#first ever mini comic!! i hope it makes sense

[nightxpining]

Plans and confessions, part 1

Day 6/7 - Future

[miviaceleste]

A Blackrock Story: A Boy with Turquoise Eyes

Happy 12th Anniversary to Blackrock Chronicle!

This comic ended up being 47 pages long (when I first sketched it, it was only 20 pages long). Since I can only upload 30 images in a post, I had to combine 2 pages into 1 image so hopefully it's still visually fine and not annoying to scroll through!

I wrote this mini-story more than 10 years ago, so I figured it was time to finally make it into a comic (after editing the writing a lot because I became a much better writer since lol).

Be aware of the TWs, and I hope you enjoy this comic!

TW: Violence || Blood || Injuries/Scars/Burn Marks || Kidnapping || (Temporary) Death || Loss of Limb / Amputation

Thank you all for reading one of my most insane projects ever!

Now, here’s another long story:

About 8 years ago, my life became so busy that to stay on top of my studies and activities, I stopped watching a lot of YouTubers, including the Yogscast.

I’ve grown up throughout the years. I had to stop acting like a kid to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I’m still an artist today, but I haven’t drawn in this way for about 3 years to pursue my real passion. I love to draw, but I didn’t have the time or inspiration to make something grand.

About 3 months ago, I suddenly got curious about how all those YouTubers I stopped watching were doing, so I checked out their channels and watched a video or two before moving on. When I got to the Yogscast channel, on the other hand, I quickly fell in love with the new content and with everyone again.

It was insane to see how immediately my love for them came back. In 3 months, I’ve watched so many videos and streams/VODs. It’s all so comforting, funny, and uplifting. Clearly, I missed so much content in the past 8 years, but at least I don’t have to worry about running out of things to watch for a while.

What made me most happy was that despite changing a lot, I never stopped being that kid who laughed at the Yogscast’s shenanigans. It just goes to show that no matter how much the world tries to push you around, you never lose that sense of joy you had as a child.

Now, about Rythian:

Since I started watching the Yogscast in 2011, Rythian has always been my favorite. I loved his series so much, especially with how he got into character to give us an immersive experience. It was an escape for me as a kid. When difficult moments were thrown at me, I watched Rythian’s series to find a sense of comfort.

So when I started watching his and Zoey’s Blackrock series, my mind was blown. The storytelling, acting, humor, and drama of the series were so immersive and touching that my creativity exploded.

I mainly use art to express myself and my interests because I struggle to talk about it. But funny enough, Blackrock was the only interest of mine that got me to not draw, but to write. I wrote a lot of short stories about the series—even how I envisioned the series would end. I was so inspired to create all the time from this series.

And what’s crazy is that at the beginning of this summer, I found all of those written drafts and notes from when I was a kid. I kept them all for 10+ years and found a very loose (and not that good) draft of this comic and I felt really inspired to finish it.

It was roughly when I was first watching Blackrock too when I realized that I can be creative in the future. The Yogscast helped me understand that I can do whatever I want for the rest of my life. If they could do it, then why can’t I?

What’s also wonderful is that even after so many years, Rythian never stopped being my favorite. When I started watching the main channel again a few months ago, I immediately found myself rooting for him whenever he was in the group videos. I just remembered how much happiness he brought me when I was younger and it makes me so happy that I still get so much joy whenever I hear his voice.

While working on this comic, I watched all of Kirbycraft and caught up on Kirby Farm. I can’t help but smile the whole time Rythian, Briony, and Kirsty interact with one another. The dynamic of these three brings me so much laughter and comfort. A part of me is upset that I didn’t get back to watching everyone when Kirbycraft was still live, but better late than never, right?

I also originally started this comic without the intention of posting it. But then I figured, Hey, it’d be great to share it with everyone who’s also been impacted by this series and the Yogscast in general, so I made this blog to post it here. Honestly, I’m not sure when the next time I’ll be able to draw is (who knew building a career takes away a lot of your energy and time?). But I think that’s what’s so wonderful about my love for Yogscast and particularly Blackrock: I didn’t make this comic for the likes or views. It was just because I wanted to, and I’m so happy to see there are so many people on here who feel the same love for them as I do.

This series and the people who made it, along with the people who supported it and loved it and continued to love it, impacted me for the better. I learned so many years ago that I can be creative for a living, and have been working hard towards doing that since.

Happy 12th Anniversary to the Blackrock Chronicle. To Rythian and Zoey who put a smile on this kid’s face even during the toughest of times.

And to the Yogscast, thank you for being there for me when I needed you all the most and for still being here when I came back. Your ability to inspire me and make me laugh never disappeared throughout the years I was gone, and I’m ready to laugh some more.

[dryonsenpai]

I hope I’m not so sudden about this, but… I am, just like you, extremely close to uninstall WHB from my device. There’s nothing to do there unless farming for materials, there’s no way to get the new characters for free (only after waiting the three months time, killing all their hype), the main story is not updated, the events are short… Not to mention how huge the game is, I believe it is about 14GB by now, what is completely insane for me. Their emphasis on Nightmare Passes is a huge blowoff for me as well, since I am f2p and can’t spend in the game. The only thing that was keeping me in it was the Pancake shop because I was farming red keys for Lucifer Selfie card, but there’s not even that anymore. Are you feeling like this, too? If not, what are your thoughts about it?

I totally feel like this as well

Their first fiasco was the angels' event & it seemed like they fixed it. But now we are here waiting for them to give us what they promised (comics on social media, friend system, new chapter every 3 months...)

Then, Beelzebub bath on the nightmare pass makes no sense cuz Satan, Mammon & (soon) Levi are standard banner cards. That is the moment when we realised that they are telling f2p players to fuck off cuz they don't need us. Hun, you do need us

But they're not that dumb. The boycott ends the 20th (today) & one day before that they released Belphegor, coincidence? I don't think so

The worst part is that they see socials, they check e-mail, post a lot of thirst traps without addressing any issue or complaint of the players. If they're still deciding they could've made a mini post saying so & we wouldn't feel so ignored

Seems like their favourite king is Mammon cuz they're full of greed. The game has become a literally only p2p game & that sucks cuz the game is one of the best NSFW games I've ever played & I bet a lot of people think the same, but the company's decisions are making it unplayable & just something to waste storage space

I have a lot to say about this, but this is just a quick summary

[theresattrpgforthat]

do you have any metafictional ttrpgs? or any ttrpgs about nothing (being about the concept of nothing or literally not having something they're "about")?

Theme: Metafictional TTRPGS / Games About Nothing.

Y’all are really pulling out the stops for these requests, huh? I’m not entirely sure if what I pulled up actually counts as metafiction, or as games about nothing, but I hope you find something close to what you’re looking for here.

Feedback, by Adira Slattery.

This is a drawing and survey taking game.

You will be expected to draw some chairs.

You will be expected to take some surveys

.Requires the use of a printer for the surveys.

And at the end you gotta email me.

So good luck...

This is a game about drawing a chair. And then taking a survey. And then drawing a chair. And taking a survey. And so on. It’s an exercise that’s meant to be both repetitive and reflective. It’s hard for me to determine what this game is about, because a) I haven’t played it and b) I suspect it’s going to mean something a little different for each person who plays it. It’s possible that for some people who look at this game, it might be about nothing.

Undeath of the Author, by quinntastic.

A meta mini-game designed for Troika.

This is a game in which the author is both dead and not dead - they are undead, and it is up to the group to kill them. The author is the author of the game, and the group is responsible for figuring out how to go about and kill them. (Of course, the author is willing to tell you, the GM how they can be killed, but they don’t want you to tell the players. You can keep a secret, right?)

