#Opinions with a capital O this time

[specterthief]

(in case it hasn't been asked) goro?

Sexuality Headcanon: GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL GAY. with a lot of these characters i'm like "oh yeah i can see them as bi too sure" but in this case it's not like a fun headcanon vibes thing, it is interpretation of the text (in which akechi shows absolutely no interest in women in a game that never passes up a "haha guys ogling girls" bit) that is critical enough to how i interpret akechi as a character in the full context of persona 5 that anything else will immediately take me out of a fic no matter what

(to be clear i do not care at all what other people ship and hope that everybody with m/f goro ships/who headcanons him as bi is having a great time over there but i personally just cannot see it) Gender Headcanon: cis guy! i've also seen some good trans guy goro content but while i like the idea i can't see it in canon in his case A ship I have with said character: akeshu is THE ship, it's such an incredibly developed dynamic in royal and ends up being the emotional core of my absolute favorite part of the game and manages to both hit a lot of tropes i really love (enemies-to-lovers, "two sides of the same coin", among other things) while having a really interesting twist on one i usually don't like (predestination.) i can't really see goro with anyone else seriously and akeshu is genuinely one of my favorite ships of all time. i cannot fucking believe having another chance to be with goro being joker's greatest wish and something he'd consider going against all his teammates and everything he's stood for for is real A BROTP I have with said character: it's such a fleeting underdeveloped thing but i'm really fascinated by the dynamic goro seems to have with muhen. i'm really curious what his history with jazz jin is and how much muhen does or doesn't know about what's going on with him. also in the brotp (fucked up) way i posited in the maruki post, i've been really intrigued by goro and haru recently (though this is also a brotp (genuine) in synthesis, which is part of what's made me so intrigued by their canon dynamic and the potential there.) recognition of the self in the other (derogatory), you know

i also have a soft spot for the "futaba and goro are half siblings through shido" headcanon and like to think about the drama of how that might shake out A NOTP I have with said character: sumire. there's nothing wrong with it and i'm sure plenty of the shippers are perfectly nice but the worst hate i've ever gotten in this fandom has been over just quoting the interview where wada says goro doesn't care about her (on my own account, just in the context of the "love triangle" quote about akeshu, not targeting any shippers) so i went from just not liking it to having a really negative association with even seeing it in general and i block everything to do with it A random headcanon: had he been given the opportunity to form a contract and make full use of his wild card powers, his velvet room would be a train, endlessly hurtling onward with no destination General Opinion over said character: he's my #1 favorite character in persona 5 (and persona as a whole so far)! he's a particular type of tragic antagonist i really love and i came into the game with a lot of affection for him already because one of my best friends is also obsessed with him and i was not disappointed when i got to experience him for myself. royal was such a blessing for his character and i enjoy everything about him so so much, best boy

[supplimental]

gritting my teeth fingers clawed into my thighs in a death grip reciting I wont listen to the Penumbra Podcast again to see if it gets better I wont listen to the Penumbra Podcast again to see if it gets better I w

[eyesxxyou]

Hobie Headcanons

↳ ❝ [mix of sfw and nsfw because I've been thinking alot] ¡! ❞

❝ sfw ❞

Hobie is Jamaican British and you can't change my mind. He uses Jamaican slang in the movie and some of punk culture takes from Jamaican culture. When he feels very big emotions, his accent definitely comes out whether he wants it too or not.

Did all his piercings himself. Has a keloid behind one of his ears because of it. It's a miracle most of his piercings haven't been infected or rejected.

His starter locs were terrible. He thinks it's the most embarrassing part of his loc journey. The length was uneven and he had to start over 3 different times. For a while he did have regular locs before letting them do their own thing and become freeform.

Has siblings. Two sisters, one older, one younger, and he loves them to death. Would go to hell and back for them. They're partially the reason why he's so comfortable in himself and his own masculinity. Why he's all "fuck Capitalism, patriarchy, and society in general" because he wants to live in a world where this sisters and every woman can walk down the street feeling safe, get paid equal to men in their jobs, etc

Undiagnosed autistic and I say this as a unofficially diagnosed autistic. His special interests are politics, punk bands, and My Little Pony (blame his sisters).

Gets matching nails with his s/o. Let's you paint his nails and do nail art and all of that. Let's you do his make up too, a full face beating if you want. A little bit of a simp

Definitely has a type. Earthy spiritual black people who wear crystals in their hair, wear layers of necklaces and bracelets, flowy ankle length shirts and tube tops, gold rings and waist beads layered on top of each other (definitely not saying this cuz it's an exact description of me) love a black woman from infinity to infinityyyy

❝ nsfw ❞

Has a dick piercing (and no he didn't do that one on his own). Either a Prince Albert or a magic cross. It was a haphazard decision he just decided on and BOY was it painful but he feels cool as fuck now and it makes you feel all the better.

Has nipple piercings too. Just thought they looked sick. Only downside is that they took a long time to heal and wearing a shirt for the first few weeks was literal hell.

LOVES giving oral regardless of sex. Adores the sounds he can draw from you with just his tongue and his fingers. Has you cumming in minutes. His fingers are perfect for it, long and slender, and his tongue is godly (he also has a tongue piercing).

