#noemi does stuff

[changingplumbob]

📩 Simblr question of the day: Who's your biggest inspiration/s on Simblr? Mention them! Tell us why you like them!

Okay this may take a while so I'll stick it under a cut! I would just like to say, in no particular order! If there's any order it's purely by the order people show up in my following list.

I have many inspirations, everyone is so talented and unique! I will try group them somewhat or it would just be a massive list, here goes!

Long Form Stories

@eljeebee writes great stories across Sims 4 and Sims 3. If you want sims rich with lore check out Lana!

@bakersimmer Mari's Martin's Escape story has me hooked. Fleshed out characters dealing with real emotions, it's great!

@stargazer-sims speaking of lore Sapphire has tons! The way she manages to jump around in time also amazes me

@satureja13 writes amazing stuff. I can't see it anymore but you should definitely check them out

Shorter Stories

@matchalovertrait her Alegria Legacy is wholesome and beautiful, we are team Noemi here!

@slightly-ludic if you haven't met Jade's Ben Ben you are missing out. She does lovely snapshots of the globetrotter challenge, Ben is living his best life!

@marcishaun you need to read what she's constructing with "The Beauty and Her Beast" if you like Forgotten Hollow lore, it's great!

@aliengirl can I have a passport to her save because it looks beautiful and I want to meet the infant aliens!

Writing a Post at a Time

@simmerbeans beautiful sims, beautiful pictures, and a legacy challenge she made herself!

@sharona-sims the romance she has written for Lily is taking it's time which I find super sweet

@deardiaryts4 what can I say? Her sims look amazing and you should really read the new story she's doing because who doesn't like a good mystery

OhMyGosh it's so pretty

@swallowprettybird Oksana does wonderful things with colours and light

@torissims all she posts looks so comfy

@youredreamingofroo they do amazing renders!

I couldn't fit everyone, I had to make myself stick to four in each category 😭 I know I've forgotten some people by accident and all I can say is my IBS is winning today please forgive me

[simslegacy5083]

Not So Berry (Straud Descendants) Gen 9

Today's (8/27/2024) Episode: An Engaging Endorsement

Don and Luigi left their babies playing downstairs and headed to the Lothario mansion’s private studio to record a PrimSim cosmetic endorsement.

Luigi had been stockpiling ideas for his next family promo ever since the first two had gone so well. Before entering the studio, he stopped to tell his great grandfather about some of the scenes he really wanted to work into this video, but Don interrupted him after only a few sentences.

“Those are all clever concepts, but you’ve got to remember that endorsements aren’t theater: nobody wants to hear scripted dialog and see special effects.” The ancient mage stepped back to wiggle his magical sparkling fingers before stepping in to clap a hand on his grandson’s shoulder.

“My promos have won acclaim for centuries, and it’s all about keeping it real. Just focus on having fun trying these products with your Grandpa Don.”

It was hard for the self-centered Luigi to take Don’s advice at first, but the older sim quicky broke the ice.

“I probably should have modeled this before I stuffed myself with a holiday feast,” he said as he spun into a ridiculous floral print mankini. “But we all worry about looking our best at the beach. Fortunately, PrimSims waterproof tinted sunscreen is just the thing to smooth out my tan lines.”

Soon they were laughing together as Luigi joked: ”This flesh-colored stuff does fine covering up my late-night gaming binge eye bags, but under a glare like your sunlamp what I really need to do is apply a lot more of this dark eyeshadow. I’m not sure it it’s a goth or a football look, but I like it.”

“We killed it!” Luigi enthused after Don shared all the footage from the non-drone cameras. “I think my sponsors will love this. Thanks so much for handling the fashion element. “Dress up your new, younger looking face” was a great line and I had a great time in there with you today.”

“Anytime man, I love working with family too. Speaking of which, next time we get together you’ll finally be marrying your lady downstairs, right?”

Luigi nodded “I know, its about time. Things got complicated and a bit bumpy when Skye came along, but we’ve been planning it for awhile.”

“A long, long while, from what I hear.” his grandfather joked, laughing at his grandson’s embarrassment. “You really thought NONE of your old roommates would gossip? Two sims can keep a secret…if one of them is dead. It’s fine, boy. We all fall into complex romantic situations sometimes.”

Arriving back on the island Noemi busied herself getting Skye ready for bed while Luigi spun into his PJs and went to upload his video footage.

“I’ll just cut a really quick rough draft with some of the best bits while they’re fresh in my memory” he said to himself, trying to justify immediately violating his promise to his fiancée to stay off the computer after spending so much time streaming with Denton earlier in the day.

“I can’t leave it looking like this!” the perfectionist murmured, steadfastly ignoring the painful ache in his mousing hand as he concentrated on edit after edit, rapidly shaping the promotion closer to his exacting specifications. Eventually his guilt got the better of him, and he went to find Noemi.

Luigi discovered why Noemi hadn’t caught him being naughty when he entered the bedroom to find her all dressed up to be a bit “naughty” herself.

She frowned with suspicion as he slipped his brace on but quickly converted it into a pouty expression. “Oh no, you’ve hurt yourself!” Her lover played along, changing his grin into a grimace while cradling his wrist protectively against his chest “Afraid so. I’m in sooo much pain and just don’t know what to do.”

As he eagerly complied with the “special healing technique” she promised would have him feeling much better in no time, Luigi reflected that Harvestfest had been a roaring success. With their wedding coming up soon, he looked forward to much more of the same in the days to come.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[strawberry-meltdown]

Hello! Would you ever mind posting the original links to the coordinates ? ++ do you have experience w some DML blouses? I can fit 36 cm shoulder width, w some Liz Lisa stuffs I can do 32 cm (ONLY if it stretches) but I noticed my shoulder width can make blouses hit or miss :( would you know if 34 cm could fit me? A 34.5 usually works best but I’m worried if a 0.5 will make a difference

Thank you for your expertise and wishing you well 💖💞

hi! i'll start working on adding links to my posts! i'll likely do it based on brand first, prioritizing DML and noemie.

i unfortunately don't- i'm planning my next blouse to be DML though. a mutual said they're really good quality. i would recommend getting close to your measured size on any brand just to be safe.

i'm not very knowledgeable so i did some digging; from what i've read DML does have some extra room and stretch in the arms with some elasticity to help- others have said they can fit a 3cm stretch comfortably. you could definitely try out a LL, especially if a blouse with a 32cm shoulder has fit before!

i hope you have a lovely day! apologies if my answer isn't helpful. i'm still sort of new to jfashion 🙇

[lxvelylullabies]

yippe another mf sun haven oc ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

this one is a nice good self insert - type girlie since we simply must cope with life somehow!

so yeah here’s some stuff about my sh oc, NOEMIE 🥀🕯️🦇

🥀noemie’s nicknames : mimi , emmie

🥀noemie’s love interest : n/a , tbd, possibly darius but it’s unrequited!

🥀noemie’s friends : noemie can seem a bit off putting and intimidating at first, but she’s actually quite a sweetheart when you get to know her. friends w more folks in Withergate.

🥀noemie is a vampire - with nice sharp fangs and zero tolerance for the sun!

🥀if i had to describe Noemie in four words, they would be : teasing , curious , passionate , ——-

🥀noemie is currently a withergate resident - never bothering to leave said place since she’s so incredibly sensitive and HATEFUL towards the sun. A place with no sun? oh, sign her up!

🥀if she is for SOME REASON out in the sun, you’ll find her with some dark shades on, and a black lace parasol. while she can’t DIE from the sun- it’s beyond unpleasant for her- and can harm her physically.

🥀noemie does not drink bl00d. she technically COULD, if she wanted to, but she complains that she doesn’t like the ‘bitter taste’ and doesn’t like ‘being so close to someone’ to get some from them. instead, she just eats sweets- a LOT of sweets. but being the being she is- it doesn’t affect her in any way- she doesn’t need to even eat in the first place, so it doesn’t matter what she eats!

🥀absolutely despises the sun. HATES it. LOATHES. CANNOT STAND! she wishes it away everyday and cannot understand how ANYONE enjoys such miserable sunlight!

🥀naturally, she was extremely grateful that a place like withergate exists. she doesn’t have to worry about the sun bothering her anytime!

🥀noemie has lived in wg ever since withergate became a thing. before withergate tho- she would constantly hide away from the sun- only being awake and being active at night. she stays very clear of any place that HAS sun; which is about everywhere ! but if she has everything she needs in one place, why go anywhere?

🥀noemie doesn’t care to get her hands dirty, and always figured that she could make herself a living WITHOUT working or getting her hands dirty. So! her current occupation is posting on WitherTube - posting mostly skincare / beauty and other related content. this has gained her some popularity among withergate- but nothing crazy.

🥀noemie is rumored to have a thing for mister prince darius- but she obviously denies these rumors. she knows he probably wouldn’t care much for her anyway- so she decides to mostly admire him from afar.

🥀always complaining about xyla fr ;; always complaining about how xyla and darius should just marry already! losers! always teasing each other smh…

🥀i don’t have a full backstory for her yet rip </3

🥀kinda like to flirt and is surprisingly kinda good at it. she also has quite the pair of fangs!!!

i feel like i’m missing a lot but oh well! hope y’all like her ♡ :› i’ll figure out her looks eventually too xd

[storiesbyjes2g]

Helloooooo! Give your OC a minor annoying habit (maybe they always leave lights on or they never put dishes in the dishwasher...) Can be general, or home- or work-related, etc… as long as it annoys their fellow sims but just a bit ;))

Ooooh! Let's go!!

Melany is a perfectionist, so I imagine she would straighten/rearrange things on people's desks at work lol.

Nick... always has something in his throat and clears it 2947492 times a day. 😅

Anissa... She just talks too much, in general. She probably talks out loud when she's doing stuff, and people think she's talking to them. When they say, "Huh?" She looks at them crazy and says, "I wasn't talking to you!!"

