#I have so much to say about them I'm gonna write a whole damn essay eventually skxnxmdm

[feroluce]

Ok, my dear fellow scarahidas, I'm curious: what did you guys rename your Wanderer? Tag/comment/reply/whatever with the answer!

Did anyone else give him a ship name? I named him Melvaz-Ameryu; Melvaz meaning "bride" and Ameryu meaning "dreams/memories" (so Wanderer is the bride of the god of dreams, who also held his memories lol) because I was already head-over-heels for scarahida before I even got to the naming screen. ♡

[epickiya722]

I'm new to the JJK fandom, and after one month of interacting with the fandom, I noticed that many view Gojo as a womanizer. I believe it to be false.

Maybe it's because of that one time Gege commented that he doesn't see Gojo being faithful to a woman (that man looks like a twink, so I don't blame you, Akutami). Nonetheless, I do not believe it means that Gojo is a playboy/ fuckboy.Let me tell you: while Gojo got the looks, it does not change the fact that he got no hoes He's a hoe repellent no matter the gender.

He is that type of guy that is really handsome, but the moment he opens his mouth, your perception of him changes so much that you would find Deadpool's left ass cheek more attractive. Hell, even Toji's worm. My dude is annoying as hell. He is rude, tactless, and privileged. Add to that the fact that he might also have mommy and daddy issues  because I'm sure he was not treated like a normal kid (but that is another discussion for another time).

Gojo might also have a lot of trust issues combined to the fact that he tends to isolate himself by not letting himself get too close to others. Like this guy is the strongest sorcerer, and his birth caused a shift in the Jujutsu world. Since his birth, people have been trying to kill him. Even the higher up in Jujutsu, see him as a nuisance and are waiting for the opportunity to do him dirty and you to tell me that he doesn't have trust issues? He has infinity on all the time, to the point that he does that subconsciously, and you want to tell me that he's gonna drop that just to get laid? So that he can get  a cursed technique aimed right at his balls?

And even if he is a playboy in the sense that it's not sexual and it's just emotional cheating. The dude feels like no one can relate to him. No one understands what it's like to be at the top, to be the strongest. So what would be the point?

I like Gojo, but in real life, being in a relationship with this man means you'll probably be his therapist because I know this guy has a lot of issues. At least he got money, so you'll be compensated I guess?

I'm rambling a lot, and it's not structured, but I also do not want to write a whole essay in your ask box.

In conclusion: It must be the cash cause it ain't your personality or whatever Beyoncé said.

What do you think?

When I tell you that "womanizer Gojo" is one of the characterizations I hate that some of the fandom has given him I HATE IT.

This is why we take the time to reread something and better understand it because in what world does a womanizing Gojo fits? Especially, in canon when it would be hard to maintain a romantic relationship given the risks Jujutsu sorcerers take? And with the description you gave are other reasons why Gojo wouldn't have a significant other.

Let's be honest, if there was one person who could handle Gojo it was Geto. This isn't me saying this as a shipper, but just stating a fact.

Like, if he would have a romantic partner, it would have him. Shoko's their friend, yes. But that is the most that she sees herself as. Chapter 220, she states hell would freeze over before she falls for any of those two. She's aware of the flaws they both have, but that doesn't she didn't want to be there for them.

One thing I like about Gojo is that despite the reputation he has as a sorcerer, he got his flaws that make him human. Just me, but I don't see the point of adding more flaws to him if I like him already as he is. Like, come on. Just make an OC, at this point.

I know sometimes canon can suck, but fanon? Is worse sometimes.

It's like how some people will depict Yuji drinking and eating anything because "Oh, he's a total dumbass".

I hate that. Yes, Yuji states he's dumb, but he has displayed he does have intelligence and sometimes even he ain't with the bullshit with others. When he said he'll eat anything, it was more on the lines of "I'll eat a cursed object to save people" not "I'll drink gasoline because I was dared to".

Like, damn, he ain't that careless! He ain't that stupid! (Just giving him the Kaminari treatment, huh?)

Just... I wish more people actually stop and think about what they're reading instead of running with it and going with a depiction that others say is "canon" (it's not) or "better than canon". Especially, with a media that isn't from your native country.

[metaltangodiva]

what are your thoughts on the different 'versions' of Krauser as well his various dynamics with Leon? Also do you have any advice for like...not being afraid to add your own interpretations and spins to characters? Like i think i care way too much about what people would think, so i'm a but scared to start posting anything, but at the same time I'd love to add to the fic collection lol

Hello hello~!

I wanna preface this quickly by saying I'm fucking unable to summarize anything, lmao. This turned out to be TWO ESSAYS.

I'll start by replying to the second question, because I sorta realized, about halfway through the answer, that I was writing a fucking essay on Metaltango and I didn't wanna overlook the second point of your message. Because it's super important to me, as a writer (amateur/hobbyist, but writer nonetheless) that people who want to write can do it.

And my suggestion is super easy: do it. Write the thing.

I know it's hard, I went through it too. It's hard to not compare yourself to other people, to go and think "man, they're not gonna like how I portray them". When I started writing "Normal", that was my worry. I was taking these badass, gun-toting, zombie-killing, masculine characters and putting them into a situation that's not only opposite to that, but pretty damn taboo in general. I've had Comments™. But whatever.

And what I tell people, when they say they're worried about how their stories are gonna be received, maybe because it takes a weird non-canon spin, or they feel their tropes are overdone, is:

Do it anyways. There's only you to craft that story you wanna see the way you want it; no one else can do it the exact same, even with the same prompts, the same tropes, the same characters. Everyone views things differently, and I think it's an amazing thing when it comes to art, well... almost everything, honestly. A saying that goes in a Discord server I hang out on is "there's nothing original anymore", but not in a bad way at all — so many works have the same themes, and yet they all still stand out somehow.

I might not the audience. This guy next to me might be, though! Or who knows, maybe *I* am the audience!

But you don't know any of this until you write it. Do it.

OKAY SO I GUESS THAT WAS PART ONE, lol.

SO LET'S GOO FOR PART TWO!

My thoughts on the different versions: I love them! Each version and each game brings something new to the table. I got started with RE4 (VR) — I liked how *aggressively homoerotic* that knife fight was.

Since it was my entry point to RE as a whole, I was curious as to *who* Krauser was, what was his relation to Leon, what happened between them, so on, so forth. Probably what a lot of people went through before Darkside Chronicles became a thing. His obsession for Leon and especially the *passion* behind it. Surely what happened between them was personal!

Then I heard of Darkside Chronicles and I had to play it for myself. So I did. And I was positively surprised when I saw Krauser as he was back around 2002. Gruff, rough around the edges, but just as snarky as Leon — and I love snarky characters. I felt their humor meshed so well. The "boy scout" exchange has lived rent-free in my head since I heard it. Same with the shared water bottle/indirect kiss. The snake/butterfly. Krauser starting as kinda dismissive of Leon, but quickly wisening up about it and treating him as an equal (and I feel it's more than that). And this became what I really wanted to see between them on the long run, hence why I started writing the AU "Normal" takes place in. They were such a good team, in spite of Krauser's wildly varying emotions.

Then RE4R came out, and it introduced them in a mentor/trainee relationship and I love that too. It's a whole different dynamic; Krauser's more serious but still does not shut up, Leon is still a smart mouth — I guess they clashed a lot overall and Leon can probably thank Krauser for all the extra push-ups and laps that gave him this *chef kiss* physique... but Krauser has a soft side to him. The guy really cared for his men, but as an instructor, as a soldier, as a superior and also as a human, probably couldn't voice it all too well. I cried when Leon picked up Krauser's knife, kneeled next to him and Krauser told him he was proud of him. That he had trained him well. It's a dynamic I wish I could capture well enough to put in words, but my real-life experience with anything army-related is nonexistent (well, so is my ageplay/military/"life as a couple" experience with "Normal", lol) and I feel I'd have a harder time with portraying it how I want to. So... I'm eventually gonna do it, outside of oneshots.

TLDR: Give me all the Krausers. They all bring something to the table <3

[beanghostprincess]

Favourite One Piece openings and/or just songs in general?

