I just: finished my translation work 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

ACCEPTING! // @nonhumen asked: ღ (dazai bats his eyes all prettily for chuuya)

❝ Fishing for compliments again, Osamu? ❞

Romantic attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme Sexual attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme Aesthetic attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme Sensual attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme

Chuuya is very attracted to his husband in all aspects!

He's always found Dazai to be pretty, but I think the sensual & romantic attractions came later on, probably around the time he realized he had feelings for Dazai beyond just your typical, teenage crush... so around 18-19 years old. He bounces back & forth between thinking Dazai is beautiful - usually in their off time together when he's dressed casually & his guard is down, & thinking he's hot, which is usually when they\re at work.

As for aesthetic, that could go two ways. Dazai's sense of dress isn't Chuuya's preference for himself, as his outfits tend to be more elaborate & specifically chosen depending on the mood he's in, time of year, what's in style, the weather, etc. However, he will say that Dazai's business outfits have definitely improved from when they were teens now that he is actually deciding for himself what he wants & figuring out his preferences, as opposed to just accepting whatever Mori shoved into his arms & told him to wear. It might not matter to his husband, but Chuuya did recommend he talk to Lippmann's personal stylist when it comes to business meetings with important figures when Dazai was getting tips on his conduct for when he wants to portray someone other than just the Demon King of Yokohama's underground.

If those etiquette lessons with Kouyou taught him anything it was that a huge part of closing a deal advantageously is looking the part. If you look like you just grabbed something randomly off the rack five minutes earlier, no one is going to take you seriously in a meeting / interview, especially not criminal masterminds looking for any weak point to gain the upper hand., no matter how intimidating you might be. Being feared as a dangerous man is different from being respected as a competent leader.

Dazai taking charge, sitting behind that desk in a nicely cut, dark suit that Lippmann's personal stylist suggested to him does things to Chuuya. Mostly it's the confidence though & his security in their relationship. Dazai as a kid being cocky just irritated him, these days he finds it ridiculously attractive. Same goes for when Dazai puts on a little makeup or tucks his hair out of his face.

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Ah, that. The artist-writer disparity. It’s technically something that exists on both sides, which does kind of end up being partially due to skill issue, which is understandable, I sure don’t expect people to give me compliments over a scribble, but one person is nice enough to say something anyways. High-detail art gets everyone !!! Me too, and well-known writers can post or say anything and get the whole server giving them the eyes emoji. Which I think explains this whole problem in two parts.

Firstly, you’re in the wrong audience, the wrong time. I’ve found people who could want more of something yet not give it a passing glance, and then I’ve found people who’ll passionately read anything because they’re ~ actually ~ really into what you’re putting out there. And they can appreciate the process. It comes down to “wanting it exactly the way I want/write my work for me/if it matches, I like” being distracted by “the more interesting conversation in the server” there can sometimes be hierarchies in servers, where the more popular/consistent poster gets all the attention, everyone crowds around them and the quiet/smaller presence gets the pity replies.

That is by no means an actual indication of what your work is worth, as the whole point of this is basically screaming in the chat and going 👀 about content together. Whoever you can do that with, that’s your target audience. Not a “pity reply.” Ultimately, you’re working with a “niche” audience within a niche itself. People get bored easily. They want instant gratification, they might simply not be in the mood at the time. Or they just don’t really know what to say. Sometimes I’ve gotten late replies, sometimes I would repost something during a different time days or weeks later and then get responses. This goes into the second point: it’s hard to read.

Writing is a completely different medium to art. Art is formed in stacked layers, writing is a circuit board. There are so many incredible writers who hardly get reblogs when their actual blogs are insanely popular and demanding. That kind of eliminates the idea of a skill issue doesn’t it? Unless if you’re working with really bad grammar and lack of space between text, which I’ve seen your writing Foxy, you aren’t. With art, you can get that instant gratification over and over again, in one quick visual, and people like visuals, that’s the whole reason anyone writes or draws. Same goal, different pens, you’re working with colors or words. Writing takes more effort to consume. More effort to “visualize.” It’s dependent on the emotional impact you leave behind, whereas art can get by on beauty. There are people who will look at both, and drop it and move on. And people who return to stare longingly at art and re-read fics to cry over during long travel. They rarely say so. So with this common ground between them, or rather the audience, what’s the difference in reception? Layers, circuit board.

Art wips give you the full base frame, the full story contained right there on the canvas without the shading, colors, etc. Writing wips are just a single wire on a larger circuit board, you don’t know where the “electric signal” is going, what “image” is going to light-up when it’s finished. You have simple wires, and main focal points to run through. It’s glaringly obvious to me whenever I try to share wips that “I didn’t pour enough passion into this” short pieces of exposition doesn’t get anyone excited, neither does dialogue unless if it’s really interesting. Someone posts one or two sentences of their work or a detail about their fic and I find myself forcing a reply so I’m verbally somewhat engaged with them instead of just nodding to what someone tells me, because they can’t see that. That’s the effect writing wips have, all you can do is say “okay” as if just listening to someone talk, you hear, you acknowledge and process the information, you move on. It’s often not as dynamic as visual art. The folks who like writing are the ones who “see the art” in the structure of phrasing, characterization, plot. Who can meet the writer at any point on the circuit board; the beginning, the end, the middle, that AU of your main story. So I always try to write enough to “show” a bit of the story or character dynamic before sharing. Sometimes that still goes nowhere, what can you do? Some things are better appreciated in full, sometimes that also goes nowhere, not many comments. We end up circling right back up to that “target audience” issue.

Two different servers of the same fandom give differing levels of engagement. It goes down to the size, the age demographic, and personalities. Sometimes the server itself, if there’s many different topics and subcategories around, lots of diverse opinions. No fault of theirs, you’re just in the wrong environment. Ever noticed different atmospheres between the attitudes of different servers you’re in? Basically that. Some feel like “the popular kids club in a public space mushed together” while others are, “chill lounge with mature people who can be respectful and kind to each other.” It’s a roll of the dice to see if you’ll get any engagement and in what form. The same person over and over, or a small community chat session? I personally like small servers where you can just chill with people who aren’t ~ all about content ~ because they strike a balance between both, chilling with you, encouraging and creating new ideas together and talking about them, and celebrating each others work. Some are more inclined to emoji react and move on, while others will be using the capslock. It’s absolutely no fault of yours, just the usual social behavior of humans. Similar minded people end up drawn to each other, maybe the server you’re in isn’t for you, and you were attracted there more for the niche being “available” rather than the suitability of the environment/you matching their personality/conversational wavelength? If I’m wrong about all this, then I guess folks are just cheapstakes who can’t see the effort writing takes, but small-scale artists have the same complaint, so, alas. And big name artists often get petty comments too, so alas again. People will be people eh? The best thing I can say, is find a person on your wavelength whose excitable and passionate. Sometimes you have to engage with others before they engage with you.

My fic is such an extreme niche between characters who have never met, and are underrated in their own fandom. On ao3, I probably wouldn’t have gotten a single comment, just empty kudos, yet I found someone on tumblr adoring my work because I poked around, saw they were open-minded and energetically receptive to new ideas, and asked to strike a conversation about my work. I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same luck, or that it’ll be easy, but I can say that often times, it’s not the quality of your writing, your target audience just hasn’t been found, and sometimes it takes being a little more active and asking the leading questions yourself for someone to answer. Like a, “what did you think/anything I could change?” otherwise, it’s just a “gallery effect” a collection of pretty things hung up on the wall to admire and walk from one exhibit to another. Sorry, I kinda talked a lot huh? I wanted to comfort you, but T^T this feels like a principal lecturing a student, I am so sorry.

Thank you, I needed to hear this!!

I was disappointed because someone had asked me to continue the piece with my ideas and then just didn't respond to what I had to say at all. I'm trying to think positively and believe that they just didn't have the time to either read or react to what I put but I'm also okay now with them not enjoying how I continued it because ultimately I made the piece for myself and how I wanted the direction of what I wrote to go, not what people were expecting.

I do wish people in fandom would offer more support to writers as we make up the backbone of fandom spaces just as much as artists do but I also agree writing takes more energy for people to consume and conceptualization unlike art which is saddening but just the facts of life.

I like my writing and I like my ideas. I'm ultimately writing for myself and if I do get engagement than that's great but I need to remember that it's not always a sigh of poor quality. Obviously I can always improve and I want to! However I shouldn't let myself get disheartend when a small piece of what I wrote doesn't get the reception I was hoping for.

Extended thoughts on the Dark Fortress preview pages [spoilers at link]

(Would I be an MJ if I did not do this? This post is under a cut due to spoilers.)

I like the preview pages a lot, I’m excited for release - roll on March 31. There’s a lot packed into just these limited pages, so I’m looking forwards to seeing the issue and its contents in their entirety. 

A flashback to the Battle of Ostagar all those years ago is the last thing I was expecting when coming to this comic and it hit me with a one-two of feelings and nostalgia. Up there just off-screen, the Hero of Ferelden and Alistair have just lit the beacon in the Tower of Ishal. In these panels, the rain, the lighting, the atmosphere - it’s surreal (not in a bad way) seeing these fateful events again, back where it all kinda began really, and that page does a good job of replicating that cutscene and the heavy feel of it in a different medium. It’s a nice touch seeing surprise/unsureness and even conflict on some of the soldiers’ faces as Loghain gives the order to retreat. A couple of them even seen disconcerted as they walk away (looking at one another in askance). I like this take on Ser Cauthrien, and I wonder if Aaron ever encountered Aveline, Wynne, Carver or non-mage Hawke at Ostagar before the battle...?

Loghain’s words “He must do what his honor compels him to do” almost feel like a bit of metacommentary, i.e. on Loghain’s character in addition to obviously being about Ser Aaron.

In-universe before now, there have been varying accounts of Ser Aaron’s experience at Ostagar. Did he miss the fight, did he kill two ogres, etc. Now we see the truth of the matter is exactly as he told Vaea, which speaks of the trust and close relationship between the two. I’m not going to lie, the “I am coming my king” and subsequent panels make me cry on this re-read. Aaron reaching out for Cailan in his sleep with his other fist clenched, jerking awake from a nightmare in a cold sweat.. Aaron is so brave, he was the sole or one of the few soldiers in Loghain’s company to make this kind of stand (and you can see that there was a moment when he did turn to leave and considered it before turning back), and these panels convey the extent of the trauma that he experienced on the field of battle that day. I’m positive that in panel 2 here, it’s the exact moment when he sees Cailan die. It also hurts to think that not far from there, Duncan is seeing the same thing. They’ve done a good job integrating the new characters’ pasts with previous canon events with things like these. It’s like, expanding on things, but without anything conflicting.

When Aaron reaches for his alcohol skin I’m pretty sure his hand is shaking. Vaea is so tender and understanding/supportive at this part and it’s a really poignant and soft moment for them.. Aaron’s nightmares are a regular occurrence it seems. I love her and their relationship so much.. keeping watch over him while he sleeps a bit away from the others and the fire. ;; Also Autumn’s ears here, she’s lying down but still listening to what’s going on with and between her people. ;;

Brief pause here: I always appreciate getting a good sense where different events are taking place in the additional media. Also we now have in-universe confirmation that in the timeline we’ve now reached 9:45, as opposed to only external word-of-god. Do you guys ever think about your Wardens and how it’s been 15 years for them?

Aaron is like a father to Vaea 😭

Fenris has two daggers now in addition to his twohanded sword. The better for ending Danarius’ bloodline my dear 🔪

Have they tweaked Fenris’ hairstyle a bit, compared to Blue Wraith? Possibly also his skintone and eyebrows, compared to Blue Wraith? (I find this kind of thing hard to tell. If I’m incorrect here please feel free to correct me.) He looks good in this preview.

Poor Francesca. Tessa is really kind at this part and it’s nice to see more moments like these between female characters (women supporting one another). It reminds me of the moment in a previous issue where Vaea hugs Francesca on the ground. Tessa makes a great point here that true strength isn’t necessarily being stoic and unemotional, it’s standing up for what you believe in and for the greater good, even at great personal cost. It’s not 'not crying' and hiding your sadness. That’s a nice message, and again, Fran has really grown on me.

I also think it speaks well of Fenris and his character development after all these years in-universe that he was looking for a way to help Aaron, then immediately thought to go speak to Francesca when she was upset to see if he could help her in turn.

hhh brooding silent Marius staring broodily and silently into the flames and not responding to Fenris’ attempt at making conversation tho, the gentle lampshading..  That’s so true to his character. These might be my favorite panels in the whole preview. Fenris’ dry wit and facial expressions, the general composition, Fenris peacing out like “ok bye ig” lmao. You also get the sense that Fenris is reeling a bit and feeling abandoned since Hawke and co split up. After trying to do something to help both Aaron and Fran above, he then tries to make conversation with Marius. He’s trying to lighten the mood but also to connect after being alone for some time. He has missed having a group around him, and I suspect this group with its varying troubles and issues reminds him a lot of Hawke and co. That both the humor aspect and this characterization comes through in these 3 panels is pretty brilliant.

We reach the titular dark fortress! If ever there was a fortress for a bad guy, huh? x) The narrow exposed causeway being the only approach is a smart line of defense, strategically. Also, the realization that this is where Fenris lived while he was a slave of Danarius’ :| It’s a horrible-looking place and will be full of bad memories for him.

If this is how stormy the Nocen Sea gets in places - well, it reminds me of the lore that in Thedas naval exploration beyond the known map has been historically limited by different factors like pirates, Qunari dreadnoughts, stormy seas and sea creatures etc.

Characters speaking their native languages in places is always a nice touch. Now we’ve heard “By the Maker!” in Orlesian.

Aspects of the style and architecture of the Tevinter buildings in this preview, like the window shapes and the red lights and stuff, echo or remind me of what we’ve seen of Minrathous in the most recent trailer and some of the recent pieces of concept art for the next game. Neat.

