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bibisbooktalk · 2 months

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Book Review: Sinner by Sierra Simone

I read Sinner last month and I've been pushing back the review since then. But here it is! I will try not to spoil anything from the book for those interested in reading it.

Title: Sinner (book 2 in the Priest series)

Year of publication: 2018

Reading time-line: December 28, 2023 to January 6, 2024

Trigger Warnings: Loss, suicide, religious trauma, sexual trauma, death, illness

Content: large age gap between characters (they are both adults), explicit sex, religion (Catholicism), cursing

Age rating: Adult

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5/5

Review:

I was skeptical about this book at first. I found the audio book on Spotify first back in November 2023. I listened to the first few chapters, and instantly knew I had to get the book. I felt identified with the story for numerous reasons, most of them personal, so I won't delve too much into the why's. However, I will say, as someone having a hard time with religion, this book, ironically, made me analyze myself in many ways. Sean's spiritual battle through the book was beautifully written, and it was truly wonderful to see him grow as a person, not necessarily in a religious sense, but in the sense that everything led him to change for the better.

Sean's character is interesting, I liked that the story was told from his point of view, since I'm not used to reading books in men's POV. I loved how in love he was with Zenny the whole time, and he never denied it. It was refreshing to have a character fully and happily acknowledge his feelings and not be like "Oh no, I can't feel this way cus this and that". (I would write "SIMP" every time he said or thought anything romantic or sweet about Zenny. That man was respectful, sweet, dedicated, caring, hardworking, protective, the definition of husband material. I swear if Zenny told him "let's run away together" that man would have disappeared with her in a heart beat. He was head over heels and it was so freaking cute.)

I was able to form an emotional connection to Zenny and Sean, so I think in the sense of goals, description, backstory, interactions, and personality, both characters were well written. Both of their developments were great, and their relationship felt natural. They had wonderful chemistry from the moment they met, and I enjoyed their dynamic.

I think Sierra Simone handled the topics/themes presented in the story very well. I couldn't stop crying for like 3 hours by the end. The plot really resonated with me, and bet it will resonate with many others. The themes have the potential to be relatable, and definitely a reminder to readers that they are not alone in their struggles.

This book, like smut readers call it, is p0rn with a plot. The story really makes you think a lot, it is our of people's comfort zone since it does deal with many difficult, maybe even controversial, topics.

This book wasn't 100% perfect. I did think some things were odd like the fact that Sean is way older than Zenny (like girly is a college student in her early 20's while he is in his late 30's and a businessman). The fact that he was always hard, like why are these men always horny? Like Zenny would breathe, and my man was already ready to jump her bones. Like chill babes... I would have also liked to know a bit more about Zenny, mostly her point of view and thought process. There's other things, but they are spoilers, and most of them are just personal preferences rather than criticism.

Overall, I think I really needed to read this book. I'm glad I found it before Priest (that will be for another review...). It was good, it was definitely a new genre of tropes for me, and my first ever erotica. It's a relatively short (?) book (it took me a while because I ✨️procrastinate✨️) if you're looking for a quick read. I definitely recommend it.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Note: One day my reviews will improve 💀

#books #novels #books and reading #book review #book recommendations #romance books #book blog #bookish #Spotify

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viriyanon · 3 years

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"the other boy raised his deer-like eyes" IS SO CHEN YUZHI HI PRELUDE WHY R U SO BEAUTIFUL 😩😩😩

#okay im not a fan of reading the novel adaptation of a drama but #killer and healer #happens #BRO I CAN IMMEDIATELY PICTURE THE SNOW FALLING ON THE CITY JUST FROM THE PRELUDE HUH WTF #jeez 2021 is such a blessing #first i stumble upon atots #and then while i watched atots killer and healer appeared on my yt reccomendation #AND I WAS SKEPTICAL CUS OF THE REVIEW BUT #✨MY GUT FEELING IS SUPERIOR✨

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buck-nialled · 3 years

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Encore - T. Holland

NOTE: hi hello i am jumping on the guitar imagine train but adding a little twist to it, enjoy <3

TAGLIST: @niallberry @swiftmendeshoran @theshyspy @clarabsevero @golden-hoax @dudethisiswhyyoudonthavefriends @organicpurplepants @wowitsel @sunwardsss @lovely-blackinnon @tomsirishgirl @tomsirishgirlx @whoeveniskendall @multihoee @haterpenny @highontomholland @nxtty-m

“Welcome to my humble abode!” Tom announces with a wide swing of his arm. You follow the direction of his motioning hand and let your shoes sink into the carpeted entryway. Your fifth date with Tom almost concluded at his doorstep, but his eyes wanted to take in the ravishing sight of your smile for just a little longer, which cued the spontaneous invitation to tour his house.

“It looks cozy.” The murmured statement and eager eyes darting all around Tom’s entryway makes his heart begin racing at an unimaginable pace. Though it was your first time visiting his home, and the chances of you moving in tonight were slim to none, he still yearned to make a good impression.

“I have to run to the loo, quickly. But feel free to look around. There’s some water and tea in the kitchen if you’d like any.” He excused himself to the restroom as you resumed meandering through the various rooms of his house. When you reached the living area, you took notice of the couch first. A cushion was resting lazily against one end of it, and a blanket looked to be thrown haphazardly over the back of the couch. You found the disorderly sight charming and pondered exactly how many times Tom had fallen asleep reviewing a script or watching a game on the telly.

The second time you scanned the room, you felt your fingers twitch at your sides once your eyes landed on the acoustic guitar leaning against one of the walls. You never had the opportunity to play guitar, nor were you musically inept by any means. But with the instrument sitting there, vulnerable, you could not help but to scurry over and give a try at plucking some strings.

The notes you tried playing were discordant and flowed just as horrendously as the song you tried pairing with them. The “riffs” you attempted were lackluster and anybody within feet of you viewing the sight of you falling to both knees and aggressively strumming would have found you pathetic. Tom snuck from the bathroom to find you exactly like this and smirked instead. With you unbeknownst to his prescience, you carried on manifesting your acoustic rock show all while he leaned against the nearest doorframe, crossing his arms.

“Thank you, Madison Square Garden! You’ve been a lovely—AAH!” You shriek upon turning in the direction where your date was observing you with a smile.

“Tom...I-I’m sorry. I was just messing around. I shouldn’t have touched your things…” the red on your cheeks became apparent in seconds. You turned to lean the guitar back against the wall where you had found it in an endeavor to shield your embarrassment.

“Ah, don’t be sorry. I’ve been meaning to pick that thing up for a while. You’re actually quite good.”

You only scoff, trying to keep the wavers in your voice at bay in your reply. “Shut up.”

“I mean it.” He chuckles. “Can I get an encore?” You spare a look of skepticism, eyes darting between the guitar and Tom.

“You’re serious?” He gives a firm nod, feeling his insides twist in joy at the slow-growing smile on your face. “Okay.”

Upon picking the acoustic back up, and arranging your fingers in a way that could only be incorrect, you turn back towards Tom, who had taken the best seat in the house—right on the middle couch cushion, in front of you.

“I dedicate this next song to the cute guy in the audience. You know who you are...call me.” You whisper the last part, taking a hand off of the guitar momentarily to mimic a telephone beside your ear. Tom giggles—full-on giggles at the dedication you put into this act. Right before you begin plucking the discordant introduction to a song never heard of, the man whoops and smacks his hands together.

