#DO NOT EVER LET ME DO A BG AGAIN. NOT WORTH IT | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

meruz · 3 years

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i was gonna draw tonight but i dropped my tablet pen and the barrel of the pen broke off and flew somewhere underneath (??) my bed (?) and now i cant find it so I’m just gonna answer asks before bed instead. just some art asks and more mentions of infinity train LOL

What program and brushes do you use when making your art?

@ravki hi! part of this is in my FAQ but i’ll say it again anyways LOL: I use photoshop CC and have used photoshop for pretty much....my whole art career. I’ve dabbled in clip and paint tool sai in the past but photoshop is my true wife, we eloped away from her awful father adobe many years ago and are very happy together.

as for brushes... I should prob put this info in my FAQ too lol,... my default brush set is actually free to download here! Tho I will say I also use steve ahn’s storyboarding brush sometimes and lately i’ve been using shiyoon kim’s brushes A TON. Shiyoon’s cost a couple bucks but they’re super worth it imo

How do you choose colors?

This is kind of a difficult one to describe from scratch but hmm.... I’ll put it this way. Generally when I go into coloring or painting something I already have some colors in mind. Like for a certain piece I know I want a bright green, or a magenta, or a dark blue in certain areas. A lot of the time I know a mood I want. So I’ll start with that core color tone and build around it. I’ll use an example from a recent piece

So you can see here that the first color I accessed was that bright cyan. So I start with that bright cyan and then bring in its “friends” in the form of analogous colors (shown below on the far left)

greens greys etc. THEN I know I want the characters to stand out against all the blue so I start laying down warm contrasting colors for them (middle group). the mat under them is orange, skin tones are warm, ryans flannel is red etc. then to get them to work together I work more cool colors into the shadows and slightly warmer (not too warm because its a cool img overall so in this case, greener LOL) colors into highlights.

hope that makes sense? for me choosing colors is a lot about story and composition. If you know what you want to say, the mood you want to create, where you want to go, the path to get there becomes a lot clearer imo.

Have you ever considered making an art book?

I have! But I don’t think I currently have enough...original illustrations for one LOL? Not that an art book has to be all original work but if I were putting fanart in an art book...at that point I’d just make a fanzine. I’m making more original work lately though so maybe this year....? Who knows. For now, I do have a sketchbook up on gumroad. Hoping to do one of those next year too.

Any tips for keeping background drawings from getting super stiff, especially since things like interiors have a lot of straight lines?

This is a really interesting ask. Really great question that I don’t think gets asked enough - forgive me if I get a bit art school here but I drew up some examples.

First I think we have to investigate the assumption that straight lines make things stiff. That seems true on an instinctual level and certainly proves to be true very often But I don’t think its actually the straight lines themselves but the sort of arrangements and compositions they tend to dictate. Take this for instance.

pretty big difference, right? there’s a couple things that make a composition feel stiff and one of the most significant is lines that are perpendicular and parallel to the frame. it feels locked in and solid, like bricks. but the moment you shift these angles even a little the composition instantly becomes more dynamic because our innate senses of weight, gravity, and directionality can sense movement.

But it’s not just diagonals let’s take this one step further

when lines meet and terminate together those tangents can flatten and lock space so the best way to solve this is with overlap and complete intersection, forms continuing past or behind each other feel more layered and less like a flat mosaic... again, even in the simplest line drawings. So how do we apply this to a background?

ok I drew this really fast so its potentially not the best example but I think the idea is there. This space isn’t even particularly deep, it’s basically a room, a doorway, and a hallway behind it, and we’re not seeing that much of any of those things LOL. but when you draw an environmental object like a doorway in a way that lines up with the perpendicular and parallel lines of the canvas you’re automatically flattening it and making it look rigid.

and when you create tangents with objects and characters you flatten the space around them and make it difficult to tell what is actually in front or behind or if they’re on the same plane.

GOD I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE. Anyways. avoid those things and you’ll instantly have less stiff bgs no matter what kind of bg you’re depicting.

I wanna mention however that this isn’t to say a stiff bg with flat space doesn’t have its purposes.

sometimes you want to create parallels and tangents. it can make characters feel closed in, trapped, regimented, part of a routine, etc. it’s also great for making a composition look ornamental (especially combined with symmetry).

directors like wes anderson can even use these compositional elements to make images feel uncanny or harrowing! its very versatile. I think the important thing is to just be aware of when you are making something rigid and when that’s the last thing you want to do. conscious choices.

Can you speak Tagalog?

@lemuelzero101 I can! BUT NOT VERY WELL LOL ;;; both my parents are from Visayas! but they met and had me in the states lol so I’m pretty American born and raised. We go back to visit family on occasion but not regularly. My tagalog is mostly absorbed from listening to relatives at parties lol and my parents speak bisaya at home so I’m marginally better at that. Sorry to any filipinos out there hoping I’d be better educated, I’m like a little baby...

I do love meeting and talking to other filipinos online though, I grew up in an area that was relatively diverse but the asian population was small and the filipino population basically non-existent. I was like one of maybe 2 filipino kids in my highschool of 2000.

Apart from infinity train what shows are you watching now? Have you seen jujitsu kaisen?

Man this is gonna sound so boring but I haven’t watched a lot of tv lately. It’s not really part of my daily routine. Let’s see... I was sort of watching Amphibia, Craig of the Creek, and the new Digimon Adventure 2020 but I keep falling off watching those for one reason or another. Also there’s a lot of episodes, it doesn’t feel like something I can just binge and be done with.

The last thing I binged was Succession. I want that show and Euphoria back so bad, when I’m done forcing all my friends to watch Infinity Train im cancelling my HBO subscription until Succession and Euphoria return so they know exactly what I’m on their list for LOL.

I have not watched jujitsu kaisen but I’ve kept up with some of the sakuga news (I keep up with anime industry news and production info like x5 the amt i keep up with actual anime) for it and their compositing/editing looks dope. I’ve read the manga actually LOL or at least part of the beginning. I wasn’t super keen on the whole finger eating thing. Also to be honest I kinda feel like its the new Bleach and I never particularly cared about Bleach. Characters look nice enough tho. I wholeheartedly support jjk fans.

Thank you! Thank you @keznodzieja! <3

And thank you anons who don’t watch infinity train LOL...it’s always nice to hear when people enjoy my fanart despite not knowing the source material because it lifts a little bit of the “oh god am I being annoying???” fear off my chest. But also I think you should watch infinity train because it’s really good I have no reservations recommending it.

#ask #GOD so much to say everyday #now to respond to e-mails and hit the hay at a responsible time

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x-carrotcake · 3 years

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Being Vegan in Italy: Turin, Milan, Bergamo, Crema.

I spent 9 beautiful delightful days in northern Italy. This country stole my heart and soul and I will definitely come back once again. Italy is heaven. I am still in the ecstatic mood and hence I am not able to perceive all details rationally. I idealize the country. However, it’s impossible to idealize Italian food as it’s perfect on its own.

Even if you’re a picky eater with very specific preferences, Italy will not disappoint. I am going to share my food journey in some Italian cities I was lucky to visit: Turin, Milan, Bergamo, and Crema.

I will uncover if it’s easy to find something vegan in Italian restaurants and how much I spent for one day.

!!! the disclaimer in the very beginning. Mostly, I ate in a restaurant, canteen, or cafeteria once a day. I bought snacks, cookies, cans, fruits (peaches are very cheap there) and vegetables in stores and had them for breakfast and lunch or dinner depending when I was about to eat out. Nevertheless, I did not starve and tried a lot of tasty Italian meals. I did not intend to splurge like crazy. On average, I spent ~ 27 EUR (or ~32 USD) for food daily. For comparison:

So, I believe I did a very good job 🙃

OK, let’s start with food, the main star, and my recommendations. In the end, I will tell what I stocked up on for my hotel meals.

I. Turin

a) 1 July. I went to Flower Burger (https://www.flowerburger.it/) serving vegan burgers. It is not Italian national meal 😅 but I was tired after the flight and I wanted to go somewhere nearby my hotel. This place does not let you down. It offers colourful burgers with different fillings: tofu, seitan, beans. You also can take it with fries and beverage as a set.

Pluses: it is cheap and it’s almost everywhere. I am not kidding. I ate there only once bc I wanted to try many places but I saw several “Flower Burger”s in Turin, Milan, and Bergamo. It’s good to have a decent vegan chain in many cities.

I spent 6.50 EUR on that burger. It costs 9.50 EUR with fries and beverage.

b) 2 July. Cake and Shakerato in a vegan canteen.

On that day, I walked a lots and randomly chose a nice canteen. Fortunately, they have vegan options. Unfortunately, I do not remember the place 😕I checked in my history that I spent 6.5 EUR on ⬇️

This canteen is not specifically 100% vegan like Flower Burger. It has various cheap options: vegan and non-vegan. I’d recommend to check different canteens in Italy. They might have salads, starters, or cakes suitable for vegans, and they are very affordable.

c) 3 July. Beyond Burger with amazing cocktail in XO Club (address: Via Po, 46 10124 Torino TO). I still remember the taste of this cocktail (probably the best one I’ve ever tried).

d) Additionally, I ate so many gelato - ice creams. It’s everywhere in Italy. It is between 2-2.50 EUR for 2 flavours in a cup or cone.

Mostly, I ate fresh gelato in cone but I also tried this Pepipo from Turin.

Surely, the majority of gelato is not vegan. Sorbets are usually vegan. If you want creamy gelato, ask for vegan options.

OK, enough with Italian-American burgers. Let’s move to Italian food 🚅

II. Milan

a) 4 July. Iconic: pizza and wine in Flash SRL (address: via Bergamini 1). I payed 13 EUR.

+: The place is close to Duomo 😉

A very nice waitress packed the rest 1/2 pizza and I had it even in the evening.

Surely, I had my daily dose of gelato. I could not resist vegan pistachio, my favourite flavour, and strawberry.

III. Bergamo

a) 5 July. If you are in Bergamo, you must try gelato in Carmen! There are at least two gelaterias ‘Carmen’ there. I am in love with sorbets but sometimes I think it’s because I am vegan and mostly the only one vegan option among ice creams is sorbet. However, from time to time, you want a real vegan ice cream. Not sorbet, not fruit/berry and water combo. I want ice cream! And gosh, Carmen has many real vegan options. Go there!

Addresses: Via G. Tiraboschi, 60, 24122 Bergamo BG or Via Bartolomeo Colleoni, 20C, 24129 Bergamo BG.

Same day but a bit later: Poke Bowl in Poke House (Via G. Tiraboschi, 65, 24122 Bergamo BG). I payed 11.95 EUR for the bowl. In my opinion, it’s a fair price as it comprised fake ‘chicken’, avo, sweet potatoes, brown rice, crispy baked carrots, sesame seeds, and chickpeas. Finally, some decent protein in my stomach.

b) 6 July. I’ve already shared this picture. I wanted some diversity on my plate and hence went to Punto Natura (address: Via Giacomo Quarenghi, 36, 24122 Bergamo BG). The price of the plate with the soup which is invisible in the picture (who knows why) was 14 EUR.

The last meal in Bergamo was the cheapest though the tastiest one 🙃which proves once again sometimes the price and the taste are not equal to each other.

If you want fast cheap yet delicious food, go to CAPATOAST (address: Via G. Tiraboschi, 63, 24122 Bergamo BG). They have both vegan salads and vegan sandwiches.

I ordered delicious salad with vegan mozzarella and grilled vegetables. It was only 5.90 EUR.

IV. CREMA aka the best place on the earth for me

a) 7 July. Capri Cocktail and Focaccia Sandwich with grilled aubergine and zucchini.

Honestly, I chose that restaurant because of its location - Piazza Duomo. Here is the explanation why.

There are many small restaurants and bars there. Just pick whatever you like. Prices are pretty much the same. The set’s price was 10 EUR.

b) 8 July. The last day in Crema.

I had a vegan croissant and coffee for breakfast (< 5 EUR) in BLOOM 33 Botanic Bar (address: Via Giuseppe Mazzini, 33, 26013 Crema CR).

and very Italian Piadina, 5 EUR, for lunch at La Piadineria (address: Piazza Garibaldi, 74, 26013 Crema CR.

still 8 July but Milan. I came back to Turin through Milan. I was in Milan twice and two times it was raining cats and dogs there. This city either has weather problems or finds me kinda problematic 🙃I got absolutely soaked.

At least, I ate well 👌I found “California Bakery” (https://californiabakery.it) on my way to the rail station. It costed 13 EUR but I finally got my tofu 🥳

Summary

9 July is missing as I ate in the airport. I forgot to take a picture and anyway no one expected airport food to be worth its price.

I better tell what I ate in Italy apart from restaurant meals. I bought a lot of canned items: corn, beans, peas. There are many sets with 3 small cans which is very convenient for someone what travels alone. I bought peaches, tomatoes, crackers, cookies, juice, and water.

It was my typical purchase. It is not the best healthiest option but it’s ok for 9 days.

OK so that’s it! It is probably the longest post on my blog. I tried my best to include almost everything here. Ofc, I didn’t post every single ice cream I ate in Italy. Otherwise, the post would be twice longer.

If you have any question, as usual comment and asks are welcome. Let me know, if you need specific details about the trip: hotel, transport, quarantine restrictions, etc.

💜 & 🤟

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teyvattherapist · 3 years

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Write to Me

eh fuck it here ya'll go. pspspsps dain simps come get your food.