Beach Episode, by Legendary Vermin.

BEACH EPISODE is a microgame mix-in for your regular table-top RPG group. Players take  their current characters, quickly adapt them for a rules-light session, and commence to run an anime-inspired, beach-themed adventure. All you need to play is at least 3d6 and an established set of characters.

This is a game that is about nothing in the sense that it isn’t really about anything. It follows the style of the anime beach episode, asking you to take recognized characters, probably from an ongoing campaign, and giving them a moment of rest, relaxation, and (probably) nothing plot-relevant. It’s great for encouraging players to delve into who their characters are without feeling worried about the consequences.

Meta Society, by Small Stories.

Meta Society is a game about playing a game of Good Society created for the April Fool's Day Good Society game jam.

This is a game about playing a game - specifically a game of Good Society. When you play, you’ll describe fictional players interacting with a fictional setting, using safety tools and talking about what they did and didn’t like about each session. This requires a copy (as well as experienced knowledge) of how to play Good Society, but I think if you have had the experience of playing Good Society, this might also be something you could adapt to make it a metafictional game about playing a different ttrpg.

DIE: The Roleplaying Game, by Rowan, Rook & Decard.

You’re dragged into a treacherous fantasy world made from your own fears, doubts and desires. There’s only one way to escape - but with limitless adventure within your grasp, would you even want to?

In DIE: The Roleplaying Game, you play a group of authentically flawed people from the real world who gather together to play a game and are trapped in a magical realm. What are they prepared to sacrifice to escape? What are they prepared to sacrifice to stay? This is a TTRPG inspired by a comic book, about people who play games, finding themselves being drawn into a game. Your characters will be interacting with a fantasy world of their own creation, knowing that it is a game and yet being drawn into it deeper than they could have ever imagined. If you want to hear this game in action, My First Dungeon has an excellent season from Mar. 31 - May 26 of 2023.

The Waiting, by J.N. Butler.

A one page GM-less roleplaying game of suspense for 1 or more players.

The Waiting is inspired by the anxiety caused by waiting for the unknown.

In The Waiting you play as a character in a setting where it hasn’t happened yet. It is definitely going to happen, but no one knows when it will happen. Until it happens, there is only The Waiting.

What are you waiting for?

This feels like a game that could be about nothing because the thing that is going to happen will not happen while you play the game. The game is specifically about the time in which the thing has not yet happened - you just know that it will. The game occurs as a series of rounds, over which players describe what their characters are doing. When the event that the table creates happens, you have one final round of play and then the game is over.

This might also be a great tool for dropping into another game, if you’re like me and you like pairing your TTRPGs like cheeses and fine wines.

[genericpuff]

I dont think snailords is literally going to end the series in 20 episodes. I think he is plotting the rest of the season and has the option to extend it 10 or 20 episodes.

That's not what he implies in his post, though, at all. The wording is very clear:

He's not saying "I have the ending for Death : Rescheduled planned out but I have this one mini arc I want to do before it", he's literally saying "the comic is ending whether you like it or not, but if you give me $1k I'll make sure it's 20 weeks from now instead of 10." He doesn't say he's plotting out the end which is however far from now, he just goes straight into "I'm gonna end the comic in either 10 episodes or 20". And then of course even goes to say "decide whether you want 20 more weeks with Kissae and Kreyul, or 10 more weeks to say goodbye". If he didn't want to give his readers the impression that that meant it was ending within that time range... then why phrase it like that? It doesn't help either that his phrasing is supported by his updates, where he says shit like:

(Also I couldn't find them but there are other screenshots out there of him saying shit like "thanks for showing you love the series" in a way that's frankly rude af because it's basically like he's asking for money for his readers to 'prove' they love him and his work, and that wouldn't be the first time he's done that either.)

If he is saying what you're suggesting, then he's not being clear about it at all because the language is very seriously implying that it's going to be ending when it returns. Which I'd hope it isn't considering what other readers are pointing out that the story has basically just gotten going and I'd hate for this to turn into another Freaking Romance situation, but I don't know how else we're supposed to read "

And, as I mentioned in my post about it, why on earth even contemplate putting in this mini arc that he's asking for $1k as a deciding factor over if he doesn't even have it written? He says he's way more confident just writing the finale arc as is, so why drag it out with an arc he's not completely confident in?

And of course, there's the urgency. If Death : Rescheduled isn't entering its ending arc after it returns from midseason hiatus - if it still has potentially years of storytelling left - then why now? Why suddenly ask your readers to buy $1k worth of merch in 24 hours or less to help you make a decision... if the actual consequences of that decision won't be made apparent for ages?

And at the end of the day, even if it's a possibility he meant what you're suggesting, that doesn't make it any less scammy to hold the comic's potential ending for ransom? Speaking as a comic writer myself of the last 10+ years, getting money from the audience in this kind of way has never ever been a deciding factor in how I write my work. Sure, things like stretch goals and Patreon milestone rewards are a thing, offering bonus chapters or NSFW art or just additional goodies if you hit a financial goal or if people sign into a certain tier, all that makes sense, but if what you're offering is worded specifically to make your audience panic - not saying "hey , you guys get an extra bonus 10 episodes if I hit this goal by this date" but rather "hey, you guys won't get AS MANY episodes if you don't pay me $1k in 24 hours or less" - and ultimately gets your readers an extra 10-15 episodes of an arc you're not even confident in writing ... the fuck is that, even? Just write the story you want to write, why do you gotta make your audience freak over not getting as much comic as they might want only to twist it into "surprise, it was for charity!" in the end?

The whole thing is silly and yeah, I'm calling it for what it is - a scam - because it's not the first time Snailords has taken advantage of his audience and played on their emotions and need for short-term gratification all for his own financial benefit. It's not even the first time he's tanked his own comic from rushing the ending simply because he was done playing with it. So at this point I wouldn't be surprised if the comic does come back and proceeds to spend 10-15 episodes waffling on a directionless mini arc before rushing into a 10 episode finale.

That said, that's all my two cents on it, you don't have to agree with me. I really don't feel like I'm misinterpreting his words but maybe someone else could enlighten me if there's something I'm missing here; that said, considering even his own readers were calling him out on this and that he never actually made efforts to clarify what could be poor language, I don't think I'm an outlier and I don't think there's even any misinterpretation happening. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but I've yet to see this guy do anything to prove that he's capable of doing the right thing. And frankly, even if what you suggested turns out to be true and the comic goes on for a long while before actually hitting that $1k-funded mini arc (and again, I kinda hope it does just so we don't end up with a repeat of what happened with Freaking Romance) it doesn't make any of this feel less gross IMO.

[issacballsac]

“Being Ben’s S/O„

He’s a bit dramatic at times but that doesn’t stop him from being the best boyfriend to you! Gn reader (I rlly hope I got his character right)

Reilly | O’Really

Forces you to help him bleach his hair

Has a mini panic attack when his roots start growing back in

As you may or may not know he bleached his hair to differentiate himself from Peter so he would be pissed if his natural colour came back too fast

“Is that brown I see?”

“What. No, where? Are you serious, I just bleached it!”

If you are a frequent gym-goer he’d go with you

Y’all are each others spotters

“You got this, lift it!”

“I’M TRYING.”

If you don’t go to the gym often/not at all it’s alright he’d encourage you to go with him but would respect if you didn’t want to

Platonic or romantic relationship doesn’t matter he’s def gossiping with you especially about spiderverse shit

“I was just assigned on another mission and everything cause some kid came here and prevented Pavitr’s canon event and now wants to prevent his own canon event! Can you believe it?”

