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endlessdoom · 3 years

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Sacrament

14 maps by Clan [B0S] of the russian community.

2011

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Sacrament

MAP01: Reposa In Pace by Slavius

Sacrament is a particularly special map that stands out for its unorthodox factors to the traditional, and boy does it show it! MAP01 is an interesting environmental proposal with a tight, labyrinthine design that enjoys losing the player in a new world more than throwing him into combat. 3/5

MAP02: Doxylamine Moon by Lainos

Iconic in the history of the game and I can easily see why. This is a huge map that represents an incredibly detailed city with a deep and vast opportunity for exploration in every area. That, coupled with an excellent setting make this a map that is hard to forget. 4/5

MAP03: Dirtyllery by Wraith

Confusing at times but with more combat than previous maps and a fairly interesting design that combines a variety of rooms, offering an interesting progress system that, although it gets lost at times, is manageable. 3/5

MAP04: Phobia by Dr. Max

More direct than the previous ones and with a comprehensive layout that offers exploration and combat under an atmospheric, yet distinctive, presentation compared to the rest of the maps. 4/5

MAP05: Lavatraz by Wraith

A fortress in the middle of a lava lake surrounded by a large crowd of enemies. This is an intense map with enough combat to satisfy those who want a bit of a fight, while maintaining a good flow and offering excellent presentation for combat. 4/5

MAP06: Pandora's Box by Archi

Large and expansive, with huge open areas and an iconic start through a shadowy tunnel. Fantastic map, with good combat and many areas to explore as well as many fights to participate in. 4/5

MAP07: Arena by Dragon Hunter

The most divergent map of all maps. This is a combat arena that ends with a totally unexpected slaughter surprise. It is probably the most traditional map of the whole set, one that differs from the philosophy of the episode but still perfectly satisfying, fun, entertaining and well challenging. 4/5

MAP08: Zone X by Archi

We return to a realistic map that combines the urban effect with a bit of industrial architecture while offering progress through a palpable and realistic layout. With constant combat and a few surprises, it manages to make its mark. 4/5

MAP09: Vancouver by Archi

It has nothing to do with Vancouver, but more to do with Doom. This is a map that manages to perfectly combine the atmosphere of the episode with a good puzzle system and exploration without sacrificing combat at any time; offering interesting challenges, varied and progress that flows without pause under a good atmosphere of fun. 5/5

MAP10: Wood Prison by Azamael

Gigantic wooden (or brick?) fortress with a huge multitude of rooms and scenarios. Combat is intense and almost constant, but the layout leaves something to be desired at times, as well as a few missing textures. 3/5

MAP11: Seaport by Azamael

A fascinating concept that combines natural scenery with human architecture, giving it a distinctive touch that together with the MIDI and the progress system, create a very palpable atmosphere. 4/5

MAP12: Industrial Processing by Dragon Hunter

Quite large, dark and ambient. At times it reminds me of the tight maps of Doom 3, combining intense combat in tight corners that encourage tactical combat and be careful with our steps. The visuals are often hidden in the darkness, but it manages to convey a decent idea of abandoned tech-base. 3/5

MAP13: Controlled System by BeeWen

This is a map to end on a high note... gold. Huge and quite distinctive thanks to the excellent work of detail and ambience, adding a Silent Hill song, this map bleeds atmosphere and releases horrors. With a huge layout, unfortunately, it shoots itself in the foot by creating an almost incomprehensible path system that becomes incredibly complicated near the map, however, the challenging combat and wonderful visuals manage to give it its name. 4/5

MAP14: LOGOEND by Lainos

And finally, an unwinnable map that works like a credits map, but without the credits. Still, the monument and the skybox is great. Maybe music would have improved this. 3/5

Overall:

» Sacrament (2011) By Clan [B0S]

Deep in the snowy lands, far to the east and hidden in the veil of mystery and poem, lies an abandoned world, without faith, without time; a world where man does not exist and sin reigns, desolate lands, lost lands, home of the devil and battlefield for all those who dare to desecrate the... sacrament. Whoops! I missed the rails. That little paragraph may encapsulate a bit of the idea and excitement behind this 14 map WAD designed to totally blow your mind in the most unorthodox and fantastical way you can find within the confines of Doom. Sacrament is an episode created by the B0S clan that shows how the world of Doom still has much, much more to offer.

Sacrament's story is something that would make a writer's cheeks swell with the desire to make it a novel: The plot follows a "Clan [B0S] fighter" as he wakes up from a nightmare into an apocalypse already in-progress. It is then gradually revealed that "the worthy" have already ascended to heaven, while everyone else have turned into bloodthirsty demons who are left to infight. He journeys into a now-desolate world, searching for answers as to what had happen, and why only he retained his humanity. Extract from the Doomwiki. That alone sounds like something absolutely awesome that inmediatly gathers my attention, and as expected, the rest of the WAD also did. With 14 maps, you'd better be ready to embark on an adventure of your own that is worthwhile in every way and demonstrates with considerable quality how to create a world entirely within the confines of Doom in a creative, inventive and different way to what we are used to. As a result, a kind of environmental son that evokes distant sensations of desolation, added to an explicit combat that sometimes is silent and then surprises you with brutal violence.

Sacrament knows very well what it is trying to achieve and succeeds with flying colors, even if it is not to everyone's taste. The main aspect of this WAD and its distinctive point is nothing more and nothing less than the amazing presentation it has. When I talk about presentation, I mean the shared set of visuals, progressive narration and extra details like music or even the titlescreen. WAD makes extensive use of all these details to create an ironically perfect conglomeration. While presentation is often overlooked or of regular importance in the mainstream Doom landscape, it is an aspect that can still pleasantly elevate the value of a WAD. That's just what happens with Sacrament. @Lainos is the mastermind behind the conception of this work, and he manages to successfully convey the idea of desolation and abandonment that each map possesses. The cohesion is generally understandable, and even though the maps are not dependent on each other, each manages to create a shared atmosphere among the entire WAD, either through the use of realistic architecture combined with muted colors, or even sharing design similarities that evoke a shared history in different areas. Sacrament successfully manages to give that fantastic feeling; that of playing in an environmental adventure like no other.

It is worth mentioning the incredible use of music and colors. Music used to be a factor that ranked as a rear position among the overall quality of WADs in the old days. A positive factor, but not essential. On the other hand, modern times have begun to highlight the essentials of music and how they can pleasantly increase the quality of a WAD. Proof of this is the recent Cacoward for OST. Well, Sacrament makes extensive use of music from different sources and all in an .OGG format, which means that we will hear high quality music in glorious sound true to the way the author intended. While the music is not of original production for the project, the selection of each tune was done with enough attention to create a comprehensive odyssey of ambient symphonies. MIDI breaks the mood at a certain point, yes, but the great job they have taken in choosing songs that match the color palette of the map and the ambiance is a good example of how this format is perfect for drowning us in a world. Add to that an excellent use of skybox, dark blue colors and lots of creepy textures reminiscent of rust and confinement, and surprise, Sacrament is a work of pure ambience.

But not everything that shines blue is sapphire, and here we must see the strange, unorthodox and polemic side of this WAD, the gameplay. Sacrament tells you directly in its structure that it is interested in the environment, leaving the gameplay to take a back seat (not entirely true, but you get the point), something that many would consider sacrilege, but thanks to good management decisions and excellent production, it works under the same aesthetics of this project. Most of the maps make a great focus on exploration and environment, especially the @Lainos maps, which bleed pure desolation and loneliness. The influence of Lainos is felt in most of the maps, especially with the intense use of music and skybox, on the other hand, not everything is generally pure exploration, it would be somewhat detrimental to steal the gameplay completely to this map, and if what we want is action, well there is, in one way or another there is. Intense maps that offer explosive combat like MAP07: Arena by @Dragon Hunter or the huge and challenging MAP13: Controlled System by @BeeWen, both maps that show incredible use of design and devastating gameplay at times. However, if Sacrament is a black sheep, then these maps are Sacrament's black sheep, so to speak.

Sacrament is not meant to be a run-and-gun, nor a kind of traditional WAD. It comes with all the right to break schemes and demonstrate something different and well produced, something that however strange and fascinating it may be, it manages to establish its place within the annals of the history of WADs. While its complex layouts and divergent gameplay may be somewhat detrimental to some players, that doesn't detract from the simple fact that Sacrament is a quality work that deserves to be tried just for the one virtue it possesses, that of allowing us to plunge into a world of Doom.

#doom #doom mod #wad #doom wad #gaming #classic

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mikauzoran · 4 years

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Ask Game: Mikau’s Headcanons - This Should Be a Drinking Game

Anonymous asked:

5&6

Thank you for the ask! ^.^

(The questions are from this list. So far I’ve done five, six, eleven, and fifteen.)

5. What’s your favorite headcanon you use in fics?

Oh my gosh. There are so many headcanons. XD I was actually just thinking last night that I needed to compile a list and turn it into a drinking game or something.

Take a sip of tea every time:

1. Félix is Adrien’s older brother (eight years older). He left home at sixteen, married Marinette’s cousin Bridgette, and now lives in Marseille where he’s a homicide detective. Bri runs her own bakery. They have a daughter named Noëlle and a son on the way. Fé used to play the violin competitively growing up, and Adrien learned to play Danse Macabre and the first movement of Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata from him.

2. Émilie was a stage actress, and Adrien used to do the child roles in whatever production she was in, so he grew up backstage and going to the theatre to see his mum a lot. Her signature role was Viola in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. When Gabriel and Émilie met going to high school in Marseille, she was performing Viola and dragged him into being on the costume crew for the school play once she discovered he was an aspiring fashion designer.

3. Adrien decides to pursue a career in acting. He misses performing from when he did it with his mum when he was a kid, and it makes him feel connected to her. He likes getting to portray all kinds of different people and experiencing what it’s like to be someone else. It’s a safe space for him to experience emotions since expressing emotions was frowned upon in his home growing up. The roles he really wants to play are Jean Valjean from Les Mis, the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera, Elphaba from Wicked, and Viola from Twelfth Night.

4. Adrien is originally left-handed but has learned to be ambidextrous. This is my hill to die on, and you can fight me over it. ^w^ It’s probably just production error/the creators not really caring, but I’ve noticed several times in canon where Adrien has been shown doing things left-handed. (I mean, he uses his right hand for things too, but...) In Origins, when he’s walking to class and signing autographs left and right, he does so with his left hand. In Marchand de Sable/Sandman when he’s doing homework in his room, his writing supplies are on his left side. (I just want some left-handed representation. Is that too much to ask? ;-;)

5. Adrien is biromantic asexual. Even when I pair him with Marinette, he’s never not bi. I don’t always write him as ace; sometimes he’s bisexual in my works, but I could see canon Adrien as ace.

6. Adrien’s comfort foods are mint tea and salad. When he was little, when he or Émilie had a bad day, she would kick the kitchen staff out of the kitchen, and they would make a big salad and some mint tea and enjoy it together. Now that she’s gone, he has mint tea and/or salad when he’s feeling down, and it’s comforting because it reminds him of his mother.

