#but i generally don't like reusing themes

[andthebubbles]

.

#ngl i am very very over f1 (which is not surprising tbh bc i stopped liking it when the V6s came) #but i am still very very into seb #and i am just as equally into haladriel #i haven't had a non-rpf main!fandom since the first half of 2008! #exciting timessss #okay time to chill and then sleep hopefully sooner than later bc i have work tomorrow rip #ramble.txt #seb #untracked haladriel #untracked rop #i still wanna change my theme so i can have halbrand's sword flip thingy in one sidebar gif and a gif of seb in another sidebar gif #but i can't find one i like that has this feature except for one i used before #but i generally don't like reusing themes

[sprunkrat]

I have some thoughts about Amazon's Fallout TV Show.

The show is of course disrespectful to West Coast Fallout, but in a more insulting way than just having the many iconic elements of the classic games be reused over and over again. You start to really feel as though that Bethesda resents the success and continued interest in New Vegas, and while that may be true, it doesn't explain the mountain of references to both the classic Fallouts and New Vegas.

I assume there was need to appeal to the fans of the West Coast, as the TV show is a large event and they would make a portion of viewership. There's all sorts of things sprinkled in, the Brotherhood is fashioned to be more medieval with monk robes and rituals, one of the props used for a pistol is a recreation of the stupid Hard Boiled magazine-fed revolver from Fallout 1. These references are all just borrowing from the aesthetics from prior games, though. It was probably expected that FNV fans would be happy with this representation alone.

Maybe they didn't see that there would be such a negative reaction to flattening all that has been built up in the West Coast, people would just be happy to see the NCR and New Vegas, even though they were nuked or left in ruin. Maybe people would point at the screen when they saw Robert House, not caring that his inclusion contradicts his ideology and goals in FNV. Why would they change the West Coast so much? Well, maybe they don't know what to do with it after FNV. Or that the fact that the West Coast has actual nations and progress doesn't fit well with Bethesda's view of the series of just being a perpetual apocalypse where you can explode raiders' heads while listening to 50s music. There is another reason I haven't seen discussed, but I need to first write about another part of the show that bothered me.

There's definite anti-capitalist themes in this show, as there is in all of Fallout. The Fallout show is different in the way that they aren't particularly background, just told in old world terminals and other storytelling. They are front and centre to the final few episodes of the series, but told in a very bad way. It's not the general system of capitalism caused America to keep declining to it's eventual fall anymore, it's rather disappointingly been changed to simply a shady cabal of evil capitalists that decided to drop the bomb because it would be profitable. And don't worry, the group trying to fight back against this aren't actual communists, they are rich Hollywood actors, so it's all good, they aren't like actual communists who deserve how they are treated under this America. It's rather a boring way of going about it.

It's the use of the line "War never changes." in the scene where this is all revealed that made me realise a potential reason why the slate in the West Coast was wiped clean. I think they are interpreting "War never changes." as "The world will always be in a state of perpetual war, new societies will arise but they will always fall as violence and cruelty is innate to human existence." rather than "War doesn't change despite how it's fought; no advance of technology or reasoning will change how pointless it is and the end result of suffering and destruction."

To demonstrate this, the NCR must fall. Just have Vault-Tec nuke it like they did for the old world, no matter how unsatisfying of a fall for the NCR that may be.

With the Marvel-esque sequel stinger of New Vegas being a setting of season 2, I'm morbidly curious if they will continue to mess up further, but maybe it's time to just let go and stick to the old games that I actually enjoy.

#fallout #fallout new vegas #fallout tv series #fallout amazon #fallout prime

[kyra45]

Tour guide tips to scam spotting

Hi! I'm Key, and I'll be your tour guide today to help you learn about pet donation scams. These scams are usually pretty easy to spot in the wild, but some may not know how to quickly spot them. So, here are some tips to spotting a pet donation scam blog!

Check the date of the pinned post. How old is it? Usually if the post is only a few hours old/days old it's likely meaning the account was made the same time as well. Not all new accounts are scammers! But sometimes they can be. Was you sent an ask to share their pinned post? If you was, did it use emojis like ❤ or 😢? Usually these are the most commonly used ones for scammers, and they do this on purpose. The ask also requests you to answer privately or DM the asker for more info. The asker will not respond to any legitimate concerns you have though. They want you to answer privately to hide the ask and prevent anyone from seeing it. You can tumblr search the ask to see who else got it. How many posts are on the account? If you check, are they all shared directly from the OP and not tagged? Usually there is only about 20~ posts reblogged minutes apart all in one go and this is done to look legitimate. Scammers usually are in a hurry and don't really pay much attention to the post. Usually it's from a trending topic or theme and nothing else. You'll not find newer posts unless the account has existed for a week or so. Does the story seem familiar? Scammers will reuse and copy/paste the same story multiple times across their accounts if it's generic enough and if they've gotten money already. This could be a cat called Ashel or a cat called Koppi. Though usually, the story is stolen from somewhere else. It's common to steal the aid post that someone else has too. If anything seem suspicious, you likely found a scam account. For example, the blog followed you then sent you an ask but has never shared your posts or shared your content. If you ask them to show proof their real, they generally will block you because they can't show you anything that would show their the pets owner. They will do this to multiple accounts. Not all blogs sending asks to share their post is a scammer and not all aid posts are made by scam accounts. It is important to always do your own research and come to your own conclusions. If something feels off, you can always ask around to see if anyone else has their own information. Do not feel like it's bad to have concerns regarding the legitimacy of an account.

If you enjoyed these tips, feel free to pass them around to your friends so they can learn how to spot these scams at a glance. If you like this post, I have other information over there in the post that'll you see as a pinned post on my blog. Those posts go into detail about other kinds of scam accounts you'll come across.

Anyway, stay safe out there!

#how to spot a scam blog #scam #pet donation scam #longpost #long post

[dduane]

Is there a point in your writing process where you start deliberately working on the themes and motifs in your books? It seems like something really good authors must do on purpose, but I don't see it talked about much in books on writing. But I can't imagine that this all just springs naturally into the story...

So, is it something you do at a certain point? And do you have any tips on how to do it well?

I wouldn't say that I ever sit down and say "What motifs am I going to employ in this work?". That's a set of options that normally starts to evolve, or reveal itself, while I'm outlining.

What I will do—usually before even the outlining starts—is ask myself, "What's this story about?": "about" meaning the thematic sense, not just the physical-action, who-goes-where-and-does-what-to-whom sense. Without that sense of the underlying meaning of the book, I'd find it hard to start writing at all. That meaning—let's say, for example, the fear of achieving a quest (and repeated failure to do so) due to being afraid of not knowing how to handle the potential aftermath—will repeatedly push its way up through the topsoil represented by the plot and the characters' reactions to it. Or else that topsoil will be worn away here and there to reveal it, so that the characters are forced to get to grips with it... or to refuse to.

...To use a more organic metaphor: a book's theme is its skeleton. Everything about the book—events, characterization, less basic themes—must be arranged on and secured to that skeleton. Otherwise you've just got a puddle of sloppy squishy tissue flopping around. And everything about the story should move when the skeleton moves... or breaks.

So it behooves the writer working in this mode to spend at least a little time answering the What's This Story About? question. Ideally there'll be more than one answer to the question. Sometimes the multiple answers will appear to be contradictory of one another. This is fine...since contradiction is one form of conflict, and conflict generates drama. One or two of the underlying themes may well be ones you've used before. This is okay too, as in each new work, even reused themes will rarely combine in anything like the same way. (Though you need to keep an eye on the various elements in situations like this, to make sure they're breaking new ground and not merely running in easy familiar circles.)

