#this ones a combo of so many things/materials lol

[marsuro]

Huetobervember day 12

Man Alive

[jooillusion]

what do the members think about lingerie?😼

ot6 + lingerie <3

warnings: lingerie duh, sexual themes, implied insecurity in jungsus

꩜ G. GUNIL

I feel like gunil definitely likes lingerie. no love. no like. lovelike smth like that!

sex with him is already filled with praises of how pretty you look so just imagine that x100

stunned. like SPEECHLESS stunned

touches all over your body, his hands savoring the feel of the material

“you really did all of this for me?” UGH YES I DID ☝️

“lets see if it can last long enough” and by that he means he’ll definitely fuck you through the panties of the delicate lace, most likely ruining them along the way

corsets are his personal favorite

buys you a lot more after but maybe 3/15 pairs last :,)

꩜ K. JUNGSU

this boy right here is a FEEEEN

it took you a while to get comfortable around him, him seeing you naked a solid five times during sex

so imagine his “:o” face when he pulls your shorts down to expose the lace. it’s like a kid opening a present because he’s now EXCITED

“can i see the rest?” HELL YEAH

wastes no time pulling that dick out and getting into the business

thong lover jungsu

they’re easy to pull to the side heh (he ripped a few from pulling too hard)

fucks you in all colors except his favorite (so he won’t ruin it lols)

꩜ K. JISEOK

he LIKES it. HEAR ME OUT

when he came home tired from work and saw you in a set he suddenly didn’t feel tired anymore

dick goes from 100 to 1000 when he first saw you in it

definitely the type to say “it’d look better on the floor.”

would rather see you naked so he’s eagerly pulling it off

his favorites are the gowns of course

he loves to lift it up and and fuck you OPEN.

when you’re cuddle fucking he grinds himself onto the material before pulling them to the side

꩜ O. SEUNGMIN

loves loves LOVES it

you’re both big on fashion so the sight of you in lingerie nearly KILLS him

“you look so pretty baby” as he’s kissing down your neck UGH A NEED

loves bodysuits

the way the designs of the lace decorate your body turns him on

sometimes you’d show off to him as he leans back on the couch and watches

wardrobe is full of all shades of purple

“hmm seungmin what should I get?” boom the whole website is on your list

꩜ H. HYEONGJUN

a FANNN

likes to watch you try it on and you let him pick his favorite ones (all of them)

“do a spin for me baby” ANYTHING U SAY HYEONGJUN

can’t bring himself to rip off the material off so he just pulls it down

LOVESSS the thigh garter + belt combo

his favorite thing to do is pull onto them when you’re bent over in front of him

dressing up to tease him so that the lacy bra peeks from under your shirt

uses them to jerk off when he misses you a little too much :,)

꩜ L. JOOYEON

tried it once now he’s hooked

he found out about it on accident, your skirt lifting up and exposing the lace underneath

“oh, what’s this?” —famous last words

crotchless panties.

easier access + loves watching it go in and out :,)

has way too many pictures of you in lingerie on his phone

you wear it under his hoodies so when he pulls it up he’s ready to ravish

likes to lick your cunt through the lace to tease you

please remember that this is a pure work of fiction.

[epitomereally]

Vis-à-Vis-à-Vis by @vukovich

Harry's assignment was simple. Close out Draco Malfoy's missing persons case so he can be declared dead.

But who's making withdrawals from Malfoy's vaults? How is a death omen-turned-Unspeakable involved? Is an organization known as the Moirai to blame?

Harry brushes it off until he can't. Until The Prophet is flooded with sightings of dead people. Until Robards throws himself on his sword. Until Ron turns on his own family. Until Harry scarcely trusts his own reflection in the mirror and trusts the stranger in his bed even less.

Until all that stands between war and peace is Harry, a name plate, a stadium of murderers, and Draco Malfoy.

God save the Ministry.

Vis-a-Vis-a-Vis was one of the most inventive, thrilling, nasty (in the best way), and intriguing fics I read last year and I’m so happy I got to bind a copy for Vuk & myself. I bound this as a part of Renegade’s Binderary 2023 (where we challenge ourselves to make as many books as we can). I specifically focused on some of my favorite fics published in 2022 that I hadn’t already bound :)

Inspired by @lettersbyelise's ask, I’m going to interleave the inspiration & the process in this post! I knew when I was reading Vis-à-Vis-à-Vis that I wanted something graphic and bold and a little bit sinister. My hand-painting skills are not good enough for the super sharp edges I wanted, so I used heat-transfer vinyl for the first time (tysm Rhi, my guru & owner of a cricut). I also couldn’t find a commercial bookcloth that was a bold, bright red, so I made my own from fabric.

I also HAD to have something that only was exposed under camera, which is a central leitmotif (motif? theme? Idk it’s been so long since I took a lit class) of the fic — whatever it is, Harry is always trying to get a photo of the Doppelgänger to expose their identity. There are only two (2) flash-sensitive inks on the internet & I bought the cheaper one. It’s absolutely not perfect - you can see the image of Draco when you tilt the page because, really, the ink is just a reflective white (as Vuk called it, a shiny paint lol) — but I am absolutely delighted with the effect. Also happy to chat via ask or dms about the experimenting I did with the ink if you’re a fellow binder wanting to use it! I also would use a stencil next time to paint, as it turns out painting with basically invisible ink is really hard lmao.

I then really beat this things hidden/unseen theme to death, as I am wont to do. The title page is meant to simulate a flash/spotlight & so only parts of it are illuminated. The chapter headers are a reverse flash in black, while the chapter numbers are hidden/revealed by it (are they hard to read? Yes, absolutely. Am I happy with them anyways? Absolutely, yes). Even my bindery logo is a paparazzi camera for this bind :) the endpapers are spooky eyes WATCHING YOU READ (also kinda leant itself to the Illuminati/hidden conspiracy vibe), as are the scene dividers.

Headbands are just a fun hot pink and candy apple red, because I love that combo, and it’s certainly a bold statement. This is probably the bind I stretched myself most creatively on, as I think my style is naturally softer and more romantic, but I am so pleased with how it came out.

