#technically i haven't even watched it yet so this may not be accurate but

[sssapplebottomjeans]

vomit posting varian as powder/jinx rapunzel and quirin both fulfill the role of a vi figure (rapunzel as the one that "abandons" powder/varian, and quirin as the one varian looks up to and desperately wants to please) but quirin is also the vander character (the kind of glue to his part of the world, without him it all falls apart) andrew as silco juniper as sevika frederic as kind of a greyson character? almost? (reasoning being the peace deal between her and vander vs frederic's "keep it hush hush about the rocks" deal with quirin) and arianna as caitlyn? no equivilent of caitvi here unless you wanna make cassandra caitlyn yong is isha hugo.. exists something something the rocks are probably the equivilent of hextech as in they cause nothing but problems

[thesunmakesmetired]

I still haven't finished tcw (im watching it with my brother and he is slow af so we obly just finished the zygerria arc) so this may not be fully accurate but here is why, in my opinion, artoo is the most likely to succeed.

° Anakin is an obvious no. Palpatine has been manipulating him since he was 9. It was never specified that he would trust what I tell him, so he would most likely think I'm just trying to tear apart the Republic from the inside. Palpatine is his "friend" and even if he hasn't been manipulated through the visions of Padme's death, he would still chose him over some random person's words.

° I don't know Satine much but I do know she is a pacifist and hates violence. This might not be the same in arcs I haven't watched yet but since it's at the beginning of tcw, I'll simply assume so.

° With Ahsoka, if this is at the beginning of the clone wars, then she isn't as skilled as she got during her time as Anakin's padawan. She's inexperienced and, as much as I don't doubt her abilities, I feel like it would be a lot safer to pick someone else.

° Rex and Fox could be good options but with the whole brain-chip stuff I keep seeing, I feel like it might not be the safest plan, no matter how skilled they may be.

° Padme wouldn't be a good option because, no matter how great she can be, the senate is too corrupt for it to be solved through politics. I honestly doubt that it would go well if a single senator tried to convince the rest of the senate that the chancellor is bad, without being able to explain why. I don't doubt her abilities, but I also strongly believe that over half of the senate has been either manipulated or bought on Palpatine's side. I mean, they were all clapping when Palpatine turned the Republic into an empire... Plus, part of me even believes that if padme could tell them, they would either not care or think she's a liar.

° Yoda and Mace Windu (who wasn't on the list but a lot of ppl mentioned him in the comments) might be good jedi but personally I have don't see their success rate being that high. Both of them were unsuccessful when confronting palpatine in rots, but also because I think it would be a scenario Palpatine would be prepared for. Jedi, especially high ranking ones like Yoda and Windu, will 100% be considered a risk in Palpatine's plans and he probably prepared for this scenario.

° Obi-Wan is a bit like Windu and Yoda, but I can't help but think Palpatine might not expect Obi-Wan as much as he expected Mace and Yoda.

.

● I think Artoo has the highest success rate of all the star wars cast. He has an easier access to Palpatine through Anakin and Palpatine's "friendship" and as much as everyone might have some access too, Artoo feels the less obvious and the least threatening on a surface level. Plus, who would suspect that both 1: This Astromech droid is basically sentient and 2: he knows one of the galaxy's biggest secrets. Technically, Astromech's data are supposed to be wiped to avoid Republic info to leak into separatist hands. Not only has R2's memory never really been wiped, but this knowledge is what makes him so alive.

Artoo would also be the best at ending Palps. Hacking into some computer to close some door while palps walks through it? To slightly change a ship's trajectory so it crashes either on palps or with palps as a passenger? To control a building's self defence system and shoot palps? To activate some other self defence system and activate some trap thats was meant for intruders? To slightly modify hyperspace calculations, making palps's ship come out of hyperspace inside a black hole or a star? To change the recipe that Republic chefs use so that it poisons palps? Heck, even just some hidden weapons that he just pulls out before anyone can even imagine it being possible?

If there's one character in sw that has enough sass and lack of shits to give about what he is told to do (unless he feels like it), to the point where he could pull absolutely anything? It's Artoo. I once saw a clip of an interview with Goerge Lucas where he said Artoo was the most powerful character in the whole franchise because he's always the one that ends up saving everyone, either directly or indirectly.

(He got the message to Obi-Wan, finding Luke in the process, and thus being able to save Leia ; He reminds 3PO of the comlink in anh, saving Luke, Han and Leia from being crushed ; He kept Luke's X-wing stabilized as much as possible, helping Luke blow up the Death Star ; and so much more but I won't name them all...)

Ik all these examples are from Anh but I've seen it a million times, while the others not as much, so I thought I'd be more accurate to use example from the movie I know it almost by heart

(TLDR: R2 slays)

Please explain your reasoning in the tags and may the Force be with you.

[micalpixel]

May Flowers Game - July 2024 Progress Report

Another month has passed, so it's time for another update!

(Prior Updates: June, May, Initial) Oh my gosh, three months since I set out to finish a game??!! How how how howwwwwwwwww??? Where is my life going??!!!

I mean.... 😅 I'm proud of these three months. Each finished thing I've put out there was built upon all the previous ones, and has been one step closer to the final goal. Three months ago, the protagonist didn't even exist, in any form, even mentally. Now it's starting to resemble a real game. (I do want to post more screenshots in the future though! Once I get to work on graphics again. Maybe even videos?)

