#more experiments ft

[caemidraws]

---

[weatherera]

Your decisions

[anxiously-sidequesting]

Big shout-out to the ocs and lore that depicts physical/appearance changes due to high concentration and uses of magic btw that shit is so cool. Whether your wizard's hair turns blue or straight up grows an extra arm due to the excessive amount of powerful magic they use everyday I eat that shit up. Bonus points if it's a rare/newly discovered condition or if your wizard is just straight up unrecognizable from arc 1 to arc 4. Bonus bonus points if the wizard gains a disability from it and has to learn to adapt to their new condition

[thistransient]

More Ladakh on film

[unproduciblesmackdown]

just in time to spin the prompt / inspiration wheel via @lotrmusical for the 1 year anniversary of watermill theater lotr musical today:

the way louis maskell says "mr gandalf—please" with a laugh in his voice as he kneels next to sam to "protect" him from being turned into anything unnatural

[aeolianblues]

was kinda thinking about this when I saw Renee Rapp live recently-- I didn't know her visual vibe, I'd heard a few songs here and there but I hadn't really *seen* her, and her attire at Osheaga was really casual, a jersey (baseball/basketball?) and slacks. And that was so amazing! I couldn't help thinking, the work Billie Eilish has done for how women in pop music are allowed to dress is incredible. Seeing her up there all comfortable you just know that Billie walked in her oversized tops so that Renee in her slacks could run; Billie walked through all the critcisms about how she dressed slobbily and having to assert that she didn't owe anyone a display of skin, so that Renee could be comfortable and unquestioned running up and down the catwalk in front of 10,000 people. How iconic.

And I don't think we even realised at the time how much something as simple as letting Billie dress the way she as a (then-) 17-year-old teenager dressed, could end up meaning for a future generation of women in music.

Obviously there is still way to go, there were weirdos complaining about how 'plain' Dua Lipa's Glastonbury outfit was this year (in 2024!!), l have to ask, are you at Paris Fashion Week?? She is the musical HEADLINER of an entire day of music at one of the biggest music festivals in the world, and you can't grant her the space to exist as an artist, you have to moan about her dress not being excitingly revealing enough. There's work to do, it's still dismal out there. But the space Billie Eilish has created for a most ordinarily-dressed woman popstar is still heartening.

[sysig]

Physical media is forever (Patreon)

[technikki]

vacation doodle dump <3

[saltcherry]

applying for job is making me insane. fill out this horrendous online portal with all your work experience, don't make mistakes. upload your CV separately but if you don't fill out the experience on the online portal we literally won't look at it. we do have a shitty tool that tries to put your work experience from your CV into our portal but it will do it so wrong your head will spin.

[curiosity-killed]

i fear i am reaching a couch-induced breakdown tipping point

[slightlyplant]

ok but what if he was album covers

(albums in order: dawn by mxmtoon, am i a girl? by poppy, the family jewels by marina)

[yakny]

"WHY LIFT THE CURTAIN OF NIGHT AND WANDER AROUND THE WORLD TO EXPERIENCE PAIN AND LONELINESS? AMIDST A DEEP DREAM, A BEAUTIFUL LIFE WILL REACH THE OTHER SIDE OF ETERNITY."

★. I had plans to be productive this entire July. Sadly, things don't always go as planned —thanks art block :D!— but move on we must. On the bright side, I finished the drawing above in July so at least my July entry for my art summary won't go empty :}

★. Below are what used to be finished pieces to be uploaded in July but upon closer inspection, I determined them to still be unfinished. Yes, all of these are of Bobo and Louie. No, I'm still not over that web weave I made a while back.

[loregoddess]

if I had a quarter for every time there was a zombie army of any size in a trpg/srpg, I would have an ungodly number of quarters, why does this keep happening

[linc-karo-27]

Some Fellow Travelers Theories

So on Monday I wrote out some theories i have for the show. Here are some (for ep5-8)

Spoilers for the book and spoilers from the showtime episode descriptions and stills. Written before the teaser of episode 3 so little knowledge on that. Only focuses on 6/7/8s plots, with 5 filled in with guesses. Spoilers of any small mention of the events from interviews from Ron/others as well as mentions of visuals seen through showtime/paramount BTS. 

Episode 5 

From what I've seen with the showtime descriptions, this is ending on a cliffhanger. It covers the events of section 2 (what isn't covered in 3 and 4) and 3, basically covering Tim's time in the army, and Hawks marriage and Lucy's pregnancy. Ends on a cliffhanger of Tim planning to come back to DC (if he goes abroad idk). Marcus fulfils the Woodforde and Paul Hildebrand roles of the book of being the messenger of Hawks domestication. Mary is maybe the letter receiver still but as no baby anymore, there's a focus on where we are with Marcus and Frankies lives. 

