#this may be unpopular

[yooniesim]

I'm not sure what simblr's general opinion on this is, but peeking back in after my long hiatus, I have a lot of thoughts...

In my opinion, Patreon killed all of the momentum that ts4 simblr had pre-2020. I think we all know a lot of the bigger issues- permanent paywalls, creators doxxing and bullying, cliqueing up and sharing info- but I mean even besides that. I mean specifically early access, two to three week delays for releasing cc, the version of paywalling that most people (including myself) accepted.

It's good that creators were able to get paid for their work, especially during the pandemic. But I think, unfortunately, it had other effects too. I remember back then, being disappointed at how much was eacc, and that was only like 25% of the cc coming out, and it (almost) always was popular creators with high quality work. But slowly but surely, nearly everyone moved to patreon (which I've noticed has caused a lot of cc to be forever lost once patreons were closed/deleted) and 99% of the time it was early access or even exclusive. Many people started blogs with early access cc from the get-go, without having a presence beforehand, and those blogs seemed to be some of the most focused on blocking anyone that shared their cc. The cc varied in quality- it could be simple mesh edits that were still mostly ea, or recolors, or even just patterns sourced from other sites. It didn't matter what it was, it was just content for money, anything to pad out the month and keep patrons. Creators would do early access and then link the cc through adfly or to TSR or simsdom/simsfinds, one by one, even if it was supposed to be a pack. It wasn't bad enough to call out, but it was purposeful.

CC on tumblr became a business in a way it hadn't before, even with other paysites in sims history. And while some people are happy to donate to creators they like now and again... most people either can't or won't. Many simmers are children, and many simmers are adults with strict budgets, especially during the pandemic. And truth be told... they probably got bored. Because it's all terribly boring. CC shopping isn't fun anymore. It's the briefest serotonin seeing something interesting on your dash and then instantly flying away when you see you'll have to wait almost a month for it. And if it wasn't a creator I really liked, I forgot about it instantly after that... sometimes even if I really liked them. Motivation dropped. People stopped being excited, and stopped playing.

Nowadays, it seems even worse. Because the amount and variety of cc and creators has dropped drastically. I'm shocked to see 2-3 cc posts per day, if that, most of them paywalled. It isn't just cc posts either- used to you couldn't look in the s4cc tag for cc, it would be so crowded with non-cc sims posts, but now it's depressingly easy... and empty. Lookbooks, edits, gameplay, cc, it all seems more sparing. And you don't see the same creativity, the same fun random little items, stuff that was interesting even if it wasn't necessarily perfect. Or wild ideas or cc that would appeal to certain small niches. Because that isn't profitable, is it? When you need to create a certain amount of items per month at a certain quality to keep patrons and therefore income, you have to strategize, for good or for bad. Some people are able to do that, and while good for their business model, it limits what they can create and how much energy they can spend on each item. Some people aren't able to do it, and burn out and leave. Either way, creativity suffers. Enjoyment suffers. Creators leave from the passion being sucked out of their hobby; non-creators leave from frustration and boredom. And you're left with a handful of creators still going by their cc business playbook, month by month. But how long can those few sustain themselves?

It's natural for communities to ebb and flow, or even completely die out, but ts4 simblr had been going strong for years before this overall, even if it was in waves. In the pandemic, it should've flourished the way other many other communities did, especially gaming focused ones. But, it didn't. Instead it slowed down, more people left than the amount coming in, the engagement died down, and it seems like as a whole custom content hasn't advanced at all. Maybe it would've happened anyway, but I honestly think patreon contributed a lot. Also, ts2 and ts3 communities weren't affected in the same way, afaik, which makes me think it was paywalls even more.

Can it be fixed? Maybe. If paywalls weren't as much of a thing anymore- and I don't mean completely gone, but just a fairer ratio- I think it could. But now that it's become a standard, I doubt that will happen. I think most people have moved to other places where they don't have to deal with it, like discord servers, and simblr will continue to lose momentum.

