#listen this is my preferred reading style and there's nothing wrong with that

[khruschevshoe]

Sometimes I see people say that a book reads like a well-written fanfic (derogatory) and I'm like oh, y'all really don't understand what I'm into. You're saying this has a heavy focus on character development, a slight overindulgence in commas that leads to an almost lyrical rhythm, a few too many fragments so the narration feels more natural/lived in, a couple too many metaphors (though I can never have enough metaphors), just enough world-building to buttress character arcs, and a nice dash of good-old fashioned fanservice? And that annoys you?

Do y'all just not like fun anymore?

[askmrtorgue]

HEY! YOU THERE! WANT TO PLAY A TABLETOP ADVENTURE WITH A PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLER?

I'M MISTER TORGUE, AND THE NERD WHO HELPS ME LOG INTO THIS ACCOUNT ASKED ME TO DO AN AD FOR HIS SERVICES. I TOLD HIM I WOULD, BUT ONLY IF I GOT TO WRITE IT MYSELF. SO STRAP IN, DUMPSUCKS. IT'S PRODUCT PLACEMENT TIME:

--

DO YOU WANT TO PLAY DUNGEONS & DRAGONS BUT YOU CAN'T FIND SOMEONE TO RUN YOUR GAMES?

ARE YOU FED UP WITH A GAME MASTER WHO WON'T LET YOU STRAIGHT-UP MAKE OUT WITH THE VILLAINS OF THEIR STORY?

DO YOU WANT WANT TO LEARN TABLETOP RPGS BUT EVERYONE WHO TRIES TO EXPLAIN IT USES THINGS LIKE MATH AND SPREADSHEETS AND YOU CAN'T STOP THEM BECAUSE FATAL SUPLEXES ARE ILLEGAL ON YOUR PLANET?

THEN YOU NEED BENCOMPETENCE, PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLER AND GAME MASTER.

BRAOOWWWWW-CHICKABRAOW EXPLOSION NOISE HEREEEEEEEE!

BENCOMPETENCE HAS RUN OVER 800 PROFESSIONAL SESSIONS OF TABLETOP GAMES, INCLUDING DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, CITY OF MIST, THIRSTY SWORD LESBIANS, AND MORE. HE HAS OVER ONE-HUNDRED 5-STAR REVIEWS FROM HIS CLIENTS, WHICH IS PROBABLY MORE THAN 12 MAYBE.

NOT ONLY DOES BEN OWN A PAIR OF CAT-EAR HEADPHONES, HE EXCELS AT RIPPING YOUR HEART STRAIGHT OUT OF ITS RIBCAGE USING NOTHING BUT COMPELLING, ROMANCEABLE CHARACTERS AND BADASS EPIC ADVENTURES. IN FACT, EVEN HIS VILLAINS ARE SEXY AS F*CK. JUST CHECK OUT THIS VAMPIRE FROM ONE OF HIS CAMPAIGNS:

THIS MURDER MOMMY IS ABSOLUTELY ABOUT TO KILL ME AND MY ONLY RESPONSE WILL BE TO THANK HER. HER NAME IS THE COUNTESS STRAHD AND SHE IS COLD AS SHE IS HOT. TEMPERATURE PUNS!!!

NOT YOUR STYLE?!?! WE RESPECT YOUR PREFERENCES AND HUMBLY RECOMMEND AVELINE BAMBRIDGE.

AVELINE'S AN AVID MASK COLLECTOR, ARCANE WAR CRIMINAL, AND FIERCE ADVOCATE OF WOMEN'S WRONGS. YOU CAN MEET HER IN MASKS OF AVELINE.

OR MAYBE YOU WANT TO EXERCISE YOUR GOD-GIVEN RIGHT TO BE THE BADDIE ALL BY YOURSELF???!?? THEN IT'S TIME TO SOLVE SOME MAGICAL NOIR CRIMES, MOTHERF*CKER.

BECOME A DETECTIVE INFUSED WITH THE MYTH OF YOUR CHOICE IN CITY OF MIST.

THIS ONE GIVES YOU MAGIC POWERS AND PLOT TWISTS, AND IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT THE WEATHER IN THE TITLE SO YOU KNOW IT'S DEEP AS SH*T.

OR MAYBE YOU'RE SAYING "F*CK READING, I WANT TO DO CRIMES AND BLOW UP SH*T". AND IF YOU SAID THAT, PLEASE CALL ME SO THAT WE CAN HANG OUT SOMETIME.

BUT ALSO CONSIDER JOINING OUTLAWS OF ALKENSTAR, A PATHFINDER ADVENTURE THAT FEELS LIKE THE CHAOS AND HILARITY OF THAT ONE VIDEO GAME YOU KNOW ME FROM, BORDER BREAK.

BENCOMPETENCE'S GAMES ARE INCLUSIVE AF AND BEGINNER-FRIENDLY, SO NEWCOMERS AND VETERANS WILL BOTH FEEL RIGHT AT HOME. THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU GET IN THERE AND KICK THE NARRATIVE'S ASS RIGHT IN ITS D*CK.

HE ALSO ASKED ME TO TELL YOU THAT SESSION 0'S ARE FREE. BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS, BECAUSE I REFUSE TO LEARN ANY NUMBERS INVENTED AFTER 4TH CENTURY B.C.

WANT TO JOIN A TABLE? THEN LISTEN UP, F*CKTRUCKS, BECAUSE IT'S LIST TIME:

FIGHT OR MAYBE MAKE OUT WITH HOT EVIL VAMPIRES IN CURSE OF STRAHD

I AM NOW OVERWHELMED BY THE VAMPIRE AGAIN AND FORGOT THE NEXT BULLET POINT

BE AVELINE'S DINNER GUEST AND ALSO MAYBE HER ARCH NEMESIS IN MASKS OF AVELINE. (MONDAY AND FRIDAY VERSIONS)

SOLVE MYSTERIES AND BE ATTRACTIVE IN CITY OF MIST

BLOW SH*T UP IN COWBOYS, CLOCKWORK, AND MAGIC.

THERE'S A LOT MORE TO SAY, BUT THE NERD WRITING THIS SCRIPT STARTED TALKING ABOUT CHARACTER SHEETS AND SOMETHING CALLED NARRATIVE AGENCY, SO I HAD TO BEAT HIM WITH A FOLDING CHAIR UNTIL HE STOPPED. YOU CAN HELP PAY FOR THE BODYCAST I PUT HIM IN BY SIGNING UP TODAY!

END OF ADVERTISEMENT.

[gremlingottoosilly]

you/your anons have got me hooked on cyberstalker!König so here are some rando headcanons:

-will go through your likes on twitter and grit his teeth if he saw you liked a man/celebrities selfie, god forbid their a male friend because he will spiral into convincing himself that this is like cheating (you two have spoken once) and he has to do something about it

-if he saw you simping for someone casually he would have to step away and let his anger out in the gym because otherwise he would start weighing the pros and cons of murdering Henry Cavill or something

-has a dragons horde of items you liked/expressed interest in because he has a whole plan when he kidnaps you he would offer it as a way to calm you down. this plan is flawless obviously

-you liked a picture of cat ears and a maid outfit ONCE and he has jerked off to that mental image at least 5 times a week

-will try to get into the things you tweet about just to start a conversation but gives up halfway since he doesn't have the best attention span, tells himself that you'll just tell him about it when your together because he could listen to you for hours <3

-that is not hyperbole btw you once posted a video giggling at something your cat was doing and he has put in on in the background as he gets through his day

-has printed your selfies to cum on stare at because he can get headaches if he stares at a phone screen for so long (hes OLD your honor)

-everytime he likes a song/movie you enjoy it fully fuels his delusions that you two are soulmates

-has found your pinterest boards and already has a downpayment on a house that matches your preferred aesthetic perfectly

-kisses the screen when he sees your selfies. nothing to add to that its just something he does

