#essay. kinda

[heavensent--hellbent]

growing up is realising that we have free will. you can create that playlist right now, you can travel, get a job, quit the job, regret it. growing up is realising that life moves by itself, yet we create our reality. we can say we want it and have it, or we can wish and count shooting stars. we can eat the food we're not supposed to, feel bad, feel sad, listen to the same song on repeat. we are allowed to feel, we are meant to feel, we are not meant to repress emotions. we are made to feel joy, and love, and sadness, and experience it all with pain and wonder. we are made to be in awe of that building we never noticed until now. growing up is realising we can change our aesthetic, we can hate the notions of aesthetics or love them, or maybe just feel neutral. we are allowed to feel neutral. we are allowed to do something illegal (i'm not condoning it) or follow every rule and still be happy either way. growing up is realising is doesn't fucking matter. we can listen to that song and not do what our brain tells us to. if we want to, we can

[yumaversal]

something i really love abt tshd is how queerness is so intrinsic to the plot without it being the main focus, it’s pretty common in anime/manga where if there are canon queer characters, the word gay or actual queer struggles are never mentioned. but in tshd, yoshiki is very clearly repressed and closeted living in a rural, homophobic town in japan. it’s *suffocating* him, the only person he really had was hikaru but now he’s “gone” but still not quite gone, leaving him tethered back to this town. it’s obviously a super common sentiment among queer people who live in rural areas to want to escape into city.

and i know everyone laughs at this panel for the iconic ell jee bee tea thing. but in context it’s one of the most heartbreaking and relatable scenes in the whole manga imo. the people of this town aren’t just homophobic, but they’re trying to erase the mere existence of gay people as a whole by covering it up. its pretty obvious that yoshiki is depressed, and it’s easy on the surface to think its solely because he literally has a monster possessing his dead childhood friend/crush’s corpse. but its pretty clear that it only strengthened what was already there. (lowkey his themes are very reminiscent of owen in ‘i saw the tv glow’)

it’s hilarious seeing people say “why did they have to make it gay” ever since the anime trailer came out bc truthfully this story would not work nearly as well as it does if it wasn’t just some random ass straight couple. i really hope anime watchers look deeper into the narrative instead of just saying “omg its uwu toxic yaoi” or “it’s a horror anime with forced woke gay ppl in it”

[prlssprfctn]

I know we love discussing Jason being hater in Internet (which is very true, and I think he simultaneously does it from both his own name and Red Hood, depending on who/what he hates at the given moment), but I suggest you this: Jason has an anonymous account to defend his favs on internet. Specifically, vigilantes and superheroes. Specifically, his family members or friends.

And no one needs to know that.

Jason, from his fake account: I think Batman fumbled the case, tbh. But we gotta give some respect to Robin, he did great.

Someone replying to him: Right??? Batman is getting old and predictable, lmao

Jason, in the instant: Lol, what would YOU know about Batman. Watch your goddamn mouth. Idiots like you are alive because Batman is in this town.

Random on internet: Uhh, Arsenal? Lol. Isn't that one Arrow's boy that became a junkie, lolol.

Jason, appearing out of nowhere: *five thousand word essay about Arsenal, his merits, and how insensitive society that ends up with passive-agressive "hope it helps!" sentence*

Random hater: Red Robin is easily the most useless bird in Bats, idc.

Jason, spawning in comments: Say that again

Of course, if you try to question Jason about that matter, he will never admit it. In fact, he often switches accounts if he feels like any of Bats are close to finding out who is writing these furious reddit posts, but. But Barbara knows. And every time Jason tries to bully someone in the family in real life, she can't help but tease him subtly.

Jason: Urgh, man, you suck. How could you miss these idiots?

Tim, frustruated: Fuck off

Barbara, in comms: User "WonderSon" would drag your ass for bullying Red, btw.

Tim: Yes, he fucking wouldddd

Jason: ...

Jason: *tired sigh*

[drenched-in-sunlight]

family tea party.

