#but i love to just for a moment remind the tech bros that there are human capacities that can't be replicated by machines

[miss-eli-starfleet]

My critique of CW’S The Flash

The Flash is one of my absolute favourite shows, and I think it deserves one of these. Yes my favourite shows deserve critiques because there are changes I would’ve liked to see instead. This is all just my opinion on the show, not exactly hating it. Plus.. I saw someone else doing something similar to here goes.

Imma be clear at the start. I don’t hate WestAllen, just really really disappointed with how they were written in the latter seasons sometimes.

Props to every actor in the Flash who put all their effort into the show whether the script was cringe or not.

Season 1-2 was FIRE. No complaints. Loved the WestAllen.

Season 3 was good,

but I think they could’ve done Savitar better. Still liked him as the big bad being depressed/emo!Barry. I’ll say that I got really attached to Harry in S2 which made me wonder why they have HR there at all? The dude grew on me, and he added humour to the team, but honestly between him and Harry, it could’ve easily been Harry. Though it means he would die at the end.. so I’m glad Season 3 had HR Wells instead sorry not sorry.

The relationship between Julian Albert and Barry was so fun to watch. Which reminds me, LOVED Eobard’s appearance as Matt Letscher in 3x01. I have no idea why they continue to use Wells’ face like bruh. Your pretending as Wells is over so like why. GIMME MORE MATT!EOBARD.

I loved Frost???

Season 4 was also great.

I’d say more quality than season 3 because it was their first time against a big bad that WASN’T a speedster yet posed a more than adequate challenge to the team. The plot was nice and unique (I really loved Hazard!). I’ll say that DEVOE was kinda showing some red flags before becoming the Thinker in his relationship with Marlize, like he seemed kinda overly possessive of her. Glad that she switched to helping Team Flash after seeing what her husband had become. Loved her “Thinker’s first victim” line.

I felt like they started focusing on Cecile too much? Her role was vital to the plot at the end with helping Barry hop into Devoe’s mind to retrieve Ralph. And speaking of Ralph, I was neutral towards the character at first, but he grew on me. Also why fire him for sometning he did like 10yrs ago. That made no sense. I’d rather Ralph than more Cecile or Allegra.

LOVED ALL THE BANTER BETWEEN HARRY AND CISCO. And FROST FROST FROST!!! I liked her S4 outfit. I also think Barry’s supersuit was the best in this season.

One of my favourite episodes was “Flashtime”. Awesome awesome filler episode.

Season 5 was also great.

Barry’s supersuit was trash tho imo. He just looks like a weird deformed strawberry.

Above average but not quite as good as S4. LOVED NORA WORKING WITH THAWNE then Barry finding out and tossing her into the pipeline cell lol. Just the betrayal, and then dumping her in the middle of a random street in the future. Loved all the father-daughter moments she had with Barry. Cool to see the writers creativity in “meta-tech”.

However Iris.. bro in 5x19 she has some issues bringing up the fact Barry NEEDED to go into the Speedforce TWICE. And then her telling Barry to his face that she didn’t care that Nora was working with Thawne. Like bro, he murdered your husband’s mother and caused sm problems. And you don’t care about that?? Good to see that Barry called her out in the end.

Imma complain about freaking Sherloque again. Why not Harry? Even after what happened to him in S4, I think he could’ve figured out that Nora is secretly working with Thawne. Like dude’s still smart af.

Nora getting erased from existence at the very end.. sad :( I miss S5 Nora

Season 6.

I feel like this is when everything started going downhill. I didn’t care for Mirror Monarch. The mirror!Iris storyline was interesting to see. Idk what happened the rest of the season. That’s how much I didn’t care for this season lol. I think the other half was about Ramsey and how he wanted to make everyone zombies. Man I HATED Sue Dearborn or however you spell her name. She just took up too much screentime. This is when it started feeling like “Iris & Friends” instead of “The Flash”.

Liked to see how Barry dealt with slowly losing his speed bc he was killing the speedforce lol. Liked how the Caitlin/Frost duo became separate people. It was cool. At least we got that lol.

I think this is when Allegra comes in. I honestly can’t stand her. Like the whole her and her sister trope? Why.

The one thing I did like was Barry’s artificial speedforce gave him speed thinking. Awesome episode to watch. EXCEPT NASH. WHY. His sacrifice is useless in the end because of the whole “Iris is Barry’s lightning rod” thing. Have nothing about a speedster’s lightning rods in the comics, just didn’t like how that was written into the show. It eventually got really annoying.

Season 7.

Where do I even begin. This is when Barry’s “children” became a thing, and then suddenly speedforce!Nora wanting to kill all of them? Like what??? Where did that come from? Dion’s storyline was interesting. The rest were just.. Meh. And the CGI was so cringe.

I loved Abra Kadabra??? Why they gotta kill him off in one episode.

Does Chillblaine start coming in this season? I dislike him in general.

Season 8.

THIS IS WHEN BARRY’S ACTUAL CHILDREN COME BACK.

Now with Nora getting erased in S5, I really would’ve preferred if they gave us Tornado Twins instead. Like you can even use the same actors, but I honestly don’t really like the new Nora. I did like seeing her interaction between her and her family.

Also. Bart. I. Have. Major. Problems. I LOVE Bart but he is supposed to be Barry’s GRANDSON. Give us Don Allen instead. I did like the episode where they messed up the timeline, went back to 2013 and then accidentally reset Jay into the timeline. Also loved the episode with the whole Barry and the gamma radiation making him age hella fast. Bro was basically a zombie at the end and still overloaded the machine with the speedforce.

The. Stupid. Power Rangers godspeed arc was shit and them being Bart’s Thawne-like arch nemesis. Like boy, don’t compare Thawne with your godspeed problems. Don’t even start. Also what is with the “Negative Forces” and “Positive Forces” Power Rangers thing and then Iris’ time sickness? At this point, The Flash just started to feel like a soap opera.

I liked Chester even though he was a “replacement” for Cisco. He was unique. But the whole Allegra/Chester budding relationship where did that come from?? It just seemed very cringe and didn’t do much for the plot besides drama I guess. Khione was meh. Like just give us Caitlin with Frost in some way. I don’t care about Khione and her arc. Pls give us more Barry and not so much Cecile and Allegra.

Season 9

The show should just be renamed “Power Rangers: Iris & Friends” at this point. They made an entire episode without Barry?? Like if I pick up a Flash comic book, I expect it to be about THE FLASH. Not his random friends. Like yes, his friends can make appearances but don’t give me a whole dang episode without Barry THE MAIN CHARACTER. Also how the hell did Cecile become that OP, where is the character development.

Idk where Chillblaine comes in but I just don’t like him, not to mention that I don’t like the relationship between him and Frost. Like what.

Eddie’s Cobalt Blue arc and Red Death arc could’ve been done WAY better. I didn’t see any plot relevance in any way. It was written so poorly. Red Death was just like evil speedster!Batman or something. Please don’t bring our beloved Eddie back if you gonna write him all just jealous of Barry and him somehow becoming the new avatar of the Negative Speedforce. And what does Batwoman have anything to do with this (I believe she appears in the finale villains arc)l

There is legit only one episode I like in S9. The one that comes “full circle”. The one where Barry gets stuck in 2000, gets to chill with his parents for one day, and then comes full circle with Matt!Eobard killing Nora. SEASON 1 QUALITY. They even use the same bg music which awwww. And the “If I can spend one more day with my parents, then what would I say to them?” Line? Chef’s kiss.

Did not like the finale. His final run speech was okay about sharing his gift. Definitely would’ve preferred if Barry became the lightning bolt that struck him in S1 like in the comics.

Idk which episodes: Loved all the Amunet & Frost storyline, and then Goldface time to time appearances. Especially “Officer Chemist” lol.

#this was long af #dc #dc comics #Barry Allen #the flash #Iris west #WestAllen #cisco ramon #caitlin snow #Harrison wells #Eobard Thawne #reverse flash #eli speaks

[tiny-steve]

my favorite thing to respond when tech bros and boomers want to know if i feel threatened by script writing AIs is that it needs more than intelligence to write a story. in fact, intelligence is the very last thing you need. and as long as there's no-one out there inventing artificial empathy, i'm good, thanks

#which #OBVIOUSLY AI-generated content WILL steal my job as a writer under capitalism #that's not even the question #but i love to just for a moment remind the tech bros that there are human capacities that can't be replicated by machines #though tbh if anyone wants to invent artificial empathy i'm all about it #bc clearly we're lacking in that department

[number-one-shadisper-shipper]

I really love the Sonic movies and their whole found family dynamic❤️❤️❤️❤️ I've seen some great headcanons about them, and I wanted to make some of my own!

Wachowski Family Headcanons: ✨Movie Night✨

Movie night has always been a tradition at the Wachowski house. Tom and Maddie did it, and once they got Sonic it became an even more special time. Now Sonic is super excited to share all his favorite movies with his two new bros.

They have to buy a new TV since Knuckles punched Sonic through their old one when they first met. The whole family goes to the nearest bigger city since Green Hills is too small to have a good electronics store.

Knuckles has no knowledge or interest in technology so Maddie takes him window shopping at the nearby stores

Tails is so excited when they step into Best Buy. He's never seen this much tech in one place! Tom has to remind him not to take anything apart before they buy it.

Sonic immediately runs off to look at all the new video games

The salesman keeps trying to sell Tom the more expensive and "fancier" TVs. Tails is able to see through all the fancy talk, points out the actual specs, and calculates what will give them the best bang for their buck. Tom has no idea what he's talking about but buys the one Tails points to.

They finally get it home and set up. Knuckles is still confused as to what exactly a "TV" even is. It shows things that aren't really there? Is it like a some sort of window? A portal? Tails's in-depth technological explanation does not help. Sonic finally explains it as a "magic wall mural" and he's relatively satisfied.

