#since i do want to also draw the cool architecture and shit
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@/damoselcastel was kind enough to show me a bunch of the FE:Fates visual works artbook pages the other day!
and because i am continuing to be .... brain rotted (lol) ... grabbed a copy since there was more than a few relevant pages/official artworks, and wanted to have a high res/color corrected version of these pages for art refs to slap on my reference boards! if i'm looking at them every day now for the past three months they better be accurate!!!
anyway! it came TODAY!!! :D :D pakidge
IT WASN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO COME UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH AAAAA
god dang this thing is THICK, now this is what i call a proper artbook! a little hard to see here but you can see by both the front and the spine that it's a chonker -- the two tellius artbooks combined are thicker but they're also a bit smaller elsewhere.
rest is under the cut b/c it's me promptly going feral :P
(and seeing who's on the spine ahhh!!! honestly that's really cool and super appropriate given his subtle plot/character relevance?! super fucking cool to keep seeing nintendo nod at him in symbolically relevant places, but not too overtly )
SPEAKING OF I SHIT YOU NOT GUESS WHICH SPREAD THIS THING FELL TO FIRST
I SHIT
YOU
NOT--
stone cold, swear to you, straight up didn't intend that but this was literally me irl then:
:')))))))))
(also HE GETS A WHOLE SPREAD???? and a turnaround?!!!!!! even freaking corrin's nohr noble design gets like an EIGHTH of the page
gunter gets treated SO WELL in this artbook i'm on the floor trying not to sob like i'm sixteen again and begging for any zihark scraps
also this is so much more high res than what's on my reference board the nitpicky artist in me is literally crying for joy about FINALLY HAVING A HIGH RES REFERENCEEEEEEEEEEE
also what the fuck the architecture is so cool???????????
THE WORLDBUILDING I AM WILDING
for real tho i remember my first conquest playthrough my jaw was on the FLOOR being genuinely amazed at how cool the worldbuilding was especially on the nohrian side with the gothic vibe and y'all don't know how useful this is going to be to replicate nohrian motifs in all of my drawings/probable comics/doujinshi/etc.
[foams at mouth]
this artbook also covers EVERYTHING
like there's a healthy amount of character work , but there's also enemy designs (always thought fate's enemy designs were unusually kickass, like some of these folks could be outright characters themselves), the architecture stuff above....
my room lines....
OH MY GOD THIS MEANS I HAVE A THIRD SET OF TRANSLATIONS I CAN CROSS REFERENCE TO FUCK YES
sorry for shitty blurriness it's just me vibrating in excitement lmao i'll upload it in the high res chunk
.....
hellooooo sir~~~~
(you knew i was going to be posting that shot >:D )
his possession CGI gets a full fucking page too ajlsjsjkskjhhjshjg
HE GETS TREATED SO GOOD HERE Y'ALL, SO MANY FULL PAGES???????????? is this what it's like to be brain rotted over a major character i will never know the feeling lul
(there's actually at least two other gunter fullbody artworks in here, those have already been scanned/uploaded properly by others so i won't post 'em here unless y'all want em!
and then lastly!
to finish it off, god this cover progress is so cool, kozaki knows what he's doing.
and i'm pretty sure gunter's linework gets changed halfway through, his expression's somewhat different than on the final! and i'll be posting that along with the other high res/cleaned up scans! just need to figure out if my scanner's gonna do a better job than my phone or vice versa.
[tries to stay composed] [fails]
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
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Hitting you up because I want to hear more about Emperor Qianlong's art collection! My two big all-consuming hobbies are drawing and reading about history, so I pretty much can't get enough of either topic
OH OH where to BEGIN with Qianlong and his love of the arts???? And also okay he historically is SUCH a funky guy idk where to even begin on how much I love cool and kind of failflop Qianlong facts. If you want to know about his hilarious terrible poetry I leave you with this poem he wrote about cucumbers:
It is the best ingredient on the plate in Beijing;
I tasted it lately in February, but how can I give it a review?
Weighing down the trellis, and embellishing the fence, it looks so beautiful,
The rural landscape contains true feelings.
No this isn’t any better in Chinese. You can find it and other Qianlong poetry roasts here.
Okay, I don’t know if Qianlong’s art collection/paintings created for him can be contained in a single answer, BUT, I’ll do my best!
Emperor Qianlong was an avid patron of the arts, and his collection of paintings, jade pieces, and other antiques remain one of the greatest reasons why we still have a lot of the pieces on display around the world today. He was also in the habit of writing on/stamping his personal seal on his favorite paintings and art pieces, and some of these repeatedly viewed paintings (with his notes/thoughts/writings) also preserve great portions of his life, which is a really intimate look into him as a person especially throughout time. We rarely get this sort of information from a ruler since MOST imperial writing has been edited/was meant to present to other people. He also liked to take landscape paintings with him on his travels to compare the landscapes in the paintings to their irl presentation.
His habit of turning his favorite paintings into diaries is NOT a common practice btw, most people didn’t deface the paintings in their collections. (Okay they might put their personal stamp on it to explain that they own it, but WRITING NEW SHIT ON IT? nah.)
Art historians, btw, have been in argument about his practice of defacing paintings and basically being in conversation with them ON the painting itself, since practically the time he started doing this about if it’s destroying the art or enhancing it somehow. He was just. SUCH a guy.
(He uh, may also have used coercion, threats, and force to acquire some of these because he was the emperor and he wanted them. This behavior was normal for emperors but his obsession with art and antiques was slightly less normal. Like, this man was IN LOVE with art.)
The OTHER hilarious thing about Qianlong was that while he LOVED paintings and antiques and poetry and art he uh, well okay see the above roast re his poetry but he wasn’t very good at any of these things per se. (For example, there are multitudes of stories about how he’d get really happy about a certain painting or antique in his collection, only to discover that it was a GREAT forgery or a fake or not actually all that old and oh here’s the actual thing your majesty this is the real one and be SO embarrassed by this new knowledge that he’d just KEEP BOTH and pretend nothing was wrong. Like just WHAT a guy. What a guy lmao.)
Qianlong also really loved western style paintings and painters. For example, Giuseppe Castiglione was one of his favorite court painters (Chinese Name Lang Shining) and did these two paintings of Emperor Qianlong:
These two paintings are like, some of my favorite things because like, the combination of east and west, and utilization of like, different techniques and perspectives is !!!! in my brain. Like, it’s incredible and I love it so much.
Qianlong also incorporated a lot of western style architectural elements in his redesign and beautification of Yuanmingyuan and had a REALLY interesting life overall, but this is getting kind of long so 😂I’ll leave off for now.
Feel free to ask about anything that sounds interesting about this though! I love to ramble.
#qianlong#asks and answers#history#chinese history#he was just SUCH a guy#if I had historical blorbos this would be a historical blorbo
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Recommend dinosaur media besides Jurassic Park?
Dinotopia: All the books are super fun, but the first and last are the best. Just some rambling, cozy journeys through an imagined land of prehistoric beasts and eclectic architecture. The middle two books are still great in terms of visuals, but they lean too much into narrative stuff and I don't think that's Gurney's strong point. The writing feels a lot more like a child's first chapter book. Maybe that's what he was going for, I'm not sure.
Xenozoic Tales: Long time fans of the blog will at this point be tired of me recommending it, but I'm not going to stop because most people I talk to (even other terminally-online SFF artists) still haven't read it. It's obviously super pulpy but it really grows into itself toward the end and is able to handle some more mature ideas without ever taking itself too seriously. Highly recommend.
An Alphabet of Dinosaurs: Just a great collection of Wayne Barlowe's paleoart. It's a 10-minute read and it's aimed at kids but you're buying it for the art and its one of the only Barlowe books you can reliably pick up for less than $10 so I'd say it's worth it. Good chance your library may have it, too.
Dinosaurs by Thomas R Holtz Jr: Very accessible non-fiction work on dinosaur biology and cladistics. It's probably a bit dated now (came out in 2007) and the art is very hit-or-miss (about half the illustrations are obvious products of the era of early digital art when everyone was photobashing and throwing these awful digital textures onto everything, ugh...) but it remains a fun and informative read. If anyone has a more contemporary but similarly thorough dinosaur book, please let me know! I know there have been a lot of huge discoveries, especially from China, since this book came out.
C. M. Kosemen's (keep track of how many times that name appears on this list) and @simon-roy 's Dinosauroids: This was a HUGE influence on what I wanted to draw and what kind of stories I wanted to tell when I first found it and middle school and it still totally holds up. Check it out here!
Walking With Dinosaurs: Huge, multi-part BBC documentary from 1999 that presented stories about Mesozoic fauna as if it was a contemporary nature documentary. The CGI for which it was initially so famous is very dated now but the practical effects are great and it's honestly the narration and presentation that sells it anyway. Also recommend Walking With Monsters which is the same thing but for the Paleozoic. People routinely upload both series on youtube, they're not hard to find.
All Yesterdays by Jon Conway, C. M. Kosemen, and Darren Naish: Unique and outrageous reconstructions of dinosaurs and other paleofauna that challenge our preconceptions and highlight the limits of our understanding of their appearance and behavior. Also really cool for me personally because in my lifetime I've seen this book go from a neat project by people I followed on deviantart to being (rightly) considered a landmark in paleoillustration.
Dino Run: This game bangs and I pity the kids who weren't around in 2008 when this took over the internet for a brief but wonderful period
The Rite of Spring segment from Fantasia: From the big bang to the climactic end of the Mesozoic, all set to Stravinsky. Apparently the only Disney media I enjoy is stuff that The Mouse just does not give a shit about because this one's also on youtube.
That's some stuff off the top of my head, should be enough for now. I may add more if I think of it. Some parting thoughts:
C. M. Kosemen's youtube channel is great for learning about what I'll call "esoteric paleontology" for lack of a better term. Also he just does lots of weird, eclectic videos that I find interesting.
I don't hesitate to recommend Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal because he's literally never disappointed me and everyone I know says it's great, but I personally have not yet gotten around to watching it.
