#truly iconic Tumblr behaviour

[prosciuttulipa]

I first gained traction with my A How To Guide to Loving Prosciutto character study, and I saw someone reblog it today saying that they'd want a Risotto one?? (sorry user who reblogged you know who you are, apologies if you don't like being perceived, it made me very happy tho!!)

I think my writing style has changed since I first started (four years of a creative writing degree will do that to ya), but the idea of doing a character study of these characters and how it'd be like to actually be their partner does sound REAL appealing!! if you know what I'm saying!! also might be a cool way to reflect on the changed style!

I think in general I'm much more drawn to in depth character exploration—like I love these freaky deaky little fucked up men and their fucked up problems and getting myself involved in them! I like how they're very human and full of flaws, and I fully intend on capitalizing on them mwahahahaha

anyway like/interact with this post if you would like another 'A How To Guide on Loving [insert character here]', and also maybe which character you'd like it for! or just any content you want in general! it's been a long time since I've written for these fellas, so gotta warm up these knuckles before I take a crack at em again

[dear-ao3]

(to saph) dude i think you need to think about why you’re so offended by someone making a lighthearted joke as queer internet people often do about your sexuality? yeah it was parasocial but that’s like What People Are Like and you truly could’ve just been like ‘lmao i’m straight saph is just my name’. referring to urself as sapphic online and having nicknames based off it as a wlw person is extremely common - anon was jumping to a conclusion, sure, but not being actively malicious it was just a joke a queer person thought they were making to another queer person. and then to respond to that with ‘i literally have a whole ass boyfriend’ like sapphic people…. can’t be attracted to men? like okay? that’s not… relevant? having a boyfriend ≠ being straight and this is weird behaviour coming from a straight person. i’m truly not trying to be rude or aggressive i’m a fan of your blog i just think that if you’re straight interacting with the lgbt community you need to think about what you’re saying and if you’re reiterating harmful stereotypes

hello anon.

if you have followed me for quite some time you would know that this is not the first time people on the internet have done things like this. i have explained myself a great many times as to why i dont like it, but i dont know where the original post is so ill do it again.

its weird? as i said, real people run this blog, dont make hcs about me. (this is not the only one ive gotten either, people are insistent that my boyfriend is a bi icon (hes also straight) and that katya and i were dating (we have never) etc etc)

this is tumblr, if people want you to know their sexuality its in their bio.

i was bullied by someone from 6th-12th grade about how i was "definitely gay" and "didn't like men" and "couldn't be straight" and "no saph you're definitely at least bi" and "why are you talking about being attracted to men, you dont like them" when i was too young to and didnt have the means to explore my own sexuality just because they thought being straight was a cardinal sin. what people can mean as a lighthearted joke is ultimately not funny, especially when people tell you to stop or that it is not funny.

i have never once posted anything about my sexuality being anything other than straight (and even then ive hardly said that). so i dont know why its okay to come into my inbox and make said jokes (if i had posted that i was not straight then it would be a different story)

i am not a homophobic person. i do not give a flying fuck what anyones sexuality is. that does not affect me or my personal life. what does affect my personal life is when people try to force labels upon me that i have said a great many times do not fit me or my life

[itscrazy-itsparty]

ESC2023 Reaction Post

Just like the title said, I'm writing this post as I listen to most of the 2023 entries for the first time. So far, I have only heard Italy (of course), Spain, Finland, Serbia, Portugal (I just couldn't miss their national finals), and Norway (heard it in the wild).

My top 6 of these entries would look like this:

1. Finland: Käärijä - "Cha Cha Cha"

I've definitely caught the Cha Cha Cha fever! At this point, I've streamed it 240 times in less than a month. It's an instant dopamine boost, it hits several spots of my taste in music, the transition between the two halves of the song is seamless and reflects the lyrics perfectly (I recommend Eurovision Histories' analysis of the song, he explains it really well), Käärijä is such a charismatic performer and an absolute sweetheart, but most of all...

2. Spain: Blanca Paloma - "Eaea"

I rarely cry over a song, so when one does manage to get my eyes wet, it must be special. The fusion between flamenco and a contemporary production, together with Blanca Paloma's flawless and intense vocals, make "Eaea" a contender not only in my ears, but also in my eyes, as the staging completes the package effectively. Hopefully she doesn't change it much for Liverpool!

3. Serbia: Luke Black - "Samo Mi Se Spava"

It seems like Konstrakta might have paved the way for a more experimental side of the Serbian music scene! I first heard "Samo Mi Se Spava" at Pesma za Evroviziju's final and, while I loved the dark electro-pop style, I was also left a little confused - maybe it was the vocals that I couldn't fully get? But with more listens, I've now warmed up to it. Its only flaw is that it's too short. Give me a 7-minute long extended mix with a drop going absolutely bonkers, please.

4. Italy: Marco Mengoni - "Due Vite"

Yes, it's a classic Sanremo-style ballad. But the artist can make or break this kind of songs with their way of singing, and Marco definitely makes it with his distinctive vocals and artistry. While he has a bunch of upbeat bangers and I would have loved him to show this different side of his music this time around, I really can't complain as "Due Vite" makes yet another entry we can be proud of. Forza Marco!

5. Portugal: Mimicat - "Ai Coração"

This keeps growing on me! Such a cute and classy song, retro sounding in the best way. Portugal is one of my favourite country in the ESC, and "Ai coração" is faithful to their brand. Mimicat is such an endearing performer and definitely sells the song!

6. Norway: Alessandra - "Queen of Kings"

It's 'last' as for now, but I'm sure it won't be last in my overall ranking! In fact, I can't see it dropping outside of my top 20 once I've heard all of the entries. Epic feel, pumping bass, powerful vocals - I wouldn't be surprised if "Queen of Kings" landed the second top 10 placement in a row for Norway. Bonus points for Alessandra being half Italian!

Needless to say, I really enjoy all of these songs. It feels so hard for me to imagine a personal winner other than "Cha Cha Cha", but maybe I'll be surprised...

Now to my live reaction to the remaining 31 entries: what I'm going to do is play ESCBEAT's Spotify playlist on shuffle without looking at the title, so I'll make it even more interesting for myself and try to guess which country's song is playing - with the exceptions of Armenia and San Marino, as they're not available on Spotify yet so I'll check them out individually on YouTube.

Armenia: Brunette - "Future Lover"

Ok, before the song starts, let me say that basing her song on Tumblr quotes is honestly iconic behaviour. Truly one of us. However I fear I won't be able to take it 100% seriously after reading this fact.

Alright.

After listening: you know what... it makes a lot more sense to me now. The first verse can be interpreted as her scrolling her dashboard, reading such posts and fantasizing over this ideal partner to do all of these cute and mundane things with. The second verse is when she gets hit by reality and acknowledges that she's spent so much time obsessing over someone who doesn't even exist, and that realization hits her hard. The music seems to explode together with the racing thoughts in her mind. Solid, r&b-tinted track, has potential to be a memorable moment on the Liverpool stage. Oh, and once again Armenia shows that they're capable to make a music video.

