#this is an actual dm i got but i shortened it lol

[persnickett]

Hello ily ♥️😘

Also! ✨ 🌠 🌿 🎀 🎉 💞 💎 📡 🤲 ☯️

💟✉ - I had to improvise bc I couldn't find the love letter emoji 🙈

I know there are a lot there lol, but what can I say? Your mind is wonderful and I'm curious 😇 So take your pick, and if any of these take your fancy, I'd love to hear your thoughts 😍

♥️😘

OMG HI, my darling. Thank you for this! I am so sorry for the long wait - and how stupidly long this got lol. But ily2 and here is my answer at last. ❤️

✨What's a fic you've posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

Oof. Well there are certain fics I have worked really hard on, but I feel the notable example does get its fair share of credit and love and discussion (a big thank you to everyone who has read and engaged with me <3 ). But I guess I put a lot of work into An Apprenticeship, Of Brick and of Bone, Bad Moon a-Risin' too , and will always appreciate anything people want to pick up on and come and chat to me about on those. (I mean, the same is true for any fic ever, quite honestly lol – but) Those fics I’d say do also sort of have some subtlety or backstory to them that doesn’t get explicitly laid out in the fic, particularly An Apprenticeship, so there might be some fun things to talk about there if anyone is picking up on any Vibes they want to share.

Ok Edit: I wrote that whole answer out and then I went to grab the links and realize all those fics actually have not too bad interaction in comparison to my others lol. (thank you again, y’all <3). So, if this question is meant to be about the fics that get the least interaction, here’s something kinda fun: I sorted my stats page by hits in reverse, and in keeping with my weird experience that Holiday Themed Fics Seem to get Less Interest, these three tmrss fics have the lowest hit count. Three Cryptids Walk into a Bar Northern Crossing I Like you a Latte   (After that it's drabbles, which seem to make sense drawing less traffic to me, for some reason, and then a New Year's themed fic 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️) As for Die Hard, the lowest hit count that goes to a full fic and not just a drabble, is this one: The Weather Outside is Frightful

Does anyone else experience this with their holiday themed fics? I’m really interested in this lol.

🎀give yourself a compliment about your own writing

Hmmm. I have a pretty big vocabulary. Is that a compliment? Lol It’s *Nerdy* with a capital N, how about that? Lol. There’s a lot of nerdy semi-obscure word play, reference humour, and I fall in love with the characters and get obsessed with every minute little detail about them. So if you love obsessing over nerdy details too, my fic just might be for you! lol

🎉how often do you celebrate completing & posting a work? how often do you give yourself the credit/validation that you seek from others when you post? (if you don't, you should!)

This is a sneaky wife-scolding moment, @dream0fspring, and frankly it’s fair. I mean the short answer is, I don’t. OP is right though, that writers definitely should. We have talked a lot about this in DMs (because you put up with so much from me <3) but at least in terms of my WIP, I tend to celebrate the success of completing the hard work of posting a chapter by rewarding myself with more work – ie. setting the deadline for the next one. I also have a tendency to set my deadlines by estimating how long I will likely take to finish a chapter, and then trying to shorten that timeline as much as possible because faster is better, and working comfortably and at my own pace would be lazy and somehow feels like a ‘failure’. To ‘hustle’ or something, idk. This is a really important question though, because I have learned a lot about myself and my workstyle and the importance of motivation and self care through writing, in ways that apply to my life outside of writing - how I approach workload in my rl job or life admin tasks and responsibility, etc. I think it’s something we could all benefit from examining in ourselves from time to time. Are we happy with the way we treat ourselves in terms of effort and reward for the different kinds of labour that come into our lives each day, and would we be happy to see somebody else, say a friend or loved one, treat themselves the same way? It’s a great question. Afraid I’d have to throw it back out to tumblr though – does anybody have ideas on how they celebrate publishing to share?

📡why is writing and sharing your writing important for fandom?

Most of you reading this will probably know that I have a little collection on my ao3 of random snippets I call Snickits, bearing the Henry Van Dyke quote “The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best”, it’s about that fear of the vulnerability of putting ourselves into something and then offering it up to the world but I think that’s part and parcel of sharing one’s gifts. Obviously if we all gave into that voice that tells us ‘but mine isn’t as good/as big/as angsty/as funny/as worldbuilt/as proficient in English as xx’s fic’ and let it be a reason that we didn’t share it, there would be no content and there wouldn’t be a fandom at all. <3 Incidentally, (off topic, but hey this is already long af), there’s no fandom without readers, either, and this is something I’ve been seeing a lot of chat about lately with comments too. Comments and feedback are what let writers, or songbirds, know you heard and appreciated their song. They are super important to keeping fandom being a thing and a big reason many writers write here instead of going off to make money on original fiction. I see so many people say the reason they don’t comment is because other people’s comments intimidate them or seem smarter or more ‘creative’. That just breaks my heart to know somebody had a reaction to something someone wrote, was touched by something they created, and wanted to let them know but then *didn’t* because they felt themselves unworthy. (And then the image of the author on the other end, posting to the sound of crickets and thinking the same thing.) If anyone is a nervous commenter and reading this, please know it takes basically no more than a ‘omg!’, ‘this was my favourite chapter so far’ or ‘haha the moment xx happened cracked me up!’ to make a writers’ entire day. <3

🤲what do YOU get out of writing?

Is it weird that this question stumped me so much I left it to last? I feel like I spoke to this a bit in my last reply to this ask game but there are SO many reasons people write. Escapism, activism, therapy, self expression, to inform, to entertain. I guess for me it’s a bit of the first and last. It’s a hobby, and it’s the one I chose because it fits the best. Words have always been sort of my one thing I feel like I *have* as it were – as a skill, to offer to people, to make an impact with etc. We all have our skills and strengths and interests and words and language have always been one for me. (Don’t know if it’s related but I’m an auditory learner and will remember everything I hear too, which I understand isn’t all that common lol). I’m also introverted, so I’m far more likely to sit down at a keyboard and think about what I want to say than to get up on a stage and shout it out to a crowd (though yes I get up on a stage and do that set to music sometimes lol, shhh, humans don’t have to make sense).  I guess writing is my way of feeling competent and effective at something, and fanfic (and feedback) is a way I feel like I reach people and offer them, and the world, something. I know I already mentioned that as a character driven writer, I find the depth to which I imagine different characters with different personalities reacting to the circumstances in my stories is a way I’ve come to feel like I have a better understanding of personalities different to my own, and it lets me have a better appreciation for, love of, and patience with, the people around me in every day life, too.<3 Writing is amazing!

☯️how do you think engaging with each other through tumblr, twitter, comments, kudos, creates healthy fandom experiences? How do you deal with that if you're not a social person/experience social anxiety?

Hmm. I feel like there’s kind of two different situations here. Comments and kudos are something I associate with Ao3 (I’m not sure if they have kudos on other platforms like ff.net or wattpad) and quite specific to writing, and I think engaging with authors on their stories to show that you liked it with kudos or that it made you think or feel or simply enjoy something, with a comment, are super important motivators to keep writers writing, and keep fandom being a welcoming space that embraces and encourages new writers starting out and fosters opportunities for them to explore and practice and build their skill. But then, tumblr and twitter are social media that can be used for fandom interactions with the people you meet who share your interests, but can be quite separate from writing, or at least they are in my experience. As a writer I don’t always get to engage with fan artists, and that’s one of the big plusses for me with tumblr, because I can’t do art at all and I really respect and admire fanartists hardcore. I don’t really use twitter. I’m intrigued to see it here being touted as a space for healthy fandom interaction when it has the reputation for basically being the opposite lol. I’m a highly drama-allergic person so I guess it’s possible that arguments and fanwank and ship wars are perceived by some people as a ‘healthy’ way to express things, and to each their own I suppose. But while I find respectful, calm discussions in fandom as intellectually stimulating and fascinating as the next fan, I do feel that so often that isn’t the goal, so much as finding a fight to have. And the problem there is negativity breeds negativity. I'm a firm believer that car horns ought to be made obsolete because they don't do what they were intended for anymore, which is warn somebody that another vehicle is coming around a bend on a one-lane dirt road. They're just a big loud 'fuck you' button these days, and hearing it directed at you can plant a seed of negativity that can set off your whole day and definitely makes it very tempting to hit that button on the next person that bothers you, and so it spreads out and spirals. Fandom wank feels like that to me. It might *feel* like ‘venting’ lets things out, but therapeutic psychology actually tells us distracting yourself with something positive is a just as effective, if not moreso, way to feel better without focusing on the negative – and definitely without passing it on to others in a chain reaction of yelling and fist flailing lol. I perceive fandoms that embrace a lot of opposition and ‘warring’ as actually toxic rather than healthy, and more as things that will wind me up when I came here with my leisure time to let go and relax, rather than as ways to ‘get things out’. I’m also concerned that behaviour toxifies a space, and can put negative thoughts into people’s heads that weren’t there to begin with and didn’t need to be there at all (it’s all fiction at the end of the day lol) when they might have logged on to the internet feeling perfectly fine. So I’ve never been one to go looking for an argument, even if I’m feeling some kinda way on any given day. And from what I’ve heard, that means twitter isn’t really the place for me lol.

As for having social anxiety – yeah I do. But funnily enough interacting over the internet mostly takes care of that for me. I’m far less nervous when I have time to sit and think what I want to write out and say to somebody, than I am when I feel put on the spot in person. Not to mention the added option of anonymity on the internet. So that’s how I deal with it lol, it’s probably a large part of the whole reason I’m here using it!

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

Well, I’m three chapters away from finishing The Blood Culmination . That is definitely feeling pretty momentous after 5 years (omg).  And then, the sky’s the limit for what I want to work on next, I guess! Which is pretty damned exciting. Like maybe 10% scary, 90% exciting. Or 90% scary, 10% exciting *insert Owen Wilson in Armageddon meme here*.

I do have my ideas, as you know.😈 Maybe I should take a poll on what I should write next lol. Something spicy, mayhaps? Maybe the next big thing won’t even be fanfic at all… !!

With apologies again that this got so long, luckily some of the things you asked already came up in my other post here.

For anyone else who wants to do this, these questions are all from the ask game found here

❤️❤️❤️

#writing be like #ask game #snick talks (apparently)

[castielsparkle]

tagged by @saintedcastiel tysm!!!! 💙

What book are you currently reading?

i am supposed to be reading american psycho but its in storage, my dad got it for my bday... like seven months ago askknjksa we were supposed to read it together and have a little book club so hopefully soon ill do that!! :3 also. i want to reread my dexter books!

What’s your favorite movie that you’ve seen in theaters this year?

ive only seen one movie in theaters this year which is megan but GOD so good!!!!! loved it so so sos o much

What do you usually wear?

when im at home i wear my Autism Clothes so sensory friendly sweatpants and a t shirt usually, occasionally a hoodie/sweater but when i go places i dress like. hang on. i dress like this :3

How tall are you?

i believe at the most five foot four... :3

What’s your star sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event?

gemini!!!! :D also not either of those but my birthday is on the same day luca was released!!!!! (i kin. alberto i love that movie.)