-LOVED when the 'big boy' song went viral and saw you posting about loving it, again, you two are clearly soulmates

i didn't realize how long this is I am so sorry

Omg!! It's literally so perfect, you crawled in my head like a little bug and now you are munching on my brain and I would let you because you are just chill like that. Konig is an old-fashioned stalker who doesn't have time to literally stalk you, he is a busy man with a busy life, so he catches up with your socials instead!! More under the cut

He googles every term he doesn't understand, and reads recaps of whatever show you were watching, just so he could save time on actually watching it. He writes everything in a diary, every little detail because he knows a bit about internet safety from Hutch and he just knows that this precious data is far more protected in the front pocket of his vest, in a tiny and scrawny notebook. He saves every picture and prints it, just to see every tiny detail. Your favorite color, your favorite decorations. You like pink sanrio fluffy style of decor? He doesn't understand it, and don't see a point in just adding to the clutter, but he will buy you as much Hello Kitty and My Melody stuff as possible. Something minimalistic, but expensive? He understands it a bit more, and he is happy to finally use his money for something nice and not just beer. He would be grinning like a cat with the cream if you like video games -- especially the ones he likes, the violent action ones. He can't let go of the war even at home, and having a perfect game when he doesn't actually have to worry about being in danger but putting as many enemies down as possible is nice, really. You would have to explain the point of Minecraft to him though. The celebrity crush one omg!! Konig is insecure because if you like more normal, traditionally attractive male celebrities, he just knows he can't compete. However, there has to be something wrong with you if you really like Konig, so he doesn't mind - after you stop liking those celebs of course. God save you if you have some porn in your twitter likes - he would try to implement it in your sex life. Bondage? He already knows how to make really good knots. Cnc? It's basically your whole sex story already. He would never let you forget about every embarrassing little picture you liked, and he enjoys thinking of you as a perverted thing that needs some good punishment. If you do cosplay...oh boy. Even the most normal costumes are a good jerk-off material for him. Even if you cosplay male characters, he'd find a way to sexualize you -- it's not really nice of him, but this old man finally got what cosplay means and he is not letting go of this knowledge.

His soldiers think you're his wife already because he keeps your photo, a fucking collage of your photos, on his desk and a polaroid of you in his vest pocket. Poor ol' you, having stalking problems and not even knowing about it because he is too busy to actually court you.

[flamingwell]

My most beloved mutual, I have a question about Podfics.

Years ago, I tried one, and didnt really vibe with it. No fault of the reader, it just was a combination of "the fic itself was boring" plus "it was so conplicated to actually get to start to listen to it, because it was like 500 steps". So it just remained in my brain as a sunk cost activity, bc after all the steps to start reading, the fic was bad. Like, when I read a fic, its one click, and if the fic isnt for me, i just close the tab.

But I've been itching to try it again. Do you know of a good, idk, beginners guide to podfics? Or some good stories you can recommend?

Love! Snow

My friend, I would be thrilled to help you learn how to access and find podfics you'll love!! So the great thing about podfics is, just like fanfic, there's really something for everyone!

How you access podfics: many podficcers will offer multiple ways to listen to their podfics, both streaming and download options. It sounds like you might have gotten frustrated by getting a downloaded podfic to somewhere where you can listen to it. If you want to download in the future, it should be the same process you use to download and listen to music. But for many podficcers, that's not your only option! A lot of podficcers offer streaming as well, so you can listen right in your browser. You can try filtering on the tag "audio format: streaming" (though that will limit your options somewhat as not everyone tags for that). Otherwise you can just open a podfic and see if there's an embedded audio player on the page. Even if there's not an embedded audio player, if there's a link you can try just clicking on it. Often it'll be a link to where you can stream the audio. If I assumed wrong and you prefer to download, you should be able to right-click/long press on the streaming audio player or link to download, and then you just play your downloaded file in the app of your choice, same as any other audio file you download.

How to find a good story: this is just the same as finding a fanfic you think you might like, except that there's already a layer of quality filtering done because someone decided they liked this fic enough to spend many hours podficcing it. Simply add the tag "podfic" to the filters you would use to search for fanfic. Then listen to it for a bit. If you don't like it, hit the back button, just as you would for fanfic.

Style of podfic: there's a number of different styles of podfic, and while many of them aren't often tagged, you can often get an idea of what style a podfic is from the summary, author's notes, etc. You'll have to decide what you like by trying them out! Some podfics will have music and sound effects and fun stuff like that. Some (often called "cold reads" in MDZS fandom) will be unedited with mistakes left in and maybe even have the podficcer's thoughts shared as they're reading. I think of this as the kind of experience you'd get if a friend read you a fanfic around the kitchen table. And some will be edited (so you don't hear mistakes or commentary or whatever) but without music or sound effects. That's the most common version, similar in style to most audiobooks. Everyone will have a different preference, so you'll have to figure out yours. I'll say @kisahawklin was the person to popularize cold reads in this fandom, so she would be a great place to start to see if that's a style you like, and @jellyfishfire is one of my all time favorites for podfic with music (and sometimes sound effects, like with Let the Streetlights Guide You Home).

Reading Style: just like with writing style, every podficcer has a different reading style, a voice that's all their own. It's nothing you can tag or search for or even really describe, just when you listen, you'll probably vibe more with certain podficcers than others. And that's fine. It's great even! Just like you have favorite authors, you might end up with favorite podficcers if you listen enough, and then you can go through all their works and enjoy them thoroughly! And the ones who's reading style doesn't vibe with you? That's okay. Hit the back button and find a different podficcer. They vibe with someone else, and you'll find a different podficcer who's reading style you love.

I hope all that helped, but if you have any more questions, let me know! And enjoy your podfics!!!

[officersnickers]

A part of me really wants a Make the exorcist fall in love anime. if adapted by the right studio I think there's a fair chance that it could blow up in the anime community. Though I think that would take a while since it seems a lot of people tend to dismiss it due to the cliche title (let's be honest) and the cute artstyle. It would burts its popularity and it would be great to have more fan content.

On the other hand...well you probably already know what happens when a series becomes popular and toxic people discover it

Forget about an anime adaptation, I‘d be happy to at least have physical release of the manga! (says a person who prefers reading the manga over watching an anime) 😔

But yeah, fair. I can‘t say it would be a massive hit, because surely some themes are just too hard, too real for some potencial readers/ viewers, but considering anime dares to tip toes in uncertain waters, it could work. Doesn‘t have to, but it could.

That being said, I don‘t think the title would be the problem (listen, nothing against any of these, but Chainsaw Man? Because he turns into a Chainsaw Man? Or titles like Dandandan making my head spin when reading this combination too often? Make the Exorcist fall in Love is terribly long and cheesy, but not too bad, if you ask me). The artstyle is somewhat cutesy and stylized, but I don‘t think it would make people turn away. It‘s a very solid style imo and surely could be incorporated quite perfectly in colour.

Anyway! I could see more „problems“ for a potencial adaptation due to certain plot points: Attempted rape of a barely teen boy in the first chapter/ episode, gore at every end, cannibalism, criticsm of the (catholic) church… I do think the manga tackles a lot of very important takes, but I don‘t know how forgiven the anime community can be if it gets „too serious“. I‘d love to be proven wrong, but besides of cool and awesome fights, the source material hits you in the stomach all too often for some just to casually enjoy it.

