#if you have a cool idea because I inspired you...

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

Okay. Say you ask a small child to draw you a house, and they come up with something like this:

For the purposes of this analogy the child is shit at colouring in, because I only wanted to give the general idea.

So, we can all agree that the child who draws a house probably isn't trying to communicate anything in particular other than “look at this cool house I drew”, right?

Cool.

So… Why is it seemingly in the middle of nowhere, when most children live in houses with neighbours?

Why is the main body a square and the roof a solid triangle when that doesn't look like any house that has ever been built anywhere?

Why does it have a wood-burning stove with smoke actively coming out of the chimney, even though the sun indicates warm weather?

Why is the sun smiling? Why is it yellow?

Answer: because the child has seen picture books, and films, and the drawings of other children, and has on some level absorbed that this is what a house is meant to look like.

Face to face, the child almost certainly wouldn't know where to begin communicating “yellow is a colour culturally associated with happiness and warmth, and two dots accompanied by a curved line symbolically represent a smiling human face, so I have combined these attributes with the sun to convey that it is a very warm and pleasant day”.

Or “historically most houses in my country used fire for heat and cooking, and even though this is no longer the case for the majority of households, most media portrayals of houses are inspired by other, older, media portrayals and therefore include the chimney. I have chosen to follow this trend.”

Or even, “I have poor motor control because of my age, and large, 2 dimensional shapes are easier to draw than anything involving detail and perspective”.

Yet this is all information that you can pick up from detailed study of the house drawing.

Ultimately, it's not about what the writer intended. That's what the whole death of the author thing means.

If you think of literature like as a conversation, then think of all the analysis stuff that your English teacher keeps trying to get you to look at as like body language. It's the stuff that the other person doesn't even necessarily mean to communicate, but that can tell you a hell of a lot about what they mean.

[satosuguwifee]

Double Trouble, Double Love — Toji Fushiguro x Fem!Reader

wc: 843

contents: canon AU, fluff, familly

It was an idea inspired by a fanart here on tumblr! Here's the post!

It was another beautiful morning in Tokyo, the sun rising behind the city's tall buildings that seemed to almost touch the newly lit sky. A cool but cozy breeze brushed across his body as he walked in quick steps, messing up his slightly spiky hair while holding a shopping bag with his free hand.

Toji sighs lightly, observing the streets of the neighborhood with his sharp green eyes because, although he and Y/n had managed to get enough money to rent an apartment sufficient for their small family, the neighborhood wasn't exactly known for being one of the safest there, but it was kind of quiet during the day.

He then took his hand out of his hair and used it to get the keys from his coat pocket and open the door to the apartment, finding the familiar warmth of the room.

After leaving the bag containing diapers, a jar of his wife's favorite ice cream, baby milk and a bar of chocolate, he promptly went to their bedroom and came across the scene of Y/n fast asleep and, lying on her chest, were the twins Megumi and Milly, who were looking at their mother with doe eyes with an energy that neither of their parents had now.

“Are you two brats awake yet?” he then sighs tiredly, but a small smile forms on the corner of his lip as he approaches the little ones and sits down on the edge of the bed. ”Lucky you both are cute, you little pests.”

He says affectionately, even though he knows that Y/n doesn't like it when he refers to their children like that. Soon little Milly raised her eyes to him, the eyes that had even inherited their color from her mother, babbling something in baby language and stretching out a small hand towards him, making Toji's heart warm and take the baby in his arms.

“What is it, hm?” he asks, smiling when she just stares at him curiously. “You have your mother's look…” Toji quickly looked over at Megumi, who had his hand on Y/n's cheek and, since he was born, had a slightly more sullen and neutral look like his father. “And you, little man, you're pulling for Daddy here.”

Toji chuckled to himself, the scar on the right corner of his mouth stretching slightly with the movement, and soon he went around the bed to lie down on the empty side, leaving little Milly lying on his chest. He couldn't believe the turn his life had taken: since childhood he had always been despised and ignored by his own Zenin clan relatives because of his “defect” of not having cursed energy, and for many years he had been mistreated and abused by them until the day came when he fled that toxic environment, with no direction in life.

In order to survive, he began to take on underground jobs until he became a hitman and at the end of the day spent all his money on bets that he never won. Yeah, he was totally lost, until…

As he made his way back to the crumbling place he called home, he stopped at a coffee shop to order a simple coffee before his gaze turned to a slender, angelic figure behind the counter: Y/n, it said on the little badge pinned to her uniform.

And heavens, she had been kind to him like no one had ever been before, even frowning at him because of his slightly dirty and wrinkled clothes… She was like an angel and, without realizing it, that little creature had shot an arrow right through his heart, capturing him without giving him a chance to escape.

And, after five years together, they had formed their little family with Milly and Megumi who, while he rambled through his memories, had fallen asleep. The little girl slept against his chest, her tiny hand clutching the fabric of his blouse while Megumi slept on Y/n's chest, who was awake, staring at him with tiredness but indescribable love.

“Hello doll, did you sleep well?” he asked softly, closing his eyes as he felt her fingers gently run through his hair and heard her giggle.

“I did, but it's so early and it's so warm in here… I don't want to get up.” she says, moving closer to him on the bed and sighing. “Can we go back to sleep?”

Toji just nods, circling her waist with his free arm and kissing her temple before thanking whoever is up there for bumping into this wonderful woman, who looks after him and his children with such dedication that he feels more complete than ever. And then, surrounded by his wife and babies, Toji quickly falls asleep after nuzzling his nose against his wife's hair, smiling in a genuine and affectionate way that no one would have thought possible.

