#{to do list — moots game 6! finished}

[kozumesphone]

╭₊˚ BACKPACKING ACROSS GREECE . . . skye’s 200 followers event ! ⋆⭒˚.⋆

ꕀ intro post here !

ᝰ. TRAVEL GUIDE (masterlist) . . .

~ m.list

~ completed: 6 ~ remaining: 32

REQUESTS CLOSED ‼️

ᝰ. TRAVEL NOTES (a/n) . . .

hello?? what?! I only very recently finished my 50 followers event requests (procrastination struck SO hard), and was planning on doing the 100/150 event, but we already hit 200?? this is so so so amazing 💓 thank you all so much!! i’m eternally grateful for the unwavering support and for hyping me up, from my followers, moots, and especially my closer ibfs! i’m so excited for this event 🌸✨ even specifically, a huuuuge thanks to mori for lending me her intelligence to make a very major chunk of this event possible! thanks for brainstorming ideas w me, ilyyy 🫶 (+ spoilers: my favourite ones are volos, crete, and mykonos 🤭) • also, please comment if you don’t want to be tagged in further posts related to this event / want to be tagged from now on, I won’t mind! but pls lmk your decision soon, bc i’ll be using the same taglist as this post’s for every request related to this event! sorry for any inconvenience <3

ᝰ. ITINERARY (everyone) . . .

೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 01. VOLOS ⠀ᰋ

i’ll make you a mini playlist based on the aesthetic of your favourite book/movie + your blog, together

೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 02. ARGOS ⠀ᰋ

i’ll write you short headcannons of you on the argo II with the seven, nico, and reyna + give me any specific character you want to see mentioned specially

೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 03. ACHARNES ⠀ᰋ

tell me about yourself / give me a short description about you, and i’ll assign you to a pjo cabin, hogwarts house, and hunger games district + make you a moodboard with it

೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 04. PATRAS ⠀ᰋ

give me your favourite book/movie universe + favourite character, and i’ll make you a moodboard + mini playlist based on that

೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 05. CRETE ⠀ᰋ

(different prompt list from thessaloniki) pick a prompt from here + give me a character name (from any book or anime, preferably, but I can try for movies too) and i’ll write a short oneshot for that character x reader (specify gender of reader please—f/m/gn)

∘₊✧ ────── ✧₊∘

ᝰ. VIP ITINERARY (only moots) . . .

೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 01. MYKONOS ⠀ᰋ

tell me about yourself / give me a short description + what you think is your greatest strength, and i’ll tell you what I think your fatal flaw would be

೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 02. ATHENS ⠀ᰋ

(only applies if we’re closer moots): give me your cabin from camp half-blood + your best friend from the riordanverse, and i’ll write a few headcannons for you, if you were in chb

೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 03. THESSALONIKI ⠀ᰋ

(different prompt list from crete) pick a trope/prompt from here + give me a character name (from any book or anime, preferably, but I can try for movies too) and i’ll write a short oneshot for that character x reader (specify gender of reader please—f/m/gn)

ᝰ. SUPPLIES TO BACKPACK ACROSS THE CITY (rules) . . .

i. i’ll only be able to answer your request if i’m a part of that fandom, so I would suggest checking out my fandoms nav here first

ii. only one request per message

iii. only two requests per day

iv. normal requests (non-event ones) will be closed until event ends

v. please include title of the ask (ex. athens) and the character name & fandom (if applicable). if it’s a description request, send your desc in points (if applicable), so it’s easier to read, for me

ᝰ. TRIP DATES (dates) . . .

starts on | 24th july, wednesday

ends on | 14th august, wednesday

> EVENT OPEN !!

ᝰ. TRAVELLERS (mutuals—taglist) . . .

@serendipitous-girl @anyas-shitposting69 @ziasworld-com @urmomabby @sweetnnaivete

@fizzywashere87 @aezuria @gentlehue @mqstermindswift @percabethlvr

@maybxlle @cinemaconrad @riordanness @book-girl4evaaa @flowers-for-em

@starlitszn @skeelly @lauffey @metyouattherighttime @luvusrry

@ssparksflyy @fayvpor @iheartgirlzn @nomournersonefuneral

@over-the-oceancall @seaglass-and-string @strawberryapologist @xoxochb @auroraofthesun1 @pinkdiorluvr

@sophiesonlinediary @solangelotus @brodieland @waitingonher @nqds

@on-starrii-nights @daydream-of-a-wallflower @catastrxblues @rehlie @d4rkdi0rrr

@seasirengirl @lavisenri @daonedaonlyskh @rxry-lxves-jess @cowboycasanovaaa

@thewhispersofthewaves @writtcnbycassie @55kywalker @ravisinghs-wife @yourtwistedlies

kozumesphone © 2024 | don’t repost my works onto other platforms, or edit and post them even on tumblr, without asking me first • don’t steal my works, steal my heart instead • reblogs and comments are more than appreciated !

[capitalisticveins]

Your mutuals in a zombie apocalypse?

Im telling u rn I had to analyze this shi bc I didnt know what it was asking at first😭

@deviantaj (rip) — Went AWOL first day, survives, somehow made it across the world

@e0sphorus — Also went AWOL however did not survive solely bc he didn’t move around a lot and got caught in a herd

@themeridian — Stayed with the group, seems like team morale and emotional support, however dies to a disease because someone* keeps using the medicine

@scopekale — Stayed with the group, and smuggled their own solo supplies in, doesn't share, but also barely uses the group supplies. Survives.

@battygutz — Joined the group midway, gunslinger, almost gets killed like 17 times, but somehow, somehow survives by dumb luck.

@mhmmaybe — Lowkey the type to stay in one spot and give handouts to passing survivors, prolly owns a farm or sumthin. Doesn't have lots of trouble with zombies, survives alone

@justaclownwholikesducks — low pain tolerance + screams randomly + easy to scare = dies first 4 months I don't make the rules

@vind3miat0r — Does this thing where they leave the group randomly and no one notices but when they come back they come back with LOOT, dies on an expedition and ppl started to notice

@hammerhead-jpg — Idk why but he seems like the type to live within a community with walls and food n stuff. Miiiight survive depends if someone feels like destroying it. Wonder who 👀

@mrsmiagreer — Lowkey always gives a caring feel so they're one of the 2 doctors on this list, makes sure everyone's as healthy as possible, prefers melee...dies to malaria

@gumballrightfoots — Gives off bandit vibes that steals supplies from other survivors, but based off stealth and not brute force, survives

@mokozroach - Feels like one of those survivors where all they really want is food. No shelter, no proper hygiene (since that need turns into a luxury in the event of an apocalypse), they might even try that trick where they dress up in zombie guts and vibe with the herd. When the winter comes? …Maybe they die to the winter eventually, or scurvy, whatever comes first

@starlightreader - In the group without ppl remembering they’re in the group half the time, and it turns into a vind3miat0r situation where they’ll stay behind in some cases to enjoy scenery or search places longer for more loot and it’s a rare case ppl notice. Survives to join a community and leaves the group

@cyc-chilla - *Is the person who takes all the medicine bc he’s dedicated to surviving ts, resorts to quiet weapons to avoid sound, honestly an equal opportunist scavenger and protector with slight Clementine vibes, can’t tell if you survive or not

@boees whered boee go wtf

Boee - The second doctor on the list that doesn’t deal with the killing zombies schtick at all, if you get bit this is the person you want to be amputated by 🙏🏾 Dies to internal bleeding

@annahxredaxted - Leads a cult/community running water, food, and safety. Ik cult makes it sound sketchy but who’s gonna question her💀 You know what happened to Prescott in The Walking Dead Game Season 3? Yeah that happens to her community, dies to a zombie bite

@prince-damien-of-darkness - One of those people who follows a herd, far behind enough that the herd doesn’t notice, and does it so that when the herd reaches people, they wait till the herd leaves and grabs the stuff the people left behind in a hurry. Might go far enough to use zombie guts to disguise as a zombie and join the herd temporarily. IF they do disguise as a zombie they die to a gunshot, if they don’t they survive long enough to leave the country and find a safehouse

This ask and post has been in my drafts for 6 months as I tried finishing this, Nai doesn’t even remember this ask. If you wanna be added bc I lowkey forgot all my moots just ask dont be scared at all🙏🏾

[dollycxre]

you'll see my face, in every place, but you can't catch me now.

-> "Make a wish."

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED!

⋅ᯓᡣ𐭩

airi, she/her, minor, animal lvr, daydreamer, infp, multifandom writer, omniromantic bisexual, half-dead, half fairy, child of hades, always open to moots :3

-> rules

(a/n: im a minor so don't be freaky)

ps. fic ideas are appreciated, especially for fandoms that aren't pjo! (and you can just send me random thoughts about characters as well, I love that sorta thing)

-> PERCY JACKSON (BOOK SERIES)

magic in the making...

-> PERCY JACKSON (TV SHOW)

magic in the making...

->HEROES OF OLYMPUS

Yandere! Athena x Demigod! Darling - general hcs (fem reader)

yandere PJO! Hades x demigod! darling - general hcs

yandere! Hestia x fem! mortal! Reader - ♡ general hcs

yandere PJO! Percy Jackson x demigod! darling X yandere HOO! Jason Grace - general hcs

->TWILIGHT SAGA

magic in the making...

->TRIALS OF APOLLO

magic in the making...

->DORK DIARIES

magic in the making...

->MAGNUS CHASE

magic in the making...

->GREEK MYTHOLOGY

magic in the making...

->SEDUCE ME THE OTOME ( WOMEN ONLY)

magic in the making...

->HARRY POTTER HOGWARTS MYSTERY

magic in the making...

->CHALLENGERS

magic in the making...

->THE HUNGER GAMES

magic in the making...

->THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES

magic in the making...

->SCREAM (ALL 6 MOVIES)

magic in the making...

->TCOAAL (THE COFFIN OF ANDY AND LEYLEY)

magic in the making...

a/n: I don't support the incest part of this game so nothing for that!!

->JENNIFER'S BODY

magic in the making...

->PROJECT SEKAI

magic in the making...

->KPOP

A/N: I will only write for girl groups!!

magic in the making...

->PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

A/N: only the girlies!

magic in the making...

->HEATHERS

magic in the making...

->GIRL FROM NOWHERE

magic in the making...

->CARMEN SANDIEGO

magic in the making...

->AMERICAN HORROR STORY (coven, murder house, asylum, 1984 and apocalypse only!!)

magic in the making...

->MCU/MARVEL

A/N: once again, I will only be writing for the females!!

magic in the making...

->MIRACULOUS LADYBUG

magic in the making...

->BLUE LOCK

magic in the making...

->SPY X FAMILY

magic in the making...

->DDLC

magic in the making...

->EVER AFTER HIGH

magic in the making...

->HARRY POTTER

magic in the making...

->THE FOLK OF THE AIR

A/N: ask me about these after a couple of months, I still need to finish the series lol

magic in the making...

->ALL FOR THE GAME

magic in the making...

->MLP

magic in the making...

->FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S

magic in the making...

->OMORI

magic in the making...

->A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER

magic in the making...

->DANGANRONPA 1, 2 AND 3

magic in the making...

->YANDERE SIMULATOR (maybe, I definitely don't support that pr3dator yand3v, so I probably won't write for this much or at all)

magic in the making...

->MANGA/MANHWA/MANHUA

A/N: please ask if I write for the specific one you want first!!

magic in progress...

!! IMPORTANT A/N: The fandoms listed below are the ones I won't write for very often or when I do, it'll probably not be reqs or asks ♥ !!

->GENSHIN IMPACT

magic in the making...

->HONKAI STAR RAIL

magic in the making...

A/N: The requests for Hoyoverse games are currently closed &lt;;3

->BROOKLYN-99

A/N: I'll write for everyone except Holt, Kevin, Sarge, Boyle, Hitchcock and Scully

magic in the making...

->MODERN FAMILY

A/N: I don't write for Luke, Manny and Jay

magic in the making...

->ENCANTO

magic in the making...

->WEDNESDAY (NETFLIX SHOW)

magic in the making...

->YOU (NETFLIX SHOW)

magic in the making...

a/n: I used to keep up with this show only from 2018-2022 so I still gotta watch the latest season, so no reqs for that yet!!

!PLEASE ASK IF THERE'S A PARTICULAR FANDOM YOU WANT ME TO WRITE FOR THAT ISN'T MENTIONED HERE!!

[clawbehavior]

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

@killerandhealerqueen @fourth-quartet @technitango, thanks for the tags kings!

1. enantiomers (modern au where a younger yohan meets isaac's long-lost twin, kim gaon)

enantiomers are molecules that are chemically identical in every respect except that they are mirror images.

2. even gods can't change the past (modern au where yohan and gaon work together)

'you know,’ says kang yohan, ‘you and i met a long time ago.’

3. what we do in the shadows (canon divergent serial killer au)

gaon rolls his shoulders, rearranges his expression to one of cool neutrality, and knocks twice. 

4. my heart is going back to you, i just don't know (canon compliant ficlet for now. to become a fucked up canon divergent fic later)

gaon goes to work as normal in the days following the reveal of his parents' suicides in live court.

