#seeing the opinions on chara change is very interesting

[ask-whitepearl-and-steven]

You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but how has your opinion changed on Steven Universe now than when it first aired? Like I have fond memories of watching the show while it was airing but now I realize that it had a lot of problems that I feel like a lot of fans either flat out ignore or bend over backwards to make sure their rose tinted glasses stay on.

... okay, fair question. Let's talk about this.

I'll try not to wax poetic too long, but there are a lot of things to be said here.

First and foremost - how has my opinion changed since the show has ended?

Simply put - it hasn't.

When I started watching Steven Universe over 7 years ago, I didn't have much knowledge of it. I sat down, saw a few of episodes and went 'well, this is a silly show for kids with a goofy but loveable protagonist... but it seems like it's also incredibly charming with its delivery and has some nice, more complex themes about loss and healing and grief throughout.'

And if you ask me what Steven Universe is now... I would probably say that exact same thing.

Am I wearing rose tinted lenses? Interesting question.

What ARE 'rose tinted lenses' in this context anyway?

What do these lenses represent? What do they obscure?

Since you didn't go into specifics, I can only assume what you're referring to when you say that many fans ignore the show's problems.

There have been many discussions surrounding various aspects of the show and how it might be read as 'problematic' (ahhh how I've come to despise that word.... without context, it has all the descriptive power of the word 'icky' - none of the critical details and all of the emotional punch of scrunching up your face like a cat that just sniffed a lemon...)

Is this about something as simple as the 'SU doesn't have a consistent size for its characters' debate?

Because that has been gone back to, over and over again, and proven to be a point of opinion. SU favored allowing storyboarders to show off their personal flourish, and even though Peridot was 30% hair in that one episode, it did not overall take away from the plotline being told, which was their goal. If you wanted to watch a show with consistent styling throughout, you can always watch a 3D modeled show, but keeping that up was simply never one of SU's main pillars. And I feel like it didn't have to be.

Is this about something more complex such as the way Rose was presented?

...and how her arc was shown backwards instead of forwards - showing first the person she became in the end, and afterwards revealing all the growth she had to have to get there?

That was on purpose! And I don't think this is a problem. It's a feature, not a bug. Rose was never meant to be an ideal character - she was meant to be complicated and messy, and I think the fact that the fandom is so split in their opinions of her shows that the Crewniverse pulled that off really well!

She fucked over Bismuth! She forced Pearl to be silent! Those are both parts of her character arc that were never resolved because she died before she could resolve it - that's BY DESIGN. Sometimes, you just do something absolutely stupid and cruel, and you cannot go back to fix it.

Is this about the Diamonds? The fact that they were not put in space jail, after being put on trial for space crimes, and then publicly executed for space eco-genocide?

Here's the thing - most people I know who watched and loved SU are fully aware of that. But simply put - Steven Universe was not a story about Revenge.

Steven Universe was a story about love. A story about family. A story about truth, and lies, and hurt, and healing. About how sometimes healing doesn't happen. And how sometimes it will, but you won't be around to see it.

But it's not a story that can be all things for all people.

That is the thesis of my reply: It is a story.

It is not a manifesto. It is not a bible. It is not a Complete Truth.

It is a single story. Made by a group of very talented people, who cared about these characters, who did their best. They made a funny, emotional, well-drawn and complex cartoon show about the things THEY personally wanted to tell stories about.

Does it answer all questions the way everyone wants them answered? No. That's impossible.

Everyone wants a different story. Everyone wants a different solution, a different resolution. A different ending.

Steven Universe is one story. It cannot satisfy all people.

So when you ask me 'has your opinion of Steven Universe changed'? The answer is 'no'.

I went in, expecting to see a story. I saw a lot of what I liked! I saw some parts which I thought were interesting. I saw some parts which, yes, I disagreed with a little.

But overall, it's a good story. And that's what I expected, and that's what I got, which means I'm pretty satisfied. I love that story.

I feel like recently, there's this expectation of media, to be Everything For All People. And it's a bit unrealistic. No one call tell the perfect story. We are all simply telling the stories we want to tell. And people will vibe with that, more or less.

A single story, made by a small group of people, will never be that for you. There will never be an Unproblematic Cartoon that you watch that will be devoid of things you disagree with.

Being critical of media doesn't mean 'Criticize the FUCK outta that media, and the one with the least criticisms is the best one'.

Critical thinking is about evaluating things critically - that means being critical of YOURSELF. Being critical of your OWN reactions. Asking 'why did I like this?' and 'why did I dislike this?'. Asking 'this doesn't mesh with me, but who WOULD it mesh with? It isn't for me, but who is it for? Who would it hurt, but also who would it help?'

Some people HATED how SU: Future ended. They beat their fists on the wall and cried about how Steven was leaving his family behind, and how THEY could never imagine doing something like that, and how he was running away from his problems just like Rose had.

Me? I loved it. I think it was the right choice, and I COULD imagine it and thought it was in character. I thought he needed to be his own person, instead of shouldering everyone else's responsibilities for once. Was one of us more right than the other? Maybe not? Maybe that was the whole point?

Loving things is not about putting on rose colored glasses. Sometimes, choosing to love something with flaws is an act of rebellion. It's about knowing you have differences, but understanding that there is value in the things you DO agree on, and knowing you can consume that.

Healthy consumption of media does not mean throwing the whole cartoon away as soon as you notice something is wrong with it, like a bruise on an apple.

Healthy consumption of media involves critical thinking AND feeding yourself. Acknowledging you may disagree with parts of it, but not starving yourself just because your apples all have small imperfections.

Eat, for fuck's sake. Feed yourself. You'll feel better.

Thassit.

[purple-dreams9]

If Thea was Theo, a controversial opinion

I want to preface this post by stating that this is not meant to change anyone's mind or opinion. I am not here to tell you to like a character or to ship a certain ship. You are free to hate Thea, write her off your fics, ignore her existence, and ship Kevin with the milkman if you so desire. This is also not an essay. Instead, think of it as the thought dump of someone munching over it for days.

This all started with a conversation about Thea with a couple people on a Discord server. I've been mostly neutral about Thea, not understanding the overall hate but not knowing much about her either. It led me to read Nora's most recent post about Thea, the replies and the "Why do you not like Thea?" poll, and I've seen plenty of Tweets about her, too.

In general, I noticed one main element when people explain their stance: it is not because Thea is a woman and people want to ship Kevin with male characters. The real reason(s), branched in different directions: the age gap, the lack of building of her character, how little she shows up/how little we know about her/the feeling of her being shoo-ed in out of nowhere as Kevin's love interest, and her attitude (inc. her lack for communication with Kevin after he left the Nest, her comment to Jean in TSC, etc.)

I have been in many fandoms for over a decade, some with more prominent mlm ships, and to be honest, none of those reasons seemed to truly justify the dislike of Thea to the degree she is disliked in the fandom as a whole, especially as the romantic interest of a main character. It seemed to me that most of it is rooted in the desire for Kevin NOT to be straight, but to be gay and be with a guy (or bi, but I see more people using "gay" for Kevin. And some prefer Aro/Ace Kevin, but these fans are a bit more quiet and subdued with their headcanon.) See, even taking Thea out of the equation, there are no popular mlw ships for Kevin with characters from canon, and even in fanon ships the counterparts are mostly (if not all) men.

That got me thinking: "What if Thea was Theo? How would that change how fans interact with this character, even if her personality was the same? What about the relationship with Kevin? Would fans approach the ship differently if he had had Theo as a boyfriend instead of Thea as a girlfriend?"

Of course, it is all hypothetical. For one, a big part of her character is that she is a woman of color (note that I am not black, so I am in no position to talk about how her race plays out with her character) in a predominately male and white team (violent cult) that had to fight her way to the top. It wouldn't quite have the same weight or the same background if she was a male. For two, I am aware it would bring another discourse to the table, that of the "predatory gay men stereotype" (even though there was nothing predatory or "grooming" in their relationship, but that conversation is not for this post.) I am sure plenty of fans would still hate the Kevin/Theo ship, and Theo himself.

Still, I allowed myself to picture it. I read, once, that women used to ship male characters together because female characters were underdeveloped and were not interesting. I wondered if this applies to fandom as well, how certain fandoms prefer to develop and grow male characters.

Things like "lack of canon information about Theo" would not be an issue. Fans are very good at filling in the blanks and building a character from the few spare parts given by the source. This also applies to "there is almost no interaction with Kevin" because let's be honest here, guys, ships are sometimes made from nothing. Rarepairs exist, and even ships like pre-TSC Jerejean can explode in popularity.

With how big of a part Kevin plays in the books and how big his shipping fandom is, if Theo was a thing, I truly believe we would have seen him bloom in fanon spaces. He would have given space and opportunity to grow, change and develop both as a character and in his relationship with Kevin.

The "forbidden relationship" trope and the possibility for angst would have fans foaming, fics working around Theo's past and how he had to fight his way to the top would be written, AUs where he leaves the beliefs of the cult behind and reunites with Kevin would also exist. We would see stories about how his and Kevin's love story played out before and after Kevin left the Nest (at least one primarily focused on the notes they used to pass each other in secret). His mean comments and bitchiness would be ignored, played down, understood, forgiven, or found charming (like Andrew's throughout the series, or even Abby's in TSC.) In a few words, he would be more present and less disliked.