Anyways it features my oc, I'm too lazy to rewrite it, and I think this is cute. Sooo, posting it anyways.

tags: gn!readerxDainsleif, fluff, soulmate au babyyy, it do always be angst when u squint, dain was a ho as a young man as he should be honestly, oc mention? not massive tho just in the bg, kaeya and albedo making bets

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When he was younger he wasn’t exactly monogamous, sleeping with whatever pretty thing piqued his fancy, his status and good looks lending to men and women throwing themselves at him. He didn’t think he had a soulmate, no lovely voice in his head, he could see colour just fine, and whenever he wrote or drew on his arm there was nothing in return. Not a single scratch that wasn’t his own, nothing. So he did whatever he wanted, there wasn’t anybody matching his soul.

But he was older now, much older. Centuries passed since he was a young man at the centre of many people's hearts. Now he was a disgraced knight and a traveler. He was busy tracking down and destroying the Abyss Order, his traveling companion gone, he had nothing but his duty once more. He stayed away from cities as much as he could, only going in to restock his supplies.

Imagine Dainsleif’s surprise when he woke up one day, odd blue squiggles on the tainted skin of his right arm. It wasn’t anything fancy, a small little smiley face with awful handwriting beside it, a tiny ‘hi’. He outstretched his arm, blinking once, twice, he tried to rub it off. But it didn’t come off. Now? Really? NOW?! He didn’t want to write back, he didn’t want to draw anything. They were more than likely a child judging by the writing, he could just pretend he never saw this.

But they didn’t cease. Apparently when he had rubbed the drawing, it had showed up on them. ‘Yuo real?’ Dainsleif groaned, pulling his gloves on instead. He didn’t have time for this. So Dainsleif ignored it, ignored the messages that sometimes showed up on his arms and he ignored the drawings, no matter how good or awful they were. His duty came first, and he was several centuries old. He simply couldn’t pay attention to it.

But as the years went on the messages began to slow. How many years had passed? Ten? Twenty? He wasn’t entirely sure, his memory blending together, fragmenting and hazing over. Bits and pieces here and there. ‘I hope you’re well, you’ve been quiet.’ A message scrawled on his left arm and he stared at it in the dark of the tent.

‘I am well. And you?’

‘And here I thought my soulmate died. I’m fine.’

Dainsleif sighed, blue eyes flicking upwards at the material of the tent. They deserved somebody so much better. The Twilight Sword was not that somebody. He looked back at his arm, a name, he assumed, was scrawled beside the words.

‘Dainsleif.’

‘Like the sword?’

‘Like the sword.’

“Fascinating. I must be going to sleep now, I have work early. Goodnight, Dainsleif.’

Dainsleif dropped his arm beside him, a soft sigh escaping his lips. How ridiculous was this. The Gods truly hated him to gift him a soulmate when he was what, five hundred and twenty five? His poor soulmate, too. He couldn’t stop thinking about what an unfortunate situation it was for them, perhaps it was the way he showed he did care, even if he hadn’t met them or spoken to them beyond reading the occasional message they wrote.

You hurried through the hallway, already late for work, the fifth time that month. You spared a wave to Sucrose who was exiting Albedo’s laboratory and she smiled, waving back. You quickly threw open the door to the laboratory across from Albedo’s, entering swiftly. “I’m so sorry Ohm, my alarm didn’t go off again and- Oh!” You stopped, realising there was somebody else in there.

The medical captain looked around the man dressed in interesting garb, smiling when he saw it was you. “Hello, (y/n)! Nothing to worry about. Ahem, where was I? Oh yes! Same rules as before, but try to apply it more sparingly, I don’t want you building up an intolerance until I can find something stronger.” Ohm held out a jar of azure gel but the man was stiff, unmoving. “Teyvat to Dainsleif?”

“Wait- Dainsleif?” You stopped, dropping the papers you had been holding. They scattered everywhere and Ohm tilted his head, periwinkle hair falling into his face, a clear sign of his utter confusion. Dainsleif turned to you, his eyes were stunning, blue and the pupils- he was gorgeous, that was the first thing that came to you and you felt your cheeks warming at his piercing gaze.

“Well would you look at the time, I have to go uhm, annoy Albedo. It's in my schedule. Please lock the lab if you are to leave. Dainsleif heed my orders or I’ll find you.” Ohm stood up, he rounded Dainsleif, grabbing the bough keeper’s hand and placing the jar into it. He then let go and walked away. He put one hand on your shoulder and leaned in close. “Be nice, he’s shy.” The doctor whispered and then he was off, shutting the door behind him with a click.

You bent down to pick up the paperwork now that the initial shock wore off. Dainsleif also seemed to snap back into action, pocketing the jar. He stepped forward, crouching down to help you with the papers. “I apologise, your Gods have chosen an awful soulmate for you.” He was blunt, apparently. His voice deep and soothing nonetheless. He held the papers out in a bandaged hand and you hesitantly took them.

“I don’t know, I think you’re pretty. Even if you ignore me.” Did you really just- You stood quickly, walking by him and to the desk on the other side of the room, the small wooden desk you had claimed as your own. “Ahem, are you injured? I suppose you must be if you’re visiting the medical captain.” You trailed off, sorting the papers neatly on the desk.

“No, yes, technically.” Dainsleif stood, brushing off his dark pants. You turned, quirking an eyebrow at him as he moved back to the captain’s desk to retrieve a glove that matched his other one. Was it worth it? To give up his secrets? To show just why they should stop speaking to him and run far far away? He grabbed his glove and hesitated, looking at the thick material. He shook his head, pulling the glove over his bandages.

“Well, if you’re ever in need of care and you’re in Mondstadt, just write. Ohm has been teaching me how to do what he does. Though I can’t really do it like him yet, I’m still a pretty alright healer.” You offered with a soft smile even though he wasn’t looking at you. Dainsleif hesitated, adjusting his glove. Kind, dedicated to a good cause, funny sometimes. He cursed his feelings.

Dainsleif turned towards you, pressing himself against the desk as if to steady himself. His eyes flicked to the side, he was clearly thinking of something. He closed his eyes for a moment, nodded to himself, and then opened them again. “Ask your mentor about the Twilight Sword. I’m afraid I must take my leave. Write to me.” Dainsleif pushed himself off the desk and with a swiftness you weren’t sure was human, he was gone.

Immediately you brought your nail to your arm, writing gently. ‘I like your cape.’

‘Thank you, I like your cloak.’

Oh he was awkward awkward. Cute. You smiled at the words before getting back to work, these medical reports wouldn’t process themselves, after all. Though his words played through your mind, Twilight Sword.. It was oddly familiar but no amount of examining your brain proved useful, oh well. You’d just have to ask later.

Ohm snickered with Kaeya as they watched Dainsleif breeze by them, practically throwing himself down the staircase and out the door. “I’ll bet you one thousand mora he left the explaining to me.” Ohm spoke when he heard the heavy door to the headquarters slam shut.

“Neither of us are dumb enough to bet that, he absolutely did.” Albedo commented, leaning back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. “The feared Twilight Sword, Bough Keeper of Khaenri’ah brought down by a soulmate, so silly.”

“I don’t know, Albedo, I think it's quite endearing.” Kaeya teased, tapping his chin thoughtfully, but his eye told another story, glinting mischievously. “I’ll take that bet, Ohm. I’ll bet one thousand mora he tells them before he gets back to camp.” He held his hand out and Ohm took his hand, shaking it. Unfortunately, sealing Kaeya’s fate.

“Wait, hold on. I’ll bet one thousand mora he doesn’t do either.”

“That’s the spirit, alchemist.” Ohm shook hands with Albedo who huffed. “We should get back to work.” The medical captain gave a curt nod before he headed further up the stairs and towards the direction of his laboratory.

#dainsleif x reader #genshin impact x reader #dainsleif #genshin impact #soulmate au #lane writes #idk do i tag my oc? will he show up in future fics? probs #ohm ambros #queue #maybe i'll come up with a cooler genshin queue name but for now no #yes i pair dain up with a healer s/o a lot dont even LOOK at me

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neptuneofthesky · 3 years

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MCC 15 WINNER'S POV [RECAP]

RED RABBITS

DREAM

MICHAELMCCHILL

QUACKITY

SAPNAP

I was a little bit late, I first joined Quakcity’s stream to listen to his mcc song, which was great by the way!! (go listen to it!!)

Quackity said that he is Florida, that is why he isn’t using the green screen, Dream is in the next room, and Sapnap is streaming from the bathroom.

Then I joined Dream’s stream and I was there the whole time.

1st Game, Parkour Tag

Dream was a god in parkour tag, like, it was literally a manhunt, he hunted them faster than me desperately trying to fall asleep. That's all I want to say. He popped off.

They ended up in 3rd place overall.

2nd Game, Battle Box

The pinks dunked the reds lol.

Quackity popped off in battle box.

They did really good at the beginning of the battle box but then the victory ✨ got in their head ✨ but they still won 6/9 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), they overall did really really well.

Quackity was doing really well, he was in Hall of fame at 8th place after battle box, and Sapnap was in first!

They were still in 3rd place overall.

Dream told Tubbo that he hated him, then jk<3. He also said hi to Niki.

3rd Game, Sky Battle

First-round

Dream said that his aim was very off today.

Quackity said that don’t let it get to his head.

Dream laughed and said that it's already in my head.

Dream got 3 kills.

Michael got 1 kill.

Quackity got 1 kill.

Sapnap got 2 kills.

The round ends and they got 2nd place.

Second-round

Dream got 5 kills.

Michael got 1 kill.

Quackity got 2 kills.

Sapnap got 3 kills.

The round end and they end up in 3rd place.

Third-round

Dream got 8 kills.

Michel got 2 kills.

Quackity got 2 kills.

Sapnap got 7 kills.

The last round ends and they end up in 2nd place in Sky Battle.

They end up in second place overall.

p.s. pink parrots did really well and ended up in the first place overall<3

4th Game, Sands Of Time

Dream had a bg of a different dteam fanart this time.

I don’t really know what to put about sands of time, because it was really fun just to watch, they had really nice communication and coordination.

And Michael popped off.

They coined 2754 coins.

And Dream threw tomatoes at Tommy and then twerked.

They end up in 2nd place overall.

Sapnap was in 2nd place, Dream was in 4th place, Quackity was in 10th place and Michael was in 13th place.

p.s. pink parrots were awesome and were in the first place then<3

5th Game, Hole In The Wall

Hbomb subbed in Pete, they were happy because of that, they were also happy because they manipulated the votes. (in this round, it was the fan voting for the game thing)

Dream privately messaged Wilbur.

Dream: ily

Dream: jk

Wilbur: I need space

Dream: wtf

Also, Sapnap went to change his pants because his balls were getting bigger.

First-round

Dream said that they were not colorblind so they won’t have any problem.

Sapnap won the first round, he did the Hbomb glitch thing, and he said he loved glitches and he loved Hbomb and he wanted him to be his cat maid.

Second-round

Everyone said ranboo looks snazzy and complimented him in the chat.

Also, they had this conversation:

Sapnap: "I am so hot and sexy."

Dream agreed with him.

Quackity: "You have a hot and juicy ass."

Sapnap: "You would sure like a piece of it."

Quackity: "Oh wait, I didn't put my clothes back on."

Sapnap: "No, no, keep them off."

Dream: "Okay guys, spam space harder than Quackity spams his mother- wait I mean how hard I spam his mother."

Quackity: "That was messed up, dude."

Dream: "Spam space harder than George tries to see colors."

Quackity: "Yes, I like that. I will spam space harder than I spam George's mother."

Sapnap again won, this time it was a glitchless win.

And Quackity said that is why Sapnap has big balls.

Third-round

They kept talking about how big Sapnap's balls will get when he wins this one too.

Sapna ended up in 10th place.

Dream ended up in 4th place.

Sapnap ended up 1st in top players of hole in the wall.

Their team also ended up in first place in hole in the wall.

Red rabbits ended up in first place overall.

Sapnap was in 1st place.

Dream was in 3rd place

Quackity was in 16th place.

Michael was in 20th place.

Sapnap said that he was nervous about TGTTOSAWAF, so Dream hyped him up, then Quackity and Michael followed, then they continued to talk about Sapnap’s balls.

6th Game, Ace Race

Sapnap went to pee, they said it's a part of Strat.

Then started to diss Sylvee during their second lap.

They all did trash, except sapnap, he ended up in 12th place.

Tommy whispered to Dream, 'dumb fuck'.

They all agreed that the map was indeed pretty, but they didn't like it.

Then everyone hypes up Niki<3.

They end up in last place in Ace race.

But still, Sapnap was in 1st place overall and Dream was in 4th place overall.

They dropped to third place overall.

7th game, TGTTOSAWAF

Greens dunked pinks lol.

First-round

They ran the freaking ad everywhere, so I couldn’t see the first half.

Michael, unfortunately, couldn’t complete it, so they hyped him up.

Second-round

Michael again didn’t make it, so they hyped him up, and told him and Quackity to follow Dream.

Third-round

They all made it this time, and Michael ended up in 6th place!

Fourth-round

Again, they all finished, and their team was in 4th place.

Fifth-round

Sapnap ended in 2nd place! Unfortunately, Quackity couldn’t complete it.

Sixth-round

Tommy was pissing off Sapnap since he also screwed him up in the 2nd round. Unfortunately, quackity couldn’t complete the race again so they hyped him up.

Then they ran ads so I don’t know what they were talking about, but according to the chat, they were still hyping each other up

Red rabbits ended up in 4th place overall.

p.s. Pink parrots ended up in first place overall<3

8th game, Survival Games

They decided to do the buddy strat, Michael will stick with Dream, Quackity will stick with Sapnap.

Quacky: "You are my side bitch Sapnap."

Sapnap: "No, YOU are my side bitch."