The implied Police Raids on Cozy Corner happen here. As there is a mention of Senator Smith being based on Lester Hunt, likely any resolution of what happened re him IRL (the shooting over his son being found out) is mentioned here if not in Ep4.

The 1980s is just the continuation of where we left off of the Tim and hawk domestic situation, though we meet Frankie again who fills us in on him and Marcus life + Marcus is coming back next week. Basically this is the happier story. 

Episode 6

This is the last time we see the HIV AIDS plotlines until episode 8. 

The 1968 story is simple. Mary is inferred to have told Hawk (still working in government) that Tim is wanted by the FBI for being involved with the anti Vietnam Protests and is somewhere in the country but she can't do anything because she's about to be voted in as senator. With his own life perfect, Hawk finds out via Marcus where Tim is and invites him to hide out at his as he is the last place they will look (which is ironic). He turns up and Lucy answers the door to him and is not pleased. The two men catch up, with Tim filling in the events of post 1957 (which only book people know so not told here) to then, including turning up at Maggies at 6am and the whole depression/breakdown/ implied suicide attempt from the epilogue of the book. When Tim leaves after a couple weeks to attend another protest, Lucy and Hawk fight about allowing a WANTED SUSPECT BY THE FBI into their home with kids. There seems to be fireworks at some point but idk if they have any meaning.

Marcus and Frankies stories are yet again separate from the main one, but interlink back in 1986. It mentions they are also separated on Showtime. 

Back in 1986 things got a lot worse and a lot quicker than Hawk expected. You know the joke Tim makes in ep2 about the "dementia kicking in?" Well here is sure does. He suddenly falls sick; Hawk takes him to the hospital and while there he forgets who Hawk is and keeps asking for someone else (maybe the guy from Fordham or his parents) and we see Hawk get upset while comforting him. 

It ends up with the hugging scene seen in the BTS, Hawk is crying over an unconscious Tim and we are left on a cliffhanger. This is implying that maybe Tim's dead in Hawks arms (which isn't the actual case but we leave it there). 

Episode 7 

(if you've seen my theory on Reddit it's slightly different as it only takes into account what I think not what I've heard others say)

This answers basically how we get to 1986. Maybe shows from the early 80s. 

I think 1979 is going to basically tell us how we get to 1986. Maybe even show Tim getting sick at the very end. I feel like the show is following the rule of "If Hawk and Tim are involved with each other, sexually or not, there is about to be something bad happening". 

The description mentions Hawk is "drinking himself to death" after something happens to his family and that rumour (likely via Marcus) triggers Tim to go to Fire Island (which is ironic when its set up in ep1 Hawk is triggered by the push that Tim is dying to go help him (though in a less blunt way). My theory is mainly focusing on the reason hawk is there in the first place.

 Its one of two events- with both kids gone and Lucy finally done with Hawk sleeping around and basically being a bad husband (in her eyes) she calls it quits and that spirals Hawk - his perfect life (in the eyes of many) gone- or something happens to the kids. Either way he ends up on Fire Island and Marcus finds out and goes to Tim (who is working as a social worker) this and Tim's want to help triggers him to go.

 When there they mess around, get drunk and party. The description mentions a "dark turn" where one of them gets into an accident (be it serious or not) and it ends in an argument/fight and Hawk goes back to Dulles to Lucy and whatever mess he left behind there (be his own making or not). Tim then goes back to his work and life, but tells Marcus (and Frankie, Frankie is mentioned to still be with Marcus) he never wants to see Hawk again. This is interspersed with the Harvey Milk murder trial. 

If then the HIV storyline starts up (if not triggered by Fire Island like some people theorise) - Tim has sex with someone to "rid" himself of Hawk (which is similar to a book plot point) and he starts to fall ill in the early '80s and Marcus notices- we are either told or shown this, taking us back to wherever the 80s is left off when we last have a scene. Full explanation of this below: 

When Tim doesn’t turn up to work, a mutual friend asks Marcus if he’s seen Tim because he’s still missing from work, noting that its unusual for him to not turn up. Marcus admits that he’s not seen him since the Fire Island incident ( said in dialogue as “when he came back upset about something”) and said if he doesn’t turn up again he will go check in on him, suggesting he thinks the fight with hawk is still affecting him, and is isolating himself because of it. Maybe its hinted its the start of the AIDS crisis by the mutual mentioning it in passing. More of Marcus/Frankie’s plot is added in here to show time passing until its mentioned Tim’s been “missing” for weeks, prompting Marcus to turn up at his apartment and basically break in when he gets no answer. 

