#But I think there should be a gimmick teacher

[mari-lair]

What did you think of the latest chapter?

Not many thoughts, but I was wondering where Satou and Yooko are??

They haven't shown up in the new timeline yet?? Not even as background characters?? And in Kou's flashback montage, it's always Mitsuba and Kou alone. Just them, no one else.

And we know Kou is Mitsuba's first friend but Kou doesn't imply Mitsuba was his first friend, calling him a loner as if he himself isn't a loner too.

So where are Yooko and Satou?

Was this a mistranslation and Mitsuba is indeed Kou's only friend in this new timeline? Does Yooko and Satou simply don't exist in this new world? If so why? What was the big difference that made Kou not be friends with the two? Cause if having free time was all that changed about Kou he should still be their buddies. It is implied they have been Kou's friend for a while.

( This is from cover 19, what I am assuming is what Kou imagined would happen if he tried to befriend og Mitsuba. And Yooko and Satou are there, being his buddies too.)

So what is up with their disappearance?? Does Kou have any new friends?? WHY ARE SATOU AND YOOKO NOT EVEN IN THE BACKGROUND??

Outside that, I am glad it wasn't an actual teacher who sent Kou to a haunted house. Like yeah, it is a bit eyebrow raising that a 'mysterious someone gave Kou an empty envelope' but I'll take it since he was possessed before.

I also like that the house has a different gimmick: Hanako and Tsukasa don't revolve around wishes anymore, so the house doesn't have a wish granting mechanic either.

[absolutely-the-gimmick-law-maker]

BREAKING SOWN DOOR SOUND

WHAT LAWS ARE THERE THAT CAN I BREAK?

Oh my gods, @the-gimmick-authority and @gimmick-police, I think I have had a rule-flouter! Arrest them! Also, can I just say, the only law in existence right now states that you should respect all people, regardless of the protected characteristics that mainly feature in the 2010 Equality Act. Are you quite sure you would like to break such rules?

[liquidstar]

new oc batch ready! 8 more of these guys lol. the whole deal with this set is they’re from the artisan guild- lunar flair! intentionally spelled like “flair” as in “style” or “a flare for ____” rather than “flare”

basically all the members of the guild are different kinds of artists with different niches (and varying degrees of diva-ness). it’s pretty easy to tell who does what based on the everything about them, but if you want more info their bios are still under the cut!

Name: Jupiter

Name Origin: The planet of course

Pronouns: He/him

Age: 52

Guild rank: Guildmaster

Weapon: Lightning rods

Ethos (Power): Gigantomachy. He can make himself (even more) giant

Flaw power is based on: His overly protective nature, especially where the guild is concerned.

Notes: Literally the nicest guy ever until you provoke him though

Name: Erinome (Erin)

Name Origin: A moon of jupiter, the exact meaning of it’s name is murky but it can refer to grace or purity

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 13

Guild rank: 2 star

Weapon: A Book.

Ethos (Power): Poetic Imagery. Illusions cast forth by his her poems that change the appearance of the physical environment

Flaw power is based on: Her escapist indulgence in fantasy

Notes: You know, like, the pen is mightier than the sword and all that.

Name: Pictor

Name Origin: The constellation meaning “painter”

Pronouns: He/him

Age: 23

Guild rank: 3 star

Weapon: Giant paintbrush

Ethos (Power): Ardor. He can create three-dimensional things with his paintbrush. However they are not animate or alive.

Flaw power is based on: His conceited nature in regards to his own work.

Notes: Goes to museums to talk about how he could probably do it better anyway

Name: Oberon

Name Origin: A moon of the planet Uranus, it gets it’s name from the king of the fairies in Renaissance literature. Notably in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream

Pronouns: He/him

Age: 29

Guild rank: 5 star

Weapon: Rapier

Ethos (Power): Fantasia. An illusion of changing his own appearance.

Flaw power is based on: His theatrical nature, of course

Notes: Why is he ourple?

Name: Syrma

Name Origin: A star in virgo, it’s name refers to the train of a garment (Typically worn by actors in tragedies)

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 25

Guild rank: 4 star

Weapon: Giant needle

Ethos (Power): Binding threads. She can create stitches on any solid objects and bind them to each other. Including people- The stitches are manifested energy and do not hurt.

Flaw power is based on: The dependency she often has on bonds- i.e. threads that bind people.

Notes: She makes and models all her own clothes.

Name: Parumleo 

Name Origin: A star in Pisces, it’s name means “small lion”

Pronouns: They/he

Age: 19

Guild rank: 3 star

Weapon: Microphone bardiche

Ethos (Power): Persuasion. If they can make you laugh you’ll temporarily have to follow his orders. Though it’s too weak to call full-blown mind control, and fairly easy to snap out of.

Flaw power is based on: His desire to be liked by others.

Notes: They’re like a lolcat. They can haz cheezburger.

Name: Leda

Name Origin:  A moon of jupiter, the name means swan.

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 28

Guild rank: 4 star

Weapon: Duel ribbons

Ethos (Power): Poise. Complete and utter weightlessness.

Flaw power is based on: Her carefree and utterly absent-minded nature.

Notes: You guys know swan lake right? Well, there ya go.

Name: Styx

Name Origin: A moon of pluto that gets it’s name from the river of the underworld. Yeah it’s also a rock band.

Pronouns: She/they

Age: 20

Guild rank: 3 star

Weapon: Axe-guitar.

Ethos (Power): Vibrato. Powerful soundwaves cast by her axe-guitar

Flaw power is based on: Her brash and blasé attitude

Notes: Calls everyone “baby” or “babe” because they’re a cool rockstar.

[webslingingslasher]

Care less

for the frat!peter girlies.

Peter blames his aunt. 

May went and raised him to look forward to the middle of february. She would make little boxes and handwritten notes tied up with a fun-sized candy bar. May told him it was a day to celebrate love in its entirety. For a friend, for a teacher, for just the sake of love existing everywhere you went. 

Except, not everyone likes valentine's day. Some even hate it. Some would loathe the day so much that Peter feels like an idiot for caring. Dinner reservations that were going to be ignored, flowers that would go wilted and chocolates that were never going to get eaten. 

Peter has a handful of nothing and the one time he really wanted to outperform himself, it was brushed off and it was his aunt’s fault for getting his hopes up about valentine’s day. He had been so thoughtful too, planning weeks ahead to book a dinner slot and a fun date. Not to mention the mini fortune he spent on roses, not that you were a giant fan of roses but every girl deserves a bouquet on valentine’s, even if they triple in price. Peter even bought a second bunch of your favorite kind, just to prove he cared. 

It meant nothing. His efforts meant nothing and maybe he shouldn’t have assumed, but he never thought that you’d hate the holiday. It was a day entirely built around feelings, around love- and you just rolled your eyes at him. 

“I fucking hate valentine’s day.” You said it like it was nothing, taking two bites of a banana and handing it over to Peter. He asked if you were excited, maybe even hinting at that you should be excited. Peter Parker was about to romance the hell out of you. But not anymore. 

“Explain that one for me?” A toss, the peel falls into the trash can. You shrug as if you’ve never thought about it before, but it’s something you’ve held in your chest for as long as you can remember. 

“It was a holiday created by girls who didn’t feel loved enough by their boyfriends, or something. I think the practice is stupid, you should treat me good and do nice things for me everyday, not just once a year. And everything is crowded! Everyone has the same lame idea about dinner and a movie and flowers and… it’s just not something I buy into.” 

Peter feels every bit of him curl up and die inside. Valentines is his third favorite holiday, he adores the pinks, reds, and purples. He loves seeing couples of every stage, the beginning stages or lifelong partners. They all love the same; with everything in them. 

“Well, actually, I do have a confession. Chocolate covered strawberries. They’re outrageously expensive, but I buy them every year. If you’re wondering, I was hoping we could boycott the baby holiday and eat some strawberries or something.” 

A small lift in his heart, it’s something. You’d be happy with one thing and he could deliver that, but first he has to try and sway you, right? Peter needs to preach what valentine’s is about, he needs you to understand how lovely it is. 

“I’m surprised you hate it so much. I figured you’d love it, since it’s pink and feelings, and stuff.” You wink at him, you think it’s a joke and Peter’s in the same boat as you. “I know, right? It always seemed so gimmicky to me, I think.” 

“That doesn’t mean it’s bad.” You pretend gag, Peter feels his heart sink into the hollow of his chest. “You’re right, it’s cringy and that makes it so much worse.” Peter doesn’t agree, not even in the slightest. Nothing about it is cringy, there’s nothing embarrassing about showing you love someone. 