(in my mind, Radagon is the pure Order with no kindness half, and he always yearns to converge with Marika + be on equal footing with her, so in my drawing he’ll always be kinda nuts)

[zeropro]

This may be broad but what all do you like? Is it more than pokemon and transformers?

man called out for having no interests...

[olasketches]

[sinn-bee]

Five of Swords

-Lbh and Lqg during the five years-

“𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑡, 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑎 𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠.”

I loved overlaying the meaning of this card on these two, makes me Insane

Only one more day of me pleading you to take a look at this 🥺 I just think it’s fun to think about

[falmerbrook]

Falmer appearance and attire headcanons

(click on drawings for more details and notes!)

Hair

In Skyrim, we pretty much only see two hair styles to go off of: completely bald and the hair the "shaman" have (which are also the only females we see (a post for another day)).

In concept art, particularly Adam Adamowicz's, we see more potential hairstyles. He draws it as wispy and messy, as well as containing braids and the ties we see in the shaman in the game. This art is largely what defines my own interpretation of their hair.

I picture the typical Falmer hair as wavy, thin, wispy, and looking frizzy. Given the high number of hairless Falmer we see, I imagine baldness is common, particularly among males, and sometimes among females. Their hair can be commonly styled into braids or knots to keep it under control.

The ability to grow long, thick hair is less common, but those who can tend to style it in other unique ways. Especially among females, long hair is commonly styled into large dense locs (akin to a Polish plait) and held into shapes using ropes or leather ties.

(While I think the intention with the way their hair is drawn and modelled in the game models and concept art was that it was braided and held up with those ties, before looking at it closely I always sorta interpreted it as too stiff to just be braided. As a result, I developed the locs headcanon and have become kinda attached to it even though I have 0 in game or lore support for it)

Materials

The material used in their clothing is obviously dependent on what is accessible to them, and given their unique situation that makes the materials they use and value unique as well. In Skyrim, we see that almost all of their armor (which is mostly what we see them wearing) and homes are made of chaurus chitin (and potentially shellbug chitin), so this is likely the most common resource available to them for non-combative coverings as well. Other materials from their arthropods companions could include their cocoons, unhatched eggs, etc.

Bones from other creatures (draugr, skeevers, trolls, adventurers, bandits, etc.) underground or from aboveground raids could also be used fairly often. These could also provide a source of leather or fur, albeit not a lot of it.

Falmer groups and subcultures inside or in close proximity to Dwemer ruins probably make regular use of the materials present in those ruins as well. With all the metal and machinery present in Dwemer ruins, metal probably makes regular appearances in their clothing (and general decorations) even if they can't manipulate it themselves. Falmer more separated from Dwemer ruins would make much lesser use of these materials, however. Additionally, We see implications of Falmer preparing, cooking, and potentially cultivating fungus in-game, but see nothing indicating they have any plants in their diet, and therefore it is unlikely they regularly make or use textiles or fabrics in their clothing, and if they do they likely come form Dwemer ruins or raided adventurers/bandits/settlements from the surface.

On that note, we know that there have supposedly been incidents of Falmer coming to the surface to attack its inhabitants and travelers, as well as instances of them killing bandits, adventurers, and researchers who venture below, so it's not far fetched to believe that they have access to some materials from the surface. This could give them some access to furs from surface animals, beads, glass, jewelry, textiles, metal objects, etc. they might not otherwise have access to. The rarity of these material among the Falmer would depend on the amount of access any given group of Falmer have to the surface, but among many of them these materials could be seen as more valuable for their rarity and the difficulty to gain them.

While gemstones and ore might be accessible from both natural deposits and underground ruins, unless they had some kind of auditory function or unique texture, they might not have much value to Falmer.

General Attire/Accessories

I like to imagine that the Snow Elves, and by extension the Falmer, have an innate cold resistance in the same way Nords do, and therefore don't require clothes for the purpose of warmth even in the chilly caves of Skyrim. Additionally, their blindness likely means that wouldn't dress for visual aesthetic either. My thoughts are that they are then left with the sense of sound and touch to communicate with each other, and their clothing and accessories could reflect that.

