#balance is kinda mid tho

[twinklestarrss]

i can’t be the only one who mains ice

[sufranstevens]

first listens of july coincide with an extremely hectic time of my life!

[aksually2008]

hello, how are you doing?

days are turning into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. everything is moving so fast but slow at the same time. trying to find a healthy balance of spending time with friends while also pursuing my true passion of rotting in my house playing toontown. I have absolutely no idea what i’m doing with my life currently but it’s also chill because there’s very little pressure on me currently and i’ve needed this for a bit. Tryina figure out what to do next career wise because my tolerance for twitter or any of the socials is at an all time 0 but it’s kinda essential in this business. I’m in my mid 20s now and i can feel my priorities and feelings shift in real time. I’d love to grow the stream and stuff so i can do more cool things but at the same time everytime i think back to a few years ago i shiver in my boots because ngl dealing with a lot of eyes on you gets exhausting real quick. These r all kinda dumb problems tho idk i got my demons but ultimately this shit has set me up better than anything i could’ve imagined. Streams been fun! I appreciate everybody pulling up. It is a privilege to have hundreds of people share hours of their day with my stream, so thanks! hopefully eventually i will exit this rut i am currently in.

[abrisaber]

Full Moon kinda sucked :/ (Another HB Rant - Spoilers for Full Moon)

I hate to say this but I think Vivziepop has finally lost me. Now I'm not saying I'm no longer an HB fan, JMI was geneticlly enginered to get me addicted to whatever he's in meaning I could'nt stop watching HB even if I tried. However I am starting to doubt Vivziepops talents. I have no idea what happened between the first half of Season 2 and the second half but this kind of seasonal rot has to be studied in a fucking lab.

I want to like the episodes after "The Circus," I really do. I don't even hate Cherubs, but aside from Oops and the Mid-Special, every episode following The Circus has ranged from disapointing to awful compared to S1.

It's not even like I hate the episodes after The Circus either. Seeing Stars was okay for the most part, Exes and Oohs tried to do something, even Unhappy Campers introduced a potentally intresting character (and thats it). But these episodes have so many glaring flaws in my book that it's hard to grasp.

In my opinion, Helluva Boss was at its best during the balk half of season 1/The beginning of Season 2 (Truth Seekers-The Circus) and the decline in writing quality started at around Seeing Stars.

I made a long post that explains what about Truth Seekers I like so if you care even a little bit about my opinions, you can suffer through that rant, but to shorten it here, Truth Seekers is my favorite episode of the series because it balances the comedy and the drama expertly imo. Truth Seekers feels like Helluva Boss had finally stuck the landing at what kind of show it wanted to be. It showcased how Blitzo felt about his past relationships and his current one, it gave Moxxie a chance to be heard outside of his flaws (before the show decided they wanted to retread the same fucking plotpoint a couple more times), and it was pretty funny (comedy is subjective tho so feel free to ignore my feelings on comedy from here on out).

Ozzies is a good episode because, well, Asmodeus, but also it does more for Blitzo's character. It contrasts with Truth Seekers via two of the three halucinations calling him out on his shit, and it starts to build upon how he views his relationship with Stolas.

While I don't really like The Circus, what it did at the end for Stolas and overall how it setup the relationship for him and Blitzo was genuinly good imo. How it started with Blitzo initiating the one sidedness of their relationship and whatnot.

Notice how I'm talking almost exclusively about Blitzo as my reasons for enjoying these episodes more than others. And thats because Helluva Boss is at its best when it treats Blitzo as its main character. Even from the beginning he was the real star. Obviously you have characters like Stolas and Moxxie also getting focous, but even in those episodes, Blitzo still gets development, because Blitzo is the main driving force for the show. He's the Helluva Boss. He's the center, the emotional core. HB should be about HIM and HIS relationships to others.

Some of the worst episodes are the ones where Blitzo isn't really the main focous, I'm not saying that Blitzo automaticlly makes the show good or that he should be the only one get focus, but when you pull back and look at the series, almost every beloved episode have him (or him and Stolas) at its emotional center.

To keep this already long post from being absurdly long, I'll skip ahead to why I really didnt like the newest episode, Full Moon.

SPOILERS AHEAD

First things first, the Cherubs and Dhorks fucking suck ass as antagonists. They're annoying, they're not funny, and just like Crimson and Striker in Oops, they serve zero narritve purpose outside of being glorified cardboard cutouts for the main characters to fight. They are everything wrong with B-plots in media. Their only existence is to create artifical narritve throughlines that makes artifical suspence to keep the audience engaged like babies watching those baby sensory videos. "Oooo look its the Cherubs from the most nothing burger episode of Season 1. Oooo it's the Dhorks that are easily the most forgetable aspect of Truth Seekers. OOOhhh isnt it sooooo fucking hilarous how the Dhorks killed a bunch of children? Ohhh aren't you so invested to see these characters that mean absolutely nothing to the plot that Vivziepop is trying to sell the show with? DONT YOU JUST LOVE THESE KEY JINGLING ASS CHARACTERS YOU FUCKING BABY-"

I got a little carries away there, but my point is that Dhorks and the Cherubs are worthless slop that should be removed from the plot entirely.

Usually I wouldn't even care since 2/3 instances where useless villans show up to be useless, the main plot not involving them is really good (Refering to Oops and Truth Seekers).

But the main-plot in this episode is just as bad, if not WORSE than the B-plot.

Regarding my previous rant again, I was an avid defender of Stolitz up until maybe Western Energy, although in that case with the aftermath of Ozzies being handled mostly offscreen is more me being skeptical about Vivs pacing and writibg style. I didn't have a problem with the actual idea of Stolitz yet, just with the execution.

In actuality, my problem with the writing started in The Full Moon.

Even with me being an avid defender of Stolitz, even with me analyizng and disecting Blitzo's mentality and reasonings and emotional trauma, even with me trying to justify BOTH sides of this toxic relationship with no real abuser,

THIS does NOT come off as Blitzo begging to keep Stolas in his life because he cares about him and wants to be with him. I'm sure theres some of that in there and I still have faith that Viv try to put more of that into the execution going forward. But no matter how many times I watch this ending scene and the scenes before it, no matter how long I sit and think and think and think about this dynamic, this scene does NOT feel that way to me.

