#I'm suggesting a perspective you maybe haven't considered

[crabussy]

wow, what a strange thing to feel comfortable saying about other people! especially people who are part of a group with a statistically large percentage of trans and LGBT members, as well as a large percentage of autistic members. your stance on this is reductive, assumptive and very unkind. Often, "fucking weirdos" are actually a group of people who share several intersectional marginalized identities who happen to be part of a larger community. I encourage you to take a moment to reevaluate your immense dislike for a small group of people who are partaking in something so harmless as feeling like a wolf and finding joy in that.

Being nonhuman fucks. Oh, you think a regular ass person sold you your pastries?

Wrong. Wolf.

[zombeebunnie]

Trembling Essence:💙Play tester help + Cleaning up endings💙

Helllooo and welcome new followers, things fluctuated a lot this week but here's how the progress towards the game has been going. :[]

Play tester help:

My play testers played through some of endings again after I added touch ups, here's a couple of things they critiqued! :]

The bridge:

I added some minor animations in areas that were suggested to make it look like you're actually walking towards the bridge! I found a better way to avoid the animation reset but I'm still hoping to discover a way to fix this so I can apply this in other areas. :[] Certain words were accidently repeated too many times and my play tester said it was very noticeable. More of the dialog has been cleaned up along with hidden grammatical errors. >:] A small bug was found where skipping through the dialog too fast can cause the CG's to blur which has been fixed too. :D

The Chasm Ending ???:

I have no idea how I got to this part anymore but this is one of the endings you can get from the [Extended Demo] that I went and fixed up. I want to show this animated one because I'm really happy with how it turned out. :,,,,]

My play testers gave me a lot of pointers before I managed to get it looking right! A couple of CG's have added camera pan and I took it a step further and added a better perspective of animated rain falling onto the player(Y/N)! In the original version the trees blended too much into the leaves and the angle where the rain came down looked really wonky. :,] There was a couple of grammar issues and wonky wording that got fixed mainly because the ending plays out a little bit differently. >:]

Outside of other things going on with the game's progress this sort of sums up what all has been going on behind the scenes. The other endings (The Cave, etc) haven't been played yet but maybe next week they will be. Overall I've been fixing up everything my play testers recommended to me! :]

If you like what I create, please consider supporting what I do on kofi! All donations and tips help tremendously while I continue to work on the game. Thank you to those that optionally bought the [Extended Demo] and the March 2023 demo on itch.io. :,]

Q&A / Ask box is open:

If you have any questions about Trembling Essence/Noah feel free to ask here or on itch.io please. This makes it easier for me to see and answer accordingly! I enjoy hearing from you guys!

Overall, thank you everyone for the constant support, the progress has been fairly small this time around but I appreciate the uplifting words! >:,]

[yukidragon]

By any chance, could you list like all the things we know about Joseph and Jack? Because some people might be new to the fandom and not know much about it.. if you did this before then could we get the source for it?

Btw love your works :D

Thank you so much! You're so sweet. 💗

Well, while I haven't considered making a fandom primer before... I did make a timeline of what we know about Joseph so far in this post over here. I even translated it into Spanish upon request here.

Oh, something that came out since I made that post is this image from the kickstarter that shows us Joseph's whole body, including his stylish rose-printed boots. Also, the lovely creator of the game shared development sprites in this post that tease at certain plot elements in the upcoming game. As well as this suspiciously familiar lad on Jack's birthday.

As for Jack, I didn't consolidate everything in one place, but I have discussed various topics about him that might be more pertinent. His limitations, for example, are an important part of his character. Consent is a big part of the game and his character.

A lot of what I've discussed are theories, such as how Jack got stuck in the tape, but I do show relevant pieces of artwork and link to the official twitter and tumblr that give teasers. One important piece of info from the tumblr is that Jack can touch/interact with things the more attached he is to his sunshine. The asks from the official tumblr have some juicy lore bits. I've also made transcripts for some of the audio dramas in this tag.

I'm honestly not sure what else should go into a introduction to the fandom for newcomers, besides suggesting they try out the demo and check out official sources. Sadly, I'm not a part of Snaccpop Studios (though I'd love to be hired on as a writer), so I don't count as an official source. Most of what I have to offer with my headcanon rambles are theories and possibilities after all. Plus I'm always adding more thoughts as more teasers slowly trickle out and I get new perspectives from other members of this lovely fandom.

Maybe I should give it some thought how to go about an introduction primer for new fans, but I don't want to give the false impression that I'm an official source for information. I'm just an enthusiastic fan who is trying to sleuth out what's going on and play around with the concepts.

I'd say start from the demo, then go to the official pages for more information. The official toyhou.se page has profiles for the love interests plus the boss, and you can check out other important SnaccPop Studio links here. I hope this helps!

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

[kyliafanfiction]

Love that two of your all time favorite characters both happen to be named Amy! How do you think they'd get along if they met?!

Not only do they have the same first name, they also have deeply, deeply complicated issues with their mothers that are at the root of a large chunk of their issues, have powers that scare them at least at one point (or so is my hc for Amy Madison, which predates reading Worm by years) and are pretty problematic, albeit Amy Dallon has Amy Madison beat in that regard, to say the least.

Also, if you count Ward and the Season 8 comics, both Amys date villains and teamup with them to go after the heroes and outlive their villainous partners.

But yes, I have considered the... I don't know if it counts as irony, but it sure is something.