Do you go by your name or a nickname?

i go by a lot of things!! my primary name is dexter (usually shortened to dex) but i also go by cas/castiel, twi/twilight, and dusk!!!

Did you grow up to be what you wanted to be as a child?

hmm. i wanted to be an artist so in a way yes! but profession wise i did want to be a veterinarian for a good while, i just wouldnt be able to though. i would get too sad and also personal reasons lol. i would love to be an artist full time one day but! for now im looking into captioning :)

Are you in a relationship?

yes!!!! my beloved wife loml @t4tdexter we are also girlmutuals and soulmates hehe 💋

What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at?

ok so i wanted to say im good at art but i feel like the parameters on that are perhaps a little skewed in my mind compared to the average person. personally i think many things about what being "good at art" constitutes (as in i believe most anyone who creates is good at it lol) so ill just say that. i am very good at organizing and categorization! (probably the autism :P) and i suppose i am bad at. starting new media and actually paying attention lol. my brother is always asking to watch shows and movies with me and i am just. always incapable of doing so 😭

Dogs or cats?

cats!! i appreciate dogs but as a pet owner i do quite enjoy having cats :) i have two at the moment! peach and apricot! they are both types of calicos :)

If you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favorite picture/favorite line or favorite etc. from something you’ve created this year?

ooh!! i am very very proud of this post! (be warned for artistic nudity) its def my favorite from this year so far ^_^

What’s something you would like to create content for?

ive been wanting to make a lot of spn content lately but i also miss my mlp art!!

What’s something you’re currently obsessed with?

supernatural....its the sound of the summer its so hot rihgt now its totally in

What’s something you’re excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

actually nothing so far! :D

Are you religious?

definitely not by typical terms id say!!

What’s a hidden talent of yours?

i am. so good at not dropping things and balancing things. i was quite an outstanding waiter at one point. :)

What’s something you wish to have at this moment?

coca cola. im gona go get one

whoever wants to do it feel free!! (if u want me to add u in a tag to this post just dm me :P)

#cas.txt #cas.abt

[otome-silvynne]

Thoughts on Saeran's After End

Okay I think I've finally got my thoughts together enough to write this lol. I will try to keep it as organised as possible!

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SAERAN'S AE

TL;DR - I loved the amount of work put into this AE. The CGs and new sprites were absolutely stunning (not the hands) but I wasn't a huge fan of some of the writing choices.

Okay let's start this mess of a post with what I liked about the AE!

The new CGs, sprites, and emojis. I loved every single (positive) CG even though the art style changed a lot. Some of them were so cute I wanted to cry and Saeran's new sprites fit him really well I think. Though the crying one made my heart hurt 🥺

The length. Cheritz went above and beyond when it came to the length of the AE. I was really expecting it to be episodic like V's but the fact that it's a mini route was a cool surprise!

Calls/texts. The Cheritz team added a tonne of extra calls for this AE and though I've only seen the ones my friends have shared, there are some super cool ones that add interesting perspectives on the plot.

Good End/Normal End. I have some issues with the plot which I'll get to in the next section, but I really really loved the good end and normal end for the AE. They were both so heart-warming but I do think that a combination of both would have been the best ending.

Jumin Han. This poor poor man went through so much during this AE but holy crap did it make me love him even more. He really had some amazing character development and even though he was in a crisis, he still did everything in his power to help Saeran and MC and I think it really showed just how deep his loyalty goes. I love him.

Okay so this is where I get kind of ranty. Apologies in advance.

I find the plot of this AE to be unideal in... many ways. Though it was satisfying to finally have it after waiting so long I really wish they had done some things different, so let's get into it.

V. My #1 issue with the writing is what they did to Jihyun's characterization. It just really was not fair in the slightest and in my opinion it wasn't entirely accurate to him. (Feel free to call me out for being biased, I have role-played as this man for years now.) V and Saeran are actually tied as my favourite characters so as you could guess the prologue for this hurt me so so so bad. V never seemed like the type of man to turn on his friends like that. Not even for Rika or his obsession with her - he has always made shitty decisions or has been mysterious, but he would never betray them like that and he was never straight up evil like he sometimes seems to be in this. That man was not Jihyun to me - it was like he was a stranger.

Guilt tripping. There are multiple moments in the AE where they mention that "maybe V wouldn't have turned out that way if he met someone like MC" and it's kind of bullshit. It feels like they're blaming the player for choosing Saeran over Jihyun when they really shouldn't be - both are amazing characters and there is no reason the AE should have that kind of undertone at all. I might make another post about V if anyone wants to hear my opinion in more depth lol.

Forgiveness/Healing. Cheritz hasn't always been the best at portraying trauma and we know this but I felt like I should mention it anyway. This AE takes place two weeks after the end of Saeran's route. Keeping this in mind, every single interaction he has with Rika in the AE is just... unimaginable. For years he was brainwashed and manipulated by that woman and yet it seems like he feels nothing when he sees her again even though she has done unspeakable things to him. Realistically he would have felt fear or hatred or anything at all. I understand they said he healed a lot but completely getting over it? In two weeks?? I don't think so man.

PM/The agency. I feel like the focus should have been on them a bit more during the whole thing. A lot of the focus of the writing was on Rika and V when they were the least of the RFA's problems - they were dangerous and outright insane, but they wouldn't have killed anyone like the other antagonists.

Pain. Out of every single piece of media I've ever consumed - game or otherwise - this is the only thing that ever gave me physical chest pain from how upsetting it was. It made me so anxious I could not sleep at times and generally stressed me out lol. Some would probably see this as good writing or something impressive but it just felt awful for me because of how long we waited for this to come out. I was looking forward to seeing Saeyoung's rescue and everyone living happily (which is sort of the point of an AE, right?) but there was just so much heartache in between that it almost didn't feel worth it when I finally did get to the end.

BR End. I'm sure you all know the one lol cough collar cough cough and lord why on Earth is it so incredibly easy to get by accident? I got 100% on all three days when I played and still got it anyway - it sucks man. I had to start over and go through all of the stress mentioned above again and it wore me down. That being said, I do like how you're free (and expected) to be suspicious of Rika and V instead of forgiving them for literally drugging the entire RFA and making deals with criminals. Thanks man. Wish we didn't have to see them and the PM forgiven in the end anyway though :)

Okay /rant lmao. Obviously this is all a shortened version of my thoughts and it's still pretty long but I'm glad I could at least express this much. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this and I'd be glad to discuss more with other fans through DM or something and see other opinions. If you're interested you could message me here or @silvynne and if you read this far you are probably insane but also awesome so thank you.

#otome #mystic messenger dlc #mystic messenger #saeran ae #saeran ae spoilers #ray ae #ray ae spoilers #my post #text #long post #cheritz #saeran choi #mysme saeran

[punkscowardschampions]

Zelda & Zach

ihatemyguts: Good thing you told me how bubble boy posi Robyn’s ‘rents are

ihatemyguts: ‘cos that felt like such a brush-off

ihatemyguts: I feel kinda bad, it’s low-key just upset her with no shopping trip pay-off 😬

inandout: your first date was today

inandout: the insane jealousy must have forced me to forget

ihatemyguts: Obviously

ihatemyguts: moping and staring out of open windows would be bad for your health

ihatemyguts: probably

ihatemyguts: can’t have that

inandout: mope hard enough and fling myself all over the house, they’ll call it exercise

ihatemyguts: I’d let Rob know but her parents would probably sue me

ihatemyguts: I did some research

ihatemyguts: and yeah, flare-ups fucking suck, but if she was struggling that bad rn she’d be in hospital getting her 💉 on

ihatemyguts: makes me ⁉️ if the meetup will happen

inandout: makes me wonder if her brothers are allowed out

inandout: if they are maybe they can help us smuggle her to the meetup

ihatemyguts: not just a pretty face

ihatemyguts: that’s a damn good idea

ihatemyguts: I can slide in their DMs

inandout: Cranking up the jealousy metre to give me a full work out, I see, are you gonna be a PE teacher when you grow up?

ihatemyguts: *prays they aren’t like 12*

ihatemyguts: imagine if that was my life’s ambition

ihatemyguts: wear unflattering sportswear and give kids complexes

ihatemyguts: even without the potential life-shortening illness, I’d reconsider that

inandout: it tracks that you’d wanna make them 💩 and bringing back the bleep test could work

ihatemyguts: okay I’m not 🦹‍♀️ or 🐯 levels of sweet but is that what you really think of me? 😏

inandout: I think there’s only one rebel teacher coming to mind and I haven’t watched that film so all I know is they stand on desks

inandout: probably not a perfect fit for you

ihatemyguts: I could force you to watch it for our first date

ihatemyguts: and ask you, what your dream job would be

inandout: Netflix and chill or cinema screening of the ‘classics’?

inandout: we could do a drive-thru

ihatemyguts: hmm 🤔

ihatemyguts: there are pluses to ‘em all

ihatemyguts: cinema, we could laugh at all the snobs and 🤓s

inandout: Cool, reach out to me with the time + date when it’s showing

inandout: Are you allowed 🍿?

ihatemyguts: oh hell no

ihatemyguts: have to find another way to hold my hand

inandout: 🦸‍♀️ said she was gonna look up ice breakers and stuff, hopefully it was a fruitful search and she won’t mind sharing the info

ihatemyguts: do you think she legit didn’t realize how thirsty that boy was for her

ihatemyguts: or is it all uwu coy-ness

inandout: It’s hard to tell

inandout: but if I remember my glasses I’ll do my best to decode her body language from 6 ft away

ihatemyguts: aside from hospital, have you ever met someone else with cf?

inandout: Nope

inandout: jokes aside, it really is discouraged

ihatemyguts: that’s a hard one to get your head around

ihatemyguts: far as adjustments go

inandout: getting Robbie at this meetup won’t be easy

inandout: separate ones mean we might not have her there

ihatemyguts: I reckon we can trust you and Kara to keep the teen love story fictional

ihatemyguts: for all our sake’s

inandout: She’ll get her man

inandout: it’s not like bad advice and dating pitfalls are just a click away

ihatemyguts: cosmos never steered ANYONE wrong

inandout: Yahoo answers neither

ihatemyguts: might be confused as to why they’re not related

inandout: [I like to think he’s just sending his fave yahoo answer answers now for the lols]

ihatemyguts: [meme back and forth lads]

ihatemyguts: if she gets her date we could go into the matchmaker business

ihatemyguts: start at home

ihatemyguts: 🤖 don’t last forever

inandout: Rob’ll need to be next or she won’t forgive us

inandout: and we’ll soon get tired/guilty of seeing the amount of 😿💔 spam the chat

ihatemyguts: we’ll have to liberate her first

ihatemyguts: in a literal way

ihatemyguts: not the pretentious, free your 🧠 type of vibe

inandout: Kidnap’s playing into her parents’ fears but we don’t have a better option

ihatemyguts: now it’s my turn for a potential 💡

ihatemyguts: what if that is exactly what she should do

inandout: jump scare them?