Falmer clothing, decoration, and society in general is very heavily based on touch and texture and little on appearances. They touch each other very often for both communication, movement, and just general day-to-day interactions, and their clothes isn’t very modest, but the tactile patterns and materials used can communicate certain things such as position in society, “wealth”/power, whether they are taken, single, pregnant, with a child, etc., their roles, their age, notable achievements/skills, who is who, etc. on both their clothes and buildings. The more noise one makes, the more attention they draw and the more they drown out other noises, and the more noise making things they can “afford” to have, so the amount of noise one makes in a Falmer settlement is a status symbol. Certain types of noises or noise makers are more coveted than others (chitin beads are common, while furs are less common, and materials only gained from raiding the surface are rare and coveted).

Some noise making accessories could include:

Dangling metal, bones, beads, chitin, etc. that hangs off of their clothing or ears and jingle/clank against each other (in my drawing I show them as pretty uniform in shape and size, but they would probably be much more irregular than I depicted them)

Bells (metal or other materials) that are affixed to or dangle off of their clothing or as earrings.

Hollow bracelets, anklets, necklaces, or other accessories that are filled with rocks or beads.

Rattles tied to the body (made of chitin, dried hollow chaurus eggs, dried chaurus cocoons, beads, etc.) with leather or rope.

Flute or whistle like tubes made of metal, chitin, or dried and treated tube-like fungus that makes a woodwind-esque noise when air passes through it in a certain way. They have been designed to make noise easily from even the slightest movements.

Dried grasses (more temporary) tied to the body that make a swishy noise. More permanently, a similar thing can be achieved with hair. The hair can be sourced from Falmer (either through just cutting hair or through taking it from fallen enemies) or killed humans/mer/draugr. That sort of thing can also act as a kind of trophy.

Necklaces with various materials dangling close together that jingle against each other.

Various materials can be tied into braids or the leather ties in their hair as well.

Some textural accessories could include:

Beads. Since they wouldn't have the ability to tell the color of the beads, the patterning of beadwork would be based on the roughness, material, size, or shape of the beads. (I'm sorry I suck as drawing beads)

Furs. This wouldn't be as common since the Falmer likely don't have too much interaction with furry mammals, but some they may have access to that are big enough to make clothing/accessories out of include skeevers or trolls (and potentially rarely animals from the surface). A potential meaning of wearing furs could be as hunting trophies, but it could have other meanings as well.

Chaurus chitin would like be the most common material in Falmer attire, and depending on the part of the chaurus body, the size of the chaurus, or the life stage of the chaurus it was sourced from it could have different textures. Some chitin parts could include large spikes and deep groves, while other parts could be smoother and less rough. The use of this chitin in clothing could take advantage of this contrast in textures. Additionally, chitin or shells from shell bugs might be a different texture from the chaurus chitin. (it's unclear to me whether shell bugs are exclusive to the caves around the Forgotten Vale or if we should consider them distributed throughout Skyrim's underground)

The placement of textured components on the body could have their own meaning to it alongside what accessories or textures are being used.

Specific Falmer Subcultures

While most Falmer settlements we see in Skyrim are just a small-ish collection of huts and chaurus corrals, there are two distinctive settlements that are larger, seemingly more organized, and I like to think have their own distinct subcultures worth mentioning: Blackreach and the Forgotten Vale. The unique scope and environment of these Falmer cities (as I like to think of them) could lend to unique clothing cultures as well.

The Falmer of Blackreach have access to a vast Dwemer settlement and have has the space to spread out throughout it more fully since it seems to be more in tact than other Dwemer ruins we see. These guys would likely have a clothing culture much more heavily based on what the can access from these Dwemer ruins (metal scraps, leftover fabrics, etc.)

The Falmer of the Forgotten Vale would also have access to unique resources, such as Vale deer, Vale sabre cats, and frost giants for fur and leather. Additionally, materials accessed from the Chantry of Auri-El such as textiles from clothing, bedding, tapestries, etc. could give them a greater access to fabrics than other Falmer groups. We don't see many close Dwemer settlements to the Vale, so they would have less Dwemeri influence in their clothing than other Falmer groups.

