#especially because they're all things i either haven't noticed or have no issue with

[qilingxiong]

honest thoughts on guzhou | a lonely hero's journey up to episode 10/36 (some vague spoilers ahead):

overall, i'm pleased with this drama, and it's worth the year i waited for it. don't listen to the mydramalist rating if you're considering watching, a nonzero amount of vocal criticism for this seems to be from people who aren't the target audience for this show and have decided to make that other people's problem. the plot is tightly written, with twists i'm enjoying anticipating and decent pacing (that earns honest praise from me on that last one, because bad pacing is one of the things i loathe most in a drama). production and the soundtrack are good. character dynamics are for the most part complex and fascinating, whether they're friendly ones or absolutely wretched. special mention to gu xixing and his attempts to look out for his children both biological and foster, the differences in values between everyone involved are tearing them apart but he's doing his best.

acting, overall, is decent. shoutout to the casting director for zeng shunxi and zhang songwen as the leads, their scenes together have been some of my favourites for sure and they play this antagonistic mentor/student dynamic very well. as far as i can tell based on his upcoming dramas, as well as guzhou, zeng shunxi is trying to leave behind the tianzhen young master roles a la wu xie or fang duobing in lieu of a bit more mature/serious characters, and he's doing great with this one. balancing out gu yizhong's motivations and fears is not an easy role, but there have been some acting moments in this from him that gave me legitimate chills. zhang songwen on the other side is doing a fantastic job as expected, playing zhou zhifei as a ruthless and calculating opponent, but also quite sympathetic. no notes, he's a treat whenever he's onscreen.

my only major problem with this show is that the character of xiao ruotong is frustratingly written, exacerbated by the fact that the other people she interacts with are written well. she's second female lead and in a relationship with gu yizhong at the start of the show, and supposedly these two are 青梅竹马, but we're not really given any reason to root for them as a couple other than that they already are one. yizhong's interactions with zhang haimo make for a far more compelling onscreen dynamic by comparison. and yet after yizhong cuts ties with her for her own safety and his own, ruotong is continually chasing after yizhong to the point that she ruins multiple missions for her undercover unit, unable to separate team objective from emotions. each time, she gets scolded for it, and her unit leader rightfully tries to keep her out of the next active mission given that she's proven to be a liability, yet the plot somehow bends so that she's allowed to keep going out. only to just stand there staring like a startled deer at yizhong in the actual moment. she hasn't been given very much to do otherwise, with little room for character growth, and it's a shame. i know romance is not the focus of a 谋战剧 but unfortunately ruotong has truly been kept rather useless by the plot so far, as both a love interest and in her capacity as a field agent.

however, that's only one specific aspect of the show i have a bone to pick with, and as i said, it's a solid drama overall. i'm deeply entertained and intrigued by everything else it's got going, and i for one will be following it until it finishes.

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

I'm not 100% sure how to articulate this, but something that has been bothering me about I/P discourse (especially in the last month, it's gotten so much worse) that I haven't seen talked about in a productive way is the "yoking" effect that the extremist ugly takes create for the good-faith people just trying to talk about their issues. And I see it on both sides, and have felt compelled to act this way myself.

Essentially, when I talk about antisemitism (especially the significant spike in the last month), my goal is focused on educating people about the antisemitism and urging them to do something about their own behavior, help groups that are working on it, and/or become part of the people working on advocacy to that effect. I just want to talk about the antisemitism, and have that stand as a topic on its own terms. But the problem is, I'm a Jew and extremists on both sides have made it so that anything I post about this requires disclaimers that I also support the rights, freedoms, and care about the lives of Palestinians also. And I do! But that's not the point. The point is that Jews facing antisemitism should be able to talk about this without bringing in a whole separate topic to prove we're worth listening to. And I saw this with Israelis trying to talk about the grief they were feeling after the Hamas pogrom; they couldn't do it without either including some kind of statement about wanting peace, separating Hamas from Palestinians as a whole, etc. or face relentless antisemitic abuse.

And this effect comes both from outside people [supposedly] supporting Palestine being awful unless the Jew in question attaches sufficient disclaimers, as well as [supposedly] pro-Israel people who couldn't help themselves from spouting off dumb racist shit in their posts on otherwise valid topics.

But as I've watched things play out, and Western outsiders become more and more antisemitic in their [supposed] support of Palestine, I've noticed Palestinians and their not-antisemitic allies having to couch their [valid] criticisms of Israel with caveats about how antisemitism is not okay, or else face harassment when talking about their legitimate issues - even ones that aren't about Israel at all.

That's what I mean by "yoking" - this inability to talk about ourselves and our own issues without bad faith actors coercing us to address the other and "prove" that we're worth listening to. It's dehumanizing, because it means that our legitimate issues are always and only ever able to be discussed in the shadow of the other. They aren't allowed to stand on their own without risking harassment.

Anyway, I think the reasons we got here are complicated, but I lay most of the blame at the feet of uninvolved westerners using this conflict as a proxy for their own problems. I don't know that there's a way to fix this at this point, either, because the discourse has become so unbelievably toxic. I think the closest thing I've got is just the suggestion that if you see a Palestinian (or ally) talking about Palestinian issues and not being antisemitic about it, don't derail what they're saying even if they don't specifically denounce Hamas outright and/or antisemitism in their post. And if Jews (including and especially Israelis) are talking about antisemitism and/or legitimate issues and aren't being racist or Islamophobic about it, don't derail what we're saying even if we don't offer caveats denouncing the Israeli government and/or Islamophobia/anti-Arab racism in that specific post.

We can support each other in the face of danger and want peace without having to constantly be forced to talk about other issues and divert focus from our own issues.

[legendofmorons]

HIIII!! I just read some of your stories and I really have to say…I’M ALREADY ADDICTED TO REREADING THEM!! They’re so wholesome, so beautiful…One of them got me kicking my legs fr😭💙.

Since your requests are open, how about a Hyrule-Legend X Female Reader (separate stories. Hyrule X F! Reader, and Legend X F! Reader) ? The reader is Hyrule’s girlfriend/Legend’s girlfriend. She would be playing an instrument (Asian Zither and Piano, you can put whichever in either stories requested!) of the Lost Woods, singing while playing it, then Hyrule/Legend is captivated by his girlfriend’s talent and voice, (Story 1: Hyrule will compliment and admit how infatuated he was with his beloved. 2nd Story: Legend won’t show it nor admit it.) and the reader will be shy and happy…and the rest is all up to you!! Thank you so much!! 💖

Now we have treble (Hyrule, Legend)

I am absolutely thrilled to do this. No issue! I had to look up what a zither is, but oh my goodness, it's amazing! For anyone else curious about what they sound like, click here.

