#2024: best character round 1

[fandom-march-madness]

Propaganda

Kaburagi T. Kotetsu: He's a single father doing his best to support his kid who doesn't know that he's a superhero. It's hard trying to provide for your family AND trying to protect them, especially when your kid is 11 and starting to get rebellious! Outside of his biological daughter Kotetsu is team dad to basically everyone. Look up dad in the dictionary. He's there. He's the prime example.

[kirbyoctournament]

🌙 Welcome to the Kirby OC Tournament! 💫

CURRENTLY: round two polls ongoing!

the oc tournament is back again this year, and will be hosted by @starflungwaddledee and @moonverc3x!

this is a fun and friendly popularity contest for kirby-verse original character designs and their associated stories or lore. competitors can submit their characters to the competition during the submission period, after which characters will be matched randomly together in public polls for voting!

there will also be a losers bracket, to allow folks voted out early to continue playing and participating in the contest. polls are open for anyone, competitors and spectators alike!

in between each match-up, competitors can create artwork "propaganda" for their characters which will be shared to the blog! getting your character in front of voters will help people to recognise and care about them, and can increase your chances of getting votes-- as well as new fans-- for your OC!

🗓️ schedule of events 🗓️

submissions open: april 8th see below for how to submit your oc! submissions close: april 30th brackets announced: may 10th voting begins: may 13th bracket length: 1 week break length: 2 weeks each voting bracket will last One Week with public tumblr polls on the @kirbyoctournament blog. there will be a week between polls to give competitors time to draw up additional propaganda! depending on the size of the first bracket in particular, poll posts may be staggered over several days. if this happens, the break week will begin after the final poll closes.

🥳 how to submit your oc 🥳

Submissions are CLOSED as at midnight of April 30th. to submit your oc (only one oc allowed per participant!!), simply make a post on your own blog introducing your character with art and/or any lore you'd like to include! make sure to tag the @kirbyoctournament in your post (please do not submit via the ask box.) despite being an oc centric event, you can include canon characters in your OC backstory and propaganda. here is a template for submissions, but this is just a guide and you can deviate from it as necessary! if you want to write a lot of text, consider putting it under a 'read more'! Name: Reference Image/s: Notes on Personality (optional, but preferred!): Backstory and Lore (optional):

remember, this is a friendly competition, none of you will get hurt!

if you have any questions, send us an ask! (please do not dm either hosts, the askbox is where you need to go with questions!)

🔗 useful links 🔗

kirby oc tourney discord server. here you can chat with other competitors, mods, and get pinged when polls are posted! current confirmed competitors list. if you've tagged the blog in your submission post you can check here to make sure we've got it! Though, please allow us 24 hours after submitting your oc for them to be added before contacting us! We are doing our best to keep things up to date, but we cant be online all the time! Tournament brackets here you can check to see who your oc is paired up with! Polls a fast pass to the polls (2024) tag!

🌑 mod disclaimer 🌟

@moonverc3x and @starflungwaddledee are cohosting the tourney to make sure it runs smoothly this year and so that the event can hopefully bring some joy and interaction to the kirby oc tumblr community, but we also always wanted to compete. because this is a popularity contest with public voting and all pairings are 100% randomised, we don't think this gives us any sort of advantage, and all propaganda will be posted on our private blogs like everbody else's. however we do just want to be upfront about it!

[most-tragic-character-tournament]

So,

What a wild ride, everybody.

This tournament went live on July 13th, 3023, and concluded January 1st, 2024. For a long time before, I’d been wondering if I should try my hand at running one of these tournaments, and then I realized we hadn’t had a general tumblr-wide one for tragic characters. I knew that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I decided to bite the bullet and take the URL. The rest is history.

I didn’t have a set plan, but I figured I could take 128 entries. And then in less than a week and a half, I had ~122. And honestly, I wasn’t happy continuing with just those I’d gotten so far, and thought it’d be unfair if it closed that quickly without warning, so I decided to up it to 256 with a max 2 characters per canon after preliminaries. Only after that did I go on a mad search to find brackets that were big enough for that, and I’d almost given up before I finally found these:

Those are all the characters that made it past prelims and into the competition. Some quite unexpected results came out of these matchups, round after round, and honestly I’d consider the first round to have had the most brutal competitions, because I had tried to do the best I could to match levels of popularity with each other, as far as I could tell. (Yeah, that’s why we had c!Tommy v Jon Sims and Primrose v Jinx.). But even eclipsing all of those, as the weeks went on, we were eventually met with Antigone versus Lloyd Garmadon. Ah, those crazy kids.

At some points it was stressful, in the early rounds when I had dozens of posts, each with edited images and alt text, to prepare for every round, but I never regretted starting this. As of posting, this blog has 2,020 followers and has made over 1,000 posts. This will be the last post on this blog—any future asks I receive I will answer privately back to the asker, or cannot be answered if they are anon—but it will always remain here for posterity. The link below is to the similarly-preserved google sheet compiling every word of every submission this tournament ever received.

I’d like to take this chance to say thank you to everyone who submitted characters, supplied photos, sent in propaganda, reblogged the polls, indoctrinated their teachers into greeklitsweep, and everyone who kept good sportsmanship when their blorbos proved so tragic they couldn’t even win. Thank you to the small group of URLs whom I’ve consistently recognized in my inbox from submissions all the way to finals, thank you for letting me know when a name was messed up, and thank you for your patience in-between rounds. (Shoutout to @elemom as well for having their tiktok on the original antigone/lloyd poll blow up.)

If you’ve stumbled upon this blog weeks, months, or even years after this was posted, I would direct your attention to the tag map in the pinned post to sift through the tumblr history you’ve just uncovered. And I would also be tempted to point at the big sign next to it reciting the nuclear zone warning poem. Lastly, if anyone here or there wishes to talk to me about anything regarding the tournament, you’re welcome to DM @twilight-skies.

There were times when I said to myself this was a one-and-done thing—I was NOT dealing with this again, but….keep a look on the horizon, ya never know.

