#hex posts things

[hex-flareheart]

Hex Reviews Things: A Masterpost

This is long overdue, as I've been meaning to make this, for... checks date literally 10 months. I'm gonna go through the categories I use, what they refer to, and what tags are used for them, and then under a cut I'll go more into what certain specified details mean, mainly relevant to shows, comics, and games.

The Categories

In general, I group the things I review into "Movies", "Shows", "Comics", and "Games". These are mostly self-explanatory, but I'll get into the details hence:

Movies are fairly self-explanatory, and I don't feel any particular need to clarify anything on this.

Shows includes any recurring audiovisual experience that doesn't otherwise fall under the banner of movie, including those that may be associated with other terms first, such as anime.

Comics includes both traditional western comics, manga, and webcomics.

Games includes anything that can conceivably be fit under the umbrella of "video game", whether it's purchasable or not.

Generally everything I review will fall under one of these four categories, but may also be subcategorized in the tags where I feel it's appropriate, such as with notable subcategories (anime under shows, for example) or recurring reviews for works within the same franchise (such as Pokemon).

Each category has its own tag, as well as my overall reviews being tagged alike. The tags for each category can be found on relevant posts, but for convenience, here's the full list:

"hex reviews things" is the general tag for my reviews

"hex reviews movies" is the general tag for movies

"hex reviews shows" is the general tag for shows

"hex reviews comics" is the general tag for comics

"hex reviews games" is the general tag for games

None of these tags are probably surprising.

Next I'll get into some of the general details of how I review things, mostly the auxiliary details I provide at the start of reviews (for everything except movies). For the sake of post length, these'll go under a cut.

The Deets

I have a standard format I try to keep to for the header of reviews; the title, a silly quote relevant to the review, and then a block of information about what I'm reviewing. What exactly is included in this will vary depending on what I'm reviewing, so let's get into specifics:

All Reviews

All reviews will include a line specifying whether or not I recommend what I'm reviewing; this will typically be a yes or no, but may sometimes include a bit of clarification, or sometimes me just screaming. I do color-code these; green and blue are both unambiguous yeses, with the latter being an especially enthusiastic yes, while yellow is used for recommendations that come with a significant asterisk. Orange and red are used for no. There's theoretically a rare and elusive purple, but this may wind up never being seen, as it's hard to get me to be that enthusiastic about something.

This particular detail is the only thing present in the information block for movie reviews, as there's not really a whole lot worth clarifying otherwise.

Shows & Comics

Being explicitly serialized media, these actually have a lot in common, so most of the details to be clarified in the information block are shared between the two.

The big thing for these types of media is Structure. Specifically of the narrative kind. In general, I categorize shows and comics' narrative structure in four ways:

Episodic refers to shows/comics in which individual installments are largely self-contained; outside of the occasional storyline that covers a couple consecutive episodes/issues/strips, these have no overarching narrative structure to speak of. There might be an occasional call-back, there might be some mild changes season-to-season, but there's otherwise no real sense of continuity.

Continuous refers to shows/comics that have a conscious sense of continuity, and have actual overarching narrative storylines, usually built over individual seasons/runs. There might be more episodic-style hijinks thrown into the mix here and there, but the story is mostly continuous and rolling constantly.

Semi-Continuous is a weirder category; this specifically refers to shows and comics that are distinct hybrids between Episodic and Continuous, featuring a large amount of episodic content but also moving the status quo on a semi-regular basis. This is mostly relevant for shows, as a lot of cartoons will often start like this.

Epic is Continuous on steroids. These are shows/comics with one long, continuous story, with a very specific endgame. This isn't just long things (though that is one of the criteria I use), but also things that have one consistent, defined story from start to finish. Continuity is very important.

These of course are not necessarily rigid categories, and often a show or comic will start with one structure and transition into another; as mentioned under Semi-Continuous, this happens a lot with cartoons, which may start as Semi-Continuous and transition later into proper Continuous. I'll usually note if something like this happens.

