I'm currently hyperfixating on the Trolls movies, and I must say, I don't know who came up with the idea of pairing Floyd with Riff, but fluffy heavens, let me tell you that you have all my gratitude.

What makes a good boot sequence?

A while ago, I had my first truly viral post on Mastodon. It was this:

You might've seen it. It got almost four hundred boosts and reached beyond Mastodon to reddit and even 4chan. I even saw an edit with a spinning frog on the left screen. I knew the post would go down well with tech.lgbt but I never expected it to blow up the way it did.

I tried my best to express succinctly exactly what it is I miss about BIOS motherboards in the age of UEFI in this picture. I think looking at a logo and spinner/loading bar is boring compared to seeing a bunch of status messages scroll up the screen indicating hardware being activated, services being started up and tasks being run. It takes the soul out of a computer when it hides its computeriness.

I think a lot of people misunderstood my post as expressing a practical preference over an aesthetic one, and there was at least a few thinking this was a Linux fanboy post, which it certainly is not. So here's the long version of a meme I made lol.

Stages

I remember using two family desktop computers before moving over a family laptop. One ran Windows XP and the other ran Windows 7. Both were of the BIOS era, which meant that when booting, they displayed some status information in white on black with a blinking cursor before loading the operating system. On the XP machine, I spent longer in this liminal space because it dual-booted. I needed to select Windows XP from a list of Linux distros when booting it.

I've always liked this. Even as a very little kid I had some sense that what I was seeing was a look back into the history of computing. It felt like a look "behind the scenes" of the main GUI-based operating system into something more primitive. This made computers even more interesting than they already were, to me.

Sequences

The way old computers booted was appealing to my love of all kinds of fixed, repeating sequences. I never skip the intros to TV shows and I get annoyed when my local cinema forgets to show the BBFC ratings card immediately before the film, even though doing so is totally pointless and it's kinda strange that they do that in the first place. Can you tell I'm autistic?

Booting the windows 7 computer would involve this sequence of distinct stages: BIOS white text -> Windows 7 logo with "starting windows" below in the wrong aspect ratio -> switch to correct resolution with loading spinner on the screen -> login screen.

Skipping any would feel wrong to me because it's missing a step in one of those fixed sequences I love so much. And every computer that doesn't start with BIOS diagnostic messages is sadly missing that step to my brain, and feels off.

Low-level magic

I am extremely curious about how things work and always have been, so little reminders when using a computer that it has all sorts of complex inner workings and background processes going on are very interesting to me, so I prefer boot sequences that expose the low-level magic going on and build up to the GUI. Starting in the GUI immediately presents it as fundamental, as if it's not just a pile of abstractions on top of one another. It feels deceptive.

There may actually be some educational and practical value in computers booting in verbose mode by default. Kids using computers for the first time get to see that there's a lot more to their computer than the parts they interact with (sparking curiosity!), and if a boot fails, technicians are better able to diagnose the problem over a phone call with a non-technical person.

Absolute boot sequence perfection

There's still one last thing missing from my family computer's boot sequence, and that's a brief flicker of garbage on screen as VRAM is cleared out. Can't have everything I guess. Slo-mo example from The 8-Bit Guy here:

There's something sort of distorted with how grief is currently being seen and dealt with on the island + Qsmp.

I've been thinking about this for a while during the missing egg arc, but Bagi implying that Foolish wasn't that attached to Leo has finally pushed me into putting the thoughts into words.

I really don't like how several of the islanders - especially the new ones - view grief and expressions of grief. It's like they expect all grief to be big and loud and performative, and otherwise, it isn't as significant, or as important. Like how Bagi's expectations for sadness seem to be shaped by Bbh's very visual, obvious deterioration, and disregards that MAYBE, just MAYBE, not everyone is going to shove their feelings in your face when they barely know you? That some people may break down privately, where you are not privy to their thoughts, and you are not entitled to a public performance of that grief in order to verify that they do, in fact, care?

It's not just islanders who haven't spent much time with the eggs either - Forever himself said he thought that, ASIDE FROM BAGHERA AND BBH, everyone was simply moving on and living life without the eggs. Funnily enough, these are both players with skins that specifically denote emotional turmoil :). Does grief have to expressly visualised for people to acknowledge that it's there? That was particularly jarring as a Philza main, who's character was and is currently going through a drealisation and mental deterioration arc after going to suspicious coordinates (the birdcage) FOR THE SAKE OF HIS EGGS.

Most annoyingly it also bleeds into the fandom sometimes, despite the fact we have the benefit of meta awareness. I've seen posts or comments about how 'oh, bbh is the only one truly miserable about the eggs' 'other islanders aren't suffering about the kids like ___".

It's just striking having watched Fit, a person whom canonically struggles with outward expressions of vulnerable emotion due to his background but clearly deeply misses Ramon, who would fall into this 'unaffected' category because he's not giving showy public displays or monologues about his feelings. Or Phil, who to members of the island who haven't reached out to him on those topics, seems largely still like a strong rock to lean on because he plunged himself into propping up other islanders the moment he returned - but behind closed doors fell apart at Tallulah's letter and is clearly rapidly deteriorating as a character. Or Foolish, who maintains an upbeat character, retains his capacity to carry on moving, and lives as brightly as he can while SIMULTANEOUSLY being completely broken up internally about his daughter. You can see it in the way they talk about their kids, how they rush to collect any clues whenever they pop up, how many of them seem to be living in limbo, incapable of new changes and beginnings.

And alright. So that's not explicit to those other characters. But it should not have to be visually explicit for them to not degrade their grief. The assumption should not be that grief is either public or nonexistent. You are not entitled to flashy displays of feeling. Forthright and in your face emotion is not the baseline requirement for distress. Demeaning someone's attachment to their child because they aren't grieving in the RIGHT way for YOU, one that isn't visible enough to YOU, isn't excusable because 'oh I can't really see how that person is feeling though'. It's basic social understanding.