ihatemyguts: if she did some actual wild shit to show them they’re being suffocating, ‘scuse the mention, then they’ll have to compromise and let her do normal kid things and everyone will win

ihatemyguts: I realize getting her to wild out might be a problem

ihatemyguts: catfish it though?

inandout: 💡⭐️

inandout: getting her to agree to do it for real would take longer than we have but you’re right, faking it wouldn’t take any time at all

ihatemyguts: get Lauren to picture whatever the hell she’s up to

ihatemyguts: sorted

inandout: + there’s your next photo challenge ready to be accepted, dressing as if you were going on a date with 👵🌈✨ instead

ihatemyguts: hold my neon

ihatemyguts: and think, do we clue Rob in on this plan now or do it on her behalf first, ‘cos we could hit up her house phone with some madness to get ‘em sus now and when she’s like wuuuuut it’ll sound even more

ihatemyguts: or is that a bit evil genius instead of 🦹‍♀️

inandout: Does she even have a house phone? We don’t

inandout: you’ll have to find another way to trick my parents into believing I’m a badass

ihatemyguts: I bet they do

ihatemyguts: can’t trust a mobile

ihatemyguts: and I bet they don’t have a microwave, they’re that sort

ihatemyguts: obvs I’ll just direct them to Lauren on your friends list with a 🤔

inandout: We should probably warn her, in case she takes it the wrong way

inandout: or decides to stand up to them for her YA movie moment

ihatemyguts: yeah, you’re right

ihatemyguts: if she doesn’t go for it, her brothers might be of use still

ihatemyguts: have to focus my evil energy elsewhere

ihatemyguts: such as…

ihatemyguts: 🥁

ihatemyguts: [one of the crazier lewks from babyteeth for the photo challenge]

inandout: 🤞🏻 one of them is old enough to drive the people carrier

inandout: Uhh… that was a suspiciously fast transformation

ihatemyguts: didn’t know you was challenging a pro?

ihatemyguts: and someone with a lot of time on her hands

inandout: I do now

inandout: and I’m guessing it’s not every day you get stood up based on what else I know about you

ihatemyguts: it’s a first

ihatemyguts: not that I constantly ask people out

ihatemyguts: but that is what I’ve put across so fair enough

ihatemyguts: what am I interrupting for you?

inandout: I’m waiting on friends

inandout: this could end in both of us being stood up

ihatemyguts: am I a drag you down with me type?

ihatemyguts: hmm

ihatemyguts: nah, I’ll cross my fingers that your friends aren’t flaky

inandout: Late, but I’d be too if it wasn’t my house

inandout: What are you gonna do now shopping’s off?

ihatemyguts: life is one big photo challenge, right

ihatemyguts: yours is ‘whatever will make your friends double-take when they open the door’

ihatemyguts: it’s a good question

ihatemyguts: we’re going to virtual shop tomorrow but she wasn’t up for it today

inandout: Wait for it and their faces

inandout: + you’re virtually invited to watch movies and play games, you won’t be the only one who isn’t here in person

ihatemyguts: 👍

ihatemyguts: cool

ihatemyguts: meeting new people is my new thing, as long as your mates are down/not the level of nerd that they might get a nosebleed if a girl is about

inandout: Some of them are girls if that helps

inandout: and my brother won’t be there to bring down the cool

ihatemyguts: low-key a shame

ihatemyguts: have to meet him before the first date though

inandout: I’ve got a father you can ask for permission if you’re feeling old-fashioned

ihatemyguts: full set

ihatemyguts: fun

ihatemyguts: mines in scotland so we’ll let you off that trek

inandout: But a road trip is a coming of age movie staple! 😫 Has Netflix aired any YA without one + are you willing to take that risk?

inandout: mine’s a workaholic but we’ve got years to catch him

ihatemyguts: forget the meds, see who gets fucked up first

ihatemyguts: it’d be a journey, for sure

ihatemyguts: do you know what he does? ‘cos so’s mine and I couldn’t tell you, tbh

inandout: Or mix them up and see what happens when you take the ones for my 💩

inandout: He’s a sales manager, he says, but why so vague?

ihatemyguts: sounds like something they’d do at cool parties

ihatemyguts: and that sounds suspish

ihatemyguts: they should have this 🤓 but with a moustache instead of the buckteeth

ihatemyguts: dads are elusive creatures… conspiracy time, what are they all up to

inandout: Not sure that’s the topic Rich has been watching vids on but I’ll ask

ihatemyguts: he can always tactfully ignore you if he’s 😳

ihatemyguts: like he does with 👵🌈✨ when she’s extra

ihatemyguts: more than usual

inandout: Be harder to do that in person

ihatemyguts: I think everyone will still get on

ihatemyguts: unless fibrofog shows, then that’ll be teen show worthy drama, of course

inandout: I think he’s genuinely blocked, he’d need a 2nd account to find out about it

ihatemyguts: hope he’s seen catfish too

inandout: He’d be a fan of the one where the man refused to believe it wasn’t Katy Perry

ihatemyguts: it does seem like the sort of thing she’d do

ihatemyguts: poor bastard

inandout: 😂

ihatemyguts: ultimate photo challenge, catfishing everyone and then going for the ruveal

ihatemyguts: might need more than just a wig 🤔😏

inandout: Dressing like her would make my friends do a double-take

inandout: [pics of some of her outrageous lewks with his head put on]

ihatemyguts: 😂😂😂

ihatemyguts: you suit the 🍦🧁🍭🍩✨

inandout: We’ve probably got a can of squirty cream lying around for hot chocolate

ihatemyguts: inhaler but make it ~sExxxIii~

inandout: [a lil video of his failed attempt to re-create that in her insta DMs or wherever because idk if they can send stuff like that here]

ihatemyguts: Katy dat you 😍😍

inandout: I’ve agreed to only string you along for 4 years not 6 and I don’t have any savings to spend 25% of on a 💍

inandout: looks like the comparison starts and stops with our black curls

ihatemyguts: not much of an orlando bloom clone myself so it’s alright

ihatemyguts: pirate is always an excellent disabled-friendly costume though so add that to the ideas board we should start

inandout: If we decide the next meetup is fancy dress, Lauren will never go back home

ihatemyguts: that’s the mood

inandout: [sends her whatever he did for the photo challenge and his friends reaction to it because why not say they’ve arrived and there’s a similar feral mood here]

[danni-dollarsign]

A Critical Look at “Pokemon: Sword and Shield” From a Casual’s Perspective...

A/N: Hey! if you’re reading this, then thank you! I don’t know why, but I thought to myself, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to write a pointless essay about a Pokemon game?” And then I realized today was the 1YR anniversary of SWSH, so I figured I might as well just do it! So even though I’m late and probably nobody will really care to read all this nonsense, I wrote it! If you’re interested in all the analyses of PKMN SWSH, but aren’t too invested in the technical mumbo-jumbo used by the more hardcore fans, then maybe you’ll enjoy this. 

Also, it’s worth mentioning that I’m literally just some rando on the internet saying my opinion. None of this should really be taken SUPER seriously - it’s mainly designed to provoke thought rather than try to argue any specific idea. So if I say something that you don’t agree with, you got two options: 1) Draft a constructive comment or DM to me and we can discuss calmly like adults, 2) shake your idea and ignore this. There’s really no need to get heated up over a video game essay, of all things, so let’s not do that lol. 

But other than that, yeah! If you’re interested in more stuff like this from me (in-depth analyses of Pokemon games from the perspective of a low-key casual), lemme know! I’d love to chat with anyone about this awesome series.

So, without any further ado, let’s get into the essay (warning: it’s like ~8k words).

Introduction...

Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokemon! Love it or hate it, Pokemon has had a huge impact on popular culture in countless countries in a number of different ways, sparking memes, dreams, and happiness everywhere! It holds a very special place in my heart - Pokemon was a game that I got to share with my two older siblings, was one of the first fandoms I got into, and was a big reason as to why I grew to love creative writing so much after writing a couple fanfictions for the games. I’ve been playing Pokemon ever since my brother gave me a copy of Pokemon: Ruby and have been a devoted fan ever since. While I may not be super into the strategy and damn near mathematical aspects of gameplay, I’d like to consider myself a relatively knowledgeable fan with enough extra knowledge to give a look at one of these games from a casual, yet analytical view. So what game other than the newest title, Pokemon: Sword and Shield, with its release anniversary being today? In this casual online essay, I hope to describe all my thoughts of Sword and Shield (which I’ll shorten down to just “SWSH”) from the perspective of the everyday Pokemon fan.

General Gameplay...

Many top-title games of Nintendo are best known for their simplicity: in Super Mario Bros, you’re a mustachioed red guy jumping on monsters to try and save some random princess (who may or may not be in this castle); in The Legend of Zelda, you’re a green elf-looking guy slashing wildly at monsters with a sword given to you by some old guy in hopes of defeating some ultimate bad guy; and in Pokemon, you’re a child wandering around the region catching monsters who also accidentally saves the world before becoming the very best (like no-one ever was). And while the games themselves have grown from that initial stylistic simplicity, some have lost that creative in-depthness in favor of being playable for children. This is probably the biggest issue with the newer Pokemon games as of late.

Regardless, let’s look into the playability of SWSH.

It’s played like your regular Pokemon game; you’re a kid who journeys to become the Champion of Pokemon Battling with your friend, catching monsters known as “Pokemon” with pocket-sized balls dubbed “Pokeballs.” But I’m sure you’re all aware of that information, and are instead asking “Well, what’s the deeper plot?” Yeah, no, that’s it. You’re a kid catching Pokemon to become champion - oh, and you also accidentally save the world from a power-hungry businessman - but that’s neither here nor there.

Plot aside, the game is a bit barebones. It’s pretty linear gameplay (literally linear - the map of the Galar region is almost exactly a straight-line waltz from Postwick to Wyndon, which is a bit weird after dealing with the giant, sprawling maps of earlier generations) where you travel from place to place, beating gyms and catching ‘mons, before getting into a couple scuffles and becoming champion. For an RPG-styled game, it comes off as much too simplistic for older fans (I’d even reason that it’s too simplistic for younger players, as well). While I will say, I don’t exactly miss the days of hopelessly wandering around a pixel city, trying desperately to figure out how to move on to the next town because the answer to the puzzle is hidden in this giant area that my little peanut-brain couldn’t figure out at the time. But it is a bit demeaning to get “Hey, do you know where to go?” and  “Hey, follow me so you don’t get lost!” and “Oh, yeah, want another tutorial on how to easily catch Pokemon for the fourth time in a row?” every two seconds in a city where there’s only two places to check out.

