#Hopefully they'll develop some other characters instead

[somegirlblr]

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[longbobmckenzie]

THTH2 Episodes 1-3 Thoughts!

Eeeek it's THTH2 (Too Hot to Handle the game) time!! Last season fizzled out halfway through but based on the first few episodes of season 2, I've got hopes that this one will be better!

First of all, it's 15 episodes as opposed to 10 - there's room for development (and more bombshells/dumpings!)

There's more customization! I feel like it's improved, although others have said they had a harder time with it. I'm not a huge fan of the hairstyles and outfits we've been given so far, but we'll get more

In the initial episodes, there are 5 friends and only 4 LIs - that might be a little disappointing at first (especially since the friends are all hot - URGH I want Santiago!!), but this actually fixes some of the problems with the first season

More non-romanceable characters is a good thing because it means there will be more storylines besides MC/LI and Jada/Justin/Carter

A lot of us started to hate Jada after a while because she kept popping up and we were forced to be friends with her. Having more friends is a good thing because we'll be able to talk to more people instead of just one person. I'm hoping there will be some branching involved where some scenes are dependent on who your highest relationship is with, but we'll see!

Less LIs is fine for the reasons above - sure there's less choice up front, but with next to no branching in S1, every route was the same, and there were only 3 couples at the end. It didn't make sense. Plus...

We're already getting at least one bombshell next week! It's highly likely they'll be LI(s), and no doubt there will be more people incoming

In Season 1, all the LIs had hard-ons for MC even when MC didn't show them any interest - so far that doesn't seem to be the case, and I love that. It was weird that 9 people were obsessed with us, honestly. This time, our choices matter more

They're already setting up a love triangle! It makes so much more sense to have a LT early on when everyone's new rather than force it with a bombshell we don't even like midway through the season

The characters so far seem to have more personality traits than just whatever their jobs/interests are. Hopefully I'm not speaking too soon, and there is definitely still some of that, but I feel like I've already had deeper chats with them. And they ask about us too, and we can define a bit more of a personality for ourselves

More under the cut...

I picked Antoine so far (love a Canadian hockey player!!). He's basically an upgraded (yes, I said it) version of Theo (the art style is slightly improved - the smiles aren't as creepy this time!). I wasn't a Theo girlie but so far I'm vibing with Antoine

I was a Liam girlie, but Liam 2.0 (Wesley) doesn't have quite the same appeal. He's still hot, but Idk, he's not my Liam

There's a fun Antoine glitch (not sure if any of the other characters have it) where he's fully naked. It's pretty funny

I've already broken a bunch of rules, mwahaha!

The list of achievements this season is interesting 👀 There's an achievement for getting eliminated, which I will definitely be trying to do. And stuff about the others trusting us (probably a way to earn back money)

They still have the "beach hut" confessionals, but I feel like those episodes are shorter, which is great because they could be a drag on replays before, or when you just want to get to the next episode

Santiago is my boy, I'm loving the representation with him. I'm curious if we'll ever get a chance to get our hands on him even without romance, because we do have a flirty vibe and I would absolutely jump at that chance!

Overall, I'm excited to see how this goes! It does seem like they've taken our feedback so far, the initial episodes felt a lot like last season but that's not at all a bad thing - last season started off great, and this one has too. I do think this season has better potential overall and my fingers are crossed that it delivers

[cozylittleartblog]

Just wanted to mention this to someone who does art and get their opinion on it:

Sometimes I see some artists do redraws of their old artworks or characters and think "Wow, uh... their older art looks better." Sometimes it's only mildly better, but other times it's vastly better. Like the Upgrade, Go Back! meme.

I understand that art skills are supposed to develop and change, hopefully for the better, but sometimes it just feels like they got... worse? Somehow? Idk. Maybe it's because they were copying another artist's style while finding their own, and it's their own style that doesn't vibe with me? Just curious what your thoughts are about this.

Also, your art has consistently been great, so this isn't directed at you.

I do see this on occasion yeah! usually (in my experience anyway) its because people take a sharp turn towards a stylization that either isn't to your or most people's tastes, or that they don't understand or are still developing. switching up how you stylize your art is like starting over in a sense, you're changing from what you have practice with and that's always going to cause you to revert some as you have to re-learn things you understood in your previous style. i had a pretty big style shift in 2014 when i took up the basis for how my art looks now, and i remember feeling like some of the stuff i was drawing might have looked better if i was using my older style instead. that's something artists just have to push through and figure out, and they'll likely come out of it a better artist than they were before. constructive critiques are a good way for them to figure out why their art might not be as "good" as it used to be, if they're open for those.

art is not always a linear journey, and i would also say things like passion and motivation have a part in it too. feeling inspired sparks you to make something the best it can be, if you're not feeling it (and esp if that feeling lasts for a long time) it'll leave you making decisions you otherwise would not have let fly, and that can result in worse art. and some of it is just personal preference! it's not that their art is better or worse, it's just different now, and maybe that doesn't vibe with you the same way their old stuff did. and that's fine 👍

(thank you! :3 i admittedly struggle a bit with Not Feeling It sometimes like i just described, so it's nice to know people still enjoy what i make when that feeling hits.)

[writingquestionsanswered]

I'm not quite sure if I should be going to you for advice on this, but I figured it was worth a shot! So, me and my friend are co-writing a story. However, me and her have a lot of differing opinions on many things (Particularly when it comes to character relationships), and I was wondering if you had any advice for creative differences in co-writing?

Creative Differences During Collaborative Writing

Collaborating on a story with another writer can be hard, especially if you have a lot of creative differences, but there are some things you can do to make things go a little more smoothly.

1 - Figure Out a Game Plan in Advance - If you've already started the story, it may be too late for this step, but you can keep it in mind for your next collab. Figuring out a game plan before you start writing can help iron out the wrinkles before they become a problem, so it helps to get on the same page as far as: logistics (how the story will be written/who writes what), goal (is this for fun? Future publication? Posting online?), timeline (when should the story be finished? What is the deadline for each individual part?), expectations (what do you both want to get out of this project? What are your expectations of one another? How will you communicate delays and other issues? How will creative differences be addressed and resolved?), and a contingency plan for if one of you doesn't finish their part of the story. (Can the other finish it? Can a new partner be brought in? Can the other person incorporate their own characters and parts of the story into a new story?)

