#which is why it keeps telling me about the character limit for a 'block'

[gillianthecat]

The New Employee - episode 5

Gah this EPISODE!! 🥰😍🥰 Here are my thoughts during and after watching:

Excellent, we're getting right into the mystery of the terrifying pen.

Omg the second hand embarrassment in this college flashback makes me curl up and hide. Also, I assume it's less obvious in Korean that Seung Hyun thought they were talking about a gift for him, because otherwise Yoo Seong is being deliberately cruel, not just self-centered and obvious, and I don't think he's supposed to be.

This is a legit explanation for why Seung Hyun freaked out though. I also would runaway if I saw something that was both evidence that my new person once dated my toxic crush and a reminder of one of my saddest and most embarrassing memories.

Lee Beom with the wise advice once again! And it sounds like Seong Hyun isn't mad at Jong Chan for this, just freaked out and stuck about how to talk about it.

These two have really good friendship chemistry. Which actors don't always manage to make clearly distinct from romantic chemistry, but these two do.

Oh Jong Chan. I mean I get it. Everyone is freaking out here. But Seong Hyun is trying to be open and vulnerable with you. You don't need to get defensive and go on the attack now.

Something about this fight and break up feels very adult to me. I mean, Jong Chan is being immature and leaping to conclusions and breaking up because he doesn’t understand Seung Hyun and he’s scared to try. But it feels like adult immaturity somehow, rather than youngness.

Oh god, Seung Hyun is having the worst week. All this heartache from the past pops up out of nowhere, your boss dumps you just as your trying to do the adult thing and talk about it, and then on top of it you keep fucking up at work and everyone is getting on your case about it. Including your he’s-not-actually-your-ex-because-he-ended-things-before-it-even-got-to-that-point. Oh man, I ache for him.

Jong Chan is in pain too, and I sympathize with him having spent the last day confused about the sudden withdrawal of the man he’s falling for, right after sleeping together for the first time. And when he finally explains why, it makes it sound like he’s still hung up on someone else. But I’m also mad at Jong Chan for not even trying to listen. Probably because it strikes a nerve—memories of trying to explain my complicated emotions to various ex-boyfriends and them freaking out about it, not listening to what I was actually saying and instead making up a story in their head about what my emotions were based on what scared them the most. Which was very frustrating.

And at first I was surprised that Jong Chan went there so quickly. I had expected more understanding from him, more willingness to work. But then his monologue to his cat made sense of it for me: "I don’t like emotional quarrels." Look, I’m not sure what of this the show is putting in there intentionally, and what is me making up complexity for a stock "cold boss seme" archetype, but I think this might be the first time when he’s faced with the complexity of who Seung Hyun actually is, rather than the sweet new kid who hero-worships him.

And although Jong Chan has been in many relationships, I wouldn’t be surprised if he never actually put the work into them, but rather ended things, or more likely retreated into his career when the emotions got hard and his boyfriends wanted things from him. That memory scene in the previous episode made it sound like non of his exes had understood his values and his love of his job, and maybe that’s all it is, but his line about hating quarreling makes me think there is more to it than that, that he in fact hasn't cared enough about anyone to actually face scary emotions. Except that now he does with Seung Hyun.

Anyway, I did like his desperately stoic face whenever he had to see or hear about or talk to Seung Hyun. And the way he grabbed his wrist and positively yanked him into the elevator to finally confront him in the storage closet. (It's not making out in a supply closet, but I'm still happy about it. Although it does make the camera angles weird and distorts their faces.) And the way he kept drinking more and more at the work party while his eyes kept tracking Seung Hyun frantically trying to be a good intern and take care of all his seniors. It seems very reminiscent of Japanese BL, although maybe its just that that's where most of the office romances I've seen are from.

And then! Jong Chan apparently couldn't stand it anymore and then goes after him. I loved his line (I'm paraphrasing) "I don't understand your feelings, and I know I'm supposed to or supposed to lie and say I do, but I just don't. But I want to." It's just so... gah! This was the moment (and their subsequent hug and giddy walk back to the work party) that turned this episode from 'some nice stuff happening' to 🥰😍! for me. It felt so honest and vulnerable and true to the character. He doesn't understand the complexity of people's emotions. But Seung Hyun makes him want to understand him.

It was also this line that made me willing to handwave the rest of the conversations they need to be having. Yes, yes, there are only eight short episodes, so we need to wrap everything up soon. But I believe, behind the scenes, they are talking about the hard stuff. Jong Chan is someone who if he says he's going to do something he does it. And I think he does want to see Seung Hyun for who he actually is.

I also have thoughts about seme/uke dynamics in this show and Seung Hyun's... passivity? Or not that exactly, but his very uke role of following Jong Chan's lead and not initiating much of anything, be it kisses, romantic gestures or difficult conversations, himself. But a) I'm not exactly sure what my thoughts are yet, and b) this is already very long and I should get on with my day.

Although this conversation gave me some insight into what was going on--the show's very traditional manga roots nestled alongside the grown-up queer story the director wants to tell, create some oddities like this, where despite his insecurities and inexperience, Seung Hyun doesn't seem like he'd be as passive as he is, but the structure of the story kind of requires him to be, so there is some dissonance there. And it also creates this thing were I'm not sure if I'm reading too much complexity into the characters and their backstories, or if it's really there.

But anyway. Their giddiness and joy at un-breaking up! Seung Hyun can't stop smiling! The relief on Jong Chan's face. That hug, they way they held each other so tightly. Their silly little argument over carrying the bags and who would enter first. 🥰

And the queerness of this show, in showing both the fun things and the glimpses of being queer in a homophobic world. The way they spring apart from their embrace when someone walks by, and their relief when he reassures them with a "cute." And the whole extremely queer you-used-to-be-in-unrequited-love-with-my-ex-boyfriend.

(Speaking of the ex-boyfriend, I still want to know more about Yoo Seong. Including who he's in love with. OOOOOHHH. I just had a thought. Second season about him? Is that what they're setting us up for with all these dropped hints?!? That would make me so happy. I don't know anything about the source material, so I don't know if this is a realistic hope or just a daydream. But if this was an English language romance novel, it absolutely would be setting us up for a second Yoo Seong book. The ridiculously attractive mysterious "rake" who hurts both of the main characters, sweeping through their lives seemingly unaware. Who seems to have fallen for some unknown person. Come on producers, give it to us.)

Ok, back to our main couple. The sweetness of their texting from opposite sides of the corporate sleepover! Their promises to communicate and stick around when things got hard. Jong Chan sneaking over just to sit next to Seung Hyun as he falls asleep. And this is all the sweeter for me, because I feel like their giddy happiness means something now.

[ninewheels]

So I just saw a montage video on YouTube of Amazing Shots in Furiosa, and yeah are A+ (Furiosa is an A+ looking movie) but the priority of this video is clearly on the shots that look amazing in the desktop background or tumblr gifset sense. Which is fine, I love those, and that channel can do whatever it wants, but there are many different kinds of amazing shots, and this just inspired me to talk about my personal favorite shot in the film.

First of all, this is what I think of as an Alfonso Cuarón oner (although Miller's been around longer, were the 80s Mad Maxes like this and should he have dibs?) which is to say a oner that doesn't draw attention to itself, but uses the uncut nature to create a particular feeling, and also because if your blocking set-up means you can transition smoothly from one great angle into another without cutting, why not do it?

We see Furiosa and Jack being dragged out of the V8...

And laid on the ground in front of Dementus...

Who starts making with the villainous grandstanding that is his specialty. This whole scene is about simultaneously conveying how powerful he is, but at the same time how powerful he isn't. Notice how the harsh sunlight backlighting him and his droogs amplifies the melodramatic menace; notice also how much of his monologizing is quite nihilistic, and puts more emphasis on how Furiosa and Jack fucked things up than how good it's gonna be when they punish them.

He moves camera right, and the camera keeps him in frame, but it doesn't move away from Furiosa and Jack either. They're also in the foreground here, and a little closer to center than Dementus is. (The center point is right in between Jack/Davidson and the background biker nearest to them.) Not only are they pulling the audience's focus from Dementus, they are pulling each other's focus as well. They share this tender moment ("My Jack" "My Fury"), not giving a flying fuck about whatever this asshole is saying.

(Also, pay attention to Harley's grip on Furiosa, and how he releases it to let her nuzzle up to Jack.)

"I'm chewing the bloody scenery over here, pay attention to me!"

This specific section of the shot--the camera and the characters refusing to focus on him, and then him getting pissy about it in a fourth-wall nudging fashion--was the part that I was thinking of when I decided to make this post. I'd forgotten how long the shot in its entirety was, and it's all good.

It's harder to tell with Jack, but Furiosa definitely never once looks at Dementus in this entire scene. Most of them time she's looking at Jack, but even when she isn't, she deliberately keeps her eyes off of Dementus. She knows how much he loves being looked at, and decides to not give him the satisfaction. (There's a parallel to "Witness me!", one that increased for me in Dementus's final scene with the line "Do you have it in you to make it epic?" which has strong War Boy energy to it.)

Up to this point, movement was limited, both for the characters and the camera. While the angles shifted, the camera would linger in place for longer sections, or move slowly from one to the next. And after our heroes are dragged away from the car, Dementus is the only character who crosses any distance.

Now the time for talking is over (in a tonal sense, obviously there's still more dialogue) and the time for action is here: specifically, enacting punishments for these two. All the characters are in motion now, and the camera is too, and it stays active until the end of the shot.

In a shot that is physically tracking Furiosa the whole time, these couple of seconds following Jack as he's being forced to run behind the bike are the only part where she's not in frame, not even in the background. It enforces the finality of this physical separation of the two of them. He's alone now (in the way that matters) and when the camera moves back to her, she is too.

And a more blatant follow-up to Harley's body language from earlier. He's like the camera and the audience in a way--he's been paying more attention to our heroes than to his lunatic boss's nihilist proclamations. (I've heard someone assert that he's the one who let Furiosa go, which might emotionally match what's happening, but there's no actual evidence for it, and it's so much more in-character for her to single-handedly find a way to straight-up tear her arm off at the mangled joint.*

And we end on this: Dementus is staring intently at Furiosa, and Furiosa is not looking at him, which in this case is because it'd be physically impossible for her, but the imagery is telling the story it's telling. A different film with different characters could use still this exact same blocking and framing, but create a different story by having the prisoner crane their neck to the side in vain to make some attempt to address their captor, whether to beg for mercy or tell them to go fuck themselves. Furiosa may be defeated, fully aware she's living the second worst day of her life, but she can still deny Dementus the thing he wants: her attention.

