#( i'll also review my roster as i do it )

[temeryte]

archived. like this and i'll follow you on a new blog!

[so-bitya]

Whitewashing in Anime - Agni ft. Cithis

Browns of the Same Shade

Hello again! I decided to revisit this topic again now that we have Agni's official appearance in the anime. I also wanted to go over some aspects that I did not get to include in my first post.

In the end, Agni also got lightened! His skin tone was always somewhat darker than Soma's in both the anime and manga appearances. Yana does describe his appearance as a "dark-skinned woman" in her genderbend sketches. So, for the anime to lighten him this much to such an degree is disappointing.

The skin diversity in the anime has been pretty lacking so far. Once again, A1 studios was not perfect, but they did manage to give all three Indian characters different dark skin tones, while this anime has every Indian generally the same lightened shade.

(every indian character in the anime are the same skin tone... cloverworks stand up, you can't let a-1 studios beat you like this)

Personal opinion of mine, I feel like animation studios aren't willing to play with skin color values as much anymore. I remember even seeing white characters being various shades of brown, especially under certain lighting and environments. Unlike now, when every character looks bleached the second they hit the sun.

I also wanted to review what I think of Soma's appearance. Soma's skin tone isn't any darker than it was in the teaser shot sadly, so we can't blame the lighting. I already was expecting it, but it's still a shame.

One positive feature I'll give to the anime is that Soma's nose isn't pronounced all the time. In certain scenes, his nose isn't as sharp as it would be for other characters. I believe that's just the style for the anime and its dependent on the shot.

Anyway, I felt this image was pretty on topic with Soma and Agni's situation and just anime remakes/reboots in general lately:

Brown ≠ Grey

Something I'm embarrassed I forgot in my last post is saturation! I mentioned often how darker skin tones tend to be neglected, but not only that, but the color! The vibrancy in the skin, the life!

A common feature I noticed, especially in East Asian media, is how they avoid the "brown" in dark-skinned characters, by constantly making their skin tone duller, ending up with more grey-toned skin.

I often see art advice for digital artists that they should pick desaturated colors or colors in the "grey zone" as to not overwhelm the art piece. Which is fine most of the time! But when you apply that advice for brown skin, what you get are mostly grey tones, and end up having your character look like a zombie.

Here are some colors I randomly picked. The colors on the left are those sandy, dull grey tones I was talking about. If you want to get those richer, deeper-toned browns, you need to pick colors with more saturation like the ones on the right.

Now of course, color is relative and you can't just color pick your way around without considering how it fits in with the rest of the piece. You can even end up washing out your brown character despite choosing a strong brown color. You have to consider the background, lighting, undertones, the environment, and how they'll affect your character. There may even be times desaturated colors work better, but you have to at least consider why it works "better".

Let's take a look at everyone's favorite manga artist right now, Ryoko Rui! Ryoko Rui is praised often for her diverse character roster and creature design, however I always found her darker skin tones rather... lacking, as such for the elf Cithis.

(I color picked her skin tone and it matched my light grey shades above lol)

Her skin tone is very washed out and grey. She not nearly as dark as she appears in the manga. Once again, there's that dissonance between skin tones. Now take a look at the manga's grey tones.

When you see this, what skin tone do you imagine for her? Do you imagine the greyish, washed out tones from above or do you imagine something more akin to these black fae models I found?

(credit: @jaharajayde on twitter and @glassmarigolds on pinterest)

I'll give Rui credit that her color illustrations of Cithis improved and she's gotten better giving Cithis stronger undertones. I really like how the fandom has been illustrating her too, there's been some amazing fanart of Cithis such as these (the lighting in the last one is lovely).

Just adding saturation helps so much with skin tone. I even found an fan edit of Soma that added more color back into his skin, and he looks so much better for it.

One might say, "Oh what's wrong with having grey skin tones in a fantasy story!" Well... nothing really! You can have green or purple or blue characters if you like. But when there's already a startlingly lack of brown characters in a fantasy story, it can get awfully uncomfortable seeing the story portray different fantasy "races" with obviously non white racial features... but don't want to include any black/brown skin tones.

(fantasy artists would sooner give an orc dreads than a human, forget a "noble" creature like an elf... such decisions only reveals the artists' viewpoints)

It all just comes back down to avoiding that dreaded "brown". When it comes to these "reasons", we have to question whether they aren't just more excuses to not include black and brown people in stories, which makes me come to my next point:

Essence of Brown

There's some severe misinformation I want to address about Soma. I saw a fan a while ago say that Soma has a white mother which explains why he has light skin.

Firstly, that information is false. It was a concept Yana had for Soma, but quickly decided to drop it. Soma is not half white.

In the early drafts of the series, Soma had a white mother and, thus, white skin. However, this was later omitted in final revisions.

(quoted from the official kuroshitsuji wiki as an excerpt from the character guide)

Yes, you can have mixed parents and any kind of skin tone really! But it feels... dishonest to create "reasons" why the manga's first major Indian character, joining a cast of white people in a European country, should have white skin as well. Especially considering Yana's artstyle, without Soma's skin tone and Indian wardrobe, is his physical characteristics like his face even distinguishable enough for him not to be mistaken as white?

Imagine I wrote a story set in France, and teased an appearance of an African character in story that only had white characters until now, only for him to be completely white in appearance, and identical to every other white man, except for the occasionally exotic dress and other drab stereotypes.

What would you think? That his race is only a dressing to fulfill an exotic need at times? That he's a supposed homage to another culture, but it's wrong to have him actually look like the majority of people who made said culture? Why is he even this way?

Did he have a white parent? A white upbringing? Lived in a white culture, lived a white life? Maybe he was separated from birth! From his hometown, his country, his people, anything to justify why my "brown" character is so divorced from that part of his identity, from that side of the family whose skin tone runs a little too dark.

And I think that's why Yana decided to drop the concept of giving him a white mother. Why go through all those loopholes and explanations? Why all that justification for him to have white skin?

It's just another way to avoid the "browness" again for a character, what makes them brown in the first place and related to black/brown cultures. It's what we should consider in the future when we find ourselves coming up with "reasons" why black/brown characters should be anything but themselves.

Whitewashing in Anime - Soma ft. Usopp

[synergysilhouette]

Guide to my Rewrites (and other content)

I post a lot of things, and some of those things are rewrites. As such, I thought this would be a nice guide for fans of my rewrites in particular. I'm still adding new things! Lemme know what you think.

Alternate Takes (Disney)

These are projects that have the same characters and settings (for the most part), but different plot points. These particular alternate takes suggest ideas that would've made me enjoy the movie more (or at all) and aren't a fanfic so much as bullet points with pictures.

Aida

Pocahontas

Hercules

The Princess and the Frog

Tangled

Frozen

Big Hero 6

Moana

Frozen 2

Raya and the Last Dragon

Encanto

Strange World

Wish (Note: working on a full-length rewrite unrelated to the ideas used here)

I also did rewrites for two Dreamworks movies:

The Road to El Dorado

Sinbad

Reimagining Disney Movies

These are projects that take Disney's framework (ie a fairy tale) and create my own characters, plot, setting, and song titles for it.

The Snow Queen

Kingdom of the Sun

Rapunzel

Reimagining Disney eras

These posts are designed based on what if Disney eras made different decisions (either based on my own ideas or rejected concepts) for their films. Note: I made the revival post before the renaissance and post-renaissance posts, so they kind of flow in different continuities. I also wanted to include future ideas for Disney's next era. These posts also work independent of my "Alternate Take" posts.

Reimagining the Renaissance

Reimagining the Post-renaissance

Reimagining the Revival era

Plotting out the Reinvention era

Marvel

Not quite as detailed as my other rewrites, but I thought I'd include them.

Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness

Thor: Love and Thunder

X-Men (Because they have more content than my other Marvel things)

This pretty much just includes my rewrites.

X-Men: Evolution--New roster, Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Roster (Timeskip), Season 4, and Season 5 (I did a poll months ago, and maybe I'll do a post brainstorming a Marauders spinoff).