2 - Analyze the Conflict - When you find yourself butting heads with your partner over a creative decision (let's say you want Todd to be with Jack, but they want Todd to be with Brandon), the first thing you should do is analyze why you want the thing you want. Why do you think Todd should be with Jack? Is it because they genuinely work better? (Better chemistry, earned relationship, better outcome?) Or is it simply because you like Jack better?

3 - Choose Your Battles - If the thing you want wouldn't genuinely work better for the story, you may want to just let it go and roll with what the other person wants. Save your battles for the things that really matter to the story.

4 - Be Gentle - If you find yourself choosing to fight for something that is genuinely important to the story, instead of just saying, "I think Todd and Brandon are a bad couple, Todd and Jack work better!" Try putting it like, "I know you really want Todd and Brandon to get together, but I'm concerned they haven't had time to develop a believable relationship. Can you think of ways we can strengthen their bond in that short time? This points out the issue, explains why it's an issue, and offers a solution, which gives your partner control over the decision. Hopefully they'll realize you're right, and either agree that Jack works better, or at the very least, you can meet in the middle and find some ways to address your initial concerns.

5 - Avoid Pushing Too Hard - If they're not willing to budge, don't push it. Just do what you can to address the issue on your end if possible. If this story will be shared online or published, and you're deeply unhappy with their decision--to the point that you don't feel comfortable having your name on the project--just be honest (and gentle) about how you feel. See if there's some way to come to a compromise, and if not, it's probably a sign that this person isn't someone you work with well creatively, and that's okay. :)

Have fun with your collaboration!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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[sevensoulmates]

Hi there 👋 may I have your opinion on this? Because I feel like it's the general consensus that Eddie may not be all that unaware of the way his feelings towards Buck runs deeper than friendship right? he has been stocking his feelings away in this little glass box he is so careful holding close to his heart, and he doesn't really have to examine those feelings because he firmly believes Buck is straight right? and then Buck's new revelation will be crashing down on him like:

while Eddie is running away from queerness.

And I absolutely can't wait to see Eddie overanalyzing every past and future interaction with Buck under this new light and be like:

I'm so ready for this development 🍿🍿🍿 and I've always wondered if the reason it feels like Eddie was always making heart eyes at Buck was a Ryan thing, like he was playing the character the way he wants or it's him being directed to do that acting choices. Hopefully we will now soon.

Finally, do you think they will be addressing the couch theory again, at some point or will they brush it off?

I've been reading your last meta again and again (and I will do it again) still daydreaming about 7x04, still on cloud nine, total bliss 🤗

Sorry for the delayed response. Had a busy work day today. You've actually touched on one of those things that I go back and forth on a lot when it comes to Eddie and that is the idea of whether or not he is aware (on some level) of his sexuality and/or feelings for Buck.

I've seen some great arguments that he is aware but not able to COMPREHEND his feelings, and simply packed them away. And I've also seen some great arguments on Eddie not being aware at all and having just repressed it all so deeply that even though he feels his feelings, he's never allowed himself to think about what they actually mean. There's a lot of overlap in the two arguments and I think there's some truth to both.

A good friend of mine Zee @tawaifeddiediaz presented me with an interesting thinking point which is the possibility that Eddie may have realized his feelings for Buck on some level at the time of the shooting in the season 4 finale but due to the traumatic nature of the event, repressed them alongside his other feelings regarding that event, which I am inclined to agree with.

Personally, I hesitate to say that Eddie is consciously aware of his feelings/sexuality at the current point in time because then it makes me feel weird regarding his actions with dating Marisol. That's a large reason why I'm pretty certain Eddie isn't aware, or at least fights back against his feelings so hard that he's unknowingly overcorrecting by dating women.

Because if there's one thing about Eddie it's that he is almost always existing in a state of denial in one way or another. Denial about the reality of what his relationship with his parents was like, denial about how unhappy his relationship with Shannon was, denial about the fact that Christopher does not NEED a mother to live a good life, denial that he deserves happiness, denial about how deeply the war affected him, denial about how he feels regarding being with women. It's just denial, denial, denial with him. So I guess on some level in order to exist in that perpetual state of denial, one has to at least be aware on SOME level that there IS something to be in denial about, right?

I'm open to whatever the writers have in mind up their sleeve for Eddie. Now that they have the freedom to go down this route if they want, I trust they'll do it well.

As for the couch theory, I think people need to stop thinking about it as something that was introduced in season 6 and needed to be conclusively wrapped in season 6. I think it was more so meant to be a series-long metaphor for "once Buck finds his home, he'll have found where he needs to be". And that's really what the couch metaphor means to me. So, no, I don't really think the show needs to have Buck be like "hey, Eddie, want to go pick out a couch with me?" Instead, I think they can just have Buck, Eddie and Christopher sit on the couch in Eddie's home altogether once Buddie is canon and that would be more than for me to feel like the "couch theory" was satisfied.

[rosetintedgunman]

Oh! You Must be New.

Not that that's a bad thing, mind you. Everyone is new at some point. Even me! But it can be a bit of a problem when you find a blog that's been around in some capacity since 2018. There's a lot of gaps to fill in, and hopefully this post will help be a starting point.

While this is a Wilford rp and ask blog, no matter how busy or quiet it may be, it has been around for a long time. M.otherloving came out about a month or two after the blog was set up, and the accuracy of what I was writing meant this blog was on the right track - I was the only person in my circle at the time who didn't need to either make major headcanon changes or opt to abandon canon and go divergent. With every appearance, there's been no major tweaks that have been required to adjust the portrayal. To toot my own horn, it's been fairly spot on.

Between that and natural character development, this can mean that the blog could be a little... 'inaccurate' to expectations, and can cause a lot of confusion for those who aren't 'in the know'. So! Consider this a 101 on the character without needing to trawl through the gauntlet of a two-part bio (the second part isn't even finished yet....)