There are definite shortcomings with this screenplay, but the direction, the cinematography, and the general moment-to-moment storytelling are fucking good.

[belladonnabefore]

Im coming back to Tumblr, and as much as it's not important to anyone, the reason is actually socially and politically interesting and i wanna explain it.

So, some context before anything, im Brazilian, grew up a Tumblr kid in from 2016 to about 2018, left for a good while, then i got a Twitter ( i refuse to call it X ) cause of Animation School during 2022, and now im migrating back to Tumblr, and it's cause Brazil is actually banning Twitter, giving a 8,912 dollar fine to anyone who uses a VPN to acess it and to top it off blocked Starlink's financial resourses in Brazil, the reason being justified and absolutely nuts that it happened too, at least in my conception.

So, from 2018 to 2022 the Brazilian president was Jair Bolsonaro, basically the dummer and more openly facist Brazilian version of Trump ( and that's a whole can of worms that im not gonna get into cause this post is already bound to be massive ), and on the end of 2022 presidental elections were held and Bolsonaro lost to Lula, a left leaning guy that will 100% sacrifice his morals for money and power ( but ended up being, sadly, the least worst option on that election, kinda like Biden ). So Bolsonaro started discrediting the electoral results on the internet with the help of other far-right politians and surprisingly ( or not ) Elon Musk. Following these series of inflamatory accusations from Bolsonaro and the far-right there were a few riots and then his following ( and most recent facist movement of Brazil ) stormed the Capitol in January 8th 2023 with enabling from the Brazilian police and military forces ( which sadly kinda work as it's own conservative cell seperate from the government due to Brazil's badly resolved Military Dictatorship issues ), politicians were evactuated before they entered, but when they did they tore down and stole priceless diplomatic gifts and works of art all over, but since it was mostly elderly people they were detained and jailed pretty quickly, even with the police's unwillingness allowing tons of them to escape.

And a huge investigation was open to see if the Coup was organized by political figures or not, led by supreme court judge Alexandre de Moraes. And well, from the involvement of the police force blocking highways so rural and poor communities couldn't vote, to a general testifying that Bolsonaro presented him papers detailing a organized planned Coup that didn't happen ( that were later found to be in a liutenant-colonel's house ), to Musk stepping in himself to discredit a deny Judge Moraes' requests to ban the accounts of people involved in the coup and in spreading missinformation about the Covid-19 vaccines back in the pandemic, it was obvious political figure's were neck in deep in shit, and Musk's box-shapped visage was no different.

So, cause of his involvement in this crazy mess, various personal attacks on Judge Moraes and the fact that brazilian facist cells are finding refuge on Twitter without any sort of reprimanding from the plataform, Judge Moraes threatened arresting Twitter's Brazilian representative. Elon Musk's response was to completely shut down Twitter's offices in Brazil, leaving them as a rougue agent with no representative on the eyes lf the law, and so Moraes responded by blocking Starlink's financial resources here and threatening to shut down Twitter for good in Brazil if Elon keeps disrespecting and delegitimazing Brazilian democracy and law, Musk responded to this by throwing more anti-democratic tamper tantrums and posting edited pics of Moraes as Darth Vader or someone of the sort ( i don't watch Star Wars ) like the little facist troll he is. And that's why Brazil ( Twitter's 6th biggest userbase ) is just gonna vanish from there today or soon enough, and why im here now again! And let me tell you something, not having character limitations and being able to say "FUCK YOU ELON MUSK" without getting kicked to the curb is absolutely FREEING.

So, prehaps expect a influx of Brazilians even though most will go to Bluesky, and don't expect me to cover politics anytime soon, maybe expect me to cover history though.

Thanks for reading. ♡

[keresnotceres]

ker’s masterlist:

A list of my works for your convenience. Anything listed that is not underlined is unposted but is in the works! This is a working post, so it will update. As a result, more fandoms may be added.

This account is a side blog! If you get a reblog/like/follow from miloticaquarium i promise it’s me!! just like,, a less cool version of me lol

I also take requests :) Rules + Information under my works!

CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE II (2022)

headcanons:

TF 141: General HCs [sfw]

TF 141: NSFW HCs [nsfw]

TF 141: Civilian Lover [sfw]

TF 141: Realizing They Love You [sfw]

TF 141: “I Love You” [sfw]

MW2 Characters: as Lovers [sfw]

MW2 Characters: as Lovers (Angst) [sfw]

Valeria & Alejandro: 3some HCs [nsfw] (afab reader)

Ghost, Soap, & Gaz: Tattoo Artist Lover [sfw]

MW2 Characters: High School AU [sfw]

tbc…

oneshots:

ANGST:

You, With the Watercolor Eyes (Ghost x GN!Reader)

While on deployment, Ghost has nightmares in which you, his lover, fall out of love with him. The emotional turmoil from this causes him to fall into old, self-destructive habits. [sfw]

tbc…

FLUFF:

tbc…

SMUT:

Good, Good, Great (Ghost x Fem!Reader)

The two of you are roommates. You’re a bottle girl for the local strip club Myth, Ghost had been coerced into discussing information at the strip club. You’re miraculously on shift, and you’re flirting your way into a damn good tip. Just so happens that Ghost doesn’t like to share (even if you aren’t really his). [nsfw]

Say You're Mine (Ghost x Fem! Reader Good, Good, Great pt 2)

A few months later, Ghost takes his leave without telling you. He shows up to Myth unexpectedly on a busy Friday night while you have a plethora of tables to attend. Ghost doesn't seem to enjoy how you're serving a bachelor party, and he chooses to do something about it when the two of you get back to your shared flat. [nsfw]

tbc…

STAR WARS (THE MANDOLORIAN)

headcanons:

tbc…

FAIRY TAIL

headcanons:

Team Natsu: General HCs [sfw]

Sabertooth: General HCs [sfw]

tbc…

I usually stick to headcanons, but I sometimes stray to a one shot occasionally, requests are open for both! Please read the information below carefully before you request :)

I WILL WRITE: (I will gladly take requests for these)!

FEM and GN readers: As a cis girl, I am not particularly comfortable writing a male reader. Keep this in mind when requesting, please. If you don’t want a feminine reader, please let me know to write with a GN reader in mind and I’ll happily do so!

Fem and Masc characters: I will write for both! I like both so why wouldn’t I write for both?

Angst: My FAVORITE thing to write!! Please send me sad things to write about and I will literally speed right through it like a child mowing through a bag of apple slices.

Fluff: Sometimes consuming copious amounts tooth-rotting fluff to cope with the depressing content you just consumed is just what you need!

Smut: I can and will do it because I am nothing more than a simp; but you better look at the thin ice and will not write sections before you even think of asking me. Generic kinks and light BDSM are okay, see other categories for constraints.

Mental Health Struggles: Reader or character! Can include mental illnesses, coping mechanisms, and things like self harm or eating disorders. Not technically mental health related, but insecurities and family issues are also welcome.

THIN ICE: (I could write it, but it icks me).

Pregnancy and/or Breeding Kink, Somnophilia, CNC, and Cheating.

Throwing up/Vomit: I am extremely emetophobic. The only way I'll accept anything with something like this is: a) it's previous to what I am writing and/or b) it relates to an ED.

Slowburn: Not really my thing. Like, I could try, but it won’t really end up being a slow burn. Maybe like a going-the-speed-limit burn.

I WILL NOT WRITE: (If you ask me for any of these, you’re getting blocked!).

MALE reader: I’m sorry but as a person who is not and will not ever be a man I just don’t feel comfortable writing in the perspective of one.

Certain kink/fetishes (DDLG, ageplay, scat, uro, & other such bodily functions, feet), Incest, Pedophilia/Underage, Rape, Sexual assault, and Yandere/Stalker behavior.

KER is the singular form of KERES, a female spirit of death from Ancient Greek mythos. CERES is a dwarf planet named after the Roman goddess of agriculture, fertility, and motherly relationships.

[robogart]

So do you just respond to anon hate because you know itll get you showered with compliments after? Because you really shouldve just deleted them and moved on ... Dont engage, just block, right? Or are you just too good for that. If its not worth the effort, why do you keep doing it? Look, I really truly love your work .... I *agree* with all the people complimenting you. But taking the time out of your day to formulate snarky responses to people that should not matter to you, for the sake of drowning it out with others' approval just makes you look really vain and desperate. Im sorry if that upsets you. Im not trying to judge your character, im just saying thats how you might appear to an outsider, but you shouldnt care about what i think of you anyway. Regardless, i hope you have a wonderful day and keep making the art that you want to make. ✌

I will say "don't engage, just block" has been a successful tactic that I have used/been using on twitter (and instagram, when I remember to use it) since two people can't really engage with a character limit. There's also no real anonymous posting on either platform, so people can get dogpiled on either side, which I try to be aware of and avoid.

So it's tough because I do agree that most times it is better to walk away - you're right! And I'd be inclined to do that for most internet circumstances. But I guess this Shadowheart situation has honestly just become something that I am going to speak up on, because to these anonymous messages, I want to state and clearly explain why this piece, and others like it, are important to me. Drawing fat people is very important to me.

And I have been very much "in the pocket" today in responding to things, much more than I usually am, considering I usually don't get this much inbox attention at all. In the past, the few times I'd get this sort of quantity of responses would also come from a similar circumstance when I would want to draw a character from a popular series (usually drawing them as fat, buff, larger-bodied than their original design) and people want to speak up on it. So when this does happen, and specifically on tumblr because it's a blogging platform that supports long text and anonymous messages, I do find myself responding to most things. Especially since it's revolving around drawing fat bodies and it is something I feel impassioned to speak up on and explain why I do it.

My more "snarky" and cheeky responses are towards the anonymous messages that are giving me that energy at the start. And I respond to them because I am a person, not just some art-making machine on the internet. I want these anons to know that I see their messages, their attitude is not appreciated, and their commentary is hateful and wrong because they have internalized shit they should work through (as do we all). But it's not going to fly here and there are MANY people who agree with me and do not tolerate this behavior, and these anons should see that that is the case.

The kind and supportive messages I get because of these situations I vastly appreciate. I respond to them because I'm grateful for the time, I'm in that typing/ready-to-respond pocket, and they help me (and hopefully others) remember that for every hateful thing someone might say, there are a dozen people who support you. Every time you dare to draw and represent a person outside of the beauty standard, there will always be people who will hate it and they are going to tell you. But with them, there will be dozens more who truly love it because they find it beautiful and they will appreciate what you do. It is immensely meaningful and important to me that people see this and see more artwork that expands the scope of beauty. That is why I respond to these messages.

