#trading stories

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

the fact that shakespeare was a playwright is sometimes so funny to me. just the concept of the "greatest writer of the English language" being a random 450-year-old entertainer, a 16th cent pop cultural sensation (thanks in large part to puns & dirty jokes & verbiage & a long-running appeal to commoners). and his work was made to be watched not read, but in the classroom teachers just hand us his scripts and say "that's literature"

just...imagine it's 2450 A.D. and English Lit students are regularly going into 100k debt writing postdoc theses on The Simpsons screenplays. the original animation hasn't even been preserved, it's literally just scripts and the occasional SDH subtitles.txt. they've been republished more times than the Bible

[sunshineandlyrics]

hello :) could you maybe explain a little bit how dan wootton blackmailed louis?

ugh sorry for taking a while to get to this. The problem is I feel like the only two ways to answer this are by spending a week and a half of full time labor sifting through old posts and evidence to get every detail right and lay out an airtight case, or to halfass something very serious, and so I felt a little stuck. So since I can't seem to find a good halfway point, apologies but here is the half assed version, if you want to get into it more I invite you to do your own deep dive or talk to other people, but here's how I remember things. Louis has almost never on video explicitly said things about Larry not being real and/or anything negative about fans and their theories (mostly the opposite), up until the last couple years when he obviously decided to make a major change he didn't talk about Freddie much at all let alone saying he was his kid, honestly not that much about Eleanor even; except for in two major interviews with Dan Wootton, each of which lined up with a serious traumatic Tomlinson family event that they managed to keep out of the tabloids until the very end (Jay's illness and Fizzy's struggles with substance abuse). After the fact of those events a lot of small things that didn't make sense at the time came together to look very much like Louis traded those interviews (and those answers) for having his family's private matters kept private. Story trading of this kind is a publicly known real thing that happens, and there were various clues that suggested he was being leaned on about those stories to lend legitimacy to the idea that it was something that happened in these cases. Given what we know about Dan Wootton and how he operates even before the recent flood of information and even more now, I think it's more than likely that he has been holding the threat of outing Louis (as he has done to many other public figures) over his head for over a decade, and has used his family's tragic struggles to get Louis to dance like a fucking puppet for him and I will REJOICE at his downfall when it comes whether it is now or 20 years from now... because someday it will, he has made too many enemies to stay above it forever

[thetomorrowshow]

hello malevolent podcast fandom. i have listened to the first 6 episodes.

[looney-mooney-studio]

Thinking about that one joke in the Book of Bill that implied Bill might be the biological father of the Flynn kids. Thinking about how Linda Flynn had a secret career as a famous astrophysicist at one point. Thinking about how we don’t know exactly what Bill was doing in the 90s, and how he seems to want to skim over that part of his life, after Ford broke up with him for good but before the twins showed up in Gravity Falls.

Thinking about how Bill frequently hung out with famous musicians. Thinking about Linda, a brilliant young woman fresh off a bizarre pop star career, wanting to make a name for herself that ISN’T Lindana, might have found a new direction with an old friend (before he showed her his true colors.)

Thinking about Bill, fresh off a devastating breakup, trying again one more time to get SOMEONE on Earth to make him a portal. Trying to make the plan WORK. Trying to get a home for his friends in the face of a home dimension that was being destroyed (again). Having someone who’s COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the man he was obsessed with, but who was no less brilliant and no less capable. (But, unfortunately for him, MUCH less gullible.)

Thinking about how Linda doesn’t want people to know about her former career as a famous astrophysicist. How she keeps this secret, even better than she did her past as Lindana. How she keeps the lid on this even TIGHTER. How she’s almost bitter about it. As if something HAPPENED.

I’m not saying Bill Cipher WAS Linda’s partner of at least five years, even going so far as to start a family with her before she saw his true colors and filed some sort of Uber-effective inter-dimensional restraining order against him, one-upping him so hard that he doesn’t even wanna think about it, but. Holy shit. Imagine

[herrmannhalsteadproduction]

Most guardian angels have it easy.

Kevin Lee, on the other hand, is constantly chasing after Howie and working his ass off to try and keep him alive. He still gets headaches from absorbing most of that rebar damage.

Who knew angels could get headaches? That was fun to learn.

After the bridge collapse, once Howie's safe and on the mend again, Kevin sits on top of the 118, legs swinging over the edge as he looks up at the night sky.

"Do you think you could give these guys a break?" he calls out. "Maybe for just a little bit?"

"That's a great question."