We have our name and identity for the mage on the cover! Tractus Danarius, bastard son of Danarius. Danarius fucked around huh. “Tractus” has a Latin root, fittingly for a Tevinter name. Its different meanings are quite interesting: being dragged, extracted, plundered, an anthem sung in some masses, an elongated area or abnormal passage... I wonder if one of them will come into play somehow, the name possibly having been chosen for a reason? I also wonder how young Tractus is relative to Fenris, and if their paths have ever crossed in the past.

Tractus makes his entrance with two elven slaves or servants in tow. Like on the cover, his eyes are red. The head of his staff is a red sphere, also. Can we assume a connection to red lyrium, then, given these factors and the villains’ interest in using red lyrium to power the sarcophagus? I would guess that as normal magic was required to make it work with blue lyrium, the thing required to make it work with red lyrium is blood magic? A blood magic ritual. My guess is that the thing Tractus shows Marquette and Nenealeus is probably a chained up dragon or similar, which they plan to sacrifice and use the blood/power derived from that to fuel the magic/ritual. This is considering blood as a theme in this setting, blood as a source of power mechanically and the dragon-like beast on one of the covers which has clearly at one point been shackled and collared. (Here’s some previous speculation about Dark Fortress based on the covers.)

Although Tractus’ relative youth and inexperience compared to Nenealeus comes across in these pages, I get the feeling that Nenealeus will regret talking down in this manner to Tractus later in the comic.

It seems Tractus paints his nails dark. His commitment to aesthetic I give 5/5 stars

Remember the fall of Ventus/Qarinus to the Antaam invasion in TN? The Antaam must be progressing through Tevinter if people fear that Neromenian may soon fall also.

I appreciate that everyone’s horse is different! It’s a nice touch. A lot of the time in media groups of people ride identical horses like they’re clones or automatons as opposed to actual creatures.

Tractus’ smile when he’s asking if they’re going to wait for Qintara to arrive is slightly manic, lol, he’s giving off “Are we there yet?” car journey energy here. The doorway in this panel - is that a portcullis-style door? It seems like it has spikes at the bottom which would sink into the floor, and that there’s some kind of mechanism running along the floor towards it. Presumably to contain the [dragon?]?

I forgot Nenealeus has a sword - I guess then he knows magic artforms similar to those of a Knight-Enchanter or Arcane Warrior. Also here, Marquette echoes the Executor in TN, with the sentiment that Qintara fell with Ventus. Nenealeus is then referencing Gaius, the impersonator Qintara, right? That’s interesting; Gaius’ true master was Fen’Harel, on whose behalf he accessed important information about the world. This means then [?] that some of the time when Gaius believed himself to be working on behalf of Fen’Harel, he was really being manipulated by Nenealeus. Poor Gaius, at different points Fen’Harel and Nenealeus were pulling his strings. Does Nenealeus’ manipulation refer to Gaius trading it away to House Danarius for information?

Marquette references the red lyrium idol, and suddenly my Dragon Age 4 ears are pricking the way Autumn’s do. x) He mentions that it makes weapons, referencing I assume Meredith’s lyrium sword, Certainty and the ritual blade that pops out from the base of the idol during The Dread Wolf Take You. I wonder when the events of this comic take place in relation to the stories related at the spy meeting in TDWTY? Is this before or after the events of the Mortalitasi’s tale? At any rate, Marquette voices something we’ve been obsessing over: what else can and does the idol do specifically, beyond just making weapons and being Ominous and Powerful? Because whatever it is, it’s key to Solas’ ongoing plans, and Solas obviously knows.

So it seems that the villains’ plan is to use the red lyrium idol’s sword part with the sarcophagus, red lyrium, a ritual and [the thing Tractus shows them in that panel - the dragon?] in order to transform Shirallas into, essentially, a Red Wraith, a Red Lyrium Fenris. And then to arm him, under Nenealeus’ control, with the sword.

Does Shirallas still have his vallaslin - is it just the lighting and the angle in that panel? Also, that panel with Shirallas and Nenealeus looks so ominous and foreboding 😭 .. (and reminds me somehow of Fenris and Danarius when Fenris was still his slave and bodyguard) Shirallas, we really are in it now 😭 This is a really cool panel btw, like the composition, the lighting, the dramatic-ness. 

Nenealeus is motivated by a desire to route the Antaam from Tevinter (like the mage in the Mortalitasi’s tale in TDWTY) and reconquer lost lands in order to restore the glory of the Imperium (which reminds me in a way of of Aurelian Titus, who also wanted to restore the Imperium to greatness). Classically Tevinter here.

“Danarius the Lesser” is a sick burn. I’d guess Tractus’ life thus far, as a bastard, has had themes and struggles with inferiority and consequent lack of power but desire for it (being disrespected, but craving respect, being connected to a certain world but not really part of it, in fact rejected by it). Venatori connection confirmed. That the Venatori had to be convinced to accept someone as a Danarius - implications for the role of the Venatori remnants and their role in Tevinter and things in general going forwards? Lightning flashes overhead as Tractus and Nenealeus have this face-off in that panel, emphasizing the tension between the two. I wonder what the magic in the fortress and in the courtyard can do? It’d have been no mean feat to escape from this place as a slave, it seems, especially bearing in mind there’s only one proper way out, that causeway (passage not included). Tractus’ staff-head lights up when he’s making a threat (uh-oh), and then wow! Shirallas moves so quickly, in the blink of an eye suddenly appearing out of nowhere and startling the guard-mage onlookers. He’s fast and formidable.

I wonder about Tractus. Is he a “half blood” because he’s a bastard and his mother wasn’t an Altus, or even wasn’t a mage, or because he’s a bastard and his mother was an elf? Or both?

Will we see a face-off between perrepataes (Marius and Shirallas)? Will Marius face-off against his former master, Nenealeus? Perhaps a showdown between the Blue Wraith and the “Red Wraith” is on the cards?

Back to our team in the tavern! There’s a looot of great character content packed into these pages, which is really cool. Each brief character interaction conveys a lot, and in general this sequence is just well-executed imo. How troubled and tired Aaron looks at the bar (my heart.. it hurts); Fran worrying for Aaron; Vaea knowing that she can’t pressure him too much because that’s just not how it works when it comes to folks who struggle with issues like these; Vaea asking after Fran’s wellbeing; Fran struggling to come to terms with what happened to her father; Fenris watching the door waiting for news (he’s so vigilant isn’t he? safety, an escape-route..); Marius Broods Harder; Vaea’s [relative] pacifism being highlighted; Vaea engaging Marius looking for reassurance; and the choice of having Marius break his silence now is meaningful and impactful in that it shows what happens when one becomes ‘numb’ to the constant murderizing of people, so to speak. Fenris then rightfully points out that becoming numb to killing and violence isn’t really a good thing and is worse, really, than being ‘soft’ or uncomfortable with it. I wonder if he’s speaking from experience here, given the hundreds of people Hawke and co kill their way through during the Kirkwall years, for example. Then Vaea’s concern for Aaron and his state of mind, and Fenris’ uncanny insight into that, of a man he’s only recently met.

Tessa looks so cute when she comes in the door! I love Vaea’s lil “:D” face when she sees her, and I wonder what the tavern food on the table is.

Those two panels, when Fenris talks about Hawke and Leandra, are the biggest emotional gut-punch in the preview pages 😭 omg.. I’m not strong enough for this.. bls... bruh... This is then compounded by (hitting me when I’m down!!) the look of sheer... fear, fury, alarm, upset, shock - that appears on Fenris’ face as soon as he hears “I found Danarius”. Seriously, look at his eyes here. He (understandably) still has a trauma-response associated with the name/man.

Bless Tessa. 

I have to say, it’s very Metal of Fenris that not only did he kill Danarius in DA2 (in those universes), but he has also been going around Tevinter since then killing all of Danarius’ [adult] heirs, and that his response to learning there’s still one remaining is to grab his sword and go to march off with the aim of ending the bloodline a second time. Very metal

I love the final panels in the preview as well! Vaea’s sense/smarts and how she wasn’t afraid to tell Fenris no, Autumn’s giant ears, how Autumn also moves with Vaea to step in front of Fenris to stop him (SHE! HELPED!!!), Autumn’s Happy Face and furiously wagging tail and agreement with Aaron, and Proud Dad Aaron rising from his slump to praise Vaea with the most Proudest Daddest expression that you ever did see...  ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )

Hey Jack! I wanted to know what your thoughts are on Rheya. Was she really a villain to you? Were her motives justifiable? Was she a good villain? Did you think she deserved to have a redemption arc in chapter 16? What could have been written to make her have a better character story? Any thoughts at all about Rheya!

FOREWARNING: Anon... I accidentally wrote you a 2500 word essay. I shit you not this thing is 2,528 words long. So... I don’t know whether to say you’re welcome or I’m sorry. Just letting you know in advance.

ADD-ON POST-POSTING: I’m fully aware this is an app game. A three book series written with sexying vampires in mind. Where the medium is limited both size and content-wise, where you can’t go into much detail because they can only have so many panels in a chapter, etc. Still thinking what I think though. And if you get paid to create content professionally the least you can do for your own paycheck is go back and double-check your work.

Actually this ask came at a good time since I have to work on some character motivations for her for my series... and I always break down the in-canon versions before working on my own. So anon, let’s talk... are you a mind reader?

Kidding! mostly

So. Rheya.

I actually just finished my first replay of book 2 and at the moment I’ve only ever played book 3 the once. I played it as it was releasing so there were some memory gaps in some places and needed-refreshers in others. But on a whole I have similar thoughts about Rheya as I do Xenocrates, and you can find those thoughts here.

Overall she was a solid setup, good design and potential, and PB pretty much wasted her execution.

I wanna start with a genuine question to the fandom since I’ve never actually been able to ask this... but y’all like... totally saw the Bloodkeeper being related to her coming, right? Like I was so convinced of it that when it was revealed in some big dramatic point at the end I was like “yeah... they told us this...?” and it turns out they fuckin didn’t??? Like I could not understand the people who were like super into her sprite like yes she looks good but here I was thinking she was our ancestor from the get-go so I was... confused to say the least.

Not gonna lie when they started pushing in snippets of Rheya’s past trauma in book 2 (things like her yelling “you know what they did to me/took from me” which is paraphrased but you know what I mean) I really hoped they weren’t gonna do what they did. So of course they did it.

But I wish they’d like... just given her the kid. Just give her Iola and leave the weird suddenly random husband out of it. At this point we know Gaius has an unhealthy idolatry for her, we know Xenocrates adored her in his own way in his youth... but we know fuckall about Demetrius up to and including his existence until literally book 3. Sloppy, IMO. They took something not being mentioned and used it to put in a plot device when the omission should have been strategical.

TBH I thought the whole “you know what they did to me” was gonna get hella dark RE: Rheya and King Kaelisus’ obsession with her. That’s as far as I’ll go there.

But you have a Priestess, a known Priestess, who was definitely faithful enough not to stray even when she thought she was walking to her own death. It’s pretty easy to assume (as I did ngl) that she would be completely devoted to Phampira, including romantically/sexually. It would have been a good setup to explain why she never gave Gaius the goods if anything.

And there’s nothing wrong with having said Priestess have her own family while still being devoted. I just wish PB would have used some fucking forethought and hinted at that earlier on than they did. Because they didn’t hint. They dropped this random fisherman-something husband on us and told us she cared enough about his opinion to make him part of her advisory board but not... to like... mention him in any of her conversations in any of the flashbacks... including those in which he would have been alive.

On that note the whole timeline there is really messy, they obviously threw him and Iola in later on after some things were established/couldn’t be taken back. I’ve studied this shit extensively and it’s really muddled exactly how long Rheya ruled, when shit went down with her family, how much time had passed when Xenocrates staked her, etc.

I would have loved for Iola’s father not to have been there. Give me a strong woman, a strong single mother, who would burn the world for the loss of her daughter. Doesn’t matter who did the deed, Iola was hers and the Sons/Order took that from her and the world would have to pay the price.

If I had been given that I would end all of my complaints right here. I would, genuinely. Because then her descent into madness, her paranoia, her megalomania would all have been explained. And they still technically are but -- maybe it’s just me -- there’s something about her having to factor in Demetrius that just... takes me out of it. IDK.

I didn’t mind the guy... though him being a talking tree of doom was a little much for me... though by that point I had accepted the plot was off the goddamn rails and just kept nodding and going with it. But his presence made the story okay when his absence could have made the story impactful and powerful and emotional. That’s just my thoughts. Which you asked for. You did this.

No takesies-backsies.

Was she a villain? Hells to the yes.

It’s a classic case of obtaining ultimate power and abusing it; of crossing the line between justice and vengeance. Not that she wasn’t justified in her freak-out over the death of her family. But everything after up to and including her fatal feeding schedule was totally unnecessary. For a villain, yes necessary. 

For a vampire goddess who could have easily used Gaius’ influence over the vampires of the modern world to form a cult following around herself with an open dialogue about her big ass appetite and probably would have ended up with swaths of willing adorers ready to lend their blood to her cause thus eliminating the need for secrecy and subsequent feeling of betrayal...

You tell me.

I feel like she was definitely more than a little hyped up though. Not even going into my whole-ass issue with the entire Unchained plot and thus the first like 4-5 chapters of book 3, she was hyped up in myth and kind of a let down in person. She could FLY. Walk in the SUN. Heal the DYING. She’s vampire JESUS.

*ADDED IN LATER: She took out THE ENTIRE ORDER OF THE DAWN, WHO HAVE RAVAGED THE VAMPIRE POPULATION FOR LITERALLY 3000 YEARS since they were around in her time after all IN LIKE A THREE-MOVE COMBO BREAK. ALL THIS SHIT THEY HYPED WITH THE ORDER and their entire ERADICATION isn’t even an ON-SCREEN THING. Unless you pay.

