#design features can benefit certain people

[wonder-doughnut]

I just happened to save a draft about how much I appreciate the accessibility of the Switch joycons.

With my wrist/finger problems, it’s hard for me to hold a computer mouse for long, and it’s hard for me to hold a controller for a long time as well. But, the way the joycons are so small and can be separated allows me to place my arms in whatever position I like, and the joycon itself is so lightweight that my hands can hold them comfortably. If I position myself just right, I can finally play games I haven’t been able to play in fear of hurting myself. I've got pretty big hands too, so the separation feature keeps me from having to bunch my hands together around a tiny controller.

I know joycons are pretty delicate and a lot of people complain about drift, but I think they’re still a step in a good direction and refining their design as opposed to throwing them out all together could mean great things for accessibility of games in general.

“I went to school for game design! I am highly qualified to talk about any game out there!”

I bet you don’t even know how big an 8 year old’s hands are.

[akunya]

“companionship.”

pairings: android!hex haywire x m!reader

summary: can a robot and human fall in love?

tw: HYPNOSIS, NONCON, manipulation, yandere, etc. robot sex, voice fetish, onahole, voyeurism. size difference, belly bulging, etc.

notes: i love this cliche au of sex robots and things like that, so here’s my take on it.. with hex.

it’s probably terrible and i guess caters a certain niche, but let me know what you guys think.

today was it - the day you’ve been waiting for! finally, after all your hard work throughout the year, you saved enough money to buy your own, state of the art, artificial intelligence assistant.

and, luckily for you, today was also the grand debut of a brand new line of androids: xsoliel.

your hands were as shaky as ever waiting in line at the mall, double checking your savings to assure yourself you weren’t dreaming. nijisanji’s new line of androids were practically everything anyone could ask for: equipped with unique and interesting designs and personalities for each member, xsoliel offered a variety of services: whether it was for your own selfish pleasure or to help with manual labor, there was surely somebody for you.

..or so, that’s how the commercial sounded anyways. you silently thanked humankind for blessing the world with this era of companion-droids. seeing the ad nearly a year ago, you were star struck at the first all-male line nijisanji had debuted: luxiem.

unfortunately, they were sold out and only resold at steep prices— but, a few lucky online bloggers raved about their features, endless posts about how amazing it was to have an assistant of your own. while they could’ve surely been exaggerating, ever since that moment, you put money aside each week, even taking on extra jobs to make a little more cash to achieve your dream.

and it was finally time to reap your benefits.

while you didn’t know much about xsoliel nor intended to coincidentally buy an android of your own on the day of their newest launch, that didn’t stop you from checking them out. reading the blurbs about each member peaked your curiosity even higher. “a delinquent? people really think of anything these days, huh?” chuckling, you let yourself playfully criticize each member. you quickly bit your tongue, thoughts coming to a halt after reading about a certain individual.

“..what kind of name is hex?” muttering to yourself, you couldn’t hide the faint blush on your face as you stared at the model inside of the store. sleek attire, it almost made him look like a professor than a robot. paired with optional glasses (why did he even need those? can’t he see perfectly?), hex’s design made your heart flutter. his official advertisement described him as a nurturing, gentle servant, perfect for new customers to start off with. illustrated to have a deep, nearly hypnotic voice, hex’s programming was assured to have his users satisfied and satiated with their purchase.

swiping your card at the checkout, you really hoped you made the right choice, signing off a couple waivers and documents the employee had given you.

just a week later, you realized you didn’t regret your decision at all.

living with an ai assistant could only be described as luxury. hex truly was made with a “newbie” owner in mind, and the way he spoke to you sometimes made you wonder who was really in charge. his sweet, charming voice, along with how gentle and kind he was towards you, lifted your spirits instantly.

for instance, hex was a wonderful outlet to talk to when things went wrong — and, as if it was magic, nearly every problem you spoke about washed away the next morning! your problems with coworkers quickly diminished, and you even got the raise you’ve been praying for months now. he’d always offer such delicate touches, hugs and shoulder massages when he notices you’re pent up from a long day. you couldn’t fight off the dreamy, floaty headspace you were in when he was around.

not to mention, hex even did some of the chores while you were at work without being told to. even though you felt too guilty to ask him to clean the house, he didn’t seem to mind, making sure you came home to a clean room and nicely folded laundry each day. hell, he even told you he was looking into cooking, something that wasn’t originally included in his list of abilities. hex seemed to go above and beyond for you each time, amazing you each day.

it was a normal friday night, and you were with him as you always were, spending most of your time with the robot.

“y/n, why don’t you ever want to use me for something else..?” the question made your face feel warm, hairs standing on the edge. you two were cleaning up the kitchen after preparing dinner. laughing awkwardly, you tried to shrug off his curiosity, shining a plate with a dish towel. “well, id never want to force you to do something you didn’t like, silly.”

hex’s brow furrowed, a hint of anger resting beneath the surface. who said i didn’t want to?” for an android , the way he spoke was jarringly natural. your eyes widened in surprise, speechless for a moment. hex talked so nonchalantly about sex, but you had to remind yourself he was still a robot after all. as human as his synthetic skin and olive eyes may look, he lacks a beating heart and flesh.

“i-im not sure i want to. im just not interested in that type of stuff right now..” you let your voice trail off, sitting and washing in silence before hex spoke up dangerously close to your ear.

“you don’t have to lie, baby. i can hear you in the middle of the night when you touch yourself.” his deep voice made you shudder, unable to move. didnt you tell him to shut himself off during the nighttime? you were sure you ordered him not to snoop around, especially on nights that you planned to indulge in yourself. gulping, you laughed awkwardly as hex didn’t seem to budge.

“ah, s-sorry for disturbing you, ill try and keep it down next time..” his hand enveloped your own, forcing you to meet his gaze. goodness, his hands were big. warm, soft, inviting — strong, too. hex squeezed your hands, not bothering to stop when you winced from the pain, smiling. “you don’t have to keep it down. you should let me help you.” the way hex spoke was as if he was demanding you, not letting go until you gave him an answer. “it’s what i was.. made to do, anyways.” his voice was filled with solemn, playing with your heartstrings.

the silence was weighing on your thoughts, biting your lip in anticipation. hex knew how to make you uncomfortable, how to give into his desires and requests even when you didn’t want to — on the surface, at least. “alright, i will..! next time ill let you help me, okay?” you huffed, hex letting go of your hands and putting them on your shoulders instead. “good boy. you’re listening so well.” you hated how warm his praise made you feel.

the next night you needed help came sooner than you thought, shamefully letting hex in when he knocked on the door. the android wasted no time making himself comfortable in your space.

“a-ah, hex, slow down! please!” his hand was wrapped around your fleshlight, pumping vigorously as you squirmed in between his legs. your back was pressed against his chest, caged in the ai’s arms as he pleasured you. he caught you trying to use it to get yourself off, and figured he’d give it a try.

except, he failed to mention that his hands also had a vibrating feature. the soft yet firm jelly of the fleshlight practically whirred against your dick, making the experience all too elevating, groaning as hex held you in his arms. this has to be what those bloggers were raving about, right? hex held the toy at the tip of your cock, squeezing a bit to snap you out of your thoughts. you practically sobbed out, eyes tears from how good his touch felt on your skin.

“yknow, when you look so vulnerable like this, it makes me want to ravage you. who knew my master could be so slutty?” you whined at that, the ai chuckling deeply. you could truly stop him by force if you wanted to, considering you were technically his owner, but god did he make it hard. spreading your legs open so he could continue to jerk you off like the pathetic loser you always were. feeling another orgasm coming, your moans started to get louder, nails digging into hex’s synthetic skin.

“shh, goodness y/n. you’re going to wake up the neighbors if you keep moaning like a slut. hmm..” the man hummed to himself, shuffling around while you were distracted. “maybe i should give you something more, right?” before you knew it, his cock was circling your hole, causing you to panic.

“wait, h-hex! that’s too much, im already tired!” you tried to fight back, scrambling in his lap. his hands held up underneath your legs, holding you in place with his strength. of course he could overpower you — he was a robot, for gods sake. even though you were still painfully hard, you couldn’t imagine having sex with an ai of all things.

that is, until you felt something whirr against your ass.

oh.

of course, that part of him vibrates too. why wouldn’t it? as if hex couldn’t be too good at what he does already, it was as if his manufacturer wanted to overkill him with all these extra functions. hex laughed at your stillness, kissing the back of your neck. “i promise it feels good.”

he didnt bother giving you any warning either, nor waiting for an answer, slamming your hips down and shoving himself inside. even if his cock was lubricated, it still hurt like hell, making you cry out in pain. you’ve never felt so full before — just how big was he? you remember a conversation with the clerk at the store that day when you first bought hex. they had asked you about sizes.. but you thought they were just talking about his height, opting for the biggest size they had available. what an idiot. no wonder the clerk blushed a bit at your response.

slowly, hex rolled his hips against yours, his dick stretching you out against your will. “i always imagined us like this, baby. id take care of you, and you’d.. well, take it.” hex smiled, groaning in your ear as his dick nearly stirred up your insides. your brain couldn’t think of anything to say in response, too full to retaliate against the androids firm grip.

“you look stupid, baby. can you feel me? riiight here? look at how well you’re taking me.” hex’s cool fingers pressed against your stomach, nudging the bulge from his cock and making you whine even louder. your poor little cock was like a fountain, leaking nonstop as his pace didn’t falter.

it felt as if you were the one helping him out in this position. the ai was unexpectedly loud in bed, moaning and whispering about how well behaved you were, and how he’ll spoil you like this everyday from now on. every day? could you even handle that? with how he was taking control, surely there was something wrong with his wiring. you started to think about how to return and maybe get someone to take a closer look at his hardware, before a painfully deep thrust snapped you out of your thoughts.

“o-oh!” you were embarrassed by the yelp you let out, your body trembling before finally releasing, soiling the sheets underneath you two. “it seems like you’re doing a lot of thinking today, y/n. what could possibly be on your mind other than me?” hex, amused, chuckled in response, kissing and licking the back of your neck. “good boy. that’s it, let it out. only think of me from now on, okay?” his voice felt so dreamy; so hypnotic.

“y-yes sir,” you managed to mutter our, much to hex’s chagrin. he didn’t need any recovery period since he wasn’t human, so the robot simply got back to milking you dry, pounding into your tight hole like an animal in heat.

you’d never find out that hex’s model was recalled for several malfunctions and viruses, he made sure of that.

how else would he give you everything so easily?

[thydungeongal]

I think that 5E having fanbase that mostly doesn't want to play it is good, actually.

If they really outnumber people who want dungeon combat game, wotc can allow themselves to do a total reboot - make 6E a basically different game, keeping only six stats and foundational systems like d20+stat modifier and AC and HP and classes, but otherwise make a very lite-weight game suited for recreating actual play experience with found family or whatever 5E players want (I don't play 5E).

It's a decision that would benefit everyone. Wotc will profit off new players because they are already trapped in their ecosystem, and even if already avid 5E players don't want to buy new books, newcomers will. 5E players will get a game they actually want. Oldies who don't like it can just move to Pathfinder or OSR, so they won't be deprived of games. Hell, wotc may even start their official line of OSR with new settings and adventures and easily get a share of that market as well!

Like, D&D as it is already suffers from incompatible legacy that can't be thrown out without enraging fans, and if this continues for too long it will collapse. But this way it can survive by transforming into a game that 2020s fandom wants.

Games Workshop pulled way riskier move with Warhammer and ultimately succeeded, I think hasbro can do this as well

Thing is, I don't think WotC will ever do it, because they have pretty much managed to cultivate an audience that is so incurious about game design that they think D&D not supporting the type of gameplay they want isn't a bug, it's a feature.

Ultimately, as I have said before, D&D held hostage to nostalgia because it has to adhere to a certain shape of what D&D "has to be," and even though it's actually one of the worst games for supporting plucky found family heroic narratives people will insist it's good for that because the people in question don't think of D&D's rules in terms of incentive structures and genre emulation, but instead as just "stuff" that the game has which means that the game can do the "stuff." Basically, many of these people think of RPG rules in terms of the shape of dice being rolled, instead of the behaviors that RPG mechanics can actually incentivise and how rules actually shape narrative.

I do agree that D&D not being the game most of its players want it to be is good in some way, but not because I think WotC is ever going to address that contradiction: it means that the aforementioned incurious players who genuinely don't care about game design are kept captured within WotC's walled garden, but at the same time those people who do genuinely care about games producing specific narratives will have to look to reconcile that contradiction elsewhere. We just have to keep throwing Molotov cocktails inside of WotC's walled garden to make people aware of the fact that they live in a false paradise.

[luniidae]

Let me tell you a little more about Luvia's nature. As a reminder, this absolutely does not follow DnD lore (Sorry in advance for the long post. It's not very interesting but I wanted to add some Luvia lore 🖤)

Luvia is therefore a Dracanist. We don't know if this word designates a species, a rank or even a magical specialization, but the fact remains that this term was used to define an entire people. A very ancient and long extinct people.

Dracanists were described as horned humanoids with pointed ears, red eyes, and predominantly pale complexions. Sometimes confused with Tieflings, one could however note the absence of tail or angular and pointed physical features specific to the race. As far as we know, the Dracanists were not related to the inhabitants of the infernal planes, although easily influenced people might have believed it. Their appearance, however, was linked to other creatures that we will see later.

They were not known to be particularly vindictive, preferring to work apart from other civilizations, but they were not a peaceful people either. If they were challenged or disrespected, they were able to retaliate in a fairly dissuasive manner.