[avocadoraisin]

Whats the appeal of blue sky. I’ve never heard of it before. Is the community better or is about privacy or what?

its more for people looking for a replacement for twitter, since now that place is overrun with AI and bots and trolls and right wingers and misery and now they changed how the block feature worked, and EVERYONE hated that

if you ask me, i dont really understand why people dont just come back to tumblr. it has everything art communities keep asking for: the ability to edit posts, highly craftable blogs and posts for presentation purposes, a huge character limit, a robust tagging system that you can use for either sorting your own work on your blog or to get more eyes on it in tags, or to better hide things you dont like. its great.

but idk. the porn rules still really turn a lot of people off, even though naughty work is allowed here again so long as its cropped or censored or what have you.

so, Tumblr, I think, is still the best place to be if tumblr is what you want.

Bluesky is the current best "twitter killer" if you're specifically looking to fill that hole. Ive been on it for about a year or so because the furry community claimed it first, but every time Musk does something fucking moronic, more people go "hey wait, this place IS pretty neat" and join the party.

i dont fully agree with how blocking works there either, but so far I havent had a problem... (you can find out who is blocking you, which makes me uneasy. I like to have a little privacy, not everything I do online needs to be on display on my profiles. I personally dont even like when my 'likes' are public, another win for tumblr. but you cant win them all. unless you're on tumblr and dont mind not posting porn, then tumblr has it all. but I DIGRESS......)

but on Bluesky, you can: use tags in a similar way as you do on tumblr, to organize your own work or use it for discoverability. you can have slightly more control over the interactivity of your post (same as here, where you can limit comments. You can disable quote posting, but you cant stop people from "retweeting" though, which is a shame. I enjoy being able to nuke the ability to reblog my more intimately personal posts on tumblr, but its something.)

And, kind of like custom tags, you can create custom "feeds." You can use these feeds to discover other people's work out there, or you can use them for people to sort through your stuff too. I have one for only my art and Werepire AU so far. like this:

And in general, the community SO FAR seems dedicated to keeping the space more positive, since rage bait and contrarianism and infighting runs rampant on twitter. theres a little bit more typing room for nuanced thoughts on bluesky, people are more willing to have mature discussions, at least from what I can tell in the circles im in. you're less at risk for aggressive randos to show up in your space because its not algorithm based, its based solely on who you follow (yayyyy!!) or the feeds you subscribe to.

Also just the fact that most people on the platform right now are just excited they can share art and say things without 200 bots swarming to their posts, or the twitter algorithm stomping their work into the dirt because they posted a link, had too long of a caption, had too many hashtags, too LITTLE hashtags, said unknown tweet-suppressing words, or it was in a thread, or NOT in a thread, etc etc etc etc etc

and theres porn. of course.

[keyboardandquill]

I keep getting writer's block in every. single. scene.

so, a while back I wrote a post about writing badly on purpose as a motivation for myself and others to push through when we feel our writing isn't good enough.

while I still stand by what I wrote in that post, I've still been struggling with achieving and keeping forward momentum. I keep getting bored with what I'm writing, and this happens on every single scene.

eventually I figure out where the block is, fix it, and move on. but it inevitably happens again.

recently, I read a post I read about undercutting tension by @septembercfawkes.

in the post, September talks about writing tension threads through to their conclusion while balancing additional threads of tension in the background so the scene doesn't take a nose dive once that conclusion is reached.

I realized, hey! that's what's been happening to me!

so...... how do I overcome that? it's not as easy as simply Doing. I have to figure out why I keep copping out on my tension.

For me, I think it's a combination of things.

first, I have ADHD and find it difficult to finish stuff (including scenes!) because I'm already thinking of the next scene or project.

second, I'm a pantser (for the most part), so I don't often know how a scene is going to end. that often translates to summarizing what happens next in only a paragraph or two so I can get on to the next scene.

third, and I think this is the big one: I get tunnel vision. In my focus on getting from point A to point B, I simply forget about every other thread of tension I have going.

there isn't much I can do about the ADHD, but the pantsing + tunnel vision combo? I can work with that.

I don't "Plot" in general because, in telling the whole story like that, my brain says I'm done and tries to move on to another project. However, I think I'll personally benefit from some limited planning. Micro-plotting the scene I'm about to write, and ONLY that scene.

the funny thing is, I've known for a while that I find it helpful to note what needs to happen in the current scene. I think I still struggled despite that because I wasn't consciously aware of the need to pay attention to my tension. (pay at...tension? eh? eh? anyone?)

anyway, I think I'll come up with a list of generic questions to ask myself before I move on to the next scene or chapter to help keep myself focused on the big picture.

(this is a reminder to myself not to consider these questions set in stone, and not to worry too much about answering them if I'm in a flow state with my writing during a given session. this is also a reminder to you as a writer, if you're still reading after that atrocious pun I made two paragraphs back. <3)

the questions will include:

do the characters need to react to something major that happened last scene?

did the characters learn something they have to follow up on/debate about?

what threads of tension were resolved last scene?

what threads of tension are still on-going as of the end of the last scene?

what new threads of tension might start in this upcoming scene?

I might make the questions their own post, now that I think about it. I'm also going to write them on a sticky note and put them above my monitor so they're close at hand. otherwise they're out of sight, out of mind. (which is another problem I have related to the tunnel vision. because I'm so focused on the Point of what I'm writing in a given moment, I'll forget to look at scene structure, which is an important part of Not Getting Writer's Block. so it goes.)

anyway, thanks for following along with my rambling, and I hope I said something that helps you in your own process! happy writing! <3

[myheartalivewrites]

Weekend WIP Game

Thanks for tagging my @kiwiana-writes @cha-melodius and @daisymae-12!

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more).

1. WIP List: I'm definitely a one-at-a-time sort of person. I hate having unfinished WIPs hanging about, it stresses me out. That said, I've got three docs with a substantial number of words in them:

[Dark and Stormy]

[Provence] (more here)

Oxford Nights

AND there's one more WIP I've finished working on and am hoping to start posting tomorrow (ahem ahem ahem) which is not on that list but I’m counting anyway

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

[Provence] at nearly 14k

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

Probs that one, I don’t think I’m even halfway through with it! It’s not going to be long-long though

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

Oh God, I don't know. I've not worked on [Dark and Stormy] for a while, that's the one I'm most looking forward to getting back to

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

Lol, right now [Dark and Stormy] is intimidating bc I want to change the whole beginning of it. That's why I've been putting it off for oh... nine months 😬

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

The one that's gonna start posting tomorrow? Mainly bc I'm worried it's too much like a devil's threesome, even though no women are involved lol

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

Again, tomorrow's one, which is called Twice the speed (of you and me) by the way! I've asked a couple of people to read it through for me.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

Sometimes, yeah. Mainly when I try and work stuff into the plot that I'm not that interested in or that requires a lot of world building. I've started following the Matthew Lopez philosophy about it: if it's not about Alex and Henry, it has to go. It's certainly what happened with Deep Blue, and that's how I got myself out of being blocked, by limiting anything that wasn't specifically about them.

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

Oh, [Provence] has a character in it who I really love, she's an old friend of Arthur's, an actress in her sixties all glamour and graceful ageing, who loves Henry like a parent. Though, weirdly, she's what's got me a bit stuck on it, because I have all these ideas for what I want from her but can't quite bring myself to do the world building that comes along with that 😂

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

Hah, lol. The threesome. Is the fandom ready for it? We'll see.

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

Dunno, actually. Maybe [Provence], just because Alex is having his bisexual awakening and feeling all jealous at Henry's sluttiness. It's not ACTUALLY angsty though.

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

Yikes, what a question! All of them, my characterisation is perfect, no notes etc.

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

Oooh I love the [Provence] one. It's all lush, some super rich people's home, but with a touch of south of France rustic to it.

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

��‍♀️ don't think I have an answer for this one

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

Again, just... 🤷‍♀️ I always wonder about the really smutty ones, I fret over them the most and then they turn out to be really popular so...

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

Not really, though they do keep me awake at night. I woke up this morning at like five and just HAD to check on the beta feedback.

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

Nah, not really. I mean, threesome mechanics? That's new, I suppose

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

God, no, not this question. I have zero confidence on my ability to make things funny. Like, I know there are funny bits in there, but... Oxford Nights has funny bits with Alex and Henry trying shit out I guess.

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

Nah

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

Okay, so: in one of them Henry owns a cow named MARY 😁

Tagging a meagre 4 peeps for my 4 WIPs ✌️ : @14carrotghoul @suseagull04 @happiness-of-the-pursuit and @whimsymanaged to overshare on the dash, thanks!

[hangmanbradshaw]

Okay first off- YOURE AMAZING! Your hashtag made me sad because you’re not semi good- you’re one of the greatest writers I ever read - full stop. Not just in this fandom, not just on A03, IN GENERAL! (And I read 50+ books a year like the nerd I am lol)

Second: what advice can you give to writers struggling to find that creativity and that drive? I know you’ve always been a fan of outlining but what else gets a plot and foreshadowing like you’re an expert at all?

EWAFEWAIFEJWAI OH MY GOD You can't just say that??? That's so sweet omg <3 <3 you are way too kind to me.

ooh I love talking writing. Honored you'd want my advice. Hmm so I think I'd say here's my writing advice (coming from someone who is most definitely not a pro but this is my opinion):

write your passion. whatever it is you love, write about that. The love bleeds through the story, makes you want to write, etc.

outlines are so important, but I am a huge proponent of breathable outlines. Give yourself structure, but room to breathe and be creative. Hugely helpful in an outline is to go to the future chaps and make notes about things to bring up again so it builds right and comes full circle/is closed.

figure out the theme, what you want to say, what the heart of the story and characters is and what they learn by the end and use the hints to build on this. Every single scene, building block, etc is an opportunity to be intentional about this and form a complete story. Also everything can add to it without straight up saying it. The setting (the sun rises. it's a new day after a character lets something go, etc.) (in iwtby- Jake's dad leaves him to mend the fence on his own. symbolic as he is left to do that in their relationship as well. bradley sits by him as he does this. which he has done in more ways than one. asks why they're there. it's just overflowing with multiple meanings beyond the literal.) (also play with double meanings ugh they're the best)

less is more? subtle hints are the best, let it build to build tension.

write the story YOU want to tell. what speaks to your heart. what world exists in your mind. Do it for the pure love of it. And when crafting the plot/world, just think about a reader's perspective and what would be cool to see. It helps come up with cool structure ideas (i.e. starting with after bradley and jake met in iwtby with hints and at the very end circling back in bradley pov full circle. or dlp- big reveal? next chap switch pov and backtrack. the reader thinks they know what's going on, but it's limited pov and then you have those OH WOW moments. Write in ways that are ambiguous or *seem* to be something because again...you're in a biased perspective. And then you slowly reveal the full picture to the reader and the character.) (Or playing with then the reader knows something but the character doesn't. like in dlp I jump back to bradley pov and WE understand now but he still fully doesn't and as a reader you wanna scream at him.) (also keeps someone on their toes and the story from being stagnant, and you know I LOVE that things mean more or take on a different meaning when re-reading then and it's so cool)

When I'm stuck, I take a break or I sit back, close my eyes, and just let my mind follow the story for a bit like a movie in my head

there is NO boundary to it! Let your imagination run as wild as you want, throw the rules out the window. Any world can be believable if you build it right and connect the audience to the characters. Santa land? Sure! Can believe it if Jake believes it. Spooky island with def some paranormal stuff going on? as long as it makes sense, absolutely. There's no rules.