I don't promote pseudoscience, but I do think David Peters is a funny guy with weird, neat ideas. TLDR this one guy has a bunch of fringe theories about pterosaur biology and believes that because literally no one else agrees with him that he must be being censored by "mainstream science." Don't believe any of it, just enjoy the weirdness.
Any time you can pick up a dinosaur or other paleofauna book secondhand, I recommend you do it. Tons of outdated and cheap books that nonetheless contain great illustrations. That kinda stuff is a constant source of inspiration for me.
The Land Before Time is probably still great. It's been over a decade since I last watched it, but I have fond memories. Maybe time for a rewatch...
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Ask game! 🌸 and 🔥
Thank you so much for asking!
🌸- Favourite plant?
Ohhhhhh boy uhhmmmm I'm gonna limit it to small flowering native plants within the PNW cause thats difficult. I think one of my favourites may be one-flowered wintergreen, OR by the name I just discovered they're called by, frog's reading-lamp (Uhm excuse me??? Adorable). I like them because in the beginning of last summer I discovered them on a hike while I working at a research station, and thought they were beautiful! They carpet the ground with their small green and circular leaves with their lovely white flowers above. I really like small things so that's probably another reason why I really like them (which reminds me of another flower I find super cool, which are gnome plants!!!!! They have a dumb name and are also kinda dumb from a reproductive/evolutionary point of view too, but they're really beautiful and look like stars when they first come out of the ground! since that's where they generally just hang out- they're parasites on other plants lol. Although some flowering ground plants are actually mycotrophic, rather then saphrophitic (parasites) which mean they live by tapping into fungal systems in the soil instead (they both don't photosynthesize!). An example of these mycotrophic plants are ghost pipe, or most of our orchids here in the PNW!!!). All are v rad and I'm excited since they should be coming up again soon, ghost pipe and orchids first.
Frogs reading-lamp
Gnome plant
🔥- would i ever commit arson?
Generally I'd say no, but also... If the opportunity arose to Molotov cocktail something belonging to a billionaire or a politician or some slimy racist asshole, and get away with it I'd probably do it. If I'm mad enough, I wouldn't care if I couldn't get away with it ahaha...
#muninspeaks#asks!!#oh? you thought id just say one flower? i lied#also last year got v excited about dicentra (bleeding hearts) since i saw them for the first time when i was out hiking and like !!!!!!#me anytime i see a new plant: :OOOOOO#like. i literally fucking go ballistic when i go into ecosystems that i havent visited yet cause like. :OOOOOO SO MANY NEW PLANTS#theyre just all so fucking COOL#like man. whenever i travel im like: face on ground staring at plants#also i sketch the birds i see when i travel usually#and do try to do the plants as well but it really depends on how im travelling and doing touristy things#since i do want to also draw the cool architecture and shit
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we're back baby!!!
it's queendom 2 time!!
i was debating whether or not i wanted to start my review series with the intro stages or just straight in with the main episodes, but i figured that i started with the dance performance film for kingdom so i might as well just get going. also it might be nice to have a reference back to the very beginning when we get to the end. idk it never hurts to plan ahead. this isn't going to be super long because i need to exercise some restraint, but i'm going to note a few things that stood out for me for each of the stages and then when the show finally kicks off on the 31st we'll get into the proper reviews with all the formatting and the whole kit and caboodle.
ordering this in order of personal faves because they split it up over two days for some reason:
hyolyn
HELL FUCKIN YEA!!!! perfect example of understanding scale and how to use lighting and simple effects to get the best dramatics. keeping to very simple projections and block lighting keeps the focus tight on her, so when it draws out to the full stage you get the full oomf of all that space. she's the only person who used the stage architecture (which is cool as shit, hello!) to her advantage; all those angled lines draw right into the centre and right to her, which is exactly what you want when you're the soloist.
remember how i always bitch about people wearing all black on stage? well this is how you do all black RIGHT. there are two very different variations in texture and both are reflective, so by way of controlling the lighting you can control how much of her is illuminated very easily and you can still easily see her limbs when necessary. plus you get two very different eye effects with the bedazzling and the shininess of the faux leather, so it's always interesting to look at
brave girls
i said that they might not always be the most conceptually interesting group yesterday and brave girls said 'well fuck you'! love to be wrong, and love that they went for something that was quite thematicaly different from the rest of the groups. love the suits, the choreo isn't complicated but it had a good amount of interesting movements and although they kept the space small because there's only four of them, the big incandescent bulb panels throw so much bounce in the atmospheric haze that it lit up that black space to make it feel so much bigger. plus i liked that they had a fun geometric opening 'frame' and that they kept it all on the steadicam in one take, as that also helped constrain the focus. very neat and tidy, no unnecessary bells and whistles, very similar to hyolyn in that they showed a very strong understanding of how to use all the design elements in their favour.
wjsn
i'm not gonna lie, it's absolutely fucking HILARIOUS to me that three of these groups are astronomy themed. y'all thought having the three 'z' groups in kingdom was bad, this is so much funnier. did mnet purposefully pick the three groups with space concepts? idk. regardless, i really liked wjsn's stage. good use of depth with the projections and i liked the idea of the costume change, i just wish they had made the transition a little bit more seamless. that type of costume 'transformation' is super common (it's how disney does all their dress transformations for their stage shows), but the key with the tearaway upper is that you have to misdirect from the physical tearaway in order to actually make it look magical, and there's a very obvious telegraph from the girl who's centre shot just before the wide cut. potentially it could have been an editing issue, since they had the right idea with hiding behind a smoke burst, but it didn't really clear for me though. great stage otherwise.
loona
i'm not entirely sure what this was supposed to be, honestly. my initial guess from the costumes (very stereotypical contemp style) and the thick ground fog was that the intent was to pitch the stage as more focused on their dancing, but if that was the intent the dancing was not up to par. i also do not know what the reason was for the state/stage change in the middle? literally nothing changed other than the fog disappearing and that would have very quickly dissipated with movement, so...what was the point? was it so they could 'kick' the camera just for the hell of it? usually a camera cover like that has a specific reason (like in mx's rush hour) so when there isn't one the gesture feels very empty. i also wish they hadn't been in all white because the exposure is so blown out (and mnet films on fucking potatoes) that it's hard to tell what's happening, and especially so when the fog is thrown in the mix. i do really like that they stuck to a very narrow blue/purple colour palette and i loved the projections in the back half, but that might just be my love of celestial illustrations talking.
kep1er
personally i'm not a fan of cheedleader/bandleader type things and i'm doubly not a fan of the whole 'we are the queens/kings' thing groups on these shows do and i'm triply not a fan of constant group name saying IN the songs itself. they've already got sashes with the group name embroidered on, it's not necessary and the combo of everything pushed this into obnoxious territory for me. it also doesn't help that they blew the lights and projections way crazy for no real reason other than visual noise. i would have liked to see the choreography better because the girls are fairly good dancers, but there was some really weird camerawork happening here that was not very flattering to the stage as a whole and made some sequences look very awkward, which i doubt they actually are.
viviz
idk who told these girls they can vogue but please can we not. serving empty plates. i appreciate that they made the effort and actually had a bit of set design to go for the club vibes with the disco ball and dry ice speaker, and i much prefer the lighting here to kepler's, but the way the projections are used made the space seem very small and like they didn't know what to do with it, which is exactly the opposite of how brave girls used the same sized space. also not sure what was up with the spirit halloween font, but that's not the font i would have chosen for a club type vibe.
---
final thoughts
this is about what i expected the shakedown to be in terms of an initial ranking. hyolyn and brave girls' experience definitely shone through and i was pleasantly surprised by how well constructed their stages were design-wise, which has my hopes up that the both of them have good performance directors on their side. also very promising that the wjsn team at least consulted with someone who has theatre knowledge; that also bodes well for their stages in the future. i know for a fact i'm going to have trouble telling all the space girls apart, especially if they stick to their concept(s), because all three groups are huge and well over my threshold of number of people on stage, so that's gonna be an uphill battle on my end. also hoping praying begging fingers crossed that this corner/triangle stage is the permanent setup for the rest of the performances, because it's a significantly more managable size than the kingdom stage and it doesn't have all that weird architecture that didn't make any sense. all in all, not a bad start!
#queendom#queendom 2#queendom reviews#hyolyn#wjsn#loona#brave girls#kep1er#viviz#please i'm begging can we stop with the waacking/voguing. please. no idol can actually do it well#for anyone that doesn't know johannes kepler is a very famous astronomer who discovered the three laws of planetary motion#i didnt watch gp999 but i have to assume that they mentioned this somewhere in there#considering like. the name of the group. and girls PLANET 999#anyways. i may or may not have done a whole year of research for my masters on celestial mapping in the age of exploration#text#longtime followers any guesses on how many gg stans i make angry by giving fair and accurate criticism#hm once the show starts i'll probably update my bio to say im doing reviews like i did for kingdom
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Things I want to do when I get to visit the UK and Ireland in what I hope will be late fall 2021:
- Get a picture with a sign that says I’m in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. I do realize this makes me an incredibly annoying tourist, but if it helps at all, this isn’t just an idea I came up with when I looked up cool shit in Wales last year. My mom’s dad grew up in Wales, and in a fruitless effort to have some symbol of that heritage in his life, my grandfather bought this dish towel and gave it to my mother (to be clear, that isn’t the only way my mom and her dad have tried to keep signs of Welsh heritage in their lives, it’s just the way that’s always been most obviously visible to me):
The towel has Welsh translations of English words, and when I was a kid, I used to sit in the kitchen for ages, memorizing all the Welsh words on the towel. And of course I’d try to to pronounce the incredibly long word at the bottom. My mother explained to me that it’s the name of a town in a place called Wales. I thought this was the coolest fucking thing and I wanted to go there someday.
So I do have some reason to want to get a picture of myself in that town, with the name of the town in the background, besides just being an annoying foreigner who exoticizes Welsh things. If it helps, I am working on memorizing this, so I can properly pronounce the place names and other words in Wales.