And of course they are aware of the mental and emotional states of their friends - who are also very visual with their grieving - above others, because those people are ALSO the ones that those like Bagi and Forever consistently interact with for prolonged periods of time. Have they actually really, deeply talked with all the other islanders about their internal state? No, of course not, they don't spend that much time with them and aren't that close. That's not bad or anything, that's life and relationships and very normal. But then what grounds do those assumptions of 'oh, there are parents who don't care' actually have? They themselves should be capable of acknowledging that they don't actually have insight into these other people, and they should not be using the expressions of grief from say Baghera and Bbh as a cudgel to cheapen and diminish that of others.

[a slife of life / romance story set in the countryside of emerald acres]  🤍

DEMO (TBA) / PINTEREST / KO-FI

Note from the author: Hi and welcome! I'm Vilna (she/any). This is my first interactive fiction project that is still very early in developement. I was inspired by various medias, primarily Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon, to develope my own little game in novel format written in twine. I hope you enjoy your stay! 

Tales from Roseborough and this blog is only suitable for 18+ audience for eventual optional sexual content. Ask box is open for any kind questions (nsfw included).

THE STORY:

You are a farmer who has very recently become one after your distant grandparents you've never met have died and have left their old farm and everything that comes with it solely to you.

You don't know why they would do such a thing but you have been quite bored of your current life for some time so you decide to take a leap faith and leave the comforts of the city behind to move into the idyllic Emerald Acres for a new beginning. The countryside is certainly breathtakingly beautiful; your new farmhouse comes with a huge garden exceeding all of your expectations and the animals are so cuddly and cute, too!

Unfortunately, you have no idea what you're doing but it can't be that hard to run a small farm all by yourself. Can it? Maybe with some help from the other residents of Emerald Acres you may have a better chance at making it...

Fully customizable MC. Decide your character's name, gender (trans + non-binary inclusive), pronouns, physical appearance, personality & background ++ The only thing that is locked in is that MC will always be queer-coded, no matter how you play them. 🏳️‍🌈

Name and maintain your farm by taking care of your animals and garden. Do you thrive in your new life as a farmer or do you hate every second of it? Will you settle down permanently or will you return back to the city with your tail between your legs?

Discover family secrets! Apparently the farm and the house come with certain strings attached.

Choose an animal companion who will follow along with you on your adventures.

Explore the Emerald Acres: the village of Roseborough, the Wuthering Woods, Honeyfur river and other surroundings.

Romance 1 out of 6 possible candidates. Queerplatonic routes are available for Juniper and Bunny/Bo.

Build lasting friendships with the other main cast + side characters.

ROMANCE OPTIONS:

🧸 Bunny / Bo Abernathy [F/M], she/her or he/him. || intro.

B, along with their daughter Sunny, is your new friendly neighbour who owns a farm a couple of kilometers away from you. They are always willing to listen to your troubles and help in any small or big way they can. They are one of the kindest people you've ever met but remain surprisingly tight-lipped about themself, perhaps for a good reason.

»»-----------► I've never known someone like you. Someone who makes me feel so loved and happy that I feel like I could just float away.

🔧 Oskari Kivi [M], he/him. || intro.

You never expected to meet him again here of all places. Oskari is a city boy through and through and your past with him is complicated (whether you were lovers or just friends) and you haven't seen him in at least four years since your fallout. You're not sure whether it's a good or bad thing that he hasn't changed at all.

»»-----------► I missed you. A lot. I just wanted you to know that.

🐾 James Briar [F], she/her. || intro.

The fact that James is hot as hell only slightly makes up for her rude and disagreeable behaviour when you first meet her. She is the town's only vet so you will need her services from time to time whether you like it or not. James seems to have great love for animals, but claims that fellow humans are not her thing. You don't quite know what to make of her.

»»-----------► When I first met you I thought you were a spoiled city brat. Turns out I sort of like it.

🦋 Juniper Starling [NB], fae/faer. || intro.

Juniper is an eccentric but respected figure in Roseborough as fae runs a small (and free!)  healer's clinic offering help without turning anyone away. Fae must be one of the most beautiful people you've ever met and seems to always have a line of suitors following faer wherever fae goes. You need to stick out if you want faer attention.

»»-----------► You are certainly an interesting one, kitten. I will have to keep a close eye on you.

🥧 Willow / William Higgins [F/M], she/her or he/him. || intro.

Will is almost as new in the town as you; they bought the tavern of Rosebud a few months prior and are still adjusting to their job and everything that comes with it. Will clearly feels out of place and lonely in their current situation, at least before meeting you. They seem friendly, if a little overly flirty, and eager to get to know you.

»»-----------► Oh, you are absolutely precious, sunshine. I could just eat you up for a dessert. 

🔮 Sage Moonfall [NB], he/him and they/them. || intro.

The people of Roseborough call him the Hermit of Wuthering Woods but that seems to be only a fraction of the truth. There's a rumour that they are over a century old and something not entirely human, but no one has the courage to approach them to actually ask. He seems to be endlessly fascinated by you.

»-----------► Tell me: what do you desire? I could make that happen with the snap of my fingers.

One of my biggest issues with Bakugo's prominence is how it comes at the expense of the rest of 1-A.

Like, in the Dark Deku arc, the story acts like all of 1-A are friends with Izuku, when really he's only close to like 4 of them (Iida, Uraraka, Todoroki, and (sadly) Bakugo). Everyone else is an acquaintance to him at best, which makes the arc feel a bit shallow.

