#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?

[4mnji]

OPPOSITES ATTRACT ᡣ𐭩 goth!choso x coquette!reader

warnings: nothing to heavy just some kissing n ass touching at the end, choso n reader r like 20, abbreviations and lowercases intended, n word usage once, written with a black women in mind but anyone can read ofc 😚

wc: 628

a/n : hihi guysss im nini and welcome to my debut post. this has been sitting in my notes along with some other stuff i’ve written for the longestttt time and im ready to share them to the world now. i hope yall enjoy these hcs of my bbygirl choso :3

goth!choso who’s been well..emo for as long as he can remember. the nigga was 13 years old dressing like rodrick heffley and listening to heavy metal rock music 😭 like he wasn’t playing bout this lifestyle.

goth!choso who always thought that his future gf would’ve been someone who is just as emo and gothic as he was but boy was he wrong.

goth!choso who couldn’t explain why coquette!reader caught his attention so quickly. he’s never been a fan of the cute pink girly aesthetic, not that he hated it but y’all know he been an emo since he basically came out his momma’s womb, so he always preferred if girls had a similar aesthetic to him. all that didn’t even cross his mind when he laid his eyes on u, how could it when u just looked so pretty n cute ???!

goth!choso who wasn’t even planning to approach u and was just going to head home and lie in his bed while reminiscing abt the cute girl he saw in the cafe. that is until u decided to approach him and compliment his outfit. a cute pink blush creeps up onto his cheeks and he doesn’t even get to thank u bc he so busy admiring how beautiful u are. u give him a gorgeous smile and hand him a little note that says “text me •ᴗ•” with ur number on it. with that beautiful smile still plastered on ur face, u wave ‘bye’ to him and walk away.

goth!choso who gets home that day contemplating with his phone in his hand if he should text u or not. after a good 10 mins of pacing around his room and giving himself some motivational talk, he sends u a message and exits the messaging app almost immediately.

goth!choso who’s kinda surprised when u actually respond to his message in less than 2 minutes. from that point on u n choso hit it off from there.

goth!choso who’s been with coquette!reader for almost a year now and he loves u so so much !! he was always more than happy to give u money so u could buy more of those cute lil bows and accessories that u loved wearing or those pink coquette themed decor items that u loved placing all throughout ur apartment. he adored ur obsession with the coquette lifestyle sm. he thought it was so adorable and loved ur dedication towards it.

goth!choso who has grown accustomed to the color pink and even started wearing n buying more pink clothing just so he could match with u sometimes. u knew ur bf wasn’t a huge fan of pink and u always thought he would stick with his dark aesthetic so it made u extremely happy when u saw him frequently starting to wear pink clothing !

goth!choso who has begged u numerous times to try out the emo/gothic style bc he was really curious to see how u would look in it. eventually u caved in and decided to surprise him and got this outfit and wore it to one of ur date nights with him. he couldn’t get over how good u looked and this just confirmed for him that u would always look good no matter what aesthetic u had !! when he took u back to his apartment, he wouldn’t even let yall get through the door before he picked u up, hands rubbing all up on ur ass while he left long sloppy kisses along ur jawline and neck, attempting to take u to his room without bumping into a wall or a piece of furniture.

goth!choso & coquette!reader who r the exact definition of opposites attract !!

moodboards ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ

[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.

[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: [...] ���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...

[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.

[tonberry-yoda]

Hii first of all i hope youre doing great! Make sure to drink water‼️

So i saw that your requests r open but idk if u can do matchups so feel free to ignore this if u dont

But if u do, i was wondering if u could do a jjba matchup from parts 2-7 (any gender idm)

Some info ab me:

Im agender but i use any pronouns, im aroace (! Aroace ppl can still feel romantic feelings js limited, just letting u know bc ppl get confused🥲!)

