#so now I thought it would be a nice little challenge to remake it and see how it goes lmao
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— abd ar-rahmān jāmī, by the garden // (remake of an old edit)
#cqledit#wangxian#Wei Wuxian#Lan Wangji#The Untamed#mdzs#myedit#hi hello I made the original edit like a year ago now#but that was before I got into giffing and also I knew that I couldn't pull off The Rain Scene anyway#so now I thought it would be a nice little challenge to remake it and see how it goes lmao#although I feel that animated + in color the vibes are actually a bit different?#but god this quote for them still haunts me#esp with the last gif because you can literally see the moment wwx's heart fucking breaks
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Another year Another summary of Art! An Entire Year of Submas lets gooooooooooo!!!! This year I feel like I really pushed myself when it comes to illustrations and I feel like I've learned a lot! But at the same time I feel a little tired, next year I think I wanna relax and experiment a bit more, I gotta learn to loosen up! Might get more art out if I do :p
I also feel the Submas grip ever so lightly relaxing (unless they decide to do Unova remakes haha XD), so I might introduce some of my numerous ocs in 2024! I'll probably start with the conductor oc ;]
Thank you for all your support! (you are all very nice! ToT), I still have a good amount of submas stuff planned in the works so look forward to that (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
If you are interested, I also have some commentary and behind the scenes for some of my submas illustrations! I wanna talk about it and now seems like a good time to do so now that the year is over! (Beware! its going to be long!)
All titles are linked to the original post
Lunch Break
hoho! This one is the sort of AU thing in which the only thing that changes is that I give Emmet a Victini friend (not a part of his team, I dubbed them the "victory duo" because Emmet likes winning and Victini is the Victory Pokemon), I planned out a few wordless comics regarding the idea, they were all very lighthearted slice of life kind of stuff, usually Victini causing some mischief and the brothers having to deal with it
and here's the thumbnails for this piece! I played around with various angles but decided to keep it simple and choose a straight on angle. It was originally a snack break and Emmet sharing a granola bar with Victini, but as I was planning it, submas unexpectedly showed up in the Pokemon Anime where they were serving ekiben, after learning about it it quickly turned into a lunch break! (how fun when new information lines up with an art piece you are working on hoho! ^ ^) After studying what foods Ekiben usually have in them (there was quite a variety!) I took what I learned and try to make the food look like the gear station logo :D
In the background there are children drawings because in the battle subway one of the trainer classes you can face off against are preschoolers, and I thought at least one of them would share their drawings with the subway bosses (and of course why wouldn't they hang it up?), there is also a trophy in which you can get in the players room if you beat the subway bosses on the super trains (one day, battling competitively is not my forte), I did my best to make Emmet's office feel lived in by adding a little bit of clutter (like adding a note) but overall very organized
(hey hey that joltik mug looks familiar in the corner there, its the same one Rei is holding in the christmas drawing)
Bonus Emmet and Victini Drawings
aw come on dude, not on the trains!
ah this one, it gave me quite a bit of frustration! This piece I used to challenge myself on perspective, and challenge me it did! The version you see now is I believe the 6th iteration of this drawing! The reason for restarting so many times is because I originally wanted it to be in 3 point perspective, but I couldn't get it to look right so its now in 2 point... Haha Some valuable lessons learned there!
This illustration was inspired by the history of New York Subway Trains and Graffiti! I read about it when I got to visit the New York Transit Museum and found it super interesting!! Then I went I gotta do something with this! Since Unova is based in New York after all!
I got so many subway surfer comments, they don’t know I forgot subway surfers existed while making this and that I am a huge nerd lmao
I had a lot of fun designing the graffiti on the train (yes it says among us) stylizing the fictional letters was so fun! I studied some graffiti to see how they do it, I could've pushed the graffiti style more but then it would be illegible! I also mixed in elements of Grafaiai graffiti, and trainer that is running away is the artist trainer class in SCVL because they are graffiti artists! And the train that got graffitied is the Wifi Train, due to BW (and the DS) servers being shut down, I doubt that train gets used much anymore, which makes it a perfect target!
Derailed!
hohoho! This was a fun one! I'm not sure how many of you guys read my tags, but in there I did state that this piece was based off the fact that model trains are powered by electrifying the rail it runs on (very low watts mind you) and the fact that Joltik eats electricity, but thats not the only inspiration, it was also inspired by those videos of cats laying on the layout and derailing the train!
Theres quite a variety of thumbnails for this idea (including a comic!), and the idea was there in 2022, but this year I decided to fully commit to it! I started rendering the top right one and almost finished it, but it felt really boring to me, so I switched it up and made some thumbnails in a new perspective and viola! thats what ended up being finished!
The train that is being derailed are Sanriku Railway Type 36s, based off a model train I have in my collection! (While sharing this fact on the original post Haiku Bot detected it as a Haiku?! and this art went out of my target audience, that certainly was a day (⊙□⊙;))
Also I straight up put a picture of Thomas the Tank Engine in the background, I'm not sure if people noticed cuz its quite blurry, the fact that nobody said anything means I probably would’ve gotten away with it before sharing this fact, so hehe :3c
Unexplained Melancholy
eyy! this one! It started out wholly different
It was originally me dropping Warden Ingo in various natural landscapes around Hisui as I didn't feel like drawing anymore linear perspective (ah, but heres the thing, all environments require a little bit of perspective lol), and it was just going to be Warden Ingo hanging out in a lush forest, specifically by the train rock that was shown in his concept art! but after sitting on it, I realized I could do something more with it! by making it a snowy environment I could make callbacks to Emmet's coat being white! hence the "SNOWY!!!" being scribbled there, that was added like weeks afterwards, Then I realized I could push it even more by making the whole environment about Emmet's colors! So the new thumbnail is in color because thats whats its about!
The moon smile thing was stumbled on by complete accident, while working on it it felt empty there and I added Emmet's smile to fill the space before going "moon!!!"
The piece is also a sort of a parallel to last years piece “I am Emmet, I wish for Ingo and I to be a two-car train once more” composition wise, sort of, I tried to at least 👍
Black Tower and Whitetree Hollow
Ah! I was quite proud of this one! Black City and White Forest are some of my favorite places in Unova mainly because the parallels are so very cool!
As the thumbnails suggest it was all going to be in complete black and white, as I was working on it though I could not help but add some values in there so yup! I quite like both compositions but the perspective won me out, plus that one focuses more on the characters than the other one (as much as I love backgrounds, it really is supposed to be about Emmet and Ingo U_U)
Being places of duality and having a battle challenge in there, it really fit them!
Emmet drops the hottest single of all time 🔥🔥🔥
Not really much to say about this one since it was very much done on a whim, but
its not the first time I drew Emmet with his hat backwards, I did this little doodle around the same time I did the train graffiti piece, been wanting to do something with this silly idea, and when I heard that audio, I went :o
Following Some Rumors of a Time Machine
the finale! I decided to choose Area Zero because its a very cool place! I am inspired by cool places! and I decided to give it my all for this one!
The thumbnail I made was more for jotting down the idea, and the landscape was going to be more eyelevel? Later I decided to make it so you were looking down into the crater and you get to see the fog blocking the crystal caverns, to show that Emmet was going deeper into Area Zero and the Deepest part is his destination (the time machine, not the underdepths, I didn't know about that yet haha!) I was always going to make Emmet encounter a Slither Wing, with it being based off Volcarona, a gen 5 pokemon :]
Anyways, That's all I have to say! I hope you found it interesting! (and enjoyed my varying quality in sketches and thumbnails XD) Thanks for listening! see you in 2024! ✌
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An author ask for woo, if we did get pmd5, what would you like to see in it?
// this question is a bit difficult to think about since I feel like PMD as a franchise and my own personal preferences have gotten to a point where they're going different directions- I suspect there probably won't be any future PMD games that entirely be ideal for my tastes, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. but some things I'd like to see are...
Good variety of pokemon (if we get another Gates in this regard I will be Sad. It doesn't have to be literally every pokemon that's shown up but 151 is a bit sparse...)
On that same train of thought, more hero/partner options that aren't just starters. I want weird shit in there like Machop and Phanpy again, give me some stuff that makes me go "why is that here?"
Good mix of accessibility mechanics and challenging gameplay (I think along the lines of Explorers and Super. Settings to toggle mechanics like the auto-movement would also be nice. And PLEASE bring back the standard A attack I'm begging you)
A UI that is generally clean and compact would also be nice- in the post where I talked about my problems with DX I attributed the busyness of the UI to only having a single screen to work with on the Switch, and I conveniently forgot PMD started on a single screen console with the GBA. I don't consider Rescue's UI to be visually crowded at all, so I'm back to the stance of "they should fit everything on the screen better".
If they simply MUST use 3D models and don't want to render new ones, then I just want portraits to emote again. Looking at Gates it seems they had a pretty emotive portraits. I imagine DX looking as bland as it did was because they ported portraits directly from PSMD, which had like, 720 pokemon all with at least 3 portraits (which was understandable for that game, I'm just appalled they didn't even bother remaking portraits for important NPCs in DX). Like look at this little guy he's crying out of his ear. His ear hole shrinks when he's shocked. He's hilarious and I want more portraits like this.
Something new with the story would be nice :,) ESPECIALLY the ending. Please I am begging. After 4.5 games (DX is only half a game to me since it's a remake) where it ends with the hero vanishing into light and the partner crying about it, it starts to lose its punch. And ngl when I got to the farewell scene in PSMD I was fully expecting another farewell, and I said to myself "if the partner leaves this time I'll bust out laughing". You can guess how that ended. I feel like PMD could offer a lot of different points of exploration in a story that aren't just "natural disaster threatens to blow everyone up" or "everyone was too sad :/ and now the world is blowing up". (Not that those are bad bases for a story, but PMD games tend to have very simple writing that doesn't explore stuff in depth, so it's hard for them to put a new spin on those takes.)
And that's about all I can think of off the top of my head! Unfortunately for you all I have a new crack theory to impart upon you that may be upsetting. I think the Pokemon Presents will not announce a new PMD. They'll mention the Gameboy Virtual Consoles, and show off a list of games that will be on it. Red Rescue Team will be there. And that'll be the end of PMD news. Enjoy this cursed theory.
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I could go on FOR HOURS about all of the things I love dearly about the SMRPG remake but I'm gonna be different,,, I'm gonna talk about the things that I didn't like/were weird to me instead >:)
(even then they aren't even really game changing things they're just me being nitpicky lol, none of these change my judgement on the remake being absolutely wonderful either!!!)
There'll be spoilers under the break so tread with caution if you haven't beaten the main storyline yet!!!
Difficulty:
or rather, lack thereof. I know the game isn't too hard to begin with, but I did feel like it was a little too easy on the normal mode. I think inclusion of the breezy mode was fine because people who want to play on it can play on it and I don't have to, but I do think the main difficulty should have been a bit less forgiving with the timed hit windows and the gauge boosts.
The limit breaks didn't bother me all that much, simply because I never used them and was never forced to except for when the mechanic was introduced. In fact, I'm gonna be totally honest, I've never even SEEN the other limit breaks/triple moves aside from the Mario/Mallow/Geno one because I didn't really want to use them and didn't ever really feel like I had to. I think it's fine that they're there and it was a really really neat inclusion, but I also like how you aren't roped into using them and have the option to just, not.
However, something you don't have the option to not use is the splash damage and gauge boosts. I found I hit the 10 combo mark pretty quickly pretty often and the stat buff was nice but it did make the game a little too steamrolly at times. The splash damage from perfect timed hits was also kind of annoying and steamrolly, especially when trying to collect Thought Peaks. (I DO really like the perfect block timed hit mechanic though!!!!!)
I know the postgame boss rematches are harder and gimmicky and I'm very excited to play those when I have the chance to like, sit down and play vidya games again (ESPECIALLY CULEX'S)! But I do wish they had opted for a hard mode that got rid of the splash damage and either removed/lessened the gauge stat buffs. And also dare I say, make the timed hit window smaller and get rid of the party swapping mechanic for it as well. I did really like the mid-battle party swap because I got to utilize characters I never really got to in the SNES version (namely Peach and Mallow, I'd always run Mario/Geno/Bowser. But then again playing Mallow as someone who knows how to correctly use a mage now was much easier than back when this was the only jrpg I'd ever played.) But I think It'd make for a more challenging and authentic-to-original experience.
Not being able to swap out Mario:
See, I understand why this is in there. Because he is The Guy™ and also so you don't get locked in battles where you have to jump on an enemy to win, like the dry bones. But I think it would have been a really nice QOL change to let you switch mario out for someone else, at least once you hit the postgame. I'd really like to experiment with different team comps that don't have mario in them, my preferred team I'd like to try being Mallow/Geno/Bowser.
The Cutscene Font:
idk it just really clashed with what was going on behind it. I can't pinpoint what it was exactly that was bothering me about it, it just kinda felt awkward
Localization Changes:
I'm going to start this by saying I'm actually VERY happy with the direction they took, by making appropriate changes but keeping the Woolsey translations that made the game as charming as it was. I was so happy to see Culex's goofy antimatter speech before his fight that made me so so happy!!!!