Noemi probably leaves stuff open like the fridge, cabinets, drawers...drives the family nuts!

Nate... I could imagine him having some dumb phrase he says all the time because as charming as he is, he's quite corny lol.

Kameron... I can't imagine anyone (but Nadia lol) thinking he's annoying, but everyone is annoying sometimes lol. Let's see...he's paranoid and has a military background...he probably ALWAYS has to sit facing the door when out.

Jorden... He probably has an annoying little jig he does when playing cards and he's about to slap down his winning hand lol.

Nadia... I probably shouldn't put her business out there like this. She's already mad about her wedding hair looking a bit gray. 😂 She hates dishes laying around the house, and it's annoying to everyone because they'll have a drink, go to the bathroom or something, and the glass will be gone whether they were done or not lol.

Thanks for this ask, Elsa! It was fun!

[id-element0]

My legacy house keeps crashing so I switch to Misti's house for the evening after excluding the legacy household from SP stories so they wouldn't do stupid stuff.

I find Noemi still trying to cheer her mother up, while Vickie contemplates some other stuff. She's married to Gucci's son Homer but they live under different roofs. She invites him over to discuss the matter and manages to convince him to move in. Although Homer wants to move to his own place, there isn't any vacant house in the town so he has no choice.

Yet the first thing he does after moving in is to complain about the dirty dishes. In his defense, this is the dirtiest house in the whole town. I'd know since Fendi does house visits to everyone.

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[indefinitelyjaded]

[Insert Clever Title Here] (Super Sim Update)

Three of four grandchildren down, one to go to finish Stella's Big Happy Family aspiration. (Grandchild #4 is in the works but hasn't been born yet!)

Meet:

Sawyer Townsend, daughter of Cade and Luna (already aged up to a toddler, because her sibling is on the way);

Preston Bailey-Moon, son of Kinsley and Orange; and

Nathalie Townsend, daughter of Tate and Noemi (god the lighting in the Caliente house sucks, but I'm loving the game's dedication to female N names in their family).

As for the Successful Lineage aspiration, the only thing left is for a child or grandchild to reach the top of their career -- I had Kinsley join the Barista career, because I knew she'd join at the top level (3) just because of her skills; however, the part-time careers apparently don't count. Booooo! So now I guess I'm going to have to play Cade through a career. I did have him join the Law career, like his dad... maybe I can move him home for a bit? I have to give it some thought.

I did manage to get Stella to complete the Scientist career by having breakthroughs at home and going to work alone, so I didn't have to deal with the unresponsiveness glitches. EA released a hotfix patch before I played, so I didn't need to use Turbodriver's fix after all. I still have some unresponsiveness issues occasionally, but it's not nearly as bad as when Stella was at work, so I think the Scientist career is just broken (again/still).

I had her purchase a Retail lot in Newcrest, too, which I've named Waters-Townsend Galleries. The idea was to sell paintings (and other random shit from her inventory) for now, and whatever other stuff comes along with the other careers/skills/aspirations... but Retail lots really, really suck, so I don't know how much effort I'm going to put into that.

And that wraps up Get to Work! So now, it's on to Spa Day. I'm hopping between all of the aspirations - nearly done with Inner Peace, but it's slow going trying to do the 40 freaking instances of peaceful surroundings.

Since Stella's currently technically unemployed, I had her and Dexter take a little daytrip to Tartosa, since I just (finally) picked up the Wedding Stories pack (i.e., it finally went on enough of a sale).

I just love these two. I'm going to be so sad when Dexter dies... might have to bring him back and turn him into an immortal vampire or spellcaster or something, just so they can be together forever!

I mean:

Stella gets this notification all the time about Dexter, but this was the first time I saw him get it about her. To be fair, I haven't really played him much, mostly just focused on Stella and Cade, when he was in the house. Dexter just kind of does his own thing. However, since I was sending Stella to work alone to avoid the Scientist career bugs, I had more time to actually play with Dexter... and then he got this pop-up, and I swooned.

If it ain't like Stella and Dexter, I don't want it!

[ace-trainer-risu]

oh here! i’ll come ask you for book recs lol. do you have any spooky and/or autumn-y book recs? or just your fave books :)

First of all, I'm sorry this took me SO long to answer. I want to say I've been busy but it's just been general [waves hand vaguely] life.

ANYWAY thank you for asking! I actually don't read scary stuff a lot b/c I'm a wimp, but I have a few spooky/autumnal books up my sleeves! Let's see what we've got!!

1) The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Let me just start by saying that Sarah Waters is one of my absolute favorite authors ever! All her novels are suspenseful, twisty historical novels with great female and queer characters. Although, fair warning, actually The Little Stranger is like her one novel that isn't queer, but it is VERY good. If you read The Little Stranger and like it, please read Fingersmith and/or The Paying Guests.

The Little Stranger is set in the countryside of post-WWII England and follows a mild-mannered doctor as he becomes increasingly involved in the lives of the family living in the local, increasingly decrepit, possibly haunted mansion. Think Downton Abbey but creepy. Strange things keep happening inside the house, from dog bites to mysterious sounds to creepy black spots. Literally just typing that gave me goosebumps. It seems like someone may be out to get the family, but who...or what? Is it simply the ghosts of their own painful memories, or is something more? Sarah Waters is excellent at lush, intricate historical detail, and she leans into that here to create an atmosphere of slowly building dread and horror and mystery.

That being said, as a person who isn't normally a fan of horror, I don't think this book is too scary. It's more of an atmospheric, psychological horror than a jump-scare, bloody horror. It's not a book that will give you nightmares (probably), but you might lie awake thinking about it.

Also. Pro-tip. As a haunted(?) house story, the house is obviously fairly central to the story. Dear fellow Americans, keep in mind that the British refer to the floors of a building differently than us. For Americans, the ground-level floor is called the first floor, the floor above that the second floor, etc. For the British, the ground-level floor is the ground floor, and the floor above that is the first floor, etc. There's all sorts of creepy references to characters hearing noises above them on the first floor, but I was just like, Why are they always in the basement?

2) Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia

This and the above are two very different books, and yet they are both set in the mid-1900s and both are about weird, creepy, maybe-haunted houses. What can I say, I like gothic fiction.

After our heroine, Noemi, receives a bizarre, borderline incoherent letter from her beloved cousin, she sets out to visit her in the literally decaying mansion she resides in with her husband and his new family deep in the countryside of Mexico. All Noemi wants to do is persuade her cousin to come back home with her, but her cousin's new in-laws are very determined not to let that happen...or to let Noemi leave either. Secrets abound in the bizarre house and even creepier nearby cemetery, and soon Noemi finds that she too is suffering from bizarre dreams and visions...although, are they just dreams?

This book is so weird, but in such a good way? I read it for a book club and every week we had increasingly bizarre theories about what was going on, we were googling alchemy and fungi and St George, and some of our theories were even right. Although definitely not all. Another very twisty one that keeps you guessing.

In terms of scariness, interestingly I think there's more overtly creepy and horrifying moments in this novel than The Little Stranger, but I found TLS more overall scary? But that may be because I read it quickly, which I think is the ideal setting for suspenseful stuff, and I read Mexican Gothic over a longer amount of time since it was for a book club. This one does have some more typical horror elements to it, but I don't think it's more creepy than terrifying.

3) The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

I listened to this one as an audiobook and the audiobook is excellent so would recommend that, but have no doubt it would also be great to physically read.

Oh my god this book...it's more thriller than horror, but I think it fits the brief. There were multiple moments listening to this book that I literally gasped or said "OH MY GOD!" out loud, and there are moments which are very creepy and horrifying. There's a particular scene in the backyard... Again, incredibly suspenseful and twisty. And the character development and character psychology is just! really really good! There's also really interesting and knotty feminist stuff which is a lot more complicated and nasty than some of the "girlboss" stuff which is popular right now.

Super minimal summary: All you really need to know is that it is a sci fi novel about a scientific researcher trying to pick up her life after her marriage has imploded, only for everything to go BATSHIT WRONG. Trust me, that's all you need to know, it's better to go into this not knowing what's going to happen or what to expect. I had no clue what this novel was about when I started it, and holy shit. Very good book, absolutely recommend this if you want some super suspenseful, creepy sci fi that will make you say "oh my GOD" repeatedly.

Okay, shifting gears a little now b/c autumn isn't just spooky, it's also cozy and restful and daydreamy!

4) The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker

This isn't maybe a cozy book per se, but it's a great book to cuddle down with on a dreary day and lose yourself in. If you've ever asked yourself, "What would it be like if you crossed Pride and Prejudice with Howl's Moving Castle except the wizard was way worse but somehow still sexy" - then you should read this book! I actually came across this book b/c I was like, I wanna read a book that's a portal fantasy but for adults, and this book was like OH here's everything you wanted.

It's about a grad student, Nora, who has totally stalled out on her dissertation and is at a shitty wedding when she accidentally wanders through a portal into a beautiful, fantastical fairy world. At first, everything is amazing and literally perfect...but surprise surprise, not all as is it seems, and soon everything goes to, how should I put it, shit. Nora escapes, but rather than returning home, she finds herself trapped in a far more dreary realm. But not one without it's own charms and it's own magic, and Nora finds herself the student-slash-sorta-captive of the crochety, sexy, maybe-killed-his-wife magician Aruendiel* and she begins to learn magic herself.

Unlike the above books, this is not a fast-paced, twisty book, and I think if you go into this expecting high fantasy along the lines of Game of Thrones, you may be disappointed. It's not really a typical high-fantasy novel, it's more of a cross of an 18th/19th century realist novel, a fairy tale, and a fantasy novel. But if you want that, then it's REALLY good! I loved this book! And the magic in it is so cool, something about the way its described feels so visceral and real and like you could really do it if you just tried hard enough. There is a romance and it's totally, intentionally hashtag problematic, but it's very laid back, very slow burn, so I think even if you aren't a person who digs romance you can still enjoy this. If you're looking for a feminist-leaning fantasy novel that you can just sink into and lose yourself in, this is the perfect book. You will long to magically fix broken plates.

