#special editions up the wazoo

[threadfall]

This has been making the rounds on Pern communities and I really need to give it a watch but I am afraid to...

Was looking for something to watch on TV when this video popped up

To witch my mom ran over to the bookshelf and pulled out set several copies, apparently like her big fandom back in the day

[meguyummy]

pls see the vision lets have a reddit love story guys! reader owns a book store, izuku's a nerd, pt 1.

--

Internet anonymity is something that you abuse often. Who could really blame you, though?

It's late evening, almost closing time. Sat behind the counter in your small antique bookstore, the only noises you hear are the occasional rustling and crunching of autumn leaves. Today was a slow day, and you're insanely bored. Pulling out your phone, you wonder which app to kill time on before closing up shop. Twitter has been uninteresting, and YouTube has irritatingly long unskippable ads. So recently, you've turned to Reddit. More specifically, r/HeroSnark.

Initially, all your critiques on heroes were posted on Twitter, long and profane rants that got you suspended multiple times. You gained a following for being an outspoken "hero hater", but the sheer amount of die-hard All Might fans who almost found your location deterred further posting. Hating in peace was way more fun than getting swatted.

Has anybody else noticed how sloppy Pinky is getting with her acid recently? Public damage is out the fucking wazoo. Istg if I see another hole in the sidewalk I'll riot.

After posting to the subreddit, you turn off your phone and stand up, ready to flip the sign on the door to "closed" and head home. That's when the work phone rings. Of fucking course that's when the phone rings.

Plopping back down with a groan, you yank the phone out of the receiver and greet the caller, wondering if they've ever checked your closing time (or have, and were just shameless enough to not care).

"Hi! I noticed you have a copy of Captain Cosmos' special edition autobiography and I was wondering if you could hold it for me. I'll pay extra!"

You cringe, scrunching up your face at the phone. The voice on the was certainly.. enthusiastic. The caller was a guy, with a deep, but still somewhat boyish voice. He must be a fanboy on a different level if he liked Captain Cosmos, an ancient and mostly irrelevant hero. Your store offered all kinds of obscure old books, and despite your personal dislike, you knew better than to hurt business by not selling hero media.

"Yeah... I could do that if you're planning on coming to pick it up within the next two days. Are you?" You hope your exhaustion isn't too obvious from your voice.

"Yes! Yeah, I am. Thank you so so much I've been looking all over for it. I'll be there tomorrow!"

You say both say parting words, and you put the phone down, closing up quickly so no other last-minute calls can stall you. Walking up the stairs you retire to your apartment.

Living above the shop was a dream come true, allowing you to thrive without the possibility of an annoying downstairs neighbor. The space was cozy, designed perfectly to your liking after years of living there. After a relaxing shower, you slump into the couch. Checking the post, you read replies from others who have noticed the exact same issue and are equally frustrated by it, some even bringing up more problems you hadn't even noticed yet. You upvote a couple responses, reply to others, and turn on a sitcom.

The amount of bitching done online doesn't mean you're an asshole to people in real life too. Not to normal people, at least. The fact that heroes act like celebrities instead of the crucial emergency workers they really are grinds your gears. Who needs to see Can't Stop Twinkling's annoying ass on TV for something that isn't a rescue? There's a pedestal that they always put themselves on, like they're all-mighty and amazing and need to be praised, but their actions never speak enough for your liking.

A new reply catches your attention, and your brows furrow reading it. This is probably because she's been suffering injuries from her last mission and has still been pushing herself to work and save civilians! We should all be a little bit nicer :)

You frown, blinking hard down at your phone at the reply. Why the hell is.. u/minimight on here to spread positivity? Wrong place for that, bud. You pause the sitcom and sit up from your slouching position on the couch, readying your thumbs.

First, the downvote button gets smashed. Hard.

Dude, I honestly couldn't give less of a fuck that she's injured. If she can be a guest judge on The Masked Singer while injured, she can try a little harder to not make the sidewalk in my area look like Swiss cheese.

Why would anybody who likes heroes spend any time in that subreddit? The whole point is being able to dunk on them freely. You're not going to let some random guilt-trip you.

A reply comes in a minute later. The sidewalk is going to be fixed soon, it was just a minor inconvenience that came during her battle to save a life!

Way to make it deeper than it was supposed to be, u/minimight. You send another quick downvote.

Don't care lol save it for a hero-dickeating subreddit, not this one. You type.

While I understand your frustration, we should give more grace! I know how inconvenient and annoying things like this are, but not everything turns out as planned.

Holy shit they're not done. You don't really feel like arguing with a hero stan tonight, so you reply with a photoshopped picture of All Might in a clown suit.

They quickly reply. I just wish more people would have an open mind on these issues.

Yeah, u/minimight is gonna feel the banhammer soon. After swiftly downvoting their reply, you click on their account. They're a member of a couple All Might subreddits, which are expected, but also some more snark ones as well. They've written a couple of long posts written about random obscure heroes and their 'impact on hero culture'. Seeing that, you decide to write them off another annoying hero superfan and turn your phone off, changing the TV to a movie you've wanted to watch for a while.

Disappointed, (the movie was way worse than you expected) you switch off the TV and head to bed. As you lie there in the darkness, the image of All Might in a clown suit comes to mind, bringing a slight smile to your lips. Maybe tomorrow will be a less annoying day, free from hero fanatics.

[leporellian]

the rakes progress has got EVERYTHING it boggles my mind that this site hasn’t latched onto it outside of me and my mutuals…. you’ve got The Timeloop. silly 18th century shit. libretto written by a gay couple. bangers. the world’s stupidest bisexual twink who is so pathetic and divorced (multiple times in spirit) and somehow keeps pulling bitches anyway. lady who appears to be a satellite love interest at first but then has an arc where she can only become her own person by dumping her boyfriend Twice. the most stanley parable narrator glados ass villain onstage this side of pippin who spends the entire thing gloating about how much of a smart special little boy he is only to get his ass handed to him and then ends the opera by casually admitting he’s passively suicidal and then not elaborating. bearded hairy lesbian who is the one mentally well adjusted guy there. a whorehouse where the lady in charge is besties with a demon. that card game from animal crossing: life or death edition. cryptocurrency metaphor. an auk. one of the rare good dads in opera shows up for 2 mins only for the opera to decide “naaaah” and then for nearly the entire rest of the show we don’t hear from him again. mlm/wlw hostility. psychological horror. DIVORCE UP THE WAZOO IT HAPPENS LIKE THRICE. an auctioneer who is literally named Sellem. doomed by the narrative but like for real and literally. greek myth metaphors. THE TIMELOOP. 1/4 of london being bankrupted

[docrotten]

PLANET OF THE APES (1968) – Episode 191 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era

“Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!”  Yes, this is one of the most memorable movie lines in film history. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they take a deep, deep dive into Planet of the Apes (1968), the first entry into one of Doc’s favorite movie franchises.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 191 – Planet of the Apes (1968)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

Synopsis: After being kept in hypersleep during a long expedition into deep space, an astronaut crew crash-lands in the 40th century on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.

Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner

Writing Credits: Michael Wilson (screenplay by) and Rod Serling (screenplay by); Pierre Boulle (based on his 1963 novel, La Planète des singes); John T. Kelley (additional dialogue) (uncredited)

Produced by:

Arthur P. Jacobs (producer)

Mort Abrahams (associate producer)

Music by: Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by: Leon Shamroy (director of photography)

Editing by: Hugh S. Fowler

Art Direction by: William J. Creber (as William Creber), Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by: Norman Rockett, Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by: Morton Haack

Makeup Department

John Chambers (creative makeup designer)

Ben Nye (makeup artist)

Daniel C. Striepeke (makeup artist) (as Dan Striepeke)

Thomas R. Burman (assistant make-up artist) (uncredited)

Don L. Cash (makeup artist: Roddy McDowall) (uncredited)

Ken Chase (makeup artist) (uncredited)

Leo Lotito Jr. (makeup artist) (uncredited)

Howard Smit (makeup artist) (uncredited)

Maurice Stein (makeup artist) (uncredited)

Marvin G. Westmore (makeup artist) (uncredited)

Gene Witham (makeup artist) (uncredited)

Fuminori Ôhashi (makeup advisor) (uncredited)

Josephine Turner (wig maker) (uncredited)

Margaret Donovan (hair styling supervisor) (uncredited)

Edith Lindon (hairstylist)

Sharleen Rassi (hair stylist) (uncredited)

Jan Van Uchelen (hair stylist) (uncredited)

Eve Newing (hairdresser) (uncredited)

Visual Effects by:

L.B. Abbott (special photographic effects)

Art Cruickshank (special photographic effects)

Emil Kosa Jr. (head matte artist) (special photographic effects)

Selected Cast:

Charlton Heston as George Taylor

Roddy McDowall as Cornelius

Kim Hunter as Zira

Maurice Evans as Dr. Zaius

James Whitmore as President of the Assembly

James Daly as Honorious

Linda Harrison as Nova

Robert Gunner as Landon

Lou Wagner as Lucius

Woodrow Parfrey as Maximus

Jeff Burton as Dodge

Buck Kartalian as Julius

Norman Burton as Hunt Leader

Wright King as Dr. Galen

Paul Lambert as Minister

Billy Curtis as Child Ape (uncredited)

Frank Delfino as Child Ape (uncredited)

Buddy Douglas as Child Ape (uncredited)

Jerry Maren as Child Ape (uncredited)

Harry Monty as Child Ape (uncredited)

Felix Silla as Child Gorilla (uncredited)

Emory Souza as Child Ape (uncredited)

What Classic Era film spawned four sequels, a remake, a four-movie reimagining, a live action TV series, an animated TV series, comic books up the wazoo, merchandise and memorabilia up another wazoo, and included iconic scenes — in the true sense of the word “iconic” — that are ingrained in the culture over 50 years later? Of course, you’ve guessed that the topic of our discussion is Planet of the Apes (1968)!

