#and that’s because the designs themselves are meant to look as appealing as possible with little room for storytelling

[iwoulddieforienzo]

They’re fucking with us

[atamascolily]

I'm not the first person to observe that magical girls are literally a brighter and more vibrant version of their ordinary selves, but I like this particular Memoria from Magia Record, "Girl's Boundary" ("That Which Divides" in the North American server) not only because it shows this juxtaposition directly, but because it also makes the subtext explicitly text:

There is a vast gap between ordinary girls and Magical Girls. An invisible but tremendous gap. However, armed with their "feelings" and "wishes" they can cross that gap in a single step.

There's a tendency to focus on the downsides of contracting--and for good reason--but I think that it's also important to focus on the very real appeal (especially for adolescents) of stepping out of your boring everyday life and becoming an idealized and powerful version of yourself, complete with ruffles and sparkles. (The sparkles in this drawing indicate that this is 2-star Memoria, and probably were not meant to be Magical Girl Madoka is sparkling, but wow, does it sure look like it at first glance.) It's such a powerful fantasy, and this card does such a great job of depicting that, and showing what it's like for it to come true.

The use of "boundary," 境界 (kyoukai) here is interesting to me in contrast to the kekkai, 結界, or magical barrier created by witches (translated as "labyrinth" in the official English version). Becoming a witch is literally being bounded, circumscribed, limited in possibilities; instead of being able to transform back and forth, they are fundamentally stuck in a monstrous and inhuman form for eternity. A witch is neither a magical nor an ordinary girl but a secret third thing, reviled and trapped in their own personal hell, existing in a liminal space that is anathema to the world around it (represented by the change in animation). Magical girls, however, have the freedom to cross over at will because their feeling and wishes give them strength and power to do so.

This card's text also reinforces the idea that magical girls literally exist in a different world that ordinary people cannot experience. In the original series, this gap serves to isolate and alienate them from their previous existence and ensure there is no turning back (and Madoka and Sayaka do not even have to contract to experience this for themselves; just being introduced to that world is enough).

However, the act of becoming a magical girl--both the original contract and the transformation--is, like electrons, fundamentally quantum in nature: it allows them to instantly* jump from world to world without passing through any points in between. Which makes sense in a weird sort of way, since "feelings" and "wishes" are literally energy, and the transformation of soul gem to grief seed comes with a powerful explosion reminiscent of nuclear fission.

(*Many arguments have been made about how long magical girl transformations actually take in-universe and whether the slow montages are experienced by the girls and/or observers or are only a representation for the audience; YMMV, but on several occasions we see magical girls in PMMM transform instantly without an extended sequence, which makes the latter seem more likely.)

Speaking of transformation sequences, this card evokes Madoka's in the opening of the PMMM, where she dances with her double. More poignantly, it also speaks to Madoka's profound self-worth issues, where she feels she is useless in her ordinary life and can only find fulfillment as a magical girl.

Finally, I have a lot of questions about that magic circle design in the upper right corner, and I wish more of it was visible in the background.

[plazmafields]

Some thoughts about Kerry:

Spoilers ahead, needless to say.

1)

I saw a video comparing the two versions if Chippin' In (Kerry's vs. Johnny's) where someone in the comments suggested the reason Kerry leaned more mainstream rock is because he only wanted to make music for money. I completely disagree with this and here's why:

User Friendly was the last song Kerry put out before deciding he wasn't going to perform live/tour anymore and went into a deep depression. Looking up the lyrics, you can see he was becoming very distressed with the lack of control he had over his career, and the things he says in the song sound like a cry for help that wasn't received by listeners the way he had hoped. We never hear his version of the song, and I believe that is intentional. Vapid, loud, chaotic, almost over-stimulating laser-pop is such a huge juxtaposition to the lyrics, and yet it's the only version we get to hear. Clearly User Friendly meant a lot to him or I don't think he would have reacted the way he did; combined with the cover being done by a pop group groomed by the music industry to sell as many albums as possible, it all went against Kerry's original intent with the song. Then there's the story of how he wrote Bleed the Beat: he was working his ass off for people he couldn't stand and that song was his outlet during that time. He'd play until his fingers bled just to get his frustrations out. Music is his medium for release, just like it was for Johnny.

In Johnny's version of Chippin' In, the phrase "chipping in" has two meanings: getting your first implants, and, the same as our universe, helping out. Johnny's song uses both meanings interchangeably during the choruses, the verse before it dictating which definition is being used. Johnny's arm is (from what I can tell looking at the design) military issue. The song is both about the corpo military forcing him to get an implant, and also about believing he was doing the right thing when he joined by "helping out" the armed forces. Since, in this universe, militaries are owned and/or sponsored by corporations, Johnny views corporate jobs and military service to be the same level of morally wrong (The Ballad of Buck Ravers attests to this).

In terms of how the two songs compare, obviously Kerry's version of Chippin' In is meant to have more wide appeal. Not only are the lyrics more tame, mostly just talking about the implants themselves and only having one verse that even mentions anything "political", but I believe Kerry understood that the best way to get his music to the most listeners was to go for a more mainstream sound and universally relatable lyrics, so he toned it down. Everyone hates corpos, sure, but not everyone wants to bomb Araska HQ. This is probably a stretch, but we can see from the flashbacks that Kerry didn't have any implants during his time in Samurai, so maybe Johnny was like super opposed to implants after having one forced upon him, and Kerry's version of the song is kind of saying "hey if you want implants get implants, they make you look cool don't feel bad about it."

2)

I do support the idea that Kerry should have been bisexual like in the source material. I absolutely get that bi erasure is a big problem, ESPECIALLY with male characters. However, I respect that in the game you can only romance him with a masc V; I'm not going to mod him to he bi, I'm not gonna ship him with women. I see it the same way I see Cullen from DAI: he is canonically bisexual, just not attracted to my male Inquisitor (in Kerry's case, fem V). Maybe Kerry had such a traumatic divorce from his ex-wife that women just kinda scare him right now. We can see high heels and bras and blush littering his house, so we can assume that at the very least women are still getting naked for some reason or another at his parties. Maybe he prefers men romantically, or maybe he's just not ready to date women again, and we as players should respect that just like we would a real person.

3)

Kerry was 100% going to kill himself when you show up to his house. There are shards advertising robotic security systems in numerous places around his house (meaning he fired his human body guards), shards with negative reviews of his last album, there is only one camera and it is by the front gate (none inside the house), he gave his cleaner and cook "the day off" that very day, you see in emails that his ex-wife is giving him the option of all or nothing with custody (you take the kids or you don't get to see them), and he isn't enjoying making music anymore, his one passion in life. He had a gun with him in the bathroom, and I believe by the way his speech slurs and he makes the impulsive decision to get Samurai back together, that he is drunk for that entire scene and has a drinking problem. It is my opinion that the reason he doesn't reveal any of that to V is because he knows Johnny will hear it and judge him, call him weak, or make insensitive jokes like he does to V when he gives you the quest. The only time we see Kerry be somewhat vulnerable is 1. Over text when talking about the crazed fan, since he probably thinks Johnny can't see those (I believe he can) and 2. In the epilogue when Johnny has been removed from V's head (Kerry says he doesn't want to lose V, and during the credits he tells V he just wants their lives to be less hectic so they can spend more time together).

4)

It took me a couple playthroughs to warm up to Kerry, Panam is probably still my favorite romance, but I think Kerry might be the best romance option for a Skreetkid V. He perfectly embodies the plights of Night City at every income bracket: no matter where you are on the food chain, if you're not at the top, you're getting fucked over. He clearly likes living in comfort while still embracing his rebellious side from his youth. But now, he has the cushion of money and status to save him if things go tits up (when you get a wanted level in Westbrook district, close to North Oak, the officer on the police scanner says "I swear, if its Eurodyne again" suggesting that he is very reckless but hardly ever faces real consequences). Maybe he stays in his gilded cage because he fears facing real hardship on his own, without friends, without a support group, without Johnny. He has a strong sense of pride, though, and would never admit to needing Johnny, even if they were best friends. The way Kerry wants to show Johnny a riff he's been working on after the concert, only to be disappointed when V takes over again, I think it really shows that as much as they disagreed, their friendship held the band together.