There were some things that got removed that were a little weird to me though:
☆ The toad in the Mushroom Kingdom that asks Mario to "Get Hitched in a few years"
I can see why this was changed, but I always read it as a "celebrity crush" type thing. We all had them, it's a pretty normal thing. I'm just happy I could still stand on top of him and make Mario dizzy
☆Gambling removed from Grate Guy's Casino
It's weird because they kept Casino in the name, but removed the actual gambling. Blackjack has been completely removed and the slots are still there, just named something different and you don't have to spend coins to play anymore. Blackjack did get replaced with a cute memory match minigame though! Gambling has been getting phased out of games for a while now and it's just one of those "huh, that's weird" things to me.
☆Peace Signs removed
Don't get me wrong, I like the new victory animations a whole lot! But I do think it was a strange choice to phase out the peace signs from Mario's, Mallow's, and Peach's victory pose. Was there a reason for it?
☆Card Symbols removed
Not sure why these were taken out either, I always thought it was a really cool detail how each character had their own playing card symbol and color attached to them when they used a magic attack. Maybe they did away with it because of the gambling association?
☆Heavy Troopa, Big Bertha, Speardovich, and Claymorton
I kind of get why Heavy Troopa and Big Bertha (one of the bullet bill cannon enemy's) names got changed because of the connotations, but the original names are pretty harmless given the fact, specifically in the case of Heavy Troopa, there's still dialogue that references his size.
Speardovich, iirc, was a localization change but Yaridovich just rolls off the tongue so much nicer and I feel like even with the name change people are just gonna call him Yari anyway.
Mack's name being changed to Claymorton is probably the one that makes the least amount of sense to me, but it could be because a lot of the pop culture references were phased out (like the Bruce Lee line and Punchinello's James Bond introduction.) Mack's name was probably a reference to Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife." That or it had something to do with an SNES character limit.
The other name changes didn't really bother me that much and I feel like they fit pretty well (except for Neosquid because of the haha funny it really doesn't bother me at all shhhhhhh)
☆The Royal Bus Logo
The ONLY reason I'm listing this on here is because despite having been removed from the 3D model, it's still present in the Credits sequence. Was probably an oversight, but I thought it was funny. It was probably removed since players outside of Japan wouldn't get what it was referencing (which is quite literally Jugemu Basu, which translates to 'Lakitu Bus' as it was referred to that in the JP version of the game.)
☆Geno's curls are part of his hat
Okay this isn't an actual issue I had with the game I just always drew him with ribbons for hair. I'm probably still drawing him with ribbons for hair lmao
☆Grate Guy Reward RNG
This also isn't an issue I had with the game but it is just me bitching how I didn't get a single red essence from Grate Guy while getting the star egg. I'm just super unlucky I think, can't find anything about his item pool being changed.
Framerate Issues:
So this is actually INCREDIBLY minor. I noticed the game chugs a little bit when you're in the water/by the water. Not sure why that is exactly but there's certainly a bit of a slowdown. Not a super duper obvious game breaking one, but subtle enough to be noticed.
And that's really all I got. Again reiterating before someone grabs their pitchfork and tries to skewer me that this doesn't change my judgement on the game at all and I still truly believe this is a near 10/10 remake that did an incredible job respecting it's source material while also adding fresh new content and QOL changes. I have a HUGE list of positive things to say about the game that heavily outweigh the nitpicks!!!!!
Looking forward to running around in the post game, ESPECIALLY the final Culex fight!
#super mario rpg#mario rpg#critique#nintendo#no really i say these things but the game is still unnironically super good#please don't take this as me saying the game is bad pls pls pls
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Pokéchronology, Volume I: Yellow
Day 1
Welcome to Pokéchronology! This is a post series where I play through one game from every core Pokémon release, including remakes, in chronological order; hence the name. As I do, I'll be recording my thoughts and experiences in posts like this one, whenever I make progress.
We're starting off with Pokémon Yellow, the most feature-complete version of the Generation I games. This will continue as a trend going forward wherever there is a third main series Pokémon game released after the initial pair.
If for some reason you're worried about spoilers for the plot of one of the first Pokémon games ever released, I've hidden the rest of this post beyond this point. It should also make things nice and compact and easier to see before you start reading.
Pallet Town
Well now, my first ever experience playing a main line Pokémon game. What to name my character? Imagining what I would do if I were a kid playing this game on his GameBoy twenty years ago, I went with the obvious choice: Evan. Because that's my name.
I didn't feel like naming the rival, so I just called him Gary and got down to business. I spent a little bit of time exploring Pallet Town, in particular examining all the bookshelves, because for some reason I thought one of them might have something different to say. Once I was satisfied I went to find Professor Oak and soon after got my Pikachu, who I named BIG RAT. I am way more amused by that than I probably should be, evidenced by the fact that I couldn't stop giggling like an idiot after I had done so.
The first battle with Gary was somewhat unremarkable but I quickly realized that Gary's Eevee is not to be underestimated. That Tackle does quite a lot of damage, and I very well could have lost that battle if all it did was attack. Maybe I should have started off by lowering its Attack before Thundershocking my way to victory.
Viridian City
Time to go to Viridian City. Once I arrive I get Oak's package and take it back to him, he gives me the Pokédex, and I return to the city to get some Poké Balls. I thought about going back to Route 1 and catching some Pokémon, but because BIG RAT is too strong, I couldn't really improve my chances by weakening said Pokémon. So I continued, deciding to explore the path west of Viridian City where I was accosted by Gary.
This is a dicey battle to get in when all you've got is an underleveled Pikachu and Gary now has two level 8 Pokémon. The first isn't really a problem, but Eevee is still tough to handle. Thankfully, Gary is an idiot and keeps telling his Eevee to use Status moves instead of spamming Tackle. After a very long and protracted battle where Sand Attack had dropped BIG RAT's Accuracy so low I wasn't sure I'd be lucky enough to finish the battle, I managed to scrape by with two Potions, and ending the battle with BIG RAT at critical health.
Viridian Forest
Okay, so I definitely need to catch some Pokémon. After healing up at the Pokémon Center I went to Viridian Forest hoping to add some new members to my team. Something that really struck me was that many trainers already have more than one Pokémon to battle you with, which I know is not the case in modern Pokémon games. It's good to know they put a little more thought into trainer battles and didn't make the games into total cakewalks back then.
Anyway, I fought all the trainers in Viridian Forest, who in spite of what I just said were all generally pushovers. Well, not that I expected much from a bunch of kids fielding weak ass bug Pokémon. I added three members to my team in the process: a Metapod that I named Dusty, a Caterpie named Butterboy, and BIRD UP, the Pidgey. Hardly a stellar lineup, but I don't think Pikachu is going to cut it in the first gym.
Pewter City
Here we go, first gym coming up. I figure Brock will be a lot tougher than my previous opponents, so I pop back into Viridian Forest for a bit of training before challenging his gym. The trainer upfront isn't a total joke but easy enough to win against, and you can just leave the gym to heal before coming back to challenge Brock himself.
There really isn't much you can do about his Rock type Pokémon in Yellow. They're just really sturdy and you're gonna have to deal with it. Which would be an issue... if you couldn't just Sand-Attack and Growl their stats into oblivion. Yeah, once you nerf them they become pretty harmless, which means you're free to then beat the shit out of them. Verrry slowly.
And there you have it: first gym beaten. The difficulty curve so far has been interesting; it's steep in some ways, compared to other Pokémon games, but it's manageable if you come in knowing what you're up against. I admit that I'm not really getting the true first-time Pokémon experience here. I'm familiar with a number of type match-ups already from having played Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, and I have watched a fair amount of Pokémon content in my spare time.
That's where I'll be wrapping things up for Day 1. I feel like I'm off to a good start. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going as I continue. I figure the gyms won't be super problematic since they're all based around a certain type which means they're easy to strategize around, but I have no idea how the Elite Four and Champion battles are going to go.
#rapifessor rambles#long post#nerd shit#pokémon#pokemon#pkmn#Pokéchronology#Pokéchron#classic games#retro gaming#pokeblogging#Pokechronology#Pokechron
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For otp! You know it, I know it, you're gonna do it eventually, JERIC
All of em⁉️ alright bet I’m deranged like that
1. Who most initiates PDA?
Eric obvi
2. Any sleep habits either had to get used to?
Eric prob sleeps weird, I’m not elaborating on that, and I think jacks the type of mf who needs to be at a certain level of comfort at night or else he’ll die, he’s willing to let some things pass but not much
3. Jealousy issues?
Yea y’all saw witches of pennbrooke
4. What’s a Night Out for them?
They’ve got range, shits anywhere from nice restaurant to club to breaking into mr Feeny’s car
5. What’s an evening in for them?
Watching films, eating shitty food and being gay and stupid
6. Double Date? Thoughts? Who?
Jeric double date with Rachel and whatever bitch they try and set her up with real (also I’m pushing lesbian Rachel)
7. Do they want (have) kids?
Yea :)))
8. Have an AU thought?
I’ve got a boy meets world remake in my mind and heart (and google docs) if that counts, but so far I haven’t come up with any of my lil batshit completely disconnected shit yet
9. If they got engaged… who proposed?
Jack,,,,
10. How do they deal with the other’s family?
I feel like jack would kinda wanna impress Alan and Amy but overall he gets along with them and like,,, Shawn likes Eric and that’s all that rly matters
11. What is their love language?
Both prob mostly quality time but Eric also probably physical touch
12. How are their communication skills?
Average? I feel like Eric is kinda defined BY his emotional intelligence so that helps but they’ve got their issues (specifically cause of the time gap thing)
13. A little personal… but… Hot and Steamy or Soft and Tender?
Haven’t thought too much about this and if I’m being real idk if I wanna
14. How did they first meet?
K that one is just canon, shoutout to Cory for introducing them, he is a real supporter of the lgbtq+ community
15. Why do they like each other?
They both kinda bring something to each other that they themselves don’t have so they kinda balance each other out and bring out the best in each other because of that, I think that’s kinda why they like each other???? Cause of the differences and new perspectives and shit idk
17. Morning rituals?
Thinking about adult jeric, y’all they have real jobs now and Eric probably has to get up early as fuck, I doubt he’s at all functional when he first gets up, my guy is like “five more minutes” when he’s literally a senator, jack probably read some article once about the healthiest morning routine and has tried to abide by that ever since
18. Evening rituals?
Mfs watch tv and films till one of them falls asleep and I really believe that
19. How are they at parties or gatherings?
Jacks mostly cool and normal, Eric makes things fucking crazy/pos
20. Most cuddly?
ericericeric
21. Movie Night?
Of course they do that shit, oh to be a fly on the wall well they decide to watch a horror film 😔😔😔
22. Who is the photo bug?
Prob Eric but I could see it being jack
23. How well do they know each other’s favorite foods?
Pretty well probably they literally live together (side note but Eric’s either the type of mf to eat like three different type of foods with very little variety or the type of mf to have a new food he’s obsessed with every other week no I’m not elaborating)
24. What do their texts look like?
Adult jeric time :)))) jack has that stereotypical old man texting style, Eric does that weird thing my grandma does where it’s like “congrats on the show today🏄♀️🌈🍰”
25. Parenting style?
Dude Eric would literally be such a good dad, fun parent, Eric Matthews be my dad challenge, I think Jack might be worried about fucking up but overall I think he’s do a good job, he’d make sure that kid didn’t die
26. If they have kids, who named them? What would they name them?
I’m not entirely sure?
27. Who brings home an illegal pet?
Eric if either of them (Eric’s not rly a pet guy and jack has a hard enough time taking care of himself)
28. Who takes the longest getting ready to leave?
I’m not sure, this could go either way
29. Who said I Love You, first?
I like the idea of it being jack but it was prob Eric
30. When did they realize they loved each other?
Eric was prob during witches of pennbrooke cause,,,, I love that episode and I like the implications of it,,,, jack I legit think was probably after the end of the series but before girl meets world (I mostly like to think this cause it makes me sad 👍)
#don’t complain if any of this is ooc#I am TIRED#+ I’m not ceo of boy meets world#haha unless/j#boy meets world#jack hunter#eric matthews#jeric
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playing a Pokemon game for the first time in 2023
TL;DR: mixed bag, some strong aspects but also one big fat fatal flaw.
Even though I'm a 90s kid, the whole Pokemon phenomenon somehow passed my childhood by. Now, that isn't to say I'd never heard of the franchise and thought a Pikachu was the sound of 3.14159 sneezing; I have picked up some basic things through cultural osmosis. Like that you get one of three little lads to start with and then you go out and with your lad catch more lads, use them to fight other, evil lad catchers and then, presumably, save the world.
Anyway, I decided to see what all the fuss has been about these past 25 odd years and picked more or less at random one of the games I already had on emulator, Pokemon not being famed as a franchise that evolves (hah) drastically from game to game. I ended up with Pokemon FireRed, which turned out to be a stroke of luck because it's a remake of the original Pokemon Red and since I do sort of kind of know the names of some of the Gen 1 lad roster, there was bit of familiarity there.
I picked Charmander (named him Chomp) and off we went. First off, catching new Pokemon never stopped being exciting. I suspect it's a similar effect as Gatcha machines, where you'll probably just encounter another goddamn Pidgey but there's also a small chance it could be something cool. Like, I was super hyped when I caught a Pikachu very early on because I assumed, being the mascot and all, it must be super strong, so I named him Thor. I was only whelmed by his performance in the end but fine.