And before that arc, as the series went on, most of the spotlight went only Izuku, Bakugo, and (mostly) Todoroki. The last two pretty much replaced Iida and Uraraka. Iida's relevance dropped after the Kamino arc. Uraraka, the most prominent female character, fell out of the spotlight for the most part until the Dark Deku arc. These two were set up to be Izuku's closest classmates, and they were replaced halfway through the series, with one of their replacement being Izuku's bully.

But at least those two got some relevance. The rest of 1-A rarely gets more than one moment in the limelight. After that, they get forgotten.

I've heard that Horikoshi laments that he can't give the rest of 1-A as much focus and development as he'd like, but that wouldn't be such a problem if he:

1. Gave the series more school moments. It’s called "My Hero Academia" but the characters are barely seen in class. People have said it before, but having more school moments would give us more opportunities to get to know the other students, maybe by having Izuku actually interact with them.

2. Stop forcing Bakugo into everything.

I always had a soft spot for characters that don't get a lot of spotlight (Toru is one of my favorites and I like 1-B a lot), but it really is a shame that the reason these characters don't get a lot of spotlight is because the author would rather focus on a character that is super unlikable.

All of this. Now I don’t think Hori has to go super in depth about every character but him stating how he wanted to write about the other characters but couldn’t is dumb. Unless there was some sort of time crunch people enforced on him, he could’ve made time to focus more on the school aspect rather than jump straight into the action. A lot of Shonen anime get crapped on for having too much filler but MHA faces the opposite problem in not having filler at all. Filler can be used to develop the relationships between characters or take some time to be lighthearted. Not all filler is useless junk. Had we had some filler, Koji and Mezou’s moment with the mutants could’ve had far more impact than it actually did. Same does with Midnight. We could’ve gotten small moments of background characters not only from the hero courses, but from the other courses as well. More could’ve been added to Hitoshi to not make him seem like a whiny bitch. We could see the extent of what Mai could build. We could learn a bit more about characters like Tooru and Minoru so they’re not reduced to being only gags. We could’ve spent some time with Yuuga so that his reveal would’ve hurt more. Hell, we could’ve spent more time with the villains. What the hell are Mr. Compress’s motives? Who is Spinner as a character other than being a follower?

So much could’ve been done but wasn’t. And that’s not even touching the idea of reducing Katsuki’s screen time. We could’ve used all that time for better things than watching Hori gush about him. A lot of missed opportunities.

Baby (11x04)

Okay, so this is my favorite episode out of all 327 episodes of Supernatural, and here's why...

The cold open is a perfect teaser. There's no score or music playing, it's just the ambient sound of what seems to be a train passing nearby. We get all those wonderful details that were called out in Chuck's narration/monologue from Swan Song (5x22), the ashtray with the little, green, plastic soldier jammed into it, the legos in the heating vent, Sam and Dean's initials carved into the panel back by the rear window. But there's also so much broken glass and blood, and Dean unconscious and handcuffed in the backseat.

The lack of a musical score (non-diegetic sound) is actually a feature of the entire episode, the only songs heard are ones that are actually being played within the universe of the show (diegetic sound), either on Baby's radio or from nearby, as is the case, I believe, in the beginning of Act 1 where Sam joins Dean in washing Baby in the bunker's garage and Dean is listening to "The Guitar Man" by Bread. But while normally the lack of music would make it feel like something was missing, the ambient sounds in this episode are so rich and detailed, they just pop so beautifully and it adds to the feeling that you are in the car.

While the case in the episode is interesting and gives us a new kind of monster to add to the show's lore, what really makes the story great are all of the casual interactions we are given between the brothers. The quiet little glimpses of "normal" life in the Impala. The boys at ease with one another and there are lots of comfortable little moments that give a day-in-the-life quality to the episode. Sam having green smoothies in the green cooler instead of it being just stocked with beer. The great roadhouse scene that has Dean going into the bar at night and then coming back out in the morning only to happily find that Sam had hooked up with a waitress named Piper in the backseat over night. I love that they had obviously not only had sex in the backseat right in front of the bar, but had fallen asleep naked back there. But we also get, a little later in the episode, a glimpse of Sam flirting with a cashier while he's looking for old pennies and having two scenes involving a flirty, smiling Sam is a precious gift indeed. We get laughing, smiling Sam and Dean, just enjoying each other's company, such a rare treat. The episode also gives us the return of Matt Cohen playing young John Winchester, sort of, which is sweetly ominous, not a common combination. The "Winchester Hotel" scene of the boys spending the night in the car is great, giving us a heart-to-heart talk with some new background details about their lives, and an iconic shot of them laying down, Dean across the front seat and Sam across the back, that begs the obvious question of where are their lower legs and how do they fit in the, admittedly roomie, interior of the car like that?

We even get to see Baby have a little adventure away from the boys, courtesy of Jessie the valet, who picks up a friend and takes the car on a brief joyride before returning her to Dean. Piper and Jessie's presence in the car introduce props that become instrumental in the plot, an element that I love, from Piper's hairpin that allows Dean to escape the cuffs we saw him in during the cold open, to the pennies that Dean finds in Jessie's joyride friend's lost purse. If these other characters hadn't been in the car, Dean likely would have met a gruesome death, and we wouldn't have been given the phenomenal fight sequence in the car or the following Sexiest Scene Ever™️ of Jensen doing a perfect reverse 180 as Dean drives Baby away from where she'd crashed. Finally, a bloody and battered Sam is retrieved, equally beat up as Dean and the car both are, and he declares the car as home.

