#(being silly- the design reminds me of a character from a video game)

[h-didanart]

Jack-o-moon

Midnight au

Oh

Hello there, shadowy evil Jack

Very spooky, I like them!

[moosh2727]

I FINALLY GOT ACCESS TO ISSUE 71 OMG

this took forever but finally i get to see him!! spoilers ahead :3

first of all, amazing cover. jet and the gang look amazing just in that one snippet

extreme gear dodgeball... thats interesting, reminds me of the multiplayer modes in riders zg that was not racing but fun!

HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY BOY ANGRY wave helping jet focus is nice like in zero gravity 💚

the rouges being in shock is always so funny, im glad to see wave and storm join in on the fun 💚

WOAHHH LOL dang sonic's going hard!!

i now headcannon wave has a mindfullness youtube video she makes jet begrudgingly watch LOL 💚

i love seeing them using their gear more, it fuels my autism 💚💚💚

THIS IS SO FREAKING FUNNY I LOVE IT, AND HOW DARE SHE CRASH IN JETS GEAR!! anyway love him /p 💚

AMAZING I WANNA SEE HIM ANGRYYY, BEAT THEM UP JET!!! 💚100 gonna use this part for art ref because it looks so good

the silence is so loud in this picture i love it, i wonder what jets gonna do? 😊

oh my gosh this is so heartbreaking actually what the heck- ALSO WAVE TELLING JET TO RUN IS SO ON POINT

the story telling via art is on point, theres not much words needed to convey the emotions the characters are feeling

THEY HAVE A NEW ROOM, I REPEAT THEY HAVE A KITCHEEEEEEEEN, storm being the cook fits so well i love it.

the food (curry im guessing) fits their background and double points for looking extra yummy.

jet's first sentence fits him so well, im really glad they're doing good depiction with him and everything relating to them, considering the idw special where jewel broke her wing SUCKED because of idw ppl not thinking about where jet lives on the ship, so they made it SUPER inacurate.

it makes me happy to see storm contributing and not being a stupid fat joke like in free riders. we need to appreciate this silly guy who got brain damage from amy hitting him many times, and he still manages to fulfil jets orders.

storm doing this with his eyes is as good as his eyes in free riders, but way better than his weird blink in the zero gravity black hole cutscene

jet being ahead of the game and i love it!!! NEW MISSION LETS GOOO!!!!!! 💚💚💚💚

these riders designs are really helping me in the future with my own oc 🫶

OMG THE WIFE OF THE TRAIN CONDUCTOR FROM MURDER OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!!!

ouch my heart

oh gosh thats so sweet but sad ugh

jet has become more thoughtful! i just hope he doesn't lose his edge, but even if he does i'll love him anyway /p 💚

i love how much talented ppl are in this community, im so glad for more jet content via idw and fan creations. jet needs all the praise and love. 💚

Overall i loved this idw issue, i can always make the excuse " use more jet content!" but they did a really good job with expressing all the characters fairly. (still, i still want more jet tho :P)

i waited so long for this issue its crazy, idk why it took so long to come out digitally since i don't have the money to buy them in person.

knowing more rooms, might create an accurate layout of their blimp soon!

anyway, i got a gaming pc and not a stupid mac earlier this week, meaning that i can finally play free riders yayy!!!

[honeyjars-sims]

3.14 It Boy

Johnny walked over to the Production Coordinator’s office. She was sitting at her desk, her blonde hair looped into a messy ponytail. Her desk was covered in an assortment of papers and folders that she was rummaging through.

“Where did I put that? I swear it was here a minute ago," she muttered to herself.

Johnny cleared his throat. “Excuse me, are you Lucy Steel?”

She looked up. “Oh, hi! Yes, I’m Lucy, it’s nice to meet you! Johnny, right?” She gestured to one of the empty chairs sat in front of her desk.

Johnny nodded as he sat down. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Sorry I couldn’t meet with you earlier, but you know how it is. I can show you around, unless you’ve already seen everything.”

“No, I haven’t made it away from my desk. I got bombarded by Hurricane Lilly.”

Lucy laughed. “She’s a character! Well, we can start in the studio.”

They walked down the corridor and stopped in front of a security door. Lucy swiped her badge. “I’ll give you one of these,” she said. “You can enter the studio at any time as long as the red light isn’t on.” She gestured to the light fixture on top of the door. “Don’t let the talent or directors tell you otherwise.”

They stepped into the studio. Johnny was surprised at how spacious it was. “Wow, it seems so much smaller onscreen.”

“Yeah, we need a lot of space for the equipment.”

They walked past some technical equipment with lots of buttons and lights and stopped at one of the sets. Johnny recognized the blue couch from some of the channel’s videos. The wall behind it was decorated with memorabilia from popular video games. “This is where we film most of our gaming videos.”

She turned to the right and walked towards another set, this one featuring a long table with an tabletop RPG set up. “And that’s our Lairs and Llamas set. We’ll add more sets as we continue to expand the channel, but we’ll need to hire more people first.”

Johnny was taking everything in. It was surreal being somewhere he’d seen on SimTube so many times.

They exited the studio and Lucy showed him a couple of other areas—the editor’s work stations, the production design studio, and the break area. Everywhere they went was bustling with people, most of them happy and engaged in activity.

They made their way back to Lucy’s office. Everything seemed great so far, but Johnny still felt a bit unprepared. “Can I ask a silly question?”

“Ask away.”

“What is it that I’m going to be doing exactly?”

Lucy began to laugh but caught herself. “I’m sorry, go ahead,” she told him.

“All of this is just really new to me,” Johnny explained sheepishly. “I don’t even really understand what you do. Like what is a Production Coordinator?”

“Oh, I wasn’t laughing at you!" Lucy explained apologetically. "It’s just that I asked that same question when I interviewed here a couple of years ago. It reminds me of how lost I was back then.”

"Oh, okay." Johnny let out a small breath of relief.

“So basically," Lucy continued. "I run interference between the Producer and the other departments to make sure everyone has the information and materials they need and everything is on schedule. I’m involved throughout the whole process, from researching ideas for new content to providing feedback on videos in post-production.”

“Wow, that sounds like a lot.”

“It can be. But having you here will be a big help. Your main duties will be delivering messages, keeping inventory of materials, helping with set up, and resolving minor issues during filming. That’ll cut down a lot of the running around I’m doing.”

“So I'll be the go-between for the go-between," Johnny quipped. I guess that’s pretty much what I expected.” He recalled what Lilly told him earlier.

As though she could read his mind, Lucy added, “It won’t be just running errands, though. I’ll need your help with researching ideas and bringing them to life on set. That’s one of the reasons we hired you. Damien called you ‘an innovative thinker.’”

Johnny was flattered. “He said that?”

“He did. That’s quite a big compliment coming from him. If you prove him right, you won’t be stuck as a PA for long.”

Johnny tried to quiet the voice inside his head, the one that was telling him this was all too good to be true. How could a successful CEO see potential in him? Could he really go from doing lines in a dingy bar only a few weeks ago to making a name for himself in the world of digital media production?

If Damien and Lucy could believe in him, maybe he could get there too.

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

[himiko-yumehellno]

Kodaka very obviously wants to make Danganronpa 4, but as many people have pointed out already, this would conflict with the ending of V3. I thought I would make things easier on our resident murder mystery writer who appears to really like making mascots that remind me of Whisper from Yo-Kai Watch, and come up with some solutions to this problem! Organized in approximate order of increasing silliness and grasping at straws, with some additional director's notes from ✨me✨!!