On the other hand, we got tragic gay best childhood friends turned rivals/ enemies who are still in love so maybe that would a great selling point 🤷‍♀️

Also, one shouldn‘t care about any toxic part of fandoms. Enjoy what you have and interact with people you vive with! That‘s the best way to not let your experience be ruined by others ☺️

[krispycreamcake]

woah your matchups are so detailed ! 🩷 can i request one if that is okay? idk if this info will be okay but, here goes nothing: i'm 5'1 and v petite, w messy hair cut in a wolfcut. i have so much duality, both in personality and in my style: i can go from happy and sweet to ruthless and cold af in seconds so much that sometimes idk which of the two is the real me... i'm also v good at acting, lying and pretending. my style varies between emo and cutesy haha. i'm shy but i'm also a gremlin w the ppl i trust and can act v silly. i have v bad trust issues, i really can't trust anyone. i have anger issues too... my hobbies include writing, playing romance games and watching anime. i love rock music and visual kei too. i would love to learn how to play an instrument or learn to sing one day... my friends say i'm sweet and in general i'm cheerful around them ! i hide my feelings and struggle w them alone often, esp when i have anxiety.

my love language is gift giving. bc i'm not v smart and even if i have good intentions what i say might have the wrong effect i prefer comforting my friends making playlists for them or writing them a fic to cheer them up. i know if they lived near me i would always be buying little gifts for them haha but at the same time i'm super shy when it comes to accepting gifts bc i don't think i deserve them...

i'm also v romantic and daydream a lot, especially abt my yumeships. i can be cheeky and a quirk of mine is i tend to wink when taking selfies a lot > /// < i also obviously love vampires 🦇

idk if this info is okay... i'm sorry if i did this wrong and absolutely no pressure to answer ! thank you so so much either way ♡

From author: From what I've gathered, it looks like what you need is someone to spend quality time with.

Your need for that romance aspect in your life tells me that you're very open to relationships and would welcome one if it came your way. But you do need to be wary and try not to rush things as it may affect how much of you the boys could take.

Since you prefer staying home, I can decipher that you're not necessarily a very socially active person but that doesn't mean you don't enjoy building friendships since it's clear to me you care about your friends abundantly.

Because you deal with anxiety and emotions, this can show me that you may prefer to keep them locked away or even push them aside to forget about. I wanna hone in on this a bit because as we know all of the brothers have problems dealing with inner conflict and you not being able to navigate through your OWN ones would help better point to who you would work best with.

Because of your generally kind nature and ability to comfort people without necessarily using your words, this tells me that despite being faced with emotional obstacles from those around you, you still find it possible to respond in appropriate manners without the need to verbalize your care for someone.

And now that we've assessed you, your best match would be 🥁🥁🥁🥁

Azusa Mukami

Continue reading for more info

Azusa is someone that's known to be passive and soft spoken. His docile nature has lead him astray in the past and because of this, he needs someone that won't take advantage of him while also keeping him on his toes.

Because of your clashing tendencies of being kind and being assertive, this keeps him interested. Azusa would be exactly what you need when looking for a romantic partner seeing as he's always selfless and would constantly think of your needs first.

Azusa doesn't need to go out all the time and have fancy dates planned, he'd be perfectly comfortable just laying next to you while you scroll on social media or even listen to some Malice Mizer. As a matter of fact, he quite enjoys that band and loves it when you do decide to put on some music.

Because of your ability to navigate through emotional conflicts by showing remorse or even gratitude towards someone by giving them a gift, this shows Azusa that you care about him and that you're putting effort into the relationship. This would then have a domino effect of him learning to open up more and in return, making you be able to open up towards him.

He'd fully support your creative side and would encourage you to learn a new instrument and even sing. He'd be your biggest supporter no matter what you do.

[jungleindierock]

Rebjukebox 2024 - No 1

Here's my first playlist for 2024, it's not gonna be a monthly thing, just once i have 40 tracks i like, then i will share it. So could be one or two or even three in one month and other months maybe none, this is why it's numbered. I am already close to No 2 being finished, cover done, just need to cut down to 40 tracks from the 80+ tracks in the provisional draft playlist. So could share this next week!! These playlists are great way to find new bands and artists and saves us having to post each on sepearatly.

I used to do these just through Soundcloud, but thought i might as well add it to my Spotify also. So i will add two links to the playlist and can use which ever one you prefer.

If your a solo singer or a member of a band, then follow me on my Soundcloud page here, if i like your stuff, i will follow you back, if i don't follow back then sorry but your not my thing. Whatever style of music is fine, i like many stlyes and will take a listen. You should always trust your own ears with music.

You can only follow 2,000 people on Soundcloud, so am limited. But if am following you there, i can see when you share new music, which means you could be added to one of these playlists or the main JIR playlist (one per month). What style of music is fine, i like many and will take a listen.

Enjoy and share, stay free, see you soon with No 2!!

Reb

Ok the links for the playlist:- Soundcloud I Spotify

Tracklist

1 - Paramore - Burning Down the House (Talking Heads Cover) 2 - The Delta Shake - I’ll Be Your Man (Alternative Version) 3 - Anja Huwe - Rabenschwarz 4 - Fat Dog - All The Same 5 - Loupe - Tested Waters 6 - Wynona - Feeling For Edges 7 - Nothing Rhymes With Orange - Friday Is Over 8 - Shannon and the Clams - The Moon Is In The Wrong Place 9 - KAWALA - American Adrenaline 10 - overpass - Stay Up 11 - Camens - Cynical 12 - Cinders - Going Nowhere 13 - Linn Koch-Emmery - Ebay Armour 14 - Grace Petrie - Start Again 15 - Neon Dreams (Ft. Matthew Mole) - The Art of Letting Go 16 - This Rebel - Same Every Time 17 - The Holy - Any Given Day 18 - Soundwire - Shake The Fever (Radio Edit) 19 - The Snuts - Millionaires 20 - Neck Deep - Moody Weirdo 21 - Softcult - Heaven 22 - Lurve - Pesnya O Lyubvi 23 - BARSTAFF - Tracy Island (Radio Edit) 24 - Sasha Assad - Bad Nature 25 - Red Rum Club - Hole In My Home 26 - No Windows - Song 01 27 - Mourn - Could Be Friends 28 - Sunglaciers - Cursed 29 - POND - Neon River 30 - Slow Time Mondays - Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time 31 - Jeen - So What 32 - stillcorners - The Dream 33 - The Marra - Masterpiece 34 - The Hubbards - Hiding & Reading 35 - The Cheap Thrills - Last Orders 36 - Aqualine - No Answer 37 - Torrey - Bounce 38 - Low Blows - Normal 39 - ParisBlue - Remedy 40 - Bombay Bicycle Club (ft. Lucy Rose) - Willow

[brucenorris007]

"Sonic 06: gameplay is shit, story is shit."

Okay, I somewhat disagree but don't see the need to expend energy toward-

*comparison between 06 and Forces is drawn*

My brain: heyguesswhatyou'rehyperfocusednow

I was going to do things today. . . but here we are.

Okay, up top and up front: 06 and Forces are both flawed, yes.

But they are flawed in fundamentally different ways, and Forces flaws are, quite frankly, far more glaring and demeritorious for a franchise like Sonic than 06. Anyone who, years from now, goes on to claim that "Uh, actually, Forces was peak." the way that some people are saying about 06 now will be just as, if not more, wrong. And I'll attribute such claims to declining media literacy.

BEFORE the youngsters in the fandom start throwing things at me, note that I said just as wrong. 06 wasn't ever as good as some of the mainline games prior or even spinoff titles after.

The difference is, most of 06's issues stem from the fact that it reads as pitiably unfinished.

The problems with Forces begin and end with the fact that it reads like self-insert fan fiction that had either zero beta readers or too many beta readers that were all given editing privileges. There's definitely a place in the world for that sort of creativity, but said place is not within a licensed game that people have to pay for; one that drastically affects the canon of the franchise and how the fans old and new perceive it and the characters within.

All right? Okay, let's get into details.

Let's address gameplay first, since I have less to say about that.

On this count, if nothing else, Forces barely edges out by being functional; granted, that's the end of it. I wouldn't go back to play it again, and the 'highlights' I can recall mostly felt like reskins of stages in the style of Colors but shortened, with boss fights reminiscent of daytime Unleashed. I imagine the primary draw for people is watching their customized 'sona jump and fly around whilst listening to dialogue from the main cast.

