#i did say indefinite hiatus but i also did say seri things

[identifying-cars-in-posts]

A long overdue update:

Hi everyone. Long time no see. I literally have not opened Tumblr since the last time I posted here. Hope everyone is doing ok. Figured I owed y’all an apology and explanation for kinda just vanishing.

First, I did in fact get a car! It’s a 2015 Nissan Versa Note. I don’t particularly like it but a friend gave me a deal on it that I couldn’t turn down. Once my life stabilizes I’m probably going to sell it and buy an old truck, maybe a 70s Ford. I’d love a little sports car or a land yacht but rear wheel drive is a bit impractical for brutal New England winters, and the Jeep really put me in Old American Truck Mode. But yes I have a car now!

Second, unfortunately this is an official notice of hiatus. When I last posted saying I was taking some time off it was because I had just had an incredibly stressful move and did not have the energy to keep this blog up. I figured I’d take some time to get settled in, relax, and then pick this back up after a week or two, but the last month has been really rough - the short version is one of the people I was living with turned out to be a pretty horrendous human being who managed to get everybody living in the house essentially kicked out via sheer drama. Within a month and a half. It’s a long story but tl:dr if you quite literally slander a property manager with heavy unfounded accusations of horrible crimes, they’ll probably bail from the whole situation. And since they’re gone the landlord has to hand ownership of everything over to a company that’s forcing everyone still here to vacate. I’m now fighting to not have to live in aforementioned Nissan Versa through the aforementioned brutal New England winter. On top of that, I’m a retail manager so we’re going into our busiest most stressful season, so that’s been an extra level of exhaustion.

So what does that mean for this blog? Well, as I said, I’m officially going on indefinite hiatus, as are the projects I was working on in relation, including the reference website. I’m really sorry, I’m just way too stressed and dealing with way too much. If I could, I would just hand off administrative power to someone else, but this is a sideblog so I can’t hand off login credentials without also giving access to my main/personal account. It’s my biggest regret of this account, but when I started it I never expected it to blow up the way it did back in September - I had no reason to expect to need it to be its own entirely separate blog. I love what I was doing here and I thought that it might even be a nice distraction from everything going on, but the upkeep required with this blog is just more than I can deal with right now. I hope that things settle down soon and that I can genuinely come back here and enjoy what I was doing, but I just need literally anything to level out in my real life and to not be in 100% survival mode, because at the moment I literally do not have the energy to pour into this.

Anyway. Sorry for the long post, I’m not good at not being overly verbose. I’m really sorry for kind of abandoning this project, and I hope I can get back to it relatively soon, it just might be a while.

In the mean time, I hope those of y’all who I turned onto cars as a potential hobby find some other good outlets! I highly recommend Donut Media’s series “Up to Speed” on YouTube, as well as the channels Regular Car Reviews, Doug DeMuro, Garbage Time, and Aging Wheels. All great YouTube channels that are both informative and very approachable and fun.

Godspeed and much love. Hope to see y’all soon

- Identifying Cars in Posts admin ❤️

[samsheughan]

IRL Post/Life Update

below the cut so scroll on by if that's not your thing <3

the TLDR is I got a job....

a full time job that will pay very well...and that's going to leave very little room for fandom stuff as I am finally essentially doing a whole ass career change.

This is something that I have wanted to do since I retired from EMS in 2018. I was raised to be a working woman and being a stay at home parents/housewife, while it had its own rewards, and I have lauded the privilege of watching Pup grow up these last 12 years, I longed for something more. To be something more. Life and it's various nonconsensual dildos have prevented me from being that working woman I used to dream about. Now, life has finally started asking for consent to raw dog me and I now have the power to say no.

This is going to be a big step for me and my family as we navigate these uncharted waters. Wolf has always been the primary breadwinner, and if I did have a job, it was always part time and something I had the privilege of quitting whenever I wanted to. Those days are over, and while I am SO eager to leave that privilege in the past, it's also a very daunting feeling that I will have to grow accustomed to.

I won't go into the details of the job itself or what I'll be doing as it's not important, but I FINALLY feel like I am able to give my boys the life we deserve. We have struggled for so long, tightroped the poverty line for SO goddamn long, choosing what bills got paid and what went to collections. I finally feel like we're going to be able to actually LIVE for once.

I am SO excited for what the future holds. I am not going anywhere, I will still maintain a queue of sorts (I've been trying to get back into using the blessed queue function for some time) mostly Outlander and 911/LS, but the occasional Supernatural or non-fandom related post will pop up in there. And while my ask box is always open, I am placing my last fic Sutures on an indefinitely hiatus, and gifset requests are now also closed for an indefinite amount of time. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I have not been keeping up with fic reading for some time (mostly because I have developed a habit of waiting til a series is complete, then I download it to my kindle so I can binge read at a later time) so in my mind, that's not going to be a great concern (I'm subbed to those on AO3 I truly love anyway lol)

All that being said, while I owe no one on social media of ANY kind any kind of explanation or details about my personal life, I have always held any audience or following I manage to acquire with the same privilege of being a housewife and have learned to never take yall for granted.

I love y'all so much <3

obligatory @wolfsilverlight tag he's my husband, what do you want from me?

[jjs-brainrot]

Are there any yuri manga/anime that you would recommend to a new fan of the genre? Everyone swears by Utena but I don't think I have the mental fortitude for a show like that yet.

Sure thing!

Bloom Into You by Nio Nakatani

(manga and anime)

It's the classic newcomer entry point but there's a reason it's still as highly lauded as it is: It is just that good. It's got excellent drama, the main two characters have a really great and intriguing dynamic between them and it much more openly acknowledge the queerness of it's characters then a lot of yuri before it did. A lot of the more recent yuri mangakas regard it as a major inspiration, and the anime getting as big as it did tends to be seen as one of the major factors in the yuri boom we've been experiencing the last 4 years or so.

Both the anime and manga for it are excellent, though the anime only covers the first couple of volumes (which unfortunately is something I can say about about most stuff on this list as yuri anime tend to not get more then a single cour...)

Whisper Me a Love Song by Eku Takeshima

(manga and anime (not recommended))

Had to get at least one band yuri on the list. Unfortunately, the recent anime for Whisper Me a Love Song kind of turned into a trash fire. Which sucks as the manga itself is quite excellent. Early chapters are very cute and sweet and the later chapters have some very spicy drama.

I really can't recommend the anime for this one so it's a manga only recommendation outside of maybe checking out a playlist of the songs from the anime when they appear in the manga.

How Do We Relationship? by Tamifull

(manga only atm)

Hands down one of the best examinations/dissection of what it means to be in a relationship from any romance series I've ever read. Every character feels like they're written as people with their own likes/dislikes and feelings towards romance and sex instead of romance character archetypes. it genuinely feels like you're watching people navigate their differences to make a relationship work rather than a "these two were made for each other" style romance series.

That being said, this is probably the hardest to read series on this list as it can absolutely get way too real at times and also does not shy away from talking about heavier subject such as homophobia, trauma, etc.

School Zone Girls by Ningiyau

(manga only atm)

This is basically a Nichijou/Daily Lives of High School Boys style slapstick comedy but full blown yuri. If you're a fan of stupid x stupid, this is the series for you as there are so many morons (affectionate) in love with each other here.