There are two other relevant things to this: Format and Paid. Format is moreso relevant for comics, but it's generally distinguishing between web media and non-web media. This is also where "Paid" comes in; if it's paid, I'll specify details about it, and if it's not, you'll just see "free". If it's on TV primarily, it counts as paid, even if it's technically available for free via an antenna.

I will also usually specify Length, in whatever format is relevant for the specific work; if it's ongoing, I'll also specify that.

Games

This is where things get more complicated; for games I specify four main things: Genre, Platform, Price, and Length.

Genre is fairly self-explanatory; it's what genre I feel most fits the bill for whatever this game is. Generally I go with whatever the common consensus on that particular game is.

Platform is a bit more nuanced; for this I specify what baseline platforms the game is officially available for. Platforms that are technically available through backwards compatibility are not counted. For PC, I generally try to specify what operating systems the game is available for; if I just specify PC, assume it's only available for Windows. This is unfortunately a very common thing. I will however generally mention if the game runs well on Steam Deck, with a link to the game's ProtonDB page.

Price is exactly what you think it is: what the price for the game is officially, as of when I reviewed it. This is always in USD. I will usually just specify the price, but I may add in other details, such as relevant DLC, or a snide remark about how games shouldn't cost $70. For free games, I will specify whether the game has secondary monetization such as microtransactions, and to what extent they exist.

Finally, Length is just a rough guess at how long a single playthrough will take. This is usually based on my own playtime as of when I wrote the review, assuming I actually kept track properly. Notably, a "single playthrough" constitutes going from the start of the game to the end; I don't include postgame content or replayability in this estimate, but will specify an additional estimate if it's relevant. For roguelikes and similar, this will instead be how long a typical run takes; for continuously-operated games such as MMOs, this will typically be omitted.

The Fancy Number at the End

Final thing to talk about: my final ratings. It bears noting that the numbers I specify should not be taken too seriously. I'm just one guy with some fairly specific preferences; I tend to be very verbose with my reviews precisely because I think my actual outlook on the details is more important and useful than the actual number on the end. Accordingly, the final rating should only be taken as a rough gauge of how I personally feel about the piece of media I'm reviewing.

That said, I do have some mild criteria about how I assign the numbers:

I am theoretically willing to hand out 0's, however this is pretty much reserved for things I loathe with every fiber of my being.

1-2 is, as you'd expect, bottom of the pile. I really don't like this thing.

3-4 is for things I personally dislike, but not strongly enough to outright condemn.

5-6 are average. Usually I have no strong opinion either way, or I have a strong opinion one way that's hampered by a lot of caveats.

7-8 are what I genuinely consider good; 7s are appreciated, 8s are well-liked, but in either case it's not necessarily a strong appreciation. (If it is, I have multiple caveats attached to it.)

9 is for things I really like. Anything that earns a 9 from me is something I have a strong appreciation for, and usually comes with relatively minimal asterisks.

10 is illustrious; if something somehow earns a 10, as far as I care it's one of the greatest things I've ever experienced, no notes. This is not something I hand out lightly, and in fact as of writing I haven't given anything a 10 yet. No, Pizza Tower doesn't count, I've retroactively revoked its 10. Anything that warrants an asterisk (beyond things like trigger warnings) doesn't get a 10. End of story.

As noted, I'm very stringent about handing out 10s, and it is very likely you won't see many at all. Also as noted, don't take these numbers as gospel; they're heavily-generalized statements of my opinion.

Notably, for shows and comics, I may include multiple ratings for different portions of their runs. This will usually be by season or by arc. (For example, for Symphogear you might see me rate by season, with something like an 8, an 8, a 6, an 8, and a 9.)