But we can’t really discuss the gameplay of Pokemon without discussing the highlights of the region. Ever since the transition from 2D to 3D, Pokemon games have begun a trend of gimmicks - which I like to call “battle enhancers” - that they use to add uniqueness to their games. X&Y had Mega Evolution, Sun and Moon (and USUM) had Z-Moves, and now we have Dynamax! As we all know, battle enhancers are the strategy by which the player uses some extraterrestrial/magic stone to physically enhance one pokemon at a time for a certain period of time - in the case of Dynamax, the pokemon either grows in size or changes in form, gaining the ability to use special type-based attacks for a duration of three turns.

Honestly, I think it’s a pretty fun mechanic! Dynamax combines the good components of both Z-Moves and Mega Evolution - new forms, awesome moves, and a ticking clock. It adds a bit more strategy to the battle enhancer, where the player actually has to plan out who and when to Dynamax (though it’s really not that hard - most everyone will save it for their ace or the pokemon with the type advantage at the very end of the battle, because that’s what you do). But it’s fun and creative, making the battle a bit more exciting when you see your beloved ace become gargantuan on a field while the audience chants in excitement. Initially, I was skeptical of the battle enhancer, but once I threw myself into the game and really got into it, I felt it was fun and cool for the region. My feelings were further improved when I learned that Dynamax was inspired by the idea that the Nintendo Switch had the potential to be played on the TV as well as in a hand-held mode. The idea of turning pokemon “big” on a “big-screen” is really just so cute to me, really. Overall, it’s a fitting concept that is paired well to the game when everything is considered.

But when you look beyond the Dynamx experience to find more content in the game… there’s really not much else. Many people (including me) were ecstatic to hear about the free-roam areas in SWSH - the Wild Areas. Here, you can do all the fun grinding stuff that makes Pokemon games a bit more challenging and fun - hatching eggs, shiny-hunting, running around in circles, Dynamax dens, etc. But when looking at other Pokemon games, that’s really it. Let’s examine Pokemon: Sun and Moon, for example. This game really shines not just for its refreshing setting and compelling plot-line, but also for it’s amount of cute and quirky mini-games to be enjoyed for a good while outside of the main story. Pyukumuku Chucking, Mantine Surfing, the Alolan Photo Club, Ultra Warp Ride Travel - a good handful of mini-games that appeal to different kinds of people! All of these mini-games aren’t just tossed in there, either - they have a fitting place in the culture of the world and add to it, rather than just reiterating it. But when you look for mini-games in SWSH, you won’t really find anything aside from just battling. Sure, there’s the Battle Tower, as well, but I’ll personally say that I’ve never been a fan of the concept of post-game NPC battle buildings. For a hardcore player, they might be fun, but as a casual who can’t devote the time to really dig into understanding how IVs and competitive breeding works, they’re really no fun. Not to mention that nothing is really being added or developed with these battle buildings; they don’t add to lore, they don’t add to the culture of the region, you don’t even really gain anything from it - they’re pretty much just places to battle the occasional familiar face and that’s it. While I’m sure plenty of people adore these facilities in the games, I’ve never been too partial to them (I’d even prefer those god-forsaken casinos over another goddamn battle frontier).

But my biggest problem lies with the release of the DLC. While I’m not against the idea of DLC in general, both The Isle of Armour and The Crown Tundra left a bitter taste in my mouth when I started thinking about the issue of playability in SWSH.

I have always been more invested in the storyline of Pokemon games rather than the battling aspects. Usually I’ve always just gotten through the main story, then wandered around to find extra post-game content or mini-games, and then moved on to other games. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing - I just figure that the games have served their purpose for me upon completion, so rather than bore myself wandering around and doing things that don’t interest me, I go find another game that has more story-based content. That being said, I finished SWSH in less time than any other Pokemon game (I’d say somewhere around twenty hours, complete with me running around in circles like an idiot before rushing through content intermittently); as a result, I was no longer actively playing the game by the time the DLC was announced.

I’ll be honest and say that when I learned about all that was being offered in both sets of DLC, I felt a bit betrayed. I’m well-aware that Nintendo is a corporate business, and therefore will always prioritize financial gain over their fans’ lasting enjoyment of their titles - that’s just a fact of life. But I couldn’t help but feel like I paid a bunch of money for the bundled titles, only to play a game that hardly could be considered worthwhile or satisfying without added headcanons or fan-works, and then get told that extra content is available that may or may not add satisfaction to the experience that’s already long since ended for me. It was just a bit disappointing - and I’m not talking about the whole “Dexit” deal (I actually was on-board with the idea of having no real National Dex - I felt it added realism to the games and would force players to get to know the new Pokemon instead of just choosing the same team they always have since Gen 1 or whatever). My gripe is that I paid for a whole game, wasn’t satisfied with the result, only to hear later that the content that I might have been missing is available to pay for? That’s incredibly annoying. Not to mention that I was further disappointed after learning about the contents of the DLC, but we’ll get into that later.

Overall, the playability of SWSH is very basic, but can be enjoyable if you suspend belief and just enjoy it for what it is. When it comes to storyline, it’s not much of a game, and doesn’t sport much post-game content besides battling.

Immersion and Ambience...

Many of my friends can attest that I tend to like silly, fantastical concepts because I personally love to throw myself into the universe being offered to me. Pokemon is really no different - the games have always sported a very immersive experience for me thanks to the combination of interesting regions and evocative music (especially the music).

I think that most every Pokemon fan has a specific region, city, and music theme that sparks a plethora of nostalgic emotions to the point of near tears. For me, that’s always been Pokemon: Platinum, the Twinleaf Town theme - just staring into the rippling reflection of the pond by the player’s home, listening to that beautiful synth clarinet playing that nostalgic melody - it makes my heart beat with so much fervent passion that I hardly have the words to describe it! And I think that sense of nostalgia - regardless of whether or not those memories are old or new - has always been a strong-suit for Pokemon games. They always have the ability to inspire such deep emotions in me and other alike in a variety of ways, further adding to the ability to immerse us into the game’s world. And whether your favorite area is as simple as Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region, or as agonizing as Rock Tunnel in Kanto, it’s the spirit of certain cities/towns/routes that further add to the immersion of the world in question. But how well does SWSH hold those values? Spoiler Alert: Not very well.

SWSH, in the end, is still a Pokemon game - so the setting is very vibrant and colorful and everything that can hold my attention for long periods of time. But the problem arises when one begins to progress through the game and continuously forgets what’s where and where’s what. A lot of the map is painfully basic (again, due to the literal linear nature of the Galar region) and the cities themselves kind of lack their own real originality. There was an attempt at unique cities that’s become iconic of the Pokemon franchise, but it doesn’t really stick. I think most people would agree with me that the only real memorable areas in the main game were Slumbering Weald, Ballonlea, and Spikemuth, and each of these areas have their own set of problems that also make them a bit difficult to fully enjoy. At their core, most all Galarian cities have the same basic set-up: basic green plants (if plants are in that area at all), the same brick roads that lead either to the gym or to a route leading in/out of city to another city, and a giant gym/key building in the center of it all. And that’s really about it. No real interesting buildings except for gyms and Rose Tower (and I guess technically the hotels), no extraneous locations that aren’t directly related to the plot or to gimmicks - it’s very bare-bones and really can take you out of the experience.

In a hard contrast, I’ll give the example of Generation 1’s region set up - every city has its own personality that also matches the feel of the region as a whole. Every city is based on colors, and each city is themed after that, respectively (i.e. Vermillion City, the city of sunsets themed around the color orange, is home to the Pokemon Fan Club and the kick-ass electric-type gym that initiates feelings of excitement; Lavender Town, the noble town themed around the color purple, is home to the Pokemon Tower and spooky spirits that inspire feelings of somberness and reticence). Obviously, this isn’t very realistic, but the trick isn’t to replicate reality - it is to inspire reality. The Kanto region is incredibly creative, and therefore is easy to immerse oneself into the world because it’s become a world we are actively interested in. We know that it could never truly be real or plausible, but that hardly matters when we are so enthralled with the colors and set-up and feeling of the towns. We don’t really get much of that in Galar. It probably isn’t such a great idea for your final city - being Wyndon - to feel blank and lifeless when compared to minor cities in the region. And even when we find cities that hold that uniqueness we desire like in Spikemuth or Ballonlea, there’s really no other reason to be there longer than just beating the gym. It’s sad, really. Spikemuth is such a interesting, creative-looking town home to such cool characters, and yet there literally is only one path to get in and out of the town - the town isn’t even given small houses to investigate like literally every other city in the region. It’s a waste of potential! The fact that I can’t investigate such a promising setting that inspires me really takes me out of the world, reminding me that this is just a video game in which you move from Point A to Point B. It’s no longer a fantasy world for me to explore, but instead a line at the DMV to get my Drivers’ License. The only real good thing about this is that fanfiction writers get so much free-reign when it comes to writing about the city - the only thing we really learn about the city is that it’s underfunded and gloomy and that’s literally it. I would have really liked to see more inspired cities around the region where things outside of the main plot can be done, but hopefully this is just a problem we’ll see in this region.

Probably the most important aspect of immersion (in my opinion) is the music. With the potential to make or break a game for me, I hold a lot of expectations on the music found in video games (I’ve been classically trained in music since elementary school, and have always had a fondness for video game music). Pokemon music has always been some of the most inspiring pieces of art in my life - whether it be the kickass battle suite of Champion Cynthia, or the somber piano melody of Emma’s Theme, the music of Pokemon has always been the first thing I notice and analyze whenever playing the latest title. That all being said, I have quite a few notes to make in regards to the soundtrack of SWSH.

I’ll start with the pros, first. Generally, every main title has had its own feel when it comes to the soundtrack - DPP was jazzy and smooth, Sun and Moon was based on popular Hawaiian music meshed together with classic Pokemon synths, RSE was all about the horn section (trombones and french horns all the way!). SWSH, at the end of the day, isn’t much different. The region is inspired by the UK, so it’s no surprise to discover that the soundtrack was inspired by popular British Rock. As a result, a lot of themes went really hard, keeping a hint of individuality even when some battle themes hosted similar instruments. The biggest appeal of the soundtrack, I believe, was found in the little moments, namely the cheers of the gym battle themes. I think it’s safe to say that most people get super hyped when they hear those rhythmical chants coming to life whenever in the final leg of the battle, right when you begin to Dynamax. That’s amazingly exciting, never failing to suck me into that exact moment to gather the power of God and anime to defeat my opponent. While I wasn’t totally rocking out to every single song that came on, I was pretty satisfied with the music of SWSH, overall. It’s not too bad, and hosts a few bops that I still seek out to get my blood pumping.

