#a very stupid idea that was very fun to write

[3liza]

everyone arguing with material analysis/assertion about how art is a "luxury" has rarely if ever spent rent or food money on art, if they even pay rent or buy their own food, and if they did that would be considered extremely dysfunctional, and thats what i/we mean. artists are not providing a necessary service.

our plane crashes in the Andes and you are not particularly excited about my "can draw that Playboy centerfold of Marge Simpson from memory" like that is not an essential survival skill. lots of extremely skilled workers work in luxury artisan and craft jobs, it's not an insult to say even a very famous and very talented and influential artist is not producing a commodity necessary for the furtherance of human life. none of us are doing that, no matter how we stretch and strain the definitions of "essential" or even things like "morale" or "group identity". i will burn my copy of Finnegan's Wake to stay warm and thats what it comes down to.

i get foamy crazy snarling and biting about the idolization and obfuscation of what artists actually do because it is a labor issue! the public conception of artists as people possessed of a divine talent they dont consciously work to develop like any other skill, and the public idea that we are simply pleased and privileged to make art all day and "not work", something people say to my face every time i get asked "what i do", is largely responsible for the absolute dogshit reality of how subsistence and working class artists have to survive. we usually dont have health insurance unless we're so poor we qualify for medicaid AND live in a state that will enroll us. most of us are too disabled or crazy to go to a real job every day. most of us have tried, over and over, to enter the normal workforce, and have failed, and been forced to develop alternate skills that allow us to make rent in the ten hours per month we're actually functional. many of the artists i know work from bed because standing up is dicey. this has been turned into a charming eccentricity of famous artists and writers instead of people wondering why a person would need to stay in bed all day and take the enormous bother of bringing their stupid pens and paper and writing board or typewriter or whatever to their bed instead of just getting up and getting dressed and going to work. ive done this, i spilled ink in my sheets. its a huge hassle.

and artists play along with this mystique because people dont want to buy paintings from sadlords! they want to buy paintings and books and marge simpson nudes from cool guys who get a lot of chicks and wear rockstar outfits and party a lot, because of the transitive properties! of course!!! this is basic marketing!!!!! and if the artist doesnt play along they turn into Sad Story Artist where they're doing emergency commissions and posting about how sick they are all the time. this is not cool or fun or sexy. it's a sand trap and its very hard to recover from. im struggling with this right now!

famous and successful artists and writers are constantly ending up 60-90 years old with cancer and multiple sclerosis and dementia, being the subject of some sort of public, last-ditch, humiliating GoFundMe because painting paperback covers fr 60 years means you dont get a pension, you often dont even have kids who can take care of you, you dont have life insurance, you dont have health insurance. 'died penniless and alone' is one of the stereotypical artist endings for a reason, that is not fiction. this happened to more artists than i can list on two hands. look up what happened to Peter S. beagle, the guy who wrote The Last Unicorn. you write a book like that you should be set for life, right? NO. thats not how it works

i'm not saying 'all artists are disabled and working class or poor' because that isnt true, observably. nepo babies and trust fund artists exist, obviously. but they take an outsized portion of the spotlight when the public thinks of the concept of "artist". they are not actually the norm. the average artist is probably making under 40k and living in extremely precarious circumstances and has had periods of homelessness, illness, extreme debt and/or bankruptcy.

this is true even for the 'successful' artists. having one or two or ten good projects and being a household name does not save you from just not having the safety net provided by a normal career path. i was very close with a major, famous 2000s network television creator and team that you have heard of. they won awards, they changed culture entirely, they were a big deal. one of them was turned down for a half dozen projects by the same network that made millions or bilions on their franchise over several years (each pitch is completely unpaid btw, imagine carefully preparing a PowerPoint for morons for months at a time for no reimbursement and thent he morons ask you if you can put a teenage witch looking for her lost cat in the alps in it and you're like, haha, well, it's a 4 part hard sci fi miniseries set on Europa and takes place entirely inside a pressurized lander settlement, i mean Ridley Scot said he was interested already and he pitched a bottle episode about a carbon monoxide poisoning, soooooo....and the executives look at each other and they're like "it's jst not really what we're looking for right now, thanks for coming in" and you go to coffee bean and tea leaf and kill yourself and thats sort of what its like. i made that example up it didn't actually happen i'm using an illustrative example), worked on a canceled film, and just. gradually ran out of money. thats what happens. that guy ended up slowly selling off all his belongings, getting roommates in a one bedroom apartment, and then eventually having to just live on a friend's couch for years. famous guy. you probably know his name. another major member of that same team ended up in GoFundMe/commission hell for years (might still be there) because they had to take care of their two dying, dementia patient parents by themselves. these are people who go to GenCon and sign autographs for four hours at a time. THE PUBLIC IS NOT AWARE OF THIS SHIT and i'm sick of it. im sick of going to a gallery opening night ("vernissage") and drinking bad wine and having a guy with an email job that pays six figures and benefits tell me being able to push "undo" on the computer is cheating. that's a real example, that has actually happened to me. more than once.