God, I think I’m in love with this girl, he thinks to himself as you belt out every wrong note to a song which played on your first date. Five dates in, he was certain there would be another following shortly after.

#tom holland imagine #Tom Holland imagines #tom holland fanfiction #Tom Holland fanfic #Tom Holland blurb #Tom Holland blurbs #Tom Holland oneshot #tom holland fluff #tom holland smut #tom holland angst #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x you

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rwbyconversations · 5 years

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Rooster Teeth Glassdoor Crunch/Overtime Accusations #AnimatorsFirst

EDIT: Georden Whitman, former creator of Nomad of Nowhere, has come out and publicly confirmed the Glassdoor reviews are true.

Original story:

Rooster Teeth’s Glassdoor reviews have recently made serious allegations against the company, with people who work for the company claiming that the company engages in practices involving heavy crunch periods, a resistance to providing benefits, eighty hour work weeks, a management team trying to justify crunch and unpaid overtime that, according to some, led to as much as a third of RWBY and gen;LOCK’s recent seasons being made effectively for free.

Below are screencaps and exact quotes from the pages. Any emphasis made is done by me.

From May 23rd this year, as written by an employee with three years experience at RT:

Cons

Program scheduling department has no idea how to time budget for animation, has resulted in unnecessary, preventable crunch Company takes on projects that are too big for it to manage effectively Not the highest pay compared to Anim Guild standards Open office space, gets noisy

Advice to Management

Management has been using a weird method to try and deescalate hard feelings about crunch. They’re acting like counselors who are “there to talk” and to try and find “coping mechanisms” to deal with crunch. This is a terrible idea considering that none of them are trained counselors as far as I’m aware, but more-so, they’re obviously going to be biased in favor of what they want from us. It makes me want to communicate with them even less. This past review, my manager criticized me for having “negative energy” during a terrible crunch period where we were working over 80 hrs s week, and told me I should “look for the silver lining” which is just bad advice. Advice to management is to stop pretending you know anything about mental health and also be less passive - fight harder for your team.

From May 13th, an employee with a year’s experience at Rooster Teeth:

Cons

The management is terrible. Artists are lead on with the promises of "full time employment and benefits" dangled in front of them without ever being addressed and ultimately are never given, there is no paid overtime, artists had to fight for their right to time off between productions, and good luck getting any form of benefits despite them being plastered on the wall.

Advice to Management

You're not a group of guys playing halo in your apartment anymore. Please run your business and look at what's happened to it.

From June 11th this year, from an employee who has been working at the company for five years:

Cons

- Extremely poor management (Some of it is negligence, some of it is just accidental from the sheer amount of work. Upper management is also extreme bro/friends club.) - Insanely high expectations (animate a 10-14 min episode in 2 weeks) - Very low compensation (I've worked here for years and make entry pay. Some people have gone MULTIPLE years with no raise) - No overtime pay (Every season of RWBY and GL gets about 1/3 or less made for 'free' because no one gets paid over time and it's not uncommon to work hundreds of hours of overtime) - Toxic work environment (there are a lot of cliques, complaining and even making fun of other people and depts here. It never gets punished so it always happens. Not professional) - You know something is going right when after many complaints HR reminds everyone you have "unlimited" mental health doctor appointments... I could honestly go on and on like an emo on Myspace in 2007 but I'll reign it in. I'll leave it at this since I've seen many fans read these and be skeptical. It's not great. You can deny it but there is a lot of evidence if you just accept it. And the reason you work here is cus you get stuck and are promised "It'll get better". The work is low quality (hard to get jobs elsewhere), pay is low (can't save money) and life/work balance is a joke. We have a bit of balance now but it's only for a couple months out of the year when production isn't in full swing. Then it's back in the meat grinder.

Advice to Management

You NEED to listen to the workers and make hard decisions and actually fight for better conditions. It's been far far too long of "it'll get better" or "we know what to do next year". This isn't sustainable and I think we all know it. But someone has to be the guy to say "no" when things aren't good enough. If you don’t say no, hundreds of people suffer. Please.

From May 18th:

Cons

Crunch has gotten to an unacceptable level. Productions have been completed with over half of total hours unpaid overtime, especially impacting the comp and editing department. Management cares more about their ego than the quality of the work they put out— letting the crunch caused by their irresponsible decisions fall solely on the shoulders of the artists while they enjoy a forty hour work week. Pay is laughable compared with the amount of mandated, unpaid hours of labor. No career advancement, and contract workers are given empty promises of full time employment before being shown the door once production is done.

Advice to Management

Stop saying the crunch issue is “getting better” or that you’re “working on it”, and start actually owning up to your mistakes.

From May 19th:

Cons

-A lot of employees brought on, if not all, before the last development cycle were promised permanent positions after a 90 day trial period. As those dates approached those artists saw no change, asking their leads what was going on. The guidance from higher ups was vague at best, and some felt like they had been forced to lie to employees during the interview process. - A lot of processes went over-scope due to poor planning. -Lack of actual production experience in the management side of things is no longer something that can be glossed over as the company tries to take on more industry vetted employees. -Crunch is extreme and overtime is not compensated for, nor is that time given back in any fair amount.

Advice to Management

-Clear and concise communication -Re-structure your upper level management

From May 12th:

Cons

Crunch here is out of control. No Paid OT. Expect to work A LOT for free. 70-80 hour work weeks. Mandatory 10-12 hour work days sometimes with no days off. Management is more interested in telling you what you want the hear as opposed to the truth.

Advice to Management

Fix the crunch issue and stop saying 'we're working on it'.... because you're not. Layoffs are certain. Will layoff bad employees and good employees in the same breath, completely eliminating any reason to work as hard as you're required to do. Fix your transparency issue and stop overworking your employees otherwise your reputation will severely suffer.

From April 5th:

Cons

-No paid overtime. -Crunch is a major problem in the animation department due to unrealistic deadlines, poor planning, and indecisiveness. (Mandatory 10 to 12 hour days for multiple months are common.) -Stress levels are often very high due to harsh deadlines -Some of the producers tend to lie. -Promotions are used as a morale booster, not actual career advancement. -Hardly any time for Professional Development -Professionalism can be a bit scarce (for example people would draw penises on the boards throughout the studio)

Advice to Management

-Management needs to seriously figure out how to deal with the crunch issue. A question was asked at an all hands meeting: "How are you going to handle crunch this year?" Instead of giving a clear answer, the head of the RT animation department completely dodged the question. If you don't know how you are going to tackle a problem, try saying, "I don't know. I will get back with you ASAP." Then actually pursue a solution to the problem. Dodging questions makes you look shady and untrustworthy. -Improve production plans and make sure you have enough resources to complete your projects. If you are going to work on two shows at the same time, then you need to double ALL of your teams along the pipeline, not just one. If you can barely get one project done with your current resources, you certainly cannot finish two. If you can't get the resources needed to complete the projects, then it's probably best to keep them small or to simply not do them at all. Pushing your teams beyond the breaking point is not the wisest decision. If you continue with your overambitious ways, it will backfire in the long run. Telltale Games' closure and Bioware's Anthem debacle are examples of what's to come if you do not improve your production practices and get crunch under control. -Get more training on how to manage people. There are plenty of programs out there that can help management understand how to work with various types of personalities. There were some situations where I noticed that some leads and producers simply did not know how to talk to a person when there was a problem. Despite all of the criticism I just wrote, I feel the majority of who work at Rooster Teeth Productions are decent people. However, the management is just terrible. Put some of that ambition you have into fixing your problems internally instead of putting it into meeting those unrealistic deadlines.

