#i guess i improve a little. i realized that its actually more fun if i keep additing shit to it

[xxnashiraxx]

24, 37, 53, 56 and 63 for the writer ask game! 🥰❣️

Thank you for asking, lovely friend! You can find the original post here!

24. Worst Writing Advice Anyone Ever Gave You? I don't have too many instances where I'd specifically reached out and asked, honestly I was trying to hide it as much as possible, haha. But I think the one that sticks out the most, through no particular source, would be to write all the time, constantly. That doesn't help you, it drains you and takes a horrible mental toll on you if you don't regulate yourself and take a break from time to time. I struggle with feeling like I should always be doing something, always be productive, but trust me- taking a nice step back from time to time can actually help waaaay more. 🖤🖤

37. How Do You Choose Where to End a Chapter? This is such a good question- I like to make a slight impact with my chapter endings and I guess, though it really isn't this complicated in my head when I'm doing it, is to play on an emotion. For romance, I could end on angst or longing, for complicated feelings and emotions I like to end on a realization or the struggle of further confusion and its resulting aggravation. I also like to pepper in little crumbs regarding an ongoing plot that hasn't been fully unraveled yet, mostly so the readers feel like they're wrapping their heads around the mysteries along with me. It's fun! But not always super clear cut. 💕

53. How Do You Spend Your Time When it Comes to Fanfiction? Are You Primarily a Fic Reader, Writer, or a Perfect 50/50 Split of Both?

I have alternated and balanced this ratio out as time has gone on! Back when I first started in high school, I was primarily 50/50. Over the years I kind of lost my muse, or I'd write for myself very sparingly (maybe once a year or so, and less than 10k during that period) with things that I found interesting, but I didn't really delve back into the hobby until last July. I was a reader, consuming literally everything Nalu (Fairy Tail) until resuming a long fic I'd planned out 4 years ago and never finished. Unfortunately, or in other words, fortunately for me, I discovered Baldur's Gate, and after Astarion, there was no going back (rip my Alvarez Arc rewrite, may she rest in peace). Now I tend to lean more towards the writer portion since I'm writing my current long fic (With Stars to Fill My Dream) and doing some Astarion Kinktober prompts, but once this month ends and I'm on my longer post schedule, I am hoping to catch up on all the fics I haven't been able to read that are sitting in my browser (I have 30+ tabs open, it's ridiculous...)

56. What's Something About Your Writing That You Pride Yourself On?

Oh boy... I don't say this as a fish for compliments, but I'm not really sure I do anything too different from other people! I have heard a kind of general consensus on my horror aspects, and while I personally think they're extremely tame for my own standards and I know I'm my worst critic and think they can always be improved upon, that's something that really sticks with me. I have never published in the excess that I have now, and it literally means the world to me when anyone comments on anything they think sticks out when they read my fics. If I had to go with anything else, I'd say that my little details have really improved during the time I've been a writer. I've done many little links back to earlier conversations and imagery with callbacks in WSTFMD that I'm very proud of. I just hope it's not too obscure that people miss it!

63. Something You Hate to See in Smut.

Look, I'm really open-minded, and if anything isn't my cup of tea of course I wouldn't seek it out. That should always be established. Glaringly obvious things would be anything illegal, but going into the real bones, I'd probably have to say some "terms" for "areas" on the body being overused or out of place kind of bother me. I really don't have too many crazy ones here, I'm guilty of using some anatomically incorrect situations simply for the sake that it pleases me and I find it hot- nothing more, lol. It doesn't have to be 100% factual, it's fun and that's all that really matters! Unless you're hurting someone or doing something shitty, I really don't have a lot of issues. 😊

Again, tysm!!! 💖💖💖

[adobe-outdesign]

now with [SPOILERS] a new evo announced, can you review duraludon and its upcoming Urban Expansion?

I'll be honest, I've never been the biggest Duraludon fan. I do think the idea of a kaiju-mon that's basically the building that kaiju normally knock over is extremely fun, and it being able to drop down to basically become a laser cannon is also pretty neat.

However, it's just always been way too stiff for my tastes. I feel like being able to imagine how a Pokemon lives in its environment and functions is important, but with this design it's straight-up impossible to picture how it even moves. It's mostly just the body being a singular unit, combined with the legs having no joints, that really does it for me.

(Pictured: Duraludon, in the middle of realizing there's no way it can actually eat that plate of food)

Visually, it's alright—the zig-zag down its side is neat, the dark blue accents are nice, and the head shape is interesting. However, I do feel like it's hard to figure out what it's going for at first, and the random bit of red above the head adds nothing.

Admittedly, the g-max form is pretty fun. Obviously the stiffness thing is still an issue, arguably even more so, but at least the building theme's a lot clearer now. Not only is it a skyscraper, it seems to be The Shard specially, the tallest building in the UK:

Which makes sense thematically for a g-max, given that the entire idea is that it's a "bigger" version of the original both conceptually and literally.

Visually, I like the addition of the light blue accents, and how the stomach gains kind of a glass window-like look instead of the entire body. It's also neat how the head becomes a helicopter pad. I do think the dark blue areas on the hands should've become lighter blue to match, but still, this is an effective albeit silly improvement over the original.

Duraludon was kind of a weird choice for an evo, given that it was already pretty strong as-is, but I guess they wanted to compensate for it looking it's g-max form. And, thankfully, we did get a pretty good design out of it.

Archaludon's still too stiff for my tastes, but I do like it more than Duraludon and its g-max. It feels like a good blend between the two, wherein it has more of the subtly present with Duraludon but a clearer theme more like the g-max form.

First, it can form a bridge when it drops down onto all fours. This is a neat practical element that's fairly clear even in the base design. It's also neat because The Shard is also known as, to quote Wikipedia, "the Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower".

The additions of blue and red along the front really make the design pop more, and feel like a good continuation of Duraludon's more subdued palette. This color expansion, along with the forked tail, head spikes, and exaggerated limbs, do make it look stronger than it's pre-evo. Also, the little gold tips on the limbs compliment the eyes and are nice touches, while the strange arm shape now serves a clear purpose in the design. It's still not my favorite thing in the world, but Archaludon's definitely my favorite design out of the three, and the line as a whole feels a lot more complete now.

Anyway, overall: Duraludon has a fun concept, but is a bit too stiff and vague for its own good. The g-max is a bit over-the-top but is much clearer thematically, and Archaludon is the best out of the bunch.

[monsieuroverlord]

Comic book thoughts of day:

Wolverine #47

Ugh. Now we're at the part Logan realizes "he can't do it alone," and is getting a new weapon and a suit.

Laura is the best. I wish her fight with the Lady Sabretooth had more pagetime

Weapon X-Men #2

An improvement from the first issue, but I still maintain you should at least be a little tipsy when you read it.

The whole thing is too silly.