I will say, up until maybe the second gym, the fights are quite well balanced and I felt challenged but not overpowered. This being a JRPG I had braced myself for a lot of grinding but I ended up needing to do very little, which is nice. Also nice is the manner by which I, as a new player, got eased into systems like type matching, items, etc. Sure, literal sign posts with "trainer tips" are a bit on the nose but overall I appreciated not having an encyclopedia chucked at my head first thing. There is in fact an encyclopedia in game but I rarely used it and had a lot of fun drawing my own little diagram with the types and their interactions as I figured them out.
Progressing onward, I would describe the game as monotonous yet absorbing, at least for a while.
Whoops, that loaded sentence needs unpacking. Right, so, while your lads are still levelling up frequently and you're still constantly encountering new species on the road, the travel and various battles are a way to pace out the excitement without ever allowing it to die away entierly. Cool, works for me. However, this stops being the case in later dungeons, when, in a spectacular display of misplaced confidence not seen since the Virtual Boy, the lvl12 Rattatas of the world still think it's a good idea to spit at my lvl32 Machoke's feet (named Chad obvs). Simple fix I can suggest there, weak ass baby pokemon should just automatically stop coming at you and not require a consumable item to avoid.
On a vaguely related note, in that even random encounters are unnecessarily drawn out, this game has too many text boxes. You can't scratch your ass in this game without 5 text boxes describing the smell of your butt sweat. It really needs turbo text rather than just fast text because every time I get into a fight or go into a pokecenter to heal my nigh expired Meowth (Marx, bc she redistributes capital by throwing it at ppl), after I once again forgot you're not supposed to use bite on Nidoran, I have to read through the nurse's unedited life story first. It's almost as thumbnumbingly tedious as navigating the PC and every other menu.
As a final criticism on the topic of monotony, I'd like to mention that the overworld trainer battles could have been handled better, fancied up a little, arranged with more care than the spoons in my cutlery drawer. How it usually works, is that they're copypasted in groups of 5-10 along a path and you just fight one after another. I feel like the same effect could have been achieved by just having, like, 3 unique trainers and they all just give you 3x as much XP.
XP distribution is of course an eternal sticking point in party-based RPGs but since you usually fight all of these trainers in a row you'll have the same team anyway. In general, the limited XP distribution means that to avoid grinding you pretty much have to limit yourself to one team (+ a couple of situational swap outs) that counters more or less every type, irrespective of whether they are your personal faves. On the other hand, this does help you get emotionally invested in those particular pokemon and their growth in an organic way, but then on the other other hand... well, we'll come back to that.
To be clear, none of these criticisms are dealbreakers, just quality of life issues and maybe signs of age, which I should hope have been adressed in the meantime. Do let me know.
Overall, I made my way through the game without too much trouble. The only gym I temporarily got stuck on was poison mcninjaman, which might have been because it was the one thing I did slightly out of order. I was generally surprised with how linear the game is but I really didn't mind that so much. It allows for more control in levelling and exploration. Speaking of which, one of my favorite features is how your lads can learn certain moves to make new areas accessible. It massages my metroidvania brain and is a neat way of letting the overworld and the "battling dimension" blend together a bit.
Finishing the elite four and absolutely trouncing my rival one last time was perfectly serviceable as finales go. Honestly though, it was the battles before that, on victory road, that were the most engaging because it contained some of the only trainers in the whole game that have diverse teams, not just four ambulatory flowers that fare against my pet flamethrower the way a white couch fares against a toddler with permanent marker.
Regardless, I got my title as lord high champion master trainer of all the strongest lads in the land and was actually excited to dive back in and fill out my Pokedex, fully explore Kanto and continue evolving my team (and maybe some of my benchwarmers). It was then, when I finally took to the internet to look up how to most efficiently turn Nosferatu, Haunter extraordinaire, into Nosferatu, Gengar spectacular, that I was delivered a gut punch which instantly obliterated any desire to keep playing or any recommendation for this game I might have made. See, you can't evolve some Pokemon (i.e. about half my team) into their final form without trading them with other players. Combined with the fact that you apparently can't get the other starters at all, you have no chance to even get remotely close to completing your Pokedex if, say, you're playing the game 20 years after it came out and it's on an emulator and thus not multiplayer compatible. This is a problem, to put it mildly.
I understand that nintendo wanted to encourage players to use the multiplayer features, but in a game that is still designed 99% around a singleplayer experience, it is just not ok to lock players who don't happen to have anyone to trade with out of crucial content like this. It clashes directly with the idea that you grow attached to your Pokemon through your adventures and that they will grow with you when eventually, no amount of rare candies, items or love you can bestow upon them will help. It's the much, much worse flipside of the limited XP problem, first forcing you to focus on a core team to the detriment of all the others and then putting a hard stop on that team's development. It would be possible grind XP if you really wanted that Alakazam but you can't magically conjure a friend (trust me on that). I could bear, like, one super special rare pokemon being exclusive to multiplayer but this is just bullying lonely kids and any astronauts who might be playing.
To summarize my overall opinion with a metaphor: Pokemon FireRed just about manages to squeeze into the crowded bus to Good Video Game town choking in Earthbound's musky armpit, only to be shoved out again on the second to last stop and faceplant into a concrete bench.
I would give Pokemon another chance if it didn't have that irredeemable anti-loner feature. Having said this, I've come to realize that, although I don't dislike the trainer battling, it was but the complementary bread rolls of this meal. I much preferred finding new Pokemon, figuring out how to best fight them without accidentally killing them/having them escape and exploring new areas. So I guess my ideal Pokemon game would be one where trainer duels are kept to a select few and instead the mechanics of finding and catching new lads as well as taking care of them are made more intricate (and less reliant on RNGesus).
Like Monster Hunter meets Nintendogs. Does that exist? Someone let me know if that exists.
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Some thoughts and tips on my last Gamefly rental, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake.
I played the original Gameboy version way back when, but never finished it. I think I got stuck at or after the Face Shrine, but finally finished it this time. And without dying at all, too. I remembered most of what you need to do, so I was able to breeze through most of the game pretty quickly, though taking time near the end to seek out any collectables I was missing.
A very good update to this version is some items/weapons are automatically mapped to buttons or are passive upgrades, and not requiring the player to have to switch items around as much, just one each for the X and Y Buttons. The ones that are rearranged this way:
Sword to B
Shield to both R buttons
Pegasus Boots to both L buttons
Power/Powerful Bracelet is passive
There’s quite a few other QoL additions made to this version that make the game more convenient, less annoying at parts, and overall easier.
There’s many Secret Shells hidden around the island which can be used to get rewards from the Seashell Mansion a little ways into the game, including an upgraded sword. There’s 50 of them, which is more than was in the original, but one reward is an item that tells you if one is nearby. Even with that, though, some are pretty cryptically hidden, and may need a guide to find, plus some are in places like the store, Trendy Game and the Fishing minigame(same for some Heart Pieces). One less obvious one you get by is playing Ballad of the Wind Fish where the Walrus blocks off at one point. Also, there was one Shell in the original that could be permanently missed if you didn’t get it with the Flying Rooster, but that was fixed in this version.
Like most Zelda games, there’s many Pieces of Heart hidden around to find. Unlike the Secret Shells, though, there’s no easier way to find them than to search high and low everywhere, especially as you get more items to progress.
Like in Breath of the Wild, you can now place Markers on your map for places to remember, which is good for if you find a place or item you can’t get to right away so you can try to remember to come back for it later.
The Trendy Game crane now has physics since the game has models instead of sprites, so have fun trying to get the Heart Pieces and Secret Shells that appear there. XP
Though the game fully loads areas now, it still has what feels like a bit of the old version’s ‘grid’ map on the overworld, like if you cut grass on a screen, move far enough away and come back, it’ll be regrown, as if you’re going back the ‘old screen’ from a different one. This might make more sense to ‘see’ than ‘read’. Early in the game at Mabe Village, you can use this to farm a decent amount of Rupees fairly easily.
A new feature to this version is being able make Chamber Dungeons at Dampe’s Shack. More options and challenges for this become available as you progress the game, and also as you find Chamber Stones(of which there are 14 to find). This was a pretty fun mode, though I didn’t do all of the challenges, just enough to get the Heart Pieces/Container and Secret Shell Dampe gives you.
Out of the game’s Dungeons, I’d pick Eagle’s Tower as my least favorite, since the colored Switch Blocks that you need to hit a switch to raise the one type of them and lower the other felt like a pain to work with on multiple floors.
The game’s opening and ending movies have a nice animation style that I think would fit good for a new Zelda cartoon/anime, if they ever decide to make one.
I forget if this was the first Zelda game I ever played(I think it was either this, Ocarina of Time, or A Link to the Past), but it was nice to revisit this one and finally finish it after so many years.
Next game being sent is: New Pokemon Snap.
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Star Ocean: Blue Sphere ~ A Review
Disclaimer: This is a subjective review. I think if you're good at skill based things like fighting games, party games, ect. you will enjoy this title more on a technical level.
Initial Thoughts
I have always wanted to play Blue Sphere, as I'm sure many english speakers have always wanted to. I owned an original copy for years.
We waited two decades for a translation, and although this one was hastily made and even stolen, I think we were all happy to finally play it.
The game did get a remake for mobile phones in Japan, but it's considered lost media, so that wasn't an option, either. It's never been ported (as of writing this, it remains the only title to not have a modern port).
I even purchased two copies when FishyFaceGames printed them. Sadly, my open copy doesn't save (which seems to be a common problem). If you want to play this physical, get a different repro as I haven't heard them having any problems. Otherwise, the ROM is widely availible and I used GBA Emulator for my playthrough.
I highly recommend using an emulator, do due to how much save scumming you'll want to do, especially for Item Creation and distributing SP.
Having said all that, my biggest concerns going in were if this game could be completed by someone who did not have the skills to learn new battle skills through combos, as this seems necessary (it isn't, although it makes the game more difficult).
My largest goal when making my guide was to provide a little more clarification on SP distribution, learning things like Lost Magic, Item Creation tips, and how to get the fabeled Blue Sphere… I think I accomplished that, so please enjoy the tips in the guide here.
So, now that I've completed the game, what do I think of it, as a fan who has put 1000+ hours into SO2 on PS1 and 40 hours into my playthrough of Blue Sphere (not counting resets)?
Gameplay / Dungeons
I'm going to start here. This game has so many issues. According to interviews, this game was meant to be a holdover for Star Ocean 3, therefore it was made for the Gameboy Color. The devs found making the systems simple = boring, so they did everything they could to make this a challenging (and frustrating) experience.
Firstly, learning new skills in battle. Everyone shares the fact that you must level the tree "correctly" to get the best skills. In some cases, like Celine, you must choose between high magic or her best spell; you cannot learn both. Learning skills has to be done in a secret order based on the character you're training; the only way to do this is to experiment, replay, or save scum. Even with saving, though, you can't know until you max out two entire trees, which takes the entire game. This takes away control away from the player right off the bat and can lead to paralyzing anxiety of making mistakes. You will.
Dungeons are typical old school fair, but even Japanese players said they had trouble with the ones in this game. Particularly, Gravis Forest, Leviabor Ruins, and Grand Knott are troublesome and almost impossible without maps.
This can be exacerbated if you're playing on a Gameboy Pocket or a Super Gameboy, because of the limited to no color palette. A lot of dungeons also require specific Field Actions to explore, which are mostly limited to specific characters (especially Precis, the HM Slave, early on). It is nice that every character can be leveled whenever as long as you grind SP, which isn't hard to do, just time consuming. You can also go back to your ship to switch characters very often. However, late game, if you've not been leveling a side character at all, this can be time-consuming. One saving grace is the character does not have to be in the active party. I think, if they had the power at the time, being able to switch characters on the fly [in a dungeon] would have made this game's dungeon crawling SO much more fun and enjoyable.
I found that treasure often was NOT worth going out of the way for. Usually towns provide enough updated equipment to keep you going and the dungeons tend to provide useless or redundant rewards. There are a few exceptions late game, though, which made exploring a bit more worth it (and you're more likely to have a character in your team to use).
Enemies are on the screen, however, they often can't be avoided, even with Dias' dash. Only a few characters can gain an initiative / surprise with their FAs, like Celine's Magic Shot. This isn't necessary but it does help and you can hit an enemy first with anyone, but it's trickier without the long range FA.
I found that running from battle did work more like 70% of the time. Running also removes the enemy from the field, which is nice.
The balancing is not great, if you can't combo with a fighter. Some enemies will absolutely trash your mages at the start, making battles insufferable. Again, the only reason the mages die is because you can't freely raise their HP without messing up their skill tree. Armor only helps so much.
The dungeon designs themselves aren't bad and are beautiful to look at, but there are a few times I almost dropped the game entirely if I hadn't had the Japanese guides I was referencing.
Item Creation (IC) / Misc. Mechanics
So, remember I said the devs love taking control away from the players? I'm sure there are some that do not enjoy Star Ocean's random IC, but it was better implemented in SO2.
Here, you must score a specific amount of points or some other specific action by completing mini-games that only use the D-Pad, which is clunky by today's standards. I can partially forgive this, but some of the games really are almost impossible, even with the support item and max level that "makes it easier".
I never enjoyed this mechanic, except on the Art game. Even then, that one has a random element of which color you get to play.