From March 25th:

Cons

- Massive amounts of unpaid overtime. All while touting the importance to the company of a life/work balance. They promise to give you the time back, but it will be impossible to take. - Management is just a joke. They can’t schedule or stay on track to save their lives. Total amateur hour. - Zero followthrough on promises made. How about a pizza party? - Pay much lower than standard. Don’t expect real raises. Promotions with increased responsibilities don’t come with comparable pay bumps. - Most promises of advancement and opportunities are hollow wishful thinking. - Almost zero followthrough with meaningful investment in employee education. You can access a Udemy account and that’s about it. - Management will blame the artists instead of taking responsibility and will even through people under the bus to cover themselves. - Internet celebs are more valuable than artists. - Their awards are called “cockbite of the month/year” and it’s what they call their employees. You may not want to be called that but that’s too bad. It’s their culture. A few guys draw penises everywhere to be funny. - Not very much diversity in management. Feels like you need to be a straight white male to be appreciated.

Advice to Management

Hire some actual seasoned industry professionals to upper management in Animation. And demonstrate there are some consequences for them, instead of taking it out on employees.

From April 11th:

Cons

-Overtime, and hours will cause any person to slowly become something they don't like. -Management is typically made up of "talent" and treats other employees poorly, not to mention 0 years of previous managerial experience. -Management also blames other employees for the problems they create, and don't show actual leadership. -Echo chambers within management. -Stress levels incredibly high -Lack of professionalism

Advice to Management

-Get rid of "talent" in managerial roles, it's clear they're costing the company serious problems and money. The ones who end up being hurt are the employees who knew and constantly warned about problems ahead of time that were ignored. If the company stays the same a huge incident is bound to follow. -Try to respect creatives that aren't "talent" within the company as well. It's clear management doesn't and goes against the entirety of the company's "core values." those who have had previous industry experience should be listened to and considered instead of being shrugged off and given responses like "Well that's just how we do things." -Collaboration doesnt seem to exist for a majority of managment here. If this one massive change happens the company could really grow far and do much more than create crude content with a lack of care/heart for the final product. -If people are able to sleep and have a normal schedule more thoughtful input will also happen, and your content can only get better. -A multitude of people and lives have been hurt from management at this company, from in house employees being mentally abused to freelancers that are ghosted. So many immature and poor practices have taken place within the animation department I'm amazed a lawsuit has yet to happen. -Management should be leaders not bosses.

It’s almost darkly funny that most of the positives are just “They give you free food on Mondays and the people are nice.”

But these are all from just the last year alone. Most reviews from before the start of 2019 don’t speak of crunch barring one from April 2018, one from March 2018 and one from June. This is a problem that has been affecting Rooster Teeth for at least an entire year, and since the start of the new year, the problem has magnified tenfold. Most reviews mention that the heads of departments are aware of the crunch and unpaid overtime but refuse to do anything about it beyond offering platitudes or dodging the question on what the company is going to actually do to fix the crunch problem.

Crunch is a problem plaguing many companies, especially in the western hemisphere. In gaming development there’s a story nearly every month about what apathetic upper management think they can get away with by forcing employees to spend dozens of hours every week slaving away on their product. I hoped that Rooster Teeth would not be one of these companies, but I am saddened to see that they were not.

Crunch’s negative effects on mental and physical health have been well documented, alongside the basic fact that crunch isn’t worth it and doesn’t work. Employees forced to crunch are unable to work as well as employees who are well rested and have time to go home to their families.

To anyone working these impossible crunch hours at Rooster Teeth right now, I hope your suffering ends soon, that eventually basic human empathy wins out and hours are lessened while you receive your just rewards for your work.

For @roosterteeth? This is appalling and a slap in the face to the fanbase you conned into thinking that you were a company that cared for everyone within as a huge family. Your entire management team should be ashamed of the environment you signed off on. No profit margin is worth the suffering you have subjected your crew to. Shame on you.

As a fan of RWBY, it disgusts me that a product I enjoy was made through blood, sweat and tears. And as a fan of RWBY, I wish to make a public call to the fanbase, be it on Tumblr, Reddit, Twitter or Youtube. I want to make a public statement to Rooster Teeth that we are willing to wait longer for new shows if it means that they are made ethically. I can’t in good conscience support a product if it was made by putting the workers through hell. Maybe I can’t change anything on my own, maybe ultimately we’ll just be ignored, but I refuse to stand by and stay silent on the matter, maybe even get Rooster Teeth to make changes in their workflow (I won’t say “I hope they respond” because they seem to respond in-house to complaints about crunch without ever actually changing anything)

I encourage you to share this around as much as you can. Share the accounts of the Glassdoor reviews as far and as wide as you can. We love and enjoy media, we love the people who make it- the animators, editors, writers and voice actors, and we as a community want them to not have to resort to RT’s seemingly unlimited mental health coverage or “find a coping mechanism to deal with crunch.” As much as it pains me to admit, I’d rather see RWBY die instead of seeing continue to be made on the back of crunch.

Thank you for reading. Again, I encourage you to share this around as much as you can. Let your voice be heard if you stand against this.

#rwby #Rooster Teeth #Genlock #crunch #overtime #glassdoor #georden whitman #nomad of nowhere

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smuthuttpodcast · 4 years

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Name/Handle/Alias

rlogarbagech1

About how long would you say you’ve been rooting for Reylo?

I tend to dive into things intensively, so while I knew there was an intriguing dynamic to Rey and Kylo's TFA interaction and I enjoyed what was teased in TLJ when it came out, I think it was a random wading into Reylo fanfic circa Aug 2019 that really got me into the fandom in a deep way. (Throwback to me thinking: eh maybe I'll give Reylo oneshots a try? And BOOM four months later I'm in a daze wondering how I've read like 80 fics, ended up in a writing discord - shoutout to The Writing Den! - and have five stories cooking in my head at one time.)

I like that the fandom takes what was on film in TLJ and expands the contours of that universe, stretching it into all sorts of configurations that somehow still made sense thematically for what Rey and Ben were going through. Whether that's in the context of warring lawyers (eversoreylo), Kyril Ren and Irena (voicedimplosives), archaeology Rey and Ben (disasterisms), a Harry met Sally AU (slipgoingunder), or Canadian politics (saint_heretical)... the creativity of the fandom and how it grapples with SW themes through all these different lenses of interpretation blows my mind. IMO it shows how SW's story themes can be individually interpreted, yet utterly universal.

What did you think of the way Rise of Skywalker handled Rey and Kylo’s relationship?

It felt like a backstep/retcon to what had happened in TLJ. I think CT and JJ wanted to make certain narrative choices but couldn't fully commit to them for whatever reasons, and the story suffered overall in a big way 'cus of that.