Spoilers:

On Wolverine:

I know Laura is supposed to be a master assaissin, but I have mixed feelings on her fight with Savage Sabretooth. I don't know. It wasn't as cathartic as I had hoped it would be. This whole arc feels inconsistent in terms of skill levels.

Yeah, maybe you could argue that "Well, Akihiro fought the 616 Creed, who is arguably the toughest et cetera et cerera...."

I don't care.

Laura's slaughtered two Sabreteeth (as she should) Aki should've at least gotten one. He has decades of training on her. He's more cunning than his father. He is SMART, dammit. He's worked in close proximity to Creed and should've ascertained a weakness or two. AT MINIMUM, they should've dragged the fight out longer, in my opinion. (Ya, I am still salty)

If they MUST do angst, I would much rather have seen him get the same treatment as Laura -- captured, roughed up a bit, then a grand tag-team escape via the eldest snikt siblings clawing their way through through hordes of beheaded Sabreteeth-robot-things.

That would've made for some good violent and gory fun, as was advertised with this arc.

Also, I am currently disappointed in the Krakoa seed. The visual was cool, and I guess there is still time to bring it back as plot twist, but also meh. We already know it won't kill him, but maybe it'll drain his healing factor too or something.

Laura is definately THE Wolverine here. Literally the only one kicking ass and taking names. (I mean, Oya and Nekra are doing their part. But Logan is a useless bastard) But her characaterization feels a little off to me. Character growth is good, but she sounds like a mini-baby Logan. Not as badly as the X-Force run, but its still there.

Also:

Sir. PLEASE. sir. sir (God, the shippers are gonna have so much fun with this panel, lmao).

Honestly, I'm still struggling to get through this. I don't like any of the plot decisions. It doesn't really feel like much of a "war" to me. Just another Creed/Logan brawl, except Creed didn't have a love interest to target this time.

We already know Quire is somehow gonna be back.

And we have two more confirmed deaths in Melter and Toad. The more the deaths pile up, the more inclined I am to believe there will be a mass resurrection. or perhaps a series of small resurrections (Like Rachel via Phoenix, Quire via telekinetics, the Dead X-Men via the Five in the White Hot Room, etc.)

On Weapon X-Men

I actually like Logan/Mariko as couple, so seeing them married and raising their kids was cute.

Also, Logan having a good relationship with Amiko?!!!?!? (didn't care for her marrying Nate, but whatever)

Also, I really like Jane Howlett. Just as a concept. She's a refreshing change from the usual broody alternate Wolverines, and I'd love to see more of her backstory as a proper, independent Victorian lady of the Howlett Estate. Apparently we're supposed to get more of her next issue. But I'd also like to see her pop up again in the future. I think she has potential. Also, her getting excited over fighting a t-rex was delightful.

[cr-noble-writes]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤️

oooo this is a hard one ngl. Partly because I have a *lot* of posted fic that I really love, but also because I have a *lot* of fic I haven't posted yet that already qualifies as favorites lol

I guess I shall start at the beginning, and go from there

Falling Apart

Supernatural, Destiel, rated T

This is the longest complete fic I've ever written. It was my first ever bang fic, and probably the first time I ever actually wrote multiple drafts before publishing a thing. My writing style has changed dramatically since I wrote it, and when I read it now, I can see all the ways I could improve it, but its still one of my favorites, because it was the first time I finished a story, looked at it, and was like "this is my baby."

Lust

Supernatural, Michael/Crowley, rated E

This one is a favorite because I just had a lot of fun writing it. It's kinda fucked up and kinda wholesome and it was just a blast to create. It's also a favorite because it came with some incredibly dope pinch hit art by @slytherkins (which you can find here, because I think I embedded the art with discord links that no longer work).

You Should See Me In A Crown

Supernatural, Destiel, rated E

This one is a also a favorite just because it was so fun to write. I really embraced the action movie aesthetic for it, and just kind of let go of needing things to make real world sense, and as a result I had such a good time. Also because it was fun to write a fic where I used real places that I've actually been, because now every time I go to those places I'm going to think about this awesome story I wrote on top of the cool memories I have there from real life :D

Vicissitude

Mass Effect, mShep/Coats, rated M

This literally just may actually be the best thing I've ever written tbf. I got to explore telling someone's story in a way that I'd never tried before, and I loved it! Also, I might be a little biased because I am actually full obsessed with my own OC lol

Growing Pains

Mass Effect, rated G

This one is a favorite because it was the writing of this fic that made Alex Shepard who he has ended up being. I had written like 40k of ME1 timeline stuff for him, and realized that I didn't actually know enough about him to keep writing, so I went back to the relative beginning, and he's become a much more complex character since then.

Thank you so much for the ask! I am always happy to self rec lol

[akashicpoint]

Alright, just finished with Ghenry's new video on Henry Cooldown (Go watch it /watch?v=AJHDivrRIl8 its good!) and I just wanted to slap some of my thoughts down because A. I haven't spoken on here in ages :' ) and b. I also didn't talk in the discussion about Henry in the discords when I should've :^) I'm literally just gonna ramble about my thoughts, so I'm going to put it under a read-more

While Henry was a last-minute character in the og, I do still actually believe that his goal would've been the same as Sylvia's was in the original ending. I never got to discuss this, but no more heroes assassins' fights reflect one another. Almost like an above-so-below type deal as Travis is pushed deeper into the cycle of violence. The climax of that reflection is of course the post-fight cutscene in rank 6 where Travis finally realizes what it means to be an assassin. So where would Henry fall into that reflection? While he is in rank 5 of course, I would like to focus on his actual post-game battle, as he is supposed to reflect the fight with Helter Skelter in the opening cutscene. Besides the obvious similarities in color schemes between the two, I'd also like to mention the line Travis says about Helter: "And there he was: this cat, well-dressed, cool. Couldn't tell if he was the shit, or just plain old shit." This could be applied to both Helter and Henry (both h names too wow amazing) in their styles and presumed attitudes. Here we see that Henry is "the shit" to Helter "plain old shit". Instead of Travis getting the upper hand and winning against Helter, we see the script flip to now have Henry killing Travis (In my opinion). Of course, we see how the game is now series-wise, but when the game was JUST going to be nmh1 I feel Travis was meant to die.

Also small side note, I like that Travis is on the same side of the screen when he both beheads Helter and is about to have the final slash with Henry.

Really gives the vibe that Henry is now in the position Travis was during their final blows. OF COURSE, this is just my opinion on that.

This is a very loose look at my reflection as above so below shit of course, when I get the time I'll refine that a bit more. NMH2 I have nothing to say because NMH2 had nothing to say or add to what little character he had at that point, but I do find it funny more people believe NMH3 is where Henry's character was assassinated and NOT 2. I feel that nmh2 really just put most characters on the backburner if they weren't Travis and to a lesser extent Sylvia. Henry definitely was put in there just because he was a fan fav and went "okay I guess?" Also yes, Henry doesn't have any character in nmh1 and 2 besides what HE tells us about him and we just have to assume that is his character and what we can infer about him based on how he acts or for me how he dresses. That's not a bad thing, and its improved upon by TSA and NMH3. NMH3 is great btw. Love what they did to Henry, still has the same goal as NMH1 but now a darker more fucked up version of him doing it and some added weight to it.

