#perfect historical accuracy isn’t actually important

[cosmic-nonconstant]

There are people in their 20s writing the most brilliant, beautiful, heartwrenching contributions to Stranger Things fandom and every time y’all write “VHS player” my brain short circuits

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: April 13th, 2021

And we’re back again with more replies so soon, haha. Thank you for the asks!

Your game literally saved me this hell ass year. Thank you so much for the most perfect piece of art I've ever laid eyes on 😫 ... Do you guys have a rough idea when step 3 DLC will be released? I hope I'm not coming off as rude. I just really really love your game.

I’m sorry for the late reply on this! You might’ve already seen the answer by now, but the Step 3 DLC is coming out on the 16th. We’re almost there :D

This may be a silly question but did Jeremy's parents ever find out that Pran had lied about his age and if so, when/how? :3

Pran came clean to them after a couple of years, when he felt secure enough that it wouldn’t ruin the relationship. The Kings were a little embarrassed, the dad more than the mom, but they’re quite good at brushing past those kind of mistakes so it was all water under the bridge pretty fast.

hi! i know you’ve answered a question about alterations in the our life moments by playing them in different orders, but i was wondering if there was a canon order that the moments for each step happen in? i figure with such a customizable game the “canon” timeline for the moments is whatever order the player completes them in, for example in step 1, i like playing the runaway moment pretty early, since cove trying to run away early in summer makes more sense to me personally. thanks!

Yeah, there’s no canon order we’d insist on. Whatever you like can be the official route for you! And that’s a neat way to look at that event.

What if your character isn’t that into physical contact but still wants to be in a relationship with Cove? Would he be offended if you shy away or something along those lines?

He wouldn’t be. Cove knows how hard that can be and is very understanding. If you set his initiative to low, the game always checks to make sure if you want to be touched or not rather than assuming that you do. And if you do choose that you don’t want to, there’s no stress or drama about it. Cove will just say that’s okay!

Hellu! First off, I want to thank you all for such a wonderful game, it's been the best feel-good game I've ever stumbled upon and I can't express enough how much it has meant to me. Second, I've seen lots of people having trouble with making Cove confess before MC which makes me wonder if people will have the same problem in the dlc when you can propose to him. Is it possible to post a guide for that as well when it no longer could count as a spoiler? Again, thanks for such a beautiful game <3

I’m really happy you had such a nice time with it c:. We’ll answer questions about it on tumblr/in the discord if they come up and, if need be, we’ll find somewhere to upload a guide.

Do we get steam key from buying dlc on itch io?

I’m afraid not. That’d be unfair to those who get it on Steam. Plus, Steam isn’t super cool with giving out thousands of keys to be handed out for free on other sites anymore. They can refuse to give us the keys if they feel we’re trying to take advantage of their system.

hi! so if we reject cove's confession in step 3, can we still have MC and cove get together in step 4?

You can confess to him, yeah. But Cove won’t ever try confessing again if the MC turns him down in Step 3.

What if MC acts like someone Cove doesn't like, like Lizzie or Baxter lol

You can’t do what Lizzie or Baxter does to make Cove dislike them. You can play the game and try, but it doesn’t work out. The MC is just too compatible with Cove if you’re fond/crush/love, haha.

Hi! I absolutely love your game, I love the characters they’re all so amazing, thank you for the game haha

I was wondering if you would get the NSFW DLC no matter what Patreon level you were at, or if you would could get it at any level? :)

&

What pateron tier do we need to get the 18+ content for Our Life? It's my new favourite game, keep up the good work!

It will eventually be available at the $5 tier and anything above that! Glad you both like OL ^^

On a scale from 1 (being the worst) to 10, how well do the XOXO jerk squad including JB handle horror?

JB: 8

Everett: 5

Nate: 4

Shiloh: 10

Bae: 10

Jeremy: 8 for non-gore horror, 2 for gory horror

Pran: 9

hello!! i was wondering if any of the boys from the Jerksquad would ever wear a skirt/dress?

None of them wear skirts/dresses out of personal preference. But if there was some kind of reason where they had to do it, none would be that bothered.

How does the jerk squad feel about Christmas? 

Everett: He fucking loves it. That’s the best time of year.

Nate: Commercialized nonsense.

Shiloh: It’s wonderful! So he claims.

Bae: He likes it quite a bit, but only for the joy it brings children/family. He thinks that’s sweet but is too mature to be whipped up into a festive fervor himself.

Jeremy: It’s awful.

Pran: He hates it.

does cove have any pet allergies? yes I know this is a little weirdly specific

He doesn’t! The lucky boy isn’t allergic to any animal.

Very important question: Would Lee and a musical-theatre loving MC run around belting Into The Unknown from Frozen 2? Because I feel that they would 

Probably, haha.

This might seem like a dumb question, so I’m sorry, but with the Derek DLC are we gonna get to hang out with him in person instead of just calling him in step 3? 

The Derek DLC adds events in Step 2 and Step 4. It’s part of his story that you don’t really get to be around him in Step 3. But you don’t need to apologize for wondering!

hello! i'd like to ask if it's possible to play the android version of the game with the dlcs after buying the dlcs from steam. i wasn't expecting my android version to have my dlcs since i bought them from steam, but it had my step 2 dlc for some reason. is this a glitch or does the apk actually detect what dlcs you already have on your pc? if so, how come i don't have the step 1 dlc appearing on android? thanks!

That is some kind of glitch. It isn’t possible for the Android DLCs to be unlocked by having them on PC. Maybe in one of the old builds we accidentally didn’t lock the Step 2 DLC properly. Sorry for the confusion!

Does Derek and Baxter have canon sexualities? Will Derek still flirts with the MC regardless of their gender?

They’re both pansexual and can like the MC regardless of what gender they have.

I was wondering if Miranda had a crush on Cove in Step 3? I'm not sure why, but I got those vibes from her?

She thinks of him only as a friend. Cove isn’t her type, haha.

This is probably a dumb hope, but I hope Cliff find someone he loves after Cove is grown up and everything. Or at the very least he has someone he's very close with after Cove leaves. 

That’s a really sweet thought to have. Cliff stays single, but he’s graysexual and not-particularly romantically inclined. He only dated when he was really young ‘cause that’s what everyone did. Family and friend relationships are more important to him, and he has plenty of that in his life ^^.

Heya! I was curious if there might be a nickname system in N&F? I kind of pull an Elizabeth when I play and choose a different variation of a name like having Rosie in step one and changing it to Rose in step two, then maybe Rosetta in step three for example, but it also feels a little bit odd being scolded using my nickname hehe. That's all I was wondering about, thank you for your time and the wonderful games!

We are hoping to include the option to go by a nickname in Our Life: Now & Forever. But nothing has been programmed yet, so we can’t 100% guarantee it, haha.

Just curious, what would Liz's and Cove's relationship be if MC wasn't around? I feel like they wouldn't get along as well as they do now, especially during the first and second step 

They’d definitely have a lot of friction growing up and they’d likely avoid each other as much as possible. Once they were both older, I imagine they’d be decent neighbor acquaintances. But they still wouldn’t be nearly as close as they are with the MC bringing Cove into things.

What do the customizable eyes look like in the game? Do they look as they are in the creating avatar section? Or do they look different when actually playing the game?

That’s up to you! The doll is just meant to be a general idea. You can apply it to your imagined MC as much or as little as you prefer.

Did Cove go through a "phase" during his adolescence? I don't really wanna headcanon it so I wonder if there's anything (cringy) canon since we missed out on the ages of 14-17 hahaha

Not really, aha. 14-17 Cove is pretty recognizable to his 13 and 18 year old self.

Hello! I'm sorry to bother you, especially with all the messages you get. I was just wondering if the religious wedding venue was exclusive to a church or if there will be different religions of weddings? Also, I love this VN so much, it's so well written and every character is so amazing, thank you for making such a beautiful game.

The church is treated as a historic building rather than anything actively religious, but it’s not the only option like that. There’s a historic synagogue and stuff too! And that’s really nice of you to say <3.

How differently would it play out If MC told their moms about the 20$ deal back when it happened? 

They wouldn’t have been happy and would’ve been far more skeptical of Cliff, aha. But they wouldn’t want to keep Cove away from the MC, so it wouldn’t have been too different in the long run.  

Hello may I ask what Cove's favorite fudge/ice cream flavor would be? Its alright if its not answered 

He appreciates them all, but his top favorites would be the fruit flavored ones and the ones with nuts.

Hi! I really wanted to make mc's house in a game and tried really hard to figure out the floor plan, but I wondered if you have the floor plan of the mc's house so that i can try again with more accuracy?

Thank you a lot for this game, i loved it a lot! (my first play took me 8 hours lol)

I’m really sorry, we don’t have anything like that. But at least you can headcanon that what you did is correct and nothing can prove it wrong, haha.

Hello,I recently started playing lake of voices (I put it off for a long while since I’m usually not very good with horror) and I’m really happy I did!I’m a big fan of your games in general and lake of voices was absolutely great as well.I loved the characters and the dark setting of it,I adored the beautiful art and music and the story was great too,sometimes unsettling and sometimes very sweet.My favorite Route in the game was definitely Lu,I liked his character and was really shocked and distraught by his Route at least two times.I didn’t see the plot twist(s) coming at all!

Besides these ramblings I’ve also wanted to ask if you still remember how to get the lower two CGs on page 5?I seem to always miss them and would appreciate any help.Anyways I hope I wasn’t too much of a bother and I wish the devs a great day!:)

Thank you for all the kind words <3. You get those DLCs by going through the end of the Guide’s character path. You can use the guides on Steam to help you find it/reach the end!

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Thank you again for all of these questions :D

We released a new FAQ! It answers common questions and we’ll keep adding more to it. Please check there before sending an ask. FAQ   Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

[kaysutcliff-michaelis]

Bright We Burn ending rant (SPOILERS)

Under the cut you will find my opinion with lots of spoilers, capitals and cursing about Bright We Burn (and the Conqueror’s saga in general) written by Kiersten White.

Quoting from https://booksandreaderssite.wordpress.com/2018/10/13/bright-we-burn/ “This book was ruined by the author falling in love with her own character: Perfect Beloved Radu“ 

I finished reading the book like an hour ago and I’ve been complaining, crying, and looking for reviews since then. I hate it, hate it so much, as much as I loved the first two books and the beginning of this one.

The impression I get from the ending is not one I expected to get from a book that had a strong female protagonist as its main selling point. Mainly because said protagonist gets the worst possible ending. I didn’t expect a happy go lucky ending, I didn’t even expect her not to die or the author to stray too far from historical facts. Just because of the title I expected her to be like a shooting star, briefly burning bright. But she didn’t burn bright, she just burn. What I didn’t expect was the ending feeling completely alien to the rest of the saga.

Lada is ruthless, strong, smart, a great tactician and has her sights focused on her goal, being the prince of Wallachia. And fuck Mehmed, Radu, her father, and whoever tries to prevent her from ruling her country. She gets the respect of her men and the people of her country, she’s a good and fair ruler even if she got there with rather bloody methods. But haven’t they all? The Ottoman Empire Mehmed and Radu are so fond of is built on the blood of the janissaries they have taken from vassal states and the blood of the Christians from Constantinople. Yet the moment Lada kills the boyars (who have been leeching off Wallachia for decades) and Mehmed’s envoys (who burnt a village first), she must be stopped. How dare a woman make life easier for the people of the country?

And for some reason, the author allows two men to ruin what Lada has built with blood, sweat and tears. And to add insult to injury, the men who should have helped her (Mehmed even claims “he gave her the throne” as the selfish and self-centered asshole he is).

And she loses everything and everyone who is important to her. Petru, Nicolae, Oana, Stefan, Daciana, and Bogdan. Oh, Bogdan. How I wished Radu lost an eye to compensate for his murder.

And in case that was not enough, the dragon that was so strong and fierce suddenly turns into a girl that is lonely and hurt and needs her brother to survive and give her back her country. The country that never recognised Radu as prince. The country that loved Lada.