For having been shot entirely from within the confines of the car, as roomy as she may be, the episode never feels small or claustrophobic. We feel like we've had an adventure, been on the adventure with Sam and Dean, met some new characters that broadened the overall world of the show, while getting to touch base with old friends (Cas' phone calls are wonderfully and hilariously done). And while I do wish that we'd gotten more of these sorts of little, mundane aspects of Sam and Dean's life, this entire episode feels like a goddamn gift that was wrapped with utmost care and exquisite skill. Seriously, the cast and crew of Supernatural were/are insanely talented and Baby, directed by Thomas J. Wright, is just a masterpiece.

okay so i haven’t made it through the books entirely yet so i may be missing info, but when i watched 2x01 i honestly assumed liandrin had been cutting mats hair forcibly??? like, forcing him to tidy up because it’s what she’d rather he look like, and another way to fuck with his head? i know im autistic so my perspective is skewed, but my hair is so so so important to me. having a bad haircut— especially one shorter than the exact length i want it to be— can be absolutely devastating for me. it feels like having my personal autonomy and safety taken away when it’s not how i want it! this is all a long winded way to say that when i saw mat with short hair my brain immediately went to “she’s psychologically torturing him, oh my cod”

this is a very interesting take, and it makes a lot of sense!! i can totally imagine liandrin forcibly cutting mat's hair as some kind of power play and part of her attempts to psychologically fuck him up. and i could see an older woman doing some sort of "caretaking"-type thing to him might push his Mommy Issues buttons as well, which maybe liandrin could intentionally try to prey on (although i don't know how much info she/the shadow would have about mat's home life. probably a fair bit, though, since padan fain visited the village every year and obviously knew some things about mat's background judging by their interaction in 1x01.)

🎼 Maestro Forte Plot Wishlist 🎼

If you're interested in any of these plot(s), DM or send an ask saying which plot you're interested in and how you'd like to have your character(s) tackle said plot.

🎹 Papa Forte

Forte likes to see himself as a guiding figure and one of the most common ways this manifests is when he comes across troubled youth he can relate to. In these cases, Forte readily takes to a fatherly role. Though, there are some traits his adopted clan have in common, typically those Forte has himself, had in his youth, and thinks he can help the prospective child figure navigate. These are LGBT youth, those who come from an emotionally abusive background and those with magic or other supernatural traits. Forte has his flaws, chiefly in his overprotective bouts, but he genuinely feels a powerful bond with any who seek him out as a father figure, and makes it a point to always be there and will defend them whenever need be.

As well, if you're working with the Modern verse, you may gain an additional father figure with Forte's husband, Cogsworth. Although, Cogsworth makes his choice as to whether or not he wants to "adopt" a person entirely separate from Forte. So private interactions may be required for Cogsworth to feel the same as his husband.

If you have a younger character with any of the above traits, Forte can be father figure full of advice... good and bad.

This plot is available in all points in Forte's timeline after his Young verse.

🎹 Found Family

Related to the above, but outside the scope of just children figures. Chiefly, Forte is willing to take in sibling figures. He, however, has no interest in parental figures. He's middle aged and does not feel any desire to be parented. Forte is open to the idea of siblings more than any other role. However, he can be a bit of a tough nut to crack when it comes to opening up in this way. The main reason is that Forte suffers survivors' guilt, being the only one of his siblings to be allowed to live, as all his brothers and sisters were killed by his parents before he was even born.

Forte pines to know what that sort of bond is like, people he can call "brother", "sister", or "sibling", but you'll have some baggage to work around if you'd like to see it.

This plot is available at all points in Forte's timeline.

🎹 Forte University

Positive bonds with Forte are not limited only to his found family. Forte loves teaching. There is a genuine joy in his demeanor when he gets to mentor on subjects that he's passionate about that is rarely seen. Subjects Forte is learned in are music, of course, but also things such as magic, etiquette and villainous cunning. Keep in mind however, that Maestro Forte can have his periods of unprofessionalism, given his various illnesses and vices. You may find the Maestro missing for lessons on end, not because he doesn't love teaching you, but because he has his demons to battle.

In the Modern Verse, Forte owns a small private school called Forte University. You can find all the typical school plots and roles here; apply to be a professor, be a student, ect. It is a school for the arts; visual art, music, acting and literature. This is NOT, I repeat, NOT a magical school!! Magical people may learn and work there, but Forte wants to keep that all a secret from normal society.

If you seek to see this Maestro as a teacher, you are in for rewards, but also frustration due to Forte's flawed character.

This plot is available in all points in Forte's timeline, even the Young verse, with Forte University the establishment only existing proper in the Modern Verse.

🎹 Mess Around and Find Out

Hey, Forte's a villain. Surely he could be somebody's enemy. Keep in mind however, making Forte your enemy requires him to be provoked into doing so. He is your villain only when there's something to gain... or honor to defend. Most of all, he does not forget and he does not forgive lightly. And the fastest way to see this wicked vampire at his most frightening, get an idea at just how horribly powerful he really is... is to hurt his family. The worse your threat to his family-- his children especially-- the more frightening he becomes.

Keep in mind, as per my Plots I Won't Do, if you think you can have your character get away without consequences in making an enemy of Forte... no. So don't pick up this plot without reading that list.

Maestro Forte can be the stuff of nightmares should you cross him, or worse, his loved ones. Do you seek someone to terrorize your characters? Do you believe this vampire deserves to be slain, no matter the cost?

This plot is available at all points in Forte's timeline, but know that in the Modern Verse, his magic has grown to potentially world-ending levels, so don't take Modern Forte especially as a pushover.

🎹 A Villain's Redemption

I love villain redemption arcs. But this is my most challenging plot to undertake. Because if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right. And it will be slow burn. And it will be tough. And, if the characters are not compatible, it may not work. In fact, there's the chance all efforts may just make Forte worse. Forte is going to be hard to redeem, and he will never completely lose his villainous edge. Forte is resistant to taking advice for he believes it is he who must be the one giving advice. Forte in some way doesn't want to be happy, because he truly believes himself to be the embodiment of sorrow.

