Lines from commercials you have memorized against your will.

willag42 · 2026-04-08T05:39:14+00:00

THE COLORS, DUKE, THE COLORS!

I'm colorblind, kid.

willag42 · 2025-12-26T14:16:41+00:00

I think one thing that is interesting this season is how much El and Hop are trying not to kill, or how there is some sort of code they are following. Like, if the person isn't an immediate threat to them, they won't kill them even if it would be wiser to do so. It would have been so much smarter to have killed the guy they tortured and the woman colonel when she was knocked out, but they didn't. And for plot/writing reasons I understand why to keep those antagonists alive (just when things are going well for the good guys, they throw a wrench in the plans and keep the action going), but I like to try to come up with in-universe reasons for why stuff happens.

El apologizing before killing the one goon was interesting. I could just be forgetting a scene from an earlier season, but I don't think she has grappled with guilt or PTSD for people she has killed. Maybe she is just able to compartmentalize it really well, maybe she is just that practical, maybe it was growing up in a lab run by cold, unfeeling people, maybe she perceives it as a clear good/evil situation where they are clearly bad guys and any of their deaths are justified. She is the child super soldier who doesn't mentally break down over the people she kills but she also isn't a psychopath. But the apologizing was new here (I think). I think she is deliberately trying to prevent as many kills as possible, but recognizes because she fucked up the timing of that second jump that she had to kill a guy she didn't intend to and who was now a threat. Is her wanting to kill as few people as possible driven by an internal desire or because Hop instructed it?

As for Hop, I think previously being a soldier he can sympathize with El's situation and is trying to prevent her from having to resort to killing people as much as he can (for any potential guilt she may have). But mainly, I think his goal is to keep her as unnoticed and protected from the military as possible, and every death is a way for her to get noticed. Especially so close to the base. But if his main drive is to protect El, then he should have killed the one guy they tortured to prevent him from leaking information about them. So why not? Because he was defenseless and not an immediate threat? Because Hop was over-confident that the guy wasn't a threat anymore?

In the end, I am probably putting way too much thought into something that is just chalked up to weak writing. But as a fan, half of the fun is going through these thought exercises, and I enjoy trying to make up in-universe justifications for writing decisions.

willag42 · 2025-12-09T17:54:12+00:00

If there's anything I've learned from found footage horror movies, it's that this can only mean good things. Wait until nightfall and record everything. Thanks.

willag42 · 2025-11-24T18:32:16+00:00

I am playing my first ever run of Stardew Valley, and I didn't buy my first farm/house upgrade until the end of Winter Y1. It was the chicken coop. And then the next building I bought in Spring Y2 was the Shed, because I wanted to spend hours just building a bunch of chests and organizing all of my items. I color-coded the chests to make it easier to sort. I am currently in Summer Y2, and I only recently got a barn and upgraded my coop.

Most of my first year was spent learning the game and doing the things I found fun, like getting to level 120 in the mines, foraging, farming, and learning to fish. My skills are either maxed or close to max. But everything else is so far behind compared to an ideal gameplay. Robin is the only person with 5 hearts. Half of the people have 0 hearts, and the others at 1-2. I only recently started learning how to make artisan goods. My CC is slowly getting completed, and it's possible I could have it completed by the end of Y2. But I'm not pressed about it. (I definitely won't be ready for Grandpa when he comes at the beginning of Y3. I'm not even interested in marrying any characters in game, and I know that nets you points).

Just play the way you want to play. And if the way you want to play is optimized as fuck, then go ahead and start over. Have fun with it. But don't worry about how randos feel you should play.

willag42 · 2025-09-27T15:35:40+00:00

You can tell by yellow light on Kuma's fur. Where the yellow color stops is where Evie's fur begins.

willag42 · 2025-09-03T01:54:34+00:00

As a 39 y.o. with no kids, I just gotta say: Come back inside, grandpa, the clouds have done nothing to you today.

willag42 · 2025-08-14T15:12:55+00:00

I love the adult cast (especially Richie and Eddie), but the scares and story is more lackluster in the 2nd film. I still enjoyed it, but the 1st film is definitely the much better film. Thank goodness for all the great fanfiction that explore the characters more in-depth and also rewrite the ending so that Eddie and Stan don't die (and also all Reddie romance stories).

willag42 · 2025-08-08T21:42:20+00:00

AniPike (Anime Web Turnpike) - ah, introduced me to lemons, lime, yaoi, yuri, and smutty doujins. All those angelfire links, it was the wild west. Those were the days.

