecdotes that paint a striking picture of the need for more careful living, this is an excellent downtime read that will satisfy your need for concrete steps to leading a more responsible and efficient life.

 LUCKY BOOK: Careful: A User’s Guide to Our Injury-Prone Minds by Steve Casner

 AQUARIUS

 Aquarius, where’s the party?! June is here and you’re ready to celebrate - good for you! Your festive spirit is incredibly contagious, which is probably why you’re finding that many old friends are popping out of the woodwork to extend invitations to hang out. People love to be around a welcoming and effusive spirit like yours, so revel in it! Make the very most of those day parties and parades, don’t be afraid to get a little loud and flamboyant! There’s a time for being a little over the top, Aquarius, and this is yours. If you find yourself drawn to experiences simply for the amazing story they’ll make in the aftermath, follow that impulse! You’re known for spinning some incredible yarns, but the stories that keep your friends and family the most rapt are definitely the ones that are based on 100% true events. And with the high you’re currently riding, who knows what adventures you’re liable to get into? Your lucky book this month is by an author who consistently tells riveting, eye-opening stories - a trait you both share! A deeply affecting story of a young couple in 1930s Austria desperate to be together in the midst of war, this novel will provide some much-needed balance to the endorphin-addled rollercoaster you’re on this month - while still keeping you on the edge of your seat.

 LUCKY BOOK: The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor

 PISCES

 Home is where the heart is, isn’t that right, Pisces? This month, you’re feeling every bit the domestic goddess: your plants are thriving, wardrobe cleaned out, bathroom sink sparkling. Or maybe none of those tasks are completed yet, but you’re counting down the minutes until you can cross them off your to-do list. Embrace the urge to beautify your space - you have to live there, after all! It’s absolutely in your best interest to take the time to make it look and feel the way you love; being in a space you don’t enjoy can negative effects on your mood and productivity, which makes total sense: if the first thing you see in the morning and last thing you see at night both make you say “Ugh,” how can you expect to feel anything but? But surrounding yourself with beauty and cleanliness (or otherwise, whatever you’re into!) shouldn’t only be for your home - this month, finding yourself in the company of powerful women you admire will be key. They say you are the average of the people you spend the most time with, so think carefully about who you are allowing to influence you every day. The company you keep - just like the furniture or framed art you choose - can make all the difference. Your lucky book this month is another kind of domestic tale - a hilarious, heartwarming story of a newly combined family trying to adjust to their new roles. A testament to the ongoing awkwardness of life, no matter what age you are, this novel is a great reward for finally building that Hemnes dresser - or an even better distraction from starting (don’t worry, we won’t tell).

 LUCKY BOOK: The Awkward Age by Francesca Segal

 ARIES

 What a time to be alive, huh, Aries? The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the Instagram stories are flowing! After the seemingly endless month of May, June is finally here in all of its glory, and you are ready to take full advantage. Get your calendar ready - you’re stepping back into your social butterfly shoes (or should it be wings?) and it is wonderful! Friends and family love to see you in your element, so don’t be surprised by all of the invites fluttering your way. But if your heart is telling you to hit the road, it may be best to put some of those brunch dates on hold - getting onto a bus, train, or place and exploring a brand new place may be exactly what the doctor ordered. Don’t be afraid to follow your heart - especially if it leads you to something you’ve never tried! Your lucky book this month may give you some inspiration, particularly if you’re the athletic type. You may have heard of ultimate frisbee before, but never like this. Told from the point of view of “one of the greatest athletes no one has ever heard of,” Ultimate Glory follows the journey of a young man who devoted his life to those moments when he is able to lose himself completely in the game. And although he went on to hang up his frisbee and pick up a pen, his sheer adoration for the sport, and his passion for making his dreams come true, are all the motivational fodder you need to get up and get going. Go on and seize the day, Aries - and maybe give seizing a frisbee a shot too! You never know!

 LUCKY BOOK: Ultimate Glory by David Gessen

 TAURUS

 Well, Taurus, another birthday season has passed, and you’re another year older and wiser! The best part of aging: becoming more accepting of your personality quirks and eccentricities. Constantly trying to alter who you are is not only fruitless, it’s psychologically draining! That said, as summer plans begin to heat up and your various friend groups make half-baked travel plans you know will require some forethought, don’t ignore your desire to step in and make sure the itineraries are up to snuff. You get a lot of grief for being the self-appointed parent from time to time, but guess what? Someone has to do it! And if it’s you, so be it. Needing stability doesn’t make you boring; it makes you indispensable, and it also keeps you sane. Not to mention, it truly does help people have more fun. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that the best laid plans have their way of going awry. No one knows this better than the poor families of your lucky book this month, who embark on what begins as a lovely cruise, only to devolve into the most harrowing vacation experience of their lives. It’s a heart-stopping, engrossing reminder of the inherent unknowability of life, despite our Plans B, C, D, and so on - but moreso, a reminder to treasure your loved ones every day, as life is completely unpredictable. Be sure to smuggle this one with you wherever you go, because trust me - once you start, it’s nearly impossible to put down.

