#idk this series was just so cool and unique to me back then

[bogkeep]

by the way the outcast chronicles (the books are called besieged, exile, and sanctuary) by rowena cory daniels is this... rather obscure fantasy trilogy that i only read because a friend of mine gifted me the first book, and she picked it at random because it had a cool cover (daenerys looking lady). this trilogy has been stuck in my brain ever since. the setting crams an asoiaf-esque human medieval fantasy population together with a high concept not-really-elves race with a very distinct culture and magic abilities together on the same continent. i just really really liked a lot of stuff these books did. maybe it was because i had read asoiaf and it felt like these books were playing with the zeitgeist of it. maybe because books with gay shit in it was still a novelty to me in 2015. the only person i ever convinced to read these was the friene who had gifted it to me

[cursedcatchild]

Ok, so I watched TOTTMNT and I am here to rant. Also, SPOILERS ahead!

So First of all, if I had to sum up my thoughts into a single sentence it would be: For the love of God, put those turtles back together, where they belong!!

I didn’t hate the show, but I didn’t come to like it either. And no, I did not have any prejudgment just because it was a new iteration. Honestly I was super hyped for this version, because the movie was a blast. Yea, I ended up being disappointed. But let me just elaborate on that:

First let’s take a look at our turtles from worst to best in my opinion.

Mikey:

Yepp, ladies and gentlemen so far I have never seen a single iteration where I didn’t come to like a Mikey. He’s always among my favs. But this version felt super shallow. He had just as much screen time in the series as his brothers and yet I still have no idea who this guy really is. His jokes were lame not really landing, I couldn’t really point out any particular goal or insecurity that anyone could relate to. Also, the guy is super oblivious. Like he took ten minutes to realize he walked into a robbery when he went for groceries. Heck he was having a casual conversation with the robbers. 

Leo: 

Another kinda shallow guy. Sure we seen a bit of insecurity, he literally quoted Rise Leo saying “ I’m nothing without them!” but it felt irreal. Because Rise Leo had a reason to think that, he wasn’t as much of a functional member of the team and he was always taken for jokes. But right from the beginning of TOTTMNT we see Tales Leo commanding his brothers, they listen to him  and even say it multiple times how planning is Leo’s thing. So at this point this Leo is just fucking blind. ( Also April slaps instant self confidence into the boy.) 

Raph:

Ok, this is also the first time, but I never really took a liking to a Raph before Tales Raph. Boy is filled with anger and sass, yet he’s not coming off as a total jerk like 2012 Raph. And of course he's not a super softie like Rise Raph ( I don’t hate Rise Raph for being a softie, he's my second favorite Raph) either. He had some fun pipe up and overall a personality I got. I think he’s the most perfect Raph I have ever seen. 

Donnie:

The best character of the iteration in my humble opinion. He was relatable, funny, honestly he was stealing Mikey’s job as the comic relief, but at the same time he’s the smart guy. The boy is ranting about not being the IT guy and then goes reprogramming an evil robot. Oh and he saved so many lifes, because he stopped a fucking train crash. He’s epic, I swear.

(My fave screenshot ever 🤣🤣)

Now story wise:

🔥What the fuck was this dumpster fire?! 🔥Who thought splitting up the turtles would be fine?! 😑Especially in a 12 episode season? Look, I don't mind solo or duo time. There were plenty of good ones, for example Rise. I adored the Mikey vs Leo cook off episode or the Gumbus one, but for the sake of my sanity Rise had twice as many episodes and the turtles were not split up for the majority of the story.

Like I'm not joking when I say they were together in 4 episodes intotal.😨😨

Now I heard rumors left and right that the fact that they need to make a show was thrown at the team at the last minute ( IDK how true is that) , but goodness gracious even if I was presented with the task with a “ Due tomorrow label” I could still write a better story. Especially with the goldmine what the writers decided to ignore.

Yes, something that would've made TOTTMNT be really unique….. School people! We were promised that we will explore the turtles from the teenage side. Ummm….Hate to break it to ya all but I think there is no better way to do that than putting them into school.

It would’ve been fire to see them trying to fit in, balancing all the cool hero stuff with school life, maybe wrecking the school, seeing how other teenangers adjust to the fact that now giant talking turtles are their classmates. It wouldn’t be some crazy mind blowing plot, but I swear it would've been amazing.

Now don’t misunderstand me. Despite the story feeling like being all over the place it wasn’t that super bad, but I’m pissed that it could've been better with ease.

Also another thing that bugged me, is the feeling of something missing. IDK if anyone else who watched it felt like this, but I legit felt like if we just grabbed the for example farm arc from 2012 TMNT and aired it as season 1. The fact that the turtles were split and they kept mentioning that they have always been fighting together made me feel like I should’ve seen them do that.

Anyways, If I did not take your will to watch it away, go and check it out. It's not horrible but not great either. I’m disappointed and I'm gonna need Rise back, thank you very much!

[kirkwallguy]

i rly think DA's companions peaked with rivalries lol, like that can create such interesting dynamics, when rivaled these people are still following hawke and you can still romance them, Interesting!! THat's cool! why are they doing that, staying with someone who's disagreed with them the whole time or done things they find objectionable - you get different dialogue in cutscenes too, they react to how you treat them (thinking with Merrill you can just chose to not give her the thing to fix the eluvian and you get a different scene after the quest) You can be mean, you can support them or not and they respond to that, it feels like your choices are affecting the characters around you. (diff game but alistair confronts you about Isolde and if you killed her, the kid, or got help, i'd have loved more of that!! more characters going "hey this was fucked up of you, why???" or "I'm glad you handled this" and then you can talk about it more, the companions having Thoughts on your good or bad behavior and actions and voicing it!) also I think not being able to just chat with the companions was a silly choice, especially with the fact that rook can be a crow or shadow dragon etc, wdym we cant just talk about that with the gang??? ask for their thoughts on it all and they ask for rooks, rook could voice support or question what the group is and what they're doing (kinda like with Wynne and mage warden, you can talk about the circles and voice your dislike or support for them), rook could ask for more information and if they know they could share, or they won't if rook isn't a part of that group and it's all meant to be secret or something - and maybe if you ask again when they have high approval they'll tell you anyway cause they trust you, more opportunities for lore and worldbuilding as well as exploring the characters a little more??

idk im :/ rambling lol, i just really enjoyed how much you could say and do in other games, dav feels limited? And like nothing was perfect in the other games but I feel like there were so many more opportunities to learn about everything and the characters felt so much more involved? I do love that the companions talk to each other at the lighthouse like thats great we get to see those dynamics more outside of party banter!

i LOVE the rivalry dynamic and it really helps with each playthrough feeling unique, a hawke who is besties with merril is so different emotionally to a hawke who rivals merril, and it feels like there's a near-endless number of combos? also being able to push back on companions is something people have been complaining about a LOT in dai and dav, being able to spend the entire game disagreeing with a character and still see their entire story (WITH extra dialogue and sometimes entirely different cutscenes to acknowledge the fact that you don't have a good relationship?) it solves such a fundamental problem with relationships in rpgs and i don't get why it isn't more frequently used lol

and yeah i can understand if they wanted to save money not doing chats in the lighthouse (tbh. the inquisition skyhold dialogue options were just annoying and useless to me especially when you had to exhaust them to trigger certain quests), but it just feels like it creates a distance between you and the companions when they can all have conversations with each other at the lighthouse but you can't speak to them? it just feels like such an important feature for the genre and the only other game in the series that doesn't have it is the one that was made in like a year

[cyberdragoninfinity]

was thinking about this since there's the action duel event in duel links, what's your opinion on the action duels in the actual arc-v anime?

OH THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION i looove action duels. i love a funny Spinoff Series Duel Gimmick, i think theyre so SO fun. but also like everything else in arc-v action duels are....hm. it's very 'the concept here kicks ass but the actual execution in show is DETERMINED to throw itself off a cliff" LMAO

LIKE THEYRE SO COOL ON PAPER. AND FOR LIKE ALL OF SEASON 1. youve got this natural progression of Solid Vision where the sets and the monsters have physical mass to them and are also kind of alive but dont worry about it, you can climb around on shit and RIDE YOUR MONSTERS!!! and duck and weave and explore and it's so fuckin cool, it's got such a crazy kinetic energy to it that just entrances me. I didn't realize until literally like a couple days ago that the Japanese game show influence is HUGE wrt the way duelists navigate Action Fields and scramble to grab Action Cards and such and it's such a such a fun vibe to bring to the ever-evolving depiction of this insane card game. It's like if a yugioh duel was also Wipeout but was also an old Nickelodeon kids' game show but was also the battle at the beginning of a pkmn movie but was also an old crash bandicoot game. fucking obsessed with them

And the Action Fields in season 1, these critical Duel Settings, are also just especially so cool, and it's frustrating that after that point we kind of just Dont Get Action Fields until literally the last few duels in the series. 'Crossover' is barely an Action Field let's be so real. It turns the immediate area into a platforming minigame but it is not nearly on the level of MASS SWORD GRAVE DUEL FIELD or TURN PARADISE CITY INTO ZOOTOPIA DUEL FIELDS.

and i think that's kind of just another unfortunate element of how much the wheels on arc-v's quality/storytelling start falling off by mid season 2 and 3. it's like seeing budget cuts in real time. we can't do Cool Volcano Field anymore. get on the Bland Floating Platforms.

at least we'll always have yuya's hippo showgirls

but anyway. i think the one (1) big issue Action Duels have, and the one thing about them that has me a bit Agonized watching action duels is the GODDAMN ACTION CARDS. FOR SOME REASON THE WAY DUEL LINKS IMPLEMENTED THEM IS LIKE LEAPS AND BOUNDS BETTER THAN IT IS IN THE SHOW. Like the way in DL you have to carefully pick out your 3 Action cards, they have to fit the 10 point quota the game gives you, they need to work With your deck and not Critically Carry Your Deck and Your Ass, I wish all of that was how they were in the anime!! Would make things more interesting!!

