#and I struggled so hard getting motivated and figuring stuff out I'm only now getting to the plan

[seeminglyseph]

have realised I've started figuring out story planning too late to really get NaNoWriMo done the way it's supposed to be done but I'm also trying not to kill my vibe before it's even gotten a chance to start and while I used the NaNo discount code for Scrivener for when I start actually writing, since it looks the most useful for the writing process, I've found I really like using Campfire for planning.

I am paying for some premium options right now for Campfire and it turns out it has a lot of modules for just like. almost post-it note, cork board, planning mode sort of setup that's been great for my like. absolutely scattered and incoherent focus and mindset.

also I can access it on multiple devices so that means I can play around with it on my phone or browser or app or whatever.

[jq37]

Seeing you describe your opinion on Wish (the movie itself) as "def do have oh boy" just has me curious now. What is it?

OK, so I let this sit in my inbox for a while because I planned to see Wish and I figured that it would be more fair to wait until I had a full picture of what the movie was before I started talking about it and...yeahhhhhhh having seen it my opinion has not changed. It's just intensified. 

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW (lol, this got past 7k words)

And, fair warning, it's pretty critical so if you don't want to read something critical about this movie then this is your exit.

tl;dr: I think the movie Wish fails at basically everything it sets out to do and it's an absolutely awful 100th Anniversary movie for Disney. 

When I say it fails at everything, I mean EVERYTHING*. I'm going to break this into sections for organizational purposes. 

*The one thing I'll give it a slight pass on is the art style which I don't love but also wasn't like make or break for me. I would have preferred true 2D or a better implementation of the blended 2D/3D style, but if the movie was otherwise of the quality of something like Spiderverse or Puss in Boots, the animation wouldn't have bothered me. Like, I watched S1 of The Dragon Prince with no problem. I can forgive janky animation--and it wasn't even super janky. Just odd. What I can't forgive is literally everything else about the movie. 

Characters

How is this movie so full of characters and yet devoid of characters that matter? There are a million characters in this movie and basically only two of them matter: The King and Asha. But neither of them are compelling in any meaningful way.

There's a lot of to do about the last batch of Disney protags being very same-y in a quirky, all fluff and no substance way and I don't really buy into that. I don't think that Raps, Anna, Moana, and Mirabel are palate swapped carbon copies of each other. They have unique backgrounds and struggles and motivations. I feel like they're all quirky, sure. But they all also have an identity BEYOND being quirky. 

I do NOT get that with Asha. I don't feel like I have a good idea of what makes her tick at all. Like, she's kind. She wants her grandpa to get his wish. She wants to be the King's apprentice so she can help people. The queen (we'll get to her) exposits to us that she cares about people. But being kind isn't in itself an entire personality. The way Mulan is kind (defying the law to spare her father the ravages of war in his old age) isn't the same way as the way Cinderella is kind (making clothes for her mouse friends and protecting them from the cat). Asha just has a generalized want to help people, which is an admirable trait, but doesn't give us much to latch onto. It's so telling to me that in a movie called "Wish" our main character's wish is just, "To have more than just this" And yes, Disney princesses wanting "more" is literally their whole thing, but it's always more specific than that. Mirabel wants to prove herself to her family. Rapunzel wants to experience life beyond her tower. Even Snow White--the Disney princess with the flimsiest story--wants to find her true love. That's a concrete motivation! Asha doesn't feel real to me as a character. It feels like the thing that drives her is that the plot needs to happen and that's it. 

The other important character in the movie is King Magnifico who was supposed to be a return to form for Disney in introducing another classic villain but he just fails at that so hard. The idea that he could stand toe to toe with any of the OGs like Lady Tremaine or Scar or even the latest villains like Dr. Facillier or Mother Gothel is laughable. He just doesn't have any gravitas. And his characterization is so odd. You can tell that they were trying to give him a "reasonable man doing unreasonable things for a good reason” backstory (both because of some images in the film and some stuff in interviews I read) but then they just...don't actually give the backstory? Like, they imply that the backstory exists but I don't remember them going into it at all. Which like, he doesn't NEED a tragic backstory. He can just be doing what he's doing because he's evil. Ursula didn't need a reason to want to rule the seas. She's just a boss bitch and she wants power. I don't need to dissect that any further. BUT if you tell me there’s a reason your villain is doing something, I need to see that reason. I don't understand why they would include that in the movie, just to do nothing with it. 

Beyond that, he's written in such a weird way. Like, despite the "maybe he has a point" angle they seem to want to go with, he's very obviously a self-absorbed ruler--like he'll say things like, "Yeah, I am super handsome" to his wife--which immediately dumps him into the camp villain category. But he's doing the controlling things he does in the movie of his own accord to get people to stick to the status quo he set up. Fine. That's a fine thing for a camp villain to be doing. But then, at a certain point in the movie, he just uses a forbidden magic evil book (which he has for some reason) that just fills him with evil, green magic and makes him 100% unhinged all of a sudden. And that's just...boring? Like, anything interesting you might have been able to do before that point about power and control and how sometimes you make a wrong choice with good intentions is just gone at that point. It sucks because there were a lot of right answers here. You could just make him evil because he's evil. That works. You could have him be seriously convinced that what he's doing is right and be willing to do whatever he needs to do to keep things that way. That works. You could say that he started out trying to be morally upright and then slid into enjoying the praise and control just a bit too much--and I think maybe that's what they were going for. But it does not come across that way. He just seems like a dick to the point where you're kinda questioning how he's pulling any of this off. Asha asks him one question and he flies off the handle. How does everyone not know he's an asshole if it takes so little to fluster him?

So I don't like our main hero or villain. But there are still SO MANY CHARACTERS in this movie. 

You've got Asha's SEVEN FRIENDS. Yes, SEVEN. they're based off of the seven dwarves, which is cute enough but do you know what happens when you give the hero seven sidekick characters? None of them get developed at all and you have to treat them like a unit. Only two of them matter at all--Dahlia (her best friend and the one who actually does more than just make dumb jokes or, worse, nothing at all) and Simon (the one who betrays them--more on that later). There is no story reason for them to have shoved in this many sidekicks. Especially since she also has…

Her animal sidekick, Valentino. Who is a very cute goat until he gets sprinkled with stardust and boom. He can talk. Which immediately made me like him less. Flounder he aint. The whole joke with him is that he's a baby goat with a rich, deep, baritone voice. That's it. Almost every joke he makes is either about that or his butt. Boo. 

Then, there's the Queen--Queen Amaya--who is such a NOTHING character. There's no effort made to build up her relationship with the king so that her flipping on him later has an emotional impact. I have no idea what she cares about or desires. When she shows up, she's basically acting like the king's secretary, which is weird. I don't think that's what a queen does. There's a moment during a later song when she joins the "revolution" and it just has zero impact because again, it's like, I don't know who you are in any significant way! She seems nice, and I would love to live somewhere ruled by someone boring and benign, but that makes for an awful movie character. 

I almost wrote "lastly, there's the star" because I totally forgot about Asha's mom and grandpa. They're in this movie too but even though Asha's whole motivation at the start of the movie is getting her grandpa's wish granted, we never get a good idea of what their relationship is. They have like, one quick scene at the top which tells us nothing, then they're in a crowd scene later, then Asha has dinner with them later the same day and that's it. And, again, we get nothing significant. Compared to something like Mulan where you have a good idea of what Mulan's relationship is with every member of her family by the time the military order comes in or Encanto where between the musical number at the top and the first group scene, you get an entire picture, this is really weak. Again, so weak that I completely forgot that they were even in this movie. 

And NOW lastly, there's the star. Who is like, cute enough but he really makes me annoyed because I've seen the original concepts and they would have been so much more interesting! That's the case for the queen too, so I'll talk about both of them together here. 

I am sorry to inform you if you didn't already know but the queen was originally supposed to be evil too.

She was supposed to be a part of an evil power couple with Magnifico and how dope would that have been? We've never gotten that from Disney before. Imagine! Disney Villain Song Duet! A Hot couples costume for next Halloween! An actual relationship that's developed in this movie! But nope. They unflavor-blasted her into the paper thin, placeholder of a character we have in the movie. 

And the Star went through a couple of concepts. One, was the spirit of her dead grandpa, taking a younger form, which isn't my fave one but it at least would give her a relationship with this person who is supposedly an important person in her life, something we don't have in the movie right now. My favorite alternate concept is that originally, the Star was supposed to be her celestial love interest. And listen, anyone who's followed me for long enough knows that I am a big advocate for platonic relationships and FRONTING platonic relationships. I don't think that a story needs a romantic relationship to be compelling and I think forcing one in almost always makes it worse. But there is NO central relationship in this movie to carry it. Asha has too many friends for any one of them to make a serious impact so it's not a friendship story. Her mom and grandpa are nothing characters, so it's not a family story. She interacts with the star a lot, but that's basically just her talking to herself because the start doesn’t talk. So nothing is really there to latch onto. If they'd decided to go with the romance angle, it would have forced them to focus on at least ONE relationship and it would have been a nice way to throwback to classic Disney movies from the past. Much better than just sticking her with SEVEN WHOLE USELESS FRIENDS. Literally, all they provide is backup vocals in the fight song. Special Dishonorable Mention to Gabo. Man I hate that dude. 

So, to recap this section, Asha's personality is only sketched out in the loosest possible way, King Magnifico is entirely half-baked, and there are so many side characters that no one can form meaningful relationships with each other. And it's really a shame because (1) they very easily could have pared down the cast and (2) very recently Disney put out Encanto which handles a large cast beautifully. There are a ton of Madrigals but I can tell you what the deal of each and every one is. This could have been done well and they fumbled so hard. 

Concept

OK, so next up is the general plot and concept. This story takes place in the city of Rosas which is ruled by King Magnifco. It is supposedly a paradise, but much like a YA dystopian novel, it has a twist: When you turn 18, Magnifico takes your wish away from you and puts in in his wish room with the promise that it might be granted at one of the monthly wish granting ceremonies. Once your wish is taken from you, you are "unburdened" and you're "free" from having to pursue it. You don't even remember what it was. 

There's a kernel of something interesting there. A ruler making his subjects docile, placid zombies that won't challenge him by taking away their ambition? That's interesting. People willingly giving away a part of their heart to dull the pain of trying and failing? Interesting. Someone doing this with no ill intent, but rather genuinely thinking that this half-existence is better than the heartbreak of the alternative? Interesting!

But the actual implementation of this idea? Ughhhhhh. 