Limiting the Ultimate Battle Skills to the Blue Sphere item, I understand, but making it impossible to obtain sucks. I know they intended the Connect feature to be used, but this is ultimately a single player experience and the Alchemy game is too difficult to get them even somewhat consistently! I'm talking 1/50 attempts would be fine for something so rare, but I never got one. You get one free one in the entire game, but you have to be playing on a specific model Gameboy to obtain it! There are other treasure that use this mechanic, rewarding those that play on the black and white screen with better stuff, but for something designed for the GB Color, you think we'd have an option as well. Luckily, on an emulator, you can change your model, but if you're playing physical you may be out of luck. I could ramble about all the IC mini-games, as they are skill based and so your opinion may be very different, even positive, if you're good at these kind of games, but I didn't enjoy it and the lack of control to the player once again makes this an awful experience. From what I gather also, gaining a fighter's ultimate battle skill is linked to possibly sacrificing their ultimate main-game weapon. Who would decide something like that?!
Sparking magic is something I haven't discussed. Honestly, it was one of the better mechanics in the game… if you knew what you needed. Often spells require: you control the character, you use the right spell (random chance to unlock), and the required stat is high enough. This is a lot of variables with no indicator. I can see this being frustrating for players.
NPCs are there and some PAs do fill out the world a bit more, but for the most part you will be screaming at them to move or ignoring them entirely.
Weapons/Equiptment/Acessories are something run of the mill for the most part. You can buy them (enemies don't drop money) or make them (IC) or find them in treasure chests. The Ultimate Weapons are either obtained through Private Actions or using the Blue Sphere item I discussed previously.
Making money is a problem early on. Fine. Learn Cooking and play an okay mini-game and make some. Sell stuff you don't use. This isn't the worst problem in the game, but nothing tells you how to make any money and if you mess up a skill tree teaching one of your main three Cooking, then you're out of fucking luck. Inherently, you would have 3 main party members for battle and the rest saved for IC, but I would have to bring up the problem of switching characters on the fly remotely again. Sometimes going back to the ship when you're halfway through a dungeon is just not feasible.
There really aren't any sidequests to speak of outside Private Actions and Ruddle. Standard Star Ocean fair which I'll go into more below. There is a lengthy post-game that was a given for this era of Tri-Ace, including the infamous Cave of Trials (I didn't confirm this, but I bet you can save anywhere which is a relief). You have to collect the God Rings all over the game and then tackle the dungeon. I didn't do this personally as there isn't any story to be gained, but completionists and diehards will love to see it return.
Graphics / Music
I can safely say there are not many complaints here. The graphics are gorgeous, as expected from this era of Enix and Tri-Ace.
Motoi Sakuraba did the best he could given the hardware and a lot of tracks sound redundant, but I never found it particularly irritating. If anything the music fades into the background. The battle theme is a banger, though!
Story / Private Actions
The story isn't too in-depth. That's okay, given the space they had for the catridge. I don't think it means to take itself too seriously. Tri-Ace has never had master level writing chops, so don't go in expecting a grand adventure for the story. There's just enough to get you from point A to point B and the last 5 hours of the game contain most of the plot, explaining the world and the final boss' motivations. There's nothing bad or great about it.
Private Actions are great as always. They really kept the spirit of the cast from 2 here. In fact, they wanted to add more, but there just wasn't enough space to do so. We only get a measly 25ish PAs in this game, compared to the 100 or so in 2, but that's okay. Some of them are really fun! Most of them aren't missable, although they can't all be seen in one playthrough (there's a few you must pick between). PAs really are a highlight in this game, especially if you're a fan of 2. I recommend doing as many as you can. Some have good rewards, too.
Conclusion
I would give this game a 6/10
As a fan of the series. The frustrating elements make me score it lower. The game shines with its graphics, music, and Private Actions, but ultimately leaves a somewhat lackluster experience.
Do I regret my time spent with Blue Sphere? Not really. I think it was alright. I think if you love SO2, you should give it a shot. The game is only 35-45 hours for the main story and technical skill isn't required to complete, but it does make it easier. The frustrating elements can be weathered through (I took a one week break and a weekend break at seperate points of frustration…) I think if you love the characters, seek out the PAs. If you love the story, you may consider watching on YT instead as there really isn't a lot of meat there and the ending is very "we saved the world, let's go on another adventure!" and not the most satisfying. There aren't multiple endings here, either. Replayability is very dependent on how you play personally. I think you could get all you need from this game if you played very carefully and planned everything in advance. A replay might be worth it if you want to challenge yourself with other characters in your main team; I would find this unbearable. All in all, I would recommend it to someone who loves skill-based titles, dungeon crawlers, or Star Ocean 2. I think the game has too many issues to make it enjoyable to play or replay, but this is a very decisive title running on dated hardware with a shoddy translation. I hope this review provided some insight and if it wasn't enough, you can view my walkthrough here to see if it is something more suited to you.
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SAMBUCKY FIC RECS
so a lot of people seemed interested this so here it is! if ya’ll like this, i can make more parts! this is split into three categories: based on tfatws, canon divergence, and au. all fics are on ao3. all of the fics are complete. some fics do include smut, but i included the ratings, so make sure to check for that based on preferences!
also, feel free to send me asks on your thoughts on any fics or if you’re interested in another sambucky fic rec post!
BASED ON TFATWS
Fill the Hole in my Heart | Not Rated | 4,848 words
Bucky dives into the world of online dating. The girls are nice, but there seems to be something missing. When he goes to Louisiana to meet Sam and his family, he realizes what that something was.
Skip, Reverse | Explicit | 7,945 words
Sam stood in the middle of their local Target with a throw pillow in each hand. The one in his left hand was butter-soft and matched the drapes in the living room, but Bucky had walked by five seconds ago and declared the one on the right “absolutely fucking hideous,” and so now Sam kind of wanted it more than he had ever wanted anything.
Sometimes romance is just bickering with your superhero partner/roommate at several different Target locations.
just won’t do right | General | 7,524 words
Sam's eyebrows go up, impressed, and he reaches over to squeeze Torres' shoulder, "This is amazing, kid. Thanks, really."
Bucky sits and watches in utter horror as the pink darkens on Torres' cheeks.
Oh, he realizes. Oh. Fuck.
body language will do the trick | Explicit | 12,598 words
“There’s no way you’re going to win this,” Bucky tells Sam. “I am going to love language the shit out of you.”
Sam gives him a considering look. “You do seem like you’d be really good at that.”
Bucky’s cheeks flush with heat. “Thanks, pal, I—”
Sam smirks, and Bucky’s eyes narrow. He shoves his elbow into Sam’s side and stalks off, leaving Sam cackling behind him.
“Your ass looks great today!” Sam yells.
Bucky reaches up to flip Sam the bird, and he definitely does not feel grateful that he wore his good jeans today. Bucky’s ass looks great every day.
checklist | General | 4,716 words
Bucky Barnes keeps a mental checklist of things he knows to be true at any given moment. Sometimes the checklist changes, because he's learned something else about himself.
It changes, for example, when he starts realizing that maybe he would like to kiss Sam Wilson. Maybe.
best laid plans | 3 parts | 26,808 words
part 1: baby you’re the wave and I’m ready for the crash | Explicit | 6,616 words
Nah, my plan’s better,” Sam declares, before clapping Bucky on the shoulder.
“I’m sorry, what plan? Was that a plan? It didn’t sound like a plan to me, it sounded like a vague intention,” says Bucky, still scowling, and Sam grins.
“We’re winging it, the plan is a work in progress! Now c’mon, we gotta make some wardrobe adjustments if we’re gonna get into that club.”
Sam and Bucky have some unorthodox methods of going undercover in a club.
He Doesn’t Deserve You! | Teen | 5,154 words
Sam and Bucky have an argument that results in Bucky being left at the bar. A group of drunk strangers assumes Bucky just got dumped and quickly adopt him for the night to make him feel better.
Reconstitution | Not Rated | 10,228 words
“I didn’t back Steve on the Sokovia Accords,” Sam says unprompted one day. They’re so close to apprehending the Flagsmashers and wrapping up this ridiculous saga.
“I don’t follow,” Bucky says.
“I was the one who refused to sign it first. Not Steve.”
Sam says it so softly that Bucky has to strain to hear him. Sam is loud and chatty and half the time he keeps up a constant stream of chatter just to get on Bucky’s nerves, but Bucky’s coming to realize that when he really wants to make himself heard, he’s soft spoken and mild. Bucky doesn’t entirely follow his train of thought, though.
Or: a breaking down, remaking, and coming back stronger than ever before
Stuck On You (You Suez, You Luez) | Explicit | 10,136 words
Sam and Bucky’s mission was simple: stowaway on a ship suspected of weapons-smuggling in the Suez, gather enough intel to report back, and hop off again in Port Said. Something gets in the way, and a day-long recon session turns into a week of chess, bickering, semi-successful movie references, and trying not to go slowly insane.
His Touch | Mature | 1,006 words
When Baron Zemo touched Bucky’s face, Sam Wilson saw red.
Bucky just wants Sam to comfort him.
rusted | Teen | 2,358 words
Bucky doesn’t grace him with a sound of acknowledgement. He’s been quiet, ever since that night with Zemo. Well. Quieter. It’s almost like. Every time he opens his mouth, he’s half-expecting the Winter Soldier to come out.
He hasn’t, yet. Won’t, ever again. Not unbidden. Sam’s sure of that. Bucky, not so much.
‘You busy?’
‘’m scouring the—’
‘Good,’ Sam cuts the idiot off, ‘I need you to help me shave.’
advanced therapy methods for large adult men | 2 parts | 11,717 words
part 1: The Gottman Method for Dealing with Conflict | Mature | 4,187 words
Bucky and Dr. Raynor have a follow-up session and two entirely different conversations about his relationship status.
Or: Let's do more couples therapy, James.
it’s always Bucky’s Fault | 3 parts | 20,089 words
part 1: Did you see it? | Explicit | 3,905 words
In which there's supposedly a viral video of the Winter Soldier on his knees sucking off Captain America.
Everything is, like always, completely Bucky's fault.
CANON DIVERGENCE
Even in the Present (I Am Living in the Past) | Teen | 16,977 words
Sometimes Sam still questions everything about his ability to shoulder the 80-year legacy he now bears. His history, and the history of his loss, sticks with him and even in healing he doubts whether or not he is able to fulfil his purpose, and whether he may find lasting peace and happiness.
Told in fluid-fragments, the story moves between his therapy sessions after his return from active duty and the post-Endgame present.
You never forget your first | Teen | 3,650 words
The story of Bucky and Sam getting together in a series of firsts.
leftovers | Mature | 19,249 words
With the New Avengers up and running, Sam finally has time to start dating again. Unfortunately, it's not going as well as he'd hoped.
Partners | Explicit | 7,235 words
Sam's not sure if he can be Captain America. He's not a supersoldier. He can't throw the shield. He's just a dude.
And Bucky Barnes is just a nuisance, albeit a pretty good-looking one.
I’ll explain everything to the geese | Explicit | 50,949 words
Bucky is so competent that it hurts my feelings is not a rational complaint to have about a person, and yet, after a year of being Captain America and partnering up with Bucky for the new and improved, post-Blip Avengers, that’s kinda how Sam’s feeling.
It’s not great. It maybe leads to Sam making some rash, ill-advised decisions like claiming he has a previously undisclosed superpower, and then getting caught in a web of lies when he ends up actually developing that surprisingly inconvenient superpower. Talking to birds had seemed like a harmless superpower, but it turns out that birds have a lot of opinions, and they don’t hesitate to tell Sam about them, especially when it comes to his supposedly subpar courting skills. Which is ridiculous, because Sam isn’t courting Bucky. Right?
Night Swimming | Teen | 2,056 words
“Come on. The princess has a new arm for you and I gotta see if there’s a barber around here willing to tackle your…” Sam waved a hand at Bucky’s face.
“I don’t want a new arm,” Bucky immediately bit out.
And then -
“I can cut my own damn hair.”
Sam just raised both eyebrows. Crossed his arms over his chest again.
Dared Bucky to prove him wrong.
AU
Cpvert Coffee & Flirtation Specialist | General | 5,542 words
The reporter says "—for Captain America to—"
And Bucky rolls his eyes. "Oh, here we go."
Sam looks at him then tips his head sideways, got a weird grin on his face. "Not a fan?"
"Not that. Just… the guy seems too good to be true, right? Wings and a shield?? Come on."
"Uh, is that why your eyes are like glued to the screen whenever he's on?" Kate says. "Is that why you call him Captain Tight Ass?"
"He's a goddamn show-off, and you know it. Tight ass or not."
Just then Sam snorts, real loud, grabs his coffee and suffers a horribly controlled laugh on his way out the door.
Stolen Moments | Teen | 98,767 words
“No,” Sam said, chuckling. “I don’t cheat,” he swept his gaze up and down James’ body, “even with guys who look like you. But, I’m bored and a little pissed, so if you wanna sit here and shoot the shit ‘til my man shows back up, I’m game.”
Never one to back to back down from a challenge - especially a challenge who looked like Sam Wilson - Bucky took another swig from his bottle and replied, “Sure, doll. I’ve got nothing but time.”
Steve has Sam. Bucky wants Sam. Sam wasn’t expecting any of this.
Such a Whirlwind Since I Saw You | Teen | 10,871 words
The Men of Letters turned Bucky Barnes into a weapon. Hunters Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov are determined to save him, but they're going to need Sam Wilson's help.
“So you want me to ditch work, drive across America with you until you find your friend, who you thought was dead - all while avoiding some high-tech hunters who are out for blood?” Sam is asking.
Steve shrugs a shoulder, looking a little sheepish. Natasha almost laughs at the dry tone of Sam’s voice, but he's not wrong.