Anyway, as to your question, I think it depends on the context so much. Like, as much as I don't like Lisa, in another world, had Amy and Lisa met under very different circumstances, I could see them getting along (The Girls who Can't Unplug is a great fic exploring this, as is the mildly developed friendship of sorts between Amy and Lisa in Here Comes the New Boss. And while I'm hesitant to say it's really well done, there's also Amy/Lisa in Inheritance, which has it's merits as written too.)

So do Amy M. and Amy D. meet on the same side? Opposite sides? Amy M. is much older than Amy D. if we go by mere birthdates, so do we change that for the AU where they meet? are they meeting in the Buffyverse? (If so, is Amy Dallon a witch too?) Or Wormverse? if Wormverse, what are Amy M's powers exactly? (Catherin Madison, Amy Madison's mother is obviously some sort of body-stealing Stranger or something, but what is Amy Madison's power? Rat-based changer? :rofl:)

I think there's some things they could bond over, and if nothing else, Catherine Madison would put Carol Dallon into some perspective for Amy Dallon (This is a Carol Dallon Hate Blog, but she's at least got like, an excuse for the way she is and has some mildly almost redeeming features. Catherine Madison? She's just a terrible mother all the way down)

On the other hand, while I don't think Amy Madison in Season 7 or 8 is actually *happy*, I don't think she enjoys being evil/etc (maybe wishful thinking, but I do have a whole series of headcanons built out about this girl, though I haven't revisted them in years by this point), she's also much more comfortable about the idea of not being heroic. As a parahuman, she'd probably be perfectly fine being a rogue, or even a minor villain like the Undersiders were before the Fossberg Gallery.

Amy Dallon on the other hand, at least in canon, just wouldn't be happy being a villain, or doing evil. Not with her shame and guilt and all that shit. Girl nearly completely snaps and still doesn't go full hog on evil. Also, Amy Dallon is intensely judgy about other people's moral status (she's not projecting her own self-loathing and fears of becoming a villain, why would you say that!) so if Amy Madison wasn't being a hero or whatever, Amy Dallon would probably give her shit about that.

I think under some circumstances, they could get along. Amy Madison, if she's older, could maybe give Amy Dallon some advice about developing better coping mechanisms. Or, failing that, suggest that Amy Dallon get addicted to something (because honestly, an addiction to something - depending on the something - might actually help Amy out :rofl: /s). I don't know if Amy Dallon would actually take the advice though, lbr. If they met in like, a group for people with Mother issues, I could see them getting along, but an Amy that goes to some sort of 'Mother Issues Support Group' is presumably an adult and also like, already making strides to improve.

It's very contingent on the circumstances. Amy Madison is very defensive minded, but in a 'lash out at the threat before they hurt me' sort of way (which is arguably reminiscent of Taylor's whole schtick). Amy Dallon's problem (well, one of many) is that she's intensely passive about her problems until it's too late. Personality-wise, they don't necessarily have a ton in common, or common approaches to things. For instance, I have a deeply rooted hc that Amy Madison loves Cinderella and Disney Princess movies in general due to her childhood with Catherine. I don't think Amy Dallon likes Disney Princesses at all - probably unconsciously reminds her too much of her time with Marquis, when she probably did dress up as a princess and stuff.

Tl;dr - they probably would never be buddies. But they might get along under some circumstances. Under others, Amy Dallon would probably dislike Amy Madison quite a bit.

[yakool-foolio]

i love your playlists! im always a sucker for good character-themed playlists its one of the first things i do when i finish a piece of media

have you ever considered a yuma/vivia mix? i loved their interactions in chapter 4 and the development they had together at the end of it, and i was surprised by how much i liked the idea once i thought about it!

Thank you so much! I tend to make playlists as I go when I first get into a new interest, so it's fun to see the evolution of discovering new things about characters and adding fitting songs as I go, and of course all that I discover in the aftermath!

As for making a Yuma n Vivia dynamic playlist, I honestly haven't considered it. Mostly due to the fact that when making playlists for dynamics involving two or more characters, it gets progressively more difficult to seek out songs that I feel really fit them the less screentime they have together (not necessarily as much for ships, but the less explored they are in my head the harder it can be). While Vivia and Yuma do get their time to shine in chapter 4, it's surprisingly difficult to find songs in genres I'm familiar with about two people going through grief together (or of themes similar to that). Maybe someday more songs of that kind will come my way. Regardless of their scarcity on my radar, I'll provide a few song suggestions for Yuma n Vivia's dynamic I've uncovered on my search!

Comfort Crowd by Conan Gray - Probably the easiest find for the theme of finding comfort in another during a period of intense grief. It fits Vivia n Yuma in the aftermath of the secret lab nicely.

Sleep Apnea by Beach Fossils - Simple but effective, and can be listened to from Vivia's perspective.

Today Today by Jack Stauber - Pretty much the same as the two above, but ya can't go wrong with it!

[primeministerofantarctica]

A3! reading club: act one (chapter 1-6)

(cw: talking about parental neglect and abuse, orientalism, one mention of suicide)

Hey, ten out of twelve isn't bad, all things considered! This very well could have gone down in October. Also, since it's February (March if you wanna be generous), does that mean everyone in Harugumi's slightly younger than their Year One ages now? Ack, timelines are confusing.

Izumi casually talking about how Yukio neglected her and following it up with "well, it was probably because he loved this theater so much!" is. Oh, girl. No wonder she snapped when Sakyo suggested he'd abandoned Mankai, because if he hadn't loved it, then why did she have to go through with that?