So first off, just logistically, Magnifico grants one wish a month more or less (Asha says once a month and in his villain song, he said he granted 14 wishes "last year"). So like, realistically, most of these people have to know their wishes will never be granted, right? Because of like...how math works? Asha acts like it's a big shock when she learns that most wishes won't be granted but like girl...math. 

Secondly, there are two moments that are meant to imply that having your wish taken away turns you into a shell of yourself. Asha's friend (who betrays her) Simon is said to be all sleepy and more boring since he turned 18 and had his wish taken. And then, later in the movie, we see two new residents have their wishes taken, and they look a little disturbed after it happens. But, here's the thing. NO ONE ELSE IN THE MOVIE ACTS LIKE THAT. Asha's mom and grandpa act like normal people. So do all the other characters. It’s not consistent enough to establish that this is what’s on the line. Does taking your wish away make you a robot or not?

And does everyone just have one wish? I know I could fill a full sheet of paper, front and back, with things that matter very dearly to me. If you took away my wish to write for TV someday, that would still leave my wishes to travel the world and get a comic book adaptation of one of my novels and a whole lot of other things! Does taking your main wish away make you lose your ability to form new wishes? Logistically, how does any of this work? And you can't just say, "It's a metaphor. Don't think too hard about it," because there's a scene where the citizens start asking these questions. Like, "What happens if we have a new wish than from when we initially made it?" As if having unnamed side characters ask the questions first will alleviate the need to answer them. It's not lamp shading at that point. You're just being lazy. 

Also, this is more a me thinking about the implications too hard than an actual plot problem but if he's taking the wishes at 18 I feel like a lot of peoples' greatest desire at that stage in their life is, "I want a romantic partner." And if the central conceit of this premise is that once your wish is taken, you stop wanting to pursue it then the city of Rosas is gonna have a population Collapse problem very soon. 

The characters--especially Asha--get so emotional about wishes. It's like they're giving a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic speech every time they talk about it (except MLP has MUCH better writing). It's bizarre to see Asha's mom get her wish back and be like, "Oh my wish. My precious wish!" when she doesn't act any differently than a normal person before or after she has it back (Sidenote: She says this and she's holding the wish ball but we never see what that wish is and that's maddening. Why do I know what the dream of every patron in the Snuggly Duckling is, but they didn't show that? Ridic.) It almost is like, being in contact with a wish ball is a quasi-religious experience that drives the characters’ actions (Asha and the King are both totally enraptured while singing together in the Wish Room), but because we, the audience, are very much not in contact with the wish balls, we're not getting ANY of that. 

Anyway, to recap this section: the central premise of how wishes work and how taking them affects people is not treated consistently or explained well, which makes the stakes feel very undefined and sloppy. 

Pacing

This has to be its own section, because it's the thing that baffled me most when I watched this movie. So, here's the setup. Asha is going to interview for the internship with the king. She wants to help people and she has the secondary motive of wanting to try and get her 100-year-old grandpa's wish granted because he's not getting any younger. 

Here is the entire sequence: Asha is led into the interview by Queen Amaya. Asha is awkward but makes a good enough first impression that Magnifico is moved to show her the wish room (for some reason). They sing a duet about the wishes where they’re both dazzled by the Wish balls. During the song, Asha finds her Grandpa's wish and after the song, she asks him to grant it. He looks at the wish and says while she has good intentions, it's too dangerous to grant--as are most wishes. She asks why not give them back then and he immediately flies off the handle and starts ranting about how HE decides which wishes get granted and what everyone deserves! 

Their first meeting and him showing his true colors happens in the SAME SCENE. It's like 7-10 minutes and they just RUSH through all of that. And it's like, why? Did they really need to get to that dumbass star song (we'll get to that) faster? 

I know that he isn't a twist villain so we don't need to keep the fact that he’s the bad guy under wraps. And, the way the story is structured, she needs to learn what he's doing before she can rebel against him. But it's not gonna be a big, impactful moment if you're rushing from beat to beat like this is an essay that's due in twenty minutes and you started five minutes ago. 

And it really makes you wonder, if Asha can blow the whole lid off this conspiracy within ten minutes of meeting this guy, why is this not happening more often? Between how obviously smarmy the King is, how paltry the wish granting system is, and how easily Asha was able to start asking questions and get him to blow his top (something that happens again later when the citizens start asking question–it literally drives him into his villain song) I don't believe that this wouldn't have happened earlier (Sidenote: Finding out that it HAD happened earlier and that Asha is the latest in a line of failed apprentices who questioned him? More interesting premise). 

So to recap: I have no idea why this movie is paced like this but it's not doing it any favors. 

Humor

Humor is very subjective so you can take this with a huge grain of salt but I think this is a deeply unfunny movie. 

The jokes fall into about three main categories:

(1) Quirky Humor: This is like Asha babbling and tripping over her words. The scene in the trailer where she's like, "Is my face drooping?" is a good example. It's not really a joke but it's clearly an attempt at humor that I don't think meets the mark. It's also in the songs with, for instance, the animals or the King saying slang that doesn't match how they talk or you'd expect them to talk at all and it just feels deeply incongruent, not funny. 

(2) Referential Humor: This is probably what bothered me the most because it was just so so very eye-roll inducing. And listen, I love a good reference. Enchanted is my favorite movie of all time. I don’t begrudge them for putting a few references in their 100th Anniversary movie. But ugh. There is a scene after the king's gone crazy where he's destroying wish bubbles for power and he's like, looking at the wishes and making a quip before he crushes them. And for the second one he goes, "Oh you want a nanny for your kids? Definitely  POPPING this one!" And he might as well have looked at the camera and said, "Get it? Get it?" and it took 6 months off my lifespan. (Sidenote: He he does a direct ref with the first two wish bubbles--Peter Pan and Mary Poppins–and then he just makes a general ref to the concept of true love with the last one and it's like, come on at least rule of threes this if you're gonna do it. Commit to your awful bit!)

(3) Kiddie Humor: This is where things get especially subjective because maybe a little kid would find this stuff really funny and they are a part of the target audience so that's valid. But it doesn't add much substance to the movie. This is like the goat being like, "I found a secret passage with my butt" or leading a chicken choir or singing the line, "So that's where all the balls of gas come from" while sticking his butt in the air--a lot of these have to do with the goat and his butt now that I think about it. 

I think I only laughed at one thing in the movie that was meant to be at least partially funny--when the Queen interrupts the fight song and everyone is like "Oh shit, we're busted!" before she starts singing along. 

So to recap: Sometimes a movie has a weak story but it's super funny and that makes up for it. This is not one of those movies.

Music

This is the one thing I already knew before I watched this movie: The music in this movie is bad. 

Like, fullstop, no qualifications bad. Not bad for a Disney movie. Not bad for this story. Just bad.

I was a little confused by the choice to pick a pop artist instead of someone who specializes in musical theater style music for this project, but a more pop-y musical doesn't automatically mean a worse musical. Sure, maybe it's a weird choice to pay homage to the past 100 years of Disney movies, but it could be good. I love Six the Musical.

But that's the problem. The songs aren't just unfitting. They're not just un-Disney. They're fully BAD. They feel so half-baked and God, I've never been so assaulted by slant rhymes in my life. Like, this bothers me to the point where I have to go through the entire tracklist. I can't just make a blanket statement, I have to show you what I mean:

1) Welcome to Rosas: This whole song sounds like someone listened to “Where you Are” from Moana (the "consider the coconut" song), “Belle” from Beauty and the Beast, and “The Family Madrigal” from Encanto and was like, "I could do that". And then they couldn't. It's not really catchy and it's pretty repetitive. Super forgettable. 

Worst Line: Honestly, this song is too boring to have a worst line. 

2) At All Costs: This is the duet that Asha and Magnifico sing. Before I saw the movie, I thought it was going to be Asha singing about a wish and Magnifico singing to his wife to set up the eventual rift between them but that was before I realized that this movie doesn't believe in relationship building. Some of the movie's worst musical sins are on display here. Turns of phrases that seem like they were written by AI and bizarre syntax. 

Like what does, "You pull me in, like some kind of wind" mean? That's not what wind does. Why would anyone ever say, "Felt this? No, I haven't" instead of "I haven't felt this?" That's so awkward. 

Worst Line: "Leave you here, I don't wanna. I wanna [promise as one does]." My feelings about this line could be a whole other essay, but I've been writing this for 2 hours already so I have to move on. 

3) This Wish: This is the big "I Want" song and it fails on several levels. It fails in comparison to all the songs it’s standing in the shadow of--like the last “I Want” song we got is, I believe, “Waiting on a Miracle” and man! How can you not feel for Mirabel after watching her go through everything she goes through at the start of the movie and it getting topped with her being excluded from the family portrait? You see all the build up (including the implied build up from before the movie started) and you see why it's all bubbled up to the point where she has no choice but to sing about it! With Asha, there isn't a whole lifetime of angst that's bubbling up to make her sing this song. Everything that's happened to her has happened over the hour of like eight hours tops. She meets the king, finds out about the king, realizes the whole system is bad, and then gets into an argument with her family who's drunk the Kool-Aid and doesn't wanna hear what she has to say (which makes no impact on us because we have no idea what their relationship is). That's it. It doesn't feel like the movie has earned the song.

And then with “Waiting for a Miracle” the music itself is plaintive and soaring. Like, I just paused writing to listen to it and I couldn't help but sing along and pour a little of my actual IRL "I Want" energy into it. It's a song that feels very real. “This Wish” isn't any of that. And it's not the actresses' fault! She's pouring her whole heart into it and she consistently does all movie. But the song is just, bland. Like I said, "I want to have more than this" is too weak a hook to hang your whole song on–especially when it’s the song that’s supposed to be the thesis of your whole movie.  

Worst Line: "So I look up at the stars to guide me/And throw caution to every warning sign." That's not a thing people say and also it doesn't mean anything. If anything, it sounds like she's saying that she's being extra cautious at the warning signs! You can't just throw words together haphazardly and expect them to retain their meaning!

4) I'm a Star: This is, imo, the worst song on the whole track. A friend of mine described it as sounding like a song from a preschool science show and that's exactly it, but there's more to it than that. 

First of all, a big part of the reason this song exists is to set up the fact that humans are made of stardust because that's a plot point in the climax. But there didn't need to be a song about that. That would be like if Frozen 2 had a song about how water has memory. But like, OK. If the song was a bop, it wouldn't matter that it was superfluous. Haus of Holbein in Six does NOT need to be there, but I enjoy it! I do NOT enjoy this song however. 

