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zerguette · 3 months ago

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*comes in and sits down politely on your floor* Would you be able to share with us anything about Jhostin and your mafia faction? Maybe even a couple of things about your Toppat OCs? I am very curious about this band of people you've got hehe, their designs are just amazing!

Okey dokie okie dokie okie dokie -explodes-

-sits politely - sit and prepare yourself for the rant

but first (and i apologize if some stuff is hard to understand, english is not the best thing with me so I STRUGGLE to explain my ideas in this language ough)

this thing is very loooong so yeah

To get to Jhostin lore, I'll start with the mafia guys. Lightpathers are an asian-american mafia, they also go by The SL(Sen-dero-Lumi-noso, i feel like addibg lines i don't want to trigger Tumblr's anger), which is a reference a te-rro-rist group that had a big impact in my country (Perú), which i would recommend reading about a bit! As It IS a just a reference to this group, this mafia is not a harsh as how this disgusting people were. They just are kind of a small confederance of guys that got high enough to want to set a new order in the world. Not entirely but thats how i joke about them.

The SL has a different distribution of power, there are actually 7 leaders, (Joaquín is not one! But is like the right hand of Arcturus and the one who calculates almost everything), and have been hidden years, the main head of 'Deleting the CCC and making this timeline ours and taming chaos and oh god im SO high' is Yuang Yang. AND!! A way to distinguish a SL member, is by something really special, they either wear a golden ring with a star of four points or an earring of the same star! (in case of one of the leaders, she wears earrings of many pearls but its because she wanted not to copy others)

(But after being traumatized dying and dying and nobody remembering past timelines, he ends using the CCC arsenal against the same last universe he's living on, because at the end, he is also a complete believer that stronger ones survive, and to erradicate CCC, there must be more sacrificing that he at first intended. CCC can't do nothing, because murdering people who doesnt cause chaos, is not actually something they can fix, but they are put at edge, because Yuang forces the CCC to see, the worst outcome of their actions [or what he considers the worst but it still works out]

i hc some sticks do only exist in certain timelines, this is why, Yuang has never existed in a succesful timeline. And also it's like universe is a big pc, where you have many back-ups but no way to restore these, as same as some sticks can only exist/live in certain timelines, is at same some sticks can not longer exist after their mother timeline is wiped off, and, mother timeline is and can't be considered an ending for these sticks, because it is stated they'll always live in this one (right? they will always live on this one, right?).

Yuang Yang, 70yo asian stick, he's an anomaly, because he's been able to keep his memories through the timelines and reached a conclusion (which i talked with Saisk before in a ramble), this is his final timeline and so of the other leaders. He founded the SL on all the past timelines we visit with Henry in the games, but he never succeded ar all (cuz he happened to just exist with the other leaders and The SL ONLY in the ones we fail, which are A LOT.) -> So what is an anomaly, is how I call Henry, and the sticks who are able to understand the time and reality (CCC are just built different), or have different powers (which is what rises chaos levels). Yuang has died and lived so many times to realize he's literally on the last rectangle of life, given being an anomaly gets you one simple symptomp -> The Weird Dreams, dreaming about stuff where you have options, places and things you can create. The reality here can be a bit Wicked and hard to understand, ;_;. But dreams are the symptomp of having more control(chaos) than you should have. This after Yuang spent his entire (last)youth investigating and getting to certain conclusions.

Yuang is a key character in my au, because he's the main reason why everything happens. He did admired how Henry, an anomaly like he, like Alexandrovna, like Carlo, Like Arcturus and other leaders, was able to control his power so completely (the fact Henry connects two timelines in FtC, given you have either calling Gov or Toppats but arent you in other timeline already?, he is able to manipulate reality at his own will), but he didnt like that even if everything goes on, for some reason Henry does always follow what he wants. Yuang is a character that has been and has been always there, never actually lived an Ending, which he knows exists, but he happens to die! For some reason something happens! For some reason each time you fail the Game it's like the world disssppears and the screams and the chaos! And you wake up again, breathing rapidly, but Yuang has always woken up from this nightmare in his youth (20yo), Henry events happens when he's like 70 years, so you get it. He had time, and he realized the CCC was always there (and has always been there) as the one entity that controls everything, because "You all not know how easy are we to wipe off! How easy is it for them to press a buttom and get rid of us! Because of some stupid inestability."

Yuang hates and despises CCC for this Main reason, and has always questioned the reasons and actions of Henry (he only admires the power), he has never talked to him, but he keeps wondering if Henry is aware that everytime he fails and starts again, he doesnt know The destruction this causes. He does wonder, hes just a guy who ended making a big high to heavens idea. And his plan is just getting rid of the CCC and 'doing correctly' what Henry couldnt. Saving this timeline, saving his comrades, saving this people.

Oksana Alexandrovna Karenina, 51 years old russian stick, even if old she has aged like wine. A powerful woman, who covers her scars because showing theses is like showing weakness, she is straight but supportive. And has been given mind control powers (in this one, the variant that kills, like she literally can stare at you and force you to shut down because you happened to annoy her) and here is where you won't longer like Yuang, Alexandrovna powers were helpful! She actually wanted to travel as a biologist, and got to be able to talk with animals thelepathically, she was a very happy woman until a strange man appeared in her journeys, and she was kind of brainwashed, Yuang would totally sometimes sent heists and this involves killing, Alexandrovna disliked the whole idea of killing another one, it was, terrifying for her. She loved life, and Yuang just, with his great way of talking and brainwashing with words, no need of power, told her she didnt have to wash her hands in blood, she could easily, you know, kill them by breaking their mind, and yeah, the young woman didnt want to, but Yuang would push and push this idea until she just did it, and ended going down into the hole. She then became a narcissist woman who can't acept her own errors, and deep inside her heart, she still just wants to be out in the nature and talk with animals, deep inside her cold heart, she never wanted this. But she also realized this was her last timeline, she can't afford thinking about the mass destruction, she might have ended killing innocents, but no, she's not into causing a huge massacre. And she has a crush on Carlo, since so time ago, since they met…sighs…pain.

So, leaders do have the dreams about selecting options and stuff, but not actually go and do it, its a dream they live, we call it dream bc is them living in this timeline, until it is shut off and they face utter destruction. Yuang has no power to make things, he knows he can see options, he can see diferent paths, but never actually get to do it, in fact, its like ghost pain, its like the leaders know they can select, but for some reason it feels this power and options are very away from them, which in comparison to Henry, he does have the abillity to choose. And has the abillity to everything.

Yuang's power is actually hiding himself or cloaking, in a way, he can temporarily erase his own presence during certain period and make other sticks do not see or remember he was/is there. But when time is over, he is there again and the other sticks are left confused, because ''Boss, weren't you here before?'', But more than that, Yuang is gifted with having the abillity of remembering his past lives, where he knows he always dies because either toppats become so powerful or for some reason everything glitches out and damn . (Also to understand how it feels getting erased and how it feels timelines died, i suggest reading Robot Dreams from Isaac Asimov! its a good book! good stories! but there is one specially which can get you to get the feeling of it) Back to powers and stuff. we got the other guys who are not yet developed completely, Yuang got most of the lore by now, but it'll write down everything about them.

