#(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!)

[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!!

[decamarks]

Have you ever thought of making an actual game? Even a little one?? Your 'Atom Amulet' art and gif look soooo good they legit fooled me for a bit when I first looked at them into thinking they were from a real game! Your enjoyment and respect for glitches and games as a medium is really neat, and tbh I'm super curious what you'd make! As someone who actually played a few weird old PS1 and computer games as a kid, sooo many attempts at 'retro low-poly style' games I see always break my immersion when I can see like.. too much anti-aliasing, too many things rendered in real time instead of prerendered (not extremely subtle stuff like raytracing or font choice, which gave away Petscop to a few incredibly observant people lol), etc.. part of the charm of old 3D games is devs clearly trying extremely hard to work with limitations of disc space and RAM! No one's cutting corners! Also the design for Atom Amulet's character is the kind I've been wanting to see SO badly in modern-retro games.. no one ever goes for 'rounded little creature guy who looks a little wonky' designs like you see in Creatures or SHEEP because they think it's too ugly! But it looks COOL! And that's part of why it really seemed like an actual old game to me at first.. I like your blog and art, your passion for games and glitches is really inspiring! Nice job on the animation and 3D art!

AHHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH ANON ;__; This made me really happy to read... Trust me, I have daydreamed extensively about the kind of games I'd like to make, so I've definitely got ideas for stuff like that. Animation and 3D art in general is my main focus right now though, since I've got a lot I want to create, and still a LOT to learn as well, LOL. I would probably be most interested in making a game with a small team or creative partner, since even small games can be incredibly taxing to create and I'd prefer not to mentally and/or physically implode. (My main problem is mostly finding those people... I'm not good at initiating this kind of thing.)

Anyway, I absolutely agree on being kinda disinterested in a lot of 'retro low-poly' aesthetics, just because they feel too divorced from the actual technology that gave the style a reason to exist in the first place. That's not to say at all I think this style should exist in a chronological vacuum, or that it shouldn't be iterated upon with modern technology, but that it just looks too clean too often, too streamlined! I don't want that! I want WONKINESS!!!

I don't think it's necessarily a fear of this sort of 'ugliness', or at least not always—it's more so that this wonkiness can be sometimes hard to achieve at all. Like. Hold on. I could write stupid poetical paragraphs about this concept, but I think this post sums it up 10,000 times better than I ever could.

The primary function of a comic is to tell a story that is best shown through the format of sequential images. So you might expect that anything made for a primarily visual medium must look 'good' to be effective, right? But it doesn't; MS Paint's ugly palettes and pixelated pens only serve to amplify the expressiveness in this image. It looks silly and simplistic, and that's exactly why it works. Whether this was intended by the artist is irrelevant. It's effective not despite its strange, subtle stiltedness, but because of it.

It reminds me of this post about animation by PilotRedSun, which I think about a lot:

I’ve learned a bit of animation fundamentals, branched out to other styles . . . but I still adhere to the rule that every animation on my channel should have a dysfunctional aspect to it. When an animation contains an error, it distracts the viewer. Thus when an animation is composed of errors, it mesmerizes the viewer.

Video games are interesting to compare to comics and animation in this sense, because most games are made simply to be played. Despite being a visual medium, it isn't necessarily expected to look good; it just has to function as an interactive experience. This emphasis on functionality, created through technological limitations of the time, is exactly what originated low-poly and pixelated styles. Older video game art didn't need to be particularly beautiful, just purposeful. You take a concept, put it on the screen, and continue stripping away pixels and polygons until only its most minimal existence remains, because if you don't, you won't be able to fit it within your meager 64 MB cartridge capacity. It looks wonky, and may not really resemble the initial concept as you saw it anymore... but it works.

That's not to say huge, high-res canvases of pixel art and raytracing on low-poly renders can't be uniquely beautiful as well—I think the ways these styles are innovated with modern technology is just as intriguing. The fundamental aspects of these styles will always be worth exploring, because at their core, they're about conveying things in unconventional ways. Simplicity makes it stilted and strange, and 'ugliness' is what makes it so evocative.

