#maybe I'm elitist but I just don't think that shit works

[garrettwrites]

I'm am so fucking tired of people not understanding tropes. No, it's not an enemies to lovers if the characters just kinda dislike each other. No, it's not enemies to lovers if the characters merely view each other as annoying. No, it's not enemies to lovers just because A is an asshole to B. Stop tagging your crappy book as enemies to lovers when it isn't I am so tired of getting excited for shit I think I'll enjoy only to be slapped with "lol they're in love 40 pages into this enemies business" shut up shut up shut up

[ca-suffit]

First of all, thank you so much for your reply. I really needed to hear that I wasn't the only one who found the lack of melanin conspicuous, cuz everytime I saw the post had more notes than the last like I thought I was tweaking.

Second, you're so right about the nature of this fandom's discourse. Most of it's just platitudes. It's all very... It’s all these ostensibly leftist or at least liberal ppl misusing therapyspeak and being downright nasty with no regard for (other) BIPoC fans' feelings (or the themes of the show), trying to cudgel ppl with how "smart" they are and how "dumb" we are.

I think the nasty thing for me is that I love what the show is doing, but then I check on the fandom and it goes ah ah ah negro you don't understand anything at all. Read Chrétien de Troyes' body of work and watch random USAmerican show #47 before you try speaking again.

I'm coming across as confrontational, I think, and I don’t mean to. Let me try again. Food for thought for the well-intentioned:

Are you really engaging with the show's critique of white supremacy if your behaviour in fandom replicates it? Using the white Western literary canon etc as shorthand for your intelligence/the worth or value of your interpretation. Are you actually egaging with the show's critique of cisheteropatriarchy if all those texts were created by and largely for an audience of cishet men? Maybe ppl don't need degrees in literary or gender and queer studies to have worthwhile insights. Maybe condescending to people while being unfamiliar with a whole host of queer Black literature when talking abt a queer Black show is at best... foolish. Maybe it weren’t for all that then watching the show would feel less like stepping on a rake. Okay, sorry, now I'm being petty (and elitist). I'm trying not to make assumptions or broadsweeping statements here.

Like you said it's all in service of not mentioning what even the blind can see. That's not a value judgement, ppl don't usually bury the subject consciously, white or BIPoC, it's our society. But that's why you gotta think and talk about race, because when you don't, you leave it unchallenged and it perpetuates.

Reading that the Utena thing at least didn't start (?) with non-Black fans did make me feel weirdly more positive about it. Anthy and Utena... Hm. Loustat is everywhere to see for the delusional. 🫶🏿

(I keep mentioning in asks that I'm very happy with the show and I hope it doesn't come across as trying to shame/police fans who aren't or sound like I'm gloating - I just wanna contextualise my specific frustrations.)

This felt productive to me.

Thank you so much for this space and especially for your time, I realise what a huge amount of emotional labour this blog must require (and here I come, shoveling more shit onto you 🫤). You've been both very thoughtful and thought-provoking. - 🦁

I'm out of brain energy to give this a better response rn but I've rly appreciated u being here and sharing what u do, and thank u so much for the compliments too. I used to have this account locked down bcuz I only ever saw anon asks and post comments and stuff allowing bullying to happen in more hidden spaces. I never thought the fandom could utilize the same things in order to be more vocal about a lot of stuff. I love that we've all discovered that this can work like this now. there's still shit happening at times but it's become a lot more positive here than it was at the beginning, bcuz ppl *want* to have these conversations.

[stuckyonbucky]

Ok after playing through Veilguard twice and having some time to sit on it, here are my final thoughts. Under the cut due to length and mild spoilers.

Tl;dr: Overall I think I would give Veilguard a 6/10. I think its biggest issue is just straight up inconsistency. There are bits of this game that I absolutely love and am so happy I got to experience but then there are bits that just make me wring my hands in frustration.

What I liked:

The overall story. I liked Solas being trapped in his own prison and Elgar'nan and Gilan'nain escaping. I liked the connection between Solas and Rook and having to begrudgingly work with him. I thought the big story missions were really fun and were some of the craziest things we've ever had to do in a Dragon Age game. El and Gil felt really intimidating and it makes looking back at the Archdemon in Origins kinda funny - he's so cute. Act 3 was super intense and had really strong writing. I genuinely cried multiple times, laughed, had fun, got heart broken, got pissed off. I was moved and the end left me wanting another game. I don't want to give up Thedas yet.

Out of all the Dragon Age games, I enjoyed this combat the most. I'm not a combat girlie and it's usually just something I have to trudge through to get to the next story point but it was less of a drag in this.

The environments were interesting and beautiful. I appreciated the move away from the giant empty maps of Inquisition. The side quests were more satisfying because they contributed to your reputation with the faction and weren't just meaningless fetch quests.

What I think could have been improved:

The companions and romances. I didn't like the move away from Inquisition and not being able to talk to your companions whenever you wanted. They went back to DA2 where you only get to interact with them after completing missions. I didn't really feel like I got to know the companions as well as we did in Inquisition and Origins. And even though DA2 was also like that I still feel like we got to know that group better, maybe because that game took place over 7 years whereas there is no sense of a timeline in this game. The companions all interact with each other more than you get to interact with them. And I think because I didn't feel like we really got to know them, the romances felt lacking. It was really unfortunate because I actually like the companions, I liked the romances, I just wish there was more to them.

Dialogue and Rook. Sometimes the dialogue feels very Disney Channel. Rook is always so nice, so supportive, so morally straight. Not that I was expecting to be Durge from BG3, and not that I usually play an asshole but it felt like this game would have benefited from some kind of Paragon/Renegade system and that maybe not all your companions would like you but respected that you can get shit done in this world ending situation. I mean, you can play as a Crow ffs - do you think everyone would be ok with that? There should have been more tension depending on your background with some people. I almost expected everyone to burst out and sing 'We're All in this Together' at some points. This is supposed to be a mature, dark fantasy game and sometimes the dialogue just didn't fit that.

Solas and the Inquisitor. I'm not a Solavellan, but I just straight up wished there was more of these two because I love them so much and I still wish we had gotten to play as the Inquisitor again in this. I wish they had gotten to interact more. I wanted more angst. I wanted the Inquisitor to haunt Solas's narrative more. But a lot of that comes from headcanons so I understand this probably was never going to meet my expectations as long as we were playing a new protagonist.

Pacing. Some parts of the story feel like they go by too fast, or aren't really explained well. El and Gil feel like they amassed followers like the day after they got out. How did they get the human elitist cult and Qun defectors to follow them so quickly?? Both of those groups would be super against doing the bidding of elves just on principal. I know they can mess with your mind and take advantage of greedy and power hungry people but it just felt too quick. Did you know we were stuck in the Fade for weeks after Solas switches places with us?? I sure didn't when I played because the only person who actually mentions that is Bellara during her romance scene (which I watched on youtube). I was very confused on how they managed to make a replica dagger in what I thought were the few hours I was stuck there. How did they find us? What else did they do while we were there?? It's all just glossed over.

Catering to new players vs established fans. This game definitely feels like the existing fans were put on the back-burner a bit in favor of trying to attract a new audience. I get that it's been 10 years since the last game, and you want to get those older teens/early 20s who have maybe never played the games before but I think they could have done a soft reboot of the franchise without dismissing us as much as they did.

Enemy redesigns. I get the reason for the darkspawn and really my main issue is with the demons. C'mon - the pride demon design was so iconic and you just made it look silly!

[something-pithy]

Notes and an Update: Astarion, Tav, and Trauma in Stories

Pictured above: actual footage of trauma response from Astarion (j/k! kinda!) to catch your eye :D

Hey glittercats and cosmic kittens!

So I've definitely been neglecting the updates here, which I'm going to try to do better with.

We're up to Chapter 11 on this bad boy, and I've adjusted the anticipated chapter count to 30 (but honestly it's probably still all lies because I have absolutely no sense of how much writing each point on my outline ends up being loool).

I have a DOPE beta who's fucking amazing both in terms of conventions and idea partnership and I'm telling you right now, this story is so much better for having their hands and eyes on it.

SOME CONTENT WARNING STUFF RE: THIS CHAPTER:

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

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.

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MORE DETAILS ON THIS -- SPOILERS AHEAD, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

So hopefully that's enough room for people who don't want to be spoiled to escape!

So I'm going to copy/paste the end note on the story, and expand on it a little bit.

So, although Tav is a "good drunk," as Frank Gallagher might put it, she is 1000% engaging in pretty serious substance abuse, or to be more specific in this chapter, alcohol use disorder. I'm not going to go into the way this story is going to approach mental and behavioral health disorders and trauma; hopefully it will speak for itself. Suffice it to say substance abuse and trauma are not the central subject of this story, but also, Astarion and Tav as they exist in this little pocket dimension of the BG3 universe have been impacted by the trauma they've each experienced both together and as individuals. In general, the impact of trauma can look and feel a lot of ways. Sometimes it's horrifying, sometimes it's heartbreaking, sometimes it's rage-inducing - but let's be honest, sometimes that shit is funny, too, because humor is such an incredible survival tactic / coping mechanism. Even if sometimes we're laughing at shit that shouldn't be funny. (Maybe especially then.) This story isn't going to be an after-school special or a PSA. It's a story about people, and sometimes people are fucked up (literally and figuratively). Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now. If this has activated you, or you have earnest questions or concerns about what's going on in this story / with these characters, or you just want to shoot the shit, hit me up on my tumblr. There might be more notes there on this eventually, but for now, this chapter actually took a lot out of me and I'm still out here with these perpetual COVID symptoms, so... lol NOT TONIGHT. As always, thank y'all for reading, kudosing, and commenting.