Games Beaten This Month

(which I've taken notes on)

Kena: Bridge of Spirits - This game just looks so amazing. There's a major focus on boss battles which I think is reminiscent of Dark Souls, which I haven't played. But I can see the appeal.

The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls - An old Game Boy game to help get me re-acquainted with the system. It's a very lighthearted and humorous game, made by Nintendo. In fact, it was made by the game team who would later make The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and is where said game's Prince Richard originated from. You may also have seen the protagonist of this game in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. It is a grayscale game. But if you can look past that, it's a very fun little game, which in many ways is actually a parody of Zelda games.

OneShot - Haven't played it yet!! Haven't forgotten!! I WILL play this.

Prototype #1

Back around June 20, after doing all that games research, I put together a document called "Prototype #1." It was a wishlist of features I wanted to complete for the game. Things I KNEW it would need. Things like (but in more detail than here):

Player's abilities/main items and their effects (top priority)

Main kinds of terrain and their effects.

Various menus (including a debug menu)

Inventory system, money, game flags

Maps, moving from one screen to the other

Ability to have NPCs, dialogue boxes, and cutscene events.

That last bullet was shown off in this piece from earlier this month. The game's cutscene engine is quite powerful now:

And I'm happy to report, that all of the wishlist items for Prototype #1 were implemented as of July 20! ...except for two:

Make one simple song.

Make least 5 Sound effects, especially for text, jumping.

Music and Sound

I really wanted to finish this checklist in July. That gave me 11 days to figure out what the heck to do for music and sound. 😭 Since the game's art style is based on the Game Boy Color, I planned to use a VST plugin in FL Studio capable of mimicking its sound, for everything. And I spent 4 days learning and studying for it. But...it has limitations. Which the Game Boy itself didn't have. That didn't sit well with me. There is a Game Boy music sequencer called LSDj (Little Sound Dj). Unlike a VST plugin, it is actual Game Boy software. It runs on a Game Boy (or emulator). And...it's powerful. Very powerful. Check it out on YouTube and see what people are making with it. And it IS accurate Game Boy sound because it is ACTUALLY running on a Game Boy. Here's what a music score with 8 notes looks like in it:

So...I tried it. And...it was very easy to learn. 🥰I studied the waveforms it generated, and those from actual Game Boy games. I examined unofficial source code of several games to learn how they created music. And within 2 days, I'd managed to re-create a well known song from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Mabe Village, using LSDj. I chose this song because it uses the system's two pulse sound channels. Which is about as simple as a Game Boy song can get. LSDj delivered! My ear cannot tell the difference between the original and the recreation. Here's what the original sounds like:

So...technically the Prototype 1 doc didn't say I had to make a *new* song. Just a "simple song." So, re-creating an existing one technically counts, right? Even though I cannot use it in my own game for legal reasons?😅 Well, either way, this was a very new, and successful learning experience. I feel like I've earned a check mark. So, mission complete! Oh, I also needed to make five sound effects. Messed around some more in LSDj, and done.

Other sound stuff:

I wrote a small program that can take any sound sample and convert it into a waveform that the Game Boy can play back (using its Wave audio channel).

I learned how to take a recording of myself humming, and turn it into an actual musical score that could be played with an instrument. (Fl Studio -> Edison Plugin -> Paste Audio -> Tools -> Convert to Piano Score). This will make it MUCH easier to write music than by entering each note by hand. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good.

And with that, Prototype #1 is complete! So, I think I'm going to use LSDj for 100% of the game's audio. ^^

Other Stuff This Month

The main abilities that the player will have are basically complete. They have very tight synergy. However:

Character animations will be 4-directional only, not 8-directional. The diagonal-facing animations will be removed. The reason is, for a puzzle game, it's much harder for a player to line things up if the character can face diagonally. This is why most 2D games don't have diagonal-facing characters. They look nice. But they will cause frustration for the player if they cause the player to miss their targets when aiming.

Running animations will probably be removed. I love how they turned out. But "running" doesn't add enough to justify its existence. The core gameplay just...evolved in a different direction. Running lacks synergy with the rest of the player's abilities. The world won't be so massive that fast movement will be needed.And running would require an extra button to use. The other core abilities use just two buttons. Making the player learn to use a third button that doesn't do much is poor design.

I am trying to limit the scope of this game. So many ideas. Too many. I have to draw the line somewhere or the game will never be finished. A lot of ideas have been shelved for later. So...I have spent some time considering how to use those ideas. Maybe in a sequel?

But really, what's next for August?

So far it's been:

May: Initial designs and game concept

June: Playing and researching other games

July: Finish Prototype #1

And August? Probably fleshing out the game world. In any game, the player's abilities impact EVERYTHING. The world must be designed around what the player can do. Same with all its puzzles. And its main quest, sidequests, story, etc. And also, environmental objects which have synergy with the player's abilities.

This is why the player's abilities were the top priority for Prototype #1. Now that they're finalized (hopefully), all these other elements can be worked on in earnest.

Thank you again for following my progress! See you next month!

[alexisr294]

MY TOP 10 STEVEN AUS (Updated)

For the following of this top ten list, I'll be using random images to present each AU since reposting one's artwork is not allowed. So without further ado, let's get down to business.

