#but you can learn to just see them as animals and not uniquely horrible things

[stari-hun]

Reverse 1999 is an Existential Horror and they’re reminding us of the genre

This is a post about Vereinsamt, book 7, but I won’t be talking about any massive story spoilers here!

Chapter 7 - The Maze of the Minotaur is horrible cause it viscerally shows how different we are as humans from then to now.

I was just talking about how 1999 was when Blair Witch came out, so every character has massed out on the massive horror resurgence that came out after it. In Reverse 1999, 1999 was when they had it all. But to us, if you asked what the best era in the past was you’d get 100 different answers, and very few would be before the 2000s.

Blair Witch was the turn of horror films because it gave the foundation for a new genre that was accessible to amateur film makers: the Found Footage genre. It made way for an entirely new type of story where all people needed was a friend and any kind of camera in order to tell their story. This stemmed into a digital version of this genre: Alternate Reality Games or ARGs. As well as a subgenre of Found Footage called Analog Horror, in today’s age, even phones have better camera quality than most cameras' film quality back then. So the genre learned to turn the quality down on videos in order to get a vintage quality to them because the inability to see would give a fear of the unknown. We both have a fear of the unknown, but the characters in Reverse 1999 have no knowledge or baseline to be afraid of things that aren’t what they appear. Arcanum can be used to change one’s appearance and it’s uncommon knowledge, but to totally change a person's stature and look is a rare ability. A few arcanists have a certain transcendental ability to tell people apart by their aura, bones, or unique arcane signature. But they haven’t experienced this horror renaissance. Horror movies actually have a pretty important role in public perception of things. If a person was walking around with a knife or a bat and we didn't have horror movies or stories of that exact situation, then unless you heard about a dangerous person on the streets, your guard wouldn't be up. Hearing and seeing stories about the possibility of harm and what could happen in a certain situation is a very important role media has in our lives. With the Mandela Catalogue came a fascination with urban myths and similar cryptids. People from Appalachia and indigenous people around the time it came out would share stories of their encounters with creatures who would pretend to be human and lure us to them. Whether or not a person chooses to believe in nonhuman entities is up to them, but it's a fact as well that a lot of animals have adapted to humans and learned how to mimic us. Birds mimic us easily as animals who specialize in it, but cats and dogs do their best to mimic our speech patterns to. Humans are animals as well so we sound like other animals. Bunnies being hunted in the woods make screaming sounds that grab the attention of anything nearby but especially humans, they even sound similar to us in the way babies' cries can make other animals think we're a similar species to them. So whether it has a mystical explanation or one in nature, we know that something that sounds like what isn't on purpose is a sign of danger. We've seen horror movies and heard stories about turning around and seeing what we think is a friend only to be betrayed by a monster tricking us in many popular media. We've seen media portrayals of that person being something pretending to be human and pretending to be your friend, so we know that that means imminent danger. In Doctor Who you have Weeping Angels who use the voices of others to communicate until they're caught, Supernatural used the stories of mimics many times, even in DnD as a tabletop game has it as an enemy that isn't strong but always poses a threat because trusting that you're safe when something is tricking you into thinking that way is one of the scariest things to humans. It's why I think Arcanists, because of the nature of arcanum, struggle the most from memory gaps or mental illness. Arcanum relies on your mind and schema as power. As humans, we naturally feel uncomfortable with the unknown and take comfort in learning and overcoming fears. We like an environment we can feel control in and safety from as well as people we can feel safe with. So along with the unknown, another thing we fear is being innately unsafe around someone we've placed absolute trust in.

The characters in R1999 lack the public zeitgeist we have. 37’s instincts aren't to distrust the people around her in any situation. Even when 210 is purposefully trying to knock down her ego, she doesn't react to it with feeling hurt because she genuinely trusts the people of Apeiron and especially her close group. She doesn't consider they would do anything bad to her, and she doesn't have the knowledge to consider that something could use that trust by pretenidng to be them.

[anonzentimes]

hi zen!! my friends and i are doing a powerpoint night this monday and like any self-respecting person almost 7 months deep in a dangan hyperfixation (i'm never getting out of here) i am using it as a platform for an all-encompassing kmhn infodump. this powerpoint is going to be the komahina bible and i want to hit Every Stop. i will grab everything i can find. no hesitation. however !! the danganronpa franchise is A Lot. so there's always a chance i will miss something. so! as a fellow kmhn understander and enthusiast, is there any particular Komahina Moment or piece of analysis you feel people often miss or overlook? could be big or small, or involve just one of the two of them, but i'd appreciate the input! <3 have a good one :D

OH MY GOD??? I’LL TRY TO ANSWER IN TIME FOR YOUR POWERPOINT LMAO THAT SOUNDS AWESOME?????? You should record it! Well, you probably will, but I’m still saying it anyways just in case you aren’t, because something that fun going unrecorded sounds like a tragedy!

I’ve had ideas of doing all encompassing komahina rambles for a video or something, but I’m already working on other projects so It’ll be a long time before I even try lmao. Makes me happy someone is trying something similar, and with friends no less! I’d be happy to help in any way I can, I hope you and your friends have fun! :D

ANYWAYS. I’ll say a huge ramble of Komahina things and hope it helps LOL.

This is more of a silly statement, but for a FULL Komahina coverage I think it’s most satisfying to cover the different flavors of komahina, if that makes sense? Like, depending on what approach you’re taking you may not cover kamukoma, since to a degree that’s an entirely different ship, but you’d still cover the canon adjacent other flavors. Basically, try including the canon adjacent variations!!! The Dangan island events are good for analyzing their dynamic with less horrible circumstances bringing them to worst and causing them to hurt each other. The stage plays are also great to mention since there’s some komahina content that is play original, and seeing them physically interact is fun! Can’t forget the Komahina CD too Lol. There’s also smaller things like their anniversary outfits, especially the matching purple ones, their animal outfits, and their Danganronpa S Swimsuits!

Little details that are so special to me are things like the parallel of Nagito waking Hajime up being reserved in Danganronpa 2.5, and there’s also how things like Hajime’s grief for Nagito that’s so compelling, special, and telling about their dynamic.

I think my main thing to actually add on properly is that, a lot of people say Hajime hates Nagito which is absolutely incorrect. I don’t think I’d try so hard or care enough to revive and or wait until a person I hated woke up. Hajime displays he actively cares a lot, they just happen to feel hurt and betrayed by each other due to the circumstances. Komahina is unhealthy but it isn’t toxic, if that phrase makes sense. The beauty of it is that they grow TO be healthier, they learn to love each other, understand each other, and in the process learn to understand and love themselves. Komahina is reciprocal, it gets unhealthy due to circumstances, but it is reciprocal and the beauty of it is them becoming healthier together.

Nagito is not a malicious psychopath, and Hajime is not an overly horny person with no personality, I see them misinterpreted and characterized like that constantly It’s ridiculous. Hajime is awkward, conflicted, introverted, caring, and tries to be positive but ultimately is usually a realist. Hajime gets attached to people easily and deals with discrimination, insecurity, and self esteem. Hajime is relatable enough to where he’s empathetic but unique enough to where he’s special.

Nagito is a mentally ill queer coded man who is an antagonist and an anti-hero. He is morally gray when it comes to his unhealthy coping mechanism and has complicated beliefs, he’s honest, intelligent, struggles with insecurity, struggles with self esteem, has absolute beliefs influenced by hope’s peak, is a parallel and warped version of Makoto while being his own person, and he’s very sweet. Nagito’s love language seems to be mostly playful teasing, he rambles a lot and weirds people out just by saying what he thinks is fact. He has tonal issues and usually isn’t self aware, despite this he also worries about the impression he gives off if he thinks it matters. His beliefs are very hierarchy based and he thinks he’s all the way at the bottom, he doesn’t absolutely hate people like him but he thinks they have no purpose other than to help those more capable and projects onto them. Nagito is a very complex character, he is numb to intense situations due to the immense trauma of it being normal for him. He’s optimistic but also pessimistic, he’s positive but also incredibly anxious, he’s well intentioned but also thinks anything is okay if it’s for hope, there’s a lot to Nagito but in the end once it clicks it really clicks. He is contradictory in a way that perfectly makes sense, creating the perfect character. There’s a lot to him but when you understand him there’s no need for words, you just get it. There’s a feeling to him, an understanding, and I think that’s really special. He really is amazing.