Unfortunately, the manga is currently on indefinite hiatus while the mangaka works on other projects which is the main downside of this one but it's still def worth checking out.

I'm in Love with the Villainess by Inori

(light novel(audiobook version also available), manga and anime)

Otome game villainess isekai romcom that is very gay while also being extremely frank when it comes to discussing queerness, bigotry and uneven wealth/power distribution. It's a series that that ardently refuses to use subtext at every turn which is quite respectable given how many yuri tend to dance around discussing queerness outside of "they're in love". It's not perfect and does have its flaws (enough to get labelled as "problematic" by the usual ingrates) but its strengths easily elevate it to one best yuri series from last couple of years.

The anime and manga are both excellent (with both the JP and EN dubs of the anime being fantastic) but they are pretty behind compared to the light novels (anime only goes up to the first chapter of the second book and the manga is roughly 70% through the second book). The light novels are genuinely excellent reads so if you get caught up on the other two, I'd def recommend picking up the LNs.

Superwomen in Love! Honey Trap and Rapid Rabbit by sometime

(manga only atm)

What if Kamen Rider but yuri?... That's basically it on my sale tbh. It's an extremely gay yuri tokusatsu. It's genuinely a crime that it has not gotten an anime or an actual live action tokusatsu...

[caeli0306]

Hello! Welcome to the unhinged record of my writing and other obsessions

Hello! I'm Caeli. I'm 23 and a journalist by day, rabid Fourth Wing/Empyrean and Star Wars fan by night. FW got me back in to reading fantasy, and then IF left me with a crippling book hangover. I turned to writing fanfiction for the first time to try to get my mind off of it, and now I spend my days writing... and then go home at night and write some more.

My fics (all posted on AO3):

Completed:

Tales from the Airport Bathroom - Xaden/Violet spy/soldier AU almost entirely from Xaden's POV where Violet is Stab Happy and Xaden is a Simp, the meet cute is on an airplane, and Xaden gives wife guy vibes as Violet destroys her enemies. Completed, four chapters, 19.5k words. (1)(2)(3)(4)

the present, the past, and you in between - VERY angsty one shot from Xaden's POV where he reflects on his lifelong love for Violet. Completed, 1k words. (1)

Did Someone Say Shots? - One-shot College AU where Xaden thinks his feelings are unrequited but has to look out for Violet on an evening where she goes a little crazy with the Fireball shots. Completed, 10k words. (1)

Did Someone Say Roadtrip? - A short prequel to Did Someone Say Shots? based on the RQ War Games drabble prompt fics that were getting posted for the 1 year anniversary. Completed, 1.1k words. (1)

Did Someone Say Vacation? - A sequel of sorts to Did Someone Say Shots? that can be read on its own, where Xaden is vulnerable, Violet is emotional intelligent, and 🌶️. Completed, 12.7k words (1)

Violet Sorrengail's Guide to Spinning a Scandal - Xaden/Violet Modern Day AU where Violet is a political crisis consultant and Xaden is running for office. Mutual hatred turns to mutual pining, and of course, scorching sexual tension. 🌶️ eventually. Completed, 71k words. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)

In-progress:

castles crumbling - Xaden/Violet assassin-spy/soldier AU, aka the extended version of Tales from the Airport Bathroom. In-progress, chapter 15 posted 8/26, 120.5k words and counting. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)

On hiatus:

Swan Song - 2nd gen fic following Xaden and Violet's second daughter, Fen, as she tries to figure out who - or what - killed her sister Nora in a world where Tyrrendor is independent and the venin have been defeated for 25 years. Featuring the fan favorite Aidan Matthias, Rhiannon's adopted son with Tara, a brand new squad, and a squad leader with a very familiar name. Chapter 13 posted 4/14, 72k words and counting, on hiatus indefinitely. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)

Addendum - Companion piece for Swan Song. A series of one-shots expanding on the background of my Swan Song fic and giving perspective from different characters' POV's, especially Nora's. Chapter 3 posted 3/5, 4.6k words and counting, updated sporadically depending on story needs. (1)(2)(3)

Things to know:

Update Schedule:

I don't have one! Like I mentioned in my intro, I am a journalist by day, which means I already do a lot of writing on a daily basis. I love it, but that also means that during busy news cycles I might not have the time or the desire to write. I do this for fun and because I love sharing the worlds in my head with other people, but my first priority will always be myself. If I haven't updated in a week or two, that doesn't mean they'll never be updated! I will always put a note on my Tumblr if I'm putting something on hiatus, along with an estimate for when I plan to start updating again.

What I post about

In order to keep myself accountable, I post frequent updates on my writing progress here. As I said above, I write these stories because I love them, but also because I love sharing them. This helps me stay on track, while also letting people know the general progress of the next chapter.

How long will castles crumbling be?

TBD! Tales from the Airport Bathroom was no plan, just vibes. castles crumbling is the extended version, so it will obviously be longer. While I do have a general plan for this here extended version, I don't have a chapter-by-chapter outline the same way I do with Swan Song. This is partially because I'm still going back and forth on how parts of this story will go, but also because I want to try writing in a bit of a less structured way than I have been doing. I can't imagine it will be shorter than 25 chapters, but honestly, who knows? I'll update this when I have a better idea.

When will you update Addendum again? When should I read the different Addendum chapters?

I created Addendum because I wanted to give people insight into Nora without interrupting the flow of Swan Song. I expanded this concept by adding in a Violet POV chapter as well. These provide context to certain interactions, foreshadow future events, or otherwise flesh out the world in which Fen and the other characters inhabit. In short, it will be updated as needed.

Nora's First Addendum - Read after Chapter 4 of Swan Song

Nora's Second Addendum - Read after Chapter 7 of Swan Song

Violet's First Addendum - Read after Chapter 9 of Swan Song

Lastly, I love hearing from people who read my fics. Feel free to message me whenever, whether its to provide constructive criticism, ask a question, offer up a writing prompt, or just to say hi!

[a-large-orange-cat]

Ok ok ok

So like I am absolutely obsessed with I'm pretty sure you call it your blackbird au (the fic: hand in unlovable hand) and like omg its brilliant. So like genuinely I need to ask if your making any more cause like you said in a few of your posts you would but also it's been two years so I'm not sure if you discontinued it or something and I'm so sorry if you already made a post about this I just found out about this and it's just that

So I absolutely love these fics so much. From villain Tim, to one of my classics of the villain making the main character their successor, even better when that successor doesn't want to be. The insanely smart Tim orchestrating everything, the way he changes and shapes under sionis's hand which you never see how much till the second fic even though the clues are there the forshadowing is insane. Just what he's gon through and how well you wright him is insane. It's brilliant. And the second fic. Oh my god it just gets better. If the first fic was one of the best fics I've ever read then this is the perfect addition. I adore the trope of Jason helping Tim in an angry but kinda desperate (I don't know if that's the right word soz) like desperate because they have been through simaler things and he's the only one who can help and also he's been through so much but angry because Tim can't see how much he's gone through and angry at what he's been out through and angry at how Tim acts and honesty I don't think I can put it in to words but I think you can understand. And just, honestly you got right one of my favorite but hardest tropes. Cause like so I absolutely love the way he's like omg he could be evil like he's so sketch like red flag except it's just cause of their trauma, but I despise when they make it like some big thing where they hate the mc over it cause like I can't handle that but you did it so perfectly I genuinely don't think I've ever seen someone write it this good. Like how Jason is like this is sketch but I'ma help him anyways. Just it's just brilliant. This has so many of my favorite things wrote so perfectly and genuinely.