It's good for creators to have the option of getting some income for their work, but I guess I'm just saying... at what cost? Beyond the monetary? If you're not super popular, are you even making enough for the added stress to be worth it? If you are, is this going to be satisfying and maintainable long-term, without burn-out/effects on your mental health? Who will pay for it when the number of players keeps dropping? And will this continue on to the Sims 5 community in the future? I honestly hope not.

#text #ceci speaks #delete later #ts4 #sims 4 #the patreon issue #this may be unpopular #especially with other creators #and i could be wrong since i havent been around for a bit #but this is what it feels like to me #long post #im just disappointed #and a little nostalgic #no one asked ceci #sorry creators that are actually great #and need the income #its all just sad

[the-sand-and-the-sea]

criminal minds not having hotch and emily get together is so wrong

#this may be unpopular #but i’m a hotchniss truther

[creepfactors]

a man needs a maid

lord help me because im having many a serious thoughts about them; i reiterate the slowburn potential is wild!

#fionna and cake spoilers #fionna and cake #the scarab #scarab the god auditor #prohibitedwish #prismo the wishmaster #prismo #ykno an unpopular opinion i have of them is that i dont think their exes... this may effect my future art of em so keep in mind #you ever think about how a man needs a maid is referenced in the episode crossovers and what exactly thats about bc YKNO... google it #the art factor

[love-is-a-pearl]

HERE THEY ARE!!! FINALLY!!!

My designs for everyone's aged up looks! As well as their bios here👀

#i can finally post all the drawings I have with them now #pokeani #anipoke #pokemon future #pokemon anime #aged up characters #|→ friendships are diamonds #i still have some things to include and whatnot #and somethings may change specially if legends za give me anything good like new megas but i doubt I will change much more than poke teams #unless the anime brings back ash then in that case i will just delete everything and sob in a corner in pure spite #unpopular opinion i want him to never come back #|→ pokemon: future

[hardly-an-escape]

Stormy Weather, or: Outside, the Wind (Inside, the Light) | Dream/Hob | 1600 words | Rated T

tags: I recently spent an evening without power therefore I must put the blorbos in a Situation, love confessions, first kiss, getting together, power outages, Hob Gadling throughout history, gratuitious use of mildly accurate Middle English

The wind tears around London like a living thing, a wild animal, a predator, intent on the hunt. It chases birds into their nests and people into their homes, moans around corners and rattles shutters, sending piles of leaves whirling into miniature hurricanes and whipping branches into a frenzy, sharpening its claws on roof tiles and telephone poles.

Except in Hob Gadling’s flat.

The New Inn, and the cozy home above it, is in one of those old buildings that’s actually been loved and maintained – thanks in no small part to Hob’s own care and attention. The walls are thick and strong, the roof is solid. The shutters may rattle, but the windows are double-pane; the curtains and carpets are warm and soft, and no drafts encroach on the sanctity of his living room, where Hob and Lord Morpheus, King of Dreams, are having a movie night.

It’s part of Hob’s concerted effort to introduce the Prince of Stories to the stories he’d missed during his imprisonment. Tonight it’s Blade Runner – the final cut, of course – which isn’t necessarily one of Hob’s personal favorites, but seemed to fit the stormy, rainy vibes of the weather. They’re installed on the couch, with hot chocolate and wine and snacks, which Dream has deigned to pick at. Harrison Ford is eating noodles and wandering through wet, moodily-lit streets. The wind is howling outside, but they’re safe and warm and surrounded by soft things and life is about as good, Hob thinks, as it ever gets these days.

And then his lights flicker. Once, twice; there is the impression of a sort of electrical last gasp, and the room is plunged into darkness.

The wind whips and the shutters rattle. A volley of rain spits itself against the windows.

“Bugger,” says Hob.

Dream says nothing, merely brings his wineglass – which had already been cradled in one elegant hand – to his lips.