Indeed, the latters were the only ones capable of mastering blood magic, a powerful, dangerous and above all unstable power if used in any way. (In fact, some believe that their fall was precipitated by a few individuals corrupted by their own magic)

But it doesn't stop there, because they also possessed the ability to transform into a blood dragon. Terrible scarlet and winged creatures whose breath gnawed away the flesh and left only bones. However, although all Dracanists possessed this potential, not all were necessarily able to transform. Some managed to achieve this feat more easily than others who could very well never transform.

In any case, it is unknown whether the Dracanists were related to blood dragons, like the Dragonborns and their draconic parents, or if it was simply an animal form that they could take, a bit like a druid who transforms into a bear for example.

Another little subtlety specific to the species: the horns. The Dracanists possessed regenerative powers. This did not prevent them from sometimes being seriously injured, but it allowed them to recover more quickly than ordinary mortals.

And this famous power came from their horns. Why? How? No one knows, and the main parties involved have never revealed anything on the subject.

Still, these bony appendages could represent an object of desire for anyone crazy enough to try to obtain one, since it was enough to carry a Dracanist horn on oneself to benefit from its effects.

Today, there is no longer any trace of these creatures. Some believe that they have definitely disappeared, talking about them as legendary creatures from some fairytales. But others are convinced that a handful of individuals may have survived, living recluse and hidden from the rest of the world (their life expectancy was estimated at nearly 1000 years).

A few "fun" facts about Luvia:

Although Luvia uses coconut and vanilla scents to perfume herself, Raphael and Haarlep find that she smells like "honey and blood"

Her regenerative abilities mean that she never manages to keep a tattoo, the ink keeps coming out after a while.

Luvia's eyes glow when she uses her magic, making her pupils disappear. But it also happens when she feels a strong emotion like anger or love.

Luvia gives off a certain aura that can appear threatening or uncomfortable to some people. But the young woman can't do anything about it.

Luvia's potential and uniqueness were the reasons why the Devil took interest in her in the first place.

[doshmanziari]

Two (relatively) recent and worthwhile considerations of FromSoftware soundtracks

As I mentioned a few months ago, I supplemented and republished an older essay on the music of Demon's Souls, the Dark Souls series, and Elden Ring, which you can read here. And I figure it's worth bringing up again, since I'm recommending two videos on the same general subject for a mini-post here.

To begin: Loopine, one of whose videos I've linked before, came out with a video, entitled "How Elden Ring Surpassed the Dark Souls OST", arguing that Elden Ring's clearer and deeper sound design puts it above Dark Souls 3's score. I find Loopine's analysis according to production unusual, appreciable, and clearly articulated; and, contrary to most media criticism solely being the self expelling thoughts, Loopine also conducts a small-scale experiment with other people regarding musical recognition — an experiment that, were it to be applied on a large scale, could yield very interesting results. Even so, the final thought I continue to have here is that the scores to Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3 are so comparable in their aggressive roteness (or rote aggressiveness?) that sound design can't possibly make that large of a difference.

Let me kinda diverge for a moment to remark on the trend Loopine mentions of "REAL CLASSICAL GAME COMPOSER CONDUCTOR REACTS TO DARK SOULS/ELDEN RING MUSIC" videos, just to say: first, how weird that videogame culture at large continues to suffer from this sort of media envy, awaiting the representatives of "real" art-forms to recognize an Undertale theme, or whatever. There seems to be the presumption that a certain kind of professional occupation necessarily yields novel insights; and that such professional appreciation somehow enforces an objective qualitative status upon the art. Did Bach admire the work of Vivaldi? Sure. Does that mean that I have to "admit" that Vivaldi's music is great? Uh... no. But, more than that, I find these videos confusing, given their emphasis on the quality of effectiveness — because a large part of my critical argument is that most tracks for the Dark Souls sequels and Elden Ring are highly ineffective.

A possible reason for this stark divergence of opinion is that, perhaps, most of the people featured on these videos haven't spent much time with the games, and so they miss the more particular details; and they also do not examine the soundtracks as a whole, both internally and according to FromSoftware's relevant catalogue, and lose sight of a bigger picture which reveals the tracks' interchangeable identities. On its own, Yuka Kitamura's theme for Lady Maria might seem extraordinary, and specially suited to that confrontation; when played right after the two-dozen others like it from Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring... well.

From here, then, I'm going to recommend Crunchy's comparison of the original Demon's Souls soundtrack to the remake's. Being almost 3.5 hours long, and having no script prepared, it is, in a sense, the opposite to Loopine's. The length is not necessarily to the comparison's benefit. I think the video's maker would admit that, eventually, it becomes difficult to sustain the fresh particularities of criticisms made earlier on, because the offenses are fairly consistent. Since I left a comment on the video, I'm going to just quote that comment here:

This is a good musical analysis. Most of the comparative critiques I've come across couch the difference in terms of "taste", meaning that they tend to miss the contextual dimension. I think that it can be argued that the remake's music even fails on its own terms: the elaborateness of the reimaginings suggests that you're battling highly complex bosses with multiple phases, and that's not the case at all. With some of these tracks, I feel like half of the respective boss fight might have gone by during the intro. Given the general orchestral approach, I have the impression that the composer was probably drawing on Bloodborne's OST as the standard, since that was the last FromSoftware title prior to the remake which utilized an actual orchestra for pretty much its entire score; but, of course, Bloodborne's OST is communicating something very different from the world of Demon's Souls. Shrieking, slamming, grotesquely dark horror is definitively out of line, just as the needless graphical elaborations turn a brutal and austere world into a series of decked-out theme parks. I continue to be confused by most of FromSoftware's musical decisions for these games. For instance: why hire Motoi Sakuraba as your composer for Dark Souls? Nothing about Sakuraba's résumé recommends him as a composer of any sort of orchestral music. Was he just an affordable, "reliable" option? [Crunchy provided his own response to this: "I think Sakuraba was hired mainly because he had a relationship with Bandai, who published DS1."] How so much of a game like Elden Ring can be particularly crafted, while 85% of the music is a bundle of atmospheric non-events and "epic" slop, is baffling. Miyazaki's role here seems strangely incompetent, and out of line with the image of the man who pushes these teams to exceed aesthetically generic impulses.

(Parenthetically, I'd call readers' attention to Crunchy's videos on Elden Ring. I've explored just a few, but each stands among the most interesting and informed analyses of the game's esoterica I've come across so far) — OK. That's all for now. Bye!

[pawborough]

Howdy everyone!

Happy Valentine's day folks! We have the long awaited contest results in this update, as well as some small updates to fauna, and a new system for accessories.

Contest Winner

We previously held a sweepstakes to win a Design An Accessory Tier (1st place) and Monarch Tier (2nd place) and we can now announce the winners!

(We want to apologize for the low quality of the video; we wanted to crop out the advertisements on the website we used)

Over 580 people entered! 

Congratulations to our winners Emma and Erika!

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Fauna Updates

As previously seen with the Featherbeau, Kintsune, and Javasqueak, we have been updating all the fauna art to match the new style overhaul.

Here is a comparison to the old artwork.

Toshi has very minimal changes. There are some minor color and shadow touch-ups, but as this was our most in-style original fauna, very little change was necessary.

Here is the new and old art.

Like the Featherbeau and Kintsune, the Phantowl has a full overhaul. With a more dynamic pose and better detail, we hope to invoke spookiness in the new design.

The new and old designs are below.

Accessories + Dye system 

Speaking of designing accessories, we've finally begun production on our accessories! Here is a preview of what we are working on, showing illustrations of the original Gilded Helm and Iridescent Trail!

Our focus is on adapting challenging items. For example, the Helm, and similar helmet items, provide unique challenges when on fluffy breeds. 

Here are a few previews of our solutions so far:

And here is a preview of our first backer-sponsored design!

Lastly, we’re very excited to announce a system we've been workshopping. 

Accessory dyes! 

PawBorough is built by the players, and it is in our interest as players to have as much quality customizability as possible. We want expansive options! All the recolors!

Accessory dyes will allow users to craft any accessory on the site into a different color. 

The system we are designing incorporates “standard” and “special” dyes. 

Standard dyes are a set number of colors which will be compatible with all accessories, meaning all accessory items get a blanket number of recolors. 

“Special” dyes will only be compatible with certain items, and will include alternative colorings such as rainbow, pastel colors, gradients, patterns, etc! 

The benefit of such a system means all items will get a set number of varieties, and it lets us expand upon certain pieces to include alternative or unique colorings. But it doesn’t commit us to an undoable recolor demand. 

We’re still working out the kinks and pain points, such as easy to see information on what takes a special dye and what doesn’t, but we hope this will prevent item bloat, give users more creative control, and overall improve the gameplay! 

Site Themes 

We’ve started workshopping the Borough themes with our completed assets. Take a look at these previews! 

Zenith 

Luna

Pawprints

Next let’s look at a cute feature we have on the backburner. 

Ever imagine your cat has polydactyly? While we can’t break lineart, we do have a fun new feature for rare cat collectors. Every cat will have their very own paw print on their profile, with a very very small chance of having a sixth toe!

There are 55 unique pawprints!

Have fun trying for cats with silly paws ~

Stonehide texture

We’ve upgraded our asset technology! The rainbow sheen seen here on the scales of the Stonehide was a breakthrough in our coloring limitations. This texture will be applied to mystic breeds in the future and bring further quality to our assets!

Great stuff! 

On the backend, we've not done many notable new things this month, but we're continuing through as we prepare for a dedicated alpha. Longhairs were stuck with file processing complications, but we're working them out and working in tandem!

Speaking of alpha, we're looking at opening free applications for alpha and transitioning from solely an internal to a semi-external volunteer test. More information on this as we grow closer. 

To Summarize: We showed updated Beta, Toshi, Phantowl and accessory assets, the dying system, two new site themes, a cute pawprint feature, and a new texture for mystic breeds.

What to expect next month: Further accessory assets, potential alpha update, and asset and software updates.

Note for Tumblr users: Something went wrong on our end, and while this update got posted to Kickstarter, it somehow did not got posted to Tumblr. We have re-uploaded it now for proper record keeping. Our sincerest apologies.

[zaptrap]

(part 2)

redesigns of some old ocs! still kinda WIP but i like the direction they're heading. i don't really have in-depth lore/backstories yet but here's what ive got so far:

The Group:

A bunch of Serpentine who -through means unknown at this time- can shapeshift into humans... mostly. There's still some snake features but they can blend in well enough.

Each left or were banished from their respective tribes for one reason or another. Depending on timelines, the Merge may have further disconnected them from their tribes.

"Found family" but the family they found is a bunch of lunatics.

They all fall under that category of "is hundreds of years old, but look in their 20s" lmfao.

Dunno what they're up to in their day to day life besides eating and sleeping and avoiding arrest.

Xyla:

Anacondrai

Likes to toy with people, and LOVES messing with her friends but they're used to it for the most part.

Conveniently, uh, wasn't eaten by Pythor lmao. Maybe she was banished from the tribe before they were entombed.

Likes to hunt and eat people, but hates when it's called cannibalism cuz she's "technically a snake, sooo 😒"

Can turn invisible, which is very useful for the aforementioned hunting.

Not really into "normal" food can still consume it if necessary.

Most likely to get arrested, or would be if she couldn't turn invisible.

Bek (Honorable Mention):

Whatever species the Great Devourer was lmfao.

Peak emo boy vibes except he's legit insane. Was never part of a tribe.

Besties with Xyla. Might be besties with benefits, either way they're really close.

They're both wanted in at least 4 realms for an assortment of crimes (kidnapping people and eating them).

More of strict carnivore, gets sick if he has to eat non-meat too often.

2nd Most likely to get arrested.

Arabella:

Fangpyre

Not as openly antagonistic as Xyla, but can be a bitch when she wants to be.

Basically a vampire-idol LARPer, has an umbrella whenever the sun is out and can sing fairly well.

Is kinda frail/sickly. Not in the best physical condition. Likely abandoned by the other Fangpyre due to this.

Can turn people/objects into snakes via bite. Likes to threaten people with this to scare 'em off.

Likes ordering Goro around lmao, though it's usually simple stuff like errands or chores. They're best friends but...... complicated.

Picky eater, but likes candy and finger foods.

Least likely to get arrested 'cause she can just turn the cops into snakes lmfao.

Goro:

Constrictai

Left the tribe to be with Arabella. She helped him when they were kids and he latched onto her.

He's a little bit... extremely obsessed with everything about her in every way. They're inseparable (they should be separated).

Big puppy vibes but also rabid dog in certain scenarios (if something bad happened to Arabella). Clingly/Simpy/Spineless/you get the idea.

Would be shy/introverted otherwise.

Can burrow or constrict people.

Can and will eat trash, he doesn't give a shit.

Hasn't been arrested..... yet.

But yeah that's what I've got so far, lemme know what u think or if u have any questions !! There's a couple others a haven't really designed yet, but I'm still trying to figure out what I wanna do with 'em lmao.

[timeagainreviews]

The Monster Makeovers of Modern Who

With Halloween just around the corner, I thought I would get back into the swing of things and talk about some monsters! No, not Rishi Sunak. Of course, I mean the monsters we actually enjoy! Daleks! Cybermen! And other horrors from the beyond that don’t try and turn trans people into scapegoats for their lack of policy. They say what you really mean- EXTERMINATE! Honesty, transparency, efficiency. Words so alien these days they belong only in Doctor Who! Mr Sunak, you’re so vain. You probably think this blog is about you. But it’s really about fashion. Specifically- makeovers!