In brief, I kindly ask that you leave expectations of a reckless madman who fully personifies the "LOL XD RANDUM" and has no clue about anything going on at the door, please. If you want to compare him to a canon appearance, look more toward M.otherloving or Space.

For a lot more info to help get you started, read on.

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While this Wilf (also known as 'Rose' when interacting with variants) is still eccentric and kooky, he is more grounded in nature. Chances to interact with others and maintain a somewhat normal sense of time flowing in the correct manner have started to help him feel more connected. Not only that, he's starting to get glimpses of his original life as William, and a later life of Wilson Jackson Bartholomew (or just 'Jack'). The latter I haven't gone into much detail yet in general, so don't worry about that. If you see him getting glimpses of these memories, he doesn't go into hysterics. That's important.

He is six foot three, and heavy built. The evidence of his past life as a soldier is there in his broad shoulders, a barrel chest and strong arms, as well as how he can hold himself. However, he's got a proper tubby belly, and this softness almost counteracts the threat of the almost unnatural strength that lies within. His moustache is either pure pink or black with pink tips depending on the day. He's got a curly mop of black hair that has a slight red-pink tint when the light shines on it just right. The only genuine traces of pink in his hair can be found in his fringe, which curls over his right eye. There's usually faint stubble across his jawline, and he flat-out refuses to wear glasses (he'll say it's because he doesn't want anyone missing out on his 'cute chocolate eyes'. Don't believe him. He just doesn't like them and won't humour the idea of contacts). Despite this, he's still athletic, and can move surprisingly fast if you aren't prepared.

He's still a reporter, though these days he's taken a bit of a back seat. His work in the studio is helping the Jims and others who are making their presence known on camera. When he does interview, that reckless, gun-wielding side comes out in full force... But it's more akin to an act than anything truthful to who he is.

Instead, his priority is the Moonlight Roller. It's the reclaimed disco setting of M.otherloving that was redecorated and given a whole new lease of life. I go into a LOT more detail here, but in brief: it is a roller rink, amusement arcade, diner, and bar that is located both in a real location and in between the worlds and stories. If a character needs a break, they'll find a door to the Roller.

Personality-wise, Wilf is still eccentric, but it's closer to a 'weird uncle' mixed with a cartoon character. He's normally upbeat and childish, though he does have his more serious moments. He'll still take time to voice whatever odd thought crosses his mind on the dash, or go directly to another blog if he wants an answer or opinion on something. And to my surprise, he's even tried to be the stereotypical 'bartender who listens to others' woes'. I never thought that would happen! How did that happen?? He used to be notorious for putting his foot in his mouth!

As for his abilities? He's got the abilities to lift things in and out of pocket dimensions. He always has a weapon on his person, even if there's little reason for it these days. He can blink out of existence or disappear if eyes are off him, and use doors as a way to teleport/take shortcuts. This can sometimes land him in different timelines or eras, not that he minds. He's got impeccable aim, and he usually only misses if he chooses to. That's not mentioning his ability to use any weapon after a brief examination with startlingly good skill.

By the way. You can kill him, but he won't stay dead. He'll come back to pester you about it in a few days.

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This blog also has William, but I don't need to talk about any potential differences. What you saw in WKM is what you get, essentially. His height was rather unusual for his time, and he absolutely used this to his advantage to add to the intimidation factor. He was a loyal friend, but also not the nicest person to be friends with. And if he didn't know you? Good luck!

Sometimes, you may see someone called Liam. This is a 'what-if' timeline where Celine never arrived, resulting in William's death and him taking the role of 'the villain'. Despite the 'what-if', this was actually the intended plan, where William would die, and everyone else would leave, alive and safe. This goes into more detail about that. In brief, his main distinguishing factor is his paralysed left arm as a result of the fatal injury he received during the gun confrontation with the Detective.

[falconearring]

Im curious since Im also trying to making one, how do you come up with the dialogue?

I showed my friend mines and they said it was bland (feedback of course and I understand because writing is my biggest weakness) just for planning it out.

Also I love your Au comic and that’s the reason why I started to make my own <33

HEY I feel very honored that my work has gotten you excited about comic making ^_^ Hopefully what I have to share here is useful to you!!

Obligatory disclaimer; I am not all knowing, and what makes dialogue interesting is subjective. This is just what I think about when I write!

A lot of what I'm about to say pertains to character and voice, because for me it goes hand in hand with dialogue. Characters reveal themselves through every thing they say and do, intentionally or not.

When you write dialogue, it's very tempting to just have a character directly convey what you as the author are trying to get across. I think one of the most common ways dialogue comes off bland is when its written in its most standard form. People don't generally speak in perfect grammar, and it can sometimes feel jarring to read a perfectly constructed sentence coming from a character. People stutter, pause, double back, speak in run on sentences and often don't get directly to the point in one go.

A character's manner of speaking is always informed by their personality, and their background. Oftentimes they'll embellish with unique turns of phrase, slang, or even terminology that pertains to something they're passionate about. When I write dialogue for Skizzleman I use a casual tone but I highlight his amicable nature. I wouldn't have him greet someone by saying "Hello, how are you?" Instead it feels more like him to say "How's it going, buddy?" Subtle things make a world of difference. If a character is blunt, they're not going to preface a statement with a bunch of fluff to soften the blow. So on and so forth.

Something I really enjoy in writing is exploring character dynamics. When characters have an interesting relationship, dialogue kind of writes itself. By that I mean, the way people feel about one another informs the way they address each other, and consequently it also informs the flow of a conversation. Some people think dialogue that doesn't directly advance the plot is just fodder, but that isn't necessarily true. Time spent developing characters is never wasted time, so long as you're not drawing attention to things that have already been made clear over and over. A lot of my favorite parts of what I've drawn in the comic so far don't actually have much to do with the plot; it's the parts where Joel and Etho have a back and forth of some kind, even if it didn't lead anywhere particularly meaningful. It just comes down to how their personalities clash in some ways and mesh together in others.

In short, interesting dialogue is spawned from having a good understanding of the character. From there, the things the character says will be punctuated by their underlying traits, and it becomes more enjoyable to read. Every line doesn't have to be a perfect zinger, but once you start thinking carefully about each characters' individual voice and how they interact with one another it starts to come more naturally.