This is something I alluded to earlier, but this soundtrack in general and this song specifically sounds like it's trying to do LMM's schtick but poorly. And I know some people don't like his whole style of music (I personally like it) but love him or hate him, his style without his skill? Awful. The presentation of fun facts in the middle of a fun song makes me think of his "Look it Up" in “Shiny” or "That's true" in “A Winter's Ball”. And there's a part where a turtle (we'll get to the talking animals) sings "See we're all just little nebulae in a nursery/From supernovas now we've grown into our history/We're taking whys right out of mystery, closure/Now we're taking in all the star exposure" And it really sounds like someone doing their best to emulate Lin's flow in things like Mirabel's aside to Mariano in “The Family Madrigal” or any number of songs I could name from Hamilton. But it just falls so flat here. It sounds so preschool and cheesy. And not preschool in a fun way. Backyardigans would never. 

Also, this song is sung by a bunch of talking animals (the Star gives them the ability to talk) and I find them so obnoxious. They say stuff like, "Did we just blow your mind?" with the "boom" sound effect and I hate it. Maybe kids will like them, I dunno. I refuse to get into it further. 

Worst Line: This song completely misuses the word allegory, which I hate, and it rhymes it with "excitatory" which I hate more (and I am saying this as someone who has made peace with the fact that Schwartz rhymes "nasty" with "flabbergasty" in Disenchanted) but there is only one line in this song that can be considered the true worst line because it's my least favorite line in the whole movie. A dumbass, stoner-sounding deer named Bambi (boo) sings, "Ooh, I'm a star! Watch out world, here I are"

They rhyme the word star--not a hard word to rhyme at all--with HERE I ARE. 

I firmly believe someone should go to jail for that. 

5) This is The Thanks I Get?!: This is the much anticipated and extremely disappointing villain song. There's just no gravitas and it's not clever enough to be very fun. It's just kinda bopping along which is eh, kind of fun at best, but like everything else in this movie, doesn't leave an impact. A musical number doesn't have to be obviously sinister like “Be Prepared” or, the holy (unholy?) grail, “Hellfire”, to be impactful. “Mother Knows Best” is bright and filled with false cheer but it still works because we can see the manipulation that Gothel is doing and she spins Raps around in mental circles to keep her docile. This is just an egotistical rant--and not even in a fun, Gaston kind of way! (Sidenote: Gaston is a good example of a villain who is preening and pompous and kind fo campy, but who you see why he’s beloved AND he can be menacing when the scene calls for it). 

Also, it's so full of weird slang that Magnifico doesn't use at any other point in the movie. "Peep the name", "Ungrateful much", "Mmm, are you sure you're not the prob?" It's like he suddenly got possessed by Urban Dictionary. It's bizarre. 

It also comes weirdly late in the movie, which isn't a complaint, just an observation. 

Worst Line: I think "peep the name" is my least fave but, because I already said that, the opening lines of this song are, "I can't help it if mirrors love my face. It's genetics! Yeah, I got these genes from outer space" and that's such a weird thing to say. I got these genes from outer space? He wasn't even there for the star song so what the hell does he mean by that?

6) Knowing What I Know Now: I feel like this is the song that had the most potential. But for all its build, it never builds to anything. It starts and ends so abruptly (which is the case for multiple songs on this list). We don't really get to know any of the characters well except for Asha so them joining the revolution has no impact. The Queen turning on Magnifico really doesn't have much impact. 

(There's a line in this song where a character sings, "I was sweet but now I'm something else" which is so funny because we literally know nothing about her except that she surprises people when she's in a room which, lmao, me too. Fully forgot you were in this movie, girl). 

Worst Line: "The good in him, I've watched it melt". There's technically nothing wrong with this line but I hate it because melting with regard to emotion is never, "Oh, his goodness is melting". It just hits the ear so wrong. You can watch the good in him disappear or fade or vanish. Not melt. Hearts melt. 

There's also a reprise and a credits song but I have talked about the music for too long as is so to sum up, there is not a single song on this list that I will ever purposefully listen to for enjoyment ever again and there are a few lines that I feel calls for someone being forced to go to whatever the musical version of the Hague is to explain themselves. 

MISC

This is just a section for things that annoyed me that didn't fit anywhere else. 

There's a moment where Asha sees Star which is a star that has fallen to earth and is shaped like a star and she's not able to put together than he's a star until she looks up at a ball of yarn that's tangled in the trees and sees that the yarn is shaped like a star...which again, Star is ALSO shaped like a star! Baffling. 

Gabo at one point makes a comment to the effect of, "Wishing on a Star? Grow up Asha, this isn't a fairy tale." And it's like, dude shut up. Your king is a sorcerer. This movie isn't funny enough to pull off that kind of wink to the audience. 

The actual funniest part of the movie is when a talking mouse (not a thing that usually exists in this world) runs onto the Queen's shoulder during a big speech in front of a crowd and not only does no one notice, but she has no stronger reaction than if a messenger was telling her that her dinner was ready. And not in an underreaction for the purposes of a joke way. Like, in a they forgot to write in a reaction for her way. It's so unintentionally hilarious. 

They specifically set this in the real world–off the coast of the Iberan Peninsula–but I didn’t get any of that influence in any significant way here. It could have been any generic island town. Rosas sounds like a Spanish name and “Welcome to Rosas” there is some dancing that looks like traditional Spanish dancing. But on a whole, it feels pretty bland. When I think about studying abroad in Spain, one of the big things I think about are all the moments with food–patatas con bravas, pan con tomatae, paella, and so so much coffee. The only food I remember from this movie are the novelty cookies Dahlia is always baking. Which is wild to me because their last big musical was Encanto and you could feel the cultural influences in every scene and it was seamless. This wouldn’t even bother me if that hadn’t made a point to set it in a specific part of the real world and call it out. 

A lot of the dialogue is super expository in a way that both makes me think the writers think we’re stupid and that they realized at certain points that they forgot to establish things but instead of fixing the script they just shoved in a line. Like, to the first point, there’s a part where Magnifico crushes a wish and it’s very clear that he’s getting a high from it. But instead of letting the moment stand he’s like, “Oh yes. Who knew crushing wishes would feel so good? I must continue to crush wishes so I keep feeling this good feeling,” and it’s like…why did you need to say all of that? Old Power Rangers episodes have their villains monologue less than that!

This movie opens on a storybook–just like Snow White–and it has a voice over of Asha narrating the history of Rosas as the pages flip. Not a bad idea–until you push into the scene and realize she’s telling all of this to…her grandpa? Who is 100 years old and lived through all of this? What? Why not have that scene be a kid flashback and the story is being told to her? Or have her be doing the little kid thing of telling a story to an adult? Either way, that would help establish their relationship which is ostensibly very important to this movie. Or, wild thought, just have her be telling this story to kids! Like Mirabel explaining all the Madrigal gifts in Encanto! Like, if you’re gonna take cues from that movie, at least go all the way so your movie makes sense. 

It’s very unclear how Star’s magic works. It seems like he mostly just gives wildlife the ability to talk. I thought he was just granting wishes but he never does that to any of the humans. And I find it hard to believe that the wish of every animal (and mushroom)  in this movie is just to be able to talk.

Easy Fixes

And all of this is compounded by the fact that this isn���t just any random movie or even any random Disney movie. It’s the *100th ANNIVERSARY*. You only get one of those and this is what they wasted it on. My hopes were really high here! I was expecting a lot of love and care to be put into this one, but it just fell absolutely flat. It feels so rote, so by the numbers, so lacking in care. It feels like the shell of an outline of a movie that relies on the fact that we know what a movie of this sort should be and can fill in the blanks. 

And the worst part? The absolute worst part?

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A REALLY EASY MOVIE TO FIX. 

Like, I’m serious. If you watch this movie, you will be able to, off the cuff, name tons of things that would have solved problems without breaking a sweat. 

For instance, just cutting her friend group down from seven to two would have helped immensely. If she, Dahlia, and Simon have a Three Musketeers relationship, then when he betrays her to the king, it actually means something now! 

For a bigger but still obvious change, why not have Asha have an existing relationship with Magnifico? So then this story can be about her losing faith in this relationship she’s had for a long time after she’s seen behind the curtain and become jaded over time and not a 7 minute “Don’t Meet Your Heroes” speedrun.

And making it clear what taking a Wish from a person means–and following through with that portrayal all movie–would all be a game changer. Show that Magnifico’s magical wish granting still leaves the people hollow. Show that Asha is a vibrant, bright person amongst a sea of robotic adults. Show me some worldbuilding! 

Also, just hire a musical theater person to do the music. Seriously I can’t believe I have to say this? How is there not a single good song in this movie? There are DCOMs with more bangers than this. Almost every song in High School Musical is a bop. How are you getting outshone by High School Musical?

And these are just changes that preserve the bulk of the story as is. This movie could have been even better if they’d change the direction to go with some of their scrapped ideas!

This is just a movie that absolutely baffles me. I wouldn’t think it would be possible for a movie with this high of a profile to be this bad. You would think that even accidentally they’d have to get SOMETHING right. But they really don’t. I can’t recommend this movie, even for a fun-bad watch. It’s like eating unsalted saltines while you have dry mouth. Just watch a better movie. And here are three movies I think are more in the spirit of Disney’s 100th anniversary than Wish:

(1) The Princess and the Frog does literally everything that this movie is trying to do but better. You’ve got a movie that used a 2D style in the 3D era. You have integration of cultural elements–in this case New Orleans in the 20s. You have a classic princess story with the classic trappings: romance, villain, fairy godmother. You have a rocking villain song. Hell, you even have a wishing star motif! 

(2) Encanto is the latest Disney movie of the modern era to have that classic Disney magic, imo. It sidesteps a lot of the classic Disney tropes–no princess, no serious romance (Delores and Mariano end up together but it’s very much a side thing), no villain beyond generational trauma–but it still feels musical and magical and full of character and life. It shows that you can keep the big emotions that we expect from Disney even with more modern sensibilities. 

(3) Enchanted is my favorite movie of all time so I’m biased, but I still firmly believe that it stands as a better movie in general and tribute to Disney specifically than Wish. THIS is how you do an homage. The whole plot is a loving roast of all the quirks of classic Disney movies, but it’s also a sincere story that stands on its own. It has references to old movies, but they’re integrated very naturally. And it’s funny enough to get away with things like a character mid-musical number being like, “What the hell is happening? Why is everybody singing?” without it feeling like lazy, “Well that just happened” humor. And the music is so good! 

(A quick note on the music btw: Most of the songs in Enchanted are musical theater style songs but there’s one song near the end called “So Close” which is like a pop ballad. And it totally makes sense why they’d depart from the musical theater style in that moment in context but, even if it was jarring and totally unfitting for the movie, it’s still objectively a strong song. Out of context, it would be a great, sad, romantic song. And if the music in Wish was all like that–good but unfitting–this would confuse me less than it does.)