And this isn't really a substantive point, but the fact that receiving stuff like outfits like loot crates at the end of virtually every stage feels kind of manipulative and annoys me. If there's unlockable features, put some actual challenge between the player and the prize, like how you perform within the stage. Otherwise it's just another example of "shiny, novelty, tickle brain often, get player to play longer."

Setting that brief tangent aside since that's just a trend in games in general and not Sonic specific, moving on to 06's gameplay. And uh, yeah. The USP was, like the adventure games, supposed to be that you got three interconnected stories and three main characters each with unique play styles.

I suppose 06 showed us before anything else that Shadow really isn't as fast as Sonic, and as an idea, Silver's psychokinesis was cool. If the tracking in the Speed Up stages and the hit boxes in a handful of other areas had been ironed out, there's foundation for a fairly solid experience. Project 06 is basically proof that the base of the game had potential that wasn't realized, whether due to time constraints or other reasons.

As far as environs, the concept for Kingdom Valley showed off the most soul, I'd say, with Silver's future coming in close second. Character design for the Iblis fragments (not sure if that's the official name but I'm doing stream-of-consciousness here) and Mephiles I actually like a lot. I don't think there's anything objectively wrong with them and however you rate them will come down to preference.

Also, the model for Sonic is like. . . ridiculously good. He just looks like an older teenager; it fits with the widely accepted idea that he was 15 as of Adventure 2. Polish it a bit and that's just how he appears in my head when I write about him.

That said, there are only about six different environs that serve as stages, discounting the hub areas, and compared to Heroes' twelve stages, it just adds to that incomplete/rushed feeling.

That's about all I can say on the gameplay aspect. Functional yet non-stimulating technically wins out over some creativity yet patchy. They are games, after all.

Now then, the "story is shit" business.

Look, if you're going to criticize Sonic's story—which, yeah, his should be subjected to more scrutiny, being the titular character—then much of what you can say against it also applies to the first Adventure. Eggman wants to collect a thing (emeralds/Princess), Sonic wants him to not collect the thing (emeralds/Princess) because he's obviously planning to do evil stuff with the thing, Sonic manages to get the thing only for Eggman to snatch it out of his hands.

Multiple times.

Meaning Sonic spends most of the games on fetch quests that Eggman keeps one-upping him on until the penultimate fight.

And those are the beats. Of both stories. (For Sonic.)

And then at the end of both games, a monster you've fought in various forms (Chaos/Iblis) reappears to threaten the world on a scale that requires the seven chaos emeralds to combat.

Super Sonic. Rad soundtrack. Credits.

Granted, much like how Gamma's story was the strongest in Adventure, the quality of the three main story lines in 06 also vary in strength, with Shadow's taking first place.

My point is, in a franchise that is about characters, you don't grade every aspect of the story on the same scale. You weigh the grade of various aspects differently; and the point that gets graded most heavily is:

Character moments; which can encapsulate literal moments, arcs, development etc.

And for all its flaws, 06 has character moments, almost immediately, even. Sonic's first spoken line is "My, that's a pretty snazzy performance there!"

Which, after the tension of Eggman interrupting the festival and threatening Elise, cuts through the moment right away and, paired with the next several seconds, shows who Sonic is. He sees Eggman's robots aiming and waits until the last second to jump before going to town bashing up bots. Even as he carts Elise off amidst homing missiles and explosions, he's grinning the whole time.

Sonic does what he does because it's fun.

And his third spoken line, answering Elise's question of why he's helping, is: "No special reason."

Again, that's Sonic. Doesn't matter who it is, he helps people because he Does what's Cool. And as well as being fun, fighting off Eggman and his bots is Cool.

06, as Silver's introduction to the series, also does a decent job establishing his character of Temporal Bulldozer. He can be aimed, but his solution to problems first and foremost is usually smashing, and it's really tricky to change his mind once he's focused. He suffers from myopia arguably as bad or worse than Metal Sonic. Amy's the only one who momentarily gets him to pause and wonder if really does want to kill Sonic.

Which is a character moment for her. As in Adventure 2, Amy will happily break laws and go against who and whatever to help her friends; and as she did with Shadow, she's rather skilled at getting very hurt people to listen.

She's not unlike Silver in her willingness to do whatever it takes, really; since Temporal Bulldozer can and does traverse time on several occasions to make things right. And up until the last moment, it never occurs to him that anyone but he should bear the burden of saving the world. Blaze has to physically shove him aside so she can absorb Iblis herself.

Silver sees himself as a Hero with a responsibility toward the future just as much Sonic sees himself as just Some Guy.

Finally, Shadow. And man, there's a reason a lot of people say 06 was the last time a game featured Shadow written correctly.

It's me. I'm one of a lot of people.

Team Dark in general gets a fair bit of spotlight in 06. Rouge, an anti-heroine with perhaps the greatest self-interest after Eggman, promises Shadow that she'd stand with him even if the very world turned against him. Omega, who loathes taking orders and prioritizes his own freedom nearly as much as Sonic, takes on Rouge's assignment for him without question or complaint to wait out 200 years to help rescue Shadow.

And Shadow, in an in-game line during his first fight with Mephiles, reaffirms all the progress he made in his titular game that was wholly about discovering his identity: "Don't bother trying to deceive me. I know who I am!"

And, in contrast to the Shadow the franchise first introduced us to, the Shadow of Adventure 2 who was thoroughly convinced that his only remaining worth was his ability to keep his promise to Maria, the Shadow who was so resigned that he chose to plummet through the planet's atmosphere to his presumed death. . .

That Shadow is faced squarely with his fate of persecution, asked why he would bother fighting to protect. That Shadow declares that it the world turns on him, "I will fight as I always have."

He's grown such that he's now willing to fight against fate.

And that's pretty fucking cool.

On the other side, applying the same grading method to Forces, we find what I call (as of just now) character fauxments.

Remember how I talked about 06's introduction for Sonic? How he cuts through tensions, finds joy and fun in fighting bullies and bad guys?

The thing about that, which Forces doesn't seem to understand, is that if you lean too hard on the wisecracks and nonchalance, you end up with a character who reads as either obnoxious or totally tone-deaf. Sonic knows when to take things seriously, yet in Forces he's purportedly been tortured as well as locked up for half a year, Infinite's destroyed countless homes and killed who knows how many people, and yet when Sonic interrupts his fight with Silver. . .

I mean, if Sonic was written correct, you'd cut out a bunch of faff and change his line delivery. Show that he's frustrated by his time confined and absolutely raring to throw hands and get to business; because Sonic does understand when things have gotten real, and while rare, he does get angry. Something like:

"Since you like talking so much, mind sharing the source of your power? I can ask the easy way or the hard way. I've been cooped up a long time, so I'm hoping you pick the hard way."

It doesn't need to be the most original lines in the world, but Sonic's banter in the middle of a war shouldn't be long-winded, no matter how pretentious his opponent is (and damn, is Infinite pretentious. Like to the point that it's the most memorable part of the game.) If there's banter, it should be punchy and succinct; quick, like he is.

Instead, Forces Sonic's attitude is just kind of. . . incongruous with the stakes the game claims to have established. But then, since we don't get a truly convincing scene showing the rest of the cast being sad that he reportedly died, that's not too surprising.

Speaking of setting up stakes, here's an idea. Rather than cutting from Sonic laying battered in the middle of the city for a lazy six-month time skip established by text on the screen, make it clear that "Oh shit, things are different" via gameplay.

After Sonic falls, immediately transition into a level. Where you run from right to left to escape Eggman's fleet. Turns everything on its head, you can witness and navigate the destruction as it's happening and if you string together enough environs, you can even have the city burning in the distance or the skyline as you near the end of the stage and escape to relative safety.