So, how can Kodaka make a new Danganronpa game that works with the ending of Danganronpa V3?:

Danganronpa isn't actually a killing game franchise loved around the world; Tsumugi either lied or was lied to herself (probably with the use of a Flashback Light to make her believe she was a willing ringleader). Allows for some interesting angst if it's the second option.

Despair made a sudden comeback and took over a good portion of the world. Tsumugi fudged some details, but it's true that a lot of the world now enjoys killing games, because normal life is just boring to them (a life without despair and death?! Ugh! Who'd want that, am I right?). We find out in a later installment that the survivors joined with other forces fighting against despair. Danganronpa 4 explores a separate killing game also put on in the name of this new global wave of despair.

Danganronpa 4 turns out to be a prequel (possibly featuring a killing game that the in-game franchise was inspired by, possibly just being one of the numerous previous installments Tsumugi threw out there in her exposition monologue, possibly some secret third option), and ends up with some ridiculous name so fans don't get confused on the sequence of events. Personally, I hope the name is Danganronpa Negative Four.

As so many postgame fics have taken to declaring, the entire game was a simulation. Except to make this work, it probably wouldn't be a simulation designed by Team Danganronpa – no, no, no! Perhaps this killing game was put on by Remnants of Despair or – *exaggerated gasp* – the Future Foundation themselves, hm?

Danganronpa V3 was a really fucked up social experiment and none of the "reality TV" backstory was real. No one knows how it got past the ethics committee, so don't ask.

It was all an alternate dimension/timeline. ... Look, if all it takes to brainwash someone into mass murder is forcing them to come to anime night, they can throw in a little time or dimension travel!

To piggyback on that last idea, the "reality TV" backstory was true; Danganronpa V3 and all the previous installments in this series were fiction... in the Rain Code universe. Or some other video game setting made by Kodaka. Nothing of the sort happened in the actual Danganronpa continuity, however.

Danganronpa V3 was Junko Enoshima's idea of heaven. Of course, it wouldn't have been complete without the despair of her ideal world being destroyed, hence the survivor trio shutting down her killing game show. Danganronpa 4, therefore, takes place in the living world, continuing off vaguely where the Danganronpa 3 anime left off. Notably, all questions about how Junko's heaven works and why she even got to go to heaven in the first place are not solved until a separate anime series, where we find out it was originally supposed to be her hell until she made the demon in charge of looking after her quit and give her full range of the place. It's never answered whether the participants of the killing game were other dead souls or just beings she created.

The entire thing was just the Monokuma Children playing with dolls. ... Or, knowing them, dead bodies.

Before V3 came out my brother had this whole theory that all of the characters were in a pseudo time loop where every time a killing game concluded, they'd just roll out a set of clones of everyone and start all over again, presumably killing off the survivors of the last game. I have no idea how this would solve Kodaka's issue but I want to see if they could find a way to make it work.

I'm excited to see what becomes of Kodaka's newest works, but apparently by his own admission he's interested in returning to Danganronpa at some point, so I thought I'd do the hard part for him. Feel free to take any of these ideas and run with them, Kodaka!

(feel free to add your own suggestions on how to make the ending of V3 work with a new Danganronpa game!)

[cuttyclowngirl]

Daima EP.3 (Spoiler) Review

• Glorio shows zero concern over Kibito, Vegeta, Piccolo & Bulma not being able to enter the Demon Realm without a pin number. Perhaps this "King Kadan" Glorio was sent by figured Goku would be enough to overthrow (kill?) King Gohma. Shin (Supreme Kai) keeps trying to make Glorio slip up by asking loaded questions in a casual tone, Columbo style. Glorio responds with either answers that sometimes feel rehearsed or changes the subject.

• Shin mentioned that there was no pin number system back when he was a resident of the 2nd demon world. He mentioned the Demon Realm's different ecology, which judging from the ED, will be thoroughly explored. He explained that the 3rd world's lands float, is confirmed to be a type of demon called a Glind. The way Glorio describes them is sorta similar to the way most fantasy races would describe/complain about elves.

•I like the design of planet Batapi of the Rakka system. We'll probably never explore it.

• "Demon Realm planes function on 'Magic Power', so they're very fast." But who's "Magic Power"? Hope we find out. It explains how both King Gohma & Glorio easily traveled to Earth despite how far the nearest "Warp-Sama" is. The Warp-Sama was confirmed to be the only way to travel between Demon Realm & the Outer World. Warp-Sama is a comedically sensitive gatekeeper. Classic.

•Kid Goku with pointy ears was surprisingly off-putting for me.

• The violently chaotic way traveling between realms is depicted explains why King Gohma & co. seemed so disoriented when they landed on the lookout in EP 1.

• Despite the relay point between realms having 3 colored hatches representative of the 3 Demon worlds, I'm quite curious where the hundreds of other hatches lead. The 1st hatch only being available to palace members of the 1st world, like King Gohma, on top of Glorio letting slip that only those of the 1st Demon world can use Warp-Sama is feeding into my theory that Gloria was sent by Dr Arinsu. (Glorio works in the 1st world. How convenient) Then again, he mentioned that select members of the 2nd world also have permission to travel, maybe implying that the 3rd world is treated like a peasant country. Glorio (& likely Panzy) are from the 3rd world, of course.

• Cute detail about the Warp-Sama's of the the actual Demon world's is that their design feature the colors of their respective hatches in the relay point. (EP.1 A red/grey Warp-Sama. EP.3 A yellow/grey Warp-Sama)

• Despite being 99% this series probably won't canonize video game exclusive characters, the seal on the Demon Realm tunnel (previously a means of travel between demon worlds) sure reminds me of Chronoa (Supreme Kai of time) with what sort of look like clock hands pointing to 12,2,3,5,6,7,9 & 11:00. (Probably just a coincidence, but Chronoa is certainly old enough to have done that when Shin was an actual child, given how he's often described as a relatively young Kaio-shin)

• The introduction of the stinky gas emitted by the floating onion volcanoes making the air heavy to various degrees will help make Goku struggling in any capacity more believable, up until he gets used to it. It's sort of reminds me of the heavy gravity on King Kai's planet.

• So there's a "Sea of Darkness" in the 3rd world that can kill you instantly. (Possible future plot device/macguffin)

• Interesting camera wobbling when Goku & Glorio took on some bandits outside. Can't wait to find out who directed that scene, cuz we see it again when Glorio "negotiates" his hotel room price. It also seems like owning a gun might not be common in the 3rd world, judging by the reaction of the demon who runs the hotel.

• Money in the Demon Realm (or maybe just the 3rd world) is called "Dokuro". The demons of the 3rd world so far are pretty cute in design. But that could change as we explore further.

• The bar in this EP has very mild classic Star Wars inspo written all over it. All it needed was a band playing a silly tune. (I NEED to know what the burger meat is made of) The bar fight itself demonstrated that is relatively strong in his own right. If I had to guess from what little I saw though, I'd estimate he's probably about as strong as Goku was at the start of Dragon Ball. (Not that I care about power scaling anymore)

• Goku's segment of the bar fight where he uses set pieces like plates and his environment around him was refreshing and probably Toriyama indulging in Jackie Chan movie nostalgia. (He was a big fan of Jackie Chan)

• I like the commercial bumpers in the EP. Hope there's more than 2 going forward.