Id like the matchup to be romantic and some characters i wouldnt rlly like u to include r stroheim, kira, pucci and funny valentine

Okay lets get to the main stuff

My personality is pretty confusing even for me tbh

I can be very serious at times but i can also be very js energetic and yk goofy ig? My energy gets drained quickly after that tho so yeaah

I get told pretty frequently that im harsh but im just honest🤷‍♀️

I prefer saying whats objective and truthful rather than sugarcoating stuff

I can be very supportive tho dont tske this the wrong way

Im an ambivert and idk if yk mbti but since it might help im an Intj e3

Also im a night owl so yeah i love staying up and stargazing from my window💁🏻‍♀️

As for how i act in daily life well, i always try my best to get everything that im assigned done and most of the time i do. I strive for perfection and success in whatever i do and i am very ambitious🏃🏻

At times tho i feel like i need breaks so once in a while i like to just stop and relax, to do absolutely nothing

I like to read books every now and then but i dont have a good attention span and i zone out A LOOOTT

Not just while reading, if im doing anything at all ill just zone out eventually

I really enjoy being in my head with my own thoughts its like my safe space even if its not safe ykwim

Im just a very brain-ish person yk i like thinking i spend hours in my head its like my comfort place

I also like being productive it makes me feel alive

Like doing stuff

Im also a result/success oriented person so yeah

Also other than reading im also into make up and i like to listen to music if u consider that a hobby

I have a very mixed music taste but my friends say its good

I really like lana del rey and indie music but I also love rock and grunge like ac/dc, nirvana, pearl jam etc.

I also listen to stray kids sometimes their music is cool (kpop) but i also listen to j-pop and classical music (ascends me to heaven fr)

I also listen to 90s hiphop. Yeah.

Thats a lot of stuff I KNOW but i told u its a mix

As in fashion i dress either very y2k-ish or like my friends always tell me i look like those 2 girls from mean girls (my clothes)

I like to dress coquette-like though too!

Id also like to be a gothic lolita but i cant so thats sad

I also have brown hair and brown eyes and im average heigthed

My friends say i have the best style so yeah

I dont really have a type but i do have a preference for either people who are like me bcz yk they get me

But i also like funny people like very energetic funny people

We can be like sun moon dynamic idk😭

I like every love language ngl

I have a slight preference for gift giving though

I mean thats the one i use so

The fic is up to u idm what it is

Tysm for ur time, ik that was a lot, feel free to ignore if u dont feel like it have a nice day/night <3

notes: omg hi!! I am finally doing your matchup <3 I feel like it has been in here forever omg. but i am so glad im getting to it today!! i literally have the PERFECT character for you tee hee so let's jump in <3

the character I chose for you is...

GYRO ZEPELLI!!!

you and him have a very similar personality. you can both have a serious front, but goof off with each other, which is the most fun

it makes you a super successful couple too because you both know when it's joking time or not

though you will find him making stupid jokes more often than not

he likes that your harsh/honest

it just really shows that you know who you are and you cant take certain stuff

it just means your strong-willed and that's what he loves about you

there is nothing wrong with being harsh and he tells you that all the time

you and him are very supportive to each other and it really helps the relationship grow

i feel like gyro is honestly a morning person, so you wont find him staying up with you late that often

so while he sleeps next to you pet his hair

but he will 100% stargaze with you while you talk about life and cuddle

you get shit done and that's what he loves about you

and when you two are together, you're literally unstoppable tbh

as ambitious as this man is, he is also lazy, so he will ask you to just sit and cuddle him so you can take a break

and who are you to deny gyro??? i would cuddle in those arms any day

doing absolutely nothing sounds amazing to him, so please stay wrapped in his arms

just know he will fall asleep

since you love reading, but zone out a bit, this man will read to you

he loves to read to you

even if you zone out, he will catch you up

he overall just enjoys reading out loud a lot, so you're going to hear a lot of it

while you're just thinking, he'll be right beside you

you are your own comfort space, but you begin to feel that he is becoming your new one

he is also a mixed music dude, so yall listen to whatever

HE LOVES THE WAY YOU DRESS OMG

literally force him to dress up to and you will be walking ICONS

do his makeup

LITERALLY

he loves when you make him all pretty

he'll braid you hair if you braid his

he is super energetic and funny, so you have the literal perfect man for you

and he will provide every love language, just expect a lot of words of affirmation from him and way too many cuddles

and if you give him gifts, he gets all flustered and blushy

and then he'll get you gifts too :)

and now for your fic :)