And Sapnap got excited so Dream told him to not be out for blood. [that is such a cool dialogue I am definitely using that in their dynamic]

They also decided to stay away from people.

Their coordination was really good, even tho someone straight-up went in, the other pointed it out. They all listened to each other.

Survival games were really really fun to watch, they freaking popped off, like actually popped off, they were in first place. I recommend watching it from their pov!

They overall got first place<3.

Also, Sapnap got 4k points and was in 1st place, Dream was in 3rd place.

The Final Showdown: Dodgebolt

Red Rabbits vs Yellow Yaks

Sapnap went to take a piss.

I myself had to take a piss, but the hype was too much. And it was 3 am then.

They all said it's a win-win situation, because if they win they will be happy, and if yellow wins, which has Captain Sparklez in it, which will break his curse, will also make them happy.

First-round

Sylvee and Quig hyped red up.

Tommy said he’ll be happy if red loses and he’ll clip it. (/j)

Sapnap got Punz and Jack.

Seapeekay got Quackity and Michael.

Dream got Captain Sparklez and Seapeekay.

Red rabbits won the 1st round.

Second-round

Captain Sparklez got Michael.

Sapnap got Punz, Seapeekay and Captain Sparklez (king popped off).

Sylvee was continuously hyping them up, along with Wilbur.

Jack got Sapnap.

Dream got Jack.

Red rabbits won the 2nd round too.

Third-round.

Sapnap got captain sparkle

Punz shot Sapnap.

Dream shot Punz and Seapeekay and Jack.

WIN FOR RED RABBITS!!

Sapnap got 1st place AND 4k points, so close to Techno’s record! Congrats Sapnap!

It was 3:16 am, and it was worth it!

And then Dream raided Sapnap, and stayed on his stream along with Michael, Scott, Ant, Punz, Hbomb (these were the only people I could comprehend). Niki thanked Sapnap and Dream and because their chat sent support to Niki during ace race, Dream and Sapnap said thank you for acknowledging that we sent you support(/s), and Quackity was talking with the pinks and Jack.

Then they just discussed the game and a couple of other things, I wasn’t really concentrating because I was pooping. At 3:30 am.

Quackity raided sapnap and joined their call along with Jack.

And the thing I comprehended was that Sylvee was so supportive of red rabbits that she drowned all the “hate”(/j) comments. And they again talked about stuff.

They talked about who they want to team with next mcc.

And then Sylvee joined their call and talked about the game

And then they continued to talk about things, I was drunk by then. I was drunk on the fact that I am not asleep yet, and its almost 4 am.

Quackity popped off in battle box. Congrats to him for his first win ever!

Also, Michael popped off in sands of time, also congrats to him for his first win! (/j) [this is based on a joke guys made in the beginning that it's first time for Michael to play in a mcc ever]

They also made jokes about how Michael is a mcc virgin(/j) and Quackity lost his mcc virginity last time. and Sapnap also mentioned that Dream was there when Sapnap lost his mcc virginity

They fucked it up in the ace race, but their comeback in survival games was amazing and phenomenal.

And truly, survival games, ugh, they popped off my lord. and if it was build mart instead, they were fucked.

They broke a curse too, this was the first win for a red rabbits team!!

Also, pink did really well, but they screwed up in the survival games., that's why they got third place.

During the survival games, Dream said that they won’t engage on the pinks because they didn't want to mess up their first place.

Everyone had really fun, and I also had really fun watching it. I’d recommend you all to go listen to Quackity’s song if you haven’t already, and watch the survival games from different povs!

And once again, CONGRATS RED RABBITS!!!

#mcc #mcc15 #mcc 15 spoilers #mcc 15 #mcc 15 red rabbits #red rabbits #dream #dreamwastaken #sapnap #quackity #michaelmcchill #mcc 15 recap

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callboxkat · 3 years

Text

Statement of Patton Sanders

Author’s note: Anon, this is probably not what you meant, but, hey! Here you go!

Summary: Statement of Patton Sanders regarding a series of accidents. Statement recorded live from subject, February 7th, 2021, by Logan Sanders—no relation—Head Archivist of The Magnus Institute, London.

(Necessary bg info: The Magnus Institute is an organization that takes and investigates statements about paranormal experiences. Jurgen Leitner is a character who collected books with supernatural powers.)

Warnings: This is a The Magnus Archives AU, so if you’ve listened to that you should know what to expect. Body horror (cut off fingers, broken neck), nondescriptive vomiting, blood mention, food mention. Child abuse, sort of. It's in a story in this story. No character death or villain characters.

Word Count: 3289

Original prompt:

Writing Masterpost!

Ao3 Link

@badthingshappenbingo

...

“Hey, we have the same glasses.”

“Yes, I suppose we do—Do you need help with the chair? Oh, you’ve got it.”

Patton and the other man sat down on opposite sides of a desk. He was a weary-looking, bespectacled man who couldn’t have been much different in age from himself, although slivers of premature gray were visible in his hair.

The man—an archivist, he’d introduced himself as—leaned forward to turn on a tape recorder. It seemed a little old-fashioned, but it certainly did fit in with the overall vibe of the place (recording on a laptop would have probably felt out of place), and Patton didn’t mind. This would be much easier than hand-writing his entire statement.

The archivist cleared his throat. “Statement of Patton Sanders regarding a series of accidents. Statement recorded live from subject, February 6th, 2021, by Logan Sanders—no relation—Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London. Statement begins.”

Patton shifted in his seat. The archivist sat across him, looking at him expectantly. The tape recorder lay innocently on the desk between them, the tape inside slowly turning with a quiet tick. They sat in the basement of the oft-mocked Magnus Institute. They were in an office, but even here the walls were lined with bookcases, stacked with boxes upon boxes, each of them, it appeared, filled to the brim with folders, or with cassette tapes. Other peoples’ statements, presumably. Patton wasn’t sure how he felt about that. His story just being one of hundreds more, maybe thousands, in those boxes.

“Do I just… start?” he asked.

The archivist adjusted his glasses. “Yes, please.”

He nodded, swallowed, and even before he’d fully decided where to begin, he spoke. The words came surprisingly easily.

“I used to work at a library in my home town, back in the US. It’s a little town in Florida, almost at the border with Georgia, pretty near the coast. I don’t… I don’t work there anymore, of course. But at the time—this was about three years ago, back in 2017—I was there most days.

“One day we got this book in the return bin. It was weird. Not one of ours. It didn’t have a title that I could see, but there was a label on the inside cover. It was a bit smudged, but the last name was Leitner. I don’t know if it belonged to them, or if that was the author… I don’t know. It doesn’t matter, I guess.”

He noticed that the archivist suddenly seemed very interested in what he was saying, even leaning forward to hear.

“I was about to move the book over to the donations bin—I figured that’s what it was, you know, just a book somebody didn’t want, and decided to give to us rather than throw away, and got the wrong bin by mistake. But… I don’t know. Something about it just drew me in. I have no idea what; usually I go more for cookbooks, or crafts stuff, or um, lighter fiction. Not… that.”

He tried for a weak smile, but the archivist didn’t seem open to humor. Which Patton have once found awkward, but now it was almost a relief. He wasn’t sure how to make his story funny.

“So I took it out of the return bin, and I put it on my desk, instead. I was busy right then, but when I had a free moment, I sat down to take a look at it. It was old and worn, and like I said, there was no title. But it had this… weird feeling to it. Something off about it. I didn’t like it at all. But it was like I had to open it.

Patton sighed, glancing away. Suddenly, he felt on the edge of tears.

“And I made the biggest mistake of my life, and I opened that book.

“It was a story about a child who keeps refusing to do his chores. His mom would give him things to do, and the kid would say, ‘Yes, I’ll do them!’ but then as soon as the mom leaves, he’d drop the broom or whatever and run off to play with his toys instead. And as time goes on the mom gets more and more tired of this, because she has to do all the chores he doesn’t want to do.

“So, she takes him aside, and tells him sternly that he has to do his chores, or there would be consequences. And of course, he doesn’t listen, because he’s a kid.

“So the next day, takes him aside again, and tells him again to do his chores, and he continues not to. And it continues like that for ten days. But on the tenth day, the mom trips on the broom that the kid left in the middle of the floor, and she hurts herself. Very, um… very badly. She… breaks her neck. But she gets up off the floor, and her neck is all… it’s bent at a 90 degree angle. And there’s blood on the floor. I remember that page very vividly. Most of the book was in black ink, with some—” He made a face, “—illustrations. In the picture on that page, the blood was red.

“So, the mom… she goes to the kid, her neck all wrong, and she tells him, ‘You’re going to clean until your fingers fall off! Which… he does. She makes him clean, and clean, and clean. He has to scrub the floor, and when he finishes, she makes him start all over again, and again, and again. And, one by one, his fingers just… fall off.”

Patton was silent for a moment.

“On the last page of the book, there was a handprint. It wasn’t printed, you know, with ink. It was stuck in with a dark substance. I like to think maybe it was chocolate or something… but I doubt it. The weirdest thing about it, though, was that it had no fingers.

“When I closed that awful thing, I looked up, and it was dark outside. I’d apparently been reading for hours. I want you to understand—this wasn’t a big book. Maybe twenty pages, tops. And I’d found it near the start of my shift. I have no idea where all that time went, or how I didn’t notice it passing. Or why no one came in to disturb me. It’s like no one came to the library that entire day. I lived in a small town, like I said, but it wasn’t that small. We usually had people trickling in and out, even on slow days. Retired people who needed something to do, school kids doing homework, you know. You have a library here, you should understand, even if yours is more, uh… specific. So, it was really strange that no one had come in at all.

“Anyway, it was a horrible, horrible book. It was like someone set out to write a kids’ book about why they should do their chores, but instead of that, it was this nightmare version. I really didn’t want to add it to our library. Where would you even put a book like that? So I didn’t put it in the donation pile like I’d planned. But I also didn’t seem… able to just, like, get rid of it. I couldn’t just throw it away. Not because it was old and weird and maybe worth some money, no, more like… I don’t know. I just couldn’t do it. It’s hard to explain. So I put it in my desk, went home, and tried to forget about it.

“I’ll admit that, at the time, my apartment—my flat, you call ‘em here—wasn’t the cleanest back then. And thinking of that book, I kind of wanted to clean it. But also… I really didn’t. Thinking of that book made me very aware of the mess, but I kept thinking of that kid and the way his fingers just fell off, one by one, with that horrifying mom with her broken neck just watching, and then that handprint in the back of the book.

“I thought maybe whoever owned the book last, that Leitner person or whoever, put the handprint in there as some kind of joke. Just tilted up their fingers so they didn’t touch the page, to make it look like they didn’t have any. But I guess I kinda doubted that, even then.

“I made dinner that night, fed Jim and Pam—they’re my cats—and I left the plates in the sink to clean the next day.

“In the morning, they were stacked on the counter, perfectly clean. I tried to tell myself maybe I’d cleaned them and forgot, or maybe the cats had…. Somehow bumped them, and licked them clean, and it had just coincidentally looked purposeful. I don’t know. Pam liked to jump up on tables.

“I’d almost put it out of my head when the doorbell rang. I wasn’t expecting any visitors, but sometimes a couple of my friends would drop by at random, so I might not have thought much of it, except that my cats suddenly started acting different. Scared. They were hissing, and they ran off to hide. That wasn’t like them at all. …I didn’t answer the door.

“A half hour or so passed, and I figured whoever it was was probably gone, so I went to peek out the front window. Sure enough, whoever it was… if there ever even was anyone out there… was gone. But there was a box sitting on the welcome mat. Plain cardboard, no shipping label or address or anything.

“I should have left it alone. It probably wouldn’t have changed anything, but… who knows.” He let out a heavy sigh. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t leave it alone. I looked around, I wanted to make sure no one was there. No one was, as far as I could tell, so I opened the door.

“The box was small, maybe 6 inches long, a little less tall and wide than that—err, I’m not sure what that is in metric. Maybe like… 15 centimeters?”

The archivist waved him off. “It’s fine.”

“Sorry. So the box was small, and it was very light when I picked it up, which was honestly a bit of a relief at the time. I could practically hear one of my friends, Virgil, screaming at me about mail bombs. He’s a pretty cautious guy. Now I think maybe he had the right idea.

“I thought maybe the box was empty, even, until I stepped over the threshold and… and I uh, felt something rolling around in there.”

He shuddered at the memory.

“I brought it into the kitchen and opened up the box. Inside was… inside was a single, human finger, cut off just below where the joint would have been on the person’s hand.

“I felt sick. I was sick. I barely made it to the trash can. I remember my cats still didn’t come back to see what was going on, which was unusual for them. Normally they were very nosy little guys. It was like they knew something was very, very wrong. I don’t blame them for staying away.

“I called the cops right away, of course. Or, as soon as I’d calmed down enough to dial the number. I mean, course I did. Someone had dropped off a finger at my door.

“The lady on the phone was very nice, but I don’t think she believed me at first. Or maybe she just couldn’t understand what I was saying. I was a little upset, obviously. Eventually, though, the police did show up. They took the box, asked me some questions, and they left.

“That night, I was in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes, trying to forget the whole thing. I was almost done, but then, somehow… the garbage disposal turned itself on. Something wrong with the wiring, they told maybe. I was so surprised that I dropped the plate I was holding, and the stack of dishes shifted, and somehow, my hand ended up… my finger went down the drain. Into the garbage disposal. It all happened so fast. One second I was just washing a plate, humming the intro to Steven Universe, and the next….

“I scrambled to turn it off, but it was too late. I grabbed a dish towel and drove myself to the hospital in a panic. Only remembered later to send someone to look after the cats.