Anyways, the ramble on summarizing both of their characters simply is to more expand on points about their dynamic! Nagito and Hajime are sides of the same coin. Nagito is irrational when it comes to Hajime in the way that he defies his normal behaviors because he usually avoids others and thinks he’s not worth the ultimates time, it means so much to me that Nagito just immediately had a feeling and connection with him. I’ve seen some people not think about it, but genuinely Komaeda feels something upon first sight and it’s irrational given his regular behavior it’s so sweet.

This has been just a lot of me rambling, but hopefully some of it helps! I had fun yapping haha, thanks for you ask!

[ophanim-vesper]

My (personal) Problem With TOTK's Zelda

I think nothing infuriates me more about TOTK's writing than the fact that Zelda is literally a recycled, WORSE version of herself in BOTW.

What was Zelda's arc in BOTW? - struggling to unlock an important power that will help save the world. - is dreading an impending doom that will be caused by a formidable evil. - by losing/nearly losing those who love and support her, she finds her strength and sacrifices herself to help Link, spending hundreds to thousands of years in an intangible, unreachable form.

Very, VERY well-written and thematically consistent. Zelda had her struggles, her faults and her flaws and grew to be an incredible savior worthy of the prophecy that preceded her. She literally went from 'zero to hero', believing she was the weakest out of her companions (the Champions) to becoming one of the most important. Without her, the story of BOTW wouldn't have happened, and it's thanks to her that the kingdom is saved.

So what's Zelda's arc here in TOTK? uhhh.... - struggling to unlock an important power that will help save the world. - is dreading an impending doom that will be caused by a formidable evil. - by losing/nearly losing those who love and support her, she finds her strength and sacrifices herself to help Link, spending hundreds to thousands of years in an intangible, unreachable form.

Except, in my opinion it's much WORSE and carries much less weight than in BOTW. Why? Because there's one horrible mistake the writers of TOTK made when writing our beloved princess, and it's that...

They made her too perfect.

Idk if this is just me, but I dislike how Zelda was portrayed as this 'perfect, flawless and talented princess' who can do everything as if it was as simple as breathing for her. I didn't like how she suddenly became good at cooking at this game (referring to that one side quest with the meat and rice bowl). I loved the hc that she was a terrible cook, but even if she somehow learned, I wish it was mentioned how Link taught her or how she works super hard to become good at something she previously wasn't. I wish it was touched upon how she was an isolated princess who only had books for access to the outside world. I didn't like how it seemed she was suddenly a proficient explorer who knew all plant species and animals just because she 'read' about them (reading doesn't count for crap if you have no field experience!). It almost seems like every skill Link was good at is suddenly also Zelda's skill, aside from fighting. I don't like that. It makes them feel less unique from each other, and makes Zelda feel like she's copying Link in a sense. I wish Zelda had more obviously 'book smarts' while Link was more of a 'streets smarts' person.

Also, they completely forgot to give her any flaws. No struggles, no real issues, no intrapersonal problems at all. But what infuriates me the most to the point I see red, is this:

"Oh? You're struggling to unlock a new power you've never used before but desperately need to in order to go home/save the world? Lemme give you a quick pep talk and you're suddenly a master at using it, no struggle to learn needed yippeee!!!!!!"

Yeah. I don't like this.

I get it. In BOTW, Zelda had no proper mentor with experience to teach her to use her Light power. She had to figure it out herself, with everyone putting pressure on her, thus stunting her development further. And here, Zelda had supporting loved ones with experience in magic who can actually teach her. But come on...

It feels like such a lazy cop-out, and stomps on the beautiful arc Zelda had in BOTW when unlocking her power. It also sucks that it happens off-screen too, as in the next memory Zelda is suddenly proficient at time magic.

Zelda doubted herself. She was carrying pounds of self-loathing and frustration because she couldn't do the one thing she was destined to do. She felt useless, a failure and felt as if the Goddess herself was ignoring her. THAT is a character with struggle. THAT is an interesting protagonist. It is almost never fun when a character instantly learns to use a new skill they've never used before, or even knew existed-- and even WORSE when it happens OFF-SCREEN.

Of course, these are just my opinions though, and I'm sure many other people have different views of Zelda in either game. Feel free to rebuff my statements or even just continue the discussion! That's what these rant posts are made for, lol.

[karaokebearwithal]

Mutuals Mutuals Come one COME ALL!!!

Put your various sona's and appendages together for the unveiling of a lil' something I've been working on while being distracted from animating Dame Aylin's wings (Its long, hard, fun as all hell but the concentration required to do so seems physically impossible for a beast of my genus)

I drew all my moots tavs/pseudo-companions!!! It took a bit, but it was well worth it! Everyone's design is so unique and fun to figure out. (10 is a big number of moots)((which I am very grateful to have :3)) So without Further Ado!!! (there will be so much more Ado):

(page break cuz the images are 400x400 each but 10 times, I also go on for a bit about how much I like each Tav/pseudo-companion character) ((if anyone can give me tips on how to size pieces in a normal style digitally i'd be very grateful))

First of all is Sivvus the Fey Prince (he/him)! This elusive Eladrin Tav belongs to @thedomesticanthropologist! A gorgeous yet seemingly cold-hearted druid who tends to keep his cards close to his chest. Though if you want the challenge you can see for yourself if you can try and get close to him to see if Sivvus is as closed off as he seems to be. To be quite honest, Sivvus really grew on me. A very fancy Eladrin with a high society (fey society) upbringing ( with very good looking mood boards to match) and the like only for him to be thrust into the bg3 world with a worm to boot. He is charming! Also his backstory? <3 Defienetly go read it! 10/10 would draw the snob again :)

Second off we have Gum (He/They)! A Githyanki Cleric of Mystra. Being @piipaw's Tav you'd find this charming fruit lover trying to live a peaceful life after escaping from the creche that raised them. I like Gum a lot as the concept of a githyanki trying to find their own way in Faerun while also having no idea about any of the social customs is very gripping to me. I recommend greatly to check out the blog for Gum fics, fanart and a very cool moot . :)

Next is H'rayn of Verkos (she/her)! Now different from all the character's I drew, H'rayn is not a Tav! She's actually a pseudo-companion character with a lotta lore and history! She even has her own quest, party banter, approval and disapproval things. It's the whole deal!! @githkisser made an amazing post all about H'rayn . If you want a ton of indepth and fun info that's really really well documented, I cannot overstate how much you should it check out! I find myself going back to learn more about H'rayn as she really is as well thought out as in game companions! It's quite fun thinking up of ways tavs can interact with her and the art is mwah!!! very good indeed :3

4th! Tavern (Tav) the Bard! (they/them) This darling bard ran away from the circus.....from birth! Created by @avocado-writing, Tavern plays their way into your heart with their silly antics, warm heart and eldritch pocket dimension in their chest!

Tavern is a doll to doodle and I am amped to draw them even more in the future. The heterochromia and the inclusion of instruments does make them a fun challenge (i will draw instruments accuratley with these paws eventually). Go check them out!! :D

5th! Hvinidyr the Barbarian (he/him)! @star-bear-art (I just realised after all this we aren't actually mutuals. Which is funny since we kinda have the same name and theme with the bear thing XD) If you wanna see wonderous art of Hvinidyr as well as the other companions, go look right over here!

Winnie (Hvinidyr) has a lot of forms depending on the time period you wanna look at. The one I chose was the most recent with the large scar tissue all over the left (right? I'm horrible at directions, my paws don't make an L shape for me to tell). He was really fun to sketch out (and probably later colour in) and has a really unique design that I appreciate :)

6th Vierlin the Enchantment Wizard (and a lil' bit rouge)!!!(she/her) @sybaritick's Tav!!! Now!! This classic drow has a keen intrest in enchantment magic, teaching her crafts to nobles in Amn. After the whole tadpole fiasco, she also finds another use for her multitude of arcane skills. Most notabley depicted with a local wizard.