Materials:

Body font: Liberation Serif

Title font: Timonium

Endpapers: Lokta eyes

Bookcloth: handmade from red fabric

Flare brush for chapter headers: Xresch on DeviantArt

Flash-sensitive ink: MaxMax Flash-Sensitive Ink

[entamewitchlulu]

If I knew so many people would give you Reiji I'd have given you a different character SDJKGFK

Masumi for a round two??

only seeing this now ;lkdjfa;dlsjasfa anyway it's my own fault for being so predictable XD

Why I like them/why I don’t

I looooooove Masumi because she's mean lol. like she'll just snipe people for no reason. She's really perfect rival material in terms of yugioh and it's a shame there wasn't really space in the narrative for her to be more prominent. Still, her short-lived rivalry with Yuzu was really good for both of them narratively. I really love just how she gets to be smug and a little bit arrogant, and then also gets to be the sort of rival tsundere towards Yuzu like Kaiba is to Yugi lol. she deserves it <3

What I like about their appearance

she's soooo pretty ;w; it's unfortunately so rare to see brown characters in yugioh so she stands out in that regard and she's just generally has such a nice design and palette?? the only thing i'm unsure about is what is happening with her outfit sldkjf;slajfasdl

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?

Original for sure. there's nothing wrong with Julia Krystal, it's just kinda whatever. Masumi is cuter.

OTP

lol Yuzu for sure and forever <3 though i'm partial to shipping her with pretty much any of the bracelet girls. I just think Masumi should have a hundred girlfriends

NOTP

nothing particularly springs to mind, though she does personally strike me as a lesbian so I don't prefer to ship her with dudes

OT3

if I have to pick JUST ONE combo, it would be Masumi/Yuzu/Selena. But the ideal situation is Masumi in a bracelet girls sandwich

Favourite card they use

Gem Knights as a whole are soooo good but I really love Lapis Lazuli's design

Favourite moment they were in

When she was falling and Yuzu sent her monster to catch her and Masumi looked up at Yuzu and blushed i die every time

Least favourite moment

none, she elevates all moments she's in <3

Would I fuck, marry or kill them

probably marry i suppose? her family's got a gem business so they're probably well off lol. and she's pretty and mean <3

[solar-halos]

i’ve skipped so many mood board mondays, so here are a ton of mood boards. they’re all Annie Cresta themed and how i think she’d dress/accessorize in a modern au. this one is gonna be lengthy tho i luv fashion

don’t keep the devil waiting, old friend: queer couture*

comments: this one was the hardest only bc i couldn’t find a lot pics of patchwork jeans + smudged (and ugly in an on-purpose-fuck-beauty-standards type of way) makeup and i feel like that is a fundamental part of annies style in this fic. also shes in hs and i feel like that is the peak of diy-ing things that are ugly but obv pinterest didn’t have much of that. but in the fic she loves red+black color combos and sanrio and also mitski so i included that here. also, had to include a heathers pic. and before anyone says that this doesn’t count as alt pls remember something: i don’t care

* (as in annie is queer in this fic, not that u have to be queer to wear this. just btw)

fond boy with a flower in his heart: lipstick lover*

comments: her style isn’t rlly described that much in the fic but i think it’s very much winx and barbiecore. lipstick lover* to the max. she is also the queen of sporty spice athleisure

*in a “pink panther” by Scene Queen (the musician) way, not a luver of lipstick way. although annie is both in this fic

a deep dive into the mind of annie cresta: man eater couture

credits, first and foremost!

i found the first pic (starting from the top left hand corner) on pinterest. this is the second pic dress pattern. third pic is also pinterest but it gives me johanna and annie vibes. this is the fourth pic (it’s still a tester pattern so i just linked her account!). this is the fifth pic. this is the sixth pic. i found the seventh pic on pinterest. this is the eighth pic. i found the ninth pic on pinterest. this is the tenth pic (can you tell i love madebymolly? lol)

comments: okay, so at first i wanted to focus more on materials like linen bc i think d4 would be more focused on practicality than glam, but as you can tell it’s mostly crochet pieces bc i’ve saved SO many pics that gave me boho beach vibes. but also some outfits (like the green dress!) are outfits i described in the actual fic and then found on instagram later like “wait….. this was literally something i had in my head and they made it into something real.” like how fucking cool is that imagine sewing something from ur own two hands (esp lace!). but also the cheetah (leopard?) print underwear is so annie cresta after she won the games bc i feel like she’d embellish everything she owns like the fashionista she is

miscellaneous: i-t g-i-r-l

ok when i was first pondering abt annie cresta’s style @turtlesandwhales678 put this into the universe and i haven’t been able to stop thinking abt it: vintage styled annie cresta! i know i didn’t do this concept justice bc most of the outfits are condensed to a select few decades but there was an era in my life where i would refuse to post anything on my instagram stories except vintage pictures/photoshoots, so here are some i had in my arsenal that i dug up:

credits!

first pic (top left corner) is from the nanny! love that show u should watch it. i know the second pic looks like an invasion of privacy but i swear it was for a photoshoot in 1969 for life magazine. i found the third pic on pinterest, it’s lisa bonet on “a different world” i believe. the fourth pic is from my instagram stories archive arsenal. same with the fifth pic. this is the sixth pic. seventh pic is from my stories archive. this is the eighth pic

comments: i kinda said everything i needed to at the beginning. the ninth pic is giving me odesta vibes

okay, that’s it! i know this was sooo long but i was scared of uploading it to ao3 cos the last time i did something like that it got taken down. but to be fair it was sorta my fault. anyway this was sooo fun and im in a very big procrastinating mood so i will literally make a mood board out of anything / any other styles. i was thinking abt doing a cottagecore one but i heard that style has racist undertones? idk i haven’t looked into it but i should. anyway bye hope these were pretty

[matoitech]

What are your top-3 werewolf tropes (popular or obscure) or things you wish to see more in stories about/with werewolves?