You Got What I Need? | Explicit | 37,588 words
Sam and Bucky are both in a bind, professionally. Nat points out a solution that neither men like. To save their careers they play along or rather, stop playing all together.
#marvel#sam wilson#bucky barnes#tfatws#sambucky#sambucky fanfiction#sambucky fic recs#fic recs#usermarcy#usersof#tusernini#tusersammy#usersmile#usersamanne#usercross#sambucky fanfic#my fic recs
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The Brothers and Side Characters Play the Sims
I don’t know what possessed me to make this but WHATEVER. I’ve been playing the Sims since I was a wee little girl, and I’ve seen my fair share of weird Sims stuff that I feel would fit these bozos perfectly.
My Sims have a Functional Family Life Because I Don’t (Lucifer)
God dammit Levi’s obsessed with another game... ugh.
Spends 5 minutes in Create-a-Sim and hops into a starter home.
Lucifer’s the type to start with all the average stuff and then build their stuff up as his sim gets promotions.
It’s just... so peaceful...
...he’s adopting a dog.
Look at his new little virtual family... his sim-kids are self sufficient and getting A’s in school, his Sim spouse MC or Diavolo take your pick loves his Sim-self, his sim-dog-
WAIT NO- THE DOG’S AN ELDER?!
AAAAAAAAAAAAA-
...
He’s fine. It was just a virtual dog. *sniffle*
He’s now spending his free time drinking Demonus and playing the Sims.
What’s a mod? Levi why does your sim have gun?
Behold, My Gorgeous Home... It’s a Box (Mammon)
Mammon, like the rest of the HOL, is mooching off of Levi’s Origin account.
“AW SHIT! This house looks awesome! I’m gonna build it for Sim-me to live in!”
Mammon proceeds to build a box with rooms. Yay...
He just picks the funnest sounding job if he picks any job at all for his Sim. That’s how he ended up making 9 dollars an hour in the criminal career.
Didn’t stop Mammon from buying that solid gold bathroom set from Get Famous... a box with solid gold bathrooms.
His Sim is broke send help-
“Leviiiiiii my sim needs money... the people my sim kidnapped and is forcing to paint aren’t making enough money...” “Ugh... press control shift C and type ‘motherlode’.”
...Levi made a mistake.
“FUCK YEAH! MOTHERLODE!”
His sim’s life is so chaotic, he has a piranha pool that his sim has almost died in twice, the sim is carrying on several torrid love affairs, his sim got struck by lightning, his sim has nearly died in a grilled cheese making accident twice... in the same day.
At least once Sim-Mammon and Sim-MC get married things calm down a little.
Mammon finds out what custom content is and proceeds to download EVERYTHING HE CAN FIND.
And now he’s asking Levi why his computer is running so slow.
Expansion Pack King (Leviathan)
He got into it back when the Sims 2 was new, he’s a veteran fan.
“Bro remember when Agnes Crumplebottom would show up and whack the shit out of your sims if they were flirting?”
“Remember when that witch would show up randomly on the lot you were on if you had Makin’ Magic?”
“Remember when Bella Goth was abducted by aliens and we just... didn’t question it?”
He whines about the Sims4 and how crappy it is but still buys every expansion pack, game pack, and stuff pack.
This boy watches like 40 hours of built tutorials and ends up sobbing over his weird roofs.
“WHY DOESN’T IT LOOK AS NICE AS THE ONE I’M LOOKING AT?! THIS ISN’T FAIR!”
The mod folder is so full istg-
Levi gets custom content for the sole purpose of making his favourite fictional characters.
This is why Henry and the Lord of Shadows are married and Ruri-chan and Sim-Levi are roommates.
Oh my god they were roommates-
Levi also added his brothers to the world and uh... Sim-Mammon died in a tragic pool accident F.
Levi then proceeded to befriend the Grim Reaper.
He’s anxiously awaiting the release of Paralives.
Wait Gameplay? In This Build Simulator? (Satan)
Satan’s here to build and leave. Gameplay who?
Our favourite bundle of rage is a master architect and the amount of followers on the Gallery he has shows it.
He takes up those build shell challenges and always ends up making them look positively perfect.
Asmo’s always using his houses, and Satan often takes requests when he gets bored.
No Mammon, he reserves the right to refuse to build a golden castle for you- YOUR SIM HAS 40 SIMOLEONS-
No mods, no CC, he’s building with what EA gave him.
...and EA gave him debug objects, and he’s not going to explain how to get them.
The one time he did actually play with a family... it was one sim and seven cats.
He tries to play without cheats... and ends up getting frustrated and turns on cheats.
All hail the Pets Expansion Pack.
Custom Content Soap Opera (Asmodeus)
Asmo spends 5 hours in Create a Sim then just... clicks out of the game.
That’s how it goes most of the time, buuuuuut when he gets super invested in a family he’s made, boy howdy is he INVESTED.
Sim A is carrying on an affair with Sim C who’s in love with Sim B who’s married to Sim A but Sim D wants to kill Sim A and C even though they’re the illegitimate child of Sim C-
When Asmo realizes that in the Sims 4 he needs to manufacture all the drama himself and he can’t just sit back with a glass of wine and watch the fireworks, he switches to the Sims 2 and 3.
“...why is this old lady beating up my Sim..?”
He immediately recoils in horror upon seeing how ugly the Sims are pre Sims4.
HE NEEDS TO FIX THIS-
Ah, there we go, perfect. Custom Content to the rescue!
He ends up remaking the entire world just so he doesn’t have to look at weird looking Sims.
Asmo is the only one to have finished a proper Legacy Challenge, but it gets crazy chaotic after gen 3.
“My sim just got abducted by aliens and now he’s pregnant- WHAT?!”
He has about 40 saves and only two he actually plays.
Just a Big Ol’ Happy Family (Beelzebub)
Beel found the game, proceeded to make everyone in create-a-sim to the best of his abilities, and made everyone get along.
That’s why Sim-Lucifer and Sim-Belphie are on a swing set together, they’re friends :D
“Hey Luke do you think you can make this?” “I-is that a cake shaped like a hamburger?” “Yes. Please make.”
He took one look at the cooking options and decided to max out his Sim’s cooking skill to unlock all the options.
Beel proceeded to drool all over his keyboard. Gross...
Boy howdy did he have some crazy dinner suggestions!
Overall, very wholesome Sim-life, except for the time Sim-Levi died because the toilet caught fire, don’t worry, Sim-Beel knows how to make ambrosia.
All is good in the Sim save...
...until Sim-Beel ate pufferfish nigiri and fuckin died-
Wait Did I Not Pause- (Belphie)
Huh, this game looks fine... I’ll play for a little- *SNORE*
Belphie makes some sims, plops them into a starter home, plays for an hour, then falls asleep.
He wakes up five hours later to absolute carnage.
Three sims have died because someone decided to make Mac and Cheese and the oven caught fire, the kids were taken away by social services, and the dog ran away.
“...heheh, holy shit everyone look.”
He doesn’t play often, but when he does, death occurs. He has found out every death method for every game from Sims 2 to 4.
And that INCLUDES the Sims Medieval! You guys remember that game?
Sometimes it’s not intentional, but Belphie got bored with the totally normal life his sims were living and decided to spice it up.
“Why are the ghosts breaking my showers..?”
Help There’s a Bug- (Diavolo)
The Crown Prince started playing when he noticed Lucifer was playing it.
He was immediately obsessed.
Dia mostly plays the Sims Medieval because he likes the feeling of achievement after completing a quest!
“Barbatos... why isn’t my Sim completing their task? The icon won’t show up.” “My lord it appears the game is bugged.” “:(“
No one thought to tell Diavolo that EA doesn’t plan on offering bug support to a game made in like... 2009
This doesn’t matter! Look at how great his kingdom is doing- oh no his hero has the plague-
He plays through the Pirates and Nobles expansion and manages to get the peaceful ending, he’s so proud of himself.
“MC! Look! My Monarch’s sword is permanently on fire and I’m fighting an evil wizard!”
When he does play the other Sims games he’s pretty basic, though, he does a great job at furnishing!
Dia gets crazy sad when his Sims die... he turns off aging.
Builder no. 2 (Barbatos)
Barbie doesn’t have time for this... but when he does, he builds.
No create a sim.
No playing the game as intended.
Just builds.
It’s relaxing, okay? A nice little suburban house he’s never going to play in, maybe a treehouse, maybe a big Hollywood Mansion...
The only time he actually plays the game outside of build mode is when someone needs his help to fix something in-game.
He does download custom content build items if he feels bored by the current selection.
Oh Crap What Am I Doing?! (Simeon)
Help him. Please.
He’s so confused.
“Luke, why is my sim upset?” “He’s hungry, Simeon.” “Oh, how do I fix that?” “...Simeon-”
There’s a toilet in the middle of the living room.
The fridge is facing the wall.
There’s no bathtub or shower.
The house is on fire- there is no god- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-
Okay, once he gets the hang of it he’s sitting pretty. His sims have good jobs, the kids are getting good grades, everything’s fine.
...
But Simeon won’t forget the nightmares.
What Even is This Save? (Solomon)
Solomon’s save is the definition of chaos.
One sim’s a vampire, the other is a spellcaster that really wants to fight the Callientes for some reason, there’s one normal sim that’s always sick for some reason,
It gets weird, confusing, and horrible.
Just how Solomon likes it.
His house makes no sense, like, what even is architecture?
Money cheats are needed because Solomon‘a goal of chaos and confusion is proving to be kind of expensive.
Square up Mortimer Goth, Solomon’s sims are here to steal your weird knight statue that’s worth a shit ton of simoleons for NO REASON.
He joined the scientist career for the sole purpose of getting to the alien planet and kidnapping adding an alien to the household via cheats.
The vampire ended up dying on their wedding day because Solomon forgot that he gave them the sun weakness.
Oh well, the ghost got added to the household! VAMPIRE GHOST!
The Child (Luke)
Before you say Luke’s too young to play the Sims, you should know that I was nine when I first started playing, and I turned out fiiiiiiiiiine.
He’s just happy to be playing.
Look, his sims are gardening :D
Look, two of them are getting married :D
Look, they had a baby :D
Look, his sims are building a rocket ship :D
Look, his sims’s rocket just crashed-
The concept of death hit the little angel right in the face that day.
“*sniffle*... my sims...”
Don’t worry, with tears in his eyes, Luke quit without saving and everything was fine!
Speaking of My Sims, Luke played MySims Sky Heroes and that was when Luke had his first bout of gamer rage.
MC came over to hang out with Solomon and Simeon, and in the distance they could just hear:
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY TIME WASN’T FAST ENOUGH TO CONTINUE THE STORY!? I’LL SHOW YOU FAST ENOUGH TIME!”
Okay, maybe Simeon should take the game away... just for a bit... he should take heed not to be bitten by the incredibly angry chihuahua.
Bonus:
MC: Why are our Sims married?
*Insert Boy Here*: Uh... that’s weird... I have no clue why they’re doing that...
#Obey me#obey me headcanons#Obey me!#obey me! shall we date?#obey me! headcanons#obey me shall we date#Obey me Lucifer#Obey me Mammon#obey me leviathan#Obey me Satan#Obey me Asmodeus#Obey me Beelzebub#Obey me Belphegor#Obey me Diavolo#Obey me MC#obey me barbatos#Obey me Simeon#Obey me Luke#Obey me Solomon
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Vampy come down for family dinner and help clean up like he wasn’t just defiling their daughter 10 minutes ago
Harry would rail the fuck out of her in her closet with one hand over her mouth and another around her throat, grunting absolute filth into her ear as she spills over him with muffled whines and sobbed pleas. He’d lick her clean, pull her panties and leggings back up her quaking thighs, and proceed to buckle his slacks casually while she props herself against the wall, trembling and panting.
He just leans forward and presses a chaste kiss between her sweaty brows, her skin sticky against his lips as he murmurs smugly. “I’m gonna go finish cleaning up the kitchen with your mum. Come back down after you’ve sorted yourself out, and don’t forget to wipe your makeup off. It’s smeared down your face.”
Y/N does as he says, wiping the watery steaks of mascara off her cheeks and fixing her wild hair, making sure to leave no evidence of their little escapade, lest Harry end up sleeping outside on the yard. When she finally gets back down to her living room (she takes the stairs extra carefully, her belly throbbing with each step), the vampire is sitting in the rocking chair next to her mother’s, swaying lightly as they chat away nonchalantly.
They’re laughing and gossiping, their hands occupied with all types of yarn and needles, and she always forgets that Harry had learned how to knit when he was younger. It’s so baffling to see him engaging innocently with her mom, his nimble fingers expertly working on a multicolored scarf as he does so, not sparing the piece the slightest glance due to how confident he is in his skills. The reason it’s especially startling is because those fingers had been inside her not even five minutes ago.
“So we were running around this lake near my house,” Harry explains candidly, clearly in the middle of telling a story from his past as his digits weave in and out amidst red and purple yarn, “and we were playing in the snow near the banks, which was our first mistake. My mother had told me that the snow around the shores tended to be really slushy, so if we weren’t careful, we’d end up slipping really easily. We didn’t listen, of course— what ten year old does? We were playing tag with the neighbors, and as I was chasing after Gemma, I accidentally shoved her a bit too hard and she slipped and fell right into a pile of muddy snow. Completely stained everything she was wearing.”