Now I won't get ahead of myself here but the fics that Sybaritick wrote about Vierlin are like....licking a warm pan of thickened maple syrup or a fancy meat meal with so much demi-glaze you're left smacking your lips for at least 20 mins after eating. Its indulgent. And I couldn't recommend it enough!! Read it!! (it took me a good 8 times to get the 'ie' part of Vierlin's name right, the letters look the same to me)

7th Fink the Spores Druid (they/them) belonging to @causticcontemplation! They're a pretty short Tav a 2.5ft and have a whole modern AU fic about them!!! You can read all about it here! (the pun name is amazing!)

I found it cool to use the fic to figure out how to colour them in, I ended up sending an anon ask instead and it helped great! Lovely Tav 10/10!

8th Korydass the Druid!! (She/her)!!! Conjured by @cfcreative, this seemingly non-emotive bronze dragonborn lights a spark in viewers as her tail and love for nature portrays otherwise. Art of Kory is many and also very good. Reading through her lore is fun watching her dynamics with the different origin characters change as she opens up to the party.

Now I do have slight bias, I like drawing Kory the most since her head shape is less humanoid. It's just so satifying, also her design is crazy awesome to work with so all around its great recommend I like her a lot :3

9th Asheera the Paladin (she/her) produced by @optiwashere.

To be quite honest I wouldn't even have a blog if it wasn't for Asheera's fics. They are EXCELLENT. If you want to go through a journey of a half orcs struggles, successes and gripping romance with Shadowheart, VAULT YOURSELF into Opti's A03 page and devour. You will have negative regrets about it just like I! Asheera is great I love her a lot I am the most normal about her.

(I'll keep it brief since this post is long enough to cross a river)

10th Quin the Bard (he/him) composed by @quinthebard (who'd have known?)

This darling plucky bard is the star of an ongoing comic that is very dynamic and very gripping. (My fave panel is this one). Despite being 100, Quin still maintains his joyful and kind nature when traveling with the tadpole gang.

Definetly one of the most friendlies Tavs out of all the ones i've drawn. (he was also the first i drew out of all of these!) He's a delight!! Go check him out! Thanks to all my moots for giving permission, having such great characters and being such lovely moots! <3 <3 <3

(Any pronouns or other changes that want be changed, feel free to DM about it. I love those! )

[kirkwallguy]

do you have recommendations for rpgs? i have only played bg3, dragon age, and mass effect. also nothing is more important than romance to me sorry to serious people

yess! this post from the other day is a good starting point (and i think op has some similar lists on their blog) but here are a few that would be good to get started with if you want to branch out:

(btw, these are only games i've played - there are a few i see recced a lot that i haven't gotten around to yet lol)

divinity: original sin 2 - you've probably heard of this if you're into bg3, but it's worth trying. the gameplay is very similar, except it doesn't use a d&d ruleset or have any animated cutscenes. there are romancable companions, but they work differently to bg3 in the sense that you have to choose your party composition early in the game and stick with it, which is fun for replayability imo. i don't think the companions are as interesting as the ones in bg3 either but they all have interesting stories that run parallel to the main plot

pathfinder: wrath of the righteous - wotr is another crpg, imo it can be a little hard to wrap your head around at first compared to bg3, but once you're past the learning curve it's really fun. the writing and companions are all really interesting and it's great for letting you roleplay as a wide range of characters and moralities - some of the romances go deep into sicko territory which is great for me personally. there's a ton of reactivity as well, each "path" (your specialisation) has its own set of quests and will affect your relationships with companions. nobody will love you if you become a lich :( . the main issue with the game tho is it's bloated and long (i've literally never finished a run because i get distracted 80 hours in) but it's worth the time you put into it imo

baldurs gate 1 & 2 - these games are kind of dated but if you can handle dao, you can probably manage them? it took me a few tries to get a feel for the first one, but once i got into it i played through both games without stopping lol. they're real time with pause like origins and only the second one has romance (though the ee version adds romancable companions that appear in both games which is fun).

pillars of eternity 1 & 2 - honestly, i'm not super into these games but other people really like them and i understand why. they're a really good modernisation of the original baldurs gate / infinity engine games with a narrative that lots of people are into. the first game has no romance and is real time with pause, while the second game will let you romance characters (some of them reappear from the first game, so i guess you can treat it like a realllly slow burn) and play either real time with pause or turn based.

disco elysium - okay, there's technically no romance but it's so good that i'll rec it anyway. it's a crpg but has no actual combat, the writing and story are really unique and it's just a great experience to have.

enderal: forgotten stories special edition - this game is really hard to recommend because it makes me sound crazy but please hear me out. this skyrim mod is maybe one of the best games i've ever played. if you have skyrim special edition you can download and run it for free, mechanically it runs pretty much like skyrim but the writing and story are insane. the romances are also good, there are only two main ones but they're very tied to the plot.

skyrim...?: if you haven't already played skyrim and you want to get it for enderal then it's also worth playing anyway. it's my horrible wife that poisons me whenever i try to divorce her but it's a fun experience. the romance is pretty shit but there are some good mods with romancable companions (i like gore, he reminds me of marcus lol). it has a lot of the same issues in its writing as dai does, but the world is designed so well that i can play for hundreds of hours just doing my own thing and ignoring the main quest

there are LOADS more but these are just a fun starting point based on liking bioware and bg3, hope you enjoy!

[arialityy]

Honkai pt.2 first impressions (as of completing pt.2 ch.1 phase 1) (don't come at me)

I'm gonna be focusing mostly on the characters in this post, but I'll briefly go over the ui and open world

So... I really miss the old ui already lmao. Even if it did look old and outdated, I think it was pretty unique for a sci-fi game and personally easier on my eyes (I think I just need to get used to it, but everything looks to similar in the new ui and I can't focus as easily on it 😭 That's probably just me though) I also think it looks kind of out of place if you go back to play older chapters, but it's not horrible. Personally, I feel like I'll always prefer the old ui. However, it looks great in the new open world chapter! Usually, I don't really like the ow chapters, but this one actually runs well, and I've been enjoying it quite a lot, even the side missions. (Also, it's just really nice to look at) It definitely reminds me of hsr and apho, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

As for the new gameplay, it's... ok. The new battlesuits don't feel much funner or nicer than the old battlesuits. If anything, I like them less. With Helia and Coralie, the effects are fine since they're A-ranks, and the gameplay is also nice for an A-rank. Senadina's actual gameplay is fine. But her animations are so boring 😭 I like that it lights up the area around her but that's about it. I get that sometimes the animations could get too flashy, but Senadina's are just boring for what's presumably meant to be the fancy new S-rank. I'll cut her some slack, though, since it's still the beginning of pt.2.

Finally, I'll be talking about the characters themselves! Remember, these opinions are very subject to change, as it's only the beginning of pt.2's story. (I'll ommit my opinions on the designs for today)

Starting with the Dreamseeker!

I really appreciate how they didn't make them just another self insert who barely talks. Though I don't see why they didn't fully commit and give them a name. They could even keep the genderswapping thing by giving them an androgynous name. (Speaking of that, I didn't think I'd like that, but y'know what, it's cool that it's actual genderfluid rep!) However, the DS's personality so far has been kind of boring in my opinion. I think they're a very intriguing character. I mean, they were born out of the Sea of Quanta and hilariously chill over dreaming about dancing with a goddess who tells them they're gonna save the world, waking up in the SoQ with an amnesiac version of that goddess, and being thrust into a whole new bubble universe. I know they want to get home, but damn, I feel like I would freak out more. I really hope we get to learn more about them, and their personality shines through more!

Senadina- Ok. I'm pretty sure this is a controversial opinion already, but I don't really like Senadina. I want to because her selective memories and connection to a goddess are interesting, and she has cute moments, but she kind of just... annoys me. I mean, we've seen this kind of amnesiac but bubbly character before (*cough cough* March 7th *cough cough*), and something about her personality just annoys me. I can't pinpoint what it is about her, but like... I just don't really like her. She starts growing on me, and then she'll say something that annoys me. Right now, she feels like a character just designed to sell toys to me. I'm sure that will change, as she's one of the main main characters, but right now, she just isn't it for me. I hope she gets more interesting, and I grow to like her more.

Coralie- She's very much the Bronya of the group, but she's not just a Bronya clone, and I can appreciate her for that. I don't think I like her as much as I liked Bronya right off the bat, but of the main four, she has the most personality to me so far. She's also just kind of weird, which I like lmao. I have less to say about her and Helia, so just know that while I do like her, she's far from being an instant favorite.