I'm not versed enough in Japanese particles but I recognize "daijoubu" and Tsuzuru watching this trainwreck unfold and saying something along the lines of "are you guys, like, okay?" is extremely funny.

Then we get to Sakuya and Masumi's family situations, which. From a meta perspective, it makes sense to want to give your minor protagonists the freedom that having parents limits. That's why the trope of "young protagonist in kid's spec fic media is conveniently an orphan" is so common. (was? I think it's becoming less common now.) The problem lies in the lack of willingness to follow through with the emotional conflict it creates, or resolve said conflict in a satisfying manner. Sure, I'm assuming they weren't starved or physically abused, but being treated like a burden when you're a child is still fucking traumatizing! Basically I think Izumi Sakuya and Masumi should start a union. And I'm glad later chapters go the reasonably more toned-down route of "my parents have a reasonable amount of trust in me to make these kinds of decisions".

Also, can we talk about Sakuya and Masumi, because they're one of my favorite brotps here. The way Sakuya appoints himself as Masumi's surrogate big brother? He's so eager to potentially share a room with him ;-;. (personally I hc that Ms. Sakuma was expecting another child before the accident or whatever killed them, so Sakuya's been a big brother without a younger sibling all this time </3)

Wow, that doesn't sound like a metaphor for anything! You're right, Izumi, why would you go the easy route of taking something prepackaged and guaranteed when a bunch of wildly different spices can create a delicious meal if you know how to utilize them right?

Am I grasping at straws here. Probably.

The little ka-ching sound effect is adorable.

Tsuzuru, I'd think "antagonist" should be near the top of the list...also, there's plenty of plays that have been pulled off with two or three actors. Just put on "night, Mother" or something. (Joking. Don't look up night, Mother if you're sensitive to themes of suicide.)

"Tsuzuru, you picked this troupe because it had a dorm, right? ...Then maybe our best bet is to focus on more people in your shoes."

"People in my shoes? In other words...."

"The homeless?"

I CAN'T ASJHGSKSDSK

he's literally doing the 😔 face i'm on the floor.

HE'S HERE! Funny how Izumi's right about Citron not being a regular tourist right off the bat. He may not be from another troupe, but he's definitely "in character" right now.

Also, oof. Citron's my second fave in Harugumi after Sakuya, but it's glaringly obvious how much of his character is rooted in orientalism. Sure, maybe it's an act, but why is he talking about how "shameful" showing skin is when his top is (conveniently for us) THAT low-cut.

On another note, I know people have pointed out his distaste for pig's feet as evidence for headcanoning him as Muslim, but I haven't seen anyone point out how he calls Veludo Way a "mecca" of theatre. Like yeah, mecca can just mean hub, but...why didn't they just say hub? Words Have Connotations. I'm not saying this coding is good or bad, it's just a neutral observation.

AND HERE'S THIS BASTARD (affectionate)

Oh, Kasumi! (insert pointing reaction pic bc I've run out of photo space.) It's Kasumi, guys! :D

[nofomogirl]

Introductions in opening scenes from Good Omens S1 and S2

It's time to revisit the walls of Eden scene after all the new info from the new season (part 1? nor promising, but maybe it's just part 1)

Warning: This post contains very minor spoilers for season 2. Mostly, as the title suggests, from the opening scene. But if you haven't seen the show yet and don't know what the opening scene is, I suggest you come back after watching because it's OMG.

In Good Omens the book the very first line of dialogue is "I'm sorry, what was it you were saying?" strongly implying that we've started listening to Aziraphale and Crowley mid-conversation. They are introduced to us, the readers, in the narrative bits, but the names are never used in actual dialogue.

Maybe they had introduced themselves earlier, maybe they didn't. Maybe they didn't need an introduction, maybe they did. We don't know and it doesn't matter. The authors wanted us to focus on the conversation at hand, not on their relationship. An angel and a demon on the walls of Eden are just an excuse to discuss certain ideas.

The show changes the scene a little and makes some things more explicit. We now know for sure that what we saw was the entire conversation because we were shown how it started. We now know for sure that (1) Aziraphale never gave his name, (2) Crowley never asked for it, (3) Crowley gave his name (4) but only after Aziraphale gently pressed him to.

After season 1 I was mostly looking at it from a practical perspective, probably because I like comparing how different kinds of media can convey information, and I mostly focused on how the book was translated into the show.

From that perspective, it was okay to cut the information that the angel's name was Aziraphale from that first scene, because we were going to learn it soon enough anyway, and there was no point in disrupting the flow of the conversation to include it. However, we needed to know that the serpent's name was Crawly because it was going to change and changes in Crowley's name are important. So it was justified to take this information from the narration and squeeze it into the dialogue. But in the most unintrusive way possible.

Of course, that doesn't mean I have never considered the in-universe significance of their introduction/lack of introduction in Eden. However, my headcanon was that the S01E01 opening was their very first meeting, and season 2 proved me wrong, so I will skip my old theories here.

Instead, let's look at S02E01 and S01E01 side by side.

S01E01 Aziraphale never gave his name / S02E01 Crowley never gave his name

We now know that Aziraphale hasn't introduced himself in Eden because they had met before.

But why has Crowley done the same among the stars? It couldn't be that they had already met even earlier, because if that was the case why would Aziraphale introduce himself then?

I believe one of the main reasons is that we're not supposed to know Crowley's angelic name. At least not yet, maybe not ever (I hope we will never learn it, since it is his dead name).

