#I have same face syndrome but also different every fucking time face syndrome it's so funny
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what if we were fucked up creatures but we were in love?
#kite draws#character design is my passion I love drawing silly lil guys#kunikida doppo#Dazai osamu#uhhh#kunikida was inspired by some mermaid/centaur thing and Dazai a satyr/faun type creature idk#:thumbsup:#uhh#kunikidazai#knkdz#yipeee#I can't draw Dazai's face + hair right btw#it'll look different everytime#I have same face syndrome but also different every fucking time face syndrome it's so funny#ought well#?:)#art#fanart#bungou stray dogs#bsd#kite watches bsd
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Love your writing so much! I was just having an idea atm, so I hope it’s fine requesting stuff
Reading the Yandere Springtrap series (which I really enjoy ♥️🙏), reader asked if he’s a person in one part.
What if reader wanted to open his face in curiosity tho? What would he do and if he DID open his face, would he sometimes scare reader?
Ooo I like this idea, thanks! I'll just turn this into the next chapter. I changed it a bit, and used it only as a way to scare her.
This hasn't been proof read, so it might not be the best. Anyway, enjoy the year late chapter. Also sorry it's not super long.
The new nightguard Chapter 10 (Yandere Springtrap x f!reader)
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The familiar footsteps was heard from behind the door. The sound of metal hitting the old, wooden stairs. A sense of dread often fell on you whenever you heard it. Maybe it was just as a result of him being the only person you've seen over the past.... how long? You couldn't keep track of time down there. No windows, no clocks, not even a damn calender. It was boring, the same old thing over and over again. You craved for something different, whether it be something small or dramatic.
The sounds of keys jingling alerted you from your thoughts, and a few seconds later, he appeared into the room once again. He brought some gifts into the room, like some new clothes he got from... some victims.
"Here, this should make you feel a bit better. I... I'm starting to understand how you feel now." He says, glancing at reader. Y/n noticed how his eyes You aren't just something I can use, and... I'm sorry."
Y/n sat their on the mattress stunned, what makes him think you'd forgive him over something so horrid? What he said about your family, what he'd do to them. You knew you were still falling down the hole, the hole of Stockholm syndrome. But regardless of how much you tried to push it aside, those feelings never fully left. You were afraid of them clouding your ability to see him for what he truly is.
"We had such a nice day yesterday, but you had to fucking ruin it! I was starting to like you, but in the end, I'll always see what you're fucking like. I couldn't care less about what you give me. You disgust me. You're a fucking monster, you truly are rotten inside and out. You deserve all the hell which you've been through you sick fuck!"
You snapped, every single thought, emotion you've experienced spilled out. You couldn't hold it in, you realised it was too late when you saw him rush towards you. He gripped you by the neck, throwing you against the wall. Pain radiated all throughout your skull, putting you in absolute agony. You cried out, afraid of what he'd do. That horrific, scary suit, the rotten meat that clung to the metal skeleton making you realise further what is in front of you. You now had a good look at him, how he truly was once a human. How did a person become this? Something which was flesh and blood, had emotions and memories, close relationships, was a fucking corpse in a suit. You wanted to know what was underneath, but you had a feeling you'd regret it.
He put pressure on your neck, you knew it was going to bruise. You felt his hands slowly put more and more pressure on your neck, making it more difficult for you to breathe. You kicked at him, but you knew it was no use as he was much taller and heavier than you. After all, he's made of metal, you never had a chance.
As your vision became blurry, you started to accept your fate. Freedom, finally. What's the point in living if you're going to be surrounded by the same four walls? You let your hands drop from his, there was no point in fighting back. He looked at your face, realising what he was doing. The defeated look scared him. Springtrap didn't like that look on you at all. It didn't fit you, it felt wrong seeing you in a position like this. Although he wanted to tear you apart, he knew that he'd regret it. Springtrap let you fall to the floor.
In a way, he wanted to let you down gently, but he was still frustrated and upset with what you had said.
"Doll... we had a discussion yesterday. You should know better."
Y/n struggling to catch her breath, coughing repeatedly, her hands touching her neck. He had slightly cut her neck from the wires which were peaking from his hands.
"Darling?" Springtrap said, looking at her bloody hands. He felt panicked, "Darling!" He wrapped his arms around her, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have hurt you. I love you so much, I'm so sorry! I didn't think." His voice was full of panic.
Springtrap stood up and walked to the bathroom, grabbing some medical supplies. He went back over to Y/n, seeing her still panting, not moving from shock. He knelt down, and opened the small metal box. He pulled out some disinfectant, then poured it onto a cotton ball. He then slowly patted it over her cuts. Y/n didn't wince from the pain, only staring into the distance. Springtrap then but a bandage over it, making sure that it won't come off.
Springtrap then held Y/n, knowing he absolutely fucked up and wasn't sure how to fix the mess he created. Y/n and Springtrap stayed together for an hour, y/n still not wanting to look at him at all. He disgusted them.
Springtrap started to become frustrated with how Y/n barely moved, didn't say a word. Their eyes were so empty, it angered him. Nothing he did satisfied them. They never responded, they just stared. It couldn't have been that bad, right? He's done worse before, why can't they just move on? He provided everything for them, he protected them from the outside world, gave them expensive gifts and love.
"Y/n?" He shook them
"Y/n, you've been silent for a while now."
"Y/n for fuck sake answer me!" He said making them face him. Even though he raised his voice, Y/n just turned away. Springtrap tried his hardest to not hurt them again, knowing it'd make things worse. He wanted to hit her, he really did. But he loved her. He wanted her to love him back.
"Please, just respond to me! I'm fucking sorry."
Y/n turned away, just not caring anymore. All the truly wanted was to die, to simply get away from here. Nothing provided them joy. They just felt.... so empty. They couldn't care less what happened anymore.
They just wanted it all to end.
"Y/n, you'll regret this. I'll fucking hurt them."
Y/n gave Springtrap an unamused glance, the thought hurt them, but in the end, they just couldn't do this anymore.
"Do you want to go for a walk? Yesterday was nice, wasn't it?"
He nudged Y/n, but when he didn't get a response, he got up and walked towards the door.
"Fucking last chance Y/n, you'll either fucking love me, or I'll kill your family. I'm not doing this with you. I'm not going to play your pathetic game."
Y/n just gave him a sad look and turned away, staring at the concrete walls.
Springtrap sighed at the response, then opened the door and walked out. He knew she'd hate him, but he tried so much. It didn't go anywhere.
----
Springtrap did some research, with the application for applying to the job, he found her address. It was so painfully easy. The shitty company had no protection for the individuals who applied to the job. At least no one would have any use for this anymore, besides Springtrap. Y/n was simply someone who used to be. People probably think she's dead. He wondered if they connected the dots yet. The workers knew he lived in the abandoned pizzeria. It'd be amusing if they hadn't. It was difficult to find the place while staying undercover, making sure people didn't spot him. It was late at night and dark, so it was unlikely. It was also pouring down with rain and thunder.
Eventually, he found the place. There was a crappy car at the front, the paint was peeling off and dirty. The overall house looked fine at the front of the place. The grass was kept mown, and the building looked newish, probably built in the past 5 years.
Springtrap attempted the front door, and it wouldn't budge. He then walked around towards the back, and tried with the door. He knew he'd have to pick the lock, causing him to sigh. He hoped it wouldn't wake them up, otherwise it would make things much more difficult and irritating. He had no doubt he could take them down, it would just be leaving the area which would be a nightmare if the police became aware.
Eventually, it unlocked, and the door opened with ease and little noise. Springtrap looked around the bottom floor, a few cans of beer was on the floor. He guessed the family was struggling. There were a few bottles on one of the shelves in the dining room. Some seemed to be half empty or less.
He started to walk up the stairs, hoping that he wouldn't have to deal with any creaking. Unfortunately, because of the suit, it did creak underneath him. However, there was loud snoring which seemed as though it helped to cover the noise, so as the crackling thunder.
Once he found the room, he looked over at Y/n's parents. "So you're the peoples she's so desperate for, huh?" He murmured under his breath, knowing it wouldn't wake either of them. Springtrap moved over towards the bed. He pulled out his knife, then plunged it into the fathers chest. The mother seemed to instantly wake up, but Springtrap held her down, slicing her throat. The father attempted to hit Springtrap, but that wouldn't do anything to him. He was much larger and stronger than the man next to him. Springtrap raised the knife, enjoying the fear and pain in the mans eyes. He stabbed the man in the head, ending the mans suffering.
Springtrap stood up, relieved that they didn't make much noise. It was beneficial having a thunderstorm occur at the same time, as it made this much quicker and less difficult.
He cut the heads off both of them, which was rather difficult with the knife he was using as it wasn't as sharp as he would've liked. He took note on doing that later.
He put them both in one of the plastic bags which were on the floor. He could hardly wait to get his darlings attention again. She'd be traumatised for a while, but thankfully she'd eventually fall for him, and be grateful for what he's done for her.
Springtrap walked down the street, the blood washing away from his suit. It was rather dirty, but he couldn't often do much about it. He knew he'd have to fix it up some day. If he was going to be stuck in this hell for the rest of eternity, might as well make it a tad bit more comfortable and appealing.
It took a while to get back to the house as it was rather far away. Once he arrived, he opened the door and stepped in. He had a thought of possibly cleaning the place later, maybe he could bring up Y/n. They might be able to live a bit happier. She had nothing to cling onto anymore, any hope of leaving this place. He might do some more research later into possibly any other family that may be alive. He'd take care of them too if there were to be. Springtrap opened the basement door and stepped inside.
Y/n glanced over at him, noticing tiny specs of blood. Most of it was gone, but there still were small stains. Y/n remembered what he said yesterday, panic instantly settled in.
"What did you do?!"
Springtrap smirked, "Oh darling, don't you remember what I said yesterday?"
"No...." Y/n mumbled, tears welling up in her eyes. "You didn't...."
Springtrap laughed, then dropped the bag. Both of the heads rolled out. Y/n instantly moved back against the wall, a loud scream escaping from her.
"NO! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!"
He grabbed her by the chin, she tried to turn her head away, but he pressed harder, forcing her to look at him.
"You have nothing left but me. You have to love me now. There's nothing left out there for you! Besides me!" Springtrap wrapped his arms around her. "Its just you and me now. If there's anyone else I'll find them. I will make sure you have no reason to leave this place. If you try to, I'll break your legs once again, I will make you so disgusting no one could ever be attracted to you besides me. You'll only be loved by me. I'll be the only one capable of loving someone like you."