But until next time, it’s been amazing.

Sayonara you weeaboo shits.

[anim-ttrpgs]

It was mentioned that EUREKA would be the easiest DM-able system ever. From a newcomer's perspective, how is it so?

Well, firstly, it strongly encourages the use of prewritten adventure modules, which just already take a lot of work off the GM's shoulders, and maybe others can elaborate on how much of a burden that is lifting, but it isn't exactly very unique to Eureka.

What Eureka does do however is have rules and play advice which enourages, or even necessitates, players and player-characters taking initiative and driving the story themselves with their own deliberate actions, rather than sitting back and asking the GM "okay where are our characters going next?" The game in general both encourages and facilitates a very hands-off GM approach where the GM's main job is to be a referee for the rules and a voice for the NPCs, not a novelist that inserts the names of the PCs into their plot. There's a lot of similarity here between this approach and a lot of OSR type games' "situations, not plots" approach. This makes feel more like playing a game than being a full-time job.

None of the character abilities in Eureka necessitate that a certain NPC exist for them to work, meaning the GM will never have to come up with a whole character on the fly that has a whole believable relationship with the PCs. In fact, there is an optional system in Eureka by which the players are the ones who come up with NPCs their PCs know, using a series of questions to formulate their relationship to one-another and then handing that over to the GM.

Many things that are traditionally up to the GM in many other RPGs or RPG-groups such as note-taking and in-game time-keeping are instead explicitly assigned to a player.

The system just also has a lot of rules for helping GMs make calls in many different situations, rather than having to arbitrate a bunch of mechanical effects on the fly, and has very simple and easy-to-work-with NPC stat-lines.

All of these things and more add up to a lighter workload for the GM, so that instead of the effort investment in a 1-GM-4-player group being split 80-5-5-5-5% like in D&D5e and many other popular systems, in Eureka it's split more like 40-15-15-15-15%.

Check out our Kickstarter page for the best accumulation of info on what Eureka: investigative Urban Fantasy even is! The Kickstarter campaign launches April 10th 2024!

Check out our Patreon to get the whole prerelease rulebook + multiple adventure modules and pieces of short fiction for a subscription of only $5!

If you wanna try before you buy, check out our website for more information on Eureka as well as a download link to the free demo version!

Interested in actually playing this game, and many others, with the developers? Check out A.N.I.M.'s TTRPG Book Club, a club of nearly 100 members at the time of writing this where we regularly nominate, vote on, and then play indie TTRPGs! At the time of writing this, we are playing Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, and sign-ups are closed for actually playing it, but you can still join in to pick up a PDF club copy of the rulebook to read and follow along with discussion, and sit in on and observe sessions! There is no schedule obligation for joining this club, as we keep things very flexible by assigning multiple GMs with different timeslots each round, to try and accomodate everyone! This round, we had over thirty people sign up, and were able to fit in all but one! Here is the invite link! See you there!

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

(this incredible poster is the handiwork of our lovely host @sazanes!!)

Welcome to our third Kiara Theron Appreciation Week! That time of the year when we get together and celebrate this wonderful character (though to be honest, every day is a great day to celebrate Kiara).

This year, we will be holding this event around May 21st, which is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development! Basically, a day specially meant to celebrate all cultures and diversities. And which estate is best known for its rich culture, art and literature? Castelserraillan, of course!

Here are our themes for this year:

Day 1 - May 21st - Culture/Festivals

Day 2 - May 22nd - Character Appreciation/Throwback

Day 3 - May 23rd - Languages/Wine

Day 4 - May 24th - Diplomacy/Nature

Day 5 - May 25th - Family/Friendships/Romance

Any content is welcome - art, fanfic, edits, essays, moodboards, interactive media, headcanons...even short appreciation posts and screencaps! Our only requirement is that the content should be Kiara-focused and depict her positively.

Each day has a theme, and some will have two. For those days, you can choose whichever theme you prefer or you can even combine them! It isn't completely necessary to post the content exactly on the day it's meant for...just make sure you tag it with the day and theme even if you're submitting it on a later day.

We also will be accepting pieces after the event is over, and all year round until the next KTAW! So even if you have your post ready much later, please don't hesitate to tag us! 🤗

Blogs to Tag: @hanaleeappreciationweek, and hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes

Tags to Use: #kiaratheronappreciationweek, #KTAW, #KTAW 2024

There are some incredible fan-community blogs that work tirelessly both to promote creative fandom works and make the experience fun for their writers! Do check them out!!

@choicesficwriterscreations, @choicesmonthlychallenge, @choicespride, @choicesflashfics, @choicesholidays, @choicesprompts, @wordwarriors, @choicescommunityevents

If you know any others who would like to be tagged, please let me know! Here are the amazing works sent in for 2023 and '22 if you'd like to get more inspired!

KTAW 2022 | KTAW 2023

Can't wait to see all our fellow Kiara fans next month!!

✅✅signal boosts are always appreciated!✅✅

[jeffffffffest]

JeFFFFFFFFest 2024 Gift Exchange

This exchange is for fanworks based on Jeff Satur’s music videos and related media.

‘Related media’ includes characters such as the rain god from Jeff’s Halloween fan art Instagram post, or the fallen angel from Call Me by Fire. A resource list with links to media will be available in the Discord server (link to join).

While all Jeffs may be used as visual/auditory/character inspiration, characters from acting roles (KinnPorsche, He She It, Ingredients) are not the focus of this event. Crossovers such as Kim/Sunshine are in the spirit of the event, but a direct KinnPorsche fanwork is not.

Why JeFFFFFFFFest?

Is it because of all of the Jeffs possibly named Jeff? Is it because that’s how we’re feeling after each new release (F!)? Is it because they represent all of the Fun Fabulous Fanworks we’ll be creating? Yes. (There are eight Fs for Space Shuttle No. 8, if you care.)

This exchange is open to all types of fanworks, including text, visual art, audio, and video. The sign-up form will prompt you to list which types of fanworks you’d like to offer and receive. Everyone will be matched with a recipient who meets their fanwork types and prompts as closely as possible. Assignments will remain private until the collection is revealed, so please keep that information secret from your recipient!

