#also though kudos to the set designers

[eldritch-spouse]

I don't usually interact with "succubus/incubus" esque monsters in my monster-loving ventures because I feel weird about them being designed to fulfill others desires. Almost like they can't have boundaries?

I usually enjoy your writing so I read some of your succubus stories of Santi and Vesper, and though I'm still not exactly a 'lust-monster cheerleader' I find myself enjoying them with less of my usual hangups!

I really like how you convey the monsters as enjoying the activity outside of just sex = sexual pleasure = all good folks!

The idea that pleasure/lust gives them pleasure isn't new but the way you write it is refreshing in allowing an easier suspension of disbelief.

With how depraved and lust-driven you make the monsters it's easier to believe that they really do enjoy all the kinks their prey enjoys and are within their comfort zone. Instead of some objectified fantasy of a sex-doll coming to life but still being just a sex-doll, it only comes to life to make the person feel wanted and less of a loser (nothing wrong with those who partake in those fantasies every now and again but I personally don't like it, especially when it's repetitive and still no personality).

By giving them personalities that aren't just "sexsexsexsexsex" or some facet of it (so many succubus/incubus characters tend to fall back on the trope personalities traits of charisma, self-absorbed, shallow) you make them more fleshed out without losing the idea that they still are lust-driven.

Also, kudos for sticking to your guns about them being sexually polyamorous (though not always romantically poly) because it makes sense!!!! So many stories seem to go with the idea that once they find The One they'll be monogamous (and if people want to read that then good for them it's their preference), but being sexually polyamorous makes sense and doesn't negate the meaningfulness of their relationship any!!

You don't shy away from what it means to be a Lust Monster, which I really appreciate as someone who is into monster loving for how 'other' the monsters act (not just look).

It also allows them some agency in a way? I can't really explain it but something about you not disregarding their monstrous aspects or expecting them to change and loving them for it. Something about not expecting a beast that feeds on lust to conform to your perception of the world. Something about not controlling or owning them. Something about how their species give pleasure to receive pleasure and you can't physically withstand enough of their pleasure-giving for them to receive enough pleasure so you give them pleasure in a way by encouraging them to receive it elsewhere. Something about adapting to their ways of affection & love based in pleasure as they adapt to yours based outside of it and both of you being better off for it.

I do wonder;

Does Vesper have any boundaries (in relationships or otherwise), even if they're not sexual?

Does he ever have a moment where the realisation that his spouse isn't just in it for the sexual gratification he can offer them or the power of being with him fully sets in? That he isn't just lust-worthy but love-worthy? I imagine he is loved by many but probably for his capabilities, his power, or the persona he displays. But to be loved for something other than what he can give/serve others?

(I may be coming to the realisation that this aversion to lust-monsters could have something to do with the uncomfortable familiarity of being loved for the servitude you offer and not for who you are)

Would he react in any particular way?

[Ohhh lord, this is huge (no offense genuinely), so I'm going to keep the answer under a read more and divide it so people can tell when I'm talking about Vesper.]

I'm going to be real, I actually like the idea of monsters who are genuine sex creatures. Creations that exist solely to please sexually and have little to no autonomy as well as a basically non-existent sense of self. But that already comes from my somewhat present objectification/mindbreak fetish. I did laugh when you talked about the "fantasy of a sex doll coming to life", because I could get into that. I know perfectly well that a character of this caliber would be extremely one-dimensional, and therefore a bit of a "one-trick pooch" that I can't poke and prod at too much unless I give them a personal development arc that is quite profound.

I agree with you in the sense that, even if just subconsciously, I've always felt like people weren't really exploring the lust monster trope too much. Or maybe I just wanted to put my own very different spin on it. (This is a bit rich of me to say, considering I've intentionally reduced Gluttony to what amounts to "heehee hungy :)))" instead of "overbearing indulgence".)

I enjoy trying to translate their view of the world into terms we can understand. Sex isn't just a recreational commodity for them, it's food, it's a basic necessity, it's their bread and butter- Even a science! But it's also trivial. Sexual cheating just isn't a thing for concubi, unless one of them has entered some sort of exclusivity agreement, for whatever reason.

I like the idea of there always being a healthy amount of "pros" and "cons" in all types of monsters, it keeps them balanced and more two dimensional as characters, and it makes for a very good base when it comes to world-building. (Keep in mind I'm talking out of my ass, I have no formal/professional insight on any of this.) Sure, you can have a concubus as a partner, it'll be the best sex of your life, you'll find new sides of your carnality you never saw before and you'll be able to withstand some acts that would break your physical limits- But you'll get quite literally drained of your life if you insist on being their only meal. But you can and will become hypersexual depending on the circumstances. But there's quite a bit of social stigma. But many of them are afraid of commitment. But kids might never be on the table. Etcetera.

That makes things more interesting, doesn't it?

I'm a firm believer that perverted characters can have depth to their personality, sex-driven narratives can have interesting premises or twists and a wide variety of personalities that serve to enhance the smut, you know? In fact, you should strive to make these lust monsters as distinct as possible, so that they don't all fall under the same umbrella of repetitive humdrum smut. There's nothing sadder than a sexual setting that falls flat on its ass because you can predict everything.

I'm not going to lie, I think the idea of them becoming exclusively attached to you romantically and sexually can work- But in a very toxic and "horror-esque" setting where the concubus is so mentally ill with their hyperfixation that you end up dying eventually because they don't acknowledge your limits and simply keep shattering you for their own gain/pleasure.

Thank you for the insight though! I'm very happy you find some sort of novelty in the way I portray these characters!

When it comes to Vesper, you have to remember he's a bit of a romantic.

Both him and Santi are given how much contact they used to have in the past, how Vesper helped mold Santi into someone better. Naturally, Santi is more of a romantic than the King for a couple of reasons I can't get into right now or I'll risk making this response longer than it needs to be. They're both also yandere, keep that in mind.

From the very start, Vesper is extremely affectionate with you and quick to profess his love. He expects you to want to be with him for the sex, obviously, but he also desperately wants you to return his love and he thinks he can get you to love him with enough pleasure and pleasantries.

Since we're talking about an Icon, Vesper doesn't really make a strong separation between "what he can give others/receive from them" and "who he is". Icons are less two dimensional than standard characters, so whether you love him because you like Vesper as a person or because he makes you feel like nobody else in bed, it's all the same to him- Because it kind of is the same in his mind.

Maybe I'm not being too clear, but I hope it's understandable.

Boundaries... It kind of depends? I'll ramble.

You're romantically monogamous to him as he is to you, but there can be a polyamorous dynamic at some point, if desired;

His mark is the only one to ever stay on your body;

On the realm of preferences, you know he doesn't really like to have sex while he's clothed because clothes are unappealing to him;

He doesn't like it when you wear chasity devices;

He won't humor castration as a fetish for you or him specifically;

Don't portray him chastely;

It really does depend on the situation, because Vesper will gladly let you refer to him as a "brainless fucktoy" or nothing more than cocks on legs, or something equally derogatory that suggests he's not even a person.

As the embodiment of depravity, he's bound to only get more aroused by his own consistent dehumanization, so the demonlord's boundaries end up being things you wouldn't really expect, you know?

#Vesper oc #sexc-snail

[theonewhonothingknows]

Power Rangers (2017) fic rec list: (UPDATED: Jan, 2024)

Hello there, as someone who loves this movie, I decided to make a list of fics that’ve read, or am about to read, to anyone who is interested:

Note: I’m only putting here fics that I’ve read. So if someone knows a fic they might want to recommend, let me know! XD  There are currently almost two thousand works on the power rangers 2017 tag on AO3, so be sure to look around and dig for stuff you might like.

NOTE: Remember to check out the author if you like their stories! Leave comments and kudos and reblog stuff you like, apreciation is always important

Illustrated Story: @theone-with-thestuff​ ‘s power rangers sequel: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 , part 6, part 7 , part 8

MultiChapter fics (post-canon)

Rangers with Attitude by SmokeyCut : A sequel to the movie that is very in synch with the power rangers universe, both in how the story is told and how light it feels. THat doesn’t stop the drama from happening though. Awesome battle scenes and a very engaging take on Tommy, and the 2017 universe as a whole.

Power Rangers 2: Sythesis by SatanSpeaks (mature) : This fic is a piece, it’s another sequel to the movie, but with a much more bleak look on the universe as a well, however, it doesn’t dive too much into it and it has plenty of hopeful moments to spare. It’s a fic that leaves you on the edge of your seat, start to finish, biting your nails hoping everything will work out.

we gladiate but i guess we're really fighting ourselves by sunnydalehart: “The rangers don't really know what they're doing, but they really are trying their best.” -- Another post-canon fic with good romance, and team-bonding, check it out!!! (Trimberly) (Billy/ Jason/Zack)

Power Rangers 2: Rise of the Green Ranger by IzzyIniguez: Rita loses her coin, but finds a new power.  The rangers learn to be a team and meet the Tommy and Tamsin Oliver, the new (twin) kids in town. Sparks fly and tempers flare between Kim and Tommy, and Trini and Tamsin. I think this might be one of the most original takes on 2017 Tommy Oliver out there.