“Hang on,” says Hob. “I’ve got some candles around here somewhere.”

He gropes his way to the kitchen. In one drawer he unearths some beeswax tapers and several tea lights, which he arranges on a plate. He rummages in one of the deeper cabinets and makes a triumphant noise as he discovers his prize behind disused mugs and a fondue set from the 1980s: a pair of old-fashioned brass candlesticks equipped with round reflectors, highly polished to catch the light and bounce it back out into the darkness.

“You are remarkably well-prepared for an event such as this,” says Dream, as Hob lights his various prizes and returns to the living room with his hands full of flickering flames.

“Well, you know,” Hob demurs. “When it comes down to it, I’ve lived a lot more of my life without electricity than with it.” He arranges the tea lights on the coffee table and sets the brass candlesticks on a nearby bookshelf. “You never really get out of the habit of preparing for the worst. Although I will say, these beeswax ones beat the hell out of the old tallow jobbies we had when I was young. Got ‘em from a local bloke who keeps bees not half a mile away, isn’t that cool? A beekeeper in the middle of London. There, now,” he says, and having arranged the lights to his satisfaction he plops himself back down on the sofa.

Outside, the wind wails. The lack of lamps on the empty street below and the gentle candlelight within make the night seem even darker, and turn Hob’s living room into something even softer and cozier than it already is.

Dream’s face, in the flickering candles, seems even more otherworldly than usual; and Hob, for his part, truly looks as though he belongs in another century. The very shape of his face has changed, somehow, into something older; taking on a new appearance in the candlelight the way a man’s tongue might curl differently around the syllables of another language.

“I miss it, sometimes,” he says lowly. “This kind of world. Before the wires and the phones and the cars. It was… quieter.”

“You speak often of your delight in change and progress. Do you truly long for your past lives?” asks Dream.

“Yes and no,” answers Hob. “Some things are better now, no question. Antibiotics, wouldn’t want to live without those again. Vaccines and X-rays and chemotherapy and antidepressants – almost all the medical stuff. Mass transportation. Cars and planes have never been safer. Honestly, I’ve never understood the people who moan about the olden days and oh, life was simpler back then. Don’t they know how many people died? How many kids? Because they caught a cold or fell out of a tree or had a case of the runs that lasted a little too long?”

He leans forward to adjust one of the candles, which is dripping unevenly, and when he sags back into the couch there is just the hint of a frown between his strong brows.

“And yet…” he says, staring into the flames, voice quiet. “Nights like this. I do sometimes think…”

Hob trails off for a long moment.

“There was a rhythm to life, back then,” he says finally. “You counted hours by the church bells and days by the tasks that needed done. And there was so much that needed to be done… cows milked and fields planted and clothes knitted or mended. And it was all so important, so… necessary. Regimented. But in the in between time – Christ! your time wast thine.” As he speaks, his voice has slipped into an older register: his Rs grown rounder, his vowels longer, curling from his mouth to mingle with the candlesmoke hovering over his coffee table. “I remember fair hours as a lad, even into my manhood, of which I spent lyende in th’ fields, watching ants in th’ grass. And later, too, we’d hie us to bed with the sonne, the fire banked in the hearth. An’ it happen that if we awakened before dawn, ’twas a simple thing to pass the time in simple ways, be it in prayer or in pleasure…”

The innuendo in his words is clear, but Hob is not looking at Dream; his eyes are unfocused as he stares into the middle distance, revisiting the past via candlelight. Until one of the wicks lets out a small pop, and flares, and he shakes himself, coming back to the present.

“God, sorry,” he says, voice back in the 21st century. “Woolgathering. I’ll go on for an age, me. More wine?”

But Dream’s eyes have also gone unfocused, his lips parted slightly, chest rising and falling with unnecessary breaths as he stares – no, gazes – at Hob. He, too, must shake himself into the present moment at Hob’s offer of more wine. He silently holds out his glass.