5)

I don't remember if Johnny hints at it or I saw someone suggest this on here, but the idea that Kerry only "dates" V because Johnny is in his head is ridiculous to me. The first time he called you to deal with the Us Cracks tour gear, he wanted Johnny. Every time after that, he wanted V. He definitely realizes which of the two is helping him; he can tell them apart. The Johnny that Kerry remembers wouldn't have done a selfless thing in his life, lest risking his pride and reputation as Night City's biggest fuckboy. Whether you really schmooze him up or tell him he's going overboard, Kerry appreciates that you helped him. And I think after the concert, when he hands V his gun, Kerry's body language suggests that he wasn't planning to give the gun to Johnny, he thought about it because V was back in control. V helped get the band back together, V helped decide if Denny or Henry should play the gig, V was the one who brought Johnny to Kerry's house. Johnny won't take over to do it himself despite probably being able to. I only wish you didn't meet him so late in the main story, so that his story could have more time and space to breathe.

[crisiscutie]

Why do some people claim that sephiroth is only popular because of his looks? IMO that's the worst possible take on his popularity, there are plenty of pretty ff villains that have never reached Sephiroth's level of fame. I hate how some people think his fans are so shallow.

When people just say you're only interested in Sephiroth because of his looks, they're just projecting their own views onto you. Poor Sephy has a similar issue to Tifa. I even seen fellow Sephiroth fans accusing each other of being shallow. This is incredibly frustrating because it is completely possible and valid to be attracted to a beautiful character and while also appreciating their personality, backstory, and overall role in the story.

And guys, let's admit it, Sephiroth was designed to be attractive. It's a key element of his design. The man who created him openly acknowledged his beauty, while the staff commentary from Advent Children (if I can find it, I will link it) outright said that his design in the movie is meant to showcase his ethereal and angelic beauty, with a particular highlight on his attractive lips. They went to the extent of spending a long time creating his hair physics manually, for goodness' sake.

Also, this:

By the way, this is an official SE statue. If everything about Sephiroth was the same except that he was female, I don't think anyone would deny that she's a Ms. Fanservice. So let's stop shaming people for thirsting. Let people feel/think what they want for themselves.

Yes, he obviously isn't a sex god (similarly to how poor Tifa is sometimes treated) but I don't think he's completely devoid of any sex appeal either. I don't think he's even sex-repulsed (more like sex-repressed, which can be a sign of unresolved trauma) honestly. But that is just my opinion. Sephiroth is a great, complex character. Unfortunately, a lot of hate directed towards him is only from an inability to look beyond his surface to understand these complexities. Much like how people in universe treat Sephiroth, huh?

I've also seen a lot of non-Sephiroth FF fans shit on him for having "mommy issues" and/or obsessed with Cloud. These are two unfortunate oversimplifications of his character, but that's for another topic.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

More dust settling... I'll talk about Pixar some more, given that this was the year a certain Pete Docter quote caught a loooot of fire...

Mainly, him implying that - ahead of the release of INSIDE OUT 2 - Pixar would back down from making more "autobiographical" films like LUCA, TURNING RED, and ELEMENTAL, and going for more "general appeal" sorts of stories.

I read this as Pixar resigning themselves to the sort-of "genre" that some people think they are. Makers of "what-if" movies, "what if [x thing] were alive?" "What if this thing you've heard of was actually like some world/factory/city?" And restraining the filmmakers from telling stories that meant a lot to them.

And yet... The recently-announced HOPPERS, directed by WE BEAR BEARS creator Daniel Chong, seems to contradicts those statements. Now you may be saying, "Obviously HOPPERS began development years ago, so it would be one of their last films in that vein." I know that. I know how these things work. It was in development as far back as 2020, when Chong returned to Pixar.

That being said, significant revisions could've been made thereafter, prior to the rollout at this year's D23.

But, from the looks of it, HOPPERS - which will be the studio's 30th feature, by the way - will follow in the footsteps of LUCA, TURNING RED, and ELEMENTAL. Stylistically, it's a lot different from the usual Pixar look. Apparently Lindsay Olivares, who was production/character designer on THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES at Sony, is all over this one. It looks very wacky and zoogy and cartoony, much more TURNING RED than TOY STORY and FINDING NEMO.

And the premise isn't "what if [x thing] were alive?" Maybe the beaver habitat will have some of that "it's like a city/factory" thing going on, but the main premise is rather out there. Basically AVATAR with beavers, a girl puts a part of her brain into a robo-beaver in order to be among them and ultimately save them from a threat. Chong will probably execute this in a way that's different and very cool.

Then you have ELIO, which had a dramatic director change, but thankfully a release date delay because of it. More time to shape things, and not rush it out under immense pressure. Domee Shi already has BAO and TURNING RED to her name, while Madeline Sharafian has BURROW. It's also worth noting that Adrian Molina, the film's original director, is still at Pixar and is already at work on another film. Sometimes, directors kicked off of their movies during John Lasseter's reign just straight up left the studio. Jan Pinkava, Brad Lewis, Brenda Chapman, to name a few. The latter had WORDS. Molina's still at Pixar, has a new project in the works, and seems to want to stay. It must've been an amicable split.

They both got this, and in the recent interview Pete Docter did for The Wrap, it seemed like they really wanted the movie going forward to emphasize the feeling of being a kid in a big, often scary and intimidating world. Albeit against the backdrop of a cosmic adventure. What he was talking about there was far removed from the corporate-speak talk in the other articles, which were quite cynical to be honest. The Bloomberg one in particular from a few months back, which whined about Pixar's more original movies and posited that SEQUELS would restore their magic... Hunk o' logic right there!

VFX veteran Todd Vaziri put it best, on twitter.

everything about that bloomberg pixar piece is tras it's pro-"content", pro-commerce, anti-art

Couldn't have said it better myself... So, yeah, different Docter when Iger's gun isn't to his head, or the trades having him answer questions specifically.

Weirdly, INSIDE OUT 2... A sequel, and possibly on track to become the highest-grossing animated movie ever, was more creative to me than most of what came out of Disney - across all their film divisions - over the past couple of years. It could've just been a blah rehash of INSIDE OUT, but there were plenty of clever things here, and all the mixed media characters like Bloofy and Lance. Good stuff. It did not, however, restore Pixar's magic in my eyes. Maybe at the box office, but... I still feel TURNING RED is my favorite film to have gotten out of that studio in years, and I really dug SOUL and LUCA, and had great fun with LIGHTYEAR and ELEMENTAL. So yeah, none of that.

Pixar seems fine, really. They continue to do cool stuff, it seems Docter and crew understand that's the way. It's WDAS who I feel are struggling, but I digress. D23 reminded me that they've got some neat stuff coming.

Surely, the sequel announcements make it seem like that's the future... But really, if it were, the announcement of an INCREDIBLES 3 would've been followed by FINDING Somebody, CARS 4, WALL-E 2, ONWARD 2, etc.

In reality, I think INCREDIBLES 3 is a long way off. Brad Bird "developing" it tells me the film is in its Jack-Jack stages. TOY STORY 5 has had a concrete release date for some time and is full steam ahead, INCREDIBLES 3 is different. I'm sure there will be another original between the 2026 release of TOY STORY 5 and whenever INCREDIBLES 3 comes out, granted that it's not the studio's June 2027 picture. Which I kinda doubt it is, but we'll see.