HE FUCKING HAD TO GIVE HER WHAT WAS ALREADY HERS. A MAN. AGAIN. HE FUCKING TOOK THE THRONE FROM HER AND FUCKING GAVE IT BACK AS IF HE WAS A DAMN SAINT. ALL SHE DID AND IN THE END SHE WAS PRINCE BECAUSE A FUCKING MAN ALLOWED IT. HOW IS THAT FEMINIST???????????  WHAT IS THE USE IN HAVING SUCH A POWERFUL FEMALE CHARACTER IF THE FULFILLMENT OF HER DREAM DEPENDS ON THE WHIM OF A MALE EVEN AT THE VERY END?

AND HE EVEN GETS AN “I TOLD YOU” MOMENT!!! THE AUDACITY!!!

And her death... such a warrior, killed by a nameless assassin with a knife to the back. A nameless grave. So disrespectful to what Lada was. I don’t care if all the things I didn’t like were for historical accuracy’s sake. Lada was her character and deserved way better than that.

Moving on to the treacherous rat that Radu has become, I liked him so much and in this book I could only pray for someone to smack him as hard as possible. He goes from the poor and traumatised soul that is being manipulated by Mehmed and has lost his best friend and potential partner to enabling Mehmed’s actions while being fully conscious of how he’s being used, instantly healing himself from a trauma that is not relevant ever again, not giving a damn about killing people, sending Kumal to his death without sparing it too many thoughts, and having a cute little happy family while wanting to imprison his sister for the rest of her life and thinking he’s doing her a favor. He actually thought it was good and fair to plan a happy life for himself while destroying everything his sister had fought for. The sister he never ever chose.

Am I the only one who loved that the Danesti brothers started being problematic as soon as Radu gave them the throne?? Boyars will be boyars, and I don’t understand how he thought those two would be better rulers than Lada, they wouldn’t enter the castle and still wanted the money, the lands and the fancy stuff.

I honestly cannot believe how much this character has changed (for the worse), and how he acts like he’s so good and only looking for the best for those he loves when he’s a traitor, a liar, a killer and the reason why Constantinople fell. He cannot forgive Lada for protecting Wallachia, but apparently everyone and their mother have forgiven and forgotten all the blood staining his hands. Also I find it unbelievable how he sells the way the Ottoman Empire is run to Cyprian but then when Lada tried to use some of the things she had learnt there to run Wallachia it was suddenly the worse thing ever. Radu is definitely not the good Dracul sibling, he’s the toxic one.

Speaking about Cyprian, I honestly couldn’t feel happy for them. When he came back to Radu I was already too angry and wanting to send him packing back to Edirne. Amazing how Cyprian can give counsel about how to deal with Lada when all he knows about her is second-hand but he can forgive Radu for lying to him, making the siege worse for everyone, being the reason why his uncle is dead and his city was lost (and even if he doesn’t know about it, the reason why Giustiniani may have died).

And Fatima?? How she “took care” of Lada at the end? I can’t tell if she’s too broken or what, but it was creepy how she could take care of Lada when Nazira wouldn’t even stand being in the same room. Even if she was going to give them her baby, it makes me wonder how messed up she can be to be able to behave that way with the person who killed her brother-in-law and they were so adamant to condemn.

I won’t even talk about the baby thing because that was just so unnecessary for the plot and for Lada herself as a character.

Going back to Radu and before talking about Mehmed, I hate how he is 100% sure that Mehmed knows about his feelings and is using him and said feelings and he??? just??? allows??? it???? Still does whatever he wants, still appears at his doorstep no matter his trauma with Constantinople, still makes Nazira and Fatima leave their house though they had just been reunited and Mehmed didn’t care that much about finding Nazira and STILL at the end, 20 years later is in good terms with him. He didn’t confront Mehmed about using him, never called him out. Radu is the friend who will listen to you when you’re explaining how a common friend has abused you and then will keep being friends with the other person and abandoning you :D

I am not Mehmed’s biggest fan, but it’s like he isn’t even a character anymore in this book. Even if we never have his pov it always felt like this story was a triangle, but at the end it was like he wasn’t there anymore, he isn’t even the source of conflict because Radu isn’t in love with him anymore. Even for all their alleged worries about Theodora being Mehmed’s biological daughter, that issue was glossed over in a matter of three lines. I do wish he had stayed more relevant (and that he had never left Constantinople).

Surely I’m forgetting something but I think my point is clear XD Radu is a hypocrite who didn’t deserve his happy ending, Mehmed became so irrelevant that the plot was missing something, and Lada, our dragon, deserved way better. Oh, and don’t write a “feminist” YA book if the female character is the one who’s going to have the worst ending. It just feels like you’re telling women they will end up alone and dead if they are as strong and determined as Lada, and to suck it up because men will always be forgiven for the crimes.

[malopeach]

DEFINITELY agree as a whole and with lots of Thoughts.

theres different levels to it, in my completely not an expert or professional opinion anyway. my expectation of ‘accuracy’ for a well funded, high status institution like a museum or university is MUCH higher than something like, a historical enthusiasts meet-up or a ren faire. None of these situations will have ‘perfect’ historical accuracy, because thats not possible, but there should certainly be much more effort and research put into some over others.

(i do certainly believe some area’s need to step it up in terms of accuracy tho, looking at you hollywood movie makers!! you have the god damn budget for it!!!)

I think the goal should usually be “as accurate i can be, within my means and within reason”. not everyone has the time or resources for a perfectly accurate hand sewn victorian era ball gown, we should not expect that of hobbyists. But if say, the MET is commissioning a historical recreation, they’ve got the coin to drop on that piece and it would be an amazing opportunity to learn more about the way it would have potentially been created way back when!

Something else to consider is that True Historical Accuracy isn’t actually POSSIBLE. Many materials and techniques have been completely lost to time, and working with a different type of material than what was Actually available for the time can greatly change the end product. Sometimes theres just not enough sources for a location or period. Sometimes the only sources are text to interpret. Sometimes sources are hard to understand or flat out wrong. And that doesn’t even account for outliers! All throughout history, there have been scores of people who do not abide by the fashionable dress of the age and all those people are part of the cultural landscape as well!

On top of that, all the best preserved examples we have for ‘accuracy’ are extremely biased. The best preserved Very Old garments are often those of white europeans, often of the upper class, due to general eurocentric colonialism and sense of superiority, as well as sometimes outright destruction of historical records from colonized places! It can be very hard to find any information at all on say, indigenous jamaicans before the settlement by europeans, mostly because they were killed and no one felt the need to preserve the culture of conquered peoples. History favors the winner, and our records of historical dress will always reflect this. ‘Accurate’ to whose perspective, who is writing the references? Not even to mention, most working class people we’re making or wearing garments that most considered worth preserving at the time. Medieval serfs and Jomon era rice field workers were not exactly thinking of the historic value of their work clothes hundreds of years down the line!

theres a dress maker and artist i’ve followed on tiktok (i’ll edit this and a link if i can find them, but tiktok’s search functions are almost as bad as tumblr’s 😅) who is recreating the style of clothing likely worn by freed south african women of the early/mid colonial period. Key word there, LIKELY, because so few references exist for this. Do we know what wealthy white women of the era wore? Yes, plenty of portraits, sewing guides, and even whole garments have been preserved. What about enslaved african women? Mostly yes also, because what depictions we do have of black women from that period in that region, most of them are of enslaved women. But free women, women who had worked and bought their freedom or been born into free families? MUCH fewer records exist, and what we mostly have to go on is what they Weren’t allowed to wear per colonial regulations.

this is just one specific instance of many where Even If the re-creator DID have the time, energy, and FUNDS to create such a piece, the references needed to do so simply dont exist.

AAAANYWAY tldr Op ur so right and u should say it. Accuracy is so much less important than committing faithfully and to the best of your ability to re-create the spirit and style of a by-gone era

I have a lot of opinions on this but I would love to know what other people think.

[straight-to-the-pain]

Oh my god, who the fuck cares if writing torture is accurate or not? Sometimes I'm in the mood for accuracy, sometimes I'm in the mood for inaccuracies because I want specific things from my whump that accuracy sometimes can't provide. Whoever the fuck sent you those stupid anons are cowards, people who love to start drama for no other reason than they can. Don't pay them any mind, we, your actual friends, like you just the way you are, darling, never change. Love ya!

Thank you for your kind words! They mean a lot.

I should admit that what prompted the discussion in the first place was me reblogging a post and commenting that I generally strive to write accurate torture but I did also point out that I believe it’s important to understand reality if you want to break with it, so that’s what people are understandably responding to.

I do genuinely enjoy reading and learning about torture in a historical and political context, as well as how humans respond to pain and injury and I have to say that I know a lot more about bodies than minds, and I’m generally more interested in physical violence in my writing than complex emotions, especially in the aftermath of a traumatic event. I also feel that there’s a lot of whump that focuses on pain and trauma that isn’t the kind of outright torture that I know more about, and that feelings are a very personal thing so it’s hard to write them wrong. Different characters will react differently to different situations, and something I might not relate to might be accurate for someone else.

There’s also a certain joy in doing your research and using it, such as by adding specific historical details to a story or subverting a misconception or writing accurate medical treatment. I wrote a whole fic packed full of facts about the Colorado river delta and that was the most fun I’ve had in ages.

I also think it’s natural to have pet peeves in whump and specific tropes or concepts that bother us. I’m not trying to judge anyone for what they enjoy but I am passionate about clarifying certain pervasive misconceptions about torture that I hear often. It’s really easy to fall into certain ideas and myths because media is a powerful tool and I am also not immune to this, which is why I want to examine my own writing and consider where I’ve fallen into certain traps and where I am consciously choosing to stray from reality for the sake of whumperflies.

It is absolutely possible to enjoy something inaccurate and unrealistic and it is not my intention to make anyone feel judged for the whump they create. I’ve enjoyed a lot of films packed full of laughably unrealistic torture scenes but hey, we all have our guilty pleasures. What we enjoy in fiction absolutely does not have to reflect our morals and real life views, but there are tropes and stereotypes that can have a very real impact on how we consider reality and I believe that we should be aware of when we are knowingly discarding reality for fun.

I want to end by saying that I have never liked confessionals and I readily accept that I am not a perfect person, maybe not even a good person, but I haven’t committed any more wrongdoings than those who so desperately want to hold all of mine up to the light. I do enough introspection as it is, and advise you to do the same.

[maddie-kungs-emporium]

My 10 Favorite TTRPGs (2021)

There’s plenty of amazing tabletop games out there, but I have a few favorites that I absolutely love. The most important are presented below, along with a paragraph of explanation of why I like them. If you have a bit of spare cash burning a hole in your pocket, then hit up Drivethrurpg and find yourself a copy! Before we get started though, here’s a few ground rules.  1. No two from the same system (e.g. I can’t put Mummy: the Curse and Mage: the Awakening on the list even though I dearly want to). This is mostly to prevent one system from being overrepresented (Looking at you, PbtA). By the same token I can’t put multiple editions of the same game or anything like that. 2. None of my own games. Obviously there would be bias there, wouldn’t there? 3. I have to have enough experience with the game to properly rate it. This means I have to have read the game and have a keen understanding of it. 

4. This is my personal opinion. No specific criteria are used beyond whether or not I enjoy them.  With that being said, let’s start from 10#. 

10#: Golden Sky Stories (Star Line Publishing)

This game is on the list because it is one of the most avant-garde games out there, which only makes sense from the philosophy it was created from. If you want a simple game about talking Japanese raccoons you can play with children, check this out. Furthermore, the game is possibly the most peaceful and relaxed from a writing standpoint you can get with any piece of media.

9#: Vampire: the Masquerade (White Wolf But It’s Complicated)

This game is the most personally significant to me on the list. It has serious flaws which prevent it from being any higher, but this game literally saved my life during the darkest periods of when I was young, and I mean that. I don’t actually recommend this to the majority of people, at least not unless you’re already interested, but I could not honestly make a list without it.

8#: Deadball (WM Akers)

This may strike some people as an odd choice, given it is barely a TTRPG and completely flies in the face of many basic game design principles. However, not only does Deadball stretch the limits of both TTRPGs and the game of baseball at the same time, but it does so in a way so simple that even a child can pick it up. If you want a little soothing game to play with your friends and family, it’s definitely one to consider.