• Lmao, classic hoodlum revenge. Now Goku & co. gotta travel on foot cuz Glorio probably can't fly. More adventuring, yippee! ( I bet the note left behind says something crass & will also maybe lure our trio into a den of, let's be real here, fodder)

•Looks like we'll meet Panzy in the next EP.

[desultory-novice]

Hi hi! I'm going to answer a couple of different video based asks all in one post because they all follow a similar theme~!

EDIT EDIT: I realized that no one could actually access the links because I took screenshots and added links to the video following each ask!

[VIDEO]

Oh yes! It was one of the first videos I watched when I decided to be brave and finally join the fandom! I remember really liking it, though I don't remember the video contents itself well...!

:cues up for a rewatch:

Heh! Heehee! It's still quite a lot of fun! Years later, I can notice clearly now that this video relies very strongly on what I understand is a controversial/outdated interpretation of Void lore based on the EN translation which is...well, it's the Star Allies English Translation... (As for the details of WHAT it got wrong, o~hhh, I'm not going to get into the Void stuff ~ You'll have to go to other Kirblrs for that! I'm too busy with fixating on my personal blorbos! XD ) However! The end bit about who Kirby is and what Kirby represents? That part of the video remains golden and is something I am 100% in agreement with!

Edit: I realize now you said "videos" and if they're the ones I'm thinking of, then I think I did watch the whole series back then and enjoyed it very much! Sorry for not giving my modern day thoughts on them individually. I didn't want to make you wait too long on this!

[VIDEO]

AH! I just saw this one a few months ago and YES! Yes yes yes! Ohhh, yessss! I agree! It's funny to watch this one back to back with Designing For's video about how the early games were kind of empty fluff compared to the lore-heavy Kumazaki era when Star Warper highlights one of my FAVORITE things that's been gone for so long!!

...I would be SO happy if they focused more on this kind of "natural" world building and character exploration. I suppose, if I have one criticism of Kumazaki, it's that he maybe TOO MUCH of a writer? It's okay to focus where he specializes in, and he's really good at it, but I hope that Star Allies "micro cutscenes" mean we might get them back in a new title, rather than a "last nod" to Kirby history...

This reminds me, I never did anything with this (got swept under by RL) but I came away from this video thinking that I would LOVE to make a series of cutscene animations for the games that don't have them! Just imagine what silly things Kirby or the rest of the characters are getting up to before handing the action back to you!

(Gosh... I don't think I have the experience necessary for this but... with all these collabs, I wonder if anyone would be interested in forming up a collab to make cutscenes for the games that don't have them? I don't know if there's that many animators in the fandom, maybe splash images would be enough? ...Interesting thought?)

But one last enthusiastic yes! As an outspoken fan of, "Show us the daily life of the people in Dream Land PLEASE" this video speaks to me. And I'm glad others feel this way!

[VIDEO]

I KNEW THIS WOULD BE THE CAKE SCENE! I LOVE THE CAKE SCENE! Honestly, I don't know anyone who doesn't just burst into kittens when faced with the cake scene...! It's so cute...! vvv

Speaking of the 25th Anniversary Concert, I have to share my other favorite moment and unfortunately I can't find the full video to refresh my memory (...pulled down for copyright, maybe?) but there was one silly moment when they asked Kirby how old he was, like HIM not the series, and he's like "...I'm 25! ^o^" and of course, it's silly and ridiculous and everyone laughed and for those fans who see Kirby as a very young child, it is just the picture of a child being silly and saying whatever but...as someone who always saw Kirby as growing up with me, I beamed a little with pride? XD

And I think that's the way it should be, maybe? The things Kirby says can be as interpretable as Kirby themselves! ...Reminds me of another quote from Kumazaki that he didn't want Kirby speaking (in Japanese) in the globally streamed 30th Anniversary concert as they did in the 25th because he wanted everyone across the globe to "understand Kirby equally." That if he talked in just one language, a limited number of people would understand him, and everyone should be able to see themselves in Kirby!

It was a very sweet gesture - even though I myself missed hearing Kirby talk in Japanese! Ahh well, at least I'm surrendering my bilingual priviledge card for a good reason! XD

[VIDEO]

OH! Ni~ce find, Anon!

I've seen the fan animation of the phone skit and one more but I was wondering where I might find the rest...! Thank you, video anon!

These are soo~ooo cute! And you're so right! Kawata-san's Kirby really is perfect! I say that feeling the same way about Oomoto-san's Kirby too though...! They're all perfect! This kind of voice (and short skit style) would be perfect for a series of official shorts imo! The kind of ones that occasionally get released on Twitter and the like. (Not that I don't already love the animations made by Courtesy!)

And ahhhh, it's so nice to hear Kirby speak full sentences too~ I really, really enjoy this interpretation of Kirby! I can't believe it's from as far back as 1994! Amazing! Truly amazing!

-

Thank you, anon(s) for the fun video links! And I hope everyone has fun watching them too if you're not familiar with everything listed here! If you ask me, everything here is worth a listen!

[arcadian-vampire]

Where do each of your names come from?

:3 So!! Aloe is shortened + modified from Aloysius, The Name I chose for myself when I first discovered I was trans like eight years ago (people shortened it to Alo, and I loved that it reminded me of the plant, so sometimes I add an E [hence my art signature being ALO(E)]). This is what I consider my Real Name, if I have to pick one

Aither is my very favorite character from my favorite shitty anime gacha game. He's the one in my profile pic rn!! I just admire how enthusiastic and positive he is, and I love his transmasc swag (he originally was designed to be a girl, but the devs changed his gender shortly before launch)

Red is my favorite character from Four Swords Adventures, a silly Legend of Zelda manga about a hero being split into four different people. They each go by color names, and Red is really sweet

Ra is one of my favorite bands, and I loved the name. I'm genderfluid, and this is the name I most associate with being a man :D

Oracle is the name I usually use for in video games, inspired by oracle decks (similar to tarot cards!). It always throws people off, and they go 'wait why is your character an oracle'. This is also my most feminine name!

Kafei is a character I love from Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (a game I ADORE). I just think he's neat!

and Arc is just short for Arcadian-Vampire. I used to go by Pika when my url was Pikapi-Chu, so it seemed fitting (this is why my personal post tag is pikaposts!)

Thank you for asking!!

[thefearandnow]

Audio drama Sunday: 1/15/23

Narcissa

I’ve been meaning to listen to QCODE’s Narcissa for most of the last year and just never got around to it. But over the holiday break I binged all of it in a couple days, I was captivated by the sexy sci-fi thriller. Written by Alex O Eaton in collaboration with erotic audio book company Dipsea, Narcissa is about not-so-distant dystopic future where mind readers are yet again being persecuted with militant persistence. It starts out a murder mystery but quickly becomes a queer android love story with some fun twists and turns that made for such a fun listen. I thought the sound design was really well done for the mind reading sequences, the music wasn’t too distracting/cheesy and the interiority for the two main characters (Sid and Andie) where well written. And I can’t not admit that it was in fact effective at crafting some steamy moments, something that I was wondering if it’d pull off. As explained in some of the ad-breaks I think it’s really cool that there’s an emphasis on creating a safe and inclusive space to hear sexy stories and I’m interested to see if Dipsea makes other ad supported podcasts like this one.

