#THAT'S how similar the vibe feels to me

[the-way-astray]

i feel like a lot of keepblrers would enjoy the hollow star saga (a dark and hollow star, a cruel and fated light, a grim and sunken vow). it's basically kotlc if kotlc was canonically gay. (warning: long rant ahead, if you're interested. this is going to seem very negative, but i promise i'll talk about the positives, too.)

there are four main characters, arlo, nausicaa, aurelian, and vehan.

arlo is basically sophie when it comes to personality. like. she's kinda the most generic female ya protagonist that's sort of shy and gets pushed around a lot except for when the author decides 'hey, she needs to stand up for herself' at random points. then she'll randomly snark for two lines and go back to being the protagonist that kinda lowkey has no distinctive personality traits. she's also clearly the author's bias. you will see what i mean if you look through the chapters. just like sophie, she spends most of the first book being scared of the council.

nausicaa is basically keefe if keefe was a lesbian. she has that snarky, bad-girl vibe and is kind of a loose canon and doesn't care about anything except her love interest (arlo). this of course means she's the fan favorite (i really don't like her, but i don't tend to like characters like keefe so i'm biased as hell don't listen to me). when i tell you she's exactly like keefe (in terms of personality). like. i want you to know that she's exactly like keefe. their senses of humor are comically similar.

aurelian gives off tam vibes, if tam was more central to the story (and white). looking in from the outside you'd be like 'omg what a broody man. what emo thoughts are going through his head. why is he looking at me like that. i'm going to sink into the ground, he clearly hates me. i probably shouldn't piss him off, he'd probably kill me.' and then you see his thoughts and he's just the most average guy out there. like. he's just a normal guy but everyone (including the author) sees him as this emo and broody guy that just glares constantly and is really standoff-ish.

another thing about nausicaa and aurelian is that the author really tries to get you to buy into the fact that they have this intense rivalry, but it falls so flat because they barely interact and it’s so one-sided. very tell-not-show. does that remind you of a certain dynamic in kotlc? that’s right, it’s keefe and tam.

vehan is the one main character that i really can't say is exactly like a character from kotlc but to me he's what fitz could've been if shannon hadn't mangled and massacred him. he's kinda pathetic, ngl. like sopping wet rag vibes. but also he's really sweet. a true cinnamon roll. he spends a lot of time dragging aurelian places and trying not to piss aurelian off because he thinks aurelian hates him (i'll give you one guess who his love interest is). also the author randomly tries to make him flirty at one point and it was so funny how much it didn't work for his character.

and even in other aspects besides the characters, i want you to know that this series is basically just kotlc. the characters are fae, so they are all young and beautiful, they have powers, there's an abusive mother that’s evil but her son doesn’t realize she’s evil, the plot is convoluted as hell and takes way too long to get to the point, the world is described as bright and colorful, the sense of humor is just like the sense of humor in kotlc (which is personally not my favorite but i digress), the author spends a ludicrous amount of time in one character's head really drilling into the audience how much he has a crush on this other character, the incessant use of italics every other word and of course the all-white cast except for a few people here and there.

there's a ridiculous amount of lore that gets introduced in the first book alone, and i think people in this fandom would have a lot of fun with that, too (even if some of the lore is highly, highly irrelevant).

also this author's writing sin is definitely info-dumping. when i say their fatal flaw is info-dumping i want you to know i'm not fucking around when i say that. they will just info-dump a whole couple pages, and the information never becomes relevant. and it happens a lot (this is the author's debut so that might be the reason). here's an example of a massive info-dump:

(none of the above ever becomes relevant, in case you're wondering.)

there are good things too, though. like i'd definitely say that the hollow star saga is better than kotlc. there is a character i like named celadon who eventually becomes more central to the plot. all i'll say about him right now is that he's arlo's cousin and the relationship between him and arlo is genuinely endearing in some aspects. some plot twists were pretty well executed and the second book is absolutely better than the first. this author's strength is definitely backstories. the backstories, especially in the second book, are pretty solid.

only two books are out right now and the third is coming out soon (late november, if i'm not wrong) and i'm dying to read it. the author said the entire series will only be four books, i think, but i don't really trust authors when they say stuff like that anymore so. we'll see i guess.

and if all that wasn’t enough to convince you, i offer you this one final piece of motivation: at one point, nausicaa makes a twilight reference.

basically what i'm saying is: you should read the hollow star saga.

