#what are optimal og posting times

[landinrris]

On Our Terms- Chapter 4

Pairings: Carlos/Lando

Rating: E

Tags: Football Player Carlos, Artist Lando, More specifically Lando does pottery, Unintentional Outing, Explicit Sexual Content, Established Relationship, Minor Angst, Always a Happy Ending, Fluff and Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Euro Cup

Chapter: 4/?

The prospect of traveling to Germany for the Euro Cup is surreal to put it lightly. Lando’s never been to Germany— had never even been out of England until he’d traveled to Spain to meet Carlos’ family way back when. But here he is now in Berlin with the entire Spanish National Football Team trying to blend in like he belongs.

Read Chapter 4 || Read from the beginning

[outboundskelliebros]

OUTBOUND AU

Introducing the official Mascots for the Mimimuta YT Channel! Outbound Sans and Papyrus! This is just a mega information post on them to know everything you need to know!

REFERENCE PICS

Sans (Classic and Swap Form)

Papyrus (Classic and Swap Form)

PERSONALITIES

In general, the bros are pretty goofy, silly, mischief makers. They love both puns from the Papyrus slash Underswap Sans mode leaning more on them and both love practical jokes from their Sans slash Underswap Papyrus modes leaning more on those.

They do kind of have a nihilistic view on things knowing that everything that makes up their multiverse is made of a bunch of greater humans that could just decide to erase any of the universes they created. But at the same time, they realise that that doesn’t really matter. What could they do to stop them anyway? They’re made from duplicates of code that’s torn off from universe codes, so the original universes being deleted won’t delete them. (Wait till they realise they were created too but anyway) But they don’t use this new ‘Nothing matters! No one can stop us!!! *blowhorn*’ view to cause bad chaos, just chaotic good to neutral chaos. So when they do eventually interact with the Aus, they’re mostly just goofing around with the characters and lowkey fangirling since they HAD been watching the Aus from a distance from a while so that kind of made them feel parasocially connected to them. But also won’t interfere with actually important events since that’s not their place to do so.

They also experience slight memory issues. Not quite amnesia, just sometimes having random snippets of memories from a random Sanses and Papyri. Like, imagine Outbound Sans talking to Underfell Papyrus after having gone to Underfell a few times with his Papyrus and joking about an event then Underfell Papyrus being confused as hell why this Sans knows about something that happened in private with him and Underfell Sans and having Outbound Papyrus being like, “... BROTHER, I BELIEVE THAT WAS ONE OF THOSE... DEJAVU MEMORIES.”

Sans just blinks blankly for a moment before laughing it off, “... OH! MY BAD! FORGET I SAID THAT, LMAO.” and Underfell Papyrus is just confused.

SANS

Older brother, a bit of a terror of an older brother that loves messing with his younger brother. Lovingly.

Little mischief gremlin, does stuff randomly cause funny, also likes sarcasm

More observant than his silliness let’s on

Laughs slash appreciates at any joke Papyrus does, regardless of if he’s in Swapped or Classic mode cause he finds anything he’s bro does as endearing as a proud big bro

Slightly more unstable than Papyrus since there’s more Aus of Sans exist, especially negative ones. Has moment where the abundance of bad Sans AU codes in him make him either slump into episodes of deep depression or irritation to outright rage. Has learned to block out the worst effects of these codes but can't stop it entirely and hates it

SWAPPED exclusive trait: Hyper little energy ball, whizzes around a lot (Because people kept misinterpreting Blueberry as Canon Swap Sans, blueberry does influence him too)

CLASSIC exclusive traits: Sleepy narcoleptic, though half the time it’s because he’s pretending as a prank. Also drinks condiments because of how prevalent this headcanon is, half because he likes seeing people uncomfortable for funsies like OG Sans does, half because he likes it like everyone headcanons Sans does.

PAPYRUS

Younger brother that is so done with his older brothers antics but still puts up with it cause even he can admit it’s funny sometimes

More friendly and tenderhearted but can be pretty hot headed

Typical younger brother attitude, so it generally more immature and slightly more willing to give the benefit of the doubt to others, not out of naivety but optimism, than Sans is

Don’t let him acting annoyed with his older bro’s antics fool you, he can be just as much of a silly billy as Sans can be

Unlike Sans, he doesn’t experience irritation or depressive moments like he does, since Papyrus in Aus is very rarely depicted as... I guess antagonistically is the best word to use as Sanses are. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel some levels of depression ever

Autism haver, tends to fidget, a little bit socially awkward but optimistically and confidently pushes his way through it. Randomly becomes hyper fixated on different things.

SWAPPED exclusive traits: smokes special magic sticks, doesn’t actually do anything to him except make him look cool. Influence from the many swap Papyruses version makes him feel the urge to but has no real need for the effect smoking would actually cause.

CLASSIC exclusive traits: Go getter, pretty cocky even compared to Swapped Sans since he’s been pretty hyped up by Sans

How they switch? Usually it’s just a random thing that happens with a slight glitch but they can make it happen manually, usually if they just feel like relaxing (SwapPapi and UTSans) or go exploring (UTPapi and SwapSans)

BROTHER DYNAMICS

OG Papyrus x OG Sans

Pretty similar to original game

Swap Papyrus x Swap Sans

Similar to canon Swap

Sans is more protective of Papyrus than Papyrus is of Sans, unlike how many people seem to think otherwise, but Papyrus is still pretty protective of his bro

OG Papyrus x Swap Sans

THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST MOST MARVELOUS BROS EVER (as claimed by them

Energetic, always on the go and doing things

Surprisingly, Sans is more hyper and energetic than Papyrus so Papyrus has to keep up with him more than Sans has to keep up with him

Swap Papyrus x OG Sans

They just chillin’

Sans is typically more laidback than Papyrus and sleeps more than him but otherwise, they’re just vibing

[your-local-depressed-fangirl]

My book! WIP

I’d absolutely love some feedback on it! And hope you enjoy! (Wip below cut)

@mentallyunstablequeen101 @solangelo-taylors-version @persassy777 (this is the fantasy book I was talking about a while back.) @the-eclipse-is-in-me

Edit: oooh also @zeuskidrants and @spawnofthedead ‘cause they’ve only seen the og draft :)

Look, I didn’t know what was to come. I knew something was off, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on what was wrong until it was staring me right in the face. By the time I realised it was already far too late…

⸸•⸸•⸸•⸸ 

It was a beautiful, no, perfect night. Elmerina strolled through the empty streets of Tellhara, basking in the moonlight. The heels of her work boots clicked and clanged against the town’s cobblestone streets creating a soft steady beat. She hummed the melody to a lullaby as she walked keeping rhythm with her feet. Elmerina looked around her once more and after seeing that no one was there but the moonlight, shadows, and late night breeze began to sing, slowly crescendoing. She was a one woman band, only she was performing for no one but herself. The moment she reached full volume belting the lullaby at a volume it wasn’t written for suddenly, someone or something appeared from the shadows of the buildings, approaching her silently and… inhumanly swift.

Elmerina halted her singing as she didn’t want anyone to hear her and tried to get a better view of what was around her. Perhaps it was simply a town person out for a stroll like Elmerina. After all it was such a lovely night who could blame them? After a few seconds her eyes were able to make out the shadow clothed walker.

It was Cassandra, a friend of Elmerina's that she had known since as long as she could remember,  but something seemed, no was, off about her. Instead of her confident smile, her lips were spread in an almost evil grin, her teeth barred in a snarl much like that of a feral fox. Her eyes looked different, the colour was ever so slightly off, her usually green-ish Hazel eyes appeared more red even though the light from the moon above was more white with a bluish tint, and she wore a murderous, malevolent, scheming gaze. Cassandra closed the distance between the two and spoke in a voice that was far higher pitched and raspier than the Cassandra Elmerina knew all her life.

“Well, well, Elmerina…” Cassandra smirked and drew a silver dagger with a black leather hilt and shiny black opal embedded in the hilt concealed in her skirt that Elmerina couldn’t recall Cassandra ever having.

Elmerina felt a shiver creep and crawl its way down her back when Cassandra said her name with such malice. Elmerina stepped back and reached for her own dagger that normally rested on her hip, not so much to attack her friend but to quell her nerves, the instinct that told her to run, but she found it missing from its post.

Cassandra, with one quick movement, swung her dagger and pressed the blade to Elmerina’s throat with practiced skill Cassandra didn’t have. 

Maybe she just never told me about her skill with a blade, Elmerina thought only to have her optimism crushed by Cassandra’s features melting away to reveal a ghastly horrifying-looking creature: translucent black skin draped over its scrawny malnourished looking frame with backward bending knees like those of a bird, horse hooves, black beak, piercing bloodshot red eyes with black scleras that bore into Elmerina’s soul sending shivers down her spine, two pairs of arms, peculiar flaps of skin hanging down from its lower pair of arms that sort of resembled the concept of bat wings, and long grimy claws at the tips of its only three-fingered hand-paws that held that black and silver dagger to her neck.

“We… are coming,” That thing said before Elmerina could react and opened its grotesque beak and let out a hoarse choking sound that could only have been its twisted, unnatural version of a laugh. Elmerina stumbled back, startled. It closed its beak and gazed at her with blood-red eyes. “Fear us, those you humans have dubbed…” Its voice trailed off, and it split the surface of Elmerina’s neck with the dagger drawing significant amounts of blood but not digging deep enough to kill her. 