[aversiteespabilas]

HERE IT IS!! THE LONG-AWAITED RRCU MASTERPOST!!!

WHAT is the RRCU, exactly?

The Rise Rabbit Cinematic Universe is a series of derivative fanworks featuring original characters inspired by Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo comics and the spinoff show Samurai Rabbit, with lore and events set in the canonical world of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was created by myself (@aversiteespabilas) and @rhinocio, together with my best friend Iggy (@r3xcorvus) contributing with their own characters and plot and acting as writing consultant for the rabbits. If you know Stan Sakai's characters, you may find some things familiar, but ultimately, these are completely original characters with original storylines. It started with Rhin and I playing with the concept of our distinct versions of Rise!Usagi being estranged family, and it's now become a rich world of stories and characters that we really feel is worth sharing. Enjoy the ride!

Is this a Rise AU (Alternative Universe)?

Technically, no. RRCU stories are written on the assumption that everything that happens on the ROTTMNT canon does happen exactly as is. We're not working with alternate dimensions either, as the Usagi family are yokai, just like any other in the Hidden City. This is rather a Rise spin-off, focusing on original characters, how the yokai world or Ikai works, and our take on Hidden Japan. It's not an alternate universe, the rabbits are just busy doing their own stuff. However, we do have different alternative timelines or AUs within the RRCU. I'll get to that.

Are they like, dragon riders?

They are, thank you for noticing! I take great pride in that idea 'cause it's allowed me to do a lot of cool stuff. In the RRCU, tokage are large winged lizards, and the characters can ride them! Yuki's best friend Spot is also a loyal flying mount who carries him to adventure.

What's with the amount of rabbits? Seriously, there are SO many.

Well, this is about the Usagi Family. Several generations of them, in fact. We have a wide array of characters we write about or draw artwork for, young and old, living and deceased. At its core, the RRCU is about family, overcoming generational trauma, dealing with your heritage, and reconnecting with those you love.

Okay, but who is dating Leonardo Ninjaturtle, exactly?

Sometimes a rabbit. Sometimes a different rabbit. Sometimes, not a rabbit. Bottom line: It's not about Leo, though he does cameo and romantically feature in some of the fics. When we started merging our concepts of Usagi, Rhin and I already had plenty of canonical work written that featured Leo getting romantically involved with our respective Usagis. As a result of that, we decided each of us would take care of a different timeline or AU based mostly on who Leo is dating. Most of the time, in my own work, Leonardo will be dating Yuki. In Rhin's work, Leonardo might be dating Yusuke (in Rise's apocalyptic future) or perhaps a loveable human named Juan. Or perhaps nobody in particular.

Why are there fics in spanish in the Yuki Usagi (ROTTMNT) ao3 tag? Why do Yuki-focused fics reference stuff that hasn't been published before?

That is because I am spanish, and because before my fic journey, Yuki's story was developed in private (spanish) roleplay. That is why in Yuki's fics, I am assuming Leo and him are already friends, but in Run O' The Mill Rabbit I did my best to retroactively explain the events that led to their friendship regardless.

He's the young heir to the Usagi Family, and that comes with a massive amount of pressure that he's always been able to take in stride, in spite of his hearing disability. With unwavering confidence, commitment to Bushido, and a penchant for silliness, Yuki is always ready to take on any challenge. As an Usagi, though, his greatest challenge may actually be admitting when he's having real trouble, and letting others help him instead.

He's the Usagi Family's long-lost son, Tetsuya's 20-years-younger brother, and Yuki's forgotten uncle. After struggling to meet his samurai family's very strict expectations throughout his childhood, he travelled to America in search of purpose, and accidentally got Mariko pregnant instead. Since then, he's been forced to cut ties with the Usagi and has become radio silent. Weighed down by his shame and used to constantly running away, his only anchors are his son Jotaro and his very dear friends Mariko and Kenichi; yet, he still refuses to truly face the people he loves.

He's Yuki's father and Yusuke's 20-years-older brother. As the Usagi Family Head, his duty has always been preserving the family's dwindling reputation, ensuring traditions and protocol are followed, and being in charge of absolute perfection. However, this mindset has historically not made his family... like him very much, as hard as that is to believe. After his wife's passing and both his little brother and son running off to America, his loneliness has led to regrettable events that are forcing him to accept that he might not be all that perfect himself, either.

She was Tetsuya's first wife and Yuki's mother, before her unfortunate death in the line of duty. She was the lightheartedness and sweetness to Tetsuya's inflexible demeanor, and Tetsuya was a safety line for her more impulsive and daring traits. She had affinity for a very powerful mystic sword that her son Yuki inherited.

She's a hare, and Tetsuya's second wife. A ninja and skilled assassin sent to kill the Usagi Family Head, who eventually decided none of that ninja stuff was worth it anyway. She is supremely chill about everything, in ways the Usagi are still getting used to.

He's Tetsuya and Toshiko's son, which makes him Yuki's baby brother, and a hare-rabbit hybrid yokai. We are sure he will not grow into a troublemaker or anything.

He's Yusuke's very american best friend (though he himself would prefer a different appellative), Mariko's husband, and the dad who stepped up. His love for his own pack is fierce to a fault, so his distaste for the Usagi and everything they stand for often feels more personal than warranted.

She's Kenichi's wife, Jota's mom, and formerly (though she herself would prefer it were currently) Yusuke's date. Also coming from a high-standing family that kept clipping her wings, Mari's gone with a totally different coping mechanism from Yusuke's, and has adopted the Fun, Cool Mom label for herself. She will not be made to choose who she's allowed to love, or how intensely. Not anymore.