But, as to be expected, there are plenty of cons when it comes to the soundtrack of SWSH. I could go over this for hours and hours, detailing complex definitions of music theory and basic song comprehension, but I’ll just make this nice and simple: it was really bland.

Note that I said “bland” and not “bad” - the music is fine in my opinion, I just wasn’t feeling the same feelings as I had in previous Pokemon titles. It all felt like Pokemon music, but not much else. It was like remembering hints of a memory long-lost, but you don’t really care about to dig deep into your mind for context. Towns had music, routes had music, pokemon and characters had battle themes, yada yada yada, nothing really to write home about. If I had to pick a song that honestly, truly invoked emotions beyond “Oh it’s battle time, now”, it would have to be the Battle Tower Theme, and that’s most likely because it was written by someone else entirely (Toby Fox, also known as the creator of Undertale and composer of super hard-hitting jams). And the worst part is that I never would have even been able to hear the Battle Tower theme because I hate battle buildings (which is more of a personal problem, I know, but still). Honestly, I would have preferred hearing that theme as compared to Champion Leon’s battle theme - I feel like his champion theme was very bland and lifeless, simply holding all the required elements of a Pokemon battle theme just because that’s what has to happen. It’s uninspired, faceless, and corporate, only to be completely foiled by the unique blast of energy found in the Battle Theme, which just screams “Prove that you’re the best!” over and over to me (also known as a big theme in the Pokemon games, especially in SWSH).

That’s not to say that every other theme in the game was terrible. I much enjoyed Marnie and Piers’ battle themes, but for a different reason. As we know, Piers and Marnie host a more “punk rock” style when compared to literally everyone else in-game, a trademark of Spikemuth citizens. With their occasionally cold and prickly (no pun intended) personalities, their themes go a bit harder into rock-land as compared to characters like Hop or Bede. There’s no conflict of style there - it’s “punk” with “rock”, loads of guitars and bass with a hint of synths to keep that Pokemon flare, and fits a bit better in the setting of the world. Mild conflict arises when we start looking at characters who aren’t rockstars or idols - let’s look at Bede’s theme, for example. While it really isn’t a bad theme (it’s actually, dare I say, a bop), I wouldn’t exactly say that the resulting pieces fit neatly together like they do for the Spikemuth duo. Bede’s theme requires a lot of synths to accentuate his more flamboyant and immature personality, but also holds ties with the rock guitars while also trying so desperately hard to sound like a Pokemon song. Now, I don’t think “Pop Synth Rock” is anything bad, per se; I just feel like the added rock elements didn’t do much to add to the musical representation of our cliche jerk-face “rival”. It feels like the rock elements were an after-thought rather than a planned layer of musicality. I could really say the same thing about Hop’s theme, but then I would have to re-listen to Hop’s theme because I always forget what it sounds like even after listening to it a second before.

A big problem is that not many of these themes hold lastingly memorable motifs/melodies, which is a personal pet-peeve of mine in games where the music is highly esteemed. In pretty much every battle theme (except the generic pokemon encounter theme, which is the same melody in every Pokemon game, only with variations added to fit the music theme of the region) is just an on-going strip of notes that sound nice when playing the game, but if you tried to pick out the specific melody-line of that character, it’s a bit of work to really find anything. Let’s look at a more concrete example: Lusamine’s battle theme from Pokemon: Sun and Moon is up on my list of most memorable battle themes, and will do well without the extra influence of young me’s nostalgia seeping in like it would with earlier generations’ battle themes. Lusamine, as we know, was the elite antagonist of the game, being the leader of this esteemed Pokemon protection group who later is revealed to be using Pokemon for her own demented goals of perfection. Almost immediately, the player hears the signature accents of the harpsichord playing the prime motif before the piece digs into a full orchestration. It doesn’t sacrifice anything for the sake of “sounding like a Pokemon song”, nor does it sacrifice anything for the sake of keeping with the musical inspiration. Instead, it focuses on being exactly what it needs to be - a musical representation of Lusamine, hosting orchestra-based instruments (piano, violas and cellos, horns, violins, light pad synths, etc…). Most anyone can pick out a handful of memorable motifs from her theme (the main horns melody line, the harpsichord melody line, the mid-section cello and piano melody line, etc…), and those remain in our unconscious. So, it’s no surprise that when she becomes the “Mother Beast” later on, when the player hears hints of those signature melody lines becoming distorted in the madness of the new battle theme, it invokes a particular emotion that fits elegantly with the subject matter of the plot right then. In short, it’s musical storytelling done right. In SWSH, we don’t have that extra omph of emotionally-nostalgic motifs; instead, we just get songs that play in the background of this video game, and that’s really it. If you don’t like the song, good news - you’ll probably only hear it once or twice, depending on who the NPC is. If you do, then you’re out of luck for the very same reasons. This game lacks a very basic hint of soul to its soundtrack, which is really such a jarring idea especially when you realize that they paired up with a composer who arguably has mastered the idea of musical motifs (Fox).

This really isn’t just SWSH’s problem, either. I also went through a similar heartbreak in S&M during the final stretch of the main game; after battling Lusamine and saving the region from the threat of Ultra Beasts (more or less, anyway), we the player go to challenge the champion, who is revealed to be Profession Kukui since there really is no true champion for the newly-made league. It’s hard to go from an exciting, powerful battle theme like Lusamine’s to some generic, cardboard-cut-out version of a champion battle theme for Kukui. It’s hard to invoke any sort of emotional appeal when there’s no real inspiration to be felt in the music; with no emotional connection, there is no emotion. It’s, once again, just music that plays in the background of a video game. A similar experience happens in SWSH with the player’s match against Champion Leon; though we have the potential to gain an emotional connection to a Leon Theme motif, we don’t get that. Instead, we just get music that is programmed to be exciting for our championship match that will undoubtedly change our lives forever. Bland, boring, anti-climatic - all for the sake of coloring in the lines. This has been an on-going problem in Pokemon games for years in which the Championship Battle Theme is less interesting than the Evil Team Battle Theme, which probably isn’t a good idea. It’s annoying when your villain has a better theme than the literal strongest trainer in the region - it ruins the chances of likability for the region’s “good guys” and overall is anti-climatic when it is finally time to become champion.

Overall, the ability to immerse someone like me in a game is very important when it comes to retaining players. While SWSH isn’t the worst Pokemon game when it comes to immersion (considering the fact that I actually beat the main game, which I can’t say for other main Pokemon titles…), Game Freak certainly could stand to learn from the game’s shortcomings.

Creature and Character Design...

The monster design is arguably one of the most controversial topics when it comes to any Pokemon game. Some people only care about the designs of Gen 1, others accept everything but Gen 5, and a select few could rant for hours on the stupidity of literally every Pokemon design in the franchise. Regardless, the design of the Pokemon native to the Galar region is an important topic of discussion when analysing the potential for enjoyment of the game. After all, I’m an artist who loves drawing all my favorite characters as well as my favorite Pokemon, so understanding the designs of these beloved figures is vital to understanding the game in general. For sanity’s sake, I’ll only be discussing new Pokemon introduced in this region, and will be ignoring all previous pokemon that aren’t regional variants.

Overall, the designs of the latest Pokemon are satisfactory. Because of my tendency to always suspend belief in fantasy works, I’ve very rarely had much to hate about Pokemon designs (not even in Gen 5, though I don’t particularly like any of them aside from the game cover legendaries). SWSH didn’t really bring much to the table when it comes to brand-new Pokemon, but the ones introduced are fitting and interesting: the Dragapult line, all three starters (even if I did laugh for literal hours at the discovery of Cinderace’s typing), Wooloo and Dubwool, Yamper and Boltund - just to name my top favorites. And I was totally invested in the designs of the game cover legendaries, Zamazenta and Zacian, since they held cultural relations with the region’s inspiration and therefore had actual meaning within the game besides just being cool mythical creatures. Nothing really outright bothered me with the designs or pokemon choices in this game; as I mentioned earlier, I was okay with the idea of no National Dex for this region, and that all the pokemon allowed in this game matched with the region well-enough.

But, of course, it’s not without faults. I found there to be a substantial lack of original legendaries in this game - we only have three real legendaries to catch in the main-game, four if you consider the DLC. We had a similar problem in Pokemon: Sun and Moon, but it was later amended with the introduction of Ultra Beasts (which can technically be regarded as legendary Pokemon, albeit from another dimension and not technically Pokemon). In SWSH, we are only given the option of catching more than two legendaries if we buy the DLC - this is remarkably disappointing for those who are interested in seeing new, unique Pokemon designs. I know many fans are constantly frustrated with Game Freak’s tendency to overuse Gen 1 Pokemon, but the fact that nobody is bothered by the running trend of being able to easily catch a bunch of previous games’ legendaries is beyond me. It’s essentially the same thing, overly relying on the fanbase’s sentimental nostalgia rather than moving forward to create new creature designs. I know for a fact that so many people would have been excited to catch Pokemon with cultural significance (maybe like elf Pokemon that resemble that of Seelie/Unseelie fairies, or more Pokemon that resemble chess pieces, or maybe more Pokemon that follow a theme of medieval artifacts - there are many possibilities), so the fact that they skimped out in favor of making people pay for nostalgia is ridiculous to me. This was a majority of the reason why I rejected buy any of the DLC content - why would I pay for Pokemon I’ve technically caught before? I mean, I guess it can be more for the kids who have never encountered the older legendaries, but then again, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for your game to have Pokemon that actually represent the new region? Instead of just stealing other games’ legendaries for the sake of saying that you have them, they could have just worked a little harder to design maybe three or six more cool legendary designs and centered those guys around the two DLC locations instead of just having Calyrex for The Crown Tundra. At the end of the day, it’s really just a cash-grab; the only reason I could ever see myself understandably buying the DLC for SWSH would be because I wanted to interact more with my favorite NPCs, but then again, I can just look at screenshots on Twitter and feel just as satisfied.

But not all is lost in terms of designs. Now let’s get into my favorite design portion of this segment and discuss the NPCs.

First, we’ll dig into the rivals. Personally, I really enjoyed the rivals of this game; while Pokemon is definitely running on a formula, I still was able to find enough about the three rival characters to genuinely enjoy their presence whenever they came on screen. I suppose we can expect to keep seeing this new Pokemon Trainer Rival Formula: Kind of Annoying but Too Sweet to Hate BFF Rival (Hop), 2 Edgy 5 U Rival (Bede), and Some Pedo’s Waifu Material Rival (Marnie).