You stayed up on the edge of your shared bed with Gyro and watched the stars from your window. You lived in a nice enough area to see all the stars and you were very thankful for that. You couldn't go to sleep, so you decided to open the window and get a breath of fresh air along with your view. Your boyfriend slept quietly next to you, his arms hugged around his own lanky body. You watched his breaths for a moment. In. Out. In. Out. You smiled and ran your fingers through his long sandy blonde hair before looking right back to the window. "Darlin?" You heard from Gyro, making you jump. "What's up?" You asked, seeing his long arms stretch in front of him as he sat up. "Can't sleep?" He asked, avoiding your question. "No, not really. Just wanted to do some stargazing." "Come here," he said, patting his chest. You gladly laid your head on your chest, having an even better view of the stars as he petted the top of your head until he fell back asleep.

~~~~~

matchup rules | pinned post @tonberry-yoda

[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.

[aimmyarrowshigh]

That post I reblogged earlier is making me think about how like 13 years ago in the transition from Hunger Games fandom to 1D fandom, someone decided that my 1D writing sucked compared to my THG writing -- which to be fair, is a COMPLETELY different style and voice, which it SHOULD be -- and thought that they were being a good fandom community member by posting their thoughts about that, loudly, in detail, on every platform, with me tagged in the posts. "To let people know that they wouldn't like my new stuff," of course, and also, "to help me grow."

When I asked them (begged them) to stop shitting on me where I would 100% inevitably see it -- because I don't care if you shit on me in a private chat with your friends but doing it in a public space (even an "anonymous"/pseudonymous one) is a cowardly dick move -- they FLIPPED OUT about how I had to listen to their criticism. And spent years shitting on everything I wrote after that. They might still be doing it, but I don't really care anymore.

But --

First off: no, I didn't. Criticism about your preferences in voice or style or content is not constructive critique. There was nothing valuable in what you had to say that could have helped me grow as either a writer or as a person. Are there totally valid critiques that you could have made about the craft in my bloated 1D works compared to my concise THG ones? Sure. Of course! But that's not what was being said. Your preferences are not critique.

Second off: no, I didn't. Fanfiction is not a space for every person to follow a writer to every fandom; there are writers I adore for, like, boy band RPF, who I'm not going to read for Hannibal dead dove fic because... I know I won't like the roads it goes down. And that's okay. They don't write for me. They write for themselves. They don't need, or want, me to read it and then "critique it" for not being what I wanted. And frankly, expecting boy band fluff to be similar at all to canonverse Hunger Games angst is a... big ask. There's almost no way it could be what you wanted. But it was what *I* wanted. So I wrote it. Read it or don't.

And thirdly: no, I didn't. No one ever has to pay attention to someone who's being a dick. I begged you to just leave me alone, and you turned it into a years-long hobby to talk shit about everything I write. In what world is that constructive criticism? That's literally just being a dick. You don't give attention to the boy who shoves you off the swing set and you don't feed a troll.

I don't know. I just keep thinking about how much you have to be reading the room wrong to think that shitting on anyone's fic in public is an okay move.

I've mocked fics in my day, but never anyone specific if public and honestly, rarely even in private. The only exceptions are Master of the Universe (50 Shades of Grey), My Immortal, After, and The Draco Trilogy (Shadowhunters). And those are not engaging with a fanfiction space anymore.

If someone is engaging with a fanfiction space, just... don't be a dick. And doing just about anything after someone begs you to stop doing that thing is being a dick.

[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

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #675

Top Ten DCEU Films (and One TV Programme)

Yay, I’m getting back to doing a simple list of films! I kind of prefer it when I just rank films; I feel I can speak a bit more knowledgably about it, get my thoughts across better. Even if I don’t think the lists themselves are quite as inspired, maybe, as when I ranked my favourite eggs. It is what it is.