Wolverine & the X-Men--New Roster, Season 1

Fox's X-Men films (I may remake this)--Part I (First 3 films) and Part II (Phoenix, NM, and Dark Phoenix)

Extensive rewrites

TV shows that I've remade episode-for--episode, perhaps removing and adding some as I see fit.

Miraculous Ladybug--Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4 (currently working on Season 5; been dragging my feet with that!)

Anime as comic books

Yes, this is a topic. I remember when I was in this headspace, and it was really fun. I basically reimagined what if popular anime had been created as superhero comic books that golden or silver age.

Dragon Ball

Naruto

Anime rewrites

Black Butler

Naruto: Part I

High Card: Season 1

Video Game Rewrites

These aren't quite as detailed as my usual rewrites.

Bayonetta

Fire Emblem: Awakening

Fire Emblem: Fates

Fire Emblem: 3 Houses

Kingdom Hearts

Hogwarts Mystery (MAYBE; ongoing internal discussion)

My OCs

This section covers my original characters for a few fandoms.

Fictif

The Arcana

Hogwarts Legacy

Baldur's Gate 3

Mood Boards

Just something I've made for fun to inspire others! Not an expert on making them, but it was still something I wanted to do.

My Wish rewrite (temporary)

Disney's Swan Lake

Disney's Hansel & Gretel

Disney's Rumpelstiltskin

Disney's Red Riding Hood

Sub-Saharan Disney musical

Disney Superhero Film

Japanese Disney musical

Actors who could play Disney villains

Choices: Stories You Play

REALLY into this game for a period--but it started to get awful when "Witness" came into play. Here's a list of reviews (which I've stopped doing) as well as concepts for new books (originally on Reddit before I got banned).

"Before I Say I Do"

"Celebrity Status"

"Summoned to Court"

"Arkikara"

"Fairy Godparent"

"Hierarchy: Scheming University"

"Willow Falls"

"Late at Night"

"Spellcaster"

"Four"

"America's Most Eligible" (Review)

"Desire & Decorum" (Review)

"High School Story" (Review)

"Rules of Engagement" (Review)

"The Freshman" (Review)

"Queen B" (Review)

Winx Club Content

Rewriting the Winx

Rewriting the Specialists

Rewriting the Villains

Monster High Content

Plotting out Gen 4

[foodsies4me]

@goldendreams3 for the prompt (that discord so rudely deleted): Magnus not feeling like celebrating his birthday because it reminds him of bad things and the trainees decide to throw him some love to cheer him up and because they want to remind him they love him.

“You’re sure you don’t want to do anything special for your birthday?” Alec asks as he closes the door to his office behind him with his hip. The mountain of books in his arms sways dangerously for a second, forcing him to move his arms without dropping his phone or stumbling over the clutter of swords and crayons Hideaki and Ariadne left behind earlier. "We can go to that restaurant you like? The one in Hanoi - or we can go for drinks at Pandemonium?"

"I would say spending the evening with the man I love to be rather special," Magnus jokes and he doesn't sound upset saying this, but it wouldn't be the first time Alec got it wrong. Or even the tenth.

"If you're sure," Alec trails off, still wondering how Magnus, who threw a quarter-year birthday for Chairman Meow just last week, is happy not doing anything for his.

"I'm sure, darling."

“Okay,” Alec relents. "I'll see you tonight." He drops the books on his desk, making a mental note to warn Ragnor he retrieved the rest of his books he'd abandoned at the Academy. He then grabs his phone more comfortably, holding the receiver close to his mouth as he whispers a soft goodbye that Magnus is quick to return with the three words that never fail to make Alec smile.

The rest of his day goes by without a hitch. Alec shoots Ragnor a fire message to inform him he retrieved his books, reviews Jace and Stonehedge's mission reports and finishes the patrol roster for the rest of the month without any disturbances.

That probably should have been his first clue.

The lack of intrusions coming from his shadowhunters and his trainees in particular should have been his first clue as well as his second, third and fourth. And yet it isn't, which is how Alec finds himself being ambushed by the trainees when he tries to leave the institute.

"We're coming too," Doris tells him point-blank, her hands on her hips and her chin tilted up to look him in the eye. She's holding a package covered in gift wrapper sticking, neatly wrapped and tied with a pink ribbon.

Looking at the other trainees, Alec finds a similar sight, neatly (and not so neatly) wrapped presents, all tied off with a ribbon - or in Clara's case tied off with seven different ribbons to make a rainbow - and Alec doesn't have to guess who the packages are for.

He does have to wonder how he's going to convince the trainees Magnus isn't feeling up to partying.

"Magnus got us presents, so now we get Magnus presents," Clara reasons, her mouth pursing in that particular way that warns a temper tantrum is quick to follow if she doesn't get her way. Although, looking at the other trainees Alec doubts she'd be the only one to throw a fit.

"Magnus doesn't feel like having a big party," Alec says, crouching down to speak on a more equal level with his trainees. He raises his hand with his palm toward them when he sees several mouths open to begin protesting. "I'm not saying I don't want you to come," he assures. "But it's also not my decision to make. So, I'm going to call Magnus and ask him if it's okay for you to come, but if he says no we're going to have to wait another day, okay?"

He waits until everyone and especially Doris and Max, the no-doubt prime organizers of this intervention, nod in agreement before he pulls out his phone and dials Magnus' number.

Only to land on his voicemail.

His second and third attempts also go straight to voicemail and either Magnus got distracted by something and forgot to charge his phone again, or he's somewhere without phone reception.

The little menaces are all smiling gleefully when is fourth attempt fails as well. "Fine," he relents, wincing at the sudden onslaught of noise that hits his ears. "But-," he stresses, making sure his voice is audible over the excited cheers of Julian and Keith in particular. "-if Magnus says he wants to be alone it's back to the institute, okay?"

The chorus of Yes, Alec is less enthusiastic than he'd like it to be, but at this stage he'll take it.

Thinking the situation is resolved, Alec is already preparing to herd all of his trainees to the florist close to Magnus' loft only for Max to pipe up, smiling proud and unabashed.

"We need to go get Sammy first!"

Alec doesn't comment on the sleeping bag thrown over Sam's shoulder or the see you tomorrow he bids his mother goodbye with. He simply throws Max another look, a long stare that is greeted with his usual angelic smile and impish face.

"You're explaining this one to Magnus," he warns him to Max's clear amusement. In his arms, Madzie and Steph laugh as well, hiding their laughter into his shoulder. They're all smiling happily, each of his trainees holding their presents with the utmost care to make sure they don't break them.

Shaking his head, Alec shepherds them down another crossroad. He looks back down at his phone, noticing Magnus still hasn't tried to call him back and Alec hopes he isn't going to upset both Magnus and the trainees by going along with this.

Magnus returns from his trip to the Seelie Realm just in time to feel Alec pass through his secondary wards - along with a handful of other Nephilim signatures Magnus recognizes. At the same time, his phone buzzes alerting him to six new missed calls from Alec and a message.

He doesn't get the time to read the message before Alec is knocking on his door, the sound soft and hesitant the way it never is.

"Surprise!" The trainees cheer once he opens his door, their smiles contagious in their joy. "Happy Birthday, Magnus!"

Alec is giving him an apologetic look, something between happiness and worry floating through their bond. "They got you presents," he says in explanation. And, on cue, the trainees all trust their presents forward, colorful packages clashing with glittery ribbons that are garish enough to even make his eyes hurt.

"Maybe we should wait until we're all inside," Alec suggests, giving the trainees a look that tells them to behave. He then lets them get inside one by one, telling them to leave their weapons on the coat hanger along with his dirty shoes before he's helping Madzie and Steph with their jackets.

In his pocket, Magnus' phone rings to alert him to another message and, with the trainees preoccupied he has the time to read both messages: A warning that Alec wouldn't be coming alone and a promise that Alec will leave with the trainees as soon as they have handed him the presents they've prepared.