Helia- She exists. That's almost all I have to say. Her bridge voicelines did make me like her a bit more, though. I think she's kind of cute, but nothing about her interests me. I also don't really like that she's yet another Durandal fan. I get that we only have like - 2 Dudu fans other than her, but it's not really an original character trait. Why couldn't she have been a Kiana fan or something? Even a Theresa fan would be cool. Teri needs more fans. I think she's fine, but boring.

Songque- She's definitely my favorite so far! There's definitely enough intrigue surrounding her for me to want to know more about her. What was that "dream" sequence with the DS before they actually met about? She's a shu, but what does she really know? I also like her personality. It's not like my favorite personality or anything, but she definitely has one, and it adds to the intrigue surrounding her. I hope she doesn't just go away after this story arc is finished.

So, that's most of my opinions about pt.2 so far! I left out some stuff, but this is really all you need to know about how I feel about the characters, gameplay, and ui so far.

[burningfairytales]

Just saw your answer. Can I ask, why do you love Haikyuu, All for the Game, and Throne of Glass? I think those 3 media are unique (because they're so different from each other) and I love to read your writings.

Hey! :)

Of course you can ask!

I know, they're all super different; it's weird.

Starting with Throne of Glass - I love the growth of the whole book series a a whole? In both the characters but also the writing itself.

You can really tell that SJM was young when she started writing it, and I think it's fun to see how her writing evolves with time.

(Fun fact - I couldn't finish the first one when I picked it up the first time. I thought it was horrible. I gave it another chance after reading ACOTAR though, and everyone is right: It does get so much better. Now I think it's cool to compare the writing in the first book to the writing in the last one.)

I like the storyline, and I LOVE the characters. I think every single character is well-rounded. They're flawed and they all learn and grow.

I also have to say that by now, I prefer ToG to ACOTAR because, well. The first three books were great! After that it felt like they solely existed for smut purposes. Not that there's anything wrong with that - it's just not my cup of tea.

In Throne of Glass you did have some scenes that bordered on spice, but it felt fitting. Like it was there for a reason - a natural continuation of the characters becoming intimate with each other both physically and mentally. It didn't feel like there was smut just for the sake of it being there, if that makes sense?

In general I just felt like the characters and their interactions and relationships felt very natural to me.

As for All for the Game - I mean.

I was part of the fandom when we were still 20 people and a cardboard cutout, you know? There were very few of us, but we loved those books fiercely. And as there was barely any fan-content out there at the time, we had to go out and make it ourselves.

I met some people in that time that I will never forget - people I wish all the happiness in the world for, even if we don't talk anymore.

I also met one of my best friends through those books. Now imagine - this was almost ten years ago, and this year, she officiated my wedding.

So those books will always, always be special to me.

As for the story itself - I had no idea what I was about to read at the time. Someone on tumblr recommended them to me and she generally had great taste, so I tried them. I mean, if she had told me I was about to read "Sports Manga Goes to America And Also The Mafia Shows Up" it might have stayed on my to-read list forever.

It does sound pretty ridiculous.

But this whole theme of all these damaged kids coming together and having to figure things out together, and helping each other heal?

That kinda gets me everytime, and Nora did it especially well.

It was like, never once was an issue talked about like it meant nothing. People tend to handle trauma like it comes with an expiration date, you know? Like there is just a certain point after which you're expected to be over it.

Well, some things you don't get over. Ever. And they get easier to deal with, with the right tools. And the right people. But that doesn't make them lesser-than. I think that's a theme that just spoke to me.

Also, I mean, the whole relationship between Neil and Andrew. I mean. Yeah. Perfection.

As for Haikyuu - which is perhaps my oddest choice, and also my latest obsession...

I went into expecting nothing. I knew it was a sports anime that people talked about a few years ago, and I always meant to check it out, but never got around to it.

And then it was on Netflix, and I thought, hey, y'know what, I haven't watched any good animes lately.

Look, I didn't go into it expecting to cry because Hinata managed to receive a stupid ball. I didn't expect to cry because of "thanks for getting me into volleyball."

I may have expected crying about "It's time I became an ace. Period." if I'd known it was coming, but I DIDN'T SO THERE'S THAT.

Thing is, I cannot, for the live of me, think of a single character I don't like. There are characters I really wanted to not like (I'm so sorry Tendo, you deserved better) and characters I am still midly annoyed by (look as hilarious as that snake guy was he was just in too many scenes, okay. I had the same problem with him that I had with the one guy from Laketown in The Hobbit 3. You know which one I'm talking about. Like three main characters DIED and you didn't get to mourn them because apparently an executive decision was made to underminde that tragedy by forcing a guy to wear a dress and expect the audience to laugh at that.

It's been years. I am still bitter.)

(Ahem.)

But yes, I just love every single character so, so much. They're all so intricate with their own desires and flaws and dreams and ways of thinking. I rarely even liked a main character as much as I love Hinata.

I love the relationship each team displays among its members. I love their dynamics. I love the dynamics the teams have amongst each other.

Ah - another scene that had me choking back tears. Daichi's and Kuroo's hug. I mean. After all those "I'm going to break your hand"-handshakes?? Yeah, there were tears.

Haikyuu might not have the depth that for example Throne of Glass has when it comes to its plot, but that's not necessary - it wins in other aspects.

I'm telling you that when I'm having a Bad Day (capital letters necessary), Haikyuu is a show that will cheer me up. Sometimes it doesn't need much. Sometimes a few dorks with a volleyball will do. It's just a very feel-good show - or a feel-good manga series of course.

So I guess, maybe these three things aren't completely different - they all overlap in the part that matters most to me: people finding each other. Strangers becoming a team, a family, and choosing to help each other through life.

Found family, man. That will never not get me.

[ragtimeboy]

Why do you make your art ugly on purpose? /nm

I think it's really cool, I just wanna know if there's a reason behind it :0

Long post, tldr at the end

I've been sitting on this ask for awhile while I thought of a way to voice my views on "ugliness" and I have 2 very contradictory paths concerning it. One is that I find objects, features, and animals that are considered ugly or repulsive very cute and endearing, I love leaches, crooked or missing teeth , lazy eyes, maggots, scars, and asymmetry. Cockroaches are my favorite animal. These things are a part of existing, a part of life and of the body and therefore they hold just as much importance as the things that are usually considered beautiful. I want to showcase the beauty i see in the world, in the body, in the people I love regardless of how others might see them. Maybe you can learn to love those things that makes everyone unique even if it isn't glamorous.

Content/trigger warning: irl bodily harm, suicide, murder, irl illness and death

Second is the representational value of the "ugly truth" the denial of fabricated peace or beauty. I do not like my feelings spared, I don't like to be told a mistruth for the sake of closure or comfort. I want to see the world how it is, not a clean sanitized version of it. My most profound moments of human connection are the brief times when people give me the gritty details, sharing their knowledge and experiences that are sickening and morbid. The details of my dad's wife's patient in brain injury with his nose and frontal lobe blown off from a gun under his chin, the motorcycle car crash my neighbor died in at the end of my street hours after it happened, the two kids he left behind, the pool of blood on the sidewalk I walked by everyday. The murder in self defence my ex committed. The time the elderly man I cared for got stabbed for heroin. The most horrible things everyone has seen when I trained to be an EMT, the decapitations, the inconceivable ways a human body can be broken. The details of my friend's suicide, all of them, I wanted to know. In those moments of grief and horror I feel like I am truly seeing the whole picture, truly a part of humanity even in the darkest moments, because someone is sharing the pain with me, because for just a moment we can look at each other and feel the same loss, the same disgust and emptiness, the shared hopelessness that reminds me that hope exists and it's omnipresent.

I don't talk about myself a lot and that's on purpose, I think for the most part my work speaks for itself, anything you need to know is painted out on watercolor paper. My little sister was born with an autoimmune disorder that liquified her body for 10 years, I watched her tiny body fall apart, watched it rot while she lived. (She's ok now, she's a theater kid which is worse). For most of my serious work I put the viewer in my shoes, the relationship between the snuff film star and the audience, neither existing without the other, the relationship of suffering and the witness of suffering, the stripped down bare basics of empathy, of understanding another. The annihilation of comfort, the denial of escapism, the confrontation with the ugly, the sickening, it's a part of my experience and in the same fashion as I want to be told the truth I offer you the same grace. Reality, gritty and vile is part of the deal, to experience joy and fulfillment you have to open yourself up for agony, and maybe agony isn't the worst thing that can happen. Maybe we stare into the dark and see the worst possible past, present and future and we keep going, we keep living despite it. We have to.

