#enjoy media in less pointless ways

[hxhhasmysoul]

Who’s the better big bro?

Killua Or Choso?

What criteria am I judging them on? Let me come up with some.

_________

Powers

Honestly love both their powers. They are both creepy, allow for a lot of creativity and look fucking amazing when utilised. On the sheer coolness of them both it's a draw for me.

I'm morally opposed to powerscaling, I do not respect people who engage in it, especially in the context of HxH and JJK because it stands in opposition to what these manga are. Also I don't give a shit who'd win a fight because they wouldn't fight each other. Alluka and Yuuji would be fucking quick friends, he'd love Nanika too and be very jealous considering the passenger he ended up with. Killua and Chousou would cry in the corner overwhelmed by the cuteness of that encounter.

_________

Protectiveness

Well both have their ups and downs.

Killua forgets about Alluka and Nanika but it's not his choice to do so. Then again he doesn't go back for them immediately but he's in the middle of the whole chimera ant debacle so...

Chousou almost kills Yuuji, though he does that because he hadn't realised Yuuji is his brother at the time.

They both play favourites too.

Killua cares only about Alluka and Nanika, not about Kalluto. I mean I get why, Kalluto is clearly mama's spy and they are a little sadist, and Killua can't stand his mum and he is trying to change himself from that mindset but yeah.

Chousou has his favourite brothers and he's ready to sacrifice the others. He's ready to make up justifications for Yuuji consuming them. It's a hard situation but yeah, he's choosing Yuuji here. And I mean, I get it, I would too.

I'd say it's a wash. in this category.

And from now on I will refer only to their relationship with their preferred siblings.

_________

Affection

They are both very affectionate. They show their love both through touch and they give verbal affirmations.

Killua is probably marginally better because he's a tad less intense, his hugs are probably less smothering.

So like Killua slightly wins here. Or loses, depends on what you prefer.

_________

Neediness

Okay. So like they are both absolutely fucking needy and clingy, same fucking energy there. They need to be needed, that's their primary characteristic, they need therapy.

It's no surprise Alluka promises to give Killua back to Gon. I mean she's just got him back and she missed him so she wants to have him for herself for a while but she knows it'll get old. She knows that if she wants some breathing room she needs to get the green boi's help to distract Killua.

Chousou has nobody left and is a child of abuse and just lost a girl that he probably liked. Yuuji is his last chance at sanity. And he needs to redeem himself so badly after not being able to protect anyone he cared for. He needs Yuuji to love him and he will fucking work for it and work for it and Yuuji will let him because he's nice like that, even if it weirds him out a bit and it's not helpful with his general trauma levels.

So like, a draw again.

_________

Responsibility

This one is hard because neither of them had a normal life.

Killua is 13/14 when he rescues Alluka and she's (if I remember correctly) 2 years younger than he is. So can a, let's be generous here, 14yo take care of another kid? Well, he was left to fend for himself when he was much younger than Alluka now and he managed. He has a pretty good knowledge of how to move around in the world. But he's also a kid with questionable dietary habits, he might give Alluka scurvy if he only feeds her chocolate and fastfood. Also will he know how to give her a more normal life? Get her to school, help her make friends? He also has a gambling addiction and has a very poor track record with his financial decisions.

Chousou has lived as a person in the real world for a few months so far. Yes, he looks like an adult and has been conscious in some way for over a hundred years. He was also likely put into an adult vessel and probably has some memories and general knowledge about how to function in the world from that. That being said it'll surely be a learning curve. Will he really be better at adulting than Yuuji who likely mostly took care of himself for years when Wasuke was sick? On the other hand Chousou will really earnestly go at it. He will become a provider as soon as he needs to, he will do any job, any number of shifts. He has this vibe. But he might not stop himself and try to parent Yuuji, there's a slight risk of that.

So I guess a draw? Maybe Chousou wins a bit here but not sure, Killua would likely be more careful around Alluka and Nanika than he was around Gon.

_________

Dumbass

They will both need dating support from their younger sibling, like 100%.

The amount of eyerolling Alluka will do because of Killua's crush is probably very high, I hope eyerolling can't damage your eyes. Nanika will likely be very confused by the whole situation, still supportive.

But Chousou is kinda fucked. Everyone, who hcs that Yuuji explained to Chousou that he and Yuki were on a date, is wrong. The fuck Yuuji knows about dating. They are both doomed in that respect, can't count on each other at all, rip.

_________

Looks

They both are very good with fashion, though we see more from Killua. So like on cute outfits Killua wins by volume of what we see.

But I don't like the white hair/blue eyes design. Controversial hottake incoming, I think Killua is kinda ugly.

So like face and general design wise Chousou wins by a mile. (in the manga, fuck mappa, may they rot, also his voice actor was shit)

_________

Queer

A queer sibling is better than a straight one, obviously. So Killua wins this one, Chousou's straight vibes are too strong, sorry.

_________

In conclusion it's mostly a draw, depends which categories matter to you most. If I missed any important categories, tell me in the notes :D

[skinnypaleangryperson]

Everything has been so pathetically genuinely terribly cringe to me lately, to the point where I don't get joy out of anything anymore, but I'm trying

I'm aware enough to know that this is a side effect of severe depression and stagnance and mundaneity and generally being sick of being alive and hating everything for it

[quoth-the-raven-wtf]

I've blocked a lot of endos [I'm clustering tulpas in the same "origin category," btw], and I hope that they'll respectfully do the same in return when I post things like this. I will never be the first to interact with them, and more often than not I delete their comments from my posts and block them in order to keep myself from interacting in a pointless argument altogether.

That being said, I still want to put my thoughts out there.

Heads up, this is a long one. The rest is below the cut. Per usual, summarized points are highlighted in red for faster viewing.

I know for a fact that a majority of endos aren't claiming to have a CDD [complex dissociative disorder], which tends to be the main argument endos like to use in order to explain that they aren't invading OSDDID spaces or harming communities built for those who are disordered. That doesn't make their claims of being "plural" any less harmful to the CDD community. They are still claiming to have symptoms of dissociative disorders, which waters down the severity of the actual disorders themselves.

