#I have faith in Matthew Mercer

[laterkatersays]

It's so interesting watching perspectives on this episode because some people are just like, BH never really had a choice and this was always going to happen, this campaign sucks, or omg, I can't believe BH made the stupidest decision possible, this party sucks.

And I'm just here like... They made the only decision they could in the moment, knowing that Ludinus was likely coming back, knowing that any Ruidusborn could breach the last three barriers. The die was already cast, in the end BH stood together and said, we have to try to make it not as bad as it will be if Ludinus or a Ruidusborn under his control does it.

That says so much about who these characters are and who they are to each other. During the first half of the episode, each of them told Ludinus why they were there and it all came down to, we're here to stop you from doing this, and we're here together.

The difference is love. They love each other, they love the world, and as the Matron promised, love will save them.

[lecliss]

The thing that irks me so much about Cloud's va is that the guy doesn't sound like he's voicing an "emotionally stunted socially awkward secretly incredibly traumatized" character. He just sounds like he's bad at voice acting. And I can't tell if it's better or worse than in part 1 cuz he had the exact opposite problem there where he sounded like he wasn't good enough at sounding emotionless and kept letting emotion slip through in his lines like he sounded like an amateur actor that still couldn't sound convincing.

[soodalgwayeou]

Veilguard spoilers ahead but I have to get this out of my system

the good:

it's still good to go back to Thedas and see old characters

if this is your first Dragon Age game, it's interesting and good enough to make you interested in the other stuff

ASSAN

the griffon quests and the Weisshaupt mission are insane, heart attack upon heart attack

the villains are much better than Coripheus ever was

Emmrich Volkarin my beloved, there is nothing bad I can say about you

Mannfred (especially knowing that all those hissings are just Mr. Matthew Mercer having the time of his life and getting paid for it)

most of the locations have really unique vibes that make you invested in their storylines (especially the Anderfels), even though they are much smaller than in Inquisition

the completely useless tradition of gathering stuff during the final combat persists and I absolutely adore it

you can have a fatty Rook (and since my Rook was much like Hawke in personality, I made Varric's story of a fat hero rolling in gravy a reality)

coffee culture is canon

a coffin fuck in the Grand Necropolis that would make Cassandra crawl out of her skin

the bad:

everybody talks like they were in therapy for years. you don't talk like that in real life unless you want to sound real pretentious and dishonest. you don't thank Solas for sharing his feelings. you chuck him in the head with a stone over the abyss for talking shit.

everybody is so polite and understanding it hurts. even the characters in conflict talk it out pretty quickly. I miss Fenris and Anders trying not to murder each other behind my back in a random Hightown alley.

no choice matters. not the ones from previous games, nor the ones you make in this game. things will work out. everyone will love you. you can't upset anyone so much they'd rather leave or go behind your back.

not to talk about whatever they're claiming about the ruin of Ferelden, Orlais and the Free Marches

since nothing matters, except whether your Inquisitor smooched Solas or not, seeing Morrigan without Kieran and knowing that it could have been different...

no mention of the Architect who could've changed things

the characters are... I don't know. I don't feel much for them (except for Emmrich. Emmrich can stay forever.) it feels like after playing Awakening - you like these people, but not that much. Anders only hurt because you saw how cheerful he was and what happened after. but even after Tevinter Nights, after Vows and Vengeance, after tens of hours of playing, I did not shed a tear for loosing anyone. I was so concentrating on the survival of griffons I was ready to sacrifice most of them. honestly, that small war table quest where Sebastian is ready to attack Kirkwall and you know Aveline is there devastated me more than almost anything in this game.

the ugly:

since everybody is so polite and nothing matters, there are no real conflicts that matter, no real hard choices

nothing about mages or templars

nothing about slavery - you are standing in the middle of Minrathous and you see none of this. you can be a breaker of chains and it's just a backstory for you to make you a righteous person, but no quest about liberating slaves. Fenris would've burn this place down in a minute and leave nothing for the dragon.

nothing about racism - you've played 3,5 games where it is really important, with slums and jokes about elvhen ears and fear of the Qun and a linching of a priest in Orzammar just for his faith and now the world is a multicultural bonanza. you can live in a city under Qunari occupation and still have a friendly Tal-Vashoth merchant. In DA2 he'd be a quest to save from angry locals just because he has horns.

nothing about exploiting orphans - the Crows are all about FAMIGLIA and yes, they are assassins, but they are good guys. they definitely don't buy and train children from brothels to brainwash them and kill them if they try to leave. Zevran would poison Rook for helping them.

Isabela, who caused two acts of utter chaos in DA2 took the lesson to heart and now she runs an ethical pirate gang which - and I try not to laugh - give back stolen cultural items to their owners. honey, we both know you're lying. I love you, but you're lying.

nothing about Nevarran culture reveling their dead so much they forget to live - some point out they are creepy for being around corpses, but nothing about freaking out about spirits. characters in Jaws of Hakkon grabbed their pearls for less, not to mention Rivaini culture and all of these had potential to unravel and get conflicted about.

still, knowing there are griffons and a magical skeleton boy running around makes me sleep better and wait for the next chapter of this story (hopefully going back to its roots)

[featherbow]

Exclusive: The Mighty Nein’s Journey Continues in Critical Role: The Chronicles of Exandria—The Mighty Nein Part Two from Dark Horse

Critters, rejoice! The long-awaited sequel to 2020’s Critical Role: The Chronicles of Exandria—The Mighty Nein is finally on the horizon, picking up with more art, more lore, and even more incredible journeys for our favorite band of heroes.