Sorry if this is long, I'll try to tag all the potential triggers in this but please dm me if I missed one.

Tldr I think ugly is beautiful because it's unique and I like to know the truth even if it's sad and gross

[maizeversal]

Tbh I love Underverse!Ink, I think he's a lot of fun and seeing him get to play a non-heroic role for once is,,, chef's kiss. Fuck it up little man. Fuck everything up. Okay maybe not that much. Girl you are KILLING it. GIRL you can STOP NOW it is ALREADY DEAD

And, like... I totally get why some people dislike it, especially since in other cases, the Soullessness thing has been taken as a mental health metaphor. I think that's a valid take with a lot of potential and it's reasonable that people would be uncomfortable with this new angle.

But, at the same time, as somebody with its own cocktail of mental issues, a few of which are things that people tend to ascribe to Ink as aspects of the lighter, more flavor text versions of Soullessness, I honestly don't see it that way. So I don't have a problem with UV!Ink on that front. By no means is it a perfect series, nothing is, but that's not one of the things that's bugged me, y'know?

Personally I like the idea of Soullessness being something... Alien, for lack of a better word. Not "eldritch", either, but like... Okay. Let's try a comparison.

So, to a Human, a Soul is the source of magic, right? And it's definitely connected to emotions and identity and all of that, but it's main job as an organ is to contain and control the person's innate magic. It gets its color based on the Human's behavior, not the other way around, kind of like how flamingos turn pink because of the shrimp they eat.

A Monster Soul, however, is the ENTIRE ORGAN CAVITY. That's the brain. That's the heart, the lungs, the guts, all of it packed into a sort of nucleus (although that's not a perfect analogy, either, because an animal cell's nucleus only houses the genetic material, but... You know what I mean). The rest of the body is essentially a machine that allows the Soul to get around, feed itself, and fend off threats.

So imagine if you met someone, and they just... Didn't have organs. No brain, no heart, no lungs, no guts. There's a lot of variations that the human body can survive and even thrive with; we have ways to pump blood and oxygen through the body without a standard circulatory system, thanks to inventions like pacemakers and organ transplants. But you can't live without a brain. You just can't, like, fundamentally. Yet, this person talking to you has lifted up part of their skull and there is nothing there. They do the same thing with their ribs and there is no blood. They seem to be doing fine, no machinery or even surgical scars, but there is no way they should, scientifically, be a functioning organism.

That's what I've always thought of it as. Ink is not a Monster, nor is he Human; he is something else entirely. The best way I've been able to pin it down is that he is a spirit, or a pure manifestation of Creative magic. And quite frankly, yeah, a spirit would have a completely different way of interacting with the world around them. Our experiences, our motives, even our ability to bond with others, are uniquely human in the most animal, evolutionary sense; Monsters, too, would be influenced by the conditions in which they evolved.

But Ink? Did not evolve. He was Created. Though he learns and grows as a conscious being, as a mind, he will never physically grow; any changes over time are superficial results of his internal, personal growth.

And I love that. I LOVE how goddamn weird he is. I absolutely adore the conceptual tug-of-war between him wanting to be like the others and having to embrace that he just isn't in order to move forward - the idea that, yes, he is alien, he is "unknowable" but only if nobody tries, he is a different kind of creature and that is okay, he is still a person. He's done something horrible. But, like any person - Human, Monster, or otherwise - he is more than that one mistake. He has free will. That is his responsibility.

[fionacle]

someone please help me shorten my college essay oh my god

it needs to be 650 words, max, but it’s 897 right now, and that’s after editing.

i don’t want to take anything out, but I have to.

a teacher told me to take out every “I’m not normal” but i will absolutely fucking not

Pasting it below the cut, CW for ableism (my topic is how people will refer to people with autism and stuff as “special”)

Also if I wrote anything offensive lmk because the only people I’ve shown it to are neurotypical adults

At some point, almost every child is told that they are special. It’s a great feeling. Human nature is to strive for the top, and children especially enjoy having their inflated self-importance validated. But I quickly learned the downside to that word.

I couldn’t tell you the first time it happened, most things before high school are a blur, but I’ve often heard others called special. The meaning of this is nothing like the way special is supposed to mean. Special things are supposed to be important and unique, they matter a lot for one reason or another, it’s a very high compliment if you say it genuinely. But here it’s condescending. Like this is the core of the person being spoken about, and that core is a taboo. Like it’s pity for an illness, or warning of danger. They say the word as though they’re describing a creature, some animal of lesser mind. I still hear this often.

To speak with one of ‘them’ is seen as a great act rather than basic human decency toward a human.

“I’m proud of you for being friends with him.” “Why?” “Oh, you know, he’s special.”

I love being praised. More than anything else in the world. I need to know I matter. I need to feel skilled and important, the good kind of special. But when I’m praised for something like this I feel dirty. I can’t help but try to be the white knight when a friend is upset, I love being a hero even when it’s unneeded or undeserved, but not here. If I accept this praise it means I agree that I had to do something significant and difficult. It means that my friend is just a challenge that I beat. So, not only would I be lying, I’d also be insulting my friend, even if he wouldn’t be in earshot.

I want nothing more in life than to be special. The good kind.

I want to finish writing a good book and become famous for it. I want adoring fans, and to make a difference in their lives. I want to be talked about by people as someone cool and worthy of awe and respect, maybe even envy. I want to know that my friends consider me significant and wonderful. I want everyone I meet to be so earnest about their care for me that it forces out any thought that tells me I’m not worth their time. I want to carry around the good special for everyone.

But honestly, the word isn’t really that important to me. I don’t hold any affection for it. I’m upset that it dehumanizes others, but mostly I’m upset that it dehumanizes me.

I’m not clinically diagnosed with autism. I’m clinically diagnosed with ADHD, and that’s it. But I am sure I do not exclusively have ADHD.

When I go into testing rooms, I’ve been to quite a few since childhood, they present games to test my brain functions. This is an awful way for me to show my symptoms. I do the best I can on the tests because they’re fun and I want to show off. I tend not to have “off” days when I visit them, especially because I’m rarely around triggers. They don’t see me cry because the lunch man took my apple juice cap. They don’t see me flail around because I hear someone chewing gum. They don’t hear my autistic friends explain to me how my experiences match theirs to an alarming degree. I’m horribly emotional and sensitive and find it incredibly hard to not hate every kid outside my friend group. I need them to see my tears in action. I need them to see. I need to take my memories out of my brain and show them. They need to know everything I’ve done and they need to put a word to it and let me tell people.

Then, maybe, they won’t tell me to stop. To stop being too weird. To stop being too emotional. To stop being afraid of things no one else cares about. To stop “misidentifying” emotions. To stop all of it. To just be normal. Because no matter how much they want it to be true it’s not. It’s not. It never will be. I cannot be. I’m not normal.

There’s something both cathartic and terrifying in saying that.

I’m not normal.

“Stop doing that or they’ll think you’re special.”

I am. I am special. You’ve known me your whole life. People I’ve known for a year can see it. Why can’t you? Why can’t you see that a fundamental part of me is that my brain is not normal. Why can’t you stop making that face when I bring this stuff up. Don’t tell me I’m copying my friends. Don’t tell me my friends are weak. They are not weak. I am not weak when I act like them. When I am true to myself I am strong. Don’t tell me that strength isn’t the real me. You need to re-learn who I am before you get to tell me who that is.

I am not some normal girl, what makes me different is a bigger part of me than my loved ones would like to admit. I think they ought to know me as “bad” special, as much as I hate the word.

[ac-liveblogs]

Tbh I kinda lost interest in MHA when the focus went from the students to the pro heroes which wouldn't have been that bad if the series were longer and we eventually would've went back to them. I loved these kids, I thought they all had so much potential to become powerful heroes or be really successful in a certain niche yet the only characters that matter are Deku, Todoroki and Bakugo and aside from them ,the pro heroes...I know Horikoshi has health issues and he has been writing this manga for years it's just I think if we would've gotten like 3 or 4 arcs centered around the students it would've probably felt better for me personally.