10. Rose Never Leaves AU by @nereamerayo (aka @arrozbrillante)

While this AU is slightly well-known, it does seem intriguing to picture how and what the SU life would be like if Rose hadn't gave up her physical form to give birth to Steven. For my perspective, it does bring out a bit of development into the most hated pink character. (FYI, I'm not one of those fans who despises Rose)

9. Fantasy AU by @artifiziell

Before @cynthi-universe's Rogue AU existed, there was this AU first. The creator who made this really went far out on this by switching the show's genre and transforming these alien characters into fantasy-like creatures based on their powers, personalities or whichever style fits them perfectly. Even I was amazed to see Lion as a giant manticore.

https://artifiziell.tumblr.com/tagged/fantasy-au

8. Coraline AU by @nicorii

While this may be considered as a film crossover to some people, I still count this as an AU. Seeing as how the title character has experience a lot of heavy stuff, it does seem fitting for Steven to be Coraline, As for the other characters, their roles in this AU are accurately suitable.

7. Listen All Night Long AU by @suf-fering & @universallywriting

According to Rebecca Sugar, she has watched many Disney movies and added some references in the show. But I never imagine someone would go far and beyond to create this lovely AU. The story itself was written by @universallywriting. I haven't got the chance to read the chapters yet but I have to say the illustrations are very beautiful.

6. Gone Wrong by @spudinacup

This is not your ordinary comic for kids. Based on the SU movie, this AU's story is told in a whole new yet very dark direction. Whereas Spinel kills Steven instantly with her rejuvenator rather than having to revert his physical form. Although his gem is safe from harm, not only does it reform into pink Steven but also its gem powers remain futile. I hope to find out where the rest of the story goes until we hear word from the creator of this AU.

5. Crystal Clarity AU by Sergeant Plopp & @cnv99

There are other blogs with Blue Diamond AUs like @teamfadedblue & @blue-diamond-steven. But I believe the best one has to be the blog titled @blueswapuniverse. While the blog and the illustrations are made by CNV99, the story itself was written by Sergeant Plopp. Since her appearance in Steven's Dream, Blue Diamond was shown to be nearly nurturing and compassionate as Rose. Not to mention, having a tremendous grief over the loss of Pink Diamond. In which Greg shared his feelings about losing someone whom he once loved. This had many fans wondering how or what it would be like if Blue and Greg fallen in love and she, instead of Rose, gave birth to Steven. In fact, this AU was made back in 2017, a year before A Single Pale Rose was released. So technically, this was no coincidence.

4. Yellow Diamond Steven AU by @stevenyellowdiamonduniverse (aka @matsuthemoth)

This indeed is the best Yellow Diamond AU I've ever enjoyed. Now here's what I know about this AU so far. It's sort of like the mom swap AU made by @sketchedatrocities (aka Comedic Interlude) but Steven is the son of Yellow Diamond. Too bad, this AU sadly ended at a cliffhanger because the creator claimed their hand was injured and must require surgery. Little did I found out, the blog for this AU was deleted from Tumblr. But that's not to say the posts for this story are gone completely. You can still find them on Tapas.

After waiting two years, the creator posted a drawing of this AU's Nora on Tapas about 3 months ago. Could this mean they're back in business? Have a little more patience and we'll see.

3. Gem Kids AU by @bananimationofficial

This is one of those ageswap AUs in which the gems start off as actual kids after they were made. During the very first comic issues, I found it interesting when it began with Pink heading off to Earth with Pearl and Garnet. But when it reached to the actual story point, I soon found it very pleasing because not only does it stay true to the main series but it also gives the characters the experience of what is like to be a youngster or an adult. Unfortunately the creator claimed to have ended her AU at a very disappointing note. Just when Season 2 was already starting. I really enjoyed the illustrations, but if you ever want to check them out again, feel free to check out the blog (@gemkidsau).

2. Bad Prediction AU by @jigokuhana

Is this an alternate universe or an alternate timeline? You be the judge. Back when the episode titled The Answer was released, not only did it demonstrated precisely how Ruby and Sapphire became Garnet, but it did gave the fandom something to speculate on. What would the Earth be like if Garnet didn't exist? The answer pretty much speaks for itself. But it wasn't until later in the show, when it was revealed that Rose Quartz was really Pink Diamond, that theory got really huge for many fans. After all, Garnet was the whole chain reaction to everything and everyone around her. So for my recommendation, I give it a thumbs up for the creator of this AU.

Honorable Mentions

Steven and Rose Together AU by @pastelpinkillustrator

Half Dragon Steven AU by @hugthesquids

Skybound AU by Mod Shi @su-skybound-au

Fragmented AU by @blindkite

Soft Jock AU by Anonymous @susoftjockau

B-Sides AU by @snidy & @making-friendos

Dimension Hop AU by @pixeldotgamer

[New] Walk the Line AU by @nugatorysheep

To see which AU made #1, click Keep Reading and find out.

1. White Diamond AU (aka Steven AU*niverse) by @thechekhov

https://alexisr294.tumblr.com/post/642408832259211265/update-description-feb-16-2021-im-not-good

Links to Tumblr blog and Tapas:

Also, this description might give out some spoilers about this AU, if you hadn't read this AU or are far behind.

I for one have to say that this was quite impossible for anyone to imagine or even successfully manage to pull off. From the moment I founded this AU, it seemed very charming. I wasn't sure if I did read the first issue, but the first comic episode I truly read was the start of the AU's second season. Since Steven isn't Rose's son in this alternate world, it makes things exciting, especially when he meets Rose (still alive) and the Crystal Gems.

