#I didn't hit up either of those franchises

[sergle]

did you get whataburger? did you see dq and get the blizzard trick?

I didn't have the heart to tell you guys this while I was in texas but like.... we have both of those places in Oklahoma too

[daughterofheartshaven]

I haven't listened to The Apocalypse Element in a bit, so I've kinda forgotten large chunks of it. But based on what other people have said, I was expecting the Doctor to be dismissive of Romana on my relisten.

And, by my read, this doesn't happen. Like, don't get me wrong, from Romana's perspective this was rough treatment. But I've been getting the vibe that the Doctor doesn't seem to care about Romana, and I very much disagree with that. Firstly, as soon as he knows she is in danger, he is bringing that up constantly until he finds her, and while he is somewhat collected when talking to Vansell and the President over it, I see a lot of pain and rage behind every line he says in that scene.

And yeah, once Romana is back, his actions aren't the most caring, but they did not have time for that. He's trying to keep as many people alive as possible in the story that is probably in top five for body count in the entire franchise. And yeah. Does he also express a lot of concern for Evelyn? Yes. It's an awful situation, but Romana - battered and broken as she is - is a Time Lord. Time Lords are good at not dying. But in this story, feces is hitting the fan, and the Doctor is trying to keep his friends and the universe alive.

As for him just leaving at the ending, there's actually a really good reason for this. He's really not supposed to be on Gallifrey. Romana returned from E-Space and became president during the Seventh Doctor era - this is all in the Doctor's future. He might have had some idea that Romana came back from E-Space, but he had no idea she was president. That's all in his future.

This isn't just my usual canon-welding wankery either - the Doctor is shocked when he learns that Romana was president, and when Romana sees him, she notes that he is in "the wrong body" (since she was expecting the Seventh Doctor), and the Doctor responds by saying he is in "the wrong time" (Seventh-Doctor era Gallifrey). While the background from that was from the Virgin New Adventures, tae is building a lot on the VNAs - in as much as that's where the idea of Romana being president comes from - so that combined with how those lines are delivered makes me confident that I'm reading into something the author inteneded.

So the Doctor is in Gallifrey's future, and that's something that's really not supposed to happen. This is the sort of thing that's a paradox in the making, and this is when Gallifrey is still trying to just keep its hands clean of that sort of thing. He can't stay with Romana and Romana can't leave with him because there is a 200ish year gap between their histories and ignoring that is a great way to bring the Gallifreyan legal system down on their heads.

Does this suck? Yes. But I don't see a way for the Doctor and Romana to have stayed together that didn't give Vansell an excuse to go after them (especially since other sources state that Vansell was basically behind the Trial of a Time Lord stuff - and I will grant that that is my usual canon-welding wankery, but I think the point still stands without that detail).

If you want to criticize the Doctor for trying to sneak off at the end and not trying to have a proper goodbye, then yeah. I'm there with you. That's in character for him, but it's not a great thing for him to do.

But if you want to criticize the Doctor's other actions during The Apocalypse Element, while that is of course totally valid, I do not think I agree with you.

[kawa-goat]

General Thoughts on Buried Secrets (Hello Neighbor)

Not sure if I'd classify this as a rant post or not. Spoilers ahead, obviously.

If some of my points don't make sense, we can discuss it in the comments. It's 1AM by the time I'm writing this post, so forgive me if the text feels all slammered and not cohesive.

Took me a decade to finish it, but the secrets were unburied (like Jay would say).

And holy crap, I have pretty strong feelings about this book.

Okay, it's not that bad, but comparing to the previous two... it felt flat. I don't know how the explain it in more cohesive terms, but it didn't hit the same way the previous two did.

First, I like the ending. Though it ended on a pretty sad note, this is exactly what the Nicky trilogy (it feels surreal to actually type that) was leading up to.

The very prologue of Missing Pieces is a warning for Nicky to stop wandering, else he'd not make home some day. Nicky's character in general is centered around that: wandering.

"Oh, but what happened after he got kidnapped? What about Nicky's friends? How did he escape?"

Questions like this come from a misunderstanding. The books aren't meant to be your introduction to the lore. They're meant to be an additional piece of information, for those that were curious about the world of Hello Neighbor and wanted to know more about the past.

The true story is told in the games. Make no mistake—Hello Neighbor is a gaming franchise. The story originates from the games.

The ending of Buried Secrets is one-to-one with Act 1 for a reason. You're meant to read these books with the knowledge from the games. So that when you read the trilogy, you went: "Oh, so that's how it happened."

At least, this should be in theory. The sad reality is that games just fucking suck in storytelling and gameplay, to the point where the actual plot is shoved aside for other matters. That's why, in most cases for fans, the books act as an introduction to the story of the games, instead of how it should be in the other way around.

This is why Buried Secrets ends in this cliffhanger way. It's a prequel of the games, but it isn't meant to be an introduction. It's meant to be an additional explanation. You can blame the games' lack of quality for this.

Anyway, I liked the ending because it tied up Nicky's wandering arc in a pretty neat way.

... And that's it. That's literally the only thing that I like about this book. Everything else feels forced just to reach this specific ending.

I'm not sure if Carly was forced to make this a trilogy, but either way this definitely harmed the pacing and plot. Every character is written in a specific way that feels a little unrealistic based on the previous books.

See, Nicky is supposed to break into Peterson's house alone, without the help of his friends. Their method of justifying this is by having literally everyone in town suspecting that Nicky was the one behind the weird activities. No matter how illogical that seems.

My biggest complaint is Maritza.

Like, I won't lie that she isn't reasonable at first glance. Maritza is tired of fighting. She wants to move on. She thinks Nicky is changing for worse because of his obsession with the case. This is all understandable.

The problem is, instead of trying to convince him to move on, she would rather believe he did all of this to frame Peterson specifically? Despite knowing what Theodore's capable of, she'd rather believe that her closest friend would lie to everyone just to convince them of something they were already certain (that Theodore is fucking dangerous)?

I get they tried to apologize to Nicky by the end of the book, but it's too little and too late. Yeah, Peterson framed Nicky in an ill-timing, but would Nicky's only friends believe he'd actually do all of this ALONE?

It just doesn't feel natural.

The beginning and middle part of the book is literally Nicky getting kicked around like an abused puppy and being lonely again. The latter chapters, as well as Jay and Lu, kinda hard carries the entire book. Earthpro is not as interesting as it was in Waking Nightmare. And Buried Secrets tries really hard to get you to hate Trinity and Maritza with the "we are changing clubs" thing.

Overall, I wouldn't say It's a bad book, but definitely the weakest and most surreal among the three.

[adaobiiii]

──────── I'm Not Scared ⋆｡𖦹°‧★

Prompt : Hort and Reader are unable to sleep after watching a horror movie, but neither of them will admit that the movie scared them. 

Pairing : Hort x Reader (Can be read as platonic)

Warnings : None, Fluff, Crack, normalpeople!au

A/N : All characters are aged up (not because there's anything inappropriate but just cause i feel like it makes more sense that way) I will also briefly be mentioning the Saw movies but not going into detail as i haven't watched a single one lol. Hope you enjoy

Home ||  Main Masterlist || SGE Masterlist

I will be having fun with this.

You and Hort had been hanging out one random day in October when he had gotten the bright idea of watching all the movies under the Saw franchise.

He hadn't seen any of the movies, though he thought they wouldn't be as bad as people said they were, and thought that he could comfort you when you got scared.

Turns out both of you ended up terrified.

You were only halfway through the first movie when the wind began to pick up outside. Thunder and lighting began crashing suddenly as the scene got more intense.

All of a sudden, you blinked as the TV screen turned dark. In confusion, you turned to look at Hort only to see him staring at the black screen completely frozen, remote in hand.

"We are never watching that again" he says letting the remote fall out of his hands and onto the floor. Before you could speak, a loud boom filled the room, causing you and Hort to flinch.

The boy cleared his throat before speaking, "That wasn't so bad was it?" he spoke, trying to seem fine even though he had practically stuttered through his words, terrified from what he had seen. "You scared?" he asked.

"I'm not scared," you answered immediately.

"Thats good"

The both of you remained in silence before he got off the couch, declaring he would go up to his room and change. As he went up, he had turned all the previously switched-off lights on to brighten up the room.

You got up and headed to his kitchen, planning on making yourself some hot chocolate to calm your nerves, doing your best not to think about the movie you barely made through.

Fast-Forward a bit. You and Hort are now sleeping on the floor in his room. He didn't wanna be alone on the bed and you didn't wanna be alone on the floor.

You'd both been tossing and turning for about an hour and every time you moved he would ask if you were afraid. At some point you kicked him in the leg to shut him up.

Anyways, right when you were finally about to sleep, this boy screams as loud as he can (probably sounded like a dolphin) which causes you to get up quickly.

Both of you are now on his bed shivering under the blankets you're using as shields as he he points his hook figurine at the strange black object near his window.

"It's a demon" he whispers somewhat in awe but also fear.

"Those don't exist idiot" you retort fighting the urge to smack the back of his head even though you were as scared as him.

Both of you bicker about it for a few minutes before the object began to sway and you backed up in fear.

"IT MOVES" he screamed, throwing his hook at it (which did absolutely nothing to help your situation)

The hook hit the light switch behind the object illuminating the room revealing the thing to be......

"Hort I will actually stab you-" you smack a pillow into his face. Turns out the monster was a bunch of clothes haphazardly thrown onto a broom stick that somehow managed to balance in the corner of his room.