Hmm, I think I'm sort of in the opposite camp. I agree with you that additional arcs developing the students would have benefited the story a lot, but I preferred the series when it switched focus to the pros. That's because the pros were better positioned to provide commentary on the state of BNHA's world, which... even if the manga is about Hero School, if the plot wants to talk about "heroes vs villains" being at least in part a social construct, the pros are going to be more valuable pieces to use than a bunch of completely normal school children.

Which is unfortunate, because you end up with a cast that largely doesn't have anything to say or unique to contribute. Like, you even see that with characters like Bakugou not having much to do outside of his role foiling and growing up with Deku. I like Bakugou, but man. Man.

Todoroki, Aoyama and Iida are the closest to that discussion, but they're disconnected from the problem, are paid off too late to capitalise on and leave the conversation early respectively. Uraraka has her storyline with Toga, which is great and I'm hoping that will pay off in a way that doesn't completely center Deku.

Or, Tokoyami is adjacent to Hawks, but mostly in the capacity of "I care about my mentor, no matter what dubious things he did I believe he is a good person" which is great for Hawks, but that's still about Hawks... because Tokoyami can't be the one doing what Hawks is doing, he can only comment on it...

I think BNHA ran into the problem, really early on, that if your students are first year high school students just starting to learn how to fight or save people, outside of really wild circumstances it's difficult to get them involved in the plot if it's happening outside of school.

It's not impossible obviously (Bakugou could have been asked to go undercover in the League of Villains instead of or alongside Hawks, just off the top of my head) but if Hori really does have health issues that require speeding up this manga I can see why so many corners got cut the way they did (it really would explain a lot). Class 1A kind of just... ended up being baggage. I can see how if Horikoshi had more time to cook, 1A probably would've been set up to take the places of characters like Miruko or Best Jeanist.

Also, and this is unfortunate, Horikoshi did design the vast majority of the class to have a huge spread of powers because he wanted to showcase a variety of different kinds of heroes. It's just that stuff like that really can make you dead weight in a war arc in a combat-oriented manga. Like, what's Koda gonna do. Unfortunately, I think Horikoshi did the best he could with a lot of them during the evacuation scenes with respect to the limitations he put on them, and the fact that Deku, Bakugou and Todoroki are kind of supposed to be monsters.

I think that's probably why he ended up falling back on Mirio, Tamaki and Nejire so heavily later on... who in 1A beyond The Main Guys could possibly plausibly join the Major Fights? It really sucks, but my god it all added up horribly.

I know this isn't really popular anymore, but I actually liked a lot of the filler episodes in Naruto part 1 that featured a random grab bag of Naruto + the other genin in the village. Maybe BNHA's anime would've benefited from some of that lol

[panzershrike-pretz]

💐 once you receive this lovely bouquet of flowers you have to mention five things you love, publicly, and send it to 10 of your favorite followers if you want. SPREAD POSITIVITY! ⛅️

HI LOU! and HI @grumpy-liebgott!! I got two of these little things and decided to answer both in one! Thank you so much for sending thses, you lovely people! Love you guys! <3

1. MY DOG! I can say I love her more than anything else in my life, truly. She's the reason i'm still alive, my little guardian angel, a safe spot. She's been with me through thick and thin and I couldn't be more thankful. I sometimes wonder if she knows just how important she is to me. When life was bad and i'd ask myself if it was even worth it coming back home, I'd remember I had to get home to her. It was always worth it to see her little face and wagging tail and hear her little barks. I love her.

2. Friends! I adore each and every one of them and I couldn't be more thankful for them and everything they've done for me. I love and cherish all of my moments with these wonderful people.

3. My OCs and my universe! It's a safe place where i can make my mind retreat to when I'm stressed. Creating stuff for them (or simply creating them) is absolutely amazing and my favorite past-time; i'm always with at least one of my OCs in my mind spinning like a rotisserie chicken.

4. BIRDS. BIRDS BIRDS BIRDS BIRDSSSSSSSSSS I LOVE THEMMMMMMM AND FEATHERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! BIRDS!!

5. Taxidermy! Love it. There's something so unique and cool about being able to eternalyze animals through taxidermy. I've been to a lab and although the smell is fucking horrible (well, the smell of their turtle at least. The mammal was alright), I do plan on learning it on college (bless it for having tacidermy classes, fuck yeah).

While writing this i discivered that ghe oldest piece of taxidermy is most likely a vrocodile hanhibg from the chirch of Ponta Nossa, Italy. It is AT LEAST from 1534. I find it very very cool-

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” - they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them! Get in contact with them on Facebook, shipping to the U.S. only, and tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

Last week we mentioned Mystery Inc, so it seems we need to remind everyone that besides his parents, Dada-Doo and Mumsy-Doo, Scooby has a LARGE extended family. So let’s introduce you all to just part of them and give you advice based on who you get.

Aries 

The Doo Family, as we said, is pretty massive, and we get to start things off with someone special - Scooby’s Sister! Ruby-Doo has a very notable distinction of being the only sister, a valley-girl type no less, and the dubious distinction of being the mother of Scrappy-Doo. Some think that she let Scrappy go on adventures with his uncle, she just said, “we’ll see”... and he took off because that wasn’t a “No”. So This Week… Unless you’re specifically told “no”, Go For It! Especially where your next coffee hit is concerned! And remember to tip your barista.

Taurus 

We’ve got a listing of a long-lost Doo Family Member that doesn’t have any family pictures of. Let’s introduce you to the Missing Link Doo, ancestor of the Doos. As his name suggests, he may have been the first Doo to have anthropomorphism. Since he’s only a skeleton, his overall physical makeup is unknown. So This Week… You don’t know what all your ancestors looked like, but it’s fair to say you look exactly like one of them. Find out who that is and steal their identity for a weekend. It’ll screw up everyone when you’re seen robbing a bank in a victorian-era suit. 

Gemini 

The Doo Family has a pretty diverse group, and Scooby’s uncle Horton-Doo fits the bill. He’s the scientist uncle sporting a white lab coat, a misshapen dark gray bow, and small, round glasses; so just all kinds of exactly what you’d expect of him. And in the same vein he’s interested in science, monsters, and other scary things. So This Week… Go out and buy a set of medical scrubs to wear as lounging wear at home. It’s actually more comfortable than you think.

Cancer Moon-Child 

You know that the Doo Family is blessed, or cursed, with the ability to speak. Well, how about Singing? Meet Scooby’s southern cousin, Dixie Doo, a singer at the Delta Queen showboat. She’s got beige fur and brown, wavy, human-like hair on her head with pink flowers and wears a pink dress. Dixie behaves like a traditional southern belle, offering hospitality and southern fried chicken. So This Week… If you’re going to eat something that’s unhealthy for you, make it something delicious! And remember, there really is something known as “Southern Fried Steak” too. Enjoy making that for yourself. 

Leo 

Let us introduce you to Scooby’s brother Yabba-Doo. Even though his typical custom catch-phrase is, "Yippity-Yabbity-Doo", there's no official statement that Fred Flintstone shares an animated universe with the Doo Family, so this might not exactly be a stolen catchphrase. Yabba is a white Great Dane and is more unkempt than Scooby, sporting small, brown, triangular spots on his legs. Instead of a collar he wears a red bandana and a brown cowboy hat. Unlike his brother, Yabba is always brave, doing anything to protect Tumbleweed county. So This Week… Take an example from Yabba-Doo and don’t feel self conscious about your slight accent when speaking. It’s what makes you YOU in everyone’s ears. You’re unique - just learn to enjoy it.

Virgo 

Hard to keep track of all the brothers Scooby has, but here’s a fun one. Younger Brother Skippy-Doo is a brown Great Dane puppy who looks exactly like his older brother, but wearing a red collar and square framed glasses like his father. He’s  clearly intelligent, enjoying complex computers, which he could relate to Velma Dinkley with. So This Week… NE-ERD!!! See, that didn’t hurt, did it? Of course not - because you know the truth; that the Nerds of the world know where everything is hidden on someone’s computer. Always remember to Listen, always. You never know when some important piece of information might find its way into your ear.