Short-stories:

 5 Times Jason Scott Was Protective of His Team by notawriters: Jason-centric goodness!!!!      

Zack Taylor Designated Driver Squad by iwasnthere622 : Zack didn't have the best school record. His friends help him fix that. -- This isn’t as much a sequel fic as it is a Zack sequel fic, exploring his life after becoming a ranger, and how he relates to his new friends. The chapters go through his bond with each of the rangers, and it’s an amazing piece of Zack Taylor fanfic, enriching what we already saw in the movie. One of my all time favourites!!

Been There, Done That by TaikoTurtle: The team has a bonding camping trip up on the mountains, but after a series of unfortunate events, Kimberly has to figure out how to make things right, including her feelings.

One More Ride by magimumu: (NEW!) : Uber driver Trini picks up Kim on a rainy evening. (TRIMBERLY)   (This short one is amazing! Like poetry! Can’t recommend enough!)

One-Shots:

***NEW!!!!! - (This is) Good Weird -  by Laslus -----  Poly Rangers fic!!! -  Or: The Huge Colective Denial of FeelingsThe first time Trini notices, they are around the fire. She looked at the whole picture, feeling the warmness she usually felt when hanging with them, how she finally felt like she belonged somewhere. She should focus on that, on the happiness she felt as they sang off tune, how they were a picture together. Oh.

All of the Above  by songofsunset : This short one shot is a perfetc mood setting piece, with rangers hanging out. In a few senteces, it grasps both each ranger’s personallities and the nature of their both. Sweet fluffiness all around.

Just let me love you when your heart is tired by milkyegg_carton: A cure little fluff about the aftermath of the battle with Goldar!!

walk me home by twoorangecookies: A nice little, well, it’s canon complaint but it’s sort of a missing scene, but it’s also sort of an AU where Kim asks Trini to walk her home.

Campfire Dance-Off by Skyland2704: team bonding fluffiness!

we carry each other (we’re just different colors) by hearden: This is a fascinating fic, about the rangers before being rangers! Seriously! There are so many character beats, and a very good grasp on the characters!!

am i the only living soul around by younglegends: A story told backwards,going from the aftermath of the movie to the very beginning. Again, another rich story exploring the characters and their core! An awesome read about the power rangers that really makes a point about their evolution and their bond in face of their sttrugles. I always go back to this fic for inspiration.

Do Better by iwasnthere622: One of the best jason centtric fics out there, exploring his role as leader and the way he shoulders the burden.

Dildo Wars  by cabooseachievables : I think this is one of the most fun pieces of fanwork I’ve ever read, seriously, just pure delight from start to finish as the rangers start a prank war between themselves.

**********NEW!!!!!!!!! Riding Shot Gun by zipzipnada:   --Kimberly finds out her new friends have never tried weed before, and knows for a fact Jason is a shotgun king.

Shipping Fics:

BY THE WAY, THE AUTHOR tworangecookies has plenty of Trimberly works if you’re interested, I can’t recommend enough to check them out, you’ll definetly find something for your tastes, both on AO3 and on tumblr @5ivebyfive. Another tumblr with fics in this universe is @magicmumu2

you’re my sunshine by titaniaeli: Short, fluff, and engaging, basically a tale of Jason falling in love with his team. (RANGER POLYCULE)

 in a hopeless place by twoorangecookies: (AU) This is one of my favorite fics. It’s an Outsiders AU, and I never had contact with The Outsiders, but I do love how consistent the rangers are even in an Alternative universe. This fic is well paced, and leaves tense with each cliffhanger, not to mention the forbidden romance, which is just *cheff’s kiss. (TRIMBERLY)

The Heart part 1 by The Otter Limits: While this fic is a sequel to the movie, I’m putting it here, because its main focus is the relationship between Trini and Kimberly. I really love this fic because it has a very heavy dose of Angst. I’m not sure it’s everyone’s cup of tea, but I do love the melodrama involved. Also, there is some neat world building about the rangers’ powers and the universe they live in. (TRIMBERLY)

The Hunt For Love by magicmumu: Awesome Valentine’s day Fluff, what else can you wish for? Honestly, the dialog between the characters as they go on an scavenge hunt it’s so amazing, you can’t help reading this with a smile on your face. Can’t recomment enough. (TRIMBERLY)

Fire meet gasoline by twoorangecookies: (mature) A cute little soccer AU, with that good old rivals to lovers premise. What more can I say? Go check it out!! (TRIMBERLY)

Clarity by thebrightestbird: I think this was the first time I read about this ship, and interestingly it immediately spread to be fond of it in the tv show universe as well. Great stuff!!!  (ZACK/JASON) 

with my feelings on fire (guess I'm a bad liar) by movingforthesakeofmotion: The one where a date night turns into exposed secrets and discoveries. (TRIMBERLY, CRANSCOTT)

We can have all that we ever wanted by theshipstorulethemallwrites: 5 Times Someone Thought The Rangers Were Dating and 1 Time They Were

EXPLICIT FICS:

Turning sweet love into poison by twoorangecookies: (EXPLICIT) this fic is Intense, and I really advise you to look into the tags before going in. It deals with heavy subjects like body dysmorphia, so be mindful. Now that that’s out of the way, this fic is delicious to read, two traumatize characters navigating a complex situation, it has all those spices for those who love some heavy Angst in their romance. (TRIMBERLY)

Legacy of Power by Hearden (Mature, but the collection has Explicit fics): (INCOMPLETE) .This fic is interesting because it’s sort of a nice multiverse mix between the tv show and the movie, with the simple premisse of having TV Kimberly and Tommy meeting the 2017 rangers. It’s one amazing fic, very well written with an awesome premisse and solid character work. It’s specially awesome to see two versions of Kimberly knowing and interacting with one another.

*****NEW !!!! -- Shut up and Drive -  by Twoorangecookies --  (Sort of a power rangers meet Fast and Furious, but R rated 😈)  Trini is looking forward to start her new career as a rookie cop. She isn't the best at relationships, so she goes out one night just looking for a thrill. Then she stumbles on a scene that is not her scene at all and more thrill than she asked for, and she meets a woman that is the most annoying, obnoxious woman she's ever met. A woman she wouldn't go for in a million years. At least...that's what she thinks.

PS: I have to say, it’s really interesting to go through fandoms, not only to meet how diverse people’s interpretations can be, but how rich and creative they are as well. Just the ammount of Tommy Olivers I’ve seen for the 2017 universe is stagering, not one version is the same, and that, I think, is also very precious.

Anyway, remember to comment, reblog, and all that stuff that shows authors your apreciation. Feel free to add fics you might’ve read and are not here, I’ll sure try to do so as I find new ones. I tried to categorize stuff as best as I could.

#power rangers 2017 #power rangers #fanfiction #fic recs #mmpr reboot #Trimberly #cranscott #kimberly hart #trini kwan #zack taylor #billy cranston #jason scott #tommy oliver

[emp-roar]

Refined design of the Pharaoh Yautja : Fir’aun/Set 

Early story development and Ideas: bear with me it’s a little bit of lore I took liberties of making and slotting it into a moment in irl history that would make it interesting. Also bc Cleopatra is generally just a very interesting woman to read abt bc most of our historic accounts are written by her enemies. kudos to Jeff Simpsons for being my current biggest inspiration, love doing this for studies, concept and value practices.

We know from AvP that Ancient Egypt was one of the first civilizations whom housed the Yautja and built pyramids to hunt xenomorphs, and hence I thought about the yautjas who stuck around to supervise the stability of the pyramids and by proxy, oversees the development of the civilizations who built and sacrifice for the hunt.  These Yautja who live among the humans naturally became the figureheads of the pantheon, and in the case of Egypt, they take the form of the major nine deities aka the Ennead. Composed of mostly Elders and Elites. The names assigned to these Gods are just names the people address them by, but not necessarily their true name. There are only a few occasions in which the people may see the ‘Gods’, though often it is only when the hunt for the rite of passage is required, and only when the Ennead requests an audience with the Pharaoh of Egypt or vice versa. Note: Pharaohs are perceived as deities of their own, but they are not equal. Rather they act as a vassal to the members of the Ennead to act their will to the people. 

Enter Fir’aun:

Fir’aun his true name or known by the people of Ancient Egypt as Sutekh or Set, was a yautja known by other members of the Ennead as particularly violent, in favor of other kingdoms waging war on the people in order to ‘strengthen’ them. Sutekh love to hunt in desert storms when his surroundings are most difficult and he is tasked by the Ennead as he who oversees the serpents. Diagram: Set spears Apep, serpent of chaos. The story of the battle between Apophis seemed to parallel the AvP baseline concept, that is:  “Storytellers said that every day Apep must lie below the horizon and not persist in the mortal kingdom.“ - Wikipedia page on Apep Though Set has never been in good terms with the people, and there were many sections of Egyptian history where he was demonized altogether, hence the divide between Set and the people. He hides away in his ruined temples, worshipped by cults and only ventures out to hunt in desert storms or when the Ennead calls him to duty.