The first art book covered a number of arcs from the wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons live-play phenomenon Critical Role‘s second campaign, featuring glimpses of iconic locations like the Happy Fun Ball, unforgettable characters like The Gentleman, and so much more. Critical Role: The Chronicles of Exandria—The Mighty Nein Part Two picks up where the first installment left off, featuring everything from the group’s “adventures in Xhorhas, to encounters with the Kryn and the Bright Queen, to discoveries at the Cinderrest Sanctum and in the belly of a behemoth, all the way to events at the Whitedawn Lagoon and beyond.”

This second book is being published by Dark Horse, longtime collaborator and publisher of other hit Critical Role adventures like Vox Machina Origins and The Mighty Nein Origins, and is being written by Critical Role Lore Keeper Dani Carr in collaboration with Matthew Mercer and the entire Critical Role team. The 304-page, oversized hardcover will feature new lore, its own narrative, and a plethora of art from across the Critter community.

And speaking of which, said narrative will come from the perspective of the Campaign 2/Campaign 3 NPC Iva Deshin, who made her first appearance selling Tusk Love to Laura Bailey’s Jester Lavorre, but was always clear in her desire to be an author. The Mighty Nein Part Two acts as a collection of her notes and mementos of the party.

“I really wanted Iva to go on a genuine emotional arc during this journey and find her voice, but to never lose her spark and her joy for the world she loves—especially the adventurers she adores,” said Carr. “The entire book is a love letter to the Mighty Nein, to Critical Role, and to the cast who have placed such faith and trust in me over the years. Exandria is just as much my home as it is Iva’s, and I can’t wait for Critters to dive in and let Iva help guide them through the incredible art of the Mighty Nein’s adventures.”

The beautiful cover, which you can check out below, is illustrated by Stephanie Pepper.

Critical Role: The Chronicles of Exandria—The Mighty Nein Part Two is available to preorder now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, TFAW, and your local comic shop or bookstore, and is slated to release November 26th, 2024 in bookstores and November 27th, 2024 in comic shops for $49.99.

[bryhaven]

I would just like to point out something because I've recently checked on the Attack on Titan dub while rewatching some episodes.

For context: しっかりしろ : shikkari shiro: definition and meaning: Pull yourself together; Shape up, Stand strong; Don't give up; Hang in there (しっかりしろ 意味：しっかりしろ)

When Sasha gets shot, Connie screams しっかりしろ (shikkari shiro) in the Japanese dub. Translated as shown below:

But in the English dub, Connie screams "Stay with me". As shown below:

Now in the RivaMika context, Levi screams the exact same thing in the raw version.

I have a feeling that not all anime translations will end up being "Stay with me". But, I have good faith that in the English dub, Matthew Mercer (Levi's dub VA) will say these exact words. 😌

Another reason to look forward to our famous RivaMika line 😍

[chrisdeanfuller]

Double Crossed: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War Review

I read the book Double Crossed: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War by Matthew Sutton, and it was interesting.  It relates the stories of five missionaries or missionary kids who became involved in spying for the US during WWII.  Their familiarity with the local language and culture allowed them to contribute to espionage with little training.   They also often had numerous contacts in the area who could help them. 

I found this book particularly intriguing because I was a missionary kid who later became a minister.  I was also interested to read about John Birch as he was one of the missionary spies featured.  He had graduated from Mercer University where I had served as a campus minister.  His contributions to the war against Japan in China was invaluable.  It also appeared to me that as he aged his faith became more nuanced. His rigid dogmatism had caused him difficult in his college years at Mercer.  I suspect he would not have completely agreed with the organization which later bore his name.

The book delves into the challenges of working for two masters, God and government.  It also reveals many of the men and factors which eventually led to the creation of the CIA after WWII. It's not seat of your pants excitement, but I enjoyed it.

[doorbloggr]

Wednesday 4/8/22 - Media Recommendations #37

At the start of 2020, my friends and I set aside a day a week to get together and play Dungeons and Dragons. While the four I played with had some experience in D&D, I had never played before, after playing together for 2 years now, I think it's an experience all nerds should take part in.

And since I have grown a light obsession with D&D over the last couple years, I have been lightly keeping up with the latest season of a podcast called Critical Role, and it has only fueled my obsession further. So today let me tell you what Critical Role is all about.

Critical Role

Just like any other at-home D&D group, Critical Role started out as a group of friends playing a table top RPG. But one day, they decided to upload a recording of their sessions to Twitch, and changed the internet's perception of Dungeons and Dragons.

Keeping up with Critical Role has been a fairly unique experience for me. I do indulge in Podcasts quite often these days, but Critical Role is different to your run of the mill podcast, because there's an overarching plot and narrative.

Unlike my usual recommendations, I can't really give a plot synopsis, since each campaign is hundreds of hours and any major plot detail is a spoiler. But I CAN say that each adventure is a unique and gripping plot that has you keen to listen to the next episode.