He's Yusuke, Mariko, and Kenichi's wonderful son, and he was named Jotaro first, okay? Tetsuya just never even knew it. Although his parents have done their best to keep him away from their own complicated family issues, Jota has become a very emotionally intelligent and mature child regardless, and gets frustrated when they insist on babying him.

She's Keiko's older sister, and Yuki's beloved aunt. Multifaceted, a bit eccentric, and the family's first polyglot, she's constantly learning new skills, and will support and encourage openness of mind in the Usagi as well, though she's not interested in courtly life at all. She was the one to teach Yuki english, and they also learned japanese sign language together, which has led to the two of them having a very deep connection. He often asks and accepts help from her in a way he's never had with anyone, not even his own parents.

He's a young eagle yokai raised under Bishop's orders and yokai fear-mongering. He would eventually become Mikey's best friend, and, as he unlearns his misguided beliefs and opens up to others, he occasionally stumbles upon the Usagi, who are keen to adopt angry street rats like him.

Would you like to learn how I draw our characters?

I'm currently working on a series of RRCU character design notes, so check that out!

Banner art by @rhinocio

This is not an exhaustive list of RRCU fics! There are more works in the series that won't be featured here. This space is meant to showcase the fics I personally think are most relevant and essential to understand the rabbit characters, their lore and main storyline.

Find the entire RRCU fic series HERE!!

After a mysterious alien invasion has destroyed New York City, Usagi Yuki's trip to meet his american friend Leo becomes a trip to help the denizens of New York instead.

Category: Gen

Setting: Post-ROTTMNT Movie canon

Status: Completed

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Chapters: 7

Characters featured: Yuki-centric. Also features Sakiko, Tetsuya, Keiko, and (briefly) Toshiko and Jojo.

Why read this one?: This is probably the best introduction to the RRCU if you're already a fan of Rise and want to see an interesting take on teen Usagi. It features a bunch of familiar secondary characters and settings from Rise.

Famed samurai Usagi Tetsuya's wife just passed, and he is left to live alone with a teenaged boy and the guilt of their estranged family. As the eldest daughter of her clan of assassins, Toshiko is expected to succeed her mother and earn her place as mistress of the clan. However, she must first complete one last mission: kill the head of the Usagi family.

Category: F/M

Setting: Hidden Tokyo, spanning from the time leading to the Shredder's awakening to some time after the ROTTMNT movie canon.

Status: Work In Progress

Rating: Mature

Chapters: 4/9

Characters featured: Tetsuya and Toshiko-centric. Also features Yuki, Keiko, Yusuke, Sakiko and baby Jojo.

Why read this one?: If you're interested in Tetsuya's side of the story, and/or would like to delve into a fully original Hidden City, and/or are into a POV-switching romance story between older characters with terrible secrets, this is the one for you.

Usagi Yusuke is the second son of Hidden Tokyo's Usagi Clan. He is a mediocre, masterless samurai-in-training. He is also, abruptly, a father. The last of those, according to his elder brother, is a shameful thing. The last of those, in Yusuke's opinion, makes the former unimportant. He will do what he must to provide for his son, even if that means moving half a world away and cutting ties with his family entirely. Of course, just because he has loved and let go does not mean his nephew has the same intention.

Banner art by @rhinocio

Category: Multi

Setting: Post-ROTTMNT Movie canon, alternating with Hidden Tokyo flashback chapters.

Status: Work In Progress

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Chapters: 21/46

Characters featured: Yusuke-centric. Also heavily features every other rabbit character.

Why read this one?: If you're looking to understand why the Usagi Family is the way it is, the nature of all their issues and exactly how they get through them as a family, this is the one fic you should check out. It is also my most favorite one, personally.

It’s not like him. Not like either of them, rushing into a game without joking about it first. They’ve got an established back and forth, and they've been using it for years: Leonardo’s the Rebel Leader who teases like he means something, Usagi’s the Bodyguard who humours him, and nothing they say ever goes anywhere.

Banner art by @rhinocio

Category: M/M

Setting: ROTTMNT Apocalypse timeline.

Status: Work In Progress

Rating: Explicit

Chapters: 12/21

Characters featured: Leo and Yusuke-centric. I will update this section if more RRCU characters are featured.

Why read this one?: Those of you looking for leosagi smut that's mature and has an Usagi with an interesting backstory should absolutely check this one out. This is also a peek into what Yusuke is like in the Krang-dominated apocalypse, where he never gets a chance to face his many issues.

Banner art by @rhinocio

Browse commentary and artwork here on tumblr through the tags!

Main tag: RRCU

Character design notes tag: RRCU design notes

Tags by fic: ROTMRfic, H&Hfic, under the sword lifted high, NONUfic

Tags by character: usagi yuki, usagi yusuke, usagi tetsuya, usagi keiko, usagi toshiko, usagi jotaro, usagi jota, usagi jojo, yoshikawa kenichi, kobayashi mariko, payne

We hope you guys enjoy playing in the rabbit sandbox with us! Please, don't hesitate to comment, send asks or just chat with us! This is our pride and joy and it makes us so happy to know people enjoy our work!