7#: Qin: the Warring States (Cubicle 7)

This is one of the few games, which, in my opinion, portrays my Chinese culture in a way that is nuanced and respectful while also doing something different with it. Portraying a criminally underused historical period is one thing, but the accuracy with which they do it is another. Easily the best historical game I’ve ever come across, sorry Ars Magica, Würm and Pendragon!

6#: Flying Circus (Newsstand Press)

There is not a universe in existence where I don’t praise Erika Chappell on one of these. While Flying Circus isn’t as personally significant to me as a lot of the other games on here, it’s mechanics, lore and use of PbtA are some of the best I’ve ever read. Please check if out, you would make me very happy doing so.

5#: Adventures in Middle Earth (Cubicle 7)

From the 5E engine specifically, this game is easily the most mechanically solid I’ve ever seen. While there were other competitors, the reason Adventures in Middle Earth is so high up is because of all the things you could do with Middle Earth, with Tolkien’s incredible imagination, this is one of the far superior uses. I cannot recommend this game enough. Sadly, this is out of print, but it is still occasionally available via humble bundles. If you can find a copy and want to see what 5E’s mechanics can do at their creative peak, get it.

4#: Star Trek Adventures (Modiphius)

Not gonna lie, my enjoyment of 2d20 is hit and miss. I thought it was okay for most things, I didn’t like the Dishonored hack very much, and the Dune hack had good ideas but top-heavy execution, but Star Trek Adventures is easily the best use of this system. Doing the world of Star Trek complete justice, this game combines masterful synergy with the 2d20 engine at its best with an understanding of Star Trek that has yet to be beat.

3#: Tales From the Loop/Things From the Flood (Free League)

If I’m being perfectly honest, I like this better than Kids on Bikes. This game captures the feeling of youth as well as the ideas of teen movies incredibly well, and the Year Zero Engine is one of my favorite systems. Without a doubt, Free League is one the best TTRPG publishers in the business.

2#: Shadow of the Demon Lord (Schwalb Entertainment)

Not only is the closest thing to a perfect 5.5E we’ll ever get, but this game is easily the most mechanically solid on this list. It’s difficult to argue that of all the interpretation of the D20 systems you could come up with that Schwalb’s isn’t one of if not the most captivating. The world of Rûl is excellently done as well, especially considering it wasn’t even intended to be more than a default setting, so go check it out.

1#: Promethean: the Created (Onyx Path)

This is easily the best TTRPG in the history of the industry. Not only does it function as an exploration of the human condition worthy of preservation in the MoMA, but it is mechanically solid with amazing lore and an incredibly meaningful message. This game is one of, if not the, most amazing creative endeavors in any media. Honorable mentions go to Hoodoo Blues (Vajra), Ashen Stars (Pelgrane Press), Legend of the Five Rings (FFG), and Dark Heresy 2E (FFG). Thanks for reading.

[thecrownnet]

The Crown's talented cast and period-drama allures have made it one of Netflix's most successful shows in recent memory, with two more seasons on the way. Since The Crown's characters are based on real people, it was necessary from the start to find actors who could convincingly pull off the show's long lineup of famous historical figures. One of the most important ingredients in this is height, specifically how tall the actors are compared to their real-life counterparts.

In casting the series' principal characters across its four-season run, The Crown has ended up with a wide variety of actors both short and tall; these ones all lean favorably into one of those two sides. Unless otherwise stated, all heights for both actors and royalty are taken from their IMDb bios.

10. SHORTEST: Helena Bonham Carter (5'2")

[...] Bonham Carter stands at just 5'2", making her the shortest actor in the show's cast, but a perfect fit for the role of Princess Margaret, who was 5'1"

9. SHORTEST: Gillian Anderson (5'3")

8. SHORTEST: Claire Foy (5'4")

[...] She stands at 5'4", the same height as the Queen herself.

7. SHORTEST: Victoria Hamilton (5'4")

[...] the actual Queen Elizabeth was somewhat shorter, coming in at 5'2" compared to Hamilton's 5'4".

6. SHORTEST: Lia Williams (5'5")

The Crown cast English actress Lia Williams as Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. Though Williams is 5'5" tall while the Duchess herself was only 5'2", the height difference isn't too noticeable, thanks to the show's incredible cinematography and Williams's captivating performance.

5. TALLEST: Alex Jennings (6'2")

Alex Jennings was cast as Edward VIII, The Duke of Windsor, on The Crown, though his height of 6'2" makes him noticeably taller than the former monarch he's portraying, who was only 5'7".

4. TALLEST: Jeremy Northam (6'2")

Standing at 6'2", actor Jeremy Northam is about two inches taller than the historical figure he portrayed on The Crown, politician Anthony Eden.

3. TALLEST: Matthew Goode (6'2")

The Crown's Matthew Goode earned a Primetime Emmy nom for his role as Princess Margaret's husband, 1st Earl of Snowdon Antony Armstrong-Jones. Goode, at 6'2", is nearly nine inches taller than the Earl was (according to the New York Times), but given the strength of his performance, he should be allowed to bend the rules of historical accuracy at least somewhat.

2. TALLEST: Charles Dance (6'3")

Charles Dance plays Lord Mountbatten on The Crown. Though Dance's 6'3" stature makes him taller than the 5'11" viceroy, he's a prolific-enough actor to be able to carry a role without fitting into the character's shoes, so to speak.

1. TALLEST: John Lithgow (6'4")

John “plays 5'6" British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (surprisingly, it works).”

______

*Coincidentally Matt Smith is 6′0″ and Prince Philip is also 6′0″. (Tobias Menzies is 6′1″.)

[theravenclawrevolutionary]

A couple weeks ago you mentioned in a post that most of what's known about Robespierre is propaganda, could you elaborate on that?

Of course Anon! I’m always glad to talk about anything pertaining to the Frev! I’m not sure how much you already know about the French revolution, but I know other people will read this so hold on, 'cause it’s about to get long and in-depth as hell!

Also: Just a reminder that I don’t have a degree in history or anything. I simply spend a majority of my free time looking up information cause I’m a nerd like that. And of course, my statement about Robespierre could be applied with different levels of accuracy to other historical figures at the time, including the monarchy. This is just how it applies to Maxime as requested. Any questions about any other aspects of the French Revolution are always welcome. I'll try to answer then as clearly, accurately, and respectfully as possible.

A majority of information commonly spread about Robespierre is that he was a vicious and cruel leader with no regard for anyone but himself. Supposedly, he was so obsessed with the ideas of perfection and ‘virtue’ that he lost any human emotion, rendering him cold, friendless, and willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to get his way. In fact, when I first was introduced to him and the French Revolution in school several years ago, I was under the impression that he personally was responsible for a majority of deaths that occurred during the revolution. That’s what caused me to first look into him. Morbid stuff has always interested me and I wanted to know all about the vicious relentless killer who had no regard for human life and wanted to purge France of anyone who lacked the necessary virtues of his twisted moral code.

As I began to research I realized the picture of Robespierre painted for me by the flawed American education system, the modern media, and a surprising amount of books summarizing the history of the world was incredibly skewed, usually in favor of the ‘poor monarchy’ who were ‘thrust into an impossible position and didn’t mean for anything to happen’. 

In reality, Robespierre was, despite remaining a flawed individual like the rest of us, a quiet well dressed, polite man who was loyal to his friends, cared deeply about his family, wanted to reform the country in favor of the common people, and fought for what he believed in. Maxime had social anxiety and loved animals especially birds and dogs. Oftentimes he left his glasses places and couldn’t remember where he put them. He once wrote a poem about how much he loved tarts. Things made him angry, happy, and scared. The man who played such a crucial part in the revolution was still the same person as the young man who cried when his youngest sister Henriette died at age seventeen and the man who was praised as being a bright student at Louis-le-Grand. He advocated for women’s rights to an education, supported the rights of Jews in France (who were an unrepresented minority at the time), proposed laws in an attempt to decrease unnecessary violence (which he hated along with the war against Austria, the dechristianization of France, and the dangerous mob mentality). Maximilien Robespierre was an actual person who actually felt things like the rest of us. He was no heartless monster who preyed on innocent Frenchmen for no reason.

Now it’s time to point out the wrongs he committed. It can never be a fair judge of someone’s character, living or dead, without taking into account the bad things they have done. Robespierre did vote in favor of Louis XVI’s execution, mistakenly believing that France would benefit from the king’s death. After Capet’s execution violence spiraled out of control, resulting in a period of death known as The Reign of Terror. He also didn’t do as much as he should have to oust revolutionaries with dangerous tendencies and a penchant to condone mob violence. One of his biggest faults was his habit of compromising when he should have stood his ground and standing his ground when compromising would be the better option. His signature can be found on the arrest warrant sent out for the Dantonists, including his friend (to some degree) Georges Danton and childhood friend Camille Desmoulins, who eventually would go on to be executed.

Now the question is, how did a usually quiet, reserved individual become known as a bloodthirsty cult leader? The answer is, of course, Thermidorian Propaganda. For those of you that don’t know what that means, allow me to explain. 

Thermidor was the name of the fifth month on the revolutionary calendar (which was implemented in 1793 and used in France through 1805 ) that spanned from July 19th to August 17th on the Gregorian Calendar. At the beginning of Thermidor Maximilien was to make a speech to the National Convention speaking about but refusing to then name of several members who were corrupt or had committed crimes against the revolution and defending his own part in trying to find them. (Actually, I believe he straight-up named three people, but I don’t remember their names so it’s not important.) Convention members who feared exposure by the speech conspired together to overthrow Robespierre, who was seen as the figurehead of the revolution, (similarly to how the president represents the United States as a whole) and save their reputations. Robespierre and those still loyal to him fled to the Hotel de Ville, were captured by the National Guard, and were sentenced to death via guillotine all within the span of a few days. Those who accused and condemned him have come to be known as Thermidorians and the event itself known as the Thermidorian Reaction.

In order to preserve their reputations, the Thermidorians began criminalizing Robespierre and using him as a scapegoat for crimes committed (and not committed at all) by different people during the revolution. As the common saying goes, “History is written by the winners.” Because they succeeded in their plot against the Robespierrists and frightened anyone who wished to stand up and support their own Robespierrist views, the Thermidorians were able to control the narrative and the light in which Robespierre is presented. As his rivals/enemies they wanted themselves to seem obviously correct and Robespierre to seem clearly in the wrong. Things were not so black and white, so they fudged the information a little to help their cause.

As a result our picture of Robespierre is very different from the actual man. I'd like to say that he did both helpful and problematic things over the course of his time in the spotlight. He was a human, simple as that. It isn't right to demonize him and completely butcher his true self the way the Thermidorians and many historians since have done, but in the same breath we also have to remember all the awful things he allowed and was a part of.

Sorry it got so long, but I hoped I cleared things up for you Anon. If you have more questions, please hit me up!

~Dara

[itsclydebitches]

Never seen the musical Hamilton (big fan of Daveed Diggs though), but I saw someone go off on how terrible he was. How the musical glories a slave owner and all that. How should we go about telling stories of our history The musical is mostly POC and seeks to retell this story for a modern audience. Is that right? Should we glorify our founding fathers who were kind of shitty people. Or do we support this reinterpretation by the very minorities who weren't even considered human back then?

People tend to use the term “glorify” and the similar “romanticize” without understanding what those words mean. They’re used as catch-all terms for “Thing I don’t like” because it’s understood that (like “problematic”) they’re hot-button words that immediately make people wary. That’s the point. If you say, “Hamilton romanticizes slave owners” that sounds so damning that most people will accept the argument at face value. Those three words do the work for you because if a story is romanticizing/glorifying a Bad Thing or the story is just all around problematic... I don’t want to be the one to defend that. Those terms are useful for shutting down conversations before they’ve even begun. 