Also, that is a pun in the title, lol.

Pairing: Legend x reader, Hyrule x reader (seperate)

Rating: G

Summary: You are a talented musician, and your boyfriend finally hears your music. He finds a way to tell you how good you are, even if it's not typical.

Warnings:

Other: If I missed anything please let me know

-------

Hyrule

You are grateful to have an excuse to practice. The town you've stopped in needs a musician for tonight, and they have a zither they're willing to let you use. You've really missed creating music.

The strings are familiar under your fingers, and the sounds that follow are what draws Hyrule to where you are.

You haven't noticed yet and are now fully falling into it.

It's calming, and you love the song. Of course you start to sing too

Hyrule is immediately even more in love. Your voice is almost otherworldly and beautiful. Your music is captivating.

He can't even register the meaning of the song, only the way it feels so magical because you're the one playing it.

It's not until after you stop playing that he can bring himself to say anything.

"(Y/n)?" Hyrule calls, walking closer.

"Oh!" You turn to face him, a little surprised. "Hey, Hyrule."

You're hoping he hadn't noticed the music. You don't want him to think you're bad at it.

Besides, it's not a helpful skill. You don't want anyone thinking you're only good for artsy things.

However, Hyrule is quick to prove you wring about your insecurities.

"I didn't know you could play an instrument! What is it?"

"A zither." You say, feeling your face warm.

He had definitely heard you.

"It sounds really pretty, so did your voice."

"Oh, thanks. That's sweet of you." You give a smile, setting the zither aside.

"You sound like you don't believe me." Hyrule says, tilting his head a little.

"I just- I'm not always confident in my music. I know you mean it."

"I do! Your music is almost as stunning as you are."

You stand, face warming further. Maybe praises and compliments aren't something you are used to but it's nice.

Especially since it's coming from Hyrule.

"Thank you, Hyrule."

"Of course! Can you play other songs?"

"A few. Why?"

"You can say no! But ... would you play another song? I was hoping to get to hear your voice and your zither again."

"You- want that?"

"Yes! You don't have to though."

"Okay. Well, why don't you come over here?"

You settle back down, pulling the zither into place.

Hyrule sits beside you, and he's got a dopey smile painted onto his lips.

By the time you've finished practicing, Hyrule has showered an equal amount of praise and face kisses upon you. His words honey sweet as his eyes almost glitter while he looks at you.

It's hard to feel so self conscious when your sweet boyfriend is there to reassure you every chance he gets.

And it's safe to say Hyrule spends time looking for a zither you can keep on your adventure too.

Legend

You found a piano in the middle of a semi modern Hyrule. The park you've found yourself in has a public piano in a pretty gazeboo that's on the outskirts of the area.

You haven't had a chance to play and no one is really paying attention. So you of course take the opportunity to play.

After a quick warm up to make sure your hands will behave enough to play piano, you begin.

The song you play is one of your favorites. The words flow out without thought. The music is nice.

You're not sure you're the best musician, but it's nice to indulge in your hobby again.

"You didn't tell me you play piano." Legend says from behind you.

"Oh!" You startle, turning to look at him over your shoulder.

"You don't have to stop."

"I wasn't expecting an audience. I'm not that good. I think I'll just stop."

"You aren't bad." Legend says as he leans against the collumn.

Usually, being told you aren't bad isn't exactly a compliment. But the way Legend watches you is fond so you don't take offense at least.

"Okay." You say, "if you don't mind."

"It makes you happy." Legend says.

He's not ready to admit that he thinks your voice is angelic or that your music is otherworldly. But he feels that way.

You settle in again, turning back to the piano before you start playing and singing again.

Legend just watches. As you play more songs he drifts closer.

He ends up sitting beside you on the bench even though he is not playing.

Legend goes out of his way to find any piano for you after today.

But for now, you just let the music wash over you. And it's nice, even as the sun sinks lazily in the sky.

[pharawee]

Sorry to bug you, but could you give me the cliffs notes on what happened to Best and Chahub and the issues with 9naa? Thank you

Sure thing!

So basically when Best and Chahub's series Check Out first aired on iqiyi it was unavailable to watch in many countries. This prompted the director of the series to give an interview saying that the series was too explicit to show on any other platform such as youtube, and that they were looking into maybe broadcasting it via onlyfans.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with onlyfans and what it's used for, but you could argue that it's a very strange thing to say for a professional director who would probably be better off showing his series on other platforms more suited to traditional longform entertainment (like gagaoolala, the patron saint of queer media 🙏).

Add to that that pornography is illegal in Thailand, and any mentioning of it in an actor's portfolio is probably... not that great.

The director further said that during the filming of the intimate scenes they decided to do away with all protective clothing because it just couldn't be done otherwise (decades of spicy scenes in film beg to differ but ok). The actors were fully naked. They didn't decide this beforehand but directly on set. Many fans have later speculated that due to the stressful and time-sensitive nature of a film set, this might have been coercive and exploitative.

The scenes that were later shown in the series were actually not especially spicy. Certainly not spicy enough to call them "25+". Actually, they were so unremarkable (as far as spicy scenes go) that the series has since been re-released on youtube (albeit probably as a cut version? I'm not sure. I haven't watched it) - the very platform 9naa was so sure would ban them if they even so much as looked at the upload button.

Throughout the whole shock value promotion (because what else could it possibly have been?) the actors themselves stayed strangely quiet. They're apparently on record saying that they value their intimate scenes as art. That's it. There was no further promo. There were no follow-up jobs. Best and Chahub weren't in the special ep (according to mdl Best was but I can't remember him showing up hm). They were either quietly dropped by 9naa or bid their time until their contracts expired.

None of this is especially scummy or even illegal (at least as far as we know). It does leave a sour aftertaste however, because companies like 9naa always have the upper hand over their actors. A lot would have to happen for an (inexperienced) actor to speak up because breaking contracts and NDAs would mean losing their jobs and potentially being blacklisted and/or sued (even Yoon Phusanu only came forward after Y.Ent had already broken contract by not paying him until a set date).

So if a company makes weirdly sensational claims that they later either conveniently forget about or passive-aggressively backtrack on, then that's weird. If they show no interest in promoting their own talent and have a strangely high turnover rate for rookie actors, then that's even weirder.

And this isn't an isolated case. 9naa had a whole series planned with MFlow Entertainment. Beyond the Star was supposed to star actors from both companies, only for MFlow to later finish and broadcast the series on their own due to "differences in vision and work attitudes", editing out as many of 9naa's actors as they could. Weird, don't you think?

