#and i mean; i know *why*— it’s a tough industry to get into; especially for someone who’s more of a cartoonist than anything

[blueskittlesart]

I've heard that while most people really really love BotW and TotK, some people hate those two for going open-world, and some people hate TotK specifically for something about the story. As the resident Zelda expert I know of, what do you think of those takes?

"something about the story" is a bit too vague for me to answer--if you look at my totk liveblog tag from back when the game was newly released or my general zelda analysis tag you may be able to find some of my in-depth thoughts about the story of totk, but in general i liked it.

the open world thing though is something i can and will talk about for hours. (I am obsessed with loz and game design and this is an essay now <3) breath of the wild is a game that was so well-received that a lot of the criticism from older fans who were expecting something closer to the classic zelda formula was just kind of immediately drowned out and ignored, and while i don't think it's a valid criticism to suggest that botw strayed too far from its origins in going open-world, i am more than willing to look into those criticisms, why they exist, and why i think going open-world was ultimately the best decision botw devs could have made. (totk is a slightly different story, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.)

Loz is a franchise with a ton of history and a ton of really, REALLY dedicated fans. it's probably second only to mario in terms of recognizability and impact in nintendo's catalog. To us younger fans, the older games can sometimes seem, like, prehistoric when compared to what we're used to nowadays, but it's important to remember just how YOUNG the gaming industry is and how rapidly it's changed and grown. the first zelda game was released in 1986, which was 31 years before botw came out in 2017. What this means for nintendo and its developers is that they have to walk a very fine line between catering to older fans in their 30s and 40s now who would have been in nintendo's prime demographic when the first few games in the franchise were coming out AND making a game that's engaging to their MODERN target demographic and that age group's expectations for what a gaming experience should look like.

LOZ is in kind of a tough spot when it comes to modernizing, because a lot of its core gameplay elements are very much staples of early RPGs, and a lot of those gameplay elements have been phased out of modern RPGs for one reason or another. gathering collectibles, fighting one's way through multilevel, mapless dungeons, and especially classic zelda's relative lack of guidance through the story are all things that date games and which modern audiences tend to get frustrated with. for the last few releases before botw, the devs had kind of been playing with this -- skyward sword in particular is what i consider their big experiment and what (i think) became the driving force behind a lot of what happened with botw. Skyward sword attempted to solve the issues I listed by, basically, making the map small and the story much, much more blatantly linear. Skyward sword feels much more like other modern rpgs to me than most zelda games in terms of its playstyle, because the game is constantly pushing you to do specific things. this is a common storytelling style in modern RPGs--obviously, the player usually needs to take specific actions in order to progress the story, and so when there's downtime between story sections the supporting characters push the player towards the next goal. but this actually isn't what loz games usually do. in the standard loz formula, you as the player are generally directly given at most 4 objectives. these objectives will (roughly) be as follows: 1. go through some dungeons and defeat their bosses, 2. claim the master sword, 3. go through another set of dungeons and defeat their bosses, 4. defeat the final boss of the game. (not necessarily in that order, although that order is the standard formula.) the ONLY time the player will be expressly pushed by supporting characters towards a certain action (excluding guide characters) is when the game is first presenting them with those objectives. in-between dungeons and other gameplay segments, there's no sense of urgency, no one pushing you onto the next task. this method of storytelling encourages players to take their time and explore the world they're in, which in turn helps them find the collectibles and puzzles traditionally hidden around the map that will make it easier for them to continue on. Skyward sword, as previously mentioned, experimented with breaking this formula a bit--its overworld was small and unlocked sequentially, so you couldn't explore it fully without progressing the narrative, and it gave players a "home base" to return to in skyloft which housed many of the puzzles and collectibles rather than scattering them throughout the overworld. This method worked... to an extent, but it also meant that skyward sword felt drastically different in its storytelling and how its narrative was presented to the player than its predecessors. this isn't necessarily a BAD thing, but i am of the opinion that one of zelda's strongest elements has always been the level of immersion and relatability its stories have, and the constant push to continue the narrative has the potential to pull players out of your story a bit, making skyward sword slightly less engaging to the viewer than other games in the franchise. (to address the elephant in the room, there were also obviously some other major issues with the design of sksw that messed with player immersion, but imo even if the control scheme had been perfect on the first try, the hyperlinear method would STILL have been less engaging to a player than the standard exploration-based zeldas.)

So when people say that botw was the first open-world zelda, I'm not actually sure how true I personally believe that is. I think a lot of the initial hype surrounding botw's open map were tainted by what came before it--compared to the truly linear, intensely restricted map of skyward sword, botw's map feels INSANE. but strictly speaking, botw actually sticks pretty closely to the standard zelda gameplay experience, at least as far as the overworld map is concerned. from the beginning, one of the draws of loz is that there's a large, populated map that you as the player can explore (relatively) freely. it was UNUSUAL for the player to not have access to almost the entire map either immediately or very quickly after beginning a new zelda game. (the size and population of these maps was restricted by software and storage capabilities in earlier games, but pretty muhc every zelda game has what would have been considered a large & well populated map at the time of its release.) what truly made botw different was two things; the first being the sheer SIZE of the map and the second being the lack of dungeons and collectibles in a traditional sense. Everything that needs to be said about the size of the map already has been said: it's huge and it's crazy and it's executed PERFECTLY and it's never been done before and every game since has been trying to replicate it. nothing much else to say there. but I do want to talk about the percieved difference in gameplay as it relates to the open-world collectibles and dungeons, because, again, i don't think it's actually as big of a difference as people seem to think it is.

Once again, let's look at the classic formula. I'm going to start with the collectibles and lead into the dungeons. The main classic collectible that's a staple of every zelda game pre-botw is the heart piece. This is a quarter of a heart that will usually be sitting out somewhere in the open world or in a dungeon, and will require the player to either solve a puzzle or perform a specific action to get. botw is the first game to not include heart pieces... TECHNICALLY. but in practice, they're still there, just renamed. they're spirit orbs now, and rather than being hidden in puzzles within the overworld (with no explanation as to how or why they ended up there, mind you) they're hidden within shrines, and they're given a clear purpose for existing throughout hyrule and for requiring puzzle-solving skills to access. Functionally, these two items are exactly the same--it's an object that gives you an extra heart container once you collect four of them. no major difference beyond a reskin and renaming to make the object make sense within the greater world instead of just having a little ❤️ floating randomly in the middle of their otherwise hyperrealistic scenery. the heart piece vs spirit orb i think is a good microcosm of the "it's too different" criticisms of botw as a whole--is it ACTUALLY that different, or is it just repackaged in a way that doesn't make it immediately obvious what you're looking at anymore? I think it's worth noting that botw gives a narrative reason for that visual/linguistic disconnect from other games, too--it's set at minimum TEN THOUSAND YEARS after any other given game. while we don't have any concrete information about how much time passes between new-incarnation games, it's safe to assume that botw is significantly further removed from other incarnations of hyrule/link/zelda/etc than any other game on the timeline. It's not at all inconceivable within the context of the game that heart pieces may have changed form or come to be known by a different name. most of the changes between botw and other games can be reasoned away this way, because most of them have SOME obvious origins in a previous game mechanic, it's just been updated for botw's specific setting and narrative.