But that again is not an in-universe explanation.

Have you noticed how throughout season 2 two characters expected Crowley to know them, but he didn't? Sure, there's always memory manipulation theory, but honestly, I'm beginning to believe that he simply doesn't pay attention to people around him. And the way he acted towards Aziraphale seems to confirm it. He called out to a passing angel simply because he needed a hand. He wasn't looking for company and would be perfectly happy if Aziraphale left immediately after, leaving Crowley to enjoy his creation alone. It takes considerable effort on Aziraphale's side to engage Crowley in the conversation.

S01E01 Crowley never asked for Aziraphale's name / S02E01 Aziraphale never asked Crowley for his name

Again, because they had already met before Eden.

Right?

It is a valid explanation, obviously, but I'm not entirely sure that's the case. I think it's quite possible, that Crowley didn't remember Aziraphale just like he didn't remember Saraqael or Furfur. I know we wish to think Aziraphale was special and must have left an impression but I see no evidence of that in pre-Fall Crowley's behaviour. Quite the opposite.

I think the reason Crowley didn't ask Aziraphale for his name might have been because, as usual, he didn't care.

Unless, of course, they met before the Fall more than just this once and got to know each other better.

Ok, so why Aziraphale didn't ask Crowley for his name among the stars? I think we can rule out not being interested. Perhaps it was a sign of social awkwardness and insecurity; after he introduced himself and Crowley failed to reciprocate, he got discouraged? Not impossible, but it's not speaking to me.

My (veRy oRigINal) theory is that Aziraphale didn't ask because he already knew. It was the first time they were speaking face to face, but he was aware of Crowley before. Maybe because Crowley was a high-ranking angel and everybody knew who he was. Or maybe he personally caught Aziraphale's interest for some reason, hmm?

S01E01 Crowley gave his name / S02E01 Aziraphale gave his name

Now this is where things get really interesting.

Remember the "Crowley fell first" theory? It was neat, wasn't it? Unfortunately, it's going out the window now, because it couldn't have been any more obvious that Aziraphale had a massive crush on pre-Fall Crowley and in the creation scene he was bending over backward to flirt with him and extend their interaction. What's more, Crowley wasn't particularly interested!

Aziraphale introduces himself completely unprompted and seems so incredibly happy that he can. Crowley's reaction is a "nice meeting you", that sounds an awful lot like "whatever, bye".

After that, I will never be able to see Crowley's reaction to "I gave it away" and not think about how in season 2 he says "it is always too late"...

Ok, now let's have a look at the moment Crowley introduces himself in Eden.

He doesn't do it on his own. He only responds when Aziraphale shows interest.

Aziraphale doesn't explicitly ask Crowley for his name. He just talks to him, reaches a point when it would be natural to address him by his name, and suspends his voice. Crowley gets the hint and fills his name in. Aziraphale repeats it, Crowley gives him a little nod, and the conversation continues smoothly.

Before season 2, I just thought that it was a courteous gesture proving that Aziraphale sees Crowley as a person.

Season 2 makes it a little more complicated.

When Aziraphale stops mid-sentence at the point where Crowley's name should be, was it fully conscious? Was he going to use Crowley's old name and realize last moment, that he shouldn't? If so, what was his reason? Was it out of respect for Crowley, who might not identify with that name anymore, or was it because he believed a demon had no right to an angelic name? Or maybe it would be simply too painful for Aziraphale himself?

I'm going to stop here, but honestly. After you're done crying after the S2 finale, I strongly suggest watching the S2 opening scene, and then the S1 Eden scene. A new perspective really adds to it!

Then watch S2 opening again followed by the rest of S2 because we want to create numbers and make S3 happen.

[taylortruther]

so like. you can either enjoy your fun silly celebrity hobby and accept that you will heartily disagree with them sometimes but still enjoy it. maybe even consider that humans can have both good AND bad political beliefs simultaneously, and many humans are ignorant even when they say the right things.

//

THIS THIS THIS.

Unless I'm 10000% fundamentally opposed to everything a celebrity is doing, or they cross a HARD moral line I've drawn................they're here for entertainment purposes only imo. And even my politicians? Like. You're not going to find someone you're 100% aligned with, and the sooner you come to terms with that, the less exhausting it will be for you to try to navigate the world. You can't put out ALL the fires all the time, but you can prioritize what you think matters most or how you can simultaneously work on the most at once with the easiest effort (ie - many big corps have the same track record, so a boycott of one could help ten issues you support!).

agreed. also, i wish to change our political system, so my perspective on politicians is also very extreme compared to the average person. and for that reason, i know that trying to force celebrities to be socialists is not a productive route. yelling about it on tumblr might feel good (i used to do it years ago in the earlier days of my political awakening) because you might be angry! but there are known ways of making a difference - boycotting, as you said, or campaigning, protesting, volunteering, educating people, joining a political group, and so on - and so far i haven't seen evidence suggesting that yelling at taylor swift changes anything tangible lol

[bonearenaofmyskull]

Hi

I am new to the Hannibal fandom and stumbled upon Ur metas . I have read Ur very old metas too from like 2013 .

But I just wanna ask please don't consider it rude but when did u start shipping hannigram or believing in hannigram. It seems tho reading some of Ur 2015 post u didn't necessarily want Will and Hannibal together.

Just a little confused that's it . U don't have to answer if u don't want to.