Thing is though, Hamilton doesn’t romanticize the founding fathers. To romanticize/glorify something is to present it as unjustifiably good, to idealize it unrealistically and work to make it more appealing than it actually is. That doesn’t happen in Hamilton. Putting aside the work Lin did reclaiming that history and retelling it for a cast made up almost entirely of people of color, the story itself acknowledges all the flaws these men had, including the horrors of slavery. Though not the centerpiece of the show, it’s far from ignored. Laurens is working to end slavery. There’s a refrain about “Are we free?” as it applies to the war and the answer is continually “No” because others are still enslaved. Jefferson’s perception that he “can’t believe that we’re free” is looked down upon. He’s explicitly called out by Hamilton in the cabinet battles, reminding the audience that most of his holier than thou attitude stems from the boost slavery gave him: 

A civics lesson from a slaver, hey neighbor Your debts are paid 'cause you don't pay for labor “We plant seeds in the South. We create.” Yeah, keep ranting We know who's really doing the planting

That’s in no way romanticizing! Despite how staggeringly negative this is, some people seem to want a heavy-handed disclaimer. Like Lin should pause halfway through the show, speak directly to the audience, and go, “Hey, everyone. I just wanted to take a moment and remind you that slavery is, in fact, very bad. I know the show has been sending that message from the get-go and that we’re a cast of those most impacted by that legacy, but just in case it wasn’t clear: none of us support that the founding fathers did this.” 

The founding fathers were absolutely shitty people. You know what’s beautiful about Hamilton? It shows them being shitty people. I could give you a laundry list of times in the show where they’re depicted as both flawed and truly horrible. Again, not glorifying. The viewers may choose to glorify them in fic/art/conversations/etc. despite all the work Lin did, but that’s not the fault of the show. It’s likewise not his fault if people are unable to tell the difference between romanticizing and acknowledging accuracy. Meaning, real life isn’t like a cartoon. The bad guys we see around us - like the founding fathers - are not going to be mustache-twirling horrors with no redeeming qualities because we find that simplicity comforting. Evil people are charismatic. They’re intelligent. Witty, humorous, kind to so many others provide they’re the “right” kind of person... Writing Thomas Jefferson as the kind of guy you might want to be friends with isn’t romanticizing, it’s accurate. And it’s really important to acknowledge that. Racists aren’t villains hiding out in some super evil lair just waiting to commit hate crimes. They’re the friend you grew up with and love to death... who is also now going to Trump rallies. It’s your brother who is great to you but talks shit at the dinner table every night. It’s your upstanding boss, pillar of the community, beloved by all... who is using that power to get away with heinous things. It’s important to acknowledge - and teach - that this is what racism looks like and it’s something Hamilton does beautifully. Part of the point is to create that discomfort. The feeling of, “Wow! I love Jefferson in this. He’s so cool, charming, funny and - oh fuck yeah he’s got slaves, shit.” Because that’s what real life is like. The racists aren’t going to come out on stage spewing their rhetoric so you understand precisely how horrible they are from the get-go and never, ever have to acknowledge that there are parts of their personality you really like. They’re the Thomas Jeffersons of the world: charming you in the morning and raping his slave at night. 

To acknowledge that isn’t glorifying him. Hamilton the story is explicitly anti-slavery while likewise acknowledging that the founding fathers were complex human beings who, yes, achieved some great things even while they did other, truly horrific things. To deny that is to teach that racists aren’t anything like that person in your life who also did this great thing... even though they are. Hamilton didn’t shy away from that and it’s a story that expects a certain level of critical thinking from its audience. Frankly a pretty low bar of, “We’re a group of minorities forcibly taking this narrative for ourselves and using it to comment on these issues... that is in no way the same thing as glorifying those issues.” It’s basically fanfiction with Lin (the fan) taking an incredibly offensive canon (history) and going, “I’m going to reclaim this as best I can without, you know, totally erasing what I was given.” It’s also like fanfiction in that it is fiction. Hamilton takes a great many liberties with history because that’s what art does. It’s not a textbook. To claim that anyone who enjoys the Hamilton version of Thomas Jefferson is a bad person is like saying you’re a bad person for liking Darth Vader, or Hannibal, or any other bad guy given a sympathetic twist. The acknowledgement, “Just because I like this horrible person in a story doesn’t mean I agree with them...” applies to Hamilton too. We’re not discussing the historical figure here. We’re discussing a semi-fictional amalgamation Lin created for a broadway show. 

Is Hamilton perfect? Of course not. No story ever is and if we tear all two hours and forty minutes of it apart we’ll undoubtedly find something objectively “problematic” because that’s just how creating art works. But overall I think the show did an excellent job of getting its - complicated - messages across. Those who are #cancelhamilton aren’t paying attention to what Hamilton is: a reclaiming of white supremacy, a commentary on the malleability of narratives (that is, what narrative does America normally spout about how great this country is?), and an acknowledgement of the complicated face of racism - among other things. Again, if people are reducing that to “You made me like a slave owner character therefore you’re romanticizing him” that’s not the fault of the text. 

[aerltarg]

2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 26, 27 from ask game

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?

oh, it's actually hard to answer bc pretty often my otps can work as brotps for me as well. it also means that when i can't ship some characters they don't work for me as friends either. not to mention that in asoiaf i'm open to many ships, and if i'm not very passionate about some it's not a sign i can't see them in romantic light.

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

may i say any sansa ship? 😭 as well as sansa herself lmao. idk generally i can't ship characters i don't like because i'm just not interested. and it's not to say i don't like book!sansa (show!sansa is another case 💀), i just don't find her arc as intriguing and epic as arcs of some other characters. however, it's absolutely her obnoxious fandom's fault that i don't want to touch anything about her now, pairings including. sansaery? pass. sansan? i used to have a soft spot for them in my heart but now? nah. sansa x anyone? pls have mercy, she's already a fandom bicycle.

and jonsa ofc. i would never mind some crack ship as i do this one if not for their obnoxious stans that did way too much to list there right now. but this burning desire to persuade every rock on the street that your crack ship is canon will never stop being ridiculous lmao

also braime. tbh i used to low-key like them but some of their stans weirded my away lol. i get that not all of them are like that but still. it's generally my great pain when i see braime/brienne/jaime stans who are also dany/targ antis. every time i see them i cackle and run away as fast as i can crying from disappointment lmao. it's really a pity because i'm either very neutral or like in my own way all three of them.

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

jonrya it is! i never hated them, you know, but they never were more than siblings and brotp to me. however, later i encountered the deluded crack ship fandom that shall not be named and understood that if there is any possible romance for jon with any of his sisters-cousins we all know which one it will be lmao. also their stans are very sweet and i really like many of their takes on arya and jon! i generally love relationships of jon and arya very much so it wasn't that difficult in practice to see them in a quite different light.

7. Is there anything you used to like but can't stand now?

meta culture lmao. reading different analysis and interpretations of the text used to be very interesting to me (and still is tbh but in other fandoms) though asoiaf is a different case. imo many people aren't honest in their so called theories and analyses. i get that all of us are biased but some "meta writers'" denial of their own biases influence fandom in a bad way. it looks like too many people run to them to get answers to their questions about any minor detail as if they were grrm himself. yk instead of using their own reading comprehension lmao. you see how this meta culture ruined fandom just looking at the most delusional stans and shippers who spread their agenda by writing endless text posts full of nonsense and bullshit but styled as oh so intellectual and thoughtful analysis. it's insane how many people actually buy it and don't check canon accuracy of such claims themselves. it got to the ridiculous point when random people try to argue with you with some far-fetched embarrassing "theories" as if they were canon facts or quotes straight up from a fanfic because they read somewhere some other confused soul's post and got from a context that this quote is canon (despite the fact that it wasn't written in grrm's style at all but some people can't use their brains even if their lives depended on it it seems).

anyway it's become too long and rambly already so tldr. because of such "neutral unbiased" analyses i got the habit of fact checking almost everything i see in such posts. there's only a small amount of meta writers from targ/dany/jon/arya stans that i trust because i know by practice and following them for some time that they don't pull anything out of nowhere, back up everything they say with canon quotes, don't decontextualize anything and (that is the most important thing to me) are reasonable and open to discussion unlike so many bnfs nowadays.

8. Have you received anon hate? What about?

ah, not in this fandom yet, god bless! i think i'm not loud enough for the needed amount of time to deserve it lol. but since i'm not going anywhere soon maybe one day i will 😂

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why?

robert baratheon and tywin lannister, obviously. tbh it's pretty hard for me to hate any characters because you know. they're fictional lmao. just lines on paper, they can't hurt you. and even such dudes as tywin or robert don't get real distaste from me if they're written well enough. my problem with them lies not only in their canon crimes and shitty consequences of those but in fandom's (or at least some parts of it) unwillingness to acknowledge that they're canonically written as shitty, not as stan/pity/worship material. tywin isn't as clever as some think and robert is a coward outside of battlefield, not to mention some absolutely disgusting denial of his nature from targ antis only because the man happened to be the most vocal targ hater in-universe so these folks feel like he is their main book representative and whitewash him completely lmao

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

uugh idk even. i'm either low-key interested (or used to be at least so i can stay pretty neutral for the sake of nostalgia lol) or too indifferent to really care.

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn't? Why?

all my faves have their own crowd of haters i'm afraid 😭 but let me say rhaegar. even among some dany/targ stans my man is so misunderstood lmao. it's not even his fault i dare say it's fanon about his half-imagined crimes that somehow got widespread to the unbelievable degree. and when i say they're half-imagined i'm being very generous actually. ofc he isn't perfect, no one in asoiaf is. and yes, he's a pre-series dead minor character but almost all little information about him is actually positive, not to mention the narrative itself that doesn't paint him as a villain or just a shitty dude. on the contrary, he's an idealized to some degree dead prince who could've been a good king (like some other historical targaryens, jacaerys, baelor breakspear, aemon son of jaehaerys, etc.), a mysterious yet tragic figure. i have much to say about why it's so popular to shit on him in fandom but yeah. his haters should send their complaints to grrm instead, no one forced the man to write him like that lol. and i mean that no one has to like him ofc. but it's misinterpretation of the text to claim he was intentionally written as a villain or smth by grrm.

12. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn't? Why?

i don't know if it counts as unpopular but i would say tyrion's arc as a whole because i enjoy his character and like in my own way. i can get why some people don't like him but this man will always have his own place in my heart i must admit.

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

is this unpopular tho?.. ok but renly wouldn't make a terrible king. i dare say he would be better than both robert and stannis. yes, he wasn't shown as perfect and i don't claim this. he wouldn't be the best or the most brilliant or the most just or noble. yet still better than his brothers. his flaws weren't anything other high lords didn't have, his mistakes weren't anything other lords and kings didn't do. in many ways he would make a better job than robert or stannis, too bad he died so early, even though i get why it was important for the narrative.

26. Most shippable character?

well generally for me it's the ones i love the most lol. jonerys/snowstorm is my never dying otp but i admit my sins, sometimes i just see dany with other characters (often from other fandoms pls don't @ me). however, since dany is THE fave of mine it means i would rather twist the other guy or girl to fit into the good match for her than twist her for another character in my new born crack ship lol. and i never stay for too long with the ships with which i feel they don't really fit and don't do justice for each other lol. maybe that's the reason i'm not much of a rare shipper / crack shipper afshdjdb

27. Least shippable character?

everyone i don't like? 😭 as i've said sansa for the reasons above lol. you can insert many others in her place lmao

[weditchthemap]

5 Pillars of a Successful Location Shoot

“Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”—Elliott Erwitt

If you want to expand your horizons as a photographer, then shooting on location is a logical step— especially if you love to travel.

 All photographers face challenges, but there are many differences between shooting in a studio and shooting on location. In a studio you have total control over the lights and setting; on location, you’re out of your comfort zone and have to juggle your creative talents with endless logistics and uncertainty. But when you get it right, the results are worth it.

Basics Of A Location Shoot

Photographers who shoot in different locations have to do their homework and think on their feet. Transplanting your “studio” to another site requires an extreme level of organization, as well as the ability to multitask—constantly.

Each shoot is different, of course, but there are some steps you can take to ensure a productive session.

A successful location shoot doesn’t depend on one thing alone, so we’ve identified five vital ingredients you can’t do without.

1.) Pick The Right Location

Half of achieving a successful location shoot is picking the right location. This obviously depends on the purpose of the shoot. But no matter what you’re planning on shooting, knowing your chosen site inside and out is extremely helpful.

When trying to decide on a location, you need to consider all the different elements at play, including:

-        Accessibility

-        Safety

-        Logistical issues such as permission to use the site, if needed, and potential costs involved

-        Variables such as lighting and weather conditions

No matter what location you choose, you must be able to estimate (with some degree of accuracy) how long it will take for you to get there and how much set-up time you’ll have once onsite.