Birds of Empire

Birds of Empire is one of those shows that I think a lot more people should be reeeeeally into. It’s a high fantasy adventure podcast with a deep universe of lore, different clans of animal-humanoid societies each with their own complex political inner workings and characters that represent a break in their respective tribes’ status quo. Listening through it reminded me a whole lot of Warriors (the cats) combined with the political intrigue of a Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon. Written and created by Jason Lew, this lovingly crafted universe is told through four stories from the four animal societies (hour long eps) interwoven with shorter episodes (10 min) that give the listener a glimpse of each tribes’ mythology. I loved the mix up in format and how each episode was a mostly self contained experience, instead of following the same characters throughout. The sound design (Randy Torres) is impressive and helps make the complex worldbuilding come to life. The first episode was a little bit hard for me to get through but I’m so happy that I stuck with it, really hope it gets continued for a second season.

Two Flatearthers Kidnap a Stone Mason

In the new year I finally got a chance to listen to TFKASM (long title) and I wish I had started listening sooner. This show is so fucking funny; a tight, clever and super deadpan satire of every internet conspiracy you’ve ever heard. Almost every punchline is a reference to some sort of meme crafted for a chronically online audience, from the titular flat earther YouTubers that are perfect caricatures of bumbling clout chasers to throwaway gags about McDonald’s ice cream machines. The patter between the characters never gets old and the little parodies of viral videos, mobile game apps, movie trailers and podcasts makes the in-universe internet feel as textured and incomprehensible as our own. Not only is there a lot of funny to be had here but the story is also very compelling and full of mystery in it’s own right, full of poignant commentary about truth, community and friendship behind all the silliness. This show is an absolute blast from the brilliant mind of Jeremy Ellett. Also I love that they include the cast credits in the beginning of the episode!

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Bimonthly Media Roundup

- Hellsing Abridged (Webseries) - A rather old one but I do really like the aesthetic of this series - The kind of rough gothic look that was popular in the early 2000s. I appreciate that the author took the Dracula lore and just decided to go really weird with it with the multiple monster designs for Alucard himself, then applying that same "Rule of Cool looks over logic" monster lore for every other character in the series.

- Army of Darkness (Movie) - VHS night at my friends place, While I was familiar with Ash Vs the Evil dead I'd never actually seen this film and uh. Well I don't know what I was expecting but boy this sure wasn't that. I would not exactly call this a 'good' movie but it certainly was a fun one, and an incredible watching experience in a group setting. It reminded me a lot of Big Trouble in Little China with it's campy low budget energy where weird shit is constantly happening that the movie will never explain and the characters react very nonchalantly to the batshit things they are experiencing, Plot wise the movie could be described as Bruce Campbells No-Good Very Bad Day but the things that make it bad are honestly very funny and creative so good for it. I wish they made more movies like this nowadays honestly, just dumb little fun passion projects with obviously fake but still cool practical effects and an unnecessary skeleton army.

- Star Trek Strange New Worlds (TV) - Not too far in yet so not much to say, I like court themed episodes so I'm having fun with season 2 so far. Pike and Uhura are my faves as they are just very likable and silly guys who still know when to take their jobs seriously. Also this is a cool poster.

- Star Trek Lower Decks (TV) - Also only 2 episodes in so far but Season 4 is starting strong, I loved The Moopsy and everything about it and the menagerie in general, the vulcan girl getting a larger role with Tendi in particular seems like it will be a fun dynamic, and the humor and overall hyped vibes of the characters is still as strong as ever. Hmm I wonder if it would be worth it to paint myself green to do a Tendi cosplay or if Homestuck made that illegal for everyone forever.

- Dr Stone (Anime) - Yup.

- The S Classes That I Raised (Webnovel) - While I was never not invested in the story I've glad we've moved on to a new arc. Han Yoojin using his abilities to find people with unique non-fighting skills to take business away from what would be an evil mega corporation is a nice use of time-travel based knowledge, so I hope we get a bit more of that. I also would like some more downtime as I like all the characters and wish they got to hang out in low stakes situations more often. I suppose I'm also just a bit worn out of scrolling through action scenes, as while I quite like the art (and especially the coloring) style, the big effect explosions just don't translate super well to the scrolling style still-art pages of K-webcomics. That being said it could be a lot worse as Yoojin's relative powerlessness does make every fight at least interesting in how it needs to be thought through rather than just punched a lot - I just enjoy the fun character banter and political drama more.

- Ace Attorney Vs Professor Layton (Video Game) - Well that ending. happened. In truth I don't hate the twist necessarily on it's own, so much that it's the kind of twist that if you think about it too long it retroactively makes the rest of the story nonsensical. I also find the storyteller and Darklaw's motives to be very dumb which brings it down, not to mention they just axed Barnum from the last part of the game entirely despite him being arguably the best character in the game. Overall I didn't hate the game though, as I found a lot of the little character dialogue, puzzles, and Layton interactions cute - It makes me want to play a Layton game again that's for sure. I'm not sure it's a good Ace Attorney game as it feels very tonally different from the rest of the series, but hey with this I've experienced every Ace Attorney game in the franchise so that's nice, I'll have to do some character and case rankings at some point.

- One Piece (Anime) - Just finished Skypia and thinking about doing a liveblog from this point out. This was a pretty good arc honestly, I loved the villains design aesthetic and powers, lots of good crew bonding moments (Especially for Sanji + Usopp and Luffy + Nami), I liked the setting, the flashback episodes with Mont Blanc had uh questionable politics but the "we both have wives offscreen but are always shown together, think about each other constantly, and die thinking only of the other" gayness of it all made me laugh, and I think it did a good job giving everyone something interesting to do. Other notes would be how funny it is that Robin for the first half was having an entirely different, lovely experience wandering through the woods while everyone fights for their lives, that she nonchalantly snapped a guys neck when he told her to leave, and that poor Chopper had to fight 3/4 of the big bad guys all by himself that poor little deer.

- Genshin Impact (Video Game) - Still here, doing more co-op with my friend now, exploring the bonkers long Chasm quests in Liyue, hoping Kokomi comes back because I want her on my team so bad. Anyway Inazuma has been cool so far, I like the different environments on the islands (other than the lightning island which can sink into the ocean frankly) and there are lots of good character designs. Also I've been listening to the music more and its good!

Listening To: Bones by MSMR, In My Head by Mike Shinoda, Ivy by Taylor Swift, Dancin by Aaron Smith, Make Up Your Mind by Florence + The Machine, Ordinaryish People and World's Smallest Violin by AJR, Ghost by Justin Beiber, IDOL by YOASOBI, Atlantis by Seafret, Doin’ Time by Lana Del Rey, All the Boys by Panic! At The Disco.

[cuttyclowngirl]

Daima EP.4 (Spoiler) review/theories

• My bad Glorio, I wasn't familiar with your game. He actually can fly & is a league stronger than I thought. I was wrong. Good. He's even more fascinating than before. How does a demon from the 3rd world obtain such strength? Why would he need it if he was a simple bounty hunter/assassin as viewers suspect? All that & he can't sense ki?

• Glorio & Shin's (Supreme Kai's) "U can't fool me" dynamic continues to grow ever more tense. Who's going to crack first?

• Glorio sorta gave up on on finding his plane almost immediately in favor of finding a new vehicle. Was the plane even his to begin with? He also doesn't seem to care that about being late to see King Kandan. The nearest Tamagami is miles in the opposite direction they've been heading so far & Glorio still insisted they just gather the balls instead of prioritizing the meeting with Kadan, which tells me he never actually intended to see the 3rd world King & probably wasn't sent by King Kadan.