But like I said, I don't think it's a matter of intentionally avoiding these more subtle sorts of strangeness. It's just that harnessing and embracing it to its full extent is very hard. Particularly because modern technology often just... lacks limits. You can do practically anything with it, and that's the problem. If you have a decent GPU and the capacity to follow basic instructions, you can make a simple yet frighteningly hyper-realistic 3D scene in mere minutes, the kind that older video game developers could have only dreamed of. And technologically, it's impressive, but that's it. There are no corners cut, no concepts compressed, and nothing your computer can't handle for you. As soon as the realistic refractions and flashy lights fade, you realize it's all a little empty beyond the subdivision surfaces.

It's easy to get lost in a world without limitations, because empty canvases are just as freeing as they are intimidating. Making beautiful things because you can is obviously fun, and often impressive, but it gets boring. Sometimes I simply want to see things breaking at their seams, stripped down to the point of struggling to exist at all, and working—and being not just beautiful because of it, but fundamentally fascinating.

[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!

[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 :)

[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.

[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.

[belphies-cowgirl]

"I choose you, forever and always"

(I went a bit overboard)

word count: 3K+

"Lucifer, I love you more than words can express. I am yours, mind, body, and soul. I never thought I would ever find someone who takes my breath away, who makes me want to wake up every day, and who makes me feel truly loved and cared for. I choose you to spend forever with, so please say you'll be mine forever too."

you shifted slightly on the bed as Lucifer pulled you close, his forehead resting against yours. he closed his eyes for a moment as he processed your words, repeating them over and over again in his head. he held your hand against the side of his face as he softly kissed up from your wrist to your fingertips.

"MC, you have no idea how I have longed to hear those words escape from your lips. you have reached into the deepest depths of my heart and filled it with your love. I love you with every fiber of my being, and have no intentions of letting you go. of course I want to spend forever with you, I am truly happy you have chosen me."

"Mammon calm down, it's alright. I'm not breaking up with you, silly. I'm trying to tell you that I choose you to spend forever with. I love you so much, you're my favorite idiot and my partner in crime. you'll always be my first. despite everything we've been through, you have always protected me and made me feel safe and loved."

he took a deep breath and let out a shaky laugh. you had told him that you and him needed to have a serious talk, and his mind jumped to the conclusion that you wanted to break up with him. he felt so embarrassed about it after hearing your confession. his cheeks were a deep red as he pulled you close and peppered your face with kisses. he then quickly pulled away and rested his forehead on your shoulder. 

"don't scare me like that MC, you had me thinking that I was going to lose ya. I love you so much too. I don't want you spending forever with anyone else, but me. you mean so much to me, and I don't ever wanna lose ya. y-you make Lucifer's punishments bearable because ya always rescue me and hold me in your arms afterward. you make me feel safe and loved too." 

"Levi, I want to be your player 2 forever. I love you more than you love Ruri-Chan. I love that you're so passionate about your hobbies, that you talk to Henry when you're upset, and that you always wait for me before watching new episodes of an anime or starting a new video game. I like that you designed me my own controller, and let me beat you at games sometimes. I find it so adorable that we link pinkies together in public and wear matching hoodies. I would gladly mess up my sleep schedule if it meant that I could spend more time with you."

he crouched down and pulled his hood over his head to hide his intense blushing. he was processing your words and wondering how he got so lucky to have you as his partner. once he could finally face you, he shakily reached for your hand and held it close against his chest, you could feel his heart beating rapidly.

"do y-you really mean it? I mean forever is a long time, a-and I didn't think you'd ever choose someone like me. I j-just can't believe that someone as beautiful, nerdy, and wonderful as you c-could ever love me! of course I want to be with you forever! because you always listen to me and y-you don't think I'm weird or yucky. I love that you're always patient with me, that  you always lean your head back against my chest when we play video games together, and that you always dance in your seat when you get excited. y-you're the one person that I would let touch my things o-or sleep in my bathtub with me. I wouldn't want anyone else to be my player 2."

"Satan, I find it so cute when you try to communicate by meowing at the kitten we adopted together and hid from Lucifer. I love that you have different voices for each character when you read out loud, that you leave sticky notes with quotes from books that remind you of me, and that you give me kisses in the library every time I get a question right during our study sessions. I love the facial expressions you make when you get so immersed in a book. I love you and I don't want our love story to ever end. I chose you, so will you spend forever with me?"

he almost dropped his book on the floor after hearing your confession, he even forgot to bookmark it when he closed it. he cleared his throat and looked away in a failed attempt to hide the blush creeping along his cheeks as he gestured for you to come sit next to him. he pulled you down into his lap, and wrapped his arms around you before resting his forehead against your back. he rubbed his thumb across your wrist as he spoke. 