Thanks for taking the time to inbox me and good luck with your projects!!

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (31/03/24)

there's still 3 shows that haven't finished yet and next week the new season is gonna start already at least I will only be watching a fraction of what I was this season so that's gonna give me a lot more time to catch up on some stuff and play some things I've been putting off for a while (hopefully)

blue - finale/completed

Anime

Gushing over Magical Girls Ep13 (Finale)

surprisingly the best looking showed out of the 3 ecchi ones I watched this season, despite being the lewdest by far but anyway it was alright. the only thing I knew about it going in was that it was about magical girls and lewd. turns out it's just the author's thinly veiled fetishes totally out in the open with a thin coat of magical girl on top to have an excuse to do stuff like MOTW there's not much else to say about it really, everything that happens including plot developments are just an excuse for more and lewder scenes. not sure about reading the manga anymore after having watched it but I'll probably watch a s2 if it ever gets one

Mashle S2 Ep12 (Finale)

there's not much to say really. I had hope it'd be better than s1 and while it was due to the source material being better it still wasn't that much. was hoping for a lot more sakuga cause of one of the pvs they showed but there was barely any. even the best fight in the series which I had my hopes up for only had 1 cool moment and the rest was just the usual quality. which mind you, isn't bad at all, but still not as good as it could be. out of all the things that aired this season too I expected this to get another season announced since they can finish adapting the manga with just 2 more cours (3 at most) but they haven't yet. they announced an event in may so if there's a s3 announcement it'll be there but don't hold your breath I guess

tl;dr: everything I said about s1 applies here. you're better off reading the manga instead since the anime doesn't really get the vibes right

Pokemon Horizons Ep45

this episode marked the end of the second arc and the first year of the anime (basically). next episode we start a more scarvi focused art with the main characters going to the school from the game and a ton of npcs showing up or making a return (rika and nemona 🙏)

but anyway this arc was just alright. it was all about searching and getting the six hero pokemon but there were more random eps about other stuff than that. we also have the explorers who are supposed to be the antagonists and they barely showed up despite them revealing the designs for a bunch of them. two of them are gonna be a part of the school art so maybe they'll have a bigger part in the story but I doubt it. they'll prob just be there to give the mcs a hard time and be comedic relief like team rocket.

anyway, considering how it's gone I don't have very high hopes for this next arc BUT I'm stoked to see rika and nemona, they're some of the best things to come out of those games by far

Manga

Ruri Dragon Ch11

today marked the last chap of ruri on WSJ, going forward it'll be on jump+ and run biweekly, tho the next chap will be on the 21st so I guess it's taking a week off. kinda weird to make the transition on an incomplete part like, could've very easily done it on last week's chap it felt like a more natural stopping point, but oh well. obviously tho she's gonna join that committee thing and the other girl that doesn't like her is gonna be a part of it too and they'll make up and become friends too anyway it was nice having ruri back, it's still as good as before it left. it's a shame that it's going biweekly but hey, the author's health is more important

[b0rusxmi]

Look, I understand that bsu have a lot of development and is semi-canon, yet hopefully you can see our side of it.

Sarada is a nice person and she'll make Boruto happy. She will be supportive and there for him in his darkest days. Now, I'm not saying Sumire wouldn't, but Sarada's known him for longer than she has.

Sarada's also an amazing cook and whenever Boruto is home, he'll get some amazing food.

And their kids will have a happy life with both their parents since they'll make time for them since they both know they pain of living without their dads.

And the kids will be so strong, like a second Hagoromo.

I don't mean to be mean to Sumire or anything, I like her, but I ship her with Mitsuki & Kawaki. Sumire has nothing to give Boruto. Their relationship will be like ss, except their kid will be useless because it only has his father's genes.

Bsa is the perfect couple and will be canon.

thank you for being talking nicely.

no, I really can’t see your side.

nice? she ditched Sakura because she THOUGHT that she wasn’t her biological mom and ditched Mitsuki because of who his PARENT was.

yet she wasn’t able to tell that Bolt was depressed. She was salty that he got all the attention instead of her and Sumire in the anime and Shikadai in the manga literally had to tell her to be nice to him.

technically not, since the two didn’t even want to be anywhere near each other at the start. Sumire has feelings for Boruto even BEFORE she was shown and her arc strengthened them.

that’s IF Bolt ever comes home, because he wants to accomplish his dream.

if Salad knows the pain of not having a father, why would she turn around and marry someone who wants to be a Shadow Hokage? and Bolt can’t achieve his dream if he has to stay or keep coming back to the village for his family. with ANYONE ELSE he marries, they can go along with him because they all don’t have a tie to the village, like Salad wanting to be the Hokage.

their kids will be lonely and sad.

Salad’s proven herself to be useless and probably will go blind before the end of the series. she has nothing to give Boruto other than the useless genes. their kid won’t even be able to beat Namida in a fight (no hate to Namida! it’s just that she’s currently the weakest character in the Boruto series). and everyone’s overpowered enough as it is.

Gozu Tenno is a sealing technique and it was surgically placed into her so she can actually help the Uzumakis go back to their sealing Jutsus that they lost. Nue, too, is a big asset to them, so their child could summon Nue.

you wanna know what’s like ss? bsa.

no hate to ss, I love ‘em, but bsa will be toxic; guy avoids his family, woman never home because of work, kids raising themselves.

bsa is not gonna be canon. their dreams are literally stopping them of getting together.

one day they’re not gonna just wake up and go “I don’t wanna be Hokage/Shadow Hokage anymore, I’ll marry Boruto/Sarada”, are they?

no.

[deadletterpoets]

I have it muted on twitter but I still see some mutuals talking about Gotham knights game especially now since it seems like some new previews are out the thing that probably upsets me the most are ppl saying they're getting it so hopefully it does well enough to add in more characters from the Batfam.

First off a big thing I noticed with this game before I stopped paying attention is that the current group while not rookies by any means aren't nearly experienced enough for characters like Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas etc to suddenly show up and be taken seriously as heroes. They'll be given less agency than Cass and steph in a Batgirls comic.