ooo rly interesting question and surprisingly tough for me to answer.. i think 'tropes i hate' are probably easier to identify LOL but for some tropes i like hmmm:

i tend to enjoy werewolf transformations however it goes in that universe's werewolf lore, whether its painful and bone breaky and screamy or painful but feels good afterward or magical and painless or whatever, i think theyre all cool and they can all say a lot abt how u want ur werewolves to be viewed and what ur trying to say w them. i think my personal favorite is like, there is some level of pain but more than anything its a RELIEF to get to shift so its worth the pain. theres lots of things in life like that and growing up i could relate a lot to feeling like i was ready to burst out of my 'shell' as in body into who i REALLY was. on multiple levels lol

pack as being a better version of family was a huge one for me as a kid. i didnt have a good home life or childhood so i dreamed of finding out i was a werewolf and getting to run away and live in the woods as a wolf with a group of ppl that loved me, that was better than 'family' and meant more. tho it should also be stated this was more like a fantasy scenario for KID me; as an adult i love political dramas in fiction so complicated pack politics seem really fun to write now. i still wrote them to an extent when i was younger into my werewolf stories too but more than anything i had the dream of it being like a total freedom and actually getting to be loved as who you really were thing. i also like werewolf universes where they DONT rly have either packs of groups that function as packs, whatever works for the narrative and lore the best, but i loved the whole pack thing a lot growing up

i love werewolves being able to be used to represent so many things.. this isnt rly a trope in particular but i love the expressiveness and creativity and originality and fluidity their stories can have and i think its rly cool how many ppl can be compelled by them and attracted to the potential in these stories. theres so MUCH you can do w them that goes incredibly underutilized. if i wanted to always write a different way of looking at or approaching or relating real human experiences to werewolves, or even just slightly different ways the werewolves function (and you have so many different KINDS of werewolves; dif levels of animal and human mind combo as a four legged wolf, furry anthro werewolves, beast werewolves, etc) i would never run out of material or alternative ideas. thereis so much that can make a werewolf story a werewolf story and a werewolf a werewolf. theres so many personal reasons ive always loved and felt connected to them. this is partly getting into the 'what id love to see' thing, but just HUGE massive potential in writing abt stuff like disability for example that u just never see. werewolves r smth ive always rly deeply loved a lot and been fascinated with and i think it shows in how like Personal me talking abt werewolves tends to get lol. this wasnt rly a trope but im counting it

for more things i want more in werewolf stories.. lots of stuff specific and niche to me personally lol, but i want them to stop being so goddamn cisgender i think werewolf stories r one of those things where the way gender is handled is so unneccessarily bad SO much of the time for no reason i can see. i guess ppl want to be '''realistic''' to animals but gender does Not work like that for animals so theyre just being annoying for no reason. theres a lot of gender essentialism in a lot of werewolf stuff? which is incredibly grating. and obviusly shitty

anyway as a dif thing one of my biggest qualms w werewolf stories is that i rly dislike the incorrect 'alpha' dynamics + crazy aggression of the pack members against each other like werewolves r Biologically Evil thing that shows up a lot in werewolf stories by ppl who dont know anything abt wolves or wolf pack dynamics, or just dont care i guess. i dont care abt 'alpha/omega' shit at all i never write that kinda stuff. so i want more things that Dont use that. lol

id love to see more werewolves who Like being werewolves lol. being realistic abt like the pros and the cons here but there is NO reason why there r so few stories abt werewolves who actually like being werewolves or at least like some aspects of it. theres not enough furries writing these things i guess. oh i forgot to mention i like never think of lycanthropy as a 'curse' unless im writing it For A Reason. other characters viewing it as a curse while the werewolf doesnt, thats another story. i think its just boring and too like horror werewolf tropey to me. being able to turn into a wolf man is not a curse what the hell thats like the coolest power ever. i see ppl complaining abt how werewolves r 'too happy to just realize they have cool powers and start killing ppl they dont like for fun, i want to see them be SAD abt it' but i dont actualy see the 'enjoying murdering for fun' a lot in media so idk what theyre talking abt. i guess horror, maybe, where the werewolves r the villains? i see way more of them moping abt how hard it is to be cursed to be a furry. bite ME then if you hate it so much

i could keep going but i am gonna cut myself off now lol, tysm for asking! i could say lots more but its 2 am lol

[professor-rye]

10, 20, 30, 40 for the weird writer asks!

Thank you for sending me some questions! Apologies in advance for how much I ended up rambling 😅

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Oh gosh. Definitely Dapple. I was worried that I wouldn’t finish the very beginning idea I had (which ended up just being act 1), so I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when not only did I finish that, but then it kept going… and going… *and going.* I’ve always been good at coming up with ideas for long fics, but never before (or since) have I ever been able to actually *stick* with writing them, let alone so consistently. For some reason, for Dapple, my ADHD brain said “This is your life now and you are addicted”. It literally was what kept me on this earth for a while there. It unironically saved my life. And then it just… disappeared. 

My brain no longer wanted to think about it, and it was only habit keeping me going for a while there. I pushed past that point way too far and got burnt out, and I’m still waiting, desperately hoping, that the floodgates will open again. And not just because I want to finish it, mind you. Like I said, writing and posting dapple did so much good for me. It was a safe harbor in a storm. It helped me process some of the worst traumas in my life. It got me *so many friends*. I can not express enough how much I miss it. …. Gods, okay, that got way deeper than I intended. Apologies! Gods… well uh, on to the next question!

20. If a witch offered you the choice between eternal happiness with your one true love and the ability to finally finish, perfect, and publish your dearest, darlingest, most precious WIP in exactly the way you've always imagined it — which would you choose? You can’t have both sorry, life’s a bitch

Well, after the last question, I think the answer is probably obvious lol. No question at all, I would pick to perfectly finish Dapple (Gods, and if that also let me get the sequel idea I had as well?? And also all the side fics??? Shit I would sell my soul for that). (It also doesn’t help that I am ace and have trouble contemplating the idea of magically gifted eternal happiness, so like… it was just very stacked in Dapple’s favor already)

30. Talk to me about the role dreams play in your writing life. Have you ever used material from your dreams in your writing? Have you ever written in a dream? Did you remember it when you woke up?

So, its kind of complicated? I am very much so that writer who just daydreams about fic ideas as I lay down to sleep every night, so there is a very hazy period during the in between where sometimes I’ll get ideas that I can actually remember the next morning.

But I don’t think they’re actual dreams, because my normal dreams tend to be a) incredibly stressful and b) about the most boring stuff imaginable, which is quite the combo. 

But I will say that the pre-sleep daydreaming feels so different from any other actual plotting that I do. It’s very… gods, how do you describe this… 

There’s a thing I learned in art school where you step away from your composition and squint till you can only see the hazy outlines of the different elements of the work. Or like when they tell you to turn the painting upside down for a bit to see what isn’t working. The pre-sleep daydreaming always involves reimagining the scenes I had already thought about during more lucid moments, but looking at the broader strokes and the pure emotion of it (because sleepy). 

So most of the “ideas” I got from those moments were realizations that certain elements didn’t quite work the way I wanted them to, and then once I was actually lucid, I could think back on it and then (sometimes) realize a better way to handle that particular part. 