Magnus doesn't have the time to write a response. He doesn't even have the time figure out whether he wants the trainees to leave or not when Hideaki and Ariadne, his two shy little ones, walk over to hand him two rolled up papers.

"It's for you," Ariadne tells him softly, her cheeks red and her fingers toying nervously with the pieces of tape sticking to her present. Beside her Hideaki looks equally nervous.

The drawings are beautiful.

Magnus knows what he looks like. He knows what kind of impression he creates when he's dressed to impress and has his make-up is painted to match. He's flirted and seduced enough people throughout his centuries to know other people find him attractive and to know he is attractive.

He's never seen himself like this though. Painted and drawn to look beautiful and happy, innocent flowers and a happily-purring Chairman Meow sitting on his lap on the drawing Hideaki drew for him. Happy and at ease, Alexander smiling and holding his hands while the trainees sit around them in Ariadne's.

Happy and loved in both.

"We too! We too!" Clara yells as small hands wrap around his wrist to drag him over to the living room. "Magnus has to open all the presents."

Magnus can hear Alec say something to try and reign the trainees in, but his mind is still stuck on the drawings. On what must have taken both Ariadne and Hideaki hours of work to finish and yet is only considered an extra as both are still holding a wrapped gift in their hands.

Hours later, with the trainees all asleep in their sleeping bags on his living room floor and Chairman Meow napping on top of a softly dozing Aloysius, Magnus steps out on his balcony to take some fresh air.

"I'm sorry for the ambush," Alec apologizes when he joins him a few minutes later. "I don't know who told them, but they were waiting for me when I was about to leave the institute and-,"

No matter how many times he does it, Magnus will never tire of the way Alec grows silent whenever Magnus presses a finger to his lips. "I'm not mad," he assures. "I might not be a fan of surprises, but I'm happy to make an exception just this once."

He doesn't mention that his birthday always reminds him of his mother. That they remind him of who and what he is, of what was done to her and what it cost her. Cost him.

"I-," Alec licks his lips," I have a surprise for you as well. If that's okay with you?"

Magnus turns to him with a surprised look. He'd thought the flowers and potion ingredients Alec had gotten him - and he'll have to ask him where he got the dried serafil flowers from - had been Alec's birthday gift for him.

"Okay then," Magnus says, wondering what Alec could have gotten him that has him this twisted up, "Surprise me, shadowhunter."

Alec gives him a bracelet.

A simple silver bracelet. It's thin, nearly dainty compared to Magnus jewelry. A simple thin band with a small opening to allow someone to put it on and off more easily.

It's not something Magnus would have ever chosen for himself. It's a bracelet Magnus likely wouldn't have even noticed lying in a store and yet-

"You don't have to wear it if you don't like it," Alec is quick to assure, even though everything about his stance screams the opposite. Although, Magnus doesn't even need to look at Alec to know so.

A single look at the runes and flowers engraved on the inside would have told him just as much. The gentle curves, the sharp edges and the sweet, endearingly so, traces of magic that linger around each of them.

"It's perfect," Magnus tells him, the words never having sounded or felt more honest than right now. He holds out his arm, a silent request Alec is quick to follow. It makes the moon hit one of the runes Magnus doesn't know yet, makes them shine with an otherwordly glow as soft tendrils of magic curl around Magnus protectively, "Tell me what they mean?"

Magnus has celebrated his birthday in a hundred different ways since he found out about his parentage - loud and extravagantly, quietly and unnoticed. And yet, somehow all of those variations pale compared to this: sitting on his balcony with Alec, while in his living room, the trainees doze peacefully.

[lazysunjade]

2024 simblr resolutions:

new year, new aesthetic: "idgaf"

finish Chosen of the Sun

post more often

play sims 3...?

more interior posts

modern AU

resurrect the fallen (wcif naiven. kerrigans? never met em)

lower my standards challenge impossible

I'll be honest, after reviewing the astounding lack of posts I made this year, I was a bit sad and a bit ashamed. part of me wants to go back to doing stuff that I used to years ago, even if just to see if it still brings me any joy. whether it does or not, I want 2024 to be the year I start caring less about hitting impossible benchmarks and holding myself to brutal standards just to fail anyways, and start just posting things that make me happy. that means no more locking myself in to one particular theme or content type. I've had an itch to actually post interiors again. and maybe I'll even post some sims 3 stuff to this blog. I think I'll still primarily stay in Blender because it makes me happiest, but some things are too much effort. very likely you will be seeing more modern and less fantasy content on this blog, because it's less stressful and quicker to make. I do miss some of my older sims and families, but also I won't lie. I'm happiest posting Yeryn, still, I'll at least put in some effort to expand the roster.

I'm not committing to any big new projects but I've an idea to do something a bit different from my usual stories with the Yeryn modern AU. the format will be completely new for me, and not as confining as things like CotS or even legacy. I put it on the list but I don't expect to make much headway, I just want to give myself a push to try and see if I like it.

anyways thanks for sticking around with me, especially considering I almost entirely moved away from the game this year, and y'all still supported me and followed my posts and love you for it, truly. I think a year's break and changes in game and out has given me a much needed rest and some perspective. all I really want for the new year is to be more active and make stuff I love and not have any regrets when the clock strikes midnight a year from today. let 2024 be the year we all be a little messy if that means more damn posts on dash

Happy New Year's to all of you!

[mercuriallily]

Cosplay year in review (plus more)

2023 has been quite the year for me. I turned 25, moved away from the only city I've ever lived in, started university, and adopted a cat. I dealt with several personal issues and health problems. So much in my life changed this year - but what remained constant was my love of cosplay.

I added two new cats to my cosplay roster (Demeter and Mungojerrie), plus song pieces for Rumpleteazer. (I also started a non-Cats cosplay, Katherine Howard from Six the Musical.) I learned how to knit warmers and make fluffy tails for Cats cosplays, and even got to do a few commissions and trades! I did a presentation for school in cosplay, and started a cosplay-centric Instagram account.

Cosplay is not a cheap or easy hobby. It is very expensive and takes a lot out of me. There are times when I consider giving it up, but the joy it brings me and the support I get keeps me going. Thank you all.

I plan to add two more cats to my roster in 2024: Mexico Rumple (already halfway there!) and freestyle feral kitten Bomba. I'd also like to get song pieces for Mungo and maybe a replica Deme wig if possible! I'll be revamping my commission info as well, so if you're looking for warmers and/or fluffy tails I hope you'll keep me in mind.

So, in classic year in review fashion, some highlights!

My top 5 most popular cosplay posts this year: 1 2 3 4 5

My top 10 personal favourite pics this year:

Shoes, makeup, belled collar, Demeter arm warmers, Mungo warmers and tail by me; spikey collars by jelliclecatscorner on Instagram; everything else by @pixiedustjellicle

Thank you so much for this year, and I hope you're looking forward to 2024!!

[romancomicsnews]

Marvel's Secret Invasion wastes potential & fantastic actors - REVIEW

I'll be honest, the announcement of Secret Invasion being adapted into a Marvel television series was somewhat disappointing. After seeing this story successfully adapted through Avenger's Earth Mightiest Heroes, and with the MCU's ever growing roster of heroes, it felt like a story well suited for the big screen.

None the less, when it was revealed to be an espionage thriller centered around Nick Fury, with the feel of Captain America the Winter Soldier, I was very excited.

As the cast grew, Ben Mendelson, Emilia Clarke, Cobie Smulders, Don Cheadle, Olivia Coleman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, I thought this show was going to be something very special.

Unfortunately, while most MCU shows have been a mixed bag, none have been more mixed baggier than Secret Invasion.

Before I get anymore deep into this rant, I must say:

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ALL OF SECRET INVASION.

I will say a few nice things to start.

Excellent Actors

Although I think many of these actors were wasted as far as how much screen time they had, and their role within their show, the show is ridiculously stacked with talent and it's a delight to watch.

Olivia Colman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Don Cheadle and Ben Mendelson are highlights to me, but Samuel L Jackson, Emilia Clarke, and others are also fantastic.