artists currently have zero labor protections whatsoever. all of us are undercutting each other in an unregulated market and relying on welfare and private insurance and not having families or buying houses. zero security until we get so old all our illnesses and dysfunction finally ground us permanently and then we get turned into a charity case by fans (humiliating) or just fade away into ghosts and die

whats my punchline? idk i dont have one. it's possible and likely that any given artist you meet is permanently in precarity and will be until they die, even the famous ones. the culture of selling art demands that artists do not admit to this in public unless shit gets really really bad. i guess my point is you should know this, as a person who looks at or listens to or reads things that people have made for your amusement, not for your survival

[anonymousewrites]

Apple of My Eye Chapter Two

Eventual! Harry Hook x Child of Snow White! Reader

Chapter Two: Friend Like Me

Summary: (Y/N) and the VKs get along very well, even if other Auradon kids are avoiding them.

            (Y/N) grimaced as they walked towards the “Remedial Goodness 101” classroom. They wished they had known about the class before Evie, Carlos, Mal, and Jay arrived. Then they could have said, “No, that’s a terrible idea for a class because it’s demeaning and horrible and also says to their face that we think they’re stupid and already evil.”

            Unfortunately, it was done, and the VKs were stuck in the class. Fortunately, the hour was up, and (Y/N) got to save them from Fairy Godmother’s cliches and take them to their next class.

            “You find a vial of poison!” said Fairy Godmother dramatically. “Do you: A, put it in the king’s wine? B, paint it on an apple?—” Laughter from Evie, non-malicious, and the others— “Or C, turn it over to the proper authorities?”

            “Obviously paint it on an apple,” said (Y/N) as they walked into the room. “Because who is silly enough to take an apple from a stranger?” They laughed.

            Evie chuckled a little, Mal snorted, and Jay and Carlos grinned. Fairy Godmother sighed, used to (Y/N)’s humor, and put on a smile.

            “Is our time up already?” said Fairy Godmother.

            “You’re the stickler for time,” said (Y/N). “It’s time for gym for Jay and Carlos, and Evie and Mal have English with me.”

            “Alright, don’t be late,” said Fairy Godmother, waving as her students packed up to leave. “And remember to be good!”

            “I’m really sorry about that class,” said (Y/N). “I think Ben was pushed into allowing it so that everyone would relax.” They sighed. “At least it’s an easy A.”

            “Pick the least fun option is the answer key,” said Mal, smirking. She’d already figured it out.

            (Y/N) chuckled.

l

            “Welcome to our poetry class,” said (Y/N), sitting down at a table. Evie and Mal sat across from them.

            “We have to write about our feelings?” said Mal, unimpressed.

            “No, we can write about anything. Today’s a free day,” said (Y/N). “We can either read the assigned pieces—we’re currently reading about poems on nature and how some social classes look at nature positively due to their position while others look at it negatively—or we work on our own pieces. At the end of the year we’ll have a curated collection to show growth and understanding of various techniques.”

      ��     “I’m still not going to make it…sappy,” said Mal.

            “Do spells have a cadence?” asked (Y/N).

            “Yes,” said Mal. “Obviously. Otherwise you’re just talking.”

            “So spells are poems with magic,” said (Y/N). “Try making your own spell.”

            “And it can be anything?” said Mal, considering now. She could create an evil spell to impress her mother with.

            “Preferably not a curse, I don’t think anyone would appreciate that,” said (Y/N).

            Mal hummed noncommittedly. She’d behave in front of everyone, but her mission was clear. She would make her mother proud.

            “I’m going to write about finding my prince,” sighed Evie. “And castles. And ballgowns.”

            “You’re going to love your arts elective,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “It’s design.”