[coolnonsenseworld]

More art per pdf with DanceAU boys on idle watching Allura point out the issues in their routine

linktr.ee/mezzy

[sapphireknight30]

Kromer and her favorite stuffed doll :)

[marshmallowgoop]

[agathasvidal]

i have a theory that rio is everything behind the witches road. billy’s created the road through a hex? nah, rio has created it and has lured who she needs there, there (we still do not know who the who is). rewatch agatha’s reaction as the door appears and she enters the witches road, and also her reaction to rio appearing after they summoned a green witch, with this in mind … i agree with the theories that suggest agatha and rio created the ‘idea’ of the road to collect their power and bodies respectively - alternatively, i believe it may have been solely agatha who created this lie, but rio knew about it, which would mean if rio has created the road, it’s a massive f you to agatha - a very interesting point to remember when rewatching the above scenes i mentioned.

[recurring-polynya]

Good morning, happy Thursday, who wants to read a fun idea I had about giants in Soul Society?

So! I was reading this @littleeyesofpallas post about wuxing symbolism and was particularly struck by this passage in a section about the gate guardians:

There is no central guard but conspicuously Kirinji's name comes from Qilin, but apparently according to official height he's actually not nearly as tall as Kubo's drawings always made him seem. Not that he was on the same scale as the gate guardians even then...

No, I said to myself, of course not. He's powerful enough to control his size, because I was thinking of the part where Grand Fisher claims Isshin is too small to defeat him and Isshin responds with a lecture on soul reaper lore:

Now, bodies are not swords, but maybe the same mechanic applies! It certainly applies to Hollows. Earlier in this same scene, Kon mistakes Grand Fisher for a Menos Grande, and Grand Fisher is insulted by the comparison, but it's the same thing. Menos are huge and scary, but when they become Arrancar, they shrink down and become scarier. [Aside: I think this is why the Yammy-is-secretly-Espada-0 reveal doesn't quite manage to hit. It goes against the lore Kubo has been laying down for ages]

On a meta level, this is just a shounen storytelling tactic where X is an indicator of strength, but then later on, it's like "Reverse Uno! Not-X is the real indicator of strength!!" That's exactly how this zanpakutou-size thing is used when it's first introduced.

Exhibit A: Renji, a court jester, being impressed by the size of Ichigo's sword:

Exhibit B: A handful of issues later, Urahara, an intellectual (lol), sets us straight:

Genre convention or not, I think it lends itself some interesting world-building. Among low-powered people, size is impressive, but as you scale the ranks of power, it's kind of pathetic. Weirdly large people are like the petty bourgeoisie of Soul Society power dynamics.

But that's actually the perfect niche for a gatekeeper! In general, your typical Joe Shinigami is going to be able to take on just about any rando from the Rukongai, but maybe not a particularly strong ryouka. Ganju was able to take on Yumichika, after all. A single shinigami wouldn't be able to take on a planned rebellion, like in the Bount arc, and they've got to, like, sleep and stuff. The Gotei could, in theory, have an entire gatehouse and a gate patrol, etc, but that they are perpetually short-staffed as-is. Instead, how about one medium-powerful gatekeeper whose size makes them well-suited for fighting groups of people (or siege weapons), and who is going to be intimidating overall?

Furthermore, it's implied that Jidanbou isn't actually a shinigami. He wears a shihakushou, but his axes don't seem to be a zanpakutou (he doesn't release them and is distressed when they are destroyed). His neighbors offer this comment on him:

It's not quite right, though: after all, many shinigami are from Rukongai, including Gin, who is the reason Jidanbou is being healed at the very moment this panel takes place. I think what this guy means is that Jidanbou is of Rukongai, which is to say not of the Seireitei.

So what is he, then? Here's my big idea: I think that the gigantism in Soul Society might actually be a reiatsu-developmental disability! It's always been my impression that growth, especially for powerful people, happens in fits and spurts, rather than linearly, and that furthermore, big changes in growth tend to coincide with developments in reiryouku. Somewhere, either in childhood or adolescence, someone's spiritual pressure grows more quickly than their control over it, which results in their body growing uncontrollably. They become very powerful "physically", but their strength is all in their mass/reishi, which takes most of their spiritual pressure to control. This may end up limiting the upper end of power they are able to achieve and some cases means they get cut off entirely from the other forms of power used by shinigami (connecting to a zanpakutou, kidou). I think this might be especially common in children from the Rukongai, who lack access to education and training. I can also imagine it leading itself to cautionary tales in the outer Rukon that if you feed your hungry children too much, you'll end up with a giant on your hands.