With Rose Quartz around, Chekhov attempts to add in more qualities that purely demonstrates the kind of character she is. Unlike how most fans viewed her as the main antagonist of the show. But considering Rose had such a harsh life back when she was Pink Diamond, it does seem hard for her to adjust her complexity and give out a clear answer whenever someone besides Steven asks her questions relating to Homeworld or the Diamonds. And when Rose does talk things over with him, not only does it bring out this semi mother-son relationship they share with, but it also lets out her tensions, due to severe hardships she faced thousands of years ago. Having to see Rose facing her problems while also presenting a bit more of her true identity is what many SU fans wished would happen in canon. In fact, that's not the only best thing about this AU.

For instance, Chekhov manages to go further beyond the subject of PTSD by having this Steven to be a runaway foster kid who ends up tagging along with a colorless woman with one eye (aka Earl/Pink Pearl). Since the Gems, including Rose, don't know much about him, it does play out perfectly to have them develop a mutual trust with him, despite of their concerns of Homeworld's return and facing the Diamonds' wrath again. While Chekhov is able to present a few of the show's references to build up our expectations, they do manage to keep some pages of the script secret so that way we can keep on guessing what will happen afterwards. Once their ideas come into play as the story progresses, everything works out perfectly. Just like how Chekhov came up with an original character (Seaglass) to put into this AU. As she was revealed or introduced, people already started to find her very cute and lovable in a matter of seconds.

Regardless, this comic has truly capture the spirit of the show as it once was eight years ago. Whether this may be fictional, based on how the story is laid out, I give two thumbs up to you, Chekhov. By setting up the intensity virtuously as each issue is released, having them to be told through actual questions from the followers of this blog, adding more insight on the characters, and providing a bunch of SU references from the original show, this proves that Chekhov has an astonishing gift for storytelling. Even I come to appreciate on the father-son relationship Steven and Greg share so beautifully than how it was presented on the show.

All that's left for me to say is thank you for creating these remarkable tales. I hope to look forward on what comes later. I know your more focus with other stuff in your life and it can be very tiresome, I just wish you luck to you, your friends from Russia, and to everyone who are managing their everyday struggles. Your AU will always be my favorite.

And if you're reading this, what exactly will you do once this AU is completed?

[hamarhemmo]

More LGBTQ+ book/movie/game etc. recommendations!

Games:

Stradew Valley: A lovely game with simple pixel graphics. Basically you live on a farm that your dead grandpa left you and you get to make friends in the small town the farm is in. There's 12 characters that you can marry (6 guys, 6 gals) and also one friendly shadow person who you can take as a roommate. As you could guess all of the bachelors/bachelorettes are bisexual. Costs about 10€, available on almost all gaming devices I think.

The Arcana: A dating sim. Yes, they are pretty cliche but Arcana is seriously great. Basically you're a magician's apprentice, and you get to date cool people. You can even play all routes at the same time if you want. You get to choose your characters pronouns (he/she/they) and name. You can change them anytime. Of the dateable characters 3 are guys, 2 are gals, and one is enby. Julian's and Lucio's routes have some sexual humor but nothing extreme, and Muriel's route has some talk of past child abuse I think (haven't played it yet). The remaining three routes should be suitable for anyone. Free, for mobile.

Movies:

Mulan: Everyone already knows the plot, right? Technically not about a trans guy but I've still always enjoyed watching it on dysphoric days. Also Li Shang is a bi-icon.

Night at the Museums: If you follow me, you've probably already seen them, but basically they tell about a nightguard in a museum where everything comes alive at night. One of the characters is gay (Octavius) and I'd dare to say that Jedediah isn't straight either. Also Ahkmenrah just acts really gay. They are very funny and the characters are mostly historically accurate. The movies are on Disney+ at least.

Old Guard: The movie came out in 2020 so it has actually good LGBTQ+ characters :D. Anyways, it's about these immortal guys who do cool stuff and try to keep their immortality secret. It has five main characters of which two are dating (Joe and Nick) and one is wlw (Andy). Joe and Nick are the sweetest couple I've ever seen. Anyways I think there's gonna be a second movie in a few years. It's based on a comic thingy I haven't read. The movie is on Netflix.

YouTube:

One Topic At A Time: A lovely YouTuber, huge ally, and a dad figure for us all. Makes mostly videos where he reads memes from LGBTQ+ subreddits. Notoriously doesn't get innuendos. He's just a very sweet person, okay?

Kurtis Conner: A popular commentary YouTuber. His videos aren't necessarily about LGBTQ+ but he always tries his best at being inclusive, and has raised money for LGBTQ+ charities.

Lucas Cruikshank: Probably the gayest person I know. Does commentary and reaction videos. A bit questionable humor here and there but mostly suitable for anyone to watch. Definitely entertaining. He's the guy from Fred movies.

Jammidodger: A bisexual trans dude. Makes a lot of videos about LGBTQ+. Often goes through Reddit and has collabed with One Topic. His fianceé/wife is also bisexual and makes videos. (Her name is Shaaba.)

I may add something to this post later if I can think of more stuff.

Also tell me if I should keep the pictures or nah.

EDIT: I somehow forgot the TV show:

Shadowhunters. (It's also a book series but I haven't read it and it's very different, so i'm gonna only be talking about the show.) Anyways, the universe is hard to explain but basically there's humans (mundanes), shadowhunters and downworlders. Shadowhunters are part human, part angel, and downworlders are part human, part demon. (Also there's seelies who are part angel, part demon but anyways.) Basically shadpwhunters kill demons and are usually racist aginst downworlders. Let's get to the gayness: There's a lot of characters but of of the important characters one is gay, one is bi, one is ace, and the rest just give huge LGBTQ+ vibes. Also there's a lot of LGBTQ+ side characters. In my opinionthe gay stuff is really well done, considering the fact that the author is a cishet woman. I don't really know what else to say, but I definitely recommend.