[ecoterrorist-katara]

What do you think about the fact that Sokka became chief of the SWT in canon? Did Katara want the position? If she did, what did she think about Sokka getting it instead of her? And if she didn’t want the position, why?

hello!!! Great question. Oh man I am Not happy about Sokka becoming chief of the SWT…I think he should’ve gone to Ba Sing Se University and gotten an engineering degree and spent his life making cool inventions…

I do think Sokka is a leader, but there are many flavours of leadership and he strikes me more as a very competent bureaucrat more than somebody who makes decisions on the world stage. I think he actually could’ve made a terrific technocratic advisor to someone like Katara, who is not quite as detail-oriented when it comes to solving problems. Like if the Water Tribes ever had, idk, a supply chain or procurement problem, Sokka would be all over that. If we’re talking about who displays more traditional qualities of leadership (willingness to take initiative, comfort with public speaking, tact and diplomacy, willingness to hear out different perspectives, ability to inspire others), Katara has a natural inclination. They could’ve been cool co-rulers too, actually.

As for whether Katara wanted to be Chief: so! Great question! I think if anyone had ever asked Katara “hey do you want to be the Chief of the Southern Water Tribes,” she would’ve been shocked, then said YES. Unequivocally.

But: we don’t see adult women in any positions of power in ATLA, and I think that’s something that Katara subconsciously internalized. As much as she’s a feminist icon who’d fight Pakku, I’m not sure she ever thought about women in positions of political power. Remember that the reason Katara was so set on learning combat waterbending was because the South did have female waterbending fighters, so she knew it was a possibility, but she’s never heard even a hint of the idea that a woman could be a ruler. Even Kiyoshi Island, the girlboss utopia, is run by a man. The only time we see a woman potentially becoming a ruler of anything is when Azula was briefly made Fire Lord, and even then it was pretty clear that she was supposed to be a puppet. In the North, Yue was never going to be Chief and everyone seemed to have accepted that, and Katara doesn’t find it unfair. This sounds so stupid, but I think this is why it’s important to have role models, you know? Katara would 1000% want to be Chief if anyone ever told her that it was an option.

What I do find super weird is how Katara also never seemed interested in a seat on the United Republic Council, even though working with people and pursuing justice and peace is very much Katara’s thing, and we do know that the URC had at least one Councilwoman. I don’t have a Watsonian explanation for Katara’s comparative political irrelevance that isn’t extremely sad (i.e. she decided she’d rather spend energy on restoring Air Temple Island and raising her children instead of pursuing a career in politics even though Toph also did a whole Thing while being a single mom).

I think if the writers of the comics and TLOK had gotten their heads out of the “girl power = girls fight good” mentality, they would have realized that Katara would be an amazing world leader. But they didn’t (and to be fair they seemed to have also forgotten that Katara fights at all), and we must live with the dumpster fire that is Katara’s canon arc.

[the-writing-mobster]

Hey.

Just a gentle reminder... That in an overwhelming majority of Undertale fanfic, Frisk IS the villain.

This is a gentle reminder that a majority of fanfics where Frisk is Sans's victim... Sans is the point of view character.

A gentle reminder that in an overwhelming majority of murder mystery novels, victims are used as plot devices and seen as objects to be brutalized for the story, and detectives are the main characters.

A gentle reminder that pop culture is deeply fascinated with the minds of cruel men, and their stories are told 90% of the time.

.

.

.

So... TMDG is a small drop in the well of something that is not that. It's a murder mystery I want to tell focused on the victims; their hopes, their dreams, and how that was robbed of them...

And Undertale just happens to be the gift wrapping I chose to present this story in, because Sans is my muse.

Thank you! Enjoy! Go forth and prosper, darlings.

Mwah!

🫶🏻💗

[sunlitriddle]

Have you ever been so possessed by a half-baked thought that you drew two pics just to get it out of your brain? Yeah, me neither.

These are kinda old, about a year apart. I forgot where I was going with the first pic, making a deal you can't refuse, probably... but I REALLY wanted to take some liberties with his costume on the second one. I mean, even still, I conveniently forgot his chunky white cuffs in the first one.

[zhanael]

Okay! Let's break this down, then. I'm not sure if anyone ever sat down with y'all for a discussion, so fine, I'll do it.

This game have just turned into another Yandere Simulator where any real development to the game is non-existent. Each new update to the game is just utterly broken and all the majority of new content to the game is just easter eggs and random shit for the sandbox mode.

In what way is it broken, may I ask? Are you playing the test versions? Because playing the stable release of 0.8.2 feels very polished! A game can never release without any bugs; that's the nature of programming. There's a long-standing joke:

99 programming bugs in the code / 99 programming bugs / Take one down, patch it around / 111 programming bugs in the code

VotV is amazingly well-done for a game still classified as pre-alpha stage. This feels more like late beta, if not release. This is as done as any other game I've played.

VotV is already at 8.2 yet nothing has changed in game's basic gameplay, mechanics and horror element or anything to make the game more interesting. Sure the redesign is cool n all but the game is a hollow shell of it's former self. And it's pretty clear that the developers don't care about actually finishing the game.

0.8.2* We're not even at 1.0 yet.

Now, that said, a question for you. Do you know what a "core gameplay loop" is? If you don't, this site goes into more detail, but in essence, it defines the entire game and how it plays, from batting a bunch of pixels back and forth in Pong, to shooting zombies and players in Call of Duty, to running, jumping, and squashing goombas in Super Mario Bros.

In VotV, the core gameplay loop is "find signal, download signal, refine signal, send out signal," enhanced by "go get hash codes." It was, after all, inspired by Signal Simulator. It could have very well just stopped there and been a fully-fleshed-out game. Simulator games were never really meant to be more than that, though some do put silly twists on it, like Goat Simulator or Power Washer Simulator. They're usually just meant to be actual simulations of real-life things, like American Truck Simulator or Microsoft Flight Simulator. As it is, VotV has Ambience Mode, which is exactly that. You don't even have to fix servers and satellites.