Elmerina gasped in shock and pain. She cupped one of her hands over the fresh wound on her neck; her blood seeped through the cracks of her fingers, warm and wet. The pressure she was applying on it did seem to slow down the waterfall of crimson blood.

“The Fear…” The grotesque creature said, finishing its sentence. It dissolved into black dust crumbling away like a wet piece of parchment being pulled apart before disintegrating and was swept away by the wind. The silver dagger clattered to the floor with a loud CLANG. 

Elmerina reached out with her free hand and bent over to pick up the weapon with her blood on it, but as soon as she touched the dagger, it dissolved as the grotesque creature had and a chorus of terrible cries sounded.

Elmerina looked up to the sky now filled with black smoke and something more sinister. 

The cries had been the announcement that there were swarms of ginormous, somehow even more terrifying versions of the grotesque creature that had called itself the “Fear” circling above her, teaming up with the clouds of smoke to block out the light of the midnight moon. 

It was hard to see but Elmerina saw a horrific mass of wings, teeth and talons circling the night sky above. The hoard of beasts dive down as a perfectly in sync unit and converge upon her with their limbs and claws extended, as if preparing to skewer her like a kebab. 

Elmerina tried to scream and yell, to intimidate them and scare them away with any luck, but not a single sound came out of her lips, she felt the words vibrate through her vocal folds but it was as if her words were silenced as they came out. Her eyes unfocused as blood dripped from her hands Elmerina’s neck still bleeding out of control. She fell to the ground unable to stand and curled up on the cobblestone, defending her vital organs and her head out of instinct and closed her eyes.

This can’t be happening, Elmerina’s scattered continuous thought. This can’t be the end… 

⸸•⸸•⸸•⸸

Elmerina opened her eyes to find herself on her own bed drenching in a cold sweat and the light of the early morning sun. In her room safe and sound exactly the position she had fallen asleep last night. But one thing was different, Elmerina felt a stinging pain in her neck, the same place that thing had cut her. 

It was just a dream, just a dream. her thoughts told her. More like a nightmare but nonetheless a figment of her imagination. Just another of the very ominous dreams she’d been having. 

Oh how far from the truth that line of thinking was…

Elmerina clawed her way out of bed falling flat on her face with a grunt before picking herself back off the floor and stumbling towards her dresser and looking in the mirror. She saw a nasty red cut where dream-her got cut before it vanished without a trace. 

A trick of the light… it must be… but alas she would probably forget this encounter like she always seemed to when something strange happened and be left with only the ghost of a memory and a strange feeling that something odd had happened. 

Elmerina changed into her day clothes and braided her long locks and pinned it in an updo to be out of the way for the day with a long sharp hairpin which also doubled as a means of self defence if need be, although the chances of Elmerina actually needing to use the hair pin for self defense. All the locals knew better than to try their luck with her in a fist fight or any sort of fight for the matter. Elmerina was still cautious and had that hair pin along with a dagger her late mother had given her. She doesn’t know what mother in her right mind would give a young child a knife, but she has it and she’s not about to be ungrateful. 

Finally after what some would call an average amount of time getting ready for the day and others would say an outrageous amount Elmerina finally left the confines of her room. 

Down the hall from her room her little brother’s room was still closed. A peculiar occurrence as he typically woke up before her. Elmerina gently knocked on the door of the room just loud enough to hear but not loud enough to scare the boy inside. 

Just as Elmerina put her hand on the door handle to go inside, a voice from behind her made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up with perfect chorus posture. “What are you doing? Why are you going into my room?” 

Elmerina turned around faster than one could say the word ‘turn’; her hair would have hit her in the face had it not been pinned up. “Goodness Neldawin! I thought you were still asleep and I was just about to wake you. How do you sneak up on me like that?” Elmerina said, letting out a sigh. This boy will be the death of me…

Elmerina’s little brother, Neldawin, let out a mischievous giggle. “Little brother magic,” He said leaning against the railing of the staircase with a mischievous smile donning his face, his dimple only added to the picture. 

Elmerina rolled her eyes though the corners of her lips were slightly upturned. “No such thing.” she replied, ruffling Neldawin’s shaggy brown hair. 

“Yes such thing.” Neldawin argued, crossing his arms, furrowing his brows, widening his stance, puffing out his chest and drooping his lips in a pout.

“Whatever… I’ve got to tell Lamira to start teaching you grammar,” Elmerina rolled her eyes, smiled at Neldawin, and ruffled his hair. 

Neldawin’s mouth opened to retort when the two heard a loud thud from down stairs.

[gabityaby]

I think i cracked it, the reason everything produced in the times of the High Republic is soo good compared to modern Star Wars, tldr its because of pain.

See, in all the works that date during the High Republic (specifically during George's ownership of SW) there's this fearlessness to show pain and tragedy and death, and i know it sounds like "everything for the children these days is sanitized!" but think for a second if Revenge of the Sith would be something Disney would publish these days and that's your answer, but that's just a tangent meant to emphasize the difference between Og SW and new SW, because what Og SW had was strife, and you the viewer knew that, because every time you booted up KOTOR or played Phantom Menace you knew what was coming, you knew to expect the isle of happiness in which the characters lived to slowly sink beneath the waves of tragedy and you'll see it happen as the characters around the story just dug up their own fates, in very much George Lucas fashion, and THAT is what made the work and the small moments of levity to taste so much sweeter, because you see the characters who you've grown attached to suffer so un-justly that when you return to the good times you can't help but appreciate the good and mourn it's departure.

The reason new SW does not achieve this is because the characters are dealing with the aftermath of the destruction of the baddies, its the birth of the hope for the future, its when you look at the horizon at the END of the movie, yes new problems may arise but the big hurdle is done and Disney didn't cultivate the joy from the Alliance's victory as it should, because instead of giving us proper post-war optimism (as it fits the real life post WW2 countries counterparts and fantasy sci-fi proper) it stuck only with the brooding post-war trauma, and while yes, that is also a very realistic take it still lacked verily from the former and thus there is no reason why we should mourn a character's strife if that is all we've seen from them, its like watching paint dry, nothing particularly changes, just a new villain here and there, the new character discovers new powers, new info, but there is no resolution, no reward for their strife, and even if they were going for a bleak post-war future (which they didn't and it also doesn't fit SW's constant theme of hope for a better future) it still ends up looking incomplete for the mere reason that they don't want to shut the book in case they need to milk the cow some more.

My point with all this was not to bash new SW though, my point was to use it as a comparison to highlight how Og SW built itself on a foundation of hope, how it showed us the height before the fall, how it is possible to make Shakespeare in space and leave all of us with broken hearts and looking hopefully into the future.

[destiny-in-the-universe]

Into the Ninjaverse: Concept Talk

Oh boy, okay-

Good timezone, my lovelies! So, here's how this is going to work- I'm only going to pick one of the variants of the AU (more specifically, it's the one where it fuses the Ninja suit with Spidermen/Spider Society lore because I just can). Now keep in mind, none of this is officially canon for the time being but that will be revealed eventually!

I'm going to break this down into three categories: characters, headcanons, and general infodumping/lore explanation! Good luck because this is extremely messy hahaha. Fair warning! This is going to be a long post.

Character Concepts

OG (Canon) Universe/E-1610

Randy Cunningham: This is Randy from the canon/show universe- with some differences to fit the narrative! He's only been the Ninja for a few months, still adjusting to everything but this eludes the canon ever so slightly- in this verse, he has yet to fully face the Sorcerer but he does deal with stankings! The Sorcerer just isn't a major threat at the moment- this is likely set somewhere in the middle between the two seasons

Howard Cunningham: Howard is, of course, Randy's best friend! He mostly stays true to his canon persona- though with some minor differences. He's slightly more involved in the battles, serving as backup at times for the Ninja and occasionally patches him up when things get a little dire. Despite his manipulative tendencies, he still cares for Randy.

First Ninja/Finja/???: The first official Ninja of Norrisville. He's soul-bound to the Nomicon- he can't leave it, but he can vaguely communicate with Randy via dreams. His canon plays out the same where the Norisu 9 committed the "ultimate sacrifice" against the Sorcerer and he just exists as something akin to a spirit/ghost within the Nomicon. He's Randy's mentor- very no-nonsense attitude.

Alternate Universe/E-616

Finja/Ninja of Norrisville/???: This version of Finja is technically meant to hold the spot of Peter B Parker. He has long since 'retired' as being the Ninja of Norrisville, and isn't necessarily lazy per se but he isn't active as the Ninja anymore. Certain details are, of course, being kept vague- his canon event is fairly obvious (coughs the Norisu 9 coughs) but there's some differences to this reality. Finja exists in modern times due to undisclosed reasons. He's a little wary of Randy's endless/relentless optimism. The only thing I can say right now is he ended up in OG! Randy's universe- he was found unconscious and a little injured, resulting in Randy deciding to help him.

Howard Weinerman: Howard is an adult in this reality- his life as a Norrisville High student was what you would expect when there is the Ninja and he grew up to become a teacher, of all available jobs. His best friend, Randy, ended up becoming a well-known idol. There's not a lot to be known about him- for now, at least. I don't see him being incredibly important for now. I just want to share concept ideas!