But Forte does want to get better. The best way to do this is to become someone he cares about and do not force him to change. If he cares for you and he sees his vices as getting in the way of that, Forte will come around all on his own. Words of encouragement, stories of empathy and real connection are the way to melt this icy warlock's heart.

Forte can get better. He will still be Forte forever, but he can become a better version of himself.

This plot is available from the Court Composer verse and beyond in his timeline, but keep in mind, the further down the timeline you get, the more Forte's bad deeds have built up.

Hazbin Hotel Rant

This is going to be me ranting, because I have no one to rant to.

First off, the character interactions with the main cast are not good in my opinion. The only interactions I like with the main cast are Niffty/Alastor, Husk/Alastor, Vaggie/Alastor, Husk/ Angel. etc. (That's all I can think of)

The character I feel who had the weakest interaction in the hotel is Charlie. It's such a surprise. She's the main character and she's has a bubbly personality that I like. She's so much into the plot than her own girlfriend, Vaggie. Vaggie always says things like "You can do this Charlie, I believe in you." That's all. Charlie doesn't talk about anything except the extermination and the team bonding exercises. She remains passive in most of the episodes until the very end. She tried to help Angel, but she failed. When Alastor and Charlie interact, they have these weird interactions. The first where Charlie and Alastor interact is that the commercial he made. He mocked her about her having daddy issues and her hotel. Charlie being the nice girl that she is said that the tone is off. Vaggie had the backbone to say the commercial sucks. In the episode Dad beats Dad, he barely talks to Charlie. In the song, Hell's Greatest Dad, he mentions "I care for you, just like a daughter I spawned." What is going on? In their previous interaction, where did they talk like they had a father-and-daughter dynamic? The best interaction that showed the father and daughter dynamic is Alastor and Niffty. When Alastor was complimenting how hardworking and proud he is for Charlie, it wasn't as sincere because he just doing that to annoy Lucifer. I got so irritated when Alastor turned into his full demon form because some sharks were attacking the hotel and he wanted to make his reputation known again. Charlie said, Stop, he's defending the hotel. It may be a little more sadistic than I hoped. But he's doing this for me." Charlie, what did the writers do to you? Didn't you see the commercial he made? He clearly stated why he's choosing violence. I just feel like we are missing scenes where Charlie thinks Alastor is doing it for her. I see none. In the episode Hello Rosie, I was hoping to see a Charlie and Alastor interaction, but Alastor needs to make a deal with Charlie. From Charlie who cared for Alastor supporting her, her personality changes and tells him to go away. I guess she doesn't want to talk because Vaggie was a former exorcist. Charlie makes a deal with Alastor, and then we focus on stopping the extermination. Not the interaction that I hope. He helps her, but it is not the same as Charlie reasons. In the song, Ready for This, he reveals, "She has potential that I could guide." This means he wants to use her as some sort of backup when the situation calls for it.

I have a theory that Alastor doesn't even care for the hotel. He feels to me like a background character who has stuff outside the hotel. When he is with the rest of the cast in an episode, he sits there and just smiles. This is not bad, but I feel like what's the point of being part of the main cast. He doesn't talk to hotel members except Vaggie, Husk, Charlie, and Niffty so far. What they have in common that they talked to Alastor only one time. I felt like I missed something when he said he might be accustomed to the cast to Niffty. My guess is he doesn't mind the company and they're interesting to watch. He's an interesting character by himself. Even if you put him as a side character, people will still love him.

This rant made me realize that I was expecting Alastor to be something else. In the pilot, he was enthusiastic and wanted to help Charlie for his own amusement. He doesn't have any real intention revealed yet because it's one episode. I imagine their dynamic like the song Heaven 2 Hell. Those two have different ideas on how to run the hotel, but they respect each other differences. I am kind of disappointed that we don't see that.

In my opinion, Hazbin Hotel should be something like Helluva Boss. Each episode is like a filler episode and a conflict on its own. We get to worry about the bigger conflict later. If they go on that route, we get to develop characters better. I am worried about season 2 because we will be introducing more characters like Baxter. Since there were few interactions within the main cast, adding more characters will throw off the balance of screen time. I hope Niffty gets more screen time because she's one of my favorite characters. She's cute, but a little crazy. She also is a victim of not having screen time and feels like a background character.

Yeah, that's all. Hope everyone have a good day.

Intro -- Who are you??

Well.

Here we go.

Good evening! Good timezone. We are so glad you have found your way here, and hope you enjoy your stay.

This is the official blog of the Yokai SMP, a folklore-fantasy minecraft server with all kinds of different creatures and planes. The SMP has just finished its first season, with a huge world-ending plot being foiled by some valorous players.

We are two Observers - creatures who merely watch the events, comment for your entertainment, and sometimes (if the time is right) get to interact with the Entities in this world.

You may call me the Studio - I will be bringing you information about the world and the people in it, catch you up on background knowledge, and fill in any blanks that you may have missed in Season 1.

And I'm the Reporter - I'm here to tell you what's happening real-time, what people are up to in the moment, that kind of thing! You see all sorts of interesting things when people don't know you're watching. And even when they do.

Feel free to ask us questions, we're happy to answer!

I've seen some people be disappointed with The Ssum for various reasons. Some I can understand but others I think people are too hasty. So here are some thoughts (not sorted through).

Regarding the many things you can pay for, I get that. It is kinda very in your face (literal game ads, that are kinda cute tho and only 5 sec) and pricey. I myself am very tempted but will see after the first round of 200 days. Pretty sure I'll know if it's worth it, after that. Cheritz is a small company after all and they've been working on this for quite a while. But for now I don't think it's necessary to buy anything to enjoy the game.