Clara Daly (@ eldritchblep on twitter)

Critical Role explores the original world of Exandria, a fantasy realm of numerous cultures and deep worldbuilding. Each of the three campaign spans different continents across the world, and explore issues of rotten monsters, corrupt organisations, and the meddling of deities beyond their realm. The system is based in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, and despite how perfectly the plot seems to go sometimes, every session is spontaneous, and largely unplanned by the players.

@keyvei

The DM Matthew Mercer has collaborated with dozens of other creators to craft a huge world, and there are several 5th Edition source books they have built from this world. Matt also works with his players to craft engaging backstories that have the others at the table, and those watching from home, on the edge of the seats.

I must also commend the players, Sam Reigel, Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, Liam O'Bbrien, Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson, and Taliesin Jaffe on their amazing voice acting and improv skills to make these beautifully enthralling characters with multi faceted personalities and lore.

@smolspoopy

Despite the concept being a bunch of white nerds doing a very white thing, the world, and community of Critical Role is a bastion of diversity and representation of various cultures, gender and sexual identities, and mental and physical challenges. Both the main cast and guest stars explore a variety of complex issues including PTSD, abuse, body dysphoria, substance dependency, broken homes, and broken souls. And that's just the stuff from campaign 2!

@starving-and-arting

Finally, I will lay out the actual structure of how one would go about experiencing Critical Role.

At the time of writing, there are 3 campaigns of Critical Role. Each story can be viewed without prior experience, but faithful viewers will get a kick out of Easter eggs and callbacks to earlier parts. Each episode is usually around 4 hours along, with a half hour break somewhere in the middle.

Campaign One, also known as Vox Machina, is 115 episodes, plus spin-off episodes released later. This series was their first to be broadcasted, and I've been told the production value at the start is not amazing, but it improves. Campaign Two, The Mighty Nein, is 141 episodes. They really hit their stride with this season, and despite the end of the campaign running into the start of the Covid 19 pandemic, it never lost its spark. Campaign Three, Bell's Hells is still ongoing, and at the time of writing, up to episode 28.

All three campaigns are archived on their YouTube Channel, and new episodes are streamed to both YouTube and Twitch on Thursday Nights (Pacific Daylight Time), and then the vod is released on YouTube the following Monday (Tuesday for me).

Subscribe on YouTube or Twitch

I personally have only just finished watching Campaign 2, and am up to date on Campaign 3. I have not watched Campaign 1, but if you are looking for content on that adventure, there is a series on Amazon Prime called the Legend of Vox Machina (reccomended earlier) that chronicles part of that campaign. You can watch the Campaigns in any order, but my personal advice is try to catch up on Campaign 3 at least sooner rather than later, since it is the easiest to catch up on.

Hope you enjoyed the read, and let me know if you enjoy the reccomendation.

Also, the fanbase, the Critters are amazingly passionate, so check out the artists I tagged on this post, and more if you get the chance.

[stardustedknuckles]

in hindsight the joke is on me for thinking Birdie might have been looking out for number one when she is played by Matthew Mercer, because he simply is incapable of playing a character loved by a party member as anything other than doing their very best in whatever form that takes. He goes so far as to fully transform characters who initially do not respond to the group’s affection (essek, the gentleman) or who start out entirely unable to meaningfully comprehend it (artagan) and every person a player character has put their hope in has turned out to meet them halfway and reward it - even in the midst of a boss battle. This campaign thus far has been no different.

So yeah. I should’ve known Birdie would care so much about Fearne after all, because Fearne cares deeply about her and Matt knows that a character doing their best, however poorly, is always a better story than characters who flatly do not care and think only of themselves.

It’s good faith storytelling, and he’s very good at it.

[i-got-the-feels]

Things I can't stop enough about in Daredevil Season 3

Matt questioning his faith

• His this conversation with Father Lantom

"I come to you with questions and you tell me what you understand about God"

"Nature of the gig, I guess"

"Let's give it a rest, shall we?"

•His conversations with Sister Mary

"I'd say things are complicated between you and the guy upstairs"

"Haaaha no, if anything I'd say we finally know where we stand with each other"

"I don't hate him. I've seen his true face that's all. I had a life, friends. And I am choosing to let them believe I am gone because I am" (because he finally, after all this years is seeing the Stick sees - agreed because of his angsr, guilt and hurt- but now he sees how having people by his side doing what he does can be weakness and yes Sister Mary calls Stick an indiot for telling him this but its a little too late)

which later continues when he asks Sister Mary if she knows how it feels one's calling to be taken away

"If you can't fulfil our calling, we might be better off as worm food, that's what you are saying? I'd find another purpose"

"Ah, if you can do anything else, it never was your calling"

"I prayed. I looked for signs. In the end, I just had to my best to figure it out" and Matt says God won't give guidance and Sister Mary says this

"Because you have seen his true face"

"I too believed I was God's soldier (just like Job) . Not any more. I am what I do in the dark now. I bleed only for myself." (reminds me of Season 2 Finale Monologue of Karen "Some people bloody the streets to protect it, some people bloody their fists to protect it

"In front of this God, I'd rather die as devil than live as Matt Murdock" - reminiscent of Season 1 "There is devil in the Murdock boys"

His conversation with the daughter whose father's  kidnapping attempt he foiled

"Thank God for you."