- In a similar vein: visit Abergavenny, the Welsh town where my grandfather’s father grew up. I have been told this town is absolutely full of people with my grandfather’s last name (which is also my mother’s last name, because she did not change her name when she married my dad, #feminism).
- Visit the shambles in York and pretend I am at Diagon Alley.
- Visit the Gladstone Library in North Wales and pretend I am in the Hogwarts Library.
- Visit all of Cambridge University and pretend I am just generally at fucking Hogwarts.
- Ride trains in the Scottish Highlands. I have worked out that there are basically three train lines that go there: the West Highland Line (Glasgow to Mallaig), the Kyle Line (Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness), and the Far North Line (Inverness to Thurso). I intend to ride all of them in their entirety. I’ll have to ride the Far North Line twice, since I have to get back to Inverness if I want to continue on to other civilized areas.
- Go into an Irish pub that’s actually in Ireland and hear some live Irish music played by actual Irish people.
- Go into a Scottish pub that’s actually in Scotland and hear some live Scottish music played by actual Scottish people.
- Walk around Edinburgh Old Town and pretend I’m in Harry Potter.
- Climb Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh in real life, since I’ve climbed it so many times in Google Earth and it looks like the coolest fucking thing.
- See a lot of really fucking old churches. I’m honestly not sure what draws me to those so much, as I’m not religious anymore. But I did grow up quite religious (psychologically toxic levels of religious, really) until my late teens, and I think I’ve just preserved a fascination with the buildings. I had a lot of reasons for giving up Christianity, but fuck, I loved the architecture.
- To expand upon the above point, there are two really specific ones I want to see: York Minster and Westminster Abbey. I’ve been looking those churches up, and have been asking myself some questions about whether it would be ethical for me to try to attend a service in one or both of those places despite not being a Christian anymore. Because I think it would be really cool to see something like that. I have the credentials; I was baptized as a baby and confirmed at age 13 into the Anglican Church. And there are a lot of cultural elements of that religion that still interest me enough so I would love to see a service at a really important church like those two. But I also don’t want to disrespect religion by attending a service for something I don’t believe anymore.
- Whether or not I attend an actual service at these or any other churches, I do want to go into as many churches as I can and light a candle for my friend who died a few months ago. I feel weird about the fact that I still attach significance to that, but I really do. I think I care about that for the same reason why I can still appreciate a really beautiful church. I don’t appreciate an amazing church just for its architectural beauty (though that is very impressive); I also appreciate it because it still makes me feel something like what I used to feel in church, this sense that it’s connected to something bigger and special. So lighting a candle in a really important church still sort of feels like it means something to me. I want to do that in a couple of the biggest Anglican churches in the world (Westminster Abbey and York Minster, though I have lots of churches on my list of things to see and I’ll let a candle in any that will let me), because I had a friend die recently and it made me think about things like that.
- Drink in some pubs that were built before white people even showed up in my own country (Canada).
- See everything in the Westminster neighbourhood in London, it looks like the coolest fucking place, like I can go there and basically be in one of the fancy settings of His Dark Materials or some shit.
- I have learned that the London neighbourhood of Soho has a lesbian bar. Canada’s only lesbian bar closed a few years ago. That bar was a two-hour drive from me, and I still used to go there every few months because most gay bars are so full of men that I will drive for two hours just for a gay bar full of women. I want to go to this lesbian bar in London.
- Run around the Cambridge University campus and pretend I’m a dramatic and wistful character in The History Boys.
- Do the Harry Potter walking tour of Edinburgh, but only the audio tour that’s unaffiliated with JK Rowling and gives her no royalties.
- Get drunk at a bar in Glasgow, and test Frankie Boyle’s claims about how fast one can get punched in the face there. This may be accelerated by the fact that when I drink, I do automatically pick up the accent of the people around me. I swear I don’t do it on purpose, but it does happen. Also, I’m absolutely terrible at doing accents. When I drink, my brain starts talking in its best imitation of the accents I hear. And that’s usually a bad imitation. And the Glaswegian accent is one of the strongest and most distinctive ones in all of the UK, the sort of accent where if someone does it wrong they sound very much like they’re making fun of that accent’s native speakers.
These are the perfect conditions for me to test Frankie Boyle’s claims about how fast people get punched at bars in Glasgow.
- Walk across the Skye Bridge in Scotland. I have worked out my route so it involves sleeping on one side of the Skye Bridge and getting a train from the other side of the bridge the next morning. That is such a cool looking bridge that I want to build a walk across it into my plans. What if it happens to be pouring rain that morning? Well then my future self will hate my present self for forcing me into this romanticized idea that sucks in actual practice as I get drenched. But I’ll still do it.
- I want enough time in Edinburgh to try a fair bit of cool scotch while actually being in Scotland.
- Climb all the steps at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
- Make a pilgrimage to Highgate Cemetery to see the final resting place of Douglas Adams. I won’t tell him about my fascination with old churches, though, as he wouldn’t approve.
- Eat lamb in Wales.
- Eat seafood anywhere in the UK.
- See all the cool shit in the British Library. But not the British Museum, because it’s all stolen goods.
- Visit the Roisin Dubh in Galway, which my dad went to on his trip to Ireland a bunch of years ago now, and he has not shut up since about how it’s the greatest place in the world. You just go in... any time... and you can order drinks... and there will just always be people with instruments or maybe just voices playing and singing trad Irish music. My brother finds my dad’s stories about this bar annoying because the stories are repetitive and he doesn’t like that sort of music or find this interesting. I find those stories annoying because they make me wildly jealous that my dad got to go there and I didn’t. I would like to fix this.
- I realize this is silly, but after spending so much time watching British television and looking up any reference I didn’t get until I understood the basic tenants of their culture, I know it’s going to be a cool and surreal feeling to see those places in real life. Because they feel like parts of the fictional universe that only exists on television. Waitrose may as well be a shop from Diagon Alley, in that they both come from universes that I’ve discovered through the media and they feel fictional to me. I might have to walk around a Waitrose just for the sake of saying, “Oh shit, this home of posh food is real.” At the very least, I’m going to have to go into at least one Wetherspoons at 10 AM.
- Along those same lines: I’m planning to spend a month on this trip. During that month, I want to somewhere, at some point, see at least one of these British comedians at some live event. Again, they’re basically fictional characters to me and being in a room with them would be like being in a room with Harry Potter. If I’m going to go all the way across the Atlantic Ocean I want to do as many mind-blowing things as possible, and seeing any of those British comedians live, having them physically in the room and displacing air and shit, would definitely qualify as mind blowing. Honestly, I’m not picky about who it is. Because if I were only interested in seeing the best comedy material, I’d watch my favourite comedians online. If what I want is to experience the cool feeling of physically seeing the characters in the TV shows I’ve been watching for the last year, then really, any one is as good as any other. I’ll just work out which of the British comedians I like is performing in a place I’m planning to go at a time I’m planning to be there.
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Stephen King's Graveyard Shift (1990)
Blessings upon you congregants from your dear Reverend my beloved Cult of Cult! Gather round a receive today's message as hear a word from the writings of Saint Stephen! I have a bit of inside baseball to share with you today, and that is that I love the fact that Hulu curates a list from your watchlist that lets you know what films have been sitting queued up unattended. You know those movies that you kind a want to see and you keep saying "i'll get around to that" right before you binge King of the Hill for the 90th time? Well Graveyard Shift was one of those movies for me, in fact, I frequently decide what films to cover based on what is about to disappear. In many cases the films I sit through are not very engaging or surprising. I think to myself, yeah, this is about what I thought it would be, no wonder I chose not to engage. Graveyard Shift, however, was actually quite a wonderful surprise.
Sermon
Graveyard Shift begins at the overnight shift of a rat infested textile mill. The employee working the machinery has been so severely pushed to the brink by engaging with the little invaders that he begins to toy with them and sets a very tragic precedent for the film by gleefully tossing living rats into the cotton picker. We get some shots of a blood and viscera mixed into the cotton before this son of a bitch is offed by an off screen force. I'm not gonna hold out on spoilers here for you folks, the movies 30 years old and it's a giant mutant bat.
Our hero Hall, a drifter with a tragic past, blows into town and is quickly hired by Warwick, the womanizing and half insane owner of the textile mill. Warwick has an awful habit of giving easy work to the women in his mill who provide him with sexual favors, while punishing those who don't with the most filthy and strenuous work he can find. This abuse also extends to any of his male employees who he sees as competition for their attention. This is why when Hall begins a relationship with Jane, an independent type who has repeatedly told Warwick to back off, they are soon destined to land on the sub basement cleaning project that brings them into contact with our nocturnal beast.
As this plot unfolds Warwick and Hall become increasingly at odds. Hall at this point has been substantially assigned to contend with the hordes of rats in the basement, playing games and almost training them in a way to leave him be. Eventually the time comes for the much feared cleaning of the basement levels of the mill, and our three main characters as well as a slew of murder lambs descend to their doom.
These poor blue collar folk are accosted by rats, floods, collapsing architecture, the Mutant Bat Mama and Warwick himself descends into madness, killing Jane, before he himself is eventually caught in the leathery wings of the blood thirsty beast. This leaves Hall alone to fight the monster. The battle for survival between Hall and the Bat works its way back up to the Mill where Hall uses the cotton picker and ingest the creature in a bloody cottony mess the likes of which I haven't seen since a 13 year old Chainsaw tried to teach himself to shave.
The Benediction
Best Character: Who's the Boss?
Sometimes with certain characters there's a certain intangible something or other that draws a viewer to them. In the case of Warwick it must have been the pure charisma of actor Stephen Macht. He was definitely not the best actor in this film, it was very clearly a phoned in role with some questionable choices, like I don't get what that accent was about. The character was a sleazy heel and I was absolutely satisfied when he was killed. He provided a very realistic menace despite the utter cornball portrayal. This is truly what they mean when they talk about characters you love to hate. Fuck You Warwick, you magnificent bastard. I'm glad you were eaten by that giant bat.