San Marino: Piqued Jacks - "Like an Animal"

I have already read the lyrics to that, and they are definitely Something™. Let's see if the music and the performance can make up for it...

I was expecting so much worse from what I've read around the eurofandom spaces? It's a pleasant, very well sung rock song. The lyrics didn't even bother me that much while listening, although they're kinda awkward indeed. Maybe they'll change them up in the upcoming revamp?

Now to shuffling the Spotify playlist.

Sweden: Loreen - "Tattoo"

Oh, this has to be Tattoo. The start is indeed a bit reminiscing of The Winner Takes It All! It's what Sweden can do best - a strong pop song with slick production, in which Loreen's personality and artistry is the added value. I wish she had presented something more experimental, but seeing how it went with "Statements", can we really blame her? "Tattoo" does sound like a jury winner, and it would surely be deserved. I'm sure it's even better live - I'll make sure to check her Melfest performance out!

Australia: Voyager - "Promise"

Have no idea of what this could be, but the sound is interesting. Hope the build-up does not disappoint.

Okay, it has to be Australia! I was expecting it to evolve into a full-on dance-pop song, lmao.

I'm digging this! "Dreamer" was a national final favourite of mine last year, and while I'm not sure I like "Promise" more, I still did like it a lot, and I can hear some common patterns between the two songs - poppier verses, the chorus suddenly getting heavier, and then the peak in the breakdown and the final chorus. Oh, and there's a short but sweet guitar solo in here! I wonder how it will be received on the ESC stage, as it might come across as confusing to some.

Slovenia: Joker Out - "Carpe Diem"

Is this Joker Out? I've been SO curious to hear their song, as I heard some of their back catalogue and it sounds really cool.

OMG I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. Such a strong indie-rock banger, reminiscent of what I used to hear on the alternative radio stations in the mid 00s, but still sounding fresh in 2023. Also Slovene sounds adorable together with rock music. It's been absolutely worth the wait! I NEED THIS TO QUALIFY OKAY.

Austria: Teya & Salena - "Who the Hell Is Edgar"

OH MY GOD YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD WRITER. Yeah, recognized it instantly. MASSIVE BOP ALREADY. Was... not expecting this opera bit.

POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE EDGAR ALLAN EDGAR ALLAN

Everyone stand up for the new Austrian anthem. Honestly iconic. Loving it unironically, great production, love me some satire, and I trust them to deliver live. Hope they go bonkers with the staging. I feel like ranking these entries is going to be hell...

Switzerland: Remo Forrer - "Watergun"

Oh, piano intro.

Army mention. Switzerland, isn't it?

Not bad, just sounds kinda cliché so far... very nice voice though. Can't see myself replaying it. Probably going to end up in my bottom 10.

Georgia: Iru - "Echo"

This is a banging intro, I'm listening respectfully.

...Georgia?

There's going to be a drop, I hope so...

I'm... disappointed so far? Not really hearing the build-up I was hoping for. It seems to be a fan favourite, but I'm not getting it. Maybe it will grow on me, who knows?

Moldova: Pasha Parfeni - "Soarele si Luna"

ROMANIAN. Has to be Pasha. Another song I was eager to hear!

THE DROP. THANKS FOR MY DAILY DOSE OF DOPAMINE. THIS IS SO GOOD HELP. The bass, the flute, the backing vocals, everything. This might be my favourite Moldovan entry ever. Pasha Parfeni came on this bitch mad as hell. Welcome back!

Azerbaijan: TuralTuranX - "Tell Me More"

Automatic voice message? This sounds kinda unserious idk why.

Oh, it has to be Azerbaijan.

I'm glad they left the artists more creative control this time around, but this is really not doing it for me. It sounds like the demo to some 90s song. My last so far. I fear this won't do well and the delegation will go back to Melfest rejects...

Ireland: Wild Youth - "We Are One"

We take our first breath and then we exhale. King of teaching us how to breathe. Can't figure out which entry this is, but it sounds cliché so far.

Oh, Ireland. Wild Youth, what have you done? I already knew their song "Can't Say No" and it's so good, are we sure it's the same band? It's like they came together and decided to deliberately write the most stereotypical ESC song. It's a no from me.

Latvia: Sudden Lights - "Aijā"

Interesting beat, wonder where it's going to go from here. Oh, guitars.

5/4 to 6/8 tempo transition? A bit confusing but in a good way, I'm enjoying it a lot! Definitely original. Could it be Latvia? I've been VERY curious to hear it.

Well, he's saying Aijā now so no doubt. First impression is really good already, but I feel like I'll end up being obsessed!

Malta: The Busker - Dance (Our Own Party)

Funky pop, nice. Enjoying it more and more as it progresses, and that sax? *chef's kiss*. It's sensual, retro but there's also something a bit futuristic about it at the same time? Still not sure about what it is, even now that the song is coming to an end. Kinda want to say Malta? I'll figure this out by exclusion. What's sure is that it slaps.

(Spoiler: it was indeed Malta)

Romania: Theodor Andrei - "D.G.T. (Off and On)"

Is it Romanian again? Thought Romania's entry was in English, so this is surprising. And it's pretty good? This was one of the entries I just couldn't figure out the vibe of from the eurofans' comments, and I'm positively surprised honestly! Was expecting it to be maybe more upbeat, definitely was not picturing this jazz-rock fusion. Oh, turns out it's bilingual. I don't know how memorable it will be in the mix, but it's solid. Such a diverse lineup so far, it's shaping up to be a stronger year than I thought!

Albania: Albina & Familja Kelmendi - "Duje"

Oh, this lady CAN vocalize! Something in the Albanian water...

I was expecting this to be more ballad-y for some reason but it's making me want to shake my ass. I feel like something in the production/mixing is holding it back a bit, though. Overall it's Albania doing Albania, and I can't complain.

Iceland: Diljá - "Power"

Iceland time, I think? I'm enjoying it a lot so far. EDM hasn't been particularly successful at ESC, but she has a lovely voice and her winning Söngvakeppnin suggests to me that she can deliver live, so this could be a dark horse!

Denmark: Reiley - "Breaking My Heart"

Very modern production for this and vocoder for this next song. Okay, this is probably Denmark. It's most likely not going to be one of my favourites, but it's a personal taste thing. It's a solid pop song, hope he can deliver it live.

Estonia: Alika - "Bridges"

Now a lovely tone of voice being accompanied by just a piano and strings. I've lost count of which songs are left to listen to, and while I'm at the last chorus, I'm still struggling to figure out which country this is. WAIT IT'S ALIKA FKFHFKFHDKDH. Girlie said "bridges" a ton of times and I didn't catch it lmao. Really liked it though! It could stand out in a less balladful year like this one.