To me, this scene looks like a lower class citizen begging on his knees to the person whos essentaily employing them to let him keep his job to be able to feed his family and keep his colluges/close friends in work.

This feels like a man whos society is stacked against him trying to keep the one thing he has afloat.

I don't feel this way towards the entire scene. When Blitzo tries to avoid the whole conversation by trying to keep the transaction going, thats when I see more of the emotional side, but it still doesn't sit right with me how the dynamic is being represented.

Stolas explains it pretty well in the moments after. He says "This transactional thing we have, its not right anymore. It hasn't been. It never was. And now, all I can see is how wrong it is to be teathered to someone in such an unfair way. And not know how they feel."

To me, this finally feels like Stolas coming to his senses and realizing that he and Blitzo's relationship is unbalanced. He sees that Blitzo's reliance on him is unfair, so he works to end it.

My problems start to arise again when Stolas reacts to Blitzo trying to play it off again as Roleplay.

I can understand his side of the coin, how he feels that Blitzo only wanted him for sex and nothing more, or how he believes that Blitzo doesnt really care for his feelings and only stays for the book, and when giving Blitzo the option, he chooses to ignore it.

But I still cannot get over how icky this scene makes me feel. Blitzo has made it clear how he thinks Stolas feels about their relationship. In the Just Look My Way music video it seems that Stolas somewhat realizes that Blitzo is hurting in some capacity. When Blitzo vents his frustraitions, Stolas says "I didn't know you thought so lowly of me" which doesnt make any fucking sense in response to what Blitzo is saying.

Again, its that image of a person mistreated by society begging someone who is privlaged to let him keep his job. I cant stomach this idea that Stolas got his fucking feelings hurt over someone he indirectly played with for his own pleasure and to escape his marrige venting their frustraitions about how THEY feel about it. HE HIMSELF admitted that the relationship was unfair, so when Blitzo says "You treat me poorly and expect me to believe when you suddenly express your feelings for me? Can I get a minute to actually process what you said," its litteraly just parroting what Stolas was saying.

Stolas knows how Blitzo feels. He knows Blitzo is hurting. And yeah past relationship trauma isnt an excuse to be shitty, but it's not like Stolas made it very obvious that he did actually care about Blitzo's emotions.

Up until this point the relationship has been one sided on both sides. Both parties think the other doesnt care or that the other is just using them for something. Both sides caught feelings and didnt want to admit it, and Stolas was the bigger person for trying to initiate that discussion. But with the ending line Stolas says and all the promotional matreal being released for the upcoming seasons, the show feels like its going to make Blitzo out to be the one in the wrong when he isnt. Blitzo did the same fucking things Stolas did, so why does it feel like the next few episodes are just going to be "Blitzo sucks and we hate him." Like are you fucking serious??

Maybe I'm reading the whole thing wrong, who knows at this point.

[biggie-chcese]

rain code age headcanons because i have literally only ever been choosing ages based on what's funniest but now i wanna cast away my grand layers of irony and be genuine for a moment. also. this goes pretty in depth so be prepped for the long haul when you click read more lmao.

spoilers for the whole game below and it's because of one specific character iykyk

Yakou - this man has the soul of a guy in his late 40s going through what would be his midlife crisis if not for the fact that he's fully aware he passed the midpoint years ago. but that soul is trapped in the body of a guy who doesnt look a day older than 28. what moisturizer does he use? i doubt he even uses anything other than that 13 in 1 shampoo. anyway, i think he's 32.

Halara - 26. nothing really to justify this other than they've got that mid 20s swag but 25 didn't feel right. adult enough to be as competent as they are yet young enough to look like that. moving on.

Desuhiko - 19. i think he's the youngest of the NDA because. well. idk man have you read his dialogue? he's got a whole lot of growing to do and is still very lost on his direction in life. he's giving 'bitch fresh outta high school (or in this case, detective training) and relishing in his freshly obtained freedom."

Vivia - 28? yeah i got nothing for this i am going purely on vibes here. 28 just feels right.

Fubuki - 23. she's clearly still a bit young but is also clearly a grown ass adult who wasn't raised right so i think this makes for a happy medium, especially if she's already been on some worldwide adventures n shit before the game. works out quite swimmingly methinks.

Kurumi - 18. for my personal comfort bc we'll get to yuma later but im not gonna sit here and ignore the way the game constantly grovels at the audience's feet to ship them so id rather she not be any younger than this. anyway, more about her: she tends to hold her own as an informant with more competence, maturity, and effecience than most of the NDA. but she also has a pretty childish black and white view on things, like believing her beloved detectives are always right (girl if you were real you would be ENTRENCHED in stan culture oml do NOT get into minecraft youtubers) but i've... seen 18 year olds on the internet that are exactly the same so whatever

Aetheria girls - putting them all at 17-18 because, based on honorifics, they are treated as upperclassmen by their peers in the Japanese dub. i think waruna is the youngest and kurane is the eldest.

Yomi - 25. he has that vibe. old enough to be taken seriously as an adult but young enough to act like That™. yknow?

Martina - 32. she's giving older woman sexy librarian vibes and generally carries herself with a certain level of poise and maturity but is also a freak in a way that can best be explained by being a woman in her 30s. not elaborating on this

Swank - 41. to me he's like those awful surly businessmen who go to cabaret clubs to drink and smoke their office job woes away and cheat on their wives. but he also has extreme mafia boss swag about it so i kinda love him for that. dunno what this has to do with age tho. moving on.

Seth - 22 because he's giving youngest brother. i think he's the youngest of the peacekeepers in general. guillaume definitely bullies him about this.