Being a system means having a fragmented identity [which is what alters are]. A fragmented identity is a disordered identity. A disordered identity is a disordered brain. Having parts is not typical, and endos claiming that it is possible to have alters without a disorder creates this misconception that plurality is completely normal to experience.

[Don't get me wrong, I'm also irritated by the perspective that everyone with OSDDID is constantly suffering and cannot experience any joy, or even enjoy being a system—because that view is just as uneducated as the endo one.]

Here's the thing—watering down the disorder isn't actually one that matters much to those outside of people who interact with the system sections of social media, because I guarantee you that most people don't even know what "endogenic" means. The issue with watering down symptoms of disorders that result in alters are how they harm actual systems. I've seen multiple systems on this app and even a few others on social media who claim to be endogenic, but talk about having other symptoms of CDDs and having childhood trauma that they don't consider severe enough to be "traumagenic." Seeing things like that is honestly heartbreaking. There are so many systems out there who are completely convinced that they simply can't have originated from trauma because "they weren't hurt badly enough."

It's bizarre to me that this is what the internet has come to.

Here's the thing; if there was actual evidence of endos and tulpas being fully, scientifically capable of existing, I wouldn't be so strongly against their claims. Hell, I've done research in my spare time to actually look for the supposed proof that endos say there is on the ability to be plural without a disorder, and I've reached countless dead ends. Masterlists of "endo-affirming resources" are either incredibly vague, non-credible, or take me straight to an error message [as in, the page has since been taken down]. Aside from those resources, the strongest argument I've seen is that "there's no proof that endos don't exist," which doesn't make any sense either. You could say that about anything you want to, despite currently existing evidence that already suggests your claim is nonsensical.

I am genuinely open to information that is credible, but so far, it just doesn't seem to exist. Anyone is welcome to share some with me, and I will truly approach them with an open mind; that doesn't mean I'm not going to point out lack of credibility when I see it.

In no way do I feel malice or hatred for systems who identify as endogenic, but I'm afraid that directly interacting with endos through areas of syscourse will, and has clearly already created bitterness. I refrain because of how hostile syscourse has gotten, and I encourage others who share my point of view to also keep the hostility to a minimum. I think everyone needs to be more open-minded—both endos and antis like myself. Unfortunately, that's only achievable in a perfect world.

[fruitytrollroll]

Nine Sols' narrative themes inform every gameplay element btw. if u even care.

saw someone call Nine Sols' gift sysrem for Shuanshuan "too dialogue-heavy" and "pointless" and I went temporarily insane

if the quest moments with Shuanshuan feel "pointless", it's because they are meant to be their own reward and you did them out of obligation!!! why!!! nobody was holding you at gunpoint to MAKE you raise this beautiful precious forgiving baby boy who loves you and nursed you back to health—but like a deadbeat dad on a custody visit just to be compliant with a court order, you spent time with him anyway and you resented him for it. WHAT!!!

also can NOT overstate how the games' themes of revenge and redemption tie into these scenes. they are not by ANY MEANS pointless!!! the way Yi goes out of his way to preserve his culture, by sharing it with the APEMAN he's raising, speaks VOLUMES about Yi's character growth in the 2 years since he and Shuanshuan began living together.

I was personally endeared by Shuanshuan immediately, and was delighted I had gifts to give him—AND that they each had bespoke cutscenes that revealed lore information about Solarian culture, and background information about Yi and Shuanshuan'a lives together?? do you guys know how rare and special it feels to have a gift system that WORKS like this??? SO many games give you garbage trinkets to throw at your companions for a quantifiable affection boost, so I cannot overstate how deeply impressive and heartfelt and dedicated to their story Red Candle Games clearly was to have put in the time and effort to make their gift mechanic so deeply character-driven, with custom animations and environmental changes for every skill you teach Shuanshuan. 🥺🧸✨️

if you don't like social sim elements in games, or the characters didn't succeed in endearing themselves to you, that's fine. They're not for everyone—but I suspect my experience was the intended one! you're supposed to like and care about these characters enough to bring them the gifts you find on your travels of your own volition!!

if you DON'T care about the characters, you can skip their scenes, and the game respects your time by LETTING you do that, AND by giving you an ending that is less involved in the characters' lives. but if you resent these scenes because "ugh i HAVE to do this to get the TRUE ending 🙄" then idk!! I think you are playing the game wrong!!

I think RCG gave players an opportunity to not care, and a perfectly satisfying ending despite it all (THE BETTER ENDING AND LESS EMOTIONALLY DEVASTATING ENDING, IN MY OPINION, BECAUSE RCG IS SO MEAN TO ME 😭), and if you passed that up for completionism's sake... IDK!!

I genuinely think achievments have poisoned too many games that don't benefit from them! Gone are the olden days of playing your big sister's SNES games blind—no online guides, no guardrails, just getting lost and wandering around the overworld, just playing by vibes alone and if you get stuck u just have to take a break and come back later instead of looking up a guide online because there wasn't even a GameFAQs page for it yet—but on GOD we need to get back there. Play games blind. Don't look up guides. JUST ENJOY IT, JUST ENGAGE WITH THE MEDIA, WE DON'T NEED INSTRUCTIONS I PROMISE, YOUR INNOCENT NASCENT FUMBLING IS ENOUGH, YOU CAN PLAY THE GAME AND HAVE FUN WITHOUT SOME CHODE ON "HARDCOREGAMER" DOT COM GIVING YOU A DISRESPECTFULLY SPOILERIFIC BREAKDOWN OF A PATH OR BOSS FIGHT OR ITEM LOCATION THAT ROBS YOU OF THAT JOY OF DISCOVERY!!

anyway. yes, if you forced yourself to sit through the dialogue of character-driven scenes for characters you didn't even like or feel compelled by, just to get the "True" end, then I imagine it would feel "pointless" and like "too much text". But failing to catch your interest is not a failure of the game's storytelling if you only disliked it because you were forcing yourself to do it for the achievment, just to get an ending that wasn't made with your play style in mind!!!