[crystallizsch]

redrawing jamil's r cards in my (usual low-effort) style 😤💪

also the sr cards but i gave up on coloring (especially robes because this is just supposed to be quick and i’m NOT attempting those patterns 😭)

[benevolenterrancy]

Can I ask what was your first impression of TGCF and if it turned out wrong or right?

My first impression of TGCF was "this goof continuously ascends to -- and gets kicked out of -- heaven, this is going to be clown town isn't it?"

And honestly I stand by that one, I think I was completely correct**

(**barring the fact that this goof will then go on to experience ever conceivable horror known to man but honestly I mostly expected it after MDZS)

[theokusgallery]

imm too embarrassed to text u for some reaosn so im go nna send thsi here

My boy being an asshole to your boy I doodled today

Always fu nny thinking they woudl have beef!!!!!!

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AHJSBFJKSDQBFJVBSD THEM SMILING SO WIDE WHILE TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER IS SO THEM .

[cerealmonster15]

cheneige moment aka me trying to learn how 2 draw rsa students

[quirinah]

i! ro! ha! (six years edition)

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

I'm not ready to shut up about Aveline and Carver--so, when you go see Aveline in Act 1, you can catch up with her a little bit and that's where this conversation can happen:

Aveline: "It's just one more change, though. The real end for me was Ostagar. What about you, Carver? You were there. Do you feel something similar?" Carver: No. Aveline: All right, then. Bit of a tit, your brother.

I wanted to see what she would say if Carver isn't in the party. Instead, she says this:

Aveline: Carver was there. I imagine he feels something similar. If he allows it.

......well, at least she didn't call him a tit?

[raticalshoez]

i'm having hyperfixation drought so i did what i did best and created a crossover episode

[sulky-cabbage]

The sukugo fight can't get animated any sooner I'm craving sukugo tiktok edits

[milkbreadtoast]

puts my arts of caramel arrow so far all together bc why not😮‍💨 loml... 🛐🖤

[aq2003]

omfg . radio play version of much ado with david as benedick from 2001

[skitskatdacat63]

This is a special genre of f1 picture(to ME.)

[volfoss]

it is beyond infuriating how anne rice seems to insist on marius being a positive force in anyone's life ever. like she can't fully commit to exploring the fact he groomed armand and has repeatedly taken away his consent for what marius thinks is best (take the end of TVA as an example) and just kind of flatly puts it in the narrative. there's not really much interest in how these horrific events make marius come across as the worst because EVERYONE loves him. for gods sake, lestat learns from armand exactly what marius did to him in TVL and then proceeds to go find marius and be super friendly to him in the same fucking book. even armand and pandora, two of the people who have MORE than enough right to hate him, do not. it doesnt feel like shes trying to explore the toxicity of the abusive dynamic he traps them in, it just is there. and like yeah ofc the toxic vampire romance series but i think that this should be handled with more care. and it is not ever really framed in a way that she is interested in exploring how marius should easily be one of the most horrific characters in this series because it kind of feels like sa/rape/grooming/other things of that sort are just put there to further plot and not to really get the respect that they deserve in a medium.

[residentinsomniacartist]

Ok ok ok ok wait. you guys. how have I never realized how perfect a Little Nightmares (specifically Little Nightmares 2) style TMA AU could be before?? I doubt I’m the first one to have this idea but??? Still??? It’s so perfect??!?

The Signal Tower with all the eye motifs as just an Extra Fucked Up Magnus Institute?? Jon and Martin as Mono and Six wandering through the hellish and distorted world kinda like the fearpocalypse?? The bullies are from Nikolai’s circus?? MICHAEL/HELEN DISTORTION IS THE TEACHER?? The whole idea of Mono becoming the Thin Man is so similar to Jon becoming Elias and the Pupil??!!

Dude I don’t have the motivation to write that fic but oh my gosh if one of you does please send it to me I would DEVOUR that

[caramelmochacrow]

"Beating so fast, seems like it'll burst..."

[brambletakato]

do you guys want a small tutorial on model swapping sometime because im having fun