Czechia: Vesna - "My Sister's Crown"

FINALLY HEARING VESNA'S SONG!!!! This has been so hard to resist BUT GOD HAS IT BEEN WORTH THE WAIT. I've been listening to their music for some time and I was so excited when they were announced for ESCZ. It's what I was expecting from them and more: a gorgeously sung, very well produced folk-pop tune, and the rap verses are such a great surprise! Up to my top 5 you go.

Belgium: Gustaph - "Because of You"

Gustaph delivers some good old eurodance, and I can tell this is going to be a sort of guilty pleasure for me... except I do not, in fact, feel guilty. It's the good kind of dated. Good job on bringing out the 90s kid in me!

United Kingdom: Mae Muller - "I Wrote a Song"

Sounds like slick pop so far. Oh this is building up nicely.

Yes, the UK delivering a quality, very radio-friendly host entry. They seem to be determined in changing their course, and hopefully we'll see a competent enough staging to bring out the entry's potential!

Greece: Victor Vernicos - "What They Say"

Is it Greece? Cute song, I just think I'm not the audience for it. He's really young and this seems to be his first performance on a big stage, so I'm a bit worried about how he might cope with nerves... But then again, there have been 16-year-olds who did amazing on the ESC stage, so fingers crossed!

Croatia: Let3 - "Mama ŠČ"

CROATIA TIME LET'S SEE

This is as all over the place as I was expecting, it's far from a musical masterpiece but it's clearly not meant to be. They're just vibing, and I support that.

Cyprus: Andrew Lambrou - "Break a Broken Heart"

What in the Imagine Dragons is this? Oh, that's Cyprus. This is pretty good, I just don't see myself coming back to it much. But I feel like it's the kind of song that might be elevated a lot by strong staging.

Poland TVP: Blanka - "Solo"

BEYBAH ITS KAINDA CRAYZAH.

...yeah. It's a song. I get those who say it sounds like a Margaret song, but it's also giving me early 00s vibes. At the same time, while I'm a slut for early 00s pop, this is giving me nothing. And the context around it makes everything worse.

Israel: Noa Kirel - "Unicorn"

I've heard "Unicorn" is a messy song, now I'll get to witness it for myself. So far it's a respectable dance-pop entry, but that "power of the unicorn" sounds so random ngl.

Oh well. This is definitely a song meant FOR a staging. The breakdown after the repeated "do you want to see me dance?" line reminded me of kpop a bit. The ending was... so abrupt?

Netherlands: Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper - "Burning Daylight"

This might be the Netherlands' entry? You can surely hear Duncan Laurence in it. I was afraid it would sound too forced as a song and a duet, but it's flowing well so far. However I'm not a fan of what the drums sound like. They sound... buried? I liked it the most until the second chorus.

Germany: Lord of the Lost - "Blood & Glitter"

Metal? In MY Eurovision Song Contest? Love to hear it, especially from Germany, since it seemed like they were stuck in their safe approach to the competition. As for the song itself... maybe I'll warm up to it with time, but on a first impression, I like the intro and the verses a lot, the chorus not as much. The ending was great!

Ukraine: Tvorchi - "Heart of Steel"

Oh, what's this? Slightly off-beat chorus, very interesting!

Right, Ukraine! Tvorchi use their host entry privilege to bring something we've never heard at the ESC before, and definitely a change of pace from the folk-driven songs of the past couple of years, proving the richness of this country's music scene.

Lithuania: Monika Linkytė - "Stay"

ČIŪTOOOO TŪTO

Another returnee! Sweet ballad, really pleasant vocals. Turning into more of a midtempo now, with sort of marching drums. I can't remember which country is in which semi, but I wouldn't mind this in the grand final at all!

France: La Zarra - "Évidemment"

So far, so French. And yes, it's a compliment - I'm a French pop slut. It's now surprisingly evolved into pop-funk, and I'm loving it! France is truly on a great streak (STILL MAD ABOUT FULENN OKAY.) - maybe we'll see them win in the next few years?

Overall: what a year! I was planning to make an initial ranking, turns out I'm too overwhelmed right now. As the years go by, the songs seem to be less meant for a contest, and more as a bunch of stand-alone solid and diverse tunes that happen to compete with each other, therefore it feels unfair to choose some over others. I'll take my time to warm up to them, and see which ones I will come back to the most, which ones will grow on or off me.

I think Finland is still my favourite, though.

Most likely to end up in my top 10: Czechia (definitely top 5), Slovenia, Latvia, Moldova, Malta, Austria

[munsonthemisfit]

It’s me, I’m my own crush. Cause why not?

I’ll tag myself to make it official 😂@goldenbrownanddistasteful

Iconic behaviour, truly. Mad respect.

Who's Your Tumblr Crush?

[mooglemeet]

MOBILE RULES, KUPO!

First, thank you for taking a moment to look over the rules for MOOGLEMEET, as it allows easier processing of your promotional material and/or positivity! Please make sure to read everything as I cannot guarantee that your content will be posted if you do not. I don’t want that – you don’t want that – so let’s avoid that issue altogether!

This project was created to promote positivity. This means that hate and drama will not be tolerated on this blog and any attempts to promote such (whether through asks/submissions) will be deleted and offending users will be blocked. Though I understand not everyone is going to get along, this is not a place to promote hate and/or bashing.

DISCLAIMER: MOOGLEMEET is not opposed to healthy discourse as long as all parties are respectful and discussion is constructive. This is a case by case basis, but I only ask you remember that there is always another person behind the screen! Be excellent to each other.

In the case of toxicity exhibited by members of the community (predatory/repeated instances of unacceptable behaviour backed with evidence) then the user will be blocked from the blog and any content pertaining to them will be deleted. If you need to make a claim about an abuser, please use the submissions page with links and/or photographic evidence.

It is extremely important that all claims of toxicity are backed with evidence. I can’t process a claim without it. However, the anonymity of the victims will be preserved to keep them safe, and most cases will be handled privately unless the user(s) in question are notable figures in the community with evidence publicly available. In that instance, information will be provided to keep users safe.

How do I get involved?

For preexisting ads, it can be as simple as tagging @mooglemeet at the end of your post! As long as I see your ad, I can place it in the queue. There is also the option of submitting your link through Tumblr, google forms or IM'ing the blog, which should guarantee that I receive the post in question. Please do not send me links via asks! Tumblr tends to eat those.

PLEASE NOTE: Tumblr’s activity has been wonky as of late and doesn’t always tell me if the blog has been tagged. Because of this, your content may be missed. If this happens, don’t hesitate to let me know!

Additionally, there is always the option of submitting the full ad to mooglemeet to be posted. All I ask that is the relevant information is included to link back to your blog. For templates, a good starting point is balmungrp’s lfrp template #1, which can be found here.

Positivity can be sent through asks, provided it fits the character limit! Otherwise, you can submit or tag the blog depending on your preference.

Lastly, I will also check popular server-specific tags for advertisements or positivity. If your content was featured and you want it taken down, please send me an ask and it will be done asap. The current tags I check are:

Balmung Mateus Crystal-RP

However, if any servers beyond these two become popular RP locations, I will begin to check them out frequently as well. Don’t hesitate to nominate!