"it doesn't even affect the game's ending :/" *LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER*!!! ALL the sidequests have the CUMULATIVE effect of changing the ending! this is because Yi is a ruthless, analytical scientist deposed from his seat of political power in New Kunlun on a quest for revenge—yet he spent precious time doing a bunch of "pointless" sidequests for his friends he's come to care about, which allowed the villain's brewing plot the precious time it needed to come further to fruition. Yi is on a REVENGE quest, and it is the very act of saving Shuanshuan (thus alerting the island's security systems to Yi's presence) that puts a timeline on that revenge. He exposed himself for someone he cared about, putting his revenge in jeopaedy—and he postponed that revenge still further to make amends to the apemen he once thought so little of as to be complicit in their heinous exploitation!!! YI IS GROWING HE'S CHANGING, SHUANSHUAN CHANGED HIS HEART, AND IT'S ONLY IN THE TRUE ENDING YI CAN COMPLETE HIS CHARACTER ARC BY REALIZING HE FUCKED UP AND ACTUALLY REPENT (EVEN IF I HATE IT BECAUSE IT'S THE SADDEST ENDING, FUCK YOU RED CANDLE GAMES 😭)

also combat is focused around the parry because this game's primary thematic underpinning is giving proof to the age-old adage "fuck around and find out" (it's revenge it's about reVENGE IT'S ALL ABOUT FORGIVENESS AND CHANGE AND REVENGE)

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

'You're reading too much into ATSV.'

[aka meta analysis is good for the soul]

I often get told on this blog that I'm reading too much into plots or scenes or things in general.

And honestly, fair point. I do the most.

And as a writer, I will say that I do it out of pure respect.

[actual photo of me reading the script and going for my 'reading too hard at ATSV notebook']

Movies take years to write.

People spend months of their lives genuinely toiling over these characters, often times creating more work than what can ever be reasonably used. Months of revisions and scraping work.

For weeks, about a dozen people probably went to sleep dreaming or thinking up what Hobie would wear, what Gwen would say, what emotional cues Jess will have.

A lot of people dedicated years of their lives and creative labor into that story.

To me, it isn't at all bizarre to take an hour out of my day to sit and consider the story they spend a lot of time trying to tell.

Compared to the labor they have given me, multiple 40+ hour work weeks for years - an hour or two is literally nothing lol

It's literally the least I can do.

As a writer, I feel like its only right to sit back and look deeper into a story.

To analyze the writer's intentions, or examine their storytelling tactics and abilities.

We are taught to consume media so quickly and rapidly that to offer time to critically analyze a piece of work is considered bizarre, too much work, or pointless.

As if there's nothing to read into. Or as if speculation and meta analysis is helpful to no one.

If someone spends five hours drawing fanart that is accepted. If someone spends two hours writing fanfic, this is expectable behavior.

But I spend the same amount of time to look deeper into the work of the writers, and often times I'm met with surprise or treated as if I'm overly uptight.

It's like snickering at a person who asked there was deeper meaning behind a painting. While standing in an art gallery.

When streaming shows drop all in one day, it becomes about the Easter eggs and watching it as fast as possible as not to be spoiled.

Then at the end of it, you wash your hands of it and wait for the next big release.

People spend years, decades of their writing career trying to write realistic characters with layered motives. Or stories with complex themes.

Comic Book and Screenwriters included.

I myself try very very hard to do so - to provide foreshadowing, and emotional insight into the characters, their motives, their faults.

If I heard someone say that the piece is not worth looking that far into, all the work I've done as a writer gets overlooked.

Writers cannot grow if people are consuming their media without caring enough to look critically at it as the work of a storyteller.

So yes, I'm looking too far into it. Cause writers can write that far into it. And that deserves to be examined, acknowledged, and praised.

To assume less is too assume lesser of the writers who put everything into the media you enjoy.

This year of all years, we should be appreciating the work Screenwriters put in.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - I'm not being an asshole (well, not trying to be).

I'm looking at writers as vital parts of a movies production. Because they are.

We look deeply at the art style, or the animation, or the music. Writers are not shadow figures. They're people with careers. And them and their work deserve to be spoken about and acknowledged as a work of effort just the same as CGI artists or editors, or directors.

I implore you - Read more into it.

If you're a writer yourself, doubly so.

Read FAR into it. Build your analyzation skills, come to your own conclusions. Break the story down every which way and look at the characters from every angle.

It's fun, it's free, it makes the characters so much more real.

So many people on this website hope to one day become published writers. One thing they do to help you achieve that in college, is by racing things like scripts, and looking critically.

Meta analysis is good for you as much as it is the writers.

If you don't think you're cut out for it, or would have nothing to add, still try. Not for the brownie points, but to feel closer to the characters and the story.

If you've seen ATSV (or any Fandom media) and haven't ever really sat and thought about it - everyone's moral stances, why they want what they want, why they've made the mistakes they've had, where you stand on it all - I highly recommend it.

You might come away with some surprising conclusions about characters or even yourself.

Think about your favorite characters, and what might happen to them in the next movie.

There's really nothing wrong with reading that far into it.

Fifteen minutes of thinking, or an hour of writing is nothing compared to the months of work that went into this absolute masterpiece.

Trust me, the first time you catch some shit that makes you go

ITS LIKE A HIGH I TELL YOU.

Touch grass? Nah bro, touch your local library card. Go there right now. Take out this book.

There's gonna be a discussion tomorrow in class.

If you read this far heyhello I think you're rad as hell.

Here's a Hobie for the road because he's a great companion.

Bye.

[icycoldninja]

Can you write an actress!reader with the DMC boys?

She typically plays small roles as either background character or side characters so , to the point where if she stands next to her colleagues she would get overshadowed quite literally, paparazzis would be too busy taking the other’s pictures meanwhile she just stands there awkwardly

So she decided to take on another role by auditioning to be a villain in a horror movie…and it became a massive hit. The writing, the pacing, the detailed practical effects, the tension between characters…and most importantly, how her acting skills shine through when given opportunity.

Because of how shallow her previous character was, audiences were left in awe of how dimensional her new character was and how her amazing performance had fleshed out the psychological struggle and mental anguish that the killer went through throughout the stages of her childhood and how it shaped her into a gore-crazed monster.

It’s amazingly terrifying how she can actually be, acting as a normal girl you can have a conversation with to a violent creature casually having a mental breakdown, screaming and crying violently in less than a minute, how psychotic the way she portrayed her character, etc It even made some audiences left due to how uncomfortable and disturbed they were at her (uncannily good) performance

P/S: I’m writing this as I think of Pearl (2022), The Thing (1982), Carrie (1976)

Yes, enjoy!