Her mom releases a disappointed hiss, giving him a sympathetic glance over the glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. “Poor thing.”
Harry nods in agreement, looping yarn over his needles as he extends the scarf over his lap for more space, continuing his labor. “My mum grounded me for a week, and I spent that entire time learning to knit so I could remake Gemma’s mittens, since I was the one that ruined them. It was a fair punishment, honestly, and I ended up liking it more than I thought. Plus, the mittens I made were way better than the original pair. You just can’t buy this type of talent anywhere.”
The older woman laughs boisterously at his self-absorbed joke, which results in Harry smiling to himself proudly, giggling along.
Y/N clears her throat softly, leaning against the archway that leads into the room and crossing her arms over her chest in a relaxed manner, quirking an eyebrow at both of them as she makes her presence known. “Having fun?”
Harry glimpses over at her, his eyes raking down her body to where she’s clasping her thighs tightly, irises gleaming with knowing condescension. “Loads.”
“Harry was just telling me about when he learned to knit!” Y/N’s mother chirps, sending a warm smile towards the boy sitting across from her, unaware of the fact that he’d been defiling her daughter not too long ago. “It’s not often that you find a young man with this type of interest. He’s a keeper, sweetheart.”
“Hear that?” The immortal gloats teasingly, wagging his brows playfully as he holds up his unfinished accessory. “I’m a keeper.”
“Mm.” His girlfriend hums sarcastically, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling to avoid giving him any satisfaction. “I bet you’re just loving all this praise, aren’t you?”
Harry whistles lowly, tutting in a chastising fashion. “Someone’s jealous.”
Y/N rectifies her posture, an appalled expression cracking over her features. “Am not!”
“Are to.”
“Am not.”
“Are to.” Harry insists doggedly, looking over at the older woman for support. “Isn’t she?”
Her mom studies her for a moment, clicking her tongue scoldingly. “I think maybe you are, honey. Just a bit.”
Harry cranes his head back towards Y/N, sticking his tongue out mockingly behind the woman’s back and scrunching up his face comically, flaunting his childish point.
“Plus, Harry was sweet enough to make you that scarf he’s working on. You should be more grateful.”
Harry softens his eyes dramatically, sugaring his voice into a honeyed drawl that only she can read through. “Yeah, Y/N. I’m going out of my way to make you this nice gift, and that’s the thanks I get?”
“Dickhead.” The girl grumbles pettily, shifting on her feet as she glowers at him.
Her mother glares at her accusingly. “Language! I taught you better than that!”
“Mm. You should be more careful with what you say; words hurt more than you know.” Harry tacks on with a snide grin, shrugging his brows daringly as he slips an innuendo into his next line. “Mouthing off like that could get you into a whole lot of trouble.”
The pit of her tummy throbs at his curtained challenge, her eyes narrowing as she bites back the urge to curse him out again. “Thanks for the moral advice, Aristotle, but I’m grown enough to face the consequences of my own actions.”
Harry slowly puts down his knitting needles onto the small table beside him, picking up the scarf laying across his thighs and rolling it out in its entirety. It’s now that she realizes the item is much too thin width-wise to be scarf— it looks more like a belt, similar to the strap used to tie off a robe. The vampire flickers his gaze over to Y/N’s mom to make sure she’s not watching, and once he sees the lady is once again preoccupied with her knitting, he trains his attention back onto his partner.
He lifts the long colorful band up to his neck, tying one end around his throat loosely and wrapping the excess length around his knuckles, giving the article a symbolic tug. Y/N’s cheeks burst with heat at the crude reenactment, suddenly coming to terms with what he’s actually created under the guise of a harmless statement piece: it’s a makeshift collar.
Harry watches her avidly, a sinister smirk carving his dimples into place once he sees she’d understood his implication. He yanks the leash from around his neck swiftly before he gets caught, rolling the material back up neatly to disguise it. He cocks his head to the side conceitedly, his accent slathered with the same amount of arrogance as his gesture. “You never know, dove. Sometimes the consequences might be too much for you to handle.”
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Hi! I hope you had a nice day so far? I'd like to request some angst/comfort h/cs for the demon bros, if possible? They got into a fight with mc and actually made them cry? And the argument was the demon's fault in the first place, how would they try to patch things up? With some fluff at the end, if you can? My poor heart can't take just angst...
I know for a FACT I've written this before but i cant find it RIP so I'll just remake it
Warning: mild angst
THE BROTHERS after a fight with MC
Lucifer:
It wasn’t hard to anger him, at all, but it was hard to fully set him off. Usually, his pride wouldn’t let him stoop that low as to actually yell at you, his tiny little human, or dare lay a hand on you. But somehow, someway, you managed to make him angry. Granted, it started with him trying to make a stupid joke which you took offense to and is exactly the reason why he doesn’t joke. He didn’t think you’d be as sensitive as to cry, though! Seriously, MC, now you’re throwing a pity party? He’ll feel bad, sooner or later, but don’t think he won’t isolate and drown himself in work, all while his heart is aching at the thought of your tears. You won’t get a verbal apology; no one ever has. Instead, Lucifer will make it up to you with a few of your favorite things; flowers, food, massages, alone time.
Mammon:
Just because he’s a dumbass, doesn’t mean you have to call him out on it! He knows he messed up! He’s probably loud, not necessarily yelling, just loud, and that’s what ultimately makes you cry. Of course, baby boy can’t handle that and he’ll freeze up, dropping his voice back to normal and calling out with a soft, “o-oi! Don’t cry!” Chances are, he won’t address what he actually did wrong, he’ll just apologize in general and get on your nerves until you accept it. May or may not also hunt you down into his arms and beg, but that depends entirely on the severity of it all.
Leviathan:
The last thing he ever thought he would be in was an argument with you. He avoids conflict as much as possible so actually budding heads with you is a new type of thrill he hopes he never feels again. All because of his jealousy, too! Half of him scoffs because hello?! Avatar of Envy?! You should’ve known! The other half feels guilty because, yes, you’re right MC, he should have more faith in you. Probably sulks for a while and throws himself down more than you could ever. Blames himself, probably guilt trips you indirectly and unintentionally, but still apologizes profusely while also simultaneously putting himself down… yeah do that you want with that information.
Satan:
LOLOLOL this depends entirely on WHAT the fight was about and if HE deems your tears necessary. Did he actually mess up and give you a reason to cry? You can bet your ass he’ll show up with flowers and his best suit, ready to take you out for dinner with a handwritten poem that emphasizes on the sorrow and guilt he feels. However, if he thinks you’re overreacting/being overly dramatic for no reason/sensitive for no reason, you can wait for that apology until death does you apart. As a matter of fact, he’ll probably be giving you the cold shoulder.
Asmodeus:
Much like Satan, surprisingly, except that he gives in sooner. If he was actually wrong, he’ll lick the dirt underneath your feet to show you how sorry he is. If he thinks you’re being dramatic, he’ll take that as a challenge and be even more dramatic, much to the dismay of everyone else. Either way, he’s a firm believer in ‘you’ll laugh about this some day’ and is sure to bring this little mishap up at some point, not to mock you, but to laugh about it. Silly argument that only ended in tears and time spent apart. No need for that.
Beelzebub:
Rarely ever does he argue with you. Much like Levi, and unlike his twin, he avoids almost all confrontation. This time, he just couldn’t bite his tongue, and he will admit that towering above you with a glare and pointing fingers, literally, was not the softest way he could’ve approached this. He can see, looking back now, how scary that might have been to you to have an easily 6’5ft demon tower over you… Poor baby will leave you to cry for a few hours before he comes back with twiddling thumbs and an apology. Really, how could you not forgive his puppy face, though? He does feel bad.
Belphegor:
Oh wow so here’s the thing. This also depends on how the argument started. If you insulted beel, it’s over. All bets are off the table and he will make your life a living hell, no matter how much you cry. If it’s about him specifically, and *that* event (we all know what this is), he’ll call you petty and grudge-holding, which is very hypocritical. If it’s about something that’s seemingly irrelevant in the long run… he’ll give you the cold shoulder after you run away crying and probably force himself to sleep through it, only to see those tears back in his dreams. Then, and only then, will he push himself up and go to apologize, mainly by body slamming you onto your bed/couch and not moving until you accept his words.
#obey me#obey me shall we date#obey me headcanons#obey me scenarios#asmodeus obey me#belphegor obey me#mammon obey me#obey me lucifer#obey me leviathan#satan obey me#beelzebub obey me#mild angst#cheys headcanons
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CleverMax: SDCC 2021 Masquerade Entry
Comic-Con@Home Masquerade Entry: Adventures of Clever
Costume Title: CleverMax - Mr. Clever as a Borderlands boss
Costume Description: Recreation of Mr. Clever from the Doctor Who episode Nightmare in Silver, written by Neil Gaiman, done in the style of the video game, Borderlands.
Bio: They/He pronouns
Greetings all!
I realized that I never wrote about how I made my CleverMax mashup cosplay, so when SDCC posted about their At Home masquerade, I figured this was the perfect time to do so! Most of you know that I cosplay exclusively as Mr. Clever from Doctor Who, with the random mash up thrown in here and there. I’ve always wanted to be a Borderlands cosplayer, and the following is how I managed to combine the two together.
As always, enjoy the blog and if there are any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Let’s step into the TARDIS and jump back to October 20, 2009, when the first Borderlands game was released. It was my first foray into FPS (First person shooters) and I was hooked from day one. In 2012 they released Borderlands 2 which is, in my not so humble opinion, the best video game ever created. We got some of the most iconic charcters and storylines in that game. Including the best DLC ever, Bunkers and Badasses. And my second favorite villain of all time – Handsome Jack.
Jack’s sass, sarcasm and charm fits well with Mr. Clever’s personality. And in the pre sequel you get to play a version of him called the Dopplegnager. I mean, this pretty much wrote itself.
Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2 and Mr. Clever from Doctor Who
Borderlands cosplayers have aIways left me in a state of awe and admiration. The style of the game is so unique and seeing it recreated in person is nothing short of incredible. I’ve always wanted to figure out a way to be a Borderlands cosplayer. For the past eight years I have only ever cosplayed as Mr. Clever from Doctor Who. In the summer of 2019 I decided that was the perfect time to try to make this happen before NYCC.
When I initially decided to do this, it was going to be more of a mash up between Handsome Jack and Mr. Clever. I had planned on wearing Jack’s basic outfit, but in Clever’s colors with the a few add ons. Namely the bow tie and the cybernetics.
After much research and drafting, I decided against that. I ended up just turning Mr. Clever into a Borderlands boss. Same basic outfit as Mr. Clever/11th Doctor, but cel shaded and with weapons, cause Borderlands.
I made the accessories, chess set, and obviously the working cyberplanner piece itself for my Nightmare in Silver version of Clever, but I have never tackled anything this ambitious. An entire costume from scratch? Not something I thought I could do. Not knowing how to sew and being visually impaired were both challenges that I had to work around.
I started with looking around my house for various items that I thought I could use. I figured if I messed up, might as well mess up on something I hadn’t spent money on yet! I was going to toss a pair of my old paddock boots as they had some rips in the leather. Ripped leather? How very Pandora. They were the first thing I tackled.
Old paddock boots that I refurbished for the cosplay
This was my first time using leather paint and I have to say I am very pleased with the Angelus brand of leather paint. I have worn these in the rain and through puddles, and they have held up 100%.
After the boots were done, I started on the vest. I had an old black vest lying around the house that was sort of the shape and size I wanted. I don’t have a dress form, so I put it on myself, inside out, and used safety pins to make it the size I needed, then hand sewed around the safety pins. Not ideal, but it works.
I had a spare pair of black jeans, button down light blue shirt and a plain bow tie that I just ended up cel shading.
The only item that I really couldn’t figure out was the purple frock coat. Try as I might, I couldn’t find one to modify. So the coat was actually made by my friend Heather Long. I did alter the length after NYCC.
With the clothes themselves all set, for the most part anyay, it was time to paint. This was my first time trying to recreate the art style of Borderlands, often referred to as cel shading. I have a few “art of Borderlands” style books that I poured over before I sat down to attempt this.
Other than the accessories and anything leather, I used the same materials and techniques for each article of clothing. Instead of describing each seprate piece, I’ll just explain what I did to achieve the overall look.
When you look at a Borderlands character on screen, it can be a bit overwhelming. So many colors, and so many nuances of each color. I did my best to visually sift through all that, and try to establish what I thought was the base color.
Once the base color was determined, I just added blotches, blobs, shading, low lights, highlights and other variations of the base color itself throughout each piece. I recommend keeping your fabric wrinkled and using those wrinkle as guidlenes for where the lines and shading would fall naturally.
Once all of that dried, I then went over different sections of the fabric with white and black lines. To get that crisp, almost comic book looking outline of each piece I used black sharpie, and white fabric pens as well as white fabric paint.
When I sat down to do the coat, I wanted something a little different than just cel shading. During a second playthrough of Tales from the Borderlands, I noticed Rhys and other characters had interesting logos and designs on the back of their jackets. I ended up putting a chessboard pattern on the back as a homage to the chess game between the 11th Doctor and Mr. Clever in the episode.
Great shot of the chess board and my Judd Nelson pose
The materials that I used for all of the clothing items were craft paints that I had around the house. Any brand works, but I prefer Americana paints. I then added an additive that you use to make the paint water proof and used various sized brushes. Dry brushes are also very useful if you have them.