[this is him btw] I personally love that he became this way due to Marvel because yea that seems right for Marvel fans and also I'm reminded of the end cutscene in Moonlight Syndrome of Ryo fully losing his mind while looking at Mikas....something on the TV! (There's a lot more nuance to the change too but I can't make this SUPER long) I feel there are a lot of moonlight elements in NMH so I enjoy that. Also, his voice change doesn't bother me, and it's even funnier that no one comments on it.

While I'm not too on board with the hell theme personally (still enjoy it though). Love the idea of Henry being the devil LMAO. I always saw the phone calls Travis receives from Henry and Sylvia as another aspect of the as above so below point, so it's fun to see this brought into it. Side note, I assume Henry knows about Travis already due to having some hand in Sylvia's scheme/not scheme. It's definitely him on that answering machine. Of course! I could be wrong. Regardless, while I don't think Travis is in hell per se, I will say that the NMH series gives me a lot of Truman Show vibes with how it presents itself. Profiting off Travis's descent into violence. While Sylvia I feel wasn't a god in the first one, she's definitely become one as the series went on. It also wouldn't be the first time Suda has worked with god-like figures (Moonlight Syndrome) and could even relate her as a sorta Mithra-like figure. Of course, that's more of a shaky look at that theory. I still enjoy it though!

Hopefully (if youre reading this pls :^) ) Ghenry will do a more in-depth look at Sylvia in the future and how she's evolved as a character in the series! I have my thoughts on her, but I love hearing how others see her and her involvement in the series. I didn't talk about EVERYTHING and didn't go as in-depth as I wanted to because...I didn't want this to be any longer, but in the future I will try and talk more on my thoughts! (Or send me asks if you want ;) ) Also side note side note: Thank you Ghenry for including the best shirt from nmh1 in the video MIAMI BASS BABY LETS FUCKING GO.

[faerishv]

overworked reader

special post with everyone ! <3

; hanako :

in a few days the end-of-trimester exams would begin , every student was studying at their max to get a good grade , including you , maybe you were studying a little too much , and hanako noticed that. You came to school with dark circles under eyes and everyone could guess that you weren't getting enough sleep. That's when hanako went into action ; he made you skip a lesson and dragged you to the girls bathroom , of course you were trying to escape him saying that you needed to get to the lesson but as soon as your head touched hanako's lap , you fell into a deep sleep .. hanako made sure to explain to tsuchigomori why u weren't in class after that.

; yashiro :

in these days you were veryuch occupied with the sports attivity , and yashiro took notice of that. There were plenty of matches to prepare for, and many asked for help to improve , which you couldn't refuse ; but let's just say that after that you almost couldn't feel your limbs anymore , and you stayed at home for a couple of days. Nene took the opportunity to come to your house as a surprise and take care of you , cooking for you and maybe even hugging you to sleep <3

(i don't have any more ideas for why you're overworked so i'll just write down what they would do)

; kou :

he's not really fast to see that you started to overwork yourself , maybe if yokoo and satou , or maybe teru pointed it out , he will immediately take whatever you are doing and ask if he can help : if its something he's not good with he' stick by your side until you finish (meanwhile he will bake you something forcing you to take some breaks)

; teru :

you don't even have time to overwork yourself , he's already helping you out whatever you are doing 😦 (he's smart so there are no problems with something he can't understand) and anyways he already overworks himself , he doesn't want his precious s/o to do the same :(

; akane aoi :

you? overworking? under his gaze?? you're funny. you will be lucky enough he will let you do something of your OWN work , or he's already working for you :3 but of course you stop him because teru's already torturing him , you couldn't stand to watch him doing your work too </3 yall split the work too and after you reward him with some kisses..

; aoi akane :

she observes you before you could overwork yourself and even after , she wants to see where you can push youself : obv if you are taking too much she will step in and ask you to maybe do something else for the moment , hanging out with her for example , and she knows you could never say no to her.

; yamabuki :

like kou , at first he will nlr realize it , give him some days tho. He doesn't really know how to stop you from what are you doing , so if his requests to spend some time with him and play with him do not work he will just stay there by your side so that he can see if your taking it too far for yourself.

; mitsuba :

he will annoy the shit outta you until you don't stop whatever you are doing and look at him , but he doesn't do it just for his fun , he doesn't know how tell you to just takea break and pass time with him for a little. If that doesn't work tho he will literally drag you to the hell of mirrors with him :3

; tsukasa :

he will annoy the shit outta you (2) and this time you can't deny him , if you do he'll get angry , like this >:^ and just obliges you to take your attention to him.

; natsuhiko :

he will annoy the shit outta you (3) he's too stupid to do your work , so he will let his fangirls do it ,,, and it actually works (i couldn't think of anything else for him...)

; sakura :

another one who will notice right away , no matter how you try to hide it from her. Like aoi she mostly observes people including you ; she will talk to you gently , kinda manipulating you to take a break with her , you could lay on her lap and listen to her reading , maybe even take a nap , and we both know you would be hella stupid to refuse such a proposal.

; shijima :

she's really similiar to aoi and sakura , the only difference is that at first she will not stop you from what you are doing , i mean it's your body and you should know what's the best for you , right? So why are you keeping to pass your limits.. that's when she steps in making up an excuse that she really wants to draw you and you need to stop working for her to draw the best imagine for you , even if you fall asleep during the process , she doesn't mind , if your lucky enough she will put a blanket on you.

; tsuchigomori :

he already knows how it feels to overwork yourself , but even tho he doesn't want to see you doing that ... you're an adult and you need to start thinking for your self but that doesn't mean he will will leave you alone , never. He will 100% make you coffe and be by your side , and when you accidentally fall asleep on the table , he'll pick you up and take you to bed ; who knows , maybe he'll finish up the rest of your papers..

; shingami sama / hakubo :

how would you even overwork your self in his domain.. if he sees you being at your worst just for something that the other wonders can do , he will pick you up bridal style , take you to bed or somewhere else yall can lay on and just get above you ; being much bigger than you , you don't have choices but to cuddle him now until he needs to go.

[kaksparkz]

for the artist askgame, idk how many youve answered already but 3,4,10,12,21,24 and 35!

hello helloo!! sorry im just answering this now, been pretty busy^^ (also, using this chance to thank u for your support!! i always see u interacting with my stuff here hbasfcyhdb you're a sweetheart😭💕)

Your fav piece/s?