But also I wish ppl would stop acting like supporting something they don't agree with (in this case the bland ass lineup) will in someway benefit characters that aren't there from the start. The odds the game developers see this game do well and think "let's add more playable heroes" as oppose to "let's add more depth and stuff for the current heroes already there since ppl know who they are" is very slim. At best you can hope for DLC where you get a mission as Cass or Steph but that feels disingenuous compared to Babs being playable for the main game. Then instead they'll just do teases or hints that those characters exist, but since Babs has already been Oracle in this universe and "healed" herself through determination to be Batgirl again adding in other Batgirls or even if you call them Orphan and Spoiler is redundant. Not because you can't do unique things with each of those characters but because I guarantee they wouldn't and would just use Babs as the base for Cass and Steph so they don't even feel like different characters in the end.

Anyway wanted to get that rant out and didn't want to say shit on twitter

[almostjollyprince]

100ish Days of Productivity: Getting through the week!

Day 2/100 - Jan 3 2024 Did my time at work writing code with one of the mid-level developers. We got a fair bit of the functionality tied to yesterday's work up and running. Because of some of the code merges, we did encounter some issues but nothing that we couldn't resolve. Also took the opportunity to write up my evaluation and get that sent over to the bossman. After work, I snuck in an hour of gaming. My current zen game of choice is Powerwash Simulator. Gotta clean that boat! Other efforts in the evening included studying some music theory (very basic stuff. I know nothing about writing music so every little bit helps) and certification studies. I also worked on designing some character tokens for one of my tabletop campaigns and various puzzles the party will encounter for the next session.

Day 3/100 - Jan 4 2024 Another day, another story. Half the team was out for various reasons so as the most senior team member present at the office it was a lot of support work to let the juniors grow. Everyone's got a vision for how they want the site to look but it's very easy to get lost in the weeds in terms of making the front end look nice, especially since we have a couple of perfectionists. I don't mind the effort, but there's a time and place for everything and we had to make sure that we had something to show by tomorrow. You can have the most beautiful web page in existence but it's all meaningless if none of the functionality works. Some buttons got remapped and components were consolidated so now there's a clear flow. Hopefully the project lead will be happy with the results when he gets in tomorrow. Oh, and surprise interview at the end of the day. After work, I cleaned up the boat a little more in Powerwash Sim. I finalized my puzzles for the tabletop campaign and started preparing a map for the players. Talked with a buddy about Palworld (it comes out later this month, supposedly). Will I play? I haven't decided yet. 'Pokemon but with Guns' isn't necessarily a new concept, but the development team involved hasn't always come through with their promises. I don't want something like "No Man's Sky on Launch Day" levels of disappointment for a game this hyped up.

Day 4/100 - Jan 5 2024 TGIF. Roads were a nightmare. Thankfully got to work in one piece. The project lead likes the current progress we have, but there's no time to really do any more coding because we have more interviews scheduled for today. Between working with IT to resolve some weird issues and the interviews, the workday went pretty quick. I also got some certification studying in, so that was nice. After work, I've finished designing the map and selecting the audio to use for the session. I'm all set to give my players a 'welcome back where you left off' sorta vibe. I like the campaigns I run (all homebrew) because I have such amazing players who all work together to overcome whatever I throw at them. What matters to me most is that the players have fun, but they'll have to work for their wins. Balancing the encounters is tough, but I have yet to be told that my battle encounters are 'unfair'. When I told my players I was using this 100 days of productivity to better flesh out the campaigns, they were... reasonably terrified. After all, if I was able to create a compelling, continuous story over the course of several years in my spare time, imagine the sort of damage I could do if I set aside some time every day to properly handle the details instead of having to improvise something that the players did (not that I have any problems with this, I'm usually pretty good at anticipating what my players will do to have a contingency plan). I also crammed in some extra studying to make up for not doing so yesterday. I'm... hoping to be all set by around early March for the certification exam.

[rottentiger-art]

Do you think the eventual Daemyra sex scene will ne explicit? (I refuse to believe there won't be one included in the show). Considering how GoT was explicit I'd hope so??? I might not survive cut to black 😭😂

I believe so, at least as explicit as romantic couples are allowed to be on the show. And I'm taking reference from GoT so I may be wrong in some things too bc my last rewatch was a year ago I think, and I do have a shitty memory, but this is why I believe so. At least the beach sex scene.

As we've seen in Game Of Thrones, romantic couples (like Jonerys or Robb and Talia) are not shown the same way a random character and a whore are shown, because they want us to know they love each other, so we never watch them fucking, we watch them making love, we don't hear loud moans and skin slapping and feel some kind of whiplash from the sudden of the scen, instead they build it up, we see them stare at each other, kissing lovingly and all in all there's a sense of intimacy. And if they were fucking, we only see the aftermath. They used this to show us the development of Dany and Drogo's relationship, at first when he used to rape her the scene was raw and explicit and shocking. The next sex scene they shared (I think) starts abruptly too, but then it comes to a halt when Dany tells him she wants to look into his eyes this time ("love comes at the eyes')and it slows down. That was the closest we've seen to them make love, and after that their next scene in bed it's the aftermath. I do not think they were in love for real, but the show wanted to potray them as romantic, so they never had a typical GoT some sex scene again. There's also Jaime and Cersei, who claimed to be in love, but the show didn't want us to see them that way (the first one was for the shock value, but they turned one of their lovemaking scenes from the book into a rape scene), their relationship was villianized until the scene from Cersei's pov (the "I love my brother, I choose my lover" scene), their next scenes were never shown complete, or we see aftermath/morning after (actually their last love scene was very sweet, when Cersei is already Queen and she let's the maid see Jaime in her bed) but even when they were agressive ot mad at each other and stuff the sex was never shown the same way.