Y/n cried hysterically, she didn't want this anymore. She couldn't do this. She couldn't live with herself. What could she even do? She truly felt as though there was no reason to live.
"Just fucking kill me, please. I don't want to do this anymore! Just do it already!" Y/n screamed, pathetically hitting him.
"Doll, that's not going to happen. Isn't it obvious? I love you so much. I'm risking myself everyday getting you new gifts to make you happier. I give you all the attention you need. You don't want to die! Why would you? Is none of this fucking good enough for you?" Springtrap raised his voice, hitting the wall right next to her head. Bits of concrete fell off onto the mattress.
Y/n didn't feel afraid, she wanted this. "You think any of this would make me happy? You ruined my life! You took everything for me! Do it, you freak, fucking do it already!"
Springtrap gritted his teeth, knowing what Y/n was trying to do. He sighed, sitting down next to her. "Oh darling, I won't let you get to me."
----
Springtrap kept attempting to get attention from Y/n. He wanted to spend time with her, but kept getting shut down which was making him frustrated.
"Do you want to go outside with me?
Y/n looked away, rolling her eyes.
"No."
"Want to watch a movie?"
"Fuck off."
Springtrap grabbed her wrist roughly, dragging her up. "You're going to fucking spend time with me. Got it?"
"Fuck no, why would I want to spend time with something like you. You're a fucking monster."
"You think I'm a fucking monster huh? I'll fucking show you how much of a monster i am." Springtrap pulled off his mask, showing the rotting face beneath it.
"Oh my god-"
"I'll fucking make you like me. I'll fucking force you to suffer like I have. You won't ever escape me then. You won't have a choice anymore, you'll be constantly under my control. What's your choice, hmm? Love me willingly, or I'll force you to."
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TGCF Donghua
okay so I've been watching this shit since it was released and I'm fully enjoying waiting for the weekly episodes and I wanna rant about it because I love it so much but I do have some minor gripes
Bad chuchu out of the way first
I am not happy with how generic and unoriginal the designs for most of the supporting characters. Like yeah they still look somewhat different but when the pool of named characters will expand it will get harder and harder to tell people apart if they keep on going with this route. Almost everyone suffers from same face syndrome which I know is rampant in current anime I just wished they allowed for at least more dynamic silhouettes, hairstyles, and color palettes. It feels like a more toned down version of the character design in the manhua. Lang Qianqiu in the manhua is so easy to recognize because of his outfit and pei ming looks more like the bastard he is etc. Don't get me started on the design for Kemo, the manhua felt eh I feel like Kemo was too pretty and too slim but in the donghua its just he's a straight up orc idk, i feel like they could've done better. Pei Su looks very generic, I think out of everyone he's the most generic looking of them all. SQX, Ling Wen and Jun Wu are the best designs for the supporting cast and I think Banyue is also okay looking cause you can tell her apart from the rest so far.
I am super disappointed in Qi Rong's reveal because it doesn't feel as impactful in the book. In the book the reveal of him looking like Xie Lian was so dramatic to me I was like oh my god is that his brother? A twin? a doppelganger? And then Qi Rong just kinda looks like that, tbh his voice actor and his clothes are fine I think they fit. It's just weird how he suffers from same face syndrome. If they made everyone look less like each other making Qi Rong look like Xie Lian would have been so impactful and a really cool cliffhanger but they couldn't do that because even fucking Lang Qianqiu kinda looks like Xie Lian with lighter hair. Also the Fang xin design is alright on the clothes but the mask gives off a bit cheap however I get that it can't be super detailed and it still does its job so I can handwave that small pet peeve.
Also censorship we couldn't get Xie Lian falling on Hua Cheng's lap and so them trying to make up for that was super awkward LMAO, they could have solved this by making SQX fall right on Hua Cheng's chair so that they could justify why Xie Lian grabbed Hua Cheng and throws him but they didn't... and it's so awkward...
I think it was like Episode 2 of s2 that the animation feels weird, Mu Qing's face felt off to me idk what was going on it just felt like something went down but the next episode it was perfectly fine anyway.
Positives!!!
Something the manhua didn't have was Fu Yao and Nan Feng looking a bit like each other, that was so fucking funny and it's a great display of how much they hate each other and live rent free in each other's heads ong. I love that detail the donghua did I think that's smart.
The voice actors are so great in both dubs they're doing amazing (I haven't listened to the jp dub) I have no complaints I love their work
ONE of my favorite things about the donghua is being able to see Hua Cheng's expressions even when Xie Lian is doing something in the book so he wouldn't notice. I love seeing how pleased he is every time someone points out the intimacy with him and Xie Lian. Like in season 1 when Fu Yao is shocked/horrified that Xie Lian shared a bed with Hua Cheng, San Lang puts a hand on his chin and looks so fucking smug and happy. This happens a couple times in s2 as well someone will be like oh that's weird you're so like this with Hua Cheng and he becomes a smug cat it's great.
Another one I enjoy is during the beginning of the banyue arc when Xie Lian reveals to Fu Yao and Nan Feng that he's used to sleeping in squalor the camera goes to Nan Feng not revealing his face but clearly showing his guilt over what Xie Lian reveals. That's good shit.
Lan Chang picking a fight off screen, also cool, love seeing her. I like that she looks inconspicuous so for someone who doesn't know shit about tgcf they will not see *that* shit coming.
ALSO the men look kinda generic if they're not the mls but the girls are all gorgeous???? like the woman who was Hua Cheng's speaker, the girl who led Xie Lian further into the gambling den, XUAN JI, Banyue all the girls are unique without being so ostentatious and I love them. If you put them beside each other they all look like they're own thing but still on theme. From clothes, to hairstyle and colors it's easy to tell and that's good design. I also include SQX's female form cause she's gorgeous too.
The donghua I think adds to stuff I haven't read I'm not sure if this is because I have a bad memory but I don't recall reading a flashback of Lang Qianqiu and the failed robbery. But the message of that entire section was so fucking good. The way that what Lang Qianqiu said about 'maybe he shouldn't have intervened' and the sound effects UGh. It's so good, i love how the book tackles the morality of everything, breaking down Lang Qianqiu's firm positivity and believing in humanity but still promoting being kind and considerate through Xie Lian. This theme still carries on in the show and I think they're doing a great job.
GOD THE MUSIC in the donghua is so fucking good, I love it. The songs, the meanings, the beat it's all perfect I can't say anything more.
even though i'm disappointed in the character design choices the donghua is very solid, I love it a lot. It does come off as very expositiony sometimes but I think that's very prevalent in Chinese Wuxia and Xianxia. Probably weird for people who aren't used to the genre but to anyone who's seen something like it, it's not unbearable and it's kinda necessary because of how the book is written. Waiting for wednesday patiently whilst i draw huahua
There are so many fun details the Donghua adds that shows that they know the story and where it's going as well hinting at character stuff, it's so fun to spot those. Like Xie Lian's reaction to Hua Cheng biting the bun made me wanna claw my face that shit was good af.
#just many thoughts of how much i love the series#tian guan ci fu#tgcf#heaven official's blessing#mxtx#donghua#tgcf donghua#hua cheng#xie lian
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On makeup and gender expression
I've never been a huge wearer of makeup. If i ever did wear makeup growing up, it was because I thought I had to as a young teenage girl. but even then, I would barely put anything on. For awhile, all I would put on was mascara, but eventually stopped doing even that.
I hated the feeling of things on my face. I also did not have the patience to make the makeup look good. Every time I tried eyeliner, I would get upset at it because it didn't look as good as other people's makeup. In college, my friends would also try to get me to wear make-up and I would usually decline but sometimes I would let them do my makeup. But I always felt weird about it because I always felt like someone else when I had it on. I think part of that was because I was ashamed they had to do my make-up because I didn't really know how to. An early twenties college girl not knowing how to do make-up was weird -- at least, that's how I saw it, anyway. Which is why I largely stuck to just mascara so I at least had something. Soon after college, I went fully without make-up.
When I dated someone for the first time at 23, he pointed how he noticed that I didn't wear makeup. At first, I was glad he noticed, because there was also an element of "i'm not like other girls" syndrome rolling around in my head. He complimented my "natural beauty" then in the same sentence said I should try wearing make-up sometimes because he would like to see it. This was a week into just talking to each other. he did not last very long after that.
Since then, I've stayed clear of make-up.
But.
A month ago, I put together this dark, Halloween type outfit for work, and when I looked in the mirror right before I went out the door, I had a thought that I hadn't in years, if ever. "This outfit would look good with dark eye make-up," I said, out loud to myself and to my dog, who didn't care.
Luckily, I had some eyeliner and mascara on hand for some reason, so I put it on. I don't know if it's just because it's been years and I've grown up a lot but when I put it on I wasn't all that worried about not doing it exactly right. And I was right — the outfit did look good with the dark eye make-up.
I've been wearing eyeliner, mascara, and even eyeshadow for the past few weeks now. I'm having fun with it. I bought lipstick today, too.
My point for this post is to celebrate that experimentation doesn't just have to happen in high school or college. How we express our gender identity shouldn't be an issue for anyone, regardless if you're cis, transgender, or nonbinary. Learning how to express your gender can happen at literally anytime in your life. For some reason, my younger self just didn't like wearing make-up, and that should be allowed to be okay. Because when someone does decide to switch things up dramatically about how they look, it's on their own terms.
I've gotten a lot of compliments at work about my eye makeup. I've loved getting those compliments especially since I used to be so concerned about my ability to make it look good, but I'm also trying really hard not to take it as "you look better with makeup on." It's a delicate thing to balance, but ultimately I'm just excited to keep trying different looks. I never had the confidence to experiment in this way. I'm so glad I found it, and that the years have allowed me some ability to not give a fuck anymore.
