#that would have been really unique and useful

[markrosewater]

"I think I used the word “promise” poorly in that sentence."- I say this as respectfully as I can, Mark, but this feels disingenuous. You have described the former commitment to Magic-IP versions of Secret Lairs as a promise multiple times, across several years- it wasn't a one-off mistake. I recognise that this wasn't up to you yourself to restore or to break, but when you have frequently called it a promise, you can surely understand why some fans would react badly to it being removed?

With 20/20 hindsight, I agree that I need to be better about specific word usage (I really need to just not use the word “promise”), and for that I truly apologize. And yes, I do get why people are upset.

The point I was trying to make is there is an important difference between “we’re going to never do thing X ever again” and “here’s our current plan to address a problem”.

I can’t promise we’ll forever always do anything. The game is in constant flux. Things that seem like they would never leave, have. Products that seemed like staples stopped getting made. I can tell you what we’re doing right now, but it’s impossible to tell you what we’ll always do.

The core issue with the unique Secret Lair cards has always fundamentally been this: “we understand that some players won’t have access to them, so we’re going to find ways to give players access outside of Secret Lair”. That was the problem that we were trying to solve.

It was never about promising that every Universe Beyond mechanically unique card would appear in an in-Universe version. We did that for a while with the unique Secret Lair cards because The List was our means to do it, but that was a by-product of the tools at our disposal.

I do understand the frustrations as we’ve been taking a while to figure out how to best get the unique Secret Lair designs out. But we will. We are dedicated to doing that. We don’t want Secret Lair to be a gate to mechanical designs.

To sum up, I’m sorry that I didn’t do a better job at explaining what problem we were solving. It is something I’m going to be more careful with going forward.And I have communicated to the Secret Lair team that more communications about their plans is eagerly desired.

[cindylou-who7]

WE NEED TO TALK, SAMS DISCORD.

Some as many of you know in the fandom of SAMS and all other shows, there is a discord where you can join and connect with others of the fandom, join contests, etc etc etc.

The discord is mostly knon to host events for artists where some get picked and get featured in videos in the show they were based off.

However, I'd like to bring to bring to light a very serious matter. The discord and the mods running it.

Now, some of the mods aren't bad people. They're doing their jobs and are nice and welcoming. Others, not so much. In the discord, there are various rules you must follow for events and being in the discord itself. Like no fighting, be respectful, etc.

However, the rules for art seems to be....out of control.

I say this because some of the rules don't really make sense. For example (and this happened to me), when I first joined and shared my first ever fanart for Moonie and Sunny for the Femme Show, my art was deleted because "it had too many watermarks" and counted as "self promotion", which was against the rules. So I erased the watermarks and resubmitted. All good. My mistake honestly at that time. But then I saw that others were able to submit their submissions with their watermarks for YT and other platforms. So why was mine deleted then?

But I got over it. But then, Femme had announced a fashion show art event, one I was extremely excited for and wanted to join. So, I spent a full day (maybe day and a half) researching, creating and making a drawing of the sisters for my submitted it once I deemed it had no errors and was to my liking. So far, perfect. It was accepted without any problems. Until I woke up the next day and saw a message from the Helpi bot. My submission had been deleted.

One of the mods tagged me and a few other artists, saying our submissions had been deleted because A NEW RULE had been added last minute regarding Clipsy's design and we had to redo our submissions. These are the screenshots I took, along with the last minute change:

The mod and the person in charge of the events never specified WHY Clipsy's design (at that time) was no longer allowed to be used in the events and we were now being told HOURS later of our submissions that we had to redo them. Like, excuse me?? Redo HOURS of work?! "Needs to be more unique?" You know how offensive and dismissive that is? (And it bothers me because I once saw the person in charge of the events complain that people didn't "take their time" with their submissions during another event, where users could submit art as posters for the new Sun and Moon dimension, because we were given two weeks. And I get it. It's a lot of time. Yet one of the mods who is an artist as well, submitted theirs a day or so later after that no problem).

For reference, this was my submission:

And this was Clipsy's OF design at the time:

Again, NO explanation WHY her model was suddenly no longer allowed to be used and we were given absolutely NO warning that our submissions would be deleted. Again, last minute rule they added in. (Some people in the fandom have stated the reason Clipsy's design was changed was because the OG person who made this design was problematic. But I've never seen anyone confirm that). But if that was true, why not just say "due to personal issues, Clipsy's design is no longer canon. Plz recreate her in your vision". It sounds MUCH BETTER.

Not only that, but tracing and stealing art is 100% against the rules. Yet people are constantly getting away with it and most of the mods aren't being as serious about it as art submissions. Someone in one of the Sun and Moon animation reaction videos was able to steal another artist's video and submitted as their own, which Davis and Reed reacted to and gave them credit by accident. Where's the protection there??

Not only that, but no other artists well known in the fandom are being copied off of and now are being accused as thieves, while the thieves themselves are receiving all the credit.