You guys eventually fell asleep on his bed with all the lights in his room turned on.

That was the last, and only, time either of you watched horror movies together.

Borders are From : @dollywons

[liquid-bonhomme]

Lily can't keep her own "Sympathetic" Villains rules Straight: Anthony Gramuglia edition

See Crim's edition for the rules and outlines. Here we go.

Lily's Response to Ant:

Lily's probably going to get a significantly worse score on this one because me and Ant I think have similar media diets. We begin:

1. In the book, 100% he is THE villain. The movie not as much. Still though, I think movie Hammond more than fit's Lily's criteria. -1 life found a way

2. We already went over this (yes I am still writing p.3 of my Magneto post.) -1 Anthro cow delivering your children

3. Kyubey's keeping the universe from ending Lily. How could you get closer to having a point than that? -1 timeline

4. See Crim's post. He does fail #2. Again though, by Lily's original parameters this was a valid entry. But I have to give her the point. +1 spider gets it's legs ripped off

5. I bet she thought this was clever. -1 gate keeper.

6.N/A

7. I don't even know what she's talking about here. -1

8. Del Toro sends his regards. -1 Nerdy fish man.

9. LILY HASN'T SEEN THE BROADWAY SMASH HIT PLANET OF THE APES THE MUSICAL, STARRING TROY MCCLURE!? For shame! -1 (has anyone else watched that movie recently? I'm not saying it's aged poorly, but like, it is profoundly unintentionally hilarious, watching it in the modern day. I know this was like, the whole thing back then-- leading men who were too cool for school, but Taylor is such a fucking asshole. Cornelius is the real hero of the film, and everyone bullies him for not matching their lunatic energy. #justiceforCornelius #GeorgeTaylorisoverparty)

10. N/A (Trekkies don't try me.)

11. N/a

12. N/A (I mean I feel like I've probably seen the whole Mummy franchise just through memes at this point but. Lily's reasoning here is fucking asinine though-- as per usually Ant us uniquely getting her goat.)

13. This is actually the first example that breaks rule #3. Sorry fam I love Elfen Lied too, but it's a bit of a hot mess. +1 dead puppy

14. Scar is a dead ringer to Lily's criteria. She straight up just didn't have a pot to piss in, so she just wrote "no." -1 Dwarf in a flask

15. For the record, my boomer mom has seen Ghost in the Shell. The movie anyway. -1 body on loan

16. I watched this as a kid but can't really remember anything about it, so, I gotta put it as N/A.

17. This might actually be the first time I've seen anyone else memtion this movie . . . But still. -1 burnt wheelchair

18. Not plus ultra. -1 for all

19. Oh fuck off Lily. Glass houses. -1 jutsu

20. Sai, Crim and Ant spoke pretty extensively about this one. -1 angry hair raise

21. This one too. -1 demon pig

22. Yes she is. -1 dad

23. See Crim's list. -1 Prisoner 24601

24. N/A

25. Read ANY book, Lily. -1 absent godly parent.

26. I've only read the first one. N/A

27. Lily's reason here is bullshit but I haven't seen Columbo either. N/A

28. Why not Lily? -1 Jimbo

29. YES SHE FUCKING IS LILY. Just because in a modern context her story is a lot more tragic doesn't mean she isn't intended to be a villain. Lily made up the rule "has a point," but if they have an iron clad one she just declares them not a villain. -1 head

30. OBJECTION! NOW YOU REMEMBER VILLAIN AND ANTAGONIST ARENT TRUE SYNONYMS FOR EACH OTHER!? -1 Lily if you could just ONCE try to engage with a media discussion honestly.

31. N/A. I'll get around to watching it.

32. Not in Dracula Untold. -1 Damn Luke Evans looks like he was cloned from Orlando Bloom. I can't tell those two apart.

33. DIFFERENT DRACULAS. HOLY SHIT. -1 Lily this rational is so piss poor it's embarrassing. Even for you.

34. N/A

35. Isn't he in Kingdom Hearts? -1 Ah Ha Ha Ha

36. Another non-surprise. -1 traveler on his way home.

37. I haven't played enough Kurby to know why Meta Knight is a sympathetic villain. N/A

38. I've played enough to know Lily's right on this one. +1 Deddeddeedeeededededeeedede

39. A) several characters on both Crim and Ants' lists have been protagonists. B) IT'S FUCKING COMMON POPCULTURE KNOWLEDGE DONKEY KONG WAS THE ANTAGONIST IN THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF BOTH MARIO AND DK. -1 Lily I'm fucking shocked you don't know this. Genuinely. That's saying something, considering it's you.

40. Solid Lily continues to be the worst one. -1 LIQUIDDDDDDDD

41. Yes she is. Her point is the magic is what keeps her fucking family safe. -1 gift

42. You'd probably like this movie actually, Lily. Not the book, but. Or maybe not, there's no incest lesbians I guess. -1 sexy tree

43. I'm going to give Lily the point to maintain consistency that mind-manipulation doesn't count as "a point." Before he put on the crown he's not really even an antagonist, so. He IS an example of a sympathetic villain, however. +1

44. THERE ARE OTHER ANIMALS ON THIS LIST. Another one who's spot on, so she can't figure out how to even pretend to argue against it. -1 Beauty who killed the beast

45. GODZILLA ISN'T LITERALLY A NUKE. -1 pop culture jokes don't substitute proper media analysis

46. The Kaiju Lily. Her name is the title of the film. It's not Ant's fault You're too lazy to Google shit. -1 Viking Relic

(Biollante would have been my personal pick for sympathetic Kaiju. And her dad. She would have broken Lily's first rule since she's probably not aware of exactly what's happened to her, but. Her father at least fits Lily's criteria. A lot of the Kaiju are sympathetic though.)

47. This is a perfect example as to why Lily's rules are ridiculous. John Kramer is, in my opinion, outrageously unjustified in what he does. He follows her rules though. Having a bad point is still having a point. How "well written" he is wildly different depending on the movie, but because he's at least well written sometimes I'm counting him. -1 foot

48. You haven't read Paradise Lost Lily. I know you haven't. -1 Satan crying for everything he's lost

49. God Lily I wish you'd actually read something for once because this is an even better example as to why your rules are a joke. -1 Facist Worm King

50. This is a specific example. -1 tears, it's a waist of good suffering.

LILY'S FINAL SCORE: 19/50

38% - F

Got wrong: 24

Got right: 2

Removing the ones I haven't seen:

19/39

48% - F

Removing the ones Lily hasn't seen:

15/37

40% - F

Removing the ones we both haven't seen:

2/26

7% - F

[askagamedev]

How do preorder numbers affect your side of production? I’ve seen people saying that high preordering numbers lead to less time/budget to make the next game, because higher ups see it as proof that a studio/series can ride on name recognition instead of quality; is that true to your experience? In general, for a given game you worked on, would you prefer that people preordered or waited to day 1 purchase? Or does it not make a meaningful difference either way? Thanks!

Up until around 2014, preorder numbers were strongly correlated with financial success. They were used as the main metric for determining an upcoming game's chance of hitting its goals. Unfortunately, this caused a common feedback cycle problem with key performance indicators - the more you optimize for the metric itself, the less that metric continues to correlate to what you actually want to know. Publishers and retailers pushed various tactics to pressure customers to preorder, which did result in more preorders. However, the artificially-juiced preorder numbers didn't correlate as strongly with the success of the games. As lifestyle games grew into the biggest chunk of the market, preorder importance fell even more because it was the lifestyle game populations that were most strongly correlated with financial success.

The quality element you mention has nothing to do with preorders. Most games have two to four years of total development time before they ship. Preorders for those games often aren't available until a few months before the release date. By the time the preorders numbers actually come in, we're nearly finished with the development process. The timing doesn't line up at all, there is no way we can cheap out on quality in the last few months of development when the majority of that work is already complete.

As for whether I think players should preorder... I'll tell you what I do personally when it comes to purchasing games. I don't care much for preorder bonuses in general - they are almost always very small and won't affect the overall gameplay in any significant way. Preorder bonuses are generally limited to cosmetics at best, and the gameplay itself matters much more to me than having a particular outfit or weapon skin. There are some games I will preorder because I really like the game or franchise and I am concerned that the publisher has limited print runs of that game (Atlus, for example, is famous for having small print runs). Aside from that, I usually wait to see how the game does at launch before buying in. I don't feel much pressure to get in on day 1. Waiting a week or two won't kill me, and I've got plenty of other games to play and things to do in the meantime.

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[onewingedxngel]

It's been a very long time, but y'know... I miss this blog.

I don't wanna strictly say I'm coming back, but I don't want to say I'm gone/abandoning this thing either? My special interest in Sephiroth is kinda popping up again, so maybe one day.

RPing helps a lot with my writing skills, but writing my old essays on Sephiroth was also really fun. I think part of why I remember those is because, lately, I sometimes see people saying things I think are wrong, and I can't help but remember the old essays that went into my interpretation/opinion of things that completely stand in opposition of what I read.

It's cool for me to see that my interest in Sephiroth wasn't like most of my previous character fixations, which are pretty short phases (I still like them, but never to the same extent I do when I initially get into them), but with Sephiroth, my interest has been quite consistent and I still see him as a character I deeply identify with and 'get', for lack of a better word. He just hit very deeply and he still does. Of course, I have other real-life interests, but Sephiroth's the one I have with the fictional side of things.