Sparda boys + V x Actress!Reader headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-He was always supporting you from the very beginning, showing up on set whenever he had time to cheer you on and hand you water in between scenes.

-He didn't care that your roles were small, he knew you were an amazing actress, and if you put in the time and effort, you'd get your big break.

-When you got casted into that blockbuster horror movie he was overjoyed, hopping around and congratulating you excitedly.

-He kept rewatching your movie, amazed by how you could play a character that was so different from your own personality. He knew that was the job of an actor, but still!

-You definitely got a lot of new attention from the media because of this, and are grateful that Dante supported you. He still does, by the way, twice as hard.

■ Vergil ■

-Vergil never cared for movies until he met you. For so long, he'd seen them as nothing more than a pointless source of human entertainment, but since you seemed to be seeking a career in that field, his views changed.

-He started watching every movie you ever starred in, scanning the screen for signs of you, no matter how minor your role may have been.

-He congratulated you on your hard work, reminding you to stay MOTIVATED, and that good things will eventually come your way if you work hard enough.

-You worked hard alright, and landed an important role in a killer new horror movie that everyone praised you for. Your talent really shone through, and you were propelled to new heights, now seen as a respectable actress.

-Vergil has been watching this entire time, nodding and smiling proudly. That's his girl right there, practically getting mauled by reporters and paparazzi. That's his girl.

□ Nero □

-Nero thought it was really cool for you to be chasing your dreams and attempting to make it big in the acting world.

-He does his best to coach you when you're at home practicing your lines.

-He watches all your movies with a huge grin on his face, happily going "oh look, babe, it's you!" Whenever you show up, even if only for a second.

-Brags to Dante about how his girlfriend is the coolest, most talented actress in the world who deserves fame, fortune, and most of all, a good husband. Aka him

-Was so proud of you for landing that horror movie roll, and couldn't stop praising you, even when the reporters swarmed you, begging for your thoughts, comments, and whatnot. Honestly, Nero sounded like one of them himself.

● V ●

-V knew very little about the film industry, but judging from what you told him, making it big in this career was very difficult indeed.

-He was proud of you for your commitment and dedication to your craft, applauding you whenever you finished recording a scene. Yes he managed to sneak on set

-Tried to become your personal assistant, but the studio wouldn't hire someone who takes 45 minutes to cross the room and has 2 violent pets.

-Congratulated you when you told him you landed a major role in a popular movie and played it so well, people got chills watching your performance. After hearing this, he decided you two should watch your movie in celebration of your efforts.

-Needless to say, you were both terrified. Your portrayal of an insane murderer scared not only him, but yourself.

[stelladess]

My personal.... "review"? rating? for the gacha games that I have played, roughly in order but I do not remember exact order so... yeah Mostly just rambling to have my thoughts down in writing somewhere. No insult intended to any game here or the people who like them whether I like it or not. Chances are I was just not the intended demographic or that my tastes are just different.

HI3: Incredible story, some of the best characters in any media I have ever read, watched or played. However the gameplay is a very mixed bag, the gacha aspects are downright atrocious (even by gacha standards) and it has serious pacing issues. Also a lack of world building and the art direction has clearly shifted multiple times. The story has gotten me to straight up cry though and part 2 has alleviated or fixed a lot of my big issues with the game (more consistent artstyle, better pacing, far more fluid gameplay, better worldbuilding, etc), although nothing on the gacha side of things. One advantage is that it is relatively easy to ignore the gacha aspect and just play the story though since most of the time you get trial characters from the ones who are actually there doing the things in story at the time.

Genshin Impact: Beautifle world, great character designs. The character writing and world building is pretty great in this one.... but the story itself is a very mixed bag. And it has an even bigger issue then HI3 with large amounts of fairly pointless dialogue that neither progresses character or themes, this is improved in the latest regions somewhat from what I have heard but it is a constant frustration earlier. Also it is an open world game with all that entails, which is a type of game I am not particularly fond of. The combat gameplay is also not my favorite. I eventually stopped playing this, around the time of shogun banner...

Symphogear XDU: I am a huge symphogear fan, and it is great to have more stories with these characters and expanding on them in fun ways and putting them into new stories. This part of XDU is great, a lot of these stories are wonderful.... however as a game it is terrible. Also no official english version anymore so it is awkward to get running and to actually be able to read it. I stopped playing because the game side was just... bad. There are some fan translations of various events that are worth checking out if you are a symphogear fan though!

Blue Archive: Love the setting, in terms of visuals and audio it has probably one of the best presentations of any gacha game I have played. The character designs are also great, if a bit limited by the school theming.... I hate sensei so much. I think sometimes the story´s own themes are hampered by sensei being a creep. Now I am not the target demographic for Blue Archive, so me not liking or sticking with it is not a surprise. Just frustrating because of the parts I do like. But, again, just not for me. It was never intended for my tastes. Also the gameplay is basically an auto battle system with *slightly* more strategy on top of it. Which is not really my thing.

Tower of Fantasy: I played it for like a week with my friend. Like with genshin the open world nature turned me off, and the world felt like it stood out less to me, the entire art direction was to me not as strong. I did not hate it is just that I liked it less then genshin, which already could not keep me playing.

Princess Connect RE:dive: My friend recommended this and I had enjoyed the anime, so I downloaded it, the next morning crunchyroll announced they were ending the service for the global version. I took this as a sign of some kind and decided to not try and keep up with it.

Honkai Star Rail: One of my absolute favorite games! The writing is very easy to follow along but with quite a bit of extra depth to be found if you are interested, the gameplay is also simple but requires enough thought to feel like an actual game, visuals and music is some of my favorites too. The characters, story, setting and presentation is all incredible. In particular the comedic writing and the character dynamics are very fun. I play this on a daily basis.