Hop is arguably one of my favorite Pokemon rivals of all time (right up there with Gladion from S&M). He’s one of the only Pokemon characters to get a realistic character development over the course of the game’s playable story, which really humanizes him and makes up for his occasionally annoying personality. Over the course of the game, Hop goes from silently residing in his brother’s shadow to learning to stand on his own without needed any outside validation; much to my surprise, it’s not some half-hearted transition. Hop doubts himself during the challenge, as evidenced not just by his dialogue but in the way he actively changes his team to try and be more competitive like everybody else. I remember feeling so heartbroken in realization that Hop stopped using his beloved Wooloo, which is rightfully paired up with the excitable boy. The idea that Hop uses Wooloo, a normal-type cute Pokemon that generally wouldn’t be used in a competitive team, really adds more dimension to his character; when he learns to enjoy himself instead of letting his doubts overtake him, he returns to using Dubwool and his favorite team, demonstrating how he would prefer to have fun as himself than be someone he isn’t. I found that to be a really wholesome theme to his character, one that we haven’t really seen in a Pokemon game yet - it was a pleasant surprise! Hop is sweet and kind, always wanting to motivate the player even when he’s in his own internal turmoil. With all that added with his adorable babyface and goofy/awkward preteen disposition, he really makes for a likeable rival character.

The next rival to be introduced is none other than our classic Mean Boy rival, Bede. He’s a character the fanbase is a bit more accustomed to due to previous titles’ rivals (i.e. Green/Blue/Gary Oak from in R&G/B, Silver from SGC, technically also Gladion from S&M…), so are quite a few expectations placed on his character as a result. Also true to the typical Pokemon Jerk Rival, he has a complicated homelife (he comes from an orphanage, as we later learn) and has a similarly complicated parent-child relationship to the leading antagonist of the game (in this case, Chairman Rose). Bede constantly assumes himself to be better than he is and isn’t afraid to be a total prick about it, choosing to bully Hop upon winning battles against him to boost his own inflated ego (though there’s hints pointing to Bede actually having rather low self-esteem). All things considered, I liked Bede as a character about as much as one can like a mean rival archetype, but I was more than pleased to discover his transition to a more likably mean-spirited character when he later returns to the game to challenge the player after being disqualified from the challenge. While we’ve had a likeable mean rival before (namely Gladion), Bede is something of his own entity with how he actually has an attempt at character development that leads him to a mini-redemption near the end of the game. He’s really the first mean rival to have a transition from total jerk to slightly-peeved tsundere, which was probably a good idea on Game Freak’s part so that we wouldn’t be left with a character we downright hated after the way Bede quite literally destroys Hop’s confidence. It’s nowhere near as impressive as Hop’s character development (which isn’t super impressive to begin with, but let’s ignore that fact for a bit), but it’s still interesting to see in a monster-catching game about being the best you can be.

And then, of course, we get to the cute-girl rival, Marnie, also known as the place where I get a bit mad again. I’d like to say that I absolutely love Marnie; she has an adorable design and interesting personality that captures my attention whenever she has screen time. But she serves one purpose in this game, and one purpose alone - being the main cute girl rival of the game. Marnie has the potential to be a similarly interesting rival (cute design that meshes “punk” with “cute”, has a wholesome and fun dynamic with her gym leader older brother, uses a Pokemon that isn’t considered to be a “competitive” choice as her ace, has a cool/cute personality…), and yet we probably only talk to her about five times over the course of the main game. Little is done with her character - in fact, the only real thing she does in the game other than becoming the next dark-type gym leader is that she helps the player sneak into Spikemuth after the gates have been shut by the remarkably-harmless Team Yell. I don’t think I’m alone in saying that I would have loved to have seen more done with her character. With the boy rivals being more fleshed out than her, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth because the female rival is the one left with a blank personality (and I’m not just saying that because she hardly smiles - that’s really one of the only things we get about her that gives her an actual personality). My frustrations are further exacerbated because this has always been an issue in Pokemon games, in which the girl rivals are so barebones for seemingly the only purpose of serving as some neckbeard’s waifu that they can input a personality they desire despite the fact that she’s canonically a minor. Why put in the time to give dimension to Hop and Bede, but not Marnie? And we know for a fact that Game Freak has to recognize the lack of personality given to Marnie, especially since they had previously come out with Lillie’s wonderfully sweet character arch in S&M and USUM. Personally, I feel that it was because they didn’t feel like having a more punkish girl character who also had traditionally feminine-coded interests (she’s known to have been distracted during the gym challenge by the boutiques) and ultimately decided to just not give her any further personality other than that, perhaps fearing that it would dissuade the gross creeper fanbase from latching onto her. But that’s really just speculation, so don’t take any of my nonsense too seriously. Really, I’d just rather we had a girl rival with more personality to match the other two rivals so it wasn’t so annoyingly unbalanced.

Moving on from the rivals, we get into the designs of the League Staff of the game. In most other Pokemon games, I’d never really been too interested in the gym leaders; they had always been more of minor bosses, just faces that you saw for a couple of seconds before pummeling their ‘mons and moving to the next city. But in this game in particular, there was a sudden transition from simple puzzle master to a full-on celebrity figure. I really enjoyed this! It was so nice to actually have some information on the gym leaders other than what type they sported; suddenly, they have personalities and interests - they become real to the player. Not to mention that there really is a gym leader for everyone to enjoy, thanks to their unique personalities and styles.

I’ll be a bit honest and say that some of their clothing designs are remarkably stupid for even an anime-based RPG game (I mean, I know we joke about Leon’s terrible sense of fashion in the fanbase, but can we just pause and ponder what Piers’ wears? I mean, a leather jacket with spandex? Metal boots and a work-out tank??? What is he wearing?!), but it isn’t exactly distracting. In Western cultures in particular, we can see a trend towards the glamourization of the “athleisure” style, or athletic wear designed more for everyday use rather than just working out. It was kind of fitting to see this be the primary style for the gym leaders, who can basically be described as hierarchical sports stars. Weird? Sure. But in the context of the world, it all fits together, and once again adds to the immersion aspect of the game.

Looking at our main antagonists, they are designed quite well. Chairman Rose is designed to be quite easy and fun to hate (at least for me) - he’s an important-looking businessman who’s very impressed with himself, paired up with a beautiful yet terrifying subordinate woman who does most all the hardwork for him (...actually, they kind of remind me of an antagonistic Cl. Mustang and Lt. Hawkeye from Fullmetal Alchemist…). They also had noteworthy battle themes that popped a bit more than other battle themes in the game.

While they hardly count as antagonists, I’d like to also make a brief mention of Team Yell. They’re more annoying than anything, which is a trend that I’m not too sure how I feel about yet. It was definitely more likable coming from Team Skull, that’s for sure. I would have liked Team Yell doing a bit more damage, having them be a bit more unruly and controversial before evening them out with the whole emotional appeal of them cheering on for Marnie in hopes of saving their ruined town. But they weren’t too terrible in my opinion.

I could talk for hours on the champion of the region, too, Champion Leon. He’s a really fun and charming character overall, less of the supremely wise and powerful champion that we’ve seen in older gens and instead being a more quirky but worthwhile opponent on the path towards the crown. But I definitely preferred him more as a character than as a champion; even though his team changes depending on your starter, it’s not too challenging of a fight if you know what you’re doing, especially when you immediately know what his ace pokemon is (something we don’t really learn in other gens about the champions). While I’m sure the idea of a powerful but transparent champion can be done, Leon doesn’t really stand up as a powerful trainer when compared to other champions in the franchise. But he’s definitely still a fun, interesting character concept that I am grateful for in this particular game.

When it comes to the designs of the primary NPCs and Pokemon, SWSH continues to talk that line just above mediocrity. Not too bad, not all that great, but definitely not something to be forgotten. I’d reason that the primary strength of this generation lies within the characters that are introduced.

Uniqueness vs. Status as a Pokemon Game...

In regards to the uniqueness - how well this game stands on its own as an individual concept rather than just another Pokemon game - I’m a bit divided. On one hand, I’m a bit saddened by the watering down of content and constant reliance on concepts from older games. But I can also see that SWSH introduced a lot of interesting ideas that have inspired so many fans for this generation. And while yes, this gen didn’t have much to offer in terms of new Pokemon, new scenarios, or new lore, I do think that it does hold its own when compared to the other games in the main series. New characters are introduced to the player, all of which having good (and bad) traits that allow for lots of fan-created content with their essence; a new look into a brand-new battle enhancer that requires a different strategy than those of previous battle enhancers; a new culture found within the Galar region that can inspire many more thoughts and theories on the Pokemon world as a whole in a number of ways. We cannot pretend that SWSH isn’t an influential game just because it wasn’t ground-breaking; even with my extreme distaste for the Black and White games, I still admit that they led to important decisions and ideas that led to the creation of games I did enjoy. So, as its own entity, I think that Pokemon: Sword and Shield really has a lot of offer and would probably be an amazing game for a younger player who’s just getting into the Pokemon universe.

But I think that a lot of us long-time fans can agree that this game doesn’t quite match up with the others in terms of giving those real “Pokemon game” feelings. The problem with big-titles like this is that the company tends to lose sight of what really makes a franchise so influential isn’t the stuff found at face-value. It’s not the creatures or NPCs or game mechanics or design or any of that garbage - it’s the feelings we get when all of those things reach that perfect harmony. It’s the rumble in my chest whenever I listen to that famous intro-sequence of my old Pokemon: Ruby game; it’s the fire in my eyes when I went back to challenge Pokemon Trainer Red for the tenth time that night back in my old Pokemon: Heart Gold game; it’s the tears I cried when I watched the only interesting character, N, leave my playable character after his emotional spiel following the defeat of Ghetsis in my long-since abandoned copy of Pokemon: White. At the end of the day, Pokemon is more of an emotion I get rather than a game I play, and I think this is an idea that few people can recognize for themselves. And while I’m aware that I literally just spent several thousand words bagging and praising this game for all those face-value aspects, I also know that when you add that extra little bit of care to your work, go a little further with a character you know someone will adore, or try something new with that new battle theme, there comes a sensation that goes beyond that of love for a silly fantasy game. I’d like to think it’s something akin to inspiration.

Conclusion...

In conclusion, Pokemon: Sword and Shield is far from perfect. With a number of faults and disappointments, I can understand why a lot of fans were less than interested in giving this game the time of day. But I also want to say that this game deserves to be understood and appreciate for what it is, for what it’s done. Who knows what sort of new ideas this game has inspired? Whether it be in the name Pokemon game or someone else’s passion project, I am confident in the potential that this game has to bring someone’s dreams to fruition. It already has inspired so much amazing fan-content from the community; after so many years of being away from the fandom, SWSH was the game that drove me right back, giving me the drive to once again indulge in my middle-school days of sketching out my latest comfort character or writing out a million headcanons in a way-too plot-heavy story. Many fan-creators in this community feel the same as me, I’m sure, so it would be untrue of me to say that this game was anything less than what it was: a fun, simple game that prides itself in its characters and potential rather than complex combat mechanics or some corkboard-plot nightmare. It’s a game meant to be enjoyed, so we must remember to find our enjoyment wherever it can be found. For me, Pokemon can’t really do much wrong, but also is held up to a level of expectations that I can’t quite understand even for myself. This, at the end of the day, is a video game from my all-time favorite franchise; so long as I can find enjoyment there in it, then it’s worth it. In a world filled with nihilism and cynicism, it’s nice to visit a land where you’re wise to try and be the very best like no-one ever was, to be the next best Pokemon Master.