Okay! That was a lot so sorry if you didn't want all that, but I love writing and story crafting so so so much and I'm always so happy to talk about it or give advice if you want it :) write what's in your heart and it'll be amazing.

[positivexcellence]

The Winchesters has more story to tell, and they're ready to fight for it

On Oct. 11, 2022, The Winchesters premiered, offering fans a welcome return to the Supernatural world. With Dean narrating, the series introduced a young John (Drake Rodger), home from Vietnam, as he met Mary (Meg Donnelly) and discovered the truth that would come to define their lives together: Monsters exist.

For 13 episodes, fans were back in the world they loved — this time around, though, things were a little different. As any good prequel does, The Winchesters expanded on the world and the lore of the flagship series, striking that crucial balance between the new and familiar. They'd cracked the code on how to keep this story alive without Sam and Dean, by shifting the focus from brothers to friends and, for the first time, telling a central Supernatural love story.

In its final episode, The Winchesters opened up the world by revealing that we weren't watching Sam and Dean's John and Mary, but rather the John and Mary of another universe. In other words, the multiverse is the limit when it comes to future stories. "I feel like episode 13 was us literally dropping the engine block in and being like, 'Okay fire it up,'" Ackles tells EW. "We blew the proverbial doors off. I think the potential is massive."

Yes, the potential is massive, even after the show's cancellation by The CW, because he and the cast have already launched a #SaveTheWinchesters campaign to find the story a new home. "There's a lot of story to tell here and there's a huge fan base that is very actively engaged and willing to support it," he says.

The power of the SPN Family has been documented many times (and cannot fully be explained). It's how the show landed its first EW cover back in 2016 — because the fans voted for it. It's a passion that Ackles saw the instant he tweeted out the news that the show had been canceled. "They are fired up," he says of the fans. "I love that about this fandom. I love that they are so passionate about this world and this universe and these characters that they are willing to go to the mat for a show like this. I think that speaks volumes, especially to those who are willing to listen and have the power to do something about it."

As for Ackles, he's feeling optimistic about a future for the show. After all, Dean Winchester's been knocked down more than a few times, and that's never stopped him from getting back up.

"I do feel hopeful and I don't know whether that's just the optimistic side of me, which I didn't know existed in this capacity," he says with a laugh. "I've been moving more toward a curmudgeon, more toward what we all thought Dean Winchester would dive into when he got older. That's just the Dean in me. But I do have this crazy optimism for this show and I think it largely resides in the energy that we found on set with this cast and this crew. That crazy optimism is one of the reasons why this show made it on air in the first place, and I think it's one of the several reasons why the show should continue somewhere."

For those wondering, Ackles says they've already started discussing ideas for what a new season could hold. "We were talking not only about story and where we wanted to take our cast, we were talking about who we were going to bring back from the mothership," he says, adding that he received text messages from a few Supernatural alums who were bummed they didn't make it on season 1. "We were putting together a lot of tricks to keep up our sleeve and keep it exciting, not just for the new fans but for the returning fans as well."

Much like creator Eric Kripke had at the start of Supernatural, Winchesters showrunner Robbie Thompson has a five-season plan for the story. "Hopefully we get to execute that," Ackles says. "I just think that there's a way to keep this alive and it would be a shame to let that go."

Looking even further into the future, Ackles adds, "And then we don't know what it would look like beyond that but there was certainly a way of tying this into like a possible return of Supernatural down the line, which Robbie and I had talked about. It's something that Jared and I have talked about, what that might look like."

For now, it looks like hope. And the cast has a lot of that. See the cast share their thoughts below:

Drake Rodgers

"Working on The Winchesters for the past year has been such an incredible honor. The fandom is so immense and passionate for this universe. They've been so accepting and supportive toward the show, it's made the entire process a dream. It would be a shame not to continue exploring the vast world we've built and grown to love so much. There's so much opportunity for new storylines and perspectives on the Supernatural universe."

Meg Donnelly

"I've learned so much about myself working on this show. The Winchesters is a beautiful story of stopping at nothing to help the people you love. There is so much more of this story that needs to be told and it would be honor to keep playing such an iconic character like Mary Campbell."

JoJo Fleites

"This story is worth fighting for because everyone can relate to these characters in some way, shape, or form. They are universal and timeless and they speak to so many people. I love that people see themselves in Mary, John, Carlos, Lata, Millie, Ada and all of these other characters. We want to keep telling the story and I specifically want to keep inspiring those that may not feel represented, such as people of color, the outcasts, the LGBTQIA+ community, and so on. It means a lot."

Nida Khurshid

"Continuing the legacy of the hugely successful show, Supernatural, has not only been humbling and thrilling but also a way for me to represent my heritage proudly through the character I get to play. Fighting for what you believe in whether it be saving the world from monsters or standing up for your friends, I believe our show can inspire that sense of courage and direction to fight for what's right in a world that needs it."

Demetria McKinney

"This show has been such an incredible bridge, not only in connecting the Supernatural origin dots, but bridging the gap between day-to-day and fantasy. Stepping away from life for a moment to recharge is something I don't take for granted. The added bonus of doing that in a space that is familiar (in its Supernatural nature) and mysterious (in its own right) isn't something you get to do often. The array of characters made everyone feel they had a place in this space. And I loved living out these stories with this cast and crew! Thanks for all the support you all gave us! We hope we get to play again one day."

Bianca Kajlich

"The Winchesters has been one of those 'lightning in a bottle' experiences. From the cast's very first dinner all the way through to the final few scenes of our season, we bonded over our shared desire to tell this story in our own way. We became a family within a family within a family! And from our family to yours, we believe in this story, this universe, and all the fans that light the way for us."

The series might have a fight ahead, but thankfully, if anyone knows how to put up a fight, it's a Winchester.

EW

[haikyuu-sins]

GORL PLEASE I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS AGAIN SO HERE YA GO (I'm reposting this because I just now realized that there was a formatting issue with the last one so I hope this one is better for you guys! I apologize!)

Characters: Albedo Kreideprinz (Genshin Impact)

Warnings: Death, blood, slight gore 

Genre: ANGST 

Albedo was quiet, to say the least. He kept to himself mostly up in Dragonspine and you had limited contact with him up to the point where he actually asked for your assistance at one point. Since then, you had nearly been attached at the hip. You were one of the very few people he would seek out to talk to just because. Normally Albedo had a slight disdain for interacting with others except for out of courtesy. But you and Klee were the exceptions.

“I do hate to ask this of you as you are someone who I hold dear…” Albedo paused briefly as if to figure out what to say, something uncustomary of the genius alchemist. “I have told you about my past. I believe my master created me with the intention of making me a weapon at some point in time. There’s a slight possibility that it could happen.” he said all of this, not looking up at you and keeping focus on his alchemy. But he lifted his head to catch your inquisitive gaze. “If it does, can I trust you to take care of me?” 

“Take care of you?” you repeated his words with a tilt of your head. “What is that supposed to mean?” The two of you had talked about his past before, the fact that Albedo was created by a known alchemist and was a synthetic human. It wasn’t often it was brought up so it was strange for him to talk about it out of the blue. But knowing Albedo, there was a reason. There was always a reason. He never did anything without one; which is why it puzzled you for a moment. 

But then it set in and you realized what he was trying to tell you. “I…I know you’ve hinted at it in the past but I never thought you’d outright ask me to kill you…What would happen if I say no?” 

“Would you rather Mondstadt be destroyed? I believe the sacrifice of one life for the continuation of the many who live in this nation would be the best option.” Albedo looked up at you again. “If you don’t do it, then I’ll just have to do it myself before it happens.” His voice was very matter-of-fact, there was no sadness to it because he knew that it was inevitable.  

It wasn’t until years later that this occurred. It was always in the back of your mind, although there were times when you were blissfully ignorant and forgotten about the promise you made to him. The last thing you thought you would be doing was plunging his own sword into his chest, much like when you saw him do to his imposter. 

How could things end like this? 

“Do it.” his voice rasped out as he clutched his chest. There was a faint yellow light that was emanating from his chest that only began to get brighter with every beat of his synthetic heart. “Hurry…” 

You sat in shock while your entire body trembled uncontrollably. Your eyes couldn’t focus on what was in front of you anymore and your head shook from side to side slowly. Your hands wouldn’t release the sword you held–his sword. No air was able to get in or out of your lungs and your throat tightened. 

When you finally could make any kind of noise, you screamed. You fell to the cold mountain floor on your knees, his sword finally clattering to the ground. The sound of it hitting the rocks bounced off the walls of his quaint laboratory. You screamed until your voice went hoarse and your lungs felt like they couldn’t take it anymore. Gloved hands slammed into the snow over and over again. They were numb at this point. There was no more feeling in your bloodied hands. 

After that, you were left in silence. Was it the fact that it was already quiet? Or did you block out all sound around you. There was no howl of the wind. No birds chirping in the distance. No sound of the snowflakes hitting the ground and piling up. No trees rustling in the breeze. Nothing but the ringing in your ears. That’s when it hit you. 

Albedo’s now lifeless body lies on the ground beside you. His eyes were now half lidded but the beautiful aquamarine color was still prominent and not yet clouded over with death. Blood trickled out of his mouth and through the open wound in his chest. The once fresh white snow was stained with the crimson liquid. Some spots of the blood were brighter than others, some darker. His sword next to you that used to be silver was now dirty with his blood. 

You couldn’t quite pinpoint what his final expression was. Was he content? Upset? Was there a hint of melancholy within his features? Whatever it was, you just hoped that it wasn’t anger or resentment. You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you knew he had any sort of second thoughts about you killing him. Or what if he was regaining control of himself? What if he was trying to say “Don’t do it?” 