OK, so I may have lied about the no notes part... but honestly, in re-reading that note, I think it kind of gets to the point.

But ALSO...

I've been a geek on the internet for a long, long time. I've engaged with different fan-based writing and roleplaying communities (tabletop, chat-based, forum-based, butt-based -- EVERYTHING) for pretty much the entire time.

"The Tragic Backstory" seems like it's been A Whole Thing since people started creating characters whether for roleplay or stories.

I think times have changed somewhat, but back in the day I ran in circles where a lot of thoughts about writing, creating characters, roleplay, etc. coexisted somewhat peacefully, but an old chestnut that consistently (maybe without fail) turned up in any conversation that involved Writers of Quality was a contingent of folks who had deep disdain for The Tragic Backstory.

I'm talkin' some deep, scathing, elitist shit, my beautiful people.

And I'm not gonna lie to you! This is approximately ten thousand years ago (no but seriously, decades), and honestly, I was up in those conversations, too, throwing around my disdain, assured by my fellow elitists that even though I frequently employed some form of Tragic Backstory, it was OK when I did it because it was good.

I mean in retrospect, it's kinda bullshit. There's always gonna somebody who's gonna think your shit's good, and there's also always gonna be somebody who thinks they're a Better Writer Than You who's gonna think your shit is... well, shit.

Not gonna lie, I still have very strong and particular preferences when it comes to the fic I read in general, and that includes backstory.

But over time, I got progressively less insecure (not just about my writing, but in general) and consequently less concerned with judging writing that's not my flavor as "bad" or "shitty" or "juvenile" (looool seriously, I was a dick) and more concerned with finding and creating writing that is my flavor.

However, and I don't think I'm going to apologize for it, some dickish tendencies linger in my soul. I'm going to try and frame these thoughts in terms of what compels me in a story I'm reading and what I do (or try to do) in my own writing.

This is a very long way of saying if something I say (or have already said) makes you feel like I'm coming for your neck, please know that I'm not.

My thoughts and/or opinions may cause you or someone you love to feel Some Type of Way. That is not my intention. I have no desire to:

Yuck anyone's yum

Contribute to or activate the crippling self-doubt that plagues almost every creative I've ever met

Be a dick.

Having said all that, I do have Thoughts on This Matter.

People write for a lot of reasons, but I'm fairly convinced that nobody's doing it with any level of purity. There are tons of incredible, beautiful, moving stories that feature a whole-ass Self-Insert, maybe even the dreaded Mary Sue.

(lol lookin' at you Dante's Inferno, Tyrion Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire, and countless others lol)

People write to explore topics and themes that interest them, that compel them, that they see recurring in the world around them and/or their own lives.

One of those things is trauma.

In my writing, I approach trauma, disordered behaviors, dysfunction, dysregulated emotions, etc. (topics both of great interest to me and, not coincidentally, ones with which I have a great deal of personal experience) from a place of wanting fervently to tell the truth.

And I'm pretty good writing some things that feel true.

But I know that in some ways, I've shied away from harder truths; from using my writing and the characters I create not only as reflections of what I see in the world, but as accurate (rather than idealized) reflections of myself.

Because of this, while I've explored redemption arcs in roleplaying games (where being cheesy or facile or juvenile or fulfilling personal fantasies felt much safer than on a page), I've skirted neatly around it, I think, in my writing (for the most part). Because I absolutely was the girl who wanted to "save" or "fix" the wounded (and emotionally unavailable, and/or abusive, and/or toxic) lover. I wanted stories about it. I wanted to roll around in that narrative, bathe in it, eat it up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

All while occupying the role/perspective of The Good One / The Good Girl whether in a game or in a story I was consuming.

But it's not the truth. Not the whole truth, at least. Not for me, anyway.

My admiration, respect, regard, and all the other good words for the writing and acting in Baldur's Gate 3 cannot be overstated. Each of the "origin" characters (and honestly, any character "Tav" has the opportunity to even have a conversation with, much less spend a significant amount of time with) is thoughtfully and truthfully written. I see this more in some than others, but that depth and breadth of understanding about human beings -- sorry, sentient beings -- shows up all over the place and honestly I almost can't stand how much I love it.

I'm not going to say that there's no character I feel this as deeply with as Astarion, but... idk, sometimes.

But there's no need to quantify this. Astarion is one of a number of characters from the game that I'm low-key obsessed with.

As such, when I decided to take on the story outcome in which, in my opinion, he throws all the growth, all the processing, all the truth and reconciliation I saw him moving toward in the game into a fucking woodchipper, I did not want it to be easy.

I get wanting it to be easy, and there are delicious, delicious fics out there that go this route. I think anybody who writes Ascendant Astarion at least flirts with it.

And it's not a binary; it's not either, "OMG this is completely uncomplicated, I love you I'm your spawn and it's just like if you hadn't ascended except your SUPER EXTRA POWERFUL AND SEXY AND HOT AND WHOOPS THERE GO MY PANTIES" (which, tbh... lool I'm not mad at) or "ASTARION IS IRREDEEMABLE LET ME WRITE OF HIS TRAGIC DEMISE AND TAV'S TRAGIC WITNESS TO IT / ENGINEERING OF IT." Which I'm ALSO not mad at, because THOSE THINGS CAN BE TRUE.

But while I'm subscribed to some stories that follow those paths or ones like them, and when I get that notification it's time to STOP THE PRESSES bc mama needs to READ, for me the challenge of this is if I'm going to continue Astarion and Tav's love story (or rekindle it lol), I want to honor the four years of intense character work Neil Newbon and Stephen Rooney and honestly the whole goddamn BG3 team from soup to nuts have done by considering "What would really happen here" as brutally as possible.

Komo, my incredible thought partner-cum-beta, can tell you about the pages of back and forth between us about "fml, how can we make this story work and maintain fidelity to the integrity* of these characters???? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"

*not personal integrity -- meta shit. The integrity of their arcs, development, personalities, histories, traumas, etc.

SO. Back to trauma.

I said in my end note for chapter 11 that this story is not an after-school special (which looool probably at least some of you are like wtf are you talking about my dude and I'm like looooool omg life before kids were a whole target demographic unto themselves - kind of lol) or a PSA.

Which alludes to the fact that YES, I want to tell the truth about the ugliness of this relationship and the individuals in it with nuance and empathy and sensitivity; that I want to write about the pain and harm and longing and ache and all of it in ways that are neither hyperbolic nor diminishing.

But also, look, my darling motherfuckers, my comrades in fuckery, whoever's made it this far into this rambling monster of a -- whatever the fuck this is lool -- PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRAUMA ALSO HAVE FUN.

SOMETIMES EVEN WHEN THEY ARE ENGAGING IN BEHAVIORS THAT ARE DESTRUCTIVE TO THEMSELVES AND/OR OTHERS.

I don't think I've sufficiently unpacked this part to dig down much deeper into it, but what I will say is that this is not going to be a passion play about Poor Tav or Drugs Are Bad, Mmkay? or anything else.

What this is going to be (or at least, what I passionately want it to be) is -- framed with a delicious little fake-dating muffin of an emotional MacGuffin -- a portrait of some people in all (or lordt jebus please let me achieve at least MOST) of their complexity.

ALL OF IT.

Lordt Baby Jebus, Allah, Milal, Great Spaghetti Monster, ANYBODY

(not Lolth lol)

hear my prayer!

Aight, that's all I've got for today. <3

If you made it this far, PM me and tell me something you want to see in the story! I'll make you a treat.

And if it don't fit in the story, I might be able to make a li'l drabble happen.

COMING SOON to Writing Notes Storytime:

Identity in this story and in stories in general

The Good, the Bad, and the Neutral: Alignment and Astarion (and some other ppl, too!) in BG3, DnD, and This Story lol

Stuff I'm forgetting bc I'm STILL not over this never-ending COVID fuckery

[heir-less]

Just curious Can you explain the housing situation with the wales? They have four houses? Or three and why would a move to Windsor be bad? I don’t want to go on a wales blog lol

The Wales family currently has four or maybe five houses and they are:

Amner Hall: This is a country residence on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, the family moved there in 2015 but it was a wedding gift from QEII back in 2011. It was their main residence until 2017, and they renovated it for a lot of money. People incorrectly state that they felt Amner Hall behind after they moved to Windsor, but that's not the case. It continues to be their private country home where they spent weekends and holidays.

Kensington Palace: This is the Prince and Princess of Wales's London residence. Despite it being called "Apartment 1A", giving off the vibe of something small and functional, it is actually a four-story mansion within a palace. It was renovated for over 4 million pounds after the couple moved in 2013. It is their main city residence and I assume this was where they stayed when the children St Thomas's, which is in the same area.

Adelaide Cottage: Adelaide Cottage is the principal residence of Kate and her children, and, I'm told William sometimes lives there, too. Just kidding, the cottage is their principal residence and is located in Windsor Home Park and is within walking distance from Windsor Castel and Frogmore House. Last year it was framed in context to the "busy, tourist attraction" of Kensington Palace, with royal reporters claiming the children need more space for a normal upbringing. Sure.

Llwynywermod: This is the residence we don't know much about, or how often they stay there but it was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall in 2006 and is the Welsh residence of William and Kate.

Why moving out of Kensington Palace is a bad idea:

It's been floated around that Will and Kate want to move into Windsor Castle. At first, it was painted as them wanting to be close to the Queen, which I didn't have an issue with, but with the Queen gone moving from KP to Windsor is a bad, bad idea.