Carlo Horner Hershell, 54 yo american liutenant, general, sargeant, okey idk, hes same rank as Galeforce, but most everyone got used to call him Lt Carlo/Horner. He was enlisted in the forces by his father, he has always been so tall for others, out of his prom he was the tallest (210cm). Thing here is, Yuang studied and was a professor temporarily in America, but lived his childhood and teenhood in Asia, so he met young Carlo, because this last one asked to be allowed to get studies on a normal university at the same time he studied in the forces and served them (like doing double career, double university), this was permitted (also he is same age as Galeforce and both met and were besties, mhm, besties, roomates, omg they were roomates). Carlo's power is more like his body is the one of a predator? He has a pretty much normal power, just his senses are highened, at first he was only able to distinguish smells, but oh, hey Galeforce i just had one my professors of physics replaced by this weird one, he smells like ciggarretes. Yet for some reason Carlo was so invested in what Yuang taught, his classes were few, he was always travelling, always here and there, so having a lecture by him, was something special, and boy he did have lot of students, yet Yuang always was interested in Carlo, eventually they shared more than just lectures. Again, Yuang is a mastermind of brainwashing and so did Harlo got brainwashed, he still was the same easy-going idiot, who loved doing pranks, but weirdly enough as years went by his sense were more highened than normal, he got called "Bloody Horner", because even for being such a happy guy, he is very strict with his actions and orders, and hes also much of a fist fighter, he doesnt thinks twice when it comes about his enemy. He is more gay than any honor, having a crush (what a story) with Galeforce but then just ending like besties, Carlo is an old man (he dyes his hair to look young, let him be) and yeah, he loves men (im still debating but he screams gayness in all his spirit) and keeps feeling bad when Alexandrovna does the obvious enamoured gaze at him, because he somehow feels its so aching to be never able to correspond that love. He works in the north part of America! but time to time gets transfered back to be with his ol pal Galeforce. I often see him teaching Rupert or the Bukowski twins when he has the opportunity, he likes to test their abillities. He uses a ring of the star! and has a tongue piercing.

Arcturus Gutierrez, or more like ''Sargento Arturito'', he got his face burnt when a granade was thrown at him, hes 67yo, and loves drinking a shot of whiskey before starting a mission. Hes born in Mexico and loves his homeland, but ended joining the forces because he was kind of interested in meeting the superstar soldier who can't be beaten (aka, Carlo), he then ended travelling mostly to America because of this. He never got too much into the countries conflicts, in fact, he just happened to meet Yuang when he was on a normal airplane, there was this man who started talking with him and about how hard is being a professor and also an "investigator". As the other leaders, brainwash because i would add more text to this answer than i intend to. Hes like an old man, looks older than Yuang and sometimes uses a staff to be able to stand or walk. He also uses not an earring or ring, instead his uniform belt has a star form in the center. He's your old man, would make you a coffee and give you some tacos, why not. He and Joaquín are besties, where he just treats Joaquín as his own child (given he happened to have no wife no kids, just loneliness), and well his entire division are his small children. He babysits young soldiers like a good grandpa. He's the leader who is most neutral towars Yuang's fucked up ideas,,

The other leaders are still on the way of being designed! But you can tell where there are going to be :D, Alexandrovna dictates the plans of Europe, Carlo, the ones of America and Arcturus the ones of Latinoamerica, while Yuang the ones of Asia, but he also leads hidden heists around the world. He took as much advantage of the toppats being the spot of the eye for some many years, like damn, he got all the time he needed in this last timeline. Everything takes place in the ending of Triple Threat au wah. A bit after. who knows. who knows.

And from the side of Alexandrovna, the SL have a deep connection with the Wall :) (the first idea was actually making the Wall a new mafia like Toppats but i didnt like much the idea, i prefered them being a connection to a more bigger mafia/clan)

Oh And Joaquín!, hes a lovely boy! :D, he's very good at managing number and stuff, of course each leader has their respective rhm (the army of rhms), Joaquín is Arcturus' right hand, hes a communications guy and liason among all the leaders, more like the top right hand in the mafia/clan. Don't trust his smile, he'll absolutely blast a bomb without knowing, hes a bit silly. Hes always present in the leader's meeting, and the only right hand that takes participations on the plans, the others are not allowed to join the meetings.

Okie dokie we go with the other right hand, that is Soveigna!, believe or not, shes prob one of the most important character for this au, she is another anomaly with powers similar to Alexandrovna (there is a reason why she is her right hand), she ended blind at young age and lived mostly on darkness until she was found and she was given biotechnological eyes, she is muted selectively but she does speaks if needed. She's very strange, very quiet, always looking around, she has the weird dreams but can't remember them completely, its more like she wakes up and has memories of weird stuff that has been affecting her integrity, she never uses her powers only if she needs aid, she's like a beacon. (I like to think about powers a lot, but yeah Yuang did totally go into looking only for anomalies to join him, like toppats, toppats united cant be defeated!) Soveigna and Jhostin are very much togueter, being sent on spy missions togueter, she pilots and knows how to do her job perfectly. When the chaos started (thanks Yuang you crazy ass) she ended stuck in America, trying to escape with Jhostin they ended leaving the place but Soveigna received the order of flying away, and she never breaks an order. Jhostin didnt want to leave the entire country because what about the otehr guys! Their clan! What is happening? and he won't get an answer.

Jhostin is a silly boy!!! I love him so muchhhh ough, he lost his parents thanks to the SL, he never knew about this, he was 8 years old and ended orphan inside a house, alone, Dmitri and Grigori were sent to said house to raise this kid by orders from above. Jhostin was born in europe in such a cold place,his parents lived in the village that was the nearest to the Wall, at first he didnt like Dmitri and Grigori and tbh, these two were not good at raising a child. They were mostly, confused and stressed out and instead made Jhostin train and train until he becomes such a good soldier because they didnt know how to deal with a kid. Even though, they have never failed to look after his health or his studies, so yeah, they tried but it never justifies how shit they were and they have acepted Jhostin will never forgive them because making a child learn how to use a knife, is something unforgiving. Anyways, during Jhostin adolescence he met who is called His Brother, Dear Zar, they never got along, they just hated each other and tahts the story. Jhostin has a tendency of hissing and hes very close minded about opening to others, Dmitri and Grigori never mentioned about the SL, lets say they did care a little bit, but ironically Jhostin leaves and ends joining The Sl, the ones who killed his parents. He might look very serious and dangerous, he is! but he is good, and always prefers him being the one who ends with blood on his hands than others, because somehow he looks at beginners, everyone of the clan as smaller siblings and he has always had this older brotherly personality. He is a spy because hes so hard to spot, his movements are so wise, not making a simple noise, like a snake that doesnt hiss, like a tiguer ready to get his prey, and his machete is his bestie, he also has learnt muay thai and boxing, he's master when it comes to these two fighting arts. He takes care of Soveigna like if she is his very own sister, he adores her and always listens to her when she wants to say something, she is one of his motivations to continue, and the why he is always sure all missions are successful, she has taken the best out of him.

and yeah the other right hands are also being designed, because i tend to put much effort into their descriptions, maybe too much.

Either way, you've asked about the Jhostin, I shall give you Jhostin, I know you love him, He Appreaciates The Love.