Before confirming your chosen location it’s essential to ascertain what permission, if any, you need to shoot there, and whether or not there is a cost to enter. This is especially important when shooting in a foreign country, and around nature reserves, historical buildings and similar places with controlled entry. Getting model releases and property releases is crucial if you want the freedom to use your images as you desire.

Some things that help with picking a suitable location are looking at other photographers’ images of the location, researching it online, comparing it to other similar sites, and visiting it before the shoot.

2.) Plan, Plan, And Plan Again

Just like you must research your location, you need to be willing to put a huge amount of effort into the organization of a shoot, from beginning to end. This becomes more complex the more people are involved—assistants, models and others must all know what they’re expected to do, and when.

While there is some degree of spontaneity involved in every shoot, failing to plan means almost certain catastrophe.

Planning can include a number of things:

-        Setting a start time for your shoot

-        Setting out all the shots you need

-        Estimating the amount of time you need to spend on each shot and formulating a basic schedule for the day

-        Determining the amount and type of ambient light that will be available, and what lighting equipment you’ll need to deal with changes

-        Communicating the timetable to all other people involved, and confirming with them the day prior to the actual shoot

-        Making an inventory of gear you’ll need, including backups and spares (batteries, lenses, SD or memory cards)

This level of organization might seem obsessive, but it is necessary. Photography itself is a form of art, but the structure and planning needed to support the creative process is thorough and substantial.

3.) Shoot With Purpose

Photographers shoot in many different places and for an even greater variety of reasons. A photographer may shoot at a specific location for the beautiful landscape, or use it as a backdrop for portraits, fashion shots or conceptual photography—just to name a few examples.

Whatever your focus, it’s important to go into a shoot with a sense of purpose and specific goals. Of course, it’s great when inspiration strikes while you’re working, but waiting for ideas to appear on the day is a huge risk.

When you’re planning your shoot, it can be helpful to brainstorm. What do you want to communicate with your images? How do you want people to react? Are there specific colors or textures that you want to focus on?

Sketching out shots can be a useful exercise too; they might not translate into photographs, but playing with ideas keeps your mind open.

4.) Get Your Head Around The “What Ifs”

Apart from planning your shoot thoroughly, you need to be ready for things to go awry.

A successful location shoot depends on the photographer’s talent and expertise, but those alone can’t guarantee a good outcome.

If your location is outside you need to prepare for unfavorable weather, even if the forecast promises sunshine and balmy temperatures. If something does throw a spanner in the works, you’ll need to have a backup plan. Whether that means canceling the shoot completely, adjusting your schedule or making the best of bad conditions.

Getting your mindset right is also an important element in shoot’s success. If, or when, things go wrong, throwing in the towel mentally and emotionally ends in failure. Having a Plan B allows you to accept the situation as it is, and not write off the day as a waste. 

5.) Be Open To Inspiration

By now you should have picked up that going with the flow isn’t an acceptable approach to a shoot.

The caveat: Having rock-solid planning in place doesn’t negate the value of spontaneity. Preparing in advance is a non-negotiable, but keeping your mind and eyes open on location is extremely important if you want your work to impress.

Putting together a schedule and checklists of what you need is the foundation upon which your creativity can flourish. Being thoroughly prepared allows you to concentrate on what you’re shooting, rather than trying to control the process.

It’s True…Practice Makes Perfect

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”—Ansel Adams

Being a photographer is hard work, especially when you’re building up your portfolio and learning new skills. You need to constantly put in the time and effort required to get great shots.

Adapting your style and process for different settings takes practice. Shooting on location can however become a lot easier when you work within these guidelines. In time, preparing and executing a successful location shoot will become second nature. 

[dontasktheradiodemon]

Crimmis chat log #1, 12/24

Alastor and @hiss-and-vinegar​ have a conversation following up on their phone call a few days ago. It turns into an argument but then it de-arguments and it’s sweet. Gifts are exchanged. Nog is had.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 ARE YOU ABLE TO RECEIVE THESE AGAIN?

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 Yes, hello hello! I'm back in business!

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 THAT WAS QUITE A BIT YOU DID THERE TO PURSUADE VAGGIE! I COULDN'T HELP BUT GRIN BEHIND MY HAND AS I READ THROUGH IT.

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 I can only hope it was more entertaining for you than it was embarrassing for me! Hah! But it's over and done with now.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 WELL I'M GLAD FOR IT ANYWAY. CALLING SEEMED TO NOT WORK OUT BETWEEN US, DID IT?

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 Didn't it? I suppose only being able to reach me while I'm at the hotel is a restriction—but it's still a problem now, I'm just on the hotel computer instead of the hotel phone. But I'll be wireless again soon!

🎶 And in the meantime, yelling into the nearest radio still works!

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 I DON'T REALLY WANT TO YELL INTO A RADIO.. IS THAT PRIVATE???

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 Unless there's another Radio Demon running around who hasn't admitted they're copying my skill set! Most radios, you see, aren't designed to transmit! They work as ears for me and me alone.

🎶 On an unrelated note, what does G2G mean?

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 THERE ARE SO MANY OF YOU RUNNING AROUND, I'D HATE TO CATCH THE WRONG ONE... BUT SINCE THE TELLY PHONE DIDN'T WORK OUT AND MY LETTERS ARE TOO STUFFY, THEN PERHAPS IT'S ALL I CAN DO.

🐍 GO TO GOD? GET TO GOING?

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 What was wrong with the telly phone, did the hotel have a bad connection? I'll give you my number when I get a replacement.

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 Hm! Maybe "get to going"! I don't know. You should ask whichever one of your eggs just sent me a few unauthorized messages, I'm sure it would know.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 WHAT

🐍 I'LL DEAL WITH IT LATER........

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 OwwO

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 AS FOR THE CONVERSATION, I GET THE FEELING THAT YOU DID NOT WANT TO TALK TO ME AFTER ALL. IT FELT VERY STIFF, TENSE. I MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG BUT I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT IT WAS.

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 What? No! No no no, I was—pleased. To hear from you.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 WERE YOU?

🐍 IT WAS FUN JOKING WITH YOU, I ENJOYED IT, BUT. IT FELT LIKE YOU DIDN'T WANT TO TELL ME ANYTHING.

🐍 USUALLY YOU TALK SO MUCH!!

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 Oh. No, I just... I suppose I didn’t think of enough to say in time. And you got off the line so soon.

🎶 I would have stayed on another hour if you had.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 I ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING ELSE!

🐍 IF YOU WANTED TO SPEAK LONGER, THEN SSSPEAK UP!!

🐍 VAGGIE MENTIONED YOU LOOKING AWFUL AFTER THE CALL, AND DURING IT, IT FELT LIKE YOU COULDN'T WAIT FOR ME TO HANG UP

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 You said you were getting off unless I had something else. That’s not a “do you want to keep talking,” that’s an “I need to go, last call for any important business you need to share first.” And I didn’t have anything important to share. You wanted to go, I wasn’t going to ask you to stay just for the sake of staying.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 WELL EXCUSE ME FOR NOT KNOWING THE INS AND OUTS OF PERFECT CONVERSATION, ALASTOR. I CALLED YOU! WHY WOULDN'T I WANT TO TALK?!

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 Vaggie talks too much. And I—don’t know why it felt like that. It shouldn’t have.

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 I don’t know, when you got off so soon I thought you’d called to ask about my singing and then make small talk just long enough to be polite. I figured you had other things to do.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 I THINK YOU SPEND TOO LONG DECIDING WHAT I'M DOING AND NOT ENOUGH TIME ACTUALLY GETTING MY SIDE OF THINGS!!

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 WHY BOTHER CHATTING WITH ME AT ALL? YOU ALREADY HAVE THE WHOLE THING SCRIPTED OUT I GUESS!

🐍 NO NEED FOR MY SIDE OF THINGS!!!

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 You decided I couldn’t wait for you to hang up without getting my side of things.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 WELL FUCK ME I GUESS.

🐍 FINE.

🐍 I'M JUST MAKING THIS WORSE!

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 Don’t—don’t. I’m not trying to accuse you, here, I’m just—

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 I’m sure you didn’t think you were deciding for me, did you? You thought you were picking up the signals I was sending! Why would you ask me to say “hey there, my friend, I don’t actually want to talk to you!” out loud if, from where you were sitting, I’d already said it plenty of other ways? Of course you didn’t ask me.

🎶 Of course I didn’t ask you.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 I'M NOT GIVING OUT ANY SIGNALS!

🐍 I'M TELLING YOU, THIS IS ME TELLING YOU, THAT I LIKE TALKING TO YOU AND I WANT TO TALK TO YOU

🐍 THOUGH AT THE MOMENT I AM RATHER WORKED UP AND AM GOING TO TAKE A BREATHER

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 All right.

🎶 I’ll be here.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 CAN'T WE JUST MEET?

🐍 IN PERSON.

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 Of course. Name the place.

hiss-and-vinegar

🐍 MY ROOM AT THE HOTEL, UNLESS YOU'RE BUSY.

dontasktheradiodemon

🎶 I’ll be right there.

Alastor

Sir Pentious said meet in his hotel room, Alastor is in his hotel room. Immediately. Just teleports straight in.

He’s the only one here.

And the room’s dark.

Oh. Okay. He... sits on the bed to wait.

Sir Pentious

The hotel doors open with Sir Pentious slithering in, past the concierge and going up several floors until he came upon his room.

Unlocking it, he enters in to see Alastor's glowing face, and his hood FLOOPS out in surprise.

"FOR GODSSAKESSSS MAN, YOU SSSSTARTLED ME." Grab the lights...

Alastor

He stands the moment the door opens. “Oh, good, you’re—sorry about that—I forgot to ask how long you’d be! I was starting to worry I’d come up to soon and missed some follow-up message.” Weak laugh. Yeah he just, kind of, sat in the dark the whole time, full of dread.

Sir Pentious

A little bit of a look away, he's slithering his entire body into the room before he's even able to close the door.

Once that is done, he comes on over into Alastor's personal space, and offers both of his hands, palms up.

Alastor

Alastor stands there stiffly, hands clasped behind his back, as Sir Pentious comes into the room.

Until Sir Pentious offers his hands. Alastor freezes for a split second, then immediately bolts forward to hug Sir Pentious.

And just as quickly jerks back. “Wait! No, wrong, that wasn’t what you—!” He takes Sir Pentious’s hands. “This! I’m sorry, that was—“ HUFF. “Sorry.”

Sir Pentious

His hood floops again, startled once more by the JERKING sudden movements...

A journey of the face is had as Penny attempts to understand what must be going through Alastor's mind. Well, he wanted a hug, right? Then that's what they'd do!

Squeezing those hands and then pulling him into a *tight* hug.

Alastor

Oh! Okay. ... Okay.

He hugs back, then tightens his hug. Then *melts.*

Sir Pentious

Penny holds fast, but he's not that tense... Well a little tense. He figures he ought to speak before assumptions are made.

"ARE WE OKAY?"

Alastor

"Of course! Of course we are." The suggestion that they might *not* be is enough to get him to hold tighter. "We both misinterpreted a few innocent comments, that's all. It's nothing we can't talk out."

Sir Pentious

A slow nod.... He can't shake the feeling...

"HAVE YOU REALLY SSSTOPPED SSSINGING AS MUCH? I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT IT BUT...." Frown... Worry...

Alastor

"I honestly never thought about it until you asked." He sighs. "If I'm trying to recall—yes, I think I might have? But it's not... I wouldn't have even noticed myself if you hadn't brought it up."

Sir Pentious

Sir Pentious sighs as well, putting his head on Alastor's. Flomp.

"VAGGIE ISS CLEARLY TRYING TO MENACE ME INTO WORRYING ABOUT YOU, I'M SURE OF IT."

Alastor

"Vaggie enjoys making unflattering posts about me." He sounds VERY disapproving.

Oh, comfy. He closes his eyes and presses his face against Sir Pentious. "... Her perspective's probably skewed." He's half mumbling. "I know I'd been playing more than usual these last few weeks. She pointed that out, too."