Libra

From the Redundancy Department of Redundancy we bring you one of the oldest members of the Doo Family; Grandpa Scoobert "Scooby" Doo II. He looks a lot like Scooby, which surprises no one, only being thinner with grey eyebrows and a mustache. His personality is very similar to Shaggy Rogers and Scooby's, as he gets easily scared and loves eating. So This Week… Try to remember, your Grandparents don’t look like You - YOU look like your GRANDPARENTS. And if you look like them, examine some of the things you enjoy in your life and remember, they probably liked the same things. Which gets super uncomfortable when you start talking about intimate goings-on. 

Scorpio 

You’ll find out that the Doo Family is kind of a big deal in the entertainment world. Case in point you’ve got the very sweet and kind Movie Star Cousin Scooby-Dee. She has white fur, blue eyes, a long white tail, and pointy ears, and a pink collar with a heart-shaped name tag. During special occasions she’ll wear a blue collar with the same heart-shaped name tag. So This Week… When you finally make it big, keep being the warm-hearted person we’ve all known for all this time. It’ll serve you well to remember people’s names. 

Sagittarius 

We’re sorry. We are just so, so sorry. You know what’s coming - we ALL know what’s coming. The son of Ruby-Doo and nephew to Scooby, we finally, unfortunately, come to Scrappy-Doo. We’ll bet you don’t know how he got his name, though. The doctor who delivered him commented that he was a "scrappy little tyke" and the name just stuck. So This Week… Just because you got saddled with an annoying nickname early on doesn’t mean you have to accept it. You can move on from it and be the person you’ve always thought you could be. Go For It! We believe in you! 

Capricorn 

The Doo family is very accomplished in entertainment, obviously. So meet Whoopsy-Doo, Scooby's clown cousin. Owned by Gaggy Rogers, uncle of Shaggy Rogers, Whoopsy is a white Great Dane who dresses as a clown. And being a clown, he is silly, goofy, funny, but also quite clumsy, hence his name. So This Week… Your Hand-Eye coordination is going to take a hit due to your ears being blocked up. Slow down and be very attentive to anything you’re holding on to. 

Aquarius 

Sooner or later it had to happen - who does a Doo-Family Member become when they’re a werewolf? Meet Nasty-Doo, Scooby’s Uncle. But, actually, no. Nasty-Doo was the "Were-Doo" disguise of Professor Digmi, based on the real Nasty-Doo. He had brown fur, red pupils with yellow sclera, and a red, spiked collar. So This Week… Did you learn nothing from the whole Scooby-Doo Series? Professor Digmi was digging for a missing leg bone in Doo Manor so he could be famous, and he dressed up as Nasty-Doo to cover his tracks. There’s No Such Thing As Monsters!

Pisces  

And finally, we’ve got one of Scooby’s other younger brothers. Howdy-Doo is a Great Dane puppy, with light brown fur like his sister and mother, a head of red hair, blue collar like his brother, a white ribbon on his tail, and likes to read supermarket tabloids like the National Exaggerator. So This Week… It’s OK for you to read similar tabloids, but only if you remember that they’re all for fun. A little escapism can be therapeutic for the mind; since we can’t trust you not to overdo it in the liquor store. 

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know - or check out the Ko-Fi page ( https://ko-fi.com/icarusthelunarguard )! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Discord, and BLUESKY.

[more-than-a-princess]

Only out of ignorance, Sonia thought, could he have suggested watching a Gundam anime at a time like this. Yet she didn't hold it against him: he couldn't have known, she realized as she gave him a sad smile. "I doubt the Future Foundation would keep such titles available in the library," She remarked between sips of wine. "Considering the prevailing theme is how children respond and react to war. It might not be the best anime to watch, if being reminded about such things is...is too hard. We were terrorists, after all."

But the look in her eyes she gave him didn't correspond with her words. She called them terrorists and yet her gaze towards him was warm, gentle. It always was, always had been, save for when she'd been a Remnant of Despair and upon the conclusion of the simulation's fourth trial, when she'd sobbed like a child and he'd told her not to cry.

"Maybe another time," She suggested, "Once the world has begun to heal. In the meantime, I think happier stories are worth consuming right now. Or at least, they won't remind me of...of everything."

It was kinder to spare him the gruesome details. Sonia didn't know how much he remembered of his time as a Remnant of Despair, and she didn't exactly remember how much their paths had crossed then, either. Her tyranny was wholly focused in Europe while his...well, she could only guess that his reach spanned wider, to rally all of the most fearsome beasts on Earth under his control.

They'd continued to eat, in bouts of silence followed by questions that felt far too deep, far too vulnerable, far too dangerous with the addition of alcohol and candlelight. And she was the furthest thing from a lightweight, yet the haze of a fresh-cooked meal and his tender words had settled heavily around her. She gasped softly as he reached for her hands, and she made no move to pull away from him. Being touched so tenderly...it was a feeling she'd forgotten as a Remnant, one she struggled to remember until he held her and her heart beat a little faster. "I just didn't kn-know," She uncharacteristically stammered as her knuckles brushed his lips. That was the effect he had on her, the intensity of his multi-colored gaze, his words, his touch. "If it was enough, that I was the only one who never believed you to be poisonous. If you wanted someone else to befriend you, to see you."

Once he'd let go, she too moved her plate away: eating anymore seemed impossible, not while her stomach was doing somersaults at the fact he'd kissed her knuckles and how much she yearned for his kiss elsewhere. Her lips would be a start, a thought that brought a blush upon her cheeks and shame in her heart. From what she could remember of Hope's Peak, she could recall that Gundham had always been unique, his own brand of eccentricity that everyone complained they couldn't understand and often asked Sonia to translate. He'd only wanted to reassure her, and yet her thoughts had immediately wandered into far more romantic, intimate territory. Something unwanted, she felt: she wasn't the princess she used to be, one worth loving. She was a queen and a monster.

At least she could give him some comfort and support. In spite of all the horrible things she'd done, she could at least offer a kind word. Until they weren't, when her words reminded him of something far more melancholy. "I am sorry, I did not realize," She replied quickly, shaking her head. "I should have considered that your ties to Japan would not be as robust as mine to Novoselic. But yes, you are right: the makango are endangered now, or so I have been told. I imagine my country would be grateful for the help, if they can be accustomed to your presence there. One former Remnant is apparently a lot to take in, according to the newspapers."

Not that she opposed him being there. That had been her selfish wish since she'd awakened and learned the truth of The Tragedy: she'd watched over his pod and the farm first with the hope that he would wake and be all right, and second that he might share the same desire she did: to never have to say goodbye again. Even in a simulation, it was far too painful the first time.

Sonia stood as soon as she heard the sound of breaking glass. "Come on, let me help clean up," She insisted, striding over to the mess on the floor. "As long as you assist, I should be capable of using the right cleaning products and- OW."

She winced, sitting back on the floor and away from the scattered shards: one had pierced her index finger, Sonia clutching her bleeding hand to her chest. "Oh no...I don't think it is too deep but it hurts!"

It was somehow easy to talk about the past, despite the stabbing pain that came with it, if only because Sonia herself was so easy to talk to. It was hard to imagine her Father, the King of Novoselic, being an Otaku on the side. "I.. I am afraid I missed out on the mecha side of animations. I must confess, I have not seen any of the Gundam arcs. Perhaps, they have them here, and we could watch them together on another day. Only then will I know which is my favorite."

If only her father could watch them with them. It would be a great way to bond with him, despite him coming from an impoverished background. He had no fantasies that the King would allow him to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage, due to his upbringing, yet, perhaps, he would allow him to be her friend: To live out his days in the castle, stealing glances and laughs from the princess. He told himself that would have been enough, but there was no way to know now. Just like there was no way to learn why his Mother had named him 'Gundham' in the first place. As far as he knew, she hadn't been a closeted otaku.