Since from the very first ep the show seems to want the audience to see daemyra in a romantic light, and we've already had some peeks at the beach sex scene in the show's trailer, I think we'll get an scene similar to jonerys' boat sex, I don't think they'll be so cruel to just give us a cut to black, I'm sure we'll get to see some sweet lovemaking, something in the middle of a sex scene and an after sex scene😌

And hopefully it's not the only scene we'll get of them! (I really wouldn't mind seeing them doing it raw and rough tbh lol) if the leaks are true, we may see one before they're married (very much hope so)

And yea, I could've just said yes, but I wanted to ramble a bit lol

[anathemafiction]

I'm romancing someone else but, can we be buddies with Lance? Specially since my MC chose to trust him in this tense partnership and haven't antagonize him 👀 I genuinely like the blue haired man 💙

Absolutely. Every single main character — whether they're ROs or not — is someone you can build a friendship with. I've said it before, and I'll never tire of saying it, but I don't see friendships as secondary to romance. Platonic love is love nonetheless, just a different kind.

I wrote different versions of Alessa and Hadrian's conversations depending on if you're romancing them, yes, but also if you have a high relationship with them or not. If either of them sees you as a friend, then that means something to them — hopefully, it means something to you too.

Their friendship routes will continue to grow and deepen in the next books and just as you can develop romances with the other characters, you'll also be able to develop friendships as well. As meaningful as the romances. If you're close enough with someone, then they'll share their burdens, they'll tell you their story, their hopes, their defeats, and in return, they'll listen to yours. They'll stand by you, worry for you, lend you whatever strength they have — and they wouldn't have to ask because they know you'd do the same for them.

And they'll do all this whether you're lovers or not. Of course, some things will only be shared when you're in a romance because some things, some whispers, are only meant for the one you bare yourself completely. Some ROs will tell you things if you're friends, and maybe tell them another way, show them instead, if you're romancing them. But both versions will be there.

I never liked the idea that your lover is the only one who matters. The characters all have other attachments, other people and causes in their lives that they care about. You should too. I would never rob you of it.

If you choose to trust Lance and tell him so, then he doesn't forget it. The spy deals in a world where trust is earned and even then, it is always put to the test. If you tell him you're willing to try, it may make him raise an eyebrow, but he'll be damned if part of him - the soft part he can never quite ignore - actually believes it.

[catsintei]

I'm terrified that they'll make Mercury the new Adam for Emerald in Volume 9. I don't want Mercury to be villainized if he feels like Emerald's abandoned him but I don't want him to be JUST fine with her leaving and joining the good guys.

I feel you 100% anon; but I think that in order to answer your ask properly and to put into context my words and feelings regarding it, I first need to talk about Emerald’s “redemption arc”.

This is a long post so...

Basically, it was not good to put it lightly. The buildup towards Emerald leaving Salem was certainly there, if only just barely. I’m not going to deny that the writing was on the wall from the beginning, but it was very, very, sparse in regards to an actual full fledged redemption arc. A few sad and scared looks here and there, an “it's almost sad” said in the face of a brutal massacre of innocents, and an “I don’t know if what we're doing is right because Cinder isn’t here”, do not a solid foundation for a redemption arc make.

This barebones buildup would have sufficed had CRWBY decided to make v8 the very beginning of Emerald’s path to redemption, instead of ending it as soon as it started. This totally could have happened, as I said previously, the buildup to Emerald leaving Salem was there, and hell, they had it down initially; Emerald didn’t leave Salem because she saw the error of her ways and decided to change for the better. She only escaped because her life was in immediate danger, not because of some sense of morality, and I think that’s a good thing, it's completely in character for her! Emerald through her actions is neither a nice nor good person. This could have been built upon further if the writers chose to go for the “strained alliance the enemy of my enemy is my friend” angle, in which Emerald, after working closely with the protagonists to survive; building a bond with them in the process, realizes the true error of her ways and puts in the work to better herself.

Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened. Emerald instantly seemed to become besties with Team RWBY & Co. smiles and giggles all around even after she uh, tried to murder Penny mere hours before. I hate to constantly compare each and every redemption arc to Zuko’s, but in this case I think it’s a good example of the general structure of a redemption arc. Emerald at the end of v8, does not feel like a Book 2 Zuko, just starting to realize the error of his ways. Emerald decidedly feels like a late stage Book 3 Zuko, minus the character development. It doesn't feel like the beginning of a redemption arc, it very much feels like the end.

Now that I have that off of my chest, let's get to the main point.

I don’t see Mercury being made into Emerald’s Adam, that honour goes to Cinder (which is why I would really like for there to be a Mercury and Emerald vs. Cinder confrontation/fight sometime in the future). Mercury has been shown to care about Emerald A Lot, making him out to be her Adam would be the biggest pile of bullshit in any form of media known to mankind. Mercury’s and Emerald’s relationship with each other bears absolutely no resemblance to what Blake’s and Adam’s relationship was. Decimating the great relationship that Emerald and Mercury have would be an insanely stupid move.

However, I can certainly see Mercury being villainized, both in show and chiefly by the fandom, if he has a negative reaction towards Emerald leaving, especially if he feels as if she left him. Mercury has already been blatantly villainized by the fandom post v8, I have seen many posts detailing how Mercury is “the villainous counterpart to the hero, Emerald”, how he cannot leave Salem because he is “in too deep” and has gone too far. Most of these posts ignoring the fact that it has been pointed out directly and indirectly through his body language and dialogue, that Mercury is actually deeply uncomfortable with working for Salem but is too afraid to leave her and the only life he’s ever known, and frankly I can’t blame him for that. 

In general, a negative reaction from Mercury in regards to Emerald’s “departure” from Salem’s cabal is to be expected, especially because Tyrian literally threatened to hunt down and kill both of them if they dared to betray Salem, which Emerald has now done, and also Tyrian is like… right there… with Mercury… whoops. Nevertheless, in my opinion, Mercury would understand why Emerald escaped Salem and where she is coming from but he wouldn't be just fine with Emerald leaving for the aforementioned reasons; because he cares about her and everything she has done so far went against the self preservation agenda Mercury carries, and could get her very swiftly killed. 

I don't think we will see much of Mercury and Emerald in v9, but when they do eventually show up and reunite, I could see there being some (hopefully swiftly resolved) conflict between them concerning their respective decisions, with them coming to a mutual understanding. However I doubt that Mercury will double down on staying with Salem, if the entire “Salem is gonna destroy the world :)” thing from Tyrian didn't change his mind then the hours-long plane ride with him probably has.