5. i hope you are lonely (post canon, yohan comes back for gaon under less than ideal circumstances)

‘you’re remarkably calm about all this,’ says yohan once he’s finished drying his hands. 

6. everything everywhere all at once (modern au where yohan is a private lender who loaned money to gaon's parents)

the car explosion sends gaon tumbling to the ground.

7. elevator troubles (canon divergent fic with gahan shenanigans & seriousness)

'have you made any progress on infiltrating kang yohan's inner circle?' min jung ho asks while they're waiting for the elevator.

8. skin deep (the compulsory ABO fic that i still can't believe i thought up)

‘it’s interesting,’ says kang yohan.

9. til kingdom come (canon-divergent reincarnation au where gaon was a crown prince and yohan was topmost advisor)

‘you planned for this,’ the crown prince hisses as he imprisons the commander-in-chief inside him.

10. final coda (post canon, yohan returns for gaon)

in music, a coda is a passage that brings a piece to an end.

^^this is the opening i am most proud of. simple but lyrical.

i'm seeing a pattern of starting the story in the middle of a scene, pfft. this was loads of fun! thanks to everyone who tagged me!! tagging @briwates @thedeviljudges @tenderlywicked @rocknghorss @mid-n0vember + if you are a moot or creator who would like to play these games, reblog to lmk so i can tag you in the future!

[leoramage]

Tagged by @charlosgoggles, I was pretty busy and kind of late when I saw the post! I immediately sat down once I had my free time to do this. Thank you for the tag my co-F1 astrology bestie in this app!

name: Leora Mage is actually an anagram of my real name! i am currently using it as a penname and stage name!

sign: my big three is leo-gemini-pisces!

time: its apparently 6:47 p.m. when i started writing this down. 9 p.m. when i finished (i had duties to attend to.)

favourite band/artist: i am the music bestie that listens to anything. you can't pin me down and tell me to list my favorite artists/band! ಠಿ⁠_⁠ಠ anyways here's the following:

solo artists: taylor swift, lana del rey, rihanna, doja cat, britney spears, ariana grande, olivia rodrigo, beyoncé, jennifer lopez, madonna, lady gaga, ava max, camila cabello, qveen herby

bands/groups: in this moment, ghost, the great discord, the neighborhood, the chainsmokers, little mix, blackpink, 2ne1, exo, bigbang, coldplay

bonus: i listen to classical music too (tchaikovsky, mozart, beethoven, etc.)

last movie: burlesque (as in christina aguilera) and house of gucci! i watched it for like a whole bus trip.

last show: house of the dragon! i love rewatching because of sir harwin strong & aemond targaryen!

also drive to survive as well, i was finding the episode fernando was in because i told my mom a local artist here in my country has physical similarities to fernando hahahaha

when I created this blog: i created this blog last year's ummer - solely for my practice, learn knowledge from other practitioners about my craft. i happen to love astrology too so it kind of stuck with me and my theme! i am continuously learning and mastering my craft but at the same time explore more.

other blogs: i have another tumblr blog but i forgotten what was the username but i do believe that i made that blog for roleplaying and posting my photo manipulation for a fandom i used to be in.

do I get asks: not until belle and becca sent me a game! i passed them on to my favorite writers and some to my moot blogs. i was supposed to send one to @charlosgoggles but they do not have their ask on lmfao

followers: 20 blogs are following me. most of them are my moots for sure or bots. idk, i did not check who is following me. i do not check who is following me to be fair (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)

average hours of sleep: 5-6 hours but sometimes longer. i work harder than i sleep.

instruments: guitar, ukelele, piano keyboard, violin. i only have a guitar and keyboard with me and i haven't touched them for ages. i learned how to play the other instruments because of my acquaintances who are passionate about music or simply band members.

what I am wearing: black maxi dress that i made myself!

dream job: i do believe i can be who i wanted to be if i put effort in it. so basically i do not have a dream job.

dream trip: world tour (my work requires a lot of that and isolation from the world. so it's quite a tough journey considering the rough waves of the ocean but anything for the bag of moneh)

favorite song atm: uh i do not have a favorite song at the moment. but i listen to subliminals a lot because they just calm my mind (my brain is so active that i need to decelerate it from thinking about the most obnoxious things) but let me check my most played in spotify... okay it says:

dance the night - dua lipa

tagging: @folkloresthings , @lorarri , @love-belle / @love-bellee , @goldsainz and @opheliaas-stuff because you guys are the sweet ones i had been interacting with for the past few days. i love them sm ฅ[⁠ᓀ⁠˵⁠▾⁠˵⁠ᓂ⁠]ฅ

(p.s. feel free to do in your own comfort 𔘓 much love guys 🤍🩷💕)

[smashingdollz]

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ about me ;;

you can call me, 𝐍𝐞𝐫𝐨 or 𝐃𝐚𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐚

(they/them)

i will be writing for many fandoms on this blog, im excited to post my works and see what lovely things people request.

please look at bio for any updates

THEME: Uzumaki - Junji Ito (Kirie Goshima)

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ request ;;

REQUEST CLOSED DUE TO BUSY SCHEDULE AND TRYING TO FINISH PREVIOUS REQUESTS ALONG WITH MY OWN STORIES! request should be back up sometime by the March 22nd!

request status: closed!

6/10

matchups: closed!

0/10

i do have a life so patience on request would be highly appriciated!

drafts: 6/10

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ navigation ;;

Masterlist

Who I Will Write For

Request Rules + Boundaries

Anon List

Upcoming

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ blog tags ;;

#Nero/Dahlia's Post It Note's - general talking, updates, and announcements

#Nero/Dahlia's Anons/Moots - talking/replying to my anons and mutuals

#Nero/Dahlia's Fic Recs - fanfic recomendations

#Nero/Dahlia's Reblogs - reblogging stuff that i like and those fun reblog/picrew games

[yokohamabeans]

It’s been a minute, guys! I can’t even begin to describe how immensely sorry I am for posting the fic-writing ask game and taking THIS LONG to answer them... The cheek of me, an absolute clown!!

Huge, big thank you to my lovely moots (@obsidieneyes , @shions-chin-scar , @highviews , @penrose-quinn) and the anon who sent in the asks!! As I’ll be answering every single question on the list, I thought I’d just consolidate all of the asks in this post. Here goes! 

1. Do you daydream a lot before you write, or go for it as soon as the ideas strike?

The former! Usually I get an idea, then daydream about it to flesh it out a lot before actually writing it down, so I can put out a whole scene and have a smoother flow. Actually, even writing the lines themselves take a lot of daydreaming; I often have to rethink, write, reread and rewrite everything I have typed out... It’s way too time-consuming tbh...

If you’re asking about specific ideas / scenes, I usually read or watch a bunch of related media (e.g. for ROAC, it’s a ton of crime shows and documentaries) and try to get inspired by them!

2. Where do you get your fic ideas?

Kinda cliched, but everywhere, I think. Sometimes I’ll see something on the street and try to ‘put into words’ what I’m feeling about it, then see if I can channel that into writing. This is mostly cuz I think characters are also humans with a myriad of fleeting thoughts, so if I can just highlight some random thought they have in my fic, I think it may flesh them out a lot more.

3. Do you share your fic ideas, or do you keep them to yourself?

I keep them to myself (excluding the drafts and snippets I post here). I kinda lead a double life, noone in IRL knows I write fanfic hahaha

4. How do you choose which fics to write?

Tbh, it’s all about which stan I’m obsessed enough to write about first, then all about how much ‘potential’ the story ideas I have for a full-fledged work! (i.e. can the plot go anywhere, do I have enough themes and motifs to sustain the whole fic etc.)

6. What’s the last line you wrote?

"Lighten up, will you?" drawls Ran from the seat beside. His smile is bright in contrast to the brewing storm. "It's sacrilege to walk into a hostess club with a glum face."

"We're walking into business," Kakuchō retorts, narrowing his eyes at the glass of whiskey in Ran's hand. "You can be a little less relaxed about this."

5. How many wips do you have?  What fandoms/pairings are they for?

I guess 2? They’re ROAC (TokRev, Kakucho/OC) and Liar, Liar (KnB, AkashiOCKise), though I don’t think Liar, Liar has been in ‘progress’ as of late.... It’s taking a long hiatus but I swear I have plans to finish it!

7. Post a snippet from a wip.

Well, that much you must agree with Mama. Utsu and Yū and the women of Murasaki aren’t supposed to exist in the real world. But with the lion’s share of your salary going to her and the Mara-kai, you needed a second job, and a girl clutching only a high-school diploma didn’t have many options. Service jobs like store-keeping or waitressing were out of the question—you will never have the strength to deal with human beings all day and all night.

8. Post an out-of-context spoiler from a wip.

You roll your eyes at Pierre. This old fogey must be out of his depth if he thinks he's worth that much. Still, you agree just so you can hang up quickly. The bartenders at Murasaki will know how to swap it with something cheap. 

9. Does this word [chosen by asker] appear in your current wip?

Hmmm, there wasn’t a specific word chosen so Imma skip this question, I think I’ve posted enough snippets for now! 🤪

10. Do you work on multiple wips or stick to one fic at a time?

Stick to one.... I used to be able to write two fics at the same time, but because I hyperfixate, my attention usually goes entirely into a single story/character at a time.

11. Do you write scenes in order, or do you jump around?

I write them in order always, so I can keep the flow and make sure I don’t repeat words/phrases! Sometimes, I get the inspiration for a future scene and just pen it out somewhere for release and future use, though!

12. Do you outline your fics?  If yes, how detailed are your outlines?  How far do you stray from them?

Oh yes! Pretty detailed, in my opinion, for scenes I have very clear ideas about (e.g. bullet point story boards). I usually stray from them when actually writing them though, but I still keep the essence nonetheless.

13. Do you listen to music while you write?  If yes, what have you been listening to recently?

No, I’m the kind of person who needs total silence to work / study / write...

14. What is your favorite location and position to write in?

I wouldn’t call it favourite, but more of ‘I have no choice to’: It’s on the train during my commute hahaha

15. What’s your favorite time to write?

Whenever I am free these days.... (i.e. daily commute....) 🥹

16. Do you write by hand, on your phone, or on your laptop?

Mostly on my phone (via GDocs) these days!

17. Do you have a writing routine?

Not at all, but I suppose writing while commuting is kind of a routine since it happens at a fixed time almost every day?

18. Do you enjoy research?  Which fic of yours required the most research?

YES!!! Well, I’m pretty much only writing ROAC but yes it required A LOT of research for the yakuza / hostess / Japan underworld setting! I also researched tons about the Japanese mythology/folklore, Buddhism and Journey to the West so I can weave metaphors / allusions into my writing. Well, needless to say, I also look through the TokRev Manga and its related official media so I can get the timelines / characters right too.

19. Do you enjoy creating OCs or do you prefer to stick solely to canon characters?

Let’s put it this way..... all but one of my fics are OC fics 🥸

20. Do you prefer writing AUs or canon fics?

Both actually, but because I write OC fics, they are kinda AU? But I always make sure I follow canon as much as possible!

21. Do you prefer writing chaptered fics or one-shots?

Chaptered fics! In case you can’t tell, I’m long-winded af... I got lots to say.... 🧑‍🦳

22. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process?  How do you come up with titles?

All three! Sometimes, I get inspired or really like a quote and decide to make it the title (aka titling before writing), or I write the story/chapter and base the title off it (aka titling during/after writing). 

23. Is writing the beginning, middle, or end of the story easiest? Hardest?

For me, the beginning is the easiest because I’m fresh with lots of solid ideas. Hardest will be the middle, cuz I usually already have an ending in mind. It’s just how to get there!

24. How do you choose whose POV to write in?

Tbh, it’s more like whatever I feel like hahaha. I used to write in 3rd POV cuz that’s what I’m most comfortable with, but recently the 2nd POV is fun too!

25. What’s your favorite part of the writing process (worldbuilding, brainstorming/outlining, writing, editing, etc)?

Hands down: brainstorming/outlining. Editing comes a close second cuz that usually means I already have things down and done.

26. What’s your least favorite part of the writing process?

Writing is the most torturous. But also the most fulfilling, I guess!

27. What area of writing do you feel strongest in?

I actually feel really confident about dialogue. It’s the easiest and most fun, IMO, cuz it’s easy to put into words what people will say off the top of their head. Dialogue can also reveal a lot of a character too. 

28. What area of writing do you want to improve in?

Exposition. Especially because ROAC has a lot of worldbuilding, I struggle really hard to explain the settings / things cuz I don’t wanna make it dull and flat, and yet using too many metaphors will make it unnecessarily flowery. I really wanna be able to explain things in an engaging way!!

29. What’s something about your writing that you’re proud of?

Hmmm.... Characterization I suppose! 

30. How much do you edit your fics?  Do you edit as you write or wait until you finish the first draft?

I edit them as soon as I write. Every single line is a product of overthinking... Which is why I’m so slow....

31. Do you use a beta reader/editor?

Nope! I personally like to be ‘responsible’ for my own fics, so it’s all me babeh!!

32. Do you take fic requests?  Why or why not?

I’m sorry to say that I don’t... I’m struggling to write my own fics as it is....