So… yeah? It’s hard to say if that counts as dreams specifically, but it’s also a really big part of my writing… existence? Process feels weird to say there lol. But yeah, it felt relevant to share. 

Gods, I’m rambling again. Last question! 

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

(not me taking several days to find this poem because my memory is terrible and I kept mixing up the line I was searching)

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb. ~ Mary Oliver

So yeah, if anyone else wants to send questions, here is the original question list post thingy. I will try not to ramble quite so much next time 😅

[yellowbluemoonshine]

Probably rambling, but here are some more reasons why I don’t (romantically) vibe with MHA’s Shoto Todoroki/Momo Yaoyorozu. Whenever the pair are painted in such a light, Todoroki’s needs are highlighted more while Yaomomo’s are often overlooked (as if her needs aren’t as important). A more realistic/plausible take would mean that neither of them are truly happy being in a relationship with each other. Which would lead them to seek their (non-material/financial) needs elsewhere. Also, I’m not fond of the fact that both Todoroki and Yaomomo are pretty watered down when romantically paired together (character-wise). Any problems they may potentially have are often swept under the rug (notwithstanding Todoroki’s difficult past). The combo of OOC (out of character) and sheer sexism are some of the major turn offs for me.

About Ships;

You explained it well, anon. Thats also my problem too.

Actually, thats a common problem with most ships, especially canon romantic ones. There is a reason why people are interested in so called 'platonic friendship' between others than actual romance because when it comes to romance, authors dont seem to put any effort in it. Especially because of 'power of friendship' thing in shounen and mangas, besties have more chemistry than actual romance. Why? Because they are their own characters first. Because whole series is about their relationship and their center arcs connected to each others BECAUSE they care about each others a lot.

For some partners, 'friends' (or even bros/sis) have lines that used in romance movies. (I didnt realize this until others point this out).

'Its always been you and me.' , 'If only i have you'.

Difference between that scene for so called friends and romantic scene? For 'friendship' or 'brotherhood/sisterhood' scene, its earned. Its not out of nowhere. It took a lot times them to get there. Its deep. Its so beautifully written to the point that it makes many readers question that those so called friends are actually in love with each others. And honestly, in most series, it is really questionable.

Well, while platonic relationships are exist and its completely natural to explore those platonic relationships too. People can love each others without any romantic feelings but we rarely get actually well written romance without basic rules. Thats why it feels empty and superficial. And most of the times, its really toxic. It feels simple crush. It feels like it happenned because boy and girl are in same scene. It doesnt feel impactfull enough because in the end, we all know that its not true love. Because love is about getting to know each others, it happens with trust and respect. It takes time and effort. It doesnt happen out of nowhere. Especially at writing, i think it should be explored.

Like, some people already pointed it out;

Romance doesnt even need to happen but if you are gonna put it into your story but dont make any effort to write or actually explore it, then whats the point of writing it?

This is also what i think about todomomo too. I kinda explained it in here. They feel like classic shoujo manga dynamic but just like you said, anon, i think they both are/can be more than that.

Another reason why i think this happens is maybe because the idea of romance for them/media etc. Ships that naturally happen in story also works better than this. In real life, love that starts with friendship is the best, i mean if you cant even be friend with your partner, how can you even have healthy relationship with them? Let them interact first. Let it happen naturally. Let them have conflict. Let them try date. If it doesnt work, then it doesnt. Dont ruin your characters to make 'romance' work. (Because in life romance, most patners wouldnt want to date with someone who is 'in love' with their so called friends. Imagine, actually dating with brocon/siscon or some guy who would prefer their friends/or one specific friend over you, lol. Literally break up reason.)

Basically, i agree with you, anon and its fun to make discussion so dont be afraid to send more asks, if you want, lol.

This post kinda become about ship post discussion but this happens too often and some people even wonder why others dont like their ships or they get mad at people for shipping so called friendship type of relationships. Hm, i wonder why, my friends.

[selenityshiroi]

FFXVI 13 hours in:

My answer to Clive having an angst attack is to make him pet the dog after because he obviously needs the free serotonin

I also get free serotonin from petting the dog so win win

Lady Hanna MVP. She gave me new drip.

I'm assuming (as I have done since awkward teenage 'not sure if I should hug her to warm her' moment) that Clive and Jill are intended. They aren't being TOO subtle about it but it's got that typical 'chaste but yearning' thing FF tends to do in their main pairings.

Which is hilarious because this game has also given us three scenes where people had extremely unchaste intentions and also naked Clive scene so the whole typical FF romance seems both wildly out of sync with the rest of the games tone but also quite charming BECAUSE it's against the rest of the game's tone.

Margrace=Joshua seems confirmed with the hood of the cloak coming down so called it (unless it's a deliberate red herring but doubtful...which I am very grateful for because one less guilt on Clive's shoulders eventually)

I am loving this game but SE level design is still prominently their weakness

And on that note: EVERYONE PRAISING THIS GAME WHO BLASTS FFXIII FOR BEING A CORRIDOR SIMULATOR OWES FFXIII AN APOLOGY. The only difference is a) you can actually go back to the corridors in this game and b) XIII at least had actual items at the end of their corridors and not just crafting materials and 5 gil

Combat is still surprising possible for someone like me who doesn't play many action RPGs. I've died and few times but the single reset with full potions has gotten me through each bit of content I struggled with (three times, I think?)

The only 'assist' accessory I'm using is pet assist. Because otherwise I will 100% forget to tell Torgal what to do. Otherwise I'm on action mode still

The times when I've managed parrys and precision dodge/counters make me think I'm actually good at video games lol but mostly it's probably luck as I spam combos and dodges

But it's getting me through

But, seriously, this game is the baby of FFXIII Trilogy and FFXIV so it's hilarious to me that this is getting so much love when XIII trilogy gets so much hate

The combat is basically LR combat. Right down to Eikons being paradigm shifts. The level design is pretty much the same as XIII but with the freedom to go back on yourself (so...like XIII-2). The UI and quest system is all FFXIV. The Active Lore is the XIII data log but presented easier. Staggering obviously started with XIII and had been a staple since.

And the plot...oh boy is there a nice sprinkling of XIII plot dressed up in XIV medieval fantasy dressing. It's still its own thing but this is clearly CLEARLY more XIII/XIV spiritual successor than anything else in the series

Again...as a FFXIII fan I'm super amused by this because, again, XIII is hated so much but there is so much praise for this and its not actually all that different! It's just tidier and adjusted to fix a few errors of the past which is pretty typical from a progression point.