So I need to ask and I'm sorry if you've stated it before but I beg you continue this or at least if you are not can I at least get confirmation cause it's been like two years since the last so I have to know sorry if this ask is a bit much

hiii!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I love this version of Tim—he's broken and unbreakable, amoral and determined to do good! a series of contradictions desperately pretending they're a cohesive unit. and Jason is angry and kind, reckless and careful, contradictions that don't care they're contradictions. Jason's experiences make him aggressive and brash, and Tim's make him quiet and deliberate, and that makes them awful together in the best way to watch ❤

as for the continuation, yes, it's evil of me to say but this is on indefinite hiatus. which isn't to say it won't get done! (my beta has laughed at me multiple times for saying I'm done with Tim and the inspiration is over, and then 4 months later pitching her another idea)

simply put, I am awful at writing when people expect me to write, and especially if they expect me to write something good. it's been long enough that I'm enjoying playing in my sandbox with my beta again, and the 'indefinite' part is simply whether or not I'll write down a finished version to share with the internet!

thank you for the love and I hope you find many other stories to enjoy as much as this one!

[dajaregambler]

indefinite hiatus

Howdy doody.

This may seem as a sudden notice, but it is not to me. It is a matter that I have thought about many times, over and over again. On the other hand, I have also tried to ignore it in the hopes of it going away. Obviously, that did not work out.

Back during my trip to Japan, I had rekindled my love for the Japanese language and it is still strong as ever. In fact I have decided to pursue it academically so that I can continue to work with it, ideally in localisation. After the struggle I had with school that felt like it lasted an eternity, I was quite proud of myself to pick up from where my attempt at university in 2018 to 2020 left me off. 

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. It is actually a similar sort of situation I found myself in earlier this year.

What I’m doing right now… is it fun?

Helios Rising Heroes was a pick me up in 2020. I had lost my drive for Japanese after giving up on academics, and seeing how Keith and Brad interacted made me curious about their story. I went further in the world of HeliosR, and before I knew it I was enamored with it. So much so that I felt compelled to share this love, to let people know the charms of these characters. I started out with translating content of my favorite character, then to the whole sector, eventually other characters and so on. It was a challenge, and that challenge helped me grow in many ways.

However somewhere down this road, I kept battling this one question: who am I doing this for? I thought for myself, but it wasn’t. It became a responsibility to fill in the gaps. I did not care about North at all, yet seeing that one Halloween event stay untranslated the entire time bothered me, so I picked it up myself and hey, it worked out. North Sector is one of my fave sectors now, but that’s what became an issue. I started picking up too much to do, for the sole sake of it being translated. I didn’t limit myself because moderation is a word that didn’t exist to me back then. Even now it sort of doesn’t, but I like to think I’ve gotten better at it.

Another issue is that I love Helios, I really, really do. It means a lot to me, but translating it is actively ruining it for me at the same time. I feel the need to step away and enjoy it without feeling responsible, but I also feel guilty for thinking so. I have stuff I started and need to finish. And that’s where I found myself stuck at a stalemate, almost to the point of ignoring Helios and I don’t want that. I had fun earlier this year translating the new West sector event, and all of chapter two of SITD, but it was short lived. I went right back to that stalemate that had been haunting me.

The combination of biting off more than what I can chew, with halfhearted feelings behind it, is what leaves me dull. There is no “fun” to be had. 

I will say what I said earlier this year, about a different project I translated at the time: 

“Is it that serious? That I’m dropping a series that I have translated? No, probably not. Happens all the time, I’m sure there are others waiting in line to continue what I was doing, or maybe not. Who knows.

But to me, it is, and that’s why I wanted to convey it in a long hefty post.

As closure, I will share some words of one of my favourite manga. Something I live by, and will for as long as possible.

“The world is filled to the brim with nice things… and all of them are carrying someone’s intentions and feelings.

When those feelings get across and manage to make someone happy… I gain little pieces of confidence,

that I’ll gather together and carry with me as I move on.”

And I believe something like that, is only achievable when you do something that is fun, to you.”

This isn’t the end, it never is. However for me to move on, to find joy again, I have to say it like this. Perhaps one could say I am a fan of theatrics in this regard. 

For now, and the unforeseen future, I simply want to step back from translating Helios Rising Heroes. Focus on truly mastering Japanese (my conversational skills are as abhorrent as they could be) and perhaps even study abroad. Not only that, but find fun in Helios again, by simply enjoying it without feeling a responsibility nagging at me every single waking moment I think about this series. It’s a bit of a shame to leave things here when I haven’t finished chapter 3 of SITD, but I think this is the best choice for me, going forward.

Once again, thank you for reading this post and my translations. Thank you for being able to find enjoyment in Helios Rising Heroes through my translations. This blog will stay up as an archive and will not be going anywhere.

As I said, it is not the end of the road for me. I will perhaps be around on another ventures regarding translations, and we might cross paths once more. And hopefully said ventures do not include a repetition of past mistakes. I am positive it won't though.

One day, I may or may not come back to this either, but for now it is atleast a farewell. 

またね！

p.s (Imagine I said "farewell" with a wink, two sparkles, and rose being thrown in the air as I made my dramatic exit into the horizon while the amber sun sets.)

[davekat-sucks]

Do you think Homestuck has value despite its flaws, or do you think the whole comic is a wash because it couldn't stick the landing?

Speaking as someone who didn't like basically anything after Game Over and agrees that Davekat was a dopey pairing (or at least too underexplored to be as satisfying as Rosemary or even a non-starter like JohnVris), I think you're being too hard on Homestuck. There are lots of ways it could've "made more sense" in Act 6 and beyond, lots of setups I wish it had paid off, but a comic doesn't have to be an equation. It can fuck up and fall to pieces and still be worthwhile, you know? It's okay for art to be messy.

Criticism is warranted, I'm not telling you to shut up and keep your opinions to yourself and I'm especially not going to defend all of Hussie's choices, some of which are definitely kinda nuts! But it sucks to see people turn on an artist like this just because he didn't deliver exactly what they wanted. Especially if the reason is that he went through a big transition and changed his perspective on the work.