Dude if they had kept Xenocrates and the Order and used the two of them against each other; the Order’s long-standing influence on the modern world versus the new world Rheya wanted to create with the human populations not knowing the history behind their hatred, where like the first half of the book is Rheya and MC and gang taking out the Order and Xenocrates only to find out in the middle point that she’s been doing it for selfish reasons and they were on the wrong team the whole time and THEN Rheya becomes the big bad... I would have enjoyed the shit out of that.

Anyway. “She’s vampire JESUS...” and her big evil plan is to... suck face on national television? IDK. It didn’t play the mood right for me. I can see from a writer’s perspective how they kind of played out all of their options and went with a quick and easy solution... but it didn’t work for me. That’s a no from me dawg.

Do I think she deserved a redemption arc? I don’t think anybody deserved a god damn redemption arc, unless they are done with extreme care and attention to detail before/during/after said arc they go horribly, and overall tend to be the plot device pick of lazy writers.

And I take nothing back. No like I think I might have gone into how much I fucking hated Gaius’ “reDEmPtiON aRc” before or at least I have somewhere and to someone. Probably Sofia... no most definitely Sofia. But anyway. They spend TWO GOD DAMN BOOKS hyping Gaius as this ultimately irredeemable bad guy. 

OMG I was literally playing the book 2 finale and got a quote hold on... HERE. Adrian literally says about Gaius in 2.16 “It’s like there’s no humanity left.” And that’s just one actual example of the tons of times they make him out to be devoted to Rheya of his own volition, the ultimate example of the line between believing in something and being blinded to everything by it, etc. Like a huge chunk of Kamilah’s and Adrian’s arcs RE: Gaius are about how he was definitely a monster, he turns the people around him into monsters, and while they have worked their asses off to be good and right their wrongs he has not, will not, and would not ever do such a thing.

Then suddenly he’s brainwashed, tried to turn Rheya down and was made into a loony toon because of it, and everything he made MC’s loved ones do that they blamed themselves for but needed to blame him for is suddenly Rheya’s fault and now we should blame her for.

Mmmmmkay sweetie. I’m good, thanks.

But really -- that was the last straw for me when it came to both Gaius and Rheya. There’s a difference between giving the villain something they see as a just cause (ex. Rheya avenging her family) and giving the villain a cop-out that absolves them of guilt (ex. Gaius and... everything about him). Like yes I know MC didn’t have to forgive him, I know Kamilah didn’t really forgive him, but it’s pretty fuckin obvious from how it was put out into the world story that the writers were trying to lean you towards blaming Rheya and letting Gaius off the hook.

I mean... making him save Lula for real when Rheya saved her for fake earlier on in the book, using Lula as a stand-in metaphor for her own child daughter that she finds out she was the cause of her death for, etc? That symbolism is so transparent I could put it in the asset database.

And I’ll only briefly touch on this since I could write a whole other essay on the matter RE: PB and their fucking constant repetition of this, but “let’s give both bad guys similar moral quandaries but suddenly reveal it was a consent issue and the woman is wholly to blame and now gets the man’s crimes piled on with her own” is super common in fiction and hella. fucking. sexist.

But that isn’t to say all of this is necessarily bad.

When done right, everything I’ve complained about above can be a part of a really good story. What “done right” means is different for everyone, everyone has a different example and different thoughts on it. These are mine. I think the better term would be done well. It was not done WELL.

But given things like PB’s weird obsession with redeeming the attractive (apparently) bad guy, PB’s history with narrowing a woman down to one trait or part of her (ex. Rheya’s power corruption centered around her role as a wife and mother and not... a super all powerful vampire goddess...), their obvious lack of attention to detail and overall lack of vision when it comes to the big picture* and more, I personally don’t think they knew what the fuck they wanted by book 3 and were already well into transitioning into whatever adultery-obsessed lingerie shenanery they’re fixated on now; so much so that it’s almost a disservice to the writing done in earlier book 1 and a decent chunk of book 2 when calling it a whole series.

*I keep bringing this up only because it means I can back up stuff like this with real examples of theirs: these guys did not write the plot of this series as a cohesive story. I get that, as a writer writing a big series myself I get the fuck out of that. But you have to solidify some things early on in the development process in order to avoid writing yourself into a hole or, like with this, having to result in trope-y plot devices that work in theory but on paper don’t give the story the full-circle fulfillment it deserves. 

Their timelines are out of whack, they contradict themselves in quite a few places, constantly wishy-washy their own lore, and definitely didn’t go back and double check if they’d said something already... and that’s not including where they focused on the details of one unimportant thing and left another more important thing to just be “and this is the way it is moving on.”

I literally have no way/idea how to summarize any of this bullshittery going on in this ask. Did I like Rheya? The character personality, design, and overall idea as this big ass badass power/hungry goddess demanding fealty was pretty cool. Did I like Rheya when they narrowed her story down to her grief over her family (which, again, is valid, but just seemed really disjointed and rushed when compared to everything else they had given about her/shown of her by the beginning of book 3)? Not... as much.

I think they wanted her to seem like she could be redeemed. I mean FFS in the “big battle” she literally just stands there and lets you do the thing. 3000 years imprisoned and however many centuries before that spent taking the power that she was denied all because some bad dudes in masks killed the mortal husband and daughter you would have eventually lost to old age anyway...? And she just stands there??? 

Even knowing she was really behind Iola’s death they could have stuck with the “madness consumed” plotline and had her be like well... what’s done is done back to taking over now thank you.

But sometimes a bad guy just has to be a bad guy. Rourke from ES, mister capitalism -- can’t remember them trying to redeem him. If they had I don’t think I would have liked it so much. Who else... UGH. Thomas in NB. Crazy zombie man wants all monsters dead because one killed his family (can we stop using dead families for grief porn please and thanks...) another example of a useless villain. Hence why I removed him from my NB rewrite don’t even get me going...

What’s his face in TCATF! Luther! You join up with him and he still tries to kill you in the end! Now that was fucking classic. Hex, who suddenly is forgiven for the literal enslavement of a race of people and the thoughtless murder of a civilization that didn’t agree with her.. and all because she was ‘like a mother’ to the kid genius? Not so much.

I could go on and on and go search out tons of examples but in the end the one thing you can say PB does well is that they stay consistent in their ideas of redemption, of who deserves it and who isn’t, and just how far they’re willing to stretch the fucking story to forgive a character if 1. the sprite is hot or 2. the sprite had a little sprite family somewhere in there.

legit just talk to me about bb/nb

Fluff Alphabet: Kidd

A=Affection

Kidd´s affectionate in his own way, he´ll boast About his Partner in public and have an arm around you, but in private he can be more intimate with you, resulting in him giving you all the affection, this depends on his mood though.

B=Breath

Stand up for him. Sure, you can wear nice Things and fight good, but the second you defend him and are Ready to fight for his sake, that´s really what takes his breath away, it´s just so unusual for him and he cherishes that the most. 

C=Cuddle

When you´re in private he absolutely loves to cuddle! In a constant cuddle mood. If he had a bad day, he´ll just wrap his arms around you from behind and groan as he Rests his head on the space between your shoulder and neck. He´ll pout and try to get you away from whatever you were doing to drag you to bed so that he can have his arms around you and rest his head on your chest, this is is favorite cuddle Position and he just feels so safe and warm like this, it relaxes him immensely. And when he´s happy he wants to cuddle you too, also loves it when you initiate cuddles.

D=Dream

This may Sound out of character but he wants to settle down with his S/O sometime. After all the crazy chaos and danger he´s been through, he wants to Focus on his S/O when it´s all over. Before that he wants to go on adventures with his Partner though and appear in the newspaper with them, reading About the pirate couple that they are would make him really happy.

E=Effort

It really depends. Kidd´s been in a lot of relationships and they all were short Lasting. Sometimes Kidd goes over the top with the effort and the relationship still Ends and sometimes he doesn´t give any effort whatsoever. With a Special S/O though it´ll go a bit like this: medium effort in Dating, even less effort at the start of the relationship, then the longer they´re together the effort will rise as he doesn´t want to lose his Partner, so they´ll have to be Patient. 

F=Fear

Depening on the Level of scared, Kidd will either tease them or protect them. If it´s something silly like Spiders or something, he´ll tease them mercilessly, if it´s something like heights, he will guide his S/O through it and protects them and if it´s a phobia he also tries his best to be supportive and help.

G=Gifts

Kidd doesn´t give Gifts on Purpose and he would never buy one, he just thinks those couples who constantly buy each other stuff are stupid and don´t love each other. So he doesn´t want you to buy him stuff as an empty gesture, if you buy him scrap metal or some strings for his guitar however he wouldn´t be mad since it Shows that you care and listen, he likes thoughtful Gifts. Kidd´s more on the gift giving side though, he spends unhealthy amounts awake and tinkering, writing and drawing some stuff. Most of it is because you´re his muse and he Gifts you those Things (he also writes Songs for you).

H=Hugs

Literally hugs you all the time, doesn´t care if you´re in public or not, you´re his and he Shows it. Blushes so hard when you come up and hug him though. In private the hugs are of Course a bit more intimate and Long Lasting. 

I=Intimacy

Kidd certainly is more intimate with his longterm Partner than with anyone else, but that doesn´t mean he was from the beginning. It took a Long time for him to open up and let another Person in, so the thought of intimacy wasn´t there in the beginnin of the relationship, only after a bond of trust was built. Kidd likes to be intimate with you, it makes him feel Special and he likes showing you how much he loves you. But he´s not good at words, or romance, but he really tries his best in his own way. 

J=Jealous

Kidd is in a constant state of jealousy as he is insecure and hates himself and is used to betrayal. He´s asking himself every day why his Partner is still with him when they could do so much better. He´s good at hiding his jealousy, but when something happens that causes his jealousy to get more intense, like someone openly flirting with you or touching you, he gets overprotective and mad. He will beat up the Person and pull you close to him. Needs a lot of reassurance.

K=Kiss

Kidd´s a good kisser, though he might not seem like it. Sure they are Rough, but not to an uncomfortable Level. He likes to kiss you on your temple. When you make out he starts with teasing kisses, barely touching your lips. Kidd likes it when you take initiative and kiss back eagerly, especially when you make out he likes it when you guide him to kiss you the way you like it. Is a sucker for kisses on the cheek, will blush every time you do it. Also likes to kiss you on your shoulders and likes to receive Hand kisses.

L=Love

He will say it only after an agonizingly Long time since he is scared of rejection and doesn´t want you to leave him. Kidd falls in love at first sight, but he knows it´s stupid to say those words early on, that´s why he waits and because he wants to be sure he means them, that the Feeling stays. Kidd doesn´t say it too often since he wants the words to be Special, only really says them before leaving for a big journey, after and before a big fight with enemies. So he definitely prefers to Show it, though he´s not the best at it.

M=Marriage

Hell no. Kidd thinks marriages are stupid, most married People get divorced anyway and it´s just a lot of wasted Money and time. If you want to stay together then just do it, don´t make a big fuss About it, those are his thoughts. He also doesn´t like the Exploitation aspect of marriage, if the love in a relationship is lost you are still forced to be with your Partner, the marriages Kidd knows that lasted were all unhappy.

N=Night out

He likes to take you out on concerts, his ship or a bar where he´s well known, anywhere he can Show off and impress you. Kidd loves taking you out on Dates because you Always make such an effort for him and he for you, he likes Dressing up nice for you and spending time with you more intimately than just the normal time you spend together. He likes it even more when you ask him out, those Dates mostly resolve in Eating somewhere and then going to your favorite place to watch the stars, which to Kidd is peaceful and Relaxing. He loves hugging you from behind and having you in his arms whenever you do. You don´t have much time for Dates but whenever you do you make sure to go out.

O=Out of the ordinary

Well in his past relationships he did everything for his Partners even if it made him uncomfortable, but with you he feels comfortable sharing his Limits and the Things he doesn´t want to do. He wouldn´t Change his appearance or the way he talks for his S/O, if he would he´d be Living a lie, and if his S/O want someone that´s not like him, they should just leave. 

P=Playful

He´s not really playful, but he does fuck with his S/O in the way that he sometimes misplaces their Things and Acts as if he doesn´t know what´s going on when they desperately try to find it. Kidd doesn´t know why, but he just thinks it´s cute to see you rummaging through your place, groaning and frustrated. In the end you Always have to ask him to help you find the object and that´s when he smugly ´finds´ it. 

Q=Questions

Kidd likes to have meaningful and serious conversations, especially About the world Government, of Course he wants to hear your view on it too. But he also asks you About your opinion in the simplest Things on a daily Basis, such as if his Shirt or nail polish Looks good, if you think he should get this lipstick he saw,  etc. He just values your voice so much and it´s Always better to have more than just one opinion to make decisions rationally. On the other Hand Kidd doesn´t really like sharing his opinion in those trivial matters since he thinks it´s unnecessary. If you ask him however he will tell you. If it´s About Things with more weight to him, he will not hesitate to speak up About it.

R=Random

It´s Eustass Kidd. Of Course it´s spontaneous, everything the man does, he wings, it´s the same with your relationship. Be it Dates or whatever, he doesn´t bother with plans, he knows what he likes and what you like so that´s what he goes off on. If it´s About activities Kidd can Change his mind quick since he can´t just do one Thing for a really Long time, he has to have some diversity in his activities, he has to Keep himself busy. You have to adapt to those changes, but that´s quite easy once you get the hang of it. Kidd doesn´t have a Problem with you planning Things though because you have his mood swings and such in mind and Always come up with something good. He actually really likes the Things you plan and Always gets excited because he likes surprises with you.