AFTG is a predominately queer fandom, and there is nothing wrong with wanting representation, but I also think it's necessary to use the same scale for female and male characters that are romantically or sexually involved with more popular ones. It's fine not to like Thea, but also to sit and think: would I asses a male character in the same way? How would my view of them change regarding their gender? Just food for thought, I guess.

Again, this is not a call to action of any sort. It is just me, rambling and putting my thoughts down. I can't see different realities so this is basically all fiction. I wanted to take it out of my brain, hear what others think and that's it. Ship what makes you happy. Create what inspires you. Curate your experience. All that being said, Id love to hear your thoughts, but I wont debate anyone's opinion because that's truly, not what Im seeking.

This got longer than I intended so I'll end this here. If you made it, thanks! I hope you have a nice day.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

what do you think killers hygiene habits would be? like, given that he lives with mare constantly in survival mode, not even being able to sleep sometimes, and considering that he tends to, well, ignore some basic needs like food etc. i remember when you said he wouldmake sure all his stuff is organized or something like that, but its more about order than hygiene right? idk if skeletons need to do that at all, it would be more relevant in human ver. so if he was a human/ or he would need to maintain his hygiene as a skeleton, how would he do that (if he actually would)? maybe it would vary depending on his stage? im really interested in your opinion on that, but ofc answer only if u want to :3

I do think a lot of this will depend on the exact conditions Nightmare keeps him in, what exactly is allowed and available to Killer, and what exactly is expected of him. This will vary depending on the Nightmare interpretation, and i have no clue about if this type of thing is touched on in Dreamtale canon.

It’s not really touched on in Killer’s canon either—on the exact environment and conditions Nightmare has him in, other then that it’s a castle, Killer reports to him after every mission, and Killer rarely ever actually is shown in the castle.

Does the castle have things like food, working water, a place to sleep, a shower? Is Killer allowed access to any of these things? Is it a limited thing—does he ever have to do or say something to earn access to basic needs? Is he only allowed to shower at certain times, or does he have to do something that pleased Nightmare to earn it?

Or alternatively, does Nightmare want his subordinates to present themselves a certain way? Does he expect a certain degree of good hygiene?

Primarily, Killer’s hygiene habits will center around what keeps Nightmare happy—which means less inconvenience for him. However, Killer’s past with Chara isn’t easily shaken: especially if you go with the royal etiquette idea.

He’d want to present some form of being put together around Nightmare, both because he has to and out of instinct left over from with Chara. And you’d definitely see him trying to put more effort in if something reminds him of Chara or triggers his conditioning.

It’d be minimal and inconsistent, mostly because Killer himself likely doesn’t feel much drive to do or care for these types of things when in Stage 2, due to his apathy.

If you go with the idea that his goop seeps from cracks or joints and causes stiffness when it dries, he’d habitually make sure to clean the bones of the body to remain functional and not useless and inconvenient.

He’d probably go long periods of time without changing his clothes or shoes (considering his shoes seem to even have holes in them in his canon and are often untied), but he does seem to take care to clean everything whenever he ends up covered in dirt and blood.

I doubt he’d really feel very motivated to earn access to things like a shower or food—but more than that, he’d feel extremely uncomfortable with the idea of admitting in any way that he needs or wants something.

So even if he wants to take a shower or brush his teeth, he won’t do or say anything that makes it obvious that he needs or wants that—he’d either sit in his discomfort until Nightmare allows it, or find a way to make it seem like Nightmare’s idea to allow him access to those things.

He doesn’t feel the urge to take care of this body he’s in, viewing it as not really his, and because he doesn’t feel the urge, he doesn’t do it. Not unless some external factor calls for it, or he notices that having a certain level of a maintained appearance would help him control others’ perceptions of him.

He’d probably do things like adjust his clothing frequently, brush off dirt, wash his hands and face when he takes care of and cleans his weapons—especially if he feels Chara’s disapproval bearing down on him, their eyes as if judging him—but it’d mostly be less a conscious choice and more a drilled in habit.

I doubt hygiene would truly be a priority for Killer unless it’s a priority for Nightmare. And even then he does it out of obligation, because he has to, because it’s expected of him. Not because he cares about himself or his body, and if anything, he probably views the body’s needs as largely inconvenient and a waste of his energy. Like a prison holding him back from his purpose.

As a human, you’d probably see an almost sickly complexion, heavy eye bags. He probably often seems on the edge of just falling asleep, although you’re unlikely to tell if he’s actually fallen asleep or not, due to the whole sleeping with one eye open thing. Which would likely lead to dry, itchy, red rimmed eyes.

His hair is probably often messy in that it gets tangled due to overwork, so he probably keeps it in a bun if it’s long enough until he can attend to it (or is told to), or if the long hair becomes a hindrance, he’d probably chop it shorter with whatever sharp object can do the job. It probably looks lifeless, limp, and thin if he’s not been able to keep a steady upkeep.

He’d probably look like he has a lifeless worn out appearance, his eyes likely look hazy and possibly his pupils dilated. He’s probably missing a few teeth actually, or has some cracked and chipped teeth; not only due to lack of access to care, but due to the constant everyday violence of his work. His nails are probably chipped, and if he hasn’t been able to clean up, there may be grime like dirt, blood, and dust underneath them.

Due to his goop, his clothing is likely to always have a degree of being stained, which is why probably why he’d be more inclined to wearing black shirts and turtlenecks and long sleeves; hides the goop and hides parts of his body, which he doesn’t think is worthy of care or upkeep. His hands and palms are likely to have some scarring as well.

And yeah, this does likely mean a sense of body odor—and torn, wrinkled, or ill fitting clothing, if he’s even able change his clothes at all.

A lot of this may be easily missed, simply because of the way Killer either subconsciously carries himself or because he overcompensates whenever he’s able (like, in the scrubbing skin red and bones raw type of way, either out of a desire for pain or control or just needing to be clean in Stage 2, or a sense of disgust and shame in Stage 1), though.

I do feel that in a more canon adjacent story—where it’s just nightmare and killer, no other bad sanses, no one else to have to maintain and control a certain image for—unless this is something Nightmare specifically harps on, Killer wouldn’t really care about his appearance or his hygiene or his odor beyond what’s expected, allows functionality or serves a purpose, and what Chara used to want from him. Is often too worn out and tired to do much besides sleep—often having to choose between sleep or hygiene before the next mission. Sleep is always more ideal.

In this type of story, i think he’d start caring a lot more about his appearance whenever he starts valuing Color. Because he wants validation, and he wants Color to notice him.

So things like Color expressing concern about his hygiene and health or being happy that Killer’s taking better care of himself, even if not excessively, would read more like Color likes when Killer presents himself a certain way to him, and that’s a way to gain his approval, attention, and validation and leads to a fragile sense of self worth temporarily. I don’t know I just like the idea that killer wants to feel pretty, or that he wants someone like color to see him as pretty.

[jjinx1998]

xxtc-96xx Callout post

To start I want you to know I didn't want things to have to come to this but after recent developments and discussions from others I cannot ignore what's been going on for years now. This is a problem revolving around the user @xxtc-96xx , the comic Endertale, and the Undertale fandom. I will try to explain what I know and offer proof when I can, but there might be some sloppiness as this is my first real post on Tumblr. If there is any technical issues about this post, please let me know so I can fix it.

Let me start from the beginning. I have been a long time fan of xxtc-96xx since about 2016 (I will refer to them as TC to make it easier). I have enjoyed looking at the art they create for many years, mainly the ones revolving around Endertale.

Endertale is a fan comic that TC made of the game Undertale. It's a very decent story with a pleasant art style. I would recommend it but I cannot and I will get to why. You see TC has suffered from something that just about any creator can relate to, burnout. The most recent comic page being posted in 2021 though there was already a hiatus established before that.

While they made it long clear that they needed to go on break for personal reasons, people wanted to ask for when they will continue it. Some of them calm and reasonable and other's were very much not nice. TC answered them honestly at first.

Then it started to devolve into troll responses or just not answering.

Not just on Tumblr but people kept asking on Deviantart as well. In fact people are still asking today in 2024. It has gotten so frequent that TC felt it necessary to change their profile header to this:

And it has stayed that way for so long I lost track of when it started. To be fair, even I found the frequent questions to be overwhelming and they just like every artist who makes stuff for free is entitled to take a break from their work. However this post isn't a complaint about how long it takes to finish a comic, it's about something that started because of the wait.

See, their original reason to take a break was because they were too busy with personal matters for them to commit to an actual comic. But as their history up to today has shown that's no longer a valid excuse. As time went on they started to show an interest in the Pokemon fandom. specifically the pokemon known as Mewtwo. To make a long story short, what started as small doodles grew into a whole bunch of fancomics and animations. To compare, they have drawn nearly four times as many Pokemon drawings compared to Undertale. Now, it is perfectly fair and acceptable to find an interest in a different fandom. And while I personally prefer Undertale over Pokemon I completely supported their decision to focus on other fandoms and enjoyed what they made. I also understood their issues with the fandom at the time, some people were rather aggressive, rude, or demanding the comic to be completed, a comic that's completely free that they make no profit out of. I even recall one point they tried to unsuccessfully drag a different content creator into this issue as if it would somehow work.

However I started to notice they had a warped perception on the fandom. Rather than blame the few people that harassed them online with constant asks, they believed that the entire fandom as a whole is to blame as declared it all toxic. Something they insist on repeating to all their fans and making them believe their opinion as fact.