Best Actor: Chucky's Cheesin' It!
Brad Dourif is perhaps the only actor in this movie who was memorable. It's always great to see Dourif outside of the chucky role. He's always bringing his best stuff and although I didn't mention him in this review, Dourif plays an absolutely demented Vietnam Vet/ Exterminator with his little rat catching dog Moxie in this movie. Whenever I think about Graveyard Shift I think about Warwick, Brad Dourif, and the Bat!
Best Kill: Nana nana nana nana BatMess!
Unfortunately for Graveyard Shift most of the deaths that occur are incredibly tame. It's a creature feature that mostly plays like a Who Dunnit. Its honestly the weakest feature of the film. In fact I'm going to call it right here. (Worst Feature: Genre Confusion). In a film that fundamentally does little more than 'Giant Bat Eats Mill Workers in Mild Criticism of Capitalist Exploitation', I'd like to see some people getting absolutely wrecked by this bat. That doesn't really happen. Most of the kills are off screen, or obscured by big leathery wings. The bat looks pretty damn cool, and when it is chewed up by the Cotton Picker it's about the most gore and effects you get in the film. It's a shame that it is the monsters undoing rather than the monsters doing that really shows off the effects. C'est La Vie!
Worst Kill: Rats Off to You!
In the opening scene that fucker is throwing rats into the cotton picker just for being rats. I know there's a ton of them, but it's such a mean spirited bull shit way of eliminating rats. Rat Terrorism is bullshit and I'm against it. Fuck you you weird rat killing guy, Let Brad Dourif do his thing and stop picking the rats up by their tales you asshole.
Summary
Graveyard Shift was a disappointment to Stephen King, who called it just another "quick exploitation picture" and you know what, that's all it had to be to make me happy. Graveyard shift has a cool looking bat creature, that is unfortunately underused. A quick and engaging little story that doesn't try too hard to be too deep, and I know that was probably a huge temptation with the themes of the story. The characters that are notable are over the top and interesting, and those that aren't are the perfect murder lambs, they are just unique enough to differentiate and keep the action moving. It's by far not one of the greatest films you'll ever see. It's a creature feature that doesn't do enough to feature it's creature. It's effects are good when they are shown, and I'm so happy it was made in an era where we didn't get bombarded with weightless grey blobs of CGI rats everywhere. It's exactly what the doctor ordered for a low stakes night in with some pop corn and a coke. Don't let the haters stop you, definitely give Graveyard Shift a shot.
Overall Grade: C
#Graveyard Shift#Stephen King#Horror#90s#1990#C#Grade C#Grade: C#Brad Dourif#Dourif#Bat#Creature#Creature Feature#Rat#Rats#(C)
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yeeeeeeeessssss . fluff 12: “Am I your lockscreen?” “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
Soooooo.... A million and a half years later, I’m finally getting to this prompt that @superpixie42 has now officially forgotten she sent me. 🎉
This hails from the Stocking Stuffers Universe which also included Dinner and Dancing. A nice fluffy “how they met” type story. It also happens to coincide with @inukag-week‘s prompt for the day of Acceptance. Enjoy, Lovelies!
The grassy knoll at the bottom of the biggest hill on campus was the best spot for a break between classes. Kagome made a point to meet up with friends there at least once a week, but often stopped alone to sit under the large maple that remained its central focus. There was a large retaining wall higher up the hill that was a frequent spot for the architecture students to sit, sketching the buildings around them, analyzing the lines… usually horsing around. Kagome favored a book in her spare time, since she did so much studying at home, but today she had a test to finish reviewing for in her next class.
A chorus of laughter caught her attention, drawing her eyes up to the wall. There were several male students and a lone female student, sitting with a sprawl of meal bags and large sketch pads. One young man, with dark hair pulled in a low tail, was playfully elbowing another in the ribs. With silver hair that nearly glinted in the sunlight and a look on his face that promised retribution, the other young man fairly vibrated with irritation.
Until it burst.
"Fucking...fine!" he shouted, vaulting off the wall with amazing grace and landing as though it were nothing. Which Kagome realized had to mean he was at least part youkai, because that wall was high. She read in the campus paper a month or so before that a human student had broken a leg and arm trying to impress friends by jumping down and miscalculating the height. And the fact that there was a hill at the bottom.
Kagome went back to her textbook, paging to her next sticky referencing the basilar membrane and set in for a very technical read.
"Um…"
Blinking, Kagome looked up and found the silver haired guy standing near enough to obviously be addressing her without getting too close. "Hi?” His eyes widened at her soft greeting and she could see that they were golden in color. “Can I help you with something?”
“Uh. Well… I…” He clearly hadn’t thought that they would get this far into the conversation. Still not sure what his goal was, Kagome slowly sat up and set her book aside. “My friend has been giving me a hard time and…”
“I noticed. I’m Kagome, by the way,” she cut in when he was struggling to continue.
“I-Inuyasha.” She smiled at his light blush. “See, he thinks that you’re probably a freshman, but I thought you were older.” His eyes widened when her eyebrow went up at his choice of words. “Not that you look old or… Shit.”
Kagome grinned, resting her chin in her hand while looking up at him, nearly sweating under the collar with anxiety now and ready to abandon his mission. “Sit down a sec. You look like you need a break.” He complied without a second thought, plopping into the grass beside her. They both pretended not to hear the jeering calls from the wall. “Is this a bet? ‘Cause you won. I’m a junior.” Inuyasha’s golden eyes flashed triumphantly, then he winced. “I’m guessing you lot are younger?”
“No. I’m a senior. Miroku, my friend, he’s a senior on a victory lap. Maybe a second one… I can’t remember now.” Kagome giggled. “We’re architecture.”
“I figured. I see you guys up there a lot.” She noticed the intrigued look in his eyes just before she noticed the pair of fluffy ears that seemed to appear on top of his head. She let out a little delighted gasp, which caused them to lay back again and his face to shutter. “Saw that landing too. Nice. Way to not break anything.”
Inuyasha froze, then slowly relaxed. He obviously sensed the acceptance in her demeanor. “Yea, well that kid was human and didn’t know how to roll into the impact.” They chatted for a few minutes about the incident, then fell into a faintly uncomfortable silence. “What are you studying?”
“Oh! I have a test on the cochlea in a bit. Reviewing the basilar membrane functions…” Inuyasha stared at her with no indication of understanding. “It’s part of the inner ear. It moves when sound waves impact the…” She paused again. “It’s pretty boring, really,” she murmured shyly.
“So you’re like, in pre med?”
“No. Audiology. Or I will be. Have to do grad school for that. Right now I’m Speech and Hearing Sciences.”
“That’s cool. You study ears and hearing.” Kagome wasn’t sure he realized that he was wiggling his very prominent ears at her in his excitement. She grinned and nodded. “Wow. Do they have anything on… on canine hearing in there?” he wondered.
Kagome laughed. “Not really. This book focuses on human hearing, but I have another textbook at home that compares human to non-human hearing. I could… Well… if you wanted...”
“Will you be here tomorrow?” he jumped in. She nodded. “Keh. Bring it then.” A light flush lit her cheeks. “I-If that’s alright?”
“Yea. It’s alright.”
The pair continued to meet in the grassy knoll almost every day for a week, only the intense rain one afternoon keeping them from seeing each other. Kagome realized after the storm that she had no way to contact him. They could have chosen one of the libraries to meet instead! The next afternoon, she put on her brave face and sucked up her nervous feelings so she could ask for his number.
“Oh! Yea! I mean,” he paused, clearing his throat, “that would be cool. Or whatever.”
He crouched beside her, starting to put in his password. So focused on the pattern, Inuyasha didn't notice Kagome glancing over his shoulder. He yelped when she grabbed the handset out of his long fingers, studying the screen intently for a moment before looking at him with a faint frown. “Am I your lockscreen?”
She could see the proverbial "oh shit" in his eyes before he snatched the phone back. Kagome waited for him to respond but found that he was speechless. It was a candid shot, obviously taken from the wall, with her casually laying on her stomach, reading a book. The distance and zoom made it a little blurry, but it was definitely her.
“You weren’t supposed to see that,” he finally squeaked out. Kagome could see by how flat his ears lay against his head that he was about to panic. She had picked up on some of his tells in the last week, as well as done a little research about canine youkai.
What she had also picked up on in her brief search was that hanyou, like Inuyasha, were in an odd place in society. She had never really met anyone with mixed heritage before, so she wasn’t aware of the stigma. Inuyasha was likely made very aware of it, regularly and from an early age.
“You didn’t get a very good angle,” she said lightly, pulling up her own phone and flipping the camera so they could see themselves on the screen. Inuyasha still looked confused and terrified. Kagome smiled brightly and caught one shot that way, then nudged his shoulder. “You gonna smile or what?”
It took him a moment to process what she was doing, how she was reacting to him. That she was… accepting him. When he finally understood all of that, he relaxed, gaze softening, ears returning to their normal position and a faint grin lifting the corner of his lips.
“That’s better.” Kagome snapped another couple of shots to make sure they got a good one. “Here. Give me your number and I’ll send them to you so you can use one of those instead. Much better angle.”
Inuyasha chuckled even as he took out his phone again. “That was pretty slick, you know that? I wouldn’t have guessed you had that in you.”
Kagome grinned as she put his number into a text and shot off the pictures with a heart emoji. “I think there’s a lot of things you’ll find out about me that you wouldn’t have guessed.”
Inuyasha matched her smirk with one of his own. “I accept that.”