"MC, I love you more than words can express, more than romeo loved juliet, more than hades loved persephone. I love when you tap my wrist three times to say "I love you" during council meetings, or when Lucifer is fussing at us for pulling another prank on him. you're very beautiful and intelligent. you know all the right ways to make me feel better when I'm angry or stressed out. and I don't mind when you use study sessions as an excuse to spend time with me even though you already know most of the material. and I don't want our love story to ever end either, so I'll happily spend forever with you."

"Asmo, I adore the fact that you talk to yourself when doing your makeup or making outfits for your upcoming fashion shows. I love that you take such good care of me and remind me that I am always worthy and beautiful. you always know how to boost my self-confidence when I'm having a hard time with my image. I appreciate the fact that you always respect my boundaries, ask for my consent, and make sure that I'm comfortable before trying new things. and when you shower me with compliments and affection, it makes my heart melt every time. I love you so so much and choose you to spend forever with!"

he squealed happily as he clapped his hands together before throwing himself into your arms. his lips crashed into yours as he smiled. he peppered your face and neck with kisses before pulling you onto the bed with him. he propped himself up with his arm, and rested his hand against your cheek while he spoke. there was nothing but pure love and desire in his eyes. 

"oh mon amour! I love you so so much too! you're so beautiful to the point that I have more pictures of you on my phone than I do of myself. naturally, I am the luckiest demon to have someone like you by my side. we complement each other perfectly and make such a good power couple. I appreciate it when you wrap a bandage around my finger when I prick myself on a sewing needle and kiss it better afterward. I love it when you let me cuddle up in your lap while I sketch new designs. I absolutely adore it when you swing our hands back and forth when we're out in public. I love the creases that form on your face when you smile or laugh. of course, I'll spend forever with you, because I want to spend all my time cherishing and loving you to my heart's content!"

"Beel, I love it when you make sure I eat and stay hydrated on days that I don't feel like leaving my room. I like that you make me feel better about my body, that you always protect me, and make me feel warm and loved. I love your bearhugs and that you're careful not to squish me! the fact that you share your food with me further confirms your love for me. I can't get over the fact that you once said Barbatos had some competition when it came to my cooking. it's so cute when your cheeks puff out when you eat and that you know exactly what I want to order when we go on dates. because my hand is smaller than yours, you're always careful not to squeeze my hand too hard when you get excited. I love you more than you love food, and choose to spend forever with you."

his sandwich fell out of his mouth when you told him how you felt (it fell onto the floor- and he still ate it-) he pulled you into a bearhug, rocking you side to side in his arms. he kissed your cheek several times which almost knocked you off the kitchen counter. you wiped the crumbs off his face before planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"I love you too MC, more than I love 4000-year-aged cheeseburgers. I appreciate it when you bake or cook for me no matter what mood I may be in. you're the peanut butter to my jelly. I love that you pack extra snacks for me so I don't go hungry and that you wipe crumbs off my face gently with a napkin when I'm done eating. I find it adorable when you gently pinch my cheeks while fussing at me when we're making food together because I taste-tested the ingredients too much. I love you very much and wanna spend forever with you too. you make my heart feel full and my stomach feels less empty."

"Belphie stay awake, I'm trying to tell you that I choose you to spend forever with. don't make me take your pillow away again. I love you, sleepyhead. I don't mind that you drool on me when you're sleeping, or use me as a pillow. I feel safe and secure and never have nightmares when you hold me in your arms at night. I feel so loved when you rub my back or kiss my forehead when I rant or cry in your arms after having a bad day. I even forgive you for being a little shit sometimes like when you hit snooze on my alarms or push things off my lap or bed so you can sleep on me.

he yawned and rubbed his eyes as he shifted in your arms. he lazily kissed your hand, then your collarbones before burying his face back into your neck. he pulled the blankets over the two of you, and in a sleepy voice, he confessed to you.

"I love you to the stars and back MC. you're a comfortable safe haven for me. you're so beautiful and you're a dream I hope I never wake up from. you're always so kind and caring to me and my brothers, but I get a little jealous when you baby them more than me (he will throw a fit) seeing your sleepy face and hearing your voice in the morning is enough to get me through the day. I appreciate that you put up with me, and are always there for me at the end of the day. I would even pull an all-nighter for you if it would make you happy. *yawn* I want to spend forever with you too."