London is the capital city of England and is located in a city, giving an element of closeness to cultural events and the people. To boil it down, London is where all the shit happens and they need to be there for logical reasons. Every other residence they are on massive estates where outsiders are prohibited. The Queen moved to Windsor full-time with Philip because isolation made sense: they were an elderly couple during a pandemic where meeting the wrong people could literally kill them. Such a level of isolation is not required for Will and Kate, a relatively young couple who honestly are already recluses who don't do a lot of work. I'm sick of KP suddenly being framed as a "trap" with no privacy and that the Wales kids need more space for a normal upbringing when they've been safe there, along with the generations of royals who have lived there for decades.

Why do they need to isolate to this level? How is it not normal to raise your kids in the city where the vast majority of people in the UK live? I already disliked the move to Adelaide Cottage, because the ROTA framed is in a really classist and racist manner. There was this really gross Allison Pearson piece that I ranted about where she basically said that Will and Kate "fled" London because the city was becoming an unsafe shithole full of immigrants. I think moving to cut off London would give these people more fodder, it would also isolate them from the public to a degree that would hurt them as public figures. If you're basically claiming that you're moving to a massive (the world's largest inhabited) castle because you hate interacting with your fellow citizens in the city, you come off looking terribly elitist. Not to mention the costs of them taking up residence at Windsor Castle.

So, yeah, I just don't think it's a good idea. If they want to move out of KP they should consider another London-based residence like Clarence House. I can't understand how three other country residences isn't enough

[sweatertheman]

well, i was gonna write a response to this reblog i got criticizing me for my stance on genocide/snowgrave AUs, but the person deleted their reblog (or maybe just blocked me) so i wasn't able to reblog it. i remember a few highlights though.

you sound like me when i was younger, "why are these aus so bad and don't contribute to the original i'm going to treat this like a serious issue as if it was an extension of canon"

don't tell people their shit is pointless

put your "no fun allowed" sign away and let people have fun

i don't mean to mischaracterize the person who reblogged, they were fairly polite despite being annoyed, these are just the bits that stuck with me from seeing it briefly, i don't have a very good memory.

so, to the person who reblogged me. if you still believe the things you said in that response, and didn't change your mind when you deleted the post, here's the response i typed out:

i feel like i should clarify, i don't want to tell people what they can and can't do. people can do whatever they want. im not an AU guy even when the AUs are good, but hell if i'm gonna stop people from having fun. if anyone takes my post as a "no fun allowed" sign then i'm sorry it came across that way, and i sincerely hope that you don't feel like your hobbies need the approval of others to be valid, because they absolutely do not. your hobbies are valid and your enjoyment is all that should matter. as for the post itself, i dont mean my question rhetorically. i am genuinely curious, so if anyone wants to tell me why they like these AUs, i'd gladly listen! when i go on to talk about what i think is wrong with them, that's not me saying these things are bad and you shouldn't like them. it's me saying i don't see the point, and explaining my view of these sorts of aus. i suppose i have a habit of phrasing my opinions as though they are facts, and that's more of a general issue with me and i apologize. i usually tend to speak like i'm writing an english essay, lol. and as for aus on the whole, maybe i'm wrong to think about it this way, but i feel like at least for me, fan work should build on or contribute to the discussion around the original work. i'm not the kind of guy who likes to play with the source material and characters as though they were toys. i tend to think about things kind of rigidly, and view the source material as almost like a machine, with every given piece doing some kind of job to make the work function. when i create fanworks, i'm trying to understand and build onto that machine, to improve or expand its functioning. the problem, though, is that being such a rigid thinker, i tend to think that my way is the "right way." while i don't think other people are dumb or bad for doing it their own way, i can be a bit of an elitist in thinking that everyone should be doing it my way. i don't want to ruin anyone's fun though, i am aware that this line of thinking is wrong and i'm doing my best to see things other people's ways. all this to say, i'm sorry if my post came off as an attack on aus or people who enjoy them. all i meant by it was that i don't see the point of some aus and why i find them counterintuitive to the things i personally value in fanworks. thank you for being patient with me.

[pendwick]

Young people saying "ugh, he just turns into a bug" of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis is actually a time honored tradition and extremely based. It's just that you used to say this while smoking in a car with friends instead of online where the delicate eyes of self identified former gifted kids can see it.

Frankly, calling teens who aren't connecting with certain Important Works of Literature "anti-intellectual" is taking the wrong data point out of that situation.

Art is complicated. And teens? Well, they're going to call anything they struggle with "stupid" and "pointless." I'm not saying you legitimize that perspective. But you definitely don't turn around and call them "stupid, dangerous, and in denial." (Incidentally that's how you create real, actualized anti-intellectuals.)

On the whole I think "anti-intellectual" gets tossed around waaay too casually and when used incorrectly it is a self fulfilling prophecy. The topic of intelligence has never not been a politically complicated minefield.

"Just stop being lazy and educate yourself" is not a slam dunk solution, least of all a systemic one.

"Why don't you like [X]?" and caring to listen is certainly more fruitful than "How dare you, you must love [X]. [X] is highly regarded and if you don't like it you don't understand it. This reflects negatively on your intelligence."

With stakes like those, is it any wonder people might act skittish and defensive? Why they'd lose innate curiosity and be wary to engage with venerated works? Why these attitudes might seed mistrust?

I get wanting to defend your favorite books - I really do. But this "everything is anti-intellectualism" shit: a) paints all ignorance as malicious, b) encourages only one form of strictly positive engagement, and c) actualizes itself, by conjuring a perceived "us vs them" elitist mentality.

And I mean if you're here for "solutions," maybe not being sanctimonious is a start? Accept that engagement starts on different levels. That the Western Canon is imperfect and self-incestuous (often requiring deep cut knowledge on symbolism and topics that aren't one wikipedia click away to form context). That people deserve grace. That when they say "reading this feels like eating gravel" they are likely communicating something very personal and vulnerable, not heralding the end of "culture."

----

EDIT: For context

(because, I realize by the time I've committed to publishing a vague post, I’ve been fully jokerfied):

This is in response to the person who said they’re going to “kill goodreads reviewers” and that quote “[they] aren’t human,” while admonishing a young person’s bad take on Metamorphosis. Then carrying on to mock their tastes, interests, and appearance.

I believe far more nuanced discussions followed, in posts by others and I’m not remotely beefing with any of those folks.

This post is also not actually about Metamorphosis. I'm not beefing with Franz Kafka either.

[queer-aunty]

Songs in preparation for Fontaine:

Those are only speculations.

Arleccino, Lyney & Lynette (maybe also Freminet)

So I was listening to some playlist and I found this song:

And i think it fits, because they are/were (idk if they're still there) orphans at the house of hearts so they probably will help Arleccino and backstab the traveler, but later realize, that she and the Fatui manipulated them and feel betrayed/heartbroken/angry?

I mean no idea if i'm right, but i also don't want to know if i'm right, I want to see it for myself, when Fontaine comes out in a few days.

So everything I wrote in this is changed from the original lyrics also i tried to shorten it a bit, didn't always work so I just copied most stuff and changed stuff^^°

Hope my interpretation makes kind of sense and isn't just weird xD

I come from scientists and atheists and White men who kill God They make technology high quality complex physiological Experiments and sacrilege in the name of public good They taught me everything Just like a mommy (changed to fit) should

And you were beautiful and vulnerable And power and success God damn I fell for you your flamethrowers Your tunnels and your tech I studied showbuisness because I wanted To do something great like you And the real tragedy is half of it was true

But we've been fucking mean We're elitist We're as flawed as any country And this faux rad west coast dogma Has a higher fucking net worth I bit the apple 'cuz I trusted you But it tastes like Thomas Malthus Your proposal is immodest and insane [...]

[...] I loved you it's true I wanted to be you And do what you do I lived here I loved here I thought it was true I feel so stupid I feel so used [...]

I was your baby Your first born The hot boy in your magic class And I was Darwin's prep school dream Bred born and raised to kick your ass I fell for circuit boards Rocket ships Pictures of the stars If you could only be what you pretend you are

When I said take me to the moon I never meant take me alone I thought if mankind toured the sky It meant all of us could go But I don't want to see the stars if they're just One more piece of land for you to colonize For us to turn to sand

[...] I bit the apple 'cuz I loved you And why would you lie And then I realized You're just as naive as I am (not sure, if this would fit) You're so traumatized it makes me wanna cry

[...] I'm so embarrassed I feel abused

Well I don't wanna eat the rich I'd have to eat my hero's first And my tuition's paid by blood I might deserve your fate or worse But I don't need your goddamn money I don't need jack shit from you So when I speak you bet your life my words are true

Let me level with you man As someone guilty of the game I took the help I took the cash I would've taken your last name So if any girl on earth Should get to make a call about this It would be me and as I see it You're a dick

So fuck your god fuck your soldiers Fuck your country fuck your Tsaritsa again You promised you'd be a mother But you're just another Signora Because Signora broke apart All you ever broke were hearts I can't believe you tore humanity apart With the very same machines That could've been our brand new start

And the worst part is I loved you I loved you I loved you it's true And sometimes I feel like I still fucking do I lived here I loved here I thought it was true I'm so embarrassed I feel abused I feel so used I feel so used Take me to the moon Because I feel so used I feel so used

Idk it seems fitting, if you are creative^^°

[fioras-resolve]

i'm an hour away from San Francisco, and less than a day away from gdc. the stuff is terrifying to me, and i'm almost scared to go. like, i'll be on my own in a massive conference center, potentially interacting with people a lot better than me at this whole gamedev shtick. it's strange, you know? to a lot of people i've met i *am* the intimidating gamedev, but when i'm in the presence of other devs i'm reminded that i'm a socially awkward loser who probably wouldn't fit in with this whole thing anyway. i mean fuck, i'm going to wear the cat ears, in large part because i'm hoping that gives people an easy in for talking with me. but it can just as easily make me look like a weirdo who's not taking this seriously. and i do take it seriously! i take it very seriously. i take it more seriously than anyone else i know, because goddammit games are my life. my truest love. the constant in my life that makes it all worth it.

and i'm scared, you know? i'm scared that despite how mature i feel of late, i'm still a fuckin kid. and like, i know, okay? i know that "realizing you're still a kid is the mature thing," but it's different, okay? this isn't "humbling." for years, since i was in high school, i've been insecure about fitting in with people older than me. with rare exception, i'm the youngest one in any group, because i've always been doing shit that few others can. and like, look, i know it's not the Correct thing to say, i know that saying that i, angie nyx, have special talents that others don't is entering some real shit territory. i am well aware that despite my obstacles i am still in an immense position of privilege for even being able to make games in the first place. but i haven't come this far, in creating, analyzing, and learning about games to be told that i'm just like anyone else. 