You are only required to create one fanwork, in the medium of your choosing. If your recipient requests visual art or written text, you can choose which type of fanwork to create based on their prompts and what inspires you the most. If you’re inspired to create multiple fanworks, that’s a bonus, but not expected or required.

Once assignments are sent out, a channel will be opened in the Discord server for people to share their prompts if they choose. You’re welcome to create additional fanworks as 'treats' based on those prompts and submit them to the AO3 collection. There’s no limit to how many prompts you can fill or how many works you can create!

After the reveal, there will be a 'remix round' for fanworks inspired by the posted exchange works. This is a free-for-all where anything goes! You can make fanvids inspired by art, record podfics of written works, or anything else that inspires you. You can opt out of or limit your participation in this round with a permission statement.

Both the 'treat' and 'remix' rounds are completely optional, and as such we encourage you to create anything, no matter how small or how unfamiliar you are with that form of fanwork! This is a great place for fanworks like moodboards, fanmixes/playlists, and anything else that doesn't fit in the main gift exchange. Of course, large prompt fills are also welcome!

Rules

Please bring complaints or concerns privately to the exchange mods; we're here to help make this a positive experience for everyone! A complaint form (anonymous by choice) can be found here, or feel free to reach out to a mod on discord or tumblr. Respect all DNWs (including requests for no NSFW content) and include appropriate content warnings in posts and discussions; when in doubt, at a minimum, AO3 warnings should always be tagged/warned, or talk to a mod if you're unsure. To ensure that artist credit is always appropriately given, the use of AI and/or gifting AI-generated content is strictly prohibited.

Bigotry and harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. Respect and be mindful of all fellow community members.

If you have questions for your recipient or about the exchange in general, please contact one of the mod team. If you need to drop out for any reason, please let the mods know as soon as possible. Your moderators for this event are @airgiodslv, @mousydentist, and @shubaka (on discord and tumblr).*

*To the best of our knowledge, none of the mods are secretly Jeff.

Schedule

Sign-ups:  June 1-20

Assignments Out:  June 23

Check-in: July 21

Deadline:  August 4

Pinch-hits:  August 5-11

Reveal:  August 12

Remix round: August 12-25

For the most up to date information, please refer to this blog (posts tagged #logistics) and/or join our discord server. Also, we're aware that things happen! We want to make this event as fun as possible, so if you ever feel overwhelmed, please talk to a mod at any time about an extended timeline or enlisting a pinch-hitter. The pinch-hitters have from August 5-11, so please let us know ASAP if you need support.

Our AO3 collection is here. Links to fics and posts made on other sites (eg, tumblr, twitter, archive.org) will be reblogged/cross-posted to this blog. If you don't want your gift to be on tumblr, please reach out to a mod ASAP so we can make other arrangements.

Sign-up Form

The sign-up form can be found here! Reminder that sign-ups will be open until June 20th.

Happy Jeff-ing everyone! 🪐

[morningstarequestrian]

Hi there! As i really like this character in SSO i tried to do my best to bring him to Life in The Sims 4, hope You'll like him aswell <3

This Set contains:

Medieval Round Bridle (20 swatches)

Jumping Saddle v1 with long Stirrups (2 swatches, ea fit)

Jumping Saddle v2 without Stirrups (2 swatches, ea fit)

Magical horse feathers (4 swatches)

DOWNLOAD Patreon

known Issues: the Reins don't attach properly to the new halter, I haven't found a fix for that problem yet. I will update the files when i find a conclusion to this problem!

*****UPDATE: fixed some weight-painting related issues on the bridle.*****

*****UPDATE 09/01/2024: Added 2 realistic fit versions for the jumping saddle!*****

*****UPDATE 21/02/2024: Updated the fit of Saddle V1 and V2 and did some work on the Weights. I also Did some Work on the Medieval Round Bridle it now fits better, i edited the specular map so that the bridle isn't as shiny anymore and last but not least i added more color swatches for the bridle it now has 20 swatches in total!*****

HERE are the other Links for the CC used for Khaan:

Eyes:

1. .OBJUCT @objuct- Smaller Eyes + Eye Geom Fix

2. EACHUISGE CC @eachuisge-cc- REALLY Unnatural Horse Eyes

Body:

1. PURE WINTER - [PW] Better Horse Body

Mane&Tail:

1.NV-GAMES @nv-games- HORSE, FORELOCK, MANE, TAILS

Tack:

1. ZORELA - Iberian Show Saddle Pad

[fandom-march-madness]

Propaganda

Porthos: He helped deliver a woman's baby whose husband had died in war. Then when the woman, Elodie, showed up a few months later he agreed to marry her and adopt her baby. He named her after his mother, Marie-Cessette and kissed her teeny leetol fingers when she was sleeping :c

[hydranomago]

► Hypmic Stage OG Cast Backstage Final Farewell

A new cast will be added to HypSute starting from 2024 [promo vid here](Personally will miss OG cast like hell, they've really grown into their roles)

Thank you dear cast for bringing these characters to life 🙏 [Master Post] for more HypMic Stage Videos

OG cast farewell highlights (below cut!)

Kuko hyping up an imaginary audience, only for Jyushi to respond to it cutely

Sasa & Sama distance issues with camera (they have 1 braincell)

honestly just ✨ SASARA ✨ (I don't believe anyone could play him like Mackey does, I'll miss this cat-coded silly clown so much)

Sasa not telling DT beforehand for synchronisation

Taiyou's Jakurai is so calming

Already miss first Doppo's actor (Miyagi Kodai) for his extreme bows

YASUI AS RAMU YASUI AS RAMU YASUI AS RAMU (he's too adorable, his mannerisms are spot on)

But Gentaro (Sakata's version) we just got you, and we loved your performance!