It's satisfying to see some of the things I'd suspected about him being made more explicit in canon (like his lonely childhood, hidden soft side, etc). I've always seen the root of his motivation and anger the fact that he was an experimental abomination created to be used, and I feel like that's also been portrayed to some extent in the recent entries in FF7 (he directly cites it in Rebirth, after all).

I still think the OG is the one genuinely good thing in this franchise, and that the compilation/remakes are weak (so weak I ignore them from canon, because death of the author is a beautiful thing and Sakaguchi had made it explicitly clear that he didn't approve of any sequels or spin-offs to existing FF titles when he was still part of squaresoft- they only made all these sequels after the moment he left the company). Some of Rebirth was really well done, but other parts had me shocked like "who thought that was a good idea?!?"

Excuse my rambles, this doesn't really have a singular point outside of showing I still exist and I still like Sephiroth. To top this off, I'm just gonna ask if anyone's part of a good FF7 or Sephiroth-related server, because I'd love to find a good one.

[captmickey]

Out of curiosity, what game has your favorite writing for Guybrush? Personally I'd say probably Tales, I especially love how his and Elaine's relationship is handled there.

Oh my dear sweet Anon, I was in the midst of writing about just that for a different comment.... this one, to be exact:

So ah.... might as well merge that with your ask.

In a super duper condense nutshell, Tales is my absolutely favorite version of Guybrush (if we take Dadbrush and SoT out of the equation.... which that's a thought I've had in the past) because of what they decided to push for. Aside from no longer being a walking punch line and as you so rightfully pointed out in regards to his relationship with Elaine, Guybrush throughout the story learned the importance of opening up to people and knowing it's okay to ask for help. He also learned first hand that his actions had genuine consequences to them. And he grew to be selfless instead of selfish.

But in a longer format? This is now my "Welcome to Mickey's incoherent TED Talk why Tales of Monkey Island is amazing and I will not take any slander on my boy's character".

(Also I might forget a point or five so keep that in mind... I have a lot to say about this game haha)

So lets get to it: Tales!Guybrush is, in my humble opinion, the iteration with the most depth (if we don't take SoT!Guybrush into account).

Up until Tales, there wasn't much exploration about his character. Like, don't get me wrong, I'm not going to go about and say he had NO character (in fact I'd say the opposite). He has it, though we only see it either if we interact on things and he does/responds to the thing that's not 'nah' or 'no' or digging through the dialog tree.

For example, in MI2, after digging through multiple dialog trees, it lets us know that Guybrush still loves Elaine even after they broke up and that he felt pressured by the pirate community to do something grandeur and even adopt that meaner personality he sports in the game. In MI3, if you screw up the elevator puzzle two-three times on Skull Island, Guybrush shows he is still very petty and even mean by shoving LeFoot off of said cliff.

But in Tales, it's where we get SO much depth with him with both his interaction, dialog tree, and even his reaction to the adventure as the story continues. It's, to date, the only canonical MI game where Guybrush not only expresses more emotions aside from his usual light-hearted, somewhat carefree, and even snarky personality. It's also the one to force him to look at how his actions badly hurt not just those around close to him, but even himself.

With exception from SoT, Tales is also the first time we see Guybrush react in hurt, guilt and even genuine anger and not petty irritation.

Now mind you, I love Return dearly (Boybrush my beloved~). It's funny, the puzzles are challenging enough, my vindication is through the roof with that game (GUYBRUSH AND ELAINE ARE END GAME WITH CHILD, SUCK IT THOSE WHO SAID IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN!!) and it's the perfect send off to the franchise if there's to never be another Monkey Island with Guybrush getting his rightful and hard earned happily ever after (and I'd love for there to be more 'Guybrush narrating to his son' kind of games but that's a topic for another day).

But after thinking about it properly, as great as a send off as Return was, it didn't hit in the same way that Tales did - narratively and character speaking. Like I said, I love the jokes, I genuinely get a good laugh especially so from LeChuck of all characters, but Tales did something that I have grown to respect and admire it for. It gave us back the badass and loving Elaine, it gave us back a genuine threat that is LeChuck who even reached out to (demon) Godhood. But more importantly, Tales stood out because it had Guybrush grow up.

What was said about Guybrush is previous interviews, and it bleeds into my incoherent ramblings, is that he's more of an idealist than an optimist and can often times be considered one of the more dangerous people to be stuck in a room with (because he is smart and he can be very mean). And throughout the series until Tales, you can't entirely fault him for being like that.

He's so experienced in the pirate-y game that he reminds the players at any given opportunity that he knows what he's doing. He knows enough to not rely on others and is willing to push people away just to get to his goal. And because he's so experienced and knows what to do, he tries to keep doing things alone even though the game - repeatedly - says otherwise:

So within the context to Tales, Guybrush by then is no longer this naive, wide-eyed wanna-be pirate.

-He's established (if Morgan is anything to go by).

-He has his wits to him (if LeChuck's remark is anything to go by).

-He's seasoned in his usual adventuring antics ("I feel a pirate-y quest coming on" he says, not eagerly... almost like it's a Tuesday for him).

In Chapter 1, after he steals the Screaming Narwhal from Van Winslow, he tells tries to tell him how he doesn't need a crew (plot twist: Winslow ends up being the best crewmate he ever had in the series)

In Chapter 2, when LeChuck insists on solving the puzzle himself, Guybrush is annoyed (aside from it being, y'know, LeChuck) because he was so certain he could do the puzzle alone (plot twist: he couldn't)

In Chapter 3, how he told Morgan to basically sit down and let him do all the work via talking to a mutinous crew and an out-of-touch captain (plot twist: he needed to brute force the crew in the end).

At every single point when he tries to do things alone (and friendly reminder: he's trying to fix a situation he inadvertently caused via Pox), there was always someone that made the process easier... primarily Winslow and Morgan.

(I should note, this isn't me slandering Elaine.... I genuinely believe her when she says she was trying to break whatever connection Guybrush, LeChuck and the Voodoo Lady seem to have but that... that's another rant for another day).

Anyways! Speaking of my all time favorite first mate.... lets talk about how he was the one that actually got Guybrush to begin his growth. In chapter one, Guybrush had zero issues using a bomb to knock Winslow off the ship, he had zero issues of straight up stealing the literal only means of escaping the island and yet Winslow, though competitive and having his own fair share of snark, treated Guybrush as an equal... even though he was in every sense of the word a threat to stealing the ship. He welcomes Guybrush to the challenge, tells him how he could (and should) do better when his initial plans fail. Even when Winslow looses, he smiles and commends Guybrush, calling him by new title of Captain... there's nothing malicious in his words or tone - he's genuinely happy for Guybrush which throws him off since he's not used to it.

He's not used to people being a good sport or even nice to him (ESPECIALLY the nice thing). So when Winslow asks to join, Guybrush is (rightfully so) super hesitant on letting Winslow in on his crew of one. He's been hurt, he's been mutinied, even in the prologue he was betrayed by the crew we the players only see if we click on the hatch of his ship... but Winslow pushes through and makes himself a crewmate for Guybrush. And not just any ol' crewmate. Winslow decides and goes to be the BEST one by freaking MILES by being the only one to not even indulge in mutiny and genuinely respect Guybrush (I don't think he's ever called Guybrush by his first name now that I think about it), even going so far as to save him during chapter 5 and telling LeChuck, a DEMON GOD, to stay away from Guybrush.

I've made a mention that Guybrush is known to be mean, especially so to people who wronged him. But he's not an overall mean-spirited kind of a person (....excluding MI2 where he's just mean). He'll show concern every now and again with a snark dashed in, but with Winslow, we get to see Guybrush gradually view Winslow less as a crewmate and more as a genuine friend. And that's not to say Guybrush hasn't seen a crewmate as friends (looking at you, Barber Quartet and Carla), but his banter to Winslow is more akin to a friend than a crewmate.... especially so by Chapter 5 when saved.

And I can't talk about Guybrush opening up without mentioning Morgan LeFlay. The key person to Guybrush's growth. The one who put a mirror in front of him and had him really and truly comprehend that his actions have consequences. She's the first one that both us and Guybrush learn is an actual fan (yes I am refuting Planet Threepwood as that just monetized his image for tourists (and they utilize his image wrongfully at that)) and even outright says how she was inspired by him to not only learn how he fights, but how to hold her breath like him.

She really highlights all the cool parts about him, even if she got it wrong in some aspects (such as thinking he fights his way to victory instead of talking and using his wits.... which Guybrush outright says he's known for far more) and Guybrush, because he has that bit of an ego to him, just took it, he didn't really think much of it. He even makes a few jabs at her for being his fan. But all in all, he likes her.

Until the betrayal.

And that betrayal really is the light to the whole thing about Guybrush growing up and facing different aspects of his emotions and personality.

Up until the betrayal, through the entirety of Chapter 3, even when Morgan is irritated that he's not looking at her as an equal and he refutes her help for the good first half of the chapter (pretending to be his wife aside), the two eventually find common grounds and Guybrush, thanks to Winslow and learning to open up a bit more, starts to view her as a friend. Guybrush and Morgan even grow a bit of a banter between the two!

But she betrays him so thoroughly that it causes Guybrush to put back up those walls of his and push everyone away.

He is hurt and he is angry.

Two emotions he had not shown throughout Monkey Island. Irritation? Sure. Aggravation? Absolutely! But hurt and genuinely angry?