Anyway, once the answers have been identified to my satisfaction, I make a note of them and put them aside where I can get at them while the work's in progress, and refer to them if necessary. Normally I don't need to. Having spent the time to work out what they are, it seems the answers function as a kind of foundation for the work as it goes forward, so that hints and reminders of them surface naturally during the process.

My apologies if all this sounds a bit vague, as over time it's become so habitual a part of my writing process that I don't really spend a lot of time thinking about it. :) Anyway, hope this has been of help.

#writing #writing advice #writing process #themes #thematic development

[skyeblue8]

𝓐ɳԃ Ɲσɯ ᗯҽ Ԩαʋҽ 𝜏ԋҽ Sɬσ𝜏ԋ Ꮢιɳց... 💤

-> This was arguably one of my more easier headcanons to come up with as a lot of the Ring's aesthetic, and its overall theme is inspired both by my favorite indie character/game, Albert Krueger from Dream Therapy With Dr. Albert Krueger.

-> Some of the inspo for this was also taken from fellow Tumblr user @gravcore and their design of Belphagor (who may be female in my headcanon going from her brief mention in Episode 8, Season 1):

-> For those who haven't played or seen the game, be sure to refer to that as I'll be referencing a lot of what happens in the game into this Ring.

-> Honestly, something about the main guy being a demonic dream doctor/therapist just works perfectly for Sloth's central themes with medicine and demons. Plus, the world's set in a futuristic-esque scene so it just fits like a glove.

Now, onto the usual world development...

·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊

┊ ┊ ┊ ✧

┊ ┊ ✦

┊ ✧

✦

Sloth's Environment:

✧ Now, contrary to what I just stated above, there were a few minor difficulties in deciding how I wanted to world of the Sloth Ring to be laid out. For starters, I didn't want to reuse the cloud-like atmosphere I used in Lust cause that would just make it less unique to the environment.

✦ To counter this issue, I headcanon that the skyline and general atmosphere in Sloth is always dim and always patterned with stars and large, oval-shaped portals within the sky that look like planets from a far distance. The ground beneath the demons' feet in this Ring is entirely non-existent, being little more than a permanent pitch-black copy of the night sky on Earth.

✧ The Ring's color scheme will be directly similar to that of DTWAK in the aspect that it will be blue, light blue, hot pink, and magenta. I'd also accept things like light blue, deep blue and turquoise like the picture above as it reminds me of the Aurora Borealis which has its own dream-like feel to it. Despite the general time of day in Hell, it'll almost always resemble night in Sloth.

✦ As for the general layout of the Ring, I wanted to make it a technological dreamscape world with a semi-city-esque environment like some of the Envy and one of my other future Rings. Moreover, I believe Sloth would coincide with the whole deception theme that we've seen in Envy and Lust:

✧ Again, with reference from @gravcore, Sloth will essentially resemble a rather sleepy, but widespread environment, namely in the residential areas with bright, sparkly wires stringing from the buildings.

✧ In the notably more city-like areas, however, it'll establish just how heavily advanced in technology the Ring is. The notably tallest structures will be places like hospitals, shopping centers, cell-towers, companies, advanced arcades, and relaxation centers.

✦ Actually, now that I think about it, I'll be keeping the aspect from Vivzie's version of Sloth that the place has various floating islands & buildings in the environment that'll reside atop various microchip-ridden clouds that drift near the floating portals mentioned earlier. (Said portals only lead to various locations within the Ring itself, btw).

✧ I'm aware I gave the floating island idea to Envy as well, but that just goes along with Envy's propensity to steal ideas from other Rings.

✦ Moreover, the Sloth Ring in itself looks like a futuristic paradise where people don't need to move, grow, develop/change for the better, or utilize a great deal of effort in their day-to-day lives. The technology here is by far the most advanced in Hell, and the Ring is often praised for its frequent new developments in the general STEM field/Entertainment field.

✧ In terms of entertainment, it specializes in its constant creation of new apps, video games, phones, laptops, TV's, VR simulations, and all the good stuff people like to indulge in.

✦ In terms of medical STEM advancements, it's a wide and unashamedly mass producer of various drugs and narcotics unique to Hell that makes the masses happy/content. (Said drugs are referenced to the Joy drugs in "We Happy Few")

✧ Now, what all these hospitals, drugs, relaxation centers, and various technological devices being massed produced by Belphagor all have in common is that they function more as "Soul Suckers" much like the succubi in Lust. For instance:

★ Hospitals/Drugs = Soul Suckers -> Rather than helping sinners w/ physical or mental illnesses, they actively work to either numb the sinner via Belphagor's special "Happy Pills" or straps them in and allow their condition to worsen so their souls drain away while in the Hospital

☆ Screens = Soul Suckers -> They do the same thing, though with a person's laziness and procrastination that makes them ignore their own needs until they waste away from lack of regulation

★ Relaxation Centers -> You get the jist. They turn too much relaxation and exploit into soul-draining under the guise that you're "getting better" or "de-stressing"

✦ Now, for the sinners who get their souls sucked within any of Belphagor's establishments, they have a relatively decent chance of becoming one her Dream-eaters (DTWAK). It's not a paradise, though, as their minds and bodies are lost and they become devout drones until she "relieves them" of their duties. You'd have to go through some pretty tough shit in order to get actual Healthcare in Hell, well, in Sloth, anyway.

·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

Sloth's Residents:

✧ To keep this from getting too long, here are our Hellborns/Sinners:

-> Dreamcatchers (@gravcore); Cyborg/Normal Candlehead Goat demons (I know that's Bephomet, pls just roll with it) [Hellborns]

-> Dream-eaters, Hell-born/Sinner cross-mutants, anyone else [Typical Sinners]

·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

✦ Nothing much left to say about the residents except that they're fairly lazy due to their environment. Those who are cybernetic are fairly a little more energized and useful to Belphagor moresoe than those who aren't, ironically. For more about the Dreamcatchers, check the link above.

✧ The Sinners here are really anyone who wasn't mentioned as Hellborns, and are also closely associated with either the night or laziness. Their color schemes differ from the Ring and those from it.

✦ The High-class is really made up of whomever has or spreads enough laziness or leisure to affect the rest of Hell (i.e. Vox or highly successful pro-gamers or manufacturer). The "low-class" would essentially be those too lazy and unmotivated to even leave their houses, thus developing a rather sloppy, poor visage; Dream-eaters; and the Dreamcatchers (sry Mx. Creator) as they're seen as pests given how they like to affect dreams and (in my headcanon) feed off the dreams and, in turn, the souls when people are sleeping. No one knows how they keep getting into houses.

....

-> Also, can anyone please give notes if my headcanons don't make any sense? Please! The feedback is greatly appreciated 😊

#Sloth Ring #helluva boss critical #vivziepop critical #helluva boss critique #helluva boss criticism #hazbin hotel critical #helluva critical #helluva boss #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel critique #Skye Blue's 7 Sins #helluva boss rewrite #rewrite #DTWAK

[lynxgriffin]

I know this was completely out of your line of thought at the time, but, hypothetically, if you were to conceptualize secret bosses for the Paper Trail Dark Worlds, what ideas would you have crafted?

Ooooh oof, that is a tough question!! I don't think I'd have the time to design all of them or anything like that. But assuming that we follow along the theme that's been set up in canon so far, that the secret bosses are objects that have been discarded, neglected, or forgotten...

In Trophy City I think it'd be fun to have a secret boss based on Cat Petterz. This seems to fall into the category of something forgotten (looks like Catti and/or Catty left the game at their house a long time ago), the characters in Cat Petterz all kind of feel out of place compared to Super Smashing Fighters characters, and you can get something really messed-up looking considering Cat Petterz' "breed new creatures" kind of gameplay. (Hell, maybe a Cat Petterz secret boss would be something we see in canon!)

In Claw Mountain I feel like you'd have to go with a plush that's been trapped at the bottom of the claw machine for ages, so much that no one's seen it or tried to win it. Dunno what kind of plush, but someone who just lives at the very bottom of the mountain's pit rings.