            Mal could have sworn she saw hearts in Evie’s eyes and decided to erase the disgusting sight from her memory. And she pushed away the smile that twitched at the edges of her lips upon seeing her best friend so happy.

l

            “I can use any of this,” said Evie, staring at the rolls upon rolls of fabric before her.

            “Yeah,” said (Y/N) as they sketched. “And if you’re part of the design club, you can come any time during the day, not just your class.” They smiled. “Most people in this class do it to learn small DIYs, they still like their personal tailors and everything, but some people have made formal gowns and suits here, too.”

            “I’m going to make a whole new wardrobe,” said Evie, flipping open her sketchbook and getting to work.

            (Y/N) smiled.

l

            “You don’t have to work with me,” said Mal coldly as she measured the chemical they were about to combine in the flask. Chemistry required a lot of close attention.

            “You needed a partner, and everyone else here knows someone,” said (Y/N), holding the flask steady.

            “You mean no one wants to work with the Villain Kid,” said Mal, straightforward. “And you’re assigned to us.”

            “I volunteered,” said (Y/N).

            Mal paused and looked at them. “You volunteered?” She didn’t believe it.

            “Yeah,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “Why?” demanded Mal.

            “Because I think Ben’s right,” said (Y/N). “You and all the other children born on the Isle aren’t at fault for what your parents did. You deserve freedom, a chance to live your own story.” They smiled. “So I volunteered to work on the project. I want you, Evie, Carlos, and Jay to do well here so that Ben can bring more kids over.”

            “And yet he chose the worst and the worst to start out with,” said Mal.

            “Go big or go home, right?” said (Y/N), chuckling.

            “My mom tried that by turning into a dragon, and I think she got the ‘go home’ option. She’s still not over that,” remarked Mal with a grin.

            “My mom had to create a pros and cons list for eating nectarines because they’re a cross of peaches and apples, and she’s still suspicious of all apples,” said (Y/N).

            The pair looked at each other before laughing.

l

            “How do you think things are going?” asked Ben excitedly. “I think Jay is interested in Tourney, and Carlos likes Dude!”

            “That’s great,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “I saw Mal with Jane. Are they friends?” said Ben, a large grin on his face. “This is going so well.”

            “Slow down,” said (Y/N). “It’s only been a few days. Things are still settling for them.”

            “But it has been going well,” said Ben.

            “Well, they’ve been doing well in classes, which is good,” said (Y/N). “And Jane and Mal have hung out more.” They frowned. “Even if it is because Mal did Jane’s hair…” They were a bit hesitant around beauty magic due to the…lengths some people went with insecurities—someone trying to murder your mother over looks would make you unsure about that magic—but it was just hair, right? And it was a nice thing Mal did. “But Jane seems happier, and Mal was only hanging with the VKs and me before that, so I guess it’s a step. And Evie spends time with Doug. And Chad, unfortunately, but he’s harmless other than having a pretty face with no real brain.”

            “You spend a lot of time with them,” said Ben. “You guys seem to be real friends.”

            “Jealous?” said (Y/N), glancing at Ben. They knew he spent a lot of time checking up with Mal when he saw her.

            He coughed and turned a bit red. “Jealous? No, just concerned. I want to make sure they’re doing well.”

            “Uh-huh,” hummed (Y/N).

l

            “Mom said, ‘If a boy can’t see the beauty within, then he’s not worth it,’ ” complained Jane. “Can you believe it? What world does she live in?”

            “Auradon,” said Mal.

            “Jane, do you want a man who only wants beauty or one that loves all of you?” said (Y/N).

            Jane sighed. “All of me. But they all want beauty, too.”

            “You are beautiful, Jane,” said (Y/N). They wished their friends could see their own beauty, inside and out.

            “Says the child of Snow White, the most beautiful woman ever,” grumbled Jane.

            “Does it look like I got those genes?” said (Y/N), leaning on their hand.

            Jane huffed. “Still better than me. I got stocky fairy genes.”

            “Mal, (Y/N), what do you think?” Evie held up her latest creation, a black and blue dress.

            “It brings out your eyes,” said Mal.

            “It looks nice,” said (Y/N).

            “I know,” said Evie proudly.

            “I’ll never get a boyfriend,” bemoaned Jane.

            “Boyfriends are overrated,” said Mal.

            “How would you know, Mal? You’ve never had one,” said Evie.