#pokemon #Pokemon Sword and shield #pokemon swsh #swsh #sword and shield #game review #game #analysis #review #post mortem #(does this count as post mortem???) #casual gamer #essay #video game #food for thought

[call-me-gatt]

Roleplay Rules/Guidelines

I realized that I didn’t have one of these posts on my blog, so I figured I should probably put something together so it didn’t become a possible problem in the future. That being said, the following are the rules and/or guidelines to role-playing with me on my blog. Or, things to know just in general.

This is a heavily headcanon based blog for Velvet from Hazbin Hotel- (created by Vivziepop) I will be using my own personal headcanons and ideas for my version/depiction of her, as well as the small tidbits of information given to us during the official streams. This is because, as most of us know, Vel only got about 5 seconds of screen-time.

This blog is also mildly/moderately selective. I’m willing to RP with almost anyone, however. Though if you’re attempting to do something crossover related, you might have to explain to me what fandom or verse your character is from. Or, if you’re a multi-muse blog you may have to explain which character you’re using at the time. The usual.

I prefer to use paragraphs and longer structures when I roleplay. Maybe not necessarily a novel’s worth, but at least 2-3 well written paragraphs. I will, however, shorten it down if you don’t really provide anything on your end. Roleplaying with someone is a little difficult when they don’t give you anything to work with. That being said, the *actions* roleplay style gets on my nerves and I really don’t think I can handle it for too long.

I’m not gonna focus on shipping, but if it fits? Hell yea, I’m down for it. If that’s your intention, however, drop by my DM’s (not my askbox, my DM’S) and lemme know! However, when it does come down to shipping I may or may not have a few favorites that I won’t mention here.

I do like to under-complicate things. I don’t like to mess with the icons and fancy formatting or fancy texts because it’s honestly not worth the hassle, in my opinion. If you wanna do it, go for it! I just don’t wanna mess with them lol. (God knows that if I used icons I’d lose the entire folder of them)

Do not ask me to RP anything fully NSFW with you. Sure, making a suggestive comment/passing tease in a storyline is a bit different than a full on sexual thread. Those are more fun to do in private with people I actually know and am comfortable with. You’re better off sending one-off asks than a full sexual starter. I will not respond to it.

If you’re interested in interacting with me, message me or send me an ask please! Or, make a starter/new text post and tag me in it. I also don’t mind prompts from those reblog memes I like so much. (Regarding the memes, I do like reblog karma, as well. Not always, but on the occasion.)

Not all of my RPs are going to be in the same world/verse. Don’t worry about conflicting with someone else on my page.

If I forget to reply, just poke me in my DMs! Sometimes I forget-

Keep in mind that I am using this blog to develop my interpretation of Velvet herself as well! Things may change in the future. Not enough to cause problems, I hope, but they may.

This blog is independent! I have this one and sideblog that I shitpost on, but this one is my main blog. This is where I am most active and as of now Velvet is my only muse. Whether or not this is going to change in the future I don’t know for sure.

If I follow you, know that either I wish to roleplay with you in the future, or you consistently post things that I enjoy. I very rarely follow people just because.

SIDE NOTES: 1. If you wanna follow my side-posting blog; @aphelixnn (lol self promo) 2. If you wish to interact and you have one of these rules pages you’d like me to look at, please send them to me! I’d like to be able to actually find them.

#admin speaks #ooc #blog guidelines #blog rules #kinda wordy #excusi mi

[jennserr]

8 people I’d like to know better!

thanks for the tag @nonchalantxfish <3 (and for the implied reminder that i need to catch up on RPR, god it’s been too long since i’ve read any of it) but now i’m left with the same conundrum you had ;-; this is like submitting to the mortifying ordeal of being known, but instead like, the mortifying ordeal of knowing other people. although, i mean, it really is being known as well, since that’s the whole point of this meme. i’m rambling aren’t i.

ANYWAYS, no pressure on anyone i tag to do this, 

@joking611 @n0rmandysr1 we’ve been mutuals for a good while now i think but like (and this is 90% bc i have the memory of a goldfish) i feel like i don’t know much about yall? beyond mass effect and your respective fics anyway (which, fucking hell i really need to get around to reading)

@beckily i know we dm each other a fair bit but i think it’d be cool to do this (also this is my sort of apology for not yet getting to the LLM you tagged me in like a week ago ;-; )

@dr-hoffmans-mechanic @fade-footprints @jt-boi-n7 it’s been a good few months (or more) and i’ve seen yall on my dash a lot so hey any excuse to get to know yall more 

@galacticgreywarden @schoute so i just noticed that yall are following me but i wasn’t following you? i’ve since rectified that, but now i have the urge, the desire, the yearning to learn more about yall 

and now, on to the main event!

Name/Alias: so my real name is jennifer, often shortened to just jen, but more and more online people have been referring to me as jenn bc of my username, which, is fair tbh, and technically not wrong

Birthday: october 17, exactly two weeks before halloween 

Zodiac: libra (and honestly i actually fit it lol)

Height: 5′4″ and a bit, but for some reason everyone thinks i’m 5′6″? guys no i’m not that tall, only my ocs are

Hobbies: i’d say reading and writing fanfic, but seeing as i’ve done neither in literal months, well..... i do enjoy hiking though; recently got back into it after more than 4 years without, mostly because of a spinal injury i received almost over 3 and a half years ago. and i gotta say, it’s nice to be getting out again, and actually have confidence in my abilities. also, video games is another one, especially rpgs, tho overwatch holds a special place in my heart 

Favorite colors: would it be cliche to say black? cause that comprises at least a third of my wardrobe. a close second would be maroon, which ironically is the current colour of my hair as of like 4 days ago lol

Favorite books: bold of you to assume i’ve read a physical book in the last year so definitely Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston, followed by Mass Effect: Initiation by N. K. Jemisin and Mac Walters. sci-fi books about badass female protagonists that aren’t merely Strong Female CharactersTM? compelling stories? wlw undertones? sign me the fuck up. 

Last song listened to: Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko lol

Last movie watched: Shrek The Third! such a fun movie

Inspiration for muse: shit, this is a tough one. i don’t know that i can pinpoint any specific inspiration in the form of a person or event, but i know the conditions that created her. my girl Valentina Ledoux was spawned from, not a plot hole exactly, but a space i saw in a plot that deserved to be filled. or, more accurately, i created a space that she was the best fit to fill. as for her personality... again, i can’t really pick out anything specific. i just know that i wanted her to be everything i wished i could be, but like, more stabby. is it a self-insert if you project your fantasies of yourself onto them rather than your actual self? 

Dream job: fuck if i know dude. gardener? writer? photographer?

Meaning behind my URL: basically just a mashup of my names that i’ve stuck with ever since i changed to it. p much all my social media is under the same username if any of yall ever gets the urge to find me elsewhere

#original #tag meme #long post

[jungkookie-saranghae]

Some more counting

I saw a post made by @okaykookwegetit (lol love that name) and I thought I’d go a tad bit deeper because I’m annoying lol.

So I wanted to see not only Jimin’s time on screen but in comparison to not only the other members individually but as a whole. Now, I’m going to do each G.C.F and have two totals at the end. One with G.C.F in Tokyo and one without purely because Jimin’s time will of course be drastically higher if GCFt is included. And also if we see that Jimin does somehow have more screen time than his members...well...anyway.

Let’s begin.

G.C.F in Tokyo

Alrightie so the breakdown is as follows:

Jimin: 135 secs - 63% screen time 64.8% including Jk on screen with him.

Jikook: 4 secs - 1.8% of screen time

B-roll: 79 secs - 35.2% of screen time.

Yeah so Jimin was indeed the absolute main focus of GCFt. FOR SURE. B-roll didn’t even have a look in looool.

G.C.F in Osaka

So obviously it will be mostly Jimin and Tae with an even spread. It was a video with both Jimin and Tae so they would of course get equal screen time..

or do they??? Muahahaha (its late and I’m tired sorry lol)

Wait though for real Jimin had that clip though that will add loads of time so once you take that out its a rough split of 50/50...right?......wouldn’t it be?....

*evil smile*

Here’s the breakdown fam:

Hobi: 8 secs -  3.3%

Namjoon: 4 secs - 1.6%

All: 9 secs -  3.7%

Vmin: 45 secs - 18.4%

Jikook: 2 secs - 0.82%

Vminkook: 5 secs - 2%

Tae: 24 secs - 9.8%

Jimin (with clip): 65 secs - 26.5%

Jimin (without clip): 45 secs - 18.4%

Well would you look at that. Somehow with or without the special clip Jimin had the most screen time. Hmm. Jungkook hates Jimin I’m sure this was a mistake of course.....*cough*. I am SURE Jungkook did not intend in any way to give more than a quarter of the video to Jimin.

I am sure the next one will be fairer.

G.C.F in USA

Just would like to point out it should be G.C.F in the U.S.A but I’ll let it slide Kookie loooooool (I told you I’m tired)

So, lets just have a little refresher here. Jimin appeared in the last two GCF’s and took up the majority of the screen time. Jimin then reads a question at a fan sign asking about the next one. Jimin then says he is the main model (because lol he is) and Kookie in all his gay panic glory says “Hyung the model keeps changing” and basically says he’s not the main GCF model to which Jimin politely tells him to be quiet (you tell ‘em Chim). When Kookie says something confidently it is a lie and he said that pretty damn fast and confidently for my liking. But hey, I’m a Satellite so I’ll allow for error and room for my judgment being wrong (unlike some others *cough* you know who you are) soooooooooo this is after Kookie saying Jimin isn’t the main GCF model. Let’s see the difference after that episode shall we.

When going through this video almost every person had 2 second shots. I’m not kidding I kept writing 2 2 2 2 so I think Kookie really put extra effort into ensuring everyone has as equal screen time as he could give after the fan sign. And guess who had the longest shot on screen? Nope not his muse Jimin, nope not Tae either...Namjoon. Yup. The man who he thought was so cool he joined a company for, the man who he met and his first word were “wow, thighs” (I’ll never get over that story i love you Jungkook).

Namjoon: 15 secs - 7.8%

Yoongi: 10 secs - 5.2%

Hobi: 14 secs - 7.3%

Jin: 9 secs - 4.7%

Tae: 12 secs - 6.3%

Jimin: 13 secs (I see what you did there Kookie) - 6.8%

All: 62 secs - 32.3%

B-roll: 29.7%

So BTS as a whole was indeed the most important thing here and Jimin’s screen time dramatically decreased for some unknown and random reason. I am positive it has nothing to do with the fact Jimin was the focus so much in the videos, fans actually started asking Jimin about future GCF’s rather than Kookie the creator. I am sure it wasn’t that. Please remember he hates Jimin. This is clearly why.