You can't ask this to a music student and guitarist/singer! I can't choose! there are too many good songs in this anime-

Sogeki no Shima deeee. Umareta Ore waaa. Hyaappaaatsu Hyaku Chu. Lulu Lala Luuuuuu. Nezumi no Medama mo (Lock on!!) Omae no Haato mo (LOCK OOOON!!!) SOOOGEKI NO SHIMA KARA KITA OTOKOOOO LULULU LULU LALAAA SOOOOREEEENIIIGEEEEROOO Sogege Soge Soge SOOGEEEKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

Okay, no, jokes aside (it isn't a joke. I genuinely ADORE Sogeking's theme) my true rankings (No. I'm not writing essays about them. This post would be too long. If you're curious about my genuine long opinions about a song, send an ask bc otherwise this post will be too long):

Openings:

Crazy Rainbow (this is the song I want all of you to think about when you think about me because it's MY song. I LOVE IT. It's me. It talks about me, actually. I am crazy and I'm a rainbow and a star. Twinkle twinkle rainbow star!!! I heard it once and it became my favorite ever. It's my alarm. I wake up with this banger every day. My friends hate me for this take but honestly, they're the ones who don't appreciate a good set of trumpets and guitars with tropical imagery as background).

Hope (The chorus is WILD. The visuals are so comforting it makes me cry every time. This is the energy I want all of my fanfics to have. It's the representation of my writing turned into music, I think. These are the vibes I want. The lyrics??? Are fucking insane??? Also, Sanji-themed, and it hits close to home).

We go! (I don't need to explain this one, but I wanted to mention that the way he screams BRRREAK OF ROMANCE DAWWWWN rewired my brain completely and that lyric appears on my mind every damn day)

Jungle P (Average opening. Not even that good. It's just cool and happy. HOWEVER! Have you considered that LIFE IS ADVENTUROUS BE AWARE IT'S DANGEROUS WHO'S GONNA BE ONE OF US AND THE TRIP GOES ON BECAUSE WE DA PIRATE OF THE MASS TO THE WEST TO THE EAST GONNA FIND MY WAY SAIL AWAY ALL THE WAY TO ONE PIECE)

Brand New World (The energy this song has makes me literally want to scream in the happiest of ways. The chorus, man, it's insane).

Hikari E (The Catalan Dub makes it better. I'm staying loyal to my native language this time. This is fucking amazing in Catalan. The lyrics are so fucking good they make me want to cry. It's very dear to me, too).

The peak (Really cute! Fun! Such a relief opening to end Wano <3 It's just beautiful visually and stunning. But also it has such peaceful and joyful vibes!! My beloved).

Kokoro No Chizu (This one is awesome. I love everything about it. My fav thing about it is my reaction to watching OP with full screen for the first time. Really fun experience of 'what the fuck is this and also THIS SONG IS A BANGER??')

Bon Voyage (Also my alarm because no other thing besides BON VOYAAAGE being yelled against my ear wakes me up in a better mood. Also, really fun opening. The chorus are basically the best part, ofc, for obvious reasons).

Believe (Once again saying this one hits different in the Catalan Dub. The lyrics are beautiful but also it gives sooo many 2000s opening vibes. I enjoy this song every time)

Endings:

Raise (I am not explaining this one because I think it's obvious why it deserves top 1)

Run! Run! Run! (Who the fuck is focusing on the song when Sanji being silly is right there???!?!??! Fun fact, I had a whole ass moment when I saw this ending for the first time and I had to take a break from watching the show because I went on a full crazy spiral of 'Sanjisanjisannijssnaisanjisanjisansajisanjisanji'. But also, really great song and it makes my brain go brrrrr).

Shouchi no Suke (BROOO THE VIBESSSSS THIS IS SO FUCKING GOOD I COULD LISTEN TO THIS FOR HOURS)

Dear Friends (This one makes me want to k word myself so I think that's a very good way to express how fucking good this ending is and how much it hurts me every time)

Eternal Pose (I am vibing. I like vibing. It's the vibes only).

Free Will (I want to hug Robin so tight. This one makes me so emotional. I am in so much pain, please).

(Not even a top 10, this was supposed to be a top 5 but I couldn't leave Free Will behind).

Character songs (with little to no explanation because I work tomorrow and I have to go to sleep but I want to post this now):

River of Freedom (I want to fuck Sabo nasty after hearing this and I am so not ashamed of posting this publicly. My thoughts aren't in the bible).

Dr. Heart Stealer (I want to fuck this man to oblivion and I am a lesbian and asexual. Imagine how hot you have to be for this to happen).

47 Todoufuken Gen Ima Cruise (Yakko Warner would love this).

Hajimari to Owari no Machi (They put drugs in this one).

Girls ni Kubittake (I like submissive Sanji).

Smile for Freedom (I kin Nami)

Save My Heart (The depression of some is the fav song of others)

Headliners (Kidlaw sex)

Usopp Drop (I am in love with Usopp)

Moulin Rouge (I am in love with Sanji)

[radarchives]

IM SAYING LIKE they served so much cunt with the 2021 halloween fits and we went mostly downhill from there, could we perhaps get your thoughts on the rest of the set too, maybe which were your fav and least fav ones? 🥺👉👈 i could write a whole essay on them tbh i swear im normal about them

the halloween fits truly were everything. with the bunny fits one of the only events where looking at the bottom parts only made me break out in sweats half the time.

i'm not necessarily gonna rate them, but i'll give my thoughts.

so let's start

lucifer

solid outfit. the hat i'm okay with since it doesn't look like it's got a life of its own (hat that shall not be named). the zipper shoes however need to go, the white is not giving and certainly a choice for an almost all black outfit. even in white they'd look way better as dress boots with laces.

also love how they somehow managed to give lucifer even more pieces of clothing than usual, unquestionably a skill.

anyway i can't really complain about the outfit bc the card was drawn by the dilf hair lucifer artist. i forgive all mistakes for that.

mammon

it's giving shady vendor it's giving Dr.Facilier with the colour scheme. maybe a bit questionable that he isn't wearing any socks but. it's the horror outfit so maybe that checks out. i personally would've replaced the tie with a bunch of necklaces and have given the man some damn socks. i'd always give mammon at least 60% more jewelry in general that man should be dripping in it.

for me this one is the least exciting one out of the bunch, but i still like it.

leviathan

the jason mask??? the boots?? hands down this is one of the only times i am in love with obey me brand shoes bc these look GOOD (maybe it's just the obey me church stompers trauma talking). love love love the coat and i am also weirdly okay with the brown pants since they match the dried blood on the coat. the gloves are a bit unnecessary though.

satan

i both love and have my beef with this outfit. when i saw the dress i almost flipped my phone because finally!! the devs let a charcter aside from asmo be a bit more feminine looking! then i saw the bottom and went. hmmmm. i think i just don't like that he's wearing both a dress and dress pants (that have buttons on the side. ew) combined? i genuinely think the outfit would've been more cohesive if they either leaned more into the feminine side (dress closed a bit further down, tights, boots with a higher heel) or the more androgynous side (corset with lacing in the center, dress as more of a blouse, high waisted pants, bottom of the dress if kept more like an overskirt?)

asmo

he's perfect, he's beautiful, he looks like linda evangelista, he's a model

no questions asked. perfection. the spider theme/black widow theme is so fucking perfect for him. also the placement of the blood on his hands and sleeves? casually going insane over him they did him so well. definitely my favourite out of them all.

belphie

alright. i am conflicted about this one. because it's camp. no idea what made the devs give belphie a sexy nurse theme but i'm here for it. maybe not necessarily the executiion but still. the skeleton print is my arch nemesis. what in the hot topic fingerless emo gloves is going on here. love the little belt on his thigh but also. safety. hazard babes. he'd be getting poked by needles every step he takes. i don't even wanna look at the little bo peep ass looking shoes.

i would've loved the outfit even more if they'd given him a skirt instead of his little short shorts. maybe not a visually appealing one but definitely an amusing one.? like yeah it's ugly but yeah i also like it because it's silly.

beel

for a beel outfit? god tier. man always has to suffer from boring outfit syndrome, but this one is good as long as you keep your eyes trained on the upper part. the devs shortly released him from the yas girl give us nothing basement. we do not talk about the ginormous clown stompers on his feet though. it looks less camp than belphie's nurse outfit and i'm here for it.

[herotome]

Hello Wudge!!! I know working on such a beautiful and ambitious project must be incredibly tiring. I also know how encouraging it can be to know that people enjoy what you put out there, so I'm here to express my appreciation for Herotome and all the work you have put into it already!

I've been into visual novels for a couple of years now, and while I enjoy my occassional short and sweet dose of cheesy romance, most visual novels could never really satisfy my desire for a good narrative and a lot of time to get to know the love interests (As someone who really needs to know a person in order to get romantically involved with them, I've always found some love stories kind of rushed. That's just my preference tho). I know it's hard to develop a fully-fledged game, especially when you're an independent developer and mostly work for free, so I'm definitely not trying to undermine anyone's work!!!