• Glorio suddenly switching up & almost insisting they gather the balls, coupled with that "All according to plan" smirk/hmph is further feeding into my theory about him working for Dr Arinsu. (There were two shots in the conversation where Glorio's eyes are suspiciously off screen) She was probably watching on a Magic Monitor & sent Glorio a telepathic message/order.

• The shopkeeper couple are absolutely lovely "one & done" type silly characters. Love their designs, their bits, their voices & interactions. I hope they'll be featured in future video games. (Glorio is such an experienced haggler, he even saw through a not so obvious deafness trick. Tells me Glorio socializes a lot.)

• "Medi Bugs". Toriyama never missed an opportunity to remind everyone that JRPGs were one of his special interests, huh? Revive Bug restores stamina. (Compared to Senzu, but wasn't stated to have healing properties. Let's remember that.) Achichi Bug heals burns, Zutsu Bug cures headaches, Beaut Bugs make your skin silky. JOIN BUG: "Feed halves to 2 people & they can fuse for a while". Introducing a Demon Realm exclusive type fusion. Can't wait to see what it looks like.

• Aside from the multiple unnamed Medi Bugs Goku made Glorio ("Goliro" lmao) buy, which we saw in his bag, the shopkeeper lady said they had "most of the different types of Medi Bugs", meaning even more might be introduced later. She also called the Medi Bugs "souvenirs" so they're clearly not rare/hard to find.

• The heavy air yields yet another obstacle in the form of even lower mobility in any attempt at flying at high speeds. "It expends a lot of energy & will tire you out quickly".

• Poor Shin has to keep Goku on task like a kid on a leash, reminding him that the main mission is rescuing baby Dende.

• As I had hoped, the Tamagamis are strong, even by Glorio's standards to the point he's never heard of anyone gathering all 3 balls. So Goku & crew will be the first in ages to do so.

• Demons apparently believe their set of D balls are the originals. Fandom discourse fuel right there.

• "Sky seeds". Shin said he's never heard of one, meaning the "Great Fiend Flower" & their Sky seeds are 3rd world exclusive. The whimsical orchestral cover of Jaka Jann coupled with Goku's attitude throughout the Sky seed riding sequence was pure dragon ball charm. (I got a lil emotional.)

• The Supreme King's military police are called "Gendarmerie" a word derived from the medieval French phrase "gens d'armes" meaning "Men-at-arms".

• Finding out that the red Magic Collars we've seen several demons already wearing are actually oppression devices really hurt me when I remembered that those lovely shopkeepers were wearing them too... I think the scarf Panzy wears is either hiding her collar or concealing an awful scar caused by her manually removing her's that she'd rather no one see.

• What could the life force sucked out of poor demons by that awful machine possibly be for? Keeping the Supreme King young and strong? Like in "Go Go Ackman" where the souls of dead humans kept the demon king young & strong?

•Goku & crew are fugitives now. The obstacles just keep staking. (Bulma's def gonna yell at someone.)

• Panzy seems to be your classic plucky eccentric rebel who's inventions only work half the time, which already sorta sets her apart from Bulma the giga genius & GT's Pan. I look forward to her future antics & discovering her motivation for traveling with Goku & crew. (She should either learn how to fly or make herself a pair of roller skates for quick getaways.) There seemed to be some focus on her eyes. Could her eye color be an additional plot point? I don't remember any other demon having purple eyes like her's specifically, but I'm probably reading into it too much.

[a-force-dyad-in-space]

Just gonna watch the live-action One Piece trailer a million times, don't mind me 🔎

Thoughts under the cut!

First of all, the sets look great! I saw a behind-the-scenes clip earlier this week where you can see that ie. the Baratié is a real ship they built, and a lot of the other sets are built sets, too, rather than pure CGI, so props for that!

It makes sense for the Going Merry's figurehead to have a more realistic design, but I still miss the cute face

The actor who plays Luffy pretty much looks like the part, plus some cute curls, and from what I've seen from promotional materials he seems to have the right energy, too (I just hope Luffy's silliness will be portrayed well in the show, we don't really see that in the trailer)

Also his voice reminds me a little of Luffy's German voice actor, so plus points for that

The guy who plays Zoro has the right vibe in-costume, even if he's not quite as buff as Zoro is, and I'm glad they really gave him green hair, since a lot of adaptations tend to shy away from "unrealistic" physical features such as colorful hair and eyes (looking at you, Game of Thrones and Prince of Tennis)

What we've seen of Zoro's fighting style in the trailer doesn't really quite represent how he fights in the manga and anime, but I hope there will be better examples in the actual show

Nami looks pretty good, though I'm not really sure about the casting ethnically, given that Nami is one of the few characters with an actual Japanese name (but again, she looks good and her energy for the character seems okay, so I'll see how she does)

Buggy definitely has the right energy, but visually I'm not 100% convinced (yet), the one shot we got of him didn't give us a whole lot

Some of the humor (particularly in the "Not a crew" part) seems a bit generic and like every other action movie/series with some comedy in it (aka the MCU effect), and I'm not sure I like it, I hope they find their humor a bit more organically throughout the series

The parts that are mainly CGI look pretty good, an appropriate blend between the manga's style and realism

When the cast was first announced I was very worried that the actor who plays Sanji may not look the part (aside from my same issue I have with Nami being that Sanji is one of the few characters with an actual Japanese name and again, played by a non-Japanese person), seeing him with the Sanji hair quelled that fear; he looks pretty good in costume and I look forward to seeing how his performance plays out

Now, when I first heard that they would make a live-action One Piece I really didn't think they would find an actor who simultaneously fits Usopp's vibe and visual, but I was wrong! I think his actor was the first one I was completely sold on when they made the cast announcement video, and I really hope he delivers in his performance

All in all, the trailer looks pretty good and cute and I really, really hope they capture the essence of the story well, but I will go into the show with caution, I've been disappointed too many times by a live-action manga adaptation before 🥲

[yupuffin]

I *COULD* compare/contrast Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Wuthering Waves, and I have in the past -- in the form of silly checklists detailing the presence or absence of my favorite inconsequential features in these games -- but the thing is, all of their similarities and differences are subjective in terms of how they affect the quality of the game's experience, and, beyond that, right now, they all have occupy similar but subtly different niches in my life.

They're all my comfort games.

Genshin Impact is my comfort game because it's familiar (after three and a half years of daily play on my end), colorful, and full of characters I find likable and feel close to. The second-to-last thing I do every evening is run a circuit of my Serenitea Pot and say 'good night' to all the characters I have stationed in there. Plus, the game carries the emotional significance of being an integral aspect of my gay awakening and helping me find peace with my identity.

Honkai: Star Rail is my comfort game because it's the only game with Dan Heng in it. I started playing the game because I fell in love with him, and having him available as a team member from the very beginning of the game made the deal even sweeter (especially after my previous experience of waiting 331 days for a Xiao rerun). The last thing I do every evening is take Dan Heng for a stroll at one of my favorite scenic spots on the Xianzhou Luofu -- usually either Scalegorge Waterscape or the Alchemy Commission -- before I return to the Express and log out of the game while standing in the corner of the Archives behind his futon. (This made the canon dialogue about him wishing he "could show you the real sights of the Luofu" quite entertaining, despite the context, because... that's literally the bulk of what I do with him. 🤣 ) This routine seems to have alleviated a significant portion of my anxiety issues, as since I started playing Star Rail I've slept more easily and restfully than I can remember ever doing in my adult life beforehand.