Probably this vergil one! i still love how it looks djddgnds my art peaked here im afraid,,,,,

Piece you wish got more love?

hmm, this is an interesting one!! tbh i dont mind it much but this johnny fanart got waaaaay more attention on instagram!! i mean,,, i have a lot of mk moots there so it makes sense lol (and also just got to 1k followers on IG!! crazy stuff💌)

How do you deal with artblock?

to be honest, once i realize i have artblock i stop drawing for a couple of days. if i keep insisting on drawing i just get more and more frustrated and it makes it worse imo. so i like to spend some time doing my other hobbies!!! (´▽｀)

usually i just come back to drawing once i regain motivation or i get a cool idea that i need to sketch so i wont forget. and when that happens, my artblock is usually gone!! so,, i guess i just wait for it to go away? lol not much advice i can give on that sadly :/

Describe your process while drawing!

CHAOTIC. to say the least.

i spend like. half an hour on pinterest beforehand getting inspo & searching for refs and ONLY THEN i can start drawing. i start on SAI1, do the sketch and if i like how it looks, i just clean it up. if it dont, i do 'proper' lineart. after that i start coloring and shading!! this is my fav part tbh. once im done shading i color the lineart so its not completely black. then i open up SAI2 and start doing more rendering, adding overlays & effects. that part is also SO FUN cause it makes everything come together so nicelyy. my art process is a pretty big 'trust the process' till that part lol.

there's ALWAYS music or yt videos playing in the bg, and me taking A LOT of 15 minutes breaks cause that one song is so good and i have to stop drawing and start singing while looking at the spotify lyrics like im hypnotized LMAO

What do you thin you artstyle woukd taste like?

people always say my art looks so tasty and. i kind of agree!! like. smth very sweet. it really depends on the colors i use on the piece but,,, either hard candy, gummies, marshmallows or even syrup i think!!!

What's a compliment about your art that has always stuck with you?

i get super giddy with every compliment i get so i dont think i can remember one in particular??? but istg people always say the funniest, most sweet things ever and it's so nice to hear :3 but if i had to say smth,,, i once had the chance to talk with this one incredibly talented illustrator, and he kept telling me how he thought my stuff looked amazing. and i was like!!! wow!!! you actually like my stuff?? what!!!!

Piece of advice for my younger artist self

i would sit this little girl down and talk to her for hours tbh poor thing was STRUGGLING 😭😭😭

i guess my best advice for her (and for anyone who reads this, too!) is to not be so hard on yourself. art is a skill, and it takes a lot of time to build it up!!!

i used to get SO extremely upset when my stuff didnt look the way i wanted it to and ughhh. took me literal years to find my artstyle too and that didn´t help AT ALL with how frustrated i was feeling. i felt,,, stuck??

but now i look back at my art journey and. wow have i improved!! maybe if that little girl saw the stuff i do today she wouldn´t be so sad about her art :´] not to say i don´t struggle today, i still feel stuck and frustrated often!! but i guess i learned to be kinder to myself. but i still have lots of things to improve about my art!! i wonder when i´ll take another look back and see how much i´ve progressed since today,,,

thank you for the ask!! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

[spectralstitions]

I thought it would be fun to show off the result of FOUR (4) ENTIRE YEARS OF DESIGN PROGRESS!!! The first design was made in March of 2020, the second in May of 2024! Even though he looks completely different now, he's gotten so much closer to my vision. I guess that's some form of design improvement!

Silas has always been a difficult character for me to design. I created him a few days after creating Finlay for the purpose of giving Fin some kind of companion to play off of. But I think because of that I never really figured out what to DO with his character. His personality has always remained about the same, but what about his ambitions??? his goals in life?? He wasn't much more than an accessory to Finlay, and none of the ideas I came up with stuck around for very long.

For most of the time I've had him, he was a runaway prince, which I eventually scrapped because, although I thought the romantic aesthetic of that was very fitting, it was just creating problems with the worldbuilding and I really had zero interest in exploring any of its practical implications. For a little while he was an astronomer and/or astrologer, and even though it made sense for his star theme, I dropped that too because honestly I just had zero fun learning about that stuff in order to write him. The prince thing evolved into him being some kind of chosen one character who didn't really care about his destiny, but that was quickly scrapped as well because, well, I just think chosen one stories are boring.

So, yeah, I was really stuck on his character for a long time, which is why I stopped drawing him for so long. UNTIL NOW! Earlier this year, I realized I could use the fact that I didn't know what to do with him. I did some reflecting and realized I would be INCREDIBLY interested in exploring the effect that a relationship like his with Finlay has on a person: when you center all your hopes and dreams on one person and nothing else. Realizing it's not working for you anymore, but being unable to admit it because it'd be like throwing your entire life away -- but you're miserable going on without addressing it. So here he is, finally: a naive and lonely guy with a romantic worldview, who gives up his current life for the promise of a more fun and fulfilling one, courtesy of his first love. 'Course, things don't exactly work out in the fairytale way he was hoping for. His arc is about a lot of things, but much of it has to do with him figuring out his place in the world. Very coming of age vibes, even if he's probably a late bloomer in that regard, much like me haha.

Although he isn't a prince anymore, I've always envisioned him with somewhat regal looking clothes, so I incorporated that into the worldbuilding of his people. Or, well, the forestblood, anyways. They've got a gothic aesthetic that I love leaning into, but in a regal, delicate way, with inspiration from various goth design tropes translated through my particular fantasy lens.

Another thing he's lost over the years is his star theming - sort of. This is yet another point that I actually put into the worldbuilding. So instead of his design emphasizing stars, now it's his backstory. (which has to do with the section about the desert I wrote in this post!) Seeing the stars again is more of a goal now that represents his yearning.

A lot about his current outfit is meant to reflect his naivety, romanticism, and his interest in adventuring. He's got elements that pull from ideas of adventurer clothes, but with extra flourishes and some impracticalities. For example, wearing a long cloak with tassels isn't the most practical thing for navigating dense woodland, and neither is an ornamental knife. But he just sees a cloak and a knife, the kinds of things travelers have got in stories (and lord knows Finlay embellishes his stories).

Another thing about his shadowy cloak (and his overall color palette being relatively monochrome) is that it symbolically reflects who he is in regards to his relationship. If you're a Crane Wives fan, you could say he bore the shadows that Fin made with no light of his own :P

Across all my ocs, I've also made it a goal to simplify their color palettes as much as possible. I don't want my color palettes to include any colors that are only slightly different from some other color on the palette. The only exception to this rule is for eye color, since I think a slight difference like that helps to draw the viewer's eye to the face, which is important. This is something I used on Silas, actually! He's just a great example of everything, isn't he!

It's been really fun seeing the evolution of my ocs' design elements as I accumulate a better design vocabulary, especially with the outfits. Silas has nearly always had a cloak, gloves, and some kind of tassel and clasp situation. Intuitively, I knew these elements needed to be there in order for him to feel like Silas, but they never felt quite right the way I incorporated them -- UNTIL NOW!!!!!