However, this is why I was so stunned by how much Herotome's DEMO captivated me. Not even just the extended demo!!! The first time I came across this game was before the extended demo got released, and even then, I was so enamoured with the universe, the artstyle, the characters, the writing. EVERYTHING. I'm a bit ashamed to say I can be quite picky with my taste in visual novels, but Herotome literally ticked every single box for me. Visually appealing designs (both with the characters and with the UI!), a great mix of humour and sobriety, clear and skilled writing and awesome world building. All of this in A DEMO??? GOD DAMN, DUDE!

A literal demo unironically managed to put this visual novel among my absolute favourites simply because of how much work and care was put into it. I really hope it gains more attention even before it gets fully released, because you truly deserve the same level of support that games like Our Life (my #1 fav VN, can't wait for OL2) have. I know it'll probably be a while before Herotome gets released, but I'll try my best to wait patiently because I can't wait to see more of everyone! (especially Dart and Jade, I love them.)

I'm really sorry for the whole essay over here, but I just wanted to make my support clear!!! Unfortunately I don't have the possibility of financially supporting (yet) but I'm over here awaiting every update of this game with so much excitement you have no idea (⁠ᗒ⩊ᗕ ྀི) Good luck and stay healthy!

ksbfjsdb how did you know.. 😭😭😭 Thank you, sweet anon! No apology necessary, I love essays!!

Worldbuilding is a area where I've felt particularly lacking -- like, I make a point avoid thinking about it most of the time, so in the rare instances I actually do put in effort it feels like it's coming up short? Maybe not so much in the demos, but nowadays I'll be standing around thinking about how things work in the society of Rhineway and trying to plan out ideas of what's gonna come up in the routes and my brain will inevitably feels like television static by the end.

SO to be praised for worldbuilding gives me a bizarre yet flattered feeling (sort of like "I'm not sure I deserve this but I guess I've done something right"), thank you, and I'm continually touched that people enjoy the humor! I really try to put in a lot of throwaway jokes where it's like -- if you don't laugh, it's totally fine cuz it goes by pretty quick -- but it is nice to know I've made people laugh. Or at least have an sensible inward chuckle :')

It sounds like you're demisexual btw which - lol me too. 🤝 Eyyyy!

I'm not sure how to end this post so I'll just put in some preview of what I've been working on -

Lots of eyebrow dances.

[thesmutalorian]

Yeah  they made the feral predator way too hot. The credits came on and I immediately went to Ao3 like “let’s see what the girlies have to say about thissssss” 🤭 I saw the original predator almost a decade ago and as much as I liked it, never would of guessed I’d be here now 🙂

 the ooman shit kills me, like why do they have these scary ass aliens saying such silly shit I’m gonna die. 

Turns ouuuuut, I actually have more to sayyyyy, but you don’t have to respond: I feel bad bc I don’t have an Ao3 account so I can never comment, but Gorl if I did, id have a whole essay for every chapter, including reaction images 😤. Ik you aren’t currently writing from Ta'Kesh’s POV (which is perfectly fine lol), but I really appreciated how you did so. The predator POV is so fun to read, they’re just so damn cold and pragmatic and just ALIEN yk? (Ta’kesh makes me laugh bc he’s such a lil psycho lol). At least when done right I think. The dynamic you have set up is really interesting, like I love a good slow burn enemies to friends to lovers, but the cultural differences and species hierarchy sets it up for some really fascinating (JUICY) interactions/character development. I was unfortunate enough to come upon your story very early, there aren’t many other fics that hold up to the standard you set! (Have you read The Devil You Know? One of the only other quality fics I’ve found that seems to accurately portray that sort of dynamic- 10/10 recommend). 

But anyway, the arrogance, the entitlement, just the cold bluntness makes predator fic so engaging to me. When you take a person with that deeply ingrained of a mindset (that’s another aspect I love, the question of whether or not yautjas are innately “predatory” or if it’s largely due to cultural upbringing) and force them to interact with with someone they deem inferior in a way they never have had to before (and there was only ONE BED heheh) I’m eating that shit up with 2 hands like GOOD SOUP!!😤😤😤

 I appreciate it even more with a quality OC and I like Charlie a lot. I really struggle with reader/you fics bc beyond me just being like “lol I would not do that”, I like having an established character to root for :). She has an interesting past that you’ve managed to portray in an appealing and unostentatious way. Reminds me of Rust cohle from True Detective.  I like that she’s very brave, but not to the point of ridiculousness lol. She has her moments where she’s able to act courageously in order to try to survive, but still gets intimidated/scared (extremely valid) sometimes with the big ass scary aliens. Do you have anyone in mind for how she looks?

Some highlights so far:

Greatly enjoyed ta’kesh’s cringe fail lake venture where Charlie showed his ass up while he fucking stands in the background looking like a drowned ass rat ahahah but watching her Commit Violence like 👀

Idk why but aliens using bidets is so fucking funny to me

Kinda living for ta’kesh being a dork and talking to his cat all the time hehe

let me see what the girlies have to sayyyyy 👏🏼 absolutely the correct response. my friend and I stand by that alien v predator could've been entirely more romantic if they were brave enough but 🤪 no cause literallyyyyy when I read ooman I hear it in a baby voice and I canNOT take it seriously, like bless those authors truly but whoever started the ooman precedent.... I just wanna talk 🧍🏻‍♀️ and girly pop ofc I'm gonna respond you took the time to let me know how you feel and I /love/ interaction okay (I think there's a way to comment anon on ao3 with like a guest account or name or something but maybe I'm wrong idk) but either way you take the time I want to show my appreciation

I stopped his POV just cause I felt like I was backtracking and I'm already so slow (rip sorry) but I really do want to come back to it in the future just to have fun revealing his inner workings (cause sometimes I be writing things and giggling like pookie is such a brat and then I remember y'all can't hear the goofy ass voices in my head and you only know the story I show you) but yes yes their differences are gonna play out in so many ways that I just can't wait for 😇 AND YES IVE READ FRIGGY one of the few I made it all the way through and then had to literally have a whole moment to process that there wasn't a second part 😗😗 sick I tell you, sick,, but I completely understand the not being able to read FPOV or self insert because of the "ummm I would never" --- because that's EXACTLY how I started writing 💀😭 I was chatting w my friend and we were like ok but isn't it kinda weird how fast some of these fmc just like... accept the whole ass murder crab men? also--- how do they survive well in space and from there Charlie was born ahahahHA I was like ok but what if I made it realistic for bits (as realistic as scifi can be) and then asked people to suspend their disbelief for the fun bits like the space pond and the tail n shit 🤭🤭

I have a whole board of art for ta'kesh but I've never really stopped to think about Charlie 🧐🧐

YES DROWNED RAT IS SOOOOO RIGHT mans really does have an ego, which, like rightfully earned? but also... must be checked whenever author feels he needs it (all the time 😇)

the bidet was me being like what is something that isn't necessarily commonplace, but feels bougie enough that an advanced society would have it regularly around.... ah yes.... Bidet.

ta'kesh is a cat girl, confirmed

I promise to bring you more good soup in the future 🍲

[skullduggeryandfilibuster]

Everyone Gets Synonyms Wrong

Warning: This take may be considered hot. Viewer discretion is advised.

I was thinking about making this a mini video essay, and hey, maybe someday I will, or perhaps it'll be apart of a larger video essay on word choice, but for now, I'm putting my thoughts here.

One of the most useful tools at a writer's disposal is a thesaurus. When first introduced to them in 2nd Grade (because it had to be), I wrote it off as a gimmick. "Oh you can find words that mean the same thing as other words? Neat. Moving on." Once I got into writing their use became immediately apparent.

I, like pretty much all writers, am sometimes insecure about the use of repetitive words or phrases in my work. Maybe it was an English teacher, or friend, or beta reader, or even yourself, that first pointed out, "Damn, the word, "pottery," shows up five times in the same paragraph."

It can sound clunky. Repetitive use of a word is kinda like the prose equivalent of rhyming a word with itself. But we can't use a completely different word. If the thing we're referring to is pottery, then it's pottery. We can't call it a sketchbook or a trackpad.

And Thus We Turn to the Thesaurus.

Here, we can find synonyms: words that share the same definition as our word, but are different, so the prose reads with better variety without losing its general meaning. We can say "china," or "crockery," or "ceramics," or "ware," or if I'm referring to pottery in an archaeological context, I can use "fragments," or "sherds," which fun fact, is the technical term for ancient pottery shards. "Shards," is also appropriate.