Anyway, I would shell out a LOT of money for a making of documentary for this movie in the style of the Frozen 2 one because as writer and a fan of a lot of Disney’s past stuff, it is completely beyond my comprehension who a team of accomplished people get together to create the 100th Anniversary project with their vast resources and produce this. It just doesn't feel like a movie with any serious care put into it. Which is separate from quality, btw. I don’t like the movie Raya very much but I think it’s obvious a lot of care went into it and I respect this. Wish feels like a movie that was made to fill some kind of contractual obligation and it makes me sad because I really wanted to like it. 

[elix8r]

i've always known how notorious tumblr is for being such an unrewarding place for writers but i think having this account and being a writer myself experiencing it personally really made me realize that tumblr is rewarding to only the lucky few. i hope i don't make it seem like i've been ungrateful for everyone's support or that i'm looking for sympathy or even that i'm guilting any of you guys but i know i wrote how i had inspo for so many new stuff but after publishing psily it's all disappeared because i realized what is the point of posting all of these when it seems that no one really seems to want it? or atleast care enough and it's kind of been hard as a writer who really enjoys creative writing to continue when i get nothing back. i do this for free and while you guys aren't obligated to anything it's just kinda upsetting when i released like a 20k+ fic and literally hasn't received anything about it. like yes it's gotten over 1k notes but the fact that i haven't recieved ANYTHING other than a couple reblogs is just really making me realize that i no longer feel like i want to post here anymore. i really hope the people who have supported me don't feel slighted by this because truly i have loved all of you that have supported me but i think this place is making my relationship with writing worse. i know i write good and i need to get better with not thinking my writing's worth correlates with the amount of notes or messages i get so until i figure that out i think i am going to part from this blog and i'm so sorry if this is coming out of a left field for you guys but it's something i've struggled with for so long and i think this is just the best decision for me.

but i genuinely want to say thank you so much to those who have helped me have such a fun time here and i hope maybe this will motivate everyone to go interact more with their fav writers because i know no matter how much you think a writer deserves they probably don't get even half of that. but for now at least i think i will say bye to everyone. who knows maybe i'll come back when i feel better about writing but i'm not promising anything cause it's most likely not going to happen. stay safe and once again thanks for everything.

closed.

[wulvert]

I hope this isn’t one of those impossible to answer questions but, how did you start drawing/stay motivated?? I’ve wanted to make comics/ just draw in general for awhile but my art always looks BADDDD and seeing people (like my bf for example) be great at art and even going to university for it it’s like…. Huhhggugugufufgguugufufufuufufufufuueuwuaaaaaaaaa- and demotivates me a little, yk??

i started drawing bc i wanted to draw warrior cats

staying motivated is different for everyone, for me, NOW I really want to be able to draw my ocs fast and efficiently, im the only one who can draw my ocs because im the only one who knows them so i must do it, and i want to draw them well so I must improve. This may not work for everyone but I am an insanely jealous person, I covet so hard. obvs we covet what we see every day, so following artists I'm jealous of makes me want to get better, and to get better i must keep drawing so one day i can be like twitter user #42. I guess that's finding inspiration. maybe FIND INSPIRATION!!! is a nicer recommendation than become ENVIOUS. sorry. follow your inspirations.

Making drawing not a painful gut wrenching experience is incredibly important, personally I like to get something DONE, i want to fail FAST and move onto the next thing, I rarely sketch and i do thick non intricate line art to accommodate this, if i was forcing myself to do insanely rendered portraits every day i would stop drawing, i dont like it or find it fun! maybe once in a blue moon is a good time.

Doing figure drawings is genuinely the biggest game changer, not even to get better at art, obviously it does that but as a side effect it makes drawing so much easier, if i want to draw a full body now It is not a battle, i can just do that, even if it is wonky i can complete it without struggling on a sketch for three hours. I think improving your fundamentals makes drawing more fun and less like a slog to get through. I started trying to do figure drawing every day a couple months ago, i dont always manage but i try to get it most days of the week & now the way i feel about drawing has flipped entirely, the amount of art i post has like quadrupled since september.

Feeling bad about your art is normal! I have never felt happy with mine, i know i cant draw faces very well and i avoid feet but I will get there one day if i keep it up, im focusing my reference drawing on faces atm! I am the happiest with it i have ever been just because im having fun with it for the first time in a long time but I still have a long way to go. Keeping it up is hard but it is worth it if its something you enjoy :) Finding method that you enjoy drawing with takes a long time, It took me years to figure out i just do not like using pen pressure at all whatsoever & since then digital drawing has become a lot less physically painful for my hand lol.

also making comics just helps a lot. you dont have time to make everything perfect, you just have to keep drawing and getting better. u will hate all your old pages eventually it genuinely rules.

I hope this doesnt read as BECOME ENVIOUS AND SPIT OUT DRAWINGS FAST WITH NO REGARD FOR QUALITY bc that isnt what i mean, i just mean streamlining my process helped me find what i like to focus on in my art which is shape and colour, and learning how to make shapes better helped me have more fun. I like quality and spending time perfecting things i just like spending time on the things i care about! & now im trying to branch out into other non illustration stuff im just having a good time.

soz this is long i hope it answered ur question in some form

[fireemblems24]

Azure Gleam Ch 13

Alright guys, we're getting close to finishing this thing - like 10 years later, but still here.

MAIN STORY

Ok, guys, the hard battle is over. Dimitri stomping everything is all I have left to do, I hope.

I wonder if I dislike Claude now. He's here and on our side, but I think "ew" and "ugh" when I see him now.

Claude suspects stuff.

Seteth is lecturing Hilda for whining lamo.

Seeing Claude, Rhea, and Dimitri all fight on the same side is cool, even if I find Claude annoying as fuck right now.

I wish Rhea would lead the knights herself, but instead she just gets sidelines so hard in AG. Hopes as a whole tgh.

Oh! No side battles! Not all that mad. Bc that means this'll speed things up a bit lol.

MAP/SIDE BATTLE

Sylvain is admiring Dimitri and Felix and how good of leaders they are. He's hoping he gets his act together soon too lol.

It's cool seeing Byleth and Jeralt around. Rhea's here too. The camp is packed with little blue and yellow dots.

There's a letter from Glenn on the table :(

Seems a bit cheap that Byleth only supports Jeralt and Shez, but can reach A with everyone. Like a cop out.

Honestly, neither of them have a ton of supports (Jeralt or Byleth). A bit bummed, but I guess you get them kind of late. Too bad this game never got a DLC. Byleth/lord supports would've sold that.

ANNETTE & DEDUE B

Annette needs help using Crusher. It's too heavy for her.

Annette thinks she needs to gain weight, but Dedue says that's not everything and is willing to help her out.

He helps her train with a bag of rocks and credits him with the motivation to try.

Dedue hesitates a bit when replying to her though, making Annette curious.

Pretty much a set up for part 2.

ANNETTE & DIMITRI B

Their only support this game.

Annette creates a disaster in the kitchen (or training grounds, unclear). With Dimitri's help. So . . . they tried cooking together? Yeah. That was never going to end well.

Dimitri and Annette both blame themselves. Dimitri "wins" though.

Dimitri wishes he were better with magic, but it runs in the family. He wanted to be a mage when he was younger.

"An old friend of mine would give magic demonstrations." - probably Edelgard?

Annette is willing to help Dimitri learn magic. She wants to get better at teaching. Dimitri really wishes he could learn magic.

Annette really wants to be a teacher.

She encourages him not to hold back. I think he made another explosion. Poor Annette has her work cut out for her lol.

INGRID & MARIANNE B

Horse girls final support.

Ingrid's been trying to figure out what her horse is thinking/wants based on behavior but is struggling.

Unlike Marianne, but, you know, she has help lol.

Ingrid's horse doesn't want to move again, so Marianne comes to help.

The horse/pegasus doesn't want to go to the battlefield because she's worried about Ingrid (and remembering Scarlet Blaze, that sucks, Fuck SB for killing Ingrid)

Ingrid is getting better connecting with her horse, and now will go get to save her friend.

When Ingrid's leaving, Marianne starts wishing for something but doesn't say what, Ingrid guesses horseback riding together and guesses right.

Ingrid credits to spending time with Marianne and getting to know her.

So Ingrid and Marianne are friends now. Good for both of them.

SHEZ & RODRIGUE A

Rodrigue is looking for a book on mercenaries.

When Shez asks why, Rodrigue skirts around it and Shez calls him out.

After a tough battle with Jeralt and co, Rodrigue wants to read up on mercenaries to make sure he understands their tactics better and avoid potential disaster.

Shez is impressed with Rodrigue for still studying after so long.

Rodrigue says he's not as smart as Gautier or courageous as Lambert, so he has too.

Shez says Rodrigue and Felix are close alike than either would admit - they both always want to improve themselves.

(and that Dimitri and Sylvain are like their dad's too)

Rodrigue still feels he doesn't measure up to the other two though :( But I'm happy Shez had such nice things to say about Rodrigue.

MERCEDES & ASHE B

Ashe turned pale while training. He plays it off as nothing, but Mercedes calls him out.

He got a minor injury, which reminded him of seeing a ghost.

Oh, poor Ashe, Mercedes starts playing 100 questions with him - wanting to know what it was wearing lol.

Ashe tells the story - he went looking for herbs to help his sick brother and saw a ghost in the fog. While running away, he got a similar injury.

Mercedes isn't scared of his tale. She's heard it before. In her tale, it wasn't a ghost though, but a shadow. Making Ashe think he saw his own shadow too.

Now Ashe thinks he lived in fear of his own shadow, lamo.

Ashe is like, you should hear this guy's story, and there's no one there.

But this isn't Ashe pulling on Mercedes, but him thinking he found another ghost because there was never anyone else around, lol.

FELIX & RAPHAEL A

Raphael wants to work out. Felix yells at him for being loud and giving him away.

Felix is boar hunting lamo.

Raphael talks about how Petra taught him a special technique. So now we have a Deer and Lion training, talking about an Eagle.

The boar they're hunting is wounded, but Felix is still weary of it.

Felix failed to hunt a boar before.

Dimitri once hunted so many animals that they couldn't fit them all on the sled lol. Felix struggled to get one.

Raphael gets confused when Felix is talking about boar, if he means a real boar or Dimitri lol.

Raphael wants to help Felix get revenge for the boar that got away.

And he attacks head-on, much to Felix's dismay, but he got it. Felix is a bit stunned it went down so quickly.