Now for the record I am very aware of how toxic this fandom was and can be at times. I was around since the beginning and have seen just about every drama that has come. From the fans harassing you for not doing the pacifist route in the first time playing, people arguing if either Frisk or Chara is a really bad person, arguing over Frisk's and Chara's gender, is genocide the right choice, is Toriel the bad guy or Asgore, and a controversy revolving around a certain creator of the au Glitchtale (the last one TC coincidentally emulates their "Delay work for one week for every ask" and finds it amusing). I know this fandom is not the best but I love it all the same, it's as much a part of my life as it is for TC. I know I am not perfect at showing my interest for Undertale, as this image of a private ask shows.

Or this time I made a obviously joke ask and apparently I didn't realize a lot of people don't understand sarcasm.

Or when I tried to ask this sincere and nonaggressive question, one of the few times TC isn't putting up some kind of attitude.

Or this other ask from me.

At the end of the day this is just a comic. No one has any right to demand them to continue it or make death threats, this is completely unacceptable. However, at the same time this doesn't mean the creator should dehumanize the entire fandom or punish the few that are being respectful. They wait and what do they get, people mocking them and bullying them. That's what I realized in the past week when I engaged in the comments of a few posts. TC allow their fans to bully the fandom.

I tried to be as calm and reasonable as I can and yet I get called out as a toxic fan. And in the end did TC scold everyone else, no, they basically told me to shut up. I overestimated the fans intelligence and if they could handle basic logic, read the comments for yourself to see my point. As someone with Asperger and anger issues, it's a god given miracle I am still trying to maintain my composure within this insanity that has been going on for years. I have spoken with several content creators who asked to remain anonymous about this entire fiasco and we have similar conclusions about TC.

TC has been through a lot of painful and hurtful comments over the years that they did not deserve in the slightest. They are entitled to do whatever they want with their comic and works. Saying a fandom is or isn't toxic is unhelpful as you fundamentally miss the mark on how fandom culture works. As a creator, it is not right to hang this hiatus over people's heads and string them along. TC does not respect their Undertale fans in the slightest and mocks those who is still waiting. They indirectly encourage their other fans to bully and dehumanize the rest.

I held back on making a comment about all this for two reasons. One, TC's fandom terrifies me. They are complete smug hypocrites who spend way too much time on the internet that they don't realize that if they use their words in real life they will get punched in the face for it. Two, despite everything I still believe that TC can change. I like to believe the best in everyone and that there is hope that maybe this time TC will realize they have become the very thing they hate. That hope has faded to cinders. I'm done with TC, my only concern is the people remaining to wait for the comic.

To everyone who is waiting for Endertale and/or following TC because you like their Undertale stuff, leave them and never come back. They do not respect you, they look down on you, they laugh watching you wait, you deserve better than them. Even if they do finish the comic eventually it will not be made out of love or passion.

DO NOT harass and bully them because of my words. I will not tolerate any attempt to do so.

My final words are for TC if they even decide to read this:

TC, I know we are not friends, you made that clear long ago but I was hoping we could've been. You were a huge inspiration for me in the past and was what pushed me to attempt learning about art. I looked up to you and tried to support you when you were feeling down. You are no longer that person.

You do not have the right to condemn an entire fandom as toxic and declare it as a fact of life. It's people like you that keep the fandoms so divided to this day. It's because of people like you I am scared for my life if I ever mention Undertale in public. Your fixation on the sins of the past prevents us from moving forward. I do not excuse what happened but the past is in the past, get over it and grow up, you are an adult so act like it.

You say you don't owe us any comic or works, well at the same time if you want to mistreat the fandom I care about then I or anybody don't owe you any respect yet I did for nearly five years.

Why? Because I cared about how this all made you feel. What do you see when you look at me, another obsessed toxic fan who should keep their mouth shut or a PERSON with their own thoughts feelings and beliefs?

One of your problems is that you think nothing ever seems to be your fault, just the fans who keep asking. Well maybe they wouldn't have asked if you didn't leave them hanging for almost five years. To me, it no longer matters if you finish Endertale or not.

Maybe you still think it isn't your fault, then that makes me the idiot for hoping you can be better. You hurt me, really hurt me. I don't think I can ever trust someone like you again.

Do you know what I really want?

Your apology. I want you to make a genuine apology to me and the fandom at your actions over the years. I won't block you because being the idiot I am I hope my words mean something to you and you'll want to chat.

But until you wise up ask yourself this familiar question,

Do you really think you are above consequences?

[mickedy]

And now spoiler-y TS!US thoughts

I actually mostly just want to talk about the character writing for Sans and Papyrus because they are my favorite characters and my heart flutters when fancontent does them right. Ok first of all

Sans is scary :scared:

I feel like Sans is a character that has lost a lot of his edge when it comes to fancontent. What makes Sans intimidating is the fact that you don't see it coming when he's being serious with you; it's meant to catch you off guard. But nowadays everyone and their mom knows about Sans' secret super powerful scary side in the Undertale No-Mercy Run... and it doesn't have that same bite when fancontent tries to portray him as threatening.

TS!Underswap Sans is a very, very well done subversion of that. He comes right out of the gate letting you know that he hunts down bad people, and that he's not afraid to mess you up if you decide to do messed-up things. And you think that he's talking about his superhero persona, and he's putting on an act for you, but then you do a No Mercy run and find out that he is being 100% serious. You knew it was coming and yet it still blindsides you when he actually decides to hunt you down for being a weirdo murderer. It doesn't feel out of character and it doesn't feel unearned; Sans is a hero, and he will do what a hero needs to do. In every sense of the word.

Writing him to be a superhero was a really genius choice. You can have him be his normal lazy slacker self when he's out of costume, and therefore he can fill in Papyrus' role a la Underswap without it feeling OOC, because he's acting. But as I just pointed out--... he's not acting. He is, but he's not. He's an enigma of a guy, and you never know when you're supposed to be taking him seriously, and THAT is the mark of a very good Sans characterization.

Papyrus... we don't actually know that much about, I feel. I really wish I had more to say about him, but I think the fact that I don't makes it work all the more. He takes Sans' role, so it's sort of a given that he's mysterious. He's an inventor, too! What a fun little callback to Undertale Papyrus and all of those little gadgets he made.

His No Mercy characterization is really, really interesting. Despite taking Sans' role, he still comes at you with utmost compassion and understanding-- and it just makes me wonder all the more how everything will play out. I feel like NM final boss Papyrus is so, so often mischaracterized-- people write him as way too willing to fight, way too willing to get vengeance. That's not him! Papyrus is the one person who will stick with you to the end, and always believe that you can be better-- and dropping him into Sans' role with that in mind could be so so SO interesting! I have the utmost faith in Team Switched to do something clever here.

Also, Papyrus' reaction to Sans' death was heartbreaking.

Changing the subject, in this universe-- Frisk and Monster Kid take the role of the first fallen human and Asriel, respectively. I really, really doubt that Frisk has any ties to Chara's soul in this universe in the same way that Frisk and Chara were connected in Undertale. In fact, I have a good feeling that Frisk and MK were reincarnated into Flowey and Temmie, respectively.

Flowey specifically talks in a very neutral, unwavering tone. They don't have any strong opinions on any route you choose to take, and they'll follow and help you out regardless. They're outwardly friendly but also unsubtlely sarcastic and detatched. Kind of what we get from Frisk, using the very minuscule characterization given to us.

Also, I feel like Flowey being genderless in this universe is pretty significant. Haha.

I think that's all I have to say for right now. I didn't mean for Sans to take up half of this post-- in fact, I didn't really like his character until I played the NM route... and then everything clicked. Such good character writing

[skeleton-mischief]

Coffee Serrif

Does it really matter? No, but that doesn't mean that you're safe from his ever watching eyes

*FS!Gold Papyrus has said enough

- Official height is 6'4

- He/They

- Selectively mute

- Would play the Drums

- An artist, he has a box filled with old sketchbooks and still gets more even now. His favorite is using charcoal

- Consumes Whipped Cream

- Feels insecure in his friendships, since he doesn't only struggle socializing, but he isn't sure when someone actually is sincere with their interest

- Good friends with Rus, Stretch, and Cash

- Grows bashful from praise, he can't handle it

- Empathetic, kind, open minded, creative, timid, passive, intuitive, will avoid fights, pessimistic, impatient, reserved, and sensitive

- A cat person, he's a hub for them

- Video game expert genius. Would be excellent if you handed him a new game and controller

- Uses notes to communicate, if he talks he stutters and messes up frequently

- Curses rarely, only a handful of times

- A master sharpshooter who was taught by Wine

- Loves coffee drowned with whipped cream and caramel

- Likes chocolate, loves dark chocolate the most though or caramel chocolate

- Loves eating rye bread

- Once close with someone, he adores physical affection and is clingy

- Doesn't admit his frustration when Wine constantly tries to do everything for him, since he likes to do things on his own sometimes

- Grew to see Razz, Carmine, and Powder as role models overtime

- Knows sign language

- Wears gloves due to his sensitivity

- Stims with his hands

- Doesn't smoke often, but he uses matches when he does

- magic smells like hazelnut, magic tastes like toffee

- A soft romantic

- Prefers handshakes

- likes Hello Kitty, his favorite character is Choco

- Calls Chara "Kitty" because they're small and remind him of a cat (it's fucking cute bro)

- Cries vary in quality often, he cries a lot

- Would call his lover peaches

- He doesn't seem like it, but he's physically pretty agile and strong. He gets irritated when he's belittled