The dungeons ARE an actual departure from the classic formula, i will grant you. the usual way a zelda dungeon works is that link enters the dungeon, solves a few puzzles, fights a mini boss at about the halfway point, and after defeating the mini boss he gets a dungeon item which makes the second half of the dungeon accessible. He then uses that item in the dungeon's final boss fight, which is specifically engineered with that item in mind as the catalyst to win it. Botw's dungeons are the divine beasts. we've removed the presence of mini-bosses entirely, because the 'dungeon items' aren't something link needs to get within the dungeon itself--he alredy has them. they're the sheikah slate runes: magnesis, cryonis, stasis, and remote bombs. Each of the divine beast blight battles is actually built around using one of these runes to win it--cryonis to break waterblight's ice projectiles, magnesis to strike down thunderblight with its own lightning rods, remote bombs to take out fireblight's shield. (i ASSUME there's some way to use stasis effectively against windblight, mostly because it's obvious to me that that's how all the other fights were designed, but in practice it's the best strategy for that fight is to just slow down time via aerial archery, so i've never tried to win that way lol.) So even though we've removed traditional dungeon items and mini-boss fights, the bones of the franchise remain unchanged underneath. this is what makes botw such an ingenious move for this franchise imo; the fact that it manages to update itself into such a beautiful, engaging, MODERN game while still retaining the underlying structure that defines its franchise and the games that came before it. botw is an effective modern installment to this 30-year-old franchise because it takes what made the old games great and updates it in a way that still stays true to the core of the franchise.

I did mention totk in my opening paragraph and you mention it in your ask so i have to come back to it somehow. Do i think that totk did the gigantic-open-world thing as well as botw did? no. But i also don't really think there was any other direction to go with that game specifically. botw literally changed the landscape of game development when it was released. I KNOW you all remember how for a good year or two after botw's release, EVERY SINGLE GAME that came out HAD to have a massive open-world map, regardless of whether or not that actually made sense for that game. (pokemon is still suffering from the effects of that botw-driven open world craze to this day. rip scarlet/violet your gameplay was SUCH dogshit) I'm not sure to what degree nintendo and the botw devs anticipated that success, (I remember the open world and the versatility in terms of problem-solving being the two main advertising angles pre-release, but it's been 7 years. oh jesus christ it's been SEVEN YEARS. anyways) but in any case, there's basically NO WAY that they anticipated their specific gameplay style taking off to that degree. That's not something you can predict. When creating totk, they were once again walking that line between old and new, but because they were only 3ish years out from botw when totk went into development, they were REALLY under pressure to stay true to what it was that had made botw such an insane success. I think that's probably what led to the expanded map in the sky and depths as well as the fuse/build mechanics--they basically took their two big draws from botw, big map and versatility, and said ok BIGGER MAP and MORE VERSATILITY. Was this effective? yeah. do i think they maybe could have made a more engaging and well-rounded game if they'd been willing to diverge a little more from botw? also yeah. I won't say that I wanted totk to be skyward sword-style linear, because literally no one wanted that, but I do think that because of the insane wave of success that botw's huge open world brought in the developers were under pressure to stay very true to botw in their designing the gameplay of totk, and I think that both the gameplay and story might have been a bit more engaging if they had been allowed to experiment a little more in their delivery of the material.

#wow it's been a while since i've written a real homegrown organic legend of zelda essay. i missed this #hi everyone. when the fuck is the next game going into development i need to have something to wildly theorize about again #god. it's been. seven years since botw came out. im going to go chew on live electrical wires #zelda analysis #asks

[laguezze]

PAC: What's your ideal career path?

(This is for the career oriented people that got absolutely no idea what to do with their lives or have an idea but are so overwhelmed and lost with all the possibilities. I salute y'all bc same)

More piles this time because why not lol

Here are the piles:

Pile 1

Pile 2

Pile 3

Pile 4

Pile 5

Pile 6

Ready? Let's go!

Pile 1

I'm so into you, I can barely breathe ~

👩‍🍳🏖️🩴🍹🚣‍♀️🤝👩‍💼🕴️🧳

There are two subgroups within this pile so I will read them differently right now.

Seems like Group 1 is actually free spirited and out there and independent. You guys don't need anyone and you hate being restrained by boundaries or rules. Thus, I think a career that best suits you is one where no one rules over you but yourself. And of course not a high stress environment. I'm seeing you, group 1 fellows might thrive in a customer service position. Some of you might open your own bar or something, I'm seeing a lot of entrepreneurship here. Do it. Start that business and be happy.

And now onto group 2

For group 2, seems like you guys have some things to work on. You say your dream is to be a hippie by the beach that is free spirited and carefree but you are nothing like that. And that is ok. You're not less cool or more boring or ordinary. You being yourself is already unique, there is nothing to complete in you.

I'm seeing some of you guys are quiet and shy, but actually love people. Wouldn't be hurtful to try out some customer service as well! Weirdly enough I see the same career paths as group 1 for you guys. Entrepreneurship, having your own company, etc.

In general, for both groups I see these:

culinary arts (big on this one), Chef, waiter, bartender, owner of any place that serves food or drink, secretary, CEO, business management, HR worker, meeting mediator, etc

Pile 2

You like my hair? Gee, thanks! Just bought it ~

🎹👮‍♀️⚖️👩‍🔬🔭🔬💅

You guys seem like a bit of an airhead but in a wonderful way. I can't stress how positively I mean that. People seem baffled by the way you act and say things and you surprise them everyday. Seems like you really don't care about who you're talking to, there is no filter or personality switch. You're just you. And it's genuine. And it's enough. You seem to have some issues with people because of that, but also you attract wonderful opportunities as well. Think Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. Big Elle energy for real.

I think you guys might even be in a male dominated industry, which is tough considering your personality, but not impossible. And especially not impossible for you. Absolutely not customer service, though. Some people hate your personality (f them ngl) but your ideal career is probably one where your work speaks for itself and they can't deny your talent.

I see careers such as STEM, law, IT, music, biology, forensics, investigator, nail tech and criminal Justice.

Pile 3

Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh ~

🩰🪩🕺🏠👩‍💼🎭💵🤑😎

You guys are powerful. When you enter a room, people notice you. Which is why you could either do great in the performance arts or in a position of power within an organization. This is so short and straight forward, but so are you so...

Careers I see: dancer, CEO, event planner, actor, real estate agent.

Pile 4

She might've let you hold her hand in school but imma show you how to graduate ~

🏖️🤑🧳✈️🍹🍔🍕👨‍🍳🧥🚣

Ok you guys, this is gonna be a bit straightforward so beware.

A lot of you guys think you're hot s*-#, which you can be but you are not right now. What I mean by that is you seem like the type of person that says: yeah! I'm gonna have a private jet and a thousand cars and blah blah. Very materialistic. But you're not putting in the work at all, you probably don't even know what it is you're passionate about or want to do with your life (which is so valid). You just want to be rich, which honestly I get it, but you need some drive other than "i want a Maserati" you need to want something bigger. You need to be good at something and you don't even know what that something is. And something tells me that you are not even thinking about what that could be. You fantasize about being rich without wondering how to get there. Why do you want that? Status? Relationships? Reevaluate.

That said, I see two types of outcomes. If you put in the effort I'm seeing you can achieve that level of richness you're looking for. Some of you might start a company or climb up an existing one. Some of you might become travel vloggers or influencers.

If you keep doing what you're doing I see you're working at fast food chains (i literally channeled that I'm not gonna lie to y'all) as a manager maybe retail too, that type of jobs.

Careers I see: McDonald's worker, fast food manager, retail worker, makeup store worker (I'm seeing Sephora), mall business owner, souvenir store owner, business owner in general, travel vlogger, boat driver, tourist attraction worker, marketing specialist, hotel worker, hotel owner.

Hope it resonates and my apologies for the bluntness, seemed like the pile wanted to call you out. Maybe you needed it.