Was the change in perspective from things like Hussie's father dying that the mood of the series turned out to be this way? Was it from bad influences from people he hired in WhatPumpkin? If it was something like this, I could almost give Andrew Hussie a bit of sympathy. Maybe more that he had the weight of the fandom on his shoulders and didn't react properly because he the attention made him nervous. Or that he took his persona of being an asshole author to far that he deluded himself thinking he is a likeable asshole. Of course, Andrew Hussie could have just given the series away or make the IP open to public. But did not choose that if it means he will lose attention on him and potential money. Whatever it may be, we won't ever know. Hussie sure as hell won't admit it out loud without his ego and pride placed out in the front. I probably wouldn't be as harsh on the series if stuff like the Homestuck Epilogues and Homestuck^2 did not existed to let people enjoy the webcomic. But if the sequels still needed to exist, then I just blame the new generation that took it too seriously as part of the next installment. It has been stated numerous times it was not canon, but now, it is still taken as part of canon from the fanbase. Even now, some of the fanart and fics will happen to be connected to those sequels in some manner because it solidify popular fanon for the modern generation, such as Davekat or Trans Roxy. I just wish WhatPumpkin comes out from the indefinite hiatus and lets out the story outline to say what was the complete plan for HS2. That or cancelling outright. Because the dubious sequels after it came out, left a horrible mark. You can't say you like DaveJade or say Roxy is not trans without people going on Davekat being a thing as well as Trans Roxy being now canon because of the non-canon sequels. It's why people are still arguing about John Egbert or June Egbert because of a damn Toblerone wish that was brought up. Some art can be messy. How one handles it varies from each individual. Just the way Andrew Hussie went about it was a clusterfuck in itself. I also don't mind if art is still messy to this day as I believe we can still like the things that it had worked well in. I mean, people still love RWBY for Monty Oum himself, the fight scenes, and the music that was in it. They don't have to like current RWBY under RoosterTeeth's control. That's how I feel it is with Homestuck now. Just that the fanbase is ever as hostile to others who disagree with certain opinions, as it is with this modern fandom under the influence of progressive activism. Either way, Hussie is a strange person that you know he is a massive prick, but still have small sympathy for. Those dark moments in his life had shaped to what Homestuck has become now and it is still being somewhat shown in the dubious materials and Psycholonials. People can still like old Homestuck and ignore the newer shit.

[sam-is-my-scrunkly]

Should we just claim the whole series as our own? Not like copyright it but like merge all of our headcanons and rewrites into just a different story, i mean the "real" thing is on indefinite hiatus, Blackbird just doesn't know how to make a story, and everything we like about it is fanon

Think about it

When you say 'I love Caispirit', do you really mean, "i love how the creator provided us with characters that could be interesting but then give absolutely zero backstory to", "i love how Blackbird gives the protagonist the perfect chance for a redemption arc but then it goes nowhere cause she can't give her any consequences" sorry for ranting but we should all agree that what we love about Caispirit is the potential, so i say we do something with it

When you think about it we really could, the damn name isn't even copyrighted for gods sake. But if we did just make the whole thing fanon i don't think we would keeping the name would be right anyway, the cai part stands for everything wrong with the series and in all honesty its really just not a good name

I have a couple of suggestions

Flowers & Murder

Poppies & Consuquences

Fight, Flight & Flowers

I would love any feedback for this

Edit: i'm super glad that the name Fight Flight n Flowers became as widespread across the community as it did and i will also start using it for headcanons/canon divergent Caispirit lore

[blueberry-bun]

Hey, what ever happened to your indie horror club series? Saw you last talked about it I think somewhere in 2020, did it get canceled or something, just wanna know.

I never really cancelled it, but it just kinda... fizzled out? My mental health hit all time low a few years ago, uni was killing me, and I kinda lost interest in everything. Things improved since then, but I also have more stuff to do, I have a job, and my interests now lie elsewhere. I still don't want to cancel the comic because it's something I still hold very dear, and I may eventually go back to it and it still bounces around in my head from time to time, but for now lets just say it's on indefinite hiatus until I eventually feel like picking it back up again

[anon-8518]

Why There Was Never a Part 8 (Despite Me Trying)

For those who have known me since 2023 recall a SITBC fan-series called “City Bleats.” It was my personal attempt at creating a continuation of the series while also giving it a serious tone. Needless to say, it wasn’t that good and I eventually placed the series on indefinite hiatus after Part 7.

Despite that, I did have plans to make a finale to this series and finally put it to rest. For months, I’ve been trying to come up with something that’ll place the “grand” in “grand finale.” As much as I tried, I ended up not making anything that would hold up, to put it best.

So, I decided to do the next best thing and give somewhat of an explanation of what were the plans for this non-existent Part 8.

The entirety of City Bleats was a result of Sheep being placed in a week-long coma. Prior, he was finally captured by the SMO military organization and was finally going to be used in the sheep-powered ray-gun. However, the ray-gun had never been tested and, upon placing Sheep into it and switching it on, it malfunctioned and Sheep became unconscious as a result.

How could something like that happen?

You know how the guy in the pilot episode who pointed out that the sheep-tracking device needs lithium crystals? Ignoring the part where he didn’t know what he was doing, this is a similar case with the ray-gun.

The Angry Scientist inserted similar material into the ray-gun with the hope it’ll ‘enhance-ness’ the performance. But by the time Sheep was captured, the material used was outdated and resulted in the malfunction of the ray-gun.

In the aftermath, Sheep was taken to a hospital and as he was examined by doctors, they had discovered that the material somehow got into his brain and stayed there right until Sheep woke up. When Sheep finally did so, he couldn’t remember a single thing from the events of City Bleats. Swanky and Ben Plotz (from his booth) would then explain why he was in the hospital, and he would continue his life as a Sheep in the Big City like nothing happened. By the way, The Angry Scientist ended up scrapping the material in the ‘chance-ness’ something similar will happen.

Remember when I said that Sheep was in a coma? That was half-true. While Sheep was unconscious for a week, the events of City Bleats were partially a message about what his future would be like, because of the material inside his brain. It is far from accurate, but the most notable events are more likely to be true.

If I end up borrowing something from that dreaded fan-series, you know why.

[phunnyphis]

i can't stay silent any longer

i need to talk about this show. people need to know how bizarre this production is.

ok so this is idol x warrior miracle tunes

this is the first entry in the girls x heroine franchise, a short-lived live action magical girl series. basic premise is these girls are idols but they're magical girls and have to rid the world of negativity. there are no fights, they transform, and automatically go into a final attack and it's like that for 51 episodes. came out in 2017 to middling reception but it did really well in its target audience (girls aged 2-6 years old) and with the idol crowd. enough to gain 4 more seasons before going on an indefinite hiatus.

first weird thing: it's directed by takeshi miike. an extremely prolific japanese director who's known for doing a Lot of shit. he has over 100 films under his belt and none of them are the same in terms of tone or genre. infamously, he has directed the horror film Audition, Ichi the Killer, the Ace Attorney movie and the JJBA DiU film.

so needless to say the man has his toes in A Lot of different places. he's scary.

but miike is not why i wanted to talk about this. a lot of shows get dubbed and brought over to other countries, that's one thing and miracle tunes was no different, being brought over to Thailand, South Korea and China.

but how many shows are allowed to get full international adaptations and remakes? the same year that the original miracle tunes ended, 2018, there were reports that an english/international version was in the works because of how 'popular' it was in Japan. soon after, Mediterraneo Media, an Italian company, got their hands on the rights and began filming their adaptation. and so, this production became... the Italian Miracle Tunes remake.

this is a nearly shot for shot, costume-for-costume remake of the entire 51 episode original show, down to the same plot beats and even keeping some of the same names while localizing others. think how power rangers adapts super sentai footage but everything is refilmed.