- Sometimes, when frustrated, he'll actively ignore someone or throw something to get them to shut up

- He can't be bothered with doing a lot of things, such as drinking or partying

- He loves any sort of video games and is an excellent gamer. The moment someone shows interest, he'd have to be reassured that he's not talking too much

- He's curious of humans, but he doesn't blindly trust them

- He doesn't judge others and often is a silent observer to figure out his opinion of them

- He has very acute senses, and he'll dodge drama as soon as it's present. He slips away with whoever he's spending time with easily

- When meeting Chara, he had a piece of paper with a smiling face as he was overly friendly as he joked how to greet another human despite his terrifying aura

- Very internet savvy, he's dangerous since he can hack into anything for information

- Like every swapfell variant of Papyri, he loves fast food

- He can be very mischievous, him and Rus are very slick with their pranks

- his hoodie changes what it says based off what he's feeling

- He has a black list which is to identify who is considered an enemy and who he watches. You do not want to be on that

- He visits multiple locations, but when he's in public he usually stalks around the corners without feeling the need to say something

- He's very well educated and can be seen reading up on mechanical engineering, he gave up working on the machine however

- He doesn't remember Gaster, except for faint sensations and memories in his dreams. They're never pleasant

- He doesn't actually like the Queen, but he works for her and knows how to behave in her presence

- He always has a hood or something on his head, he doesn't like it being bare

- His eyelights don't frequently light up unless he is surprised or feeling an intense emotion, such as crying or getting flustered. His magic is much smoother(?) in appearance and yet can feel more intense

Closing Notes: i honestly want to flesh him out more than what I have for him. He's fun and I love his character, this might be updated or something since he's just sooooooo- OURGH

[quidfree]

i love the old married couple portion of your follow up to sober ii (melodrama)! outsider povs just tickle the brain, especially in tsh where the characters are so just disconnected from normal society. out of curiosity, have you thought any more about how students/peers/other people view francis and richard throughout that au?

i love that portion too i think the idea of them as this long established couple (for all intents and purposes, altho they may have deviated from certain aspects of a nuclear family monogamous relationship) is so funny & interesting. like sober ii already does so much legwork from canon and then the followup even further so by the time we hit middle age it’s a free country for what is allowed.

you’re right in that the tsh cast are deep weirdos to anyone normal interacting w them. i think they have naturally changed somewhat by the time we reach them in that portion bc for francis he’s now (gag) middle class and sort of domesticated / for richard he’s like.. in a long term relationship w a man (it’s funny they have reverse things to get used to) & plus yk there’s the whole thing where they’re both deeply troubled individuals with abusive childhood drama and bad relationship history so probably sticking it out together has done some healing / good down the line. so in some ways they’re a little more Normal mentally. but that said they are still weirdo murderers with terrible personalities who would both annoy and enable each other so not that normal.

talking abt how they go from sober ii to where we see them in their 40s is a separate post so in terms of outsider pov specifically i’d say they do kind of stick to themselves (codependent freaks) but like in the neighbourhood / on campus / in montreal classics circles they def have relationships and certain uhh reputations that go with them.

richard’s students are a fairly niche group so i think as a whole they tend to like him- if nothing else he’s genuine in his love of the material and he’s attractive and kind of reserved so he’s probably at his least annoying / cringe / questionable when teaching despite his inner monologue. he probs has bad timekeeping (cf his flop job at hampden) and pretentious grading but generally okay. we know he comes across much more sane and sound to people who don’t know him well (very tartt, we love). and then they don’t know francis at all apart from Maybe as f. abernathy the classics translator guy. so realistically to the students they’re actually quite a cool addition to the student rumour mill. i think over the years there have been random glimpses of them but never anything interesting until the fic incident, or similar ones that make it obvious professor papen has what seems to be a boyfriend. then everyone is ‘literally obsessed’. i don’t know if anyone ever IDs them as witnesses to the hampden murder-suicides on a true crime podcast and then gets excited about their tragic backstory and inspiring romance, but that would be fun.

professional peers see more of them obviously, but they do still keep to themselves a lot. richard’s colleagues’ opinions vary depending on how much interaction they’ve had with him and in what context, bc he definitely has beef with administration and some colleagues whose courses he doesn’t respect. he’s professionally respectable though. francis is a fairly lowkey presence in translation- he got initial buzz from the julian student clout but he only sporadically networks. he definitely has culture friends who gossip amongst themselves about him vanishing from boston so close to the wedding and no one hearing from him until his book got published. alex from NY wants to fuck both of them but finds them annoying as talents and good in small doses as friends. most of that author circle is at least a little jealous of them as a couple, maybe because they flourish when amongst people they can close ranks on.

in terms of other canon charas… some of that feels like its own post too. judy does not particularly get why richard is into francis but she thinks they’re a hot item and she overall likes them and their weird little bohemian* lifestyle (*misrepresented). she thinks they’re a good match. charles would not have very nice things to say. i think he’d think richard ‘fell for it’ with francis. his own complicated relationship with francis would predispose him to think they weren’t a genuine item. if he saw them down the line as an established couple he would probably just find it funny. and camilla… she’s sort of like “good for you crazy kids”. like it’s completely random to her but it tickles her nihilistic brain. later esp if she’s around them in person for some reason she’s just completely on board with it and has a strong fondness for their relationship bc it’s like, this one weird positive thing to have come out of the whole hampden disaster, AND it’s taken a lot of the strain out of richard’s relationship to her even though he never especially lets go of his camilla-shrine. richard’s naturally Very Embarrassed about being in any way datey with francis around her but it tapers off with age/habit despite his best efforts. francis on the other hand perversely enjoys making richard uncomfortable around camilla. guess which one she enables.

[its-shugo-chara-time]

Shugo Chara Jewel Joker Ch. 1 Review

I thought I'd go over my thoughts about the first chapter of the sequel.

So, can we first start off with how gorgeous this chapter cover is? Like I absolutely love how the same art style is still there but it seems more refined and...mature (I don't know how but it just does).

I'll be completely honest that I'm not super thrilled about them adding on another love interest to the sequel. It makes sense, but, not super excited about it. The fact that he already appears to just be a younger version of Ikuto feels a bit lazy on Peach-Pit's end. Sorry if that's offensive but those were just my initial thoughts.

I also really like that it's a sequel directly after the events of Shugo Chara Encore. I think exploring Amu's growth through middle school is such a great concept. The ~ cool and spicy ~ line still makes me smile every time.

It's so good to see Rima, Yaya, and Kairi!! AAAH THEY ARE ALL SO PRECIOUS, especially Rima. I always have adored her.

Also, Kairi and Yaya's dynamic is so cute. I think they balance each other out really well. I know some thought their "pairing", if you can even call it that, in Shugo Chara Encore random, but I think it actually works well. I'd love to see some of the chapters show how Kairi and Yaya are doing taking over the Seiyo Academy Elementary guardians, maybe even see who the new King, Queen, and Joker end up being.

And then there's the adorable prince. I spent so much of middle and high school years going back and forth between him and Ikuto as my favorite. I started off liking Ikuto then went to Tadase then back to Ikuto haha. Now that I am 26 years old, I can acknowledge that the age gap between Amu and Ikuto is definitely valid in people considering it problematic, which I would have adamantly disagreed with at 16. Now that I am a therapist and have seen a lot (to say the least), my opinion has changed. I can't deny the appeal of that relationship in a fictional setting but also can't deny that the age gap is not something that can be overlooked. It would never fly in real life. I'll just leave it at that.

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed when I first read this about her going to a new school. I was like NOOO I WANT TO SEE AMU WITH THE SAME CHARACTERS AND JUST SEE ALL THE RELATIONSHIPS DEVELOP MORE. Alas, though, I also can agree that the new school and new characters can be great for Amu's growth and journey. Plus, I mean, there's got to be an actual plot lol. So there's that.

I also love how Tsukasa is downplaying all of this. Like it'll actually only take a week or two. Or a semester haha. Also weird how he's just shipping them off with little regard for their actual education or wants. Did Amu's parents actually say yes to this? Haha. It's those little things that I think about that I wonder if anyone else does.

First appearance of the new mysterious cat boy. I wonder if they're making him (at least appearance wise) identical to Ikuto because Peach-Pit realized that Ikuto being with Amu is deemed problematic more so now or if it's just another distraction until Amu ends up with Ikuto ..or Tadase? I honestly have no clue what they'll end up doing. I also just wanted to say that if you all do ship Amuto or Amu with Ikuto, there is no judgment from me. I must acknowledge that it is inappropriate but at the same time, I also know the nostalgia and very cute story they have too. Their relationship is very sweet, but the age gap can't be overlooked. But anyway, still not thrilled about this new guy, sorry.

Oh my gosh look how cute they are!!! Amu's uniform suits her so well, I 100% support her wearing that the rest of the series. Tadase also looks super cute too with that coat. He looks more grown up, aw.

I don't know how all these children get to go to these academies that look more beautiful than some cathedrals. Also can't wait to see how this new cute villain guy contributes to this story. I wonder how he'll differ from the other villains like Nikaidou and Kairi's sister (why can't I remember her name?) or the Easter director guy. I think Nikaidou has been my favorite "villain" so far. I think he was the most developed one.

I like the concept of the X not disappearing and having this cultish academy where everyone already has guardian characters. Where did the X egg go though? Did it just disappear? Am I stupid because I seriously don't know why it's not mentioned after this haha like where did it go? And whose was it? Can't wait to see why all the students are desensitized to this haha.