Colman as Sonya I think will leave this show as a fan favorite, and possible eventual successor to Fury. She has a good mix of fun energy and intimidation, and clearly is having a ball.

Don Cheadle's "Rhodey" is for once doing something interesting in this show. As a secondary antagonist, Cheadle is able to chew up scenery as a Skrull and be a sinister rival to Samuel L Jackson, for once using Cheadle's fantastic acting skills properly.

While Gravik is an ordinary Marvel villain by all means, Ben-Adir gives him an anger and viewpoint that feels fresh. His monologue facing Fury in the final episode really brings the pain out for me. I don't know if he'll work as a character for others, but for me, due to the performance, Gravik is a step above many others.

Solid Ending

Secret Invasion ends on some very interesting notes, and I think overall sticks the landing where other MCU shows fail.

Wrapping up the story of Gravik with a giant Super-Skrull fight (which was a lot of fun), it leaves the MCU in a very interesting place, with the President calling on all aliens to be considered enemies.

This leaves assassinations running rampant, Skrulls on the run, and people anxious and scared.

This leaves Sonya and a new super G'iah as uneasy allies to protect the Skrulls and mankind.

This also pushes Fury to keep his promise and go up to Saber to continue his mission with his wife.

Overall, I like this ending. It sets up good stakes for earth that aren't just multiversal stakes. We can feel the ramifications of this show for years to come, and seeing what Fury, Sonya, and G'iah do next does excite me.

Plus, who doesn't love a Super Skrull fight?

Excellent Complicated Love Story

I think often where reviews and reviewers fall short is complaining about what a show isn't as opposed to examining a show for what it is.

While part of me thinks this isn't the time for a Nick Fury love story, I also have to point out that this is a great love story.

Charlayne Woodard as Nick Fury's wife Varra/Priscilla Davis adds an excellent layer to Fury's character.

While the chemistry is there, the acting performance between these two were captivating. There is an excellent scene where you have no idea what each character might do, guns on the table, talking about their past mistakes.

This was by far my favorite scene of the show.

It also brings to light many of Fury's flaws and possible prejudices, and gives you a firsthand look at what Skrulls go through on a daily basis.

Overall, I loved the inclusion of Varra, and would love to see her pop up more often.

But now on to my problems with the show. Starting with:

Meaningless Deaths

While a story like this definitely needs death to carry weight, I'd argue two characters die for absolutely no reason.

First I'll talk about is Talos. This fan favorite character dies in my opinion the saddest death. At the end of Talos' life, he has lost his wife, his daughter has lost faith in him, he has been stripped of his seat at the table of the Council, he has lost the faith of his people, and he just dies.

Now, a death like that you think would impact our main characters in any sort of significant way. But Fury, like with most deaths, has no reaction. It does not change or effect Fury's view of himself, he does not reflect on his regrets. You'd assume he was a nothing soldier, not a brother in arms.

But at the very least we got more Talos this season before his fatal end.

Maria Hill and Cobie Smulders deserved so much more.

Besides her death being used as leverage for the world to be after Nick Fury, which truly doesn't affect him at all, Hill's role is simply to die to imply stakes.

Using Maria just to die in such an unheroic way is really insulting to the character. When they killed Coulson, at the very least they did it with him trying to protect one of our heroes. Here, she is tricked by Gravik, and dies doing nothing of importance in the series.

I think having another character to provide a view point between Talos and Fury's argument of the Skrulls could have been beneficial. And having a larger group of agents would've added to the drama of who you could trust, who is really a skrull.

Instead they wasted not one but two of Marvel's most underrated characters.

Twists we see Coming

Rhodey being a skrull, G'iah not being dead, even G'iah being Fury in the final battle were all rather predictable twists. While there were genuine moments of suspense and shock, none of these worked for me.

Perhaps if they hinted strongly The President was a Skrull, and it was revealed it was actually Rhodey, that might've worked more for me, or hiding G'iah is alive for a few episodes. But instead none of them felt particularly hard to figure out.

Easy to figure out who you could trust

The point of a Secret Invasion storyline with many characters is to not trust anyone.

With the exception of Rhodey, Ross and Fury (ONE TIME), we don't get anyone impersonating our heroes. No one pretends to be Talos, or other MCU heroes, and Fury's crew is easy to trust throughout the entire show.

They do a half-hearted reason as to why Fury can't call other Avengers but really the best reason was right under their noses: he doesn't know who is real. That should've been the driving force of the show. Fury putting all his best mates to the test trying to figure out who he can trust and undo this invasion.

That's what a Secret Invasion story is.

All in all, Secret Invasion has just enough weight and great performances to warrant a watch and maybe even a future. It surprisingly sets up a second season very well, even with two protagonists who aren't Fury.

If this were to continue, it definitely needs to push the stakes, the conflict, and more than anything, the suspense. We should all be like Agent Prescod wondering desperately as it goes on, who do we trust?

If not, I'm afraid this show is destined to be forgotten in the middle of the road of the MCU.

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to support me, you can:

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[vocaloid-girlnament]

SUBMISSION PERIOD: OVER!

(propaganda is always open, though!)

CURRENT ROSTER

like vocaloid* music? like girls? like vocaloid* music about girls? you have found your people. one must rule them all.

*"vocaloid" is used here to increase traction; songs made with any vsynth engine under the sun are welcome!

welcome :-) got a character from a vocal synth song you really like? well, if they're girl-adjacent, toss them in my direction!

you can also submit propaganda on why that girl should win

[thank you to vocalokat's discord server KATNATION for this idea...!]

the submission period is currently over!

please read the criteria under the cut before submitting!

submission criteria: • the submitted character is from a song with a title formatted as "(ADJECTIVE) girl" or anything adjacent • the submitted character has a design that differs at least marginally from the design of the vocal synth used for the song (all with nuance of course, submissions will be present to The Council™ for review)

submission guidelines: • you can submit more than one girl, just keep it to one per ask, please! this is for sorting reasons! • it'd be cool if you could include a link to the song your girl is from! youtube, spotify, vocadb, niconico, etc. all work • you can include an image, that'd be so awesome! do note i might end up digging for an image myself so i can set up image aspect ratios right and whatnot ^^" • if you can, please check the current roster section below to see if the girl you want to submit is already registered! there's always the chance that i've gotten them in already! additionally, even if i just haven't updated the roster yet, don't be afraid to send in a girl you don't see in the current roster, i'll understand if i get repeats and the girl is not already on the roster!

...and, that's all you have to worry about if you're just submitting a girl! but, if you really, really want to convince the people to vote for your girl, you can also submit propaganda! submitted propaganda will be attached to all polls the girl is featured in. your propaganda will be posted anonymously, even if sent off-anon, as a bulleted list beneath the poll!

propaganda guidelines: (these are a little heftier, sorry! this is the scarier section because it's free writing on your end) • the "one per ask" rule is opposite here, please, as much as you can, if you are one person submitting propaganda, keep it to one ask! i can forgive forgetting one or two things in your ask and needing to squeeze in another, but for maintenance's sake, please avoid spamming as much as possible • stay appropriate please. this is not the confessions altar this is a random internet poll

[purplesurveys]

1837

What is your favorite breakfast food? Fried rice with eggs and hotdogs, or tapsilog :) Such comfort breakfast food. I like Eggs Benedict and Monte Cristo too, but let's be real I never have either for breakfast and only get them at restaurants when I feel like having breakfast food on a non-breakfast hour.

Who do you (romantically) love? Nobody.

Have you ever considered yourself dirty? In a few aspects, sometimes. Like how I have a bad habit of putting trash in my handbag, and end up having a pile of papers and wrappers after a few days.

What do you do to relax? Playing with the dogs eases my worries more than anything, but I also like turning to YouTube.

Do you enjoy kissing? Sure, but I haven't done that in a couple of years. That's okay with me though, I'm not a very sexual person in general.

What about making out? ^ Eh, just about the same.

Where are you most ticklish? My tummy and waist. I don't like even getting hit in that area, no matter how lightly, cause I'll end up squirming hahaha.