FP energy is the best, I stand by what I said

Mom Jyuto, Dad Rio, Grumpy Teen Sama combo you will be missed

As much as I love Abe Alan, I love how he plays Sama more His grumpy tsundere + wet pathetic kitty vibes are immaculate, no one's doing it like him

Rio pulled by Sama for going the wrong way - peak soldier

BB BABIES uwu

Ichiro's buildup and soft 'thank you' + that sign 😂 Jiro: "Nii-san...??? Are we doing it in turns?"

Cast laughing at each other's antics for the last time + that final round of applause 😭♥️

[amorphous-binary]

RE: Starscream

Everything below the 'read more' may be considered a spoiler for the batch of new episodes (season two, episodes 1-9) which dropped in June 2024.

Proceed with caution!

I. foreword

I recently went and rewatched the new episodes. I had seen a little bit about Starscream being a lil bastard and I was curious.

I did not watch everythin in chronological order though! I went based on my own interest — by how interesting the episode synopses sounded.

II. Season One of Earthspark

A large part of S1 Earthspark was the end of the Autobot-Decepticon War. The Terrans were positioned as a bridge between the two factions and humanity. There is fighting, of course. Lots of skirmishes and such. But by and by, there is no War. Only Autobots and GHOST. The Decepticons are not in a position to serve as an opposition for much of the season. Their forces, like the Autobots' own, are scattered.

Another big theme of S1 was picking up the pieces of the War — good and bad. There was a spirit of atonement. Optimus rounding up other Cybertronians on GHOST's behalf was part of his atonement. Megatron assisting was part of his. The Terrans, per Megatron, also have some part to play in this (and which Thrash is frustrated with). And likewise, Starscream represents another, much more difficult part of atonement: accepting that not everyone will be willing to forgive and forget what was done to them.

Season One went to great lengths to emphasise that Decepticons are not inherently bad, just as Autobots are not inherently good. It did not always deliver this message cleanly or without narrative difficulty, but it was obvious the main anatagonist in S1 was not the Decepticons, but GHOST.

That's why we had episodes which focused on the Terrans interacting with the Cons. On Swindle and his brother. On Bumblebee and Breakdown's friendship. On Hashtag emphasising with Starscream.

Thus far, Earthspark has been a bit greyer than previous television entries in the franchise.

And Season 2, despite being okay so far, has gone against that. The Decepticons, after just one year, are now back to being more villainous than ever. And all for a new motivation that was never hinted at (based on my admittedly hazy recollection).

III. Starscream

S1 Starscream wnated nothing to do with Megatron. His aspiration at the time was escape first from GHOST and then from Earth. Fine, reasonable, whatever.

His scene with Hashtag was very sympathetic; acknowledgement that whatever pain he suffered st the hands of Megatron was a real and valid experience. Heart-warming, yes, but that acknowledgement wouldn't be enough to turn Starscream over to the 'good' side. Fair enough.

I have seen some people say that the only reason some fans dislike S2 is because Starscream is back to being a villain. I have to disagree. People dislike S2 Starscream because his actions make no sense based on the themes and characterisation of S1.

For me, the callousness of his execution of the Chaos Terrans came out of nowhere. It would be fine in a series like Animated or Prime, but Earthspark showed Starscream to be a sympathetic character who is rightfully suspicious of any haven Megatron offers to him.

Starscream's execution of Spitfire and Aftermath suited Starscream as a general character.

I can see his interpretation of "Take care of yourself". That makes sense.

His wanting to reformat Earth into New Cybertron makes sense, too. The Cons' best scientist (Shockwave) was unable to even so much as confirm that Cybertron still exists. From what we see, no one (Bot, Con or otherwise) has the capability to travel through space. The reformat also makes sense if we presume that Starscream was corrupted somehow — either by assuming leadership (which has been a key part of his general character) or by working with Chaos Energy.

It also makes sense that he would kill others to achieve his goals. He's Starscream.

But for specifically Earthspark Starscream, it is just ... jarring. I would not be so bothered by it if this version of Starscream showed some hint of the sympathetic portrayal from S1. A moment of hesitance. Maybe deciding not to go through with the execution at the last minute because he saw Hashtag or something.

I dunno.

Like, if S1 Earthspark had not gone to such a great length to humanise the Decepticons, I wouldn't be as frustrated as I am now writing this.

Why bother humanisng them if you are just going to fall back on the "They are all actually 100% evil lol" schtick?

I am not saying that humanisation = morally good characters. Soundwave's affection with Ravage (feeding her energon treats and petting and holding her as one would an actual cat) are humanising details, but I have never once went "Hm! :) Redemption Arc! Soundwave!".

Starscream's sudden heel-face-turn was immensely disappointing, but I did enjoy a couple of this drop's episodes.

[shadowxamyweek]

Is Shadow being immortal canon? I thought it was just a generally accepted headcanon by the fandom

...Yes?

The pause and questionmark are not directed at you, they are directed at Sega.

I confess, I'm a bit of a stickler for what lore I consider canon. If it's in the games, it's canon to me. If it's anything outside of the games, including the game manuals themselves... then it's not.

I have such a narrow-bracket view of the story and these characters due to two things:

1: There seems to be a disconnect between the different 'branches' of the Sonic Franchise. There's the Shadow we see in games, there's the Shadow we see in marketing and social media (like Twitter Takeover), There's the Shadow we see in IDW, and then there is the Shadow we see Sega write about in character profiles like on Sonic Chanel and the official Sonic the Hedgehog website. This exists with all the characters to a degree, but I feel Shadow presents an egregious case of it. 2: Sega has a tendency to retcon things or change their language or act like stuff didn't happen and... I don't like it XD But they can't change games that have already been published and played. As such, to me, in-game dialog/play/story/etc is the crowning jewel of truth within the Sonic story.

But that these are *my* paramaters. They do not have to be *your* parameters.

So while there hasn't been any mention of immortality *in game*, there has been plenty *outside* of it. Lots of different official Sega sources say Shadow is 'immortal', but no examples or specifications have been provided in game. There's also plenty of times the whole 'immortality' portion is omitted. Most noticeably, it's not mentioned in the Sonic Channel character profile, nor the character profile provided on the official Sonic the Hedgehog website. At best, it is mentioned intermittently in game manuals and external sources.