"Diavolo, when I first came to the devildom I was scared and confused. but seeing your smile and hearing your words of comfort made me feel reassured that I would make it out alive. you always treat me kindly and make me feel safe. you always take time out of your day just to spend time with me, and always make sure to remind me how much you love me. I sneak out of the house of lamentation just to spend the night with you. I feel like all of my problems fly out the window when you hold me in your arms. I want to grow with you and help you achieve your dreams. I love you, and choose you to spend forever with if you'll have me."

he spun you around in his arms after hearing your confession, he was just so happy. he pulled your hand towards his face and placed a soft kiss on each of your knuckles. you could feel his smile against your hand. he sat you down and held your hand again as he spoke.

"I never imagined that my soulmate would be from another world. your existence is enough to make me the happiest demon in the devildom. I will always tell you how much I love you and how much you mean to me every day. you always encourage me to work harder and support me no matter what. you make me laugh and smile even on the worst of days. you're a constant comfort and warm presence. dancing with you has become one of my favorite things to do with you. and holding you in my arms never fails to make my heart skip a beat. you don't even have to ask me if I want to spend forever with you, cause I already planned on doing so."

"Barbatos, even though you can literally alter timelines, I will always choose you to spend forever with. I love you, and I would still love you in another lifetime. I must confess that I pretended to not know how to cook just to spend some time with you, I even messed up recipes so you'd hold my hands and guide me through them. I love that you can tell whenever my mood changes, and just always know how to make things better. I admire how hard-working you are, and how you always put others first. I love that you always take care of me and make me feel loved even when you're very busy. I always look forward to the moments when you pull me against you and steal kisses from me when you're busy."

you were lifted up and placed on the counter before you could register the expression on his face. his hand snaked its way around your waist, and he tipped your chin up towards him so he could place a passionate kiss on your lips.

"I would love to spend forever with you as well. you're the love of my life, and I am eternally grateful that you are mine. I will happily be at your beck and call. taking care of you and loving you is one of my top priorities. I'll never stop stealing kisses from you because they get me through the day. you're always on my mind, and starting the day with you in my arms is one of my favorite things. I will never be too busy to spend time with you and cherish you. I love you MC."

"Simeon, you're my other half, and I wouldn't feel complete without you. I love that you write love letters and poetry, that you even fumble your words sometimes when you read them to me because you're so nervous. this may sound cheesy, but you're my guardian angel. and you always make sure I'm safe and okay even when I do stupid things or get into trouble. like that one time, I brought home a hellhound and wanted to keep it as a pet, and Lucifer got extremely mad at me. I love it when you whisper sweet nothings to me before we fall asleep, or when you stand me behind and rest your head on top of mine. I find it so cute that you still get so blushy when showing me affection or expressing your love for me. I choose you to spend forever with, and I hope you feel the same way."   

his cheeks were set ablaze with warmth and the color red. his hands gently cupped your face as he placed a kiss on your forehead, nose, and chin. he smiled sweetly and whispered "I love you" in your ear before pulling you into a warm embrace. 

"MC, I know this may sound cheesy as well, but we're a match made in heaven. I would even dare to sin for you. I would do everything in my power just to see you smile. of course, I feel the same way! I would spend forever with you in a heartbeat, and it would be the best decision I have ever made. I love you in ways you could never fathom. I would happily lay my life on the line for you, if you're ever in harm's way, even when you do things that get you into trouble. your beauty is so ethereal that sometimes I forget that you're human, and not an angel."

"Solomon, even though you tease me mercilessly and make me stand on my tippy toes just for a kiss, I still love you and adore you. and I love that you always make it up to me with plenty of kisses and snuggles. I find it funny that you get so focused on your work that you don't even notice that I've put flowers in your hair or that I make faces at you to get your attention. even though you'll never admit it, but you're such a softie for me. you go out of your way to make me happy or do things to make me smile or laugh when I am upset. you always find new or creative ways to show your love for me. I choose you to spend forever with, even if I have to find a way to be immortal like you."

he gently placed his hand on the back of your head as he pulled you close for a kiss. he makes fun of your rosy cheeks afterward, and you playfully punch him. he always such a tease after showing you affection, he thinks it's a clever diversion from him being very flustered. 