 LUCKY BOOK: Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy

[inasbaraz-blog]

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[triple-eh]

Devlog - 24.02.17

(Cross posted from https://triple.aye.net) 

Oops, I missed a week and the devlog is late. Sorry! Game Dev and all that. Shipping late’s what we do…

I put off posting as I was hopeful that I’d have something nice to show, but things haven’t quite worked out as planned:

Next Game

I added a damage effect – the “damage beans” – on the screen edges to indicate that the player’s been hurt. It’s a simple post-process overlay, but with a normal map added you get a nice distortion of the screen as it fades in and out. Standard stuff for the most part. Except I have two versions, one that’s a blood-splat, and one that’s a nice high-res picture of actual baked beans. :D

I’ve also had a quick play with the audio system in UE4. My natural inclination is to integrate FMOD, but I’m hearing from fellow developers on Mastodon that UE4’s system is pretty good, and from the quick tests it might well be. Audio attenuation and geometry occlusion definite seem to work, which could be enough for what I need.

But for the last 10 days or so I’ve been playing around with look and feel tests.

This skybox got me into a lot of trouble.

My intention with Next Game is to do everything quite low-poly and avoid as much texturing as possible. One reason for that is to look different, but texturing and modelling take time, and time/money aren’t something that I have a lot of. If I have to get into texturing then I’d probably go for something old-school, like Gibhard or Strafe, but for obvious reasons I’d like to avoid that. I think every man and his dog will be doing that style in a year or two…

Unfortunately having a super realistic skybox lead me down a path where geometry got a bit too complex, and things rapidly looked incongruous when flat-shaded with high quality lighting. Basically, I couldn’t get it to look good unless it was extremely high-contrast. Which was unplayable. Although, I did spend a day flirting with an entirely black-and-white grading that I might go back to for some levels.

Anyway, I’ve thrown away all that work. All the geometry modelled so far, the test level, the greybox, all the materials and all the textures. That stung a bit.

This week I started again, but from a better footing: I chose a nice, harmonious, palette, and put a simple gradient in the sky-box. The palette is very limited: four base colours, four shades of each colour, and a gradient from top to bottom of each colour. I will most likely add to that over time, but for now this is working well.

UV-unwrapping can be done extremely quickly. Anything single colour can just be atlas unwrapped and pushed over the appropriate shade in the texture, while things with gradients just need a little more attention to align them properly over the gradient. Because the palette is fixed, everything sits in the scene, and with some lightmass settings tweaked I’m getting really rich colour gradients, colour bounces being picked up and deep shadows. It looks better, basically. It’s also super colourful, to the point of being cartoony – far too much for this game – but I find it easier to turn everything up to 11 and then slowly dial it in over time. (Early screenshots of Lumo are practically black because I was shooting for a Scooby-Doo vibe. The final game looks nothing like it…)

What needs sorting out now is the correct scale for things. My character moves extremely quickly, and rocket jumps go for miles. This will take a bit of two-and-fro, but that’s next week’s mission. At the minute everything’s a little too big but I find it quite endearing. 

Iterate, iterate.

Neutrino

Still train-coding my way through this and the big news is, the tile map editor that I said I’d never write is basically done. It’s missing the ability to create re-usable brushes from placed tiles, so I might go back and add that at some point, but bar some tidying up and deciding on the save format it’s doing what I’ll need. This throw up a couple of interesting things.

I was about to delve into the murk of C’s directory and file-handling, which is annoyingly different depending on the platform, but decided to have a quick search through Github to see what was already out there, and came across this little gem: Tinydir, works brilliantly.

While testing the tilemap editor I thought I’d throw in some massive numbers to see how it performed. Turns out things started crawling pretty quickly, which was er, a shock. After pushing it through Richard Mitton’s Very Sleepy the hot spot seemed to be in how I’m populating the VBOs, which again, was a bit of a surprise. This was supposed to be an optimised version of what I’d written a few years back on iOS…

For some reason I was only getting ~8k sprites per frame. I was expecting quite a few more. The culprit was this line:

mTransform = mTranslate * mRotation * mScale;

Pretty standard stuff, this is just creating the translation matrix which I’m pushing all my vertices through before copying the result into the VBO. (Yes, at some point I should just do all that into the shader…) I’ve done this before and had much better performance, except then I was using my own math class, and this time I’m using OpenGL Math. I figured it’d be better to pass off the optimisation and maintenance of my maths stuff to, well, people that know some maths.