S=Sleep

You have to be someone really Special to get Kidd to Sleep in a bed with you, or to Sleep at all. Kidd doesn´t Sleep until he absolutely has to, never goes to Sleep voluntarily, just passes out. The only times he actually goes to Sleep are when he´s being depressed or drank too much. Usually he will fall asleep on his working table, working on some scrap metal. You put a blanket around him. Bed sharing only happens after sex with him, and only with you, because only with you he´s comfortable with letting his guard down and actually sleeping. There´s something comforting in the way you´ll be there when you wake up. Kidd has a very light Sleep and is easly woken up, otherwise he´ll lay on his side and be dead quiet. You Always aks yourself how he manages not to move in his Sleep.

T=Trust

Trust is a very delicate matter with him. Kidd has never trusted anyone, despite Killer. Killer is the only Person he fully Trusts. Kidd is weary of everyone, he Always thinks the worst of People and that they will eventually backstab and betray him, it´s what his experience has shown him. The world he lives in is too cruel to trust, everyone is selfish, that´s what he´s learned from a Young age. So naturally it takes him a Long ass time to even come close to trusting you. There will Always be that Little part inside of him that tells him he shouldn´t trust you, he will never trust you as much as he Trusts Killer, but he Trusts you more than others, way more. 

U=Unique

I mean he is a very unique personality already but besides the overprotection and possesiveness as well as his way of affection what I think takes the cake for what makes him unique as a S/O is that he is his S/O´s biggest fan. No matter what you do, it can be as simple as cooking something, he will be there to cheer you on, telling you you´re doing amazing and are the best. Turns all your Hobbies into Competitions somehow, Kidd supports them all wholeheartedly but he´s just going off About how you´re kicking everyone else´s ass in your Hobbies. Kidd is very interested in you, your Hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes. He will share your excitement and voice it louder than you, it´s his way of showing he cares and it´s really sweet. He´s too attentive to put it in a nutshell.

V=Vulnerable

Kidd is never fully vulnerable with his S/O, he doesn´t know how to be. The only Person who sees him in this state is Killer. However when he has a bad breakdown or something else happened that made him snap and be vulnerable, he will come to you for comfort, it´s only the way to the breakdown you don´t see. Kidd hates crying so he tries to reppress it, which Ends up in him forgetting to breathe and having a Panic attack. When he has a depressive Episode he will hurl up in bed all day/week, however Long it takes and won´t talk to anyone, he won´t let anyone close. But whenever you come by he tugs at your clothes and so you join him and cuddle up to him. It helps him a lot knowing you´re there for him, physical contact from you also calms him down a lot. 

W=Wildcard

Takes a lot of Pictures and collects them in photo Albums. He has one with Killer, one with you and one with his Crew. He´s currently working on one with couple Pictures and one with Group Pictures. He also has one from his band and wants to get one with his Idols and Friends (if he finds some). Whenever he´s Feeling down or is having a bad day he likes to look at them to remember good times, it Always makes him smile. He will call Killer and you to look at the Pictures with him and you three end up reminisceing and sharing stories. 

X=X-Ray

If you happen to get injured on his watch hell is About to break loose and god help the poor bastard who dared lay a Hand on his S/O. Needless to say if you got injured by another Person they´re dead now. If he wasn´t there though and only finds you injured or if you injured yourself at home he will rush you to the nearest Hospital or doctor (even if it´s something minor). 

Y=Yuck

Well, everything About this man is a giant pet peeve and red flag, so pick your Poison. Be it his mood swings that tick you off or the way he´s so handsy with you, his stubborness… there are more than enough Things to get annoyed by. For Kidd however he doesn´t like it when your Makeup is cakey (if you do Makeup anyway), it´s stupid but it just gets on his nerves, and he can get really annoyed if you have a certain Phrase or word you tend to overuse and say a lot. 

Z=Zeal

Kidd isn´t overly passionate but he certainly is in some ways, for example he is passionate About your Hobbies and the way you look. He likes it when his S/O is passionate too, especially About the same Things he is. 

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The opposite of your last post for the ask meme! Like 1, 5, 9..

thank you lol sorry it took me a minute to get to posting these answers......i also skipped a couple that got asked previously via answering all primes lol

1: What inspires you?

hm well just basic stuff like “being in a good mood” lol or “being hyped up by friends” or “having reason to be particularly excited about something” which is all like, factors that Contribute Energy......learning about stuff / trying something and discovering like oh i’m Into this thing, or that for whatever reason something turns out to be more within reach / doable than i might’ve thought, like, hey i wanna get on this maybe.......~creatively~ it’s great to like, see other ppl’s art, and while i’ve sure been Inspired by professional artists, overall i’m more like, influenced and motivated by seeing the styles / specific works of Online Randos like me.......i also Draw to create [self-indulgent (usually fairly) niche fanart which is also probably gay and is all the time of characters i like] so like, the Stuff I Wanna Make Fanart Of (which has Whatever characters i specifically would like to draw lol) is sure directly Inspiring in that way. i’d say i never had that experience of like, ppl being kids and seeing some [distributed work in a certain art medium] like oh i want to make my own [distributed work in a certain art medium] as in like, i wanna publish a book, i wanna make movies, etc, but i guess i Did b/c i was like elementary school age in the early-to-mid 00s and experienced some instances of online fanart like :o :o wow damn ppl can do that?? just be a rando drawing fanart and sharing it w/ other people online???? and today i am living that dream, so good for me lol. and also i’d like to shoutout marge simpson anime, which is a particular piece of Online Art (technically fanart even lol) which was like, unusually Motivating as a single work of art lol, i made a notes app fanart like immediately and then a way more “painterly” piece of fanart that was v directly inspired by it lol.......and i was sure Drawing It Up last last winter when bmc 3.0 was impending / happening, b/c i got into like Just in the dec before, so that was Fresh, and then bam the Content is happening concurrently and as soon as we even just learned that jeremy has glasses i immediately spent like honestly 25 consecutive hours making fanart for that exact Inspiration. we didn’t even know abt the hello kitty shoes yet!!! and naturally im not out here for stats or clout but it is Inspiring when ppl enjoy the stuff i make and let me know one way or another. [tag comments that express enthusiasm in any way.....Appreciated]

9: Do you trust people easily, or do people have to earn your trust?

i have to say i am wary! that’s in part just like, a default anxiety defensive mode lol. but it takes me a hot minute (aka weeks....or months.....) to realize when someone like, would like to be friends or something, so while i can be Friendly and Outgoing w/ people like, immediately, i’m not picking up relationships left and right that are close enough that i’d particularly talk about “trust” or whatever. i’m not necessarily Distrustful either lol, it’s more just like, again re: the constant wariness thing. it is not unlike a cat lmao i vibe with them lol i Get that [approach]....and there’s been times i’ve been like “hmm i sure do Not vibe with this person ever and am not comfortable around them / interacting with them to any extent beyond occasional casual interactions that i don’t super enjoy. that’s me being overly anxious and failing to be personable i guess!!” and then that person Does give that reason down the line like oh, actually, that eternal uneasiness was warranted :/ damb

21: How does someone become friends with you?

yknow i was like “didn’t i Also answer this one previously” but it turned out the question i was thinking of, which i Had answered, was “how does someone become important to you” lmao.....same diff

tbh it’s kind of an arduous process lmao like. first of all i am Bad about initiating shit, and a lot of times will like, be wary of Directly Interacting with people for a while b/c i am also Bad At not being too passive / unwilling to assert anything so like, if someone’s regularly interacting with me but i’m not into it / Eventually Realize i’m not into it, it’s that thing again where my main strat is [v gradually sidle away] lol and just find it difficult to extricate myself from interactions / relationships and so that plays into me really feeling like i have to have some real confidence that i’d get on with / vibe with someone Before i start significantly interacting with / getting involved with them which....is also difficult natch lol like. can’t rly get a great feel for what someone’s like w/o talking to them.......but then if i Distance myself at all at any point will that be taken as rejection or whatever.......and then anyways say i Am talking to someone, then it’s like, also i’m just not fantastic at casual conversation always and that stage where you don’t know someone too well and talking is mostly a Polite Ritual and it’s like oh god don’t mess up, respond Normally lmaoo......i am nervous. and i also have a tendency to just naturally try to make an interaction go smoothly than immediately prioritize / feel comfortable busting out My Personality lmao.....so then even if ppl are responding well enough it’s like ah jeez i know we’re all performing always but have i shown them What I’m Actually Like to any significant degree, am i just masking it up / mirroring the crap out of how they talk?? and also it then takes me quite a while to put together “if someone keeps talking to you / choosing to interact with you for like, weeks, it probably means they want to / are interested in doing so” lol.........and then i’ll take ages more of trying to consciously Be More Myself without *also* feeling like this is too much of an act lol, and gradually picking up like oh they’re still not like, annoyed or disinterested or something..............what i am trying to say is it sure takes a minute lol

also when i Am attempting sometimes to like [initiate interaction] with people my version of being Active is still not all that active lmao i will be like [occasional Like] or [even more occasional reply] or [tag comments or no comments coz it’s twitter and im rt-ing stuff] and it’s like oh wow if we’re not having more regular interaction i suppose i’ve failed or something?? does this mean anything further lol, did i do anything.....but welp gotta have that perspective that Not Necessarily lol and i’m not the only person in the world who might not make friends or even friendly acquaintances easily / at the drop of a hat and u can’t necessarily read way into shit that hasn’t Actually been communicated to you.......naturally though it is easier to have some ~perspective~ and Serenity about all this sort of thing when you do already have some Friends lmao........been feeling (and consciously nudging myself towards feeling) More Chill about say like, friendly acquaintances i have who aren’t raring to interact with me on the reg.......ppl i’ll go months or half a year or more between having a convo with and then we’ll be like trading dm’s for a couple days and then it’s back to not really talking, and that Is What It Is, not necessarily a tragedy, and really it feels “rude” to acknowledge to myself like oh i’m not sure that me and whomever even Vibe well enough that *i’d* be raring to talk all the time either, but hey, it’s also true, i don’t have to be Validated by ppl who know me having me in their friend circles in any significant way......i be out here on the peripheral / outer orbits and i can appreciate that for what it is, even if, again, easier to be more Cool with that when i’m not Only in ppl’s periphery...........i appreciate the pal i have who like, 99% of how we Communicate is occasionally sending each other pics of our cats, not very intimate but also back when i was offline for months on end they eventually went out of their way to find someone to get in touch with to verify i hadn’t like died or anything lol........i appreciate the Gestures of Caring that ppl have and do extend, even if we do not actually talk regularly. 

and like also i’m bad at like. idk the main way i talk is again, At Some Length and often about real specific shit lol so im like woop aware that many ppl are not into that, or they might be down for having an exchange like that for a day and then they’re done.........not at all like wholly Against more lol Conversational conversations but i gotta say that’s more of a struggle lmao..........so let’s say befriending me takes some Patience. i kinda operate on [cat] rules. jellicle

25: How do you stop yourself from going back to toxic people?

i absolutely am Refraining from launching off on a ted talk of a tangent that is also me being the [the guy about to throw down a card on the pile on the table and that card pile is like “any conversation” and the guy is labeled “me” and the One Card about to be played is labeled “it’s capitalism” or smthing like that and also it’s all in spanish].jpg.......

anyways idk just try to keep things in perspective, right......i generally am pretty Passive about gradually sidling away from relationships that are bad and so by the time i Have exited them it’s pretty overdue lmao and i get to be quite confident that it was The Right Thing........and just when looking back on stuff it’s like, well if you remember the Good or “Not That Bad(tm)” parts maybe consciously think about the whole of it And specifically the Bad parts / the reasons for peacing out.......also the other day i was mulling over some standard [conflicted / complicated feelings about having cut certain ppl out entirely] and it also occurred to me that a lot of the [conflicted] feeling part came from sympathy for them, whereas from the perspective of Entirely My Own Feelings On The Matter minus that “how do/would they feel about it” consideration, the thought of never interacting w/ these ppl is like. fine with me lol........stuff like this is always Complicated and Individual and there’s certainly no like, one-stop simple Guide To Navigating All This Kind Of Thing, Cmon It’s Easy........another consideration i saw the other day via a graphic on twitter, which is probably most relevant re: say, controlling / abusive Partners, was how like, to think about how someone is acting if they’re saying you should Take Them Back b/c they’ve Changed their behavior, but to pay attention to if they’re trying to guilt you into it / justifying or downplaying their previous behavior / shifting blame and otherwise manifesting the inherently harmful and controlling patterns that are supposed to be gone now........anyways yeah complicated stuff and also just p.s. (and what would’ve been the jumping off point for the It’s-Capitalism tangential essay lol) ppl shouldn’t be blamed if they do choose to let someone back in their life like oh now they’re responsible for bringing their mistreatment upon themself.....no better than blaming someone for, say, having a harmful / controlling romantic partner in the first place like oh well they should’ve known better than to have gotten involved with this person..........ppl are in control of their own abusive behavior and shouldn’t be considered Forces Of Nature no matter how intransigent they are

33: Do you have someone you know you can always rely on?

tbt question 9 lol there’s defo some people that i do trust! love it....