*sigh* i want to have self-respect and self-confidence without being vain, but really sometimes i just wanna tell someone "i know more than you, why are you questioning me?" i'm in a position where i get to talk about games with people in a way where they listen, and i have an obligation to listen to them. and i hate the feeling i get when someone tells me they see me as a standard they need to live up to, because it shows the contradiction of my whole approach to my work. i take this stuff really seriously, i pursue it as a passion like no other, and i hold myself to a high standard, but i also recognize that holding literally anyone else to that standard would be harmful. i've lost friends over this, and only one has come back.

man, i just... i'm pushed all sorts of ways by this. i'm worried that my going to gdc makes me a sellout or an uberdweeb or an ivory tower elitist. but at the same time i'm worried that i'm NOT good enough to even be in this space. i'm choosing to go to this conference because i believe in my craft, because i want to get better, and because gdc talks have been my comfort media for years. there's some part of me, at the core of my being, that thinks this will be a nice and enriching conference where i'll learn a lot and maybe get to network. this is the place i'll go to meet My People. but i'm terrified, you know? i'm scared that all that i've built up is just pretend. i'm even MORE scared that i'll fuck it up somehow by being so autistic. scared that the mask will slip and i'll reveal myself to be a scared cat in a human body. scared that i'll embarrass myself, or make someone uncomfortable. i'm scared that maybe i'm not a real game developer, but someone just cosplaying as one.

man, i just... i wish i could cuddle with someone right now. it's been months since i've seen a partner or even a friend in person. it's been so long since i've had any kind of contact, any kind of warmth or closeness. i wish i was doing that instead of going by myself to a convention full of people i don't know. i'm lonely. i'm scared. the real reason why i wanted a friend to go with me is because that way i wouldn't feel so alone. i'd have someone i could talk to who was right here with me. if things went badly, i'd get support. instead i'm going with my mom, who very openly treats this as a vacation opportunity like any other. she wants to see the sights of san francisco. what i need is someone who i can share a room with and know it's all gonna be okay. god dammit.

[forsakenasylum]

Unburying my blog just to be an elitist gatekeeper without anyone knowing

You know, I swear I've tried to, but I just cannot understand the appeal of what I like to call... second-hand media consumption.

Like, you're a huge fan of this manga or game or movie that you've... never even read or played or watched. But you've watched a half-hour summary on youtube and that's enough for you to join communities and discussions regarding that thing that you haven't consumed nor have any desire to do so.

I usually see this very often with Touhou and Fate. And, like... I get it. At some degree, I blame the franchise itself in those cases. Those are amongst the most inaccessible franchises for newcomers I've ever seen, and the fact everything is just spread out in several different media (games, anime, manga, novels, encyclopediae, music albums with stories) makes it incredibly hard to keep up with everything.

I honestly don't blame people who don't want or don't feel the desire to keep up with this kind of shit if it feels more like a chore than anything else. I myself spent more than a decade before I FINALLY decided to take a dip into Touhou, for example.

But I never called myself a Touhou fan before I actually started getting into it.

... I know, I know. This is starting to sound really gatekeepish. I'm not saying someone must know everything about a piece of work in order to be a fan of it. I'm also not saying being a fan should be a chore. I'm also not saying I'm more of a fan than people who have never even touched the source material itself.

... okay, maybe I am saying the last part.

What I'm trying to say is... I fail to see where is the fun in this kind of second-hand media consumption.

I'm not against the existence of video summaries or lore videos, quite the opposite! I'm a big fan of those myself and often watch them about the things I enjoy! Or even of things I haven't known yet, if I like the summary or analysis, of course it makes me want to check the thing itself! I think these kinds of videos have a fundamental aspect of bringing people into things they wouldn't check themselves otherwise, and that's a great thing!

That's why I'm so jarred that so many people treat this kind of stuff as a replacement for the real thing?!

How can you watch someone talking about a manga for half an hour, decide it's your favorite manga ever, join a discord server about that manga and engage in discussions and theories and stuff about that manga... without ever, ever reading the manga itself?!

How is that remotely fun?!

I don't know, man. Obviously, I can't stop anyone from consuming media like that. If you only ever watch youtube essays of stuff and consider yourself a big fan, power for you, fella. Do what makes you happy.

But your concept of fun is like, diametrically opposite to mine.

[spinningbuster98]

So...now that the initial hype (and bewilderment?) for the trailer has largely subsided I would like to give my own personal thoughts on Sonic X Shadow Generations

I'm not happy

In fact after the initial feeling of "holy shit they're actually doing this!?" wore off I got pretty goddamn furious if I'm gonna be honest

Putting aside the fact that I am not the biggest fan of Shadow's game, in fact I can quite comfortably say that I hate it, a sentiment that I confirmed for myself after replaying it for a marathon roughly 2 years ago, so much so that, if it weren't for 06 and Secret Rings existing (and maybe Chronicles as well), it would quite easily be the worst Sonic game to me.

Putting aside also the fact that it is very likely to be written by Mr Ian-I can't work with these Shadow mandates man!-Flynn, whose track record on not only the IDW comic but also Frontiers leaves... quite a lot to be desired, especially when referencing past games is concerned

Putting, once again, aside the fact that what little level design we've seen in the trailer seems to be roughly on the same level as Forces', which should make it at least a tiny bit more inspired than Frontiers' though that's not inspiring much confidence in ME

...why?

Really: why?

Why celebrate Shadow The Hedgehog of all games?

Generations is a celebratory game, a game that, very optimistically, looks back on Sonic's story, both the highlights and yes, even the lowlights, which is why Crisis City was included

However it's one thing to include a level from an infamous game that ruined your reputation as part of your historical celebration while also making it far better than how it was in its original iteration

It's another thing to create a whole seperate story campaign dedicated to revisiting one of the most embarassing entries of Sonic's history, one of the titles that is most responsible for Sonic's reputation going down the drain over the years. And no: I'm not claiming that Shadow's game is the biggest culprit, even before its release Heroes was getting a lot of flack, and as early as the mid 90s, after S3K's release, people were starting to dunk on Sonic a bit. But I think we can all agree that it's when Shadow first appeared with a gun in his hand while cursing like an edgy teen that people collectively agreed that Sonic was now washed out and unsalvageable.

And you know I don't wanna act like this thing is doomed before it's out: it is technically possible that they can deliver something decent both gameplay and writing wise and if they do then I'll eat my own hat and praise it like it deserves!

But I am very doubtful about this, given Sega's quite frankly abysmal recent track record with this stuff, especially in light of Frontiers

And I know: it's just an extra mode bundled with a preexisting good game. Why are you bitching so much?

I'm bitching because this is but a symptom of a larger issue that's been going on for over a decade now, which is Sonic as a series being absolutely dependent on revisiting its past in often half assed ways in an attempt to pander to nostalgic fans rather than, y'know, genuinely and fully moving forward! The actual attitude hasn't really changed in 10 years, it's just that now instead of pandering to the classic elitists they're pandering to the Adventure fans, who will gladly eat this up despite whining for years about nostalgia pandering themselves because all their rhetoric during the past decade was mostly bullshit that can be summed up as "Yeah but they're not pandering to the REAL Sonic aka the one I grew up with!"

There's a part of me that would almost like to praise Sega for "taking it on the chin" so to speak, for wanting to take their chances by revisiting an old, hated game and doing something potentially good with it

But let's be perfectly clear here: Sega's not digging up Shadow's game or SA2 for that matter because they want to redeem them or anything, there are only 3 reasons why they're making this

For the aforementioned Adventure-era pandering, Sega have no doubt noticed that the kids who played Shth back in 2005 have now grown up and love it, while the older fans who bashed it have now largely left the fandom so this game is now free to be used as nostalgia bait

It's Shadow and not only is he so popular that everything with his name attatched to it is bound to sell but his playstyle is 90% Sonic's anyway, so they'll mostly just have to make new animations for him

Sonic Movie 3 is coming and they obviously want to capitalize on it. This game is very clearly for newer fans to serve as a "who this guy is and what his deal is" history lesson

The last 2 reasons are especially obvious because honestly, if they're so adamant on pandering to the Adventure Era nostalgia, then why don't they draw from other, better and more deserving sources?