Felix admits that maybe working with friends helps sometimes. And Raphael is happy Felix called him friend.

This was actually way more entertaining than I thought it would be (Raphael supports can be . . . you know . . . dull or amusing, this one was amusing)

Plus I love hearing the story of Dimitri being an apex hunter as a child and Felix grumbling off trying to bag his own boar and failing lamo.

RODRIGUE & FELIX A

Rodrigue wants to talk. Felix tried to brush him off. And Rodrigue's like shut up and sit down, boy. But nicely.

He wants to talk because neither know when they'll die and don't want lingering regrets. Which, knowing what happens in Azure Moon . . . :(

Rodrigue apologizes for what he said about Glenn. Which I find a bit stupid because he was a grieving father so . . .

Thankfully, Rodrigue gets to explain his thoughts behind it. Acknowledging Glenn's agency in his decisions too.

Felix denies Glenn's agency and can only get Dimitri to say he caused Glenn to die :(

Rodrigue acknowledges that, but asks Felix what he would've done. Let Dimitri die and run away to save himself or do what Glenn did.

Felix gets angry at the idea that saving your own life is cowardice and that, when the time actually comes with something like that, you don't think - only act. So . . . he walked into Rodrigue's trap lol, who'll say then Glenn acted and choose to act that way.

Felix is such a dunce, saying "we'd both survive." Rodrigue rightly accuses him of wanting it both ways lol.

Felix says he understands Rodrigue's way of thinking, but dislikes Glenn's death being glorified.

Felix apologizes too, for his own bad behavior. For hitting Rodrigue.

Felix can't stand dealing with feelings anymore and leaves lol.

I'm sooooo glad this game let Rodrigue have a voice. It was always obvious to anyone with a shred of media literacy what Rodrigue meant, but Hopes let him spell it out.

DIMITRI & YURI B

Yuri's staring at Dimitri. Same. Same.

Yuri's impressed/confused at how quickly Dimitri blended in.

Dimitri's now thinking about the best way to help the poorest (we stan a good king, guys). It's something he's thought a lot about.

He thought medical facilities or investing more in the church (who do more to help the poor than anyone else in this game) would be best, but being around them made him realize that they should get the chance to take charge of their own "destiny."

He wants rulers to actually listen to what the people need best and actually do it rather than what's best for himself.

Yuri says education for everyone is necessary. Dimitri agrees.

But then Yuri makes the point that people won't care about education if they're starving or homeless. (so really, his earlier goals of building medical facilities where people get free/cheap healthcare isn't too far off).

So Dimitri wants to improve quality of life, then build educational reform on top of that.

But of course Edelgard's warmongering is draining money, so Dimitri can't make lives for the common folk better and needs to end the war fast so he can focus on helping people and not keeping little miss imperialist away.

Yuri says if money's the problem, he can use Yuri who can connect Dimitri to merchants and hitman lol. Dimitri's like "no working evil in my name!" He's also cautious about working with Yuri because he's backstabbed people in the past.

Yuri says he promises to honestly work with Dimitri, even protect him, because working with Dimitri will help his dream come true too. So he believes in Dimitri's leadership and vision.

Dimitri says he's grown to trust Yuri too.

Man, I need a sequel game where Yuri and Dimitri work on improving Faerghus together.

SHEZ & FELIX B

So . . . I had no idea I hadn't seen this support yet. I have their A unlocked for a while now too, though, I'll wait to see it since I'm getting support fatigue at the moment.

They're training. Felix insults Shez's footwork. What a typical Felix support lol.

Shez says she has a lot on her mind. Felix calls her a worthless partner if she's training distracted.

And then explains how Shez can't afford to do that on the battlefield (like a mercenary needs telling that lol).

Shez is surprised how much Felix has a read on her.

Felix wants to know where Shez learned how to fight because it's not like a knife or a mercenary.

Shez had a lot of teachers and just picked up stuff here and there. She doesn't use the playbook that knights or mercs usually use.

Shez says she has her unique style which is to her benefit. Felix wants her to teach him. But Shez thinks it's too reliant on the sword Felix can't use. Felix is like try me.

I can agree or refuse to teach him. Obviously I'm agreeing. (I would totally be an ass if it was character I didn't like lol).

Shez comments on Felix's style too - reacting to the say things are playing out.

Shez thinks she'll get stronger too.

I seriously can't believe I let these two sit at B for so long.

ANNETTE & DEDUE A

Annette comes across Dedue training. She insists he takes a break, but he insists on training still because he's not strong enough.

He feels inadequate because he can't use a hero's relic.

He admits he's jealous that others can use such powerful weapons.

Annette's surprised that he opened up, and appreciates that he opened up around her after he tried to dial back and apologize.

Annette talks about how impressed she is with him - his ability to cook and sow where she can't, and his sheer strength despite not using a relic. She thinks he'd be too good if he could use one lol.

Dedue talks about her strengths too - her optimism and how that lifts everyone up around her. Annette is happy if she can help anyone even a little.

Annette made dinner. The bottom of the pot fell out, but she insists that dinner still tastes great.

Someone tell Annette she's not destined to work in marketing lol.

Dedue still goes to eat dinner after hearing that. Brave man.

BYLETH & JERALT B

Definitely one of the supports I was looking forward too.

Byleth has a lot of blood on his clothing and is trying to wash it out and is failing.

Jeralt says washing blood out is more work than it's worth. Proof that man's never had a period.

Jeralt says Byleth reminds him of Sitri when they first meant. She had the same quiet composure and would rather clean a handkerchief she was cleaning than throw it away.

She never laughed or cried either, like Byleth, not at first at least.

Byleth asks why Jeralt is talking about all this now. Jeralt says he's feeling guilty of the lifestyle he's given Byleth - no home, no friends, always battles.

He says life would be different if Sitri was still alive.

Byleth doesn't regret his life and likes having Jeralt around.

It's nice to learn more about Sitri.

JERALT & SHEZ C

Jeralt comes across Shez fishing. Shez is weary. Jeralt tells Shez to relax, but Shez isn't used to it.

Jeralt is like, we're mercs, life happens, it's not personal.

Shez brings up the beginning where Jeralt's Mercenaries wiped out Shez's old company. Glad they're addressing this.

Shez is still upset about it. Jeralt understands now.

He asks if Shez has a grudge. I can choose yes or no. I'm gonna choose yes. I think this Shez would admit to attachments to other people, plus the conflict is more interesting, I think.

Shez talks about how much she liked that group and shares her goals of defeating the Ashen Demon.

Jeralt's like, you just have to let that go now.

Shez admits she's partly relieved because she couldn't defeat Byleth. Jeralt is like, that means you think you could beat me? Shez is like, well, I'd have to try first.

Then Shez helps Jeralt untangle his fishing string and comments on his lack of dexterity.

Jeralt then apologizes about what happened to Shez's mercenary company, especially since it was just too minor lords spewing.

He says he didn't originally plan on killing them, but she (the old captain) came charging in trying to use Jeralt to make a name for herself.

Shez understands, but still seems regretful.

Def hope I can unlock their A in time to see how this resolved (they don't have a B support).

MAIN BATTLE

No side battles this chapter. Onto the showdown at Ailell. Which means fire ground. Ugh. Gonna make everyone a flier that it makes sense for.

They're run into the Black Eagles. The Emperor's personal force.

Claude is there. Man, I gotta play Three Houses again. Every time I see him I'm like "ugh." I did NOT used to think that way.

Wait, is Edelgard actually here? I thought she was some kind of zombie whatever.

TWSITD is there (or mysterious dark mages). Claude is like "you know these people?"

Man, why is Dimitri trusting Claude. Telling him "don't let your guard down." Dimitri wants Claude about the mages. I wouldn't count on Claude's support if he was the only person left.

Even though this IS the only route where Claude's actions make any sense lol. It's definitely in his best interest to put a stop to the Empire's warmongering.

Arval's like, maybe we can learn something this time!

Arval's not upset if they never learn the truth and promises to be with Shez always regardless.

I gotta defeat Duke Aegir and Edelgard. Interesting that she's actually there.

Ohh, persuade Death Knight. They were setting him up to be here, but I didn't know I could recruit him. Makes way more sense than in Houses where you can't. Not surprised you need Mercedes to do it. I always bring her anyways.

Dimitri took out Ladislava right away lol.

Death Knight showed up. I'm beyond seeing him as a scary opponent though lol.

Mercedes defeated the Death Knight as an NPC. Is that automatic or just funny coincidence?

Aegir and Edelgard ran away. Really wish I could've killed Aegir. Killing Edelgard would stop the war too.

I killed Caspar and Bergliez so fast the dialogue didn't even finish lol. Dimitri too strong. They both ran away. Honestly, couldn't care less about killing this version of Caspar.

Oh, cool cut scene. And, ok, it's cool to see Claude and Dimitri fighting back-to-back.

Claude tells Dimitri to run after Edelgard while he holds off the Empire here. Not sure I trust him at all, but like I said, this is the only route where his choices make any sense.

Dimitri has 74 strength lol. No wonder he kills everything so fast.

Cool to get Jeritza though.

xxx

[heartshattering]

/// sleep rambles...

I really need to figure out some kind of 'system' to get myself to sleep, and stick to it. It sucks because I'll have a few nights where I sleep okay, I won't even need my sleep pill or I'll just take less than the full dose and still sleep. But now I'm slipping back into bad sleep habits again and it's just tough. It's not a 'huge' slip because it's only been 2 or 3 nights of this but like :/ I just get so annoyed that I can't stay proud of myself for long without messing up.

A few nights ago what threw me off was that a friend decided our other friend needed an intervention, and the friend who came up with that was acting like she was alone and that other people weren't supporting her while she was upset. So I ended up staying up late with her for the 'intervention' and ultimately I'm glad we did it but also it was really stressful and of course I wasn't going to sleep 'normally' after something like that.

Then there are some nights where I just... don't feel right for whatever reason, idk. I could go into it more but basically my motivation has been low and sometimes things at home just get me upset, I can't sleep well when people around me are pissed off and arguing at each other, and I have things hanging over my head. I can't help but feel negative about myself and it's really hard to keep the 'loud' thoughts under control.

I wish I could see an actual good psychologist but I've had so many terrible experiences already, I feel like another one would set me back by a lot and possibly make me suicidal again. I have to keep doing self-help stuff because I don't trust any so-called 'professionals', but it gets hard. Other than people on Tumblr I don't even have any genuinely close friends who I can talk to anymore ever since my 'best friend' turned so shitty and only cares about her loser bf.