Alternate Universe/E-14512

Theresa Fowler/The Purple Ninja: Theresa is one of the Ninjas in an alternate timeline- a little similar to Peni's but not quite. Her alias is The Purple Ninja as her outfit looks purple in the universe she's a part of. In that dimension, Theresa and Randy's relationship is friendly but they're not dating- Randy's only a civilian after all, and she does follow the Nomicon's rules to not get too close to others. She fears putting him at risk.

Randy Cunningham: In some other life, perhaps- Randy and Theresa would be together but that is not this reality. Randy's a civilian who was never chosen to bear the mantle of the Ninja and instead works at the Game Hole with his best friend Howard Weinerman. He's friends with Theresa Fowler, but he isn't aware that she's also the Purple Ninja.

Alternate Universe/E-318

Spike/The Punk Ninja: requested by @just-animaxiz Spike is somehow appointed the Ninja in this universe- due to a shift in that universe's canon, Spike is a protector to Norrisville and has extreme issues with authority, preferring his sense of anarchy over anything else. There's not an official Ninja due to, well, reasons but we'll get to that later. Though, he's occasionally seen with a young teenager- the two seem fairly close.

Alternate Universe/E-928

Nomi/Nomicon: the equivalent to Miguel O' Hara. In this universe, Nomi is an immortal being who takes on the mantle of the Ninja- though, something seems to have gone wrong... he's cold, reserved, and distrusting of everyone and everything. While he's not literally Miguel O' Hara, Nomi believes in the order of the Ninjas and he isn't too keen on OG! Randy, but that's all I'm going to say right now.

Additional Characters

Howard Weinerman/???: Ho' boy, you are going to get a kick with this one. Howard is from one of the few canons where things are... different- he interned for a little under Viceroy and then sort of went off the radar for a while, but of course upon the multiverse opening- he meets OG! Randy and seems almost saddened surprised (?) to see him.

The Kitsune: [INFORMATION NOT FOUND] ᴇʀʀᴏʀ 404

The Dragon: [INFORMATION NOT FOUND] ᴇʀʀᴏʀ 404

How do I explain the rest of the characters without accidentally spoiling my own AU? Would anyone even want to see this as a fanfiction- this is going to take a lot of work, planning, and time so we'll see how this works out. Boy, I'm excited for this one but I still have a new fic to write and whatnot-

Headcanons

McFist and King Pin are meant to share similar roles- for what I feel are obvious reasons. The difference is that McFist's goal is to open a gateway or something that will allow the Sorcerer to escape and it's something they'd both benefit from. Unfortunately due to shenanigans, and even with Viceroy's intervention, it caused a rift- breaking the typical laws of time and space which led to the leak

OG! Randy isn't an anomaly per se- i don't know what direction this is taking right now, so nothing is fully confirmed yet but just know, there will be plans for him. Although he is a bit like Miles Morales!

616 Finja is Having a Time and he's exceptionally stressed from the fact he's involved with ninjas again, but that's all I'm saying for now

Randy and Howard from Punk Ninja's canon are in a rock/punk rock band! Because I said so

This next part came to me from reading thesoundofmadness' own multiverse/randyverse AU! I feel like not everyone is going to have a nomicon :) do with this what you will for now

Spike isn't technically the Ninja but because the Ninja apparently hasn't been sighted, he somehow took over- i'm still working this part out

E-318 Spike and OG! Randy have the same type of relationship Hobie has to Miles, but that's all you're getting from me-

I am struggling with ideas right now, unfortunately so now we get to the last part-

Infodumping

Everything starts from OG! Randy's timeline- after a few months of being the Ninja, he's starting to get the hang of things, but he manages to uncover one of McFist's ploys and ends up caught in a fierce battle. He manages to escape- only managing to get what appears to be a USB and then books it back home. Sometime after, within a few days of infiltrating McFist Industries, Randy is out on patrol when a weird wormhole opens up and this is when he meets 616 Finja. Things go a little south when realizing Finja is unconscious, and after only a little struggle- Randy manages to take Finja back home since, thankfully, his parents aren't home. Feeling a little wary, he has the brilliant idea to tie 616 Finja to a chair- trying to get answers and it starts getting a little weird

Deciding 616 Finja isn't a threat, Randy lets him go but then offers him a place to stay- since his parents are barely ever home, there's not a problem doing this. Things are extremely awkward because he never considered there were other universes and now, well, here this other version of Finja is here- in the flesh. Randy has to continue going to school, but that's where something gets a little... weird because he feels like he's being watched

Now this is where our fun lore rambles kick in

The Ninja suits are infused with the same type of material as a spider-suit and gives them similar abilities- as well as the abilities that come with being the Ninja on the account of I said so. Since it's obvious that the Ninja suits are magical, this felt extremely plausible for ITNV as a whole

The Nomicon is a sentient being in every universe- there are very few where it'll reveal itself as a human. The only known dimension where this has been known to happen is in E-928 (and well, wherever the Ninja Society is located)

Each Ninja has different skills, abilities, and powers at their disposal. Some are universal to every single known Ninja in existence- like the sword for instance, and the smoke-bombs and whatnot but some things will change

Do canon events exist? Well- sort of :) let's just say that I have ideas because OG! Randy is something of an outlier and each universe is still different

Nomirandy will be showing up in one of these universe, but again more spoilers! I don't want to ruin the entire AU in one-go. I will say that there's no endgame ship here. For, well- a number of reasons. One that the AU isn't meant to be as ship heavy and more centered on the plot and expanding lore

The villains are exactly what you'd expect- but uh, with Across the Ninjaverse technically also being canon, this could change. Nomi's role is a little complex, because he's not literally Miguel O' Hara but he's also weirdly not a fan of OG! Randy either- it's... complicated, especially in the form of an idea that isn't complete yet

Spells from the Shadow Warrior's temple might be referenced a lot more here!

I'm going to add more when I have the chance since I'm not feeling my best right now and let's just say there is more to come! There's also just the fact I can't fully share everything hahaha

Additional Under-the-Cut Information

Other Notable Characters

Debbie Kang: [INFORMATION NOT FOUND] Julian Nightingale: Julian is involved with this somehow- i think you can possibly figure it out, but with a twist! That's all I'm going to say for now- jokingly thought of Ghoulian being the Spot because I'm a little menace though again! Unconfirmed-

I can’t think of anyone else atm, but I do have smaller tidbits of information! Because I have so much brainrot!

Extra Information

Much like we’d expect from other multiverse media, the dimensions collapsing because of being in the wrong reality- well, that applies here too! It might work a little differently so as to keep the leads safe for obvious reasons!

The Kitsune and the Dragon are my own flair to the ‘crossover’! Whether they’re original characters or canons is a different story! I will always be original character friendly, that won’t change no matter what I write-

As referenced in older posts, each Ninja is tied to a specific element and has a signature move they typically use- almost always connected back to that element. I’m uncertain at the moment if that’s going to be used here, but I will say that Randy’s definitely fire coded- like that boy is a Gryffindor but anyway, I’ll be writing more for this crossover soon!

For now though- this is where I leave you

[overmore]

Not to bring twt discourse here (but i have to because i like to yap and don't like the character limit the other site has, so this place is perfect for that) but the whole 'idv fics suck' argument is really funny for multiple reasons.

There are quite a lot of people who write well. It's just that people who write well write for ships that you don't really like or just write themes that are not for everyone and can be uncomfortable. They often also write for rare pairs, something that you can't really find if you only look at the most popular ships.

New writers are a thing too. Writing is a skill, it takes time. You can't expect someone who just wrote their first fic to write like someone who's been writing for a decade. And even that person who's been writing for a decade had to start somewhere. Taking me as an example, I've been writing since I was 2012, fanfiction specifically since 2013. It took me until 2020 when my writing got to a point where I don't cringe at it when I look back at it now. Writing for bsd was a turning point in my writing journey, and I appreciate it so much. I will look at certain choices I made and wonder why did I do that, but overall, it's a pleasant experience. But it took 8 years to get to that point, not 8 days or weeks or months. Years. Everyone's journey is different when it comes to fostering a craft, but it is usually on the longer side for most people.

Another thing I noticed when looking at the og tweet and replies/quotes is people being upset that fanon is a thing. Lol. Lmao even. Sticking to cannon with a game like idv isn't the most optimal in most cases since we don't even have much to go with in the first place. Headcanons are a natural thing, sometimes they're ooc and sometimes they're not. No one truly cares if they're having fun with what they write (which is what being part of the fandom is all about btw. having fun with what you create). Unless you are commissioning something, you don't get to be upset over how someone else portrays a character or ship.

Other things (that aren't just an idv fandom thing, it's something present in general fandom culture) that are also worth mentioning are just the lack of engagement, not wanting to interact with ongoing projects, G and T rated fics not getting much engagement unless it's from an established writer and just being plain mean and entitled with no gratitude. Let's also add complaints about not many platonic and f/f fics while we're at it too. There is a lot that can be unpacked here, but I don't wanna go there now, I think we've had this conversation too many times by now and no one wants to do anything about it.