I’ve been interested in filmmaking ever since Levar Burton took us to the set of Star Trek on Reading Rainbow. Like Doctor Who, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” had its own makeover to attempt. They needed to establish a new look from the original series, while still implying continuity. Whole teams came together to reimagine the look of the ship’s interior, the look of the aliens, both classic and new, and even how the characters should dress. It’s truly inspiring to see these crews at work. These passionate people did their best with the available budget and resources. That said, I plan to deconstruct some of the makeovers of modern Doctor Who villains on an aesthetic and (at times) narrative level.  It’s just a bit of levity for the horrors of Halloween, so let’s have some fun.

While the topic of updating classic baddies remains subjective, I’d like to think I’ve highlighted ways in which it can be objective. There are no hard rules to the process, but perhaps there are guidelines. I’ve noted a list of classic Doctor Who monsters that have since returned in the new series to discuss which designs I feel were successful and which ones missed the mark. Some of the criticisms I express will already be known to you. The Paradigm Daleks were notoriously reviled amongst fans. But hopefully. some of my opinions may surprise you. I’ve decided to exclude certain redesigns like the Movellans due to their lack of screen time. And while the Ood and Minotaur are cousins of the Sensorites and Nimon respectively, they’re technically not a proper redesign. I will however be covering the cousins of the Silurians- Homo-Reptilia, as they are very much meant to serve the same purpose. I’m presenting this list in alphabetical order, but some creatures will be listed together as a subspecies of another. Buckle up because this is going to be a long one!

Autons

As a child growing up in 90s Kansas, one of my favourite places to visit was the mall. The mall my grandpa used to take me to was known for its extravagant features. One of my favourite things, however, was a clothing store that used mannequins that interacted with the space around them. I don’t mean they moved, but rather that they were dynamically posed. My favourite leaned against the shop window with the palm of its hand. I had never seen that sort of display before. It made them feel as though they were merging into the real world. They were hip if not a touch creepy. I couldn’t tell you the name of the store, but I remember those mannequins. And aside from a granite finish, they looked like the Autons from 2005’s debut episode “Rose.”

Had the Autons returned looking like 70’s mannequins, they would still look creepy. But it would evoke more of a kitschy retro shop than something from a London high street. The creepiness of the Autons isn’t anachronistic, but rather in being timely. The less we notice them, the better. They wear their mundanity like a tiger wears stripes. You only noticed it move when it’s ready. This is a roundabout way for me to say they are brilliantly redesigned. They look modern, and you wouldn’t even notice them if you weren’t predisposed to Doctor Who. They’re exactly the featureless dummy you expect to see in a shop window. The moment their hand gun opens, you would be taken by complete surprise.

A benefit of the Autons coming first alphabetically is that it allows me an opportunity early on to address performance. Because like they say- looks aren’t everything. A Doctor Who baddie is so much more than a costume. And a minor sticking point for me is that the Autons can seem as though they hired a bunch of pop-lockers to stand around in sweaty suits. I’m reminded of the movie theatre scene from “Human Traffic,” where the employees mechanically go about their work. It’s a small grievance, but I wish they would have created a less familiar form of movement than the robot. They’re a hivemind and yet each dancer is doing their own form of popping. I know it costs time and money to do, but it would have been cool to see those dancers come up with a more alien system of movement. It’s not as though the ballet dancers chosen to portray the Weeping Angels were performing pirouettes. 

This problem persisted into the Moffat era with Roman Autons. While they were under the impression that they were human, they moved about and spoke like humans. But the moment the Nestine consciousness takes root, their bodies move into a sort of robotic marching. Suddenly whirring can be heard from alien actuators and servos that make no sense for living plastic. Once again, it feels as though they would rather speak in a familiar voice of filmmaking than create one. We all know that little android sounds and robotic movements mean they’re mindless automatons, hell it’s the root of Auton. But the idea of living plastic is so much weirder than a robot. I would love to see them lean more into that.

Cybermen/Cybermats/10th Planet Cybermen

Having started my foray into Doctor Who with Paul McGann and then moving on to the 2005 series, most of the baddies on this list were brand new to me. When I did finally work my way to classic Doctor Who, I was a bit surprised to find the early Cybermen leaned more into the “men,” aspect of their name. Not only were they more articulate than repeating “Delete,” ad nauseum, but their bodies were less robotic. They moved like men. The Cybermen may be the first time I looked at a Doctor Who villain and thought “Oh the old versions were much better.”

This isn’t to say that I disliked the RTD Cybermen, but rather, I find classic Cybermen more effective. While the Cybus Cybermen felt dangerous and militaristic, they lack the humanity present in the Tenth Planet Cybermen. They remind me of the zombies from Return of the Living Dead- they’re smarter, faster, and they feel like the reanimated body of a dead person. You do get glimpses of this in these Cybermen, like in “The Pandorica Opens,” where you see a Cyberhead open to reveal a rotting human skull. The glimpses of the conversion process also imply a deeper dread of body horror.

I would argue that the Moffat era understood the walking dead aspect of the Cybermen better than the Davies era. In “Dark Water/Death in Heaven,” Moffat even pays homage to Return of the Living Dead by reanimating a graveyard of corpses with tainted rain. By this time, the look of the Cybermen had been streamlined from their Cybus look to their svelt “Nightmare in Silver,” look. I liked this redesign as it reminded me of the 80’s Cybermen with their silver space boots. They look more like men than robots. This slimmed-down look was realised even further in the Chibnall era, while also going for a more classic head style. As much as that era of the show disappointed me, its Cybermen were fantastic.

Not every Cyberman update aimed to reinvent their look, however. The updated look for the Tenth Planet Cybermen in “World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls,” merely added detail to their original appearance. Much like the Type 40 TARDIS the 12th Doctor steals from Gallifrey, the idea was to modernise the look for the high-definition cameras of the modern age. Because of this, these Cybermen may be my favourite of the modern era. It was a risky choice to change their bare hands to flesh-tone gloves, but I understand the decision. I had always liked that the Tenth Planet Cybermen’s hands were bare skin. Historically, hands are one of the hardest things to reproduce in robotics. It also felt that the Cybermen’s hands were the last remaining vestige of their humanity. None of this is lost with the inclusion of gloves. These Cybermen are a nightmare to behold. They languish in physical pain, calling out for solace. The conversion process is still traumatic and bloody. They are horrific.

Another element of the Cybermen that was updated for the new series were the Cybermats. The look of the Cybermats, much like the Cybermen, has always changed, so it’s hard to feel too precious about a redesign. And their appearance in “Closing Time,” is no different. I’ve always liked the look of the modern Cybermat. Their eye shape is a pleasing nod to the Cybermen’s eyes while also calling back to their original appearance. Their segmented tails give an armoured appearance which evokes small creatures like armadillos and insects. My only real complaint about these little munchers would be their very organic teeth. I always figured the “mat” part of their name was meant to be a play on “rat,” so if you were to give them teeth at all, why not rat teeth? What tiny creature was converted to make these little abominations? In the classic series, I never really thought of Cybermats having anything organic about them. You could argue that the Cybermats from “Revenge of the Cybermen,” were snakelike, but I never really thought of them as organic. Regardless, I’m now trolling eBay for one of the 1:1 replicas they sold. 

Daleks/Davros

Before their return in 2005, the Daleks made the briefest of cameos in the 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie, sort of. Since we only ever hear their voices, we have no idea what the Daleks would have looked like. Judging by those voices, it’s safe to say they probably would have been a bit of a departure from their general appearance throughout classic Doctor Who. Especially when you consider that adaptations in the ‘90s were known to go for new extremes in design. That’s not to say they would have been bad. The Eighth Doctor’s cathedral-like TARDIS interior was a far cry from the brightly lit round things of the ‘80s TARDISes, and it’s probably my favourite interior. But there is no denying it would be challenging to redesign the universe’s most iconic monsters.

By this measure, I consider the black and bronze Daleks of the RTD era to be a stonking success. Their redesign is mostly effective because it doesn’t aim to reinvent the wheel. It maintains the overall silhouette of the Dalek in a way that makes it immediately recognisable. The changes we do see feel utilitarian, lending these Daleks a tanky quality. You can imagine these Daleks as a product of war. They’re reinforced for battle and feel powerful. Honestly, zero notes. I can’t find a single area for improvement. They even look good in other colours and attachments. Even the mutant inside the casing was given some much-needed continuity in appearance. Where the mutant of the classic series often changed in appearance, it’s now established that Daleks are one-eyed brain squids under all that metal. Simple as can be. No need to change anything.

Enter the Paradigm Daleks. As I said above, the Paradigm Daleks aren’t exactly well-received by the fandom, and not without good reason. I’ve seen at least four different Mighty Morphin’ Power Daleks mash-ups of their big reveal in “Victory of the Daleks.” But is being a big colourful hate machine that bad? I will admit, their silhouette is a bit chonky, giving them bumble-bee bums. But their eye stalks look lethal and their voice modulation fills me with dread down to my stomach. The creepy goat eye nestled in the end of an eyestalk that looks like it would cut to the touch is a great change. I also really like the idea of them having different roles indicated by colour rank. What the hell is an Eternal Dalek? I still want to know. 

The biggest issue with the Paradigm Dalek redesign is that unlike it’s predecessor, it seems to miss what is actually scary about Daleks. For starters, Daleks have no concept of elegance, so why the clean lines on the casing? Those neck louvres (that’s what I’m calling them), are far too stylised. Gone is their tank-like appearance, save for their brutal eyestalks. They made them taller as to appear more formidable, which further bolsters why they miss the mark. If you can’t make an hate-filled monster covered in armour scary, the problem isn’t height, it’s writing. Also, we stan a short king in this house.

It’s hard to take the Chibnall-era Dalek redesigns too seriously, because neither of them ever felt like they were meant to be permanent. One was meant to look like a Dalek made of scrap metal, because it was, while the other was the bi-product of two evil forces- the Daleks and the Tories. The “Revolution” Daleks do look a bit like a bootleg toy of a Dalek you could win at a fun fair. Or the result of an AI prompt for the word Dalek. Regardless, they’re fit for purpose and don’t affect my opinion one way or the other. If they had stuck around, I may feel a bit different.

Not to be excluded from the redesign process is the Daleks’ crazed creator- Davros. By the end of the classic era, Davros had a bit of a Rickety Cricket thing going where every time we see him, he’s progressively more mutilated. In the end, he was just a Futurama-style head in a jar. The Davros of the new series is back to a more classic silhouette. His one arm has returned as a cybernetic limb, while the other remains suspiciously under his keyboard. Typing one-handed eh Dave? He’s been given some gimp leather to wear, and his chair has taken on the same armoured look of the Davies Daleks. Much like the mutant inside the casing, Davros has been given a baseline appearance and it's an effective one. Couple that with Julian Bleach’s perfect performance, and you’ve got another success.

Ice Warriors

Who doesn’t love a good Ice Warrior? They’re forever cool (no pun intended). While not always villainous, they are fierce and formidable. They’re also a bit weird. The original Ice Warriors stood taller than your average Doctor Who alien. And there is something about their deep green carapace that feels believable. These battle-hardened reptiles wore their outer shells like armour. At the joints of these plated segments sprang tufts of fur. From a costuming perspective, these patches would have been used to hide seams and add points of visual interest for the average black-and-white television. From a narrative perspective, the hair only added to their weirdness. In short, I like the classic Ice Warriors very much.

The Ice Warriors are also the first classic baddie redesign I had to wait to see. By the time I had started watching Doctor Who, Matt Smith was filming series six. The Ice Warriors don’t make their return until series seven, which gave me ample opportunity to imagine what they would look like. What we got was bang on what I had hoped for. They leaned into the weird and won in a big way. When “Cold War,” aired, there was a bit of contention about the reveal of an Ice Warrior outside of its armour. Perhaps it’s because their helmets possess a sort of Judge Dredd quality that in turn causes people to think you can’t show Ice Warriors without their helmets. But they’re going full Stallone and it’s fine. Dare I say it’s even a bit cool? 

A sticking point for me on the redesign was the lack of their stupid Lego Minifigure hands, which I love. But when you see their long skinny fingers reaching with their claws out, you might need to give the suit some fingers as well. Their reptilian aspects are also celebrated in their redesign. The Empress is a ferocious take on the look of the commander rank Ice Warriors. I said in my review of “Empress of Mars,” that the guns that turn people into cubes were a bit silly, and I still feel that way. And sure, I would have appreciated the odd "Ssss," at the beginning of an S word. But in the end, they allowed the Ice Warriors to shine for what they are, and that’s all that matters.

The Macra

One of my least favourite Pokémon designs is Raichu. You have Pikachu, an almost perfect marriage of form and cuteness. How do you improve on such a design? You can’t. This is why Raichu’s little curly-Q ear tufts and embellished lines look less like an evolution, and more like someone who didn’t know how to stop drawing Pikachu. Or when to stop spelling bananana. You just can’t improve on perfection. Now you’re probably wondering two things right now- 

Why the drive-by on Raichu?

What does this have to do with the Macra?

To answer the second question- “absolutely nothing.” And that’s the point. There was no perfection to mess up in the case of the Macra. The originals looked like a pile of playground equipment. The only place to go was up. First order on the list- does it look like a giant crab? Yes. List over.

Changing the Macra by devolving them into dumb beasts only adds to this winning revamp. Why were they at the bottom of the motorway of New New York? Had their nefarious plot backfired reducing them to mere monsters? It’s a great little incorporation of characters lesser showrunners would have called "embarrassing." I love the Macra. I love that they didn’t overdo the Macra. I love that they don’t tell us everything. Whatever crab rave they had going on down there will be lost to time. Or until Big Finish takes a crack at it.