Kevin startles at the voice, almost tumbling off the roof.

"Sorry." A guy comes into view, chuckling as he sits down beside him. His hair is weirdly singed and he has no eyebrows at all.

When Kevin squints, he actually thinks he can see a little smoke coming off of him.

"Hey," the guy says, holding out a hand to shake. "Daniel Buckley. Nice to meet you."

"Kevin Lee." He grasps Daniel's hand, jolting at the shock it gives him.

"Sorry," Daniel says, smiling ruefully. "Still taking awhile to shake that."

Right. The lightning strike. Kevin had heard Howie talking about that.

"Yours puts you through it too, huh?"

"The stories I could tell," Daniel laughs.

"Bet you mine are better," Kevin says.

Daniel grins again, eyes glinting with something that would've put a lesser angel off. "I'll take that bet."

[sockedrocks]

wahaugh…. them….

[vertigoartgore]

The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told Vol.1 TPB cover by cover artist Walt Simonson (1988).

[mochii-derogatory]

ive been watching the dog motif show... why is no one talking about this guy. isaac lahey come home from france,,,, sweet boy,,,, we miss you,,,

[karmicpunishment]

atsushi starts taking some college classes and meets some friends and one turns out to be one of kunikidas former students

[seraphicghost]

my oc April! she's just a sweetie!!

[minniiaa]

One piece fanfic writers deserve more credit because if we want to write in canon we have to remember 26 years and 1000+ chapters/episodes of content. Like we are in the MINES over here trying to recall minor plot points and side characters from this behemoth of a story.

[cobra-wives]

that scene with the lawrence-diaz fam with robby and the high school counselor makes me wanna throw up in my mouth. tell me you actually don't understand the education system without telling me

like. that counselor fucking sucks?? pigeonholing your students to one fucking academic route, when she can be providing options. robby has an entire family of support. the state of california has one of the LEAST rigorous graduation requirements - less math and science than the national average - robby should be fine to close out the year and graduate with his friends with just enough credits, PLUS some if he's made them up from his junior year with summer school and online credits.

messing up the education system with college plots like this like "oh, these are the hs classes im taking" "here's where i'm going to college" "will i be able to graduate" without actually considering the alternative paths that prospective students (their viewers) are taking is actually so fucking stupid. it only makes teenagers feel anxious and pinholed to one academic path and representing those alternative routes for a student to take would be really helpful to some people whose minds aren't singled on UNIVERSITY. it's just super reflective of reality when people try to push the commoncore pathway on kids when everyone's academic journey is super unique and dependent on what the kid needs.

if this show wants to bring this plot in, they could at least stand to do it fucking right instead of trying to fit its scapegoat character into a one-shoe-fits-all non-college solution to all their post-secondary education madness.

(also, high school counselors should be OFFERING. OPTIONS. NOT PIGEONHOLING. it's already very obvious that she sucks, but do BETTER, blatt.)

[inubaki]

Adam Dies

"Charlotte Morningstar, I presume?" Lilith asked, her voice cool and collected. They all watch as the demon yelps and falls to the floor, paper flying everywhere. That's when it hits Adam. This was the day she proposed her passion project, the Hazbin Hotel. A place to help redeem sinners so they won't be killed in the next Extermination.

He was also reminded about how he treated her project. She had every right to hurt him. It didn't make him any less afraid of her. So, when she turned curious eyes to him he flinched and refused to look at her.

"I see you're interested in my pet." Charlie looked up at the word and repeated it. "Pet?"

A golden leash appeared around Adam's collar and he was yanked into her embrace with a whimper.

"Yes. Pet. He makes the most delightful noises when I use him." His face was obscured by how it was shoved into her collarbone so he didn't see the Princess's face or how she reacted to that. And if he were honest with himself? He didn't want to know.

——

an art trade with @libby-for-life. Hopefully you like it! (If not, I’m so sorry!)

[ratasum]

Maybe they're born with it. Maybe it's horrific experimentation dragon magic Maybelline.

Two handsome commanders with their incredibly glamorous ponytails. Rhenn and Wysma have some of the prettiest hair in Tyria, and I think they have the right to show it off now and then. A little gift (and accidental art trade) for @rosewoodroad!