“Ben. What the fuck is a canon event?”

Can’t keep a secret

If you ever took him in a date to the carnival he’d start crying

Average bumper cars enjoyer

Very dramatic but if you lived the life he did you’d prob be seen as a bit dramatic too

In addition to this it would prob take a while before he tells you his entire past

Like he’s given you parts but never the whole thing

Give him time and he’ll tell you eventually

Shares headphones with you to show you his music taste and Vice versa

You guys have matching jewelry of some sort

Necklace, ring(non-marriage), bracelet, etc.

Comic Ben no, because his thoughts are written out in the narration box, but spider verse Ben narrates out loud while you guys are on a date or even just hanging out

No matter if your clothes fit him properly or not he’s wearing them just cause

Ofc he’d let you wear his too granted his closet isn’t very…diverse?

He doesn’t have bad fashion sense but like his closet is hella empty 💀

That hoodie though…🦀

Gives little kisses every morning even if you didn’t fall asleep together he’ll make sure to give you the routinely morning kiss

I see him as more of a little spoon? Feel free to disagree but I feel like he would want to be in your arms regardless if ur arms are slim or muscular

He DOES NOT CARE about appearance or anything like that bro jus wants someone to love him FR😭

Back to the silly shit

He cries during romantic movies

Especially if it’s a tragic one

His sobbing ruins the movie FR💀

“God—Ben can you cry quieter?”

“I’m sorry I just can’t believe she died before he could even tell her his feelings!”

Ugly crier fs

Isolated himself from the world after watching the notebook for the first time

Loves playing iMessage games with you especially 8ball and cup pong

He definitely cheats in Uno

Whether or not you help him cheat is up to you

Just know if you call him out on it he’s not talking to you for like a week

If your a regular dude he likes to show off with his powers and everything

If you’re a hero/villain/vigilante etc. he still shows off perhaps even more than before especially when your out doing whatever your doin💀

I could rlly talk abt him forever

He’s actually pretty smart just not in a common sense way

He’d make you come with him to get his ears pierced bc he’s a pussy

I love him and he IS hella strong and shit but he would definitely be too afraid to get his ears pierced

Getting thrown into a car? No problem!

Needle near ear? No.

He can cook a lil bit

No chef but if you want chicken and rice he WON’T give you food poisoning!😁🫶

Better at making drinks

Likes cuddling with you, watching random YouTube videos, and eating goldfish

Has a ritual of rewatching all Jersey Shore seasons at least once every month

Idk if it’s canon but he def doesn’t have a drivers license and you drive him everywhere💀

[incorrectshantaequotes]

MINI-TRANSCRIPT: Hypothetically Speaking

So - had an idea for a comic, kinda like the one I did for the Reversal AU after I finished Huntress Baron's design, buuuuut as I was drawing it, it occurred to me that it would take WAY more work than that one, and as much as I would like to commit to it, I do have real life obligations that make me unsure if I could finish it. But, it was also funny enough that I wanted to make sure people saw what I had in my head somehow...

And then it occurred to me: transcript. I've done this for the Reversal AU plenty of times for hypothetical cutscenes, why can't I do it for general canon Shantae with hypothetical comics? So, here we are! This is going to be shorter than the ones I've done for the Reversal AU, and far more comedy-focused, but I hope you enjoy!

(NOTE: this takes place after Living Memoir. It's not really required reading to understand this, but if you feel curious about how the exact situation described below came to be, go ahead and give it a read!)

[Scene starts inside SHANTAE's house. HOLLY LINGERBEAN is laying down on SHANTAE's couch, reading an opened letter, while SHANTAE is in her pajamas and pouring herself coffee]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: Huh. So, you and the zombie girl are together?

SHANTAE: First of all, don't go through my mail. I should not need to explain to you why that's rude. Secondly, yes, we are. It happened a while after the whole...ordeal with you, and I am NOT in the mood to explain right now. So if you have something to say-

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN quickly sits upright and puts her hands up with a placating expression]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: Hey, I'm a lesbian too, I'm fine with that! I'm just curious is all!

[SHANTAE looks behind herself, no longer irritated but contemplative]

SHANTAE: ...huh. Well, good for you. Maybe I'll be willing to answer some questions after I've had some breakfast-

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN puts a finger up with a grin, clearly about to say something, when SHANTAE turns her head away with a deadpan expression]

SHANTAE: -made by MYSELF, because I'm not dealing with your sixth attempt to bribe me to ditch my plan to try and guide you to being a better person THIS early in the morning.

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN's eyes widen, and she looks away from SHANTAE's direction while some sweat appears over her forehead]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: I...! Ah...I...wasn't...going to do that...

[SHANTAE and HOLLY LINGERBEAN are silent for a moment, the only sound coming from SHANTAE sipping from her coffee mug]

[Afterwards, HOLLY LINGERBEAN speaks up, her expression more neutral but looking genuine]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: So, have you felt the inside of her disembodied arm?

[SHANTAE promptly does a spit take and whips her head around with an extremely confused and disturbed expression]

SHANTAE: Excuse me??

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: Okay, that one was probably a bit much...has she bitten you? Or, well, not actually biting you, obviously, more like...letting her teeth hover just over your unbroken skin?

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: Letting you feel her breath run over you, knowing that she could bite down at any moment? That sort of thing?

SHANTAE: ...NO??? Why are you asking me this??

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN puts her hands up again, this time looking defensive]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: Hey, I'm just curious! I mean, just, hypothetically speaking, if I was the one with the zombie girlfriend...

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN looks away, almost appearing to be in a daydream as she speaks]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: I kinda figure that'd be part of the appeal, you know? You're looking at someone who's cheated death, in a sense, but death left its scars, and you'd naturally get just as intimate with those as you would with everything else about your girlfriend...

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN gives a wistful sigh, her eyes now closed with a light blush across her face]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: And she wouldn't ever let death take you, no matter what anyone has to say about it...she'd go to the ends of the earth for you - you belong to her, and she belongs to you, forever intertwined, and you'd end up finding comfort in how the two of you will never be apart-

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN's eyes suddenly snap open, her blush now luminescent as she looks like she's just now heard what she's been saying. After a moment of silence, she glances to look at SHANTAE]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: You know. Hypothetically speaking.

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN turns her face away from SHANTAE, hiding the sweat on her face and her nervous grin as she laughs]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: It's not like I've ever THOUGHT about that sort of thing or anything! Or, uh, any OTHER incredibly specific, but still very similar scenarios...that'd be crazy! Hahahahaaaaaaaa...

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN suddenly stands up and walks over to SHANTAE - who, this entire time, has not changed her expression - and places a hand on her shoulder]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: Heeeeeey, why don't I make some breakfast for both of us! Completely bribe-free, I promise! We can just sit back, relax, and forget everything I just said back there!

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN pauses, looking to the side, and then looking back at SHANTAE]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: Metaphorically. Forever.