Lots of love 💕

Pile 5

I've been here all night, I've been here all day ~

🎤🩰🏡📚🧑‍🍳💐👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

You guys are actually going to be successful. I'm seeing some of you have bigger dreams, some of you have smaller ones (which is cool too!) But all of you will definitely achieve them in some way or another.

I see someone with a family and a big house. Some kids running around. Some of you want to be stay at home partners to a rich person (respect to you guys, every dream is a valid one) and I see you'll get that and be fulfilled. Vacation is a given. You don't struggle with money. None of you guys do.

Some common themes you all have is that your career will allow you to be calm and chill. There are no problems. Money comes easy and secure. And you're living the dream, whichever dream that may be.

A lot of you guys here are here for confirmation of an ideal life you have. Let me say, yes. It's happening. Maybe not in the way you think, maybe not in the amount of success you want it. Or maybe it does fully! But it's happening. I'm seeing some of you might want to act? You'll be an actor and have work but maybe you won't be a big Hollywood star. Or maybe you will!

Some of you may want to be singers. Again, you might not win a Grammy and become Beyonce, but you will work as a singer and it will pay your bills. Like singing at events, hotels, etc. (Or maybe you will win a Grammy! Don't let tarot discourage you from achieving anything! It's just a tool, not a strict rule to follow)

Anyways, you will be whatever it is you want to be.

I know this reading might be confusing but that's what I channelled.

Careers I see: actor/actress, stay at home partner, flight attendant, singer, dancer, librarian, real estate agent, restaurant owner, chef, coffee shop owner, flower shop owner, bakery owner.

Pile 6

A feeling that you can't fight, my one ~

🥖🇫🇷🌍✈️📸

You guys are travelers, no matter what you do you will be up in the air and onto a new place. Kinda chaotic, but you like that.

I'm seeing some of you might work in the fashion industry, models, designers, makeup artists, etc. You all are here gathered. I hear Milan, Paris, London, Fashion Week.

Some of you could just be a flight attendant and that's why you travel so much.

A couple of you might be touring for some reason, you might play in a band or you might sing backup for someone or you might sing yourself or play.

I'm seeing such chaos, though. Like a lot.

Some of you might do film! Or photography! And probably need to relocate for shoots a lot. So cool.

Careers I see: photographer, filmmaker, model, magazine editor, security guard, flight attendant, pilot, makeup artist, wardrobe assistant, set decorator.

The End

#tarot readings #free readings #tarot #tarot blog #pick a card #tarot pick a card #tarot pick a pile #pick a pile #ask game readings #free tarot reading

[matt0044]

Why does Indie Animation lend itself to such intense discourse?

If I had to speculate from my own observations (feel free to call me out on an overgeneralizations), it would be that the harsh turn against any given indie project would be akin to a mother scolding a child with, "I expected this from your sibling but you?!"

See also the "We were rooting for you" gif often tossed around.

Indie Animation be it from a small studio or crowdfunded is seen as bypassing the hoops and hurdles of getting your foot in the door of the highly corporatized entertainment industry. With the likes of Disney or Nick or any given streaming service, creator driven projects are subject to the whims of the company who holds the IP.

And those whims are often to said IP's detriment. It'll more often than not be willfully neglected at best or treated as just something to fill a time slot or shove onto a streaming platform as "content." Enough may be allowed to flourish but their either uncerimoniously cut short at best or being dragged out as a franchise at worst.

To keep from going on about the whole Legend of Korra vs. Spongebob thing (I was there people, there was an LoK fandom believe it or not), indie animation has often been seen as small scale but also within the creator's general control since they control how long it goes or how it's written.

Many cartoons like Gravity Falls, Owl House and Amphibia have talked about trying to get their vision across while contending with a lot of Standards and Practices. Their story which had a "kids and adults alike" target audience would have the top brass insist on something more just for the former category.

While they find work arounds, often to stick their tongue out at the FCC, this can be a hard reminder of who has the final say despite it being what you want. Indie animation is seen as an answer to "What if Alex Hirsch didn't have to comprimise elements of Gravity Falls for the FCC?" or "What if Dana Terrence could just blaze her own trail with The Owl House with little to no notes?"

Especially when it comes to animation with queer characters. Animation made to be "fit for kids" have it tough enough even today but adult animation has to "play it for laughs" since comedies have been the defacto standard for that type of cartoon.

However... a show being creator driven or creative team driven comes as a double edged sword for the fandoms they form. Not all stories that play out across multiple episodes of varying lengths are going in the direction YOU might want to.

Creators might tire of a certain direction or formula and mix things up with things that come to mind almost on the spot. Even with a solid plan, the status quo will get a shake up that can and will alienate those who fell in love from episode one.

Indie Pilots spark the imagination something fierce. There's theories as to what any little detail could mean going forward and speculation on what a character's arc could be. These go wild because Fandom is all about the hypothetical, the unknown, the what could've/should've/would've been. Whole phenomenon would be dead in the water otherwise.

Thing is that not all theories will be proven right if any at all. The creators aren't mind readers and even if it isn't a legality like in corporate, they don't read fanfics if only because they don't want their vision to be totally compromised. Any good creator knows not to just give fans what they want. However... trampling over all these fanfics and theories makes it feel like any given fan had their "child" dragged into the streets to be shot.

A harsh phrasing but that's how a lot of fans act when continuing episode bump up against initial impression of this character or that storyline. It was their creation but new lore, new backstory or what have you is liable to override them. It's been an occupational hazard of being a member of fandom for ages yet it's become the center of a lot of discourse now more than ever. Say thank you to social media for creating such a combative environment everybody.

It's this... feeling of ownership that has existed in fandoms of other shows owned by corporations but amplied by the smaller scale of it, how creators seem more... approachable. And THIS is how the YouTube "critic" scene comes in to capitalize.

So... yeah.

#indie animation #indie animated series #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #rwby #rooster teeth #rwby10 #rwby volume 10 #fandom #fandom discourse #fandom nonsense #discourse #anti rwde #fndm #hellaverse #vivziepop #monty oum #glitch productions #sm64 #murder drones #the amazing digital circus #meta runner

[not-quite-normal]

Hey there, industry 3D animator here (television in vancouver)- you mentioned being on projects you didn't care about, how did you muscle through them?

hi fellow vancouver animator! if you're currently on a project that you don't care for then i'm very sorry, i know how exhausting it can be. especially if you feel like you don't have any other options. i've worked on a lot of projects, both tv and feature, that i didn't care for at varying degrees and it's never easy to make your way through them if you don't enjoy what you're doing. at one point it got so bad for me that i questioned if animation was even something that i wanted to continue doing because i was just churning out animation for a preschool show (which a lot of people enjoy and is very legit and stable work! it just wasn't for me). i ended up taking extra long lunch breaks and afternoon walks every day just to Not Work lol. it can be very tough. that was the only job i ever quit. luckily the next project i moved to reignited the animation fire in me and reminded me why i enjoy it

a few pieces of advice come to mind

make sure you take time for You. i know a lot of vancouver studios don't pay overtime; if they're not paying you then you don't owe them your time. decide what you have to do to make your work Good Enough to get you through your day and go home at 6

touch grass, and i mean this in a very genuine way lol. go for walks, explore new places, but mostly just get away from screens for a bit haha

keep your job options open. apply for jobs that start before your contract is up because you can leave that contract at any time, it's okay, you won't get blacklisted for it (as long as you give them two weeks notice). if it sucks, hit da bricks

if you have the means, try to work on saving up some money to take time off between projects. i know i'm speaking from a place of privilege on this one, but a couple months off can cure any level of burnout

work on your own personal projects! this can be hard to do if you're creatively burnt out though, i had to stop animating in my free time because animation was already taking up too much of my creative energy at work. i started doing a lot of writing while working on atsv and it was very refreshing to focus on something that was still creative but a completely different skill from animation

try to find the opportunity to learn something. even on projects that i didn't like, i still got something out of them. make your workflow more efficient by thinking about where you spend the most time and how you can make it faster (posing hands? create a hand pose library. counter animating the arms/head/spine? play with the rotation parenting on the rig. need a camera to do a big smooth sweeping arc? use a pivot point). think about common notes that you're given and set your scenes up that'll be easier to change if you get those notes. bonus, this will help you with #1 on this list and being a faster animator is always highly valued, even in feature anim where quota is sometimes one shot per... month

#asks #anonymous #animation question #i hope that helps anon #keep goin it always gets better #there's always new and cool things being worked on in vancouver

[jester-lover]

SLENDERVERSE CHARACTERS: giving you a hug!! (Everyman HYBRID ver.)