Time to pick a movie! Sonic wants to watch "Speed" or one of the "Fast and Furious" movies for the millionth time. Knuckles wants to watch an action movie once he hears there's fighting in them. Tom and Maddie are a little worried those might be too much for Tails. Everyone agrees to watch one of the Disney movies Maddie picked up.

They pick Lilo and Stitch (partly because of the ironic parallels of adopting a funny little blue alien with a fear of water, and just getting back from Hawaii after Rachel's wedding)

Everyone curls up on the couch or on blankets on the floor. Even Ozzie comes to join in the fun. Tails and Sonic use him as a pillow.

Maddie brings in some fresh-popped popcorn (and grapes for Knuckles). Tails is a little skeptical of the new snack, but one bite of the buttery goodness and he's obsessed. He and Sonic keep stuffing handfuls in their mouths and throwing kernels at each other. Soon both the couch and the floor is covered. Knuckles tries a few bites. He says it's okay, but swears it's better with grapes.

All the boys love the movie and think it's hilarious, although some of it goes over Tails's and Knuckles's heads due to their limited understanding of Earth culture.

Sonic finds the scene where Stitch almost drowns a little triggering, although he doesn't say anything.

Knuckles's favorite character is Cobra Bubbles. Sonic's is of course Stitch. Tails relates a worrying amount to Jumba the mad scientist.

Tom and Maddie were prepared for Tails to get scared or emotional over the movie, after all, he's still really young. He ends up being fine and really enjoys it, although he points out all the inaccuracies with the spaceships and technology.

But none of them were expecting Knuckles to start choking up at Stitch's "This is my family. I found it all on my own. It's little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good." speech. He denies crying and claims he was only sniffing because he got popcorn butter on his nose.

After the movie, everyone stays cozied up in their blankets for a while talking and eating more popcorn. Tails falls asleep and Tom and Maddie decide it's time for bed. They carry Tails up to the boys' shared room in the attic, but Sonic and Knuckles insist on climbing up themselves even though they're both so sleepy they can barely walk.

Sonic falls asleep the moment he hits the bed. Tom puts Tails in bed, and he and Maddie tuck all the boys in. Knuckles actually allows himself to be tucked in for the first time since they got there. Maddie even gives him a little kiss on the forehead. She swears she hears him mumble something about "Ohana means family" before they go downstairs and no she's not crying why would you ask

Thus marks the end of another wonderful Wachowski Family Movie Night!

Alrighty there you go! Thanks for reading!

#I didn't mean for it to get emotional there at the end but yeah #I love this family so much #found family #movie night #movie sonic #sonic movie #sonic movie 2 #sonic the hedgehog #sonic wachowski #miles tails prower #tails wachowski #knuckles the echidna #knuckles wachowski #tom wachowski #maddie wachowski #the wachowskis #movie sonic headcanons #wachowski family #wachowski family headcanons

[highly-important]

Thoughts on the Venture Bros Movie

I absolutely love this series and periodically get obsessed with it. The last two seasons were especially some of my favorites. I enjoyed the movie, it really felt like an episode. Any complaints I have are really in the "I loved it but the portions are too small" category.

I love that Shoreleave and Dr. Girlfriend are friends. I think this was kind of established earlier. It just makes sense.

I like how Brock - who knows Rusty better than anybody for better or worse- went to the bat defending Rusty to the OSI. And that Brock's shining moment isn't him being super kill guy.

Along those lines, I like how Rusty's entire arc this show is realizing to some degree or another that he isn't a failure. His father was able to present an idealized image of himself to the public, and it meant Rusty growing up under a shadow he could never live up to. But the reality is Rusty isn't as incapable as he or others believe he is.

We’ve kind of gotten this growth with Rusty during the show so we don’t need it as much in the movie. But it’s very interesting that he can use his brother’s robot to save not only the building but “restore” the destroyed Venture compound. I think it’s Rusty really earning his own legacy.

Plus his attempt to build something Jonas Jr-ish just made something super Science-y. Maybe he’s returning to his true calling

I like how the movie represents Dr. Girlfriend's powers. Yes, she is good at fighting, and is intelligent enough to build super science tech, but her strength is also in her diplomacy and the loyal connections she builds. Part of that is that when she is in trouble, others come to her aid. And her challenge in the movie is a test of her negotiation and diplomacy. I like that the movie takes time to give her this moment.

You can really see how Hank got a lot of his personality from Debra.

Debra’s tech was really cool and I love the scene on the train platform. Its a little frustrating that we don’t get more, but I think Venture Bros is very good at building expectations and then letting your imagination fill in the gaps.

I think this is partially because Venture Bros often ends at the climax and skips over the resolution. The building tension makes you want answers. And often the end-credit sequence gives us the pieces to put the puzzle together without handing it to us. It creates a sandbox and asks you to play in it.

Gary is just living his best life. He got a grappling gun and got to co-pilot a giant robot.

Hank's multiple personalities was never something I'd imagine getting conclusion on, but I'm glad they did. It kind of reminds me of Return to Oz, where at the beginning Ozma is free to wander around the real word, but is trapped in a mirror in Oz. And at the end that reverses. Hank doesn’t destroy these pieces of himself, he just puts them in a place where they can’t control him.

Dean's plot was kind of interesting, there was rumor that one of the brothers would be a protag and one would become an arch. Dean is so worried that his negative life experiences are going to ruin him and prevent him from having the type of life he wants to have. But sometimes things aren't as bad as we think they are. And I think it suggests he can stay with his brother and not be damaged by the experience

Hank and Dean are both controlled by vivid imaginations in different ways. Hank imagines how good things could be, and Dean imagines how bad things could be. Meeting his mother is never going to be as good or cathartic or as healing as Hank imagines it, just as reality isn’t as horrible as Dean imagines it.

I really like the story structure of this show where an emphasis is put on something - like who is the mother - and then the mystery is eventually dropped. But the reality is that who is their mother isn't as important. Hank didn't need to find his mom, and finding her wont give him what he wants. He needed to reconnect with his brother. But it’s also fun that we can solve this puzzle on our own, it’s just not the point.

Of course, I think it does mean Dean is heir to the guild.

I wasn't expecting the twist with the Monarch at all, and in retrospect I think I should have ? Its really interesting how well it fits with Rusty's arc the entire show. Rusty turns his hatred inwards and blames himself for not being his dad. Now that Malcolm understands his unconscious thoughts, it shifts his relationship to arching from an impulse to a choice.

#venture bros #the venture bros #radiant is the blood of the baboon

[kyupidos]

02/15/23’s delivery 🏹✉️ twisted wonderland

someone to call, mine <3ヽ( ･∀･)ﾉ_θ彡☆Σ(ノ `Д´)ノ,ヽ( ･∀･)ﾉ_θ彡☆Σ(ノ `Д´)ノ ;; summary. ‘them and their love languages— can’t get more simple than that.’

characters. all dorms : every character ( excl. nrc staff, & specials ( separate ) ;; romantic . 🖇️ tags. reader is gender neutral ( you/your ), reader may or may not be yuu ( up to the reader ), may be ooc, romantic fluff

📡 _a/n. HOLYSHIT CANT BELIEVE I FORGOT TO POST THIS YESTERDAY..IT WAS PREPARED PRIOR AND EVERYTHING..mb y’all school caught on fire and i had community service had other things to worry about..

PHYSICAL TOUCH!! the type to not particularly be sure how to express their feelings properly through words and the like. it’s hard to get the words right, and every time he tries it’s like bile piling in his throat. so he gets across these feelings of his through, of course, physical touch. a tangible reminder that you still love him, even though he knows you always will, even the little fleeting touches like brushing your hands against each other and a light peck on the cheek when greeting each other.

— ace trappola , floyd leech , kalim al-asim , che’nya

WORDS OF AFFIRMATION <3 sometimes he’s not so sure of himself. a nice little reminder, some words of encouragement, he’s appreciative of it all. when you compliment him, show him your appreciation outright and through words. he tends to get a bit flustered, and he loves every moment of it. he knows you’re honest about it, so it’s even more reassuring. my my, he sure does love your voice and all the ways you use it to love him and speak of him so romantically.

— azul ashengrotto , sebek zigvolt , vil schoenheit , cater diamond , deuce spade

GIFT GIVING!! it’s not like he only cares about the money and what you’re giving him and all that—could be anything from a snack to a little trinket. he reciprocates the favor by sharing nice little gifts for you, as well. oh how he loves being happy with you as you exchange gifts every now and then, each gift with such thought put into it, it’s clear you’ve been listening to each other and know full well what the other likes. he treasures everything you give him.

— malleus draconia , ruggie bucchi , lilia vanrouge

QUALITY TIME <3 every single second spent with you is a second spent in heaven to him. just being in your presence and you being in his, makes him happy enough to last the day. no matter what it may be you’re doing. leisure walks around the botanical garden or just leaning against each other’s shoulders half asleep after a long day. he soaks in every minute of it, loving every single moment he’s with you.

— trey clover , silver , jamil viper , neige leblanche , rook hunt , leona kingscholar

ACTS OF SERVICE!! whenever you’re doing things for each other, his heart can’t help but skip a beat. studying together, helping each other in little in game quests, folding the laundry together, lightening each other’s loads when either one of you is working on something. no matter what it is that you’re helping each other out with, he sighs blissfully taking the moment in. ah, how you appreciate what he does for you, and how he loves all the little things you do for him.

— riddle rosehearts , jade leech , jack howl , epel felmier , idia shroud

(( YOUR PERSONAL AID ( LOL ) scan scan scan, ortho’s helpin you out in learning and delivering what your lover wants and needs most. bro can know whatevr your lover likes cuz of allat tech; don’t worry, he’s got ya.