Have a good day 😊

Sorry this is old, but I'm trying to clean out my inbox. IDK what posts you're talking about from 2015, but my general attitude would have been that after a season where they spent most of their time apart, there ought to be at least one season where they spend most of their time together. Past that it becomes a matter of where the writing would have taken the show. And I don't do shipping outside of the context of canon, by and large.

I think there might be a lot of people out there who would be benefitted to remember that people don't all ship the same ways and for the same ends, regardless what's in canon. Some people are going to ship Hannigram and "want Will and Hannibal together," as you say here, and some of them are going to put them in a light-hearted coffee shop au where even the coffee isn't people, and some others are going to want to rewrite them meeting each other and going through betrayal arcs over and over and over again, and some others are going to want murder husbands all day everyday.

Personally, I like their fraught relationship as it appears on the show. All of my fics focus on that fraught quality. That's always where my investment was since the day I picked up Red Dragon back in 1992 and read their meeting where Hannibal told Will, "The reason you caught me is that we're just alike." And those words obviously hit Bryan Fuller in exactly the same way as they hit me, and he took them and ran with them. The show had to earn my belief that it was invested in this concept from both perspectives (from what it suggests about Will Graham individually and what it suggests about their singular connection to each other), but once it had done this thoroughly, I bought in.

I'm not someone who was born and raised in m/m shipping fandom, and I haven't developed tastes that match. By this I mean that when I start a new show, I don't cast about looking for two men that I can find a reason to put together purely for the sake of sighing and blushing about them. I didn't even know what the term "shipping" meant in this context before Hannibal.

So if by asking when I started shipping them, you mean, when was I invested in their fraught relationship, then it was 1992. If you mean when did the show convince me their relationship would fully play out that fraught dynamic and present the characters in ways that I'd fully approve of...maybe about "Buffet Froid"? Ish? But then I still didn't have any concept of shipping or was fully convinced that the show was invested in the ship and on board myself until maybe..."Shiizakana"?

Like I said, a show has to do the heavy lifting or I don't ship it: I don't grab characters willy-nilly for fill-in-the-blank shipping. There are character relationships I like better than others because there are characters I like better than others, but if there isn't at least canon yearning, I ain't in. And that's because I'm into fraught relationships and yearning. If they're gonna earn me, they gotta yearn me.

So yeah...I wanted more show. That means I'm not invested in them ending up together after the end of the show. I don't care about after the end of the show at all, except insofar as it reflects what the ending would have been. It's what's on the show that matters to me, and for that, I just need the two of them to be culty and weird about each other. I had reasonable faith in the show's ability to maintain that, so yeah, I shipped it. Even if I didn't do it the way others did.

[actualaster]

I really want to get into tales of symphonia because you have increased my background exposure to it enough but is the anime a decent place to start??? Or should I go find ye olde emulator?

I haven't actually checked the anime out myself, so somebody who's actually seen it should be better able to tell you but from what I gather it's better to give the game a play if you can.

The original game is available on GameCube, PS2 (Japanese-only), PS3, PS4/5, PC, Xbox One, and Switch--though from what I've heard and seen the Switch version is a mess of a port with genuine major performance issues. So you've got options for which version you're interested in (regardless of if you emulate or not). Just, like I said, maybe steer clear of the Switch version lol.

The sequel didn't ever get an anime adaptation as far as I'm aware, and the game is sadly only available via Wii and PS3 (and considering the quality of the TOS Switch port, I'm thinking it doged a bullet there lol). The PS3 version is good, no major technical issues in it or anything.

The sequel game did also get a manga that was part prequel, part interqeuel which ran in the Tales Of magazine (then got published in 2 volumes), of which there is a scanlation though I would suggest avoiding that unless you play the game first due to massive spoilers. But if you do check the sequel game out, it fleshes out a character significantly vs their in-game appearance (which makes sense for plot reasons I won't spoil for you here!)

The sequel is personally my favorite game, I liked the cast more than those in the original though many people like the original more (and an annoyingly large number of them are very rude about making sure people know it). But I would definitely suggest, if possible, checking out the original game first because it will give a lot more depth to things. Though you definitely can jump into the sequel if desired and not be totally lost. But it will dramatically change your perspective on various early-game events depending on what you know of thr first game and it's cast.

That said, expect it to be a fair time sink (especially if you want to try for the multiple ending variants--they aren't for the most part wildly different but there is one specific route that will change if a character kives or dies) and also as it's 20 years old now, it'll have some various technical limitations on the gameplay that aren’t present in more current entries in the series.

The sequel isn't as much of a time sink--however, while the restructuring of how Bamco classifies the games now puts it on more equal footing with the original, it was developed as more of a side sequel and not given the full resources of mainline game and it shows at various points. It does, however, have 2 different endings (and a "bad" game over end unique to one specific part of the endgame sequence) which are determined starting earlier in the game. So, if you want to go for both that's still more of a time sink than just one.

You could, though, if you opt to play one or both just do one playthrough on each or either and then look up alternate scenes via YouTube or something.

(Also, however, keep in mind when deciding if you want to play them or not that both games do have missable side quests that will flesh out characters and such so having a guide handy may help--or, again, you could probably find YT vids of them)

[kill-your-fics]

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Hmmmm. "Haunted" is kind of a heavy word, generally suggesting something negative, but not necessarily, sort of related to grief, perhaps. I guess I'd consider a piece of writing to haunt me if it sticks in the back of my mind, if I really have to mull it over, if it changes my perspective (at least for a moment, maybe forever)

Now, the Problem with Me is that I have a very poor memory. It's very hard to pull memories up without something related reminding me of them first. So, I'm certain writing has haunted me before, probably even very recently. But unless something triggers me to remember, I can't just pull it out of thin air. Unfortunate. HOWEVER I won't end the answer on that sour note.