So yeah, I really hope that Mercury is treated well going forward, I think he deserves positive character development, I think he deserves to leave Salem, I think he deserves the opportunity to live his own free life, and I want his character to be done well and for his story to end on a positive note.

I had a lot more on my mind that I wanted to say here, but decided to keep it on the shorter side. Thanks for the ask and the opportunity to ramble, feel free to send more ^-^

[iaintyourbro]

The Unknown Journey Continues

Part 1

I know it's been a while... but I've been going down a rabbit hole with @starlight-samurai regarding time loops, Jenova, Minerva, and more fun. So I figured I'd try to put it into one post to get the insanity out of my head. Everything in here is based on things we've found by either going through more obscure Ultimanias, learning more about Dirge of Cerberus and trying to decipher what the hell Jenova is by putting together various sources - including other Square Enix games - and how they handled freakishly similar scenarios.

Did you know there is a companion mobile game for it that was out on the good old flip phones? Did you know there was an online mode in Dirge of Cerberus only available in Japan, but had story elements that were not in the main game?

The sad part is, there's still so much to go through...

(I've also had various discussions with @ourfinalheaven, Manu, who doesn't have Tumblr, so here is her Twitter. and Somebody's Nightmare (here is her Twitter). So I wanted to tag them here, as it's much more fun to discuss these ideas as a group, since it'll only help you build on and strengthen your own ideas.)

Please be aware, there will be Spoilers for FFVII - Almost all Compilation titles, Xenogears, and NieR Automata throughout this.

So let's go on a journey where we explore what actually already exists in the compilation - including the idea of the whispers and timeloops - how Minerva may play into everything, and what exactly Jenova is capable of doing.

I asked Sesi if he'd ever played any of the NieR games, because he'd said something that made me wonder if they were going to take a similar approach. As a very, very quick high level summary: NieR Automata deals with a time loop type of idea. The androids will be rebooted and repeat the same things over and over again. This is broken when 2B is killed by A2 because she becomes infected with a virus. That being said, you have the option after Ending E to either erase all of your data and end the cycle OR you can try again. The Pods have a discussion, and one asks, "But won't they just do the same thing again?" and the other replies with "Maybe. But it could also be different this time."

Here's Sesi's message back to me when I asked him about this (cleaned up a bit since we were having a casual conversation over Discord):

Maybe I could just guess based comparatively on the Dirge storyline, because that was sort of SE's first flirtation with “robots and androids” since they’re all programmed and locked behind like task managers and shit that can shut them down. The story of the online mode for DoC that came out in Japan, we never got to see it, you’re basically an Android OC and you have to get to “the end of the level” and then essentially die, and a new one takes its place. This keeps happening until Weiss is essentially freed from being able to be task managed by the guys who are suppose to be able to control them and I know from tons of years with Square games that they’re verrrrry bad at differentiating their narratives they tend to just keep “ripping themselves off” so is it anything close to that?

Cuz if so I think I kinda know what you’re saying and yeah, I agree, I think with CC bringing in its poetic symbolism and LOVELESS, and DoC bringing back the cyclic nature of the lore, whispers, premonitions and future visions, proto-Materia and the perversion of this next cycle since the planet can no longer cleanse and protect itself and its will is weakening lesser and lesser to the point where it’s fate is “in a true sense of jeopardy This time essentially it’s all tied in together and sort of played as though it's a fated track; a cycle of events and something has hitched it, thus the whispers manifesting and Sephiroth's higher implied control over his destiny. Of course, even all that is just their new red herring game, but it’s definitely a part of the lore they want to play with, in order to go back and reMAKE the OG with the comp inserted from inception. Also gut punch a lot.

Time Loops

I was somewhat surprised to find out that this concept is NOT new to FFVII's universe. It's discussed in Dirge of Cerberus... probably one of the least played and least understood of the compilation. (Trying to sell a third person shooter with terrible controls to a market of mostly people used to turn-based combat wasn't going to go well.)

On top of it, we didn't even get all of it, since online mode was never released outside of Japan, and the Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode was on Amp'd Mobile and Verizon flip phones back in 2006. Were you around for the cell phones in 2006? I had the ones on the list, and how somebody could play a game on those blows my mind.

Square has a tendency to reuse themes from their other titles. Probably one of the most blatant is the similarities between Xenogears and Final Fantasy VII. They were both being developed at the same time and a lot of ideas that didn't make it into FFVII ended up in Xenogears.

NieR

So how does this work? In NieR (both Replicant and Automata), you play the same path multiple times. Each time, it's slightly different depending on what side quests you did your first and second playthrough, but there's also other subtle differences throughout the story. In Automata, you get to play as 2B your first playthrough and 9S for your second. They follow the same path, but you get it from his perspective the second time and it reveals a bit more of what is going on. However, even with some slight differences, the main plot points stay the same and the ending result it also the same.

Then on your third playthrough, you wake up in the Bunker, and you're getting ready to go on a new mission. This time, though, 2B is killed and shit hits the fan. Things get crazy, you play as a new character: A2. In the end, pretty much everyone "dies", but you can choose to "reboot" and try again. You also can say you are done and let them all rest and delete your save data (the game gives you the option for both Automata and Replicant, and with Replicant, it actually leads to a new ending).

The striking thing for me is... There are certain events that will always happen, no matter what.

Fixed Points in Time

It's been years since I've watched Doctor Who, but there was something that stuck with me, and that was the fixed points in time. You can read about all of them here, but here's the basics:

Now, of course Doctor Who goes into this with much more detail and it's a recurring theme. However, as you read through that page, you'll probably find many aspects that have been used in various JRPGs that you've played. And Doctor Who most likely pulled some of the idea from classic Science Fiction novels. Each story puts its own spin on it.

How does this relate to FFVII Remake? Well, when they say that the major plot points will stay the same, it reminds me of this. No matter what, Cloud must fall into the Sector 5 Church, the Sector 7 Plate must be dropped, Aerith and Zack both must die, and Meteor has to be summoned, to name a few. So, with a time loop, those things would still have to take place in order to prevent a complete collapse of reality (at least in how Doctor Who uses it).