Not. Once.

And it wasn't LeChuck that pushed him to show it... it was a supposed friend! And that's so incredibly wild to me! You'd think Guybrush would show some form of anger towards LeChuck for constantly being his nemesis, constantly trying to kill him and steal Elaine, but no... no it was a fan who betrayed his trust (that he RARELY gives, I should stress) that got him absolutely angry.

And it's because of that betrayal arc that actually made me adore Tales!Guybrush. Because it really only gets worse for Guybrush and he's really pushed to a limit.

Throughout Chapter 4, he is constantly refuting help from anyone, it's really the Guybrush we're used to of being essentially a loner and doing things by himself (not that he could push Winslow away anyways.... he was stuck on the Narwhal). He even makes a very snide and very mean remarks that boils down to how her betrayal is essentially what messed up his plan to save Elaine AND the Caribbean, and he even angrily tells her how HE (not him and Winslow, not him and the Voodoo Lady - JUST Guybrush) needs to save his wife and cure the Caribbean. Not WE.

(and something I thought of as I type this and I have no idea how to shoehorn this into the rambling but worth noting - at the start of the quest, he always focused on just curing himself and Elaine. The Caribbean was a bonus but it was really an adventure driven to save his wife.... and then Winslow gets Pox'd and he changes that tone from 'saving Elaine' to 'Elaine AND the Caribbean')

It goes from bad to worse during the courtroom when Guybrush gets a one-two combo of hurt: Elaine is so far gone Pox'd that he and the sponge can't reach her, LeChuck (his arch-nemesis that he was, until this point, the ONLY ONE to openly say he did not trust while everyone else did) comes in to be the only one on the island to defend him, the reveal that the Voodoo Lady had been behind essentially everything in Guybrush's life and kept throwing him in harms way (though that is also a rambling for another day)... all forms of trust, new and old, is shattering for him.

As I've said, this chapter is where we see Guybrush - not Poxed - genuinely hurt and angry, and aside from Morgan, he shows it on the Voodoo Lady by losing his cool with her, angrily saying that he no longer trusts her.

Yet he still, somehow, reels back that anger. Somehow. Not entirely.

Because it reaches to a head when he goes to DeSinge and finds a dying Morgan, who is apologizing to him because she was trying to make right to him after hurting him. A gesture Guybrush had never been given before: he never had anyone try to do right by him... and it cost them.

Someone is dying because he made them feel bad. They're not seeking revenge, they're not trying to hurt him... they're trying to say sorry.

And failed.

And there.... THERE we see for the first time Guybrush genuinely and unapologetically Angry. Granted, his anger, initially, was thinking DeSinge killed her, but he's not entirely wrong to blame DeSinge. If DeSinge had never gone after Guybrush, if DeSinge had just let him be to cure the Caribbean, if DeSinge had not been so villainous, Morgan would still very much be alive.

Guybrush could have, under different circumstances, met Morgan and maybe their friendship wouldn't have been so tarnished because of gold or silver.

And while Guybrush is angry and blaming DeSinge... he decides on something that he hasn't done in the franchise: getting revenge.

And not just comedic revenge as he's shown in the past, he's genuinely after DeSinge for killing Morgan and wants to strike him down in return.

And I. Adore. Tales. For. That!

He shows his anger again when LeChuck mocks Guybrush while he's a ghost, but it's not NEARLY as furious as when he looks out the window and bitterly says DeSinge's name. Not even when he declares how he's going to take down LeChuck is he that enraged.

His foundation of trust and genuine friends is shaken and shattered and bruised, but this is the only game where Guybrush takes action. He never really outright bemoans or says out loud "it's my fault", but he lets his actions do the talking.

And before it's pointed out "But it's still for his own gain", I'm gonna have to put one huge giant asterisk to that:

He needed the locket, but he cheers up Anemone by reuniting them with Winslow (and silly remarks aside, he genuinely is happy for their relationship).

He couldn't touch physical items, but he speaks rather warmly towards Winslow and asking if Winslow would still willingly help him as well as seek out advice.

He cheers Morgan up and offers her way back to the realm of the living... and that one had no ulterior motive. It was the least he could do after mis-hearing her dying words and it was his own way of apologizing to her.

I've also said in the beginning of this ramble that this is the only game to let Guybrush feel hurt. And again, not in that comedic kind of way.

In previous games, when he's discouraged or feeling some form of despair, it's always followed up with some kind of joke or laugh. Something at Guybrush's expense. And it would make sense considering whenever he felt that despair horizon of sorts, he was always (shocker) alone.

As mentioned before, he is incredibly used to doing things alone and without help. Tales changed that.

When Elaine "agrees" to being a Demon Bride (which, side tangent, she clearly began plotting on how to use it against LeChuck with her very loud and very apparent 'Hmmmmm' alley-ooped with "Yeeeeesss.....!" Like something clicked for her as an improved plan), Guybrush (RIGHTFULLY) feels discouraged: again, he's been betrayed by one too many people, the world is ending, LeChuck is a GOD, he's dead, and Elaine (as far as he knew) agreed to being a Demon Bride. After having four (well, three) whole chapters of opening up and relying on people to going back to being alone... no one can fault him for giving up.

And it's not the "Ah well, sucks to suck" like he does in Escape, he genuinely sits on the floor of Crossroads and sounds like he's just about ready to cry (Mickey where-- "C'mon Morgan, I just lost my *wife*" he says with the last part having his voice wavering, come freaking at me).

It takes Morgan... MORGAN, the one who brought out ANGER out of him, to not even cheer him up, but to tell him to give it one more go to try and save Elaine and the world. She even says how she admires his dedication since it never ever wavered... both in his memoirs and as she witnessed first hand, so he has to get back up.

But!! The biggest kicker was that he was not quickly bouncing back going "Yeah, you're right lets go save the world" and proceeds to make a fourth wall joke-- he looks away! He has a brief moment on his expression of feeling hurt and betrayed at his supposed dedication (again, he genuinely believed Elaine's lie and I'll get back at that in just a minute). He tries to think of a plan but he's so incredibly hurt that he quickly finds flaws within his own plans and I just....! He's the guy that always think of something. Whether it's a coherent plan or a Guybrush plan, he always has some kind of a plan.... maybe not Elaine-level, but he's not dimwitted to not be able to think of SOMETHING.

He is, frankly, too hurt to think of a solid enough plan and to think back on the adventure. It takes Morgan to suggest he finds some shield to block the attack (his body against voodoo root beer) for him to finally click a plan and perk just a little bit back up.

That hurt continues strong when he faces off against Elaine after reclaiming his body and pleads desperately that it's him, to please stop. There is no quips during that moment, he's just desperate for the one person he unapologetically and whole heartedly loves that just describing her has him swooning in love, flaws and all.

But my favorite favorite FAVORITE thing, since this is Guybrush finally expressing his anger and hurt, is how he shows it towards Elaine. When the control over her disappears and she's conscious again, if going through the dialog tree, Guybrush makes her promise him one thing and one thing only - To not give up and become LeChuck's bride again.

Not find a way to save Guybrush, not for revenge.... but to not give up.

It's the first time we see him be selfless. He's not asking her to use that mind of her's to find a way to save him, all that's on his mind is keeping Elaine safe and destroying LeChuck.

So he makes Elaine swear to not give up and is genuinely stern and demanding with her when she asks him to not talk like he's going to die again (which... is a hard promise since he's a ghost controlling a literal corpse at this point) but he stops her, and very very VERY sternly and nearly shouting at her to promise him just that. He would never raise his voice to her in ALL of Monkey Island!! He would sass every now and again, sure, but he would never ask her of nearly anything.

And that's how you see the lesson of asking for help had finally set in! He makes her promise him, he tells her to light the cannon, to attack LeChuck while the Undead Pirate was between realms, Guybrush had finally FINALLY started to ask for help and it's not for himself!

And the final act Guybrush does in tales is, hands down, the most selfless thing he had ever done in the entirety of ALL of Monkey Island: He sacrificed himself.

This is the same man who would saw off a peg leg, nail shut a person into a coffin, steal a monocle, destroy a ship with a boulder, steal artifacts for his own gains, mock, jab, and embarrass anyone that would cross him.... and he sacrificed his only means back to the realm of the living for Elaine and everyone else.

Tales, in that moment, became hands down my all time favorite iteration of Guybrush. He had shown an immense level of growth, he showed he was open to having friends, asking for help, understanding when things are bigger than him, letting himself feel such strong emotions like anger and hurt... Tales!Guybrush has easily the grandest and greatest character growth and one of the main reasons why I refute anytime someone say he's just a bumbling moron who is needlessly mean.

I'm sure I'm missing something or a detail or another reason why Tales is my favorite iteration (note: iteration, not game.... that one is in perpetual cycle with Curse), but for now I'll end it on this note:

He can be mean, he is definitely a goof with his own quips, and at times even selfish... but Guybrush Threepwood at his core is cunning, hilarious, and he is unapologetically loving to those that matter in his life. He just picks who gets to see that side of him.

[laugtherhyena]

Talk to me Abt your pokemon ocs....

This reminds me how i never even posted the ref i had for one of them here because i legit forgot to do so and it had ben too long since when i realized it 😭

I'm gonna use this to loredrop the whole fan region tho so bear with me for a minute.