Dominic - 34. bro is built like a jojo character what else do you want me to say. he's still got that youthfulness about him that makes me think he's still not going through his midlife crisis, so i wouldn't place him any older

Guillaume - 23. guillaume is so girlypop manic pixie dream girl core that she's definitely got the energy of someone who is young but also strikes the balance of being someone who has a job and a mortgage. dunno how she does it. id like to think she isnt even much older than seth but still bullies him for being the baby of the peacekeepers. do u understand my vision. please. they have so much annoying coworker potential.

shinigami - idk like 1000. she's a death god who cares.

yuma - okay. yeah. look i dont give a singular fuck about age discourse- headcanon whatever you want- but from looking at canon material i genuinely think that he could not possibly be any younger than 21. 20 if we wanna push it. yes, i know he looks young. i have eyes. but also, im in my 20s and the most common thing people tell me when i reveal my age is "oh, i thought you were 15." one time a person asked me if i was 12. at my job. that i was actively working at. i was 20. adults can look young, and contrary to the classic 1000 year old loli dragon trope he doesnt act overtly childish. he acts like a normal fuckin guy. yes he cries but like. you wouldn't in his position? bro speedruns lifelong trauma so skillfully that he's backwards long jumping into alternate universes where everything is somehow worse. i'd be freaked out if he didn't cry. also im aware that the child prodigy detective trope is a thing and that kodaka has written that before but... he was number one three years ago. and the training takes two years. which means, if he is a minor in the game's present day, he started working at the WDO at 12 and became number one at 14... at the oldest. have you ever met a 14 year old? forgive me for not suspending my disbelief here. and really the kicker for me is that yuma has a line where he says he's not sure if he's drinking age (which would be 20 in japan), but you know who would be sure? you know who knows yuma's age better than yuma?

makoto kagutsuchi - this megacorporation CEO has a fully stocked minibar installed in his penthouse. <- sentence i cannot bring myself to believe if it's about a child. since i also cant picture him becoming CEO at age 14 without yomi at least once angrily pointing that out (he only ever mentions that makoto is an outsider, or has his head in the clouds), id like to think both him and yuma, at their youngest, earned their top spots at their respective organizations at 18. it keeps their gifted kid syndrome and young prodigy-ness without making things comically ridiculous or uncomfortable for the sheer amount of sexual situations yuma gets put into.

anyway that's my silly little ramble on age headcanons. this was actually really fun to think about. shoutout to kodaka for leaving out the ages. funniest choice he could've made

[naughtygirl286]

So yup we finally went to see Transformers One! I was excited to go see this being I am a Transformers girl I would have wore my Autobots Tee but it was a bit chilly so I wore a sweater instead. but I was super happy to be going all the same tho

Now as for collectables that was a bit disappointing we actually went down opening night to the theater on our way home from work and they were advertising cups with toppers so when I went to go get one I was told they they weren't available because they hadn't arrived yet, which sucked. So when we went to see Never Let Go I thought I would ask again but they were no longer advertising them, So I was talking to a friend who worked at the theater and she said they were suppose to get them but they never arrived which was of course disappointing. So no collectable goodies for this sadly..

but as for the movie itself I have to say I did love it!! every minute of it actually I thought it was very good. Yes it is pretty much an origin story How 2 young Transformers meet and become friends and through that they go on an adventure which leads them to embracing their destiny's and becoming heated rivals Optimus Prime and Megatron and how the war between the Autobots and Decepticons begins.

Like I said I loved it. I wouldn't say it was a kids movie I don't feel it was made for kids I feel it was for everyone and actually the showing we went to there was only one family there with a kid everyone one else was like late teens and up. So there was alot of older people and I'd say older fans because I see this was a Transformers movie made by Transformers fans for Transformers fans.

I thought the story was great! It was silly and funny when it wanted/needed to be and serious and dramatic when it wanted/needed to be I feel it had a great balance and it was fun and enjoyable to watch. The animation in this was amazing and the action was exciting and beyond good! the scene near the end where Orion Pax and D-16 finally become Optimus Prime and Megatron gave me absolute chills! I was tingling all over with excitement from that lol

I felt the voice acting was really great! Chris Hemsworth really did an amazing job so did Brian Tyree Henry and I thought Scarlett Johansson very aggressive Elita-1 was very funny and Keegan-Michael Key as B-127 (BumbleBee) was funny because where the character doesn't talk in any of the other movies I feel they went the opposite way for this one and he probably has the most lines in the movie lol I also thought Steve Buscemi as Starscream was in itself a hilarious choice! but I thought everyone did an amazing job! Also There was so many references, nods and Easter eggs from all over the history of Transformers! I think you would have to watch it a bunch of times to see absolutely everything

Now 2 things my main and only complaint is I wished the Quintessons looked more familiar then they did in this movie. I kinda didn't like the design of them in this I would probably have tried to get them to be a bit more familiar looking. and second I did find it weird they refer to themselves as Transformers and not like Cybertronians being they are from Cybertron and that is where this takes place.

but other then that I thought the movie was awesome and I did truly love it and the people I went with thought it was great as well. So I would highly recommend it and say you should go and see it on the big screen!

Also don't for get there is a funny mid-credit scene and a really nice end credit scene.

[24hrfrog]

!! w/ the top gun au x pjo theyre all baby teens, i think its more fun to mirror how percy was in the first book (yes i literally grew up on this series i will put top gun au in the very beginning ✊🫡) also no the pjo characters (literally everyone minus the gods and Charon) dont exist in this au theyre basically replaced with these four

idk the actual ages of mav, ice, goose n slider so heres a guess thats prob v wrong of their age gaps irl (like to the actors actual ages) but canon in my little au lol

Slider:

+ 15, got to camp when he was a baby bc no one wanted him 🧌 he grew up there and survived, he stayed with the hermes kids until he was 10 when he was claimed :( zeus sucks.

+ has abandonment issues which is why he is stuck so close to ice as they have a strong connection, tries his best to always succeed due to fear of disappointment to zeus, tries to be mature but ends up crying and needing comfort (sad kid bro, too much stress, is being forced to grow up basically which is why mav is such a nice balance helping him be childish/immature whenever they argue— its all out of endearment)

Ice:

+ 14, met slider when he was 9– is the reason slider got claimed in the first place when slider ended up discovering he could blast people saving ice from monsters chasing him up the hill, campers steered clear of slider after that due to the “ohh hes the son of zeus” effect so ice had slider and slider had ice, ice was claimed just a few days into camp life

+ bosses people around but its bc he knows and plans things they dont and never reveals why he tells ppl to do what until after the fact which can be kinda annoying but u just gotta trust ice— even if he tells u to stab him or if he betrays u for a second (lol). he finds patterns in peoples personalities that helps him guess what their reaction to different scenarios will be so he doesn’t get surprised by a lot of things and can defuse a situation with just words in a snap

Mav:

+ 13, youngest lil baby, got to camp just a few weeks ago basically and got too many enemies when he helped his team win in capture the flag— immediately got claimed by ares after that especially when he fought dirty and took out slider mid game which pissed off the winner who had a streak going