And, most recently, Cheque Wacharawee (from 9naa's Venus in the Sky) withdrew from any follow-up projects in a letter posted to his instagram because he had concerns due to work attitudes and couldn't even reach 9naa's lawyer (notice that he too only spoke up after 9naa had already violated his contract). 9naa reacted days later with their own very subdued announcement that has since been deleted. Very, very weird.

Who do you think is to blame here? The actors (most of whom are inexperienced and in Chahub's case haven't really acted since), MFlow (a small but reliable company that makes series that aren't always the most cohesive but at least the actors seem happy 🙏) or 9naa who's at the centre of it all?

Personally, as a fan of both Best Vittawin and Cheque Wacharawee, I've decided to no longer support or watch anything by 9naa. Kiseki Chapter 2 sounds nice and I hope its leads are doing well. Maybe the company has since learned from their previous unprofessionalism but people should at least be aware that they have something of a shady track record.

And if you want to support Best, you can watch his new series Knock Knock Boys which is set to release soon. 💜

[warsamongthestars]

Ever notice how TBB, inspite of teasing a Clone story line, is not actually about clones?

Yes, we get new Clones. They are a joy, as any clone are.

Yes, we get a brief skim over the problems of having a Clone Army under a Corrupt governing force--especially if that Clone Armies secret objective had been the overthrow of the last governing force.

But name a clone, that isn't the super special awesome squad or the mary sue, that actually had impact here.

Lemme tell you, anything you answer results in:

They're dead now... and the survivor never got involved in the plot.

They only serve to keep the Super Special Awesome Squad out of any significant plot, and then they stay off screen.

They left and haven't been heard from since. (and their absense of exit or acknowledgement of thought processes, made it so that their impact was negligible at best.)

TBB, inspite of literally setting itself up to be the Sequel of the Clone Wars from the perspective of clones, does not, in fact, have a clone story line that contains Impact.

And I'm gonna tell you now--the Super Special Awesome Squad? Does Not Count.

You do not count the outlier of the statistic. These guys are the outsiders, they are design and specified to be outside of the norm for Clones.

Look, I love these boys, but they are literally introduced as the super special awesome totally original characters of the Clone Wars--The difference between them and the Donut Steel of TBB, is that the Super Special Awesome Squad did not take away from the main characters of the clone Wars, but actually added to them.

Their appearance left a lot of questions, and their writting left us wanting for more--the issue is, we did not get either in TBB. They do not have the set up necessary to make them capable of having a Post Order 66 Era Impact. ( IN fact, TBB does its damnest to ensure a total lack of impact at all. )

As their greatest strengths as characters that would push them to have impact and meaning, and into a greater storyline or series of stoyrlines--Their Character Dynamics--was destroyed episode 1 and would never be repaired in this show.

TBB show is not about Clones, which is an almost hilariously contradicotry thing, considering it features clones and parts of the aftermath of Order 66.

Because not a single one of them had impact beyond speculation.

And that also includes the Super Special Awesome Squad.

There is no impact here that doesn't involve cutting the tree down to save a single branch.

The show's actual intent is, making you watch other shows... mostly those who have Omega in them, and giving you just enough to keep going, but not enough to give any substance.

[ Surely, hat's totally why I want watched the Bad Batch--to see everyone but the Bad Batch. I sure do love watching shows that go out of their way to have nothing to do themselves. ]

Addendum:

Yes, we got a totally of 1 Episode dedicated fully to normal Clone Troopers and the aftermath of Order 66... but only from the perspective of the destruction of Kamino as opposed to the perspective of the Clone Wars. And while it was awesome; because it was actually focused on being what the Sequel of the Clone Wars would've / should've been. This episode, I'm afraid however, is the Spiders Georg of TBB here... And even then, it still holds the issues of TBB of attempting to be a self-contained alternate universe whilst also attempting to tie and bury everything and anything. (The Kanan comic, Dark Disciple, Republic Commando--frankly whoever has been writing here, has gone out of its way to insult and spit on other SW works by ensuring they rob all impact. TBB Writing isn't just poisonous to itself... it also actively poisoned the wells of other Works)

Project Necromancer doesn't count, because 1) Any Acknowledgement of the SW Sequels will already negate any meaningful impact of Star Wars period; and because 2) The TBB never got involved with the Clone Plot to begin with, beyond the Super Special Awesome Squad (Who didn't have the setup) and the Mary Sue. ( Whom we weren't here to watch. Some folks might've been drawn to her--But I wasn't and neither was the Trailer or the Clone Wars. I'm already here for a group of TCW OCs, I'm not here for an additional super special awesome donut steel... Her appearance literally robs the impact of Fucking Everything because Nothing has the Set Up to allow for her. She would've been a great character in Clone Wars, because Clone Wars had that backdrop to support her character--TBB doesn't. TBB went out of its way to avoid the TCWs foundations, so now it cut itself off from any meaningful story it could've made. )

[thespoonisvictory]

to be so honest I haven't even watched the most recent fhjy ep yet but I think it's hard to pick one singular reason why the rat grinders aspect felt so flat for people. On the whole, I thought the season was great and really loved it (compared to neverafter which I had issues with throughout), but this one aspect of the plot just kind of got crushed underfoot, which, tbh, it's dnd that's what happens sometimes brennan is still more talented than I could ever dream of being. anyway here are some reasons why we didn't get more rat grinders:

the downtime mechanics were cool, but highly rewarded deprioritizing social interaction to make sure you passed your classes.

the bad kids are so established as pcs that they already have a well-developed host of relationships, meaning they're less likely to reach out to new people (see how the mazey side-plot also fell flat for me). on top of that, this is more speculation, but the Intrepid Heroes play the bad kid's social cards closer to their chest and metagame more, probably bc they're the oldest pcs and the ones they're most attached to.

brennan, probably because he was juggling a ton of stuff, hardly initiated any rg subplot stuff. this made things like the oisin crush plot work, well, not at all, because what was the plot? all of his advances needed high perception checks to even notice, nothing was explicit, and it didn't go anywhere! they never even had a solo conversation! same thing with ivy and fabian, she just completely dropped off

the bad kids are also canonically paranoid PCs, who were given no carrot nor stick to interact with a group of people who they knew were associated with an enemy, especially when the downtime mechanics pushed them to prioritize other things

all of these issues led to an end of season lore dump where we learned pretty basic info about the rgs that we probably should have found less than halfway into the season. throughout the season, there were just a bunch of dropped balls from both brennan and the pcs that could have helped pick things up, had they been caught. it was both an oversaturation of plot threads and the insanely hostile (for comedy! because rude makes good comedy!) way the bad kids were played in general.