I don't know when the floodgates were opened, but at some point they were, as waves of synonym lists poured into writing communities. Mad men running into the town square before sunrise, screaming, "Said is dead! And we have killed it!"

"Words to use instead of said!" "Words to use instead of angry!" "Words that pertain to grief!" "Words that pertain to joy!" "Words about nature!" "Words about cities!"

I Hate This; I Hate These Lists.

First: the entire point of a thesaurus is that its use is case by case. You don't have an entire catalogue of synonyms for the word "fear," in the back of your head ready to go: when you're in the middle of writing and that word comes up, that's when you pull up a thesaurus. It'd be like memorizing your entire car manual, not because your car broke down, but just cause. Obviously there's nothing wrong with knowing alternative words for 'fear' off the top of your head, don't conflate me. But these "synonym lists," are more restrictive and less applicable to your specific, current writing than a thesaurus. What do these lists have that a thesaurus doesn't?

Second: most people don't know how to use a thesaurus, because they don't know the point of synonyms.

I didn't either, not for a while. I thought synonyms were like different versions of the same product: "you can get this lunchbox in red, OR in green!" Then I read "Politics and the English Language," by George Orwell, which forever changed not just how I saw synonyms, but how I write and see writing. If writing is something that even slightly interests you, you should absolutely read that essay.

But Orwell doesn't talk about synonyms there. So how did it change how I saw them? Well, the change was a byproduct of the change of perspective--and soon-to-be hyperfixation--on word choice.

I'm not gonna go into it, because like I said at the beginning, my thoughts on word choice can and maybe will fill a whole-ass video essay. For the purposes of this essay (as I suppose it can be called), know this: every word you choose to include, or not include, in your writing is a deliberate choice whether you know it or not, so be deliberate.

I've beaten around the bush enough, so I'll drop the thesis statement: Synonyms are not "alternatives," to a given word: they are different words entirely.

Part of you may find that redundant, and another may find it silly. "Well duh, obviously the words, "forest," and "woods," aren't literally the same word, but they mean the same thing."

No, they don't. Synonyms are words that possess the same or similar definition, not the same meaning.

Let me use an example to better show what I'm talking about. Let's look at three synonyms: 'Dumb' 'Stupid' 'Idiot' These words possess similar definitions: something or someone pertaining to low intelligence. But a word is more than its definition.

A word is also its context, its phonetics, its rhythm, and its emphasis. A word is its connotations and a word is its tone.

'Dumb,' is simple and playful. There's little weight behind it. It's a dismissal or a tease; a hand wave or a jest. 'Stupid,' is harsher. It's more likely to be used in an actively insulting manner. It doesn't end in a soft '-um,' sound, but a hard and sudden 'd.' 'Idiot,' is harshest. It's not just that the action was not a smart one, but the person who did it is inherently unintelligent. Their person, their character, is an idiot.

You may argue this is semantics.

Yes.

What I'm describing is literally the point of semantics.

Granted, it's not the end of the world if you used 'stupid,' when 'dumb' would be more appropriate. You're the writer, if you determined that 'stupid' is more appropriate than 'dumb,' then it is. Simple as that. But please ask yourself: "Is 'stupid,' actually more appropriate, or am I just insecure about already using the word 'dumb?' "

Again, it's not the end of the world--but does something need to be in order to incorporate it? Does something need to be life or death, or make or break your story, before you consider including it in how you write?

Perhaps I should emphasize just how different a sentence can be with the right words.

I'll use an Extreme Example. Look at This Sentence:

"The group moved through the city."

That's pretty vague, but watch what happens when I swap out the words:

"The pack stalked the streets." "The parade danced around the block."

These sentences are describing the same thing: more than one thing and/or person, together, moving locations within an urban environment. But you might not have even registered that, because the tone between these sentences are so blatantly different.

"Pack," has connotations of predatory animals--wolves, coyotes, dogs--and if the "pack," in question is describing people, it paints them in a much more feral and inhuman light. "Stalk," is an act taken during a hunt: the predator is hidden from you, you can't see it, but it knows where you are, and it won't stop following. Even "streets," changes the connotations of the sentence. In most big cities, streets are the most prevalent "public space," and they're just thin lines of concrete and pavement snaking between the walls of buildings. The biggest public space in the city--the only place one must go through to move, or escape--is occupied.

"Parade," on the other hand, is an event. It's a festival, one where people gather together to celebrate something with big floats and colorful streamers. "Dance," is, well, dancing, but when used to describe movement between locations, it takes on more specific connotations: the movement is that of merriment, of playing and running and shouting and teasing and celebrating. "Block," can be a communal space. They can be their own micro-ecosystems of apartments and bodegas, with friends and neighbors knowing and supporting each other. The parade might be a yearly thing, but "block parties," are a more common event.

You may argue I'm extrapolating additional meaning behind 'streets,' and 'blocks,' but I'm not. If you don't want to extrapolate additional meaning as the reader, that's your god given right. But you can't make that claim of me, the writer. Streets and blocks are different the way oceans and islands are different. I deliberately choose 'streets;' I deliberately choose 'blocks.' I could've used a different word. I did not. Mark Twain puts it better:

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."

Do you see why I hate those lists?--"Words to use instead of death." "Words to use instead of quiet."--The process of writing is figuring out how best to communicate to the reader a given thing or experience. Those lists don't know what story you're writing, only you do. Granted, neither does a thesaurus. A hammer doesn't know you're making a table, but that doesn't mean the hammer isn't a useful tool. A thesaurus is a tool. You may classify those lists as tools as well, but again, what can they do that a thesaurus can't do but better?

A Thesaurus is Inherently More Versatile. Those Lists are a Gimmick.

If you think those lists and posts are useful, more power to you. But I doubt they actually are. I may be wrong here--I may be speaking from bias--but has anyone's specific writing--a story they were actively creating--actually improved--genuinely--because they felt like they used 'said,' too much, and looked on Tumblr for an alternative? I can think of many times in my own writing, when I was trying to conjure a specific experience--evoke a specific feeling--and had trouble finding the right word. The word "forest," or whatever word was giving me trouble, just didn't have the connotations I wanted. So I whipped out my thesaurus, looked through it for a while, and found, "foliage," which was more suited for the sentence I was making.

And what of repetitiveness? What if the problem isn't that you can't find the right word, but you're using the same word too much? To be frank, if you're having an issue with repetition, it probably doesn't mean you're using the same word too much, it probably means you're describing the same thing too much. Don't describe the forest as a list of things it pertains: "The forest had large boulders. The river that flows within the forest was clear. The flowers of the forest were bright." Describe the things themselves. Describe the boulders, describe the river, describe the flowers. Miss the forest for the trees. The forest and a blade of grass are connected, but they are different objects entirely. Not unlike synonyms.

The craft of writing should ultimately be fun, and if you truly find it to be so, let me tell you that picking the first word that sounds nice from a predetermined list and moving on will never be as enjoyable as constructing your sentence. It's the difference between buying a portrait and painting one. It's the difference between the almost right word and the right one; the lightning bug and the lightning.

[kithtaehyung]

I JUST this year found out about 3tan and I have GOT to say that seriously, I LLLLLOOOOOOVEE your works, like 3tan was the first one I started but the first chapter had me hooked and by the second chapter I was DEVOOOTEDDDD TO YOUR WRITING, like it all feels very organic, I can immerse myself so easily in this story and I loooooveee the way you write Every. Single. Personality. In this work like, they make sense, shit I love Jimin being such a real one, I love how I can feel the anxiety and tranquility after every intrusive thought and every reassurance, it's all very guttingly beautiful, I feel like crying cause it's such a great work, I had to remind myself to stop for a couple hours cause I was reading at work and by the time I read it at home I'd started pulling all nighters without even noticing cause it's just so gooooood. I was feeling so elated cause I hadn't felt this avid about a story in so long and had mostly just read one-shots and by the time I finished I just needed to read every work of yours and oºoºh my god, I'm still not done but seriously, I wish I had a book cabinet with a podium of favourite amazing writers and works cause yours would easily be within the top 3, little light shining on it and glitter glittering around it, the holy music in the background, the whole works. Seriously thank you so much for your work, I'm thaaaankful for finding your work because even at the dialogue and internal thoughts, they all clicked so good. I could just go on and on about this (I need a whole essay on this or easily a rant channel or smn idk) because I love it so much but I'm not even writing this right and I'm so hype and I hope your food always taste grate, your blankets always feel like safety, your mornings always feel great, your coffee always taste good and warm, your friends always make you feel loved, your favorite movies/series/books/works are always within reach for you and I hope you feel loved by the ones you love every second. Holy shittt thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you so muuuuuuch ✨✨✨✨✨

AHHHH when i tell you the absolute smile i got on my face after reading this, and then the way it got even wider the more i kept reading! organic writing is literally what i work extra hard for, so this made me very, very at peace.

these stories are meant to be escapes from everyday life. worlds you can run away to whenever you need. i'm glad you ended up finding them! (jimin is such a real one omfg)

you can cry! i cry while writing these all the dang time hahaha it's only natural if you are moved enough. totally okay and i will be there to give you tissues. gosh, i remember those times where i lost so much sleep just from being sucked into a fic or book. good times spent!