7. Adrien is a total anime nerd. He grew up relatively isolated from the outside world, so he learned about life and “normal”/“acceptable” human behaviour from Disney movies and anime. He’s always wanted to be a Disney princess and a magical girl. He was really inspired by Disney and anime protagonists who overcame the difficulties in their lives to achieve their dreams and find happiness and love. He has a lot of strong, female role models, starting with his mum, so he tends to identify with female characters more strongly than male characters.

8. Adrien is a polyglot. Obviously, he knows French, and he’s learned English because it’s required. Chinese lessons are canonical. He taught himself Japanese so that he could read manga and watch anime in the original (and pass it off as “studying”). He also speaks Russian (see “9″ below). He doesn’t speak Italian, but he has a passing familiarity with the language. He knows some phrases from opera from watching it himself and his mum’s career. He has some of his favourite portions memorized. He can insult someone’s sartorial choices in Italian from listening to his father do so on trips to Milan for business, and he knows survival phrases, but he can’t actually construct sentences or have conversations. He just hasn’t invested himself in it.

9. Adrien’s bodyguard’s name is Victor (really Viktor, but he uses the French spelling to fit in). He’s originally from Russia and still has family there. The reason why he doesn’t speak is because, even though he understands French just fine, he’s self-conscious about speaking it because of his accent. He’s also afraid to make mistakes, especially in front of Gabriel who is not a patient or tolerant man. Victor taught Adrien Russian, so now they can speak together, and no one knows what they’re saying. (Nathalie has picked up a little bit here and there, but not enough to have conversations.) Victor calls Adrien Adrianka. (It’s the Russian diminutive.)

10. Nathalie speaks a little bit of Mandarin Chinese. Her tones are so-so, but she can get her point across. She learned from listening in on Adrien’s lessons so that she could make sure he stayed on top of his curriculum. When Adrien has to miss Chinese lessons on short notice, Adrien’s teacher works with Nathalie instead.

11. Luka loves all music, not just rock or punk like we’ve seen on the show. I mean, the guy is portrayed as music being his whole life, right? He came to music through rock and roll because that’s what he was exposed to through his mother and her music career, but if you dig into the music and look at its history, where it came from, what inspired it, you start wandering back through time until you get to the big names of classical concert music. Luka is an inquisitive, thoughtful guy. I can see him digging into the roots of the music he grew up with and finding all sorts of cool influences. I can see him learning about and experimenting with different types/genres of music.

12. In university, Luka studies Literature with an emphasis on nineteenth and twentieth century Russia. Why? Below is excerpted from my response to a comment asking about this point.

Especially in the nineteenth century during the height of Romanticism, a lot of literary elements and themes made their way into classical music. Program music uses literary texts as a base and illustrates the story with music. Composers drew from the Russian literary tradition as well, particularly in opera. Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades is based on Pushkin's short story, and I just found out a month ago that Shostakovich turned Gogol's short story The Nose into an opera. In the arts, one thing always leads to another. It's like looking up something on Wikipedia. Two hours later you've become an expert on botany or Balkan folk dance. I think Luka would dig into the sources of inspiration for the music he was consuming in order to better understand the works and as a means of getting inspiration himself.

So that's why Russian Literature. I think he'd eventually find his way to it through music. Then, once you find Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky, you really get sucked in. For me, those two have such a way of depicting real human beings and what it means to be human. They really get at deeper human truths. Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, and The Idiot really capture that essence for me. (War and Peace too to some extent, but not as much as the other three.) I think Luka would really be drawn to Russian literature too and come to love it for itself apart from the musical inspiration he was able to derive from it.

13. In his teens, Luka takes more of an interesting in the piano and falls in love with the violin. He adds piano and violin performance majors halfway through university and ends up becoming a professional solo pianist as well as a first violin with the Orchestre de Paris.

14. Luka wears reading glasses. I don’t think I’ve used this one much. Actually, I can’t find where I’ve used this at all. :/ Well. I suppose there will be no tea drinking at this time for this headcanon. ^.^;

15. Luka has tattoos. I don’t think I’ve gotten around to this one yet either. Adrien and Luka talk about possible tattoo ideas in Chapter Four of Nachtmusik, but... At any rate, the full extent of the tattoos would be a stylized snake on his pelvis, Odin’s raven’s on his shoulder blades, a stylized snake bracelet under his regular bracelets, and a Chat Noir paw print under his ring. So far the paw print is the only one that I’m one hundred percent positive that will happen. The stylized snake on the pelvis is pretty up there too because in the Jabberwocky/Daisy universe I was going to have Adrien and Marinette squabbling over Luka, and Adrien was going to say that he bet Marinette hadn’t seen Luka’s snake tattoo. When Marinette asks Luka where he has a snake tattoo and learns how low on Luka’s stomach it is, she’s left wondering what’s going on between Adrien and Luka. I’m undecided about the ravens and the snake bracelet.

16. The children are always named Hugo, Louis, and Emma, but the birth order depends upon the pairing. Lukadrienette have Hugo (biologically Luka’s), Emma (Adrien’s), and then Louis (Adrien’s). Lukadrien have Emma (Luka and Rose’s), Louis (Adrien and Rose’s), and then Hugo (Adrien and Juleka’s). Adrienette have Louis, Hugo, and then Emma.

Which is your favourite of my headcanons? Which one would you like to see more of? Did I miss any? ^.^;

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thecoleopterawithana · 5 years

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When you were young and your heart was an open book

Don’t Let Me Down | Paul’s Upbringing

John, because of his upbringing and his unstable family life, had to be hard, witty, always ready for the cover-up, ready for the riposte, ready with the sharp little witticism. Whereas with my rather comfortable upbringing, a lot of family, lot of people, very northern, ‘Cup of tea, love?’, my surface grew to be easy-going. Put people at their ease. Chat to people, be nice, it’s nice to be nice.

— Paul McCartney, in Barry Miles’ Many Years From Now (1997).

Paul grew up in the warm embrace of a loving family. There was hardship, certainly: they were definitely working-class, and the war had been unkind to the cotton exchange business, so it fell on mother Mary to be the main bread-winner of the family, as a domiciliary housewife. Her nursing job also made it so they were always on the move, from one new outskirt council estate to the next, “always on the edge of the world” that was the rebuilding of a war-torn Liverpool. But despite this surrounding instability, the core of the family itself was a safe harbour of reliably loving parents.

I got my compassion for people from my mother. She was a midwife. I think that would probably be the most important quality. Again, respect and caring for others.

— Paul McCartney, interview w/ Jonathan Wingate for Record Collector: Paul McCartney gets back to work (July 2007).

[My mum] was very kind, very loving. There was a lot of sitting on laps and cuddling. She was very cuddly. I think I was very close to her. My brother thinks he was a little closer, being littler. I would just be trying to be a bit more butch, being the older one. She liked to joke and had a good sense of humour and she was very warm. There was more warmth than I now realise there was in most families. [...] They aspired to a better life. That idea that we had to get out of here, we had to do better than this. This was okay for everyone else in the street but we could do better than this. She was always moving to what she saw as a better place to bring her kids up.

— Paul McCartney, in Barry Miles’ Many Years From Now (1997).

Not only had this notion of rising out of their current situation been instilled in Paul and his brother Michael from an early age by his mother – by encouraging them to speak “the Queen’s English” and insist on their education, for example – his father, Jim McCartney, also did his best to pass down his values of “Toleration and Moderation”, a good education and a special emphasis on an honest and responsible work ethic.

I think I got my respect and tolerance for people from my dad, which is a pretty cool quality to inherit. He was very big on tolerance, my dad. It was a word he used to use all the time. I think I grew up with that attitude. You know, you’d say, ‘Bloody hell, I hate that guy.’ and then you’d stop and go, ‘Alright, wait a minute, maybe he’s got a point,’ and you’d try and consider it from his or her point of view. I think that was a great lesson.

— Paul McCartney, interview w/ Jonathan Wingate for Record Collector: Paul McCartney gets back to work (July 2007).

He had us out aged about nine. I was virtually a door-to-door salesman by the time I was twelve. [...] I was certainly not shy with people, I think because of all these activities my dad encouraged us into. I think it's probably very good for your confidence with people. It was all right. That was my upbringing.

[...]

My parents aspired for us, very much indeed. That is one of the great things you can find in ordinary people. My mum wanted me to be a doctor. 'My son the doctor' - and her being a nurse, too. No problem there. And my dad, who left school at fourteen, would have loved me to be a great scientist, a great university graduate. I always feel grateful for that. I mean, God, I certainly fulfilled their aspirations, talk about overachieving! That was all bred into me, that.

We had George Newnes Encyclopedias. I can still remember the smell of them. If you didn't know what a word meant or how it was spelled, my dad would say 'Look it up.' I think that's a great attitude to take with kids. It steers you in the right direction. It was part of a game where he was improving us without having had an awful lot of experience of improvement himself. But I always liked that, and I knew I would outstrip him. By going to grammar school I knew I'd fairly soon have Latin phrases or know about Shakespeare which he wouldn't know about.

— Paul McCartney, in Barry Miles’ Many Years From Now (1997).

Just from these passages alone, we can spot the origins of Paul’s tolerant and caring nature, social skills, self-reliance, and tireless drive for self-improvement (with its nuances of social climbing and fierce competitiveness).

All in all, it was a good solid childhood: exploring the woods outside of his house – “Mother Nature’s Son” through and through – playing and running from Speke teds with his friend George Harrison, going to school and working the occasional odd job, helping his family and making them proud.

And then, Paul McCartney’s secure existence was shattered.

My head was in a whirl, only then I realized, I lost my little girl

On the 31st of October 1956, Mary McCartney abruptly dies from complications following her mastectomy. She’d been admitted at a far too advanced state of breast cancer after she’d kept working – while in pain – for several weeks, choosing not to divulge this symptom or the fact that she had a lump in her breast to her colleagues.

The whole family is caught unawares, but the boys especially are mostly kept in the dark.

I remember one horrible day me and my brother going to the hospital. They must have known she was dying. It turned out to be our last visit and it was terrible because there was blood on the sheets somewhere and seeing that, and your mother, it was like "Holy cow!' And of course she was very brave, and would cry after we'd gone, though I think she cried on that visit. But we didn't really know what was happening. We were shielded from it all by our aunties and by our dad and everything.

— Paul McCartney, in Barry Miles’ Many Years From Now (1997).

The boys are sent away to stay with relatives, noticing that something was wrong but unaware of what was going on, unable to actually say goodbye.

Two days later, it’s too late.

Paul is 14.

As Jim comes to break the news, and his brother Michael breaks down in tears, Paul has an unexpected response.

Mum was a working nurse. There wasn’t a lot of money around – and she was half the family pay packet. My reaction was: ‘How are we going to get by without her money?’ When I think back on it, I think, ‘Oh God, what? Did I really say that?’ It was a terrible logical thought which was preceded by the normal feelings of grief. It was very tough to take.

— Paul McCartney, in Ray Coleman’s McCartney: Yesterday & Today (1996).

It would not be the last time that Paul McCartney’s initial shock response to grief is considered “flippant” or “callous” by the people around him; a fact that has haunted him throughout his life.

I’m very funny when people die. I don’t handle it at all well, because I’m so brought down that I try to bring myself up. So I don’t show grief very well. It actually leads some people to think I don’t care, and I do. I’m not good at it like some people. [...] But I’ve always been kind of inward about those things. So I just deal with it myself.