Artists TsukinsBun is the latest victim and it's horrible. And they're already going through a lot and it's not fair. (Plz support them. Give them some love).

So, I just came to say that the discord is ridiculous and THIS is why I became 1000% disappointed and discouraged to ever join another event or anything in the discord. Because artists are not being respected or helped and people in this fandom do toxic. And it is not fair. And I'm not blaming EVERY WORKER OR THE VAS in the discord, but some of these mods aren't really helping either when they're being dismissive of this stuff.

I once called out the deletion of my spoast submissions (jokingly) and the person in charge of the events said I didn't need to have that kind of attitude. I apologized, but also explained that it was rather unfair and kinda exhausting having your work deleted without warnings. (And it's not even about joining the event, I just wanna share art man). I never got a response back.

But, that's all for me today. Fellas. Just focus on your work, your passions. Don't try and join events for validation or whatever. The right audience will find you and you are all beautiful people. Peace ✌️

[basket-of-radiants]

I'm not sure I've seen you talk about the Szeth flashbacks much. Did you like them at all? It was probably one of the only parts of the book I liked personally

True, I have not discussed them much. I can do that! I liked them well enough! They were cute! Also they contained Szeth, and Szeth is always great, as a character he is above criticism, even if he's in a scene where stupid stuff is happening.

Prior to W&T, I think there was already a lot we knew about him, at least from context clues. We knew he was a kind and good person in the past (he sincerely abhored violence and cruelty). We knew he had a genuine love of motion (just LOOK at his chapters, if Szeth wasn't somehow a dancer in his past, I would have called bullshit). We knew that he loved his family, and that he missed his home, and that he was ridiculously clever and skilled at basically everything, and that he'd trained with all the honorblades, and that he'd heard voices which guided him as a child. And we knew he had a massive complex around truth. He'd claimed the radiants and voidbringers had returned, and he'd been told that was a lie so grave that he deserved to live as a Truthless for the rest of his life. I didn't know the exact details, but I had an idea of the shape of his past.

So going into his backstory, my main question was "what is this guy's deal, why does he behave like this". I was undeniably curious as well, to the causal events that led him from being a shepherd's son to being the coolest smartest deadliest badass on the planet, but really that could have been anything. (Oh I also wanted to know how he learned literally every single language ever, I assume the rest of you were clamoring for that as well.)

Szeth is a very strange person. For the first couple books, I think we'd be excused for thinking "huh I guess he's from a culture with really strict notions of honor and really anti-consequentialist notions of justice, the Shin people sure have some unique values and norms, interesting worldbuilding." But by Oathbringer you're probably getting the inkling that even compared with the rest of his people, Szeth is probably a little Extra. One of my big questions for this book on the whole was "what the fuck is up with Shinovar, do they really all act this way????" The answer is no they do not. It was very funny to finally see his backstory, and everyone else is a normal person, and Szeth is Just Like That.

Except he's not Just Like That, not really? He was predisposed to take instructions too literally, but I don't think that was his entire personality, mostly he just wanted to be a good boy. He probably could have grown out of that mentality on his own, at least somewhat, as he grew and learned to see the world as a complicated place. But not so long as he had a Voice in his head at all times, telling him exactly what to do at every turn. His entire life he's been fed orders to obey, he's never been permitted to make choices of his own, he's never been allowed to learn and grow from his mistakes. Szeth is responsible for all of his decisions, in that he has always been the one physically taking the actions, but also the decisions themselves have never been his. Ishar was in Szeth's very thoughts, grooming him into the perfect, obedient soldier. Even when Szeth did do things of his own volition, it always seemed to serve the Voice's agendas, leaving it unclear if he was ever in control of his actions. In the end Ishar wasn't especially bothered by what course Szeth took, so long as it left him colder, harder, and more useful. (Which is why as much as people make fun of this scene, Szeth saying "I am the law" and then throwing it all away in front of Ishar's face was something he probably had to do, to thematically bring that all to a close.)

Anyway, none of that is the answer to "what is Szeth's deal?" It's the answer I'd thought I wanted but it's not the important thing about him. No, the most important, the most in-your-face-from-his-first-words-of-introducton, the most fundamental piece of Szeth-son-son-Vallano turned out to be something else entirely. When he fought Kaladin, it was very clear that he knew some dark truth, but that he would prefer kill and then to die and then to suffer eternal torment rather than acknowledge it. We were lead to believe it was the returning of the desolations, but that was just a part of it. The real truth he was repressing was that his father was wrong. At the end of everything, Szeth was just a kid who loved his dad.

Meaning I think I got what I was hoping to get from his backstory. They were a fairly good time. His family was pretty sweet. And I liked how the flashback chapters weren't written with the same tongue-in-cheek prose that eventually wore very thin with the main story. I also enjoyed seeing some of Shinovar and it's culture. Honestly, I could have used a lot more of that in the main plot as well. (Please show me real interactions with locals, give us more of a before and after here, I don't think everyone in the entire country is in some depressive fugue state.)