Enter Cleopatra:

Cleopatra ruled Egypt until her brother had conspired against her, promptly exiling her outside of Egypt alongside her sister Arsinone. Though what her brother failed to remember was that she was an established woman who ruled as Pharaoh longer than he did. On top of that, historically it was accounted that she was a woman who spoke more than a handful of languages and I took the liberty to say that, with the access of the Library of Alexandria, she dedicated herself in learning the language in which only Pharaohs may attempt but few succeeded: the language of the Gods, aka the Yautja language. Hence, she came to the God, most turn away from, and found Set in his temple. There she ask that he would help her regain her throne, and while Set is disinterested, the Queen then pointed out that his brother will be incapable of handling the Roman warriors who may threaten to annex the kingdom, and if that were to happen, then the Yautja may be regarded as false gods.  Set understood this mutual ground and agreed. TLDR: This story is about Pharaoh Yautjas vs Caesar and the Roman legions.

#avp #predator #fanart #OC: Pharaoh #yautja #yautja oc #predator oc #myart #my art #emp goes insane #emp: loredump #feral yautja #feral predator #inspired my prey #prey 2022

[that-sweet-thief]

just finished binge-watching season 2 of shadow and bone. my thoughts are mostly in disarray but the cringe is real.

this was an off-paced, haphazard fanfiction. it'd be just fine if the writers weren't paid for it but they actually are, so it's just... wow. I'm at best mediocre when writing in english and i reckon even i would do a better job of writing dialogue.

anyway, here's a list of my thoughts on the show, though it's more of a word vomit than a comprehensive series review:

no ivan or fedyor. immediate downvote for that alone. ivan should've survived so we could have a heartbreaking moment between him and fedyor across the two sides of the battlefield. i guess they thought there were too many characters and couples to juggle already. or maybe the actors weren't available, who knows.

costume design took a surprising turn for the worse: for example, nina's and zoya's dresses were eyesores. how anyone could make these two very attractive women look that frumpy i've no idea but they've managed. i liked sankta neyar's costume, sturmhond's coat aaand that's about it.

the settings were more varied, so glad we've seen a little of bhez ju. the introductory map-to-location shots were very helpful for people who haven't read the books, namely my gf who fell asleep halfway through the show. also, if the music had any tracks that weren't already from the first season i'll be incredibly surprised, it's that repetitive.

they've messed up nikolai as a character mainly because the actor misunderstood his assignment, though i don't know what else he could've done with the mess he was given. while he's still sympathetic, lovely and witty, paddy's nikolai thinks of sturmhond as just another disguise, rather than who he really is, to the point of gifting said disguise to mal. that's irreconcilable with my understanding of nikolai, whose real mask is the bastard prince.

tamar & tolya were better realised than expected. along with the exclusion of the soldat sol cult, their zealotry's scrapped which is a big win for them. i enjoyed their scenes, great casting too. though, as an ardent kanej fan, i cannot in good conscience support the blink-and-you'll-miss-it tolya/inej moment. tamar/nadia had maybe a minute of screen time but better than nothing.

sankta neyar was a pleasant surprise, great idea to show how powerful durasts can also be. people often disregard materialki so this was refreshing. what i liked about her is how formal, collected, old-fashioned she both appeared and acted, as if her manners and speech style were leftover from a few centuries ago, kudos to her actor tuyen do.

the crows' arc was... lacking in some way. maybe it's because pekka rollins' attitude towards kaz and his group is very different than how it was established in the books, here he was way too proactive and less secure in his position in ketterdam for some reason; anyway rollins' framing of the crows felt off to me.

the crows' character dynamics are interesting and the saving grace of the show, all kanej and wesper scenes were great. seriously, the tension of kanej & cuteness of wesper nearly destroyed me.

they did helnik dirty, of course, but that was a given.

freddy carter outperformed everyone this season, i really think out of all of them he's given the best performance, sometimes even better than ben barnes and that's practically heresy coming from me, his devoted fan since ages ago when i first saw narnia.

i kinda dig that they brought in a tidemaker (fruszi) who's practically an early version of zoya for the darkling's side but her death felt cheap. i mean, the crows arriving to help out nikolai and his team at the very last second was already eye roll inducing, but then nikolai shoots her in the neck? cheap. also, if she and zoya came to face off that'd be interesting since they share so many similarities. i personally don't think it will but if the series continued along with the darkling's canon resurrection, i wish she'd lived and replaced elizaveta, she certainly seemed devoted enough.

david and genya made me cry. that's all i have to say on them.

baghra... where do i even start with her? baghra's nonchalance, her one-eighty about deciding to help alina find more amplifiers is stark raving bonkers imho. yet at least most of her scenes weren't as bad as they could've been, her proving to mal he was the firebird and her saving genya as well as alina actually came across better than the ultra passive, constantly berating version in the books. her death felt less dramatic but more spiteful, though aleksander's reaction to her death was appropriately heartbreaking. ben & zoe sold it so well, my eyes actually welled up.

speaking of sasha, his death is soooo badly executed, it's impossible not to be pissed off at the way they filmed it. even the books were more sympathetic to his demise and alina herself showed much more empathy for him at the end. it's genuinely disturbing how they framed it, makes alina seem more like a villain than the reluctant hero she used to be. i guess it fits with the surprise ending: how she kinda becomes what she sought to destroy, poetic irony and all, but still...

aleksander's whole arc this season makes him seem more desperate and pathetic and so, less of a tyrant: he doesn't even take control of the country or more than a small group of grisha let alone become tsar, instead the apparat rules over ravka on behalf of the lantsovs till nikolai is coronated. he and his people constantly lose to some clever last minute thwarting by alina's allies. the only thing scary about him is the nichevo'ya, the shadow monsters, which in the books are entirely under his control and that of course makes it all the more terrifying. here though, sick and tired and dying, he's merely desperate and fearful. the lack of wins on aleksandr's part really defeats the purpose of the writers' continuous attempts at making him simply the most terrible, horrifying and supreme villain of gregverse.

nope, can't get over it, aleksander practically died in her arms in the books, here she just looks down at him like she's the villain. i guess she now is. oh and mal's retort to sasha about dying in her arms was somehow a foreshadowing, see, but sasha doesn't get that because he's evil, see? gosh, so patronising.

since they've constantly emphasised this season how it was the fold's and thus sasha's fault that grisha were persecuted (not that this explains the ceaseless mistreatment, endangerment and more often death that grisha face everywhere they go, of course, nor does it explain his backstory) i gathered they'd go for a retcon but i didn't imagine they'd exonerate baghra, the apparat and tie the border wars with shu han and fjerda to the fold's existence entirely. the reason the war broke out in the first place was because those countries' fundamental approach to grisha was to kill them or worse. that is what grisha persecution meant. and now... what, the war is over, just like that? i have no words.

also, the exclusion of the "don't let me be alone" line. now that I think about it, those writers should be fed to nichevo'ya.

alina, alina, alina... sure, she's a self-insert, so her motivations don't make sense anyway, but as sweet as jessie is and how hard she tries, show!alina is now an equally awful mess as book!alina. the two things i liked about her this season were her manipulation attempt through the tether and the ending where she goes a bit darkling. the latter, i really like. i wrote a fragment of a power reversal fic before but never put it up, might just do that now.

i'll admit: it's rather funny how mal dumps alina after losing his amplification because he doesn't feel the same way anymore. he doesn't know if it was him being an amplifier that made them love one another. see how easily he turns away from alina? if i were aleksander, I'd be laughing at her from the grave.

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone spoilers #season 2 shadow and bone #season 2 spoilers #the grisha trilogy #book spoilers #siege and storm spoilers #ruin and rising spoilers #kind of a review #kind of a rant #mostly word vomit #grishaverse #pro darkling #anti baghra #make it make sense #at least the ending is better #aside from the way aleksander dies #anti s&b writers

[nextgensage]

First post, of course I had to do one of the main protags of this au and the ship that kinda started it all - Silvamy, aka the Rose family! (yes all the kids have amy's last name, more on that later.) Lets get into this sweet yet spicy fam. Silver T. Hedgehog

Age: 42

Occupation (Disaster Relief Specialist/ Timestone Guardian)

Extra Notes - still not fully satisfied with silver's older design, I think its because he's supposed to feel out of place amongst the present day sonic cast to really sell the futuristic aspect, i scrolled through a ton of silver au fanart to get inspo because i was stumped and didn't want to just slap some scruff on him and call it a day, especially since he joined the guardian of powerful gems club with blaze and knuckles (still working on the kinks but basically eggman nega survived his entrapment in the chaotic inferno, found out about the timestones and made little big planet the new holding ground for an infantile infrit, slowly working on "raising" it so he can subjugate the past, present and future and accomplish what his forefathers have always lacked - world domination and an another race against time to save the future ensues.) - Silver is now the guardian of the time stones and got an boost in psychic power and I wanted to give him an indicator similar to knuckle's crescent mark or blaze's forehead gem hence the teal markings. He has pulled an captain america and now safely stays in the past with his wife and kids and works similar to the zone cops of the archie comics but way more powerful and freelance. he also helps out with natural disasters like earthquakes or tsunamis thanks to his upgraded psychic powers. To end on an literal fluffy note, his wife and kids love the extra chest fur.