But MDN decided to put his own twist on the Signal Simulator model, and is adding and refining his own touches by adding the spooky stuff. He also chose to tie it to his other games by adding the Rozitals and Antibreather. But at its heart, it's a game where you work your job while spooky stuff happens around you; that's it. That's all it needs to be.

You might find it boring at this point because you've played it so much. I myself have 300+ hours in it. But the core gameplay loop does NOT need more iteration; it's very solid.

For every "big updates" they add at least 12% of new events and special signals into the game, but everything else added is just easter eggs, memes, self-inserts and bullshit features and content that serves 0 purpose shoved into the game. It's pretty clear that the developers have zero idea on what to actually add in term of making the game more interesting so all they do is throw any useless features into the game to see if it works. Now the game is no longer a signal hunting horror game and is just a shitpost G-mod sandbox game.

Are you certain about that? Krampus was pretty damn fun, especially since I just recently learned that he can shoot fireballs at you if he can't reach you for whatever reason. That was fun to discover! And the whole Christmas event was great, I was quite impressed.

Now it's over, but I'm still enjoying myself building up KerfO the new way, building a new garden, decorating with the new neon signs (fun fact: the ASO neon sign fits exactly over the faded painted logo on the outside of the base, that's pretty clever), all on top of going though the usual. This is, after all, Kellin's home for... however long a canary in the coal mine may last. May as well make it that way, especially while the horrors persist.

And what self-inserts? Erie does not actually have any impact on the story at all. She's a plushie you can make if you know what to do, and she's on a couple neon signs, but that's it. Very easy to ignore. Do you then mean that Rozital bird thing at The Hole for one day? The Rozital that washes the ATV one day? Esraniki???

But it seems your problem is the existence of references to other games and people at all, which is, frankly, weird. Developers reference their own games all the time; just look at how many StarCraft and Diablo references there are in the whole Warcraft series, or how often FFXIV references previous Final Fantasy games (hell, this latest expansion is just one big Final Fantasy IX reference). Hell, there's a taxidermied chocobo in New York City's Museum of Natural History in Parasite Eve, a 1997 Playstation horror game. References are not a bad thing, and no, they are NOT a majority of VotV.

(Also, touching briefly on the streamer/YouTuber plushies/easter eggs: It's just a cool thing for him to do as thanks to those streamers/YouTubers for helping to spread the word about the game. It's still not a bad thing.)

MDN likes his characters and his games. At the end of the day, he's making what he wants to see in the world; if people enjoy it, that's even better. But he's not specifically making it for other people--he is not obligated to listen to anyone but the team with whom he's working. That includes you, me, Kaiden, or anyone else outside the individuals on the left side of the title screen (NOT the Patreon subscribers). He doesn't owe us anything, and the sooner y'all realize that, the better.

The horror aspect of this game is not there anymore. The eerie atmosphere the game once had is completely gone as nothing in term of horror of any kind is there. Really how can you take this game serious anymore when there is this you can find IN GAME.

And here you insert an example of a pair of statues that one has to noclip past the hard barrier to find.

Noclip, which is only available on Sandbox Mode.

Sandbox Mode, which you have to play 30 Story Mode days to unlock.

...yeah, that's not the gotcha you think it is, buddy.

Anyway, I've been going out of my way to watch new players streaming VotV on Twitch, and for them, the horror is alive and well. None of the decor mean anything to them when Red Sky makes its appearance, or when the superfog brings a thunder wisp, or when Black Fog rolls in. They remain ignorant of those statues when there's things creeping around and banging on their vents, or yellow wisps are tearing off their limbs. Who cares about Erie, when something is stealing meat from the meat locker for some unknown purpose?

Again, all of this is probably old hat to you... but you're jaded. So am I. But new players? To new players, yeah, there's definitely plenty of horror. One needs only browse this tag or the category on Twitch to see that.

Or the fact you can befriend the catgirl aliens.

Man, the idea of contact with alien life has been the dream of humanity for decades. You don't think a real-life scientist wouldn't jump at the chance to do so?? What the fuck kinda sci-fi have you been reading??

Of course, that's assuming a new player even knows who/what they are and how to befriend them. Your average player is definitely not gonna know not to take the stuff from the picnic, or to not mess with the cool tech at the campsite. They're definitely not going to know to bring their new neighbors shrimp. Except for the occasional graffiti that may or may not appear, there's nothing in the game--still--that indicates that's what players need to do to impress their new neighbors.

All the actual horror and scary stuff in the game have gone completely stale as they're not that scary.

Playing through the game a second time will just be completely boring as all the cheap jumpscare attempts are just plain dumb.

I reiterate: You're jaded.

As someone who has not only wiped her saves, but deleted the VotV appdata folder countless times now for the purposes of starting completely fresh... I'm still having fun even though I know what's coming. There are still signals I haven't seen yet, events I haven't gotten, and some things still take me by surprise--the arirals' catapult prank, for instance. The deep reverberation of the yellow wisps still sends a chill up my spine. I literally made my own isolated version of the Bad Sun alarm because it's just that cool.

It does sound like the game has lost its charm for you, though.

The Arirals were not scary and never will be.

Says you. I think the average player who's never actually seen them before the posters go up on the treehouse, but who has probably had a few encounters with them already (picnic, the construction site by Yankee, messing with the cooler/beds/heater/etc.), will more than likely think otherwise!