Disclaimer.

Final Fantasy XIV is owned and operated by Square Enix. This blog is a fansite/resource and in no way is affiliated or represents the company. The banner/icon(s) you see were created by yours truly. This blog uses the theme incandescence by glenthemes. All characters are the intellectual property of their owners.

These rules are subject to change at any point depending on incident or need for clarity. Please make sure you are up to date and familiar with them before engaging with this blog!

[5hadowcs]

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING RULES CAREFULLY.   THANK YOU. 001.   i do not claim the rights to anything related to top gun: maverick or the franchise as a whole.   while the prior is specified,   i’d like to note that this character is an original creation therefore what i do take pride in and call my own is the biography,   hc’s,   meta’s,   analysis + writing pieces   (including but not limited to the roleplay threads themselves)   which are not available to public use.   nor are any graphics that you see on my blog.   it should go without saying   —   and am only reiterating due to past issues   —   i do not tolerate stealing of these things in any form.   i will approach you privately about it if i see that you are. 002.   this blog is mutually exclusive,   plot - driven,   and independent.   i will not follow everyone nor will i follow everyone back.   i’ve been on tumblr for many years and have found that the smaller the dash,   the better i am at creating a space where i not only feel safe and comfortable,   but enjoy myself.   i’m simply trying to make the most of my time.   it does not serve me or my writing to pretend otherwise.   please do not interact with my posts if we are not mutuals.   sometimes it does take me (48-72 hours) to follow someone back.   i also usually go through my list at least once every two weeks to softblock those who i do not wish to follow in order to avoid confusion.   i promise it’s nothing personal.

slow reply importance.   not only do i have other blogs that i attend to,   i also have ooc priorities that need attention.    please do not pester me for responses to things.   i do my best to get to everything but it does not occur in the order a thread or meme was  received.   it is,   first and foremost,   muse + inspiration oriented.    but i will always like and/or interact with things in order as soon as i  see them in order to let you know i have.

004.     while this space is curated by myself,   i do not think this will be a problem,   but alas:   if you support or condone racism,    homophobia,   transphobia,   white washing,   suicide baiting,   bullying,   the act of blaming sexual assault victims,   or anything else distasteful/harmful as well as any general topics that allude to them,   you will be immediately blocked.   i promise you,   we have nothing in common.   i do not participate in call out culture simply for the sake of call out  culture.   there’s a difference between truly harmful behaviour and simply not liking somebody.   this is a drama free space for me to  write.   which is,   above all else,   what i and i know many others are  simply here to do.

005.   psd credit goes to venuscommissions (a psd i commissioned and therefore isn’t available).   this will be updated once i get going since i imagine i’ll be playing around with another psd for icons.

FURTHER AND A LITTLE MORE IN DEPTH RULES CAN BE FOUND HERE ON MY SLIDES FOR MY CLAIRE DEARING BLOG BUT FOR NOW - HAVE THIS.

[cl2iredearing]

exclusive to maisie lockwood,   found at lockwould,   by lisa. exclusive to jake seresin,   found at ltsaviour,   by kore. blog wide mains,   found at rotless,   by jess. blog wide exclusives,   found at 6billion,   by ezekiel.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING RULES CAREFULLY.   THANK YOU. 001.   i do not claim the rights to claire dearing or anything canonically related to the jurassic franchise as a whole.   while the prior is specified,   i’d like to note that what i do take pride in and call my own is the personal hc’s,   divergences,   meta’s,   and analysis + writing pieces   (including but not limited to the roleplay threads themselves)   which are not available for public use.   it should go without saying that   —   and am only reiterating due to past issues   —   i do not tolerate stealing of these things in any form.   i will approach you privately about it if i see that you are. 002.   this blog is mutually exclusive,   plot - driven,   and independent.   i will not follow everyone nor will i follow everyone back.   i’ve been on tumblr for many years and have found that the smaller the dash,   the better i am at creating a space where i not only feel safe and comfortable,   but enjoy myself.   i’m simply trying to make the most of my time.   it does not serve me or my writing to pretend otherwise.   please do not interact with my posts if we are not mutuals.   sometimes it does take me (48-72 hours) to follow someone back.   i also usually go through my list at least once every two weeks to softblock those who i do not wish to follow in order to avoid confusion.   i promise it’s nothing personal.

slow reply importance.   not only do i have other blogs that i attend to,   i also have ooc priorities that need attention.    please do not pester me for responses to things.   i do my best to get to everything but it does not occur in the order a thread or meme was  received.   it is,   first and foremost,   muse + inspiration oriented.    but i will always like and/or interact with things in order as soon as i  see them in order to let you know i have.

004.     while this space is curated by myself,   i do not think this will be a problem,   but alas:   if you support or condone racism,    homophobia,   transphobia,   white washing,   suicide baiting,   bullying,   the act of blaming sexual assault victims,   or anything else distasteful/harmful as well as any general topics that allude to them,   you will be immediately blocked.   i promise you,   we have nothing in common.   i do not participate in call out culture simply for the sake of call out  culture.   there’s a difference between truly harmful behaviour and simply not liking somebody.   this is a drama free space for me to  write.   which is,   above all else,   what i and i know many others are  simply here to do.

005.   psd credit goes to venuscommissions (a psd i commissioned and therefore isn’t available)   &   ariapsds (it’s still august).   all edits and icons are made by me and like my writing are not available for public  use.

[bougenvilleeaa]

Wholesome Batsiblings Moments in Nightwing #86

spoiler alert (duh)

1. Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin digging through rubble under the impression that the Batgirls (Steph and Cass) were in the building when it collapsed.

We don't get very many iconic Batsibling moments in canon, so this is a refreshing sight to see.

It really shows how much they care about each other. The way they're panicking and refusing to give up although they know that it's probably a lost cause to hope for Batgirls' survival. They absolutely refuse to accept the high possibility of losing members of their precious family.

This family has been through so much pain and loss over the years, most of them have experienced loss even before they were part of this family. But that doesn't mean they ever got used to it, just because they know and accept that it comes with the job doesn't mean they'll ever get used to the shock and grief of the probability of losing a family member.

Dick's internal monologue is absolutely heartbreaking, he thought he'd lost his sisters and he was in absolute denial. He even states that he knows its hopeless, but he refused to accept it, refused to believe that he had just lost the girls he grew to love.

As heartwrenching and sad this scene is, it also potrays how much they all care about each other perfectly.

2. Reunited with the Batgirls.

We hardly ever get to see many Dick x Steph wholesome sibling moments, so it's nice to see them sharing a hug for once.

They're so happy and relieved to see that Steph and Cass are okay. Tim and Cass have always been such good siblings and it's nice to see that fact being acknowledged by the way the hug, he looks genuinely happy to be hugging Cass.

It really feels like a happy family reunion.

3. Teasing the older siblings.

This has got to be one of the most accurate older sibling x younger siblings moments I've seen in the main canon of DC.