This offers one explanation to why Jidanbou is a giant and his brother Jiroubou is large, but not remotely on the same scale (the Souls Data Book lists his height at 7'7" vs Jidanbou's 32'5"). There are a handful of other shinigami of larger-than-human height, which could be a milder form of this, or it could mean that some sort of special training or medical intervention helped keep their growth manageable. I think you can squeeze in a lot of interesting character insights into this headcanon, from Hachi (8'5"), who perhaps worked exceptionally hard in an effort to control his power and ended becoming incredibly skilled at kidou as a result (interesting that he, too, is not actually a shinigami). Or Oomaeda (6'11"), who gets by a lot on his family's wealth and clout, but is definitely on the weaker end of the lieutenant power scale. In his case, his large size kind of speaks to his entire "thinks he's classy, but is really just gaudy"/can't-even-tell-how-outclassed-he-is-by-his-peers deal.

Then, as a counterpoint, you've got Hitsugaya: immensely powerful from a young age, and one of the hallmarks of his character is how in-control of himself he is, down to having developed an actual visible power bar for his bankai. Whether this is some effect of his personality, or whether it's an intervention on Hyourinmaru's part, his growth has been choked off as a side effect. He's the direct opposite of Jidanbou, who additionally seems somewhat childlike in personality (crying over his axes, for example, or his attachment to his extremely dubious "rules of the city"). To me, it's very sweet that their friendship might have roots in opposite expressions of the same reiatsu-growth-fuckup.

Much in the way that the Shiba use some sort of magic that's distinctly different from shinigami-kidou, I guess I really like thinking about other ways power might manifest itself in Soul Society outside of the shinigami-industrial-complex. And also the way the Seireitei may or may not try to control those powers."Guard this gate!" they say. "We won't actually let you live in the city or give you city wages, but you can have a cool outfit and, uh...do it for the exposure?"

[gingermintpepper]

In your story does Apollo willingly leave or is there some other circumstance? In addition, does he know the consequences of his departure? Your story sounds very interesting !! Also, I got some new character designs that I’d be happy to hear your opinion on !!

YOUR DESIGNS HAND EM OVER AAAAA I will absolutely nyoom over to obsess over your babies after this - I still have those notes on Aphrodite, Ares and Hermes to give too!!

As for Apollo - he is extremely, intensely aware of his roles and responsibilities which is why anyone who knows him also knows that he'd never abandon his station. Even when he leaves for Hyperborea to rest, he is extremely punctual about returning. That said, the circumstances under which he disappeared... he was not himself after Hyacinth's death and he certainly wasn't in his right mind either. The jury is very split on whether something happened to him and now he's lost or needs a rescue (which would be difficult considering no one can find him anywhere) or if he's pulling a Demeter and decided to damn the world in his grief. Since no one's seen him in years and there's that whole 'end of the world' thing going on more people currently believe the latter than the former.

There are a few alternate theories as to what happened to him as well - that he went searching for - or even found - death like he had begged Zeus for, or that his grief metamorphised him into a tree or animal of some sort and that if they could find whatever he's turned into, they could use that to help restore the divine order. The point is, everyone is looking for him but not many people actually want to find him for fear of learning the truth behind his absence.

[emmikatjohnson]

I designed and printed this poster in 2019. It has never sold well and I still have a lot left that I've been selling as clearance at my live events. They are scratched very easily and many of them are already scratched as show in the images. It does add a fun weathered band posted kind of vibe.