“May I ask you a personal question?” Dream says.

“Anything. You know that.”

Dream pauses. Sips. Outside, the sound of the wind has not abated; has grown, if anything, even more dramatic. There is the muffled sound of branches scraping against the side of the building.

“Why,” asks Dream finally, “do you pretend to yourself that you do not want me?”

Hob chokes. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Why do you pretend thus to me?” Dream pursues. “Who has known you longer than any being on this planet or any other; who can know your innermost dreams?”

“What do you mean, other planets?” Hob demands. And then: “Have you been peeking at my dreams?”

“I need not peek, as you put it, to see the truth of the matter. It is writ plain on your face and in your every word and deed. I merely wonder why this truth has hovered before us for over six hundred years and you have yet to press your suit. Do you doubt, after all this time, my affection for you? Do you find me – unworthy?”

Dream sounds, impossibly, almost uncertain. Even vulnerable. Hob sighs heavily and leans forward, elbows on his knees and face in his hands.

“I – God. Dream,” he stammers. “Yes, Christ, I am full of doubts. You stormed away from me when I implied you might be lonely, I… I have never, once, thought I had a suit to press at all. What on earth has brought this on? Now, of all times?”

“I do not know,” Dream murmurs. “Perhaps… this darkness is working on me, as well. Perhaps I am as susceptible to candlelight and nostalgia as the next anthropomorphic personification.”

He smiles, a little quirk of the mouth that contains worlds, and Hob leans over, listing helplessly into Dream’s space as the tapers flicker.

“Fuck,” he whispers, pressing their foreheads together, turning his head to butt his cheekbone against the sharp line of Dream’s nose. “Art thou rēal? Speak you treue?”

“Aye, my Hob,” answers Dream. “Min herte is treue and bilongeth to you.”

A sob catches in the back of Hob’s throat at the words. “Fuck,” he whispers again, “Dream, I’m yours. I am. I always have been. My Dream, min sweven, my leof. Alwei, allesweis…”

Their mouths find each other, then, finally, lip against lip and breath against breath. They kiss for a long, long moment, desperate and hungry and soft all at once, as outside the wind howls coldly around the corners of the New Inn, and inside the light cast by Hob’s candles bathes their whole little world in a cozy glow.

“Take me to bed,” murmurs Dream against Hob’s mouth. “Make me your lover. Show me how you pass the time by candlelight, and in darkness.”

“Oh, darling. Dearheart,” Hob answers. “Nothing in this world or any world past could make me happier.”

And he suits his actions to his words.

#my writing #the sandman #dreamling #dream of the endless #hob gadling #a needlessly complicated title for a truly simple little fic #I've already written this basic premise so many times AND I'LL DO IT AGAIN #the archaic English Hob uses in this fic is based on the most cursory googling #just tell yourself it's all over the place because historically English is.... all over the place #my unpopular opinion is that I think Blade Runner is overrated and yes I will project my opinions onto fictional characters #as usual this started in one place and went in another direction entirely #may post on AO3 tomorrow if the spirit so moves me

[dramaism]

baby yeong.exe

#alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls 2 #alchemy of souls: light and shadow #kdramaedit #kdramadaily #dailynetflix #kdrama #dailytvfilmgifs #tvcentric #userbbelcher #chewieblog #userharumi #userhannah #useryd #syaring #udeokmis #kdramagifs #mufaloedit #alcofsedit #may be an unpopular opinion but i’m enjoying this cute and naive yeong #she was so composed in s1 it’s fresh to see her like that #shadow assassin naksu is just around the corner so i’m enjoying it while it lasts #also wondering how she’ll behave herself after regaining her memories #how 3 years without memory will affect her when in s1 even pretending to be maid mudeok already affected her

[the-ratmans-shiny-rock]

It pisses me off that people won't shut up about nico being "out of charater" because he's not. He's just not using the personality that YOU made up for him in your head

You projected an entire personality onto him as a child and made him seem older because when you're 10 years old 14 sounds like an appropriate age to start acting 25, nico acts the way he does because he is getting better and it's apart of his process.