Anyway.

And of course, the notorious character fauxment: Tails cowering in front of an offline Omega.

There's nothing I can say about this fauxment that hasn't been said already. It's not the first time in the series that Tails was portrayed as having regressed to a scared child, but it is the most egregious.

And. . . actually, that's about it, at least off the top of my head. Which might speak to how short the game is and how little screen time and action the main cast get aside from Sonic and the player character.

But it's enough to determine that Forces' story, or what stands in for it, is weaker than what 06 offered.

Again, I'm not here to rally a feral defense of 06 as a masterpiece, but its flaws are not on the level of Forces. The reason they're lumped together is the amount of disdain both games got on their release; though in the case of 06, the 2000's were just a weird time when hating things was somehow cooler than liking them, and since 06 wasn't up to par with Adventure 2 or Heroes, people picked an aspect of the game-most often how much the almost final fantasy style model for Elise didn't match up with the Mobian models (and yes, the final cutscene, but there's nothing new I can say about that either, and talking about it here is just an open invitation for someone to blow it out of proportion again) and dogpiled the hate on the game.

Sonic 06 feels unfinished owing to a lot of little and larger details. Knuckles' portrayal and having little to do in the story, poor optimization leading to nearly twenty second loading times, BLAZE BEING A GLOWING NEON MISSED OPPORTUNITY! (SEGA, I know I was literally twelve when the game was released, but my Phoenix headcanon works so well and makes her appearance in both Rush and 06 work! A retroactive fix would be so easy and we could get more adventures in her dimension!)

Even acknowledging all that, though, there were still attempts at creativity that just, for one reason or another, didn't pan out. There's significant potential here.

Forces is just. . . a mess. In every sense. And I understand how a mess can be attractive to a fandom, because a mess means you can take whatever you want from it and organize things however you choose.

But a mess that's sold as a finished game is not the same as a rushed title with visible untapped potential.

[taylortaylormoon]

draft 1

Uncharted Waters, Sanji x Iris.

Iris was used to being on the run, from pirates and exes to pirate exes. She never expected to be running from marines as vehemently as this vice admiral was chasing Luffy and, by extension, her. She also never expected to arrive back at Baratie, but something was telling her to start expecting the unexpected.

The sea-bound restaurant hadn’t changed in the few years she’d been gone; the rotating staff was the only thing keeping her from running back to the ship as she didn’t recognize the Fishman host. She just hoped there had been changes to the kitchen staff as well.

Iris found herself in the middle of the half-circle booth between Nami and Usopp; she was trapped but didn’t feel threatened by it. She felt protected for the first time in a long time, but that didn’t last long. “Now, now, gentlemen,” chills fell down her spine as her heart rate increased because of the familiar voice. “You know the rules here. We don’t waste food.” ‘Calm down,” Iris thought, trying to think about anything other than Sanji. Luckily, the crew was too distracted by the short fight to notice her eternal crisis. “He’s a good fighter,” Luffy says offhandedly as Sanji approaches them; Iris manages to slide under the table just in time. “Welcome to our shitty restaurant where the only thing worse than the ambiance is our food; my name is Sanji. What can I get for you?” “One of everything, please,” Luffy says around a mouth full of bread, no longer noticing Iris’s absence. “Any drinks, one of our signature cocktails to help choke down your meal?” “Giving us a hard sell?” Nami asks, crossing one leg over the other, narrowly kicking Iris in the face. While Iris couldn't see his face in her mind, she instantly heard his tone change. “Apologies, madam, I didn’t see you there. Would you care for an apéritif to start?” She could practically see his lips cured into his signature half-smile, head tilted with his boyish charm; Iris couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “We have several rare Micqueot vintages in stock, or perhaps you’d like a glass of Umeshu. Something sweet for someone sweet.”

 “Something wrong with your eye?” Nami asks clearly, as her tone is unamused. “Just blinded by your beauty.” Zoro clears his throat, arms crossed at his chest, getting Sanji’s attention away from Nami. “Waiter, can I get a bear and something for my friends?” ‘Thank you, Zoro.’ Iris thinks, 

“Two beers,” Usopp interrupts, “I usually have three but-” “And a milk!” Luffy interjects, “Three beers and a milk. And uh, for madam?” “Water.”

“Still, sparking mineral? With ice or without cubed or crushed?” Sanji listed off, his eyes trained on Nami as Nami’s foot bounced in front of Iri’s face. “Regular water in a regular glass. Thanks.” “Right away.”  Sanji says, doing a half turn before turning back, “And for the flower under the table?” Iris's blood ran cold, listening to Sanji call her out like that; what a jerk. He couldn’t let her live this down? Slowly, she rose from under the table, hand smoothing her hair out of her face. 

He wasn’t smiling, not really; instead of the charming look she knew Nami’ had received, what she got was a cold stare, which was fine. She deserved it. She’s the one who left. “Sanji I- “And one Iris Monsoon coming right up.” Sanji turns, quickly leaving them. She could see the tension in his shoulders. “Iris Monsoon?” Nami asks, looking at her. “What’s that all about?” “Nothing,” Iris states firmly. “What’s up with him flirting with you.” “He was not.” Nami denies, “Madam, forgive my rude behavior, madam.” Zoro teased in his typical, dry tone. “Would madam prefer her water in a crystal glass, or would a golden bowl be more madam’s style?” “Nami’s got a boyfriend,” Usopp says jokingly, and Iris is happy the attention was not on her. Luffy meets her gaze from across the table, and damn, for someone so oblivious, sometimes Luffy could read people well. —---------

[putschki1969]

I am afraid that my question could be a little negative one.

I want to ask your opinion about Wakana’s high note.

Listening to her performances of “Yakusoku no Yoake” on “Wakana Calassic 2022” and “Wakana Winter Special live 2019”, I hear her high note in the beginning of the song “まだ暗い空から( mada kurai sora kara)～” really grating though it is so sorry.

Not only it sounds grating or too shrill but I feel that her high note has something wrong, and it is disappointing that the problem seems not to be temporary thing.

I know some people says her high note is grating or shrill from when she started her solo career.

I guess this is due to her Kalafina era where she had been burdened with successive use of high note and it had worn out her throat. If it was correct, I could not say how disappointing this is.

How do you feel when listening to the part?

Thank you for reading this, and I would be happy if you tell me your opinion about the issue.

Hello there!

Don't worry, you phrased your question in a perfectly respectful manner, nothing bad about that at all. I apologise though for taking so long to reply. I wanted to do this justice.

Melody/composition-wise, "Yakusoku no Yoake" is actually one of my favourite tracks from Wakana's debut album (the Celtic vibes are just so gorgeous) but I agree that it is a very demanding song that is unfortunately not very flattering for her voice. There are certain parts that are either too high or too fast-paced for her so she often sounds out of breath or strained during these sections. Her breathing is pretty loud and noticeable so people who are not into that should give this song a pass. While you could argue that her non-existent breathing technique is almost part of her charm and trademark style, it's one of those times where it bothers me quite a bit. It truly baffles me that none of her mentors, producers, teachers or instructors have ever pointed out those issues (and possible solutions) to Wakana during the 20+ years of her singing activities.

I find it very interesting that you chose the very first part of the song as the one that sounds most grating to your ears => “まだ暗い空から (mada kurai sora kara)～”

In my opinion, the intro is one of the better parts with Wakana managing to have moderate control of her voice. Not always of course but I think she sounds decent during most live performances. Ultra high of course but not unpleasant to my ears yet. The chorus is where she struggles most if you ask me (probably due to the higher tempo). The "hikatta" for example in the first line of the chorus, "あの向こうで光った", is a little too shrill for me. And then it just builds up for the remainder of the chorus, I really struggle listening to the following section: [...] 行ければいい | [...] ikereba ii 明日へ進む道に | Ashita e susumu michi ni 飛び込んで [...]| Tobikonde yukou [...]