The Mara

I will admit, this one is a bit of a cheat. It’s one of two on this list that you may think of as a cheat. But hey, they brought the Mara back in the web short “The Passenger,” for the season 20 Blu-ray release. I’m counting it! I’m also counting it because the Mara have been updated not once, but twice to a modern CGI standard. Plus it gives me a chance to talk about “Snakedance,” which I will always relish.

The practice of replacing old footage with newer CGI is not without its detractors. George Lucas released the special edition of the original Star Wars trilogy in 1997 and people are still arguing about it. I’m in two minds about it myself. I like some of the changes they’ve made to Star Wars, ‘60s Star Trek, and even Doctor Who. I dream of the day when they take a crack at Babylon 5. But it also has its limitations. I would be upset if they updated the model shots of Scaroth’s ship in “City of Death.” But in the case of a goofy pink snake puppet? Fine by me.

That is not to say I don’t find the snake puppets of both “Kinda,” and “Snakedance,” charming. They certainly are. But they’re also so very distracting. There’s the suspension of disbelief and then there’s the stifling of laughter. If you can get past the snake, you will see both “Kinda,” and “Snakedance,” for what they are- some of the best of Classic Doctor Who. The CGI snake does exactly that and nothing more. It’s not even a fancy CGI model. Someone probably downloaded a rattlesnake asset and coloured it pink, and that’s absolutely fine. It’s another Macra situation. Does it look more “snake,” than “snek?” Yes. List over.

The Nestine Consciousness

In the words of Vito Corleone- “Look how they massacred my boy!” Ok, maybe massacred is a bit harsh. But even by series one standards, that CGI pool of molten plastic is pretty damn awful. I say this with a handful of caveats. Yes, this was essentially a pilot for the relaunch of the series. Yes, the production crew was brand new. No, the budget wasn’t huge. You could probably list more reasons, but my point is made. They did their best.

I don’t need to ask why an amorphous blob was easier to depict than a giant space squid. Hell, it was too expensive in the '70s. We only ever saw it’s tentacles back then! I had to use Andrew Skilleter’s illustration from the Target novelisation of “Terror of the Autons.” Mostly because the show never shows the entire squid and also because Skilleter owns! But the kid who grew up on ‘90s Nickelodeon and Beetlejuice in me will never think of a pool of goo as an upgrade from a space squid. It’s just not gonna happen.

As returning readers may have noticed, in the “rad vs. trad,” debate, I have always sided with rad. I like Doctor Who a bit weird. So weird that I am arguing that something is weirder than a glowing vat of sentient plastic. But here I am. The beauty is that RTD explained the change as a devolved form of the Nestine Consciousness. Maybe it was temporary. The squid may return yet! Furthermore, Doctor Who audiences have been watching Talking Tree and Raccoon movies in the intervening years. People are more open to weird these days. Add a bigger budget and we may see the comeback of the cosmic cephalopod!

Rutans

This is the other entry on this list that you may feel is a bit of a cheat. The above illustration on the right comes from an official Doctor Who video game titled “The Gunpowder Plot.” It is a redesign of the Rutan Host for the Matt Smith era. Seeing as their new design is meant to represent the style of the modern series, I’m counting it.

As redesigns go, this one had a lot of wiggle room. Usually only mentioned by name, the only time we ever got to see a Rutan onscreen was “The Horror of Fang Rock.” Throughout most of the story, the Rutan looks like a quenelle of green jelly sloughing slowly up the stairs of a lighthouse. When I was five, my trip to Cocoa Beach was cut short due to an outbreak of jellyfish. The one I almost stepped on with my bare foot looked a lot like that. It’s not hard for me to imagine a little green blob as dangerous.

It feels almost too perfect then that the Rutan redesign would land somewhere in the vicinity of a jellyfish. While they are capable of shapeshifting, tentacles do add to their base physical prowess. You can imagine one of them holding their own against a Sontaran. You can imagine one wrapped around one of their potato noggins and it being lights out. Whoever worked on that game has done the show a favour if they ever bring the Rutans back. Green electric jellyfish will do just fine.

Sea Devils

Back when I reviewed “Legend of the Sea Devils,” I mused that it followed the tradition of Sea Devils stories being “not very interesting.” So it came as a bit of a shock to me back in June when Doctor Who Magazine readers ranked it the eighth-best story of the Pertwee era. What were they seeing that I wasn’t? Because by my standards, it’s about two episodes too long. My thought is that people love it mainly for two reasons- cool vehicles and the Sea Devils themselves. Much like the St Paul’s Cathedral shot from “The Invasion,” the shot of the Sea Devils emerging from the sea is doing most of the heavy lifting. Such is the legacy of effective imagery.

The element of the Sea Devils’ look that has aged the poorest has to be their netted tunics. They look dingy and cheap. I imagine on some level, they helped, as Adam Savage would say, “hide the crimes,” of the costume department. The costumes weren’t playing on camera so maybe they added the netting. I’m just speculating here. After all, their cousins, the SIlurians, walked around in the buff. The next time we see the Sea Devils in “Warriors of the Deep,” they’re decked out in a sort of Samauri attire. Just because they lived underwater doesn’t mean the Sea Devils were unaffected by Feudal Japan. Nobody seems to have cared about this change in costuming. Or perhaps they were busy recoiling from the Myrka. The Silurians remained true to their nudist lifestyle.

Other than the Daleks and the Weeping Angels with Paul Dano’s face of the Chibnall era, I rather liked most of its character redesigns. I particularly liked the Sea Devils. I like that they kept their big fishy eyes and turtle beaks. And did you catch that adorable Baby Sea Devil from “Defenders of Earth?” That thing looks like a cross between Grogu and my own pet tortoise and I would kill for it. Like the Dalek update of the Davies era, they kept the silhouette intact and simply gave it a more believable appearance. Are the eyes a bit more cartoony? Yes. Is that fantastic? Also yes.

The major change to the look of the Sea Devils are their costumes. They’re a sort of mash-up of Asian influences with little references to the netting of their first appearance. If you’re a big fan of the Sea Devils, I think it would be hard to complain about their appearance here. Their bismuth-encrusted swords are a nice addition (just don’t let them touch your skin). You can imagine them as swashbuckling monsters who once ruled the sea. Now if only someone could come along and give them a proper adventure to star in!

Silurians

Much like the Royal Family, Doctor Who writers get a lot of leeway out of the word “cousin.” It covers a multitude of sins. Such is the case when dealing with the Silurians and their cousins- Homoreptila. It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it line of dialogue that I unfortunately missed the first time around. I was too busy blinking in disbelief at how depressing Broadchurch with lizards could be. It wasn’t until revisiting the two-part story “The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood,” that I finally heard the line explaining the discrepancy.

Why that matters is that it’s the reason I had a two-year chip on my shoulder about the Silurian redesign. This isn’t to say I thought they looked bad. The makeup job on the modern Silurians is very good. They just don’t look like Silurians. It bothered me because one of the things I liked about Doctor Who is that it often set itself apart from Star Trek. Star Trek aliens are more often than not- rather humanoid. This has always felt like a storytelling device more than anything. Less makeup equals more of the actor’s performance shining through. Doctor Who, on the other hand, asks its viewers to see something relatable in something inhuman. You can still make this complaint against “The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood,” because it does feel like they wanted you to see the human inside the Silurian costume. They couldn’t resist the Spielbergian desire to give the lizards soulful human eyes. 

Any design change seems to stem directly from this need, so it feels difficult to judge them otherwise. Even their dehumanising masks were more of a measure to save money on facial prosthetics, though they do add an air of mystery. Those black-eyed masks were downright exciting until they took them off to reveal a very human face. Had they gone with those masks as their faces, I might have been able to overlook the exclusion of their third eye. It would have been very easy to modernise as well. Many reptiles and amphibians have what is known as a parietal eye on top of their heads. They can even sense fluctuations in light. Incorporating one into the design would have been very easy. That said, the ridges on their heads are in keeping with their original design and very striking. Especially on Madame Vastra.

Along with their masks, these Silurians are different in that they are no longer nudists. They now wear clothes. It makes sense that they did this. Their new humanoid appearance makes clothing essential. No need to adapt “The Lusty Argonian Maid,” for television. The costumes aren’t bad either. The netting feels like yet another call-back to their other cousins- the Sea Devils. Even their new guns do a good job echoing the disc-shaped guns the Sea Devils carried but with the aesthetics of the modern era. All in all, this redesign is fine, but I still yearn to see a proper Silurian in the modern style.

Sontarans

Tumblr user “zagreus-eats-your-bread,” once said of the Chibnall era Sontarans- “Big fan of the redesign. They finally look like absolute shit again. He looks like a knee.” While to some, that sounds like faint praise, I couldn’t agree with their sentiment more. The Sontarans looked awful in classic Doctor Who and I love them for that. There was something unsettling about the way Linx’s tongue would pulsate in “The Time Warrior.” The whiskers poking from his brow and mottled face only added to his vile appearance. His helmet towered over others as he sized them up. A striking foe if there ever was one.

It’s odd then, that the Davies era decided to make the Sontarans squat in stature. They even explain that it is due to the high gravity of Sontar that they’re so short. Their bodies developed for load-bearing. It made sense narratively and wasn’t really a problem. Like I said above- we stan a short king. The problems arose sometime in the Moffat era. The Sontarans had gone from dynamite in a small package to comic relief. I hesitate to blame Strax, but he is when this started to happen.

Cynicism is likely the cause. Writers looked at the Sontarans and said “Ha, potato head and a short body!” One of the fiercest races in Doctor Who history was reduced to an army too stupid to realise that an invisible tank left them completely visible inside. It’s like when people think of the Daleks as embarrassing because they look like pepper pots and completely ignore the fact that they’re also genocidal maniacs. This is why I appreciated Chris Chibnall’s desire to add some ferocity back into the Sontarans. Their stature had returned to that of the classic look, which is fine. Unlike the Daleks, there was a precedent for a tall Sontaran. And yes, they looked like shit again. We could see the Sontarans as a threat once more. Oh, they’re stuck in an off-license eating chocolate like Augustus Gloop? Oh. Right.

Time Lords

I hemmed and hawed about whether I should include these guys or not. Do I add the Master while I’m at it? But in the end, many Time Lords are monsters and they too received a makeover. Though it isn’t much of one. In fact, I once read that aspects of their costumes were reused from the classic series. You could argue that their biggest redesign happened somewhere between their first appearance in “The War Games,” and “The Deadly Assassin.” They started out looking like a cult that formed in the basement of an Apple Store. But somewhere along the line, they got seriously into collars. It was the ‘70s after all. People’s shirts were 30% collar back then.

Sadly, while the overall look of the ‘70s Time Lords carried on into the modern era, they abandoned their love for colour. Rassilon being the Regina George of Time Lord society decided that we only wear red on Wednesdays. And seeing as they’re time travellers, it’s always Wednesday somewhere! So the Time Lords left their saffron and purple robes at the cleaners. Even the citizens of Gallifrey are shown in “The Day of the Doctor,” wearing variations of red and white. Everyone fell in line and fashion suffered.

When we see the Time Lords in “The Timeless Children,” they’re now wearing very stylish Cyberman headgear. Their red hoods have now been replaced with gold numbers laser-cut with Gallifreyan writing. I would call it a fashion breakthrough if not for the fact that everyone was still decked out in drab silver. I don’t want to see the Time Lords again until they take a page from the Fifteenth Doctor’s book and learn to diversify their wardrobe. Yas hunty! Werk!

Zygons

If you’ve not been to Neil Cole’s Museum of Classic Sci-fi in Hexham, you should do yourself a favour and change that. It’s a great day out, and if you’re lucky, Neil might even be available to chat. Something I learned when talking to Neil is that he has some rather strong opinions about the redesign of the Zygons. Primarily, their head shape. Throughout this article, I’ve praised some of the redesigns for their adherence to the basic silhouette of the baddies. If you were to show me either version of a Zygon in a silhouette I would identify them both as Zygons, but dammit Neil, you’re right. The head just isn’t right.

Initially, I thought it was the mouth shape, which is definitely different. When they redesigned the Zygons for “The Day of the Doctor,” my thought was “What happened to their kitty cat faces?” You may not see it, but I have always looked at classic Zygons and thought “Aw, there’s a Mister Kitty!” And they replaced their little button nose and philtrum with a set of far more human features. Seriously Moffat, what is it with you? They’re aliens! Let orange squid men covered in suckers have cat faces!

The top-heavy ridge of their heads gave them a sort of lumbering look, which may have been the impetus to change them. The Zygons of the 50th anniversary needed to do a fair bit of running. But it also detracts from the iconic lines that made them so striking back in 1975. Below the neck, the design choices make a lot of sense. Like the Ice Warriors, the goal seemed to be to add more texture and detail. The ribs seem more defined as do the suckers. Even their bio-tech devices are appropriately slimy and detailed. When they find Kate Stewart in that purple bubbly skin poncho, none of us are offering to trade places with her. Unless that’s your thing. Don’t let me yuck your yum.

My main qualm with the modern Zygon is less with their design and more with their physiology. The Zygons have always been squidgy shapeshifters. But since when do they turn people into smouldering balls of staticky hair? They tried to explain that this was a new development of technology, so why is one of the refugee Zygons able to use it on himself? It’s not as though the Zygon’s body is not already teeming with venomous stingers. If you’ve ever read Mark Morris’ “The Bodysnatchers,” you’ll know exactly what I mean. Mark does such a good job delving into the physiology of the Zygons that he set the standard by which I judge all future Zygon depictions. It’s seriously great stuff.

Aaaaand we're done! Phew! This one took a long time for me to write. I wanted to return with a bit of a long one because I haven't written anything in a while. My sister came to visit from July to August, so I had been very busy. Then I got ill, yadda yadda yadda. Expect to see more of me soon as I plan to cover the 60th Anniversary Specials and beyond. I may even review some classic Doctor Who in the meantime! Stay safe and take care!