You stood up and looked around his laboratory. Denial already began to sink in and you laughed to yourself. How could you be laughing at a time like this? But you knew that this was just you coping with the situation at hand. 

“No…No..no.nonononono! Albedo no!” your voice cracked as you began to openly sob. “Albedo you can’t do this to me! Why did you make me do this?!” You couldn’t help the surge of anger that suddenly welled within you and began grabbing what you could and throwing them into the mountain wall, or throwing his things off of his alchemy table. But you quickly realized what you had done. These were things of his that you can’t replicate. His hands once touched the things that you were breaking and you couldn’t get those back. “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry Albedo…”

The world suddenly began to warp in front of you. A small sliver turned into something wider, and wider, until an unfamiliar woman stepped out. The fear you felt was like never before. Your legs were telling you to run but you were frozen in place. Your knees felt heavy and they shook as you stared at the woman in front of you who made your blood run cold. Her gaze was cold and she let out a loud and annoyed breath when she saw Albedo.

“So you killed my perfect creation?” she huffed and walked over to him, bending down to run her fingers through his locks. “Hm. I could easily bring him back to life. But,” she sighed and stood back up, “this is probably something he wanted, correct?” All you could do was nod your head. “It seems he probably caught onto me. I’m sure he told you to do this if he lost control one day. Alas, it came a lot sooner than even I expected. I suppose I’ll have to create another.” 

“P-please…I-I don’t know who you are but please bring Albedo back to me…I’ll do anything.” your voice cracked and she just stared at you. 

She scoffed. “Already in the bargaining stage of grief now, are you? Maybe that should be your punishment for killing such a perfect creation. Live with it.” She looked down at Albedo one more time. You couldn’t pinpoint what she was thinking, or how you thought she may feel about the situation with that look in her eyes. With that, the mysterious woman turned around but not before you heard her say in a soft tone. “Rhinedottir. But Albedo may have called me his Master.” 

Before you could reach out to try and do something or say anything, she was gone the way she came. You sat there incredulously for a moment, taking in everything that just happened. It wasn’t until a moment later that you realized Albedo looked as if he was beginning to disintegrate. Your eyes widen and you quickly scurry over to him, once again dropping to your knees in front of him. Tears welled up in your eyes as you did what Rhinedottir did before. Your fingers ran through his ashen blonde hair. Tears fell on his cheek as they blurred your vision when you realized that this would be the last time you touched him. Your thumb ran along his cheek and you closed your eyes, hating that this would be your last memory of him. Before you knew it, the entirety of him had now become…dust? Ash? Was this…chalk? Confusion quickly became realization as you rushed to grab a vial from his lab before his remaining remnants were blown away. 

You were no alchemist, but maybe, buried deep within Albedo’s notes, there was a way to bring him back with this last bit of chalk he left behind. Although, you didn’t know how this would make him feel. Killing him was the last thing he asked of you and you made a promise. 

That promise didn’t involve bringing him back.

[asgardian--angels]

Taika and OFMD

thinking about Taika's new interview where he's said the season 2 ending seems like a natural conclusion to the show.

We know that David wrote the season finale the way he did in case it didn't get renewed for s3. And we know that David does have a season 3 storyline in mind, as he's envisioned Ed and Stede's love story as having three acts. And I know that the fans believe there's more story to tell, too, because they haven't resolved their communication issues, their trauma, or lingering plotlines.

The interview mentions that one of the limits on the show's capacity to keep running is Taika's schedule. To me, that may be the biggest holdup of anything when you get down to it. We're so lucky to have had him for two seasons of this show, given just how many projects he has going concurrently. But it gets more and more difficult to block off months of his time - and when looking for a season 3, David is going to need to produce an exceptionally compelling reason to bring him back in again. If Taika believes the show could end where it is, as much as he's adored being on it, he may prioritize other projects.

To me it felt as much of a risk to end s2 on a 'happy ending' note than to end on a cliffhanger, because it leaves the door open for cancellation on the basis of 'good enough.' I get why he did it, and I do think it was the right choice, but still. It makes the season 3 setup harder, because as Taika even said, he wouldn't want a situation where Ed and Stede have to leave their idyllic life behind. Which would have to happen to some extent - pulled back into the fray at least temporarily when the crew needs their help or the larger conflict of the pirates vs the English comes to a head, otherwise there'd be no drama or excitement. And if the storyline was simply Ed and Stede running an inn and having domestic mornings and working out their feelings, that's just not enough for Taika to clear his schedule and sacrifice other potential projects.

I trust David Jenkins to have something in mind that can convince tptb a third season would bring them great ratings and streaming subscriptions. I honestly don't think that's the part of this process that would hold (is holding?) the execs' decision up. Rather, it's whether the premise for season 3 is deemed compelling and necessary enough for our big name actors to sign on and commit their time to. For all we know, it's taking more time than anything to just figure out if Taika has any time in the next two years to devote to this (have you seen the sheer number and scale of his upcoming films?). They're not going to greenlight a third season if Taika can't commit. And Taika's so busy right now with Next Goal Wins that maybe they haven't even been able to sit down with him to have a lengthy contract discussion.

I'd like to think that Taika and David have discussed the three-act story premise for OFMD thoroughly, since it's something David's been saying since season 1 and if Taika didn't think he could do three seasons then I'd think the show would have been a nonstarter unless it was a 'cross that bridge when we come to it' situation, so the potential difference in opinion here is interesting. But it leads to some possibilities such as a season 3 where Ed and Stede aren't main characters - the focus turns more to the crew, with only half or even a third of the episodes featuring the main duo. Or an even shorter season 3 such as a 3 or 5 episode miniseries to reduce the time commitment for Taika. If the timeline for the show's production has to get pushed out an extra year to fit with his schedule, HBO Max might just decide it's not worthwhile to pursue. So there's a lot of things that can happen, and as much as we want an expanded season 3 with more episodes and a bigger budget, that may very well not be compatible with the reality of Taika's long-term availability.

We have to consider these possibilities. As I've said before, season 3 is in no way guaranteed, even from streaming analytics and critical success - but this is another dimension to this conversation that I haven't heard anyone talking about, and quite possibly the most important one because it's very concrete. No Taika, no OFMD. The fact that he said the show could perhaps go on without him and Rhys shows me this is where his thoughts are as well.

I don't want to make anyone despair here - I want season 3 more than anything. I do believe the show, and the story, deserves the full arc and natural conclusion that David has planned. We absolutely need to keep campaigning for renewal, harder than ever as we move into the one-month-post-finale window. But we should also realize that a big part of the renewal decision is out of our hands, and comes down to the ability of the show's star to actually stay involved. I think Taika will try his best to shuffle things around, but as I said David needs to be able to pitch him a season 3 that convinces him Ed and Stede's story isn't finished yet.

So fingers crossed. We may not hear anything for a while, as negotiations have to involve Taika and he's a busy busy man right now. I am optimistic, but I just wanted to remind folks of this aspect of the process.

[feekins]

xkggzjgzjdumb depression taking away the spoons I had for making these posts 😖 I'm in a better brain place now, though, so here are my thoughts and things as I re-read ch 6 and finish up Trigun Maximum vol 1.

(NOTE: I'm reading the Dark Horse [physical] and the Overhaul [online] translations side-by-side)

...ok idk why I didn't connect the two before, but something about that flashback to Wolfwood saying (quoting the Overhaul here, but Dark Horse p much says the same thing) "It's the same old story that keeps repeating itself. Even people who would never fight...will pick up a gun if their loved ones are killed." and then, on the very next page, the way it cuts to "THIS BASTARD KILLED MY DAUGHTER!!"

that...REALLY hits hard this read-through.

additionally, what Wolfwood says... that's basically Vash's story, too. preaching to the choir. I wonder if Wolfwood knows...?

(Dark Horse on left, Overhaul on right)

"should" VS "will" - an important difference imo, with the Overhaul's translation better conveying how well this new character, Sensei, knows Vash.

here, the Dark Horse translation seems to lead into what's said in the next panel - although I can't tell, in either translation, whether Sensei or Wolfwood is speaking.

in the next panel, we just have 2 blocks of text. here's what it says in Dark Horse:

"Every time they up the ante and every time they regret the outcome... This time will be no different..."

meanwhile, the Overhaul has:

"Those who are too foolish will never learn to solve problems effectively, no matter how hard they try. Every time they will push the limits...and every time they're gonna regret the outcome."

next, in Dark Horse, we have Wolfwood saying "You could end up singin' with the angels this time and all I've told you would be wasted... Seems my luck may be tested, too. Whatcha gonna do...Spikey?!"

below, we have the Overhaul's translation...

and I just. HAD to put the panels across these two pages together. idk how to put it into words but. this sequence says A LOT to me.

I'm a bit confused, though - the two choices Wolfwood gives are "regret the outcome" or "sing with the angels" which? I'm p sure is an idiom for dying? it's a pretty damn grim way of looking at it...which, now that I'm thinking about it more, perhaps this bit isn't so much Wolfwood talking about the current situation as it is Wolfwood talking about himself, if that makes sense.

(Dark Horse on top, Overhaul on bottom)

...interesting translation discrepancies...?

next, we have a little inner monolog from Vash as he's being taken into custody. both translations start with "In the end...he just couldn't kill a man in cold blood." from there, Dark Horse has Vash saying:

"His daughter's murder goes unpunished. Call him weak, but...it saved both of us."

meanwhile, in the Overhaul, we have:

"His daughter's murder goes unavenged. Call him weak, but...that 'weakness' saved the both of us."

and then...to this day, this sequence confuses me:

thoughts, anyone?

Dark Horse's translation gets the gist of it, but imo there's more impact to the Overhaul's specific wording here.

I never noticed that poor guy up by the headlights 🤣

:(

"make foundations ring out"????????

finally, in Nightow's afterward...

then in the next panel, he says "I incorporated them throughout the story."

as someone who's in the middle of the biggest for-fun thing they've ever written...mood 🤣

[sapphic-scylla]

Things to know when getting into the Persona Series

Since the remaster of Persona 3, there’s been a lot of renewed interest in the series as well as a few people, not just from here, but in my real life, inquiring to me about what you should know before getting into the series, so here is a list of general tips you should know and to keep in mind:

Content Warnings. This is straight up just a point. As out there and as crazy as the Persona World can get, Persona is grounded in the struggles of people, of humans and the human condition. Things like suicide, abuse, loss, death, pain, emotional trauma. It’s not for the faint of heart, so I recommend bracing yourself.