Let's look at both decades...

The 2010s had seven sequels vs. only four originals.

This decade so far and including the announced upcoming films: Four sequels vs. seven originals. Subject to change, a few more originals and maybe one more sequel can sneak in there. But yeah, night and day difference. Pixar doing two pictures every other year allows them to get more originals out. I'm thinking they'll do a spring and summer 2028 thing like they did in 2022 and hope to do in 2026. (They had also planned that for 2020 and this year.) If so, I can imagine spring going to either Domee Shi's next or that project Adrian Molina is now working on, and summer going to INCREDIBLES 3. Meaning an original for summer 2027. KITBULL director Rosana Sullivan's movie, maybe?

I find it ever curious and frustrating that social media blew up over TOY STORY 5 and INCREDIBLES 3, but there was relative crickets on ELIO and HOPPERS... Complaining drives engagement, as does "TOY STORY" and "INCREDIBLES". Household names. ELIO, what's that? HOPPERS? I dunno. So, yeah.

[literaryconneseiur]

SOCIAL PATH ANALYSIS TIME!!!!

I'm always doing this when I want something to do that'll occupy my mind. There's a lot of it, and none of it may be accurate. Art exists for interpretation, though, right? So I'll see what I can offer. Be warned, my thoughts will be haphazard because it's past two in the morning and I have a headache.

Now let's start with the obvious. I think we've all clocked that Social Path is a play for the word Sociopath. Stray Kids do that a lot, right? Bend words to wrap around themselves because maybe they feel imprisoned by what the original word represents? Maybe they feel it is a label, and if they must carry one of those, they'd rather design it themselves.

The opening is "gave up my youth for my future"😭😭

An alien (foreigner) in the town.

All the hate, all the broken lines. All the anger and the resolve.

Oh my God, there are so many layers to this song😭🫠.

Their voices meld so well together. Not to mention the instrumentals, which sound genius, yes, but a bit light and excited too. The lyrics though—

It makes so much sense, at least from the perspective I'm looking at. Them being adrift, like comets, with the possibility of crashing or continuing to float.

Being lost in a sea of bodies, just giving up. Hands and words and chains reaching for them, people telling them to give up, trying to hold them down.

I don't know if it goes this deep, but felix has only one wing, the pain it must've taken to loose the other but still hold on to that one side. Did it get ripped out? Did he stumble and decide to "rise up stronger"?

And in the end, they stand as if they have won a battle, Bruised perhaps, but they've victorious. And a war still awaits.

There's more people...

A different line of thought, I'm thinking the part Lee Know is on his bed, a place that should be one of comfort and rest and privacy for him, and hands are frantically reaching for him despite how much he's curling into himself might have something to do with fans and their mega obsessions and lack of respect for their private lives.

Not to mention the same faceless people made bang chan feel choked, and he never did escape them in the video. But then there's a part where they stand and lift him up, till he's floating.

I don't know. There is so much hyper-symbolism in everything that I'm getting wrapped up in it, too.

If we begin breaking down the MV scene by scene them you will get to see the full picture and not fragments of the message they trying to pass on

The M/V fits the lyrics totally.

The scene where Han was chained??

Where the chains fear?

Was it doubt? Was it pain? Was it the endless dread of the future?

And the fact that he was chained alone, in a fortress where he saw nothing but himself. Was that a way of showing how he kept all the pain, the negative emotions locked away inside of him, how he projected it onto himself?

Life isn't easy, neither is any of this simple, and they showed it in rock and roll😌🫠 how amazing is that!!!!!!

When everyone ignored I.N? Why?

Others debuted but not BangChan....it was like he wasn't seen,he wasn't heard...in the midst of everyone,he stood alone with no one to hold

Then them pushing through all those throes of faceless people that signify not just people but every single hurdle they have had to overcome and come out stronger just to keep this dream alive.

I cannot even begin to unpack all this. Making them laugh while they feel empty? It echoes, it's loud. Having to appeal to a world that barely even wants them. And the line "meant to be my dream". I'm sure no one expected dreams to hurt this much, especially not people who were barely more than children, reaching for something they could never imagine having. Like I said, their life in a nutshell. They said, "It was supposed to be their dream," not something to expand their worries.

And I feel like that space simulation is a safe space, the chorus happens there, maybe its each other.

That scene was a lot. The m/v was so intense that at first glance, one would assume it was nothing but chaos, but isn't that what life looks like from the outside? There is so much to unpack about it and it's so easy to judge another.

There's more everyone but I feel I should save it for another day.

Before I stop though, I'll have to mention the theory I keep seeing from other people on tiktok and Instagram. They say each scene depicts a members fear, Here it goes:

Changbin: Nightmares.

Lee Know: Fear of Heights

Felix: Overthinking

Seungmin: Fear of small spaces I.e Claustrophobia

I.N: Fear of being ignored

Han: it think ita fear if being forgotten/ Anxiety.

Hyunjin: Fear of being alone.

Bang Chan: I think its him loosing his voice.

There's the whole Lisa aspect. Does she represent their dream? Is she a villainous character in the M/V? Am I just a crazy human? Yes.

[senilthesynth]

Don't want to hijack any posts about KOSA specifically, though please please please if you are a US Citizen resch out to your senators AND representatives because it WILL eventually go through there, because this is more of a general thing that KOSA happens to fall under.

The TL;DR: One should always, ALWAYS, treat any bill claiming to be for ”protecting the children” as bullshit. They never EVER do what they claim they will. They're always a way to lock down spaces even more than before, and companies will always go with the strictest law to apply to everyone to make things easier on themselves. Do not trust them, fight them every chance you possibly get.

Just about every time a law claiming to "protect the kids" passes - or even that argument is used in general - the vast majority of the time it's made up bullshit designed to appeal to a certain group of people who will hate you for not supporting something meant to protect children. My home state had a bill (that I think passed, thankfully) re: expanding sex ed down into grade school. A TON of people freaked out, thinking they were going to be teaching eight year olds about anal sex or whatever (it was similar claims to that idfk).

They were, of course, dead wrong. You could literally look up the proposed curricula and grade school? Was focused around consent, asking permission to do things like hugging, that of stuff. The kind of thing that will actually protect children should they find themselves in an abusive situation, because they'll hopefully ALREADY KNOW that this is a scary person who is not asking them to do these things and you aren't saying yes to any of this. Hell, even saying no and realizing the abuser isn't listening could ring that alarm of "this is somebody not listening to me or my boundaries. I am being Abused" or something like that.

The thing the nuts claimed wouldn't protect children because they thought sex ed for grade schoolers would be the same as sex ed for high schoolers would, in fact, actually help children by virtue of education. Of knowledge. Of knowing what boundaries are, how to set them, and how to ask to do things.

The same shit applies with bills such as KOSA. The goal is never to actually protect children. It's to indirectly harm them by making knowledge access harder. In a time where libraries are actively getting slammed and underfunded, online resources and communities are sometimes the only vaguely safe outlet someone has. It might be the only way a queer kid out in rural flyover country finds solace in being queer, is able to freely be queer. "Protecting the children" (from those filthy queers) means gating off those spaces from people. From letting people find those spaces where they can be free.

Let's not forget the way this can easily gut activism work too. Often these bills are ways to delete spaces for the "outcasts" of society, and once one group of "outcasts" is dealt with, they'll find another. We've seen this "protect the kids" line when it comes to trans people (especially trans women), when it comes to drag, or any form of queer expression. "Cis white men holding hands in public" is seen as damaging to children.

"Protect the children" is effectively (if not outright) a dog whistle for "this law or whatever is actually meant to target a specific group of people, set of actions, etc. without us saying it does that because saying what we actually want to do would mean nobody would like this thing." KOSA specifically can and likely will gut online activism organization, gut queer spaces, black spaces, whatever kind of minority or leftist space you can think up of. It has the power to do that.