I don't think the rg inherently had to be redeemed. but putting aside that it thematically feels weird to not even mention it in a season about corruption, redemption, and rage, it's also not... really about that. take oisin for example: imagine a world where we get those interactions, maybe a date or even just hanging out more. there's an avenue where he legitimately catches feelings and can be swayed, or one where he plays a much more actively manipulative role. Either way, we learn way more about him, and either way, him getting killed means so much more.

if the rgs were not meant to be a prominent part of the season, it's surprising that brennan dropped so many details that suggested a sympathetic nuance! this was not a penelope everpetal level of detail, here. arguably, it was way more attention that ragh got pre-redemption. it just feels strange.

ultimately, fhjy just had too much to juggle, kind of a reoccurring theme with d20 at this point. there's so much I love and enjoy in the season (once again as compared to trw or neverafter), and I think it succeeds at being a comedy first dnd show! it is hilarious! but the number of plot points that felt like they were either blindly dropped or hastily resolved makes me really hope there's a senior year in the works to try to clean some of this up, and also that d20 will consider longer or simpler seasons.

[raelle-writing]

The reality is that most kids would be either a Fluke or Jin. If nothing else it’s because they don’t also want to be bullied or ostracized by their friends. You can criticize the choices that Jin makes but realize that he is also a child that doesn’t yet have the maturity and wisdom of an adult. I see this group of teens and their treatment of Non as a cautionary tale. Obviously this is ultimately a horror/thriller so everything is heightened to the extreme. Therefore I don’t have an issue with the gore, mayhem and fantastical elements. But this type of bullying could and does happen in real life sometimes with devastating tragedies. So I do wish that people on social media were more careful of the terms they use and directly harassing your character is not a good look. Hurling insults behind a computer screen hurts just as much as doing it in person. (IMO) The fact that they are essentially bullying you is ironic considering what DFF is about.

There is a certain irony to watch the fandom turn into bullies in defense of the bullied character. I understand being defensive of the characters you like (I'm defensive of Jin in case you haven't noticed lol). But I understand why people don't like him. I've never justified all of his actions, but I do genuinely think people are too hard on him a lot of the time.

And I also wish all the Non defenders would have a bit of nuance about his character too because he's a victim, but that doesn't exempt him from hurting others. I'll never say he cheated because I beleive we shouldn't apply that word to a situation involving coercion and power imbalances. But Non does still get his friends arrested. And he does lie to and gaslight Phee. And those are okay things to acknowledge while still having sympathy for him as a character.

I agree with you. I think most people wouldn't even do as much as Jin tbh because while he doesn't do enough arguably, he does a lot as far as defending Non over and over and over (even up until after Non disappears he's still snapping at his friends to address Non by his name). And it's really hard to be that level of defiant to your peers constantly. It's waaaaaaay easier to be Fluke and look the other way and tell yourself that you're not involved then, even if you could stop it.

Everyone online seems to have a hero complex and think they'd do the Absolute Right Thing even when there's no clear right thing in certain situations, and then they demonize these teenagers for not doing those things. (I made a thread on Twitter talking about Jin lying to the police and police corruption in the DFF narrative and in Thailand in general, including linking to a bunch of Thai tweets that talk about that and I got people replying to me saying that they live in countries with police corruption but they still would've told the truth to the police even if they would've disappeared and I got a good laugh out of that. It's so easy to be the hero in your head in a hypothetical situation, but reality is a lot harder than that).

Yeah, I don't know why this particular fandom seems to be so caught up on "if you like a character that I view as morally bad then YOU are a bad person" especially considering the audience crossover to the KPTS fandom like. Were you mad at all of the mafia boys doing mafia things in KPTS becaussssssse that was worse than a lot of what's happening in DFF so far ahahahaha

Anyway, I'm not ever going to demand that everyone likes Jin. I don't particularly care of people like him or not as long as they're not coming after ME about it. I wish people were a little less... vitriolic about the mistakes of teenagers, though I understand why many people are so mad about it. I just can't get past the idea that these people were all kids when they made these mistakes, and it's hard to see even Por die because I have sympathy for them all. Did they fuck up? Duh. Do they deserve to die...? I have a hard time with that, but I'm trying to be mentally prepared ahahahaha

I also hope all the people out there who have decided Jin is the worst person ever and deserves to die are prepared for if that doesn't happen. Because there are a lot of threads in the narrative point pretty strongly to a future redemption for him IMO (tho of course they could go in another direction, anything is possible at this point). And I have a feeling that all those people who are calling me names on Twitter aren't going to handle it well if Jin get redeemed or like... lives in the end. I have a feeling they won't handle that well.

Anyway, thanks for the message 💕

[rivalsforlife]

hello!!! sorry for the long text (and for possible mistakes in this) in advance!!

in december last year i stumbled upon your fic "the catch up game". i decided to read it and honestly that was the best decision of my LIFE. that is the best fanfic ive ever read. this changed my life actually. i remember being impressed at how amazing the characterization was and how everything felt so canon. i was awake until 4 am reading because i couldnt sleep without knowing what would happen next. i started to cry while reading, not because of sadness, but because EVERYTHING was SO GOOD that i wasnt able to express my emotions properly and all i was able to do was CRY.

recently, after months have passed, i've decided to read your fanfic again, and everything was even better than before. i felt all the emotions again, and i was awake until late to read again, and i cried because it was great AGAIN. after i finished reading, i decided to read your other works and EVERYTHING is so well written!!!!

i should say that i LOVE the way you interpret narumitsu as a ship but more importantly as individual characters. i love the way you interpret the other ace attorney characters as well, they all feel so,,, alive? idk how i should put this (im horrible with words, sorry sgdugshs).

all i wanted to do telling you all this is: thank you. thank you for sharing your writing with us. know that when you write again (if you want to, of course!) i will be there to support you!!! i deeply admire your work and you deserve ALL the kudos.

well. i think thats it. i hope you have a good day/night <3 <3 <3!!

🥺 this is such a sweet ask, thanks so much for reaching out!! I'm so glad to hear that my writing had such a strong effect on you and that you enjoyed my works!

ace attorney is always so much fun to write because they're all fantastic characters on their own, but the games have all these great relationships between the characters and such a strong emphasis on platonic relationships as well (which might not be the thing to bring up while talking about a narumitsu fic, but it's always something I want to pay special attention to). Especially with the catch-up game which I intended to be more of a Phoenix characterization study/exercise I wanted to pay at least a little bit of attention to all of his important relationships!