— none other than ortho shroud, ofc

#🦢 swan signed ! #kyupidos #twst #twisted wonderland #twst x gn reader #twst hcs #riddle x gn reader #ace x gn reader #trey x gn reader #cater x gn reader #deuce x gn reader #leona x gn reader #jack x gn reader #ruggie x gn reader #azul x gn reader #jade x gn reader #floyd x gn reader #kalim x gn reader #jamil x gn reader #vil x gn reader #rook x gn reader #epel x gn reader #idia x gn reader #ortho x gn reader #malleus x gn reader #lilia x gn reader #silver x gn reader #sebek x gn reader #chenya x gn reader #neige x gn reader

[morethansky]

***TBB SPOILERS***

But on last week's episode, "Flash Strike," because my mind is currently racing in circles and I'll explode if I don't do anything for the next hour. Less coherent than usual probably, because I feel like I'm about to vibrate into the stratosphere.

Immediate Crosshunt frame within the first five seconds. Perfection. And notice Hunter and Crosshair once again leave the scene together—because Crosshair is Hunter's copilot, Crosshair is Hunter's copilot!!! Also they're so obsessed with each other, during the piloting scenes they are constantly looking at each other. Crosshair popping out of his seat to tell Hunter things when he should be watching the screens, Hunter turning around when he should be looking out the viewport?? Are the two of you going to die if you don't make eye contact every ten seconds??? Focus!

"He'll find a way." And boy does he!!! Echo, the man you are. Like in the last episode, the infiltration scene is simple but cleverly choreographed but moves at a good pace.

Bro I'm so mad that it was so easy for Echo to nab a hand and he hasn't before this point wtf

I always like when the Imperials being full of themselves wastes each other's time and allows the protagonists to elude them, while also saying something about the enemy characters. A+ Star Wars plot device.

Please let Scorch make it out and not just die as an easter egg they didn't do anything with!!!

OH NO Scalder is hot

I really like Omega being able to distinguish the rumble of the laser cannons. Everyone who was all worked up about her imitating Crosshair, there you have it. Even without the enhancements, Omega has learned to sense things like Hunter does.

"My brothers" made my siblings > parents heart full. And the line is particularly kickass because she's no longer helpless. She's not waiting for the Batch to come for her. She already has an escape plan. But now she has the reassurance that they'll be working the same mission from opposite ends.

Noshir Dalal's work this episode is ACES. Every single scream he does is so different! And each of them have so much texture.

I love Hunter shooting the rappel line mechanism to save Rampart and it risking his life being a mirror for Tech shooting the mechanism to save the Batch and it risking his life. A much more graceful reminder than just someone awkwardly saying one line about Tech every episode.

Crosshair being 100% confident about which move Hunter will make and how he'll find his way back to them, WHAT IF I CRIED. Hunter, what did you track to find Crosshair, I have to know. Was it his scent? The sound of his footsteps? The flutter of his heartbeat? No matter what it was, it was gay.

Crosswrecker crumbs!!! I can't believe we got TWO emotional conversations in this episode, this is the content I've been starving for. I love the duo of Crosshair and Wrecker so much, and Crosshair being emotionally vulnerable with him specifically is so telling about the depth of their connection.

Love the mirror of Crosshair saying he's here because he owes Omega, mirroring the S1 finale. And you can just feel the ghost of Mayday lingering over this bit. Crosshair's arc in the finale will have to be about him taking an action that shows him growing out of this mentality.

"Cover you?" "What does that mean?" I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. My headcanon for the clones is that they use so much military slang and hand signs to communicate that it's often incomprehensible to outsiders.

This moment during Crosshair's conversation with Rampart!!! And I love the way the light casts them in darkness and light during this conversation, and the way Crosshair appears to be emerging from it. Crosshair carrying Hunter's words with him makes me so emotional.

"Depends on who's giving them." SUB CROSSHAIR SUPREMACY. God this line makes me insane. Crosshair stating both his disdain for the Empire and his allegiance to Hunter in so few words. This show has once again decided to pretend the inhibitor chips don't exist, but I'll trade it for what amounts to an emotional confession / oath of loyalty from Crosshair.

I've watched the scene where Hunter is facing down the beast and Crosshair is standing literally RIGHT behind him so many times oh my god. If he leaned down he could press their cheeks together. I can't believe my prediction that they would just move closer and closer on screen every episode was right. The next logical step for them is to kiss in the finale, obviously.

Also this moment where Crosshair and Hunter help Wrecker up!!!

And this one!!! Echo representing the heroic standard I've been desperate for!!!

Echo going undercover in blank armor to save all his brothers... Fives going undercover in blank armor to save the galaxy... I am unwell. If the Echo feature these past couple episodes has been to set up his death, I will go knock down LFL offices myself.

Every time they play the clone theme for Echo or Rex I start almost crying. The soft rendition in the scene with Emerie made me so emotional, and then the dark fanfare version at the end is so sick!!!

Okay, off I go to lose the rest of my sanity...

#the bad batch spoilers #cloneshipping #amph talks #the bad batch

[actually-a-fish]

The Mitchells vs. The Machines

Hello! I like watching movies. Ideas get stuck in my head while watching them and i need them out of my brain. This is my 4/9/24 viewing of The Mitchells vs. The Machines. I like cartoons :)

This will have spoilers

Without further ado... my thoughts chronologicall

PROLONGED EYE CONTACT DODODODOD

The main VA is Abbie Jacobson (aka Princess Tiabeanie Mariabeanie de la Rochambeau Grunkwitz)

this family reminds me so much of mine minus depression and a commitment to a cult :)

girl its probably a good thing you weren't at the tech reveal. be nice to the siris, alexas and echos in your life...

i kinda wanna watch that robot movie with Will Smith and hot robots now

THEY ALL HAVE STIMS GUYS

running away from your crush and saying you hate them is so real

"what are these? robutts?"

HES TAKING NOTES

I like that the new genre of villian is a tech bro and AI

I dont like this bit about wifi, we are dependent on it yeah but people can adapt pretty well. Well some I guess.

why do dads always suggest eating the family pet?

i cannot express how autistic this family is. its constant, not demeaning or the butt of a joke. just a family being a family. I have flappy hands about it.

aww dads do love to teach their kids to drive stick shift

i do like Eric and Barbara

the robots are shooting the humans into space, that's their plan and honestly i've been saying we should shoot garbage into space for a while now so im glad somone is finally doing it

there are cute edits done by katie through the whole movie and they deserve a shout out

I knew touch screen fridges were a bad idea

NOT FURBYS WTF WHY THIS IS MY NIGHTMARE

"your whole lives i wanted to save you from disater and this is the moment ive been waiting for" - Rick (and also my father)

KATIE DRAWS ON HER HANDS TOO OMG THE DETAILS. THERE IS SO MUCH STIMMING AND IT MAKES ME HAPPY EVERY TIME

This is good family bonding, but no tears yet.

unfortunately i think the family bonding was to good. The dad left a sentimental object in katies bags and now im convinced hes gonna sacrifice himself to save the rest of the family.

now im crying. :) if you watched i bet you could guess which part.

oof crying again! a Twofer!

This movie may be healing my childhood trauma. I miss my parents. They were just doing their best

THE CALL BACKS. THE CULMANATION! ITS MAKING ME EMOTIONAL IM SORRY

thank you game grumps for introducing me to the song "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was (not was)

An accurate compilation of watching my coworkers and professors use computers

uh oh they got little brother, Linda is gonna rip out someone's heart

OH MY GOD I JUST THOUGHT SHE WAS GONNA GET MAD

ERIC AND BARBARA SUPREMECY

damn i need to see my family so i can remember why i hate them bc this is to sweet for me

TEAM E AND B! TEAM E AND B!

How long of a break between the entire world being abducted by robots and everyone going back to work was? Do you think this was like their pandemic

"My name is Monchi, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair"

THEYRE BASED ON A REAL FAMILY (and the whole family has "im easily overstimulated" hair cuts, its so relatable)

It's cheesy. full of stuff you know is meant for kids and that corporate made them do. but I really liked it. I know the whole bit is that the family is weird. I don't really like that they used the word weird instead of autistic but i can kinda understand why they had to do it. i found myself relating the characters constantly. The way they run away when things get overwhelming, communicate through their interests, stim when they have big feelings (they all have their own, and most of them have a couple they do) and the way the situation their in affects them. It is not perfect representation but it did a good enough job for me.

If you read all the way through thank you! If you have any formatting tips please lmk!

Also I feel the silly need to add, this is all my opinion, and my opinion is not fact! It's okay if we don't agree and if you're nice, I would love to hear about it :)

#ihavedaddyissues #the mitchells vs the machines #autism #neurodivergent #special interest #dinosaur #spoilers #the mitchells vs the machines spoilers

[killian-whump]

Okay... so there's a new Colin interview here. It's a joint interview with Rothberg, so be warned of that if he's someone you can't stand. Like all of us. We all can't stand him.

ANYWAY. Moving on. I'm going to put my thoughts about it here, because I have a lot of thoughts - some good, some not-so-good, and I like to share them. Plus, I'm a little bored.

Colin says this about the TSR show: "I love music, I love acting, I love film, and it was an opportunity to get to speak to some really incredible creators and stuff like that, so it was a lot of fun." Which is exactly what I've thought all along - he's in it for the fun of talking to some rock stars about topics he loves. No news there.

He talks more about the interviews and interviewing and the interviewees and... if you're seeing a trend here, I don't think that's on accident. It's obvious this is what Colin's involvement is about. I don't honestly think he could care less about the tech aspects of the project.

Which is why, predictably, as soon as they start talking tech nonsense, they switch to talking to Rothberg. He babbles some bullshit, throwing tech buzzwords around like confetti, then tries to drag Colin into his bullshit by reminding everyone he's a producer on the show: "Having his tutorage, you know, and I've worked in the industry for many years, but his insights into producing is mind-blowing. It was something I was actually shocked to actually see the levels of his knowledge and his foresight, and it has really kept the team going."