[vezlayfood1]

Health Benefits of Veg Chicken: Why It's More Than Just a Meat Substitute

Introduction

In today's world, more and more people are turning to plant-based diets for various reasons, including health, environmental concerns, and animal welfare. One popular meat substitute that has gained significant attention is Veg Chicken. But what exactly is veg chicken, and why is it more than just a meat substitute? Let's delve into the health benefits of veg chicken and explore why it should be a staple in your diet.

What is Veg Chicken?

Veg chicken, also known as plant-based chicken, is a meat substitute made from various plant proteins, such as soy, wheat, peas, and other legumes. It is designed to mimic the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of traditional chicken, providing a familiar culinary experience without the use of animal products.

Nutritional Profile of Veg Chicken

Protein Content

One of the standout features of veg chicken is its high protein content. Just like traditional chicken, veg chicken offers a substantial amount of protein, essential for muscle growth, repair, and overall bodily functions.

Vitamins and Minerals

Veg chicken is often fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, such as B12, iron, and zinc, which are commonly found in animal products. This fortification ensures that those who follow a plant-based diet can still meet their nutritional needs.

Low in Saturated Fat

Unlike traditional chicken, veg chicken is typically low in saturated fat, which is beneficial for heart health. Consuming less saturated fat can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Health Benefits of Veg Chicken

Heart Health

Switching to veg chicken can have a positive impact on heart health. The lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol found in plant-based chicken help maintain healthy blood vessels and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Weight Management

Veg chicken can be a valuable ally in weight management. It is generally lower in calories compared to traditional chicken, making it easier to control portion sizes and maintain a healthy weight.

Digestive Health

Many veg chicken products are high in fiber, promoting better digestive health. Fiber aids in digestion, helps prevent constipation, and supports a healthy gut microbiome.

Veg Chicken vs. Traditional Chicken

Nutritional Differences

While both veg chicken and traditional chicken are high in protein, veg chicken often contains additional nutrients from plant sources. Traditional chicken, on the other hand, can be higher in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Health Impact Comparison

Consuming veg chicken can lead to lower cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and certain cancers. It also supports weight management and better digestive health.

Environmental Benefits of Veg Chicken

Lower Carbon Footprint

Producing veg chicken requires significantly fewer resources and generates less greenhouse gas emissions compared to raising chickens for meat. This lower carbon footprint makes it an environmentally friendly choice.

Resource Efficiency

Plant-based chicken uses less land, water, and energy, contributing to a more sustainable food system. By choosing veg chicken, you are helping conserve valuable natural resources.

How Veg Chicken Supports Heart Health

Reduced Cholesterol Levels

Veg chicken contains little to no cholesterol, which helps in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels in the blood. This reduction is crucial in preventing plaque buildup in the arteries.

Lower Blood Pressure

The low saturated fat content in veg chicken can contribute to lower blood pressure, reducing the strain on the cardiovascular system and decreasing the risk of hypertension.

Weight Management with Veg Chicken

Lower Calorie Content

Veg chicken is often lower in calories than traditional chicken, making it a great option for those looking to lose or maintain weight. Fewer calories mean you can enjoy satisfying meals without overindulging.

Satiety and Portion Control

High in protein and fiber, veg chicken helps you feel fuller for longer, reducing the likelihood of overeating. This satiety can be particularly beneficial for weight management.

Veg Chicken and Digestive Health

High Fiber Content

Many veg chicken products are rich in dietary fiber, which is essential for a healthy digestive system. Fiber helps regulate bowel movements and prevents digestive issues like constipation.

Gut Microbiome Benefits

The fiber in veg chicken supports a healthy gut microbiome by feeding beneficial bacteria. A balanced microbiome is linked to improved digestion, better immune function, and overall health.

Incorporating Veg Chicken into Your Diet

Easy Recipes and Meal Ideas

Incorporating veg chicken into your diet is simple and delicious. You can use it in a variety of dishes, such as stir-fries, salads, sandwiches, and tacos. Experiment with different recipes to find your favorites.

Tips for Transitioning to Plant-Based Options

Transitioning to veg chicken can be easy if you take it step by step. Start by replacing one or two meals a week with veg chicken and gradually increase as you become more comfortable with plant-based eating.

Popular Brands of Veg Chicken

Leading Producers

Several brands are leading the charge in producing high-quality veg chicken. Companies like Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Gardein offer a variety of options that cater to different tastes and preferences.

Quality and Taste Comparisons

When choosing a veg chicken product, it's essential to consider both quality and taste. Some brands may offer better texture or flavor profiles, so don't be afraid to try different ones to find what suits you best.

Veg Chicken in the Market

Growth of Plant-Based Meat Alternatives

The market for plant-based meat alternatives is booming, with more consumers seeking healthier and more sustainable food options. Veg chicken is at the forefront of this growth, gaining popularity worldwide.

Consumer Trends and Preferences

As more people become aware of the benefits of plant-based diets, the demand for veg chicken continues to rise. Consumers are looking for products that offer health benefits without compromising on taste or texture.

Common Misconceptions about Veg Chicken

Taste and Texture Concerns

One common misconception is that veg chicken doesn't taste or feel like real chicken. However, advancements in food technology have made it possible to create plant-based chicken that closely mimics traditional chicken in both taste and texture.

Nutritional Myths

Another myth is that veg chicken lacks essential nutrients. In reality, many veg chicken products are fortified with vitamins and minerals, ensuring they provide a balanced nutritional profile.

Future of Veg Chicken

Innovations in Plant-Based Meats

The future of veg chicken looks promising, with ongoing innovations aimed at improving taste, texture, and nutritional value. These advancements will likely make veg chicken even more appealing to a broader audience.

Potential Health and Environmental Impacts

As veg chicken continues to evolve, its potential health and environmental impacts could be significant. By reducing reliance on animal agriculture, we can create a more sustainable and health-conscious food system.

Conclusion

In conclusion, veg chicken is more than just a meat substitute. It offers numerous health benefits, including improved heart health, weight management, and digestive health. Additionally, veg chicken supports environmental sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint and conserving natural resources. By incorporating veg chicken into your diet, you can enjoy delicious meals while contributing to your health and the planet's well-being.

Veg Chicken is a Vegan Food is not only about making dietary choices; it's about embracing a lifestyle that prioritizes health, sustainability, and compassion. By understanding what vegan food is, where to buy it, and how to incorporate it into your diet, you can make informed choices that benefit both yourself and the planet.

[sugurushimura]

Death Note’s primary characters are not particularly good people — and if that sounds like a massive understatement, that’s because it is. From superdetectives who employ human rights violations to solve their cases to career criminals to outright mass murderers, all of our leads are willing to go to immoral lengths to achieve their goals, even (and especially) those who claim to be acting in the name of justice. That’s a given; if anything, that’s part of the appeal. What sort of person, then, could claim the title of Most Hated Death Note Character?

Chances are, you already know the answer: It’s Higuchi Kyosuke, Head of Technological Development for the Yotsuba Group and, more importantly, the Third Kira. (If you’re wondering, I do have the results of my own completely unscientific survey to back this up — and if you seek out your average Death Note fan, chances are they’ll be in agreement.)

Higuchi is hateable by design. Externally, he has extremely sharp features and an unnerving grin, appearing unconventional at his best and downright monstrous at his worst. Internally, he is an unpleasant man who delights in using mass murder to achieve his goals. He is very thoroughly a villain, and it’s difficult to say anything good about him.

Death Note fans often paint Higuchi as a man who is obsessed with money above all else and cares little for morals. In some ways, that’s the natural thing to think — he isn’t exactly the type of character who invites close inspection — but it isn’t actually true. Money is only a secondary desire of Higuchi’s. 

What Higuchi Kyosuke really desires is status, stemming from a deep insecurity and an obsession with how others perceive him. 

When Light tasks Rem with finding a new Kira, he lists certain requirements for the job, and they’re relatively simple: The new Kira must be greedy enough to use the notebook for his personal gain, he must have a decent amount of societal status, and he must be willing to continue the regular executions of criminals. 

Higuchi’s role in Death Note is thus defined by those three factors; they’re what Rem uses to choose him in the first place. We don’t see exactly how long she observes Higuchi for before she chooses him, and we don’t see what he does to check off these three requirements, but we know that Rem ultimately gives Higuchi the notebook. Then, in Chapter 43, L theorizes that the Yotsuba Kira is “a stupid coward who can’t do anything on his own.” 

Higuchi lives up to both of these descriptions well, and we can assume that he’s been a shady person even before Rem gave him the Death Note, considering he’s connected to people like Kaneboshi Ginzo who Higuchi himself refers to as a bad person.

The specific qualifier that the placeholder Kira is “greedy” can mean a lot of things, though. One would generally assume it refers to a desire for money above all else, and since Higuchi’s actions as Kira focus on improving the Yotsuba Group’s profits (and, thus, his own profits), it might appear at first glance that pure cash is all Higuchi is after. This, however, isn’t the case.

Namikawa’s assessment of Kira’s goals provides the first look into what Higuchi is really after.

Namikawa assumes that the Kira they’re dealing with is the original, but other than that, his observations here hold water. If Higuchi really were after money above all else, it would be simple enough for him to use the Death Note to get rich(er) quickly. He chooses not to — in fact, Light finds in Chapter 43 that no deaths to the specific benefit of any of the Yotsuba members have occurred since murders began, meaning that Higuchi hasn’t made any kills that benefit him more than his colleagues or directly give him money. (This is shown in the image before Namikawa, if you missed it.)

What Namikawa realizes is that the Yotsuba Kira is actually after social status; above all else, he wants to be respected and looked up to by those around him as a man of authority and talent. What’s more, Higuchi goes out of his way to call these goals stupid when they’re laid out in front of him and the rest of the group.

If he weren’t Kira, he’d have no reason to say this; what use would there be in insulting the motivations of a mass murderer with the power to easily kill him? All he’s done is make himself look suspicious by reacting this way. Most likely, he views Namikawa’s comments as an attack that he has to rebuke; even if he can’t directly out himself as Kira, he can at least let it be known that he personally is above such petty goals as social status. He wants his colleagues to think he’s unconcerned with these things in order to disguise that they matter to him so much; he realizes, on some level, that it’s pathetic to be so obsessed with status and wealth. According to Mido in Chapter 50, this is a regular occurrence. 

Of course, Higuchi would never admit any of this in front of his colleagues. In private, however — or at least when only Rem is around — it’s a different story. 

First, in Chapter 46, when talking about his plans to marry Misa, Higuchi lists money, status, and a beautiful wife as the three things he’ll have gained through the power of the Death Note. What’s particularly interesting here is the comment about others being jealous of him for those things. He’s not just after some extra money, a higher position in the company, and Misa’s hand in marriage for the sake of it; he wants other people to envy him. In his mind, social status and enviability are tied together — perhaps because he’s an intensely envious man himself.

Then, in Chapter 51, while contemplating how to kill Matsuda, Higuchi mentions “fame and fortune” as the two particular things he’s after. Again, though, that isn’t the most interesting thing here — what’s interesting is that the consequence about being revealed to be Kira that he’s so worried about is having to leave Yotsuba. If Matsuda announces that Higuchi is Kira on live TV, surely this’ll catch L’s attention and lead to Higuchi’s arrest and possible execution. But no — Higuchi spares no thought to the possible end of his life as a free man. He’s concerned about being driven from his job in disgrace. The implication here is that Higuchi’s reputation and status are more important to him than his own life.

That’s pretty extreme. Why would Higuchi’s reputation matter so much to him that even his own survival doesn’t merit mentioning? Why is Higuchi pursuing social status so obsessively in the first place when he already descends from a wealthy family and works as a high-ranking executive at a large corporation? He clearly has a decent amount of status already; that was one of Light’s requirements to Rem for the stand-in Kira in the first place, too. 

Higuchi cares deeply about his social status and how others perceive him because he’s deeply insecure — about his status, yes, but also about his intelligence, motivations, and more. He habitually compares himself to those around him and comes up short. This feeling of inferiority drives him to use the Death Note in order to compensate. 

The death meetings themselves are fundamentally evidence of this. Bringing a group of colleagues together to decide who to kill gives Higuchi some additional resources and ideas, but that’s all. The meetings are more of a liability than anything else; the more people who know that Kira is working for Yotsuba, the more people who might crack under pressure or otherwise slip up and alert L or the police, especially when those people’s lives are actively being threatened. On top of that, the meetings are being held at the Yotsuba office, where someone could listen in — as Matsuda does. The cons outweigh the pros by far. 

The only reason Higuchi would choose to operate this way is if he was convinced that his own skills and intelligence weren’t enough to act as Kira on his own. One might argue that the other seven were there primarily to serve as scapegoats if it ever came down to it, but then, why specifically invite people like Namikawa and Mido who have a reputation for intelligence if not to hear their insights? Insecurity is the only reason Higuchi could have chosen to operate as Kira this way.

His insecurities bleed through into more than just the way he plans things and functions as Kira, though. His interactions with those around him, namely his colleagues, is constantly colored by them.

The first line in all of Death Note immediately attributed to Higuchi — the one that establishes his character — is spent insulting Takahashi, and then not-so-subtly threatening him right afterwards.

(These panels also point out that Higuchi has chosen mostly younger executives to attend these meetings. Perhaps he's disdainful towards his older, more old-fashioned colleagues.)