@lemonlushff , @fantastiqueparfait , @heavenin–hell, @clearwillow , @mamabearcat , @thunderpo , @keichanz , @meggz0rz , @disgruntledbeast , @sarah-writes-stories , @zelink-inukag , @rikareena , @cammysansstuff , @mcornilliac , @redflamesofpassion , @superpixie42 , @underwater0phelia , @cstorm86 , @noviceotakus-blog , @lavendertwilight89 , @hinezumi , @wenchster , @hnnwnchstr , @lady-dark-69 , @itzatakahashi , @juliatheanimelover7 , @kazeinori , @theinuyashareader , @inupotter , @eternalnight8806-3 , @smmahamazing , @willowandfog , @gaysonthefloor , @sistasecbhere , @jennybean91
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Hiking with Tracy 2021: Put it on the board...YES!
I did it!!!! Woo-Hoo! I walked 100 miles - almost in the whole month of April. Since the last weekend of April was a bit of a snow bust, I had to finish my 100 miles this past weekend 5/1-5/2! And what a way to finish...
I was feeling defeated last week when I wasn’t able to complete the 100 miles up in Tahoe. I ended up being 17 miles short! Can you believe that? 17 miles!! And I have a friend, let’s just call him “Barry” who was going to give me the whole $1000 if I was able to do it. So I really felt down knowing I had blown it. Blown all that training and blown it for the Ride4Reason fundraiser. But “Barry” said hey, finish it up this weekend and you’re still in the running. So I went back to the drawing board to find another route that would push me over the finish line. But it was Bob who suggested I hike San Francisco. AND, if I hiked SF, he would be encouraged to join me. Bob’s a city slicker. If he goes too far from being able to purchase a newspaper out of a metal box, he gets hives. So, we mapped out a 10-12 mile route (I had to go easy on the guy) starting from the Ferry Building and walking the circumference of the SF peninsula to Ocean Beach. It was FAN-TAS-TIC! WOW. Just WOW.
We started at Justin Herman Plaza and since it was May Day we were hoping to find a rally or march happening. And in perfect SF fashion, we were not disappointed! Sure enough a large rally was gearing up to head down Market. I’m going to assume the march was for workers rights, but it was actually unclear to us what their message was. Not a good sign for a march/rally!
This first stretch of The Embarcadero was a bit sad. Covid and the lockdowns have definitely taken their toll. I know it was early and a weekend, but a lot of these businesses are still shuttered and closed. And there’s a couple of homeless encampments taking over the street car kiosks. The homeless. Sooner or later I have to go there. I can spout my love for California all I want, but it’s California’s biggest shame. It’s no longer a skeleton in the closet, it’s all out in the open for all to see. And I have no answer for it. It’s always been here, since I’ve been here. And it definitely has gotten A LOT worse within the past 10 years. And it’s not just one issue, it’s the perfect storm of multiple issues coming together: not enough affordable housing; not enough livable wages; mental instability; drug addiction; nomad living lifestyle - yes that’s a thing. I don’t think California is doing nothing. There’s just too many people. And you can’t just throw them in jail or put them onto a bus to make someone else’s problem - like other regional areas have done, there has to be some compassion and humanity. But these encampments are not humane. They are breeding grounds for disease and despair. What does that say about you as you walk on by? Trying to ignore the garbage and filth these people are living amongst. But I have no answer. I don’t even know where to begin to help these people. So for the time being, I’m going to continue to stick my head in the sand and hope that California will rise to the challenge and find some solution, sooner rather than later.
The Embarcadero curves around and leads you to the touristy part of the city...Fisherman’s Wharf. I personally hate this part of town. It’s just too much: too many people; too many lame chain restaurants; too many cheesy chotchkie stores. My parents on the other hand love it. When they come to town all they want to do is come to Pier 39 and Alcatraz. My dad would live on Alcatraz if he could. One of these days I just may lock him in one of the cells. Today though, things were different. I loved seeing that Alcatraz tours are once again up & running. AND not a lot of people yet...wink wink wink...for those of you who've tried to go but weren’t able to get a reservation. It was early, so the area was just coming alive. The street vendors setting up their wares or street performers getting into character. Then there’s the abundance of colors of all the flashy stores and restaurants. The sounds of the sea lions barking at the tourists watching them. The marina with the famous “Rocket Boat!” I was digging it. Fisherman’s Wharf also has some great views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. It wasn’t so horrible. Bob showed me Scoma’s restaurant, a tiny seafood restaurant that’s been here for years and is supposed to be pretty darn good. There’s even a chapel for the local fishermen. Then of course there’s Musee Mecanique. A museum of antique slot machines, animations, coin operated pianos and the like. It’s pretty cool and I believe most of the games are still functioning, so you can play. Unfortunately it is also closed because of the pandemic. You can donate to help keep it open though. Just go to https://museemecanique.com.
Then we hit Aquatic Park. An interesting cove at the West end of Fisherman’s Wharf. This is where crazy people swim in the freezing waters of the bay, most without wet suits. On this cold, windy morning we found a group of children being taught how to acclimate their bodies to the water so they can grow up to be crazy people. Horrible way to spend a Saturday if you ask me!
We continued to go around Aquatic Park and up and around to Fort Mason. There’s a great trail that we’ve never taken that gives you an even better view of the GG bridge and Fort Mason below. And once you get on the other side, you’re in local land of OZ! Where the curtain is pulled back and the locals are enjoying the real SF. Now for those tourists who spend their whole time at Fisherman’s Wharf and The Embarcadero, more power to you. Just don’t say you’ve been to San Francisco. Because you haven’t. Once you get over the hump, one of my favorite scenes of SF...the buildings. Squat, square homes of multiple pastel colors rolling like waves along the hills of San Francisco. In other areas of the city, the hills are rolling with colorful victorians. The colors are what I love best about San Francisco.
It was here that I realized I was hiking with Cher. We had to make yet another stop so Bob could make a wardrobe change. It’s also kind of a production with him narrating what he’s doing. I got to hear all about the ins and outs of why he rolls his flannel rather than fold. Why he’ll wait to take off the thermal leggings. Where to put his first UO sticker. Yada, Yada, Yada. Good thing he’s pretty cute. As he was changing, we noticed a statue of an older man in a suit but no plaque telling visitors who he is. I thought he looked like Rodney Dangerfield. But why would anyone put up a statue of Rodney Dangerfield in SF? That would be the ultimate “no respect” though, a statue but no plaque. Ends up it’s a guy named Phil Burton. He was a US Congressman from California who is responsible for 87,000 acres of the SF Bay Area being designated as a National Park. I was basically ending my hike in a National Park thanks to this man. He deserves a plaque god damnit!
So once you pass Fort Mason, you are now in the Marina district. It’s where Cal Berkeley students go after they graduate. They mutate here on the hollowed grounds of Crissy Field. Like yuppy gremlins. Working out or drinking Philz Coffee. The homes along Crissy Field are gorgeous. Huge picture windows with a front row seat to the Golden Gate Bridge. Each one is architecturally different and once again, the colors! Beautiful. The only downside was the wind. It was pretty darn windy along this stretch. But Bob had his windbreaker and I had my knit cap. I can endure the wind if I have my ears covered.
It’s a long stretch from Crissy Field to the Presidio. The old barracks of the Presidio on one side and the entrance of the Bay on the other. The GG Bridge is the main attraction here. It’s majestic. Great time to get over there. Parking was plenty and not a bad way to have a picnic. There’s a climbing gym, a trampoline park and under the bridge is Fort Point. I have been here before, took my parents. I was able to slyly divert their attention from the bells and whistles of Fisherman’s Wharf with the chance to view history! They are suckers for historical buildings. And Fort Point is a National Historical Site. It was built during the Civil War in 1861. It’s been awhile so I don’t remember too many of the details, but definitely worth a visit.
Now we began our assent to the Jewel of this hike...The Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a National Icon and San Francisco’s mascot. As you climb the hill and get closer to the bridge there are a bunch of tunnels and “hide outs” along the way. Remnants of the military presence that once dominated San Francisco. But the absolutely coolest thing about this hike was I had NO IDEA you can actually walk underneath the bridge itself...like right below the huge steel red frame!! It’s literally a wind tunnel, so hold onto your hat! But super duper cool!! If you have any engineers or construction people in your circle, this would be a great spot to bring them.
As you continue around the bend, you come to Baker’s Beach. Not sure if it’s still a nude beach, but it used to be. The unfortunate thing about nude beaches is the people who SHOULDN’T be nude are the first ones to get into their birthday suit. But that’s my problem, not theirs! Some nice trails along this stretch, but nothing too exciting to report.
We soon came upon the neighborhood Sea Cliff. Now this is where the really rich people live. Like Robin Williams had a home here; Nancy Pelosi I think lives here. Mansions with a view of the Pacific. Bob & I had to walk through right? I am happy to report the other half live very well. I stopped to smell the roses (literally) but I noticed that all the gardens actually smelled horrible. The fertilizer was strong here. Bob & I laughed that that was how they kept the riff-raff away, by surrounding their homes with a shit moat. Worked for us! We high tailed it out of there.
Now we came to our last stretch...Land’s End. A labyrinth of trails along the coastal edge. We needed to stop for another wardrobe change. This time his leggings were going back on. Which meant he needed to get down to his underwear. Let’s just say a whole group of people got a little more than they were expecting that day!
Finally we made it to Sutro Baths and the Cliff House! Fantastic! Unfortunately the Cliff House closed due to the pandemic and is not reopening. I cannot imagine this space will be closed for long. Fingers crossed. We decided to head down to Ocean Beach and end our hike by having lunch at the Park Chalet. We were both famished and Bob was getting cranky. Needed to feed him STAT. I have more to report here but Bob might get mad at me, so if you see him again, just ask him about our new friend Franklin!
BTW, Sunday I did my final 4-5 miles back at my MacArthur Trail. I brought Stella this time and she loved it. It was as fabulous as ever!
I’m still going to hike y’all and write about it. So check in to see where I go next. I enjoyed writing my thoughts and feelings down. Even if nobody reads it, it’s my journal to this wonderful life I’ve been blessed with. Why not tell the world!
Thank You to all who have donated to the Ride4Reason fundraiser and have endured reading these ramblings. But, That’s All Folks! (for now). xoxox
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What's your fav fic that you wrote yourself?