45: Do you consider yourself creative?

another #tbt to question 1 lol.......i mean Yes i am creative in ways but like, who Isn’t, really.......think sometimes “creativity” means “do you like, do Art things” which, yes i do, but then within that there’s art that’s deemed more ~creative~ or w/e......not to mention that i don’t think something has to be definitively labeled an Art to be creative. like, for example, Science and Art aren’t opposites / the antithesis of each other, and anytime defines ~science~ as like, people just memorizing and outputting Facts and Numbers and considers this a distinction from Being An Artist.....wild and i Will fight you lmao. i tell you i can v much remember times i have had to completely disengage to keep from losing my cool at people arguing about “why i respect science but could only be an artist :’|” or “why Art is actually harder than Science and also we’re the underdogs b/c society values science so much more :’|” like.....mf...........anyways scientific pursuits may certainly have a different Methodology (see: scientific method) than art but lbr it still requires creativity and science and art are friends you fucking fools................and then also just zooming in on the Art-Making business here, i also like, have never had any interest in coming up with Original stories / characters and the like, and i don’t enjoy trying and it just really is not my thing, and it’s Funny or something when people wanna say that creative fanworks have value b/c they let ppl cut their teeth for what really matters, inevitably making their own original content(tm)......that isn’t inevitable for me lol and certainly is nothing i aim to do ever, and when there’s the suggestion that if you’re Good enough at ur medium you gotta manifest some of that original the character do not steal shit.........anyways i’m not pressed to claim i am an Artist(tm) or Creative(tm) lol like i guess technically i am both but i have no professional aspirations and my brain does not Do [generate original content] so it’s all like, i’m just out here.........s/o to this time i was trying to do my fuckin thing drawing on a tablet in a cafe and some random annoying guy is trying to talk and i happen to mention like “lol i don’t exactly call myself an artist really” and Guy goes “OH REALLY??? WHAT’S WRONG WITH ARTISTS? WHAT’S YOUR ISSUE WITH ART” like please cool it lmao but god p sure it was a guy who was just. very Around and very annoying in general

49: Do you feel like you’re a good person?

yeah i think i’m alright but really what is the use in like considering there 2 be achievable Good or Bad Person Statuses for everyone........let’s say it’s an ongoing, active state to be in the process of consciously choosing to be Good and working towards Better. especially considering that We Live In A Society which tries to teach everyone and continuously imbues our existence with Bad Messages about how to perceive and engage with other people, and being A Good Person is a lifelong effort and it’s unhelpful to feel that if you’re already Good or well-intentioned enough you can just dust off your hands and be like “well my work here is done” and be unprepared to examine your beliefs/actions or deal with the might-as-well-assume-it’s-an-inevitability that even if u have some noble-ass beliefs you’ll fail to live up to them at some point/s.......so like yeah lol again i feel like i am a pretty good person but can always be better and ought to be aware of / willing to work on that at any point

thots on what constitutes a Guy Game, or if that's too controversial, thots on the best first person games.

ok wait im doing this in reverse order because EASILY the best first person game is mirror’s edge. u can’t compete with perfection?? i didn’t really like first person games until i played it because i was so used to a third person camera but now i have no issue with them and i actually think that there are a lot of perks to not having to think so hard about camera position the way you do in third person games. i had a really hard time with the camera in the last guardian and that just really made me appreciate mirror’s edge a lot because i NEVER had a hard time with it. it was so fucking intuitive

RE: GUY GAMES

this is a little long sorry i am going to go into video game history, which i wish i could give a college lecture on, but i can’t, because no one cares. nobody is obligated to read this entire thing u can skip the next 3 paragraphs

anyway i think there is a very specific demographic that guy games are reaching out to that are like, firstly, men (duh), secondly, we are American!, we didn’t grow up playing nintendo games and watching anime and so we think all that weeb stuff is for nerds. in the 90s and early 00s video games werent for just Anybody they were for kids and for nerdy people (usually guy people, girls got sooo excluded it’s like v sad). like back in the 90s and early 00s games were released in america months or even years after they were in japan (and if you were in europe or australia, FORGET IT) and the translations were often kind of shoddy and slapped together, so you wound up missing stuff sometimes or getting something hilarious like “all your base are belong to us” (kudos to one of the internet’s very first memes...you memers out there better respect...video games MADE YOU...). anyway the point being japanese made games are not always appealing/accessible to the average american (who sees and anime and goes...why do they look like that thats weird) 

so that’s where a console like xbox comes from, it’s american-made, it’s the first of its kind, its gonna compete with nintendo (ostensibly for families/kids) and playstation (ostensibly for more grownup games) and americanize/westernize what is essentially a japanese medium at that point to make it accessible to americans/western men (because video games won’t be For Girls until like, very generously, the mid 2000s, and even now it’s a crapshoot), because it’s a huge untapped audience who aren’t experiencing or enjoying this medium, and if people wanna keep making games, games gotta keep making money, you know how it is w/ capitalism

as a side note i think it’s worth noting that before xbox came into the picture, sega was making its own consoles (genesis etc) that were VERY well-received by american audiences...sonic the hedgehog got like a FUCKTON of american-exclusive media such as shows and even a live action movie that came out as recently as THIS YEAR. but they didn’t have as much casual appeal and also had other difficulties, and so once they went under console-wise the market kind of opened up for something New. something with the american-friendly appeal of sonic, and something with the casual appeal of nintendo games, something with the more grownup appeal of playstation. so boom, you have xbox, you have halo, call of duty, etc. suddenly after almost two decades of japan exclusively cornering the home console market, americans can make games! wild!

(skip to here) and so i think that’s what a guy game is: a game made by american men specifically to appeal TO american men, or, at the very least, to not be a threat or turn-off to that demographic. guy games are exemplify american masculinity, and get their roots from what that meant in the early 00s (bearing in mind that as a rule Classic american masculinity is usually sexist/racist/homophobic lol). they have either male protags or female protags that are there to be eye candy. they’re often violent and lighter on the story content (or with a story specifically geared towards men, like halo, which was a huge rousing success) and feature limited women/romance plot lines. they’ve typically got that instant-reward action hack-em-up/shooting gameplay and not very many puzzles, because they’re by design meant to be easy to get into so as not to scare away the new audience they were trying to court 

happily that definition has expanded somewhat and we now have the phenomenon of the little girls from previous guy games (emily kaldwin from dishonored, ellie from tlou) becoming the protags of sequels in their own right. and it’s not like guy games are all bad because i, A Woman, have enjoyed many guy games myself. shooting is satisfying gameplay and sometimes im just not in the Mood for big heavy romance arcs like u find in rpgs. technically mirror’s edge borders on being a guy game but it’s got a TON of well-rounded women in it including a female protag who isn’t just there for sex appeal. games including guy games have more characters of color now (not to point to mirror’s edge twice but LIIIKE it’s one of the best games ever made, so). “””guy games””” made in the 2010s are just more inclusive generally bc american devs figured out women like games and they spend money too, and so gradually the classic “guy game” genre is sort of merging into the more broad thing of just “american games” which is probably a good thing but has also been fascinating to watch in real time. ok lecture over ty everyone for attending

[REDACTED] be complaining reg. the reactions of having "placed the cultist island Fortuna off the coast of Florida" while having the gall of "It’s the story & the way it’s told that should fucking matter" & "Who cares? It’s fictional geography, you idiots." Feels a bit like failing World-Building 101. I mean, Red Grave based on London would also be a callback to Dante's early concept of being a Brit.

Someone already sent me the whole post of hers that I’m pretty sure you’re referring to lmao. I’m in a particularly cunty but pleasant mood rn, and analysis is kind of my thing, so lets’s break it down, shall we?

Maybe someone can send this her way and… learn that tiny little brain of hers a thing. 😉

It’s fictional geography called world building, you idiots Karen after the cut:

‘I love how a number of shitheels have screeched amongst themselves on this hellsite about how I had placed the cultist island Fortuna off the coast of Florida or somewhere around the Gulf US states (re: the fanfic & project link in my header), whining that it should’ve been in Europe, namely Italy.’

An admission to stalking profiles is not exactly the best way to start a self-righteous rant or advertise your… magnum opus, but go off, I guess.

‘Not only that, but they whined about “plotholes and inconsistencies” without elaborating on what the latter are. The asshole who made the rant was annoyed when I used a poem as a spell in the story (“if I heard that, I’d turn off my PS4.”), but I’m sure she didn’t bitch about the cutscene before the last Agnus boss fight in DMC4.’

Like the movie The Room (2003), it’s just easier to say “all of it” is bad because “all of it” contains plotholes and is inconsistent in tone, has terrible half-baked ideas and plot threads that remain unresolved and/or do nothing to further the plot, is rife with poor + inconsistent characterization, has a lack of any knowledge how the medium it exists in is made, and in general makes me wonder how much pottery enamel you’ve been huffing to think any of this was a good idea. Howeverrrr, in contrast to you, Tommy Wiseau is kind of odd and weirdly charming both in general and about his terrible movie — he’s found glory and success in its terribleness. You, in contrast, remain a miserable cunt with delusions of grandeur.

Dante and Agnus’ Shakespeare bit is actually a pretty well known trope called Ham-to-Ham Combat. Dante and Agnus are both ridiculous Large Hams in DMC4, and when two Large Hams meet, in general, they are likely gonna try to ‘out-over dramatic’ each other. This can lead to a scene becoming either really funny or really corny (or both) really fast. If things go too far — and they do, in this case — the scene can become a Hormel Event Horizon.

‘…but they LOVE the plotholes & inconsistencies if Capcom makes the latter, and writes a terrible story! And Crapcom’s canon for DMC is as straight as a paperclip or a dog’s hind leg. Hypocritical pricks.’

Subjective opinion is not, and never will be, objective fact. People are, as of when I checked again in the last ~5 minutes or so, absolutely able to enjoy whatever media they want regardless of what the general consensus on the quality of that media is.

As an example, I enjoy The Room (2003) despite its terribleness and it never fails to make me laugh, while your magnum opus makes me want to huff pottery enamel so the pain will stop despite you thinking it is the work of an idiot savant.

‘They were also mad that I wrote Dante as a wiseguy who is a little more low-key about it due to the circumstances— instead of being a pathetic manchild airhead that tries too hard.’

You didn’t write Dante.

You wrote Reboot!Donte — a fucking terribly out of character version of him, at that.

‘I was primarily concerned about moving the story along. I didn’t care about where a fictional island is supposed to go.’

You literally had one (1) job, Karen.

‘…Meanwhile, not a single character in DMC4 had an Italian accent, so uh, why should I give a flying fuck where I put it?’

Haven’t you been like… shitting on the DMC staff… for terrible writing… this enti— You know what? You’re obvs way too dumb to notice that contradiction, so I’ll let it slide.

Just… a word of advice, if I may? Don’t ever watch dub TV shows. That last brain cell would fuckin’ just burst all over your carpet.

(Actually, don’t watch subtitled shows either. An extremely popular anime that was set in Italy just wrapped and all the characters — le gasp! — spoke fucking Japanese. You would shit.)

‘I wasn’t paid to write any of what I wrote, but be my guest & send a PM if you want to throw money at me. By all means, do that.’

Oh, thank fuck, because they would have been ripped off, big time.

[ btw, you sound p. jealous of people that write/do creative work/commissions for ko-fi/payment tho. Not a good look tbbh. If it’s any consolation, though, I don’t get paid for making fun of you and/or analyzing your dumb bullshit, either. :( ]

‘The pricks at Capcom didn’t even bother giving us a proper DMC4 and it was a half-assed game, with the latter half being hasty filler material. The “special edition” they coughed up in 2015 was just glorified overpriced DLC.’

Ya know, you gotta be pretty far up your own ass to think this much of your opinion. And I’m saying this as a person that’s pretty far up her own ass like 85% of the time.

‘And another thing, Redgrave City in DMC5 seems to be in England, yet no survivors speak with English accents or slang/dialects.’

Pretty sure no survivors had speaking roles.

If you played the game you’d know this.

‘Meanwhile, Dante and Vergil had lived there when they were kids (until age 8), but they both have ordinary American or Canadian accents. Furthermore, how did the twins make it to the USA or Canada? According to the little booklet in the DMC1 game case, Dante’s office is in modern America.’

You know that invoking the imagery of a specific place without naming your location is normal and standard practice, right? Overwatch even does this (For Ex: Byōdō-in (平等院), Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan is the inspiration for Hanamura, Château de Duingt, Duingt, France for Château Guillard, etc.)

Furthermore, you know the original DMC was a rejected first draft of Resident Evil 4, right? This is what retcon is for. You at least know what retcon is, right?

‘…That information isn’t very important, but I’m bringing it up to illustrate a point that being a fucking pedant about geography in a fantasy game is idiotic, even if the setting is akin to modern Earth.’

So is freaking the fuck out and sending death threats over a fantasy game but you didn’t let that stop you either lmfao.

It’s actually super important to establish your scenery and the way your world operates, especially in a written work in which readers are dependent on your vision and your descriptions, and if you were a decent writer, you’d know this.

‘It’s the story & the way it’s told that should fucking matter.’

YOU HAD ONE (1) JOB, KAREN.

‘What US states are the Arklay Mountains located in?’

General description puts them in the U.S. Midwest. Raccoon City itself is stated to have a population of ~100,000 at the time of outbreak, and the only city in the Midwest that matches that population in 1998 is Springfield, Missouri, with a pop. of ~110,000.

Springfield is on the Springfield Plateau of the Ozarks region of SW Missouri. So they’re part of the Ozark Mountains.

This all took less than ~3 minutes to google, btw.

‘Where is “Zanzibar Land?”’

I actually just wrote a comprehensive answer to an ask a few weeks ago about this. It’s actually stated to be in Tselinoyarsk (Целиноярск), the (fictional) area of the former USSR in which Big Boss carried out the Virtuous Mission/Operation Snake Eater in 1964. Tselinoyarsk itself is heavily implied to consist of parts of Kyrgyzstan and/or Tajikistan. If you played MGS3 you’d know how important the setting and the varied environments/climates are to the game mechan-

oh yeah wait you believe in segregation of story and gameplay mechanics. I forget you’re completely tone deaf sometimes lmao.

How far is ‘Salem’s Lot or Derry from Bangor? Who cares?’

Stephen King does, quite a bit. He even has a map on his website of ‘his’ fictional version of Maine:

My disappointment is immeasurable, Karen.

Mental Health notes: Depression

Disclaimer: this blog is not certified as a licenced therapist or psychologist. The topics addressed are based on personal experience. Use these tips at your discretion.

To start off, many cases of depression stem from a basic cycle, which goes as follows: stagnation, resignation, hopelessness, and self-inhibition. Stagnation occurs when you end up in a loop of the same daily routine over and over again with no new or exciting events: for instance, get up, go to school, have the same classes, go home, sleep, repeat. This is why it’s common for Highschooler’s, Middleschooler’s, and college students to have depression. Resignation occurs when you see no change, so you start to believe that there will never be any change. Resignation is often accompanied by sayings like “It’s just how it is” or “There’s nothing I can do about it”. 