The beginning was super cutscene heavy and then everything up until getting Jill to join us was very 'story/cutscene heavy broken up by minor fetch quests and take down a small batch of monsters'. It's only really opened up now Jill is here and we actually are out in the world on a mission.

Since I AM only 13 hours in I assume I'm still quite early in the game, though. So I'm assuming this sort of exploration is going to be more the standard going forward.

So, yeah, for all my 'I'm not sure if I'll enjoy the gameplay or the grimdark 'appeal to Western Audiences' bullshit that doesn't actually appeal to me in general' concerns, I'm enjoying the gameplay and the grimdark story is not as grimdark as I expected

Clive, in particular, pleasantly surprised me because he isn't a typical gruff angst machine as some of the promotional images implied

He's still kind and polite and careful with people and has a lot of compassion (which is also why he's hurt by what happened and is dwelling on it) but he's also letting himself be driven forward into looking for answers instead of JUST dwelling on it

Him taking plates around the Inn for people doesn't feel out of place because he does indeed seem like the good sort of boy who will just help out because he's been asked

So, yeah, much more my sort of character!

(Also if anyone wants to tell me 'but XIII was actually just a bad game' then don't. Because it isn't. It had a bad start (where you weren't even introduced to the actual battle system until like 3 hours in) and it required you to actually pay attention to the people around you and the things you heard and read in order to understand the plot fully. Which was novel at the time and is now kind of expected. THIS GAME even does it (no way would you understand half the background of the nations without the datalog active time lore). There is a reason a lot of people replay XIII nowadays and go 'wait...it's actually a pretty good game'...seriously, there are a crapload of people who replayed during the pandemic or when it went on sale on steam who are like 'why is this so hated???'.)

[diagonal-queen]

Hi!!! First of all enjoy your mandarin lmao and second how are you?? How's life going and all that? Also also I see you're an omori and obey me fan 👀 who are your faves from each I'm curious 🧐 and how far are you in obey me? Lmao that's so many questions sorry 😭 I feel so weird sending an ask off anon but hiii I rly need to interact more with people honestly 💀

(warning; long post mostly because i'm more horny about the demon bros than i thought i guess??)

lol thank you <3 i'm like. i don't know. i feel extremely apprehensive and scared even though nothing is happening. i almost always feel like that but i'm just...really *aware* of it now. so i wanted to talk to people to distract myself so hello!

and okay so for omori i really like hero. idk he's just a sweety and he's also got pyjamas and a frying pan like>???????? okay peak character design. love kel too he's an idiot. those two are the best imo

and for obey me, it's actually been a while since i played the game. i stopped playing for some reason around the time nightbringer released, but i was like...almost finished all the lessons at the time i think?

so here's the thing. there are things that i love about all the brothers, like i love the other characters too (simeon <3) but the brothers are like my FAVOURITE favourites. i really love mammon. if you asked me who my favourite was i would say him. and i know that's a basic answer because everyone loves him, but like i'm so obsessed with him he's one of my top comfort characters of all time. like i could go on for HOURS about how fucking much i love mammon he's the bestest boy in the world and i constantly used to replay card events where i got to cuddle and makeout with him because i'm cripplingly lonely lmao

close seconds would probably be asmo and levi, first of all for asmo, i'm just a slut for the flamboyant horny pink characters (see: mettaton, angel dust etc.) there's just somethin about them. and for levi he's literally a sexy socially anxious anime-loving gamer boy. who WOULDN'T wanna fuck that. and also lucifer, lucifer is great, he's just a giant powerful dilf. who wouldn't wanna fuck that. the twins? big baby and tiny baby? big pillow and tiny pillow? ouppy and kittys? sun and moon? yes. thats them. golden retriever + black cat combo ftw. and satan? well satan is just objectively boyfriend material. well-read, likes mystery media, dresses well, likes cats, be so real who WOULDN'T wanna fuck that.

anyways i'm so normal about the demon bros. definitely wouldn't give up everything to live with them in the devildom. no sir not me

don't feel bad asking questions i LOVE when people ask me questions it makes me feel cared about so keep em coming!! also i follow you now. get pranked hahah

[destinyc1020]

i swear some ppl have a pre-existing bias when it comes to cgi, lmao. that scene in nwh looked good and you also have to compare the material here. the things that spider-man is able to do is honestly something that (despite tom's background in stunts) no person can physically do! so of course they have to use cgi. and so much of it really looks great and just fits the genre and type of film that it is. like sorry but i don't know why people are expecting these actors or stunt people to move like spider-man does, it's just not possible and to create a movement like that purely organically, so yes cgi is absolutely necessary. i of course am always down for a spidey movie with less cgi, but that would mean less swinging, less action so that would be more suited for a character study - which i think tom has said he'd love to do too in nwh interviews! also anons are comparing a fictional desert alien planet in a remote area (or a fictional city in batmans case) to the very real and very busy setting of nyc! like can yall not see why practical sets work for some but not for all?

also, i gotta say the nwh fight scenes were honestly incredible. i think that scene with peter and the goblin in the apartment is really a top tier comic book film fight. the combo of tom and willem doing the actual stunts plus the vfx work turned out perfect. watching the bts i am always amazed by the stunt crew on the spidey films, they really are among the best of the best in the business

I agreed with most of your points here Anon, except for a few.

I don't think the Anon/some fans are complaining about the usage of CGI in general for Spider-man... Like I mentioned in my own response yesterday, Marvel wouldn't be able to showcase half of the fantasy worlds and outer space regions like they do in their films if they didn't use CGI. And like you said, the Spider-man films NEED CGI because he's doing stuff that most humans cannot do lol. 😅

With that said, I think Anon was just expressing frustration with the OVER-use of CGI in films today.

I keep bringing this up, but if you go back and watch "Batman: The Dark Knight", for example, you will notice a stark contrast. I think one of the reasons why that movie was so GREAT (aside from the great acting, the awesome writing, and the overall directing of the film) is that it was shot with barely any CGI, so it actually felt like a situation that could occur in REAL life.

Gotham is a fake city, and Batman scales walls also, but the CGI is so much LESS than what we see in most Marvel films.

Christopher Nolan even swears that he did NOT use any CGI in Oppenheimer in order to depict the explosions, and I think that was a deliberate choice.