5) The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

Honestly I can't even justify why I think this one is an autumn book. It simply is. It's autumn colored in my head. It is the coziest book I have ever read about necromancy and crime. Also I just want to recommend it. This is another one that I listened to as an audiobook and it's also a good audiobook, for those who are interested. But it also means I will not be able to spell absolutely any of the character's names.

This novel follows Delly, an enterprising young scoundrel of a fire witch with a teeny tiny gin habit as she attempts to support herself and her hot-mess of a mom in the roughest neighborhoods of Fantasy-City-That-I-Can't-Remember-The-Name-Of. Lice...gate? When Delly comes across an advertisement for a bodyguarding job for young women for a hefty fee, it seems like the answer to definitely not all but at least some of her problems. She accepts, along with an interesting assortment of other sorcerous young ladies, including a wonderfully bitchy Absentia (my love), a young woman who can turn into a boar, boar girl's necromancer mother, and the very sexy part-troll Winn, who in my imagination looks like Gwendoline Christie and talks like Miranda Hart. Which. Perfect woman. Winn being a fine, wealthy young lady, Delly can't help but think to herself that it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Winn happened to fall in love with her and carried her off to be rich and spoiled the rest of her life.

Of course, things quickly don't go to plan, and soon Delly and her companions find herself caught up in wicked schemes of murder, drugs, and an undead mouse named Buttons who says BONG. I love Buttons SO MUCH.

This book is just a silly romp of a novel which worms into your heart and your brain. It's fun and cute and gay, and also it made me cry. I haven't stopped thinking, "Not quite regulation hammerball" since I listened to it like half a year ago.

Also, while I'm here, this novel is set in the same world as and features a few of the same characters as Unnatural Magic. Which is also a hell of a book. Literally the best bisexual relationship I have ever fuckin read. It's a winter book tho, so I simply can't go into it here.

Aaaaand...that it's! Happy autumnal reading :)

[castelleve]

▌ 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 : Henri-Zahira Priyat Castelleve (they/them, he/him)

▌𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍 : Verse dependant

▌𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 : Hypnagogia, heat manipulation, light manipulation, necromancy

▌𝐄𝐘𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑 : Pale blue

▌𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑 :  Black

▌𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 : Pavati (mother, deceased), Edward (biological father, deceased), Ishaan (steopfather #1, deceased), Bhediya (stepfather #2, deceased), RIshi (half brother, deceased), Riaan (half brother, deceased), Harimi (half sister, deceased), Krisha (daughter), Noemie (daughter, deceased), Beauregard (son), Damian (son, technically deceased), Sylvester (son), Amir (son, deceased), Ayush (cousin, deceased), Irina (wife, deceased), and more!

▌𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐒 : verse dependant

▌𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 : They don’t like their wrists or throat being grabbed. They don’t like being sexualized. They don’t like the color orange! Bees (they’re allergic). Poor hygeine. Germs (particularly diseases).

▌𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐒 / 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 : Reading nonfiction books (mostly history, with a focus on war, politics and economics), puzzles (rubiks cube is a fave), magic studies, fencing, playing the cello, 

▌𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 : Abso-fucking-lutely

▌𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 : three people, directly (pre death)

▌ 𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 : Deer

▌𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒 : Staying awake for days, manipulation, callous lack of empathy, self imposed isolation, too prideful for their own good

▌𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐒 : they’re a mama’s pet :3c but while they idolized Pavati, they pick up quite a few unhealthy life lessons from their abuser, Kiara. 

▌𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 : Exclusively attracted to women, sex repulsed but still feels sexual attraction (just makes them feel like shit).

▌𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐆𝐄 / 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐒 : Verse dependant. For the most part, has a pretty positive view on marriage! They just saw their children as tools, though. 

▌𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 : they rock the victorian aesthetic ngl 

▌𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 : The only two people they will claim to love is Pavati and irina. They will not speak about Kiara, but she’s in there, too. 

▌𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐒 : They don’t really seek friendship, just people to exploit. This does not mean friendship is impossible, though. 

▌𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊 : Tea! In modern times, bubble tea in specific. 

▌𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐓 : The library 

▌𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐌 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 : Ocean

▌𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄 : Their wife :3c

▌𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑𝐒 : Neither, picnic. They’re a bougie bitch but they like going outside so long as they don’t need to actually DO stuff. Their bones are fragile man. 

[simslegacy5083]

Not So Berry (Straud Descendants) Gen 9

Today's (9/24/2024) Episode: Preparing to Party

Noemi and Luigi hoped to turn their difficult day around with a party in Del Sol, but first they needed to make a quick trip out to The Ridge.

Their first stop was to Grandpa Gilbert, who had agreed to take Skye overnight so the couple didn’t have to rush back to relieve a sitter.

Noemi gave her dad a big hug “Thanks so much for having him.” she began “I do have to warn you though, he’s been a bit aggressive lately. He kicked Luigi’s grandfather at the market earlier today when he tried to give him a hug.” Gilbert gave his grandson a shocked look, but then smiled.

“Skye and I are old pals; I’m sure we’ll be fine. Even if he does get wild, it won’t be my first rodeo.“ he gave her a wink. “I have my ways.”

Nearby Luigi was doing his part to make sure Grandpa Gilbert had nothing to worry about. “Your grandfather is being very kind to give you a sleepover tonight” he began “If Mommy and I hear that you were mean to him or anyone else you’ll be in big trouble when we get back. Do you understand?”

Skye’s face fell at his father’s harsh words. He loved his gramps; he wasn’t anything like that scary see through sim who kept changing colors or those stupid babies who tried to take his toys and ruin his stuff! He wanted more of his daddy’s attention, but not like this.

Of course, Skye had neither the vocabulary or the presence of mind to articulate any of that, so he simply nodded. Satisfied, Luigi said a quick hello to his father-in-law while Noemi kissed her baby goodbye.

Their next stop was just up the way in Galloping Gulch for a quick check-in with Amaya and Miguel. They’d agreed to keep Roach at the ranch another night rather than have him go home to an empty house on the island, but Noemi still wanted to make a quick detour to see her “fur baby”.

“Mister Roach is the sweetest.” Amaya told her “If you really missed him so much, I’d gladly trade places with you tonight. Hobnobbing with celebrities in the valley sounds like a grand ol’ time!” Her excitedly waggling eyebrows drew a chuckle from her friend.

“While I’m sure you’d have more fun than I’m going to, I promised “Hot Stuff” I’d be his arm candy for the evening.” Noemi replied. “I’ll tell you all about it when I come back to get this handsome fellow tomorrow.” Her husband, who’d overheard the whole thing, recalled how Amaya had thrown herself at Orange during their visit to his mansion in the hills and thanked the watcher that his bride was much more restrained around famous sims.

Back at home it was finally time to spin into their formal wear. “Man, I love getting all dressed up” Luigi said as he stood admiring himself in the mirror “Always have. I considered making my “professional style” constant over the top formal wear, but it didn’t feel like the right look for a pro gamer.”

Noemi shrugged “I know your image is important to you, but if you like dressing fancy then you should do that more often! I know you struggled with aging up, but you’ve come to terms with that, and sims often dress more formally as they get older. Plus, with any luck, soon you’ll be a Starlight award winner and a videogame mogul. It could be time to change up your look again?” Perhaps to something more age appropriate… she finished silently.

“Hmmmm” Luigi replied, taking another long look in the mirror “You may have a point there. Well anyway, let’s go; my category is up first thing, so we don’t want to be late!” Turning, they headed out the door towards the teleporter hand in hand, excited to see what the evening would bring.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[visionmarred-archive]

1, 20, 33, 36 + nalpure/noemi

thank you, Dani! 🖤

1. How do they fall asleep? Wake up? Any daily rituals?

Nalpure is def more of a nocturnal lady, and I imagine Noemi to be as well? she goes to bed pretty late and either wakes up in time for work or, if it's a day off, can sleep in till like, noon. if Noemi isn't there then Nalpure will probably tinker with tech or read a book until she's tired enough to pass out, but if Noemi's there then she'll read to her sometimes until they're both asleep. :') her morning routine typically consists of taking a shower and making coffee, and I could imagine them making sure they have at least one meal together if they can being a thing?

20. What does their home look like? Their room?

Nalpure, on her own, doesn't really decorate a whole lot and would have all the basic utilities, but that's it. kind of gloomy to look at. feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but Noemi gives me the impression that she would rather not live like that, and she brings in a lot more light, decor, and color to their home if/when they move in together. plenty of plants for Noemi, some pretty decorations, some cushions. I've been trying to decorate Vaiken to match this headcanon, actually. lol.

in-game, the plan for their bedroom itself is for it to be that room on Vaiken with a view of the fleet because how big the other room is keeps throwing me off. one-way glass only, of course, nobody can look in and they can pull down curtains when they want to block the view. I feel like they'd both enjoy a canopy bed? overall just something cozy and nicely decorated that they can both relax in.

33. What kind of presents do they get each other? Do they only do it on special occasions?

I can't speak for Noemi, but Nalpure very much enjoys getting presents for Noemi when she finds something she thinks she would like (once she got past the initial "what if she hates it and also me and I screw this up" anxiety). definitely not just a special occasions thing, it mostly depends on when she finds something nice and thinks "oh, my girlfriend would love that." lots of pretty stuff, some plants for Noemi to kill, shoes, etc. she loves spoiling her.