— Paul McCartney, in Ray Coleman’s McCartney: Yesterday & Today (1996).

By virtue of nature or nurture, Paul exhibits from early on an extreme difficulty or unwillingness to deal with his less pleasant emotions.

His response to the alarm that is pain is to deny that it is ringing altogether.

And this manifested not only in inadequate optimism for some situations, it most often took the shape of what appeared to be too hard and cold pragmatism. Some people, unfortunately, saw his defence-mechanism of turning completely rational in the face of crisis and mistook it for him not caring; when, in fact, he cared so much that his only solution was to try and shut it off.

He carried with him a great burden of guilt and regret; not concerning his reaction to his mother’s death but also due to other misdemeanours and minor hurts he’d caused her when she was alive.

There's one moment that I've regretted all my life which is a strange little awkwardness for me. There was one time when she said 'ask' and she pronounced it posh. And I made fun of her and it slightly embarrassed her. Years later I've never forgiven myself. It's a terrible little thing. I wish I could go back and say, ‘I was only kidding, Mum.' I’m sure she knew. I'm sure she didn't take it too seriously.

— Paul McCartney, in Barry Miles’ Many Years From Now (1997).

In retrospect, he even theorized that the lyrics to his acclaimed ‘Yesterday’ were related to his mother’s sudden departure.

With ‘Yesterday’, singing it now, I think without realising it I was singing about my mum who died five or six years previously, or whatever the timing was. Because I think now, “Why she had to go, I don’t know, she wouldn’t say, I said something wrong…”

— Paul McCartney, interview w/ Pat Gilbert for MOJO: Don’t look back in anger (November 2013).

So in the aftermath of life completely pulling the rug from under his feet, Paul was not only struggling to deal with his own emotions, trying to bury them far from sight as best as he could, he was being consumed by terrible guilt for doing exactly that.

More than that, he was under the care of his uncle and aunt for several more days, trying to rally his brother so that they wouldn’t appear ‘softies’ in their cousins' eyes, while friends and family tried to hold together a shattered Jim McCartney, “whose first thought was to join his wife”.

Seeing his father break down like that had a huge impact on Paul.

My mother's death broke my dad up. That was the worst thing for me, hearing my dad cry. I'd never heard him cry before. It was a terrible blow to the family. You grow up real quick, because you never expect to hear your parents crying. You expect to see women crying, or kids in the playground, or even yourself crying – and you can explain all that. But when it's your dad, then you know something's really wrong and it shakes your faith in everything. But I was determined not to let it affect me. I carried on. I learnt to put a shell around me at that age.

— Paul McCartney, in The Anthology (1995).

This is very important.

Not only had the only reality he’d ever known been destroyed by his mother’s sudden death, his own father – who was supposed to be this strong, unshakable pillar in his life – couldn’t be relied on to hold it together.

Paul had been let down. He was on his own.

Fear steems from a feeling of powerlessness. You feel painfully vulnerable to whatever life might throw at you, at constant risk of being hurt again, and the only solution is to be on the lookout. Be prepared.

Paul was caught unawares because the people he’d counted on to always be there suddenly weren’t. And with his compassionate and reasonable nature, he probably didn't even blame them at all. But the facts were that Paul had been left hanging, not once but twice, when he needed them the most. So he kind of lost his faith in everything.

Life is chaotic and unpredictable; and people, through no fault of their own, are just as inconstant.

And so, in order not to risk being let down again, Paul took matters into his own hands. He tried to escape the pain and dread of being powerless by seizing control of whatever he could. And that was mostly himself.

And so begins Paul McCartney’s saga of isolating independence and other control-issues.

As Paul said above, he’s “always been kind of inward” about grief and other “negative” emotions. He’d rather be alone at this stage because he doesn’t want to expose his vulnerabilities. Not to others and much less to himself. So he needs a distraction. Something to devote himself to that’ll take his mind off the pain.

The saving grace, as usual, was music.

— Paul McCartney, The Q Interview (2007).

His brother Michael, probably the closest observer we could have of this period, recounts how Paul was like in the aftermath.

Paul was far more affected by Mum’s death than any of us imagined. His very character seemed to change and for a while he behaved like a hermit. He wasn’t very nice to live with at this period, I remember. He became completely wrapped up in himself and didn’t seem to care about anything or anybody outside himself.

He seemed interested only in his guitar, and his music. He would play that guitar in his bedroom, in the lavatory, even when he was taking a bath. It was never out of his hands except when he was at school or when he had to do his homework. Even in school, he and George Harrison used to seize the opportunity every break to sit and strum.

When we left our auntie’s house and returned home, it was agreed that Dad, Paul and I would take it in turns to do the housework.

“We’re a family on our own now,” Dad said. “We’ll all have to help.”

But time after time when I came home from school, I would find that Paul hadn’t done his bit. I would go looking for him and sometimes I would find him, up in his bedroom, perhaps, sitting in the dark, just strumming away on his guitar. Nothing, it seemed, mattered to him any more. He seldom went out anywhere – even with girls. He didn’t bother much with any of his friends except his schoolmate George Harrison and John Lennon, who was at the art school next door. Work and work alone – his school books and his guitar – appeared to be the only thing that could help him to forget.

— Mike McCartney, Woman: Portrait of Paul (21 August 1965).

So Paul takes to complete dedication to work and music to help him ignore his pain. And he’d rather go through this process of burying it on his own. We see him isolate himself from his family and friends, according to Mike socializing mostly with George, also in the context of playing music. John is also mentioned; this could be a smudging of the timeline in Mike’s recollections, as Paul would only meet John the following year. That or Paul’s mourning lasted until the autumn of 1957, when John was enrolled in art college.

We also have a clue about how guarded Paul was with his “negative” emotions – how resilient he always wanted to be – that no one imagined he would be so affected by his mother’s death as he was.

This will also be a repeating theme through Paul’s life: his wish to always be strong, positive and reliable will make others and himself overestimate his imperviousness to trauma. People will then feel free to burden him with their own pain or unload their frustrations on him, without feeling that there would be consequences; because Paul is so tough as to be unaffected by all that. This proved, time and again, not to be true.

His true strength arises, in my opinion, not in the fact that he is unshakable but in his determination to quietly pick himself up again and again.

Losing my mum when I was fourteen was a major tragic event in my life. But, when I think about myself, I am, overall, pretty optimistic, pretty enthusiastic, pretty much into getting on. One of the reasons being, she would want that. I know for certain she would want that. I know Linda would want that. I know John would want that, and George would want that. My dad would want that. They were very, very positive people. And the idea that their deaths would plunge me into some sort of morose depression would bother them. I know that for a fact. So that helps me to not go there.

— Paul McCartney, interviewed by John Colapinto for the New Yorker: When I’m sixty-four (4 June 2007).

But as a 14-year-old Northern lad, his tactic of picking himself up didn’t involve dressing the wounds, which would continue to bleed silently in the recesses of his mind.

I certainly didn’t grieve enough for my mother. There was no such thing as a psychiatrist when I lost her. You kidding? I was a 14-year-old Liverpool boy. I wouldn’t have had access to one and I do now.

— Paul McCartney, interviewed by Nigel Farndale for The Telegraph: Love me do (17 May 2002).

But soon, Paul would find an even greater outlet for his love of music, almost magical in its specialness:

Someone to perform with.

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emeraldtawny · 5 years

Text

Why I Love The 7 of Hearts

...I said I would do it. And now that it has officially been one month since his route release, the official banner for spoilers is now lifted! That being said, I’ll put a disclaimer now: I will be talking about key aspects and spoilers from Kyle’s route. Be warned.

Alright, now onto my thesis. Title: Why Kyle Ash Is My Favourite Otome Husband To Date - An Incredibly Biased Review, by Tawny ^w^

Part 1: Before his route

Before we talk about the actual route itself, let me explain to you guys why this man already had my heart before even getting to date him. I’ll be honest; when the game first came out, he was already in my top 3 but he was not the best boi (that went to Fenrir and stayed like that for a bit). That is, until I played through Lancelot’s route. Being able to get more interactions with Kyle gave me more insight into the kind of person he is, and I honestly liked what I saw. He condemned Lancelot for throwing his life away needlessly without concern for his safety (important note to come back to) and made it clear that his affiliation with the Red Army didn’t mean anything when there are lives on the line (another impotant point to revisit). I honestly respected that about him and sure enough, he snuck his way into top spot and has stayed there since. And if I’m being real, his route has completely solidified that. He ain’t moving. Ever.

Personal Rambling #1

Okay, now comes the fun part hehehe >:3

With the question “did you enjoy Kyle’s route?”, is there an option for “everything” and also “yes yes yes, holy shit yes”? Because, Kyle’s route is a big fat YES out of 10 for me, and I say that as unbiasedly as possible. I noticed that there didn’t seem to be any dev notes released before Kyle’s route dropped (my poor boi getting shafted :c), so allow me to give you my own variation:

Kyle

Recommended if you like: Yukimura (brusque yet sweet, kind of an idiot but means well) and Mitsunari (oblivious genius)

Sexy…7

Drama…7

Romance…9

Dev Notes: For a man so smart, he’s awfully clueless when it comes to you. This weirdly approachable doctor may lack tact, but that doesn’t stop the blood pressures rising and the hearts racing - both yours and his. Get ready for an angst road bump at part 20 (as well as his Dramatic Ending), but rest assured that the doctor is here to see you now.

When I say he’s a combo of Yuki and Mitsunari, I’m not kidding. He’s basically Yuki without the full-on tsun tendencies (he has a few, but you could call it more embarrassment and awkwardness compared to being a tsundere) and then a touch of Mitsunari’s infuriating obliviousness and bam, you got Kyle!

I won’t give a synopsis of the route, since you’ve all likely read it or know most of the story (why on earth are you reading this far in otherwise?) so allow me to share with you, my personal favourite chapters/parts of his route!

Chapter 7 - the first (and definitely not last) instance of a blushing Kyle in his natural habitat. Bonus for glasses uwu

Chapter 14 - the introduction of Goo, the new best pet in Cradle (sorry Chutney). Legit, I recorded that entire section where Kyle and MC are naming Goo and I was just squeeing like a deranged lunatic because I loved it so much like bdjxbgdkfnxfkd

Chapter 24 (His POV) - DRUNK KYLE POV. Of course, he’s still cognitive to have proper thoughts, it wasn’t Masamune levels of drunkenness. But...jealous Kyle. That right there is a rarity but WOW, it’s a treat ;3

Towards the end of the route when MC finds Kyle’s confession written on his freaking hand (Kyle you doof) and just...him burying his amused smile into the crook of his elbow when she says she likes someone…..HNNNNNGGGGGGG yes

Part 2: Character Development

This man has such strong convictions to his profession that it’s honestly admirable. He may only have one pillar to stand on, but that pillar is strong and immovable. I’m of course talking about this line: “I absolutely despise people who are ready to throw away their lives”. Sound familiar at all? Remind you of...a certain Red King? Honestly though, this commitment to his work as a doctor when he seems to do nothing else except drink himself into a stupor most nights (if not every night) is awe-inspiring, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.