His asymmetrical, fancifully clasped cloak and top are in line with the worldbuilding. Horned and antlered raswa wear them to emphasize their (very loose equivalent of) masculinity. His "gloves" are now an extension of his top, meaning I no longer have to worry about creating contrast between the gloves and his shirt and his cloak while making all three darker than his skin. Also, instead of the dark part on his legs being boots, now they're his darker colored fur and hooves, and instead of those vaguely defined pants he's got leg wraps and puffy shorts with specific textures. He's been streamlined, specified, and made more cohesive! I'm very happy with the result!!

[scratchface]

5-minute thoughts on every ygo show?

Duel Monsters: The OG, which we must respect. Lots of incredibly interesting concepts packed into a fun series overflowing with style, but holy shit, it does not hold up without twelve shots of nostalgia blurring your vision. There's lots of great, iconic moments that will live on in people's hearts forever, but for every minute of Peak Television, there's thirty more of boring B plots and nonsensical plot writing. Battle City deserves to be remembered fondly, but it was consistently downhill from there.

Favorite character: the Spirit/Bakura. Always a delight to have on screen, elevated every scene he was in, even at the series' wonkiest.

GX: My original favorite! GX is a wild ride of highs, lows, and absurdity. The non-plot essential episodes here are a lot more fun than those of DM, and it made great use of the inherent absurdity of the setting (boarding school for learning a children's cardgame) to go completely bananas. It is a lot of fun to rewatch season two and three, which are packed with fun side characters, crazy antics, and of course, Judai's endless charisma. While far from perfect, every time I revisit it, I can't help but think the whole series is incredibly charming.

Favorite character: Judai. Special mention to O'Brien and Jim, though—they're my special little guys.

5Ds: The one I don't know too well, because I don't remember much of it and I've never managed to rewatch more than a few episodes at a time before dropping it. Everyone always praises it, but I just can't get into it. Zero appeal to me. Yusei seems cool, I guess.

Favorite character: Aki

Zexal: The best one. Like, objectively—yeah, I know, I refused to accept that at first too! I didn't want Zexal to be the best YGO either! But it is! It just is! I've rewatched it many times, thinking, "this time, with a more critical eye, I will realize its not that good!" but NO, it is that good—hell, I think it actually gets better every time you watch it! Which is crazy, 'cause so many of the first ~30 episodes are so so bad. But then it just gets better with every storyline! I could go on for hours about how much I love Zexal now; the setting, the cast, the plot. What seemed like a conflict between aliens actually turning out to be a war between heaven and hell was the sickest plot twist of all time.

Favorite character: Shark/Nasch, no contest. But shout out to everyone else too: Zexal has by far the best cast of any of the YGOs.

Arc-V: The disappointment. The opposite of Zexal. While Zexal starts with its weakest batch of episodes, Arc-V starts with its strongest, and its all downhill from there. So many duels in the first 50 episodes are just incredible, and there's so much intrigue, and every episode left you wondering. And then it just...struggles and flails its way to the end. Very little of ending is in anyway satisfying. If I think about it too much I get frustrated.

Favorite character: Sora! Sora does so much of the heavy lifting in keeping the plot of this series moving when everyone else seems determined to bring it to a screeching halt and nobody gives him enough credit for that.

Vrains: Ah, Vrains. If Arc-V started strong and ended by dragging its own corpse over the finish line, Vrains was struggling to keep its head above water from the start. Its an almost impressive blend of fantastic main characters with great depth (Yusaku, Ryoken, Ai) and the worst supporting cast you've ever seen. What characters weren't bad from conception get fumbled horribly at every opportunity. And yet, the conflict of the first season remains incredibly compelling. Yusaku and Ryoken's relationship remains one of the most fascinating I've seen in fiction. Unfortunately, its blatantly clear that the writers didn't have a plan. Big 'first draft' vibes. Could have been drastically improved if the writers had, you know, allowed the other Origins and Ignis to do things instead of giving Aoi three costume changes.

Favorite character: Yusaku. Love him.

[ponytailzuko]

were you shit at art before you became good

you had to learn how to do things, one after the other, right? like colors and lighting and line art and textures and perspective and all that. you had to learn one and then the other and then the other and then the other … (or maybe some things went kind of hand in hand but yknow)

these are stupid questions (if there is such a thing of course, lmao,) but i would be very happy if you could indulge me haha, because looking at your art is so overwhelming when you‘re thinking about learning it yourself ahfjaka (i love looking at your art it‘s a really nice experience, it‘s just intimidating too and a lil ah.. you know ahdjsk, only when i think about like. it looks a little unattainable or like it‘ll take 20 years if i‘ll ever be able to and that‘s not really — like i know better than to indulge these thoughts sort of so nowww i feel silly about this ask adfhkjfs.

anyway.

nice art, still, wowwwww so so beautiful)

(it’s a process and it’s about the fun of that process too but i have such a vivid imagination that i really really want to get really GOOD so that i can make it actually visible, and i know it can and probs will take some time and that’s alright so this ask is a little silly. i‘m asking it anyway though ahdjsjsjwk)

hi!!! im not bothered by the ask and its not silly!

i was, in fact, shit at art when i first started out. the reason i even started to draw and do it as a hobby is because i was very dogshit at it. (if there is such thing anyways)

i think i was around 11 or so? that age where elementary school is ending and middle school is beginning and everyone's getting kind of mean lmao. one girl asked me to draw with her and she was REALLY GOOD at it! but i hadn't thought much about art at all and only really did it for fun. so i was really just doodling to my hearts content until she ah. told me that the panda i was drawing was. Really Really Bad. like point at it and laugh kind of bad. like 'not even being able to tell what it is everyone come see this' kind of bad.

anyways obviously i was not very happy. i had not really thought of art as something i wanted to do, nor a hobby that i wanted to indulge in. just something some people are good at it and some people arent. but this girl told me my art was shit, and i was so mad that i didnt talk to her for a month and then for that entire month i did nothing but watch people draw online. speedpaints at first. then i got on iscribble (collaborative whiteboard website at the time) and just watched people do it. and i asked them, how did they start? how do you know what to do? and a lot of people gave me different advice - start with shapes, oh finish the lineart first, color like this - and generally it was very overwhelming and a lot of the advice went over my head. a lot of artists advice feels incomprehensible when starting out, and some of it really stays that way bc there is some art advice i STILL do not understand at all (but it works for some people so power to them), and there is some that is more understandable when getting into the groove.