Unfortunately there was no on-screen scene wherein Szeth was sat down to be taught every single language on planet, so at the end of the day I have to call these chapters a 0/10.

[lancermylove]

Can I request a scenario with gn!mc being a contortionist or just really flexible and seeing how the brothers react? I just think it would be super funny seeing the bros watching their human bend like a literal pretzel and probably freaking out because humans normally should not bend able to bend like that. (Also love your work)

Pairing: None.

Warning: None.

A/N: Thank you! 💖

Word Count: 615

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The House of Lamentation was unusually quiet for a Saturday afternoon until Lucifer’s voice echoed through the halls.

“Y/n, are you sure you’re… supposed to bend like that?”

The brothers had gathered in the common room, initially to relax, but the conversation shifted when you casually mentioned that you used to practice contortion as a hobby. The brothers absolutely had to see a demonstration.

Now, you were balancing on your hands, one leg gracefully arched over your head while the other extended forward. You shifted smoothly into a backbend, spine arching in an impossible crescent as if you were made of rubber, not bone.

Lucifer stood with his arms crossed, brows furrowed. “I’m fairly certain that human spines are not meant to do that.”

His voice was calm, but a flicker of concern was visible in his eyes. Meanwhile, Mammon had his mouth open, eyes wide. “WH-WHAT THE HELL, Y/N? YA LOOK LIKE YA JUST GOT POSSESSED OR SOMETHIN’. Humans can’t do that! Can they?”

Levi clutched his Ruri-chan pillow tightly, his face flushed. “T-this is like that one rare episode of…! The main character’s secret move was extreme flexibility, but even that wasn’t this crazy! Y/n, are you part snake? Or an octopus? No, no, I take that back, it’s kind of… amazing.”

Asmo squealed, clasping his hands together with stars in his eyes. His mind was already racing through glamorous outfit ideas to pair with your unique ability. “Oh my goodness, y/n, you’re divine! So graceful! So flexible! The things we could do in photoshoots… oh, imagine the aesthetic possibilities!”

Beel was holding a plate stacked with sandwiches and paused mid-bite. “Are you sure you’re not hurting yourself? That doesn’t look safe.”

Belphie blinked slowly from his spot on the couch, head resting on a pillow. He yawned. “Huh… weird. But kinda cool, I guess. You’re like one of those bendy toys. I didn’t think humans were built like that… must be exhausting though.”

Satan, who had been observing intently with his usual scholarly interest, tilted his head. He was impressed. “Fascinating. The human spine has thirty-three vertebrae, yet you’re moving as if you have none. Your muscle control and flexibility exceed the standard biological limits by a shocking margin. Did you train for years to achieve this? Or are you naturally gifted?”

You chuckled as you slowly twisted into a pretzel-like knot. “A little of both. Lots of training, but I’ve always been pretty flexible.”

Mammon continued pacing back and forth. “I-I mean, that’s great and all, but what if ya snap somethin’? What if ya break your spine, and I’m stuck explainin’ to Lucifer why his precious human is in a full body cast?”

“You make it sound like I’m made of glass,” you laughed, now flipping over into a handstand with effortless grace.

Asmo clapped again. “Sweetie, you might just inspire me to take up yoga! But I doubt I’d ever be able to bend like that.”

Satan scribbled notes in a little leather notebook, muttering to himself, “Perhaps I should study more about contortionist techniques. This could make an excellent research topic.”

Levi was still flustered. “You… you’re kinda like a real-life anime character.”

Lucifer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just promise me you won’t practice these… stunts… unsupervised in the middle of the hallway, where Mammon is likely to have a heart attack and drag me into unnecessary panic.”

You grinned while lowering yourself into a full middle split. “Deal.”

Belphie yawned again. “Wake me up if they start spinning their head like in those horror movies.”

The brothers simultaneously glared at him while you burst into laughter, still folded in half like it was nothing.

[eppilem]

Deltarune Thought 4: Ramb fan theme appreciation post

Yo shout out to both of these Ramb boss themes for being uh. REALLY good for their own reasons:

The use of Attack of the Killer Queen instruments in reference with Ramb's origins in the Cyber World is SO SMART. And I love the way the leitmotifs are implemented- especially with how the freedom motif is woven into Glaceir. Like HELLO the buildup is SO GOOD. There's just SO many motifs here it's actually insane.

The amount of GROOVE in this is AMAZING. Like the mood and slower tempo makes this take STAND OUT when it comes to sounding unique compared the preceding secret bosses. Like even the freedom motif is utilized uniquely here compared to BIG SHOT! And don't think I can't hear the Pepper Steak motif in there... ugh I love this one so much

---

When it comes to imagining a Ramb boss (which I have been doing. A LOT) these two themes have been my main sources of inspiration. And it has really made me consider how I would pace the fight- both are REALLY GOOD FOR DIFFERENT VIBES. and I love that. So yeah uh. AMT and Lunaxis are goated

That DAMN Roaring Knight and their DAMN Shadow Crystal that was meant for my BOY

[stars-obsession-pit]

It could be interesting to see a fic about like, the founding of the GIW.