#makeup#beauty#beauty standards#gender expression#my bank account does not love this journey though#if you have tips or tricks please tell me
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8, 10 + 2 if you're feeling heinous 😈 24 if ur not 😇
8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about
well MY special little noble is actually the most inherently just and pure of heart and when they win the throne there will be a thousand years of peace. Wdym inherent violence of feudalism that's not real. And while there has been a downtrend in this belief throughout the last five years it HAS influenced a lot of other discource subtly... most people have realized that the way to start fixing westeros's problems is not thru a nice feudal monarch, but they dont understand that abandoning this framework for character/plot analysis also means abandoning a lot of other framework. In the arya v sansa wars people still use feudal patriarchal definitions of femininity to decide who is the Best Sexy Feminist (preteen girl). In debates about morality for certain actions people excuse things because it aligns with the feudal code of ethics- a deeply flawed and violent code. See: ned HAD to take theon hostage because well we live in a society. Like i think it's important not to hold characters to the same moral standards that we hold people in modern times to, because their circumstances are so wildly different, but we dont have to adhere to THEIR feudal values when analyzing them because its only a detriment to their characters. They live in a society but WE do not... cmon guys...
10. Worst part of fanon
no one fucking draws these characters ugly enough. Asoiaf fandom has a plague of sameface ig model syndrome and it sucks cause george puts so much distinct personality even in minor characters and then people are like hmmmmm what if they had the same button nose and good chin that everyone else has. Brienne is ugly let her be ugly!!! Arya and jon have long plain faces u dont have to draw the teen/preteen kids as super defined and striking! Let the kids look like kids. I don't care how beautiful dany is let her be a 15 yr old. OR the instinct to make everyone best friends forever and soften the complicated dynamics btwn these characters. like modern aus where the starks are the benevolent rich people who adopted theon from his abusive trailer park family grind my gears like hes a child hostage from a powerful noble house and u cant erase such a defining part of his character bc you want everyone to be nice to each other. Also related to this is people making jaime nice/acting like asos was a redemption arc or that he didnt commit some uniquely horrific acts in agot/acok. His actions thru out the last two books are not the acts of a changed man they are the acts of a man who realized he can make choices based on empathy and reason not instinct. LAST thing which is something i dont reaaaaally see here much but i know the cunts on ao3 are doing it: the post canon thing where people want brienne and jaime to get married and have twelve kids. Fuck you eat shit and die brienne is not an incubator especially not for that lannister SLAG
2. a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom
cersei is not necessarily my fave but shes a character whose sexuality i often think of. In canon the only time she's had sex with a woman she's topped and every time she fucks a dude she's disassociating so hard shes on another planet. Even when fucking jaime shes like imagining herself in his body fucking him in her body. In the bulldyke cersei universe he's stone. The pants stay on during sex and so does the shirt and probably also the shoes. Cis gay guy cersei universe he already thinks being gay is emasculating enough so obviously he's not going to let anyone penetrate him. Transmasc bi universe its like you've never been strapped until you've been strapped by a dude who's never cum once in his whole life. THANK YOU!
24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse
"Daenerys is basically george bush because she uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh well its a post 9/11 metaphor and uhhh well astapor is basically iraq and uhhhhh nuclear arms" "dany has never done anything wrong in her life and criticizing her means uhhhhh you hate women and abuse victims" "dany is a RAPIST and a RACIST and wants ALL BROWN PEOPLE TO BE SUBSERVIENT TO HER" "mirri maz duur deserved to die horribly for killing (checks notes) her enslaver" "dany is a colonizer (that's not what that word means. you need to look up what that word means)" brothers. Lets all link arms and kill ourselves
Jesus Christ this is long as hell. Sorry I got a lot of beef
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We would like to hear your thoughts on animation and capitalism
its mostly about animation BUUUTTTTT
on one of the last days of 9th grade, me and two friends somehow got into a conversation about how far strawberry shortcake has fallen.
like, for one, 75% of the characters were gone. there were like 5 characters remaining by 2018. we joked they were just dead. and the designs were getting much more mediocre and or bad, and were rarely actually good anymore.
lets look at the history of the designs, actually. shall we?
I want to not beforehand, she apparently existed as far back as 1973, but i cant actually find ay good pictures of it :(
Back in the 80s, long before I was born, she and her friends were mostly used in greeting cards. I think the character designs match this pretty well! Even back then they had cute yet creative designs, like PERFECT for greeting cards. They look like they would greet you as they ride their bikes to school in the morning. They look like they help their parents pick the best apples to use in a pie. I'd say its all a solid 8/10. i like strawberrys design the most tbh
she also had a tv series and there were actually more characters but this picture had the most
In the 90s I guess strawberry got a redesign? cant find any other info about other characters lol
this one is like a 7.5/10. only cuz theres like a LITTLE less personality
and heres my favourite! 2003!
This was one of the ones I grew up watching, besides the godforsaken Version That Will Be Named Later. Already you can see that these are pretty good. Look at that variety! The personality! Literally the only thing samey about them is the faces, but tbh that doesnt matter too much. The only one I feel is medicore is Huckleberry Pie because he looks like most of the guys at my school now.
This one? Like a 9/10 probably.
Heres 2007, with bits of redesigning!
Apple Dumplin (the shorter one) grew up a little, Huckleberry looks worse and now just looks like every guy in my neighbourhood, but other than that not THAT much of a difference, besides some hair style changes.
7.5/10 purely for Huckleberry (sorry ]:)
(Addendum: Strawberry got another design in 2005 but i wont talk about it. its a 7.75/10)
And now... we've arrived. 2009.
Prepare yourselves.
Jesus Christ, where do I begin?
First, let's tackle this new evolved form of Same Face Syndrome. You know how back in previous years they had very similiar facial features but it didnt really matter that much? This is just Same Goddamn Character syndrome. Literally they all look the same. Long hair, sleeved shirt, skirt, stripped leggings, shoes, headwear/hair accesory, with some minor aditions to set them apart in some way. There is no personality. Just sameness.
Second, their age appearance. They are supposed to be kids. They portrayed this well before now. The oldest she was back then was 16, and that was because there was a time skip during the 2003 series. Here? They are supposed to be 17-19. And I don't know why. It's weird to me. I didn't notice this as a kid tho because i was like preschool age when the 2009 series came out. Tbh it WOULD be okay for me now if they didn't look like Swifties or whatever. I want kid them back.
My third problem is what they did to the character Orange Blossom, but to talk about that would require a bit more detail into her own character design history, which I kinda wanna get into on its own post, so I'll just get into my fourth problem: the worsenning of Huckleberry.
I don't even know who or what he looks like. He's just some fucking teenager. His design tells me NOTHING about him at all.
2/10.
2017 series that IDK anything about, or even if it was made in the first place. There was a 2018 series too but considering it was just the 2D version of the 2009 one I choose to ignore it.
This one, despite looking kinda generic, is an upgrade from the 2009 "series". Everyone still has like the same body type, but they also have different hair and clothing! You actually have an idea of what they may be like! They also temporarily killed Huckleberry Pie and ended his eternal torment in design hell.
6/10 from me.
We have reached the final stage.
This one is the 2021 Netflix(?) series. I don't know anything about it and only recently heard of it. It's a small upgrade from 2017, but an upgrade nonetheless.
They, for once, have different face shapes. Secondly, theres more variety to the clothes again! Huckleberry Pie (guy who kinda looks like Five Glitch Techs) finally has a decent character design. The only one I don't like is Sour Grapes, the purple haired girl with the white shirt. She realy does look like someones niece Ashley tbh.
6.5/10.
And that's all! I wanna tackle the character design histories of just one person, mainly Orange Blossom and Plum Pudding (and possibly Strawberry herself) but that's too much to tackle in one post so I'll leave it here for now and make separate posts about them at a later date.
In summary, Strawberry Shortcake started out with good characters designs that got better as time went on, until 2009 when they went downhill on a 75 degree angle, but they seem to be coming back.
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hrt diary stuff (12-19-23)
a long time ago, i was a clueless teenager who quite literally didn't know what transitioning was, but i was dating a trans girl who styled herself "leeta." i saw a boy, but she said she was a girl. i chalked it up to a neat loophole and we had our little thing. so it goes.
leeta lived a few towns over - between us was an endless corridor of lumber forest, a dusting of industrial infrastructure, and the fred hartman bridge. the bridge stuck out in my mind for the sheer spectacle of it. i was infected with that same imaginative germ that haunts the brains of midwestern kids, suffering from a kind of ennui of the eyes. something about having nothing to look at but gas stations and used car dealerships and brookshire brothers and that ugly medicinal yellow subway restaurant just shocks the visual cortex into near-constant overdrive.
so i would get picked up by leeta and her mom, and we'd listen to the pillows because we were obsessed with FLCL, and these big process-planted trees would careen by, over and over, and they bored me, so i'd shove them out of my brain so i could hold her hand (secretly) and daydream and daydream and daydream
that is, of course, until we got to the fred hartman bridge. the fred hartman bridge, bigger than texas itself, bigger than god, reaching grandly, and yet with a kind of reserved stateliness, i thought, into the cloudless blue sky!
every single day you're under your mother's roof and jesus is king and you have to be somebody you're kinda not. but then you see this ugly-ass shipping bridge, and in sync you and leeta roll down the window so you can drive her mom fucking crazy with the loud whooshing noise it'd make, and while she fusses with the windows you both sneak a quick kiss and in your dreamsick teenage mind, it feels a little like crossing into a warm, lovely, different world
to quote neal stephenson: something about this bridge became the spatial lattice on which virtually all of my dreams were constructed; the graph paper on which my mind seemed to need to plot things
so yeah, a different world. it was a cool world where my totally lame mom couldn't tell me what to do and all that stuff - but also it was a world where i could smoke pot and listen to secular music, and i could also hang out with/date my friend leeta, who said she was a girl and that was perfectly cool with me.
i don't remember as well as i wish i could. i remember we played the same MUD (which is kind of like finding someone with the same name and birthday) and we liked a lot of the same video games and anime. she was good at dance dance revolution and could play it in those enormous jnco jeans, and she liked to use suave vanilla shampoo, which to this day still triggers pleasant memories for me. i do remember the long and melodramatic letters that leeta would write to me about what it was like being leeta.
some of it made sense to me: tidbits of rebelling against mom, being called "fag" and messed with at school, etc. etc.
what didn't make sense to me: the bit where she would start crying in the shower because she would touch parts of her body and they felt wrong.
i think i struggle a lot with impostor syndrome, which hits me pretty hard at work (i really do not think i am an "engineer") but to a lesser and more insidious extent, when i ideate body dysphoria
i don't think it's super uncommon for people who are transitioning to worry if they're like, actually trans or if they're just convincing themselves they've followed some rabbit trail of seemingly related clues to the wrong conclusion. i've had dysphoria that hurts but most of the time, it's just something that i only notice is gone - and that's where the impostor syndrome comes to haunt me, brandishing leeta's letters, shoving them in my face, conveniently redacted of everything but the dysphoria references. it doesn't hurt, i'm not crying! it can't be real! i'm a trender!!!
but i had a really nice moment today where i got out of the shower and dried myself off, and as i always do, i took a little time to look at myself in the mirror. my hands came to rest naturally on my chest, in this very specific way. i've been doing it forever, even back when i would have told you i was a boy; elbows down by my ribs, wrists at 90 degrees, hands draped across my pectorals:
something about this posture has always felt off to me - i'd do it, my hands would get restless, try to rest somewhere else, only to snap back to my chest a few times before ultimately giving up.
but i've been on hormones for 8 months now, and i'm definitely starting to change shape, and so as i was checking myself out in the mirror, it occurred to me suddenly that i hadn't had to move my hands because they had something to rest on. they were touching exactly what they were supposed to ♥
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I woke up to a few anon messages that came in batches at different times, so I'm not sure if these are all from the same person or a few different people, but I'm just going to answer them all here!