but anyways while talking to people i realized i kinda really liked the coloring aspect of art. really really liked it. id ask people if they finished their lineart, could i try and color it in the layer below just to try and improve? and SO MANY PEOPLE indulged me. and were incredibly nice. and i guess thats what made me enjoy art even though i knew that in a lot of aspects my art wasn't skilled. because people were really nice ANYWAYS and said i should keep going! so i found something i liked to do in art beyond spiteful beginnings, and i just kept it up - i learned coloring first, and i tried to learn everything else so i could color it lmao. i only did lineart and sketching and anatomy because i wanted to draw my own stuff to color. so you can totally focus on one thing at a time! thats what i did :)

i hope that story helps in any way!!! im not sure if it totally answers your question but i guess i wanted to share that growing in art is a process and you arent alone :) ty so much im glad you like my art and if you ever wanna share your own im always open!!! :D

[heiayen]

HELPPP

im so bad at playing games 😭😭 like,, awfully terribly bad– i only had like only one achievement in gaming and that was on Clash Royale ( i last played it 5 years ago ) i was at my best and got like 6k crowns. NOW I DOWNLOADED IT AGAIN AFTER AWHILE AND GUESS WHAT

I LOST 3K CROWNS IN JUST ONE HOUR BECAUSE I KEEP LOSING IN MATCHES- HELP IM SO STRESSED ☹️☹️☹️😭😭😭

can you like write a kaeya x reader & childe x reader comforting reader who's bad at playing games?? its upset as it seems like there's nothing im good at

[ if you write for only one character then let it be kaeya ]

i cant even play genshin 😞 i once tried playing it on my brother's pc back then,, i ran away from slimes and hilichurls when i was in mondstadt and i just can't defeat them- i could only keep up with genshin lores through tiktok vids

being bad at playing games - kaeya x gn!reader, childe x gn!reader

tags: headcanons, modern au, comfort very comfort and fluff, they are a little short but written with love <3

summary: you are bad at playing games but, worry not– your boyfriend is here to comfort and help you!

a/n: no inconvenience caused <3 got all your asks and decided to write for both and mention no pronouns of gender whatsoever, so you are free to interpret reader in any way you'd like. it would be finished earlier but i was too tired after classes to write 😭 have fun reading bye bye

Upon first seeing that you are bad at games, Kaeya would probably tease you lovingly, especially if you played against each other, but after noticing that your lose is actually upsetting for you and you are not laughing, he will drop the teasing and go to comfort you. A good laugh is good only when everyone's laughing after all and he doesn’t want to upset you even more.

For Kaeya, it doesn’t matter much if you are bad or good at games. If you are bad, then you can practice and he will gladly watch you play or even play with you, offering you words of comfort if you get upset! And if you make some progress, he will happily give you a small reward like, oh, your favorite dessert or a kiss, anything you'd like, because even if it isn't a big deal for him, he understands that it's big for you and he wants you happy and to enjoy small things in life.

Childe is probably a gamer, let's be honest. And he loves playing games with you or just watching you play but he absolutely dislikes seeing you sad because of your skills. It should bring you fun, not make you sad after you lose against him or fail to do a quest and he will going to change this, he really wants you see your smile after all.

I think, if he ever realizes that you feel like you are good at nothing, he would say that not only it's not true– and then he would proceed to subtly show you all the things you are good at– but also that it shouldn’t matter whether you are good at something or not, it doesn’t define your worth and you should never force yourself to meet people's exceptations. And remember, there's always room for improvement and he will gladly help you practice anything you want, as long as you are happy.

You name it, you get it. You want to play with him so you can practice? He will agree instantly, playing whatever game you want and always giving you tips. You want him to accompany you playing a game? He's here, if you need some advices or help with a quest or level, just ask him. And if you need a break from all those games, then he will give it to you too. Look, he will even play a new game he knows nothing about with you so you won't feel that bad with your poor skills. It's funnier being bad at something together!

And if you tell him that you feel like you're good at nothing, then Childe will try his hardest to show you all the things you are good at, because it doesn’t matter if the things you are good at are big or not. You don’t need to be good at things like school or college, you can be good at making this one dish you like, you can be a good listener, be good with pets or even at making people you love and care smile– and it will be enough. No need to be perfect or even good at something, if you are enjoying something then it is enough and, besides, you are already very good at making Childe feel loved so… he thinks it counts!

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

tw talk of nail biting? and stimming ig? i dunno wtf to tag this with, sorry.

okay, this is gonna sound really stupid. like. ik this is me overreacting but i feel like i just need to talk about it. advice would be great but if you just want this to be a vent, that's fine. im Xra.

i bite my nails ok? i bite my nails, i like, gnaw on my hands, pick at my skin, shit like that, I always have. the gnawing thing is a stim, like, i'm autistic and sometimes i just have half my hand in my mouth trying to comfort myself or contain my feelings. which sounds gross, i know it does, trust me, i've been told, you don't have to tell me. i've tried to stop. i briefly stopped biting my nails. long nails are sensory HELL and something bad happened and i just fell right back into it and i never stopped any of the other stuff.

but i have a sister, who i avoid, bc she's mean to me most of the time. i don't mean like, 'ooh my sister is just annoying :/ i hate not being an only child', i mean she's always telling me shit like she used to hate me, and stuff i need to work on so that i'm not so "abrasive" or "weird" or telling me stories about every time i messed up when i was little and how stupid i looked, which is realy fun because some of those incidents i didn't even realize i was looking stupid! she makes me feel bad. ANYWAY. she also likes to point out and kind of pick on me for my nail biting shit.

but she pointed it out when my mom was in the room. and most people don't say anything about it bc they know im very self conscious about it. but my sister was going on and on about how i needed to get a handle on it and how it looked nasty and then she turned to my mom and she was like right? and my mom, who usually says nothing at all about it! and has never been mean about it like this! went off on a tangent about how my dad bites his nails, his mom bites her nails, and how its a "generalational curse" from his side and how i'll probably do it all my life and chip my teeth and wear down my nails and have all sorts of complications that i'll have to deal with because she can't handle trying to convince me to stop. it was just. i was straight up crying. it was awful.

i guess it was meant to be a wake up call for me. and i guess i get it. its disgusting. and i'm fucked up or whatever. but i can't stop. especially bc of the whole autism and stimming shit. i know it's stupid to get upset because. she's right, i SHOULD stop, it is bad, ect ect, but i can't stop feeling really hurt about it because like-she never even apologized and she just pretends it didn't happened but now i feel even worse about it all and even more anxious, which makes me do it more. :/

Hi Xra,

I'm sorry to hear about what you've been going through. Please know that you're not alone.

While biting nails may be a destructive behavior depending on how serious it is, the way your family has approached it seems to be exacerbating it. It sounds like your family shames you for doing this, which may be making you do it more, or feel more secretive or shameful about it. But feeling shameful about it or wanting to hide it is not really going to address the situation or make you feel comfortable enough to work towards a healthier substitute.