Why not recreate levels from SA1 and 2 or even Heroes? You can even recreate story scenes from them if you truly want, it would still be pandering but at least stuff like Tails and Amy's character arcs in SA1 are far better written and more respectful to their characters than anything from Shadow's game is towards its own protagonist! Hell why not do something TRULY cool, something that is ACTUALLY unthrodden ground and maybe give us for the very first time 3D versions of levels from the Advance series? Cyber Base and Chaos Angel in 3D anyone? Or maybe the Rush games? With a playable Blaze for the first time since forever? I mean Shadow already had his own DLC episode in Forces and it was pretty ok, why not give someone else their own Episode?

Look: if you like Shadow's game and you like what you see? Good for you, I honestly, genuinely hope that you have a good time

But as for me? A (former?) Sonic fan who hasn't enjoyed anything Sonic related to come out of this entire franchise since 2013 (with the semi exception of Mania and maybe Superstars though I still haven't gotten around to playing it), and who's been extremely cynical of Sega and Sonic Team's way of handling this series? This is just the latest in a long list of nails in the coffin

[heycoyotegirl]

What would a Paxton/Devi/Ben triad look like in your opinion?

So I wrote an entire breakdown of how a Ben/Devi/Paxton triad would happen and then I reread your question and realized that wasn’t what you asked at all (but if you are curious about that, I have an answer ready to go lol).

The short answer is that I actually think a triad could work surprisingly well. Obviously they’d have to work on their communication skills to make it work, but that’s true of any high schoolers in any relationship, no matter how many people are involved.

I wrote in a tag that dating Paxton has the potential to fix Ben, which was initially a joke, but then I realized it’s actually true. We see throughout the series that Paxton and Devi bring out the best in each other, and since Ben and Devi are quite similar, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Paxton and Ben can also bring out the best in each other.

Paxton is the most levelheaded of the three, so he would be able to prevent or mitigate the blow-up fights that I'm sure are in Ben and Devi's future. He has more emotional intelligence than the other two and is good at recognizing people's insecurities and offering reassurance, whereas Ben and Devi tend to (accidentally) hit each other's insecurities under the guise of "banter."

Also, the fact that Paxton doesn't do as well academically would hopefully curb some of Ben & Devi's more pretentious/elitist attitudes. And, as many problems as I have with s4, the way he figured out what he wants to do with his future after he got into college—versus Ben who's always planned to go into law like his dad—would be reassuring for Devi, who openly admits that she doesn't have a goal beyond getting into Princeton and then never explores that (genuinely wtf were the writers doing this season?).

Long answer/examples from the show (focusing on Ben/Paxton primarily, since that's the ship we don't see on the show) under the cut.

Paxton has some sort of magic ability that gets Devi to open up and be vulnerable with him, and we see that it works on Ben too during their conversation after Ben’s surgery in s3ep6.

Paxton: So, why are you so stressed out? Ben: Oh, I don't know. Maybe because my entire life trajectory is determined by the outcome of the next six months. Paxton: Are you talking about college? Dude, you'll get into college. Ben: I don't want to get into just any college. I want to go to Columbia, and I'm not sure if I can get in. Paxton: So then you don't get in. Who cares? Ben: No, not "who cares?" I have to get in. Paxton: Or what? Ben: Or all this work was for nothing. My future is ruined, and I disappoint myself, and my family, and, you know, my dad. Paxton: This is all about your dad? Dude, tell him to go to hell. You work so hard, you haven't had time to shit in two weeks. If I was your dad, I'd be proud of you. [ inhales sharply ] Not because of the not shitting part but because of the hardworking part. Ben: Thanks.

Obviously he isn’t as gentle about it as he is with Devi, but Paxton still figures out the heart of the issue—Ben wanting to impress his dad—and gives him good advice—his dad should already be proud of him for how hard he works, and if he isn’t, then he sucks and Ben shouldn’t care about his opinion or worry about disappointing him. And Paxton was right; when Ben’s dad gets home, he tells Ben that he’ll be proud of him no matter where he goes to college. (Quick question for the writers of this show: What happened to that whole plot line in season 4?? Seems like it would’ve made sense to at least mention it when Ben didn’t like his visit to Columbia.)

I may be forgetting things, since I still haven’t done a full rewatch (and Ben/Benvi fans, feel free to chime in if you remember something I didn’t) but I can’t think of any other pre-s4 examples of Ben voicing similar insecurities. At least, not to a peer, and especially not one who he has reason to be jealous of.

And it’s the same with Devi: She tells Paxton things she’s not ready to tell anyone else.

Paxton also pushes back when Ben is being a dick in a way that Devi doesn’t. Ben and Devi’s history of being rivals means that her instinct is to volley back “banter,” even if Ben has gone too far and said something that’s actually hurtful. But since Paxton doesn’t have that history, he doesn’t return an insult. Instead, his instinctive reaction makes it clear that Ben said something shitty.

Immediately after the bit I quoted above, we get this:

Ben: Let's change the subject. What are you working on? Paxton: Ugh. This stupid college essay. The question sucks. "Discuss an event that shaped you into who you are." I just... I don't know how to answer it. Ben: Hmm. Do you not know what an event is? Paxton: What the fuck, man? I know what an event is, dude. I just… I don't really know who I am. Ben: [ scoffs ] Gimme a break. What do you mean you don't know who you are? You're the only person at our school who's not a nobody. The lunch ladies named a dessert after you. Paxton: Yeah, that's all surface stuff. That's not who I am. Ben: Okay. Then who are you? Paxton: I don't know. Like, I think I'm someone... [ inhales deeply ] Forget it. This is embarrassing. Ben: You can't possibly embarrass yourself more than I have tonight, so get over it. What do you know is true about yourself? Paxton: I mean, I'm a really good brother. Maybe I could talk about when my sister was adopted. I... Ben: Wait, you have an adopted sister? That's essay gold. Okay. Why don't you start making a list of all the ways that she's helped you learn about yourself? Come on. I can... help you.

Ben’s comment hits the tender heart behind Paxton’s sculpted abs, but after the initial snap, Paxton doesn’t turn it into a fight. He actually does the opposite and opens up, admitting an insecurity to explain what he meant.

And Ben responds positively to that. Sure, he doesn’t apologize, and he’s still a bit dismissive at first, but once he realizes that Paxton is actually being vulnerable with him in return, he drops the attitude and offers to help him. And then Ben is genuinely happy when the principal compliments Paxton’s essay the next day.

(And as a bonus, helping Paxton out inadvertently expands Ben's social circle, which is nice, since he has like 1-4 friends max throughout the show, and they're almost entirely dependent on what girl he's dating at that moment. He was super excited by the prospect of hanging out with the Hot Pocket, and I'm glad that they kept his friendship with Trent in season 4.)

(Also, yes, I recognize that this would technically be going from "Ben's only friends are his girlfriend's friends" to "Ben's only friends are his girlfriend's and boyfriend's friends" but 1. that's still more friends overall; 2. I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with having the same social circle as your partner(s), as long as you don't immediately lose all of those friends during a break up; and 3. Paxton could probably help him with social skills in general (à la the scene where he teaches Fab how to ask a girl out), which would make it easier to make friends independently.)

Paxton might not always voice his insecurities (which would create conflict in the triad, but I don't think it would be insurmountable), but he's protective of other people. Throughout the show, he always stops to check in with Devi when he sees that she's upset, even if he's been justifiably mad at her prior to that moment. In a situation where Ben or Devi hurt the other's feelings, he wouldn't put up with them avoiding each other and letting the hurt fester. He'd encourage them to talk it out, like he did in season 4, when Devi was going to let the Princeton situation ruin her friendship with Fabiola.

We also know that Devi is more willing to stand up for other people who’ve been wronged than she is to stand up for herself (see: how she broke up with Paxton when he didn’t want to apologize to Haley for icing her out vs how she handled Ben ghosting her).

So if Ben said something that hurt Paxton while all three were dating, she'd be more likely to call him on it. And that would ideally then lead to a discussion about the way Ben hurt her in the past, and he could apologize for the things he said and work to do better, which would resolve my dissatisfaction with Ben and Devi's romantic relationship. (Yes, they were rivals and both mean to each other at times, but Ben was disproportionately cruel after Devi’s dad died. He's said racist/ableist things (throughout the show tbh), and his comments in s1 especially had a significant, lasting impact on her self-esteem.)

I'm realizing that this all basically boils down to: Ben would experience the same character growth from dating Paxton that Devi did because he and Devi have similar flaws

[familyvideostevie]

love ur work babe!! 💖

just wondering if you’d consider my steve x reader prompt? basically it’s just steve going to surprise mc while she’s at university and her gleefully introducing him to her school friends. but then once they find out about where steve works they get kinda elitist. like say they’re getting dinner and he excuses himself to the bathroom and overhears them saying mc could do better and has such a loser boyfriend. cue steve being depressed and tryna “better” himself to prove worthy of mc. ofc, she finally finds out what happened and instantly comforts him 🥺🥺

thanks for the request, my love! i'm sorry it took so long (i made this extra long to make up for it!). we've got some sweetness, a little angst, and more sweetness! | 2.2k, fem!reader

"I'm so tired but I think I did well on all of them," you say to Steve over the phone. "Although philosophy was really hard." You've just finished your first round of college exams and are sat on your dorm bed, the phone chord twirling around your finger.

"Obviously you did, babe. You're the one with the brain in this relationship," he says, his voice deep and smooth across the miles. Little do you know, Steve's already forming a plan in his mind. He wants to drive up to buy you dinner and give you a kiss and be home before midnight so you don't get in trouble.

"Steve," you scold him. "Don't say that. I don't even know if this is for me yet! I could be back in Hawkins tomorrow."