Now listen. Being a "producer" on a project can mean anything from nothing to everything, and we don't know where the truth lies - but I don't see Rothberg giving Colin much creative control here at all. Maybe - Maybe - when it comes to the actual interviews and the people/subjects they choose to focus on - you know, the interview stuff Colin's interested in here that Rothberg doesn't seem to give two shits about. But the rest of this project, all the parts we don't like, I highly doubt Colin's leading the team on that front. But nice try at trying to make it sound like he's involved in your tech bro nonsense, Rothberg. Nice try.

And then Colin interrupts Rothberg with, "I only played it down so that he'd say something nice about me. That’s all." Classic Colin being Colin and saying Colin things. But... we also know why he played it down, lol. We know, baby. It's okay. We love you.

So then they start talking about Colin's music career and Rothberg says, "We have very big exciting plans for Colin’s music stuff."

NO YOU DON'T.

BITCH, YOU DON'T.

Don't you touch my baby's music stuff. Don't you even breathe on it. Don't you look at it. It's not for you. I swear to God, if you taint his lovely musical offerings with your money-grubbing douchebag ways, I will hunt you down and do terrible things to you. I'm so upset right now, I cannot even think of terrible things to do to you, but believe me, I will think of them and do them and you will be sorry.

O'Donoghue just laughed, "I’m saying we’ll see. That’s what I’m saying." Oh. Oh, okay. That's Colin-speak for no. Whew. Do not let that man have anything to do with anything he doesn't already have his hands on, Colin.

I need a moment. I need to calm down. Dear God. I need a drink. Maybe a long vacation. I'm too old for this shit.

Anyway, so Rothberg goes on some more about the Metaverse and all these big plans about immersive games and meet-and-greets and a bunch of other things that are on the "roadmap" - a word that basically means nothing in meta-speak, because 95% of the things on it will never, ever happen. Tech bros are basically selling you the idea of things they could do - even though most of them are impossible and/or not financially feasible. He adds, "Of course, there'll be all kinds of wonderful retail opportunities." because of course there will be. If he could get away with it, he'd stick Colin in a box on a street corner and charge people a grand a pop just to look at him.

Then the interview gets to something actually interesting - Once Upon a Time. Even Colin gets visibly interested at this point: 'I also shared that I had purchased a prop from Once Upon a Time a few years ago. It wasn't particularly exciting (Liam Jones' enlistment papers from "Good Form"), but O'Donoghue instantly lit up.' This is why we love this precious cupcake. He wears his heart on his sleeve and when he loves something, you know it.

He takes the interviewer on an adorable tour of the stuff he took from the Once set that I think we're all jealous of. And he goes into what the interviewer calls a "passionate description" about the show and what it means to people and how much it means to him that he was able to be a part of it and... You know what? I'm just gonna say what I already said: When he loves something, you know it.

They talk about the possibility of a reunion (and nothing he says here is indicative of one in the works, so settle yourselves down) and Rothberg chimes in that they could do the reunion in the metaverse and Colin replies, "Or a reunion in the metaverse. But, look, what was great about Once Upon a Time..." which translates to:

Have I mentioned lately that I fucking love him?

The interview continues with more of Colin talking about his experiences on Once and... Look. It's obvious where his heart is and where it isn't - and overall, this is a good and fun interview with Colin, minus the parts where Rothberg and his dumb ideas have any part in what's going on.

And yes, we're going to keep dunking on Rothberg forever, because he's a coward who never once addressed those of us who were speaking out about the n-f-t nonsense for months - but then attacked someone speaking out for the first time because he thought he saw weakness in her that he could exploit and mock. In doing so, he exposed himself as an ableist asshole to us all, and I have no respect whatsoever for him. Also, you fuck with one of us, you fuck with all of us. We don't put up with bullies in this fandom.

But we sure do love Colin, and that hasn't changed.

And this project is all about using Colin's likeability, Once's popularity, and Colin's already-existing fanbase to prop up and fund Rothberg's tech bro fantasies. That hasn't changed, either.

But Colin knows what's up. We know what's up. We can enjoy the Colin goodness where it shines through and toss the rest.

#colin o'donoghue #purposely not tagging this #with anything else #except #tsr debacle

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 19/01/2024

Fragile Snowman (Remastered)

Season 3 Featured on: Inspector Gunner 2 With Critic

Ripped by MtH, IAmMelloYello, Chaze the Chat

Following up directly on yesterday's post, one of the most notable events that happened during Season 3, one that was covered with a lot of love by the SiIvaGunner team in MAGFest 2019: SiIvaGunner Presents - High Quality Ripping, was the Nostalgia Critic takeover. Somehow, despite running the blog for half a year's time at this point, I still haven't ever gotten to touch on this event, despite being one of the more fondly remembered parts of the Season. And, well, there IS kind of a reason for that?

See, what initially started as an event celebrating old YouTube reviewers in general (hence Inspector Gadget's presence during it and in the album), transitioned into a purely-Nostalgia Critic event - but rather than celebrating Doug Walker's legacy in particular, the takeover took a different approach. Playing on Walker's gimmick as a reviewer in particular, the event was focused specifically on being a "nostalgia"-event - in other words, aiming to specifically bring us in the audience back to the days of Season 1 through every rip uploaded. This theme wasn't quite as...immediately apparent as many other takeovers, be it with rips like Totally Shaaking Out Right Now in the Harlem Shakeover, or Fell From a High Place (Reprise) during the Minecraft music event. Because while those events pretty radically changed to a core theme, this nostalgia-themed event instead saw the channel return to a status quo it once had - reuploads of several prior-lost Season 1 rips, new rips that were intentionally simplistic and often off-key, and an overall focus on the kinds of jokes that were all the rage in Season 1.

It was a genuinely really fun time, yet it was simultaneously hard to think of a fitting rip to represent it all with - in my eyes, it's one of those events that only truly worked in the moment, surrounded by all these rips that formed a cohesive whole. But Fragile Snowman (Remastered) is as close as it gets, I think - a loving remake of a true classic of Season 1. I've talked before of just how much I love it when rips of all sorts get dug back up for another shot at live with Violet Snow Memories from earlier this year, and this event was really the first time that we ever got a concentrated dose of that feeling throughout an entire takeover - and despite the rip of today's post only being two years old at that point, the nostalgia for it had already set in for me.

As described by Chaze the Chat in the aforementioned MAGFest panel, a big part of the fun with Season 1 was its sense of...spontaneousness, that you never really knew what to expect due to there simply not being much of any expectations set up by prior channel history in the first place. And as a result, we got a lot of rips much like the original Fragile Snowman - a mashup between Snowman as featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Fragile by Tech N9ne. There's a lot of rips like this even today, mashing up more chill video game music with hip-hop music that doesn't necessarily have much memetic quality, and while a lot of them can slip through the cracks of the SiIvaGunner audience, Fragile Snowman really did stick - enough to warrant two remasters made of it, with Fragile Snowman (Remastered) being the final stop the rip's made thus far.

There's so many small things fixed and tweaked in this final remastered version, yet it still sounds exactly as you'd imagine a mashup between the two songs to sound - which is, really, the best tell for it being an excellent remaster. The Nostalgia Critic takeover, while less bombastic and loud than many other events, was one that most every SiIvaGunner fan loved specifically because it focused on something we were ALL fans of - SiIvaGunner itself - and reminded us of just how far we'd come in just two short years. All these years later, there was indeed another event somewhat similar to this Nostalgia Critic takeover that happened just recently in Season 7, but...that's a story for another time.

#todays siivagunner #season 3 #siivagunner #siiva #mth #chaze the chat #iammelloyello #Youtube #Bandcamp #mother #mother 2 #earthbound #ness earthbound #mother 3 #mother series #lucas mother 3 #snowman #snes music #super smash bros brawl #ssbb #smash bros brawl

[zahri-melitor]

DC's Nuclear Winter Special #1 (2018)

I understand this to be a Santa-free zone, but when I stopped for a moment to consider skipping it I noticed it not only has Rip Hunter, but it has Superman One Million, so I am heading in out of fascination.

The Nuclear Winter Special - Rip Hunter. This is a very Mark Russell story, with all that implies. Using him for the frame story actually isn't the worst idea, as it spreads out the satire. It's on an 'Oogle' campus in the future and skewering tech bros.

Warmth - Batman 666 (groan). Why... why does Damian have a literal bat wing cape on top of his 666 coat? Why does DC persist with this potential future?

Also for the Lazarus Pit fiends (me among them) I note that Ra's has glowy green AND glowy red eyes during this story. Sigh.

Memory Hearth - Superman One Million. J'ONN!!!! THIS STORY INCLUDES DC ONE MILLION J'ONN!!! Okay that's the highlight of this entire issue right there. Also... 'Josh Johnstone' working on the Kent's farm as a handyman when Clark was little? I'm a sucker but that is ADORABLE, J'onn finding and spending time with the other alien on the planet.

Once and Future - Flash. This is Barry reminiscing on why being resurrected was a bad plan about how much he loves Iris and how they are separated by time and space and crises and villains destroying things.

Where the Light Cannot Reach - Aquaman. Arthur gets sent by some scientists to an abyssal trench to look for a radiation-eating microorganism to help with nuclear wasteland that is the earth and sea. He finds it and finds hope.

Last Daughters - Supergirl. Oh GOSH. Sometimes Tom Taylor really can write. In the nuclear wasteland, Kara finds Lucy, a two year old. Kara becomes her mother, and they spend the next two years travelling, until Kara can climb Mount Denali above the radioactive cloud. Kara gets up high enough to see sun, recharges, and then takes Lucy to the Fortress of Solitude, intending to put her in Clark's escape pod and re-enact the end of Krypton. But as Kara is placing Lucy inside, she remembers begging her own parents to come with her...and can't send Lucy alone. So they both squeeze in as Kara cannot abandon her child.