So I dug into the operator * overload:

GLM_FUNC_QUALIFIER tmat4x4<T, P> operator*(tmat4x4<T, P> const & m1, tmat4x4<T, P> const & m2) { typename tmat4x4<T, P>::col_type const SrcA0 = m1[0]; typename tmat4x4<T, P>::col_type const SrcA1 = m1[1]; typename tmat4x4<T, P>::col_type const SrcA2 = m1[2]; typename tmat4x4<T, P>::col_type const SrcA3 = m1[3]; typename tmat4x4<T, P>::col_type const SrcB0 = m2[0]; typename tmat4x4<T, P>::col_type const SrcB1 = m2[1]; typename tmat4x4<T, P>::col_type const SrcB2 = m2[2]; typename tmat4x4<T, P>::col_type const SrcB3 = m2[3]; tmat4x4<T, P> Result(uninitialize); Result[0] = SrcA0 * SrcB0[0] + SrcA1 * SrcB0[1] + SrcA2 * SrcB0[2] + SrcA3 * SrcB0[3]; Result[1] = SrcA0 * SrcB1[0] + SrcA1 * SrcB1[1] + SrcA2 * SrcB1[2] + SrcA3 * SrcB1[3]; Result[2] = SrcA0 * SrcB2[0] + SrcA1 * SrcB2[1] + SrcA2 * SrcB2[2] + SrcA3 * SrcB2[3]; Result[3] = SrcA0 * SrcB3[0] + SrcA1 * SrcB3[1] + SrcA2 * SrcB3[2] + SrcA3 * SrcB3[3]; return Result; }

Ow. That’s creating a lot of vec4 variables over the course of a few thousand sprites.

I admit, I’m learning GLM as I go, and maybe there’re some functions to do mat4 multiplications in place but the docs make my nose bleed, and to be honest I couldn’t be arsed to trawl through it all.

So instead of using a glm::mat4, my matrix is now a simple array, allocated at the start of the function, that only contains the scale and rotation. I can push the sprite corners through this and add the translation, and remove a lot of obviously zero multiplications from the process.

vBL.x = (vBL_Pos->x * s_mTransMat[0]) + (vBL_Pos->y * s_mTransMat[1]) + vPos->x; vBL.y = (vBL_Pos->y * s_mTransMat[3]) + (vBL_Pos->y * s_mTransMat[4]) + vPos->y; vBL.z = vPos->z; etc. etc.

This is fine for 2D stuff, which is all I intend to use this engine for.

And the result? About a 15x speed-up. In fact, I get exactly the same number of sprites out of a single thread on my X1 laptop, as I do on my big fat devrig: ~150k @ 60fps.

I’ll probably look to multi-thread this once the physics engine and fmod have been integrated, but for now it’s more than good enough for a little shoot-em-up.

The moral of the story: Future Gareth, you should probably look into how to use GLM properly.

[slow-fawn]

Friends. Lovers. Favorites: A Collection of Local Music

As you all know, this was a HUGE year for me, the most obvious reason being because I came out as transgender. However, not only did I come out, but this year I made an effort to become more active in my local music scene. After meeting the guys in pulses. in 2016, befriending them more in 2017 and going to many of their shows that year, I met many other bands from inside and outside of Virginia, some small and some big. Because of that, I decided to branch out even further and support more bands in in the area, and even local bands outside of Virginia.

And holy hell, am I glad I decided to do that. In just this year alone, I’ve met so many amazing musicians, had pleasant chats with people that inspire me, and made some friends that I hope I can keep for years to come. In the past I have been very reclusive, and in many ways I still am extremely introverted and shy, but this has easily been my most social year of my life, and I’m forever thankful for the opportunities I had to open up more to a world that I’m usually very cold around.