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN proceeds to power-walk to the kitchen while SHANTAE stares after her]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: I accept your thanks in advance~!

~~~~

[Several weeks later, SHANTAE is in her regular outfit, stretching in a hotel room on Siren Island, when HOLLY LINGERBEAN bursts into the room, looking distinctly panicked while also blushing]

SHANTAE: Holly? What are you-

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: OK, so I know I haven't been the most receptive about the whole "hero" plan, because I thought it was stupid and you should've just been grateful I wasn't stealing memories anymore, but is there ANY way you could make me a good person in like, three hours? Preferably less? Because I REALLY think-

[SHANTAE promptly grabs HOLLY by the shoulders, now looking mildly concerned]

SHANTAE: Oooooookay, slow down! Holly, what is going ON? I mean, normally I'd be really grateful for the turnaround, but this is kinda freaking me out. Seriously, what on earth brought this on?

[HOLLY LINGERBEAN looks away, still blushing]

HOLLY LINGERBEAN: Well, there's this lobster girl, and she's really nice, and she was concerned about me, and I would let her drag me to the bottom of the ocean but that's not important, but we've been hanging out, and she's REALLY nice, and if she finds out I'm a bad person and doesn't like me I will DIE!

[SHANTAE pauses for a moment, a buffering icon appearing over her head as she processes HOLLY LINGERBEAN's statement, before looking at her with surprise]

SHANTAE: ...you have a crush on Lobster Siren? I mean, I'm happy for you, don't get me wrong, but I'm honestly surprised. I mean, she really doesn't seem like your...type...

[It is at that exact moment that SHANTAE'S expression becomes more deadpan as two memories float to the top of her head, illustrated by a thought bubble - the first is LOBSTER SIREN appearing right behind SHANTAE without warning, causing her to yelp in surprise and mild terror, and the second is LOBSTER SIREN eating a raw fish, looking confused as to why SHANTAE looks so horrified]

SHANTAE: ...on second thought, never mind. I think I can guess why she appeals so much to you.

[holyghostflo]

@clearprincessbasement

So heeey~!

We totally got your message. I'm here to answer your questions (since the others are super busy with our episode).

About the origin story: We actually ARE working on that!

We have been since before we started the database! We had planned to start the series off with the origins of Team Hot Wheels, but the more worldbuilding we did, the more challenging it became to write a cohesive orgin story.

So we strategized to tell the origin story at a later date, when we have already established the story and characters to you as they are now in the present day!

Next up, everyday life!

Hopefully you'll get a more of the Team's daily life through episodes as we release them. As for now, our biggest roadblock with releasing mini-comics of more casual everyday stuff is we don't want to accidentally turn people away by unwittingly writing characters to be too "OOC", if that makes any sense.

-annnd then your last thing, character struggles.

I don't think you want an entire document of notes about our characters struggles, so I'll just give your the abridged version.

Gage is a guy who never backs down from a challenge. His determination can be seen as a strength, but it is also a great weakness. He driven to push himself and others to their limits, sometimes neglecting to consider if that's the best course of action to take in a situation. As a result, Gage can unintentionally hurt people (and himself).

Rhett has a big heart. He's very sensitive to the way others might be feeling. He usually uses this ability to help his friends and family get along with each other (he hates arguments), but sometimes it can get the better of him and cause him to do some drastic things out of pure emotional outburst.

Wheelie loves people. She loves talking with them, finding out more about them, helping them reach their goals... that sort of thing. Unfortunately, the girl does not feel the same way about herself. She will often neglect her own wants and needs in favor of somebody else's. Wheelie sees no problem with this, but it can come back to bite her when someone genuinely needs her help and she finds herself to drained to do anything about it due to her own self-neglect.

Wyatt has low-self esteem. It's the reason why he always feels the need to make a dramatic entrance. He NEEDS to be seen and praised in order to compensate for the doubt he feels about himself. He so afraid of disappointing people, he doesn't realize his constant showboating IS what causes that disappointment in the first place.

Brandon may be quiet, be he has a lot going on in his head. He's a brilliant guy, but his intelligence can cause him to overthink situations, leading to paralysis. He also has only ever had one real friend before Team Hot Wheels was formulated, so the whole "socializing" thing is a new challenge for him.

Sorry for the late response, we were hoping to respond sooner, but there's been a lot going on in our personal lives, so it's been a little harder to work on this project lately.

Dont fret though, we still intend to finish what we started!

I can't wait for you to see what we have in store when it's finally finished!

Hope you'll stay tuned!

[wishheroes]

Weekly K-pop Round-Up (20240601-20240608)

hello and welcome to another weekly k-music release round-up! today we will be reviewing releases from the first week of june! hope you enjoy

BADVILLAIN - BADVILLAIN

this is a great example of an amazing instrumental put to waste. i think they could've made something way better with this rather than your typical 3rd gen girl crush sound. i'm not really a fan of the girl crush concept in general, so this isn't really to my liking. the girls are very talented though so i will be looking forward to future releases. congratulations on your debut!

Boy Comics - XDINARY HEROES

i don't think there will ever be a time where i get disappointed in a xdinary heroes release. their music is incredible in every aspect. i think this is one of their best releases to date. they should've made this their title track for their first full album and little things the single, even the music video is more interesting than their latest title track. but at the same time i think having a slower song was a good fit for their first album and the whole album got me very emotional as i ult them. anyway, going back to boy comics, i love everything about it. people need to pay more attention to bands!

Celestial Night - W24

continuing with another band, we have w24 with their new ep "memory making moment" with celestial night serving as the title. i love this song so much. it immediately went into my playlist. i think everything just works wonderfully. the instrumental is beautiful, and the vocals match perfectly. i seriously love songs like this a lot. i like it so much that i don't really have anything else to say. it's a great song.

Hero - AKMU

what a pretty song! it's so easy to the ear yet so beautiful. what i really want to talk about is the music video. it's stunning! i haven't seen such a well done music video in a while. not only was it visually pretty, but it also had a storyline which made me feel like i was watching a movie or theatre play. the best way to describe both the song and mv is pretty. as always akmu didn't let me down with this amazing release.

Give Me That - WAYV

would you guys hate me if i said this concept matches them way better? in the sense that it really suits the members. i was a huge fan of their older concept and my favourite title track of theirs is on my youth, but this concept really brings out the best in them! i think this is such a fun release and i enjoyed the whole mini! i think this is really a turning point for wayv, a lot of people seem to be enjoying this release and considering this has the same amount of views as phantom and 2 million more views than on my youth only 5 days after release, i think this concept could really finally get them somewhere. that is if of course, sm gives a shit and actually promotes them well. the song itself is really fun and my god i really have no clue what it is but it really screams wayv at my face! the only negative thing i could say about it is that i wish the music video was a bit more interesting since the sets are really boring, but nonetheless it's great all round. i really hope wayv can get even more popular than they were with this comeback and i hope they continue this sound in their future releases (and not only b-sides).

Shooting Star - Kep1er

oh how i'll miss yeseo and mashiro in kep1er.. on another note, this is their best song they've ever released for sure. it's so pretty. can't believe it's the 9isbandment song. however, i'm happy we can at least still have kep1er with us, even if it won't be the same kep1er we were used to. but anyway, the song is really beautiful. the instrumental is very dreamy and it really gives me those loona vibes. you could tell me this was a leaked artms title track and i would full on believe you. and that's a huge compliment, by the way. i really hope the best for the girls moving forward, and i really hope wakeone wakes up and finally starts treating the girls right now that it's official they're staying with us for good.