Time Commitment. I know it doesn’t look like it, but most Persona games are a 200 hour commitment to one playthrough. Not even kidding. P5R takes me 130 and I know that game like the back of my hand and skip through a fair amount of dialogue because I know where the fluff is. Prepare yourself for that kind of time sink.

Stats vs Friends. The endless Persona debate. Which is more important? On a first playthrough, my recommendation. Focus on stats and the characters that intrigue you the most. Stats get you access to more people so you don’t feel like you’re running into walls everywhere. Also, be aware of their stories. Sometimes, if a character is important enough, their story takes a halt and is postponed until later. Learn to be flexible and managing your time properly will come with more experience.

Persona Preferences. I view Persona in the way that a lot of people view Pokemon. Sure, I could ramp all the way to the high level Personas if I really wanted to, but then I’d miss out on a lot of gems along the way. Nekomata is a level 2 Persona in P3R and I kept her viable the entire game AND used her in the final fight. So I cannot stress this enough: USE YOUR FAVORITES. Persona has the incredible perk of leaning into the myriad of mythos and legends the world has to offer, so explore them all. Also, every persona has the capacity to do most whatever you want it to, so as cool as Satan is, he can still do about the same thing that Nekomata can and Nekomata is available all game. Satan is not.

Where To Start. This is really the main question I get asked the most and with a series like Persona where every game tells a different story, it’s hard to decide where to begin. Here’s the answer I give everyone: P5R. I know, a lot of people will say “but what about regular P5?” Trust me, you get the same game in P5R just with more content. And why P5R? P5R puts you at the starting block in the best way. Great story, great graphics, and it gives you the simplest version of the story that pervades all Persona lore while helping you discover it yourself instead of always feeling like you’re behind other characters. Also, the combat, while incredibly varied, is much easier to succeed at than in P3 or P4 because there are so many skills and tools and it helps you grasp the concepts easier before stripping you of them in P3 or 4.

How to Decide when to Enter/Leave the Dark Hour/Palaces/Mementos/TV World. Time blindness is a lot of people’s worst enemy and that doesn’t change when you make it a video game mechanic. The best tip I can give you is this: limit yourself to one or two trips per story chunk. Especially if you want to dig into character stuff. Characters usually aren’t doing much at the beginning or end of the story chunks. Beginning is more viable because you’re not in crunch time at that point. The end gets more finicky because characters start to worry if you don’t complete your current main objective/palace before the due date. TLDR: Finish the main objective ASAP. Try to complete it in one day if you can. Then, you can spend more time romancing/team building/hanging out with people while waiting for the next due date and if you need to take another trip to complete Compendium stuff or Requests from the Velvet Room or Phan Site if you’re in P5R, wait until the last 2 days.

[thegeminisage]

SIIIGH it's tng update time. wednesday we did "the first duty" and thursday we did "the cost of living" and "the perfect mate." boy oh boy.

the first duty: my precious darling baby boy is back and now he's doing CRIMES. college sure did a number on him

do you think beverly got the news about the accident and was like wow this is just like that time my husband died and picard came in and was like listen wesley is fine...he's okay...and she was like (on the inside) yeah THIS time. this time he's okay. and she realizes in real time that no matter what some part of her will always be waiting, breath held, for that call. that's what i think

nice to finally meet boothby although shouldn't that guy be like 90 or 100 years old rn? he said when picard graduated ~40 years ago, he was the age picard is now (60ish). like idc enough to break out exact numbers but 80 at the VERY youngest. if this is utopia why is he still doing manual labor???

also wtf was that about how he helped picard out of a jam when picard did something sketchy...i wasn't paying enough attention to the details but idk that i ever caught what picard actually DID. i guess it couldn't be worse than killing a guy though or he wouldn't have got so mad at wesley

i love how they had wesley overexplain why he left his sweater in his dead friend's room to make absolutely sure we knew it WASN'T GAY and by virtue of the overexplanation made it sound like a lie someone would tell if it WAS gay. come on. who cares. he's in college. if he wants to be gay then let him and god bless

in today's very special episode about peer pressure, wesley gets a full-on lecture from his definitely-not-biological father picard. like, REALLY let him have it. poor kid. i mean someone did die though. like someone very much did die

i like how in the end wesley felt all guilty that their ringleader was like nooo just expel me and leave the others alone like he said he would AS IF he wasn't the entire instigator to begin with. they should have expelled everybody except wesley since he broke ranks and then also sent that little punk in particular to whatever the equivalent of jail is now. the penal colony. whatever. didn't they have hard labor in collision course lmao i hate starfleet <3

like, i love the IDEA that star trek takes place in utopia, i love to play in that space mentally, but the fact of the matter is most human beings, including the ones writing star trek episodes, are so cynical we can't even imagine a world without corporal punishment where everyone is taken care of no matter what. we can't imagine a utopia without an ugly underside, which is what starfleet has in practice. so.

ANYWAY.

once again i am fucked by the limit of 4k characters per text block. this drives me BANANAS.

the cost of living: ohhhh my god.

okay, maybe i'm a prude, but i do NOT think it's appropriate for alexander, who's like 2-3 in human years and 8-9 in klingon years, to be naked in a bath with deanna's narcissistic nymphomaniac of a mother. i just don't. i get that in some cultures, including betazed for sure and klingons maybe, and also definitely some real life ones, nudity is not a big deal among family especially in the context of like baths or swimming. however in america in 1992 which is when/where this was written it DEFINITELY would have been weird for this kid to be naked and in a bath with anybody but his immediate family of the same gender (parent or siblings). you could mmmaybe stretch it to an uncle or grandpa since alexander is so young. BUT LWANAXA IS NONE OF THESE THINGS. it made me. SO. UNCOMFORTABLE.

i guess the tng writers really like lwaxana and think she's funny and quirky, which is why they keep writing episodes for her. i mean, her actress is/was married to gene roddenberry and also voices the computers. i get it. she's your friend, have her back on. but for all the crimes done by her (usually against deanna, but also against picard and sometimes riker), and for all the crimes done to her (ferengi rape scenes played for laughs), this really took the cake. not only is she an unwelcome guest aboard the enterprise, which is a working vessel, not a cruise ship, she spends her time aboard it undermining worf's parenting and deanna's counseling IN HER PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT, and then KIDNAPS A STRANGERS CHILD (his parent nor his therapist knew where he was !!!) to take him to the holodeck to SIT NAKED IN THE BATH. and then later at her wedding while she was also naked she gave alexander this playful little wink because he was giggling. LIKE. AM I INSANE? genuinely does that episode make anybody else uncomfortable. i know they didn't do it like that on purpose but it aged so poorly to me. like i don't get it...are there other people who think lwaxana is unbearable or does she have like. stans. a huge mystery

i also really hate that in her usual way lwaxana made the episode all about her stupid midlife crisis instead of like. letting the episode be about worf attempting to parent alexander. we never resolved the dirty clothes on the floor situation. we never got to see their contract/chore chart or whatever. is this why people say worf is a bad parent?? i get he was being overly strict and uncompromising (so was alexander, ironically), but we never got to see where it went, and i am WAY more interested in all of that than lwaxana troi

also lmao i nearly forgot honorable mention to this episode secretly exploring the fascinating new scifi concept of online dating. people got an interenet connect and suddenly anything is possible.

the perfect mate: i can't believe i had to watch this one right after i just watched that other one. hurg.

first of all, cathy was like, do you recognize this hot lady, and i was like well it looks like jean grey but she's the wrong age, so i said no, and she was like, oh it's jean grey. so now no one will ever believe me. also, i'm glad they didn't kiss onscreen watching her rub his little bald head was already too much for me it's going to be so hard to watch xmen without thinking about this now

secondly, picard fights in the war against human trafficking on the side of human trafficking. WHY are his vibes so bad lately. even beverly was like "you can't fuck her, this is human trafficking," and he was like "no i asked and she said it wasn't human trafficking so it's totally cool!" are you kidding me

first of all, let's stop and look at the spooooky scifi concept of having a ~woman~ who molds her very personality (and libido!!) to fit the desires of whatever man she's around so that it's impossible for her to be around a man who DOESN'T want to fuck her because she's every man's perfect woman. (except data. king.) AND because she's sooo desirable she's being human trafficked. and. nobody saw any problems with fetishizing this??

i think deliberately leaving it open as to whether or not picard fucked her was a pussy move. i think that if he did fuck her (and i think he did) you might as well say so instead of being a little bitch about it. you already made him complicit in human trafficking

and if he DIDN'T fuck her it actually makes it very nearly profound, if you take out all the fetishism - because all these guys are falling all over themselves to fuck her because she's drawn that way (like jessica rabbit), but actually all she wanted was somebody who WOULDN'T try to fuck her (she alludes to this a couple of times when he assumes she's coming on to him when she isn't), and if picard didn't, and THAT'S the reason she imprinted on him or whatever, you actually have something there. it's not a great something, but it's still better than the steaming pile of garbage we actually got.

also, having her ~reach sexual maturity~ (oh yeah let's not forget that while an adult human woman plays her she's """barely legal""" as far as her own species goes lmao) and imprint and become picard's perfect woman forever and then get shipped off to be that politician's mail-order bride when he's the one guy who also doesn't want to fuck her is ??? bad and dumb. like i get that's the kind of fucked up ending scifi likes to go for but again we are coming out on the side of human trafficking here. like, this isn't a bittersweet love story. this woman got trafficked.

actually you know what it is. it's "elaan of troyius" from tos except with way less racism and slightly more sexism. in elaan of tryoius she had love potion tears and she used them to essentially date rape kirk (as a means to escape her own horrific situation, so it was nonconsensual on both sides, but less consensual on his) and in this episode there was no forced consent on picard's part but potentially dubious consent on HERS since she has no choice in anything. and she is demure and accepting of her fate whereas elaan of troyius wasn't. and in both cases they just got sent off as mail-order brides to live with whatever diplomat required the purchase of a whole human being in order to agree to peace. cool. u can KIIIND of understand kirk wanting nothing more to do with her (again, she raped him), but PICARD?? who was supposed to be in love with her??? cmon.

tonight: god help us: "imaginary friend" and "i, borg." that second title would normally make me optimistic but i am a woman devoid of all hope. if they're as bad as the last two we watching i don't know how i'll survive.

[regallibellbright]

I continue to play Fashion Game!