Cuz like in the show it's more 'ok random burst of Action Cards is scattered on the field' which could be cool but then the writing doesn't do anything remotely unique with them 90% of the time. They're like the Plot Crutch of all time in-show. It really just has this vibe of "it doesnt matter if your dueling sucks if you just grab the asspull action card that's in every single action duel that just Makes Your Opponents' Attack Miss" and thats just what Yuya does for like. every action duel he's in. other people have talked more eloquently about it but you really kind of realize just how BAD Yuya is at dueling when you sit and look at duels he won because he pulled the Convenient Ass-Saving Action Spell at the last minute and not because of anything he did with his dueling ability. And I do love me some Yugioh Plot Ass Pulls but here it just never feels earned... just like a bunch of other shit in arc-v HJDFGSDF. it just feels like the writers backing themselves into a corner and popping an Evasion Ex Machina. I Am So Goddamn Tired of Seeing Evasion. Miracle is Also On Thin Ice

THERE JUST HAD TO HAVE BEEN BETTER WAYS THEY COULD HAVE IMPLEMENTED THIS FEATURE. like idk make action cards more like speed spells in 5ds where theyre already IN your deck. or. or. oh the world if action cards in the show were more like a Chopped Basket where you get a set random selection of them predetermined before the duel and then characters have to really figure out how to use them creatively to help bolster their deck. life could be a dream

tl;dr I LIKE ACTION DUELS A LOT AND I THINK THEYRE SOME OF THE MOST FUN 'GIMMICK' YUGIOH DUELS. BUT WHY DID THEY MAKE ACTION CARDS LIKE THAT wish they were used in a more interesting way!! wish we got to see more insane duel fields past season one!! really curious to see how theyre handled in the arc-v manga. yugo stuck in the volcano field to look at if you dont like my posts

[freetobeafcknriot]

Okay but hello! I saw your post about a Soulmate!AU for TUA and with season 4 coming I feel like I need to know more sooooo may I?

anon the way you made me screech and giggle and cry tears of joy because of course you may know more?? i've been waiting for this??? for reference, this is the post and this is how i'm tagging the au to keep track of it on my blog. because i may not have a title, but i'm an editor and sometimes a writer and almost always i just have an overreacting imagination. so i definitely needed a tag. anyway! i'll... idk i will give you a few details? hcs? this is the gist of it, buckle up !

the psa for this is that there are two kind of soulmarks: the ones you already have when you are born (if you're born with it; not everyone is and as a matter of fact the only two brellies to have a twin flame are allison and klaus) and the ones that appear through life (way more common). a case could be made to differentiate between these two categories, for which we either talk about twin flames—allegedly what once was one single soul now split in two perfect halves who are said to recognize and yearn for one another—or soulmates—two souls drawn to one another out of compatibility or remembrance who connect and form something.

this may vary from one culture to another, but there generally is no fixed standard regarding romantic or platonic bonds, as every soulmark and soul bond are unique in form and shape and meaning. this is the core of it all.

now. . . when they're little, reginald makes six of his seven children get the umbrella academy tattoo. in this universe, that tattoo is sort of a faux mark, because reginald had a strict and precise stance on soulmarks and at the time claimed that such things were foolish compared to the duty the academy had towards the world. the team should have formed a united front, be a unit, so that tattoo was a symbol that was to be seen as binding. marks and bonds can be made not just by fate, after all! at the time, little viktor was exempt from it because he wasn't part of the academy.

(little did they know that years down the line, in the sixties, an actual mark would appear on that same spot. this time though there would be seven of them.)

anyway, i don't know if you want a rundown of the soulmarks and whatnot? i have an in-depth list of bonds (both marked and not) with backstories and considerations and hcs regarding canon events that is quite lengthy because i imagine the au splitting in two branches at some point—one canon compliant up to season 4 when it's out and one canon divergent post-season 1 or 2—and  i'm also writing down a list of the soul bonds within the academy that is basically an abstract from viktor's book (because he would have included it too). i'll keep it short for starters because otherwise i'll end up unloading too much on you all and i'm afraid of being too all over the place, but basically. THE SOUL BONDS:

there's the tattoo of the series/faux mark and the actual soulmark that in my mind appears on top of it mid-season 2 and is shared by the brellies. team zero, hey? then from the oldest to the most recent to manifest we've got. . .

FIVE & VIKTOR, the rings ┈ because i nicknamed them all according to their soulmarks they have this small pigmented ring on the right ring finger that changes in shade depending on the physical distance between them. very subtle and cool and with much lore following canon, as you may guess. the only thing i'm gonna say for now is that five and vik's soul bond goes back to when they were four and it played a small role in the leaving lights on and sanwiches out situation.

LUTHER & ALLISON, the cryptolect ┈ it means that they can speak a language of their own. literally! it's impossible for anybody but them to understand it, reginald probably tried and failed to identify patterns or elements from various linguistic branches to make some sense of it but it just can't be picked up or taught as it's basically second nature. given how luther and allison were as kids it was such a big deal and so obvious that no one even remembers a time before and obviously due to recent events it's kinda cool to me to see it as a bit deteriorated but still ever-present bond.

FIVE & BEN, the wisps ┈ literally what five started calling the two flame-like little spirits that represent his and ben's soul bond after ben pointed out that they looked like the will-'o-the-wisp he'd read about in a book. but also because of the way they would appear and always lead the way to one another. that was their thing. nobody but five and ben has ever been able to see the wisps, not even klaus, so they had a theory that maybe they were an echoed apparition of their souls or something like that. there's a lot of lore/hcs here, too, especially regarding five's disappearance and time in the apocalypse and ben's afterlife as a ghost. all i can say is ‘so close yet far’ and ‘never truly gone’.

KLAUS & BEN, the timers ┈ it is as it says, only there were speculations about what the timers led to given that they weren't aligned (read: they were counting down to different dates) and not even made out of conventional numerals. the soulmark itself was a bit above the inner crook of the left elbow, no darker than a sunspot, regularly in motion and indicating years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds in roman numerals, which is part of the reason why it was a bit difficult to interpret with no previous familiarity. even more so if you're oblivious or in denial. again, lore and angst and delayed realization came with a row of light null characters in its stead. quite a bit of baggage because i love them and canon says so.

DIEGO & KLAUS, the compass ┈ more specifically, i have it jotted down as a moving indicator that appeared more or less when they were around thirteen or fourteen. it might have seemed out of the blue then, but all things considered it wasn't that unexpected, especially when you look at season one or if you too think that diego used to haul klaus from the streets or drag him to rehab if they ran into one another. anyway, their soulmark is kind of a compass if you go by its shape. it's embedded on the lower part of the palm of their right hand, towards the thumb (below klaus' hello tattoo), and it does move and spin, but instead of pointing north it points you towards the general direction of the other.

OG!BEN & VIKTOR, the blossoms ┈ the most subtle and late soul bond of them all. i like to think that the lowest numbers were close as kids, given the information we were given, so even though their relationship might have stilled a little in their teens it was still tender enough to grant viktor and ben a soul bond. they were never sure of when it happened because the only instance where the soulmark in on itself becomes visible is when they touch. physical contact equals a tiny luminescent outlined flower appearing near the knuckle of their left middle finger. to which i feel the need to remind you all of this:

so these are the soul bonds within the hargreeves siblings! without taking into account sparrow!ben (or the sparrows in general) because stars do i have something in store for pookie as well.

i was tempted to add more, but i also wanted to emphasize how there doesn't always need to be an actual, visible soulmark for a bond to be important plus i'm waiting to see if season 4 makes me add more lol. diego is a primary example of this because, without spoiling anything, he secretly craved that kind of bond as a child, even though his siblings love him just the same regardless. it's also the reason why i have a list of non-marked bonds as well as one for soul bonds featuring characters outside of the academy. there might also be a playlist somewhere, because each bond has a song in my mind, but i digress!

this has gotten super long already so for now, that's it that's all. but i'm tagging this au and working on it and my inbox is there if you uuh, wanna chat about it more? ngl it was hard not being able to rant about it with anybody, because there are some elements and facts and implications there that genuinely alter my brain chemistry daily. so thank you for the ask, nonnie! <3

[physalian]

Can I complain about modern fantasy book titles and covers for a second?