I thought I'd include her three officially released live performances in this post to give everyone an idea what we are talking about. It's the first time I am inserting audio with the new Tumblr format so we'll see how it goes. Please note that I have no music education to speak of so everything you read below is based on my personal feelings regarding the individual performances.

Wakana Live Tour 2019 ～VOICE～

During her early stages of performing this song live, she seemed a bit rushed? I guess she was trying to emulate the original sound of the studio version but I prefer it when she takes her time (especially during the intro). I am glad they slowed down the tempo for some of the later performances. However, I thought the performance was actually quite good. Yes, she doesn't sound 100% comfortable in the higher registers but I can honestly still enjoy it. It's not damaging my eardrums or anything. And for the most part her singing comes across as more or less effortless, not too flimsy or strained, yes, it's unnecessarily breathy but it sounds relatively stable to me

Wakana Winter Special Live 2019 ～瞬き～

This is probably my favourite live version of "Yakusoku no Yoake". The reduced tempo seems to allow her to polish a couple of those super high notes. It's still far from being perfect but it feels like she is not constantly in need of catching her breath.

Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～

Maybe the weakest performance. Her voice is pretty shaky and thin, I'm sure some of that can be chalked up to nervousness but a lot of it might be due to a bad technique.

As I've mentioned in my review post for "Sono Saki e", Wakana keeps talking about all the vocal lessons she's taking but they don't seem to be doing her any good, if anything I would say they are actually making things worse for her. I have never been one of the people who have complained about Wakana's voice essentially deteriorating ever since 2012, I acknowledge of course that certain changes have taken place but overall, she has continued to sound good to me, sometimes more so than other times. There are more than enough occasions where she can access facets of her voice that are reminiscent of the "old-Wakana", with her singing sounding strong, rich and emotional. This indicates to me that the potential is still there, buried somewhere deep inside her but for whatever reason, Wakana doesn't always rely on those skills. It could be a conscious choice to spare her voice or maybe she just doesn't receive enough professional guidance...? There's no doubt in my mind that Kalafina's brutal schedule has taken a major toll on her throughout the years but unlike many other fans, I don't think she is a lost cause with irreversibly damaged vocals...

[tatlandtaelsurveys]

Twenty Three * Our Christmas tree is up :D

Have you kissed someone in the past 24 hours? Yes and we have shared many kisses today. :)

What is wrong with you right now? My back right tooth where I got a crown is sore. I haven't eaten dinner but my stomach is off. Are you happy? I am struggling with self love and some anger of lately. What are you drinking? Nothing at the moment. I do have a water bottle near me though.

Do you still talk to the person who hurt you the most? The most. Yes.

What do you wear to bed? What ever clothes I was wearing that day with a change of shirt. I am bad sometimes changing into pjs. I also wear sweats and a t-shirt to bed when I do finally decide to get up and change.

Do you tend to make things complicated? I try not to. Tea or coffee? Coffee.

Are you mean? No. I can be a bitch in my own head when I am mad though... How is your hair styled right now? It's down. Last movie you have seen? Blanking. I rewatched Freaky Friday.

Plans for tonight? Surveys, depending on how long my hand let's me type. It's been tight and sore. I need to get a mouse. As well maybe watch Instagram reels. Did you get any compliments today? Yes.

What are you excited about? Having a short week at work this week!!!

What’s on your mind right now? That fart was bubbly. I just farted...

What last made you laugh? My boyfriend and him being silly.

Do you care what others think about you? Honestly too much. I don't try and change who I am but I regret a lot that I say.

Which of your friends is the easiest to talk to? L or J..

Do you trust people easily? I tend to but also over suspicious they think the worst of me, which is a good habit to break.

Best summer? This summer, 2018, 2019 summers. Do you think you’ll be married in 10 years? I hope we get married before that time comes up :).

Do you want a small or big wedding? Not gonna lie, the idea of the big wedding seems so nice but I don't really know that many people hahaa. Budget wise, and am also content with a just family/close friends wedding. :)

What do you look forward to in the next 3 months? Some sanity at work.

Who was the last person that called you? My mom.

Are you listening to music? No.

Have you ever worn your best friend’s clothes? Like a jacket.

When is the last time you got flowers? Sometime this year for my birthday or appreciation day at work.

The last time you were at an airport? July. Went to my home town with my boyfriend.

Haunted Houses or Roller coasters? Haunted House during October, and a roller coaster at a theme park.

What type of foundation do you wear? I don't wear it.

Name all the beverages you’ve consumed in the last 24 hours: Water, Coke Zero.

How many books would you say you own, approximately? A few on Audible but hard copies are mangas. My boyfriend has various book on shelves though.

Have you had to wear braces? Yes and glad I got them.

Would you rather make out with a stranger or lick your boyfriends foot after he’d spent all day barefoot? Being that I have a boyfriend, I wouldn't make out with a stranger. I don't care for either event but I would lick my boyfriend's foot...Eck.

What email website do you use? Various ones.

Do you care about your subscriptions? I am pretty bad at using them more but have been trying. Good intention.

What jewelry do you always wear? Why do you wear it? I don't wear it too much.

Explain one tattoo you want and what it means: I don't care to have a tattoo myself.

Would you rather fly, drive, or travel by train? Train like out to a cabin forest river area :D. Fly to a country. Are you an Edward Cullen fangirl? Nope, never really was a huge Twilight fangirl haha.

How long have you been doing surveys for? Since the Myspace era hahaha.

1Why do you prefer Facebook over MySpace, because I know you do? Friends switched and I was curious myself to use it. Have you read the ‘Pretty Little Liars’ series? I have not.

What product do you use to moisturize your lips? CHAPSTICK and could not live with out it.

The last movie you saw in theaters - what would you rate it? Blanking.

When did you start using Xanga? I didn't get on the Xanga account train but I will take surveys from there occasionally.

Be honest, do you judge people on their appearance? I have, or thought it but corrected myself. I don't try to or at least give benefit of the doubt. I definitely am never in their faces about it though.

What school do you attend? Not in school.

What Science are you currently taking? None.

What song have you really gotten into lately? The song "Truth" from the anime Your Lie in April.

What did you eat for lunch today? A sub sandwich and various snacks and fruits. Did you get compliments on the shoes you wore today? Nope.

[causesciencethatswhy]

Hi! I have just see Jk tracklist and I wanted to share my op -

First: I don't understand why, only because I like Jk as an artist and person, I have to accept blindly every single thing he does. I have my ideas and morals and I apply them consistently. I like seven, I don't like 3D. I am not a prude, simply I find that 3D it's explicit in a dirty way. For example.

So:

• I don't have problems with not writing your lyrics but I'm a little disappointed that in his first album there isn't even 1 or 2 Jk credits. Yes he surely approved and choose carefully but it's not the same thing to really write them, we can't read the lyrics and be like "that's what he think" because we can't be sure that he specifically approved that phrase that we are "analyzing". Meybe that was the only phrase that he doesn't like lol.

• I know he is working hard and I respect him for that, I'm just sorry he is working at something that is not what in my op a lot of fan were expecting (not that I wanted something specific, just listen to the songs and think "oh this is something he think for real)

• I think that all those songs will be more the 'no deep meaning' songs, again, nothing wrong with it. But when you are the frontman of a band famous for the deep meaning of their songs people have expectations. So for me the problem is that I and other fans wish to have from bts members the meanings, the ideas, the relatable lyrics, the personal style not songs given by random people. So I personally understand who is disappointed and find it valid.

Still I respect his work.

• note: tae doesn't wrote his lyrics too, but in his case Idk if he received the songs or if the songs were made for him, that is a little big difference.