            “It’s ‘cause I don’t need one, E,” retorted Mal. “They’re a waste of time.”

            Evie gasped at the mention of time. “I forgot to do Chad’s homework!”

            “And that is exactly what I mean,” said Mal.

            “Evie, you shouldn’t do it for him,” said (Y/N). “He is not worth it.” Evie was worth so much more than just her looks, and that was all Chad would look at.

            “What, is he a bad ex?” said Mal, smirking.

            “No, he’s just a shallow idiot,” said (Y/N). “Think male version of Audrey but less sharp.”

            Mal snorted at the description.

            “You always land great partners,” said Jane. “That’s why you don’t worry like I do.”

            “I’ve had two dates,” said (Y/N), shrugging. “And neither of them were right for me.”

            Evie put down Chad’s homework to grin. “Spill. Who?”

            “Princess Ariel and Prince Eric’s son and Prince Naveen and Princess Tiana’s daughter,” said (Y/N).

            “You dated two royals?” Evie sighed. “Lucky.”

            “I went out on one day with each, but neither gave me a real spark. I just felt content. I didn’t feel alive,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “I’m still waiting to find True Love.”

            “True Love, huh? If it hadn’t defeated my mom, I wouldn’t believe in it,” said Mal.

            “It is pretty rare,” admitted (Y/N). “But it would still be nice to find it.”

            Evie smiled softly. “Yeah.”

            Knock-knock.

            Lonnie, (Y/N)’s friend, knocked on the door of the room and peeked inside.

            “Hi,” she said, smiling at everyone. “I’m Lonnie. My Mom’s Mulan? No? Anyways, I love what you’ve done with Jane’s hair.” Lonnie grinned at Mal. “And I know you hate us, and, well, you’re evil—” (Y/N) frowned “—But do you think you can do mine?”

            Mal frowned. “Why would I do that for you?”

            “I’ll pay you fifty dollars,” said Lonnie.

            “Good answer.” Evie took the money. “I need to buy more material. Let’s see…I’m thinking we’ll lose the bangs, maybe some layers, and some highlights.”

            “Yeah, yeah, I want it to be cool,” said Lonnie. “Like Mal’s.”

            “The split ends, too?” said Evie. Mal glowered, and Evie just smirked and shook the money at her.

            Mal sighed, grabbed her spell book, and flipped through it. “Okay…‘Beware, foreswear, replace the old with cool hair.’ ” She drew a design in the air with her finger.

            Lonnie’s hair became a lighter brown and cascaded down her shoulders in soft curls. She touched the soft locks and looked into the mirror. Her eyes widened.

            “I know, I know,” said Evie. “It looks like a mop on your head. You know what, let’s cut it off. Layer it—”

            “No, no, no,” said Lonnie, grinning. “I love it.”

            “You do?” said Evie.

            Lonnie grabbed the edge of her skirt and ripped. Now she had a slit in her skirt. “Now I’m cool,” she said proudly.

            Jane walked up next to her and looked in the mirror. She grabbed the hem of her skirt. She tore. Then, she gasped. “What did I just do? Mom’s gonna kill me.”

            “She won’t, it’s just a skirt,” said (Y/N), waving a hand.

            “Thanks, Mal,” said Lonnie. She smiled. “I’m going to tell all the girls. Bye!” She left the room. Jane hurried out after her, already trying to figure out what to tell her mom about her skirt.

l

            (Y/N) yawned as they walked towards the dorm kitchen. They were starving, and they’d run out of fruit they’d kept in their dorm, so off to the kitchens they went. They opened the door and found a startled Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay staring at them from inside.

            Smiling, they walked farther in. “Hey, guys, grabbing a midnight snack, too?” They looked at the cookie batter on the table. “Looks good. Mind if I try some?” They grabbed a spoon, dipped it, and took a bite. “Mmm.”

            Evie and Mal winced, Carlos and Jay exchanged glances, and all four looked at (Y/N) expectantly.

            “Do you…feel anything?” said Evie slowly.

            “Like it’s…missing something?” said Mal.

            “You guys could add chocolate chips,” suggested (Y/N), turning to the fridge. Behind them, all the VKs let out a breath of relief that nothing had gone wrong.

            “Chocolate chips?” said Jay, furrowing his brow.