“Right. It’s cringy and a gimmick and everyone who participates is stupid.” Maybe he’s a little cynical, it hits harder when you nod with exaggeration. “So glad you agree, petey!” He doesn’t. Peter couldn’t be further away from your opinion but he’s really not in the mood to be shut down or judged, so, he just changes the subject and tries to ignore everything crumbling apart in the back of his mind. 

“Isn’t this cute?” 

You squint your eyes when you read the card, a tiny smile shows. “It’s cute. Not worth…” You snatch the glorified cardstock and flip it, your eyes widen, you pretend to choke on the dollar amount. “Ten dollars, holy shit. For some glitter? Fuck that.” 

You want it out of your hold, scared that if even a speckle spread you’d be forced to buy it. “What happened to the good old days of making your own card? My mom used to eat that up.” 

Peter delicately sets the card down, he tries to see it how you do, but he can’t. Sure, it’s wildly marked up, but wouldn’t your partner be worth the price? Peter would buy the moon for you if he could, a ten dollar Hallmark card won’t be his holdup. 

But, maybe you’d like a handmade one more. He can do that. 

Peter’s trying to be mindful of your opinion while also planting the seed that valentine’s isn’t all that bad into your brain. It’s days away and all he can hear in the back of his mind is ‘I fucking hate valentine’s day.’ 

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Peter- do you fucking see this?” 

A romantic gesture? A public display of love and admiration? Dozens of carefully inflated heart shaped balloons? A girl crying into the arms of her friend while her partner showers her with flowers. Is it the love? Is that what you’re pointing out? 

“Yeah, it’s-” 

“Disgusting.” 

“-cute.” Peter frowns, is that what you really thought of valentines? Nothing was swaying your mind, Peter thinks that you’re more solidified in your mindset than before. 

“I’m sorry, trouble, but I’m finding it hard believing you hate valentine’s day.” It’s like he just called you a slur, you pull your hand from his and stuff it into your jacket pocket. 

“I don’t hate it, I loathe it. What do you see watching that? Personally, I’m seeing gravel covered flowers and wasted space that turns into deflated balloons. Fuck that.” Peter shakes his head, you’re seeing it wrong. “It’s about the gesture.” 

“It’s about how you love someone so much, there aren't enough things in the world to buy to show it, and there are never the right set of words to say it quite right. I’ll buy all the flowers in the world for you, and I’ll use all the air in my lungs for these balloons but it’ll never match the love I have for you.” 

Peter clears his throat. “That's what I see, anyways. I think valentine’s day is an excuse to be a little cringy and basic because we all want that sometimes.” He might’ve finally broken through, but you crack a grin and bump your shoulder into his. 

“Ah, yes, because I’m so unfulfilled that a man has never gotten me a teddy bear for valentine’s day.” Would you want one? He could get you one. Or could that be a reason you might detest the holiday, not that he’d ever take your opinion for resentment or bitterness. 

“Have you ever had a valentine?” A small stumble, your hand is tied into his again. “Besides elementary, nah. And honestly, I should be happy so I don’t have to deal with all that stuff.” 

‘I should be happy so I don’t have to deal with all that stuff.’ But, now you do, don’t you? 

“Trouble, you do realize you’re my valentine this year, right? And I’m yours?” You feel your breath catch, no, you hadn’t realized. It’s always just been another day for you and you assume the same for Peter, it’s not like there was much to celebrate. 

“It’s also just a day that ends in Y.” Is that really the answer you have? It’s just another day to you, even if you finally have someone to claim? You might not care about the holiday, but Peter does and he’s going to get his valentine’s day, no matter what. 

And you’re going to enjoy a handmade card. 

And a teddy bear. 

Peter’s finger-combing his hair after a shower, he’s had the reservation for weeks, but he also wasn’t aware of your detestment towards red hearts and arrows. 

“Wanna grab some dinner wednesday?” If he didn’t say it by name he’s hoping you won’t scream bloody mary on him. “Sure.” A smile washes over Peter’s face, it drops in a second. “Wait, isn’t that valentine’s day? Ha, yeah, no thank you. You, me, and the entire city? Fuck that.” 

‘Fuck that, fuck that, fuck that.’ Weeks boiled into nothing. “But, if you wanna cuddle and watch a movie I’m down.” It’s something. He’d get to give you flowers and a card and a teddy bear and he can’t forget the strawberries. You told him you loved them. 

“Good with me, trouble.” 

Peter tried to sway your mind, he tried to make you enjoy the love and glitter and colors. But you hated it all. So all he has to do is ditch the flowers and the dinner and just… do nothing. 

Peter’s first real valentine and all he has to do is… nothing. 

Three rose bouquets tossed onto his closet floor, it was haphazardly done. Petals scattered around the cellophane, some even reached to his shoes. They were thrown in without care, they were hidden. 

But they were beautiful. A few front buds have taken a beating, but the others were fully blossomed and lively. You’ve never seen roses in such a vivid red, their petals almost like velvet under your fingertips, their smell unlike any other. 

The thorns have been expertly shredded, nothing but smooth, soft stems in their wake. It doesn’t matter if Peter didn’t mean to have you see them, they were too gorgeous to leave locked away in a dark room. They deserved the affection water and sunlight would give them. 

You clutched all three in your arms, the weight welcomed. You laid them out nicely across his bed, the third bouquet dropped a small card and you picked it right back up. 

‘Trouble- 

This day was made for you. 

Charlie’s at 8. 

Yours, 

Peter’

You bit back a smile. Charlie’s? It’s nice, too nice. And expensive. Peter got you reservations at Charlie’s? Holding the card to your chest you nearly squeal, you have no idea how he kept the secret from you. Or the roses. 

When you hear his bedroom door open you spin, waiting for him to be in the doorway so you can place a thousand kisses. Instead it’s Ethan and he looks surprised. “You’re here?” He points to the flowers, “Peter gave you those?” 

“I found them in his closet, he just tossed them in here! And he must’ve forgotten to tell me about Charlie’s.” Ethan doesn’t smile with you, he’s not sharing any joy. For a second you start to wonder if you were the person who was supposed to receive the gifts. 

“He didn’t forget.” You scrunch your face at him, “I think he did and I need to start getting ready now. Ethan, do you know how nice Charlie’s is? It’s fucking fancy.” You’re not prepared, you don’t have anything that screams Charlie’s worthy in Peter’s closet. 

“No, you’re not hearing me. There is no Charlie’s and there weren't supposed to be roses. I was supposed to get them before you got here, but, here we are. No roses and no Charlie’s.” You smack at his arms, pulling at his fingers to drop your flowers. 

“They’re mine!” Ethan’s on a mission to steal them, and he’s not being gentle. 

“No, you didn’t want them.” 

You watch him for a second, how could he say that, of course you want them. Thirty six reminders of Peter, how could you ever say no? You fight for what's yours, Ethan allows you to keep one bouquet. 

“I do want them!” 

Ethan’s not being nice to you tonight, he’s gruff with his response. “No. You didn’t.’ 

“You keep saying didn’t! I never said I didn’t want…” 

Except you did. Just like you said you didn’t want to get dinner with Peter. You feel terrible, you feel like crying. He’d had this planned for weeks and the whole time all you did was poke fun and degrade the holiday not knowing you were crushing him behind the scenes. 

You wanted the flowers, but you didn’t deserve them. You hand over the last bouquet silently. 

“I think it’s best if you pretend you didn’t see these.” You can’t imagine the ache Peter must have in his chest, he planned something out just for you to stomp all over it. It’s not about the value, it was the gesture. He can’t tell you how he feels, but taking you out to one of the nicest places in the city, where you know it has a month minimum reservation list makes you understand him just a little bit better. 

“This is so bad, Ethan. This is so,” you suck in air, “so bad.” 

“It’s not terrible,” a crinkle when he shifts weight. “But it’s not great.” You wince, if you could, you’d go back in time and shove your foot in your mouth, or tell yourself to shut the fuck up. 

“Well, I mean, what the fuck?! It’s fucking Peter! How was I supposed to know he was pro valentines day?”

“How was he supposed to know you were anti valentines day?” 

You sink to the bed and hold your head in your hands, “I just want Peter right now.” You want to hug him and kiss him and tell him how sorry you were. Ethan hesitates for a second, before stepping closer to lay the flowers across your lap. 