Tim has been stuck in between Dick and Babs' awkward (re)discovery of their relationship since issue #80 so he's probably ecstatic he can bug them about it freely now that they've finally kissed.

The best part is Steph and Cass joining in on the teasing when Tim told them about it, it's such a younger sibling thing to do.

Steph's giddy face, as if she's been waiting a long time for them to finally get to it. It's all so adorable.

Dick trying to be rational and prove a point, but Tim is having none of it and just continues poking fun at his older brother.

"I don't know what you find romantic." Look at that smug face, he knows what he's doing.

Babs, being the older sister she is, is obviously exasperated by their behaviour, yet she indulges Cass anyway when asked if it was a good kiss.

Playful banter among the Batsiblings truly make my heart a little warmer, they're so cute.

4. Kicking ass together.

I always love when they show larger panels with all of the present Batfam members (Urban Legends #6, Robin #5, Truth & Justice #16 - #18, etc.)

They always show how well they work together, the solidarity between siblings, the mutual understanding of each other's fighting stance, it's like they're harmonized even without realising it.

Batman must be proud to know that all his kids get along so well.

5. Nightwing putting Batgirl on a pedestal.

Dick knows his sister is a badass. And he isn't afraid to admit that she's the best fighter out of all of them.

Cass has been one of the most overlooked member of the Batfamily, most of the Batfam posts we see on Tumblr are usually about Batman and the Robins. I'm glad that people are starting to take more notice on the Batgirls, and in this case, Cass.

She has an interesting background, she was trained by David Cain and Batman, her mother is Lady Shiva. What's not to love about her?

By the way, Cass, your Batman is really showing in that panel, with your brooding stance and all. You really are his daughter huh.

Anyway, that's all I got for y'all today. Thanks for reading, and be sure to keep up to date with Nightwing!

[scrawnytreedemon]

AIGHT so. sephiroth? maybe even yazoo? possibly godrick? yknow??? eyeaaaaah

LET'S GO LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO--

(GODA M M IT TUMBLR why won't you let me moved the images??? aughhh. Guess 'Rick gets a spot to himself 🙄 Typical.)

Sephiroth: IT'S HIM IT'S HIMMMMM THE LONGTIME BLORBO THE ONE AND ONLY!!! Fucking iconique motherfucker. I am PISSED that I have not gotten a bingo, but I suppose that's because he's not What The Actual Fuck™ enough, attraction-wise.

Literally have this post(ALSO by your prompting, thank you for that) that goes into just... So much of how I feel about him. What haven't I said? He's gender he's neurodiverse he's sad he's terrifying he's mother and he is son. He's got it All. Literally the Man(?) of ALL Time.

Was debating on filling in the "they got done DIRTY by fans," but honestly I've seen so much more sane shit. I think Sephiroth tends to provoke thoughtful discussion merely by his complicated and yet iconic nature(it also helps that he's hot buthgkjfgjhk y'know).

Love this womanman to bits. Congrats on becoming your own mother, Ros!!! Good luck with your kids (:

Yazoo: OKAY SO... Yazoo. Poor fucking Yazoo. Fucked over by his own hair. No GOTDAMN screentime for a trio that already suffers from shoddy execution, barring Kadaj's character development. He gets overshadowed so much, it's insane.

This goes for the Remnants in general, but I think fandom tends to reduce all their characteristics to jokes. And on one hand! They are hilarious as shit, just fucking, behaviourally. Absolutely unwell teenagers. There's also the fact that Advent Children's tone is just... a fucking Mess, like everything else in that movie.

But I think it does alot of disservice to Yazoo's character to reduce him to "he's high"-- It's a funny joke, yes, however I think that misses alot of Yazoo's cold vigilance. If Loz is the attackdog, then Yazoo is the watchcat. Where Loz is blunt, Yazoo is sharp. Whatever Kadaj misses, Yazoo picks up; he's implied to be his right(or left)-hand man for a reason.

Moreso than Kadaj, even, Yazoo's purpose is hinged on the will of another: he's a shadow of a shadow of a shadow of a shadow. And while I'm sure he has some personal investment in finding Jenova, I think ultimately he's tied to Kadaj; wherever he goes, Yazoo follows.

I think his dynamic with Loz is so interesting. It's painted antagonistically the moment they're introduced. And while AC doesn't give us more to work with, it's incredibly intriguing. The fact they're meant to complement each other, and yet are simultaneously repelled.

This post goes into alot of detail on that. That story idea is STILL on my fuckigngng list, and I hope I can get to it one day. It'll be the final part of my "Daisies in the Wind" series on AO3.

Don't have "wow they're a horrible person" or "they did nothing wrong" crossed off because... It's complicated? I don't think they really had much choice in the matter, nature and nurture both working against them, but also it's undeniable that they wrought serious harm. A case where deep healing is needed for both sides.

Godrick: WELL, WELL, WELL, if it isn't my current muse! Now with added, "WHAT THE FUCK," as per our conversation last night~ AND WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! A BINGO! NEARLY THREE!!!

Okay, RIGHT, time to play a little Devil's Advocate:

I think Godrick's place as Designated Richboy Weenie is well and truly deserved; he's a pathetic phuckign guy, and we love that for him.

HOWEVER!

However,

I, personally, would like to add a little pathos to this. I'm sure we all understand that being the stand-in for your ancestor, the Sickest Demigod of All Time, after he gets ganked is alot of pressure; but consider this:

What if Godrick was chronically ill?

What if he had a legitimate reason to be deeply dissatisfied with his body, beyond just plain vanity? Oh, believe me, I'm sure vanity factors into it a great deal; but I don't think the line is quite so sharp. If your body kept falling out from under you, and you could not make peace with it, wouldn't you wish to replace it, too?

Imagine dealing with that while fleeing from your ancestral homeland, too. Suddenly, more than ever, you're the beacon of hope for a shitton of people who have been displaced along side you. Who look to you for guidance, and a way forth.

While it's evident that Godrick began grafting before the fall of Leyndell, it must not have gone far enough if he was able to hide among the womenfolk in his fleeing. The implication here being that shit got worse in exile.

We are not going to talk about Godefroy; I am baffled as to how Fromsoft let this senseless copy-paste slip through the cracks. It makes no goddamn sense. I hate it here!

Actually, fuck it. We are. I propose Godefroy being an ancestor who dipped a toe into grafting, but was summarily deposed and nearly all records of him excised. This was ill boding, and they wanted to ensure no one ever got the fucking idea to try anything like this again.

But, Uh oh! Godrick is a resourceful fucker, clever with no wisdom, and ends up able to find something. He manages to reverse engineer it, thereby unlocking the Holy Fucking Grail in regards conquering his weakness; conquering his flesh.

And all it'll take is desecrating the sanctity of life itself.

Oh, I'm sure he'd sworn to keep this a secret, at first; promised to do the bare minimum and nothing more. But, ahhh,

How can you when the thrall of power is so sweet?

Even more when everything's fallen apart.