Have you ever been to an arena concert? Yes, most of the concerts I've attended have been in arenas. The only exceptions were One Direction (which was held in outdoor concert grounds) and Se So Neon (happened in a large indoor tent).

Where was the last place you kissed someone? It may have been outside my house, right by my car. Memory's hazy.

Do you know anyone who is expecting? I know someone who was due in like a couple of weeks when I first met her, so she has likely given birth by now. As for currently expecting, I don't think so.

What does your third text message say in your inbox? Just my bank telling me there was a recent transaction on my card.

Do you use speed dial? I never used that.

If so who is number 5?

Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex? Yes.

Where do you want to get married? I've always wanted a hotel wedding just so everything - or at least most things - can be set for us lol. They have the ambiance, they've got catering, the sound system, some hotels already have their roster of hosts...considering how all over the place I can get, that much would be a big help.

Do you plan on having both your parents at your wedding? If I ever get married, of course.

If you could visit one person right now, who would it be? No one, I like being alone right now.

Do you like school? The social part of it was really great; some of the best years of my life. I liked learning too but only to an extent, as there were some subjects I found to be a waste of time + some teachers didn't have the best attitude.

What is your all time favorite subject that you have ever taken in school? History. < Mine too :)

Do you have a current teacher who you wish taught all of your classes? Not current, but I wish my high school music teacher had been my teacher for everything.

What has been your favorite part of this calendar year so far? Being able to save as much as I have.

Are you going on vacation any time soon? No plans currently. My parents are planning this huge party for my grandparents in June so that will 100% kill off any vacation plans; Reena just came back from a trip to Thailand so I'm sure she'd want to save for the next few months; Angela's super busy with boards review. In any case I plan on going to Seoul next year for when BTS are back, so it'll be smart for me to not book anything for now.

Do you catch yourself staring at inappropriate times? Sometimes.

How many times have you been fall-down drunk? Less than 10 times.

Has a friend ever really hurt you and you never told them? Sure.

Where would your most romantic getaway spot be? Somewhere remote in either Palawan or Baguio.

Have you ever stayed on a ride at a theme park to ride it again? I'm sure I did this during the school fairs. I was in the rides committee so I had a few perks lol.

Have you ever used your sexuality to get you something you wanted? I'm sure I have, but only with a partner.

What do you count as too spoiled? Anyone who overreacts/makes a fuss over the smallest things. It can be very telling of how they've always had everything handed to them that they're incapable of handling the most minor of inconveniences.

When you don’t feel good, where do you want to be? Just my room, or the café we have in the village. It's never crowded and is fairly hidden, so it's a nice quaint little place to escape to.

Have you ever set an alarm on your phone to remind you to do something? Sure.

Where do you want to raise your children? The city. The stimulation and sensations would be good for them, I feel.

What is your favorite Crayola scented crayon? Idk I was never around them much.

What is your favorite childhood TV show? Hi-5!

Do you ever look at yourself and not believe it’s you? Eh, sometimes. I try not to get existential like that often.

What’s your favorite hideaway place? That café I mentioned. Not a lot of people in my circle know about it or would travel to get there + the signal in that area just so happens to be weak, so it's literally a place you can 'escape' to.

Do you have a secret you have kept from your family? Sure.

Have you ever slow danced to a song you didn’t know? I'm sure I have.

Where do you study? I don't anymore.

Do you study at all? Nope.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanted to be a journalist, but I've since gone a little west of that – I'm currently a PR practitioner.

Has someone ever dedicated a song to you? I don't think so?

How many people have you kissed this month? None.

Do you like do have your hair pulled? Sure.

Are you close with your parents? We're on much better terms now but I still prefer to keep some kind of wall up.

How much do you wish/ hope for something before you give up? I can be very passionate and will fight for things/people, but if I feel like I'm not getting the same energy back I slowly let go.

Have you ever hung out with a complete stranger? Sure!

Do you work any holidays? No.

[crehador]

brother crab's winter 2024 parting thoughts: ishura s1

tl;dr was originally meh on this for reasons that really aren't fair, ultimately wound up enjoying it well enough to pick up s2, but wouldn't necessarily recommend (especially if you'll be bothered by the fact that it's Very slow)

full review:

you know what i think for the first half of the season i really didn't give this show a fair shake. based on a skim of its summary and the fact that it had the battle royale tag, i went in thinking it would be structurally similar to shuumatsu no valkyrie (which i'd recently binged and enjoyed immensely)

and that sort of battle royale, a tournament between a roster of op heroes, does seem to be coming up. but unlike snv, ishura doesn't dump us straight into the tournament. there's a whole lot of buildup to it, in fact...

the whole first season is buildup for the tournament to choose a hero, which isn't necessarily a bad thing! just isn't what i expected, so i was a bit on the fence for a while

ultimately though i think i did enjoy this series. it's heavy on the action (and gore) but most of the fight scenes are pretty banging, and the cast is full of fairly interesting characters (many of whom are not long-lived lmao)

some of the characters are so cool, in fact, that it feels like a shame to not get more time with them. the pacing didn't feel bad or anything, but it's a very, for lack of a better word, scattered series. not in a negative way, though, because the relatively huge cast provides a wider look at the world. it's just a lot of build-up and so far not much payoff (but clearly it's the start of a longer thing, so i guess to me that's fine)

the worldbuilding to me is by far the strongest point of the series, even stronger than the action sequences. there are some elements of it that i really love, like the naming conventions ("taren the guarded" "dakai the magpie" "alus the star runner" and so on, instead of family surnames) and the word arts magic

the (fairly early) reveal that not only humans and wyverns but even these... constructs? that seemed like mechanical golems? could use this word arts magic was fantastic to me, and i hope we get to see more interesting things of that nature as we continue

ishura has had a second season announced and even though i was a bit lukewarm on it for half this season, i do think i'll continue. if only because the cast is absurdly stacked and i go where my favorite voice actors go lol

i would still say it isn't exactly exceptional as a fantasy action series, but does do some interesting things with worldbuilding that i don't think i've seen much of before (but i also haven't watched fantasy extensively yet, so don't have too much to compare)

dakai my beloved freak i miss u already umu it was such a trip hearing hoshi souichirou voice a character like dakai though lol i mean i'm sure he's done many before but i more associate him with darling momo revale (and more recently saiyuki swk) so this was. new. and a treat

[theizzifromosaka]

Here it is! I'm starting my review series of Monster Girl media, and for the first entry, I'll be reviewing

Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls

To be perfectly clear, this review will be foucsed on the Monster Girl aspect of this series. I'm not sure if my opinions on the actual show itself would be worth listening to, I'm not trying to sway anyone one way or another.

Monster Musume follows "Darling-Kun" as he adapts to life with a rapidly growing cast of Demihumans. They learn about Japanese culture, and he finds himself pressured to pursue a relationship with one.

Darling-kun, whose name I don't think we ever learn in the anime, is kind of a weird dude. Throughout the course of the series he sees a LOT of naked girls, and he NEVER gets used to them. Other than that he's mostly just one of those generic anime nice guys, though he's aware the girls like him, unlike most of his peers.

Moving on.

Miia the Lamia

The Classic

The most iconic and recognizable character from this seris, Miia is a Lamia (go figure) with a lot of affection for Darling. She gets jealous easily and can be very clingy but still manages to be one of the most reasonable girls in the roster. She tends to see every new girl as a rival for Darling's affection and at this point you've probably noticed her entire personality revolves around Darling. This is standard for all the girls in this series and any deviation from this is considered strange.

Lamia in Greek mythology was the queen of Libya who, as you do, had children with Zeus and incurred Hera's wrath. Hera killed her children and this drove Lamia to madness, she lived out her days eating children and became monstrous in appearance. The story of Lamia was kinda like the Greek version of the Boogeyman.

I always encourage doing your own research on these topics, and take anything I've said with a grain of salt.

I'll refrain from asking why an apparent reptile has breasts as I could ask that about most Monster Girls, but aside from that, why are her genitals at her waist? They should be at the end of her tail.

