#and of course pandemic

[thebibliosphere]

Still not over the head of cardiology, who said she wouldn't formally diagnose me with dysautonomia because she didn't want me to think of myself as disabled.

As if good vibes and a can-do attitude can stabalize autonomic dysfunction.

[segernatural]

sure it was a perfect storm of a pressure cooker but i promise destiel was about destiel

[notbecauseofvictories]

[ Watching the Sky — 2019 - 2024 ]

[deconstructthesoup]

Yes, I remember Pete's butterfly familiar

I also remember that her name was originally Luna

[phospadparadscha]

no wonder kids are so fucked up these days. there’s no micro communities of virtual world games powered by flash anymore. There’s no safe spaces for kids who want to play online but can’t be on social media yet. There’s no PetPet Park or Nicktropolis or Bella Sara or anything left for kids to enjoy on modern internet. PetPet Park when I was an eight year old was like my safe spot. It gave me an outlet and a place to speak in a filtered way with the same people every day who would log in at the same time and who I would never know the names of. Kids are so lonely and so bored now and they’re being completely suffocated by these advertisements they don’t even understand. I think this is maybe the most hostile time on the Internet for pre teens and kids to be online and I mourn all the virtual worlds other children would have loved to have played at my age.

[pocketseizure]

Some of the stuff from the TotK Master Works would have been so great for the game that either Nintendo is struggling to understand what its fans want and cut a ton of stuff that fans craved, or some of this art was created specifically for TotK Master Works and isn't true concept art. Stuff on the cutting room floor is often tantalizing, but some of this seems too perfect for a game with a full development cycle. (Here's a rhetorical question) Seriously, why was some of this stuff cut?

I think that perhaps what you and I might call “nuanced writing” or even “intriguing worldbuilding” isn’t a concern for most people who play Zelda games. This is nothing more than my own impression, of course, but I get the sense that the vast majority of series fans care about one of two things: gameplay mechanics, or being able to see conventionally attractive young people have a happy ending.   

I don’t have an uncle who works at Nintendo, so I don’t have any special insight into the company’s decisions, but I’d assume the devs were aware they’d be competing with Final Fantasy XVI and Elden Ring. If I had to guess, I’d say that the decision to tone down the initial “dark fantasy” elements of Tears of the Kingdom was based on practical issues related to marketing. Instead of trying to beat FromSoft and Squaresoft at their own game, I think the Zelda devs wanted to appeal to the core audience of the series, and they considered that core audience to be professional gaming journalists obsessed with unique gameplay mechanics and creative influencers on social media who ship Zelda/Link.

Accordingly, I think the bulk of the artbook accurately reflects the primary concerns of the developers. There’s page after page of visual references for Link’s outfits and weapons, as well as sparsely annotated concept art for the temples and shrines. I’m still working my way through the 100+ pages of text at the end of the book, but most of what I’ve encountered so far is a basic summary of what we see in the game. In terms of the more “shocking” revelations, such as Sonia and Rauru having children, I can understand why these elements were cut for the sake of streamlining an already bloated product.

At the same time, I agree with your assessment that Nintendo seems to be struggling to understand what its fans want, and I think this is part of the reason why Tears of the Kingdom was awarded a slew of near-perfect reviews from gaming websites but then more or less forgotten by the broader culture.

[queenlua]

TIL that thelema practitioners are still a thing

2. I LIVE NEAR AN HONEST-TO-GOD THELEMA TEMPLE??? (sorry, "lodge," whatever)

3. i went to their website and "lol, lmao" at their covid protocol:

[anonymolly]

.

[robylovi]

man I really need to get a grip otherwise I will go back to playing mystic messenger and it’ll be everyone’s problem

[midnightsslut]

Even when there were musicians at her shows it was always like rock musicians or country artists and people who really aren’t in direct competition with her. Really interesting to observe once you notice it!

it really is, especially since everyone and their mother went to the big renaissance shows (london, LA, beyoncé’s birthday show). you would never catch pop stars like ariana attending eras. taylor is just a more controversial figure in the industry.

[acealistair]

dear teenagers (and younger) who go to family gatherings and feel annoyed by all the adults who only ask "how's school going?" and comment how big you've gotten:

i'm so sorry. we want to connect with you and unfortunately, school is the only thing we know for sure is a big part of your life. also, you legitimately have gotten SO MUCH BIGGER since we last saw you, and the urge to comment on it is very strong.

signed,

a late-twenties adult who acutely remembers what it was like being that kid but is mortified that i have turned into that adult

[nerdie-faerie]

Just when I think the day's going well, I crash a golf cart

[aq2003]

taliesin definitely deserved an emmy for s1 of tlovm btw

[peachfolk]

I'm so happy that Dadi Freyr is finally getting to perform live in a Eurovision finale

[sk1fanfiction]

One of these days I should write about the downfall of the Lookism web comic. Started off extremely strong, but is now way too long for what it is and lost the plot many months ago.

[rassilon-imprimatur]

Chibnall’s bluntly revealed that the BBC was providing an extraordinarily slashed budget for the marketing of s12 and Flux, which Peter Capaldi said was the exact same thing that happened with s9 and s10. And the thing that has always gotten on my nerves about people complaining about the marketing the last few years is a) THE CAPALDI ERA WAS EXACTLY THE SAME, and b) the people mistaking DWM coverage and readership as marketing that matters outside of fandom. The steady flow of info like this (and Mandip talking about how she and Jodie could share so little screen time because of Covid mandates, to stop production from shutting down in case one of them got sick) vs fandom entitlement that could have seen all of these things if they thought about it for two seconds. I dunno.