Possible villain number 2. I like her character design. I kind of like how she's more passive aggressive toward Amu instead of how it was with Rima and Utau where it was full on aggression at the beginning. I don't think we've really seen Amu handle that dynamic and I'm curious how their relationship will develop. It's funny how Amu knows there's something off about her immediately. Amu definitely isn't naive like she can read that the girl doesn't have good intentions pretty quickly.

Okay, this conversation that Amu has with Rima is so cute though. Whether I can fully ship Amuto or not, I have to say Rima giving Amu relationship advice (albeit, not good advice haha) is hilarious and we need to see more of this please.

Gosh I love Amu's different faces. And that's she's a scaredy cat.

Can we just remember -

And many, many more amazing Amu reactions from the anime.

I'll close with, I still don't like new boy but I guess I can't say I permanently think that until he actually gets formally introduced. I hope he's distinctly different from Ikuto or else it just feels kind of pointless having him there.

Welp, that's my commentary! Sorry that was EXTREMELY long. It's also almost midnight where I live, like wow I sure can blab about this manga for a long time. Please comment or like if you at least somewhat enjoyed this little review. Or if you didn't like it. I'm open to suggestions haha, or light-hearted, respectful debates. I'm very new to being back on tumblr so if my formatting is horrendous I'm down for some advice. I also will be posting about the second chapter in the upcoming days so be looking out for that too! Excited to be back on here and see what you all think about the sequel :)

[kuvvydraws]

I have had a lovely time reading up on solitale lore! So many interesting things we are learning about the world and the characters in it through Praetorius and Laudaris. As an ask, in relation to those cuddling sessions, as well as his lil thing with scent, how would he react when his sig other (in courting) begins wearing scents he is favourable towards, carefully picked out to also be favourable to how they usually smell? and an ask for Laudaris, what's his current opinion on the character that broke the Barrier? Actually what is their both opinions on them, and the Court's opinion on them?

You're very hardworking because there's indeed a lot of lore, mostly about Praetorius, with some hints at a bigger universe here and there XD good job!

About Praetorius and scent: he would prefer his SO to wear their natural scent, no need to mask it. He understands the social impulse of wanting to smell more appealing or enticing to others, and gets why one would like to change the way they smell or present themselves a little from time to time. He does! But he's also a monster with a sensitive sense of smell, who inhabits a Castle where the rest of the people either stink like chores and servitude or purposefully stink themselves up with copious amounts of perfumes and other scents to become more appealing for the Court lifestyle. Scents can be deceiving and too much of anything would end up clogging his skull, so Praetorius doesn't really like perfumes. Natural scents are much more personal, difficult to mimic, and even intimate.

He does enjoy the smell of certain things, like crisp paper, fresh ink, or cold stone. They're mostly associates with good memories or moments of peace, so he tends to favor them. As many monsters trapped in a cave for centuries, he actively dislikes the smell of petrichor, which many humans favor. Even after Surfacing, he doesn't really get it, but he'd start missing it until he gets used to not being Underground, which would take him a lot longer than he'd like to admit.

★

Regarding the human who broke the Barrier, since it's a swapfell type of AU, we can pinpoint Chara for that role, with Frisk being the first Fallen Child and sibling to late Prince Asriel.

As the story goes, Frisk perishes, Asriel dies with them, and monsters lose HOPE while imprisoned, until Queen Toriel comes up with the plan to harvest human SOULs and gather their power to break the Barrier, consequently causing her separation from Asgore.

I could go on a tangent about how the Barrier broke and what that implied for monsterkind and for the memory of Gaster after how his mistake condemned a whole species to remain trapped, but the truth is I don't have a solution for that just yet, so I'd ramble aimlessly.

The first thought monsters have after finding a human again is to take their SOUL, to start over collecting them all, no matter how much or how long it takes. And then, the Barrier is gone, the child thrives on with their new adopted dad, monsters gain their happy ending and the world broadens impossible.

The Court would be the easiest case. The Queen needed an heir, and who better than their liberator? The Crown acolytes are a sadistic bunch, ready to tear into each other, and for a while the crowd was divided - some wanted to resume the SOUL collecting, some others wanted to give the child a chance and see what would happen. If it hadn't been for Asgore's brief return to the Castle to ensure Chara would have been treated right, their SOUL would be in a container and their body disposed off as fast as a sneeze. As all things evolve, after Surfacing, everyone was suddenly on board with letting the child live on, be cherished and grow up as free as the rest of them, as if they hadn't been ready to dangle them over a pit of snakes as the smallest turn of the wind.

For Praetorius, they're a means towards redemption. He could never let go of the guilt of trapping monsters forever because of his Father's mistake. He didn't directly destroy the SOULs but all his life he felt responsible for it, aware that no matter how hard he worked to improve the Underground, he could never make up for the freedom monsters would never get. He keeps them in mind in a careful way, planning and scheming around them, as to not distort the tentative equilibrium their presence has gifted monsters. He's not very comfortable around them, regardless of how grateful he feels about them falling and not perishing on their way to the Castle.

Laudaris? He just went a little bit insane and rolled with it. His mind was never quite the same after his Father messed up the SOULs. The experiment changed everyone Underground, but Laudaris is particularly sensitive to SOUL, and he might have been over for a quick visit after he caught word in how his dad had been holed up in his lab for weeks. He was a witness to his horrible crime, which is why he was appointed to be the Judge in his trial - not only as a key witness but also as a test of loyalty from the Court. He never had the opportunity to Spare Gaster, he never could have. And again, the SOULs self imploding in the equivalent of existential fireworks did something to him.

From that day on, Laudaris was always a bit out of sorts, a bit unstable and unreliable, a bit too intense, a bit too bleak. He rides his highs as hard as he rides his lows, and all that could be an explanation on why he thinks he was stuck in a resetting loop for ages, until the anomaly new child fell Underground. Not that he's ever going to share his thoughts on that matter. In the end, he just had to keep a careful socket on them, threaten them a little and let them struggle their way up to the Royals to fight their case. Maybe he helped them last time. Or the time after that. Or the one before those two? He doesn't quite remember. Did the child kill anyone? He has a feeling they did, but that last time, the real last time, their SOUL was spotless, and they did break the Barrier... Ah, everything is so confusing, this is why he doesn't bother to keep track of timelines!

[jorisjurgen]

13?

Worst blorbofication:

Chara Undertale because they make fandom actively insufferable. I don't even know where to begin, from the fact that I've received death threats for not liking the popular headcanon that Chara and Asriel were siblings, to acknowledging what Asriel said at the end of the game about them mistreating him and that it was really unlucky that he met them, how he wished he met Frisk instead, even if he still loves Chara despite that. (I've seen people claim that it's "insane" to imply a child could abuse another child, and like... I was NOT beaten violently every single day for eight years by other kids at school and developed CPTSD about it just to hear this opinion.)

Chara, a bitter child who, like many children in real life, acts violently and cruelly due to their life dealing them a bad hand. Who acts that way towards their only friend, who loved them unconditionally in his innocence. And being blinded to it by their hatred for humanity, hatred that is more powerful than desire their desire to live, they squandered it for a revenge plot of killing all humans. Then, them having to see what happened after they died by tagging along with Frisk as a ghost, how wrong they were about killing all of humanity because Frisk is nice, and what their ideas did to Asriel, and changing their mind, but it being far too late to change anything and redeem themself, because they're dead, and Asriel is changed beyond recognition, trapped in a body he hates, is far better storytelling than the popular headcanon, and at the very least, much closer to what happens in-game, with their presence largely being an implication. (And cough cough. Flowey is Asriel. Asriel is Flowey. And he was beaten to death and his body and mind were ruined by the trauma, physical and mental. He's physically disabled by his physical trauma, and he hates being disabled and having PTSD. I am tired of pretending otherwise or that "oogh flowey turns back into asriel and gets a happy ending and he's good, and can walk, and isn't mentally ill and evil anymore!" fanfiction don't annoy me.)

Or, like, that people saying they were "suicidal" when they fell, on accident, into a fucking hole, doesn't make me insane. When it's the first thing the player ever sees.

Unlike Frisk, who is implied to have come on purpose, either to actually end their life or because of something else, in their heart-to-heart with Asriel at the end of the game. Not that anyone cares.

I LOVE CHARA, WITH ALL MY HEART, but GOD I wish people loved them like I do. They're interesting, they're tragic, they fucked up so bad at such a young age, because of their skewed worldview and cruelty, and they will never get to apologize to Asriel or get better beyond whatever development might have happened in the pacifist route. Because they're dead.

And it makes me so sad that other people reduce them like that.

[tio-trile]

OKAY SAME ANON sorry this is the third one,, but im going thru the rest of your asks and im realizing so many things.

I agree, a show SHOULD be able to stand on its own as an individual thing rather than counting on a sequel to continue its story. Now that I'm looking at the show in this lens, it is very lackluster. I still do quite love it, scratches that slice of life itch,, but mystery wise? No. I loved how ominous the "Everyday" song was. I thought it was supposed to foreshadow Armageddon (which it did, kind of) but more so it was for the Beel Gabriel reveal in the end. Aziraphale ran around looking for clues, but the annoying thing for me is he never puts it together? It was just something he does for US, the audience. It would've been good if he acknowledged all those clues in the ending, or realized it faster than us. In the end it seems so fruitless for him to investigate bc it never really did him any good? It was just for the audience to see. Also the Nina--Maggie subplot was cute, but it was also lacking? I like the point of "you cant force us together" bc theyre humans and its not that easy. But as a subplot it was waaay too ignored for it to be any relevant at all to the plot.