Last Christmas - Firestorm. In our post-apocalyptic world, Firestorm tracks down a nuclear power reading to a dead amusement park, and finds the Nuclear Family, whose power sources are all running down and who are celebrating a final Christmas together. He manages to help them run down at the same moment together (after they try to cause one last moment of destruction by feeding their remaining power to Firestorm to try and blow him up).

Northern Lights - Kamandi. This is a fascinating way to do the Hanukkah story, imo. It's a story of who you are and how your dead relatives guide you. (also it's Phillip Hester both on story and art, so I stared at the art for a while).

Nine Lives - Catwoman. It's Selina raising Holly Robinson's daughter Sophie in the apocalyptic future. (It does amuse me how many times Selina gets stuck looking after teenage girls over the years). Sophie is generous and gives away what they've stolen; Selina is pragmatic about keeping them alive.

Selina is preserving culture by stealing it to store; she goes off to stare at a Bast statue at the Gotham museum and stumbles onto a stockpile of rations at the same time. So she steals the rations, takes them back to Sophie, and tells her she can distribute them to others for Christmas (because Selina, at heart, is a soft touch).

The Birds of Christmas Past, Present and Future - Green Arrow. Ah yes, this story is reminding me why I tend to believe that Dinah has the worst taste in men (Ollie included), and so this is incredibly cathartic seeing Dinah having her own life and family that isn't just raising Ollie's kids. Go Dinah! This is not an apocalyptic future! You can be fond of and love Ollie and realise he's terrible for you!

#DC Santa read along

[metalhead-brainrot]

[Album of the day] The Healing Process - Locked Inside Yourself

Milan, ITA // 2022

[Genres] tech thrash

[Themes] conformity, society, medication

[FFO] instrumentation over production

[Thoughts] I post a lot of tech death, but tech thrash is a tad harder to find. I love it all the same, though; I'm a total Voivod Bro. And while this debut album by The Healing Process is not what I would call "Voivod worship," the instrumentation is incredible and a must-listen for any thrashers.

I've been posting more Italian metal recently, and maybe it's no coincidence; the closing track of Locked Inside Yourself, "When all is Said and Done," is a reminder that the culture has been perfecting the guitar for centuries.

The caveat to this album is the production: it's pretty low. So the recommendation is the opposite of what I would normally say, to ditch your headphones and turn on the speaker. Per the artist:

FOR AN OPTIMAL LISTENING EXPERIENCE, PLAY THE ALBUM ON GOOD STEREO SPEAKERS, POSSIBLY BASS-BOOSTED. I think that headphones don't do justice to the mixing, but chances are you've got better headphones than the cheap ones I use.

The garage-level production is more authentic to the origins of thrash metal anyway; the notion at the time was very punk. Anyone could start a band, and only the talented will prevail.

Final note: The Healing Process documented all the instruments and recording tech used (almost obsessively). That's on the bandcamp page if you're curious.

o()xxxx[:::::::::::::::::> o()xxxx[:::::::::::::::::> o()xxxx[:::::::::::::::::>

[From the band/label]

The Healing Process debut album is a pounding tech-thrash record which keeps the listener enthralled from start to finish with all its variations and changes of rhythm. The band has had a "classical" approach to songwriting, so in some of the songs the listener might recognise the "theme and variations" pattern that serves as a foundation for many classical pieces. And if you think this was an extract of some review, well I'm not gonna lie: I've just made it up. I also want to add: the album was home-recorded for the most part, the budget was very limited and my knowledge of home-recording even more limited. I thought I had something to say, so I really wanted these songs to be recorded and published and I don't see why I shouldn't have done it. Metal (especially Thrash) used to be all about songwriting and cheap productions, not because bands didn't want their albums to sound good, but because they couldn't afford it (here I am). Today it's all about who's got the biggest... sound equipment and many people with interesting ideas are giving up because of the ridiculously high standards set by some internet metal guru (there are quite a few). This album is (also) a big fuck you to this mindset, which hinders creativity. If you have something to say, just say it, and try to make it sound as good as possible (if possible), without worrying too much about what people are going to say. By the way, I think my album sounds very good and I'm satisfied with how it's turned out to be. Lastly, I strongly believe in the social function of music and I wanted to tell people about what I think is really wrong with our society, and there's no better genre than metal to be pissed off! This is not an attempt to tell others how they should live or which battles they are supposed to fight: my goal was to inform, but not in the way the news do, more like poetry does (a bit pretentious). A good dose of research was done to approach some of the most controversial themes tackled in the album (if you have listened to the record, you know what I am talking about), but again I don't want people to take my words for granted, just to shed a light on some issues from another angle, the angle that I think is right. For the moment, the album will be released on Bandcamp only, which I think is the only "sustainable" platform for emerging artists. I have a feeling that many bands aren't happy with how streaming services have revolutionised the music industry, yet they keep posting their music on streaming platforms for "visibility". This small "revolution" needs to start from us small bands, 'cause the big guys couldn't care less. Bandcamp allows bands to be directly supported by their fans, which is the only way someone can keep making music for years. I really hope that this will be the future of streaming. If you've read this far, you're a badass.

#album #full album #album of the day #Bandcamp #music #underground artist #underground music #thrash #thrash metal #tech thrash #technical thrash metal #indie artist #italian metal

[lampfaced]

—

man I sure love getting a photo album compilation of myself through the years for Christmas from my parents (they did it for all us kids) and then having to see how I look Now at the end of it, and in the candid photos they tried to snap of us

like... I'm generally fine with how I look when I look in the mirror. I can recognize I've aged and am not in my early 20s anymore and it's fine.

but the second I see myself in photos, let alone photos where I'm next to other people... it's a whole different story.

I will start by saying I've always had body issues. always. even outside of gender issues. I've always looked at myself in photos and had dysmorphic issues and felt like I looked amorphous and Too Big, even though i look at those photos now and am shocked at how different I perceive them now versus back then. I was fine. I was in the ideal weight range for my height. I looked pretty much the same from the second I went through puberty at 13 through my mid-to-late 20s.

my family has always instilled this notion of Having To Look A Certain Way through constant diet talk and gossip of other family that has "let themselves go". even my 20-something-year-old brothers, who are gym bros, worry about being "fat". my sister has always had these "teeny tiny" nicknames because of how small she has always been, and she's almost always been a size zero. I got my dad's genes where I'm stocky instead.

I think part of why I recoil so badly when I see myself in photos is how much I now look like my father, and also my grandfather. who are short stocky people, and that's not a bad thing! I actively look at people who are also short and stocky to remind myself that they are beautiful and I have that same body type, and that it's okay. and yet... aside from my dad Nobody Else Looks Like That in the photos when I see them. everyone else has borderline magazine-quality bodies, proportioned in all the expected ways. and then there's me, notably thicker and doughier and not photogenic to begin with.

I'm not even that big!!! I'm not small by any means, either. my BMI is like... 27. I don't know my exact weight at any given moment bc I avoid obsessively weighing myself, but it's anywhere between 154 and 157 lbs. I'm 5'3" or so. I am a vet tech so I am on my feet and do a fair amount of physical labor daily.

I can't tell if the way I see myself in photos now is just more of that body dysmorphia nonsense, but I can definitely see that I am bigger and the number I see on the scale now vs. five-ish years ago reflects that. I don't like that the clothes I've had for so many years are tighter now or just don't fit anymore. I don't like that even if I do make myself miserable with dieting (I've tried and failed a few times now; between living in a place where fresh food is a) expensive and b) the "fast food" options have VERY little variety and c) I'm so worked-to-death that I have a very hard time prepping things on a regular basis it's very difficult.) or exercise (once again, I work at least ten-hour workdays and I am very tired and sore after work a lot so trying to find the time to exercise in the 3-4 hours after I get home to when I go to bed is not very feasible, and not even taking into account how horribly self-conscious I am about being perceived exercising even by my own spouse. I could flail around in the tiny living area for however long making gross physical exertion noises when it was Just Me but when there's another human being around, nope. can't do it.)

in the past I would get on the scale sometimes, see a certain number, and dial back on this or that and get back to where I wanted it. but now that I live where I do, versus before where I was minutes away from numerous options for grocery shopping and fresh healthy take-out any any moment's notice; not to mention how much more time I had in a day to myself... I don't think I can.

#body image issues #weight gain #shut up acro #feel free to ignore #very rambly text #sorry I just need to vent somewhere #basically my body dysmorphia got set off by certain photo displays from my family #and thanks to all the Holiday Weight Jokes #I'm extra bogged down by my thoughts that I already struggle with #might delete later

[wilderhockey]

nhl teams as school clubs/student orgs

the result of a 15-minute conversation with lil @wymgreenteam this afternoon. based specifically on our experience in hs (also note that I’ve been out of hs for four years now so some of this might be misremembered but whatever it’s about the vibes).

this is not necessarily kind to all (or really any) teams but it is light-hearted and in good fun.