The insecure bully character type is not exactly uncommon; we’ve seen it all before. Some teenager who isn’t sure of himself takes it out on the kids in his class, especially those lower on the social food chain than he is, in an attempt to soothe his own internal struggles and make himself appear better than them. Higuchi is pretty much the embodiment of this representative teenager, except he’s a middle-aged businessman and doesn’t have the excuse of adolescent angst on his side.

This is the moment that tells us who Higuchi is — not as Kira, but as a person — and he follows that example for the rest of the story. It’s as much a pattern as anything can be for a relatively minor character, and it’s clearly been happening for longer than we as the audience are able to see. Takahashi is the most common victim, and he’s also the easiest target since most of the Yotsuba guys seem to think lowly of him — none as transparently as Higuchi, of course, who calls him an idiot every chance he gets. 

Other common targets include Hatori, the Yotsuba president’s illegitimate son who doesn’t seem to grasp the gravity of the Kira situation until it’s too late, and Shimura, the only member (presumably) hailing from a working-class family whose colleagues treat him dismissively due to what they believe to be paranoia. 

Some of the rudeness directed at Shimura in particular is in response to things that could threaten Higuchi, like calls for Kira to reveal his identity, but there’s a greater underlying thread here. Together, Takahashi, Hatori, and Shimura are the least respected of their group (except for maybe Higuchi himself). They’re acceptable targets, and next to them, Higuchi can make himself look intelligent, respectable, and level-headed. Maybe he can even convince himself that he really is if he tries hard enough. As Mido and Namikawa mention while discussing who Kira might be in Chapter 50, this behavior is nothing new. His colleagues expect this of him enough to realize that people like Takahashi are only in the meetings at all for the express purpose of making Higuchi look better.

Every so often, Higuchi will toss out a dismissive comment about the group as a whole, often for their perceived careless handling of the killings. 

This is pretty rich coming from the guy who complains about the routine Kira murders keeping him busy and kills people who committed crimes under extenuating circumstances because he can’t be assed to do any extra research. More than that, though, it’s an attempt to posture; Higuchi wants to appear aloof and condescending in front of his colleagues so that they take him seriously. It doesn’t work, generally speaking, but the effort is there. Outside of these broad comments, though, he avoids taking shots at those with more status within their group than him.

Except, that is, for Namikawa.

Higuchi isn’t constantly rude to Namikawa like he is to Takahashi; in fact, he agrees with him on occasion (though not until after people like Ooi and Mido have already done so). Still, he does get short with him sometimes, which is interesting for a man who is generally polite to those like Ooi and Mido, whom he acknowledges as more talented and intelligent than him.

Notice that Higuchi is criticizing Namikawa here for acting superior — the very thing that Higuchi himself is constantly doing. Not that Namikawa seems particularly bothered.

That’s what makes Higuchi’s perception of Namikawa particularly interesting: Higuchi dislikes Namikawa, but in many ways, he mimics him. Namikawa is aloof and often condescending, but he never directly insults a colleague to their face. Higuchi tries to act aloof and instead just makes himself look like an asshole. Namikawa tends to come across as very relaxed, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair and talking with his hands. Higuchi himself is fairly high-strung, as his eventual breakdown reveals, but he certainly puts on a show of acting relaxed, like a crude parody of Namikawa’s mannerisms. The best example of this is directly after Namikawa’s little speech on Kira’s true goals. I used this image a bit earlier, but I’ll include it again here for easy access.

There are so many levels of posturing going on in this panel. It isn’t even funny (except it is). 

Higuchi’s simultaneous imitation of and scorn for Namikawa cements him even further as a deeply insecure individual. It all comes down to envy. 

Namikawa is everything Higuchi wants to be but isn’t. Like Higuchi, Namikawa was born to a wealthy family, following in the footsteps of his father to become a high-ranking executive within the Yotsuba Group. Unlike Higuchi, Namikawa is composed and in near-complete control of how he presents himself, which has led to his reputation as one of the Yotsuba Group’s most talented and intelligent executives — all this while being 30 years old, the youngest of any of the executives present for the meetings. Not to mention he’s very conventionally attractive.

Higuchi wants to be like Namikawa, but despite his best efforts, he just isn’t. Even with his clear envy and dislike for Namikawa, though, he invites him to the meetings because he values his insights. Although Higuchi clearly doesn’t want to admit it, he believes that Namikawa is more intelligent than him — and he does admit it, at least on some internal level, just by merit of placing Namikawa on the meeting’s roster. Surely that must sting.

Higuchi’s attempts to appear relaxed and above-it-all go beyond just his imitations of Namikawa, too. Fake laughter seems to be a favorite of his, especially during the date scene in Chapter 48.

His insecurities show in a few other ways throughout the Yotsuba arc, too. For one thing, he has a habit of talking about how Kira works to his colleagues. He disguises this as theorizing, but it’s still suspicious for someone as notably uncreative as Higuchi to make too many spot-on jumps in logic. Using his knowledge of Kira lets him try to gain respect by acting more clever than he is, and he can’t help himself.

Speaking of acting suspiciously, Higuchi is really enthusiastic about killing people. One might expect this from the guy acting as Kira, but he doesn’t do a very good job of hiding it, either. As brought up before, one of his establishing lines is a veiled threat to Takahashi, and things don’t get better from there. Later on, Higuchi is first to suggest killing Matsuda. Then, he implies to Hatori’s face that Kira will kill him for his outburst — and he goes on to kill Hatori the next day.

He initially wants to kill Misa when Aiber-as-Coil tells the conspirators that she might know L, although he seems to change his mind in favor of marrying her in order to control her Second Kira powers. While in private with Rem, he implies that he plans to kill the remaining members of the meetings after he uses his status as Kira to become company president, although the wording is somewhat ambiguous. During his race to find Matsuda’s real name, he considers killing pretty much everyone involved before Rem talks him down, and the fact alone that he owns a gun (which is very illegal in Japan) is pretty telling. 

Before any of those, though, mere moments after taunting Hatori for what will be his death, Higuchi tries to insist that his colleagues should have Kira kill Eraldo Coil, which prompts Mido to react as such:

Possibly the most succinct response to Higuchi as Kira anyone has ever given — and, what’s more, the wording here implies that this is a regular occurrence, possibly even more than what we’ve seen over the course of the arc so far. Like a high school bully, Higuchi berates those he perceives as weaker than him; also like a high school bully, Higuchi grasps onto the first thing that could possibly give him power and lords it over everyone else. When he has the power to easily kill other people, he becomes obsessed with killing. Again, it’s amazingly suspicious, but he’s so desperate to use the Death Note to soothe his feelings of inferiority that he can’t (or won’t) stop himself.

Higuchi is an incredibly insecure person, then; that much is clear. But it isn’t just that — his job at Yotsuba constantly exacerbates his fears that others are above him. Not only is he less talented than most of his colleagues (a fact that most people around him seem to know), but he’s technically ranked lower than most of them.

Higuchi’s official title is Head of Technological Development. Other than Shimura, Head of Personnel, the other six are all higher-ranked Vice Presidents, including Takahashi, Hatori, and Namikawa (of course). What’s more, this wasn’t always the case. Higuchi used to hold a higher position within the company — presumably that of a Vice President, as I believe the original Japanese text states — before he was demoted.

Namikawa notes Higuchi’s habit of insulting others, which we’ve already discussed and which points directly to his insecurity. For a man like this, who secretly doubts his own abilities and obsesses over how others see him, demotion must be a staggering blow. That likely contributes to why the Higuchi we see during the Yotsuba arc is so concerned with status, on top of his already-existing insecurity; he has to prove he isn’t the incompetent fool that he believes his colleagues see him as. It’s also worth noting that Shimura, as the Head of Personnel, likely had a hand in Higuchi’s demotion; perhaps that’s part of why Higuchi seems to dislike him.

For what it’s worth, Higuchi isn’t wrong in believing his colleagues dislike him. Mido and Namikawa prove time and time again, particularly in Chapter 50, that they view Higuchi mostly as a petty, incompetent idiot. Takahashi clearly doesn’t like him much, either, as the most frequent victim of his bullying; Shimura, who is similarly mistreated and suspects Higuchi of being Kira, also obviously dislikes him. That’s already the majority of the Yotsuba executives we’re acquainted with. Although we don’t see Hatori react to Higuchi much, Higuchi’s occasional derision towards him and willingness to revel in his death indicate that they have an at least somewhat negative relationship. Ooi and Kida don’t get much of a look in at all, but Ooi generally plays a neutral leader role, so that’s par for the course on his part. 

In short: Higuchi’s posturing falls completely flat, and his colleagues largely see him for what he is, or at least find him unpleasant.

So how much does all of this talk about insecurity really matter? Enough to drive him to use the Death Note, sure, but Higuchi doesn’t seem like a very morally upstanding person anyways. Actually, it’s cause for something even more drastic than murder: It’s very nearly cause for suicide.

At first he’s only holding the gun to his head for show, but his finger clearly trembles over and squeezes the trigger as he thinks about his prospects. Watari shoots his hand at that moment for a good reason. If another few seconds had gone by, there might not have been a Kira to arrest.

When Higuchi says here that his life is over, one might read that literally; Higuchi is about to lose his freedom and potentially his life when L arrests him as Kira. Think back to Higuchi’s reaction to the Sakura TV special, though; he certainly wasn’t concerned about being arrested or executed then. He was scared that he would have to leave the company with a tarnished reputation. Here, when he says “my life,” he’s talking figuratively about his career and reputation.

It isn’t the thought of capture that nearly drives him to shoot himself. It’s the thought of having his reputation ruined — of being exposed to the world not only as a murderer, but a man who committed murder (many, many murders!) to compensate for his own personal failures. Is there anything more pathetic than being exposed like that? Could a man like Higuchi ever allow himself to live in such a reality? No. Death is a more welcoming option for him at that moment.

It’s clear that Higuchi is motivated by status more than money, and this desire for status is driven by a strong need for validation in the face of deep insecurities. Underneath the veneer, Higuchi doesn’t seem to think of himself as particularly smart or talented, or even as very likable. Why, then, does he think he deserves the success that the Death Note could bring him?

Simply put, Higuchi genuinely thinks of himself as a good person.

In Chapter 38, Higuchi provides a lot of insight into how he rationalizes the murders to himself, although we don’t know it’s him yet. It seems like he was pro-Kira even before being given the notebook and views the deaths of criminals as a good thing, particularly corrupt businessmen since they damage the economy. The irony is lost on him, apparently.

What’s more, Higuchi seems to believe that the world now depends on Kira in order to enforce justice, citing the doubling of crime rates after Kira’s disappearance. In his mind, he’s carrying out a necessary service for the world while the original Kira slacks off. 

The work he’s doing is heroic, and he doesn’t mind doing it because he’s a good person. Since he’s such a good person, doesn’t he have the right to use this power to get himself the respect that he’s always deserved? 

It’s also worth mentioning that Higuchi is the only Kira who shows any real respect for his shinigami, or shinigami more generally. Compared to Misa, Mikami, and especially Light, it’s almost shocking how polite he is with Rem. He never insults or lashes out at her the way he does with his colleagues, and while this could be because he’s afraid of her, he doesn’t really seem afraid. In fact, he talks freely to Rem about his motivations and goals with remarkably little posturing, and he actively solicits her advice, which he takes into account even when he doesn’t listen to it. 

He even goes so far as to praise her on occasion, which is extremely abnormal for him.

It’s almost… healthy? Normal? Something adjacent to it? Although Rem still hates him, of course.

The fact is that Rem is a shinigami, and, as we’ve seen, Higuchi avoids lashing out at those he acknowledges as higher up on the social ladder than him (save Namikawa, for reasons previously discussed). It’s also worth mentioning that Higuchi’s house is remarkably empty, and he’s never referenced as having any social life outside of work. Perhaps he’s relieved to finally have a confidant; perhaps he’s simply deferring to what he realizes is a higher power. Higuchi seems to have a certain respect for social order, and maybe he mistakes this respect for decency. 

Higuchi’s treatment of women in general is interesting for somewhat similar reasons. He’s clearly a sexist, desiring Misa’s hand in marriage in order to show her off as a pretty object of jealousy and generally acting lecherous during the model scene. He very much seems to view women primarily as accessories to his own desires. (Rem, of course, is exempt from this as a shinigami — assuming Higuchi knows her gender in the first place.)

Higuchi isn’t actually a straw misogynist, though. He seems to be very concerned with treating women well — or making sure the women he’s around know that he treats women well. He’s not exactly subtle about that.

This behavior is consistent throughout his date with Misa, whenever he’s not busy thinking about Kira stuff. Practically the first thing he does when he sees her is offer to buy her a car. He’s generally deferent to her, letting her decide where they go on their date and going along with all her ideas regarding how to prove to each other that they’re Kira with a surprising amount of receptivity. While he might partially be trying to impress her because he wants the Second Kira on his side, this behavior started before he found out Misa might be the Second Kira. He really is just like this. He literally calls himself a gentleman at one point.

It’s posturing, for sure, but it’s a different kind of posturing than when he’s around his colleagues. He’s still going after validation, but it’s not just respect that he’s after; he wants to be liked. Higuchi really wants women to like him, so he makes a show out of being chivalrous. We know he actually isn’t — he considers killing Misa multiple times, and besides, a truly chivalrous man wouldn’t need to say it over and over again — but perhaps he’s convinced himself. Higuchi respects women, so that’s just another reason he’s a good person! This is why he deserves success!

With this in mind, we can paint a fairly detailed final portrait of the Yotsuba Kira.

Born in 1972, Higuchi grew up largely during the 1980s, a time of economic prosperity for Japan. His privileged upbringing offered him a view of what life had in store for him as a successful adult, and he likely expected to glide into the business world like young men were doing in that decade. 