Writers are an underappreciated part of the fandom, even in bigger ones. It's just harder to see it, or at least not as noticeable, but in a fandom like idv that doesn't have that much of an active fanbase at the moment, it very much is. If all you can do is complain about the lack of something, maybe you shouldn't be surprised that when you make a post complaining about it, that is full of people also complaining that people write things not palatable to them, calling certain types of fics 'slop', complaining over major archive warnings that you can FILTER OUT, freaking complaining about 'too much nsfw', you shouldn't be surprised when people don't want to write for the fandom :) Some of the writers I loved to read left around the time I started writing for it or even before. There are maybe a few that are still here and writing. I've also heard how things were before 2020 when people were actively harassing others for liking hunter/survivor ships. This fandom is not nice to writers at all.

The main reason I still write other than the fact that I love the characters and don't see myself leaving the fandom anytime soon, is because I also haven't experienced harassment much (which is wild considering what I do like to write). The main reason for this is my need to block people for even the slightest wording being off to me (a habit I pulled from my previous fandom that was also anti-infested at the time that I was in it). If I already wasn't like that, maybe my experience would've been different and I wouldn't be here as long as I have been.

And more often than not, people who complain about this aren't people who are creatives. They, in fact, never talk about fics they do like or anything that they like for that matter. If only a fraction of the energy spent on that was directed at fics they enjoy and the writers they like, maybe we wouldn't be having this problem, or it would at least be minimal. There are so many things that could be done to make the fic space nicer, but it requires effort. If all you can do in fandom is be a Shen Yuan  kinnie, maybe reconsider if being in the fandom is even something you should be doing or at least reconsider your approach to it.

[johnmanciniwrites]

Attention: This Essay Will Take Approx. 5 Minutes to Read

An Introduction to Critical Thinking

We're fast approaching that hypothetical future point when robots will take over the hard jobs like making toast and folding laundry. The machines are closing the gap, and when we finally reach the "singularity," as it's called, the most immediately recognizable result will be unemployment. Not to worry. You’ll have all the legal pot you could want. Smoking it might make you paranoid about the likelihood you're under surveillance (which of course you are), but at least you won’t have to worry about remembering passwords or calculating tips. Maybe you can even get some reading done.

Whatever you do to prepare yourself for this dystopian inevitability, there are some basic human skills you might want to remember. Good old fashioned street smarts, for one. And other OG stuff like, say, critical thinking—you know, the ability to reason things out for yourself using logic and common sense. Having your own opinion may be your last vestige of liberty in this brave new world. So how might the industrious citizen go about forming an independent thought in today’s commercial landscape?

Step one: kill your television. At least, that was the simple advice offered in the eighties when this bumper sticker adorned the backs Civics and Escorts and Astro vans. Apparently, we used to have a healthy distrust of the establishment in this country. From the Vietnam War through 9/11, most Americans under thirty were skeptical of the Man. You know, "Don't trust anyone over thirty," as those free-speech-loving Berkeley students once said.

Now that I am over thirty and have spent more than a few years teaching writing to undergrads, I sometimes take a survey because I want to know what the kids read (not much, apparently). We compare screentime averages. After several semesters I learned that college students spend roughly six hours a day on their phones, not counting the other screens that crowd the remaining waking hours. The average adult spends only about fifteen minutes a day reading anything--and most of their time within view of a screen.

Don't get me wrong--I like my phone, but I try to remember that what's on the screen is not reality--not exactly. It's a curated representation of reality, a simulation or simulacrum as Baudrillard called it. The algorithm determines our desires and fears with increasing specificity and provides us with symbols to which we can relate--i.e. optimized and monetized content! When it comes to social media, we just happen to be the content they monetize.

Ever notice the way those memes leave an impression after you close your eyes? They return while you're lying in your bed unable to sleep, like a film on the underside of your eyelids, a vague blur that spreads like some drug from a Phillip K. Dick novel--the visual equivalent of earworms. Melodies and lyrics can do that. Or slogans, or words on a page. Images and language seep into our minds and spread like contagion, making contact, rewiring synapses. When we read or watch or listen for extended periods of time, an osmosis occurs.

People with short attention spans are easy to control. They don’t remember the last time they were lied to. Like Charlie Brown, they keep trying to kick that football and Lucy keeps pulling it away at the last second. We fall for the same trick again and again. Propaganda and revisionist history, fear and psychological manipulation, the exploitation of ignorance--Orwell illuminated all of these in both Animal Farm and 1984—two prophetic novels worth rereading (if you have more than fifteen minutes to spare).

So, quality control: Instead of doomscrolling through headlines and social media posts made to order by the almighty algorithm, one thing you might do to improve your critical thinking is read a book from beginning to end—in that order.

Reading is valuable in and of itself—we need not read for content alone. The sound, rhythm, and word order of well composed syntax is nourishment to the mind that thinks with language, that in fact uses language to illuminate the world outside and within. As we read, the brain looks for patterns--identifying the independent clause, retaining the subject and verb as the eyes track through multiple parallels, projecting the direct object or compliment, not to mention grasping the dramatic throughline, the structure and meaning. As W.B. Yeats noted: “As I altered my syntax, I altered my intellect.”

After all, how does one come to understand what a compound, complex thought looks and sounds like without reading one first? Our ability to follow a train of thought is enhanced by the ability to comprehend in parallel subordinate clauses.

Consider the following poem:

“I.M.E.M.” by Anthony Hecht

To spare his brother from having to endure Another agonizing bedside vigil With sterile pads, syringes but no hope, He settled all his accounts, distributed Among a few friends his most valued books, Weighed all in mind and heart and then performed The final, generous, extraordinary act Available to a solitary man, Abandoning his translation of Boileau, Dressing himself in a dark, well-pressed suit, Turning the lights out, lying on his bed, Having requested neighbors to wake him early When, as intended, they would find him dead.

This is one long sentence. The independent clause has four verbs. He settled (accounts), distributed (books), weighed (all) and performed (act). Then that “final, generous, extraordinary act” he performed gets modified by parallel clauses all beginning with their own verbs--abandoning, dressing, turning, lying--the last of which includes an additional adverbial clause (when...).

The first time you encounter this poem you may have some difficulty finding the independent clause (having to wade through a long left-branching introduction has this effect). But by doing so you achieve something similar to what Yeats was after. You alter your intellect.

We know the internet is a collection of stupid facts and sublime fictions, a carnival of conspiracies, a virtual reality curated by a host of companies for whom it would be more profitable to replace our views with their views. And there are oh so many ways to capture our attention-- say, for instance, through the clever means of wrapping a watermelon in rubber bands (as reporters from Buzzfeed did in 2016).

What will happen next? This question guides most content creation: it is a marketing principle known as the curiosity gap. When something surprising creates a gap in our expectations we feel a need to stay tuned, scroll down, click through or swipe. We anticipate more than we inquire.

When was the last time you read a user agreement on your phone? Like everyone else, you probably scrolled to the bottom and clicked accept. Who besides a lawyer can read the bloviated syntax and obfuscating lexicon of contract law and understand it?

Groucho: It's all right. That's in every contract. That's what they call a sanity clause.

Chico: Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You can't fool me. There ain't no Sanity Clause! 

“Attention is life,” as the poet Mary Oliver said. In other words, when it's over, that which you paid attention to will have been your life. Spoiler: we are each allotted about four thousand weeks in which to figure this out. Which is not to say that you have to kill your television or take a hammer to your phone or stop playing video games, only to recognize, as John Lennon did, that we’re “doped with religion and sex and TV,” and develop an ability to discriminate between that which rots and that which enhances.

Solution: Learn a new routine. Read a new book. Life is full of distractions—some of which actually require our attention--like, say, an oncoming car (or a technological singularity). Unfortunately, Chico was right. There is no Sanity Clause.

[smoft-demons]

MC ask game random answers 2 (rapid-fire mode)

Link to OG post! Feel free to ask me to answer any other questions, from that OG post or otherwise! Or to elaborate on any of these!

Answers are about Auva, my obey me MC. Basically she’s human, 20, aroace, ADORES her seven demons, and like,, changes the tone of the story from polyam-coded romance-ish to straight up found family/big QPR vibe.

Assorted questions from the general info section:

4. What kind of magic do they possess?

She’s got a few assorted spells from her pacts. She doesn’t learn to use any of them until like,,, some point after the time travel thing. Maybe in year two. That remains to be seen. It’s spells that have something to do with each pacted avatar’s abilities/values/something they want her to be able to do. Plus she got lay on hands and chill touch from Lilith after meeting her ghost. Thematic choices from her lol.

5. Which deadly sin best aligns with them? Which do they embody the least?

At first glance, dead tie between gluttony and sloth. She’s a foodie and bonds with Beel about it, but it becomes a gluttony thing because it’s not just a love for food, it’s an impulse to try to fill an emotional void with overindulgence. Not just food! Also games, sleep, reading, watching stuff, escapism in general.

For sloth, it’s just that she is not very inclined to move or do much when she doesn’t have to. She’s a homebody who LOVES oversleeping, and puts so much effort into optimizing necessary tasks so that she can spend the least amount of energy at any time. She’s careful not to go so far into those tendencies so as to make other people’s lives worse by being lazy, but she knows that’s a thing that she could fall into easily if she’s not careful.

She LOOKS like she embodies sloth the most, but if you examine her motivations, Gluttony juuust takes first place.

For what she embodies the least… depends on how we define them. Without question it’s Lust if we’re counting that as just… a sexual thing. Because she’s aroace. She experiences no sexual attraction, and if we’re equating lust to that then she’s fully immune to it. However, if we’re defining lust as intense wanting, fixation, staking your identity on cravings and goals and passions, then it’s higher up. She feels very deeply, and makes a point of being careful about remaining balanced and reasonable about that.