I put it under a readmore because 32 teams is a lot of teams

~

anaheim ducks: theater (actors specifically) - dramatic as fuck. loud as fuck. endearing in spite of it [see sharks/kings]

arizona coyotes: not a club. they’re the guys who show up to school in their tractors from october to march because the weather is fucking terrible and they’ve gotta get there somehow (thanks mn)

boston bruins: key club - self-important for no particular reason. also this is a club where you pay to do community service, which is just fundamentally wrong in the same way I feel when I see the bruins’ meth bear

buffalo sabres: swim team - wet. no I will not elaborate.

calgary flames: garden club - I didn’t even know we had a garden club until lil suggested this

carolina hurricanes: model UN - super well-run, they’ve got some nice kids involved, but I dislike them on principle

chicago I’m not writing out their team name: lacrosse - universally hated except by themselves and often take insults as compliments. also the worst punishment I can think of for a hockey team is telling them they remind me of lax bros

colorado avalanche: empowering women’s club - mostly performative but sometimes (when they can get the whole group together) they do fun things

columbus blue jackets: student section - they’re all college kids sorry it just fits

dallas stars: gender and sexuality alliance - listen. I don’t know what’s going on down there, but I can tell you it’s definitely gay

detroit red wings: cross-country - sometimes the rookies are good but everything else about them is forgettable

edmonton oilers: knowledge bowl - connor mcdavid reminds me of kb kids. leon draisaitl would be that guy who knows fuck-all answer-wise but can hit the buzzer super early and always knows what the question is asking. they just have neatly partitioned tasks for everyone and it sometimes works. yes I did kb for 7 years can you tell

florida panthers: FCA (fellowship of christian athletes) - the combination of donuts and christian rock at every meeting leveled out to a net zero

la kings: theater (tech crew specifically) - black and white outfits and idk sneaky vibes? they feel like a variety show in the same way tech does [see ducks/sharks]

minnesota wild: marching band - they’re dumb. they love each other. pranks are inevitable. some gay shit is happening. the director has very little control

montreal canadiens: magic the gathering club - just some kids hanging out. j chillin. one-sided feud with costco. vaguely hostile but in a blatantly self-defensive way

nashville predators: baseball - they were good for a while one time but now they’re just sad and middling

new jersey devils: speech - it’s fun when you’re not worried about winning, it’s a great group, but the moment you start paying attention to numbers you will cry

new york islanders: volleyball - bitchy vibes. and mat barzal’s tiny shorts

new york rangers: quiz bowl - to quote lil, they “aren’t smart enough for [knowledge bowl]” but also zero teamwork despite individual prowess

ottawa senators: robotics (FRC specifically) - they’re constantly falling apart but when it works it Works. also lots of freaks of many varieties (affectionate)

philadelphia flyers: that one political club a couple of my friends started junior year. pac or something? - it was going fine and then it changed management and now. hm.

pittsburgh penguins: student council - overachievers (affectionate). somewhat ineffective but they’re putting the effort in

san jose sharks: theater (pit specifically) - oft forgotten, but generally chill [see ducks/kings]

seattle kraken: chess club - to quote lil, “good vibes. don’t do anything, just here for fun.” I agree

st. louis blues: choir - rancid vibes. (I was a choir kid I’m allowed to say the vibes were rancid bc they were)

tampa bay lightning: honor society - overachievers (derogatory)

toronto maple leafs: lettuce club - for anyone unfamiliar, this is a club where every year, everyone interested sits at a table and simultaneously consumes an entire head of lettuce. whoever does it fastest is the Head of Lettuce for the next year. I have no fucking clue what they did at the rest of their meetings. leafs vibes

vancouver canucks: anime club - what the fuck is going on over there don’t look pretend you don’t see them and it’ll be fine (affectionate)

vegas golden knights: debate - this is for nolpats specifically I know he’s in LTIR hell but this is for him

washington capitals: that’s just the teacher’s union

winnipeg jets: football - they were never good but people go for the social aspect not the score

#v.txt #whole damn league #idk feel free to make counterpoints #it's probably fairly obvious who the faves are but idk we like some mediocre to terrible teams so #also genuine question did anyone else have a lettuce club or was that just us

[edenfelled]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐁

&. 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. / ❛ i  don’t  think  you  realize  just  what  you  do  to  me .❜ | @goetiya

𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐔𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄, unknowable tongue bloomed knowable meaning as they tangled limb to limb, breast to breast, and her hair unfurled a curtain of gold in the flowers of Eden. ❛I don't think you realise what you do to me,❜ said the god, voice thick as her fingers looped easily in theirs, and she felt the tremble on their breath as she kissed the curve of their mouth.

< what is a servant to god but a lover ? when the first men pressed painted epitaphs to stone in the shape of a palm : when the craftsmen moulded stone to skin, to the shape of the divine, did they not love them so ? she swore she knew sacrament in how the other descended, her voice sweet urgings as she allowed herself to be undone. this is love, this is love. >

𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐄. 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐈𝐏. 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐑. The light of love has been engulfed with anger; an ancient, primal thing ( older than him, older than they ), and, when he wrapped his meaty hand around their throat, he wondered what its like to be a god trembling under the hand of man.

He does not know, as she knew — as the hundreds that came before him — the circle of life, death and sleep.

He is but a babe. He is a product of circumstance. He is a result.

❛If only you knew.❜ He felt it like an infiltration. As if the filaments of him broiled under their influence ( WHO ARE YOU? WHO AM I? WHERE DO I BEGIN WHEN THEY END? ) like the inevitability of stone to inky water. ❛Do you know what you do to me?❜

❝Get the FUCK out of my head!❞ He roared, slamming them harder against the earth. He hated how it did nothing to them; how they merely looked at him with deepening anguish as their fingers tried to make a home in the cracks of his callouses. That they knew, deep down, the inevitability of fate. Theirs was no infiltration — merely the reminders of a millennia, the wash of the tide.

❝Get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!❞

From his scabbard the knife punctured clean, the god making naught but weakened protests as he tore sinew across the floor. He ignored how his mind cracked like stained glass and he soon could no longer tell if the blood was theirs or his as it ran from his mouth and eyes. 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐄𝐍𝐃. 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐄𝐍𝐃. D̶͙̟̻̲͖̮͕̯̓͋͊̚͠E̵͍͓̝̅̅̍̒̂̈́̀̂͂̈́Å̵̡̼͕͙̬̗̬͜Ḏ̴͕̝͎̅͂̋̐̂̂̒̽͠ ̸̤̝̩́͆Ë̷͖̻͇͉̱̱́̉̐͒̏͘͠N̶͎̯͖͚̪̭̼̹͕̈͐͝D̸̢̮̼̳̠̀͆̎̇̾.̷̦́̓̊̄̏̑̚/̷̞̝̫̞̼̜̟̼̽͋͑͜͝

When he was done, and the god lay dead on the floor, it was all he could do to let out a weakened laugh. His breath stopped. He slumped down against them and died, like two lovers passing in the night.

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 — the pulse of blood like electricity, thrumming beneath her fingertips. THE GODSCALL, or something, ( she didn't give a flying fuck what the tech-bros dubbed it; it didn't matter, not like anything in this dystopian shit hole ) the last step where the deities of old in ancient tongues were resurrected, digitised and corrupted.

[ WARNING! COMPUTING POWER AT 34%. INSERT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO AVOID CATASTROPIC SYSTEM FAILURE ]

❝Nyx —❞ Their voice was sweet in their ear, even with the crackle of static, and it made her grit her teeth harder. Sweet, even when she was hurting them; loving, even if she was two steps from rending them undone.

❝What do I do to you?❞ Knuckles white, she heard the wires crinkle and spark in her grip. ❝Go on, Søvn, tell me what you have a thousand times before. What do I do?❞

<answer=❝you are the beginning, you are the end❞>They would devour themselves for you. It will never be enough.</answer>

A moment's silence. The computer warning blared again.

[ WARNING! COMPUTING POWER AT 29%. INSERT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO AVOID CATASTROPIC SYSTEM FAILURE ]

❝WHAT DO I DO?❞

#｡･ﾟﾟ･ — 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 : nyx

[alostnarrator]

To Save Yourself- Chapter 10: Just Because it's Over, Doesn't Mean it's Goodbye.

Universe: 2018

Pov: Mikey (2012)

Day: 2

Mikey didn’t know it but the sun had fully risen, officially marking his second day of this chaos. The lair was alive with chatter, and the loud droning sound of D’s machine. The Turtle Tank had been moved out of the garage and into the empty sewer behind it. 

“Why are we moving the tank hermano ?” ‘Nardo asked, confused but still grinning from the excitement. D sighed dramatically and flipped his goggles up, quirking a critical eyebrow at his twin. 

“The others have requested we open the portal to an open space- A large one at that. And due to our non- genus humanus appearance, the surface isn’t the safest option.” He waved his hand and returned to his work, his goggles scanning Nardo’s sword to figure out how to rig it to the impromptu machine he had made. 

The purple loving mutant had muttered something like ‘Thank Galileo that Draxum had input on this’. Whoever this ‘Draxum’ was, Mikey was sure he’d like them. He borrowed a sheet of paper from his other self’s room to make a note to thank Draxum for his help.  

Must be a nice guy to give D that tech. He hummed and pocketed the note. Absentmindedly he took a bite of the pizza slice in his hand. April had gone to grab a bunch of pizza boxes in case they suddenly found themselves with a few more guests than normal. 

“How would you like to live in a new world!” 

“Heyyyy Bros! Wanna come vibe with me and your alternate selves?” 

He paced around, trying out different ways to convince his brothers to stay with him here. The more he got in his head about it, the less he was willing to return home. At every turn in his head more and more examples of how lonely his old home made themselves known. 

“Please don’t make me go back..” He whispered, wringing his hands together. If he had to go back, he made up his mind, he’d run. He’d run and never look back. Mikey would never let Splinter get to him again.

His steps faltered, and he stopped. But what about his brothers? Maybe they’d run with him. They may not be here, but they wouldn’t be under Splinter’s thumb anymore. They could leave the city… maybe even the state! He let his mind wander, picturing all the things he wanted to do with his brothers once they were free to run around and experience things. 

His imagination led him to walk into the projector room, grinning once he saw Raph. 

“Hey there buddy!” The huge turtle smiled warmly at him, a grin that flashed his snaggletooth. Mikey waved and bounded over to him. “I have so many ideas of what I wanna do with my bros!” His optimism was infectious, and Raph was glad to see the speckled teen so excited. He sat down with a loud thunk , inviting Mikey to sit and tell him all about it.

Mikey vibrated with excitement as he prattled off all the ideas he had and adventures he wanted to go on. His hands tapping on the ground to vent some of that emotion. The tapping turned into a beat, Raph’s huge alligator tail thumped along absentmindedly. Along with it the large turtle hummed a deep tune, Mikey was sure he would shake if he leaned one Raph’s plastron. Mikey listened for a few moments and added a faster paced tune to it. His head fell back a little, Mikey’s eyes closed and a peaceful grin made its way onto his face. 