Wuthering Waves is my comfort game because I've experienced the least anxiety while playing it (perhaps connected to having picked up Star Rail). As is typical for me, I was nervous about starting a new game for the first couple of days, but since I got used to it I've felt quite at home with it. I kind of even surprised myself how quickly and easily I got used to it, because I at first hesitated to play it due to the post-apocalyptic setting and thinking the monster designs looked scary. (But that just goes to show: anything can be a comfort media with the right combination of factors. 🤣 ) And despite having not pulled Jiyan the first time around, I've been perfectly happy running a duo team with Mortefi, an unexpected favorite, in the meantime. The game possesses a lot of the characteristics I like about Genshin Impact, so it feels familiar in that respect, but it also has aspects (like the aesthetic) that set it apart as well as remind me of the aesthetic of some of my favorite anime/manga series (GANGSTA. and Wild Adapter come to mind).

It's not like I'd pick any one game over another -- I'd be sad and feel that I was missing something from my life if any of them were to be gone tomorrow. All three of them give me things to look forward to in my daily life, so I don't get too stuck in the endless routine of work, sleep, rinse, repeat; I go to bed looking forward to seeing Mortefi or the CUDDLE PILE (or whichever Genshin guy I'm into at the time -- right now, it's Sethos) first thing in the morning, because I get up earlier than necessary for work specifically to leave time for video games before I leave, which gives me a reason to enjoy getting out of bed at least a little more. 🤣 Then I look forward to leaving work not just to work on creative projects at home but also to play whichever game I feel like passing the time with when I just want to rest (which can depend on the limited-time events that are going on); and then, the day ending doesn't feel so bad, because I look forward to my evening routine (as outlined above) followed by SLEEP 🕺✨ and, finally, facing another morning.

I guess where I'm going with this is I realize there's so many good games out there and you can't play them all (if only!), but I personally do not feel the need to quit Genshin for Star Rail or either of them for WuWa or anything like that, because as far as my life goes, they can coexist quite nicely. 🤣

[unsafecoma]

YAYAYYA i wanted to do madamemiz's ask game about the DCA because i llike them 🫶 UNDER THE CUT !! ! !! ! !!!

how did you get here?

my hyperfix on the dca started earrrly january this year because i played hw2 and was promptly swept off my feet and ive been sick over them since. id played it before , but started playing again bc i wanted too 100% the game! oh if only id known !!

2. why these characters in particular? what was the hook for you?

originally it was Sun that hooked me onto both of them. hes just so silly!! and such a prissy bitch!! and i love it!! plus i love the idea of 2 separate ids in one body, thats always fun to mess with 😋

3. how long have you been here?

since early january of this year!! though, im not SUPER active in the fandom itself. i just silently enjoy fanart/fics , and VERY RARELY draw and post on my art bog. im not a big participator in fandom itself, im perfectly comfy just watching.

4. have you actually played fnaf sb?

NO. and i do not plan to. the game is too buggy to pay 40 bucks for it, plus i really dont wanna give scott anymore money (fuck you scott cawthon i hate you scott cawthon a million plagues upon you and your life scott cawthon) so ill pass. im perfectly fine with just watching videos.

5. if you make content, what's your favorite piece you've contributed?

THIS POST!! i love vocaloid, and i love the dca, and whats better than combining the two? i was especially proud of myself bc these were animations, which is something i NEEEVERRR to, so id say i was pretty damn happy with these!!

6. what's your favorite sort of art or fic? what genre/flavor/style?

ive still yet to actually read any fics abt the dca (im in the process of reading one about djmm rn <3 its so good i love it so much <333) but im a sucker for angst w/a happy end (the heart wants what the heart wants, and who am i to deny ?)

7. what's your favorite au?

i like aquatic aus for the dca!!!!! i love seeing all the different designs ppl give them ... i also rlly like cowboy/western aus too :)

8. do you have any ocs, or have any ocs you're fond of?

not yet, but ive absolutely thought about it!! maybe one day ... (for now though, im happy with my silly little technician s/i hehe)

9. what do you think of the dca's canon appearance? Scary? Cute? Something else?

I LOVE THEM I THINK THEYRE SO PRETTYYYYYYYYYY i dont really see them as scary from looks alone tbh, like MAYBE moon but it'd have to be rlly dark so it was just his glowing eyes visible. other than that they are just silly billys cutie patooties to me. id pinch their cheeks if i could (i mean i know u can but. ykwim)

10. what keeps you in this fandom despite the very small amount of canon content the dca had?

im kept sane by both my own brain's constant thoughts abt these robots, and also the art and writing made by other fans!! i 🫶 images.

11. be honest: if you had to pick only one, sun or moon?

:( i GUESS sun, if i HAD to choose, only bc Moon's the one with the virus. it feels so wrong to separate them. you wound me.

12. thoughts on eclipse?

I LOVE THEM!!!!!!! i hc that eclipse isnt one whole robot, but its a state of being where sun and moon are both comfortably, equally in control of the body. so like ... in a WAY they could seem blended into one whole ai, but theyre both still in there, and have moments of one overtaking the other, while still as "eclipse".

13. thoughts on pre-glitch sun?

I feel like pre glitch Sun was juuust starting to get a bit overworked and burnt out, like right before the virus (and afterwards, it jsut got worse and worse). i think the DCA are genuinely good at taking care of kids, they just slip up often and arent absolutely perfect at it (unlike how they would be, if they were actually made to be caretakers and not theater animatronics). sometimes Sun is too loud, having to constantly remind himself to lower his voice when around more meek kids in the daycare.

he definitely has his moments where he needs to correct himself and remember that he is taking care of young kids, but all in all, i feel like Sun was pretty good at taking care of the kids (much better than he was when he was first moved to the daycare, since i can imagine he was VERY, VERY BITTER about being moved from the theater, but its not like being a theater animatronic was synonymous with despising children, so he wouldn't HATE them or anything yk ??)

14. thoughts on pre-glitch moon?

YKNOW I WONDER does moons voice sound like that bc of the virus, or is that just his voice ? nonetheless, i feel like Moon was good with his job, and maybe a bit better than Sun, only bc i feel like handling naptime would come with less struggles than daytime activities.

Moon was probably so much more gentle, less hunched over and 'scary-looking' when he moved, and rather than punishing kids for not sleeping he just ... actually helped them sleep. yknow ? whether its holding and rocking some of the younger kids to help them sleep better, or maybe one of the kids has something on their mind that wont let them sleep, i feel like Moon was actually really good at his job.

im firm on believing the DCA is actually good at taking care of kids due to what cassie says about the AR sun/moon plushies!! theyre good at their job!!! to a degree LOLLLL

15. do you interpret sun and moon as two sides of the same person, or truly two separate beings in one body? does it matter?

i interpret them as two separate beings in one body!! i like this interpretation, it feels more fun to work with and is oddly cathartic? emotional? interesting? theres just so much emotion that comes with sharing a body with an entire other identity, knowing that you and them are tightly knit together, whether you want to be or not, because no matter what, you have them, and they have you, and you're stuck with one another. and yes, you and them are different, but you bleed into one another at some parts, at some angles the yellow and blue smudge, and sometimes you struggle to see where 'you' starts, and 'they' begin.

i love love love thinking about how they experience sharing a body with one another, how they maneuver the world and their thoughts. ITS SO FUN!!! THEY MAKE ME SICK.

16. what's something in the fandom you'd like to see more of?