SHOW OFF - CRAVITY

fantastics from exile tribe is that you???! this is cravity's newest japanese single titled show off and they sure are showing off good music! this is nice. there's not much to say about it except, oh yeah, this is nice. it really reminds me of fantastics and their music. and i love fantastics. it's a solid japanese track.

Moonlight - NCT DREAM

even though the youthful and bright concept is slowly fading from the dreamies discography, we can always count on their japanese tracks to revive it. this is such a pretty song. it's really the perfect concept for nct dream. it makes me emotional in a way, it's just so 7dream coded and really really beautiful. i hope we can get a korean title track like this in the future, but whatever concept they might do ill still always be here supporting them.

BONUS: Stupid Cupid - NCT DREAM

i don't usually review b-sides in my round-ups but i just had!! to mention this song! this song is so fun!! it's like if you combined the quirky weirdness of neo songs with a sprinkle of red velvet in there. it also reminds me of deja vu a bit which is my favourite nct dream song of all time along with 1,2,3. if you're into the neo sound and experimental goodness you NEED to tune into this!

Deeeep - SPIA

well that's definitely a whole new different vibe from their debut. they truly did a whole 180 with one comeback. there's not much to say about this release, it's your typical cutesie nugu song release with a "newjeans" type of vibe. except the quality of it is actually good! the mixing isn't terrible like a lot of songs by nugu artists, it's actually quite good! and the quality of the song in general really isn't that bad. same goes for the music video.

hey! hey! - TWS

tws is like the resurrection of kpop for me. this is just a pre-release yet it's so good! something really shifted after tws debuted, it's like kpop is getting fun and lively again. if they ever change their concept i think i'll be mourning for years. the song is really cute and fun, as expected from tws. can't wait for what they have in store for us with the actual title track!

no part two this time around, the other releases didn't catch my attention and im having burn out :')

as always thank you for reading and see you next week!

[ownerofthisaccount]

Hello again everyone! This was probably not the next part you hoped for but I hope I can explain well.

@raisans-art has made some really good AUs, such as the Human Illusion Au. One of them is the Chimera Emmet Au where Emmet is captured and experimented on, turning him into Agee after being fused with his Pokémon. Those who watched episode 4 of Fullmetal Alchemist are getting flashbacks

Well, they made a quick sketch of if Ingo was the one turned, called Chei, and I made a drawing for that afterwards because I have enjoyed both designs. As a child I loved transformations and stories of experiment or body horror, so that’s probably a factor. I later drew a mini comic for it detailing how the first night would go down, as well as a side comic of ghost Emmet. I made hints that a part two would come, and even released a WIP of one of the images. Well…I can’t say it won’t ever happen, perhaps months later, but I don’t think I will finish it right now(most of the betas were deleted anyway, either on purpose for space or by accident because of fat fingers). I have Aspergers, and I can hyperfixate on things. This can be for weeks, months, years, even forever in a couple cases. Chimera Emmet happened to be one of those(the twins are still an interest, but I got into several AUs based on them because of it) and I been seeing it since it’s early stages when Emmet was still himself in there. I just didn’t have the courage to fanart it till Chei came out as I love both but lean more to drawing Ingo. I have really enjoyed drawing the two and seeing their interactions, how this bad end line would go, and mentally thinking up things. It was also nice to see other people’s excitement over this and sees their asks created more drawings and pieces. Not recently I’ve been feeling the start of the interest drop. I hate when this happens because you love the thing but you can feel yourself slowly drift from it and it…sucks. I have the outlines ready to be draw but not the push or energy to complete it. I did managed to finish one, being a drawing of the remaining four Pokémon and Pels going to Juniper and Drayden, but unfortunately this was one of the ones that got accidentally deleted and I can’t recover it(which was possibly another push). On top of that I have actually started doing commissions, and being these and the two projects I’m working on(my graphic novel and my favorite list), Ive been a bit drained myself. I have betas for a couple though that were detailed enough to be salvageable, so I won’t put them to waste.

This was supposed to be Chei reading the floor apology made by Agee, anxiously waiting for a response.

This one was supposed to be Ingo’s spirit sensing something wrong, while Agee comforts a weakened Chei while they think of a way to escape.

And my personal favorite, Ingo’s spirit panicking while Emmet’s spirit starts trying to piece together what happened while wishing he was still alive because Chei and Agee would make for an interesting double battle duo(even in death he thinks of battle strategies)

It saddens me to not have full pictures to share, but I won’t leave you empty handed. I’ll share what I was thinking up if I made the final two parts: so after the first night, Chei wakes up to find a poorly drawn apology on the floor from Agee, who still feels guilty for hurting their friend(and shocked when they see Chei is healed) by accident. Though not fully forgiving yet, Chei accepts the apology and slowly starts being less cautious around Agee. Eventually this comes to head when Agee protects Chei from a threat(most likely the scientists) which fully gains the latter’s trust so the two begin to become friends. During this the remaining four mons meet up with Pels(given this Au has mostly the same beginning, Pels still tagged along and escaped the scientists during the chaos that was capturing Ingo) and reluctantly decide the best course of action is to try to tell others, as they feel with Pels with the they could possibly convince someone. Ingo and Emmet’s souls are in limbo, not having moved on due to the circumstances of their deaths(I headcanoned in my ghost Emmet comic that he couldn’t move on until he knew that Ingo was alright and moving forward, so here the two likely wouldn’t till they both pieced together what happened and got justice for the experiments) watch as time pass and the fusions truly become family. However Ingo senses something is amiss and sure enough Chei is growing weaker. Unlike Agee, Chei is an unstable fusion due to the damage before the experiment. Agee colors dull in these bad conditions but Chei’s body and especially souls struggle to handle it, and start to unravel. Agee refuses to let his buddy die and decide to work with Chei to try to escape. That would’ve been part two. The final part would’ve been Chei and Agee combining their moves(multi train style) to break through the glass and begin and escape. They start breaking out everyone and fighting back the scientists when Chei grows too weak to fight and Agee protects him. Before they can be detained, Rescue arrive with the remaining Pokémon, Pels, and the humans fighting to incapacitate the scientists. Chei is wary around them since trust issues, but Agee is grateful for their help and lifts Chei onto his back to carry him. Once the scientists are defeated. The others help Agee out getting everyone outside where the chimera lays Chei down. The fusion would’ve curled up under a tree with Agee and the others by, leaving it ambiguous if Chei was getting better and healing, or peacefully passing away in a nicer area that wasn’t a cell. The final frame would’ve been the twins, now satisfied the experiments were freed and given justice, walking off into the afterlife together. Not a perfect story but I had fun with it. Now…I did prepare something to give you a nugget anyway:

And here it is! Marshrill design was recently released and as someone who loves and theorize the twins becoming Pokémon, this was certainly up my alley and I had to draw at least a quick sketch. Hopefully it makes up for no huge comic update.

But anyway, final huge props to @raisans-art again and I hope you all still enjoyed this. Thank you all, and have a great rest of your day

[thevindicativevordan]

Comics this week ?

Batman #137 - Jimenez art is carrying this hard. If he wasn't drawing this I would skip it. Bruce's actions make sense given what Zdarsky has been doing with him, but the rest of the Batfamily are morons.

Steelworks #4 - Superbooks don't get enough credit for how well they're handling interconnectivity right now. Genesis pops back up here and is relevant to the plot, but it's handled in a way that is surprisingly organic. Dorn has shown improvement with each issue, DC should give him another book after this if he's interested.