The Rozitals, although very awesome and underrated, are just not scary.

....yeaaahhhhhh. Let's see what we've got, hmm?

Giant pyramid bot with massive scythe arms, which can crush you like kibble without a second thought.

A squad of octopods, as tall as the trees, who obliterate you if they think you're running away from them, but otherwise pin you down to make sure you're not a threat before dismissing you like an insect.

Massive Borg spaceship flyover that shakes the very earth you stand on.

A silent bird-like creature, very uncanny-valley, surrounded by very hostile and very mobile creatures that will shoot you without a second thought.

Depending on if you get the Life Crystal signal, shoots down a beam of light that lights up the night, and later sends a mysterious piece of tech exploding into the sky.

Yeah, none of that is at all scary to anyone who hasn't read other sci-fi. /s

All the Aliens in the game are just dumb and/or not even scary.

The only exception I can make are the Greys and yet they are the most undeveloped addition to the game and it's lore.

The Greys were clearly never planned to be in the game, as drnose have said many time before that they wouldn't be the game. But that changed because of Joel and his fear of them.

Joel is the only large youtuber who gives this game attention.

The Greys are the best part of this game, however they do not have the same spotlight as the Arirals.

The Greys have barely any lore due to how undeveloped it is since drnose care more about his 6 tiddie catgirl aliens the arirals.

The Greys were actually the only good redeeming addition to the game after 6.2 and they are unfortunately not going to be expanded upon.

Oh no, someone enjoyed a part of the game and MDN decided to expound on it as a result, how terrible! /s again

Greys take up the entirety of Days 40-52 now, my man. After the Rozitals do their thing, the Greys are, aside from dumping their trash on the base, now sending cyborg boars and fire tanks to absolutely destroy things--including the player. There's a massive battle by the ariral treehouse involving more boars and fire tanks than Kellin alone can handle, near the end of current story mode--which now ends at 52 days, IIRC.

And yet... that's not scary, huh?

Like I said... jaded.

The game is already losing its relevance as many former fans are leaving the fanbase because of how scummy the developers are and how disgusting and degenerate the fandom is. And any new videos about VotV, especially from Joel, have dropped significantly in viewer counts.

[CITATION NEEDED]

Like holy fuck dude, that's the complete opposite of objectively true. The Discord server alone has almost SIXTY-TWO THOUSAND (62,000) individuals in it, and I can guarantee that that's only a portion of the actual playerbase. Possibly a big portion, but not the whole of it by any means.

I can't speak to viewer counts, but frankly, that doesn't mean much. YouTube has been getting especially aggressive with their advertising, as well as with their demonetization of anything that isn't *family-friendly," so I'd imagine view counts have actually dropped across the entire site. Add to that the efforts to restrict Internet access across the world in the guise of "save the children" (age verification laws, content bans, etc.), and yeah, there definitely is a drop in viewership.

Note that none of that has anything to do with, quote, "how disgusting and degenerate the fandom is."

(Tangent: Please read this page and realize the term "degenerate" in the context you're using it has roots in white supremacy and Naziism and stop fucking using it, for fuck's sake.)

Anyway, I have no idea when this ended up getting posted instead of saved in my drafts, so I'm cutting it here. But Voices of the Void is nowhere near dying, and in fact, I'd say it's thriving. Have a good night, kiddo.

The progression of VotV's development is garbage. Pt. 1

This game have just turned into another Yandere Simulator where any real development to the game is non-existent. Each new update to the game is just utterly broken and all the majority of new content to the game is just easter eggs and random shit for the sandbox mode. VotV is already at 8.2 yet nothing has changed in game's basic gameplay, mechanics and horror element or anything to make the game more interesting. Sure the redesign is cool n all but the game is a hollow shell of it's former self. And it's pretty clear that the developers don't care about actually finishing the game. For every "big updates" they add at least 12% of new events and special signals into the game, but everything else added is just easter eggs, memes, self-inserts and bullshit features and content that serves 0 purpose shoved into the game. It's pretty clear that the developers have zero idea on what to actually add in term of making the game more interesting so all they do is throw any useless features into the game to see if it works. Now the game is no longer a signal hunting horror game and is just a shitpost G-mod sandbox game. The horror aspect of this game is not there anymore. The eerie atmosphere the game once had is completely gone as nothing in term of horror of any kind is there. Really how can you take this game serious anymore when there is this you can find IN GAME.

Or the fact you can befriend the catgirl aliens. All the actual horror and scary stuff in the game have gone completely stale as they're not that scary. Playing through the game a second time will just be completely boring as all the cheap jumpscare attempts are just plain dumb.

The Arirals were not scary and never will be. The Rozitals, although very awesome and underrated, are just not scary. All the Aliens in the game are just dumb and/or not even scary. The only exception I can make are the Greys and yet they are the most undeveloped addition to the game and it's lore. The Greys were clearly never planned to be in the game, as drnose have said many time before that they wouldn't be the game. But that changed because of Joel and his fear of them. Joel is the only large youtuber who gives this game attention. The Greys are the best part of this game, however they do not have the same spotlight as the Arirals. The Greys have barely any lore due to how undeveloped it is since drnose care more about his 6 tiddie catgirl aliens the arirals. The Greys were actually the only good redeeming addition to the game after 6.2 and they are unfortunately not going to be expanded upon.

The game is already losing its relevance as many former fans are leaving the fanbase because of how scummy the developers are and how disgusting and degenerate the fandom is. And any new videos about VotV, especially from Joel, have dropped significantly in viewer counts.