WAITER!!! WAITER!! MORE PRISSY BITCH SUN PLEASE!!! ill literally never ever get enough of it.

17. what's something in the fandom you'd like to see less of?

this is ENTIRELY just me, but seeing the dca act all suave and sexy feels mischaracterizing. this tweet literally captures how i feel perfectly

like OB VI OUS LY have fun and do what ur little heart desires, never ever am i gonna bash someone for DOING THAT, but whenever i see them drawn sexily and with abs or anything like that it just makes me wonder if we have the same character in mind. you dont get them like i do. we are playing with our touys in different corners.

18. anything you're looking forward to?

THE MOON NIGHTLIGHT. i have the sun one already and i NEED the moon one so he isnt alone :( i hope they fix up the coloring on the moon one, bc the dark bit looks so weird and messy (im assuming it only looks like that since it was the first look at him, but still!!! i think they should just make him all white, and not make the NIGHT LIGHT dark in some areas, lol???)

19. do you think you'd actually get along with the dca if you met them irl?

this is one of those rare times where i DO think i would get along with them, or at least Sun!! i feel like id definitely be super duper anxious first meeting them, like the enthusiasm levels are a bit jarring, but i really do feel like i could get along with Sun (and maybe Moon ... if this is pre-virus, then more likely, but if its while Moon has the virus .. .. . . . . .. .. .. .. mauybe.)

20. free space! talk about whatever's on your mind!

if i think about the dca and their room and state of neglect for too long i get sick. i get insane and curl into a little ball like a roly poly. they make me so sick. i hate them i need to bite them.

also genderfunny aroace dca forever and ever. ok? 🫶

[futuresconnected]

Dec. 24th 2023: Kiwami 2, Granblue Fantasy Versus, Arknights

What's up gamers, this week flew by and now its time for the Sunday roundup!

Over the week I finished Yakuza Kiwami, and moved on to the start of Kiwami 2, which remakes the second game in the series in the style of the sixth game, marking a big shift in visual quality and gameplay style. Once I realized how close I was to finishing Kiwami, I wanted to go ahead and blaze through the end without worrying too much about the side content (sorry Pocket Circuit) to keep my momentum up through the series before the JRPG explosion that's going to happen from late Jan-March of next year. Overall I had a good time with Kiwami, the main story is all classic crime movie drama throughout, and I really enjoyed seeing Kiryu and Haruka meeting each other for the first time and seeing Kiryu truly being "not the step-dad, but the dad who stepped up".

I was getting a bit tired of the gameplay by the end, especially how it seemed to me that the best way to approach any one-on-one fight was just to sit in Rush style and dodge around people endlessly till you could hit them, so with the bit of Kiwami 2 that I played this week I was very glad to see that that game was going to play very differently from the first. The more visceral style of the combat, the more free-flowing combo routes, and higher focus on equipment are all pretty interesting so far, though we'll see how I feel once I run into a few more bosses. I also really love the character progression system of Kiwami 2 so far, its really tickling the rpg gremlin part of my brain that loves to build up different colored skill trees. I enjoy how the different exp types encourage you to go do a bunch of different activities in the game, and using the completion list to give you big chunks of related exp vs. a currency to buy bonuses like it was in 0/Kiwami 1. I haven't played too much of this game, but since I've got the week off for Christmas and New Years, I'm going to try and really sink my teeth in over the next 10 days or so.

Something else I've been playing a lot of recently that didn't make the cut for the last recap is Arknights, a gacha-based Tower Defense game that I've been playing on my phone, tablet, and PC. One of my good friends has played this game for a while and always posts the cool and silly character designs from that game, and I had been looking for something else fun to do on my phone during those boring days where I'm working in the office, so Arknights it was. I have a somewhat latent love for tower defense games that doesnt get a chance to shine too often, and this game has been reminding me a lot of what I like about the genre. So much of this game is a kind of puzzle game: can the roster of characters I have access to do what the level is asking of me? How could I better position my units to hold enemies in a certain location? etc. etc.

I am also, unfortunately, a chores enjoyer when it comes to video games which means that a long-term character progression system like you see in a lot of games of this type is actually pretty appealing to me. I love to level up my little guys and see them get new skills,abilities, outfits, and so on, its fun!

Last but not least though, the thing that has really captured my attention this week is Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, which I talked some about last week but has only gotten more into my brain this week. I think this game is really fun! I've had a blast so far learning how to play the game, the combo routes that this game has for most characters feel extremely "cool" to do, and are easier to pull of than they might seem, which allows someone who is *ok* at fighting games like me to feel a good sense of accomplishment from pulling them off. I think that the way the game incentivizes you to use the "Skill" button to shortcut your special moves is also really great, it's made me have to develop new muscle memory but also means that doing combos and pressure in this game just feels a lot different from other games I've played, and how it feels in this one is just good.

I've even been playing a new character! Which is wild considering how they put Siegfried, the man with big armor and a bigger sword (AKA the most me-coded character ive seen in a fighting game yet) in the game, and yet I've been drawn to someone else completely:

This week I've been learning how to play Narmaya, who feels like someone who really likes Vergil from Devil May Cry designed her. This is for sure one of the hardest FG characters I've ever tried to play, but I'm really feeling the burn of figuring it out. Her whole thing is swapping between two stances with different special moves and normal attacks, which makes her very busy to play but allows for some absolutely sick maneuvers in the corner. Truly the only thing I dont like about her is that she's an anime-big-sister type, and all of the Draph in this game have the fattest tits imaginable, but I'm willing to put up with a little waifu-ness because she's just so cool and so much fun to play!

I will certainly be playing more of her, so please look forward to updates in future FGC Corner posts.

That's really all for this week, glad to be moving through the Yakuza series some more, glad to be having such a blast with Granblue, and looking forward to more of both during the Holidays!

Talk to you next week :)

[browzerhistory]

tips for beginning artists from someone who's been drawing since he could first pick up a crayon:

1. anything worth doing is worth doing poorly

scared the drawing you want to make will turn out ugly? nervous you won't do the angle/character/lighting/etc justice? do it anyway. do it scared. do it weird, do it anatomically incorrect, do it uncolored, but whatever you do, draw that thing. it's better to get the idea out on paper/canvas/etc than to leave it in your brain to eventually fade away. if you still really love the concept, you can come back to it later with better skills, and if you end up disliking it, well, now that you've drawn it you don't have to ever again!

2. get a little silly with it

experiment with your art. go to a color palette generator and make something with the first thing you get. make ocs with complicated designs and weird backstories. change things about your style just to see how they look. the more things you try out, the more things you'll find out you like (or dislike), and your art will start to really feel like yours. i'm not sure if the Youth of Today get as hung up over not having an art style as i used to, but if you do, there's only one way to get it: fuck around and find out.

3. always cheat

listen. there are many people who will tell you that tracing a reference or color picking from a photo or whatever is cheating. those people are lying to you. obviously there are limits (like don't trace/recolor art and post it without credit), but the vast majority of the time, tracing and taking inspiration from other people's art is how you get better.

(one way to stop yourself from plateauing is to trace a reference, then try drawing it by hand. you can also try breaking down a pose into basic shapes/lines; if this seems confusing, just pretend you're making hitboxes for it video game style.)