The MC in Kyle’s route is my new favourite. I love how the romance she develops for Kyle starts off as simple admiration, just her wanting to follow in his footsteps and prove useful to people without provoking the war occurring around her. She’s grounded and has a clear purpose, which is refreshing compared to other iterations of her being more meek and more better categorised as a “damsel in distress”. Don’t get me wrong, I”m not criticising those types of MCs. It’s just nice to see a driven MC with a clear goal and a motive for why she wants to do the things she does, enough for her to stay longer than the allotted month (something NONE OF THE OTHER ROUTES DO, HELL YEAH KYLE!). She actively chose to stay in Cradle - even when her ticket home was right in front of her - because she wanted to help Kyle save lives. It’s refreshing. And it makes for some great interactions between her and Kyle, especially later in the route when they’re more comfortable with each other. Which leads me onto my next point…

It felt like a real relationship. The slow growth and blooming of feelings, the cute interactions they’d share (every time Kyle stroked her hair or bopped her on the head, my heart exploded into confetti), and how awkward they both were with each other. God, if you guys could have seen me reading his route with my dumb dopey grin and squeaking like a lovesick children’s toy every 10 seconds...I was a mess gielkdsnglkd.

I love how they let us see into Kyle’s world. It may be a simple outlook on life, but you can’t fault the man. His strong conviction to save as many lives as he can because he feels it’s what he was made to do, and his importance on smiling and presenting a calm, friendly image of himself as he treats his patients (remember the line “People are like mirrors.”. It’s important.). He’s a very “my pace” kind of person, and it was fun to just kind of...relax a bit. Sure, war preparations were happening but wait one moment, please. I need to educate Jonah on what is needed for a balanced nutritious breakfast. It was refreshing to see a route that was surprisingly chill for most of it until the ending crescendo, and I welcomed it.

Alright….angst time. All of the little hints we were getting, like his role of the 7 of Hearts not being “set in stone”, had me squinting at the screen like “boi, what you hiding?”. When we got to drinking with Kyle, Oliver and Blanc and the conversation of Kyle having a brother came up, I was like “....oh. This is gonna be baaad.”. And this wasn’t even including Colin (because when a character gets named, you know they’re important.). But…..Chapter 20. It actually came out of left field, sucker-punched me in the kidney, cracked my heart and left me crying as I’m just reading this whole thing unfolding. Colin’s heartbroken cries, Kyle’s unmoving unresponsive form as he lets Colin punch him, the symbolism and connection of both Kyle and Colin having lost an older brother because of the war. I’m….. ;~; aaaaaa. And then in the Avatar Challenge following the angst, MC throws the “people are like mirrors” line back at him to get him to break down a bit, to let some emotion out, and I was just a blubbering mess at this point. The route is generous enough to give you a floof and mild spice break, but then if you choose the Dramatic Ending…..you…..you visit...his brother’s grave...and the waterworks begin again.

Continuing on from the point above, this means Kyle also has connections with The Day That Went Dark, along with Fenrir and more importantly, Ray. From the way it was described in Kyle’s route, he himself doesn’t know for certain if Ray used magic or not. He only knows that Ray was there when shit went down. So even after his brother passed from the tragedy, Kyle held no animosity or desire for revenge against Ray; very fitting for his character. This route made me realise just how similar Kyle and Ray are: they’re both very determined in their ways to keep the peace and they both hold strong to their views of freedom and honesty (Ray and Kyle respectively). And you can tell that Kyle doesn’t hold it against Ray for whatever happened on The Day That Went Dark.

I would honestly love to see a scenario of the two of them sitting down together in a room and just awkwardly yet honestly expressing all of their pent-up emotions about that whole ordeal (angst writers, if you’re reading this...only if you want to ofc ^w^).

Personal Rambling #2: Gushing Edition

So those were my structured notes, but now let me indulge you on my messy bullet points that I made throughout reading his route. A lot of these are pointless to character building and things I just thought were cute and needed attention drawn to sooo….ye ^w^

Like the rest of the Red Army, Kyle was born into a family that carries the mantle of 7 of hearts. All of them doctors.

Cute theme of beds??? (his bday story and them sleeping in the same room)

“When he wasn’t talking, he’s actually quite attractive.” (wow, r00d)

His palm notes are work and other things related (and he doesn’t always remember why he wrote it down bgrkdgn)

Not a sweet tooth (dammit Kyle, that’s your only downfall :c)

Easily embarrassed despite his earnest and straightforward mannerisms

Doesn’t dote on MC and teaches her what he can

His importance on smiling and presenting a calm, friendly image of himself as he treats his patients (“People are like mirrors.” - ch 8)

Head pats. Lots of head pats

Awkward sweet love (kill me it’s too adorable)

Edgar’s silent envy yet sweet support of their romance (this boi istg…)

Super proactive MC (she’s my new fave, seriously I love her)

Lots of touching (head pats, forehead bonks), he doesn’t know what personal space is (and I love it)

His pig is the cutest thing in the entire world, I need 20

Really good with kids…...yes.

“I absolutely despise people who are ready to throw away their lives” (incredibly strong convictions - doesn’t have many, but the ones he does have he is incredibly dedicated to)

Stays longer than the allotted month (FUCK YES)

His brother’s death strengthened his convictions to be able to handle being an army doctor (direct and honest, no bs about sacrificing your life etc etc)

The “People are like mirrors” line is tearing my fucking heart apart (makes sense in chapter 20 avatar challenge)

The angst…..his brother...and Colin….I’m rdfkgndkjfnxclk ;-;

His realisation of love….and his confession….lord, IM DROWNING IN UWUS

Saving Amon despite him murdering many innocent people, a big decision that could have changed the tide for the future, but he stuck with his beliefs

MC’s insistence that Kyle doesn’t like her that way, and Kyle’s inability to realise it’s love (help me it’s so fucking cute I’m dying)

Whether intentional or not, he’s good at diverting the attention away from him when he wants it off him (maybe MC just assumes he’s an idiot?? lmao)

So his glasses are for sentimental reasons (but does he need them???) and his alcohol drinking habits are from his father (not a coping mechanism)

Incredibly kind...but not good at showing it (helping MC distract herself by giving her work(?))

MC’s obsession with Kyle’s eyes and collarbone (same sis, SAME) and Kyle’s obsession with her hair (fsekfbksfnjweksdgn kd,nAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

Conclusion

Overall, Kyle’s route is very solid. It may not add much to the overarching lore of Cradle (aside from another victim in The Day That Went Dark), but the route was still adorable, enjoyable and incredibly sweet. I had no moments where I felt bored throughout his route (then again, that’s likely the bias talking) and the balance between cute floof, tear-jerking angst and then hot hot spice (that he FULLY deserves, mind you) came together into a wonderful experience that left my heart full and sad when it all ended.

My final message to you all: Kyle Ash is the sweetest, most adorkable nerd that has ever graced my presence and I hope that even a tiny portion of my love for him rubs off on you, just so you can see how amazing this boi is. Thank you for your time and for listening to my ramblings gesgnsk ^^;;

Bonus: my two favourite screenshots from his route

#ikerev #kyle ash #tawny loves kyle #my kyle thesis #I was ready to post this like a week ago but I held myself off gksehdhgbks #tawny rambles

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when-will-mail-come · 6 years

Photo

I wanted to translate the Animedia Magazine 2018 July Issue’s Gundam W portion like ↑ with the translation surrounding the picture with arrows, but I don’t know how to. Please be satisfied with ↓. For those that want to read the original text (that I photographed), go here.

37(Everyone) 450(Welcome～) to the Animedia Carnival

　The next legendary anime to be introduced is the following;『New Mobile Report Gundam W』. This work is one of the many『Gundam』series, and from April 1995 to March 1996 the TV series aired. In 1997 the 3 episodes OVA 『New Mobile Report Gundam W Endless Waltz』continuation was created, and in 1998 the re-edited『Special Edition』version of that was released theatrically. Even now after 20 years have passed its popularity has not waned, rerunning since February 2018 on TOKYO MX. Gathering interest even from people exposed to this work for the first time, there has been a resurgence in popularity.

　One point that needs a special mention with this work is that, it is the forerunner of a『Gundam』series that won fanatical female fans. Though 『Gundam』series are now supported by many demographics regardless of gender,『Gundam』fans before this work were mainly children and men, who the related merchandise targeted. The biggest factor behind how this work managed to capture the hearts of women, in this situation, was that the 5 main characters were prominent. Not only were the 5 main characters beautiful boys, they had strong personalities that were unable to be described in one word. Some acted calm, cool, and collected to fulfill their missions, while others took flabbergasting actions that were mind boggling. The interactions between them, and the words and deeds that exceeded the viewers’ imaginations, continued to charm fans. Especially Heero・Yuy for informing the heroine「I’ll kill you」 in episode 1, and also by blowing up his beloved mobile suit Wing Gundam, having a strong impression not seen elsewhere, with his loony¹ actions and a number of out-there¹ famous quotes, he had a presence that could only be described as peerless. The threatened gazes directed by the 5 boys who are by no means absolutely perfect, continue to capture the hearts of fans and refuses to let go even to this day.

¹loony, out-there: The magazine uses the pretty strong expression ぶっ飛んだ

The strongness of their PERSONALITY and GAZE is LEGEND TIER! The GUNDAM PILOTS that are RESURGING IN POPULARITY

450(Welcome～) Special Guest

Heero・Yuy role HIKARU MIDORIKAWA

【He・kah・rue・Me・dough・ree・kawa】Born May 2. From Tochigi Prefecture. Affiliated with Aoni Production.

——What kind of work is『New Mobile Report Gundam Wing』, to you, Mr. Midorikawa? Furthermore, if you had to choose one thing that made you happy, from your memories during the first airings, what would it be?

　My dream since I was a child was playing the main character in a serious robot work like『Mobile Suit Gundam』, so my dream came true. That made me happy, as you can imagine. Of course, plastic models of Wing Gundam that Heero rides on went on sale, so as person who was crazy about Gunpla² when I was a child, those were really happy days ♪

²Gundam plastic model = Gunpla

——With his unpredictable words and deeds and such, Heero・Yuy was a character with many sensational episodes. If there was anything that you struggled with while playing him, please do tell.

　Heero’s silent, so I think that having to impress the character on the audience within the limited few lines is difficult. However, I gained quite a lot of experience with silent characters with the role of Kaede Rukawa from『SLAM DUNK』(aired 1993～1996), so I managed to not struggle that much（^^;;

——This year marks the 20th year since the release of『New Mobile Report Gundam W Endless Waltz Special Edition』. What do you think about the fact that it’s still loved by many fans, even after over 20 years have passed?

　Maybe it’s the fact that interesting things are interesting, no matter how many years pass? I mean it is full of holes that can be poked fun at, even though it’s by no means a gag anime (laughter). Apparently, there are also tenacious fans in America even to this day, not only limited to Japan, so I think it’s a real amazing piece of work.

——If you were to give a message toward the following five of Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei, right now, what would the contents of the message be?