(And I know we see Shadow in stasis in 06- I'm aware- but I'll also point out we don't know *when* he went into stasis. Furthermore, I cannot help but wonder if, much like Black Doom in SHtH, Mephiles took a portion of truth and twisted it to scare Shadow. (Also, like.... Shadow was under such heavy security when GUN put him down for an ice nap the first time. Why would they just leave him out and about like was shown in 06? I doubt the truth of what Mephiles shows Shadow.))

I actually reached out to @squid-in-a-party-hat, @fyeahsonicthehedgehog (x), and @forgottensonicfacts (x), as well as some friends of mine like @shadamyheadcanons for help collecting information to provide you with as well-rounded answer/opinion as I can. In fact, Squid has a video on this very subject XD They do a great job of weaving together all the different types of canon (comic, anime, social media, etc) so if that's how you prefer to operate, I really, really recommend them.

Anyway, Here are some game manual examples in chronological order.

SA2 (2001):

Sonic Heros (2003):

And...I want to take a moment to show something interesting between the original Japanese and the English translation. The japanese translation says 'unaging and undying' which gives us narrower guidelines, but the Heros profile is the only time I've seen that.

Shadow the Hedgehog (2005):

Which OUT OF ALL OF THEM you'd think it would be mentioned in his title game but like... *gestures*

Sonic 06 (2006):

Sonic and Mario at the Olympic Games (2020):

Then there are these online examples, stemming from both Sonic Chanel and the Sonic the Hedgehog Website. They are both officially owned and operated by Sega/Sonic Team. Note they don't mention his age or the immortality at all.

Sonic Chanel, 2007:

Sonic Chanel, 2010:

Sonic Chanel, 2022:

This is the character profile put up on the Sonic the Hedgehog website 2024, separate from Sonic Channel but still official.

(In talking to @forgottensonicfacts- I had asked about times Shadow had been called 'ageless' or '50.' Turns out the 'ageless' bit was written in a Scholastic's book and, so far as anyone has found.. there is no official mention of Shadow being listed as '50 years old.' I had been so sure it had been officially listed at one point in time. Really glad to be wrong on that one, frankly, because that would have been daft XD)

So this is what we have about Shadow's 'immortality' that has been put out by Sega themselves. Not the comics, not the media team, just Sega/Sonic Team.

Now... this is where I pick apart that word 'Immortal' and broaden the scope a bit.

Not to be 'that bastard,' but I popped on to the Oxford Dictionary just to get a concrete definition for you and they define the adjective use of the word as being, "living forever; never dying or decaying."

1- Shadow's already almost died. He *would* have died were it not for Eggman saving his sorry ass. We know this. It's a whole-ass plot point in his story because it's due to this he ends up with amnesia.

2- Even though Gerald was tinkering with immortality, that doesn't mean he succeeded. We also don't know how that immortality would look/work/act like.

3- In Sonic Battle (for Gameboy), several of the characters have a healing ability. Shadow is one of them. However, Shadow's healing ability is one of if not *the worst in the game.* Also, in the story itself, he get shot and is down for the count *for a while*.

4- We have not seen any of the characters physically change in game save for the big age up/design shift that happened when Sonic went 3d in Adventure. As such, we cannot personally test/see whether or not Shadow goes through any changes at all, be them aging or just changes to their body.

So... all in all... I feel this leaves a huge amount of room for interpretation.

Maybe Shadow isn't immortal after all. Nothing spectacular, it's just that portion of the Ultimate Life Form project didn't succeed.

Maybe the 'immortality' is his healing factor, and it needs to willfully be employed. As such, if Shadow WANTS to age, they need to intentionally and willfully allow themselves to do so by NOT employing the healing factor.

Maybe the 'immortality', being the healing factor, can wear down/slow down over time, especially due to overuse.

Maybe Shadow can live forever barring any really traumatic physical harm, but their body will physically change over time.

Maybe Shadow is immortal like how Oxford puts it, but there is a way to stop that perminantly if they so choose (like genetic therapy).

Maybe Shadow is immortal in the sense that they will never physically age, grow, or change. Ever.

Truthfully, that's pretty cool! Like, this gives people a lot of stuff to work with and play around with, compare notes, talk- that's the fun part of fandom! And no singular person is right! @shadamyheadcanons has this one that's fun. I personally like the idea that Shadow's 'immortality' wears down over time and gets weird, causing their Black Arms genetics to kick off (like a third eye ooooough gimmie gimmie gimmie.)

I don't know if this was the answer you were looking for. Perhaps I've just confused things further- I've been known to do that XD

Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is- it's whatever you want it to be, and nobody can stop you <3 So go have fun!

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

Nisha, did you know I would step on some legos barefooted for you? Anyways can’t wait to read for another fandom I have never stepped foot in and would probably never engage with the canon in just because you decided that’s what to make, and I’ve decided to read it anyways. Home cooked meal. -Rotten Anon

The opening line of this message made literal cartoon anime hearts appear above my head, just so you know <3

Also you have inspired me to post a rundown of my WIPs because I am really excited about what I have been working on. And for two of these fandoms, I know you have said you know nothing about the canon, but for the third, I am not sure, so we'll see.

My Current WIPs April/May 2024

Heaven's Gate (for The Walking Dead) - Daryl Dixon x GN!Reader. Strangers to Lovers/Soulmates/Lovers Reunited. Angst, Fluff, Hurt and Comfort. Set during Season 1 to Season 5. 17k in counting (will be a oneshot). You can find a preview here. In this fic, you and Daryl get separated when the Governor attacks the prison, and though you both believe the other person is dead (or long gone) you find each other at the most unlikely time, in the most unlikely place.

I am super excited about this fic, and the themes of hope that I have woven into it. Because yes, I unironically love writing about hope and how the human spirit can persevere - which is something that my favourite moments in The Walking Dead show. This is first draft complete and just needs to be edited.