Greed too. If we define it as just a money thing, then she doesn’t really feel it. Nothing like how Mammon does, at least. She is not an impulse spender nor a hoarder. But she does sometimes notice herself getting a little bit more possessive than she’s comfortable with, and having to immediately back all the way off and examine where the hell that came from. So in that way, she’s got a bit of greed.

Envy as well is like that for her. She feels it in ONE specific situation. But then again, it never manifests in a way that would urge her to make someone else’s life worse. She’s never “if I can’t have it no one can” when she’s jealous, like classic envy, but instead like “oh… but me too though?”

With that in mind, probably envy is the one Auva embodies the least.

7. What is their favourite place, and what do they love so much about it?

Her demons’ arms. No question. She pretty much always wants one of them to hug her. She takes every opportunity to be in someone’s arms. It’s just nice. Warm and comfy and safe. If someone is holding her, she can’t possibly forget that they love her. Unfortunately, this is a pretty easy thing for her to forget otherwise. RSD sucks. Her history of touch deprivation sucks even worse.

(If we want an actual location, then there’s a few. Her bed, the library, the observatory, anywhere she can be in water, that sort of thing. But really, she would be happy in any random place as long as one of her demons is holding her.

9. Do they attend RAD? What is their role there? Best subjects, club activities?

Yes, she’s a student at RAD. She’s good at languages. AWFUL at numbers. Good with theory, be it science or magic. Really likes potions, because it’s kind of like baking. Working with spell components as well. Math, phys ed, and seductive speechcraft are all the bane of her existence however. She’s got dyscalculia, she’s NOT fast, she’s aroace, and her charisma stat would be like,, -3 probably if she were a D&D character. She only succeeds in that class on the days when demon classmates are trying to practise on her and she’s NOT supposed to let it work. That’s very easy for her! She isn’t even fully sure what they’re expecting her to react to lol.

In terms of club activities… if RAD has a choir she would do almost anything to join it! Otherwise uhhh… do they have D&D in the Devildom? Maybe a GSA? An astronomy club, a book club, anything like that? She likes those.

If there’s nothing like that, it’s okay though. She’s more than happy hanging around with her demons at home. She wouldn’t want to do more than 2 clubs anyway, she doesn’t want to be TOO busy.

[snomis-goofy]

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||| 0:10 The Night Time by; TV girl .ᐟ

Pairings; Leviathan x GN!Reader .

Prompt; Essentially drabble- Levi overthinking. Me too levi.. Me too.

a/n; I know grapes upon the vine get a lot of hate, but this is my personal favorite of theirs (I say as a less than average TV girl listener). Writing for my OG favorite character in memory of the downfall of Obey Me. Rest in peace, you flew too high 🕊 … Alsooo my first thing I've ever posted, so it’s probably not so great lol. ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱

(Also finished this and started in like a few hours so... its not proofread.)

Word count; 752

Warnings; Slight hurt to comfort, but otherwise none!

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊

He’d only ever allow such a thing in the comfort of his own room. Only ever bury his shy tears in your hair in the safety, though less than optimal space, of his tub.

The House of Lamentation was eerily quiet, everyone swallowed into the night. If it were not for the slight tremble to his shoulders, or the soft weeps he’d let out when you’d thread your fingers through his hair. Of course the one day he goes to RAD, in scarcely forever, he fumbles over his words for a mandatory announcement he and the six others held. Effectively causing the auditorium to grow quiet.

“Levi, It wasn’t so bad…” You mumbled in a quiet tone, afraid speaking too loudly would startle him further. And truly, it wasn’t so bad at all. Everyone has had moments such as that, slips of words and mishaps. But he didn’t think so. Even small mistakes such as that were harrowing to him. .

He hadn’t replied at first. Only encircling your torso tighter, as if you’d suddenly squirm away, deem him ‘unlikeable’ as he would put it. “... I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.” he whined after a long while. Silently cursing Lucifer. Who of which, made him speak in front of such a large crowd to build his ‘social skills’.

You wiggled out of his near bruising hold (with only some struggle), instead to cup his cheeks and bring his tear brimmed gaze to your own. His orange eyes glimmered with the dew along his lash line. Tears streaked down his face in globs as he looked pitifully into your own eyes, ones that held such warmth in them, warmth he felt utterly undeserving of. Yet you still looked at him, still wanted to be around him, even in this state. A slight smile tugged at the corners of your lips besides yourself the longer you stared at him, how a feverish heat began creeping up the back of his neck, or how his lip trembled just a bit as you dragged your thumbs to catch the tears across his cheeks.

“Isn’t that what you said last week too? What was that comment for again?” You mused. Feeling his hands meekly slide down to your waist as his body once wracked with trembles, soon died down, exhausted from the day's events.

His brows furrowed and eyes narrowed in a half baked scowl as you spoke, “This was worse, way worse! I made a fool of myself in front of half the school.” he replied in a less than amused tone, coaxing a wider smile to spread across your features.

“You stuttered, messed up a line or two.” You were quick to correct him as you continued; “Do you remember when Mammon had to do announcements? He got chased off by an imp, who he had apparently owed money to.” His scowling features eased as your hand dragged along his jaw, tilting his head to bump your nose with his own, ebbing way instead to a rosey blush visible in the dim lighting flickering through his room.

“I’d say that’s much worse.” You murmured, giving a huff of a laugh through your nose. His finger drummed against your side rhythmically, idly fidgeting the longer his weary hooded eyes gazed at your smile. “But that’s Mammon,” he stressed. “He's a walking disaster from his stupidity alone.”

Your hand fell atop his, pausing his nervous tapping and instead lacing your digits together, watching as his ears burned a crimson hue. “Beel too. When he did announcements he had chocolate smeared on his cheek the whole time. And Belphie simply forgot to write his.” His thumb dragged lazily along your palm, your knuckles, dotting each one, as you spoke.

“The bottom line is you tried. You even continued on with it after you made the mistake, didn’t you? That in itself is commendable.” Your words earned a shaky sigh past his lips as he pressed his forehead to your own, the indigo strands of his bangs brushing along your skin.

“... Thank you.” He mumbled simply, though his voice was strained, biting the inside of his cheek to will back the praising words he so desperately wanted to shower you in. But he was so exhausted, so deprived, he only sunk further into your touches and the porcelain of his tub. To which, with the given closeness, you pressed a chaste kiss to his parted lips with a soft hum and a mumbled “Anytime.”

[illmetkismet]

I'm so sorry if you've talked about this before, but if not, i wanted to ask you what's your opinion on 4make Leon? Do you think he's still a bit like that 21 yr old rookie he was in Racoon City?

:)

Eeeeeee thank you for the ask!! I talked about the ways Leon changes between 2 and 4 a bit in this post (and specifically the second part in the reblog), but more in a general sense. To get more specific, I think re4r Leon still has the same core values he did when he was a baby boy rookie - he's kind, he's selfless, he wants to help people so badly - but Raccoon City made an open wound out of him, and the intervening years between then and when we meet him again in 4 have scabbed the wound over and then mangled him with emotional scar tissue.

Let's start with some good: re2r Leon had kind of a naive trust in authority figures that led him to do some shitty stuff. I'm thinking specifically not letting the reporter out of the holding cell, insisting he has to talk to Irons first, because there must be a reason he's in there, right? Even in the face of a zombie apocalypse, Rookie Leon was like, "The carceral system makes sense, actually." And I'm sure him helping Ada, and being so difficult to dissuade from doing so in the end, had to do not just with his crush on her, but also with her telling him she was FBI. The one time his easy trust of authority figures pays off is with Marvin, but let's not talk about that 🥺

Re4r, on the other hand, opens with Leon basically monologuing about how much he hates the government and then having an uneasy car ride with two cops. You get the distinct impression that he's trying to be civil but he finds the implication that they don't want to be there or help him kinda distasteful. He sees them for what they are: lazy country cops who don't take their duties seriously, and that ticks him off. So right off the bat we see a Leon who's kinda withdrawn (he spends most of the cutscene staring out the car window) and who hasn't retained that blind adoration of a police uniform.

Him meeting Luis and immediately clocking him as 'fishy' is another great character beat. In the OG he just takes Luis at his word about being a cop, but in the remake he asks Hunnigan to look into him, which not only shows us he's not as naive anymore, but actually helps advance their story and relationship in a way the OG never did. They get to have that confrontation later about Luis working for Umbrella, and then Leon has to work his way towards trusting Luis enough to rely on him for the medicine and for help getting to Ashley.

So he's less naive, which is the good, but the bad.... Oh man, the bad... Along with his naivete in 2, he was also kind of an optimist. That's been almost thoroughly beaten out of him by 4 - he's withdrawn, quiet, depressed, and traumatized. We see it so clearly because it stands in such stark contrast to his central motivation in the game: that this time it can be different. He hasn't fully given up on optimism; there's a tiny spark of it in his heart still, and all throughout 4 he's desperate to keep it alive by trying to save Ashley, to connect with Ada, to trust Luis, even in trying to talk Krauser down while they fight.

It feels like in 4 he's mourning the rookie he used to be. He's not as trusting or earnest or open. Instead, he's closed off and brooding, and he uses humour as a crutch, as a way to distance himself from the horror of the situation he's in. So he's clearly developed some unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with his trauma.