The Classic Era Grue-Crew goes l-o-n-g on this one while discussing John Chambers’ groundbreaking special effects makeup, Jerry Goldsmith’s innovative score, the genesis of the film, the excellent cast and crew, and those iconic lines and scenes. What a blast!

At the time of this writing, Planet of the Apes (1968) is available to stream from IndieFlix and various PPV options. 

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Next in their very flexible schedule – this one chosen by Jeff – is Kiss Me Deadly (1955)! Based on Mickey Spillane’s novel, this film noir, science fiction thriller is directed by Robert Aldrich and features Ralph Meeker and a fantastic supporting cast! We (at least Jeff) can’t wait!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

Check out this episode!

[rslashtriadmom]

Worry About Your Own Damn House!

Originally posted to r/breakingmom on August 29, 2024

rich people rant 🚻

My fella, myself, our daughter (10) and my two younger brothers live in a mobile home/trailer park. Brother 1 has his own little house, and Brother 2 still lives at home with us. My brothers and I are half Iraqi, Fella is half black, and LO is half white (1/4 Arab and 1/4 black), but the majority of the people in our neighborhood are Indigenous American.

Despite what bullshit people try and push, our community is awesome. Most Indigenous folks are generally pretty tight-knit, and the one we live in is no exception. My family has known pretty much everybody here our whole lives. When my parents came to the states from Ireland before I was born, they were among the first people to befriend them. My godparents live about five houses from ours, and their youngest daughter is ours' best friend. We love where we live, and I personally wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Yeah, there's Incidents once in a blue moon, but don't all neighborhoods have them?

Anyways, for too many people, the term 'trailer park' gives them hives. I try to cut those people some slack since most of them have probably never spent any time in one long enough to see that they're not all bad, they just repeat what they're told.

However, the one thing that really gets under my skin is that when people start talking shit about the houses. Our neighborhood isn't anything special. There's ones that are only a few years old with the pretty painted panels and all, and there's ones that are being held together by a roll of duct tape. Our house is nothing special, but it's home. Everyone loves to go on about how 'trashy' and 'ugly' they look, and how the residents should 'take a little pride and fix them up a little'.

Number one, most of the folks here don't have house-fixing-up money just sitting around. What folks earn is for groceries/bills, helping out family that might need a few extra bucks because dad broke his leg and had to miss work, maintaining the little park and rec center (for parties, meetings, Bingo, etc) and the occasional treat. We take care of each other around here.

Number two, those who might have money to gussy up their place often don't have a problem with the way it looks. They don't wanna come home after a shitty day at work and worry about what color to paint the exterior. They don't wanna fuss over what wood to use to build a new porch when it's Saturday and the weather's nice and the kids want to play soccer. They don't want to get in a snit about shrubs when their veggie garden needs tending. They're not dragging the lawnmower out of the shed when the pollinator population is in danger and the yard has dandelions out the wazoo.

Pardon my rant, but I've just had enough of well-off people who don't even nod to acknowledge their neighbors as they pass by as they go power-walking shitting on our awesome trailer park that's full of life and character. Also! Here, we don't have to drive all the way to the nearest elementary school so our kids can swing on the swingset; throw a rock off your front porch, and chances are it'll land smack dab in the middle of it.

Edit because I'm an idiot and can't do math to estimate how much of each ethnicity my daughter is. Whoops!

[frabjousdei]

Fuck you, Oral-B

I needed a new toothbrush. My gums are a bit screwed up and my wife’s cousin (who is a dentist) recommended I get one of the new Oral B “iO” models, because it would be good for the specific problem I have. But they’re expensive and so was the old Oral B I already had, so I couldn’t justify it until my existing one broke. Which it did quite suddenly, so yay! And I started researching.

The only two features I wanted were the vibration action intrinsic to the “iO” line and a travel case that charged via USB. A battery that lasted longer than about three days (as the old one did) would be good, but if I could charge via USB I already take an elaborate USB charging setup with me when I travel, so who cares.

There are seven current models in the line, the iO 3 through 10, ranging in price from about €40 to over €300 (!!!) for essentially the same device with extra features layered on at each price point. But the thing is, almost all of those features are useless. More “brushing modes”, colour screen, Bluetooth connectivity—all pointless for 95% of people, but they deliberately segment the market so if you want an actually useful feature like a travel case, or a travel charging case (different price points!), you have to spend a whole lot of money on “pretend value” you don’t want or need to get the one feature you do. And once you put an nRF52 (or whatever) microcontroller in these things it’s just a matter of software anyway and the marginal hardware BOM cost for most of these extra “features” is approximately €0.

The Oral B marketing websites deliberately obfuscate all of this, of course. None of them explain in real English words what the differences between the models are and on top of that it’s one of those horrible product categories that’s SEO’d out the wazoo so nobody else will explain it to you either. I found exactly one third-party website which went into any useful detail what the actual differences between the models were. And only from that one was I finally convinced I’d have to shell out €200 to get the one feature over the base model that I wanted, a USB travel charging case.

So with great reluctance, because I detest being scammed like this (especially when I can see the exact nature of the scam), I bit the bullet and paid €200 for an Oral B iO 9 “Special Edition”, which came with a travel charging case and a little bag that goes in which somehow made it “special”.

It arrived, I opened the box and found… what I assumed to be a USB-C travel case had a proprietary connector and cable with a hard-wired wall-wart. I was fucking livid. I had made the assumption that the only reasonable way this could possibly be designed would be for the case to have a USB-C socket—but no, because the product development team at Oral B are maliciously insane, they had implemented a proprietary connector hard wired to a two-pin Europlug wall-wart. This entirely defeats the fucking purpose. Have none of these people ever gone anywhere? Instead of a small USB cable which literally everyone in 2023 takes a charger for with them every time they travel, they expect me to take a separate cable, with its own wall-wart, plus a power socket pin-adapter for whatever country I was going to. Utterly user-hostile product design.

I contacted the retailer wanting to return this €200 piece of useless garbage under the statutory European 14 day purchase cooling-off period. But then I was told there was an exception for “hygiene articles” like toothbrushes and since I had broken the “safety seal” (the only way to collapse the marketing bullshit wave function and determine the deficient reality of the product) it didn’t apply, and I was stuck with it.

Then I got really fucking mad.

I looked closer at the wall-wart. In 3-point regulation-mandated flyspeck, it detailed an input voltage of 110-220V AC and an output of 12V DC at 0.4A. Hm. USB-C trigger cables are a thing… but on closer inspection, 12V isn’t actually an official part of the USB-C PD spec, so it might not work on all USB-C charging ports. But you can buy USB-A cables with 12V boost converters built in and 12V @ 0.4A is 4.8W which is within the USB-A spec. Two days and nine whole Euros later (for two!) I had the offending part in my hand. I snipped the proprietary Oral B connector off and, carefully having tested the polarity with a multimeter, wired it to the USB-A 12V boost cable (“solderless” butt connectors are cool.) Then I plugged it in to the charging case.

Fuck me, it worked first time. Perfectly.

So now I have an obviously useful thing Oral-B refused to sell me because they’d prefer to soak me for useless features rather than doing the pitifully simple engineering—I didn’t even need to use a god damned soldering iron—to build something actually useful that met their customers’ obvious needs.

(As a side-note, the rest of the product design is fucking awful too. There’s an accelerometer in there which makes it wait until you set it on its end before it plays a 20 second animation before showing you the current charge level. Pointless and annoying. And that end is really small on such a top-heavy device, so you have to make sure you balance it well on its normal charger to stop it toppling over onto the tiled floor literally everyone has in their bathroom. I hope you don’t have kids who think that colour screen is cool and knock your €200 device onto that tiled floor as they go to grab it! And hey, I’ve got a good idea, let’s take an item that you use when your hands are wet and make it out of smooth plastic so it’s really slippery. That’s a fucking brilliant product design decision that’s totally not a regression from the rubberised handle of the previous version. The smooth featureless membrane buttons you can’t find just by feel, that’s an improvement too! You morons.)

Fuck you, Oral B. And fuck your marketing-over-customer-needs focussed attitude and the horse it rode in on.

[prophetrick]

"I want White Day and Valentine’s Day headcanons for Yasuhiro!" Said no one ever. Well, too bad. You're getting them anyway below here. Edit: 2/12/2022: I have decided to add more headcanons and to make some clarifications. Any changed headcanons will have a 💖 next to them, as it’s addenda. White Day--boys give things to the girls. Valentine’s Day--the girls give things to the boys. Up to my knowledge, X-gender didn’t populate in Japan until the 90′s. Yasuhiro would have been a kid at that point and wouldn’t have known anything about it.