Jhostin is 167cm tall, kinda small for a man, his eyes are big and evil, dangerous, his scars were a gift from Zar and from past missions were he failed to protect himself correctly. He has more scars on his torso and so, his favorite dessert is the strawberry cake, and he loves wearing skirts. His hair is very short given he feels this can interfere with his vision, he also doesnt like hair…and well, hes pretty much involved with Spike (Saisk' oc) because damn i love their dynamic. Jhostin has been raised with russian and asian language! That's why his english sometimes, sounds a bit weird (same with Soveigna and Zar), he has a tendency to sketch sometimes but is rarely seen, loves rock bands and yeah he's been everywhere i think. Inside the toppats, the gov, and later in the CCC. Hes also good at dancing (ballet!).

uhhhhhhhhhh and well about my toppats ocs, I have Orion and Alán, Orion is the younger brother of Zar. Who happened to go missing years before he was born, Orion is…the sweetest guy you'll ever meet, he's literally an angel, and has always tried to find options that don't lead to violence, he adores his brother even if they never met, loves his family, loves all the coworkers he's had. Still, he had the objective of finding his brother, he is pretty much good at using computers so hacking and learning about more mafias than just the Toppats was easy for him, he enlisted himself on the forces but when he knew being there wouldnt actually help him with getting to learn about this brother, he just step away from the gov, because he was stuck and making zero progress. Instead he joined the toppats, literally went over there, and presented himself, of course, he is an angel but he does mean things too, ended giving info the gov so he could be acepted, he's part of the communications team, so yeah he did meet Burt, but never shared a word. Orion is very neutral about everything, he just wants his brother back because one part of his family is lost, he's not happy about that. But when chaos starts he's left there with the toppats, and instead knows his brother is alive somewhere so he decides to protect the toppats for the great chaos.

Alán is bolivian, he learned english after travelling to Perú in his youth and spending years there, he finished his studies here and then decided to continue living, until he saw toppats and how they steal and boy he loves stealing so he instantly had to find a way to join them. His hair is afro, and hes literally a thin toppat kind of short, but always tries to smile even if his 24/7 face makes him look like hes º^º

and ough thanks for asking! i hope you enjoyed the ramble cuz i ramble hella lot,,,,,

#Ask #Ari answers #thsc oc #the henry stickmin au #thsc au #thsc #btw if you do actually wanna know how the au is called #is Heaven is Dead and I was sleepy when i came up with the name. It is a metaphore actually #because at the end most character have uh....character development yipeeeee #also iam glad the ramble wasnt that much i erased a bit bc i got scared of how much i was writing and didnt want to overwhelm mhm mhm #glad you love their designs #i happen to just think a lot and let the hand draw lmao #and like ;_; a band of guys #more like fucking guys that got so high and became besties idk #Yuang just go really really h i g h #-fades-

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gendercensus · 2 years ago

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On culture-specific gender words

I just had a bit of a ramble about this topic in the latest progress report, and I'll repeat it here for context.

I've been reading the feedback as it comes in, and based on some of that feedback I've been pondering the issue of culture-specific gender words. It's a very difficult issue, because:

If I add an umbrella term like "culture-specific gender" I feel like that won't help as much as people think. I think when you get right down to it there isn't a strict line between a general gender word and a culture-specific one.

I think a lot of people will check that box that the feedbackers were not intending, because when you get right down to it every term is culture-specific really, isn't it?

Marginalised groups relating to culture/region are by their nature fewer in number, which also means that their gender words are very unlikely to be entered frequently enough that they'll end up on the checkbox list.

The checkbox list is just a list of the most commonly-entered words, to make data-processing easier, but to an extent that creates a self-fulfilling loop of culture-specificity - people in marginalised groups come to the survey, don't see their genders in the checkbox list, immediately feel out of place, and check out again. Then their gender words are never anywhere near the top of the list.

So maybe it doesn't feel like the right approach to modify the checkbox list, but maybe the design of the survey can be improved to help people from marginalised groups feel more welcome and to encourage them to type in their culture-specific gender words, to address that bias.

This is something that comes up year after year, and it's always niggling at me, and I would really like to find a solution that feels satisfying! So, I'm thinking about it, and I will keep thinking about it.

Shortly after posting it, I updated some of the text on the front page of the survey a little bit. The previous wording had never sat right with me, and I realised that I could feed two birds with one scone.

Original wording: "As far as we know, most people fit tidily into one of these categories: [gender binary man/woman descriptions]"

New wording: "According to the white Western model of gender called the "gender binary", everyone fits tidily into one of these categories: [gender binary man/woman descriptions]" [See edit, below!]

I didn't announce this, but less than an hour later I got this in the feedback box:

"Not a complaint about the survey itself; Just wanted to say that dropping something like "white Western model of gender called the "gender binary"" maybe isn't the best idea. Not to mention that it's completely false. You probably only meant it as a joke or were trying to be edgy, but maybe think about what you're actually saying/writing beforehand."

I obviously can't take it into account or act on it at all, because they haven't given me any information about what's wrong with what I said or any corrections, they're just being passive-aggressive and ~vaguely ominous~

So I'm posting this as an example of the kind of feedback that has literally zero effect, and I'm inviting some feedback that is more informative and useful. How do you know a statement that I made is false? Why isn't it the best idea? In what universe is it "edgy" to point out that maybe the binary model of gender might not be universal in a survey aimed at people whose genders don't conform to the binary model of gender? I need multiverse co-ordinates, people!!

Anyway, obviously Tumblr is terrible for messaging, so the best way to send me feedback is to reply to this post (because it's all in one place), but if you want to contact me less publicly you can email me: hello AT gendercensus DOT com. For obvious reasons I am more interested in your thoughts on this if you're a person with a culture-specific/-exclusive gender, but basically all thoughts are welcome.

Edit, a few hours later: I've removed the "white Western" part now, because it didn't feel like a particularly constructive thing to include, and because I can't back it up with sources off the top of my head. I want to keep the introduction to just the pertinent information, as common-sense as possible.

So now it says:

According to one model of gender called the "gender binary", everyone fits tidily into one of these categories: [gender binary man/woman descriptions]

And I think I feel better about it. It implies that it's one of several models of gender, without raising it above other models, and race or region are not a factor but anyone not white or Western will hopefully read that and be reassured.

Further thoughts welcome, here or by email!

#feedback please!#gender

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al-the-remix · 3 months ago

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I’m sorry what?? You’ve had fic written about you?? Are you famous? How did I not know this?

lol no and that's the part that's actually embarrassing, not the actual fic... It's really not that interesting but if you're curious i'll explain btc

I don't know if you remember 2010-2016 ish tumblr pre porn ban fandom, but it was a slightly different flavour than it was now. Maybe it was just the circles I spent time in, but I feel like that was before tumblr as a whole had learn its lesson BNF wise. This was post the big move of fan artists over from Deviant Art and there was also still a large number of "famous" cosplayers that were most notable for being hot and posting suggestive photos of themselves on the internet. (Which don't get me wrong I'm all for, I was a big fan of having random dicks and tits pop up on my feed without instantly getting community labeled) but this was also the hight of the "tumblr girl/boy aesthetic" which was basically just repackaging heroin chic to insecure, impressionable teenagers, which for reasons beyond me people love to romanticize now. "Oh remember 2011 tumblr, it was so great", what I remember is like 2/3rds of the platform mainlining glamorized anorexia and self harm content non stop, so like agree to disagree... But that's beyond the point, which is: people were super primed to bestow ""celebrity"" on people who didn't deserve it at all, and being in a group of like seven relatively attractive queer people who posted way too much of their personal lives on the internet and were overly familiar with each-other on main was enough to end up with fan fiction written about you.

I'm still good friends with most of these people, and we all agree that in retrospect this was a cringy period in our lives that was a result of our own behaviour not any one else, because like what I wouldn't give to be able to nuke all reposted aesthetic pictures of myself on pinterest, lmao.

But literally the only reason I ever invoke this cursed knowledge is when I think it could be used as like a moral tale to help prop up an opinion I feel very strongly about now, which first and foremost will always be:

there is no such thing as tumblr famous, especially within fandom, the way the site functions works directly against it and that's a good thing. Anyone who tries to gain clout within a fandom and either consciously or subconsciously turns their entire goal of participating in fandom into "making an impact" or becoming a "prominent figure in the fandom" should be avoided at all costs. If they're unsuccessful in garnering attention they'll become bitter, unbearable, and often cruel, if they do end up getting that attention they'll turn into the most annoying person you'll ever have the misfortune of interacting with and will most likely end up trying to dictate how everyone in the fandom should interact with the cannon material. (i've seen both examples play out more than once much to my own and everyone around them's suffering).