Well, I’m mainly thinking about the fanon version where they’re specifically called the Ghost Investigation Ward. Because like, does that mean they were originally just a research team? If so, how did that work?

Unless they’re really new, their founding would have predated the invention of artificial ghost portals. So did they have a convenient unusually-long-lasting natural portal, or did they have to run around chasing after hints of ghostly events?

Then even if they did find a ghost, how much would they actually know about what to do? They’re not the brightest currently, and they’d’ve known even less back then. Plus, unless the invention of ecto-tech and the associated ghost science stuff predates their creation, they’d have been working with cruder methods.

I assume they’d have Blood Blossoms, but what else? They’d probably want a smorgasbord of different things to try so they can learn what methods to use going forward. The well-known things like salt or religious symbols would likely be the first choices, but what else? Combinations of those things? Did they ever attempt communication, or had the misconception of ghosts as nonsentient already become entrenched? Where did that idea come from, anyway?

…wait, do they think ghosts are nonsentient? I don’t recall if that was ever actually confirmed, and they’re military adjacent so I could absolutely see some of them not actually caring about killing sentient ghosts if it meant “protecting” the US.

And if they predated modern ecto-tech, how did the switch happen? Were they the pioneers of the field, or did they merely adopt the work of others? How long did the change in methods take, and how much quackery did they have to sift through in the process? Also, how secretive are they about their own research? Some of their inventions like the phasing suits seem unique to them, but is that all of it? After all, some aspects of ecto science must be known to the public since ghost hunters exist

And all that’s not even getting into the stuff like the Anti-Ecto Control Act. When/how did that get authorized? Was it early in their foundation, or did they lobby for it later? How did their militarization change with it?

[night-market-if]

I’m neurodivergent, so please do accept my apologies in advance if I don’t get the tone of my message right:

I’ve been a long time follower, and I’m always interested in reading your perspective on everyone’s comments.

I do agree that as protagonists go, the NM is (so far) one of the more passive I’ve encountered. I think that, in part, this can be chalked up to their initial circumstances, and the focus on establishing other characters, but there is definitely some fatigue on the side of IF/ VN players when it comes to blank slate MCs, which I do sympathise with. So often their sole purpose seems to serve as a passive, forgiving, and empathetic lens through which we explore other characters, and I myself am very wary of MCs that are “soft-feminine” coded, especially when there is no recourse to express your anger or be cold, tactical, assertive etc. As a female player, having your options stripped down like this can get tiresome very quickly, and at its worst, those types of characters can have an unpleasant, conservative/ misogynistic flavour to them. I’d sooner rip my own skin off than read one more game in which I’m forced into the role of another emotionally unguarded, awestruck MC who forgives all transgressions with a smile.

Although understandable, it’s also unfortunate that many authors tend to shy away from assigning traits that they fear will make MCs “unlikeable”, unknowingly stripping them of what, in my mind, often makes a living, breathing, loveable individual.

I’m not a fan of destined heroes or easy wins, the most memorable protagonists imo tend to be those that struggle, those who are in possession of a “spark” that they use to their advantage - an unhealthy obsession, cutting intelligence, dogged determination, an odd perspective - something that makes their personality compelling and uniquely suited to being the protagonist in a specific setting, whether they’re aware of it or not.

The NM in human form is such a unique concept, and I am very curious about what their character development will look like, and what their “spark” will turn out to be. That’s partly why I’m compelled to stick it out until the end, because this is their beginning, because they have so much potential, and because I have faith in the author.

Finally, I think the nature of game development is to constantly be in the unenviable position of seeking out feedback as you go, but I just wanted to give you props for engaging with people so readily, I know it can’t be easy - I myself would be a trembling ball of a raw nerve if I had to trawl through comments about my own writing. I want you to know that it is truly appreciated, and I hope you’ve drawn some value out of the miasma of voices on the internet.

So I think it is really interesting what you bring up which kind of goes back to what I've been saying before, that a lot of this is based on experience. You don't want to read more wide-eyed, passive and empathetic characters because of what you feel has dominated that market. I, on the other hand, would love to have more than that as opposed to the characters that are the over the top "I don't need anyone" kind of characters because I feel like the market has been oversaturated with that. And the idea that the ones that are empathetic and soft are 'feminine coded' is kind of something I would like to step away from because I think it does do a disservice to men who would like to see the world through those eyes. I love my big burly, romances with men but I also think that there is a lot of value to softer men. MC is a choosable gender and to say that things are feminine coded feels more like a social construct of our society than anything else.

In the end, I think we are both actually right on the oversaturation of different tropes so I can see where your frustration comes from. I think it all depends on what you've read and what your available books or media are.