He might type slowly but you can just do smth else while waiting and somehow work with that. Now, the Aurora Batteries, those are already more iffy. Per chat, there are 1 to 3 options, where you can use them. Some even give you a call? I really hate this kind of limitation. It's so direct in telling "you may have missed juicy content~", which makes it a lot worse than the hourglasses in Mysme (not that they were bad in the first place). You have a lot of free opportunities to get them there (❤->⏳, through chats, invited guests) and even then, it's completely fine to go without. (Some calls were really 😙🤌 though, but it's very much optional) Here, I'm not sure you can get any without paying or unlocking achievments. But we'll see how it is since it's only the first week after all. Dunno about the other things yet but I'll just wait to see if it's too much, that I'm missing out on.

Regarding Teo, I don't really get how some people are already writing him off as boring and comparing him to Mysme characters. Like, ofc they'd be different. Not only is Teo the only person you're gonna talk to, you have 200 days for that. You'll have plenty of time to discover hidden mysteries and flags or whatever. Apparently, he's even gonna mold his personality based on our conversations. So it makes sense, that he'd be more blank in the beginning, especially during the first 2 days. Now look at Mysme, where you have 11 days for each of the 5, later 7, characters. You have to know which ones you wanna go first and everyone is interacting with one another. And there's a whole very forefront plot that needs to be told. While in The Ssum, for now at least, the plot is just getting to know about a guy in roughly 6 months and fall in love(?). The situations are too different to compare them. Besides that, he's actually just like a normal guy you first meet somewhere randomly. Is everyone able to figure out a stranger's personality and background after a few conversations on the first day or am I just the outlier here? I'm sure you've met at least one person whose personality on the outside differs greatly from the truth after getting to know them more.

I'm not saying you can't say what you think for first impressions; if he seems boring rn then that's just how it is for you. But it's stupid to complain already when the game is barely out, yet.

Anyways, that's all I have to rant about for now. Maybe I am too optimistic from the perspective of smn in the future reading this but I truly think you can't tell anything yet by Day 2. Hopefully, this will age well....

I know I don't talk about him a lot, but today I wanna make a Karma-related post... Specifically about his character development in the series.

A lot of times when discussing character development in characters other than Gakushuu, Terasaka, and Irina; we point out the disappointment of payoff (for lack of a better term). We always discuss the falling flat in this series. But I think for once Karama's development was something done well, especially when looking at the other characters and cast of the series.

Please bear in mind I have really only watched the anime (and I am absolutely due for a rewatch c: ) so this may exclude some details. Feel free to lemme know what I miss.

Now from what I noticed, a lot of Karma's development takes place, behind the scenes. We can see his growth in the tiny things he does when he's in the frame, but not necessarily the center of attention at that moment.

Now that's not to say he doesn't have big-ticket times marking his development. I.E: His intro episode, His episode with Terasaka, The class trip kidnapping, etc. These things are big indicators and kick off's for his development.

But the series really portrays the small moments we see the shift in his character. Where he begins to be a bit more vulnerable with his classmates and not as aggressive or withdrawn. He interacts with his peers and isn't as much of an agitator unless the situation call's for it.

I think we see this pay off in the end with Korosensei's death episode. We see Karma actually crying. He tries not to, but he's so overcome with emotion over the death of his teacher (who some could argue may have been a father figure of sorts) he can't help it. He doesn't get angry or channel that into agitation. He doesn't leave either. He eventually lets himself stay. He allows people to see his vulnerability and lets himself feel those things.

And it makes sense in his character. We are hit with how much he's grown but not in a way that's unbelievable, but in a way that causes his character and the finale to have a bigger emotional impact.

It's because of those little background moments, or small pieces of dialogue that this makes sense and flows well.

I really like this form of development and can only imagine what it would be like to have seen more of our cast have this style of development applied to them.

Theory: Sova x Agent 8? (and how he lost his eye)

Ok, hear me out on this one. Again.

My Proposition

Sova and Agent 8 are lovers, and the former’s eye injury has something to do with failing to save the now-missing agent (and possibly sparing mirror Sova).

Who’s Agent 8?

For context, Agent 8 is this unknown agent who isn’t mentioned by anyone

Could be dismissed on bad terms, dead or missing

But let’s say they are missing because if they were gone entirely, the VP could’ve just put Phoenix (Agent 9) as the new Agent 8

So I believe the VP is accounting for a chance that 8 will return.

Oh and Riot Parmcheesy did say that Agent 8 could return so yeah

Agents 6 and 8

Sova is Agent 6, so he most definitely knows this person

It’s also possible that they’re close, being one of the first few VP agents.

Agent 8′s locker number being scratched out in the Warmup cinematic could make sense if their loss was still a bitter topic for at least some of the VP agents

Spotify Playlist 

Since the agent’s Spotify playlists most often have songs meaningful to the agent’s persona, let’s look at something in Sova’s playlist

There’s a song there called Medina by Jah Khalib which is about a man separated from his love but hopes they will see each other again

I know there’s also a chance that the “missing lover” is someone else, but to simplify things I have this theory. Occam’s razor, right? Valorant has way too many characters already lmao

Fade’s dossier tells something about Sova missing his shot before, and I think this means that Sova missed his shot in some mission at it cost him greatly, particularly his eye and/or the loss of a loved one.

Connecting the Eye and the Lover

Maybe there was some sort of major face-off or mission involving Sova, Agent 8 and mirror Sova. Sova spares his double, but this backfires, resulting in the loss of Agent 8 and his eye.