He's not acting like he has in previous books because he is recovering from trauma and 15 year olds can change and develop and shockingly do not have stagnate personalises

#nico di angelo #tsats #tsats rant #let him recover #hes litterly a child #the sun and the star #unpopular opinion #it may be unpopular but it is correct and this is the hill i die on #pjo #pjo hoo toa

[probablyhuntersmom]

"It's been a year, I feel so heavy... Mama, will this feeling ever stop?"

“Mijo. It hurts. But you have so many people who love you. We can help you carry that feeling and one day it might not feel as heavy.”

(Dialogue by @childlikegoblinqueen, with some smol additions by me)

#the owl house #toh hunter #hunter noceda #camila noceda #for Flapjack #toh edits #loz's edits #my notes: I may be having an unpopular opinion after Dana said Willow would cut his hair short again..but -- #I think he'd only make that step after he hits the 1-year mark. I've felt extremely similar numbness/depression that lasted almost a year #I'm not sure he'd have the focus to be proactive to change his hair so quickly. coz everything will be a reminder: he may not see the point #anyhow yea it's sweet to think of how respectful the others will be to him. asking him if he wants to take part during the first anniversar #the house wouldn't be decorated. he'd feel bad that they can't have as much fun as they apparently otherwise would #but obvs they insist they are very willingly dialing things down a lot and are also sad and grieving #but the key here is..aesthetically he's wearing a red sweater. that counts for something (thematically). for a reason

[the-badger-mole]

"he'd be shockingly smooth"??? We saw him with Mai, he wasn't smooth. 🫤

I think basing that opinion on his relationship with Mai is selling him short. That relationship was bad because Mai didn't actually like him. She also didn't appreciate or reciprocate his small romantic gestures. That seashell thing? Absolute gold, and something that just came natuarally. But because Mai had a bug up her nose it went over like a lead balloon. That wasn't his fault. Like I said, Zuko in a relationship where his partner actually likes him would be smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy. I'm basing that on how well his date with Jin ended once he got out of his own head. Imagine if they'd been able to go out a couple more times. Jin would've melted over that lil' seashell. And that's exactly why I'm baffled by the amount of people who seem to think canon Maiko was the height of romance. She didn't seem to like the boy, and he felt it. And he acted accordingly. He was dating someone just like his father. Of course he was weird and awkward.

#atla #zuko #jinko #sorta #anti-maiko #anti mai #zuko had the potential to be the smoothest operator in all the lands #but look at who taught him about girls #would you expect less? #i DID say that this was an unpopular opinion #doesn't make me wrong tho #mai on the other hand would make don juan look like an awkward schoolboy #she didn't actually like zuko #i will fight and die on that hill #and the show provides plenty of evidence

[michaeljoncarter]

i can't even pretend to appreciate all these girlboss redesigns/"updates" of female characters that seem to have had zero thought put into them beyond making her outfit more quote unquote "practical" anymore. like.. not saying i like the fact that every other woman runs around with their tits and ass out while all the dudes are fully clothed, but it's just like. please. for the love of god. if you're gonna redesign a character, redesign the character! don't just ctrl+t & drag the fabric down to cover her legs and call it a day!

idk!! like i realize this is a stupid, nitpicky little pet peeve, but there's just something so patronizing about someone resting on the brownie points they think putting a previously "scantily clad" female character in some uglyass pantsuit version of her original look will net them instead of bothering to put a little thought & effort into it and actually come up with something new for her? tits-and-ass designs are egregious & kinda annoying, yeah, but at least it (usually) feels like there was actual thought put into them lol