"He didn't help you. I did"

The Hallucinations in the show and their meaning

Matt's hallucinations of Fisk

The clothes his Fisk Hallucination wears and says are symbolic of Matt's guilt, Matt's wondering if he is indeed doing things the right way by sending him into prison, when he himself says- "the system is not meant to keep people like him. With that much money and power he manipulates the broken system", its the Catholic in him that hopes that Fisk has truly changed even though he doesn't believe it seen via his this conversation with Sister Mary

"Do you think people can change?"

"I am still holding out hope."

"I don't think we can. I think we come as we are. Maybe we get a bit nicer. A bit angrier. But we can't change the fundamental nature"

"Well if there's anything that can redeem a lost soul, love would have to top the list" and so he hears all this when he hallucinates Fisk.

"God restores your hearing in time to hear the crowd chant my name. Does that sound like forgiveness?"

"Maybe I can be valuable to city than you  ever were"

"Take me back to prison? But you know that's not going to work. There is only one way to stop me and you won't do it" "Are you sure about that?"

"In a way, you are my accomplice. Everything that happened since you refused to kill me is on you. The bodies I have stacked up. The ones to come. I wonder who's next."

Matt's hallucination of his Dad

In his normal, usual clothes - showing that the devil in them is a part of them. That they enjoying hitting and harming people. The power it gives them.

Dex's Hallucinations

Dex hallucinations mostly include Mercer's voice and that shows the impact she had on her, how he could live a semblance of a normal life before Fisk manipulated and ruined him.

Because of the impact she had on him, he was able to resist Fisk as long as he was.

His hallucinations - unlike Matthew's are solely auditory and voices more garbled and unclear showing his struggle and something beautifully shown in a sentence he said "I am drowning in deep water and I am pushing but I dont know if I am reaching for the surface or bottom"

Matt's anger - then and now (moving on from anger) as seen in conversation with Father Lantom

"Argumentation is a skill. Being argumentative is a sign. A sign that you are angry, Matthew. Perfectly understandable reaction to your situation but not a sustainable one - Father Lantom.

" Adam and Eve were not puppets and neither are we. God gave us freewill and that's why we pray, to help making good choices" - Father Lantom

"See its always the same, "please God" I thought God let me hear their prayers so I could answer. So that's what I did. I thought i heard God's voice through people but now  understand what I heard was voices of people in pain and all he ever gave any of us was silence. My delusion was thinking God had something to do with it. I don't get to choose who I am. I am daredevil. Not even God can stop that now" Matt Murdock

Matt not killing Fisk even when Fisk asks him to and instead saying

"God knows I want to but You don't get to destroy WHO I AM. You will go back to prison and live rest of your miserable life in a cage knowing you'll never have Vanessa, that this city rejected you. It beat you. I BEAT YOU! You'll keep my secret (as he removes mask to show that his doubts don't control him anymore and that Matt Murdock and Daredevil are one and the same) and you won't harm Karen Page or Foggy Nelson or anyone else. Because if you do, I'll go after your wife. And I will prove Vanessa ordered the murder of Agent Ray Nadeem and like her husband she will send the rest of her life in a cell"

I'd change that if I could. His last words - "Shame on you, Father" and Father Lantom's last words being "Father- Forgive us" for the mistakes he made as a mere mortal human.

and Sister Mary's response, "If God allowed that, there would be no future. Just people endlessly rewriting the past"

THE scene between Karen and Fisk

The tension. The music. (select quotes)

"A hammer? At that age? I wonder if there is any part of you that isn't broken"

The first beat of climax - when they refer each other with their first names ONLY.

"Since when were you aware of Mr Murdock' double life?"

"Thank you Miss Page, Thank you"

"You want secrets, Wilson? I think we know each other well to call that."

"As you wish, Karen"

THE Reveal

"The first twenty hour hours are the worst, aren't they?"

"What would affect you more? His duplicity or his death?"

"If you are wondering, didn't suffer much. You see Matt Murdock isn't whom you should be worried about. I killed Wesley. I shot him seven times. Because the clip ran out. He deserved more."

On abandoning and why (keep trying) to hold on

"Death will aways win. Eventually. Death when it comes naturally can be a beautiful event which is why one must never hasten it with violence" - Mercer ensuring Dex doesn't lose the faint light in him, which he definitely would have if she let him kill her.

"How he treats him is on him. If we turn our back on him, that's on us. People have been bailing on Matt his whole life, I will not be one of them" Foggy Nelson to Karen Page.

"When someone in need tries to push you away, you have to the find the strength to hold on tighter" Sister Maggie

"Everyone abandoned Matthew, including me" - Sister Maggie to Karen Page.

"Unlike everyone in your life, I will never abandon you" - Fisk to Dex

and because he knew Dex saw Mercer's death as her abandoning him, because he knew he sees Julie as his North Star and reached out to her for help and when he saw Julie wouldn't abandon him and gave him a chance instead - he ensured Dex felt abandoned by killing Julie but making him think that she abandoned him, is disgusted by who he is truly is.