　I am truly happy, that I was able to meet you all. There is also a work that paints yourselves after the end, so if a chance presents itself, I’d love to breathe life into your grown selves. Well, I think that I’ll be indebted to all of you through games or whatnot, from now on too, so I look forward to working with you all then（^₋^）

◍Original Drawing/Yoshihito Hishinuma Finishing Touch/Michie Hishinuma

Chang・Wufei

張五飛

(Voice/Ryuzou Ishino)

Holds the belief that might is right, and dislikes the weak fighting. Takes independent action often, and uses the Shenlong Gundam which he calls「Nataku」to destroy evil.

Heero・Yuy

(Voice/Hikaru Midorikawa)

Pilot of the Wing Gundam. Educated to be a perfect soldier, he did not show human-like emotions in the beginning.

Trowa・Barton

(Voice/Shigeru Nakahara)

Pilot of the Gundam Heavyarms, and was fighting in the battlefield ever since he could remember. To hide his identity, he performed as a clown at a circus troupe.

◀The Gundam pilots in brisk summer attire. The 5, although participating in the same military operations, are not a team so there is no sense of comradeship. It is only at the end of the story that the 5 unite. These relationships were novel

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing

◍Currently rerunning every Tuesday night at 10:29 PM on TOKYO MX

◍『New Mobile Report Gundam Wing』Blu-ray Box Limited Edition Complete 2 Volumes, now on sale by BANDAI NAMCO Arts. Each 30,240 yen (tax included)

◍『New Mobile Report Gundam W Endless Waltz』Blu-ray Box Limited Edition Complete 1 Volume, now on sale by BANDAI NAMCO Arts. 18,360 yen (tax included)

STORY〔New Mobile Report Gundam Wing〕/Humanity has constructed space colonies, determining the year they commenced space development as the year 1 A.C. (After Colony). Starting to see the indications of decline due to the increase of immigrants to the colonies, the countries of Earth form the「United Earth Sphere Alliance」, and counter the colonies. Possessing overwhelming military power, the Alliance Army oppress the colonies. Communications between each colony are cut off. Year 195 A.C.「Operation Meteor」is initiated by underground organizations of the colonies rebelling against the oppression of the Alliance. It was to have 5 Gundam units land onto Earth, and unfold subversive activity against the secret society「OZ」(Oz) that controlled the Alliance. The 5 boys, who are the agents, descend to Earth without knowing each other, and try to fulfill the mission while at times cooperating with each other, and at times rebelling against each other.

〔New Mobile Report Gundam W Endless Waltz〕/1 year after the battle　between Earth and the colonies. Although it seemed that the world was following the path to peace renouncing all military force, the mastermind of the colony organizations plots the domination of the Earth Sphere. The 5 ride the Gundams once again, and dive into battle.

Quatre・Raberba・Winner

(Voice/Ai Orikasa)

The heir of an extremely wealthy man, as well as a boy who pilots the Gundam Sandrock. Although gentle and kind, in the later half of the story, he comes to do nothing but seek revenge for a harmed family member.

37(Everyone) Time to Shine Famous Scene

　Episode 1 was full of iconic scenes that symbolized the person known as Heero. From trying to shoot down a civilian shuttle that was interfering with accomplishing his mission during his descent to Earth, to hijacking an ambulance that rushed over due to Relena`s report, who found him injured, it was a succession of barbarity. Moreover, he whispers「I’ll kill you」in her ear after ripping a birthday party invitation that she sent, going undercover as a transfer student at her school, all just due to the reason that「his face was seen by Relena」.

Duo・Maxwell

(Voice/Toshihiko Seki)

A kind boy who laments the tragedies brought on by war, and understands the value of life more than anyone, despite having a perfect command of Gundam Deathscythe which is also known as「God of Death」.

14 Relena・Darlian

(Voice/Akiko Yajima)

#Mobile Suit Gundam WIng #Gundam WIng #Animedia #Midorikawa Hikaru

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julies-butterflies · 3 years

Text

first lines :: a writing game

rules : list the first lines of your last 20 stories ( if you have less than 20, just list them all! ) see if there are any patterns. choose your favorite opening line. then tag 10 of your favorite authors!! --- i’m going to be ranking mine x / 10, with comments, just for the heck of it.

1. with friends like these ( 2100, gen, phantoms friendship )

“Dude,” says Reggie, after the third — or maybe fourth — time it happens. “You... doin’ okay?”

verdict : starting off with a line of dialogue is always an effective way to throw the audience right into the story, without a lot of build - up exposition. and i... get carried away with the exposition sometimes. this was my first ever JATP fic, so i was just trying to get a feel for the characters voices --- starting off with dialogue felt like a good place to begin! 7 / 10, vague but it works, and i can hear reggie’s voice clearly!

2. even if we hit the ground ( 3200, pre-canon, shameless reggie whump )

It all explodes in an instant, so fast that no one gets the chance to react.

verdict : this line punches!! it’s supposed to punch, it’s supposed to feel like the audience just got caught up in an explosion, because reggie literally does! ( this is the story in which i establish the precedent of Hurting Reggie in my fics, just because he’s there. ) 9 / 10, super effective line

3. if i didn’t know better ( 3500, grief fic, julie centric )

Doctor Turner always said the special days would be the hardest.

verdict : it’s... okay. i mean, it accomplishes what it needs to, but it’s nothing special. this story holds a very dear place in my heart, and might be my favorite --- i wrote it to help cope with my sister’s very recent death, and frankly, it was just what i needed at the time. i love the story as a whole more than this opening line. 5 / 10

4. 21st century (dead) teen rebellion ( 2100, willex, ghoul bois antics )

If Alex knew exactly how he gets talked into half the things he does, he’d know how to avoid them, and his life would be so much easier.

verdict : bahahaha, it’s sad because it’s true!! i love this story, and this line --- while a bit cluttered --- makes me giggle. 7 / 10

5. how to be a heartbreaker ( 7500, luke character study, light jukebox )

Luke learns the danger of a crying woman early.

verdict : this story was a constant surprise. i didn’t expect it to get as long as it did ; i never expected it to take off the way it did, oh my gosh ; and there are parts of it i really like, and parts i’m more ‘meh’ about. this opening line is good, it absolutely works in the scope of the story... i just feel i could have done it better somehow. but... it leads into a whole segment with baby luke, so no regrets. 5 / 10

6. nothing quite like living on the edge ( 6200, missing scene after ‘nothing to lose’ ; the boys trapped at caleb’s club )

By the time Caleb’s song reaches its grand finale, self-control is trickling back to them… slowly, slowly, like the reverberation of the final notes.

verdict : heehee... like the entirety of ‘nothing to lose’, this line is delightfully unnerving. caleb’s weird not-quite-mind-control was a topic i just had to explore in greater detail, so i really took it and ran with it. this isn’t exactly a whump fic, but none of the boys are having a good time... and i get to explore a much darker tone, which works really well with my writing style. overall, one of my favorite stories, and an excellent line. 9 / 10

7. every empty space ( 2900, emily patterson study, growing up luke )

Raising Luke was never easy, even for a moment… but in the beginning, it was a dream come true.

verdict : the first half of this line was the main thesis for the entire story... and i love how it sets up emily’s entire pov, and her arc over the course of 17 years, in a really effective way. ilove writing emily because i relate to her --- i also look at luke and think “my beautiful, stupid son” daily. fun story, great opener. 8 / 10

8. revelations (3200, gen, boys coming back to life, ray finds out )

The night of the Orpheum performance is definitely the start of something… and things never go back to normal after that.

verdict : this is a very sexy leading line! it’s informative, it’s ominous, and sets up a fun story / series. i can get behind this!! 8 / 10

9. sugar, how'd you get so fly? ( 3000, gen, alex learns to fly, help him )

Her mom used to call it the “Mama Spidey Sense”; a very loud, very accurate superpower that only parents have, to let them know when something is Going Down.

verdict : ... meh. i like the idea, it’s a very rose vibe, but. i don’t love it. doesn’t have a lot to do with the rest of the story. i think i just honestly didn’t know how to kick things off. 3 / 10

10. know that it's probably magic ( 4600, gen, soul bonding w/ spirits )

It takes a while for the boys to figure out all the weirdness that comes with being a ghost — and for Julie, on her end, to sort out living with a haunted band.

verdict : opening lines work best when they’re short and pithy. this... feels a bit cluttered, not going to lie. while it definitely sets up the rest of the story, i feel like there was a more concise way to do it, if i just dug around a bit more. i love this story as a whole more than this actual line. ( also, ‘haunted band’?? does that even make sense?? girl... ) 4 / 10

11. still alive but i’m bearly breathing ( 4100, possessed teddy bear )

Honestly, if she hadn’t been zoning out on her history essay long enough for her eyes to wander, Julie might’ve never noticed anything was wrong at all.

verdict : uhhhh.... i don’t know how to talk about this one, actually. midterm season is one hell of a drug. ( another theme in my stories? really putting alex through it. not in a whumpy way, just in a ‘fml’ way. ) fine opening line, 6 / 10

12. regenesis ( 28000, multichapter, reggie whump / backstory )

Carlos is the first one to bring it up.

verdict : this story!! i love this story so much!! while this opening line is the definition of ‘meh’, the story itself is such a favorite, and was so much fun to write. i’d rank the story itself 10/10... this line, though, will have to get 4 / 10

13. paint a picture of it ( 1800, gen, julie + reggie become art buddies )

“These are amazing! You’re really playing with color composition here, I like how you blend it all together.”

verdict : can you tell i’m bullshitting my way through art terminology? oof. i started off this story with an entire conversation, through literally just dialogue ; i don’t love it, but it works well enough. 5 / 10

14. interwoven ( 2500, emily adopts sunset curve via knitting )

They break her heart sometimes, just a bit — her eager boy and his habit of bringing home strays.

verdict : luke and emily patterson, out here once again, breaking my heart. this was a more sympathetic view on emily, yes --- i didn’t want to excuse her canon behavior, and she still has flaws in this story... but she also cares, and tries to be a good mom, in her own way. she loves luke, and she loves his friends too. this line sets that up wonderfully. 9 / 10

15. if i was you (i'd wanna be me too) ( 11000, multichapter, carrie redemption arc-ish?? ; exploring carrie / julie relationship )

Because her dad always has impeccable timing, he picks the night Julie plays at the Orpheum to completely lose his mind.

verdict : oooh, i love this line. poor trevor, but also... this line slaps. it’s just the right amount of carrie-pov bitchiness. while this story is still very much a work in progress, but i love how it’s coming along so far ; it already has so many moments i love ( ‘this band is home’!! ) and writing carrie is an exercise in characters i’m not used to writing. excellent line, 8 / 10

16. kill your heroes (and then kill them again) ( 9500, vampire reggie )

Reggie gets bitten on a Monday. On Tuesday, he goes to band practice.

verdict : EXCELLENT opening line!! it’s short, it’s pithy, it gets right to the point, and you’re sure not going to forget it. i love this line. i love this story. this really set up the story and i’m super happy with it. 10 / 10

17. feast or famine ( 7200, demon goose fic )

In their absolute defense, the boys do not, as they’re later accused of, murder a goose.

verdict : ... listen. this is the best opening line i’ve ever written. it literally doesn’t get better than this, you can’t top this one. the pinnacle has been reached. i will literally never write a line, or a story, more engaging than this one. 200 / 10

18. fall out boy knockoff ( work in progress ; 5 times luke falls while climbing things he really shouldn’t be climbing )