In the Whitestone Isles, hmmm...maybe as something that could be found in a forgotten hall in the Highlight Gallery. Like there's a painting representing an issue of Highlights for Kids that is incredibly old and outdated and was brushed under a desk somewhere and forgotten, so it's both childish and unsettling because it's acting out like kids from generations ago.

For Noelle's House (which really incorporates a whole lot of different areas) hmm...there was a whole bunch of stuff in their basement that they still regularly used, especially in the games department. But perhaps there's also some Christmas decorations that were packed away and never reused because Carol finds them ugly or something. A Christmas decoration that is forgotten in a house that never has its Christmas decorations down otherwise has got to be full of a lot of bitterness!

And finally, for the Choral Forest...I think at the end of it, when Kris is sifting through a bunch of papers to find Lairse's diary entry, they put aside a child's macaroni depicting of the Angel. Something like that...basically not the Angel itself, but a child's interpretation of it, could be a really unsettling and powerful boss.

#ask lynx stuff #PT ask #I feel like I couldn't have come up with these concepts without the context of both Spamton and Jevil in canon though!

[nerdieforpedro]

Heyy Nerdie <3

So since I'm relatively new with writing, I wonder how other writers manage their docs, like what tool is good for writing stories with multiple chapters. And I know everybody will have a different answer and solution for their writing process but I was just wondering if you had any tips for a newbie like me (I'm writing in my notes but that doesn't works so great, also no word count etc.)

Thank you in advance!

I appreciate you ❤️

Ooh! I'm excited1 A writing question! I feel honored that you're asking me. Full disclosure: I'm not the most organized person, even with my fanfic. I am trying to improve though.

I have found for all my fics, no matter if they're one shots or chapter series, I write them in Google Drive. The only reason I don't use Word or my notes app is because I find it easier to edit on my phone when I'm out and about having ideas randomly. (Always happens in places that aren't great to write in which is why I try and stay ready. Only works 50% of the time because of driving. 😭) I also tend to keep each fic even with all their chapters or parts in one very long document instead of a separate document for each chapter. That's just so I will be less confused. I get confused easily. 😳

Many writers use Google Drive so if you're brave enough to ask, you can usually send them what you have to review and they can either just look or comment on different parts depending on permissions you give them. To give your fic a good once over, you can pop it into Word for grammar and spelling corrections. Google docs does do that as well, but sometimes it misses things that Word catches. It's weird.

For on the go notes about vibes or random ideas, I feel your notes app should be good for that and also outlines if you want to plan out chapters or your one shot before writing it out. That way if you have it on your phone in your notes app, you can type in Word or Google while looking back at your bullet points to keep the story flow going.

Also if you like music, I highly recommend a writing playlist. It can be just your favorite songs, set to the mood of what you're writing, instrumental, anything that will help you focus and get your story out. it also could help inspire things (there's numerous fanfics written from songs - hundreds).

Maybe yourself a comfy space, enjoy a nice beverage (I like tea, hot chocolate or coffee if it's in the morning and a snack while writing) and remember it's supposed to be fun.

Sure frustrating sometimes especially when it seems like you have no ideas or the idea isn't coming out quite like you wanted. Take a break, might be hours, days or months, however long you feel you may need for it not to see like a chore. Writing, drawing and crating in general should be fun - in can require focus and work, but should still be enjoyable.

Try out some prompts, challenges or toss some ideas out to friends or people if you feel your creativity is lacking to you just want some different perspectives. We're all different, have histories that make us who we are so there can be as many ways to write a fic as starts in the sky. No one has thought of all of them, many reuse tropes (myself included) because they're fun and provide a template to work from and all sorts of themes can be explored. If you like to edit graphics and/or create moodboards, that can be a good way to distract yourself from writing while also focusing on a different aspect of your fic - visuals. It could help spark something too.

I truly hope I answered your question and didn't ramble too hard. Like this is... 8/10 rambling. 😆

#Nerdie's ask box #writing advice from Nerdie? #is this a good idea #Nerdie went into great detail #is there a tree in that forest? #a lot of stuff

[shysublimecoffee]

This represents my personal perspective on the matter, so please don't interpret it as a factual statement. It's an opinion, and there may be exceptions if you explore thoroughly. However, I find the otome isekai genre quite monotonous. The recurring theme of recycling concepts, reusing character designs with a prevalent "same face syndrome," and the prevalence of protagonists resembling each other, particularly the Duke of the North archetype with that clichéd Idol haircut, contribute to a sense of staleness. The majority of flawless female leads with 99% being blonde, with a few exceptions, adds to the predictability.

For me, the transmigration or reincarnation concept caught my attention around 2018, starting with works like "Who Made Me a Princess" and the infamous "They Say I Was Born a King's Daughter," even though I admit my taste was not the best back then.

The idea of taking over someone's body and living their life fascinated me. What made it unique was the perspective shift, allowing us to see many previously despised villains from other stories in a new light, experiencing the narrative from their point of view.

But, this is when it started getting old real quick. My god, how many fucking times am I going to see a good heroine turned evil and the villainous be taking the leftover men from the heroine side and forming a harem. The villainous unfortunately can't be nuanced because all these stories do is just make shit black and white. Our MC can't be held accountable for what they did but sob hard enough and we get an ally to ride behind her.

You know what's incredibly frustrating? These Korean women from the 21st century keep transmigrating into these villainous roles, and it's just downright irritating. They either come off as overly naive or stick to the tired narrative of being an office worker who suddenly becomes wealthy and tramples over others. It lacks uniqueness, and seriously, what do we really know about the female lead (FL) beyond the prologue? Who is she? What's her home life like? Does she want to return? These are questions I want answers to, but we're not given the chance because the focus remains on the villainous character. Even that aspect isn't executed well; they end up softening her character and making her more compliant than she was in the original story just to avoid a bad ending. I'm more intrigued by understanding the backstory of the actual original villainous character.

The male lead (ML) seriously disappoints. I get it, this genre revolves around romance, but let's get real for a moment—do we genuinely care about this so-called "romance"? What truly matters is the chemistry between characters that makes us feel, cry, and get infuriated, and that's what a story should evoke. Worse than a bad boy ML is a downright boring male lead. Whether it's the Duke of the North or any other generic character, they all feel like mere props catering to the female lead, and that's painfully dull.

I couldn't care less because these MLs exist solely to assist her in everything, whether it's for revenge, to play the savior, or to be the healer. Nothing feels genuine; there's no emotional investment in the romance for me. I'm not overjoyed by the idea of them being together. Many readers seem more fixated on their aesthetics and how well he serves her, but let's be honest—their designs are unimaginative, resembling countless other MLs and MCs. Frankly, I wish more effort were put into creating distinct and captivating characters.

No matter how much one might criticize the toxicity of old-school Shojou romances and the portrayal of male leads, I absolutely loved it. Sure, the romance might not be ideal, but that's precisely what makes it fun and enjoyable to read. The characters have their quirks and distinct personalities, creating their own unique dynamics that add to the charm of the story unlike the former.

Transmigration/Reincarnation is so barley touched in a genre surrounding that very concept. It's like they dip into a puddle but don't expand on the horrors or intrigue of anything really and they be explaining everything from the prologue instead of letting us breathe. We don't settle or sit with the characters and writers are far more interested in miscommunication. It's why I like manga because you get beautiful scenes of just peace or character introspection than you would in colored format.

If there's one story that truly captivated me and made me fall in love with this particular brand of Otome Isekai, it's "A Stepmother's Märchen." It may not be a masterpiece, but the deliberate and slow-paced narrative, reminiscent of a novel, along with the meticulous attention to depicting a semi-realistic high society, drew me in. The story offers complex and conflicted characters, and the stunning art, which interestingly mirrors European illustration outside of the main cast, adds to its appeal. Of course, it's not without its flaws, but the beauty of the narrative has made it stand out to me even years later. It's not a one-note copy it did it own thing that I wish OI did more.