How we see Dex was truly hurt to know Ray didn't have his back with the lawyer - when we know how hard Ray tried to save Dex from Fisk, from himself. How Dex mirroing his first moment of practicing empathy says to Ray says "

"This life never works with Betsy's" Matt to Melvin and Betsy later saying "I told Melvin, you and he were cut from the same cloth but he didn't listen and trusted you and called you a hero"

"How do you keep holding on to them?" "It's not me. It's them." - A conversation between Matt and Ray Nadeem

Ray Nadeem and Seema Nadeem

I have already written about Seema and her amazing character here

Ray. You can see his moral compass never had doubts (his morality was why Seema married him) - he was pushed into it just like Hattley said "Wilson has had you marked for years. Why do you think your sister-in-laws insurance was rejected?" but when Matt pushes why he did the right thing so late, why he hesitated Ray burts out and says "I didn't want my son to see me as an average federal employee" and when you throwback to the scene where Sami is telling how his friends have a bowling alley in garage and Ray tells they will get pool in house for the next summee - it makes sense.

Speaking of making sense, Hattley betraying Ray makes sense too- remember how she told about her father lying about the toxicity of chemicals he drove for long roads but that lie kept her calm and safe, how she encouraged that he do the same to Sami and Seema because she is doing the same to him when she says "Hold on to all the lives we will be saving. They matter. Just as much as the ones we lost" because she has to believe she is driving the van with least dangerous chemical even if she knows it is the most dangerous one.

Foggy Nelson

Foggy asking to be on a case to put Fisk behind bars, for free because you are under-resourced and I am over-resourced way way over-resourced. Acknowledges inequalitiy and jnequity in world but Again. Hope in world.

Foggy figuring out Fisk's plan to be the Kingpin for all the criminals in Newyork by giving them police protection.

Foggy deciding to quit elections when he knows he and his family can be used to be blackmailed.

How he never forgot that Matt was the one who inspired to do the good in him when he says "we began the firm to do good and get rich- get rich part was me and do good was Matt, of course" but now it is Foggy who reminds him that good can be done the right way, even if it takes longer and has to be done again and again.

Karen Page

"I don't need him to be a part of me anymore. And I don't want him to be"

"I dont believe yoou.I am not so sure if daredevil is the problem" - Karen's way of wondering if it is her that's the problem because she knows she has killed people- including her brother.

Her telling about her past to Matt and Matt only understanding her. Her telling her about it because she knows the impact it has on self when you take someone's life, even in self-defense how she doesn't want Matt to be ruined like that.

This conversation between Karen and her dad

(a person whom she has cut off in every way but reaches out in moment on vulnerability only to hear THIS"

"I tried to do the right thing but it went all wrong, dad"

" That's what you do, Karen"

(Please mister, do not act like you didn't push her parentification and make her be the parent by making her take responsibilities, by making her feel stuck so much that she had to give up opportunities she had because who would look after her younger brother with you clinging on to past and refusing to move on)

Wilson Fisk

So the devil is back and Fisk's reflection on the glass window over looking the city- showing he is the devil that lives and harms this city.

The smile he gave when he painted Daredevil as the new villian and later on him as the hero when he says "the justice in system ha prevailed" when he is declared as innocent.

"Love is the perfect prison. Inescapable. So, I will be in prison wherver I go" - how he knows he is defeated and won't be able to do anything to Matt or people he cares about because he cannot loose Vanessa.

Nelson, Murdock and Page

The show ending on a note of hope. A new beginning.

Season 1 Season 2

[vividxp]

For the record, (because I have no self control nor self preservation and I still deign to follow cr twitter and cr reddit) I wanted to point out that there are two different discourses happening over the new CR intro.

There’s twitter where people are criticizing the optics of the costume/set choices with regards to the setting of Marquet. 

And there’s reddit where there’s a considerable amount of people who didn’t like the new opener because they found it cringe, taking itself way too seriously, and another page filed under “proof CR is a bunch of corporate sellouts”. (A constant refrain from there since EXU was announced, ugh reddit was so horrible and toxic during EXU).

And because I haven’t figured out a way for Twitter to stop recommending tweets in a topic that I didn’t follow (the Matthew Mercer topic by the way), I’ve found out through the recommended replies that Matt was probably responding to the cringing and whining redditors, but since he posted on twitter where the only extended discussion about the opening is re: the former issue, some people are assuming that he was responding to the costumes critiques and now people are angry because it seems like he’s writing off those critiques.

(Doesn’t help that BWF who, even if he’s not an official CR employee anymore, has close ties with the cast and is still friendly with them, has been antagonizing fans who are discussing the costumes in good faith).

Just wanted to post that in case people were wondering what was going on.

(edited the post for clarity/typos)

[salamoonder]

She’ll be okay right??

I won’t lie, I was having a ton of anxiety bout this last night, anon. But here’s what I think:

I think that I believe in Matthew Mercer. No that I think he’ll never let anything bad happen, but I believe that he would much rather put hope and healing and meaning into his stories over cheap plot twists and shocking dramatics.

He gave Beau vindication--we got justice and compassion for her after a brief line from her a hundred episodes ago.