"Yeah, well," he ignores you. He knows you have big dreams and he's all for you chasing them. "Are you gonna celebrate at all? Got any friends to go out with?"

"Some girls from my study group asked me to go to dinner. But honestly, Steve, I wish you were here and we could just watch a movie or something." Your voice goes soft as you admit it to him. "Miss you."

"Miss you too, pretty girl." He sighs, but his mind is going a mile a minute. No way he's not gonna see you as soon as he can when you say sweet shit like that. "Take a nap or something, and maybe call me tomorrow?"

"Okay. Can we plan a visit soon?" You're hedging a little, because you know Steve, and you can almost hear him thinking through the phone.

"Name the day. I'll be there! Love you," he says.

Just a few minutes later Steve sits in the front seat of his car, fingers drumming on the steering wheel as he flips through the atlas in his lap. He's buzzing a little at the thought of seeing you in just a few hours, hoping that he can make it up to your campus before dinner. It's just a few hundred miles away, and he hasn't seen you since he dropped you off like, over a month ago. His overnight bag is in the backseat just in case, but even just a few minutes would be enough for him.

"I'm so pathetic," he mutters to himself and tosses the atlas aside, route figured out, though he's smiling. "Christ." He pulls out of his driveway and heads north.

The drive is smooth and Steve rolls into campus early evening, having hit no traffic. He remembers where your dorm is and parks around the corner. As it happens, you're sitting on a bench in front of the building, pretty as anything. His chest swells just looking at you, and as if you sense him, you look up. The smile on your face is well worth the few hours he's driven.

"Steve?" you call. It's not a total surprise -- there was something in his voice on the phone that made you almost ask him to come up right away. You jump up from the bench and he jogs down the path to you. It feels like you're in a movie as you throw your arms around his neck and he picks you up and spins you in circle.

"Surprise," he mumbles into your hair, taking a deep inhale of you. You smell like generic detergent and perfume, but it's familiar underneath both of those. You smell like you. Steve wonders if he can ask for one of your shirts to bring back with him.

"Let me look at you, baby," you say to him, giddy. He sets you down and you drink him in, head to toe. Hair a mess, brown eyes warm and excited, face a little flushed. Pretty, as Steve always manages to be. His blue jacket and those jeans that make his ass look incredible. He's your boyfriend and he's here.

"College looks good on you, damn!" he laughs. "Your head is totally bigger from all the studying." You roll your eyes at him but tilt your face up for a kiss. He meets you halfway, bringing a hand to your jaw to deepen it without making it unfit for the public space you're in. You've missed this, dreamed about it.

"Thanks for coming, Stevie," you whisper into the space between you when he pulls away. He pecks you one more time before snaking his hand down your arm to string your fingers together.

"Anytime, baby, like I said. Can I crash your dinner ? I'll be sure to turn on the charm." You nod, eager to introduce him to the girls in your study group. You try not to talk about Steve too much, but you've got a picture of you two in your wallet and some up on your walls.

"I'm waiting for them now, they'll be here any minute! But, Steve, I don't know them very well, so I'm not sure if I want to be friends with them--"

"Hey!" comes a voice from behind you. You turn around and see the girls walking up. You send Steve a tentative smile and he squeezes your hand before flicking his hair back and smiling wide.

"Ladies!" he calls. "Room for one more in your plans?" They look at each other then back at the two of you and smile.

"This is Steve, my boyfriend," you say. He surges forward to shake their hands as they introduce themselves.

"We've heard a little bit about you," the one called Laura says. "How sweet of you to come over!"

"Are you at school nearby? I hope you didn't have to come far," says the other. Her name is Maureen, she tells him

"Ah, no," he shrugs, still smiling. "I live in Hawkins, where we're from. I just drove up to surprise my girl." The pair look at each other again, having a brief silent conversation that makes your brows furrow and Steve stand up a bit straighter, but he figures it's nothing to worry about. He's just happy to see you.

The four of you walk a few blocks to a corner restaurant and slide into a wooden booth. Steve's thigh presses tight against yours, like he wants to take every opportunity to be close to you while he can. He listens to the three of you chatter about your exams, the next unit in class, and you all order some sodas and sandwiches. When they arrive, the conversation shifts to him. Your hand comes down to rest on his knee.

"So, Steve," says Laura. "Tell us about you."

"Oh, yeah, well, I live in Hawkins," he says, casually. "College isn't really for me, so I work at a store in town." He can feel you looking at him, feel your thumb running back and forth over his jeans on his leg. Suddenly this feels like a job interview.

"That's interesting," says Maureen. "Do you have any...future plans? Goals? Stuff like that?" You turn to look at her when she says it, not sure what she's getting at. Steve works hard, and he's built a community around him that you can't wait to return to after you figure your life out a little bit.

"Well, I'm saving up for an apartment. Can't live at home forever," he laughs. You're proud of him for that -- getting out of his parent's sphere is something he needs.

"Oh!" The girls smile at him before turning back to you to talk about something school related. Steve feels kind of strange, like he's missing something that's right in front of him. He picks at his sandwich, not hungry anymore, before getting up to go to the bathroom.

As soon as he's gone, Maureen and Laura pounce on you.

"You could really do better, honey," Laura whispers. "He's nice, and he's cute, but he's not like us."

"There are so many guys here with ambition! College boys who could show you the world!" Maureen adds, picking at her nails. "You don't have to stick with Mr. High School forever."

You're quiet for a second, but you're seething with anger. Part of you thinks they're trying to be friendly, but most of you is mad that they look at Steve and see something lacking. You knew you'd meet some snobs in school -- Nancy had warned you about that -- but this was something else. They're coming after Steve, the best person you know.

"I love him," you say quietly. "And he loves me." They look like they want to argue with you but Steve returns to the table. He doesn't sit as close to you and you notice immediately, sending him a confused look he ignores.

"Well, ladies," he smiles, something false and strained in your eyes, "I got the bill already, so we're free to go." Maureen and Laura thank him politely before you spill out of the restaurant onto the street, the early fall evening having faded into dusk.

"We're going to go for a walk, guys. See you later!" you tell the girls before spiriting Steve away from them without another word of goodbye. You steer him up the sidewalk towards an ice cream place, looping your arm through his. His false smile is gone and he's quiet. What changed to rob him of his good mood?

"Stevie, hey," you murmur. "You okay?" He sighs. His head is a mess, but he doesn't want to make you upset.

"Yeah. I... just hear me out for a sec, okay?" He stops you walking and turns, taking back his arm to tuck his hands in his pockets. "I know this place is bigger than anything I've done. And you're doing big things, and you might outgrow me --"

"Woah," you interrupt him. "I'm gonna stop you right there." Then it clicks -- what the girls said to you at dinner. "Is this about what those girls said to me? Did you hear that?" You can't help but let your volume rise. You're not yelling at him, but the idea that those girls made him feel like he had to say these things to you makes your blood boil again.

"I did, but listen," he sighs, rocking back on his heels. "I love you. So much, I love you so much. But damn, that hurt. And I just want to make sure you know I get it if that's what you decide you want. A college guy." He looks so sad, but he's trying to hide it. You surge forward, hands framing his face as you look at him desperately, hungrily.

"Stevie, baby. Sweetheart, you are what I want. You are what's best for me." You're almost shouting, and his eyes widen at the intensity of your tone, hands leaving his pockets to grab your wrists gently. He doesn't like feeling this way, like he's something that can be brushed aside, and you've never made him feel this way. But those girls got under his skin.

"Just made me feel small, I guess. Like I should be better for you. I mean, I work at Family Video." The words feel funny as he says them, like he's never believed them to be something bad before. Your thumbs swipe over his cheeks. The way you're looking at him makes him want to melt.

"You don't have to be worthy of other people, Steve. There is no need to prove yourself, no need to make yourself better to be loved. And I love you. I love you so much." You'd spend the rest of your days telling him so. In fact, you want to.

"I know," he says, quietly. "I know. You've told me all that." He sighs, turning his head to kiss one of your palms. "Love you, college girl. Even if you drop out." He's smirking, but you know he's serious. At least he's joking and looking less like a kicked puppy.

"If I keep striking out and trying to befriend snobby people like them, I just might!" you exclaim. "They're wrong about you, Steve. They don't know a thing about you. They don't know how brave you are, how kind, how caring, how wonderful." His face flushes at your words, so you pivot to stop embarrassing him. "They did say how cute you were, though."

"Damn, I'd hope so!" he laughs. "I'm very cute. Got great pickup lines too."

"Even so, I'm not going to be friends with those girls. They are too snotty for me. They don't know the world outside of this campus!" You're getting even more worked up now, but Steve can't stop thinking how pretty you look, flushed and incensed on his behalf. How he believes everything you've said to him.

"You gotta find the nerds, or something. See if they have a D&D club. I'll get Munson to loan you some shit." He has no idea what he's talking about but you nod along like it's a good idea, already distracted.

"Do you want to sleep in my dorm? I can sneak you in and my roommate is away this weekend." You can't imagine sending him home after this night. You want to hold him. Steve leans in to kiss you, hands moving to cover yours on his face. You try to pour everything you're feeling into him.

"I'll leave real early so you don't get in trouble," he says against your lips. "Won't snore too loud, promise."

[to-come-alive]

Baht Oyunu 1x06

Oh how I missed writing dizi reviews! But I especially missed watching them. Ughh... why did it take so long for this ep to come?! I'm always expecting this series to disappoint me at any moment, but it always manages to surprise me for good. Right now, personally, this is the best summer dizi of this year and there's no discussion abt that. Let's move on to my thoughts abt it

Aahh... a fake-dating episode! I LOVE IT!! This is my favorite trope ever. I love all the things it brings with it: the awkward PDA scenes, the 'there's only one bed' trope, the total lack of personal space in general. Pls gimme more!! Their chemistry was so on point (as always) and they almost kissed a lot of times during the ep.