I should be feeling good about life but I just don't. I'm struggling at keeping up with everything I have to do and all the things I want to accomplish... like the thought of doing those things seems so amazing but it's getting up and taking the first step that just feels impossible in my mind.

[dvandom]

Isekai I'm not qualified to write

High concept: an entire rehab/support group is portaled to a fantasy world, and if any of them want to get home they need to figure out a way to get to the planet's moon.

So, right off the bat, I am not really qualified to write about a lot of the issues the cast would be dealing with. And this would definitely be on the darker side, since even if they arrive on a world at (relative) peace, the real struggles are internal.

I figure it'd start in a small enough community that the support group would be kinda mixed. Addiction, PTSD, maybe a few other things. If that's implausible (again, I am Not Qualified), perhaps the portal catches the protagonists while one group is finishing up and another is waiting in the hallway. The main idea would be to explore different kinds of problem.

Despite a fairly large cast for an isekai, the focus would mostly be on two of them. One is seeking help, the other has court-mandated treatment. The first few chapters would follow them through mundane life and its struggles. Both would stay on the Good Guy side, but at least one of the group members would heel turn.

Their facilitator would not arrive with them, so no natural leader or professional support. Either the portal missed the facilitator, or spat them out elsewhere, or the facilitator dies in the first volume (only to be revealed to be alive in the grip of a mid-series boss, rescued only after the group has proven they can do this on their own now).

Fairly early on, a magical purgative would be found that could remove the physical addiction from those who were in rehab for that. But it won't be the end of their problems, because addiction isn't just a chemical thing, it's mental. And there is no magical cure for that, any more than there was in the world they left.

The group would have a variety of useful skills (especially any soldiers there for PTSD), but no "the portal process gave you magic" stuff, this is meant to be a struggle. Perhaps some have magic aptitude, but they'd have to learn the hard way.

At least one of the group would flourish. Their addiction was driven by a crappy life in some way that is not an issue in the new world. Now they're getting enrichment, they're away from their stressors and actually like the new stresses. Anyone in this category may not want to go home, which provides a heel turn motive if the group is told that it's all or nothing on the return ticket.

It's very important that most of the characters have well-defined motives for wanting to get back home, even if this new world seems like a better place. Family's the usual hook, and any oaths taken to the military might be a motive as well. The fantasy world is going to be on the dark and scary side in general, so many of them won't want to stick around either. Some may just never get over the culture shock and be homesick.

[ambrossart]

Hello, first of all, a thousand condolences❤ I hope you feel well and that's fine. If you don't answer my question, why don't you feel well? I think it's normal and answer it if you want when you feel well because it's quite hard to lose a pet that rests. In peace.... I hope I have not failed you in this regard and have not offended you, my question is why do you think that Patrick Hockstetter is so loved by the readers or at least that is what I have noticed in the votes as a character Favorite at least, I'm not just referring to readers but to the girls in the fanfic. Patricio draws the attention of so many girls despite what he does and the least they know that Patrick has done, I don't exclude myself from the equation, the character draws my attention. of Patrick but not because he is handsome or cool not only because of that at least they are interesting as a character I have never read a character in such depth it is as if you need to read more and more about him to dig deeper into that black hole that absorbs you to know more About him, he is out of the ordinary, out of the ordinary and makes you wonder why he is the way he is, why his solipsism in general... everything...

Thank you for checking in on me! ❤️ I wouldn’t say I’m doing well, but I’m dealing with it as best as I can. My husband is struggling more than I am because she was his dog before we met, so I’m just trying to be there for him as much as possible. The house is a lot emptier without her, but we’ll get through it.

Regarding Patrick, I think his looks are a huge and undeniable part of his appeal. Let’s be real, if Patrick looked the way he does in the novel, that boy wouldn’t be getting away with half the shit he does in Paper Men. Even Evelyn has commented on this before. The only reason girls at school don’t find him creepy is because he’s so attractive. And that’s not just limited to his face. It’s everything: his face, his hair, his style, the way he carries himself. The boy stands out. Simple as that.

Then there’s his personality, which only adds to his appeal. Evelyn has described him as “grotesquely charming” and I think that sums up Patrick pretty well. His behavior is disgusting, offensive, and crude, but he goes about it in a way that’s so shockingly candid and, yes, even charming. It’s hard not to get a little flustered with someone so… direct. Patrick does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, whether it’s appropriate or not. He doesn’t mince words and he doesn’t hold back. When Patrick wants someone, he’ll make sure they know about it. A lot of people must find that attractive.

Of course, most of Patrick’s personality is carefully manufactured. He developed it so that people would gradually forget about all the stuff he did as a kid (and it worked), so it's hard to say what his true personality is.

And that brings me to the next aspect of Patrick's appeal. There's a certain aura of mystery and danger that surrounds him. It's hard to tell what he's thinking and what his true motives are. Every time you think you've got him figured out, he flips the switch and does something completely out of character. He's a puzzle covered in red flags, but you still wanna get close to him... because that's the only way to figure him out. And I think right now that's why Evelyn's so attracted to him. She wants to see behind the mask. She wants to see what, if anything, is on the other side of the void.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what Patrick wants. So is Evelyn actually seeing glimpses of the real Patrick? Or is this just another mask?

[idyllic-affections]

Greetings!

Hi, it is I, the person who you (now formerly) know as 🐉Anon! Was quite subtle with my anon moniker wasn't I? Eheh...

 Anyhow, Yeah, so this is me. You may have seen me among the people liking your posts! 

If you wanna, feel free to check out my blog. You… won't see much, save for some reblogs and my atrocious tagging on one of them LOL. I've got plans to post stuff there eventually, just not really sure what I wanna cook up, and the motivation for it also has its way of popping up at inconvenient times (example: I have a part-time job, and motivation tends to pop up then 💀). Okay, that first bit was kind of a lie, I know the kinds of things I wanna post about (those things being mainly OC-related stuff, as well as some fanfiction if I’m able to get myself to actually write my ideas out), I’m just having trouble figuring out where to start. I was thinking I should probably make a sorta “introduction post” before anything else, but I’m still figuring that out, among other things with this whole blog thing. I’m honestly pretty new to this sorta thing, hehe…

But that’s beginning to get off-topic! So anyway, yeah! Happy to join the moot crew, I look forwards to seeings the things you’ve got in planning, and maybe sharing!

As a sorta special something for you, the other moots, and the remaining emoji anons (if they wanna) to participate in, allow me to pose a little query for the community.

What is a fandom that you enjoy very much, but don’t really write for, or simply don’t talk much about for whatever reason?

For me, I’d have to look to my current hyper-fixation (as well as just in general being a childhood fav of mine), Transformers! Where I start with this one? It's kind of hard for me to put into words just how deeply this one in particular has touched me. I've It’s just such a truly incredible franchise with that is packed to the brim with many lovable (and extremely hateable), vibrant characters, and phenomenal stories across the numerous continuities crafted by countless very skilled writers tackling deep and often dark themes, and it honestly just has such a special place in my heart. And hey, the basis of a setting following the struggles of two faction of a race of shapeshifting alien robots and literal eon spanning war does have a certain flair to it, no?

But I’ve rambled on long enough now, haven’t I?

Until next time!

i meant to answer this sooner BUT!!!!!! i am here now!!!! YOU. YOU WERE ONE OF THE "blorbo from my notes" PEOPLE, SOMEONE WHO WAS ALWAYS LIKING MY POSTS HAHA don't worry. you were not the only non-subtle emoji anon LMAO

that is so real and valid, motivation just does pop up at the worst of times. it's happened to me in the middle of standardized tests and other timed events before. it is both a blessing and a curse! introduction posts are a pretty good place to start, i think. but take your time fr it can be hard to figure out where and when to begin!!!

ohh for me, it might very well be voltron: legendary defender, or something of the like! i have a lot of fandoms i just Don't talk about, and there's really no reason why--i just don't. or it never comes up in conversation HAHA i also like gravity falls and good omens, things of that nature. i don't have the attention span to finish supernatural but i was into it for a while! but honestly that is so real, i have similar feelings about vld. i should rewatch it. it was a fundamental, formative experience for me in middle school. this shit is why i'm into hsr /hj........ but it is very dear to me!!!! there is a special place in my heart for the paladins <3

[drac-onion]

Finished P5R

Bunch of words under the cut, honestly I'm just ranting. Figured I'd spare your timelines of a massive wall of text.

Real talk, though. I cried for like 2 hours. From 2/2 all the way to the end. I would cry for a little while, and then stop for a bit. Then I would get to a cutscene or something and the waterworks would start back up again.

Man, I just...6 years ago, I played the original Persona 5. I finished it on May 27th, 2017, a little over a month after it released. I'm kind of impressed as to how I was able to marathon the whole thing in a month while balancing college and work (although I didn't have a whole lot of time dedicated to either at the time, so whatever).

It took me nearly three years to get around to finishing Royal. I got it on launch on PS4, played it for two weeks solid, and then...sort of fell off. I blame quarantine and going a little hard in the paint on playing it every day since I had nothing else better to do, but that doesn't really matter. I was also dealing with quite a bit on my plate at the time. From my car dying (and it being entirely my fault), to losing my job, to...well, I'm not going to make this about that. I could, but I'd be here for ages if I went over everything that's happened in my life.

I just want to say how special this game is to me. The characters, the story, the music, everything just sticks with me. Even after all this time. Even after I dropped the game for three years and picked it back up on PC after transferring my save (worth the money I spent on getting my saves decrypted, if I'm honest), I never stopped loving it. I just...had some other stuff going on. Between Royal coming out and now, since I've finished it, so much has happened. It's wild to think about how much life can change in three years. Hell, how much life can change in the 6 and a half years since I finished the original. So much has happened.

Perhaps it's a little "cringe" to think so fondly of a piece of media like this (enough to shed tears). A piece of fiction. Something, at its very core, not real. Fake. Made up. But there is something about it that's real, and I can't even put it into words. But, you're just going to have to take my word for it. If you know, then you know. If that makes me cringe, then so be it. I think any piece of media can have a message, and I've always found the messages in the games I enjoy motivating. "Time never waits, so find your own meaning to life's struggle, with your heart as your guide", "Be true to yourself, no matter how painful it may be", "Stick to your values, no matter how tough things are, and change the world for the better in your own way", "Once you're at rock bottom, the only way to go is up". I wish I could apply some of these messages in my own life. I suppose the only thing stopping me is me, right? That's how that works.

God, I can feel myself wanting to cry again, but I just don't have any more tears. I think this was the emotional release I've been looking for during the last couple months. Things aren't so good for me right now, and they're about to get a lot worse now that the holidays are coming up. I...don't like this time of year, to put it simply. This will likely come up in my writing in one form or another. (Write what you know, I guess?)