The sound of feet slapping against concrete hinted at ‘Nardo’s arrival, but Mikey couldn’t care less. He was thrilled, however, to hear ‘Nardo start beat boxing along. And soon a higher pitched voice joined, throwing out half baked verses and trills. April, Mikey guessed, she wasn’t half bad! 

Mikey was in heaven as they each took turns spitting a few lines, sometimes changing up the beat or tune. He reminisced of a time where he and his brothers would play these kinds of silly games with each other. The key was shifted and it reminded him of a bad Christmas parody song. It made him wonder what Christmas would be like here, or in the country. And Halloween would be fun too! Mikey had always wanted to go trick or treating. 

He hadn’t realized he had stopped humming along until everyone had moved on to talking. The energy in the room was high; it made Mikey feel like there was electricity shooting through his bones. He couldn’t wait to see his brothers. One day was too much, Mikey had never really been separated from them like this. 

Sure there were the days where Splinter locked them in their rooms, no food or water for a while. But his brothers learned how to pick locks or climb through the vents really fast. Mikey never liked how quiet the lair got when they were being punished like that. At least his bros had always been there to make it better. 

“So Mikey, what are your plans for getting your bros over here?” April lifted an eyebrow at him, but her smile eased his sudden nerves a bit. He wrung his hands together, chewing at the inside of his cheek. 

“Well…” He paused to gather his thoughts. “I was thinkin’ I might just jump on over… or wait for them to come through… and ask?” He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly reminded of his loss of confidence earlier. 

The faces he saw didn’t exactly instill hope in him, but he wouldn’t let their lack of faith bring him down! His brothers would listen, they had to! Even if they had been at odds with each other, Mikey knew, deep down, that all his brothers still loved each other.

- - - - - -

Pov: Tesla

Universe: 2012

Day: 3

Casey drummed his fingers on the desk, sadly fiddling with his hockey stick. Tesla looked over to him, repeatedly starting to say something, only to stop part way through the first word. 

“I’ll find a way to open the portal whenever you want… Or if we stay in this world, I’ll make sure to visit.” Tesla’s voice was thick with desperation, he had spent so much time on April, only to learn he wasted it. He could have spent all that time with someone who would actually like him for who he was. 

Tesla looked away for a moment, bitterly mumbling about how April was probably more into Raph than him. While he waited for the other side to be ready to open their portal (he had gotten theirs working with some Kraang tech), Tesla looked for ways to continuously open it. Under no good conscience could Tesla ask Casey to give up his life, so Tesla would have to find a way to stay in touch. 

While he typed away, running simulation after simulation, he started to notice how quiet it was. It felt… wrong. Tesla tried to think of the last time the lair was this quiet, and drew up… An unsettling amount of times as of recently. It wasn’t right, the lair should always be full of life. Mikey’s music and energetic chatter should echo through the halls, Raph’s amusing yelling at the cabinet game should be able to be heard from any room. Leo reciting Space Heroes had been nauseatingly absent. 

Come to think of it, Tesla had spent an awful lot of time in his lab, so he hadn’t noticed. Leo spent most of his time in the dojo. Raph… hadn’t been around as much. With a gut curdling dawn of awareness, he swallowed harshly as he realized that they had left Mikey all on his own. Their “youngest” brother left to the mercy of Splinter. Tesla had forgotten of his existence outside of patrolling, missions, and training. He only noticed something was different when it was an entirely different person. 

The humans had called them “despicable creatures” before, and of course they had ranted about it at home. But now? Tesla felt like it fit him perfectly. 

“We’re idiots.” He grumbled, hitting his head against his desk with a dull thunk. His brothers didn’t even need to ask what he was implying. 

“Yeah, we are.” Leo said as he pushed off from the wall he was leaning on. “We blindly followed a mad man just because he was “our father”, and we hurt each other.” He growled ashamed, but didn’t bother excusing their actions. All of them were prepared to apologize for the rest of their lives if it meant atoning for what they’ve done to Mikey. They were prepared to act on it too, no honor in just saying things. 

“Some brothers we turned out to be.” Raph muttered as he angrily stabbed his knitting needles into a red ball of yarn. 

“So how long do you think they’re gunna keep us waiting?'' Raph didn’t bother to look up as he questioned Tesla. Tesla muttered under his breath, rubbing at his temples. “I don’t know, and currently? I don’t care.” He hissed, leaning closer to his screen as though that would reveal the answers he was looking for. Raph scoffed, but refrained from saying anything. It made Tesla’s stomach churn, he honestly wished Raph had said something sarcastic. Maybe it might bring back a bit of normality to ease Tesla’s mind. 

“I… am thankful for any extra time to perfect this portal.” Tesla added. Raph huffed a dry chuckle, earning one from Leo too. It was a pitiful, humorless sound. Casey remained silent, though Tesla would’ve happily invited any conversation, but science knows he doesn’t have the spine to start one himself. 

“Sooo… What are you guys gunna do in this ‘new world’?” As if there was something listening to his thoughts, Casey broke the silence. All three turtles looked towards him, each confused in their own way. Casey waited, clearly at least somewhat interested in their individual answer. 

Leo spoke up first, “I want to relax. I want to figure out who I am outside of Splinter's ‘Golden Child’... to really make it clear I’m not just some carbon copy.” Leo’s hands flexed around the handles of his katanas. 

“I want to make my own money and spoil the hell out of Mikey. Maybe build Spike something cool. I want to explore outside of Manhattan, figure out shit on my own… I dunno, I could do one of those online programs,” He chuckled, sheepishly rubbing at his neck, “Don doesn’t have to be the only one with a brain.” 

The others chuckled a little, the beginnings of a genuine smile warming their faces. Tesla drew in a deep breath, he hadn’t thought too much about it. “I’ve always wanted to sell my tech. But… It would be fun to do online courses as well.” He barked out a short laugh, “Actually, I want to take some time. I want to try all the food their New York has to offer! I wanna be a crappy review streamer, and I wanna play video games with Mikey.” Pretty soon the tension in the room melted for a moment. It was an amazing, blissful moment. 

A chirp from Tesla’s computer ruined it. 

“Guys?” Mikey jumped when Casey nudged him to wake him up. 

“It’s… Let’s go see our brother.”

- - - - - -

Pov: Mikey (2012)

Universe: 2018

Day: 2

“It’s time?” Mikey’s voice was barely a whisper, he felt like crying tears of joy. As many faults as his brothers had, he loved them and he wanted them back. He jumped up from his seat, tackling Don in one of his trademark bone crushing hugs. Don didn’t hug him back, instead just wheezing out a few things. 

“Don doesn’t do ‘hugs’ lil dude.” Raph said from the side. Mikey let him go, laughing awkwardly, but still thanking him profusely. He bounced from foot to foot, cackling with glee. 

“C’mon c’mon c’mon!! What are we waiting for?! Let’s go get my bros!” Mikey flinched, “And your bro, too!” He ran to the room he knew the portal was supposed to be in. ‘Nardo’s sword was crackling with a blue energy, stretching out to a collected point in the middle of the room. 

Mikey could barely contain his excitement, he just knew his brothers would stay here with him. All he had to do was ask really really nicely, no one could resist his natural charm! Or at least he thought so himself. 

Raph, ‘Nardo, April, and Small Splinter gathered behind him, Don strutting up to the console displaying the portal’s stats and data. As the sword glowed brighter, a high pitched frequency got louder. Don looked over his shoulder. 

“Oh yeah, by the way, brace yourself.” Not even a moment later there was a blinding flash. 

When Mikey’s vision cleared a huge, blue portal stood in the middle of the garage, ready for someone to pass through. 

Raph stepped up behind him, giving him a reassuring smile and nudge. “Alright bud, it’s your turn.” 

His legs shook as he walked up to the portal. He looked to Don for some semblance of reassurance. Don understood his look and smirked, “Don’t worry, this isn’t some Nootflix special where I’d tell you that you have one minute to convince them or you’ll have to pick on your own.” He haughtily laughed and said, “Take your time.” 

Mikey took a deep breath in, gathered his wits, and stepped through. 

- - - - - - -

“Oh my god.”

“Mikey?”

“Holy shit it worked!” 

“Other me!”

Mikey blinked the spots from his eyes, nearly collapsing to his knees when he saw the scene in front of him. Raph, Leo, Donnie, and Casey were all there, each with their own expression but all the same varying versions of relieved or happy . 

And there he was. 

Mikey gasped as he was suddenly face to face with the other version of himself. Someone he could never have prepared himself to meet. 

“Woah.” Mikey breathed, eyes wide as saucers. 

His shell hit the floor as his brothers tackled him, all three of them nearly sobbing on him. 

“Mikey we want- w- wanted to.”

“Bros I wanted to ask-”

Raph spoke at the same time as him, but paused and motioned for him to continue. 

This was it. It was now or never. Mikey had to sell this or… or what? He’d have to choose a life with or without them. But he knew he could do this, he steeled his nerves and began. 

“Bros… Brothers. I…” Words started to fail him, but Mikey would not be dissuaded. “I got to meet Other Me’s family. They were nice, welcoming, understanding, and most importantly: more healthy than us. I’ve realized that the life we have here is killing us, tearing us apart. I want you to come back with me and other me… if that’s okay with other me,” A dumb-struck alternate Mikey nodded dumbly, “Ok then… I want you to come back with me and other me to the other world. We can live the lives we want there… Or…” He paused to breath and collect himself, but Raph beat him to it. 

“We could go live in the woods… In April’s farmhouse…” He said slowly, as though Mikey would change his mind. Like none of this was real, and one wrong word would send this dream spiraling. 

There was a brief moment of heart-aching silence. Then there was laughter. Relieved, joyous, soulful laughter. All fears discarded, in that moment nothing mattered but each other. Donnie leapt to his feet, booking it from his lab, hitting a button on the wall as he left through the back door. 