Sir Pentious

"I'LL.... I'M SORRY FOR NOT BELIEVING YOU. I GET SSSO USED TO THINKING PEOPLE ARE LYING TO ME, THAT I GO WITH MY GUT." Another sigh, "AND MADE ANOTHER MESSSSS OF THINGSSSSS."

Alastor

"She's probably right. It just... hasn't been on my mind." Weak shrug. "It's fine now, isn't it?" They've been hugging for SEVERAL minutes straight. Alastor's hard pressed to think of anything more fine than that.

Sir Pentious

A slow nod... Penny's not interested in letting go. Letting go means they go back to talking, and talking means he's gonna give off signals and Alastor is going to give off signals.

But that's just panic, isn't it? He sits in his coil, and straightens Al's bowtie.

"YESS, I BELIEVE SSSO."

Alastor

“Good.” Then he’s going to just, stay here. As long as he’s allowed to.

Sir Pentious

After a few more moments... He reaches into his jacket to pull out something wrapped up. Distinctively bottle shaped.

"HERE, ALASSSTOR. FOR THAT OBSSSSCURE GIFT GIVING HOLIDAY."

Alastor

Startled flinch! “Oh—damn, I haven’t wrapped yours yet!” He opens a portal, tugs out a bookstore bag, fishes out a book—“That one’s mine.”—and offers the bag to Sir Pentious. “Here! Pretend it’s wrapped.”

Sir Pentious

OH-- Pentious is also startled. All of his eyes are 👀!! Hmmm... book? No, not for him. Tongue flick as he takes the bag into his hands and peeks inside...

Alastor

Inside are two DVDs—a musical and an old black-and-white movie—a CD, a historical fiction novel, and... a volume of manga.

“Remember a couple months ago when you asked if any musicals or films were made about you, and I offered to find some from my universe. Well, I finally made a trip to the mortal realm! Obviously they’re not about *you* you, but, you know, it’s all fictionalized anyway! Look!” He points at the manga. “Absolutely no historical accuracy by *any* universe’s standards in this one, it has you raised from the dead to attempt to take over Japan in the 2050s! Heaven only knows *why,* but I thought it was funny! And they give you a person-shaped robot to stomp around in!”

Sir Pentious

..... OH.....

*OH...!* His eyes are ENORMOUS as he regards the presents... Stuff... stuff for him about him. Not *him* him but it was clearly... Sir Pentious, Supervillain Original! HE LOOKS AT ALASTOR WITH THE MOST WRIGGLY OF SMILES AND THE HUGEST, GHIBLIEST TEARS.

Alastor

Alastor’s smile turns a little self-conscious. “I take it you like them?”

Sir Pentious

Guess who's getting ANOTHER tight hug? Alastor. Also, with added. COILING. *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE.*

Alastor

If he gets out of this with all his bones in one piece, it’ll be a miracle. He hugs back tightly, beaming. “... Let me read the comic book sometime, I’m honestly curious about where they go with it.”

Sir Pentious

Big cobra purrs. He pulls out a handkerchief to wipe his tears AND blow his nose into it. PHOOOOOOOOOOOFFFF. A nod.... "YESS, YESS OF COURSSSSSE. OH, I  WASS OVERCOME WITH INTENSSSSE EMOTION!! YOU CAN'T POSSSSIBLY UNDERSSSSSTAND HOW MUCH IT *HURTSSSS* TO NOT BE REMEMBERED OR, OR TO BE UNRECOGNIZED..."

Alastor

Oh—that’s a sentiment that hurts. “I’ve got a little bit of an idea.” Sympathetic back pat. “It’s not quite the same thing, but—over here, nobody’s forgotten you. I can promise you that.”

Sir Pentious

Sniff. "THAT'SSS GOOD TO KNOW... I THINK EVERYONE IN HELL ISSSS JUSSSST TIRED OF ME AT THISSS POINT." He rubs his eyes, "TIRED OF HEARING MY GRANDIOSSSSE SSTORIESSSS. JUSST DISSSMISSED AS SSSSENILE *GRANDPA*." More eye rubbing, "BUT YOU BROUGHT ME SSSOMETHING VERY NICE. THANK YOU."

Alastor

*Oh.* That hurts in a different way. “You know *I’m* not tired of you, right? I could never get tired of you.”

Sir Pentious

Penny nods and hugs tight. "I KNOW YOU ARE NOT! YOU'RE ABOUT THE ONLY ALASSSSTOR THAT LIKESSS ME!" A deep inhale, and his head rests on Al's again. "YOU'RE THE ONLY ALASSSTOR I LIKE, TOO. I LIKE TALKING TO YOU AND I DON'T EVER GET THE FEELING THAT YOU ARE JUSSSST HUMORING ME."

Alastor

“Because I’m not! You are, bar none, the most fascinating man I know.” They’re getting cozy again. Nice. “And I’m damn lucky you let me stick around.”

Sir Pentious

Tongue flick.... cobra breathing.... He constricts Alastor a little tighter. Enrichment. Sir Pentious bumps his head clumsily with Alastor's, though it's affectionate regardless. "WELL, I APPRECIATE IT. I'VE GOTTEN TERRIBLY USED TO YOU, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT IF YOU DIDN'T SSSSTICK AROUND."

Alastor

Head bump! “Then I’ll just have to keep pestering you, won’t I?”

Sir Pentious

Prrrp.

"ARE YOU GOING TO OPEN THE GIFT I GOT YOU......"

Alastor

“OH! Yes! Right!” He pulls back and looks around for the wrapped bottle-something, where did that go?

Sir Pentious

Buwop. Penny is just watching him like. Cmon. He's gonna check around, too, but without moving...... and also not constricting Alastor as hard.

Alastor

There! He picks it up and eagerly unwraps it.

Sir Pentious

It's a bottle of Habushu! The same drink they shared on their second get together. The dead snake inside has kept very well. Sir Pentious is smiling brightly, hands behind his back as he watches. *Please don't give it back to me,*

Alastor

Well! Doesn’t that look familiar! And a much more welcome sight than the last time he saw it. His smile’s so bright it’s practically glowing. “I hope you know I’m never going to drink this! This one’s for *keeping.*”

Sir Pentious

"WHAT?? YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DRINK IT???" Blink blink!!

Alastor

“I can drink another. This here is a beautifully preserved snake arranged prettily in a bottle—and a Christmas gift, to boot!” He taps a claw on the glass, “This one’s getting displayed!”

Sir Pentious

HMMM..... He taps his cheek in thought. It *did* look pretty for that, and the snake wasn't going to decompose.... A nod.

"ALRIGHT, I SSSSUPPOSE IT ISSSS RATHER, AS THE KIDSSSS SAY, DOPE. THEN! WHAT OUGHT WE TO DRINK FOR OUR VISITATION?"

Alastor

A pause to think. “Eggnog would be fitting!”

Sir Pentious

Oh! Look at that SMILE! Why, he's practically BEAMING! "EGG MILK PUNCH? OR WITHOUT THE PUNCH? NYA HA!"

Alastor

"It'll have to be light on the punch—I've got to spend most of the night cooking, I can't be out of commission!"

Sir Pentious

"AH, YESSS, I SHOULDN'T GET BLASTED EITHER... VALERA WOULD NOT BE IMPRESSED." Sheepish. He's gonna move to sit on the couch. "EGG MILK IT ISSS!"

Alastor

He teleports in some premade eggnog and a bottle of rum—all the better to mix it to their specifications—and plops down on the couch. “Here!” Sir Pentious is given the containers so Alastor’s hands are free to summon up a couple of glasses.

Sir Pentious

He is holding these now, one in each hand. HMMM. Tongue flick.... Smelling both. Blelele.

"YOU KNOW, I HAVEN'T HAD EGG MILK PUNCH IN *DECADESSSS*! PROBABLY SSSINCE I SSSTOPPED CELEBRATING CHRISSSTMAS. I TEND TO PUT UP A TREE FOR THE EGGSSSS, BUT, DRINKING ALONE ON THAT DAY ISSS RATHER PATHETIC."

Alastor

“I’ve always liked it! I don’t mix it up *every* year, but most years! I didn’t last year, but I did...” He trails off. He stops. He thinks. “Hm. It’s been longer than I thought.” Shrug!

They’re out of hands, aren’t they? He sticks one glass between his knees so he can take back the eggnog, untwists the lid with his teeth, and pour it into the cups. “It’s better made from scratch, but unfortunately I’ve only got so much time to prepare so many foods, and a cocktail is lower on my list than, say, an extra side dish! Here,” he holds out a glass, “add however much rum you want.”

Sir Pentious

Bigger blelele. Sir Pentious takes the glass, and then briefly sweats. He doesn't have knees, he can't put it there.... Time to wait for his tail tip to get here so he can wrap it around the rum.

"OH, YESSS, I KNOW SSSO. I WOULD MAKE IT FROM SSSCRATCH MYSELF!"

Alastor

He. He thought. He thought that Sir Pentious was going to open the rum and pour it in and *then* take the glass... Neither of these men need alcohol, their combined ability to plan is already rubbish. Alastor reaches over to try to unscrew the lid for Sir Pentious.

“Did you! I wonder how our recipes differed. We could do a compare and contrast sometime!”

Sir Pentious

~~Listen I may have misread.~~ Penny allows Alastor to do his best and unscrew the lid. Oh look, his tail is here. He's very careful, and pours a dab of rum in. There! Punched!

"I DOUBT IT'SSSS AS GOOD AS YOURSS. I JUST FOLLOWED MY MOTHER'SSSS RECIPE."

Alastor

“I follow my uncle’s. No offense to my uncle, but I’d trust a mother’s recipe any day.” He takes the rum and adds just enough to ensure he’ll be able to taste it.

Sir Pentious

Alright, caps screwed back on, and placed safely out of the way, he takes his glass from his tail and cheers it to Alastor's glass.

"HAPPY *HISSSSS*MAS, ALASSSTOR."

Alastor

Alastor laughs. “Happy Hissssmass!” His attempt to copy the hiss end up sounding half like white noise and half like surf washing on a beach.

Sir Pentious

Oh, what a sound! He does like that sound. Time for sips.... Glad that things no longer seem awkward!

Alastor

Sips!

And things are not-awkward enough, for the moment, that he even leans over against Sir Pentious. He sorta unconsciously feels like he did a good enough job to earn that much.

Sir Pentious

SNORT. Oh yeah, that happened here. Penny taps his chin, "I DON'T PLAN TO DO ANYTHING. MY PLAN ISS TO DO NOTHING, THAT ISS! I WOULD LIKE TO SSSSTAY IN WITH MY WIFE, RELAX AND BASSSSK. AND YOUR PLANSSSS? MAKING TROUBLE I ASSUME?"

Alastor

“Hah! If by ‘trouble’ you mean ‘far too much food’! I’m making lunch for the hotel and for as many of the duplicates I’m currently in correspondence with as care to accept my invitation!” A thoughtful pause. “Which might segue *into* ‘making trouble,’ we’ll have to see.”

Sir Pentious

"YOUR DUPLICATESSSS? ABSSSOLUTELY, THERE ISSSS GOING TO BE TROUBLE! NO *DOUBT.* PENTIOUSSSESSS ARE CONTENT TO REMAIN IN DOORSSS FOR THE HOLIDAYSSS, BUT I VERY MUCH DOUBT IT WILL MEAN THE SSSAME FOR YOUR LOT!" Prrrrr. He's grinning wider, "YOU'RE ALL ON THE SSSAME *FREQUENCY!!!* NYAAAA HA HAAAAAAA!"

Alastor

He laughs ruefully. “Oh, I don’t go out much on Christmas. Unless I’m invited somewhere! But otherwise, usually I’m content to remain indoors, too. Some years this is a holiday I’ll just... sleep straight through.” Shrug. “But you know what happens when set a bunch of microphones and speakers too close to each other, the feedback just starts building—so maybe we’ll feed off of each other, hah!”

Sir Pentious

"ONE CAN ONLY IMAGINE." He says that like he's hoping for some chaos. He leans over to plant one (1) sniss (snake kiss) to the top of Alastor's head.

"YOU'LL HAVE FUN THISS YEAR, I'M SSSCERTAIN OF IT."

Alastor

Please hold, a stray firework explosion scattered Alastor’s brain halfway across the multiverse and he’s got to collect it again before he can reply. “... Yes!”