Let me know if you know and what you think! Ty

Hi anon,

Like I said earlier, you're allowed to want different music from him, of course you are. You're totally free in deciding what music of jungkook's you want to listen to and if you prefer seven over 3d, I'm not going to judge you or think you're a prude. It's about preference at the end of the day and I'm not at all advocating people to blindly support the artist you stans music even if you don't like it. Because it's all about preference at the end of the day, and if the disappointment posts I saw were simply just commenting on "Oh this type of music isnt my preference " then I wouldn't mind it.

The problem gets when people are making so many assumptions on the type of artist jungkook is, and judging his decisions in bad faith that are bothering me. It's the constant, "he's korean so I don't know why he feels like he needs to sing in English " that's bothering me.

For your first point, I get it. There's not a lot of theorizing you can do on the lyrics when he's not written them himself. It's actually what stumped me a little with layover because when I had read the four leaf clover lyric in Rainy Days , I got excited thinking it was a reference to Vmin and their four leaf clover story before realising that tae didn't have any writing credits. But then as I thought about it more, there's no way to know whether tae discussed what he wanted to convey what wanted each song to be about and he might have even relayed the four leaf clover story to the writer. Or maybe it's a complete coincidence ! So yes, on that front I get that it takes away from a fun part of fan culture because you don't exactly know what they're singing from real experience and what is just a fantasy. It's always nice to learn new nuggets about your favorite artists and the way they think, buts it not that definitive to me personally, but it may be to you so I get that.

Second point, I mean sure you can be disappointed your expectations of his album don't match up with his own vision, but there really is not much we can do beyond that is it? At the end of the day, he will release the music which he feels is right for him and as long as it's not something terribly offensive or something, we can't really hold it against them for having a different creative vision to what fans had for them. Of course you're allowed to feel disappointed, but people acting like he's done some personal offense against him through his creative decisions is what bothers me.

I honestly think it's not fair to already dismiss all the tracks to have no meaning before they're even out . We literally have zero clue as to what the songs are going to sound like. As to the deep lyrics thing, honestly I think people hold bts to too high a pedestal with how deep their music is. They've talked about silly crushes, wanting to get a girls attention, sex and a lot of other topics which army's now claim they're 'above'. It didn’t sound like that because they were singing in korean and had credits from a member. If it's solely about deep lyrics, then while bts have some incredibly deep and moving lyrics but They've also had incredibly silly ones. If it's about the cool wordplay they do in korean which you're not getting in english releases, then I would say let's wait and see what golden has. English has a lot of avenues for equally fun wordplay/metaphors and we simply don't know enough about golden to have an opinion on this.

So in conclusion, you're allowed to have expectations from their music but I simply don't think it's fair to suddenly turn on jungkook, his artistry and his performances because his work doesn't match what you had in mind.

[mistchievous]

Hey! I'm the anon that mentioned Kathakali yesterday. I'd prefer to stay on anon, and I hope that's okay. I'm just sharing a few thoughts that occured to me, since you said you're open to discussing this further.

I don't know whether what the artist did is actually part of any particular style of art or not. But I don't understand why Kathakali has something to do with culture and what the artist did had nothing to with culture? Imo, style and perception have everything to do with culture. Western stories mostly follow a show-don't-tell style? That's cultural. The fact that a pattern can be perceived as "too busy" by some and "inspiring" by others? That's cultural. The fact that there are scientifically proven cognitive biases like own-race-effect and cross-race-effect? That's a result of cultural exposure (or a lack thereof, I suppose). The fact that storytelling subgenres have evolved to focus on characters that lead physically intense lives like police or firefighters or soldiers (often in laudatory ways)? That's cultural. An art form's main technique is to lighten everything? That's cultural. The fact that all of us will have opinions of which of these above practices are okay and which are not? That's cultural too.

The culture of the place I grew up in has numerous entrenched prejudices, many of which my family members and friends and acquaintances and others believe and see nothing wrong in. I've found talking to them about these things exhausting for years and years. I've felt anger, disgust, resignation, hurt and frustration at their inability to understand why they are in the wrong. It took me until my 20s to figure out that most of my opinions are a result of the books I read, movies and shows I watched, songs I heard. All of those things were of Western-origin for the longest time. And the people I disagreed with had been exposed to different things. I've spent the past couple of years trying to immerse myself in my own culture too. I've begun to realise that there are some things about which I was wrong. There are some things where there is no right and wrong. And for the the things where I still think I'm right - I've realised that I will never convince anyone by publicly shaming them. I might be able to silence them, but I won't convince them.

In my experience there's only one solution - we keep talking and we keep listening to each other. I keep giving them disgruntled nudges and loving shoves, they do the same to me, and we DON'T STOP doing that till we find common ground.

Hey anon! I hadn’t planned to engage any further about this since I just made kind of a definitive post that also apologizes for some miscommunication that seems to have taken place at one point. But I know I talked to you yesterday!

I also think you make some really good points, and I wanted to share them. I think they stand on their own. Thank you for sending me this.

And this part: I've realised that I will never convince anyone by publicly shaming them. I might be able to silence them, but I won't convince them.

That honestly might be a lesson I’ve learned from all this. That artist felt the need to pull back, and I think that’s a sad outcome tbh and partially my own fault. Nothing was really accomplished here except possibly losing a new fanartist. I placed myself in a discussion I probably shouldn’t have placed myself in – whatever intentions I may have had. The artist felt attacked, which makes anyone defensive and less open to what you’re trying to say. And it’s a complicated situation to begin with that a lot of different people have opinions on. Including different people of color.

I’ve always felt like there was a time and place for callout posts, but I think I have a lot to learn.

Thank you for talking to me. I'll try my damnedest to keep listening. 💗

[thegirlwhowrites642]

Do you have any thoughts on the relationship between Bill and Fleur? I thought they were always very underrated

To be honest, I've never had any interest in them.

They seem a good match. If you have been following me for a while, you probably know that I give a lot of importance to the characters in a romantic relationship being equals and it seems they are. They are both a bit more talented at magic than the average wizard and they are both very good-looking. Being both conventionally attractive is something I usually wouldn't consider necessary, but I think it might be with Fleur. I think having a partner who understands at least to some degree the assumptions people may do about you because of your very good looks may help (Bill is still male and not someone with magical creature elements but he may have some understanding of what it means being objectified or not taken seriously).

They seem very affectionate with each other and love each other very much so that's nice. Ginny, while not liking Fleur, still recognizes why Bill is attracted to her. But there's nothing about them individually that makes them particularly interesting to me. And there doesn't seem to be any element about their dynamic that would make them interesting to read about. And maybe it's my chronic preference for characters who make a lot of jokes talking but I'm expressing my personal taste after all.

Bill in particular has always seemed to me someone who appears very cool (cool style, cool job, chill personality) but who doesn't have much substance in the end. And listen, maybe there's some Bill lover out there who will prove me wrong with quotes from the books I don't remember, please do it if that's the case, but I've read the books many times and this has always been my perception. Especially when I think about the whole Weasley women VS Fleur thing. He brings home this girl nobody knows, presents her as his fiancé, imposes her presence in the house to the rest of the family (a family who is very close, very proud, and with a tendency towards familial insularity) and she is clearly not used at all to living in a place like that and has no reserve in expressing her displeasure. And then when the inevitable animosity starts, he does absolutely nothing about it? And if he hypothetically tried to do something apparently he didn't have enough influence on either side. Doesn't seem like the coolest guy in town to me.

In the end, I'm quite neutral, I wouldn't say I ship them, I understand why they are paired and I'm fine with it.

As a final note, there's one thing that I've never understood about them: if Fleur hated the Burrow so much because there was nothing to do, why Shell Cottage? Why not London? Was it only for the war? I know the house was of an aunt but it doesn't seem like they wouldn't be able to afford a place.

[signanothername]

Assumptions game!!