“They couldn’t save my finger, even if they had tried. There wasn’t anything left to save.

“A week later, I got another package. Left at my door, just like the last one. Identical to the first, but this time it was a different finger. Maybe from the same hand, but it wasn’t like I looked at it long enough to know for sure. And I’m not a doctor. I called the cops again, and they came. They weren’t much help. They poked around a bit, talked to the neighbors, and told me to get a security camera. I did do that.

“I was very careful that day, remembering what had happened last time, even though I knew it was ridiculous. What, some crazy person leaves a severed finger on my doorstep, and that somehow makes me lose my own in a freak accident? …But I was careful, anyway. And nothing happened that day. But the next morning, when I went to go to work… I slammed the car door shut on my finger.

“It kept happening. The same plain cardboard boxes left at my door. The camera always seemed to cut out when they were delivered, although once I swear I caught a glimpse of a silhouette. It looked… wrong, though. Maybe it was a tree casting a shadow or something. No one’s head looks like that.

“I stopped calling the police, eventually. They didn’t help. Just asked the same questions, swore they were doing all they could, and left. I stopped opening the boxes, too. I tried throwing them out, burning them, kicking them into the gutter. I went to stay with my friend Virgil, but the box found me there, too. I moved twice. It didn’t seem to matter. Every week, a box would show up, and within a day or two, even if I never even opened my front door or looked at the box, I’d lose another finger. Until….”

Patton looked down at his lap, where his hands sat. Where each finger should be, they instead ended in neat little stubs just after the knuckle. They were remarkably even, considering that he’d lost each one in different ways, in different weeks. One after the other.

“After that, it finally stopped. My hands healed as much as they ever would, and I went back to work—I still don’t know how I kept that job—and I found that book in my desk. I tried to throw it out, but I couldn’t make myself let go of it. I tried to feed it to the paper shredder, but I couldn’t make myself rip out the pages. Eventually I just threw it across the room, and it landed neatly in the pile of donated books. Apparently, it would have let me just… add it to the collection. But I couldn’t let other people read it—What if the same thing happened to them? So I took it home with me.

“I did try to get rid of it on the way there. I stopped by the river, a dumpster… I tried to set it on fire. Imagine trying to get a lighter to work like this. I couldn’t follow through with any of them, though, and not just because of my hands. The book wouldn’t let me. Or I wouldn’t let myself. I don’t know which it was, really. Maybe I was afraid something worse would happen if I managed to destroy it. I don’t know.

“I locked it away. Buried it where I couldn’t see it. Still, it was like it was calling to me, telling it to hold it, to read it, to place my own hand over that awful handprint. It was driving me crazy. The cats wouldn’t go near the room it was in.

“I tried to ignore it. To forget about it. For a while, I thought it was working. I was still constantly aware of where it was, but it got easier to ignore.

“Then, one day, the doorbell rang. It was another box. Inside was a single, severed toe.”

A silence stretched between them, yawning between Patton and the archivist. The tape recorder ticked on. A tear rolled down Patton’s cheek. When he continued, his voice was choked.

“I will never forgive myself for what I did next, but I couldn’t go through that again. Please don’t judge me. I know it’s unforgiveable. But you can’t understand what it was like, not if you’ve never been through something like that. I knew it was the book by now, that was doing this to me, and I had to be rid of it. I still couldn’t destroy it, but I could… give it away. So I went and I got the book, and I wrapped it up as best I could, and I wrote ‘DO NOT READ’ on the package in capital letters. And I gave it away. I don’t know who I gave it to, and I don’t want to know. I drove across town, stopped at a random house, and stuffed the book in their mailbox. I can only hope they never read it.”

Patton let out a shaky breath. “It worked.”

The archivist’s face was impassive.

“After that was all finally over, I decided I needed to get out of there. Not just out of the town, but as far as I could get. I had family in the UK, and one of my friends studied abroad here and loved it, plus you guys speak English, so it seemed like as good a place to go as any. So I moved. Nothing else has happened since. I don’t have any fingers, but at least I have all my toes, and I’m rid of that awful book. I’ve tried to forget the whole thing, which as you might imagine, is a little difficult, but I try. Still, when one of my coworkers mentioned this place—I work at a shop now, restocking at night, so I don’t have to see the customers—I decided to come. I just want to be rid of this story. So… if you guys can track down that book, stop it from hurting anyone else, please do.” He clenched his hands, as well as he could. “I don’t want its weight on my mind anymore. It’s done enough to me.”

He fell silent.

“Statement ends,” said Logan. The archivist leaned forward and turned off the tape recorder. “Thank you for coming in. You can leave the way you came. Roman, my assistant, will take down your details. We might contact you if we need further information. Do you, by chance, remember the address of the house where you left the book?”

Patton shook his head. “No, I… I didn’t want to know.”

Logan nodded slowly. “Alright. Well… we appreciate your time.”

“I hope my statement… ah, comes in handy,” Patton joked weakly. He almost smiled at the gobsmacked look on the archivist’s face, the most emotion he’d shown the entire time Patton had been there. And then, he got up, and he left his story behind. He’d given it away to someone else, and he was done with it.

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legionofpotatoes · 3 years

Text

alright here’s ma thoughts on that flick I mentioned

we hatewatched a*my of the dead because we were CONVINCED “zombies in las vegas” would be an impossible concept to screw up, but in so assuming we obviously invoked a holy wager with the universe and got reminded, once again, that hoping for improvement from someone who’s dependably put out bad art is never a wise choice 😐

but we were honestly kinda roped in by the marketing??? and expected a goofy fast-paced flick with the odd traditional undead metaphor thrown in, framing some sort of relationship drama maybe or hell even nothing at all! we’d have taken pure indulgent storytelling, idk italian job with zombies in las vegas, I don’t know fucking anything but??? whatever this was???? spoilers below for it is time for One Of My Rants

I mean the main reason I really want to write all this and complain. this film here probably has the most unappealing cinematography I have ever experienced in my life and that is saying something. who the fuck signed off on that CONSTANT shallow-ass depth of field that imprisons your eyeline and turns every shot into bokeh paste???? and I mean every shot almost!!!! I promise if you think I am overreacting just throw a dart at the seek bar and watch twenty seconds from wherever it lands. it is horrifying to look at. at least it gave my girlfriend a good visual shorthand for what it’s like when I lose my glasses

why was sean spicer in this movie. did they pay him to be here. was sean spicer paid hollywood money for his scene in this film because fuck everyone who was involved in that decision

the legitimately baffling hints at the extraterrestrial origins of the infection that went absolutely nowhere and had no dramatic or plot-level bearing. we love to see the franchise sprouts fellas

yet another big budget waste of everything hiroyuki sanada has to offer. and bautista too I guess? I like him but man was this an odd career move

what was the crux of his conflict/resolution with his daughter btw. I understand it was rooted in miscommunication over their forms of grief irt mom but uhh… it was all rather clunky and didn’t land for me. I tried I really tried to buy in but something was wrong fundamentally with the groundwork there, it did not click and their catharsis felt unearned. I know there’s massive amounts of tragic baggage being projected there from the author so I’m not slapping any judgment down really;

but again it would be an easy thing to wave off if they just had a vibrant cast of lovable simpletons with good chemistry and the kinetic sense of plotting the trailers promised (and this premise never discounts good drama, either). but instead it was just two and a half (!) hours of meandering into situations the filmmaking instincts had no idea how to flow in and out of

to wit. I know talking about “bad pacing” is associated with armchair bullshit but consider the example of the scene were dieter does an out of nowhere little dance after childishly screaming but then still-killing a zombie, with the film framing this as a micro character triumph, and not a second later the bg soundtrack instantly fades into an orchestral score dramatizing a nearby mcguffin reveal, completely 180 degreeing the tone without a semblance of deft insert shot stitching or even I dont know a fucking jump cut maybe. now imagine this whiplash for 2.5 hrs uninterrupted

I will keep complaining about the length yeah because this was not a story requiring this much real estate to be told. Uhh in my humble and personal opinion, of course

[man sees zombie tiger] “this is crossing the line!” you can in fact write dialogue that is not utter nonsense that falls apart once you drill down its single fickle layer of referential meta winking. what line are you talking about. you have rules in this insane situation you’re in? total nitpick moment I know but it got burned in my brain for some reason. like a microcosm of the mismanaged dramatic instincts paired with weird writing that dots this movie. I am sure the director calls this either satire or genre deconstruction. I am SO sure

tumblr domino meme that goes from “dude getting sucked off while driving” to “entire las vegas literally nuked”

tig notaro is always great to see but once you know she’s been filmed as a separate greenscreen plate months after photography wrapped - cause she had to apparently replace some abusive asshole but that’s a whole other pig not worth fucking - it becomes impossible to unsee her odd detachment from everyone else in the movie lmao. it doesn’t really “ruin” anything on its lonesome but it is hard to unsee

why. was. sean. spicer. in. this. movie

a very simple key ingredient missing from fully turning lip service sympathy for main uruk hai dude into actual empathy that would generate meaningful conflict with hero family would be to spend a bit more time articulating what he internally wanted the most. because he was obviously trying to do something here with pointed agenda. a family, to have kids, build a caste system, save his wife’s head, return to his planet??? all of these could represent the bigger context in his psychology that spurred his vengeance but none of them are dramatically emphasized long enough for you to cheer him on. I’m not asking too much I promise. Articulating interiority of a mute character is pretty doable with deft cinema language, just gotta linger and hold a shot here and there for a few seconds, frame as his POV, donezo. I know this is also one of those like. “who cares” moments but the movie does, very evidently so, in making this guy an actual character. you can kinda piece it together and create a framework of sympathy for him, sure, but then again he ultimately becomes a foil to be killed and not defeated, so. Ehh whatever

quarantine zone stuff was not a wildly childish covid allegory quarantine zone stuff was not a wildly childish covid allegory quarantine zone stuff was n

the rooftop helicopter fakout at the end was such an ass-backwards, manufactured moment of what could be a simple setup/payoff it just pissed me off??? you gain nothing by giving sad dad five seconds of pointless crisis that flips right back to previous status quo ANYWAY, except for a weaksauce waste of runtime, which could be used instead to get inside notaro’s head and actually SHOW the remorse form as she took off, literally maybe even a frown playing on her face as she’s headed for safety right before we cut back to drax and the kid. just a simple-ass, minimal, momentary setup for what is the most basic filmmaking trick of creating macro catharsis moments. Just???? g o d if you can’t even land that shit why are you even doing any of this

that lil run final pam did was very very charming and super choreographed in a way that was the tiiiniest bit overdone

the whole intro with the simul-backstories and posing with family photos was just… oddly motivated. what was the goal? “here’s what we’re fighting for” vignettes? why? it’s not a functional setup in that vein. what was all that

also I am sorry if this is insensitive but the reasons most characters end up articulating to justify going back into the hell that destroyed their lives makes them sound seriously insane

I dont like complaining about CGI (honestly) but so much of it in modern movies can achieve higher fidelity if the animation is simply subdued. Do not overengineer and over-apply 2D cell methodologies and kinematics to each tiny twitch and movement in a hyper 3D model and I promise you. it will look a thousand times more natural. look at thanos in those last two movies. your rendering and detail are absolutely perfect with the tiger you just have to let stuff sit instead of constantly simulating swaying hair strands and firing off all facial muscles at once. great moment at one point where makeup zombie horse and CG zombie tiger are both in one shot together and just by unnecessary amounts of movement alone you can tell who doesn’t belong. again; detail, rendering, compositing, lighting, all picture-perfect; but y’all just gotta let the animation breathe sometimes, and chill it out

plot holes don’t really matter to me but it was kinda funny how lilly decided not to mention the enormous wrinkle in intel pertaining to an actual territorial tribe of intelligent zombies that require human offerings to let you pass, just so that reveal could play out in real time through the joyous punishment of the cartoonishly misogynistic dude

total chad move for mister uruk hai and final pam to rule from a rusted swimming pool complex

the ending with vanderohe oh my god. with the. cash stacks at the airport register. and specifically them working in his favor. that is literally something you do to get arrested under suspicion of theft. it was almost played for laughs and I respect that. coulda been goofier. make these movies goofy ya dorks

anyway, weird, weird movie. bad marketing. message unclear (something something sins of the father???), baffling editing instincts, literal worst-looking cinematography I ever laid eyes upon. Confidently dying on that last hill

#text #long post #aotd spoilers #aotd critical

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di-kut · 4 years

Note

Please give us more backstory! I will eat it up! Even if we don't fully delve into reader's background I would like to know what lead to her meeting Mando! She obviously worked before but what exactly made her turn to crime?? Had she been in trouble before? Like petty theft and stuff? She obviously saw the consequences of her actions but continued on. Why did she side with the Empire first? Was it because that's all she knew? Was it easier than accepting the alternative? Please gimme, gimme!!

Ask and you shall receive! This was originally written to be the beginning (or near the beginning) of this story however it was abandoned long ago. It doesn’t fit the storyline or the mood of the rest of the story very well but... well! Here it is. Thank you @namay for always showing this story so much love and support! 💕

Rated: T

Summary: A series of paths crossing when our Reader meets the Mandalorian for the first time while working in a mech shop on Batuu. This is not their full backstory but it is a little piece of it.

Batuu is a warm planet, but that day is a particularly hot one. The suns are beating thick and heavy through the market outside and through the canvas covering over the back room of Staf’s shop. You can hear the sluggish sounds of the day from the street. The crowded street moves like through oil, slick and slow. Three years was enough for you to acclimatise to warmth, but sweat stings your eyes and collects in a salty line alone your top lip. You can hear voices from the front of the shop where you sit, separated by crumbling walls and a curtain. You stare at a light patch against the plaster where Staf had drilled off the old Imperial insignia, listen to the whirring of BG-719 in the shop with the customer. Fight the temptation to close your eyes and lean back against your work bench.