The thing about you mentioned abt A/C being supporting charas in the book, I agree. The good thing abt their dynamic is even with little clues and gestures we realize how good they are w/each other. The subtlety is what makes everything MORE interesting. But s2 makes it revolve around the ship, to the point where its all just filler. I dont mind filler,, but as you said, canon-compliant filler would be better. I appreciate that they're the main characters now since more screentime but I'd love it if they weren't ship-focused and still had proper interaction and dynamics with people outside of their circle (which I liked from the book + s1).

Anyways,, I still like it. But I appreciate seeing your takes since it really changed the way I view the show now. I feel more neutral about it now somewhat? I'm not invested in fandoms anymore bc of irl stuff so I don't think I would've spotted these things like you did so I really, really appreciate all your insights. Thank you. There's a lot of things to fix if s3 ever gets announced.

I think Neil mentioned that Terry brought up the "Everyday" song as a song about the Apocalypse (the book or S1), which could have been so good and ominous......instead it got used on this random Beelz x Gabe romance that came out of nowhere 😂😂 I thought the Nina x Maggie romance had potential in the beginning, but also completely fell flat/didn't go anywhere towards the end. Again, my takes are NOT trying to convince people who liked the show that they should change their opinions and NOT like the show anymore -- I'm just trying to explain why I personally didn't like it. Feel free to enjoy it as much as you can! Unfortunately I had way too much insights about it for it to be enjoyable for me 😂😂

[dykexenomorph]

Tell me your Jaheira thoughts for that meme. :D

THANK U, i love that old woman!!!!!

FIRST IMPRESSION: ive replayed the game so many times now (or at least replayed acts 1 and 2) that its hard for me to fully remember my first impressions of a lot of the charas?? im PRETTY sure that i discovered jaheria through tiktok edits before id seen her in game (i didnt know much about the og games before playing bg3) and loved her from the start? i remember being super excited to finally find her in game, she became an IMMEDIATE staple for my party LOL

IMPRESSION NOW: i STILL love her, for a very long time she was my favorite companion in bg3 AND in the og games (though now that ive played more of 1 and 2 my favorite is probably dynaheir or neera). her scenes w durge are some of my favorites in the whole game :3

FAVORITE MOMENT: maybe an odd pick, but i really enjoy the scene in bg3 where she fights with you (and the emperor) over whether or not minsc should be saved and welcomed into the party. her extreme loyalty to him is really endearing, and i feel like this scene does a really good job of showing it. (im also really enjoying her dialogue in bg2 so far. seeing how her character changes after khalid's death has been super interesting)

IDEA FOR A STORY: IM SORRY BUT IM THE LAMEST PERSON ON EARTH AND HAVE NONE. i feel im better at coming up w specific things to draw as opposed to stories to tell </3

UNPOP OPINION: [loud enough to render several citys into naught but ash] SHE IS NOT!!!!!!!!!!!! A DEADBEAT MOTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FAVORITE RELATIONSHIP: mann obviously i have to say her and minsc... (also her and imoen in bg2? i havent gotten to see a TON of their interactions on account of me taking my sweet ass time rescuing imoen from the mages or whatever, but the stuff ive seen so far has been interesting)

FAVORITE HEADCANON: i like to imagine that her and minthara share a weird sort of bond over being two of the oldest camp members. they hold INCREDIBLY different ideals, but i feel like they table that for the time being to hang out and have old women shit-talking sessions whenever everyone settles down at camp

CHARACTER ASK GAME

[cawcawbak]

I love it when people say that Ganondorf can't be complex and they're happy to swallow the one-dimensional totk version of Ganondorf who is evil for the sake of being evil, just like when they mindlessly go eat at McDonald's without thinking about what they're eating (I love going to McDonald's btw but I know it's shit).

WW Ganondorf is proof that Nintendo is capable of making the character interesting without excusing his actions or making him a good guy. In just five sentences, he has made a big impact on us and changed our perception of the character. And his wish was actually to rule over Hyrule and "expose this land to the ray of the sun" rather than EteRnAL DarKNeSs like a fucking edgelord (I will NEVER take seriously a villain who wants darkneeeeessss™ unless some exception)

The most interesting debates I've read are on Tumblr. On other social media, either people constantly thirst after Ganondorf's appearance (which I understand lol), or they mock those who try to initiate a discussion and express a critical opinion about the game and the character.

As a fan of Ganondorf, I am disappointed with how he was treated in the game. No one in Hyrule knows him except for a few, and everyone doesn't care that their world is on the verge of being destroyed by the demon king. He is mostly present and imposing during the cutscenes, but in the present, we only see him two or three times as a mummy before the final battle (although the mummy version is pretty cool). He is more bland than OOT Ganondorf, and I find it incredible that in 2023 they were capable of doing something lazier than a grotesque 90s caricature (I love OOT but his chara design makes me feel uneasy)

Was it really that difficult for Nintendo to take inspiration from Wind Waker Ganondorf? And don't give me the excuse of "yes, but in WW he had time to reflect on his actions because he was defeated and sealed by Link and Zelda" because here it's a different Ganondorf and he could have very well reflected in his hole while we were torturing koroks wondering around Hyrule.

His relationship with the Gerudos is completely off. There is no justification for his people turning against him when they were loyal to him before he obtained the secret stone (please don't give me the argument of "but because he became the demon king" it's dumb). I hope that'd be explored further in a potential DLC

At least the final battle is sooooo great! But I think he's too hot and not scary enough because of that but anyway.

WELL, that was just my rant. I still LOVE Ganondorf, I love every Ganondorf. But seeing people belittle those who try to talk about how they feel about the game and pull arguments like "But Ganondorf is 100% evil" or "Those who think Ganondorf is redeemable are the ones he's gonna manipulate lololol im so MuCh smArtEr thAN ya" just piss me off (I really can't stand the last ""argument"" it's just proof that those who said that don't understand anything to the debate)

[zshipperandartizt]

Hey Zshipper, mind answering some headcannon questions of mine?

Note: I'm not trying to bash your interpretations of the fallen children nor the interpretations themselves at all.

1. A lot of people see the Patience soul as a shy girl. Why?

2. Some people see the Patience soul as a grumpy and mean/gremlin girl. Why?

3. Some people see the Patience soul as a boy. Why?

4. Some people see the Bravery soul as a girl. Why?

5. Some people see the Integrity soul as a grumpy and mean/very uptight girl. Why?

6. Some people see the Integrity soul as a boy. Why?

7. Some people see the Perseverance soul as a grumpy and mean/very serious/very stoic person. Why?

8. Most people see the Kindness soul as a boy. Why?

9. Some people see Chara as a very grumpy and mean kid, especially towards the fallen children. Why? (Now I know Chara hated humans, but after the Pacifist Route, I personally think that her extreme misanthropy would be dumbed down a lot thanks to Frisk showing her that not all humans are bad. But she would still be a bit wary of humans, though. Also, yes, I personally see Chara as female and Frisk as male.)

10. Some people like to make the 6 fallen children have closed eyes just like Frisk. Why?

I'll try to answer these as best I can! I apologize if I don't answer them correctly though as I have just woke up from a nap lol.

Just a warning, this is all my opinion! These aren't facts and my opinion isn't always right of course so please don't take anything the wrong way! This is just how I view things and if I say anything wrong please feel free to educate me so I can get more things correct!

1. Hmm idk why most see Patience as a shy girl, I guess it's just up to interpretation. I've seen lots of designs where Patience is loud and proud too! I guess it's just preference lol. In my defense when I came into the undertale fandom Patience being quiet and shy was the headcanon t

2. I don't really understand how they'd see her as a grumpy/mean girl when she's supposed to have patience, meaning she doesn't necessarily get like upset as quickly as the other kids would (at least that's how I see it) but eh, again that's their interpretations of her.

3. I mean, it isn't really specified what genders all the soul children are, so ofc people will make up their own headcanons! Patience being a boy is an uncommon one but it's also interesting! I've seen people interpret Bravery as a girl multiple times myself so if anything they're just as acceptable interpretations as the others!

4. Ah I was just talking about this in #3! I don't really know why some people would see Bravery as a girl, maybe to have some diversity because it's obvious girls can box as well! Plus like I said before none of the soul children's genders nor designs were specified in the game which leaves people to make up whatever they want without any restrictions!

5. I guess people see her like that because she was "genocidal" in Undertale Yellow, and because the definition of Integrity is "the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change". It gives the idea that she's stubborn of which I completely agree with, although I don't think she'd be mean. Like I said in my other posts I just can't really see her being mean and such, I can fully see her acting like the other soul kids and just generally being a kid who had fallen in the wrong place at the wrong time which resulted in her death.

6. Like I said before, it's all up to interpretation and diversity! Boys can do ballet as well most definitely, like I said in #3 and #4 none of them have confirmed designs! Sure their items can be found around the underground but that's pretty much it! There's no specification about gender, design, etc. If people interpret them as different from you then that's their view and it's canon to them!

7. I am one of these people so I'll share my view, while I don't see Perseverance as a "mean" person I do view them as stoic and very serious because I think that they are pretty smart! They like having knowledge of things and priortizing info over having relationships with others made them emotionally distant, at least that's how I see it!