TRoS clearly went into the enemies -> lovers arc but leaned way too far into 'enemies', making the arc to 'lovers' within 2.5 hours way very weirdly paced, so it didn't feel like it was earned. The reaction of the audiences I was in for both screenings validated that. At the first screening, there was awkward laughter because it felt so left-field in the context of the film. In the second screening, the GA people I was watching it with felt 'this is really unnecessary' which I can understand because of the lack of buildup in TRoS to that moment.

Reylo in TLJ was at its best because there was time for it to breathe. I rewatch the force skype scenes often and the complete silence, the subtle acting, and the framing of those scenes, is so unusual and bold for a blockbuster at that level. There was also so much gorgeous subtext in what was going on, you could read into it what you liked, but there was definitely an attraction or a pull there for both characters.

You could tell that Adam and Daisy were delivering equally layered acting work in 9, but it was extremely rushed and weirdly edited. The ensemble could also have been a greek chorus for the audience/a bellwether for how we should be feeling towards Rey and Kylo in 9 but they didn't really utilise them that way and Palpatine ended up overshadowing the entire story as the big bad. The more interesting choice obviously was Kylo as the conflicted big bad and a redemption arc, but maybe Disney just isn't ok with that or was pushing for a different direction.

Overall, 9 made me wish we had more time to live in the push-pull dynamic between these two characters and the longing they have for each other despite all the odds, but luckily we have fanfic and art for that, which is why it's so great. Just a shame the film couldn't line those pieces up well enough for a satisfying landing.

Do you think the film understood why you, and other people, felt like Rey and Kylo had something together? Did it get their chemistry?

I'm sure they understood it on some surface level but CT was the wrong person to write that story imo. And JJ on some level disliked RJ's choices so he was trying to wind it back to the TFA dynamic which was more enemies-enemies with a subtext of them being compelled by each other, but not necessarily with a romantic resolution.

I think it's testament to the intelligence of the fandom that we saw the train tracks being laid in ep8 for a more interesting ending, just that whatever story-wrestling/behind the scenes drama/ego was going on at DLF meant nobody was able to actually able to execute that story with the justice it deserved. Locking out the story group also seems like a huge mistake and would've avoided a lot of the larger plot holes they seem to have ended up with, the dissatisfying Reylo arc in ep9 being just one symptom of it.

What about the handling of Kylo’s redemption? Was it something you had to think through in your stories?

How I envision Kylo/Ben's redemption and Rey's response to it is summarised by a lot of the fic that's already out there! And in the fanfic thread I've pinned on my Twitter. e.g. Starstuff by voicedimplosives, Morning by disasterisms, Astrometric Binaries by pontmercy44, Tactical Surrender by Trebia... there are a lot of ways it could have gone. A recent comic (08 Jan?) by Miss Bliss is also a great example and she distilled it down to 15 simple panels, not to say she simplified the ethics of the redemption arc of course.

The biggest effect that TRoS had on me as an aspiring creator/writer is because the film DIDN'T give me the redemption arc, I'm interested to explore how that looks like in fanfic. So maybe that will become a theme in my writing. Let's see!

I'm still laughing about how they yeeted Ben into the pit though. Can't believe those leaks were actually true.

What did you think of where Rey landed at the end? There had been a lot of excitement around Star Wars having a female protagonist. Do you think she lived up to the promise of her character?

A lot of the discourse has already covered this but my take is: in TLJ Rey was the centre of the story, all of her actions were driving the plot and it was a female-centric story about incredible themes like self-discovery, belonging, loyalty, 'lightness', 'darkness', attraction, sexuality. And TLJ was very nuanced in presenting how Rey's role shaped the overall story, the symbolism in the film (all of which had meaning or at least tried to), and her clear growth through it.

With TRoS it felt like her needs took a backseat and were kind of ancillary to the action of what was happening. Or that she was a lot more of a passenger to the story. I guess that's how I would sum it up. If I think back to how TRoS ended I don't think there was a satisfactory character conclusion for ANY of them... and don't even get me started on how they did Rose completely dirty.

There’s criticism of the movie that argues it’s akin to “fan fiction” and that is has too much fan service. As fans and fan-fiction writers, how do you react to that?

It doesn't actually bother me that much. I think it comes from a place of negative stereotyping and misunderstanding of what fandom is all about, especially for the Reylo community – because apparently believing in romance, redemption, and love is meaningless, simple, and weak.

The people that are in the fandom and know it well know that the fandom has a lot of diverse views in it, different perspectives, and some of the most startlingly intelligent and thoughtful people across the spectrum including creators, readers, analysts, community organisers etc.

The fact that there's a WHOLE ECOSYSTEM with fanfic and fan art and discord servers and gift exchanges and comedy memes and metas and all of this stuff just enhances my enjoyment of it overall. And it's an ecosystem that despite critics' attempts to dismiss it since 2015, continues to thrive.

I challenge those skeptics to look at some of the novel-length Reylo work on Ao3, the detailed sketches and concept art, the hours of thoughtful podcasting and REVIEWS OF FANFIC and say this community's not worthy of credit or attention. Even if you don't like Reylo, there's a discussion worth having about why people want to engage with it on a deep level and the transformative work that's come out of it.

We are doing this for free. Out of enjoyment and fun and discovering meaning. The level of artistry and engagement in this fandom is really astounding in that way.

I wish people would talk more about *that* side of the Reylo fandom rather than dismissing it as 'fluffy romance 50 shades in space y'all are rabid crazy' or whatever.

TLDR the question of whether Rey and Kylo have/had toxic and abusive dynamics is an interesting one to ask and we need to continue having the discussion, because from my POV it wasn't 100% clear cut from TFA, and it evolved in TLJ and in TRoS. BUT it should be situated in the context of the broader fandom and the range of views within it, + the many other interpretations of the Reylo relationship through fic and art, which The Atlantic's article missed.

Are you still writing any Star Wars fanfic? Tell us about it! (Don't forget your Ao3 handle!)

I'm late to the game but am interested in writing SW fanfic as a way of exploring my own capacity to write and create, so yes! Did my first drabble in mid December and have a few ideas cooking, the first which looks like a two-chapter modern AU oneshot. Watch this space…

Thanks to rlogarbagech1!

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statementends · 5 years

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Watch Over You

Chapter One, Watcher Characters: Martin Blackwood, Elias Bouchard, Jonathan Sims Pairings: Martin/Jon, One-Sided Elias/Jon Rating: Canon Typical Warnings: Canon Typical, Non-Canonical Character death in later chapters... kind of.

AO3 Link

Summary: In 1991 Elias Bouchard is not a man aiming to make anything of himself.In 2011 Martin Blackwood does his best to hide himself from his coworkers.Both find their way to the Magnus Institute and end up doing what they do best. Watching.Everyone is going to die if Martin doesn't make a sacrifice.

“Do you see?”

1991

Elias Bouchard had not made a name for himself in academic circles. He was not a scholar, and had very little interest in learning for the sake of learning’s sake. His PPE with third class honours would doubtlessly get him nowhere in the middle of a recession, but he wasn’t bothered. He would probably have liked to say it was because he had a plan, or resources. Savings or contacts.

But he didn’t.

He just had expectation weighing above his head from distant parents that would withhold their pennies and dimes if he didn’t ‘earn’ it. Ironic. You’d think being born to money would mean not having to earn it.