36. What’s their greatest strength as a couple? Their weakness?

obviously a YMMV, but I could see just how much they understand and relate to each other being both their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. they've both done awful things they feel guilty over, and they both just get it in a way that very few others in their lives could, and the fact that they can forgive the other and love her for it? *chef's kiss*

but on the other hand, that same understanding might lead to this thing where they're both placing themselves in poor long-term situations because of their mutual guilt? the fact that they both stay in the Empire because of their desire to make amends, even though it would be better for them both to leave, but since they both understand that guilt, I feel like they wouldn't be inclined to try and convince the other to give up.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

#8yrsago David Byrne's How Music Works

Former Talking Heads frontman and all-round happy mutant David Byrne has written several good books, but his latest, How Music Works, is unquestionably the best of the very good bunch, possibly the book he was born to write. I could made good case for calling this How Art Works or even How Everything Works.

Though there is plenty of autobiographical material How Music Works that will delight avid fans (like me) -- inside dope on the creative, commercial and personal pressures that led to each of Byrne's projects -- this isn't merely the story of how Byrne made it, or what he does to turn out such great and varied art. Rather, this is an insightful, thorough, and convincing account of the way that creativity, culture, biology and economics interact to prefigure, constrain and uplift art. It's a compelling story about the way that art comes out of technology, and as such, it's widely applicable beyond music.

Byrne lived through an important transition in the music industry: having gotten his start in the analog recording world, he skilfully managed a transition to an artist in the digital era (though not always a digital artist). As such, he has real gut-feel for the things that technology gives to artists and the things that technology takes away. He's like the kids who got their Apple ][+s in 1979, and keenly remember the time before computers were available to kids at all, the time when they were the exclusive domain of obsessive geeks, and the point at which they became widely exciting, and finally, ubiquitous -- a breadth of experience that offers visceral perspective.

There were so many times in this book when I felt like Byrne's observations extended beyond music and dance and into other forms of digital creativity. For example, when Byrne recounted his first experiments with cellular automata exercise for dance choreography, from his collaboration with Noemie Lafrance:

1. Improvise moving to the music and come up with an eight-count phrase (in dance, a phrase is a short series of moves that can be repeated).

2. When you find a phrase you like, loop (repeat) it.

3. When you see someone else with a stronger phrase, copy it.

4. When everyone is doing the same phrase, the exercise is over.

It was like watching evolution on fast-forward, or an emergent lifeform coming into being. At first the room was chaos, writhing bodies everywhere. At first the room was chaos, writhing bodies everywhere. Then one could see that folks had chosen their phrases, and almost immediately one could see a pocket of dancers who had all adopted the same phrase. The copying had already begun, albeit in just one area. This pocket of copying began to expand, to go viral, while yet another one now emerged on the other side of the room. One clump grew faster than the other, and within four minutes the whole room was filled with dancers moving in perfect unison. Unbelievable! It only took four minutes for this evolutionary process to kick in, and for the "strongest" (unfortunate word, maybe) to dominate.

I remembered the first time I programmed an evolutionary algorithm and watched its complexity emerging from simple rules, and the catch in my throat as I realized that I was watching something like life being built up from simple, inert rules.

The book is shot through with historical examples and arguments about the nature of music, from Plato up to contemporary neuroscience, and here, too, many of the discussions are microcosms for contemporary technical/philosophical debates. There's a passage about how music is felt and experienced that contains the phrase, "music isn't merely absorbed above the neck," which is spookily similar to the debates about replicating human consciousness in computers, and the idea that our identity doesn't reside exclusively above the brainstem.

The same is true of Byrne's account of how music has not "progressed" from a "primitive" state -- rather, it adapted itself to different technological realities. Big cathedrals demand music that accommodates a lot of reverb; village campfire music has completely different needs. Reading this, I was excited by the parallels to discussions of whether we live in an era of technological "progress" or merely technological "change" -- is there a pinnacle we're climbing, or simply a bunch of stuff followed by a bunch of other stuff? Our overwhelming narrative of progress feels like hubris to me, at least a lot of the time. Some things are "better" (more energy efficient, more space-efficient, faster, more effective), but there are plenty of things that are held up as "better" that, to me, are simply different. Often very good, but in no way a higher rung on some notional ladder toward perfection.

When Byrne's history comes to the rise of popular recorded music, he describes a familiar dilemma: recording artists were asked to produce music that could work when performed live and when listened to in the listener's private playback environment -- not so different from the problems faced by games developers today who struggle to make games that will work on a wide variety of screens. In a later section, he describes the solution that was arrived at in the 1970s, a solution that reminds me a lot of the current world of content management systems like WordPress and Blogger, which attempt to separate "meaning" from "form" for text, storing them separately and combining them with little code-libraries called "decorators":

[Deconstruct and isolate] sums up the philosophy of a lot of music recording back in the late seventies. The goal was to get as pristine a sound as possible... Studios were often padded with sound-absorbent materials so that there was almost no reverberation. The sonic character of the space was sucked out, because it wasn't considered to be part of the music. Without this ambiance, it was explained, the sound would be more malleable after the recording had been made. Dead, characterless sound was held up as the ideal, and often still is. In this philosophy, the naturally occurring echo and reverb that normally added a little warmth to performances would be removed and then added back in when the recording was being mixed...

Recording a performance with a band and singer all playing together at the same time in the same room was by this time becoming a rarity. An incredible array of options opened up as a result, but some organic interplay between the musicians disappeared, and the sound of music changed. Some musicians who played well in live situations couldn't adapt to the fashion for each player to be isolated. They couldn't hear their bandmates and, as a result, often didn't play very well.

Changing the technology used in art changes the art, for good and ill. Blog-writing has a lot going for it -- spontaneity, velocity, vernacular informality, but often lacks the reflective distance that longer-form works bring. Byrne has similar observations about music and software:

What you hear [in contemporary music] is the shift in music structure that computer-aided composition has encouraged. Though software is promoted as being an unbiased toold that helps us do anything we want, all software has inherent biases that make working one way easier than another. With the Microsoft presentation software PowerPoint, for example, you have to simplify your presentations so much that the subtle nuances in the subject being discussed often get edited out. These nuances are not forbidden, they're not blocked, but including them tends to make for a less successful presentation. Likewise, that which is easy to bullet-point and simply visualize works better. That doesn't mean it actually is better; it means working is certain ways is simply easier than working in others...

An obvious example is quantizing. Since the mid-nineties, most popular music recorded on computers has had tempos and rhythms that have been quantized. That means that the tempo never varies, not even a little bit, the the rhythmic parts tend toward metronomic perfection. In the past, the tempo of recordings would always vary slightly, imperceptibly speeding up or maybe slowing down a little, or a drum fill might hesitate in order to signal the beginning of a new section. You'd feel a slight push and pull, a tug and then a release, as ensembles of whatever type responded to one another and lurched, ever so slightly, ahead of and behind an imaginary metronomic beat. No more. Now almost all pop recordings are played to a strict tempo, which makes these compositions fit more easily into the confines of editing and recording software. An eight-bar section recorded on a "grid" of this type is exactly twice as long as a four-bar section, and every eight-bar section is always exactly the same length. This makes for a nice visual array on the computer screen, and facilitates easy editing, arranging, and repairing as well. Music has come to accommodate software, and I have to admit a lot has been gained as a result.

Byrne is well aware of the parallels between music technology and other kinds of technology. No history of the recording business would be complete without a note about the format wars fought between Edison and his competitors like RCA, who made incompatible, anti-competitive playback formats. Byrne explicitly links this to modern format-wars, citing MS Office, Kindles, iPads and Pro Tools. (His final word on the format wars rings true for other media as well: "Throughout the history of recorded music, we have tended to value convenience over quality every time. Edison cylinders didn't really sound as good as live performers, but you could carry them around and play them whenever you wanted.")

Likewise, debates over technological change (pooh-poohing the "triviality" of social media or the ephemeral character of blogs) are played out in Byrne's history of music panics, which start in ancient Greece, and play out in situations like the disco wars, which prefigured the modern fight over sampling:

The most threatening thing to rockers in the era of disco was that the music was gay, black and "manufactured" on machines, made out of bits of other peoples' recordings.

Like mixtapes. I'd argue that other than race and sex, [the fact that disco was "manufactured" on machines, made out of bits of other peoples' recordings] was the most threatening aspect. To rock purists, this new music messed with the idea of authorship. If music was now accepted as a kind of property, then this hodgepodge version that disregarded ownership and seemed to belong to and originate with so many people (and machines) called into question a whole social and economic framework.

But as Byrne reminds us, new technology can liberate new art forms. Digital formats and distribution have given us music that is only a few bars long, and compositions that are intended to play for 1,000 years. The MP3 shows us that 3.5 minutes isn't an "ideal" length for a song (merely the ideal length for a song that's meant to be sold on a 45RPM single), just as YouTube showed us that there are plenty of video stories that want to be two minutes long, rather than shoehorned into 22 minute sitcoms, 48 minute dramas, or 90 minute feature films.

And Byrne's own journey has led him to be skeptical of the all-rights-reserved model, from rules over photography and video in his shows:

The thing we were supposed to be fighting against was actually something we should be encouraging. They were getting the word out, and it wasn't costing me anything. I began to announce at the beginning of the shows that photography was welcome, but I suggested to please only post shots and videos where we look good.

To a very good account of the power relationships reflected in ascribing authorship (and ownership, and copyright) to melody, but not to rhythms and grooves and textures, though these are just as important to the music's aesthetic effect.

Byrne doesn't focus exclusively on recording, distribution and playback technology. He is also a keen theorist of the musical implications of architecture, and presents a case-study of the legendary CBGB's and its layout, showing how these led to its center in the 1970s New York music scene that gave us the Ramones, Talking Heads, Television, and many other varied acts. Here, Byrne channels Jane Jacobs in a section that is nothing short of brilliant in its analysis of how small changes (sometimes on the scale of inches) make all the difference to the kind of art that takes place in a building.