Hopelessness is the second half of resignation. It occurs when you’ve gone so long with no new stimulation, so long with no new change, that you develop a very pessimistic outlook on change: “Nothing I do will matter, so why bother” and “Nobody cares anyways” are very common thoughts during hopelessness. Self-Inhibition is when you have completely given up hope for change and have stopped trying to bring change because you have fully convinced yourself it won’t help. You’re now causing your own stagnation by preventing further change, thus perpetuating the cycle.

Now on to ways you can break your cycle. Believe it or not, there ARE things you can do to help yourself, and most don’t include having to talk with someone - which is wonderful, because you probably find it difficult to find help when you don’t believe anyone cares, or perhaps have social anxiety, or just don’t like talking to people in general for any reason. The tips: 1) Try to find the new in the old. On your way to school/work/etc, if you’re a passenger, look out the window and try to spot new things. It’s spring right now, so looking for flowers is perfect at this time, especially now in April. Different flowers are popping up everywhere, and some kinds only seem to last a day in bloom, so be sure to spot them all! 2) Art is an incredible tool, no matter what medium you choose. Use clay? Punch a lump into a bowl and vent some frustration. Write? Make a poem about your emotions. Paint? Grab a canvas, haul ‘er outside, and fling globs of color at it like a maddened Pollock. ANY medium can be used as a tool to take how you’re feeling, confront it head-on, and make something really cool while you’re at it. And hey, who knows, maybe someone will like what you made and you’ll get some cash out of it! 3) Remember to not focus on ignoring bad memories that may be adding on to your depression. Don't try to ignore it, because that never works - you're inadvertently thinking about the thing by thinking about NOT thinking about the thing. Try to just acknowledge, and then continue. For instance, "Yes, that happened and it was bad, but NOW this is happening and it's GOOD". 4) Remember to always ask yourself “What can I do to help with my [X]?” This may take a very long time, and it may be very difficult, but re-training your brain to begin thinking productively again is very important, and in the long run, knowing you can take care of yourself and solve problems will give you a huge confidence boost. Start small, for instance, if you’re in stagnation, ask yourself what you can do to brighten your mood. The answer may be to clean your room so it’s not so stuffy, or to take a walk so you can feel the sun. Little steps are the key to achieving big goals. 5) ENVIRONMENT ENRICHMENT!!!! I cannot stress this one enough. If it’s difficult for you to get out and moving and going to new places, you need to bring the new places to you - and that means changing up your bedroom. Your bedroom is actually very important to your mental health - it’s where you spend a lot of your time, so if your bedroom doesn’t feel happy, you won’t feel happy either. Again, it’s going to take a while to renovate a whole room, but getting new bedsheets or a new poster for your wall or even a new stuffed animal is still a step, and will still give you some of that newness your mind craves.

To boil it all down: Your mind needs stimulation. It’s made to take in new information as fast as it can, so when it has none, things start to get weird. It’s kinda like having a tiny lil hamster - if you don’t feed the hamster or give it toys to play with, something bad will happen. Take care of your brain-hamster. It’s working very hard and doing it’s best.

11/11/11

i’ve been tagged by the ever-so-amazing @kidsarentallwrite , so thank you! love seeing your answers as always hahaha and am always thankful that you remember me for these games <3  1. Go to song when you need to get into the mood to write? sad songs. usually my favourite jay chou song, or some really sad hua chenyu pieces. but yea, always sad mandopop.  and then i write a funny scene right HAHAHAHA ok no not always (my recent snippet was following a sad hcy song and it is ... hm. is it sad? i don’t know.) 2. Dream director for a film/television adaption? taikaaaa yoooooo!!! shout out to my best boy i can’t wait to watch jojo rabbit!  edgar wright in the lines of the cornetto trilogy &/ scott pilgrim like man the cornetto trilogy was l i f e  stephen chow for the most ridiculous nonsensical situational comedy that takes place in my wip (i’m thinking the fish scene, yall know that elusive fish scene that i always name-drop but never go into specifics about - gimme that in the style of kungfu hustle’s strongest woman!) 3. If you ever saw your WIP go to stage, is more likely to be a play or a musical? musical. it’d be a very boring play since nothing happens, and it’s ridiculous enough for the characters to break out in random musical numbers and still be valid. on immediate thought i can imagine teng wailing into the night singing a song about a forlorn love while zhen throws a shoe at him and jun sings a bad back-up harmony and ren is just there in the corner, rubbing at his temples and shou will act the part of the audience on stage and cheer and throw flowers and wail equally loudly in tears of absolute astonishment and delight yes. 4. Favourite thing you’ve written? eh. in my wip, or in general???? honestly i can’t think of anything. sometimes when i’m re-reading my writing / drabbles / whatever, in hindsight im like ‘whoa i wrote that??’ and then i re-read it AGAIN and im like ‘ew, i wrote that?’ and the cycle repeats x100 my favourite thing from my wip so far though, i think i have an actual scene for that. it’s this scene after all of them listens to this story. they are really affected by it, though none of them show it, and the next day shou just goes wandering around the streets and has this sorta experience and  it’s written a little vague, a little dazed and confused but also really... hm. kinda magical-ish and surreal and i think it was written pretty ... nicely. yea. HAHA. (maybe i’ll let you read it someday *winks* HAHAHAHAHA) 5. Top five authors, go! ME.  jk hahahahahaha. do i mean just kidding or do i mean jkr? who knows?? okay in all seriousness i love leigh bardugo, i love marie lu, ofc i love my man rick riordan and my childhood hero roald dahl. the last one’s for grabs, who wants to throw their name into the hat?  6. Biggest influences to your writing? idk, a lot of things. music and musical scenery (as in, yknow, certain visualisations you get when listening to songs & its mood and atmosphere etc. also i was watching pavarotti the other day for work, yknow the film about italian opera tenor luciano pavarotti? and in that film they mentioned something pretty interesting, in that in italian opera they first write down the lyrics, and then only after do they compose music to go with the lyrics so that each music strand is as evocative of the feeling of the word as possible, and i think that’s really cool) humour, definitely. most of my OCs came about from a line of dialogue that i just needed them to say. yes they are all manifestations of words. isn’t that all characters?  but really. mostly just a sort of feeling. can’t really describe it. that’s why i have a hell of a difficult time getting inspirations huh? 7. What do you use more, first/second/third person? when i was younger i used to do first person, but now i can’t stand to do first person hahaha it’s just a little odd for me i need my third-person. sometimes i can’t really bear to read first-person either, at least since i’ve grown older. i don’t really know why, can’t pinpoint it. some first-persons are really good though. 8. What social media would your OCs have? uhhhh i’m not a big social media person, so i don’t really know. i’ve stopped using instagram since the beginning of this year, and it’s odd because people never remember that i don’t use instagram. it’s like a thing that everyone assumes that everyone has and uses, i guess -- it just can’t stick in their minds that i’m not anymore. just an interesting observation 9. Why do you write the genre you write? the more important question is, what is my genre? HAHAHA. okay i don’t know, i just like writing character and character interactions and i love introspective pieces (even though mine, arguably, isn’t particularly introspective since no one wants to think in that, tsk, typical humans) 10. Team Edward or Team Jacob? when i read the books i was a 100% team jacob, until he went and imprint on a newborn baby and i was like ew bro what’s wrong with you so i’m team no-one now. both sides are creepy, unfortunately. 11. What’s your guilty pleasure movie? no guilty pleasures! not ashamed of letting people know what films i enjoy watching HAHA  i am a very conventional film-viewer and i like commercial stuff with mass appeal. sue me. like even though i’m writing film reviews for my internship right now and you’d assume i’d be all art-house and stuff, but like, no that stuff takes up too much brain energy i like fun, mass-appeal commercial stuff that forces you to engage in it and use your brain, whether during / after the film. that’s why parasite is fking amazing and it’s my favourite film of this year. if you haven’t watched it, WHY THE HELL NOT?  tagging a few peeps at @coffehousecreations @bahay-kubo @insearchof-solace @kaigods @aslanwrites @bookenders @mvcreates @tenacious-scripturient @inexorableblob @focusdumbass questions under ‘read more’!

1. why did you choose writing as a medium instead of other artistic endeavours? 2. what language(s) would you love your wip to be translated into, and why? 3. how would you describe your own writing? 4. who do you look up to the most in the writeblr community, be it their energy or personality or writing? 5. give yourself three compliments in terms of your own writing ability! you deserve it!  6. how much does real-world events translate into your writing? 7. what is your all-time favourite film? 8. how would you rate your writeblr experience as of now? how has it differed from your prior expectations? 9. what trope / inspired scene do you want to put in your wip, but haven’t? 10. give us a summary of one of your earliest wips! 11. what do you enjoy reading most from another person’s writing? bonus question (for, ahem, personal reasons): have you watched parasite? why / why not? what do you think of it?

September 2019 Lucky Treat!

Well here we are guys, finally! As it turns out, I was supposed to get this on my birthday (the 15th) and it came, but at the time I was taking a nap because I was gone most of the day and I felt really tired when I got home. So they showed up around 6pm but nobody answered the door, and since I had to sign for it they left.

This isn’t the first time this has happened, I somehow miss foreign packages I need to sign for <_< my mom and I argue over this every time, and as I expected it didn’t come the next day. I wasted 2-3 hours stalking the front door and not leaving the room at all for anything. So yesterday morning we picked it up, but it just wasn’t a good day to try to post this.

It’s also the reason why my next review hasn’t been posted but you can expect to see that later today. So for now, let’s focus on this!

As a reminder I won’t be reviewing these items due to them being sent for free. I’ll just be showing them and giving my opinions.

(Note the Kawaii Box I’m supposed to review in the background...)

Okay, so as you can see this is exactly how it arrived. I initially assumed it would be one large box, so I was actually relieved to see it consisted of 2 medium-sized boxes. Both were light weight and easy to carry.

Japan Haul, for anyone unfamiliar with the name or new to the blog is the online store belonging to the branding that makes Tokyo Treat, YumeTwins, NMNL. You can find a lot of the box items, as well as some unique items on there, which is why I try to recommend you check it out if you’re ever interested in the items from those boxes. There wasn’t any special papers or anything in the box, but each of them had an “order summery sheet“ and a sheet of protective Styrofoam on the bottom.

Before I begin I wanted to mention that usually there’s a “value“ depicted in the information or picture for the Lucky Treat, but this one didn’t have it. On each box it says their values were 1000yen, so combined I think that might be $200.00? I don’t know much about foreign currency so don’t quote me on it.

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Mew Plushie & Vulpix Plushie

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am OBSESSED with Vulpix/Rokon- it was the reason I just had to have this box, and it hasn’t left my side since I opened the one it was inside. It was true love from the day we met; I have various Vulpix items, including a smaller plush from a KFC promotion when I was a kid, a couple toy items, stickers, coloring book pages, and several TCG cards in both English and Japanese~

About a year or so back they were featuring Vulpix (normal and Alola) in Japanese merch. I’ve always wanted to visit Japan, but that was probably when I wanted it the most.

The plush is pretty big (although I know in comparison to the Mew it doesn’t look it), it’s the perfect lap size~ It’s also very soft, with fluffy material for the hair and tails that is a combination of rose swirls and tufts. The tails are one solid piece with lines between them to give them the feel of individual pieces, but the curled portions are separated. I love love love love love it~

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So as you can tell, Vulpix isn’t the only plush we got in this months box :3 in fact we got a handful more to go- including this really big Mew Plush. Currently this is the second biggest Pokemon Plush I own, it’s a few inches taller than the piplup I won at the fair a few years back, but smaller than the Meowth I got when I was a kid.

This plush is made from the same fabric as the vulpix but lacks the fluffy hair accents. The sewn details are perfect, it’s feet are properly stuffed and a little floppy, while its super-long tail is sewn to the back, so I assume it would dangle if I cut the strings. He’s great for hugs.

Flaaffy Plushie & Mini Eeevee Plushie

We got 2 more Pokemon plushies, including this very small Flaaffy plush~ It’s like the Vulpix in which it has normal plush fabric, and slightly softer fabric for the wool on its neck and head. It’s stitching and details are great, it’s a really good quality plushie.

According to its tag it’s part of a Pokemon Fit line. I never heard of it so I don’t really know what it contains- but I think it’s adorable how out of the 4 Pokemon it’s normally the biggest, and here it’s the smallest. It fits in the palm perfectly. 

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Our final Pokemon plushie is an adorable, fluffy Eevee. I really like Eeevee and its eeveelutions, and I really liked playing Let’s Go Eeevee! so this was a lovely surprise; now if only I had some items to make it match mine~

It’s well made and very cute and sweet looking, and according to the tag this came out last year- probably for Let’s Go Eeevee :P It’s a big bigger than Flaaffy, but still fits in the palm nicely. I can’t decide if I like its fluffy neck fur or huge tail more~

Kopiyo Friends Cushion

This is our last plush-based item in the box, an adorable cushion themed after an adorable birdie. From Kopiyo Friends there was a variety of various birds you could get in this set, but for Lucky Treat it was this specific... parakeet? It looks like the ones I used to have when I was little, so I’ve been calling it that.

 It’s a good size for a pillow (head, lap, legs, etc) and it’s stuffed enough to feel marshmallowy squishy, and it stretches a little bit. It was very comfortable, and it makes for a nice secondary pillow you can cuddle with.

Solgaleo Figure & Mewtwo Mug

If you guys couldn’t tell this box was almost entirely Pokemon oriented :3 and to go with our plushies, we have a Solgaleo figurine from the latest handheld Pokemon games (until sword and shield comes out anyway). It’s from the Moncolle-EX collection of Pokemon figures... and that’s pretty much all I can say other than it’s paint quality is great. I’m not sure about the figure quality itself because I won’t be removing it from the packaging. I might give it to my friend, who bought this version of the game. 