WHAT I'M SAYING IS... I think Godrick had if not reasonable, then understandable, even pitiable motivations at one point. Even then, it spoke to a willingness to toe the line. This shit only got worse, and worse as the years wore on, far, far away from home. Because that's all he has: a longing for home. He tells as much in his final breath; a yearning rhapsodical.

Not knowing that even if he were to return, there'd be nothing left.

---

THANK YOU for asking, Maso!!! Love you lots <333 Here's hoping my rambling on this guy entertains you, lmaoooo.

[badgalsasuke]

So I've seen throughout my time here on tumblr a significant amount of people say that naruto was abusive/a bully towards sasuke in part 1 or viceversa.

Not only do I think such claims are huge REACH but I also wanna paraphrase that iconic tweet that goes: y'all learned the words abuse, toxic, problematic and many more and haven't shut the fuck up since then.

I see people use those words to describe behaviours and situations that they personally dislike but are not necessarily that. Of course that in some cases what we're saying being portrayed is not healthy at all, for instance, Sakura's constant obsession with Sasuke.

However I feel that since (at least in western media/audiences) people started to analyse the type of content they consume they forgot the minuscule but very important part that in media, whether it be books, tv shows, movies or theatre plays, there's going to be conflict, nuance, growth, ideologies/philosophies clashing from one character to another as well as characters having different personalities we might not like and doing actions that ourselves might not do (usually stuff we might not do in ideal situations, not so much in real life).

It's exhausting to see people act like in order to a character to be good/likeable they have to be the most perfect any character can be or that they need to have perfect relationships with any character otherwise is considered toxic/abusive/problematic. I need y'all to think about yourselves and the relationships you have/have had with anyone and think if you've been perfect your whole life, if your relationships have been perfect your whole life. Not only it is unrealistic, but if anyone is meant to create a story with such kind of people it'd be boring as hell.

Naruto and Sasuke's relationship is not the perfect fairy tale that some people seem to think is necessary to be in order to be worth shipping. They are rivals, they tease each other, they have nicknames for each other, they have (or had?) different ideologies that forced them to clash, they both have strong personalities that make them argue and fight and they don't always truly understand what the other wants at the beginning, but that doesn't make their relationship abusive. They have their ups and downs, and since the series is an action series centered in ninjas there's going to be physical fights but again I don't think Kishimoto either wanted us to believe their relationship was abusive nor that he would glorify an abusive relationship.

Some say that Sasuke was better off Konoha, one of their reasons is that Naruto was abusing him. I agree that Sasuke was better off Konoha but Naruto has never been one of the reasons, otherwise Sasuke wouldn't remember him in the fondly way he did.

So much media has been ruined by these holier than thou people that want everything to be so perfect like baby ain't nobody wanna watch that shit, we wanna be entertained not lectured by these cute little cartoons, leave us alone

[simoviacourt]

Check In Tag ✔️

I got tagged by @bridgeportbritt and @the-royals-ts4 🥰

Why did you choose your url?

Name of my fictional country and its royal palace.

Any side blogs? If you have them name them and why you have them.

I have a gameplay blog I never update as I barely ever play.

How long have you been on tumblr?

This time around, almost a year.

Do you have a queue tag?

Only for my story.

Why did you start your blog in the first place?

I was CC shopping and I came across @melonsloth and @batsfromwesteros and figured that I’d give royal simblr a try.

Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

It’s my current author portrait though it’s not very accurate at this moment. My writer’s reality currently features far less wine and far more Nutella.

Why did you choose your header?

It’s very fitting for the things that are coming for my story.

What’s your post with the most notes?

The window fix tutorial. I could never be tumblr famous, that post and all its notes gave me so much anxiety. My notifications were blowing up for a week.

How many mutuals do you have?

No idea but plenty. I’m not one of those people who think they’re too cool to follow other people. If you’re nice and you post nice stuff, I’ll follow back.

How many followers do you have?

I don’t usually disclose this information because I think it leads to unhealthy obsession over vanity metrics but 777.

How many people do you follow?

Not sure as I’m on mobile and can’t check but 300ish?

Have you ever made a shitpost?

I generally just reblog them

How often do you use tumblr each day?

Too often.

Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? who won?

I only argue with people when they leave me no other choice so not really. I have however called out people on their shitty behaviour and will continue to do so if need be. Other than that, I’m too old and tired for drama.

How do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this’ posts?

Don’t tell me what to do.

Do you like tag games?

Sure

Do you like ask games?

I do, though I generally reblog them at the worst times.

Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

So many of my NSFT friends, I still get starstruck

Do you have a crush on a mutual?

Too many of them to list! I’ve made some truly wonderful friends here and I love them all.

Tags?

Uhhh whoever wants to do this and @melonsloth @batsfromwesteros @thesimmonarchy @glitterberrygaming @threethousandplumbobs

[lordofthesunrise]

How three comedians helped Italy fight against racism and stereotypes: in this essay I will-

I just realized there’s an entire planet out of Italy that has probably never heard of this Iconic Trio ™

Aldo, Giovanni e Giacomo.

National heroes. Nothing else to say. Entire generations grew up with their shows and movies, and their quotes are so famous to be commonly used in Italy because, seriously, these three are Amazing Adorable Immortal Gods, no matter if they are in their 60s now.

Italy is still a country only because of these guys, who destroyed prejudice and tensions between North and South, which is a pretty serious topic, given that North and South of Italy are basically two different nations in economic, social, working and cultural terms, but also somehow ethnically and for the local languages. They simply shattered all of that by showing how ridiculous this division is, and how did they do it? By using terms as “terrone”, “polentone”, dialect terms and common stereotypes in such a funny way to deprive them of their meaning.

They knew this sort of “racism” was weird and they made fun of it by using it in such contests to make it sound a joke. As a person from the North with a best friend of the South I see how Aldo, Giovanni e Giacomo helped the nation make fun of itself and discover that Italy is a country that is made by many extremely different peoples, with different cultures and local languages, but that all of them can support and respect each other without being protective bigots. We can truly coexist without sacrificing any of our own cultures, history, land or behaviour.

The fact that this trio helped Italy more than all of our politicians hurts.

And the fact that nobody out of Italy will ever be able to understand things like THIS:

hurts much more.

Love you, AGG. And love you, Tumblr. Spread the word: make racism a funny, meaningnless thing. It’s the best way to end it. Trust me.

[cursedmoustache]

This is an extremely cursed Transformers RP blog for a self-willed, chaotic-evil mechanical moustache. Bear with me. Details below.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if the moustache pokes your muse and you don't want to deal with its shit, please feel free to ignore/drop! I really do not want to annoy anyone OOC with this!

Current hosts: @madxmachine

Muse:

Name: None known (answers to “moustache”, “you little sod” and “AAAAAAGERROFF”)

Pronouns: It/its, until and unless anyone successfully determines otherwise.