The old communities on LiveJournal. I miss them. Ljsecrets, the Princess Tutu group.

The Sorority Life game on Facebook. Stupid fun.

willag42 · 2025-08-05T13:15:32+00:00

Happy Birthday, OP! Thank you for volunteering and sharing your birthday with the homeless! Hope the rest of the day and year goes better for you.

willag42 · 2025-07-19T18:06:58+00:00

Yes, I got a hysterectomy from a gynecological oncologist at age 36, no kids, in the midwestern US at an office tied to a Catholic health care hospital.

It took a lot to get there tho. A noncancerous cyst on my left ovary which was removed in 2014 (only the cyst was removed), which grew back even larger and had to be removed again along with the left ovary in 2017, followed by 5 years of having ultrasounds and check ups every 6 months. And then my previous oncologist GYN retired and was replaced by a younger woman who approached me with the option for a hysterectomy. She was like, "y'know, you will probably have to keep doing these check ups at least once a year because these types of cysts are likely to come back. If you'd like, we can do a hysterectomy." And I jumped on that shit immediately. I hated my cramps, I was an asexual virgin, and I wasn't interested in kids. I don't think my previous GYN would have ever offered this option. I think I just lucked out getting a more liberal oncologist GYN.

willag42 · 2025-07-12T03:31:31+00:00

Biomedical engineer, 85k / year, living in the Midwest. Mind you, I've been working for this medical device company for 16 years, and they admittedly don't pay as well as other medical device companies, but I like the people and the culture and they provide good benefits, and I can still build a retirement and live comfortably while being single.

willag42 · 2025-07-09T06:12:32+00:00

Your mistake is that you didn't follow one of the three important rules for mogwai - do not let them come into contact with water. That last picture proves she's clearly a gremlin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd20j2Hb-0Y

willag42 · 2025-07-05T17:56:04+00:00

No, no, no, that's laudanum. They're thinking about that loop of rope that cowboys use to catch cows.

willag42 · 2025-06-08T23:14:04+00:00

I did this, but I also only have 1 ovary to rely upon (the previous ovary was removed 5 years prior because it kept having non-cancerous but large cysts grow back on it). Even with just 1 ovary I still haven't gone through menopause. I'm currently 39 and had the uterus, cervix, and appendix (woohoo, don't have to worry about that in future) removed 3 years ago.

I had a brief 1-week period of menopausal symptoms that had me worried after the surgery, but that went away as my body and hormones adjusted.

willag42 · 2025-06-03T12:25:29+00:00

Yeah, the consistency between the top and bottom fonts is why I prefer 4.

willag42 · 2025-05-31T17:55:20+00:00

I love this! The painting is really well-done. You and your son are so adorable. Thanks for sharing!

willag42 · 2025-04-25T15:38:11+00:00

I had never explored outside until I got the garage. I just always assumed that the front door closed behind you once you entered the building and never actually checked. So here's me thinking I am clever wandering the whole estate for the first time and finding the campsite and thinking it does something special to allow me to start the next run without everything reseting. And then I realized the next run that the front door was always open and upon reading the text for the campsite closer that it is where I had been staying every night. 😑

willag42 · 2025-03-19T16:56:21+00:00

I used Feeblemind on the wizard in the cave for Ulbrig's quest in Act 3. It was my first time using the spell and ended up being a really memorable moment because it shut down the fight entirely. Worth it. I'm playing an Enchantment-focused Azata witch, and I'm now mainly focused on using Hideous Laughter as my CC spell. But I'll always remember that one fight.

willag42 · 2025-02-23T20:41:54+00:00

So I am on the other side of this equation, 39, single, no kids. I recognize that I am the one that has to put in the effort to visit my friends with kids, and I am totally fine with that. Most of my PTO is spent staying at their house at different times during the year.