Questions and replies below the cut ↓
That is absolutely what I would do. I wouldn't even upload sims who use cc to the gallery, especially if the sims team/EA refuses to tell you what about your sims is being flagged as inappropriate by their standards. After a few suspensions and warnings they will go ahead with a permanent ban and from what I've found in my research, they don't seem to have a lot of flexibility to undo a ban once it has been issued, so you're right to play it safe rather than be sorry.
Thank you for saying that, I genuinely appreciate it! I'm so glad you stopped by for help, and that I could be helpful to you in any way. ❤️
I agree on all fronts! I'm almost positive there will be bugs with this new EP upon release, I just hope they're mild and managable until the Sims team can get out a hotfix. Just hoping the bugs aren't as bad as My Wedding Stories, for instance - that pack was completely unplayable upon release.
I think what we have seen of the build buy items looks really unique and beautiful. I'm always excited to see new traits, although some of them seem so pack-specific that I'm worried how they'll impact gameplay outside of the renter situations. I reblogged a couple isolated screenshots on my page that break down some new potential features - like a rice cooker, standing toilet, marbles and hopscotch for children (new child activities!!! Yay!!), and so on! The world itself seems immersive and different than what we already have and I think the non-American representation has been severely lacking, so it'll *hopefully* be a breath of fresh air.
Somewhat related to this point: the inclusion of a non-American world also gives me hope for the future. I'm still holding out hope for a Spanish inspired world or an African inspired world, but perhaps they'll incorporate one or both in the future. I hate that Selvadorada is a vacation world only!
The negative part of me kind of hates that this feels like "City Living: The Sequel." I'm curious how this will impact the already existent apartment lot types in the game. Hopefully it's different enough to stand on its own, but I just think we should have been able to create apartments all this time. That's the main selling point of this pack for me, and it would seem like that's the shared sentiment in the community as well, so that's unfortunate that we all have to buy/acquire a different pack to implement a feature that could and should have been implemented in another pack. I'm going to withhold judgment until I play though and try to go in with an open mind!
I love refreshing the townies, too! It's actually one of the first things I do when I start a new gameplay save because, like you said, a lot of them don't even have hot/cold weather outfits which is... well, it's expected of the lazy ass sims team lol. I'm not surprised. 🤦 But I can't stand seeing townies walk around in the wackiest outfits, especially the townies I really like!
I've always thought the community, by and large, does a better job handling townie refreshes anyway. I think every time the Sims team touches a beloved townie or alters their lore in any way, they fuck it up lmao. I would rather they just leave it to the people who actually care about these sims...😬
Thank you so much for the compliment, that means so much to me! I know it's cliché, but the more you practice making sims, the better you will get and the more you'll start to see your own "style" take shape. One tip I would give is to use real people as a reference: this helps avoid that "same face" syndrome you can get yourself into. They don't have to be perfect and exact to your reference, but you'll find over time that looking at all these different real people will not only diversify your sims, but also your ideas of beauty. You'll start to notice little things about a face that make it different - a bump of the nose, a slant of the eyes, pulled-in corners of the mouth, a cupid's bow arch of the lips versus a perfectly rounded edge. If you go to Pinterest and just look up "Face claims" you will find a never-ending amount of pictures with people of all different facial features, ages, ethnicities, hair textures, etc. Create a board on there - public or private (that's totally up to you) - and save all the faces you think are beautiful, unique, intriguing, etc. It helps me so much, and my sim style has really developed over time just by doing that!
I have to admit... I'm not a particularly fashionable person: I've been dressing pretty much the same way since middle school not gonna lie (think thrift store grandpa in band/graphic t-shirts and leggings exclusively lmao). So I try to think of the kind of personality my sim has first, which helps me pick an aesthetic style I want to go for when it's time to dress them. I'll think of questions like are they more alternative, or are they preppy? Do they dress for comfort or for style? Would they spend a lot of money on their clothes, or do they prioritize simple, affordable, staple pieces? Are they environmentally-conscious, avoiding animal furs/clothes that could be over the top but also made cruelly? Do they have a culture, religion, or belief-system that encourages modesty and head-coverings of some kind? So on and so forth. Then I might look up pictures or just play around until I find a few outfits that feel right. If you need inspo, go to TS4 lookbook tag as well- there's lots of variety and seeing how people pair some cc pieces might help your creative juices flow!
The Goth family will always have a special place in my heart, first and foremost. Naturally I have to include Erwin Pries (Strangerville GP), my number one silly goose, because he feels like he's mine. I know EA made him and we all have him in our games, but he feels so personal to me. I also love Penny Pizzaz (City Living EP) and the entire Jang family (City Living EP), Sienna Grove and Don Gooseman (Horse Ranch EP), Max Villareal and Lucas Munch (Get Together EP), Bob Pancakes (BG), the Vatore siblings (Vampires GP), Morgyn Ember and L. Faba (ROM GP - sorry Simeon).
Honorable mention to every Wildfangs werewolf and Celene López: I love all of them equally and could not pick a favorite. Another honorable mention to the Behr sisters as well: I don't play with them often, but I love their aesthetic.
Little blurb but this was such a tough question because I had to decipher between the townies I love because I have an attachment to them, versus townies I love because they're done so well by someone else (Gunther Munch by Ai, Hugo and Malcom by tricoufamily, and so on). I feel good about the above list though - I think these are my favorite sims that I play with based on my own attachment and personal headcanons.
Thank you so much!!! 😊🥰
It genuinely makes my heart happy to think that anyone will find joy in a build that I had joy in making. It's like sharing brain children, collaborating in a way - my build housing someone else's sims, two elements creating one story. Idk if that makes sense, but that's my favorite part of the community... just like, creating together.
I wasn't a good builder either, I found the mechanics really confusing at first, but it's actually become kind of a catharsis for my anxiety and adhd. It keeps me focused and grounded and gives me a task to direct my, at times, directionless energy. I also recommend using floor plan pictures from Pinterest to help practice building as well! I have a whole board of floor plans and exteriors!
Anyway, if this is all my same friend who came to me for help, I'm sorry I wrote you a book lmao! If this is more than one person, I'm also sorry all my answers were long. I am so appreciative when anyone comes to talk in my inbox, I'm so happy that running this account has helped me meet so many wonderful people!
Anyway, I'm probably too sentimental this time of year (lol). I'll wrap it up now.
Byeeeee! ❤️
#I did not proofread this so if there are spelling errors or grammar errors... sorry! Just ignore them if you can lol#afts ask#ask thread#anon
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Silly/Dumb Things that Make Me Irrationally Angry
disclaimer: the key words here are “silly” & “dumb”
The “Narnia Kids are the Founders of Hogwarts” theory
The “it was all a dream” theory
Thinking protagonist = hero
When fandom villainizes a character simply because they’re “in the way of a ship”
Character in relationship starts pursuing a different character (typically the MC) but doesn’t break up with the character they’re currently dating?????
Speed running enemies to lovers trope (that’s a trope for slow burns wtf are you doing put it down!)
Calling Disney’s Beauty & The Beast a story about Stockholm Syndrome
Calling any diverse media “woke” to undermine it
Misunderstanding how tags work on ao3 (particularly the / and & for pairings)
Misunderstanding the purpose of tags on ao3
Calling Lucy Heartfilia weak
Forgetting that Dick Grayson was a mathlete
Basing all of Jason Todd’s personality on his anger and ruthlessness
Misunderstanding Jason Todd’s anger
The DCEU butchering my boy Batsy
The “I was accidentally eavesdropping and left believing they were talking shit about me but turns out I missed the most important bits” trope
Being a military historian who loves the Civil War (I don’t trust you)
Using the word “females” to sound smarter (you just sound dumb also “women” is right there)
Spring Break being colder than usual (IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF MARCH IN TEXAS WHY WAS I SHIVERING)
Calling me by a nickname that I already refused to (you gotta earn that shit)
Ep 2.08 is never really touched on again after it’s “resolved”
vld’s lost potential (while i have made my peace, i will still bare my scars)
text blocks in fics
dialogue with no quotation marks
“Oh lookie, we got this wonderful fantastical world (that takes some inspiration from history) with it’s own politics and world building BUT we keep the sexism and racial prejudice bc the inspiration we pulled was medieval times :)” <- i will fight you for sport
mistaking rivals to lovers for enemies to lovers (similar flavor just R to L is slightly tamer. can they blend? yes, but they are not the same thing)
the blatant disregard for internet safety on tiktok (why tf would you announce your age, show your face, and air out your dirty laundry to everyone??? where is your caution? this is not vine, lil beans, y’all are stressing me out. did you miss the pbs episode about the dino agents and stranger danger??? or the fever dream computer game our 1st grade class had to play at school???)
if you have the sniffles, for the love of all things holy, please stand up and get a tissue. no one cares if you get up. i honestly prefer hearing you blow out your nose than hearing you suck up snot every 5 minutes.
taking the backstories told by Macaque and Azure about the Monkey King in lmk at face value (biased narratives are a thing! unreliable narrators are a thing! i will give the biggest sigh if Sun Wukong is placed as the sole character at fault in another fic i read with this)
“redemption” arcs
“sympathetic” villains
missing the fucking point about why Batman chooses mercy and rehabilitation over baseless violence (this also coincides with my issue with how some people view Jason as the Punisher 2.0 bc it suffers through the same fucking glorification of justifying apathy of human life and rejection of 2nd chances)
missing the fucking point about what makes Superman super (here’s a hint: it’s not his fucking power)
the fact that i missed most of Vine’s peak bc i wasn’t allowed a phone until middle school
i lost my post canon script of Cinderella in the prince’s POV that i wrote in 6th grade (rip, i should have created a personal gmail so much sooner, i could have saved you T^T)
understanding a motive does not equal justifying or excusing said motive. you just now understand why a person did what they did. maybe you find justification in it, maybe not, but it’s not absolute!