Amy Rose

Age: 40

Occupation: Event Planner/Fitness Trainer (Part-Time)

Extra Notes - pretty happy with amy's design, wanted to do something different from the long-haired cottagecore amys for sonamy fams, not knocking them - they work well for that dynamic but amy has an trio of very unique kids to parent, an time traveling husband and spends her days dealing with picky customers for all sorts of events and still find time to occasionally teach self-defense class and yoga to young women, she needs to be ready at all times. I wanted to go for an more casual and classic feminine nicole watterson vibe (yes, she is hiding muscles under that sweater dress :P.) - kudos to anyone who can get why she has 

glasses! I think the half-moon ones really suit her!

Zenia Rose

Age: 15 (Born May 23rd)

Powers: Enhanced durability, Enhanced senses, telekinesis, minor chaos energy manipulation, empathetic sensing/linking/inundation, minor telepathy 

My precious cinnamon roll! Zenia was the first serious sonic oc I ever made so I wanted to do her justice! She leans alot more towards her father in terms of appearance, power set and personality being a bit of an socially awkward and humble overthinker but she has her mother’s big heart and very caring and optimistic outlook on life, her parents nurtured her powers and her emotional capability in equal measures and thus she’s pretty well rounded in expressing and understanding the feelings of herself and others, though she tends to get more overbearing with those she’s close with, all round an very feminine girl next door archetype. As far as design goes, I wanted silver’s vibe but amy’s coloring and clear fashion influence with a dash of zenia’s more natural and graceful preferences, so pastels, frills and flower motifs were a go. I’m pretty proud of the idea of how to mimic her dads - lets say, “unique” quill style but make it more feminine so I took the spines at the back of silvers head and moved them to the front to be curtain-like bangs to always give her an demure look and then enlarged and curled his crown of quills and pushed them back behind an headband to give an bump it style, the rest is an homage to those long haired amy designs I mentioned earlier! She looked a lot like amy’s original design when she was an bab. Also her powers are a spring green instead of a teal like her dads because they are weaker and more emotion based. Silver personally made her energy cuffs and couldn’t say no when she asked for an flower design as the insignia. 

Auger Rose

Age: 8 (Born October 10th) Powers: Enhanced durability, enhanced senses, tarot card manipulation, minor precognitive ability (boosted when using tarot cards), minor chaos energy manipulation, acrobatics. Auggie! The quintessential middle child and only boy of the family - Auger’s family never makes him feel left out which he appreciates but he appreciates his own solitude and doing things at his own pace more. Silver initially worried that his own former solitary ventures in his once ruined timeline or even the powers hes gained from the time stones themselves has re-emergence in his son especially when auger revealed how he gets  flashes of the potential future sometimes but eventually amy and silver realizes thats just how their kiddo is, he’s not trying to be standoffish or emotionless, he just does and expresses things differently and thats okay, auger knows his family loves him and he shows the same affection in his own subdued way, plus his sisters keeps him on his toes and lets him shine when need be. Augers design is an mesh of forgotten concepts or concept arts of amy and silver, I always wanted to bring back amys tarot card abilities since thats what technically got her into the main cast plus they are an fun way to connect silver and amys dynamics and personal goals into their kid. I ripped off the hair design from my first actual sonic oc - Specs the hedgecat and tweaked it a bit to fit more inline with auger’s personality - ie tamed but not stuffy. Augers eyes are perpetually half-lidded for an myriad of reasons and he always has that waist belt with him as it carries his own special deck of tarot cards. Can’t remember how I came up with his fur color, He’s an autumnal baby with his twin sister so I just rolled with that I think.  Fun Fact - Auger is a tool with a helical bit for boring holes in wood and is an personal play on the word, Augur which is the ancient roman practice of observing birds to interpret omens! Maple Rose

Age: 8 (Born October 10th) Powers: Enhanced durability, enhanced senses, enhanced strength, piko-piko hammer, acrobatics, spindash, homing attack

The baby of the family, auger’s twin sister and probably the reason amy and silver stopped at three kids. Maple is the wild child of the trio and took all of her parents headstrong traits and cranked them up to 11, having a very strong sense of justice and action taking but oftentimes leaping before she looks. The type of child to constantly be sulking in the principal's office because she fought with another kid who was being a jerk, pouting not because she’s sorry but because she’s getting in trouble for something the bully started. An tomboy playground protector if you will with tons of energy to burn and big dreams to fill. Amy wonders semi-fondly if this is adorable karma for always wondering what a child with sonic will be like as her little girl looks up to the blue blur immensely and wants to be the next big hero of her generation. Amy severely regrets the day she let sonic teach maple how to spindash (fun fact - she’s the only one of her siblings who can do it successfully!) and both her and silver are still trying to figure out how to explain their decorated history with sonic without the girl jumping to fantastical conclusions, this coupled with the fact maple carries her mothers legacy of the piko piko hammer and well…knee pads, helmets and bandages are always running out at the rose household with maple playing hero. All in all however, Maple is an loyal friend and while she can be pushy at times, tell her to back off and she will, having two more soft spoken siblings has certainly helped tame her more out there ideas and tendencies. Design wise - maples coloring was to complement her brothers but I headcanon amy’s father as being an red hedgehog so took that and mixed it with silvers darker hue to make that maple sap color work and I takes cue from the classic rough and tumble troublemaker kids of old cartoons, tooth knocked out and everything as well as using silvers unique quill shape to have the excuse to emulate maple leaves for her hair, always has some form of bandage or dirt on her no matter how many times her mothers tries to keep her clean. 

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic fandom #silvamy #sonic next gen #sonic next gen oc #sonic fankid #sonic fan kids #sonic future au #silver the hedgehog #amy rose #Zenia Rose #Auger Rose #Maple Rose #Sonic oc #family #family line up #Sonic Gameverse #Sonic 28 years later

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: A Chance To Fly (Wicked Medley)

You'd be hard pressed to find a Voiceplay arrangement that took more time to create/finish than this one. This was Geoff's creation (he arranged it, came up with the video concept, co-directed it, and collaborated on lighting design), and he apparently worked on this for years. I don't know how long exactly, but I'm fairly certain he vaguely alluded to it in a live Q&A he did on his channel in 2020, when someone asked if Voiceplay was planning to do any Broadway stuff. And based on comments I've read on reaction videos, I believe he's worked on it since sometime in 2019 or so?

But anyway, as spectacular an arrangement as it is, I'm not here to talk about it! I'm here to talk about the video which accompanies it, which was released on the 26th of November, 2021, and features the awesome Emoni Wilkins (in the role of Galinda), and the wonderful Rachel Potter (in the role of Elphaba) (and yes, this is another rare six-vocalist video for Voiceplay, though this time it's 4 members + 2 guests, rather than 5 members + 1 guest). One of the comments says that this is apparently Rachel's 10th collaboration with Voiceplay, though I can only count 7 previous ones (or 8 if you count Just Sing (she was in that too right?)). But regardless, what a veteran!

Anyway, the medley itself clocks in at about 7 and a half minutes, so enough backstory - there's a lot to get through!

Group shot! Love the giant clock backdrop, very cool (and very accurate/appropriate of course)

(Note that I've never seen Wicked, not even a bootleg, but I've listened to the soundtrack a few times on the odd occasion, and I know how the story goes)

(Also this video really highlights the height difference between Layne and Eli, the tallest and shortest of the group, respectively. Apparently Eli isn't actually even that short - he's like 5"5/165cm (which is about how tall I am) - it's just that everyone else in the group is taller than him, whether by a little (like Cesar), or a lot (like Layne, who's 6"1/~183cm)

I adore Emoni and Rachel's makeup looks in this one. Shoutout to Rick Underwood for doing amazing things yet again!

(Also that's a super gorgeous necklace that Rachel is wearing and I want it)

Super massive shoutout and kudos to Geoff and Eli for the lighting on this one! This is top-tier stuff! And so much variety throughout the video in terms of colours and light levels!

Cute earrings, and also face jewels! (Those things can be an absolute pain in the backside, both in terms of applying and then getting them to stay there! I'm assuming Rick used some special skin-safe "glue" product to make them stay in place, and/or some setting spray afterwards?)

Get it, Rachel! 🙌👌

Geoff is handsome as ever, of course

Firstly, go off, Eli! And second of all, Rachel looks so freaking enamoured by Eli during this part, which obviously would be because he's filling the role of Fiyero, the love interest of Elphaba (whom she's acting/singing as here), but also it's just a little bit amusing too 😁

"Think of it as personality dialysis!"

Cesar being adorable 💜

Layne popped a bubble! (With matching "sound effect" of course) (Also I only just realised earlier while watching this that Layne is wearing a tie, just that it's mostly hidden/tucked in)

"And with an assist from me, to be who you'll be, instead of dreary who you were- well, are"

Nothing but respect for my Wonderful Wizard! (He did nothing wrong 😁😝)

I love him your honour

(Gonna do a Geoff Hair Study for this one too, but won't include it in this post, because frankly this post is long enough ^^;)

(Also just realised that Geoff is also wearing a tie that is mostly hidden, and wait hang on a minute, that means that his shirt is actually fully-buttoned-up? Gasp!)

