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I'd like to try fishing as a hobby, but everytime I try it the line gets all tangled up behind the reel and I can't work out how to stop it. And I'm not sure what to do with the little metal bar thing on the reel either. Do you flip it up or down before or after casting. How can I be so bad at this very simple thing?

On WikiHow under the advice for baits, there's a section on using fishing rods:
https://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Fishing-Rod

I can't remember anon or I'd help! At least this seems like a simple enough google/youtube/wiki thing to get tips. But I'm the same with the compound bow I just inherited from my dad - I want to learn archery because it's a good skill for post-apocalyptic times but ho god what are all these strings what do I need to make it go...

Compound bows and modern fishing reels are perfect examples of "I'm sure you improved it over the primitive design but it's just making things worse, not better." Sigh.

It's been awhile but IIRC you flip the bar up so the line can release with ease.
Flip it down so it holds the line in place after you cast it (so the wind doesn't push your line around and the bait can remain relatively in one spot, and so you can feel the tug of a fish biting your line).

From my experience, imagine tossing the line out like throwing a ball. Hold your finger down on the line as you hold the hook end behind your back. As you fling your arm forward, release the line as your wrist is angled up in line with shoulder (I do a bit of a flick with my wrist too).
Flip the metal bar down when your fishing line is cast and the bait is under water.

As a kid, I had to practice for a few weeks/months before I learned how to do it properly.
But you still end up with fails. One time when I was in like 4th or 5th grade, I thought I did a great cast and the hook got caught up in the branch of a huge tree (like 20 ft high). I can't recall if my dad and uncles were able to help pull it back safely or if they cut the fishing line lol

I've never had Tiktok, but I've watched plenty of fandom and alternative fashion compilations on youtube.

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on recent fan edits/shitposts/theories/etc they've seen on there or if anyone is like me and watches it all on another site.

I never realized how horny people were for a puppet until I had encountered Welcome Home ARG TikTok.

But I do love the insanity of the Mouthwashing fandom:
https://youtu.be/ithKhjhZhas?si=JuVJn8g48jti5eNH

...Or You've started, but you have only started/half-watched - but kind of have intentions to finish (inspired by #6)

Anime is the worst for me and for no real reason other than 'I had momentum when I started watching, but am not in the mood to continue watching it now'.

Last ones that I do want to finish someday are: Demon Slayer, R.O.D the series, Beastars and Card Captor Sakura.

Re: Shows/Movies You've Procrastinated Watching...

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-18 22:24 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Shows/Movies You've Procrastinated Watching...

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-19 02:44 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Shows/Movies You've Procrastinated Watching...

kaijinscendre - 2025-01-18 22:35 (UTC) - Expand

I never managed to get through the first twenty minutes of the most recent Batman movie. The one that looks like it kinda wants to be a remake of The Crow.

Re: Shows/Movies You've Procrastinated Watching...

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-18 22:40 (UTC) - Expand

I can never get very far into Dungeons and Dragons. All the gifs and meta make it look right up my alley, but my mind wanders within half an hour.

There are a few new shows I haven't seen yet but want to at least check out to see if I'll like (Cruel Intentions, On Call, and Doc), a couple miniseries I want to watch because I liked the books (Burning Girls and Missing You), two shows that I only watched the first episode but want to watch more (Monsters and Cross), two shows I've loved/liked but put off watching the rest because it's either already ended or is likely to end soon (What We Do in the Shadows and Whose Line Is it Anyway), and a couple of my regular shows I'm behind on and need to catch up (FBI and High Potential). Also Interview With the Vampire, I've only watched the first season and hated how it ended so I'm not sure about watching the second season, but kind of want to.

I'm not really a movie person at all (I haven't even watched a movie since 2022) but I want to watch The Deliverance and/or Demon House (one is fictional, one is supposedly a "documentary", both based on a real supposedly haunted house), because of a couple podcasts I've listened to about the house.

Which is a lot to watch, but I've been mainly reading and occasionally listening to podcasts lately, for whatever reason TV has not been able to keep my attention recently.

I've been meaning to watch Shogun but since to my understanding there's a lot of subtitled dialogue that means I have to give it my full attention and can't draw/write/play on my computer/do work, and it's hard to find time when I'm not doing one of those. Ditto the new season of Squid Game, with the added point that while the first season was enjoyable I can't really find much enthusiasm for watching the new season.

Re: Shows/Movies You've Procrastinated Watching...

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-19 04:04 (UTC) - Expand

I only need to watch the last episode of Succession but I've been procrastinating on getting to it.

I think I've watched about 3 or 4 episodes of Wandavision but I just never got around to watching the rest. Any day now, I'll get to it.

Re: Shows/Movies You've Procrastinated Watching...

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-19 04:01 (UTC) - Expand

Inspired by #1, what are your favorite ships like this?

And for extra credit:

What do you like about them?

How does the non-“normal” or non-human aspect affect the characters or their dynamic?