Arknights: In terms of world building this is easily the best gacha game I have played, it also has probably my favorite art direction, with only star rail competing for that spot. The gameplay is strategic and very fun, the big downside is it needs a very big time investment to really enjoy. Lots of reading and the gameplay has a very high skill ceiling even if the skill floor is quite low. It also misses a lot of obvious QoL features that would drastically improve it (something as simple as bookmarking story nodes for one...), but despite its flaws the stories, characters and themes are great. And in particular how these are written in a way that makes it feel intrinsically tied into the world. The planet of Terra is one of the most important aspects of the game. I love that it has a very unique technology level for a fantasy setting too. Also the prose is often really really good. I play this on a daily basis.

Zenless Zone Zero: The chill slice of life vibes of this game are great. New Eridu is a really cool setting and the characters are all great. It is far less story driven but that is fine, it really gives off the vibe of being relatively normal people just living in a strange world. It does feel somewhat "incomplete" currently though, but it is still off to a strong start. Gameplay feels like a far more developed version of early HI3 gameplay, that grew in a different direction from what HI3 part 2 took it in. I lied earlier about the visual direction of star rail and arknights being uncontested, this game might even be better in this department. I play this on an almost daily basis.

[caustinen]

Self-rec tag!

Thank you so much lovely @middlingmay for the tag <3 Go read all of their stuff!!

I’ve been writing for a couple of fandoms over my years and I will probably never get to the same level of mania with it as I did when I wrote a 200k+ fantasy abo bts fic (💀💀💀) in high school but even so fic writing/coming up with scenarios for any current fandom has actually become a dear hobby, even though I don’t usually think of it like that. The level of talent in this fandom is off the charts and I feel my own stuff is still very mid compared to most mota content out there but this is a nice chance to reflect a bit!

Hollywood au — idk if it counts because it’s still unfortunately not a real fic, but i’ve never had this kind of a silly headcannon that just kept rolling and got so much engagement, it genuinly wouldn’t have been more than that original hc + the fake social media posts if it wasn’t for the anons asking for more. i’ve enjoyed that one more than anything else in years, even though now i feel i might have overdone it a bit (idk if other people who write fandom stuff get this but sometimes i fear i ”ruin�� my own au if i overdo it if that makes sense?). i’ve never approached headcanonns/writing like this, fragment at a time, usually i have the whole outline ready when i get started on particular scenes, so it has been so good to me as a writer also outside of fandom to see how fun it is to put the pieces together little by little! thank you everyone who contributed 💘

summer kisses//in my body — my first mota work, something i worked with for quite a while even though it’s just mindless pointless smut — just something about the intensity and calm always present in both of them is so sexy, something about wanting and being wanted in the same way, the electricity between the two of them… that’s all there is to this particular fic but i still find it to do well what it set out to do even if it’s not all that much. also summer kisses/in my body from ELVIS soundtrack continues to be one of the sexiest songs ever and it fit them so good!!

sharp dressed man — idk why but i just really liked this one even though the smut gave me headache and i never really got truly happy with it. i’ve never been one for college or high school aus but somehow in this fandom i’ve fallen from them hard, and imagining them in this kind of a safe environment where the stakes are much less serious than in war it’s so sweet to just bask in the sunlight of their love, no matter what universe or stage. 🥰 idk why i felt like this one never really got to people, maybe it just wasn’t as good of a concept or execution as i wanted it to be and that’s also fine, if you start writing with only reactions in mind you get lost very fast 🫡

honorable mention: regency au hc + ficlet of morning after wedding night — i just really love regency aus and i think their dynamic would fit it so well 🥹 just imagining all the walking… the heavily loaded dances… the way class and pride and everything could be sowned together through them… muah!!!

Thank you again!!! I think I’ve seen everyone tagged quite a few times but i’ll still tag a few of you who i’d love to hear more about, @avonne-writes @joeyalohadream @anachilles @rambleonwaywardson @c-goldthorn @onyxsboxes @evlia

[dropoutconfessions]

"don't like / don't watch" is such a stupid and pointless mirror of "don't like / don't read" that completely ignores that written & video media are wildly different in terms of accessibility.

DLDR applies largely to fanfics, which are almost always comprehensively tagged with what characters/ships/tropes/topics/triggering subjects/etc. they include & come with a written summary of what the fic will be about & what will happen.

"Don't like, don't watch" might be applicable to other types of video media that's more comprehensive (i doubt there's much out there that's less "comprehensive" than DO tho) but with Dropout, it really isn't a viable way to go about things. They tag for triggers with timestamps and they tag for what talent is in each ep, and what series it's for, but they don't tag nearly comprehensively enough for people who Won't Like Something to know that they won't like it without watching it first, because that might involve spoiling some of the plot.

Which is fine. That's not really an issue I have with Dropout. My issue is when the overly intense stans who can't tolerate Normal Criticism of their Beloved Show then ask "why'd you watch it if you didn't like it? just don't watch it then. you're just whiny!" without considering that there's very little way of knowing if I'll like it without watching it first, ESPECIALLY with newer seasons.

I didn't watch FHJY knowing that I would dislike it. I watched FHJY thinking I would love it, because I liked the previous seasons & hoped that this one would be as good or better. It didn't meet that bar for me thematically. When I realized there was absoloutely no way it would turn around and I wouldn't enjoy the rest of the season or it's finale, I DID stop watching. Because why would I watch something I didn't enjoy?

I think the Dropout fandom is one of the worst I've been in, and I was in the Undertale & Steven Universe trenches. I can't say anything remotely critical of anything they make without getting swarmed by people calling me stupid for watching something I didn't know I wouldn't like, or saying I have poor reading comprehension for disagreeing with a choice that got made on a show designed to be watched.

-

[bellaaldamas]

Although I'm generally not fond of the idea of Cinderella meeting the Prince (even in disguise) before the ball in various adaptations, especially if this plot point is used to highlight how supposedly "progressive" she is compared to her other counterparts (the one put down most frequently is Disney's animated Cinderella who didn't even know the attentive and kind gentleman she met at the ball was the Prince himself; and yet she is called a "shallow dreamer" and/or a "gold digger" by canon twisting armchair critics), I have to say that Disney's 1997 Live Action with Brandy handled said plot point near perfectly. It was a subversion of the Frozen narrative long before the latter movie came out and before the company conformed to pseudo-"feminist" media trends.