"MC, just admit that you like it when I tease you, plus it's so cute watching you struggle to reach up for a kiss. don't give me that look, you know it makes me weak for you. okay okay, I'll be serious about this now, I promise. I love you very much and would love to spend eternity with you. the fact that you just said you'd find a way to become immortal has melted me to my core. if that is what you truly want, I'll do everything in my power to help you make it happen. I know you color in my pact marks sometimes when I'm sleeping, and I let you do it anyways because I get to sneak glances at your cute mischievous, and focused expressions. I can't help but smile when you smile, and laugh when you laugh. it's such a lovely sight and sound. you're the greatest thing that has happened to me in the thousands of years that I have been alive."

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please do not use my work as your own! 

m.list

[frostyreturns]

The Hobbit (1977) Review

Since there has been no new Middle Earth media since the Hobbit movie trilogy I thought it was a good time to revisit this classic from the late 70's. Since the books cannot be improved upon, and the movies were done in the exact right way at the exact right time...there's no need for there to be any new movies or tv shows based out of Tolkiens middle earth. Thankfully this indisputable fact is acknowedged by everyone and no future Tolkien projects are even in the works. This as a fan is something to be thankful for because any Tolkien work produced today would be absolutely cancerous and the kind of thing that nobody should or would want to watch. And so it is into the past fans must look for a good time in middle earth.

I've read the Hobbit three times in my life, normally I only ever read a book once, maybe twice if I really liked it so to have read a book 3 times means I not only consider it to be a very good book…I consider it to be one of the best books ever written, a book that's near perfect. A book that was as enjoyable as a child as it was as a full grown adult. I've also played the hobbit video game a couple times, and of course watched the Hobbit movies a few times as well. This 1970's cartoon version of the story however I have never seen before now. Partly the reason I avoided it was because the interpretation seemed different than both what I had seen from Peter Jackson which I loved and from what I myself imagined from the books themselves. Particularly I did not care for the character designs at all. Bilbo in particular looks like a giant frog that just somehow has white skin instead of green. Elrond was the weirdest with a weird sparkly halo that surrounded his face, and Gollum was a weird homunculus fish creature, Smaug looked more like a cat wolf hybrid than a dragon. The wood elves looked like goblins on stilts and had a weird accent that was part Indian, part Russian and part French. Even the spiders look like crosses between spiders, rabbits and bats. The characters faces look somehow both creepy and severe while also being cartoonish and silly. It's a bizarre merger between a fantastic art style and horrible design choices. However character designs aside the rest of the art looks terrific and I love it. The backgrounds look phenomenal and everything looks painstakingly drawn with great care and detail.

The sound quality isn't great and at times it can be hard to hear what the voice actors are saying, the voice acting is also not very good. It's almost more like it's an audiobook being read to you with visuals than it is a movie. It comes across like it could be just one guy sitting there with the book in his lap doing all the voices himself, the way a teacher or a parent would read a book to children. Smaug for example sounds like a bored old man waking up from a nap. The background music however is very good and suits the story and the art. The foreground music and original songs I don't care for though. Although I do finally get the reference from the Lemmywinks episode of South park though. I half expected Biblo to have to answer the catatafish riddles. It just doesn't work for me as a musical.

The pacing is also a little strange, you've barely been introduced to any of the characters and already ten minutes into the story and they are up to the part of the book where they run into the trolls. Which also look kind of stupid. Actually now that I look the art somewhat reminds me of a studio Ghibli anime, it looks like it had to have been animated in Japan at least. It's also got the signature classic cartoon style of the Rankin and Bass Christmas specials. It's like a combination of studio Ghibli anime and Rankin Bass holiday cartoon special. I'm not sure if I expect Totoro to show up or if I expected it to be animated with stop motion puppets.

The movie doesn't spend much time on major parts of the story, things are glossed over probably for time and animation costs. Major plot points are treated like slight diversions and some are resolved in minutes. At the approximate 45 minute mark they are dealing with the spiders, which leaves only about 30 minutes for the encounter with the wood elves, the stay in lake town, the journey into the mountain, the encounter with smaug, the death of Smaug, the battle of the five armies and the conclusion and journey home. That's a lot to stuff into 30 minutes. It's like the opposite of the problem with the Hobbit movie trilogy which stretched things out too much.