33. Is there a specific word count that you hold yourself to/enjoy writing the most?

In the past I keep it at about 3~4k per chapter. Nowadays (for ROAC) it’s about 4~5k per chapter, though I think I’ve been exceeding it hehe.

34. How much of your personal life/experience do you include in your fics?

Not a lot, but I suppose I sometimes weave in my own thoughts / perspectives!

35. What’s your favorite fic you’ve posted?

Within my very limited number of fics.... ROAC? I think the prose for it is the best I’ve written so far (though the bar wasn’t that high to start with hahahahaha).

I recently re-read (the re-written) Liar, Liar, and have to say I also really like my prose in that too!

36. What fic are you proudest of?

ROAC, again haha! Specifically, I’m really chuffed with how Chapters 1 and 4 turned out. 

37. What fic has been the hardest for you to write?

Incidentally, ROAC Chapter 5...... Half of it is Kakucho’s POV and about Bonten / Mara-kai gang things, which is hard for me to write about cuz I (fortunately) personally have no experience in crime, so I have to research a lot! It’s also really hard to write from the perspective of adult Bonten in some ways, cuz they’re likely quite different from their teen selves in the manga.

36. What is your most self-indulgent posted story?

Every single OC fic I post has been nothing but self-indulgence......

38. What’s your most self-indulgent wip?

Um, ROAC? (I’m sorry to repeat my answers.... ROAC is all I have 🥹)

39. What is your favorite world that you’ve created for a fic?

Long ago I took on a Tobirama fic set in Yoshiwara (or the Naruto world version of it) and I really loved the whole world built around it! The theme of Edo period Japan has always been something I loved. It’s not published (or written, really) though. Tbh, if I ever finish ROAC and Liar, Liar, I’d like to go back to it....

40. Who’s your favorite character you’ve written?

Kise was really fun to write in Liar, Liar. Ran too actually! 

In terms of OCs, Yua and Mama are really interesting to write. Saeri (from Liar, Liar) was hilarious and breezy to write too ‘cuz the fic was really light-hearted and ‘slice of life’ish!

41. What’s your favorite title that you’ve come up with?

I’ve already taken it down, but Past Tense Events (my Rindou/Reader fic) was a really cool title I think! It was inspired by a poem I read somewhere, but I can’t remember which it is now...

42. Is there a trope or idea that you’d really like to write but haven’t yet?

I’m not someone with self-restraint, so I think I’ve pretty much gotten everything I wanted to write down in a doc draft/outline somewhere!  

43. What is your favorite genre to write?

Romance cuz I’m a sap hahahaha! Well, the dark crime genre tone of ROAC is fun too so far! 

44. What genre/trope do you tend to write the most?

Romance, or Rom-Com, based on my old fics.

45. If you could only write one type of AU for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Fantasy ancient/feudal Japan AUs!!! I love Japanese myths!!

46. Is there a trope that you’ve written before but are now sick of?

I think I drenched Liar, Liar in second-hand embarrassment a lot in the rom-com meet-cute way in my first iteration of it. It was really fun back then but thinking back, it was way too much hahaha

47. Who is your favorite character to write for?  Has this changed since you’ve started writing for that fandom?

Hmm Kakucho, I think? I think it kinda changed in the sense that I got even deeper into his character than I intended to (for example, ROAC was meant to be a Reader/OC fic but I ended up going into the direction of a character study). The thing about Kakucho is that we get just enough information from the manga about him to form a definite idea of what he’s like, but not enough to dictate it, so we can exercise some imagination and creativity too. This is what I think, at least!

48. What fic of yours would you say is the best introduction to you as a writer? 

I want to say ROAC but I think I’m a rom-com kind of writer by nature, so maybe Liar, Liar?  

 My favourite and proudest work is still ROAC though!

49. How would you describe your writing style?

THIS IS A REALLY HARD QUESTION!!!! 

I genuinely have no idea. But when I write, I want my lines to ‘mean more than they let on’? I like to use metaphors and similes, and when writing in the POV of characters (especially Yua) I hope to have some edge to it too. I’m sorry y’all, I have no idea how to describe my writing style...

50. Does what you like to write differ from what you like to read?

Not at all hahaha my interests in reading and writing are aligned! When I write, I like to look for inspiration too so I often read works in the same genre for it!

51. What’s the average word count of your fics?

Based on my 2 works on AO3, it’s about ~4.5k per chapter!

52. What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

“Original Characters” and “Slow Burn”

...pretty accruate picture of my fics, tbh!

53. What’s the fandom/pairing distribution of your posted fics?

...............They’re all Canon/OC fics.................

54. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics?  Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

I like this question! I think I often write the theme of ‘fate’ and ‘destiny’. The idea of fated lovers / soulmates is so cliched but romantic to me.... Recently, I notice I use a lot of ‘conversation filler’ words or phrases in ROAC, like ‘well, xxxx’ or ‘come to think of it’ or stuff like that. I think I’ve been influenced by Japanese writers cuz I noticed they like include those in their narratives too (or at least, the English translations of them).

55. Are there any fics that you would change or rewrite if given the chance?

I already rewrote Liar, Liar, which was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. 

If I ever have the time or energy, I wanna rewrite Past Tense Events!

56. How conscious are you about including symbolism or foreshadowing in your fics?

VERY CONSCIOUS!!!!!! And I’m over the moon whenever my incredibly perceptive and clever friend, Obsidian (@obsidianmooneyes) picks up on them hehehe

57. Do you have a favorite piece of figurative language you’ve written?

Tbh I’m not too sure what this question means, but I guess I’ll just post a piece of my writing that I like and has figurative language!

You remember his eyes when you held his face—wide and strained for what you might do next. (Even you were in fear of what you might’ve done.) They swallowed you in like gravity, consumed you whole and made you wonder: what if, in that instance, you were to let yourself fall? To crash on his lips like an asteroid upon Earth, and obliterate the world around you? Would it be so disastrous?

58. Have you participated in any fic events/writing challenges?  If yes, what were they and did you enjoy them?

No, unfortunately.... 100% because of my lack of time, and also I can never meet a writing deadline....

59. In ROAC, what inspired the idea for the plot?

It’s all in the title, my friend! The OG folklore, Requital of a Crane! (Tsuru no Ongaeshi)

60. In ROAC, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

Hmmmm.... The favourite scene I think is still in the works and not published yet, but among what’s already out, I think it is the mahjong scene in Chapter 4!

61. In ROAC, is there a deleted scene/idea you wish you could have included?  Why did it get cut?

YES! In the yet-to-be-published Chapter 5, I have an entire scene of Yua interacting with Mitsuya. (Yua buys her dresses for the club from him, and is also a deliverywoman for his supplies and materials, so they have a friendly client type of relationship.) I wrote the whole scene out but deleted it because it was taking too much space and time away from the real plot... Though, thinking back, maybe I should’ve included it simply becaue Mitsuya is really cool (lmao), and I think there was some characterization of Yua in it. (I may or may not include it in future chapters, or at least give it a mention, though!)

62. What was the hardest part of writing ROAC?

Getting into the perspective of criminal Bonten. The underworld is something very real and complex, so I don’t wanna write Bonten and Mara-kai as a ‘movie-ish’ kind criminal organization. Bonten’s mindset and way of thinking will thus be very mature, dark and different from mine, so I think it’s hard to get or write about them in a ‘realistic’ way, if you get what I mean. 

63. If you rewrote ROAC now, would you change anything?

Hmmm... Not really tbh, I think I’m pretty satisfied with how things are going in it so far. Though of course, if I read it again in like 5 years I will probably have many things I wanna change about it.

I also have plans to write other spin-offs too, about Yua in other timelines! 

64. If you wrote a sequel to ROAC, what would happen in it?

As it happens I DO want to write a sequel to ROAC. Especially with the new happy ending in TR! The sequel will probably be something short about Yua and Kakucho / Ran / Tenjiku’s relationship in that timeline. 

65. What’s a fun fact about ROAC?

In my early drafts, Yua’s supposed to have a younger sister that she revolves her whole life around. She was supposed to be in debt just to take care of her after their parents died. Then I decided to scrap it because it’s kinda cliched, and I wanted Yua to be more ‘alone’ and relate more to Kakucho haha. I don’t regret this decision though!

66. If a fic was titled [insert made up title], what would this story be about/how would you write it?

No particular requests for this question, so Imma skip this!

67. Are there any fics that influenced you to write the way you do?

OH many...... Abalone on the Shore by unolvrs and WHITE NOISE by 1keshi got me into writing in 2nd POV. Blackkat (on AO3)’s prose is also an absolute inspiration!

68. What are your favorite fics at the moment?

GREEN LIGHT by PENROSE-QUINN!!!

INTOXICATING BEAUTY by OBSIDIANMOONSTONES!!!

KILL THE DIRECTOR SERIES by HIGHVIEWS!!!

All super gorgeous writing!! Anyone who’s been on my blog knows how much I love them! Obsidian tears your heart out but Kadie (highviews) will salve it with her adorable rom-com romps. Then, you lull yourself to sleep with the familiar comfort of Pen’s fic!!

69. Are you subscribed to any writers on AO3?

Hell yeah!! I don’t know if I clicked the ‘subscribe’ button but I defintiely check the profiles of the writers I’ve mentioned in this post a lot! (unolvrs, 1keshi, penrose_quinn, ObsidianMoonstones, highviews, phen0l/maokitty, blackkat)

(I’ve also been creepily lurking around phen0l‘s writing..... exquisite.... especially this Dabi fic: Higher than the Mountains, Deeper than the Sea TRULY PHENOMENAL)

Special mention goes to razbliuto for her cleverly, unique writing in the One Piece fandom!! Sophie (from Methyl Nitrate Pineapples) is absolutely ICONIC as an OC!!!

70. Do you spend more time reading or writing?

Tbh, discounting articles I have to read for work/school, I have to say writing... and even so it is minimal.... I haven’t really had the time to read recently....!!

71. What’s your favorite writing compliment you’ve gotten?

Every compliment I get is my fave, I’m serious!!! But special mention goes out to Obsidian’s super detailed analysis of ROAC on AO3..... To have your work so thoroughly understood by another is an indescribable feeling..... 

72. What do you tend to get complimented on the most about your writing?

Based on the comments so far, I would say the intricacy or details in my fic! Which I’m eternally grateful for because I have to say I worked hard on all the research!!! 

73. Do you have a fic you wish got a bit more love?

Hmm.... Liar, Liar I suppose? (since it’s just the other one of my fics atm, and I really liked how it turned out) But it’s on hiatus so maybe not....

74. Is there a particular fic that readers gravitated towards that you didn’t expect?

I don’t consider it a fic, but the headcanon posts I’ve made about Tenjiku blew up quite a bit more than I was expecting! 

75. How do you deal with writing pressure, whether internal or external?

Thankfully all of my moots and readers have been sublimely kind and understanding about how busy I am IRL, so I don’t get a lot of ‘external’ pressure! As for internal, I think I just try to chip at my works (but clearly to no progress so far)

76. Why do you enjoy writing fanfiction?

Two words: SELF INDULGENCE!!! Also because I get to imagine a totally ‘new’ perspective through my OC, and explore things and themes I don’t in real life! 

77. What motivates you during the writing process?

Wanting to push my ideas out to the world I think! And I’ll come off as a sap for this, but comments from readers too haha!

78. Do you have any writing advice you want to share?

I still don’t think I’m the best person to give writing advice, but I think this holds true a lot: WRITE WHAT YOU WANT!! And most importantly, write for yourself. If you’re writing for ‘exposure’ or likes / views, it’ll be easy to get discouraged if you don’t get the reception you were hoping for (I’ve been down that path). But if you’re just writing whatever the hell you want, then you’re gonna be satisfied no matter what comes out most of the time, IMO!

80. Free space - asker can come up with any writing or fic-related question they want!

Hmmm no specific question for this either, but I’ll just drop a small tidbit about ROAC! There will be an entire chapter devoted to Ran’s POV, late in the fic hehe! (Tbh, I may even write a spin-off sequel set in a timeline where Kakucho didn’t survive and it’s just Ran and Yua)

NGL this took quite a bit out of me, but it also made me reflect and think about my writing a lot so I enjoyed every second of it!! Again, really sorry that it took my almost half a year to answer these....I wish you all nothing but the best for 2023!

[pantasticjae]

Looking For Moots/Friends!!

Introduction

Hey there! I'm Pantastic Jae. (He/They) I'm a 20 year old artist who makes videos for my very small channel. Id like to make friends/moots with others who create videos, as I would love to record some with other people. Despite this also having moots and friends who share my interest would be amazing. I only really require that you must be 18 or over because I am an Adult. (editing to add that i'm not really comfy with NSFW stuff, so if you've already added me expecting to be moots i may not follow back or interact much because of that, i'm sorry for not stating it here originally)(editing again to say that I realized that by putting 18+ in my interest bingo without reading the description I was unknowingly saying that oops-)

To help get a better understanding of me, I've made this interest Bingo. I'll add a blank version at the end of the post if you would like to make one yourself)

18+ means you are 18 or over I am not okay with NSFW!!!

18+ means you are 18 or over I am not okay with NSFW!!!