There's a long section on the mechanics of the recording business as it stands today, with some speculation about where its headed, and included in this is a fabulous and weird section on some of Byrne's own creative process. Here he describes how he collaborated with Brian Eno on Everything That Happens Will Happen Today:

The unwritten rule in remote collaborations is, for me, "Leave the other person's stuff alone as much as you possibly can." You work with what you're given, and don't try to imagine it as something other than what it is. Accepting that half the creative decision-making has already been done has the effect of bypassing a lot of endless branching -- not to mention waffling and worrying.

And here's a mind-bending look into his lyrics-writing method:

...I begin by improvising a melody over the music. I do this by singing nonsense syllables, but with weirdly inappropriate passion, given that I'm not saying anything. Once I have a wordless melody and a vocal arrangement my my collaborators (if there are any) and I like, I'll begin to transcribe that gibberish as if it were real words.

I'll listen carefully to the meaningless vowels and consonants on the recording, and I'll try to understand what that guy (me), emoting so forcefully by inscrutably, is actually saying. It's like a forensic exercise. I'll follow the sound of the nonsense syllables as closely as possible. If a melodic phrase of gibberish ends on a high ooh sound, then I'll transcribe that, and in selecting the actual words, I'll try to try to choose one that ends in that syllable, or as close to it as I can get. So the transcription process often ends up with a page of real words, still fairly random, that sounds just like the gibberish.

I do that because the difference between an ooh and an aah, and a "b" and a "th" sound is, I assume, integral to the emotion that the story wants to express. I want to stay true to that unconscious, inarticulate intention. Admittedly, that content has no narrative, or might make no literal sense yet, but it's in there -- I can hear it. I can feel it. My job at this stage is to find words that acknowledge and adhere to the sonic and emotional qualities rather than to ignore and possibly destroy them.

Part of what makes words work in a song is how they sound to the ear and feel on the tongue. If they feel right physiologically, if the tongue of the singer and the mirror neurons of the listener resonate with the delicious appropriateness of the words coming out, then that will inevitably trump literal sense, although literal sense doesn't hurt.

Naturally, this leads into a great discussion of the neuroscience of music itself -- why our brains like certain sounds and rhythms.

How Music Works gave me insight into parts of my life as diverse as my email style to how I write fiction to how I parent my daughter (it was a relief to read Byrne's discussion of how parenting changed him as an artist). I've been a David Byrne fan since I was 13 and I got a copy of Stop Making Sense. He's never disappointed me, but with How Music Works, Byrne has blown through my expectations, producing a book that I'll be thinking of and referring to for years to come.

Byrne's touring the book now, and as his tour intersects with my own book tours, I'll be interviewing him live on stage in Toronto on September 19th, at the Harbourfront International Festival of Authors.

How Music Works

https://boingboing.net/2012/09/12/david-byrnes-how-music-w.html

[thisguyatthemovies]

A masterpiece?

Title: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

Release date: In theaters (wide U.S. release) Feb 14, 2020

Starring: Noemie Merlant, Adele Haenel, Luana Bajrami, Valeria Golino

Directed by: Celine Sciamma

Run time: 1 hour, 59 minutes

Rated: R

What it’s about: In late 18th century France, a female artist is sent to the island home of a wealthy young woman to paint her wedding portrait, and the two embark on a forbidden romantic relationship.

How I saw it: The word “masterpiece” is applied to a lot of movies these days, which means one of two things:

·        We are living in the definitive golden age of filmmaking

·        Social media has made us prone to hyperbole because using exaggerated terms is the easiest way to get noticed online.

Plenty of critics and moviegoers have labeled Celine Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” a masterpiece, and it isn’t difficult to understand why. The French film (with English subtitles in the U.S.) about a forbidden lesbian love affair in the late 18th century is exemplary art. The cinematography (by Claire Mathon) is sublime, the performances (especially by leads Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel) are stunning, the script (by Sciamma) is smart, precise, powerful storytelling.

But what if all the ingredients of a great film are there but the sum is less than the total of the parts? And what if the film seems like it should be the stuff of masterpieces but fails to be emotionally engaging? Realizing that I’m in the minority here, that’s how I felt after watching “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” I was unable to make an emotional connection to an otherwise beautiful piece of art. I liked what I saw; I just wasn’t moved by it the way myriad critics and moviegoers apparently were. I cry during many a movie, but I was nowhere near tears with this movie, not even during the final scene, which is supposed to be one of the most devastatingly sad moments in movie history.

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is the story of Marianne (Merlant), an artist who is commissioned to do a wedding portrait of a wealthy young woman, Heloise (Haenel), who is about to be given away to an Italian man in an arranged marriage. Heloise does not want her image painted because she does not want to be married. Heloise’s mother (Valeria Golino) instructs Marianne to work secretly and to pretend she is at the family’s island home to accompany Heloise on walks along the beach.

The film is at its best at this point, as tension builds not only as Marianne tries to paint the portrait by memory but as she and Heloise fall for each other. Heloise eventually figures out what is going on and agrees to pose for her portrait, and she is observing the artist as much as the artist is observing her. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” has some real moments of magic here, particularly from Merlant, who we often observe close-up as she is studying Heloise and coming to grips with how she feels. She frequently must catch her breath after being moved by Heloise’s beauty.

The buildup is better than the inevitable romantic awakening and what follows. Sciamma gives her couple some beautiful moments, and the film never veers into soft porn territory (though it does include some nudity). The tension is mostly gone after the two women become lovers. And we know what the outcome is going to be. This is the late 18th century, and we know two female lovers aren’t going to sail off into the sunset and live happily ever after. This is, after all, forbidden love.

Men, not surprisingly, are scarce in “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” Men in a rowboat take Marianne to her destination, and we briefly see Heloise’s unkempt (no Prince Charming here) fiancé when he picks up his portrait of his bride-to-be (a custom at the time). But their restrictive patriarchy is apparent throughout. Both Marianne and Heloise are rebelling against the male-imposed standards of the time. That’s what makes their affair so intoxicating, so intriguing. They also form a sisterhood with a young maid, Sophie (Luana Bajrami), who they help get an abortion (they even recreate a moment in the procedure so Marianne can make a painting of it). And they attend an all-female bonfire gathering that includes a haunting a cappella song that makes it seem like a gathering of witches.

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is as beautiful as you would hope a movie about art would be. The color isn’t explosive or oversaturated but is rich, with lighting and shadows used to bring the color out the way they would be in a painting. Mathon has said that Sciamma choreographed even the long shots in the film down to the finest detail, making sure Marianne and Heloise were in just the right position in relation to each other. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” isn’t just about how love inspires art, but how art inspires love.

Sciamma’s film is deliberate. Her script is economical; each word seems to have weight. But the dialogue is so sluggish (and slowly and softly spoken) and sparse, and so much time is allowed between thoughts, that maintaining interest will be challenging for some viewers. And perhaps that is where it lost me emotionally. I love a good, slow, quiet movie. But I need to be engaged with what is happening, and with “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” I was not emotionally involved for much of its nearly two-hour running time. I understand what Sciamma was going for, a study of the female gaze, with words not always necessary. But that wasn’t enough to pull me in; I felt like I was watching people watch people. Judging by the praise being heaped upon this film, that could just be me. Your results may vary. You might just think it’s a masterpiece.

My score: 80 of 100

Should you see it? Yes, but only if you think you can appreciate foreign-language, period-piece, slow, artsy films. Steer clear if you require any actual action in your movies.

[hobbitsetal]

Chapter Three: Meeting Mahin

Vex lived up to his name as promptly as he was able on the journey. He quarreled with Iraj over his sleeping quarters at the inn (on the floor by the door, as was expected of a good slave), over his food (Iraj’s leftovers when Iraj had finished--regardless of how much Iraj fed him, he despised being forced to wait to eat), and most of all over having to walk while Iraj rode.

Never mind how many times Iraj responded by patiently reminding him that he was a slave and was entitled to nothing better--indeed, not even to such patience as Iraj bestowed on him. Vex scowled and muttered about jealous sons and Felistas’s less pleasing traits until Iraj was nearly ready to sell him to the next passing merchant.

Perhaps he would have made himself less obnoxious had he known Iraj had saved him from receiving his very first beating. Felistas had been livid when he discovered his wife’s ashes and about to take a whip personally to Vex. Iraj had intervened, arguing that he did not wish his new slave to slow him down on the way back to the front and it was their own fault for not setting a guard on him. Hadn’t Omid pointed out the defiance in his face?

And Iraj had prevailed, for ever present in the back of Felistas’s mind was the fear that one day his son might not return to him, and since he became a soldier, Iraj could sway his father however he liked. It probably helped, the world and humanity being what they are, that they saw each other less frequently since his enlistment and had less chance to exasperate each other and dull the sweetness of his too-brief visits home.

So Vex was not beaten, however much he may have earned it, and Vex remained ignorant and ungrateful to Iraj. After three weeks on the road, they were both heartily sick of each other and of travel, and both relieved to see the camp near the front lines.

Iraj first had to register his new slave, since of course it would not to have some half breed roaming about unaccounted for.

A soldier sketched a brief picture of Vex, and a grizzled scribe with a battered helmet on his head asked Iraj, “Name?”

“Vexation.”

The scribe smiled a little, but he said only, “Family name?”

“Nameless,” Iraj answered.

Had it been Vex answering, he would have said, “Noemi’s son.” But Noemi had never had the chance to claim him before a priest and Noemi had not been the head of her own household and Noemi was, most of all, dead.

Vex the nameless he was, and he was entered on the camp register as such. Iraj gave him no time to brood over his lack of family name, but marched through the camp so briskly, Vex had to trot to keep up. Iraj held his horse’s reins loosely in one hand and pointed about the camp and saluted passing officers with the other.