G.C.F in Saipan

Now, the latest installment from In The Clo- I mean Golden Closet Films. Now all members were in attendance. It was a work schedule and again all members were present (I know Yoongi and Jin weren’t in it that much but I say were present because they were indeed there and Kookie could have filmed them he just chose not to) So I am guessing that Kookie will be nice and fair with his timing and give each Hyung who he loves equal screen time.

Namjoon: 29 secs - 17.8%

Hobi: 20 secs - 12.3%

Tae: 19 secs - 11.2%

All: 10 secs - 6.1 %

B-roll: 25.8%

Jimin: 43 secs - 26.4%

Total

All GCF’s so far:

822 secs.

Jimin: 260 secs - 31%

Out of OT7 GCF’s

600 secs

Jimin: 121 secs - 20%

Tae: 55 secs - 9.2%

Namjoon: 48 secs - 8%

Hobi: 42 secs - 7%

All: 72 secs - 12%

These are seconds with just that person on screen and no one else. I put group shots in one category “All”.

It is crystal clear that Park Jimin takes up the majority of Jungkook’s work. You can see in the drastic difference of a whole 11% between Jimin and the next most shot person. And remember, the figures I included here are with and without GCFt. We don’t even need GCFt for Jimin to have the most screen time. Even after Jungkook tried to shorten Jimins screen time after being pulled up on his preference for Jimin publicly he still manages to include him more.

Though I support Jikook i am not bringing a romantic aspect into this. GCF is Jungkook’s heart and soul. It is his hobby that he loves and can use to express himself. It is his work and we should respect it. What i have presented here is simply the breakdown of each members time on screen. Please do with that information what you will or interpret that information whatever way suits you.

Please excuse any errors I just got inspired and stayed up late so if there is anything wrong DM me and I’ll fix it straight away. I really wanted to make a graph and make it neater but oh well.

And this is my own personal opinion but Park Jimin is Jeon Jungkook’s muse and they are in love.

Goodnight.

<3

#jikook #Kookmin #GCF in usa #gcf in osaka #gcf in saipan #gcf in tokyo #bts gcf #gcf #jeon jungkook #jungkook #bts jungkook #jimin #park jimin #screen time

[kimnatozaki]

a gif tutorial! uwu

hello miss tumblr user kimnatozaki here! :) this will be an in-depth post of how i make my gifs.. i’ll try my best to explain the whole process but if things are still unclear, please feel free to dm me and i’ll be more than happy to help^^

before you start

the programs i use to make gifs:

• ps cs6 • avisynth - i followed this tutorial on how to install and use it but i’ll give an explanation of how i personally use it • topaz clean and topaz denoise - downloaded from here • kmplayer - when dealing with .ts files avisynth gives an error.. so instead i use this, record the scene i want to gif and then i use avisynth on that.. for any other video file i just use avisynth on it right away)

1. getting the video

when it comes to downloading videos, make sure to get the highest quality as possible! i personally would not go anything below 720p and i usually end up choosing 1080p even if 1440p and 2160p are available (just in terms of the waiting time for avisynth and topaz to load and such, it gets a little out of hand sometimes lol) youtube is usually the way to go and for music show performances, i go to kpopexciting or if the performance is pretty recent (as in within the past hour), i go on twitter and search up the date of the performance, the group’s name in hangul and .ts (for example “180429 트와이스 .ts) and there should be a couple of people who have already posted .ts files you can download (for twice content you can check out: zardexc and twiceneuproxima)

2. getting the clip

i’ll be focusing more on giffing performances from .ts files since the extra step of recording the clip is required.. but if your working with .mp4 files you can omit this step in its entirety!

open the video up on kmplayer and press “alt c” and this window should pop up:

and those are my usual recording settings! make sure to start recording a little bit before and after the scene you want (and i forewarn you, when recording especially high quality videos, the video will get a bit laggy but that’s because it’s capturing frame by frame but like the audio will continue to play perfectly fine.. you can always check out the result of what you recorded later to see if got the scene you wanted)

3. using avisynth

now that you have the clip you wanted from above, now it’s time to use avisynth! this is where i size my gif accordingly

with clips you got from above, i recommend using normalwebm (since the clips is already shortened anyway and for the timestamp, the starting time is fine)

if you’re not working with .ts files (i.e. you skipped step 2 completely) you can use normalwebmrange to capture the clip you want to use (like above, i recommend getting a second before and after the actual part you want to get as leverage!)

i follow the same process as the person i linked above once the clip has finished loading in avisynth.. for the settings, i always use 30 slow and debilinear!

4. using ps

now to actually using ps to make the gifs phew!

open up ps > file > import > video frames to layers

the final clip after it has ran through avisynth is usually in the temp folder for me and is almost always named “video” after selcting it, this window then pops up:

these are the default settings and i personally leave them as is

once it’s all loaded, this is where you can trim the clip! after trimming, in the right corner you’ll see a downwards triangle.. click on that and then click on “convert to video timeline”

now you want to convert everything to a smart object so you can apply the sharpening! on the layers panel, select ALL the layers (select the first layer and once you scrolled up to the very last layer, press shift and then click on the last layer OR up at the top go to select > all layers) once they’re all selected, right click and choose “convert to smart object”

now you’re left with one layer in your layers panel! and now it’s time to sharpen

i use both topaz clean and topaz denoise to sharpen my gifs.. you have to play around with topaz clean a bit to find out what you like as it’s entirely based on preference! as for topaz denoise, i always choose “jpeg - light” and will usually play with the reduce blur option to adjust the sharpness

this is the gif without any topaz applied:

and after applying topaz (the difference is not too obvious but the lines now look smoother):

after you’ve sharpened to your liking, you’re single layer will include the smart filters you applied right below it.. next, right click on that layer and “convert to smart object” again until you’re left with another single layer with the smart filters no longer being present.. click on the downward triangle in your timeline again > convert frames > flatten frames to clips

this is where the real waiting begins!!! (and my most dreaded part of giffing) as it all depends on how many frames your gif has it may take a while.. so this is when you could take that much needed restroom break or get a snack or even open up the psds you plan to use so that once topaz finishes running :)

after ps + topaz has finished running, your layers panel now has all the edited frames! as a personal preference i select all those frames and group them into one so it’s easier for me to locate the psd once i add it in.. go back to the downwards triangle > convert frames > convert to frame animation.. now you should be left with only one frame in your timeline! what you want to do next is click on the downwards triangle again > make frames from layers

always delete the first frame and you should now have the same number of frames you had when you trimmed in the beginning in your timeline! this is now where i time the gif, select all the frames in your timeline, right click and select other.. this is all based on preference again but if your gif has a lot of frames (say 60+ i use a timing of 0.05) or if there is only a few frames (30 or less, 0.08 or i’d sometimes even go to 0.1) and don’t forget to change the timing to forever!

5. colouring and saving

you’ve made it this far and you’re now in the home stretch! the last thing to do before saving is to colour the gif to your liking~ you can check out yeahps for psds too^^ drag the psd into the workspace that has your new gif and make sure it is above your frames in the layers panel

in the end i’ve come to rely on 1 of 3 base psds (depending on which one best suits the gif i’m making) and i just adjust it a bit to fit my preference.. for me i almost always go straight to editing colour balance, exposure and selective colour!!!

to save your gif: on your keyboard, press “alt ctrl shift s” in that order or you can go to file > save for web.. these are the settings i usually use to save my gifs! instead of pattern, i sometimes use diffusion as well :)

and this is the final product ready for tumblr!

#.txt #phew and now it's done! #if ever just come to me if you have questions and i can help you through it #gif tutorial #ps help

[markyishanthonymartinez]

2/23/17

it’s 1:36:03 am. i’m sick. i’m tired. but at least i’m warm.

i’m done studying but i don't really want to sleep. i wanna listen to sad songs.

i’m really happy with how our story is going. today was the bhm special and the speakers we brought in were phenomenal. i couldn't be happier with how it all went down. hella stoked. actually smiling ear to ear just thinking about it. yayayayayay.

hold on state champs isn't sad enough, changing song.

i’m literally getting a punch of upbeat happy songs, c’mon gimme the ones that make me wanna ball up in my closet and die.

okay at least gimme something angry. anger is like tough-guy sadness.

i’m trying to think of anything eventful today. thursday’s are just full of lame stuff. class on class on class on lab.

i dont hate lab being off-campus as much as i thought i would. it’s aight i guess. we ran into aimee, jeff knows her from something about a friend who does drugs lol.

anyways, lab was okay whatever i guess. i’m forever grateful alex is my partner cause we work together like two good-together-workers. (please don't ask much of me in terms of , it’s late.)

also fuck yeah, real friends - i’ve given up on you, came on this is like as sad as it gets, this is what i’m talmbout (that is shortened “talking about”)

i came home. felt like assssssssss.

not nice ass, bad ass.

but not badass in the good way, bad ass in the bad way.

i literally decided to nap, set an alarm, crawled into bed (fully clothed, jacket, glasses, hoodie, shoes, etc.) and slept for an hour and a half. it was much needed. i felt hellcka (gonna say this now) better after. i was stoked.

got dressed up hellcka fast (still looked fly affffffffff tho)

our story went amazingly, i’ll retweet and share stuff from it tomorrow or the day after or something idk. 

came home, ate pizza, studied, heard a ghost (was actually alex), listened to music, typed this blog, gonna sleep soon.

yeah

das my day.

new thing: gonna make myself post on 2nd ig account on the daily so follow that ish, promise it won't get weird. well weird yes but not like depression weird. well unless i become depressed i guess? idk nvm lol but yeah gonna do that.

new vlog this weekend.

final thoughts: never ever ever ever ever ever ever come to me if you’re upset and someone to coddle you and tell you the world’s unfair and you’re right and everyone’s wrong. nope. never. sorry. i literally can't be asked. i don't care if you’re my mom, my sister, my girlfriend, my child, my best friend, an acquaintance, idc fam. it’s not even about “tough love,” it’s just regular love i guess? like i’m not gonna tell you, “oh darn wow yeah that’s all someone else’s fault, you did nothing wrong to end up in this bad situation” no cause odds are you did. i’m not a dickhead. i’ll calm the person down, and help them assess the situation, but if our goal in life is to grow and become the best version of ourselves that we possibly can be then i would be doing a disservice to friends and family who come to me for advice if i eased their minds and sent them on their happy way. sorry ya fucked up, don't do it again?

my blogs are so bad lmao what am i even doing. i’d like to personally apologize to lori and angelique. sry. nerds. ily tho.

catch me on bee tinder sliding in the dms like: 

buzzzzzzzzz

dofunthings//staybeautiful

-mark beethony martinez