Persona, as a series, has always been so special to me. I hope that the series continues to grow in the best possible way. Can't wait to cry like a bitch when I eventually finish Persona 3 Reload!

Anyway, I had more stuff I wrote here, but I got waaaaaayyyy off track and into some personal places, so I'll stop myself here.

Aaaaahhh...yeah, that one is gonna be rough, even when I know it's coming. Yep.

Well...all that said...my journey with The Phantom Thieves of Hearts isn't over quite yet...I get to ride out yet another journey with these guys...not to mention P5T coming out in around a month. I'm glad to be able to spend more time with these characters. Now, then...

[chill-mcyt-art-reblogs]

💫🌻🌿🍉🎈💞🍭💎🎙️ (feel free to pick and choose!)

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

honestly? Anything that'll let me infodump in response. When I can tell that someone was interested enough to ask a question. *especially* about ongoing fics.

Listen I could never write a mystery because the minute someone asked I'd tell them every plot twist and the bad guy's blood type.

and, of course, I love it when people leave essays in the comments. Like every other author.

🌻what makes you want to give up on writing? what makes you keep going?

I struggle with motivation. There's nothing more frustrating than *wanting* to do something, but your brain won't let you. You have you drag yourself kicking and screaming into something you *want* to do.... and after a while, it stops being fun.

The problem is, I really, *really* want to write. I literally think about my stories every single day. But sometimes there's nothing to do but relax, take it off my mind, and try my best the next day.

🌿how does creating make you feel?

it's a high. For writing at least. the rush of doing something I watched thousands of writers do since I was 12 and *I'm doing it.* Me. Little ol' me. *I'm* doing that. Forget kudos and comments and hits, the mere act of writing gives me a rush.

🍉in what ways has writing helped you process trauma and/or navigate through your own life?

It's served different purposes at different time. When I first hit the Rough Medical Times, it gave me something to do while on those long weeks of bedrest. I'm not joking when I say fanfiction saved at the very least my mental health.

Now it's more of a "no matter how bad it gets, you can get out. You can get your happy ending. Nothing's final for you." kind of thing.

🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change?

It changes all right. Depending on the story, my mood, what I read last - anything. Sometimes I feel more poetic, sometimes I feel more rough. I don't really think about it much, but it definitely happens.

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

oh boy. I can't choose. I guess it would have to be grammer (for fanfiction only). Because I can read anything that scratches an itch AS LONG AS IT'S READABLE

🍭why did you start writing?

I've always been writing. I guess I just have a hard time finding specifically what I want to see.

💎why is writing important to you?

It's a lifestyle.

🎙️which one of your fics would you like someone to make a pod-fic of?

Published? I guess Sanctuary? Unpublished: the longsuffering untitled Phil-centric fic I'm so excited about

[keefwho]

August 18 - 2024 Sunday

10:42pm

4/10

Right now I'm just thinking about all the things I "gotta" do to I guess be worthy of the kind of acceptance and love I want. I gotta learn how to drive, I gotta get out more so I can hang out in person with people. I gotta prepare myself to travel to MFF in December. In theory I do want to do all these things, I'm not only motivated by pressure. But I am held back by the pit in my chest that tells me it's all for nothing. Where am I going to be with people in a year? Will anyone I know now still be my friend? Its a dumb question because logically yes, they will be. I don't feel like that though. I'm so tired because I have so little to give but I keep giving and I don't even see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think I keep setting myself up for failure, more or less TRYING to fail. Where is my hope? Isn't it kinda brave to face the future with optimism? Or to accept the present moment for what it is? I'm also very tired of thinking about what could be or what I want things to be like. I'm tired of limerence and stuff like that. What about what is real in front of me right now? I think thats where we all find connection. We do not find it in the empty past or the unreal future. Its right NOW. Well Im guilty of thinking too much about the past and the future. Every day I get a little better at noticing that. I think its helping me to figure out who I am because I am me only in this moment. There is no other me. The interactions I have with other people are who they are too. They are not their feelings or their words, only their actions. That says a lot when I take off my funny glasses and see people for who they really are towards me. Then there is no more pretending.

Im tired of fighting for love. It should go without saying that everything in moderation is a good thing. But I fight too much and I'm about ready to collapse. It feels righteous to fight for it, like surely I will earn it this time. But at what cost? Too often it means sacrificing who I am for the sake of the other person's acceptance. I'm sure they wouldn't even want that. Again, whats truly brave is being yourself, especially through adversity. That is rare to find and I think is the sign of a truly strong person and someone who is capable of true love. Thats who I really want to be, myself. Somewhere, somehow, sometime, the right people will see me. I just wonder how long I have to wait. I have to be so patient for that person that will see me as the other half of their world. I do not believe in seeking that out.

Today I worried a lot. I lacked feelings of trust because I struggle with that in general on a deep level. I didn't feel like myself. At some point I had a breakthrough because I knew all this and knew that no matter what, I could not act from this part of me like I do so often. With limited success I directed my attention elsewhere without hiding from how I was feeling. It hurts but it means something. I never ever want to hide from it. That would also feel like I'm denying who I am.

Im finding it hard to know when its best for me to open up and talk about something vs handling it internally because some stuff does not always need to come out. Sometimes that just feeds the cycle.

For a Sunday I didn't do too much relaxing. I tried, I played stuff and watched stuff but it's not rest if I have a lot on my mind and can't focus on or appreciate anything. I feel unready to face tomorrow in my fullest capacity.

[fourtwentie]

I'm getting to that point where I'm not only more sensitive to people and what they say irl or online, but i'm finding more angry chronically online people who are just too deep in the sauce to realize no matter how right their point is, they're still being an annoying asshole. (don't worry tumblr, its no one on here)

Honestly this whole past weekend was just totally shitty. I'm just trying to move on from it but I'm struggling to figure out how since I'm not that great at turning things around and I don't really have people close to me enough that I feel comfortable opening up to. I guess that's why I have so many blogs and journals lol, since I'm total shit at conversation but really good at rambling on.

I guess I just need to make some tea, put something on the tv that makes me laugh, and keep playing oblivion like i have been today. I'm sure I'll feel normal and less alone soon. OH and of course I need to smoke. Well, maybe. We'll see. Crazy to hear this from me but sometimes I spend a night sober by choice now. I really am getting boring these days. Maybe I should livestream on Reality and maybe get to talk about the wilder times I've been through. I've been thinking for years about how I'd love to start making youtube videos or stream, but the idea of failure is a little too scary to me, and I really need to get over that. I need to do these things for the fun of doing them and showing myself that I can.

I found a pretty cool channel the other day that talked about using Figma for UI design, and not only did it look fun, it looked like something even I could mess around with and make something. I wouldn't change my website with it, though. I just want to make something that might actually impress someone. Sometimes I wonder if I could really make some cool stuff (just in general) if I really tried, but I think the fear of trying hard and failing holds me back a lot. I keep going back to being in high school and college, where trying so hard and obsessing got me nowhere, I was still a failure. Having that happen to me over and over again just really destroyed my ability to motivate myself. I wonder though, is motivation a skill I ever learned? Did I ever have someone introduce such an idea to me? The problem is probably my brain working overtime to invalidate any outside encouragement by warping it into something less valuable or sinister. I assume people are just saying what they feel must be said, and not how they really feel or understand what they're saying at all. It's hard to kick that habit.

Everyone is going through something, though. I guess what I really need is to forget about myself and think about someone else's issues. But I kinda do that all the time? Sometimes I just feel like reaching out is not worth it. I reached out to old friends whom I slowly lost contact with, in hopes to just meet up one time to talk, but that always seems to fall through. even when it doesn't, I can tell from the awkwardness just how little I was wanted to be around them. I can tell I'm trying to force something that just isn't there. It's most telling when I become the only person who seems to try to reach out. So I guess I just take the hint. At this point it becomes kinda obvious to me how much people are involved in their own lives. I'm not really in a place to be bitter about that. I mean, shit, I'm not exactly thinking about anyone else right now and I'm not taking the time to be the person I wish I had for other people. I guess it just stings how much I'm getting old when I try and contact my parents on my own, only to have awkward silences and pauses in a conversation I'm the only one carrying with the only family I have. It's just a lot to take in. It feels a bit scary, because it really pushes home how alone I really am. Sure, I'm married, but one person who's busy at work and tired from work just isn't going to be able to be my entire social life and support system. Maybe I just have too much pride to reach out to my loved ones because I know they never do that to me, so why would I ask for something I've never earned? Why be that vulnerable when it could be used against me? Why make the first move of pushing a casual friendship into one that involves trust? Man, you can really tell how little I trust people when you observe my behavior. I will do anything to keep myself from being vulnerable around other people. Though funny enough, I am an open book to every social media outlet I've ever touched. Call that free therapy, lol.

But I can't be the only one who just never has any luck when they open up to people. I mean, what does it even DO, besides make you look like either an asshole or a loser and make you open to being hurt. Maybe I'm just too far gone to really be able to process emotions normally and effectively communicate with another person. I don't know.

[1d1195]

Hiiiii!

It's been a while, I love the way you explain stuff😭 Ding is so freaking amazing.

So, oh, before I forget, I do study English literature and translation ( Arabic - English) btw you're a teacher? I saw some anon I think (💜 anon?) Wishing you a happy teacher's day idk about it cause we don't celebrate that here but yeah I didn't know that sounds fun! Let me guess (English teacher?)

So you know, yesterday I had a relaxing shower and afterward I wanted to style my curly/wavy hair naturally, so I think k it's a mix of 2a and 2b and that's funny cause I really tried like I saw some pics on pinterest and some videos on tiktok that motivated me but I kinda failed? 😭😭 I just rubbed the cream into my hair and pulled it back into 2 low buns but that's funny cause just before going to bed (I'm struggling with insomnia I've been staring at the ceiling since 1am and now it's 4am😭)anyway so I just fixed my hair to bed and it looked good! Like I had put effort into it, but I didn't! I think the curls aren't gonna make it till the morning🙈

Ehhh I dont know why in the freaking freak did I just say this whole story to you but I think you'll tolerate me right?

So back to classes and huffs and puffs, my finals start on the 20th. I'm not nervous, tbh I'm excited, I wanna get over with these freaking exams to read my books in peace.