I was feeling so elated cause I hadn't felt this avid about a story in so long and had mostly just read one-shots and by the time I finished I just needed to read every work of yours and oºoºh my god, I'm still not done but seriously, I wish I had a book cabinet with a podium of favourite amazing writers and works cause yours would easily be within the top 3, little light shining on it and glitter glittering around it, the holy music in the background, the whole works.

THIS PART MADE ME SOBBBB oh my goodness you are so sweet and i wish you the best things in life for years and years! what an incredible compliment to receive as a creator. super honored.

we're having fun on the 3tan discord if you wanna join! we're all there to bond over all things 3tan and other similar interests :D it's super fun and chill.

damn i.. i am just so thankful. this was a thoughtful message and i am gonna sleep so peacefully. thank you again!

[boopiddyboop]

ATEEZ Group Natal Chart

Alrighty, I'm a couple shots into this pleasant Friday, I've finished my laundry, and Wooyoung took his shirt off at the concert last night. What a time to be alive. Anywho, I decided to pull up the group chart for Ateez as a whole to see if there was anything interesting and was happily entertained.

The birth time referenced is the drop time of the Pirate King video (9:00 UTC or 6 PM in Seoul)

Firstly, fuck an introverted chart, this shit is all about presentation. Just like the dear Captain, this group is a heavy Scorpio. Big Mars energy, though this time it's being ruled by a Mars in Aquarius of all things. While on a person, I would be moderately terrified of this placement- for a group, I think it helps soften their overall image. Or neutralize it from being so aggressively masculine.

I think the most interesting part is that Sun conjunct the Pars Fortunae in the seventh house. Literally, their fortune comes from themselves/their image in the the eyes of others. Amazing. Jupiter and Mercury also sitting there really solidifies that angle for success. Now, with all that sitting across from the ascendant, I think that points to it not being true to the identities of the members themselves, but you'd have to go back to the individual charts to see how they feel about that. For people like Seonghwa (heavy Mars chart) and Hongjoong (Scorpio motherfucker), probably not as much, say, Yeosang and his Gemini Sun/Cancer Moon (though I've heard rumor that there is a confirmed birth time putting him at an Aries Rising...will have to research this further). I've noted a surprising amount of Mars energy floating around most of their charts, but I don't have a conclusive list compiled. (Yet.) Now, that masculine energy waxes and wanes once you start looking at the individual members, but I'm just trying to speak on the group as a whole.

Also notable is a complete lack of mutable signs. That Scorpio/Mars Energy? This is the image. This is the product. Not much is gonna change because it works, and there's not a lot of wiggling around on that. Moon in Aries in the 12th house? More Mars feelings in a house where they won't necessarily be expressed (8th house is better at hiding, but 12th house is also very restrictive).

Finally, let's note the Midheaven sitting in the 9th house, the house of foreign cultures (among so so many other things really the 8th house is such a clusterfuck). Really points to them being their work being overseas as opposed to domestic. And with their North Node sitting in the fourth house, the house of home, I think that'll be the thing they work towards the most in their career.

Self-indulgently gonna close this mini-essay with a Hongjoong gif because I'm suffering from absolute brain rot when it comes to him.

Come yell at me in the askbox- I've finished my soju for the night and wish to discuss. Also, I need y'all to understand that while I'm an excellent drunk editor, the amount of revisions this needed to achieve public consumption was more than the time it took to actually write the damn thing. (It's called Soju and Astrology for a reason)

[pardonmydelays]

hii

in the heights/hamilton characters as different aesthetics (preppy, goth, etc.)

this is such a great question! ok, let's think about it. so i decided to pair them up (one ith + one (or two) hamilton character(s) with similar vibes i may also drop some quotes to prove my point) and here's how i see it:

usnavi/alexander (it's all about the legacy they left with me, it's destiny/what is a legacy? it's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see + both the caribbean immigrants + both orphans + both can't shut up sometimes i could write a whole essay about it actually): 90s (i don't have any explanation for this one, i just want to see it cause it's a vibe)

vanessa/angelica (if i'm in the mood, it will not be with some dude who is whistling cause he has nothing to say/i'm looking for a mind at work + so this is what it feels like to match wits with someone at your level you see what i did here, right?): DARK ACADEMIA (oh i love this one, i could even make them a moodboard lol)

nina/eliza: (hey guys, it's me! the biggest disappointment you know BUT nina please believe that when you find your way again you're gonna change the world/i'm erasing myself from the narrative BUT i live another 50 years, it's not enough + and when my time is up, have i done enough? cause in the end they both have done so much, ok? you know what i'm trying to say also this post is a mess): PREPPY (idk i just think it's their vibe)

benny/mulligan (idk, for some reason i was just thinking about how benny was showing off his skills in benny's dispatch and mulligan was showing off... his pants also yes that is the only reason lol): SKATER (do i even need to explain?)

sonny/laurens/philip (they all just have the same young energy for me and i'm not gonna give you any quotes here, it's just something you can see with your own eyes when you watch them on the stage): KIDCORE (i literally had no idea something like this exists but you can google it and it's a perfect choice for them)

kevin/jefferson (ok so look, kevin and camila are married to each other and jefferson and madison are also like a married couple in my head i don't know what else i can say): NORMCORE (just how i see it)

camila/madison (look up): LIGHT ACADEMIA (idk it's just the vibe bro)

daniela/lafayette (mostly because they are both iconic and come on we all love them so much also daniela works in the salon and layafette has majestic hair but it's unimportant): ART HOE (it's just perfect for them, ok?)

carla/peggy (like can't you just see it? carla clearly doesn't have much to say and peggy... and peggy. they are both cute tho! and they are both there just for fun!): SOFT GIRL (cause like i said they are just cute!)

piragua guy/king george (hey, pana! i run this town!/soon you'll see, you'll remember you belong to me! come on they are basically the same person, piragua guy is the king of washington heights): BADDIE (i'm literally crying right now, it's too damn funny)

abuela claudia/george washington (that was abuela, she's not really my abuela but she practically raised me, this corner is her escuela/your wife needs you alive, son, i need you alive + daddy's calling parent vibes lol): COTTAGECORE (it is what it is)

graffiti pete/burr (listen, i don't even have any quotes here, it's just the fact that usnavi hates graffiti pete and hammy and burr are enemies lol you see what i did here): GOTH (just because this is so fucking funny in my head lol imagine aaron burr as goth)

maria reynolds (i don't have a pair for her oops): EARLY 2000s (because of course)

[atthebell-moved]

listen i'm not gonna drop the entire essay but i think the fervor around ghostbur is a bit. well. i get why wilbur says he hates the fucker. i know this is kind of irrelevant after the finale already happened but i want to talk about it a bit.

like it feels (to ME. and i think to wilbur as well, both c and cc) like people latched onto this soft, unangry version of wilbur. like his trauma was only valid when he offered other people comfort and spoke gently.

and when the angry, hurt, not-so-nice wilbur came back, people's reactions can't have felt good. to watch people mourn the dead, soft version of you more than the alive one. wilbur never had a funeral. when tommy saw him in limbo he decided he should never come back-- despite that dead, soft version of wilbur saying he wanted that. wilbur came back and everyone was angry with him, and not just because of his actions before his death but because he was replacing a more palatable version of himself.

having poured a lot of himself into his character, watching people mourn the silly little ghost of that character rather than the raw, angry, spiteful one can't have felt good. watching people, for over a year, talk about wanting that version back in a story context that implies that cwilbur would have to die again for that to happen, and implying they want that death to be a repeat of the first (suicide) cannot have felt good.

trying to build out this character who's in desperate need of healing and reparations and having people ask endlessly about that stupid ghost and his cute little sheep cannot have felt good, from a writer's perspective. if i had a whole arc planned out with a character who had that much going on and people asked about his dead version's pet i wouldn't be pleased, particularly when that's all i see all the time.

we poke fun at wilbur for posting his little angst rants on reddit (which are admittedly very funny and im sure in large part that's why he writes them) but i would be posting angsty rants about that damn ghost too if i were him. imagine being so constantly misinterpreted. imagine writing a character meant to show the phantoms people leave behind when they die, and people overtake your entire character with it.

sometimes trauma doesn't make you soft and forgetful. it makes you angry, it makes you worse, it makes you lash out, it makes you ugly-- wilbur was trying to convey that with cwilbur in pogtopia and cwilbur post-revival. i'm not saying ghostbur's way of processing and expressing trauma is wrong; i'm saying people prioritizing it must've been endlessly frustrating.

anyway i don't like ghostbur very much for all the above reasons and because for me i always viewed him as a part of wilbur and not a separate entity. go read my fic if you want to hear about that.