I want to believe that if there is a possibility of Astrid escaping and healing--and Wulf too--then Matt will let the nein exploit it. I hope they’re both going to be okay. I really do. And I have a lot more faith in Matt and the cast than I do in pretty much any other movie or tv show or book.

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!

Thanks @calamitykaty! 

This was fun! Though I must admit, it made me realize I write terrible opening lines... How did these even hook you to the story? Honestly??? I am confused??? 

I put my faves in bold! :) 

1.You’re The Reason | Eric Matthews

Eric Matthews. The goofy, charming oldest boy of Alan and Amy. My best friend since forever.

2. Rock Bottom | Luke Patterson 

Breathe deep. Bottle it up. 

3. Maya and June | To Find You Again (Deleted Scene) 

A nervous vibe hung around the group as they stood in front of the unfamiliar house.

4. Dreaming of You | Julie Molina

The doorbell rang on a Sunday night, something rather unusual in the Molina house.

5. Life In Quarantine (Part 5) | Owen Patrick Joyner

“Bubs?” I called for Owen when he finally emerged from the bathroom.

6. I’m There | Alex Mercer

Alex knew the second she walked in that something was amiss.

7. Just Like Heaven | Reggie Peters

Reggie tapped his pencil to his temple as he stared down at his textbook.

8. Home Again | Owen Patrick Joyner

When y/n received the message, her breath hitched in her throat.

9. What You Mean To Me | Luke Patterson (StarStruck series)

I don’t feel like getting up today.

10. Hero | Luke Patterson (StarStruck series)

I’m almost nervous to see him again.

11. Something About The Sunshine | Luke Patterson (StarStruck series)

I had hoped I wouldn’t have to see Luke anymore after that one incident after the concert, but fate really didn’t think the same about that.

12. StarStruck | Luke Patterson (StarStruck series)

“We’ll fight to shine together Bright forever!”

I can’t help but sing along to the songs playing through the speakers in my car.

13. God Only Knows | Luke Patterson 

Sigh. I’m surrounded by textbooks upon textbooks upon textbooks.

14. The Cure | JATP Girls 

I lost my faith, made my mistakes

Gonna find a way to make it easy

I'll be better on my own, believe me

I never meant to be mean to Julie.

15. The Guy At The Gas Station | Charlie Gillespie 

I groaned upon noticing the small arrow on my dashboard was nearing the E.

16. Love Shack | Luke Patterson 

Luke could listen to her drone on and on and on about this stupid fundraiser and he wouldn’t be bored of her for once second.

17.  Vet Visits | Owen Patrick Joyner

Moving from Norman to Oklahoma City meant Owen didn’t only have to take care of himself, it also meant he had to take care of things his mother used to manage.

18. Life In Quarantine (Part 4) | Owen Patrick Joyner

Clad in a burgundy set of high-waisted leggings and sports bra covered by Owen’s Sunset Curve summer tour shirt, I walk into the living room, ready to start my workout of the day.

19. A Mess | Savannah Lee May 

“I think it’s better if we end things now before it all spirals into something bad…” said Savannah softly, her gaze focused on her hands as she fiddled with the rings around her long, slender fingers. 

20. Mad Love (Part 5) | Taylor Kare

Everything reminded y/n of Taylor.

I’m tagging @bright-molina @vicesvsvirtuesfanfic @cherrymaybank @merceret @crybabyddl @jaskiers-sweetkiss @writerinlearning and anyone else who wants to do this! 

[darksaiyangoku]

DarkSaiyan and OddNub’s YuGiOh Reboot

Back in February, my buddy @oddnub and I were talking about how we would reboot the YuGiOh anime, and we decided to follow in the footsteps of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and pitch a more faithful adaptation of the YuGiOh manga:

Now don’t get me wrong, the anime back in the 2000’s definitely had a big impact and, despite my hate for 4Kids, I do have fond memories of it. However, it’s such a shame that a lot of fans have overlooked such a great manga. What makes YuGiOh stand out from other Shonen titles is the fact that despite not being very action heavy, it’s still an engaging read and a battle of brains can be just as compelling as a battle with fists, maybe even more so.

Anime Studios

Some of you are probably wondering what would this new adaptation might look like and I have three main studios in mind for this:

A-1 Pictures

A-1 Pictures are my go to studio for this project. They have a knack for making good fantasy anime, such as Fairy Tail and Seven Deadly Sins, and using animators from those teams can really bring the battles to life in new and epic ways!

Not only that, but A-1 are also the studio responsible for producing Your Lie in April, Anthem of the Heart and the legendary Anohana. All of these are very emotional and hard-hitting stories and can carry over to the heavier moments adapted from the original manga, showing the audiences that this is going to be much different than what they’re used to.

OLM. Inc

While it would be great to have a more serious look at the story, let’s be honest with ourselves; there’s gonna be a huge demand for new merchandise. Known for also producing the Pokemon anime, OLM Inc seem like the perfect studio and can really capture a nostalgic “Saturday Morning Cartoon” vibe the original had.