Warnings: BLOOD, fluff, lore spoilers, mentions of violence, habit

Characters featured: Vinny, Jeff, Evan, Damsel/Stephanie, Alex, HABIT, Slenderman

Vinny Everyman

Bear hug, every time

Homie doesn’t even think, he just sees you and pounces

He’s so warm too

Industrial space heater

Cuddles get a lil tough because of that

He’s so sweet though

Always loosens his grip if he thinks you’re getting uncomfortable

Will accidentally hit his glasses on yours's (if you have them)

“You’re finally here!”

Jeff Koval

At the beginning of your relationship, he’s anxious towards affection

But when he’s comfortable, he’s comfortable

Will be behind with you at every moment he gets weirdly paranoid, hugging you close

Sometimes, when he gets so anxious he can’t sleep, he’ll stay up so late it’ll mess up his sleep schedule, he’s very affectionate when he’s sleepy

“I’m so tired, please don’t let go of me.”

Evan

Before HABIT, he’s really your average college kid

Hugs before and after classes

Smiles at you during any classes you share (not a thought in his head)

He’s rather short, so usually he’s resting his head on your shoulder, but if you are even shorter, he’s definitely putting his head on top of yours

Holds you whenever you watch movies together or play video games

After HABIT, it all changes

He’s so terrified of hurting you he backs away, he’s no longer affectionate because he feels like he can’t trust his own body

This is where you step up, you reassure him that he is still deserving of love and support

He breaks down in your arms, everything is going to be okay

Even for a little while

“I don’t know what to do anymore, I don’t know what’s real.”

Stephanie

(Could not find a gif of her:(

In my own opinion, damsel/Stephanie seems to be a bit more of a serious character, one who is hunting down Slender without a laugh in sight

She’s a sucker for hugs, especially if she wants to calm down after a tough day

Will be so happy if you hug her while she’s painting (be aware that you will have paint on you)

Has off days, usually when her nightmares get worse

It’s better to leave her alone on those days, she just wants to cry in frustration

After she feels better, she’ll give you a hug and ask to draw something with her

“Keep your pencil there, the shadows aren’t deep enough.”

Alex Koval

Since Alex is another character we know little about, I have read his wiki and rewatched his appearances in the series, I will choose to portray him as the more timid Koval brother, one who is haunted by the events in his life. If you don’t like this characterization, please consider leaving suggestions for a better characterization, I’m always open to kind criticism.

Alex has never been in a relationship as serious as he has with you.

He holds you so dear to his heart, it almost hurts him every time he sees you go

Alex tends to talk to himself a lot, he gets picked on a lot by his colleagues for his strange behavior

But not you, you never pick on him

You are soft and kind to him, he hasn’t felt like this before

He holds you, unless the thing by his bedside is near, he gets strangely, almost aggressively distant when the scratches start appearing

One day, when you finally break and ask him why he won’t give you affection anymore, he shows his scars to you

He tells you he won’t let it happen to you

“You mean more than anything, you can’t get hurt. I won’t let it hurt you.”  

HABIT

Absolute little degenerate

Homie will jump on you the second you walk through the door

Will go off about everything he’s done that day, even if you want to hear it or not

Definitely hogs the bed, will not give you an INCH of blanket, he also grips on to you like you’re gonna fly away

I’m so sorry if you like cooking, he will come up behind you and scare you before hugging you

On a more positive note, he deeply enjoys dancing around in the kitchen, Frank Sinatra playing in the background, it’s one of the few times the both of you feel content

“Humans are so soft.”

Slenderman

My depiction of Everyman Hybrid slender is a slightly more modern creature than a puritan eldritch, like, he’s still been around (and smart) for a long time, but he’s learned to stick with the times. This also helps me put together some of his hijinks in the series.

He does not give hugs !!!

He is pure evil !!!!

But I choose to ignore that !!

He has extremely long limbs perfect for hugging

Def will make you climb him like a tree to hug you though, out of spite

He also is a gentleman who will always ask for your consent before initiating larger displays of affection

Plays music while you cuddle, but not like classical, he listens to the smiths.

Look at him and tell me this isn’t a Smiths fan

If you give him a lil kiss he’ll be very happy it’s heartwarming

“*silence*”

Thank you for reading! I’ll be working on creepypasta content too, Laughing Jack is on the list (my personal favorite), but I need recommendations!! Who would you like to see in future posts regarding creepypasta?

#slenderverse x reader #habit x reader #vinny everyman #vinny everyman x reader #jeff koval #jeff koval x reader #evan meyers #evan meyers x reader #damsel x reader #stephanie everymanhybrid #damsel emh #alex koval #alex Koval x reader #habit everymanhybrid #habit emh #slenderverse #slenderman x reader #slenderman #reader insert #new fanfic blog #fanfiction #fanfic #female reader #gn reader #fem!reader #gn!reader #affection #love #hugging

[greentrickster]

One of the things I find interesting about Maxwell as a character, especially as we find out more about him, is, as someone with a decent background in theatre, how real he seems to me. Not as some great, grand villain, but as a performer who wanted and who got in over his head as a result.

A little explanation: when I say, “I have a background in theatre,” I don’t mean anything big or grand - I’ve only been paid for I think three of the jobs I’ve done, the majority of it was lessons and volunteer work for more niche stuff. Which is important, because that’s the level of stage William seems to have been at originally. I’ve actually met a lot of Williams in the course of my acting experiences - you’d be surprised how many of them there are. And, I cannot stress this enough, they are not bad people.

You’ll hear people say that the performance industry is cut-throat, and it is, but that means it’s also shockingly rough on the performers in it. There’s a lot of performing in school gyms, having to provide pieces of your own costume even if it’s not a school activity or a lesson, hours like you wouldn’t believe in regards to both practice and performance, and pay such that there’s a reason it’s a trope for actors to have side jobs. And that’s once you’re already in, and getting there is hard enough. Moving up is even more work, and often requires you to be skilled in multiple areas. Injuries happen, and you don’t work? You don’t get paid. Heck, I’ve stopped acting, just because I came to the conclusion that I didn’t want it enough to put up with the conditions getting to do it put me through.

Thing is? There are people out there who do want it that much, who’ll go through a performance with a taped-up leg or a head cold that’s making it hard to think. People who heard the phrase ‘the show must go on’ and took it to heart. People who are constantly looking for some new edge, some way to stand out from the crowd of other skilled, talented people they’re in because they want to be the one on the stage, in the spotlight, getting those applause from the crowd. And, as often as not, it’s easy to get an ego on you once you get there, and also to become incredibly jealous of your place in the spotlight, wary of anyone else taking what you’ve worked so hard to gain.