As a thank you to the people I’ve met, the friends I’ve made, and the music that’s inspired me, I’m making this little article to shed some light on some people and some bands I’ve met and befriended this year, and I hope that through this little shout-out, I can introduce people to new music and spread the word to reach even more people, much like how these bands were introduced to me. So without rambling on even further and sounding like a broken record, let me share with you all some people, musicians, and bands that have made an impact on me this year. I’m not gonna tag any names just for the sake of not clogging peoples’ notifications lol. Also if HIRS sees this please don’t kill me for using your album name for the title of my article, I just thought it was a fitting name ����

Starting off with some bands outside of Virginia, first I’m going to mention goner, a New York based metalcore band that gives me nice grindcore/death metal vibes, and they put out an extremely kick-ass EP this year that I highly recommend. I don’t know these guys that well, but I met Jeff on Halloween when I went to see Daughters play in Strange Matter (RIP :/ ) and he was hella fun to talk to, and I hope to see him again someday and that maybe one day Goner can play a show down here in Virginia if they ever get the chance :)

Second, we have Satyr, a band from Georgia that I had little to no knowledge of before seeing them in a house show earlier this year, but after seeing them live, they absolutely blew my mind, and even after seeing them a second time later in the year, they still continue to impress me and astound me in ways very few other bands do. For the uninformed, Satyr is a progressive hardcore band that excels in creating complex music with lots of soaring melodies, insane rhythms, and full of untapped power and potential; it’s all showcased extremely well in their EP Neutrino!, a release that is easily one of my favorites of the year. Soup, JD, Dolphin, and Brody, keep shredding and I hope to see you guys again here in VA next year ❤️ Also, Things Amazing is another great Georgia band I’ve seen and met and I recommend them as well, both bands have Brody on drums :)

Now we have The Slow-Goers, a VA indie rock/emo duo consisting of my friend Taimir and his friend Ben. Taimir is one of the realest people I know, and he has been a great friend this past year. We’ve shared many a moment together and we run into each other pretty often at shows here in VA :) The Slow-Goers put out an album titled I Have to Go this year, and I highly recommend it for fans of the indie rock/emo genre.

I don’t know any of the band members that personally, but I saw Gif From God 2 times this year, and both times were absolutely incredible. They’re easily one of my favorite bands to come out of Richmond, and I had some nice conversations with some of the members of the band, I feel honored just being in their presence and I respect them so much. PLEASE check them out if you’re into emoviolence/skramz/grindy, heavy music in general and haven’t heard of them before ❤️

This band didn’t put out an album this year, but after seeing them live, befriending them, bonding with them over our love for pulses., and talking to them constantly online, Calling Down Fire has to be one of the nicest, if not THE absolute nicest, group of people I’ve ever met in my life. They’re a metalcore band from northern VA, and I love them to death. These guys are very passionate about music, and it’s very clear if you ever get to see them live or talk to them, and I’m very excited for what the future holds for them.

They kinda slowed down things this year, but The Blue Sky Disaster is a young band from Richmond that only has one single out yet has so much potential. If you’re like me and didn’t like Underoath’s new musical direction, these guys scratch that itch pretty well, and they put on an energetic liveshow as well. I miss them lots and hope to see them again soon!

Next up is Black Matter Device, a Fredericksburg mathcore band run by some very cool and very nice dudes. They’re all extremely talented and super kind, despite also being filthy memelords (it’s all in good taste guys i love y’all), and this year they put out one of favorite records of 2018, a little ditty called Modern Frenetics. If you love chaos, noise, and fast music, definitely check them out. I’ve seen them live 4 times this year, looking forward to the new EP and more liveshows in 2019 ❤️

Now these guys didn’t put out a new album this year either, but as always I gotta shout-out pulses. anway because they DID put out a pretty tight single this year, they played plenty of shows, and they’re my best friends, so as always, if you haven’t checked them out yet, DO IT NOW!!! Caleb, Kevin, Danny, David, and Matt, I love you guys so much 💖

Last, but certainly not least, Infant Island. Where do I even begin with these guys? Well, they’re a shoegazey punk band from Fredericksburg, and this band has put out, without a doubt, my absolute favorite album of 2018. I met Infant Island at a house show earlier this year, and have since seen them play 4 more additional times, bought 2 different copies of their debut LP, and have had many a conversation with them, whether it’s about music, food, or just goofing off in general. I love these guys so much, and I will always cherish the times we’ve spent together, eating at Shawarma Shack, cackling at my Marge Simpson impressions, and more. Daniel, Alex, Kyle, Austin, and James are some of my favorite people on Earth, and I am so thankful to be able to not only see them play INCREDIBLE music live and be able to put their album on repeat, but to be able to call them my friends ❤️ Here’s to more in 2019.

Some other bands worth mentioning that I’ve seen and met are In Wolves' Clothing, 60659-c,  Eaves, Genosha, and more. Thank you for reading this if you got this far; I put in a lot of time and effort into making this, but I had to make it, I owe it to everyone to let you all know how grateful I am for all of this. Sorry if this got less consistent and detailed or I rambled too much, I’m just very tired after typing this all out lol. I also put out my Best of 2018 post recently as well, so please check that out too! Thanks again ❤️