Hmmm I feel like you don’t listen to music as often as you used to but when you do, you like more indie/indie rock and perhaps… classical music especially for studying? Mostly chill playlist with a few songs that resonate with a character (I realize that I did get a chance to peek at some of ur playlists in the past LOL)

For clothing style, I feel like you mostly vibe with sweatpants and a shirt (kinda common assumption ik) but when you do decide to go out for the day, your style is more minimalistic style. Nothing too crazy with white/pale warm colors/ black ranges of clothing.

For foods…. Hmmm. I feel like you like a bit of spice but like the kinds of foods that give you nostalgia. Or just a satisfying feel. You also give me vibes of someone who likes sour candy haha

(Im horrible at assumptions if i get these all wrong I will laugh at myself HAHHCJSJ)

i love these fghbjnk

okok

1- that's actually true, i'd say i used to listen more in the past than now, and OH ABSOLUTLY, i specifically enjoy songs that aren't... usual? that's why i enjoy Will Wood's songs, they're unique and the lyrics are just really nice and symbolic

i don't have an actual preference with songs I could listen to any genera as long as i like the song itself, but indie/ indie rock is definitely on top

as for classical music i could absolutely listen to it! tho i/m more of brown noise/ rain sounds enjoyer when it comes to studying

and fr the more i resonate a song with a character the more likely i'd listen to the song on repeat, i also especially enjoy albums that talks about a character(s) to an extent (Hawaii II and Ride the Cyclone are two examples)

2-that's spot on, i'm like an old lady that's done with life, so i honestly got no energy to wear something crazy or looking cool, etc fgyhujilo

so yep i just go with a sweat-pants and a T-shirt, literally zero patterns even, my go to is literally just a black sweat-pants and a light grean T-shirt with a tiny word written on it (mind u I never even read what that word is that's how lazy i am dfghjkhgfgh)

but yep! minimalistic style is right for me hahaha

3-and that's semi-true!! spicey food is actually my favorite, it's pretty satisfying, food that give me nostalgia is pretty important to me too, that's why i learned literally every recipe mom ever made, can't have my favorite food lost to time hahaha

as for sour candy, i actually used to love them as a kid, now however i can't really handle anything sour for some reason?? fghbjvfcfgh

[1d1195]

Wait omg Love and Dryer sheets came to you in a dream??(idk if you mentioned this before and if you did I’m sorry😭) also the fact you’ve written many by starting in the middle is so crazy but in a good way! I don’t think my own brain could comprehend that but for some reason it makes sense lol love learning about your writing process!!

I do love reading your descriptions! It’s like little commentary and I find it cute! Though I cannot lie if I get too excited I just go straight in even avoiding content warnings lol I have my own qualms about TikTok and the music industry BUT I will say it is a helpful tool for both users and artists due to how it does help with reaching a variety of people! Also tbh idk what young people(I know I’m young but I’m very offline lol) are listening to these days so I can’t imagine the out of pocket recommendations you may have gotten from them😭

You know I would be surprised if you weren’t buried with 1D merch and honestly I love that for you!

Also I can see how the number of posts you make can add a bit of pressure despite you knowing you prefer quality! I do think it’s hard not to compare yourself so it’s not something you can easily switch off. Though I hope remember that you constantly give out so much quality content that it’s okay to not be constantly putting out so much!

I genuinely didn’t remember about the long weekend 😭 but omg I hope the rest of the week wasn’t as messy as Monday! And yeah we are so close but idk girl I’m barley hanging in there😭

It’s truly wild what’s been going on over here but really all we can do it just stay informed and help in any small way we can! I’ve already planned on donating a bunch of clothes so I just gave them to local organizations for LA! But thank you for being so sweet and checking up on me💕

I remember! I think the last I asked it was basically the same color lol but there’s nothing wrong with that! Blue is your fave color(if I’m wrong I’m sorry 😭) so it’s very fitting to get some form of blue on your nails! And honestly your sister is right BUT I saw get them done! It’s always fun to feel pampered!

This week was not smoother but alas it’s over lol shit went down on campus this week and I almost got ran over twice! Crazy but I’m not as fazed anymore lol

Okay bestie I’m gonna try to make this quick(lowkey never happens) but I LOVED THE EXTRAS YOU GAVE THIS WEEK!!! Didn’t expect to get extras for these two stories but it was definitely a nice surprise! For independent it was soooo sweet! I love them and I love how they are just taking their time despite the long wait lol but omg my girl needs better boundaries, I deeply feel for her since I have been in the same situation 😭 anywayssss I’m glad Harry is subtly helping her with that!! He’s so sweet and reassuring and I love that for her!!! And omg two negatives… BESTIE I FEEL SO EDGED AND TEASED😭WDYM YOU ENDED IT THERE?!? lowkey it’s a very “Sam style” ending so idk why I’m surprised lol BUT OF COURSE I STILL LOVE IT! Also omg she said I love you first😭 I love that for them! I expected Harry to say it first but omg I feel like it’s more special for her especially with vulnerability being something that’s a bit hard!! Once again I love them bad!!! Really enjoyed reading them!!

Wishing you to have the best weekend! Hopefully you can get some relaxation in especially after a busy week! Love you lots Sam!!-💜

Love and Dryer Sheets as well as Ding both were from dreams. They were quick and I STRUGGLE to remember my dreams so when I woke up I was CLINGING to the inspo. Starting in the middle is the hardest. I think I struggle with endings (hence why you felt I left it unfinished for Two Negatives this week 🤭) I feel like I spent all this time writing the background and middle pieces I get to the end and I'm like "I don't want this to be done" so I just try to leave it all open (but usually end with an I love you) you know? So I can come back.

Idk what young people are listening to either. I try to get them to tell me ANYTHING about themselves but everything is a secret to them. The recommendations they've given me mostly include people I already know. But my older students have a bit more success than the younger ones. I added Frank Ocean to one of my playlists as well as some songs I heard on TikTok but didn't recognize until they told me about it. I would say the descriptions and commentary are mainly unnecessary most of the time; I of course always want to put content warnings, but everything else is probs just more of my stream of consciousness which is usually not needed lol, I'm glad you like it!

Ma'am you don't even KNOW how much 1D merch I have it's BAD.

I lowkey keep forgetting about the long weekend too. I'm hoping to read a book and clean and that might be all I get done this week. I had a pretty shitty week at school. I don't think it's a secret that teaching is difficult right now and this week seemed to be extra disheartening.

That's so kind you donated clothes. I love that! I seriously can't imagine what people are going through out there. To your point it's winter and it shouldn't be happening right now. It's so scary to think that it's only the beginning of the year :( God it's so horrible. I'm so glad you're okay 💕

Blue is my favorite! I don't remember when I got my nails done before this time but it's been a LONG while. If i had to bet, it was probs like right as school started and I did a royal blue color. I will do my toes sometime soon. I'm pretty basic there too. I'll probs do black with sparkles lol.

RAN OVER TWICE SO CASUAL. I used to hope someone would hit me with their car so I could get a break. I'm sorry to hear this week wasn't smoother. I hope you have Monday off so you can relax a little more!

Poppy and boundaries are nonexistent (she is me). I struggle to say no to people. Even my fave student pointed it out ☠️ like EVERYONE knows. I LOVE this Harry so so much. I think he's so sweet and just so concerned. 🥰 he makes me melt and maybe I'm biased because I wrote him that way but he's dreamy

EDGED AND TEASED 😭 I have part of their first time written already but it's like the middle part and if you see the discussion above it's hard to write like the beginning and end so I really gotta think. This whole extra was just to buy me some time before I write the next extra (a month or two maybe if I'm lucky lol) As much as I love Harry in Independent I think I love her so much in Two Negatives. She's vulnerable in a way that's not always seen and Harry is just so good to her even though he's annoying hehehehe. I'm glad you liked both so much!

Tell me about your week and anything fun you have planned ❤️ hope you're having a good weekend!!!

xoxo