I like to think that the Falmer's evolution exclusively underground has made them poorly equipped to handle the outdoors during the day and has made them particularly susceptible to sunburn, necessitating the need for covering for those in the Forgotten Vale who have significant settlements outdoors. With greater access to textiles and leather, they could use them as coverings when outdoors.

Armor

I actually have very few notes on armor, for two reasons. 1) I hate designing and drawing armor. It is the bane of my existence. 2) I really like the armor they have in game! I think they look awesome aesthetically, and I like how clearly they are made from chaurus chitin. Per usual, Adam Adamowicz's designs seem to have been the major inspiration for the Falmer armor, and he did a great jobs (even if it isn't the most functional looking armor ever).

(off topic but I also just want to add that he draws them with little hairs and tufts on their ears and I love it. ok that is all)

I do have a few thoughts about armor though.

Even attire made of textiles make noise when someone moves in them, and I can imagine moving around in armor, especially armor made of hard, insect shells would make a lot of noise when someone moves around in it. When you're relying on sound to navigate your environment and pinpoint potential threats or targets, wearing something making a lot of noise would not be ideal. On the other hand, getting into a fight unarmored would be a problem.

So here's my solution: heavy armor (see below) would only be worm within the camps/settlements where noise was already high and space is more cramped (and therefore more risky in a fight) as a sort of guard in case they were attacked. Those guarding the settlements along the outside might still wear armor as well, but less of it. Those going out to scout or hunt (if they do hunt) would wear as little armor as possible, and try to wear it strategically so that it wouldn't rub against itself and make noise. This is why most Falmer we encounter in the game are wearing little except for loin cloths and kneepads.

One more idea I have for armor is a specific armor piece. On the note of guarding or protecting a camp or settlement, I imagine the noises of it all (especially with the noise based headcanons I've laid out here) would make it hard to actually catch any potential threats when you can't see. A large slightly concave piece of armor worn behind the head could block out noises from behind the wearer, as well as a help focus sounds ahead of them.

That is all! Thank you for reading! A lot of these concepts around the culture of sound I think could also be applied to their buildings and even a culture of music, but those are posts for another time.

All of the concept art I used was taken from here and all of the Skyrim screenshots are from UESP.

[sugarsnappeases]

returning to the arms of my lover (jstor) oh how i have missed her

[saturngalore]

afrofuturism🪐

☆ one ~ solange hair by darknightt (tsr warning) ☆ two ~ loretta hair by @simtric ☆ three ~ bahati braids by @sheabuttyr ☆ four ~ isonoe hair by octetsica ☆ five ~ binah braids by @sheabuttyr ☆ six ~ cornrows & curls hair by @leeleesims1 ☆ seven ~ indie hair by @sashima ☆ eight ~ loc petals by @shespeakssimlish ☆ nine ~ mnemosyne hair by octetsica ☆

mini dedication essay to black simmers and ts4 creators below! pls read if you have the chance! <3

this edit is a small homage to afrofuturism and the various unique black hairstyles (and especially the black creators of most of these hairs) that i have downloaded and admired over the years! some of these are old and some of these are new.

to me, afrofuturism means constantly honoring/reclaiming/challenging the past while constantly creating/dreaming of a better society/world/future. a society/world/future that embraces and empowers all of our differences, ingenuity, aspirations, and unique lived/cultural experiences. a society/world/future that does not limit us through the various systems of marginalization and oppression (racism, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, sexism, xenophobia, ableism, classism, colorism, etc.) that often affects how we, as black people, live today.

blackness is so diverse and intricate yet it's always been a struggle to find my culture within a game that's known for being so limiting, bland, and extremely eurocentric when it comes to hairstyles, clothing, food traditions/events, etc. black simmers have always had to figure out how to make this game more inclusive and make it resemble either more like how our ancestors lived, how our current lives are, or how we would want our lives (and even our children's lives) to look like in the future no matter how dystopian the real world look and feel now. fortunately, these hairs and their uniqueness bring a huge sense of culture and style to this game. they have always inspired me and made me feel extremely proud to a part of the lovely african diaspora (and the ever-growing black simmer community).