This is such a challenging question! Like asking which of my children is my favorite 😂 I could definitely tell you a few of my least favorite though lol, no prob. Some of my older stuff—oof.
Alright, so since I really can’t pick a singular fav (I currently have 101 posted works, that’s just not gonna happen) how about I give a top 10? Not exactly what you asked, but eh life is like that 😁
So, in no particular order, my top ten fav fics that I’ve written:
1. Starting with the one that’s a large presence in my mind, (No) Places of Safety. This fic is my baby right now, shaping up to be one of the biggest things I’ve ever written (already at 69k and not even close to done) which is super amazing, because I usually have a problem with sticking to things after a while. I really love the way I’ve handled Dick’s deteriorating mental state, and I love the fact that I know exactly where it’s going, and have from the very beginning (again, rare for me. Usually things come together as I’m writing, and while that’s still happening, it’s been awesome having an actual solid plan and destination). I love the universe I’ve set up here, and am so excited with every chapter to show you guys what comes next. Hell I love this universe so much that I already have the whole next fic planned out 😋
2. Next I’ll say Three Little Birds Sat On My Window. I loved writing a reverse batfam, and am so proud of the way this fic turned out. I really spent a lot of time trying to get everyone’s voices right, how different they would be considering how different their life experiences would be. Tim and Jason especially were important to get right, with Tim being the one who died instead. I always hated in reverse batfam fics when people just make Tim’s version of Red Hood exactly the same as what Jason was like, because they’re different people and would have different ways of approaching things. So even in just the little glimpses I wrote, I’m really proud of their characterizations, along with that of Damian and Dick! I’m just overall very proud of this fic, and definitely wan to write more of this AU at some point in the future.
3. Third we’ll go with An Active Imagination (and, with it, the sequel Rules of Architecture). Thinking about these fics and working on them ways makes me excited as a writer. Like I don’t really have a lot to say about these, just that I really love the way I handled Dick’s shifting mental state, going back and forth between the brainwashing and having him be not at all aware of what’s going on. I also love how super creepy Slade is lol, how unabashedly awful. Plus writing a BAMF Dick is always a blast, and the Dick in these two fics is especially badass.
4. Next up is Take My Hand Through the Flames, because writing dark!Dick was so fucking fun, and something I need to do again very soon. Dick is so messed up here, so blood-thirsty and masochistic and crazy, which is something that I’ve never been able to truly do when I mainly write Dick. So that plus building an Earth 3 universe (pulling in Joey and Rose and what Dick’s dynamic with Thomas is like) was a blast to do.
5. Hmmm then let’s go with If Night Falls in Your Heart (and am just now realizing how often I use song lyrics and quotes for my titles). Exploring the trauma of what Catalina and Mirage did to Dick was something necessary for me to write, and it helped me work through some of my own shit I was struggling with. (Writing is the best coping mechanism!) Dick desperately needs people to help him and tell him none of that was his fault, and since canon certainly isn’t going to do it, I took it upon myself lol. Plus I’ve become strangely fond Dave the Unimportant Villain 😂
6. Sixth on the list is How Arbitrary Fate Is, an AU I am extremely fond of and seriously need to come back to. Teen Titans (cartoon) ‘verse is always something I enjoy writing, and extending the apprentice arc, playing with Stockholm Syndrome, blending Dick’s loyalty to his friends with his growing loyalty to Slade, how he reaches acceptance that this is his life now—I am so proud of the way this fic turned out. I have an entire sequel planned out in my head, other things have simply taken precedent. I will come back to it, though. Lol I want to scream from the rooftops to get everyone to love this fic as much as I do 😁
7. Now I’ll say A Current of Fate, which is something I go back and forth on loving but it always draws my attention back to it. I hate that I’ve set it aside for so long, I think there’s so much fucking potential in this world I’ve set up, and I really want everyone to see the way it’s playing out in my head!! But for that I’d actually have to keep writing it lol, the horror. Sometime soon (when I have less active projects on my hands) I’ll go back to this fic and edit it a little, update it to how much more confident I’ve become in my writing, especially of DC characters. Also Chapter 4 has been half written for literally a year now and it has Black Mask in it; since beginning that chapter I’ve become far more familiar with Roman (and written a lot of him lol) so reworking that chapter in the main priority, and then I think I can really move forward with this fic. I know exactly what happens, I just have to get there!! (Coincidentally, today is the year anniversary of the last time I updated this.)
8. Leaving the DC fandom, next we’re going with The Source of Grief. My Harry Potter fics have been touch and go, I can admit that, but I’m very proud of this one. I really loved doing the outside POV, everyone observing the actions of Harry and not really knowing who he is or what his motives are. I also got to address all my feelings about Severus Snape, which was awesome. Just, fixing problems and making things better was wonderful to write, and I got to put in some subtle Wolfstar lol, and talk about how Regulus Black doesn’t get enough credit. Idk, I’m kind of rambling, but I’m proud of this fic.
9. Ninth is One of the Legion Lost (plus its sequel Want the Strange and New). They’re both my Fuck You to Infinity War lol (which I liked a lot more than I know most people do, but still it needed some help). Loki is one of my favs, and bringing him into the plot of the movie and adjusting things from there is the kind of thing I love to do—what are the repercussions if just one thing is different? Also I enjoyed exploring the magic of the infinity stones! There was so much that could be done with them, with their level of sentience that was never really expanded upon, so I liked doing that.
10. Now we have People Who Move the World. A James Bond & Sherlock crossover, where Q and Jim are brothers. I got super far in this fic! 15 chapters and 94k, it’s a real beast. I love how I wrote Q, his relationship with Jim and Bond and Sherlock, and the odd little Q/Mycroft ship that I’ve become strangely fond of considering how strange the ship is lol. Just writing a bunch of absolute geniuses BAMFs ruling the world and making things go the way they want to them. Like, Q and Jim make such an awesome team and I know it’s such a niche fic but I’m really proud of it. Sucks that a majority of the ideas dried up lol, because I’m very pleased with what I created.
+1: Honorable mention! Breathe with Confidence. First time I ever wrote anything in the Star Wars universe, and it’s absolutely something I’m gonna have to come back to. The AU has a lot of potential, and I know exactly how I’d address the future of Dick’s story. Plus some side fics of the family’s reactions to what happened, the confusion over Dick’s disappearance. And in this fic itself I liked writing Slade’s manipulations, Dick’s desires, the small amounts of background I included. Idk, I just think this world is super cool.
Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this long drawn out thing! Probably more info than you were looking for 😁😅
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The Resident - a one quote one-shot
Hyderabad, April 1857
Lady Claire Grey dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, drawing in a long, steadying breath.
It was another debilitatingly hot day. The princely city-state of Hyderabad baked in the sun of the Deccan Plateau. Temperatures soared past ninety degrees, and the heat permeated everything in the grand mansion – the plush Persian carpets, the marble floors, even the carved wooden chairs.
The Hyderabad Residency had been built some fifty years before, a grand architectural statement to signify the power and grandeur of the British Empire. Unlike most of India, Hyderabad had maintained its independence, led by the mysterious Nizams whose unimaginable wealth came directly from the diamonds and gemstones they gladly sold to greedy European buyers.
The British Resident’s job was – ostensibly – to represent the interests of the British East India Company. Ensure that commerce was smooth between Hyderabad, the British-controlled states that surrounded it, and across trade routes as far-flung as Russia, Japan, and France. The perfect Resident was the consummate diplomat – providing the Nizams reassurance of British protection in the face of threats; smoothing over disagreements with maharajahs in neighboring states; being a sympathetic ear at court.
Lord John Grey was the perfect man for the job. Raised in the aristocracy and educated at Oxford in economics and politics, he had already served stints in the diplomatic corps in Gibraltar and the Cape Colony and Singapore. He and his beautiful wife Claire – an accomplished healer and midwife who, despite lacking a formal degree, had had papers published in leading medical journals in England (no doubt due to her husband’s influence) – were the perfect high-achieving team.
Which was beneficial – for both Claire and John knew that his true mission was to report everything back to London. To be advisor to the Nizam, a de facto ambassador at his court – and above all, a spy.
Claire knew where John kept his daily journal; and copies of the reports he wrote, sweltering by candlelight, and dispatched to Whitehall; and the letters and instructions he had received in return. Every night they had talked about what was on the Nizam’s mind, his standing with the Nizam and his shifty courtiers, and what it meant for them, and what John would do with the information.
Which in retrospect was a blessing and a curse.
For Lord John Grey had died of cholera the day before. And Lady Claire Grey was alone with his secrets.
Now Claire rubbed her eyes and sat back in the rattan chair on the porch, watching the chickens scratch in the dirt.
Weighing her options.
Common wisdom held that England was home – but since the death of Uncle Lamb five years before, there was nobody to go home to. John’s brother Hal and his family would welcome her, to be sure – but she had scarcely spent any time with him. What with John’s postings abroad, she had spent perhaps two weeks total in Hal and Minnie’s company in the eight years of her marriage.
And she had built quite the name for herself in Hyderabad – not just in the small, tightly-knit circle of Westerners (mostly English businessmen, with a few French and Irish missionaries mixed in), but also in the local community. She did not care for purdah and made home visits regularly, mending wounds and examining teeth and delivering the babies she and John could not conceive.
She could eke out a life here.
But she had helped John write his reports every night. So she knew about the rebellion that had sprung up in the north. And the tension with the French army making raids in the south. Underpinned by the tenuous role women played in society – most didn’t dare venture outside without covering their bodies from top to bottom, with only her face showing, despite the sweltering heat. Not to mention the terrible stories John sometimes heard at court or from a business contact, about women who had been attacked or mutilated or worse…
“Claire?”
Something about James Fraser’s soft Scottish burr always set her at ease. Perhaps it was due to the time she and Uncle Lamb had spent traipsing around the Highlands when she was a child. Or it was Jamie’s forthright manner – surprisingly direct for a Junior Resident, whose focus should be on building a career rather than jeopardizing it with such frank and direct words.