When Brandy's Cinderella stumbles upon the Prince disguised as a commoner she is nice and polite with him and even has a brief but honest conversation with him about how a man should treat a woman (not like a princess but like a "person"). But she does not fall in love with him nor does she go on to dream about him.

From the get go the two of them are shown as two complete strangers who have similar experiences with wanting to find a like-minded person yet have vastly different social backgrounds making it unlikely for them to have a future. We learn of their shared values and longings from the song they sing synchronized in the very beginning. Whereas the difference in their backgrounds is revealed as we, the audience, see the "commoner" reveal himself as a royal person boarding his carriage after his encounter with Cinderella.

The encounter was sweet and pleasant but neither gave it much of a thought and Cinderella in particular went on to live her life as it was (no matter how difficult) and dream not about the Nice Guy she met at the market but about her freedom, the ball and the Prince. And the narrative framed it as being absolutely fine.

At no point did the writing imply Cinderella was superficial, naive or silly to want to break free from her restrictive environment, wish for a better life or aspire to meet someone who would fall in love with her at first sight and vice versa.

The movie went even further subverting the notion that a woman wanting any of that makes her shallow when it had Fairy Godmother introduce the audience - in the opening musical number, no less - to the deliberate misdirect as she sang her "impossible" song; supposedly admonishing the dreamers and, especially, girls who believe in fairy tales. It almost looked like it was going to be another Frozen-esque cautionary tale with woman's dreams shattered, her being "put in place" and the all knowing society being "right all along" and yet it was nothing of the sort.

When Cinderella sings her bittersweet song about enjoying being "in her own little corner, in her own little chair" after the exploitation she has to endure at the hands of her step family the narrative frames it as the only way for her to express herself. Not as a demonstration of her being a "perfect inexperienced and wide-eyed victim" for an unscrupulous man to take advantage of. In that vein, when her Fairy Godmother shows up to - seemingly - deconstruct her dreams with "cold harsh reality" that dreams do not ever come true and are pointless Cinderella outright tells her this is a "terrible" kind of thinking.

While Fairy Godmother insists it's up to a person to pursue their goals because miracles do not happen and, therefore, it's meaningless to waste your time dreaming of them Cinderella stands her ground. She explains why, in her position, dreaming is the only solace and motivation she can afford in order to have mental strength to even consider pursuing those goals.

And the movie once again sides with Cinderella - moreover, it has Fairy Godmother sing along with her about how dreams coming true and miracles happening is actually "possible". It has Cinderella go to that ball, dance with that Prince and fall in love at first sight - and no one belittles her for wanting to be with a "man she just met".

No anti-social sisters (only the step sisters shown not necessarily as cruel but misguided and being under the toxic influence of their disillusioned - in this version - stepmother), no equally anti-social men who "know better" and definitely no mansplaining Snowmen to teach that "poor little silly thing a lesson". A woman remains within her right to handle life's challenges as best she can and go about choosing a partner the way she sees fit.

"Do I want you because you're wonderful or are you wonderful because I want you" - this is the line both Cinderella and the Prince sing to one another in their duet. Now, one needs only to imagine such a line to come out of the mouth of any modern female protagonist, especially in the woke pandering new Disney projects. Then to realize they cannot even imagine that because it would not happen, ever again, at any point anymore.

It is not until the very final of the movie that Cinderella and the Prince learn they are the "commoner" and the "country girl" that stumbled upon one another in the beginning. Once they realize that there are no patronizing conclusions ensuing (no word about how you "can't marry a guy/girl you just met" and how your true love cannot be the person you only knew for a day but can totally be the person you knew for two whole days). They merely smile and playfully tease each other by making references to their first meeting. But neither judges the other for preferring the Prince over the "Nice Guy" or for being desperate to find the "ball girl" instead of the "market girl".

Rather sad that we're not going to get a movie like this again from Disney in the coming decade or even century.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I like your blog but I was disappointed to see you say it would ever be okay for Zutarians to have Katara and Zuko cheat on Aang and Mai in their fics if they acknowledged it is bad. Somethings can't be done right and need to just be kept out of any story. It's completely disrespectful to the Kataang and Maiko fans.

Also if I were you, I'd block the anon who said they could understand the appeal of Zucest even if they claim not to ship it, and in case you don't know, a blog you reblog from a lot hello-nichya-here likes that cursed shit so there's another one for your block list. Incest is gross and immoral even if it's fiction, and you'd be better off not interacting with that kind of people.

Buddy, I'm brazilian. I was raised on soap-operas. If I gave people shit for enjoying any media that involves the main characters selfishly cheating on their partners to be with each other, I'd be the world's biggest hypocrite. That kind of stuff is an easy source for drama, and it will always be part of romance stories - regardless of the quality of said romances.

As for it being disrespectful to Kataang and Maiko, yeah, I could see it, but only if it's combined with a bunch of slander towards these characters, and pulling stuff like "How I Became Yours" did by saying Mai was a terrible, abusive person for being angry that her husband cheated on her, or if it's shit like Zutarians constantly harrassing shippers about how Aang/Mai is totally being cucked. But if they're just writing as a source for drama in a story, without demonizing the characters that are clearly being screwed over by Zuko and Katara, I don't mind it.

Also I fully disagree with you on the "Somethings can't be done right and no one should write them." No topic should be forbidden in fiction, and what people should discuss is "Does this make narrative sense?" not "Is this a morally correct thing for people to do?"

How would that even work for the Avatar fandom anyways? "Sure, the original show is literally about war and genocide, and it is constantly praised for having an imperialist prince redeem himself and befriend the people he sent a hitman after, but if we write characters doing immoral things like cheating or sleeping with a relative THAT is going too far"

Sounds like one hell of a double-standard to me. And I've literally said it in my pinned post: This blog exists solely to point out the kind of behavior that made Zutara become such a hated ship, not to bully people that are just minding their business, or to tell them what tropes they are allowed to like. I don't like the idea of Zuko and Katara together at all, especially not with it involving them hurting Mai and Aang. But if the people writting these stories weren't constantly forcing it down everyone's throats, I wouldn't mind them adding that trope to every single fic they wrote.