8. Hmm I feel like they'd see Kindness as a boy because it would break the stereotype of "oh most guys aren't kind". Like I said before it's up to interpretation!

9. Yeah the fandom stereotype of Chara being mean really irritated me before, yes they hated humans but they were a kind child that just wanted to protect their family of monsters. They only acted like that in the genocide route because the Player didn't want to finish the route so they did it for them. I don't think they'd be mean to the soul kids because they weren't mean to Frisk, often guiding them and translating for them aso I think they'd do the same for the other soul kids but because that stereotype of them was around for so long people just interpet them as a blood thirsty demon that wants to see everyone suffer and die which isn't the case at all!

10. Well since their designs are ambiguous none of them have canon eye colors, either that or they just think it fits with their design! (like how I did with Integrity in my design)

Again this is all my opinion, I'd love to hear other opinions in the comments! Also please keep sending asks, I love answering questions! Ty all for listening to my ramblings

[p-receh]

If you're still doing the character thing

2, 24, and 25 for sonic or amy :D

Hai Maiprim! I still am btw! I decided I won't putting it down very soon. I think this will be a fun task since I like answering ask box. I may be late but I'll always try to not left any questions behind. 😁

Wait, Sonic or Amy? How about both? 😅

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

- Sonic

The misinformation about hedgehog's fear of swimming. We previously witness accidental mistake made by the technology issues, this one however was purely man power's mistake. Despite the differences, this mistake is also become a unique trait to establish the character's value from the very first game. We don't need to know what his weaknesses are by reading his profile or interviews, we could already experienced it in practice. That is why the aquatic levels are both challenging and "frustrating" to some players (including me 🙃).

Full article. I can't stop laughing when sir Iwata asked about this in the Iwata Asks series lemao.

The other canon continuity I respect about Sonic Team is the core conflict about Nature vs Industry that is still showcased in the current game. Sure, this series--to this day-- is objectively "diverse", with a wide range of media, gameplay, music, graphics, and story. But this premise has not changed throughout three goddamn decades. It is surprisingly amazing to be fair how many times this series went down, they still managed to raise and gain success.

- Amy

I love that they have some background story behind her Piko-Piko Hammer. In Tails Adventure from Game Gear, there's an item called Pikkon Hammer.

Even it's not officially confirmed that's the exact same hammer she uses but it was really clear that's basically the concept of Piko-Piko Hammer before finalized it in the creation of Amy Rose.

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

- Sonic

Ah, there's one that I felt really intact to my brain! Him and Mario in my opinion were reminded me of Percy and Jason from the Heroes of Olympus series. My 16 youth self constantly screams: 'This is totally Mario & Sonic holy shit!'. Their bonding was really cool and hilarious, that's also why the third book is my favorite of the series X'D.

- Amy

To be honest, Amy has many fandoms that remind me of her. She's a kinda mix of Sakura from Naruto, Heart from Sugo Chara, and ichigo Momomiya from Tokyo Mew-Mew, Sonoko from Conan... there's more but that's all I can think of honestly.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

- Sonic

Again I talked much the first time I met him here. One of his most fascinating aspects is obviously his design. Before I know Sonic, the antrophormo.... Bleugh how do people nowadays say it? Ah, "Fury" style design that I have usually known about animal humanoid characters for years. Whether a simple cartoon or a heavier one like Beastar or Tom & Jerry. Or mixed up like half animal, half human(like the famous Centaur for example).

Until Sonic came in.

Concept art by Naoto Oshima and Yasashi Yamaguchi

In the first place, I can see he was inspired by Mickey Mouse or 70's cartoons based on his concept art. Yet, his final product is full of originality that almost has no resemblance to Mickey. The modern era also portrays his personality further. He is still imo one of the best designs, ever. His looks already steal the show from the very beginning before getting to know what his perks and traits are. I was interested in his looks without knowing what his abilities were. To be honest, I didn't know the meaning of the word "Sonic", heck I didn't know he was a hedgehog at that time. (I swear when I looked the CD package of Mario and Sonic, I legit staring at his design for hours. Only to analyze what the heck was he supposed to be. Yes, my 12 year old brain was not braining)

Earlier I learned about him, to me he is such a happy and quirky dude with a style. Moving so free like the wind itself without any regrets. That's how I see him the moment he entered the field in the first cutscene of 06.

(Talk about an entrance! 👀. Que to 02:25 , "Event: Sonic Appears" is one my fav Sonic introduction scene is series. Hear that glorious rearrangge ver of His World beibeh! 😎)

But the one that made me falls into this giant pit hole of this series was when I watch Colors after 06 and this scene happened.

Even though it short as heck, but the way he suddenly turn into serious was caught me off guard. I literally opened my eyes wiiide as egg benedict. Sonic Team sure ain't lying about Sonic in serious mode!

(original article, fan translation)

It's always such a rare moment but when he does, he's ridiculously scary! He looks like a different person! And I'm so glad this rare trait still respectfully presented in other media till today.

(Yeah I know 06 got tons of that but that kissing scene destroyed my youth brain that I forgot most of them afterwards lol)

My opinion of him tbh hasn't changed that much. As much as Sega has made some of the dumbest decisions ever, at the end of the day, I can't hate him. All of his VAs are great to each of their own with no exception (I'm not joking. Even I like my own country's ver of Sonic), His one-liner quotes are motivating and inspiring to me. His games really encapsulate fast action sequences and pioneers with the term "speedrun". His music resonates with me to this day. He truly is just a guy who seeks adventure above everything. And he is one of IP platformers outside Nintendo that's still strong as now. Which is really amazing to observe.

Yes, I get it, He can never beat Mario with all his glory. But hey, like it or not, he's the only contender left to match his style. Even if it takes time, I can hope the path that the Sonic Team chooses now... slowly but surely Sonic will be at least on par with Mario in terms of quality (and popularity in Japan).

(Straight to the point. 😎👌)

Even his very first page of his jp manual book from the first game says this:

Rough translation :

"Sorry for being cheeky.

Fusy people are the worst.

I don't do it for justice, I just do what I like to do.

But nevertheless I won't betray you."

- Amy

I always loved an energetic and optimistic trope girl so it's no surprise that Amy filled the checklists. Her main color code happens to be pink aaaaaaand she has short hair(quills in this case)! XD. She's instantly become my fav in the selection phase from the moment I laid eyes on her. She is probably one of the few characters to actually wield a weapon in the series. A female character using a giant item to fight is never old and she's no exception.

What I like the most about her is that she's essentially the mother of a group. Never give up hope when everything is ruined. As much as she is loyal to Sonic, even she bravely steps in against Sonic for what it's right to her.

In my opinion, her perks of protective over Sonic from strangers somehow led her to actually be the one who reassures and helps them in need. And she always did with most of Sonic rivals: Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Chaotix, you name it.

She's that simple! But why the fuck is she still being misinterpreted by fandom? Allahuakbar uuuuuuurrrggghhh I can't...

To be fair, both of them are the highest debated topics in the fandom. Every account can say their opinions and can stir other opinions in a flick of a switch. It's rapidly quick and miss. They constantly change and twist the debate per second, then magically forget for a week until they argue the very fucking same topic. This cycle tremendously repeats every month, every year! It just never ends!

It had gotten seriously worse since the pandemic and I. had. enough. This is why I never admit myself as a sonic fan specifically on the internet. I think I already explained enough before, so I don't want to add anything else.

I honestly love Amy US and JP voice. But as non both speakers, Sega must have created a middle decision to solve the confusion for Japanese and overseas players, especially in the west. Cuz hands up, their cultures are pretty in contrast with how distinct the scripts and the voice lines are. My only suggestion is the Sonic Team makes two different angles of a cutscene to match both tones. This strategy surprisingly has already been used by RGG, another dev team under Sega, since Like a Dragon 7.

I don't expect them to do another cgi attempt, nononononono. 06 and Unleashed are enough. But does it mean the Sonic team must do double animated scenes for US and JP scripts? From how the scripts were written in Frontiers, I .... guess so?

I mean, what else is left then? :/

[clioseeker]

Hazbin Hotel : an Honest Review

Hello everyone ! This took me waaaay longer than expected lmao

Yup I'm coming after everyone, I probably missed the Hype Train, but heh it's not a problem. If you're interested, here's my detailled opinion on the Season One of Hazbin Hotel ! Let's get started.

Before I just want to say that everything I'll say below is just MY opinion, it has the value you give to it. If what I say does pique your interest, I would be happy to discuss it with you !

1 - Qualities

➤ Concepts of the show

The beginning is very promising, to say the least. The idea of a DEMON, the PRINCESS OF HELL, caring about her people's fate is original. I like the idea that Charlie inherited more of her father's angelic side that the demonic one. Like a stain on the painting, you see ? In theory, Charlie has nothing to do in hell, and I thought after watching the pilot that it would be interesting to see her everyday life, how she's living to be in hell and how she can keep a nearly endless hope. There is also the question of redemption, is really everyone worthy of a second chance ? As an Undertale fan, Charlie's ideal of "you can save everyone" is quite appealing. I was sure at that time that Charlie would encounter big difficulties, make enemies and that she would struggle a lot to fulfill her dream.

Some ideas for Sinners are well-thought. I love that their appearance will change depending on their cause of death, their personality or their past. Each Sinner is unique in their own way, it also offers an absolute freedom for creators of the community. Creating you own OC is easier, you just have to listen to your imagination. Also, the idea of Sinners being sterile is coherent, because Hell is already populated and they're dead, we don't need demon children.