The closest thing I can think of rn is this unfinished fanfic I read featuring a fox as the personification (animalification??) of the northern lights. That's not really what the fanfic is About, (you know how writing is) but it was such an interesting read I felt compelled to make a little fox fanart of it to... idk, commemorate it and remember it. I haven't yet, but soon! Hilariously, a plot point in that fanfic is about memories and the loss of them, and maybe that's why it struck me so hard.

Also? Those lists that people reblog and pass around of hard hitting lines/accidental poetry from unexpected sources? I love that. I love people finding striking writing and beauty wherever they may.

You know what else is haunting and related to writing? When people go looking for fanfics they loved before, only to find them deleted. I can't remember this happening to me yet, but I think that would haunt me. The unanswered questions, etc, you know?

OH! I have an incomplete list of song lyrics that I enjoy/like thinking about/etc but that gets into my music taste, which is embarrassing and idk if anyone would want to see that lol

Aaaand I might be forgetting some poetry, I'll have to reread some 🤔 Off the top of my head "Simile" by N. Scott Momaday really got me in college. Its not the like, deepest craziest mind bendingest poem ever, but the words "latent flight" just really hit me, okay. The existing but concealed. The inevitable, the moment before the inevitable, the attempt to avoid the inevitable, etc, etc.

My own writing hasn't "haunted" me by the definition I gave, necessarily, but I do think about some unwritten ideas or written but unposted drabbles that I will probably never share with anyone because they're BAD lolololol. Like girl we've got standards, you're better than this. (I'm not.)

[mdhwrites]

I read a blog you posted last year where you mentioned you hate 'fix-it' fics, or 'Fix Fics,' as TV Tropes likes to call them.

I haven't read many 'fix-fics' myself, but I've personally had mixed thoughts on the concept. On one hand, if I personally was frustrated by the way a certain story was told, it could be cathartic (in an admittedly selfish way) to see it retold.

But the choice word 'fix' can carry an underlying (or overlying) sense of arrogance. As if the writer is saying to the creator 'what you made is wrong, so I shall make it right.' I guess it depends on the motive for writing; you said all 'fix-fics' come from a place of anger, but I don't think that's necessarily true.

They could sometimes come from a viewer that loves the work they're critiquing, and just...genuinely wants to explore by themselves what it would be like if this or that thing was handled differently. Or from someone who wants to dabble with an existing work so they can build up the confidence to write their own stories.

Perhaps the key is whether or not the writer is using the term 'fix-it' to describe their stories. If that's the case, then maybe it does come from a place of anger, more than anything. But I would like to hear your own thoughts on why you hate 'fix-fics.'

So I think I saw you probably like a blog of mine about why I wouldn't ever rewrite TOH where I brought this up and honestly, from your post in general, I'd say I probably worded it wrong or too strongly. You are correct after all on a LOT of accounts here. The one I really want to highlight is the confidence ones as suddenly you're putting proof to your theory that your version would be better. That can absolutely be helpful for building confidence.

I have two sides of which I should have clarified.

1: I don't approve of LONG fix it fics. Fixing an episode or a chapter of something is one thing. Writing out how to fix an entire series though? It's unfair as far as fixing something goes because you already know all the elements you like in a story, haven't had to experiment with it at all or come up with major plot points on the fly (I feel like I've gotten worse about potentially insinuating that I could have done X better with the suggestions I put out. Creation is always harder than critique after all.) etc. like that. It also just takes a LONG. FUCKING. TIME. And for what purpose? An idea that will only ever be half yours? Which brings me to

2: I don't want to ever do fix it fics, let alone long ones. As an original writer, I would rather take the elements I like from something I find flawed on pull on those threads in a more productive, more challenging environment. To actually make the idea my own rather than constantly having to still constrain myself to parts of something I find so flawed as to consider it in need of an entire rewrite.

I think this is also why I just don't approve of them in general. I would rather that spite, especially if it is on the scale of an entire series rewrite, be channeled into something simply more useful. A fanfic that's redoing large swaths of a work just isn't something that too many are going to need and is honestly going to limit your creativity rather than expand it. That's how I see it at least.

I did probably screw up in the original blog though and not make it clear that when I say I hate writing fix it fics, it's very much so "I don't like WRITING fix it fics." I don't like carrying that sort of rage into a work, especially long term. That's actually an issue for Rich Witch at this point as celebration of TOH made me see threads that had been left fallow by rushing a bit in Amity's arc in S1 (that's how I saw it at the time at least) and that I could expand upon with a perspective shift over to focusing on Amity as the main character. Now that TOH holds so much anger for me, the elements that once inspired it now cause darker feelings and, well... There's a lot of complicated reasons why I'm really afraid Rich Witch is simply dead.

*sigh*

I think, for me, anger and spite are more powerful for blogs like these. Those elements can inspire me but the idea they make has to have joy in it or I just don't find that I commonly get hooked on it. Not when anger is such a short term fuel, at least for me. If it works better for others though, more power to you.

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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[yukidragon]

Hey Yuki did you see the new character on Patreon? I’m not sure if I should say her name since I don’t wanna share anything from Patreon but I wanted to ask your opinions about her👀 I was thinking she and the other guy could be someone’s parents but I also think those characters aren’t related to Joseph’s family at all.