Ada is always so reasonable although being a little bit crazy. When I first began to watch this series I thought that Ada would be too hung up on this story told by her family and insist on the idea of being married to Trash. But no, she has already freed herself from this lies and is now focused on herself and her future. I'm glad Trash is not an option anymore for her.

Bora is a lot rational too. I like that. Generally, when a dizi character is rational this means they are like robots (Serkan bey??) who have only one characteristic: being a heartless person. But Bora is not like that. He got so hurt after seeing Trash in Ada's house. But instead of making a scene or smth, or treating Ada badly, he just went away bc he knows Ada doesn't need to explain nothing to him. She doesn't own any explanation to him. He respects her and he's aware of the limits in their relationship. But I loved that Ada wanted to explain herself bc she cares to what Bora thinks of her.

That scene in the park was so precious. I mean, I thought that I would have to watch an episode with Bora all jealous, unkind and mistreating Ada. But she came up with some story and they just came back to be what they were. Even better, they got to connect even more! I love that although adbor falls under the category of an enemies to lovers story, they don't try to make each other angry or pretend to hate each other. Ada is always trying to amuse him (and she succeds at it!). And I simply love that Bora is always ready to admit when Ada does or says smth right. You can really see them as a couple cuz they get along well with each other. I think we normalize a lot these couples which are opposites that are always fighting and we can't see them in a relationship in the future cuz that's their only dynamic: fighting.

Ever since the beginning of this dizi it's Ada who's always making some kinda plan to get smth. I loved that in this ep it was actually Bora who was plotting things and not Ada. And I couldn't imagine him doing these kinds of things before. This was an Ada thing: planing and scheming to get what she wants or needs. So we got to see how they work well together. That couple fight scene, they invading that scammer's room dressed as waiters/maids. They're perfect together!

OH MY GOD! I thought I would become deaf from hearing so much shit coming out from Trash's mouth. So HE's the smartest person ever?! And how he feels he has the right to come to Ada's house whenever he wants and to even be jealous of her?! He's just unbearable now. Ya know, sometimes I think I would be glad if Celal find out the truth abt their fake marriage bc then he would be deported and we would be free from him.

I really miss the Tuğçe from episode 4. She was cool. But I'm liking this dynamic of the four doing things together. Although I hate Trash, that's a fact, and Tuğçe is an enemy, she's not the enemy to be fought now. And it's good to see the leads working together with the villains for a common goal. For me, it's so refreshing. It makes the dizi more light and less dramatic.

It was sad that Elif almost didn't participate in this ep. But I liked the scenes of their family, they were really funny. And although Belma is still on board with this idea of Bora and Tuğçe together, she's getting more cool with the whole situation of the families living together. Hope she drops this idea soon and starts to root for Bora being with Ada.

I still don't like aunt Yasemin with Evren. I don't like him. Actually it's not that I don't like him, I'm indifferent to him. He's not inherently bad but he's a rude elitist person. And Yasemin is too good for him.

I don't like the Celal bey plot. I like Celal, he seems funny. My problem is that this is making Trash and Ada pretend to be a couple. And that was the worst part of the episode. I know it's important for the plot but every time Trash appears in scene it's just not good. It makes me want to jump for the next scene bc he's the worst.

About the secret plotline, Ada is finally giving signs that she's gonna tell the truth soon. I didn't think it would be now. Although we're probably at the half of the dizi, from my personal experience with them, generally it's around the tenth episode that the bigger narrative begins to really move on, that is, the secret is revealed. And Ada started to feel guilty for lying to him just now. I think the writers will explore this before finally telling the secret. But I might be wrong of course and maybe next ep he'll finally find the truth, who knows. Ratings are not that good and they might be planning to cancel it soon (hope I'm wrong). Also, I hope he knows the truth through Ada. Bc any other way would be the worst way of knowing. And maybe if she is the one to tell him, he might be able to forgive her more easily. But I must say that I'm not that anxious for her telling the truth. I'm enjoying what I'm having now.

I think that's it. The episodes only get better and better. Hope they keep up with the good work.

[rpbetter]

I'm so tired of roleplaying with people who don't put half the commitment I do into our threads and muses. I'm so tired of feeling like I'm a weirdo or like I don't belong for that. Any other hobby and people wouldn't care if I took it seriously. Why is roleplaying different? How can I keep going like this if I'm getting rudeness from all sides? I can't even go outside my already tiny bubble and find more partners, because I always see people putting roleplayers like me down and it's exhausting.

"Why is roleplaying different?"

Well, Anon, I know that was a rhetorical question, but I have some thoughts on that. To the surprise of no one!

I strongly believe that this is an issue with how fandom has come to dominate roleplaying. As I've said before, it really wasn't always like that. Of course, you always had canon characters and almost all RPers were invested in a fandom or two. The difference was that online RP was once viewed much more like tabletop RPGs are.

When the RPC became a near-total offshoot of Fandom, a lot of shit changed and very rapidly...and within Fandom, a lot of shit was changing very rapidly as well at that time.

RP has always been something looked down on (though, at least no one ever accused written RP online of being literally demonic like they did DnD, or made correlations to murder sprees like they did LARPing, so there's that) as strange, not the good, understandable sort of dorky.

Part of that is almost certainly because of the difference in the way society views writing vs the way it views hobbies like gaming - writing is seen as an intellectual pursuit and a job, gaming, even at its most negative points of view in wider society, has been seen traditionally as a downtime activity only.

But. RP was not looked down upon from within Fandom or in roleplay communities themselves like it is now.

When the whole experience of fandoms themselves became extremely mainstream and open, it welcomed in a ton of shit ideas and behaviors that were not previously prevalent. It changed RP, too, along many of those same lines.

When your hobby is considered objectionably weird by people within the fandoms you love and RP in and that makes you a sort of lowest-tier fan, the viewpoint of RP to RPers becomes something lesser than a valid hobby. When RPers are the same people who engage with Fandom monetarily, anything not monetized is passively consumable content, including RP. And RPers are trying to both deflect shame and struggling with wider society's mixed messages, that now hit them everywhere online as well. Shit like, "you don't have to monetize your hobby, it's okay to just make really good cross stitches of memes for yourself" and "if you're not paying me, you have no control over me."

We seriously do not view RP as a proper hobby anymore, that's why. There are many factors to that, those are just few, but that's the ultimate answer. It's not seen that way because it's not valued in the same way.

I think much of the problem with muns losing their entire shit over anyone else approaching the hobby differently, dare I say...more seriously, is related to a lot of complex psychology about self-esteem, control, and anxiety. So many people here struggle with serious self-worth and confidence issues, and I think to many of them, whether they realize it or not, when they see serious RPers, they feel like that's an inherent judgment and a danger to their own enjoyment. Because RP, as writing, is a skilled hobby - the more you practice it, the more skilled you become with it. Meaning that someone who approaches the writing seriously is going to be at a higher skill level.

Enter the way we're training to think about writing again - when they see someone who is very practiced, skilled, and confident with their writing, the learned idea is that they're somehow superior in a nasty, personal way.

I most certainly do not think that makes it alright, it isn't, and I'm not very tolerant of it.

It's absolutely alright to engage with RP in any way you see fit. If that's extremely casual, it's a minor hobby for you, that's great! I'm so happy you're enjoying yourself, and I mean that in no facetious way. But not when that is the only form of it respected and accepted. It's just as alright to have RP as your primary, serious hobby!

The only way we can all enjoy a hobby with such great variance within it is by respecting each other's variables, not by vilifying them. It's recognizing that, no matter how much you enjoy the mun and/or muse, they're not engaging with the hobby in the way you are, it's not a good fit to write together. (Please, begging y'all to be friends with those who are different, not enemies, shit's sake. You've not got to write together to be friends!) Instead of labeling them and being hateful. Different =/= a threat.

And, to go off a bit lol y'all demonizing serious RPers really don't get that there are some intense tones of ableism and more going on in that narrative of yours, huh?

Not that anyone requires a reason to be serious about any hobby, but when people pick a hobby like RP as their primary one...you should probably have the maturity to consider why that is. Could it be that they focus on a hobby they can do from their homes and that requires low physical involvement, and has a degree of separation from direct socializing, for a reason?

Serious RPers tend to be limited in their ability to pursue other hobbies. Mental and physical health, region, finances, and ability to spend time outside of the home are all very common limits for those who "take RP too seriously/are addicted to RP."

Maybe take five seconds away from your own issues to consider that the person you're shitting on for something so minor as a difference of importance of a hobby might be the full-time caretaker of a special needs child, having to remain home and on a very small income. They might be chronically ill or suffer from agoraphobia. They might live in an area with no hobbies of interest, affordability, or at all...or they might live somewhere that is incredibly dangerous for them.

I honestly do not know where these people have been that they've been aggressed at by serious RPers, but that's usually the excuse. (I'm not saying it has never happened or does not happen, before anyone goes there.) The idea that serious RPers are extreme elitists who are demanding that other muns do what they do, how they do it. That they expect other muns to be online and RPing all the time, that they be "available for entertainment at all times" at the cost of real-life matters. Having the expectation that threads not be dropped constantly or that a writing partner not leave for months with no contact is neither of those things.