This just goes to show that some films CAN be made without so much CGI.

Granted, it does make things much easier when you use CGI.... but there's a sense of realism at times when you don't use too much of it.

With that said.....

also, i gotta say the nwh fight scenes were honestly incredible. i think that scene with peter and the goblin in the apartment is really a top tier comic book film fight. the combo of tom and willem doing the actual stunts plus the vfx work turned out perfect. watching the bts i am always amazed by the stunt crew on the spidey films, they really are among the best of the best in the business

I totally agree!! 😃 The Spidey/Goblin fight in NWH was honestly amazing! 👏🏾 I felt every punch! It seems, the fights btwn Spidey and The Green Goblin are always the most raw, vicious, and intense! 😬

I recall the fight btwn Spiderman and the Green Goblin being particularly intense in the original Spiderman franchise as well lol. 🙈

So yea, don't get me wrong, I'm def not against CGI at all! Sometimes, you actually NEED it for many scenes, and it's used in TONS of films (even in areas/scenes that you don't pick up on), but I can see how having too much of it can get a bit old or even annoying.

NWH deserves some grace though, coz we were in a pandemic, and even the original locations for filming for the film went from multiple locations to just ONE: Atlanta. 👀

MANY films had to just film in one location during those covid years due to health and traveling concerns for the cast, crew, etc.

One thing I'd love to see (that I usually saw in Tobey's Franchise) is the heart of New York City and the PEOPLE in it in the film. To me, that really helps to set the tone and setting for the film.

For some reason, with Tom's Spiderman, they seem to have made the City take a back seat. 🥴

Maybe they will always film mostly in Atlanta. 🤷🏾‍♀️ But I do miss seeing the actual CITY of New York (and not just CGI or sets) in the Spiderman films. 😔

[literaticat]

Hi Jen, thank you for answering the questions :) I'm an illustrator with a few books published. My literary agent found me online and signed me a few years ago. However, my agent hasn't really been able to help me land any work. The children's book illustrating opportunities I had were all from my social media. So I'm wondering, should I switch agent because of that? Is it normal for literary agent not finding the work for illustrators? And how do you usually find work for your illustrators?

Ugh I've been avoiding this one because it feels complicated but now there's nothing new in the inbox so .... let's get into it, working backwards.

There are two ways of selling books - let's call them "active" and "passive."

Active selling means what you probably imagine an agent doing -- I have a manuscript or dummy that I am pitching / submitting to editors in the hopes that one of them will buy it.

Passive selling is when editors / art directors come to US to hire one of our illustrators or authors for a project - so this is usually for illustration jobs and Work for Hire writing jobs. "Passive" sounds like there's no work involved but actually that's far from true. We promote our illustrators -- we have a website we have built that is visited by lots of publishers, we do weekly illustration spotlights that go directly to hundreds of art directors and editors, we do LookBooks and physical postcard mailings, we have an illustration instagram specifically to push our illustrators work, etc etc.

The thing is -- we can put our illustrators forward as much as possible, we can make sure publishers know that our illustrators are amazing and point them to our website and talk them up -- but they will only approach us when they actually have a potential project for them to illustrate, and we can't MAKE them have an appropriate project. You know what I mean?

(This is why so many illustrators also turn their hands to writing and do both, sometimes illustrating other people's work, sometimes illustrating their own. Because if publishers aren't offering enough great illustration opportunities -- you can make your own. Plus, having your own books for me to actively go out with is yet another way to get on people's radar!)

Also, I'll be real with you: The illustrators who get the most opportunities are the ones who put themselves out there the most and have great social media and a beautiful portfolio and new material of their own. Because we can highlight you and make people aware you exist, we can lead art directors toward you -- but if you aren't ALSO posting interesting things, updating your website and instagram, etc to keep it fresh and keep your name out there -- they aren't going to remember when it comes time to hire an illustrator.

SO ANYWAY. To answer your questions (???? lol)

how do you usually find work for your illustrators? by promoting them AND encouraging them to promote themselves - yes, I'd say that most illustration-only jobs DO come because of either social media or because the editors have seen the illustrator's work before in some other way, previously worked with them or something like that. It would be impossible to say if the job is coming because of OUR website or socials or because of something YOU did - it's probably a combo of both! ALSO: I encourage them to try their hands at creating books of their own so we have even MORE chances to sell!

Is it normal for literary agent not finding the work for illustrators? I mean - its normal for agents to TRY, to put their illustrators out there and do what they can. But they aren't magicians. If you are doing a style that publishers aren't into at the moment, or you never update your social media or website so your work looks old, or whatever -- they can't MAKE illustration jobs appear for you. Ideally the your efforts and your agents efforts compliment each other.

Should I switch agents? I don't know. If you are unhappy or uncomfortable or you don't think they are doing anything for you -- by all means.

[randum-famdoms]

Been spending the day looking for things to try and remake my old Kaminari cosplay on a budget. I wanted to do either Reki from Sk8 or Akechi from p5 this year but both would require almost entirely new materials (and reki would require buying a skateboard because I do not do shit by halves).

I had so many PLANS for this shit. but noooooo I had to get in a car crash and destroy my annual cosplay budget. Of course. So instead, remaking Kaminari it is. He was my very first cosplay and holds a special place in my heart, and I was planning on redoing parts of him anyway so this is as good of an excuse as any.

regardless tho, shits still expensive. my old jeans no longer fit, and while i have a good shirt and a sweatshirt that would work, id been planning on buying a yellow and black varisty jacket and ironing lighting decals to the arms. buuut….. jeans and varisty jackets are both expensive. plus i need a new wig because my old one is a cheap amazon wig rather than an actual cosplay wig. and I need to keep this under $100 US.

id also wanted to pierce my ears for this because i found some really sick lightning dangle earrings, but uh. yeah that's nit happening on this budget. so i was like "okay, ear cuffs and clip ons it is!" but somehow all the nice ones are even MORE expensive than paying for both the piercing and earrings? like no joke, the combo of 2 cuffs i liked best are almost $100 by themselves! thats fucking insane!!! no hate to the sellers on etsu tho, they're handmade and I respect the craft.

Anyway, the wig will be $30, I found some cheaper earrings that I like (tho not as much) for ~$20, Lightning decals come out at $20 as well, coloured contacts are $18, jacket is $40, and new jeans are $20….