[cipheramnesia]

I've always wanted to like horror. I always try to get into it? I've had friends all through life that love horror, especially movies. But i end up loving the time i spend watching it with friends more than I've ever enjoyed the content itself. And like i feel like I'm somehow failing to see it the way large parts of the population like yourself do? But i don't know how to enjoy the medium?

The hurtles I've identified so far are that when there's ableism involved i tend to check out fully. That's been a dead end. And when there's painfully illogical choices by the main characters (the ones that the audience are encouraged to connect with). I get it's a useful tool for plot and moving the story along, but any emotional connection that was built there is like nullified? Idk. Not sure how to see what other people see cuz it looks like fun for y'all

Got any advice?

First I'd say - maybe horror just isn't your thing? I love it, I don't expect everyone to love. I barely expect anyone that likes horror to like anything at all similar to what I like. It's a damn slog for me to find new horror I enjoy, even among the horror fandom, because so many of them want it all to be Insidious or Saw or whatever - which is fine but not interesting to me.

Ableism is a deep dive I need to spend time on, but short answer is - I haven't got a good answer here other than maybe steer clear of the "slasher" sub-genre where it seems most rampant.

I think the main item I want to dig into is whether or not horror in general is uniquely poor with ableism, or is it consistent with other media and singled out for other reasons. I have a suspicion that it's the latter, purely on the basis that it's common in generalizations like "horror has an ableism problem" where the reality is "society at large has an ableism problem" that the problem of the former is a reflection of the latter, rather than innate to the former.

But I don't know, Jason is a horror icon and earliest versions ain't too pretty from that perspective. Hard to equate the latter versions with ableism on accounta he is essentially a supernatural entity after a certain point and whatever, you get the idea. It's all complicated and takes time to unravel. However, all that to the side, it may help to consider if those movies in some way reflect something uniquely bad, or if it's instead more upsetting due to horror characters generally existing in upsetting or disturbing situations. Both can be true on a case by case basis - like the infamous "black guy dies first" problem, which STILL HAPPENS somehow even though it's a problem so widely known that it's cliche even as satire. I have some thoughts about that I'll write up sometime as well.

I'm thinking a way to approach it may be via Franklin, the wheelchair using character of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, who I believe is meant to illustrate the poor way disability is treated, confronting the audience with their own biases. That's a whole other long essay that needs a good deal more work. But I notice it, oh boy do I, especially in the beloved "80s movies," yikes. I enjoy much about them, but there was some... stuff.

Now, characters making stupid decisions I mean... that's just movies. That is literally all movies, characters make stupid decisions. I can't say that makes it better, but I can promise you the average bad character decision per horror, science fiction, Disney(tm), drama, romance, etc etc movie is going to average the same. On the other hand, if this happens in almost all the movies your friends watch, they might just have bad taste in horror.

The takeaway here is getting into horror is something you're probably gonna have to work at if you really want to make it happen. Check out reviews, trusted sources, see if you can find some novels or shows or movies that handle those specific issues well. You may find some trusted artists you can go to more consistently but it's probably going to require some screening. And then also - again - if you don't like horror, that's not a failing or bad or anything to stress over. Some people just don't like certain stuff. No big, live and learn, other fish in the sea, different strokes, all that jazz.

[longhands-the-second]

Volume 2 thoughts, otherwise known as Disorganized Simping On Main. No i will not add pictures i think the lack of context makes it funny

1-

Oh fucking hell is it legato time already? It’s so EARLY. I mean we’d get to the cool stuff faster but SHIT.

Goofiest vash panel spotted

What that mouth d- *gets shot*

Holy shit he’s really different here huh. The depression is seriously obvious; it's wild.

That and he’s like. Extra pretty when he’s angry. Might be because those panels get more love and care put into them because there’s less of them so far.

We’re decapitating people now. DAMN that’s fucking heavy. We’re not even to maximum yet.

Tonally the manga is so much darker but I’m kind of eating it right the fuck up.

I wonder if there’s any significance to the one dollar coins? Those are impossible to find now, let alone however many centuries in the future they are (I think it was something like 400 years? Maybe that was just stampede.)

2-

EY YO COLORED PAGES???

Girl what the fuck-

I want to color this whole goddamn chapter but i have RESPONSIBILITIES and shit (<- unemployed and taking one (1) summer class)

The fucking smile. The switch. I yelled out loud. God they are so fucked up.

The fangs make an appearance. Lovely. Horrible circumstances though.

3-

He looks so fucking tired. Angry, too, but so tired. I love the simmering rage we get here, it’s missing from every other version tbh.

I always forget how absurdly capable he is. That’s the point, I guess, but man. Man.

OH SHIT THE ARM

Knives is so… wrong. In such a fascinating way though. The way he seems happy that Rem managed to save everyone, not for the people but for her- that’s so fucked and i am enamored with his specific brand of bullshit.

4-

I have so many questions about his scars. Like rule of cool or whatever but I need specifics. Why do they look like that in particular? What purpose do the implants serve etc etc?

I didn’t even register that they don’t know it’s a prosthetic. That had to freak them out so bad

His reasoning is interesting here. It’s not about his love for humanity at all, that comes later. He’s doing this for Rem. His vibes here are more like someone struggling to hold himself to what she believed in instead of actually, truly believing in it. It makes him more real, I think.

Maybe it’s the nature of the medium, but everybody seems much more introspective. Meryl specifically sticks out to me.

God he takes it so personally when people are all Dog Eat Dog. I can’t blame him.

Woah. Panty shot. (Side note i can’t WAIT to see him without the coat.)

Hunting he says. What’s he gonna do when he catches him? (Rhetorical)

5-

i read this in class so i didn’t take notes oops

6-

legato is unironically terrifying in the worst way.

I have never been a Huge Wolfwood Enjoyer. However i am charmed by his silly faces.

If i didn’t know better i’d call him a loser (affectionate)

GAY. HOLY SHIT

“come, let’s take ibuprofen together”

I love how 98, if anything, toned this interaction down.

Why the FUCK is midvalley built like a damn brick wall

7-

Vash is so. So fucking cute. My god i am the gayest mf alive.

I guess everyone is on this page but i'm fixated on confused vash he’s got me enamored

“DO NOT ENGAGE. I REPEAT, DO NOT FUCKING ENGAGE.”

I totally didn’t register that his arm was still gone until just now oops

Oh this is perspective porn. Love that shit

I hate to admit this but there’s something about seeing Vash freaked out that makes me grin. It might be like “WOAH SOMETHING IS HAPPENING.” Or i’ve just gone off the deep end.

Is. Is he blushing. Oh my god is he embarrassed-

I have to wonder why the bible is so popular here. Just based on the circumstances? I was never really sure if the events were literal in the trigun universe or not

VASHUSSY!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I am normal about him)

(It is NOT my fault he’s in those pants)

8-

I have a whole essay to write on vash and bodily autonomy but i'm gonna finish reading the manga first- other people have probably said it earlier and better than me.

Oh. Shit. That sure didn’t happen in 98 huh.

I find that every character has gotten more interesting in the manga. This might be because i’m already familiar with their anime counterparts. Wolfwood though, im starting to understand why trimax people like him so much.

The plants are so freaky here fr

CREATURE VASH

this is all kinds of fucked up and based on other posts i’ve seen this week it literally only gets worse from here

I hate how easy it is to empathize with everyone in this situation. I do appreciate Vash pretty much dropping the mask here, like this is what’s under all of the antics and his reputation.

He looks way too good in that top for the situation at hand smh i am SO distracted

Tbh had i not already committed to what i did i would’ve done these pages they’re so pretty

Does wolfwood know anything about this or is it all news to him???

God you can see the actual chunk of shoulder he’s missing from this angle

I do wonder how much of Knives’ concern is him genuinely feeling bad and how much is just like. Manipulation.