[posthumanwanderings]

ok so this is their response back after I asked if turning adblocker on is the solution when I need to watch back through my videos and a simple question how long must I wait for this ban to be lifted:

"To stop invalid traffic, a positive practice is to watch your videos within your Studio rather than using the regular browser. This ensures a more controlled and accurate viewing experience, contributing to a better understanding of your content performance. It's a simple yet effective step that aligns with maintaining the integrity of your channel and creating a positive engagement environment.

Also, maintaining the integrity of your channel involves making positive choices in partnerships. Be cautious when collaborating on video creation or channel growth, steering clear of untrusted services that promise to boost views, likes, or subscriptions. 

Even when third parties claim to bring genuine traffic, it's wise to exercise caution, as this might inadvertently lead to artificial engagement and potential invalid traffic. Choosing reliable partnerships contributes to a more authentic and positive growth trajectory for your channel.

Your proactive actions play a key role in putting a halt to invalid traffic. While the system excels at detecting such instances, it relies on your efforts to prevent them. By avoiding specific steps that may inadvertently contribute to invalid traffic, you gain the ability to stop it on your end.

Once the system no longer detects invalid traffic on your channel, it will be back to normal. For example, the system no longer detects invalid traffic from your channel tomorrow, then it will be back to regular state tomorrow.

For more details, you can check our Help Center article about Invalid traffic on your videos. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out if there's anything else. 

Best, Maxine

Google YouTube Team" I don't know why they can't just block the IP address or stop showing ads to the user(s) that are causing the invalid traffic? also the youtube studio player SUCKS and plays super choppy, so I'm gonna stick with the adblocker method + view from being signed in to another channel. I like viewing back through my videos and youtube shouldn't punish me for that especially if adblock is on. and lastly, the 'your channel will be back to normal tomorrow if the invalid traffic stops tomorrow' is straight up fucked, I haven't touched my channel personally and if they can't block the supposed problem then this could technically go on forever.... so I don't know what to do anymore but wait it out. thought about putting all my vids on private til this is resolved but I think that might mess things up more....

guys I’m probably gonna stop with the whole youtube thing or take an extended hiatus after they blew away my average monthly revenue by 75% and hit me with this bullshit in my inbox:

I think this all started when I read about youtube supposedly overpowering people’s CPU’s if they use an adblocker (which by the way they are very adamant jerks about ads makes perfect sense), so I thought sure I’ll turn it off when I stream so I don’t lose stream connection (which kept happening when I had adblocker on). I (like any youtube creator I think does or should do?) will view back through my streams afterwards for quality control and putting together timestamps and just left ads alone cause my computer has been getting fucked with more often (if anyone else has noticed their CPU’s frying themselves lately cause of the supposed youtube being aggro with RAM please let me know) anyways of course I can’t get a message from a real Youtube worker about any of this, but apparently whatever I did was enough for them to cut my revenue down 75% and not running ads on my videos anymore (which yea I get it they are annoying but it’s what gives me a cut of something) leaving me little motivation to keep up like I usually do. in a copy pasted bot message they said the ‘invalid traffic ban’ has a minimum of 7 days but never said the maximum… it’s been a month so far so idk, but that’s quite some punishment. unless I get a surge of patreon supporters over the next couple months to make the time to do all this stuff worthwhile I’m gonna just focus on getting a better job than my retail slave one which I’ve been meaning to do anyways. of course I’d rather be streaming and making vidmixes 24/7 like I was doing during the COVID shutdown but just not in the cards right now. this is all still weird to me though because all my videos that allow me to are still set to monetized, have nothing in my inbox warning me about copyrights, and thought everything I was doing was in good standing, only things I’ve done abnormal is click OFF my adblocker and reported a channel that kept trying to monetize the PS1 sample on all my PS1 plays… now this happened….. and even though I’m not a huge channel relatively speaking it pains me to see channels that just upload VGM with the same trendy fucking tags get the surplus views which guess none of that counts as invalid traffic and I get the same average views and get fucked with suddenly. so yea, basically FUCK YOUTUBE

[thegirlwholied]

I feel like talking about books! but "book I'm currently reading" does not accurately reflect the situation so uh

book I am technically in the middle of but suddenly it's been a couple weeks since I actually opened it: Ruthless Ladies' Guide to Wizardry (it's not that I don't like it! It's that I hit a scene with a dead cat and went "nope not before bed we're not" and the dead cats are in fact a plot point so momentum has not been regained. Also while a standalone I loved Unnatural Magic, the previous book in this world, so much, the different mood of this one has an uphill climb in my heart)

book I've been reading super slowly because it's short stories and I'm savoring each one but I'll also then forget I'm reading it and it'll wind up buried in my to-be-read: Dying with Her Cheer Pants On (I mean to finish this month as tis the spooky season and delaying a read for the right season is also a thing I do)

series reread I started for a new release & petered out on: somehow i still haven't read Rule of Wolves (I was overdue for a complete Grishaverse reread to appreciate it properly but my copy of the 3rd book in the original trilogy is on ye olde nearly-defunct first gen Nook plus I had loaned my copy of Six of Crows at the time, and... oh boy that was April 2021 when the show was first coming out, wasn't it, whoops)