RPF... you don't have to like it, you can personal qualms with the ethics of it, it can very simply make you uncomfortable and you don't want to participate in it, all of those reasons are valid and there are interesting conversations to be had there, but I would say about 95% of the time when I come across people arguing about it has less to do with personal issues, and more to do with this sort of overcorrecting when it comes to sex, attraction, and intimacy we see now a days where especially younger people think that if you so much as find someone attractive you're violating...or god forbid...fetishizing them in some way. And there's a ton I could say on that topic, but I'll try and keep this to the point. Obviously what I experienced is like a speck of sand compared to beaches that are some RPF fandoms, and it likely affected me less because I am queer and I was actually sleeping with a number of those people that I was being "shipped" with etc.--though I'd still argue that whether you're queer or sleeping with that person, being written about by strangers on the internet is an odd experience-- But that's really all it is: odd. The same time all of this was going down I had someone who I hadn't seen in a very long time beginning to stalk me. And like the RPF half of this story, I'm using that word in the lightest of terms. This wasn't a man I was physically intimidated by (I was taller and stronger than him), I was lucky enough to be in the process of moving to a different province so unless I went back to my family home he didn't have physical access to me, and I never had to get the authorities involved. But despite all that I was much more affected by him hanging around outside my house, following me, leaving me weird handwriten letters and presents, insisting that we had some sort of connection even though this is someone I hadn't seen or spoken to in 6+ years, then I ever did being perceived by people on the internet. It made me feel paranoid, physically revolted, and worst of all no one around me took it seriously so I didn't have anyone to literally have my back. So after like four years of microdosing having fanfiction written about me and also having someone physically in my space that I didn't wish to be there, I can confidently say the latter is far worse. You're not breaching anyone's (agency?? idk i'm blanking on the word I want) by thinking or writing or drawing them, it's when you begin to try and physically breach that person's personal space, or because we live in the age of social media, their online bubble and directly engage them, for fandom reasons or because you wrongly believe that you and them have some sort of connection, that things begin to get out of hand. To me the whole issue really comes down to the breaking of the 4th wall, which I'll admit is a super delicate balance and becomes harder to maintain the larger the fandom grows. I think you can see some of the most negative consequences of this when it comes to some of the worst behaviour exhibited by Kpop fandoms, just because they're so large, and the management companies play into it feeding the fire, but at the same time we have talk show hosts getting a kick out of showing off character fan art and fanfiction to actors on air... so wether you're engaging with the "actor" or the "character" in your art and fic there are still ways for that forth wall to be breached, and trying to moralize it is a looser's game. You might as well not engage in fan fic at all, which some people will argue, but I obviously don't agree with.

TL;DR life is short, stalking people is bad, and if you want to write fanfiction about your favourite singer no one should be able to stop you, but I highly discourage emailing it to them.

This is why I still don't use my main blog, because even though I nuked all that content in like 2017 and rebranded as a anime/manga/comics blog, it keeps ratcheting up non-porn bot followers and I've discovered I have much more fun on the internet with fewer eyes on me (another good reason to use the block button liberally, lol)

#asks #this is a lot of word vomit #if i had a point i think i lost it about half way through but whatever #and if I haven't made it clear enough this isn't some weird flex I find this all very embarrassing but it was a lesson learned etc.

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northwest-cryptid · 11 days ago

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Mabinogi is a game plagued by veteran players saying shit like "why are no new players signing up? The game must be too complex!" While at the same time perpetuating the most toxic "community" I've ever seen full of "guild interviews" and shit that turn the game into a social nightmare and practically a second or maybe even third job for any regular casual person who just wants to enjoy an MMORPG. The culture has become so much and I don't say this to just vent, I say this because I've been saying for a long time that there needs to be a change in the way the mabi community outwardly presents iself; because I DO know some chill cool people in the community; but not nearly as many as the toxic people. So fuck it, I am going to dedicate myself to raising those voices, being the change I want to see; and hopefully being able to help some people get into what is honestly a fantastic game with one of the WORST communities I've ever seen if I'm being entirely honest.

Here's the one thing I really want to say about all of this though, if you read/hear about any of the dumb shit I say players do; and you think "I have literally never done any of this nor do I think like this??" Great the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it; you're not one of the bad eggs then! That's good and trust me when I say you'll probably come up when I talk about the people who I actually think make this game and community worth being a part of. Because yea there ARE good, chill people out there. However I cannot overlook the absolute entitlement of the bulk of the playerbase because "Not All Milletians" are weird about this game.

If you think I'm being dumb about this I need you to consider that, in 2024:

a player (friend of mine) was approached about being new, upon confirming they were new they were given some mid-high end gear and gold; only to be told they were "indebted" to a guild because they accepted said gear. They were then told if they just blocked/ignored the individual that they'd be reported for scamming them. A new player who doesn't know any better being told that they'll be reported and banned because they are "indebted" to people who gave them free shit is fucked up, especially to tell them they have to work off their debt by joining a guild and participating in end game raids and shit? What the fuck.

I was approached personally and asked if I played the game "religiously" when I said I really enjoy the game and play often, but wouldn't put it that far; I was told that I wasn't worth the waste of time to even talk to. Because I don't take the game seriously enough if I don't "play it religiously." Yea alright.

I've had players new and old who insist on being "right" about the meta, and thus unprompted and unasked; will info dump about mechanics I understand fully as someone who has played this game literally since the NA beta. I politely explain that I know this and didn't ask for a lesson; only to be told I'm being rude because I should be grateful to be taught how to play the game. Again, I didn't ask. I cannot emphasize the condescending tone used to explain mechanics. Mechanics I didn't even get wrong? Nor that were even apparent for what we were doing?

I was referred to as an "archer fag" by a stranger for saying I enjoyed Alchemic Sharpshooter.

I saw a post on tumblr where a player literally said, in the year 2024 that "our guild is closed..." which is fine, but then... "but another guild who's friends with ours has interviews right now!" As if this is just a normal everyday thing that is sane for an MMORPG.

I joined a guild on an alt where I didn't explain to anyone that I'd played for as long as I have, and they; without talking to me about it at all paired me off with one of the other members of their guild for a "mentorship program" where I was to do weekly shadow missions and dungeons with this "more experienced player" to learn the game. This would have been fine if it was something I asked for or even wanted; but again unprompted; I didn't even know the guy they decided to pair me off with.

Upon joining most guilds I've been instructed to join discord servers and "be active in the discord server at least once a week or we will kick you." Your guild, your rules sure; but come on man I just want to play an MMO.

Like, this is the new player experience? We're all on one server now, and when I go looking for people who are welcoming to new players I find a lot of recruitment for guilds and "rush to the late game" type stuff. I find nothing for casuals, I find next to nothing for chill people who just want to enjoy an MMO. The community around Mabi is terrifying, and worse off; I literally have been told I'm "suspicious" because I will openly and enthusiastically engage with NEW players but I tend to be fearful and stay away from veterans who I don't already know. Can you blame me when so far my experience with other long time players has been so bad?! I hate that you have two options, you either silently put up with the way a lot of veteran players act; or you get ostracized and shunned for "being a hater" or whatever if you speak out about the problems with the community.