The first thing Luke says when he sets foot in the garage for the first time is, “Whoa! You’re kidding me, you got a loft!”

verdict : starting off with action --- another great way to toss readers right into the story!! this is a fun line that really encapsulates luke’s sheer... chaos gremlin energy. this entire fic radiates chaos gremlin energy, and i can’t wait to post it. 7 / 10

19. i can’t even hear them scream ( work in progress ; all the women in julie’s maternal line have the ability to see ghosts, the boys ain’t special )

Julie is eight months old when she sees her first ghost.

verdict : straightforward! to-the-point!! tosses you right into the plot!! not the most engaging... but i like it, especially as this section of the fic is being told from rose’s point of view, so it comes from a perspective we wouldn’t otherwise get. 6 / 10

20. remembering ( work in progress ; part of the ‘side effects of coming back from the dead’ series, basically an excuse to write sleepy bois )

Even after the spell is broken and Caleb’s stamps are gone, Julie can’t bear to leave the boys alone; the idea that they will vanish when out of her sight, flickering out of existence like candles dying in the rain, is too real, and too awful to endure.

verdict : this... might work better broken up into two sentences. i’m probably gonna do that. technically it works better as two lines, but as an opening sentiment, i love this?? the entire fic has a... very slow, soft, thoughtful vibe, and i like how this line establishes that with a metaphor. excited for this one!! 8 / 10

tagged by : the absolute superstar that is @sunsetcurvecuddles tagging : uhhhhh i don’t know a lot of writers in the fandom i don’t socialize hEL P

#my fics #ur right this literally turned into a fic masterlist

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redsoxfantasycamp · 4 years

Text

We had another great day of baseball yesterday! Us Bostonians unfortunately brought the cold weather, making it a BRISK morning for team photos. Everyone looked spiffy in their home whites, sporting giant smiles trying not freeze. Witnesses say Trot Nixon had his sunglasses on for the pictures and may or may not have been sleeping. The drool dripping onto his shoulder would suggest the first.

The morning games started with Wins & Saves defeating Gedman’s Bombers 4-1. Embree’s Outlaws, opposite from their performance last year, actually won their morning game, 12-8 against Sabe’s Babes. Embree and Delcarmen were just as shocked as we were. Maybe this is Embree’s year for a Fantasy Camp Championship, but history does tend to repeat itself. Sorry, Alan. We are rooting for you!! Nixon’s DirtDogs and Stanley’s Steamers had a close game, with the Steamers rolling past the Dogs 10-7. Billy’s Ballgamers had one hell of a performance, beating Corsi’s Fireballers 14-5. Hobson’s Heroes took a loss to Lenny’s Legends 6-8. This is unfortunate for the Heroes, but fortunate for the rest of camp because if Lenny wins, that means nobody is at risk of getting hit by a flying cooler or table. Lenny, always remember to count to 10 first!

The afternoon games showed fatigue, blisters, pulled hamstrings, and lots of “runners” for batters. 3 games in 2 days can really tire out the body, especially the bodies that have been drinking beers and eating hot dogs for every meal. HYDRATION PEOPLE! Can we get some H20 up in here.

Wins and Saves shutout Stanley’s Steamers 5-0 after a plethora or mishaps, from overthrows to bobbled grounders. Wins and Saves have shown great potential these first few days. Let’s see how they hold up after today! Nixon’s DirtDogs put up a fight against Gedman’s Bombers and were able to squeeze by with a 2-0 win. The Bombers are 0-3 to start the week. Geddy still has hope though, quoting his team has “grit, resilience, and methods to annoy Corsi during today’s game”. We’ll see if his mind-game tactics work to hopefully throw off the Fireballers defense and get his team their first W. Sabe’s Babes and Hobson’s Heroes went run for run, with the Babes leading 8-7 to get them the win. Butch showed great sportsmanship after the match, hugging Sabe and whispering in his ear, “I love you, Bret.” Lenny’s Legends were able to secure a win AGAIN, beating Corsi’s Fireballers 10-7. We would call Lenny’s team the one to watch, but he still blames us for jinxing his team last week. Don’t worry Lenny, we won’t (will behind your back) say your team is on fire. Embree’s Outlaws and Billy’s Ballgamers had the longest game in Fantasy Camp history, going into extra innings. Carvel fell asleep scoring, the JP Park staff turned off the stadium lights, and TK flew back to California. Just kidding. The game ended in a 10-10 tie. What is this, soccer?

The campers then headed back to Shoeless Joes to enjoy an evening of cigar smoking and drinking out on the patio. It was 34 degrees out (no, we aren’t in Boston), but the ambiance felt warm and cozy in the black smoke air. Somehow, Rick Wise and Luis Tiant accumulated over 20 cigars. Witnesses say they saw Manny Delcarmen sneak out the back early in the night to get his beauty sleep. It’s okay Manny, we all need a little “me” time.

This morning, campers had an extra hour of sleep to cure their hangovers, and came to the park –still- not ready to play. Bring in the Pedialyte.

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howdomaddie · 7 years

Text

tagged by @imthepunchlord also this. took forever to do im sorry

answer questions, add one, then tag some friends!

1. Coke or Pepsi: depends on if i want it cold or not, but usually pepsi.

2. Disney or Dreamworks: both! though i lean towards dreamworks movies more

3. Coffee or Tea: tea

4. Books or Movies: both? but i have had no time for books for like two years bc undergrad

5. Windows or Mac: windows for sure

6. DC or Marvel: marvel, even though im not nearly as into it as i used to be. i am actually really glad im not as into marvel

7. X-box or Playstation: playstation.

8. Dragon Age or Mass Effect: uh. dragons i guess but tbh i haven't ever played them fully myself

9. Night Owl or Early Riser: i am only an early riser because my schedule forces me to be. and i can stay up hella late

10. Cards or Chess: uh. cards i think

11. Chocolate or Vanilla: chocolate in everything, tbh, but vanilla ice cream is best

12. Vans or Converse: uh. converse.

13. Lavallan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar: those names mean nothing to me really

14. Fluff or Angst: both in equal measure. not everything is fluff, but not everything is angst. i love fluff but if it's just fluff, don't think itll keep my interest.

15. Beach or Forest: forest? i like the beach aesthetic but i dont like sand

16. Dogs or Cats: cats, i think. i love dogs but i love cats more

17. Clear Skies or Rain: uh, i mostly like rain? clear skies are nice but i really, really like rainy days

18. Cooking or Eating Out: cooking

19. Spicy Food or Mild: mild though i think im. developing a taste for spicier foods? or can handle them more

20. Halloween/Samhin or Solistice/Yule/Christmas: chRISTMAS

21. Little too cold or little too hot: colder because then i can bundle up~

22. Superpower: if i could stop time and just. sit and do stuff that would be great

23. Animation or Live Action: animation, usually. you can do a lot more with animation and mostly looks cooler.

24. Paragon or Renegade: i have not played mass effect.

25. Bath or Showers: bath, if i have a big enough tub.

26. Team Cap or Team Ironman: team cap ofc.

27. Fantasy or Sci-Fi: both? i do like both

28. Fav Quotes: “I fucking wonder Skyward Sword.” from sequelitis, and “It’s been one week.” and basically anything from dan’s mouth in game grumps? also most of pokespe and especially that one time in the second pokemon ranger game when the minions called each other nincompoops

29. Youtube or Netflix: both! kinda depends on what i want to watch honestly? mostly youtube but that’s bc game grumps

30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: YOU WILL NEVER MEET A BIGGER PERCY JACKSON NERD. I CAN AND WILL CONVERT EVERYONE AROUND ME

31. When I Feel Accomplished: hahahahaha never i kinda chill and rellax some, play a video game or something like that. listen to music, too

32. Star Wars or Star Trek: trek, probably. i like the new movies

33. Paperback Books or Hardback: eh *handwaves* even having the book itself is a good thing

34. A world without literature or music: okay but why are you making me pick either. hhhhhhh music goes, i guess :/

35. Who was the last person to make me laugh: my roommate alyssa =w=

36. Sour or Sweet Candy: eh, sweet. especially chocolate

37. Believe in aliens?: *mulder voice* i want to believe

38. Dawn or Dusk: ????? both

39. Piercings or Tattoos: uh? idk. i think both are aesthetically pleasing

40. Girls? Hot?: i dont do sexy things but GIRLS GET A BIG THUMBS UP FROM ME

41. Snow or Fog: uh? both? idk, snow is just really peaceful

42. Sleep facing the wall or room: my bed is in the middle of my room basically so. both? i guess? technically?

43. TRC of AFTG: makes quiet ‘i dont know’ sound

44. Horror or Drama: i am the biggest fucking weenie you will ever meet. i got scared during alien.

45. Orcarina of Time or Majora’s Mask: WIND WAKER AND BREATH OF THE WILD.

46. Living in nature or city: city i guess! ive. been out in basically the boonies before i. wasnt in it

47. Any addictions: chocolate. tea. uh. anything im hyperfocusing on?

48. Languages: english.

49. What music do I listen too: literally most of anything. like. seriously

50. Fav mythical creature: any mythical horse! i will. always and forever be a horse girl. esp centaurs right now though, my dnd character is a druid centaur

51. Safe zone: home, for sure. thankfully no longer just my room ;u;

52. First fandom: probably percy jackson?

53. Cartoons or Adult Shows: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

54. Aang or Korra? i mean. i love korra but i think aang will always win

tagging: makes another fart noise with my mouth

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ancient-trees · 7 years

Note

So, tell me about your fictional children! I like hearing about people's characters! ^^

Thank you for asking! Putting this under a cut because it’s really long. Includes minor spoilers, especially for Tamuran, but nothing earth-shatteringly major unless you haven’t read the comic.

tl;dr:Varony: monster nerdEffire: snarky cobra nerdMath: grumpy old man nerdEmmie: +10 EPIC NERD also the best grandma

Versinthenet: dragon nerdRathe: swordie nerdPerrath: overly helpful nerd (w/ bonus cool doggo)Sukah: Gandalf is on strikeAleoth: the angstiest nerd

and Artreias: mostly an asshole (secretly a huge nerd on the inside, don’t tell anybody)

NERDS ALL NERDS.okay, read on:

I’ll start with Tamuran - I assume that’s what most people are following me for:

Varony you know if you read the comic - he’s the guy in my Tumblr icon. He belongs to a race of big arboreal predators that live deep in very dangerous forests, but for now he’s (sort of but not quite voluntarily) bound in the form of a big gangly human. For the most part he is okay with this arrangement (all except for the new “possibly permanent” aspect - see recent events in the comic). He’s endlessly curious, and he thinks humans are the weirdest, most bewilderingly fascinating things he’s ever encountered. He’s been human-shaped for (most of) about six years at this point - shortly after he was changed, he was found and taken in by a clan of traveling merchants, who taught him language and basically How To Human. They became a second family to him, as have the Ragtag Band of Adventurers he’s currently found his lot thrown in with, but sometimes he misses the trees.