Yeah, something has to go. It’ll probably be the earrings, they’re just fun. But that still totals 128, and that isn’t even calcuating shipping and tax. I might nix the jeans, except I’ve been wanting some new ripped black jeans anyway. So it’s probably gonna be the jacket and decals, sadly. They would’ve looked so damn cool, but I can always save up to get them another time. Right now the wig and contacts are the most important things, mainly the wig tho cause the contacts won’t last forever. Who knows, maybe I’ll bite the bullet and go slightly over budget to get the jacket and decals plus wig and go without contacts.

Really I just felt like complaining. This isn’t important at all lol, but it brings me joy and I’ve been a bit lacking in that lately so realising that I can’t even afford to do what I was envisioning for my one cosplay this year kinda sucks. Regardless, I’m determined to make it look cool. I’ve had practice styling wigs now, and kaminari’s can’t be harder than Nagito.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

I’m realizing that typos that ended up autocorrecting into being from me typing so fast so if anything ever doesn’t make sense lmk LMAO

SHSH IM SO EXCITED FOR THAT OTOYA FIC childhood friends too good…like there’s just so much potential in that trope I feel jsjshdjsja

LMAOOO imagine the diff between Karasu being all sappy and Otoya being like “just get a side chick” I can see it

LMAOOO loser Nagi slander I laughed but fr!! Bye whipped Karasu is gonna be the end of me guys

NO FR HEAVY ON THE BAROU??? Like wdym red flag he’s literally husband material get out. But honestly he has one of the best growth mindsets imo too like he’s willing to learn from his mistakes and even kinda learns to communicate??? Also I have no idea how much of the light novel snippets you saw but essentially he’s a mamas boy (YEAHHHH) and basically helped around the house since he was 7 to help his mom out while his dad was working he def would have sm respect for his partner….also because he has two little sisters I feel like he’d grow to be protective over them for sure too….we need more people spreading green flag karasu agenda though like no this boy his bf material marriage material fr LMAO I forgot but he landed himself on the top 10 “would want to date irl” ranking list in Japan I think LMAO as he should

I’m gonna lose my mind when that match gets animated fr where’s that meme pic that’s like “I liked this before it was famous” that’s literally us….like we are the OGs LMAOOO

I NEED THE SISTER REVEAL SO BAD TOO I’m begging that he gets a light novel chapter and we see her OR we get one of those panel snippets again where we see her watching the match livestream (like Chigiri and Kunigami’s sisters or Aryu’s parents) actually you’re so right can someone just reveal everyone’s family members rn likeee I’m dying to see more of their lives outside of soccer too…and BABY NAGI FR I feel like that’s a lot of coping from me but baby nagi…..I need that visual (imagine he had one of those fuckass bowl cuts at some point in time too LMAOO then got too lazy to ever get a haircut again which is why it is the way it is now)

DHJSSH TAKE YOUR TIME!! I’ll be here patiently waiting for your next masterpiece…trust I will be reading those non-BLLK pieces regardless although I might have less commentary if I’m unfamiliar with the series LOL but I am very excited for the hioris works too and hollyhock….and my reqs…and POTENTIAL PEREGRINE COMEBACK??? Guys….prayers have been answered I love a good stream of content I can’t wait to read everything fr (seriously was in a drought for so long this is like paradise LMFAO)

Also I saw that nagireo post and I’m with you LMAO secret third option is that they suddenly become very static together…I’m ngl it’s kinda hard being not a fan of nagireo because er. Ok I’m sure not everyone is like this but many of the vocal fans on social media are uh. Not as receptive to constructive discussions…yeah…I’ll leave it at that LMAO

ALSO PAUSE NEW PFP?? I LOVE IT SHSHS NAGIS SO CUTE LMAOO

-Karasu anon

HAHAHA dwww i’m pretty good at deciphering things 🫡 but i will keep you posted if i’m ever lost fr 💖 i also make a lot of typos LMAO it’s okayy

CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO LOVERS WITH OTOYA TRULY IS THE MOST ELITE COMBO ‼️ i am so excited omg…like i’m abt to make this man suffer so bad 😰 i think he’s going to be a lot like karasu where he’s in love w reader the whole time BUT unlike karasu he has no idea that he is?? LMAO that probably makes no sense but i hope it does once i write it

otoya suggests karasu gets a side chick and he’s so offended that we get a second version of that dramatic ass nagireo breakup but it’s the tabieita breakup w karasu leaving otoya for yukimiya (otoya does NOT gaf and they’re back together in like one day max)

LOSER NAGI SLANDER ALWAYS 💖 he’s my special princess ofc but if i don’t lovingly make fun of my favs who will??

YESS the ln snippets was what i was referring to when i said he canonically respects women!! the way he stepped up to help out his mother and whatnot vindicated me so bad…like i KNEW he was a green flag and that just affirmed it!! the way he was so sad that his mother was working alone while taking care of two little kids 😕 barou truly would treat his partner so well and i agree he’s v willing to learn from his mistakes even if he’s cocky!! he’s also lowkey kinda shy i feel 😭 like when he was eating dinner w isagi during second selection after they beat reo kuni and chigiri LMAOAOA also i think out of everyone he and isagi have the healthiest rivalry — they go crazy on the field as one does but off the field they support each other and help each other out tbh. i think off field barou is so diff from his on field nonsense that it can be hard to see how ideal he is 👆🏻

SAME WITH KARASU ACTUALLY!! yeah on field he’s kind of a jackass and yeah he says random bullshit to hiori but as someone who has a younger brother i can 100% confirm that that’s just how teenage boys talk to one another 😭 and it completely does not correlate to how they are in normal company!! karasu based on hiori’s light novel works sooo hard to keep up w school, sports, and friends, PLUS he plans for his future and is tall & good looking…that truly is the kind of man you marry 🤭 i think for characters we don’t know super well (basically anyone but isagi) people just look at how they behave on the field and judge them on that but realistically they’re not going to be like that in a relationship

WE TRULY HAVE BEEN HERE!! not going to gatekeep because i need more tabieitaken fans to make more content but like…we saw the potential early on 🫡