Papi the Harpy

God damn it.

Okay, so Papi's name comes from the Japanese pronunciation of Harpy (would be something like Haapi). She's a very childlike adult, which is apparently typical of Harpies. They don't completely physically mature so they're light enough to fly, and she's a "bird brain". She claims to see Darling as a big brother but seems to have no idea what that really means.

Harpies are also Greek, they were birds with features of human women. They were seen as undesirable, ugly and foul and yeah, all the boxes are checked here.

Okay, it's not fair to judge Papi on these terms. We ought to be judging the creator of the series here. Honestly if not for the constant sexualization I probably wouldn't mind her too much.

Centorea the Centaur

Double damn it.

She's one of them warrior women that acts all stoic "but hides the heart of a woman" or whatever. I don't care for her, and unlike with Papi, I think it's her fault this time. I don't like her character, and I don't like her design.

Centaurs, yet again, are Greek in origin. They're half horse half man and are named after Centaurus, the first Centaur. Pop culture depicts Centaurs as being a Warrior Race, probably stemming from Chiron, among the most famous Centaurs in Greek Mythology. It is speculated the image of a Centaur arose from people seeing horse mounted warriors and either misinterpreting what they saw or a Telephone Game effect eventually resulting in what we're familiar with today.

Her design is a perfectly passable Centaur besides her Serious Honkers. Her real set of Badonkers. She's packin some Dobonhonkeros. I'm sure you don't need me invoking a copypasta to tell you she looks ridiculous.

Suu the Slime

Oh baby a triple!

Another child coded character. Suu is a shapeshifter so she doesn't always resemble a child, but her mannerisms are harder to change. Throughout the course of the series she becomes more intelligent and capable, going from a shapeless blob to barely coherent to regularly speaking full sentences. Suu is like... THE Slime Girl too, the first case of the author coming up with a wholly original design.

I'm not actually sure if Suu is the first Slime Girl but her influence can't be ignored. Slime Monsters overall are a pretty recent thing, and hard to track the history of (by that I mean they don't have a Wikipedia article). Their origins can be traced back to many sources, including classic Monster Flick The Blob, the Gray Goo Global Catastrophic Scenario, Tabletop RPGs and Dragon Quest.

(in absence of a Wikipedia article)

Honestly Suu would be cute and endearing if she wasn't subject to so much fanservice. Her personality, as it develops, is very childlike, with no sense of tact and little in the way of a filter. In this case I think I'd prefer it if they made her MORE childlike, and I wouldn't mind one bit if she remained a shapeless blob the whole time.

Mero the Mermaid

it was Big! Scary! and PINK!

Mermaids in this universe romanticize tragedy, and that ends up being one of Mero's most defining features. She states outright to ease Miia's worries that she does not want to marry Darling, she just wants to be his mistress. She's very soft-spoken but occasionally says some weird things.

So Mermaids have a lot of history and multiple origins, ranging from Greek Sirens to misidentified Manatees to just disoriented pent-up sailors seeing a Thicc Fish. The story of The Little Mermaid is very influential, and the in universe reason given to why Merfolk romanticize tragedy so heavily.

Honestly Mero might be my favorite of the main cast, her taxonomy is vague, she states that her skin secretes mucus, she's got tiny little arms on her hips, and in the 11th episode she tries to drown Darling, which if you ask me makes her best girl by default. I lament that most of the time she just looks like a girl in a wheelchair, and I also have to mention the fin ears.

Rachnera the Arachne

Not so itsy-bitsy

Rachnera is perhaps one of the most fleshed out characters in the show, she has a backstory and is capable of a range of emotions. That said most of the time she's just horny. Her initial foster family greatly disliked her but tried to "put up" with her, and after an incident resulting in their daughter being injured they sold her to a shady man who wanted to sell her silk on the black market. She starts off not exactly fond of humans but in typical fashion a single interaction with the main character all but changes her opinion.

The Greek story of Arachne is about a woman who challenged the Gods and was turned into a spider by Athena. She won by the way, the moral of the story is the Gods are jerks I guess.

This girl is a mixed bag. On one hand she has motivations that don't involve the main character, but on the other hand she very quickly becomes a vessel for bondage fetish pandering. As for her design, I like her eyes, it's a bit overdone to represent spider eyes like this but that's for good reason. I also don't really like how if you erase her human parts you're left with kind of a dumb looking spider. Overall I'd rank her pretty low, but not the worst.

Lala the Dullahan

So no head?

Lala is only in the show for about one and a half episodes, plus gets some screentime in the OVAs. She's a Chuunibyou who claims herself to be Death and gives the rest of the cast quite the spook.

The Dullahan is from Irish mythology, originally referring to any headless spirit, but eventually invoking a Headless Horseman, said to use a human spine as a whip. The image of a Headless Horseman can actually be found in various parts of Europe, and even in the Americas thanks to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which is apparently where the Jack-O-Lantern head thing comes from.

This is probably gonna be a recurring point of friction throughout this review series but you can't just paint a girl blue and call her a monster. Given the monster she's supposed to represent in this case I suppose I can't fault them too much, but in my opinion painting her blue somehow makes the design feel MORE lazy. Other than that I could criticize her inaccurate scythe for not having grips but that seems to be an anime thing.

Overall I'd say this series has surprisingly competent worldbuilding, reason is given to why most of the infrastructure doesn't accommodate demihumans and, though shallow, the different cultural origins of the girls play a part in how they interact with Darling and each other. That said the girls' designs are all very safe and same-y, with the most out there design being Polt, a character that only shows up in one of the OVAs. If I had to pick a favorite from the main cast though, it would have to be Mero. Her little arms really sell her design for me, and her gimmick of wanting to live out a tragedy actually got a chuckle or two out of me.

Overall, would I recommend this series? It depends. If you're a fellow Monster Girl Connoisseur then the sheer influence of this series earns it a watch, and if you're the kind of person that enjoys a good hate watch, or if you like ecchi (no judging) then you could probably get some enjoyment out of it. Outside of those spheres, nah it's not worth it.

Next review:

[undisputed-queer-a]

Let's talk about the Diva's Title

I said I'd do this so...um yeah that thing. Once again I'll try not to reiterate ground that has already been beaten to death. Seriously it looks so sh*t. It looks like it's sold at Claire's, if your not British let me translate- it looks like sh*tty jewellery for 13 year olds. But yes it looks terrible but instead of just saying that in 50 different ways how does it compare to other women's title's at the time.

(From left to right: TNA's Knockouts World Championship, Shimmer's Shimmer Championship, Stardom's World of Stardom Championship, WWE's Women's Championship, Ice Ribbon's ICE Cross Infinity Championship and WOW's WOW World Championship)

In my opinion the most important thing for a wrestling title is that it looks like an accolade, that it looks like something people would want to win. And I think that all of these belt fit this criteria with some excelling but then again good looking championships are subjective (Knockouts Championship my beloved) so the important bit is that they look important and like well championships. The Diva's Title doesn't look like a championship, it looks like a really bad accessory.

Ok let's zoom in for a second and compare the diva's title to one of these other title, and because I have the most history with it, let's pick the TNA's Knockouts Championship. Okay first off while I know that cagematch isn't always the best place, I'd like to mention that it rates the Diva's title at 2.62 and the Knockouts one at 7.91. And now let's compare some reviews of these belts.

"Not as good as the women's title and division and never liked the look of the diva's belt. The division is too much about eye candy and not enough hardcore action. There are no true HC matches such as ladder, cage, TLC or no holds barred matches. Also tired of seeing the black divas used as jobbers and think Naomi should have a reign as divas champ and Alicia should have a second reign. Only one black woman has held the title so far in it's history which is not right in my view."

"A very poor championship. The very design of the belt itself represents inferiority and relegates the belt and all who hold it in limbo. It's not a representation of a true women's belt and has been designed more for a pr teen or adolescent. As the design of the belt is that of a pink butterfly. Nothing against butterflies per say but it seems to have purposely over feminized in such a way as to make it seem worth much less then every other belt on the roster. I actually find the belt somewhat offensive and do not take it seriously. There have been a lot of great women's wrestlers that have held the belt but they and the belt are so-called Divas which in my opinion marginalizes them and the title itself."