book I thought I finished and then realized at Barnes & Noble honestly can't remember if I did so I better check before I pick up the sequel: The Ex Hex

book I keep meaning to read because 'everyone's read it' but I haven't made it past page 3 yet: Where the Crawdads Sing (haven't seen the movie either because I'm theoretically? going to read the book first)

last book I finished: The Atlas Six (finally got around to it just in time for the sequel to hit soon so will be reading that soon enough)

last book I bought and still haven't started because this is what I let happen when not under a library deadline: Her Majesty's Royal Coven

book I almost just bought because I want to read it immediately but I already have a hold on it at the library and realistically, would I get around to it before that hold omes through: The Golden Enclaves (I will ultimately buy this in paperback as I own the first two, but can I resist until my library hold or will I pull the lever on the e-book purchase for that instant gratification? tbd)

book sequel I almost bought because I own the first one and they'll look pretty together but I should be watching $ this month and also I already have a hold at the library: For the Throne

book that comes out today that I will have to acquire ASAP: Greywaren (I was listening to its playlist already last night but will need to invest some time & likely *emotions* here so may not start it quite as ASAP)

...this is not comprehensive, nor would it be even if I listed the books I've just checked out of the library that may get read before any of the above, but for the sake of assuring myself of my own sanity ahhhhh I think I'm stopping here.

[born-to-lose]

First Encounters

Pairing: Deazzello (platonic)

Summary: After not showing up on the Bohemian Rhapsody set, John wants to meet the man who played him in the movie personally.

Tags: fluff I guess

Words: 1,452

A/N: And here's something platonic with these two, so everyone should be fine with that one. I haven't started writing my fic for day 7 yet, so I might have to pull an all-nighter at some point to post it in time. Also the next two days will only have moodboards for now xx

The filming of Bohemian Rhapsody was now finished and Joe still hadn't heard or seen anything from John Deacon, the man he had been chosen to play. While Brian May and Roger Taylor were executive producers for the movie and always visited the cast to watch them, give tips or just have a nice chat, the bassist wasn't involved in the making of his band's biopic at all. He'd only sent one of his sons to talk to Joe at some point during the production and that's all he'd done. He didn't want to be ungrateful, but believing John himself would ever show up remained a dream for him.

As the time passed and the project was getting closer to its end, he was starting to feel self conscious. Was he not happy with Joe's portrayal of him? He thought he'd done everything as accurate as he could. He'd probably seen at least snippets of the film if Brian and Roger had kept him updated, so maybe he didn't want to have anything to do with him because of the way he played the role? Joe tried to make the best out of it, even if perhaps the script wasn't that good - which could be the other reason he didn't want to be involved. He really did his best. No one would believe him if he told them how much live footage, interviews and documentaries about Queen he'd watched to get prepared for the role. For months he'd been learning to play bass guitar and to talk in John's accent and he even permed his hair as well as he worked to get his facial expressions right. You couldn't say he didn't put effort in his job.

As a lover of Queen, being cast in their biopic had already been a dream come true, so maybe destiny didn't mean it so good with him that he was actually able to meet the person - the bass legend - he was playing.

Nonetheless, he stayed optimistic, even as John stayed silent. Until the film premiere at Wembley Arena, where - surprise - John didn't make an appearance either. Of course he understood that he didn't want to be in the limelight anymore since Freddie had passed away, but he wished he'd at least given him some sign of life.

But the day after the premiere - it was around 12 a.m. when he woke up, so you couldn't exactly call it morning - he came across a new e-mail in his inbox and this time it wasn't spam. It was the man himself. John Deacon.

"Dear Mr Mazzello,

I've seen Bohemian Rhapsody and I must say you did a good job portraying me. I'm very proud of you! Thank you for helping keep Queen's legacy alive. After not being on the set throughout the whole production, I'd like to meet you at my house tomorrow at 2 p.m. to make up for my absence."

There were already tears in Joe's eyes, making his vision blurry as he read the address he wanted him to be at the next day. It finally happened! He'd already given up on hoping he'd hear anything from him, but here he was, reading John's e-mail in which he asked to meet him in person. Technically, his flight back to New York would leave before the time he should be at John's place, but how could he decline this invitation? He was going to meet John fucking Deacon and that was a once in a lifetime experience! His fingers were shaking as he typed a reply, constantly deleting sentences because he was so nervous it would sound too fanboy-ish. He couldn't wait for the next day to come.

Although half of the day had already passed by now, it felt like ages until he finally got the reminder from his phone. While thinking about what to wear, he was brought back to his teenage years when he would pick five different outfits for prom and end up choosing the first one. He took a taxi to get to John's house and sat in it for one more minute to check in the selfie camera of his phone if he looked good enough before paying the driver and slowly stepping closer to the front door. His heart was beating faster than Ben on the drums trying to learn to play them as soon as possible after lying to the casting directors.

Just when he was about to calm down and knock on the door, an elder woman called out to him from the garden. "Can I help you?"

He turned around to her and smiled. "I'm Joe Mazzello. I was told to be here at 2 p.m."

"Oh yes, John told me about you!" She opened the door and motioned for him to come inside. "John, Mr Mazzello is here," she said as she disappeared in the living room.

Joe followed her hesitantly and spotted John Deacon sitting in the armchair next to the radio. And there the confidence left him again. As Veronica left the two of them alone, the older man got up from his seat and held out his hand. "Hello. Nice to meet you."