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edraculation · 1 year ago

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so i keep getting this post on my feed about how people hate vriska because she's a girl or whatever blah blah blah this is old, but their phrasing was? interesting? they compared her to eridan and gamzee (as usual), so I'm gonna break it down real quick. they said gamzee is worse because he's a serial killer, and eridan is worse because he's a genocide apologist and a ""sexpest"" (good lord, that's a thirteen year old.) let's start with the comparison to gamzee, because girly, vriska is also a serial killer. that's a whole thing. not to mention gamzee was LITERALLY NOT OF SOUND MIND WHILE RAMPAGING. anyway, on to the eridan part. yes, eridan did attempt genocide, we get it. i literally cannot go five minutes on homestuck tumblr without seeing somebody complain about it. obviously, not a cool thing to do, but we can't just completely ignore the fact that vriska also killed people? like, at the scale we're working on, mass murder is mass murder. vriska isn't innocent of being weird about lowbloods, either, which brings us to our next topic. now, do i think it's right to call thirteen year olds sexpests?? no, obviously not, what the fuck. but if we're bringing that up, I'm not gonna shy away from mentioning that vriska sexually harassed tavros quite a few times in canon. concept explored, rant over. they're all bad people to a pretty strong degree (maybe gamzee less so than people make him out to be since, y'know, he was experiencing extreme symptoms of withdrawal), but they're all kids who grew up in a society that practically encouraged them to be that way. extra point, do i like eridan and gamzee more than i like vriska? yes. is that because i hate vriska, or think she's worse than them, or dislike trans women? absolutely not, that's a ludicrous accusation to jump to off of such minimal information. do i have my own unique feelings and opinions on characters that frequently change as i understand them better and are heavily influenced by outside factors as well as canon ones, which have nothing to do with prejudice or blindly following other people's malcontent? yes! I won't say that nobody hates vriska for baseless reasons, of course such a controversy-fueled fandom will breed some strange opinions, but "transmisogynistic murder apologist incapable of forming unique opinions" is a rather harsh label to attach to a mostly harmless preference.

no negativity intended towards the person who made the post I'm referencing, even if i came off a little harsh, although i do have them blocked because of how triggering that post was to me so I doubt they'll actually see this at any point.

(you can really see where in this post kankri forced his way to the front to engage in his favorite kind of discourse, huh. being plural is so funny actually. anyway im letting this post out of the drafts, im sure he wont mind)

#homestuck #homestuck vriska #vriska serket #eridan ampora #gamzee makara #homestuck eridan #homestuck gamzee #vriscourse #sort of? does this count as vriscourse? whatever #typing this at six in the morning after net zero sleep clearly I'm mentally well

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agoobersretreat · 2 months ago

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And here's part two! Opinions and stuff from me!

So, that's tough to pin down? Like, what I think is underrated or is actually underrated? As those are very different answers, ya know?

Actually underrated that I see around? Haruhi fandom stuff. Stuff I think is underrated but actually isn't? Love Live fandom stuff, mostly in that I missed a lot of the peak years of the fandom for activity and such, apparently!

The shows we like to watch are anime or cartoons, mattering on the moods. Started Scooby-Doo: Where Are You? (The original first series, I believe?) a week or two ago and didn't get too far because of life stuff.

Neon likes to share Saint Seiya and the Transformers cartoons with us! Last month or so, I also streamed Ferngully, Robots and Happy Feet for a sort of themed movie block. Points if you see the theme without me telling you. :)

Oooorgh, that's a tough one! A lot of them are on here, actually, since I don't have time to read many books anymore.

You've got @somechubbynerd (girlfriend and great fic writer, helped me hone my own writing all these years), @pudgy-planets (Love how she writes her OCs and the Sailor Senshi interacting with each other and their own slice of life things), @justsescape (genuinely someone I consider a master of writing kinky romance that's equal parts both kinky and romantic), @muses-and-odd-fashion (the amount of lore this guy makes is amazing and I deeply respect his work to keep it all together) and @tonbatasonata (the one who actually pushed me to do my canon character blog the most and because I was writing opposite him here on Tumblr, with Taylor. (Yes, I know it doesn't take you there. He deleted the blog last year or so))

I hope that answers that question for you!

Hrrrrm, that's hard to say? There's the basic stuff, I guess. The role-playing scene, here and when I started elsewhere, has changed quite a bit since I got into it from 2007/2008!

My tips are going to be this:

-Have fun! Go into a fandom you're interested in with a canon character you like or maybe make an OC for that fandom? That's what I did to get into the Pokémon RP Community, back in the day!

-Be patient. Roleplaying is a hobby for most. Life happens and the like. At the most, maybe poke someone for a reply after a few days, just to check on them.

-If they'll let you and want to, definitely start roleplaying with your friends. Not saying that you have to, but knowing the other person a bit more on the other side is definitely a big help! And making friends through RP is also good fun! I literally met my best friend of 15+ years and my girlfriend (and also best friend) of 12+ years this way!

-This last one, I feel, is the most important: PLEASE FOLLOW ANY RULES OR DO'S/DON'TS THAT THE OTHER PERSON HAS. You wouldn't want someone to make you feel gross and uncomfortable playing with them, right? So, please do the same for them and take their lists and rules seriously. And hey, make sure you have some of your own posted, so they'll know where you stand on that kind of stuff, too.

Hope this helps!

Hrrrm, a good question! In no particular order, we have:

-The Lion King (1994)

-The Book of Life

-Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

-The Blues Brothers

-Happy Feet

-Robots

-Ferngully

-Early Man

-ParaNorman

-The Rescuers: Down Under

Mhmmm, those feel pretty good, yeah. :)

#the goober speaks #anonymous #new headcanon #group answers #somechubbynerd #pudgy planets #justsescape #muses and odd fashion

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inkstainedhandswithrings · 2 years ago

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TBB S2 EP 8 SPOILERS BELOW CUT

frick man

OKAY HAPPY THOUGHTS FIRST HAPPY THOUGHTS FIRST

I love how when Rex called Echo was just like "jup on our way" even though Hunter was like ":/". He took charge and the rest of em just went with it. Love that for him

I KNOW THIS IS A DETAIL BUT THE FACT THAT REX IS WEARING ACTUAL BOOTS WITH HIS CIVVIE OUTFIT???? idk man just,,, cute

Also I was literally so worried for him during that shootout on the venator bc like,,, he don't have any armour anymore?? what if he gets shot?? (ik he has plot armour but I would love some real armour as well, thanks)

Chuchi was amazing!!!! I hope we get to see more of her!

In the end I did feel sorry for Rampart. Its true, he was following orders. He is just another plot device for the emperor to use so that his will is done. He wasn't innocent, but he was still made into a scapegoat

ALSO FCKING SHIT I HADE PALPATINE!!! Like, I knew the clones were gonna get decommissioned, but still, THEY ARE NOT DROIDS TO SIMPLY BE SHUT OFF!!

Am still loving the fact that Chuchi is fighting for their rights and how much "clone politics" we got these last two episodes. Makes me think that maybe Filoni was listening (makes me hope for canon Foxiyo ngl)

okay

sorta sad thoughts time now

gonna tag @saturn-sends-hugs bc I wanna see her opinion on this too :')

First of all, sorry friend ik you didn't want this to happen

I've seen this issue on tumblr a lot, of people being scared that Echo will leave and I've stayed quiet abt it till now

But I actually saw it coming and,,, I approve

I just think it's who Echo is. I think it's just so him to care about the future of all clones, to care about larger scale issues in the galaxy, to want to stay in the big fight. The batch "abandoned" the big issues in the galaxy a while ago, but I know Echo. He believed in the Republic more than most other clones. Sure, almost all of them fought for the Republic, but we all know there were certain clones more patriotic than others (like Jesse, Cody and Rex). There were certain clones who put more emphasis on loyalty than any other quality, and I think Echo was one of them. Still is. I knew he wouldn't be able to stay out of the fight for long, I knew he would eventually split off from the batch and I think that's okay. He and Hunter are different people, with different goals and different futures. And I'm a 100% they'll be reunited eventually, but as Echo said, this is something he has to do. This is who he is, at his core. It's not who Hunter is, it's not who the batch is. The Batch have always been slightly,,, detached from the other clones, while Echo was always focused on the big picture, the unity and brotherhood that the clones shared. It only makes sense for him to leave now.