I know you didn't ask about 6, but I think what they do with a 6 remake could be really interesting in how things go for Leon from here! 6, as it is now, and the way it segues into Vendetta, follows a through line of a Leon whose little flame of optimism pretty much gets extinguished. In re4 OG we don't get the ending cutscene of him and Ashley looking hopefully at the sunrise, and I think that could be the crux of things going differently for him. The 'things could be different' premise gets resolved in the remake - things ARE different this time! I really hope they carry that over to the rest of the remakes and don't take Leon down the same road of depression and alcoholism... That's a lot to hope for, since it seems like they intend for Vendetta to remain canon, but that's what I want to see, personally.

I want Leon to reclaim the positive aspects of the rookie he used to be, now that he's shed the negatives, and to fan that little flame of hope in his heart until he fucking burns with it!! Resi in general could use some hope, I think!! I'm just not a fan of where they left Leon at the end of Death Island, as this flippant, resigned guy who, ok, is not an alcoholic anymore, but now he's just a toy soldier. Same with Chris in 8, kinda, but that's a whole other can of worms!

Thank u for the ask again - I hope my Leon rambling answered your question 😅

[coolmaycroft]

Coomaycroft's guide to experiencing the Scott Piligrim

fWell H'llo newcomers at the Scott Piligrim Franchise.

I've seen this questions posted for several days now "On What order should I experience the media?" "Should I watch the anime or the comics first?"

Well, because it's become an encompassing franchise like Star wars or LOTR, I figured I'd propose a watch order for the people that just became aware of this multi-media spanning saga.

The (main) franchise is made of:

Scott pilgrim (the manga, comic, graphic novel): first released in 2004 as separate volumes and later sold in boxsets, and later in color hardcovers.

Scott pilgrim(the movie): released in 2010, directed by edgar Wright just a mere month after the end of the last volume. Disclaimer, I am biased against the movie.

Scott pilgrim (the game): Released pretty much at the same time as the movie (august 2010) for the play station and Xbox (what gen I don't remeber, it was a long time ago). I'll add a disclaimer here: I have never played the game, But I did watch the gameplays. The game is a side scrolling-beat em up/plataformer/RPG with a few different events depending on choices you take across the game.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: the animated series released this november. controverisal for choosing to make Ramona the protagnist of the story rather than scott.

there's also:

Scott Pilgrim vs the animation: A short cartoon made to promote the movie which adapts a flashback from vol. 2 where Kim, Scott and [Redacted] are still in Highschool

The Mobile comic: The comic in app form, which uses animations, sounds and vibration for the experience.

neither of these last 2 is fundamental for the expereince. Now onto the main topic:

what is the optimal way to enjoy Scott Pilgrim?

for this, I'll propose several orders depeding on what your priorities are:

A) the 2010's order: If you like doing things in chronolgical order

Read the comics first

watch the movie

then play the game (tho you can skip it)

finally watch the anime

As its name says: this order is best if you want to experience SP the "correct" way, as in, knowing what the story is about and seeing how it changes across time. basically you get the OG story in comic form, which still has that 2000's vibe. Then the movie takes the main elements of the story and gives it a more grunge 2010's aesthetic with some character change. The game serves as an intermission or break where you get to focus more on the vibes of the world rather than the story. finally the anime is a sort of revisionism on the character of Ramona and sensibilities of the modern times can be seen influencing the overall story: deconstruction, refference and subersion of expectations.

B) The Just the basics Order: if you just wanna se what the fuss is about

watch the anime first

read the comics

skip the movie and the game altogether

Old fans of the franchise will consider skipping the movie a sacrilege but hear me out: there is no storytelling value to be gained from it. All the beats of the story are in the comic and the hottest new thing for the next months is the animation. Sure, the movie is 1hr and 52 minutes, easy to knock out along the animation. But the problem is precisely how much it skips, giving the newcomers little context to understand the characters from the POV of the anime.

The game follows the story beats too loosely to get the full context of the story and characters. sure there are alternate events to the comic but by virtue of it being a game, these events are not elaborated on; no narrative payoff, no storytelling value.

IF you watch the anime first you've gotten a good taste o the SP world and characters with a focus on Ramona. Then you go to read the comics and you'll see the characters in a fuller picture, and much of the lore reffered in the anime will be explained. The anime and the books compliment each other: the anime focuses on Ramona and the side characters more (the exes and ramona's friends) The comics focus on Scott and the main characters (Ramona to a lesser degree, Sex-bob omb, Knives, and Wallace)

C)The Unraveling order: If you don't care much about spoilers and like Lore to be given little by little

watch the movie first

watch the anime next

Read the comics last

the videogame is not necessary.

This order has a few advantages: by watching the movie first you get the crash course on O' Malley's vision. know the cast, basic events, and setting. watching the anime second the world will be expanded, and side characters will be explored but many events will still be shrouded in mystery. Finally by reading the comic last, you get a new context of the events of the movie, the characters the anime and pretty much the story on which everything was based off. Think of it like knowing a friend's story/drama from others and finding a book telling the full version of the events.

This order also gives a very interesting interpretation of Ramona: in the movie you'll see her as a distant, and alluring girl. By watching the anime you get another side of her that the movie doesn't show; much more reletable and understandable. Finally, the comics give us a full understanding of why she is the way she is: her fears, flaws and virtues.

In the end, I consider the comic/manga graphic novel fundamental because it's just good. It has drama, action, romance. It's a story about friendship, gorwing up, and facing your demons. The movie, though I'm biased against it, has some of the funniest moments in the franchise and great scenes. The animation presents a new story and a new vision on the same world. So they all have their merits.

Addendum: FAQ about the franchise

basically quick answers to some of the most asked questions:

Do I have to look at the comics/movie before the animation?

No, the reading is not required. The animation is its own story told with the same characters, epsode 1 is vol. 1 almost to a T except that vol. 1 goes more in depth about evertyhing. From there the story beats are different; they happen with different characters or in different order or are entirely new.

So you can jump right in, and if you go with the other media there's newer stuff from your POV

What's the difference between the comics/movie and the animation?

In layman's terms: the movie and comics focus on Scott, and Ramona is the co-lead. In the animation Ramona is the lead and scott is even less of a co-lead and more of a romantic interest. Again, events differ but are similar.

Are the comics worth it?

Yes, they are. Even if you liked Ramona's story more, she still gets a TON of screentime in the comics and she goes through very different stuff, giving a whole new angle to her. If you didn't like Scott, the comics are all about beating him into the ground and making him learn from his mistakes. If you think Scott is a cinnamon roll that must be protected you'll get a crash course on why nobody is perfect. If you wanted more Knives, wallace, Stephen, and Kiim the comics are totally worth it.

bonus: you also get to know who the unknown blonde girl is, and why everyone is throwing a fit about her and why the fit is totally justifed.

Do I get the b&W version fo the comics or the color version?

That's really up to you. it's the same story but the color versions usually have some extra mini-comics about scott and friends that o'malley made avoer the years. I'm on the camp of "you should read it in the original black and white because that's the original experience" but I'm a pretentious nerd.

why are some people saying they didn't like the animation/it felt off?

the animation changed a LOT of things after ep. 1. Again, they made Ramona the protagonist. But I agree that we got SO little from Scott. In my opnion, the struggle Scott goes through the story to better himself is fundamental to the theming. So, for an old fan, the animation does feel lacking.

On top of that it took the fandom by surprise because all we had heard was that Ramona would get more developemnt but the promos and trailer pretty much felt like they would follow the comics but in a more compressed way. The story structure is changed as well: the comics are a sort of tournament arc shonen. The animation is a murder mystery shonen.

If you're a new fan, don't listen to the olds. It's the Prequel syndrome all over again. the animation is good, the movie is good, the comics are good. Choose your fave and don't let anyone tell you you're worng.

[teefa85]

Since the interface for image posting is better than a decade ago and I can use the Robin Customizer website to make images better than what I can take with the camera (even if I have a phone now), I figured it's a good time to just create a new masterpost for all Avatars. Links back will be updated if ever I get the itch for a new run.

Names other than direct references come from Fantasy Name Generators and the Dragon Name Generator. You can also click on an image to see their name in the description.

More info under cut...copy 'n pasted from OG posts and edited due to context changes.

The first is Teefa, named after my Head Muse.  She’s married to Lon’qu because I have a big obsession with Swordsmasters.

The girl with blue hair is Lufia, named for the heroine of the first game in the series of the same name.  She’s married to Chrom and anyone who knows said series would get the joke behind both her name, looks and marriage immediately.

The green-haired shota is Miath, my first male Avatar.  He’s a shota obviously because he married Nowi.  Wanted to have two overpowered Manakete daughters of destruction without feeling guilty about marrying 1000 year old legal jail bait.

Lennalt is the second of the male Avatars.  He eventually got married to Panne, though a bit late because I am the moron who didn’t plan an Avatar/Sumia file in the ones where Chrom marries another girl, and am too lazy to shuffle pairings.  And was NOT going to be trying a shuffle on a file where Chrom is marrying Olivia…

This here is Rthyin, unfortunate recipient of a crazy name.  And married to Tharja because I am evil and have Trainwreck Syndrome.  But in reality, I just ran a Four Sorcerer run and left it at that!