Anyway, there is – sort of – a thematic reasoning going on here. Because this coming week sees the release of Creature Commandos, officially the first project from the new DC Studios, headed by James Gunn and Peter Safran. This brand-new DCU will have a brand-new continuity of shared movies and TV programmes, and whilst things will really kick off next summer with the release of Gunn’s Superman (squee!), Commandos is the first proper glimpse we get into that universe. Now, I said “sort of” there because I don’t think Creature Commandos is actually going to be on British TV screens before Christmas; presumably it’ll end up on Sky like most other Warner Bros-affiliated shows, but there’s not been a sniff of a release date as of yet. However, I’m still going with it, especially as I only caught up on the last couple of DC movies fairly recently.

I say movies, but – as those of you who read the title will have guessed – I’m also including the one TV project set within the DCEU. I pondered its inclusion, whether to stick to films or not, but as it’s just one season of one show and the universe is – technically – over, I decided it was worth sticking in there. It is, after all, absolutely excellent (spoiler alert), so not featuring it felt weird and arbitrary. Words that can never be applied to any decision I make regarding these lists. Ahem.

I think, on the incredibly rare possibility that this list is widely-read, the shocking discovery will be the utter absence of any of Zack Snyder’s films. Snyder was the one who started the whole kit and kaboodle, and it was his tone, his aesthetic, his overall idea for the “spine” of the DCEU, that shaped its early years – for better or for worse. In my opinion, the core elements not just of individual characters but of the entire DC comics universe is so at odds with his personal flavour, I just can’t get on with his films. Like, at all. Man of Steel has some nice ideas and a really good grounded style, but it’s so miserable, so utterly un-wonderful, that it runs antithetical to everything I think about Superman as a character. It also has the same odd structural problems and pacing issues that all of his films have. Batman v Superman gives us some great comics-esque Batman fight sequences, and a really interesting take on Lex Luthor, but pisses it all away with edgelord grimdark 14-year-old-who-listens-to-Korn sensibilities (nothing wrong with Korn, by the way; maybe I should have said “Nick Cave” to show I wasn’t punching down but across). It’s the sort of supposedly hard-edged “kill the baby” thinking that you believe is mature and sophisticated as a teenager, before you realise that it’s just another form of childishness; it’s why I can’t get along with the majority of Mark Millar’s work. It’s using “darkness” as a substitute for “depth”, and that’s a fallacy. The two versions of Justice League both manage to be dreadful in entirely different ways; Snyder’s is technically “better” for the most part but it’s long and depressing, whereas Whedon’s is lighter and looser but basically feels like the pilot for a Justice League TV series, with TV-level visuals for the most part. But it doesn’t have that godawful black Superman suit, so probably on the whole I prefer it, even if it was apparently horrendously toxic to make.

Where were we?

Oh yeah, I was supposed to be celebrating instead of slagging off. Because all ten of these films (cough-nine-and-one-telly-cough) are genuinely good. Yes, good; not all of them are great, but most of them are very good. The DCEU did indeed achieve greatness, as hopefully I will convince you of momentarily; but on the whole most of their films were “okay!” or “better than you’d think!”. The two Aquaman films embody this most heartily I feel; they’re super-enjoyable to watch, utterly bananas, but I think if you were to recommend them to anyone you’d have to caveat them quite a bit.

In the end, I feel like the DCEU overcame a really tough stumble right out of the gates, in the face of entrenched opposition at the height of its powers (that’s the MCU, in case you hadn’t guessed), and with a revolving door of executives who seemed to want different things from their DC “properties”. Despite all of this, and despite lacking the clear guided direction that Marvel had from the start, they produced some absolute gems. From Diana discovering her powers to Harley discovering a sandwich, there was greatness here.

That black suit though. Ugh.

Wonder Woman (2017): I would argue this is the only no-holds-barred unqualified success of the DCEU; the only film that scratches at five stars (on rewatches, I think the flaky ending dips it just short of masterpiece status). But the way Patty Jenkins crafts both the idyllic Themiscarian opening and the grit and grime of WWI is terrific; and the two leads are frankly outstanding. Gadot is adept at both the fish-out-of-water stuff and also being an all-conquering badass; Pine is effortlessly charming. When all else fades away, let’s remember this movie above all as an indication of what the DCEU could have been.