            “Some of the best treats out there,” said (Y/N), taking a bag out of the fridge. They smiled. “My mom would always add them to brownies and cookies when I was feeling down.” (Y/N) sprinkled some into the bowl, and the VKs watched the tiny pieces of chocolate mix with the batter.

            “Feeling down?” said Evie quietly.

            “Yeah,” said (Y/N), leaning on the table. “I had a tough time with insecurity growing up. When everyone in the world thinks your mom is beautiful, they make comments expecting you to be. It took me a while to learn not to compare myself to others.” They smiled as they remembered their childhood. “But my mom would always remind me of what mattered when I got down, and she’d make us sweets, put on a movie, and just hold me.” They looked up, and their face fell.

            Each of the VKs was staring at them with a strange look in their eyes. Carlos had leaned in longingly. Jay was silent, looking at his feet. Mal had furrowed her brow, confused by the idea of what (Y/N)’s mom was like. Evie stared at the cookie batter, thinking of all the times she’d been insecure and been reminded she would never be as fair as her mom but she needed to be second best at least.

            They hadn’t gotten that softness, that kindness.

            “Did I…say something?” said (Y/N) quietly. They hadn’t meant to upset them.

         ��  Mal cleared her throat. “It’s just different where we’re from.”

            “Oh. So your parents didn’t—” (Y/N) swallowed as they watched the VKs shift and blink away their emotions. Tears burned the edges of (Y/N)’s eyes. The VKs’ parents hadn’t helped any of them deal with their insecurities and instead fed into them. “I’m sorry,” whispered (Y/N). “You deserve better.” A tear ran down their cheek.

            Mal’s eyes widened, she reached out, and she wiped the tear from (Y/N)’s cheek. (Y/N) blinked in confusion, and Mal flicked her hands dry—and the tear “happened” to fall into the bowl of batter.

            “Yeah, well, big bummer,” said Mal, clearing her throat and moving on. She was not soft. “But we have to get these in the oven, so thank you so much for coming by.”

            “Bye,” said Evie as Mal pushed (Y/N) towards the door.

            “Oh, yeah, right,” said (Y/N). They wouldn’t intrude any more after ruining the mood. “Goodnight.”

            “We’ll see you tomorrow,” said Mal.

            “Swe—Evil dreams,” said Evie.

Taglist:

@neenieweenie

@hampterfae

@american-idiot-jpg

@lunalixya

@roo024

@unholycheesesnack

@paastaboi

@lbee13

[toiletcthulhu]

Skyrim has such an inoffensive style of game design that allows it to appeal to a lot of people, but I've known a lot of people who really need solid dialogue or non-violent options who just can't get into the game. Largely, I think Skyrim focuses on aesthetic and combat immersion (although I think combat has been more immersive in previous games, especially magic). The environment and music contribute to a cozy or scary vibe depending on the situation and do heavy lifting for lackluster level design, in my opinion. Whatever character you play, there's most likely an outfit, weapon, spell, and combat style that allow you to validate your perception of your character. Using these forms of expression to watch your character interact with an open world is quite addictive. The dialogue is vague enough that, although you may not be playing for it, it usually isn't bold enough to ruin the immersion of your experience. Basically the dialogue experience of Skyrim is so neutered and bland that it could almost be taken away and just replaced with quest descriptions. This would seem like a temporarily fun arrangement, but still not very substantive to even the most mainstream player, and that's where all the hard work of previous writers comes into play. Elder Scrolls has had a lot of passionate minds putting work into writing in-game libraries, fleshing out the histories of several different empires and peoples from different cultural perspectives, as well as creating an incomprehensibly intricate deity pantheon and creation story. I struggle to remember one part of any of these things that Bethesda improved upon in Skyrim. Pretty much no new lore for the Brotherhood, the Blades, the Dwemer, most of the Daedric princes, the civil war factions are barely fleshed out, hardly any new politics in the Dragonborn expansion or even seeing the ramifications of the Argonian revolt. There's basically a treasure trove of immense and honestly quite interesting knowlegde that compose at the bedrock of interest for desiring to remain in these worlds. It's funny because Fallout 4 was actually TOO ambitious for them, they tried to write their own stuff and rather embarrassingly couldn't write factions in a AAA game with more complexity than a middle schooler. This is why I think 3 and Skyrim are the most succesful of Bethesda's slop. They defile the carcass of good ideas and cover it with a polish of improved gameplay and a simple yet iconic aesthetic style, and so long as they try not to do anything that fundamentally damages the narriative integrity of the world they've had built for them, they're golden. It's ironic because I think this skillset would lend itself very nicely to high quality remakes, something that fans have often asked for. I used to think that it was a stupid request and that I desired freshness, but after seeing what Bethesda has to offer, I can't help but wonder how much cooler things would've been if they never made any new Fallout games and just remade them.