Next up is me returning to parody world with Rutee.  Yes, I married her to Donnel since she’s named after a character who does marry a farmboy and has a hyperactive son.  And ran her as a Trickster since Rutee was a healer/thief.

Talath was decided completely by a Randomizer.  I Randomized her gender, appearance, and even who she and everyone else married!  After getting rid of duplicates I’d already done, I had the file she’s in.  Due to this stuff, she’s actually a Sage and is married to Virion of all freaking people!  He’s…actually pulled his weight for once, probably to impress his very particular wife (it is Virion after all!)

My camera did NOT like trying to snap a photo of Saphira, so I can finally share a good image of her.  She’s married to Stahl, and is FINALLY after so long back to my standard class usage of Dark Flier.  Hey!  I have a full family of riders this file…

Next is Maylanth (May for short). The first Reset Run when I just marry all the opposite gender children and Spot Pass units. Her ultimate husband at the end was Gaius, although that was at the very end of the game.

Danny was also a reset run, this time with a male Avatar. He ended up marrying Emmeryn and I went really screwed up with this by having Morgan marry Yarne (considering their Supports...). Other fun fact...his full name is Daenerys because when I got a bunch of Avatar names from the Dragon Name Generator GoT wasn't yet around and I'd never heard of "A Song of Ice and Fire" and didn't realize this related to a female character...

Beroan's run came about since I didn't do Priam's Supports since I didn't want to do his battle with a sub-optimal lesser party or grind the kids on a second file. Since the servers are switching off, I have to do this beforehand and chose a new file over just grinding Danny's 2nd gen. Marries Cordelia and gives his fetching purple hair to Severa.

Nveryll was my curious test to see if the SpotPass data I'd downloaded could still be loaded once the servers went down despite my earlier desperation. She marries Henry and I can only guess, since Henry's endings all talk about him being a surprisingly good father, both of them dote on Morgan endlessly.

[eerilyfrozenhero]

Of course! Here is the comprehensive blog post rewritten for a Tumblr audience, optimized for its unique format, tone, and user base.

Tumblr Post

(Use a "Photo" post type and place the generated image at the top)

Title: The Tea on the Best FREE AI Face Swap Tools (2025 Edition)

[Image: The infographic-style image showing criteria for choosing a face swap tool, with the title "Best Free AI Face Swap"]

okay so you've seen them. the cursed memes. your friend's face perfectly edited onto a renaissance painting. that one gif of a cat with a human face that haunts your nightmares.

and you're thinking... i want to do that.

but every app you download is either garbage, costs money, or tries to steal your data. it’s 2025, we deserve better!

so let's get into it. i went down the rabbit hole and tested a bunch of these free AI face swap tools so you don't have to. here's the real, no-BS guide to what's actually good.

First, What to Look For (So You Don't Get Scammed)

don't just download the first thing you see. here’s the quick checklist:

✨ Is it actually realistic? Or does it look like a cheap photoshop from 2008? Look for good lighting and smooth edges.

🖱️ Is it easy to use? You shouldn't need a 4-year degree in computer science to put your face on a cat.

💀 What’s the “Free” Catch? Is there a giant ugly watermark? Can you only do it once a day? Know the limits.

🔒 Are they stealing your face? Seriously. Check the privacy policy. Does your photo get deleted or are they using it to train their robot army?

The Official Ranking: Best Free AI Face Swap Tools

1. Vidnoz Face Swapper

The Vibe: The All-Rounder. Best for literally almost everyone.

This one is genuinely shocking for a free tool. The quality is SO good. You upload two pics, click a button, and it just... works.

[GIF: A person's jaw dropping in amazement while looking at a computer screen]

The Good Stuff: Super high-quality results, it's fast, and you can even do videos.

The Catch: There's a small watermark on the free stuff. Honestly, it’s tiny and you can probably crop it out.

2. Deep-swap.art

The Vibe: The Video Pro. For your fanciest projects.

If you’re trying to recast a scene from your favorite movie or make a really convincing video, this is the one. It's built for motion.

The Good Stuff: Probably the best video face swap quality out there.

The Catch: The free version is basically just a free trial. You get a few credits and then they're gone. Use them wisely.

3. Fotor

The Vibe: The Swiss Army Knife.

Fotor is a whole photo editor that just happens to have a face swap tool inside. It's great if you wanna swap a face and then immediately add glitter text and lens flare.

[Image: A chaotic but fun image with lots of edits, filters, and text overlays.]

The Good Stuff: All-in-one editor. Swap, filter, and post without switching tabs.

The Catch: You have to hunt for the face swap tool in the menu, and the free credits can run out if you use it a lot.

4. Pica AI

The Vibe: The Group Photo Savior.

You know that perfect group photo where one person blinked? Or you just want to put your cat's face on everyone in your family portrait? This is for that.

The Good Stuff: It’s specifically designed to swap MULTIPLE faces in one picture. A true lifesaver.

The Catch: Can be a little slow if you’re swapping like, 10 faces at once.

5. Icons8 FaceSwapper

The Vibe: The Need for Speed.

No time to waste. You need to make that meme right now. This tool is FAST. Like, ridiculously fast.

[GIF: A character running at super speed, like The Flash or Sonic.]

The Good Stuff: Incredibly fast. Upload, click, download. Done in 15 seconds.

The Catch: The quality isn't as perfect as the others. You might see the seams a little, but for a quick meme, who cares?

6. Reface

The Vibe: The TikTok & Social Media King.

The OG mobile app. Less of a "tool" and more of a "meme factory" for your phone. It has a giant library of popular GIFs and video clips ready for your face.

The Good Stuff: Perfect for your phone, super easy to share directly to social media.

The Catch: The free version has a LOT of ads. Like, a lot. And many features are locked.

7. aifaceswap.art

The Vibe: The Rule Breaker. For the artists.

Okay, so most of these tools have a bunch of rules about what you can and can't make. aifaceswap is for people who want more creative freedom and fewer filters holding them back. If you have a specific artistic vision (or just want to get weird with it), this is your playground.

The Good Stuff: Way more freedom. Powerful AI for high-quality, unique results.

The Catch: It’s a powerful tool, so you gotta be a bit more mindful of how you use it.

A Quick PSA: Face Swap ≠ AI Image Generator

Someone in the tags is gonna ask.

Face Swap: Puts an existing face on an existing photo/video.

AI Image Generator (Midjourney, DALL-E): Creates a whole new image from a text prompt like "a sad clown eating spaghetti in the rain."

They are different things! Use the right tool for the job.

The Serious Bit: Don't Be a Jerk

look, this technology is cool, but it can also be used for messed-up stuff. so here's the one rule you CANNOT break:

CONSENT IS KEY.

Swapping your friend's face onto a cute animal? Ask them first. Putting your fave's face in a meme? Harmless fun. Using a random person's photo without permission? DON'T. Creating embarrassing or malicious content of someone? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Don't contribute to the deepfake problem. Use your powers for good (or at least for very, very stupid jokes that everyone agrees to).

The tl;dr:

For most people, Vidnoz is the best free option. For wilder, more artistic stuff with fewer rules, check out aifaceswap. Use high-quality pics for the best results, and please, for the love of god, don't be creepy.

Ready to dive in and make something amazing (or incredibly cursed)? You can explore what a truly powerful AI face swap generator can do over at aifaceswap.

[someonespinkpony]

Since you're feeling chatty about CC, I have Q's! How firm is the final chapter count? What's the Regina/Janis POV split in the remaining? Are there any scenes you've been dying to write from the start but aren't there yet? Were there any other plotlines/events that drastically changed as you were writing?

okokokok

i fully wrote out like 80% of my reply at work and then it deleted before i could post it because we got busy and the app was closed too long i guess <3

ANYWAY. let's get to this! i love it and this is going to be a rambly mess because i am way too caffeinated right now lmao

how firm is the final chapter count? i want to say mostly firm. my thought right now is 32 chapters for this first semester and then 20 chapters for the second semester. much faster paced ideally + maybe longer chapters to compensate. (oh my god snow angel is playing rn i'm ascending) also an epilogue. i really don't want to exceed that because as much as i love this fic i am ready to move on and work on other things. honestly tempted to take a break from it once we hit 32 so i can finish the tumblr fic and the beach fic (i've had the end planned out for that fic for MONTHS i just haven't had a chance to sit with it and work on it again)

what's the regina/janis pov split in the remaining? same as now! right now, they switch off roughly every 3-4 chapters. i really like limited 3rd person normally, but if we were in one the entire time i think the fic would get super fucking redundant, so i've enjoyed bouncing back and forth. not sure if i'll do it again though lmao. the first semester will end in regina's pov though and i'm not sure who's starting the second semester. we'll see. not currently my circus nor my monkeys.