A scathing admonishing of this belt, it's role in the company and the treatment of it's women. Now compare.

"While a lot of dumb things - lockboxes, hypnotism, ect. but it is still a bright spot, especially during the 2000's period where only TNA and places like shimmer cared for woman's wrestling, and there have been plenty of fun matches for this title, still a good title, just needs some for focus on the title."

I think that the KO Belt has a higher batting average of good feuds and good matches.

Ok fun game time, Name a good Diva's title match.

Ok sorry that was a bit hard, Name a good Diva's title feud.

Maybe you could, but I couldn't. And that's part of why this Title was sh*t (wow I've said sh*t a lot in this post) I can't name a single good thing to come out of it...maybe Paige Vs AJ...maybe Paige Vs Charlotte excluding the really uncomfortable reference to Charlotte's dead brother. Also it's design and name do a lot of work to undermine the women who held it, but I think you knew that already. It's important to mention though. They didn't call them 'women', they f*cking called them 'divas'

In conclusion, I have talked about the Diva's title for far too long and would like to stop. At least things are a bit better now. A bit.

This has been Undisputed Queer-a.

Slay The System, Shock The Cis-tem, and see you next Monday.

[dreadwhoop]

Reviewing the All Elite Wrestling personnel 2023 Edition (Part 0) -

New to this? Please refer to https://dreadwhoop.tumblr.com/post/697331836428353536/reviewing-the-all-elite-wrestling-personnel-2022 to recap 2022 or understand what this is all about.

Yeah. Where to start?

A brief rundown. Usually these go out around the anniversary of the weekly TV show AEW Dynamite. Here I'll ruminate the overview between last year and this year. After we'll address the roster's ratings and then who to PUSH or GET RID OF and then, if I can, some other factors to complete the annual review. This will likely be a lighter affair than the previous years since I echo the sentiments said before and, as a principled individual, don't like changing my mind once committed to an ideal - if it's good it's good if it's bad it's bad I'll continue regardless. Having said this, every time I publish a PUSH or GET RID OF list I never change the decision or repeat it so you'll always see new entrants. Anyways let's move on!

Since last year we've seen the end of AEW Dark and AEW Dark Elevation and in return the inclusion of AEW Collision as weekly offerings alongside Dynamite and Rampage. The videogame AEW Fight Forever also released this year after significant delays which makes certain roster inclusions oddities as a result. By far though the most important day for AEW was All In at Wembley Stadium - their biggest event to date by far.

AEW continues to find a measure of success in places, put on some notable matches, and effectively make 2023 the defining year where MJF is the major draw which is why it'll be a bad blow to the company upon his inevitable departure following the firing of CM Punk and loss of Jade Cargill, two names they built up strong, whilst keeping under contract even more names than ever before. Here's something to look over with the documentation done over these 4 years. If you regard official active wrestlers, we've gone from 79 in 2019-2020 to 108 in 2020-2021 to 132 in 2021-2022 to now 156 in 2022-2023. Rumours of Tony Khan buying New Japan Pro Wrestling, Shimmer, and other shows as he did with Ring of Honor only dillutes the waters further. Let's make one thing clear - you only have a roster this bloated if you expect them to get injured so you can substitute someone else in, talent be damned. Dante Martin took a bump which effectively renders his past career over whilst Jon Moxley took a nasty stinger and now both AEW's cornerstone and capstone are sidelined leaving Tony Khan to DANCE WITH GARCIA BABY LET'S FORGET THE BAD TIMES LET'S DANCE BABY!

Moving on…

This whole story with MJF and Adam Cole bromance better end with MJF and Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. being together and, for both their sakes, in WWE with her as his valet who wrestles too. MJF goes on about being a generational talent well it's only proven by having an incredible 2nd-generation talent with someone also talented especially after the botching of her 'abuse victim' T-Shirt. Anything less is fraud on the payoff and no don't feel sorry for Adam Cole because what they should of done with him was not what happened and instead has dragged MJF down to a level which insults the intelligence of its audience and his ability.

I want people to direct their attention to Netflix's documentary on OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) and how, despite the distance in audience and finance, the same problems in OVW crop up in AEW: lack of new fans. Retaining an audience is one thing but genuine interest is floundering. It's also worth noting the only difference between the success and failure of a promotion is how much revenue it has - OVW could be given a billion dollars and achieve just as much success as AEW so keep it in mind - context matters. Mahabali Shera is great would love to see him in AEW doing well. I'd also recommend Hollyhood Haley J, if only to get her to catering to get a decent meal because she's painfully thin and understand why, but you'd have to steer her to get the best from what could be a huge draw - making her lean into saying Tammy Sytch is her hero, got 'a-head' using Al Snow to work her way up, and generally make her an outrageous antithesis to Toni Storm who wants to be regarded as a star whilst Haley wants to burn everyone like a star or Julia Hart who plays at the darkness whilst she breathes it. Neither will reach the platform of WWE without a proving ground like AEW to see how well they thrive with established talents. Like Brian Pillman Jr. and Dark Side of the Ring, they can't afford to miss on such opportunities given the buzz. Hire some talent from OVW Tony.

Finally want to mention the series Markyd123 was doing on AEW was refreshing, as we need new takes, but of course the fanbase ran his interest off. Great job guys - let's continue to sabotage diverse voices whilst pretending we want diversity. As paraphrased by a relevant person to this conversation, you're either growing or you're dying. We'll see which AEW is come next annual review.

[judeinutil]

My 2023 update!

I have contemplated whether or not I'd post this or not but I believe my few followers should know what I want to do, even when this isn't final. Without further ado, my 2023 plan!

So first thing first, I'll finish business with the Binding of Isaac's mod Cursed and Brokenhearted. After this, I'll move on to two big things I want to do. But first:

My Baby Fetus Beating a Mom Phase

So for those who originally followed me for The Binding of Isaac mod content, yes, I am still making this. However, I'll be quiet about it and my beta team might be dead or not (still deciding on this)

However, be wary that I might just do what I promised; do my tainted Rebekah. After this, I might as well go away because I feel too old to be part of this game now lol I still might come back if I feel like it, but that's unlikely because I want to do so much other things....

So have a concept I had in mind that might never happen: tainted curse bosses!

Cursed bosses was supposed to be an unlockable boss roster which spawns after you defeat the normal boss. For them to spawn, the existing floor needs a curse and the respective curse boss will spawn and after defeating the main boss (maybe perhaps no-hit or no red heart hit), you get a trapdoor leading to a cursed boss room!

Bosses in there are based on the curse you have in the floor. This boss in hand is the Curse of the Blind boss! Look at him go!

Scroto did a good job animating this, but it's a pity they won't make it in the mod. I tried hiding this for a year already but it would be a waste if I just hid it from everyone, so here it is.

Death of An Author

That's right! That's the official name of my game! Back then, I said the name is still unofficial but after much thinking, I believe this is the right name!

Also the game used to be planned to be 20 minutes of gameplay or less because of it being a bit more fast-paced but now I'm not sure...

It might be an hour long now because I want to expand the story aspect of the game as well as the puzzle and horror potential of the game!

This does mean the game might come out way later, but I promise you, it will be worth it! It will be my side main project!

Right now, sadly, I don't have much to show for the game (I do have tweets about it in my twitter account, go follow that for more updates!) and all I have to show is some concept arts.

The following concept art are old and scrapped ideas, but I'd love to show them because they are close to what I envisioned the game today!

YouTube Channel

What? You read that right! As another side project, I'm gonna do a passion YouTube channel.

Now, the cool news! My content is gonna be me either reviewing or analyzing game music or small indie games for fun, and maybe if I get a bit bigger, do some funny chill streams.

The bad news that will turn heads away: My content is gonna be a VTuber me either reviewing or analyzing game music like Genshin Impact music or small indie games for fun.