And its effects will almost certainly be felt globally, because again. Companies will go with the strictest possible approach, if not outright blocking access from places stricter than they care to manage. Twitter being affected by a bill such as KOSA will affect people worldwide because they have to comply with a strict as fuck law, and it's infinitely easier to apply the basics to every user they legally can (IDK about how GDPR plays into this specific bill).

There's a reason companies cracked down on queer groups after SESTA/FOSTA became effective in 2018 (which, FYI, is likely a large part of why Tumblr moderation routinely cracks down on queer people, trans women in particular!). Because queer people are, by default, seen as more "sexual" and whatnot, that those groups are more likely to get a company in trouble legally speaking. So, they try to suppress those groups as best they can without making it blatantly obvious (usually failing the latter part but they don't care).

"Protect the children" will only be used, and continue to be used, as a way to mask the actual intent. Bills like KOSA do not protect children. If they do, it's purely a coincidence. Their real goal is to crack down on whatever "undesirable" they want to send into hiding next. That's what it's used for. Is the internet, in ways, shittier than it was 15, even 10 years ago? Oh absolutely, and it was still shitty then too. I definitely found myself in spaces I absolutely shouldn't have as a kid. But the solution to that isn't to lock everything up real tight. It's a good education about these things.

Nobody told me that, if I ended up a little too sensual towards an adult, it doesn't matter if they didn't know I was actually 15 and I'm making the advancement and they had no way of knowing my age. They're still the person in trouble here. Mind you, I was just smart enough to stick to the sidelines, maybe make comments in stuff, but that was it. Nobody told me what to watch for, why things were maybe Bad, etc.

I was punished for *gasp* having porn (furry porn) saved to a deviantArt account that I had an app for. This did absolutely nothing for me. Nobody said anything about why it was bad (or could cause problems to the artist). I was just yelled at and grounded. "Protect the children" just results in that happening. In kids and teens getting punished for not knowing things that nobody would ever teach them because "they're so delicate, they aren't old enough to know this yet."

Fuck this "protect the kids" bullshit. Fuck this bill. Fuck every bill like it. Fuck every legislator who supports it. Fuck every court that even dares to uphold it. Fuck whichever US president signs it off. You don't protect children by banning drag or outlawing any form of transition before 18 or whatever. You don't protect children by removing their spaces online. You don't protect children by indirectly empowering their abusers by making sure they never know what they're going through is Wrong and Bad.

I'm pissed off that this needs to be said, that this is even a topic worth bringing up. That this is even NECESSARY to say.

[yumyumyuri2]

Hear Me Out (Ep. 1 - Maid Outfits & Character Writing Are Underestimated 2-for-1 Bundles)

Character designing Vs. character writing are both very different skills that go hand-in-hand in making a character memorable, iconic and loved - it can also make them forgettable, generic and hated. One can be better than the other and still have both possibilities be put into play into how the audience views that character - if they're written well but have a somewhat bland character design (like the maid sisters Kohaku and Hisui from Tsukihime/Melty Blood), or written poorly yet still have a memorable character design (like Juju from Lonely Wolf Treat or Eleni from Contract Demon), those characters can still be loved or hated either way.

Maid outfits, however, seem to tell a completely different story.

From my own personal experience of consuming media, talking with my friends and fans of all sorts of franchises, they can make or break how a community sees a character. This is because nowadays maid outfits can be seen as sexual appeal due to the traditionally obedient (and consequently submissive) role of those bound to wear it or as lazy character design (due to the essentially automated fanservice its depiction alone provides). It's overused (particularly in games and media made SPECIFICALLY to sexually appeal to those who wish to spend their me-time in a more lust-driven manner) and can deter fans from liking them, or attract fans purely due to it rather than appreciate the work the creator had put into them and the narrative they crafted. As a result, they visually don't really give the audience any incentive to express further interest into their character initially until later on, in which by then they're only relevant due to affecting the plot in ways that affects other characters the audience IS interested in during the narrative.

(I know it's unfair to assume how each individual viewer/reader would view certain characters but this is merely observations I've made with other franchises, and not definitive fact.)

Maid outfits (and those who wear them), however, can serve SO much more purpose in the narrative.

There are 4 types of maid characters that I've made up in my mind: the dutiful maid, the traitorous maid, the confused maid and the "maid". These types are ones that either enhance or act as a juxtaposition for the personality and narrative purpose these characters have.

The dutiful maid - the loyal servant, one willing to lay their life down fully for those they serve. Their outfits can serve as an explicit symbol for their loyalty to their masters/mistresses and their role in the lives of such, and when done right can look badass, hot and cute at the same time. The reasons for their loyalty and the tests to maintain it could bring depth to their character.

The traitorous maid - the scheming backstabber, one who serves their masters/mistresses with an alternate agenda that may involve in the exploitation or theft of their power for themselves or for another they serve. Whilst such a character themselves can exist without having to be a maid, their traditionally dainty and formal appearance and the loyalty required of such can serve as a juxtaposition to their goals and personality, clearly opposed to that of a normal maid. Whilst I can't name any, it can still serve as a good plot twist if done correctly.

The confused maid - one of whom chose to take on their role due to a lack of vision/insight into who they want to be, dependent on others to discuss/decide for them. They do this and that, but is this what they really feel they were meant for? Do they dedicate their lives for their masters/mistresses, or become a master/mistress of their own life? Loyalty may vary, allowing flexibility in usage in the narrative. Whether they keep the maid outfit on or take it off or how they act whilst wearing (or not wearing) it could represent their growth (or regression) as an individual.

The "maid" - essentially can be any of the three, whilst essentially being a maid mainly out of necessity for their safety (or other) or accompany a friend (or get closer to one who may be a master/mistress). They mainly take not very serious character roles (such as being a comic relief character or a side character for laughs) but their impact on the overarching narrative is limitless.

Essentially, maid outfits are very underrated but both character design AND writing must be put into consideration to properly utilize the elements and symbolism the creator plans to depict via the narrative and the character's role in such. They CAN be WAY more than simple sexual appeal, having untapped amounts of potential

So please, please, PLEASE, try taking more interest into characters in the place of servants/maids.

That's just a hear me out though...

[charcutieri]

The fact that people are getting mad at Male Trailblazer x HSR Seele/Bronya shippers because apparently Seele and Bronya were lesbians in fricking Honkai Impact 3rd is just so funny

But I guess some people are so braindead that they need to be spoon fed the obvious fact that is how HSR Bronya and Seele are not the same people as Honkai 3rd Bronya and Seele. Everyone is okay with them having different character designs, personalities, and backgrounds compared to their Honkai 3rd counterparts, but the idea of them possibly having a different sexual orientation other than lesbian, like, say, bi or pan, gets everyone's panties in a twist

This cold, stone hard fact may be too much for some of y'all, but Hoyoverse's biggest goal at the end of the day is profit. Check Da Wei's speech back at 2011. Does this speech makes it look like Honkai was created as a safe space for lesbians to see themselves in fictional characters? NO! Honkai was created to meet the need of otakus. It's meant to be a heaven for anime fans who are starved for female affection but won't go outside to actually form relationships with real women. Why do you think Wei called the characters virtual idols that hold a relationship with the player? Why do you think touch interaction was even added in the first place? Why do you think Yae Sakura forgets about Kallen and simps for the player at affection level 4? They know their audience, it's horny weebs and they wanna appeal to them. While Hoyoverse may support lesbians (and tbh I think they do), you have to realize that at the end of the day, money rules everything. This is why whenever someone says some delusional bs like "Honkai is not a safe space for cishet men!", I just laugh. What do you think the majority demographic of Honkai is? Who do you think the game was made for in the first place?