The only thing keeping this game alive is the multiplayer mod that is currently in development, but yet it still won't save the game from becoming dead before it gets into Alpha.

[ifindus]

1660 - Cavalryman - Several wars under Denmark against Sweden.

1697 - Gunner - pre-Great Nordic War under Denmark against Sweden.

1774 - Skiing Soldier - pre-Theater War under Denmark against Sweden.

1785 - Infantryman - pre-Great Northern War under Denmark against Sweden.

1808 - Coast Guard Officer - Napoleonic Wars under Denmark.

1845 - Infantryman - pre-First Schleswig War under Sweden against Germany.

1855 - Infantryman - during the Crimean War (Sweden-Norway debated joining the UK and France against Russia).

1905 - Hunter - preparing for wars of independence against Sweden.

1914 - Engineer Officer - First World War.

1940 - Infantry Officer - Second World War.

[oneluckydragon]

The wives of all time? The wives of all time!!

@s1nn0hh I love Gaia and Erida so much c:

[uncanny-tranny]

Yet another crochet and knit hack: the patterns are a mild suggestion. You can do what you want forever, you have free will 💛💛💛

[lukas-wrld]

This was another reminder to actually put myself together and get my story written, so thank you @mjparkerwriting for tagging me!

I shall be using my yet to be properly introduced, or planned, or actually started story idea, How to be the Perfect Daughter (working title)! The idea is that in the process of answering these questions, I'll figure out more of the story, so without much further ado-

What is the main lesson of your story? Why did you choose it?

I'm still not sure how to put it into precise words, but I'm playing around with the idea of "the ability to define yourself/choose your future/live your life gets increasingly difficult if the context you're in doesn't really let you do that" or something like that. Currently, anyway. Definitely liable to change at some point, lol

I didn't necessarily choose it, but rather, it's kind of the culmination of a couple of years of mulling over this story idea and changing as a person and the idea becoming more than just a way for me to vent out my frustrations and anger

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?

The real world. My own life experiences, as sparse as they are, lol. Childhood rage from lockdown

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, or help the reader grow as a person?

Daughter wants to be seen as more than just that, more than just a second mother or a soon to be wife despite her entire culture kind of telling her otherwise.

With her, I'm trying to achieve some kind of catharsis. Maybe show people that the proverbial glass ceiling is sometimes there, and sometimes sucks, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you can't make the most of what is beneath that ceiling

How many chapters is your story going to have?

I'm not sure. If you couldn't already tell, I'm barely even on the planning stage XD

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Original content! I hope to publish it some day, though I think I wouldn't mind if I just posted it somewhere on the internet and called it a day

When did you start writing?

The earliest time I can remember that wasn't school assignments was probably around 2018/2019. I had recently discovered fanfiction and had stumbled across the wonderful realisation that I could write my own!

Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers do you follow?

As much as I'm pretty much just reiterating what's already been said;

your writing is a lot better than you think it is, so keep on at it!

write out your ideas and your hopes and all the vibes you want to incorporate into your story

write away your fears and insecurities and the stagnation that wants to settle

write whatever your head won't let you forget and the aches that linger in your heart

but just make sure that you write

I remember a really cool analogy that I saw somewhere here that went something like;

your words and works and WIPs that you write down are like seeds you plant in a garden;

sometimes they won't always come out looking the best;

they may not be vibrant or fruitful or even very pretty

but because you planted them, and when the time comes for them to die,

they'll make for excellent fertiliser for the next batch of seeds

and you best believe after all your hard work with the first batch

the next one will turn out much, much better

and the one after that, and forever

so make sure you plant your seeds!

Gently tagging: @the-ellia-west @the-stray-storyteller @aalinaaaaaa @hero-coded

@blackwood4stucky @bebewrites @hayatheauthor @agirlandherquill

@ashwithapen @friendlyshaped @dendotdrabbles @cupandquillcafe

and of course, any other writer who's interested!

author ask tag

Thank you @the-inkwell-variable for tagging me. I had to think hard on these answers.

I'll use my current WIP for this. It was once called TLBH. Now, its WotG. We will see if it changes again.

What is the main lesson of your story? Why did you choose it?

I think the main lesson would be that there's always something bigger than you, and sometimes you have to decide whether or not that something is great enough for you to change as a person. My characters go through and will continue to go through a lot. They are constantly tested and while some of them rise above it all--no question about it, others struggle with every step. Some are never able to stand up at all.

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?

I used the real world as inspiration. I really like history and religion, so I studied tons of cultures and languages and historical events. I have a lot of mythology, history, and religion/philosophy books and links saved because I'm just so fascinated with how everyone sees and understands things differently.

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, or help the reader grow as a person?

It is multiple POV, but without giving away too much, I’d say that every character is searching for purpose and acceptance in one way or another. I think I, as the writer, want to show how motivations change as we change as people, and that's okay. I want to tell a story that inspires people to love, change, fight, and live.

How many chapters is your story going to have?

I'm currently looking at a series with five books total. This first story will have 35-36 chapters.

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

All OG. I want to publish traditionally, but we'll see what happens.

When did you start writing?

Since I could string together semi complex thoughts and also hold a pencil lol. I've always liked writing. I started writing fanfics some time in high school, maybe around age 15. If you want to get technical, though, my first fanfiction was in elementary school and it was about young Jack Sparrow before he became THEE Jack Sparrow.

Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers do you follow?

WRITE! Who cares if you think it's ass?

Write the story you always wanted to read but could never find.