#i'm bored. it's late. i've been building this list mentally for some time#take this as the dumb hills i would die on#i cannot (in good conscience) voice why these are my hills i die on bc we' be here for years#anyway#i thought it'd be fun to share the silly hills i am heavily opinionated on#shitpost#long post#list#dumb hills to die on#again: key word here is 'silly' and 'dumb'#also some of these hills are old-old#as in 'i have been heavily opinionated about these subjects since i was 9'#some of these are new or just resurface things i thought i made peace with#but yeah#post was made to make fun of my ill-tempered opinionated self#obviously if you disagree with me about anything that's fine.#it's a me problem for a reason
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doxxing her entirely under the cut
I have either outright stated or hinted at I think all of this at some point or another but 👉👈 I miss her and God knows how much of this will change for any other setting she worms her way to
Ava was supposed to be named Chava, after her aunt (Emir and Kerem's younger sister) who died young (probably also from CIP)— Deirdre changed if at the last minute.
Deirdre constantly pronounces her name wrong— but so does Kerem in the end, because he's still putting a ghost in her face.
(Ava is the spitting image of Chava— this bit was admittedly from writing backwards, but became a 'haha wouldn't it be fucked up if—' that worked so perfectly with everything else it quite literally wrote itself, same as people constantly telling her she looks familiar at the grocery store or whatever. Looking at her and seeing a ghost... it was fun to lean into!).
This is also ultimately why her parenting was so lax from baba and amca— in a way they had their baby sister again, and were ultimately convinced Ava would die young just as she had— so a lot of it was. "Well shower her in the love and care we regret not giving more of to Chava." In a fucked up way kinda a second chance. Is it obvious yet that I'm obsessed with replacement goldfish syndrome / people forcibly perpetuating cycles mashed together with severe identity issues. Like can you see it. Anyways.
Not believing in unconditional love etc etc blah blah we all know that bit.
Emir died when she was 14, the same year Kerem left to return to Turkey and her brother just started college; this led to a marked increase in Deirdre's need for control and made Ava's life hell for the last years she stayed. (Parental abuse cw: towards the end it was being stripped by Deirdre the second she walked through the door to be checked for injuries— any bruise or scrape was a sign she wasn't trying hard enough, you want them to take you away from me, you don't love me, you'll never understand the pain I'm in— none of this is New but when Deirdre felt so out of control with the rest of her life it got much much worse).
"Why did Kerem leave?" His brother was dead and he couldn't pretend everything was okay anymore. Ava became a reflection of both his lost siblings. Men will literally abandon their niece, guiltily bring their cut of their dead brother's life insurance policy back home to take care of the rest of their family, and live in guilt that they try desperately to ignore every single day instead of going to therapy.
"How did Emir die?" I've thrown around a couple ideas for this but ultimately the answer doesn't really matter as much as the fact it happened.
Ava ran away at 16 bounced around a few years different cities different jobs ended up falling in with Yamba surf co. (at that time just a bunch of idiot surfers without a co-op in Brisbane) when she had a brief stint in professional surfing, which is how her brother found her & confronted her & she ultimately beat the shit out of him. Salem wisely asked no questions and simply extended an offer for her to move down the coast with them to Yamba so he could take care of his grandmother. (The others joined them shortly after.)
What else. What else. I feel like that's about it. She settled in Yamba and taught tourists how to surf and volunteered at a dog kennel and ate dinner at Salem's grandmother's house every Sunday.
(Note: if you notice it switched from Salim to Salem that's because in my initial research I swear to fuck it said Salim was the more common Anglicization but then I saw Salem on our work schedule and when I checked again saw a consensus on 'Salem' instead so now I'm sticking with Salem ig).
Salem nearly killed her during a diving trip they went on together (forgot to switch one of her tanks while they were talking and she flustered him) which is when they first moved into her apartment to make sure she didn't die & found out about her CIP and then he simply never fucking left. They're both fucking fiends for HSPs.
#literally do not read this its unhinged rambling i just miss miss miss her#and like. no reason to keep it under wraps (not that i did much ever because whats the point of character secrets u never intend to share)
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Ranking The Home Alone Movies, But My Explanations Are Overly Detailed
#6- Home Alone 4: Taking Back The House (2002)
A POX ON HE WHO UNLEASHED THIS CURSED BEAST UPON OUR LANDS
HOW DARE ANYONE PLAY FOLLY THAT THIS LITTLE NITWIT IS OUR BELOVED KEVIN? Who could have thought this was a good idea? They stole Kevin, they divorced his parents, they divorced Harry and Marv and gave Marv a wife who could flunk recess. And not in the "haha idiot" way but in the way that you just know she grew up to drink bleach instead of getting a vaccine. The plot is ridiculous, the Kevin is a brat, the traps have no creativity, there's fewer than 4 minutes of actual trap goodness, and KEVIN ISN'T EVEN HOME ALONE. There's house staff out the wazoo! This Kevin has a house chock-full of the most insane gadgets that would put an Alexa to shame and the best he can come up with is a dumbwaiter crush? A pot to the head? A fallen bookshelf? This is supposedly the same Kevin and Marv from 1 and 2, but Marv gets tricked by fake feet under the bed? Plus 2 siblings just got completely written out. Where's Jeff? Where's Linnie? They could have made this a silly little Disney straight-to-video romp, but instead they had to slap the Home Alone name on it because they knew no one in their right minds would ever sit and watch more than half of this piece of shit otherwise. This is no beloved holiday classic. This is the story of a spoiled brat who just is straight-up cruel to the poor butler. No imagination, no joy. He's living with his Dad who is historically the far worse parent just because Dad's got a sugar mama. Horrifyingly bad.
#5- Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012)
First off, points are already gone because I hate the name of the kid. I'm sorry to all Finns out there, but that's how it goes for me.
But on legit notes, it also has to be noted that Finn also isn't actually home alone. His sister is in the basement. Trapped and unable to help him, but still just in the basement. Speaking of her, whoever wrote this dialogue has such glaring "only child" syndrome, it's pathetic. Also, these kids are so bratty and spoiled, they make me sick. Finn's "friend who teaches the meaning of Christmas" is just this other child who has no personality other than snow because he lives in Maine
AND WHY THE FUCK DO THEY LIVE IN MAINE? I don't care if a Home Alone is set somewhere other than Chicago. Spices things up. But the kid has to live in Chicago. They just sent them to Maine so the kids have reason to be bitchy to their parents who are just trying their best, even if their best is pretty shit.
Now the robbers. This Home Alone did something kind of different. Every other band of robbers have connections to each other. Married couples, partners in crime, what have you. But this one has them being complete strangers, which is good for offering conflict besides "one is smart and one is stupid". They even got Malcolm McDowell's creepy ass to play one of them. And he plays creepy really well.
Creepy is a theme no other Home Alone uses and it gives a good explanation for some of the stupid choices these robbers make. When you think shit's haunted, you make worse decisions. Especially regarding the traps
And there really aren't many traps. But the ones that are there are in fact pretty creative. Pool ball slingshot to the ass and snowblower shooting wooden balls are both excellent uses of the environment. But so many of them depend entirely on the robbers standing still and not moving. Who doesn't at least put up their arms to protect their face from a lot of projectiles? (It was at least a funny shot on the garage door, I'll give them that) But why the fuck is Jessica not moving from the incredibly stationary snow ball throwing device? Like, by hand, sure, get pelted. But with a machine that aims at one place only? Gimme a fuckin break.
The brightest spot of this movie is the poor dude who's playing video games all the time. Without him, Finn would have no creative potential. The scene where he tried to call the Mom was something no other Home Alone can offer and they'll never be able to duplicate.
#4- Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)
Yeah all the film bros hated on this one endlessly when it came out a year ago but it deserves this spot and I'll tell you why. This Home Alone twists the script. These robbers aren't evil. They're genuinely down on their luck and trying to get back something that was stolen from them. They're not greedy; they're trying everything they can to save their house. Max is a bit of a prick, but he's not really spoiled either. He's just overwhelmed by the stress of moving to a new country and having to share his living space with all his cousins and his parents are far too stressed to pay attention to him at all. I dare anyone to be that age and not be a bit of a prick in those circumstances.
This is the first Home Alone in over 20 years that has that beautiful "every detail matters" and minimal plot hole feeling that makes this series special. Why would the cops not come when Max calls? Because the cop who was just there is Buzz and he gets prank called by Kevin every single year. Why do the robbers assume Max isn't actually home alone? Cause the Alexa was set to German as a prank and they see him with the old lady at church.
That's a detail I seriously love. They're concerned parents who take Max in when they find out he was legit left home alone. Max thought he was in danger of being kidnapped. He wouldn't have set all the traps if he knew the truth. Everything was a misunderstanding and was well-written so that it would still work in the 2020s.
What's more is these robbers aren't stupid, they're just genuinely baffled by everything that's happening because there's no logical reason to expect any of it. They're desperate and frazzled and being shot by modified nerf darts. This was a kid who knew and used his environment to his advantage. Kids don't have a ton of legit toys that aren't just electronics, especially if he just moved, so he planned out every step, every move they'd make. He actually made a plan like the brilliant kids of yore, Alex and OG Kevin. Was this a perfect Home Alone? No, but by God, it's about as close as they could possibly get in the 21st century
#3- Home Alone 3 (1997)
Fuck everyone who doesn't think this is an absolutely brilliant way to follow up OG Kevin. I can understand how in 97, people had the highest hopes for this movie and were let down, but it needs to be watched on its own merits.
First off, Alex is a delightful child. He's not a brat. He's not stupid. He's not spoiled. He's sick and he's frustrated. Every moment where he's a little bratty is because people are blaming him for something that could have been avoided if they'd just believed him. Also, he's brilliant. They establish that he builds machines and has a knowledge of mechanics and science in order to build some of the most technically masterful traps.