The other thing that didn’t help much was the reputation he had gotten. Parties had been much more interesting than learning politics. He liked nothing better than to find a soft couch in some almost stranger’s flat and smoke and drink and ...watch.

In hindsight it was lucky he only got a reputation as a pothead because there was nothing Elias liked more than to … people watch.

And when you’re at a party… well. A lot of the things you’re watching turns out to be fights, dancing, or sex. Especially sex. Elias wouldn’t mark himself down as a pervert exactly. It wasn’t about the sex, although he would be lying if he hadn’t taken note of some of the more attractive men and woman he spied on so casually behind a haze of smoke. It was a vicariousness for life. These people doing, and living. The nerd is the corner having a breakdown, the cute popular boy popping pills, the queen bee throwing up in the toilet. None of them taking note of laid back Elias as they passed the joint around.

He thought about it sometimes. It wasn’t that he was ever invited to these parties. He didn’t have close friends, just … people, acquaintances that knew he’d bring good weed, that thought he was nice enough. The party would be informal, filled with strangers. Filled with little stories and dramas and he would be unnoticed, never taking part himself.

He liked to pretend he was above it, but truthfully rejection had always stung him bitterly. He was afraid. A coward. He could watch and know these people without having met them, without them knowing him, he could know their surface, but he wouldn’t really be able to tell how they would react to him.

But it was alright, because the thrill of watching was better.

It was what had made him send in a resume to the Magnus Institute. He liked the idea of them. Taking stories about ghosts and things. He didn’t really know or understand that it was a place for scholars and research, things he had no interest in. Spooky ghosts. It seemed his speed.

He got the job. Not to take statements or research. No. He was assigned to Artifact Storage at first. That was where he found his destiny and his proper place in the universe.

That was where he met his god.

“Do you understand yet?”

2011

Martin liked his job.

It wasn’t a grocer or fast food restaurant. He didn’t have to deal with customers here. He had always been good at it, with people. He always got top marks in his reviews, and here at the institute he still got to talk to people. Following up for research. Most of the people he came in contact were ...well… scared. And he couldn’t blame them with some of the stories they got. He tried to be gentle with them. He always believed them. After all, even if it wasn’t real it still affected them. --Of course there were some people just taking the piss but the Institute left no story untold, and that was good. Sometimes it helped, telling your story…

Not that he would know that. He was a liar after all. A drop out with no credentials whatsoever. His first year here was nerve racking. He kept expecting someone to find out. That he would be called to Elias’ office, his CV on the desk, red pen circled around all his terrible lies and that he would be kicked out. Fired. And then what would he do? Mum was so sick. He needed the money and the Institute paid so much better than any entry level position he was actually qualified for.

But… nothing ever happened. When he was called to Elias’ office it was for a short performance review where he was told off a little for still not understanding the library’s filing system, but otherwise he was doing satisfactory work. That was it.

So for two years he’d grown… relaxed. He ingratiate himself with his colleagues by making tea and grabbing books and other small gestures. He was good at knowing when people needed something. Probably because his mother was loath to ever ask him for help. He had to know the signs. He got very good at it. Alisha would start crossing her arms and he’d turn up the thermostat. Rosie would start rubbing her hands and he’d hand her some lotion. Ted would get moody and he’d offer a granola bar. He knew everyone’s little indications that they could use a hot drink. He knew how to look after people, and the rest although challenging he learned. Learned how to write research papers and reports that no one seemed to complain about, and earned his paycheck that kept his family afloat.

Of course… it was lonely. Martin had always been...well… shy. Opening up had never been easy for him, not since his father left. He couldn’t exactly invite his co-workers over for a pint. His mother needed her rest, and his flat was small. She hated when he brought people over. She… always had her moods and really it was just better if she had her quiet. Of course, that didn’t stop him from going to other people’s flats and out to the pub, but…

It was… he didn’t really understand it. He liked to think of himself as nice. He got on everyone’s good side, but he didn’t really make friends. Maybe they knew, that underneath everything he was keeping something secret. Or maybe he was unlikable. That hurt to think about and he brushed it aside before he could connect it with his homelife.

The point was, despite everything, Martin liked his Jon.

Job.

Job. He liked his job.

He didn’t like Jon.

Jon was abrupt, rude, demanding, and all around stressful to work with. It didn’t help that he was absolutely brilliant. That he could rattle off files and dates and books off the top of his head. That he could translate Latin without need of reference guides. That for all his knowledge on the paranormal he seemed almost completely skeptical. He didn’t have a soft touch when dealing with the public, if it was unverifiable he had no time for it.

It wasn’t even that Jon was egotistical about how knowledgeable he was. He didn’t even really seem to realize how clever he was. It was just a matter of course. A stepping stone to get him to well… Martin didn’t know what. Maybe more information. Most nights Martin would see Jon at his desk reading or going over one thing or another. He was diligent, precise, hardworking and…

And Martin was having a hard time with him honestly. It was… well… he had the feeling Jon didn’t … like him.

Which… it was just… why would Jon dislike him? He had been nothing but nice to him. He had even shown him around in his first week--not that he actually needed showing around. Jon caught on to the filing system within five minutes of looking in the stacks. It was so stupid. Martin had wanted to make a good impression. The new researcher was supposed to be around his age (although everyone thought Martin was older with all the lies he had put down). Martin had hoped that maybe… well that maybe he might make a friend. Stupid. So stupid. And then meeting him well… Martin froze up.

Jonathan was … striking. Not classically handsome or anything but just… there was just something so magnetic about him. Silver had started to appear in his dark hair giving him a distinguished look. He was slim, and shorter than Martin. He had a tolerant neutral expression, a polite smile. Martin foolishly thought he might look pretty with a real one-- and his eyes. His eyes were piercing… absorbing. Being in Jon’s gaze was almost painful, but when it left him to trace over the shelves upon shelves of books Martin felt achingly empty.

“Did you need something?” Jon had asked, noticing Martin was still at his elbow. He had been staring at all the books before that, still and calm, although in retrospect Martin realized he was excited.

“Well I can show you around the rest of the building, introduce you to some of the others.”

“No need,” Jon waved his hand. “I’m fine… thank you.” It was more of a dismissal than thanks, but Martin didn’t take the hint.

“I can help you go through the filing system. It’s a little tricky.”

“I got it. I’m good,” Jon said shortly.

“Are you sure you don’t want a cu--”

“Martin.” Jon’s tone drew a harsh edge. “I’m fine. Don’t you have your own work to do?”

Martin made a few bumbling words of … something and left. He tried to tell himself that Jon was just an arse, but rather convinced himself that he had been the one being too pushy. Usually he was better at reading people, but Jon had been irritated from the very beginning, and Martin had been… distracted by him.

Martin decided that he needed to do better with Jon there and then, but all he managed to do was make things between them worse. He tried to learn Jon’s signals. When he was cold, or hungry, or needed a break, but he didn’t give them off. He had to be just as tired and hungry as anyone else going at the rate he did, but he gave no indication of it. He only continued plowing through books and fieldnotes. Writing down information with his precise handwriting. Never stopping to sigh or look out the window. The only thing that seemed to pick up his mood was when new books came in.