And all of that feels like it applies so well to William Carter. The man who left his home and family to try and make it as a stage magician in another country. Who was working hard to make it in a tough industry but couldn’t quite find that spark he needed to make it. Who finally found the edge that gave him the leg-up he needed to finally step into the spotlight he’d been seeking for so long. Who guarded the edge he’d gotten jealously, for the same reasons all magicians and many performers guard the secrets of their trade so carefully. Who presumably realized a little too late that he’d gotten in over his head, and didn’t know how to stop.

Now, replace the Codex Umbra with drugs, alcohol, medications, or any number of other things, and William’s isn’t a new story at all - it’s one we’ve seen play out over and over in the performance industry, and I’m sure we can all name at least one star we’ve seen rise and fall in our own lifetimes. It’s not new, strange, surprising, or even unusual. It’s just a case of bad luck that the edge William found cost him in such a strange, horrific manner.

And that’s why Maxwell, once William, is so interesting to me. Because he’s turning out not to have been some great, grand figure, a powerful schemer or clever conman. Heck, as Wes’s story showed us, he’s not even that great at getting back at his enemies. He was just a guy, a really average, normal guy, who really wanted to be a performer. Because, no matter what he became as the King, he doesn’t seem to have started out bad, and the worst he seems to have become in the regular world was something of an egomaniac. Which, again, extremely normal in performers. That’s where the thrill comes from. He was a regular, unassuming guy who got handed the key to his dreams... and didn’t realize the true cost until much too late.

Because I’ve seen how much many performers are willing to pay and put up with for that moment in the spotlight, how much more they’re willing to pay and put up with to make that moment last... and I can’t help but wonder how many of them, if offered the same chance, would make the same choices as William, and also not realize it until much too late.

#william carter #ds maxwell #don't starve #don't starve together #dst #dst spoilers #note: this is not a criticism of performers (though the industry chewing them up is getting some very pointed look) #I will also fully admit to having been unable to stand the heat and thus having gotten out of the kitchen #I claim only to have gotten a taste of and glimpse into this section of human society #and having a perspective coloured by that experience as a result

[edge-oftheworld]

remembering how careful luke was with substances back when they first started out, it is actually heartbreaking that he did end up struggling with addiction. (I feel like we can often stereotype and box artists in, find excuses why they may end up using like it's their fault and if they happen to overdose and die then well, they should've not gotten into it in the first place. i can't shake that moment, in the 10yr podcast i think (don't quote me) he mentions he wasn't even into weed in 2015. just another 19yo aussie getting drunk and pretending to be tough like every other 19yo aussie, way more conservative and cautious in terms of substances than he probably would ever have admitted at the time.) how well he's always seemed to look after himself physically vs how much he'd given up on himself for so long. the fact he's always loved food and yet struggled with eating. actually I think diamonds should break our hearts. so should bloodline and heck, even baby blue. I think we should listen to starting line and be like hey, maybe we should treat our celebrities better. our artists. we all enjoy what they create, tear themselves apart so we don't feel alone in whatever we're experiencing and yet did we ever stop to think, how can we make this system work for everyone? how can we make fame be less deadly?

I think we should look at songs like motion and repeat when we're thinking of, hey, how should we approach this conversation about mental health? especially in the workplace with pressure to perform and take every opportunity lest we miss out on a big break and that's not only in creative industries. STEM can be like that too. and don't get me started on business/finance. we should look at the way we interact with each other--are we creating a space that's safe to feel and be honest with ourselves and each other and breathe enough to do that? or is it 'r u ok' and it's all about feelings and if you feel to numb to even know what you're feeling, then you're probably fine? we're hopefully beyond blaming parents for everything their children go through by now, but if ever we're not, we can listen to mum and see that you can have this beautiful relationship with your parents and still struggle, still blame yourself and be drowning in it and have the best morals around personal responsibility and still in a bad season be able to weaponise them against ourselves sometimes and only see our mistakes. still put on a farce for the world. still fear that people will leave whenever we take that off. are we creating a world where we're free to be ourselves, and I mean all of us? slip away and place in me should break our hearts even more when listened to in context.

and maybe these insights seem obvious to you but how are we really going at living as if this is what we need to be doing as humans? do we really live like we believe none of us are that invincible but at the same time are so, so capable and should be given the chances and accommodations every person, no matter their unique needs, need to really fulfil that (of course without being blamed for their perceived failures)? or are we still being ableist? are we still deciding we have a bar of perceived success for people we see to be 'like us' and feel like everyone else is somehow doomed and unable to succeed and so we don't need to worry about caring for them too? they either have to pretend to live up to our standards or slip into oblivion and shame? don't you see how this, something we often don't realise we're perpetuating, simply causes even more harm?

and maybe this is a lot to be dragging out from one (expertly done) album. or maybe we have someone who's told their story and we'd be foolish not to listen to it, not to think twice about the connotations of what we're seeing. maybe part of beholding this masterpiece is to use a bit of that same overthinking that went into creating it and do something productive with it. because luke's okay. things did get better for him, and he's coping, just like the rest of us. but what about the next young artist who is thrust into stardom from oblivion, who, clinging to music as a lifeline in a chaotic, unpredictable and lonely world, basks in it and chases it so hard without a thought to its dangers. what if they don't have a loving home away from the chaos to return to, and a close knit, unshakeable group of friends going through it with them? I don't get how you can listen to wfttwtaf and not think of this. also, luke didn't need to share any of these things with us. but I bet, in a world of facades and roles to play that others create for us, simplistic and superficial and suffocating, it's a relief to simply be honest. maybe it's just me. maybe he shared it just to get some money from his art, or to help others feel less alone. but either way he did share it. and he did give incredibly vulnerable descriptions of each song (to apple music i believe it was) which he didn't have to do either. but he did and so let's heed the protest intrinsic in it and cultivate that sense of empathy, be respectful and encouraging to him and the band, yes, but also think. if we have a case study on how to protect and better care for young artists and creatives, are we just going to let it entertain us and then do nothing about what we hear? wfttwtaf is a protest album. it might not mean to be. it might be the saddest and least angry one we've heard. it might be pure in that it pulls at our heartstrings and demands nothing from us. so let your impact be that pure and free of demands too and just. be kind. not only to the people you see in person, but everyone who might be impacted by your individual and collective actions--not only kind but smart about what is actually helpful, actually encouraging. it's pretty simple isn't it? or is it just the wild ideas of my intuition?

#tldr wfttwtaf is very pop punk #not in its sound obvs #but like. healing. storytelling that prompts thought. that kind of protest #luke hemmings #wfttwtaf #5sos #5 seconds of summer #celebrities are people #tw ed #tw drugs #vague references of being suicidal kinda #workplace mental health #idk this post goes all over the place #neurodivergent liberation

[polithicc]

treat or treat, my lovely

hiiii shel. here it is, the silliest thing i've ever written. the locklyle reddit au no one asked for

Posted by u/ForBlueSkulls 5 hours ago

AITA for pretending not to know my (22F) ex-housemate (23M) when we were introduced to each other at my new job?

Yeah, what the title says. I (22F) recently started a new job. On my first day, while my manager was introducing me to the team, I was surprised when he introduced me to my former housemate (23M). I panicked because we hadn't seen each other in two years, I extended my hand and chose to act as though we were strangers. He seemed surprised but followed my lead by shaking my hand.

I won't get into the details about why I left, but I’ll just say it wasn’t because of him. I acknowledge that I was an asshole for cutting contact with him and other mutual friends, including our third housemate.

I feel bad for pretending not to know him, but I also don’t want the entire office to know my personal business. I’m debating talking to him and apologizing, but I still wouldn’t want to tell anyone that we have a past.