Why did I bring his eye into the conversation anyway? I admit this is a bit of a tangent but if Sova was shot in the eye with a bullet it would most likely count as a lethal headshot, from which Sage can just revive him because agents have clearly been headshot before

But nope it just looks like an X-mark from stitches after an eye surgery, so it must have been something not as lethal but still able to cause injury...like an arrow from mirror Sova.

If this is the case, it would also make sense that his zealousness (we all know about the latest Danger Room incident) is a combination of him being a soldier and him overcompensating to avoid another incident from his mistakes.

As dark as this may sound, grave injuries are fairly common talk among soldiers, so the only possible reasons I can think of as to why there’s so much emotion placed on Sova’s eye loss is if it almost cost him the job he’s so passionate about---or cost him a special someone.

Other Agent’s Voicelines

Omen has a voiceline saying he senses a fury within Sova, so I really sense some unresolved personal issue here

Brimstone tells Sova that the latter has lost an eye for them already and that one is enough, which supports the idea that Sova lost his eye in a mission.

Cypher, meanwhile, says he accessed Sova’s background file and the explanation there about his eye loss isn’t entirely true. The way I’d interpret this? Sova didn’t lose his eye in some pure act of martyrdom like Brim’s voiceline paints it, but rather as a result of him softening up and sparing mirror Sova. And if this really did end up in the loss of an eye and a lover, this would look more incompetent than heroic on Sova’s part.

Chamber’s interaction with Sova supports this too. Chamber teases Sova about having broken rules before. Looks like for Sova, it’s (1) fraternizing with other agents and (2) being good to your double. With Mr. Frenchie choosing to form some sort of “friendship” with Cypher so his own secrets stay safe, he must’ve picked up some intel from Cypher about the other agents in return. Sova dislikes both of them for their secrecy...or is it really just that?

Conclusion? Hypothesis? IDK whatever you call it

Sova and Agent 8 are a pair. On one mission, Sova spares his double which becomes the one time he fails at work. As a result, he gets hit in the eye and as some indirect result, Agent 8 gets taken away. He still holds a grudge in himself and the other Sova because of this whole incident. Sova also hopes to see Agent 8 again.

Super Pal Trio post series

Was talking to Tippen about this in DMs and I thought I may as well express it here. 

So in season 5, we got the scenes where Catra and Entrapta reunited on the ship and sorted out their problems, they even grew a bit closer in Stevenson’s missing scene fic, and you can get a sense for what their dynamic is - they’re both trying to make up for their fuck-ups, and they face difficult integration into the Rebellion. In spite of everything, they build a good rapport,  and are pretty happy chilling in the background while the other characters do the hero planning. While their onscreen interactions are few, there is the foundation for what was once a messed-up dynamic to become an incredibly wholesome friendship. 

With Scorpia, it’s different. While she does get scenes with Entrapta, it’s kind of tense due to Entrapta’s friction with the other princesses, and then they don’t interact or mention each other for the rest of the season (even when Scorpia’s chipped which...yeah, they could’ve had ONE line on this... but okay). 

Then with Catra, obviously there’s everything that happened in season 4 and in this season they only get one hug as a reunion.  There is no big Super Pal Trio Reunion, sadly.  Just one on one meetups. 

The characters Scorpia has truly bonded with most in S5 are Emily (the robot) and Perfuma and Frosta. These are her main relationships in the season, in part because she was separated from the other two during the space mission and when she was chipped. These characters validate and support Scorpia in a way that the other two SPT members could not.   

The impression you get from this is kind of sad, in that, Scorpia wasn’t getting what she needed from the other two, and found it from somewhere else. That’s fucked up on accounts of, we had all the scenes in season 4 of Scorpia seeing Entrapta as her first friend, that SUPER WHOLESOME “Princess Scorpia” episode, but they don’t build on that in season 5, and even though Catra was Scorpia’s main relationship for the entire show, it’s not given any time here. A more pessimistic view is that Scorpia went for “better adjusted” friends, people who could reciprocate and communicate their love for her better.  So yeah, their friendships with Scorpia got screwed over by the timing and plot of s5.   

But, I was thinking - wouldn’t that make for an interesting story?  

Like, okay. Picture this scenario:  

Catra and Entrapta have been out in space for a long time. The war ends, everyone is friends again, but Scorpia is far closer to the other Princesses than she ever was with them, and they know it. They’ve grown apart over time and while Scorpia is very eager to be buddies, it’s clear that “Super Pal Trio” has some issues to work out if they want to be closer.  

Catra and Entrapta feel sad about this. They didn’t - couldn’t - give Scorpia what she needed, simply because of who they are. 

Catra was not able to be vulnerable in the Horde, but Scorpia kept trying to be there for her. Catra was never going to love Scorpia the way Scorpia loved her, not with the Adora brainrot and the way things were and everything Scorpia reminded her about, but she’s obviously been beating herself up for mistreating Scorpia the way she did, and perhaps Catra feels like Scorpia deserves better and she’s lost out on the chance to be close to her. 

And Entrapta, god, it’s not her fault that she’s weird and aloof and bad at explaining to people how much they mean to her, but that’s how it is. Part of her feared this was inevitable. Scorpia was her best friend too, but she didn’t tell her, and she couldn’t identify what Scorpia wanted out of their friendship. She barely knows what healthy friendship looks like either, and stands no chance compared to Perfuma in telling Scorpia what she needs to hear. 

So, they’re a bit heartbroken, they feel like they were not good enough for their friend. I think there’s a beautiful tragedy in this. Like, it’s messed up, but in a realistic way. In fact.... It’s the same energy as Glimmer not being good enough for Adora, not being able to make her feel as comfortable as Catra does. I feel like Glimmer would get the sads about that.     