I remember hearing writing advice once that you should have a general idea of what every character in a scene has going on in their own life, like where they came from before this scene, what they're doing after, what's the pressing issues on their mind, etc, so it doesn't feel so much like "and Maya stands off screen until she comes back in to talk about Phoenix and Edgeworth's relationship". So I'm always super happy to hear when people notice things like that because it means I'm doing it at least a little bit correctly!!

Anyways all that is to say that I really appreciate this ask and it definitely brightened my day. I know I haven't posted anything in a while (school + unemployment hell year + more school and now work??? have done a number on me). I have been writing, but I always want to wait until things are done before I post, and I think I've officially hit the year and a half mark on this project as of today, but I have no idea how much longer I'll be able to stand it before I decide it's too much work to wrangle this thing into something I like - and it's not ace attorney anyways and writing characters for the first time and figuring out how they sound is always a bit terrifying. (There's like 2/3 longfics that are the first things I wrote for ace attorney that I've abandoned.)

Maybe replaying aai2 when the official version comes out will motivate me to write more AA, because I do have one good narumitsu idea in my head that I hope I'll be able to write? But either way I'm glad that even my work from four years ago (!!!) is still having an effect on people. Catch-Up Game is still my favorite thing that I've written and I'm always happy to hear people liked it!!

This got more rambly than I intended sorry about that. Thanks again for the very sweet ask. I hope you have a good day/night as well!!

[thesharktanksdriver]

Heya there! I'm the anon that talked about the evolution of stars (but now off anon! because i hate referring to myself as "[Insert identifiable thingy here] anon" if i ever come back to ask something on anon again) and as you've read my. extensive yapping and speculation about a singular mentioned thing you said related to Determination! i have come back to yap and speculate to you once more (Because i may be, waaaay to fixated on this cuz it's my favorite kind of story!)

but you mentioned that 1. y/n doesn't dream often and 2. that they heard in a dream the voices of the long departed cheering them on in and then a star exploding into a supernova. and that made me think about whatever dreamspace they see when they finally have a dream and the entire "Something might emerge from inside of them" thing and i kept thinking and thinking and it kind of gave me a similar vibe to one Chapter of Houseki No Kuni (Really great manga by the way, i recommend it if you haven't read it) specifically chapter 46, Where Phos falls asleep and talks to Lapis in their dream (from page 17 to page 24) and they're in Phos' mind.

now that got my brain running and it's just speculation based on little things but, what if that "something" inside of them has somewhat of some amount of disconnect between itself and y/n? that they can, though in some time limited capacity, talk to them?

And another thing that is related to that train of thought is, how exactly would their "mind space" look, because you mentioned that their memory has issues due to how long they've lived. Maybe it has gaps or holes in it? (In a similar manner to how Phos' mind looks in the previous mention of Houseki No Kuni) or maybe it has blank places in it? or is it just a void? Honestly I've given this, waay to much thought than it should have for throwaway lines.

but with the entire black hole and neutron star thing in mind, would that something alternate between a detachment of everything around them (In a similar way to Kyubey from Madoka) or an unnerving calm monotone depending on what it presents itself while speaking to them before emerging? if it's a different entity from y/n all together that just lives inside of them, that is.

anyways uh if you've read all of this, thanks for tolerating my yapping.

Don’t worry about yapping! I personally love hearing y’all’s input and theories! It’s really fun and motivation on my end! Especially after a shity day lol. Your asks are very much welcome in my inbox!

Btw I fucking adore houseki no kuni, chefs kiss!

And you’re definitely right about that something in y/n eventually being able to talk to them! Y/n and them are “separate” entities but also the same (if that makes any sense). Like, when a character in a show reincarnates. They’re technically the same person but there are differences in their circumstances that change them ever so slightly. Both go by different names and some if the small details are changed but in the overall they are fundamentally the same soul. But back to the topic!

Yes! Eventually y/n will talk with them!

And that becomes important with Marineford.

As for y/n’s mind pace I’d say it’s something akin to floating in space (me and the space themes lol). Bleak darkness that they float through representing their lost memories they waft through, the stars being the lucky few memories glowing in that darkness but so far out, so spaced apart within the sea of darkness that is the gaps in their mind of what had happened and what came first.

Y/n forgets a lot (which they know about but don’t remember what they forgot) and they space out a lot without noticing it at all. Both of these facts kinda make them their own unreliable narrator lol

Teehee now for the most interesting part black hole and neutron star forms.

When in either of these forms it’s y/n that’s in control. The thing in them kinda gives y/n the steering wheel and they watch from the passenger seat cause they’re just there for the ride. But when entering these different states y/n is very fundamentally different.

Both forms have their upsides and downsides, both are extremely powerful but are either self destructive or externally destructive. But most importantly they awaken and depend on y/n in a mental way.

Both are made of stars collapsing, but as one burns on the other decides to take everything with it.

Y/n will collapse but their choice in that mental collapse will determine the outcome of if they awaken either form.

I probably spoiled my own story quite a bit but screw it! I’m writing this shit at a snails pace and I wanna give yall food to eat since I’ve starved you all of content lol

[cq-studios]

Questions for 15 Friends Tag Game

Tagged by @corishadowfang ^^

Rules: Answer the questions, then tag 15 people.

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

Not that I know of. I think my middle name was after someone but, if that's the case, I don't know who.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

This weekend watching Days. That game breaks me every time.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Nope and don't ever plan on it.

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?

Uhhhh, none.

I tried out for the basketball team twice in elementary school but didn't make the team either time. That school, and especially the coach, had it out for me though (I am neurodivergent had behavioural issues so they didn't let me do much).

If it counts, I was on the Improv team in middle school. That was a ton of fun and I would've kept doing it into highschool if the teacher who was in charge of the competitions didn't retire (no one stepped up after that)

Other than that not really anything.

DO YOU USE SARCASM?

Oh definitely. I grew up in an incredibly sarcastic household lol

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Uhhh, I haven't really thought about it...

Probably hair? That's how I tend to recognise most people, which is most definitely unreliable (thanks for that brain lol).

Shout out to that one time my friend got a drastically different haircut than usual, didn't tell me, and I didn't recognise her until she spoke to me lol

WHAT’S YOUR EYE COLOUR?

Brown.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Definitely happy endings. I have absolutely no tolerance for scary things.

My pour soul got nightmares so easy as a kid I wasn't allowed to watch Scooby Doo because it would keep me up at night lol

ANY TALENTS?

I'd feel weird saying anything artistic, because honestly I consider those skills more than talents (since they're something I actually work towards improving and not something that I can just do for some reason lol).

So alternatively, I think my talent is simultaneously have the worlds worst and best balance. Like I can fill up a cup completely (and I mean completely, there's a meniscus and everything) and I can bring that up to my mouth without spilling a drop, but at the same time, there have been several occasions where I have fallen out of chairs while doing nothing but colouring. I can walk across a completely rounded balance beam (like curtain rod look and size) eyes closed and backwards, but walking I'm tripping every other step.