So in conclusion, getting mad at HSR Seele/Bronya x Male Trailblazer character is literally the dumbest thing anyone can do. Hoyoverse isn't going to be mad at straight male players for shipping themselves with Bronya/Seele (or any of the so-called canon lesbians for that matter) or drawing fanarts of the ship, if anything, they would applaud it because that's exactly what they want. Shipping yourself with a character means you're in love with said character, and being in love with said character increases the chance of you willing to spend on them. That's Hoyoverse end goal

Also I find it so funny how so many people who say this also say things like "respect bisexuals or die", yet they can't stomach the idea of HSR Seele and Bronya being bisexual or pansexual. This is a problem with a lot of fandoms and not just the Honkai fandom, but notice how you can take a character that has only shown opposite-sex attraction and ship them with someone who is of the same sex, and literally no one would bat an eyelash, but if you take a character that has only been interested in people of the same sex and ship them with someone who is of the opposite sex, even your grandma's dog will be getting death threats. Shipping a female character who has only displayed interest towards other women with a male character is considered "lesbophobic", but shipping a character who has never shown attraction towards anyone ISN'T considered "AroAce-phobic" for whatever reason. Hmm I sure wonder why. Surely it can't be because of blatant hypocrisy, right?

[things-about-cars-in-posts]

How ironic it is, by the way, that I'd use the Hyundai S(-)coupe as a demonstration of proper car design, considering how with time it may well have become the ugliest mass production car I've ever seen in my life. Let's chronicle what went down.

First off, in 1993, the car received a facelift.

I've heard someone say that they usually like cars better before their facelifts, because in the pursuit of looking newer the new parts lose cohesion with the original design - and while I don't agree in general, there are absolutely instances in which that is the case, and this is absolutely one of them: you can see the clash between the round headlights and the decidedly not round rest of the car. But I feel like that contrast teeters on the edge of working the way a facelift is supposed to, i.e. making you read the whole shape of the car as closer to the design language of the new parts.

However, the demographic interested in a cheap sport coupé was less "design connoisseurs able and willing to appreciate and respect that precarious balance" and more "utterly tasteless tuning mag readers determined to modify all they can afford to no matter the result", so the ones you saw on the road usually ended up looking something like this.

And then, when time came to design the new generation (called Tiburon stateside and just Coupe elsewhere), Hyundai seems to have figured "Well, if they want to ruin the styling so hard, why don't we appeal to them by saving them the bother?". And the result was so horrific I put it under a Read More just so you have to opt into seeing the thing. Yes, like I did with the Multipla. Yes, it's that bad. At least, I believe so. I'll leave a poll at the end of it for you to give your verdict.

You asked for this.

Where do I even begin? The front wheels show up 5 minutes late and the rear ones somehow seem even more dwarfed by a car they are absolutely properly sized for, and this barrage of that late '90s too-curvy styling takes you for a vomit-inducing ride in every single place and direction so long as it is wrong - and please allow me the honor to illustrate that better by showing you how the droopy ass rear looks without the smaller wing mercifully obscuring it:

What are those jagged lines in the spoiler?! See what I mean when I say this was riced from the factory? They even did the whole "aftermarket parts whose design language does not remotely match the car's" look!

Really, the only thing left is to hop on that trend of replacing headlights with usually uglier plastic trim that contains circular headlights!

Now some of you may be thinking "That's not that bad", and to that I say:

Wanna know what is?

The Tiburon's facelift.

I have no words. It's so ugly it almost loops back around. It's so ugly you almost want to like it because you feel bad for it.

Luckily, at least the tacky factory bodykit and every bad modification box being ticked meant the most tasteless people in the world could just buy it stock and leave it the hell alone.

Unluckily, it seems to them finding a way to make a car look worse is a matter of principle.

I've been at this whole seeing cars shit since damn near inception, and believe me I've seen some shit. But still, I do not think the looks of mass production, street legal vehicles get meaningfully worse than a modified post-facelift Hyundai Tiburon. From the saddening squalor of the cheaply modified ones to the ghastly over-the-topness of those proper money was spent on, there are a myriad of ways the world found to make the thing look worse, unfathomable though it may seem looking at the starting point. That should perhaps not surprise, because most anyone buying and modifying a Tiburon does not do so despite its ungodly styling, but because of it - somehow, they must have seen the factory's design and said "Yes. That. But, if possible, more so."

And to be clear: power to them! They're buying and building a car to satisfy themselves, my opinion should not even be a factor in the process. I'd never want to be the reason someone feels compelled to get rid of, or even feel any less proud of, a car they enjoy.

Enjoy your bat-mobile, Miguel Castaneda from the 2013 YouTube video about tuning his Tiburon. If you've not tossed it since.

But me myself... well, I did compare it to the Multipla. And looking at it again, I think it could be worse, honestly. But you tell me.

Links in blue are posts of mine about the topic in question: if you liked this post, you might like those - or the blog’s Discord server, linked in the pinned post!

[kingconcretenc]

Enhance Your Property with Durable Driveway Concrete Jacksonville

A driveway is more than a path to your garage—it’s an integral part of your home, adding to curb appeal, functionality and value. Investing in high-quality driveway concrete Jacksonville ensures long-lasting durability, attractive aesthetics, and optimal usability. King Concrete is a company that specializes in making custom concrete driveways for you. 

Why Choose Concrete for Your Driveway?

Being the top material for driveways, concrete has built its reputation well. Here are some key reasons to consider concrete for your driveway:

1. Durability

Concrete driveways are meant to last for decades. Because of their resilience to heavy vehicles, harsh weather conditions, and wear and tear, they are perfect for Jacksonville’s climate.

2. Low Maintenance

Concrete is a low maintenance material that requires little to no maintenance to keep it in top condition. Its appeal for busy homeowners is enhanced by this ease of care.

3. Customizable Appearance

Concrete is a versatile design material. You can have stamped and stained finishes, exposed aggregate, or whatever, and make your driveway the perfect match for your home.

4. Cost-Effectiveness

While the upfront cost might be higher than some other materials, concrete driveways pay for themselves in the end: relatively cheap to install, virtually maintenance free and guaranteed to last for decades.

The Benefits of Professional Driveway Concrete Jacksonville Services

At King Concrete, we deliver expert services to ensure your driveway is both functional and visually appealing.

1. Expertise You Can Trust

Every project is entrusted to our skilled team who bring years of experience to offer precise installation and superior craftsmanship.

2. Quality Materials

Our concrete is premium grade and our techniques are advanced so that you have a strong and durable driveway that can take the daily abuse.

3. Customization Options

Your driveway should match your style. Texture, pattern, color, we have it all to make your driveway one of a kind.

4. Property Value Enhancement

Adding a well designed concrete driveway to your home will add a lot of value to the home and is a smart investment for the future.

How We Work: The Driveway Installation Process

We make the process of installing your driveway as seamless as possible:

ConsultationWe meet with you to understand exactly what your vision, your tastes and your budget are.

PreparationWe clear and prepare the site, to provide a stable foundation for your driveway.

InstallationWe pour and shape the concrete, using your chosen finish to give you a flawless look.

Curing and Final TouchesWe leave the driveway to cure properly and then do the final touches.

Why Choose King Concrete NC?

Choosing the right contractor is crucial for achieving your dream driveway. Here’s why Jacksonville homeowners trust King Concrete NC:

Experience and Expertise

Driveway installation is our specialty, and we have the experience to deliver high quality results over years.

Custom Solutions

We are proud of the fact that every project is unique and we provide personalized solutions to match your needs.

Affordable Pricing

We have competitive rates so you get great value without sacrificing quality.

Customer Satisfaction

We care about your satisfaction. We work closely with you from the time of consultation to project completion.

Creative Design Options for Your Concrete Driveway

Your concrete driveway doesn’t have to be boring. King Concrete NC offers you to delve into creative design options to improve the look of your outdoor space.