So me and some close friends mad up this fan pokemon region called Liros a couple years back when we were all fixated on the franchise for a while and the lore of this region is that 3000 years ago the ultimate weapon AZ build in Kalos fired against a region that was enemies with them back then and when faced with impending doom the two legendaries of Liros (one representing dreams and another reality) rose towars the laser beam to lessen the damage and protect their land, the pokemon of the region did something similar with shielding their trainers during the chaos.

The legendaries weren't able to stop the lader from reaching Liros, but they lessened the damage significantly with their own bodies (otherwise the whole place would have just been nuked out of existence) which left them in a state where they're forever weakened and can never recover to full health due the long lasting aftereffects of the laser's power known as "The Wither". So after saving the region these two went onto rest in secluded regions of Liros deep underground and they reside there till this day, they're alive, can still interact and send out attacks, but forever in this state where they're at very low health in a sense. But through the centures they've spend resting they wished for their land to recover and from said wishes was born the mythical of the region, which is an entity that watched over the inhabitants of Liros, basically doing what the legendaries can no longer do in a sense.

The Wither also affected the fauna and pokemon of the region, especially those that actively tried to shield others from the laser's impact (which was A LOT). This borderline incurable disease led to the extinction of all pokemon native to the Liros region and till this day there are large areas of land that are completely devastated by the Wither (it doesn't spread, but it's incredibly hard to recover what was lost). A restoration movement was created after the surviours began to group and try to figure out what to do, the leader of this indicative being later known as The great hero of Liros and both this man and his family + descendants dedicated their life to rebuilding the region for centuries to come until things were brought to a sense of normalicy again (which still hapened at least 700+ years before current time)

Nowadays Liros has been repopulated both by a large number of immigrants and their descendants over the years and also pokemon native from other regions that were either brought over by humans or naturally made their way to the Liros region, some of which assumed Lirosian forms that somewhat resemble extinct pokemons that were once native to Liros.

In addition, there's a recent project that works on trying to bring back extinct pokemon through their fossils and careful DNA reconstruction. The protagonist's mother is the lead researcher and the starters of the region are extinct moms she was able to bring back and enthused her kid to train and document their growth and behavior :]

Lastly, the evil team of this fan region is known as The Ameliorate project and their goal is to finds and harness the lasting power of the dream legendary with this machine their creater to essentially break to the fabric of time and rewite reality to make it so that the Ultimate weapon didn't hit Liros all those years ago.

OKAY!!! ONTO THE ACTUAL CHARACTERS I HAVE

Since i forgot to post her ages back I'll start with her this time around! (I'll probably redesign her if i draw these gals again tho)

Morgan and her brother, Laurent, have kinda of a weird relationship. She loves him and always wants to be there to support/help him but it's hard to tell if Laurent feels the same way towards her, they were very close as kids, but nowadays he tends to treat her more like a coworker than actual family and constantly piles her with work wether it is from the pokemon league or in reconstruction/revival projects their family funds.

Laurent has always been better at pokemon battling than her, which paired with his natural charisma led to him getting to live the dream of being a famous pokemon trainer and longtime champion of the Liros pokemon league, even tho Morgan herseld enjoyed battleling a lot too. But alas, she was essentially resigned as the one that keeps everything up and running from behind the scenes while Laurent is the lovable public figure.

She's.. Glad to help? Things do tend to get very taxing on her at times tho.

Keeping around the pokemon league, he's my elite four member.

Big buff autistic woman that's hyperfixated on machines and engineering since forever, so naturally eletric type pokemon gravitated towards her and she took training and battling with them as a hobby that ended up granting her more attention than she originally thought it would.

She was found in a local tournament and hand-picked by Laurent to enter the pokemon league, which Sammy considers to be her biggest accomplishment not because it's a renowned position to have but because it was through it that she met Dian, another elite four member that later became her husband :]

Desc mentions he's the steel type especialist but let it be known he is also a cyborg! (+ My friend @/kiruvry's oc)

Dian wound up in a strange accident several years ago and had a good portion of his body heavily injured, hence why the need for robotic replacements. When Samantha first met him she got super super excited to see someone like him and started asking a bunch of questions which were odd and overwhelming to Dian so.. Yeah, not a great start. But she really didn't mean to come off like that to him, she just got too excited and ended up giving a bad first impression. (which isn't something new to her at all)

She apologized for that and overtime they grew closer and closer together to the point they've been married for a few years by current time and Sammy is the one to repair and do maintenance on his mechanical parts.

Overall she's a very very enthusiastic and loud person that often comes off too strong to people👍 she can also be rather naive and overly trusting at times.

Last but not least (she wa actually the first one i made!) is lil scaredy cat Veronica!

Basically, fire type gym leaders are always very loud and outgoing people so i wanted to make one that was just. The total opposite of that-

So Veronica is a very very shy and anxious young woman that really isnt fit for the gym leader position, especially in a region like Liros which only loses to Galar in terms of how big and popular the gym challenge is. Ever since she's come to Liros there's always people wanting to talk and interview her and endless league events she's set ti attent alongside other gym leaders she doesn't even know how to talk to. Which led to her avoiding her duties a a gym leader during this first go of hers as one, since Laurent didn't allow her to step down from inheriting her father's position.

It's been a very stressfully couple months for her, she misses the quietness of the alolan town she was born in, but at least the beach hidden behind a rocky formation where she currently resides offers a similar feeling.

[cartoonjessie]

Moana 2 - Spoiler-review part 2

Part 2 of my spoiler review gets even more spoilery! Part 1 is here so you can keep up

However, I was game for the adventures and shenanigans anyways - I'm quite easy to please in that regard. I enjoyed myself during this movie and I loved seeing Moana and Maui reunite, but it happened SO LATE in the movie. (second half) How it happened though, I thought was quite beautiful. He sees the crew (doesn't ring a bell), Pua (doesn't ring a bell), then suddenly Heihei and only THEN does he realize Moana is there, in danger, and his entire demeanor entirely changes. There might not be a lot of character development but they did keep the characters in-character at least! And sometimes there are these character moments that really make you remember why you fell in love with them in the first place. The vulnerability Maui shows in regards to keeping Moana safe is - chef's kiss - sorry that's something I just gobble up as a shipper. I didn't mind the new characters either though… I will say this… Simea, while cute, is so obviously just a little toddler they put in the movie so they can market more merchandise towards other little toddlers, just like little Moana was a good merchandise hit back in 2016. Damn you Disney stop being so evil and obvious and making these characters so damn cute!

Of the three characters that join Moana's crew, I thought Moni was such a sweetheart - and I really chuckled a few times at David Fane's character Kele. There was a bit of character development throughout the movie for him. Just a tiny bit. So maybe there was some character development after all! But Moni and Loto remained kind of static, though they seemed like fine additions to the crew.

The "villain" (should I even call her that?)… meh. Kind of bland for me. She's… there. But vague. Eh… I don't even think I wanna write anything about her.

Oh, coming back to Maui not recognizing Pua… Maui also doesn't know Simea (as showcased at the very end when he goes to Motunui and asks to speak to Simea) - which means… Maui hasn't visited Motunui once in all those years? Oof. I mean I predicted it in a fanfic once but man I thought I was just being dramatic, not realistic. XD

Let's also talk about the elephant in the room… what on earth happened during the big battle? It's left a little ambiguous and this is where I get really really really spoilery as opposed to mildly spoilery before… So… Maui loses his… tattoos. Which, honestly, bit weird seeing Maui without tattoos it's like seeing him without clothes. XD It's like "PUT ON A SWEATER MAN" Did he become human, fully, for that moment? (Yeah, moment, he somehow gets the magic and stuff back) Then Moana "dies" - Maui sings a sad mourning song (ok honestly I was quite moved by all this and dear lord the emotion the animators put in there, good job on that) - then Moana… is revived by… by spirits? And now… she gets a magical tattoo??? SHE GETS… POWERS??? DEMI GOD MOANA?

I mean… my shipper brain kind of exploded cause like - hey - two demi-gods together? Oh yes, more for me to gobble up, yum yum yum. I love what that means for the future for the both of them.

And then, the entire movie is about uniting other people and suddenly there's like a bazillion boats out there of other people on the ocean? Very interesting, very interesting… There's certainly going to be adventures in the future.

Honestly, I'm looking forward to Moana 3 but dear lord don't make it a Disney + series OR if you do, DO NOT rework it in a movie when you realize there's some good stuff in there.

There is some good stuff in Moana 2 - don't get me wrong - but moving an animated series into your Thanksgiving movie is not great… Not great, Disney. Dedicate yourself to the success of Moana 1 (and Moana 2) and make Moana 3 on-par with Moana 1 again. I'll come and watch Moana 3 for sure, you haven't lost me as a viewer yet. But it better be given the respect it deserves as a franchise!

[4th-make-quail]

Big Bang anon here! I was just looking for some challenging event to participate this winter, and wanted to know your opinion because you have a lot of fandom experience! And YES I also noticed that a lot of Big Bang challenges currently are like "minimum word count is 5k words", and no shade to mods but that's not a challenge skdjdhdjl

Do you have a favorite fandom event type? Care to share your best fandom event experience?

Good morning nonny! Ahhh I see, okay I getcha!! There are quite a few longer word count fandom exchanges if you're into those, but the winter ones are already well in progress iirc!

One good place to check for events like this is fandom calendar on dreamwidth - people advertise their stuff on there regularly (no need to make a dw account to look at it either).