His moto is save a horse, ride a cowboy. Loves getting rode, watching you bounce on his cock however you'd like with your hands on his chest for support. He'll hold your hips, trace patterns on your skin while praising you. "Ya look so pretty, luv. Keep goin', jus' like tha'."

Loves eye contact during sex at all time. "Keep ya eyes open fa' me, luv. Can you do tha'? Yeah, tha's righ'." He likes the intimacy of it, makes the act more special.

Might be a controversial opinion but I think Hobie's polyamorous. Or at least open to the idea of an open relationship. He doesn't get jealous easily and trusts you wholeheartedly so he's be okay with something like that. If that's not what you want, he's totally okay with that as well. On the up side, threesomes ;)

[frostfire-17]

yet still more hittite facts

I am making a new post rather than endlessly reblogging this one, because it is getting a little unwieldy! and this addition is pretty long. (and also to spare poor @max1461, thank you for your forbearance so far)

But! @whatshouldwecallhomer asked, "More Hittite facts please? What was their lifestyle like? Were they nomadic or sedentary? Agriculturalist, pastoralist, or something else? Seafaring or sea-shunning? What were their most interesting technologies, artwork, and political customs (in your opinion)?"

Agriculturalist or pastoral, sedentary or nomad: there were certainly pastoral nomads in Turkey while they ruled, but the ruling class had parked their butts firmly in one spot at Hattusa (except that one dude who was like "okay but what if the capital was SOMEWHERE ELSE THO" and everyone politely pretended to like it and moved it right back once he died). The texts present a very agricultural picture; lots of livestock and grain and fruit and wine and so on. They were really into bread - there's a whole book cataloguing Hittite breads and cereal products called Alimenta Hethaeorum by Harry Hoffner (why is the title in Latin? well, because you obviously know Latin if you're reading it, right? right? anyway the actual book is in English). There definitely were a bunch of sheep and people taking care of sheep, too, though: lots of sheep sacrifices.

Sea-faring or sea-shunning: they were not a seafaring people. Their homeland was in central Turkey, specifically within the bend of the Marassantiya River (modern Kızılırmak), and far from the coasts. All their conquering was done overland, either further west into Turkey towards the coast, or down into Syria towards Egypt.

Interesting technologies! Definitely the grain storage/water preservation in the above post is up there, but their masonry was also out of this world: check out what they did without any mortar or anything!

Wall foundation from Alacahöyük!

Interesting artwork! They left behind a lot of stone reliefs and inscriptions and so on, but my favorite is their metalwork, of which almost nothing survives, but we have a few pieces. Here's a libation vessel in the shape of a stag, with a relief scene around the lip:

Stag vessel at the Met!

Interesting political customs! The most interesting is probably MURDERING EACH OTHER, which they did a lot! Especially in the early period. For example Mursili I, mentioned in the above linked post as the dude who sacked Babylon, made it home from all of that only to be murdered by his brother-in-law, Hantili. Hantili was conspiring with his own son-in-law, Zidanta, presumably in exchange for Zidanta getting the throne next, but Hantili later was like "uh no I think my own son for the throne, actually?" so Zidanta murdered his entire family and took over. Then there was a period of just - really excessive amounts of murder, until a strong king, Telipinu, emerged and ruled for quite some time and set down an edict full of reformations and rules about who could do what and how succession would work from now on and how everyone needed to calm the fuck down. Then he died and there's a period of so MUCH murder that we are kind of unclear as to who was king and how long. \o/

Anyway, there's some more Hittite facts. I have more asks that I will get to soon!

[genericpuff]

WTs behavior sure is... *something* to watch as a latecommer. you've covered it all better than I can articulate but damn does it ever haunt that they've essentially tripled-down on Rachel as the winning racehorse, someone who's historically been the most "go girl give us nothing" (if not worse than nothing) of all their past bigshots even w/o the trust in the show sinking lower and lower day by silent day.

It's not a profound remark but I stand in the on going scene like "This is it? Your plan?" as they keep digging. They desperately need something new to have breakout popularity, but they can't do that if they don't take in new blood, which they won't because new blood is a risk, etc. And so the scene is damned anew.

look, off the non-existent record that is my shitposting blog, as someone who just spent half an hour listening to their recent conference call with Goldman Sachs... in my very humble opinion, there is allegedly a metric FUCKTON of copium being huffed and I don't think the Goldman Sachs rep even realizes how much he's being talked down to. It's actually fucking hilarious. And I'm just a dweeb on the Internet, I shouldn't be sitting here picking up on the condescending vibes for what they are throughout a meeting that talks about shit like investment opportunities and quarterly returns and advertising metrics but... let's just say, WT's CFO David Lee's statement, "...proof will be in quarters I release, and I'm humbled by the reaction to my Q2 release which, again, I have to say, I thought I over delivered every single metric... but here we are, and I just have to continue to post results I guess to help educate all of you on the business I think we have" is even more passive aggressive to hear than it is to read, soooo here we are. Like, the chirpy tone in his voice just makes me think of this:

and yeah at this point they're beating the dead horse that is LO harder than the critical community is because even the critical community has largely moved on with their lives and only talk about it casually with other critical readers; meanwhile Webtoons is seriously over here trying to sell people on LO as if it's still 2021 and they're not years late to the party 💀 Even that quote I included in my last post saying that Rachel got started "4 or 5 years ago"... Lore Olympus launched in the Canvas section in 2017 and then as an Originals in March 2018. It's been longer than 4 years, Mr. Lee, and at this point the amount of time that's passed since selling its TV rights to Jim Henson Company will exceed the amount of time it took to even complete the comic in the first place 😭😆 The time to capitalize on LO's success was when it was successful, not 3-4 years after the fact.