Here is a text list (with some explanation) of everything from left to right, top to bottom. (1st row 1 2 3 4 5, 2nd row 6 7 8 9 10)

Zubo for DS

Scott Pilgrim (I have not watched the animated show, but have watched the movie and read all of the comics)

Battle for Dream Island (All Seasons, Can act as an umbrella for other Object Shows)

Power Rangers / Super Sentai (I have not fully watched either of these, I've watched PR the most, but enjoy both)

Music (I like a lot of music, and I also enjoy singing)

Dungeons and Dragons (Currently in a campaign, and sadly I'm not looking to join any more atm)

Pokémon

Drawing (I'm not really good, but enjoy doing so anyway)

Archipelago Randomizer (I sadly have not done a multiworld myself, and would love to do so for a video myself, please lmk if you wanna record one with me)

The Owl House

Disventure Camp

Madoka Magica (I'm Currently on Season 2 of Magia Record)

18+ (if you end up fulling this out to show overlapping interest this is ofc the requirement, so it's the free space)

Vocaloid

Persona (Specifically 3 Reloaded, the game i'm currently watching my GF play and the only one in the series i've seen gameplay of)

YT Content Creator (I make videos, idk the true correct wording to use)

Five Nights at Freddy's

Total Drama (I have not yet watched either of the reboot seasons)

The Amazing Digital Circus

Jujutsu Kaisen (I've only finished the Hidden Inventory Arc in the Anime)

Rhythm Heaven

EWOW (Current Contestant, can be used for TWOW as well)

Steven Universe

Spider-man (All versions, anyone can wear the mask)

Inanimate Insanity (All Seasons, Can act as an umbrella for other object shows)

So yea, that's just a bit about me. If you do wanna be moots just message me and lmk. I will try my best to be social, but as it may be a bit obvious here my anxiety causes me to over explain myself. Please also feel free to ask me questions if you have any.

[causticsunshine]

twenty questions

tagged by @are-you-quite-finished-giovanna thank you babe!! 🥰

1. why did you choose your url?

simply put i adore louis and i like purple and it just rolled off the tongue lol, but i also had a list of possible urls i also liked and i had to snatch this one up while i could!

2. any side blogs?

yes i have four....i'm not one of those 'everything goes on main and you can deal with it' type people.... but i have an inspiration blog @prickelndauge (art insp, lots of fashion, cool photography), an art-only blog @swmpwxtch, one just for spooky/creepy content because i'm really into horror manga and scary movies and that kind of stuff but i keep it off of main because i know a lot of it can often be triggering to others! (i also don't post much there but @bonepickng) and one for art references, life tips, random resources, and more donation sharing @am-ref!

3. how long have you been on tumblr?

soooo long i thought i'd be gone by now tbh. i know i signed up in 2011 after just browsing the site through random blogs and tags for ages, but i didn't start actively using my own account until early 2012!

4. do you have a queue tag?

when i actually remember to tag things i have queued i'll use 'i'm sleep queue' because all my early morning posts everyday are queued....i am an insomniac rip

5. why did you start your blog in the first place?

keeping up with my interests better! i was like 15/16 at the time so it made sense. back in Ye Olde Days much like now—i really have come full circle lmao—it was mostly just for 1d and then some random tv shows/franchises i just to see content of semi-often, as well as finding cool art!

6. why did you choose your icon/pfp?

rn it's just a regular pic of louis! as much as i like using my collages or little edits as my icons, you can't see much of anything and it looks too busy sometimes (but also the photo i have rn....i am always thinking thoughts about it soooo)

7. why did you choose your header?

it's pretty! i wanted everything to follow a color scheme + i love embroidery and fancy gowns!

8. what's your post with the most notes?

ok i thought it was gonna be one of my old larry chibi doodles because i know a few of them hit 1k+ notes, but i deleted those in 2017 and apparently now it's this 6 year old like....funky photo study i did of dan howell from 2015 when i still watched him and amazingphil a lot?? i mean at least it's something i was once proud of lmao....there's a few art posts i have with semi decent notes that i pretend i Do Not See

9. how many mutuals do you have?

i think rn 40 something so not very many, although i unfollowed a lot of people i was moots with when i left my last fanbase so that's probably why 😬 i've been meaning to check out more HL/ot5 people though!! i love mutual interaction but i'm afraid of being annoying if i'm any degree of attentive

10. how many followers do you have?

overall i have almost 2.4k rn, but there's a decent amount that are totally inactive or at least don't interact with me so it feels like....a lot less lmao but since re-joining 1d i've already made up like all the people i lost when i left my other fanbase of almost three and more so thank you for actually liking my work and maybe me as well 🥺💗

11. how many ppl do you follow?

around 370 rn!

12. have you ever made a shitpost?

half of the stuff that comes out of my mouth is a shitpost fdngjkdf like my tags are bad enough lmao, no one needs to properly share the bs i have to say

13. how often do you use tumblr?

pretty regularly rn but there are times i'll go completely MIA depending on what i'm into/how busy i am!

14. did you have a fight/argument with another blog?

in the past i have had some....issues with other people i've met on here but never directly had confrontation with them? most of the time that's happened i figure it's been one-sided though because i can get irritated with certain behavior really quickly—like i always say my heart is big and open but my bullshit tolerance is dangerously low—but when that's the case i'll just unfollow or block without saying anything?

although back in the day there was one instance (and seriously if anyone remembers this you deserve a medal because this shit was Ridiculous) where i kinda but not really called out another 1d fanartist who posted untagged noncon fanart they'd done of at least two of the boys, and then acted like it was no big deal (like. 1. those are irl people my dude and 2. untagged noncon art?? in front of my salad??) and their friends kept defending them for it and tried to come for me claiming i was a proponent of Purity Culture when i'm not and literally all i said in my post on it was that in my own opinion it was kinda fucked up to draw noncon art of real life people—not characters played by actors! but actual real people as themselves—in the first place, but if you felt the need to post highly triggering content like that the least you could do was tag it accordingly

but i think that was the last time properly so i guess times within this fanbase are still chaotic as ever just in a different way?

15. how do you feel about "you need to rb this" posts?

Annoyed™️ like don't guilt trip me over a post lmao i do what i want !!

16. do you like tag games?

YES i love to talk about myself after years of trying not to show any personality online out of fear of judgement dfjkngdf

17. do you like ask games?

yes! i want to do them more but i'm always afraid of reblogging one and then getting nothing and looking like a Fool :'(

18. which one of your mutuals is tumblr famous?

i guess i have a few moots that are kinda well-known or at least get good interaction within the community we're a part of? also isn't that phrase kind of an oxymoron at this point adfjkdf

19. do you have a crush on a mutual?

not past platonic friendly affection lmao but honestly what is it like to have a realistic crush on an actual tangible person versus someone in the public eye who doesn't even know i exist.....it's been so long and i am so lonely please send help

20. tags?

@niallnailme @bolitodequeso @milkcurls @exzouis @ialwaysknewyouwerepunk @got-my-devotion @aliensyndrome uhhh anyone who'd like to please consider yourself tagged by me! literally if there was an 'all my moots' button i'd just pick that lmao and as always no pressure/sorry if you've already done this and i haven't seen!

[importantlovecolor]

Zoids Saga Fuzors

Go to the Zoids Research Facility, and take the Core Active Ion Small from the left Chest, and the Hellcat Data from the right Chest. Go to the Item and Weapon Shop, and take the Emergency Retreat.

Zoids Saga

Zoids Saga Fuzors

Watch Zoids Fuzors

Zoids Saga Fuzors for Nintendo Gameboy Advance/GBA is a RPG game published by Tomy.

Game Boy Advance Zoids Saga: Fuzors. Tags: Zoids View.

Zoids Saga III: Fuzors (sometimes just 'Zoids Saga III' or 'Zoids Saga: Fuzors'), is set in the Zoids: Fuzors fictional world, and follows the actions of 'Will'. A good portion of the storyline parallels the Zoids: Fuzors anime. Similar to Zoids Saga there is one city (Blue City) which the player returns to after each segment of the story.

Zoids Saga

ScreenShots:

GBA ROM’s are Playable on Android With My Boy GBA Emulator

Play On PC With Visualboy Advance GBA Emulator

Zoids Saga Fuzors Info:

Release Date: February 23, 2005 Genre : RPG Publisher: Tomy Region : USA Languages: English Platform : Gameboy Advance Rom Type: .GBA

Download Links: Size – (4MB) ———————————————————— Direct

For Extracting Rar Files Use WinRAR or 7zip

Notes:

Zoids Saga Fuzors

For Multi Part Games You need to download all parts.

Check the FAQ Page For Extract RAR (Multi) Parts Guide, Dont use comment.

No Password on any of those game files we’ve uploaded, all files are Password Free.

If the file is damaged or shows RAR CRC Error, re-download them.

Check our notes, faq page, instructions Properly before you ask for help on the comment section.

For File Missing/Dead Links –> Request for Reupload.

Ibm lotus notes university hospital. You May Also Like Super Mario Advance 4 Super Mario Bros 3 GBA ROM Riverbed nightmare pathfinder.

Watch Zoids Fuzors

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Status:Eps Seen: / 26Your Score:Add Detailed Info

Alternative Titles

English: Zoids Fuzors

Information

Type:TV

Status: Finished Airing

Premiered:Fall 2004

Producers:Tokyo Kids

Studios: None found, add some

Genres:AdventureAdventure, MechaMecha, Sci-FiSci-Fi, ShounenShounen

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Ranked: #61362

2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Members: 9,624

Reviews

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Preliminary

26 of 26 episodes seen

slax(All reviews)

21 people found this review helpful

Overall1Story1Animation1Sound1Character1Enjoyment1

Ok, I'm a big Zoids fan, and as such, this review focuses on the differences between the styles of this and the preceding series, rather than an more general overview (I won't use Genesis as an example since that is of a vastly different style). Unfortunately, it is very negative. Firstly, let me start with the Story: Fuzors basically has no story whatsoever for the vast majority of the series. In the final few episodes, a backstory gets fleshed out and some continuity established, but as this only happens very late-on, it feels more like a justification for why the series occurred in the way it did, rather than an actual plot that naturally developed. Furthermore, the story it does eventually manage to establish is rushed, this, along with the generally poor translations, makes it difficult to draw any praise from the story. Now, this brings me to draw parallels with Zoids Zero, which also had a very skimpy plot at best. However, the biggest difference with the two series is that Zero is built around battles and comedy, and as such tries to give the viewer fluid fights and funny lines rather than a deep plot. Fuzors does not, and as such has no excuse for the lack of story. To continue with the story theme, I'll next discuss the Characters: While Zoids shows are not renowned for their characters, the development of the cast is not handled well in Fuzors at all. For instance, in the first episode, the character 'Amy' walks in to Mach Storm's headquarters and appears to anger some of the main characters. What the show doesn't tell you is that Amy is actually a member of Mach Storm herself. This fact makes it very confusing (to say the least) when she shows up unannounced in later episodes. This is probably the best way of describing the problem with the characters in Fuzors, it simply assumes you know who/what everyone/thing is -rather than actually take the time introduce them. This is especially true for the Zoids themselves. Many of the Zoids, such as Arosaurers and Gorhecks are totally new Zoids that fans of the previous series would not know anything about -and yet they appear on screen without any kind of introduction at all. To make matters worse, old Zoids that fans would be familiar with from other series are changed abruptly and without reason. For example, the Blade Liger is depicted in the other series as a very rare (if not unique) Zoid. In the first episode of Fuzors, three of them are shown. Another prominent example is the Fuzors variant of Gunsniper, which are all customised to be the same as Leena's heavily modified (and thus unique) Zoid featured in Zero. No explanation for either of these is ever given. This kind of 'thrust the viewer into the show' serves to confuse new watchers and disenfranchise fans, and is a great detriment to the series. Toward the end of the series, some of the cast's backstory is explained, however this is done in a very rushed manner and fails to justify the terrible job done in the first three-quarters of the series. Next up is the artwork. Well, the most important aspect of a Zoids show is the Zoids themselves, so I'll start with them. The models are all done in 3D, but the style is different to the previous series. The models themselves are very detailed, and try to stick closely to the real toy range, with small things like feathers and antennae being included. While such attention to detail may sound good, this is actually a detriment, as it severs to clutter the screen with needless 'wriggly bits' that only serve to distract the viewer. Furthermore, the models are all done in a very bland color scheme, with everything appearing 'cloudy' and dull when compared to the crisp, bright, colors of the previous series. Compounding this is the fact that most of these included features are simply never used. For example, the Liger Zero Phoenix never fires the bomb or guns that it has on it's back, instead RD usually uses his claws to attack from a distance, which is a big departure from the realism the highly detailed models try to emulate. While this might be excusable if everything in the series were done in the same style of graphics, this is simply not the case. Bullets and explosions are done in conventional anime style and as such stick out like a sore thumb. They just do not blend at all with the Zoids they are fired from or hit. But the most noticeable feature of the animation is the movement of the Zoids. The Zoids move in a very awkward and robotic fashion. All of the Zoids featured are extremely rigid and inflexible, thus their movements seem entirely unnatural and unrealistic. This is especially prevalent when the Zoids 'fall over', wherein they appear to do a backflip on the spot rather than actually collapse or stagger. This is easily the biggest complaint I have with the series, especially when comparing with the extraordinarily fluid animations of Zero. The backgrounds are bland and uninteresting, with very little stand-out features, and as such, the only positive thing I have to say about Fuzor's artwork is the character's design. However, considering that the characters are very unimportant (as they are usually obscured from view inside Zoids) this is largely a moot point. Finally, is the sound. Almost all weapons have high-pitched sounds, regardless of what they are actually shooting. As any mech fan could well appreciate, it sounds a bit ridiculous when super-heavy artillery makes a 'pew' sound. Furthermore, RD's voice actor has a very high-pitched voice, as do most of the supporting cast (such as Sigma and Sweet). As the viewer's ears are bombarded constantly by all these high-pitched sounds, it honestly gets annoying. Other: Well, there is no section for this, but the quality of translation is very poor. The names of Zoids are often mispronounced or downright wrong. Overall: Quite simply Fuzors is a very poorly made anime when taken from the viewpoint of a Zoids fan. The animation is awkward, robotic and dull, the sound effects are annoying and inappropriate, the translations are poor and the story only picks up toward the end of the series, but this simply come along far too late to salvage the series.