As Gundham ate, he couldn't help but notice the furtive glances that the blonde kept sending his way. He hoped there wasn't something on his face, and he quickly wiped it with his napkin, yet her blue hues continued to drift towards him. He began to look more closely at her as well, his heavy glance drinking in her features. From her beautiful eyes, to her cute dress, his mismatched hues wandered, finally resting upon her luscious lips. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but a sudden need had him sitting straighter in his seat, pinching his leg to keep himself rooted to the spot. Softly, he bit his lip, as his gaze lingered on her mouth.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, she asked quite an intriguing question, one that caught him a bit off guard. He'd finished eating by then, and he pushed his plate to the side, reaching across the table, and taking her hands in his own. "It matters.. more than you will ever know. That you were the one to befriend me, to see me for who I was. Out of the billions of mortals in existence, I would not want anyone else." Still consumed by that impossible urge to kiss her, he drew her hand towards his mouth, brushing the soft skin of her knuckles against his lips in a chaste, yet all consuming manner.

It was enough. He tried to convince himself, as he let her take her digits back. Yet, he knew he wanted more. He wanted to know what her lips felt like against his own. Surely, they would be even more soft than the back of her hand had been. He wanted to kiss her everywhere, and learn what every part of her felt like with his mouth and hands. He pulled himself out of his reverie, realizing how shallow and deep his breathing had become. Damned wine. At this rate, she would think he was a creep.

"Why yes. Kintsugi is beautiful." And so are you. The fact that she was referring to him as beautiful in her own way, went far above him. He had never thought of himself so much as handsome, let alone beautiful. His gaze darkened and he finally looked away, as her words struck something dark and sorrowful inside of him. "I.. do not have a home any longer. There is no home for me to return to in Japan. I did not have friends there, or close family. So, no, I would not miss it. You.. are the only one left that I care for." He stood, collecting the dirty dishes. "I believe you told me that the Makango are endangered as well. With my powers, I can lend a hand, and fight to save them. Kehehehe."

On his way to the kitchen, he stumbled a bit, and one of the wine glasses toppled over and shattered. It had been so long since he'd had a drink, and he was definitely more than buzzed after the few glasses of wine he'd had. "My apologies. It seems I have have lost myself in my cups." He opened the closet nearby, hoping to find the broom.

[wickedsrest-rp]

NAME: Gatlin Fields

The Gatlin Fields are a sweeping agricultural neighborhood that sits on the westernmost part of Wicked’s Rest. It contains many of the local farms and ranches that supply the town with food and act as major exported goods. While Gatlin Fields encompasses a large area, it isn’t as densely populated as the rest of the town, with most people out here being employed in some type of agriculture or at the wind turbine farms that generate power out on the hills. There are also a number of more rural motels, restaurants, and general stores sparsely dotted throughout the neighborhood. The concentration of animal life and wooded areas between farms make the Gatlin Fields surprisingly plentiful in monsters, despite its idyllic beauty, especially those that prey on livestock. Small fae also abound in this area, both playing irritating pranks on local farmers and secretly assisting crops with magic as the mood strikes them. Some longtime residents of Gatlin Fields are aware that there are “weird critters” out at night, but just give noncommittal shrugs or feign ignorance when “city types” (just 30 minutes east) ask about it.

Kids raised out in Gatlin Fields grow up learning ghoulish nursery rhymes about some of Wicked’s Rest’s monsters and cryptids. They usually have their own unique names for them, and might even know a thing or two about their abilities and weaknesses. They’re just as likely to be horribly incorrect, though, like any old adages.

University of Maine Wicked’s Rest has a small FFA secondary campus out here that focuses on practical agriculture education. It also offers courses in green energy engineering in partnership with the local wind farms.

The farms out here don’t tend to use harmful chemicals, monocultures, or unattainable tilling practices. Local pixies often make a grisly example out of farmers that try. As such, Gatlin has a number of superstitions related to best farming practices, only some of which are based in reality. Most everything is organic, though.

Human trespassers might get turned into fertilizer on a few sinister homesteads, especially those where the farmhands only work the fields at night. Mostly this is in a figurative sense, but in a few literal cases, humans dissolved into soil upon infringing on their neighbor’s properties.

Visitors from more urban areas or out of town may find small corn husk effigies in their bags or car. Do not be alarmed.

Sometimes the wind carries the stench from the Allgood Death Pit long distances. Some might get a nice whiff of decomposition from way across the neighborhood. Just part of Gatlin’s charm.

There’s a patch of fae grass that’s been in Gatlin Fields for decades, and it’s a pleasant blend of hungry grass and stray sod. Rather than erect a fence around it or make a sign, the locals rely on word of mouth, warning newcomers to stay out of the grass. These warnings often fall flat.

Sometimes you might see a catoblepas or two among a herd of mundane cattle. In addition to gobbling up all the hazardous plants that might grow in a farmer’s field before the other animals can get to them, catoblepones are fiercely protective of the herd they grew up with and make for fantastic livestock guardians. Also, their poop is a killer ingredient if you’re in the market for poisonous concoctions.

EXPLORE GATLIN FIELDS

[beholdthemem]

I've got some time before work, so let's see what episode 5 has in store. The visit from Lady Briarwood’s dead minions in 4 was arguably the scariest thing I've seen animated, so I'm already afraid.

Thoughts:

- "Oh man, being bad is so EXCITING!"

Sometimes Keyleth seems like she is living in a totally different genre than the rest of the party, and is still sort of adjusting. Like. Keyleth feels like somebody decided to take a Disney princess, put her in a Rated R For Gore, Nudity, And Sexual Situations tv show with the full expectations that she’d die horribly, and instead the princess decided “Well, when in Rome...” and taught herself to kill. How long did it take for her to learn how to swear?

- “...ooh. I don’t wanna know.”

“...”

“...no, that’s a lie, I absolutely wanna know! Tell me, what’s all this about?”

I completely understand why Vax keeps coming back to spend time with Gilmore, he is DELIGHTFUL.

- Is Vex the older twin? I feel like Vex is either the older twin, or THINKS she’s the older twin. Something about her interactions with Vax have this lovingly exasperated vibe of ‘Ah yes, my idiot little brother and his trusting-to-a-fault heart’ which is objectively hilarious because I think she’s the only person in the world Vax could be considered overly trusting in comparison to.

- “And here I thought you were practicing your resting bitch face.”

“Excuse me? My bitch face??”

I need to start making a list of Best Possible Things For Percy To Say In That Fancy Accent. I can HEAR the indignant quotation marks.

- Okay, I think I got it- Vax’s outlook is like. He lost a family before, but he’s gradually starting to feel like he’s found another in Vox Machina, and is looking to encourage that. Vex’s policy is that she lost a family before, is keeping fierce hold of what’s left of it, and has zero interest in adding new people to the remainder because she doesn’t trust them not to potentially fuck her/Vax/Trinket over, accidentally or otherwise. 

I wouldn’t have originally guessed her to be a control freak, but I think she is, a little? Just sort of in the sense that she went through something so traumatic and wildly out of her control early on that she cannot feel safe and comfortable unless she’s in charge of whatever situation she’s in.

- OH MY GOD, WAIT, THAT’S WHY SHE GETS ON WITH PERCY, BECAUSE HE’S THE SAME WAY. I’ve been trying to figure out why she just tolerates everybody besides Vax but seems genuinely invested in figuring Percy’s shit out, it’s because he’s the only one whose approach to life she understands, and she wants to give him the help with it that she didn’t get.

- CAN’T LADY BRIARWOOD JUST KEEP ASTHMATIC LITTLE PURSE DOGS LIKE EVERY OTHER RICH PERSON?!

- Scanlan I need you to understand that this is attached to a dog. You are frenching a dog right now. That is a new and unique low.

- “Come ON Percy, FASTER! HYAH!”

“This thing was not built for speed and DID YOU JUST ‘HYAH’ ME?!”

What is it about life or death situations that bring out the old married couple in these two? This feels like that scene from the Incredibles where Bob and Helen are arguing over the fastest route through traffic to get to the supervillain downtown.

- So the twins have a dad, and Daddy Issues to go with it. Hoo boy.

- Seeing what Whitestone’s become after hearing Percy describe the way he remembered it feels like another death.

- I knew we’d be coming back to the people the Briarwoods ‘invited for dinner’, but there was a moment there where I thought it was going to be what was left of the corpses of Percy’s family hanging from that tree, left up there as a constant reminder to the villagers of how easily Lord and Lady Briarwood can remove obstacles to what they want- and how much joy they get out of doing so. For your sake don’t be one. You’ll fail, and they’ll have fun making an example out of you for trying.