Uh, stuff that I don’t think has been covered in the comic already: Back home, Varony (or Hhr'skhygh - approximation of his *growly-noises* real name) lived with his pack, which included his mother and three older siblings. His sister’s pretty cool, his brothers are jerks. He’s a good hunter, but his pack always saw him as something of a weirdo - asks too many pointless questions, wants to know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING. When he was little he used to love listening to his grandfather tell his people’s folktales, and legends about the outside world. And yes, he’s officially ace/aro, species notwithstanding. Humans just complicate it even more - his people’s mating rituals are pretty straightforward, while humans’ involve all sorts of flirting and bizarre games that catch him off-guard (and have gotten him into a few ..uncomfortable situations in the past, if you want to know what the deal was with him freaking out on poor Jadsira in chapter 14).

Effire is a Morphus - one of the magical, long-lived Tu Naul race who was born with shapeshifting abilities. All Morphyx get bound into a single animal form and magically bonded to a “worthy” human (for the duration of the human partner’s life) as a sort of cultural exchange/community service. Effire was never too keen on that idea, especially after he found out his partner would be a Zharus Guardsman, and ESPECIALLY after his own bonded form turned out to be a cobra. But after getting used to one another, Effire found that his partner Morgen was a dreamer and idealist with a brain that never stopped - far from the meatheaded soldier-for-hire he was expecting. After their Zharus Academy training was complete, they were hired by the Patriarch of Tamuran to work palace intelligence and security and to keep an eye on the Patriarch’s elder sons as part of their personal guard (much to Prince Johlan’s irritation).

Effire tends to be cynical and sharp-tempered, but he means well. He would do anything for Morgen, whom he loves fiercely. He’s always liked exploring, especially poking around in places he’s not supposed to be. His favorite animals to turn into before he was bound were falcons, swallows, and other quick, agile birds - it was a pretty big blow to be stuck in a form that doesn’t even have limbs. Being part of a prince’s royal guard at least means he’s gotten to travel from time to time, and between Morgen and palace goings-on his life is seldom boring… though the way things have gone lately, he’s starting to really wish for boring…

Mathim hasn’t shown up in the comic yet - the Atriand-side plotline follows his story. He’s a former colonel in the Atriand army who was discharged early for an injury that never healed right, and at this point he’s retired to a town out in the wilderness, a cantankerous old bastard who spends his time drinking too much and cussing out the neighbor kids. His troublemaking teenaged grandson - the only living family he isn’t estranged from - disappeared about a year ago without a trace, though Math’s suspicions lean toward sorceric activity. When strangers pass through town bringing odd rumors, it might finally be the key Math needs to find the kidnappers. But Math has secrets - he was born with a forbidden form of magic, a dangerous, volatile power that has terrified him all his life. The same power that he passed on to his grandson, the power that made the boy a target of sorcerers in the first place. And now Math is going to need to unlock that power if he wants to have any hope of saving his boy…

Emianna was supposed to be a minor character, but she insisted on becoming a lot more important than we’d planned (and I’m glad she did). She’s Math’s wife, who died a few years before the comic story but still plays a big role in it. She was a huge nerd and avid naturalist, though poor health kept her working in libraries rather than pursuing science in the field. The daughter of a prominent Atriand military family, she used to pretend to be a bit daft at her family’s social functions, so that ambitious suitors would focus their attention on her sisters and leave her alone. At least until a shy young officer in search of a restroom literally stumbled over her reading in a closet during one of those parties…

Emmie likes: books, books, and more books, SCIENCE, yaoi. And also being Gramma Emmie to her family - she’ll make you some amazing cookies, but you might have to pry her out of her lab to do it.

Novel characters: From several books, which are intended (if all goes well) to fit together like puzzle pieces and thus are sort-of in development at the same time (in other words, my notes are a mess). Standard disclaimer that nothing is 100% canon till the books are finished.

Versinthenet is a dragon. In my setting, dragons are features of the landscape - half-physical, half-spirit beings that come into existence in places where intense magic pools and snags, and serve to tie Magic to the physical world. They can’t physically travel far from their magic “nodes,” but they can use the tides of Magic to communicate with other dragons and watch events as they unfold elsewhere in the world and also stupid cat videos. Most dragons are located far from human settlements, but some of the ones who do live near humans use their influence over local magic to become patron protectors for their area, and in return the humans see to any physical-plane needs they may have. Verse (don’t call him that to his face) was one of these - fairly young as dragons go, he calmed the seas, quelled storms, and ensured good fishing for the people of his island. But centuries of watching human conflicts and atrocities, capped with events involving the death of his closest mentor, have started him questioning whether these people deserve his help after all. Then an idiot wizard shows up with the audacity to try to bind him and use his magic. The binding attempt goes horribly wrong - the wizard dies and Verse finds his consciousness pulled into the wizard’s body, while the rest of his Dragon self, mindless, flies off to wreak havoc, pulling frayed Magic into a hurricane around itself as it goes. Now Verse has to figure out how to set things right, while being blamed for the actions of the wizard who made this mess… before the dragon unleashes its wrath upon the whole island, or the islanders find a way to destroy the revered protector who has betrayed them. (Beyond all that, the consequences of such a tear in the network of magic may be farther-reaching than anyone is prepared for…)

So yeah, he’s not having a very good day.

Rathe is quick, athletic, great with a sword, and wants to be a hero like the ones in the storybooks. Unfortunately, she’s the daughter of a highly-respected family of scholars in a society that abhors all forms of violence and prizes learning and tradition above everything else. Events conspire to lead her away from home and into the life of adventure she’s always craved… but when her wizard traveling companion goes and does something really, really stupid, she’ll find out that heroing is a lot more complicated than she expected… especially when it involves facing personal secrets she thought were buried in the past.

Perrath has had a magical gift since he was a child - the ability to mend things that are broken - and a passion for helping people to go along with it. Unfortunately, one night a mysterious storm blew away all the magic in his village, including his innate talent, and he’s been searching for it ever since, with a sole still-functional(?) finding charm leading the way and his dog at his side (whom he talks to. A lot). He misses his magic, but he’s found that in the meantime he really enjoys a life of wandering - going wherever his finder points him, meeting new people and exploring places he’d never heard of, using his mundane skills to repair people’s things in order to get by. Until he finds himself in a sticky situation out in the uncharted wilds, and learns that promising to fix something for malevolent shadow-demons is maybe not a good idea…

Sukah is a semi-immortal guardian mage, bestowed with certain powers and nobly tasked with the protection of humanity. Only it’s hard to do your job when your partner has long since disappeared, halving your power, and nobody wants your help or even listens to your advice anymore. So he’s watched history unfold from the sidelines, telling himself that if people want to make a huge mess of things that’s their business. A crisis involving two worlds and the fabric of magic itself, along with the reappearance of someone he’d thought long dead, might be enough to convince him to dust off his old magic and get back in the fight, but by then it might be too late…

Thanks to a valiant sacrifice-beyond-hope made by the parents she’s never known, Aleoth supposedly harbors within her the soul of a great evil… and no one has ever let her forget it. Stifled and stigmatized by those who were supposed to be her protectors, she runs away and takes up with a band of notorious brigands. But whatever she does, she can’t escape the unnerving creature that has haunted her dreams all her life, or the disasters that seem to follow her steps. When [plot happens] and events begin to come crashing in around her, she’ll have to figure out who and what she is and what she really stands for.

{Bonus shoutout to my college D&D character Artreias, a sorcerer/planewalker from Sigil who got stuck in a shit-ton of trouble thanks to his sketchy mage father’s sketchy past and even more sketchy friends. Treias was a minor noble on his mom’s side, well-to-do and highly educated, but he acted like he was from the streets since all the nobles he ever met were twelve kinds of terrible. He’d do just about anything to protect his family, though (blood family and family-of-choice), especially his younger sister, and including Infuriating Sketchy Dad, whom he loved anyway. Unfortunately the rest of the party characters hated him, since (thanks to the mysterious circumstances that got him thrown into the campaign events) he had a “trust no one” attitude and could be kind of a jerk about it.}

#asks #ask meme #writing #my writing #my characters #tamuran #my novels

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junker-town · 7 years

Text

2016’s Michigan-Ohio State game was an instant classic, with or without the controversial ending

It’s time to talk about The Spot, folks. But also, these other things.

Ohio State faces Michigan this weekend, and you know what that means. It’s time for everybody to argue about The Spot again.

I mean, this makes sense. The Spot — J.T. Barrett’s critical fourth down conversion in 2016’s overtime that set up Ohio State’s winning touchdown — is the most controversial recent moment in one of the biggest rivalries in all of football.

It spawned a million frantic MS Paint breakdowns from Michigan fans, launched a referee conspiracy, and even today, some Michigan players aren’t backing down. They think The Spot was bad.

It’s fun to keep going on about this, (especially since Actually, The Spot was good).

But the 2016 edition of The Game was a classic for a bunch of other reasons besides the contentious ending.

By constantly harping on this final moment, I think we forget some important things that might cloud popular perception of Ohio State, Michigan, Jim Harbaugh, and more.

Let’s roll the tape back a little bit from that very good Spot here for a second, and remember a few things.

2016 Michigan was really, really good.

You might have seen comments out there reminding you that Michigan has never finished better than third in the Big Ten East under Jim Harbaugh, that Harbaugh is 1-4 against Ohio State and Michigan State, or that it’s been over 400 days since Michigan beat a team with a winning record. Those facts might lead you to conclude that Harbaugh is not successful at Michigan or is overrated.

I think that discussion cannot happen without acknowledging that 2016 Michigan was an exceptional team. 2016 Michigan finished third in the final S&P+ rankings, despite that 10-3 record, and was second in defensive S&P+. They demolished what turned out to be a pretty good Colorado, obliterated eventual Big Ten champion Penn State by 39, and their three losses were by one point, one point, and by three points in double overtime.

A bit unlucky? Yes. Some glitchy offense later in the season? Sure. Good enough to have been a Playoff-caliber team? Unquestionably.

I realize that in 10 years, nobody is going to remember Michigan’s S&P+ ranking from 2016. They’re going to look at the W-L record, see the Orange Bowl loss to Florida State, and draw different conclusions. So let me offer this for the historical record. 2016 Michigan was one of the four best teams of 2016. Had they played 2016 Ohio State 10 times, they should have probably won, like, seven times.

Michigan should have won this game way before The Spot.

The Wolverines held a 10-point lead and held Ohio State to 3-of-16 on third down and 3.9 yards per pass attempt. Outside of the Buckeyes’ opening drive (which led to a missed field goal), they gained just 24 yards of total offense in the first half. Three turnovers, including one that went for a pick-six, and another inside the Ohio State 2-yard line, prevented the Wolverines from taking advantage.

Sure, the Buckeyes made some mistakes, like missing multiple field goals and a horrific fake punt that gave Michigan the ball at the Ohio State 22. But until the fourth quarter, it was mostly controlled by the Wolverines. The Spot shouldn’t have ever happened.

Oh yeah, Harbaugh is also at fault here too.

It’s late in the third quarter, and Michigan has a 17-7 lead. Wilton Speight throws a bad interception to Jerome Baker, giving the Buckeyes prime field position. Given how poorly Ohio State’s offense has played, this is a major moment.

Michigan is called for an offside penalty, and Harbaugh loses his mind, breaking his headset.

He’s flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, and now Ohio State has first-and-goal from the Michigan 4. Two plays later, it’s 17-14.