26 of 26 episodes seen

sylvanelite(All reviews)

11 people found this review helpful

Overall1Story1Animation1Sound1Character1Enjoyment1

This might sound like a harsh thing to say, but this is one of the worst series I've ever seen. The plot is terrible, and the voice actors are outstandingly bad. The fights are poorly strung together and are terrible to look at. This series was cancelled from US airways for good reason. Although it does get better in the latter half, it's not enough to recover from the terrible first half.

26 of 26 episodes seen

Daniel_mugen25(All reviews)

7 people found this review helpful

Overall7Story7Animation7Sound6Character6Enjoyment7

Zoids fuzors, just like Zoids new century, have teams who uses Zoids to battle each other for entertainment purposes in my opinion. It has been a good series especially when their Zoids combine with each other. Unfortunately, the story is a bit cliche. Teams battling each other for no explained reason(I might have missed it in the series though). I have only watched the English dub so far and the voice actors are good. Animation is a bit different from previous Zoids series but then impressive when they combine. All in all, it was a good series.

[the-stories-in-my-head-95]

Hey, I’ve Got You- Chapter Three

Tony Stark x enhanced! Reader

Summary -The reader was captured and experimented on and given the healing factor and she has claws that extend out from the bed of their nails. The people who are experiment on her cover her skeleton in vibranium. So the reader now has metal claws. They keep her locked away for a very long time. They rarely feed her or let her out because there is such a high chance of her escape now. Somehow the UN panel that is in charge of the accords finds out about the illegal experiments and send Iron Man in to shut down the operation. The reader is the only one there because the scientists had gotten word that they had been discovered. Tony finds the reader and takes her back to the compound.

Message-TIME JUMP! Sorry if it sucks!!

Warning- Reader is held captive and experimented on. Mentions of torture. Self-injurious behavior.

Background  Chapter One  Chapter Two 

Word Count- 1,000ish

You had been living at the compound for 6 months. You had met Rhodey and Pepper the second day you were her and you had all become the best of friends. You had learned a lot about yourself since being freed. You were sassy, stubborn and sarcastic. You would fiercely protect and defend those you cared about- even if it was from themselves. Also you learned that you loved to shop, you loved being able to choose what you wore, you loved to be able to style your hair to perfection and you loved to make sure your makeup was on point. You think that it’s because you weren’t allowed to do any of these things for so long, so now you were over compensating for lost time.

But the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself since you came here was that you were in love with Tony Stark. He was kind, generous, funny and probably the best person on this earth. You knew he didn’t see it. Years of being emotionally abused by his father had destroyed his self-worth and the “civil war” with the other Avengers hadn’t helped. People said he was cruel, vapid, and narcissistic, but you knew that, that Tony was an act that he put on so people wouldn’t get to close to him. The only people he let see the real him were you, Rhodey, Pepper and as of very recently, Helen.

After the first week of living here your days fell into an easy schedule. You would get up around 8:00. Go to the lab to see Helen so she could get blood samples from you-she was still trying to figure out why you weren’t aging. Then you would join Tony for breakfast and the two of you would spend the mornings either in his lab, watching movies or going to different museums’. After lunch you would see your therapist for your 2 hour session, then you would go train- you had decided that you wanted to learn how to fight. Tony had found a retired SHEILD agent to teach you. According to them you were a natural, it probably had something to do with your enhanced senses, you could hear, see, and smell better than an average person. You also had quicker reflexes. After training you would have dinner with Tony, Rhodey, Pepper and Helen. After dinner you guys would play games, have movie nights or just hang out. On Saturdays you, Pepper and Helen would have “girl’s day” and the three of you would do things like go to the spa, or go to the mall. Sundays were lazy days and everyone would hang out in their pajamas until early afternoon. Most of those Sundays involved you and Tony cuddling on the couch while everyone helped to catch up on the last 50 years. You were currently walking to your therapy session when you walked in you saw your therapist and before you even sat down you blurt out:

“I think I’m in love with Tony.” Your therapist nods

“Is it because he rescued you? Or maybe it’s because he takes care of you? Loving someone who rescued you and then took you in is natural.”

“No, it’s not like that. Yes he did save me and yes he does take care of me but I take care of him to and I love him because he is kind and generous and funny. I love the stupid smile he gets when he’s explaining his tech to me. I love that he was so willing to take me in when I was a complete stranger who was traumatized. Tony gives and gives and the world just keeps taking from him, I think that its time someone starts giving back to him.”

“Do you think you’re healthy enough to be that person?” your therapist asks.

“I-I know my mental health isn’t 100% but these last 6 months have been good. When I look in the mirror I see Y/N, not that traumatized girl who could barely remember her name. But it’s a moot point, he probably doesn’t love me. He’s used to dating women like Pepper. Women who are put together and successful.” You say with a frown.

“How will you know for sure unless you talk to him? If this is what you truly want then you should know all healthy relationships require open lines of communication.” You nod at this. The two of you talk more about what a healthy relationship looks like and then after your two hours is up you go to find Tony.

“Y/N!” Tony calls. “I want you to meet someone. This is Peter Parker. Remember I told you about him? He’s Spiderman.”

“Mr. Stark! You can’t keep telling people my secret identity!” a boy who was probably 15 says.

“Don’t worry, kid. Your secrets safe with me. I thought Tony said you weren’t joining the Avengers yet?”

“Oh, no, I’m just here for the summer. I want to finish school before I join full time.” Peter says back.

“That’s great, would you mind if I stole Tony away for a few minutes?” You ask.

“Of course not! Tony told me I would be training with you so I’ll see you in a bit.” The kids said before running out of Tony’s lab.

“What do you want to talk about?” Tony asked curiously.

“I-uh just wanted to let you-uh….jeez, this is hard.” You says are you take a deep breath.

“Your leaving aren’t you. That’s what you’re trying to tell me right?” Tony’s voice cracked and you looked up and saw that he was distressed.

“What? No, I would never leave you, Tony. I’m in love with you.” You say and then you gasp and use your hands to cover your mouth. That was not how you wanted to tell him. But then you look at him and his eyes are soft and his smile is wide. He reaches out, grabs your hands and pulls them away from your face.

“I’m in love with you, too.” Tony says. You look down at your hands and then you look up at him. Then you lean into him and give him a quick chaste kiss.

Tag List- @capbuckthor​ @avc212​ @purplekitten30​  @peachpodge​ @red-writer13​ @redcresent @sexysamsungl​ 

[dani-ellie03]

Fic: Wednesday’s Child (15/?)

Title: Wednesday’s Child Summary: The next time Emma Swan wanted magical help, she was on her own. Because now they were stuck with a pint-sized savior who clearly had an attitude problem and a terrified but pretending not to be pre-pirate. Spoilers: If you’re current, we’re good. Rating/Warning: PG-13, mostly for safety. Family angst/fluff, as per usual. Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time and its characters were created by Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and are owned by ABC. I’m just borrowing them but I’ll put them back when I’m finished! Author's Note: This ended up a bit heavier than my normal fluff but it was clearly time for it because it came out on its own.

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{1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7} {8} {9} {10} {11} {12} {13} {14}

At ff.net and below.

Tagging @shealivedarnit (If anyone else wants to be tagged, let me know!)

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After a bit of soft conversation among the adults, little Robin began to fuss, which Regina took as her cue to usher her sister and her niece back to the vault. "We still have a lot of work to do," she explained, "and we were on the cusp of something before lunch. I don't want to lose that momentum."

"Of course," Charming agreed. The two magical experts losing their momentum was not high on the list of things he wanted, either.

"Thank you for letting us come over," Zelena said, her tone surprisingly sincere. "They're precious." After letting the sentiment settle for a beat, she resumed her typical teasing. "Plus, now I have the perfect blackmail pictures."

"Hard to blackmail people with pictures you've already sent everyone," Regina reminded her, rolling her eyes.

"Everyone in this house, maybe. Not everyone in Storybrooke."

Charming and Snow both swallowed snickers. Zelena wasn't going to do a single thing with those pictures except aww over them occasionally and they both knew it.

After walking the Mills ladies to the door and making sure they left safely, Charming and Snow headed back to the living room to check on their charges. Henry had engaged little Neal in a rudimentary game of catch that involved rolling a ball across the floor to each other. A surprised Snow raised her eyebrows, clearly wondering how Henry had gotten the baby to sit still that long. Now that Neal was walking, keeping him in one place for more than a few minutes at a time had become ridiculously difficult.

Evidently not wanting to interrupt the miracle happening between nephew and uncle, Snow instead ducked into the blanket fort to tend to the sleeping children. It seemed little Emma was every bit the bed hog as her adult self; she'd already vacated her own sleeping spot and had taken over half of Killian's.

His heart exploding with love, Charming watched as Snow gently guided Emma back onto her own pillow to give Killian a little more room and then spread one of the blankets padding the floor at the outer edge of the fort over them. "Sleep well, sweethearts," Snow murmured, ghosting each of their temples with a kiss.

Whether it was coincidence, Charming would never know, but both children snuggled deeper under the covers at Snow's gentle touch.

By the time Charming and Snow ducked out of the fort and stood up straight, Neal had decided he'd had enough catch. He toddled toward the blanket fort only to be scooped up by his father before he could enter. The poor baby frowned, babbled some gibberish that sounded awfully insistent, and thrust a chubby hand towards the fort.

It took Charming a beat to recognize that his son was annoyed with being thwarted. "I know you want to play with your big sister and Killian," he said, swallowing a snicker, "but they're napping now and you'd just wake them up."

Now that he didn't have a baby or two ten-year-olds to entertain, Henry begged off to read in his room upstairs. "And no, I'm not reading Bunnicula without them," he teasingly assured his grandparents.

Since Henry and the kids shoving the armchairs aside to make room for the fort meant said armchairs were free for sitting, Charming and Snow plopped down themselves to take a well-deserved breather. Snow set Neal up with some Mega Blocks on the floor at her feet where she could keep an eye on him.

For a long moment, Charming and Snow sat in comfortable silence. From his vantage point, Charming could look out onto the front yard through the window and was pleased to see the sun peeking through the remainder of the clouds. The occasional strong gust of wind and the puddles in the driveway were the only indications that a storm was raging less than an hour ago.

"Looks like Killian will be a bit calmer when he wakes up," Charming said, nodding towards the window.

Snow turned in her seat to look out the window as well. "Yes, looks like." Facing forward, she caught her husband's gaze. "Is it weird that I find it a little unsettling to see him so … hesitant? He's always so decisive and he has so much experience behind him that it's easy to forget that he was once a scared little kid, too."

"It's not weird at all," Charming assured her.

She gave him a small, grateful smile. "I just hope we're doing enough to make him feel comfortable with us."

"I hope so, too," Charming agreed honestly. "He seems to have settled in decently enough; they both have. It's just … he seems so lost. He and I talked a little bit when we were feeding the animals this morning and it's abundantly clear that he misses Liam terribly. All he wants is his brother back and Snow, that's the one thing we can't give him."

Charming had so far managed to dodge all of little Killian's questions about Liam but he wouldn't be able to dodge them forever.

"No, we can't," Snow agreed, swallowing hard as her gaze traveled to the fort where the boy in question lay sleeping. "All we can do is try to help him get through the next couple of days. When Regina and Zelena turn them back to adults, the question of Liam will be moot anyway."

Snow had a point, one that Charming strangely kept forgetting. That the children would eventually return to their adult incarnations was always there in the back of his mind but it was hard to keep that certainty in the forefront when looking at them and talking to them and worrying about them.

Almost as if she could read her husband's thoughts, Snow heaved a sigh. "I didn't expect it to be this hard."

Without even having to ask, Charming knew she was still feeling guilty about the misunderstanding that had sent Emma running. "Snow, this morning wasn't your fault."

A small but unconvincing smile tugged at her lips. "Maybe but I should have been more careful. Before yesterday we only knew the generalities of their childhoods but now we can plainly see how utterly lonely they were. It hurts to see how tentative they are, how hesitant they are to trust. The way Emma examines my face every time she asks me a question guts me, Charming."

Oh, gods, how he knew exactly what she meant. It gutted him, too.