In over two decades of RPing across almost every platform type that has existed, I have literally never seen that be either a singular RPer-type problem or one that serious RPers are even more likely to deal in. I've seen the opposite, actually. Which is not a condemnation or a statement that all casual RPers do this, just what my experience has been. And one that actually stands to reason based on the way they view and engage with RP - quick replies, quick entertainment, and very low commitment to threads, muses, or other muns. Of course, it's annoying to them when a more serious RPer is unwilling to do rapid-fire style quick, short threads from an ask with them, but is writing the lengthy replies they already owed instead.

That's probably a factor as well, in here among a plethora of misunderstanding/unawareness of differences - for many serious RPers, it's not easier and more fun to write short, quick threads. So, what a casual RPer is seeing is that they're willing to put all this extraordinary effort into a massive reply to someone else while their easy, fun, quickly done thread is waiting in line.

Misunderstandings and unawareness breed hostility, period. And there is a hell of a lot of those things in the RPC.

What serious RPers are expressing are either boundaries/expectations or frustration. Not a demand that you be around all the time, but an expectation that you leave them alone if you're not also a serious RPer who will be committed to threads and muses. Not hostility and elitism, the frustration that it's already difficult to find muns who will work out before you add in the majority rule of casual RPers.

It's incredibly disheartening, frustrating, and honestly, a bit anxiety-inducing to constantly be the weird one, always have few choices, and to be at risk of being Problematic purely because you take the hobby seriously. You can't vent without someone jumping on your ass to remind you (even if you said numerous times that "real life comes first" and "people can do what they want") that omg, people have lives, people can do what makes them happy, it's just RP.

It's so upsetting when you think you might have found a good writing partner, then, you see a PSA they've reblogged about how it's a "hobby, not a jobby," and "no one owes anyone anything, ever." Excuse me, as that last one is a direct quote, let me redo it so it is verbatim: "no one owes anyone here anything - EVER !!!"

I said I wasn't very tolerant :)

But seriously, exactly what you've expressed is why I'm not...it's another form of controlling others instead of trying your best to control your own experience, and it's often extremely hateful. I'm not tolerant of anything like that, it's no longer supporting preferences at that point. When your preference is the only one that will be tolerated in the community, it's not a preference anymore.

It's something that makes others feel isolated, afraid of harassment, and depressed. It is a hobby and it isn't supposed to make you feel like that!

And, no, absolutely the fuck not lol the "answer" to this isn't that you're taking it too seriously and need to take a break. I'm so tired of seeing that shit tacked onto RPH responses and vents and PSAs. You're not saying that RP is making you feel this way, "just take a break and come back when you agree with everyone else" isn't a solution.

Of course, if you do feel like your time here has become so upsetting? Yeah, obviously, you should try to find some other things to supplement your downtime that make you feel happier again. Engage in some other forms of writing just meant for yourself, or that can be published as fics. Spend some more time on a game you enjoy for a while, or get invested in a new one. Learn to shape bonsai or make no-knead rolls. Whatever would make you happy as a hobby when you're not here.

Other than that, however, well...we're not going to be implying on this blog that you're too serious and need to take a hiatus until you have no emotional investment in your hobby. That's insane. I'd not say it about hiking, martial arts, dog obedience competitions, hobby farming, or painting either.

I wish I could think of some solutions as to where you could look that wasn't like this, but it's definitely the majority of the RPC. It doesn't help that, due to this, serious RPers have a tendency to quietly stick together and not venture out into the RPC. They're just not incredibly easy to find.

I will say that they tend to be:

novella - if you're not here for serious RP and sticking around for a while, you're not going to invest the time and energy into particularly lengthy writing

older RPers - I would say that twenty-five is probably the youngest, with early thirties to late forties being the majority

in fandoms with a large adult base of fans - even if it's a franchise friendly to, or even meant for, younger fans, if it has a particularly active adult fanbase, it's a better chance of finding serious RPers in it

as above, old fandoms - fandoms that have been around for a long time tend to have more serious RPers in them

fandomless OCs - tend to have a higher chance of being written by serious RPers than canons or heavily fandom-involved OCs

RPers who do not do a ton of advertising for their muse(s), but when they do, they don't advertise them based on activism points or trends

slightly more likely to not have an emphasis on highly aesthetic blogs, graphics, icons etc. - they use a modified basic tumblr theme, low on graphics, their aesthetics are not on-trend, for example

anti-content policing/"write what you want" style muns

muns with more extensive rules pages - they plan to be here for a while, they take writing, RP, and their muse(s) seriously, so, it's a bit more important to them to head off problems before they start

those with older characters/FCs - be that literally in age or the character being one that has existed for a long time

"stay in your lane" style muns - if they're opining on fandom or the RPC, they must really be angry about something

those with numerous and detailed headcanons - for example, their response to a HC meme ask like, "what's your muse's favorite ice cream flavor?" is going to be treated seriously, not simply answered with "mint chocolate chip because my bby is gross"

As usual, not a complete or perfect list. I don't fit some of the things on there! It could give you some things to look for when trying to find other serious RPers, though. It's based on observances from someone who was never a casual RPer, even as a minor (me, obviously), and maybe it could at least keep you from continuously running into hostility about your approach to RP.

I've honestly considered making a list of some sort expressly for RPers who are on the more serious end of the spectrum, but...in a RPC back when things were dominated by serious RPers, I did that sort of thing with a RPH I had, and it still got labeled as being a list for and by Elitists. I don't know that anyone would want to put themselves out there for potential harassment on tumblr, you know? It was a joke then, just having a group of RPers label you as an Elitist. Here, you get told to kill yourself, and none of us need more of that shit, right?

Try to hang in there, Anon, I know it's upsetting, and I'm so sorry that something fun has gotten to be like this.

Try to understand that these people are coming from a place of irrational defensiveness, often in response to bullying themselves at some point or feeling bad about themselves. That doesn't make it right, but it does make it easier to not take to heart.

And keep at it! In my experience here, once you find a group of people you fit into, it really is...A Group. Especially among RPers who are ostracized, they stick together, they promote each other, and they're very happy for their mutuals to become your mutuals. Once you find them, it unlocks so many opportunities for the interactions and type of RP you've been missing!

[darkqueenofshadows85]

My Top 5 Unpopular Sonic Opinions

Greetings, mortals! Today, I'll be doing a list of my top five unpopular Sonic opinions.

Please keep in mind, this is MY OPINION! You don't need to agree with it, but please don't complain in the comments section if you disagree with this list.

Anyway, let us begin! ^^

5. Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) Are My Two Favorite Sonic Games

Yes, you read that correctly. I unironically love ShTH and Sonic 06. They are two of the most overhated and underrated games in my opinion. I played both of these games a lot as a kid, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Their storylines are two of my favorites in the entire series, alongside SA2, Unleashed and Black Knight.

Also, both their soundtracks kick ass 😎

4. Black Doom is THE Best Sonic Villain

As I'm sure many of you know, I LOVE Black Doom. He's a great villain with a motive that actually makes sense. In my eyes, he is THE best villain in the entire Sonic franchise, far surpassing the likes of Dr. Eggman and Mephiles (although Mephiles is a great villain too, don't get me wrong)

I made a post explaining why Black Doom is an amazing character:

3. I Prefer Modern Sonic (specifically the 1998-2009 iteration) Over Classic Sonic

Oh boy... The fanbase is going to break me for this one...

I find the Classic Era to be low-key overrated to be honest. Sure, the classic games themselves have charm, but at the time, the lore/continuity hadn't been properly established yet, and it seemed like nobody was on the same page.

Take the old DiC cartoons for example. There wasn't much to work with in terms of continuity at the time, so the writers basically had to make up their own interpretation of the series. And then there's the small minority of Classic Era elitists who overpraise the Genesis games to jawdropping extremes and think that every Sonic game after S3&K is trash (with the exception of Mania).

And don't even get me started on how much SEGA has been milking Classic Sonic in recent years...

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the classic games are bad by any means, they are enjoyable in their own right, but I always found the 3D Sonic games (specifically the Adventure/Dark Era titles) to be more enjoyable in terms of both narrative and gameplay.

2. The Meta Era Is The Worst Thing That Ever Happened To Sonic

I've already made an entire post a while back ago explaining in detail why I hate the Meta Era, so I'll keep it brief.

To me, the Meta Era feels like Sonic in name only. Sonic was originally created as the antithesis of Mario, but after SEGA hit the reboot button in 2010, he essentially became a Mario clone, which goes against EVERYTHING the Sonic franchise stands for. The Sonic games from 1991-2009 all had complex themes/messages, while the Meta Era games only cared about jokes, and really shitty jokes at that. When such stupid lines as "Baldy Nosehair" & "No copyright law in the universe is going to stop me" are considered the height of comedy, you know you're in for a shit show.

Speaking of....

1. Sonic Boom Is The Worst Sonic TV Series Ever Made

I've heard a surprising amount of people say that Sonic Boom is a one of the best animated Sonic shows, and I honestly don't know why.

What do people see in this lame ass show that turned almost all of the characters (ESPECIALLY Knuckles and Shadow) into complete jokes?! I know a lot of people praise the show for its "smart, witty, self aware" humor, but to me, most, if not all, of its attempts at humor usually fall flat on their face.

Maybe it's just because I'm not in the target demographic for this show, but I find the meta humor and the series as a whole to be cringeworthy and annoying more than anything. In my eyes, Sonic is meant to be a serialized, story driven franchise, not an episodic sitcom. The entire Sonic Boom branding is a negative stain on the Sonic franchise that I do not want Sonic to be remembered for. If you happen to like this show, that's fine, more power to you. It's just not my cup of tea, personally.

Thanks for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed this list and I'll see you next time!! ^^