Talk to other writers. Make friends. It can be very lonely, but having people that understand what you're doing and are also going through the same process is helpful.

I'm still working on the last one.

I follow a ton of writers on here, so I think I'll tag a bunch of people just for the hell of it.

@frantheram @mrbexwrites @stargazingdustbunny @marsh0mallows99th @cwritesfiction @writingamongther0ses @paintedbutton @inkednotebook @lukas-wrld @writinglittlebeasts @vicwriting @kae-luna @the-orangeauthor @kckramer @ghost-type-writer @phynewrites @wildswrites @jamieanovels @tabswrites

[bonefall]

mistystar n who

I think fratboy Podlight who sends his powerful grandmother stupid texts is a VERY funny concept.

"My dad didn't love me because he could never move on from the lover he had in his 20s. My sister is up to no good. I party hard at Aftergatherings about it, are you rockin' with me?"

He is 38 cat-years-old.

[quinn-pop]

woahhh it’s an idol au !!!!!

after a falling out with hyness, the three mage sisters (who aren’t actually mages here lol) went out on their own! they’re not very used to being around other people but they’re trying to get by! it’s tough but they’ve got it!!!

only zan keeps running into this one person: magolor, who insists on recruiting her to be an idol, of all things

she is definitely put off at first—idols are ridiculous! frivolous! shameless!—but once she learns more…and more importantly, is promised a lot of money…well, what has she got left to lose?

zan is the group center and magolor is the manager…magolor also definitely does not have any of the money he is promising, as he is very close to being fired from *squints* dedede’s talent agency. yeah that’s a thing now. magolor has kinda just failed again and again to get anywhere with his ideas, and so he puts all he has into this group

…okay maybe this is more of an entertainment au because i threw in Literally Every Other Character. for example, yeah, dedede, who is obviously as professional as you’d expect (sarcasm.)

the agency itself is uhhh not doing great because dedede doesn’t know what he’s doing (did you think he would? self proclaimed king, everyone /lh) but he is very enthusiastic, at least, and good with people

there’s also professional fight choreographer meta knight and the kid he swears isn’t his (it is. he’s adopted) said kid listens to a lot of music and even becomes a fan of the mages <3

meta is the only one here to actually have a reason to wear sunglasses other than in an attempt to look cool lmao.

susie, in charge of marketing, who has her own dad problems that would definitely parallel the mages’. she totally isn’t jealous of them and their bond and that they get to be idols (also sarcasm)

yeah she’s gonna join later lol

there’s also the superstar solo idol, (stage name) sectonia

she takes her work very seriously and really plays up the whole parasocial relationship aspect of being an idol, meeting fans and putting on an act for the cameras. she is very charismatic but kiiiind of self centered, and her desire to be adored often gets the better of her

since there’s not really magic in this au, she never had the chance to turn evil, but that longing for love and approval is still there

she’s kind of the mages’ rival because she embodies so much of what zan hates about idols (but maybe they’re more alike than they think…?)

[st4zia]

Marina, where are you?

[maxblonda]

wes, warly and non-verbal communication

i know we've seen wes communicate in both pantomime and asl, the latter of which can help him with any language barriers he has with the cast if he doesn't speak english (as the only time we "hear" from him is in the english translation for his solo performance on stage, so we at least know he thinks in french. doesn't necessarily mean that he can only communicate in french since he uses asl- but i guess you could argue that asl has more visibility than lsf- whatever, point being that he at the very least doesn't speak or write in english) but i feel like not enough people have explored the possibilities of his communication with warly, who also speaks french and addresses other characters with french honorifics.

there's already a link they have in game with wes's favorite food only being able to be cooked by warly. there's also warly's constant usage of "mon ami(e)" to address characters, which i take as a sign that he can be just as warm and friendly as wes is (i mean, forgiving maxwell for imprisoning him for what was supposed to be eternity is remarkably kind.)

as for lore-based links, i'm not sure if wes lived in paris, specifically, like warly used to, but i wouldn't be surprised with the way klei has characters cross paths that you'd never expect (ie wickerbottom and willow, walter and woodie) that they could have potentially ran into one another but have no recollection of it. furthermore- it could be kinda sweet to imagine that warly could have seen wes on the streets of paris down on his luck after his shift and taken time out of his night to give him some nice fresh food.

but to be real i really just wanted to write this because i had this one thought of warly knowing some level of french sign language (maybe working on it with one of wickerbottom's books. that lady does have access to a bunch of knowledge, why not books on sign language of all kinds?) and surprising wes when he comes back to base after a long day by signing some sort of equivalent to "i'm so glad you came back safe, mon ami." and wes immediately feeling seen, signing back thank you with a smile, feeling like not only is there someone who knows french, but also is willing to go out of his way to learn to communicate with him in a way that considers wes's own abilities and to find a way to further include him in exchanges between the survivors.

additionally, woodie could join in on the fun. i already imagine as a result of his quotes that he has a pretty heavy canadian english accent, if he has any experience with french it'd likely be quebecois french. so i imagine wes and warly hearing him try to communicate with them in whatever limited french he knows in an accent they're not at all exposed to and simply blinking in silence at him before warly says "come again?"

but back to the two frenchmen. warly could ask wes what he would like to eat by pointing at pictures, sure, or just making whatever he wants and sharing with the other survivors, but i like the idea of warly being considerate enough to sign to wes in lsf, asking him that way instead and getting a direct answer. and the answer is almost always crepes.

[sulfuric-nest]

Soundwave’s Tango

Happy Valentine’s Day to THE Robot Husband