Think abt the beginning of the episode, where he tells Omega he doesn't like being alone, he got enough of that on Skako. Goes to show how he was used to always being surrounded by brothers, how much he loved it and them. Why abondon them when they need him most?

That being said, I do hate that we'll likely see less of him now, especially after he got so little development in recent eps

I am hopeful, however, that maybe this means we get to see him working together with Rex and his development happing apart form the batch but still on screen. Either way, I stand by what I said. This is where Echo needs to be right now.

#this was #amazing #and painful #and incredible #and agonising #what an episode #star wars #the bad batch #captain rex #arc trooper echo #tbb echo #tbb s2 #tbb s2 spoilers #tbb spoilers

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athenaholmesartistsguild · 11 months ago

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All my Tarot Card designs

Pulled the 9 of Swords in a tarot reading recently and it inspired me to make my own card!

Check out the High-res version on my Patreon (for free!!!) Also it was available 2 days earlier than on Tumblr just letting you know kthxbyeeeeee

BTW. Hand lettering is harddddd. Just writing 'Blades' took for freaking ever! But I really like how it came out so worth in my opinion.

I tried something a little different with the shading, too! I incorporated some sharper, pen-and-ink type strokes because I like drawing squiggles to indicate tension. This wasn't initially intentional, but I think it also fits with the 'sharper' themes of the swords suit.

I did intentionally try to use cooler grays and whites for the shading. I wanted each suit to be distinct from the other visually so you could differentiate between them at a glance. The swords to me feel very cold and impersonal so I tried to make that come across in the actual art. I think I did a good job but lemme know lol.

Interpretations and my reasoning for choosing Kiryu for this card are below the cut so check those out if you're interested (I'd really appreciate it!!!)

The suffering depicted in the 9 of swords is rivaled only by that of the 3 of swords. The figure in this card is so consumed by their trauma, anxiety, fears, or worries (or even all 4) that it's nearly impossible to perceive the world outside of themselves; not in a selfish way, but rather due to the intensity of their pain.

The 9 of Swords is haunted by nightmares-- frequent reminders of their past: their mistakes, the ways they've been hurt, and the actions they could've taken to prevent all of this from happening in the first place. They've been so plagued by their thoughts that considering a future without this pain feels almost impossible.

With this card, we see the sheer power of the human mind at its most destructive. If this cycle is not broken, the 9 of Swords' pain will escalate to the 10 of Swords. This is not a sustainable cycle for anyone involved; changes must be made.

Reversed, we still see the pain depicted in the upright position, but there's a glimpse of a way out. While it's not easy to overcome your trauma or pain, the 9 of Swords at least has a desire to get out of this cycle-- to begin to heal. They've descended into their mind as far as they'd like and now they wish to venture outside themselves, back into the wider world.

Maybe they haven't healed yet, but they can at least hope that they can begin the process.

The design of this card was inspired mostly by the opening of Yakuza 2. Kiryu's plagued by the deaths of his family and is borderline suicidal because of this pain. He's having nightmares of their final moments and isn't able to be fully present in his daughter's life (Haruka's the one getting ready and cooking breakfast for the two of them).

When deciding on the background of this card, I wanted to try and depict the feeling of complete hopelessness that exists within this card. Normally, the Rider-Waite-Smith cards have backgrounds of varying complexity. I'd venture to say that the 9 of Swords is the only card where there isn't a background at all. Just the figure, their bed, and the swords, the constant reminder of their past. This person is literally incapable of seeing past their regrets and anxiety and fear because these emotions are so intense. It's haunting, in a way.

I chose to have the swords in this card pointed at Kiryu because a common theme in his grief, I feel, is that he feels that he's the one at fault. He believes that had he not gotten involved, his loved ones wouldn't be suffering right now. So the swords, rather than being passive elements lingering above, are sharpened, dangerous. They're ready to get retribution for the people that have been hurt. Unlike Kiryu, they'll inflict pain and feel no remorse.

On a lighter note, we see periods in Kiryu's life where he's able to somewhat escape his thoughts and attempt to make a happier life for himself, namely when he's running Morning Glory. This is the one time in Kiryu's life where we see him happy and fulfilled. He's still experiencing the effects of his past. He still has the habits he developed in response to this past, but he's trying to create a better life. One that he can share with his family.

What's important to remember about the 9 of Swords is that your thoughts don't have to be real. They don't have to dictate the course of your life. While it can feel like there's no escaping your pain, know that help is out there and there are others that are willing to help you.

#When I was rewatching the Kiwami 2 opening to see what Kiryu's room looked like #I realized he sleeps with the foot of his bed against the wall and his head facing the doorway.#At first I was like 'dude! That's bad feng shui! Your head is so exposed! You're not gonna be able to sleep well!'#But I think that's kinda the point...#I think I want to move onto the Page of Cups next? It's my favorite card in the deck I'm using atm. Haruka's gonna be the subject #yakuza #my art #yakuza fanart #kiryu kazuma #tarot card design

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ask-the-unlucky-few · 8 months ago

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Intro Post!

This blog is an ask blog for 'The Unlucky Few', a DND party that takes place specifically in the Icespire Peak Campaign. This is this friend group's first attempt at hosting an ask blog, so bear with us! We'll also be reblogging any stuff associated with these guys. (art, writing, memes, yada yada)

Rules:

No NSFW asks, 3/4 of us are minors, so if you did.... that's weird man. not ok.

Be patient with us, we're doing this for fun.

Don't be rude about our art/characters, it's unneeded. Preferably don't insult in character if you actually want to be answered, lol.

Do be silly! this is a silly concept in general so.

Trigger Warnings will be updated when we find the time, but be warned that most of these guys have pretty dark backstories.

Anyway, with that boring stuff out of the way, time to introduce the characters! (If this goes not-terribly, we'll add more!)

Pangari Caldwell

(She/Her, 29, Human Warlock, Asks are Answered by mod M)

Best (affectionately) described as your local disaster goth girlfriend, Pan is probably the most likely to answer questions. (The truth of the answers... well... they'll depend on how deep your questions are.) Charismatic (but also very petty), she takes on the role of face of the party. She... uh, doesn't like Kev very much. Her and Elpis get along well, though.

Kevvoril Sebastian

(He/Him, 29, Half-Elf Monk, asks are answered by Mod A)

Dry and dull compared to Pan's charisma, Kev plays the literal (British) straight man to the rest of the party's shenanigans. If you manage to get him to respond (he's not exactly... talkative), he'll at least respond honestly, but maybe with a bit too much detail or general brooding. Probably both. As stated above, Kev and Pan do not get along. The characters he's closest to are Sasha and Henry (neither of which are askable.... atm.)

Elpis

(She/Her, 26, Tiefling Bard, Asks answered by Mod P)

Despite her devious grin, Elpis is probably the least intense out of the bunch. She's introverted, so getting her to answer an ask might be a little bit difficult. She'll be answering pretty honestly. Probably. She's definitely pretty silly, though. Her life has been rough but she's less outwardly depressed about it. Fair warning, though, she's loosely based off of hit character Patroclus from hit piece of literature The Illiad. She's just waiting for her Achilles to be able to be asked things.