I know I'm going quite heavy on screencaps (and we're only halfway through the video, heck), but I had to share these blink-and-you-miss-it shots of Cesar and Rachel 😄

Cesar: "KILL THE WITCH!"

Geoff (noted bass singer and sometimes sea witch): Uh oh 😬

(Joke stolen from a YouTube comment, but it was too good not to include)

"Because I knew you," (🥺🥺🥺)

The urge to take a million screencaps of the Defying Gravity section at the end is strong. It's so good on all levels!

The quality as an individual screencap is not the best, but still, I'm calling it another "Voiceplay money shot", and such a cool way to end the video!

As I am typing this, the trailer for the Wicked movie (or part 1 at least) has been out for a few days, but I'm yet to even watch it, and I probably won't see the movie, because honestly I don't see how they could make any of the musical numbers better than this. And this was just a medley! And acapella! Re the movie, I'm a little uncertain on how to feel about Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, and I'm definitely skeptical about Ariana Grande as Galinda. Rachel and Emoni killed it though, as did all of the guys of course! Well done Geoff, this was definitely worth the hard work and the long wait!

#voiceplay #acapella #wicked medley #a chance to fly #geoff castellucci #eli jacobson #layne stein #cesar de la rosa #rachel potter #emoni wilkins #voiceplay visuals #acaplaya analysis

[chromatic-lamina]

Any number you haven't yet answered but want to for the writer ask meme!

Heh-heh! Great ask ❤️

26. Would you rather write a fic that had no dialogue or one that was only dialogue? One with no dialogue, because I can always throw in reported speech and thought processes. Takes a particular skill to make a fic that is all dialogue authentic and interesting.

28. Does anyone read your fics before you post them? If so, who? Sometimes. I won't name 'em cos' I don't want to clutter up their notifications, but especially for exchanges, or if I've used someone's art (with permission) as inspiration, or for zines, etc.

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it? Okay, I guess the most recent is valuta from the Corazine (aftersales almost finished, but that's just an aside). I thought I did a pretty good job on portraying what the Donquixote brothers went through, also Cora's relationship with Sengoku and Law, and then Law with Sengoku, but maybe it was too much for the word count. It got very little interaction in the way of comments, at least. I like the KidLaw fics I did for the 2022 exchange and for the OP secret santa that year, but they remain two of my least popular fics (in terms of hits).

I like valuta for story parallels (Cora and Doffy, Law and Lami, etc.). I like the KidLaw fics because they make me laugh.

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful? Yeah. I think I've answered this before, and it's not massively popular compared to some fandom behemoths, but the Usopp vs the Heart Pirates fic: Dark like the North Blue Sea (aka The Sea-Hill you Die On) . I think it grew in popularity because it's canon compliant (also, maybe funny). Once a fic gets a certain number of kudos or hits too, it feeds its popularity growth, because people sort by kudos and hits, so all those hidden gems remain hidden! I'm happy that people enjoy it though!

43. If you take/write prompts: what’s your favorite prompt fic that you’ve written? Probably the one that @afterdeck-ace gave me of: Chopper and Law talking about courage or Jolly Rogers. They're talking about both in softening the fall of snow. That's followed or on par with screen / shiki-e, which was inspired by a tsute doodle. You can see the doodle and links to tsute's art on the AO3 page.

47. If [taxi] was a pair of shoes, what kind would it be? Describe the shoes.

Her jeans cost more than his weekly pay, hell — monthly— and her sneakers were scuffed and used in a way that hid or emphasised their one-of-a-kind design. Pretty cool. A red tonbo — dragonfly — from what he could see, stretched from the toe, its thorax and segmented body running along one side of the shoe, a blue chrysanthemum and pond reeds rising from the heel and undulating in the air below the insect.

I used a ref for that, but can't remember where I sourced it from.

I changed a few things, and the maker's name is on the jpg, fortunately!

48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

Yes! I recommend it: Ours lives like sand in the gears of the world by @afterdeck-ace (Lily_Amazon). A platonic Law & Robin ficlet that explores the parallels and differences between them so well.

Also, a quick but satisfying read (sounds like Borsalino's possible reflection on Akainu) with this fic, In The Dappled Sun. Lemon mentioned (tumblr's being silly with throwing out community settings left, right and centre, so sorry for the return to FFN vocab). Fic author @kookoofufu

Am continuing to read saltyrock's It Takes a Lot to Know a Man but haven't read the latest chapter yet. LawBin and CrocoBin. Endgame LawBin.

There's a lot of good stuff out there, and so little time!

#one piece #lawbin #fic recs #kidlaw #tony tony chopper #trafalgar law #nico robin #eustass kid #fanfiction writer asks meme #chromalami #long post #donquixote brothers #chromafics #chromafic #chromask #rimetin

[fantasyfantasygames]

Heavy Hydrogen

Heavy Hydrogen v4.5.1, Tritium Games, 2015

This is not the Tritium Games who does reviews on Steam. Different person. It also has nothing to do with any 1488 shit. Pull that here and get reported and blocked.

Heavy Hydrogen went through a lot of iterations in its design. It started as a Traveller 3rd retro-clone (v1) in 2008, then shifted to an earlier version of Traveller (v1.5), then switched to Diaspora (v2), then had its own system (v3), then swapped to something that looked kinda like Eclipse Phase (v4) before trimming that down a lot for the version I'm reviewing. Tritium Games clearly knows each ruleset well, because there's not a lot that's carried forward from older rules. There's no real trace of Diaspora in the Eclipse Phase version, for example. If you know the first version of Eclipse Phase, you'll be able to play this fairly well, though you'll find that both the level of detail and the number of unnecessary fiddly bits has been reduced.

The setting is fairly standard sci-fi stuff. There's a lot of Niven and Asimov influence. Interstellar Empire in decline, wormholes, inexpensive interplanetary travel, newer and sexier civilizations arising on the galactic rim, plenty of planets still unexplored, multiple sentient aliens, most of them bipedal with two arms, etc. Psionics no, laser swords yes. Some Eclipse Phase concepts are removed, most notably sleeving. If you've seen Traveller, Stars Without Number, and Starfinder, you've seen this one too.

What's different is the level of detail. It reads like someone not only took extensive notes during a two-decade homebrew game, but then continued on to flesh that out until every planet had equal representation. Most games would have these as supplements. Heavy Hydrogen folds it into a somewhat dry 950-page book.

You read that right. 950 pages. With not much art. (Most of it is black-and-white line art of planets, guns, and buildings.) Layout is pedestrian. The index is thankfully copious, though things aren't always listed where you'd think. The earlier editions were smaller, but even v1.5 was 400+ pages. The hydrogen is indeed quite heavy.

Heavy Hydrogen's setting has been fairly constant, evolving only as new technologies are discovered in our own world. For instance, the appearance of CRISPR genetic editing in the real world resulted in biotech receiving a larger role in the Empire. By 2008 the internet was well-established, so the Empire had ubiquitous computing, but it wasn't until v4 that social media really got incorporated in a serious way. I feel like the changes contribute to the game's playability in a positive way - you don't need to assume that Thing X was never invented in order for the game to make sense. Kudos to the design team for making sure the whole monstrosity of a setting is updated in this way.

There's not a ton more to say about Heavy Hydrogen. There's a version 5 in the works, of course, currently planned for 2026. I appreciate that they're realistic about the release date. If you like the setting, you'll find plenty here to run an entire decade-long campaign in. The game is available in PDF through a janky e-commerce system on Tritium Games' website. The physical copies are sold out, and I imagine that's because it's awful hard to find a printing company that can handle a 950-page book.

#ttrpg #imaginary #indie ttrpg #rpg #outer space #IN SPAAAAACE! #sometimes a game just isn't a huge deal even when it's factually huge #review

[pixiemage]

I'll preface this by saying that I love Monty Gator. He's a HELLA cool character whose presence as an angry puppy dog in Ruin gave me way too much joy, and his boss battle in SB proper was SUPER fun! (I do wish Steel Wool had stuck with the stealing-Monty's-legs plotline rather than his claws, mostly for the sake of consistency but also so the excuse for his leg upgrade could've been so he could do some sick dance moves during shows - but I digress.)

I say this because I'm about to say something some folks might disagree with, but every time I see someone argue that Monty couldn't possibly have decommissioned Bonnie, the arguments they use sometimes make me want to just - throttle people for their lack of logic and their willingness to cling to anything that might help prove their point. There are some really well-thought-out arguments in there too sometimes (Bonnie being decommissioned pre-Monty's-claw-upgrade comes to mind, though I always wonder if the reason that was fucked up was due to the switchover from Monty's legs to his claws, and people assuming his lack of upgraded claws means he couldn't hurt a fellow animatronic without them, even though Moon seems more than capable of ripping apart Staffbots and the Staffbots are capable of wrecking Freddy in the Vanny endings - anyway) and I'm always down to see what alternate concepts folks have come up with! But sometimes - sometimes, not always - when I do watch those Monty-Was-Innocent videos, the folks making them are pulling in proof that feels more like they're grasping at straws, which unfortunately weakens the argument they're trying to make.