The curtain pushes back. You glance over at the droid as he comes through it, track his progress out of the corner of your eye. He stops in front of your workbench and waits as you place the part you are rewiring down on it.

“There is a Mandalorian here looking for you.”

You stare at BG-719 blankly.

“There’s a – ”

“A what?” You say.

“A Mandalorian.” BG puts his hands up like goal posts. “They are a warrior race native to – ”

“I know what a Mandalorian is.” You lean around him to try and peer into the front room but the curtain has fallen back into place. “What do you mean, there’s a Mandalorian looking for me?”

“It means on the other side of this curtain there is a heavily armoured man with a very large gun who is asking for you.” The droid whirred slightly, a gimmick which has developed into something of a sarcastic sigh in the time you’d known him. “He’s asking for you by name. Not your normal name, it’s a different name. He says you’re the same person.”

You stomach drops. “Are you sure?”

“Well let me just go and check, shall I? I’m sure he’s the kind of man used to repeating himself. Won’t be a minute.” BG-719 drops his hands and turns like he will make good on his threat. You catch him by the arm and haul him backwards. He whirs again as he stumbles. His armature is hot, you think vaguely, you need to talk to Staf about installing a better cooling system in the front for the droids.

“How does he know my name?”

“Your real name? I didn’t even know your real name. I didn’t ask him.”

“What does he want?”

“I didn’t ask him that, either.”

You sigh and drop your hands to your sides. “Great.”

“Do you think he’s here to kill you?” The droid asks.

“I hope not,” you mutter. Can’t really be sure, because you know your bounty doesn’t require you to be alive for the credits. Hope he isn’t here for the bounty but know there is only one way he got your real name. “Kriff.”

“If you would like me to go and question him, I will put in a request now that the repair works on my head after he’s shot me be done by you, and not the WAC units, please.” BG doesn’t move again though. “I don’t think he likes droids.”

“What gave you that idea?”

“He threatened to shoot the WAC units. And me, not that it seems to matter.”

This time you rub your grease covered hands down your face as you sigh. “I won’t let him shoot you.”

“I doubt you’ll have much say in the matter, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

The Mandalorian is waiting for you in the front room when you finally emerge. The WAC units are nowhere to be seen, but there is a hovering durasteel orb which certainly hadn’t been there that morning. The Mandalorian steps in front of it as you approach the back of the counter. His armour glints in the shaded shop, brushed smooth and meticulously maintained. Beautiful, or it would have been if it wasn’t so terrifying. He seems to take up the whole room. Your eyes slip between him and the dome. He just stares at you, or you assume he does, unnerving in his silence. You note the handle of a rifle which peaks over one shoulder, another holster on his thigh. You feel the weight of the small blaster you had tucked into the back of your trousers against you spine. It takes you several long moments to build up the nerve to speak.

“Can I help you?”

He doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak. Just stands there, silent and imposing. You run your gaze the length of his armour, taking stock. You can see catches in the metal, almost invisible indentations. They aren’t poor workmanship, any mechanic worth half a credit would be able to see it, they are buttons. You know enough about Mandalorians to know you don’t want to be in the firing line if he decides to push any of them. You work your jaw, tap against the countertop for something to distract yourself from the buzzing in your fingertips.

“You threatened to shoot the droids,” you say.

His helmet tilts slightly. A nod, maybe – you aren’t sure.

“Well.” Your tapping grows faster.

He just – keeps standing there. Staring. You can’t see his eyes through the visor of his helmet, can’t guess at the shape of him beneath the armour. But you can feel him looking at you, feel the assessment happening beneath the surface. Some sort of conclusion being reached. Your hands twitches towards your blaster.

“Are you here for a repair?” You try. You point at his floating dome. “That, maybe – ”

“That’s fine. That’s not why I’m here.”

You jump. His voice crackles slightly through the vodocor in the helmet, but it is deep and calm. You feel the hairs along your arms stand in response. “Oh. Oh okay. I just – ”

“I’m looking for information.”

Immediately you are wary. You step back from the counter and fold your arms in front of you. “Information about parts?”

“Information about Empire records. You are ex-Empire, aren’t you?” He doesn’t expect an answer. Already knows the answer. You think of the fob somewhere with your name on it. Your face projected in blue above it. Some miniscule number which defines your life’s worth. Traitor. Your punishment for aiding the rebellion. The Mandalorian just stands there, waiting. “I’m trying to find a planet.”

“Maybe you should try a map,” you say. Sharp. Testy.

“The planet I’m looking for isn’t on a map.”

“Sounds like you’re in trouble then.” You lean back against the workbench behind the front counter and uncross your arms. Try not to make it obvious you were thinking about reaching for your blaster. Your heart is beating so fast it almost hurts. “If there’s no mechanic work I can help you with, then I’ll be getting back – ”

He does know your name, as it turns out. Not the name you had told people on Batuu. Not the name BG-719 called you when a customer needed help. Not the name Staf had stared dubiously at on your holochip when you’d given it to him, looking for work, three years ago. Not the name you had boarded ships under, heading for some forgotten planet in the outer rims where you thought the remnants of a dying Empire wouldn’t look for you. You hadn’t heard the name the Mandalorian calls you in years, but it feels like dropping out of hyperspace too fast when you hear it through the modulator in the empty shop on Batuu.

You know, suddenly, even if you manage to get to your blaster first there was no way you’d beat him. “What do you really want?”

“I’m not here to turn you in for the reward, if that’s what you’re asking.” The Mandalorian says. “I don’t do Guild work. Anymore.”

“So.” You grip your hands together so hard your knuckles turn white. “What do you want?”

“I’m trying to find a planet.”

You don’t know the planet he needs. Have never heard of anything like it. But you worked for the Empire, and on Batuu, and you hear things. You tell him about a small planet on the edge of the outer rim, close to the unchartered territory. Tell him there is an alien there who may be able to help him, untouchable by even the Empire and the Republic before that. A keeper of reliquaries and ancient knowledge. You tell him you only handled weapons orders for the Empire and you don’t know anything about finding lost, ancient planets. But that maybe this alien will. You send him with a warning to be careful and feel silly for it the second it leaves your mouth. He tilts his helmet, and you think he is amused beneath it. He offers you a small bag of credits. You refuse it.

“Why?” He asks.

“Didn’t really do anything, did I?” You shrug, keep wiping down a greasy piece of engine.

He stares at you, this time you see the helmet move as he scans you up and down. And then he is gone. You think you will never see him again. And your life goes on in much the same way as it had. You rise before the suns can begin to bake the ground hard and make your way to Staf’s shop. BG-719 doesn’t mention again that the name the Mandalorian had given for you was not the name you went by, and the whole thing is better forgotten. You wonder, one day weeks after meeting him, if he had ever found his planet. And when you dream that night you dream of gleaming armour somewhere deep in space, of death and blood and the smell of smoke. The next morning you try your best to forget it.

It is almost two months later when he reappears. Is inexplicably leaning against the wall outside the shop before it opens. The street is pale in the early morning light, and in the grey he looks almost like a ghost. You stop before him, close enough that you could touch the Beskar if you wanted. He just watches you, the same as before. There’s the scoring of recent blaster fire on his chest plate. He seems otherwise exactly as you remember him. Calm. You stay there, toe to toe outside the shop. You don’t say anything and neither does he. You just punch in the code to the shop and stand back, hold out your arm to gesture for him to go in first. He stares at you a moment longer, like he is trying to place some thought, and then steps out of the street. You pause at the door behind him. And then you follow him inside.

“He’s back.” BG is powered up and looks at you accusingly around the bulk of the Mandalorian.

“I know,” you say.

“Why is he back?”

“None of your business,” the Mandalorian snaps.

BG whires in distinct irritation, picks up his tray of parts and sets them down firmly on the front counter. The Mandalorian’s hand twitches over his gun and you roll your eyes. “I’m not leaving,” BG-719 says. Incensed.

“You don’t have to. If any work comes for me just leave it out the front, I’ll come and get it in a while.”

“Trust me,” the droid has begun to aggressively unscrew a broken piping cover from what looked like a shot hyperdrive. “I won’t be coming near him.”

“Good,” The Mandalorian says as he follows you through the curtain.

You pull out a measly breakfast from the shelving unit in the back room. Your tiny quarters in the block of rented rooms further back from the main streets of the market come only with a bed and a toilet, and barely enough room for that. And Staf didn’t seem to mind you keeping some personal items out the back, so. You stare down at the wrapped fruit and dense bread and then offer them unsurely up to your companion. You aren’t sure if he can eat in front of you, but it feels too rude not to ask. He shakes his head and leans back against one of the walls, crosses his arms in front of him.

“So,” you sit at your workbench. Start into your breakfast.

The Mandalorian tilts his helmet ever so slightly. “I have a job for you, Gotabor.”

“I don’t want work. I have a job.” You tear a piece of bread off the loaf and chew it slowly. Narrow your eyes at what you can sense is a name. A title maybe, from the way he says it. The word is unfamiliar. “I’m not supposed to take under the counter jobs. Staf doesn’t like it.”

“It’s just once.” The Mandalorian pushes off from the wall and walks towards you. Pulls out a holodisk from the pack strapped to his side and holds it out for you. You can’t see his eyes, that hasn’t changed, but you can still feel the lifting sensation along your shoulders of his eyes on you. When you don’t take it from him and places it down on the only clear part of the bench, right next to your breakfast. “Can you get into this?”

You eye the disk. “That’s Pre-Empire records.”

“I know.”

“Super illegal.”

He tilts the helmet again. You think he might be laughing at you, is he hadn’t been so still. He sounds like he’s smiling. “No Empire anymore.”

You know you shouldn’t ask. You should just give the thing back to him. You should ask him to leave. But. “What is it?”

“I don’t know.” He backs up until he is against the wall again. Leans back, crossed his arms and sits into one of his hips, crosses his legs at the ankles. “That’s why I’m here.”

“And here I thought it was for BG’s company.”

You aren’t surprised when he doesn’t laugh. You pick up the disk, inspect it briefly, and put if back down. You shake your head at him. “I don’t want another job,” you say, but you haven’t looked away from the disk. The Mandalorian doesn’t say anything. He just lets you sit there and wrestle with your better judgement. You look at the disk, then back to him, and then down to the disk again. “This is a bad idea. You know some of these had trackers in them.”

He still just infuriatingly stands there.

“I might not even be able to get into it. I never dealt with the Pre-Empire stuff. That was a different level of classified.”

Silence.

“And there’s all sorts of ancient coding and programming in this. I mean look at it. It’s a relic.”

The Mandalorian shrugs his shoulder slightly, rolls them back. A silent yawn.

You groan and swing out of your chair. “I’m not doing this,” you mutter. You dig around in the mess of found parts and tools. You will have to make something to hook the old Republic system up to a holopad, so you could read in the information. You toy with the idea of trying to just convert the file system onto a new holodisk, but you aren’t even sure how the data output would work. “I’m not doing this.”

“How long will it take?” The Mandalorian asks.

You throw your hands into the air. Wave the tools you were collecting at him. “I’m not helping you.”

“I have to get supplies. My ship is running low.” He moves towards the curtain, places a small bag of credits on the table. “This is for last time as well.”

“You might want to move your ship to long term docking,” you ignore the credits. “I’m assuming you have a ship.”

“It’s already in long term docking,” he calls as the curtain swings back into place.

You click your tongue against the roof of your mouth. It should be in irritation, but you can’t stop the small smile. Shake your head. “Confident.”

He returns late that night, after the droids had powered down. You had planned to be home already. But he finds you there anyway, hunched over your work table in the back room. He lips under the curtain into the dimly lit room and lowers himself into the chair opposite you. You don’t look up from the work you are doing, two pliers in your hands, holding back wiring from the inside of the old holodisk. It isn’t as complicated as you had suspected, but it would be slow and tedious work to extract the information without corrupting the whole disk. The Mandalorian watches you for some time, so still that you think maybe he had fallen asleep.

“I hope you didn’t break that lock on the way in, Mandalorian.”

“I didn’t, Gotabor.”

You hum sceptically, continue to work. Ignore the new name. “I think I can do this. But I’m not sure. I’ve never done this before, not with a disk this old.” You cast a glance over towards the silent warrior. “It’s still gonna take time.”

He nods and leans back into the chair. Shuffles to get comfortable and seems content to just sit. You watch him, take him in, hulking in the tiny room, seemingly completely at ease. You are surprised how easy you feel with him. How comfortable. You feel him watching you back and wonder if he is thinking the same. You break and look away, shake your head. Return to trying to piece apart the holodisk in front of you. You see his helmet tip back out of the corner of your eye. He strikes his legs out straight in front of him and crosses them. You scoff slightly and settle into your work. You stay there together late into the night.

It takes you three weeks to finish the task the Mandalorian has given you. The days are reserved for your work at the shop. Staf visits you to check up, he takes his time going through inventory with you. Checking through the WAC unit work. He doesn’t bring up the Mandalorian until the end of his visit, when you are standing alone in the front room. Staf is a small man, wiry with something of a gut, and no hair. He is missing an ear from what looked like blaster fire, but you had never asked. It wasn’t the kind of thing your asked about on Batuu.

“I heard there’s been a Mandalorian coming in,” he says. You feel your arm jolt at the comment, but do your best to keep your hand steady screwing a bolt out of a fuel covering. You shrug, can’t tell from his tone whether he is suspicious or not. Know he is paranoid about you skimming the tills. “Mandalorian’s get talked about, you know.”