Therefore, the Whispers are ensuring that the Will of the Planet is followed.

One of the major themes in FFVII is that of loss. People die and they do not come back. Yes, other FF games do allow this to happen (FFX, FFXIII, FFXV), but VII is not those games. It was written with that idea in mind, that once a person dies, they, just like in real life, are dead and cannot be brought back.

I've previously written that I think they'll make us believe we are able to change fate, but we will eventually be slammed with the reality that we can't. That is because the planet has determined that certain events are fixed points.

Xenogears

Xenogears takes a bit of a different approach to the loop idea. Instead of repeating the same time period over and over, it has the characters reincarnated, and the same outcome happens each time: Elly dies. However, each time it's different. After all, they're in various time periods, in some cases thousands of years apart.

In all of the lives of Fei (who will have a different name in each time period) and Elly (who is always Elly/Elhaym), Elly will end up dying trying to protect Fei and the others. In one life, she is a religious figure at a totally not Catholic church, in another she's the wife of a scientist who was working to create children from nanomachines due to mass infertility issues. But she is ALWAYS with Fei, even if his name changes.

In her Mother Elhaym time, this is when Lacan (Fei) finally snaps. Though he's not fully aware of his past lives, he becomes aware, the anger consumes him, and he becomes Grahf. Fei is then reborn into the time period you play the game in.

There's a lot to unpack with this, so I won't go into it. Grahf wants to destroy God (Deus) because he thinks if he does, then it'll stop the suffering (his suffering).

If you do want to read more about Grahf, you can do so here, but it probably won't make much sense unless you've played Xenogears up to that point... Since it's much later in the game that this is all explained.

Lacan's desire was to stop the cycle of Elly always sacrificing herself for his sake. Though Grahf is not a perfect existence - he's not fully "The Contact", he sacrifices himself in order to let Fei move forward, and hopefully stop the cycle, by destroying the Deus system. (Elly also tries to sacrifice herself here, but Fei goes after her and stops her.)

Now, some people may think I'm saying that Cloud or somebody is going to do this in order to save Aerith or Zack (or his village or mom), but in FFVII if they do the loop method, I don't think Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and the others are aware of it. Most likely, it's only 'Sephiroth' and Aerith who are aware of it.

How this Could Be used for Final Fantasy VII

I'm stressing could because there's so many different possibilities on how they use this (if they are using this), so please, don't take this as fact. This is based on speculation based on what we know.

A time loop is a great way to explain away the differences in the story that we've seen: Biggs being alive, Wedge living for longer than he should have, etc. Since these are not major plot changes, they can simply say that this time it'll be slightly different... but your fixed points (major plot points) will remain the same.

It's a way to pull in some of the more obscure themes from Dirge of Cerberus and also play with the LOVELESS lore.

It could all simply be a big red herring and it's really just a remake of OG, but with the compilation tied together nicely... since it works much better when it's combined and not in 50 different games, books, movies, etc.

I don't think it's a "sequel" per say, not in the way I generally perceive a sequel. It's more of a loop of the same thing. The question is, when is the loop started and what will cause it to end? When will the planet (if it even is the planet) determine that it's good enough to begin moving forward?

JENOVA, Sephiroth, Genesis, and Minerva - Oh My!

Let's be real... Genesis isn't exactly the most popular character in the FFVII Compilation... but what if they make him one of the most important to the story? //Ducks as various fruits and vegetable are thrown in my direction//

I think what Genesis is probably most known for is his love of LOVELESS. He has the entire thing memorized and randomly says lines from it throughout Crisis Core. LOVELESS lore is still something I'm trying to grasp, so I am not going to comment much on it. Once I understand it more, I'll update this.

...And then this happens. The secret ending for Dirge of Cerberus, where Genesis picks up Weiss. Weiss, who has now been introduced along with Nero in FFVII INTERmission and is an optional ridiculously hard boss in the Shinra battle simulator in chapter 17 of the main story. There is some lore associated with the battle sim - so if you don't plan on beating it or you just can't, you can look up the pre-battle and post-battle cut scenes on YouTube. They're very short, but interesting. (I beat this asshole last night - it's a hell of a fight.)

....To Be Continued because apparently Tumblr won't allow more than 10 images per post now.... Next will be more on JENOVA and Sephiroth along with Minerva.

[demadogs]

im sorry if this has been asked before but what do u think will happen w mike and el in s5 if they offically Break Up like bc while hopefully byler would be a bigger focud than say s3 mike and el's relationship will always be one of the show's main aspects and im curious to see how they'll interact in a way that doesnt diminish past seasons growth and development

i think there will be a good amount of focus on the fact that el wasnt ever in love with mike either. she seemed the most genuinely in love with him in season 2 when they were separated and her big fight with hopper but when we see them as an established couple for the first time in season 3 its a mess. i think the biggest thing that shows her lack of actual love for him is that their breakup scene was comical and followed up with her and max laughing and highfiving. that wouldnt be her reaction if it was a true breakup with the love of your life.

i think she might feel jealous at first when she learns about byler and it’ll be weird bc its her ex and basically her brother getting together but then she’ll find that shes actually not as upset as she originally thought she’d be.

el’s barely socialized and still very new to “normal” everyday life and within just a week of being outside of the lab she spent her whole life in, she already found a love interest? and then were separated for a year and the day they found each other again they danced and kissed like a normal couple. it seems like this could have happened with lucas or dustin too if they were as close with her in season 1 as mike was. maybe if it was one of their basements that she slept in she would feel like she should be in love with them instead.

i think el didnt figure out a lot about who she is before she found a boyfriend and that kept her from becoming her own person. the first time she’s introduced to something as simple as finding her own fashion style is when max brings her to the mall. constantly being with mike and only mike and only kissing him when they were together instead of doing other fun activities that could introduce el to some new interests or hobbies was really not good for her and kept her from being her own person. mike could have introduced her to the world of dnd and even that wouldve been better for her own growth but instead all they did was kiss bc both of them, although for very different reasons, thought that thats what they should be doing.

i love el and i think the best thing for her character growth would to be without a love interest and become closer with mike just by being friends than anything more.