So.. Love and Other Words and The Rose Code, huh? They really sound so interesting. I'm gonna need to read them. I'm also planning on reading the Twisted and King series, and do you mind if I tell you that you need to check Interlude right the tuck now? It's so freaking good you need to read it. You'll shed many tears, istg never have I ever cried this much in my whole life in "that" specific chapter, but I just love angst! But I promise it's not like that, okay? It's just amazing amazing I'm currently reading insurgence (the sequel) it's still on going bur I just love this book so much. I hope Mikii considers publishing it someday!

And I've always wanted to ask! What is your favorite piece that you wrote? I read a couple of series that you wrote, but I just wanna know which one js your favorite 🎀

Thank you so much I think you're kinder and better thank you 🩷🩷🩷🩷

I'm gonna need to study 3 novels tmrw cause I promised myself to do so! (Pride and Prejudice, David Copperfield, and The Portrait of a Lady) we studied them for my finals, but i just want to start my revisions, so... to teach and please ig😭😭

Have a very wonderful day, Sam!!! (BTW, my childhood bff's nickname's Sam! We're still friends, and we still love each other the same but not bffs anymore)

Oh now I remembered that I wanted to rant about the future and how I'm afraid of it being a (soon to be 19) girl who is (soon to be a junior) trying to be independent but in reality she will cry if you dare give her a nasty look but I guess it'll have to wait for next time cause my eyes seem to be dropping finally😭😭 I'll tty lysm🩷🩷

-🎀anon

😭 idk what I explained, but I'm glad it came out well and that you liked it! 💕

I am a teacher! A math teacher actually if you can believe it. Writing is just a hobby of mine and I love it, but it's only for me. Teaching math is much more enjoyable than teaching English (at least I imagine so). In the US we have teacher appreciation week to recognize teachers' hard work. I had one of my current students write me a letter and one of my students last year messaged me to wish me well. But it's not that exciting tbh--well, I do get a lot of coupons emailed to me hehehe

I know NOTHING about hair. (Literally had to google what 2b meant) I make my sister figure out what I need to do and then I just do what she says. I think we might have the same hair type though based on the pictures I googled! I have one curl cream thing that I put in my hair and scrunch each morning and then hope for the best (and that there will be low humidity). It's cool to experiment with your hair, even if it doesn't turn out the way you want it to in the morning! Then you know for the next trial. Of course I tolerate you--even though that's not what I would call it, I love to hear what you're doing!

I bet you're going to crush your exams! It sounds like you're ready for it! Books in peace is a MOOD. I'm excited for you!

My favorite piece I've written oh boy. Umm...I think it would be Protection. Or maybe Zipper. Idk I feel guilty picking one over the other and I love writing them all. I will tell you I think I like Protection more than Traditional which is probs sacrilege to write on my own blog because I think everyone under the sun would choose Traditional over Protection hahahaha but I liked planning Protection more than Traditional. Although Dolcezza really took hold of my heart VERY hard. Especially lately. Probably one of the three: Zipper, Dolcezza, or Protection.

I hope studying has gone/went well and you got some sleep after being up so late! You're going to have a wonderful future, I'm sure of it, and don't worry about forgetting something. I'm not going anywhere! 💕

xoxo

[hoghtastic]

I agree with you and the last anon.

Alex’s does not have much range, if any, when it comes to acting, to me. (most of his stuff looks the same to me.) Ivar is really all you see because of his mannerisms and lack of experience in acting. Because that’s the only solid rounded out character that he has played. None of his other characters have any real characteristics to them other then the ones he learned from playing ivar, and he mostly used his natural mannerisms for that character, (it’s hard not to even when acting, every actor I think has a couple of “traidmark” mannerisms they carry through every character they play, like Travis Fimmel) which is particularly why it is so hard to distinguish him from his character, or one character from another. They teach them the basic things like “eyebrows are key in expressing emotion” in acting school, but they don’t go into “how” to use your eyebrows with specific emotions, they expect them to grow and figure that out themselves. and unfortunately he didn’t get to fully experience learning those things from the beginning because he left school early to do Vikings, and he hasn’t had the right people around him after Vikings to be able to help him grow in that aspect. And he hasn’t had much experience after the show either due to the mentioned “bad manager” (seriously, I could do better and u don’t even have the “experience” there are so many things, basic things that he messed up for Alex from the beginning. But not all of it is 100% him) and just what I genuinely think is now a lack of interest in this kind of job. It’s obvious (to me I think) that he is wanting to have all the benefits of getting the acting jobs and going to events, and the modeling/fashion stuff and being able to branch out and connect his personal hobbies with his jobs like the photography. But I think he came into this job having the expectations of it being all glam without realizing the attention (good and bad) that comes with it. It think it really hit him in 2017 or 2018 when he first started struggling with the anxiety and the exhaustion from working all the time, and the right after (sorta) recovering from that he started getting the uncomfortable attention from fans. And I just think from there (not that necessarily anything caused it after) he lost interest or motivation to really do the big acting jobs. So he just does the ones he is offered when he needs some money and the charity work when he needs some publicity to not total let him get lost in the dark. It’s all just enough work and attention to keep him stable so he’s not completely forgotten and out of money.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this, anon! It's a great reflection and summarizes things pretty well, I think. 😊

I agree that he might be lacking acting experience as, like you mentioned, he dropped out of school to be in Vikings. And for a young actor, I believe it must have been a wonderful opportunity and granted him a huge amount of experience and new skills. However, it was all about building one character. A very good, solid character. But still only one, which he can't rely on for his entire career, as much as everyone loves Ivar. So maybe when the series was finished and he returned home, it would have been better if he'd resumed his acting studies? Or even travelled abroad to do so? (In my country, which is small with limited opportunities in the acting field, as well as in the artistic field in general, many actors travel to the USA to enroll in acting schools or even workshops to try and get better opportunities, for example.) Or maybe his ego was too big for that at the time, having starred in such a famous series and now having to "go down a few steps"? Or maybe he really was exhausted and needed a break, and time/opportunities just passed him by? 🤷‍♀️ And if I may ask, why do you think his manager messed up from the beginning? I wasn't in the fandom at the time, so I'm genuinely curious about this and would love to read your thoughts. 😊

Also, do you think it's because of his lack of experience and one-dimensional portrayal of characters that he keeps being type-casted and is always playing Ivar-like roles? Or is it because his only offers are such roles, that it poses no challenge for him and prevents him to expand his acting skills? Is it a vicious circle? 😅

[xdemon-mage]

Oh damn that's a long message :D Thx for reaching out Yeah, reblog is fine dw. Also YAY! A new gameplay! I haven't seen that one yet, I'll have to watch it whole after I answer your points here. Okay so-

Main character's backstory & motive I decided to make a pretty simple main character, because I wanted them to be easy for the player to identify with. I tried to limit the information to the a) Immersion b) Plot logic And while I do agree that providing information about mc's daily life and activities can be immersive and fun, I personally prefer to leave it similar as it is right now. In most visual novels that start the story from (for example) describing mc getting out of bed, standing up to dress up, preparing breakfast, getting mail, getting to work, coming out of work, I'm already starting to fall asleep by that point. (lurking for love bored me x"P) I planned to get into action as soon as possible, only providing needed context. I feel like adding more activities at the start would add unnecessary length which is not plot relevant. However, I do plan to add a small scene with ordering a package at the start!! So it is very possible that I'll write a bit more about mc's general plans and some more thoughts. (the package is needed for some cool scene) So now about the motive - It's very, very simple. Mc just wants to kidnap someone. That's pretty much it. It was a very conscious decision to make it like that, because if I were to set a specific backstory, it would limit the player and story from getting "customized". And because mc is feeling silly and just wants to kidnap a dude, the rest becomes the player's interpretation. Do you want a lover? You can try to seduce the crazy dude! Do you want to cause harm? Go for it (in Wade's path its way more difficult haha). Do you feel helpless? Panic and see what happens. Main character is just weird like that. I mean, Wade is too, he's there to have sadistic fun and fight. Now I remembered that you can even tell Wade your motive:

Living alone deep in woods implies being a loner, so I felt like it was okay for the player to pick that info from the context, as I felt that describing mc saying they are alone and no one would look for them would be unnecessary edge xP

So yeah, thanks for telling me about your feelings on that part, even if I don't change much about it.

MC being a bit stupid That's on purpose! :D It's the premise of the game, that we felt like doing a crime, but then we get reckless, silly, and get in crazy situations! I try to keep it in the non-annoying space, so that it's more "recklessness" than "being braindead". But yeah, mc is.. a really awful... kidnapper *cough laugh* Wade knows from the start that mc is being weird (& He's the one who's lying more anyway, I don't feel like focusing on mc lying would improve anything here), but some of the mc's lies do have consequences. (like the lie about being a hunter, that will have a consequence later in the game) He'll mention that at some point. And no, I won't save u from the second hand embarrassment muahaha, I think it's funny

Fighting back It's a good thought! There will be opportunities to fight back and struggle more. There couldn't be more at the start tho, because the goal of day 1 is to get captured. However I see briefly that DeeGenerate didn't access the bonus scene with running outside the house :< I'll share how to access it because it's pretty easy: Don't hug > Choose Knife > Try to run

The rest of stuff Quick time events are cool! There will be more, even if not in the context you mentioned them in.

Personality system You got me there, it's my Achilles' heel... I'm still working on figuring that out, because not gonna lie, it's really hard to keep track of the story and branching it out, while simultaneously taking care of the player's behavior style and how it affects various choices x_x I plan to make some kind of "harder stop" that takes you into specific endings based of personality, or starts to block you from being aggressive after being scared shitless for too long for example, things like that. It's my first big piece of fiction so I'm taking a long time incorporating tiny things like this, but thanks for reminding me about it, I'll do my best. Thanks for writing that much, I tried providing context and thought process to things where I agreed more or less. It's helpful to hear a different perspective. //oof i had to edit it a bit because tumblr ate some random piece of text at some point wtf?

When would you accept beta's/people who give ideas and just commentary for stuff they'd like to see more of from the game and where would people be able to apply--that is if this is something you're willing to do at all /gen. I'm SUPER invested in the development /gen and I'd love to apply as a beta and give pointers on things I'd like to see improved on in the full release :)

I know you meant beta testers but I smiled for a second reading just the "beta" as a term from omegaverse xD For now I don't look for beta testers (I wouldn't even say the game is in the beta phase), but I do welcome any ideas, tips, critique at any time. I may not use every single advice, but I value different opinions. You can comment something under this post for example, and I might make a separate post asking about stuff in the future too. Story-wise I welcome ideas for Wade's path more, because the plot is more random and flexible, whereas for Kaleb I already have a story set from start to finish. But yeah, anything about game in general, UI, gameplay, audio, art, plot etc. I'm happy to hear.