Kill the Villanous,

Death is the ending the villanous

I appreciate how these stories took the isekai concept and added their unique twists. It's refreshing, and I wish more writers would follow suit. While I understand that Otome Isekai is primarily about wish fulfillment, I also crave narratives that offer more than just that. A well-crafted story with thoughtful character development would be a welcome addition to the genre because it sticks out to me more. I don't remember OI titles but for me to remember those is because the concept were different from the usual OH no I woke up in the villain body.

#otome isekai #manhwa

[withered--s0uls]

This is Board with folders of fashion hcs for Murder Drones characters. I'll explain more about each folder under the cut.

I'm open for suggestions, character requests and stuff too :"

(male characters will be harder for me, esp if we don't know much about them, so if you request a character maybe add some suggestions for styles!)

Each board and their relating Hcs:

Characters:

Uzi - Gothic, (maybe some emo?) - Idk a lot about alt fashion so I tried my best

N - Decora & other more colorful styles! Also some things I imagine Uzi and Tessa gifting him.

Thad - idk your typical casual male fashion BUT ALSO clothes and sneakers with cartoon effects!!!

Tessa - Upcycled clothes, Holographic fashion, space themes & some other cute stuff I felt fit her (Upcycled bc I imagine she would prefer to reuse and recycle in general, not just when it comes to fixing up broken drones!)

V - a mix of stuff I imagine her getting from N, Uzi and Lizzy. I feel she wouldn't care too much and wear whatever people gift her

J - neat and professional looks for the most part

Cyn (NOT the AS) - Lolita, Kidcore but also things that match Ns and Tessas boards because I feel Cyn would take inspiration from them when it comes to her wardrobe. So it's kinda a mix!

Lizzy - whatever pretty clothes I felt for a popular girl like her. Very girly

Doll - idk how to describe hers? A more neat style and Earthy colors

Nori - Goth, Gothic Lolita, Also space themes ??? I tried making her goth style a bit more fancy/formal than Uzis

Matching/Squad/Duo/Ship boards:

Nuzi - Decora (N) & Dark Decora (Uzi), Goth (Uzi) & Pastel Goth (N), other cute outfits I just felt fit them, Sun (N) & Moon (Uzi) themed fits

Vizzy - mostly fits I feel Lizzy would pick out for them to wear

Cyn & N - Decora & Lolita and some other cute stuff!! Just making the siblings match :3

DD Squad - random fits I associated with 1 or 2 or all 3 of them but felt like theyd only wear together and not separate

Cheer Squad - Lizzy, Doll & Rebecca outfits I feel they would wear together but not necessarily separately

CoolKids - N, Thad & Uzi matching fits! They range from their 3 individual styles to unrelated things I feel theyd wear together.

Manor Squad - Clothes that I feel V, J & N as well as maybe Cyn & the other Manor Drones, maybe even Tessa herself, would wear - including some hcs of what Tessa gifted them. Mostly Lolita styled.

#murder drones #md #murder drones headcanon #md headcanons #pinterest #headcanons #clothing inspo #nori doorman #uzi doorman #cyn #serial designation n #serial Designation v #serial Designation J #Doll Md #Lizzy md #Thad Md #tessa james elliot #Nuzi #Vizzy #CoolKids Trio #Rebecca MD

[kyouka-supremacy]

(person whose tags you reblogged on that ask about the anime here lol) I think what a lot of Bones defenders don't seem to realize is that this isn't just a case of us whining because we don't get what we want, like us complaining about like "they didn't draw this panel Exactly How It is In The Manga, how dare they!!!", we're not being nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking; these kinds of supposedly minor complaints probably wouldn't bother me in another show, because no adaptation is perfect and there will always be differences in how the panels are adapted, but in specifically BSD it bothers me because of the bigger picture, which is the fact that all of these tiny blunders are a direct result of them not understanding what kind of series BSD is and the tone and feelings each scene in the manga is meant to convey -- they see it as a shounen and adapt it as such, like you said. It's not about these moments in of themselves that are the problem, but because there's SO MANY of them, and they all add up, and they speak to the aforementioned much larger problem. I also just think that's kind of ignorant to just act like a season(s) with a downgrade in art quality, so many reused frames and animations, and disturbingly long static frames sometimes is in any way acceptable as a finished product??? This isn't about me and what I want, this is about the fact that they CLEARLY suffered to get this out and that is NOT OKAY. THERE ARE SO MANY GLARING PRODUCTION ISSUES (have been since season 3) AND THAT IS NOT OKAY. Not for the people who were forced to work on it, not for BSD as a story, and not for Asagiri and Harukawa! And not for the fans either, of course, but I emphasize the first three the most. It's just pure laziness and greed on the part of the Bones higher-ups who wanted it to be like this, and that will never be acceptable, for anyone. The quality of the anime has been significantly better the last few episodes (literally the instant Akutagawa kicked the bucket...) — by which I mean, they're doing the bare minimum for an adaptation, which is better than they usually do! — but I sure couldn't tell you why...! It's left me ecstatic, happy, and excited to watch lately, which is such a relief from constant sadness, outrage, and feeling insulted, but that still doesn't change the fact that it should have been this good THIS WHOLE TIME, and that there's absolutely NO REASON other episodes had to be sacrificed for the better ones: they should have been given enough time to do all of it justice (again, as much justice as Bones can ever do with BSD lol, but still. Season 2 is still so dear to me for a reason, and it's not just because of the nostalgia I have from watching it in 2016). Sorry for rambling more about this in your inbox asldjgflds, but tl;dr I just feel like our complaining comes across as bitching about scenes not being a perfect 1-to-1 panel recreation to a lot of people, when it's so much more than that — it's about BSD as a whole not getting the treatment it really, truly deserves, and how heartbreaking that is to see. It is heartbreaking to me to see how much Asagiri apparently loves the anime, from what he said at Anime Expo, when his story deserves so, so much better than he seemingly is even aware of. And I will always give Bones due credit when they've earned it, like I have the last few weeks, so I'm not even always constantly ragging on them, but even that praise comes with the caveat of "there's no explanation for why the quality is suddenly better now, or why it's so inconsistent in general, and I shouldn't even have to praise it so much, because this level of quality should be a given."

Yeah I agree that Bones has repeatedly demostred a very faulty understanding of the manga tone and even of the themes it carries on– even though there's also a chance that the shift in tone was intentional. They saw that undemanding shonen sold better than seinen (which may now seem easy to disprove, but the same probably wasn't as evident back in 2015 when the bsd anime was announced), so they made the marketing choice to declinate bsd so that it could cater to a shonen audience too, and stuck with that decision. That would make sense although in the end, as you said, it resulted in a series that feels deeply disconnected in tone and themes to its original, all while the narrated events stay the same.

I do wholeheartedly agree that if you need so many reused frames and to resort to static frames that drag on for several dozens of seconds, then your season simply isn't ready for release. C'mon, seriously, an original op and ending are the bare MINIMUM. The only reason why they didn't postpone the season release is greed. Not to mention (very much needed to mention), it's harmful for the animators twice: on one hand, because it necessarily puts them under a lot of stress and overworking conditions in order to churn out an entire season in such a short timespan; but I also feel like we shouldn't overlook the other aspect that is just... How extremely saddening and disheartening it is to not be able to dedicate the time you'd want to your art product, and seeing it published in a way that looks rushed and unfinished. I think it's important to acknowledge the frustration animators are likely to experience when that happens, especially because most times it's people who love their job of artist and of course work hard so that the result is the best it can be. But yeah the thing is: it's important - no matter how unpleasant - to say, it's not okay, because otherwise a low quality product is only going to become the norm.