in a way, being a black simmer and cc creator usually means that we are often digitally creating our own worlds as afrofuturists to varying degrees (whether we know it or not) every time we open our game, make our sims, make houses, and/or make black cultural cc. also, now i know that cc making is not easy to do and is extremely time-consuming so this post is also just me giving all black cc creators especially those who create for free their well-deserved flowers! here are some other black cc creators who created cc that have greatly impacted my game since i first started playing sims 4: @/leeleesims1 @/simtric @/hi-land @/yuyulie @/sims4bradshaw @/ebonixsims @/xmiramira @/sheabuttyr @/qwertysims @/oplerims @/sleepingsims @/shespeakssimlish and so many more im forgetting probably (im too shy rn to tag ppl but i greatly appreciate y’all fr i hope y’all telepathically get this message somehow 😭).

last but not least, i am hoping that this inspires somebody to keep creating or start creating regardless of what they think their skill level is! somebody will absolutely fall in love with your work and/or your art/work will 100% change someone's game forever <333

[gaffney]

THE KARATE KID (1984) / COBRA KAI (2018-2025)

[warlenys]

first s17 prophecy basically abbott crossover gets like 2 million live viewers who enjoy the incredible ep and so then all stay to watch the second of the double episode premiere the gang goes to a dog park they get traumatised watching dennis wank off a dog then spend the next week launching the most severe cancellation campaign on twitter meanwhile we’re celebrating that dennis’ dog wanking practically canonised his bisexuality (frank said “i’m not doing it it’s a dude!” dennis goes “…i’ll do it then” with a bi twinkle in his eye) our focus on the yaoi only turns the cancellers more against us they insist we’re perverts who would throw away any morals for shitty gay representation we insist we’re not we spend the week arguing our corner until the next wednesday ep3 mac and dennis become emts airs in which mac and dennis practice mouth to mouth on each other and it turns to full passionate making out for like 10 seconds they break away and the episode never mentions it again we then start celebrating and everyone on twitter has just had their convictions confirmed they intensify their hate campaign we’re battling them whilst having the best day of our lives they insist we’re getting heavily queerbaited almost brainwashed by in their eyes fake yaoi just so that we’ll adopt the abhorrent politics of the worst show on television our case is not helped by the rest of the season actively avoiding mentioning the macdennis kiss at all but we know it’s real we get macdennis summer and the sunny fandom gets permanently blacklisted in the minds of the woke left forever

[katherinemckay]

one musical to movie change i haven't really seen anyone talk about is the subtle difference in how glinda's potential future with the wizard is laid out to her before defying gravity (and how that changes how you can read her motivations).

in the musical the wizard explictly says "you have so many opportunities ahead of you - you both do" and then that's that, so glinda has reason to believe she has a legitimate future with the wizard regardless of whether elphaba's there. this can play into the interpretation that she stays behind for her own ambitions - she clearly has opportunities waiting for her.

however, this actually isn't how it comes across in the movie, at least to me. the wizard's original inclusion of glinda in his plans is changed from explicitly mentioning opportunity to just "you having a home here [...] and if it'll make you happy, possibly, your friend." in the movie version, the wizard directly states only that glinda would be joining them in the palace - and it's merely a suggestion as an addition to elphaba (she's even just referred to as her friend, not being spoken directly to) to make elphaba want to stay, rather than him describing glinda as someone who could have her own individual opportunities.

then, when elphaba runs away, morrible tells glinda "you want to do yourself some good, bring her back." here, morrible now suggests that glinda could do something for herself and her individual future. what i find interesting is that glinda instead jumps on the hot air balloon with elphaba and even fights off the guards with her. while glinda does try to talk elphaba down for awhile ("let's just have a word with them," "you've got to let him explain," etc.), she ultimately abandons this approach by the time elphaba has chosen to defy gravity.