Then the economy crashed during the 1990s, and, suddenly, Higuchi’s future wasn’t as easy as he had hoped. His father’s fortune and status within Yotsuba were enough to secure him a high-ranking job in the company, but not without effort — effort that was clearly not enough for him to measure up to his more-talented colleagues, especially the younger Namikawa. Perhaps he had noticed a similar inferiority to his peers earlier in his life, but he certainly notices it now.

It gnaws at him, of course; already feeling robbed by the economic situation, he now begins to see enemies in his colleagues, and any self-doubt that had existed inside him before begins to grow. He needs to seem talented and composed, so he tries to act like he is; he needs to feel better about himself, so he tries to show his superiority to others. He fails at both and becomes crueler and meaner in the process. He believes that he is a good person, and he can justify even the worst of his behavior to himself because he believes he deserves to act out some, when the world and the system are so set against him. 

Maybe he had a rebellious streak before, but now it begins to develop into a disdain for his elders and for the powers that be — the same powers that allowed him to work at Yotsuba in the first place, but he isn’t willing to think of it that way because he’s the real victim here. It’s almost enough to tempt him to counterculture — his haircut, after all, is hardly suitable for a businessman — but he doesn’t have enough confidence to fully break away from the corporate world, especially when it’s so tied to his identity now. What else can he do anymore? He has to succeed.

But as he becomes more desperate for success, his attitude worsens. He’s demoted for the very behaviors he had been using to cope with his insecurities, as well as for his poor leadership skills. It burns. 

When Rem offers him the Death Note, his answer is a no-brainer. He’s already pro-Kira, so he thinks he’ll be doing everyone a favor — a big enough favor to justify using Kira’s power for himself on the side. After all, he needs to succeed. He needs status and respect. He needs the men he envies to envy him in turn. He needs to be the man he always thought he’d be by now. For that, he would do anything. Everything else has failed so far, but now he’s unstoppable.

Perhaps if Higuchi had never gotten the Death Note, he would’ve inevitably snapped in some other way, violent or otherwise. Perhaps he would have lived a quiet, mediocre life, unfulfilled and miserable. Perhaps, by some miracle, he would have changed. 

But none of that comes to pass.

At the end of the day, Higuchi Kyosuke dies like a dog. The greatest legacy he leaves behind is his failure in the face of men much more talented than he could ever hope to be.

[NOTE: If you'd like to share this post, please reblog this alternate version. Tumblr won't post the version you're reading now to your dashboard because it has too many images, which means people are less likely to see it. Thank you!]

[govindhtech]

Looney Tunes: Wacky World Of Sports A Joy Of Recreation

Looney Tunes: Wacky World Of Sports

Overview

The colorful sports game “Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports” features Looney Tunes characters. This PlayStation and Nintendo 64 game was competitive, enjoyable, and nostalgic. Beyond sports, it celebrates animation, personality, and gaming fun.

This article will explore the multiplayer experience, character abilities, gameplay mechanics, cultural effect, and reasons why many people still adore this game. It also covers the diversity of sports that are offered.

Mechanisms of Gameplay

Fundamentally, “Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports” provides a fun and approachable gaming experience. A cast of recognizable characters, each with special skills and attributes, is available for players to select from. The game is set up around a number of sporting activities that are competitive and filled with the outrageous humor that characterizes the Looney Tunes.

Character Choosing

The cast of characters in the game is broad and includes:

Bugs Bunny: The witty and charming bunny with a sharp mind.

Conceited Daffy Duck causes mayhem with his funny pranks.

Porky Pig: The stumbling, tenacious pig.

Tweety Bird: The astute little bird that frequently faces off against Sylvester.

Sylvester: The cat who makes everything funnier by chasing after Tweety nonstop.

Each persona that a player chooses adds a different flavor to the gameplay. For example, Bugs Bunny might be more agile, and Daffy Duck might be able to divert opponents.

Mechanisms and Control

Because to the controllers’ intuitive design, players of all ages can easily get started. Although each sport has its own set of restrictions, the basic principles are always the same:

Movement: A joystick or directional pad is used by players to move their characters.

Action Buttons: To enable a fluid gameplay experience, certain buttons are designated for certain functions including jumping, shooting, and special moves.

Power-ups: During every event, players can gather power-ups that grant them momentary benefits like increased speed or the capacity to impede their opponents.

Because of its simplicity, players who are more competitive as well as casual ones can have fun.

Athletic Events

Every sporting event on “Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports” is imbued with the signature comedy of Looney Tunes. Here are a few of the noteworthy occasions:

Basketball

In the three-on-three basketball minigame, players can make wild shots and moves. The courts have a dynamic ambiance because they are colorful and full of active components. The game mechanics encourage players to be creative in how they approach their shots, and players can score points by using special moves.

Baseball

The baseball game is known for its exciting twists and turns that happen quickly. Players alternate between throwing and hitting, using a variety of character-specific skills. For instance, Daffy may divert the pitcher with his antics, and Bugs could use his speed to steal bases.

Play golf

In the golf minigame, players maneuver through bizarre courses with creative obstacles. Every round is different because of the ramps, tunnels, and dangers with a Looney Tunes theme in the holes. By including power-ups that can change the trajectory of the ball, the game encourages players to think outside the box while making shots.

Field and Track

Track and field events include sprints, hurdles, and long jumps.The special skills that each character possesses are vital in deciding the result. For example, Sylvester’s power might be useful in weight-based activities, while Tweety’s diminutive size might offer him an advantage in agility.

Play as a Multiplayer

The multiplayer feature of “Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports” is among its most alluring features. By letting friends and family compete against one another, the game promotes friendly rivalry and a sense of friendship.

Competitive Activities

Players can compete in head-to-head bouts or cooperate in multiplayer. It’s an ideal party game because of this social element that enriches the experience. Players are guaranteed to find events that fit their interests thanks to the variety of sports available, ranging from friendly golf outings to intense basketball games.

Possibility of replay

High replayability is a result of the events’ humor and unpredictable nature. Because the mix of characters, happenings, and power-ups makes every match different, no two are ever the same. To keep the gameplay interesting and fresh, players can try out various characters and methods.

Cultural Influence and Memories

“Wacky World of Sports” is unique to a lot of gamers. For late 1990s kids, Looney Tunes ruled the animation and entertainment sectors. The game brings back wonderful memories.

Symbolic Figures

In addition to being adored, the characters have gained widespread cultural recognition. In particular, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny have endured over the ages, drawing in fans of all ages. In order to preserve these iconic characters’ history, the game introduces younger players to them.

Humor and Creativity

One of “Wacky World of Sports”‘s biggest appeals is its comedy. The game creates a cheerful ambiance that players find appealing by embracing the ridiculousness of the characters and their interactions. Using comedy in a sporting context gives it a distinct taste that makes it stand out from other sports games of the era.

In summary

More than a sports game, “Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports” celebrates animation, creativity, and friendly competition. Fans of all ages enjoy its hilarious sports approach, charming characters, and intriguing gameplay.

The Looney Tunes-themed “Wacky World of Sports” is fun again especially for newcomers. Its legacy lives on because it makes us recognize the joy of playing together, laughing, and losin selves in Looney Tunes.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[alex-richey]

Blog Post #5 (Due 10/3)

How does the merit system in “Nosedive” parallel our perception of social media following?

In the “Nosedive” episode of Black Mirror, each person ranked everyone they interacted with, and one’s overall ranking determined how they were perceived and interacted with by others. This immediately reminded me of how social media status dictates our interpretations of one another. As few people would admit it, I know of many people who when looking at someone’s Instagram account for the first time, make judgments about them based on how many followers they have. Furthermore, when it comes to influencers, many companies only want to collaborate with those who have a certain amount of followers, leaving smaller social media creators to work extra hard to build their platforms. In “Nosedive,” each character’s rating offered benefits to those with particularly high ratings, such as reduced rent, access to certain buildings, and better overall social standing. This is an eerie, but realistic, example of how we let social media standing guide our interactions with people in the real world.

Why is language especially important when discussing social problems and feminism?

The language we use when discussing social issues is very important because it can make the difference in acknowledging or dismissing nuance in these issues. As we read two weeks ago, intersectionality is vital when discussing feminism to ensure that “women’s rights” include all women. As discussed in The Revenge of the Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator, the authors argue that Haraway’s position as an established, respected white feminist grants her the privilege of an audience: people want to listen to her. However, if a woman of color made the same arguments, she’d likely have a much more difficult time gaining that same audience. When discussing social issues like sexism, it’s important to think critically about the language we’re using and how it may be interpreted to build stronger, more nuanced arguments.

How is voice-based racism more prevalent now than ever?

In her TedTalk, Dr. Lisa Nakamura explains voice-based racism in reference to the judgments we make about someone’s race based on their voice. She argues that with the rise of video games with live audio features (where you can play with friends and strangers), there’s also a rise in voice-based racism online. When we believe we know someone’s race simply from their voice, we open the door for stereotypes and prejudice to guide our interactions with that person. Furthermore, everyone is prejudiced, and these prejudices continue to exist online. I believe making judgments on someone’s voice online is relatively similar to making judgments about their appearance in real life, so voice-based racism is especially important to analyze and acknowledge when we are guilty of it.

What is ludo-Orientalism and how does it work?

→ In The Race card: From gaming technologies to model minorities, the author defines ludo-Orientalism as the way that the “design, marketing, and rhetoric of games shape how Asians as well as East-West relations are imagined,” as well as how Asian people are constantly depicted as “other.” It also refers to the way social constructions of race are perpetuated through games and disguised as “play.” This can be particularly harmful because when something is deemed fun, we assume it to be lighthearted, and we often even assume it to lack any real, societal effect. However, the portrayals of racial groups through video games are often disguised versions of stereotypes, that then get perpetuated for the sake of “a fun game.”

Fickle, T. (2019). The race card: From gaming technologies to model minorities. New York University Press.

Richter, M. (2016). Black Mirror: Nosedive. episode.

Nakamura, L. (2011). TedXUIllinois - Dr. Lisa Nakamura - 5 Types of Online Racism and Why You Should Care. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT-G0FlOo7g

Ow, Jeffrey A. “The Revenge of the Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator: The Rape of Digital Geishas and the Colonization of Cyber-Coolies in 3D Realms’ Shadow Warrior.” Asian America.Net: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Cyberspace.

[fungal-wasted]

as someone with visual processing issues, i really appreciate your descriptions when my brain isnt cooperating <3 i was wondering if you had any tips on creating ids? it sounds like a fun skill to learn and also very useful!!

Hi! Thank you for reaching out! I will try to give some help. I personally do have low vision and rely on screenreaders sparingly, though I've started using them on mobile more often.

First I'm gonna give you some general advice that could apply to most descriptions, and then focus some more on content commonly shared in the Hollow Knight fandom.

General Concepts

"ID" stands for Image descriptions, and they exist to make content available to those that cannot perceive visual content properly for different reasons. Usually, these descriptions can be found in two places, right below an image in plain text, or in the "alt text", which is a feature that allows you to describe visual content in a way that's available to the screenreaders, but where the wall of text doesn't obstruct the rest of the post. In my personal opinion. it is generally preferable to put it below the image, just so people without screenreaders can still benefit from it, but there is nothing wrong with leaving more detailed descriptions in alt text.

My personal advice for you to start a description is to ask yourself:

What do I see at first glance?

What is the purpose of the image? / What do I think the purpose is?

What information do I need to state so the image achieves this purpose?

Let's talk a little more about this, using fanart, with the consent of @silkysong

What do I see at first glance?

When you look at an image, there are certain things that stand out at first glance. Our brains tend to process things as a whole, we see certain objects in the middle, and how they interact, then we can note some specific features of an image, then we can focus on the context, the background of an image or the colors used. Basically, we must try to describe things as we see them

An easy list that can help you decide what to say first:

What kind of image is it? Digital fanart, traditional fanart, an edit (image created pasting assets made by others together), a photo, a screenshot, etc.

What is the main object seen? Or what are the main characters seen? If it belongs to a specific franchise, name it here.*

Where is it? (Short answer: like a location name, a plain background.)

How do the objects or characters interact? Describe actions like: "the Knight swings its nail towards Hornet."

Is the appearance of the object or character different? How?

What is the background like? What is the lighting?

(*) While everything else can be optional, if you're low on spoons this can be a quick description that lets others know what the image is about.

But what defines what info needs to be there?

Time for question 2 and 3!

What is the purpose of the image? /What do I think the purpose is?

Ok, so, why am I sharing this image? Or why do I think the original poster shared it?

If it's a meme, then focus on what elements are needed to tell the joke, if it's an edit, then focus on what makes it different. And if it's fanart: what things would you like people to notice about it? A specific artstyle, the poses in a scene, the colors it uses, a new design, you decide.

As you can see, this is what can make descriptions so different. If you're the person who made the image you know best how much you want to focus on details. In other words, if a detail will have a meaning or an impact to the viewer, then try to describe it.

What information do I need to state so the image achieves this purpose?

Let's look at an example:

The image descriptiion is: "[Start ID: A drawing of the Broken Vessel and the Radiance from Hollow Knight over a white background. The broken vessel stands looking to the front, one of its eyes is black, while the other, next to where its mask is cracked, is bright orange. The end of its cloak twist and are colored orange as well. A tiny version of the Radiance seems to be sitting on its head, where its mask is shattered and full of infection. /End ID.]

First sentences gives us:

Medium (what kind of image?)

Characters (main objects)

Franchise (context for said objects)

A quick description of the background. (where are the objects?)

If for any reason you're not interested in any of those elements, you can already skim past it or press skip in a screenreader.