+ naturally gifted, his adhd is a bit more intense than other demigods making reflexes and senses more heightened (a blessing and a curse) he prefers to sleep outside in a makeshift tent he has pitched up a little farther into the woods since he prefers nature more over other peoples company (minus goose) a lot of energy but a bit of a loner if no one he’s rlly close to is around— came from an foster family that adopted him that is apart of the demigod protection group, hasnt seen what campers like ice and slider have seen yet in the demigod world (friends dying, quests where no one comes back, parents being dead beats, etc)

Goose:

+ 15, older than slider already has a crush (carole, a girl back in the mortal world he sees every summer, shes 16 and they were paired up as a pianist and singer for a performance which started off their relationship), got to camp when he was 13 and prefers non fighting activities, got claimed when he and the campers had a sing along

+ never rlly talked to slider or ice until mav got to camp and wouldnt stop pestering the only zeus child if he could shoot lasers out of his eyes, goose and ice get along fine tho ice sees a loyal comrade with goose which he admires, occasionally has sleep overs with mav in his tent outside whenever mav wants the company or a tranquilizer to sleep, gets too many migraines from shenanigans to the point he always has a thermos with a soothing tea and a case of Tylenol

[sofibeth]

Obligatory mid-season Wakfu thoughts

Everything has been solid so far, this recent episode definitely establishes the theme of family and having to deal with strains of it and is much tighter than Season 3 as a result.

Be curious how Toress is handled since he is not really in for a sympathetic angle tho may be due to why these creatures exist in the first place.

Love the angle they are going for the Eilatrope goddess where she is so caring that it's also a burden. Yugo feels her pain but is still loyal to Amaila and his friends. It's a good groundwork for if she turns antagonistic.

Albert is a good dad I can't wait for his efforts to cheer up Yugo go to waste when it prob inadvertised floods the world again.

Amaila gets to have some badass moments and I am glad to go off queen. I am scared for her survival considering she is not in Waven rn.

Nora angst, while I adore the island of Wakfu ver of her (still better design) like what they are establishing with her so far.

Just kinda funny Qilby gets patrol right to just chill and be an ass, I wonder if the fact he can possibly die for real would interest him considering his curse.

I am aware of Lance Dur due to Waven (want to eventually watch his series) I am curious what people think of him who is unaware of his background.

Finally some good Eva content. I know people are mixed regarding Eva's character post-S2, I'm in camp she can be a mom but def needs content for her to stand out and I'm glad finally getting it. The dad drama is a nice parallel to what Yugo going through and am excited to finally get the backstory for Eva hopefully.

Cras are cool again and Flopin might actually get content now. Can tell the Sadlygroves are the ones I care for the most XD.

I'm miffed at the angle they are going for Tristepin being immature. It felt like he already matured by OVAs and did a nice balance of that while still being his goofy self. Have to see where it goes.

Ruel off to stop his ex-wife from donating his life savings to charity and it's just funny the contrast of this and the rest of the season.

[katanasonata]

MY THOUGHTS ON THE MIRACULOUS LADYBUG MOVIE

Note: i didn't finish watching s5 before watching this - should i be concerned?

[ANIMATION ✅]

absolutely stunning, jaw dropping, amazing, beautiful, breathtaking, everything i ever wanted

i love how their eyes are so shiny

adrien looks like a baby

THE KWAMIS ARE SO SMOOTH? their skin IDK they're so pleasing to look at

Im sorry but did you notice Nathalie's eyebrows literally appear and then disappear in one scene

[CUTE ✅]

r o m a n c e

rivals -> lovers (ish)

i want to hug all of them

[ADRIEN ANGST✅]

actually sad boi

my guy had EMOTIONS, he was so MOODY

careless whisper

P I A N O

also GABRIEL ajdkddjjdkd he was a smidge more likeable here

[CAT NOIR✅]

his personality was something i really liked here

took on some more leadership, had more of a rival role

more charming frfr

[MUSIC ✅]

some of these songs actually SLAPPED

will be listening to chat noir's solo on repeat

only thing that was kinda weird was how Marinette's VA and Vocalist were two diff people with very diff voices but whatever, still good

[LADYNOIR TEAM DYNAMIC✅]

Felt more balanced, I really liked the push and pull of both of them, especially how they were more like rivals in this depiction (can u tell i like my rivals to lovers)

Both were sort of equal here compared to the show, whereas in the show Ladybug is oftentimes the one who can do everything without Cat Noir, it was nice to see more CN appreciation <3

[CRINGE😐]

Careless Whisper

Sometimes they'd start singing out of nowhere and I'd cringe inside but then the song is actually good??? so...idk at this point

[STORYLINE 😐]

um okay where do i even start

to save one person is to save the world? UM...okay...good quote if you don't think about it too much...or at all

marinette solved all her problems and fixed all her character flaws by singing one song

like, it was mildly engaging, but i kinda got whiplash with how fast the plot progressed, like i was watching the world collapse in front of me in a matter of seconds - not sure what went wrong, but it just left me wanting more and feeling like there could be gaps filled

anyways, what can i expect for a movie that has to cram an entire origin story and final battle in 1.5 hours

ended in a way that made me happy tho :)

FINAL THOUGHTS

it was fine... animation & music was solid, but the plot felt kinda mid to me...TBH EVERYTHING IS MID COMPARED TO SEASON FIVE

so yeah, hope y'all enjoy the movie, it blessed my eyes - may it bless yours~

[narwhalandchill]

anyway tho like. overall (SPOILER FREE!!) natlan first impressions over last week in no particular order for me bc i felt like it sooooo