Madhouse

Ah, Madhouse. One of the most popular studios among anime fans today. They would be a great studio to handle the YuGiOh reboot. Why? Simple.... horror. Madhouse is no stranger to horror anime, mainly thanks to their sleeper hit of 2014; Parasyte. Not only that, but they’ve also had some solid action series too such as 2011’s Hunter x Hunter and One-Punch Man. If they can combine that horror and hard hitting action, we could be in for a really good time!

Seasons

Keeping things simple, New YuGiOh would be divided into 7 seasons, each one being 24-25 episodes. The main story arcs are as follows:

School/Death-T Arc

School/Monster World Arc

Duelist Kingdom Arc

Battle City Arc

Tournament Finals Arc

King’s Memories

Ceremonial Battle Arc

Cast

Okay, I know that this is gonna sound controversial, but I wouldn’t have Dan Green or Eric Stuart return as either Yugi or Kaiba respectively. Before any of you jump at me, I have a reason. Mainly because I want this reboot to go in a new direction, which is being a more faithful adaptation of the original manga. As such, I don’t want any ties to 4kids being in this show. I want this to be fresh and exciting not just for newcomers but for older fans too.

Dan and Eric are the iconic voice actors for Yugi and Kaiba, I know that. But they shouldn’t be the only ones to voice the characters. Batman has had multiple voices, I think Yugi and Kaiba can have them too.

Anyway, me and Odd had a pretty cool idea where characters with a Yami form would have their voices be completely different, emphasising that there are two separate people inhabiting one body. The voice actors I had in mind are as follows:

Yugi Mutou/Yami Yugi- Colleen Clinkbeard/Bryce Papenbrook

Anzu Mazaki- Cherami Leigh

Jonouchi “Joey” Katsuya- Benjamin Diskin

Hiroto Honda- Kyle McCarley

Sugoroku Mutou- David Lodge

Setō Kaiba- Johnny Yong Bosch

Mokuba Kaiba- Alexis Tipton

Ryuji Otogi- Todd Haberkorn

Mai Kujaku- Erica Lindbeck

Dinosaur Ryuzaki- Newton Pittman

Insector Haga- Robbie Daymond

Bandit Keith Howard- Kyle Hebert

Para Meikyu- Lex Lang

Dox Meikyu- Talesin Jaffe

Maximilion J. Pegasus- Kaiji Tang

Ryo Bakura/Yami Bakura- Josh Keaton/Clancy Brown

Marik Ishtar/Yami Marik- Matthew Mercer/Mark Hamill

Shadi- Todd Haberkorn

Thief King Bakura/Zorc- Ray Chase

Music

There’s only one choice; Yuki Kajiura. I mean, she composed the music for Ufotable’s Fate!!!! What more could you ask for?

And that’s the pitch for our potential YuGiOh reboot. Even though it’s highly unlikely that this would all happen, it was still a fun thought to have. One day, I’m sure we’ll see another YuGiOh series that does adapt the manga more faithfully. Until then, we still have the manga with us right now. Seriously if you haven’t read it yet, do it!

Special thanks to @oddnub for helping me with this. Go check him out, he does some fun, cute artwork as well as some good stories. 👍

[orime-stories]

@risualto kindly asked me to talk a bit more about my character building process for Seluna and what the original story hook that brought her into existence was. So here is a dramatic reconstruction of my thought process back when she first came to be (I put a read more half way down because it got a bit long);

This world seems to have some interesting gods, and that’s drawing me in. Could be interesting to play a character that has absolute blind faith in something since that’s very different from me. What race should I pick? These godlike look so awesome, but maybe that would be too awesome. I should maybe pick something a bit more... realistic? In this fantasy game of wondrous things that I am playing for my own entertainment? Wait a minute, this is a random negative thought that is trying to make me feel embarrassed about my building excitement, isn’t it? Well nobody invited you and now I’m going to pick a godlike just to spite you. Green nature and celestial spacey stuff are two of my absolute favourite aesthetics, but I guess a shiny moon fits the shiny god of light a bit better so let’s go with that. Oh gosh these are a lot of backgrounds to choose from. But Aedyr’s the only one that lets me have a clergy background, so let’s do that. And then... oh no. Every time. Every damn time I get swept up in the excitement of making a new character and somehow always completely forget that I’m going to be asked to name them. Uhhhh... [hours pass on various baby naming websites] Screw it, I don’t know enough about this character or the naming conventions of this world yet, let’s just slap two moon names together and call it a day. And thus Seluna is born.

So who are you, newest of my many children? You’re blindly devoted to this god that may or may not be dead (sounds pretty dead but it seems this story is comfortable with multiple interpretations of canon events so maybe you’ll get lucky?), and that means you’ve got to be all about honesty and benevolence. That makes me want to give you high emotional intelligence so you’ll be able to tell harsh truths as kindly as possible, and so you can help people to navigate through their own faith and personal issues as a member of the clergy. So you’re good with people. I want you to be comfortable and confident in your own sense of self too though, because I don’t want to stray too far into overly naive, shy, blushing priestess territory. So that means you’re going to own any feelings you have for anyone, okay? And wouldn’t you know it, the game has two very lovely Matthew Mercer voiced characters that I have personally fallen in love with. Hmmm, how do I pick which one to ship you with? I’m having a lot of great ideas for both of them. This is the biggest roadblock I’ve hit with you so far, and I agonise over it for some time. If only I, a person who is not monogamous in real life, could think of a way to solve this conundrum. I mean, I guess I could make them share a polyamorous relationship? But wouldn’t that be too self indulgent? Hey, it’s that random negative thought again! I thought I already told you you aren’t welcome here. Well this is my story and I can do whatever I want with it. Also, you know how this works, now I have to ship them that way just to spite you, so...