Smooth.

Sir Pentious

SNORT.

Alastor

Have mercy. He clears his throat and takes a gulp of eggnog. Which, as it turns out, isn’t the kind of beverage that’s very helpful at clearing one’s throat. “Well, it’s already off to a better start than most years!”

Sir Pentious

"IT *ISSSSS* ISN'T IT!" BIG Cobra purrs. Sir Pentious takes another big gulp, and rests his head against Al's again.

"HERE'S TO MORE LESS THAN AWFUL YEARSSS, I HOPE."

Alastor

“Cheers to *that.* Fingers crossed. Knock on wood.” He takes another sip.

And then, tentatively, leans his head on Sir Pentious’s shoulder? Is this okay? Is it alright for him to do that? Please tell him it’s alright to do that.

Sir Pentious

It is very alright for him to do that. Penny doesn't stop him or tense up.

Alastor

Good. Then he does that. And he’s gonna stay right there as long as he can.

[a-little-slice-of-fandom]

I hope this doesn’t come across as offensive or stereotypical but what do you think of Derry Girls? I’ve seen you mention them a couple of times but I was wondering what you thought of it, actually being from Northern Ireland? (obviously no pressure to answer if you don’t feel like it)

Hello my lovely! This isn’t offensive at all, so please don’t worry. I’m actually so glad people are actually asking questions. That’s the only way people can learn and that’s something that should be encouraged. Anyway...

I adore Derry girls! I cannot explain to the buzz that it created two years ago. I still remember watching the first episode, going in to school the next day and literally everyone talking about it. It was the first time I’d ever seen not one but multiple Northern Irish characters, who weren’t part of a paramilitary or

And the thing about derry girls is that it was written by someone from Derry. And absolutely nothing is stereotypical about it. That’s exactly what Northern Ireland is like. The people treating bomb scares as a mild inconvenience? Accurate. Soldiers wandering the streets, fully armed? Accurate. The wooden spoon? Accurate. Michelle swearing every other word. So accurate. The all girls catholic school? I literally go to a all girls catholic school and their representation of that was on point. The way we react to rock the boat? Accurate. Ma Mary? The textbook definition of an Irish mother. The locations? It’s so fun to try and pick out places you’ve been when watching Derry girls. Even the dialogue just...hits so close to home in a way that I can’t describe. Every other sentence has some form of Northern Irish slang like “wise up” or “melt” or “catch yourself on” or the way that everyone starts their sentences with “here” or “well” or how they end their sentences with “so I did” or “so it was” is amazing because that’s how we speak. And I had never heard that before, especially not in something as massive as Derry girls.

Every single episode is insane to how close it hits to home. The episode in series one where the family have to cross the border on the 12th of July had me in fucking stitches because that’s what it’s like on the 12th of July. And don’t get me started on the Protestants vs Catholic board from series two. That board belongs in a museum because it’s hands down the funniest yet most accurate prop to ever exist. My personal favourite bit from that board is “Catholics love statues” and “Catholics go to Donegal, Protestants go to Newcastle”. That sentence means NOTHING to non-Northern Irish people but it had me (along with so many others) crying with laughter from the accuracy.

Also, in one of the episodes of series two (the one where the girls get a new English teacher) Uncle Colm mentions a place called Ballynahinch. And everyone where I’m from went fucking MENTAL over the mention of that place. Why? Because it’s super close to where we live. We recognised it. I had never heard anything so close to home mentioned in something as big as Derry Girls. It was insane the way we reacted to a singular mention of something like that.

But Derry girls does actually tackle some tough issues in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is probably the most homophobic place in the U.K. (and I think it’s the most homophobic place in western Europe as well)...but Derry Girls includes a gay character and shows her friends supporting her (notice how all the Derry girls are wearing pride pins in the second series. I actually heard they would redo do takes of certain scenes if you couldn’t see the pins clearly enough). The bombing that you see in the last episode of the first series was an incredibly dark time for Northern Ireland, and Derry girls didn’t shy away from saying “yes...that happened less that 25 years ago”. It also shows the ceasefire in series two, and that was a pretty important time for Northern Ireland.

Derry Girls is so important to Northern Ireland, and I don’t mean that as a joke. Derry Girls swept the world and finally gave Northern Irish people some much needed representation. Because before Derry girls...we really didn’t see ourselves in media. We didn’t hear our accents. We didn’t see our lives in programs, save for the odd historical drama about the troubles that focused on being dark and gritty and for some reason everyone was in a paramilitary. But Derry girls was funny and (mostly) lighthearted and showed the mundane parts of Northern Ireland but still presented them as meaningful.

Representation is so important in media. I (along with so many others) had never realised how Northern Ireland never got represented and how that was actually never talked about or acknowledged. But now we are talking about it. There’s another Northern Ireland based teen drama called “My Left Nut” (yes, that’s actually what it’s called) and while I personally didn’t like it as much as Derry girls...it’s a sign that maybe, we’re going to get more and more representation. And I really think this could open a door. We could start having more Northern Irish characters and more Northern Irish based media. I think Belfast is the perfect setting for an urban fantasy, and the mourne mountains would make an amazing set for a gothic romance. Three years ago, I would have laughed at the idea of anyone wanting to set anything in Northern Ireland. But now it’s a real possibility....and Derry girls and it’s success was a massive part of that.

So yeah,,,I really like Derry Girls.

[slurrmp]

not another info sheet.

                                        sasha o’neill (stargate sg1)

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: sasha maria o’neill PRONUNCIATION: SASH-ə MEANING: defender, helper of mankind REASONING: named after her mother’s grandmother NICKNAME(S): sash (most common), ash, asha, kid PREFERRED NAME(S): just her full name or sash BIRTH DATE: october 20th 1972 AGE: 33 (as of season 9) ZODIAC: libra GENDER: female PRONOUNS: she/her ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: biromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual NATIONALITY: american ETHNICITY: white CURRENT LOCATION: colorado springs, cheyenne mountain LIVING CONDITIONS: a little apartment in the city, but will mostly stay at jack’s home. TITLE(S): miss

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: san francisco HOMETOWN: fairfax SOCIAL CLASS: fairly wealthy, but not exactly rich EDUCATION LEVEL: almost finished college FATHER: angus o’neill (deceased) MOTHER: maria o’neill (nee barnes) (mia) SIBLING(S): none BIRTH ORDER: only child CHILDREN: none PET(S): a pet gold fish named bruce, however, is too busy with work to actually have the dog she always wanted. OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: jack o’neill (uncle), sara o’neill (aunt), charlie o’neill (cousin) (deceased) PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: max turner (four years), jonas quinn (two years), cameron mitchell (??) ARRESTS?: when she was a teenager and her father passed away, and her mother basically disowned her - sasha rebelled against her aunt and uncle, doing petty crimes such as shop lifting and grand theft PRISON TIME?: spent two nights in the county jail for stealing a car from the mayor

OCCUPATION & INCOME

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME: working for the sgc SECONDARY SOURCE OF INCOME: it’s really disguised as working for the air force TERTIARY SOURCE(S) OF INCOME: she writes a column in the local paper APPROXIMATE AMOUNT PER YEAR: uhhhh couldn’t tell you, but it’s enough to live comfortably CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: very much so PAST JOB(S): worked at a fast food chain until she was 17, then worked for a supermarket (but was caught stealing & was fired) SPENDING HABITS: she knows what she loves and will always buy what she needs MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: her father’s dog tags, which she constantly wears around her neck

SKILLS & ABILITIES

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: she was a cheerleader in high school before her father passed - moving into senior year of high school, sasha locked herself away from others and herself - which meant that she wasn’t as physically fit as she used to be. she was never overweight, but she couldn’t do a cartwheel to save her life anymore. however, joining the sgc - she’s managed to gain back her fitness and once again can do that cartwheel. OFFENSE: no DEFENSE: yes. her fighting style is more protect her body than anything else. SPEED: she’s not incredibly fast, but if something is chasing her, she has the will to go faster. INTELLIGENCE: rather intelligent, however, it is less mathematical smart and more historical smart. ACCURACY: she grew up in a military family, she’s very accurate AGILITY: after working back her fitness, sasha’s very good at climbing walls and leaping across tall buildings. STAMINA: it’s fairly good but no where near as good as it should be TEAMWORK: she depends on her team to survive and they depend on her to keep them alive TALENTS: can translate a different language within an hour, rather good at the piano SHORTCOMINGS: she’s judgemental, snippy and can be rather short with people. all in all it’s that o’neill charm LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: english, german, russian, dutch and japanese DRIVE?: yes JUMP-STAR A CAR?: yes CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: yes RIDE A BICYCLE?: yes, badly though SWIM?: yes PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: kind of, without practice she loses her skill PLAY CHESS?: no (daniel’s trying to teach her though) BRAID HAIR?: yes TIE A TIE?: yes PICK A LOCK?: yes

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACE CLAIM: alyssa milano EYE COLOR: brown HAIR COLOR: brown HAIR TYPE/STYLE: there’s almost a different style each year. season one: short and almost in a bob. season two: it has grown out more and now reaches her shoulders - curls. season six: it was shaved almost completely off. season three, four, five, seven, eight, nine and ten: it remains at shoulder length and wavy. GLASSES/CONTACTS?: only for when she’s reading DOMINANT HAND: right HEIGHT: 5′2″ WEIGHT: 60 kg BUILD: athletic EXERCISE HABITS: spars with teal’c once a week, while also uses the gym equipment at the sgc twice a week SKIN TONE: pale, but is able to tan rather easily TATTOOS: one on the back of her neck and one on the left side of her lower back PEIRCINGS: both lobes, including seconds, has her nose pierced as well MARKS/SCARS: there is a birthmark over her left hip. a scar just on the right side of her upper lip (which she got when she fell over on the driveway of her family home when she was six), a scar through her left eyebrow - which eerily is like jack’s, however, it was given to her on a mission NOTABLE FEATURES: her eyes and the mirroring scar in her eyebrow, just like jack. USUAL EXPRESSION: she is beaming most of the time - bright and bubbly expressions CLOTHING STYLE: very modern, loves a crop top and low cut jeans, but while she’s on base it is the typical sg uniform. blue fatigues mostly, considering the green makes her look sick JEWELRY: nothing too fancy considering her line of work, a couple of rings and bracelets ALLERGIES: peanuts, bees BODY TEMPERATURE: a normal body temperature DIET: she’s lived with jack for most of her life, it mainly consisted of bbq steak and when she was old enough beer. donuts, and snacks. PHYSICAL AILMENTS: continuously breaks limbs, but nothing too serious to bench her from off world work.