It was actually sort of worrisome the way Jon treated himself, so rather than helping Jon like he did everyone else Martin… butted in. After four hours he would interrupt and offer tea and biscuits. He would ask if Jon wanted the window open. He would note that it was lunchtime loudly in Jon’s vicinity. If nothing else Martin became good at identifying the range of Jon’s tolerance, but it worked. Jon would drink his tea with a grumbled resentful thanks. He would pull out the paper bag containing his lunch although he wouldn’t stop working while he ate it. He’d offer a pinched look when Martin asked about temperature. It didn’t take long for Martin to stop offering to help with the work itself. He could feel Jon’s estimations of him fall even lower when he handed him the page of translated Latin.

“How long… have you worked here?” Jon asked slowly.

Martin wished he could just see in Jon’s head so that he could give him what he wanted. Casually asking around to the other researchers didn’t gain much. Jonathan Sims is testy, but so knowledgeable. Have you read his paper on parasycopathy--or… something that sounded like that. Jon was even helpful, albeit grudgingly so with his fellow researchers. He didn’t like the idea of sloppy research representing the Institute so he would proofread, edit, or offer sources to those in need and brave enough to pull him from his own studies.

Maybe Martin was being unfair. Jon wasn’t always a grouch. He would get very excited and light up when someone got him into a conversation about a topic he didn’t know anything about. He would be extensive in asking all the information he could get on it. It looked … intimate in some ways. Martin had never had a topic that would perk Jon’s interest, but he liked to watch when someone else did. Jon was… captivating when he got like that. It was like a glimpse behind the wall he had built around himself. He was bea--

Martin shook his head in mild despair. Was he really that daft? Jon didn’t like him. There was no point in pining for something that would never happen. He should stop. He should leave Jon be and stop worrying about him and his skipped meals and late hours.

He should stay away.

He should stop watching him.

But he couldn’t. In fact if anything he watched him more. Wanted to see everything that Jon would show.

There’s a feeling here. Bitter mutual understanding. Mild annoyance. One of them wants to deny they are the same.

#the magnus archives #tma #tma fanfiction #martinjon #eliasjon onesided #martin blackwood #elias bouchard #the archivist #jonathan sims tma

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hazyheel · 5 years

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WWE Smackdown Live 8/27/19 Review

Roman Reigns Interview: This was quick. Roman said that he has some business to deal with in regards to Erick Rowan and Daniel Bryan, but he will save it for the ring.

Kofi Kingston Promo: He started things out by calling Orton stupid, and said that Orton made this personal. He tried to involved Kingston’s family, and he tried to destroy Xavier Woods’ knee. He also said that Orton was scared last week, scared of the anger that Kingston has right now. He said that he has always been ready for Orton, and he will destroy him at Clash of Champions. As Kingston was signing off, Orton showed up on the Titantron. He called him stupid a whole bunch, before saying that he would not touch Kingston until their title match. He also said that he received a letter from someone, and he read it for everyone. He read a letter that is supposedly from one of Kingston’s kids, begging Orton to stop attacking Kingston. Orton then said that he is staying in the same hotel as Kingston’s family, and implied that he was going to attack them in the hotel. Kingston then ran backstage, where Orton was waiting for him. The two brawled, and refs had to separate them. Orton came out on top after giving Kingston the hanging DDT off a table and onto the floor.

Grade: B. This was a pretty good promo, especially Orton’s stuff, and the brawl was really fun. My only problem is that it is very similar to the stuff between Joe and Styles last year. It is still an intense feud, I like it a lot better now than I did pre-summerslam, but a really good story won’t improve their match quality. Hopefully they do some good work at Night of Champions, which is now an official match.

Big E interview: Big E was standing right outside the trainer’s room, and he said that Kingston will be fine and ready for Clash of Champions. However, he could not say the same for Orton, as they had a match later on in the show.

Ali vs. Buddy Murphy in the first round of the 2019 King of the Ring: This was the match I was most looking forward to in round one, as the two but on one of the best matches of the year last year. Ali quickly started things up with some striking, but he hurt his hand on a chop. Murphy then gave Ali a huge high knee to the face for a near fall. After the commercial, Ali took the advantage back using a series of quick strikes. As Ali went for the rolling face buster, Murphy caught him, threw him to the outside, and then gave him a huge tope con hilo. Ali responded with a huge superkick and a poison rana in the ring, scoring a near fall. Ali then tried to go to the top, but Murphy caught him with a cheeky nandos kick, a powerbomb, flipped him around into a sitting knee strike, and then a brainbuster for a near fall. The two then traded huge strikes in the middle of the ring, before Ali gave Murphy a huge DDT through the ropes. He followed it up with a 450 splash and won.

After the match, Murphy shook Ali’s hand and raised it.

Grade: B+ Another great match from Buddy Murphy. His first three smackdown matches, and they all impressed. These two have great chemistry, we have always known that, but I think the problem here is that they weren’t give quite enough time. They kinda had to rush into their signature moves without much buildup in the start, but they still had some great offense and some great selling. These two are legit, and I hope WWE realizes that. Match of the Night

Bayley and Ember Moon Backstage: the two talked a bit about their Summerslam match, but Moon was respected. She told Bayley that Bayley was the face of the Smackdown Women’s division. She said that Bayley was the best, and then Lacey Evans showed up. Lacey said that she was the face of the division, and said that she will prove her worth in their match later on. Cool.

The Miz vs. Sami Zayn: before the match, Miz cut a promo about the attack from Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura. Miz said that Zayn is just latching on to someone who is more successful than himself. He also said that attacking Miz is not the way to get to the top. Miz then challenged Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash of Champions. Sami Zayn came out with a mic, and not in ring gear. He said that he is helping Nakamura a lot. He said that Nakamura feels free now, and he also said that the IC title is not Miz’s anymore. Zayn put over Nakamura a bit, and called Miz the king of soft style. He said that Miz wouldn’t understand Zayn’s reasoning, so he would have to beat some respect into him. Miz told him to do it, but Zayn refused. Miz then tried to attack him on the ramp, but Nakamura blindsided him. Nakamura threw him around ringside a bit, and tried to gave in his chest with knee strikes and kicks. He finished it off with a Kinshasa that sent Miz’s head into the LED boards on the apron. The heels then brought Miz into the ring, and Nakamura gave him another Kinshasa. The match never started.

Grade: B+. I was skeptical of the pairing between Zayn and Nakamura, but it is great. Zayn needs a break from the ring, Nakamura needs a mouthpiece. The two have really good chemistry, and I like them together. A feud with the Miz is a good idea. Lots of good mic time, and that IC title match will be pretty good. The best part is that Zayn doesn’t have to cheat for Shinsuke, so he can just be a representative. I think that this pairing will go really well.

Elias and Kevin Owens backstage: The two just sorta jaw jacked a bit, and Owens asked where Shane McMahon was. Elias said that Shane isn’t in the building. Owens then just thanked him and walked away.