Black sharpies of different sizes and any fabric markers are also very helpful. Heat setting is required to make the paint waterpfoof, so if you mess up before you add sharpies, you can wash the clothes and start over.
A few tips if you decide to undertake cel shading clothing: Until now I hadn’t noticed that there aren’t many thing in Borderlands that are true black. Due to the art style most things that appear black are in reality shades of grey, with a grey base colr. This makes it easier to add the lines, shading, and what not. Looking back, I should have bought GREY clothes. It was a ton of work to make the pants look like they were a mixture of greys. And as a result of so many laers of paint, they are stiff, lost their stretch and feel an entire size smaller! So I would recommend grey fabric as a base for black clothing and buy a size larger.
The pants are so stiff that I think they will stand up on their own
This entire process was way more fun than I thought it would be and I’ve since become addicted to cel shading anything I can. I may or may not have started cel shading my guest room.
After the clothing was finished, I started on some accessories and props. The first being the easiet – a wee little cybermite that I cel shaded. My cosplay of Mr. Clever always has a cybermite on my lapel, so I took one of my older ones and repainted it.
You can’t have a Borderlands character without some sort of weapon, so I painted a nerf gun that looks similar to the one that Clara Oswald holds in the episode.
I have never had to carry a gun for my Mr. Clever cosplay before so weapon checks are sort of new to me. I didn’t want to go through that at NYCC so I came up with a clever, no pun intended, way around it.
I took a photo of each side of the gun. Went to Staples and had them printed on heavy cardstock. Then I cut around the guns, glued them together between a piece of cardboard then added some black electical tape around the edges. Viola. Instant weapons check approved gun that is lightweight, and also acts a fan when it gets hot. It was a huge hit at the con. A few security guards were like “ we have to check your…wait..is that flat?” And they proceeded to play with it. I highly recommend doing this!
Gun and its flat counterpart
I am holding the flat gun in this picture from NYCC
In the actual game, you can equip your characters with mods that give them certain abilities and bonuses. In the Pre-Sequel, you can play as a Dopplganger of Handsome Jack so I searched for some of his mods and found one in purple which seemed perfect. I made the mod with cardboard, covered it in craft foam, modge podge to set, and installed led lights. The first time I wore it I put it on my belt which didn’t work. It kept falling off. I eventually put it on my lapel and wore it like Jack does. Unfortunately, someone glomped on me at a con and broke it, so I recently had to remake it all over again.
No Borderlands costume would be complete without cel shading on yourself. This was a huge challenge for me for a few reasons. One, I’m visually impaired so doing line work like this was challenging. Two, I am highly allergic to so many materials and ingrediants that finding a make up brand that I could wear was a trial and error process that ended up with many break outs and rashes before I found the perfect combination.
I used mostly eye liner pencils and liquid eye liner to achieve the look. The Wet n Wild liquid eye liner lasts forever, and is actually difficult to remove, but that is not a bad thing as it stood up to the heat of a very crowded venue.
As for the cel shading itself, I relied on many refernce photos of various characters in the game. I started with the eyebrows first as that seemed to frame the face nicely and give me a nice mischvieous look. I then just outlined the bones of my face, adding some random lines here and there. It never looks the same way twice, but that’s ok. Playing with different angles, lines, shading etc is half the fun!
The only real challenge were my hands. The make up didn’t last that long on my hands so I had to touch it up throughout the con. I also eventually started to use band aids that I cel sahded to cover up a tattoo on my inner wrist.
Figuring what to do with my hair is an on going process that I still haven’t 100% mastered. I opted to not use a foam wig as I have over heating issues on a cool day let alone trying to wear one if it gets warmer. I have had adverse reactions to craft foam in the past, so I don’t want it touching my skin, and lastly, I think a wig AND a facial prosthetic would be too much for me. So I decided to just cel shade my hair.
This takes forever to do, and I’m still figuring out better techniques every time I wear it.
I have a really great brand of colored gel, called Mofajang which I apply with a baster brush that you would find in the kitchen gadgets aisle. I also use a clean mascara brush to add some finer lines here and there. Set with way more hair spray than I ever used in the 80’s and it becomes fairly waterproof.
I have learned that due to how hard the make up and hair color is to remove, I really need to wear this on the LAST day of a con. I made the mistake of wearing it on day one of Long Island Who one year, and spent hours scrubbing my skin and hair for the next day. Far better to just leave the con with a tad bit of left over cel shading. Which makes it very interesting when you stop at a roadside bathroom on the trip home.
With the entire costume done it was time to work on the actual cyberplanner appliance.
Next time I make a variation of Clever, I will make this FIRST. Making these pieces is the bane of my existence – I love wearing them, hate making them. It’s a long process.
I am allergic to latex, silocone, scuply, most clays, and so many other things that seem to be every cosplayers go-to. When I made my first cyber piece back in late 2013, I spent weeks trying to find a substance that would keep attached to my face all day without causing a rash. Like an alchemist in a fantasy novel, I submerged myself into creating the perfect concoction. It took 22 days to finish the final product.
I admit that I rushed a bit on the Borderlands one. As a result, it doesn’t quite fit as well as my others, and is a bit heavier than I expected. I only added two working lights, instead of the usual four, to hopefully balance the piece out. It lasted through two full days of a con, despite the heat of a crowded venue, but I did end up tweaking it a bit after. Even with the tweaks, it still doesn’t fit as well as I would like. It is too heavy and brings down the entire left side of my face, making it difficult to keep my eye open at times. I really need to sit down and force myself to make a new one.
There are a few more things that I would like to add to this costume eventually. Like a belt of grenades, and maybe another gun. But aside from that, I am incredibly pleased with how this costume turned out. It is by far, my favorite Clever variation that I have done.
I hope this post gives you the inspiration to go off and cel shade something, and possibly even play some Borderlands!
#doctorwho#misterclever#mrclever#nightmareinsilver#cosplay#borderlands cosplay#doctor who cosplay#comic-con#comic-conathome#comic-conathome2021#comic-conathomemasquerêde#cyberplanner#borderlands
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On the origins of Shiny Pokémon
Shiny Pokémon are a quirk of the franchise that has blossomed into a huge part of the Pokémon fandom, to the point where content creators (streamers, mostly) have built careers on spending hours and hours hunting for them.
Considering the humble origins of the concept, it’s kind of a surprise how we got here, frankly.
Shiny Pokémon were introduced in the series' second generation, in Gold and Silver. These were the first games in the series to be in colour, basic as the palettes were, and the developers thought that having variations in a species’ colour, kind of like albinism, would be an interesting idea to use this new technology. At least, I assume that’s what happened, I obviously wasn’t there. There wasn’t originally an official term for Shinies, though “Alternate colour” or “rare” were in some of the earlier games- the first official use of “Shiny” was in a promotional TCG card in 2009. Interestingly, Gold and Silver (but not Crystal) were actually playable on an original Game Boy, albeit in greyscale, which is why the twinkle animation and sound effect that gives the phenomenon its name were added in the first place.
The addition of the Red Gyarados plotline was kind of a genius way of introducing the concept to the player and fanbase. After all, the phenomena are typically extremely rare at 1/8192 per Pokémon encounter, and I believe only one very missable NPC alludes to them in the entire game. It’s quite possible that without all the fuss about the Red Gyarados and the Lake of Rage plot in general, Shinies would have been the subject of the same schoolyard rumours that surrounded the early generations, like “Pikablu” (Marill leaking before its official introduction) or the Pokegods.
I know I didn’t know what a Shiny was when I first encountered one. Sure didn’t catch it either, though I know I was trying to. It was a Ponyta, in Fire Red, and it was on the path up to Mt. Ember who’s name I’ve forgotten. I definitely spent a long time running around after accidentally KO’ing it in order to find this “Blue flame Ponyta” again, to no luck.
The introduction of shinies in Gen II led to some interesting quirks in their original iteration, considering the jank of early gen Pokémon. Shininess, like many other things that generation, were determined by IVs, a calculation that would later be replaced by an individualized “personality value” for each Pokémon. A Gen II (or Gen I, if trading is used) Pokémon will be Shiny if its IVs are all 10 except for Attack (2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, or 15) and HP (which is calculated from the remainder), which ironically means the aesthetic bonus that’s not supposed to have an in-game function actually is a result of largely above-average stats. This calculation comes with a few other quirks resulting from other things attached to IV calculations- they can only have a Hidden Power of Grass or Dragon with 49 or 69 power, any species that has a 7:1 male:female ratio such as the starters or Eevee cannot produce a female shiny (Gender is determined by Attack IV, and those species only are female with a 0 or 1 Attack), and, perhaps ironically, only the I and V Unown variants can be Shiny.
That’s a lot of bullshit trivia, isn’t it!
Both in and out of the actual games, it would be a while before Shinies were properly recognized and further integrated into the canon of Pokémon. A few TCG cards featured them, along with a rule in which you could only have one in your deck- I’m not sure how powerful they actually were, but the rarity was at least accurately represented. A handful of trainers in Firered/Leafgreen’s Trainer Tower have them by default, the first (and, I think, only? (nope just checked there’s one guy in Gen VII)) NPC trainers guaranteed to have a Shiny in the games. As well, the Celebi event in Heartgold/Soulsilver would feature a Shiny Pichu, the first guaranteed Shiny since the original Gold/Silver (it also has the Red Gyarados, being a remake), and that generation would feature the series’s first method of increasing the encounter rate with the Poké Radar (as well as the Masuda breeding method), but beyond this, the odds were still and always 1/8192.
It wasn’t until Generation V and Black and White that more effort was taken in the games to acknowledge Shiny Pokémon. This was the first time that the term was actually used inside the game, for one, and Shiny Hunters were given their first real tool in the Shiny Charm- a passive item available by completing the entire Pokédex that effectively triples the encounter rate and stacks with the aforementioned Masuda method (which was also slightly buffed).
This came at a cost, however- the Shiny Lock mechanic. This is an inbuilt feature in the encounter code that prevents certain species of Pokémon from ever generating as Shiny- in this game, that applies to Reshiram and Zekrom, the games’ cover legendaries, as well as the Mythical event Pokémon Victini and anything obtained through the Dream World feature. Shiny sprites for these species still existed in the game, effectively as failsafes, but nothing you could do in the game short of cheating/hacking would let you actually access them. This Lock feature would continue for every main series game that followed, though it would almost exclusively apply to Legendary Pokémon, and would often be taken off of them the generation later- and while I understand the inconsistency between a Pokémon's appearance in story cutscenes and actual battle would be awkward, it is still frustrating that such cool designs like Shiny Victini are completely unavailable.
It wasn’t all bad, though, since through some of these mechanics and the growing popularity of the franchise, more players were exposed to the idea of Shiny Pokémon. Black 2 and White 2 also had the games’ second and third Guaranteed Shinies in the form of a gift Gible or Dratini (depending on version) available through a postgame challenge and a Haxorus catchable in an area unlocked by completing the regional Pokédex. This was also when they were more exposed in other media- more TCG cards, their appearance in one of the movies (and the associated in-game events), etcetera.
Were it not for Generation V’s changes and additions, it’s very likely that Shiny Pokémon would be substantially more obscure than the popular huntable prize they are now. For better or for worse, I suppose. Probably better, ultimately, because they are pretty much just a fun thing to have around? I’m not sure how I feel about people spending hours upon hours for a slightly differently coloured mon (though I have done it a couple times), but it’s just a nice thing that exists for people. A little mystery to a series that’s so utterly picked apart, as it were.
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Tex Avery Birthday Spectacular!
Hello all you happy people! And welcome to a celebration of the only cartoon director I knew as a kid and one of the finest whose ever lived, Mr. Tex Avery.
Avery is a legend in the animation industry and rightly so. Starting out at a few other studios, and loosing sight in one of his eyes due to some tomfoolery at one, Tex was annoyed with the restrctive enviorment and eventually found his way to Termite Terrace, the animated shorts wing of Leon Schislenger Productions, aka the future Warner Brothers Studios and the makers of Looney Tunes. And his impact on the franchise is vast, cannot be overstated and I only learned about just how much recently: The man created Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny, created the prototype for Elmer Fudd, and created the design for Porky we’re all far more familiar with.
Eventually though while he was happy there, his career when ended when he eventually got into a squabble with Leon schsinger over the ending of “The Heckling Hare” and left soon after. Given he got a four week unpaid suspension for it , a bit extreme given all he’d given the studio, I can’t blame him. He instead went over to MGM who badly needed his wacky energy, and thus got to go as nuts as he wanted, with creative control a better budget and the result was his peak and classic characters like Red and my personal faviorite and personal boy: Droopy. I will try and do a birthday thing for him next month, we’ll see if my rather packed schedule will allow for it. Point is I watched the guys cartoons a lot as a kid between looney tunes and his shorts being repacked for the Tex Avery show in the late 90′s, and until recently I had no idea the depth and scope of his career: The guy gave looney tunes it’s standard fourth walll breaking and made it a huge part of the industry, and he was the one to hlep htem break out of being a Disney knockoff and into what we know today. The guy has my utmost respect so today I honor him as the first animator to get one of my birthday specials: As is my standard ten shorts, my patreons get to pick one each (I now have two but she start’s next month so her benefits will too) if they so choose (Kev opted out of the porky pig one next week) and I went to my friend blah for a recomendation as he’s an avid fan of the golden age of animation and thus usually has a really good choice up his sleeve. Now that’s out of hte way join me under the cut for some shenanigans as old tex would want it that way.