ANYWAY, not all hope is lost - in typical Catrapta fashion, they decide they CAN’T give up, and scheme on how to show Scorpia they really care about her, developing a onesided rivalry with Perfuma and the Princesses. They enlist help from Best Friend Squad on what the best way to reach Scorpia is, and things get silly.  

That’s what I was thinking when I was making this comic... Considering how much Catra and Entrapta use gift-giving as a demonstration of their love language, birthday celebrations are going to be one hell of an event for Scorpia. 

I don’t know how easy it would be for the two to TALK to Scorpia about these feelings in this scenario, I feel like they’d have to get caught out first. Maybe after setting fire to the kitchen six times there’d be a “Sorry, we were trying to outdo your girlfriend and show you that we care and that we can be good friends too, but we messed it up.”   

And then Scorpia gets really emotional and pulls them into a hug and says she’s sorry she made them feel like they weren’t enough, and Entrapta pulls into the hug hard and gives a full hair wrap, and even Catra hugs her back this time and says “don’t apologise, dummy”, everyone is crying and---  yeah I basically just wrote a Steven Universe episode but damn I just want my Super Pal Trio feels. 

There is some irony in it going from Scorpia feeling insecure about whether she’s liked by Catra and Entrapta, and working hard for their affection, to it swapping to the other way around and everyone competing for Scorpia, misguided or otherwise. 

i have a million ideas of what i would do if i was writing jason’s character and one of the many things is a psychological sort-of horror one-shot ‘slice of life’ solo run.

basically i’m imagining a look at jason’s every day life on his own in gotham crucially set around spring, like covering each month of spring, starting as the snow and ice starts to thaw and ending as summer begins to roll in.

(warning for disorganized thoughts put down on a whim while the op who never outlines anything and has adhd is avoiding studying)

i don’t think it’s a controversial take to say jason is mentally ill etc but anyway yes this is mostly an excuse to explore that. none of the bats would appear besides maybe a shadow or a phone call- i’m imaging batman specifically in the shadows of some frames or peeking through the window but never acknowledged, and occasional phone calls between jason & dick where we only ever get half of the info and it’s not necessarily clear who he’s speaking to anyway and when it is whether these conversations even happened. The only people Jason would ever interact with would be the people who work for him, the people he fights, and! most importantly! the Gothamites that he interacts with though he resists forming any sort of real relationship or real existence among them, including Dana Harlowe.

this is set in spring because i would like to explore jason’s psychological state hitting an unprecedented rock bottom which personally I think would be most likely to happen surrounding the season when he was killed. A lot of the elements, like the specter of Batman, would mostly be made aware to the reader, Jason being mostly oblivious. As things build up, he would become more and more aware of these broken elements within the narrative until they are indistinguishable as parts of his reality; April would be SO difficult to follow in particular- jumping between time as though the memory is reality, flicking between Jason as a shambling corpse and a dying robin and himself in the present depending on his mental state, missing scenes as he loses time, people speaking to him as vague figures or figures they could not possibly be, etc etc. this needs to culminate in an uncertain forth wall break of some sort.

Jason will not ask for help. Most likely he would be too out of it to realize he needs it and doesn’t necessarily have anyone to ask anyway. however, I think what would happen would be that he emerges from the other side of April to find that a lot of Crime Alley has self-managed in his name. Those connections he refused to make made themselves despite him. This overwhelms him and he ends up locking himself in his apartment in a bout of agoraphobia with the ghost of himself that haunts him for most of May, which passes without incident otherwise. In June Jason attempts to recoup what he neglected and mostly succeeds; it isn’t that there were no consequences, and he remains shaken, but it still passes as though it were mundane. In the end he calls someone and leaves a voicemail telling them everything is going well- maybe dick, maybe alfred or even Talia, though personally I favor Talia. At the very end he puts the phone down and receives a text from Dana, while the dying robin version of him watches the reader from outside the window in the background.

(also he would have to face the biggest horror throughout this obviously: grocery runs and like, doing laundry)

I know I don't talk about him a lot, but today I wanna make a Karma-related post... Specifically about his character development in the series.

A lot of times when discussing character development in characters other than Gakushuu, Terasaka, and Irina; we point out the disappointment of payoff (for lack of a better term). We always discuss the falling flat in this series. But I think for once Karama's development was something done well, especially when looking at the other characters and cast of the series.

Please bear in mind I have really only watched the anime (and I am absolutely due for a rewatch c: ) so this may exclude some details. Feel free to lemme know what I miss.

Now from what I noticed, a lot of Karma's development takes place, behind the scenes. We can see his growth in the tiny things he does when he's in the frame, but not necessarily the center of attention at that moment.

Now that's not to say he doesn't have big-ticket times marking his development. I.E: His intro episode, His episode with Terasaka, The class trip kidnapping, etc. These things are big indicators and kick off's for his development.

But the series really portrays the small moments we see the shift in his character. Where he begins to be a bit more vulnerable with his classmates and not as aggressive or withdrawn. He interacts with his peers and isn't as much of an agitator unless the situation call's for it.

I think we see this pay off in the end with Korosensei's death episode. We see Karma actually crying. He tries not to, but he's so overcome with emotion over the death of his teacher (who some could argue may have been a father figure of sorts) he can't help it. He doesn't get angry or channel that into agitation. He doesn't leave either. He eventually lets himself stay. He allows people to see his vulnerability and lets himself feel those things.

And it makes sense in his character. We are hit with how much he's grown but not in a way that's unbelievable, but in a way that causes his character and the finale to have a bigger emotional impact.

It's because of those little background moments, or small pieces of dialogue that this makes sense and flows well.

I really like this form of development and can only imagine what it would be like to have seen more of our cast have this style of development applied to them.