Stamped Concrete: Stamp patterns mimic the look of natural stone, brick or tile.

Colored Concrete: Pick from different hues to complement your home’s exterior.

Exposed Aggregate: Exposed aggregate finishes add texture, and visual interest.

Borders and Inlays: Use decorative borders or inlays that provide you with a distinctive look.

Elevate Your Curb Appeal with King Concrete NC

A professionally installed concrete driveway is an investment in your home’s beauty, functionality and value. King Concrete offers the best driveway concrete Jacksonville services to our clients by following the standards of quality and craftsmanship. We can help you whether you’re after a simple, sleek design or a bold, decorative finish. Contact us today at (252) 654-6557 or visit our website at King Concrete NC to get started on your project.

[nubaby]

Disposable vs. Cloth Diapers: The Great Debate! Which Is Truly Better for Your Baby?

One of the longest-standing conflicts that parents themselves continue to be tangled up in, is whether or not they should go for disposable diapers o cloth ones. Each has its own pros and cons so usually these two options will come down to personal preference, lifestyle as well as how much of an environmentalist you are. Let's have a look at the key factors in this blog.

1. Convenience

Disposable Diapers:

Convenience — This is probably the biggest appeal of disposable diapers. These are one-time-use items meant to be changed out fast and thrown away, which makes them perfect for parents on the go or with a busy lifestyle. They come prewashed, so no washing is necessary —just discard after each use.

Cloth Diapers:

A newborn in cloth diapers takes more work. Today, snap closers or Velcro make modern versions easier to use but all reusable diapers need to be washed and dried regularly. If you live somewhere with laundry close by and time for lots of washing, this may not be a problem. There is even a kind of consolation for some parents, caring for and using reusable diapers.

2. Environmental Impact

Disposable Diapers:

According to the EPA, disposable diapers make up roughly 4% of landfill solid waste. The plastic components of these napkins take 600 years to decompose. Even though there are manufacturers that do have biodegradable nappies, this is still producing waste and taking up resources to make them.

Cloth Diapers:

Cloth ones are always the sustainable more option as compared to the disposable ons. They require water and energy to wash themselves. Of course, hanging clothes out to dry vs using an energy guzzling washing machine helps too. Eventually with cloth diapers the overall amount of waste is reduced.

3. Comfort and Skin Health

Disposable Diapers:

The new generation of disposable diapers is highly absorbent ensuring that liquid waste expands very fast and some provide a greater protection for up to 12 hours depending on the pressure. Still, some chemical fragrances break out certain babies with a diaper rash because the skin is sensitive.

Cloth Diapers:

For example: The materials used to produce cloth diapering are all natural fibers such as cotton, and these can be less abrasive on baby skin. More breathable than disposables; they must be changed more often to prevent moisture buildup. Cloth is a favorite for sensitive skin babies as the parents may not want to risk their child having any possible reactions to chemicals.

4. Leak Protection

Disposable Diapers:

Disposable diapers have much leak protection, and are especially suited for long use such as overnight due to more innovations in designing them. Their design keeps moisture locked in and helps prevent leaks, no matter how long you wear them.

Cloth Diapers:

As far as absorbency goes, cloth diapers have really come a long way in this regard but are we still bringing up the rear when it comes to leak-proof venues? You might have to double up on inserts for nighttime and leaks unless you are changing very frequently.

Here’s the humanized version of your text:

Potty Training Lunges: One report suggests that disposable diapers can prevent babies from feeling wet, as they absorb excess moisture and keep the skin dry for a long time.

Cloth Diapers: Cloth diapers may help some kids learn faster because they feel wetness sooner compared to regular disposable diaper brands.

Summary: Which One Should You Use? Whether to use cloth or disposable diapers is a personal choice, and there’s no right or wrong answer. Ensuring the health and safety of your baby in each diaper is an additional reason some may opt for disposable diapers. However, if you’re interested in a budget-friendly, eco-conscious option and don’t mind the extra laundry, cloth diapers might be just the thing. Many parents prefer using a combination of both. Having a good stock of both types provides flexibility. Figure out what works best for you and your baby!

[seovtraffic]

Advantages of Hunter Douglas window Coverings Custom Motorized Draperies That Are Practical 

In luxury home décor, it is just about everything. Every component from the lavish textiles to the delicate finishes are carefully chosen to make opulent and refined surroundings.  

Window curtains on their part play a very crucial role in setting the mood and functionality in a luxurious house.  

In this blog, we will be discussing the practical benefits of installing custom window motorized shades by Hunter Douglas window Coverings into your high-end abode. 

Seamless Integration with Smart Home Technology: 

Convenience is everything in this digital era. Hunter Douglas window Coverings’ customized window motorized shades are easily integrated into smart homes enabling homeowners to operate their window treatments effortlessly using either pressing a button or speaking out loud.  

Picture waking up to warm rays of sunlight as your curtains slide open smoothly or even comfortably adjusting the mood for your guests with definitive simplicity. 

Enhanced Privacy and Security: 

An important aspect of luxurious life is privacy. The adjustable transparent draperies allow you to change your sight through windows at any time within 24 hours whether its day time or night thus providing unparalleled privacy control.  

Moreover, when programmed to automatically open or close occasionally, they create an illusion that someone is home hence UH security and peace especially when one is away from home. 

Preservation of Interior Decor: 

Delicate furnishings can be ruined by sun exposure leading to fading colors and deteriorating fabrics over time. Valuable interior décor can be protected against harmful UV rays by light sensor fitted custom window motorized shades which adjust themselves according to sunlight intensity at a given time.  

Thus, such pro-active preservation measures ensure that luxury pieces retain their look long after they have been acquired. 

Effortless Light and Temperature Control: 

Getting the perfect combination between light levels and temperature is vital for comfortable living space creation purposes. Natural lighting penetration and insulation can be controlled accurately with window motorized shades to regulate room temperature and power consumption.  

When making a homey feeling on chilly evenings or allowing as much natural light in as possible during the day, there is no other desirable alternative other than going for Hunter Douglas window Coverings’ tailor-made draperies. 

Tailored Design and Aesthetic Appeal: 

Luxury means exclusiveness and personalization because you are unique. For the most discerning tastes Hunter Douglas window Coverings offers a wide range of window curtains, plush fabrics, elegant hardware finishes and customization options.  

Window motorized shades can be adapted to suit any style of architecture or interior decoration scheme, thereby enhancing the aesthetic appeal of your luxury home; from contemporary sleekness to timeless traditionalism. 

In conclusion, these are more than just convenient features for custom motorized drapes because practical benefits go far beyond the obvious. Starting with seamless integration with smart home technology up to enhanced privacy, security and energy efficiency these sophisticated window curtains bring forth various advantages meant specifically for luxury homeowners.  

You can now upscale your living space by installing custom motorized curtains that perfectly represent what constitutes luxurious craftsmanship at Hunter Douglas window Coverings. Experience the ultimate in comfort, convenience, and style with motorized draperies tailored to your unique vision of luxury living.  

[the-hydroxian-artblog]

How do you go about designing robots? They all look so cool

TL;DR If you want to design a robot, that means you probably have ideas as to what a "cool" robot is. Find out what you think is cool, think of any backstory you think makes sense, then use existing robot designs as inspiration to figure out the visuals.

I wrote up something really long and rambly, and I'm gonna leave those extended thoughts below anyway; I apologize if this gets too dense and wordy, but to be frank I still gloss over way too much in it, as it's a really big question to answer without being reductive and frustratingly vague, or on the flipside making entire-ass tutorials/process essays on how I made all of my robot characters. I also made a guide for designing ruppets before that sort of answers your question, but I warn you that it's purely text, in-case you were hoping for some visual tutorial.

In any case, on with the ranting.