Giving Yasuhiro an expensive, time-consuming homemade gift such as wine or crochet knits is a very good way to woo him. He appreciates the time and intent put into such gifts. Ask Marie Desjarding, as she made a special brew just for him. He uses it in cooking (marinades), and offerings for ghosts and deities of the agricultural persuasion. He’ll use it for the fae folk in the rare occasion he comes across them. He is not above being spoiled for Valentine’s Day. Spoil this leo man rotten and you’ll have him eating out of the palm of your hand. If he ever wants to do something on the spicy side for the more intimate moments, his go-to song is “Peel Me A Grape” by Diana Krall. He heard the song in a jazz club. What kind of spicy things? That’s for another day on a different blog. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Some of you will just have to use your imagination.

It's one of his busier days with deals, gifts and promotions out the wazoo, and he won't get home until well after midnight.

Strangely enough, it isn't uncommon to find him grumbling about the day itself citing that he shouldn't need a day to "tell the ladies at the port he loves them" and that at their root, both Valentine’s Day and White Day are bullshit corporate holidays--and yet you'll see him making gifts to go with the flow; he welcomes money, of course, so he won't be very picky about who sees him for business no matter who they're attracted to. He'll admit he likes the atmosphere of both Valentine’s Day and White Day, but he likes the former more--there may be some envy to be had on his end. 💖If he’s by himself on either day, he’ll comment that both days are quite draining for him. More of that “rabbit sentiment”.

Friends? He's going to give them some homemade cocoa bread with almonds and chocolate chips. It's a recipe that he learned from his father before his parents divorced--sans the fixings. 💖Hiro added that touch. It’s one of the few foods he knows how to make well. Should he be close friends with or dating someone in the culinary industry, he’ll write down his recipe for them.

💖Assuming he has a boyfriend, he'll express some confusion over who is supposed to buy anything. The same will be said for anyone X-gender, as his scope of knowledge is limited. In the end, he’ll take the initiative on both days.  💖While he'd much rather go for a simple (preferably cheap) date like a fishing trip or a “staycation”, he may decide to splurge and dote on his lover(s)*. Again, it’s the time spent that he counts. *Poly relationships should he be in one will make his wallet run for the hills. 💖 He’ll whine a little about the dent, but he’ll feel it’s worth it.

Yasuhiro does have his peculiar tastes. White chocolate is a luxury to him, and if you pair this with fruit (especially expensive fruit), he won't know what to do with himself--or you, for that matter. Good luck keeping his hands off you for the next two weeks, or closing your ears for all the bragging to anyone within earshot for what you’ve given him. 💖Add an extra week for anything integrated with his hobbies or interests, like a strawberry gummy crystal skull or a color-changing mug with space/meteorological effects. "Men's chocolate" or dark chocolate will be preferred over regular chocolate, should you ask him for about it. Chocolate is nice, but he'd prefer it mixed with something else to balance out the flavors. He doesn't mind marshmallows too much, but it can be too sweet with chocolate unless it's the bittersweet kind that counters the sweetness. He doesn't know about s'mores for that matter. It doesn't occur to him to try that combination.

Getting any chocolates? As a kid, he hardly received anything if at all. Not even cookies or marshmallows. Anything that he did get (likely the "obligatory chocolate"), he'd give to his mother for a nice caffeine boost during late nights at work without thinking of what he's told her. His mindset was "we need all the free food we can get".

He'd much rather take advantage of the deals the days after to save on money. He does have a sweet tooth, and will leave offerings for ghosts and the divine. Any ghosts wanting to "feel alive" with that in mind may find him helpful to possess. 💖He’s gotten some odd looks when he mentions he’s got a sweet tooth. Yasuhiro's more than happy to help you with making treats one way or the other; he just likes being in the kitchen helping with someone and will jokingly tell you that he wants you to be successful in having kids. That way, they'll support his business in the future. He believes love, be it romantic, platonic or familial, should always be in a kitchen. That’s what makes the food taste good! Besides, someone has to be there to bless the food, and who better than someone "blessed" by the gods?

[thewhiteboardofkanjisan]

Hmmm...how about 1-30? :-P ["I don't know" is a perfectly valid answer to ones you may not have an answer for yet, and so is guessing.]

Hi @prionailurus​!! :D

1. What’s the first game system ( __ Edition D&D, Rifts, GURPS, Shadowrun, etc.) you ever played?

5th edition D&D! I sat in on a Pathfinder campaign once but didn’t actually get to play.

2. What’s the most recent one you’ve played?

Also 5e!

3. What’s your favorite system?

5eeeeeee

4. Is there a system you’d like to play but haven’t?

I’d like to play Pathfinder so I can try the Oracle class out. I’m also interested in another RPG called In Nomine.

5. Are there any systems you’ve tried and did NOT like?

Haven’t had the chance to try any unsuccessfully!

6. Do you have any house rules for the system(s) you play?

Not really? Mostly we have house-handwaves of certain aspects we’re too nooby to enforce, like spell components and rations, and spell prep. That Pathfinder session I watched left me with a house rule I’d love to implement though, that Barbarians can redo a bad roll by punching the table to “pop” the dice.

7. Do you DM/GM for your group?

Occasionally! In my group, I and two others take turns being the DM. Comparing notes without spoilers is a real thorn in the side.

8. Do you say DM or GM?

DM for D&D. I imagine that GM is more fitting for other systems.

9. Do you have a go-to setting?

If I understand the question right, my group’s running campaign is in an ever-expanding homebrewed world of no name, which canonically has an Austria and a New Orleans. There’s a LOT of misty coastal towns, because that’s in the aesthetic of all three DMs.

10. Have you ever run a game, or do you prefer to just play?

I’ve run three campaigns, and there’s a special magic to running, but I do really like playing and being able to get into character. DMing carries a lot of pressure, too.

11. Do you play with game mats and/or minis?

We have a wet-erase mat we keep forgetting to erase and a small set of minis for the party. NPCs and small monsters are played by Monopoly pieces, big bads are amiibos and other kitsch owned by the DM who hosts at his house.

12. How old were you when you first started gaming?

25 c: I’m new

13. How often does your current gaming group meet up?

Weekly, usually, but sometimes we skip a week or two because of scheduling conflicts.

14. How often would you LIKE to meet up for gaming?

Ideally weekly as a minimum. Twice a week would be rad. A week can be a long time to wait!

15. How long do your gaming sessions tend to be?

4 hours min to 6 max. Anything past 5 and people start to disengage and get sleepy because we start in the evening, because scheduling.

16. How long would you LIKE your gaming sessions to be?

I would love to have all-day games, at least for Big Plot Occurrence sessions. With snacks.

17. Have you tried/had any luck with Roll20?

I’ve been trying to connect with a group on there with no luck thus far. I want to use it to playtest some other characters I’ve brewed up.

18. What’s your preferred gaming beverage?

Whatever beer the host is willing to part with, hehe.

19. What are your preferred gaming snacks?

I don’t really snack, we get dinner during our game sessions. Usually sandwiches or pizza.

20. What are your superstitions or rituals regarding dice?

I named a few of my d20s (Rocky, Misfit, Elf One), and I switch between d20s depending on the task at hand. (Rocky is for strength, Elf one is for charisma, Misfit is for attack rolls, etc) I also have a REALLY SHARP d4 from a high-quality set I bought on sale, which I’ve dubbed the 𝕯4 𝖔𝖋 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍 and keep it out for poking people when they have bad gaming etiquette.

Other than that, I mostly just put misbehaving d20s away and switch to my first d20, which rarely lets me down.

21. Do you know anyone with really good/bad/weird dice luck?

Yes! My good friend has NEVER rolled well on initiative in all the times we’ve played. He always rolls 8 or lower.

22. What would you say is your alignment?

Chaotic good, I’d like to think.

23. What is the class you’d like to be?

I’d love to be a bard. Magic and music and charm out the wazoo.

24. What class do you think you’d actually be?

Probably a fighter. I’m good at music, but charming I’m not. Brute strength is where I excel irl. (I do play rugby, after all.)

25. What weapons would you wield? [@thewhiteboardofkanjisan] (It me!)

Sword! I would love to wield any kind of sword.

26. If you could cast one spell, what would it be? [@thewhiteboardofkanjisan​]

Probably Fly, or maybe Polymorph.

27. What school of magic would you specialize in?

Either Divination or Evocation! 

28. If you could have any creature - real or fictional - as a familiar, what would it be? [@thewhiteboardofkanjisan​]

Gonna agree with you, pseudodragon is the WAY TO GO! For a real animal, though, I’d pick a klipspringer antelope or a Honduran white fruit bat.

29. What was your favorite character to play? [@thewhiteboardofkanjisan​]

My currently-only character, Mariya, a CG half-elf ex-acolyte bard loosely based on Maria from The Sound of Music. Over time she’s grown away from the source material in a lot of ways. Depending on what the DM does with Mariya’s backstory, I might give her an alignment shift to LN and heavily multiclass in warlock for the second half of the levels.

30. Do you tend/prefer to play characters of your own gender/orientation?

I’ll shake it up with gender, but my group’s world tends to operate under the rule that Everyone Is Bi Always. One time a plot-hook NPC swapped genders mid-session with no in-world explanation just to make it a little gayer (Landon the lighthouse widower. Poor fellow. That’s a story for another day.)