Now, personally, I don't think I'm going in either direction with the MC. And I would love to assign more traits to the MC. I really really would. But, that's also something that is hard to code. What people do seem to forget when it comes to IF's is that we are solo developers having to write and code everything on our own. And for me, I do not work for Hosted or Choice of Games where they have an entire program set up to help with this. I actually have to teach myself coding through twine which if you are going in with no previous experience, is a difficult process. Each new path that is formed. Each new option that needs to come back later. Each personality trait. All of that is a different code to keep track of. A different box that has to be written in. And sometimes, a completely different chapter to write. So what might have been a 20k chapter suddenly turns into a 60k one because of all the choices and coding options. If I had a team working with me, I would LOVE to do this. It frustrates me that I can't. But, I am just one woman, working in between raising children, keeping a house, and having my own social life. It's not in the cards. But maybe one day. Fingers crossed that eventually, money and time will no longer be an issue.

[little-one-eyed-monsters]

So, I'm breaking my silence.

Hello friends from the BL side of Tumblr!

To my followers and mutuals, this blog has actually been on hiatus for a few weeks now. Aside from the occasional reblog, I haven't been posting as frequently as I used to.

I didn't mean to go on hiatus, but the primary reason I went on a much-needed break is because for the past couple of weeks, my asks and inbox have been plagued by some members of a particular solo fandom hell-bent on accusing me of spreading hate towards their artist in favor of another. These star-adjacent sasaengs apparently saw one of my "Hot Takes" here shared on X, and got it in their heads that I was hating on their "blonde baby" and siding with the "grandpa" (words THEY USED in the ACTUAL message! It would be so funny if it wasn't so convoluted).

Now, I don't know how a 24 year-old fully grown-adult became so helpless and infantilized in their eyes that they started calling him "my baby", and how a 34 year-old in the peak of his physique and career got labelled as a grandpa, but hey, what makes sense to these people right? I also don't understand how my Hot Takes, which stated verbatim that it's their agencies at fault, and labelled BOTH artists of the ship as victims (with me outlining how bad the backlash will get for each of them), could be seen as me "hating" on either actor. Just because I said that one artist, who is TEN YEARS YOUNGER than his former ship partner, doesn't have an actual criminal record, and has not been blacklisted on Thai media yet, will... recover his career? That I'm forecasting that he will... be okay in the long run? What do y'all want me to say, that your bias is SUFFERING MORE than his partner? That he needs our pity and protection?

Well yeah, he probably is suffering. But you lot isn't helping him any, with the way you're pitting them against each other. It seems you all have gone meta yourselves, too.

Anyway, I'm not new to the hate and drama that comes with delulu solo stans--this really isn't my first fandom rodeo, and with me working in media the way I do, I know hate is par for the course. But what really upset me most was that they came after me here on Tumblr-- the one social community I've been trying to keep as positive and as fun for myself and for my peers.

I love the discussions being done here, as they range from the random to the unhinged to the very introspective.

I love that I get to learn so much from other people who are self-professed (and actually professed) experts of this genre that's so new, unique, and highly unpredictable. I love that, even if I'm not a member of a fandom or actively voice my misconceptions about certain artists, some people take the time to correct my information and respectfully engage in communication. I love that I can say my honest opinions on here and be met with open and healthy discussion instead of hostility.

To have this safe little haven be taken away, just because some fans wanted to live out an RPF fantasy is unimaginably heartbreaking to say the least.

But what really took a toll on me was the doxxing. I posted here that I finished my PhD a few weeks ago, and attached a carefully cropped photo of my Master's thesis and Dissertation side by side. I wanted to keep my anonimity here on Tumblr (the same way these haters couldn't even turn off anon just to flood my inbox), so I removed my identity and the name of the universities I went to, but I also wanted to share this huge career milestone that I was genuinely proud of, so I posted that photo thinking I would be safe. One of the little shits reverse-searched the image and found my personal X and Facebook accounts, and started spamming me on there, INCLUDING COMMENTING ON MY PROFESSIONAL POSTS. My fault for keeping my security features lax I guess, but seriously, just because I said your fave should leave his company? You want to destroy me for documenting the very public downfall of a three week-old fandom?

Anyway, after I cleared all that mess up, reported who needed to be reported and almost filed lawsuits of my own (but just reverted to tightening my security and taking advantage of socmed's block features), I spent a few weeks unplugged to take time for myself. Spend time with friends and family, eat some good food, get some sleep. Watch my shows without the audience, enjoy media again the way it's supposed to be consumed.

And I'm back because as the dust settled, I realized I shouldn't let others' negative behaviors impact the way I engage with the media that gives me both joy and emotion in equal measure. I can't let them take that away from me and from others who also view these small communities as a safe space. At the end of the day, we're supposed to consume media not through merch and trends, but through discussions and shared experience.

And if keeping my blog the way it is--introspective and HONEST-- is the best way to combat toxic fandom culture, then so be it.