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Now this next item goes with the Mew I got, and I think they were both made to celebrate the upgraded/updated Mewtwo Strikes Back movie. I know my picture quality of this sucks, but I was kind of on a time crunch at this point... and by that I mean, I had cats going crazy in the background trying to get in my way and play with the boxes <_<

The mug has a very detailed, mood-setting picture for the movie. I have to admit it’s not really my style (CUTIEcrates probably says it all right?), but I do like it as a Pokemon fan and I’ll find a use for it.

Gengar Mask & Pokemon Memo

Now this is an item perfect for this time of the year, as well as when I clean or when the allergies hit (where was it during summer when I needed it?!). I did have one mask from a really old DokiDoki, but I have no clue where that went.

I love Gengar (at this rate it’s easier just to say every Pokemon in this box are ones I like, nearly), so this is a cute, funny little item. It’s a nice, padded mask with two layers of filtered-like fabric over the part covering your nose and/or mouth. I’m not really sure if they serve a purpose (maybe filtering dust or scent or something?) but they have a nice clean smell.

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We can’t forget the stationery items now :3 and to go with all of our Pokemon goodness we have a notepad with 4 sets of 8 different designed papers! They easily tear apart and come from the Pokemon World Market series, featuring the various Pokemon from various regions hanging out and having fun.

Pokemon World Market Re-Ment & Colorful Ramune Blind Bag

I’m assuming the Pokemon World Market is a current series/collection :3 because next we have an adorable re-ment set. I miss getting re-ments in the boxes, so this was very exciting. Like the notepad, these were based on various regions foods, Pokemon, and activities. Such as the one I got, the Kanto region, having a bike, a Poke Flute, and a Pokemon Doll. Each one also includes a map of the specific region.

If you were curious, here are what the others had: 

2. Squirtle Watering can, toy, milk, manju/dorayaki?

3. Torchic, Rice cracker, Pokeblock storage, and what looks like an envelope and ticket.

4. Piplup, helmet, shovel, what looks like chocolate, and Poffins.

5. A Pokedoll, a ferris wheel toy, and ice cream.

6. Pokedoll, food, skates, and the girl trainers hat.

7. A book or magazine with Snorlax, a toucan measuring piece(?), a bowl or fruit in a box, and an Alola Exeggutor pen with base.

Now compared to the others, mine feels pretty simple. But the detail on each piece is amazing; I could look at re-ments all day~ I really wish I could display mine, but I just don’t have a safe place or any room for them at the time. As much as I think a re-ment subscription box would be fun, I’m kinda glad they don’t have one of those :P I’d be in trouble.

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Now, this is a Tokyo Treat special box, of course there has to be a couple food items~ and first up is a Pokemon, Wobbuffet bling bag candy tin, which features 6 different designs that feature Wobbuffet interacting with various Pokemon. They’re all so cute!

But lookie lookie, did you notice which one I got~? The special mystery one :D I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but I thought it was a fun additional surprise.

There are 3 flavors of candy, including a blue ramune/soda, yellow... I think lemon (but it could be banana? It doesn’t taste like it though), and a pinkish-red one that I couldn’t identify. It might be cola, because it tastes like a nasty cola Japanese candy DIY I tried a couple years back- one of the only cola flavors I didn’t like. But the candies are pretty good, even that weird might be cola one.

Pokemon Nori Chips & Dragonball Super Candies

Given the few Non-Pokemon items in the box, I was surprised to see this Dragonball themed candy. These come in a tin-like piece similar to old-style Japanese fruity hard candy. I’ve seen them several times but never had them before- and let me tell you, it’s a picnic trying to open these! You’ll definitely want a pen or scissors or a cornered object or something, nails are not recommended though. But maybe mine are just wimpy. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about them spilling.

Anyway, these are just cute orange spherical candies with a simple orange-ish flavoring to them. It’s not overly sweet or tangy, so it’s good if you like a mild candy.

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To kick up the snacks, we also have some curry-flavored Nori Chips/Seaweed. They come in this adorable Pokemon tin featuring Pikachu and some other impressive pokemon, and the inside is lined by pleated paper. The tin is 71.0 calories.

The seaweed/nori is thin, but in 2 layers, with curry flavored powder/substance between them. If you don’t like the taste of curry or seaweed you probably won’t like these, but if you do then you will. I actually really like eating seaweed as a snack, and curry is pretty yummy so I really like them x3 they’re not spicy, but it seems to pick up heat the more you eat of them. They’re also very crunchy.

Pokemon Tote

We also have some fun apparel, including a Pokemon Tote by the brand Outdoor Products, which has been in business since 1973 apparently. It includes a rainbow variety of colorful Pokemon from a few different generations making a variety of poses. I think there’s 2 per Pokemon. The bag also features a velcro strap to hold it shut, and it’s a medium-big size, so it would come in handy for a lot of stuff.

Pokemon Mini Bath Towel

To go with the Pokemon World Market collection, we also have this adorable and colorful mini-bath towel featuring all the different regions Pokemon having a fun time playing and checking things out at their respective hangouts x3

Despite the name, this thing couldn’t be fit into a single picture without losing a lot of detail, so I had to settle for this. It’s very soft fabric, I’m very eager to begin using it because it’ll go great with that set of Pokemon wash clothes I got a few months back.

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Okay guys, that will be it for now! What did you think, was this Lucky Treat good? I really wish the other subscribers could have won this too because it was very fun and exciting- I still can’t believe i won it!

However, I did notice an item is missing. There was also supposed to be a pair of Pokemon Socks that I didn’t find in either box. I checked multiple times, and I couldn’t find anything to say the item was removed from the box, so I don’t know what happened. I messaged them about it, but because this was entirely free, I don’t actually mind the mistake. It happens... of course, if it had been my Vulpix then heads would roll.

Just kidding :P Anyway, I’ll keep you guys updated on that. Until later, remember to hug a Pokemon!

Hey! What do you think of OPM season 2? I still love it & am looking forward to next weeks new episode but i just wish Saitama had more screen time ;-(

hey nonny~! 

apologies for the late reply, its a combo of not getting notifications (tumblr u useless trashbucket) and being on surgery rotation (i miss sleeping so much) 

firstly, i am truly glad you still love it and look forward to the new episodes!!! 💖💖💖please dont let anything i say from this point on dissuade you from that enjoyment 

THAT BEING SAID 

///cut for length 

ive only watched up to the second episode, and i am having Such Difficulties convincing myself to keep watching. i know my rxns to ep 1 were overall pretty positive and I stand by it but the more i watch the more the Cringe/Hypercritique starts take over. 

Turns out, the art style had a bigger impact than i thought on the length of which i enjoy shows. personally, i just really like when anime/shows have a happy marriage between writing and artwork. and when show directors know how to interpret writing, how to set up a scene (the angle, the music, the pacing), and then communicate with artists who have the skills to bring that idea to life using the medium they’re given -- that’s when writing becomes storytelling. OPM’s writing is still fantastic since they’re going off ONE (whereas GoT has the opposite problem where the production value is 4K and the writing is early 2000s livejournal/fanfiction lol god why is everyone dropping the ball in 2019??)

As for the art, since opm switched to jc staff and shingo natsume & co. left for other projects ( ;;_____;; im emo ), its inevitable we would see a drop in animation quality and i find myself constantly getting distracted by things i never used to get concerned about in the first season (bc of the high bar of expectations set by s1 artists/directors, like theres just no way jc staff would match up it to all of that and i feel bad for them, they’re trying their best but that doesn’t mean theyre immune to critique on the artistic liberties that they’ve taken that i feel as a viewer, may not have been the best choice?) 

the shading: no, just, unnecessary and distracting and why is it the center of saitamas face, im by far no expert in lighting but a bish can tell something doesnt look right??? 

the shading pt II: color choices. just gonna say i was not expecting sai’s ‘hair shirt’ in ep 1 to be bright-ass neon green, it was a little jarring at first and i miss him in red ;-; i get hes supposed to have poor fashion choices but i dont see him as the type to pick something that stands out so much in the crowd, like he likes to be left alone. NEON doesnt really relay ‘hi dont mind me im just barely existing here lol’ 

the shading pt III: genos arms/neck. okaY so the bby looks good in screenshots. like he’s shiny and nice to look at when nothings moving. bUT this is animation?? movement of objections is different from still life manga so making every single scene almost 99% like murata’s panels translates a little awkwardly to the screen (like staff is lucky bc murata’s a force of nature with his panels playing out like a movie for ref). but when genos moves, the arms are just distracting bc everything around him is drawn simply without shadows so they stand out by themselves and i (visually) forget about the rest of him haha. 

the pacing: it feels scripted, person A says this so we’ll show person A in the shot, then person B is saying something so we have to cut to person B, etc etc like keeping pretty steady to manga lines to the point where i was starting to get bored bc i knew what was coming. it was really intervaled? like someone had to be saying something at a certain effect and i think s1 had more dramatic pauses (lol) but thats how you can place emphasis on scenes to have an emotional impact if the character doesnt say anything and just let the soundtrack do some talking and the cadence of the script will change too (im 10000% talking about the sunset scene in s1 god bless. like it was slow, there was MOOD there wasn’t any rush and really gave the viewer time to think about the relationship between the two characters and what that moment meant to each of them) i feel like there were several scenes that could have been more like in the scene where sai protected fubuki, could have been a little more dramatically emphasized (aka just a pause) so the viewer could get a chance to understand that he purprosefully shielded her or when genos says that strong heroes are drawn to saitama--bUT nope its the same pace, like c l o c k w o r k just like my t eARS--

the fight scenes: how do i even start. the one scene that got me INTO opm (like watching the anime, reading the manga, drawing fanart, writing fanfic, reading fanfics etc) was kickstarted by the fight scene between genos and saitama in s1 that was circulating on tumblr a while back. i thought the characters were interesting and the fight was badass and it just looked SO COOL. (also the forehead flick at the end just kinda sealed my fate). going from that to s2 fight scenes where its mostly cut scenes and freeze scenes?? where theres a cut out behind the characters back?? during a fight scene????? this isn’t a calling card or an anime opening??? i dont understand. when they dont do cut scenes, its interesting but my initial impression is just underwhelmed. i can find good parts but it feels like i have to replay the scene to notice it? theres also an overwhelming amount of graphics/cgi manipulation that overpowers the actual art sometimes. its lacking some of the fluidity that comes from hand drawn fight scenes from first season. OTL

the sound directing: so i thought that the mood just felt off for certain scenes and the sound didn’t seem to support the scene as well (unless it was like the character’s theme or smtg) and i looked it up and the sound director was also replaced (Yoshikazu Iwanami replacing Shoji Hata). i have no idea if the sound director is also in charge of character lines but there were parts were fubuki was monologuing and i had no idea she was inner monologuing, i thought she was talking out loud and that just took extra effort on my part to re-orient myself (im nitpitcking i know but its just how i watch shows lol) 

there are still some parts i like about the animation:

fubuki looks bangin and i love her👌👗

all of this just made me realize how insanely lucky we were to have an amazing s1 and just have it exist and how i really could not care less if they had just waited forever to make s2 as long as we had the same crew come back. but anime is still a business and the quicker they dish out merch/seasons, the more money they can bring in. which they do in the short run but they would bring in more if they spent a little more on quality in the long run and it becomes one of those classics that ppl will rewatch and keep recommending to ppl who want to get into anime and oh my god we’re never gonna have that now, are we. if im gonna rec it to a friend its gonna be ‘read the manga!’ or ‘just watch s1!’ uGH. its just an unfortunate situation, its not one person’s fault either, so many factors go into what made opm s1 so spectacular and seeing s2 just made me appreciate s1 more. i guess im happy to have a s2 regardless? 

i’ll still watch to support (and bc i like suiryuu and wanna see sai in a karate gi and wig lol). maybe i just have to get used to the new style. 

so in summary,

final evaluation.

Introduction

The project consisted of being placed in groups and appointed a certain image that we then, through many different mediums and tasks, such as having photoshoots to recreate the image, and practising our marketing skills through promotion tasks and pitches, had to eventually develop a film of our creation. We used props, costumes, actors, sfx makeup, editing and audio manipulation to resemble the original image in our own way. Throughout this project we also attended many helpful and insightful progression talks surrounding future pathways and courses we may want to be a part of, and notes were made on each of these.

 Research Presentation 

This project started with each individual class member being assigned a certain photo, allocating us into our groups, joining up with peers sharing the same image. The image I received was that of painter Vilhelm Hammershøi’s piece entitled ‘Interior’ Once in groups we had to discuss the image, how we interpreted it individually along with how it made us feel. Then the groups were assigned the task of researching as much as possible on the photo. We wrote all this down and displayed the information thought and discovered using mind maps, spider diagrams, notes, sketches and mood boards, which we then presented to the class. 

Group Research Work

After finding all this information we collectively decided to take the eerie, creepy horror film style for our project. We however noticed how impactful the minimalism of the original painting by Hammershoi was and how avoiding classic horror film cliches would be a smart idea and make our film unique and stand out to others. Following this we would also be able to capture the same essence of The Interior piece. We also discussed researching ways in which an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling could be felt by the viewer through other various techniques such as how audio can be manipulated to cause suspense through sudden, abrupt moments of silence followed by black, empty shots with loud, terrifying low, monotone sounds. I did a lot of research into how I could use audio to my advantage. I learnt how to muffle audio through YouTube tutorials, looked into downloading sample packs of simple sound effects from film such as glass shattering and an argument, however these feel very cheesy and do not fit the tone our film is capturing. We also went out of campus together to conduct location studies into whereabouts we could replicate certain shots and scenes we desired to include in our piece. Popular places were plain, empty, cold areas where Connor, our model, could stand and look very alone and isolated. 