“You found them. They’re yours.” You protect them from being taken, but still have self-pity. “I don’t deserve them.” Ethan scoffs, “of course you do. Everyone deserves pretty flowers.” 

You pout at yourself in the mirror and fix any smudges. Brushing out any stray wrinkles your newest dress might’ve made on the way over. Ethan had very kindly instructed a pledge to pick you up an outfit so you could change before Peter got back. 

With minutes to spare, he’s back and taking a deep breath at your appearance. “Wow.” A surprised hum when you kiss him, you wipe red from his bottom lip while you apologize. “I’m so sorry, petey.” 

“For what?” A look around the room, red roses give him the reason. “Oh. Hey, it’s no big deal and I-” A frown when you silence him by holding a finger to his lips. 

“I’m sorry. I found those flowers and all I could think about was you and how much it meant to me that you got those for me, then I saw the card and I couldn’t believe you got us reservations and I just felt… special. I’ve never had a valentine, but I get it now. It’s just a day you get to dote on me extra hard.” 

Another surprise kiss, “and if you didn’t already cancel I think we can get to Charlie’s on time. But if you did, that’s okay. Because I think those are the most lovely flowers I have ever gotten, and I might have seen a little teddy bear in there but I didn’t wanna get too presumptuous.” 

This time, Peter kissed you. “There’s also a homemade card.” 

“You didn’t!” You fall in closer to his chest, his hands can have free reign tonight, you wore the dress just for him. 

“I did. I even wrote a little poem.” 

A chaste kiss, “just when I think you can’t get better.” 

“There’s also glow in the dark mini golf planned for after.” A peck, “so thoughtful and handsome.”

A whisper, he’s got blown pupils and hoping he’d get another kiss. “And your strawberries are in the fridge.” 

Your hearts about to explode, “fuck, I love-” you stop yourself, but you heard it and so did Peter. He brushes it off, “love?” Fuck it, you’ll both keep circling around it. 

“Yeah, I love love.” 

A hungry kiss, a squeeze to the back of your thighs. “Yeah, I love love, too.” 

[otterloreart]

Darling Dollz on youtube did a video on Strawberry Shortcake, which prompted me to brainstorm a SS reboot.

My conclusion was they should make Strawberry a magical girl/witch going to an academy where they learn to bake magical treats. Magical school is a typical, trope-y setting but you would mix it up because all the spells have to be food, + I think all the animals in the world would be a combination of animal and a food item. Hence why strawberry gets her pink cat as a flying fairy familiar.

The ideas also perfect for a toyline because you could directly compete with all the other "school" lines (MH, RH, blah blah), but have a totally different gimmick and style by leaning in to the 1980s poofy, cottagecore dresses AND also having the gimmick of having scented dolls + cute animal sidekicks, magic potions and so on.

I would propose Strawberry is similar in personality to Jenny Nicholson's headcanon for Applejack that she brainstormed in a video a few years ago. She's from the country, a farmer, but when she discovers she's a witch (by baking a magical strawberry shortcake that does something wacky like make her grandma float into the sky) she has to go to the magic school. There, she can meet other typical kid tropes turned into food and she also pretends not to be a farmer because she's embarrassed about it. Magical schools are also great for having kids of many different backgrounds and you could use it as an opportunity to show off foods from different cultures.

Episode ideas:

-someone bakes a cake that turns into a monster (ez)

-a monster attacks and they need to bake like a magic blueberry pie to defeat it but they dont have any blueberries so they make something else and somehow befriend the monster

-episode that is solved when classmates combine two seemingly contradictory flavors (obvious metaphor about sharing cultures)

-characters try to gift a magic troll new foods but hes very picky and keeps getting upset; finally they talk to the troll and realize he would just prefer to eat gravel and thats okay (this is about how people should be less pushy and annoying at picky eaters)

-theres a baking competition headed by the evil substitute teacher that causes rifts in the school (its just a parody of the show Chopped)

-an evil witch turns the entire school into chocolate and wild animals start eating it. i dont know where this one goes it just sounds fun

-a season finale where magic is disappearing and all the little fruit animals are turning back into fruit (very sad) and the kids go on an adventure to fix it.

Anyways I will take no notes on this concept, it is perfect and they should hire me to make it.

[cyberr-v0id]

I should probably make a proper introduction post so here goes

Hi hey hello wassup sup howdy hola hooray

My name is Leo but I also go by *lists a ton of names because I am genderfluid as hell, can’t choose just one, have a complicated relationship with my irl name, and eventually toss aside every name I go by* here’s the link to my full name post: https://www.tumblr.com/cyberr-v0id/731097944976228352/ok-so-as-i-apparently-use-a-lot-of-names-here-are

My main blog is @cyberr-v0id but I have a ton of side blogs, because who’s gonna stop me, the side blog police? I run a ton of gimmick blogs. You might know them. You might not.

I use he/she/they/fae and occasionally it sets of pronouns, and I am a genderfluid, afab, asexual, lesbian oriented demiromantic. Deal with it or leave :)

I currently have a crush on one of my awesome friends because I only develop crushes on people I have a strong bond with and/or have know for a while . Aka: my friends. It can be low-key awkward but we roll

I am Romani but don’t travel because reasons and I am kinda detached from my culture, but heck if I won’t defend it till my last breath

Now onto what I am interested in ehhehehehe

I AM SO GOSHDARN TOTALLY BRAIN IN THE SAND EYES GOUGED OUT INSANELY OBSESSED WITH ODYSSEUS RN. ITS A PROBLEM. IT KEEPS COMING BACK. IS THIS A HYPER FIXATION??? IS THIS A SPECIAL INTEREST? I HAVENT BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH (oh wait I should probably put that down as information then come back to my interests)

Ok so, I have never been diagnosed with anything ✨brain wise✨ however pretty much every autistic person I have ever met has said that they think I might be as well, without me even bringing it up, including my AuDHD brother. My mother has said repeatedly throughout my lifetime comments such as ‘are you sure you’re not autistic’ and ‘that is very autistic or you maybe we should get you diagnosed’ but then she denies it if i bring it up

My dad thinks I am adhd, my mum thinks I would be add rather than adhd because I am, to quote, ‘not hyperactive like [brothers name] is’. He is a twelve year old boy. I am a fifteen year old girl. I also take apart all my pens in lessons if I don’t have something less destructible to fidget with. Take that how you will

I personally have done a lot of of research into the both, and feel that I could be either, but slightly more likely adhd

I have a weird issue with my feet where the bones are too close together in places, which means I have really clicky ankle joints, am much more likely to have my ankles roll, twist, or give way, and often my legs hurt pretty bad, and my feet as well, while walking or standing for a long time. But hey! They’re getting better finally :D

OK SO NOW MY INTERESTS

I AM LITERALLY SO OBSESSED WITH ODYSSEUS HE IS ALL I HACE BEEN ABLE TO THINK ABOUT FOR LIKE THREE WEEKS NOW, I HAVE BEEN HIGHLIGHTING HIS NAME EVERY TIME I SEE IT IN THE ILIAD, I HAVE LISTENED TO THE EPIC MUSICAL EVERY NIGHT FOR OVER A WEEK, AND THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME THIS YEAR THAT MY OBSESSION HAS APPEARED. AND IT GETS WORSE BY THE DAY.

I HAVE LITERALLY SAT AND RESEARCHED HIM AT BREAKFAST, I HAVE RANTED ABOUT HIM YO EVERY MEMBER OF MY FRIEND GROUP AND MY CRUSH SO MANY TIMES, MY ENGLISH TEACHER HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO TWO ODYSSEUS RANTS THIS WEEK AND I HAD TO RESTRAIN MYSELF FROM INFODUMPING ON ONE OF MY MUSICAL THEATRE TEACHERS.