Example: the villain group in the original is named the "Doku-Doku Dan" (roughly translating to The Toxic Troupe). In the remake, they are still called the Doku-Doku Dan and there is no explanation for why as far as I can tell.

transformation sequence comparison here

the remake had some cultural changes to it, being in italy now. the girls in both versions of the show get power-ups/form changes based on different genres of music (hip-hop, rock, and techno). In the Japanese version, the girls get an "Enka" themed power-up, while the Italian version has a "Flamenco" themed power-up.

the adaptation also had its own music, some which were semi-adaptations of the original j-pop songs, and some were original, all in italian of course. main difference being in the Japanese version, the girls sang their own songs since the show also acted as an idol group promotion tool. while in the italian version, all of these songs are not sung by the actresses. oh and there was a explicitly queer character in the japanese version that they made straight in the italian version. just. no reason. i guess. okay.

ok so a random italian remake is. odd, but not out of the realm of possibility. but it gets weirder when you realize the entire show wasn't even originally italian the entire production was filmed in english (minus the song performances), and *then* dubbed in Italian. Looking at any clip of the Italian remake you will Immediately realize none of what they're saying syncs up with their lips. it's terrifying. (i can't really show you an example without just pasting a full episode, but if you look up miracle tunes italia and watch for a minute or two, you'll see what i mean.)

none of the english versions of these episodes exist anywhere, as far as i can tell. i don't know if it can be considered lost media, but it is unreleased media.

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE

The Italian version of Miracle Tunes was also brought over to Greece and dubbed in Greek, almost fully. this exception being every single song was not the italian version, but a previously unreleased English version.

from what i know, there was an intention to eventually get an international release of miracle tunes in some capacity, hence the amount of english songs, marketing materials, and like The entire production of the show. but it hasn't materialized quite yet! anyways yeah hope you enjoyed by insane rambling of this weird rabbit hole of an adaptation.

[hakuoyuki]

Hi! Can you tell us the order of your favorite Ikemen games and why? I'm assuming your favorite will be Ikepri, but I am curious to hear your opinion about all the games you played in the cybrid ikemen world. I always find your explanation very in depth (even if I'm avoiding all spoilers for Ikepri so I'm not reading all your posts yet ;) )

Hello～ Yep, you guessed it! My fav is indeed Ikemen Prince

And since other anons also asked the same thing, I shall answer those here as well.

I've played all of Cybird's currently available titles under Ikemen Series (but that doesn't mean I'm active in all of them)

JP: All (excluding discontinued ones that can no longer be downloaded because it's taken off the appstores)

ENG: MidCin, DTL, IkeSen, IkeRev, IkeVamp, IkePri

TW: IkePri

TH: IkeSen (only did Yukimura's route), is waiting for IkePri

KR: None. (But is aware of IkeVamp 6 stars KR exclusive cards)

ーーーー

I’ll be focusing on the JP version for all titles and my opinion will solely be on that because of the differences and variations that come with the localizations (especially ENG). For all of the titles, I am much more a fan of the original than the localizations.

My favorites in order & personal opinions:

ーーーー

1. Ikemen Prince - First of all, let me just say with how dark the story is considering all the triggering contents and how IkePri does not hold back with its narrative and word choices... IkePri is not meant for everyone. At a glance, IkePri may seem like it’s a “fairy tale” but contrary to how the ENG localization is promoting it to be, it is not like that at all and even the VAs says so themselves in the interview. That it is a realistic story for adult (mature audiences) rather than a story that is full of sweet wonders.

And if I may borrow Hatano Wataru’s words from his interview.... “At first the title Ikemen Prince gives out a very glittery sparkly impression but upon reading the story line, it's how do I put it, very human. Because the characters are princes, they carries many burdens, there's traumas related to that, and things they learn and grow after overcoming it together with MC. It's not a story of perfect handsome men, but it's a story about imperfect humane characters that's very realistic.”

Asanuma Shintaro also pointed this out in his interview.... “After reading through the story, it gave me this thought that this isn't a ‘classic’ like the title implies it to be. Contrary to the image from the title, this work is meant for adults and I feel that gap with the title image really is amazing.”

I had to borrow their words for this because they really hit the nail on the mark here and this is exactly what I loves so much about Ikemen Prince that it’s my favorite of all. Furthermore, in the JP version... one thing which fans in the JP fandom mutually agree on is the fact that unlike the other titles, each of the suitors’ respective MC has a unique touch / differences to her that makes her that specific suitor’s MC and not the others’. In addition, IkePri is super consistent with their stories. The route and event and birthday stories, pretty much anything that happened on the same timeline gets referred back to / build on and you really see that they actually planned this out before jumping into the writing (unlike many other titles that lack consistency entire). And last but not least, IkePri’s game interface is like a combination of IkeLive, IkeVamp, and IkeGen and personally I just find that very comfortable to ease into because of how IkeLive was my main title before Cybird stopped updating it with new content.

ーーーー

2. Ikemen Live - It’s honestly a shame that IkeLive is no longer getting any new content nor updates. IkeLive was my #1 favorite before IkePri was released (due to how IkeLive was announced to be put on an indefinite hiatus half a year before IkePri’s release, I have basically moved on but IkeLive still remain my top fav after IkePri). IkeLive’s story focuses on a “modern reality-based” setting set in Japan, in an era not so far into the future from now. However, due to it’s main conflict being all about “government vs rebel in modern society” “not wanting to be confined by the government / wanting freedom” with the medium used / limited being “songs with lyrics and instruments” (extremist groups, actual violence, and mentions of death of minor characters do exist in the story too though), the plot leans much more toward “slice of life” and there’s not the sort of “drama” you see with other more “popular titles” like IkeSen / IkeRev / IkeVamp / IkeGen / IkePri. I actually love the premise here and the slice of life aspect of it but unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be so popular with most of the audiences.

In IkeLive, MC is a piano instructor who want to follow her dream after coming across her father’s music collection when she was young and she wants to compose her own songs in a society which had imposed a regulation on songs with lyrics making it forbidden unless it passed through the government’s approval. Songs which do comply to the government’s regulation are songs which “lack the influence on human’s emotions” and are basically plain and lifeless, there’s no “freedom” to it. The regulation (and the Music Control Bureau) resulted from how 19 years ago, one of the suitor’s father, the lead singer of divineBEAST band composed a song that brainwashes people and caused the whole country (Japan) to fall into mayhem after people went insane from being brainwashed. Breach of the Music Regulation Law results in penalties as specified in the law (I actually have the whole thing translated in case anyone want to know).

And since IkeLive is all about music... we actually got character songs and various song releases for it too! Every character that get a route has a character song they sings (it’s the song that MC composes for them). I really really looked forward to the character songs for the character with routes yet to be released but.... it seems like that they will never come due to Cybird had announced that they’ve pretty much “discontinue” it but is still keeping the app around. 😢

ーーーー

3. Ikemen Revolution - Speaking of “a story that is full of sweet wonders”, IkeRev is one of them. I do admit that IkeRev’s MC really do act like the original child Alice in Wonderland’s Alice in a grown adult woman body at times and that the story really is ✨Power of Love TM✨ (and I hate that). But what I do love about IkeRev is the lore, the world building, and the characters especially their interactions! IkeRev really have this vast world building and history and lore for us to uncover. The best part about IkeRev is discovering these things through the story (but let’s ignore the limitation of magic and what it can do for now because so far in IkeRev they really went the .... is possible because magic. Magic of ..... basically just use magic to explain anything and everything despite “magic has limitations too”). On a side note, I no longer join events unless Dalim is in it because the battles are pain to do especially with Story Events that require you to tap through it one by one if you want a friend boost.