If you want a longer event, I have a few friends who do the three longer minimum word count exchanges and they have fun, so here they are;

- Fic in a Box (fiab): a fanwork exchange with a large minimum gifting requirement and several unique features - this one is complicated, so check out the comm link! Unfortunately this one is well and truly over now, but it's there for next year - schedule is around August to September!

- Five Figure Fandom Exchange (fffx or fandom 5k): a multifandom gift exchange for fanfic of 10,000+ words, and for comics of least 10 pages or at least 40 panels. Currently ongoing, but there are pinch hits in need of picking up! Deadline is January 18th, so if you can write a pinch hit fandom, you could try that!

- High Adrenaline (previously Heart Attack): two weeks to write 10k (or draw a 25-panel, 10-page comic) and one week to edit. Noms open in January!

Completing all three of these makes you eligible for Triple Crown, which is a prize raffle for all three of these 10k exchanges.

For the next few months, most people will be doing Yuletide which I've talked about a bit here before, but it has a 1000 word minimum so might be of less interest to you if you wanted a challenge. Pinch hits for yuletide are being posted here this year, but there aren't any available rn, and as yuletide is for rare fandoms, ymmv as to how possible this is for you anyway.

The next thing I will personally be participating in is Candy Hearts, which is a valentines day themed low word count (300 words) exchange, schedule usually starting with noms in December. This replaces chocolate box which used to run at the same time, and it's really fun!

Others I usually do regularly:

- Seasons of Drabbles: new to me but very fun, has a new round every season! For strict drabbles specifically, currently in its autumn round so there will be a winter one to come I imagine!

- Goreswap: an exchange for gore etc, with genre type tags to pick. Schedule starts with noms in January usually! Not one I've done, but I have friends who love it and do it every year.

- Phoenix Down Exchange: my own full Final Fantasy franchise exchange, set to start noms in Feb as last year

- Rarepair Exchange: as it sounds, for rarepairs! Check the comm for definition of minimum fics required to be eligible. Usually starts around April

- Rare Male Slash Exchange: as rarepair ex above, but for m/m ships only and again with specific minimum fic number eligibility. This is older than rpe, but as it tends to run on a similar schedule (noms in May last year) I've not done it for the last two years

- Relationshipping: for incest ships! The last round was July to August, but it conflicted with other fan stuff for me so I didn't do this for a bit as well. Run by some very good people

Some others I know about from my exchange crew participing but have never personally done: kids come first (underage themed), consent issues (dub/noncon themed), trauma exchange (as the name suggests), trick or treat (complicated, I think halloween theme?? Unsure), nonconathon (dub/noncon, but with very fun freeform tags to pick and nominate), and then there are usually a hell of a lot of flash exchanges around as well, which run on quick turnarounds - you could try joining the Exchanges After Dark discord server, which is an 18+ nsfw server for exchanges. It's very big and has a channel for every exchange, so the best thing to do is mute them all apart from what ur interested in ime! It also has a fandomcalendar rss feed channel which could be relevant if u wanna see what's coming up!

As for your second question, my favourite fandom event experience is probably Unconventional Fanworks Exchange, which is unfortunately didn't run last year and I'm not sure if it will again 😭😭 its an exchange for, well, unconventional fanwork mediums, and I've had so much fun challenging myself in the two rounds I've participated in! They had things like newspaper articles, in universe academic documents, blueprints, paper dolls, all sorts! I'm hoping someone might take it over tbh, if the mod can't run it again.

Also, this year I did Small Web September for the first time and had sooo much fun! It's for working on any smallweb projects you might have; personal sites, neocities, coding etc. and it had a really great vibe, plus it was super fun seeing everyone's smallweb projects! Very inspiring!!

This ended up very long, but as u can see I am very passionate about these things! I run my entire fannish calendar around exchanges mixed with event weeks and I find it very rewarding - I'm always happy to introduce anyone to exchanges and talk through how to participate etc. so anyone can ask me about this at any time!

[blackbirdsnonsense]

So I watched the Monster High season two finale today and I loved as usual! Lot of great character moments in there, more world building, Clankie bits and just overall fun this version of the franchise has become known for.

As a season finale it's great! As a series finale...well I guess it was better than the way MLP G5 ended. Less abrupt at least.

But still I can't help but feel mad about the whole situation! Nickelodeon definitely mishandled this show by making a seasonal thing. As I said before, I get what they were going for but that just doesn't work for a series! Movies, yes! Series, no!

I also can't help but feel that the inclusiveness & representation is a BIG part of what might have gotten it cancelled. We saw that happen with The Owl House over on Disney. It doesn't matter how popular the show is or how much money it's making, if some bigoted executive doesn't like it, it's gone.

And that's a damn shame cause we NEED cartoons like this right now. To show all the queer kids and the outcasts that they're not alone. That they are loved and have people who will love them. It's a damn shame so many dumbfucks are against that.

It hits hard for me personally though because not only did G3 quickly become my comfort show but it's what got me into Monster High in the first place. I had always been aware of Monster High & was curious to check it out but never really got around to it. I did buy one DVD collection of the shorts back in 2017 & I liked it. But for whatever reason I just never felt the need to really watch it.

Then G3 came along with it's RELENTLESS advertising for the live action movies on Pluto TV! I'm pretty sure half of why I checked it out is cause "The Three of Us" got stuck in my head thanks to those commercials!

So, yeah, the live action stuff is what finally got me interested in it and before I watched that I watch Adventures of the Ghoul Squad on Amazon Prime. So if you ever wonder why I defend G2 so much, that's why. It was really my first one. Then after watching the movie I found a 6 hour compilation of the G1 shorts on YouTube & said, "Screw it, let's do this!"

And I just fell down the rabbit. After watching the shorts I tried to watch the movies but of course now they were all paywalled. At the time, I didn't think I cared enough to buy them all & now I own them all on either digital or DVD. Some both!

So, yeah, I hyperfixated. As I am want to do. To the point where I watched Ever After High well and like that one too!

All because of Monster High G3. Which, by the way, is why old timers in fandoms REALLY need to lighten up about the current version of their franchise. New versions and changes ARE good cause they can bring in new fans! Everything can't be the same all the time! If the whole franchise is good enough, people WILL go back & watch the older stuff! So calm the fuck down!

Now as for what's gonna happen to G3, I can't say. I REALLY hope some miracle happens and it gets renew for a third season here real soon. But if not I hope it can continue in the form of either web shorts on YouTube, DVD movie releases or a comic from IDW. Or all of that ideally! Either way, these ghouls have worked their way into my heart & I will be here for the next step in the journey for whatever that may be.

As for the G3 TV series, all I can say is thank you and...

[alysretro]

Super Mario World - Retro Game Review

System: Super Nintendo Entertainment System Release Date: Aug. 23rd, 1991 Genre: 2D Platformer Developer / Publisher: Nintendo Playtime: 5 Hours (Real Time)

Story: Mario Mario must once again rescue Princess Toadstool from the clutches of the evil King Koopa, but this time he has some help! Yoshi joins our hero to defeat the Koopalings and save his own kidnapped friends.

It sure is a Mario story.

Presentation: Super Mario World is a great looking game. There are some elements that don't quite match visually, looking like they could've come straight out of Yoshi's Island, but outside of those, its bright and colorful aesthetic keeps everything looking clean and easy to read. Music is definitely one of the highlights here. The iconic Athletic Theme is one of the greatest video game tracks ever made, and the rest of the soundtrack is no slouch either. I appreciate that they didn't just rest on the laurels of the franchise's already amazing music and do nothing but remixes of previous soundtracks.

Gameplay: The real meat and potatoes of any Mario game, and the area where I have to be a contrarian. Super Mario World kind of shoots itself in the foot when compared to it's predecessor, Super Mario Bros. 3. Mario's momentum caps out too quickly, but he also comes to a stop a little too slow, making general movement feel more slippery, while hitting max speed feels less challenging and exciting. The P-Speed mechanic in particular feels totally out of place since Mario doesn't naturally ramp up to max, instead just getting a sudden boost that often sends you flying past your intended destination. P-Speed also ties into one of the game's other weak points, the power-ups, and especially the Cape. The power-up system is quite literally a step back, bringing back SMB1's unsatisfying system where one hit makes you small, even with a fire flower or other tier 2 power-up. It's one that even Nintendo realized was a mistake, since they never went back to that style in any subsequent Mario game. There are multiple systems that skirt this, namely Yoshis and the stored power-up, but both are awkward half-measures that lead to panicky moments that cause more deaths than they prevent for beginners. On top of this, the Cape power-up is just kind of broken. Almost every stage has an easy space to get P-Speed, and doing so allows you to trivialize 90% of stages by just timing your cape flutters correctly, akin to SMB3's P-Wing, but usable in every stage at no cost. The other new mechanics like Spin Jumping, vertical throwing, etc., add some much needed complexity to Mario's moveset, but are largely superfluous unless you're making a romhack.

Conclusion: Super Mario World is important to video gaming history, it holds up well, and I'm glad to have finally finished it, but every time I pick it up, I can't shake the feeling that I'd be having more fun playing Super Mario Bros. 3. In fact, I'm gonna go play Super Mario Bros. 3 again.

Score: 8/10

[m34gs]

Another Saw AU ask!