The Jaws of Life (for DC Titans) - Jason Todd x GN!Reader. Sequel to Emergency Contact. Lovers Reunited. Extreme Angst, Smut, Hurt and (some) Comfort. Set during Season 3. 21k in counting (will probably be a oneshot - if it needs to be split up, it will be put in two parts, but I hope I can get away with a oneshot). (I highly recommend that everyone go read the original in the meantime, because it is one of my best fics ever.) In this fic, you and Jason struggle with the new meaning of your relationship after what happened with Deathstroke - only for this tentative change to be harshly disrupted by the Joker. And you're still heavily mourning when a red hooded stranger breaks into your apartment one night, seeking medical care because apparently - you owe him one.

Everyone give Jaycen @nctzenkane a big fucking round of applause for this one, because he was randomly talking to me about Jason Todd today (we were having the 'some characters are only fuckable in costume' discussion) - and I got talking about how this version of Jason from Titans makes me so passionate to write about the character. And it is solely because of him that I opened up this fic and took a good look at it - I have been thinking about this fic for months, wanting to finish it because I know I am gonna be proud of it, but I kept hesitating because I thought I had a way bigger mountain to conquer with it. But the conversation I had with Jaycen really inspired me and I wrote 5k on the fic just today, and I realized that with this momentum, I could have the first draft done by the end of this month. So I am promising myself that this is gonna be done soon.

Speaking of which - when The Jaws of Life is first draft done, I wanna host a poll so you guys can decide which of those two ^^ fics goes through the editing process to be posted first. Both will be posted (hopefully) by the end of May, but I do wanna know which one you guys wanna see posted first. Which leads me to:

Nasty (for Stranger Things) - Sub!Eddie Munson x Dom!Fem!Reader. Established Relationship. Smut/PWP. 3k (this is gonna be a shorter fic lmao). In this fic, you and Eddie have been dating for a while, but you don't like that all of his attempts to have sex with you have him taking on a (seemingly fake) dom persona. When you finally tell him that you prefer to be more dominant in bed, he isn't disgusted like you thought he might be - he loves it.

This is one I have been sitting on for a while, and right before it was ready to be posted - my brain lost interest in it like tiktok does micro trends. But I think this is gonna be really great to post while the poll for those other fics is cooking because it's short and sweet and for the past few days, whenever I have seen the cover for this in my drafts, I have gotten excited about it again. So I am excited to finish it and show it off to everyone!!

[hanaleeappreciationweek]

HLAW 2024: Masterlist

(so much love to @sazanes who made this poster for us!!)

Previous AWs: HLAW 2022 | HLAW 2023

Day 1: Character Appreciation/Throwback

Character Appreciation

Art

A Very Happy Hana by @mxcameronrose/@atlasgoodwin

Lady Hana Lee by @sazanes

Edit

SpreadJoy Quote: Hana Lee by @storyofmychoices

Headcanon

My Top 5 Headcanons for Hana x MC by @uselessgay10101

Fanfic

Winds of Change by @unsettlingconclusions

Moodboard

"You Don't Have To Be Perfect To Be Loved" by @masked-alien-lesbian

Playlist

an eulogy to perfectionism - Hana Lee by @inlocusmads

Throwback

Art

Hana at the Piano by @cassiopeiacorvus

Fanfic

A Blossoming Friendship by @lizzybeth1986

Day 2: Flowers/Fashion Design

Flowers

Art

Hana's Name by @sazanes

Fanfic

A Bouquet for An Angel by @masked-alien-lesbian

Moodboard

The Moodboard that Hopes to Give Hana Her Flowers by @lizzybeth1986

Fashion Design

Art

Hana Wears the MC's Handmade Dress by @mxcameronrose

Fanfic

A Day with Marguerite Thorne by @masked-alien-lesbian

Day 3: Bookworm/AU

Bookworm

Art

Sailor Vega Hana Lee! by @cassiopeiacorvus

A Cozy Night in Bed with A Book by @mxcameronrose

Fanfic

Reader Fatigue by @lizzybeth1986

AU

Art

Hana Lee as Annelyse Adair by @sazanes

Fanfic

Build A Bear Date by @masked-alien-lesbian

Edit

The Ranch Hand and the Ranch Owner's Daughter by @masked-alien-lesbian

Day 4: Competitive Hana/Culinary Love/Music

Competitive Hana

Fanfic

The Cordonian Bake-Off! by @masked-alien-lesbian

Culinary Love

Poem

A Hot Chocolate Embrace by @lizzybeth1986

Music

Art

Rockstar!Hana on the Piano!! by @mxcameronrose

Hana Singing to The Child in Her Womb by @sazanes

Fanfic

"Thank you for sharing your music with me" by @exbex

Day 5: Family/Friendships/Romance

Family

Headcanon

Hana and Kiara's Three Children by @cassiopeiacorvus

Friendships

Art

Best Friends! by @jicklet (Hana & Riley (MC))

Fanfic

Hana Lee: Cordonia's Most Influential Courtier by @mand-delemonde (Hana & Kaela (MC), Hana x Kiara)

Playlist

A Playlist for Hana's Friendships, Romance and Family! by @masked-alien-lesbian

Romance

Art

Wives by @mxcameronrose (Hana x Krystal (MC))

A Kiss After Tango by @sazanes (Hana x Raelyn (@masked-alien-lesbian's OC))

Fanfic

Rose Gold by @lizzybeth1986 (Hana x Kiara)

--

Even though the week itself is over, HLAW will be open for entries all year round!! Please don't hesitate to send them in whenever you can 💖💖

If you'd like to reference the themes, here they are!

If we have missed anyone's pieces, we are truly sorry. Do let us know and we will put it up asap!

[xanthippe74]

The mood this year, as this header photo demonstrates, was Le Tired. Just physically and emotionally slogging along. Brain stuck on perpetual static. A pull-the-covers-over-my-head sort of year. I read a few books, watched a lot of shows, found new songs to listen to on repeat, and spent way too much time futzing around on Tumblr.