"And it's not even just that! I miss them, the adult them. I want the Emma and Killian we know back but I also don't want to let go of the little kids in that fort." Snow finally tore her eyes from the fort, shaking her head and dropping a pained gaze to her hands. "I don't know, I'm not making any sense."

"Snow, you're making perfect sense," Charming assured her, and gods, she was. She'd just spoken of the conflict in his own heart, the conflict of adoring this opportunity to be with these children and not wanting it to end while also wishing he could have adult Emma and adult Killian back. Of wishing he had an eternity with the children while being aware of the ticking of the clock counting the seconds since he'd last seen his adult baby girl and son-in-law.

He longed to make everything sunshine and puppies and rainbows for the kids while also knowing that all the sunshine and puppies and rainbows in the world wouldn't take away the pain they'd already lived.

After a brief glance over at the fort to make sure the kids were still asleep, he murmured to Snow, "I don't want to let them go, either. These are the moments we should have had with her and I am clinging to every single one of them. I'm treasuring every second I spend with them, trying to commit every detail to memory because I don't want to lose any of it. But at the same time, I'm counting down the minutes until Regina calls us and says she's figured out how to turn them back because I miss our Emma and Killian so much it hurts."

He paused to swallow the lump that had risen in his throat and blink back the tears that had welled in his eyes. "This is hard, Snow. It's hard looking at our baby and seeing a hurt, reticent, frightened little girl looking back. It's hard looking into her eyes and seeing no recognition of who we really are to her. It's hard watching our baby learn how to trust all over again when all I want to do is just pull her into a crushing hug and never let her go. And Killian … he makes me profoundly sad. Seeing him as a little boy who just misses his brother has made me realize that he spent centuries like that. He turned to piracy after losing Liam and revenge after losing Milah and all the while, he was just a lost little boy who missed his family."

Snow tried to no avail to blink back her own tears. "I knew they both had it bad, Charming, but seeing them like this? Gods, I don't know how they survived it."

"They survived it in any way they could," Charming told her softly. "They survived it by putting up those walls of theirs. They didn't let anybody get too close because of how much it would hurt when that somebody went away."

"Such an unimaginably brutal way to grow up."

What else was there to say to that? Snow had spoken the absolute truth.

Charming again glanced over at the silent fort and smiled when he caught Emma once again infringing on poor Killian's personal space in her sleep. Once a bed hog, always a bed hog, apparently.

"Which is exactly why we're doing what we can now, Snow," Charming reminded her. "It was your idea to take this time and give them some of the happy experiences that, as is blatantly obvious, they very much need. No, it won't fix everything. It can't rewind time or change the past or keep them from feeling any of the pain they've experienced but it will help. These kids now know that someone somewhere loves them and when they turn back, if we've eased even an iota of that pain for them, it'll be worth it."

Snow took a shaky breath in and held it a moment before exhaling and drying her eyes with her index fingers. "Thank you."

"What, for telling you your idea was brilliant?" Charming teased. "You're welcome."

That thankfully got her to chuckle, which had been his intention. After taking a moment to settle her emotions, Snow cleared her throat, nodded towards the fort, and asked, "What should we do with them when they wake up?"

Charming considered their options. It was still too wet from the rain for outdoor play, though he did need to check the animals now that the storm had passed and let Wilby run around for a bit. As much as Wilby enjoyed taking care of his new lost lamb, he was typically an outside dog and was itching for the time and space to run free. Henry might be up for another round of video games but Charming wasn't sure he wanted the children to spend a second afternoon in front of the television.

The memory of making dinner with Emma the night before rose to the surface and suddenly Charming knew of the perfect activity. "Emma did ask yesterday if we could make pasta from scratch."

Since Snow enjoyed leading cooking lessons of any kind, it was not a surprise that she jumped readily aboard his train of thought. "I'm prepared for the impending mess if you are."

"The dustpan and broom will be at the ready," he chuckled. "I know Emma will pretty much be in food heaven having spaghetti twice in a row but we'll just have to make sure no one else minds."

Snow ticked family members off on her fingers as she made her way down the list. "Neal's a baby who eats what we give him, Henry's a fourteen-year-old boy who eats anything and everything as long as it's food, and Killian, even in his little state, is fine with whatever Emma is fine with. I have a funny feeling no one's going to complain."

"Well, when you put it like that," Charming said, chuckling, "I think another cooking lesson is just what the doctor ordered."

Snow let her gaze drift to the blanket fort, where her tiny daughter and son-in-law lay sleeping. Preparing dinner as a family was the perfect way to make the children feel even more at home. "Yes, I think it is, too."

-----

Chapter Sixteen

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs according to the Sabres

We know how to cheer for other teams. Don’t pretend you don’t. It’s been eight years since the Buffalo Sabres last had a postseason berth and if you’re telling me you haven’t found other teams to cheer for in those postseasons since then you’re lying. Doing this with some teams feels more wrong than others and its all really just different drugs to stave off the sorrow of the Sabres not making it again. That said, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are just too compelling not to dive headlong into. If you’re a hockey fan its must-watch programming. If you’re not, it’s probably the best entryway into the sport. I’ll be really honest and say watching the playoffs is how I got into NHL Hockey. It’s the best hockey on earth and players, past and present, are on record saying its war. It is a two-month gauntlet for the players, and it hurts like hell by all accounts. Luckily, we don’t need to actually play the game. If you’re a former player I’d be honored to hear what you have to say about it but either way it’s just too good to ignore. Even as other teams duke it out for Lord Stanley’s Cup there is still that feeling of missing the Sabres. So today we’re going to look at the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs according to the Buffalo Sabres… or Buffalo Sabres fans at least. It’s going to break down into three parts: general rooting interests, former Sabres, and predictions. We’ll start with a general guide of which teams to cheer for and which teams you shouldn’t cheer for from a Sabres perspective. Former Sabres is a pretty self-explanatory section but its not always easy to cheer for those who used to wear the Blue and Gold. Last season one of my favorite former Sabres, Brian Gionta, found himself on the Boston Bruins roster in the playoffs. That was a confusing feeling! Making some predictions at the end is the fun part you read through all this for. If you want to be a jerk then go ahead and read ahead but I think we’ll have fun before we get to that point! With no further ado, let’s do that Hockey.

Sabres fans rooting for good playoff hockey have some pitfalls to avoid. This postseason we will, for the second postseason in a row, get the single solitary scenario that justifies rooting for the Boston Bruins if you don’t have a personal connection: a playoff series with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A lot of our friends up in Toronto are feeling this series is a foregone conclusion. A smart and happy Sabres fan will hope those losers are right. I think its pretty safe to feel confident the Lightning will polish off whoever survives this series, but you got to root against the Maple Leafs. That’s one of the most fundamental rules. Speaking of Tampa, the President’s Trophy winners generally don’t win the Cup but if you’re rooting for such a goliath of a division rival you better hop on that bandwagon from square one. If they’re the feel-good story by the time we get to the Conference Finals its going to feel kinda dirty honking their horn. 100 percent you need to root against the Carolina Hurricanes no matter what. Fuck those guys for a million reasons from a Sabres perspective. If you’re pulling for the Washington Capitals to repeat like the Pens did you probably should do that from the start as well but either way Caps versus Canes will be a fun series. Columbus stands out as the something-special team in the East this year so I might hop on that wagon from the start, but I know that’s a risky bet for a lot of reasons, not least of which that they’re taking on Tampa in the first round. You may be shocked that I labeled the Blue Jackets the special team in the East and not the New York Islanders. I wish nothing but good things on Robin Lehner and we’ll get to him later, but I can’t imagine a fan base more up their own asses right now. They just don’t deserve it the way Columbus sports fans need anything from the Jackets right now in the postseason. I don’t know how you root for the Penguins as a Sabres fan. Like seriously, if you are then comment on this and tell me why, you madman. That’s gross. The Pens-Isles series might put out levels of fan toxicity that will break all prior bad-take records. On the Western Side of the bracket St. Louis stands out as the fuck them team. We’ll talk about former Sabre Ryan O’Reilly’s sway on this in a bit but its my feeling that if you do the inverse of what the Sabres did this season in having a great second half than you can go fuck yourselves. I trust the Winnipeg Jets to take care of that business. There is still enough hatred for Dallas to root for Nashville in that series and the two other Western Conference matchups are toss-ups in terms of Sabres fan interests. Personally, I’ll be rooting for the Sharks over the Golden Knights because the Knights have had their fun and my father-in-law is from the Bay Area. Calgary versus Colorado is probably the series I am most likely to forget happened in this year’s postseason.

Now: former players. There is an art to rooting for former Sabres in the playoffs. You got to tread lightly in certain circumstances. Ryan O’Reilly and Robin Lehner are the big tickets this postseason and I am not going to pretend to speak the fan consensus on what we want to happen to them. With those guys this is my opinion. Ryan O’Reilly had annoying quirks and didn’t do as good as he could have here in Buffalo. That said, he was scape-goated for the disaster that was the 2017-2018 season in many ways. I for one am pulling for him. I’m rooting against his team, so I suppose I want him to score a lot in a losing series. Robin Lehner on the other hand is a less confounding conundrum. There is reason to wish the best for him. He’s a recovering addict and he’s getting his life back together on a team that is doing a fantastic job after their superstar left. For that reason alone, we should probably just cheer for the guy. If you’re one of those all-or-nothing defend-my-city types who takes issue with his comments about a toxic media and atmosphere in Buffalo then I suppose that’s you’re prerogative. He also went out of his way to give Jason Botterill props so maybe cool down. The rest of the former Sabres in this year’s playoffs reads like a list of punchlines from a past era. Jaroslav Halak is a Bruin for these playoffs and he maybe platooning it with Tuuka Rask given the organization’s distrust of Rask for no good reason. Halak was briefly a member of the 2014 tank Buffalo Sabres. Nobody remembers that and whatever, right? Tyler Ennis is a Toronto Maple Leaf. He’s being used as a fourth liner up there and its been ok for him this year. Unfortunately, he’ll get the same treatment O’Reilly gets from me this postseason: do well in a losing series. San Jose has Evander Kane and unless you’re a real patronizing hockey dad I can’t imagine Sabres fans will have trouble cheering for the player or the team in that case. I want the Sharks to win the Cup to be perfectly clear. Chad Ruhwedel will play another postseason with the Pittsburgh Penguins. No offense to Chad but I just feel nothing for him as a former Sabre. Taylor Fedun made the playoffs with the Dallas Stars but again, nothing on the feels spectrum about him. William Carrier is still on the Vegas Golden Knights. I was interested in his play as a Sabre for about ten seconds in 2017. Finally, there is the Winnipeg Jets who have everyone who we were hot and bothered about in 2013 in terms of prospects. That’s all a long time ago and when it comes to cheering interest I think those feelings are probably pretty moot at this point. That said, I still see Tyler Myers jerseys around Buffalo so maybe that’s not a good take. Grill me in the comments if you’re a Sabres fan really pulling for the Jets.

Predictions. I have a better record predicting March Madness than the Stanley Cup Playoffs; but I’m not into basketball and Lord Stanley’s Cup is the closest thing to an Old Testament-style idol in my life. When it comes to who wins the 30-pound silver beauty I struggle between logic and feels. My heart tells me San Jose wins the whole thing, but my head tells me Tampa Bay. NHL.com had a grossly high number of commentators’ pick Boston to win there way to the Cup Final and my repulsion to that prospect is the perfect example of my bias. Buffalo rivals disgust me so much that it clouds my ability to do this logically. On the other hand, I’m too logical to pick upsets like Columbus over Tampa or St. Louis over Winnipeg so perhaps I’m the worst possible guy to go to for playoff predictions. It’s time to stop beating around the bush: here are my predictions. In the east the first-round winners are Tampa in 7, Boston in 7, Washington in 5, New York Islanders in 6. The second round goes Tampa over Boston and Washington over New York in my book. The East Final will go to seven games again but in this rematch of last year Tampa wins. Out West its Calgary in 6, San Jose in 7, Nashville in 5 and Winnipeg in 6 in the first round. The West Semifinals will see San Jose prosper over Calgary and Winnipeg knock out Nashville again. The West Final will be an absolute War that goes to seven games between San Jose and Winnipeg before the Sharks limp across the finish line into the Stanley Cup Final. And then the drama really happens: an older Sharks team battered from three hard rounds edges out Tampa in the first seven game Stanley Cup Final we’ve seen since 2011. I can’t help but envision a tired, old Joe Thornton hanging his body over the Stanley Cup having finally done it. I’ve never rooted for a California team in anything, but I’d like to continue the trend of first-time Cup winning teams, please! As we said: when the Buffalo Sabres aren’t in it we’re just cheering for a bunch of malarkey come the postseason, aren’t we? It’s just too fun to watch, eh? Well those are my picks and I am prepared to be grilled for them. I know they’re not going to be perfect and I’m at peace with that.