It sounds like your sister is constantly criticizing you, and not in a constructive way. It doesn't sound like she necessarily wants you to improve or do what she can to foster a supportive environment in which you feel encouraged to work on improving, rather it sounds like she makes snide comments like that she used to hate you and just overall making you feel insecure. Though your sister may be frustrated with your nail biting, there are far more considerate and helpful ways to address it.

While I don't know the exact extent of your nail biting habits, it's worth considering that biting one's nails is actually extremely common, and though some people may see it as gross, it's mainly just seen as a sign of stress. It's essential to have healthier coping mechanisms in place that provide comfort and help you manage stress and anxiety. Exploring alternative stims or finding calming activities can be helpful in redirecting the need for stimming through nail biting.

It's important to remember that changing a long-standing habit takes time and patience. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects, try to approach this with self-compassion and understanding. Know that you deserve support and encouragement in finding healthier ways to manage your stress and emotions.

If you feel comfortable, you may want to discuss your concerns with a therapist who specializes in autism or anxiety. They can provide guidance and strategies specific to your needs. Additionally, seeking out online communities or support groups for individuals with similar experiences might be beneficial. Connecting with others who understand what you're going through can provide a sense of validation and support.

Please know that you are not defined by your nail-biting habit, and it doesn't diminish your worth as a person. Focus on self-care, finding healthy coping mechanisms, and surrounding yourself with understanding and supportive individuals.

I hope I could help. Please let us know if you need anything.

-Bun

[single-malt-scotch]

thinking abt lore and also how i see myself as more lorephobic lol

i realize one thing a lot w mutuals and friends i have in this fandom is when theyre ppl who are open/into the storytelling people like Matryn do esp Martyn bc of all his actual lore- is its hard to make it clear exactly how i dont like doing that, but why i also gladly go off and analyze ppl like bdubs or whatever. some ppl have very little distinction between simply analyzing their literal actions vs indulging in fictional lore. bc like i guess in a fandom that takes a lot of other lore and likes to mash it all up into the bigger picture you start to not think hard about the difference between bdubs acting a character of himself but More in his videos versus someone like martyn whos acting in some form but also in his own pov writing in a ton of lore to carry his actions that people have followed for a while and connects to every series.

i think thats where i disconnect from that side of the fandom bc as someone who doesnt get into martyn and doesnt see any of this "lore" nor do i care to apply it to My Guys, i simply see myself analyzing bdubs as A Guy Who Like To Act. hes not made up lore, hes not a separate character. hes the guy whos doing the improv and theres a lot to read from that alone! and sprinkling in some fun narrative theories based off his actions through other videos- which may as well not be true! but like lore theories ppl have. its speculation. but theres like. theres no lore to that perspective i have. im just taking what was directly presented you know. and i have no interest in taking fanon or lore from others and stirring up some great big pot of in-universe specific story ideas i just. i dont really get it maybe more so bc i never got into the ppl who lean on that way more. but also at the same time i dont feel like anyone but martyn does it lmao so i probably wouldnt have gotten into that mindset even if i watched only grian or scar. and boy have people turned a lot of others guys towards a rabbit hole of lore i will never begin to understand.

its like really, really no offense to ppl who get into it i think its lovely and i almost wish i could get it too. but man i am even in the middle of Evosmp and i still am not sitting here getting to some fantastical layered lore that the fandom seems to have made. im too meta i just like to analyze with myself between the lines of the game itself and behind the scenes intentions.

[tharizdun-03]

The Case of Vanitas Watchrough & Readthrough

The Vanitas Opening is cute, very rom-com like. Basically just the two of them going on dates lol. I hope they're actually gay for each other. I need that. I really need that.

Vanitas episode was pretty good. Definitely more of an emphasis on world-building than character so far tho, and still has that Pandora Hearts comedy, but it's way less obnoxious, and presentation wise it's slick and stylish. It's got a solid hook, so I'll stick around for more.

I appreciate the Vanitas anime keeping the OST running even during gags. I feel like most anime stops the music during quick jokes, but keeping it going makes it flow better.

Rewatching Vanitas from the start as I'm gonna catch up now, and this is a very strong overarching hook.

Yeah, he's not. Like, at all. That is a very weird insult.

Hmmm...

Ooh. It's interesting that Noe seems to respect his teacher a lot and is very loyal to him in the present, but with this reveal, that could be tinted to being something of a coping mechanism or something, cause he's gotta have mixed feelings about him after this.

I am reading the Vanitas manga as well, just to see how it did things, and the art is pretty excellent, as expected. Altho the quality of scans varies.

Some non-colored pages too, cause the actual art in the manga is very good as well.

I like the kind of preview they did for the next volume at the end of volume 2, hope they keep doing that.

Noé is precious.

Vanitas is intriguing. I like him a bit more in the manga (I'm not crazy about Hanae voicing him) but it's interesting to ponder whether his preferring that his love doesn't love him back is cause he doesn't want to be tied down or if it's some self-inflicted punishment.

On the one hand, his love for Jeanne feels genuine, but on the other hand, his actions towards her feel very calculated to get the most out of her. Of course, they're not mutually exclusive, I suppose. Either way, lots of potential here. Shame he's a bit annoying lol.

Noè is probably still my favourite character, just cause, he's a sweet, precious little cinnamonbun.

baby

Could be how Noé kills Vanitas in the future then.

Vanitas no Carte Part 1 was pretty fun. Looks great. Stylish and sexy, with plenty of intrigue and strong world-building. Some annoying comedic faces and chibi intercuts tho. Noé is precious and wanna know more about Vanitas. Most a really faithful adaptation too.

The Vanitas anime definitely cuts stuff from the manga, but so far it's not really super significant stuff and they manage to communicate the info in other ways instead. Altho that Mikhail has yet to appear in the anime.

Mmmm...

Backstory episodes in Vanitas hit different. They happen a lot in Jun's stories, she seems fond of them. It's one of the things she's the best at too, I'd say. Sadly, this was the first episode with real significant cuts from the manga imo.

Before it's always been skipping some details you can infer anyway from the context, but entire scenes were also missing here. Mind you, the episode on its own was very good, but, you get more in the manga, and it's more essential to the experience here than it's been previously.

The visual direction has been less Shaft-like overall, compared to Part 1, and a bit more standard Bones, which I think works in its favour at the moment. They pulled some trademark Shaft in this episode tho, but it fit a lot better here.

Jun is still a bit of a mixed writer for me even here in some regards, but she's definitely improved from Pandora Hearts. Her set-up is a lot better constructed here. Bodes good, gives me hope the climaxes she's very good at could actually properly hit for me here.

I was hoping for Chloé to have a little bit more self-agency, so very much like this twist. Not yet quite sure why she's going against Naenia tho, but guessing because she manipulated her to keep living and Jean to become the beast, and she eventually realized that.

I'm just spitballing, obviously, we'll get more info on this next episode, I'm just thinking out loud at the moment.

Ah, alright, yeah.