But that's not what this post is about! This is to remind myself that I did accomplish writer-ly things this year, even if it didn't feel like it sometimes. So here's my 2023 Fandom Year in Review:

Drarry

🐈 A Dreadful Invasion (of the Feline Persuasion) rated G | 6K words

Most of the time, it’s easy for Harry to forget that Draco Malfoy is his next-door neighbour—until the night Malfoy seemingly goes round the twist in his back garden. Of course Harry has to investigate. A birthday gift for @caroll-in.

🍷 Under the Table rated T, 4K words

A string of nearly-insufferable dinner parties has made Draco acquainted with Harry Potter’s completely insufferable, social-climbing boyfriend. But tonight it seems like Potter’s finally had enough, and Draco’s more than happy to watch it all play out from across the table.

Microfics: Different  |  Thalassophile  |  Role play  | Careless |  Mama’s Gun  |  Raven  |  You Should Probably Leave  |  Afraid of the Dark  |  Eerie

WIP progress: I added about 25K to my Drarry retelling of Howl's Moving Castle. The working title is "Skybound" and it will be about 55 to 60K words when complete (by spring 2024, god help me!). Featuring: lots of banter, secret identities, adventures and misadventures in a floating house, a plucky house-elf, and (of course) a fire demon who wants to make a bargain.

9-1-1 fics, HP recs, and 2023 highlights under the cut!

9-1-1/Buddie

🌧️ It pours, man it pours rated T | 11K words

An endless rainstorm. A head-on collision on a dark canyon road. Eddie and Buck find themselves stranded with a woman in labor after they’re cut off from the rest of the 118 by a flash flood. With the fate of their team unknown, can they weather the night ahead—and mend the rift Buck caused by trying to kiss his best friend?

💣 A Few Good Pranks rated T | 4K words

The firefighters of the 118 decide to give Bobby a turn at pranking them after seeing how disappointed he was to be left out. And since two heads are better than one, why not three? Or four? If only they could figure out who's pranking and who isn't, and who the intended victim is. It's all in good fun, though—as long as everyone is too distracted to notice that Buck and Eddie keep sneaking off alone.

❤️‍🩹Let It Be Me rated T | 1.8K words

After another Buckley Family reunion-turned-disaster, Buck makes a decision about his parents. Of course the 118 has his back. Or, Bobby employs some LAFD equipment to help Buck out—and tell him something he needs to hear.

Episode codas/fix-it ficlets: 1x01 | 1x03 | 2x01 | 2x03 | 6x10 | 6x11 | 6x12 | 6x13 | 6x15

WIP progress: First chapter of a season 3/canon divergence Buddie fic. Featuring: angst with a happy ending, a secret marriage of convenience, and pandemic bed sharing.

HP Rec List

I was inspired by this post to rec twelve favorite fan works from 2023 in twelve days in December. It actually took fourteen days, but I did it!

💖 12 Favorites from 2023 💖

(after posting those twelve, of course I thought of a few more faves that I missed. I'll try to share them soon!)

2023 Highlights

I'm so very grateful for the wonderful, funny, imaginative people here who shared their creative works, the memes that made them laugh, photos of their pets, gif sets of shows I didn't know I needed to watch, and insights into the characters we love. You all got me through the year, honestly.

I had a good time doodling some Halloween treats for Inbox Trick-or-Treating. I hope it will become an annual Tumblr event! Thanks to the folks who rang my doorbell that night and the other blogs who gave out treats.

I truly treasured every kudos, comment, and rec I received this year. I was also very fortunate to receive a few special gifts:

🎙️ EllaMcSmellBella recorded a Podfic of "Spooked in Salem," my Drarry 'Round the World fic.

🎙️ Spades/bumblingbees recorded a Podfic of "Crimson Neon."

📕 @cheriecherishchen wrote a lovely rec for "Vortex" and designed gorgeous book covers for that fic and its sequel, "Riptide."

✏️ @saijordison drew this incredible piece of art for "Riptide."

And finally, if you read all the way to the end of this post, I'm grateful for YOU. 😁

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and an excellent 2024!

[inception-bigbang]

Inception Big Bang 2024

Schedule/Rules/Guidelines/FAQ

Sign-ups May 13-20 Author summaries due May 29 Artist claims start June 1 Pairing announcement June 15 First check-in July 1 Second check-in July 15 Posting date July 31

A Big Bang is a fandom event where authors and artists work together on a two-part project. When signing-up, authors submit a summary of the fic they’ll be working on during the event, as well as the rating and relevant tags. Fics are later claimed by artists during two rounds (if needed) of fic claims.

(Details below the break)

For authors:

Your final piece should be:

an Inception fanfic 

written for the Big Bang (no reposting of old works)

at least 1500 words

Other than that, we are open to all ships and gen stories!

IMPORTANT: During sign-ups and fic claims the authors are anonymous. This keeps things fun! We want artists to choose based on the fics alone. Don’t make posts that give away which fic is yours. After claims talk to your artist! Keep each other updated - the best thing about a fandom Bang is working with each other!

Frequently asked questions of authors:

1. How much do I need to write before signing-up?

We recommend writing a summary of your story, the rating, and a couple relevant tags. Remember, what you submit is what we send to the artists! Make it easy to understand your story.

2. Can I change my mind about my submission?

Before fic claims you can send us updates or even send us a different story altogether. All’s fair.

After fic claims, any big changes should be discussed with your artist. You cannot change the rating from G, T or M into explicit. If you believe your fic might go down that road submit the tag before fic claims.

3. Can my fic be a crossover?

Sure!

4. Can it be a continuation of an older work?

Yes, as long the original fic’s name is not included on new piece and the part submitted for the Big Bang has never been shared anywhere else before. Big Bang projects are secret until the reveal date.

5. Can it be OT3 / Major Character Death / Kink ?

Sure! Just keep in mind that the more specific your work is, the harder it may be for one of our artists to connect with it. This is true for anything you may come up with - crossovers, PWPs, squeamish themes, you name it. We encourage creativity! But use the appropriate tags when you send us your summary and consider being flexible if our artists might have a hard time with that one.