Not sure if I’m the asshole here or if it was a normal reaction because I was surprised. I feel bad for pretending not to know him, but I also don’t want the entire office to know my personal business. I don’t know how I will deal with everything if people at work find out, I don’t want them to think I’m awful or a liar (although I might be both in this case).

Edit 1: I already said I’m not getting into the reason I moved out. Also, I moved back to the city after I graduated and secured a job. For the ones suggesting I picked this job on purpose, I knew we were in the same industry, but I didn’t know he worked here. I’m not some crazy stalker.

Edit 2: Alright. I don’t see how this is relevant, but yes, we were sort of seeing each other.

Edit 3: OK, I get it. I am the asshole here.

Knightlong-Term · 5hr. ago NTA If you think it's cool, shoot him a private apology. Otherwise, keep it pro. No need to spill more beans on your backstory, and I bet he'll feel the same way. That's old news, who even cares? It's nobody's business.

Anguised_Teeth420 · 5hr. ago Soft YTA but I'm laughing so hard 🤣🤣🤣 AWKWARD

Blank_Infussion_95 · 4hr. ago I mean, why change the habit of ignoring him now, right? If he had been a total ass to you, it'd make sense to move on and go no contact. But why not give communication a shot? You didn't have to give him all the info, but refusing to talk to him at all, especially after being so close, seems pretty immature. Is this how things work these days for folks your age? It's a bit puzzling to me. I do agree with you on one thing, though. Your past relationship and personal life are your own business, and you're under no obligation to disclose them to anyone. As for not wanting to reveal your shared history, it's a tough position to maintain when you both work in the same place, and he might not be so discreet about it. He might just tell people about the two of you and then your new coworkers are gonna think you suck. NTA

[deleted]· 3hr. ago absolutely yta you pretty much ghosted him and then the next time you run into him act like he's a total stranger.

Edit: just read your reply to alarmedmarky. if he has any good friends at that company, you can bet he's told them about the weird encounter with the new girl who acted like she didn't know him, even though you guys were literally living together not just roommates. i repeat yta

AlarmedMarky · 3hr. ago question, when you say you two have a past what do you mean exactly? And how long did you live together?

         ForBlueSkulls · 3hr. ago we lived together for 2 years and I moved into his room for a year of those two and stayed until i moved out.

                   AlarmedMarky · 3hr. ago wait so you two were together?

                            ForBlueSkulls · 2hr. ago we never really defined the relationship (like he never asked me to be his gf), which is why i refer to him as just my housemate

AlarmedMarky · 2hr. ago LMAAAAOOO OP, I thought you were the asshole before for not acknowledging him, but you’re telling me you were literally sleeping with the guy for a year and then pretended not to know him?? You’re the asshole and I hope he never forgives you.

#this has been so so fun to write #i should work on it some more #i need a writing tag #formatting got fucked on mobile #trick or treat fic

[rainbowsky]

Can you tell me what's the deal with Du Hua? I know people like to rag on her but I have no idea why.

This is in reference to a previous post.

Honestly, Anon? Because she's a woman.

Especially since she's a successful businesswoman. To most people that automatically means she must be a ruthless battle-axe, because women don't become rich and successful in the business world without betraying their proper nature as nurturing, family-focused, kind, sweet human caretakers (or so misogyny would have you believe).

Most people who hate her are going to utterly chafe at my saying that, because a lot of people feel they've seen/heard bad things about her, what she's supposedly done or how she's supposedly treated DD, etc. etc. and I'll just point out that you hear those things because she is a woman. These stories circulate about her because she is a woman.

If DD didn't respect her and didn't have a good relationship with her, there's no way on the planet he would have re-signed with her. I've watched her over the past few years as she's been much more in the public eye with him - courting him for a contract renewal - and DD has behaved in genuinely open, friendly ways with her.

DD isn't fake on any level. If he dislikes someone, he's going to appear distant, polite and reserved. He's not that way toward her. Nor did GG appear that way toward her when they chatted at the 2019 Weibo awards. They seemed to genuinely get along.

I personally don't buy that she's ever been 'terrible' to DD or the artists under her care. No doubt she had contracts and interactions with them that were on par with industry standards at the time and place in their careers. If there was anything seriously awful or exploitative about her, things would have gone a lot differently lately.

And even if she really is as ruthless as some fans say, isn't that the sort of person we want DD to have in his corner? Someone strong and tough who will look out for his interests?

Regardless of anything that might have happened in the past, at present she and DD clearly get along very well, and he is literally invested in her company now, so fans should get onboard and find a way to support Yuehua if they can't support her.

#yuehua #ggdd entertainment circle #ggdd contracts #ask

[yandere-daze]

Okay, i was watching a documentary about the dark side of k-pop industry and I was thinking- what if the player is a famous kpop star? Like sure they have adoring fans, pretty looks and money but it doesn't out weigh the cost. They are playing ensemble star because its the ideal version of being an idol, their escape from reality. What are the reactions of the characters and how would they react on the unhealthy and toxic working environment that the player is working in?

Oh yeah, there´s plenty of bad things happening in the idol scene even today, I´m not surprised. I´m actually not familiar with kpop or the industry in general so I apologize if my descriptions aren´t 100% accurate, it´s mostly just things I´ve heard others talk about

gn reader

tw yandere, mention of unhealthy dieting, mention of murder

How would the characters react if the player was a famous kpop star? (Yandere! Self-aware Enstars AU)

Well, the first thing we need to think about is how they would even find out about the player being an idol as well. Maybe once they have been aware for some time, some of the idols with technological knowledge might have tried to mess with the coding to somehow get into your phone. Maybe they managed to turn on your phone´s microphone while you´re playing the game without you noticing?

Now they can actually hear your voice, you sound so lovely! They love listening to all the little comments you make while playing, they feel even closer to you than before, now that they know what you sound like.

They´re stunned when they can hear you sing along to the songs while playing lives, some almost stumbling because they´re so surprised. Sure, your speaking voice was already music to their ears but now they found out that your singing is akin to that of an angel? They´re even more in love with you now ( as if that was even possible)!

Then, one day when you´re especially stressed out by your work as an idol, you lay down on your bed and open up the game as a means to try and wind down a bit. As you navigate the game, you kind of start ranting about your day and your work in general, feeling a bit silly for venting to a game but not seeing anything wrong with it.

Meanwhile, in the game, they´re freaking out a bit. So you´re some idol as well in your world and have a lot of fans? Well, it only makes sense that a lot of people would adore you but that doesn´t mean that they aren´t at least a little bit jealous. Why can´t they attend your concerts and listen to your songs like that? These fans probably aren´t appreciating you like they are, but especially jealous yanderes like Ritsu or Natsume definitely don´t like that so many people are watching you daily. Your lovely singing voice should only be reserved for them!

They do get sad when they listen to your stories about how tough being an idol actually is. I´m sure a lot of them can relate to that feeling, they´ve also been through some of the same stuff. You don´t sound very happy and nothing breaks their heart more/ enrages them.

Well, of all the unhealthy practices in the kpop industry, they´re actually kind of happy about the ban on dating anyone. It´s obviously not fair and cruel to you, but they can´t help but want to be a little selfish for once. At least with this, they won´t have to worry about you finding a significant other in your world one day and then completely abandoning them.

But they´re absolutely enraged about all the other shitty things you have to go through. The harsh training, sky-high expectations, forced unhealthy dieting, and the hectic schedule every day, all while having to put on a happy front. It makes them sick to think that you have to go through something like that when you deserve so much better! How can these people not see how immensely talented you are and how they´re not even worthy to order you around like that? It makes their blood boil, honestly.