"H-hello," he stammered, but he soon found his cool again - or rather the ability to handle this situation. He was still completely starstruck. "It's an honor to meet you, really."

John smiled, crinkles forming around his eyes. "Please sit down. Veronica is making tea if you want a cup?"

The ginger nodded. "That would be nice."

Joe was getting all nervous again when he noticed John staring at him, even though it wasn't a derogatory stare or anything like that. He cleared his throat and leaned forward a bit, giving him an apologetic smile. "First of all, I'd like to apologize for not showing up during the filming of Bohemian Rhapsody, but it seems you did a pretty good job without my help."

"Thank you so much. It means a lot to me," Joe said, his heartbeat quickening once more. He respected this man so much and it felt weird to be sitting in the same room as him, only a few feet apart. "I thought you hated my portrayal and that's why you never visited us. You must know I didn't want to disappoint you in any way," he apologized, but John shook his head.

"It wasn't that. Actually, I'm proud of you for doing so well in the film." He leaned back again. "No, I just don't want all the attention that comes with this film. I mean it's amazing how many young people get into our music now, but if I had been involved in the production, I would be in the public eye again and as you know, I've been living in private for 21 years now and I prefer to stay like this. So, it's nothing against you or anyone else in the cast! You all did the best you could with the script. Although I wish it had been more truthful… but I guess if you want detailed information, there are still documentaries. It's mainly for entertainment purposes and that's good."

Joe looked at him in awe all the time. It felt almost surreal and those nice words coming from John Deacon himself - the person he'd been most scared of disappointing - were on a whole other level than the compliments other people had given him for his role. "I totally understand why you don't want that. Please don't feel like I'm blaming you! I just felt insecure about the way I played you, that's all."

The men thanked Veronica when she brought them two cups of tea before John continued with a warm smile. "I don't feel attacked, don't worry. I know what it feels like to put effort in your work and still feeling like you didn't do it right."

Somehow Joe had gotten much more relaxed in the past few minutes than he had been when he'd entered this house. Talking to John also felt less stiff by now and after a while they even sat outside in the garden, talking and laughing about all kind of things. It had become more like a friendly conversation with an old acquaintance than a more or less necessary meeting to make up for John's absence during the making of Queen's movie.

In the late afternoon it was time for Joe to finally leave. While this encounter with John had turned out to be better and longer than he'd anticipated, he didn't know if he would see him again, but even if he never would, he could fly back home with great memories of a Saturday afternoon with John Deacon.

[baronvonriktenstein]

What's Shinigami Kanan's job duty like? Because I haven't read YnM yet, I'm picturing RIPD or Dead Like Me or Bleach (With Fewer Swords) and probably not Death Note. (OMG what if she runs into the Sanzo party because she's helping a youkai [that they just killed] pass on? Awkward

I actually haven’t watched any of those things (except for Death Note lol) but it’s probably more along those lines. Dead Like Me seems like it could be similar?

And you’ll actually have to forgive me because, even though I’m huge into YnM right now, I haven’t been re-reading it at all (except the later chapters that never made it to the US) so I’m probably not as accurate as I could be.

But anyway, Yeah her main job is helping souls move on, particularly if they’ve been hanging onto life, like… way after their candle burned out.  She also investigates cases if there’s a mysterious abundance of suspicious deaths. [In the manga there were a lot of relatively mundane cases like people just clinging to life, and also there were serial killing cases and people suddenly having an elongated lifespan when they should have died. Like their candle life extended? Something like that.] 

They might also investigate ghost hauntings, I’m not… sure [I just went to look at a chapter that I was like “Why were they even investigating there????” and it seems to have been ghosts]

Technically speaking, she’d be doing work in a specific area assigned to her, but may help in other locations if assistance is needed. [But for me in Saiyuki verse, especially during the calamity, it’ll probably be like “You’re available, you do this over there”]

It would be more likely that the Sanzo ikkou drive on into a town with a weird supposed curse on it that she and her partner(s) are investigating, but I mean it’s not outside the realm of possibility.

Something even funnier would be “Me and my crew went on vacation to this location and uhhh shit. You weren’t supposed to be here.”

[blommis-writes]

I wanted to avoid yapping too much about it but I'm insufferable about live actions and ATLA has always been my comfort show since I was like, 12yo and watching the new episodes religiously every week so here we go:

Not-so-short, not-so-spoiler-free review of the ATLA live action

(there is are two small spoilers ahead, but if you don't wanna see it then don't read unless you've watched the first 5 minutes of the first episode for one, and the second episode for the other)

It's not even about the violence itself, but the way you portray it.

To me, the worst way to portray violence is going out of your way to showing it outright graphically, and with live actions (one of the many reasons I hate them btw) it's also so fucking easy to spot the poor ass writing choices, becuse on the other side you can see the source material where they showed the terrors and violence of genocide in a fucking kids' show without outright showing them (again, kids show) and now that I'm watching the live action I can say that it definitely did not arise the same feelings the animated did.

Because, again, it was about the feelings, the empathy you could feel at the character's own feeling of great despair and loss. And, at the same time, technically speaking, not showing something can be much more effective at telling a story.

A guy I know who works in the industry once actually explained to me how it's a whole ass phenomenon, where they add a lot of violence in the first episodes/season to appeal to what they call "more adult" audiences but are in reality. just. GoT fans. because that show broke so many popularity records at the time, that it became the standard.