THE ONLY THING STOPPING ME FROM CREATING ODYSSEUS FAN ART IS MY ART SKILLS

Ahem

Onto other interests:

• mythology in general but the one I know the most about and am obsessed with the most is Greek mythology

• the owl house

• Percy Jackson, obviously

• amphibia

• the inheritance cycle

• the dragon prince

• miss peregrines home for peculiar children

•avatar the last air bender

•dragon age absolution

• how to train your dragon (books, films, series)

•the wizards of once

•dragons themself as a thing

•folklore and faeries

• nimona

•Dracula

•redwall

•and a heck ton more that I cannot think of. I’ll rant about it eventually if I love it that much

The main sports I do rn are archery, paddle boarding, and skateboarding, as well as dance through my musical theatre group. Also lightsaber fighting in my street

I do art and writing and reading and acting and lots more I do a lot and then I abandon my hobbies for a while, and jewelry making and sewing and

I’ll link some more posts here that may be useful to y’all:

And remember, this blog is ran by an Odysseus obsessed teen above all else

[nblesbianfirefly]

i've done more than enough fuh naff redesigns it's time for charles entertainment cheese and his gang to receive a makeover

what i had in mind while doing this was a (personal dream job) HYPOTHETICAL!!! scenario where somehow i've gone back in time and convinced the execs of showbiz pizza time inc to not only keep both cec and showbiz open, but begin a gimmick wherein we lean into the whole "pizza wars" thing and actively pit the characters against each other in a friendly rivalry sort of deal.

firstly youll probably notice that i replaced munch and pasqually with two ptt characters i like much better- pleasemunchandpasquallylikersdonthurtme- that being crusty and harmony. due to my own personal tastes but also because i think adding a second female member of the animatronic lineup evens things out pretty well.

second, is that they all are brand new incarnations of each character, and have their own blurbs i've decided to write down below under the readmore to explain. because this caption is insanely long already. happy reading!!! the rockafire counterpart to this post is coming shortly. so keep an eye out ;)

FIRST AND FOREMOST is the big man himself!!!! chuck e cheese!!! this chuck is an archetypal rebellious teen and cool kid whose primary hobbies include skateboarding and video games. he's got a sort of arrogant i'm-the-shit attitude about him and he definitely can come off as cocky. but he's not necessarily mean spirited either, he really does care for his friends, he's just full of himself.

now, for his rockafire rival (which you will find all the bots have their direct counterpart on the showbiz side of things) you may expect billy bob because mascots of the restaurant and all. but billy bob actually acts more as a mediator in all this, being the only one who has no rival, instead chuck's is beach bear. which will explain why beach has such an aversion to skateboarding - he associates it with the rat boi! chuck doesnt necessarily have anything personal against beach (because this is all in good fun and not anything malicious at all) but beach does feel like chuck's a bit too stuck up for his liking. and also, he can't stand sore losers, or folks who brag about their accomplishments. chuck in turn thinks beach is a bit of a stick in the mud and goody two shoes who doesnt know how to have REAL fun. again these are all FRIENDLY rivalries so nobody's truly mad at anyone just some reasoning.

secondly my gal helen henny. is the direct opposite of mitzi mozzarella of course, who is the popular girl in their high school and head of the cheerleading squad. helen meanwhile is the nerdy type who gets straight a's and sucks up to the teachers a lot. she doesnt get out much besides doing gigs singing in the pizzeria and otherwise is a bit of a shut in. mitzi thinks helen should loosen up, but helen thinks mitzi should be more focused on her future and realize that after high school "popularity" means nothing. theyll still eventually end up being gay married, but thats not until way after they both have graduated from college in which they will reconnect after a chance meeting in the local in universe starbucks, sparking a slow burn romance that eventually leads to the two being wed. but for now, they simply pass each other in the hallway with a friendly nod and perhaps a light chat about the weather.

crusty is in a sports college on a scholarship playing baseball and is one of the strongest team members on campus. he's more reserved and shy most of the time, but really comes out of his shell and shines on stage singing with the others. his dilemma mirrors high school musical in that he's embarrassed to admit that he loves to perform on stage to his fellow baseball players, who are currently unaware of crusty's thespian side. for his rival, fatz geronimo is actually a professor at crusty's college and crusty thinks it's a bit weird how theyre both performers in rival pizzerias. fatz wishes crusty would own up to his love of both baseball and theatre, sometimes giving him dad lectures about being yourself and you only got one life to live so you better make the most of it, while crusty just wishes the old man would mind his own business and butt out of his personal matters. deep down though he appreciates that at least someone cares about what HE wants though.

jasper t jowls in this era is a he/him lesbian because i say so and i make the rules here. he and harmony are open about them being a pair and are often uber affectionate with each other, in front of guests and their friends and all. they really dont care who sees lol. jasper is a farm dog that puts off his chores to go hang with his girlfriend and their friend group. he'd rather spend his hours practicing the banjo and wooing his lady than doing any sort of work, he's real lazy like that. his family thinks his dreams of being a rockstar are ridiculous and so jasper internalizes this way of thinking when it comes to dook larue, who dreams of being an astro physicist and has the support of all his folks. in reality jasper is jealous of dook not having to deal with criticism from his family and being able to freely follow his passions without outside pressure. dook sees jasper as weak willed and thinks he should grow a backbone, but the space doggo most of all just feels bad for the farm doggo and resents his family for not being supportive of his dreams. still, dook's idea of a pep talk is telling jasper to let his folks know what he REALLY thinks and jasper isnt too fond of the idea.

and finally harmony howlette is the resident ranch coyote!!!! shes an expert at wrangling wild mustangs and taming them and preparing them to be farm horses. shes sassy and blunt and takes no shit. sometimes having a hard time keeping her comments to herself. but shes also sweet and genuine, real down to earth type of gal. its what jasper likes best about her. shes rolfe dewolfe's rival, she thinks hes almost as stuck up as chuck can be but to her at least chuck has redeeming qualities about him. in her mind rolfe is just some washed up comedian that lets his assistant earle pick on him to get a cheap laugh out of the audience. which, rolfe doesnt necessarily deny the part about letting earle pick on him, but he thinks harmony needs to learn to take a joke and worry about herself a little more. he says that having a southern accent and country charm isnt a personality trait and wonders what jasper sees in her.

[otakween]

Digimon Tamers - Episode 13

Whelp I guess they used up all the budget for episode 12 because this one was really bad. Like unpleasant to watch at times bad. You can't tell from my screenshots, but most of this episode was composed of still images, extreme close ups, and lazy silhouettes. Oh well, this is just the nature of these older, long-ish shows.

Notes:

So from the opening shot I knew this was gonna be a rough one. An overly long silhouetted battle between Guilmon and...some other digimon they didn't feel like animating properly lol. The shot that annoyed me the most though was the scene where Takato is talking with his teacher and the camera is zoomed out on their basically still bodies. Takato's teacher is frozen in this unnatural pose with her hand on her face for waaaay too long. I was like "MOVE!" There was a similar shot at Jian's family's dinner table where one of his sisters was frozen, smiling at the screen while everyone else was moving. These are the things I notice as an adult lol. Really takes you out of it.

Since there was so little animation, this episode compensated with a lot of talk with HYPNOS rambling on about their latest plans. I had to keep rewinding because there was a lot of jargon and I would zone out because there was nothing to look at on screen. The worst offender was the "Zoom call" (I know Zoom wasn't a thing) between the main HYPNOS dude and his colleagues. I thought maybe the images on screen were supposed to be profile photos because they didn't move, but then they moved slightly! Were those supposed to be live videos?? Was one guy just in "swinging-a-golf-club" pose for like 10 minutes straight? They should have just kept them still at that point...

The writing for Asanuma-sensei is so weird. She tells Takato that she thinks she "made a mistake" becoming a teacher. Uh...TMI! You don't say that to your 10 year old student! And then Takato agrees with her, which was so shady lol. I guess I wasn't wrong when I said she sounded dead inside.

Juri's Guilmon doodle was adorable. Glad she's sticking up for Takato. I like her little dog puppet, but can't help but feel if she did that IRL she'd get bullied :/

I really don't like the HYPNOS ladies. Their jobs are just too vague and they don't really have personalities. They always look off-model too.

So...main HYPNOS guy is racist?? Suggesting that Jian's family should pronounce their names the JAPANESE way. Geez. You don't see racism brought up too often in anime unless it's fantasy racism, so I found that interesting. Since their names were Americanized in the dub, I guess its probably left out.

So Jian's dad was one of the creators of Digimon like Oikawa? I didn't see that coming. Definitely the most intriguing revelation of the episode. If he knows about Digimon then...wouldn't he realize that Terriermon is one?

Impmon telling Culumon that his "culu culu" gimmick is annoying was satisfying not gonna lie lol. I want to see more of the two of them together.

Chinese characters always seem to have big families in anime. I guess that's the stereotype in Japan. Seems weird to me because of the old "one child" policy, but what do I know? (I guess Chinese immigrants in Japan would be a different story).

Sooo...mysterious ending with Terriermon acting hypnotized (haha HYPNOS...get it?) Kind of alarming since he was smacking into the window. I was struggling to digest the explanation but I think HYPNOS is baiting the digimon so that they can destroy them?