Firstly: the environments are absolutely insane like. i love the vibrancy they brought into it and the striking distinct sceneries between the three main regions (tho lowkey any water region post-fontaine is... unfortunate for basically feeling like its lacking a layer w/o diving) that rly make them feel unique!! like i havent explored an insane amount but a decent bit nonetheless and i think as much as i Liked fontaine the aboveground environments there just werent that unique which like. kinda couldnt be helped given the geographic inspirations like it was good and v beautiful in its own way but more like. mondstadt premium french steampunk edition if that makes sense. whereas natlan is already striking such a distinct image for itself and thats just great

also loving all the kinds of living creatures going about everywhere like not even accounting for the saurians genshins rly come so far from the early days of barely any non-monster creature anywhere (mondstadt cavalry but no horses moment) and i love all the creatures sm 💕💕 Especially all the surprise chests theyve incorporated into tiny interactions with the animals like it just feels v fresh and immersive. theyve rly nailed the feeling of making the natural environment feel lived in its so nice

the music is also just. knocking it out of the park like ive had to pause on multiple occasions just to listen bc holy shit its good 😭😭😭 and this is also sth i think compares to fontaine bc. i mean as much as of a cringe moment the whole "wow YPC left and now fontaine music is mid its over" tantrum was (ESPECIALLY once remuria dropped like 💀💀💀 that was just gloating . A whole music based region and culture????? ya we get it) buuut. now w natlan. i do have to admit that fontaine does suffer from some of its environmental soundtracks not being as distinctly memorable as previous nations and now natlan as well . obviously fontaine has its shiver-worthy standouts but its interesting that most of those for me are bc of their use in the AQ and that association . whereas natlans been jumpscaring me left and right on the first listen lmao . anyway to be clear the point is not me hating on fontaine music for lacking impact (but never polish or quality) in some tracks just that hoyomix in natlan is delivering some insanely good stuff rn jsjskskskakdkdk

next. SAURIANS. hoyo. Hoyo . WHY DO WE HAVE TO KILL THEM????????!??? HELLO????@?

ITS SO AWFUL I FEEL LIKE A MONSTER 😭😭😭😭😭 like the small ones?????? The whelps WHIMPERING?????? id rather you punched me in the face this is horrible 😭😭 like you rly saw all the complaints about killing the cute sea creatures in fontaine being too cruel and we dont want that and went bet 💀💀💀 why do i have to wear the skin of a baby saurians mom to murder the kids its so. This is terrible why would you do thisss. id rather merk 7848 seals in Fontaine than hurt a single saurian its so badd

But uhhhhh yeah saurians are great, i rly rly love their goofy animations and how much personality each kind exudes theyre just . Lovable shaped and all i just wish they didnt. Make them THE abundant overworld enemy we need for mats 💀💀💀

In all seriousness tho gameplay wise i really like how the saurians kinda bridge the gap between the older 1.x-2.x exploration where it was really mostly just you with your characters not that many exploration mechanics to boost mobility and traversal at all and then the 3.x era and afterwards where there are all forms of assistance from things like the dendro anchors and chenyu vale mechanics and everything bc. as much as the mobility boosts are nice they kinda had the risk of taking you Out of the exploration so it just turns into a zoom around with gadgets mini game ya know???? But i think w the saurians its a lot more balanced bc. youre still playing As a specific character with their own movement and controls not just getting warped from 1 location to another as a hydro bubble and thats rly rly nice. tho i have to say the koholasaur controls are kinda ass compared to the other 2 lmao . like ig its just post fontaine problems where we Already Got flawless underwater movement so its just. not the saurian alone but the water environments themselves just being ehhh without that added... depth (haha) there??

anyway unfortunately tho on a more negative note wrt the characters im still very uhhhh. mixed on the very modern design direction taken for the playable units and the overall lack of cohesion between a lot of them like. yes natlan is its own thing with different tribes and it should stand out but something about it just takes it a bit too far for suspension of disbelief . the three 5.0 characters i think look overall good and work well enough, but then theres designs like chasca and mavuika where its just . Ehhhh.

like chasca in particular (and im sorry in advance for never letting you unsee this either) i havent been able to stop thinking about a comment i saw about how like. her makeup is WAY too detailed and intense for genshins facial models and makes her face look really weird and just kind of like a bratz doll? compared to the rest of the cast like its really this borderline "yassified" parody of a heavy makeup look that just. Doesnt look natural nor fit in with the rest of genshins characters roster and she just looks off its . Weird. like obviously ik theres a lot of v intense hate going on for her design to the point where its actively hurtful to those who like her and idt thats good at all but this is kinda why her model has such issues for me. and the mess of an outfit doesnt help with the uncanny face stuff either lmao

mavuika is more of an outfit problem honestly like. her hair is good the eyes are amazing the color scheme is great & love the sun motifs and her hair accessory but i just. a biker????? Huh? and not even a particularly good looking biker design its literally just a plain bodysuit design without the usual detailing and dangly things to make it look better from the back that theyve usually done w bodysuit type charas (think shenhe) its just this. uncomfortable looking sausage casing of a disaster garment and that zipper is just.... not it 💀💀💀 like. it doesnt look completely awful if i dont actively think about it so its like whatever but i wish she was given sth a bit different. also ffs i hope she doesnt get ACTUAL motorbike animations like the memes are funny yeah but. thats too much for me sorry thats hsr and zzz stuff . like its just. The overt modernity in natlan isnt doing it for me very much 😔😔

But oh well i hope ill warm up to the cast over time. beyond mby chasca its not like i hate-hate the look of anyone to the point where its off putting its just a Bit of a mixed feeling for now. kinich and citlali are easily my favorites from the revealed designs tho and i do actually like xilonen as well (& kachina is baby) . n like to be fair maybe its just not my style this time around - fontaine was Really catering to me personally with the designs there bc i love ruffles and lolita style inspirations and more historical fashion references and uniform-like elements for garments so a lot of designs were just hook line and sinker for me personally lmao . but ig that does make it very fucking predictable that my favorite design in natlans cast so far is Easily capitano even tho he kinda doesnt count bc i just fucking love goth historical military uniform aesthetics so much its embarrassing 😭😭😭 dont ask me how many times ive rewatched The cutscene just to watch the way his garments shift around as he moves at the beginning its...........

iiii dont think im gonna comment on the WQs yet? since its bit of a spoilery territory and im far from done w all of them but ive really liked the ones ive done so far!!! And hmm what else

OH THE REPUTATIONS. So first RIP weekly bounties and requests past max reputation for 150k weekly free mora that was such an unnecessary change hoyo what the fuck.

BUT. i have to say. Absolutely LOVE how the reputations are now distributed among the tribes and how much more lived in the entire nation feels compared to p much. ANY previous one by having multiple settlements and communities that all get their own quests and narratives like. yes its a natlan thing bc it has the 6 tribes but i RLY wish theyll keep some version of this system for snezhnaya too bc like. Especially with the story quest incorporation into the tribal chronicles chain its just??? Such an organic way to tie a playable character INTO their environment and community in a way thats been a major failing in a lot of older SQs before like its just. genius

anyway point being. just Imagine playable tonia happening except theres also some sort of morepesok reputation questline and system like??? Actually featuring the village and its people AND childes entire family fr fr in their own storyline in a voiced capacity?? Please itd be so good 😭😭😭😭

but yeah i love the tribal chronicles approach so much its like the perfect marriage between world quests and story quests and reputation like chef kiss truly. and also new bounty and request QoL is great.

Also no spoilers but man doing the first parts of the scions of the canopy quest.... yeah i was in fucking tears . If you know you know.

aaaand i think thats it for now ??? Overall been having a great time, not pulling for anyone in 5.0 on my main, maybe kinich on my alt but cant guarantee him there . i think ill get xilonen and then mavuika for sure bc obvious archon (unless shes an on fielder HSJSKSOEKDIEI) but the big lookout is still chioris rerun lmao. xilonen and her at the same time would be ideal thanks xx

hope its been fun for yall too o777

[artinandwritin]

I haven't slept in a day, and in that time i thought of some questions!

1. Myriad Island is made of several different groups, including hunters. Does anybody have a relation to the former warlords? Griselda, Ragnar, or the other guy (forgot his name lol)? Any one related to Johann or Viggo too? And if they do exist, do they hold any higher status, or would they need to prove themselves before such a thing?

2. Niv escapes Myriad island for a new life. Does anyone else get out and start a new path?

And 3, if it isn't too rude to ask, do you have any art advice? I'm kinda new at it, considering I'm only getting more serious now. Any advice on drawing heads/bodies and is any one method better than the other? Or is it more of a 'what fits for you' thing?

OH better go to sleep soon if youve been awake for that long!!!!

As for the answers!!

1. Some of the myriad tribe hunters do have some connections to the warlords, yeah!! Mostly the ones who joined after the warlords' defeat. There's not a lot of connections since the Myriad Tribe is a bit more isolated, so there isn't any relation to Johann or Viggo. They probably did hear some elusive tales about the tribe and thus might be wary of sudden strangers coming to assist them.

So, nope! The hunters of the myriad tribe aren't really held in higher regard. They aren't a talkative bunch over there, so i imagine there isn't a lot of room to talk about it either. The tales Niv and the others hear abt dragons and Hiccup and Berk and Berserker Island do come from mostly hunters, tho! Even if they aren't often believed by the youth haha

The Myriad Tribe is also mostly self sufficient, which makes connections with other tribes not too needed. They really strive to live as lonesome as possible after decades of crafting their assassin society

2. Yeah!! Per generation there are at least a few kids who escape somewhere during their teens. Sometimes, the Myriad Tribe tries to locate those kids to either drag them back or take them out so their existance remains in the elusive state it has been for a long time.

In Niv's generation, only his friend Olga escapes. She returns to the island of the Bog Burglars, as this is where she originated from. She escapes a bit later than Nivvie, a few or so years, so she's seen a bit more of the tribe than him and has a deeper understanding of how they work, since she was technically a part of the "adults" seeing as she left after her education was completed. When Niv and Olga near their mid-twenties, they start making plans to try and dismantle the Myriad Tribe and save the kids stuck there. Still figuring out the details on that haha

3. As for art advice!! Definately not rude to ask!! I'm currently not in a position to give an in depth tutorial as I'm in the train to college rn, but I'll try to make one with pictures for you when i can.

Heads and bodies are a tricky thing and i must say that its really a thing of knowing guidelines and practising a lot. There's also a thing about getting a feeling for it. Every artists draws bodies differently and with different notes to keep in their mind while drawing.

Personally, i have a very loose sketch style and try to first jot down the big shapes in the body. Think the position of the head, position of the torso and how it stands on the hips. Legs are difficult, seeing as they need to balance the body out. My biggest tip is to see the body as one big thing in the sketching stage, instead of seeing it as multiple small parts. Small parts can come later, but they won't fit in right if you don't have a solid base.

And of course, don't beat yourself up if drawing bodies doesnt work right away. I've been consistently drawing since i was 13-14 and believe me, I definately haven't mastered it completely either. Just try to draw a bit consistently and in the first few years, focus on drawing what you want and what makes you happy.

Do that afterward too btw lmao

And throw in some studies! Figure drawing, either from real life or from photos is a really good tool. I'm definately not against using references, but try not to trace everything directly over. This makes it more difficult for you to understand the underlying bone and muscle structures, as you only see a 2d mass instead of the 3d one you're trying to draw. If you do need to trace a photo reference, try to add in guidelines that make you understand those underlying structures.

I'll add some pictures of a way to do that in the tutorial post i'll make when i have some time, its pretty simple and will really help you in longer terms :D

I hope this way an okay answer!! My inbox is always open if there's more info needed on anything, including art advice. Art is definately a "what fits for you" thing, but when you keep trying, you'll probably develop those skills without even noticing

Ty sm for asking!!! These were so much fun to answer!!! <333

[loki-zen]

Ghost didn't balance Psychic as an offensive type - in Gen 1, Psychic was resisted only by itself. Dark also buffed Fighting and Bug, which were garbage in Gen 1 (what's Heracross going to hit?). Fairy did the same thing for Dragon but it's much sillier because the rest of its type chart is "what are these types bad at?" (+ nerfing Fighting because Steel is ridiculous) Ghost is fine tho, it used to be one of the best types and probably still is even though its attacks were trash before Poltergeist. IMO the biggest missed opportunity with the type chart is that Fairy (stupid strong defensive type) isn't weak to Normal, so there's an entire type that's literally STAB Facade + Blissey and nothing else. In the Gen 2 beta Dark was weak to Normal but it's for the best that they didn't; Dark is a low-mid type unless you're playing randbats where Umbreon is a wincon

I'm tryna use ghost but it feels hard bc everything has random dark and fairy moves.

To be clear I'm playing like, the game. I think 'competitive play' for Pokémon is kinda of silly you do you or whatever but that's very much not what these games are about to me idk what randbats is and I'm not sure I want to know 😛

[left4sad]

before i start i wanna say this is NOT a zellis or nickro hate post!!! i think both ships are cute but in my l4d world it's hard to pair them for a couple reasons

when it comes to nick being with ro, or any woman that is, it's hard to see it because he's a misogynistic asshole. he does get better throughout the game and id imagine as time went on in the apocalypse, whether they were officially rescued or got stranded again, the shitty parts of his personality would get better

BUT

it is also his personality. we don't know why he is the dirtbag he is.. could be literally anything. shitty parents/raised badly, trauma, hanging with the wrong crowd, etc

now don't get me wrong, nick isn't solely a douchebag. he obviously has positive, redeeming qualities about himself and he truly does care about the other three survivors. as we all know, humans are not one dimensional, so it's entirely possible for him to do a 180

but when you're in your mid 30s, probably been living rough one way or another your whole life, it would be really fucking hard to break out of those negative attributes

rochelle is too good for that. she does not deserve any kind of mistreatment. i will not argue

THIS ALSO GOES FOR NELLIS TOO THOUGH! any pairing with nick would be toxic one way or another honestly

i just feel like.. it would be different with ellis because he is such a ball of sunshine. you throw anything at him, and it bounces right off. he's so oblivious and in his own world, so sweet and caring-- a genuinely good person. i feel like he would be able to balance nick out and chill out his jerk attitude a bit

ellis is not really confrontational and overall does not have a mean bone in his body. hell, in game when nick said he hated him, he responded with "well, i still like you, nick." and because of this, i feel like he would truly be the first person in nick's entire 35 years of life that showed him genuine love, respect, patience, understanding, etc, which in turn would tug on nick's shriveled heartstrings

this doesn't mean that rochelle isn't sweet and wouldn't have the power to change nick for the better. but even tho she is also a genuinely good person, she doesn't take shit from anyone, especially not nick. many times in the game she steps up to him and puts him in his place. i feel like she could love him platonically/in a family type way, but romantically i don't think she could do it. i think it would just exhaust her and quite frankly piss her the fuck off

now when it comes to zoey and ellis, it would work... for a bit. ellis would most definitely treat zoey like a queen and they would have a healthy, loving relationship. however, zoey's personality is kind of going towards the opposite spectrum of ellis'*. she's a little on the brooding side, slightly awkward, and a little quicker than most to get ticked off. of course she has a sense of humor, is sweet, and does care about others. her and i are actually very much alike, and truthfully i don't think i could date a guy like ellis. even though he's damn near perfect for a man, he has a lot of chaotic energy. when you're someone with a lower energy-type personality*, it gets tiring after a while being around high energy people

zoey would more than likely be a homebody, wanting to watch tv and movies, play video games, etc, whereas ellis is your typical country boy-- fishing, hunting, working on cars, riding horses, drinking, doing dangerous and dumb shit with his boys, etc. i feel like after a while zoey would realize she just can't keep up with him, maybe even after a while he would start to even get on her nerves. i also feel like after a while he would think she was boring.. but in reality, they just don't really have much in common when it comes to their lifestyles

*i know you could kinda consider nick being closer to a lower-energy type personality because when he's not being an ass, he is rather quiet and to himself. BUT theres no such thing as a lazy introverted conman lol

*i also feel like it's easier to tolerate the same sex as you. a man annoying another man, or a woman annoying another woman is one thing, but a man annoying a woman is a whole other story lmfao

[sunlightandsuffering]

I know this is mostly an em blog but i looooove the ss appreciation huhu it’s my og ship too and i probably read most of the fics on ffn. Looking at the website was part of my daily routine until i stopped mid 2020’s and now im back again. Too bad there’s only a few writers who are active rn but i love how different the approach is when writing ss fic from then and now. What I still dont understand is the lack of kinky shit cuz they exude so much high sexual energy ugh good thing ceejss from twt likes to share her smutty artworks. So glad we have a lot of talented artists and writers lol it balances out the haters XD

omg always the sasusaku representation in this house!!! I agree tho, ffnet has the superior SS fics, purely bc that was the primary mode of fanfic at the time!!! But yeah :( A lot of writers have left, but there's also a lot of awesome newer writers like I love illcat, and the marriage list by archangel dare is like not recently updated but a fave of mine and brumel i love her a/b/o works, HOTTTT it was honestly such a catalyst for me wanting to write my own a/b/o fics!!!

but ugh i know it surprises me too!! I think the fandom got kind of boring after the end of the manga lol like tbh I'm really not a blank period girl at all, the fics don't do much for me, i miss THE ANGST!! And the drama and the angry hate sex they had in fics when we didn't know what the ending would be like lol. i love like anbu fics and stuff, but honestly the fandom is pretty boring lol, they don't even have any daddy kink hardly lmfao, ask me how i know 😂😂 i feel like the end of the manga made sasuke kinda boring and middle aged, they took all the spice out of him!!

[beyejun]

hi everyone this is laur (except im changing my alias to august) and i figured i'd do all of my muse announcements in one lil post <3

first of all, you might have noticed that i've k*lled alex. it wasn't a lack of muse so much as i felt that he didn't suit wannabe's premise as much as i'd hoped he'd evolve into. even after his closest friends were getting signed, he had no interest in being an idol so it was kinda a lost cause there... plus, i had wanted to bring yejun back since i dropped him about a year ago, and didn't want to break any rules, so... here we are now!

if u remember yejun you might also remember that i dropped him almost exactly a year ago bc of my terrible seasonal depression. well, i am happy to report that i am doing much better (so far) this year and regularly taking vitamin d makes a huge difference! so now the boy is here to stay.

very little changed about him, but i'll still do a quick recap under the cut!

a lot of this is copied-pasted from my last intro post on yejun... work smarter not harder aksjdhfas

tl;dr of any changes

i changed his history a bit so the last year+ was spent doing his military service; he's only recently returned in time to return to his studies this fall semester.

he's in @bejoomi's band! drummer (which is also a new skill).

tl;dr of his backstory

knew he wanted to pursue music professionally basically since middle school, however his parents are extremely opposed to the idea and would rather see him do something more “respectable” (aka something that he’ll actually make money at lol)

saved up his allowance to buy his own guitar and taught himself to play with the help of youtube because his parents said that if they were going to pay for instrument lessons, he’d have to learn violin or piano or something more “formal”… so as u can see as a child he was (respectfully) defiant and did his own thing anyway (also learned the drums somehow in this time)

he made a deal w his parents that if he could get scouted by an entertainment company by the time he graduated high school, he could pursue music. obviously, he is not a trainee or an idol, so that failed. so his end of the bargain was that he’d go to university for whatever they wanted instead.