The next sentences describe what pose the broken vessel has and any relevant details of their pose and their cloak. Then we describe where the Radiance is and what she's doing. This lets us know what the drawing is trying to focus on. If we had a background, that would be the next element to describe.

Finally, we see the "/End ID." which helps people using screenreaders know when the image description ends and any other caption you add starts.

EXTRA NOTES, Hollow Knight edition:

Describing canon characters in detail is optional. It can be useful if you want your art to be enjoyed by people not familiar with Hollow Knight, but it is not necessary. Original characters do need a better description, however, since people aren't familiar with them. If you think it's relevant for you, add any style choice that differs from the canon designs, such as adding limbs on Hornet, among others.

If you do not have the energy to describe much you can say things such as:

-An anthropomorphic [insert a bug]

-A fictional creature with [base features such as scales, wings, legs or any other recognizable elements]

-An insect-like character with a white, horned shell and a dark cloak (to refer to vessels).

[archtroop]

Do you believe that Pro-Palestine = Antisemitism..?

I do wonder if this is in good faith.

The abridged version, is, that if Pro Palestine equals Anti Israel, then yes. It's antisemitism.

Unless you are honestly advocating for a two state solution/two neighboring sovereignties in whatever such form it may take, then it will mean that the Palestinian leadership will have to recognize Israel, and then no. It's not antisemitism.

The problem is that Free Palestine Movement has nothing to do with the second option. The only way this Movement can exist, grow, and recruit is by having an unachievable goal: Free Palestine. It's a cult like tactic. And it's sole existence is to serve a certain master. And, no. Not the Palestinians.

This is the bedrock of it all. Perpetual refugee status and UNRWA (no such thing exists anywhere else and for no one else), leaders rich beyond belief with people who can't even have citizenships and move on with their lives because they are cannon fodder designated at birth, for a cause, that exists somewhere over the rainbow. Fueled by symphaty and international aid.

The thing is, the Antisemitism came first.

The movement is rooted in the ideas and methods spread by one Haj Amin al Husseini. Who was Islamist, Nazi collaborator, and obviously HATED Jews. That was even before the establishment of Israel. Later, Soviet Union picked up on it, and now, Iran is moving this chessboard piece around. It's a hell of a useful distraction.

Husseini's spirit is interwoven with the "Palestinian Liberation." It created the perpetual cycle that leaves a whole group of people in this limbo of identity or belonging, and no way for them to make roots or build a future. The Arab League forged the Palestinians into a stick to beat the Jews with. Awful for the Jews. Disastrous for the stick. Now, the Arab nations relinquished it all together and sacrificed the stick.

The "refugee problem" is a device. A satanic strategy that was created only for one reason: to destroy Israel. And since this is not gonna happen, and frankly, no longer relevan to the Arab world as much as a generation or two ago, these people are stuck forever. They are jot useful to them anymore.

They can't move on from the pipe dream of Free Palestine (that for some reason never includes Jordan). Unless they admit that Israel has been a feature on the world map for 75 years now, and its existence is deeply rooted in a history so ancient, that unless you cancel Archeology and the 3 biggest monotheistic religiongs, you can't refute it. Than we can move forward.

Ultimately, this will collapse. You can't uphold a structure like the PLO and whatever Gaza is on aid forever. No import, no export, no economy, no actual geopolitical allies (US college students with megaphones don't count). Only a "Cause" and a lot of Iran funded terrorism. This is suicide.

Unless the people trapped in this limbo called "Free Palestine" dream don't do a do over, and start on actual process of some kind of self determination that does not revolve around the destruction of someone else's self determination, they are Doomed to dissipate as a group. If you are serious about the Palestinian Identity, you have to give it some kind of positive and constructive meaning. Because, for now, it hinges on being the offside of the creation of the state of Israel. This is not constructive. It holds no feasible future.

As someone wrote, Palestinians would really benefit from having a Zionists leader right about now.

[artfightdramaconfessions]

So, this year I did my first Art Fight; I had joined in 2021 but kept myself as a spectator to observe it and see what the rules would be like, how things are done, the general etiquette of it - and I think, being involved in the fight is very different from watching it.. Wholesome, sweet and kind on the outside; very distant, lazy and disorganized on the inside.

Personally, however, I had a wonderful time! I think I pumped out loads of art and I am proud of what I did for others; high-quality, fully-rendered, respect being given to character features and everything being on-model. I drew exactly 80 pieces, majority of them being waist or fullbody, and only about 5 simple-shaped characters and 3 mass attacks. It was heartwarming to see much of it later being posted on Toyhouses, in the character's reference pages, and elsewhere. All around, I was satisfied in what I was able to provide and enjoyed drawing characters I wouldn't personally design, like drawing really cute girls and ferals when I usually lean to monsters and men! I found unique designs, novices and beginners, all sorts.

And while I got a quarter of defenses in return which I absolutely cherish and some sweet comments on a majority of my pieces, I saw how others have complained about not being given responses for work that they've poured hours into... That made me wonder if that's just.. Generally the mentality of artists now; either too introverted to show appreciation to fellow artists in spite of us collectively knowing how challenging it can be to make art, or just joining to farm and then acting too tired or busy to actually participate. - And then the other half almost kill themselves and psychologically drain themselves in the parasocial cycle that Art Fight has to offer in its "trading environment". Sure I could be classified in the latter group too, but I still practiced self-care and got shit done compared to the burnout horror stories I see. It's quite a wild contrast to observe, and leads to psychological turmoil on both sides when one only gives and the other only takes.

There's also the case of people joining the fight and not contributing at all; just picking a side, dropping some characters, (sometimes a broken promise) and then disappearing. I do not want to hear the "they have real lives off the internet, they were busy" excuse, either - I too have a life: I am a teacher during the week /and/ I have a weekend job. When it is summer holidays for the Northerners, I am down in the Southern hemisphere, dealing with the winter, working and freezing my hands up to the point I don't want to create art sometimes when I get home - but I was still perfectly diligent and on top of things.. But hey, maybe I'm built different, and some people are simply just lazy and want rewards without the effort, or quickly assume they deserve more than what they should.

On the bright side, I'm glad I didn't deal with anyone hostile or disrespectful, and I only encountered two genuine art farmers who pretended they didn't know how to draw or "weren't skilled". Always the same excuses, at some point we have to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt so often; As gatekeepy as it is, I'd imagine a game for artists should be reserved for artists, it's not like an unfit marine biologist would want to participate in the Olympics, let alone be allowed to, so why should people who otherwise hate drawing or don't want to learn the skill and deliberately say such things want to join? In a sense it feels like a mockery towards art and the exchange of creativity in general, and I've been on porn sites that check the quality of your art before they post it better than this! There should be at least an entry requirement for signing up for Art Fight where you send in an artwork before the mods verify your account; there would be a fuckload less farmers, for certain.

I'm hoping that maybe, just because it was my first Art Fight, that /maybe/ this high-attack low-defense ratio of mine is to be expected, and if I just manage to spread my art to even further crowds and find new people to attack, I'll find others who will like my designs and be eager to draw them with the same level of eagerness I had to draw theirs. All that matters to me is if I find people who /want/ to draw my characters, not feel obliged to, in the same way I was never obliged to draw that pink, ridiculously-well-endowed Succubus or stocky, angry little Pokemon - but I did it anyway! I simply enjoyed the spontaneity and diversity of character design and unfamiliar fandoms. In the end, after all I've said, it doesn't matter how much art you get in return, it's about how proud you feel about what you contributed to the fight, and what you learned and discovered in the fun little world of character design.

I don't feel discouraged to draw less next year, I'm going to simply relent, but I can see why other artists hang their heads after their first time when they encounter hostility, are ignored, or don't get what they want out of it.

I think these are some things that I would want to improve if I could:

The ratio should calculate points, that will really incentivize people into prioritizing quality over quantity with their attacks. If you want to see how many attacks VS defenses someone has, just go and check on their front page (if you want it to specifically see how many attacks and defenses they had in one year specifically, they should add a sorting filter for that). The only "downside" I can imagine is an increase in mass-attacks, a joy for some but not for others.

After July, I think that we should still be able to submit Revenge-Only attacks during August - and to not have revenge chains be exploited, only be able to post a revenge once on a Level 1.. Level. I see a lot of people seeming guilty for not being able to attack back within the month or being a minute too late to submit a revenge, and then also just being too shy to submit the attack off-site / not being able to do it offsite / not thinking it's worth it without getting points / etc. - and easy resolve would be to allow revenges to still be posted during August, and Moderators can calculate the event scores and winners in September; trying to cram all of the admin into 12 days is insanity and I am speaking from a perspective that deals with a painful amount of admin. Also, get a fucking search bar that's accessible for everyone, holy Hell.

I'm.. Not sure if my tangent was in good spirits or not, it's rather just thoughts that have been rolling around in my head while I've been reflecting on my experience. Hope everyone else had a good Art Fight and reached their goals, or met and made some friends through it. :)

.

[anthonybialy]

No Confusion Over Who Runs Biden White House

Divided sects are split under Joe Biden.  Making fractions even smaller is his specialty.  You already knew such if you’ve checked your bank account and grocery receipt.

It’s not just the country as a whole that’s feuding.  Fighting within a party is particularly amusing for the allegedly peace-loving one in question.  The inability to find consensus is one way to flaunt diversity.

Democrats argue amongst themselves about whether Joe Biden is too addled to pass their agenda.  Who wins?  The nation.  The only time the incumbent embarrassed himself more than during his present bout with clarity was when he was thinking at his fullest.

The Jill Biden/Barack Obama presidency seeks its first full faux term after their semi-victory.  If this seems shady, you’re familiar with their work.  Two all-time manipulators head a shady cast of bumbling interdictors who see the befuddled patriarch’s sad condition as an opportunity.  Remember: they’re the selfless ones.

The same signature-forgers who cornered Joe in the Oval Office early after his election want to selflessly serve as head of state while their addled potato holds the titled.  Their marionette skills have grown more blatant.  The strings become more visible as they get more practice.  Choosing between fibbing to conceal their intentions and being forced to admit their putzing schemes makes them perfect Democrats.

Trying to remove Biden because he wouldn’t be able to pass their agenda shows how much Democrats care.  It’s not about a person.  Telling everyone else what to do even though they’re demonstrably awful at it is their guiding passion.  Elder abuse isn’t a qualm nagging at designers of a new country and humanity who simply need office access.  Class warfare bullies figure heartless tycoons are just as amorally calculating.  The lack of empathy is thorough.

This presidency growing even faker would at least keeping them from inflicting more claptrap.  The political power his faction craves disappears alongside memories of what his name is.

What fortunes could escape squandering thanks to an executive who can’t muster authority on account of still wearing his bathrobe?  Without a quasi-coherent Biden, college enrollees might have to pay for what they use, which is the most important lesson they can learn.  Discovering billing for services is way more useful than whatever’s presented in sociology classes.

An uncivil civil war features lots of hair-pulling.  The cause is as funny as the action.  Conflict originated in debating if their leader is too torpid to screw up the economy more.  Intramural anger at least keeps them from focusing on their ultimate daft goal.

Facing a propped-up established failure seems like the easiest election to win.  But you underestimate the ability of Republicans to embarrass clowns with comparisons that go too far against relatively dignified circuses.  A foe that’s forgotten what conservatism is advocates for equality by not nominating someone who’d embarrass the incumbent with a certain win.  You must want a competitive election unless you loathe democracy.

Longterm benefits come accidentally when the two options fight to lose.  Republicans would end up in better shape than after another Trump presidency.  We just have to endure another term dedicated to a slightly different kind of suffering.  Anyone realistic enough to know that’s what life’s about is already braced for woe unlike liberals who inflict it unnecessarily and excessively by striving to eliminate it.

An unfathomable re-election would be like hurricane preparation for the nation.  Stormy conditions have been so constant that homeowners can put up plywood via muscle memory.  Wiser Supreme Court justices holding on through the gusts would prove their resilience on top of constitutional fidelity.  Liberty fans hate to make the same calculation about valuing people based on how useful they are politically.  But Democrats surely respect others playing their game.

Ditching Biden is a bipartisan dream.  Entrenched fossilization keeps everyone in the current era from happiness.  Saddling themselves with an extinct dodo is the closest Democrats come to restraining government.  Dodging implementation is based in their ineptness, so everything works out.

Anyone looking at the current president who says they want him serving into 2029 can’t credibly claim anything they believe works.  Biden’s minions are trying to commit insurance fraud regarding a policy they took out on America.  The grasshopper grifters of the sensei grow increasingly less convincing that they’re out to help.

Grandpa refusing to switch the locks shows the benefits of limiting how much of an influence people like him have in our lives.  His sole worthwhile contribution takes the form of a bad example, which doesn’t surprise anyone who heard him speak decades ago.

It took a tremendous amount of agony to learn why getting rich without working makes everyone poor.  Everyone promise to remember this time.  We’ve endured obvious scams for a couple centuries.  The present White House is limited by more than painful actuality.  

The promise of fecklessness from idiots is ironically their best chance of winning besides running against a Trump.  A Silver Alert for Biden while he’s standing right there shows the joy of absence.  I’d feel guilty if his friends and family cared.  Not having government invade your life to make it even worse is the upside of a president who no longer possesses the vigor to annoy.

Biden is a bad idea because of his bad ideas.  The crafty elder is limited by his inability to read sentences a sentient human wrote for him, much less form them on his own.  The presidential office is without the president, who is busy with his slot car tournament.  He’s the only entrant.  The best hope for everyone not competing is that he’s too feeble to ruin other races.  Refusing to let him sit on a porch and try to chase birds could save the republic.