As for the second part of your ask, I guess there's only one way for me to make my stance on Zucest VERY clear, so you and anyone else who could be bothered by it can decide if you want to keep following this blog:

Hello, Nichya here. I'm not going to use this side-blog to block my main, as I feel it would be kind of pointless to block myself considering the content in both accounts is coming from the same brain.

And see Zutara fans? It's super easy to only bring up your OTP when it is relevant to the conversation and without trying to force other's to like it, and it tends to get you far less hate too, no matter how "problematic" your ship is.

[dandy-dog]

I'm putting this whole thing under a read more because this is a Chronically Online topic even for me. That said, this is on my brain after something popped up in my notes and I feel compelled to talk about it so.... Have some word stew that's been stirring around in my head about my thoughts on selfshipping 🐶👍

I'm cool with the whole selfship, f/o side of shipping. I think it's really fun to see people being that unapologetically sincere about the characters they love! Something about it reads as weird (affectionate) in a really wholesale, genuine way and I respect that a lot. It's delightfully strange. The people who get up in arms about that sort of thing or act like there's something wrong with it are completely whimsiless and I want to preface that considering I'm on the piss on the poor website. Do what you want forever, cringe culture is dead and all that 👍

That being said... I find people getting possessive about their f/os and even outright jealous towards someone else "sharing" an f/o with them kind of odd, admittedly.

Like that's a whole ass fictional guy from an observable piece of media that anyone can watch/read/listen to/ingest and interpret however they want. You can't control other people liking them or doing whatever they want with them. The whole thing just reads as pointless to the logical part of my brain since you can't really place that possessiveness anywhere or dissuade it given it's aimed towards an entirely fictional character, if that makes sense. I know human emotions don't really necessarily have A Point and they can be aimless or irrational a lot of the time but still.

Plus, speaking as a relationship anarchist? There's that anti-hierarchal aspect for me too. Personally, someone having possessive feelings towards their own partner reads as odd to me even offline. I don't judge them for it, I think for a lot of people it's a kneejerk reaction and something you definitely have to train your brain out of when considering the mono, cisheteronormative way society raises the majority of us to perceive relationships. Regardless though, I acknowledge I've got that bias and I'd be remiss to ignore that.

I understand for a lot of people - from what I'm told - selfship is more or less a coping mechanism for them. It's a comfort to them, it's them engaging with media in a way that allows them to find some escapism and helps them to deal with whatever they've got going on. So from that angle I can understand to a degree why they'd get so cagey about it.

But I don't know, something about it still reads as odd. Maybe it's because I'm not hardwired in that way?

For me, there's a degree of separation with the characters I find attractive in fiction; I can look at them and find them attractive but beyond that, my brain acknowledges they're fictional and I can't really find myself engaged in them to any degree beyond that. I can't realistically see myself in any scenario where I'm actually in a relationship with them nor get possessive over them. I just think they're neat and that's about it.

With 90% of the characters I enjoy or find myself fixated on, it's less in a "I'm actually romantically attracted to this character" way and more in a "I want to put you in a vivarium and study you like a bug" way or "I want to be you" way so 🤷

This is just a harmless case of agree to disagree I think. If there's anyone reading this who wants to offer their perspective on this, particularly as a selfshipper? Then please do! I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this.

[unavailable-fan]

Well To begin with I think it's important to not fight the silliness when watching Bucchigiri?! it's essential to enjoy this show i guess, cause if you try to find deep and clearly stated moral lesson in every detail of it, you will be just disappointed, especially while it's still airing, because that's like not the point These characters are not model heroes with high ideals and immense willpower, they're like the opposite, they're all silly and weird in their own ways, all with flaws (and yes, even Matakara, we're just not covering his problems yet) and their interactions are just as unhinged, which makes sense, and that's cool. It makes everything interesting because there's no clear moral compass to follow yet, and some stuff just happens, but that's the comedy of it, and beauty too. That feels fresh, and of course it's not for everyone, but fighting this show's intrinsic silliness and randomness just leads to less enjoyment from it all, and it's pointless. If you want to enjoy it embrace the silliness and watch it like a bunch of seagulls fighting with tourists for junk, or like bugs living their lives under the rocks, or something. It's an open end question and all the marks will be defined randomly in this media interpretation class, enjoy the liberating feeling of knowing that author probably wanted to tell you something but realizing you have literally no idea what it was or having all 100 ideas being somehow a valid answer. Or watch it any other way, but like, don't let predefined ideas of how things should be take away from your enjoyment.

[tumbleclub]

let's recapture a little bit of the magic of dracula daily by watching/reading things together at a reasonable pace.

basically just a book club with slightly less structure

Media Suggestion Form. What would you like to read/watch/other(?) with us?

Current schedule:

Link to Calendar

Sept 2nd - Dec 15th: Participating in the Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell read-along! Feel free to use the tag #jsamn 20 readalong to post your discussion as well as #tumble club. Or neither, I'm not your boss.

Sept 2nd - 8th: Chapters 1 - 5 Sept 9th - 15th: Chapters 6 - 12 Sept 16th - 22nd: Chapters 13 - 19 Sept 23rd - 29th: Chapters 20 - 22 Sept 30th - Oct 6th: Chapters 23 - 26 Oct 7th - 13th: Chapters 27 - 30 Oct 14th - 20th: Chapters 31 - 34 Oct 21st - 27th: Chapters 35 - 39 Oct 28th - Nov 3rd: Chapters 40 - 44 Nov 4th - 10th: Chapters 45 - 49 Nov 11th - 17th: Chapters 50 - 53 Nov 18th - 24th: Chapters 54 - 58 Nov 25th - Dec 1st: Chapters 59 - 62 Dec 2nd - 8th: Chapters 63 - 65 Dec 9th - 15th: Finish!

Next book: Northern Lights (The Golden Compass) by Philip Pullman

Guidelines under cut, but TL;DR be nice and have fun

Posting in the #tumble club tag is an indication that people want to be interacted with and talk about the week's topic together! Please feel free to reach out and discuss with anyone, even if (especially if?) you have no prior interaction

There's absolutely no pressure to keep up with any of this, please follow along as much as it's fun to and feel free to stop if it stops being fun. If you come along late or go slower, feel free to still talk in the tag and discuss with people

It's okay if you're not enjoying something we're engaging with, but please refrain from directly "bashing" the media. It's okay to state a negative opinion, but try to stay civil about it. "I didn't like the way this part was handled, I wish this had happened instead" is fine, "I hated this it was badly written and pointless" is going too far. If you want to post that, that's fine, but please avoid tagging it with the group tag. And of course, feel free to drop out for a while until we move on to something else

Try to stay cool please. If you find someone grating it's okay to just block them, this is supposed to be a chill space and the beauty of the internet is you can just choose to disengage. I'd like this to be a relaxing and fun space inasmuch as is possible.