We get some hint of a potential big bad because one of the enemy digimon mentions his "God..." They're sure taking their time to cut to the chase with this one.

[razorblade180]

If you could make a Genshin OC (Vision and all) with the intention of said OC being there to support a specific character, who would they be and who's the one who they're connected to? Asking because I have a brain worm that goes "If Neuvillete used his Hydro Authority to make Furina's Summons into humans it would be hilarious if Gentilhomme Usher was a Pyro swordsman who's canonical weapon was the Fleuve Cendre Ferryman" and you felt like the right person to inflict said thoughts upon.

The first thought of mine is a clearly selfish pick but it would be a new Knight the joins the Outriders and supports Amber. Some eager go getter with lose connections to Hm her grandpa and wants to learn from who he considers “the best.” They would be cryo and the entire gimmick is they mark an enemy that enemy takes increased charge attack damage. Also, when said enemy is hit with a charge attack, the mark will inflict a burst of cryo damage to make setting up melt shots very easy. It could be triggered a certain number of times within a duration and defeating an enemy before the mark expires puts it on a nearby foe. So ya know…It’s kinda Yoimiya’s burst but no icd and the charge attack buff.

Them being cryo would only slightly go against Lyney’s main purpose but I guess technically he’d benefit from it. The funnier idea of this character though lies in how Yanfei’s power would inadvertently get buffed and the cryo pulses would definitely turn into the support character doing off field damage because of how much pyro Yanfei flings.

Multiple times I’ve had the unhinged thought of wishing they made a Cryo Xingqui for Yoimiya. Charlotte ironically gets very close to filling that agenda. Also if you would’ve asked me this months ago, I could’ve told you exactly who I wanted for who, but I can’t say it now because I’m aware I will get my wish soon.

Unironically, Genshin has actually been pretty good at giving me supports that I want to further my agenda. It kinda makes this question hard because I still main Chongyun and Shenhe exists lol. Gorou exists so my Noelle is great and Faruzan came with Wanderer. I want for very little. I guess if I had to make an OC for any other character to get specific gains in would be Mona taking on a proper apprentice. Not sure how they would do it, but I think it would be neat to see Mona in a teacher role.

Side tangent, Hoyo should make Alice playable and she’s the pyro premium buffer. I just feel like she’d see all kinds of pyro characters and be the one to go “You are all my kids. Go forth and destroy.” Then suddenly we’re back in the era where people are doing Diluc showcases and vaporize is people’s new religion again💀

[mistyfarm]

My wishlist & ideas for a hypothetical Rune Factory 2 Special:

- Option to choose between a male or female protagonist in first generation. FEMC’s name can be something lame like Kylie or Kyla or Kira idk LMAO

- All the rivals will therefore become bachelors! Yayyy the barrett girls will finally win

- The non-chosen protagonist will show up in the game as an NPC (think, like, pokemon.) They will stay at the Eagle Inn, their gimmick being some sort of mysterious, wandering vagrant who gives the player the ability to change their name (Basically a combination of Lukas and Ivan from RF1, and Mistress Trupin from RF4.) They are non-marriageable but, if befriended, the player can get a few hints about their past.

- ALTERNATIVELY: They could be the bartender of a hypothetical bar in town? Multiple characters in game are referred to as drinking buddies and there’s a whole event (the flower festival) that’s seen as an opportunity for people to get drunk, so it honestly kind of confused me there was no bar in Alvarna. I know these are E10+ games but honestly if RF1 had a bar there’s no reason RF2 can’t have one as well lol. It could be like the bar in stardew valley too! have everyone gather there on friday nights for easy gift-giving access, it’s perfect

- Additionally, if Kyle is the non-chosen protagonist, he will marry a bachelorette if her intended husband is already married to the player.

- Not really sure how rival heart events would function in RF2’s system but fuck it, any candidate with a rival will have heart events with said rival. For the drama

- We don’t need to lock EVERYTHING behind the second gen wall. At least let us forge weapons or brew medicine in the first gen. Maybe have these be something that the player can unlock if they befriend tanya or natalie? I always make kyle befriend those two so maybe I’m biased LOL

- Alternatively: give the gen 1 player access to a small kitchen, at the very least. Herman is nearly impossible to befriend in the first generation because all of his gifts are cooked dishes and it sucks because if you are ME (insane) you try to befriend everyone in every single playthrough

- Updated gen 2 portraits for most, if not all, of the cast. It’s understandable if older characters like Byron or Gordon look relatively unchanged after the timeskip, but the younger characters should have updated portraits! I think it would be cute if Dorothy’s portrait changed to show her eyes since she’s now a confident nurse, or if Mana and Barrett dressed differently after becoming teachers, or if Roy and Cammy had visibly grown into their awkward teen years. There’s possibilities!!

- Have more characters acknowledge your child as their relative if you marry a member of their family. It’s very cute that Max acknowledges this but I want all characters to express it because its very fun for character building

- I think it should be harder for your child to access the dungeons in the 2nd gen. every character is like “dont go into the dungeons!!!” and then you can just turn around and walk in. i want aaron and aria to do some solid snake shit to get into these dungeons. i need to see cardboard boxes. sunglasses and trenchcoats. perhaps even false identities. lets get silly with it (i fully acknowledge this would be a terrible design decision) (i dont care)

- remove the marriage events from the second generation, they feel so arbitrary compared to gen 1! The themes of second gen are family ties and the solidarity the kids build with each other, so i think friendship and story events should be prioritized instead

- Bring social services to Alvarna because honestly your child is so neglected by both of their parents its tragic (this is a joke) (kind of)

[princess-of-the-corner]

MHA the Entrance Exam Assassin.

Just something I thought of:

The villain points and the rescue points are the same, but there is one more gimmick added to it worth 100 points; The Assassin.

The assassin is a pro hero, either a teacher or a pro hero from an agency connected to UA, with a screen attached to the inside of their forearm that displays the five applicants with the highest villain point counts. They enter the zone 1 minute after the exam begins

The assassin’s role is to harass, annoy and generally get in the way of whichever student has the highest amount of villain points in their zone. The assassin is only allowed to restrain applicants if they directly attack them, but they can be restrained for however long they want so long as it doesn’t get in the way of harassing their target. The assassin can also restrain their target if they have a lead of over 25 villain points more than the second place, the assassin can restrain them for a minute in or until they are overtaken and only   twice in the whole exam.

The assassin has a large, bright pink disc velcroed to their chest. If that disc is taken from them, they are out of the exam.

After the exam, if the assassin is taken down, the 100 assassin points will be spread out among all the students who attacked them, with more or less being given to people depending on how well they did. If they got in the way or used excessive force, they can be penalised up to 25 points.

Probably the biggest problem with this mechanic is how complex it is. The other two are literally “attack this robot, points depend on type” and “we’ll decide as it goes”. This one instead has a number of rules and regulations both for the examinees and the examiners. The examiners need to take into account who attacked the assassin and how, and decide how to grade them as a group. The examinees have to remember all the rules and think about wether they should team up or not.

My favourite part of it is the risk/reward decisions that examinees have to make. Do they attack, knowing they could be restrained for the whole 9 minutes? How much force can they use without being penalised? Are they confident in their ability to take down a human being instead of however many robots? It also makes getting all the points kinda risky, since it’s possible to get sabotaged too heavily if they’re not careful.

On the other hand, it’s 100 points. The highest score in the canon entrance exam was 77 and the 10th highest was 56. Even divided into 4 people, if you and your team successfully work together to take the assassin down and get the average amount of points on top of it, you basically have a place guaranteed. It’s a really good bonus if you can pull it off.

It also brings up how canon characters react to the challenge: I think most of the canon hero course would ignore them when possible, but Bakugo would probably try to fight them immediately and get severely sabotaged, Shinzo might successfully get into the hero course if he can find them. Ida would probably get harassed (he had 52 villain points in canon), but I’m not sure how he would react. There might be more exceptions.

-

Honestly I think this would work best a hidden challenge like the rescue points. Someone posing as a student to mess with the others and see how they react to a supposed hero/ally sabotaging the competition. Do they sabotage back? Do they call them out? Do they ignore it assuming the teachers will deal with it?

Like. In /general/ I think the Entrance Exam needs a complete remaking to actually give various Quirks a fair ability because, as shown /in canon/, not all Heroes are direct combatants. Yes, all of them have to be capable of direct combat either with their Quirk or support items or hand-to-hand. But you have Heroes who focus on rescue or undercover work. And even the Sports Festival being a second chance still only works for Quirks that work best in Combat.