And the more I play in offline mode, the more range I’m seeing from the men’s fashion, which is unironically great. I’ve got cute pink pants with like, candy appliques! And a vampire coat! I suspect that part of the reason why I haven’t seen them in online as much is that that stuff is rarer by default than the hoodies and oversized pants, so a lot of players haven’t unlocked them (because seriously, you can’t throw a rock in online mode without hitting at least four gothic or sweet lolita dresses, I’m pretty sure the goth stuff at least will do numbers once more people have it, and I HAVE seen quite a few user-designed variants of the Type B sailor shirt.) But also, as implied by that parenthetical, some styles are just more popular in general, and on the menswear side it is definitely that particular cool-casual look with a tendency towards dark colors. Which, hey, is actually a fashion trend and not Stock Photo Model. Given how limited the menswear was in the Style Savvys, it is great to FINALLY see some proper range and willingness to go into subcultures on that side.

A note: Yeah I noticed I refer to the character models as Type A and Type B but the clothes as actively gendered. That’ll likely keep up. For those of you tuning in at home, Type A is the one that has boobs. Hairstyles, makeup, face shape and those details, facial hair, and I think idle poses aren’t locked to frame, which is great. It’s very doable to design a character who’s androgynous, and in fact there are a couple NPCs who are Type B with very feminine haircuts. (I haven’t really seen the same thing with Type A NPCs that I recall - there’s a few with short hair but I think they all wear makeup - but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.) Unfortunately, the clothes (except hats, glasses, and earrings) ARE locked to frame, and the styles there are more gendered. Even the “cool” clothes for Type A tend to be pretty fitted, for example, and shorts tend to be shorter than their Type B counterparts. There are, of course, no skirts, dresses, or high heels for Type B that I have found, and even the “cute” clothes still read pretty masculine. I’ve yet to encounter leggings for Type A, though there are tights.

And this is pretty unfortunate because there are items on both sides that I’d like to mix and match - I just unlocked a fun color-blocked hoodie for Type A I think would look great on Type B, and I’d like to wear the sailor shirt that’s unlocked for Type B on my Type A character instead of a full-on dress with a hoop skirt. (Also, leggings. I love leggings. I love to wear them under dresses and skirts. Tights just aren’t the same.) Type A characters should be able to wear oversized stuff, and Type B ones should get to wear skirts and dresses. As far as I can tell it should be possible to create two characters whose only difference is frame (though I’m not entirely certain about the body type/height evening out, and haven’t tried naming the characters the same thing,) and I’ve yet to see the NPCs refer to you differently depending on model, but that’s an obviously imperfect solution. It doesn’t allow you to mix styles, it won’t work for players who want to dress one way but still have a frame that matches them, and while you CAN make four characters who share a save and progress, if you wanted them all to be different characters this limits you.

Also, as far as I can tell, to change characters - or change from offline to online mode or vice versa - you have to close the game and start again.

But anyway, I think I’ve gone on enough about both the gender lock (and have now articulated my issues with it beyond principle) and the state of the masculine fashion (SO MUCH IMPROVED.) More under the cut!

First: It is VERY CLEAR this game was designed for online first and foremost, to the point where, if you DON’T have it, I would recommend you skip this one. The fashion’s great, and it’s very PLAYABLE offline, but.

Okay, so let me break down the core gameplay loop. You enter a Cocoon (the little game settings, with the central conceit that this is essentially an MMO of sorts and you are encountering other players’ “Muses” - characters - and becoming an influencer in the game world of Eve. This is why using a different Muse doesn’t change how other NPCs react to you - you’re clearly the same player with a different account.) You encounter other characters and Like their clothes, receiving any items you Like and don’t have. You can then dress them up as you see fit. NPCs will have specific wishes (a particular style, or color, or item,) and Player profiles include spaces to fill out their preferred style, favorite color and print, and an item they want. (You can also pick “anything” for at least two of those.) Making outfits gets you E-Points, both from the customer and in your little social media sidebar. You can use these E-Points in two ways: To buy items for a showcase (essentially a storefront, though clothes are free,) and to make your own pieces using patterns in the design section. You can obtain patterns that don’t use E-Points from gacha machines in each setting, based off the theme - the city at night area full of neon lights and graffiti has “cool” clothes, for example, while the whimsical fantasy world full of giant teddy bears and castles has pop and I believe sweet lolita. You can also get a sense of what setting has which themes in offline mode in the “Pop Up Arena”s each area has, which have boards based on the current trends and one in each setting with clothes popular there specifically that you can like and obtain. (This isn’t NOT the case for online, but again: Some styles are way more popular than others. I saw way more of a mix in the online boards.) I’m pretty sure the pattern items are only available through the gachas.

But you also have designs that you can make unlimitedly, they just cost E-Points even once you’ve unlocked them. These start at like, 500 E-Points for basic items, but increase in rarity as you go, and you unlock more as your design rank and influencer rank go up. The max-rarity stuff costs in the realm of 100,000 E-Points at a time.

This sounds intimidatingly huge, right? Yeah, it’s a lot… If you’re playing in offline mode, anyway. There even a longer play session is probably going to earn you around 30,000. But ONLINE mode scales differently. Someone visiting your showcase in online mode gets you 10,000 points. Liking your items and outfits gets you 20,000 at a time. In other words, I managed to get like 800,000 points in two Online play sessions, so making higher rarity items wasn’t a problem.

There are other differences between the two modes, and reasons to play in either. Offline mode, of course, means you’re encountering the NPCs more. They can unlock things for you as you make them outfits and their friendship levels go up - new hairstyles, photo poses, details like eye shape and color, and even some more patterns for designs. Obviously beneficial. NPCs will still appear in Online Mode, dressed in outfits other players have made for them. But the real highlight of Online Mode is that you can make outfits for other players, and other players can make them for you, and you get to receive those outfits.

Not gonna lie, that part is awesome. I LOVE seeing what other players have dressed my character up in, because there’s clearly a lot of effort that goes into them. Definite highlight of the experience. Players can also send you stamps - “Thanks!” or “Nice!” - and choose to follow you and check in on your showcase whenever. Some of the Style Savvy games had multiplayer experiences, but the only parts you could really do online were a shopfront - where you could buy premade outfits the players had made, which as an aside meant that a lot of players would take the rare late-game items when they found them and put them in the online shop so people could get them way earlier, which was great - and sometimes fashion shows. Being able to get another player as a customer and make an outfit for them was pretty much always limited to Streetpass when it was available.

Which I imagine would be doable if you encounter other people who have played the game, bring their 3DS with them, and have Streetpass enabled. However, I live in North America, which means I don’t think I’ve ever met another Style Savvy player in the flesh. The games by all accounts did quite well in Japan and Europe - there’s a reason why the last two straight up used the EU localization rather than relocalize for North America* - but here, they tanked. I got Streetpasses fairly frequently in the 3DS’s heyday, sure, but for any given game-specific Streetpass function it was a crapshoot and I NEVER got them for Style Savvy.

*Just to list the most noticeable differences, you’d get UK spellings of things like “curb/kerb”, the hair that covers your forehead was referred to as a “fringe” rather than “bangs,” and a character in Trendsetters who reappeared in Fashion Forward who had a different appearance and name between regions used the European version in Fashion Forward, which made it harder to recognize she was intended to be a crossover character in North America. Nothing that seriously impacted gameplay, but since this was the pair of games where you could unlock hair styling, the fringe thing did take a little getting used to. The playerbase was seriously worried we wouldn’t get Fashion Forward in North America AT ALL, and Style Star was released exclusively digitally here, so I don’t think anyone was bothered by getting the EU localization since the alternative was “jailbreak your 3DS” at a time when that required buying a specific game or two to set up.

So yeah. The online multiplayer? Fantastic. Genuinely love it as an experience. But this also means the game’s longevity is directly dependent on there being plenty of people PLAYING in online mode, because if you aren’t getting online Likes, rarer items are prohibitively expensive to produce. There IS a way to get more E-Points… in addition to them, when you design outfits for people you get a few items for unlockables. One is used to buy props for photos, another is of course used for the gacha (my beloathed,) but most commonly, you’ll get tickets for a set of bingo machines in each area.

Genuine question: Does anyone actually enjoy bingo? Like, the traditional version where you get a board of numbers or arbitrary symbols that are pulled out at random? I get that it’s a social gathering thing, but this is single-player bingo. I get that it’s a form of gambling, but even with that in mind I was playing the bingo machines and finding this Skinner Box deeply ineffective. You hit A. A number or symbol comes up. You hit A again. But I’ve also never enjoyed bingo so I may be biased. There are two machines, a 9-square grid with a limited number of cute symbols where I’m pretty sure you’ll always get a hit and need three in a row to win, and a 25-square grid that uses numbers and matches 5. You will not always get a hit on the match-5. There are bonuses for managing to hit double bingo, triple bingo, quadruple bingo (in the match 5,) or for getting it remarkably quick (below 25 turns on the match 5) or remarkably slow (I have… no idea how long it takes to hit slow. I have spent more than fifty in one go to burn the damn things down to reasonable numbers, and still did not get the slow modifier. It is LONG.) It’s a dull and unpleasant sequence, even by the standards of gambling, and I only spend those tickets to get rid of them since they’re way more common than gacha tickets. (Which incidentally I hate, there’s no way to transfer your excess bingo tickets into an unlock item you actually want. I hate that this game has a gacha mechanic but at least that machine lets you spend in groups of 10.)

So yeah, if you don’t have online mode, or if the online player base dies down, you’ll eventually be functionally locked out of a core mechanic except by playing BINGO, because the point costs are balanced towards online. Now, if you just want ro dress people up with the brand items, that’s very doable, but since one of the central things this game was sold on was designing your own stuff, it’s not a great situation to be relying on bingo.

And you know, on the one hand? There are plenty of games that are functionally dependent on multiplayer. Fortnite, for example. Fighting games. The original Starcraft is one of the oldest esports, and it and Starcraft II still have HUGE professional scenes to this day. Hell, a lot of big online action games don’t even HAVE a single player mode, or what they have serves as much as a tutorial/warmup space as anything else. So you know, why NOT do that with a fashion game? Why SHOULDN’T there be more creative community-based games? Super Mario Maker was a hit with the Kaizo/romhack community, and that’s super-niche, but I’ve never worried about ITS longevity. (I’ve also never been particularly interested, granted, since I don’t usually play platformers due to the whole “my particular disabilities make anything harder and more precise than Kirby a challenge” thing. Love watching them, never gonna try them.)

But on the other hand, it is a concern. Inevitably, Nintendo will move on from the Switch and eventually its online servers will go down. That’s unavoidable, and a thing people bring up as a concern about ALL these online-only games and the potential for the experience to be lost. (Hell, as WoW Classic demonstrates, even experiencing a still-running game in an older state is a thing you eventually can’t do as those games inevitably change.) Any given Style Savvy will still be playable through legitimate means once Nintendo closes the 3DS/Wii U online services next year, provided you already own them. (The original DS game is on the Wii U VC.) This isn’t really going to be the case here. Given we are pretty firmly in the “late” stage of the Switch’s lifecycle and everyone knows it, that is a thing to worry about.