in the movie, glinda goes against morrible's direct orders of bringing elphaba back when she accepts elphaba's choice to leave and helps her get ready. this means that by supporting elphaba in her decision, glinda actually abandons the chance she believes she has to finally get in with morrible (and by extension the wizard). in movie-verse, glinda really has no reason to believe staying behind without elphaba could advance her own ambitions, because both the wizard and morrible have laid out a potential future for her that is reliant on having elphaba at her side and keeping elphaba compliant to them (and using glinda to do that). i don't think that movie!glinda ultimately stays behind for selfish/power-seeking reasons, because the wizard and morrible haven't actually suggested to her that she has a path alongside them as an individual. (they also just truly show no interest in glinda as an individual person in a much more obvious way than in the musical, but that could be its own post.)

ariana grande has spoken a couple times on how one of the emotions glinda feels in the added hug scene with morrible is relief, and i think this all is why. glinda chose to stay behind while helping elphaba escape, knowing it was disobeying what was asked of her. given glinda is also being detained by the guards in that moment, i think that relief comes from her genuinely not having known if she would be safe or would become essentially a prisoner after staying behind, and feeling relief when morrible does free/accept her and suggests there's still a path for her.

there's definitely moral grayness to discuss with how glinda accepts her position within the regime and settles into it, but i think (in movie-verse) the actual choice to stay behind isn't one of those moments — it wasn't established to glinda that staying behind without elphaba could actually lead her to power and opportunity with the wizard, and she directly goes against the one path to power that was suggested to her by helping elphaba leave.

[kald-dal-art]

Video Essay so good I had to draw fan art for it, I will give you justice Amethia Tope one day 🙏

[cheemerthelizard]

something that I've noticed upon rewatch (and rewatch and rewatch and rewatch) of mp100 is how blood is treated like a serious injury.

A lot of shonen battles have their characters cough up blood or gush blood from every pore in their body. It does levy the drama a bit, but as an audience we know it's for dramatic effect.

Mob Psycho 100 makes sure that when the audience sees blood, we know it's serious. During the battle with Suzuki, the biggest battle of the series (in terms of the fate of the world), nobody has more than some scratches and swollen eyes. They're visibly beaten up, yes, but when compared to other shonen series, you'd think that things are just getting started.

However, in Mob's flashback to his childhood, we can see that the delinquents have a pool of blood surrounding them. This was a serious injury that Mob caused. It scarred him so much that he stopped using his powers, and by proxy, his emotions.

This is not to say that other shonen that use blood in their epic fights are bad. I would be lying if I said that I didn't like seeing blood-soaked characters keep fighting despite the odds. I just wanted to show that Mob Psycho uses its visual cues differently and deliberately, because it's a series that is very deliberate with a lot of what it does.

[nickpeppermint]

So i watched it, and this mf doesn't know what he's talking about AT ALL

He whines that Elio doesn't have a unique shape (neither do protagonists of Coco / Inside out / most of Incredibles cast which he praises) and completely ignores all the unique aliens, which INTENTIONALLY CONTRAST to humanoid Elio

He doesn't know the difference between art style, character appearance and silhouette, and he only sees it as a marketability tool

He doesn't bring shape language reasons, characters should be shaped like squares just for funnies i guess

He says that Elio's design is not memorable, and compares him to characters from Up, who is the most generic normal people, who looks this way for relatability sake, they're recognizable only because you've already seen this movie as a kid

If you draw Carl or Russell in a different art style you wouldn't recognize em i swear, while Elio, Mei, Luca have tons of distinct and unique features

You don't need to make character a dodecahedron to make him memorable, the design must correlate to its tone first, Elio rounded cuz he's friendly and inoffensive

If you relate more to Carl than to Elio or Luca or Mei well it's because you're old af, and just hate everything new

"But Pixar used to be about animals and objects n shit, now there are too many humans" first of all, most Pixar movies have big human focus in them, second Elio isn't just about the single human, there are wacky aliens, Luca has sea monsters, Turning Red has big effing red panda, are these not unique and memorable enough creatures?

I can cherry pick a bunch of old characters with Le Bean Mouth, but which is only bad now because a meme said so, and we all must hop on a trend made by a bunch of a-holes who have no idea what they're talking about and spread negativity about the movie they haven't even seen