Honestly I'm more of a worldbuilder, so when I get this question I immediately jump to answering it from a storytelling perspective, not a simple "how to design a badnik" tutorial kinda thing. Robots are made for specific purposes. If they lack purpose, this can be a glaring issue, or a great trait towards your robot's backstory. Figuring out the backstory is pretty crucial, and the sooner you know that, the sooner you'll be able to ride your intuition and figure everything else out.

There's a LOT that can go into it, but there's two aspects, visual and descriptive, both of which are kinda the same thing but kinda not.

Descriptively, good robot design depends on the setting and the story told through text, and depends mostly on whatever one's heart wants above all else.

I come up with a premise I really like/want, and then ask questions to rationalize/reason backward to justify it. What do I want? Why, in its own universe, does it exist?

With these answers, you can figure out how to answer the visual question: How would this thing look like, then?

Possibly my most popular design, Splats, can answer these questions with both a visual and brief-enough flavor text to supplement her. Hopefully.

1. What did I want? A modern version of Splats, a scrapped Sonic 1 badnik. I thought it'd be cool. People apparently agree.

2. Why, in-universe? Why was Splats upgraded? She was meant to be scrapped in-universe, but didn't get the memo. Used abandoned eggman factories to repair and upgrade herself.

3. How, visually? How would she look like, then? I took elements like her thighs and tails and eyes, and made them more mechanical, taking some inspiration from P-Body from Portal 2, badniks in Sonic Colors, and toys with springs in their torsos. Also, of course, I took inspiration from artwork of Splats as well. Bash these together, and you'll likely get something like this. I wanted to stay somewhat faithful to the distinct shape language of the original, while adding something new and refining it as well as I could manage.

Another example, this time in my own OC canon: K-55, a one-off design I whipped up for fun.

1. What did I want? I wanted to draw a funny bird robot that had a serious/morally messy profession. The concept is funny to me.

2. Why does he exist in-universe? He wasn't built to look like this specifically. He was more of a standard robot for basic tasks that modified itself to look this way due to an eccentric personality. He has an eccentric personality because having certain quirks in robots can lead to them being creative problem solvers. This has a side-effect of them often dressing themselves up in different ways, whether alienating or appealing. That basically gives me the excuse to make him look as weird as I want.

3. How would he look like? A mess. Visually, he has a bunch of noticeable funny shapes working together to create a distinct, odd outline. His face is a bit wall-eyed, and he has a strange "hair style", which imply strange tastes. With the clear implication that he wasn't designed purposefully like this by anyone else, the design sends clear messages about his personality, and how unhinged he is.

One last example: Kaita, my beloved.

I wanted a cute, strong, robot wolf woman with a very friendly personality. The idea of a robot wolf woman is absurd on many levels, but I reason she was made as a weapon of sorts, but got misused and now lives her own life. This answers What she is and Why she exists, so lastly, there's How she'd appear as. In her case, I basically just figured she'd look like a furry terminator with exposed internals in some parts, large claws, etc.

There's many different ways to go about that, but by answering the previous questions of What, Why, and How, I can at least not go in blind as I develop the visual aspect of her design, and see if I'm being faithful to the concept. "Nice Terminator Wolf Lady" is basic in premise, but with tons of room for experimentation in execution. I designed Kaita years ago, and only in the past two or three years did she really look consistent.

[siryouarebeingmocked]

So, reading a Lit RPG on Kindle, because it was free. And I've noticed some...details.

Protag is a  young woman . Works at a hot dog stand. Her boss gave her a work shirt that's a size too small. Means she can't button it all the way. Which means more tips, he said.

And she thinks of her boss as a 'sexist'.

Not a disgusting pig who looks at her in a way that makes her personally feel unsafe Just an incompetent, sexist scumbag.

 Look, I've gotten unsolicited attention from ladies at work before. And my reaction was 'Ah, jeez, not again." It was personal, not grand and abstract.

Oh, and her hot male coworker (who she has a crush on) flirts with the customers. And they both get more tips .Anyway, a dimensional rift opens up, and pulls both of them into the plot dimension. Along with a few thousand con-goers.

After they arrive, they're soon reduced to a few hundred. Not including Crush Coworker. He died in an accident, in front of our hero, seconds after arrival. Then she has to go on the tutorial level from Hell, which is extremely painful and dangerous.

Our girl compares it to Prince of Persia. 

Shortly before she breaks her leg. 

She heals it, but she has to set the bone. While awake. Not fun.

And after she finishes that stage, she sits in the "locker room", and notes that the course is biased against "differently-abled people, and th people with low athleticism”. She resolves to Have Words with the designers as soon as possible. 

Now, call me crazy, but when you've been kidnapped to another dimension, forced onto a death course as training, seen death, up close and personal, broken your leg and blacked out because of it…

…why is missing handicap ramps what really your gears?

Did I mention that she knows this is a one-way trip and she can't go home again?

The weird part? Her other character traits are all justified, or understandable.

She cares for her semi-dysfunctional family. She's obviously cares about the hot coworker because he's hot and nice. She had to quit college for lack of money, hence the job. She's athletic because she's a former gymnast, which she quit because she didn't have time. Her attempted metagaming? Well, she's an aspiring electrical engineer, which implies some degree of nerdiness.

But being woke ? Out of nowhere, Not even like she has friends, or mentions social media, or is a minority, it just kind of...happens.

Maybe it gets explained later, or it's supposed to be a character flaw, but I have a sneaking suspicion this is what TVtropes calls Author Appeal. 

I'm not sure the writer meant to make our girl seem out of touch with the situation. 

When people are in personal peril, they mainly worry about themselves. Then people around them and immediate threats (which are sometimes the same thing), then friends and family, then big, abstract concepts, if they have enough free time and safety to process the other stuff.

The handicap thing comes out of basically nowhere. She thinks of "differently abled", instead of specifically thinking about someone in a wheelchair (for example), which is a much stronger image for the reader. 

She could've actually met someone in a wheelchair before the portal opened, and seen them with the other people who got pulled in. 

Just give them one distinctive character trait other than 'being in a wheelchair', and they'd seem a lot more like a real person, so the protag could somehow remember them and go "oh, crap, they probably died", then think about how they died, then how other physically impaired people would do. Or even just someone who happened to have an arm or a leg in a cast, which leads protag to think of people with more serious issues.

It would be funny if wheelchair person sees the protag's low-cut uniform, and asks if it's to get more tips. Protag says it was the boss's idea. Person says the wheelchair works/worked the same. Then s/he tips generously.

I'm not sure I'm going to finish the story, if she keeps being like this.

Good thing I didn't pay any money for it.

EDIT: There's also one other thing I've noticed, but I'm putting it past the cut, because it's a problem with a lot of writers, and you might not wanna take the red pill. Seriously, it's something you can't unsee once you know it exists.

She writes like a writer.

A lot of stories do this. They're told in first person, yet the character happens to use the vocabulary and phrasing of a trained writer, even though they're not supposed to be. It makes sense if the character is an intelligent, avid reader (EG Harry Dresden), but usually it just happens. For example, when was the last time you heard someone use the word "avid" in a spoken conversation? Or "reticence"? Or "admonishes"? Or "prodigious"? Or described "hope blossoming", or said you "looked expectantly" at something, or "let out a frustrated huff" or gave a room a "sweeping glance"? Not only does she write like a writer, she keeps including a bunch of redundant adverbs. Such as saying a huff was "frustrated". I try to write like the reader is watching a TV show or movie, and can tell how people feel from their actions and reactions, and I don't include adverbs unless they're strictly necessary, like "quickly". And I never, ever go "in [emotion]", like "I flopped onto my bed and screamed into my pillow in frustration." The whole point of the action is to show the reader how the person feels. Making it explicit undercuts that point. It's one thing to have the narrating character realize what it is, but I try to avoid that too. If you do nothing else, add a layer of abstraction and implication. Like; >I flopped onto my bed and screamed into my pillow. >I was not having a great day. Even this slight bit of understatement is more engaging than >I was having a bad day. Here's a blog post I found on the subject of adverbs; https://www.writingforward.com/writing-tips/avoid-adverbs /rant

[sepublic]

Why did Odalia allow Emira and Edric in Illusions?