➤ Character's designs

My my, it's probably one of the things I love the most ! Most of them are quite creative and lovely. For some, there is a real difference between the pilot design and the official serie's. I share a thought for Husk who was a HELL to animate. To illustrate my opinion, let's comment some of the chara designs :

Let's start with the most controversial character, Valentino ! I LOVE his design, without lying it's one of my favorites. His dominant color is red, which can be refering to passion and love. The hearts on his wings and on his collar fur are also a clever reference to his powers and charisma. His jewelry is a nice little detail, because gold is precious and expensive, it shows his wealth without being too razzle-dazzle. And I don't know who in Vivizie's team had the idea to make his wings his coat, but he/she deserves an award.

My photo editing skills are amazing, indeed.

Also, I really like Zestial's design. He's an hybrid between a spider and a scarrecrow. The fear of spiders is common among people, and the web pattern on his cloak shows his patience. Zestial probably survived though centuries thanks to his intelligence. During the Overlord's meeting, he acted calmly and stayed collected. Being provocative isn't useful to his eyes, he prefers to think and trap his preys in the web. His dangerosity is also reflected by his green and dark color scheme. Green is a symbol of bad luck in some cultures, and the threats are often hidden in the dark. Finally there's his 'scarrecrow' side, another symbol of fear but also of disguise, maybe a proof of Zestial's deceit.

➤ The writing

By writing I'm mostly talking about character's writing. However, this point is mid, because it also contains several problems of the show, I'll say more below. On the bright side, most of the character's are well written and serves their goal well.

What's a "Character Goal" ?

It's the idea behind the character. A character is created for a reason, and most of Vivzie's fulfill it. They have different 'roles' for the story, as little gears of the world's machine. I'll develop that point in future posts, one character at time, but the most popular example is Alastor. He is loved by the fans and has all of a morally grey villain. He's selfish, brutal, violent, but was shown to feel genuine connection with other characters. Rosie, Niffty, Mimzy, Charlie, we can go deep into his relationship with them. It's clear that we can't ignore him, whatever we hate or love him we can't stay indifferent. The show also focuses on dynamics between characters, we know the nature through little details or focused episodes. For example, we can often see Keekee in the background cuddling Charlie, being annoyed by Niffty or showing affection to Sir Pentious. It is really tiny details, but it adds life to the hotel and a watchful eye can catch glimpses of lore and learn more about the main cast outside of the story. Viv is thinking about her lore and sometimes her little winks work very well, it's always very satisfying when we catch something in the background.

Most of relationships between characters have a really strong base as an hidden depth. We see how much Zestial secretly cares for Camilla, how much Angel is/was afraid of Valentino, how much the Vees are a band of chaotic gremlins. It's something that is very clear, plus character's dynamics never stay simple. Husker hates Alastor as much as he fears him, Alastor has pity for him as much as seeing him as a tool. It's never one-dimensional, there is several layers.

➤ Voice actors

Despite coming from Broadway for most of them, voice actors suit very well their character. Like many people I was disappointed that actors from the pilot weren't returning, but this new cast definitely do the job. They're talented and we feel all the passion they put into their roles. None of the characters sound false or artificial, I believed to their existence. In the Masquerade episode, I didn't hear Blake Roman recite his lines, I heard Angel Dust crying about his miserable life instead. I didn't hear Blake play his role, I heard the fear of an abused character. I felt that fear deep in my heart.

Erika demonstrated all Charlie's joyful nature and energy, Keith showed the face of an old man who lost all hope in his own redemption, Stephanie all the wrath of a fallen angel who just desires to protect the people she loves. Thanks to their work, Hazbin Hotel would have feel lifeless.

➤ Songs

They're pretty good in fact ! It was quite easy to sing along with the characters, plus most of the songs are stuck in my head since weeks. I'm often mumbling them when I'm bored. I find Respectless and Hell is forever quite catchy, while Poison is really lore relevant and go in depth in Angel Dust's character and his relationship with Val. Here's my personal ranking of all songs :

1- Poison (how original I am)

2- Out For Love

3- Loser Baby

4- Respectless

5- Hell is forever

6- Hell's greatest dad

7- More than anything

8- Stayed Gone

9- Ready for this

10- Whatever it takes

11- Welcome to Heaven

12- More than anything (reprise)

13- You didn't know

14- Finale

15- Happy Day in Hell

16- It starts with sorry

They weren't 'bad songs', there are really cool ones to mid, I listened to some numerous times and others just once or two times.

➤ The animation

Quick note, I don't have knowledge about the animating process. I'm a writer and barely an artist, I can't judge Spindelhorse's or Viv's skills. I just have my fan opinion.

The animation is really great, I didn't see any flaws (they have to be big as a house for me to notice it but whatever), moments with actions are smooth and pleasant to watch. My retina didn't burn, so I guess it's a quality.

2 - Flaws

➤ The humor

Unfortunately, the humor is unbalanced. I giggled most of the time, but I didn't have a real laugh. Sometimes, the 'adult jokes' seemed forced, artificial. The pilot was more efficient in humor. However, most of them were okay and brought a smile, it's always good to light up a bad day. Niffty clearly carried the humor tho, her savage energy was really funny to watch. Rip her face, she hugged the floor too many times.

➤ The pacing...

If the humor is totally subjective, the pacing is a real issue. The show goes way to quickly, the main plot is crushed in 8 episodes of approximately 30 minutes. 4 hours for a whole season, it's so short ! The consequences are massive, the story feels rushed and we have no time to breathe. Like, Lucifer and his problems with Charlie are introduced in one episode, then resolved in the SAME EPISODE with the song "More than Anything". It felt like the song was a replacement of dialogues and scenes INCREDIBLY important, and it's a severe problem that has the show. The story is so rushed that we never have the time to appreciate the conflict. I saw some people on Internet complaining about the non-existence of Charlie's 'daddy issues', and I mostly agree. The difference is that Charlie has problems with her dad, she's written this way, but we NEVER have the opportunity to see Lucifer act like a bad father. We only had one flashback where Lucifer was shown focused on his creations, Charlie said explicitely that she was 'impressed' by him, 'felt so small', but we don't have any proof that Lucifer was neglectful towards Charlie. In the pilot, it's implied that Lucifer showed disappointment in his daughter's project in the past, and it's never mentionned in the series. Charlie called Lilith, who is never responding, to share her thoughts. Her mother who disappeared for SEVEN YEARS was a better confident for Charlie than Lucifer was. And it's NEVER MENTIONNED. Their relationship is fixed too quickly, and it feels worse than a LeaderPrice-Disney scenario. it's such a waste because the ideas are really good and creative, but executed poorly.

➤ Ways the subject/themes are handled

It's an indirect consequence of the horrible pacing but it's true that some subjects are badly handled. The serie goes so fast that it creates great confusion. I've talked before of the 'daddy issues' of Charlie, so let's take the example of Anthony's abusive relationship with his boss Val.

The Poison song was great showing the complexity of their relationship and how it's difficult for Anthony to free himself from Val's claws (and I'm not talking about their contract) but for me it wasn't enough. It's like we just dig into the surface. I looked at the clip very closely, we have only a few frames when we see Angel taking pleasure with Val. The episode 4 should have been longer to show the 'good days' of their relationship. Don't get me wrong, Valentino is a total garbage and deserves to be in Hell more than anyone else, but a relationship is never totally black or white. I'm deeply persuaded that it existed by the past good moments between the two, and the show lacked showing it. By showing the beginning of their relationship, when it's all pink and marvelous, Valentino would less appear as the Devil himself and more of a really really twisted being. A flashback would be efficient !

The result is like a 'Disney scenario' : a bad guy very bad, the good guys very good and an issue resolution almost unreal.

Thanks goodness Angel Dust is quite well written or it'll be a massacre.

➤ Wobby worldbuilding

The worldbuilding feels uneven and unfinished. I really loved the Vee's building (especially Vox's office), it shows their personality and their specialty in Hell. Same for the Hotel, it was balanced between the decay state of the building and the life brought by the colors, the lights and the residents. BUT THE CITY-, it's appears empty at some places, weird at others.

For the lore, many of our questions are left unanswered while they're essential for the credibility of the show. What are the different quarters ? They are controlled by who ? What are the missions and responsabilities of the Overlords ? Why Sinners can't leave the Pride ring ? Who rules the first ring while Lucifer was absent, it is the Overlords ?

I would rather a slower season (with less action) who introduce the public to the codes of their universe than the rollercoaster we had.

3 - Quick summary

✔ Viv's ideas are good

✔ Character's designs are very good

✔ Characters are well written

✔ Voice actors are amazing

✔ Most songs are definitely enjoyable

✔ Animation is great

✔ It's very promising for next seasons

✘ The humor : "all or nothing"

✘ Awful pacing

✘ Lack of maturity, disturbing vibe of a "Disney story"

✘ Issues with worldbuilding

To summarize in a few sentences, Hazbin Hotel is a fantastic mess. It's far to be the TV show of the year but you can enjoy it quite easily. The first watching is fun, but I can't say it was worth the wait. 4 years for 8 episodes, a mashed lore, it's disappointing. I don't regret watching it tho, and I'll do it again with pleasure. Hazbin Hotel is overrated, and it doesn't make it a bad TV show. To be fair, I find Viv's pathway in the industry quite incredible and I wish her the best. The show has BIG FLAWS that need to be worked on. We'll see where the serie will be going in the future.

Thanks for reading !