Superboy: Man of Tomorrow #5 - Trav is my favorite new villain for Conner in ages. Such a delightful little sociopath, and this issue was extremely 90s in an entertaining way when it comes to the fight scenes. Conner using his TTK to deflect Trav's blasts, ripping off Trav's arm (it's not something Clark would ever do but that's why I liked it!), Trav rigging his own arm to blow, then transferring his consciousness into the Kryptonian clone body was great. One more issue to go!

The Riddler: Year One #6 - Great ending to a great mini. Makes me want to rewatch The Batman.

Birds of Prey #1 - Solid first issue, but it didn't wow me. Normally I'd keep reading through the first arc, but I have to cut back so this gets dropped.

Fire & Ice #1 - Beautiful art, decent comedy book. But again, I gotta cut back so I'll drop this.

Blue Beetle #1 - Mandatory to read Graduation Day if you want to read this, but the quality is at the same level as the mini so that’s not a problem for me! Bummer that the movie wasn’t a bigger success so we could hopefully get a longer run. I liked seeing old Ted foes show up, I’m curious if they’ll be bringing in Jenny Kord from the movie here too since they already moved Jaime and his cast to Palmera City.

City Boy #4 - Pak played up Cameron's moral grayness, and this is the issue that focuses on that. He's practically a supervillain in how he enslaves Bludhaven to attack Nightwing, with the only saving grace being that he was trying to do right by someone else. That, and I couldn't help feeling bad for him when he saw that his mom ditched him because she didn't want him. Heavy stuff, hope the Swamp Thing showing up is Levi. He had family issues too, I bet he and City Boy could have a good back and forth about dealing with your parents.

Immortal X-Men #15 - Even Gillen is starting to decline in enjoyment for me at this point. Still I think end is in sight for this book, and I want to see what the plan is for Xavier since he’s going to get off his ass at some point.

Fantastic Four #11 - Everlovin’ Thing indeed. Nice to see Ben be the one using his brains to get the F4 out of a trap.

Dr. Strange #7 - Strange has always been his own worse enemy, making that literally true has been quite exciting. Kind of funny how much Marvel touts that they’ve never rebooted and everything is canon when they still pick and choose what to acknowledge. Feels odd to not bring up the OTHER time Strange destroyed himself out of desperation to achieve his goal, during Hickman’s New Avengers run.

Scarlet Witch #8 - Winning a duel of words with Loki? Hopefully the Wanda fans will take that feat as much cooler than a magic contest. Oh and Joseph is being used as a pawn again, since they beta you over the head with that this issue I’m sure no one is surprised. I am looking forward to how the fight with Hexfinder goes. Wanda could use a good rival and she shows potential.

[incompetentmedic]

So I finished watching the last episode of Demon Slayer last night, so here are my thoughts on the entire anime as a whole

[OBVIOUSLY MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD]

God that ending. Fuck. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show successfully get me to fucking beg for a dumb bullshit plot armor deus ex machina before. I don’t care if it made no sense I don’t care if it’s bad writing I’m just happy Nezuko survived. And the sheer amount of skill it takes to make me care about a character that much is impressive.

I’m kind of sad that we didn’t get any filler in the latter seasons. I would’ve loved to see how the relationship between the main 4 changed during and after each major arc. Also I want more yaoi moments.

Jar guy’s final form is honestly kinda hot

I could write a whole essay on how effectively the writers utilized unreliable worldbuilding to show us that demons are all evil and Nezuko is the only exception, then slowly lead us to the conclusion that nonviolent demons have always existed and purposely make themselves as invisible as possible. I cannot stress enough how good the worldbuilding in this show is

I appreciate the lengths that the series goes through to humanize it’s villains and show us how the demons are pushed into lives of violence as symptoms of larger systemic issues

That being said, the “sudden backstory montage right before the monster of the week dies” starts to feel a bit lazy after the 10th time they do it. I understand that all these character backstories couldn’t succinctly fit in the first season, but it leaves us with a lot of deaths that could’ve been a lot more impactful if we had been introduced to these characters earlier. I’ll have to read the manga and see if it’s handled better

On the topic of lazy writing, I’m really not a fan of Zenitsu’s whole “sleep transformation” thing. It feels like a gimmicky way to get out of writing character growth

Back to the good stuff now. 52 episodes and the main character does not fall in love with a single person. Aros everywhere are celebrating

When I first heard the premise of the entertainment district arc, that the 3 male main characters disguise themselves as women to infiltrate a brothel, I was completely ready to drop the series. But if I’m being honest, they handled that arc just about perfectly. I obviously can’t speak for the transgender community and maybe I’m just ignorant, but the whole arc seemed pretty supportive of the concept of changing your gender. I’d argue that Zenitsu seemed a lot more happy and fulfilled as a girl than they did as a boy. The series also has one of the best depictions of sex workers I’ve seen on television

Everything in mugen train was literally perfect. I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. I hope whoever wrote that arc gets $750,000,000 in the mail and free gourmet meals forever.

I love Inosuke’s gay ass crush on Tanjiro. King shit

I complained about Zenitsu’s character arc earlier but I must admit his writing in the spider forest mini-arc was fucking phenomenal. We love it when comic relief characters experience personal growth and start to carry serious narrative weight

The way that Nezuko speaks at the very end. She speaks slowly and abruptly. She can only manage a word or two at a time, and even then only simple ones. It takes her 3 whole attempts to say her first word. Its so god damn impactful watching her stumble through speech after spending so long being physically incapable of speaking. I love that scene so much

I really hope we get a season 5. I want to know where tanjiro and Nezuko go from here. Do they stay in the corps? Do they settle down to a peaceful life, now that Nezuko is, in most respects, functionally human? Or is Nezuko not content with her current state, leading them to continue searching for a total cure? How will the more skeptical and conservative hashira react to knowing that Nezuko, who they already consider a liability, is now powerful enough to withstand direct sunlight? How will her relationships with Inosuke and Zenitsu change? All of these questions would be answered if I read the manga but I’m too lazy to do that so I’m gonna have to wait for the next season, if they make one.

Overall this was one of, if not The Best, shonen anime ever made

[subbyfoxelf]

[podcast & comic review] the adventure zone, campaign 1: the balance arc

i have… just… a lot of feelings about this.

this is messy. and a lot of the criticisms you’ve almost certainly heard about it if you’ve looked into it at all before coming across my years-too-late review of it are spot on. bad d&d, bad representation. all of that shit is hella valid. and all of it is why i’m not going to devote more time to the adventure zone after having finished its first & by far most celebrated arc. but what’s equally valid is that this podcast is also responsible for some of the most singularly incredible, and unique, storytelling moments i’ve ever heard in any medium. it grapples with themes that you just don’t expect the guys who riff on yahoo answers to come at you with.

there are also all kinds of mitigating factors about the most-criticized aspects of the podcast, for what it’s worth. like, yeah there’s some examples of bad representation. but it’s bad representation made by guys who were trying to do good representation and accepted & even signal boosted criticism, and then did their best to do better. and that matters. i’m sorry, but what are we even asking for if that isn’t exactly how we want to see creators handle it when they fuck up?

the bad d&d was easy enough to shrug off at first, because i like these guys. i don’t know as much about clint, but his three sons are some of my favorite comedy podcasters. i’m kind of out of my mbmbam phase. i binged it for a while, and i did genuinely enjoy it, but i’ve gotten to a point where a general interest podcast that doesn’t really focus on any specific kind of content that i’m hella into just doesn’t hit the spot anymore. but i’m still grateful for the space it had in my life for a while. i’ve just always deeply appreciated the wholesome & warm vibe of their content.

the easy narrative is that when adventure zone was at its worst, it was because griffin (my favorite of the performers involved, fwiw) just wasn’t giving his players space to co-create with him. and admittedly it is pretty hard to be impressed by that brand of d&d when i have shit like dimension 20 in my life now, but honestly it also just isn’t that simple. because yeah, in a macro sense, griffin’s tendency to railroad his players does grate on me. but you can’t just say that that’s always bad when a lot of the best moments of the podcast are actually him narrating at his players. i’m talking about the truly heartbreaking shit in the divisive “stolen century” mini-arc. i’m talking about the penultimate episode, when this podcast became about the entire fucking world hearing a story that gave them hope, and then getting their asses up and fighting. this dude can write.