He finds Tim in a state, (physically on the floor looking awful) saying to Marcus that he hasn’t been well and he doesn’t know why (hence why he’s been MIA since the Fire Island aftermath). Marcus asks when he last had sex (implying he guesses its AIDS) which Tim refuses to answer. Marcus pushes him to answer and its: “The last time I saw Hawk” (THIS MAKES SENSE WHY MARCUS IS PISSED AT HAWK IN EPISODE 1). Marcus picks up the crying Tim off the floor and onto the couch (reflection to the 1980s we have seen) and tells him he needs to tell someone. Marcus returns to Frankie, explains he think Tim has AIDS and Hawk is the reason, and his temper is what we are left on. 

Why do I think this involves all four of them? Marcus in ep1. Well the scene that it opens with. When Hawk sees Marcus he looks too guilty for this to be just Matt's facial expressions, this has been done on purpose and is probably a hint Hawk knew Tim was ill and/or what Marcus was about to tell him - be it he worked it out or Marcus has already had a go at him for the events of 1979- he's already got some guilt. This is furthered by the fact Marcus looks extremely mad when Hawk goes "I'm Careful". 

Yes it could just be in general Marcus has lost so many people at this point and is about to loose Tim as well (which may in some ways be one of the hardest for Marcus and hence why he went to do his book deal to mean he doesn't have to see Tim suffer those last days but that is another theory) and here is Hawk making light of it all.

It may be implied at the very end that Lucy is coming but I feel like no 1986 is shown. 

Episode 8

This is the reverse of Ep1. Lots of 1986, but a small 1950s going on. 

Basically it picks up where 5 left off with the whole of section 4 from the book (minus the book only plots). Hawk does the infamous "ditches Tim in over whatever the charity aid thing is" because he knows Tim will be an issue as he grows old and has more stability in DC (this could be why we have the whole suits gala outfit BTS) and he rats him in after one last sleepover. Tim leaves DC to go home to New York (his mention of the breakdown in 6 now makes sense) after the funeral (basically the same scenes as the book but change Woodforde to Marcus) . This is the end of the book plot. This may be inter-cut with the next bit. 

Most of this episode is set in 1986. We pick up where episode 6 left us + knowledge Lucy is in her way. 

With the end near and Lucy on her way, Tim uses the last few dregs of lucidity to banish Hawk (+ anyone else from the core group) away from the hospital, saying he doesn't want them there, and he wants to the end of his life to be alone. The others (if there) leave but Hawk refuses to, and Tim tells him again he wants to be alone and that Hawk doesn't need to see this /he's seen enough. Hawk's reply is a reference to ep2: "I'm not scared but I know you are". He apologises for everything, every single thing over the last 35 years and how he can't let himself allow Tim to suffer alone one last time. Tim repeats for him to go, which he does finally. Marcus is outside (even if he's not present in the earlier scene) and Hawk storms off saying he needs to get his stuff. He's crying and Marcus looks back at the door to Tim's room and then back at the camera. 

WE DON'T SEE TIM DIE ON SCREEN ITS IMPLIED IN THE LATER SCENES. 

Cut to Hawk phoning Mary back at Tim's apartment basically saying that him (+Marcus/Frankie if applicable) were banished and that he's going home. Mary accepts this, noting Hawk seems upset, and mentions the whole "HIV timeline" that 7 gives us, asking if he knew without him it would have never happened. Hawk asks about if Mary knew about the group in SF and how he wants Mary to mention it to Congress before she retires (or least to the SF senator. Doubt she's it). 

It's implied Tim dies soon after this or before by Maggie /someone else coming in upset. Marcus and Maggie are left in the flat when Lucy turns up and she makes some snarky comment about how she is pissed Hawk broke his promise about coming home for the realtor. Marcus and Hawk part ways and Marcus repeats the "hope Milan is good" comment from Ep1 but this time Hawk goes 

"If you all need anything let me know". 

Marcus and Frankies last scene is an adaptation of the epilogue from the book where they both discuss how society has changed since they met in 1952 and how they hope things get better. This is the last we see of them. There's been a mention of the AIDS blanket in filming BTS so it's likely it is about here, maybe Marcus and Frankie are walking away from it. Time has passed since the last sighting of Hawk by both and it's implied their lives are happy (or happier than Hawk and Tim end on). 

The show ends on Hawk sitting in the car on the way to the airport to go to Milan with Lucy and it flashes back to an unseen (so far) happy memory from 1957 with their theme overplaying it (likely the dancing scene that made Ron cry he kept bringing up). Credits roll. 

There is likely a quote at the end of the credits here. 

[unproduciblesmackdown]

blade gunnblade !!!!!!!!

via eliza simpson:

There are no words for this true warrior. They kill me. MMM: went in for a post show hug. Me:"ow!" Asia: "oh sorry, that's my bullet necklace." 😳........ 😍

[girlwiththegreenhat]

tell me you've never had to use skype without telling me you've never had to use skype: you complain about discord