One other weird thing was the song placement, at one point there were lyrics about the trolls debating how to kill the dwarves but it was played during their escape from the goblins with the Eagles much later on in the story.

All in all I think this is a weird vestige from the stories past, something interesting if not anachronistic to watch once if you've never seen it before or as a way to introduce kids to the story. However I don't think it's good enough to be considered a definitive version of the story. I didn't hate it, it was okay and I can see myself liking it if I had watched it as a kid.

[undertale-data]

Closing Remarks

Feelings about the Survey

Ficus Licker: Thank you guys for taking our survey. When we started this project, it was just for fun, and I thought maybe a couple hundred or so people would take it. Receiving over 2500 responses was amazing and allowed us to view more accurate trends across the fandom. Everyone has been super nice and supportive throughout this project, including my fellow contributors. They’re great at reminding me to get sleep and not go too crazy stupid trying to do everything at once. There’s a limit to the amount of things you can do today, after all.

Vessel #1: I never expected this to get so big either. I’m just very glad for all the support we got throughout the event, both from the team, and every single one of you! It’s true that no research can be done without flaws, but this was a really good experience overall and I hope you guys liked being a part of it as much as we did.I felt like working with the team was amazing. Hell, I’m starting the Ficus Licker and Vessels [and redacted] fan club, because they’re brilliant people and it’s surprising they can still stand me. It’s like working on a group project where everyone does their part and it flows almost perfectly jsjsjs.

I’m excited to see how people react to our work, or if they motivate others to do their own events. Whatever it is, I’m rooting for all of you!

Vessel #2: Being a part of this survey has been a delight. I was technically the one who came up with the idea, but I wasn’t expecting my teammates to step up so hard and put it together so gorgeously. I think we all learned a lot about data analysis, different social media platforms, and graphic design, but for me, the biggest takeaway has been the overwhelming positivity of the fandom’s reactions. At first I was half joking about wanting to study the fandom because I thought statistics were cool, expecting this to be a niche project that a few friends responded to. Instead I was blown away by fans who were just as hyped about the data as I was. It was also the best feeling in the world to read through pages and pages of responses from all over the internet, and realize that so many different people have so much in common with me in their connections to this game. Thank you to everyone who participated, especially to my fantastic fellow Vessel and Ficus Licker, [and redacted if they would like to be credited] for turning my silly math ramblings into such a work of art. <3

Feelings about UNDERTALE

Ficus Licker: I never expected to get this deep into Undertale. I did not know anything about the game before playing it, except that there was a square robot named Mettaton, and that Sans was a meme. I only got it because it was on sale and I thought it would be a simple way to pass some time. And, well, here we are. I’m always a sucker for found family, as well as for video game mechanics influencing plot and/or lore, so it was no surprise that I ended up loving the game so much. I want a found family like the one in Undertale, even if I know that's not realistic haha.

Vessel #1: I honestly do not know what decisions led me here. Maybe it’s that when I played Undertale I was hooked. And I guess I also have a love for surveys, data and just… trying to understand people’s motivations. V2 said something about studying the fandom and I just exploded with the need to do it. Still, in general, Undertale and Deltarune meant a lot to me, they pushed me to be more creative, I found a huge community and met a lot of cool people (like FL, V2, and [redacted] even if they’re really far away). Oh! And as someone who’s terrible at video games, the game mechanics and story always made me stay determined. And that is not even mentioning the music, which is probably what motivated me to try out the games in the first place. Anyways… to cut it short, I love both the game, its story, and music and the people I’ve met because of it, thanks so much!

Vessel 2: I started playing Undertale because my friend was obsessed with it, and I’m so glad I did. The characters are all so fun and complex, and I think about them constantly. And the morals questions brought up by the game are so cool, I keep coming back to them. Still, it also manages to be a neat little game filled with friendly characters and a fabulous soundtrack. I love the depth and heartwrenching scenes, but more than that, I love that they are just… some guys. They are my some guys. Mettaton if you're out there you're doing fantastic.

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If you would like to view all of the posts on this blog in google doc format, you are welcome to do so in this google drive folder. Also, our askbox will remain open if fans have questions on collecting fandom data. We will likely not answer all questions, but if you scream into the Void, the Void may scream back.