are there any scenes that i've been dying to write since the beginning but aren't there yet? if i am being so honest. i did not plan this fic out at all. this fic was me scratching an itch to write a college fic and to fix slocg. i thought the show was rushed and i wanted to do it better. whether that happened is up to y'all to decide lmfao either way, i do have stuff that i'm excited to write. this last chapter was one, i thought about the families weekend chapters for weeks prior to writing them, and i was thinking about the nana joan reveal for a while before it was put down. some stuff i'm excited about? the ending. not that i'll tell you what that is but i'm excited for what it is because i think it's a good balance of real life and fanfic optimism. take what you want from that lol anyway long answer short, i haven't planned ahead a lot in this fic. a lot of it has been me building it as i go. i'm really excited currently for the end of their semester and the two upcoming chapters <3

were there any other plot lines that changed as i was writing? yes. i mentioned in last night's babbling that og regina didn't have a ton of autonomy and when i look back at my initial plans, a lot happens TO regina rather than her taking charge. a small example is that regina was supposed to become closer with her roommates much sooner. she's just now becoming closer with them and in my initial plan, she was going to become friends with them as her relationship with janis was building and then completely isolate herself when they broke things off. janis was also going to be much more like alicia (like i said, based off of slocg), but with their history, janis is much more sympathetic to the fact that regina's closeted (not that alicia wasn't sympathetic, but it's definitely a different dynamic. i could have a whole other slew of posts talking about that show). regina's family being involved as much as they are wasn't going to be a thing at all. it was an offhanded thing in the early chapters that i later built, which is kind of wild seeing as how important it's been so far and will continue to be.

i hope this was a fun read and not too nightmarish to consume and i hope the answers were sufficient! loved doing this even though i had to do it TWICE fuck you work

[facebookdebugger]

Facebook Debugger is a powerful tool developed by Facebook for developers, marketers, and content creators. Its primary function is to analyze and clear the cached metadata of a URL, ensuring that when content is shared on Facebook, it displays the most accurate and updated information. This tool plays a crucial role in managing how your content appears across the Facebook ecosystem.

Importance of Accurate Link Previews

An engaging and accurate link preview can significantly increase the click-through rate of shared content. Facebook Debugger ensures your title, description, and featured image appear exactly as intended. Without it, you risk displaying outdated, missing, or incorrect information, which can reduce engagement and harm your brand's credibility.

2. What is Facebook Debugger and How Does It Work?

Mechanics Behind Facebook Debugger

At its core, Facebook Debugger is a metadata analysis tool. When you input a URL into the Debugger, Facebook's crawler (the Facebook Sharing Bot) scans the link to retrieve Open Graph (OG) metadata. This data includes elements like the title, description, image, and type of content. The tool then displays how the link will appear when shared.

The Process of Scraping and Caching

Facebook caches the OG data the first time a link is shared. If you make changes to your content or metadata, Facebook won’t automatically fetch the new version. That’s where Debugger comes in. By using it, you force Facebook to rescrape the URL, clearing the cache and updating the preview accordingly.

3. Common Issues Resolved by Facebook Debugger

Incorrect or Missing Images in Link Previews

One of the most frequent problems users encounter is Facebook not displaying the correct image or skipping it altogether. This is often due to incorrect image size, missing OG tags, or cached data. Facebook Debugger helps pinpoint the issue and updates the image cache.

Outdated Titles or Descriptions

Sometimes, after editing a blog post or updating metadata, Facebook continues to show the old title or description. This happens because of caching. Running your URL through the Facebook Debugger clears this outdated information and fetches the latest metadata.

4. Step-by-Step Guide to Using Facebook Debugger

Accessing and Navigating the Tool

To use the Facebook Debugger, go to Facebook Sharing Debugger. Simply paste your URL into the input box and click “Debug.” Facebook will then show you how it views your link.

Interpreting Debugger Results

After analyzing, you’ll see a report that includes any errors, warnings, or missing tags. It also shows the last time the link was scraped and previews the current metadata. Use this insight to fix issues directly in your website’s HTML and then re-scrape the URL.

5. Optimizing Your Website for Facebook Sharing

Implementing Open Graph Meta Tags

Open Graph tags are essential for customizing how your content appears on Facebook. Tags like og:title, og:description, og:image, and og:url should be added to your webpage’s <head> section. This ensures Facebook can fetch exactly what you want shown.

Ensuring Proper Image Dimensions and Formats

Facebook recommends images be at least 1200x630 pixels for optimal appearance. Using the right dimensions and formats (JPEG, PNG) increases the chance that your featured image displays correctly in link previews.

6. Troubleshooting Advanced Facebook Debugger Issues

Handling Robots.txt Restrictions

If your site’s robots.txt file blocks Facebook’s crawler, it won’t be able to access your metadata. Make sure to allow user-agent facebookexternalhit in your robots.txt to enable proper crawling.

Dealing with HTTPS and SSL Certificate Problems

Invalid or expired SSL certificates can prevent Facebook from scraping your site. Debugger will show these as fetch errors. Always ensure your site uses a valid HTTPS connection and updated certificates.

7. Enhancing Social Sharing Through Facebook Debugger

Improving Click-Through Rates with Accurate Previews

When users see an appealing and informative preview, they’re more likely to click. Facebook Debugger helps you fine-tune previews so they align with your content’s intent, improving engagement and traffic.

Leveraging Debugger for Brand Consistency

Your link preview is an extension of your brand. By regularly using the Debugger, you ensure consistency in images, tone, and messaging across all Facebook shares, reinforcing brand identity.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Facebook Debugger

Why isn't my updated image showing when I share a link?

Facebook may be showing a cached version. Use the Debugger to “Scrape Again” and refresh the metadata.

How often does Facebook update its cache for shared links?

Facebook typically doesn’t re-scrape URLs unless manually triggered. Use the Debugger to update the cache whenever you change metadata.

Can I use Facebook Debugger for non-HTML content?

No, Debugger is designed for HTML content with Open Graph meta tags. It doesn’t work with PDFs or plain text files.

What are the minimum image size requirements for Facebook sharing?

The ideal image size is 1200x630 pixels. The minimum is 200x200 pixels, but smaller images may be cropped or not shown.

Is it necessary to use Facebook Debugger for every new blog post?

While not mandatory, it's highly recommended. Debugger ensures your content preview is accurate and up-to-date, especially if you use dynamic OG tags.

Conclusion Facebook Debugger is an indispensable tool for anyone who publishes content online. Whether you’re a developer, blogger, or marketer, using it regularly ensures your content looks professional and performs better on social media. By understanding how it works and following best practices, you can control how your content is perceived and maximize its reach.

[canned-pears]

Hello! In your aerith redesign post, you mentioned not liking aerith's portrayl in rebirth because of how she "jokes about romance all the time" as you put it. You also mention that you interpret her to be more disney princess coded. Can you elaborate on that? Just curious

Hi! I appreciate the ask! I figured i'll start this by stating that this is from my perspective and experience with ff7 as a whole, but when I first played the original, I envisioned her character differently from how the remake trilogy presents her.

I was under the impression that Aerith had a much more punkish feel to her character, but with pink bows slapped all over! This was communicated to me through her design (her iconic boots, puffed shoulders, etc.) and her overall straightforward, sometimes blunt, behavior. I love that she subverts the trope of being the cutesy character just because they wear pink y'know?

In the remake trilogy, her design is much softer, in almost every way LOL (her shoulder puffs? Gone. Her button dress? Gone. Her AIR VENT BANGS?!?! GONE! at least she retained the boots sksmfnk). Her personality is still very witty and charismatic, and they expanded upon the dialogue they had from og in a wonderful way! Her dialogue just has a different direction than I had initially anticipated (cute voice, lots of pep)

Her re trilogy version feels to me that her character's leans more in the direction of many classic shoujo protagonists, more specifically, magical girl shoujo! I grew up reading a lot of this content and if you understand how revolutionary shoujo (and josei) is , then you understand that they have some of the best writing & depictions of complex characters & character interactions. Many magical girl shoujo protags have this bursting optimism and emotional strength, and it's what allows for characters to move forward and have hope (sound familiar?). Aerith fits the bill imo. As for her being disney princesses-coded, I think the same can apply! Think of the little mermaid! She wants to go out and experience the world and although she is naive (bc she's young, inexperienced), she learns many lessons along the way and is unafraid to say what she wants. Ariel & Aerith (heehee) share that in common! There's also a parallel of sorts to tangled with the lantern rite in cosmo canyon in rebirth, and just figured I'd point that out lol.

As for the joking about romance part, I'll elaborate a bit more since it's likely not what u think.

When I say she jokes about romance a lot, I don't necessarily have a problem with her making those jokes or teasing/flirting w/ cloud. My problem actually lies more in that we only got to see her bond and joke around with cloud in general, not as much with the other part members (and those interactions w/ cloud just so happen to be focused on making things abt dates or romance). I guess I should be more specific on that front next time but yeah I like her teasing it's rly cute and funny but I guess I meant to say that I'm disappointed that most of her writing in rebirth centered around her bond with cloud, rather than with the others as much as I would've liked. I would've appreciated more moments between her and barret, yuffie, even vincent y'know? Her moments w/ tifa & red were awesome! Just imagine more one-on-one stuff between her and the others? It would have been really interesting.

At the cosmo canyon speech & at the temple of the ancients, she was speaking of how much she cares for the others, which is great! But I personally feel that we weren't really shown that. Of course, if you understand her character you would be like well duh, ofc she would care, but there's not harm in showing that y'know? It reinforces the impact of her words.

Also, romantic interactions are usually not what typically get me hooked on character dynamics, it's secondary to me in a way, so I think I just appreciate Aerith & Cloud's dynamic with romantic ambiguity because that way it highlights that their relationship wasn't JUST romantic-it was meaningful and symbolic in more ways than one! But ofc, this is just my opinion, so feel free to disagree