“There’s the latrine--mind which way the wind blows when you approach. There’s the mess. Be nice to the cooks; I’ll murder you if you interfere with my food. Medical’s that way, but you shouldn’t have cause to need them. You’ll never be near the fighting. Blacksmith over there, and that tent with the leather laces around the pole is our unofficial cobbler, Darja. She’s a wizard with an awl, which also means don’t offend her or she’ll stab you. She’ll take anything the lords give us and make it last.”

Vex couldn’t tell the difference between the different tents Iraj gestured at. They passed by too swiftly and they all looked the same--made of camel hair, with soldiers dressed in black darting in and out. After the third tent Iraj waved at while spouting names, he gave up trying to follow directions and focused on not stepping on anything slimy.

Watching his feet saved him, too, from meeting the curious stares that chased them. Half breeds were not so common in those days--not in any days, as history has happened, but particularly in those times before the treaties and the revolutions--and Vex felt the entire camp fixated on his skin that was too dark for faery and too light for Sarkinian. He blushed nearly dark enough to pass for one of his mother’s people under those stares and hurried after Iraj.

They left Iraj’s horse in a paddock with nearly a score of other mounts. Iraj made Vex carry the heaviest bag, to Vex’s outrage, and led him to a line of middle-sized tents in the middle of the camp.

Iraj’s tent was a welcome respite for all of five heartbeats. Then Vex’s eyes adjusted to the darker interior. Two small cots crowded the space. One held boots and a wooden chest under it, and a man stretched out on top of it. The other was empty, but Iraj dropped his small bag on top and said to Vex, “You can stow the rest of my stuff under the cot.”

“And where am I to sleep?” Vex asked sulkily. He knew already, but the tent had only bare dirt for a floor and he felt very sure that it would be cold and miserable to sleep on. 

Iraj followed his gaze to the ground. “You’ll have a blanket. You’ll sleep just fine.”

Vex scoffed and tossed the bag halfway under the cot. “You sleep on the ground one night and then tell me how well I’ll sleep!”

The other man had raised himself up on his elbows and was regarding Vex curiously. “How extravagant of you to get a slave, and how very typical of you to get such a mouthy one.”

Iraj cast him a look of annoyance. “Stow the bag properly, Vex, and then polish my boots. I’m going to report to the camp commander. You stay here and in the name of my valiant uncle, do behave yourself.”

“Vex?” the other man repeated.

“My new slave,” Iraj said calmly. “I shall consider it a kindness, Mahin, if you see that he does as he is bid. I shan’t be long.”

He strolled out, leaving Mahin and Vex to regard each other. Vex disliked him immediately, mostly because he couldn’t abide the idea of a stranger ordering him about. That is no wonder, of course, for he could hardly bear the idea of Iraj ordering him, and Iraj was his lawful master. But a little of his dislike came from Mahin’s face and the knowing expression he had. Iraj had taken some pains to impress upon Vex that their mother’s peace of soul depended in part on her shame being allowed to die with her, and Vex did not care to be looked at as if his whole parentage were understood and mocked in a moment.

“So,” Mahin said. “Your father was a wood demon, then?”

“Why should you say that when it might as easily have been my mother?” Vex demanded.

Mahin yawned and sat up fully. “Inheritance laws, foolish boy.”

If Vex had not been inclined to dislike him already, being called foolish and being so easily embarrassed would have certainly created enmity. For at that time in Sarkine, the laws being what they were and slavery being what it was and the otherwise enlightened Sarkinians placing family emphases where they did, whether the child of a slave was declared free or not depended on the father. If a father were a freeman, the child would be free. If he were a slave, the child would be a slave.

There were those then, as those now, who decried this law as unfair to women and consequently an insult to the Great Creator. But the law was less myopic than it seemed, for the law considered human nature. A master might take his female slave, of course, but he must then be responsible for the child as he was for the children of a marriage, guaranteeing at least a chance at a reasonably decent life. And though women had the capacity to be cruel, as all thinking beings do, it was believed (or hoped) that women would be less likely to take a male slave to bed when any issue of such must be a slave. But then, not all men would take responsibility, and not all women would treat their possible children with such unselfishness, or we would not have this story to tell.

“They might both have been slaves,” Vex pointed out, and reclaimed in his own mind a certain amount of dignity.

“They might,” Mahin allowed, “but female faery slaves are very hard to come by. They’re less likely to leave their own realm and they’re more likely to fight to the death. Horrible little wenches. Can’t imagine anybody taking one to bed.”

Vex, who knew nothing of his father’s people, had nothing to say to that.

Mahin went on languidly, “I’ve probably killed relatives of yours. They’re far easier to kill than the lords make it sound, you know.” 

“I imagine the faery soldiers say the same of you,” Vex said coolly.

He had no particular reason to wish the faeries well and he didn’t care very much which side killed more of the other, but he was immensely pleased to see Mahin’s eyes narrow.

For his own part, Mahin was perplexed by Vex. Vex spoke as a native Sarkinian, acted like a free man with his eye contact and his acerbic tongue, and moreover was far too expensive an item for a soldier’s salary. Half breeds were not poular, but their faery heritage made them more evaluable than human slaves, who could be had anywhere one cared to raid. But then, how valuable was a mouthy slave?

“Not when they’re dead,” Mahin said. “Aren’t you supposed to be polishing boots?”

“And what of it?”

Vex did not know what he risked with such an answer, for the severest punishment he had ever received had been having the back of his hand smacked, and that when he was very small. Mahin considered beating him in that moment, and Mahin knew how to beat someone. But he wasn’t sure how Iraj would react to bruises on his new and so far unmarked slave, he did not strike.

Instead, he said, “Polish them, then, and let us see if there is any honor in your blood.”

That was precisely the thing to say to Vex, who carried yet the weight of grief and guilt from his mother’s death and who wanted all the things he had loved most about her to outweigh the deed that had brought him into the world. So he pulled out the boots and set to polishing them.

Mahin kept up idle chatter while Vex worked in the hope of learning somewhat more of the new slave’s character, but the boot polishing saved Vex from behaving any more ill than he already had. 

Boot polishing is an art of precision, though no particular difficulty. Still, Vex had done very little in the way of labor before his new life, and he had to focus on his task to be sure he performed all the steps in the correct order. This prevented him from paying much attention to what Mahin said or from answering him, which was doubtless for the best.

Iraj returned some thirty minutes later, when the boots were beginning to look respectably shiny and Mahin was running out of idly offensive remarks. He paused in the entrance of the tent for a moment, holding the flaps out of his way with both hands and surveying the duo. He seemed a little surprised that no blood had been spilt.

“Good, Vex,” he said. “When you have finished that, I shall have a list of tasks for you to accomplish.” 

“While he’s at it,” Mahin said, “why not have him polish my boots as well?”

Vex was not remotely pleased by this idea. It set a bad precedent for doubling his work. But Iraj was already nodding and showed no signs of consulting his new slave.

So he got two pairs of boots to polish, which kept him occupied until dinner, and an unpleasant first impression of Iraj’s tent mate. This was not the worst thing to befall Vex in his new life, but it was an indicative thing and Vex remembered it as such.

[timetrickster]

Aloha Oe X Edith Nox Crossover Episode 1: World’s Collide

So after drawing up @cometworks OC’s. I thought to have fun and collab with her characters and my main character and make a crossover. In the form of episodes. Sooo I hope ye enjoy it.

FADE IN

EXT. THE DEPTHS OF SPACE

Space. Literally space. The darkest depths of the unknown, holding what many couldn’t even anticipate. Asteroids shooting from different ends of the galaxy. Ships from different worlds traveling, fighting, floating. Even a planet that’s lost its gravity axis and floats like a pinball in a vast universe.

But right now… a space battle between two ships. The Eternity… the time ship piloted by the time-traveling alien hero of Universe Designation: 727 Justin Oras. He chases down an alien threat… a Vis, known as Imperium. An energy absorber who had recently stolen a supply of Quasar Energy Fuel. When used by someone dangerous it could destroy half a world.

The Eternity chases after the ship that Imperium flies.

INT. ETERNITY COMMAND DECK

JUSTIN

Enoch! How are we looking with the fuel?

ENOCH’S voice only appears.

ENOCH

We have enough fuel captain.

JUSTIN

Good. Fire photon cannons now.

EXT. SPACE

The Eternity fires blasts off light hit the right wing of Imperium’s ship. All of a sudden a wave of cosmic energy comes toward both ships. Making Imperium’s ship disappear first.

INT. ETERNITY COMMAND DECK

Justin looks on as he realizes the wave of cosmic energy come at him.

JUSTIN

Oh, shi-

The wave of cosmic energy grabs onto the Eternity too and disappears.

CUT TO

EXT. UNIVERSE 528

It’s a lovely day on this Universe’s Earth. A lovely girl named Edith Nox who loves gardening is planting some new flowers in her garden. Enjoying a rather sunshine filled day. When all of a sudden, something shining in the sky lands near her home. Sensing the emotional distress of a specific person. She rushes over immediately only to find a huge but damaged plane parked near her home.

A door on its side opens up and JUSTIN ORAS, dizzy and tired from the cosmic energy wave walks out. The ship turns invisible immediately in the sight of EDITH appearing. JUSTIN falls into the ground and EDITH rushes over to help this stranger in a long coat, holding him up by carrying his arms around her.

EDITH

Are you, okay mister?

JUSTIN instantly knocks out as his head drops and his body becomes heavy.

EDITH (cont’d)

You’re really heavy mister!

EDITH drags him to her home and sets him on her couch.

EDITH (cont’d)

You’re very very heavy mister.

EDITH pulls out her phone, this sleek and thin and clear rectangle and makes a call.

CUT TO

INT. EDITH’S LIVING ROOM. AFTERNOON

JUSTIN wakes up instantly, finding himself shirtless with bandages wrapped around his wounds. His stomach wrapped in bandage wrap as well as his right wrist. He looks to his left and sees EDITH coming in and two other people. One with long hair and also wearing a long coat. Another with curly hair and wearing sports clothing.