I don’t like these books anyway. Why doesn’t matter, they have their audience and I’m not part of it. But eight whole books, and I read seven of them (not Assassin’s Blade) a few years ago now, and I could not tell you in what order they should be read if someone handed me a blind pile, or even what cover belongs to each book because they’re so painfully generic (and missing numbers on their spines).

Nor could I tell by the titles which are also painfully generic. Yeah they read like fantasy titles but there’s nothing distinct about them, they’re just fantasy buzzwords and they’re so vague that even Tower of Dawn leaves me vaguely recalling that kingdom with the giant birds, I think? Heir of Fire might be the romantic side quest that lasts an entire book, but that’s based more on my memory of the order of events than the title or cover would suggest.

Blank of X and Y she used for ACOTAR (which I did not read and know nothing about so I skipped them) is just so boring to me if the Mad Lib is nothing special. “Heir of Fire” could be a Game of Thrones fanfic for how unique and evocative the title is. A Court of Thorns and Roses literally stole the cadence of A Song of Ice and Fire but guess what?? Those aren't just nonsense words. Ice and Fire and how they're related are hugely thematic and relavent elements in those books. "Thorns and Roses" just ripped off a Poison song.

I assume these were the original covers since they’re not so manicured and actually have character. The titles are the same but the colors are so much bolder and the imagery isn’t a greyscale girl for 7 out of 8 titles. They’re distinct and memorable and while they’re still not evocative of the actual story, if I was a bigger fan of the books I’d probably have stronger associations. They do try. I have fuzzy memories coming back of EOS having the cool pirate with the map hands, KOA being the climactic battle book, QOS... might be the boring side quest with the dragons. This does not look like assembly line popcorn fantasy. This looks like it has heart, and an air of mystery. They draw you in and have you asking questions, they have you wanting to know more.

These books are, in my opinion, superior in many ways to anything SJM has written, but the covers? The exact same problem on steroids. And I only read four of them, there’s six total apparently. King’s Cage is the best title of the bunch. I know immediately from the title “that’s the one where the protagonist spent the whole book as a political prisoner in, you know, the king’s cage”.

But the covers, though they all share the same aesthetic and would look pretty on the book shelf, are absolutely devoid of any and all context within the book, save King's Cage. They’re all feminine crowns and tiaras, too. They could have at least given a man’s crown or at least something with harsher angles and thicker lines to evoke, idk, maybe the titular character the third book is about? It helps that the series (at one point) was only four books so it was less titles and ambiguous covers to juggle, but now there’s six so I guess that’s out the window.

Pretty, but purely window dressing. The best thing they have going for them is how distinctly minimalist they are that sets them apart from other fantasy.

I have incredibly mixed feelings about these books but the colors. Very much carrying on the PJO tradition of titles that actually fit the books and art to go along with it. There’s so much drama and movement to each one and they are, once again, scenes from each book, so many little details to look at. Festus was a huge part of TLH, then Percy's back in action, front and center in SON, then... uh, MOA... then Percy and Annabeth looking scared shitless in HOH and then... uh, BOO. Exists.

They all draw you in and I very much remember the cover drop for House of Hades and losing my mind over it. Much more face-focused than the reserved originals, much bolder, but still, mostly, Percy Jackson.

I looked this up on google images and couldn’t even read the titles there tiny at the bottom. The exact same color scheme for every single book. This is for the box set, I know that, so the spines all make one image when you line them up, but the spine doesn’t have to be the same image as the front cover.

That said, the cover images are still distinct and still hold true to the originals—showing actual elements from the books, like Blackjack and Polyphemus and the Labyrinth. Updated but a bit too sleek for my tastes (maybe that’s just nostalgia talking). The titles though, love the titles. At least they kept the series number on the covers (unlike TOG or RQ).

Now this. This here. These have everything. Bold, distinct colors on the spines, beautiful unique and very fantastical art, art that actually pertains to the book it’s about with an air of mystery every single time. You want to ask why there’s a kid floating in Long Island Sound, who that giant eye belongs to, who has that pegasus so frightened, what’s in the golden coffin, and… well the last one is just noire and I like it.

The titles, though. The. Titles. “Sea of Monsters” cannot in any way match up with the plot of the rest of the series. These covers are perfection.

Now I did not read these books, just saw the movies. These covers are dated, but there still wonderfully, charmingly whimsical, for an entire series about wizards and witches. The colors are distinct, the font choices reflect the vibes of each book, the art depicts the stories within the pages—Harry joining the Quidditch team, Fawkes coming to the rescue, Buckbeak, the mermaid egg thing and the other competitors in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the (I think?) prophecy room/Ministry of Magic, the Remembrall (I think??), and, you know, the last one is cool too. The style of the drawings are rather unique to Harry Potter. Harry also visibly ages across each one.

The titles themselves, like PJO (while predating PJO so setting the trend I’m aware) cannot be separated from their books. Order of the Phoenix? That’s the book about the Order of the Phoenix. Deathly Hallows is about, shocker, the Deathly Hallows.

Putting Twilight here at the bottom. I like these despite them being minimalist because, unlike every other cover on this list, they’re minimalist fantasy. Barely urban fantasy. The red and white motifs are evocative of the romance genre and vampire fiction and at least the covers of Twilight and Breaking Dawn do reference scenes in their books, with Edward catching the apple in the cafeteria and them playing chess on their honeymoon.

They also speak to a more adult, mature audience with the sleeker look. These are romance novels with vampires, *not* fantasy novels with romance. You see any of those covers among other adult romance in a bookstore and they’re going to catch your eye. The titles… eh. Not so much. Nothing to do with the story they just sounded pretty and evocative but this is romance, not fantasy, they’re supposed to be sensual and evocative and “Bella Swan and The Broody Vampire Boy” would not at all fit that vibe.

—

It’s not like these modern fantasy novels are devoid of creative terminology. I don’t like SJM at all but her books did have some really creative and wonderful moments in isolation. It’s like the publishers were afraid to be authentic and sincerely fantastical, so they went with something safe and clean and uninspired both in title and in art.

“Throne of Glass” means nothing to me and could be applicable to like, four of the books in that series. If I squint I can see it as a metaphor for the fragile state of the ruling house but there is quite literally glass everywhere so maybe it’s just one cool element—that should have then been on the cover—but like, the whole book is about the Assassin’s trial, right? So call it The Assassin’s Trial or Tournament of Assassins. You know. The plot of the book, not just one random ass element in the background.

Be authentically fantastical, or don't write fantasy.

[eepwtf]

That catholic boy ask sent me into a spiral and made me think about things that I have to yap about.

So for me, x readers on the surface have been a thing that people read as a self-insert or to feel like they’re a part of the story in some way. They have a long history when it comes to works that are titled as “x readers” but have very defining traits that expand on how the reader or “you” look- such as sentences like “He looked into your pale blue eyes.” or “You card your fingers through your silky platinum blond hair.” and then the person reading has neither of those physical traits and instantly feels disconnected from the story. This is especially true for groups who are… less likely to be characters in any form of literature or media, or people who exist as a minority in fanbases. This also goes for stories that claim to be GN but have gendered terms for the reader

Now, it’s not necessarily about works that have gendered terms or some defined physical traits, I think it’s mainly about the false advertisement / lack of warning, because a lot of people come in thinking a story is going to be inclusive and it turns out it isn't. If you want to write a story about a male or female character with red hair and freckles, go ahead, but let people know beforehand so they know what they’re committing themselves to read. Doing this doesn’t automatically turn readers away. For example, works that give characters disabilities, or first person books that give a character description on the back. People still read those even if they can’t physically relate to the character. And an interesting thing to think about is some readers don’t actually insert their names into Y/N or [Name]. Some just kind of skip over it when they’re reading. I also really love how some writers don’t use placeholders, but write out that a character calls out your name. 

It is hard for me to put into words the differences second person stories / x readers have to first POVs / x readers.... or just x readers in general. You’re put into a fictional world, and while you’re reading words like I and you… it’s not quite I and it’s not quite you. 

That’s where it gets foggy. You have a generally blank character who’s physical traits are unimportant / adds nothing to the story, so what does that leave… oh yeah, personality! The problem is, you can’t write a character with a blank personality, it’s boring and disengaging, and the people reading aren’t “blank people”. Obviously you can’t write a character that appeals to everyone on a personal level, since everybody is unique and reacts to situations in different ways. But that’s to be expected. No one expects you to write their biography in an x reader. So, you have to get creative because that's what drives the story... that's why people read.... mostly? idk

But should you draw the line at one point when fleshing out a character? The writer in me says no, and the reader in me that loves plot also says no. But that’s just my personal preference. As a writer and a reader I love main characters who actually feel… alive? Especially for longer stories/series, where the reader/main character isn’t solely focused/based on one character of interest- like they don't only exist to be the love interest’s other half. They have a family, their own quirks, their own friends, conflicts, interests, etc. I mean, that’s what most stories are about right? The story?