Appearance: A small, pointy artefact of welded, painted and polished black steel, shaped roughly like an extended horseshoe moustache, of about the right dimensions to fit the face of an average Cybertronian. It seems to be wearable by a surprising variety of mecha, though, so may have mass-shifting abilities. Capable of self-propelled flight by some unknown mechanism.

Attributes: The moustache is a parasite that feeds on the life force of Cybertronians by magnetically attaching itself to them and absorbing their spark energy through their armour. For preference it will attach itself to its host’s face, where it conveys a minor symbiotic benefit of making them look distinguished (or... not, depending on observer tastes) and somewhat noticeably evil. If prevented from attaching in its preferred location however, it will stick itself to a host’s armour anywhere it can pass unnoticed. Occasionally it attaches to the “face” of the host’s faction symbol instead, to achieve closer proximity to the spark chamber (or possibly just to make the host look silly).

(Note: the moustache’s consumption of spark energy is very minimal, and will not cause any measurable harm to a healthy host. It might have more impact on weak, sick or injured mecha, but even then won’t cause lasting damage.)

Behaviour: The moustache selects its hosts by unknown means, but once it has located one that appeals to it, it will persistently follow them until it succeeds in attaching to them with or without their consent. Getting rid of it requires either finding it another host it considers acceptable, or engaging in increasingly drastic shenanigans until you finally manage to get far enough away that it can’t find you again. If not driven off, however, it will happily stay on a host indefinitely.

If the moustache is deprived of a host for long enough, it will become inert and enter a form of stasis lock where it is indistinguishable from a piece of scrap metal. If touched by a suitable host while in this state, it will immediately attach to them and begin absorbing their energy to revive itself. 

Origin: The moustache is a minor spawn of Unicron, created apparently by accident in the G1 timeline.

OOC notes/rules:

Mun: Rath (this is a sideblog to @of-fire-and-light, follows back from there.) Mun is 18+.

Rules: If you would like your muse to be haunted by the moustache, just tag @cursedmoustache in a starter post and we will come and harass them. Mutuals, followbacks etc not required, this curse is free to all. (If you tag me and I miss it because tumblr is a hellsite, please message me!)

You can do whatever you like to the moustache without repercussions beyond those it’s capable of inflicting IC. If anyone successfully destroys it, it will simply respawn back at this blog and the muse who destroyed it will become immune to it thereafter for as long as they wish to be.

Anyone who attempts to befriend or adopt the moustache, conversely, may unlock extra abilities/content for it in the process. Your muse is welcome to wear or reference it in other threads if they currently have it. However please do not attempt to inflict the moustache on other muses without their mun’s consent.

Unless something truly cursed happens, there SHOULD be no n*fw content on this blog. If there is I will cut and tag it to heck and back, because I will probably be as perturbed as anyone else. O_O

Credits:

Inspiration: This anon.

Moustache icon: by Gemma Inkyboots, thank you!

[sethrights]

Twilightofficial 🍇

@twilightofficial

i love the official twilight tumblr!! gee wizz!! lmfao madi is amazing, an icon, truly a goddess amongst mere mortals. it kills me how similar her account is to other twilight socials.

madi is doing the most and we simply don’t deserve this legend behaviour.

250 celebration

[jaythenerdkid-official]

what your favourite classical composer says about you

j.s. bach: you know how to make your hustle work for you, and in high school you probably made money doing all the popular kids' homework for them

vivaldi: you play support classes in all your RPGs but it's because you know for a fact that the entire team would fall apart without you there to take care of them; it's 2018 and you've still got a polyphonic ringtone

purcell: your perm is even bigger than your social media following, but it's totally well-deserved because your brand™ is 100% wholesome

handel: you will fight l i t e r a l l y a n y o n e because they cut you in line at the supermarket checkout or just because they may possibly have looked at you funny in traffic, you don't care

haydn: your entire snapchat story is just you in the green room before orchestra before performances; you started as first violin in your school's string ensemble when you were eight

mozart: you're a bit of a basic bitch but you were also super gifted in primary school and your inevitable early end though predictable self-destructive behaviours will be lowkey iconic

c.p.e. bach: middle child syndrome is your middle name but you're actually more talented than people realise

j.c. bach: STOP TRYING TO MAKE FETCH HAPPEN, IT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN

tchaikovsky: a messy bitch who lives for drama but knows where all the best parties are and will get all their friends into the VIP

mahler: in an effort to salvage your reputation as a socialite, you have altered all of your personal stationery to read "from the desk of maris crané"

beethoven: moody, temperamental, has a poetry instagram that's actually pretty good

wagner: your work uniform was made by hugo boss, if you know what I mean

rachmaninoff: writes a critically-acclaimed fanfic, gets seventy five-star reviews, one one-star review, obsesses over the one-star review for six months, starts a hate blog dedicated to the one-star reviewer and eventually retires from the fandom forever

berlioz: not only were you a scene kid in high school, you're still a scene kid now

debussy: the guy in your MFA who thinks they're a marxist because they read das kapital once and extremely overidentifies with at least one of the students in les mis

satie: the guy in your MFA who thinks he's sensitive because he watches chick flicks sometimes and would absolutely write you bad anonymous love poetry and leave it in your bag for you to find after class on valentine's day

saint-saëns: gifted kid with a fandom tumblr who reads reddit creepypasta at 3am, author of at least one iconic novel-length fanfic, has a devoted following who constantly pester them for updates, probably has an aesthetic blog

bartók: you submit subversive anti-colonialist short fiction to literature magazines and then give melancholic author interviews about reclaiming the motherland from the comfort of your pricey manhattan studio apartment that you moved into after your third poetry anthology made the new york times bestseller list

kodály: you get along really well with kids, but that might just be because you're, like, weirdly obsessed with nursery rhymes

dvořák: president of your campus DSA chapter, leads a hell of a sit-in, actual woke bae, plays the ukelele

chopin: just so you know, everyone hates how perfect you are and they all talk about it behind your back

john cage: just so you know, everyone hates how quirky you are and they all talk about it behind your back

arnold schoenberg: you know people talk about how quirky you are behind your back and it's what gives you strength tbh

prokofiev: you know exactly how perfect you are and you resent that regular people would even dare to expect you, an actual hero, to stoop to their level by doing regular person things like working for a living or participating in the social contract

grieg: you are probably re-reading the lord of the rings right now, you giant nerd

holst: you're a frustrated schoolteacher who really and truly thinks that if you just try hard enough, your students will suddenly find classic literature interesting and fun (spoilers: they won't, but you'll be having too much fun to care)

shostakovich: relationship status permanently set to "it's complicated" on facebook, can never pick the restaurant, but a sassy bitch who writes vicious yelp reviews when mad

sibelius: enthusiastic movember participant, unironically cries while singing the national anthem

arvo pärt: some people just want to watch the world burn

[doctorwhonews]