ーーーー

4. Ikemen Vampire - So to start with, it actually took my friend half a year of persuading me to download IkeVamp because I just didn’t like the premise and didn’t find the original 12 suitors appealing initially. Even after I did download it and gave it a chance... props to the game interface being appealing and user friendly, but the early routes weren’t so enjoyable to me until at least half way through their routes. This changed starting from Jean’s route onward and I felt that the plot became much more fun to read and follow along. But IkeVamp just has.... tons of plot holes.... many of which still need an answer to despite all 15 suitors already having their routes released. I actually no longer join the events unless I actually really want to know what happen because IkeVamp really lack consistency and I simply don’t have time for nor the desire to read it.

ーーーー

5. Ikemen Genjiden - Honestly speaking, I have quite a hard time sitting through and reading IkeGen routes like I did with IkeVamp early routes. The story just.... proceed so slowly that I couldn’t get into it. I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m simply saying I don’t enjoy the way the stories were written out and I sat through “just to get it over with” until I’m over half way through the route that it actually got me excited to read and see how it ends. The suitors aren’t really my type at all either so there’s also that. But I do like IkeGen more than IkeSen because of two main reasons: MC behaves more maturely (partly because she was born in the era) and.... the BGM are so good!!!! I really love IkeGen’s OST and hopefully Cybird would release the soundtrack album for it one day like they did with IkeSen and IkeVamp.

ーーーー

6. Ikemen Sengoku - I do find the suitors appealing (to a certain extend, I like their interactions together more than having a personal interest in the suitors as a love interest specifically) and the plot is enjoyable (out of curiosity for what will happen in the routes. the events... I don’t really enjoy at all); however, the thing about IkeSen is... I don’t like the game interface and the events are taxing to clear unless you’re really devoted and invested into it. For me personally, the suitors’ appeal and the story’s enjoyability simply doesn’t balance out over the effort (and cash) I need to invest into it. I haven’t been doing any new routes after Kennyo so I don’t know if this has changed yet but up to that point, IkeSen doesn’t really touches upon the “ugly side of war”

ーーーー

7. Ikemen Bakumatsu (Destined to Love) - I actually didn’t finished all the routes here (lack of closet) so I only went for a few who piqued my interest. A much more mature story than MidCin. Although, I honestly couldn’t quite fully enjoy it as much as I hope to because I actually got into DTL because of how there’s Shinsengumi here and Toudou Heisuke was my fav from Hakuouki so DTL Toudou was the route I went for. They’re completely different to say the least (and yes, I like Hakuouki more when it comes to Bakumatsu era romance story with Shinsengumi involved). (Also complete bias here because I only finished Kirisato, Kyo, and Toudou’s route) But my fav route is indeed still Toudou’s. 

ーーーー

8. Ikemen Oukyu (Midnight Cinderella) - MidCin (EN) was actually my first title and what got me attracted to it was the suitors. Right now I’m still on it in JP but I really don’t have much to say other than how it’s very fairy tales sparkly and “a story that is full of sweet wonders”

ーーーー

9. the rest (100DP, Ikemen Celeb - Sleeping Beauty in the Suite Room, Ikemen Shin Ooku, Ikemen Yakyoku - Love Lies & a Heists) - I played them yes, but not really a fan. So I’ll opt for no opinion on these.

[postguiltypleasures]

My Peak TV Journey *The Boys* and *The Boys Presents: Diabolical*

In recent entries I highlighted how the short episode order of The Wilds harmed it by not having enough time to work on its real strengths, and the longer with super sized episodes of Stranger Things 4 messed with show by trying to balance too many tangentially related plots. Here I want to say that the eight hour long episode of The Boys season 3 was really the perfect length. Shorter and they wouldn’t have had time for the whole ensemble. Longer and the series’s violence and bleak take would be unbearable. The humor would cease to be funny. And while I’m writing about things I wrote in previous posts in this series, I wonder to what extent The Boys is “a superhero show for people who hate [Big Two] superhero shows”? I’m on an indefinite hiatus from Big Two superhero things, that started with me feeling completely burned out by all I saw or read around 2016. (I have been particularly strict about this hiatus, and most of the things I have broken it for have convinced me that it is a good idea.) So the show’s appeal to me does fit the model. Similarly, the people who hate The Boys the most, at least from the first two seasons, are people who really love them. That said, I do know of people who like or have mixed feelings about both.

I was surprised that I liked it. I liked the first two seasons but would have been fine if that’s all that existed. I generally haven’t been into the proposed spin-offs, (though as the title here shows, I did watch the animated shorts spinoff). Also this season’s promo was the less exciting than the ones for the previous two seasons. A good chunk of this can be blamed on the music choice. But I also wasn’t that into the direction change after the initial battle of necessity that the first two seasons covered.

But it turns out the new direction, (which technically started in the final scene of season two with the reveal that Congresswoman Victoria Neuman was actually a super powered individual who had been making peoples’ heads explode), was a good one. It helped set up a new direction that asks big questions like: how much reform is possible? What corrupts people? How do people work as a team long term? And despite being known as over the top and completely unsubtle, it didn’t give any easy answers. Also the season brought us Soldier Boy to remind us that the “good old days” never existed and ruin Blondie’s “Rapture”.

That sounds like I’m attributing some great nuance to a show that is too violent to be subtle. Maybe, and I am impressed that they were able to do this at a time where forgoing subtlety in seems increasingly necessary to support the anti fascist politics. In two years between the second and third seasons there were sights of people cosplaying Homelander, the show’s main villain, at right-wing demonstrations. Online people wondered if they knew he was the bad guy. Of course they did. They just like that he has a lot of powers and hurts people he doesn’t want to listen to. (Just like they would love to do.) It’s why the “this is political and attacking the right wing” stuff was loudest while emphasizing his pathetic aspects, such as realizing that Mr. Edgar was right and he is a needy failure of a human who will never be whole.

I really would be interested in seeing some post-Homelander episodes of The Boys. I think it would be interesting to see the main characters grapple with what he stands for without him. Season 3’s subplot with Mother’s Milk’s ex-wife’s new husband really confirmed for me that there would be something there. It was good to see MM emerge as the series moral center, never afraid to confront his peers or enemies. He’s who they look to when they’ve been led astray.

The Victoria Neuman character also inspires hope for a post Homelander version of the series. She was sparingly used through the season. In her introduction she was compared to Congressional Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, mostly because of physical similarities, but also because she mostly appeared as a talking head criticizing Vaught in the news programs within the show. But that is revealed to be part of a plot by Mr. Edgar to rein in the supers so he can refocus the company on industrial war products. (A great example of the show’s dark sense of humor: the superhero’s are the friendly faces of a military industrial company, but they’re such awful people that the CEO would like to get rid of them because they are a liability. But without them, they’re just a faceless military corporation. As Mr. Edgar gets pushed out, one has to ask, which is really more dangerous?)