[skullduggeryandfilibuster]

Everyone Gets Synonyms Wrong

Warning: This take may be considered hot. Viewer discretion is advised.

I was thinking about making this a mini video essay, and hey, maybe someday I will, or perhaps it'll be apart of a larger video essay on word choice, but for now, I'm putting my thoughts here.

One of the most useful tools at a writer's disposal is a thesaurus. When first introduced to them in 2nd Grade (because it had to be), I wrote it off as a gimmick. "Oh you can find words that mean the same thing as other words? Neat. Moving on." Once I got into writing their use became immediately apparent.

I, like pretty much all writers, am sometimes insecure about the use of repetitive words or phrases in my work. Maybe it was an English teacher, or friend, or beta reader, or even yourself, that first pointed out, "Damn, the word, "pottery," shows up five times in the same paragraph."

It can sound clunky. Repetitive use of a word is kinda like the prose equivalent of rhyming a word with itself. But we can't use a completely different word. If the thing we're referring to is pottery, then it's pottery. We can't call it a sketchbook or a trackpad.

And Thus We Turn to the Thesaurus.

Here, we can find synonyms: words that share the same definition as our word, but are different, so the prose reads with better variety without losing its general meaning. We can say "china," or "crockery," or "ceramics," or "ware," or if I'm referring to pottery in an archaeological context, I can use "fragments," or "sherds," which fun fact, is the technical term for ancient pottery shards. "Shards," is also appropriate.

I don't know when the floodgates were opened, but at some point they were, as waves of synonym lists poured into writing communities. Mad men running into the town square before sunrise, screaming, "Said is dead! And we have killed it!"

"Words to use instead of said!" "Words to use instead of angry!" "Words that pertain to grief!" "Words that pertain to joy!" "Words about nature!" "Words about cities!"

I Hate This; I Hate These Lists.

First: the entire point of a thesaurus is that its use is case by case. You don't have an entire catalogue of synonyms for the word "fear," in the back of your head ready to go: when you're in the middle of writing and that word comes up, that's when you pull up a thesaurus. It'd be like memorizing your entire car manual, not because your car broke down, but just cause. Obviously there's nothing wrong with knowing alternative words for 'fear' off the top of your head, don't conflate me. But these "synonym lists," are more restrictive and less applicable to your specific, current writing than a thesaurus. What do these lists have that a thesaurus doesn't?

Second: most people don't know how to use a thesaurus, because they don't know the point of synonyms.

I didn't either, not for a while. I thought synonyms were like different versions of the same product: "you can get this lunchbox in red, OR in green!" Then I read "Politics and the English Language," by George Orwell, which forever changed not just how I saw synonyms, but how I write and see writing. If writing is something that even slightly interests you, you should absolutely read that essay.

But Orwell doesn't talk about synonyms there. So how did it change how I saw them? Well, the change was a byproduct of the change of perspective--and soon-to-be hyperfixation--on word choice.

I'm not gonna go into it, because like I said at the beginning, my thoughts on word choice can and maybe will fill a whole-ass video essay. For the purposes of this essay (as I suppose it can be called), know this: every word you choose to include, or not include, in your writing is a deliberate choice whether you know it or not, so be deliberate.

I've beaten around the bush enough, so I'll drop the thesis statement: Synonyms are not "alternatives," to a given word: they are different words entirely.

Part of you may find that redundant, and another may find it silly. "Well duh, obviously the words, "forest," and "woods," aren't literally the same word, but they mean the same thing."

No, they don't. Synonyms are words that possess the same or similar definition, not the same meaning.

Let me use an example to better show what I'm talking about. Let's look at three synonyms: 'Dumb' 'Stupid' 'Idiot' These words possess similar definitions: something or someone pertaining to low intelligence. But a word is more than its definition.

A word is also its context, its phonetics, its rhythm, and its emphasis. A word is its connotations and a word is its tone.

'Dumb,' is simple and playful. There's little weight behind it. It's a dismissal or a tease; a hand wave or a jest. 'Stupid,' is harsher. It's more likely to be used in an actively insulting manner. It doesn't end in a soft '-um,' sound, but a hard and sudden 'd.' 'Idiot,' is harshest. It's not just that the action was not a smart one, but the person who did it is inherently unintelligent. Their person, their character, is an idiot.

You may argue this is semantics.

Yes.

What I'm describing is literally the point of semantics.

Granted, it's not the end of the world if you used 'stupid,' when 'dumb' would be more appropriate. You're the writer, if you determined that 'stupid' is more appropriate than 'dumb,' then it is. Simple as that. But please ask yourself: "Is 'stupid,' actually more appropriate, or am I just insecure about already using the word 'dumb?' "

Again, it's not the end of the world--but does something need to be in order to incorporate it? Does something need to be life or death, or make or break your story, before you consider including it in how you write?

Perhaps I should emphasize just how different a sentence can be with the right words.

I'll use an Extreme Example. Look at This Sentence:

"The group moved through the city."

That's pretty vague, but watch what happens when I swap out the words:

"The pack stalked the streets." "The parade danced around the block."

These sentences are describing the same thing: more than one thing and/or person, together, moving locations within an urban environment. But you might not have even registered that, because the tone between these sentences are so blatantly different.

"Pack," has connotations of predatory animals--wolves, coyotes, dogs--and if the "pack," in question is describing people, it paints them in a much more feral and inhuman light. "Stalk," is an act taken during a hunt: the predator is hidden from you, you can't see it, but it knows where you are, and it won't stop following. Even "streets," changes the connotations of the sentence. In most big cities, streets are the most prevalent "public space," and they're just thin lines of concrete and pavement snaking between the walls of buildings. The biggest public space in the city--the only place one must go through to move, or escape--is occupied.

"Parade," on the other hand, is an event. It's a festival, one where people gather together to celebrate something with big floats and colorful streamers. "Dance," is, well, dancing, but when used to describe movement between locations, it takes on more specific connotations: the movement is that of merriment, of playing and running and shouting and teasing and celebrating. "Block," can be a communal space. They can be their own micro-ecosystems of apartments and bodegas, with friends and neighbors knowing and supporting each other. The parade might be a yearly thing, but "block parties," are a more common event.

You may argue I'm extrapolating additional meaning behind 'streets,' and 'blocks,' but I'm not. If you don't want to extrapolate additional meaning as the reader, that's your god given right. But you can't make that claim of me, the writer. Streets and blocks are different the way oceans and islands are different. I deliberately choose 'streets;' I deliberately choose 'blocks.' I could've used a different word. I did not. Mark Twain puts it better:

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."

Do you see why I hate those lists?--"Words to use instead of death." "Words to use instead of quiet."--The process of writing is figuring out how best to communicate to the reader a given thing or experience. Those lists don't know what story you're writing, only you do. Granted, neither does a thesaurus. A hammer doesn't know you're making a table, but that doesn't mean the hammer isn't a useful tool. A thesaurus is a tool. You may classify those lists as tools as well, but again, what can they do that a thesaurus can't do but better?

A Thesaurus is Inherently More Versatile. Those Lists are a Gimmick.

If you think those lists and posts are useful, more power to you. But I doubt they actually are. I may be wrong here--I may be speaking from bias--but has anyone's specific writing--a story they were actively creating--actually improved--genuinely--because they felt like they used 'said,' too much, and looked on Tumblr for an alternative? I can think of many times in my own writing, when I was trying to conjure a specific experience--evoke a specific feeling--and had trouble finding the right word. The word "forest," or whatever word was giving me trouble, just didn't have the connotations I wanted. So I whipped out my thesaurus, looked through it for a while, and found, "foliage," which was more suited for the sentence I was making.

And what of repetitiveness? What if the problem isn't that you can't find the right word, but you're using the same word too much? To be frank, if you're having an issue with repetition, it probably doesn't mean you're using the same word too much, it probably means you're describing the same thing too much. Don't describe the forest as a list of things it pertains: "The forest had large boulders. The river that flows within the forest was clear. The flowers of the forest were bright." Describe the things themselves. Describe the boulders, describe the river, describe the flowers. Miss the forest for the trees. The forest and a blade of grass are connected, but they are different objects entirely. Not unlike synonyms.

The craft of writing should ultimately be fun, and if you truly find it to be so, let me tell you that picking the first word that sounds nice from a predetermined list and moving on will never be as enjoyable as constructing your sentence. It's the difference between buying a portrait and painting one. It's the difference between the almost right word and the right one; the lightning bug and the lightning.