31(Which I’m adding because I think you sent me the ask before this one got added).   What do you, primarily, get out of roleplaying? That is, is it for fun with your friends, to experiment with being people who you are not, or something else? [@aetherspoon​]

For me, D&D is both freeing and gives me validation I can sometimes miss in real life. I can be things the real world doesn’t allow, but I can also remind myself that Real World Daisy is talented, a good team member, has ideas worth sharing. D&D helped me make it through my final semester of grad school when a really bad semester-long group project was giving me hella anxiety. (I actually wrote an article for the student newspaper about why business students should play D&D. I’ll share it if anyone wants, though my name’s attached to it, but I’ve totes shared that info on here before so it’s nbd!)

[ljelizabeth]

Writers as My Favorite Movies

@lj_writess on instagram~

what’s up my homies. This part isn’t going to fit on the instagram slides so if you’re seeing it here you’re special :) I humbly offer some writers as my favorite movies (non-marvel) ~

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Plotter

battle couples

enemies to lovers only

where’d all that smut come from??

fight scenes well planned out and actually make sense

no matter what genre, there’s always a generous amount of romance

The Mummy Series (1999)

Full Pantser

(do you even know what you’re doing?)

either an archeology nerd or obsessed with Ancient Egypt as a kid

mostly writes fantasy, but some historical fiction too

spends the most time on making characters

got a wip idea from a dream and just started writing

Hot Shots

Pantser

how are you so good at writing witty dialogue?

teach me to write comedy pls

takes Hemingway's “write drunk, edit sober” advice to heart

what plot?

hates killing characters with a passion, everyone always lives

Tangled

Plantser

the CUTEST ships

loves the grumpy and sunshine one trope

is The Softest Writer ™

somehow manages both a writing account and a bookstagram

fantasy is a must (and loves the chosen one trope)

Clue (1985) / Knives Out

Mega Plotter

no one knows where the story is going at first 

PLOT TWISTS OUT OF THE WAZOO

stop with the corruption arcs, please

sacrifices characters for the sake of the plot.

mysteries, thrillers and horrors, but doesn’t branch out.

Ocean’s 11

OMG PLOTS

HEIST SCENES

you constantly second guess who’s the real villain

always has large casts

revenge and spite are all the motivations (try therapy, babe)

can (and probably will) break into a bank for “research”

The Incredibles

either full plotter or pantser no in-between

FOUND FAMILY IS SUPERIOR

probably wanted to be a superhero when growing up

likes crime and crime shows a little too much

how many of your characters have super/magical powers now?

has the best dynamics between characters

The Hitman’s Bodyguard

Pantser.

I didn’t know you could fit that many swears in one sentence.

very questionable search history

calm down on the violence, my guy

fight scenes are constant but SOMEHOW manages to have a plot?

BANG BANG all the characters are dead

Night at the Museum

Plantser (lean to pantser)

just writes for fun, no real desire to publish anything 

always has the most fun ideas

writes either fully on caffeine or at 3am only 

doesn’t want to kill character but is able too.

actively writes fanfiction

[arazialotis]

Hunters Academy - Introduction

Word Count: Around 2200

Summary: The reader is looking for a way forward in life. A cryptic business card may provide her with a new opportunity at an unconventional school.

This is purely for a hobby and my enjoyment. Maybe some of you will enjoy it too. I am by no means a writer so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or grammatical/spelling errors. I appreciate any feedback or suggestions!

Special thanks and shout out to @misguidedconqueress for reviewing, editing, suggestions, and as always putting up with me.

—–

Your fingers eagerly tore through flimsy envelope, hoping your suspicion would be confirmed. Tossing the envelope aside, the single piece of paper crinkled in your hand as you read:

Your application appears to be promising. Make it to our location by September 31st and consider yourself accepted into the program. If you’re running late; don’t bother showing up at all. Good luck.

The letter was only signed with a black star surrounded by a circle of flames. The all too familiar mark of a hunter. Your mother made you wear a charm throughout your entire childhood. Even after her death when you were ten, you chose to wear it; the bracelet had become a part of you. It wasn’t until your 16th birthday you got it permanently tattooed on the side of your left rib cage. When your foster parents found out, they were furious. They never understood you though, nor your obsessive behaviors when it came to salt, holy water, and silver.

You were forced into psychological testing and tried your best to fake normalcy; to pretend everything was okay, to pretend the things that went bump in the night were just figments of the imagination. But your mom had raised you better. Instead of taking the prescribed pills, you just became better at hiding your secrets; convincing the world you had become cured. You had become so good at hiding you even convinced yourself… for a while.

It had seemed like just a phase. You went off to college to make your foster parents proud. But sophomore year was finishing up and you were running out of general education classes to take in order to avoid settling on a major. It wasn’t until you were spending a weekend back home, rummaging through storage, when you stumbled upon the box you had brought with you when you first arrived. You began pulling out memories; tattered gloves and a small scarf, wings you and your mom had made for a halloween costume, drawings of your mom fighting off monsters that probably were psychoanalyzed up the wazoo, and a small purse you used to collect key cards from your favorite hotels.

But what was most important was her journal. It was bound in brown leather, its corners and pages worn. You flipped open to the page bookmarked by your charm bracelet. Your fingers traced over the ink, almost being able to recall the sound of her scratching down details. She lived on through the words, still finding ways to speak to you. As you flipped through the pages, a plain white business card slipped out. On the front was simply printed “Academy” and the anti-possession symbol. On the back “Send Application” and a PO Box address in Nebraska.

You flipped the card back and forth, confused at the lack of information. You had never noticed it before even though you have flipped through the pages countless of times. Perhaps it was your mother speaking to you now and giving you a way forward. The idea stemming from your college applications, you decided to write an essay. This time including everything. Your mother, your upbringing, your malcontent for the white-picket-fence life, and overall desire to make an impact on the world.

And now, you were holding an acceptance letter. Well, half an acceptance, the full admittance on the condition of finding the school. The letter was just as cryptic as the business card. You picked up the envelope looking for more clues. Where the return address was, was a symbol you were unfamiliar with and it was posted from Kansas. You rubbed your eyes after hours of searching through the web, trying to identify this symbol. Even the established hunting community websites did not seem to have any information posted.

Grabbing another cup of coffee, you flipped through the journal again as it always seemed to have the answers you were searching for. Your attempt to turn on ‘The Wall’ in order to keep you awake was futile, eventually sleep won you over.

The next morning you awoke, filled with dreams of the academy slipping away. In the daze of waking consciousness, you reached to the journal to see where you had left off. In the corner of the page was the unknown symbol. You jolted up immediately. There was no explanation, simply the symbol and coordinates.

Looking up the coordinates, you easily pinpointed the location in Kansas, the nearest town Lebanon. Having no idea what you were in store for, you packed the only the basics into a duffel and walked out of your foster parents’ home with no intention of returning.

—

The drive was long, but you stayed focused with the help from classic rock and gas station snacks. As you drove through Lebanon, your ‘72 red Ford Mustang didn’t stick out as much as it usually did. It seemed things around here didn’t change very often. You stopped at a gas station to grab a map of the area, seeing which road would get you closest to the coordinates.

Having driven up and down a paved road a few times, you stopped at an unmarked dirt road and decided to see if it would lead to your destination. You slowed down as you approached what you could only described as an abandoned factory or warehouse. Leaving your car locked on the side road you went in for a closer look. The door had the same symbol from the letter and journal.

You didn’t let your nerves get the best of you, after knocking three times, you unlatched the door. Stepping in, you were surprised by the immediate drop into what looked like a scene straight out off Dr. Strangelove. A man with sandy brown hair and a bathrobe was making his way up the iron stairs.

“You’re early.” He grumbled.

“Better than late, I suppose.” You greeted him.

“Coffee?” He offered.

“Sounds wonderful.” You followed him through the war room and the library, and into an industrial sized kitchen. He poured both of you a fresh cup. “So, I am assuming I found the right place.”

“Mmhmm.” He mumbled through a sip. “But we weren’t expecting students for at least a few more days.”

A taller man, with long brown hair, walked through the kitchen. “Oh, hello?” He greeted you with surprise.

You shook his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, I’m Y/N by the way.”

“Sam Winchester. And my brother Dean.” He introduced both of them.

“Winchester? Any relation to a John?” You asked.

Both of them exchanged shocked glances. “Our father actually… you knew him?” Dean questioned.

“Yes. Well, not really I suppose… he and my mother hunted together when I was young. So I know him through her journal, not from actual memories.” You explained.

Sam furrowed his brow, analyzing your features. “You’re not Y/N Y/L/N?” Dean perked up from hearing your last name.

“Yes.” You confirmed.

Sam laughed out loud. “I don’t know if you would even remember this, but uh, we’d babysit you sometimes… you could have only been two or three at the time.”

“Yikes, hopefully not too many embarrassing stories you can throw in my face.” You gritted your teeth.

“Not at all,” Sam chuckled. “You were an easy kid and Dean was off at the arcade avoiding any work you caused.”

“Shut up.” Dean chastised. “Nah, I remember. You liked playing with my army guys except what usually started out as an epic battle always turned into house.” Dean snickered. Your cheeks turned red. “How is your mom anyways?”

“Oh um… she actually passed away when I was 10… Or at least I think that’s what happened.” You somberly revealed. “She never came back from a hunt. Cops found me at a motel and I’ve been in the foster care system ever since.”

“Oh Y/N, I am so sorry.” Sam sympathized.

“Yeah, I’ve had my ups and downs. The last family I’ve been with wasn’t too bad. Even let me stay with them after I aged out. Feeling a little bit guilty for ditching them.” You continued to confide.