I drafted a TASM fic like this that I believe makes the story more interesting, but idk. It’s just the small things. Reader has motion sickness, they have a collection of funky cool pens, they wrinkle their nose at the mention of spiders, they’re afraid of heights, they fold cucumber slices and bite into them to avoid eating the skin… It just- builds the story and gives you so much to work with, and this builds their relationship with Peter. He notices these little things and it just makes him fall for them more. Finding out the hard way about their nausea when he swings around to rescue them as Spiderman? Coming to their rescue with medicine and support whenever their motion sickness gets bad? Ordering cucumbers on his sandwich just so reader can steal them, but he actually doesn't like cucumbers? Peter who flinches anytime Reader makes a sarcastic remark about spiderman being so… spidey, and shivering at the thought? Reader who overcomes their fear of heights when they explore their new powers? These little plot points help characters navigate their relationships and conflicts. When does Reader start to like Peter and why? How does their reactions / relationships change because of it? How do their goals and values and personal circumstances affect how they navigate their feelings and their decisions? And vice versa.

Sigh… i went on a tangent nwjekgvewsjhnrkt this probably makes no sense

TLDR: “it's more about embodying a character than just projecting oneself as a blank slate.” or whatever idk

- 🫐

this makes so much sense, and you articulated it beautifully. & you’re so right—there’s such a delicate balance between crafting a dynamic, engaging reader-insert character and maintaining enough flexibility for the reader to still feel like they belong in the narrative.

the issue with false advertisement in x-reader works is so important. claiming something is inclusive (e.g., GN or neutral in appearance) and then slipping in gendered terms or specific physical traits without warning is super frustrating and alienating. its not necessarily about those traits existing—it’s about managing expectations and ensuring the right audience can find the story that’s meant for them. a little tag or heads-up can go a long way!

&& i love what you said about giving the reader character depth. personality quirks, fears, habits, or hobbies that weave into the plot make the character (and the story!) feel so alive. those small, intentional details—like motion sickness, funky pens, or their fear of spiders���create opportunities for natural, meaningful interactions between the reader character and the love interest.

& honestly, the peter x reader ideas you shared are amazing. not only are those details charming, but they also open doors to rich storytelling. like peter noticing and adapting to the reader’s quirks—it’s such a tender way to deepen their connection. & the way their fears or little habits influence the narrative? it keeps the plot grounded in something real and relatable.

[dg-outlaw]

"Holy Childhood Trauma, Batman!"

Okay, let's get into it. *spoilers ahead*

X-Men '97: Episode 5 - Remember It

So without boring everyone with yet another recap as every nerd fandom outlet has that covered, I want to highlight all the things that really impacted me with this episode.

The animation team, storyboard artists, and directing for this episode.

I love how this series has captured the essence and style of the original 90s series, but has amped up the actions sequences to an 11, 12, 13, or 20! It's been a hot minute since I saw the original series, but I just don't recall many truly badass anime-esque action sequences from the OG series. And while X-Men has always been more of a socio-political and interpersonal drama, it's always cool to see your favorite characters use their powers in unique ways and this was Gambit's episode. I also love the addition of tears in many of the faces of characters during key moments. It's a minor thing, but emphasizing them just shows the gravity of the emotions the characters are facing. Also, special mention to episode 1 as well with Cyclops' intro and the ending battle in the sentinel graveyard. This series is what we all wanted back in the 90s and honestly, I'd be fine if comic book adaptations were more in animation form than live-action. CGI and VFX can be cool, but having characters do insane, gravity defying things like in this episode without looking janky is so awesome.

The usage and variation of the X-Men theme.

In both these scenes (above) the X-Men theme is played, but in vary different ways and I love when a score or soundtrack can enhance the mood of a scene or just help tell a story or convey a mood/emotion. In the first, we see Gambit and Rogue heading into battle and the score is slowed down and just has this serious tone to it. We're not having fun. This is war and we've got our game faces on. The second is the traditional theme and fits the tone as Gambit is just showing off and being a badass. IDK. I'm not a student of music, but I still love this stuff and how even the same music can be varied to convey different moods.

The impact and stakes.

Without getting too political (even though X-Men is all about politics and social issues), it was hard to not feel an extra impact by this episode's destruction of Genosha given the events taking place overseas in Palestine (as well as so many other countries that don't get as much news coverage). Again, trying to keep this to X-Men, but seeing the mass loss of innocent life (even in a cartoon) in such a quick and brutal way just sent my mind there and it was hard to not tear up thinking about the real loss of innocent life in our world (but without superheroes to intervene). Not to mention, I was already prepared for the loss of Gambit thanks to being on the internet and not watching new content the second it drops.

Honestly, this episode felt like an epic finale given the gut punch of emotions, the action, and the destruction. I know there are many theories that this could/will be reversed or altered via time travel, especially with the presence of the Watcher and Cable's attempt to warn his mother, Madelyne Pryor, but narratively I hope we sit with the weight of what happened in this episode. Selfishly, I want it fixed yesterday but I know that if that were to happen it would minimize the stakes and take away from the emotional weight of this episode. Also, the X-women are going through it this season. First, Storm, then Jean, and now Rogue.

The Ending and Saying Goodbye

So, as mentioned above I had Gambit's death spoiled and while I hate that I still wasn't prepared. As I said, I was already dealing with emotions at seeing the destruction of Genosha, but when it came for Gambit's end I was falling down onto the ground even more. Add in the rest of the X-Men at home, only able to watch from TV, devasted and powerless, and then Rogue's emotional (Death of Superman-style) goodbye as the episode faded to black... I still can't watch this scene or think about it without getting emotional all over again.

That said, to all the kids who thought I was lame for picking to play as Gambit on the playground instead of then fan-favorite Wolverine like everyone else, this episode and his epic goodbye was just amazing. I think anyone wanting to do Gambit justice in a film or solo movie/series should watch this episode and take notes. While most of us hope to die peacefully in our sleep at a ripe old age, I think going out like a total badass hero is a close second and Gambit achieved that. I'm sure it'll get fixed eventually, but I think Genosha (when they rebuild) should have the Magneto and Xavier statues back up, but also have a giant one of Gambit as well.

And speaking of Magneto, having him have flashes of his childhood and embracing the Morlocks (especially Leech) at the end was just more piled on emotional damage... and apparently this is just the tip of the iceberg for this season according to the writer/showrunner. I guess the writers know their audience is probably mostly 80s and 90s kids who grew up with Bambi, Land Before Time, NeverEnding Story, Gremlins, and all the other emotionally damaging "kid" content we were exposed to back in the day. Do I need this level of trauma or PTSD as an adult? No. But I'll keep watching.

[v-akarai]

I really love servamp manga , the plot is so good, and plot twist are mind blowing. In anime they rushed out so much ...there is lack of emotions in anime than compare to manga , also they cutted out cute scenes of mahiru and kuro ( I mean scenes where they were together in the house , I thought it was cute ) and they also removed many funny scenes . But to be honest I fell in love with servamp after I watched anime ( actually the reason I decided to watch servamp was because I thought kuro was the main character, and also because I thought vampire turning into cat is cute and funny , but series series turned to be more serious than it is ) . I liked anime because of the good animation and Character design and ost . I personally think that the animation was good ( even through they spoiled the plot ) , the character design was also so good , and the voice cast was amazing , and background music was unique and nice . Later I found manga , after finding manga servamp became my whole life ❤️. It was 4 years journey, but now it's coming to an end soon . But I really hoped it continued for more longer ( as you know the plot became so twisted and left many unanswered questions and all) .

I would like know what did you think of servamp at first , how did you find servamp , did you read manga first or watched anime

Did u watched anime ? If yes what did you think of it i mean how was the animation , character design, background music\ost , voice cast etc ..

If you dont mind can you share your opinion on this...

I'm very sorry for the late reply, too much stuff at university m(. .)m

Thank you for your ask! I like reading how people love Servamp, ahah.

Tbh I didn't watch all the anime, just some episodes. I liked soundtracks and voice acting too, they're really cool! Among osts I especially like "Sensei" and Tsubaki's theme "Omoshirokunai". Kenji Kawai is awesome and seiyuu staff did amazing job (and they continue to do so)! However, it seemed to me that some scenes could be animated better. But it's how it was when I tried to watch Servamp ~3 years ago (because I started from manga). Maybe if I try now, I'll think and feel differently. But it's a little cringe that they changed the plot 🥲 But one day I'll try ignore it and watch the anime.

As I said, I read the manga first. It was because of some posts from tumblr, one with Mahiru and Kuro, about Kuro turning into a cat when Mahiru embarrasses him, and another with mikutsuru arts, lol. Since it was in 2019, I don't remember clearly that I thought. I was really bad at the analyzing back then and my thoughts were quite woolly... Eventually, thanks to new people I met, I plunged into the plot & characters analyzing and references, it was a real fun. Servamp has really helped me to expand my worldview and a range of interests. I liked Servamp that much that I bought a graphic tablet and started to draw and even wrote some fanfics, lol. About character design... idk I don't think about it too much but I guess I like it, it's a pleasure to draw them~ I think the designes are very considered, from Hyde's chaotic one to Kuro's hood fur that reminds of cat ears (sorry I can't remember others now).