[corellianhounds]

Some headcanons for Mando:

Anything he uses to shower or wash his clothes with is unscented. Those scent-neutralizer dryer sheets keep his clothes from smelling like anything that can be detected while he’s on a hunt. Very few species are exempt from being unable to detect him

He keeps a clean ship and a strict schedule. He’s been self-sufficient and on his own for long enough he knows how to cook and take care of himself. Keeping your tools, gear, weapons, armor, and ship in clean, efficient working order means you’re less likely to have to spend time fixing one of them when it breaks from your lack of routine maintenance, and his body is just another tool in his arsenal; sleep, food, necessary medical care, staying limber and getting vitamin D at some point all go a long way towards ensuring he can last longer in the field. You can’t run something ragged every day and expect for that to be sustainable.

That also means he’s well-equipped to handle long stints without different necessities when needed from time to time; you can push yourself pretty far when you’re already in prime condition.

Wilderness survival skills were some of the first things he learned while being brought up by the Mandalorians. Being aware of your surroundings, setting up and breaking down camp, foraging and hunting for food, building impromptu shelters, purifying water, navigating and tracking, having a variety of general and specific medical knowledge— All of those skills are building blocks for self-sufficiency. You never know when you’re going to be alone or thrust into survival scenarios, so it pays to be prepared.

That also means he’s capable of stomaching a wide variety of what some might consider inedible. Beggars can’t be choosers, and it’s rude to decline someone’s offer of food or hospitality so in any scenario where food is in short supply and/or it’s been offered to him, he’s taking it. As long as it’s something he knows humans can digest, he’s open to whatever cultural or regional dishes his travels have to offer, and he’ll muscle through the less pleasant tastes or textures of food he’s had to make do with when he didn’t have other options.

He does know how to make food taste good, but that more often than not requires more spices and ingredients and hardware than he can afford or spare the room for, so he makes do without. Once the kid comes along he branches out a bit more to make sure he gets some variety.

Along the lines of self-sufficiency and independence, he has a lot of general repair skills: you may not always have somebody who can fix things for you, and he obviously isn’t going to pay somebody else to do something he’s capable of learning, except for when he’s short on time or resources. We see him working on the interior circuitry of his armor in the second episode. He knows how to bypass and pick locks. He has the electrical, mechanical, and structural know-how to fix his ship and would know how to weld and use a torch cutter and a variety of other tools, but it also means he’d know how to sew and mend his clothes. Soft goods are just as necessary as hardware.

Injuries where he genuinely needs professional medical care are few and far in between partially because he’s very good at what he does, and partially out of necessity. Though it is by choice, him tending to his own wounds may not necessarily be because he is neglectful or prideful or has a penchant for pain; medcenters cost money, and submitting to that care means he is vulnerable and at risk of somebody breaking his creed by force, or doing more damage when he can’t fight back. It’s why he likely refuses anesthesia or anything that will put him under and make him unaware of what’s happening while he’s asleep. Either he will find somebody he’s close to to help him, or he will find a way to muscle through self-administered medical care yet again, or he will die from his injuries (which means he will have gone down because of a fight)

Though he has a few physical reference materials and logs he’s written down important details in, a vast majority of his knowledge concerning trade routes, ballistics, geography, maps, various customs and cultures and languages, Guild bylaws— anything he could possibly need to know for a hunt— is committed to memory. He travels light, and the Mandalorians have an oral history more than a written one; belongings and archives can be destroyed, but their people live on and carry the knowledge that’s been passed down through centuries. It just makes more sense to him to commit everything to memory.

That being said, he does a significant amount of research before each hunt anyway, though the bulk of it is centered around the target themselves. Having all of your prep work done means the acquisition itself will go smoother.

He’s mathematically sharp: engine repair, manual piloting, vector calculus, electrical work, ballistics, basic engineering, weapons maintenance, financial management, and navigation by maps or by stars take a lot of mental acuity to understand and apply as quickly as he usually has to use them.

He’s not going to back down from others who purposefully encroach on his personal space, but he dislikes being in close proximity to strangers for extended periods of time. So much of his life is spent evading threats and fighting off challengers it’s hard to trust anybody to be that close. It’s not an aversion so much as it is an irritation that makes him tense. When you’re always looking over your shoulder, it’s just reflex to act defensively.

He doesn’t drink alcohol or caf unless he has sufficient time and he’s secure in the Crest without worry of attack; both impede his marksmanship and reflexes, neither of which are things he can afford while he’s working, so it’s usually only when he’s traveling through space that he’ll indulge

He doesn’t sing, but once the kid comes along he’s found that it’s easier to get him to sleep when he hums as he holds him and walks around the cargo hold.

[nordickies]

The thought of “young Nations desperately wanting answers about their existence, find a purpose and a place/community to belong to" makes me go insane every time I think about it