PSYCHOLOGY

JUNG TYPE: enfj ENNEAGRAM TYPE:  the achiever MORAL ALIGNMENT:  chaotic good ELEMENT: air PRIMARY INTELLIGENCE TYPE:  logical-mathematical APPROXIMATE IQ: 124 MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: struggles with ptsd after the death of her father and the events that have occurred in her life so far SOCIABILITY: very out going and loves to meet new people EMOTIONAL STABILITY: she’s been hurt so many times that sasha has started to pull away from anything emotional lately, so not good, but she hides it well with her outgoing personality OBSESSION(S): making sure that everything is perfect, making sure that missions will go correctly and nothing bad will happen. PHOBIA(S): tight spaces, spiders, flying, ADDICTION(S): none DRUG USE: none ALCOHOL USE: limited, loves a good beer every sunday afternoon PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: if push came to shove

MANNERISMS

SPEECH STYLE:  she’s very articulate with her words. when the occasion calls for it, she can speak in a rather professional manner. but when she’s around friends or family, she won’t talk quite as stiff ACCENT: very clearly a west coast accent QUIRKS: she bounces a lot when she’s excited or even happy. it’s absolutely because she’s the shortest of the group and it makes her feel tall HOBBIES: reading is a big one - basically what she does to escape the ‘real world’, mainly romance and comedy novels because horror/sci-fi and action is what she lives on a daily basis HABITS: she has a habit of biting her lower lip, usually when she’s thinking or worried.  NERVOUS TICKS:  bounces her leg up and down when nervous, she will also pace a lot DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: one is absolutely to save the world from the goa’uld, while the others is her family and her friends FEARS:  losing said family and friends. she has a terrible habit of latching onto people she’s met - which isn’t good in her line of work. however, it helps her  POSITIVE TRAITS:  loyal, strong willed, will fight for her family NEGATIVE TRAITS:  falls in love too easily, tries to see the best in everyone - which usually gets her into trouble SENSE OF HUMOR:  very dry, it’s that o’neill sense of humour though DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?:  on and off CATCHPHRASE(S):oh for crying out loud

FAVORITES

ACTIVITY: reading ANIMAL: fox BEVERAGE: beer BOOK: pride and prejudice CELEBRITY: brad pitt COLOR: pastel brown DESIGNER: vera wang FOOD: fried rice FLOWER: sunflower GEM: diamond HOLIDAY: christmas MODE OF TRANSPORTATION:  mini cooper MOVIE: sleepless in seatle MUSICAL ARTIST: elton john SCENERY: snowy day next to a fireplace in the city SCENT: lavender SPORT: football SPORTS TEAM: 49ers TELEVISION SHOW: simpsons WEATHER: winter VACATION DESTINATION: bora bora

ATTITUDES

GREATEST DREAM: to see the goa’uld destroyed and to have her family safe GREATEST FEAR: to lose the planet and her family MOST AT EASE WHEN: things are going the right way, no matter the scenario - could be in the middle of a mission, but as long as she knows what’s she’s doing, sasha can breeze through it LEAST AT EASE WHEN:  everything is going wrong, mainly when missions stuff up. as well as when she has no control over a situation WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN: one of the alternate world’s reality, becoming her reality. the goa’uld taking over the world and enslaving humanity BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: finally getting into college BIGGEST REGRET:  losing her daughter MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT:  it’s not everyday that you come face to face with a new species, it’s also not everyday that you decide to trip UP stairs when coming to greet them, falling flat on her face and breaking her nose BIGGEST SECRET:  max and sasha were expecting a baby - but they were not compatible and the baby died during the first trimester, she never told anyone besides janet TOP PRIORITIES: her job and her family

[fyrapartnersearch]

Historical long-term roleplays anyone? M/M or M/F

Hello my new friends!

You can call me Katariina, or any shortened version of it you'd like. I'm 24 and from Europe. And as you might have guessed, I'm very much on the look for new roleplays. So, first things first, I'm looking for mostly M/M roleplays, though I am not opposed to M/F if you find yourself more comfortable with it. I prefer to play the submissive/bottom role, but I promise you my characters are not your usual cliche "useless maiden in distress, will sob and cry at every little thing" type of characters. What I mean to say is, I prefer my boys (or girls) with some actual character and complexity. I do enjoy having my boys crossdress, but if that's not your thing, just let me know. As for smut - yes please. I do not do roleplays that are solely or majorly focused on sex, but smut is always welcome as a part of the plot. Also because of this, I only roleplay with people over 18 years old. And one last thing before we get to the good part: I write several paragraphs. I hope you will be able to do so as well, because I get bored if you only give me two or three lines. I can write anything from 400 words to 1000+ words per reply. Okay! So, if you're still with me and interested, let's see if our interests check out. Themes I enjoy: - Historical (I'm a huge history nerd) - Romance - Arranged marriage - Secret lovers - Drama (Lots and lots of it) - Fluff, but also angst in a lovely balance - Magic/Mythology/Supernatural (be it gods, sorcerers or werewolves, I'm up for it) - Enemies to lovers - ABO dynamics So, basically, yes - my plot ideas will be in a historical setting. I'm not opposed to a modern setting if you have a good idea though, but for now I'm mostly looking for historical settings. A thing worth noting, I'd say, is that I do not require extreme historical accuracy. For me it's enough that the biggest things and the feeling of the era are right (so, no "taking showers every day" if you play a pirate character or whipping out smartphones in ancient Egypt basically). Right now the eras I'm most interested in are as follows, though in no particular order: - Ancient Rome/Greece/Egypt - Medieval - Renaissance - Victorian - Vikings! - Any fantasy setting based on the above mentioned In the plot ideas I've used "he" pronouns for my character, but could just as well be a she if you want to. Plot ideas: (YC = Your character, MC = My character) 1) Ancient Rome. YC's people, barbarians, were killed by the conquering Romans some years ago. YC and a few others were taken as slaves, ending up in the arena to fight to the death as gladiators for the amusement of Romans. YC thought he's the only one who's survived this far. He's become the champion of his ludus. He's forgotten his past life - until a surprising acquaintance shows up. YC's master purchases a new slave, MC. MC and YC used to live in the same town as free men. Now MC is little more than a simple pleasure slave, which YC comes to find when the master of the house sends MC to the champion, YC, as a reward. Has YC let go of thoughts of freedom like he thought he had, or does MC manage to ignite something rebellious in him again? 2) Ancient Greece. MC is the spoiled youngest son of a prominent and wealthy family. YC is the slave appointed as his bodyguard, so to say. They both know nothing should happen between them, but the attraction is much too strong. Do they risk being found out, or is MC ready to leave the comfort of his current lifestyle to run away with YC? 3) Vikings. MC is a prince in England. YC is a viking warrior, perhaps the son of their leader. They've been raiding England for quite a while now and one of the kings proposes a truce, an alliance of sorts. MC is offered as hostage for the vikings, so they know the alliance will not be broken. YC is appointed to look after MC. The longer MC spends with the vikings, the more his interest in their customs and gods grows and the closer he grows to YC, but what will happen when it's time to return to his real home? 4) Renaissance. YC is one of His Highness' most trusted men. MC is a spy for the kingdom YC's country is at war with - and MC knows exactly how important YC is. In his quest to get closer and learn information from YC, MC accidentally develops feelings that were never supposed to be there. Is he going to keep lying, or is he going to tell YC who he is? 5) Medieval. Marrying someone he doesn't love was never something MC could see himself doing. No matter how important that marriage would be to his family's status, he couldn't do it. So he ran away and didn't know what to do with himself, until he ran into YC. YC is a pirate, young and full of ambition for life, and just so happens to need a quick replacement in his crew. It was obvious MC had never worked a day in his life, but he would do until they get to the next port and YC has time to find a proper replacement. News of MC's disappearance spread, and so did rumours of seeing him on a pirate ship - "held as hostage", after all it was the only explanation, right? What will YC do when he learns who, exactly, MC is? 6) Ancient Rome. MC, a good Roman citizen, finds YC injured and near death's door. It's obvious YC is a barbarian, but MC nurses him to health nonetheless. Romance blooms between them while YC is recovering, but it seems the Roman life is not one for YC - he slips away into the night, to travel back to his people, and MC wakes up in the morning to be heartbroken. Years later YC's people have raided a Roman village and among the people they've taken as slaves is MC. Will YC show him the same kindness MC showed years ago? 7) Renaissance. MC and YC's wedding date has been set. Their marriage was decided on by their fathers, to seal and secure a long and prosperous alliance between their royal families and kingdoms. The problem is... our characters don't really like each other much. YC has a lover he thought he'd be spending his life with. MC isn't in a hurry to get married either. They both try their hardest to stop the wedding, but the wedding day rolls around regardless. It seems they will have to try to get along on some level if they are to spend their lives together - and maybe a perfect time for bonding is when they have to run away and escape together as an elaborate plan to usurp their royal families begins to unfold in front of their eyes. What better way to forge a bond between two people than to plan their revenge and take back the kingdoms rightfully theirs? 8) Ancient Egypt. MC is the lover of the pharao, soon to be wed to him, though perhaps not of his own free will. YC is the eldest son of the pharao. The pharao was a jealous man, not one single man other than himself was allowed to as much as touch MC. What could possibly go wrong when a celebration ends in a drunken tryst between our characters? 9) Ancient Greece. YC is a young Greek god, banished by Zeus from Mt. Olympos and forced to live in a human body with the mortals until he proves himself worthy once more. MC is one of these "lowly mortals", though perhaps not an ordinary one. He has never known his father, but he must have been someone important with how tightly his mother has guarded that secret. Little does he know he is a demi-god. YC can sense it on him, but doubts himself at first; after all, MC doesn't exactly shine with the glory of gods. When YC's final trial is presented to him, however, he finds an unexpected ally in MC to help him clear it. But... will he want to return to Olympos anymore? (This could also be done with Norse gods!) Okay, those are what I had for now. Feel free to give your own ideas and I've left them somewhat vague after the initial idea so we can plot and think about it together more. These plots aren't set in stone, so if you like one part but not another in one of the ideas, we can always fix things :) Or if you have a plot idea of your own, don't be shy to ask me! I roleplay via email or google docs, and prefer not to use Discord etc.

Please do mention in your email whether you'd like to play M/M or M/F.  Send me an email at: Katariina_A@outlook.com Hope to hear from you soon ;)

[yaninus-de-venoix]

okay so first of all I 100% agree that this is a trend and it’s upsetting. however - and I can’t believe I’m defending Amazon’s shitty LOTR adaption, because there are so many things wrong with it - the armor “Galadriel” is wearing doesn’t belong on this list. As someone who does medieval sword combat, I actually have 0 objects to the quality of that armor. (the Feanorian star, though...)

tldr, Galadriel and Eowyn’s armor looks very different because they’re based on completely different historical designs. Eowyn’s armor, and the Rohirrim in general, is very pre-12th century Anglo-Saxon; Galadriel’s looks a lot like extant examples of 15th century German plate armor. Sure, there’s some elven/fantasy influences in the details, but it’s pretty close. And the armor looks like real metal, it’s got some weathering, it doesn’t look like shitty plastic. So while I object to a lot of things about the amazon LOTR adaption, the quality of Galadriel’s armor is not one of them.

The Rohirrim armor is early Anglo-Saxon: primarily chainmail, which was the norm up until around the 14th century; the shorter mail hauberk especially is right out of the Bayeaux tapestry (11th century). Makes perfect sense for the horseback soldiers of the Rohirrim, and is also consistent with Tolkien’s writings. Eowyn and Eomer’s helmets definitely have the very distinctive look of the 6th-7th century Norse and Anglo-Saxon helmets:

The animals / faces depicted on the crest especially, like the horse on Eomer’s helm, is such an Anglo-Saxon thing. This all makes sense considering the general Anglo-Saxon theme of Rohan.

Galadriel’s armor is 15th-16th century: full plate, particularly the compact / almost form-fitting silhouette and the curved lines, isn’t something that showed up in Europe until closer to the 15th century. But look at these examples of 15th-16th century high gothic armor (I’ve specifically grabbed examples of the Maximillian style, which has those fluted lines):

and tell me you don’t see the resemblance to this:

Sure, the particular shapes of the fluting are more Elvish than Gothic. The chainmail “skirt” that hangs over the legs instead of being tucked in is a bit odd, but I don’t see that getting in the way or anything. The articulation is beautiful, it looks like it’ll move like well-fitted plate armor. Nothing sticks out to me as actively hindering its ability to move or be protective. It’s not boob armor, it’s not missing any important pieces (well, except for gauntlets and the helmet, but those are the first pieces I take off when I’m taking a breather since they’re the most annoying to wear). It looks like real metal - when I zoom in, I can see even see weather marks.

As far as historical accuracy, practicality, and realism, this armor is better than 90% of what I see in fantasy (and often even in historical) TV. I’m not even going to complain about the weird timeline (i.e. this late-period style armor being worn thousands of years before Eowyn’s earlier period armor), because when you consider the sheer scale of Middle Earth’s history and the technological advancements of Elves and Dwarves compared to humans, it’s hard to imagine how to make everything line up parallel to our own history.

Anywho. I’m always up for shitting on the Amazon adaption, just try and be accurate about it. There’s plenty of other things wrong with it, let’s focus on those.

the decrease in costuming quality over the last 20 years has been soooo precipitous & nauseating. i’m not even talking abt marvel’s cg supersuits or anything this time, look at the fabric quality, structure, layering, character, and craftsmanship of older costumes in 102 dalmations (2000) vs cruella (2021)

ever after (1998) vs cinderella (2021)

lord of the rings (2001-2003) vs the rings of power (2022)

this trend should upset you not just because it looks cheap, but because it suggests a strong anti-art and anti-labor movement in film and tv making. don’t forget costumers are unionized