[destinygoldenstar]

🍀Our Unexpected Savior🍀 - Total Drama Viewer Reacts to Disventure Camp Season 2 Episode 5 “You Are A Monster”

Idk why Lake lost her hair. It wasn't explained. But you know what? She deserves stylish hairdos of whatever she wants.

You want to dye your hair blue and defect from your parents? Do it.

Lake is one of those characters that deserves the world, honestly.

I got nothing better to do, I'm honestly pretty tired. Tired of Yul.

But I'll power through because why not? We're already here and y'all enjoy my content.

So let's get into Episode 5.

Oh.

Okay so this is cool. This wasn't here before.

Bear with me as I read this:

"Disventure Camp uses references from different reality TV shows in its format, parodying them in this animated series."

Total Drama also does this. But this is a valid way of wording it, because at the end of the day, 'Parody of Reality TV' is NOT a character or a property that Fresh TV owns. It is an IDEA. A story idea. A creative decision to have that idea be its format.

Legally, story ideas cannot be protected under copyright.

Characters can be. Story IPs can be. But not its ideas.

If ideas WERE protected under copyright, then stories would stop being made, because every story idea that comes to human mind that CAN be done, HAS been done.

The day ideas get copyrighted is the day I die.

"All the characters and stories shown in the series are the legal property of Odd Nation Cartoons and its collaborators, for which Odd Nation Cartoons has the right to profit from them and use them as it sees fit."

They are using completely original characters for their show, and their own completely unique setting.

I know the Beta originated as Total Drama Fanfiction, but that's also why they remade Season 1, so that this could be dropped in favor of it being their own show.

Fresh TV HATES Total Drama Fanfiction of any kind, especially if its animated. It's not like Fanganronpas, when it comes to those, Spike leaves creators alone despite them stealing Danganronpa's story premise and SOMETIMES characters. Unless I'm stupid and they DO do that. Bu Fresh? Yeah they're more ruthless. If you make something animated that contains Total Drama's premise or characters, IT WILL BE STRUCK WITH THE BAN HAMMER.

I'm not saying Fresh is wrong though. Just that they're ruthless about it. There are cases I've heard of where they were in the right to sue people for stealing content.

I used to watch Total Drama on a site that I won't name, and the site was taken down about two years ago because Fresh went after it for uploading their show.

"The Odd Nation Cartoons team has taken legal advice on the issue of copyright, reaching the conclusion that Disventure Camp does not infringe the rights of any other intellectual property or any YouTube policy."

GOOD FOR THEM.

GOOD FOR ODD NATIONS FOR STANDING UP FOR THEMSELVES AND COMING TO TERMS WITH A CONCLUSION WHERE EVERYBODY WINS.

Back then, a lot of indie companies like this were forced to take the Ls if they got sued for anything, because they didn't have the financial or influential ground to stand their ground. So the fact that these guys went out of their way to defend themselves when they got sued and came to an agreement and conclusion that allows them to save their project: PROPS.

I have to give credit where credit is due. Y'all are gems.

I may not like everything you do writing wise, but you standing your ground is worth my respect.

So yeah, that's the start of the episode. I just thought this was interesting.

Oh Lake remembering Rosa's words, d'awww...

She's in your heart girlie.

I know she's still here, but she's still in your heart.❤️

"Do you think I need a normal life?"

Gee, I dunno Lake, are you human?

"Oh... well, what's considered normal nowadays, right?"

Facts.

He still has the black eye XD

I LOVE that he kept that.

I LOVE SEEING A MARK OF SUFFERING ON YUL'S FACE :)

"We managed to kick out the circus freak, but I doubt that strategy will ever work again."

Yeah, it's almost like you did not think this plan through.

What a great villain... /s

"You know, some medical emergency, it should be enough to get Aiden kicked off the show."

OH SO YOU WANT TO KILL SOMEONE?!

Wow. You keep IMPRESSING me on how despicable and disgusting you are.

(I SAY THAT LIKE I DIDN'T ENCOURAGE KILLING CONTESTANTS IN ANOTHER POST. I AM A DAMN HYPOCRITE.)

(That post, especially those portions, were designed NOT to be taken too seriously, btw. I don't actually endorse murder.)

"Do you really think the bald headed girl would be a problem for us?"

Lake, kick Yul's ass.

"Wait, are you saying you're going to poison Aiden to get him out of the game?"

"Uh, what did I just say? Do I need to spell it out word for word?"

"Lying? Sure. Manipulate? Whenever you want. But poison someone? That is way too much."

Well well well, good for James for having some moral decency.

Remember kids, poisoning somebody is ALWAYS WRONG. No matter the motive, YOU SHOULD NEVER POISON PEOPLE.

...unless heir name is Yul Kim. Then it's okay.

Imagine if James turns this on him and kills Yul.

GOD THAT'LL BE EPIC AND REDEEM JAMES.

"Attention campers, an immunity totem has been hidden somewhere in the camp!"

An idol is back?

T h e i d o l s a r e b a c k . . . ?

How lovely 😀

I'm so happy 😁

Alright, I'm going to the psychiatrist. BRB.

"Thanks for coming with me, Rosa."

"Oh, it's nothing. I really like you."

"I really like that you dragged me out of my team, Riya."

"Hunter Tess and Ally have an alliance, despite their... confusing relationship."

"I think that dude is Aro, what do you think? And the girls should kiss?"

"Well, whatever happens, I'll be on your side."

Rosa willingly being in the minority alliance on this team just because she doesn't want her to be lonely. Love it.

"I messed things up with Lake, but I won't make that mistake with Riya. I will help her, support her, and respect her every decision, like I should have with Lake."

Girl, no, you were right to call her out. Don't blame yourself.

Rosa really does seem to have a relationship complex the more I'm seeing it. She's always trying to be a people pleaser and take care of everyone, to the point where she's apparently done it with guys multiple times. She also had to grow up very fast to be a mother at such a young age.

So is this like "If I do something wrong or make a mistake that makes someone upset, I should be the one that takes the entire blame and I'm the screw up."

She is putting all of her own morals first over everything.

I love that out her, but it is an actual flaw if you're, you know, only judging yourself based on how other people see you.

"Hey Tess, since Hunter didn't want to talk, we should talk to each other."

"You know, since one of my options aren't open, I'll take another one."

"Well I never said I was in love with him."

Really? I thought you said you liked the kiss.

"If you felt that way too, I really wouldn't mind."

About who? Hunter, ooooorrrr...

And it cuts away before she can explain it.

"How hard can it be to find a stupid piece of wood?"

GEE, I DUNNO MAN, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE IN A FOREST OF TREES THAT ARE MADE OF WOOD.

"In a forest?"

Yeah. EXACTLY.

"Oh? What do we have here?"

Oh no. Don't find the idol. DO NOT FIND THE IDOL. I SWEAR TO GOD.

What is that?

I know it's a mushroom, why is it that color and what is it doing in these woods?

I've never seen a mushroom that color before. Only brown and white ones.

"You had a couple of hours to find the totem, and just minutes before the challenge started, it was finally found."

Wait what?

We didn't see who had it?

Are they keeping it a secret on who found it?

So it's Simon Says.

"Easy. My fans support me unconditionally."

XD

"Nobody will cancel me if I kill someone, right?"

"Give me the perfume that Connor gave you."

Oh come on.

I hate this challenge. Hate it.

"How can I make everyone hate me in less than ten minutes?"

Oh goddammit.

WHAT IS THIS CHALLENGE? THIS IS JUST FLAT OUT CRUEL AND UNREWARDING.

She went and did it!

She really said "I WANTED TO DO THAT FOR YEARS!!"

Ally probably has even more of those at home.

The side eye Tess is giving XD

"Hunter, carry Tess as princess until Aiden returns."

XD

Yeah Hunter, treat her like a QUEEN.

"I don't see what the appeal in this is."

WHAT THE...

UUUUUUUUHHHHHH, WHAT?!

HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?!

YOU'RE ALIVE?!?!?

HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!?!

"Tess, I order you to throw your pills into the fire."

Okay, NO.

NO NO NO NO NO NO.

SHE'S DIAGNOSED. SHE NEEDS THIS OR SHE COULD DIE.

THERE'S GOTTA BE SOME LAW THAT PREVENTS KRYSTAL FROM BEING ALLOWED TO DO THIS, RIGHT?!

God I HATE THIS.

She just has no reaction doing it too.

CAN WE GET AN F FOR TESS?

SHE'S USING YUL AS A STOOL XD

OKAY ALL IS FORGIVEN.

Okay now I'm actually kinda liking this. This is fun.

OKAY THAT DOLL HAS GOTTA BE A DEMON.

THERE'S NO OTHER POSSIBILITY.

NO DUDE YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT TO A GUY.

"Lake, I order you to remove your wig."

I mean, everyone already knows it's a wig...

Still sucks.

"Why are you so mean?"

Awwww, HONEY.

"Do you really enjoy making fun of us? Making us suffer?"

"Yes."