“We packed your stuff already- You and M go through, talk to the others.” Leo grinned widely, pushing the two towards the portal. Casey took off after Donnie, Raph following suit. 

The last thing Mikey saw before being blinded by the portal was Leo running after their family, cackling like a madman the whole way.

- - - - -

Pov: Leo (2012)

Universe: 2012

Day: 3 

Leo couldn’t get to the Shellraiser fast enough. He was smiling so wide he felt like his face might split in half. Splinter couldn’t stop them now, it was too late. Never before had the young ninja felt so grateful to not see his ex-Sensei. 

Leo and Raph whooped and howled as Donnie revved the engine, driving the Shellraiser through the hidden garage door to the lab. 

They only stopped for Casey, who at the moment was sharing a tearful hug with Donnie, both of them whispering promises to each other. 

“If the other me is anything like.. Well, me - we should be able to devise a way to get back and forth.”

Leo pondered over what that meant, and why Donnie would say something like that. There was no reason to come back here, the one place they were trying to escape. But then again, he saw Donnie look at Casey with an expression he thought was reserved for April alone. They both grimace as Casey started to step off the Shellraiser.  

Donnie’s head hung as his hands flexed on the wheel. “Is everyone ready to-” He was caught off guard by Casey charging back onto the bus, planting a kiss on his lips. “You better fuckin call me.” He choked on his tears and bolted off the Shellraiser. 

They all watched through one of the screens as Casey ran out of the lair, successfully avoiding Splinter. 

Speaking of the rat, they had to go

Now.

The old man was marching towards the lab doors, and they knew it was only a matter of time before he managed to get them open, laws of reality be damned. 

“Hold on bros.” Donnie grunted. Leo nodded, Raph grabbing with one hand to hold Spike’s tank in his lap. 

“ Floor it Don .” 

The Shellraiser’s engine roared and it ripped through the lab, decimating the table left near the portal. 

The last thing they saw before making it through the portal was Splinter bursting through the doors. An outraged look as he witnessed what was happening. 

“Close it, close it, close it!” Donnie screamed out the window when they emerged into a huge garage. A slim turtle with a clunky purple shell and matching purple bandanna typed quickly on a keyboard. 

The cameras mounted to the Shellraiser broadcasted a thin hand reaching through the portal before a pulsing shock wave threw everyone backwards, causing the hand to go flying back through the portal.

And then it was over. Their jaws dropped, and the portal shut. 

The three turtles stumbled off the bus, a bit disoriented. Staring right back at them were the Mikeys, a smaller and fatter version of Splinter, some human girl, and three others.

One slim, purple wearing turtle with a high tech armband. Donnie stepped forward to awkwardly offer his hand to him. “Uhm hi? I think I’m you?”

A thin turtle in blue, but he had red and yellow marks. Leo hesitated, lifting a suspicious non-existent eyebrow. “I have a bad feeling about this.” He said as the aforementioned turtle approached, swagger in every step. 

Raph’s jaw basically hit the floor as he took in the final turtle. He was HUGE! The Goliath turtle smiled sheepishly. He was built, probably over 6 feet, and a spiked tail was nervously wagging behind him. “Uh hi there… smaller me?” Raph didn’t know what to say or do as Other Him walked up, holding a hand out. 

Leo barely contained his laugh as Raph started going off, spooking the huge mutant. 

- - - - - -

Pov: 2018 Mikey

Universe: Home

Mikey sobbed as he embraced his brothers, melting into their hugs. Other Him smiled and waved from off to the side. 

“I’m so glad you decided to stay! I mean, I was totally going to ask, but you beat me to it bro!” The other Mikey laughed, “It was your brother’s idea at first, not gunna lie.” 

He wanted to say so much more, but a revving of an engine interrupted.

- - - - - -

Mikey felt pride swelling in his chest as he watched the teens figure out their alternate. Already amused with the sciencey banter between Tesla and Donnie. Leonardo looked overwhelmed with Leo’s… charm. And Raphael? Priceless. Though those anger issues would really need work. But it was nothing, a few meetings and open discussions with Dr. Feelings could help! 

His other self, Benny he had thought up a while back, looked… At ease. Peaceful. This was how he deserved to always look. And Mikey was so excited to hang out with him. 

A while back, if he had asked Raph to do a mission solo, Raph would have gotten nervous and started listing all the reasons why he couldn’t let Mikey do that. But now? Mikey successfully completed one of his most important missions yet. He helped this family take the first step they needed towards freedom and health. 

“So,” April sidled up to Mikey, wiping a stray tear away, “Why’d you do all this?” She tipped her head to the side questioningly. 

“Oh, it’s not obvious?” Mikey’s eyes cast over the heartwarming scene in front of them. Already excited for all the new adventures just waiting for them. He grinned, and turned to April, determination and anticipation shining in his eyes, “It was a no-brainer. When you’re in a world like that… You’ve can't really do anything but choose   To save yourself.”

[shirecorn]

My letter to Gumroad

Hello

It cannot be stressed how incredibly disappointed I am in Gumroad these last few weeks. It's not so much the support of NFTs as it is the way you treat your creators and anyone who disagrees with you.

I am a digital artist, and I make digital content for sale. Trust me, I totally understand the allure of NFTs and as a company that empowers artists to sell their work, providing a platform for non-fungible tokens just makes perfect sense! I get it! If the world, technology, and blockchain were better, I would love to do NFTs myself because I would love to sell unique rights to my digital works and not just another download.

It's not just people who think NFTs are ugly trading cards that are against it. NFT's are based on the blockchain ledger, which is by design an electricity-intensive process not because it NEEDS to be, but because electricity consumption is the basis of cryptocurrency scarcity. This incentivizes massive farms that do nothing but grind away useless calculations that do not help humanity or the planet, but just try for a lottery spot on the ledger.

Maybe one day non fungible tokens will be based on a sustainable digital ecosystem, but that is not happening now and it won't happen any time soon. Even proof-of-stake is still based on the corrupt crypto system.

Your main userbase is artists. I'm sure you've noticed by now that artists tend to be more liberal and environmentalist. I suppose it comes from sensitivity and being in tune with the world around you, plus facing adversity and finding strength in community. You say you're a tech company but you shouldn't be. You should be an art-enabling company. Artists are your customers, your sellers, and the lifeblood to your company so you should exist to better serve them and not whatever the hot profit is at the moment. If you leave behind morals for the sake of profit, you could figure in losing a chunk of the general population but the profits will be worth it right? But you don't serve the general population. You serve sensitive, moral artists who don't like NFTs. Do you want to become a platform of ugly monkey dollmakers? Or do you want to stay a platform of incredibly diverse artists?

Perhaps more disappointing than the cash grab of NFTs is how you treat your userbase. Your twitter meltdown was a petulant display of fake superiority and condescension. Your response to hearing public outcry wasn't to listen, or even wait to see how big the outcry was and consider how it would affect your platform. No, your response was to imply nay-sayers were ignorant and stupid, and that making fun of them made you look hip and cool. That's the narrative for NFT "bros" who operate much like a cult. Stomp down and mock "ignorant" naysayers as people who don't understand and want to stay poor. Because of course it's ok to mock people as long as they're the stupid ones, right?

"People on both sides are going to be really disappointed when it’s 2023 and Gumroad still hasn’t shipped NFTs."

This implies that people against NFTs now will have come around and be begging you to do NFTs after a year. Those silly ignorant masses! They'll be sorry later!

Is this even remotely professional? Shame on you. A junior high kid has more sense of people's feelings than whoever is running outreach for a major "tech company" as you call yourselves. This is just revolting.

"if you want to be heard, you have to speak out"

This is extremely obvious, and then you say your email is mentioned "earlier in the thread" instead of providing it again. "is this true?" is so clearly not a humble "I may be wrong" concession, but just a "prove it" challenge to the angry backlash.

"(Reminder: We don’t use tweets to what to work on next.)"

Look. I'm sure I've made plenty of grammar and spelling mistakes in this very email, but I'm one person and you're an entire company. In addition to the sneering, rude "Neener neener I can't hear you" message itself, the missing words in your sentence announce to the world that absolutely no one is proofreading these tweets. No one is doing damage control. You let the same party who started this mess respond defensively to people calling you out like a child covering their ears with their hands. People are talking, telling you what they think and instead of listening for the good of your userbase and your company, you throw a tantrum and then direct them to email you (privately) in order for you to acknowledge they have an opinion at all.

Your public flailing requires a public resolution. "We have no NFT plans" is not an admission that you messed up, and it doesn't tell people you heard them either. it just sounds like "Geeze calm down I wasn't gonna do it anyway." Do you understand how childish you sound? You need to own up to the horrible performance. Your reaction to backlash should be to listen, judge your actions for the good of your company and userbase, and then announce how the feedback has affected your plans. If it hasn't had any effect, say that with your whole chest.

If these admonitions are reaching a separate inbox then whoever ran the twitter thread, then I still mean "you" personally. Until you have publicly apologized for this fiasco and demoted or fired the twitter coordinator, they speak for and represent the entire company and everyone in it.

They NEED to be replaced one way or another, because even if their actions reflect everything gumroad stands for, you at least want to pretend you aren't throwing a kindergarten fit when someone disagrees with you.Your public brand is absolutely abysmal and you have way more cleanup to do than just "we have no NFT plans right now actually but maybe in the future ;)"

I hope the mass numbers of shops closing scares you into remembering that you are a people company, not a tech company. You sell artists' efforts, not graphics cards. I hope you're horrified enough to turn your business around and listen to the people who bring in your revenue, and not the idiot who has the twitter password and a subscription to some crypto trading podcaster.

Once again, shame on you. Maybe you'll get yourself together before a mass exodus of sellers finds a better alternative, but I doubt it. Good luck with your brand, and I hope the next tweet is an apology by a new spokesperson instead of more crypto evangelism.

With disgust,

Shirecorn

#shire screams #gumroad #nfts #nft bullshit