“His ship is busted,” you decide to play dumb. Not mention the holodisk.

“And he doesn’t want it worked on at the yard?”

You shrug again. “He doesn’t like droids.” You hope that lie will cover it. You have not asked the Mandalorian where his ship is, what kriffing model it is. You wish you had thought to now. “It’s mostly the hyperdrive anyway. Unwired it, brought it in. I thought he was gonna shoot BG.”

“He pay good money?”

So it was the money. You feel the relief instantly. You aren’t sure exactly why you are so worried about Staf finding out about the disk. Not sure what you’re protecting yourself from, the Mandalorian from. Staf doesn’t care about Empire laws, defunct after the collapse and never really enforced in the out rim besides. But whatever instinct which had told you to trust the Mandalorian told you not to spread knowledge of the disk. You don’t even really debate the lies before they start.

“It’s alright. I figure a guy like that can afford to pay a bit above average though. With all the Beskar. Looks real new.” You finally get the rusted screw loose, drop it into the tray on the counter. “He gave me credit chips. Here.”

You step out the back. Have to close your eyes and breathe for a moment before you retrieve the bag of credits. You dig around for the bag of credits he’d left there, glad now you had never moved them or given them back to the Mandalorian. You push back through the curtain and toss the bag to Staf and let out a shaking breath. Your hands are miraculously steady as you retrieve your fuel covering and begin on removing the next screw. Staf makes some sort of pleased noise and you hear him pull the drawstring of the bag closed again.

“Well you just tell that Mandalorian he can bring in any part of the ship he likes. You know what, if he wants, if he doesn’t like the droids are the yard that bad,” Staf rubs a hand over his jaw, “you just tell him we can send you out there to work on it for him.”

You look at your employer. He’s pocketing the bag of credits and rubs his bony hands together. “You know I don’t like working out of the shop.”

“You will for money like this. I’ll give you a cut.”

You shake your head, make a show of being unimpressed. Staf walks around the shop a few more times, patting the jingling purse of credits in his pocket all the while, whistling a tuneless song and not listening to anything else you say. You even bring up a cooler for the droids and he makes some noncommittal answer. He doesn’t stay long afterwards.

Later, when it is dark again, the Mandalorian returns. He sits in his usual place across from you, has his hovering durasteel dome with him. You want to ask about it but resist the urge. The Mandalorian is more relaxed, lets you get close enough to it to touch. You have barely finished your work from the shop, but he has brought you food from the stalls in the market. A spiced meat and a tough, flat bread. They are warm still, and delicious. He assures you he ate before coming.

“Eat, Gotabor.” He insists.

“What does that mean?”

“Eat? It means put the food in your mouth, chew and swallow.”

You shoot him a look. “Not that.”

“It means Engineer.” He says. He has his feet stretched out again, propped now on a box of spare parts. Seems tired. He had cleaned the armour after the first day he had reappeared, so it had been free of wear and the signs of blaster fire. But it sports new, different marks now. “Eat.”

You do, and you enjoy it. Even think you will ask him which stall he had bought it from. Instead you ask, “How many credits were in that bag?”

“What?”

“In the little bag you gave me. How many were in there?”

“You didn’t look?”

You shove another piece of bread in your mouth and pull the holodisk out from the compartment under the false bottom of your tool drawer. “Didn’t get a chance to.”

“Where is it?”

“Staf – he owns the shop – he came sniffing around because he heard about your visits. There’s a Mandalorian coming in,” you attempt a terrible impression of your employer’s nasal tone. You shrug. “So I told him you were paying me extra to fix the hyperdrive ‘cause you didn’t want the droids at the yard doing it.”

The Mandalorian drops his feet off the box and leans forward in his chair. Braces one of his forearms across his knee. You can feel his gaze again. He’d been in enough times now, not all nights but most, that you know he is studying you with some forcefulness behind it. You get a tingle ripple across your shoulder blades from the attention.

“Where is your ship, by the way?” You have almost finished rewiring an old ship holodisk reader to accommodate the technology sitting on your workbench. It had been a lucky find, one of the droids Staf sent out scavenging brought the whole console back. Pre-Empire. It even had an old Republic logo emblazoned over the top, some old embassy vessel long abandoned. Your mother would have said the force is with you. You were just relieved. It meant you could fix the temperamental wiring in the holodisk and not try to extract the information. Not risk corrupting it. “I should probably know,” you continue. “Since apparently now I am fixing your hyperdrive, if anyone asks. Staf said I could go work at the ship in the yard after I gave him the bag, so I figure there was probably a bit in it.”

“You just gave it to him?”

You can’t place if he sounds relieved or angry. Maybe somewhere in the middle. Certainly sounds disbelieving. “Yes? I figure it’s the best way to keep his nose out of your business.”

The Mandalorian shakes his head. “And now you’re coming to work on my ship?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Thanks.”

“No offence. I don’t like working out of the shop.”

The Mandalorian hums quietly and relaxes back into his chair. “Why did you give him the credits? Did he ask about them?”

“No. He asked about you.” You inspect your work carefully. Bite into the bread again and put it to the side. You still have your goggles around your neck and you pull them up over your eyes. Tuck a spare rag up underneath the bottom edge of them to protect the lower half of your face. The soldering required was small and quick, and the final touch to finishing. Soon it won’t matter if Staf sent you off to the Mandalorian’s ship, because it would be long gone and his holodisk with it. “There.”

“Why not tell the truth?” The Mandalorian asks. You pull the rag down. “That is going to catch fire.”

“I’m careful.”

You pull the goggles down as well and hold your work up to the light for a last check. Twist it back and forth before giving a small satisfied nod. The charges should all match, the circuit is closed. Everything was where it needed to be.

“Why not tell him the truth?” The Mandalorian asks again.

You replace the covering on the reader. “I don’t know. Seemed like a bad idea. I figured the less people who know the better.” The holodisk fits perfectly into the waiting slot. You pull it back out again and find the portable generator under your bench. Plug the reader in. You hold your breath as it flickers to like. The projector unit at the top takes longer, whirring slowly until finally a rim of blue lights around it. You hold the disk up to the Mandalorian. “You ready?”

He pushes himself to standing. You insert the disk slowly, heart in your mouth, knowing if it doesn’t work or the system shorts you will be left with nothing but a melted pile of metal and a ruined disk. The whirring is awful. For a few terrible seconds you think it is blown, and then there is a gentle hum and the projector plate flickers to life. Blue light bounces around the tiny room, static balls of light hover through the air, numbers and letters appearing beside them. You scramble for the shop lights, the detail of the projection are too pale to make out, and once you turn them off the projection begins to slowly rotate. The Mandalorian stand the in the centre of the room, a tiny galaxy turning around him.

“It’s a map,” you say together.

You move slowly, weaving through planets and star systems. Each one has a floating label beside it, but in an unfamiliar alien language. There are numbers too, but what they represent you aren’t sure. The Mandalorian has begun pacing, occasionally prodding at some planet or other. Some respond, longer paragraphs of the same alien language appearing beside them, until the Mandalorian touches them again with a gloved finger, and they blip back out of existence. You try the same to some of the planets near you. Nothing gives any signifier of which part of the galaxy you are looking at, which systems. You wander through your floating galaxy for what could be hours, until finally slumping back into your chair.

“Know what it means?” You ask him.

He heaves a heavy sigh. “No. But it’s something.”

“You think one of these is your planet?”

“Maybe. Don’t know.” He presses the power on the projector unit and the tiny galaxy disappears. The room goes black without the floating blue light, and you swear and fumble for the switch. When they flicker on you feel suddenly drained. Are tempted to put your head down on the bench and sleep. It must be well into the early hours of the morning. “I’ll find someone who knows.”

You nod. Too tired to do more.

“It’s time for us to move on.” He says. “We’ve been here too long.”

Your stomach drops. Only hours ago you had been glad at the thought of him leaving, and taking the threat of outsider eyes and Imperial trackers with him, fallen Empire or not. And now you are nervous. “When will you go?”

“Soon as we can. Tomorrow.” He taps the projector unit. “Can I take this?”

“Well, yeah. I’ve got no use for it. It’s for you.”

He nods, rests his hand on top of it. Looks back towards his floating dome. You had forgotten it in the excitement of a breakthrough. He stares at it for what feels like an eternity. And then, “You could come with us.”

You blink at him. “What?”

“I’ll pay your for the work. And I could use someone who knows how to do repairs on the Crest. And this,” he turns away from his dome, back to face you, and taps the projector unit again. “Whatever that piece of Bantha shit boss is paying you I can promise it’ll be more.”

“I – I’m – ” You close your mouth and try to gather your thoughts. “Go with you?”

“Yeah.”

“On your ship?”

“Unless you have your own and want to follow us.”

You spare him a look. “Out there?”

“Sure.”

You stare at your reflection dumbly in the helmet. As dark blur against the shining Beskar. You think about it, briefly. Living on a ship with the Mandalorian. Stuck in there with him, in space. Travelling to strange planets. The centre of attention everywhere you go, next to him. You know the talk circulating the markets on Batuu every day he stays, think of the greedy way Staf pocketed his credits. About the danger. He doesn’t wear his weapons for nothing. Of the new smudges of blaster fire on his chest plate. You shake your head slowly.

“I’m… No.”

He tilts his head. “No?”

“No. I – I mean. I’m sorry. But no.”

He stare6s at you, more intense even that the first time you’d met, so that the tingles which normally live across the backs of your shoulders spread out along your spine and around you ribs. You wonder if he’s ever been denied something like this before. Then wonder if he’s ever asked anyone. You swallow thickly. He shrugs, finally, and you let out a sigh of relief.

“Okay.”

You don’t sleep the rest of the night. You stare at the dark ceiling of your room and strain to hear the sound of a ship taking off in the distance. You hear nothing. He’d walked you back to your room, through the empty market. A quiet walk. When he turns to leave, the last time you know you will ever see him, you almost catch his arm and say you’ve changed your mind. That you do want to come with him. But you don’t. You watch him turn and leave. His hovering dome following behind him. You watch until he turns a corner and is gone.

You lay there until the suns begin to peak over the horizon and colour the world in pale grey. You force yourself back out of bed. Dress slowly. Fold your night things. Make your bed. Pass through the motions of your morning and make your way to the shop with dragging feet.

The droids are still powered down when you arrive, and you leave them, glad for the time alone. You pass into the back room and reach for your breakfast. Slump into your chair. You don’t eat anything. Just wrap it up again and replace it on the shelf. The sounds of early arrivals in the market begins to fill the air around you, the sounds of life continuing on, marching ahead and pulling you with it.

You knock over a nearly empty box and it crashes to the floor. You rub at your forehead and bend to pick it up. The generator is where you left it, under the table, but the projector which you had been keeping on top of it is gone, but you have no time to grieve the loss of the Mandalorian, whose quiet company you realise you looked forward to every night. Because in place of the projector unit there is a gleaming welding mask, staring up at you. You stare at it. Hesitate to reach for it and lift it towards you, crouched on the ground behind your work desk. Something falls from the back of it and lands at your knees with a heavy thunk. You scoff and then find yourself laughing. The sound has an edge of hysteria to it. You pick up the bag of credits. It is bigger than the last one, much heavier. You slip it into your pocket and turn back to the mask. It has a proper strap and padded interior and a switch next to the visor.

That rag is going to catch fire.

Your eyes well with tears. You know it is from him. Have no idea when he would have found the time to conceal it there. Wonder if the whole night he had been hiding it and placed it there without you noticing, or if he came back later. The mask a work of such fine craftsmanship you do not know where he would have found it on Batuu. It gleams in the brightening early light. It reminds you of the Mandalorian’s Beskar.

Tags: @btillys @vercopaanir @absurdthirst @sistasarah-sallysaidso @adikaofmandalore @babyomen @purpleeeslurpppp @fleurdemiel145 @hdlynn @sinnamon-bun @toilet-keeper @dartheldur @no-droids-allowed

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xserpx · 4 years

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Battle Ground Thoughts

Major spoilers below.

The Good

I really enjoyed the last part of the fight with Ethniu. Hendrick's sacrifice was well done, and the Marcone reveal was fantastic. The action was really great, although it did get too much at times, especially the beginning of the fight with Ethniu where it’s more like reading a shonen manga, lots of huge ‘final’ attacks and mist clearing as they wait for the blood spray before someone pulls a trap card. Still pretty likeable.

Marcone as a Knight of the Blackened Denarius is intriguing. My one caveat is that I think it diminishes his post-Small Favor achievements quite a bit, knowing he had access to all that power. It makes sense, especially considering just how much Marcone was able to get done, but yeah, I liked this little twist. Marcone is probably the main reason I would keep reading the books, as things stand.

I like the fact Harry's finally been kicked off the White Council, as he should be. I'm not sure why this is controversial, though. He’s clearly broken several laws, and tbh I was kind of surprised they kept him on after becoming the Winter Knight, like... conflicted interests, much?

Drakul and the Blampires were cool. Wouldn't mind seeing them again.

The Bad

Justine's reveal, while interesting bc omg Outsiders infesting the characters we love, it also absolutely terrifies me in terms of what it actually means for Thomas/Justine both in the future and in the past. A future that might not even happen, now. And considering how long it's been since she was infected, it's entirely possible a lot of Justine's feelings have been manufactured as well. One of the things at the top of my Do Not Want list was Justine or the baby getting hurt, and now we’re here.