The popular one as of late is "the green paint around the claw marks on Bonnie's chest are definitely not from Monty's hands, and it's obviously an older coat of paint that we see because the blue layer was scratched away" which...I mean...good concept in theory, but. No?

Bonnie has never been associated with green. In the Pizzaplex, the Glamrock characters have set color palettes that are associated with their respective brands and merchandise. Bonnie's color set is blue, purple, and red, both in his Glamrock form and his Bonnie Bowl design. In all past games, he's been blue or purple. Even factoring in Springtrap, no version of Bonnie has ever been green, not even as an accent color. So why in the world would Glamrock Bonnie have an undercoat of green paint?

And even if he WAS green at one point, then wouldn't it have shown through in - I don't know - any of the other horribly cracked pieces of his chassis, rather than only being centralized around the claw marks cutting into his chest cavity? Every other crack or bit of damage outside of that chest wound is lined in either black or a darker shade of the surface color, not green. It's an extremely specific design choice on Steel Wool's part and I'm more inclined to believe they designed Bonnie's coloring that way on purpose.

Now don't get me wrong, when someone gives me an actual theory detail where something else left green residue behind, I'll give 'em kudos for thinking outside the box (especially when they're on to something solid). I love when people are able to put together clear puzzle pieces with enough proof to back 'em up. But the "old paint" bit feels so much more like Monty fans grasping for straws and I really wanna see people think harder than that. I want to see something concrete, because I get excited when someone finds something I haven't seen before!

In the Ruin DLC, Steel Wool dumped details in our laps to expand on the breadcrumbs they'd already left behind. They had a neon Bonnie sign be the thing that electrocuted Monty, the carpet Bonnie's body is on matches the carpeting in Monty Golf, and they went out of their way to line the claw marks with green. (And that's not even counting stuff that was hinted at in the base game). I'm all for theorizing alternate possibilities, but if someone wants to form a legitimate argument against Monty being the killer, then at least come up with something strong enough to counter what's in the games.

In truth, a few people have put out some really well-thought-out videos rallying for Monty's innocence, and I respect them for the work they've put into it. They've managed to really make me think! I just want to see more folks like that, people who think about what they're saying before positing their thoughts in a twenty-minute YT video trying to save their favorite boy.

Because let's be real, Monty is a fantastic character. I love seeing people who are passionate enough to fight for him. For me, I still lean heavily into the "Vanny made him do it" camp because people aren't wrong, Monty wouldn't have done something like that to Bonnie of his own free will...but the evidence Steel Wool set out for us to find is a bit too damning for me to think Monty was completely uninvolved. I'm just hoping we get some damn clarity from Steel Wool soon because I think, between Who Killed Bonnie and the disagreements over which ending Ruin takes place after, some minor wars and disputes are starting to break out across the fanbase that I reeaaally want to avoid lmao. Give us a hand here, SW! If you're gonna keep us guessing with everything else, then at least give us the answers to something!

#FNaF Ruin Theory #kind of #FNaF Theory #Monty Gator #Glamrock Bonnie #Montgomery Gator

[smallerplaces]

Xmas is coming, send in the clones!

Burlington recently replaced a Best Buy at one of the shopping centers around here, so I headed over to see if it's cleaner, neater, and politer than the other nearby one. They had done a real holiday inventory set-up!

It's holiday time, so we need Disney-esque princesses.

The edge gals are clearly Cinderella and Aurora. I kind of love the short versions of their typical outfits and may steal this idea for sewing projects. The gals in long dresses baffle me. The gal in aqua might be intended as Elsa? But who is a dark-haired princess in dark pink?

It's almost as difficult to figure out the characters in Chic's Fantasy Fairytale sets, which have something I'm thrilled to see (and rarely get to): all-Black princesses!

Top left is clearly intended as Tiana, and top right is Ariel. Bottom middle is Belle, and bottom left is plausible as Cinderella. That leaves top center as Elsa (though the period of the gown is wrong), and bottom right... purple.

Have I so badly lost track of Disney princesses that there's someone famous in purple?

Meanwhile, Sparkle Girlz are going upmarket, into the boxed $8 price range.

It's like if Madeline Hatter and Tinkerbell had a daughter.

Sparkle Girlz have also entered the standard clone fields of baby-sitting and dog-walking.

Kudos to Zuru for committing to the Giant Heads, Giant Eyes schtick down to the level of babies and bulldogs, I guess. But has anyone at Zuru HQ ever seen a dog being walked?

Finally, no toy display is complete without a fairy. It looks like all of the design effort went into her wings.

One of my goals at Burlington was to look at socks for bargains that might work as winter sweaters and body-con dresses for my dolls. This was kind of frustrating, as girls clothing this season has a remarkably limited color palette based around ballerina pink, white, and tomato red.

The entire women's and girls' sock aisles were like this! The color combo is pretty, but it's not one I especially want to do anything with. Perhaps I will reconsider and do pink-and-white ensembles for the Katie Kolony, but I'm not feeling the excitement on that one.

Then I found the pair of socks that's the exception to the universal color scheme!

This four-pack was priced at $4.99, so it's the same $1.25 a pair I'd pay at the dollar store. Figuring one sock per outfit, I have enough socks for all seven adults and teens to have new winter sweaters at 75 cents an outfit, plus my time and patience.

I'm calling that a success, as well as an incentive to learn how to use the serger.

#burlington #burlington finds #clone dolls #fashion dolls #princess doll #dog walker doll #zuru sparkle girlz #dollblr

[corruptedhyena]

Stardust the African Wild Dog!!

At long last, I can proudly present my newest partial fursuit, Stardust! He/they, an African Wild Dog, but from space! He was heavily inspired by Steven Universe, but also was originally created by Camden on ChickenSmoothie. I made the suit myself, though the paws were made from a template bought from the amazing YBL suits.

See the pink and white on the paws? It's meant to represent dots and dashes in Morse code spelling out "CQ," meaning an outgoing call to everyone. Stardust is a friendly spacefarer always looking to make friends, so I thought it fitting! The freckles on his muzzle, too, are laid out to be constellations! (Though I forget which, it was a design choice set early on and it has been MONTHS since then lol)

This weekend, I got to debut him at Renaissance Faire and meet some other lovely furs, whose suits were all so adorable!! (If you were one of the four fine folks I met and would like to be tagged here, please let me know (: ) Also went with my friends Rae and Crow (The plague doctor shown ofc) who were absolutely the best <3

The day we went it was pouring for most of the morning, so apoligies if Stardust looks a bit soggy. Gotta say, though, I didn't feel the least bit damp with the head and my hands, so kudos to that Amazon luxury shag lol.

Hope y'all are having a good day, and best of wishes to all those suiters off to Ren Faire too! Hope to see you on the 27th, where I'll be in a Spring-Bonnie head!

#furry #original character #fursuit #fursuit maker #fursuiting #fursuit partial #steven universe #renaissance faire #am i tagging this right #still dont know how to tag

[fullmetalgirl98]

30 days Hypnosis Mic challenge

DAY 11: the very first song you listened to

🎤 「ヒプノシ���マイク -Division Battle Anthem-」

(link)

Basically, this is not only the very first Hypmic song I heard, but it's the thing that introduced me to the project too. And I'm not exaggerating when I say it was probably also the very first rap song I ever listened to in my whole life. And the one that changed my music tastes from that moment on. I remember it was July 2018 when it appeared among YT's recommended videos on the home page. Granted that I had no idea what a multimedia project even was at the time, I opened the video out of pure curiosity and the very first thing I thought was that it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen in my life. Of course, for someone like me who absolutely did not like rap, the style of music hit my eardrums like a shovel to the face, but despite my first grievances (because, damn, for someone who had never listened to rap before, it was a pretty intense song, other than a strange way, to approach the genre (in JAPANESE, btw!) ...I mean, we're talking about the Anthem. And we all know how intense it is, as a song). So kudos to me for not shutting everything down immediately and deciding to continue the viewing, because here I am today, 6 years later ¯\_₍ッ₎_/¯ Well, yes, ladies and gentlemen, I practically saw this project BORN (although I did not follow it with interest, at beginning. Shame on me, now). So, the video started, and the thing that left me most pleasantly surprised was just the setting of the MV. I found it extremely interesting, as well as innovative, to show the behind-the-scenes footage of the recording with the seiyuus and the chacaters, in short....it gave me an effect like "'???so coooool???akhgakgkad?! (⚆ᗝ⚆) " And now here is a list of the very first things I thought while listening:

Ichiro/Subaru: I immediately thought that he had the face of an Italian and that he was ridiculously cool. And then the way he rapped??? WOW. I remember I didn't like Ichiro's mole lol

Samatoki/AsaShin: AsaShin hit me...like a truck, yeah. I loved his voice, it was so scratchy! My eyes were mesmerized by his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Instant crush for Samatoki, at that moment.

Ramuda/Shirai: they didn't blow me away, at first glance.

Jakurai/Hayami: what a deep voice O.O And what a hair....