The trailer got the season emphasized the battle between  Homelander and the Boys founder, Billy Butcher. Butcher normally is without super powers and generally professes to hate all those with them. But his general belief is not as strong as his hate for Homelander, so when he is given the opportunity to get powers via a drug, he takes it. The trailer promised physical fight between him and Homelander, but what played out was mostly tragic. Butcher alienates most of his team, the quest to take down Homelander makes Homelander more paranoid and self pitying. It is a dangerous combination with many victims. The most dangerous victim of this conflict is Homelander’s son Ryan whose mother is Butcher’s late wife, Becca. His future is a truly chilling cliffhanger. 

I have to take a moment to highlight the character of Kimiko, superpowered but a member of the anti-superhero team. This season gave more of her point of view about her super powers, and some of her interests. She hates her powers and at first this mostly seems to be because of how destructive they can be. There was a good funny/horrifying demonstration of this when she infiltrated a crime boss’s orgy only to use Vought’s The Seven themed dildos to kill all the mafioso. Later, after she temporarily looses her powers, we learn that she also hated them because she couldn’t  feel touch with them. Her post power love of musical theater was a joy to behold. And once her powers were reclaimed she had another brutal fight scene, this time referencing the film Flashdance as a means of showing how she’s doing it for herself now. I don’t think this will lead to anywhere good for her as a character, but I enjoyed the watching it.

While these are all good and interesting characters, if The Boys is anyone’s story it is Hughie Campbell and Annie January/Starlight’s. The series starts with his induction into The Boys and hers into The Seven. Both of these start with traumatic incidents caused by A-Train and The Deep respectively. (I am impressed by the handling of these characters . They are ridiculous. They go through such degrading things.  You’re tempted to say they don’t deserve it. But then you remember the awful things they’ve done and have to admit, if they don’t deserve it, it’s because nobody does.) They have stories of working against various disillusionments, and trying to figure out what is true right thing to do in world where you’re always compromised. Their relationship is a romance, and the third season is the first where they are a couple. Things fall apart, though in ways that feel earned. Part of me was annoyed that Hughie seemed to forget that he is invaluable for the team as tech support? Instead he went for the temporary super powers. Annie, rightly, thought this was a bad path and they broke up. While they are more on the same page by the end of the season, their future is uncertain. And I have to admit, they are the ones for whom I keep watching the show.

I didn’t get around to The Boys Presents: Diabolical until the main series was airing.  I like the series, but I am reluctant to support spin-offs. The concept seems antithetical to what I like about the series. But the episodes were all about fifteen minutes long, so why not? And after the first couple of episodes where a bleak and depressing core was barely hidden under slapstick, I began to like it. They have multiple writers unrelated to the main show’s writers, giving interesting people a chance to play around with The Boys universe. Some results were charming and quirky. And of the episodes more closely tied to the main series, the last episode of Diabolical worked to augment The Boys season finale in a surprisingly poignant way.

[wardenparker]

Tumblr Writer Q&A

Thanks for the tag @wordsnwhiskey! You brilliant little thing you 💖

1) How many complete fics/one shots do you have that you have not published (yet)?

Not counting the last chapter of Broken Road that’s going up on Thursday? 2. A Marcus Moreno one-shot and a new installment of the Together Series featuring FishBen and reader that @absurdthirst and I JUST finished.

2) How many WIPS do you have right now?

Oh god. Five? My writing partners should slaughter me for what I put them through.

3) Do you take writing requests or write original ideas, or both?

I have taken requests/suggestions in the past, but I can’t always guarantee results. Sometimes they just don’t vibe or it takes *ages* for them to come to fruition.

4) If you do take requests, how many do you currently have?

I am not currently taking requests.

5) How many fandoms do you write for?

Everything that I post here has been Pedro-Pascal centric, but some stories have included adjacent characters or cross-overs.

6) Are there any fandoms you wrote for in the past that you no longer write for?

Someday I will write for Dragon Age again. I WILL.

7) Do you write for ships, reader inserts or other?

Mostly reader inserts these days, for no reason other than it’s what is jumping around in my head. I do love original side characters to flesh out multichapter stories, though.

8) Niche fandoms/characters you write for?

@steeevienicks And I have kicked around a Buffyverse story with  Jay Castillo, Eddie, Max Phillips, and Dio all featured. I think that’s about the most niche one can get in this fandom. 🤣

9) Do you read fics as well as write them?

Oh my god yes. I spent all day today reading and discovering some new writers. 

10) What is your favorite genre to write for?

I mean - I guess it’s fair to say romance. Although I am JONESING to write some historical fiction sometime soon.

11) What is your favorite trope (to read/write)?

I dare you to find a single thing I’ve written that doesn’t contain a found family.

12) What do you do to get motivated to write?

I make inspo playlists on my Spotify for pretty much everything, and I tend to watch the film or series that I’m writing from to try to keep tone and characterization. But, like many before me, shower thoughts are the best thoughts I’ll have all day.

13) Is there a trope/genre you like to read, but not write?

I really love mysteries and things with action, thought I have trouble writing them. 

14) Any characters/fandoms you want to write for that are never requested?

Not that I can think of? I have some of my own ideas that I never seen to get to but that’s a totally separate issue.

15) How long have you been writing fan fiction?

Oh gosh. I think my very first fanfic was LotR stories back in 2001-2002?

16) Did you read fan fiction before you started writing?

Actually, no! I started writing it as a freshman in high school and only afterward did some of my friends clue me in to fanfic as a genre. I thought I was just a total weirdo writing my little Frodo’s niece OC stories.

17) Do you only post on Tumblr, or any other sites as well?

I also post to AO3. (wardenparker there, as well)

18) What do you personally consider the word counts of "Drabble", "One shots" and "fics"?

To me, a drabble is a piece of a scene - a one shot is anything self-contained in one post - and “fic” doesn’t have a designated length in my mind.

19) Which do you prefer to write more? HC, drabbles, oneshots/fics, multi chapter stories, other?

I like to read it all, but I really prefer to write multichapter stories. I just always want my characters to find their happy endings, and the journey is part of the fun.

20) Are there any stories you have discontinued? If so, why?

My very first Marcus Pike story is currently on indefinite hiatus for personal reasons. I do intend to finish it, though.

21) What is one of your main "pet-peeves" as a writer on Tumblr?

Posts without approximate word counts. I want to know if I should make a cup of tea and snuggle in first!

And for real, stop with the gd anon hate (B, you’re on point with this one). There’s too much going on in the world to waste energy grappling with strangers for absolutely no reason. Save your energy and just don’t.

22) Do you write a particular time of day?

Anytime the inspiration strikes! But I’m a night owl, so I do tend to clack away at my keyboard until all hours. Sometimes I pull all-nighters if I can manage it on days off from work.

23) Do you listen to music, ambiance/noise, etc to write or do you need silence?

100% must always have noise. I can’t exist in silence ever.

24) Do you outline your fics at all before writing?

🤣🤣🤣 Outline? No. We die like chaos warriors, improving on the page.