Would Ohio State have scored a touchdown anyway? Possibly. But this blowup was a bit of a turning point, as every Ohio State drive but one for the rest of the game would lead to either a score or a missed field goal. It’s possible that, had Ohio State had to open its playbook a bit more, Michigan could have held it to a field goal on a day when Ohio State’s kicking game was struggling.

Plus, it’s fair to point out Michigan’s playcalling didn’t help maximize scoring chances. He’s coached better games.

This game had enormous narrative implications.

Watch it again, and you see a game in which Michigan mostly controlled the run of play, made a few big mistakes, got outplayed in the final quarter, and put itself in a position to lose on the basis of a (good) Spot. In the end, the Wolverines lost a very close game to another very good team. Then Ohio State went off to the College Football Playoff and got nuked by Clemson.

Bill Landis at Cleveland.com had an entire alternate history of how things might have been different if The Spot was bad (which it wasn’t, because it was good), and raises some good questions. How do we view Harbaugh if he has a Big Ten East title (and likely a Big Ten title) to his name? What about Meyer? Or James Franklin, for that matter? Would the decisions of draft-eligible players at Michigan and Ohio State look differently? Could Michigan have beaten Clemson in the Playoff and hung with Alabama?

Those few inches mattered quite a bit!

Also, let’s not forget. This game was awesome!

youtube

Okay, sure, maybe there’s some bias here, since I am an Ohio State fan, but by most objective measures, this game really was awesome. It was a tightly contested, passionate rivalry grudge match that was close until the final play. We said it was the third best game in all of 2016, only behind the Rose Bowl and the national title game.

It was full of crazy highlights, like Curtis Samuel’s amazing 8-yard reception, Jabrill Peppers finally getting an interception, or Harbaugh melting down at the officials after the game.

Unless you’re a die-hard Wolverine still store about The Spot (which was good), you have to admit this game ruled.

We don’t have to let The Spot dominate how we feel about this game or either of these teams.

The 2016 Ohio State-Michigan game was an awesome, back-and-forth, defensive battle with lots of interesting highlights beyond that single controversial play. There were plenty of opportunities, more for Michigan, but some for Ohio State, when the game could have been settled before The Spot (which was good). We don’t need to constantly relitigate it, in my humble opinion.

And now, this year’s game still has plenty of stakes, both for Ohio State’s Playoff chances and the growth and trajectory of the Michigan program, plus bragging rights.

Besides, The Spot was good.

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gunsfrhands · 7 years

Text

here are things about me that nobody wanted to know, but i wanted to answer

1. What is your name? ELLEN 2. How old are you? 20 3. Are you sure? ??? /?? ? ? ? ?? 4. What is your earliest memory? something that is pink 5. What is your favorite alcoholic drink? i don’t drink, gurl!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. What is your favorite vegetable? the humble potato 7. Do you remember your first day at school? ya 8. What is the worst exam result you remember ever getting? 50% for both year 12 maths methods exams lolol 9. How tall are you? 5'5 10. Can you swim? splish splash! yep! 11. Who is your favorite movie actress? i really don’t care 12. Who is your favorite movie actor? ibid. 13. Who is your favorite comedian? bo burnham ? idk

14. Who is your favorite politician? hmm i disagree a lot with this q. i agree with a lot of politicians and i think some are cool and interesting people, but having a “favourite politician” would be putting them on a pedestal?? and like when u do that it makes it harder to disagree with them when they have a BAD opinion on some issues. i don’t think that’s good. i think we need to always be critical of politicians no matter how groovy some seem.

15. Who is your favorite historical figure (been dead for at least 100 years)? Louis XVI ! :O :O Tsar Nicholas II (even tho he’s only been dead for 99 years), Charlotte Corday!, Woodrow Wilson (BTW by “favourite” i’ve interpreted that as mOST inTeresting, i don’t necessarily think these historical figures were good people loL especially wilson ahhhh i just think his contribution in beginning wwii was super interesting, especially how wilsonian principles like self-determination influenced different nations, i think he wasnt a super great dude tho lol) hmmm, some more probs but i cannot recall at this time.

16. Who is your favorite super-heroine?jessica jones ?? idk & idc 17. Who is your favorite super-hero? idc at all lol 18. Can you name a female scientist other than Madame Curie? yes lol omg ?????? jane goodall, marie pasteur, rosalind franklin ?? (even tho marie curie is my fav tho <3 ) i feel like if people don’t know about female scientists they NEED to do independent research bc they really don’t teach much at school !!!!!!! and the contributions of women throughout history are so important obvs. 19. Who is your favorite mythological god or goddess? ooooooo tricky tricky !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! athena is cool but idk if fave ??? i just like mythology itself and not specific gods in particular reallyyyyy

i deleted questions 20- 30 bc they were so weird lol

31. What is the worst movie you have ever seen? omg last night i watched spy kids 4 , and it’s so bad that it’s past the point of being so bad that it’s funny (such as the room and birdemic, u feel?) this was just bad bad. 32. What is the worst TV show you have ever seen? i do not watch tv shows that are bad lolol 33. What is the worst book you have ever read? idk New moon mayB 34. What is the worst song you have ever heard? idc 35. What is the worst sport you know of? what do u mean by worst tho lol idk i dont have interest in many sports so idc enough for this q 36. Who is the worst movie "star" ever? i really don’t care about celebrity culture 37. Who is the worst comedian ever? idk, u feel ? it’s like... i have never witnessed ever comedian EveR so idk who is the worst, i feel like i would need to do extensive research to answer this. 38. Who is the worst author ever? there are plenty of bAD authors. i feel like i wanna say zoella lol. but ultimately, see above Q. 39. Who is the worst musical act ever? IDC 40. Who is the worst sports "star" you have ever seen? i dont understand so GOodbYE 41. If you could go back in time to witness an historical event in person, what event would you want to see? signing of treaty of versailles ??!?!?! i would say russian rev but that could be dANGERous ://////// 42. If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go? my bed, goodnight! 43. If you could meet anyone in the world, who would you meet? idc bc i feel like i could say a few different bands but ultimately, they don’t know who i am and they don’t care. meeting them would make me feel like OMG for a few mins, and then that would be it. i would think it was fun, they would forget me after 1 day and again, this weird kind of idolisation... i don’t think it’s healthy. people are just people. sO if i could meet anyone in the world, i would want to meet someone who is nice and who would ultimately become a nice and close friend for me! 44. If you could become famous for one thing, what would that thing be? bEING IN A BAND PLz 45. If you could buy anything regardless of cost, what would you buy? like how with genies you use ur last wish for infinite wishes, so like i would buy infinite money and i would get trapped in some kind of capitalist money loop where i am spending infinite money to buy infinite money. i think that would be cool 46. If you could change any one thing about your country, what would it be? ONE thing ?????? i live in australia, i would remove politicians like pauline hanson, dutton, joyce, morrison, abbott, frydenberg lol they would all just disappear from the public eye forEvER. OR even better i would LET REFUGEES SETTLE HERE , if u dont know , australia is literally THE WORST pls read up and learn about how inhumanely refugees who try to come to australia are treated. it’s awful http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-14/manus-island-why-are-asylum-seekers-suing-the-commonwealth/8610482

47. If you could change any one thing about international politics, what would it be? really. REALLY. I feel like this is so obvious that im not even going to say anything. thanks ok 48. If you could meet any famous person who is dead, who would it be? idc 49. If you could become dictator of the world, would you? a benevolent dictator sURE but UMMMMMM as much as i think i am cool and right about everything, i would for sure become corrupt, so no thanks. 50. If you could eat an entire cow at one sitting, would you? no thanks! 51. Have you ever illegally downloaded music/TV shows/movies from the net? I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT LIMEWIRE IS I SWEAR 52. Have you ever used illegal narcotics? no 53. Have you ever gotten any points on your driving license? i’ve only done 8 houRS on my L plates lol so NO 54. Have you ever stolen anything from a shop? nop 55. Have you ever bought alcohol or cigarettes while underage? nop 56. Have you ever bought alcohol or cigarettes for another person who was underage? nop

57. Have you ever tried to cheat the taxman/social security/other government agency? i don’t have any money lol idek how to pay taxes hehe

58. Have you ever ridden on a train or bus without paying? perhaps 59. Have you ever been arrested? nooono 60. Have you ever been charged with a crime ... ? nononoo 61. What's the furthest you've ever been from home? euROPE but idk which country in europe that i visited would be geographically furthest from australia... UK probs?? 62. Where have you visited that you would like to go back to? EVERYwhere in europeeee 63. Where would you like to visit that you haven't yet? stonehenge! 64. Where is your favorite place in the world? my bed, goodnight! 65. Where have you visited that you hope never to go to again? greece, i went in summer summer and air was hard to breathe and hot idk museums were cool but not again soz greece xoxo 66. Where would you definitely never go to? idk a bunch of places lol 67. Where is your least favorite place in the world? how would i know! hMM! 68. What is your favorite way to travel ? my own two feet i really don’t like any other kinds of transport bc i am scared of trusting other people to transport me 69. What is your least favorite way to travel? boat maybe lollol 70. deleted bc idgi 71. What was the last movie you saw? spy kids 4 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!L O L 72. Was it any good? i answered this above ahhhehhhaehehaeo 73. What was the last book you read? a storm of swords 74. Was it any good? ya i guess 75. What was the last song you listened to? HUMDRUM BLUES BY THE GROWLERS 76. Was it any good? YESYESYSES! 77. What was the last computer game you played? Dolphin Olympics!!!!!! 78. Did you do well? Yes 79. What was the last meal you ate? gnocchi 80. Was it any good? nah

81. Do you believe in God/Goddess/Gods/Goddesses? nah 82. Do you agree with the war in Iraq? nah 83. Do you believe in aliens? liKE.... does it really matter what i think???? what ever i think doesn’t change the reality. but YA 84. Do you agree with the theory of evolution? OfC

85. Do you believe in reincarnation? ?? nA h ??? 86. Do you agree with the idea of the UN? United Nations (UN)? ya i guese ? ?? 87. Do you believe in karma? meh 88. Do you agree with the theories of man-induced global warming? IT AIN”T JUST THEORIES GURL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAs

89. Do you believe in democracy above all other systems of government? hmmm ya 90. Do you agree with Freddie Mercury when he sings "Fat-bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round"? w hh at a 91. What is your favorite movie? SCHOOL OF ROCK. SCHOOL OF ROCK. SCHOOL OF ROCK. SCHOOL OF ROCK. 92. What is your favorite book? Animal Farm (ik im a cliche shh) 93. What is your favorite song? difficult question bc having favourite things is a bit weird imOP! buTTtttttt i will say rn it is proBS Tell it how it is, by the growlers, but that is just my fav like for this week, it will change soon lolol 94. What is your favorite city? where i live ? lol idk 95. What is your favorite sport? NETBALL 96. What is your favorite place in the world? IDK and IDC!!!!!!!!!! 97. Are you glad these questions are almost over? I LOVE ANSWERING QS but all of these ones were pretty weak so yes 98. What are you going to do next? sleep 99. Do you anticipate this activity being fun? yesyeysyeyses 100. Give us a quote to end on...”i’ll kidnap a thousand children before i let this company die” - Mr Waternoose.

#me #there are 100 qs btw

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