Your producers should be glad that the enstars characters can´t reach them, Yuzuru, Madara, Ibara, and Kohaku are feeling pretty murderous right about now.

Instead, you may get some unique lines ingame, like a sweet “You´re always doing so well!” from Hajime or an “I´m so proud of all the work you´ve been doing. Please remember to take some breaks from time to time nonetheless” from Nazuna.

They all wish they could physically be there for you and properly comfort you, maybe even take you away ( read: kidnap) you from all those horrible people and instead let you live a comfortable life at their side. Maybe one day they´ll figure out a way to you to their world!

#ensemble stars #ensemble stars self aware au #yandere ensemble stars #yandere self-aware au #self aware au #yandere ensemble stars x reader #enstars #enstars x reader #ensemble stars x reader #yandere self-aware ensemble stars au #gn reader #yandere #cw yandere #cw murder #yandere enstars

[thatoneguy56fanfic]

For the Xharacter Ask Game, numbers 1 and 21 for Asami and Lin Beifong 😊

Asami:

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

I love Asami as a character. I don’t think I could list all the reasons why I like her here either lol. So I’ll just pick one. She never gives up. It would’ve been so easy for her to just say “fuck this” and completely give up on her former life, including staying broke and just letting Future Industries go bankrupt too. Hell, if any character deserved the chance to just disappear and live a simple life somewhere else it’s definitely Asami. But she didn’t do that. She busted her ass to rebuild her family’s reputation and to save her company, at only 19 I’ll add. I truly admire her dedication to keep going no matter what the world throws at her.

21. If you’re a fic writer and have written for this character, what’s your favorite thing to do when you’re writing for this character? What’s something you don’t like?

Things I like: So many things lol. Asami’s such a fun character to write, and she’s so talented that there really aren’t many things that she can’t do.

Things I don’t like: Writing Asami means that I have to do more research lol. She’s very smart, so I’m constantly having to look up stuff that she would know but I don’t. Which isn’t technically a bad thing, it just gets tedious sometimes.

Lin:

1. I love her as a character. She’s an incredibly tough, and loyal character. Sure she can be pretty gruff sometimes, but that just adds to her charm in my opinion. I especially love how she still obliviously cares a lot about Tenzin and his family despite everything that happened between them. And her reunion with Suyin and her nephews and niece was pretty beautiful too. I wish we had gotten to see more of her rebuilding her relationship with Toph though. Fun fact, I didn’t really like her much the first time I watched LOK but she’s grown on me.

2. I haven’t really written Lin very much, unfortunately. So I don’t really have an answer for those one. I’ve been meaning to try writing her in the future though.

Thanks for the ask!

#character ask game

[everythingnoahsebastian]

You know what I think? I’ve been going to concerts since a young age and also hanging out with certain people from a very young age and something I’ve learned from all those years it’s that people are so used to celebrities and artists (especially male artists) to not really speaking out about certain things that the moment one guy speaks up to defend himself and his band and his friends everyone wants to talk shit about him saying he is not nice (not talking about anon here just in general) that he’s rude or whatever. We know how tough he had it, he’s not being rude or mean he just learned to take care of himself and defend himself cause if not he won’t ever be taken seriously in the industry, idk Noah I’m here for the music, the memes and maybe a little gossip, Bad omens it’s not even one of my favorite bands but it really pisses me off when others wanna make a person look like a villain without any proof, I’ve been there I know what that feels like, I also been part of a certain industry and let me tell you one thing: there’s not such thing as friends whether you’re a singer, actor, model etc, the moment you do something they are gonna take that and use it against you for their own benefit, I understand why he is the way he is and why he can come off as an asshole but he’s just protecting something he worked so hard for, I love your blog and I love how you have refrained from posting certain things and talking about certain people also thank you for making a place for the fans to let out their curiosity, ideas and even frustration at times I hope it keeps growing with more down to earth people

Thank you so much for your words and comments, hun!

Yeah must be really hard, the moment you become a public person you get free haters, people watching and following your every move looking for a flaw. This thing about "not being nice", I mean we all are douches at times, no one is nice 24/7 or a dick 24/7 we all have good and bad days. Noah has worked so hard for so many years and it's like now he doesn't deserve any of it bc "he wasn't nice" some times? Jeez!

#noah sebastian #bad omens

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

I have professional singing training too and I see certain things in what they are saying but I don’t know, the tone of that voice ask was a bit? I’m not saying they’re being mean or even that they’re being a hater but I don’t know, it partly comes back to perception of a voice and how you react to a voice. Like, of course Louis doesn’t have the best voice in the industry (who does is up to debate and at least in part a personal choice) but he does well and has a good voice? I think it’s partly the wording of the other ask, which does seem to suggest the person doesn’t like his voice? And if you don’t like a singer’s voice, then why would you follow them? And if you don’t see improvement in his live singing over the last couple of years, then I don’t knkw if you have seen any recent performances of Louis? Surely if you are a fan, you would see the improvement and know that he has had a vocal coach travel with him and how he has spoken and shown vocal exercises and some clips of his vocal training, sessions which happened over Zoom when he and Helene couldn’t meet in person. Sure, they could be a casual fan and not know those things but surely you would see the evidence of how he has gotten better and more consistent? Even if you saw Live In London, the first AFHF, AOTV, there are a few things which have documented his work to improve and work on more technical aspects of singing. He has improved a lot since those last years of 1D and the three/four years following the break up of 1D, and he put in effort to improve as we have seen and heard. It’s definitely partly psychological and those kind of reinforced confidence issues don’t just go away. They creep in on Louis quite a lot and you can see when he is feeling less confident on stage, when he is too much in his head and the doubts hit him. That is not easy to get past and Louis will have to do more work to not let that affect him so much, which is easier said than done. Louis is pretty consistent on certain songs, in both LTWT and FITFWT, and by that I mean he consistently does really well on them. I don’t know if that is a psychological thing too, where songs he feels like he can sing, he often does or they particularly suit his voice. All you have to do is watch Live In London to see how good his voice is and how he has improved. Now, the third night in a row can be a struggle for Louis. I have seen other singers struggle more after a few nights in a row of singing, even ones who I don’t think have Louis’ bad habits. Louis does have a pretty gruelling schedule for someone in his career area. I feel like they should have spaced it out a bit more, given him more breaks in between shows and not so many 3 nights in a row. It’s tough on the voice, especially if you’re travelling in a tour bus and yeah, Louis doesn’t always do the best things for his voice when touring. Louis absolutely has bad habits, especially for a singer, and maybe doesn’t always consider that singing early in the morning can be different than singing in the night for a few reasons. I don’t vocally encourage those bad habits because yeah, he looks hot but I want him to be able to sing for many years to come and smoking and drinking has an effect on that. I don’t agree with gifting him anything to do with smoking and yes he is an adult and it’s his choice but it does send a weird message to me, which is my own personal take. I feel like louies (and larries who like to make his entire personality the fact that he smokes) sometimes do romanticise it too much but that’s not my business either

When we see Louis recording his songs, his voice in the recording studio, we know how his voice sounds. We’ve heard Louis sing off the mic, just the pure sound of his voice, and it is a beautiful voice to me. There is life and personality and warmth in Louis’ voice and if I didn’t believe Louis has a good voice, then I wouldn’t support him as a singer. I’m a fan because I fell in love with his voice. Maybe his voice just hits me differently than it does for other people so I’m biased, but I love his voice, he doesn’t sound like other male singers and I love that about his voice. I could always pick Louis’ voice out in a 1D song because of that

If I’ve been too much here, read the other anon’s tone very wrong or I’m completely wrong because of my Louis bias, then you don’t need to publish this ask. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, I was just surprised by someone who is on a louie blog and so presumably a fan who doesn’t think Louis has improved apparently at all. They might have just worded it badly to my eyes and so they really weren’t saying that, in which case I’m sorry

That’s a good point. Louis singing off mic (both in videos and on stage when he’s at barricade) has a beautiful voice. I agree with your ask!