More than that, I’m personally concerned about an issue I had with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer. Like Fashion Dreamer, you had basically unlimited options for designs once you hit a certain point, with just a vague prompt to work towards. And I really liked HHD for a while! But over time, once I had unlocked most of the items, it got pretty same-y - there was no budget or anything, so there was no reason not to use basically the same layouts and items over and over again, and then I eventually just stopped playing because I realized I’d fallen into a rut. In Style Savvy, the shop management aspects serve as a blocker on that - you don’t always have the same items in stock, and you have to manage inventory in every game but Style Star. The real-time aspects of Fashion Forward and the original mean you have to plan around what items you’ll have for certain brands in case you don’t get a good selection of sneakers or Marble Lily isn’t available that day. Customers have budgets that you have to manage around when you’re designing an outfit. They’re limitations, but they’re limitations that keep you from making the same outfit forever, and that extends the game’s longevity. Don’t get me wrong, I’m decently creative in these kinds of games - my Animal Crossing houses may not be the kind of pure spectacle you get from the REALLY fancy people, but I’m still really proud of the island design I settled on for New Horizons because it both has a consistent aesthetic that I like, and was designed for ease of play. (Since I spent most of the two years and change I was regularly playing New Horizons with what I affectionately call the murder tendonitis, doing things like keeping the villagers and shops relatively close together was important so I could play efficiently.) I have fun with the design aspects in this game. But most people aren’t going to play HHD or this indefinitely. The fatigue is a known phenomenon. In HHD, it wasn’t a problem when the uploads to the little Nook Social Media thing slowed down, and it survived the fall of Miiverse - these weren’t essential components of the game, and you could continue unlocking the story mode and furniture on your own. But for an online multiplayer game, that fatigue becomes a very real concern. Now, I’ve yet to see a pattern that I DON’T believe is based off a premade item from the game’s brand. You can dress the NPCs as many times as you want. But again, the designing aspect is balanced towards online play, and it’s a core feature. The point of the game is to “build your fashion brand as an influencer.”

Okay, so, we have the good and the bad, we have the things I find interesting and the things I find concerning. Now for the ugly:

The core loops of dressup and design are fine, and I’m sure people who enjoy photo mode more than I habitually do are having fun there, but they aren’t really integrated together well. The “like clothes - dress up everyone in the area - move onto the next area” loop works fine. “Make clothes, level up your design level, make more clothes” as a loop works fine. But it’s easy to get caught up in one or the other without any great incentive to switch over unless someone wants an item you already have, or you run out of E-Points (and again, the scaling there is intense). I have way more keys and patterns I haven’t used yet than is probably wise, just because I get caught in the dressup loop more often.

And a lot of the game is clunky. Like, mechanically. Your player character moves fairly slowly even at a run. The setting layouts differ by area, and the maps for them all show the same “Main Area with Salon on one side and Pop Up Arena on the other” for fast travel. It’s not particularly intuitive to figure out what’s a dead end and how you get to different spaces and what’s interactable or not. Not helping things is the fact that how the areas relate to each other… doesn’t always make logical sense. Like, I’m pretty sure I can enter one area of the cool setting from both the direct north and direct south of another. I get that this is, like, a VR setting or whatever, but it’s hard to make sense of.

You can fast travel to figure out to get where you need to go, but that’s not really explained - despite a tip text box-heavy tutorial, it doesn’t tell you up front how to travel from one big area to the next when you unlock them, you just have to notice the button prompt at the bottom of the screen to bring up the map and then the second prompt to bring up the list of areas. Not an unforgiveable design crime, but like I said, awkward. The tutorial, in general, just sort of walks you through the bare minimum to open online mode and then drops off entirely - it doesn’t clearly tell you how to do… quite a lot, really, and the UI isn’t the WORST I’ve ever seen but it does feature small white text on a light blue background, sort of things. There are ways to mass-like OUTFITS, and to individually like items from that, but not individual items in the showcases (on racks or display shelves or the like) or from the pop up arena boards. Little things about the UI and menuing experience are just a bit off.

Meanwhile, reaching Platinum Influencer Rank happens at 10,000 followers (these are just sort of gained arbitrarily as you do outfits? They clearly have no relation to real players as you get them in offline mode, and NPCs will have a special event where they decide to follow you as you level up with them, but that doesn’t seem to DO anything.) This is a gate so low that it feels like THAT is the real end of tutorial - it happened unceremoniously in the middle of my third play session or so when I checked my notifications to get E-points, at which point the “Guide Muse” from the tutorial gave a little speech about how you’ve spread and received Likes all over the world and made people happy, and then we went straight into an agonizingly long credits sequence. And like I do not begrudge the devs a credit sequence, I know this is an important thing for them to have on their resumes because studios will ask about it. But usually there’s clear buildup to that point so you know it’s coming, and you’re out of the “this is normal gameplay” mindset. This just drops you in, spends eleven minutes (yeah, I checked) on a very slow sequence through every NPC you’ve met and location you’ve seen (as well as the final big game area, which you unlock after the credits - not that the game tells you this,) and is not particularly visually interesting or, since you will reach it so early, particularly meaningful. And then it boots you back to the title screen.

And frustratingly, while there IS a way to go from category to category for designs, looking at your inventory of clothes and dressing up? Yeah, there is a filter, but only using the search. And the search itself is ONLY to filter out what big category (pants, tops, hats, etc,) you’re looking for - you can’t do subcategories like distinguishing between jackets and cardigans, (it’s been a bit of a pain when the game asks me for a “shirt” and means a specific subclass of items within the tops category) or specific colors, or what items are in which styles. This last one is probably so that you have flexibility, particularly if you get inventive with colors and turn, say, a pair of camouflage leggings into a sort of pink speckling that can fit if people want cute/cool outfits. Makes sense. It also makes it easier for items to belong in multiple categories at once. But I still haven’t necessarily worked out the difference between active, relaxed, and simple, or what specific looks are clumped together under “unique”. (Historically, it could include everything from boho-chic to psychedelic vintage to gothic lolita. In the same game.) I’m pretty sure sweet lolita is considered cute, but I couldn’t tell you right now where pop kei is being listed. I’ve been asked repeatedly now for “neon colors” by NPCs and while I suspect that’s a color palette category, I haven’t unlocked it at all yet and therefore have NO IDEA if anything but the most electric eye-searing green I’ve gotten in a few items counts toward it. The downside of this game being so vibes-based is that a lot of aspects are trial and error - and when you get fewer hearts from NPC outfits, you don’t really know exactly what went wrong. There will be requests for items that are rare or “mega-rare,” but while there are numbers listing each item’s rareness designation, the game does not see fit to tell you when it crosses from standard to rare, or rare to mega-rare. Or if you can use an item at a higher rarity for a lower-rarity request. Not to mention, because the only way to narrow down items by category is the search, scrolling through all the dresses every time to get to outerwear is a massive pain. Instead of making the shoulder buttons the broad categories, they bring up your total inventory, your favorites, and quick suggestions for the specific NPC… based off their default style, I suspect. Having a favorites toggle isn’t a bad idea, but at the expense of not having to load every item of your caps-at-5000 wardrobe that fits the body type you’re working at… mngh. This should be obvious. It IS obvious, because they do it for design. The sub-shoulder buttons (specifically, ZL) is designated for a sorter that allows you to do things by how recently they were acquired (the default, gag me), the category, rarity, and whether or not to prioritize your brand as you search. This is good and excellent, and I feel like either favorites should have been grouped with this or SOMETHING because it’s so irritating not to have a category sort by default and a more detailed search (and the process of searching and removing filters is… oddly unintuitive, in ways I can’t quite explain? Like, there’s something about what buttons it has you pressing at various times that just doesn’t click with me no matter how many times I do it. This happens with a lot of aspects of gameplay, they’re just… mildly awkward.)

Miscellaneous points that are fairly neutral:

* I think at least one NPC’s level progression is bugged for me. Pretty sure it’s a bug because his heart has an exclamation point over it but he KEEPS ASKING for normal requests. I also have what I’m pretty sure is either a glitch or a recurring issue with Marvelous, depending on whether I’m remembering correctly that this is a problem with AWL as well: I play exclusively in undocked mode with joycons detached due to lingering stuff with the murder tendonitis, and every time I boot this game up, it needs a minute to re-recognize the joycons. This may well be a problem only I personally experience because I play in a pretty unusual setup, or maybe there’s something wrong with my Switch or my joycons, but who knows.

* Back on “the character creator is much improved”: Noses are an option you can determine now, where before I think every character got Generic Animation Small Nose’. Nice! The skin tones have a much wider range than Style Star’s “four, and the darkest is Pastel Grayish Taupe for a player character,” which is good because that was downright shameful. The PC had fewer options than NPCs did, and the one we had was so terrible. I am not the person who can tell you how this game handles the lighting or makeup for various skintones (I am white, notably bad at judging lighting in general, and haven’t played much with makeup at all here, and there’s clearly a lot still to unlock,) but it has cleared the EXTREMELY low bar of “being better than Style Star.” Within the A and B body types there’s another range of nine types each that are mostly height, but there is SOME variation in proportions - you’re stuck with your character being thin, unfortunately, but I noticed some of the Type B frames had broader shoulders than the others and there was definitely SOME kind of shift with the Type As but I can’t articulate what. They might have slightly longer torsos in proportion to arms/legs within the same height type? I’m not sure, I’d have to check again with both of my current characters. Again, this is better than the Style Savvy games’ “at maximum, three heights that are the same proportions but taller” by a significant margin. Like with the men’s fashion, still not perfect, but a genuine improvement.

* It appears that the Type A and Type B models have different run cycles - A’s being a bit “floatier” for lack of a better term. It’s not terrible, and I haven’t checked to see if using the same idle animation changes the cycle or anything, but yeah, distinct difference viewed side by side.

* NPC lines are nowhere near as involved as the ones in Style Savvy (where you’d get requests like “I need a red dress so when I spill spaghetti sauce on it, it won’t show!” and “I was watching this superhero show I liked as a kid and I want earrings like the dark antihero girl wears… wait maybe I should wait to do her pose when I get home,”) but they do seem to all be unique NPCs - each one gets a little adjective in front of their name, they have specific-to-them dialogue when you make outfits, and when you get their level up events they’ll have equally specific lines for that. It’s not anything I’d call involved enough to be a storyline, but while the lines are short they are distinct.