EDITH

Hello, are you okay?

She rushes over with a cup full of water. Still dizzy he nods then shakes his head real quick.

JUSTIN

Hello… um, my name is Justin Oras.

EDITH

Hello Justin, my name is Edith. These are my friends Noemi and Violet.

JUSTIN

Hello. Uh. Where am I?

EDITH

You’re in my home.

JUSTIN

No… I mean what planet am I on?

EDITH chuckles a bit.

EDITH

You must’ve hit your head really hard. Um… we’re on Earth.

JUSTIN

The year?

EDITH

3006

JUSTIN

WHAT?!

ENOCH’S hologram form appears as Justin’s phone on the table projects her.

ENOCH

Captain.

VIOLET responds with a fighting stance and what appeared to be ice sharpened to form weapons. NOEMI’S wings sprout open as a sign of surprise. EDITH looks at ENOCH with fear and curiosity.

JUSTIN

Enoch. Where are we?

ENOCH

We are in Universe Designation 528.

VIOLET

What is that thing? An Energy being?

JUSTIN

She’s an AI.

They all looked confused.

VIOLET

She’s a computer’s brain?

JUSTIN

She’s a living computer.

VIOLET

That’s impossible.

JUSTIN

Not where I’m from.

ENOCH

To repeat, we are in Universe designation 528.

JUSTIN

Any known information?

ENOCH

From what I am able to find in the nearest databanks. This universe’s Earth was ravaged by an apocalyptic event. The survivors had mutated and are now capable of magical abilities.

JUSTIN looks at the three of them.

JUSTIN

Cool. Another magic universe.

EDITH

What did she mean “this universe”?

JUSTIN not knowing how to explain this, his face holds anxiousness.

JUSTIN

Uh… I’m from a different universe.

EDITH & NOEMI

What?!

VIOLET

Impossible!

JUSTIN

It’s true and to add on to the shock. I’m also an alien.

EDITH & NOEMI WHAT?!

EDITH

An… alien?

JUSTIN

Yeah.

EDITH

Like… from space and stuff?

JUSTIN

Yeah.

EDITH takes a big breath in.

EDITH

THAT’S SO COOL! Oh my Eden! You have to tell me more about yourself! What’s your home like?! How often do you travel in space?! IS THERE A PLANET FULL OF FLOWERS?!

EDITH’S face shows surprise while NOEMI was about to have a nervous breakdown. VIOLET stood there believing this all was lies.

VIOLET

You guys seriously don’t believe this right?

EDITH zooms past VIOLET and sit’s face to face with JUSTIN.

JUSTIN

You’re pretty excitable aren’t you?

He laughs a little and smiles.

But to answer your questions. It’s an amazing place. A sun shaped like an “X”, midnight blue grass. Leaves made out of gemstones. It’s a lovely place.

EDITH

YES! Ooh! THAT SOUNDS AMAZING! CAN WE GO THERE RIGHT NOW?!

JUSTIN

Um…

He falls silent. Through Edith’s POV, she feels a wave of tragedy suddenly hit her.

EDITH

Oh my… I’m sorry.

JUSTIN

No. No. Don’t be sorry. It’s alright.

He reassures her. JUSTIN gets up and puts on his shirt and grabs his phone.

JUSTIN

Is there a place you guys like to eat? I’m actually starving… jumping universes has some effects and hunger is one of them.

EDITH

There’s Mapple Brew Coffee Shop nearby. They could have so foods and deserts.

JUSTIN sees his long coat and puts it on.

JUSTIN

Lead the way, Edith.

EDITH does a salute and walks out the door. JUSTIN motions NOEMI and VIOLET to go first. NOEMI gives him a smile and walks out the door. VIOLET confronts him for a bit.

VIOLET

I don’t know who you are… or whatever this alien and different universe crap is. But if you hurt my friends I will kill you. You get one warning.

JUSTIN

Got it.

VIOLET exits the door and JUSTIN follows and closes the door to the house.

NOEMI

Any Transports at this time?

EDITH

Nope. Dang.

JUSTIN

We can take my ship.

They all turn to look at him. He nods his head to the right as a motion to follow him. With a snap of his finger, the Eternity reveals itself from its a hidden veil. JUSTIN stands like a showman with his arms up.

JUSTIN (cont’d)

Say hello to The Eternity.

EDITH’S eyes are widened as if gigantic stars took place of her pupils. NOEMI surprised by the reveal, his wings unfurled. VIOLET holds a serious face but shocked at the reveal.

EDITH

An alien ship! It’s an alien ship! Oooooh!

NOEMI

Oh my goodness.

VIOLET grabs him by the coat collar.

VIOLET

How did you do that?!

JUSTIN was scared of her anger authority. EDITH tries to pull JUSTIN off from VIOLET’S grip of death.

EDITH

Violet!

She lets go of him. JUSTIN fixes his collar and the side door to the cargo bay opens.

JUSTIN

Come in, guys.

They all walk into the ship. As they walk throughout the ship, EDITH & NOEMI look around every corner and scrutinize every detail. Meanwhile VIOLET looks unimpressed with the ship. They arrive at the command deck. ENOCH’S hologram appears and greets them all.

ENOCH

Hello, Captin. Ms. Nox, Mr. Sol, Highness Choi.

EDITH

Hello… Enoch right?

ENOCH

Yes, Ms. Nox. Hello to you too.

JUSTIN sits on the “Captain’s Chair” and starts pressing buttons.

JUSTIN

Has the self-repairs, repaired the ship?

ENOCH

The ship is at full capacity and up and running. Where to then?

EDITH

Ooh! Maple Brews Coffee House.

ENOCH

Alright then. Plotting a course to Maple Brew Coffee House. You three might want to sit down for this.

EDITH, NOEMI, & VIOLET do so and put on the strap that holds them in place. The Eternity rises into the sky slowly and JUSTIN holding onto a lever pushes it forward and the ship zooms instantly. The rush pushes back EDITH, NOEMI, & VIOLET as it was there first time riding in an alien spaceship. JUSTIN parks the ship near large park’s field. He turns around in his chair to find the three having a headache.

JUSTIN

Dammit, I should have warned you of the effects of flying on a time ship for first timers.

JUSTIN takes off the strap of EDITH first to which she falls on the ground like a blob.

JUSTIN

Jelly bones…

He helps EDITH up into her seat. NOEMI screams, and VIOLET speech is mismatched.

NOEMI

I can’t see!

VIOLET

WHAT US YOU DID DO TO?!

JUSTIN

Temporary blindness and Speech impairment. Should last for a couple of minutes.

CUT TO:

INT. MAPLE BREW COFFEE HOUSE.

The three friends and their newly found alien friend enjoying their mini cafe drinks. EDITH & NOEMI enjoying Rasberry Teas and VIOLET enjoying an iced coffee. JUSTIN enjoying a random drink with milk and cookies times seven.

EDITH

Can you tell us more about you?

JUSTIN

Uh… I was born on the planet of Chronos. I lived with my family until my 115th birthday.

EDITH

YOU’RE OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD?! You look like our age!

JUSTIN

Well… I’m currently 117. I’m technically a teenager in my years. So I’m still pretty young.

NOEMI

Do you know anyone different looking where you’re from?

JUSTIN

Of course dude. I come from space. Everyone comes in different shapes and sizes. One of my adopted brother’s is a Volantigar. They’re basically humans with wings.

NOEMI

Did you say wings?

JUSTIN

Yeah, dude. You remind me of Icarus a lot. Those wings are apart of that. Love the jet black feathers too.

NOEMI

Thank you, that means a lot.

JUSTIN

No, problem Nomei.

VIOLET

What are you doing here? In our “Universe”?

EDITH

Violet… don’t be mean.

VIOLET

He should explain his presence here.

JUSTIN

It’s fine. Um, I’m considered a hero in my universe. A legendary hero named The Time Trickster. I was after a wanted mad man, who had stolen a supply of Quasar Fuel. He’s also an energy absorber and with that supply he has… he could level a city. I shot his ship down before the cosmic wave threw me and the ship into this universe. It was a simple mistake really, I didn’t expect the cosmic wave to appear.

VIOLET

That is quite understandable. It is a pleasure to meet a warrior of your status. This Energy Absorber his name?

JUSTIN

Imperium of the Vis.

VIOLET

He sounds easy to defeat.

JUSTIN worried for his friend’s new safety warns her of IMPERIUM.

JUSTIN

He is no simple villain, Violet. He is an energy absorber.

VIOLET

I am one of the greatest fighters of the kingdom. As well as a renowned Cryomancer of my generation. I can beat someone from another universe.

EDITH

Sorry about, Violet. She’s a sorta… headstrong?

JUSTIN

Don’t worry… I understand what it’s like to be that way. My adopted mom from Gaia knows I tend to be that way.

EDITH

Oh my Eden!  Did you say Gaia?! TELL ME! TELL ME!

JUSTIN chuckles a bit.

JUSTIN

Oh, yeah haha. My adopted family comes from called Gaia.  And yes it’s a planet full flowers. It is known as the Everlasting Garden or the Planet of Nature.

EDITH froze for a few seconds as her heart had dropped hearing the words “Garden” & “Nature”.

JUSTIN

Is Edith okay?

NOEMI

She loves gardening… she tends to be like this.

EDITH

TELL ME MORE!

She smiles forever.

JUSTIN

After I was banished from my homeworld.

VIOLET

Banished?!

JUSTIN

I landed on the nearest planet in a nearby galaxy with humanoid looks. I was then adopted by High Queen Angelique The Rose and well I became a prince along with my 7 other adopted siblings.

EDITH

Please take me there one day! Please! Oh, I never asked, what are you? Since you’re an alien an all… what are you specifically?

JUSTIN

I’m a Time Walker. I already mentioned I’m a hundred years old and come from Chronos. I’m also a time traveler.