I refuse to refute my Hot Takes or opinions. These are mine and you're free to make yours, but you don't get to come after me just because you don't agree with what I say. I'm not even going to mention you all or give you the exposure you so clearly desire, and since you follow me I'm sure you'll see this post either way. Keep your negativity while I keep my positivity on my little corner of the internet.

Anyway, that's my piece posted and settled. It's also my official return to Tumblr blogging (but maybe in small increments, this whole thing really took a toll on me). I'm accepting asks once again and will work through the proper ones already sent my way. All my love and thanks to wonderful friends @silverquillsideas, Kat and Dori over at @dramalove247, Key of @thebroccolination, and the people over at the KristSingto and BossNoeul discord servers for being such bringers of joy, even though I wasn't exactly opening up about what I was going through. You guys are rockstars and thank you for being such good people.

That's all and stay kooky folks (but not too kooky 😅)!

[changeling-droneco]

I think what bugs me the most about live action reboots is that there is a way to do it well, that in many cases already exists, aka THE BROADWAYS THAT ALREADY EXIST

like fuck cgi lions or whatever! Just make a version of the broadway show that already exists in a lot of cases with a bigger budget! Not only would it give them an interesting visual identity, it would be a way to see these shows legit and be a fantastical form of preservation of the stage plays!

The idea of animation into live action isnt an inherent death sentence or even an inherently bad idea, its studios cutting corners, overusing cgi, and not wanting to take even the slightest risk that's killing these remakes.

Like even with the limited budget and potential of the space, look at HOW WELL frozen the musical does the broadway only song Monster, like it's not super flashy, but the use of fog and lights really helps sell the scene, could you IMAGINE what it would like with the full brunt of the disney creative team allowed to actually experiment and get interesting with it?

And here's a bit from the lion king musical, could you imagine this with like, more budget for environments and backgrounds? The expert use of more traditionally african styles of theater? Do you know how fucking cool a live action lion king movie done like this would have been????

Hell even the on ice versions at least know how to have fun

When people just say all live action adaptations are bad it's actually letting Disney get away with the fact that the bad live action isn't because its live action, but its because of the use of short cuts and cheap cash grabs. People have been making good and unique versions of disney movies for the stage where basically everything needs to be practical effects and real people for YEARS.

It's not an inherently bad idea to reinterpret animation as live action as long as you actually embrace you know, theater, and take some risks. Even if it turns out kind of mediocre, at least it's still ART it's still passion it's still something with its own identity.

I don't want a cgi movie pretending to be hyperrealistic, i want stage actors with puppets and symbolic outfits or hybrid designs that keep characters recognizable while also feasible for the actor. Not only should the disney live action trend be condemned for being shitty cash grabs that didnt need to exist, they should also be condemned as an insult that has utterly tanked the reputation of how damn good a live action remake with genuine passion in it can be.

These musicals are already really good, they don't need to be official movies, but if you want to do live action, this should have been the route to go on. These are really good or at least interesting, so giving people who know what they're doing the money and space to expand on them and take advantage of more space and room is just, so obviously the choice if you want to make a GOOD movie. However, it's not how you make the super profitable movie everyone hates but still goes to see.

Live action can work, there's so much interesting potential with live action! The fact Disney has so utterly disgraced the idea is just a shame to the genuine really cool art that people have and are actually making. Live action can work once you embrace it through more of a lens of theater.

Look at the difference between these two, and weep for what could have been if cgi animators were unionized and got to work in proper harmony with practical effects.

[cursed-40k-thoughts]

I would like to submit an offer, Dorn comes back but hes been tortured by the Iron warriors and hes been implanted with the butchers nails, but the years meditating with the pain alive means he has better control of himself than heresy angron did.

Also if Dorn comes back and I can't field him with black templars I'll cry thank you for coming to my ted talk.

I don’t think any primarch implanted with proper nails should or would be able to meditate into improved functionality. The device is so horrible and so twisted into the brain and spine of the person that even the Emperor couldn’t do shit about it. If any of them have the nails, they go insane. In fact, given that Dorn has a lot of anger and upset in him, he’d likely go just as insane as Angron.

If Dorn comes back and Black Templars can’t use him, it will be extremely funny. I get why it would suck, of course, for BT players, but the Templars spend so much time being different to the other Fist chapters and refusing to play ball (despite venerating Dorn) that them narratively not getting to have him present makes sense. I don’t think that’d happen, but it would be funny. If Dorn did come back (and frankly I’m a bit over loyalist primarchs coming back) he’d probably get shared keywords or something.

Still, imagine…

“We are special and unique and different and do our own thing! We deride Guilliman’s rules! We aren’t like other chapters! We are crusaders!”

“Okay. Your Dad doesn’t really want to be around you.”

“No, Daddy! :c”

[c6jpg]

Next time, I'll lock the windows too.

[ficsinhistory]

I just want to make it clear that I will be in the trenches for Amy Rose and I am begging Paramount to give her an explosive personality.