I agree there was a noticeable quality improvement in the last three episodes (4-6), and I may be wrong, but I think it's reasonable to believe it's because the first three episodes had to be prepared in advance in order to be ready for the pre-screening that took place on the 8th of July in Japan. That may explain why the later episodes have been so much better compared to the first three: they simply had more time to work on them, and it's possible they're keeping working on the episodes even as they're airing. But I do agree... It's very saddening to see. Like of course, I agree, I *AM* happy the last episodes have been good (the last one was especially enjoyable!), but there really is that big ache given by thinking about what the Fukuchi vs. sskk fight could have been if only it was given the time and care it deserved. Sigh. It was just a very unfortunate coincidence for everyone, because, bias aside, it was really a pivotal moment in the whole manga... I mean. C'mon. Atsushi is the protagonist, but is yet again not treated as one because of, once again, marketing choices. It's a bit saddening. With season 4, I was dreading for when the season would have ended; with season 5 I regretfully must admit that I found myself again and again just hoping it would end already. Because even now that the animation has improved significantly, I can't stop thinking of what episode three should have been - what it had the right to be, as no less important than any other episode -, and I feel like my enjoyment of the season is just ruined.

One last note, and I know it's not what you meant when referring to panel-by-panel adaptations, and feel free to consider this my own pet peeve, but. Studios should be able to notice when they're working with the most iconic panel of the entire manga and should treat it accordingly. I'm cool and chill but what they did to the chapter 88 Akutagawa panel is unforgivable and I will resent them forever because of it.

#Anyways I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said Op!! You're my new best friend!!! #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd s5 #people asks me stuff #mine #episode 4 akutagawa tw #bones akutagawa tw

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Woo! As promised, put the show on hold and let it finish first, and then watched the entire second half in one sitting. And that included rewatching episodes 7 and 8. Definitely the right call to make - I think I had way more fun than I would've otherwise.

This second half of Sand Land is quite interesting honestly. I think at first I was definitely feeling... not negative per say, but a little put off - it's quite slow and even a little tiring to watch initially, it doesn't take much time for it to just start going through the motions of repeating stuff that happened in the first half. We'll repeat gags about how evil Beelzebub is, show off Thief's Santa costume, repeat the absorbing the power of the darkness scene. Things that we've seen before in the first part are done again but less impactfully - the only difference is that now Ann is here as a new onlooker. It feels akin to all sorts of modern sequels to retro properties, tickling your nostalgia by hitting similar plot beats, character moments, and just general scenes - think your new Star Wars movies, stuff like that. It's not inherently a bad thing, I just think the context of this production makes it feel a little awkward - Sand Land the manga may be from 2000, but this anime production is new, and for pretty much the entire audience it's going to be their first exposure to the series. So within that one production we have both the original story as it existed nearly a quarter-century ago as well as a nostalgic sequel. And they're both just the one thing. Most of the viewers - myself included - just can't take these as nostalgic callbacks, because we've literally just seen them for the first time. It's definitely just a bit weird, you know?

I think as the show went on, however, that it gradually started turning this into more of a strength. Your fairly surface level fanservicey callbacks are definitely still present - the gang do get the old tank back and do their usual crazy impossible strategies, Beelzebub goes joker mode, we raid a floating airship - stuff like that. But by and large they're seriously in service of the new narrative and oftentimes are significantly expanded upon for the sake of the narrative tension. The power of the darkness is a plot point. Beelzebub's joker mode isn't a win button. The tank is back because we've got the Sand Land military completely on our side now. And more than just letting old iconography and moments take hold of the narrative, this second part wants to flesh out every part of the setting. The picchi were making weird helpful tech in the first part, now they're making nonlethal weaponry in the second. The Swimmers are major supporting characters. Satan - Beelzebub's dad who appeared in literally one scene initially - is marginally more fleshed out as a character and dramatically more present in the narrative proper, even showing off some of his power (which is pretty important to a series like this). Wholly new are the Angels, Forest Land, and Ann - the latter of which is tied directly into Beelzebub and Satan in a way which isn't foreshadowed in the original, but also that never bothered me and she's all around a fun inclusion, so it works - her mechanical prowess rounds out the crew quite well. I don't think I've done a good job in this paragraph selling how well the show reuses the old and mixes it with the new, but it kept me having a lot more fun with this arc than I expected to just off my gut reaction to it at the beginning.

Few more miscellaneous notes:

Bred's arc is a little poor - despite his own protests he's very complicit in Muniel's actions which make him feel surprisingly weak-willed, and his turnaround ends up feeling somewhat sudden accordingly.

Thematically we're matching the original part pretty similarly, although the focus on trust is put on the backburner in favour of exploring themes of technology and technological responsibility, which feels like a natural development from that first part. Although capitalism as a theme was dropped, which tbf I didn't really think about while watching at all but it does make this second part have a little less thematic bite.

Muniel is a little shit and I desperately wanted to see him get beat up, which is a catharsis the show offers plenty of.

I was initially hesitant about Forest Land because it felt like it broke the setting of the first part a little, and although I did warm up to it, I wish they had explored it a little more.

Metalisation was a very random new power to drop lol.

I liked Ann's half-demon heritage and her internal conflict surrounding it.

It felt like Beelzebub pissed a lot more.

I kind of wish they showed us what the badlands or whatever they were called looked like with Garam having crashed into them - rainy aurora borealis was definitely sick but yk, what that lake lookin like with a dope airship in it

There's a fairly open ending leaving the potential for more stories to be told in this world - personally I could go either way, if they make more I'll watch but there's also something to be said about Toriyama's legacy and I do like this as one of the final stories he shared with us.

I should see how the game is reviewing and how the gameplay is looking and decide if I really want to buy it or not. Again probably discounted but yk

Anyway yeah that's Sand Land. I liked the first part, and I was hesitant about the second but I liked it too. A show that I liked watching from start to end. Crazy. If you're inclined towards fairly conventional action/adventure stories with a lot of personality - or just like the works of Akira Toriyama at all - I'd say check it out. It's good shit.

#sand land #5.5.24

[breannasfluff]

20, 35 and 47?

20-Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

I like reusing the Zelda swears I come up with. Themes are pretty darn common across stories, which is usually platonic affection. I generally try to write healthy relationships, or people who are working on making them healthy. There's SO much unhealthy relationships and dynamics in media already. It's one of the easiest ways to make conflict. But, since this is a hobby, I rather normalize how we should act with our friends and loved ones! I kid you not, I've gotten a lot better at apologies after writing so many for the Chain.

35-What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain?

They can't be pure evil. Ideally, they'll have a redeeming quality (ie- they like animals, or their logic is twisted but is to help someone, etc). Otherwise they end up really one dimensional. Not to say that those villains don't have their place, too.

47-How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Just the one before posting, usually. That's a spellcheck and skim through. Sometimes I'll edit something a little more to be cohesive with a later, unposted chapter, but rarely.

ask list

#asks #writing

[raxistaicho]

Invading Engage

Who's ready to see Fantasy Invader try to analyze Engage and compare it to Three Houses, now? :D

As I've mentioned before, repetition of his chief bonkers points is a pretty regular occurrence, so more often than not if I were to continue refuting his newer points I'd just be repeating myself, and that'd be tiresome and pointless. Thankfully, we do have a new one!

And it's... uhh... Sombron raised his kids like a meritocracy. Oh boy.

I feel like if you look at Engage, while not mentioning her the game is pretty good to Rhea. As I mentioned before, Byleth's trial theme song uses tracks that associate it with Silver Snow. Song of the Nabateans,

He's referring to Trial of the Academy.