I’ve seen people wonder how Emira and Edric are in Illusions if they seem to be looked down upon, especially with a parent like Odalia expecting the best of her kids! To dabble into some potential explanations;

For starters, illusions might not be looked down upon to begin with? Bria, Angmar, and Gavin give me major jock vibes, what with the physicality of their magic, bullying the smaller Gus and Mattholomule, and seeing the Galdorstones as a litmus test for ‘real’ magic.

Given their immature tendencies, it’s possible that they’ve made an easy and shallow mistake of reducing the value of magic down to its physical strength, instead of the wider applications- Which fits young and overconfident kids from Glandus, which evidently had some toxic ideas.

This could be a shallow Glandus perception that doesn’t grasp the full extent and potential of magic beyond just physically smashing and fighting in a straightforward manner, which might just add to the school’s rivalry with Hexside; But I digress...

The thing about Odalia is that she’s definitely underhanded and a cheater herself- So it makes sense of her to approve of ‘lesser’ tactics anyway, because she might see herself as Lilith, having to use whatever it takes to win. Doesn’t matter if it’s honest or has integrity, Odalia never cared about that... So she wouldn’t be approaching Illusions with the sort of dismissive bias of jocks.

After all, Oracle magic doesn’t seem to be entirely physical- It is to an extent, hence why Selene is able to fight Willow for at least a few seconds... But otherwise, Oracle magic seems to focused on more intangible things. It’d be hypocritical of Odalia to embrace Oracle magic but then judge Illusions, but then again she’s no stranger to hypocrisy either.

Maybe she’s tried to vicariously place her kids in ‘real’ magic tracks and only succeeded in Amity... But again, Illusions might not actually be looked down upon, at least on a societal level. There might be some bias amongst covens who think their magic is superior to that of another, but Belos designated Illusions as one of his nine major covens for a reason- And he is definitely a ruthless pragmatist with a utilitarian view of magic.

After all, Boscha mocks Willow’s choice of Plants despite her friend Amelia being there, and Angmar is played off as supposedly better than Gus for it! Granted Plants might be considered lame, while Illusions are even lamer... Bria and her friends evidently weren’t so popular themselves at first;

But regardless, it seems that it could just be a case of kids being hypocritically biased and insulting someone’s choice of magic if it isn’t the same as their own, especially since Potions could easily be seen as weaker than Plants! But maybe it’s just a matter of class, with Potions evidently being an industry that rakes in a lot of snails, so who knows?

Boscha probably doesn’t have a place to speak, and amongst narrow-minded kids, some assumptions might take place, but once you’re an adult... You cool down and can see the importance of these things. And as a seasoned and successful entrepreneur, Odalia is someone always looking for an opportunity to use someone or something;

As an adult with actual real-world experience, Odalia is able to recognize the value of illusions... And, as a gaslighter and manipulator herself, who uses Oracle magic to literally get into people’s heads, and she’d definitely appreciate the mind games and trickery of illusions.

If anything, Odalia might see physical magic as more demeaning and to be offloaded to the lesser workers, to people whose hands are meant to be dirty (with Alador as an exception), while a prim and proper, higher-class person such as herself needn’t bother with labor-associated magic! If there is some bias towards some forms of magic as lofty and for prissy blue bloods, Odalia might just be an example of that.

Plus, illusions could help her business! Amity is clearly set up as the next Alador, as the mindless worker who puts together and innovates with Abominations... With the twins welcoming people into the expo, while Amity physically participates, and it’s likely that Emira and Edric are set up to be the social factor of the business!

They’re meant to be like Odalia, as the managers who organize people, who broker deals and appeal to customers! And illusions would be perfect for presentations, Illusionists have a knack for showmanship as Gus said.

Illusions could be used to cover up the flaws of Blight Industries’ products while embellishing them. It’s implied that Alador’s creations aren’t always as good as they claim to be... Possibly as a result of cutting costs, because this guy CAN make some effective products, but unless Odalia wants him to compensate with an Abomaton 2.0 after the first failed, she otherwise prefers quantity over quality.

So yeah, a deal broker and social butterfly who attends these kinds of gatherings, makes business alliances and appeals to people- Odalia would definitely approve of illusions, even beyond her own treatment of her kids! For all we know she insisted upon it from the get-go, and luckily for Emira and Edric, illusions worked out for them as their personal calling.

Who knows, maybe Odalia wanted to be in another magic track, only for her actual talents to speak for themselves- She proved best at Oracle magic and was placed in it anyway, despite her attempts for other tracks she wasn’t as naturally talented in. It could be a similar case for the twins, who already like to rebel- And Bump could’ve made a case for them to be in Illusions too! Though we know Odalia can threaten Bump to get her way...

But in the end it doesn’t matter, because I think it’s fully in Odalia’s character to appreciate a more subtle approach, especially if she likes to manipulate and use underhanded tactics to compensate for a lack of ‘genuine’ power. If she has the same biases against non-physical magic, she could be just like Lilith, accepting her need to use lowly means to keep up with more honest witches anyway.

And given how Belos’s system makes people compete, it’s possible that EVERY coven thinks the others are weaker in some capacity- Every coven thinks one of the other eight is weak and ‘worthless’, because of bias and arrogance. A bard might dismiss a construction worker as a menial labor brute, while a beast keeper might mock a potion-maker for relying on bottles and elixirs, instead of controlling powerful demons!

This type of elitism ingrained into society, resulting in bullies and competition, possibly some people trying to make peace with covens they didn’t truly want to join through and inflated sense of superiority... These seem in-character for the coven system, and how bullies like Boscha exist, while people like Kikimora and even Lilith feel the need to betray, backstab, and cheat to win.

It’s all a toxic system... And at the very least, to get back to the original point- I think it makes sense for Odalia to approve of illusions, or at least tolerate them enough to live with it, especially when you already have rebellious twins who are willing to stand up to their parents and can’t be threatened to stand down the way Amity initially was.

Emira and Edric might’ve chosen it for themselves, and it was something Odalia knew they’d insist upon to Bump, no matter how hard she tried- So it was out of her control, and Alador might’ve convinced Odalia to let them be. He recognizes the value of letting his kids be independent, because it adds to their strength and ‘usefulness’.

As a long-term thinker not blinded in the moment by personal pride and need for control like Odalia, Al very well could’ve explained to her how illusions can work; Again, what I said about presentations and advertisement. Alador could’ve spoken to Odalia and gotten her to calm down, reasoning why illusions could be better in the long run, because they need another Odalia to run the company after her.

As for who will work Abominations, it only takes one witch as Alador himself as proven, and they’ve got another daughter who is much more under their thumb and easy to control. Let Amity take that burden, they can make her do whatever they want, unlike the twins... And again, that pressure to make up for the roles the twins had forsaken, and live up to her father’s genius, would just add to Amity’s need to be perfect.

Granted, Alador and Odalia expected Amity to join the Emperor’s Coven until only recently, which doesn’t seem like a position she could reconcile while working with Blight Industries. But maybe Alador intended to keep working, and use Amity as a means to secure an alliance with the Emperor’s Coven that has Blight Industries set, no longer needing to innovate, just replicate his work... In which case, be careful what you wish for!

Plus, if it’s Alador who suggested the use of the twins in illusions, maybe it was always more his idea to have his kids split between different roles to continue the company on their own, while Odalia had looked to the more ambitious option of a deal with the Emperor’s Coven, military-industrial complex style, to secure their futures.