Ooh, yes, I saw! For those who haven't signed up for the Snaccpop Studios Patreon yet, maybe consider checking it out so you can get a glimpse of this secret character too.

As far as I'm aware, it's alright to discuss things that are posted on patreon, but it's not okay to share the contents of the private posts directly. So no sharing images, direct quotes, etc.

I must admit that I did a double-take at the "other guy" part of this ask. I don't think there are two people in the picture, but rather I think it's just one person in two very distinct periods of time in their life... perhaps 40 years apart?

I did see the speculation in the comments that the new character might be Joseph's mom or even a secret daughter, but I personally don't think so. That Sunny Day Jack-themed necklace and hairclip suggests to me that they're probably a fan or a someone who worked for the SunnyTime Crew Show. The fact that they seem to be drawn in two very distinct stages of their life also heavily hints that we're going to see them during two different time periods.

From what we can see, this new character seems to have been bright and cheerful in the past... but is now cynical and jaded in the present. Gee, I wonder what happened to cause such a shift in the perspective of someone with such a strong interest in the SunnyTime Crew Show...

Either way, I think this new character is someone who might give MC more hints as to what happened 40 years ago during the course of the game's story. It makes me all the more excited to see how things are going to go.

Of course, I could be wrong and this teaser really does have two entirely different characters with only one being named, hahaha. I mean, we really only have a teaser concept art to go from, so your guess is as good as mine at this point. All we can do is just wildly speculate until the team drops more hints that might allow us to connect these dots that they're sprinkling out.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur

[literaticat]

I sent out 45 queries for my novel ms and received 30 form rejections (the remainder are likely ghosting, which is fine). Not a single request or personalized rejection. I paid for a service where an experienced agent reviewed my query and sample pages and basically said they were fine as is. Betas were positive too. Should I shelve the ms? I feel like I've queried all the agents I could in the genre, and the 100% rejection suggests I've done something wrong, but I don't know what. I'm stumped.

The problem of course is, I have no possible way of knowing. Like -- ??? -- I can't diagnose your problem, because I haven't read the work or the query, I don't know you, etc -- I can't tell you if you really HAVE exhausted all the possible agents in the genre -- and so I can't tell you if you should shelve the ms.

I will say this, though: I think a lot of people think, "Oh I've heard it's hard to get an agent and be published, but honestly, how hard can it be? Like sure it's hard, but it's not HARD hard!" -- or even if they would NEVER say that, secretly, in their innermost heart, they don't think it applies to them. (I'm not saying YOU think this -- just generally, I think a lot of people misunderstand what "hard" really means?) -- the statistics are stacked against you. Agents sign like 1% to 3% of the queries they get, maybe. There are more queries than ever so agents are more swamped than ever.

I don't say this to dissuade you, or anyone -- just being realistic. So knowing that -- something doesn't just have to be "basically good" or "fine as is" or "positive" -- to even be considered it has to be BETTER THAN GOOD. It has to GRAB HOLD OF THE READER'S IMAGINATION from the premise and query alone, and the pages have to live up to the promise of the premise.

So, knowing all that, these are the possible problems -- again I can't tell you WHICH yours is, but it probably falls into one of these buckets:

The query is not great: it doesn't convey the stakes and energy of the book, the killer premise, the characters people will want to root for, etc.

The pages are not great: I assume you sent 10 or so pages to most of those folks -- maybe the query is phenom but the pages are not compelling enough,

There is something broken in the very premise of the book -- like you are basing it on some piece of flawed reasoning that you cant' see because you're too close to it (like this is a romance and the "Hero" is a flat-earther who rejects science -- I'm not saying we can't have a book with those themes -- but they are going to be pretty tough for most agents and editors to swallow as *traits for a hero in a romance novel*)

You are targeting the book poorly -- aiming it at the wrong audience, say, or maybe your comps are too old, didn't do well. I can tell you from experience that A LOT of people think they have written a YA when it is clearly MG (or vice versa) based on voice and themes, or comped books that are completely inapt - this all speaks to just not really being immersed enough in the world of kid's books (yet!)

OR -- ALL OF THIS IS PERFECTLY FINE or even GREAT. But it's just not getting picked up for no reason at all -- it's just not quite there. Maybe it will be with revision -- or maybe you're just ahead of your time, and publishers will catch up eventually -- or maybe this is the first pancake where you were still learning and the NEXT book will be The One.

So perhaps I would not say "shelve it" in a permanent way -- but maybe it's a good idea to put it on the back burner and work on something TOTALLY fresh and different. Then when you are ready to come back to this, distance and experiece and "fresh eyes" will allow you to have a bit more perspective about diagnosing the problem with this one. (And at that point I'll bet there are more/different agents to query, too!)