The chair creaked as he sat down beside her; she was too drained to turn and look at him.
He cleared his throat. “I will speak plainly, because I know you’re strong enough to bear it.”
She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. “We need to bury him.”
Jamie sighed. “Yes. The disease, and the heat – ”
“Yes. I know.”
He paused. “I ken that you know. I was right there with you last spring, running the infirmary we set up here during the last epidemic.”
Memory flared. Masks over their faces; Jamie’s fiery red hair the only splash of color; the stench of vomit and shit and death. His dedication and unwavering support the only light amid so much darkness.
“We would bury them on the same day. And it’s already been a day since he died.” She swallowed. “Did you speak to the Reverend?”
“I did. He’ll come here, say a few words in the parlor – and then we’ll take him over to the cemetery. The grave is already dug.”
She heard movement. Opened her eyes to see Jamie kneeling in front of her.
“I am now the Acting Resident. You know the protocols better than I do, Claire – but I want you to hear it from my own lips.”
She blinked, limbs feeling so heavy.
“I gladly grant you my protection. I don’t want you to spend another night alone in this big house – I’ll move into the guest quarters. This place is too dangerous for you to be here all on your own.”
She pursed her lips. “But the servants – ”
“Are loyal, yes. But they canna protect you from everything.” His eyes darted from side to side – ensuring they were alone. “Some of the men in the village, Claire – they don’t want you healing their wives. No matter your good intentions, they see you as representing the British.”
“And there’s the rebellion in the north. I understand.”
“And the man who beat his wife and left her for dead on the street, just last week. And the panther that ate two children two weeks ago. I could go on.”
He stood. “So.”
The wheels in her mind raced. Suddenly she stood, too. “I’m staying here.”
Jamie’s brow arched. “Even after all the things I just told ye?”
She raised her chin. “I have nothing to go back to. John was my life – my family. And even with the death and disease and wild animals, I’d rather a life here than in boring old England.”
Somehow he looked even younger when he smiled.
“We’re a long way from Whitehall, Claire – you can stay here as long as you like. As long as you don’t mind sharing your quarters with a bachelor.”
Her heart raced.
“It doesn’t have to be that way.”
Jamie froze. “Are ye saying what I think ye’re saying?”
“I am.” Blindly she reached for his hands; effortlessly they slid into her own. “I want you to hear it from my own lips. I want to marry you, James Fraser. Today, when the Reverend comes to pray over John.”
Never had she seen a man so lost for words.
“What?” he sputtered. “We canna do that!”
“Why not?” she frowned. “I can make my own choices. So can you. Think about it – we know we work well together. We both have lives here. And I don’t hate you.”
He shook his head, incredulous. “Well, Claire, I don’t hate you either. And there’s a good many marriages have started wi’ less than that.”
A rooster crowed.
Jamie looked at her for a long moment, then nodded.
“Right. Let’s do it. Only Claire – I hope I willna give ye reason to regret this.”
She squeezed his hands – refreshingly cool and strong. “Let’s go inside.”
---
Author’s Note:
I was fortunate to spend three weeks in Hyderabad in March-April 2016. I visited the Nizam’s palace - the color photographs are my own.
The Hyderabad Residency is a real place! It’s the bottom left photo in the collage at top. Click here to read more about its amazing history!
#outlander#outlander fanfic#jamie and claire#one quote one shot#this was fun#the color photos are my own
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oo hfhfh fcuk..... oh my god..... of gh fhg fdndfk
honestly just hearing that my stuff makes ppl as happy is such a gift by itself 4 me??? i draw all this fanart first n foremost for myself but hearing other ppl feeling equally as enthralled by it just rly makes me life. thank u so much im so fucking honored that my stuff has brought enough joy into ur day that u would want to make ME, the goblin bird, something
u ofc do not have to make me anything man!! again the fact u’d even OFFER is something i appreciate, and i rly do mean that! but since ur askin and if u RLY RLY wanna do it (or maybe you just need some ideas in general bc ik i cant draw everything that comes to my head for this gang esp when i have other things i gotta do) i’ll give u some prompts - if for like nothing else the just as as thank u for this nice ask
i’m assuming ur specifically asking abt ee so all my stuff’s gonna be abt ee ok ok here we go
- stuff of howie and percy’s dynamic. i ADORE their canon dynamic so much. idk if i’ve ever seen anything quite like their rivals-who-seem-to-hate-eachother-but-upon-closer-inspection-respect-and-care-for-eachother-despite-how-they-butt-heads before? certainly not executed like theirs. give me EVERYTHING that explores their dynamic. like like. a situation where someone hires them BOTH for an architectural job instead of making them compete and how they handle the opportunity of working together. or like hijinks of percy having to chase a criminal through one of howie’s construction sites. or that kinda thing. listen listen they feel like they have a lot of history to them n i feel the possibilities r ENDLESS and i CARE ABOUT THEM SO MUCH
- would also appreciate content of howie in general PLEASE give him as much love as the main arc trios he is brilliant stupendous hard-working and i WILL bleed for him. jello cannot stop me from taking a bullet for this man
- ‘gio should be molly’s new dad’ ‘indus should be molly’s new dad’ ‘ramsey should be molly’s new dad’ ok but everybody be quiet for two seconds and hear me out: bee dad. bear daughter. howie’s. imo. probably the most capable of the notable guy charas to handle caring for a kid like molly as a parental figure (gio’s a kid himself and they’re more sibs vibes, indus ilu but you really are out here w one braincell, and ramsey looks like he cannot handle kids at ALL even if he tried. also just look at howie treats his ‘worker bees’.that’s dad. that’s DAD) and i feel like he’d have a p cool dynamic w her bc of how hardworking she is despite all the shit she’s been through. just listen. listen. SOMEBODY should capitalize on this concept. also in my humble opinion howie would tear martin to shreds for neglecting his job as both a parent and a toymaker
- percy and ramsey vs zora stuff. while i respect everyone who likes seeing them as an ot3 i personally prefer their canon dynamic that just boils down to the garfielf ‘time to kick ramsey off the table ‘no zora that’s my pet rat, ramsey’ ‘you’re going into orbit, you stupid rodent’ it’s fun, exciting, intense action stuff that i feel could be explored more, esp since zora got away
- my absolute favorite ee humor is ‘bizarre threatening shit that zora probably did to ramsey in the apparent 2 days she was hunting him down to fuck with his head’. examples include my caramelldansen @ 3am parody, day 23 in the chamber, the kitkat man vine, and this duck toy vid. idk why it’s so fucking funny to me but it is. so ya i’d be down for some of that. just let zora be a weird cowboy cryptid bastard whos favorite pasttime includes rat bullying
- stuff on percy and ramsey’s dynamic 2 actually.... tbh idc if it’s platonic or romantic or whatever i just ADORE how they interact so MUCH and i lOVE THEM. buddy cop stuff buddy cop stuff buddy cop st
- zora just being the feral cryptid bicon she is i love her
uhh thats abt my ‘i care these characters’ dump hdsijkfsldkf!! im rly sleepy bc i just had a hell workshift so a lot of this might sound like complete babbling and i apologize
hope u enjoy it again thank u SO Much for liking my stuff that is genuinely is all i can ask for all the rest of this is is Bonus Deal stuff to express my gratitude for u even offering + wanting to encourage ur fanfic passion bc i love supporting the other creators around me however i am able
#Zele Squawks#anonymous#ee#epithet erased#i will put this in the main tag but only the main tag so that i dont annoy the entire ee fandom w me crying over ppl being nice 2 me#someone: compliments me like this#me: h *blinks out of existence to cry a lot*#again. and i cant emphasize this enough: thank uuuuuuuuuu ;w;
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Quarantine update
Hi kiddos, so let's talk about real shit today.
I don’t want to be pessimistic or make someone anxious however I thought it would be important to talk about the covid-19, because of many reasons.
BE CAREFUL, please be careful my little flowers, this is dangerous in many ways and I love you all. Wash your hands many times, isolate yourself, do whatever you can to protect yourself and your family.
COUNTRY SITUATION, as many European countries, mine is in emergency state, with means, if we do shit, we have no rights and police can do whatever they want. Most of people are in isolation at home, the others can only go to work and if necessary, grocery shopping or pharmacy.
UNIVERSITY, so my university choose to give us online classes, which means, every day, since 8am till 2pm I have video conference classes (it’s fun and awkward at the same time) to be honest I like it a lot, I’ve been closed at home for almost 2 weeks, so it helps having something normal to do.
WHAT ABOUT PROJECT? As some of you know I’m in architecture, and it’s a practical course, so making a project without the physicality of a class, not being able to have a professor drawing on my stuff and the making of models it getting difficult. But we can do it, its difficult but manageable, so let’s keep al l the cookies packages and make models of them! Also, my professors are really cool and good humans, it helps.
NOT GOING INSANE, funny thing about me, I’ve been diagnosed with generative anxiety, so it’s getting a little difficult do be at home. HOWEVER, there are some things that can help. To me, it is really good to make things as normal as they can be, make a routine, classes, speak with friends and my boyfriend, do exercise, read. I will give you a list of things you can do at home and have been helping me at least.
Hope this little rant helps in some way and if any of you need to talk be my guest, I am here for you guys.