Try your local library first if you can, but if you're having trouble getting ahold of the topic of the week for any reason, feel free to ask the group for help, I'm sure someone here will be able to track down a copy for you somehow ;)

[dogwittaablog]

this ask turned into some insane ramble feeling journal entry dump thing that got away from me im so sorry

i got into hockey last year during the playoffs and had basically no interest in nolpat or the flyers like watching the burner exposé unfold meant basically nothing to me. i didnt even know all the nhl teams much less care about this brain damaged draft bust from a team not even in the playoffs but im currently living that NEET life and ive had time to be bored as fuck and fall down that rabbit hole and get invested. im so annoyed np is attractive (only when hes mostly cleanshaven and with certain hair lengths. his facial hair is nasty i think hes going through twink death) i watched the bo show and was smiling fuck my shit life.

the 1 on 1 nolpat flyers vid (https://youtu.be/UyjbFn2QRXk?si=UgsT637ka3_qFZbO&t=304) the interviewer at the end (like 5:04) asks what he wants people to associate with his name "probably just be a good person. a good teammate. thats kinda the main thing for me honestly......being a good teammate, good person off the ice is one of the most important things" with the knowledge of the burner is soo ironic like that media training is being put to work. i am finding some joy that majority of hockey fans only really remember him is for being an injury riddled bust or one half of a ship of him having gay sex with a teammate. and the burners. plus his biggest fans being people who shipped nptk and kinda headcanoned him as like genderfucky? because of his pretty face and the long hair. i bet he was fucking seething. he's so irrelevant now. i so badly want a front row seat of his life being shit. i want to see him to go through all levels of hell while alive. i hope he fucking hated living in philly. i want him to feel like sisyphus pushing that fucking pointless rock up that hill everyday (AND NOT ENJOYING IT OR FIND HAPPINESS IN THE ACTION). i lowkey need him to go bankrupt and start a gay4pay OF. can everyone please manifest with me. i need him to go through what he was saying about women on the burners. get in a skimpy dress and on the workbench now!!!! god hes a loser do u kno abt those batman 2022 riddler fanart/fics that has like horny incel vibes??

this is a lot and i'm sorry for coming to his grave and defacing it by hate jerking off while everyone is shit talking him.

I live for rambles ngl especially when they're articulate and self expressive mixed in with some good humour and relatableness.

He's stated more than once that he values how people perceives him especially around the locker room and team, but tbh if you read inbetween the lines I think he really was telling us that he mainly just values his friends, families, hockey bro's and his coaches/staff perception of him and not necessarily anyone outside of that. Not saying that's super bad but you can tell that mf is selective af with being genuinely nice to people in general.

STOP the way old videos of him really got us kicking and swinging our feet in the air. The BO show was such a classic gem ugh his laugh is literally engraved into my brain from that vid. Draft him was 10/10 nobody could deny it, he is too in love with the greasy musty look I don't know when we'd ever see him look like that again.

I am unaware of the batman 2022 riddler fanart/fanfics, but I'll jump into the rabbit hole.

[asksythe]

Thank you for replying to my question ���� I read a thread by glassbearer a chinese fanartist of mdzs , which caused me to reconsider the popular fan interpretation of jiang cheng hunting down modao cultivaters

that is he doesn't torture them to death , instead he attempts to reform them and those that do get to live in peace, those beyond redemption he executes . The evidence in Canon supporting this interpretation is jiang cheng not telling jin ling that mo xuanyu is the guy who killed his parents and leaving him to guard wei wuxian , saying he's going to make bow to his parents grave ,"only" whipping him with zidian .

what I want to know is Do you think the chinses text supports such an interpretation?

Respectfully and in the most neutral way possible, I don't do discourses.

I've been a fan of various fandoms for close to 25 years. The thing I find the most pointless is fandom "debates"... especially over the internet because these things tend to revolve around aspects that are designed to be open to interpretation, so any conclusive answers are hard to come to in the first place. Most of these debates, even when they start out civil enough, would tend to boil into... well... I'm sure you don't need me to tell you what they usually boil down to. This is especially the case with the way our modern social media is designed.

The beauty of a story is in its 'empty spaces' that invite its audience to take part and create their own interpretations. Empty spaces transform a static story into a vastly more personal and mutable experience for each reader.

The magic of effective storytelling. It makes you think and it makes you feel and it makes you hold imaginary people dear to your heart.

It used to be that we didn't share and then try to bash each other over the head with our 'personal intepretations' of a story... before the internet. I'm old enough to remember that too.

Whatever your opinions, I don't think you will refuse the fact that MXTX's books are written with these 'empty spaces' in mind.

If people enjoy the story a certain way, then let them take joy in that. It's a story. It's supposed to be a thing you enjoy. If they ask for information, provide that information and let them come to their own conclusion.

I more or less accidentaled my way into writing MDZS metas (that word is new for me too. I'm old) because... well... this is an Ask Blog... This blog has been around for about 15 years now. So this is what I do when I have some free time.

But I'm not doing this to tell people what they should think or how they should feel about certain things in a story, be it MDZS or other franchises. My aim is to strictly provide hard, concrete, fully cited historical information and cultural context to people who genuinely want them.

I think we have a lack of that in a lot of non-English fandoms, not just MDZS. You can't divorce a story from the culture and iconography in which it is written. So if you don't have the cultural context it is written in, your experience and perception will be... well... less is the word I would choose. That's what I'm trying to do. Offer people the context if they so wish.

I try to do this while being as objective as possible. It's not always possible (as people have checked me on my bias and failure to provide full receipts. That's something I will have to go back, address, and rewrite too, when I have the time) because some stories make me feel a lot. But I do try.