Chorus: THIS STUFF SLAPS AS HELL?!?! ∑(; °Д°) In particular, the "Welcome to the division, Welcome to the division, oh yeah" part sent me high.

Jiro/Ishiya: uh, nice guy, this one. But why does his seiyuu look like he's about to have a seizure?! O.O

Jyuto/Komada: why is he screaming so much???? Turn off this man, PLEASE!

Gentaro/Saito Soma: WOW. YOUUUU. I LIKE YOU. YOU'RE SEXY, MAN. I LIKE YOU. YES. YOU AND YOUR SEIYUU. I was struck by both the initial "uhm?" with which SS peeped in the shot and the very elegant way in which he brought his hand to his headphones shortly thereafter.

Hifumi/Kijima: You guys have no idea how much Hifumi annoyed me at first. And continued to annoy me for a very long time. Just because of this MV. The "paaaaaaati naaaaaai" in particular was something that bothered me deeply, I don't even know why lol. LOOK AT ME NOW, i love my baby ;^;.

Saburo/Kohei: the moles disturbed me LOL. Kohei seemed to be having a particularly good time, jumping around haha

Rio/Kamio: what an... austere??....way.... of... speaking? Cool character design, though!

Dice/Nozuyama: AHHHHHHH!!! STRANGE NOISES!!! WHAT'S WITH THIS GUY!!! The guy (Nozu) is AMAZING!!! And the character looks really cool! I like the way he dresses (◎0◎) he looks like a dangerous one, tho...

Doppo/Kento: Here I became seriously concerned. The seiyuu was twitching his fingers in an alarming way. And the character looked even less well than he did. I thought Doppo was an apathetic, at first. But then??? The YELLS???? WHO IS THIS MAN!? I'M SCARED.

OH, Hello again first two great seiyuu of whom I still didn't know life, death and miracles. So yes. This is the first song I ever listened to :)

#hypnosis mic #hypmic #30 days hypnosis mic challenge #30 day challenge #day 11 #division rap battle #division battle anthem #seiyuu #japanese rap #anime #manga #buster bros #mad trigger crew #fling posse #matenrou #hypmic drb #drb

[bleachbleachbleach]

Restoration Hardware (The Tale of the Ugly 10th Division Couch)

Did they... did they move the couch??

Couch location after Hinamori and Kira have been arrested:

At this point, the 10th Division Couch is basically directly in front of the desk, which is a weird place for a couch, but also off-center, making it an even worse place for a couch. 

Couch During the Bount Invasion:

Now it’s been moved further to the side, which is a better place for a couch, though to be honest the interior design is not strong here. I can’t decide whether I think Matsumoto or Hitsugaya would care more about where the furniture is supposed to go--I feel like they both would, but given the original couch placement I am probably extremely wrong on this count.

The real question here is, did they rearrange the furniture in the wake of Aizen’s betrayal? Or was this a quick fix during the Bount arc itself--like, ope, this couch is IN THE WAY, we gotta move all this off to the side so there’s room to put Ishida on the floor! 

Anyone who owns a couch will know that Renji is committing crimes against humanity rn--thank u @recurring-polynya​ for drawing attention to his life choices here! XDD--particuarly given that this couch doesn’t appear to have a high back to support those pillows. They’re literally just cushion. But this couch has never looked comfortable and I think this proves exactly how firm those couch cushions really are. They’re not buckling under Renji’s weight in the least! Unless Renji’s doing that thing where you want to sit on something but you know it can’t support your weight so you just do an awkward squat, in which case props to Renji’s mad thigh endurance and additional kudos to his barre instructor.

It looks like they replaced the cushions at some point, too, though, because they’re a slightly different shape.

They keep the couch in this orientation through the rest of the year, because here we are:

Zanpakutou Rebellion Couch:

It looks like they had to replace the cushions again, as they’re back to their original shape.

But then...?

I’m pretty sure this cap is from Episode 316, so...

Pre-Reigai Arc Couch:

That’s not the same couch?? The frame is different! THEY BOUGHT A WHOLE NEW SET OF COUCHES. (It’s also not the same desk??)

#they also apparently frequently rearrange their bookshelves because i think they're different in every single shot ToT #don't get me started on the chair #hitsugaya toushirou #matsumoto rangiku #bleach furniture #bleach anime #no brain just bleach

[supercantaloupe]

no one asked but here are my thoughts on the new met don giovanni from today. tl;dr: a couple of weird choices made but overall Quite good i liked it

elaine douvas jumpscare at the top lol

federica lombardi and ben bliss as anna and ottavio were the standouts to me. lombardi came out the gate STRONG with fuggi crudele and she keeps it up. and kudos to bliss as ottavio; i often find that he can be a pretty uninteresting character if not played carefully and bliss did a really great job making ottavio Interesting. face journey of the year award goes to his dalla sua pace (il mio tesoro honorable mention).

peter mattei sounds great obviously but is it just me or is he starting to get a leetle bit old for the role. not vocally but physically. like him next to ying fang is like. sure man yeah

alfred walker in the same camp honestly. like he did a great job singing masetto but i'll always laugh when like. giovinette che fate all'amore kicks up and they're like "here's the happy young couple :)" and the bass is obviously in his late forties at the youngest lmao

anyone else think adam plachetka looks. kind of like ted cruz. hello?

anyway i liked plachetka a lot largely because he seemed to actually remember that don giovanni is nominally a dramma giocoso and a lot of his little acting choices brought back some of the humor that i thought was a bit lacking in the production as a whole. also christ they bowl that fucking man across the stage a few times don't they

ying fang did a great job too. the lingering terror in her expression during la ci darem so juicy. also that bit in act ii when they're threatening leporello and she balls his shirt up in her fist even though he's like a foot taller than her. love her so much. also woman pretty

i liked stutzmann's conducting for the most part although nothing much Stood Out to me about it. except like two or three tempi i disagreed with and a couple of spots here or there that felt like the orchestra and singers weren't 100% together right away. but idk i'm not a conductor i assume doing a debut performance at the met with a new opera you haven't conducted before is A Challenge so.

a few scenes felt...strangely placid energy wise to me. notably the opening scene but a few other places too including elvira's arias for some reason? in some cases it's like i think more just could've been done with the blocking while nothing much else was going on but in other places there Was plenty of movement it just felt...low energy. idk. where's the hustle i thought this was life or death here

cool use of the fog rising out of the floor of the stage's incline

although the steep rake to the stage led to a few unintentionally awkward/funny (to me.) camera angles. like they were obviously shooting from stage level and it would normally be a straight medium/wide shot but because of the rake it ends up being a slightly weird low angle (especially funny to me when in terms of cinematography language this kind of undercuts the vibe of the character that's being shown onstage at the moment lol but what can ya do. i'm being very nitpicky anyway)

actually the set design in general surprised me. mostly because for like 90% of the show i'm like "it looks kind of interesting i guess but Why So Brutalist And Plain" although i like that having multiple levels lets there be some creative use of vertical space in the blocking. i was so ready to write it off as disappointing/underutilized to me until the very last chorus of the show they actually Do Something with it and it totally surprised me and i really liked it. made me wait for it! surprised me! credit where credit is due i liked that a lot in the end.

i do wonder though if this production would be completely undone with a little more color in it tho. like i Get what they were going for with all the grey and i do appreciate the roses and blood but i feel like you can still do More with a broader but still limited color palette without compromising the vision. at least you could be more creative with the lighting i feel like the met pretty consistently disappoints me with its lighting (which is usually "serviceable" to "attractive" but not really creative or adding all that much to the scene. sorry but musicals are still beating you at this particular game)

although what was with the ball scene. with the mannequins and random period dress for ottavio anna and elvira but no one else. i liked the costumes but what was the point

also that said re: lighting. a cenar teco FINALLY did something interesting with the lighting and projections. cool and i liked it. except for the fact that the projection was up for too long and you couldn't fucking see what was happening on the stage and don giovanni effectively just Disappeared. i realize this was intentional but either make the disappearance much more sudden/short or show me what happens to that little freak otherwise it just feels lazy

great cello in batti batti o bel masetto. liked.