#student#my stuff#artist#study#studyblr#studyblog#mine#study blog#covid2020#covidー19#covid19#university#studyblr community#uni#study blr
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forgive me if this is rambly, i haven’t slept in 24hrs and i just wanna scream about how disappointed i am that stupid fucking capitalist establishments can’t even do capitalism right and it’s hilarious and well deserved that they fail but also i’m sad because i liked hanging out at malls....
you know there’s this whole thing about how malls are “dying” and how “teens don’t want to hang out at malls anymore/no one goes to malls to spend time there anymore” and like idk man that’s kind of complete bullshit imo. people don’t hang out at malls anymore because malls suck now. i used to LOVE hanging out at the mall and i still love the idea of hanging out at the mall, but in like the 90s-2000s(?) they started getting rid of arcades in malls, and then they started “modernizing” malls by updating the architecture to be more minimalist and boring(and removing open seating areas)...... and it’s like.... cool you got rid of arcades and seating areas to discourage teens from loitering......... but like........ at least from my experience we used to actually want to HANG OUT at the mall, we’d go to the arcade and spend money there, then we’d go to the food court and spend money there, and the longer we hung out at the mall the bigger the chance was that we’d end up idly wandering into shops and buying stuff because it was fun and convenient. we’d spend HOURS sometimes ALL DAY at the mall just fucking around and SPENDING MONEY at arcades, stores, and quarter machines(also seem to be dying out). you go to the arcade and play for hours(spending money), then you go to the food court and get a snack and a drink(spending money), then you’d walk around while you ate and wander into random stores that you’d end up buying things out of convenience in(spending money), etc, etc.
nowadays, since there’s no real space at malls to just idly hang out and mindlessly spend money while wandering around, my friends and i tend to just make quick beelines for the one or two stores we planned on going to before hand, buy our shit, and leave immediately, because there’s nothing at these malls anymore to keep teens’ and young adults’ attention, in fact specific steps were made to ensure that we had LESS reason to hang out at the mall.
idk man i’m just saying if they want malls to stick around much longer they need to make malls more than just a collection of stores, they need to have their own draw separate from the shopping experience to draw people in and keep them coming back. bring back cool fountains, indoor gardens, unique architecture, idle seating areas, arcades, etc. make malls worth hanging out in like they used to be, because malls aren’t failing because people don’t like malls, malls are failing because they’re fucking boring and unwelcoming now, but hey if their goal was to discourage teens and young adults from loitering at malls, i say that plan worked out a little too well.
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when u get this u have to answer with 5 things u like about yourself, publicly. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool)Avatar
Oooh ok
1. Coffee-dude coffee is the best when I was younger I worked in different coffeeshop for like 5 years and it turned me into kind of a coffee snob and now I have a billion different ways to make coffee set up in a cute little coffee bar at my place and every time I go somewhere new I buy a bag of locally roasted coffee. I drink probably way too much of it but I love it lol.
2. Music-cliche I know. If you follow me you probably know I'm pretty big into the pop punk scene and have been going to concerts as long as I can remember. I ho to probably 50+ shows a year and try to hit at least 2 festivals. I've made some of my best friends at shows. Aside from that, I talk about it all the time to anyone who will listen...random music facts, why an album is so great etc etc. Any money I'm not spending on shows I'm spending on vinyl, and my to-buy list is way too long. Its sick a big part of my life.
3. Old monster/horror movies-I used to watch these all the time growing up with my brother and my mom so they've definitely got a whole bunch of nostalgia value for me. A lot of the really old ones too were all my parents would let me watch until I was deemed "old enough" for actual horror movies--not that I didnt go behind their back at all. And then growing up and turning into the stereotypical emo kid for a while and having halloween be my favorite holiday--well let's just say I'm still drawn to anything with that "spook" factor lol
4. Comics-- I dont know if I have words to describe how much I love comics. I was introduced to them really young--my parents would read me sandman comics as bedtime stories (which is a little fucked up like that's some dark shit for a 3 year old) but then I would also just turn through them and "read" them before I could read by just looking at the pictures. They inspired me to start drawing, which I did a bunch when I was younger as kind of an escape. I draw less now but I wanna start again. I was always fascinated by the art and how it could create a whole feel for a world. I even went to art school (for architecture tho)! I'm also a bit dyslexic so I liked that my eye could jump all over the page and kinda still get the gist of what was going on. Superheros were great (my middle name is Marval lol), but I always liked the off-beat stuff better. Do I definitely still try to live my life like an comic protagonist? Yeah. Some things you dont grow out of ha. 2 current recommendations--the SAGA series from image fantastic overall, and I'm also really enjoying Stumptown.
5. Architecture--i went to school for this, and now in work in architectural visualization, which means I use cgi software to make photo-realistic renders for architects all over the world. It mean I get to see all kind of cool buildings--hotels, restaurants, etc--without doing all the mental gymnastics or grunt work for how the whole thing fits together. I judge the shit out of things on HGTV. I always look at how cute a restaurant or hotel looks before visiting. My apartment is baller af b/c I spent probably too much money on furniture. Idk appreciating architecture just makes you see the world a little different I guess since its like...everywhere
Sorry for the long post I just never really talk about myself on here. Thanks for tagging me anon.
I tag anyone who wants to do this idk
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7, 9, 29 for humankaiju mosugoji and/or rodorah pls! ;w ;
CLAPS MY HAAANDS thank u
7. Goji and Mothra usually end up at Monster Island together on Friday nights after work. Sometime’s Mothra’s ambulance shift doesn’t end until later and Goji waits for her and orders takeout so that it’s there when she shows up and they eat in one of the booths and listen to the late night karaoke. Neither of them are very talkative, but they have interesting lives and deep history to draw from.
When they want to do something special together, sometimes they load up Mothra’s old range rover and they drive out into the mountains and spend a weekend hiking and camping. Goji really lets loose when nobody else is around and she and Mothra can goof off and try to cook over a campfire, or splash around in a creek together and look at interesting wildlife.
They’re also big fans of Hanging Around though, since Goji’s pretty lazy and Mothra’s always tired after work. If you ever need to find them, Goji’s porch, lying on the swing, watching the waves, shooting the shit and sharing a beer, is a good place to look.
+ Rodan and the triplets’ date nights are all over the place lol. Rodan likes going to events, so he’s always on the lookout for parties, concerts and dances, especially downtown. His tastes have mellowed out since his thrasher days but he still likes a good mosh. Since the Ghidorahs don’t, though, he usually takes them out to outdoor music festivals, neighborhood parties and local band performances instead. They rarely all go out together, since their schedules and tastes can interfere with each other’s, so he can pick and choose who he takes to what.
That’s what Rodan’d prefer, at least, just going out once or twice a week to Hang Out Together, but they Ghidorahs (at least at first) keep trying to take him downtown for lavish dinners at the finest restaurants in the city… at the top of the highest building… places with years-long waitlists… and that’s so not Rodan’s scene (at least not that frequently, but he wouldn’t complain about the free food and great mixed drinks.) Once they cool down a little with the overbearing courtship, they embrace the art of co-working with their boyfriend, especially since the three are running a multinational company and have to do a lot of paperwork. Rodan comes over to their place for a few days to work on his own stuff and they all sit in the blindingly bright minimalist living room and type away and Rodan scratches everyone’s heads.
9. Oh god they’ve known each other for so long they’ve gone through too much stuff to be embarrassed hjkhj
Goji had a tantrum about having to wear braces in middle school (she did not ever wear braces, and as such, she has ‘fangs’ where her incisors didn’t grow in right). Mothra threw up in a gutter walking home after she drank too much at a house party in high school and had to strip down to her slip and Goji gave her her jacket and walked her home. It was really awkward for everyone. They broke up like 6 months later.
+ Ichi admitting he slept with Gigan one time is really high up there for him (kidding, but not really.)
The Ghidorahs are all deeply concerned about their image, so being embarrassed is their number-one fear and they avoid it strenuously.
Rodan isn’t actually embarrassed by much. He lives by the philosophy that most things in life are about as bad as you make them, so he tries not to be embarrassed by things. It’s a lesson his partners could stand to learn.
29. They have a very old-married-couple attitude, despite the tenuousness of their relationship at the moment. Now that they’re older, though, different aspects of their personality are emerging. Goji really loves kids, which Mothra never expected from her. When Mothra’s twin nieces stay over Goji always finds an excuse to visit and play with them. Even though she’s not the most smiley person, she’s protective, creative, and loves telling children about explosions and dinosaurs (their two favorite things.) Mothra melts every time.
Goji used to write Mothra off as being sort of hands-off, delicate and weak – not necessarily in a bad way, but in a that’s-what-it-is way. Goji went to parties, got into fights and had all kinds of trouble, and Mothra’s avoidance of that, her softness and her desire for peace, was interpreted as timidity and frailty. But after all the things she’s gone through Goji’s had a chance to appreciate how incredibly resilient, gritty and strong she is. When it seems like she’d be crushed or destroyed she comes back stronger, wiser and softer.
The time she stabbed Rodan was also sort of a “OH SHIT NO BABE lol that was so hot though BUT NO THAT’S OUR FRIEND”
+ After a few weeks of faking attention to spite Goji, and out of a morbid sort of interest, Ichi actually finds that he likes Rodan. He especially likes that he has no compunction about standing up to him. The two of them can have some amazing arguments; he likes the challenge. But later he also realizes how soft Rodan can be, especially when he’s scared. Once he gets to know the Ghidorahs better he’s less worried about coming off as weak and he lets himself be affectionate and apologetic and cheesy and instead of being disgusted or put off Ichi’s just like… oh lort I love this little bastard. San likes him from the beginning, but seeing him throw hands with his old friends to fight for him and his brothers. Deep down he just wants people to show up for and protect him. Ni gets used to Rodan eventually, and even though he never has the same sort of passionate romantic love for him that his brothers do, when he realizes that Rodan’s been listening to everything he monologues about – and reading outside material about Danish property laws and cotemporary architecture - he realizes how much he’s underestimated him.
Rodan realizes that he’s in love right at first; he’s been fighting against his feelings since he first found out who they were and what they did, but he can’t help it and he can’t stay away, and the dread and desire are equal. Later, after the fireworks and the drama and then long after he loses them, he searches for them elsewhere. He goes to Copenhagen and finds the house they grew up in. He reads Ichi’s favorite books and plasters his kitchen table with Ni’s building blueprints, looking for traces of him in the margins and floorplans. With Gigan’s help he gets access to San’s encrypted personal email and reads all the conversations that they had together.
They didn’t know each other for long enough to find these things out the natural way, so Rodan clutches to each scrap of information, each turn of phrase or picture or detail, preciously.
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