Again, anime cutting stuff but nothing that crucial, just further small moments, further details, or more action that isn't VITAL to the overall narrative. I understand manga purists disliking it but as an adaptation, think the anime is doing the best it can good enough.

OH SHIT.

INSANE VISUAL

So, the theme of loneliness seems to be the central one in Vanitas.

Oh damn.

Another great spread. It pays to see how the manga depicted these moments as well. 

Art was a bit off for the kiss in the anime, but they adapted the smile pretty nicely. This is very cute.

Usually, the comedy in Vanitas doesn't do much for me, but this was one of the most effective comedy-driven stretches.

Alright, I dunno how effective this twist is. Okay, I guess they're twins then, and not one year apart. And the reason for all this is because of some weird superstition that twins are bad luck for vampires or something? Maybe the manga elaborates on this but...

And then there's this, and I guess it's natural for her to assume that in her current state of mind, but with the twist not being that clever, this is just annoying, when it's obvious he might mistake her for him, as they look almost identical, and he has like PTSD so?

Mikhail is an interesting addition to the story.

Ignoring the execution of things, the ideas for her backstory feels very Mochizuki, and in a good way, so hopefully the manga does this in a way that is more effective for me. 

Yeah, no, the whole that Louis was said to be ill but not actually was vague from the start, as was him supposedly being one year old but actually wasn't, and it all being based on this weird superstition is a bit weak.

Some nice stuff for Domi, her cutting her hair to look like Louis would've been really disturbing in the right way if the context was strong enough to back it up, and it reveals why she doesn't think Noe loves her, as she thinks Noe agrees that Louis should've survived. 

But yeah, the twist and logic behind it are not strong enough to make it as effective as it could've been. I mean, I'm not here thinking it's so stupid, but it's just not super strong for me, but oh well.

This is also weird, why give Noé stakes AFTER he's dead? We'll probably get more on this tho, I think. Or I'm missing something. 

Mikhail is at least twisted in all the right ways, in typical Mochizuki fashion. Beginning of his backstory was a bit tonally off in the anime, but handled much better here in the manga. Excited to finish the anime and catch up to the manga tomorrow and find out more.

Dude, this confrontation between Noé and Vanitas is crazy good.

Oh...

We'll see where this goes, cause having him be behind a lot of the stuff in the story yet having been basically completely invisible throughout the narrative doesn't seem fair to the viewer, but we'll see.

He's got the same eyes as Noè's cats, and also calls them kittens. He might be the cat lol.

Vanitas No Carte Part 2 is a mostly faithful adaptation that when it has to cut things, chooses the least crucial parts, and story-wise it really ramped things up and delved into the more interesting and darker ideas, shedding light on its mysteries. Really good overall.

Jeez, his entrance is way scarier in the manga.

Caught up to the Vanitas no Carte manga, which was consistently very good, and occasionally great! Jun's writing skills have improved, and I'm more invested than ever right now, so I very much hope that she has a lot of story left to tell cause I think there's plenty of promise.

[fabdante]

ask meme: 20, 23, 26

thank you for the ask!!! (weird ask meme here)

20.) favorite disney princess movie?

Oh difficult question!! I'm just going to pick from the offical princesses.

I have a fondness for Aladdin despite agreeing with other Arab people that its Very Racist lmao. But I also really loved Mulan growing up, I thought she was very cool and pretty.

I feel like as a monster romance fan I also have to shout out Beauty and the Beast but idk I just wish Beast stayed a beast idk, Adams...fine. I guess.

I also know that if I was a kid when it came out I would have been obsessed with Raya and the Last Dragon like I can admit the movie has flaws and such but like, if I was a kid? Like I would have been obsessed. I also think Brave gets a lot of shit unfairly.

I realize this does not answer the question I gave like five separate answers asdfghjk so I'm just going to say Mulan the answer is probably Mulan

also, side note, Mulan 2 isn't that bad and everyone has to stop being mean in this essay I will-

23.) do you wear jewelry?

i do!

i'm very fond of chokers!! i also have a cosplay necklace i bought off etsy like a little bit after the reboot came out of reboot dantes necklace which i wear like...Most of the time (it is very well loved and often mended)

im trying to wear a bit more as well like i've been collecting fun earrings (my favorite set is a pair of rubber rats) but i often worry they're over whelming my outfits asdfghj i'm working on it. i also have a collection of my grandmas costume jewelry i try to incorporate in things (she had very lovely taste and since its costume jewelry, despite being vintage, i don't worry as much about wearing it as i would if i had like lets say actual vintage pearls from her)

26.) how’s your spice tolerance?

improving asdfghj i didn't have much of one growing up but currently i'd say mine is Ok like i still struggle with some spicier things but i now do like spicy food which is exciting for me personally asdfghj

[pazodetrasalba]

Game Theory

Dear Caroline:

I'd guess this kind of criticism would come from either people who are more ruthlessly utilitarian than you, or from people who really enjoy, as you say, 'the object level of their life'. In the first case, I would suspect they are taking their principles too far, to the point that they become robotic slaves of Optimization, perfect +EV machines, which to me feels slightly inhuman and undesirable. At the same time, though, there might be this very EA disdain for fame, glory, recognition and doing intellectually stimulating things, which are meant to be sacrificed on the altar of Utility. After all, EA's stereotypical heroes are people who went into neglected areas and got high impact but little to no public recognition, like Stanislav Petrov and Victor Zhdanov. It seems to include an ethical distaste for conventional rewards in status, fun and pleasure.

As for the second type of objectors, I can find it easier to agree a bit with them, but am still more in your camp here than theirs. You are an incredibly smart and sophisticated person, which matches well with those meta levels of enjoyment that you mention. To a certain point, I suspect this is true of everyone: we are actually hardwired to enjoy the good things in life much less than how we suffer their lack and the bad things in life -an evil but effective motivator of sorts. Even if actual experiences are pleasurable, I would concur that imagining their realization, and turning the into levels passed in some ever-going Game of Life is much more inherently satisfying.

Complex aesthetic and intellectual self-cultivation tends to work for me better than the activities that society generally considers high-status, but I've probably pushed in this direction to a fault. In my socio-economic background, work was inherently tough, unpleasant, dull - each and every coin drenched in the sweat of mostly mindless and physically extenuating activity, which probably communicated the wrong message to my teenage self: strictly search for a job that is intellectually satisfying and that gives you enormous amounts of free time for learning and reading. But I am aware that this might be too egoistic and self-serving, and that one should also cultivate a moral inclination to improving the world and other people's lives, even if not maximally. And I feel that in some people, helping others through sacrificing some of your own appetites is its own, weird source of pleasure and happiness.

Quote:

I agree that it’s good for my job to be optimized for effectiveness and stuff. But I think a lot of my leisure time should be optimized for what I enjoy, and it so happens that signaling is one of my favorite leisure activities.

Caroline Ellison