Traps that are used on a perfect follow-up to Harry and Marv. How can you follow up two smart-but-foolish robbers? With four who are professional, internationally wanted criminals (I'd like to mention Beaupre is lowkey daddy). These robbers aren't stupid. They make sound, logical decisions. Except they're up against a kid who lives in far too big a house with far too many dangerous toys. The only bad decisions they make are when they're not thinking clearly. The first trap each one of them face involves electrocution or head trauma. Slightly poor decisions are permitted when you've had a trunk of books and a set of weights dropped on your head
These siblings play their parts perfectly. Bitchy older sister and bastard older brother. All the precocious child ever really needs. They sibling in the most realistic way out of all 6 movies. But you know what the kids should always have? Pets. The tarantula was a good start in 1, but having a parrot and a mouse as sidekicks who can assist with traps but aren't people? Perfect choices. I truly think this movie could have been beloved on its own merits, but unfortunately, it's part of a 6-part series that people have very high emotional connections to
#2- Home Alone (1990)
This is a controversial decision, I know, but hear me out.
Obviously OG Kevin is the peak of precocious child. He's the standard. He's pristine. Harry and Marv are the peak of the robbers. Kate is the best mom and Buzz is a heavily iconic sibling. The only sibling anyone ever remembers.
So with all this nostalgic perfection, why doesn't it take the top? I'll tell you dear reader: the character progression
At the beginning of Home Alone, Kevin is frozen at the idea of packing his suitcase. He stuns everyone by being able to buy milk. And his traps reflect that. Yes, he's got the heated doorknob and the falling iron and the cut rope from the treehouse and the blowtorch to the head and the ornaments underfoot and the paint cans, but you know what else he's got? Slippery steps. The big ol danger, slippery steps. Glued clingwrap and feathers blown by a fan. He's got scattered cars, tripwires and tar. It's good stuff, creative stuff, but it isn't the best he can do. The traps are what people love Home Alone for and it isn't the best that can be done.
But it is very close. John Candy gives it some mega bonus points.
#1- Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)
The absolute thought and character progression that had to go into this movie is what makes it perfect. In every rewatch I've done, the only plot hole is the length of the recording Kevin makes of Uncle Frank in the shower (the age doesn't count. I've come to the conclusion that Kevin has a birthday shortly after Christmas and called himself 10 because when you're a few weeks away from a birthday at that age, you round up).
Okay, so obviously Kevin couldn't just sleep through the chaos a second time. He's got his ticket and everything is okay. He makes it to the airport. Yes, he got separated in a bit of a weird way, but you show me any 10-year-old who doesn't think needing batteries is crucial when your gizmo is out of batteries. What's more, he genuinely didn't know he was lost. He saw a man who looked exactly like his dad who also ran the entire way. If Kevin knew he was lost, he would have told someone. But he was just far enough back that no one questioned him. And then he dropped his ticket. If he goes on the plane and sees his Dad and they're in a 767, he's gonna assume that if one is there, the whole family is there. Of course he didn't hear the plane announcement going to New York, there was an annoying guy speaking at him in a language he didn't understand, so he put on his headphones. Anyone today would do the same.
When he gets to the hotel, a smidgen of suspension of disbelief has to happen with the booking of the room, but it's established that no one at the Plaza is too bright. The brilliance of having Tim Curry be a part of a secondary group of villains for Kevin is unmatched. No other Home Alone has two groups of villains.
AND it cannot be overstated that this is the Home Alone where "Merry Christmas, you filthy animal" comes from. Everyone assumes it comes from 1, but it DOESN'T.
So, leaving the hotel on the run, Kevin runs RIGHT into Harry and Marv. Of course he does. Because now they know each other. They know his style and he knows theirs. They know to go to the loading bay to cut him off and he knows to record them.
God, the crowning jewel of this movie is the traps. Now, not only does Kevin have experience from the first movie to draw on (he knows what did and didn't work and how to improve to stay one step ahead), but he also has a house he can destroy and an endless array of tools and renovation supplies. A little more suspension of disbelief has to happen with the opening of bricks to the head, but there is nothing not perfect about that scene. The acting on Daniel Stern's part is perfection.
The rest of the traps are just as glorious. You can see the forethought in each and every moment. Harry avoids the front door and doors in general out of fear of being burned again. He tries for the window first and can't see the slime. When he hears Kevin running behind the door, he doesn't think to check too heavily for traps in the heat of the moment. Marv's dizzy from 4 bricks to the head and likely doesn't have much peripheral vision skills, so after staples to the ass, dick and nose, it's only logical he may not see the hole in front of him. In the dim lights of the basement and lack of peripherals, the slime could have easily just been a wet floor. Hitting the paint cans was just a bonus. As was the gorgeously-screamed electrocution (they knew the tarantula scream was his finest moment in 1 and needed to milk that cow)
Now the blowtorch to the head. The first of the repeated traps. No snow this time and no water in the sink. Kevin knows he's going to need water, so kerosene in the toilet is a perfect example of his foresight. He knows the two robbers' greatest desire is to kill him, so whenever they need leading to a trap, he leads. He saws the ladder and audibly directs them to the stairs. At this point, Marv's been hit with 4 bricks, a shelf of paint cans, electrocuted to unconsciousness and a 100lb bag of plaster. A sane man would have died to save himself the agony. But this is Marv Merchants and he is not a sane man. He doesn't remember the paint cans immediately, but he knows enough to play along with them. They're both lucid enough to wait for 2 cans, but damaged enough to forget that Kevin's grown more devious too. The double castiron pipe hit brings me joy every time I see it. The only thing that brings me more joy is the tool chest.
From that point, murder is their top priority, beyond all else. They're not thinking things through. Not because they're idiots, but because they're brain damaged to hell and back. That's why they climb down the kerosene rope, fall 30 feet and get 15 cans of varnish dropped on them.
It's sheer dumb luck that they grab Kevin and even better luck that Scottish Bird Lady is there, but neither of those are unreasonable things to happen.
In short, everything makes sense in Home Alone 2. People are stressed and ignorant and brain damaged, but everything that made Home Alone work is taken and improved upon in the perfect sequel
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Ok so this is actually probably gonna be several asks ‘cause we split again today and I’m mentally and physically exhausted /lh
Anyways I’m gonna start by explaining this rewritten William Afton.
William is not just a heartless killer with no reasoning or motivation. He had a pretty fucked up childhood that was a big factor in how he is during the main story.
He wasn’t abused, not outright- though as his life went on his parents both certainly reflected their trauma onto their kids, pushing upon them a cycle of generational abuse and trauma- rather, the trauma he faced was more regarding death.
William was the second of six children. His older sister Timothy was seven years older than him, younger sister Eliza was five years younger, brother Calvin was six years younger, Margaret ten years younger and Maxton eleven. However, only he, Calvin, Maxton and Margaret- or Peggy- survived to adulthood. Eliza suffered “sudden infant death syndrome” at 6 months old, and 9 months later Calvin was born. Timothy died in an accident at seventeen, and 9 months later came Peggy. Then their parents divorced and from another father came Maxton and a new marriage with him.
William’s mother Helen was obsessive, and reacted to every tragedy with another addition to the family in a desperate reach for control, particularly controlling who lived and died. This is something William internalized as he grew up. The idea of having control over who lived and who died was something that remained out of reach to Helen, but that William eventually attempted to truly grasp with remnant.
Spring Bonnie was based on a toy given to Eliza when she was born. A stuffed yellow rabbit with a white top hat and bow tie that William held onto.
The day Michael died, that stuffed bunny- which had a name tag dubbing it “bappa”, as Eliza had called it- was found at a local children’s hospital as an anonymous donation for any young patients who needed “a friend.”
William was not the most social person, but later in life began to pretend to be to earn people’s trust so no one he didn’t want to have a reason to dislike him would.
Henry, on the other hand, was the 16 year old clinically depressed autistic recluse who wore the same 3 turtlenecks every day, who no one really talked to. He spent all his time with his nose buried in a book and got all C’s except for his robotics class, which he had an A+ in.
But William didn’t want Henry to have a reason to dislike him, so he was polite to him until they actually began to hit it off in college.
Pursuing similar career goals, they went to the same town together after college, where they started Fredbear’s Family Diner in the 1970s. Henry married a woman named Melissa and had twins, and William married a woman named Amalie and had three children with her.
While all seemed to be going well- with the restaurant off the ground, they began to make promotional TV cartoons which later became a series itself that introduced characters who later became animatronics, and both seemed to have exactly what they wanted, William- just like Helen- was obsessive and needed control. He wanted to control who would live and who would die.
Soo he abused, kidnapped, violently murdered, and tortured a bunch of children, as you do. His actual body count is only about six as opposed to the like thirteen in canon, because I think not overdoing it is important to not nullifying the horror of his actions lmao
This is actually very similar to my William's motivations, even though he's not that important in my AU (except for my Good Father!William AU but that's a different story-)
While his parents did care for him, being an only child, they also had high expectations for him which stressed him out, and he gradually became just a terrible person and was an expert at manipulating others, which is how he had so many connections and created Fazbear Entertainment, despite his shady past with petty crimes.
He wanted control, which is why he had Elizabeth and decided to kidnap Michael. When Michael started to rebel in his early teen years William got frustrated that he wasn't turning out to be how he wanted, which was exactly like him, so he mostly neglected him and paid more attention to Elizabeth as a result because she was too young to really understand just what was going on.
He killed Charlie after Elizabeth's death, because the way he saw it if he couldn't be happy why should Henry be able to, and caused Henry a lot more pain because he already lost Michael to him years ago.
He only killed the FNaF 1 kids himself, any other deaths being caused by the animatronics so they could be easily written off as freak accidents, and William wouldn't be a suspect.
The worse part is that he doesn't regret anything, and still believes he was in the right for just about everything, even as he's being tortured by Cassidy in his own personal hell in UCN
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2, 3 lmao, I'm not going to ask 17 because that would be extra mean to you specifically, 21, 32, and 42 (you pick which one)
2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”
oh lol. basically the first half of chapter 4 of camp counselors. originally it was like. will is kind of sad and tries to talk to the other counselors and try to get to know them better instead of just nico and then will was like. haha no. i think i will consume some weed gummies and then have a panic attack on the floor <3 and literally i could not stop him. every word that i wrote was ripped from my little fingers and forced itself onto the page <3 after that tho the fic continued on like. perfectly as planned lol
3. on a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy incorporating romance into the average story?