4. take a goddamn break

if drawing is starting to feel more like a chore than a hobby, or if you feel like you've run out of good ideas, stop for a couple days. pursue another hobby, eat good food, observe local flora and fauna. even if you love drawing with all your heart and think you'll never get enough of it, your brain needs a refresher every now and then to come up with new cool stuff to draw. trying to push past burnout will most likely just ruin the fun of it for you.

5. make a mary sue oc immediately

there's way too much hate on mary sue characters, especially when so many stories introduce protagonists by going "what if there was a guy. and he was the Specialest Guy Ever." having a character who's sexy and smart and powerful is not only fun, but good for the soul, and nobody gets hurt when you make one. plus, it's hard to overstate how good it is to have a character you love to draw in lots of different outfits, poses, and situations.

6. your art is good because you made it

now this one will probably be controversial, since a lot of artist memes are about feeling self conscious about or straight-up hating your own art. but you've gotta find pride in what you make. you've gotta look at your drawings and say, "this fucks actually and i did an amazing job." for me, even if i don't like how a drawing turned out, i try to find at least one thing i really like about it, like the shading or colors or emotion. making self-deprecating jokes stops being ironic the more you do it, and the same applies to jokingly tearing your own art apart.

7. keep your old art

a very good poster once said that throwing away/deleting your old art is like walking up a staircase and smashing every stair behind you. even if you're very high up, you won't see it because it looks like you're just on the first step.

personally, i have sketchbooks going back to early 2018, when i first started regularly using them, and i keep some of my first ever digital pieces in an archive on my tablet, but i get that that sort of record keeping isn't possible for a lot of people. the gist of this advice is just to have some reminder of where you've been, so you can look forward to where you're going.

8. make furry characters

beyond the obvious (you're probably a furry and it's nice to be able to draw your fursona), doing furry art is also a great way to find community in art. whether you do commissions, comics, or just draw yourself for fun, furry art is a wonderful method of self-expression that has the added bonus of being basically limitless. my main fursona is a bug, my secondary one is a gastropod. follow your dreams.

there may be more i add to this list later, but these are the main ones i can come up with. obligatory disclaimer that i'm just one guy with one experience; this advice might not work for everyone; etc etc. i've just tried to base this off of what i wish i knew when i started getting into art seriously.

[corroded-coffin]

ok besties we finished so here's my thoughts on episodes 6-8 + overall and whatever

episode 6:

i know that's likely the whole point but oh my god i hated looking at the vault 4 overseer's face. i would like that to not continue in the future seasons. thx.

ok we got... NCR remnants?? in this vault? new vegas music intensifies???????

you guuuys he's really a good guy underneath it all, look, 200 years ago he cared about his dog!

max's lack of sex ed is KILLING me and i for one hope the lucy/max fic writers of the world are exploring this in appropriately bizarre and uncomfortable way

YOU WANNA MAKE MY COCK EXPLODE RIGHT NOW?????

the video of the lady giving birth to the gulpers(???) that then fucking started eating her is actual nightmare fuel. i hated that so fucking much. 0/10 please god no 🤮

episode 7:

oh hi there, ranger helmets/dusters!

lmao it could just be because i've seen that movie 500 fucking times, but the whole scene with the lead farmers reminded me so much of the opening scene from inglourious basterds

“that’s just a dirty word they use to describe people who aren’t insane.” full body cringe. sorry girl. i support u tho.

i really didn't get the plot of vault 4 but ok.

maximus spent the whole time watching a waterfall on loop and one song. neurodivergent win

DJ carl you will never be three dog or mr new vegas 😔 you can be travis miles if you want

???????????????????????????????????? what the hell did dr. chickenfuck give thaddeus??? why are ghouls just fuckin wolverine now???? i don't understand this lore. iirc aren't ghouls generally more fragile to everything that isn't radiation? huge amounts of radiation is healing to them, but just... existing ???

the terminal hacking easter egg made me giggle, i'm glad we got that. so silly

episode 8:

yay diversity win: this non-binary BoS side character is alive!! :)

i've been wondering this the whole time but why is the brotherhood catholic lol

quintus you're weird. since when did the brotherhood rule the wasteland. ok bud lol

...ok bud!

corporate managers should not be allowed to do anything much less take over the world, my god

moldaver/rose is the real ship of this show, i think. that's why kyle's so mad, right? wife's gay AND a wastelander. bit weird to keep your ghoulfriend alive for that long tho.

BUD BRAIN ROOMBA

oh shit it's him. Mr Home

yeah i do not like any of the stuff with the execs/corporations being behind the scenes and controlling the bombs dropping and being aware of this shit the whole time. silly and dumb.

other people have said it too but sucks that the biggest black woman character in the show ends up being Evil Capitalist Mastermind

wAr NeVeR cHaNgEs

dammit hank i thought u were a good dad instead you're a corporate SHILL!!!!!!!!!

lucy you belong in BG3 not fallout those are the saddest wettest eyes in the world. i love u girl

DAMMIT HANK

yay diversity win: this non-binary BoS side character is STILL alive!! :)

oh... ok. well. that sucks max. my poor bb.

DEATHCLAW! NEW VEGAS! WOWIE

overall... i don't know! there were things i liked, namely the production design which was incredible. i'm definitely going to watch season 2 and i do think *some* of the backlash from fans has been a little overblown, but expecting fallout fans to be normal about lore changes is a losing game LMAO. we're uh... intense. a little. we've been burned, um, a little. just a bit.

i just watched tim cain's review of the series as well, and i do hope that vault-tec didn't *actually* drop the bombs. it makes no sense - why would barb knowingly drop the bombs while her daughter + husband are out at a birthday party??

i DID like that the NCR aren't completely gone bc that made no sense to me... except now i guess they are gone :|

anyway, if nothing else i'm glad that this seems to have awakened all of the dormant fnv fans out there and i hope that this side of fandom picks up more steam. i largely fell off of fallout fandom when it all became fallout 4-centric because that game just... didn't grip me like 3 and NV did. and i hope it brings new people into the franchise and the fandom as well!

i wonder what other existing canon characters will be brought into season 2, if any. new vegas has so many characters i just adore that i'm not sure if i want them to get the tv treatment or not yet!

ok if you read this far thank you i love you BYE

decided to start the fallout tv series despite being a No Good Bitter Angry New Vegas Stan (tm), so making this post of my assorted thoughts as i go

(spoilers below)

episode 1:

watched this last night so i'm probably gonna miss stuff/it will all be out of order

oh shit kyle maclachlan is here! bless

the signing your name in the lining of the hand-me-down wedding dress bit cracked me up

why did her geiger counter only start going haywire after they'd fucked??? why are they giving off *that* much radiation??? LOL

was it unclear to anyone else why maximus was getting bullied. is he just supposed to be a loser or is it because he's an outsider not born into it or whatever

diversity win! the BoS respects pronouns!

never mind why are we branding people

specifically, why are we branding a black guy? was this important to add to the brotherhood lore??? ??????

(points at power armor) LOOK GUYS IT'S JOHN FALLOUT!!!!

the BoS being just like, in a rando military base outdoors felt weird too, but idk! i guess they didn't want all of their main characters to live underground

speaking of, why was the ghoul just... buried lol

spent most of last night randomly saying A FERAL GHOUL CAN'T ABIDE NO CHICKEN...... googled it, that's not even the exact quote. i fully do not care. feral ghoul can't abide no chicken

while i'm sure walton ghoulgins will be my fav character (ghouls almost always are), god he is BARELY a ghoul!!! no voice changes and he's... so smooth. a literal smoothskin. they dewalted my white.

okie dokie!