I'm severely disinterested in Harry/Lara. I have no idea where it's going, but it's boring at best. Maybe Jim Butcher has an idea for it that doesn’t result in me rolling my eyes, but I’m not feeling charitable today.

Ivy and Harry never got a proper conversation. Also why tf was Ivy dressed in a school uniform for that fight? Unless she's a sailor senshi or something, it just doesn't make sense. Plus she should be in her mid-late teens by now, ffs, not her early teens.

We're still drawing out the Starborn mystery? Ugh, ok.

Michael's cursing out the White Council for kicking Harry off the team... Completely OOC, sorry, I hated it. Michael is a great character because he doesn't swear as a matter of principle. If he had to start swearing, that was a bad hill to choose.

The way the morality of the White Council flip flops depending on Dresden's mood is getting annoying. At the meeting at the end, he says the Council is the biggest defender of humanity, and that he's clearly sitting at the monsters' table, but they're also supposed to be the enemy for treating him as such? Ebenezar and some of the Seniors are douchebags, for sure - especially Eb as it's personal - but Carlos and the rest are solid good guys trying to do their best. After everything that's happened, Harry shouldn't be so freaking bitter. He’s a monster now. Either own it, or make different choices. Also Carlos should’ve told him what Molly did to him. I hate that this hasn’t been addressed and that Carlos just looks like a suspicious bastard when he’s actually sustained life-changing injuries and trauma. Communication generally between Harry and the White Council needs to start happening like yesterday.

Butters needs to just go away, please. Give me a break from this shithead. He's had a few months of training and can keep up with literally everyone. He gets all these Crowning Moments of Awesome, but he never suffers for it, and at this point I'm genuinely wondering whether he'll ever suffer any consequences whatsoever. Also he constantly outshines Sanya, who is ostensibly better qualified, and the Sword of Hope should have been the stronger of the two in that last fight. I’m sick of hearing how great Butters is, and being expected to laugh at all his dumb, nerdy references.

Harry barely thinks about Thomas when he considers his recent losses. Sure Thomas is still alive, but barely, with no guarantees he'll survive or that he'll come back the same person. Harry should be grieving for him as much as he's grieving for Karrin at this point. I also wanted there to be more reason behind Thomas's actions, some sort of conspiracy within the White Court, but there wasn't. It's bad enough being anxious for Thomas, but being anxious for his whole goddamn family is just way too much, ffs.

The Ugly

I mean, I've told people: if I'd tried to imagine a worst case scenario for Karrin Murphy's death, it would have been better than the ending we got. It's worse than James Norrington dying at the hands of Bootstrap Bill. It's worse than Superman's dad dying while trying to save the dog. She shouldn't have died at all, period, but if she absolutely had to go, there is no fucking way in HELL that that was the best way for it to happen. Whether she comes back or not, there is no way to justify that scene. Gard saying she saved everyone by defending Dresden might be a satisfying Watsonian explanation for some, but of all the times, of all the places, of all the ways, and of all the people... JB picked the absolute worst possible combination. Absolute. Garbage. It's not that he can't write decent sacrifices. Hendrick's death was superb! So why the FUCK couldn't Murph get the same treatment? Why the FUCK was she killed off so FUCKING pointlessly? This isn't a real life story. This isn't some hyperrealistic, anyone can die, Game of Thrones type bullshit, where you can just kill off the second main character as shock value and have it be valuable to a bigger theme. This is the Dresden Files, a fucking series where all the women are Playboy models, and there's a middle-aged dweeby guy in sports goggles riding a skateboard and wielding a lightsaber and facing off with a Titan after just a few months of training, and having threesomes with bisexual women half his age, one of whom wears a fucking Avengers t-shirt to bed. It's a fanservice show. So it is not too much to ask for the main female character to be given the kind of death she actually deserves, let alone that she be allowed to live long enough to enjoy a relationship that's been so fantastically built up over 15+ books. (Query: was any of her family at her funeral? Audiobooks make searching hard, and I can’t find out if that was mentioned.) It's not unfair to hate the FUCK out of JB for pulling such a horrible, awful, LAZY move. I didn’t cry when it happened. I actually laughed quite a bit, maniacally, because it was that much of a train wreck. I'm not crying now, either. I'm just so, so tired. RIP Murph.

Granted, I haven't had to wait for a Dresden Files book like this before. Skin Game had a very neat ending, whereas this asks way, way, way more questions than it answers, which is probably more par for the course in this series? But now my two favourite characters are out of the field and may never come back, and I'm just so fucking tired and disappointed, and tired of being disappointed. I don't know whether it's worth staying invested in the vague hope Jim Butcher will start giving a shit about anyone other than Butters, but I can't see the next book being much good when Thomas and Karrin won't be there. When Karrin may never be there again. When I don't even know if the next book will show up, or if there'll be another hiatus resulting in a mediocre story.

I'm predicting that there'll be a Murph-centric short story in the near future that'll probably be a "gotcha!" to all the fans like me who fucking hate how BG turned out. Either it'll finish her off entirely or hint at a resurrection, which may or may not come. Either way, it won't justify her death. It won't make this better.

If I wasn’t as invested in Karrin, I’d like this book more. I can understand if people like it, and there are definitely some good things about it, but it’s hard to appreciate those bits when there’s such a massive pile of stinking shit sitting smack bang in the middle.

#dresden files #battle ground #battle ground spoilers

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janiedean · 4 years

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I was wondering what you feel about the opinion that GRRM hates feminine/non-warrior women because they (Catelyn, Cersei, Sansa) are written with intentional flaws while his warrior girls (Brienne, Arya) are not? Do you agree with that? That Brienne and Arya have no flaws? It was some dumb meta about how the world is against Brienne, but she never does harm to the world, so she's a bad character and GRRM is a misogynist or something. (1/2)

I disagree obviously. Just because Brienne is not a demon doesn't mean she doesn't have flaws or she's a bad character lol. Like... why can't we have an angel in a world of monsters? What's wrong with that? Are these people jealous that Brienne is one of those pure character that their faves are not, so they feel like dismissing her as a bad character to make themselves feel good? I'm asking you because I know you love Catelyn and Brienne so I know you're the best person to ask this. Ty (2/2)

... I mean this has a long answer to give but this *meta* seems to me like it was written by someone who has no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to who grrm hates in his writing or his supposed misogyny because they have it all wrong and I think you pretty much guessed the point, but in order, let’s... tackle this one by one:

grrm doesn’t at all hate cat and sansa and their flaws are... flaws in the sense that he’s writing them like good people who aren’t 100% perfect but like.. sansa’s *flaws* from the beginning are stuff that’s common to most 12yo girls in existence and she overcomes them and she’s generally a good and kind and caring person whose main trait is that she’s good and kind and stays like that so how exactly now she’s written... like you’re supposed to hate her? bc she’s not. grrm never wanted you to hate sansa. he wrote her like a realistic 11-15yo but like most of us were like that at that age or have had friends who were like that, so... what the fuck. catelyn.... like guys the one heavy flaw she has is her treatment of jon but she’s written as a smart person who’s trying to live in a misogynistic society as best as she can and she’s written like a tragic character but grrm obviously likes her/loves writing her, it’s.... like if you read her chapters you can see how much work/love/craft went into them and how he worked on her bg very carefully also she is more of a protagonist than ned until asos when it comes to the stark side like.... how is giving her human flaws meaning he hates her?? grrm doesn’t hate her. the fact that she and brienne end up doing the knightly/lady sworn sword thing is even more of a proof he doesn’t but more on that later;

cersei... well I mean grrm obv doesn’t like cersei that much but a) he’s written a version of that character at least thrice already including the asoiaf one so I think he has an ex like that that he doesn’t particularly remember fondly or smth but like... she’s written to be a villain. she’s a villain. she’s a very well-crafted/thought out villain with a realistic background but diff. from cat and sansa she’s there to be the antagonist period, and just like... cersei and cat are aesthetically the same archetype and they couldn’t be more different so idk wtf are people smoking when saying that and if they can’t read cat chapters without fandom-hates-her glasses idk what to tell them;

brienne and arya have flaws are we serious, like arya has the flaws everyone has at that age (too impulsive/tends to judge people very fast/is too fixed on things/doesn’t listen to people etc) but like she’s fucking nine when it starts and she gets traumatized to hell and back, like arya’s sl to me is creepy af because no 12yo should be like that and it’s a very good trauma exploration but like....... she has faults but she’s not a bad person for obvious reasons as in SHE’S A KID same as sansa same as EVERYONE UNDERAGE IN THESE BOOKS except partially joffrey and even he has a background that explains how he is, like.... arya and sansa are supposed to be written in an equally sympathetic but specular way because they have opposite ways of reacting to trauma ie sansa holds on to her kindness arya gets progressively detached because she has to kill people to survive but you’re not supposed to hate either of them? honestly grrm wrote them with the exact same stakes, anyone who thinks it’s qualitatively different needs to go back and reread it with some intellectual honestly;

brienne... I mean we serious? the thing with brienne is that she’s a fundamentally good person who is written to become the ultimate example of a good knight™ and who is supposed to restore decency to the title after the institution has crumpled into the dirt, so... she’s... good, same as dunk is in the novels, but like: lmao she has a lot of faults, first thing that at the beginning she judges everyone on sight and sees everything in black and white, she has zero preservation instinct and nonexisting selfesteem because she thinks her life isn’t worth her vows and she thinks she’s not fit for anything she tries to do and would have died for a guy who danced with her once like sorry that’s not healthy, which are all things,... she’s... getting over.... because she has a character arc, but saying that brienne isn’t realistic or doesn’t have faults is ridiculous because she is;

now, this concept that grrm is misogynist is idiotic because a guy who has an insane number of female povs - some of which are the same trope ie brienne and arya - and have all a distinct different personality and voice and none of them are like too idealized or too evil and are to a level relatable means he’s everything but because a misogynyst wouldn’t be able to pull that off. like, in any other book brienne and arya would have been the same character, in his they’re not, so maybe like... give him some credit in the sense that the moment half of your povs are well-written realistic female characters and the ones without povs are equally well-written/manage to be fan faves (ie marg and olenna) maybe he’s just... not... a misogynist nor hates women so that’s out of the way;

re cat and brienne: like... saying ‘ah he hates catelyn’ when catelyn is literally the first *lady* who treats brienne like a friend/peer/person she cares about is completely fucking idiotic because guess what if you’re like brienne usually most Attractive Girls™ the way cat is are not your best friends in life (I mean c. calls her a cow and they didn’t even meet on paper lmao and it’s obvious from b’s povs that she has bad experiences with other women in general), so the fact that cat actually sees her worth, accepts her as her sworn sword doing a thing that’s usually just between men, trusts her with her daughters’ lives, thinks she’s a better knight than jaime could be and treats her as it befits her station (in riverrun she had dresses made for her but brienne wouldn’t wear them) and is actually good to one of the few good people in these books who gets treated like dirt by most others should tell you exactly what grrm thinks of catelyn, ie nothing too bad, and that she’s a good person who fucked up on one thing that the narrative knows and doesn’t excuse, but like.... lmao that entire argument falls flat just for that;

Are these people jealous that Brienne is one of those pure character that their faves are not, so they feel like dismissing her as a bad character to make themselves feel good? you’re on to smth but as I ranted on twitter once: this all falls again to the fact that people Cannot Accept The Fact That An Ugly Girl Who Is Going To Stay Ugly is one of the moral hearts of these series and is An Actual Good Person Who Deserves Good Things in spite of not performing femininity, and who’s going to get the guy of her dreams (who is Hot) without settling and without becoming beautiful, and she’ll manage to realize her dreams even without becoming beautiful and regardless of having been treated like dirt because of her looks all her life, and like... apparently that is too much or too complicated to conceive and so either they have to decide she’s not That ugly or make her things she’s not or decide she’ll die early wow and whatever else, but like: the problem is that usually the Pure Moral Center Of A Story Who Happens To Be Female and gets her dreams and the hot dude is standard attractive. brienne is not, she has trauma because of that, and she’s still the best person in there (or one of the best) and she’ll get her dreams and the hot dude, and people can’t handle this specific concept nor admit that grrm, having done a thing that no one else has until now because there’s no other brienne in genre literature/in that way, is everything but a misogynist, since he actually, ah, wait, gave decent rep to people who most times are relegated to playing the best friend who stays single or are usually evil bc ugly antagonist women are everywhere, ugly protagonist women who are actually Good People™ and aren’t a paragon of Pure Virtue and don’t die virgins? not really. so: people can’t handle that brienne the way she is is a Good Person and The One True Knight In Westeros and it’s a sad thing but it just shows that maybe more people should go for that trope and that’s my two cents;

other than that no guy who can write the range of women grrm does can be a misogynist by definition, especially a guy who managed to get perfectly how it feels being a straight nonstandard attractive woman in society in general because my friends if before I stumbled into asoiaf I never related 100% to one fictional character ever there was a reason, and I read a lot, so people can bite me on that thing;

to end and comment on one thing:

how the world is against Brienne, but she never does harm to the world

congrats to OP they went THAT close to it: that’s the entire fucking point. being like brienne in her society (and not performing femininity™ correctly in ours) means that whatever you do people will criticize you and treat you like dirt even if you don’t mean them any harm. the world is absolutely against her because all the circumstances are stacked against her - she’s a woman, doing a man’s job, looking nonattractive and therefore other women treat her like dirt and men don’t consider her or see her as a threat and hate her for it because she’s better at their job than they are, wanting to be a knight which is a thing that’s technically forbidden bc women can’t be anointed as far as the westerosi law says, who’s doing that because she knows she’s good at it but every single person in her way doesn’t want her to succeed except for a handful, can’t use femininity to navigate the world and she has to survive as a woman in a men’s world in an extremely misogynistic medieval society and there’s a reason why no one but three people takes her seriously, ie that if you don’t count a few people in f&b that are history book material in her context/timeframe she’s an unicum and people tend to dislike it when you’re an unicum/sticking out/wanting to go against the system. the system is absolutely stacked against her, when everything she wants is do good to others and making her father proud and be a knight and find love, and even if it’s not that much to ask for her it’s, on paper, impossible.... and the entire point is that as impossible as it looks she’s definitely going to get it because she’s written exactly for that, and if people haven’t grasped that it’s her arc - overcoming a misogynistic society and living beyond gender roles regardless of your looks which in itself is groundbreakingly feminist - sorry for them but they’ll have a bad wake up call when grrm gets wow/ados out.