252 fics. they’re all romance bestie <3 literally the only fics that dont include romance as the main plot are my diary entry fics and 9 times out of 10 those still include some sort of like. interaction with a significant other or at least mention of one. i can think of One fic off the top of my head that is not romance-based in any way shape or form lol. so to answer ur question uhhhh 11 <3
21. pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about.
i do not think i would choose to write a book! i dont think i have the like. descriptive abilities required for book writing BUT i Do think i can more easily get my Vision (tm) across more clearly through like. script writing. (bc i literally went to college for like. on-stage script writing but also we touched on video writing - plus i took a tv directing class that i hated <3 ). i have briefly talked to @ethannku about this so i think they would be a fun writing partner!! idk what we would write about <3 recently ive been dabbling in taking some scenes from fics that ive just been like. practicing the format with <3
32. do characters influence your writing style?
oh 100% and i think this is very clear across different installments of no love. at least i hope so anyway!! i feel like the few installments in lou’s pov had a much different energy than the nico and will installments. i also try very hard to make the will and nico povs different from each other bc i have a deep fear of what is essentially same face syndrome but for every character just being the same exact person, just with a different name
42. describe the aesthetic of a story in 5 words.
gonna give yall a little teaser for widower >:)
whirlwind. communication. grief. whiplash. hope :)
thank u katherine!!
send me numbers!
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Gradius (Arcade)
Developed/Published by: Konami
Released: 2/2/1985
Completed: 21/05/2022
Completion: Finished it on “Easy” with a fake 1CC (allowed myself to save after every level, but never during). 291,500.
Version played: Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection (Nintendo Switch)
Trophies / Achievements: n/a
Gradius! A game so nice that I own the jacket. I’ve talked about it before, but one of the nice things about playing through what part of my collection I have access to in order is getting the time to really go deep on games or series that I enjoy or have enjoyed and exploring them fully. I’ve played a lot of Gradius games in my time, but have I ever seen the original all the way through? Definitely not before now.
And, you know, it’s also really interesting to gain context on what these games must have felt like on release, considering I’m playing a lot of the stuff that surrounded them at the time. At the minute, however my accessible collection has a bit of a Namco/Konami bias, as I don’t have access to my copy of Capcom Arcade Cabinet (and I feel like rebuying all the games as Capcom Arcade Stadium can kind of fuck off) so Gradius feels like such a massive leap from the last true shooter I played, Xevious on NES, but that had really come out on arcades over two years before this. And yet, even that considered, what’s interesting is how much of a leap Gradius feels in some ways, and how static (or perhaps even slightly regressive) it is in others.
First up, it looks great. Sure, I might still have trouble parsing the Vic Viper’s pure side-on image (the shading is just so subtle?) but Moai heads, volcanoes, and space brains? Can’t beat ‘em. Then you’ve got the power-up system, where you’ve got control over how exactly you want to upgrade your ship–-you can rush shields, for example, if you’re worried about getting shot in the face, or prioritise lasers or double-shot depending on the level you’re facing. All gravy.
What’s surprising to me, though, is just how short the levels are–and how brutally hard. Every level has that iconic “open space” section, where you generally try to power up for the level, followed by what you’d consider the actual level, and then the boss, who here is always the same ship with the same pattern (boo.) You can really feel the lineage of Scramble (this was, apparently, originally pitched as Scramble 2) as the levels are filled with terrain to kill yourself on without careful maneuvering (as well as the inclusion of a separate missile button, which is basically unnecessary as you’re going to spam it just as much as fire.)
The thing that feels backwards, of course, is the famous “Gradius Syndrome”. In Xevious, there isn’t a huge variance in the Solvalou’s power, and the game has a quite effective difficulty scaling that can even to some extent be player controlled. A death never feels like the worst thing in the world as it tips the balance in your favour somewhat (though you’d prefer not to die.)
In Gradius, there actually is some difficulty scaling, but it feels like they simply had a bit too much to balance. The Vic Viper can power-up so much and is almost Tower of Druaga useless at the start (so slowww…) that the game is heavily tuned to having, well, a near fully-powered ship with an option or two at even what seems to be the lowest scale.
Now, I didn’t play through the original release of Gradius. The Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection defaults to the US version, Nemesis, but (annoyingly) also has the original Gradius hidden away as a “bonus” I didn’t notice until I’d seen Nemesis all the way through. However, there’s a pretty in-depth write-up over at The Cutting Room Floor about the differences between versions, and you can see Nemesis is definitely harder as you level-up, but it also allows continues and absolutely throws power-up enemies when you die. That aspect almost makes it feel like a rom hack, but it does actually mean the game is worth playing when you die, unlike the original, where the “Gradius Syndome” is pretty much endemic. And yet… the base difficulty is so high anyway that there are enough “might as well just give up” sections that the edge is only slightly towards Nemesis.
In fact, there’s a bit of a weird side-effect to Nemesis’s “die, lower the difficulty, but get some power ups” solution; sure in Xevious death was a pressure release, but here it’s an outright strategy. I really enjoyed learning Gradius’ levels, but sometimes the lesson was “just schedule a death here.” For example, there’s a bottleneck in the second level that I spent ages trying to get through, but if you die you get just enough power-ups and the difficulty is dented enough you’re better off! This is in total contrast to the original Gradius, where if you die there it’s a struggle just to get to the point where you’ve got a speed up and missile/double, never mind have an option or anything, making the sub-boss a tremendous pain. I’m hard pushed to say Nemesis is fairer, but if you set it to Easy (which really only sets your starting difficulty scale to 0 compared to 2 for normal, so really only a bit more fair) it’s hard not to argue it’s at least easier to play for longer.
That said–something that outright sucks about Gradius is the fact that several of the enemies do a “parting shot” and shoot you from behind as they leave the screen. It’s bollocks, because it often happens when you literally couldn’t react to it, and there’s no way to defend your backside. And even in Nemesis, if you die at the I think last or second-last checkpoint in the game you’re almost certainly totally fucked. Gradius Syndrome stings at that point.
But counter-intutive lessons aside, I really liked the process of learning Gradius; which level needed lasers and which levels needed double shot, what direction to move through the levels, and even the ludicrous near-bullet hell of the final level felt doable once you know it (and it is, just.)
So, you know… I like Gradius. I think the finer balance of Xevious makes it more likely a candidate for my 100 yen coins, but the flashier nature of Gradius’ visuals and power-ups makes it well worth owning the jacket of. If anything is a bit of a disappointment, it’s that the ending is just sort of a scale-out to a pretty crappy explosion and then the game starts again. Boo!
Will I ever play it again? I’ll be playing the NES version and the PC Engine version, of which I believe the PC Engine version at least has an extra level, in future, and happily.
Final Thought: The Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection is a bit of a bargain to be honest. Alright, here you lose access to the European/World Nemesis ROM, but in order to get that you have to buy the Arcade Archives version for $8 and this, based on the Arcade Archives platform anyway, regularly goes for $5!
Support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi, either via a one-off donation (pay what you like) or by joining as a supporter at just $1 a month and get articles like this a week early.
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➙ REACTION: how they punish you and how they act after?
OT7 x female!reader | Yandere Au | REQUESTED
WARNINGS: seokjin is obsessed with reader's appearance, mention of assault, mention of bullying, threats, manipulation, stepfather x stepdaughter, psychological torture, stockholm syndrome, kidnapping, domestic violence, taehyung hits and spits on reader's face in a non-sexual way+ blood please, let me know if i forgotten something
English isn't my native language, so please excuse me if I make any grammatical errors and feel free to let me know.
This contains some spoilers of my next stories (Namjoon, Hoseok & Seokjin).
A/N: hey anon! thank you for request, i love writing it. please, tell what you think about it, your feedback is really important to me.
MASTERLIST
First, let me say that your appearance is very important to this man, so he never hits you when he needs to punish you. He would never risk ruining your pretty face with a scar, or any other part of your body. Never! When you're up to no good, he'd rather use your family or anyone in the least important against you. Jin isn't the type to get his hands dirty, so he'll hire someone to do the dirty work. Your mother will be mugged, your father will be strangely beaten on the way home, a stranger will bully your little brother at school, maybe your cat will be without food for a few days. It all depends on how angry you made him. When the punishment is over, he'll act like nothing happened and you'd better do the same. Kim Seokjin will not tolerate any complaining, crying or accusing.
Just like Seokjin, the punishments also do not consist of physical aggression, but for different reasons. Why would he hit you when every word that comes out of his lips hurts more than a punch? He's well aware of the effect any slightest action of his has on you, and will use it whenever necessary (or when he's bored and wants to hurt you for fun). Yoongi's favorite method of torture is showing up with other girls and treating them as good as he's never treated you before. And if you dare try to question him, he'll make awnings think you're the crazy, obsessed ex-girlfriend. After that, he'll degrade you, make you feel so bad about yourself that you wonder if there's something wrong with you and end up apologizing to him for not being good enough. He's a nice guy and he'll forgive you. I think that living with him is in itself a punishment.
From his point of view, you enjoy being punished, so who is he to deny that to his sweet stepdaughter? I mean, well, if you didn't like it, why would you be so up to no good? You definitely like it, and they're sure your tears are tears of joy. You love the feel of the impact of his heavy hand against your buttocks, you love his pounding until the area is all scarred and you can't sit down afterwards. You love it even more when he grounds you, forbidding you to leave the house for a long time. It's your perfect excuse to spend more time together, right? Smart girl... After spanking your ass, he will help you to bed, kiss your forehead and tell you that everything he does is for your own good. He doesn't expect you to say it, but he knows you're grateful.
He's your husband, so he has every right and duty to punish you when you don't do your duty as a housewife. Fuck, he spends his day working to support you and the daughter you have together, so the least you have to do is take care of the housework, look good, cook a nice dinner, and greet him with a kiss when he arrives tired. That's not that difficult, is it? He's sure not, so if you fail, in addition to giving you a good spanking, he'll use your daughter to threaten you, knowing how much the possibility of not seeing her never scares you again, so maybe he'll walk away with her and find someone who takes better care of them. When the psychological torture is over, you'd better kiss him and thank him for being such a devoted husband. You're going to take a shower together, maybe make love in the shower.