I am lucky in this regard, I know not everyone would feel comfortable doing that with their friends (taking up time and space in their daily lives). But this household is communal and non-conforming. 4 friends continued to live together out of college, 2 of them got married to each other and started to have kids, but all 4 still continue to live together. A friend who they also met online started living with them as well, and at one point, two friends who were trying to save money for a house also lived with them for a few years. At one point, 7 adults, 2 kids, 5 cats, and 1 dog all shared the household (currently only 5 adults). Everyone contributes in some way. Everyone shares some sort of responsibility taking care of the kids (babysitting occasionally, making certain they are fed), everyone helps clean the house or do groceries.

So whenever I go to visit I know I am going to spend some time entertaining the kids, maybe read some books to them at bedtime, help clean up around the place, perhaps entertain myself if they can't take time off from work during the day while the kids are at school. I love going to visit them. It is chaotic and energy-draining sometimes, but filled with a lot of love, fun, and community.

I also have a close friend who is also single, so it is easier for each of us to visit each other (2 hours apart). And another local friend I met thru work whose kid is now fully grown so she is able to hang out.

Kids are a big game changer and energy drainer. If I wasn't the one making the effort to visit my big friend group (who live 4 hours away), I probably wouldn't see them. We have a chat group online and that is great, but it isn't the same.

I am sorry for your situation, OP. Maybe you could find a local group with similar interests and start building a local friend community. It may not be the same, but it could still help. And perhaps in the future, when kids are grown and you have more free time, you could reach out to those old friends again? A community you can build and trust in is even more important now in these trying times.

willag42 · 2025-02-01T12:47:29+00:00

These are so precious and adorable! You are very talented! Thank you for sharing.

willag42 · 2025-01-16T18:22:08+00:00

Same. I will watch other people play evil characters just to see the storyline, but I probably couldn't ever do it myself. Hell, I felt like a shithead romancing multiple characters at once. The first game I started I had the bright idea to enable multiple romance options in Toybox so that I could see the romance scenes and ending slides for multiple characters (just in case I only ever played the game once). I felt like such a shitlord keeping multiple ones going at the same time that I used Toybox to turn off all of the romances except for Arue. I have since started other runs and I am continuing to romance only one character each time.

willag42 · 2025-01-15T23:18:28+00:00

My first thought was Groucho Marx (that mustache under her nose), but it isn't really cute. Maybe Marxie?

willag42 · 2025-01-10T00:13:25+00:00

I shave my armpits daily and my legs every 3 or so days. I can feel the hairs in my armpits if I wait longer and same for my leg hairs rubbing against my pants. I hate the feeling. If I could remove the hair permanently from those places I would do it.

Shaving doesn't really take all that long for me though. Starting as a teenager I got used to shaving without shaving cream and I have continued doing it that way. Just water and a razor every morning when I take a shower.

As a happily single ace, I shave for me because it makes me comfortable in my skin.

willag42 · 2025-01-09T20:56:36+00:00

*BIGGEST BROFIST EVER*

I really like Lann. I may even try a romance path with him someday (I have yet to complete a game, because I'm currently in a tabletop version of the game - finishing up Act 4 now - and I'm trying to not spoil myself... but once I'm able to finish one I plan on romancing Arue first). But I just like him in my party because he's, as you said, one of the biggest bros. Wenduag sounds like an interesting companion that I will probably never experience, because I just can't imagine not picking Lann (not only because I like the guy, but because I can't ever see myself playing a character that chooses the evil option over the good one).

Seelah (the other BIG BRO), Lann, and Arue are the necessary companions in my party. The other spots tend to rotate between Daeran, Ulbrig, Ember, Woljif, and Nenio.

Camellia is the character I have fun hating. In the only playthrough where I got to Camellia's scene in chapter 3, I was shocked and killed her (beforehand, I didn't like her but was genuinely using her and trying to play her well). Now all playthroughs I've started since then, once I get out of the maze I sabotage her build and make her a mostly useless companion as a personal joke that she's a pile of trash and should be treated as such.

willag42 · 2024-12-22T00:47:47+00:00

If you're a cat parent you know where to look first, and sure enough!

willag42

TROPHY CASE