Resolution

Latest Review: Writer: Chris Chibnall  Director: Wayne Yip Executive Producers: Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens Starring: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, Charlotte Ritchie, Nikesh Patel, Daniel Adegboyega and Nick Briggs BBC One (UK) First broadcast Tuesday January 1st 2019 It may have displaced Doctor Who's Christmas Day tradition, but the "spatial shift" in TV listings for 'Resolution' made this story no less of a gift. With sections of fandom wanting a return of old monsters, and with some arguing for stronger narrative threats for Jodie Whittaker's Doctor to face off against, 'Resolution' delivered in spades. And though it might be a truism to suggest that no new Doctor is truly forged in steeliness until they have faced the Daleks, it's a piece of lore that's extremely well borne out here. And what a Dalek! Given the presence of a lone reconnaissance scout, this immediately had the feel of 2005's Rob Shearman-penned story, albeit reworked through the distinctive filter of Chris Chibnall's vision for Who. A steelpunk Dalek neatly recapped the sonic screwdriver's new origin story from S11.e1, with Chibnall again deciding to cast his showrunner's remit to 'make it new' into the narrative universe, having both Doctor and Dalek recreate their own remembered versions of the show's icons. At first, I was concerned by the DIY Dalek's design -- it reminded me of unofficial replicas and assorted fan builds seen over the years -- but on reflection, there was just the right blend of RTD-era industrial vibe, innovation (including the red-lit section set within the outer casing) and clanking homespun realism, given the story's clear justification for all this. The resulting 'Sheffield steel dalek' will likely prove to be a one-off boon to merchandising ranges, but Chibnall astutely mined Dalek mythology for some striking images and pay-offs; the mutant-on-the-back recalled iconic imagery from 'Planet of the Spiders' more than previous Dalek tales (and was occasionally a touch unconvincing, for my money), whilst the use of Dalek 'bumps' as housings for rocket-launchers was nothing less than inspired. This may have felt more like 'trad' Doctor Who at times, but it was also full of surprises and brilliant bits of imagination. Having the Doctor confront this Dalek inside GCHQ was probably my favourite moment of series 11, combining a realist/spy-thriller version of how a lone Dalek might actually try to seize power in today's Britain with the inventiveness of Doctor Who at its very best. There was an air of inevitability about the scenario, once you realised where the script was going, but it fused the ordinary and the fantastical in a perfect way for a post-Snowden culture. Likewise, removing all wifi -- no Internet and no Netflix! -- made the Doctor's arch-enemy a resolutely contemporary menace, even if the 'family cutaway' struck a slight misstep in terms of its broad comic intent and clunkiness. Another inspired moment, however, was the way that UNIT's non-involvement was tackled. Undoubtedly well aware of old-school fan complaints along the lines of "why weren't UNIT called in?", the showrunner dispatched these mercilessly. But the presence of a call centre operative reading off her computer screen put UNIT's demise squarely into the context of government efficiency savings, as well as implicitly evoking Brexit-style wrangling over international funding. Any long-term fans pondering how UNIT could have been so savagely undone via these real-world resonances might want to additionally consider the extent to which UNIT perhaps belongs properly and organisationally to the age of 1970s' public services and internationalism -- a world now undermined by decades of neoliberalism (traversing both major UK political parties). The scene may be strongly satirical, but its commentary remains perfectly evident: we can't have nice things like UNIT via any current politics of austerity or isolationism. Instead, extraterrestrial-incursion security has seemingly been privatised, resulting in MDZ's feeble defence of the former 'Black Archive' (you can't imagine Kate Stewart or Osgood allowing a Dalek scout to wander off with weaponry and propulsion systems).               This was very much a two-pronged 'Special'; a sort of double-A-side seeking to combine Dalek shenanigans with the emotional weight of Ryan's father reappearing. Perhaps these strands didn't always rest side-by-side as comfortably as the features of Aaron's combination oven, but on the whole 'Resolution' was a successful hybrid. It followed a textbook pattern by uniting its main plot threads at the denouement, both thanks to Aaron's engineering specs, and via the sting-in-the-tentacle of the Dalek's desperate final attempt at human possession. The thirteenth Doctor remained characteristically fallible, mind you, with her Dalek showdowns never quite going according to plan, and her "squid-sized vacuum corridor" expanding to human-sized proportions with almost fatal consequences. All of this allowed 'Resolution' to re-articulate Chris Chibnall's mission statement for Who -- that the Doctor's "fam" should be just as important as the Doctor herself. And so it is Aaron and Ryan who, acting together through forgiveness and love, finally overcome the Dalek's tenacity. In one strange moment, it even feels as though the script is reaching towards a parallel between family and monstrosity -- just as family is more than DNA and a name, as Graham tells Aaron, then so too is the Dalek more than a DNA identification and a matter of naming. Both Dalekhood and fatherhood hinge on behaviour, meaning that just as Aaron has to prove his status to Ryan then the Dalek is equally required to prove its nature to new viewers and new fans. This it duly does, the episode being jam-packed with gloriously retro extermination effects and Dalek ruthlessness. And though monstrosity and family are eventually opposed, with the "extended fam" predictably defeating the monster of the year, it is striking, in an episode where the Dalek's identity is initially a matter of DNA testing and naming, that the familial and the monstrous should ghost across one another.   This is a story firing on all machine-tooled cylinders. The direction from Wayne Yip is brilliantly kinetic and well-judged throughout, and the acting performances are uniformly first-rate. I'd especially single out Charlotte Ritchie, who does a lot of great work as Lin to really sell the Dalek 'pilot' concept, switching through various gradations of embodied Dalekness. In addition, Nick Briggs is on superb form, relishing the chance to do things such as providing maniacally extended and chilling Dalek laughter. I still miss the pre-credits sequence, though. The response to Graham's much-trailed question, "does it have a name?", would have been intensified by immediately then crashing into the titles. OK, cutting the title sequence buys a little more story time, but a few judicious trims here and there could easily have made room for the titles, and for a more dramatic punctuation of the Doctor's reveal of the Daleks. I hope that pre-credits scenes are restored across series 12. And on this showing, the return of the Daleks -- plural and non-DIY this time -- would also be most welcome in 2020. Regardless of how series 11 is packaged on DVD/blu-ray, it's difficult not to view this as anything other than the true finale to Jodie Whittaker's first season. The DNA of Chris Chibnall's vision for the show is coded right through it: fantasy plus grounded social/political resonance plus emotional realism, all added to an ethic of teamwork and elective family rather than Time Lord (super-)heroics standing front-and-centre. Yes, at times this Doctor seems more reactive or passive than in the past, as well as less torn by internal demons, and less shadowed by back-story mysteries. It makes the Doctor far less of a focal point, freeing up narrative space and time for at least some of the "fam", and reconfiguring Who in a more inclusive and mentoring mode than arguably ever before. Chibnall's work hasn't just been about bringing in new writers' voices, featuring new locales, and emphasising a renewed sense of Doctor Who's capacities to speak back to power. He has also resolved to give the Doctor a radical new stripe of narrative agency too, one less omnipotent, less certain, and more energisingly hopeful. And that, for me, is a resolution worth championing.                                          http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2019/01/resolution.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr