#but I make something super generic and repetitive. and give up. because I don’t know how to structure a song.

[lemonthepotato]

Cringe warning: very bad Esperanto.

Mi povas mergi min en Esperanto čar mi ne faris multe da progreso ekde 2019. Mi kredas mi komencis lerni en 2019, sed mi rezignis dum (por?) unua jaro. Mi rezignis la hispana, la franca, la japana kaj la irlandano čar… nu, estas evidente kial. Tro da lingvoj lerni (por lerni? Lerni sentas malgxuste.)

Sed, mi restis kun la Esperanto(n?) čar gxi estas facila. Mi volas lerni lingvon por la sakeo (that’s… is that seriously the word? Sakeo? I joked once that Esperanto is 80% English words with -o and the end and 15% other languages with o- at the end, but I digress) de lerni lingvon. Homoj diras ke tio estas malbono kialo, sed, kial? Estas amuza… ne estas krimo amuziĝi.

Honeste, mi estis (estis for ‘have been?’ doesn’t feel right…) uzi Google Translate por helpi min, sed ne por lambastono. nur por kontroli se mia gramatiko estas bona. Ne estas, evidente, sed… mi estas nesekura pri gramatiko. Mi scias ke gxi ne estas bona, sed gxi estas probable pli bona ol mi sed mi ne uzis gxin.

Cxiuokaze… mi havas punkton kun ĉi tio; estas malfacila mergi en konlang! Jes, mi povus aligxi servilo de Discord, sed… la embaraso. Mi estus kiel, “Bonvolu… mi estas…” kaj havas furzo de cerba! Cerba furzo? (Googling how to stutter in Esperanto. Great.) (also I’m realising I said bonvolu instead of… oh my god? Am I seriously forgetting hello? Oh, Saluton!)

Cxu mi probable lernu la lingvon de miaj lando, la irlandano? Probable, sed honeste? Neniu parolas la irlandano en la nordo. Ili apenaŭ en la sudo. (Ne estas sude, mi ne zorgas se Google translate diras alie… ne sentas gxusta.)

Cxu mi havas punkto kun cxi tio? Ne. Sed, hej, diras al mi kiel CLAPPED mia Esperanto estas. Kaj, jes, mi eĉ ne provis traduki clapped cxar gxi estas pli amuza al ne.

Mi estas tiel malbona pri Esperanto. Mi devas fidi al tradukistoj por helpo. Mi uzas Google Translate por helpi kun tempoj kaj gramatikoj, sed la vortoj estas plejparte el mia cerbo, se tio havas sencon.

Mi ne havas kialon pri ĉi tio. Mi supozas, ke ĉi tio estas testo de miaj kapabloj. La rezultoj? Tre malbona, sed, hej, mi afiŝos ĉi tio, ĉiuokaze.

Edit: after writing this post, I got an easy, actually video about languages recommended… lol

[n-14-a2509]

Umbrella academy s4 ramble spoilers!!

Huge ramble ahread for the characters and just general thoughts

Not loads to say about some of the characters but plenty about the rest

Also I’ve never read the comics, but have seen that this season may reference a few, so there’s a good chance I’ve miss understood stuff.

Oh! The whole five and Lila thing didn’t actually happen you know? You just remember it from a different timeline not this one dw it’s all good.

But seriously, if the ending was like the first three seasons where they stop the apocalypse but this time for good, if they somehow completely got rid of the Marigold and the Durango, i wouldn’t be mad at the repetition because I had really hoped for the cliché of super happy normal ending. With them all among family, friends, new faces, the lot.

I actually didn’t mind seeing the handler, hazel and Agnes if they weren’t secret agents, could’ve been interesting. Even though they might not be all been from the same point in time but what ever. Happy ending am I right?

Five

I know five is quite a common aro/ace icon, and I really like it aswell. But if this ^ were the actual ending and he didn’t have to worry about any upcoming apocalyptic events, no taking care of his super powered family, no being stuck in the past/future/alternate timelines, I honestly wouldn’t have minded if we got a quick shot of him bumping into someone new or even him seeing or working with someone who reminded him of Delores. Would’ve been good for him to meet someone who helped to keep him grounded and relaxed. And he might’ve gotten a more civilian job. If given the chance to not worry about extraordinary stuff at least. I think he only went to the cia because something was up.

I don’t really get how quick he was to give up on his family when (no matter how rude or how much he insulted them) his family were what kept him pushing forward and were, arguably, what he came back for in s1. I also know he had no real life person in the first apocalypse, was stuck there and didn’t have the leisure or timeline hopping to suit his fancy, and wasn’t desperate to get back to his family by any means and HAVING to adapt, and didn’t have someone with him who’s also been through some serious shit. But. Really??? I’m fine with being corrected if I’m wrong and I can’t write stories or characters at all, but it just felt so out of character.

They didn’t even show them growing closer by talking about their experiences or feelings or thought of what to do or the current situation. It felt like attraction by proximity. Like hey you’re a girl I’m a boy wink wink. It would been a bit more believable to an extent if they showed a tad bit of communication not a fucking shave. But I know there were less episodes. Actually no because if there were more there’s a chance it would’ve meant more of those types is scenes :(

Also where the fuck did the book come from what

Luther

Ok so Sloane. His wife. Gone.

He briefly mentions her but like she’s a good friend who’s living far away in a different country or something like “aw man she would love this :D” my guy she might be dead or non existent wtf 😭

The stripper thing made me laugh but after thinking for like two seconds why was that his job? I hate to sound rude and I’m not trying to shame the job or occupation but surely he’d be clever enough to get a good job somewhere or at least something higher up the strip pole than legs and eggs. It’s so confusing because literally none of the characters talk about the past 6 years! A lot is given in context or is shown on screen or snippets on conversations. But much less than previous seasons.

But I love how he’s still trying to be kind and include people. Season 4 won’t make me hate Luther I just hate how they treated him I suppose :/

Also the actor slipped up a lot with his American accent. More so than previously. Didn’t bother me tbh I found it quite funny

Lila

Biggest thing is the her and five thing. I dead ass thought it was over when she was laughing explaining to Diego “no lol that was five he was disguised I don’t love him” Why were they hinted at before the subway bit? Thought they were the “apocalyptic brother sister duo who’ve both been through some shit and know each other quite well despite them being snarky and rude to one another”

I wasn’t minding her wanting a break from normality because like 90% of her life was fighting, the audience would connect the dots on her missing something she’s always done. But I wasn’t a huge fan of the reasons of her and Diego bickering. And when they send the kids away neither of them cared in the slightest. Allison in S1 ONLY thought of Claire and what was best. Hell if Claire had a cold or was a bit too tired she’s be there in a heartbeat fuck the apocalypse Claire needs her.

Parents aren’t the same and even think and do things for their kids differently I get it. But you could tell Allison was a mother in S1 despite hardly seeing Claire on screen but Diego and Lila?? I’m sorry if I missed it but unless they were literally holding their kids hand or picking them up you would barely be able to tell they’re parents. Might just be me but surely they’d be more concerned or bring them up in a better light? Correct me if I’m wrong I really want to be

Diego

Similar thing to Lila really. His reaction to five and Lila was me. what was happening. Him as a dad was quite sweet and him trying to be the best he could was good for him and great for his character but again there were just odd bits that felt out of place or a bit too open ended

Victor

Mvp. Didn’t cause the apocalypse, was there for his family when he could and is a sweetpea. I’m massively biased but to be fair there isn’t much to judge, his arc wasn’t as wide or tall as others. Was more of a direct line. Felt good to see him shout at hargreeves about how he’s more than a background teammate and just wanted to be seen. I liked the writing for him. Didn’t go far tho I guess

Wasn’t a fig fan of the no explanation of the he’s dated all the women lol he’s single. Like wtf give a bit more context does he struggle? Does he just have bad taste or were the writers just looking for a quick joke i’m not supposed to look into?? Who knows

Klaus

Sorry but do the writers hate him so much that they give him this whole ass storyline that vaguely stemmed from the main but then fucked off to nowhere and he then just hopped back in in time to see a love triangle with two brothers and an in law. It felt like recycling the whole junkie getting a fix and being rescued thing again. Seeing him being so protective of Claire and wearing a helmet in a car was too much he’s such a softie for his family. I still love his character but would’ve liked a bit more development after the marigold thing and living ‘mortal’ for 6 years :(

Ben

I might be the only one but the whole “anti” marigold was super interesting, but poorly executed I thought. Wasn’t big on him and Jennifer falling for each other right away but eh it’s media they need romance.

Him being infected/over taken by the Durango wasn’t the worst part in my opinion and could been a really good opportunity for character building or maybe like a fate/destiny and he’s also linked to apocalypses like his siblings. Or given they’re opposites or cause bad things when together could’ve been foreshadowed by all the umbrellas being together causing stuff maybe.

The offhanded comment about him having tentacles and her being cut out of a squid was just daft. What the fuck were we supposed to think. “Wait YOU have shoes?? I have feet!! CLEARLY we’re destined to be together 🥺” I really didn’t care for it and we never got told why she was in a fucking squid or that big box. Or hell why Ben got shot by his dad. It WAS explained but seriously? I thought it was hinted at him being too powerful or potentially self destructive to the point of getting killed by accident, not opening a crate. This would’ve linked so much better to him being foreshadowed at being LITERALLY self destructive or dangerous with Jennifer and the Durango

Jennifer

Why was she in a box? How did they find out about the Durango if she didn’t cause a cleanse? If we’re taking it at face value, SOMEONE knew that Durango+Marigold=big fuck off apocalypse.

Whether it’s Reginald or someone else, was it though tests? If it was and they tested on her or someone else with Durango then what happened to them? If they died it would’ve been from the cleanse no? If not then that means that Reginald or someone else found a way to stop the cleanse. If that’s true, how come it wasn’t possible this time? If it’s not possible to stop the cleanse, then how did they know what a cleanse was? So confused it’s not been properly thought out or it’s too open ended even thinking about it for 5 mins

Could’ve been a really good storyline, I didn’t mind her and Ben but again what’s with the instant romance and we must be together. This is probably a me thing so I’ll park this thought here

Reginald/Abigail

What were they there for? Viktor got to shout at him but I was super underwhelmed by them both when Abigail was hyped up and revealed and the ONLY a thing that referenced her being on the moon or her sudden appearance was “thanks for looking after me Luther” “uhh yeah sure that’s ok” I’m just shell shocked they were so well written into the show and had shit all to do. And for some reason Abigail can skin and wear people??? Hello????? Never brought up or the alien thing or robo regi. Yeh just leave it not like I wanted answers who tf want that from a question

Diego/Lila/Five

I’ve said this, but man fuck that. I hate love triangles with a burning passion it’s so “girl can’t choose between basic and average” and with a brother a brother and a sister in law? Even if it wasn’t a woman with two men and it was literally any other combination of sex/gender it’s fucking messy and puts strain on the most precious things people have. And five and Lila didn’t pull away like “no this is wrong I’m married/I have kids/you’re my sister/brother in law.” It’s just a wet blanket on top of this season. And five teleporting them because Lila grabbed him and said “I need you to” holy shit I need men in black to make me forget that. It wasn’t good :(

Overall the general marigold/durango thing could’ve worked. Repeating myself but it was poor excecution. No hate to the people who weren’t writers there were some excellent shots and cinematography in this season and I liked it a lot. I was nearly able to feel the wind and smell the subway because I was THAT immersed. Brilliant in many many places. The Durango monster thing at the end has real weight to it when moving and I was panicking as it kept growing. Sound design in all 4 seasons in beyond exceptional I adore it. And the sound track. Even though the story was odd the way parts of it were told was very well done and I was on the edge of my seat for a few parts in suspense. Other parts I legitimately skipped through and had to miss the lighting and acting due to the messy fucking love triangle.

Ramble over I’m going to cry then look at fan art to cheer myself up

[luaspersona]

hey y’all, how have you been?

i know it’s been a while, and i know i promised a fic that was supposed to be posted earlier this month and that it’s been some time since i dropped a review. but a lot of stuff happened and i realized that i needed some time off. during that time, i reflected a lot and considered not returning, maybe only posting the seoul town road story and going offline for good. eventually tho, i understood how much i missed reading and how much i couldn’t really stop coming up with ideas and outlining some stories — i like this and for the most part, it makes me really happy.

but i wanted to talk a bit about the stuff that made me second-thought coming back. i wanted to be open about stuff that’s depressing and demotivating in this community, especially because i’ll change a lot of things about how i interact here.

this will be a long text, but it’s really important if you follow me. i wanna make it clear tho, before anything, that i’m speaking for myself here, and myself only.

⇢ the first thing i wanna say is that i’ll be generally less active. i used to think that in order to become a popular blog or whatever i had to be chronically online, posting all the time and all. after giving it some thought, i can't really tell if that's true or not, but the thing is: i don’t have the mental health for it. so i won't push myself. but also, if you write something and want me to read it, please send it to me! shamelessly and guiltlessly promote your work! i probably won’t see it on the feed, but i’m always open for recommendations, i just don't have the time to look for it anymore.

⇢ i’ll also go through my followers and block anyone who doesn’t have their age displayed or looks like a bot. no questions asked. this isn’t a blog for minors, and i wanna protect myself. understand how tumblr works if y’all wanna be here.

⇢ i will finish and post seoul town road soon. please be patient. 

⇢ lately, i’ve seen a lot of wonderful writers deactivate due to lack of interaction and support. i understand we’re here working, writing and sharing for free because we *chose to*, but it's hard to speak to the void. so please, don’t let this become a place where authors are talking to themselves while feeling unsafe due to plagiarism or hate. i understand the reasons why someone might be a silent reader, but... just don't make the authors you like feel alone, y'all (i can write some tips and general guides for reviewing and interacting with writing blogs if y’all are interested).

⇢ ok, so… i thought a lot about whether or not to talk about it. it was already super messy, even if i wasn’t online at the time and didn’t see it happening (i'm sorry if this is just repetition, and i bet y'all are sick of it). but ultimately, the main reason why i hesitated to come back was because of what happened to M, so i kinda need to vent about that.

M was one of the oldest blogs here, always open to chat and interact and doing god's work for our horny and sentimental souls (shape of your body is actually one of my favorite stories ever and made me realize a bunch of stuff about myself to the point where i quoted some of it to my therapist at the time), and y’all came for them in such a nasty, violent way, misgendering and attacking a person that, upon first being called out for writing something insensitive, was immediately open to discussion and hearing what y’all had to say (regardless if it really was insensitive or not, the discussion was more than welcomed by them).

what shocks me the most, is that y’all are supposedly from a fandom of a bunch of dudes who once wrote problematic stuff, but educated themselves after accepting criticism and changed. if y’all understand that our oppressions are systematic, y’all have to understand that everyone has stuff to learn and stuff to let go. i say that as a black woman, who once used to perpetrate racist shit because that was how i was raised and taught. i say that as a bi woman, who once used to perpetrate biphobic and queerphobic rhetoric because that was how i was raised and taught. i say that as a human being, who once used (and probably still do to some capacity) to perpetrate prejudice and problematic behavior because that was how i was raised and taught.

this is not to say we should forgive and forget whenever someone says stuff that’s wrong or suspicious, but sometimes people really don’t understand that what they’ve said is offensive or from a place of unfamiliarity (not sure if that's a real word), and if we gave the boys the benefit of the doubt and still supported them (and are now being rewarded with their care and attention) why can’t we do the same for ourselves? not to mention how transphobic most of y’all were, all while calling someone out for doing something you deemed problematic, like ??? fuck y’all tbh. seeing how they were treated, and learning about the tea blog made me physically sick. someone who has always been such a light in this community being dragged from one (debatable) mistake — which they acknowledged and apologized for — made me depressed af.

it all made this look like stan twitter, where every interaction feels like an attempt to expose someone and draw hate towards them. this makes me feel unsafe as hell. and i don’t know… this whole environment is not as it used to be. there were a bunch of nice projects i wanted to share, i was working on jade’s profile for a nice little thing i wanted to do to support the writing community, i was working on monthly recs, but… idk. i’m not saying i won’t do them, just saying it might take longer for me to feel comfortable here again.

⇢ i know i'm no one. i'm a little blog from the corner of our community, and i barely have enough followers for all of this to mean anything. but this is still my blog, and it's still a place that was supposed to feel good. and i want to have some control over it, even if no one cares necessarily.

anyway. i’m depressed, and i’m saying stuff i might regret, but. yeah. that’s it ig. i'll return slowly and i missed y'all, especially on discord, and i'm sorry for vanishing. i'll also be rb this for the next days to make sure that i reaches everyone i want it to reach.

[pokegalla]

Hello✨

Hope u r having a lovely time

Could i maybe request for some soft head cannons on Lust sans and maybe the star sanses if allowed

Where they have like some sort of nightmare or just have trouble sleeping this one night so they go to their SO who just kinda sleepily raises their arms to give them some space to come and cuddle with them??

I've been craving sleepy cuddles for so long lol

Pls and thanku 💖💖💖

Hey! I’m doing great and I hope you are as well! And aw I like this idea. Sleepy cuddles is the best 🥰.

And I can do them all! I just can’t do my mini story time. It would get too repetitive since it’s the same scenario. Usually do it with two separate ones at most (minus poly relationships of course. Those are an exception). I hope that’s all right!

Soft Sleepy cuddles with their S/o

Lust:

* I imagine this guy is a major flirt and tease but is an absolute sucker for domestic stuff. Like one time you just decided to, I don’t know, make him lunch one day! This boy was a MESS. He’d tease that he’d rather eat you for lunch but his soul is beating so fast. You made him feel special and truly cared for even if it was something as small as that.

* So when you had that nightmare and you had your arms out for him to cuddle with you, he fucking MELTED. My god what are you DOING to this guy? No one should be this cute!!! He couldn’t hold in his flustered state at that moment. He’s probably not used to cuddles so you might be his first!

* And if you’re ever having trouble sleeping, he’s quick to catch on. He’ll have you in his arms at bed time. No like it don’t matter WHAT you’re doing. Project? Homework? Nope. He’s dragging dat ass to bed. You need sleep!

* His cuddles are so….intimate. He makes you feel so special once in his arms. Playing with your hair, playfully teasing you but also complimenting every little detail about you, his dopey face as he gazes down at you. He’s favorite cuddle positions is the face-to-embrace and especially the sweetheart cuddle. All the more reason to leave kisses all over your face.

* This guy may be a flirt but his soft, romantic side really shines through during these moments. (Though if you want to fluster him more, definitely tease him during these moments. Definitely worth it.)

Dream:

* He’s usually busy but makes sure to spend as much time as he can with you when the opportunity rises. Though sometimes he neglects his own health (stubborn boi-). Multiple times you have to force his non-existent ass to bed yourself. But you always appreciate how much he cares for you!

* Whenever a nightmare appears, he’s quick to enter your dreamworld and protect you. Upon waking up you put your arms out for him and his face was just pure adoration. He pulls you to his chest and comforts you, singing a soft tune and lulling you back to sleep.

* Now if you’re the one being the stubborn one with sleeping (or just generally having issues sleeping) he’ll be worried for your health. He’ll help with some tea, blankets, and of course cuddles! He can use his magic too if you’re really struggling and you’re really exhausted. He’d hate to see you look so tired….but only if it’s ok with you!

* He loves to hold you close to him. So the cold fusion is perfect. But sweetheart cradle is also super good. He wants you to hear how his soul beats for you. Your warmth also makes him feel so cozy, like he’s always at home with you.

* You make this positive bean glow in positivity and in return he wants you to feel just as amazing as you make him feel. (GIVE. HIM. SMOOCHES. Many. He’ll get all giggly and blushy and it’s so fucking adorable-)

Blue:

* This is such an energetic guy. Can’t sit still but that doesn’t mean he’s not a hint of a lazy boi. He IS a Sans and when you date him, he’ll be more comfortable in showing you. Like I would laze about too if I’m always running around in armor, training, and making puzzles all day! Feel lucky! Because not many people see this side of him. (That means he REALLY trusts you).

* This guy is so sweet. He usually wakes up before you but seeing you shake and whimper in your sleep made him so worried. He woke you up and quickly scooped you up in his arms without hesitation. He recognized it as you having a nightmare due to his experience taking care of his brother. He wouldn’t let go until he knows you’re alright before apologizing for waking you up suddenly.

* Whenever you have trouble sleeping, he’ll ask Undyne and his brother what to do. Undyne freaks him out when she tried explaining some possible symptoms of why you’re having trouble sleeping (he thought you was dying for a minute-) but luckily his bro simply tells him some ideas he could try. Thus he put you through a workout, a nice warm bath, and to end it with cuddles!

* His cuddles are just like him: fun and sweet. Sometimes you both just are on your sides of the bed, staring at each other while holding hands, giggling or telling stories. Or if you both want to be closer, you’ll both probably just scoot on over and drape your arms around each other. Kinda like a big hug.

* He cares a lot about the people close to him. As his S/o, you are definitely one of those people. Seeing your smile makes his day and your cuddles really charge his battery so he can face the next day! He has you to thank for that!

Ink:

* Another busy boi. Also very forgetful. You would have to be very patient with this guy….but he always makes up for it. Sometimes he feels really guilty about forgetting to visit you but you understand his job as a guardian and he does have memory problems. He admits that he also feels bad that without a soul, he can’t show you his “real” feelings properly. He needs reassurance in those moments.

* When you had a nightmare, he was really confused on what had happened to you but he recognized your facial expression: fear. He wraps his arms around you, gently cradling you and rubbing the small of your back. He won’t really say much because he’s unsure of what to say. Still he managed to calm you down.

* When you’re walking around like a zombie, he had to ask around about what was up with you. Luckily he found someone who knew the problem and gladly explained it to him. He took the person’s advice and confronted you about it. Well….he picked you up and put you in bed. Looks like you’re not going anywhere until you get some rest….

* His cuddles are pretty laid back. Usually sticks with the half spoon. Buuuuuut low key he likes spooning too. (He won’t admit it but he loves being the little spoon). He’s a lil shit with teasing and being all flirty but that little bastard is mad smooth with his words. Getting all poetic while caressing your face, he knows how to make you blush. (Unless he’s the little spoon. Then you can get back at him. Might piss him off but he’ll be too flustered as well. REVENGE MOTHERFUCKER-)

* At the end of the day, Ink is just a goofy little artist who just needs a little guidance once in awhile. He may be soulless but he truly loves you and hopes you’ll be able to tolerate his shenanigans.

SURPRISE-

You thought I was done?! If this is for an art trade, I’m gonna go an extra step! So remember I don’t usually do separate mini stories for so many characters.

BUT.

Poly relationships are an exception. Enjoy~!

(✨~Special~✨) Mini Story Time!!!

You were an absolute mess. You had a nightmare and you decided to work on something to keep your mind off it. But now you couldn’t go back to sleep! You glanced at the time. 2:00am….a small groan left your mouth. Now what? Coincidentally, Lust and Dream were just coming to visit via teleportation (thanks to Dream) and they saw you with your head down on the table.

“Sweetheart? Why are you up,” Lust asked catching your attention. You were so zoned out you didn’t even notice them.

“My goodness! It’s so late as well….,” Dream exclaimed before feeling your head, “You’re not sick are you?”

You giggle feeling his gloved hand graze over your cheeks, “No I’m fine. I just had a bad dream and uh….kinda can’t fall asleep now.”

Lust tsked at you, “Naughty~. I bet instead of trying to go back to sleep, you stayed up all this time to finish that project of yours.” The guilty expression you had made them chuckle.

Ink suddenly popped up in, “You REALLY need to stop doing that, mon amour. You shouldn’t be up this late….”

“Hello to you too. And please don’t tell me you left Blue in that ink puddle again….,” You said. Sure enough, Blue walks in completely covered in ink.

“You ALWAYS do this,” Blue said looking very annoyed. Ink apologized profusely and managed to remove the ink with his magic. “Now….we should be getting you to bed!”

You gulped as all four of them gave you a smile and a mischievous look. They all picked you up, making you shriek with giggles. They sat you down on the bed as they got into position before placing you in the middle. You were surrounded by your bone-friends as they cuddled close to you. Lust played with your hair, Ink and Blue held your hands while Dream quietly sang a melody. Eventually everyone grew tired and even you who originally had trouble sleeping, was already dozing off.

You smile at your bone-friends, “I love you guys so much~”

They all gave you a warm smile, their eye lights all shaped as hearts. It doesn’t take long for all of you to finally fall sound asleep.

[nooling]

Hey, I'm sorry if this may be out of nowhere / weird - I found a very old Tweet of yours that mentions you having dyspraxia. I don't know if I have it, but I'm struggling with a visualization problem that people seem to think is either that or is related, and was wondering if you had any insights into your process and how you deal with it (especially in terms of anatomy)? Your work is fantastic!!

Thanks so much anon! Really sorry this took forever to get back to, irl stuff got kinda mad. Also I’ll admit I’ve never really thought about it before, so this question got me examining how I’ve learnt. Here's what I've found helpful:

I don't know the specifics of what you're struggling to visualise but with me, I have aphantasia (which means I don't really think in clear images- if at all) which combined with ADHD means that making thins as simple as possible is the only way I can draw without getting frustrated and giving up.

Practice: Not a glamourous answer, I know, but repetition helps build muscle memory. Draw the same thing over and over again, especially if you avoiding something (I avoid hands lol) because it usually means it’s what you need to work on most. Start with a specific thing, eyes, skulls, legs etc. and fill pages with them. Go nuts. Draw noses until you can’t bare to look at peoples faces anymore- then draw more. After a while you’ll get an eye for what looks right and what doesn’t while drawing. Don’t need to visualise when you’ve filled 5 pages of feet and will probably draw them in your sleep.

Simplify Shapes: Complex objects can be broken down into simple shapes. Instead of visualizing an entire body, think of it as cubes, lines, and circles. Planar sculptures of bodies and heads are great references because they simplify everything.

Use 3D Models: If you struggle with visualizing a pose, use a 3D model. There are websites and apps that are free, some may let you pose the model, others will just have pre-made poses. I use Clip Studio Paints 3d stuff when I’m stuck on things (usually hands).

References: Another boring answer but: use references. You might need to pose and take photos of yourself, having a mirror on your desk is super useful for referencing yourself. Watching other people draw can give you new ideas, youtube, streams and tiktok are all good to just watch how artists you admire approach drawing.

Learn the Rules: Knowing the basic guidelines about body proportions helps, how many heads high a generic person should be to look correct, the arms should fall to mid thigh etc. Remove the need to try and imagine what something looks like and replace it with knowledge. Once you’re comfortable, you can start to break and play around with them

Consider Getting a Teacher or joining an art group: Not the most accessible option but a teacher can provide valuable critique and explain difficult concepts that are individual to you. Otherwise find an online or in-person group where you can ask questions and get feedback. I’m self taught so it’s not essential but having had teachers for animation, I improved 100x quicker from having people explain specifically the mistakes I was making rather than trying to power through it myself.

Most importantly, find a way to make it fun and there’s no correct way to approach art. If something works for you, then keep doing it.

[lovepmd]

Super!Hero and Super!Partner who managed to convince Nuzleaf and Carracosta to switch kids for a day.

Admittedly, it was Partner who was sick of having to be lectured and punished by their Pops. Especially when he said something like—“Why can’t you be more like your little friend? The quiet one-“ And Partner blatantly said “Hero’s quiet around you. Not me”. A slight stretch of the truth because Hero’s only quiet when it comes to talking. Otherwise their body language tells a great deal. The switch would happen on the rare day that Nuzleaf stays and remains in the village.

Hero was long overdue from being team leader anyway. So yeah, the two older Pokémon “switch” kids for a day and hang out with the respective ones. Partner is an absolute delight by accompanying Nuzleaf into a dungeon—the kid’s a natural! Always sniping enemy Pokémon from around corners, doing checks with him to make sure they both have enough energy to keep going, spotting many items.

Carracosta admittedly might have been a bit harsh by having Hero accompany him for a day. Sort of like how he punishes Partner by staying within his eye sight to prevent any shenanigans. But his little tagalong stays perfectly within a few feet of him and does what they’re told.

.

.

.

It seems like the perfect trade, until:

Nuzleaf doesn’t know how to deal with Partner’s energy nor does he know how to keep the young Pokémon entertained. Dungeon diving can get repetitive so Hero generally has come up with ways to keep the both of them entertained. Or at least occupy the time.

Hero’s eerie. Whether he realized it or not, Carracosta was used to Partner’s energy. He was used to the openness his child expressed through their body language. Always bouncing on their heels, always drawing someone in on a conversation even if a bit abruptly. Hero didn’t complain a peep and kept making these aborted gestures. As if going to say something then backing out half way. They do occasionally talk to other Pokémon on Carracosta’s errands, but it’s like Super!Hero’s only tolerating the interactions.

(Hero is used to Partner acting as a buffer around other people. They can and have taken the lead a few times… But, it’s hard. They don’t know the customs between Pokémon or what will be taken the wrong way. Then, they keep turning over all the options in their head. By the time they settle on something the moment to speak has passed. Partner and them can read each other. Or talk to each other without any judgement.)

Safe to say Carracosta’s not prepared for Hero talking at the end of the day—“Today was, okay. But Partner would absolutely hate it and would feel very frustrated if you keep putting the through this. They don’t get why you lecture them. Only that you keep making the sit still. Keep making them force their energy down until it exploded in their past escapades. This way of being raised might have worked when you were a kid. Or maybe you wanted this type of structure, but it’s really not good for them.

Do you ever consider why Partner wants to drag people into mystery dungeons or explore places to find “treasure”? They don’t do well with just words. They need something tangible to help them keep motivated. Dungeons are a place where they can show tangible growth.

Not being stuck in a place they grow to despise against their will. Have them tire themself out performing a move, sit down and talk with them like you would an adult to explain how worried you were. Explain how you want to give them chances to succeed and learn without getting hurt. Or getting into a situation even an adult Pokemon would be in trouble with.”

Hero can guess far too much based on how Carracosta treats Partner. (Not that he’s neglectful or abusive…) His ways of caring are a little too rigid.

oh my godddddd

hero and partner switching for a day and it's good but also? oh no, how do i deal with this kind of child, this is weird

and then hero at the end of the day giving carracosta a lecture

and he just doesn't know how to respond right away

is hero really a child?????

but he sees it, he thinks back on it and begins to understand, slowly but surely

[shxtodxroki]

Match-Up Exchange

These are some match-ups done for @averagetoyakinnie / @toyafreethoughts! Thank you so so much for deciding to do this exchange with me, you were super nice and I had a lot of fun making these match-ups for you! I hope you enjoy them, pls let me know what you think when you have a chance! Also thank you for giving me so much information to work with, it really helped me make sure all the headcanons were unique and not repetitive and I was able to include a lot of different things you mentioned!

For Danganronpa THH, I’d Match You With:

Mondo Owada! :)

Reasoning:

While I was reading your description of yourself Mondo just came to mind pretty much immediately. I believe that he could give you a lot of the things you want in a partner, and the two of you had quite a bit in common while not being TOO similar, like a perfect mix of similar but also different. Plus I think he’d just really admire you and think you’re super cool, so I think you two would make a great couple :>

Headcanons About Your Relationship:

- Let’s just get this out of the way right at the start, Mondo absolutely loves your look and your style. He thinks your piercings look absolutely awesome, he loves the “alternative” vibe you give off and your long hair, and as someone who isn’t the best at styling himself he really admires the many different types of fashion you like to incorporate into your wardrobe (and sometimes seeks you out for advice when going on dates or somewhere he needs to look particularly nice). He’s especially partial to any goth-leaning styles you like to wear. What can I say, he loves the look of his goth bf (even though he enjoys all your other outfits/styles too!)

- When it comes to showing love, Mondo is able to fulfill your receiving love languages quite well, particularly when it comes to gift giving and physical touch. He sometimes struggles to verbally express his feelings and love for him, he finds himself fumbling and choking up a bit whenever he tries to say much more than “I love you”. He wants to make sure you still feel loved by him, however, so he’s constantly holding your hand or just holding you in general whether in public or in private, and he loves getting you random little gifts whenever he comes to see you (whether it’s just a Monster and some chocolate pretzels or something else he saw while out that reminded him of you)

- Mondo tends to get SUPER concerned for you when you get clumsy, he’s always worried you’re gonna hurt himself. And even though in the moment he may seem a bit angry, he’s never mad at you when this happens, he just doesn’t like the thought of you hurting yourself and wants to protect you whenever possible so it makes him super anxious when you end up in harm’s way because of your clumsiness

- I actually think that Mondo would be the type to also really enjoy cooking. Not so much baking, but if you ask him for help or want him to join you while baking something, he’s willing to help out how he can as long as he’s given clear instructions since baking relies much more heavily on recipes than the cooking he’s used to. But a frequent date idea for the two of you is getting together at one of your houses and collaborating on a nice, fancy dinner together that you’re able to sit down and enjoy while you talk and hold hands across the dining table :>

- I don’t really see Mondo as the type to be super into video games, but I could see him enjoying a good survival horror game or something like that if it’s multiplayer, or if you’re down to let him watch you play! The only downside is that when he gets freaked out, his screaming and swearing is INCREDIBLY loud so just be prepared to deal with that if you decide to play with him lol

- He really admires the fact that you’re not too bothered by social norms or trying to fit into them in some instances, because he’s also not the type of person to conform to what others want him to be. Of course, he does his best to show basic respect and all that, but aside from that he just really doesn’t care if other people are bothered by things like him swearing in public, so he enjoys that you aren’t the type of person to make him conform or make him feel bad. He likes that the two of you can just be who you are together, without constraints or holding yourselves back

- If someone’s purposefully trying to start shit and being rude to you or trying to provoke you, he’s absolutely not the type of boyfriend to try and hold you back in any way or "keep the peace'". In fact, while he totally knows and respects the fact that you’re more than capable of defending yourself, he’s more than willing to get up in someone’s face or be as aggressive as he needs to to get them to leave you alone. You’re his top priority, and there’s absolutely no way he’s letting anyone get away with being rude to you

- I don’t really think Mondo’s the type to learn an instrument himself, but I do think he finds it totally cool that you can play so many instruments, especially the electric and bass guitars since those harder, edgier sounds are what he gravitates towards. He loves sitting and listening to you practice when you’ll let him, and if you learn a favorite song of his on guitar and play it for him at some point, he’s totally mesmerized and finds it completely epic

- I also don’t see him as the type to really even notice how his skin looks/feels, so skincare isn’t really even on his radar. He’s one of those guys who would just wash his face with water, so if you’re willing to help him with his skincare and take care of his face for him, he’ll begrudgingly let you help him (though he does constantly run his hands over his face once his pores are cleaned out thanks to you, he loves the smooth feeling and it may just convince him to do skincare with you more often lol) He’s totally big on hair care, though, considering his hair requires a lot of maintenance to keep up his hairstyle, so he’s more than down to do things like hair treatments with you!

- Though he may not understand exactly how you feel, over time in your relationship Mondo learns how to tell when your social battery is starting to run low and you just need some time to recharge. And he handles it so well, he’s happy to take you home if you need it and doesn’t mind being the “bad guy” or making up an excuse to leave if you need him to, and he’s happy to just sit there and hold you, no talking necessary. He also tries to have a stock of your favorite snacks in the house at all times for this exact reason, he does his best to comfort you even when he feels like he’s not that good at it :]

Second Choice:

This one I struggled with the most, I feel like Mondo is definitely the best fit for your vibe and personality but if I were to go with another one of the THH boys for you, I think I’d probably say Leon. I feel like you two would share some interests and common ground (like love of music/instruments, a history with sports, and skateboarding, for example) and would probably also have similar humor, I just feel like Mondo was an even better fit and he was definitely the one who stood out to me the most for you!

Song For Your Relationship:

The Great Escape by Boys Like Girls <3

For My Hero Academia, I’d Match You With:

Touya Todoroki! (Dabi) :)

Reasoning:

I promise I didn’t pick him just because of your username lol (If your user is even about him since I'm sure it could be about another character as well!) I just took into account the characters you didn’t want, and when looking at the list I made of characters I thought would be best, Touya just stood out to me the most! Though the two of you are opposites in a lot of ways, I think that those opposites would compliment each other well rather than repel you from each other. Plus, I think you share some similarities in areas that would help the two of you vibe well and do well in a relationship together :]

Headcanons About Your Relationship:

- If anyone’s going to be able to be understanding of your mental health struggles, it would be Touya. His life, especially his childhood/early years, were admittedly quite hellish and traumatizing and left him with many of his own mental health struggles and internal demons to battle, so he’s able to understand you on a deeper level because he’s faced some similar things. And even when he doesn’t understand some of your experiences, he knows how it feels when people are ignorant and hurtful because they don’t understand, so he’s able to just be supportive and give you what you need from him without trying to force you to explain or do things you’re not comfortable with. He'll never judge you for your struggles, and he does his best to be your rock through it all

- Though he struggles to open up with his emotions and actually say this to you, Touya really, really appreciates how you’re always looking out for people, especially him. He’s been incredibly closed off for so long and struggles so much sometimes but feels like he can never open up about it, but you change that. You listen to him and comfort him and make him feel safe and you can tell when he’s hurting even when he won’t say or acknowledge it, and it just. Means the world to him. And on the rare occasion where he can awkwardly tell you that he’s thankful for all you do for him, he tries to be as sincere as he can manage to make sure you don’t feel that he’s taking your kindness for granted

- And in return, though comfort isn’t really his strong suit and emotions are still difficult for him to navigate, he does his best to learn what you need from him when you’re having a rough time in order to bring you that same safety you bring him. He can be awkward with it, and he’s always afraid of doing the wrong thing and pushing you away, but over time he gets better at understanding your needs and will do his absolute best to bring you the same comfort you bring him when you’re in need of it

- On a lighter note, I feel like he’d absolutely be able to match your sense of humor, you two fit perfectly together in that regard. He likes that you’re sarcastic and can be crude, and he can playfully give the same sarcasm back to you and easily joins in on your “weird” or unique jokes. It’s a very back-and-forth relationship when you both are in good, humorous moods, and you’re one of the only people who’s ever managed to make him truly laugh instead of just a snicker or chuckle (though it doesn’t happen often, but it’s only with you that it does happen at all)

- Touya’s still getting used to the idea of physical affection, but the more he opens himself up to it, the more he really, really likes being able to hold you and being held by you. He’s still pretty averse to being touched by most people, and he’s still very shy/can get uncomfortable with too much PDA around others, but he finds he really enjoys holding your hand when he can and loves the feeling of being in your arms or you being in his when you’re alone, especially after a long day. Your touch grounds him :>

- Sometimes he teases you for how emotional you can get at things like sad movies, but always in a lighthearted way. He’ll never, ever actually try to make you feel bad about your feelings, he just likes to tease you a lot when he knows he’s not overstepping your boundaries. In reality, though, he finds it kind of admirable how you’re so open and vulnerable with your emotions like that (even if he doesn’t say it out loud)

- Honestly, I feel like if he had the time and resources to do so and was able to work up his confidence a bit, Touya would be more interested in changing his style. And while it’s not something that’s currently a priority for him, he still enjoys going shopping with you and watching you try on outfits you like for him since he knows it’s one of your biggest passions, and when he’s able to, he likes to take your recommendations and dress himself up a bit. He wants you to find him attractive and he likes feeling good in the clothes he wears, and he’s fully supportive of your dream of becoming a fashion designer

- I feel like if he tried, he could actually be pretty good at art, so that’s a hobby the two of you may be able to share if you’re willing to introduce him to it. It could even lead to some fun date ideas, like one of those at-home painting nights where you swap paintings and add to them every few minutes. It’s a really nice self-expression and creativity outlet for you both, and he likes keeping the finished products you made together in his home to remind him of you on days where he’s not able to see you :)

- He’s not super good at cooking or baking, since he honestly hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to learn, but Touya absolutely LOVES when you bring anything you’ve baked over to him. He has a bit of a secret sweet tooth that he rarely gets to indulge in, and he’s very easy to please so he loves when you bring him any kind of baked goods 

- Once the two of you are living together, I think Touya would be interested in getting a cat with you :> He knows you like them and so does he, and one day when he’s on his way home from a League meeting he sees a stray black cat on the street and just can’t help but bring it home :) He’s happy to let you name it and he does his fair share of cat care, but he likes having the cat to keep him company when you’re not there and he likes the feeling of being able to care for something with you

Second Choice:

I also really considered either Tamaki or Shinsou for your match-up, they both seemed like they could fit well for you and meet a lot of your needs. The more I thought about it, though, Touya just stood out to me the most, I thought that he was a perfect blend of similar and also different to you whereas I thought the other two had differences that just didn’t blend quite as well, and I feel like Touya would be able to be the best partner for you overall.

Song For Your Relationship:

Abyss by Jin <3

For Mystic Messenger, I’d Match You With:

Saeyoung Choi (707)! :)

Reasoning:

Honestly this pairing just seems so perfect in my head. You guys share so many interests so you’d have so many ways to spend time together and things to share/talk about, and you also have many similar personality aspects and senses of humor! There are enough differences that you wouldn’t feel like the exact same person and the relationship wouldn’t be boring, but you two just match so perfectly together in my eyes!

Headcanons About Your Relationship:

- Okay, starting off Saeyoung is pretty much the perfect bf for you if you enjoy physical affection, this man CAN NOT keep his hands off you (of course only consensually) and he’s always pulling you into him for cuddles. He’s a sucker for laying his head in your lap too, and he loves coming up behind you while you’re doing something and wrapping his arms around your waist as he holds you from behind :>

- Also, even though he doesn’t utilize it super often since he doesn’t go out a ton, Saeyoung knows how to be stylish when he actually wants to! When you two go out together and he feels like dressing up a bit, he loves coordinating matching outfits with you and always compliments the fits you put together no matter what style they are since he loves anything you wear and he knows how passionate you are about your style

- I feel like he’d be super interested in the fact that you know so many languages! He finds it really admirable how dedicated to and passionate about learning you are in general honestly, and he’s totally down to either learn a new language with you OR have you teach him one of the ones he doesn’t know when he has free time, whichever you’d prefer :)

- And your guys’ interests would totally fit together so well, like first of all, video games?! Obviously Saeyoung’s totally down, he’s not picky when it comes to genre or type of game at all either. He prefers playing co-op or multiplayer games as opposed to just watching usually, but even then every once in a while he’s down to play a visual novel or something similar with you and just help you make the decisions while you play!

- He’s also into a lot of the other things you mentioned enjoying, like cosplaying and tabletop RPGs for example! He would totally like things like anime too and he’d love to have days where he just lays on the couch with you and binges one of your favorite shows when he’s not too busy, he’s a total nerd and he loves being able to share nerdy interests with you! And if you guys ever do matching/couple cosplays he goes FERAL lol he takes so many pics of you two together and definitely makes one of them his lockscreen 

- He is also a HUGE lover of gossip, especially if he doesn’t know the people at all and you’re just telling him about things going on with your friends/people you know. He can be so sarcastic/sassy and sometimes when he’s in a bad mood you can pull him out of his slump by telling him about some petty drama you know about and giggling/gossiping together lol

- I think he would also be totally on your wavelength when it comes to humor! He absolutely already uses the phrase “get rekt” when texting lol he loves saying shit like that, and whenever you send him a meme from a fandom you’re both into, he always has the PERFECT one to counter with no matter the situation. He just loves saying things or making jokes that can be seen as stupid or “cringy” and he loves that you’re willing to share that humor with him!

- We already know that Saeyoung LOVE LOVE LOVES cats lol, and when you two eventually move in together he decides to (temporarily) stop bugging Jumin to visit Elizabeth the 3rd and instead starts looking into adopting a cat with you! He’s not picky at all and will literally let you choose whichever one you want, and he’s more than happy to buy the best quality food and toys for the cat and could spend all day playing with it if you don’t get his attention lol

- He also totally appreciates your “dad friend” tendencies. He definitely struggles a bit with remembering basic self-care tasks like drinking water, so you always having whatever he may need on hand an being willing to pester him to make him drink water helps him stay much healthier than he does before :) And he always gives you very dramatic and exaggerated thank-you’s whenever you lend him your things to make sure that you know he appreciates what you do

- And on a more serious note, as someone who’s often put on a “face” for others and rarely expresses his true feelings, Saeyoung loves how you’re his safe space. He can be the fun, humorous and silly Seven and the struggling, contemplative Saeyoung, and you make all versions of him feel so at peace and give him hope in the world. He doesn’t hide himself around you, and he wants you to feel the same, so he’s always very quick to be at your side and hold and comfort you whenever you’re struggling or even just running low on social energy and need a break and some snacks :]

Second Choice:

Honestly I wasn’t totally sure with this one, I considered putting you with either V or Yoosung as well! Honestly I could see you matching well with any of the main characters in Mystic Messenger, I feel like Yoosung could also share a lot of your interests while V could give you a lot of the qualities you need/desire in a significant other. In the end, though, Saeyoung just felt like he gelled pretty perfectly with you in every aspect, I’d say he was honestly the easiest of all these match-ups for me to decide on!

Song For Your Relationship:

Akuma no Ko by Ai HIguchi <3

[canonicallysoulmates]

I just stumbled across your blog. I appreciate your detailed breakdown, almost transcript, of Jared’s interview with Scott Patterson. Thanks for that.

So, I have a question for you, and I don’t mean this in an aggressive or confrontational way but am genuinely curious, why you think Jared and Jensen are together? Especially these days.

To me it sounded like Jared was uncomfortable because he didn’t want to talk about The Winchesters (he changed the topic very fast) and he listed a bunch of generic things he and Jensen have in common (like proving they are still friends). Also, if they are together, how/why did the whole prequel situation blow up the way it did?

I hope you’ll take a moment to answer, as I said I am just curious about your opinion. And I don’t know how deep into your blog I need to scroll to find my answer. I don’t think J2 are an item myself, but I do think they are still friends, or trying to be.

Glad you enjoyed the summary post!

I have talked extensively borderline repetitively about the prequel debacle to the point where I have a policy to no longer talk about it because I've said all I've had to say so if you really wanna know my thoughts about the boy's relationship regarding that mess you're gonna have to scroll through the j2 tinhat tag on my blog. I'm not getting on that carousel again.

However, I will answer your other question but first I wanna talk about how Jared talked about Jensen on the GG podcast because I feel like I didn't do as good of a job as I could have adressing Jared's cautiousness when talking about Jensen because while I disagree that he sounded uncomfortable or that he was trying to prove they're still friends I do think he was being cautious and picking his words carefully.

You say he lists generic things like he's trying to prove they're still friends but to me it comes across as him trying to make sure they sound as if they're just friends. Which is why he brought up them having a wife and kids, twice in his case, because after he mentioned some things he and Jensen have in common he once again brought up that he has a wife and kids. And his cautiousness, imo, is because at least to me it seems clear that Patterson is just an ex-collegue he's not someone super close, Jared has no way of knowing how Patterson would react and the line of questions that may ensue if for example he was to say that nobody believes in Jensen to the degree that he does, that's a huge statement to make and it's something Jared has said: in Michael Rosenbaum's podcast.

Jared's cautiousness and could be seen as surface level comments about his and Jensen's relationship are due to that not being a space where he felt he could comfortably be open about the level of importance Jensen has in his life.

As to why I believe they're together, it's for the same reasons as always, because of the way they look at each other, how they interact, how they speak about one another like the comment I mentioned that Jared made which was part of like 5mins of gushing that he did about Jensen, or how during Torcon of this year Jared was doing some self depracating humor about his looks and Jensen stopped him and said that everytime he steps on stage with Jared it's like working with a romance novel cover model and during that same con during which Jared was a little emotional and had been crying earlier a fan shouted to Jared to not start crying and Jensen went into protective mode and shouted back at the fan that Jared could cry if he wanted to, or more recent example how during Kansascon a fan called Jensen a rockstar and Jared agreed and Jensen said Jared was a rockstar. Or how Jared went to NM where Jensen was waiting for him so they could go to Denvercon together instead of flying straight to Denver. That when Jared had his car accident the one he entrusted to break the news and give the first update about his well being was Jensen, not his team, not himself, not his "wife" but Jensen. And those are just some examples!

[katyspersonal]

Okay, about ‘gamer bros’...

I feel kind of... How do I explain it...? Like I’ve finally undergone a communion to become a TRUE Soulsborne fan. xd

Basically, I kept complaining about how people make up 'gamer bros' to get mad at because I honestly haven’t seen any if at all, it felt more like a cop out for the community to not notice their own faults at the expense of some abstract ‘white males’ you know? I even joked how seems like everyone in Soulsborne fandom has an item that lets them see the ‘dudebros’ but I skipped a questline to get it and that’s why all this stuff dodges me xD

But recently for SOME reason Youtube started to recommend me videos about how much Elden Ring “sucks” (I disagree) and comments are FULL of comments complaining about some Souls things in general, like ‘wahh grinding boring levels to get a useless item with information no normal person cares about’ ‘wahh boring repetitive boss why they didn’t do better’ ‘wahhh no one cares about some random NPC’ ‘wahh stupid boring map’ and just... Multiple of other comments that bash the decisions in the games that, essentially, were well-crafted to tell the story and characterise the world and depict the characters better. But some people actually see the devs’ wish to not only entertain with the PLAY but also tell a compelling story as something bad, evil and not belonging in the gaming?

(Beyond, of course, drooling for some female characters if they feel nice today)

My only introduction prior recent couple of months was second-hand because people were overthinking the implications of many gamers hating Malenia as a boss (that is not fair and gamer rage seems fair imo), and I still think it is understandable that people are so unhappy with the boss, but like... Currently I sensed just how WIDE is the rift between us (people who loredig, want to know more about characters, make theories and want to create headcanons) and them (people who cannot see past the gameplay point at all).

Now it feels like a necessary part of being in the fandom of Soulsborne games - to be hit in the face with the ‘not caring’. I mean I get this? Videogames are a fantastic way to tell the story by having you constantly engage to keep unravelling it, as opposed to spending hours on movies/series/books in passive manner? But there are many people that don’t, in fact, want some deep messages or complicated lore they should think about. Some people want more basic entertainment - violence, comedy, sexual appeal, cool sights, just activity in general, without all the complexity and big messages and that’s okay!

But Soulsborne games have layers - they do not pose themselves right off the bat as very complicated stories that can make philosophy professors of 30+ years of studying feel incompetent. They are positioned as videogames. For fun challenge. So they are saught for primary videogames experience - for beating challenging bosses and getting cool items useful in PvP in that, competition, fun jokes at the streams, all that. So I feel like this is the root of this sort of toxicity? When a movie is advertised as something that will make you think and feel - people in search for simple and basic fun just don’t buy tickets, they instead go see a movie that will make them laugh or give them a simple story about cool dude beating all bad guys with Style TM or starring “that super sexy actor :3″. But Soulsborne games are layered and in many cases it is hard to stay on one’s preferred layer. For example, if those gamers want to just play a game for violence+challenge aspect - they will, in fact, eventually find themselves having grinded hours for an item that gives nothing but lore - something they were not searching for. They thought if this place was so hard to access, then sure it’d give a reward that will let them kick other players’ asses in PvP, right? But nope! Lore. Some will appreciate the surprise and artistry, others will get angry.

So yeah, all in all, I think this sort of games is just fated to have ‘split’ fandom after all. There are many games that let the potential audience know right away that there will be some emotions and complex messages, so similar ‘gamer bros’ just turn around and go buy a different kind of game that just demands skill and stubbornness, without complexity, and is very clear and plain with challenge vs reward system. Being both ‘the challenge’ and the ‘super hard to decipher lore’ is a blessing AND a curse. In a way I am glad that Soulsborne games are so unusual, because for every 10 gamers that get frustrated and complain, there is at least one gamer that appreciated the lore craft and maybe even reconsidered how he* perceives the games- maybe even became a lore Youtuber.

[vulpiximisa]

Me: i think im burnt out from idols, i should watch something else

Me also: oh boy colorful boys, lets go DreamFes

So the fact that Crunch only has the second season should have deterred me from even starting it, but I guess I didn’t want to watch anymore IMas Side M, so here we are.

I also did not look beforehand if there was any seiyuu I know in it, but this seems like the type of show that has Nobodies. Anyway, I’ve done this before with Futsal Boys, so I can handle this.

So if I thought UniteUp felt like a sports anime, this would be the more generic, played up straight up sports anime of idols. It’s preeetty much Futsal Boys but with idols. In terms of it selling something that doesn’t quite line up exactly for the target audience? I’ve never seen any of the Puri (not Cure) series or Aikatsu, but I’m assuming those are also “magical” transforming idols using cards? The most I’ve been exposed to costume changing cards is Happiness Charge Precure, which, I’m assuming was inspired by series like that. I’m not a fan of it, but I get what vibe it’s supposed to be. So like, sentai toys, but with idols. 

Anyway, not gonna lie, I binged the first three episodes straight up because it was entertaining enough. It’s not as deep as I would have liked, where Blue’s tragic backstory was Not the “I watched someone I care about commit suicide” that I thought it was gonna be, but I guess that was semi traumatizing for a kid. I can’t say the characters are necessarily deep, as Kanade’s reason for dropping soccer kind of pisses me off, and we could have gotten a little more something from Keigo before he left for the 20:32 train. (Why was this the make or break role? Was there an on going rivalry between Keigo and Shin before?) 

The pacing of the series is too fast but at the same time doesn’t really give information. I feel like it really is targeted towards 5-8 year olds with the way the story is written. (Why the characters kept dredging up 2032’s lyrics and talking about it like that. It just felt like it was written sooo simple-y.) Also the semi-repetitive lines/gags from ep 1 and 2, mostly episode 1? Felt like they were dragging for time at some point (a minute too much of Kanade handing out balloons, a minute too much of Kanade and Yellow competing)

Also, I love transformation sequences IF THEYRE NICE TO LOOK AT. The boy’s Dorika henshins are way too samey, so yeah I’m gonna be bored at them. I get it's so they have a generic enough pose so they can CG slap the DoriKa outfits on. The landing pose, dorika catch animations are nice and fun, but iunno, I guess I like my smooth 2D henshins where they are fun to look at.

I complained about IChu’s performances but I see that DF is going to try to cram a performance into each episode. I get it I get it. I think it works for DF though, even if I think the performances themselves are kinda goofy. I like the face model for the guys, but the rest of the body feels a little wonky. (Their hands look under rendered and blobby sometimes I don’t know.) Hold the Phone, this was from 2016, which was also around the time I7 came out. And these guys look leagues better than the first MonGen MV, sooooo I think I know who is winning in this category. 

I guess I can get to talking about the characters now? …I uh, I think Kanade is cute ngl. I like the ponytail and even though his seiyuu sounds unrefined in terms of vocal range/acting, I like the boyish tone. Everyone is generic as hell though, but I was semi pleasantly surprised that Kanade (Red) was butting heads with Yellow (Junya, if I feel like remembering it) instead of the usual Red vs Blue. 

Speaking of Blue, I can’t really say that Kanade’s reason for wanting Shin to stay was super developed but ngl man that chase scene and “I dont want to not see you” etc etc, that shit got to me. See, the tone could have been more serious, if Shin’s tragic backstory was about suicide, so Kanade chasing him thinking that Shin would have followed the same path because of the scandal, etc etc etc. Anyway I’m already writing fic about them in my head while watching the episode skldjflkslfk

Also ngl, Mikami grabbing Kanade and throwing him into the car saying he wanted him Sure Was A Way to Sell to Fujoshis. It’s me, I’m the Bitches. Mikami is supposed to be the fun old star, I guess, I like him, he’s fun. The DF president is also cute! Anyway, I’m looking forward to meeting the other veterans of Sankishi.

Uh oh, I accidentally looked at the seiyuu casting and I guess there actually Are notable seiyuu in here. That’s fine though, I like when they give newbies a chance, but it’s too detached when I know Nobody. (Futsal Boys.) 

Anyway, I guess I’m looking forward to Purple Sweets Shota and his maybe not so tragic backstory with the Black other Shota that might be his Twin, because we love twins. (Not me.) Also, I couldn’t tell if Keigo was also an idol in the opening or if it was someone else? Will also look forward to finding out. 

[madametrashbin]

Blissful Relief

Modern Day life is stressful (no one can tell me otherwise), and as someone who will practically deflate upon suddenly having nothing to do and nothing important going on in the future (because being isekai'd means all regular world plans for life are cancelled), I will not hesitate to sleep like the dead because I'm not on a tight schedule now.

(Two posts in a Day?? What have I become?!)

A.K.A, I make an excuse to write a Lazy Nocturnal God!Darling who will abuse the cult pampering system... because that is what I would do without hesitation when I’m free from Modern Day duties that eat away at my health and sanity bit by bit with every hour I spend working like a mindless zombie from dawn to dusk, juggling home life that is filled with bothersome troubles that never change.

I’m also a night owl, caused by both insomnia and because it is the quietest hour that I cannot help but want to relish in since my life is filled with so much loud noise it gives me daily migraines... but of course, habits are formed from repetition and I will always wake up at 4-6am like a dumbass thus suffer the consequences the next morning.

Uhh... and I guess there might be OOC stuff?? Characterization who? Also Self-Indulgent again?? Super Self-Indulgent??? Letmeenjoysleepingandbeinganocturnalcreatureplease--

Morning tends to consist of Zhongli coming into your room, leaving the tray of breakfast he prepared on the coffee table near the sofa in your room before he walks over to kneel beside the bed where you're happily dozing off on, a hand moving to gently rest on the small of your back to rub small circles with his thumb. He’s softly smiling the whole time, looking at you with such adoration and fondness with how relaxed you were. As much as he wants to let you sleep in, he knows what would happen if a mortal body doesn’t move that much on a daily basis.

He'll try get you to wake up without being too loud, and if you ask for affection (kisses in particular, because I’m an affection and touch starved bastard), he will give it to you without hesitation and pepper your face in adoring kisses before carrying you off to the sofa so you could eat. He will feed you himself if you’re still too sluggish.

Will also put you in his lap if you’re nodding off, mostly to prevent you from hurting yourself (and because he enjoys the close proximity, if you allow it).

On rare occasions, Childe will be the one to wake you up in the morning instead whenever Zhongli is busy, letting you snuggle in bed a while longer if you want a few extra minutes before smothering you in his affections as he whisks you off from bed to get ready for the day and drop you off in the kitchen where breakfast is waiting on the table.

He will feed you himself if you're still drowsy, looking at you while cooing as though you are the most precious little thing this world has ever given life to (and to be fair, you are the most precious person to him with his family).

Will give you more cheek kisses if you’re still half-asleep, or in-between spoonfuls as a way to let you know you’re doing great... and because why not. It’s a rare moment to have, since Zhongli does hog a lot of your time.

Noon/Afternoon usually has Venti to keep watch over you if you ever choose to nap somewhere random around the teapot outdoors, or somewhere out in the wilds of Teyvat where the weather is just right and the surroundings are generally quiet. If you were outside of the teapot, you’d also have either Kaeya, Xiao or Kazuha to accompany the two of you depending on where you are for extra protection (per Zhongli’s safety precaution).

Venti will hum a song, and maybe strum a calming tune while you nap, happily basking in the gentle breeze and warm sunlight as the day goes by in a very peaceful and quiet manner. If lunch time comes around, he’ll try to wake you up as gently as possible, but finds it difficult to disturb you when you look so comfortable and peaceful right now. (And usually, this has you missing out on lunch if Zhongli is too busy to check up on you. Don't worry though, he'll make sure the packed lunch is empty before the old man drops by and that you did eat something.)

Kaeya will take the chance to cuddle with you, usually keeping you between his legs while you're using his chest as a pillow as your head is tucked in the crook of his neck. He's going to keep a loose hold on you, arms wrapped around your waist while occasionally shifting in case you're uncomfortable. He's smiling the whole time because you're so cute when you sleep like this. (Will occasionally give you kisses on the crown of your head if you don't mind it. Man wants to spoil you with so much love if you allow him to.)

Xiao is 100% attentive to all things in the surrounding, wanting to keep you safe from all potential dangers and will not relax while you're in such a vulnerable state. He will, however, melt when you sleepily call for his name while lazily reaching for him in such a lazy, but cute manner. Just like that, he's right by your side, asking for whatever you need. He's still on guard, but whatever you need, he will be there to provide... kisses and snuggles included, even if he’s struggling to be open about it. 

Kazuha would be smiling serenely, occasionally brushing the hair off your face if it gets in the way of giving you proper sleep. He would take care of problems that may arise before it reaches you, and if you ever have trouble trying to be comfortable, he’ll let you lay your head on his lap while he gently pets your head in such a soothing manner that the nap turns into full on sleep... his legs might go numb, but he just couldn’t wake you up when you looked so peaceful sleeping right there.

Sayu will always accompany you when you’re in Inazuma, mostly because she could find an excuse to sleep with you around when you are getting ready to nap. She’ll be quick to defend you though, because if you get hurt, she’ll lose that excuse and she’ll struggle to find peace to sleep for a while without having people tailing after her.

Dusk/Evening you’re decently awake (or rather, barely awake), Zhongli’s not letting you sleep anymore until later into the night. Ei would keep you company, the time when it’s not so busy for her as things settle down and allow her to spend time with you. She’s honestly just internally squealing when you end up holding onto her hand or sleeve if you’re too groggy to walk by yourself and properly guide your own feet.

Sometimes the Kamisato Clan would be the ones to accompany you, per Ei/Raiden Shogun’s orders. Ayaka used to be on-guard (because how did someone who was barely standing on their own two feet turn the Raiden Shogun into some excitable puppy??) when she first met you, but she got over it after realizing you’re not a bad person after spending enough time with you to see it.

Thoma sometimes coddles you, knowing well enough that you were just tired from the stress of the daily life you used to have when you told him once during a day when he was left to take care of you... He does his best to make sure you were enjoying yourself in the city, keeping a watchful eye in case you’d trip on your own feet.

On rare occasions when even the Kamisato Clan is busy, Kujou Sara would be the one to care for you... as foreign as it was in the beginning, because you’re so idle and pretty sluggish most of the time, but she grew to find these times relaxing. Of course, she is ever watchful for all problems, and when you were awake enough, would be helpful with your foreknowledge if you do remember everything well enough.

When Night falls upon Teyvat, you are fully awake, if only for a while until you grow exhausted again. In these moments, they would all try to spend time with you and gain more of your attention... but aside from that, you would often take strolls on Watatsumi Island, if only because you do sincerely enjoy the scenery the island had during the night... but other times, you would either take a stroll at Starsnatch Cliff or Qingce Village.

Kokomi would be with you, walking alongside you while she admires the sight of your relaxed, fully awake expressions that mostly appears at night. She would keep each of these moments to her heart, knowing that if her God loved Watatsumi as it is, then all her efforts into protecting it was worth it... plus, there was something nice just knowing a God like you enjoying the natural sight of her home while taking a nightly stroll.

Gorou trails behind you like a puppy, basking in the attention you give him and will always be ready to defend you. When you talk, he is absolutely silent, wanting to hear your voice in its more clearer form. He will not be happy if someone interrupts you, definitely will snarl at them if you don’t keep him in check... but aside from that, he will stick close to your side while you’re at Watatsumi Island as your guard with Kokomi.

Diluc will be by your side during the night when you’re in Mondstadt, always looking away when your gaze is directed towards him but otherwise would observe you closely... since he often sees you when you weren’t fully awake. He enjoys seeing this side of you more, and while he does find your sleepy self to be adorable, he likes knowing that you’re aware of everything... It gives him a peace of mind when you do acknowledge his efforts.

Midnight rings clear into the night, the clarity of your mind would return into its sleepy state. You would return back to the Teapot and get ready for bed, tucked in comfortably by one of your acolytes before you slumber until morning rises once more and repeat your day... Sometimes, if you’ve relaxed enough, you might be fully awake for the whole day.

Of course, that is a rare moment that might not always happen, but if you were truly awake for a whole day, none of your acolytes are going to miss this chance and might fight to have your full attention if you don’t give them the satisfactory amount, unless you put your foot down and make sure they behave. 

Aside from that, your cult will always be there for you, ready to take care of you and give you all the affection you want.

[teeterarting]

here's a list of things i love about PSMD for no reason other than i think it deserves appreciation (spoilers)

the hero gets adopted by a nuzleaf. Hero, a young child that doesn't know why they were brought into this world, attacked by beheeyem, scared and alone, finds someone that takes them under his wing and gives them a home. it's really sweet that once Nuzleaf brings them to the Village, Hero's not alone anymore.

yes it was all a trick, he deceived you. but being betrayed by your father figure hits so much harder. it's much more personal, especially when both Hero and Partner are kids. and when Nuzleaf goes through all that ordeal in the post game, then gets accepted back into the village?? And his little speech to Hero????? it's heartbreaking and incredibly touching at the same time

everything is just so cute!!!! you go to school with your new friendo and you're friends with the schoolkids, and you make the trip to school every morning taking in the scenery, the smell of dew and fresh grass, and the sun on your face... and you take classes about Mystery Dungeon mechanics, and principal Simipour is a big BRO, the school nurse Audino is super kind and helpful... and you get to play with your pokemon friendos in summer vacation, and explore a dungeon with 'em... AND your bond with your Partner begins to form, getting stronger and stronger from then on. PSMD's beginning arc is so warm and pleasant, it's like reliving childhood memories all over again, when things were happier and you didn't have to worry about how cruel the world is. this story section's one purpose is to get the player used to the game's mechanics, as well as foreshadowing. unfortunately most of the school kids get forgotten later on, but I still love this part for everything it is, even if unintentional.

it's not just the beginning that's cute. PSMD'S ENTIRE WORLD IS ADORABLE. It's just filled with life every town you go. there are a bunch of pokemon locals and they all have interesting things to say, in the main story and the post-game. there's a point where their comments get repetitive, but that's bound to happen in any PMD game. Even then, the days are never the same. one morning you wake up and the Lively Town locals are exercising, then the next they're having singing lessons, and then they're practicing martial arts. and you get to connect with (or recruit) some of them just by.... chatting!!! Sitting next to that big ol' venusaur and sharing stories, laughing and having fun. it's good stuff.

Sometimes you find travelling pokemon in dungeons and it's jsut the coolest thing. Imagine you're exploring a dungeon, then your Connection Orb notifies you there's a fellow explorer in the floor. First thing you do is try to find them, and when you do - oh dang a travelling Archeops!!!! And then they just,,,, exchange their experiences and thoughts on exploration and how hard it is to fend off those enemies and the cool treasure they found the other day (the game calls it "[Team Name] and [Traveller pokemon] compared notes"). then the traveller heals you, fills your belly and restores your PP. and they go on their way. idk man it's such a cute interaction. explorers chatting, empathizing and helping each other, bc their job is not an easy one...

PSMD Partner is the most developed Partner in any PMD game yet. They start off as this naive, hyperactive kiddo, then stuff happens, and worse stuff happens, and you get to see how they grow and change and by the end they're a different person than they were before (in more than one way ...). It's just so nice to be by their side, from the beginning to the bitter end, and watch their growth. in contrast, Hero is a little unbalanced in that their backstory is not explored as much, and their personality is kind of a blank - probs meant to be vague so the player can be in their shoes. to me this just gives you the opportunity to shape their character however you want, so you can have tons of different hero/pardner dynamics.

The music is rlly flippin' good. Some of the tracks are recycled from previous entries, but when they go original??? it's a blast!!! "Echoes of the Mystical Forest" is one of my favorites in all four entries, it has no right being so amazing for a random dungeon. "Time to Set Out" makes me cry immediately (also i think it would be a better fit for the parting ways scene at the end...). Don't even get me started on "Second Dark Matter Battle", it has everything an epic climax needs and MORE. the Partner remix????? absolute genius

speaking of which, Dark Matter ITSELF,, is freaking amazing. Its actions were foreshadowed in the very beginning, though they were not blatant through the game. i do think they could have done a better job at showing the pokemon's negativity raising in the world, as well as negative feelings in the characters... but it's not like Gates did a good job at it, either (outside of cutscenes, all the locals in Post Town are incredibly nice to you and fights didn't "break out often". it's like the game tells you the world is a dark place, but what it shows in gameplay doesn't add up). so i'll cut them some slack. Still, I find Dark Matter a more compelling villain than the Bittercold for several reasons. it is sentient. its speech is a jumbled amount of voices all talking at the same time - the anguished voices of the world. It actually concocted a plan to hurl the planet into the Sun, using pawns like Nuzleaf and Yveltal to do its dirty job. in the Voidlands, Hero and Partner discover its past, and how it'll come back after defeat, like a cycle. when Partner accepts Dark Matter, they accept negative feelings as something everyone has within themselves. Most of all, the fact that Dark Matter is a manifestation of negative feelings doesn't make it just a generic threat, a final obstacle to be defeated so the world can be saved. It makes Dark Matter - negativity itself - a natural part of the world, the yin to its yang. and that's why I LOVE IT SO MUCH DANG IT EVEN THANKS PARTNER FOR THEIR ACCEPTANCE

The fact that Dark Matter can possess pokemon that have "even the smallest amount of darkness in their hearts". it makes me think of Mr. Nuzleaf and what he might have gone through in the past to make him so easy to be controlled. Did he hold a grudge against someone?? Did he commit a crime?? Had Nuzleaf always been malicious???? And if so, is this why he shows so much remorse in the post-game??????? because he had always been this vile fiend and then he met this small kid and got attached, but still carried on with his evil actions because his malice was still stronger than the positive feelings and Dark Matter's hold on him intensified?????? I don't know!!!! and as much as i wish the game could have given us that sweet mr. Nuzleaf backstory, it's pretty fun to have freedom to come up with your own version.

Everything about Super's climax is just phenomenal. Every single flippin' legendary is there to help you. Arceus is in the game. MEWTWO IS THERE. and when things are looking hopeless, they really seem hopeless. First the Tree of Life is dying, then your allies get turned into stone and sent to hell The Voidlands, Arceus gets turned into stone, the entire world is stone (except for several mon' that are still safe and holding onto hope, but they're so few). Your Harmony Scarves stop working and you and your Partner are back to your feeble, basic stage forms. You are bordering exhaustion, you have no Emeras, it's just you and your Partner against an eldritch abomination that's killing the life on the entire planet like a parasite, devouring all hope. but you still fight back. Given how adults in the game always discourage the village children from going adventuring, that they cannot do this or that because they're so little and fragile, it's awesome how Hero and Partner beat Dark Matter as tiny kids.

PSMD is not a flawless game. in fact there's plenty of things that hold it back and i even mentioned some... but it's still full of love put into it and it resonates w me more than PMD Explorers of T/D/S and Gates to Infinity (Rescue Team is a close second). its my all-time favorite PMD game.

[creekfiend]

That post about triggers reminded me also of this seminar I went to a few years ago at a dysautonomia conference which was about chronic pain. The doctor giving the talk explained that a big problem in treating chronic pain is doctors not understanding or accepting that the brain is really good at making shortcuts. We accept this for things like "practicing the tuba" or "playing a sport" or other things where repetition forms a pathway in your brain which then becomes automatic -- we all have stuff we do so much that our bodies seem to simply do them without our conscious input, right? Because it is generally beneficial for the brain to go "oh, it looks like we do this thing a lot. I am just gonna go ahead and put this shortcut in, so next time doing it is easier"

The problem is, THIS APPLIES for things like pain. This is why lingering pain after a major injury or surgery etc, even after the physical injury has healed and there is no PHYSICAL reason at the pain site for there to be pain anymore, is common. Unfortunately your brain is not immune from applying the microsoft clippy technique of "hey there, it looks like we are doing this thing an awful lot! I am going to install a shortcut for you!" with stuff like pain. And once those shortcuts are established, you can't really get rid of them easily if at all (think of something you used to do all the time but stopped doing for several years and your body just automatically remembered exactly how to do it right away when you picked it up again!)

This is depressing. Because it does mean that "there is no physical cause of pain" is meaningless when dealing with chronic neurologic pain (and therefore the approach of "let's find the cause and treat that" is not always super helpful), and because a lot of medical professionals don't fully understand or accept it and will approach pain management like "weaning you off" management is a reasonable goal.

But I also find it weirdly comforting because it makes me kind of... Sympathetic to my stupid idiot animal brain in a way. Like, my brain is just trying to help me be able to create a helpful subroutine so I don't have to consciously think about.. Like... throwing this spear at an antelope! Or whatever!!! It Doesnt know!!! My man Cornflake got the spirit!!!!!!!!

Anyway. I think I have posted about this before but I wanted to articulate it better. This applies to stuff like coping mechanisms that become maladaptive too. Ur brain makes pathways. Those you can consciously alter with hard work but your first INSTINCT may always be a certain thing that is no longer useful, bc of these shortcuts. That is just brains. That is why you can't get stuck getting angry with yourself about your first instinct in difficult situations, you have to suspend judgment and move past them.

So yeah

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 313: Deku VS Lady Nagant

Previously on BnHA: Hawks’s super-hot badass murder senpai Lady Nagant showed up to fire a cupid’s arrow into my heart, and a bunch of literal bullets into my son. Deku was all “oh shit it’s Hawks’s super-hot badass murder senpai, what do I do, let me think back to Hawks’s advice for a sec.” Flashback!Hawks was all “anyway Deku so if my super-hot badass murder senpai ever shows up you’re basically screwed so you’d better abscond the fuck out of there.” Present!Deku was all “lol idek why I flashed back to that conversation since I’m just going to do the exact opposite of what Hawks said” and charged directly toward Nagant because WHY NOT. Overhaul was all “waah I need to get back to my boss who I put in a coma out of love” and Nagant was all “jesus christ why did I even bring you here” and had a flashback to AFO who was all “ILU NAGANT IMMA GIVE YOU AN EXTRA QUIRK SO PLEASE CAPTURE DEKU FOR ME PLEASE AND THANKS” and yeah. Shit is all over the place right now and I love it.

Today on BnHA: All Might gets attacked by a pair of discount assassins and is all “Call an ambulance! ...BUT NOT FOR ME” and it’s really badass but also I really wish he would stop tempting fate like this. Lady Nagant is all “[casually flies around town shooting shit]” and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t read an entire chapter of just that. Deku is all, “[gets shot (≥_<)]” and releases a giant Smokescreen which prompts En to show up. En is all, “( •᷄⌓•᷅ ) (⌣̀ Δ⌣́) ( •̀_•́ )σ (¬､¬) (눈_눈)” which I consider to be a high point of both the chapter and of my life. The chapter ends with Deku using the Third’s quirk to launch a bunch of random objects at Nagant so that he can jump up and grab her arm all sneaky-like, and I’m sure this is going to prompt another week’s worth of discourse that I don’t care about at all, but fuck it, I’m having a good time.

OH WE’RE CUTTING BACK TO ALL MIGHT WELL THAT’S NICE I GUESS. CONGRATS ON NOT BEING DEAD

you named your car??

you named it Hercules??

I love you so much??

please marry me you giant fucking dork???

lmao speaking of huge fucking dorks

who the fuck are you clowns. la dee da we’re gonna murder All Might with our synchronized spear attack!! I mean... they’re clearly trying their best... maybe I should just be nice and politely hype them up like All Might is so clearly trying to do

like okay, but we all agree that this is actually the least intimidating attack any of us has ever seen, right?? these guys zipped up their hoodies all serious-like and are trying to attack All Might and Hercules with their Walmart tiki torches, but just, no?? right?? like the only way this could possibly be effective is if they were trying to kill All Might with secondhand embarrassment

“those are assassins” this is a VERY generous assessment, All Might

OH MY GOD THE TIKI TORCHES ACTUALLY KILLED THE FUCK OUT OF HERCULES

[slaps roof of car] this baby can fit so many weaponized festive backyard lighting solutions in it

and yet, even after watching this with my own two eyes, I still can’t take these dudes seriously. idek what it is. anyways r.i.p. Hercules, I loved you a lot but I guess you weren’t actually a very good armored car were you

omg they didn’t know it was All Might??

okay 1) for a moment there I was like “oh hey maybe they’re not so bad after all” but then a moment later it was like “ah nope, they are.” like, that was an interesting .06 second emotional journey there. anyways 2) All Might you have my permission to kick their asses for this disrespect, and 3) anyone else all of a sudden getting “wouldn’t this be an interesting time for Stain to suddenly show up” vibes?? no?? just me???

(ETA: hmm tbh I’ve still got those vibes and they haven’t gone away lol. Stain?? you out there buddy?? do you want to be cool for just once in your life. ball’s in your court pal.)

OH SNAP ALL MIGHT ARE YOU REALLY GONNA DO IT ARE YOU GONNA KICK THEIR ASSES

PROTECTIVE DAD MODE ACTIVATED?? BECAUSE YOU KNOW I’M HERE FOR THAT SHIT, SO YEAH, FEEL FREE

omg he’s shouting at them about how much Deku has suffered lmao and they’re just like falling over from being scolded

so they have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about though, right? “SIR THIS IS A WENDY’S” well whatever, you killed his pet car so he’s in a bad mood now

OH MY GOD

LIKE, JUST SO WE’RE ALL CLEAR, THESE FOUR PAGES SO FAR HAVE MADE ALMOST ZERO SENSE. LIKE MAYBE 2% SENSE TOPS. BUT ASK ME IF I CARE. GO AHEAD AND ASK. I SAID GO AHEAD, IT’S OKAY. ...NO I DON’T CARE AT ALL THANK YOU FOR ASKING

(ETA: also, the more I look at this panel, the more I’m just like, why the hell would you phrase it like that though, sob. way to doubly tempt fate?? are you trying to give Horikoshi a challenge??)

and now back to Deku who is randomly bouncing around the city and narrating it to himself just in case he was confused about why he was doing this

who are you talking to Deku. but thanks we appreciate it

man you gotta love that overconfidence. the smartest guy in the world warned you away from this lady, so SURE, LET’S RUN RIGHT UP TO HER. “I APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT, FLASHBACK!HAWKS, BUT I’LL TAKE IT FROM HERE” well okay then!!

I think it would be funny if RHA.com put little Buzzfeed-style polls in between the chapter pages so they could survey people at random intervals as they read their way through the chapter. like, you finish this page and then there’s a little poll there asking “do you think Deku’s plan of catching up to Lady Nagant and finding out where Shigaraki is will work?”, and you click “no” just like everyone else and then nod as the results show that 97% of your fellow readers also picked “no”, and you chuckle to yourself wondering how many of the 3% accidentally clicked on the wrong option by mistake, and then you keep on reading

ANYWAY, SO

HOW’S THAT PLAN WORKING OUT FOR YOU SO FAR DEKU. nice kick, though!!

omggggggg

ouch

update: Deku’s plan not really working out. sources tell me my boy has been fucking shot. this is an ongoing story and we will keep you posted with the latest developments as they come in

wait what

feel free to explain to the rest of us what all of this “UNLESS...” and “THAT POSSIBILITY...” shit means anytime, Deku

oh lol did he realize she could fly??

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE, CNN’s John King reports that Deku is still fucked. eyewitness reports now coming in that Nagant is doing no-look shots and basically not even giving a fuck. sources described her mannerisms and expression as “sexy, but in like an effortless sort of way.” we will continue to bring you the latest

so now there’s basically an entire page of Deku being all “ah fuck so she’s basically closing in and she could already hit me with impossible accuracy even from Far Away, so if that’s the case then her being Up Close is probably going to be even worse!” making good use of that Big Hero Brain there, Deku

so now what, you’re doing some kind of spiraling kick thing?? how is that going to help

oh lol he’s using Smokescreen to create some cover. aww, good for you Deku you named one of your Smokescreen attacks

OH NO LADY DON’T TELL ME AFO DIDN’T EVEN FILL YOU IN ON THE BASICS

seriously, AFO?? you basically told her what Deku’s exact strategy was going to be but then couldn’t be assed to drop that little, small, barely notable piece of knowledge that Deku is rocking multiple quirks?? is it supposed to be a secret or something?? you dropped the ball here man

damn this is getting intense now

(ETA: the way En is poking Deku’s head in that first panel is fucking sending me, I love this guy so much omg.)

well then what are you planning, Deku?? I’m actually really curious!! I am genuinely starting to be invested in this fight scene not only in the “wanting to see who wins and how that impacts the plot” sense, but also in the “wanting to see how it happens because the choreography and strategy is actually pretty cool” sense, which honestly hasn’t happened for quite a while now! this is fun

anyway so what’s up Deku, are you going to use another quirk?? I’ve been speculating that he hasn’t actually unlocked the last two yet (since Two and Three didn’t exactly seem convinced when we last saw them), but maybe I’m about to be proven wrong

(ETA: well he clearly has Three’s obviously, but Two’s is still MIA, and that’s the one I am of course the most curious about. that’s the one we’re all curious about, let’s be real.)

OH SNAP???

AHHHH I’M HYPED LOL. ANOTHER SHINY NEW QUIRK LOL SHOULD I PUT UP THE USUAL DISCOURSE DISCLAIMER

(ETA: so yeah, after thinking on it, I’m not gonna say “please no Deku discourse on my blog” this week, but I probably will ignore any discourse that does come my way though, just because I don’t have much interest in getting involved in what would probably be a pretty repetitive discussion. like, I can just sum up my opinions (which is what they are) here instead. in fact here they are lol:

1) I like the SIXQUIRKS and I like seeing Deku be a badass.

2) I also don’t think Deku is too OP. more like he’s exactly as OP as he needs to be at the moment, given that we’re approaching the end of the series. I expect the other kids will also be pretty damn OP when we see them fight again. we’re just at that point now where they’re all badasses (as well they should be; they’ve grown a lot and they deserve it). it’s just that Deku’s the one we’re getting to see right now.

3) of course I miss Kacchan and the others, but for me this vibes much closer to the MVA arc where even though I missed them, I was still having a blast (as opposed to the dark days of the Basement arc where I was pretty much losing it lol). like, even though Kacchan’s my favorite, I still love Deku a lot and this arc has been amazing for him getting to shine on his own (for like the first time, really).

4) y’all know I love the OFA plot and I’ve never been shy about that lol. I like all of the Vestiges a lot. Banjou and his over the top personality; En and his “guy you thought would be serious and :| all the time but is actually hyper-animated and ALL OVER THE PLACE” energy; Shiro who actually is a :| sort of guy lol; Three who I still expect will be fleshed out in a more detailed flashback at some point; and of course Two, who, well. you know what I think about him lol. Bakuverse is still on the table and I’m still hyped. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we still have yet to see Two actually talk to Deku (as opposed to talking to the other Vestiges while Deku is distracted). did he lend him his power yet?? or is he still holding out?? either way it’s definitely going to be a Big Thing when it finally happens and I can’t wait to see it.

5) Lady Nagant is Everything and just because Deku grabbed her arm doesn’t mean the fight is over yet lol. Overhaul hasn’t come into play yet either. not to mention that even if the fight is over, the “where do we go from here” part still has me excited either way. her connection to Hawks and the HPSC is very intriguing and we’ve barely touched on that as of yet; she definitely has more of a role to play in this.

6) last but not least, I feel like every week the discussion is all about how much focus Deku’s getting, and how OP he is or isn’t, and OFA this and OFA that, but meanwhile I’m actually so invested in the character development here though?? the way Deku has distanced himself from everyone (except for the Vestiges, because of course they’re already dead so it’s not like they can die again lol)?? the way he’s pushing himself far too hard and we can see the shadows in and under his eyes, and the fact that he never smiles, and even All Might has remarked on how he isn’t taking care of himself at all?? the fact that he’s so single-mindedly obsessed with focused on stopping AFO?? the fact that he’s still the same sweet old Deku despite everything and was so kind to that fox lady with the umbrella, but there was also something so sad about that scene because it felt like a reminder of the type of hero that he wants to be, but that he’s not allowed to be right now?? because the stakes are too high and the world is falling apart?? and he feels like he’s the only one who can do something about it?? and that he has to be?? and that he is putting so much pressure on himself right now, and it’s absolutely too much pressure for any one person to bear, and I feel like no one is fucking talking about this lol goddammit.

anyway so yeah. I have feels about this, and every week that slow-burn angst is getting more and more intense behind the scenes, and I feel like it’s all going to hit a breaking point eventually. sooner rather than later. it really feels like a mirror of Katsuki’s post-Kamino arc. where all that angst was just churning below the surface for like twenty chapters and then it finally was like “okay it’s time” and it all came bursting out and we got the best five chapters of the fucking series (in my admittedly biased estimation lol).

basically, I know that most of fandom is billing this as either the “villain hunt” arc or the “solo Deku SIXQUIRKS fighting arc” or whatever. but for me, it’s always been and still is the Deku Angst arc lol. the cool fights are a sexy bonus (the worldbuilding less so because even though it’s interesting to see society at such a low point, it’s also very depressing and gets old pretty fast), but for me the thing that’s really keeping me engaged chapter after chapter is seeing Deku like we’ve never seen him before. seeing him all quiet and withdrawn and brooding and focused on AFO, AFO, AFO, and seeing that “he just doesn’t take himself into account” mentality taken to extremes. I am invested in that. I’m soaking up that angst each and every week, and I’m invested in seeing what comes of it. it’s a big picture thing. week to week this arc might just seem like a bunch of villain fight scenes, sure. but Deku’s emotional journey is the thread that’s going to carry this arc through from beginning to end, and for that I’m willing to be patient.

anyway that turned into a BIG OL’ RANT there but yeah! so those are my thoughts on the disk horse as it currently stands. and like I said, I’m open to discussion, but tbh I will probably just wind up repeating these same talking points endlessly so just a fair warning lol.)

anyway so Three says Deku has yet to use his quirk at ALL but now he’s trying to combine it with another quirk?? damn. also please check out En’s face here you guys

En launching a sneak attack up my favorite character list by the sheer power of his expressions alone. he really knows how to make the most of his screentime

OH DAMN DEKU

at this point the 3% from that hypothetical poll earlier are starting to feel prettttty damn smug, I’ll bet. well shit

what in the fuck

?? so like releasing his chi or whatnot?? isn’t that basically just like base OFA all over again?? also Deku did you seriously just apologize to Gran’s cape

update: Nagant has turned her eyeball into a gun

hm. hmmmmmmm. ...okay yep, still somehow sexy

anyway so she’s just floating up there building suspense, as one does. lord I sure hope she has good reflexes because something tells me she’s going to need them

OH SNAP HE THREW GRAN’S CAPE AS A DECOY WHAAAAT OKAY THAT’S SOME SMART SHIT DEKU

LOL SHE’S MAD NOW

JESUS CHRIST SHE JUST NEVER TAKES A GODDAMN BREAK FROM BEING AWESOME HUH

DEKU ARE YOU JUST THROWING EVERY DAMN THING IN YOUR INVENTORY

but without the cape and the hood how will you continue to look like an enigmatic badass. you really can’t. which means we might finally be moving on from the wandering nomad part of this arc, stay tuned

LOL YOU MANIAC

I hope he went full Kacchan with the dialogue there. his face sure looks like it lol. popped out of a building all mad fdskljlkj omg

well this was fun, shit. I still have basically no idea what Three’s quirk does though lol. like, can he use it to charge up objects with kinetic energy or something?? but then what was all of that talk about combining it with one of the other quirks?? or was that just because he was using Smokescreen at the same time??

(ETA: having seen and read an additional half-dozen explanations of Three’s quirk, I can say with confidence that I still have basically no idea what it is or does.)

anyway so!! Deku is a badasssssss but something tells me not to count Nagant out just yet even so. also I really enjoy seeing Deku flip out on people like he doesn’t have a fucking hole in his torso because it reminds me of A CERTAIN SOMEONE and I always love to see him channeling that feral energy; I feel like it’s been a while

anyways good luck to you both!! I truly wish that both of you could win. but if not, then maybe you can at least become friends instead. you have so much in common, you both can fly and have multiple quirks and you’re both badasses, and plus it would just be really funny to see the look on Hawks’s face lmao

[jextraordinaire]

I know I already reblogged a post about this but the thought of Wilbur going back to writing on the dream smp is stressing me out. I need to stop being protective of Technoblade's plotline and the dsmp plot in general but it's kinda hard. They're a huge part of my life (second to sleep and college) and seeing something I care about be "messed up" would really bother me.

In the interest of organization here's a list of poorly sourced paraphrased things that concern me in regards to Wilbur returning to writing. (In no particular order)

1) Technoblade's excitement about writing

In "a new home" Techno was so genuinely excited about writing. I just want him to be happy honestly

2) The revisions Techno made to Nov 16th

I'm sure everyone remembers how anticlimactic Nov 16th felt after Tubbo was declared president. It was way too easy since everyone defected from Schlatt. The Great President Handoff (tm) started to feel really lame after the dust had settled. All that work for nothing. But then c!Technoblade starts freaking out and goes rogue to fight the new dictatorship. And it was such a climatic ending

But if you remember, Techno said that Wilbur was gonna just have him as another fighter with no significant contributions. No vault, no withers, no Theseus. Maybe he would have managed to make the post president assignment less awkward and anticlimactic but I kinda doubt it. There wasn't much that could be done with it imo.

My point is collaborative story telling gave us Nov 16th not head writer Wilbur

3) Wilbur's cursed canon

The thing Wilbur said about being twins with Techno was never about the dsmp and rather the general family dynamic au that already existed (we know this because Wilbur said that in response to discourse about the au not canon). However the rest of Wilbur's cursed canon is still yikes. Having sex with a salmon, dating a sheep, the refrigerator mother, his references to the family dynamic on the server, etc. When Technoblade says "canon" for the 50th time when Tubbo dies no one takes it seriously. When Wilbur shitposts people update the wiki

4) Techno's commitment to clearing up false info

On a related note Techno's commitment to his characterisation keeps me going. He corrected the family dynamic and comes up with arguments against all the bad takes about his character. He makes fun of Tommy's blame game logic, fights bad character takes by other cc's and pushed for Nov 16th. I trust him to have our back on character and plot nonsense and Wilbur's sometimes opposite demeanor concerns me

5) Wilbur saying he would only come back to be head writer

Wilbur said (before the recent confirmation of him as a writer) that he would only come back if he was the head writer who got the final say. That obviously concerns me because he's coming back now, but the general attitude also feels bad. It insinuates that having his way in the writing is really important to him which doesn't bode well for other writers

6) Wilbur appreciating Tommy not wanting to control his character

Wilbur says (maybe in that same stream idk) that Tommy was super flexible with how Wilbur characterised him while Technoblade wasn't. I can't remember the wording but he sounding noticeably appreciative of Tommy's aquiesence to any sort of writing. Another attitude about writing that I worry won't mesh well

7) Wilbur saying he wanted more geopolitical plot

We have a lot of non geopolitical plot and I'm concerned for how he'd treat them

8) But like seriously Nov 16th??

9) How Philza got into the plot

Not a criticism but Phil got added to the plot and to the smp early because Wilbur wrote him in. What does that say for people Wilbur doesn't know who are running their own story lines. People got really mad over Niki not being involved in the plot like she wanted to and there was no head writer at the time. If you wanted your arc to be important you had to push for it. Now imagine Wilbur not letting someone into the central plot cause he's got his casting already prepared.

10) The exile arc would never have happened

Character driven story telling? Wilbur would never

11) The eggpire would definitely have not happened

Secondary plots that are supernatural and don't involve countries or politics?? No.

12) Techno's retirement arc would be unlikely

Certainly not with the level of development it got

13) -1000% chance of Doomsday happening

Large scale battle to settle conflict?? Not a chance

14) Tommy's hotel bit is cool after all the action

I feel like Tommy in the spotlight just gets repetitive. It's like a tv show desperately trying to make another season. I'm really glad Tommy stepping back from the eggpire arc and giving his character some room to breathe

15) Tommy's non dsmp videos are really good

Another point in the less main character Tommy please column. I personally find the mod videos so much more entertaining than his dsmp stuff. I feel like spending all your time on a server either walk around aimlessly or roleplaying a character someone else made just isn't peak content. Tommy vibing in non plot streams was where his better dsmp content came from. And now he's vibing in videos not even in the server

16) Wilbur plot holes

Despite being a writer before want collaborative story telling, Wilbur's writing has a lot of lore breaking plot holes. The family dynamic obviously, but also the age and death stuff. Fundy's age is a mess and Wilbur writing Phil in as his dad made it so much worse. Is Phil supposed to be 50? How old is Fundy actually? The inconsistency between which lives mattered and which didn't also came about while Wilbur was writing. A fan theory came in clutch but it was very frustrating before that point

17) Wilbur's joke about writing Ranboo out of the story

Obviously a joke but I dislike the implications that he would have that much power over other people's characters

------------

In summary no hate to Wilbur he's a super cool guy. Not all of this is his fault; I'm just concerned and wanted to vent. I trust Technoblade to put his foot down about writing but also I fear

[blackradandmad]

why blippi is rotting yr children's brains

preface: i literally expect no one to read this. it is an essay length, strong opinion piece critiquing a niche youtube-based children's show that i don't expect most of y'all to even have knowledge of lol. but like, i promise that even if you know nothing about what i'm talking about, in my incredibly, super humble opinion, it's a good piece of writing and interesting nonetheless. anyway if you read this whole thing for some reason yr really hot and we should kiss.

i thoroughly vet everything my child watches before he watches it, episode by episode. and we rarely watch youtube for entertainment; we usually just look up educational videos when he has a question about something and wants more detail than i can provide him. and that's mainly because children's content on youtube is so fucking troubling and distressing. i don't judge parents who give their children a tablet at a restaurant at all bc i've been there and sometimes it's easier on everyone to just put on a video and avoid a giant scene, but i do judge parents who just leave their children alone with youtube kids on autoplay.

take stevin john, a literal millionaire who got famous from dressing up as a silly character called blippi and going on tours of places like aquariums, zoos, construction sites, etc and posting it on youtube. this has branched into a whole empire of blippi videos, hulu shows and specials, live shows and tours (that he outsources to another character actor), merchandise and so on. this 30-something year old man cites his main influence as being mr. rogers, but i question if he's ever even seen an episode of that program.

mr. rogers had no background in early childhood development or media production, but he revolutionized the world of children's media, because he respected his audience and didn't shy away from real world situations, all while creating a show with an enormous heart. mr. rogers begins his episodes by inviting the viewer in, literally changing his attire to be more comfortable, and talking about/doing things he genuinely cares about. whereas mr. rogers calmly and maturely addresses the viewer, blippi puts on a high pitched, contrived voice, interjecting every other sentence with a forced exclamation such as, "teehee! we're having so much fun!"

i don't find it a coincidence that john (blippi) is a veteran, either. his videos are completely devoid of the absurd, abstract, childlike thinking that makes children's media fun, creative, and entertaining. his thinking and process is methodical, devoid of emotion, and very superficial. this line of thinking clearly shows the kind of creative sterilization and emphasis on sameness and conformity instilled in the military. blippi simply observes things and interacts with them in a stale, matter-of-fact way. "this ball is purple! this ball is pink! anyway... what's over there? teehee! a car! vroom, vroom!" objects are colors, toy cars don't do anything but drive, curiosity is simply not encouraged.

he uses the "it's educational!" excuse to hide the fact that his show lacks everything that makes media a valuable resource for children to consume in the first place. further than identifying colors, numbers, and the occasional letter or shape, there is just this total lack of children's need for social and emotional development. when mr. rogers breaks the fourth wall to address the viewer and let them know they're special, it feels authentic and natural, because we've spent the last half hour building whole worlds with diverse characters and unique stories in a pretend neighborhood, learning about and enjoying different musical instruments, being exposed to and making friends with (even if parasocially, it is still a real bond to children when done properly) children who are similar to us in character regardless of physical or environmental differences, feeding the fish, making art together, and so on. when blippi tells the viewer, "you are very special, and i enjoy spending time with you!" it falls completely flat and feels unearned, because the last half hour was spent running around a soft play center pointing at bright, colorful objects, visiting interesting locations like farms or fruit production factories while failing to acknowledge the humanity of the humans actually working there (everything is machine or product focused; the human workers are simply an extension of the machine), learning "fun facts" about elephants that just list attributes of elephants, not taking the opportunity to inform the viewers of elephants' intelligence, or diet, or matriarchal society. it is a loud, sensory overwhelming display of a man so disconnected from the social and emotional needs and desires of children that he assumes they're stupid, easily entertained idiots who only need some silly dances and fast-moving cartoon graphics to give their attention (meaning time and desire to purchase products meaning $$$). john clearly views his audience as a means to gaming the algorithm and ultimately a paycheck by the hollow way he addresses them.

the show is so narcissistic, so focused on all the fun blippi is supposedly having, but he lacks any of the character traits that make individual children's show hosts memorable, so much so that he was able to have someone else who doesn't even vaguely resemble him dress as blippi and impersonate him and host the show or appear at live shows, and it went unnoticed by most of his toddler and child audience. the show is so formulaic and the character of blippi is so unmemorable that instead of taking the blue's clues route of developing a story of the host leaving for college and his brother now stepping in, or making some sort of believable excuse for the change in actors, they can simply swap him out with some random guy and not acknowledge it at all. although a comedy show for older children, the amanda show in no way could or would try to replicate the show with the same name but swapping out amanda bynes with a random teenage girl who is clearly not amanda bynes. it's weird and nonsensical and shows that his character is so much of a farce put on for a paycheck that not even his dedicated audience is affected or even cares when he is replaced by a random, unknown person.

this is completely garbage content made by an opportunist with no experience with children who saw his nephew watching children's youtube content, took it at complete surface level and still hasn't realized that while children's content only looks and feels so easy, entertaining, and enriching because it is so hard to do well. even with outsourcing his music, that aspect of the show still sucks. famous and successful children's musician, raffi, is known for his song describing the life of a little white whale, called "baby beluga." it opens with a calm strumming of his guitar, followed by the lyrics, "baby beluga in the deep blue sea/swim so wild and you swim so free/heaven above/sea below/and a little white whale on the go." is it silly and kind of pointless? yes, but the point is that he is captivating children and showing them the fun of listening to music, dancing, singing, and appreciating art. the "excavator song" featured in an episode of blippi about construction vehicles opens with what sounds like a default garageband loop and the flatly sung lyrics, "i'm an excavator/i'm an excavator/hey dirt, see you later/i'm an excavator." i don't feel i have to meticulously analyze the aforementioned lyrics; the stark contrast should speak for itself.

i have a million more criticisms about both blippi specifically and youtube children's content as a whole, but this is already so long and i doubt many people will get this far anyway. it's an issue i was completely apathetic towards until i had my own child and had to wean him off these kinds of junk food shows because i realized the fast-paced visuals and bright colors and repetitive songs/lyrics were putting him in this spaced-out, fugue state, and he thought he could demand this show or that show whenever he wanted. the moment he started regularly yelling things like, "watch! cars!" or "no! click it!" i knew i had to be a lot more invested in the things he watched even if just for entertainment or as a soothing message. i showed him an episode of mr. rogers yesterday and feared it would be too slow to hold his attention, but he was mesmerized, greeting and interacting with mr. rogers verbally, asking me, "what's that?" to different objects on the screen. since purging this low-brow children's entertainment, he has had a noticeable increase in attention span and concentration, can focus on a task for longer amounts of times, is more likely to "read"/look through books without me initiating it, and doesn't throw a fit when the tv/my laptop is off.

i just know that for me, growing up with so much unsupervised internet access definitely led me to real-world pain and consequences, and it seems like now children are born with an iphone as an extension of their arm. if my child is going to be consuming videos, i'm definitely supervising every second and am going to be highly critical of the videos and the credentials (or lack thereof) of the creators and team behind it. but i also know, from pure observation admittedly, that parents letting youtube kids autoplay parent their children for hours at a time is not an uncommon occurrence. and it worries me that a generation of children are being raised on videos that rely on being as loud and bright and superficially enjoyable as possible. what's the use of a child knowing their colors and alphabet if they don't know how to treat people with kindness and empathy and respect? there is something wrong for a children's show host to plug the spelling of his name at the end of his videos ("well, that's the end of this video. but if you wanna watch more of my videos, just type in my name! can you spell my name with me? b-l-i-p-p-i!") after essentially rotting his audiences' brains for a half hour. there's something so insidious about the prioritization of naming different parts of construction vehicles over honest depictions of and conversations about dealing with feelings, or why someone with autism may act differently than you, or what to do when you feel lonely, or ways to make art and express yrself creatively. also, not to mention the blatant police propaganda and outright worship is seriously jarring; as a black mother to a visibly non-white child, i cannot sit there and watch blippi show kids how to be a bootlicker for the shittiest profession on earth, but that could be a whole essay in and of itself.

anyway, thanks for reading, if yr looking for quality children's content, i recommend, in no specific order: mr. rogers, sesame street, the electric company, molly of denali, daniel tiger, bluey!, blue's clues, the odd squad, word party, trash truck, puffin rock, uhh... that's definitely not an extensive list but that's just off the dome!!! ok bye y'all <333