So first, he's referring to the bit going to 0:40 to 1:00

Song of the Nabateans, which is remixed into A Funeral of Flowers, Rhea's boss theme from SS.

Engage wanting to remind us Rhea is the final boss on half of the routes. Checkmate, atheists.

pointing to Byleth's draconic heritage,

...No. It's referencing one of the major pieces of the Three Houses soundtrack. Song of the Nabateans is reused in a lot of pieces. You know, like how Bearer of Hope, which features in Trial of Dawn, first plays during Elincia's most profound moment in Radiant Dawn?

Edge of Dawn, a song that depicts Byleth and Edelgard's relationship as they end up as enemies and isn't used in it's full version in Flower,

Again, no. Jesus. Edge of Dawn depicts Edelgard's fears for the future and her certainty she'll end up Byleth's enemy.

and Paths that Shall Never Cross, referring to Byleth and Edelgard goin their separate ways.

Paths That Will Never Cross is used for battling any unrecruited character in part 2 - aside from the three house leaders, which includes Edelgard. This song lends more evidence to the notion that Seteth is fated to be Byleth's enemy then that Edelgard is.

This is all associated with a Byleth that's held in the same esteem as Revelations-Corrin and True Ending Roy, in addition to every other past FE lord.

You know what's different between Byleth and Corrin and Roy? Their games have true/golden endings. Byleth's does not.

While the House Leaders do get their bracelet, they don't get much else. No paralogue chapter like the other DLC emblems, nor do they show up in the xenologue. Nothing, just a cutscene where we get them for free.

There's quite a bit of reason to believe that Emblem Edelgard (with Dimitri and Claude) The Emblem of Rivals was a late addition to Engage. Houses and Engage were initially developed side-by-side, and though they had to use Byleth because main character, there was no way to be sure who would or wouldn't be popular from Three Houses. Then it turned out all three lords were well-liked - much to the chagrin of Edelgard haters - so Intsys developed a scheme to throw them all in.

Ironically, not having a map associated to them probably increased their general visibility. I'd bet money that a hell of a lot more people have played around with Emblem Edelgard (with Dimitri and Claude) The Emblem of Rivals than they have the Chrobin duo.

And they do appear in the Xenalogue. Fell Céline carries them in the final map.

Considering how the Cipher card that came with Houses in Japan mentions that it's your story, it's ultimately Engage saying that the game is Byleth's story above all else. Not Claude's, not Dimitri's and not Edelgard's, Byleth's.

... Yes? Byleth is ultimately the avatar of Three Houses, who decides the course of the story.

Fantasy Invader is trying to argue that this means Engage is hinting at Silver Snow being the canon route, except the issue is further down he'll use as evidence the fact that you fight Nemesis in Engage... even though Nemesis is not fought in Silver Snow.

It's funny how self-defeating FI's arguments tend to be. And also sad and aggravating.

Edelgard also says that the three lords protected their worlds, but anyone who has played Houses would see that her route goes in the other direction,

Fixing their world.

working with TWSITD,

Until she turns on them and kills them.

killing/exiling the other lords

Poor Cwaude and Dimitwi. We must not fight for Fodlan's betterment if it means inconveniencing two men :(

and killing Rhea.

Because she lit a city on fire rather than surrender.

What Edelgard did to protect the world is the exact opposite of those routes,

What routes? You didn't mention other routes.

so who really protected the world?

This is just Fantasy Invader being mad again that Edelgard's story is treated as equally valid as any other. Three Houses isn't a story of good vs evil (unless the Agarthans are involved, anyways), it's a story of clashing ideals. And that, honestly, could help to explain why the Agarthans are greatly sidelined in all routes.

Hopes uses Nemesis as the big bad for Fodlan, not Rhea.

And not Edelgard either!

We all know where this next pinheaded argument is going, but I really need to make a post about how self-defeating it is, because it really really is.

Nemesis, who Edelgard makes out to be this champion of humanity,

She never did that.

is the one held to the same level as Loptyr, Grima, Ashera, Duma...

Keep this bit in your head.

Nemesis was the bad guy, Rhea killed a bad guy

Yeah and in KOTOR you kill Malak whether you're Light Revan or Dark Revan, but that doesn't meant Dark Revan isn't a complete monster.

Also, I guess this means then that Duma is a bad guy, responsible for all the problems!

Jeddah finally beating the "caused all the problems" allegations!

and Edelgard killed her while praising the villain.

Again, Edelgard never praised Nemesis, and again, Edelgard killed Rhea because she forced her hand.

Claude's route is the one that tackled the supposed big bad therefore it's the one more in-line with past FE heroes, and by extension Dimitri and Byleth's routes.

Woah, I hope you remembered to stretch before that reach, Invader. Maybe he played a version of Three Houses that I didn't, because I recall a distinct lack of fighting Nemesis in the end of Azure Moon or Silver Snow.

There's a reason people feel that the final fight against Nemesis in Verdant Wind, while undeniably cool, came out of fucking nowhere.

Also, FE tradition involves killing a dragon at the end of the game. Medeus, Duma, Medeus again, Loptous (via his meat puppet, Julius), Iduun, the generic Fire Dragon, Ashnard (riding a dragon), Grima, Garon, Anankos (also via his meat puppet, Takumi in Conquest), Rhea, and Sombron. The only exceptions are Veld in FE5, Fomortis in FE8 (because FE8... is really weird and involved demons when other games didn't), Ashera in FE10, and Edelgard and Nemesis in Houses.

Even how we get Byleth's ring calls back to Silver Snow. Hortensia was an academy student, a princess borne of a concubine,

The comparison to Edelgard is deliberate, he's framing Hortensia as the anti-Edelgard. It doesn't work, as usual.

her father was manipulated by Sombron's forces into doing their work,

mind-controlled, rather, but yeah. Also it's worth noting that Hyacinth probably would have done Sombron's bidding anyways since he worshiped him.

her former classmates defect to the Divine Dragon's side and she does as well in the end

You've got that backwards, dunderhead. Hortensia defects first, then her classmates defect to be at her side - which barely constitutes a defection since they're just following their liege's example.

even if it means fighting against her former country. Compare this to Edelgard, who joins the academy, is a princess borne of a concubine, implications Ionius was a puppet for TWSITD to push Edelgard into stating the war to kill their ancient enemy,

That last part isn't accurate, but Fantasy Invader gonna Fantasy Invader.

her classmates defect in Silver Snow despite fighting against their homeland

Not if they fell during White Clouds, actually. Then they just stay at Edelgard's side, much like Rosado and Goldmary do Hortensia's.

and possibly their own families while Edelgard...continues attacking the rest of the continent using the monsters that were once men TWSITD provided her. Her own version of the Corrupted.

Jesus, if Demonic Beasts in Three Houses were as numerous as late-game Corrupted in Engage, maps would get really fuckin' long.

Anyways, that's another reach. Edelgard has soldiers that are genuinely loyal to her and believe in her vision.

Bonus point is that Hortensia prides herself on being a "cute" girl, while Edelgard's depth comes from her both being a violent conqueror...and a cute girl.

Again, no. Edelgard's contrast the devs spoke up lies between her endearing and her strong-willed sides. "Violent" and "girl" are not a contrast at all, just look at Estelle Bright!

If anything, Hortensia went down the path Edelgard refused to do, hence why she's a hero in the end.

Hortensia's a hero in Invader's eyes because she fought the dragon who established a fake religion with himself at the center of it through which he dominated a country, while Edelgard's a "villain" in Invader's eyes because she fought the dragon who established a fake religion with herself at the center of it through which she dominated a continent. Checks out.

Lumeria being a dragon living at the center of the continent, worshiped as divine? GOOD GUY.

Ah, what an amazing argument. "Lumera is a good divine dragon, therefor Rhea is also good!"

Doesn't matter that she did something to Alear that changed them, it saved Alear's life and not treated as a bad thing.