What is it about Skyrim that feels like the peak of Bethesda games

[aceredshirt13]

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse, The Fast Show

Rating: Mature 

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply 

Relationships: Reginald Jeeves/Bertram "Bertie" Wooster 

Characters: Bertram "Bertie" Wooster, Reginald Jeeves, Ken (Fast Show), Kenneth (Fast Show) 

Additional Tags: Crack, but aren’t both these series basically crack anyway?, Sexual Humor, this is essentially just a narrative series of sex jokes. you're welcome 

Summary:

Bertie tries a new tailor. The employees make some deuced rummy comments. Jeeves does not approve.

[eastbluecrewed]

things you can't get back

aka i've been waiting so patiently to see kidd get his ass beat by shanks (affectionate)

[the-acid-pear]

Y'know this little throwaway gag is so bizarre to me and I know this game is a bit very different to 2 and 3 but look at Matt's reaction when Jack raids the place in 3:

You'd argue he's simply stopping Jack bc he hates this guy and he also hates this job which Could Be True but i highly doubt bc overall despite his virginity and overall cursed vibe, Matt seems to be a good employee, by all means (I mean, Peter literally gave him a vacation instead of firing him in 2, so that says a lot).

Plus, Dave hates this guy as much as he hates him! He literally always calls him creepy and, AND!

This is the only footage you get of the prize corner in 2. Which is also the first game to show Matt and Dave's disdain for one another, Dave being likely more scared of Matt than Matt will ever be of him.

Which is all very curious. 2 does set a drastic change for Matt too with him going from being just strange to outright creepy, so was the old pizza place closing something that actually affected him or was he consistently that creepy all along? And if the later, did he just start hating Dave after that or did they always have beef and they simply had some sort of arrangement (or even higher word from Steven who tended to let Dave do whatever he wanted in general) that let him do so?

[prince-liest]

what do you think of that theory that Alastor is also an infesting/infestor demon? people say that after the new ep, Alastor and envy demon Ronaldo have some characteristics in common. like, feeds off misery, disappears in a oozing shadow, green power association and stuff. and somehow this seems connected to the theory that the Von eldritch family somehow own alastor's soul. because theyre also envy demons, and, more precisely, actually friends of the morningstar family (lucifer

Oooh - this is actually the first I've heard of this theory, but I can definitely see where people are making the connections. I don't think Alastor is an infestor demon himself because while he is emotionally manipulative, sadistic, and quite canny at reading people, it seems that is more his delightfully horrid personality rather than any preternatural advantage. Also, his actual approach to eliminating his targets is, uh, brutal and overwhelming violence, not luring people into traps and supernaturally feeding off of their misery. I think there's probably a lot of sadism and shadowy-ness going around hell in general. He also doesn't have any fishy themeing whatsoever!

But I think it would be really neat if he did have connections to the Von Eldritch family. He does have a pretty pronounced negative reaction the moment he realizes Lucifer is coming to the hotel, prior to ever meeting him, even though Lucifer himself isn't familiar with who Alastor is. Alastor's opinion could be based on reputation, but it would be fun if the real reason for his reaction was that the Von Eldritches were the ones who got their claws into his soul! And it would certainly entangle him in the Morningstar family business. Perhaps in a deeply nefarious way...

But it would also be fuckoff hilarious if it was literally just because they were trying to set their kid up with his ex-girlfriend.