[barbierpt]

okay. can i get some advice? i'm (soon) going to drop my skeleton/lsrpg in the tags. my (original) plan was to drop a small teaser blog with two skeleton teasers each day (with a total of twenty) so people had time to ask about the characters and world (since it's completely original) and then do the main (with the same two skeletons, all of which have 3-4 paragraph bios) and then give it a week from the last bio for the first acceptance (since while the application isn't massively long, it's got lots of room for detail and i want people who apply for the last characters to have time to write their applications too, and not have to try rush it out in 24 hours (since anyone applying for the early characters obviously have like a two two weeks to write) but i scrolled through your blog for ages (some light stalking sorry) and was reading about the acceptance discourse and 9 days vs 3 weeks (total) is now making me worried that i'll just lose interest completely. i haven't admined in forever and i'm very much used to long format+long term rps that dropped just teasers 3 months before we even got hints of a character. thoughts? should i change my initial timeline to something shorter?

hi anon! so i'll be honest i've never an a skeleton rp, i've always ran or been a part of original character rps. so please keep in mind that that experience is all part of my perspective here –– and if anyone who sees this is from the skeleton rp world, feel free to chime in too!

i think your idea of posting skeleton teasers each day is a great one! i can see it definitely holding interest, however, i'd suggest considering a shorter timeline and maybe posting more skeleton bios each day. i feel like 3 months, while giving you and applicants breathing time, may do what your'e worried about with interest lost in the wait. i'd recommend keeping that timeline to no more than one month. in my view, having to wait that long for an rp to open would turn me off a little. even if the plot was interesting and i was super excited to write a character, i'd also personally get distracted and likely find something else in that time. three months can feel like such a long time for most people who want to write, especially when other rps might be opening or promoting sooner than that time and take away viable interest.

i hope this helps you anon! and good luck with your rp, i hope it works out well for you!

[maiji]

Hello i would like a free lenormad reading if you still open:

My question is What is coming towards me in general?

Number: 12 and 10

-SB

Thank you

Hello! Thank you very much for your interest!

As a general note for anyone reading this, one thing I'm seeing here is that the phrasing of this question can sound a bit like trying to predict the future. Because I use oracle decks for self-reflection (or creative inspiration), my focus is self-empowerment. In this reading, I think of it more as things to be mindful of, with an emphasis on aspects we are more likely to have control over to try to create positive outcomes for ourselves. And of course, based on wherever someone is in their own personal situation, what comes up could remind them of other immediately relevant things.

#12 was The Dog, and #10 was The Snake!

The Dog is one of the cards that can point to a person. It can represent someone familiar to you - anywhere from someone you happen to know (e.g. acquaintances, colleagues, etc.) to someone you care for deeply (e.g., family, friends, lovers, and so on). It's also associated with related concepts like friendship and trust. And of course it could be an actual dog too! The Snake has come up in a previous reading. Some of the things it can represent are concepts like deception, manipulation, seduction, as well as ambition and desire.

Again, what we're looking for here is some kind of connection between the two cards that forms a pattern relevant to your question - to your life - that can help you shine a helpful perspective on it. So something might jump at at you that is based on what's happening in your life, what's front of mind for you right now. Those are things I can't possibly know, but here are a few suggestions. And all of them are possible interpretations! We're pretty complicated social creatures, after all. We don't just have one thing going on in our lives and in our heads, we are always juggling a lot of interactions and relationships! Just remember to focus on what is helpful, and what can I do with this idea or insight?

For example.

A very literal reading of these cards can be: "Someone you know is trying to cheat you."

Oooh, so foreboding, just like in the movies! However, this to me is a rather useless reading, unless your objective in life is to become extremely paranoid and suspicious of every human interaction you have. There is nothing predictive about it - it's just a possible way to make a connection between the two cards, and there is not much you can do with this idea.

For comparison, another equally literal reading is: "You are being charmed by a dog."

Which, honestly? I would say is fairly likely to happen at any given time, because dogs are super cute. But also not a particularly useful reading.

That said, depending on what's happening in your life, it could be helpful. If someone is already thinking about adopting a pet, for example, or has been talking to someone about a business proposition…. these could be helpful reminders to consider another possible side. For instance, it might give you the opportunity to reflect on whether or not you have the resources to take on a new addition to the family and take good care of it. It could help you to pause and consider if an offer might actually be too good to be true, and you've been so excited by the prospect of success you haven't really looked into those details.

But on the chances that maybe you haven't been looking to add an animal to your life, or in negotiations with somebody, here are some more interpretations.

The Dog could offer a reminder that there are people in your life who can support you when you need help - to not be so wholly focused on yourself (The Snake) that you forget they exist, and remind you to ask for help when you need it. Or to take the flip perspective, maybe there is someone who needs you and you're missing that. Because the Dog can represent dependence/overreliance, it could also be a reminder to not be too complacent, to not take others and their support for granted, and to find strength in yourself as well.

And it could be relevant to think that someone you know may not have your best interests in mind. That may not necessarily be intentional, but they may have other difficult things they are carrying and worrying about as well. Or is there someone you have been focusing on or stressing over far too much, and it would be healthier for both sides if you took a step back?

My final note of caution: self-reflection tools are a way for you to connect with your own mind. They can amplify things you already have in the back of your mind that you may or may not be explicitly aware of. This can be helpful, but it can sometimes also be problematic if one has a tendency to obsess over things (which I certainly do!).

So, I think it's important to remember - these tools are a way for you to talk to a version of yourself, who has many of the same biases as the real you. But the power here is that because there's a layer of separation, you have a bit of distance with the cards. It's like listening to a friend telling you about something that happened to them, and it's a lot easier to be objective about someone else's situation. So, this is a chance to look more objectively and see your story from another side.

I hope this is helpful for you!

--

Thanks for requesting a limited time free reading to celebrate the new edition of the Fortune Lenormand oracle/art deck!

Want to dive deeper?

Fortune Lenormand oracle/art deck - there's a free downloadable overview of card meanings!

humangray.com/lenormand - more info and resources/links!

(Note: these readings are being done with my old card deck from the original printing. There's not much difference with the new edition available in the link above - the biggest one is that the new edition has a custom box ooh ahh!)