Peacemaker (2022): yep, here we go, I’m sticking one show in and it’s almost right at the top. As Marvel themselves have found, crafting a superhero TV show is tricky; Peacemaker avoids almost every trap. Each episode feels distinct with its own arc, but it also builds somewhere. There is oodles of character development and growth, and James Gunn does his usual schtick of giving us a bunch of divs and then slowly eking out their foibles until we fall in love. It’s dark, it’s vulgar, it’s violent, but it’s overflowing with heart, and it’s full of tremendous performances to boot.

The Suicide Squad (2021): Gunn is back again – which bodes well for the future of DC on screen, I guess. From the bombastic and outrageously violent opening onwards, we – once again – follow a group of bickering bell-ends until they turn into outright heroes and we love them to bits. The use of comedy makes the moments of misery and tragedy all the more redolent, and it makes absolutely superb use of DC lore.

Birds of Prey (2020): I genuinely don’t know what this is officially called now, so I’m going to skip any subtitles – you all know what film I mean. And this one is a gonzo delight; gritty, to a certain degree, but mostly just a wild and exuberant night out. Margot Robbie is outstanding as Harley, imbuing her with heart and warmth as well as an extravagant, violent mania; the rest of the Birds are well-cast with some standouts (Jolee Smollett as Black Canary should be brought back). It’s also incredibly funny.

Blue Beetle (2023): there’s no reason this should be as good as it is, but it manages to be the closest DC came to their own Spider-Man; Xolo Maridueña is terrific in the lead, and he’s apparently going to keep playing the character in the new DCU, so that’s good. But here we’ve got a fast-paced and funny young superhero origin, plus some cool action, and – again – great use of DC comics history.

Aquaman (2018): this one could have been tremendous, but it’s also a bit woolly and far too long. Discard all that, though, and you get an utterly madcap, bonkers thrill ride through an underwater kingdom that’s like nothing we’ve seen before. The visuals and imagination on display here are hilarious: this is a film which features an army of crab men, a mermaid girl in a mech suit, and Julie Andrews as a kaiju. And an octopus playing the drums. What’s not to love?

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023): suffers a bit next to its predecessor but is still a blast. The balance between character work and basically being a Saturday morning cartoon maybe skews too far one way; but Momoa in the lead and Patrick Wilson as brother/rival Orm are both great, and bounce off each other in fun ways. It’s even woollier than the first but there’s still something good beneath the CG surface.

The Flash (2023): I went into this one full of pessimism, mostly due to the off-screen complications and controversies. But, to be honest, it almost – almost – soars: Barry’s motivations and character are clearly outlined, and the potentially-complicated plot is concisely and entertainingly laid out. But once they bring out the big Bat-Guns, it starts to wobble; we lose sight of the funny centre of the film, and the whole mutliversal stuff that tops it off feels unearned and – frankly – really ugly to look at. So much potential, such a shame; but considering the hurdle it had to leap, it’s still damn good fun for most of its runtime.

Black Adam (2021): a film of two halves: there’s a weird twist on the fish-out-of-water genre with His Rockness as a taciturn and grumpy anti-hero. This is lacklustre; the Rock’s natural chemistry is smothered by trying to be this grim avenger. But! The Justice Society stuff is a goddamn hoot. When that team are on screen, it sings; more of them, please.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020): ah, god. The first film was stunning. This, sadly, struggles to find its identity and focus. The plot is woollier than an Edinburgh clothes shop; the MacGuffin is oddly defined; no one’s motivations make any sense. Frankly there aren’t enough cool action scenes. And what on Earth were they thinking with the whole “it’s Steve but not Steve really it’s some bloke” idea? The fact that it remains pretty enjoyable, that there’s enough to root for, is down once more to the chemistry of the leads and Jenkins’ assured way of handling a set piece. It’s okay. But it could have been so much more.

There we are; by number ten we’re already getting into “yeah I guess” territory. I feel a bit mean to Shazam!, which had a lot of fun moments and characters, but I’m not really in a mood to say nice things about Zachary Levi right now (and, genuinely, he’s the weak link in its sequel, with all the charisma and fun instead carried by Adam Brody). Also – sincerely – I think the tone of the film is weird, half kid-friendly comedy, half dark mystical drama.

But look: there was lots to like here. An octopus played the drums, people! What more do you want?!