Yeah, yeah. That's why I said in my discord server I'm gonna give y'all whiplash. Throw all your pedo Gensh*t jokes, that's right, I'm going out from crybaby community to toxic community. So what? Not your issue man, this is what I wanna do lol. So remember when I told you to follow me? Feel free to unfollow me now LOL

However, to save your braincells:

I'm making another Twitter account!

What does this mean? That means my current Twitter account is my personal account where I post my personal updates, post art and retweet funnies and stuff.

My new account, like my more "professional" account, is gonna be main updates about Death of An Author and other major projects. Right now, I am pondering if I should do two YouTube accounts as well; one for game music analysis videos and streams, and the other for main project stuff... maybe I should! Who knows!

Conclusion

So that's all I have to say! All this isn't final because I will still focus on my college things and I am still looking for a job to earn some money. I wanna stop being a freeloader and help the fam with some bread, if you know what I mean lol

I hope people read this anyway because this is at least something I'm hoping to do this year and onward for fun. And oh yeah, this is my Tumblr account! Feel free to follow for blogs as this is the space I will have for big updates and stuff. Bye y'all!

[waheelawhisperer]

Integrated Strategies Unit Review: Siege

Now that I've had some time to play the new game mode, I figured I'd share my thoughts on how various units performed. I'm not doing this to create any sort of tier list, nor am I trying to set the meta. I'm just reviewing the units I've used based on the criteria I set out when I posted my initial impressions. There are people with larger brains than mine who can figure out the meta much faster than I will, nor am I an expert on Integrated Strategies, so I'm just taking the chance to use units I like.

I'll be rating operators purely on the strength of their base kits rather than taking into account any synergy with items. This game mode is such a crapshoot that you can't reliably supplement your units with specific relics most of the time anyway, and an individual operator's effectiveness can vary wildly based on the contents of your inventory. I will consider each operator's Versatility, Self-Sufficiency, Dependency Upon Promotion, Sustain, Crowd Control/Utility, Range, Cost, and Boss-Killing Capability and assign each category a score of Poor, Adequate, Good, or Excellent before giving the operator an overall score.

Let's start with one of my old favorites, Siege. Saber Lion is the reason I started playing this game, and though Margaret Nearl has supplanted her at the top of my list of favorite units and the Vanguard meta in the main game isn't as friendly to her as it is to Bagpipe and the flagbearers, Siege is still very fun to use and has proven to be effective in the new game mode.

Versatility: Excellent. Siege is remarkably versatile for a Vanguard, with three solid skills that offer different things to a team. You'll probably get more use out of her S2 than anything else, since that combines high damage output with the ability to generate DP, but S1 has its uses on certain maps where positioning melee units to attack the enemies consistently is annoying and you just need DP to get your damage-dealers and medics out, and S3 lets her play the role of a Guard at need. Being able to flex roles is very valuable in a role where basically everything is a crapshoot, so Siege's adaptability is very nice.

Self-sufficiency: Good. Siege doesn't need a whole lot of help to do her job. Her high stats for a Vanguard let her serve as an early-game frontline while you build up your squad. Keep her HP topped off and she'll keep generating DP or caving in the skulls of particularly dangerous enemies.

Dependency Upon Promotion: Excellent. Siege benefits from access to her third skill and any masteries, but she doesn't need it. If you just need her to pump out DP, she'll do that just fine at E1. She benefits from access to additional stats

Sustain: Poor. Siege lacks any form of sustain and will require a healer in the long run.

Crowd Control/Utility: Good. It's not as reliable as some others, but a 40% chance to stun is nothing to sneeze at and can be layered on top of other CC if necessary. Her passive also gives a small stat buff to other Vanguards, which can be nice if you're running several of them.

Range: Poor. Siege is a melee unit and cannot attack aerial units.

Cost: Poor. Siege is a six-star unit, which means just recruiting her onto your team costs 6 Hope, and it's another 3 if you want to promote her.

Boss-Killing: Good. She's nowhere near as impressive as operators like Surtr or Schwarz, but Siege can serve as a boss-killer in a pinch with S3. The multiplier on that skill is absolutely massive, and if you give her a buff or two and let her go to town, she can take beefy enemies apart surprisingly quickly.

Overall: Good. If you're playing purely to maximize effectiveness and have an extensive roster, Siege is unlikely to ever be your optimal pick, but she's an interesting Vanguard and will pull her weight. I'll admit I have a soft spot for her, but I've been enjoying incorporating her into my team during my IS runs.

[thecinnybun]

LAYOUT REVIEW TIME BABEY!!!!!!!

Please go easy on me this my first time😰

First up on the chopping block is .....

LOTUS by like a lot of good creators😄

lotus was an mc hosted by ZeroSR in an attempt to band together the "old gen" of top gameplay creators, and boy did he deliver. the roster on this thing is absolutely fucking insane, stacked with gameplay creators who dominated the scene from the last three years.

I don't really have much else to say let's just get started

FIRST PART - Ilrell (7.5/10)

first part, solid enough cube section from the man himself. The gimmick here was a bit confusing at first, and I'm still a little unsure about the execution of it, but the rest as previously stated is some very solid cube gameplay.

SECOND PART - PARA (7/10)

I'll be real I still don't really get the gimmick in this part but the mini cube is cool enough, pretty average para part, but the pokeballs bring it up a bit.

THIRD PART - SEQUEX (9/10)

if I wasn't gripped before I definitely was at this part. Impressive given it's a filler ship section. the gimmick here is perfectly done no question. PLEASE take notes because this is how you make filler gameplay I'm so tired of seeing the same boring shit for every level no the floating icon on an invisible block isn't cool anymore lagnugg was doing that 3 years ago. That being said it is a filler part so I can't exactly give it a 10, but the execution here really took me aback the first few times.

FOURTH PART - Artu (7.5/10)

Really not much to say I won't lie it's pretty average Artu gameplay Artu swing copter artu cube it would probably be higher but it falls off in quality a little halfway through.

FITH PART - REBIX (10/10)

I'm a shameless rebix simp he is a god among men and you will worship. rebix is the definition of a master of his craft and I think this part defines it pretty well. Not only does he have a sixth sense for composition and repetition but he's able to put it into practice flawlessly every single time. I don't care if I'm just dickriding now the part is simple because every single movement is placed perfectly and only adds to the absolute insanity that is this man's mind for gameplay.

SIXTH PART - Chase - (8/10)

I'm a sucker for chase gameplay but even then I think this part holds it's weight very well in this collab. Chase is an "old is gold" 2.0 creator with a good sense for gameplay turned 2.1 gameplay creator. despite occasionally breaking flow or missing beats seemingly at random the part is still great and his talent really shines through the flaws.

SEVENTH PART - Highjump - (9.5/10)

I think I genuinely jumped when I saw this name on the roster. For those not in the know, Highjump is a living legend in the gameplay community and has all but disappeared in recent years, so seeing this from him was a welcome surprise. Other than the name tied to it, there's nothing really special about this part, merely raw skill and execution with some Highjump duals packaged in. VERY solid part and I'm glad to see the name again after so long.

EIGHTH PART - Marwec - (10/10)

holy shit this part is great. it gives everything marwec has to offer, on top of a flawlessly executed gimmick making it likely my favorite part in the level. When people say marwec is overrated, I can't help but think of parts like this that really do keep him at the top of my list.

NINETH PART - ZeroSR - (9/10)

encapsulates Zero's style incredibly well. I've always loved Zero's ability to integrate wave better than most in his gameplay, and I think this timestamp was perfect for him in that regard. The dual at the end is also sick as fuck and nobody can change my mind

AVERAGE RATING - (8.6)

BEST PART - Marwec

WORST PART - Para

great project and everyone involved honestly made amazing parts. honestly well worth the wait. picked up for sure in the second half, still honestly one of my favorite layouts.

That's all folks!!!!!

this is the first level review I've done so I'm sorry if it sucks, I'll probably do more in the future so suck it up. LMK if you have any other levels in mind I can spend typing an essay about instead of writing geography notes 🙏

signing off