I can also quack like a duck so convincingly I've tricked hunters lol

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

I'm not entirely sure...

Somewhere around the southern Quebec-Ontario border I think?

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

Drawing, animating, reading, writing, and playing video games (and doing stuff for local theatre productions if that counts).

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

Yes, currently I have a dog, Neve. She's a Golden Retriever-Labrador mix and she's very strange.

My brother also has a cat, but she lives in the basement and I never see her lol

HOW TALL ARE YOU?

I couldn't tell you the last time I measured my height, but I'm only a bit taller than my mom (4"11 and a bit), so probably 5"-5"1.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?

Chemistry.

I love chemistry. I love balancing formulas. I love the experiments and demonstrations (even if when I was doing them I kept burning my hands... I swear I was being careful I'm just cursed lol). I love learning about all the elements properties and stuff. The math isn't awful (like in physics). And it makes me feel smart.

DREAM JOB?

My dream job is whatever I have to do to be able to make my own show (my current plan is making an indie studio) and also being able to make a living off of doing tables at cons.

I'm actually slowly but surely working towards both right now. A lot of just saving and planning at the moment but I'm getting there.

Gonna start applying for grants soon-ish, so wish me luck lol

I don't really have 15 people to tag so, uhh, open tag I guess lol

[maleficore]

I love BG3, I really do. And I loved each and every one of my Durge playthroughs, but the more I play the more I notice places that are... seriously lacking.

The game seems to give you the option to play as a character that while disgusted and scared of their murderous impulses, can't really resist them, be it out of that fear or because of the sheer strength of the Urge being too much for them to bear. There are multiple dialogue choices where both of these are acknowledged, companions hear you admit those things, but the moment you commit A Bad everyone who's good aligned enough damn near rips you to shreds over it.

I've gotten the option to plead my case exactly ONCE when that happened, with Karlach, but that's it. The only time you can talk to everyone about being out of control is after Alfira, but they don't seem to remember it or take it into consideration at all. It's especially jarring with Wyll because like... you're being as much forced and threatened to do these horrible things as Karlach was to serve Zariel, but he sees absolutely no parallels there. He gets SO upset after you kill Isobel and during that conversation I was waiting to be able to tell him that Sceleritas threatened to force Durge's hand against one of them again instead, but no. He just called Durge a monster and conversation ended. What???

That's still not the worst of it though, the worst example of the issue is after you become Bhaal's Chosen. After killing Orin you can ask Dad what he's going to do if you refuse him, to which he literally answers "eviscerate you" and you have two ways to respond (other than still choosing to refuse him) that are basically -- "Seems like I have no choice then" and "Yes father, I will slaughter countless innocents in your name". EVERYONE hears it, but if you say yes they still act like you've done it because you simply wanted to, no matter your words. I thought that choce would decide people's reactions to the whole ordeal, but NOPE. It's exactly the same either way save for Jaheira's confrontation where she tells Durge they should've made the choice to die with a smile on their face (bruh). And I don't know if it's an Astarion thing or a romance interest thing, but as always he's the only one who acknowledged it was "servitude or death" and seemed understanding of Durge's choice (even tho I'm sure he personally would've picked different, he's said as much)

It just sucks. I geniuely wish they did not give you a chance to do a more gray-ish approach to playing that orgin if they were not going to commit to it. You want it to be a good vs bad story with no nuance? Then don't give me the option to have my character continuously talk how much they hate doing the things they're being forced to do. Playing a unwilling Durge that is not strong enough to overcome these challenges is so damn depressing. Not only everyone hates you and you have no support network that would even make it worth trying to do the right thing, but the only choice you get to amend all that is to fucking KILL YOURSELF. Yeah Withers brings you back, but your character does not know that's going to happen when they tell daddy to go fuck himself. What in a good!Durge playthrough is a heroic moment of defiance, here turns into a person so alienated and helpless they would rather die than have to endure it any longer. I love a good dose of angst, don't get me wrong, but I also love to be able to CHOOSE and have my choices matter instead of everything I pick carrying no real value in the end.

I still haven't finished yet so maybe the "good" ending you can get after this will mend it a bit, but I doubt it. I hate act 3 so much, maybe that's why in all my 300h of playtime I have finished the game exactly once lmao

[vitospaghetta]

I'll say i was really looking forward to your post about RE timeline and the difference between the remakes but i can totally see how this could cause an outbreak seeing how so many fans are rabid when it comes to what's canon and what isn't. I dunno if this is just a RE fandom issue in general but it makes it seem like everyone's defensive over something.

I was in this fandom since RE2R came out so that makes it like for 5 years i believe and I've seen first hand how shitty alot of fans can be, toxic shippers especially, hence why i just decided to stick to my own space and do stuff that i find fun. But that said, i really hope you continue talking about Leon and RE as a whole, I have alot of fun reading from your perspective and your take on Leon's character so... is it still alright to send asks about him? :)

Here's the thing. What happened could be purely coincidental, but I was informed that I was beaten to the punch for making an RE timeline/continuity post, conveniently within a week of me making posts about doing so in the future here. If I make that post now, I’m going to be discredited and brushed off as being in some sort of competition with this person. I'm not about to engage in a pissing contest. I've got too much going on irl to deal with juvenile fandom shit.

If making a helpful unbiased post of my own is going to be such a monumental issue, then I’m just not going to make it. I don't need the stress. I mean, making one post discussing my own personal issues with skewed perceptions of a multi-faceted character turned out to be the equivalent of me batting at a hornet's nest. I'm never going to claim that anything that comes out of my mouth is the word of god, but there is a very biased perspective that's become normalized, and all I wanted to do was offer another one. People can take that or leave it.

This person blocked me, so if it isn't coincidental, it means that they're either checking my blog because I haven't blocked them back or someone told them about my posts. I've noticed within the RE fandom where people will hold people's analyses and interpretations of the characters up to each other. They’ll ask one person what they think before asking another, as if to gauge what the ‘right’ opinion is. If everything I say is going to be held to someone else's interpretations like paint swatches, that's not something I'm comfortable with.

I'm not giving this response to start discourse, but I think it's only fair to explain my apprehension to stay engaged in the RE fandom. I was perfectly fine existing in my own corner for years, and the appeal to go back to being lowkey in order to continue my enjoyment of the franchise is very tempting. I don't want unnecessary stress to jeopardize my love of something that means a lot to me.

I’m really happy that you enjoy my posts and I might be inclined to talk about Leon after I’ve taken a break for a little bit. You and anyone else can feel free to continue to send me stuff. I don’t know when I’ll be in the mood to get back to them, but when I do reply, they’ll be untagged. I hope y'all can understand. 🖤

[franzis-frantic-thoughts]

"Professional linguists should only ever work in their native language to avoid such issues." hey so i understand the context in which you are working, and there are some unspoken standards among linguists and translators regarding this, but this strikes me as an extremely strange thing to say in a RQ email. what makes you assume that someone who makes grammatical errors in their english, or even in transcription are a foreigner, or not someone who speaks the language natively? the errors pointed out in your email strike me more as being unfamiliar with the terminologies of TTRPGs (ex. MPC instead of NPC) or so-called "careless" mistakes than egregious errors produced by lack of "native" english skill. unprofessional errors, to be sure, but not enough to warrant an assumption.

you yourself are an interpreter, and a polyglot; i'm certain you know many people in the field who speak multiple languages themselves, and fluently enough to do work in them, without any of them necessarily being their "native language". have you never felt the need to challenge the kind of entrenched biases within foreign language communities that force people to only work within the confines of their native languages, regardless of their fluency or competency in others? just a thought.

I'm not here to make a judgement about the ISO standards, but I felt it was important to point out to RQ that there is an industry standard.

Also yes, personally I agree that people can be highly skilled in foreign languages as well as their mothertongue. However, the transcripts show a scandalous lack of language skill for a professional product.

RQ paid for these transcripts and they're full of language and content mistakes.

I'm not saying "only native English speakers should work in English". I'm saying "these transcripts were not created / edited by someone suitable to the task", which, according to official industry standards, is a native speaker.

It felt important to point this out to RQ, so they could have checked whether their supplier had claimed to be following these industry standards or not. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fraudulent linguists out there, which is why any Language Service Provider vets the freelancers they have in their database - not just by checking qualifications, but also by having regular proofreadings and / or test pieces done. (A good LSP pays the tested freelancer for this and pays for the evaluation as well.). If the supplier had claimed to be following industry standards, then they would be able to give reasonable and believable explanations for these mistakes. However, given all the other issues listed in the email, I highly doubt that the supplier in question was working to industry standards. Whether out of their own intent, or because RQ wanted super cheap services and didn't care about the effect this would have on quality, I don't know, and I'm not going to make assumptions.

I'm going to assume you've sent this message in good faith, so I'm going to point out some explicit mistakes in the selection of screenshots that go far beyond terminology of TTRPGs and "carelessness".

"Patrion" is not a word in English. "Patreon" isn't either, it's a proper noun / name. "Patron" is a word. However, "Patreon" isn't pronounced like "patron" is. A native English speaker would have noticed that "patreon" is a made-up word and would have looked it up, instead of assuming they know how to write it. After all, English spelling and pronunciation are only losely connected (read, read, lead, lead, etc.).

"that was on the back of a massive set" is a phrase that makes no logical sense and any person skilled in English - especially a native speaker - should have noticed this.

"where you are now because the clearing" also makes no grammatical sense. And although Alex sometimes backtracks and/or corrects himself, I haven't noticed him tending to say incorrect sentences like this. "and the wall and Summit and Summit and Neil was just like..." Disregarding "Summit and Neil" instead of "Sumutnyerl", why is "Summit and" repeated? Again, someone with a firm grasp of the language would have noticed.

"I am Bertie and differently" does not make grammatical sense in any universe.

[shadowmaat]

All the news that's print to fit

A gentle reminder for everyone (not just the "kids") to pay attention while reading/listening to news. Especially online. As the ad nauseum statement goes: you are not immune to propaganda.

Remember that Newscorps are biased. Whether it's the writers themselves, the senior staffers, or their corporate overlords, most (if not all) newscorps are going to be biased in certain directions. In extreme cases they'll even make shit up to fit their view. Fox is the most obvious example of this in the US, but it's far from alone. You may know what "local" sources can't be trusted, but if you really want to be diligent it might be good to find out what sources in other countries might be known as bad. (And yes, sometimes the lies come direct from the government, too.)

Beware of clickbait. News sources are unanimously desperate for attention (and clicks). This means their headlines will sometimes be deliberately misleading. Read the damn article, first. Then find articles from other sources to get a more rounded picture.

Never trust an inflammatory headline. For the reasons already explained above. Do your research first before deciding how to react. And by the gods, don't spread stuff until you're sure you understand it. As someone who has hit reblog before looking stuff up, I know how easy it is to get caught by this one. And speaking of reblogging...

People on the internet sometimes lie. Shocking, I know. While some folks can easily get caught up spreading misinformation by not properly reading things, there are also a lot who find it fun to deliberately spread BS. You should be extra suspicious of anyone sharing headlines without linking to the source. I've seen folks sharing Onion headlines as they're legitimate news. The source is carefully cropped out so no one will notice. It happens the most, though, with clickbaity headlines meant to outrage and mislead.

Check the timestamps. Make sure you aren't reading/sharing something from years in the past. This applies not only to the origin of posts on places like tumblr, but when articles were originally published. Again, it's usually a case of deliberate cropping so folks can't tell that the headline they're reading is from six years ago.

There's more, I'm sure, but that covers the bare basics. Another big issue is that I'm pretty sure this stuff simply isn't taught because people assumes that "everyone knows." Except everyone doesn't, and even the ones who do can still get caught up.

Be careful out there, folks. Not only of the, ha, "fake news," but of the real stuff as well. There is an endless amount of world events to inspire outrage; don't let yourself get overwhelmed by it all. Care, by all means, but don't burn yourself out on it, either. You need to take care of yourself, too, so you can keep caring about others.

EDIT: I forgot to mention AI as a recent danger as well. You've probably heard about how lawyers have submitted paperwork that cites imaginary cases, and kids have submitted essays comparing real things to something that doesn't exist, and most importantly the mushroom guide app that misidentifies/makes shit up and can literally get you killed, well. Same can go for news stories. Some of the more fandom-oriented sites are already replacing their staff with AI and I wouldn't be surprised if it's seeping into the mainstream news as well. I haven't heard any stories of newscorps getting caught yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

[calliettes-posts]

okay so contrary to what many fans feel like (even me for the longest time), i'm actually starting to feel quite okay with the door thing being dragged out. solely bc we are watching teenagers in real time. It was anaïs' first ever crime and she was stuck between two of the people she loves most. i wouldn't have known what to do either at that age. I honestly feel like it's really realistic that she walked around with it for that long. okay granted, im still pissed at some of the writing choices, bc they made Bobbie loose all of her well roundedness as a character and im still pissed af they added that SA storyline. and the fact that it's again the black girl that has to take everyone into consideration. like pls how much shit did they throw on her this season? (maybe bv we called ada's season a snoozefest?? idk?) but i'm really feeling okay with everyting. between a&b too. They've reconciled and honestly there's still a lot they have to figure out, but i'm fine with that being something we'll see snippets of in the next season. i'm trying to channel my inner 16 yo. If i would have gone through the same shit they've encountered i wouldn't be where they are. they are actually willing to listen and grow!! we've seen this in bobbie and their friends! i'm actually so done with the narrative that everyone is shitty to anaïs. they're only just starting to navigate their way into adulthood. they've been noticing shit! shit man i was a depressed fuck going out with fake ID's and at one point i fell in love with a girl while still dating another. but still hella insecure and i was pretty bad at making friends irl so i spent most of my time on here. my life was freaking messy too. as a viewer it's easy to want shit resolved or see progression sooner bc it's more entertaining to watch. but i feel like they've done a great job taking in consideration we are watching them in real time. (if we forget how shitty the wtfock team is with their social media, i'm begging again, hire one of us pls). idk i'm just really happy to see this kind of representation in an original season. let's not forget we all loved sobbe, zoenne and like in other countries the other remakes bc it was tried and tested!! Imo wtfock had really redeemed itself after ada's season and they've taken notes from druck and skam france. good notes. end of rant.

That's actually a very interesting take, I haven't thought about it this way tbh. I think my biggest problem was that they added dramatic plots and dragged them out, just to resolve them in 1 minute clips, like why was there so much build up just for it not to matter in the end? And with the door plot, my biggest issue was that we saw the same conversation over and over again, but tbf, like you said, it kind of makes sense for Anais to act this way, i just wish theyd put more emphasis on her dilemma, if that makes sense, and if we had more social media, maybe I would've felt differently Also I felt like they put too much importance on Hanne and Bobbie instead of Anais, the actual main, because we had lots of plot lunes for her established in the first season, just to abandon in the 2nd half, and quickly resolve them last minute, and let's not even talk about the sa plot, that was so unnecessary

Tbh, I also think Anais season is way better than Adas, especially the first half of the season, it was more entertaining to watch, and the plotlines were all connected with eachother

[oh-the-horror-reviews]

FILM REVIEW: Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

As a FNAF fan, this film finally getting released made my year. A comfy night me and my little brother spent using the movie tickets I won at a coffee cart raffle, eating candy and popcorn and then having Thai takeout to wrap the night up. A nostalgia trip for both of us.

WARNINGS FOR: heavy plot spoilers for the film and original games, mentions and descriptions of gore, child death, child abuse (physical) and blood

POSITIVES

And that's really what this movie is, a nostalgia trip. Because I want to make one thing clear. If you haven't seen anything about FNAF, especially the silver eyes trilogy of novels, you probably aren't going to enjoy the film. If you only know fanon information and nothing about the canonical lore you probably aren't going to enjoy this film either... that's two things (/ref).

The final 'twist' isn't well set up because that's not what they were trying to do. From the very start a FNAF fan knows that 'Steve Raglan' (played by THE Matthew Lillard! One of two original Ghostface killers!) is absolutely William Afton. The final fight is just fan service for us fans and not a well plotted, set up reveal. What's the point of it? Acting as if we don't already know?

The choice to make the characters like Mike, Abby, Garrett, the missing children, Vanessa, etc parallels of existing characters in the FNAF universe instead of new people or exact adaptations is something I actually liked as well. I've heard some people are confused about it or just don't like it but a lot of that comes from expectations before the film released.

A LOT of people had it in their heads that the movie was going to be some hardcore jumpscare and gore-fest because "FNAF is so dark!" when... let's be real here. The darkness of FNAF has always come from lore behind the games and not visual representations of it. The closest we've ever really gotten to gore is some red pixels during one of the FNAF 3 minigames depicting William Afton's death in the springlock suit.

It's 2023 we can like kids horror either out of nostalgia or genuinely thinking it's good. Plenty of adults like Goosebumps and whatever. This movie was never going to be an R16-R18 horror. Imagine cutting off a good 3 years of your fanbase for 'accuracy' that isn't even accurate! Knowing how trapped and lost the missing children are after having their lives cut so short by such a selfish monster is already dark and way more accurate to how the games handled the lore.

It probably doesn't help that Scott helped work on the film and considering he's a devout anti-abortion, donating to homophobic politicians in secret Christian I doubt he would've been okay pushing the gore too far.

If anything, the lighthearted tone touching on the missing children still being actual children and not just murder machines makes the few gore and blood scenes even more shocking. The aunt's team of vandals getting attacked, the babysitter getting CUT IN HALF and the springlock scene at the end of the film are all good at raising the tension in such a colourful environment focusing on a family focused story.

CRITICISMS

The only two things I could criticize are:

1) Elizabeth Lail's acting. As Vanessa, she's noticeably more... exaggerated than her other cast members who all try to come off as realistic as they can for their characters. And not in a Renfield or Jack Griffin type of way where they're just purposefully odd or straight up nuts compared to everyone else. Just some of her line deliveries are a bit 'off' or even a little cringy? It's not that big of an issue and you don't notice it most of the time but I thought I'd mention it.

2) The lack of context for Vanessa and William's father-daughter relationship. It's heavily implied that William abused Vanessa as a child. Seeing how he behaves around her even as an adult, treating her less like a person and more of a tool or a verbal punching bag and with his track record with his kids in other universes (slapping daughters and gassing sons with hallucinogenic gas really doesn't get you father of the year) and the fact he gave a dead kids toy to his own kid as some fucked up 'trophy', it's pretty obvious.

But we really don't get any deeper context for her behaviour during the film specifically. Vanessa constantly lies and hides information in the film and it comes off as very, very annoying for a while. We can see by the end that William put that behaviour in her as a child so he wouldn't be caught murdering kids because his daughter told people what he was doing. But we never get to see much of this other than the brief confrontation at the final fight so it's harder to sympathize with her almost getting Abby killed. The movie's pacing is good so I think they could've pushed a few extra scenes in with her and William without slowing anything down. We all knew who he was anyway and they didn't have to reveal she was his daughter before the end because in the games she's already a brainwashed follower of his ideals.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE?

Yes! It's fun, colourful and good for people who don't like non-stop nasties for a movie night but are still interested in something tense. Just don't expect to love it nearly as much if you know nothing about FNAF or the canon lore ("why is Cassidy not a girl?" "why is Cassidy blonde?" tiktok comments are starting to get to me)

A fun watch for fans and light horror fans :)