"Well I feel sorry for you. Only someone miserable needs to hurt others to feel better. And the puppet was wrong. You are not like your father, YOU ARE WORSE. YOU ARE A MONSTER."

"SHUT UP ALREADY."

OH GOD THAT LINE DELIVERY.

That actually got me...

Good for Lake though.

"How do you feel with everything that happened today?"

"You know... I feel good."

Props to Lake 👏

Lake just won a TON of points for me.

AAAAAWWWW

The height difference XD

But AAAAAAWWW

Lake all day, honestly. LAKE ALL DAY.

Aw, he saved one! What a gentleman!

OH MY GOD BLESS THIS MAN'S HEART❤️

HE SAVED SOME OF HER PILLS, AWWWW

HUNTER YOU JUST WON SO MANY POINTS FOR ME.

BLESS YOUR HEART.

"Listen, I know I've been a little distant and made you guys worry about me. I apologize for that."

"Well... are you ready to bring it up?"

"Yes. I'm ready."

"I'm aromantic."

NO AND IT CUTS AWAY GOSH DARN IT.

I WANT TO SEE HIM COME OUT.

"Hello friend, can we sit here?"

NO.

"Enough!"

YEAH TELL HIM OFF.

OH MY GOD GET OFF HIM.

"Don't say such toxic things."

YOU CAN FUCK OFF YUL.

NO JAMES IS ACTUALLY DOING IT?!

WHERE WAS THE "I DRAW THE LINE WITH POISON" THING YOU SAID?

"Lying? Sure. Manipulate? Whenever you want. But poison someone? That is way too much."

"I can't wait to see his reaction."

The reaction of him DYING? Yeah, OKAY. YOU SICK BASTARD.

So how is this gonna play out if Aiden is dead?

WAIT...

WAIT A DAMN MINUTE

OH MY GOD IS HE POISONED?!

OH MY GOD PLEASE. PLEASE LET ME BE RIGHT. OH MY GOD.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS

OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD YEEESS!!!!!

MY PRAYERS GOT ANSWERED!!!!

YOU STUPID SHIT! YOU GRABBED THE WRONG PLATE!!

I am watching a dude vomit and suffer and I am GRINNING EAR TO EAR AND CHEERING FOR IT.

"Oh, it must be the mushroom he ate in the woods."

And James is gonna play it off as though he did nothing XD

"James! What did you do?!"

"I did what Golden wanted!"

"You were supposed to give the mushroom to Aiden, not me, idiot!"

SO JAMES REALLY JUST WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO KILL THIS GUY. OH MY GOD XD

"I don't poison people. I draw the line there. UNLESS HIS NAME IS YUL, THEN I'LL GLADLY DO IT."

OH GOD HE'S COLLAPSED... this is actually very serious...

"Now that he mentions it, the cameras caught Yul holding a mushroom when they were looking for the totem."

AND THEY SOMEHOW DIDN'T SEE JAMES WAS WITH HIM OR THEIR TALK.

OH MY GOD XD

"Yul is out of the game anyway. He had three votes."

XD

AINT NO WAY.

SO YUL WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT NO MATTER WHAT. BUT JAMES DECIDED THAT WASN'T ENOUGH AND DECIDED TO KILL HIM.

OH MY GOD. XD

THANK YOU! THANK YOU TOTAL DRAMA GODS FOR SAVING ME!!!

THANK YOU FOR ELIMINATING YUL EARLY IN THE SEASON!!

THIS IS REDEEMING A WHOLE LOT FOR ME.

They're ACTUALLY sending him to the hospital. Holy shit...

I don't really care cause it's Yul. But DAMN.

A CONTESTANT ACTUALLY KILLED SOMEONE.

"So Yul was planning to poison me, but you decided to poison him."

"My guy, so are one sick bastard."

"Make no mistake, I only did it to get rid of Yul."

Honestly, JAMES IS REDEEMED.

JAMES IS COMPLEELY REDEEMED OF EVERYTHING HE HAS DONE IN THE PAST.

JAMES IS THE BEST CHARACTER OF ALL TIME.

HE IS THE BEST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO HUMANITY.

TO THINK I EVER DISSED YOU IN THE PAST.

FORGIVE ME.

"Poisoning someone is too much... unless that someone is Yul."

HE USED THE SAME LOGIC. THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW HE DID THIS FOR ME.

JAMES DID THIS FOR ME.

"Don't mention it, Golden. It was a well fought battle, but I did it for honor and for a better spot on your list."

HALLELUJAH, I FEEL A GREAT SENSE OF RELIEF.

I thought I would have to put up with Yul ALL SEASON.

BUT THIS WAS A GREAT TWIST THAT I AM VERY HAPPY ABOUT.

Holy gosh, I feel so relieved. GOD I HATED HIS CHARACTER SO MUCH.

Did James go too far? Probably. But you know what? He earned points from ME.

As did Hunter. As did Lake.

I GET TO BREATHE NEXT EPISODE. YAY!

[hazelpuff]

I just wanted to say that I'm in love (and a bit jealous haha) with your style. It's so pretty and unique! Your hoods are gorgeous and your sims even more! (may i ask you what technique do you use to make them? Pooklet's? Face templates? A lot of sliders?)

I jumped around a lot between maxis-match, semi realistic, etc. trying to find something i liked (and i still feel i didn't quite found something i like 100%) and I'm in awe of how you made something that doesn't look like ts4 nor ts2 but a so cool and pretty in between!!!

(also a disclaimer because I'm a tiny ball of anxiety: this is no shade to anyone who likes other styles, i find them pretty awesome in other people's games, they just look a bit boring on mine. The sims is about having fun and everyone deserves to play it as they like!)

Hi! Thank you for your sweet message!

(disclaimer at the beginning of the post, my keyboard is dying since half a year and i'm putting aside the moment to replace it, but after this post, I think I'm gonna make my mind soon lol. So sorry for any misspeling - you can get double nn, no n, no m, no c, double cc, no c and many other surprises - i tried to fix everything but I could miss something xd).

I've restarted my hood 5 times I think before I got it to my recent version. I'm terrified every time through most of the process, it doesn't come easily to me xD.

Also ofc, everyone can have whatever aesthetics they like - the sims is the perfect series to express that.

With my sims it really depends. I mostly make a sim that I really like and then use it as a base for other sims, but not always. Sometimes I make a sim that I think looks quite unique but it's still missing somethig when it comes to features and makeup face details. During those moments I just open up my body shop sometime later or the next day and try to tweak this sim, sometimes it's more than once. And other times I end up liking the idk 3rd attempt but i still keep going since i want to make more similair sims, and also it's tiring to start the process from the beginning every time xD.

(pics under cut)

or

OR

OR

sry for the baldness xD - i deleted the wip hair conversion files they had and now i can't never change their hairstyles lol, idk how i did it for those two last sims seriously.

As you can see, all those sims have this maxis chain necklace, which means that I started the process using the same base sim and it just evolved into many differet results lol.

Other times I'm editing some maxis face templates to make them more my style (it's really fun!)

I also made one of my sims face into face template to make the rest of the family. I didn't want their faces to be - mouth: mom; eyes: dad; nose: mom - just a mix of both and adding something extra to make them a little more unique. Kinda pookleted their faces with two face templates.

I just really like this face. It can look either goofy or good xD.

I sometimes get inspired by images of some real life ppl (models, actors). When I'm really out of ideas I'm also dowloading sims made by others and use them as a base - just tweaking their features to be my style, mostly it's about face proportions and replacing the cc they used to the one I have. There is muuuch more examples that I could give but a lot of times it's just a result of tweaking some sims a couple of times xD.

Also due to the fact that i make my sims in body shop, idk how their faces will look whit face expressions. I was always using my sims to create previews for my cc conversions so I'm also testing them that way and if something looks too off - I'm just going back to body shop to fix that.

I think I've developed my style around the clay hair conversions that I've made - I wanted the sims in my previews to go well together with clay hair. I remember that I've picked the hair first, THEN sculpted my sims faces. There just werent that many to choose from at 1st.

I don't really use face templates - I have some, but I don't use them much - i think the proportions on faces of my sims are the closest to the maxis sims 🤔. I like their sharp features so when I'm stuck with making a sim, I'm using the pooklet method with those maxis templates but only a tiiiny bit - like 10-20% and only on those parts of the faces that I want to tweak a little more. After that I'm going back to editing the face myself.

(also a lil bonus of my sim from 2017, the only older picture that i have, i found it recently by accident and i think this is the only time when it's kinda in-context to post it 🤣).

[wodenscild]

Mmm i wanna ramble for a bit about soulsborne games. I have played through DS1, 2, 3, Bloodborne, & Elden Ring at this point. & all of them have their own unique strengths & weaknesses. I was introduced to the series through DS1 Remastered so I’ll start there!

Honestly? I love it with all my heart! I love the interconnectivity of the world! I love the NPCs! I love the story & atmosphere! How there are still echos of the age of ancients within the age of fire! I love the feeling of getting lost & ending up somewhere like Ash Lake or the back entrance of Darkroot Garden! & OMGS the obtuse mechanics! Like genuinely I love how obscure some of the stuff in this game is! From Vagrants to Grave Lording I feel like there is just a lot of neat things & always more to learn! I think the only things I don’t like are the limited casts on spells & pyromancies! & how you are fully stymied when using estus! I also appreciate how you can just level up at any bonfire, without having to see a specific NPC like you have to in 2, 3, & Bloodborne! It is still my favourite game in the entire series.