[soulmate-game]

If you want to write a good story, fanfiction or otherwise, here are some of my humble tips. Keep in mind, every writer has their own style and you can use or ignore these tips as necessary once you’ve discovered or gotten comfortable enough with writing to play around and bend the “rules” a bit. These are just guidelines, but I think they offer a decent starting point.

1) structure is important. Reading is still a visual art, even if most of those “visuals” are done by the imagination. But if someone opens up your story to see a giant intimidating block of text, chances are it won’t be read. Structure also helps the story flow easier, so the reader has to do less work to stay immersed in your created world. Keep your structure friendly to the eye and easy to read by using paragraph breaks (either by tabbing to separate blocks of text or skipping entire lines, depending on your platform). Think of it like allowing your audiences to take the story piece by piece at a time, even on the same page. It helps the story not seem so daunting.

2) This is a sub point of the above, but I see this mistake way too often to not give it its own bullet. START A NEW PARAGRAPH whenever the dialogue SWITCHES. For example, DON’T do;

“Yeah that sounds great,” Barbara agreed, and Tim nodded. “Then we’ll start with Plan Preach.” “Sounds good,” Jason spooked them, appearing out of nowhere.

Instead, do;

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Barbara agreed, and Tim nodded.

“Then we’ll start with Plan Preach,” Tim confirmed firmly. Out of nowhere, Jason appeared while cocking a gun in one hand.

“Sounds good.”

Which one sounds better? Always make sure your readers know without a shadow of a doubt who just finished speaking. Try not to allow for any confusion over who said what line, it can make people disassociate from the story and lose interest.

3) Use a thesaurus or Google to look up synonyms so you don’t use the same word thirty times in one chapter. I still make this mistake too often; learn from my misgivings children.

4) as long as your grammar and spelling are readable, don’t sweat the small stuff. You can always fix it later, but don’t get mad if someone points out that a big spelling or grammar mistake is made. Sometimes “little” mistakes can have a big impact on readability, but everyone makes them. Just fix it and move on.

That covers all the technical stuff. Onto flavor tips. Stuff that I recommend for the story itself.

1) Emotions. Don’t keep your story single-toned, make use of all the emotions you can throughout your story. One shots can use at least two emotions, longer stories (like novel length) are best making you experience as many as pheasibly possible. If you experience too much one emotion, you get numb to it. That ruins the experience entirely. Too much angst, and you just feel dull instead of getting the prick of ice in your chest and the flow of emotion that makes angst so enjoyable. You want your readers to feel, not get numb. That’s why you have to give them emotional pallet cleansers; a dash of humor here, a chapter of anger there, some fluff to soothe the angst before you make them cry so hard they need a new pillow. Trust me, mixing up the emotions and tones of scenes like this can really help you deliver a greater impact with each big plot development or dramatic moment.

2) don’t be afraid of predictability. If you’re putting down deliberate breadcrumbs and your readers catch it, good. They’re paying attention. You can reward them (just refer to Matthew Mercer if you don’t believe me!) by showing them that they were right. Rewarding their attention. Sure, that means you gotta make the reveal that they found out beforehand worth it, but you can play around with that. I have faith in you!

3) Experiment. Practice with characters and subjects that you might not be comfortable with, learn how to write them, and use them to further your story or your writing in general. A good writer is always evolving, but it doesn’t have to be at a fast pace. Experiment a little here and there to add depth.

4) research. You’ll hate me for saying this, but research new things. Become a pseudo-expert in whatever you have to be in order to make your writing convincing, or become a damn good bluffer. You want your readers to believe that you know exactly what you’re talking about.

5) READ. NEVER STOP READING! Good writers read all the time. It doesn’t have to be actual novels or “literature,” it can be poems or fanfics or scripts. Just read and experience stories however possible.

6) observe people around you whoever possible. Researching psychology can help a LOT too, especially when character building and trying to make your characters more three dimensional and realistic. Go out into a public area every once in a while and just people watch. Eavesdrop. It’s for SCIENCE LITERATURE! Just don’t gossip about what you might overhear. That’s not cool.

7) Have fun. If you aren’t having fun writing, it will show in the final product. If you need to stop, stop. Recharge. And if you can’t fall back in love with the story, that’s okay. You don’t owe anyone anything. Just apologize to your loyal readers and explain that you can’t enjoy it anymore. The ones that matter will understand.

Those are my tips. Feel free to ignore any of them if you want, this is just a baseboard for you guys to jump off of as you develop your own style. Love you all as always, and happy writing!

[critcatbar]

Nooo, not Essek!! Matthew Mercer you have broken my heart and shattered my dreams!!!

(Except he still cares about the M9 and it's adorable and I still have faith this can work out and he's conflicted and this is exactly the specific flavor of betrayal-angst I LIVE for and if anyone can do it right it's these nerds)