[wander-wren]

got another bot-spam comment on ao3, but this one is extra weird. let’s do some investigating!

for those not in the know, The Haunting is my dark whumpy “todoroki gets adopted by aizawa” fic. it’s also 60k words long. so right away i’m doubting this person read it. that plus the generic vibes? bot comment. but i’m also pretty sure i’ve heard of this channel before, specifically because it wasn’t crediting authors. hm. so i go check it out: http://www.youtube.com/@DnWhatIf

first of all, these are the videos i’m greeted with:

now, i don’t want to bash anyone’s taste, but this is so extremely not my thing. nooooo way. some of these read more like crackfic, which is fine, but tonally the difference is SO much. and just makes it even more glaringly obvious that they aren’t reading the fics they’re spamming or even giving them a cursory once-over (or putting strong filters on the bot? i’m not clear how bot comments work)

because this is the first thing you see about The Haunting:

i’m guessing, if it wasn’t completely random, it’s the fact that i tagged izuku as a character. and really it’s just lazy, the whole thing. it’s all bots. ai art in the thumbnail, ai voice reading the fic, bot making comment spam for you. zero respect. if this was an actual podficcer i would consider it! hell, i might even accept ai voice readings (MAYBE), if it was obvious there was a human person who cared behind them. it could certainly be a tool for good, since podficcing isn't very common (we love you podficcers. if i had a little bit more confidence i would be one of you).

but anyway, hang on, lets back up a step, because the whole reason i looked into this was the credits issue. the video “what if deku became a teacher at ua” (ugh) (i hate the title gimmick also) is going to be my guinea pig.

so in the little intro (also done by ai), it says “all credits to their respective authors” which, yikes. however, they do link to their permission statement and the fic in the description, so it….could be worse. but also, these are the comments

(and it continues like that for a bit)

the channel name also has a 4.0 after it [edit: it did when i started this post, then i got distracted for two days, and now it is gone. hm], which implies they’ve had a lot of trouble with keeping it up. so it seems likely that this is the channel i heard about stealing fics, they just finally learned to get permission and give credit to try and keep it up this time. the permission statement on this video is real (i wondered if they would just link to something else and assume no one would check), but even THAT author references being “freaked out” (positive?? unsure) when they heard of people finding their story on youtube. before giving permission to upload with credit. so that’s not great

also this sludgepit of content is absolutely the thing that attracts people with no patience clamoring for updates literally one day after the video goes up. go figure. bad vibes all around.

also, if you’re wondering about the quality of the reading (i’ve stumbled on some pretty good ai voices as of late!), it’s, uh. i don’t actually know about how all this works, but i feel like when you pick a voice to read a story it should at least be able to approximate character name pronunciation. and flow.

but alas.

i also don't want to bash the authors in question but the truth is from the very minimal poking around i did (not giving this channel any more of my time than absolutely necessary), the writing featured is....mediocre at best. which is fine and good for the fandom ecosystem and i will NEVER be anything but happy that people are writing and posting less-than-perfect works, especially since some of these premises are pretty unique and i think it's better to have the fic than not. we all start somewhere, fanfic is an excellent way to practice and get feedback at the same time, etc.

but these channels, these kinds of operations, they're going to prey on new and young authors and that's who is going to be saying yes to them. because they want the exposure, they want to be told their work is good enough for someone else to care to record it for youtube, they haven't been around long enough to recognize this for what it is: someone taking extreme shortcuts to get views and likes and a bit of notoriety off of other people's work. and that's shit.

and remember that youtube videos can be monetized!

now, i doubt this channel in particular has been monetized, although it does meet the minimum requirements as far as numbers go:

it shouldn't meet the requirements for the monetization policies, specifically these ones:

especially with the disclaimer in the beginning that the content is not their own--which might be why previous versions of the channel did not give credit. who knows.

however, youtube DID just have some scandals about people making videos that were pretty much entirely plagiarized, which were monetized, so i don't have the highest hopes in the world. still, it doesn't seem monetized, so no strikes against this particular creator for that, at least, but defo something to look out for if anyone ever brings up hosting podfics on youtube.

so yeah, bot spam, not a complete scam this time but definitely really sketchy, bad vibes all around. and i still kind of want to give them permission to use my fic just to see what would happen, lmao

[kimberlyannharts]

LAST TIME ON RANGER ACADEMY: Sage is fully committing to the high school life, even if there are some obstacles like bullies, hard classes, her friend's tragic backstory, and the discovery of the Chamber of Secrets.

But there's no time to dwell on that, because it's time for the Morphin Trial, where kids are dumped in a hostile landscape to be color-coded by some weird old alien cult. Sounds legit!

It's Ranger Academy #4!

Before we begin let's take another look at that Katie cameo. Sure she doesn't do anything but drive the bus and I still have no fucking idea how these cameos work when they're appearing in-person vs those inter dimensional tubes but it's at least nice to see her

ANYWAY. Time to drop some children off to die

= So some lore stuff established already is the Bandorian Monks reside on the planet "Chromia" specifically in the "Zeo Chamber" in "Prism Peak." It only opens for a limited amount of time once a year. From what I can remember none of this, except the Zeo Chamber I suppose, was in Eltarian War's established lore, but I guess that can be chalked up to Ranger Academy being its own thing. (And for what it's worth, the Zeo Crystal itself is not in the chamber.)

= yes yes guys we get it you want that video game/RPG adaptation

= This is so valid of Theo but unfortunately for him I know what happens to PR characters with his kind of jokey, charismatic personality

= So are they going to be the book's main romance or not. I'm calling upon protection spells against sisterzoning

= NO NONON ONONONONON NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DON'T DO THIS

= So.....okay. Here it is. Here's the line

So obviously there are colors missing from the Academy and at the very least Theo's dialogue is implying that's on purpose. Which makes me hopeful for my old "Camp Half-Blood" theory that this book will end with more color campuses being added. And obviously, Theo's source isn't telling the whole story or getting facts wrong.

But. Look.

Even if Lindy's dialogue is only saying that Green and Orange Rangers don't exist in the Academy rather than the universe as a whole, the entire concept of certain colors being forbidden or unknown is ridiculous when this is a school that fully encompasses itself in Ranger history. Sage mentioned in a previous issue learning about Jen and why their library is named after her, so their adventures must be part of the curriculum. Even if it isn't, their teachers are Ranger alumni. ONES THAT HAD GREEN RANGERS ON THEIR TEAMS. Their bus driver was KATIE! She can't talk about Trip, her best friend? Crueger never brings up how Green is the third-highest ranking ranger at SPD? I think this wouldn't even annoy me so much if they weren't equating Oranger Rangers (of which there have only been three official ones in the franchise, with others being so-so canon) to Green Rangers (of which there's only been. four seasons, I believe? where there was no Green at all). I know Power Rangers wants Green to be special but it just simply doesn't work because by definition, it isn't.

I think this would only work for me if a) we establish that the present of Ranger Academy is set either extremely far in the past or extremely far in the future, where Rangers either barely exist yet OR it's been so long that the canon we know has been shrouded in legend or b) we didn't have the alumni ranger cameos and we establish this school is completely cut off from the established canon we know. And the last one doesn't work because they clearly want the cameos to be one of the main gimmicks of the series. So idk. It's probably Ranger Academy's biggest headache for me

And just in general I don't know how "forbidden colors" work when the students' color is just chosen based on what the Monks see inside them. It should be unique to them, not based on a criteria that can pick and choose or throw out different options.

ANYWAY. The trio finds Kartyr and Maev and, unsurprisingly, these children are about to die

= what's with Green Rangers having to rescue their rivals that suffer broken ankles. Oops, spoilers

= Sage has only been part of this school for a few months and she's already indoctrinated into their religion

= Kartyr is such a hater for no reason. You should be connecting with your green-haired brethren

= Also I just realized that Kartyr is most likely a Xybrian yet he doesn't follow the naming motif that Trip and the Supersonic Rangers did. I won't hold it against the author as the Supersonic Ranger origin story is pretty obscure but still, it's funny to me.

Though wait if he's a Xybrian shouldn't he know about Trip and how he's a Green R [I am yanked offstage via a giant hook]

= Okay guys I get we're using MMPR theming but are really trying to say Pink Rangers are good pilots? Because what, Kim had flying zords? That's getting a little ridiculous. What's next, Pink Rangers are all amazing archers?