FANTASTIC orchestra in la ci darem and especially its preceding recit. the combo of the theorbo + cello + harpsichord was so atmospheric, somehow adding both to the romantic atmosphere AND the "psychological horror" thing going on in that scene. which i love honestly that scene SHOULD look gorgeous and feel like a lead weight in your stomach and i love that they went there with it.

also sorry but the champagne aria could be blocked way more interestingly. try harder

mixed feelings on the blocking of the ball scene. i thought the choice to have the whole chorus there but be so still and stiff when dancing was interesting, it definitely conveyed the sort of control through fear that the don has on everybody, but at the same time the scene felt like it was missing life. as well as missing some of the chaotic energy i think is necessary to build up over the course of the scene to lead into the climax. plus what is that act finale? kind of a cop out imo not actually showing us a clever escape of any kind. i will give them points however for having the onstage musicians because i am a sucker for that. i could see one of those oboists onstage was playing a cocobolo instrument...preddy.

okay what the fuck was up with gia la mensa e preparata. i get that it can be a weird/tricky scene to block if you're doing a more Serious And Grounded (and/or Edgy) production (and this production i do think leans more towards that and further away from the comedy potential throughout, with some exception here or there) but dude the tonal whiplash. they go like full on farce for like a solid six minutes there it's kind of bizarre. like it's funny yeah but it feels like it comes out of nowhere and doesn't totally fit...like peter mattei didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with your food. although it was funny when he accidentally beaned plachetka in the face with a dinner roll. literally once elvira shows up the rest of the scene is Fine and i actually really like the way it's blocked and acted from that point on but What Was Up With That

also this is going to sound so weird both coming from me and speaking about this opera in particular but. it felt. weirdly not horny enough? also weird to say cause there was an above average amount of people lying on top of each other on the floor going on too but. like. idk. vedrai carino...a lot of elvira's acting...even some of mattei's i felt like there could've been More done in this respect without it pushing into the realm of excessive or distasteful. they really play up the He's A Sexual Predator angle of the character here but with more emphasis on the predator part and less on the sexual part i think. but idk maybe part of this has to do with me thinking walker and mattei look a little bit old and/or me not being generally as into men. ah well

anyway not to be really annoying all the time but if you liked this production (especially a lot of its aesthetic choices) i am once again recommending the 2017 aix production it's on youtube and it's soooo good. and has a Lot of similarities with this one stylistically. and also i love it

#sasha speaks #sasha reviews #don giovanni #overall I Liked It. not my favorite production but one of the better ones i've seen so far #edit: wait apparently ant did ask. i missed that in my notes somehow. anyway. hi ant here u go lol

[mr-president]

I really like your take on Levi, and now I wanna hear what was your Marxist critique on Levi.

Levi being transfem is interesting, though I can't really detach from Levi being tranmasc because the brainrot said so. I am aware there are trans men who also crossdress so it would seem like an interesting idea to have Levi dress in a feminine manner (probably courtesy of Marina) as a way as to not only distant himself from his past but also help him understand that he doesn't need to conform to society's standard of what a man should be. Wouldn't be surprised he initially accepted conscription because he tried to live up to that standard.

transmasc levi is a perfectly valid interpretation as well! if a character speaks to you in some way that makes you connect deeper w them, then kudos rock n roll my dude :3

anyway, k so basically the Marxist critique was like “levi’s suffering as a child soldier is somewhat presented as a depressing, unchanging ‘fact’ of reality is kind of disingenuous and peddles the harmful idea that everything awful in this world is ultimately unchangeable, and any attempts to change it is ultimately pointless.

‘because the funger world has the old gods who (though they have supposedly left) hold ultimate dominion over every event, then everything levi and to an extent all characters suffer is merely a machination of their existence. because the old gods exist, there is a sort of “reason,” the series posits.

‘and yeah, this is somewhat true to our reality because the systems that govern our world are quite intricate, vast, and unknowable—like a god beyond our comprehension— but it’s just that, a system, not a rule like the old gods of funger.

‘basically, Funger does this thing that i hate with most series where deeply bad shit happens and says “well, that’s just the way things are” to some extent—most attempts by people to break out of the cycle just repeat it once more, as per design.

‘levi—and every character’s suffering—may be resolved on an individual level (as they are in my interpretations bc i’m a whiny pissbaby who likes happy endings), but that still doesn’t really aid in addressing the root issue, does it? because that “root issue” is often ultimately presented as a result of otherworldly influences, beyond comprehension.

‘another Marxist critique is how the narratives of history have been ritualized, the world is ultimately controlled by the “Great Men” of history who decide how the next century should proceed. that’s literally how the New Gods operate, and though it’s mostly to emphasize how history continues to repeat itself, Funger doesn’t really acknowledge how humans have made real change. not through some kind of “great man” who was just Better than every other Guy around to cause any sort of change but

‘in a sense (and a potential counterpoint to my critique), you can interpret the ending A of Termina as a Marxist revolution—a collective movement of the people to unite as one and overturn the previous regime. the characters who get absorbed into Logic describe the process as something warm, like sleep, as they become something infinitesimally greater than themselves. the events of the festival can be metaphorically interpreted as a set of workers being pushed to their breaking point—individuals who have been largely cast out of their society and isolated from their work who now have “nothing to lose but your chains.” but i’d have to see where Mr. Haverinen takes Logic bc this interpretation is already super shoe-horny.”

But I didn’t go with this “opinion” mainly bc it doesn’t really address Levi too much and also bc I don’t really like presenting this opinion as something holistic. Like, this isn’t how the Funger-franchise is meant to be interpreted, and it’s point of view on suffering is less of a critique on class, power structures, the narrative of history, etc and more a reflection on a basic human condition: life sucks. Sometimes, you can’t do anything about it, but you persevere anyway. Here’s how you can use it for the better. But ultimately, this shit sucks, and sometimes that’s just the way it is.

It’s less concerned with solving problems and more focused on sympathy, suffering as empowerment, learning from it, that kind of thing. And I’m okay with just interpreting it as that bc that still is meaningful in its own way, and I think you get the most meaning out of a work of you view it from the perspective of how it’s meant to be interpreted.

Not to say that critiques or different POVs are completely irrelevant—the contrary actually. They reveal the deeper complexities abt the work or provide a fun reinterpretation for the sake of it. But ultimately, I didn’t think I’d be giving a genuine analysis if I analyzed Levi with this heuristic.

tldr; not everything needs to be disco elysium, unfortunately

#also every Marxist critique lowkey sounds the same #fear and hunger termina #mr president interviews

[imthepunchlord]

i see the wave of nope posts. did you watch the movie? I rmb liking the movie and would love to hear about your thoughts if you did watch them. on that note, any horror movie recs? 👀

I did watch Nope, it's one of the few horror films I wanted to watch, and I was waiting for my sister and dad to be available to watch it with me, which was last night.

And it was good. It is definitely my sort of horror film, where it is a horror movie, but that horror isn't in the forefront. It's like a roller coaster, where it will go through the horror scenes, but then move on to focus on something else. And for me who isn't a big fan of horror, that is just how I like it. I can do with feeling scared or dread in segments, but I don't want to sit through a whole film feeling that.

It's actually why a lot of Mike Flanagan's shows I can watch and look forward to them, they are horror shows and have horror elements, but it's not the forefront, it's the people and the setting.

Which is the same for Nope, it being more about the people, the struggles of working with Hollywood, while also dealing with that dangerous mystery. Which, for anyone who hasn't watched it yet but wants to, spoilers ahead.

The idea that the UFO being a living creature and sucking up living beings is interesting, and they wound up having a very interesting design in the end, kinda jellyfish vibes, which is fitting as jellyfish are terrifying. Like, if it ever came to it, I'd rather swim near a great white shark than a jeyllyfish. So it becoming something like a jellyfish was fitting in terms of visuals and quality of terrifying for me. I also really liked the detail of it spitting up blood, cause you see it spitting up metal, and blood has iron in it, so makes sense it can't digest blood.

And oh man, getting that scene of the people inside of it, getting to see them being swallowed up and gradually digested, I think that scared and shook me the most in the whole film. Even though you couldn't see in full detail what was happening to them, I had to look away. It's one of the two scenes that genuinely scared me, and it was so haunting that when JJ flies around, you can still hearing all those people screaming. And it clicks for you then that when you hear it in the distance and it sounds like people screaming, that tells you that it had eaten more people. And man, that scene stuck with me enough that when I went to bed, I had to fight my thoughts from circling back to it cause I didn't want to risk dreaming about it.

The other aspect that scared me in this film was when they circled back to Gordy. Chimps are terrifying, I hope to never get near one cause I know how brutal they can be. And this is one of the few movies that addresses it, and Hollywood's relationship with using animals. So, yeah, Gordy was terrifying, and I felt for Jupe in those scenes. I can just imagine how terrifying it is to be there, getting to see what this chimp did to the people you work with, an animal you didn't think could hurt a fly. And well... And man, it also hits the last terrifying effect of Gordy when you got to see his surviving co star and what Gordy had done to her.

Yeah, Gordy and seeing the inside of JJ were the two most terrifying aspects of this movie for me.

I do love though that this movie made me laugh, OJ was great as a lead, I loved the scene of him in the car, and peeking out to see JJ above and he just closed the door with a "Nope". And gosh, he's a brave man. Em was a lot of fun, and I really liked Angel, and I'm glad all of them survived. Also, Lucky was well named, cause damn, that is one lucky horse. The only one to not get swallowed with every encounter with JJ. Kudos Lucky.

As for horror recs, I don't have a lot for you cause I don't go out of my way to watch horror. And most recs I have are most likely already seen, but I'll share my small list just in case.

Anything made by Mike Flanagan is good.

Jurassic Park, and for World, the most horror of it was Battle at Big Rock (you can watch on Youtube, it's scary), and s3 of Camp Cretaceous.

Alien and Aliens was really good.

Primal has some scary episodes, be aware though that it's a very gore heavy show.

And of course Stranger Things has some good horror elements to it.

And... at this time, I can't think of anything else I've watched that really counts as horror or has horror elements. Out of all genres it is the one I watch the least.

#ask Punchie #nope