The thought process is basically "GoT became successful and won 934746383 awards because they portrayed graphic scenes of r*pe and killings every couple of episodes, so if we want a successful show we need to do the same" and of course, with streaming having ruined everything about the airing of shows, if one is not incredibly successful already from the first day it airs it gets cancelled, so what do you do? Add a whole lot of unnecessarily graphic violence, at least in the first episodes and the first season, so it catches the attention of the "adult audiences".

Like, gimme a valid reason for showing a guy being burned alive exactly (I went back to check) four minutes in the first episode.

"But it's normal they have to change something" and listen. LISTEN. I was of the same mind when news of Sokka's sexism came out, I wanted to give it a chance because as much as media literacy is dead I thought "well but they have good intentions"... boy was I WRONG.

It seems to me that the actual reason for Sokka's sexism being toned down was so that they could make Suki more of a love-struck teen.

There's the actual trope of "girl raised in women's warrior tribe sees a naked, sculpted, male chest for the first time" and I still can't believe it. I was watching it during lunch break in my internship's office and my colleague asked me if I was okay because I externally cringed while watching.

Sokka may not be that sexist anymore, but the writers of the show sure are.

Overall this poor ass writing is the only thing I've had the ick for (for now, I haven't finished the season yet and netflix writers have the power to fuck up even the smallest things), and it's a shame because:

the casting did enough justice to the characters, and even tough the acting level is not, like, god tier or whatever, they seem all so dedicated to the story, besides they are all accurate as POCs and I couldn't have been happier about that

the costume and make up departments did the same (aside the tiny detail of them, I dunno, being scared of dirtying the costumes? thus ending up with them having kind of a "cheap cosplay" vibe but eh, it's camp I guess?)

the CGI is... not really good but not that bad either, even tough you can see they probably spent most of the budget on Appa, Momo, and the animal-mixes (their CGI is good af compared to the other stuff but I wouldn't have it any other way cause they are so fucking cute)

The sets, even while being for the most part so obviously CGI-made (see above), are recreated nicely from the show and what changes have been made were for the better

the soundtrack from what I've heard for now is a mix of the old iconic one and some new stuff, and it fits really well

So yeah, overall the ATLA live action is not that bad at all, the technicalities are at the same level of the One Piece one, but you can definitely see that some (really, really) poor writing choices were taken here, and that can really make a difference in a show that already was not original. (I am TIRED of live actions ffs)

These are some thoughts about the first two episodes, I may or may not write followups as I watch depending on how angry it wil make me.

shoutout to Game of Thrones for setting the standard of "a show is not serious/good unless it has TONS of violence in it", hope you and your shitty finale rot in the tv show hell

[otiolito]

OTIO LITO: On The Conservation of Love

First post relating to the title of this blog page - finally. We're just talking about love here, so I imagine it's going to sound cheesy and squishy, but I'm under the impression writing about this shit will make me feel better. Andiamo.

I loved watching Steven Universe as a kid - and I still think it's a great show to form a kid's perspective on love. The title character is kind to everyone, and his late mom, who is discussed frequently, was supposedly known as the epitome of unending love. My take on the show was simple: Share your love selflessly and without hesitation.

I tried genuinely to live by that standard - not to play as if I'm some saint. At work, I meet people that frustrate me to the point of saying some pretty harsh things. One of my own teammates once pissed me off to the point of punching a file cabinet (which is a poor way to express frustration and also hurt like the dickens). But I otherwise give love easily and freely, and I express this love usually in the form of gift giving.

I'm a baker, so this means Monday morning cinnamon rolls for my team, double batches of cookies for my ironworkers, carpenters, and laborers, and even scones for my trade partners. (In construction, it's usually the subcontractor bringing food to their general contractor to buy over their good favor.) I thoroughly enjoy baking, but as a single person I can't eat everything myself, so what does it really cost me to share these goodies? Why shouldn't I spread that love selflessly?

For the conservation of love.

A simple concept in science teaches us that mass cannot be created out of thin air. Even when an object vaporizes into a gas, an accurate chemical formula will show that the same mass previously identified as a liquid or solid has now taken the shape of a gas, even if you can't see or smell it anymore. There is no destroying mass - at least not as far as my basic college chemistry class was concerned. My brother is a research scientist, and he may reply to that concept by pushing up his glasses and saying, "Well, technically..."

The version of me that loved watching Steven Universe as a kid would have disagreed that love is the same - that there is a finite amount of it to go around. But I think now that principle is very applicable. In "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", Stephen Covey discusses emotional bank accounts. He writes about how you can't expect to receive from others if you don't give to them as well (in terms of most any type of treatment; love, respect, patience). Likewise, why would any sensible person invest into an account where they receive nothing in return? Why would I continue to pour love into a person who gives nothing back?

By god, this blog will not be about boys breaking my heart, but we're sure as shit going to ride that line.

In my short 25 years, I've had plenty of people in my life that I poured unrequited love into (romantic, platonic, or otherwise). I have given selflessly, because I thought it was a currency with no spending limit. I felt like it cost me nothing, and I was wrong.

I think everyone deserves a chance to receive that love. Even the most callous people might surprise you if you make that leap and give a small part of yourself to them. But don't give it selflessly and blindly. The other half of this topic should really be about why not, but I haven't figured that out yet.

Because it will hurt? Because it will drain on you over time? Because it'll let into your life people that will learn to accept your love without giving any in return? And you do deserve to have that warmth met with the very same given in response. Anyway, there's more to this topic, but I'm still young enough to be stumbling over those consequences as we speak.

Kindest regards,

Mo