this dumb fucking d&d podcast had me fully sobbing on multiple occasions, and the fact that it clearly had the same effect on the people making it, that they cared so much about it, and just… fuck if that isn’t one of my biggest weaknesses. i like feeling feelings. i like other people feeling feelings. i like it when people care.

also, like… yeah there are stretches of this podcast that get pretty railroady, but a lot of times it’s not, and a lot of times the players really do get to meaningfully co-create. and sometimes it’s just magic.

earlier in the podcast, before shit gets really real, there’s an arc where they’re in basically a fantasy car combat/race, and this arc has just one of the most purely awesome moments i think i’ve ever heard in any work of fiction? justin just shocks everyone by summoning a fucking magic bicorn named garyl and everyone freaks out about how fucking cool it is and just… i love how into it everyone is. and a few seconds later justin gets nervous and asks how fast the battlewagons are going to make sure this is going to be practical, and griffin responds, “approximately garyl miles per hour. [...] are you kidding me? i’m not going to ruin your fantastical visions with a thing as ridiculous as speed differentials.” and just. i love it so much.

i love “yes, and”ing and then actually supporting it. i love how excited they all are to craft a story together. i love justin managing to pull off something that caught griffin totally by surprise and griffin just aggressively supporting it. and i just wish there were more moments like that in the podcast. because if you ask me, that is d&d at its best. it’s literally what this game is for.

totally warranted criticisms aside, i really did enjoy this podcast. the truly special moments more than make up for the things about it that frustrate me. and fuck, no matter how much i might disagree with aspects of griffin’s dming style, i really do love a lot of his characters. especially angus, and lup. they’re just so badass in drastically different ways. just. i could’ve just spent all this time gushing about how fucking awesome lup is.

what really sticks with me about this story, though, is that it contains ideas & feelings that are just truly so much bigger than the imperfect shell containing them, and there is something so achingly divine about that. griffin weaves a story that grapples with themes of immortality & the nature of existence & the literal end of the world in ways that are so thoughtful, so thought-provoking, and convey the reality of those things so much better than fiction usually does… everything else aside, i just have to stand in awe of that.

the graphic novels are cool, too, but if you’re only going to do one or the other i for sure would go with the podcast. but yeah, the comic does a great job of adapting the content of the podcast while making necessary adaptation choices to account for its different medium. the art is pretty lovely, and killian is just as pretty as i imagined her–i mean, what? nothing!

[vespertin-y]

face it review!! (there's no summary here and i only put in pictures when i needed them to make my point, so this won't make any sense if you haven't read the comic, sorry).

-IM FUCKIF CRYING...this page is the fordliest ford to ever ford. it nails all of his character traits so quickly. if you put ford in a paper shredder and then melted the scraps into new paper this is what would come out.

-obsessed with the choice to have mabel's pages match up exactly with her dialogue while dipper's is. Well. they knew what they were doing.

-mr what's-his-face is a BANGER villain design, perfect balance of intimidating and goofy.

-i enjoy the twins' frenemy relationship with pacifica very much. they're silly...

-dipper being a squeaky sweaty anxious little preteen disaster until mabel is in danger (at which point he Locks The Fuck In) never gets old to me. thats my SON

-the crawlspace is SUCH A GOOD SETTING and if i can't find 1million fanworks about it i will riot i think. ford never finding his way in is very funny and also immediately makes me think of an AU where stan does and promptly becomes a professional at Magic Crime. his years pug trafficking prepared him for this...

-hey. hey. WHAT? there's so many fuckig implications here where do i even start. first of all this is so...obviously corrupt - and yeah, sure, the cult is corrupt, fork found in kitchen, but this isn't even pretending to be in line with their stated mission, goddamn. second of all there's no humans allowed in the crawlspace, which means either the blind eye is employing a nonhuman (INSANE) or they have some sort of agreement with the magical creatures of the town (EQUALLY INSANE). the political maneuverings going on here fascinate me. i need a novel.

-me too bud.

-WAIT WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN PACIFICA'S DAD WON HER MOTHER AS A PRIZE

-WHAT DO YOU MEAN HER MOTHER PASSED THAT HORRIFYING MISOGYNY RIGHT ON DOWN AND TOLD HER SHE WOULD BE UNLOVED IF SHE WASN'T ALWAYS PERFORMING BEAUTY

-HELL WORLD HELL WORLD HELL WORLD

-SOMEONE STEAL THAT CHILD RIGHT THIS MINUTE

-oh hey look further confirmation that ford has absolutely no qualms about imprisoning and experimenting on sentient beings. hash tag mad science slay.

-is...is that marker just under her skin now...? i would say that can't be good for her but between the glitter lung and the regular consumption of Mabel Juice she's probably impervious to any negative side effects that could have.

-speak for yourself, the zombie fight scene was a formative moment for the rest of us

-nnnnot sure how i feel about the conclusion of pacifica's mini-arc here. my advice to a child in her situation would not be 'have fun and be yourself :D✨' it would be 'buckle down, keep your mouth shut, and squirrel away money until you turn 18'. i absolutely get why this disney children's book for children didn't swing for a conclusion that miserable i just fear for the hypothetical safety of this hypothetical child 😭

-i am Deeply Neutral on the dipper/pacifica romance they're pushing. there's not anything wrong with it! and i can see where it's coming from, objectively - of course you would want to ship dipper with the one girl he doesn't see as A Girl™️ - i'm just incapable of caring too much about baby romance. i hope they have fun and hold hands outside the middle school or whatever lmao.

-overall this was a very neat story and definitely one i'll be rereading :] solid and self-contained, but also with lots of fun potential for expansion!

[anthonybialy]

Consistency’s Downside with Playoff Outcast Buffalo Sabres 

Remember the eclipse?  That celestial ballet from way back last week featured an exhilarating example of getting in the way.  Obstacles aren’t as satisfying for a team that never overcomes them.  Unlike the Moon blocking the Sun, darkness around the Buffalo Sabres remains.  A few stunning minutes of visible corona was more than the roster offered during yet another dang bleak campaign.

If the Sabres hated their fans, nothing would change.  The fact they’re presumably trying hard to finish in the top half makes cheering in Hell even more agonizing.  The ice keeps melting.  If Sabres fans on an alternate DC Comics  Earth are coping with active contempt from a diabolical owner, the resulting sense on this version of our planet is identical.  Fan Appreciation Night gets funnier every year.  I don’t appreciate them.

Extending their own unprecedented mark surely must be an accomplishment.  We should feel elated when our beloved club doing something no other has ever done.  They don’t keep bad records, right?

A high quantity of an item may or may not be desirable.  I wish there were some way to make life less ambivalent.  Paula’s sometimes sells a baker’s dozen of the universe’s best donuts for the price of a regular one.  See: that’s a welcome 13.  By contrast, missing the playoffs that many times in a row may not quite be lucky.

A league set up so half the teams move on features one consistent outcast.  This seems like a good time to point out the Sabres seized the right to keep playing during their third ever season.

This failed enterprise violates the first rule of business, namely the need for spending money in order to make it.  Trying to run a team on the cheap leads to false economy.  Dedicated potential buyers are ready to drop a fortune on the right to sit and watch for a few hours.  All ownership has to do is invest enough to make a competitive product.  Only hiring staffers who accept coupons is ultimately not a good value.  Customers stop buying the product in case Sabres executives still don’t grasp why shortsighted saving fails to pay off.

For a multibillionaire, Terry Pegula is one lousy entrepreneur.  Making taxpayers fund his football venue is as close as he gets to shrewd maneuvering, and forcing New Yorkers to invest makes him a shameless welfare deadbeat.  Keep working to afford a personal seat license that costs more than a Mini Cooper for the right to pay for the seat itself.