Trying to think of some for this thread makes me realize I might not have any. Nothing against it, just the canons I'm into doesn't feature monsters much and I'd consider things like scars or missing limbs and stuff as within normal human ranges.

I like Garrus in ME? but I'm not an active shipper. Hmm... there's got to be one somewhere...

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

paperghost - 2025-01-18 22:10 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

iff_and_xor - 2025-01-18 22:12 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-18 22:42 (UTC) - Expand

Melkor/Sauron becomes this due to Melkor being forced into a terrifying form he takes on and then gradually further deforms.

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

iff_and_xor - 2025-01-18 22:19 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

philstar22 - 2025-01-18 22:24 (UTC) - Expand

I'm the sole author of all AO3 shipfics featuring Ideo and Bluegilly from One Piece - a Longarm and a Longleg. I liked their dynamic as people but then I go to thinking about how someone with double-length arms would fuck someone with double-long legs and it just went from there.

I also love Fishmen in all incarnations, but especially shark-based fishmen because Oda confirmed they have two dicks. Or, well, decided to go with a fan's interpretation of such, same diff.

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

iff_and_xor - 2025-01-18 22:44 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-18 23:28 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-18 23:33 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-19 00:22 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-19 08:11 (UTC) - Expand

Looking through all my ships, the only one I have is Fem!Shep/Garrus. I don't really consume much media with sentient monsters I guess.

ETA: I remembered two more. Venom/Eddie as nonny below me reminded me. And for a hot minute I was into Link/Sidon.

Edited 2025-01-18 22:58 (UTC)

I got into the Venom/Eddie ship just before the Tumblr porn ban happened and still love it ever since.
Ah beloved gloopy porn XD

Re: Your “not a normal-looking human” ships

kaijinscendre - 2025-01-18 22:57 (UTC) - Expand

Godzilla/Mothra from the new set of Godzilla movies, though granted I'm not working with a lot but I liked the way they team up against King Ghidora and when she comes back and stops Godzilla+Kong fighting. I just think the idea is cute.

Po/Tigress from the Kung Fu Panda movies, I like the way they balance each other and how Po helps Tigress to be more of a person and less of a weapon/perfect student who can't have fun. It's a simple friends-to-lovers angle I think is fun.

I watched one of the My Little Pony movies on Netflix a few years ago and came out of it shipping Twilight/Tempest Shadow because I liked the push and pull of the hero/villain thing with a redemption at the end. Never went into the fandom though because BOY I wouldn't touch that with a 10ft pole.

Valtrois/Stellagosa(Nightborne elf/Dragon) from WoW during Legion because they had some great banter and became grudging allies to actual friends and I think they might actually be a couple these days??? Certainly during the anniversary event they're flirting and being all cute together.

On the 'human shaped but still not human' end I have:

Hellboy/Liz, I just thought they were cute, liked how they were both messes but decided to be a mess together.

Catra/Adora, I loved the emotional mess and tangle between them and rooted for them to find their way back to one another.

Thorin/Bilbo, I enjoyed them learning to respect and like one another to Thorin trusting Bilbo above most people as the movies go on to Bilbo being bug-fuck insane over trying to keep Thorin safe in the 3rd movie and then the ultimate tragedy of their story. I think it's the 'what could have beens' that really grip me with these two because they could have been happy(as friends if you don't ship it) if things had gone differently. It hurts and I love them so much.

Legolas/Gimli, this is another grudging allies to best friends(lovers, lolol) that I enjoyed in the movies but in the books their friendship is much more developed and sweet. They become ride-or-die life-partners and it's great(and Legolas takes Gimli to Valnior because he can't leave Middle Earth without his dwarf hubby, I mean buddy, lel).

Durin/Disa/Elrond, Durin has two hands and in this essay I will-. Srsly though I just love the dynamic between the three of them, how Durin clearly loves them both so much just in different ways(again if you don't ship it Elrond+Durin are fantastic bros), and I just think they'd make a great throuple.

Same Anon

(Anonymous) - 2025-01-18 23:04 (UTC) - Expand

I mean. I ship Sonic and Knuckles.

they're not human in the first place lol

I'm currently hyperfixating on Helluva Boss and the Stolas/Blitz ship, and am always disappointed when Stolas is described as having a clit. I have no knowledge of bird genitalia aside from the cloaca thing, so who knows, maybe owls do have clits or maybe that was confirmed by the creator somewhere outside of canon, but I just find it boring. He's an owl demon with four eyes, arms instead of wings, and a creepy Eldritch form, let his bits be freaky! So, uh, I think that's always a part when I ship non-human characters.

But the ship also has some other tropes/kinks I just like: size difference, class difference (prince/lowest class rogue), power imbalance (societal power, literal magical power, the imbalance of the deal, and also the emotional power imbalance between the two). With non-human characters it's often easier to get these stark contrasts between characters, I find.