EDITH

No way!

NOEMI

You can travel in time?!

VIOLET

Hm.

JUSTIN

What?

VIOLET

I’ll believe it when I see it.

JUSTIN

I’ll prove it to you all.

Suddenly out of nowhere IMPERIUM shows up destroying whatever he sees in sight. A large featureless being with glowing red color and white eyes shaped to be evil.

JUSTIN

Imperium!

JUSTIN reaches near the right side of his head but grabs air instead.

JUSTIN

Crap I forgot my weapons

VIOLET

I true warrior needs no weapons.

VIOLET runs out of the cafe with EDITH & NOEMI following leaving JUSTIN.

VIOLET

Hey, Imperium!

IMPERIUM turns around to see VIOLET.

IMPERIUM

Oh a brave little girl, come to fight me?

VIOLET smirks,

VIOLET

Yes.

She raises both arms up, with palms open instantly firing her ice-cold powers. EDITH jumps in, waving her hands like making a sphere and creating this orb of green energy and blasting it toward him. NOEMI flies into battle and summons vapors of skull beings of death at his side to fight. Flying while firing what he could at IMPERIUS. IMPERIUS having absorbed their magic as energy.

IMPERIUM

Delicious… what do you call that? Magic, am I correct? You just gave me a boost of energy, children.

IMPERIUM’S body began to mutate from the magic absorbed. His right arm froze with ice, his aura of red mixed in with the green emotional energy. The left side of his face developed what appeared to be a skull. Shocked by this reveal of power displayed, IMPERIUM raises his frozen right arm about to blast all three mages. When suddenly he is frozen himself.

JUSTIN appears behind them, his right arm raised and hand clenched into a fist holding a shining blue orb of sorts.

JUSTIN

Hey guys. You didn’t have to ditch me.

VIOLET

How are you doing that?!

JUSTIN

My people can control the flow of time.

EDITH Awesome!

JUSTIN waves his hand and IMPERIUM disappears.

NOEMI

Where’d he go?

JUSTIN

I was thinking about the bottom of the ocean.

EDITH

You sent him there?!

JUSTIN

Yup.

EDITH

We won!

JUSTIN

We may have, but my ship isn’t fully repaired I can make a Dimensional Jump till she’s fully repaired. I can still fly her, I just can’t jump anywhere yet.

EDITH

So that means you’re stuck here?

JUSTIN

For a while yeah…

EDITH

Awesome!

JUSTIN looks at her confused.

EDITH (cont’d)

Awesome as in you’re staying for a while… sorry…

JUSTIN smiles

JUSTIN

I’m kidding, I guess I can crash at your place, Edith?

EDITH

Of course! We can show you around this universe too! That will be fun!

JUSTIN

I’d love that.

The four friends return to the ship and fly back to EDITH’S home where they had a small party to themselves.

CUT TO

EXT. BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN

IMPERIUM’S body still frozen is rescued by a figure in a dark cloak. With a snap of his finger, IMPERIUM is unfrozen and fires the ice blast and looks around for a moment.

IMPERIUM

Where are they?!

DARK FIGURE

One of them froze you. Not literally but figuratively.

He shows IMPERIUM a photo taken of EDITH, NOEMI, VIOLET, & JUSTIN. Recognizing JUSTIN immediately he scrutinizes the photo.

IMPERIUS

The Time Trickster! He is here too?!

DARK FIGURE

Yes, and I have a proposal to make you. Being from another world.

IMPERIUS despite being featureless his right eyebrow raises with intrigue.

IMPERIUM

I’m listening.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF EPISODE 1

[murphystartedthefire]

Conageddon: Richard Harmon’s Panel + associated stuff

Disclaimer from the last post: So it’s just my luck that immediately after posting my Richard/Luisa recap, a whole bunch of the Conageddon panels including that one became available online! I definitely encourage people to check them out!

Unfortunately the people who taped them missed Luisa’s solo panel and Richard’s solo panel. So I will still share what I remember and notes from those.

SUNDAY RICHARD PANEL

- I'll admit *I* actually missed the beginning of this because I was in the auto line for Bob with a friend. (”How’s Richard treating you?” were in fact the first words Bob said to me, which made me feel The Betrayal a bit, lol. Also side note, I went so blank on anything to say to Bob that I had to get up and ask a question at his Q&A later just because I thought of something after the fact.)

- Anyway uh... I did finally get over there, and he was wearing this.

- Via twitter learned one of the first questions was whether Murphy sees himself as a bad guy. He answered that Murphy does think he’s a bad guy, but he as Richard doesn’t think Murphy’s a bad guy. ;__;

- Asked if he could only use one word for the rest of the day, what would it be? He went with “cute” because you can use it a lot of different ways, say it sarcastically, etc. It became a running joke in response to things for the rest of the panel, he would just deadpan in an annoyed voice, Cute.

- His next project is a guest role on a show he didn’t name but it’s already on the air and has some of the same writers from “Continuum”. (Can anyone figure this out? “Van Helsing” maybe?) They offered him a multi-episode part as a villain and human trafficker involved in bad things.

- Someone asked a question about Murphy's relationship with alcohol, we've only ever seen him drink a little or when he was getting trashed in the bunker. SPOILER: Murphy being "drunk" a lot is something that we’ll see in season six. Then Richard -- green mustache and all -- actually went into a serious riff about how he drinks socially in real life but tries to avoid doing it for the wrong reasons, out of anger or sadness, and it sounds like that’s where Murphy is and that’s not a healthy coping mechanism for him.

- Someone opened a question saying Murphy is her husband’s favorite character and he proudly calls himself an asshole. Richard was like “your husband has good taste, and he [Murphy] is an asshole, nothing wrong with that.”

- Honestly the real gem of this panel was the long answer to the question of whether Murphy could be more stable if they were in peacetime again. This was the response I summarized on twitter as "talking soberly about mental health and the importance of seeking help while wearing a green mustache." Because it was very moving and I’ll try to remember the gist of it -- he was talking about how he likes to think Murphy could fight his demons because he is a fighter, in reality he probably needs therapy, but his answer as an actor is always that Murphy is more *fun* and interesting to play when he's dark. His demons are part of him, he's not a happy person. He went back to the "vial of poison" metaphor he’s used before, like Venom it feels good and keeps him alive when he lets the poison in.

- ...But also thinking about mental illness consciously as a part of Murphy especially since season 5, there's a responsibility that comes with talking about it. (Actually one of the con staff jumped onto the mic and was talking about how important therapy was to his family and Richard was like “yes, thank you for taking what I said that way.”) He likes Murphy the way he is but he never wants to give off the idea that real people are beyond help. He was very emphatically like: help is out there, life is worth living right and being happy, and Murphy isn't beyond that but he can't get it because it's a TV show and it's more fun for him to be fucked-up.

- An audience member commented about how well Murphy seems to work and have an interesting relationship with every character on the show, from someone like Emori who he has a long relationship with to Abby who he only had a couple of scenes with. Richard appreciated that and said he's always liked that about Murphy, that you can throw him in with anyone and he's a great accessory. “Leaving Emori out” (thanks, question-asker) who is his favorite person to play off of? He answered Bellamy. He repeated what he's said before about thinking if Murphy was going to die, he (Richard) would want Bellamy to kill him. Bringing it full circle from when they both wanted each other dead, now it would be different but Bellamy would still have to be the one to put him down.

- I remembered something else! He talked about McCreary and how he would’ve liked to do more exploring the parallel between him and Murphy, which he acknowledged they didn’t go that far with. He thinks that Murphy saw and respected him in a weird way. They have the same kind of poison running through them, but for Murphy it’s something he really is trying to keep under control.

- He talked about how he always saw Murphy as very smart. Even from the beginning when he was described in the script as an idiot, he didn't want to play him that way. He's not educated but he's a chess player -- however, sometimes he gets impatient and jumps ahead moves. An audience member said they thought Murphy would make a good FBI agent or something in the real world, but Richard said he could just as easily be unemployed because he’d never get past a job interview.

- Audience member compared Murphy to Loki (mythical, not the Marvel one), but Richard said the figure he really based him on in the beginning was Lucifer -- I can’t remember the whole answer, but being like the fallen/cast-out one who was alongside Bellamy and then wanted to overthrow him. And then later Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z. ;)

OTHER RICHARD STUFF

- Like I said in another post, twitter user murphybeiiamy/Noemie had sold me her Richard Harmon VIP badge even though I was on a low budget since no one had offered her the ticket price for it. I am eternally grateful for that. I did witness the Memori Beer Pong thing in person. Other things included were the meet & greet which has its own post, solo photo and selfie... boy am I glad I chose to go for those on the right days, ‘cause I don’t think Emori + Insane St. Patrick’s Day Richard would’ve meshed as well as this: 

- I also got the Jealous Emori sequel to my UD photo op. They were so game for everything! They had taken their “honeymoon” picture shortly before this and left the flowers on for the rest of the session. *g* I should thank Lindsey Morgan again for the completely unnecessary wrapping-her-leg-around-me pose, because it’s the first thing they noticed in the picture and made sure to replicate it with Richard’s leg. XD

The next day I told him that I really appreciated everything he said on the panel about mental health and I feel the same conflict about just wanting Murphy to be okay but thinking then he's a better character *because* he is fucked up and that's why he's identifiable. I gave him the Murphy playlist, his eyes kind of perked up and glanced over at Luisa when I said I'd given her one too. I warned him his had more dark & sad songs on it than hers did (tbh I think his turned out better), and he was like that’s GOOD, he wants all the sad songs. So yeah... he seemed to be legit into it as a gift and I believe and hope he will also listen to it. <3

- Finally, if you made it to the end of this post, please watch this video of Richard Harmon and Chelsey Reist doing Jameson shots and casually donating $1000 between them to CURE Childhood Cancer. I love my chaotic-good son.