1. The Gold Diggers of 49 (1935)
This was Tex Avery’s first short with warner and the first of his I could find, not ot mention his first time working with Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett, who he’d mentor and go on to be the heart and soul of Looney Tunes and define the characters Tex created. And since this is more significant than his earlier work i’m coutning it as his first. And as a start it’s.. ehhhhhhh.
I don’t blame him for it though. Most don’t hit it out of hte park their first time up to bat, and frankly the deck was stacked against him. He was saddled with Beans the Cat...
No one brak no one. He was part of an attempt by warner to create a new star as part of a Little Rascals/Our Gang style group of kids debuting in the short “I Haven’t Got a Hat”. This short is notable not for Beans, who no one cares about, but for the debut of Looney Tunes first star: Porky Pig. Porky was just one of the various characters but the only one audiences really liked. It took some time for Warner to get the hint though, hence Beans starring here and Porky playing his girlfriend’s father.. and also now being much older than him for some reason.
So instead of being a Little Rascals ripoff bean is now a mickey mouse ripoff, as the short gives me mickey mouse vibes.. but without the things that made those shorts actually good and feels mostly built on studios trying to make what they think audiences will like. There’s sparks of waht Tex would become.. but just not enough wiggle room for him to make something special. Also porky looks and sounds weird in this one and Bean’s girlfriend has a REALLY annoying voice. Oh and two horrible Asian stereotypes, because it was acceptable at the time but lord was it never okay. Then again I should be at least mildly greatful none of the shorts had blackface.. because tex apparently REALLY had a problem with that, something I obviously didn’t know as a kid as they edited it out but given most of his MGM shorts have “blackface edited out of x version”, yeahhh.... I may like the guy, quite a bit and feel those gags weren’t done out of malice.. but it dosen’t make them okay, they were never okay and he should’ve done better.
2. I Love to Singa (1936)
Thankfully our next entry is 800% better, as we get a classic from my childhood and probably multiple childhoods. Admittedly part of the reason this one stuck in my head is the title song, sung by a young jazz singing owl whose dad doesn’t like that he sings Jazz instead of classical, enters a contest and nearly looses singing classical to please his dad only for his dad to intervene and finally accept his son. It’s a wonderful story of acceptance with some decent gags, beautiful animation and one hell of a title track that will probably never leave my head. The song is really what makes this short and sometimes that’s okay. Also just to note so someone else doesn’t: This short was a parody of the Jazz Singer one of the first talkie’s.. and also a film that uses blackface and whose 80′s remake bafflingly also uses blackface for some reason. Yes really.
3. Tortoise Beats Hare (1941)
One of Tex’s only four Bugs Shorts.. but given 3/4 of them are certified classics, and one of them involving a horrible stereotype.. to the point it’s part of the rightfully infamous “Censored 11″ and the ONLY one involving Bugs Bunny.
So as I said, Tex has a bad history with casual racism, and while it was the style at the time and I don’t THINK he was actively malicious towards black people.. it doesn’t make some of his work any less harmful. The rest of his bugs work though is remembered for the right reasons: his first appearance, and early classic we’ll get to next.. and this standout everyone who saw it as a kid or an adult fondly remembers.
You all know the premise: Bugs finds out, in an utterly brilliant wall shattering bit at the start where he reads off the crew names and then the title, that this picture will have him beaten by a turtle and taking offense to that challenges the guy. This is honestly one of the few Bugs shorts where he’s the out and out villain of the picture. He’s doing this race purely out of ego, yells at Cecil whose perfectly nice in this one, and in general is the bully set up for a fall he’d later be famous for taking on. But it works, both because this si early in bugs career so it’s entirely in character, and because Mel just really sells the obnoxiousness while still being funny.
This short also has one of Tex’s trademark setups as this is essentially a prototypical droopy cartoon: A meek, goofy voiced protagonist whose shorter than his large obnoxious enemy and who torments him by showing up every where he’s going to be and casually doing it. Cecil even does so using an army of fellow turtles with Droopy later using a similar trick in one of his shorts. As a big Droopy fan i’m clearly not complaining and while Droopy would do it better, this short’s still a classic for a reason with tons of great bits and is a fun break from the usual bugs setup, though in full fairness the usual bugs setup is still solid gold so take that how you will.
4. The Heckling Hare (1941)
Originally I was going to have Daffy in Hollywood in this spot as I thought it was on Max, it was not, so I swapped it out with his final bugs cartoon. For the record his first, and Bugs, is being saved for Bugs birthday this summer. And honestly i’m glad I did because this was 7 mintues of pure joy that has another setup that Tex himself and other Looney Tunes animators would resuuse: Bugs being pitted up against a far dumber antagonist. One who often still fully deserves it but allows him to just have fun for several minutes at this dumb bastard’s expense. It works well here, with tons of clever gags, my faviorite being the two doing dumb faces with each other only for bugs to stop and pull out a sign as seen right above.
It’s also an approriate capper to our warner made Tex shorts for the day, as this would be the one that got him fired. He and Schisnger argued over it and he got suspended as I mentioned and I found it again a bit fucking extreme. So did Tex and after a handful of shorts elsewhere, he’d move over to MGM, whose cartoons would ironically be bought up by warner. They needed a shot in the arm to compete with Disney and Warner and Tex was happy to provide hte needle filled with nonsense. And the results.. are pure gold.
5. Dumb Hounded (1943)
I’ll admit as a kid I didn’t know Tex’s MGM shorts were theatrical, or any shorts but somehow I knew they weren’t looney tunes. Besidds obviously having hteir own show they just had their own tone and pacing and style. While the Looney Tunes aren’t bad, at all honestly, Tex’s work here was in a class by itself with MGM gladly giving him a higher budget and even more creative freedom. And the results speak for themselves and one of those results is one of if not my faviorite classic cartoon character. And since I might not be able to get to his birthday with one of these next month, though i’m certainly going to try march is just VERY VERY FULL. Anyways point is our happy hero was introduced here. And given i’m frequently depressed and often withdrawn, not that you could tell from my reviews here, I related to this depressed bulldog who always won anyway despite being an outsider, finding love, sucess and always beating a much larger, much more assholish antagonist. But Droopy is good on his own merits as his shorts are just that funny.
This was true from Day One as dumb hounded is fucking perfect: The Wolf that Avery always used in his cartoons escapes from jail and is hunted by bloodhounds including our boy, who charmingly introduces himself with “You know what, i’m the hero”. From there it’s a simple setup but a great one as Droopy finds the guy.. then chases him from here to enternity with one amazing gag after another. Simple, utterly hilarious and the dawn of a legend, with the ending having Droopy go a bit nuts after getting his reward money before returning to his usual demeanor “You know what? I’m happy” So am I bud, so am I.
6. Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)
Yup same year. Tex hit the ground sprinting. This one is his signature MGM toon and for good reason. Using his usual forth wall breaking style, both the wolf and red riding hood rebel when it opens with a typical telling, so it changes to a 40′s nightlife setting: Grandma lives in a penthouse and is man hungry, Red is a fanservicey night club act and the Wolf is a sexually harassing asshole who chases after here and has some over the top reactions to her that are iconic in some’s mind.
The short is gorgeously animated with Red’s dance sequence and Wolfie’s reactions being the highlight and the short isn’t as bad as it could be as the wolf is treated as a scumbag for hitting on her and generally being a creep. SO the first two thirds aren’t bad with nice touches like the narrator clearly improvising the new story. It’s just badly hampered by the last half where Grandma sexually harasses Wolfie and it just doesn’t work. This double standard stuff annoys me and “haha get it it’s funny when a woman stalks a man” isn’t funny. Wolfie stalking her really isn’t that funny either it’s just not you know an entire third of the film. So a classic for a reason.. but one that really has degraded with time. Still worth analyzing and what not, just not great.
7. Who Killed Who? (1943)
Yes still. It was a good year. This is another one off like Red Hot Riding Hood and as is tradition since the Tom and Jerry one, my patreons each get to pick one and Kev selected this one. And this.. was a great choice.
Seriously I could not stop laughing with a great gag a minute, WAY too many to mention, a classic ending, and just nothing but net the whole time. I don’t have much to say really.. but because this one’s just good. The whodunnit genre hasn’t really gone away, it’s cliches are welll known even today and this is a lovely parody of it that hits the ground running after a live action intro and runs right through the wall across a lake and straight into droopy “You moved.”.
The only real observation I have other than “This is fucking awesome watch it immediately” is that the villian looks exactly like the Phantom Blot. Who knew the Phantom Blot was a live action guy with a weird haircut the whole time huh? Seriously this one is a masterpiece, an instant faviorite, and I highly recommend it.
8. Screwball Squirrel (1944)
As you can probably guess by how I lead it in this one is not very good. It is tex TRYING to make a bugs or daffy type character again and somehow failing at it. He created them, he did plenty of shorts like theirs with other characters and got how the cat and mouse antics of the old theatrical shorts worked.. so I have no idea how this one happened.
I’m really not overselling it: The short is about Screwy, who hyjacks it from a cute widdle bunny clearly parodying bambi.. who he beats the shit out of, then decides to get things going asks a dumb dog to hunt him, then insults him to provoke him to attacking him. He then spends the entire short tormenting the poor dumb bastard who again HE PROVOKED. It feels like a poor imitation of dumb hounded, as while Bugs clearly outclassed the dog there, he’d die if he lost, so while he was punching down, he clearly didn’t have a choice and you can’t honestly blame him. Here, Screwy is fine, he just wants someone’s head to fuck with and spends a whole short torturing him. We don’t even get catarsis as while the dog does catch him at the end via weird gag, they end up deciding to beat up the bunny instead.
His voice is also just the worst, just utterly grating and making me wish an anvil woudl fall on HIM instead. Screwy would return for some other shorts but I have no idea why. This was easily the weakest of these ten shorts and I will probably not return to the guy next year.
9. Bad Luck Blackie (1949)
This is one i’d forgotten till I got a ways in. It’s also weirdly one of the only MGM Tex shorts on HBO Max as this was included in the Tom and Jerry collection for some reason, the dog in it clearly isn’t the tom and Jerry verison of spike... though the dog Droopy fought a lot was indeed called spike. Yes that is confusing, no I don’t know why MGM thought this was a good idea.
As a result though I have been saving giving out about this till now but seirously , put the tex avery shorts on HBO Max. Their on Blu-Ray, their on boomerang, especially Droopys. I do not get why they aren’t on here. I’m tired of them holding things out for the boomerang app when not everyone subscirbes to that. Let me have my morose dog dammit.
That giving out aside i’m glad this one caught my eye via i’ts weird name as it’s another masterpiece. It also does what one Tom and Jerry short I reviewed, the one where tom’s a millionare, earlier this month failed to: properly make it’s antagonist loathsome enough to deserve the parade of abuse he gets. With that one Tom is tourturning jerry for like 30 seconds, but Jerry torments him for most of 5 minutes.
Here we get about two minutes of our lead kitten getting torremnted by a mean bulldog. It’s not only still a bit entertaining to lessen the horror just enough to be watchable but not enough to make the bulldog likeable, but it makes what happens for the rest of the short oh so fucking satsifying. While the previous short today really didn’t get the karmic ballance neded for a good classic screwball comedy short this one overwhelmingly does.
Our kitten gets some help in the form of Blackie, a professional black cat who agrees to turn the tables, sauntring across to a wonderfully catchy tune. any time the little guy whistles. The result from there is 5-6 nonstop minutes of comedy genius, as Tex finds new and creative ways for the cat to come out of nowhere, and even shakes things up to keep it intresting towards the end iwth the dog getting the whistle.. only for it to still not work out, and for our little kitten to get his revenge at last by painting himself black after the bulldog paints blackie white. As should be obvious by now, it’s really good, showing Screwball Squirrel was the exception not the rule. In general Tex was this good during his mgm and when he was at his peak we got gems like this. Truly sensational, watch it if you have max it’s under the tom and jerry section for some reason.
10. T.V. of Tommorow
A decent one I remember seeing as a kid. Not much to say though, it’s mostly a bunch of gags about “future” tv’s based on their viewer’s needs. Some good stuff.. not as good as most of what was here today but still better than the worst of it and still very memorable and part of a memorable tetralogy i’ll probably come back to when I do Tex’s birthday again next year. Not a bad note to end on though.
Overall these shorts show just how strong a creator tex was, gleefully taking convention and ripping it to tiny pieces. As i’ve mentioned many times i’ll be coming back to his work next year.. and probably be watching a hell ofa lot more in the time between. Might even do a second special on him in between birthday ones. We’ll see how this does. The Tom and Jerry one sadly wasn’t quite the hit I hoped.
Until then I have many other reviews. And since Today (This review is late) was supposed to be the 90′s tom and jerry movie but that turned out not to be on Max for some reason. I still plan to cover it some day i’ll just have to find it and buy it first. But tommorow if I have the time i’ll be continuing the Lena retrospective with an intresting little side trip. So until then, i’ts been a pleasure and you know what? Thanks for reading.
#tex avery#droopy#bugs bunny#porky pig#the gold diggers of 49#cecil turtle#tortoise beats hare#the heckling hare#tv of tommorow#dumb hounded#red hot riding hood#who killed who#red#spike#bad luck blackie#screwy squirrel#screwball squirrel#owl jolson#I love to singa
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