He just loves that you're so obedient all the time, so when for some reason your attitude changes, he'll freak out. Why don't you just obey him? Be the good girl you've always been and trust him, don't question, otherwise he won't hesitate to hurt you without even having to be physical. He'll pack his bags, say he's met someone better, someone who trusts him and doesn't make him feel bad for being protective. You'll panic, try to reason with him to stay, and clarify that you didn't mean to hurt him, but he won't stop until you're on your knees begging him to forgive you. After that, Jimin will hug you tight, kiss the top of your head, and tell you how much he loves you, even if you show you don't deserve it at times.
He will never think twice about punishing you when you misbehave. Never. A few slaps and spitting in the face is the starter, the belt beating that will leave you a few days without walking serves as the main course and, if you're really a bad girl, you also get dessert, which is nothing more than a few days without eating. Maybe then you'll rethink your actions better. Just like Seokjin, he will act like nothing happened when the punishment is over. He just wants to lay his head under your breasts, feel you stroke his hair and tell him how much you love him. It's asking too much?
He just hates having to punish you because it means you were mean and if you were mean he is not giving you enough love. He's going to feel awful as fuck. Punishments usually come when you reject his affection or say something mean. He's going to lose his mind and, having no sense of his own strength, he's going to beat you until you're bleeding. When he realizes what he did, he will cry regretfully and beg you to forgive him. It's best if you just hug him and tell him it's okay, it was all your fault, or you risk being punished again.
#yandere bts#yandere namjoon#yandere namjoon x reader#yandere taehyung x reader#yandere taehyung#yandere hoseok#yandere hoseok x reader#yandere yoongi#yandere yoongi x reader#yandere jimin#yandere jimin x reader#yandere jungkook#yandere jungkook x reader#yandere seokjin#yandere reactions#yandere scenarios#yandere bts reactions
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hello mr simp do you have any thoughts on the leeks 👀
FIRST OF ALL. THEY CAME SO FUCKING EARLY??? BRO I WAS ASLEEP
SECOND OF ALL
holy SHIT YALL
Okay, it's no secret that I'm an All Might stan. I LOVE All Might. Very very much. Not just as a simp, but genuinely, I enjoy his character SO MUCH.
--And unlike what some people may think, I'm not totally blind to his flaws. I know he sucks as a mentor and that he's done way more harm to Deku than good. He's.... not perfect. in every sense of the word. The whole point of AM's character is that he is a DEEPLY FLAWED individual— but at the end of the day, still good.
This new chapter gave me SOOO many new feelings. I'm not gonna lie to y'all and say I was a Stain apologist beforehand because I wasn't. I disliked Stain to a certain degree, but I also knew he was morally grey enough that I was able to still quite appreciate him as a character. This chapter was about EVERYTHING to me because I honestly did NOT expect Hori to go in this direction and for things to happen the way they did. It was too good to be true! Too fanfic-y! The disbelief I felt when I read what happened was on par with when Bakugou and Deku had that apology and kinda-hug in the rain!
But this disbelief is not because it was a bad thing.
I think the writing in Chapter 326 is phenomenal. The moment that All Might was really beginning to lose hope in not just himself as a hero, but himself as a PERSON... we finally hear the opinion of someone who would abso-fucking-LUTELY make or break the last of his spirit.
Stain is, as much as his views are pretty agreeable and his label is that of a vigilante, still a pretty shitty guy. He's tried to kill literal kids who got in his way, even if said kids made pretty dumb decisions. AM hearing what he has to say is absolutely mind-boggling to him because he knows all of that. He knows Stain is a shitty person and that his worldview is perhaps terribly skewed. He knows Stain has spent a hot minute frying his brains down in Tartarus and isn't good at making judgment calls. Knows that for all intents and purposes, Stain's opinions are not to be trusted.
But the thing is... Toshinori also knows that Stain, regardless of the soundness of his mind, is telling the truth.
Regardless of how fucked-in-the-head Stain is, we as readers are able to acknowledge that he isn't blinded by hero worship. Sure, he's bitter, cynical, and quite the absolutist--but Stain is still clear-headed enough to be able to see AM's flaws for what they are and accept them, ultimately proving to Toshinori that the power of All Might was never his own but rather the legacy that he inspired.
The society MHA takes place in is flawed. We all know this. Heroes, as a concept, had been corrupted into being purely about good and evil. Purely winning fights for money or fame or the abstract concept of victory (coughs Endeavor and the no.1 spot coughs), making heroism as we know it about flashiness and power instead of mercy and the desire to help others.
All Might symbolizes the ideal version of the Hero Society. He represents doing the best you can. Being a hero until you reach your limits, and then going even past that. He symbolizes pure intention and the desire to be a hero not for material gains but because of the pure want to make society a better and safer place. Stain refers to Kamino Ward and the statue as a "holy land" because he believes that through and through, AM's only had the purest of intentions and morals. To him, Toshinori was like a deity that had no fault in making society what it was in the present because that accountability fell on the generations of heroes that failed to fulfill his legacy.
The point being, Stain understood that All Might was fundamentally not about 'being there' for everyone 24/7, but rather the message his presence had sent.
All Might's monologue at the beginning of the chapter essentially boiled down to the ideas that:
A. He regrets not being there properly for Deku
B. His image was a delusion that ultimately led to the downfall of hero society.
To break this down, his problem with Deku is his inability to be a competent mentor. It shows that he has led him down dangerous and horrible paths (Deku's stubbornness to do things by himself and his 'dark' arc post-war), and is unable to bring him back into the light even if he tries. It was only when Class 1-A had intervened that they were able to get Deku to rest and let people tag along, after all, which is why Toshinori was far too embarrassed to follow him into UA's walls even after everyone had come out with umbrellas.
Stain disproves this in two ways.
First, he says that it was never about All Might's ability to actually be there for people. The whole point of what inspired Deku to be the inherently good-hearted "true hero" he is today is because of the values that AM's brand had instilled in him as a child. AM's biggest positive impacts came from behind the screen where he was used as the proof that true heroes can and do exist. Deku does want to be exactly like All Might, yes, which is why we see Toshinori leading him down the same path that he walked--but the underlying message of this is that the very first thing All Might gave him even before OfA was the courage to help fix society.
I do believe Deku is an innately compassionate person. Most people in the series are. However, what makes All Might's smile so uniquely impactful to what it did to Hero Society is the way it gave people courage to help people. Less hesitation. Less bystander syndromes. The ability to move without thinking. Because you can feel the want to help a person, but the courage to be nosey and actually do it? That's portrayed as something AM's image teaches people.
The second way he disproves AM's insecurity of dragging Deku down is that he makes it clear that this pain is somewhat of a necessity in reforming society. He says, interestingly enough, that this is but the 'middle process' in reforming society. This spills over to how he addresses Problem B, but what Stain is essentially saying here is that this sort of brutality and isolation that Izuku faces is impermanent. A phase. It implies that even if Deku is struggling and Toshinori is unable to help him, it is something that needs to happen before they re-realize the ideal heroes All Might's image is meant to create.
The second problem in regards to how All Might feels about current society (how it's collapsing because of him, etc. etc.) is more interestingly addressed. There are many things that Stain says--like how Toshinori doesn't need to actually be the one to fix society with his bare hands. The current society is not his fault because of the fact that it is not finished developing. I'm not sure if I can go so far as to say that Stain means this in the sense of the Scorched Earth method of tearing everything down to build it back up better-- but I can say that Stain still has faith in society to rebuild after this period of chaos.
This rebuilding starts with the old generation of heroes correcting what they messed up (i.e. Endeavor v Dabi) and more importantly, paving the way for a better generation of heroes that was inspired by All Might's image. Heroes that are led by people like Deku, who is defined by his proclivity to help without thinking. The violent deconstruction of society is about exposing society to the raw truth of All Might's image that not everybody can be as strong as him-- which is why we have to take care of each other.
When the lady comes in to remove the sign and start cleaning the statue, it's symbolic. It's a clear metaphor that the past few chapters are the turning point for society as a whole, and how people are starting to remember what real heroism is. From the distrust that was seeded in society ever since LoV had surfaced, we are seeing that trust being returned TEN-FOLD now that people can see not only the mask of a hero's smile, but also the person underneath.
I think it's some really neat symbolism here too about how Deku, who's metal mouth guard was literally all about representing All Might's smile, is shed.
This is hero society dropping their masks. Letting people see them for as they are. Toshinori revisiting the statue in this form makes all the more impact because he shed his mask ages ago during the Kamino Bust, so this is him coming face to face with the image he's created and seeing the differences between them, and how his image continues to live on even after he's almost completely Quirkless. The lady cleaning the All Might statue shows off the fact that things can be repaired again--that society can be clean (hehe stain pun) again.
It's interesting to me here how Stain offers the information from Tartarus.
He doesn't care anymore about his life. It's evident. He disagrees with what the LoV is doing, but believes enough in Deku to think that it's time for him to retire the mantle of 'Stain'. Unless this is another test, it's very odd for me to hear that Stain is offering a blade and his life to someone he isn't even sure is All Might.
But the impact of this action reads loud and clear.
This is Stain taking pity on All Might. This is him realizing that All Might too is a person behind the hero. That Toshinori Yagi is incapable of doing anything past the image he had already created. By offering that knife and information on Tartarus, Stain is giving control back to Toshinori. He is giving AM the chance to do something big again to help society's reconstruction. To be a part of the revolution that he so badly deserves to see. That knife is essentially an exit ticket from the sidelines, and one last chance for All Might to be able to see what his image has done for people.
I personally think that the main reason Stain is willing to die then and there by Toshinori's hand, despite not being sure that he is All Might to begin with, is because of the final impact it creates that it isn't about Toshinori Yagi's true power as a person, but the image of All Might. It is because he looks like the symbol of peace, that Stain (the literal HERO KILLER) feels comfortable laying his life in his hands and giving away valuable information.
If that isn't a great testament to the power of AM's image, I don't know WHAT is.
I guess all I have to say is I absolutely love what Stain did in this chapter. Everything felt so incredibly symbolic and emotional and as someone who absolutely ADORES All Might and what he stands for in the story, this felt like a cool balm after seeing Deku tragically reject his bento box a good few chapters ago. I have a few more opinions about symbolism, and how I think Deku's generation of heroes is going to stray from the old gen, but I think that's a discussion for another time.
Thanks for reading 'til the end!
#asks#anon#bnha meta#mha meta#all might#toshinori yagi#yagi toshinori#stain#mha stain#mha#bnha#my hero academia#boku no hero academia#mha spoilers#bnha spoilers#mha 326#bnha 326
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