6. Can I submit multiple stories?

Nope!

7. Is there the possibility of my fic not being claimed?

We work with artists interested in all different kinds of fics! We also have very cool and open-minded pinch-hitters. In our recent years all fics were claimed.

That being said, yes, there is the possibility. It ties back into the OT3 / major character death / kink topic – the more specific your work is, the harder it may be for our artists to connect with it. Also, the harder it may be to actually depict the story. Be considerate of our artists when picking the fic to submit for the Big Bang.

8. Can I sign up as both author and artist?

Of course! Just make sure you have the time and resources available to fulfill all the roles you choose!

For artists:

You will be choosing one (or more!) fics to make art for. Between fic claims and the final posting date you and your author will have one and a half months to work on your collaboration.

Your piece should be:

Art drawn or painted, including digital art

Photo manips

Original music

Gifsets (if you’re making them! don’t steal gifs)

Fanvids of at least 45 seconds

Physical crafts like sculpture, knitting, and embroidery

If you want to create something we haven’t mentioned here, check in with us first, but chances are you’re fine. As long as it's something you can submit within the deadline it’s fair game.

Frequently asked questions of artists:

How do claims work?

We will make an anonymized master post of all the story summaries available for the Big Bang. To make claims on them, send us an email with your top 3 picks. Fic claims happen on a first come first served basis so try to respond as soon as you can. If needed, we will have a second round of claims.

2. I'd really like to participate but I'm not sure of my availability - can I still sign-up as an artist pinch-hitter?

Absolutely! We can always use an extra help. If you sign-up (only) as a pinch-hitter we will contact you after both rounds of fic claims, or later in the event if we’re needing back-up.

3. Can I sign-up as both artist and author?

Of course! Just make sure you have the time and resources available to fulfill all the roles you choose!

Most asked question for everyone! XD

Panic time, I won’t be able to make the deadline! What now?

Hey, it’s okay! Life happens, we get it. But keep us updated. Send an email to inceptionbang@gmail.com or drop a message to @stormofsharpthings.

We can work out extensions, or if you can’t complete your piece, we can talk to pinch-hitters. It’s okay, really, as long as you let us know what's up!

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

Eddie Redmayne Says 'Willkommen' to Broadway in First Production Photos from Cabaret Revival (Exclusive)

'The Good Nurse' actor is starring as the Emcee alongside Gayle Rankin as the musical's leading lady Sally Bowles

By Sabienna Bowman Published on April 15, 2024 02:30PM EDT

Eddie Redmayne is ready to put on a show in the first photos from Broadway's Cabaret revival!

In PEOPLE's exclusive first look at the famed John Kander and Fred Ebb musical's return to the Great White Way,The Good Nurse actor, 42, suits up at as Kit Kat Klub's mercurial Emcee. With his jaunty green party hat, oversized brown cravat and black gloves, Redmayne is both intriguing and imposing as the fascinating character.

In another snap of the Emcee in action, Redmayne leaps into the air as several members of the cast dance around him during the show's iconic opening number, "Willkommen."

See Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin in First Rehearsal Photos for Broadway's Cabaret Revival (Exclusive)

Additional photos from the show shine the spotlight on House of the Dragon actress Gayle Rankin in the role of the vivacious nightclub singer Sally Bowles. In one compelling photo, she seems poised to take the stage with a microphone in hand as she's surrounded by ensemble members during the song, "Mein Herr."

Another picture finds Rankin in a ruffly white dress while holding a prop cigarette as she performs the song "Don’t Tell Mama."

The Cabaret revival is being directed by Rebecca Frecknall, who helmed the West End version, which also starred Redmayne. Previews began April 1 at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City, with the show set to officially open on April 21.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Cabaret has long been a success both on the stage and screen. Based on John Van Druten’s 1951 play I Am a Camera, which in turn was adapted from the 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood, Cabaret first hit Broadway in 1966. It was later turned into the 1972 film of the same name starring Oscar-winner Liza Minnelli.

The musical tells the story of Sally, an ambitious English singer who starts up a relationship with American writer Clifford Bradshaw as he observes the eccentric characters who populate the Kit Kat Klub in Berlin. Set between World War I and World War II, the growing unrest beyond the club's doors is ever-present as the artists within express themselves through song.

It features a score by Kander & Ebb made up of a string of songs that have become musical theatre mainstays, like “Willkommen,” “Don't Tell Mamma,” “Mein Herr,” “Two Ladies,” “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” “Money,” “Maybe This Time” and, of course, “Cabaret.”

Jennifer Lopez Visits the Kit Kat Club for Broadway Revival of Cabaret (Exclusive)

Redmayne, who also produces the Broadway revival, has long said that Cabaret “properly ignited” his love for theater, while playing the Emcee in a student production of the musical over 25 years ago.

In an October 2023 statement, he shared, "It now feels completely thrilling and a little surreal to be a part of Rebecca's truly unique vision of Masteroff, Kander, and Ebb's brilliance as it arrives on Broadway, where the piece has such a history."

In addition to Redmayne and Rankin, the rest of the principle cast is rounded out by Ato Blankson-Wood (Clifford), Steven Skybell (Herr) and Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth (Fräulein), as well as Natascia Diaz (Fraulein Kost and Fritzie); and Henry Gottfried (Ernst Ludwig).

The cast also includes, Gabi Campo (Frenchie), Ayla Ciccone-Burton (Helga), Colin Cunliffe (Hans), Loren Lester (Herman/Max), David Merino (Lulu), Julian Ramos (Bobby), MiMi Scardulla (Texas), Paige Smallwood as Rosie, and Marty Lauter (Victor) — also known as Marcia Marcia Marcia of RuPaul's Drag Race fame.

Tickets for Cabaret are on sale now.

https://people.com/see-eddie-redmayne-in-first-production-photos-from-cabaret-revival-exclusive-8633414