Photography studio work

We wanted to come together and carry out a professional photoshoot using the type of equipment david wanted to test out such as an LED light, gels to accompany the light, costumes, props and correct location. Due to Connor’s absence I was the model for the shoot and am very pleased with the shots my group captured of me. One of the key things we are focusing on is the tone of the original images we were given therefore we ensured the lighting was very harsh and that all the shots are very moody, bold and atmospheric. The gels were used just as an experimentation to see if we would want to use them in the future and if they worked with our ideas. The mask was used to emphasise on my idea of the figure in the shots having their identity stripped away from them along with the jacket to add to that effect. The shoot lasted a while but was worth it for the shots captured. The rest of the day we spent sorting through the hundreds of raw shots and selecting our favourites as inspiration for the upcoming stages and editing practise. This has been utilised very well so most members of the group could come together and express our ideas. 

Storyboards

As a group and individually we began coming up with ideas on what a film based upon/ taking inspiration from our image would include. We decided as a group to do some brainstorming in a dm room downstairs together and just fire ideas onto mindmaps, and then later more developed finalised storyboards. By the end of the day there were many many individual sheets filled with ideas. It has really been about talking and jotting down any ideas or thoughts. Two are my own individual boards along with with the help of Emily for the shot ideas on the second rough storyboard, the others group ones. 

30 Second Elevator Pitch

We pitched our main film idea in a maximum of 30 seconds presented with storyboards and mindmaps, to the class. David gave his pitch and each group shared their ideas therefore helping each group get inspiration from one another, it was also useful as it gave people more experience in pitching ideas with a time limit. 

Film Work

After days of stand-still my group and I decided the best way to move forward and continue with this project would be to separate into two different groups to become way more efficient and actually make real progression with the many tasks at hand. We have had difficulty coming together and agreeing on creative opinions and ideas and as much as we tried it has become evident that in the creative industry getting on perfectly with every other creator and sharing ideas together can not always happen and for some working alone is what they know best and what they excel at. I am relieved this has been solved but am highly concerned with how far behind my group of three now is so these next few weeks are going to be extremely busy and stressful but I believe with my group we can do it to the best of our ability. I have taken the job of compiling all the ideas we had ourselves on our film storyline and re making a storyboard and planning over our group chat what props, equipment, locations, actors, set etc we need for the few days we have left for filming and capturing the shots we require. An idea came from our research task at the start of the project where Emily discussed the possible idea of ida looking small, trapped, isolated and afraid in the interior painting and how we could explore this idea to which I said an abusive relationship could be an interesting, very dark theme to explore and portray. We knew we wanted a very dark, eerie, simple tone to the film as this is how we all interpret the original image itself as seen on my moodboards. There wasn’t actually many inspiration/ video references we used all the shots came from our minds and I took control of the filming process to ensure we were on track and being the most efficient we could possibly be. A lot of the shots I thought of just fit the theme of being very eerie and disturbing but in a unique yet professional manner. one thing we all agreed to steer clear of was horror film clichés, so jumpscares, blood and serial killer plot lines were out of the picture and I actually really like a lot of the shots we captured. 

Conclusion

Sadly this project has been rather stressful with many issues involved but I believe it has been a very useful learning process. I have learnt new skills about working in groups, how in the real world not everyone will be able to agree on creative ideas yet persevering does not always solve all problems and being mature and focused on the project at hand is what must be put first. I am happy with my editing developments and how much I am improving and know now about the processes and programs themselves. I do not mind my final film but also envisioned it a lot differently but I like how unique it is and how my group got to a good result in the end.

Hello Anonymous,

               Thank you so much for your concern over my busyness. I am honored that you came to me for writing advice, and while I don’t have a particular blog post or tip list to pass to you, I do happen to have an essay worth of thoughts on the matter.

               Fight scenes are great for movies, anime, tv, manga, etc., but when it comes to good old prose, you’ve got a different beast. Action is not a natural strength in this medium. Words alone lack the visual elements that make action shine in these other forms, but when it comes to reading fight scenes, I often find them boring. If I’m bored, I skip the section, and if I’m really bored, I stop reading and go do something else.

               Not so great.

               My first piece of advice to you is…

               1. GIVE IT PURPOSE.  

Every scene, including fight scenes, must be working towards the same goal: advance the core narrative. This is your plot, character arcs, themes, and setting. How is your fight scene moving the story forward? What makes THIS SCENE important? What is its purpose?

Does it affect the characters, or give us information about them? Is it challenging the characters and forcing them to grow? Is it building tension, mystery, introducing the setting, or moving the plot? What is at stake in this fight? What does each character involved want- both in the moment and over the course of the story- and how does the fight play into this? Any given scene isn’t going to have everything in it, but it must have something.

               In any good action scene, it’s not the punches that make it interesting. It’s all of the drama built into it. Know what the purpose of the scene is and make the actions achieve that purpose. If you have this central drive in your scenes, you can make anything interesting, from Space Karate to watching paint dry. If not, it’s two people hitting each other for no reason. If you want some detailed guidance to getting the core narrative down, I have a book recommendation: Take Off Your Pants!: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker.

2. BE CLEAR

Clarity is a top objective for me when it comes to fights and action. Things can get muddled when a lot is going on, and the reader needs to understand and follow all of it. No one wants a confused and potentially disinterested reader. It’s not their job to read and reread to figure it out, it’s the writer’s job to provide enough information, and the right information, so that the audience knows exactly what happened the first — and likely only — time they read it. Keep in mind, the writer doesn’t have visual cues like a movie.

Since the reader must know what’s going on, the writer REALLY has to know. Some people love action and can run with it. I usually need to make a play by play outline. Sometimes it involves research on swordplay or judo, other times I’m making it up. Regardless, all of the action must serve the purpose of advancing the core narrative.

As I get into writing, I want a fast-paced fight. (Usually. There are odd exceptions. Refer to the purpose of the scene to determine how you want to pace things.) Simple sentence structure, strong verbs, and specific nouns work well. Wordiness does not. If any action I planned to write is too wordy or awkward to describe, I substitute with another action with a simple description. When “character does action” inevitably becomes redundant, I look for other subjects— dirt, tile, rock, blood, gun, shoulder, icicle— whatever is available in the scene. I utilize paragraph breaks, snips of dialogue, and bits of the character’s perspective to break action into digestible pieces.

Finally, I go back and re-read for clarity, have a robot voice read it to me for clarity, and have an outside person read it for clarity. It’s important to make sure I’m actually saying what I want to say.

 3. UTILIZE PERSPECTIVE

 Writing has the ability to get inside a character’s head in a way that an on-screen explosion cannot. Use it. Show the fight through your character’s perspective. Mix their reactions, emotions, and thoughts with bits of physical action.

Of course, you must use the character’s perspective to advance the core narrative.

4. PICK DETAILS

               Do NOT describe everything.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but your readers don’t have time for that. Instead, narrow your focus to a. the core information that must be given and b. select details. Not just any details, meaningful details that convey the mood and tone of the scene. These are your flavor. A funny thing happens when readers pick up the mood and tone: they feel like they can see everything. There’s no need for a description overload.

In any given scene, there is an infinite number of things you can describe. Most of them are completely irrelevant. Don’t waste your (or the reader’s) time here- especially in a fight scene. Leave out everything that isn’t vital.  

And of course, the details you choose should serve the purpose of advancing the core narrative.

So, anonymous, I don’t know how helpful this was, but that’s what I have to say about fighting.

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Easy to wear: Glueless lace wig with Adjustable Strap and Combs.

Human hair wigs look and feel the most natural because…well…it is natural real hair. There is nothing exactly like the feel, weight, and movement of a good quality 100% natural hair wig. Real Hair Wigs are remarkably soft with a shine and movement not easily duplicated by synthetic hair. Its versatility allows you to style it like your own hair with curls or bone straight with a durability that can last over a year!Besides,human wigs are the perfect solution for Hair Loss.

Pros and cons

Pros

Can be colored, permed and styled just like your own hair.

Match your own hair texture very closely

Can last a year or more when worn daily

Super quiet gaming experience

Feel great and can look incredibly natural

Cons

Need to be washed, deep-conditioned and re-styled frequently

They are typically more expensive

2.Synthetic hair wig

About the product

high quality heat resistant synthetic wig.

The size is adjustable and no pins or tape should be required.

It can be used for many occasions mainly

Fashionable and stylish hair wig looks natural, real, very pretty and feminine

With technological advances, synthetic hair has come a long way in recent years. In some cases it is difficult to tell the difference — the denier and texture are such that they feel almost like human hair. Synthetic wigs The fiber used has “memory” for wave, curl and volume which lets hair bounce back into place with minimal effort — the curl pattern is permanently set. It is less expensive than human hair wigs, is durable and can look as real as your own hair.

Pros and cons

Pros

Higher quality synthetic hair offer a look and feel quite similar to human hair

Offers limited styling versatility (hot tools cannot be used)

Requires little maintenance and can usually be worn right out of the box

Cons

It lacks in versatility.

Synthetic hair is also less durable than human hair.

It cannot be styled to look many different ways like its human hair counterparts.

3.Lace wigs for women

About the product

Natural ahirline:Pre plucked natural hairline with baby hair

Color:natural color, can be dyed.

Wig style: lace front, full lace and 360 lace frontal wigs;

Hair density: 120-150% density ;

Wig lace color: medium brown and dark brown.

Cap Size: medium is 22-22.5 Inch,

A lace wig or a lace front wig for black women is a special type of hairpiece or wig in which human hair or synthetic hair is tied by hand to a sheer lace base which goes over the scalp. Lace front wigs have become popular among celebrities and non-celebrities alike. They are known for their realistic look and allow for styling away from the face.

Pros and cons

Pros

Natural looking hairline

Styling Versatility

Affordable

Easy to apply and remove

Won’t damage your actual hair

Cons

You have to learn how to properly apply and remove the wig

Reapplication: This is required every 3 to 4 weeks

Cleaning must be done before reapplication, which can be time consuming

Human Hair Wigs and Synthetic Wigs, How to Tell,

1.Burn with fire

The difference between real hair and synthetic hair can be distinguished by the smell and flame retardance, usually burned by lighters. The synthetic hair has the smell of plastic, human hair has the smell of burning real hair. Speak of flame retardancy, human hair is not easy to burn, the hair will roll when the fire is close, but it is difficult to burn up, the flame retardancy is very good; the synthetic hair’ flame retardant is not good, it will burn up when the fire is close. After burning, the human hair ash can be scrunched, and the synthetic hair ash become hardened and can not be scrunched.

2.Test with hair straightener

And you can test it with hair straightener. 1, Plug in the power. 2, Adjust the temperature of the hair straightener up to 220 degrees. 3, waiting for the high temperature, clipping the test hair with hair straighter, and gently straighten. Pull 5-6 times. 4, If the hair is real human hair, it will be straighten, and it it is synthetic wig, it will be curled or melted.

African American Human Hair Wigs Care Tips

1. Avoid High Temperature

Do not place your virgin African American hair wig close to high temperature. Do not use Flat-iron or curler too often, it will cause you hair wig lack of glossy, dry and easy to broken.

2. Hair Wig Washing

Wash your human hair wig once about 1-2 month is best, and also it depends on the frequency of wearing.

3. Water Temperature

Use cold water or mild water to clean your hair wig, just use normal shampoo is okay, use some hair conditioner to help your hair wig keep shinny and silky.

4. Dry Your Hair Wig

Do not use blower to dry your hair wig, use dry towel to suck additional water in the hair, and place it to ventilated place, avoid damage of hair caused by sun exposure.

5. Combing

Notice that do not comb your hair immediately after washing, comb it after the hair is dry. When combing your human hair wig, Use special wide brush to comb your hair(steel comb and metal comb is ok, do not use plastic comb), start from hair end to top, this will prevent your hair wig from shedding.

6. Curly Hair Wigs Combing

If you have curly hair wig, comb should not be used frequently, use your hand to make it orderly after wearing.

7. When Your Hair Wig Tangling Severely After Long Use

If you hair wig is tangling after long use, do not pull your hair, spray some wig-specific non-oily conditioner, and comb it with wide-toothed comb or hand carefully and do not rush, take your time.

8. Do Not Use Hair Spray

Do not use hairspray like gel water, pomade to your hair wig, it will make hair be oiled and get messy easily.

9. Use Non-oily conditioner

The use of Non-oily conditioner is quite easy: spray a few times before wearing your hair wigs, it will help your hair be silky and bright, and can prevent static electricity, keep your hair moisten, it will be silky like new hair.

10. Not Tie Your Hair Wig Up Too High

You absolutely can wear your hair wig up. Just need to know the “rule” that do not tie your hair extensions too high, just in case your own hair leave out.

11. Long Human Hair Wigs Combing

Where to buy good wigs online,

Where to buy wigs online,Today I am going to tell you the best places to buy wigs. We know that you want to express your own unique style, so at UNice, we offer the largest selection of wigs for sale online. Looking and feeling your best has never been so easy because UNice has the best wig deals with prices and savings few can resist. Your everyday look can be as casual or fabulous as you wish, with UNice’s vast wig collection specially made with black women in mind. So whether you’re looking for curly wigs, a silky straight, long black wig for a amazing look, a short wig in the hottest ombre color, or bob wigs with bangs, we have it right here. Define your own style, mood and attitude with one of our latest lace wigs, full lacec wigs, Remy human hair wigs or 360 lace wigs. UNice have different kinds of lace wigs, such as full lace wigs, lace front wigs and glueless lace wigs etc. Buy top quality lace wigs to enjoy different beauty. All the fabulous wig styles that fit you and your lifestyle are right here. Shopping has never been easier! Shop more UNice online wigs; Shop for UNice 100% Virgin Human Hair Wigs Shop forBrazilian Human Virgin Hair Wigs For Black Women Shop for UNice Long Natural Women Wigs Remy Human

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GIVE A NATURAL LOOK WITH HUMAN HAIR WIGS

Source: Best African American Wig 2020-Buyer’s Guide