Zephyrine Cirrus

(She/Her, 19, Air Genasi Rogue, Asks answered by Mod M + Mod E)

Zeph is a fairly relatable character for us tumblr users. A fairly moody teen, who would much rather be reading than actually socializing with people. She'll answer your asks, but will seem generally bored of them unless they're about a favorite novel, or something similar. She's not exactly the most fleshed out of these guys, but she's chilling.

Nemorae Alloway

(He/Him, 17, Air Genasi Ranger, Asks answered by Mod E, and I promise the second version isn't his design. usually. you can request it though)

Nemo, the poor little sad guy he is, will probably not answer incredibly clearly. He's that kind of pathetic teenager that you see frequenting the 'not very cool kids' table. He's not horrible to be around in the slightest, he just makes you consistently sad. His problems are of a different variety to Pan's, Kev's and Elpis', but they still make you feel bad.

More will come! Eventually. Eventually....

Here's a quick intro to the mods: - Mod M (she/they) (the one writing all of this! woo!!): I'm Pan's player, and I'm the main manager of this. (I helped draw the icon!) - Mod E (She/any): Drew Pan and Kev, and will be acting as assistant manager basically. She's the player behind Nemo, and is probably the most passionate of all of us about this blog. - Mod A (He/him): Kev's player, but only sometimes will be answering these. He'll answer pretty exclusively for Kev. He doesn't draw, so it'll prob be Mod M or Mod E drawing responses. - Mod P (They/Them): Elpis' player, and the one behind her art. They'll probably be drawing Elpis (and their other characters) if you send any of em any asks. They're the only one without tumblr.

#DND #dungeons and dragons #ask blog #pinned #alright here's the navigation tags:#Mod M #Mod A #Mod E #Mod P #Pan #Kev #Nemo #Zeph #Elpis

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chirpsythismorning · 2 years ago

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Predictions for Songs That May (or May Not) Be Used to Promote the Final Season of Stranger Things!

While in the process of making my ST5 Vision playlist (with up to 200 songs), I noticed I was subconsciously making categories. And one of the categories I found myself getting especially fixated on, was one for songs that I could actually see being used, in either the official trailer for s5, or some other form of promotion, whether that be a teaser, sneak peak, or even just a simple 10 second clip of all the main characters dramatically looking up at the camera.

As I continue to stress myself out over the near endless possibilities for this playlist, I wanted to share a few songs here right now which I think, with (some) good reason, could end up being used to promote the show, ie. what Separate Ways was for the official s4 trailer.

Now, I want to make clear that I'm just theorizing here. This is all educated guesses at best. Don't take my word for it and please refrain from getting bitter in the case that you dislike one or more of the songs. If you must know I predicted exactly ONE song that ended up featuring in s4 (Object of My Desire), despite only having like 20 songs on my 'ST4 Vision' playlist (and despite not even taking it that seriously last time), so please give me some credit here! TBH I myself don't even like all these, but I'm still willing to consider them after researching through all the options that are out there.

I also want to add that most of these songs require some imagination. I think it's likely that whatever song(s) they do end up choosing, they'll most likely be modified to sound slightly different than the original. It all depends on the vibe they want to go for. And while we wait for the final season, i figure it might be fun to see if we can guess some of the DNA for s5 by doing stuff like this, which is why I wanted to share!

Keeping all of this in mind, here are my predictions!

The Final Countdown (1986) Europe

Likelihood Rating: 9/10

Yep. I'm starting with the most obvious. Sue me. Honestly though, I don't really have any strong opinions about this one. Like, it fits. It's 'the final countdown' aka the final season. This song is most often used in intense environments, like sporting events, etc.. So there is this element of appeal in that it could be quite fitting for an official trailer, let alone a final season trailer. I have said in the past that lyrically there is some potential endgame byler coding in these lyrics, meaning this song would be fitting not only because of it's literal title, but also in a way that could foreshadow what may end up happening in the show itself (wouldn't be the first time). There's this mention of 'we're leaving together', 'missing her so,' as well as something a little more specific, '-- still we stand tall, cause maybe they'll see us, and welcome us all'. I could genuinely imagine this being used to foreshadow Mike and Will leaving for the city (together) at the end of the show, missing El who stays, and the audience maybe (hopefully) accepting that as a satisfying ending (also a Separate Ways parallel: here we stand vs. and still we stand tall).

I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire (1941) The Ink Spots

Likelihood Rating: 2/10

Yep. I'm going from the most obvious to the most obscure. Sue me. To be fair, I don't think this song is that obscure (you might even recognize it from angsty s4 Will Byers edits: here and here to name a couple). And although it is very old and therefore would not necessarily fit with the 80's vibe specifically, Stranger Things is no stranger to featuring songs that came out well before the setting of the show. In fact, almost every season, we get at least one major oldie. And so, I guess if I had to choose my prediction for the oldie to feature in s5, it would be this one! It should be noted that the preview Tumblr offers for this song does not do it justice (nor do the other previews listed here for that matter), so definitely listen to the whole thing before giving it your full consideration. I do think that the s5 promo version would indeed be modified quite a bit to match the vibe they want to go for. What made me sort of instantly transfixed by this song in particular, is that it sounds and carries itself like a love song, and that's because it is a love song, no doubt. But because of the lyrics, it also feels like it could be framed in an eery way (I've Got Five On It from Us comes to mind). I think by fully embracing the apocalyptic-toned lyrics, while also embracing the romantic-toned ones, they could invoke a really incredible feeling out of the audience. Now, when it comes to the lyrics, that's what really got me intrigued. "I don't want to set the world on fire" reminds me of the expectations for Will's character going into ST5, with much of the GA being convinced that Mike not loving him back is going to result in this villain arc for him, which will inevitably end with Will sacrificing himself (also Will Byers fireball homage). But the truth for Will, and just like the song also argues, is much less stereotypically violent and a lot more surprisingly pure. The truth is that Will, 'just wants to start the flame in Mike's heart'!! And so we've got flame in heart crumbs, with a dash of end of world crumbs? Sign me tf up.

Mad World (1883) Tears For Fears

Likelihood Rating: 6/10 -

I feel like we need at least one Tears For Fears song in Stranger Things. Although I'm convinced (delusional) that Everybody Wants to Rule the World will feature near the end of the series during a happy moment, solely because of how much that s2 behind the scenes video has changed the brain chemistry of the entire fandom, to the point where a lot of us have been convinced it was used in the show at one point. But for the sake of this list, I think song(s) used to promote s5 before it premieres, are going to be less 'uplifting good', and instead more 'eery good'. We're still in hopeless, assumed failed mission territory and so 'No tomorrow. No tomorrow' is quite fitting. While there is hope going into the final season (we've been reassured the ending is beautiful) there's still a battle ahead in the mean time. Unless they plan to change our relation to that song, from aww to OH SHIT (which they definitely could...), I do think Mad World sort of fits the bill in respects to the impending doom a little more than EWRW, which feels more victorious in comparison. Lyrically, Mad World reminds me of Henry's villain monologue at the end of Vol. 1. I also think it's a good example of a song that has some lyrics that fit very well, while other lyrics don't fit as much. And that's okay. In the past, there has been songs used for ST promo, and even in the show itself, that followed a similar criteria, where they even tweaked/removed parts of songs that didn't match the message they wanted to convey. So keep this in mind as the list goes, because I do think a lot of layers go into their final decision for song choices, especially in regards to promotional picks. And so in this case, I guess you can't go wrong with a birthdaygate easter egg either...