[buttercup-art]

hey

[alchemiclee]

been looking in tags for a few days now to see if anyone else found the whole high cloud quintet and related story to be a bit.....poorly written, nonsensical, contradictory, full of plot holes and loose ends, etc. apparently i'm not the only one. (and i'm not even talking about shipping stuff, because any time I saw someone mad about bad writing, someone always replies to be homophobic and laugh about failed ships. weirdos.) it could have been so good but was thrown into the garbage for the most part (IF you noticed all the plot holes and contradiction. if not, then it's a fine enough story tbh. I expect most people to see it on surface level and not read all the little hidden lore bits and try to piece it together like my autistic brain did. which is ok! enjoy it if you liked it and ignore me 😆)

[beatcroc]

listen. i love pizza tower with my whole heart & mind. you know this. you Know. but first and foremost i am a character design bitch, and the pizzas are, frankly, very bland. this is not a critique or a complaint, because obviously That's Not The Point and more importantly i would be horrified if anyone tried doing that much animation with anything more complex than what's there. but also it means when i get a taste of some truly whack ass insane design work again it is like fuuuucking catnip

[end-orfino]

ahhhhhh i remember why i dont read comics & books and watch movies as much as I should. Because they make me lose it

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Okay so that AU based on Plex History stuff and the song the Horse and the Infant from Epic the Musical?

It's a medieval fantasy style AU, with magic, gods, kingdoms, and fucked monarchies. Bonnie is the prince of a kingdom who becomes friends with Roxy, a wolf from a northern town in the middle of nowhere. He and his father are considered very close to the gods and have been visited and guided by them many a time before. Meanwhile, Roxy was found nearly dead on a riverbank when she was a very small puppy and was adopted by Music Man. She was raised like her siblings (the Minis) by Music Man and the local community, is the best horse racer in the Northern regions and has nothing to do with the known gods ever outside of her regular education.

They meet at Roxy's first horse race in the South that just so happens to be in Bonnie's kingdom and the one he's also competing in. While all the other competitors recognise Bonnie either by name or face, Roxy doesn't have a god damn clue who this guy is and that throws Bonnie so off guard that they end up being friends.

However, since winning the race, Roxy has started to be visited in her dreams by a green, rabbit-looking god. He tells her very little she understands and honestly she doesn't care about this guy at all or what this "destiny" bullshit he keeps going on about is. Bonnie on the other hand, is receiving a few vague warnings not to trust his new friend, but don't exactly tell him why so he's not really sure what to make of it. But... well his father has been acting a bit weird lately... like he's afraid of something, almost seeming paranoid about some sort of attack on the kingdom... Weird...

So anyway, he hangs out with Roxy some more! I'm not sure how to approach the next part of the plot as there's a lot of options here, but basically, he goes on a trip with Roxy and their mutual friends to a kingdom his father defeated when he was little. They also find out what kind of atrocities he and his men committed there and what the fuck that has to do with Roxy, which, if you know the song I'm talking about you can probably make a pretty good guess where I'm going with this. Oh and also the place is crazy haunted and the ghosts all have it out for Bonnie specifically.

For those that don't know the song, the gods (Glitchtrap/Afton/Whoever) pressured and manipulated Bonnie's father into killing the baby of the royals he'd just killed in war. Except in this case, they didn't check the baby puppy was actually fucking dead before they moved on and forgot about her... until she showed up again in the kingdom they like fucking with the most. And makes friends with her would-be murderer's son with seemingly absolutely no knowledge of any of this shit.

But uhhh yeah this is basically a story about gods playing dolls with mortals and the consequences that has on them. And Old Man Consequences is there. He gets to be very cool here.

[emeraldcreeper]

I love being able to salvage an idea and mush 10 ideas together into a fic idea that holds water at least somewhat

[imwritesometimes]

wouldn't it be funny if I could write again lollollol........

[imminent-danger-came]

Do you think the Demon Bull Family will enter the plot again? I think a lot of parallels between MK and Red Son have come around this season and it'd be interesting to explore

Oh please share your Red Son and MK related thoughts with me! I'm not quite sure what you're talking about specifically, but of course the DBK - Wukong / Red Son - MK parallel is always fun.

I don't think the Demon Bull Family will ever be shoved out of the plot entirely, at the VERY least we'll get something like how they were integrated in s4, but with Wukong, Macaque, and DBK all being previous members of the brotherhood I hope we get to explore their relationship a bit more!

I hold onto my crumbs, and so I remember Wukong's little "I've honestly missed that guy" from Revenge of the Spider Queen, and maybe deep down I want that to be explored. It seems like we're going to get into why Wukong stayed up on flower fruit mountain for all that time, and part of that might involve why he sealed DBK away/his feelings on that whole situation. And honestly if DBK is involved, then Red Son is involved. Red Son's admiration for his father is very similar to the admiration MK has for Monkey King, so maybe there's something to be explored there!

[frogenthusiastt]

guys depression is real