“God, that must be tough. We lost our dad but just a few years back.” Dean admitted.

“I’m sorry to hear. From what my mom wrote about him, he seemed like a nice guy.”

“Ups and downs. But he left this place to us.” Dean answered.

“So did he run it?” You asked.

Both slightly chuckled. “No, I don’t think he stepped foot into this place since he was a kid.” Sam responded. “But his dad was part of it. It was an organization called the Men of Letters. They were focused more on the research and artifacts. But they opened their doors for young hunters to learn information and be better equipped.” “But it never carried on. A knight of Hell wiped out their entire faculty and it never reopened until we came around.” Dean continued. “So we run this every now and then when we need a break from hunting.”

“Initially we weren’t going to do it, just leave it as our home, but we decided it was better to be a support and resource to hunters, rather than them starting with no direction at all.” Sam added.

“How did you find us anyways?” Dean questioned.

“Like how I get all my answers, my mom’s journal. Your dad must have written the location down for her, maybe for like safe house or something. It came with a PO address too, since other things haven’t been working out, figured I’d give it a shot.” You explained. “Sorry, that probably wasn’t what you were going for, pretty intense screening process.”

“We want to ensure people know what they’re signing up for.” Sam said. “But you should have just explained who you were in your essay. We could have come and picked you up ourselves.”

“Okay, well, I didn’t want to let loose with all the juicy details in case it had just been set up as some elaborate prank…” You defended.

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea. We could have some fun with that.” Dean pondered.

Sam immediately changed the subject. “So did you drive Y/N?”

“Oh yeah, got my baby out front.” You responded. Dean grunted, there was only one Baby.

“Why don’t you drive it around to the garage?” Sam suggested.

“Yeah, okay.” You agreed and left the room.

“What do you think?” Sam asked Dean.

“She’s got potential.” Dean thought.

You pulled into the garage, gaping at the amazing collection of antiques. You pulled into an empty parking space. The boys wandered over to take a look at your ride as you got out with your duffel bag.

“Okay, first lesson.” Dean started. “You can’t fit a body in this trunk.”

“Maybe not in one piece.” You winked at him. “So does your school come with a room or just a parking space?”

Dean and Sam led you through the bunker. “After seeing Sam’s pathetic excuse for a living space, you’ll be pleased to know, this is where the magic happens.” Dean opened his door.

You glanced around. It was surprisingly clean, plainly decorated aside from the weapons hanging on the wall, and you couldn’t help but desire to go through his record collection.

Dean shut the door and continued the tour. “This room and all down the hall this way are currently open.” You opened the door, it was basically the same layout as Dean’s. Sam piped up. “This is the only other bedroom with a private bathroom. There is a common space up on the left.”

“Well, that makes the decision easy.” You threw your duffel on the bed.

“In that case, make yourself comfortable. And if you ever need anything,” Dean knocked on the adjoining wall. “I’m right next door.”

As they walked out you overheard a soft slap and Sam lecturing Dean. “No sleeping with the students.”

“Dude, I know… that’s not what…” Dean defended.

A few days had passed and no other students had shown up. You got familiar with the routine and even made the boys breakfast on more than one occasion. Sam even let you start breaking into some of the books.

“So Y/N.” Dean entered the library. “A case came up for me and Sam. Since it is still a couple days until the 31st, we’re going to take it. If you wouldn’t mind holding down the fort?” “Okay. But what if students show up?” You questioned.

“Yeah, just welcome them in, show ‘em around, maybe make some more of those killer pancakes…” Dean suggested.

“Umm.. not that I’m not trustworthy… but isn’t this a lot of responsibility for a person you just met?” You contemplated.

“See, you saying that gives me all the trust I need.” He started to head out. “Also, the place is rigged with cameras… except the bedrooms… actually my bedroom is…”

“This isn’t just another one of your ‘screening tests’ is it?” You skeptically questioned.

“That would be a great idea. But no, it’s not. Call if anything comes up… and if we don’t come back… well, we usually do, so don’t worry.” Dean rambled. “Alright, see ya.”

“See ya.” You repeated back before being left alone in the bunker.

——

Part 1

Tags: 

Forever Tags: @nanie5 @sea040561 @crushing83 @mogaruke @deanwinchesterforpromqueen @ginamsmith @jotink78 @fallen-castiel @sup3r-pott3r-lock3d @dancingalone21

DeanxReader Tags: @akshi8278 @mywillfulwinchester @dainty-hibiscus @boxywrites @its-not-a-tulpa

[noneatnonedotcom]

Mabel the familiar pt 2

so you guys wanted more and I mean to deliver.

this was edited by the lovely @fireloom

let me know if you want more

The race back was heart pounding.

Mabel stumbled from time to time. She was a city girl born and raised. and Dipper was hard to keep standing he was losing a lot of blood and he was just saying sorry all the time.

This was her fault

She should have just stayed at the manor she was safe and happy there. More so there than anywhere else. Why couldn’t she just stay where she was happy?

It didn’t matter the gnomes were hot on their heels each step like thunder as they got closer. but she could see the gates all she had to do was get inside

And then a fist came down in front of her that smashed her hopes.

She needed to think that’s what she did she got creative and solved problems so how could she hurt a giant gnome?

This wasn’t working she needed time to think

“So Jeff I know this looks bad but if the wizard dies I die so you can’t kill him,” she said simply he’d probably buy it.

“Oh really well sorry about that how about we drop him off in his manor he’s enchanted it out the wazoo so it’ll fix him up if he’s inside,” said Jeff stepping out of the construct. Mabel reached in the wizard's robe finding a wand she’s seen him use it before it was for moving heavy objects

That might work

“Oh Jeff you’re so smart, come here and I'll give you a big kiss” she was laying it on thick but frankly she was kinda all over the place currently a little lapse in her acting was the least of her problems  

“Oh yeah baby you know it,” said Jeff with a stupid grin on his face

“Okay close your eyes and get ready for a big surprise,” said Mabel leaning in just enough to show interest Jeff puckered his lips. Mabel places the wand on them and she could feel a tingling sensation move through her body when suddenly the wand pulled on Jeffs lips and Mabel could feel his weight disappear.

She pointed the wand at them “get lost” a simple sentence but spoken with the authority and bravado of a rake. The wand was able to figure out what she wanted done with her load. And Jeff was flung fast enough to cause a thunderous

BOOM

The gnomes fell to pieces as Jeff flew off into the sky the others scattered into the forest and Mabel set to dragging the now unconscious wizard into his house where hopefully he could heal ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It took a full three days for the magic to repair him. Three days where Mabel sat watching the boy, and now that she really looked he was nothing more than that a boy, a boy who knew the dangers knew he was outmatched and still came to the rescue of a thief who tried to rob him.

She wept occasionally. But soon her tears dried replaced with a resolve she would pay back his bravery. After all, surely the wizard had a use for a rake of her caliber and if not she’d find other uses for herself. This was a life debt on she owed in twice the amount now.

She would pay it back.

All he had to do was wake up

And at the end of his three days, he did awake to the sight of a sleeping Mabel on his chest. He was confused at first

Where were they?

What had happened to the gnomes?

And then his mind filled in the blanks.

He had failed And had to be saved by the girl so that they could both live.Shame burned at his chest and he felt he could take no more And then she awoke and in that sleepy face he saw a beauty he could not imagin.

This was a treasure

And he had tried to steal it from the world.

“Master you’re alive!” the girl exclaimed her energy intoxicating, her smile brilliant and the hug had him feeling a heat build up inside him

He asked to head to his study where he could sit in his good chair. Magical healing or no he was still tired and there was much to talk about

“Madam I owe you an apology,” he said eyes not meeting hers and her heart broke. “I tried to steal you away and it was wrong of me.” he looked at her then and she knew for certain her heart would always fear that look

The look of defeat So out of place on his normally proud and clever face

“You may leave”

“No” and silence reigned

“No?” asked the wizard “no!” he seemed upset but Mabel was ready for that “I give you your freedom something you nearly sold yourself to the gnomes to get and you deny me?”

“I don’t wish to leave anymore my lord,” she said bowing then “please let me stay” she was crying now she harshly reeled back on her emotions now was not the time “I can be of use so please”

It was quiet now and he could hear a soft sob and a choked “please” He was quiet and Mabel could feel the weight of his eyes on her bowed form

“I’ll not own another slave,” he said and Mabel nearly fell over she instead raised her head to protest but he held up a hand “but I have need of an assistant. Most wizards enchant an animal to assist them but I have no such familiar” she felt her heart soar “the position is open” he said with a smile.

And suddenly he had a smiling yet still crying girl in his lap as she hugged him. He let it go for a while but then when she was calm it was time to figure out some important things

“We will need a symbol of our bond,” he said simply

“What for?” asked Mabel

He looked her dead in the eye “magic stuff” then he smiled “and that’s the technical term so let me know if you need it simplified”

“Oh my lord it is so complicated I don’t know if I'll be able to follow” she laughed

He frowned “one thing I will insist on is that you call me Dipper” he said looking at her “unless we need someone to believe that you’re not my partner, i’m Dipper. Dipper of the pines”

“I am mabel, mas--dipper,” she said back as if testing the name on her tongue “now what is a symbol supposed to be?” she asked looking around for some sort of coat of arms like the nobles had or maybe a special scroll of magics!