Dark Souls 2 is… interesting kdfksk you can tell Miyazaki wasn’t at the helm of this game. People shit on this game a lot, saying it is the worse of the series. I wouldn’t call it the worse, rather than it is just weaker than the others. It doesn’t have that same emotional oomph. What I do like about the game is the introduction of power stancing! Something which doesn’t return until Elden Ring! I do love the maze like map design within each map! I love the enemy designs! I love the bonfire ascetic system! Letting you advance individual areas to the next NG cycle! And cos this game locks certain things behind NG+ & beyond, that is both cool and useful! & I love the Covenant of Champions! &… that’s about all I liked dkckd the big flaws that has stood out to me was estus healing times, enemies stopping being respawned after the 12th kill (which is annoying if you are farming for souls or loot- Cov of Champs does allow them, but idk it is just annoying & it is telling that this covenant is only present in the Scholar of the First Sin edition), statues locked with Fragrant Branches of Yore, the health decreases when hollowed (which I know harkens back to Demon’s Souls, & DS2 is a lot more forgiving with this- but I think the health changes between hollow/human is done best in DS3, where rather than hollowing/unkindling decreases your max HP, & shows that on the health bar- it instead increases your max HP when human/kindled, & that changes the health bar- less emphasis on an item that comes in relatively low supply). Also the enemy AI’s feel weird, the number of areas that are intended for multiplayer is annoying on many levels (glares at the Black Gulch, & the path to the Blue Smelter Demon), & hhh yeah. I will say tho, I am pretty neutral on ADP! I like the concept that you can invest in your iFrames when rolling! & I appreciate how they reworked the level up costs with this stat in mind! & I then also appreciate how they balanced the game around being at higher soul levels cos of how cheap it is! & then implemented soul memory to de-emphasise soul level based match making! DS2 id the awkward teenager of the DS games- you can tell it isn’t made by Miyazaki. It had hella cool concepts! But it also was just annoying to play. It feels weak emotionally, but is still a decent time to play! It is kinda the Subnautica Below Zero of the Dark Souls games FDLSLDKC

Imma talk about Bloodborne next as it is the next to release in the series chronologically! Iirc this is the project Miyazaki was working on while DS2 was being developed! It is also the game that launched Soulsborne into major public consciousness. & it is easy to see why! The vibes & design are just on point! A beautiful hybrid of gothic & lovecraftian horror! The game has so many cool features! Iirc this is the first one in the series to have a stat explicitly influence your discovery stat! Good gods the fast healing with blood vials! THE TRICK WEAPONS! The music! The bosses! & man imo up until this point never has a DLC felt so seemlessly part of the base game! I love the concept of chalice dungeons! ESPECIALLY how there are community dungeons that aid with grinding up blood echos, insight, and blood stones! & Ofc the story & lore of this game is wonderful, & will just leave you asking & wanting more! Tbh I don’t have much to say about what I don’t like- other than needing to see a specific NPC to level up, early access to warp which de-emphasises exploring somewhat- & how this is the first game of the series to not let you upgrade your armours, a feature that has stuck with us up to Elden Ring (which sucks for Fashion Souls lovers who wanna wear gender armour but also have protection too <//3).

DS3 feels like a love letter to DS1. It has that same emotional oomph that DS1 had, & feels like it is part of the same universe. So there is a lot of insight that DS1 can gleem into DS3! I have already mentioned how much nicer DS3’s health management is with their hollowing/unkindling. You can see a lot of influence of Bloodborne in this game! Especially within Irythill, from its design to its enemies! This game iirc is the first to introduce FP! So no more hard limits on the number of times you can cast your pyromancies, spells, & miracles! The game feels a lot more polished! & idk what it is but I feel so much more inclined to explore this world! & this game rewards it so hard! I also love the insane number of mimics here too XD I think I have had more mimic chests than non-mimics! What I find annoying tho about this game is that again you can’t upgrade your armours- which sucks! Cos there are some hella cool armours I would love to wear more! But alas <//3 it is a reflection on the designers wanting to make combat in these games more proactive than defensive. I again am not a big fan of having levelling up tied to an NPC over just at the bonfire. & I am kinda sad too see power stancing (tho we do have paired weapons), ADP & bonfire ascetics leave us behind! Bonfire ascetics would have been a great addition to this game! Especially cos there are items locked behind the later NG cycles! & they absolutely could have used this as an opportunity to include the black phantoms of these later cycles too like DS2 did!

Lastly (cos I haven’t played Sekiro or Demon’s Souls yet) is Elden Ring. The Breath of the Wild of the Soulsborne games! I love this game! It is large! Immersive! Easy to get lost in! Fun! & just- it is an experience! I appreciate how this game lets you level up at the bonfires/graces again! It isn’t as immersion breaking this way & you can just keep on slogging through! The story is interesting! & the number of secrets you can find just by poking around is truely wonderful on so many levels! & I keep coming back to this game! The only other game other than DS1 that I play the higher cycles on! I think the only 2 things I don’t like about this game is again lack of armour levelling, & the lack of multiplayer that just happens to you. Player invasions are turned off unless you have summoned a player, which sorta sucks as someone who always enjoyed being invaded at random & having a goof ball fight (I know you can use the Dried Finger iirc to allow invasions without a summon but it just doesn’t feel the same, ya know?). There isn’t anything like the Grave Lord servants to randomly make your world harder & you gotta invade them to stop the black phantoms. There isn’t anything like the Blue Sentinels or grey spirits to be summoned without a summon sign to help other players. & all of this can make Elden Ring feel a bit lonely. Which is inevitable with open world games, & this sorta stuff would’ve helped a tonne with easing that.

DOFKSKF ANYWAY BIG RAMBLE ABOUT THESE GAMES. THEY ARE ALL PRETTY NEAR REGARDLESS. If I had to rank them it would DS1, 3, Elden Ring, Bloodborne, then DS2 dkdkdksjd all of them are good all things considered! Best lore games are DS1 & 3. Best exploration 3 & Elden Ring. Best combat Bloodborne, 3 & Elden Ring. Best sequence breaking DS1 & Elden Ring. Best NG+ experience DS2 & 3. Best obtuse mechanics DS1. &- yeah that’s it dkfksk

[blimbo-buddy]

I think SSS Warrior Cats can never have a rival in fan animated warrior cats series because it adapted the source material in their own way

Like, as far as I've been watching fan adaptations of Warriors, everyone's been following the books, but SSS basically went along like an anime adaptation of a manga. Its following the story but also making their own strides such as extending the Longtail fight, Longtail slapping Spottedleaf, The entire Whitestorm fight!

No one ever wants to change the story except the interesting Stageplay created by Colacatinahat, where Redtail is Rusty's father, and Rusty joins the clans to avenge him. Many other changes, such as Greystripe being Rusty's mentor. Longtail mentoring Sandpaw.

Fan animated series like Little Dragon Studios got DMCA'd for sticking a bit way too close to the story. WCA animated by Bok Bok Choy being a funny satire parody of the story xD

My take away being that if you aren't being transformative with the story and creating a word for word recreation and the common idea is that Harper Collins sent the DMCA due to these adaptations being replacements for the books which is fair, I guess? Again, they're British and don't have the same copyright laws as us, so idk. Thoughts?

I’m honestly not exactly sure what made SSS Warriors so popular, like it’s hard for me to actually type out what I think it is.

I suppose it was just really good timing and the high production at which the series was at, even if it only had not that many episodes. And also y’know, the anime aesthetic made it extra popular back in 2009

I do think that some twists on the story can really do it favors if you’re adapting it into an animated youtube series. I think it's definitely the fact that the beginning part of Into the Wild that SSS Warriors made it up to not having that many. I guess “interesting” moments would have made it boring to watch for kids in the late 2000's who wanted to see cool anime fighting cats. So adding in that little fight scene with WhiteStorm really worked well for the series even if it’s not talked about that much

Think about it, it’s a kids book series that’s been adapted into a high production (for an internet series) youtube series with lots of cats fighting and doing these sick ass moves

What kid in 2009 isn’t going to like that?