...Yes, because what Lumera did to Alear was for the express purpose of saving Alear's life, and was done with Alear's implicit permission.

What Rhea did to Byleth might've initially been for the express purpose of saving Byleth's life - we only have Rhea's word, the word of a liar as evidence - but what she continues to do by the year 1180 is to erase Byleth's personality and replace her with Sothis.

Lumera would have never ever done that to Alear. Because Rhea is a deconstruction of the series theme of divine dragons being good, and Lumera is not.

Lumera - at least to the best of our knowledge - didn't craft worship of the Divine Dragons the way Rhea concocted the Church of Seiros and the worship of her dead mother (whom she supposedly speaks to). Lumera doesn't live above humanity the way Rhea does, nor does Alear. She didn't create teachings or rules to control humanity the way Rhea did.

Being the Divine Dragon in Elyos appears to be a life of service to the people, going to them and protecting them. Being the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros means living in luxury and safety in Garreg Mach while the rest of Fodlan burns. Just look at how blithely unaware Flayn was about how bad the rest of Fodlan was before the time skip in Silver Snow.

Rhea is a deconstruction of everything a divine dragon is supposed to be in this series, but Edelgard's haters just never got the memo.

Naga was reclusive, living apart from humanity except in times of peril to protect them. Tiki is humble and just wants friends, even into adulthood. Duma and Mila set themselves up as gods because they were prideful, and were banished by Naga for their pride. Naga wanted the dragons to set aside from their pride and live as and among humans to avoid madness.

But Rhea doesn't live with humanity; she lives over them.

Compare Rhea's bedroom with Alear's:

Alear doesn't even get a pillow, guys! That's how you know they sacrificed for their friends: they gave their pillow away so Sommie could have two. Because Sommie gets everything.

Alear's hair changing color is also seen as a good thing, with it returning to it's natural red is the bad ending.

It's like Fantasy Invader's brain just stops at "their appearance changed" when discussing Byleth after chapter 11, and not what it means that it changed, or what it would mean if those changes were allowed to deepen, as Rhea wished they would.

It would mean Byleth's death as a person.

Meritocracy isn't so good when people are tossed away for not serving their master well enough, people without merit being labelled as defects.

Oh my fucking god. "Sombron treated his minions like it was a meritocracy!" Somehow, Fantasy Invader's concocted an even more headass take than, "Edelgard is a social darwinist!"

At least if Edelgard genuinely was a social darwinist, as her haters have tricked themselves into believing, she would reward her successful minions.

Sombron doesn't do this.

Take Hyacinth: he succeeded as Sombron wished, returning him to the world and restoring his powers, and with barely any help from Veyle or the Four Hounds, no less. Hyacinth's reward? Om nom.

There is no measure of loyalty or success good enough for Sombron. As Past Alear says themselves,

If I lose to you, [The Corrupted] will kill me. No… No, they will kill me, in time, no matter what.

Past Alear knows very well that the only reward Sombron offers his loyal minions is inevitable suffering and death. This is not a meritocracy, this is a horrific autocracy.

Doesn't really surprise me Houses discourse hasn't died down after Engage, Engage made Edelgard look like shit. Especially compared to Hortensia.

Houses discourse hasn't died down after Engage because there's nothing to talk about with Engage. Engage has such a nothing plot with black and white morality, simple characters, and basic motivations that the most heated that Engage discussion ever got was over something as ridiculous as whether or not it's incest if Alear bangs the fell Xenalogue twins. Engage is that bare-bones, so of course the fanbase just stuck with the game where there's actually something to discuss.

So uhh, yeah, Engage doesn't support FI's anti-Edelgard take as well as they think they do.

In fact, the Fell Xenalogue supports it. the FX portrays one rogue dragon, when completely bereft of anything to stop them, destroying an entire world. The FX portrays the countries as falling into ruin if their royals were worse people, because really who's gonna stop them, they're the monarchs of absolute monarchies.

#fire emblem three houses #fire emblem engage #edelgard discourse #edelgard positive #edelgard von hresvelg #fantasy invader #rhea #lumera

[erebus-the-answer]

Will Power shouldn't have been Akechi's final theme(+ how Maruki did it better)

Persona 5 was my first smt game, but even in my first playthrough it bothered me. While I do think that Persona 5 has a problem with reusing tracks (I'm looking at you, Rivers in the Desert), when comparing it to the other games + animes, Goro's fight theme being Will Power becomes unacceptable.

Underneath the cut I will compare the secondary/social link boss themes from Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5

Spoilers for all three games/animes/movies under the cut

Persona 3:

so in persona 3, I would say that the closest thing to a party member boss fight would be the meeting and little tiff that happens with Ryoji on the bridge with Aigis.

So, in the game this is an animated cutscene and the song that plays is a slightly~ different version of Unavoidable Battle. (Don't get me started on Unavoidable Battle being used for the ??? fight lol)

Persona 3, especially during The Answer has a real problem with beating Unavoidable Battle into the ground until it's deader than dead. But... I feel that they rectify this in the movies with Light In Starless Sky

This is one of my favorite tracks from the Persona 3 Lineup (P3, P3FES, P3P, and the P3 movies) Even though Ryoji doesn't technically have his own boss battle, I felt like he was deserving of his own theme for such a big moment and such a "betrayal" from a character that you grow to love and care about. In theory anyway, I don't very much like Ryoji.

Persona 4:

So obviously in Persona 4 the secret twist villain or whatever you'd like to call him is Adachi. I was one of the many people unfortunate enough to get into the game with this twist already spoiled. That being said, with the expectation that Adachi would be a final boss sort of deal (even if he is third to last), it was really disappointing to me that he and Namatame share the same boss theme. I understand that we are supposed to believe that Namatame is the killer (even though he really obviously isn't IMO), but to hear the same theme twice made it extremely underwhelming to me. Also Adachi was not a hard fight lol

Luckily, this gripe that I have with the game can easily be fixed with this mod, which adds Yin Yang from the Persona 4 Golden anime to the game in the place of New World Fool during Adachi's boss battle. This was perfect to me because honestly this is such a jaw-dropping song to me. It perfectly explains the type of dynamic that Yu and Adachi have with one another. love love love love Yin Yang, and even though Persona 4 is my least favorite game from the series and Adachi is then by default my least favorite villain, I think this track being in the game and just existing in general really helps with the music aspect of the game.

I fucking love The Almighty and The Fog though, even if I did feel that the amount of fakeout-twist villains was a little bit annoying. (Do not get my started on I'll Face My True Self -Marie version)

Persona 5:

So, as I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I feel like Persona 5 has a real problem with reusing tracks. Persona 5 was my introduction to the series, and when I said that it made me so excited that I felt my heart beating out of my chest and I was sick to my stomach (in a good way), I mean it.

In Persona 3, I feel like Master of Tartarus and Master of Shadows were fitting themes for the type of battles that we were having. The Full Moon shadows were just that. Shadows. They didn't really have any discernible personalities and they were just Shadows that needed to be killed for the sake of being shadows. I sort of wished that Strega had their own theme, but again whatever.

In Persona 4, even though we were fighting all sorts of different versions of different people, at the end of the day they all were facing their true selves, their shadow selves, so it makes sense for them to use the same battle theme when they are doing the same thing.

My issue with Akechi's theme being Will Power is that yeah, sure, his boss fight is technically an awakening, it's just been overused and beaten into the ground.

Now, I will say that it is better than his theme being Blooming Villain, the theme that EVERY SINGLE palace ruler uses, but it is still way too overplayed.

Like I said, P5 and ESPECIALLY P5R have some amazing tracks, but after the 4th time in a row hearing Rivers In The Desert, it starts to lose its spark.