he had to retake the exam once bc the first time he took it his scores were so bad so he started a year late and is currently in his sophomore year as an economics major. it’s still a mild disappointment to his parents since he has a brother who is a lawyer and the other is in med school, but it was the best program that yejun could get into.

needless to say. he hates economics. he’s doing his best but his motivation is at an all time low, he constantly feels burned out and tired, and honestly he’s probably depressed but he doesn’t know it bc he doesn’t think he’s “bad enough” to be “actually depressed” but he is just gaslighting himself honestly

interests and personality quirks

since starting economics school he’s slowly lost motivation to do anything that he used to do for fun, which unfortunately includes playing guitar. he hasn’t touched it in about a year… :( he is playing drums again tho

does the bedtime revenge thing where he stays up late when he really shouldn’t… he says it’s bc he doesn’t want to wake up and have to go to class

because he doesn’t sleep much at night he survives on a delicate balance between a caffeine addiction (he loves a good iced americano) and mid-day depression naps.

kinda hard to get him out and about these days… but that said he’s into video games, mostly team-based first person shooters, and is apparently a tank main. i don’t actually play any first person shooters so i have no idea of the details on this but he’s supposedly a decent player (nowhere near pro but able to be somewhat competitive in casual games)… when he’s staying up all night he’s probably playing games with his friends

also plays minecraft when he wants something slower paced… not particularly good at anything in it but he likes building his silly little house

oh by the way! he has an aunt who lives near his parents who visited often… she’d often make remarks about his chubby cheeks, call him fat and ugly, and after growing up hearing that constantly yejun honestly believes her

another fun (and by fun i mean decidedly unfun) tidbit is that he had a gf he was very serious about in his freshman yr of uni… it was a relatively short relationship but he genuinely thought he’d marry her. until she gave him chlamydia right after he came home from the military (he was going to propose too btw). turns out she was cheating! needless to say they broke up, yejun is now healthy after a round of antibiotics, and he doesn’t want to talk about her ever again. he tried a rebound or two to see if they’d cheer him up but they honestly made him feel worse so he ditched that idea pretty quickly… happy to stay single for now (supposedly)

plots & relationships

this boy… needs some friends in his life that’ll deal with his depressive tendencies and maybe push him out of his comfort zone. maybe a friend who keeps trying to set him up w other girls to help him find someone who actually makes him forget about his ex? or a friend who invites him out for coffee at least once a week just to make sure he gets out of the house for something other than classes sometimes… other cute ideas too pls i would like to put so much love into his life he has no choice but to get better

classmates too ofc… i dont expect anyone else to be an economics major but maybe they had some gen eds together? or were in the same freshman orientation and stayed in touch? i didn’t specify where he’s going but it’s not an arts school, so this is open for plotting out the details!

along w classmates… study buddies? they dont have to go to the same school or anything tbh they can just meet up at the same libraries, cafes, etc. and work on their own stuff… just having someone else around helps keep yejun on track a little bit better

high school friends too… he went to sopa thanks to the deal w his parents, so anyone he was close with then would’ve probably known about it and known what became of it… he’s a lot quieter and more subdued than he used to be so i wonder what your muse would think about that 🤔

i also do love some good antagonistic plots so maybe some old rivals who are happy to kick him while he’s down… alternatively rivals who miss his competition and want him back in the music/idol wannabe scene to help push them both

considered the idea of him having been in a band in high school with friends that’s since dissolved… so ex-bandmates might be cool

he's in dead calm but there's no rules that say he can't also play in another band as well! maybe someone should convince him to pick up the guitar again

[vitos-ordination-song]

To continue on what I’ve been saying about ATLA, a useful comparison point is Steven Universe. Now I’ve long thought the discourse surrounding that show is ridiculous. It does have things to offer and it’s not some sort of propaganda piece or whatever else it gets accused of. However, there’s fundamental issues w it. Imo, a lot of the inaccurate criticisms lobbed at ATLA actually describe Steven Universe. Steven Universe just uses colonialism and oppression as a set up for monster-of-the-week scenarios and family drama. At its best, it delivers good character and relationship writing, as well as fun space-fantasy adventures. But the “war” angle never feels real, and the show’s attitude of compromise lacks any interest in justice, beyond the interpersonal. Notice how Steven Universe: Future focuses just on the damage done to Steven, with very little time dedicated to the state of the galaxy? Yeah. It was always about family, the war was just window-dressing, and it honestly could have been dropped. If I was in charge, I would have just had the Diamonds be really overbearing and close-minded relatives. Maybe the monster-of-the-week scenarios come from them trying to kidnap Steven and save him from his horrible earth family. The gem hierarchy and discrimination can be kept, and then it could be about Steven using his powers of kindness to change gem society or whatever. Problem solved.

ATLA does not have any of that internal contradiction tho. It’s through and through a story about imperialism and oppression, and it features liberation struggles. Now, it’s handled in a 2000s kids show way, but for what it is, I think it does a good job. I’m not the target audience in more, since I’m in my mid-20s, but when I look back at it, I think it was one of the most well-executed works of its era.

When it comes to criticisms of its politics, I guess my thought is just, why are we acting like this cartoon is supposed to be a radical text or something. Like no shit it doesn’t advocate for murder, it was made for 10 year olds. And I don’t think that it’s particularly “liberal” either—the show balances forgiveness, compassion, and understanding with justice and righteous anger. It doesn’t deal with the full adult reality of war or oppression, but again… that’s ‘cause it’s a show for children. I’m not sitting my kid down to watch Come and See, but they can watch ATLA.

Still, it’s not that I don’t feel ATLA is “overrated.” I just don’t mean it as an insult, it’s more that people have blown it up into this huge thing, like it’s Special and Not Just For Kids and Actually Really Smart and Political. It’s very much a genre work, it caters to its audience, and it presents a simplified ideal of pan-Asia, just fictionalized. Personally, I don’t find it terribly offensive, but I can see why it’d turn people off. And beyond that, as much as it might get kids thinking about political and social issues, it’s like Star Wars. Americans love stories about freedom fighters, but only when we can ignore the reality of ourselves as the oppressors. Star Wars allowed viewers to forget that we are the Empire, and ATLA kinda does the same. But like, I wouldn’t expect anything mainstream to be as anti-American as I am, much less a 2000s children’s cartoon.