God this is so fucked up

On a lighter note the belts bursting from his arm are kind of a cool visual. Shit’s gotta hurt though.

MAN. FUCKING HELL.

EXTRAS

Day in day out- This made me laugh out loud. It also made me sad. No notes.

Pilot- Different vash definitely. My mans would not upskirt a girl like that.

I love seeing concept shit this is wonderful.

Time for trimax now i guess shit fuck goddamn

[anotherghoul666]

Dude! (I always use this word in a gender neutral way by the way, but if you dislike it still just let me know)

I got a question, cause I’m really unsure of your opinion on something. Either you like them and find them funny or you dislike/hate them, but I somehow got the feeling you know them.

What‘s your opinion on Steel Panther?

~owlish anon

Ooooh now we're just trading special interests back and forthhhh XD You hit me with that sweet owl knowledge, now it's my turn to hit you back with some metal history and Opinions hahahaha (I also use dude for everybody in a gender neutral way, you're good!)

Steel Motherfucking Panther dude. I have so much to say about these guys xD The tl;dr version of my answer is this: it's nuanced XD Because everything is with me hahaha. I loved Steel Panther in the early 2010s. I have had some of the wildest, completely unhinged, off the wall crazy VIP parties with those guys. Some of my most fun "hagning out with bands" memories. Plus they give one hell of a live show. They have a special place in my heart. That being said, I fell off of the SP wagon around 2015-2016, and it's not a band that I can see myself going back to or continuing to support in the future. I'm a very different person that I was over a decade ago, my values have changed, I'm not a party person anymore, and I just don't align with this kind of act or message anymore.

I shall now proceed to write an entire damn essay, as I do, to detail my journey with the band and explain my takes, if you're interested XD

Typically when I hear people hate on Steep Panther, the dislike stems from one of three things:

The music reason: people don't like them because they legitimately don't like 80s glam rock / glam metal. They don't like the sound, they don't like power ballads, etc. That's 100% a valid reason, it's musical taste, you gotta be into the 80s cheesiness to like SP because they dial that shit to the max. If you don't like bands like Motley Crew and Poison and Guns N' Roses, etc. you're just not gonna like SP, the music's the same.

The toxic masculinity reason: people (and by that I mean straight, white, cis men 99% of the time) think the band is "gay" (used as the derogatory term) and they can't get over their internalized issues. Insecure men see other men on stage, very secure men who are not afraid to wear glitter and barbie pink and makeup and nail polish and heels and spandex, and they feel threatened. They see the confidence the SP guys have, they don't see it in themselves, they hate themselves for it but because of cognitive dissonance they have no clue, so they spew hatred and insults and derogatory terms at the band. And it makes them loose their shit even more when they see women respond to the vulnerability and feminine side the SP guys display and be attracted to it. Glam rock in the 80s (and by extension SP today) are seen as "girl things" and vehemently shat on by cishet men the same way "girl media" like Twilight for example is. It's a desperate and quite pathetic attempt at covering up their insecurities and it stinks from miles away. 0% validity, unpack your shit, man, and go to therapy.

The "they're inappropriate / problematic" reason: people think Steel Panther are tacky or unfunny or they take the joke too far. SP are a parody band. They are a caricature, an exaggerated to the extreme version of 80s glam rock / glam metal bands and groupie culture. Whether you find the joke funny or not is entirely gonna depend on your sense of humor and what genre of humor you like. If you think sex jokes are gross and uncalled for, stay away from SP, that's the whole shtick. If you think penis jokes are funny, stay around because there will be a million more of those. It's a taste thing. 50/50 valid and invalid reason here, and I can see both sides. I myself have straddled the line of both of these sides throughout my life.

People get angry at SP because they say their lyrics and skits, on stage and in their videos, are misogynistic, abelist, racist, homophobic, fatphobic, etc. There is so stuff that people can accuse this band of, and they think the band members themselves are making fun of women and other marginalized communities. If you think that, that's alright and I respect that your feelings were hurt. But dude. You missed the joke. You didn't understand what the band is doing. SP themselves are not shitting on women. They are shitting on 80s glam rock and groupie culture. They are magnifying the issues that this culture had and putting them under a modern microscope and light. The point is to be shocking, because groupie culture was shocking. It's as much of a celebration of the music as it's a criticism of the over the top way of life of these bands, and humor is the vehicle for the lessons. If you think any exposure of these topics is dangerous, then sure, absolutely you'll hate the band. If you see the value of poking fun at the type of shit that went down in the 80s, then you'll love SP. It's a matter of sensibility I feel, and whether you're able as a listener to sit with your inner discomfort to find the joke and find value in the caricature / exposure of problems through humor, or if the discomfort is too strong and you wanna leave. Both reactions are ok.

Ghost does the exact same thing as Steel Panther, but they target the christian religion instead of tour bus sex orgies and cocaine. We've seen how wildly uncomfortable Ghost can make people with their easter jesus talk / the new video. Discourse has exploded and it's the exact same thing: there are those of us that get the joke, and those of us that take it too seriously. Anyone that takes Ghost seriously, just as anyone that takes Steel Panther seriously, is bound to get offended. That's the point. SP does not allow for indifference. They'll make you laugh to tears or they'll shock you and put you in an outrage, but either way you're gonna feel something about them.

Now, personally, I used to be in on the joke. I found them hilarious in 2010. I have also changed, my values have changed, my levels of tolerance for things being "just funny" versus things veering into problematic territory has changed. Am I down today for some of the language Steel Panther use in their songs? Nope. Are there songs from theirs I still adore and will unapologetically blast / sing to / drum to? Abso-fucking-lutely dude. Not all the songs have what I personally consider problematic content or language. But I wouldn't buy their albums anymore or buy merch or pay to go to their concerts. I'd go if they were in town and my mag sent me to cover the show, but I wouldn't support them monetarily anymore.

I was born in '91. I was just a bit too late to live through the '85-'88 hay day of glam metal, but I was steeped in the culture from when I was a baby. My dad's a rocker, his whole "old life" before my parents had me was touring with bands and importing music. He's lived through the creation of rock and prog in the 60s. He's been instrumental in importing international (and mostly British cause the UK scene was popping back then) prog and rock bands for the first time in the country in the 70s. He's played with bands throughout the 70s and 80s where he was the one having groupies crawling over him. That was his world. So I grew up on his stories and memories of the sexual liberation and living in communes, of flower power and Woodstock-like festivals, of the glam rock life. That was my ideal, that was my childhood dream, this world, and back then the social discourse was very very different from how it is today.

So when I discovered Steel Panther around 2010 (I think it was with the release of the first singles for the Balls Out album that came out the year after, with 17 Girls in a Row), that band sounded like it was 1987 but in 2010, all day every day. The sound, the look, the attitude, it was spot on. And of course it was played up for the joke, the lyrics and themes were crazy blown out of proportion, but I also felt like these raunchy lyrics in 2010 must've been how the relatively tame (to my ears) lyrics from Poison and Def Leppard etc. felt to people in the 80s. What shocks a population 2-3 decades apart won't be the same. I felt Steel Panther upped the absurdity and raunchiness of the themes to shock the modern crowd at a similar level. I thought it was brilliant.

I caught up with their previous album Feel the Steel from 2009, I liked it ok, some songs were great, some were meh. Nowadays I can see how Feel the Steel is by far the most problematic SP album in terms of content so it doesn't right with me so much anymore. I'm attached to tracks like Community Property because 2010 me (who still identified as a woman and monogamous at the time because I didn't know I hadthe right to be anything else) felt a deep, deep satisfaction singing about how "my cock is community property / my dick's a free spirit" for some reason (ha haha hahaha turned out the reason was probably because I was Not A Woman and also Not Monogamous XD In the end my cock is indeed somewhat community property today XD). I'm also attached to Death to All but Metal cause I basically learned how to double bass drum on that song, and the dig on early 2000s MTV culture is hella funny, but there are lines of lyrics in there dude, wheew. Nope. Anyway.

Balls Out in 2011 was one of my favorite albums of that year. Supersonic Sex Machine, 17 Girls in a Row, It Won't Suck Itself dude? That song FUCKS!!! People can say whatever they want about Chad Kroger and Nickelback, I also grew up on that band and I think they get unecessary hate. From then I was all in. Went to shows, hung out with them, VIP parties (I could talk for an hour about what a VIP with Steel Panther looks like, if you wanna but in another ask cause this one is Too Long already XD ), and so much hype for the next album.