[altarwaiting]

Well, the truth is no matter how much we like Debut and Speak Now, they are nowhere near as popular with the GP as the others, especially Debut. She needs the Reputation and 1989 TVs to hit as big or bigger then Red TV. If they don't, music industry folks will turn on her, and she'll have to endure 20 years of articles about the "hubris" of doing the TVs even though Red and Fearless both did so well. No one expects that of Debut and SN, but they do of Reputation and 1989 after Red. So, she is building excitement for the biggest upcoming TVs while maintaining interest in the albums she owns but hasn't previously toured. When you factor that into the hard choices that have to be made to fit the 3-plus hours, what she's doing makes sense. I just wish we could focus more on the beautiful music she's giving us and not on what's not there (that's a general comment about the fandom, not directed to you :))

I totally get what you're saying but I think the response is mostly confusion as to why it debut was not included at all in an eras tour like I would make a few jokes about it only having one song like speak now but I think at least keeping tim mcgraw on the set list would make more sense? of course taylor had to make tough choices with the set list and she's already giving us so much with this concert but I think it's fine to be confused and joke about it (I mean taylor even recognized we joked about evermore being forgotten). also I think people underestimate debut's popularity just bc it's a country album, like maybe the album as a whole is not her most well known piece of work, but songs like teardrops on my guitar and our song are very popular. also also I think speak now tv could do really well since enchanted has become such a tik tok trend if she leaned into the nostalgia but I understand the rerecording process is very complicated and you never know how critics or the general public will react.

#but yeah i get what you're saying like i said im not mad im just??? i guess lmao #answered #anonymous #the show was great though like can we talk abt my tears ricochet and her dress omg

[anxiouspotatorants]

I agree with you and @stellaluna33 's tags on Mitchum. Even if you think that Rory wasn't cut out to be a journalist, his criticism was crap. He gave her no such constructive criticism, he didn't even have any reference to make that constructive criticism on except that she didn't speak up during a meeting at which she wasn't even a direct member of but just an intern at. She's here to observe and learn, not act like a regular paid worker when she doesn't even have the status of one. And his condescending suggestions make his criticism look even worse and blatantly show how to him, this type of thing is just a power move on his side because she's a young, inexperienced intern and he's a big CEO of a company. Like firstly, why are his only suggestions stuff like assistant/secretary? Is that truly the only thing she can do as a woman in the professional writing field? Rory doesn't even have to do creative writing solely, she could easily be a content writer/editor for any company that is in need of one. His suggestions border on subtly misogynistic given how Mitchum is because he takes one look at Rory and is all "meh, she can do for a secretary". And the whole "well he was right about her" again, make no sense and aren't true because he actually wasn't. Rory DID get her work published in journalism, she's worked as one for 10 years by the time AYITL takes place, she's just stagnated and lost the will to be in the business anymore. And that's perfectly fine? People switch careers all the time, just because Rory doesn't want to be a journalist anymore doesn't mean she can't still be a writer or have anything to do with the field. And she doesn't have to be a journalist till she dies in order to disprove Mitchum's point. Even with how tough the industry got later on, Rory was still a journalist for a period of time.

I know I'm getting repetetive with my initial reactions to your asks but yes!!! This!!!

Like I do still stand by my opinion that Rory's best future job isn't 24-hour news cycle type journalism (she's a wordy girl who reads doorstoppers and churns out essays like nothing and those types of news demand dry, short and to the point writing), but that doesn't mean I don't think she's fit for any journalistic writing. I mean the fact that her debut in AYITL is going to be a biography proves to me that she's a non-fiction writer moreso than a fiction-writer. She could do longer exposés, content writing like you said, non-fiction books about anything she wants from coffee around the globe to Stars Hollow history to the war of her choosing. Rory is very clearly some kind of writer and that kind is very close to if not directly journalism. In my head she either ends up being an editor for a not-so-giant but incredibly respectable paper or she writes non-fiction and freelances one-off articles and short commissioned pieces between books. But to get there she will need years of experience in the journalism business, which she canonically gets and is suited for.

I might be clouded by anger, but I think Mitchum is being downright misogynist in his review. The fact that he could be doing this all to mold her into the wife his family might accept for Logan is twisted enough on its own, but add his "you should speak up more" argument and the "you'd make a great secretary" and especially that damn vague "you don't have it"? Like does he mean that what she doesn't have is a dick, metaphorical or physical? All these arguments are textbook of sexist people with authority who don't think women are suitable to lead, and Rory's not even looking for a boss-like position! He's just the proverbial boys' club boss if you ask me, hiring only guys who are similar enough to him that he thinks they can do the job but not so similar they become a threat.

#somebody said in a reblog that we could crowdfund Rory's final years at Yale with a 'punch Mitchum fundraiser' #and YES #anti mitchum huntzberger #rory gilmore #the rory gilmore is good actually tag #the potato rants #gilmore girls #gilmore girls discourse #gilmore girls meta

[mysmorgasbordoffantabulosa]

I mean Lee Seunggi went through shit with Hook for 18 years and no one outside the industry had any idea until dispatch’s exposé, so BigHit or Hybe being shady wouldn’t be a surprise…

I think they’ll re-sign because BigHit have enough shit on all of them to sink them, the only reason it might be dragging a little now is because some of the guys probably also have something up their sleeves. I’m no company hater, but it’s basic stuff, if it were all roses and sunshine, there wouldn’t be so many “we hope” statements being thrown around, especially by Bang himself, who doesn’t prevaricate.

This is not the same situation...

Lee Seunggi, signed with Hook in 2004 when slave contracts were prolific, but his dispute with Hook was mostly about money not mistreatment, despite what he says in his own statement...

For years it appears that Hook misled him about how much profit he was earning and had hung his idol training debt over his head.

BTS and BigHit it different, BigHit didn't pass on any debt to BTS when they debuted and when BigHit started to be profitable BTS started receiving royalties.

Most Entertainment companies in Korea are private companies who can hide profits and do dodgy things. Whilst big companies who are publicly traded can also be dodgy, they are bound my market regulations, we know this because just this week the regulator will be closely looking at Kakao and SM's recent dealings. If anything is untoward no merger.

HYBE has investors who need to be kept happy and what keeps them happy is high stock price and big profits. BTS is crucial for that to continue at HYBE, so in order for HYBE to flourish it needs BTS. So why would HYBE fuck up their relationship with an Artist by threatening them, because I don't think these boys would tolerate that. Remember these were the same boys who almost disbanded back in 2018.

No BH isn't blackmailing the boys to sign and nothing they've done so far comes off as shady. People presume shady shit because of issues with other companies. Plus, would a company led by Bang PD shit on the boys, you know the same Bang PD who supported Jo Kwon the queer K-idol of 2AM, by also giving them their first pair of high heels.

I do think you're partially right, though, that the boys (all of BTS) are being tough with negotiations, but I think it's because they want a good deal that benefits them.

I still think by 2025/26, when the boys return we'll get an announcement of contract extensions.

And... @nonalisa @lullaby-of-taekook @taekookgotjamz This is my partial thoughts on contracts, I'm still composing a more thorough post.

#my asks #bighit #hybe #bts contract renewal #bts