She is not the mother of the group who scolds the boys, if anything she's the one who makes the plans with Tails to make sure they don't get caught. She has spars with Knuckles. She is the little gremilin who is just as sarcastic as Sonic and causes trouble on purpose just like him. I want Amy to have agency in the narrative and for her to have a story beyond any male character, something that belongs solely to her while she's feminine and lovable and has a crush on Sonic because why not, we have evolved enough to know that a female character can be strong and feminine.

And most importantly... I want Amy to be crazy. Totally insane. I want her to be traumatized and flawed and kind and complex and temperamental and multifaceted just like the boys are. I want to see a wild and deep teenage girl on screen and I won't tolerate any hate if she is because fandons in general don't know how to deal with them.

I wanna a real girl on the movies and I refuse to settle for anything less.

[sonknuxadow]

is this anything

[baileylxghtfoot]

Bailey felt her reaching for his hand, so when she hesitated, he took the initiative and reached back for hers. It wasn't solely about not losing her, though that was a tactic people did usually use in a crowd. He did it for that reason, along with the fact that he wanted to. He wanted to be able to hold her hand and not feel weird about it. It shouldn't matter what other people would say or think if they saw that. A part of him knew why Shock might have been hesitant to actually go through with it and take his hand; she was always more reserved when it came to that stuff, not wanting it to seem like she would actually like the act, but he knew her enough by now to know that she'd started to because she wanted to, and so he took the pressure off by doing it himself.

He led her over to the bar, letting her order first before asking for a beer. He paid for both of their drinks, and once they had them, they made their way back to the crowd of people patiently waiting for the show to begin. Their hands were still intertwined, which truthfully he thought little of, as it was a natural gesture, to him. "It's almost seven, they should start any minute," he explained, taking a sip of his drink.

"I think you'll really like most of these bands. They all have unique styles that blend together weirdly well," Bailey chuckled, admiring the stage set up.

.

"I get that," Shock nodded. Back at Redwood, there were usually the same handful of bands giving shows at the same handful of venues. She liked that --that sort of comfort in familiarity. She knew these people, and keeping up with their little dramas and conflicts was fun, in a way.

But this, this felt like the real world, somehow. Seeing bands she had no idea about, walking in blind. Wanting to be surprised. Even if it was a bad surprise, she could always just laugh at them and wait for the next thing. This sort of enthusiasm was not something Shock had predicted, coming from herself. She kept her eyes fixed on the stage, lightly bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Yeah, was just gonna ask you about that," she replied. Her hand immediately groped around for his, but as soon as her finger grazed his she pulled back. She could follow him through the crowd without needing to be bound to him, after all.

[lesbiancarat]

for anyone wondering, what about Han Sungsoo? 🤔 it seems that he hasn't been the CEO of Pledis since early 2022, the role until now was filled by Lee Dahye, a former VP for Bighit. HSS has still remained in the company but was demoted to an internal director

if you're wondering how you missed this, don't worry, there was never an official announcement! 🙃 carats had to find this out more than a year after the fact by doing some digging

but now Lee Dahye is being replaced by Kim Yeon Soo, who's the original VP of Pledis before they were acquired. He's the one that appeared on SVT Club, and he has historically had a good relationship with Seventeen. the way I always thought of it is Nu'est was HSS's project group, where Kim Yeon Soo oversaw the creation of svt. after the acquisition, he was put in charge of Hybe Labels Japan. it seems now he will remain in that position while also taking over as Pledis CEO

personally, I don't know what to think of this yet. on one hand carats have always had a positive view of Kim Yeon Soo, and he's always seemed to have a close relationship with svt. and I would say I'd rather have him in charge than a hybe plant

but the timing of it is very convenient. this is pure speculation on my part but with Seungkwan's Instagram post recently and all the stuff going on with hybe, it wouldn't surprise me if hybe was bringing in Kim Yeon Soo to try and appease the members (and possibly other Pledis employees). it definitely feels like they're trying to appease /somebody/ with this move, and I can't see it being the fans since most carats didn't know about Lee Dahye being the CEO in the first place. so I can only assume it's people within Pledis they're trying to appease 🤷‍♀️

[yviisxo]

while i see your points i disagree with the notion that gladys’s life will be all that bad because she’s a duchess. as seen in age of innocence, countess olenska is ostracized from both english AND american society. that strain had to have been taxing. the constant self doubt, the gossip, knowing you’ll never really “fit in” anywhere. while that seems minuscule to us common folk, when you have all the money in the world your position in society is all you can care about. i, for one, would be miserable. i need to reread consuelo’s memoir so i will not speak to what her experience was like. but there’s is more to life than just having s3x with various lovers.

however, i do agree that fans should not be blaming the duke. regardless of what happens, i can say for certain hector has little to no money. women of the gilded age were married to dukes for their title and in return the broke duke got money. it would seem strange for the show to veer off of this pattern. hector is marrying gladys for her money. in his book, it’s an awesome deal. he isn’t the one to blame.

bertha is the asshole. while, yes, she is fulfilling her duty as a wife, she is still being cruel by spreading gossip, not allowing their relationship flourish without immense pressure, and by not telling george or gladys of the already made engagement. mind you, george technically owns gladys. although bertha makes the argument that he is to not mettle in marriage arrangements just as she does not mettle in business, george, as gladys’ “owner”, had the right to know bertha’s dealings. i agree that had george been doing all of this, no one would really bat an eye. however, what makes this situation unique is george’s progressive views on marriage. advocating for a love marriage was a progressive stance during that time.

in any case, i firmly believe the dollar princess model was cruel because of how it ostracized the women involved.