2014's All you Can Eat blew me away, also one of my best albums of that year. Pussywhipped and its femdom vibes; Party like Tomorrow is the End of the World dude what a stellar single and video; Gloryhole is a catchy motherfuckewr; Gangbang at the Old Folks Home actually spreads the message that old people still have a sex life which is legit a good message; The Burden of Being Wonderful is the perfect stupid egotistical power ballad and I adore it, listennnn. Bangers across the board.

The true talent of these guys was was that, behind the stupid jokes, they were super talented musicians. Legit good musicians across the board, because to recreate a song from 2-3 decades ago this perfectly, to pinpoint guitar tone and amps and song writing structures and vocal techniques like a damn time machine? That takes so much talent. The guys joke around, but they don't play with their music quality.

2015 I did start to notice the band was getting stale. They didn't renew the jokes as much, they started to recycle songs and themes, I wondered where it was gonna go. Lower the Bar came out in 2017 and I was not about it. I found it very boring and, I don't have another word for it, stale. That's when I started to loose interest. Lexxi leaving in 2018 was kinda the nail in the coffin for me. He was a huge part of the band for me, a bit part of the balance of the band's energy especially on stage, and who they replaced him with just felt cheap and overplayed. Good on the guys for still doing their thing today, but past 2018 I have not touched Steel Panther and I have no clue what they're doing anymore. So to loop back around, today SP is not, as I said before, a band I'd spend money on nor keep listening to. But it doesn't negate the wonderful years and memories I have with there guys. I'm just not down for their message and vibe anymore. I learned, I evolved, I changed, the past still holds value, but I'm not doubling back to 2010 me anytime soon.

And that, my dear Owl, is my unecessarily long opinion about Steel Panther XD Thanks for asking, this was a fun blast from the past to revisit!

[cantbelieveyouregone]

hey since you gave me a bunch of questions im gonna give YOU a bunch of them so how about 1, 6, 7, 20, 27, 39, 46 >:)

Damn, Lee, making me face the consequences of my actions. Greetings hello hi by the way :D

1) What was your first exposure to Danganronpa?

There's a few different answers to this depending on the level of awareness I had on what DR was. In like 2014-ish I had a friend cosplay as Monokuma, but had literally no idea what DR was at that point despite them enthusiastically recommending it to me. A few years later, another friend cosplayed as Chiaki, equally clueless then. It wasn't until like lockdown that I saw a play through of DR1 come up in my recommended on YouTube and I was just like "I vibe with detective games right now, sure" and then I experienced The Horrors (cautiously affectionate). Though I did vaguely recall Hifumi's death when I saw it for the first time, definitely hadn't seen the whole game before.

6) Do you have a fan character? Tell us about them!

I somehow don't have a DR fan character yet! Mainly because my brain took a different route and just started throwing my own characters into a slightly modified DR-like scenario as a game design challenge for myself. More focused on changing parts of the killing game formula and stuff. :p

7) You get the chance to reassign five characters new talents. Who do you choose, and which new talents do they get?

Gonna do this with the angle of characters keeping their underlying personality, and force myself to choose at least one per game. Leon is now the Ultimate Stage Actor, and yes he still wants to be a rock star - dude never learns his lines, just improvs flawlessly. Taka is now the Ultimate Lawyer, and my boy does NOT cope with the changed rules of killing game trial mayhem, repeatedly explaining that you can't just do the death penalty like that and Monokuma telling him to stop being a spoilsport. Hiyoko is now the Ultimate Opera Singer, partially because it makes it ten times funnier that she likes Ibuki's screamo, and because I find it very funny the idea of her absolutely dragging someone through the mud with words while singing Like That. Gundham Tanaka is now the Ultimate Janitor. No further comment, imagine what you will. Finally, I'm gonna say that Shuichi is now the Ultimate Marksman. He retains a literal eye for detail, the insecurity from rooty-tooty-thing-go-shooty thing going wrong, and a better background for the trial text going as absolutely buckwild as it does while the player still handles it, as well as better meta for not participating in the fundamental trial stuff near the end. You're asking the Ultimate Marksman to not take any shot.

Not all of those are amazing choices but it is 6am and I'm writing this because I can't sleep lmao

20) What is your favorite aspect of Danganronpa?

For as flawed as they are, the characters are what I latched on to and made me keep playing. Don't have much more to say without going on essay-length rants about individual character analyses right now though. But the characters are definitely a big draw.

27) You’re placed in a Killing Game as yourself (who you are now, no perks). How far do you believe you’d get?

Bestie, I am fucked. I am exceedingly killable and the embodiment of the Barely Hanging In There Star. I'd be paranoid, self-isolate as much as possible, and that would give anyone that figures out where I go an easy place to kill me with no witnesses. If I don't die first, I'm either a dishonourable second, or the least memorable of the two chapter three victims (because I'm assuming the others are still Ultimates, so I'm literally Just Some Guy) that the writers just get rid of because I outlived whatever subplot significance I had.

39) Which character do you feel deserves more love?

This is a hard one to answer simply from the fact I'm very much in my own bubble and don't really know the fandom's most beloved blorbos. Gonna do a few different ones for different interpretations of the question. Korekiyo was done dirty by the writing and could've been an interesting character but instead just feels like a waste of a good motive, so he deserved more love by the DR writers. Leon seems very ignored because first killer, obvious killer once the investigation started and his literal name was at the scene, and relatively shallow what we got in just the original game. So he could probably do with more attention to expand on his character. And I just don't want the TERFs to have Tenko, so I'm gonna say Tenko. Tenko would aggressively support trans rights, you can't change my mind. Deserves more love from non-TERFs.

46) What are some of your pregame headcanons?

I'm going to assume this is mainly about the V3 crew and answer based on that. And because I'm not creative, one pre-game headcanon per character.

Rantaro was a hell of a homebody, but got very good at cooking, and enjoyed trying to create foods from different cultures as accurately as possible. Danganronpa had a hell of a time getting ahold of him for the 52nd game.

Kaede was actually incredibly good at maths. Never saw herself as the creative type because of it.

Ryoma was actually a relatively happy-go-lucky guy, before the Character Writing made him depressed. He was a very good singer, too.

Kirumi was one of the popular kids, but like... the Secondary Character of the main popular kids friends group. She let you copy off her homework because she was equally as confident when she was completely wrong as when she was right.

Angie regularly ran DnD campaigns for a small group of people. She was the glue holding the friend group together, and the one who stopped them drifting apart.

Tenko was studying psychology in her free time in a desperate attempt to try and find a way to outwit her ADHD. Mainly she just ended up going down Wikipedia rabbit holes. Very good on the clarinet.

Korekiyo was just a normal guy. Didn't have a sister. Healthy relationship with his existing family. He had a pet dog that he hung out with a lot after school. He never brushed his hair.

Miu was actually a completely average student, the kind of person you'd never happen to really meet unless someone introduced you. But by God she was passionate about writing. Not that she ever told anyone.

Gonta was very much a gym bro. Neglected a lot of his studies to get back on the grind, but was still quite naturally smart. He paid no mind to people wondering how a teenager like him was jacked as fuck.

Kokichi was very much your archetypical emo kid. Got very good at pretending everything was fine for the sake of not getting bothered by people, and tried to blend into the background. He wanted to hack the school website for fun but couldn't be bothered to figure it out.

Kaito was the guy to go to if you needed to pretend you had a boyfriend for an event. He'd do it for a day's lunch money. Solid C+ student in everything but art, where he was a B+ student.

Keebo, I have always imagined as a regular guy who was augmented into a cyborg masquerading as a robot. Aka, not actually even a robot, but Danganronpa fucked him up big time for their purposes. He was a very sporty kid, but didn't like people drawing attention to it. He just had a lot of energy.

Tsumugi... I find it hard to do a headcanon for her because I can't even agree with myself whether she's actually a teenager or an adult cosplaying as one. But she had a small close knit group of friends that she'd spend at least one weekend a month with.

Maki was really looking forward to studying literature in her higher education. But then someone made her apply to Danganronpa on a dare, and she did it to shut them up, intentionally making herself sound as boring as possible to reduce the chance she got picked. Unfortunately, Team Danganronpa took it as a challenge.

Himiko was the one who you'd hear about doing some wild shit, but then you'd meet her in person and the vibe can only be described as the gif of SpongeBob sitting in a coffee shop looking sad. You could never be sure if the things you heard were rumours or true.

Shuichi was the disruptive one with anger issues. He'd aggressively disagree with the teacher's opinion just because he could and he was bored. The only exception was in Geography. It was the one subject that for some reason calmed him down.

Hope those answers were alright! I'd link to the ask game but I'm on mobile and can't be bothered right now, might edit to add it later though lmao