Bayley vs. Lacey Evans: It’s been a while since I’ve seen Evans, so I was actually looking forward to it. Evans started the match by throwing her gloves in the air for a distraction, but Bayley didn’t fall for it. Bayley just dominated Evans in the early goings of this match, until Evans used some power moves to take control. However, Bayley totally wrecked Evans on the outside, which cued Charlotte Flair to come out. When we came back from commercial, Evans was in control firmly. Evans started to pick away at Bayley, working over just about any limb she could get ahold of. Bayley took control back by dropkicking Evans into the ropes, but Evans quickly fought back into it. Evans began to focus on the arm as they continued their match using strikes to the shoulder and stomps to the arm. Bayley then trapped Evans in the middle ropes, and started to drill her with lariats and knees over and over again. Bayley then locked in a new submission to work on the knee, but Evans got to the ropes, and took control back from there. At one point, Evans hit an awesome moonsault off the top for a near fall, but Bayley responded with a suplex on the outside. They both barely made the count before dueling for roleups, until Bayley rolled through one and gave her a huge knee and a Bayley to Belly, but Evans grabbed the bottom rope. After that Bayley hit another Bayley to Belly, and followed up with the Macho Man Elbow drop and the win.

Grade: B-. Pretty good stuff from these two. Both got a lot of offense, but it didn’t feel like it was very back and forth. Evans got most hits in, while Bayley just hit some of her big moves and ended up with the win. A longer version of the classic WWE TV match. But it impressed me, and Evans got a match.

Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan Interview: Bryan talked about how they need Reigns to apologize, and they wouldn’t leave until he did.

Big E vs. Randy Orton: Big E started with some big shots to the body and quickly brought things to the outside and tossed Orton over the announce desk. Big E was totally dominant in the early parts of this match, giving him an abdominal stretch followed by a back elbow. However, Orton took control back with some well placed strikes. At one point, Big E went to give Orton a splash on the apron, but Orton dodged it, so Big E crashed and burned. As we came back from commercial, Big E gave Orton a huge back body drop onto the announce table, but Orton totally picked him apart when they got back in the ring. Orton looked like he was about to finish it, but Big E destroyed Orton with a series of suplexes, but when he went for the big splash, the Revival ran out. Big E went for the Big Ending, but Orton pushed him into the ropes, allowing the Revival to take a cheap shot, and Orton won with an RKO.

After the match, The Revival helped Orton with a super RKO to finish things off.

Grade: B-. A strong B-, but not quite a B. The match was pretty good, but it kinda took me out of it to see Big E’s silliness when he was trying to be very serious right now. But seeing him in a singles match is really cool, and I like that Orton is slowly isolating Kingston from all of his friends. It is a good story, and Big E can be a singles star, so they both really impressed here.

Chad Gable Interview: Gable said that Shelton Benjamin’s insults are not getting to him. He said that he will beat Shelton in the tournament, and that he’d be looking up at the lights. Shelton Benjamin then showed up and called Gable short. This build sucks.

Elias Promo: he talked from the King of the Ring throne. He said that he will win the tournament, and that he will wear the crown better than anyone before him. Then he insulted the crowd, but as he did, Kevin Owens jumped out from behind the throne and attacked. The two brawled into the ring, and Owens gave Elias a Stunner, but he didn’t pin him for some reason. R-Truth did though, he tried to pin Elias, but Maverick pulled him out and pinned Elias himself.

Grade: C+. Short and sweet, but it loses some points for Owens not trying to win the 24/7 championship. That wouldn’t been a great way to end it. Although Maverick is always entertaining with it.

Chad Gable vs. Shelton Benjamin in the first round of the 2019 King of the Ring: Benjamin started things out with a stiff shot, and quickly took control. Benjamin tried to intimidate Gable by calling him short over and over, but it only fired up Gable, who decimated Benjamin with strikes and a German suplex, but Benjamin answered right back with a lariat. At one point, Gable went for a cannonball on the outside, but Benjamin caught him and just swung him into the barricade. As the two fought back into the ring, Gable went for a moonsault, landed on his feet and ate a huge running knee. Benjamin then tried for a powerbomb, but Gable gave him a sunset flip right back and scored the victory.

Grade: B-. These two had chemistry, but again they weren’t given enough time. King of the Ring is not being treated as important at all, and it is upsetting. These two could have had a really good match, but this barely went five minutes, if that. Just disappointing. The action was good though, as will be Andrade vs. Gable.

Roman Reigns Promo: Before Reigns could even start talking, Daniel Bryan got on the titantron and told him to say he was sorry. Reigns asked the crowd, who chanted no. Reigns then threw it to a video, which showed the first attack as someone that looked like Rowan, who was editted in, walked away. Daniel Bryan that got so mad at Rowan that he slapped him over and over, and told him to leave. Bryan then stormed out to the ring, saying that he didn’t know anything. Bryan said that he wasn’t the one who ordered the attack, but Reigns gave him a spear anyway.

Grade: F. THAT’S IT? ALL OF THIS FOR ROMAN SHOWING A FUCKING VIDEO?!? I suppose we don’t know for sure if that was supposed to be Rowan, because it could’ve easily been the look alike, but I’m really not sure if that is a plot hole or not. I think WWE messed this up, and they could’ve created a really good and fun mystery, and they ruined it by having the stupid Rowan look alike. It didn’t have to be Rowan, just give he and Bryan an Alibi and keep this up. It could’ve been good, but now I’ve lost all faith. Awful way to close the show.

Overall Grade: C+

Pros: Orton Promo; Ali vs. Murphy; Zayn and Nakamura stuff

Cons: THE END OF THE SHOW

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c-bassmeow · 6 years

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it isn't a question of "some people can't have protein;" it is a metabolic fact that proteins are broken down into glucose when the body exhausts its supply of glucose and glycogen. And appeals to "hunter gatherers" are laughable at best since our cells are biologically programmed to consume glucose first...obviously there is a reason for that. What you said about the brain is just wrong, no matter how you "feel." fact is your assertions are backed up by little if any good, peer-reviewed science

Sadly YOURE the wrong one here and you making it seem as if I’m pushing keto with my emotions instead of a rational empirically based process I think speaks more about yourself than me. Cus it’s just not the case. Usually when people throw ad hominem like this I don’t want to respond. But I will since I have to undo the misinformation you’re spewing. First of all, you don’t break down all protein into glucose when you don’t have enough carbs. You do that if you’re starving and it would take a while. If you eat less than 25 net carbs you enter into ketosis. Ketosis is not a glucose producing state it’s where you produce ketones to partially fuel your body. In ketosis your brain runs over 75% on ketones which study after study has shown is actually more efficient for your brain and is preferred by your brain. This is why researchers are now looking into ketosis and ketones as a way to prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia. Now you have the science wrong, SOME think if you eat too much protein you might start producing glucose however this is debatable and it varies per person hence my comment about not everyone on keto eats a high amount of protein. I can remain in keto and still eat copious amounts of meat. Now on keto your liver produces a little bit of glucose to fuel the remaining percentage of energy for your brain but again the primary source would be ketones. As for appealing to hunter and gatherers as being laughable. Why is that? Do these people not count? Are they not human? Are they beneath you because you consider them savages? How is it laughable? I’m interested. The research done on these societies and their diet is invaluable because it can show us how our ancestors ate and also it can show us radically different diets that we are used to that don’t provide an environment for cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Again, the onus is on YOU not me to explain why the Inuits can eat copious amounts of whale blubber and barely eat any fruits or veggies and yet survive and thrive and be virtually life-style-disease-free. It was only until the westerners came that the Inuits experienced an explosion in obesity and sickness due to the carbs and sugars. Finally, babies many scientists say are in ketosis. They drink nothing but their moms milk fat so it seems your thesis is wrong, ketosis is a natural state and possibly our primary state. Appeals to saying how the body searches for glucose don’t prove anything it Just means our bodies adapted to rely on fat or rely on glucose. However one of these states is easier to control your weight gain..... and I love the implication again that I’m being unscientific. I’ll give you two names of highly respected peer reviewed scientists from the top of my head who research this: Tim noakes, Stephen phinney, Jeff volek. One thing y’all have to understand is that I take the truth very seriously and I don’t believe things because it feels good but because I’ve done my fucking research. Are you allowed to disagree with me? Yes. Please do. Please be skeptical. Please challenge me. But don’t fucking imply I’m stupid or some dumb ass pseudo-intellectual that goes by his day through some irrational process. Fuck you.