Crazy Train (1980) Ozzy Osbourne

Likelihood Rating: 5/10

This song is extremely well known, and I do think it has the range to mesh well accompanying badass frames of the characters fighting and surviving in the trailer for the final season, as it has been used a lot from this sort of hyped up lens before (fingers crossed Megamind is on the ST5 inspo board!). Lyrically, we've got 'mental wounds not healing, life's a bitter shame, I'm going off the rails on a crazy train'. 'Mental wounds not healing', could parallel to what was going on with El at the end of s3 and throughout s4, with her powers not working bc of the memories she was suppressing, and it could also be related to Max ending up in a coma at the end of s4 at the hands of Venca, with her going into s5 somewhere in between life and death. 'Life's a bitter shame', pretty much sums up a lot of what the characters were feeling in s4 (also Heroes crumbs mayhaps?). 'I'm going off the rails on a crazy train,'... I shouldn't even have to acknowledge the implications of them using this song, or any song that includes the word Crazy in the title for that matter, as the official song for the season... and so, I wont. TBH I feel like this song is a little too similar to Separate Ways, and so maybe it wouldn't get picked based on that reason alone? Or maybe the exact opposite? Maybe it would get picked for that very reason? Regardless, I could see it.

Have You Ever Seen The Rain (1970) Creedance Clearwater Revival

Liklihood Rating: 3/10

This is another example of a song that would need to be modified quite a bit in order for it to work with the vibe of the final season. However, I do think there is quite a bit here to work with. 'Someone told me long ago, there's a calm before the storm, I know, it's been coming for some time'. Those lyrics alongside some eery s5 frames, like, it works. And they feel deeper than just the literal storm itself, as everything likely to go down in s5, has indeed 'been coming for some time'... Also, if I'm being totally honest, any songs I can find that involve storms or thunder or rain, I'm there! And so this is just one in particular that stood out to me. This emphasis on rain pouring tremendously, while the sun shines brightly... I love it. Also we know songs by Creedance Clearwater Revival are very very capable of being covered and changed to something more creepy, Bad Moon Rising ring any bells?

Somebody to Love (1967) Jefferson Airplane

Likelihood Rating: 3/10

Now, ST has used a song by Jefferson Airplane before (White Rabbit), which is from the same album as this song Somebody to Love here. Although I don't necessarily think that alone rules out this song being a possibility, I still felt like it was worth mentioning. Lyrically, we've got, "When the truth is found to be lies. And all the joy within you dies. Don't you want somebody to love? Don't you need somebody to love? Wouldn't you love somebody to love? You better find somebody to love." This could fit very well with what's going on with El towards Mike in s3-4. Though I think she already knows the truth, which is that his monologue wasn't romantic and that he's sort of stringing her along with this falsehood, this song captures an emotion that I think is present with her still, and will be until they finally end things romantically. I also think the audience still hasn't realized the truth themselves, seeing as most of them assumed she loved the monologue. It's almost like the audience would also be discovering the truth aka the lie, and so if a song like this were to be incorporated in some type of promo, it could be interesting... El also very much deserves someone to love her the way she wants to be loved. Whenever someone finds themself in relationship, where they're giving 70% and the other is giving 30%, it might be time for the person putting in more to let go and remind themselves they deserve somebody to love them, truly. And this could also apply to every character on the show, as most songs used in promo apply to more than just one character. However, I do think the initial lyric at the start of this song definitely applies to El and her relationship with Mike, along with her desire to love someone and for them to love her back equally. Oh and also "when the garden flowers, baby are dead, yes and your mind, your mind is so full of red"...

Smalltown Boy (1984) Bronski Beat

Likelihood Rating: 1/10

I don't want to hear about how unrealistic it is, it's called manifestation. We all know Smalltown Boy is the very first song on Mike's official Spotify playlist, and so there has been a lot of hype in the byler community that it could potentially feature in the final season, aka the same season Mike's feelings for Will are anticipated to be revealed. To be fair, You Spin Me Round featured in s4 (at Rink-O-Mania where Mike was being an absolute gay disaster bc of Will) and was also on Mike's playlist, along with Mad World which I also listed as a prediction for s5 promo. Even still, personally, I can't really imagine this song in the show itself, as like non-diegetic nor diegetic sound. I could however imagine it being used outside of the show for some kind of promotion. I know all the Netflix socials release more than just teasers and trailers, but also like small snippets of promo, for example the one with the main party all looking up at the camera dramatically for ST4 promo. I could totally see a short clip of s5 Mike looking up at the camera all worried, and accompanied by that notable Smalltown Boy (Bronski) beat.

Should I Stay or Should I Go (1982) The Clash

Likelihood Rating: 7/10

Even though I try to not dwell too much over songs that have already been on the show, I feel like this is one of the clear exceptions. Should I Stay or Should I Go had so much importance early on, like it was literally the Running Up that Hill of the first season. And so if we're going to see a lot of things coming full circle, with us getting some big questions answered related to Will and the Upside Down, I think it's possible and even likely we could hear it on the show again. There's a bunch of popular theories that Will could get Vecna'd based on a decent amount of substantial evidence, meaning we could hear this song play on the show again in attempts to save him... However, it's probably not likely to play out exactly like this, since we know Vecna/Henry needs Will and doesn't want him dead (as far as we know at least). I do think it could also be used as promo for s5. There's one TikTok edit in particular that made me realize how awesome something like this could look. It would feel very much like we're back to s1 vibes if they used this song, and I think that since they've admitted to going back to their roots, it's definitely a possibility we'll hear it again. (Also another iconic s5 concept edit from this user bc they’re a legend!)

Down Under (1981) Men At Work

Likelihood Rating: 2/10

This is probably my most unique prediction of all, because although there aren't a lot of lyrics to go off of here, we don't really need a laundry list of lyrics, as it first and foremost depends on the style of promo the song would be used in. The title itself could parallel to the Upside Down, aka 'Down Under'. Lyrically, we've got, '--Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover'. It doesn't take a lot to recognize this fits pretty well with what we're going to presumably be thrown into at the start of s5. I do think this would be another case of them having to edit the original drastically in order for it to work. But again, I could really imagine it working well for promo that's smaller in length. And if given really eery, edgy modifications in the ST version, I could honestly see it being pretty epic too. A lot of people know this song from other entertainment over the years, so it would be instantly recognizable, but also unique and engaging enough to impress viewers. Underground is another song from this album that feels slightly Upside Down coded, though not as well known so probably not as ideal for promo purposes. (Double also, Men At Work have a couple extremely Mike Wheeler coded songs, including, but not limited to: Who Can It Be Now and Man with Two Hearts)

AND that's all for now!

I'm curious to know if any of you can imagine one or more of these songs featuring on the show in some way? Or if there's any other songs you can think of that might work for s5 promotional purpose? So please don't hesitate to share! I would love more inspiration!

It's been a lot of fun making this playlist, especially knowing there's at least a small possibility in guessing some of the DNA of the final season in doing so. I feel like with previous seasons, it wasn't as easy to guess the music that might feature because there was just such a broad understanding of what was to come. Though, with this being the last time around, there's just so much to go off of in terms of the expected tone, especially with the whole 'end of the world' aspect.

As of now, I'm not sure if or when I'll ever post the ST5 vision playlist. I could see myself being able to release it in chunks, like I did here first with songs that I could see being used in s5 promotion. Some of the categories include themes involving catastrophic weather conditions/war, doors and/or locks, hearts, unrequited love, sleepless nights, magic/powers, etc. are just some of the few categories I have going on. If there's any in particular you're interested in hearing next, don't hesitate to ask!

#stranger things #stranger things 5 #st5 headcanon #stranger things music #stranger things music predictions #byler #st5 vision playlist #Spotify

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