This time it is the housewardens (and the dorms) up for evaluation as Saw Apprentices! Please tell me on a scale from 1 star (lowest) to 5 stars (most) where the dorms rank on the following categories:

1. Professional Conduct/Mannerisms

2. Organization/Punctuality

3. How well they uphold the Ideals of the Job

4. How they contribute to a positive work environment

Hi friend!!! Another Saw AU ask! Thank you! This will be so fun to answer, I am putting so much thought into it!!! For those unfamiliar, my friend @kimium and I have a Twisted Wonderland Sort of Saw Franchise AU. See my pinned post for links to other posts regarding it and our AO3 series!

I'm so excited for this ask! Sorry it took so long, I've had a lot going on this week...but I'm here now! (Answers under a cut because this will be LONG lol!)

Heartslaybul

1. Professional Conduct/Mannerisms: 4 stars. Riddle, of course, is always on top of his game and courteous. Cater is no slouch either, when it comes to actually impressing other people with his manners. He's pretty good at putting on masks, after all. It's Ace and Deuce who need a little *reminder* once in a while on how to act and conduct themselves.

2. Organization/Punctuality: 5 stars. Mostly because of Riddle. He is always on time and his traps tend to run closest to their estimated run times. The rest of Heartslaybul is also punctual, lest they be hit with Riddle's signature spell.

3. How well they uphold the Ideals of the Job: 3 stars. While Riddle is definitely here for the Justice aspect of it, the others are a little...less good at upholding the ideals. Deuce is really just there because the boss (Riddle) is, and because he likes being able to work closely with Ace. Cater...well Cater's true ideals are as of yet undiscussed but you *know* he probably doesn't fully buy into the "appreciate your life and change for the better" lesson John says they're giving people.

4. How they contribute to a positive work environment: 4 stars. Riddle would obviously do his best to ensure rules are followed but also that appropriate break times/measures are also instated. Cater is picking up the rest with his bubbly persona and making an effort to make sure everyone has something at the workplace to smile about. It may be a dusty old warehouse or abandoned workshop, or any other number of derelict places, but Cater's gonna make sure his friends have a little happiness in their days. Ace mostly complains, rather than trying to make the workplace better (Ace would like to point out he should not be blamed for this as they are literally murdering people and so he does not think putting up decorations and eating fancy dinners together completely offsets that vibe) and his whining often gets him in a scuffle with Deuce (they may be dating but they fight like an old married couple) which does bring down the workplace vibe a little bit and thus keeps them from achieving 5 stars.

Savanaclaw

1. Professional Conduct/Mannerisms: 3 stars. Leona's attitude and outward demeanor detract from the rating. However, Ruggie works his ass off to get the job done and get it done *right*, and Jack doesn't like acting what he views as rude. The efforts of the two of them earn them the 3 stars.

2. Organization/Punctuality: 5 stars. Despite how he often skips classes to nap and doesn't seem to really care about meeting deadlines or being on time, I believe Leona can be pretty punctual when he needs to. He wouldn't be so good at Spell Drive if he didn't have at least some sense of timing and punctuality. I also think that, despite him still thinking John is bat-shit fucking crazy, Leona prioritizes punctuality for the trap because it CANNOT interfere with his daily life and responsibilities as a prince, so as to not garner suspicion. Ruggie is also very punctual, since he often works many jobs and would never allow himself to be docked pay for being late if he could help it. And Jack would consider showing up late to be rude and disrespectful, so of course you know he would strive to be on time. John doesn't really have an issue with any of them regarding punctuality, and the traps are pretty organized in order to ensure they don't mess with Leona's life.

3. How well they uphold the Ideals of the Job: 1 star. Leona doesn't give a shit about John's ideology, he thinks he's fucking crazy. The main motivation for him is to go along with it to protect his own (Ruggie, Jack, Yuu, Grim, himself, etc.). We all know Ruggie would do anything for money, but John isn't paying them. Leona is (as per the murder fic for their dorm) but he's only doing that to make sure Ruggie is on board and therefore safe from John. I also think Ruggie would get a bit too vindictive at times, which is again not the ideology John is trying to "teach". Jack tries but he has a hard time stomaching a lot of things.

4. How they contribute to a positive work environment: 2 stars. Let's face it, they're not exactly enthused to be doing these little projects. The 2 stars comes from Jack's attitude and respect. Ruggie and Leona do not contribute. (Ruggie would like to argue he makes the environment very positive. Jack tells him they are being evaluated on the actual work, not the sex afterward...)

Octavinelle

1. Professional Conduct/Mannerisms: 5 stars. If there's one thing these boys know from running a restaurant chain, it's professionalism. Even Floyd can play along, if he feels it suits his interests. And he finds this work very interesting.

2. Organization/Punctuality: 4 stars. Jade and Azul are always on time and ready to go. And, let's be real, Azul has his traps planned to death and back again, with multiple back-up plans for any possible issues he can think of. Floyd is hit-or-miss, depending on his moods. He shows up relatively punctually the majority of the time, but if something grabs his attention...good luck getting him to show up at all.

3. How well they uphold the Ideals of the Job: 3 stars. See, for the most part they do it right, targeting people who "deserve" it and using it to protect their restaurant and staff; an arguably noble cause. But then, there's the fact that Jade's motivations also stem from wanting to see what would happen. He's the type of person to put someone in a death trap just to see what would happen. While that curiousity is not completely out of line with John's teachings, Jade's sadistic enjoyment from it is. Everyone knows Floyd just does what he finds interesting and fun. He doesn't feel overly attached to making the victims have a "change of heart" or "learn something". He prefers when they suffer and die. (this is why he's not allowed to do traps by himself. Azul and Jade both know he'd likely get bored or angry and just kill the person himself. And that would land them in a little bit of hot water with John, which they'd rather avoid).

4. How they contribute to a positive work environment: 4 stars. Overall, Jade and Floyd have a pretty positive attitude when working on traps. Once in a while, Floyd gets restless and distressed or distracted and starts messing with things or throwing fits. However, given the nature of the work, it doesn't take much to pull him out of that mood. Azul is really the one where they lose points here. As much as he makes sure proper body mechanics are being used so as not to wreck their backs and cause injury, and puts in all sorts of safeties for their group to make sure they don't get injured while on the job, his work habits follow him even here. He doesn't take breaks when he should, worries and stresses over every little piece of the plan, and basically continues to be a workaholic.

Scarabia

1. Professional Conduct/Mannerisms: 5 stars. Kalim is the oldest son of a wealthy merchant. You better believe he knows how to be professional and cordial in a work environment. His attitude may be described as "casual" by some, but in reality it's more "welcoming", which bodes very well for professionalism. Jamil is professional in a different way. He would lean more toward the formal and polite side of it. Neither way is necessarily wrong. John enjoys talking with both of them and discussing their traps with them.

2. Organization/Punctuality: 3 stars. Kalim's downfall is that he can be a bit scatter-brained. I do think he'd be a bit more organized after having graduated, but I don't think his old habits would go away entirely. Jamil is the one who keeps their plans neatly documented in folders and binders and makes sure they have all the supplies they need. I would also like to point out that it is harder for Kalim to participate in this part because he really doesn't enjoy the murder part, so he tries as much as possible not to think about it ahead of time.

3. How well they uphold the Ideals of the Job: 3 stars again. This time, it's Kalim pulling the weight. Kalim is the one who sees this less as something he wants to do and more as something he needs to do. It's a responsibility. He wants the world to be a better place and if this is a way to make that happen, he will try. Jamil is where they lose points. Jamil is the one who would create the inescapable traps. He sees it more as a way to hand down judgement and punishment on "deserving" people, rather than a way to teach them.

4. How they contribute to a positive work environment: 4 stars. As solemn as the job is for Kalim, and as vindictive as Jamil can be, the two of them try to have a rather positive workplace. Kalim always makes sure they take lots of breaks, so as not to get exhausted emotionally or physically, and Jamil always has many snacks prepared. The one star they get removed is because Jamil can get a little self-righteous and go on rants at times, which kind of detracts from the atmosphere.

Pomefiore

1. Professional Conduct/Mannerisms: 5 stars. Vil is the epitome of professionalism. He will allow nothing less in all that he does. Epel sometimes grumbles about needing to be so concerned over how they conduct themselves when putting people in murder traps, but he begrudgingly goes with it, dress code and all. (Vil makes them wear clothes suited to the job. He has issues with the robes and masks, but he understands the logic behind the disguise and agrees that it is not something anyone would expect Vil Schoenheit to be caught dead in, and so it makes a very good part of his alibi).

2. Organization/Punctuality: 5 stars. They are never late. Vil will not hear of it. Epel came close One(1) time, and Vil lectured for a full thirty minutes after they finished with the trap. In all honesty, Vil really can't afford to have things running late. He has a very busy, very public life. He can't afford any suspicions. His traps are planned down to the minute, with a small window of cushion time to allow if things go wrong.

3. How well they uphold the Ideals of the Job: 4 stars. Vil, much like Kalim, sees this less as something he really wants to do and more as a solemn responsibility. Rook finds there to be beauty in giving people a chance to change, and there is beauty in desperation and what people are willing to do to live. Epel sits in the corner and questions if Vil and Rook are actually ok or if they need some therapy (they do, but like so does all of the Twisted Wonderland cast). Epel is the one who doesn't fully buy John's ideology. However, he is respectful to John (his granny would kill him if she heard otherwise) and they have many discussions about right and wrong, so John finds he cannot dock too many points based on Epel's attitude.