I NEED TO SEE EVERYONE’S FAMILIES AGREED…manifesting karasu and otoya get light novels and we get to see their siblings then 🤞🏻 BABY NAGI WAS PROBABLY SO CUTE AND ROUND AND SQUISHY i bet he had fluffy hair back then too…if they give him a bowl cut i’ll cry it’s not nagi without his little bird’s nest cloud hairdo

it’s funny actually the non-bllk pieces are requests for fics based on a fic i wrote?? like they’re requests for original characters of mine 😭 which is like so crazy to me but also rlly flattering i guess HAHAHA i think you will enjoy the hiori reqs!! one of them is similar to one of your reqs for him so i might combine them a bit hehe 😏 BROOO I NEED TO GET BACK ON PEREGRINE I MISS WRITING FOR NAGI (i say that as if nagi has even made it to main character status yet 💔) the next bit is focused more on how y/n and reo became friends because we know from the future that they’re superrrr close but atm y/n like. hates his ass 😓 their platonic relationship is v special to me though because they truly go through everything together!! kind of a spoiler not really though but because he’s denied her attention before he’s denied soccer, y/n is almost like reo’s nagi before he meets nagi himself?? which is def going to switch around a lot of dynamics in a fun way. the good news is y/n is a lot more headstrong + better at communicating than nagi so there will be no dramatic y/nreo breakup scene 😭 no promises about y/n and nagi though 😈

NAGIREO FANS ARE TERRIFYING BRO THAT’S WHY I DIDN’T TAG THAT POST W ANYTHING!! like ok i get it your ship has sooo much evidence and backing and whatnot IDGAF it’s boring and i don’t like what it does to my favs (being nagi and reo themselves 😭) it’s my opinion but i promise i’m not homophobic or anything?? like what…idk i also feel like a large portion of the fandom likes nagireo and if they don’t it’s because they either don’t like nagi or don’t like reo which i’m in neither camp i just don’t prefer them as a combo!! i don’t think they’re good for one another but they’re also not toxic in an interesting way (because trust i’ll eat up a well done unhealthy relationship KDFHSJJS)…GIVE ME BACK NAGIBAROU 🙏🏻 GIVE ME BACK REO AND ZANTETSU 🙏🏻 or ykw make some new groups!! let reo be friends w like. aryu or smth 😭 or like karasu and nagi seemed to be hanging out at the arcade when all of them were there!! show me more of their vibe together (because honestly it’s working rlly well in epinagi)

NAGI IS THE CUTEST I LOVEEE HIM i may have a new theme now but he remains in his place of honor as my number one and therefore remains as my pfp this time 🗣️

[freckledjoes]

Ah that makes sense! Thank you so much! There have been so many interviews recently I cant keep up.

Yea, I feel like an outsider in the chat and am tempted to just leave, but like I introduced some of these people (like one girl I was friends with outside of Tumblr and another i knew in my personal life and introduced them to some from tumblr). Idk I've mentioned it to my friend in my personal life and they said I was too sensitive.

also Joe and Greece, that sounds cute. My dream date is just getting a date lol nah I think movie and dinner is a classic combo, but my dream date is an art museum so (I hate planes and one of the girls in the gc mentioned flying to see Joe and I was like ah no id drive if I went but also I dont want him to ever perceive me if you know what I mean)

Yeahh there are a lot! I totally get you lol. If you're not ready or completely willing to leave, that's fine. You can do everything at your own pace, just make sure you know your worth and boundaries. I can imagine it's complicated due to irl friends being involved. I obviously can't judge your friendships entirely as I'm just an outsider with one perspective that I'm getting from you, but I hope you know that the way you experience things is valid. It can be too sensitive for someone else, but if you feel that way, there's a reason for that. Whether there's an outward or inward cause, that remains to be seen, but it is valid nevertheless. Movie and dinner is definitely a classic! I think a date where you can have fun and have time to talk would be nice. A walk, a picnic, a visit to the museum, mini golf, some kind of workshop etc. Joe's date sounds very lovely too but I'd have to know the person for a bit before I'm like yeah let's go swim on an island where I'll be stuck with you lol. Not first date material anyway, but that wasn't the question of course :D

[crunchyfield]

How do stats work in Mario Kart 8 deluxe ?

They're many people hopping on Mario Kart 8 deluxe without necessarily understanding how do statistics work.

I know the post's headline may lead to some misconceptions so let's directly set things up.I'm not talking about the signification of each & every single stat (i.e. what acceleration represents in a vehicle combination nor how it affects one), but rather about where the numbers/stat levels come from.

Like previous Mario Kart games, this game in the vehicle customization screen if you press either + or - button, the current vehicle combination's statistics screen shows.In which you can see your combo's stats and how it allocates quantitatively speaking.

In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a combination's stats are displayed through bars, there are 6 bars in total increasing or decreasing by quarter bars (the amount of bars generally ranges from 0.75 to 5.75).

Now this is what the basic information game shows you, however according to Mario kart 8 Deluxe wiki page characters' and vehicle parts' statistics are intrinsicly given "points" for each stat.The sum of each combination's parts' points constituate what is called a level.

In fact, these levels range from 0 to 20 meaning there 21 levels in total.

You might be wondering how do those said levels translate into bars ?

Well.. let me explain, for a given stat the game takes your vehicle parts' statistics & character's points to sum them all together your combo's level, the game subsequently adds 3 points and divides the sum of your combo's total points (level) plus 3 by 4.

For instance if we take Mario/standard kart/standard wheels/super glider ( you know the starter pack of every people that never played any Mario Kart game before on top of not knowing any characters/vehicle parts beside Mario x] ) and try to determine the combination's ground speed stat amount of bars knowing :

We just have to do the following calculation :

So we got 4 bars of ground speed, let's check our answer using Mario Kart 8 Deluxe builder :

We indeed got the right amount of bars regarding ground speed.

With the easy part out of the way, we have to jump into into the more difficul'.. I mean the more interesting part.

First of all with what we currently know, we can modelise the level-bar translation using the next mathematical function :

Simplifying the function makes us realize we face an affin function which implies a linear function which actually implies a proportionnality bewteen levels and bars.

Studying the function with x takes integer values ranging from 0 to 20 confirms the fact that the amount of bars for a given stat ranges from 0.75 to 5.75, as you can see down below :

Then, setting a linear regression features up the fact that levels and bars are proportional (the proportionality factor being 0.25 like the mathematical function suggests).In other words, we notice that this proportionality factor represents the increasing/decreasing one fourth step hence it moving by quarters.

We basically figured out what most MK8DX players wouldn't even bother paying the slightest ever attention possible lol, demonstrating a visual evidence topped off with a creamy explanation :p

Sidenote: If you see thumbnails showing an amount of stat bars lesser than 0.75 or greater than 5.75, that is literal cheater material right there for sure ;)