Once again I think it was definitely released at the right time. The fact that the series never even made it to the halfway point of Into the Wild and yet still stands as an iconic piece of animation really just shows that they did something right. Just like what you mentioned they added their own unique twist to some aspects of the book and it served well in their favor

I’ve never really watched other adaptations (or attempts at them) of Warriors on youtube so I can’t really say if I agree with the “No one ever wants to change the story” part but I really think it can work well for the adaptation if there’s a good amount of twists to the story added. Not just one or two unique takes but multiple. But not so many that it just makes the audience wonder why the series isn’t just based around original characters

I still really like seeing changes done to the books when adapting them

Like for example, WCAnimated making SandStorm the daughter of RedTail and RunningWind

As much as I genuinely do not care for this take on the characters at all, I can still appreciate that some uniqueness is added to the story

Even with BokBokChoy’s take on the series it still is full of different takes on the characters that makes it stand out; it adds a comedic twist to everything so it makes it a stand-out amongst other “modern” adaptations

I’d also argue that Little Dragon Studios offers a visually unique take, however that doesn’t detract from the total narrative similarities it has from the original source material and the fact that it’s visually distinct didn’t really stop Harper Collins’ lawyers from sending a DMCA. I don’t have knowledge on copyright laws or infringements though

Legally? They’re able to do this 100% yes

But does that mean it’s necessarily a morally okay thing? No not really, a dickhead move if you will

[hyukascampfire]

hello ashlynn! your good ol’ 🌰 is back from the war (the war in question being surviving my least favourite month of the year — january.) admittedly, it shouldn’t have taken a potential threat to my identity to get my ass moving but that’s a wake-up call i’ll just have to accept as punishment for ghosting you for a bit. (whichever other emoji new fan anon chooses will be a really cool one as well, i’m sure of it ♡) RIP to your morning newspaper (aka tiktok) btw, my condolences fr (◞‸◟) i don’t use the app actually, i just have it because my sister sometimes sends me stuff and i’m required to react, if not respond. but i imagine i’d be pretty devastated though if i had to face a youtube ban, for instance. speaking of youtube, one of my favourite booktubers posted a 2-hour recap of the queen of nothing yesterday and i sat through it, overcome with fondness in my heart for this series, as i sorted my stationery and stuff. how beautiful is it that i ever got to discover folk of the air at all (*´ω`*) how’s life going for you at the moment? as for me, i’ve just been taking on tutoring and proofreading odd jobs that i don’t get paid enough for and, you know, worrying about the future, as usual. although business is slower on moablr these days, i think there are quite a few fics i have yet to check out so i’ll get to that asap! and OMG can we talk about that map you made for aethera⁉️ you genuinely didn’t have to make each tree unique, my queen, it’s fairly insane how much effort you put into this. the concept you guys came up with for this collab is so creative, i can’t wait to eat your writings up !!

good luck with everything you wish to achieve this year but most importantly, i hope you’ll prioritise yourself and your needs! stay healthy, stay safe ♡ love u lots 🌰

p.s. who do you think corresponds to whom in the tsfawc gang? my guess is yeonjun — oopy goopy, taehyun — general munchkin man, mc — lil jim bob and beomgyu — LARRY lmao (will kai and soobin reappear btw? i feel like they’ve already achieved their purpose in the story so idk…)

HIIIII 🌰 i am very aware that i took very long to get to this and i am so sorry and also the worst person on this planet. i’m literally right there w you, january is literally undisputed, the worst month of the year!! it really makes sure you feel each and every day 😓

hehe can you imagine two chestnut anons running around? TWINS!! i could probably have differentiated you two by your messaging style, anyway. >.<

TIKTOK IS BACK TIKTOK IS BACK!! i slept for most of its short-lived death so i didnt really even feel it 😭 i definitely did open the app, like, a minimum of 15 times to the little pop up and heartbreak. but shes back, and i’m back to doomscrolling and sending my brother fifteen tiktoks that he won’t ever open 🫡 ur better than him at that, at least.

ALSO OMFG IS IT PAIGE ELIZABETH??? I LOVE HER. i literslly have watched every one of her tfota recaps, and then forced my sister to watch them w me because she isn’t a big reader bht i NEED someone in the house to yap abt tcp trilogy abt. it’s not exactly reading the books, but now she’s hooked on it w me, and she’ll understand my references ^.^ it was a super fun recap for me, too! just reminds me of why i love the srs so much :3 and i’m honestly just gonna get sappy and say thank you for always coming in and talking to me! sometimes, it’s the reason i open the app for the day. hehe.

life has been going good for me!! not the worst start to a year, but GOODNESS it’s been dragging!! worrying abt the future as always right along with you 😓 ive lived with anxiety for so long, idk if i’d know what to do with myself without that dreadful feeling in my chest LMAOOO that’s my favorite parasitic relationship! but we conquer and move foreword anyway ^.^ i hope that tutoring and your jobs treat you well, and imma getchu outta there if they don’t start paying you CORRECTLY!

THE MAPPP i will definitely be referring back to that while writing o.o; i absolutely wanted it to feel flush and alive, so YES each tree is different 😣 the trees didnt even give me grief, it was the ocean. goodNIGHT. but i honestly did have so much fun, and now it lowkey feels like a real fantasy book, yk? EVERYBODY GIVE IT AT LEAST ONE LOOK. FOR ME! i personally believe that youll love the collab, as fantasy as it is :33!!

YEONJUN AS OOPY GOOPY IS CTFU but i absolutely cannot dispute your list. i hereby declare taehyun as general munchkin man, mc as lil jim bob (CRYINGF), beomgyu as larry, and yeonjun as oopy goopy. BUT DOWSNT BEOMGYU FEEL ALSO VERY OOPY GOOPY?? but him as larry is just perfect. that’s his aura.

i love you bunches, and like always, you stay healthy and happy as well, okay? MWAH, love u 🌰 anon!

[demon4dilfs]

@muskegmaenad tagged me to list 10 favorite new watches of 2024! good thing i have letterboxd because my memory is terrible lmaoo. thank you for the tag! 💖

the trial (1962) - really interesting movie with cool cinematography. and mr perkins is always fun to watch.

2. the rocky horror picture show (1975) - yes i know, i can't believe it's taken me this long to watch it. love that i actually watched a tmann bootleg of the musical before i watched the actual film lmaooo

3. the king's speech (2010) -geoffrey rush and colin firth are sooo good in this

4. the quick & and the dead (1995) - i'm not usually a fan of westerns, but this one had me on the edge of my seat. i really enjoyed sharon stone and russell crowe's characters. (also some good russell whump hehehe)

5. zodiac (2007) - i have a passing interest in the zodiac case, so i enjoyed this one. real events aside, it was just a good thriller

6. deadpool & wolverine (2024) - i mean...have to include on my list. i love wolverine. and i did go see it twice in theaters so...

7. reminiscence (2021) - speaking of hugh jackman. this was actually a really interesting movie with a unique concept. it had some twists i didn't see coming at all

8. the tailor of panama (2001) - geoffrey rush is just a pleasure to watch in every film. but this one did surprise me, i didn't expect to enjoy it so much. it has an interesting plot and even though it's a thriller/spy movie, i thought it had some very funny and heartfelt moments

(couldn't find a gif in tumblr's gif search so here's an image)

9. pirates of the caribbean: at world's end (2007) - i started rewatching potc this year, it had been so long since i've seen any of them and honestly i don't think i ever saw this one so im counting it lol. out of the ones i've watched, i think this is the best one in the series. each character is at their best

10. the hornblower series - bundling these all together. idk if hornblower counts as a tv series or film, but im gonna say they're films. obviously as you can tell from my blog i really enjoyed this series and i didn't want to pick just one

any of my mutuals who've watched a lot of movies this year, feel free to play along! it was fun to look back at my letterboxd and see what i watched last year

[smileymoth]

I have no idea what marble hornets is but the stuff your sharing looks super interesting and makes me wanna get into it. What is it exactly?

i'm letting @theslyvoid9 answer this because he's the reason i watched it and he's literally right next to me rn. so um. listen to him. he's a connoisseur and has been hounding me about this for months <3 . take it away boy

okay hiiii sly here! so um anyway sdkhufsk gonna keep this kinda spoiler free but in short Marble hornets is a 15 year old youtube horror series and one of the first video projects to use the slendermans character for a more detailed story. The full series ran for around 5 years and lasts roughly around 8-9 hours. The story was kinda hosted on two separate youtube channels, with the main marble hornets youtube channel posting the main entries and a side channel that posts more cryptic videos inbetween the actual entries for lore^tm reason. To watch both of the channels videos in order i suggest this playlist as a easy starting point! Link Storywise. it starts off with our main character Jay getting the tapes for an old project from a friend and looking through them a few years later and noticing stuff.....very wrong in some of the tapes and deciding he needs to investigate further and that leads him down a...rather not good path and drags several characters back into the trenches with him in the process. Overall the editing and sound design is the main scare factor in this series with jumpscares being kinda minimal. So if you like horror with a more building and suspenseful atmosphere then this is a must watch! The characters are lovely, the story is really interesting and the mystery in it is really cool to see unfold. Fair warning tho that the editing does involve a lot of glitching aka flashing at points and the story starts of a bit slow but it picks up in a very natural way! ANYWAY yeah....in short its a youtube horror series about slenderman and glitching videos and mental illness :D I personally really recommend it and if you have more questions idk hit me up on my blog! Anyway back to danny o/

YEAH I AGREE W HIM !!!!!!!! very good summary :thumbsup: (he's not holding a gun to my head to say this) i found the story very captivating, the characters are definitely unique in personality and i was just staring at their face shapes all the time....... it hurts you a lot btw the story i mean it hurts SOOO much . watch it. NJEOW if you like angst and pain and interesting video editing and convincing acting