This is technically the first post of the new, New Look Sabres Season. With the Sabres failing to clinch a postseason berth in spectacular fashion there is nothing I’ll be writing about on this blog until… June? Yeah June probably. This is my offseason I guess: just sitting back and watching the real season. If the Sabres announce a new coach before someone raises the silver chalice I may write about it but don’t hold your breath. I think we are all on the same page that whoever is hired as the next coach will need to see an offseason that builds a newer, better version of the Sabres before we’re excited again. I know I feel that way and I’m the optimist. Like, comment and share this blog. If you want a more intensive exploration of the past season than the Season Retrospective went up before this post on the blog and it’s a real long piece of work by New Look Sabres standards. I’ll be reading some of the postgame posts myself, I am going to miss the Sabres and now I have something additional for reflection beyond highlight videos. Nice. Until the Sabres bring us together again: Let’s Go Buffalo! 

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Sign Jeff Skinner. Sign Jeff Skinner. Sign Jeff Skinner. Sign Jeff Skinner. Sign Jeff Skinner.

[panickypansexual]

ok so I had to do this again because I fucked up the numbers but here we go!

Special thanks to @spastikchildren for tagging me; you’re the real MVP

THE LAST:

1.     Drink: Water.  Actually, that’s the only thing I’ve drunk all day…huh…

2.     Phone call: I dunno! I haven’t called anyone in 2017 at all (because I hate phone calls).

3.     Text message: An in depth analysis of a microwave meal. I shit you not.

4.     Song you listened to: I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s that really intense party music going on in the background of the video clip ‘fly vs electric screwdriver’. Yeah, the meme-y one.

5.     Time you cried: Probably recently? Oh yeah, a few nights ago. I was laughing too hard at a shitpost lol

HAVE YOU:

6.     Dated someone twice: God no! I’d rather dieeeeeee (but not really)

7.     Kissed someone and regretted it: Yes, but that’s only because I thought playing the Pocky game with a crumbly wafer was an intelligent decision. Hint hint: it was not.

8.     Been cheated on: No, fortunately not.

9.     Lost someone special: Not anyone super close to me, but yes.

10.  Been depressed: I. Have. Depression. You. Pleb.

11.  Gotten drunk and thrown up: No, I can’t drink. Actually, I could. I just refuse to.

FAVORITE COLORS (this is actually really hard since I love a lot of colors!)

12.  Purple (my all-time favorite)

13.  Electric Lime Green

14.  Black

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

15.  Made new friends: No, but I’ve gotten a lot closer to some people.

16.  Fallen out of love: No.

17.  Laughed until you cried: See #5

18.  Found out someone was talking about you: Yes, but it was actually just my mutuals spreading the love, so that was pretty cool.

19.  Met someone who changed you: Not in the last year, no.

20.  Found out who your friends are: No, but I’ve figured out who I don’t want to stay in contact with after I get out of school.

21.  Kissed someone on your Facebook list: No, neither my ex nor my girlfriend have a Facebook (as far as I know).

  GENERAL (ooh, nice module!):

22.  How many Facebook friends do you know in real life: Most of them, aside from my fake accounts….yeah, I had like 50+ lol

23.  Do you have any pets: Yes! I have three lovely cats and a clown loach.

24.  Do you want to change your name: Not particularly; no.

25.  What did you do for your last birthday: I didn’t do anything ;_; They said the place I wanted to go wouldn’t be good for a party, and then my friend just took our ‘squad’ there and we had fun. So, it felt like a birthday. I might have a real one in the summer to make up for it, but that seems a little….selfish.

26.  What time did you wake up: At like 5 AM because I had to pee

27.  What were you doing at midnight last night: trying to fall asleep.

28.  Name something you can’t wait for: Getting out of this shitty education system! That means: having a full-fledged job (which I’m trying to start now), hopefully living with my sweetheart one day and not being surrounded by assholes.

29.  One thing you wish you could change about your life: Less acne!

30.  What are you listening to right now: My fish tank’s usual bubbly noises and my overhead AC

31.  Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Heck yeah I have! His name’s Tom McCall! But not the governor. Just an eggplant I raised….(along with Bob Straub, because Oregon history ftw).

32.  Something that is getting on your nerves: me myself and I

33.  Most visited website: Probably this one. Youtube would be #2. Or Google, if you could count that. I have a lot of questions. Speaking of that, Wikipedia would be like #3.

34.  Moles: Like 5, but I’m going to grow a lot more as I get older. It’s in my genes.

35.  Marks: I have one scar on my foot (at least, I think it’s going to be a scar) from a mysterious injury involving my chair and a lot of blood. I also have a small scar near my collarbone the size of an icepick, which I’ve had since I was born (I think).

 36.  Childhood dream: Staying alive. In other words, not killing myself! And guess what? I achieved it!

37.  Hair color: Brunette; chocolate brown with caramel colored highlights if you want to get more specific. It’s my natural hair color (including the highlights).

38.  Long or short hair: Everyone loves my hair short, but I fucking hate it. I prefer long hair.

39.  Do you have a crush on someone: Er, does my girlfriend count?

40.  What do you like about yourself: *nervous laughter*….nothing? I guess my eyes are pretty nice.

41.  Piercings: None.

42.  Blood type: Both of my parents are Os, so even though I’ve never been tested (hella scared about that), I’m probably an O.

43.  Nickname: Aside from Panic/Loli, none. Those are just my online tags.

44.  Relationship status: Happily dating a cute girl. It’s unfortunately a long distance relationship for the summer, though…I miss her cuddles.

45.  Zodiac: Aquarius/Capricorn cusp, but I’m much more of an Aquarius (so I just typically go by that)

46.  Pronouns: y’all/yaint. Just kidding, she/her. I’d set the whole ‘y’all/yaint’ thing as my blog title, but I feel like someone would think I was making fun of pronouns so I won’t.

47.  Favorite TV Show: I rarely watch TV honestly, but probably Billy the Exterminator. Reminds me a bit of @spastikchildren, actually. He’s a rocker-type dude who goes around rescuing animals.

48.  Tattoos: None.

49.  Right or left hand: Assuming you mean my dominant hand, right.

50.  Surgery: None yet. I’m terrified of having to get my wisdom teeth out. I’ve never been knocked out before….

51.  Hair dyed in a different color: Not right now, but when I start going gray I’ll just become ‘anime grandma’ and dye my hair crazy colors.

52.  Sport: MARCHING BAND, which is a sport. If you think it is not, I suggest you come watch me perform after putting hundreds of hours into it (all while my arms are practically falling off).

53.  Vacation: I’d rather not. Traveling is stressful for me.

54.  Pair of trainers: I have this really sick ass pair of electric colored New Balance shoes that I’m currently breaking in.

MORE GENERAL:

55.  Eating: Seahorses. Just kidding, they’re actually giant pieces of barbequed chicken that look like giant seahorses, so that’s why I call them that.

56.  Drinking: Water, because these seahorses are (pleasantly) spicy.

57.  I’m about to: I dunno. Maybe I’ll play some Don’t Starve. I just watched someone play it and picked up some new techniques that might make it easier for me to play.

58.  Waiting for: Nothing in particular, really. I guess for me to finish eating and finish this thingy.

59.  Want: To feel like I’m useful and wanted, to have a good career in freelance writing, to take a warm shower because I’m cold, and to ask my girlfriend to spoil me….because I want more hugs.

 RELATIONSHIPS (not a category, but I added it so)

60.  Get married: Sure, I’d like to get married. But I don’t wanna have kids (maybe I’ll adopt some older ones so I don’t have to deal with screaming shit demons).

61.  Career: I’m really hoping I can begin freelance writing, because I really don’t fucking want to go to college (and no, it doesn’t require a degree, I’ve done research on it).  I’m trying to start now.

62.  Hugs or kisses: Hugs. I have no fucking clue how to kiss people.

63.  Lips or eyes: Eyes ftw, though my lips are a delightful cherry pink without any lipstick so I do like that about me.

64.  Shorter or taller: I often like taller people, but I really am sort of indifferent.

65.  Older or younger: I like to date people the same age (or close) as me. Otherwise, I don’t really care.

66.  Nice arms or nice stomach: Uh, I don’t care either way.

67.  Sensitive or loud: I’m sensitive all right. But I’m okay with loud noises; I sit behind percussionists after all.

68.  Hook up or relationship: Relationship. I need attention and cuddles.

69.  Troublemaker or hesitant: HESITANT.

HAVE YOU EVER:

70.  Kissed a stranger: uh no

71.  Drank hard liquor: No, I don’t drink.

72.  Lost glasses/contacts: No. I very rarely wear my glasses anyway, so it’s a moot point.

73.  Turned someone down: No, I’m not cute enough for people to have a crush on me. Except for online creepers (which I always turn down).

74.  Sex on the first date: No thanks.

75.  Broken someone’s heart: No, I get my heart broken most all of the time. I hardly do the breaking.

76.  Had your heart broken: YES. And not just in relationships.

77.  Been arrested: No, but I think the police have a record for me (I wasn’t guilty of anything, though).

78.  Cried when someone died: Yeah, I am a short fuse when it comes to crying.

79.  Fallen for a friend: Yes.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

80.  Yourself: Fuck no. I don’t even know if I’m real. I honestly hope I’m not….

81.  Miracles: I guess. It’s a miracle I’m still alive, I think.

82.  Love at first sight: Yes, but that’s not real love.

83.  Santa Claus: Yes, he’s my homie.

84.  Kiss on the first date: Depends.

85.  Angels: I think it’s possible they exist, but I’m not sure.

OTHER:

86.  Current best friend’s names: Probably Cairo and Ana.

87.  Eye color: Bluish green with a splash of hazel, but for all intents and purposes, just green.

88.  Favorite Movie: Anything really shitty.

 I tag: Whoever’s reading this! (and hasn’t already done it)

[ciathyzareposts]

Rethinking the System (Again) and a Wrap-Up of Akalabeth

THE FINAL RATING SYSTEM, REDUX

I mentioned at the end of my last post that I was considering revamping my Final Ratings.  I’m not happy with a lot of the results that I’ve been getting, and the Innovation & Influence category seems to be the primary culprit.  I tested some ideas over the last few days, and mocked up some scores to see how the charts came out.  I’m fairly satisfied with what I’ve come up with.  (For an explanation of the old system, check the sidebar on the right.  It’s still going to be roughly the same.)

The Innovation & Influence category has always been a problematic one, in hindsight.  I put it in there to recognise games that are of particular historical importance, or that innovated a game feature. Both of those things are worth recognising, but neither of them are necessarily markers of whether a game is good or not.  I still think they should be a part of my rating system, but not a part that’s weighted as heavily as my other categories.

Another problem is that while I do have a decently broad knowledge of CRPGs and adventure games, not a lot of that knowledge comes first hand.  Most of the games I’ve played are from 1998 and before.  I think the most recent CRPG that I’ve played to completion is Might & Magic VI.  I couldn’t even hazard a guess as to what the most recent adventure game I’ve played is.  I don’t think I actually have the knowledge to rate games in this category accurately.  Perhaps I might if I pursue this blog for another decade, but right now?  Probably not.

So out goes Innovation & Influence (though not entirely, as you’ll see below).  What I’m replacing it with is Combat & Puzzles.  To me, these seem like the two primary activities of the respective genres I’m tackling.  Previously, they’d been folded into Mechanics and Challenge, but I think both are important enough to merit their own category.  For the most part, CRPGs will be rated on Combat, and adventure games on Puzzles, but there are going to be cases in which a game has plenty of both.  When that happens, I’ll make a judgement call on which of the two is more important to the game in question.

(I considered an Exploration category, because I do love games with interesting worlds to explore.  I don’t want to overhaul the system too drastically though, and I have to stick to seven categories if I want a score out of 100.  I’ll just have to settle for this being part of Story & Setting.)

The other thing I’m changing are the Bonus Points, which were an arbitrary addition so that my 7 categories with scores out of 7 could add up to 100.  Previously I’ve been awarding bonus points for games that I feel like I’ll revisit in the future, but it feels a bit like I’m just giving extra weight to the Fun category there.  If I like a game, I’m going to go back to it, you know?  Instead I’m using the bonus points for games that are innovative, influential, or that have some other quality that wasn’t covered in my other categories.  Replayability perhaps, or multiplayer functions that I couldn’t experience.  We’ll see.

The other change I’m making is that I will now allow scores out of 0, for games that are so heinous in a particular category that they have no merit at all.  I don’t think I’ve encountered one so far, but this opens up the possibility of scores below 14.

Obviously this means that I need to go back and re-jig the scores of the games I’ve already played.  I’ll do that over the next few days, and hopefully will be finished before my Sunday post.  Luckily, I only have 38 games to rate; if there had been many more I probably would have persisted with the old system.

Hopefully the new system will produce results that I’m happier with.  I realise that it’s still somewhat flawed: any rating system designed for both CRPGs and adventure games is bound to have some cracks in it.  I won’t be changing it again, though: if this one isn’t satisfactory, I’m just going to have to grin and bear it.  After all, I started this blog to play more games, not to jigger around with numbers.  With luck, this will be the last time I do something like this, and I can get on with making some progress on my list.