When I pulled them out for an event recently, I realized in horror that when I had designed them 5 years ago I had added Tel Aviv, Israel on the tour list. At the time, I was unaware of Israel's politics, but in light of their continued genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza, I have decided to hand modify each remaining poster by crossing out the city and writing "Ceasefire Now!" in it's place.

All proceeds of this poster will be donated to the victims of the genocide.

Support Now!

I have included the "pay what you want" feature, so if you'd like to donate more, you can do that, as well.

I'd like to believe that that is what The Hex Girls meant when they said "Love the Earth"…and everyone in it!

[adobe-outdesign]

enough of the sexy hex maniacs already. we need more hex maniacs that live in dumpsters and crawl out just to have their Pokemon lay curses on people because they think it's funny

[azuremist]

Small fish, stick to your bowl. We're money makin', rakin', takin' control. Watch this - I'll show you kids the art of diss! Listen- Step back! Don't need you hacks. I- We're glory houndin', poundin'- Wait your TURN! News for you, Princess- you're not the boss here. Don't waltz into our turf expecting us to cheer! Where's your big buddy to help you pass this test? Tuneless, too-stressed, true pests, two goons making a mess! Yap-yap-yap, your jaws go flap-flap-flap, but tell me, who's backing you up? Imaginary friends? Check behind - she's divine, one of a kind, voice so fine, BIG mind! How nice for you that you got your own grouper! As if! Listen to this!

Your haunting voice - there's no escape. How nice it must be for your fans. You're far too kind! I love your vibe! I can learn so much from your style. You remind me of my neighbor's little daughter... What's that saying? "Octo see, Octo do." Glad you approve - your praise has left me moved. Thanks to your notes, I'll find my groove! Oh, look at the time. Isn't it getting late? Not at all! I could go on like this all night long.

How's that? Had enough yet?!

[glaiveprime]

i think. maybe all things considered amir might be the most normal hex member, right next to aoi

[hex-flareheart]

To be angry with others being treated better than yourself is but natural. Such a thing is unfair, and unjust, after all.

But to blindly direct that anger towards those treated better is foolish, for often they hold no fault in your suffering.

Look instead to those who purposely treat you worse, who reward your loyalty to them through pitiful, deficient, outdated means, knowing full well they could treat you better, but refuse to.

Look to those who utter proven lies, who withhold resources and build shoddy, deficient systems, all so they can enrich themselves, rather than you or anyone else. They are the ones that deserve your anger.

Perhaps these may not be distinct groups. Sometimes those who are treated better and those who purposely treat you poorly are one and the same. But sometimes they are not.

Knowing the difference, and knowing who should truly be held accountable, is where true wisdom lies.

[meownotgood]

deep down in my cold dead heart. I always knew they were going to make him more mage-arcane-herald but.... yeah............. yeah it's over

[spamtoon]

i would take their poison

Sketch + Line Art for those Clicking Under the Cut(tm) (archival purposes honestly)

[hexiewrites]

Rating: Explicit Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Additional Tags: Kinktober, Kinktober 2024, Stranger Things Kinktober, Steddie Kinktober (Stranger Things), POV Eddie Munson, bored and ignored, Bottom Steve Harrington, Bratty Bottom Steve Harrington, Butt Plugs, Dildos, Praise Kink, Face Slapping, Anal Sex, Riding, Doggy Style, Hair-pulling, Orgasm Edging, Orgasm Denial, Spit Kink, body painting, Degradation, but its all very soft and loving, or like mean and loving maybe, Miniature painting Series: Part 8 of hey baby, I could use just a little help: kinktober 2024, Part 3 of deeds that move the wheels of the world Summary:

“Good boy,” Eddie says with a smile, and then picks up the Gothmog miniature he’d been working on. “Now,” he says, considering it with a little smile, “do you think his cloak needs to be a darker gray?”

kinktober prompts: dom/sub & colours

[1pcii]

zolu playlist Zzz( - __ + )_ﾒ ﾒ ﾒ ⊃♥⊂( • ◻ ˊ • ｷ ) =≡⊃ ))