Stealing joy is not a crime, which is why Pegula has avoided probation.  He’d make taxpayers post bail.  It should be exciting to head to a game yet hasn’t been since around the introduction of the iPad.  Forced thrills define a relationship that used to create happiness in the MySpace era.  Vague memories of enjoyment are the sole reason to administer a dose of voyeuristic masochism.  The fact there are any season ticket holders left is a testament to unabashed loyalty paired with unsubstantiated hope.

Is the Sabres Store still open? I want to get a Donny Meatballs shirt before they sell out.  I was a Granato hipster who thought he’d fail from the start. Realistic fans could wish for promising results while suspecting they were never pending.  The difference between wanting something to happen and knowing it won’t sums up the team.

There’s no rule against letting an intern change lines.  The Sabres have come close to proving such.  The innovative franchise’s solution to ending playoff banishment was hiring a first-time NHL head coach whose specialty is developing players who aren’t old enough to buy lottery tickets.  If that sounds ridiculous, wait until you hear about the NHL general manager whose last gig was running a hockey school.

Granato is gone from a job he never should’ve held. A firing will have to count as progress. There’s still a looming sense of dread despite taking an important step. In Return of the Jedi, the Rebel Alliance celebrates blowing up the Death Star even though the entire Empire fleet remains. The Sabres are similar, only still surrounded by ineptness.

Obvious ideas may be the best ones.  Kevyn Adams wants a coach with experience, unlike him. I suppose he’s right in the same sense forwards should be able to score and goalies ought to stop pucks. I don’t know why the idea of a worker who’s proven he can do the job is only occurring to him now. The evaluations should continue, including of the evaluator. Ask Adams how much time he spends on TPS reports.

Cause and effect combine to be mean.  Losses count for a trifling reason like not playing particularly inspirationally.  Why should a team never get to compete for a trophy just because others accumulate more points?  The elitist system seems arbitrary.

Similarly, you hurt the dear feelings of humans presently connected to the Sabres when you notice when the cool kids stopped inviting them to postseason parties.  A franchise that at least featured bouts of semi-success under previous owners turned into an insurance write-off as soon as Pegula got to guide it.  He has the worst luck.

So, this is the result of the plan to end the worst playoff outcast streak in league history.  You’d think those responsible might feel a bit more desperation.  But there’s apparently no reason to panic because they’ve played around a thousand embarrassing games.  Kyle Okposo got a special night for that very reason.

Sports teach how intentions mean nothing without actions.  Useful lessons aren’t always fun.  Ask the owner if he wants to win and he would say yes.  A lie detector that worked would back him up.  But intentions don’t lead to a Sweet 16 appearance.  Ralph Wilson would’ve also claimed he was committed to victories as he tried to pay players with change.

Every conversation about the Sabres revolves around the fact that no other NHL team has ever failed like this.  Virtually all lamentations are justified.  They truly have been as bad as claimed on social media for this long.  Singular woe is the reward for fans who decline repeated dares to quit.

Rotten culture starts at the top.  That means ownership, since Terry seems confused.  Trading everyone should compete with firing everyone.  But personnel transactions won’t necessarily fix a toxic work environment.  Nothing changes, by which I mean the boss.

We won’t wake up until those in charge do.  The dream of an organization steered by a rich fan with the desire to win has become an endless nightmare.  You know a team’s pathetic when missing the playoffs yet again may be the best-case scenario instead of pretending everything’s swell following a first-round exit.  One more freaking failed season may finally force a team that needs an intervention to acknowledge hitting rock bottom.

But simple improvements like hiring experienced hockey people then letting them work without interference remain elusive.  The drought was unacceptable a decade ago, yet we’re sold the same paltry crops.  The owner won’t fire himself.

[verdantglow]

that makes so much sense actually. i also am making some aus (unrelated) and am wanting to seperate them into little ficlets/art pieces/comics of the pieces that motivate me before even touching on an overarching story but also god is it difficult for me. if thats what works for you as well id definitely say treat it like that (also i would LOVE to see any animatics you do for this)

i personally am mostly watching the hermits doing their hermit crafting (currently watching 18 hermits simultaneously the hyperfixation is b a d) and a couple SOS members, though i plan to watch more of the creators. I've really only seen up to double life (all through grians pov), and i havent even finished that. in my defence, the "its for your secret soulmate" line utterly and completely destroyed me and i have NOT recovered since (i stopped watching his hermitcraft videos after that too until the start of s10).

i have made the resolution to go watch other povs but i need to finish his first rip.

ANYWAY BACK TO THE AU

How often do you think the vflarp games effect their out of game relationships? like obviously it led to them becoming friends and desert duo becoming "moirails" but like. Did double life cause a rift between grian and scar? has rendog being absent from the games had any significance on anything? (i havent watched further so i cant really give too many other examples). Do the winners get anything other than the satisfaction that they alone won?

absolute behemoth of an ask my bad

Yeah! There’s just something so appealing about being able to just jump around & do mini projects that go together rather than one huge one. I’m hoping it’ll hold off the burn out I inevitably get for my AUs. **stares off into the distance thinking about all my mega fics that only ever got three chapters** I get it being hard to break it down though! I hope you’re able to land at a place where you can create as easily & painlessly as possible. ^^

I feel you on the hyperfixation lol. I was doing that hermitblr survey that’s going around & realized that I watch every episode of a third of the server, & some to most episodes of another third. & there’s a handful in the final third that I’ve been meaning to watch, but haven’t gotten to because I’m so busy watching everyone else & thinking about fanworks. This season is just slamming all the good brain chemical buttons!

Tbf, “it’s for your secret soulmate” hit so fucking hard, I do not blame you an ounce for wanting to take a break after that! When you’re ready, I highly recommend Martyn’s 3rd life, it’s so good! I never quite got the Renchanting/Treebark hubbub as someone who’d only seen Grian’s perspective of that season, but after watching Martyn’s… The drama is just. So. Good. Martyn + Ren is just a combo of theatre kid lore nerds & it honestly slaps. Gem’s Secret Life is damn good as well, just ‘cause she got to be a chaos gremlin & we love to see it.

Oh yes, their VLARPing affects IRL relationships all the time! A lot of early relationships developed due to playing 3rd Life & those relationships continued on to influence who went on which ship once they reached adulthood! Obviously, we’ve got Scar & Griann, but also there’s Scohtt & Jimmie who became auspitices, & Wrehnn & Martyn who stick together & eventually become matesprits. Jimmie & Tangoh hit it off after playing Double Life as soulmates & eventually enter a [matespritship? Moiraillegance? Haven’t decided] as well. & of course, my beloved Boat Boys developed their weird whatevership around the same time. (Joel swears they’re pitch. Eethos never comments on it. The truth is somewhere around them being hate friends who are flushed for each other??? But fuck if you’ll ever get either of them to admit it.)

Things were pretty rocky for Scar & Griann after DL; the whole secret soulmate thing was a case of Griann being mildly annoyed with Scar & thinking he could get back at Scar/make Scar jealous. This blew up in his face ~*~spectacularly~*~ & it took quite a bit for things to heal between them. (Mummbo spent a lot of that time being very confused why the vibes on Scar’s ship were so fucking rancid until he managed to get Griann to fess up.)

There definitely is a plot related reason Wrehnn hasn’t been playing, but I’m holding back on finalizing anything until I get more of the out of game plot mapped out. But yes, that definitely affects/is an effect of things in game!

I think, much like in real life, winning is just for the prestige of it. Like, in this AU, the Life series is just a bunch of games they’re playing for the heck of it. Though this does make me think that I need to decide where these games come from, whether it’s a mass market thing or something Griann threw together or if maybe it came from some other outside influence. Hm…