AKALABETH: FINAL RATING I was supposed to rate Akalabeth in my last post, but I held off until I’d decided whether I was changing things or not.  Consider this an example of the new system in action. Story & Setting: The story here is mostly non-existent, despite some extra detail from the manual.  Lord British tells you to kill some monsters, you go kill some monsters, the end.  At least it’s not a treasure hunt. As for the setting, I have to resist the urge to mark this up for being a precursor to Ultima.  Regardless of any future connections, this ain’t Britannia just yet.  That said, I have to take into consideration how expansive this game is: it’s the earliest game I’ve played that has both an overworld and an underworld.  (Moria doesn’t count, because it’s “overworld” was just another dungeon.)  The dungeons are the most immersive seen yet, mostly due to the large first-person view.  Unfortunately, these dungeons are all random, and there’s nothing to find in them except for monsters and chests.  I can’t quite bring myself to rate this a 3.  Rating: 2 out of 7.

Characters & Monsters: Lord British probably shouldn’t count here, as he’s nothing more than a quest-giver, with the personality of a generically good king.  The monsters are a decent selection, and two have special abilities that can make them something of a pain (the thief and the gremlin).  Mostly, though, they’re just lumps of hit points, and your tactics rarely change dependent on which you’re fighting.  All of that becomes moot once you’ve Lizard Manned up anyway.  Rating: 2 out of 7.

Aesthetics: By modern standards this is an ugly game, with wireframe dungeons and very crudely drawn monsters. That said, it’s the first 3D CRPG with any sort of immersion and there is a certain claustrophobic quality to the dungeons. Just the fact that you can see the monsters advancing down the corridors towards you must have been quite something in 1979, even though they can look a little ridiculous.  I’ve already mentioned the intro sequence in my last post, but it bears repeating here that it’s impressive for the time, and like no other CRPG before it.  The sound is sparse, merely the odd beep here and there, and not frequent enough to be truly irritating.  Despite some positives, though, it’s still too primitive to rate very highly.  Rating: 2 out of 7.

Combat: In essence, combat in Akalabeth boils down to pressing A for attack over and over again as your opponent strikes back at you, until one of you drops dead.  But because combat is integrated into the same system you use for exploration, there are plenty of other actions you can consider.  Perhaps you can turn around and flee?  Or use a Magic Amulet to cast a Kill spell or create a ladder to another level so that you can escape.  If the monster’s at a distance, you might want to pepper it with arrows or axes.  Positioning also matters, because monsters can attack you from the back and sides, or corner you in a dead end.  It’s still not terribly complex, but it has enough options to put it into the top tier for games of its vintage.  Rating: 2 out of 7. Mechanics:  On the surface, there are plenty of things to praise about Akalabeth.  It has a functional overworld, even if it is a little superfluous, and multiple dungeons that extend down further than any sane person could possibly explore.  The spells provided by the Magic Amulet are few but they’re all useful, providing options in combat and exploration.  Food is a little irritating and rudimentary, however, and when the game’s running at the regular speed of an Apple II the dungeon draws painfully slowly.  (I played it at normal speed for an hour before cranking it up on the emulator.)  And it all falls apart once you realise how the game’s randomisation works.  Overall, the flaws outweigh the good points.  Rating: 2 out of 7.

Challenge: If you ignore the Magic Amulet this game might score pretty well here, at least on the lower difficulty levels.  I have to factor in every element of the game though, and Akalabeth is utterly broken by the Magic Amulet and the easily gamed randomisation.  Once you’ve turned yourself into a Lizard Man multiple times, you’re in no danger at all.  Rating: 1 out of 7. Fun: Despite all its flaws, though, there is a certain charm that comes through, and I can enjoy a quick game of Akalabeth every now and then.  It doesn’t hold my attention for very long, but look: I can’t hate a game where you win by turning into a Lizard Man and wrecking house.  Garriot’s youthful enthusiasm shines through, and drags this up out of the basement.  Rating 2 out of 7.

Bonus Points: I am giving Akalabeth the full two bonus points. It’s a precursor to the premier CRPG series of the 1980s, it does loads of things that CRPGs hadn’t done before (especially in terms of visuals) and it has some replayability if you want to challenge yourself to a no-amulet run.

The first seven categories add up to 13, which doubled gives a total of 26.  Add the two bonus points, and Akalabeth gets a Final Rating of 28.  In the old system, that would put it 30th out of 39 games total.  In terms of CRPGs, that would put it equal 14th, with only Devil’s Dungeon underneath it.  However in the old system it probably would have got a 6 or 7 in Innovation & Influence, and jumped up into the middle somewhere.  No doubt once I’ve recalculated the chart it’ll jump up a decent amount.

(For some further reading on Akalabeth, check out this post at The Data Driven Gamer, where Ahab really delves into the code to find out what makes the game tick.)

NEXT: I’m on the cusp of completing Dog Star Adventure, so I might have a post for it up on Sunday. I do want to hold of on it until I’ve redone all of the Final Ratings though, so it might not appear until Wednesday.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/rethinking-the-system-again-and-a-wrap-up-of-akalabeth/

[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: Don't go there boyfriend!

AT some point in every season a bad start can no longer be written off as a couple bad games, nor should one dismiss a great ladder position as just an easy start to the fixture.

Geelong had arguably the hardest first month and a half based on our preconceived ideas of how 2019 would shape up, and not only did they pass with flying colours they sit perched a game clear on top.

Too, if you’re of the Demon or Kangaroo persuasion, to have only win entering May with percentage as crap as Clive Palmer is likeable, that’s not ideal.

After the conclusion of the festival of footy where now the idea of weekdays without a match seems strange, we can now start to cast proper judgements as to what 2019 has in store.

 1.       Firstly, how is Jimmy Faulkner going? I mean, sure, its 2019 and language constantly evolves, but whilst I’ve been tight with some male friends before I’ve never resorted to the ‘boyfriend’ pseudonym. Sure, women refer to their girlfriends all the time, but even if it’s all a gross misunderstanding that set the media alight pre-breakfast, the use of that term, amongst blokes, has just got hairs on it, rightly or wrongly. That said, Faulkner as a bowler was proficient both over and around the wicket, so maybe he likes to…. no, that’s cheap, let’s talk footy.

2.       Paddy McCartin, pick one,  you thought, right, there’s a Tom Hawkins type to kick 500+ goals for the Sainter. Far too many headknocks later and its got the Liam Pickens written all over it. But never fear, Alan Richardson’s theory is that once he is right all will be resolved by moving him to defense, “to change not having to go back with the flight of the ball”…. Ah, God forbid Paddy ends up 10m short of an incoming opposition kick and has to go back with the…. Richo, you haven’t though that through!

3.       Let’s address Majak Daw again. This story is ridiculous, but in a lovely way. So whether we should say it or not (and I’m a massive proponent for calling suicide for what it is, but that’s for a different column) this is one hell of a comeback. Perhaps not for the typical sense, reoccurring knee injuries, the Jason McCartney story, but for the stark, cold-world reality of what happened that night on the Bolte Bridge. In a lot of ways, if he is able to return to VFL or senior footy in the next couple of months, as mooted, its less about him and his personal recovery, but more about the bigger picture, one that is now killing more Australians than pretty much everything else. I hope this can make a difference, it bloody well can and needs to.

4.       From serious to less so – now Melbourne. Kicked their lowest score since Snake was the preeminent phone app Anzac Day Eve. In real hurt. And its not just one small thing as previously suspected – they don’t win the hard ball, they are getting smashed on the outside and for run, their forward line is as dysfunctional as a vegan at Meat and Wine Co. and their backline shows as much resistance as France in any military combat. Lot to unpack, lot to fix, and those snow chalets are just putting the fire on – this spells trouble.

5.       Sydney on the other hand, well Horse has called it – after a gazillion years of annoying over-competiveness, they’re conceding a lean year. But when you’ve dished out such amazing value for ground admission over the last decade, if you’re going to finish near the bottom with a bounce back probably not far away, you can’t have much gripe if you’re a Bloods supporter.

6.       The Eagles need to get serious. Easy to say, especially given I have no interest in watching highlights of last year’s Granny, but they’re game style is like a Jackson Pollock right now. If their midfield isn’t punching above their weight Jack Darling is rendered useless, their forwards all look lazy and their backline whilst supreme can't stop the onslaught. Have an easy month coming up and will make finals, but super breakable as per the last fortnight’s evidence.

7.       Oh, yeah, the booing last Thursday. Was it coz Pendlebury exacerbated a high in that fourth quarter? Was it because a furiously competitive finish had a couple suspect-looking frees go against the Bombers, whose fans wanted to do nothing but rage against the machine? Or was it the two tribes bristling when Pendles acknowledged the crowd, the Bomber fans wanting to drown out their rowdy rivals? You know what, who cares, we don’t need a symposium for booing, next we’re going to have to stop funny puns on banners, re-write all club songs to be enthusiastically inclusive and do away with scoring all together because awarding winners and losers is essentially marginalisation. So to those who cried foul, its booing – move along.

8.       How stiff is Carlton? Lost the Suns game and then let the Hawks back in on the weekend. But, this column must concede, Bolton, an ex-Clarkson man which we acknowledge is key to success (last six premierships), might be just starting to extract from the talent he clearly now has to work with. Want to see them win this week and we will accept our fate – the Blues might be finally alright. But we wait, need to win this week.

9.       As for Tasmania, yeah so given the strength of the junior programs and some key KPIs bearing fruit in the game’s NSW strategies, the talent pool for two more teams in the next decade is mighty feasible. So the game of bluff with giving Tassie a checklist for admission is staring down the barrel of actually happening. Right now, if there’s a wager as to whether the Apple Isle has its own team by 2030, get on, it would now need something to go badly amiss.

10.   Best on ground on Sunday down there is another this column needs to concede defeat on. With supposedly knees made of fairy floss, Jaeger O’Meara looks like the talent and promise he once displayed as a Sun might be now fulfilled as a Hawk. He is the definition of a jet. Such a shame we don’t have State of Origin, a centre square of him, Cripps, Fyfe and Naitanui is as electric a side you’ll see, would give Victoria quite a run.

11.   As for a pair of midfielders not getting the kudos, couple Victorian brothers playing for the Crows – the Crouch boys. Both averaging 30 a game, Cripps aside you hardly see better clearance work, and if the Crows can work their stuff out over the next month or so, they could play finals, be a nuisance, and the two lads from Ballarat will get the recognition they deserve for being proper guns of this competition.

12.   Couple more on the Crows – firstly Josh Jenkins. Jimmy Bartel and Matty Lloyd reckon he just comes back in after being dropped for the Saints game last week. Ah, why? Himmelberg came in and whilst not as talented looks a much better fit, structurally, than Jenkins, and given the Crows looked properly good why change a winning formula? Jenkins can sit until the need arises for mine.

13.   And as for Tex Walker, gee, if he can stay fit I can’t see why he can’t become the premier big man in the game. Has the size, strength and weapons to excel. You want a bag of five, he can, you want a 15-mark game playing up the flanks, he can, you want some presence for your smalls to work off, he can. Just turned 29, this is it for the lad from Broken Hill, but this column still rates the Texan.

14.   So let’s look at the teams we like, in no order let’s applaud the Essendon effort Thursday. Well and truly out of it early but it was sheer talent and will that almost got them over the line. We like their backline, like their kids, Redman, Ridley, and with Fantasia and Francis back in that side, and a fit Joey Daniher, this team wins a final. From there, not sure, let’s see, but this is a good footy team. And capable this Sunday too.

15.   As for their opponents this Sunday, how’s the forward line mix? Two-time Brownlow medalist as a midfield playing permanent flank, Gary Rohan, known for his speed, now sitting deep and putting the pace aside. Chuck in the enigma Miers, Hawkins looks in ripping nick – if the Cats go deep, it’s because of the forward line. But it’s still April, so let’s see.

16.   The Cats have lost once, to the Giants, down at Kardinia Park too. If I’m putting a dollar on a premier – it’s the orange tsunami. Still holds elite talent, probably the best list with those concessions still ringing true, and just idling at this stage of the season. Will be almost impossible to beat in Sydney and will win plenty on the road too. Don’t forget the Giants.

17.   So how many teams can win it – to this point, five. Giants obviously, got to include the Cats, the Pies are in the mix, then the Tigers and Eagles as well. Richmond make the finals, and finish the season strongly, look out, and the Eagles will make the finals and know how to win one. I don’t think they will but shit, they finish top four again somehow then why not?

18.   Couple question marks to finish, firstly Daniel Wells. If I’m Collingwood I manage him to be fit for August. If he needs three weeks ‘management’ in June, then fine, love it. But the idea of Wells fit, playing outside of the midfield rotation where a dozen touches could be match winning come the Spring time, it’s just another really problematic magnet for the opposition coaches to be concerned about.

19.   And for those that still want to pot Daniel Hannebery’s acquisition, sure, maybe he enjoys inhaling through his nose more than his mouth, maybe it’s a breathing preference, maybe its something else, but let’s not forget, Andrew Lovett cost the Saints the same trade deal and never played a game. But that year was 2010 and they were a bad bounce away from a second-ever flag that same season. Doesn’t mean they have a similar year this year, not at all, but one bad trade does not a bad club make. The Saints will be fine.

20.   And lastly, cricket – David Warner, the enigma staring down a return to the national team, has torn the IPL a new one. No-one has scored more runs this season; he amassed 692 from ten digs, which is just insane. The premier white ball batsman in the world right now, so what was a big question mark now becomes our greatest asset perhaps for a World Cup defense. Get excited.