In a stark contrast to the way that Akechi's battle solidified that they beat Will Power until it was dead, I'd like to take a moment to talk about Takuto Maruki, one of my favorite characters of all time.

I love Akechi as much as your average Persona 5 fan, but when it comes to how the music of the story drives home the point of their character, Akechi has nothing on Maruki.

I remember shaking in excitement when I first went on Spotify to look at the names of the songs from Maruki's palace and see what they were called (I am very particular about my music when it comes to persona games, my friends will let you know that I do not play when it comes to music spoilers).

The titles alone bring so much light into what Maruki was trying to accomplish. Gentle Madman, for example, is probably the most obvious one. It's who Maruki is. He's kind, sweet, he wants what's best for everyone, and yet he's on a complete wrong path. Something about the light piano mixed with the dark (???????????) sounding instrument really adds to it. It sounds clinical in a weird way, honestly, and it totally matches the aesthetic of the palace.

Out Of Kindness is one of the ones that makes me the most excited because it's such an awesome double entendre. He is doing it out of kindness, yet at the same time he has no kindness left to give! Beautifully, beautifully written! My God!!!!!!!

anyways, Keep Your Faith and Throw Your Mask Away. Need I say more? If you've played it then you know.

Of course I'm not saying that I expected Akechi to have an entire 5 hour long palace and half a soundtrack dedicated entirely to him. At the end of the day he isn't a final boss, he isn't the secondary boss, and he isn't the tertiary boss(at least in Royal anyway). Which I find to be... Disappointing. I mean he literally tries to kill the player character and thinks he succeeds! I know that Shido is the big bad, but I feel like Akechi deserved a bit more than what he got.

My idea would be perhaps Akechi got his own theme that he shared with the Holy Grail? I absolutely hated the fact that Shido and the Grail shared the same thing. It was so beautiful and amazing when we fought Shido and it transitioned between Rivers In The Desert instrumental and the vocal track. Almost threw up, so awesome.

They were kinda beating it already when it came to the Grail. I understand why, but to overuse such an awesome track really ruins it for me. and then when you fight the twins too? Jeez, give me a break.

Jaldaboath was an ok track, I'll probably talk about it in another post.

ANYWAY, my point is that I feel like Akechi deserved a better, more tailored theme, and it disappoints me that even in the anime he doesn't get it. The anime is even worse because he only gets Awakening? How annoying is that? There is a fanmade Akechi Palace theme, but that is a palace theme and not a boss battle. I guess we can only dream.

#persona 5 spoilers #goro akechi #persona 5 #P5r #takuto maruki #dr maruki

[dearminty]

honestly i was kinda disappointed by the boy and the heron... not to be contrarian but i think people get swept up in the ghibli magic (it is a gorgeous movie) & don't want to see it for what it is, which is a clunky, poorly paced, overwrought movie focused on underdeveloped characters without clear motivations.

the plot is overly full of predictable, unnecessary twists (I think everyone could tell himi was mahito's mum immediately) and lacks the limited scope of setting that allows miyazaki's worlds to truly flourish- think the bathhouse in spirited away, howl's castle, the titular castle in the sky in laputa etc. also the film touched on a lot of complex themes but didn't spend enough time with them to truly delve into them the way other ghibli movies have... it's a jumble of half-explored concepts and frenetic shifts in tone. almost feels like miyazaki had a lot of concepts for cool scenes and characters but not a coherent plot to link them together and ground them in the setting. also annoyed me that the worldbuilding was somewhat neglected, I've always appreciated how ghibli movies are generally quite thorough in explaining the rules of the setting & the MAGIC, which is instead used in boy and the heron to handwave all the fantastical creatures and events.

also minor tangent but did anyone else notice how many of the characters seem to have been built from the designs of previous ghibli characters? the most obvious to me was the granny with a very similar face to yubaba. there were also shots that felt practically identical to scenes in other ghiblis but particularly howl's moving castle, like when himi is walking through a dark corridor with her flame (same posture, angle, expression as sophie with her candle). there's also a lot of reused background pieces like furniture.

i did like the movie and will still recommend it but as a longtime ghibli fan i was a bit let down. also didn't realise miyazaki hated birds so much, damn

#boy and the heron #minty post

[katyspersonal]

18 for Gehrman and 22 & 25 for Laurence!

(Asks from this ( x ) meme)

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

We only really have Laurence, Maria, Doll and Moon Presence because whereas Willem, Djura, Eileen and Ludwig are addressed there is so much to headcanon about them that it probably evades "in canon" category... :') I really love the depth and the sadness of both his bonds with Maria and Laurence, regardless of whether they're romantic or platonic. I am a little antsy that they've left some lines suggesting a much deeper bond with Laurence in cut content realm, but I am reusing everything I physically can, sooooo xD

There is also Paleblood Hunter which I love to think is sort of reincarnation of Laurence ( x ), but this one, again, either falls back into Laurence category or there isn't enough to develop during just one night.. 🤔 Final product suggests that Gehrman loves all hunters equally, including us, which is still sweet!

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

Hahaha, tough luck, I only read fanfics from either 1) people that are unreachable and would never interact with the fandom or 2) people I trust deeply as friends! Reading fanfics became way too important emotional experience for me to mentally manage feeling rejected by the writer as a person. But in the AU where I am a normal person without such deep insecurities, I say everything regarding his story is good! Byrgenwerth era where he only starts picking interest in holy blood? Good. Early Healing Church? Good. His last days where he can't save himself anymore? Good. Whatever time of his life you take will be interesting, because HE is interesting! I definitely adore how Laurence is included in your fanfic, both his personality and his actions!

I do not know the state of Bloodborne fanfics well enough to judge, so I think my general turn-off applies; romantic/sexual fanfics that have such little character-specific or lore-specific context that if you detach the characters from the source material no one will notice! Good ship fanfic is the one that specifically applies to these characters, not just a random fantasy with their names attached! Easiest cheat with this problem is having characters reminiscise or address some prior events in canon, especially if they led to... uhhhh, the """interaction""", but really, there are various ways to bind them to the setting 🤔

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

YEEEEES YES GOOD QUESTION!!!! My first exposure to Bloodborne cast was getting recommended a compillation of boss themes with images attached on Youtube, so I just saw a BW image of his beast form without any context paired with his theme. For some reason I thought he was some wise, serious, dignified monster found (fought?) somewhere in library-like place, and that he could talk too!

I was yet to discover how feral this form of him really was, or that he even used to be a human to begin with! I thought this videogame just had monsters x) Now I am also aware how dirty his hands are, when I thought he was a morally grey character until [player] would disturb him for some reason. He is very complex and deep. Love him for that, but the guy is so heavy that memeing about him is easier dfshfhds But I was right on the money with 'dignified librarian dad' impression, after all! *spoon-feeds you my "Laurence is a son of Cainhurst librarian and quite a bookworm in general" speculation for 700th time*

^^^ This is also the closest I can get to my first mental image of his human form after I've learned he had one and was a scholar in Byrgenwerth! You can see dark hair and buttchin were always there, but he used to have green eyes and less facial hair... Also his glasses were exclusively for reading. And he was tall and less "cute". I agree the "handsome" beta Laurence is a bit better than my final product <:3 He feels more... laurence-y xD If I am to ever create something 'serious' for Bloodborne, like maybe a large comics, I might roll back to this image more, but for now it is all little kitten Laurence for me.

Thank you for asking!

#bloodborne #laurence the first vicar #ask replies #fandomry rambles #doodles #I really just can't remember why I 'shrunk' Laurence #he evolved from handsome man to a guy so skrungly you wanna feed him from a cat bowl dhfhsfdfsd #okay he is not THAT scrungly but he is 'cute' xd #still! eating from cat bowl together with micolash for this man!!!!!! #(look I can't articulate what I am trying to say very well but I think you understand me) #(autistic on autistic telepathy)