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newtyp · 5 years

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I watched some of Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (Rising of the Shield Hero) cus I saw people talking about how good it was for months. I had skepticism cus yknow another isekai

and its worse than I expected!

I already had a bad feeling when some random female character got called slutty by the mc (and then ofc the slut was revealed to be a bad guy!)

and thennnn

He bought a fucking child slave & used torture to get her to do something she didn’t want to

The premise COULD have been interesting (weak, underdog falsely framed hero vs world) but none of the characters have strong personalities let alone likeable ones, the setting itself is generic as hell, the conflict is whatever and honestly the character design is bland af. Just disappointing.

Reading some reviews: apparently its trope heavy and everyone in the world is a dumbass asshole except the extra spiteful asshole mc and its one of those plots where the author has to rely continual stupidity & pointless assholery to keep the plot going (+ the generic OVERPOWERED isekai protag). Damn wish fulfillment fantasies are a dime a dozen for the genre but this one was shittier than usual surprisingly.

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ciathyzareposts · 5 years

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Gobliiins – No Lemmings Here

By Ilmari

Rumors of this being a Lemmings clone were highly exaggerated.

When I wrote in the intro post that Gobliiins had been compared with Lemmings, I didn’t expect to raise so much controversy and even many skeptical glances – could anyone ever have confused these two games? Luckily, some commenters did admit they had always thought the two to be similar. Even more to the point, I checked some period reviews of Gobliiins and found lines like these

In a doff of the hat to Psygnosis’ Lemmings… (CU Amiga 29)

Gobliiins… will certainly appeal to fans of the now legendary Lemmings games (Amiga Format 38)

Of course, these were lines from Amiga magazines – notorious for making reviews based on mere conjectures – so it was no surprise that I could find no resemblance to Lemmings in Gobliins. I mean, let’s take some essential features of Lemmings:

Lemmings are not individuals. You can assign specific tasks to them, but it’s completely indifferent which of the hundred and one rodents gets a certain job.

The puzzles in a Lemmings game are physical – building a bridge, digging through an obstacle etc. You are definitely not picking up inventory items and trying to figure out how to use them.

Neither of these features applies to Gobliiins. Firstly, we do not have three scores and plus goblins, but only three of them (hence the three Is on the title). They have names (Hooter, Dwayne and BoBo, according to the manual) and each one of them has his own specific trait: Hooter knows how to do magic, BoBo can both climb a rope and hit things, while Dwayne can carry one item at a time and use it. Secondly… well, this should be obvious by now. BoBo’s skills are closest to a physical puzzle, but doing magic and using inventory items just isn’t what Lemmings is about.

The closest similarity with Lemmings is that each screen of the game forms a sort of level, and getting through one level rewards you with a password, with which you can begin directly at the beginning of the next level (password is also determined by health bar following the overall constitution of your goblins, so up to now I have had to play most of the levels twice, just to get my goblins through it intact). This is somewhat confusing, because it is not always clear what I should try to do to get to the next level.

Let’s illustrate this with the first level. The house you can see on the picture belongs, presumably to the wizard Niak I am trying to meet. The obvious goal would be to get inside the house, so I naturally concentrated my efforts on that front, usually with bad results.

This is what happens if I try to spell my way in

After a few failed attempts I just tried using the goblins everywhere. Finally, when BoBo hit the right pillar on the gate, one of the horns of the gargoyle dropped on the ground. Just to show that I had achieved something important the goblins jumped up and down couple of times.

Next question was what to do with the horn. Blowing it just irritated the wizard, who dislikes loud noises. In fact, the solution was to let Hooter cast a spell on the horn, which then turned into a pickaxe. Picking up the pickaxe completed the level.

You are probably asking what sort of goal this was. Well, looking at the manual made everything somewhat more sensible. You see, the wizard wants payment and there’s a diamond mine next to his house, so of course you’d want a pickaxe. It’s just not very clear storywise, if you don’t check the manual thoroughly – especially as it’s not obvious, what Hooter’s spell would do to horn.

The second level has an obvious problem to solve: you see that we need to get to the left side of the screen to dig with the pickaxe, but a broken bridge stops us. The only even remotely interesting things on the screen otherwise are the four apples. The apples can’t be picked and hitting an apple just destroys it.

Or worse, a goblin is destroyed, if you hit the leftmost apple

Violence wasn’t the solution, but magic was. If I let Hooter do his thing on the fruit, they grew to enormous size. Then, hitting the apple didn’t destroy it, but merely dropped it from the tree. One of the three apples had a scary worm in it, but other fruits I could drop to the hole on the bridge. After that, it was just a matter of using pickaxe on the wall.

And not your fist

The next level didn’t really deserve that name – we are back on the front yard of wizard’s house and all we need to do is to hold out a diamond we had just found.

You’d think the wizard would now be listening to us, since he just saw the diamond, but no, he is far more interested in a book.

10 CAPs for the best suggestion on what book has captivated wizard’s attention

I should clearly get on the table and the only means to it are the two flesh-eating plants. BoBo was the only one with the climbing skill, but before he could do it, Hooter had to spell one of the plants to make it a bit higher. Now, this wasn’t the final solution, since BoBo did not have the knack to carry the diamond to wizard – and hitting the man wasn’t the solution.

Getting his comeuppance

There was this obvious big book on the small table, but BoBo wouldn’t go there, because the other flesh-eating plant was blocking his way. It took me a while to get what I was supposed to do, and at least part of the reason was due to finicky controls. The solution lied on the table on the left, with the two small pots on it. Getting a goblin to walk up or down that ladder was difficult, and as I later found out, if Dwayne picked one of the pots and left the diamond in its stead (remember he can carry only one item at time), he had difficulties in getting the diamond back from the table (in other words, the hotspot for the diamond had vanished somewhere). Finally I had to just leave the diamond somewhere on the floor, before getting the pot I required.

So, what was in the pots?

This wasn’t the one I needed

The other one contained a fly, which I could feed to the second plant. After getting fed, the plant let BoBo walk beside it, and he was able to punch the big book down. Dwayne then used the book as stairs to get on the table and gave the diamond to the wizard. The wizard opened up the grate that led to underground caverns and gave the goblins a mission to gather some magic items.

This seems like a good place to call it a day. Although my tone might have been a bit critical, I am still enjoying the game, despite the little quirks. It has been somewhat similar experience to Putt-Putt in that behind every click there seems to be a silly animation waiting. And the slapstick humour is bringing smile to face more often than not.

Session time: 2 h 25 min

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/gobliiins-no-lemmings-here/

#retro games #dos games #retro #crpg #adventure #amiga #oldcomputers #8bit #16bit #blog #repost

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