“Oh it can be anything we just have to both wear our respective symbols,” he said simply. She reached up and felt her collar she’d forgotten it after all it was more jewelry than tool. It looked expensive

“Oh i had forgotten that here let me change it” before she could stop him the collar was now a silver ring all from the snap of a finger.

She looked at him. “Can it be changed back?”

“It will be whatever you want it to be,” he said pride coming back to him even though his pallor was still sickly “it is a thing of magic so of course i can control it.” his grin getting bigger  “have you met me? i’m pretty awesome this much is easy” he said ego threatening to swallow the room.

“Then this will be my symbol,” she said as it shifted between a bracelet on her wrist to a circlet on her head to a ring again back to her collar never staying in one place as it tried to find out what it was. It seemed so

Her

Speaking of

“I’ve been receiving gifts from you but frankly it is i who owe you is there nothing i can grant you?” she asked

“Don’t suppose you can get rid of a birthmark?” he asked with a wry grin

“Well that depends what’s it like?”

He hesitated for a long time before he finally lifted his hair showing her a mark of the big dipper on his head. “You may laugh if you wish,” he said putting on a brave face though looking away preparing for the ridicule to follow he’d been around the block before he knew how this worked

What he didn’t expect was a enamored gasp

“You have the stars on your forehead.” she said quietly “THAT’S AWEMAZING WHY WOULD YOU TRY TO HIDE THAT?” she looked him over then at all angles “i won;t get rid of that birth mark even if i could it’s just too spectacular.” Dipper frowned at that

“but i can help you out with your fashion” she said running to a closet before pulling out a wide brimmed hat with a cone in middle the cone folded over near the top it’s own weight to much for it.

She placed it on his head and looked him over

“I suits you” she said finally

“Then this shall instead be my symbol” he said and there was a flash of light as both focused on their partner

The bond was forged

As the magic in the air faded he looked to her There was comfort in the silence that followed There was companionship

It was boring

“Wanna see who can drink the most of that maple syrup you have in the kitchen?” mabel asked suddenly

“DO I!” said dipper already racing her there.

The people who ran out of that room were not a wizard and a rake but something neither had had a chance to be before

Two children ran out of that room

Off to play games and simply be children

All was as it should be

[supercultshow]

Drunken Wu Tang

Howdy all you Supercultists out there on the interwebz! I’m Bad Movie Professor Cameron Coker (BS in “Purposeful Mayhem” with a minor in “Watermelon Monsters”) and I’ll be posting my hype-tacular speeches every week along with some long lost speeches from past Supercult Shows!

This week Supercult just stares in bafflement at the thing that is Drunken Wu Tang!

Here as Supercult we spend a lot of time watching bad movies, but an equal amount of time debating what constitutes “Bad”. The phrase “So Bad It’s Good” gets bandied around a lot as a distinguishing feature of the films we prefer, but we have also never been shy about watching movies simply because they fit a theme. We will, for example, watch anything that involves certain actors or directors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Bay, John Woo, or Jean Claude Van Damme, and we tend to gravitate towards 1980s action and sci-fi flicks. We will sometimes dip our toes into foreign films or other genres like comedy or horror, but usually we do so because the films in question have awful in their DNA (often in the dubbing, the horrible jokes, or a horrible premise) rather than have awful thrust upon them through circumstance, execution, or acts of bad movie fate. Every now and then though we find a film that defies our formulas and demands our attention. A movie that is simultaneously bad and good, simultaneously poorly made and expertly executed, doomed to the bargain bin but destined for cult movie fame. Taoism Drunkard, aka Shaolin Drunkard, aka Drunken Wu-Tang literally blew my tiny, fragile mind, people. I have no words to explain the insanity that we saw and the emotions it filled me with, and yet I’m going to continue saying words until I am satisfied that you are satisfactorily hyped for this film.

“I’ll swalla yer soul I’ll swalla yer soul!” -The Watermelon Monster

More movies should have crazy anime movie posters.

This VHS box knows who the real star of the show is.

My secret weapon is a ball that has balls!

My Favorite Martian, Kung Fu female edition.

My name is Rat Face! Can you guess why?

This is a Kung Fu Movie but it’s mostly about trust falls.

The Bad movie report gives a good explanation of this phenomenon:

The Bad Movie, as I have stated before in my Philosophy rant, represents the best-laid dreams and plans of someone gone terribly, terribly wrong – these are your Robot Monsters, your Plan 9’s, your Astro-Zombies. But there are other kinds, those that exude a delicious, creamy cheese filling by their own design, yet are very well-made (From Dusk ‘Till Dawn, Evil Dead II), and those that go beyond bad and should have been used as mulch (I Drink Your Blood, something called Forever Evil). Then there is another sort, the kind that dumbfounds you and leaves you constantly saying, “What the f*@k just happened?” These are the movies that drop you down the rabbit hole, “ass over teakettle”, as Harlan Ellison likes to say, and deposit you in the middle of strange, unexplored turf. Eraserhead is such a movie. Drunken Wu Tang is another.

Another site, BadMovies.org, does an adequate job of explaining the plot:

Rat Face is tasked with finding a virgin male born on the 15th of August to perform a temple ritual. Cha Le (a virgin born on the 15th of August) is learning the art of being a martial arts using witch from his manly grandmother. He must retrieve the “secret document” from a hidden room, reaching it involves many dangers, and The Watermelon Monster guards the script. Princess and her cult often collect money from people, they can be very violent about not contributing. Old Devil wants the “secret document” to gain more power or something. The situation comes to a head at the temple ceremony where Rat Face and Cha Le must battle Old Devil.

None of these proper nouns are pseudonyms or jokey nicknames. Rat Face drives a tiny Flintstone car in the shape of a rat head. The Watermelon Monster is a gnashing black sphere the size of a yoga ball with derpy stub legs and grappling wires for ears. Old Devil apparently doesn’t have hand prints because his hands have been burned and flayed by a heated metal slide. Other characters named Porcupine Back, Granny, Princess, Shining Knight, and Fat Chick. You might be surprised which of those names is a descriptor and which is some sort of horrible joke by the English translators.

There’s wire work out the wazoo, sped up footage just for the fun of it, dummy bodies being flung every which way, skillfully executed fight scenes, specialized Kungfu weapons that boggle the mind, and giant props that would make the movie Torque blush red in shame. There’s even a section that resembles a live action reinterpretation of a Roadrunner and Coyote sketch. The only thing this film doesn’t have is rhyme or reason.

This film is nothing short of essential to any and all bad movie connoisseurs, but not just because it’s mind-meltingly bizarre. It’s also directed by Cheung-Yan Yuen, who plays Rat Face in the film, and who’s credits include the martial arts and stunts in Charlie’s Angels, Daredevil, Jet Li’s Tai-Chi Master, and Iron Monkey. What does that mean, other than I do my homework? It means that the director knows what he’s doing when it comes to action and that all of this well executed mayhem is almost certainly purposeful!

Maybe this film isn’t so bad after all…but that hasn’t stopped us yet, and it won’t stop us now!

The Supercult Show is proud to present: Drunken Wu-Tang!

Drunken Wu Tang Drunken Wu Tang Howdy all you Supercultists out there on the interwebz! I’m Bad Movie Professor Cameron Coker (BS in “Purposeful Mayhem” with a minor in “Watermelon Monsters”) and I’ll be posting my hype-tacular speeches every week along with some long lost speeches from past Supercult Shows!

[saxspielercaderface]

How I Write Meme

Tagged by @saiansha :D

Is there a snack you like to eat while writing? - Not so much eating, but I usually have coffee, tea, or some other beverage nearby.

What time of day do you usually write? - Either midday or late at night. Editing is usually done in the morning after I’ve let everything stew for a handful of hours.

Where do you write? - Midday writing is usually done in the breakroom during lunch or in-between experimental steps in lab when I have those little chunks of free time. Late night writing is done at my desk at home or in bed.

How often do you write a new thing? - too many times to count I have like 10 WIPs right now and none of them are done I’m so sorry HELP

Do you listen to music while you write? - Yep! Got character playlists up the wazoo, and I’ll put those on shuffle or find a specific song that inspires me at the time and put that on repeat. After a while, though, I turn the music off so that there’s only the white noise of my current environment, which is sometimes better for my concentration.

Paper or Laptop? - Either, depending on the situation. Paper is usually for note-taking, writing down story ideas and such, and then it’s put together on my laptop for easy editing.

Do you have a special pre-writing ritual? - Eh, not really. Aside from getting something to drink and cracking my knuckles, I don’t do much before diving in.

What do you do to get into the writing? - This is going to sound weird, but I make faces. Kind of like how some emulate the facial expression they’re trying to capture in a drawing as sort of a mental reference (which I do all the time), but I do that while I write, too.

Do you have a reward system for word counts? - Nope. Impact matters more to me than word/page count.

Is there anything else about your writing process that your readers don’t know? - I act out scenes, trying to get a feel for flow and motion so that I can write them more effectively. An example is a scene from the beginning of Phantomwing, where Torvi jumps out of a shower stall, wraps a shower curtain around the assailant who’s chasing her, and pushes them out of the bathroom, only to slip on a tissue box from an earlier scene (so, Chekov’s tissue box I guess) and fall over, ending up underneath the assailant. I actually acted out this scene so I could visualize how exactly Torvi would fall. It kinda hurt, but I got the picture. I do my own stunts :D

tagging @cyrisus, @laetitialaetitii, @zorialdiamond-blog, @domimagetrix and anyone else who writes and wants to do this~

[tracyqueen]

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It’s heeeeere! The eighth comics anthology from Oneshi Press is all about trauma, redemption, and healing. And it’s got eight new pages from the graphic novel by Lynsey G. and Jayel Draco about ME! These pages are really special. They show my BFF Nikola’s backstory for the first time! And, on top of that, they show the moment I decided to change my adult filmmaking work from just a money-maker into a passion project. I decided to heal my wounds and my pal Nikola’s by taking back the power…with my vagina. The new anthology—with these eight pages and 13 other short comics from two dozen indie creators—is out in limited-edition trade paperback now! And the digital version is coming soon!

About the Healing Anthology

Wrapped in a beautiful cover by James Groeling, the Healing Anthology starts with PJ Harper’s multi-character introduction that’s totes adorable.

Then, it’s V2.3 of the epic graphic novel from Lynsey G. and Jayel Draco, Tracy Queen! At last, readers will  learn about Nikola the racoon’s past, how he got so damn good at electronics, and how he deals with his trauma. You won’t want to miss this reveal!

Next, it’s on to “Kreepy” Kevin Sheely and Desiree King’s “Finn: Guardian of the Five Gates.” Follow a teen rocker into a realm where the mistakes of her parents mean only she can save the world…again. UGH!

And then, Grivante and Samir Simão’s Zee Brothers face their fears! They set off to help a homeowner with a zombie infestation in “The Case of the Zombie Omelet,” Part 2. Lol, these guys are too much!

Float into a beautiful meditation about dissociation and identity in the haunting short comic “Far Away” from Jacey Chase. I can’t tell even tell you how much this story made me reflect, cry, and smile.

And explore friendship’s healing powers, whether real or imaginary. Dive into AJ O. Mason and Luca Cicognola’s “My Giant Strange Friend.” This one really gets to me. It’s got powerful healing energy, folks.

Next, discover a redemptive graphic novel that transforms a chicken wrestler into a savior. It’s the introduction to Jayel Draco’’s “Mr. Guy: Zombie Hunter”! This story is so gonzo, even I’m kind of impressed. This is, by the way, also Nikola’s favorite comic, so… I guess he has okay taste!

Totally blown away that there’s much awesome in one anthology?

Well holy crap there’s more!

Next, journey into a supportive yet dangerous adventure with a polyamorous trio! The first half of “Detour” from Allison Bannister and Tom O’Brien is a refreshing new look at fantasy. Hooray for queer, trans, poly feats of courage and daring! I love this story!

Enter a world where medicine, addiction, and blood have become complicated bedfellows. “Ziegler Box, Part 1” hails from Chaka Brown Freeman, Vicente Alcázar, Greg Gallagher, and Nouri Zander. This art is SOOOO freaking gorgeous, folks.

Up next, return to Children of Gaia with Peter Lampasona and D.L. Johnson. “Carrying Iron” offers our first glimpse into the realm of Terra…and its shady underworld. I totally dig this dark story from a whole new part of the Children of Gaia universe. Talk about healing through redemption…wow.

Then, Oneshi Press debuts its Poets and Artists series! Jenny Williamson’s haunting poem about grief and survival, “Lungs and the Ghosts of Lungs,” becomes sequential art by Libby Bacon. This piece made me cry, but in a good way… I think? You’ll have to read it see if it does the same to you. There’s trauma and healing out the wazoo here.

Follow that up with a badass female superhero who realizes that trauma doesn’t have a quick fix. “A Tale of Good Intentions” is an unsettling short comic from Patricia Loupee and Amy Hay. I love butt-kicking women!

Next, a comic I’m suuuuuper psyched for! “Quantum 1.1” finds a Northern Cheyenne woman grappling with a missing sister and newfound superpowers all at once. Lenny Peppers and James Mason team up to deliver this first installment of a new indigenous superhero comic that I’m so excited to read!

Finally, begin the third arc of Lynsey G. and Jayel Draco’s PACK. Here, the gentrification of these stray vigilantes’ mean streets has begun… And hot masked crime-fighter Patience is having none of that shit.

Look, these pages are packed with art and comics, pleasure and pain, healing and redemption. They’re gorgeous, immersive, and progressive. And I hope you’ll find a bit of your own healing inside!

The limited-edition trade paperback is out now from Oneshi Press!

Subscribers at the Oneshi Press Patreon get everything when it’s released—including new Tracy Queen art, comics, and more!

Are you into Tracy Queen? Then sign up for the Oneshi Press newsletter and never miss a thing!

8 New Pages of My Story in the Healing Anthology—Out Now! It's heeeeere! The eighth comics anthology from Oneshi Press is all about trauma, redemption, and healing. And it's got eight new pages from the graphic novel by Lynsey G.

[placetobenation]

Welcome back college football fans! This is our final Campus Hot Takes for the 2018 season. Logan & Scott would like to thank all of our loyal readers for sticking with us all year and for enjoying the journey through this college football season. So whether your a fan from Tuscaloosa, Clemson, South Bend or Norman (or none of those) we hope your team had a great season. Some surprised us, some disappointed us. So here we go, Scott & Logan’s Top 3 surprises & disappointments. Then the picks for the 5 bowl games they’re most looking forward to (and some of them may match!)

SURPRISES:

SCOTT

1) Central Florida (12-0): Josh Heupel strolls in to replace Scott Frost and nothing changes. Another perfect season, and I know everyone will say “It’s the AMERICAN”. Still, 12-0 is 12-0. Do they belong in the Top 4 over Oklahoma? No, because if there was a “play-in” game, the Sooners would win, although it would probably go like that Chiefs/Rams Monday night game. In other words, the first to 60 wins. I didn’t expect them to go undefeated for a second straight year. Now having said that. UCF should consider joining a conference if they don’t want to be construed as crying over spilled milk that they didn’t make the Playoff. Oklahoma plays in the Big 12, maybe UCF should too.

2) Notre Dame (12-0): I knew that the Irish were going to improve from last season, as the defense got better and they had solid QB’s in Wimbush & Book. Well early on ND’s running game got them victories as Wimbush would be…ok. They caught Michigan on an off night, and then continued to rack up wins. Then, realizing Wimbush is a good but not great, Brian Kelly started Ian Book against Wake Forest and the Irish scored 56 points. That was it, save for a Wimbush start on Senior Day against Florida State Book kept the ND train moving. But it wasn’t just the throws that made Book stand out. It was the gutsy bootlegs on third and long and all the hits he took. Even in sub-par efforts against Pitt and in particular USC Book gutted out the slumps and have put ND on the verge of history. Can they beat Clemson? It will take a VERY tall order, but with this team anything is possible.

3) Washington State (10-2): All the hoopla in the state of Washington when the season started was on Jake Browning & the Huskies. Certainly not the Cougars & their mustachioed QB Gardner Minchew and his 4,477 yards passing. They overcame the early loss to USC and rolled through all the ranked Pac-12 teams (Stanford & Oregon in particular) and was ready to book tickets to Pasadena (or maybe even a CFP game). Then the dreadful Apple Cup performance and Browning again got the last laugh. Browning finished 4-0 in his career against Washington State. Now instead of a Big 6 bowl, they will go to San Antonio for an Alamo Bowl date with Iowa State. Should be a fun one, but in what was Mike Leach’s final season he made Wazoo fans happy.

LOGAN

1) Kentucky (9-3): No one came as out of nowhere this year than the Kentucky Wildcats. Lead by RB Benny Snell Jr., the Wildcats have won 9 games this season, something they haven’t done in quite sometime. They will meet the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Citrus Bowl to get to the 10 win mark, which will be an amazing feat for head coach Mark Stoops and his team to have accomplished.

2) Florida (9-3): Florida is a team who made a coaching change this past year, bringing in Dan Mullen from Mississippi State. While I had full belief that he would get things turned around, I had no idea how quickly he would make an impact. He was able to guide the Gators to 9 wins and a berth in the Peach Bowl against Michigan. While work needs to be done to overtake the Georgia Bulldogs atop the SEC East, this first season for Mullen in Gainesville is a good sign of things to come.

3) Syracuse (9-3): Like with my other two surprise the Syracuse Orange were able to win 9 games. This team was only team to beat Clemson last year in the regular season, and came pretty damn close to doing it again. They were pretty much the only team to give Clemson a battle when it came to ACC play. Eric Dungey lead the Orange to 9 wins as I said before and will face West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl.

DISAPPOINTMENTS:

SCOTT

1) Penn State (9-3): Now, 9-3 is nothing to sneeze at. But James Franklin was expecting big things in Happy Valley this year. Sure Saquon Barkley’s gone but they still had Trace McSorley and a really good defense that should have competed for a Big 10 title and a playoff spot. Instead they blew a lead at home to Ohio State and laid stinkers against the two Michigan teams. By then McSorley’s bloom fell off the rose. The Nittany Lions played out the string with wins, and will face Kentucky New Year’s Day. But you feel they should have finished better.

2) Miami, Part 1 (7-5): Logan & I both need to pounce on Mark Richt’s mediocre campaign that definitely should have ended better than a Pinstripe Bowl appearance. Were they better than Clemson going into the season? No, but they were expected to at least make them sweat and pounce on the other teams in the conference. Even losing the opener to LSU wasn’t that big a deal, but then after five straight wins they slumped through four weeks of utter misery, including losses to Virginia & Duke. They rebounded to defeat Pitt in the season finale, the team that took what should have been Miami’s spot in the ACC Championship. QB play was inconsistent and the Red Zone offense was atrocious. So they head to the Bronx instead of to Dallas or Miami.

3) UCLA (3-9): I have no idea what the hell happened here. Chip Kelly probably shouldn’t still have a job, but Justin Frye was promoted to Offensive Coordinator after this Bruins team opened the year 0-5 and other than a 7 point loss to Washington none of the games were close. They did win the annual Battle of LA with USC, so there was a silver lining to this abysmal season. However, tensions will be high in Westwood this season as Kelly’s job is definitely on the line.

LOGAN

1) Mississippi State (8-4): This year in Starkville was supposed to be something special. While winning 8 games (possibly 9) is nothing to complain about, the team that Joe Moorehead inherited was one that was thought to challenge Alabama for the SEC West. The defense didn’t disappoint as they were statistically the best defense in the country. The offense is where this team struggled. In the games that the Bulldogs lost, the offense seemed to disappear, only mustering 16 points across the 4 losses they suffered. As a Bulldogs fan I will never cry over 8 or possibly 9 wins but it just feels like this season could’ve been so much more.

2) Miami, Part 2 (7-5): The season didn’t get off to a great start for the Hurricanes, as they were whipped from pillar to post by the LSU Tigers. While LSU ended up being a good team, that isn’t why this Miami team was a disappointment. They were heavy favorites in the ACC Coastal, with no real competition other than Virginia Tech on the horizon. Once they suffered for losses in a row in late October and early November, the division title dreams were all but gone. And while they were able to still win 7 games and finish the season on a 2 game win streak, this season was one where they were expected to be division winners and playoff contenders so all in all it ended up being a disappointment.

3) Wisconsin (7-5): Like Miami above, Wisconsin had high aspirations of not only winning their conference but going on to be in playoff and contend for a national title. A surprising early September upset to BYU derailed the Badgers season, as they weren’t every really able to recover. Again like Miami above they were still heavy favorites in their conference division, but fell victim to an incredibly hot Northwestern team. They will be playing the Miami Hurricanes in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, but it may as well be the Disappointment Bowl because both sides know if they had lived up to the hype this could’ve been a playoff semifinal.

Scott’s Bowl Picks to watch: 1) Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl: Fresno State vs. Arizona State (Looking forward to seeing the Bulldogs end their fun season on a high note) 2) Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs. Army (When was the last time Army won 11 games in a season? It could happen if they beat the Cougars) 3) New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Miami vs. Wisconsin (As stated above, Mark Richt needs to end the year on a high note) 4) Camping World Bowl: West Virginia vs. Syracuse (Fun game with two fun offenses, when they’re on) 5) College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (Well duh)

Logan’s Bowl Picks to watch: 1) Fiesta Bowl: Central Florida vs. LSU (UCF going up against another SEC team in a bowl game again will be interesting) 2) Outback Bowl: Iowa vs. Mississippi State (Two of the best defenses in country and two powerful ground games should make this one interesting to see who overpowers who) 3) Orange Bowl: Alabama vs. Oklahoma (As if this one being a playoff semifinal doesn’t make this one exciting enough, we have the two top Heisman finalist in the same game and I’m sure Tua will be in the mindset to prove the voters they chose the wrong guy. 4) Camping World Bowl: Syracuse vs West Virginia (This is a matchup of two incredibly high powered offenses and should feature a lot of points) 5) Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota vs Georgia Tech (This is Paul Johnson’s last game with the Yellow Jackets, so it should interesting to see if he pulls out anything crazy with his already incredible option attack)

[afoolsingenuity]

Five Reasons To… Read And Love You’re Welcome, Universe

I recently read an absolutely fantastic book. I bought it by mistake (sometimes you add stuff to your basket and click buy when you intended to just save it until later) but I had no regrets in buying it. Once I began I knew I would love it. The style of writing and the characters themselves and then the fantastic story all added up to hook me right in. I couldn’t figure out the words to explain my love for this book and then I remembered I like to rave about books and the perfect way to do it was give you all five reasons to read it.

You’re Welcome, Universe – Whitney Gardner Published: 7th March 2017 Source: Bought Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult My Rating:

A vibrant, edgy, fresh new YA voice for fans of More Happy Than Not and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, packed with interior graffiti.

When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up with a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural.

Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up.

Out in the ’burbs, Julia paints anywhere she can, eager to claim some turf of her own. But Julia soon learns that she might not be the only vandal in town. Someone is adding to her tags, making them better, showing off—and showing Julia up in the process. She expected her art might get painted over by cops. But she never imagined getting dragged into a full-blown graffiti war.

Told with wit and grit by debut author Whitney Gardner, who also provides gorgeous interior illustrations of Julia’s graffiti tags, You’re Welcome, Universe introduces audiences to a one-of-a-kind protagonist who is unabashedly herself no matter what life throws in her way.

Diversity Out The Wazoo

Seriously, I loved the fact that this book wasn’t trying to tick the diversity box. It didn’t force it but instead simply was. The main character was deaf, and she was proud of being part of the Deaf community. She didn’t see why she had to change herself to fit the ‘hearies’ instead she questioned why she had to adapt to their world. She was also an Indian MC with two moms and that wasn’t a big deal. She was accepted by those around her and she accepted herself and that was awesome. I know one of the biggest complaints about the publishing world is the lack of representation as people fail to see characters who are like them. This book definitely succeeds in showing that it isn’t difficult to include diversity as this one does it without it being a problem.

The thing I really loved about this book was the fact that there were multiple characters who were deaf and the fact that they were all part of the Deaf community and it was just awesome. I especially loved her moms. That’s a whole other point, though.

Present Parents

Now, having lesbian parents in a book is not ground-breaking. I loved it but the actual reason I loved Julia’s parents is actually because they were so present and involved in her life. One of my biggest pet peeves in YA books is when parents are just utterly absent. I mean, I get parents being the enemy in YA, they so often feel that way as a teenager. I get bored of seeing bad parents in books, though. I know they feel like the enemy but most parents aren’t bad ones and I do find the whole bad parent trope boring. To see Julia’s two moms suspicious of her, checking up on her and inspecting her bag was great because that’s what parents do. When you get expelled from a school you don’t get complete trust from your parents and I liked that. I liked seeing Julia sitting with her parents over a meal and chatting about her day and getting annoyed with them when it feels like they’re spying. I liked seeing genuine family life with one parent who feels a little guilty and gives small gifts, like cool new boots, even if they aren’t necessarily deserved. I want that kind of parent in YA because that is the kind I know and recognise. I want more awesome parents and strong family bonds.

The Integration of Art Into The Story

Art, graffiti more specifically, plays a major part in this story and so the fact the book features artwork throughout to demonstrate art from the story was fantastic. I am not always the best at visualising things in a book so I really enjoy seeing things to support the story. The only thing which would have made it better was if the artwork was in colour (I would buy a special edition if they did that). It felt like the colour of the artwork would have added something a bit extra as a lot of thought went into the colour choices. That may just be me, though.

The Friendship

I love when a book features friendship of any kind and this one is all about friendship. This is most definitely a book where our MC Julia learns no man is an island. She forms this fantastic friendship with YP without intending to and it was awesome. She connects with her purely on accident and then the friendship she develops is brilliant not only for her but YP as they both accept each other just as they are, something they haven’t had much of previously.

There is also an element of toxic friendship and often who we view as friends can take advantage. Often toxic friends aren’t acknowledged but this time it is and Julia goes kind of an extreme way of showing she is better friend (and some might question if what she does makes her a worse person) but it was satisfying to see the contrast between good friendship and bad and even when a good friend betrays you it is very different to just having a bad friend. Just everything about friendship in this book is right.

The Story Felt Real

Okay, we can’t all relate to graffiti artist dreams and I got confused about some of the slang used (it made me feel old and out of touch) but Julia felt like a very real character. She was a teenager who acted selfishly and impulsively and didn’t think about others all of the time but she felt like a real teenage girl. She could be selfish but then she would go out of her way for YP even when she didn't truly consider her a friend at that point. She could do something to prove a point and act like a crazy self-destructive psycho but also be really sweet. it was insane and I love that because that is how you act as a teenager. Consequences come later and I loved the path she took to apologise. I just really enjoyed it.

Bonus:

Learning Deaf Culture

I cannot say for certain, I know no one who is deaf, but I felt like a lot of work went into making the representation of the Deaf community accurate. Like the alarm clock where it seemed like an earthquake and the way, there are short names for people which get chosen for you. The way that too often when you have an interpreter with you people will speak and look at the interpreter rather than looking at who is doing the talking. It was small, it was the little things like people muttering about Julia’s use of her phone to type communication as the youth of today and the embarrassment of learning she’s deaf. And her quick dismissal of having an implant to hear when she feels she’s not missing anything by not hearing. And her outrage at the ESL class and how much she didn’t enjoy English with all the grammar rules. Just every part of Deaf culture and the difference between being deaf and being Deaf was amazing.

As you can see I loved this book and I think you will too. It is a fantastic read which is real and interesting and included characters which felt real. Have you read this, what did you think? And can you recommend books which will make me just as excited to read?

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