25) Do you post your writing as soon as you finish it, or do you schedule it to come out at a specific time/day?

I like my twice a week post schedule! Soulmate Sundays are the best ever start to the week, and I love spacing out my second post for a few days later so I give myself time to decompress and edit. 

No pressure tags: @f0rever15elf @absurdthirst​ @skvatnavle​ and anyone else!

[crimson-snowfall]

Notice

better late than never, but this is just to say that the otome-centric content on this blog is going on an indefinite hiatus.

To be more precise, I won't be posting any *new* Ikevamp/Ikesen related stuff in the foreseeable future. Tho I'm thinking of reblogging my older stories/hcs in the meantime but I just haven't gotten around to scheduling it. I also haven't caught up with the manhwa I used to read ever since MangaDex went down so it'll be a while (a month or two?) before i post new stuff here again.

I've put a small Q&A below in case if anyone's actually curious tho it's just personal stuff really

Did something happen?

Well, lots of things have been happening since I made this blog, though sometimes some unexpected things happen and for me I just hit the last straw. In the end, once one becomes involved with people it becomes impossible for one not to slowly lose interest in something if unpleasant things keep on happening for the most inane, ridiculous reasons.

So the people factor is one... another reason is that I've started to find some of the event stories repetitive (?) or maybe the premise of these stories just doesn't interest me as much it used to. I also buy the epilogues for my faves mostly and it just doesn't make me feel the same way as it used to. I'm also not interested in any of the future routes to be released (it's gonna take... a year before Vlad comes out? and I'm not really updated with the route release schedule for ikesen but I'm not into Motonari nor Keiji whom apparently are the next 2 routes, so...)

So what have you been up to lately?

Studies as usual tho I picked up a new interest where I devote pretty much all of my free time. With that said, the next time this blog becomes semi-active again it will most likely be centered more around my new interest + me catching up to manhwas and me giving my reactions/thoughts as I read along.

As for Ikemen series content... I'll be honest but the probability of me actively and actually *writing* content for it ever again is just... kinda low, really. Maybe a Vlad route/Kenshin eternal route will change my mind? Who knows. Memes/incorrect quotes are more probable, but it'll most likely be done on a whim/if I happen to come up with ideas that would actually fit.

So... that's all for now? Thanks for reading.

[fadedtale]

♦ Golly, it’s been a hot second! This may as well be a bit of a tradition; posting an update whenever a certain game does, huh?

Anyhow;

♦ TL:DR; Underfade/Colorless and its subsequent AUs, as well as the rest of the Undertale blogs under my wings, are in an indefinite hiatus. Should the faded!Frisk AU ever revive, then this blog (fadedtale) will serve as the main hub for it. The original blog will no longer be running at all.

♦ I’m doing great by the way!... but if this little message somehow reaches out to others from this tiny corner of the wide internet, here’s a full report on the status of things;

--

       – UNDERFADE/FADEDTALE RELATED –

❥ Why is fadedtale becoming the main blog for your AUs when you still have the original blog?

♦ Ha ha, it’s quite simple really!

I no longer have access to the original blog.

The email I used for it? I can’t remember it. Any record I have saved for what that email could be is also unfindable?? Please believe me when I say that I have tried near everything I could to try and recover the blog. A solid portion of the time away from this AU is the utter despair I felt not finding any trace of what made that blog in the first place.

Watch me say that and then find the email I need to claw my way back into it. Until then;

Goodbye, Underfade/Colorless It will forever exist as a relic of its time; a personally cringeworthy yet humble seedling for the monstrosity of a brainworm it is even to this day.

❥ Underfade/Colorless, cringeworthy?

♦ Immensely!

Not because it’s an Undertale AU, and not because Undertale is. Undertale is genuinely, unironically, epic and joy inducing -- thus, the work I’ve done for Undertale through these AUs is also joy inducing.

However, as the years have passed, I’ve become increasingly unhappy with how I managed things. I can’t look at that blog without feeling like I’m drinking raw lime juice, ha ha.

On the plus side; I’m happy with how much I’ve grown and changed since the blog’s establishment! That’ll be my overall takeaway... even if my past, not-nearly-as-cool self may forever exist within its own bubble of the internet.

❥ What about your other blogs? 

♦ I have no idea what the fresh hell is happening with my other blogs, as basically the only blog I do have access to still is fadedtale. So... my other UT blogs share the same fate as the original faded!Frisk blog: stasis.

❥ So... what’s the plan? 

♦ Well-!

As much as I want to come back and finish what I started, it has been difficult to find the motivation to.

Between real life, finding myself with real (!) paying (!!) art jobs, getting the therapy and rest I need to in between contract work, surviving 2020 and building myself up to higher heights, there hasn’t been much room at all for these AUs. I cannot guarantee, at all, that I will have the time or energy to return and work/roleplay for this as I once did.

I did think of just writing out at least the Underfade/Colorless AU and putting it someplace like Ao3, either as a series of notes or as a flimsily written fic, with either or being accompanied by the artwork I have accumulated on and off throughout my years’ long hiatus. I’m perpetually on the fence on this front!

Maybe by the time deltarune Ch. 7 is out, we’ll come back to all of this.

--

       – UNDERTALE RELATED –

❥ CIN, CIN, CIN, DELTARUNE CHAPTER 2

♦ YO

WHY DO YOU THINK I’M WRITING THIS STATUS UPDATE. COINCIDENCE??? NO

In all seriousness; deltarune chapter 2 was a delightful and inspirational experience!! The series really is a nostalgic-feeling one. It’s why I keep coming back to it I think, ha ha. I hope everyone’s had a fun time with the new chapter, too!

--

      – GENERAL NEWS –

❥ How’ve things been?

♦ I graduated college! I work as a full-time 2D animator! If you see my name in places, you can go “whoa! That’s a bird!”

I’ve been to weddings, I’ve been to graduations, I’ve been across the country, and I’ve been at home with my loved ones for over a year...

All in all, I’ve been just fine!

❥ What have you been up to lately?

♦ 2D animation contract work, mostly! Being loosely active in my typical haunts, too. I want to say my most active one nowadays is Discord, ha ha.

One of these days, it would be nice to pick up my britches and make my own game or webcomic. My current work in the 2D animation scene is saving up for that sort of dream.

Maybe I’ll see you there! Maybe not. I’ll let you know when deltarune chapter 7 lands.

❥ I want to talk to you! How do I do that?

♦ Echoing my last status update; I’m on Discord! If we don’t share a Discord server or if we haven’t RP’d when I was active, then... whoops.

The next best option is skybluescarf, which is my permanently queue-ing fandom blog. It may take a month or year to see messages from there.

❥ Anything else you want to mention?

♦ Kris, Chara and Frisk all canonically use they/them pronouns 🎉 This is an indisputable canonical fact and I’ve gotten enough therapy to take pride in my assertiveness, which I am exercising right now in order to aggressively stand for this notion.

Anyone who ships these characters with adults are free to take a vacation to hell!

Anyone who ships Cha//risk or any of the human children with Asriel, romantically, can also give me a wide berth. I see them all as friends/siblings and am firmly asserting this as well.

Otherwise, that should be all for now. Thank you all for your time and patience.

I’ll see you all later!