I need many people to take a deep breath and wait till we see the Duke before calling him names. The only reason you guys hate him is that it’s glaringly obvious he wants to marry an heiress for what she can offer him but I don’t begrudge him because he has legitimate reasons for wanting to do so. He has estates to maintain and people who are relying on him. Also, he isn't coming empty-handed If he were useless we wouldn't have women like Aurora Fane and Mamie Fish understanding Bertha’s pov. If he wasn't a worthy husband material(with what we’ve seen so far which isn't much) we wouldn’t have Bertha staring daggers at him when the lady with a very sexy cleavage was flirting with him.

Billy looks dull(I don't know if this was done on purpose but he seems like someone Gladys would pick). Plus plenty of girls got married off like Gladys is. It’s interesting and seeing that explored I think would be entertaining. We same the same thing in the Buccaneers.

I personally don’t think all of these arranged marriages were horrible like people have been moaning about. Marriage just like any institution has its complicated, problematic history and power dynamics. Marriage itself is a sex economy. The argument people have and say “gladys is being sold off and her mother is greedy” is getting outdated because so is George.

-Access to monogamous sex from women

-Domestic labour which also includes delegating tasks because she's still mentally tasking herself and needs to oversee the affairs of the home

-Creating a space in society for her husband and children.

-Support

-Her ability to bear children(this is tied to sex)

All of the above and more for financial security and stability is what gives that comparison to sex work. Marriage is transactional but not all transactional relationship is sex work.

(the sex worker sells her body for a wage but the wife sells her body once and for all)

-The need for economic dependency is a need that cuts across all classes and races regardless of social class or position in society.

This marriage of convenience turns into the crassest prostitution who only differs from the ordinary prostitute in that she does not lets out her body for a piece work as a wage but the wife sells it once and for all.

The Origin of the Family, Private Property & the State (Friedrich Engels)

Before you clutch your fake pearls think about it🙃

Now the big question is when we look at the history of marriage love wasn't at the forefront for the reasons why people joined their two families together.

Another thing we have to consider is that nobody chooses to be born into the Dukedom but being a robber baron or capitalist is a choice. I'm not shading George(I love him and Morgan) and the Dukedom is also built on wealth disparity and lack of class consciousness. But most likely Hector inherited a lot of bad debts at a young age either from a father or uncle(Bertha even made that observation which is backed by the history).

He can’t abdicate his title or place in society(even in Bridgerton we see that these noble men like Viscount Anthony Bridgerton have tenants that depend on them and they're also a part of the parliament). I found this out while reading A Marriage Most Inconvenient by zeen2805 on Wattpad. I have a lot to say and maybe it’s because I've grown on in a very patriarchal country and I had to grow up quickly so I do understand Bertha whatever Bertha was told about men and marriage and being street-wise(aka shine you eyes) I've been probably been told the same in modern language.

We saw how hard it was for Bertha and the Russells to get accepted into society even with their fuck you money. We know George and Bertha came from humble backgrounds but with their tenacity, drive and George being a financial genius they were able to build a life for themselves. Yet y'all thought and are clutching your fake pearls at a woman in the 19th century trying to cement her daughter's place in society just so she wouldn’t struggle like she did.

Please be so for real. We don’t know if Hector is abusive, a harsh man or a tyrant but let’s just see what happens. Another argument that people use is that Consuello Vanderbilt was miserable because she married a man whom she didn’t love. Just said Agnes said take a stroll to Hell's Kitchen and you'll thank God. I don’t know much about Consuelo but she was married to the Duke of Marlborough for a long time so I don’t think her life was all that bad, especially being a duchess( with all that access and privilege) and a baby girl had lovers so I know she was getting her “big O”. The reason why people don’t like the Duke is because he is nobility(and Berthabis the one arranging the marriage which is her job by the way. If it were George nobody would bat an eyelid because he is a man and a lot of y'all see men as the so-called head of the family) and Gladys is based on Consuello. Loosely based if I might add because once that story gets exhausted the writers will look for something else because sticking to one person for inspiration stifles creativity.

I have more to sat but my ADHD riddles healthworker brain is fatigued. So see y'all this weekend and like always I'm down for an argument(not here I'm not going back and forth with anyone. I'm a firstborn daughter and the A in my name means I'm always right😂)

So yeah let’s see what happens this season and I pray everyone gets character development and grows.