4. How they contribute to a positive work environment: 4 stars. Vil does his best to make sure they have scheduled breaks and enough time to complete the traps without causing injury to themselves. Rook tends to light up the workplace with his mannerisms, and I like to think he brings in art to their various workplaces because a beautiful workplace can be inspiring and good for the soul, or so he says. He would also be the type to come up with all sorts of activities and exercises for team-building in the workplace. Epel is the one most likely to be pouty or moody or be an unwilling participant in whatever workplace bonding activities Rook comes up with.

Ignihyde

1. Professional Conduct/Mannerisms: 1 star. Listen. Idia's idea of "professionalism" for this job is wearing pants when he monitors the trap from the comfort of his basement, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he chews on some gummy worms. The 1 star is because Ortho is always polite and well-polished when he interacts with John and when the trap is running.

2. Organization/Punctuality: 5 stars. Idia isn't playing around. He would never let a trap interfere with the important things in his life (playing video games, defeating bosses, participating in limited-time events for his mobile games, etc.). He's gonna make sure his traps are set up and start and end on time. And, he's more organized than he looks when it comes to tech. His workrooms and everything may seem chaotic, but he knows where everything is and has his traps planned out to every little detail. Each trap is like a challenge, and he does like showing off.

3. How well they uphold the Ideals of the Job: 2 stars. While Idia and Ortho do make sure to trap people who follow John's criteria for victims, Idia is more in it for the challenge of building the traps and Ortho is mostly in it because his brother is (though he doesn't mind getting revenge on people who piss them off...)

4. How they contribute to a positive work environment: 3 stars. Ortho is very positive and charismatic and charming in the work environment. Idia doesn't talk to anyone aside from Ortho unless he absolutely has to contact John, and even then it's usually via emails and rarely in person. Idia's also not exactly known for scheduling appropriate break times. He tends to get very wrapped up in watching his tech and making notes on what to improve and seeing if the victim can beat them...he often doesn't take breaks for hours at a time, depending on the trap's runtime. (Idia would like to point out in response to this evaluation that the workplace is VERY positive for him. "Nii-san. Please leave your computer, it's been six hours," Ortho begs in response.)

Diasomnia

1. Professional Conduct/Mannerisms: 5 stars. Malleus is a prince. He has been taught manners and how to conduct himself in a regal way since he was young. Lilia used to be a general. He knows how to behave professionally in the workplace. Sebek and Silver both feel they should maintain professional demeanor, as retainers to Malleus. John doesn't always understand all their mannerisms, but he does chalk most of that up to them being Fae and likely having different rules than humans, and he finds they are always polite and cordial so he really has no problem with their conduct.

2. Organization/Punctuality: 4 stars. Sometimes, Malleus gets lost in his own world (he is a Fae, after all, so his concept of time is very different at times). However, Lilia can find him most times and with his teleportation it is easy to be there relatively close to on-time. The rest of them are usually on time.

3. How well they uphold the Ideals of the Job: 3 stars. While Malleus does see this as an opportunity to make the world a safer place for Yuu, he also sees this as a way to sate some of his curiousity about humans. That's not *exactly* what John was going for, but he'll take what he can get. The rest of Diasomnia is basically there because Malleus is. They're not as interested in the actual work. Sebek tries to understand and follow John's teachings because Malleus seems to find them interesting, but I think his main motivation is still more about Malleus than the actual ideals John is trying to impart. Lilia is mostly there to be a bit of impulse control for Malleus, let's face it. And Silver feels he should be there out of duty to Malleus. So, really, Malleus (and sometimes Sebek) is the only one who sort of tries to follow John's ideals.

4. How they contribute to a positive work environment: 4 stars. They do their best. Lilia brings a lot of positivity and fun to the workplace to keep it stress-free. However, when Silver tests out parts for the traps, it drives him a little up the wall and he has to leave the workplace. The rest of the time, though, the workplace is rather positive and relatively relaxed as they plan the trap and set it up.

There you go! The evaluations of the dorms as Jigsaw Apprentices!! Hope you enjoyed my answers, this was a very fun ask!

[kimium]

Author Ask Game

I was tagged by @serenescribe for this ask game! Thanks so much! I'm excited to do this!

Total number of AO3 works: 276 as of April 2025.

Total AO3 word count: 2,783,719

Fandoms I've written for: SDR2, Danganronpa, Fire Emblem Fates, Fire Emblem Awakening, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, Twisted Wonderland, Akudama Drive, Dr. Stone, Magi

Top 5 fics by kudos:

How Did You Get In Here?

Waking Up in Pieces

Take It All

Your Kindness is a Lie

Gradients of Colour

Do I respond to comments?: Yes, I do. I believe if someone took the time to leave me a comment the least I can do is reply to them. Also, I generally like replying to comments. I think it's fun.

What has my most angst-ridden ending?: I honestly don't know. I think either it's one of my KHR fics or my FE fic If Only For a Moment.

What has my happiest ending?: Probably The taste of melon and the weight of a plushie fox because Hajime and Nagito got married in it.

Have I received hate?: Yes, I have. First time was when I wrote my Demon Hinata fic and I decided to write Nagito with Chiaki for the beginning. Someone messaged me crying that "I'm gay and I relate to Nagito!! How dare you write him with a woman!" While I roll my eyes at this now, this comment is why I never finished my ideas for my Demon Hinata series.

The second time was for a FE Fates fic where the premise was the Awakening Trio were scarred by Grima by getting tattooed. I wrote that because I found Koujaku in DMMD's backstory fascinating.

Someone clearly didn't like how I decided to handle my own story and instead of hitting the back button or writing their own dang fic they decided to be rude in the comments. Their comments continued and the fic was starting to stress me out. So, I deleted the story.

Do I write smut? And what kind?: Yes, I do. It's not posted so don't go looking for it. And I'm not certain what this means by "what kind?" Like?? Specific kinks? As if I'm telling.

Do I write crossovers?: Yes, I do. I wrote a BSD/SDR2 crossover. I also have written a couple of stories crossed over with XXXHolic. I love crossovers with all my heart and soul. Also, years and years ago I did a Danganronpa/Assassination Classroom crossover fic.

Have I ever gotten a fic stolen?: No, and it better stay that way or else...

Have I ever had a fic translated?: Yes! I've had multiple fics translated over the years! It is such an honour to have these translators put in such hard work and I appreciate them so much!

I have the links to the translated version in the fic summaries!

SDR2

The taste of melon and weight of a plushie fox in Spanish by ataraxiaapricity

1000 Kisses in Spanish by ataraxiaapricity

Just a Moment in Vietnamese by Wisteria

The Birthdays into Spanish by ataraxiaapricity

Your Kindness is a Lie into Spanish by ataraxiaapricity

How Did You Get In Here? in Vietnamese by dark-maple

Akudama Drive

Exhilaration (And the Bottling of It) into Mandarin

Have I ever co-written a fic?: LOL yes, I have! As many know I co-wrote multiple FE fics with @someobscurereference! Those being our Fates Mafia AU and Love Finds a Way.

Next, I'm also co-writing with @m34gs. We're doing a Sort of Saw Franchise AU for Twisted Wonderland. We also wrote a Silver/Sebek fic together titled Obviously We're Engaged VS I Wonder if Silver Likes Me?

A WIP I'll never finish?: I think at this point I may never finish Night Time Coffee...though I haven't fully given up on it. As for a fic not posted I've tried at least three times over the years to write a Kiznaiver FE Fates fic. It has never worked out so I don't think I'll ever finish it.

Writing strengths: I think I do a good job with descriptions, particularly settings.

Writing weaknesses: Transitions. I think I'm getting better though.

Do I like foreign language dialogue?: I think it's fine. I know some people think it breaks up a story too much, but I'm neutral to it. What I actually hate with a passion and what will always get my eyes to gloss over reading are song lyrics slapped into a fic.

First fandom I wrote for?: Way, way back when I think it was Shaman King. As for the first one I wrote and posted to AO3 it's a tie between DMMD and SDR2.

Favourite fic I've written?: Honestly, no clue. I know in the past I've sectioned this off by fandom or whatnot. But in reality I've written 276 fics. It's hard to pick a favourite. Though, I love when people tell me their favourite fics by me!

I tag @m34gs, @someobscurereference, @a-little-harmed-shinra, @shreedle, and @kamikazequail! Feel free to do this if you want!

[pet-cemetery-emotes]

you look like you had a tma phase

O_O

>_>

<_<

What do you mean I Look like. *adds another layer of tape to my webcam.*

Also I did not. People love confidently dropping stuff like this into my inbox, dripping with smirk energy, trying to hit a fuckor vein.

I still haven't watched TMA (the Magnus Archives, right? If there's another TMA, then I definitely haven't seen it) I also haven't seen Homestuck or read the Scott Pilgrim comic. I didn't really get into anime, either, barring a stint with some I could find on YouTube in the fifth grade. Those are the main ones I get... I was going to say asked about, but no one asks me, they just point at me and assign me these traits, like this.

Growing up I liked less than 20 franchises (for those of you at home following along with cork boards and yarn, Night Vale and Pokemon were two of them) and until I was almost out of high school I didn't even listen to music. I'm serious. I liked Hollywood Undead and Mindless Self Indulgence in sophomore year, but refused to listen to them once I discovered them (City and This Hurts respectively were the songs I stumbled across, I never tried to find more), because I could tell that was a bad sign. And I was right :D

And yeah, before anyone asks, I'm autistic.