and that’s my two cents, but like: there’s nothing wrong in liking characters With Faults or evil ones and you can find Good Ones boring, just don’t try to make it pass like the author is a misogynist because the Good Character is a nonstandard attractive gnc woman because that’s actually a thing no one else ever did.

and this stated brienne is more similar to book!sansa than book!arya personality-wise so it’s an argument that doesn’t hold on even joking. /two cents

#brienne of tarth #janie writes meta #anti-cersei lannister #ch: catelyn tully #ch: sansa stark #ch: arya stark #idek #Anonymous #ask post

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funky-boat-zone · 3 years

Text

the lighthouse chronicles: part 10/10

big birthday bash

how often do sapient vehicles celebrate their birthdays anyway? depending on how they process time, having their birthday/build date celebration every year could get excessive/tiring.

in one episode, there’s a really loud audio glitch that scared the shit out of me the first time i heard it. the problem is that i can’t remember what episode it was, just that it happened in a scene involving zorran (because of course it did)

top hat’s voice sounds really off fsr

ffs otis, you’re a grown adult. quit being so pouty to the literal child who gave away the surprise by accident.

never thought i’d say this, but i genuinely feel really bad for ten cents here. he’s just a kid who just made a mistake, and what do top hat and otis (adults) do? top hat rats him out to sunshine, and otis acts all passive aggressive towards him.

and even sunshine gets mad at him and says that they may as well just cancel the party!

“it’s okay, you can throw me a surprise party another time” or you could at least pretend to be surprised and try to enjoy the party because it’s the mature thing to do, otis?

“what do you want me to do, sink myself?” “not a bad idea” hey sunshine, what the fuck

the other tugs (seemingly) only forgive him because captain star told them to

and so the party happens and all is well except for the fact that no one apologizes to ten cents for being so awful to him over an honest mistake

stop the music

it’s a whole episode of singing. help

and yes, this is the episode where zorran raps

i am going to outlaw the snugboat harbor song fest

grampus sinking into the water and going “blblblblbl” is a mood

zorran no. zorran please don’t do it, i know you’re evil or sth but-

i thought you were better than this, zorran

“do you want to be famous?” “you mean i’m not already?”

unfortunately, this episode is where i got my headcanon that top hat can sing. i sincerely apologize

grampus dismisses top hat’s singing when he’s the only boat who can remotely carry a tune

sunshine��s voice is at its absolute most grating in this scene jfc

“i’ll never be ready for the song fest :(” (triumphant music playing in the bg)

hooray, “work together” or something, no moral is worth a whole episode of singing

let’s wing it

oh no, vegetable puns

zak’s voice is almost as cursed as zip’s

i never want to hear zorran say “mayonnaise” in any context for any reason ever again

why do the boats know what salad dressing is?

big stack, quit singing

“wish i could help” i appreciate the sentiment izzy, but you are a steam tramper, not a tug, and your dream of helping with the ocean liner can never be

and so we end on a vegetable pun

no strings attached

another music-themed episode?? oh no

another log jam?

are tugboats an instrument?

no patrick, tugboats are not an instrument

coast guard boats are not an instrument either

top hat using his horn/whistle to play the first few notes of the theme song implies that he’s aware of the fourth wall

ten cents, don’t bother cappy. he has important coast guard stuff to do

dammit ten cents, you pulled a coast guard vessel away from his job. people could die

love how ten cents talks abt cappy’s whistle and cappy is represented by a completely different boat.

the rhyming brings up memories of miller-era thomas. and that’s not a compliment

the song sounds like sth out of an obscure 16-bit game that’s only remembered for one song and only because that song was used in a meme

guilty gull

how rich are salty’s parents to get him a working, driveable toy car for his birthday?

you know an episode’s gonna be interesting when it starts with zug getting blamed for something he says he didn’t do

again with the fire barge! i’m banning zip and zug from having any contact with fire barges unless it’s an emergency

do you think billy’s aware that the tugs only really talk to him when they need him for arson?

i think he is, and he’s cool about it. billy, you deserve better. get some friends who see you for more than your skill at arson

f in the chat for zug, the snugboat harbor scapegoat

i know that it’s just tradition to refer to ships as she/her, but in the context of this show it sounds like the stuck tanker is sapient and the tugs are going to destroy her anyway

sl!zug deserves better 2k21

bivalve blues

sunshine’s voice sounds really strained fsr

“wanna hear my new riddle?” “not now. bye” same, ten cents. same

sad boat hours

honestly ten cents has every right to be sad and upset after the events of “big birthday bash”

that’s not why he’s sad though, he’s upset bc he feels unappreciated or sth

a fire?? that escalated quickly, holy shit

love how bluenose is just sitting in the background with no one noticing/acknowledging him as ten cents takes the fuel barge

also that split second of bluenose twitching/shaking at the end

honestly i’m more interested in whatever the hell’s going on with him

i’m sad because they had to incorporate and re-dub that emotional ending scene from “munitions”

ten cents gets cheered up, the other tugs appreciate him, sunshine finally tells him her riddle, and bluenose is presumably scarred for life because this the last episode and we never see him again after this.

#the lighthouse chronicles #shitpost #ask to tag #reaction tag

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banglatown · 4 years

Text

21 tips i’ve learned in my 21 years for relationships

MAKE! YOUR! INTENTIONS! CLEAR! if you do not want a committed long-term relationship, pls make it known, your wants and needs are valid, do not feel pressured into a commitment you are not ready for, if they respect you, they will understand.. not to mention; you can always change your mind, just remember to communicate!

do not just assume someone is your significant other .. use your words and TALK TO THEM .. other human beings do not exist for you to project onto them, if you’d like them to be your significant other, ask .. they might just say yes lol

less serious .. but if anyone ever asks you to turn on your location for them on snapchat ... don’t . just don’t . trust me that it is an unhealthy tool to utilise .. on either side .. snap is creepy and will let the person who has your location on know what you’re doing at tht exact time .. honestly 🚩 the moment they ask but if you want more of an explanation, it will let them know if you’re asleep... if you’re listening to music.. if it’s raining where you are... if you’re driving.. if you’re on a bus.. and of c the last one, when you were last active 🙃 just don’t, okay

for god’s sake, if you buy your significant other something, that’s great, cool, fine, don’t constantly bring it up over and over again .. whether it’s how hard you worked to get it, how much trouble you went through to get it, or how expensive it was... no, just stop .. don’t .. it’s so crass .. and i promise you, they’ll probz never want you to buy them anything ever again .. so .. just give the present and Go

IF they make apparent to you that valentine’s day is something they want to celebrate... I DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABT WHAT COMMERCIALISED HOLIDAY DO RE MI FAH SO LA LA LA .. you fucking participate.. if they mention valentine’s day more than TWICE .. they rly want you to at the very least acknowledge valentine’s day w them .. don’t be that ‘valentine’s day is a commercial jssuejjejwksjd-’ prick, no, friendly reminder that this is why no one likes you .. if you feel tht the person you love wants you to acknowledge hearts day w them .. just do it fgs ..

no. 1 cuntiest thing you can do is to assume someone has free time, no, no they do not, if you’re going to assume anything, assume that they’re busy, at least this way you’ll come across as being courteous when asking them whatever it is you want them to engage in whether it's a phone call or wanting to go out w them, do not think you are entitled to someone else's time

don’t fall for potential .. some ppl just don’t change .. ik some ppl can’t handle hearing tht but i’m sorry darling we don’t live in a fairytale world where ppl w toxic tendencies drop them as soon as they see your face, we live in this one and it’s not your place to try and fix them

nip things in the bud, ppl make mistakes as we are all human and therefore intrinsically flawed but if any foul play ever takes place nip it THERE AND THEN ..

sometimes ppl need their space, different ppl cope w hurt in different ways so if you ever do upset the person you love, don’t just expect them to accept your apology the moment you feel bad and say sorry ... when apologising to someone you need to give them their own time to process

this ones for my muslims, if a significant other ... EVER ... tells you to cover your hair .. x them out of your life ... nope nope nope .. your relationship w god is PERSONAL .. and the very fact that some ppl think it’s appropriate to go abt telling ppl to ‘cover their hair’ is fucking ridiculous.. they’ve very clearly over estimated their own importance in this situation, they’re not shit .. you don’t need someone like tht i promise

i’m a firm believer of how a person treats their friends shows a lot of their character .. if they without any ounce of irony say the sentence “i hate all my friends” ... do not get involved w them, they’re bad news, trust me, if they can’t be nice to the ppl they call friends, sweetheart what makes you think they’ll be different towards you?

this one’s for my desis .. pls do some form of a bg check on their family ,,, PLEASE .. if you’re desi yk .. if not idk .. good for you innit

but speaking of families .. this sounds peculiar but ask abt their relationship w their relatives .. don’t just assume tht just bc you get on well w your familials, tht they will too, ask them abt their family, don’t be overbearing abt it .. but ask cordially

i was debating on whether i should include this or not but some of you completely lack human decency so i suppose i have to .. for the love of all that is fucking holy, if someone ever asks you the question “did you miss me?” SAY YES .. FOR GOD’S SAKE .. you don’t need to get into the semantics of ‘well, i didn’t have time’ 🚫 ‘well do you want me to lie’🚫 or whatever else you heartless cowards say ... simply, say “yes, i did” it’s something so small but it can make someone so fucking happy

listen, rly fucking listen, don’t listen w the intent of saying whatever you want to say, rly take in what tht person is saying to you and anyway “when you talk you repeat what you already know, when you listen you might learn something new”

in a similar vein, don’t assume that just bc someone is complaining or venting or ranting to you tht they want your advice ... they don’t .. the only time they want advice is .. shock horror .. when they ask for it .. sometimes ppl just want to rant, let them, be a safe space

idk why the whole ‘arguments are normal’ thing .. is a thing .. bc it’s not and i feel as though it’s as a result of such thinking that many ppl stay w ppl who just aren’t right for them bc ‘arguments are normal’ but .. newsflash .. they’re rly fucking not, i promise you, yes, where there is more than one person, disagreements are BOUND to arise, but arguments? full fledge shouting matches? .. where the both of you are intentionally trying to hurt each other, no . this is not normal, an argument is serious and should be dealt as such, do not start an argument for no reason, idk why being ✨toxic✨ is a thing .. you are dealing w a real person w real emotions ..

love is mutual generosity, you CANNOT afford to be selfish, the moment you become selfish you will hurt the other person, for the sake of god rmbr you do not own the other person, so pls don’t treat them like they’re property .. it’s not a nice feeling .. i only say all this to bring up, another human being’s BODILY AUTONOMY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU ... you either get it or you don’t

REPEAT AFTER ME! anyone who tries to dull your sparkle instead of enhancing it IS NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!

pls don’t take this the wrong way but .. try to avoid ppl who are insecure as fuck.. insecure ppl will suck the living light out of you ... ik ik i sound mean but you’ll thank me for it later .. sweetheart, ik, they’ve gone through tough times and they’ve somehow managed to make you feel like ~yOu’Re gOiNg tO bE tHe oNe tHt sAvEs tHem~ but no .. baby, therapists make good money, don’t do that shit for free, not to mention; oh they will be cruel to you :) -10/10 do not recommend

last but not least, do not bother pursuing a relationship w someone who has completely different morals to you .. by tht i mean if you’re a feminist and they’re the type of person who slut-shames women for breathing ... yk, as the adage goes “when someone shows you who they are, believe them”

#it’s taken me a while to compile this so i hope you all like it! i just thought since a lot of you found me after i began my shenanigans w #big sis beebs hours 🕰🤎🧸#i always wanted to do like a list of things which i believe ppl don’t talk abt enough when it comes to relationships .. some of you may know #tht tumblr has been w me throughout my entire developmental teen years & so it’s watched me bloom from a 13 yr old to now 21 .. which is #kinda wild .. but anyway; i stopped using tumblr when i was 18 i believe? this is when all the big changes took place and tumblr suddenly #became a v stressful place for me to be ... but then as lockdown began i found myself missing tumblr so i came back a whole 2 years later #lol .. and i am #so glad i did as i have found my own community of ppl who i love oh so much .. you all mean THE WORLD to me! i hope you know tht!#the fact tht so many of you see me as a big sister means everything to me and as a big sister i feel obliged to keep you away from things i #wish i had known .. which is what this post was born out of #i would like to thank you all for your never ending support and kindness shown my way; you all rly make my heart so happy; all of you; even #my babies on anon 🥺🍓 w you all i have own circle and i hope you know how much i value you 💖💓✨💕#for my birthday; all i want is for you all to be kind to yourselves; that’d mean the world to me 🏹💌🌷✨#thank you for all that you all havs done for me ✨💌 i hope this post is helpful! i am always here for you 🦋#oh also; one more little thing; rmbr we help ppl to learn to love their insecurities; not give them new ones 🔐#beebs.txt

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