= Maev becoming Yellow was a little surprising since Mathis is already a major character who's yellow, but at the same time I'm really not sure.....what the guidelines are to what color each person becomes. It feels kind of arbitrary at this point tbh. Though maybe it's just because I don't really know Maev as a character yet compared to Theo, who fits the Black Ranger archetype like a glove

and speaking of which

= Lindy not being able to morph genuinely pissed me off like. Again. What are the guidelines here. What about Lindy isn't ranger-worthy. Can I just call the Bandorian Monks racist for denying a Black girl the chance to morph because I think I'll just do that

= SHAME SHAME SHAME SHE HAS THE MARK OF THE DEVIL (her novelty lightning bolt coin turned green, a color that has never existed before this)

[just-an-enby-lemon]

This post is an apology to Tom King.

I recently re-read Riddler: One Bad Day and it's actually a masterpiece!

There's something truly fantastical about how Riddler's intelect is portrayed almost as a mystical power! The scene where Edward mind tricks all the cops into killing each other by laying on the floor and laughing like a maniac is pure art and I'm truly sorry for previously calling it "stupidly edgy", "the moment the comic lost all chance of salvation", "the final proof male power fantasies are a diservice to the entertaiment industry" and "soo dark is actually hilarious".

I also need to compliment the ambiguousness of if Riddler became who he is because of the abuse he endure or if his dad was abusive BECAUSE Edward was always bad is fantastically creepy and necessary. If your narrative does not have victim blaming as one of the possibilities in your moral debate about the inexistence of redemption and the need for violent cops ... I mean heros who kill the villains because evil will never stop nor change what's even the point?

I'm also sorry for my mean coments over Riddler reveling that he was part of Joker's attack against Barbara Gordon. It is actually a really nice nod to the original, specially in the way it reinforces Barbara's place as an useless plot point without agency that only serves to motivate her father. After all why would anyone ever want Babs to actually matter in an event that changed her life forever? Gordon is pissed. That's what matters.

The RIDDLER hating RIDDLES and using them to protect the world from himself by constantly re-living his trauma because actually the trauma was what stopped him from murdering for a long time and does that mean the story is retconing itself to show he was born evil? Is the BEST plot twist. If all future versions of Edward don't hate his gimmick and his own identity and think dorky people who tell riddles are actually stupid and puzzles are dumb than the comic industry will have to live in shame.

Back to talking about the portral of woman! I'm soo happy that the comic took away the voice from Edward's mother presenting her only by what her job as a sex worker represented to the people around her! Such a feminist take! And the snapy Riddler was justified in being mad that his henchmen sleept with his mother because being a sex worker is dirty actually. Gorgeus.

This comic also has the best teacher characther ever. He is so real for ignoring a kid's cry for help, considering their neurodivergent coded anxiety and dificulties are a case of needing to chill and seing all the most obvious sings of abuse ever as "very unchill kid behavior". And the comic is soo right for portraying this man as sympathetic and good and how if Eddie had stoped being a neurodivergent abused kid for a second and just chilled he would have been fine and never became a muderer. It's a life lession. Abused kids should just stop being anxious over the very real possibility of more abuse and neurodivergent people should just chill and everything will be fine. Doing nothing except blaming the crying desperated child for asking help is the right move!

Also Batman should kill. That's just a fact. Jason Tood has been saying it for years now and he is right. All heros should kill actually. Every comic should be exactaly like a Punisher run writen by an alt-right. Yes even the non-superhero ones. Yes even the manga. Yes even Donald Duck ones.

I could write pages and pages about how this is the perfect comic - bar the art style - but I think this is already a suficient apology for my previous misleading critics.

My next post will be a long explanation of why Batgirl vs Riddler: Prelude to the Wedding is actualy the best feminist comic ever written and Tim Seeley is actualy the only person allowed to represent woman in media ever.

[cancerian-woman]

dear little witch|Klonnie| Fic teaser

Please see this post first if you don’t know about this AU. This is an AU post season 8 & 4 of TO and onward. Just a peak at the beginning.

“They’re growing up so fast.” Caroline said, sipping her peppermint tea. “I finally understand what my mom felt. It’s crazy, isn’t it?” She turned to Bonnie as they sat on the bench in the Forbes’ backyard.

Lizzie was clutching as many teddy-bears her small arms and body could handle. Josie was handling setting up the tea party. Nothing but giggles and small disagreements on seating arrangements was heard from the two. Apparently a panda and a koala bear must sit next to each other. Who knew?

“Life goes fast,” Bonnie said, cutting Caroline’s rant off. She wasn’t invested in Caroline babbling. Too busy thinking of herself. “Too fast you blink and the years go by.”

Life was indeed fast. Last month Bonnie was beating hellfire and saving her hometown. Some time before that she was a huntress and before that she was the anchor. She was a teacher’s aide for a awhile.

She was just a witch once and she can’t even remember when she was just a teen. Trying to keep up with dancing, photography, yearbook and cheerleading. Bonnie can say she’s loved and mourned. It became repetitive. What happened to the girl in over her head trying to figure out her life?

“Caroline,” Bonnie interrupted, placing her tea down on the table next to them. “I’m leaving Mystic Falls.” Bonnie overlaps her hand with Caroline’s. “Ripping the band-aid off is supposed to be easier than it is now, huh? But, I can’t stay here anymore, Caroline. It doesn’t feel like home for me.”

The little gleam in Caroline’s blue eyes fades. Her mouth is open trying to figure out what should be said.

Bonnie took this moment to lock their hands. “I know this is a sudden announcement. This isn’t the way I wanted to tell you.”

“Okay, let’s just talk about it inside. Alright?” Caroline said, giving a weary smile. ”I trust you.”

Caroline decides to keep their hands locked as Bonnie follows behind her, closing the sliding door. Still a good view of the twins in case something happens.

“Bonnie what gives?” Caroline whispers, she’s stepping back and forth. “When did you make this choice?” She pauses looking at Bonnie up and down. Caroline’s pouty face she makes when things don’t go her way appears.

Bonnie thought of leaving Mystic Falls almost four years ago with Enzo by her side. So this wasn’t a new idea, she planned a life with Enzo. She wanted to cook dinner for him in a house they owned, finish her degree in business, maybe have a couple of kids to continue her legacy. Then returned to school to obtain another degree in occult studies but those plans changed after his death. It was all supposed to go according to plan until Enzo’s death. She’d still accomplish those other goals though even if they were done out of order.

“Enzo and I planned on leaving, Care.” Bonnie confessed, sitting down at the kitchen island. This wasn’t her first time hearing this, it shouldn’t have sounded like a secret. “We wanted to see the world together. Figure out what’s beyond this town.”

Caroline has called Elena out more than once for her selfish gimmicks. Elena played mind games for what she wanted, not caring who got the short stick. Everyone else was supposed to follow in line. After Elena was spelled into a coma, it was then Caroline decided things had to change.

It wasn’t much of a secret that Elena wasn’t Caroline’s favorite person. Even if Caroline wasn’t innocent when it came to taking Bonnie for granted. As much as she would prefer Bonnie to stay in Mystic Falls and be by her side with support and love. She had to spread her wings.

“When do you plan on leaving? Are you sure you have to go?” Caroline asked, wiping the tears from her face. She was sitting next to her best friend but felt miles away from her. “You really know how to hit someone where it hurts, Bonnie Bennett.”

“You still remind me of a kitten in the face when you’re sad,” Bonnie jokes, leaning on Caroline’s shoulder. “I’m planning to go in a few weeks, maybe in a month or so. Okay?”

“I can get Damon to go with you! It’ll be another Damon and Bonnie adventure.” Caroline suggested, resting her face on her hands. “Bonnie and Damon! Damon and Bonnie against the world.” She spread her hands apart in the air. “Wouldn’t that be nice?!” She asked, giving another smile to Bonnie. “Maybe you could-“

“No, not this time.” Bonnie replied, shaking her head looking down. If it wasn’t for her dampened hands she wouldn’t have noticed she was crying. The truth was Bonnie wasn’t harboring any guilt about her decisions. She packed up suitcases of clothes, grimoires and a few family photos. She practiced these speeches and scenarios countless times. No matter how sad she felt about leaving behind her friends, the decision was final. “This journey is about me.”

Bonnie was ignoring Caroline’s implication when she said Bonnie and Damon against the world. That was another issue she wouldn’t handle today. Damon would be last on her list to tell because she knew his reaction wouldn’t be as simple as Caroline and the others.