#this may be a super unpopular take i realize but its just....... rhrrgbnhb #going through the tpbs of waid's legion & there's concept art included #and the level of thought & detail is just !! #i don't even like this version of the legion that much but god the designs were so good #so very character-specific & made with so much care #whereas every rebirth redesign so far has just looked like these bitches went to h&m and called it a day #and it's extra annoying because these are characters that have existed for soo long at this point #like if you really just wanted to cover her up (which again. i don't even disagree with. at ALL) #she probably has like 376957656 alt designs through the years that you could pull from #instead of just taking the default outfit and making it boring hhrhgnv #it's so annoying!!!!!!! it's such a small thing i know but it IRRITATES ME!!!!!! #every day you see the most creative original gorgeous de-skimpified fan redesigns and then u look at what canon's doing #and it's just. the absolute least.... every time.... hate

[chiarrara]

i think its wild how beautiful and foundational the queer readings of jjk are considering how violently anti-queer the manga is in practice

#this may be an unpopular perspective #but it is fundamentally true imo #maybe I'll write more about it someday #along with Gojo's whole unreliable narrator schtick #apprehensive about itafushi's impending ending #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk manga #satosugu #itafushi #nobamaki #even #mahito #jjk eso #geto suguru #gojo satoru #kirara hoshi #etc #jjk meta #eventually maybe

[dmc-questions-anon]

Even if you don't agree with any, just which one do you think holds the most weight.

Full option 4: Vergil with plastic chair, child support, and Dante doesn't know what sex is aren't funny jokes anymore and haven't ever really been all that funny.

Full option 8: DMC 5's gameplay isn't all that great, the combat is really fun, but it's better when you had to run around and collect items to progress like in the older game's and they should go back to that.

Reminder to be nice! Absolutely no arguing. I don't mind friendly debates, but full blown arguments will cause this poll to be deleted.

#Devil May Cry #DMC #Unpopular Opinions Poll #I agree with multiple of these and I'm not quite sure which one I want to go for yet

[dindjarindiaries]

#my perhaps unpopular opinion #of course disclaimer this isn’t true for EVERYONE who isn’t a fan of s3 #but this may be the cast for quite a few #the mandalorian

[stayatsam]

tbh nothing's probably a bigger honor to me as an artist than someone using my stuff as a style reference or even doing studies of my art. every now and then someone shows me something they did of mine and im like WOW!!! look at that!

#this may be an unpopular opinion lol #idc about someone *stealing my style* bc i dont really think thats possible OPINION #and when it comes to redrawing something i drew im fine w it as long as its posted with a disclaimer #one time someone did a cross stitch of something i drew in like 2017 and it was the most amazing thing i ever saw #so cool #once i got into online art circles ive actually noticed a number of us subconsciously incorporating each others stylistic choices lol

[svtskneecaps]

one last thing before i zzz: i kinda hope they never give the players limited canon lives; i think the immortality thing is kinda fitting. like "you can never leave," even if you die, you're gonna be right back here. no seeing your kids in hell OR in heaven because there's no afterlife for you. death is not an escape. YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE.

#qsmp #shut up vic #may be an unpopular opinion but somethin about it resonates with me

[oddmawd]

I’m not lazy it’s the ppls that only write female readers and gn reader are lazy

ah yes the people writing hundreds of thousands of words of tropes they enjoy for zero pay or compensation are lazy, yes, that's right, the hundreds of hours they pour into their work are the product of laziness, it can't possibly be that they just have

✨DIFFERENT TASTES THAN YOU DO✨

YOU SELF ABSORBED FUCKWIT LMFAOOOOOOOOO

honk honk honk how those shoes fitting btw? 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

#also calling people lazy is fucking gross #you don't know why people stick to one genre or style #they may not have the energy to write more than what they've practiced #also just WRTE THE DAMN STORY YOURSELF IF YOU WANT A CERTAIN KIND/TROPE #i write some of the most unpopular shit imaginable because NO ONE ELSE WILL #you can't just demand people write what YOU like #grow the fuck up and leave other people alone #WRITE IT YOURSELF JESUS CHRIST