[lexa-griffins]

Oh let's goooo! What could it be for horny hour? (welcome back btw) how about... they're staying at a cabin with all of their friends for a weekend, there's only one room that they designated for a very pregnant Octavia. Clarke and Lexa ate very very horny, but Clarke really really really isn't into exhibitionism, freaks her out, she values her privacy. So Lexa has to find a way that works for them both 🙂‍↕️😏 (let me know if you want more specifics🫡)

Lexa should have known she wouldn't be fine from the start. She dislikes sharing a space with too many people for too long, much less a small living room for two nights with Clarke's friends.

But Clarke had seemed so excited, "One last vacation with everyone before Octavia pops out the baby!" that Lexa could simply not say no.

Now, looking at the cramped space of the living room with all the sleeping bags and at Clarke's water board shorts and bikini top, both her and the wetness between her thighs are regretting every decision. She'd steal Clarke for a quickie on the bedroom if Octavia didnt spend more time napping than with the gang and to be fair, Lexa is not about to fuck on a pregnant lady's bed.

Of course, Clarke is far from stupid and if the way Lexa keeps on touching her arm and back are any indication, her girlfriend is capital H horny.

A chase makeout session here and there that has everyone yell at them to stop being gross, a quick handjob in the bathroom, quickly eating Lexa out in the shower, that's really the most they can do but it doesn't seem to really scratch the itch as Lexa is all but humping her leg at this point.

If Lexa is already usually snappy at their friends, you can be certain she is one second away from bitting someone's head off with how horny she is.

The first night is torture. Despite bringing their own air mattress, the thing is awfully uncomfortable and after pushing her ass agaisnt Clarke's crotch several times and being - very gently admittedly - rejected after being told there is no way she is fucking her with 5 of their friends sleeping right next to them, Lexa is on the edge of murder.

"Shit we're out of beer. Someone needs to go into town!" Anya’s yell is what makes every lightbulb in Lexa's mind go off.

They took Clarke's old van up here, an eyesore Lexa had complained many times about but has never been more glad for than today. She is fast to volunteer herself and Clarke for the task, something that takes a four beers drink in Clarke by surprise but she cant complain before Lexa is grabbing the keys and throwing Clarke in the passenger's sit.

"We're not going to get the beer are we?" Clarke asks some ten minutes into the ride. Lexa takes a turn somewhere, making sure the van is parked somewhere safe and hidden.

"We will." She turns the van off, "But first, i need your cock inside of me so fucking bad."

Somehow, they manage to hang on long enough to make it to the backseat. Clarke's tipsy ass had a massive grin on her face the moment Lexa gets naked.

Lexa laughs, "What are you smiling so much at?"

Clarke's eye shine, "I really like seeing you naked."

Yeah, if Lexa wasn't ready to jump her before, she is now.

Turns out the back of the van is far more comfortable than the stupid air mattress. At least that's Lexa's humble opinion as Clarke drills her dick inside of her.

"Fuck fuck fuck, Clarke go deeper."

Clarke pauses for a second, "You have 8 inches inside, you want more?!"

"Oh shut up and fuck me!" Lexa laughs as she pulls her girlfriend in for a kiss.

Clarke is close, she can tell, "Keep going, love, fill me up, please!"

Clarke's eyes seem to shine in an unusual way at that but she obeys, filling Lexa with her cum.

They stand there for a moment, enjoying their moment alone, Clarke's face is buried in Lexa's shoulder and long fingers trace her back.

Suddenly a couple of tears fall on Lexa's shoulders.

"Love?" Lexa asks softly.

Clarke lifts her head, eyes filled with tears but a smile on her face.

"What's wrong?" Lexa tucks a strand of blonde hair behind Clarke's ear, cleaning up a tear with her thumb.

"Do you think next year we'll get the bedroom?" Clarke asks.

"The... bedroom?" Lexa wrecks her brain trying to understand what Clarke means.

"Yeah." It's the only answer she gets.

It finally clicks and Lexa smiles. She pulls Clarke down for a kiss, her heart fluttering. Clarke kisses her back, excited.

With their foreheads touching, Lexa stares at Clarke in the eye, "Get me pregnant before you rpopose to me Clarke Griffin and your head will be the only thing to enter that bedroom."

Lexa kisses Clarke's pouty face as an apology and Clarke accepts it.

They are paying for the beer when Raven calls them asking them how long dod they fuck for that it took them nearly 3 hours to take what should have been a 40 minute drive to and from town.

[scrion7]

post 4.2 furina

It might be just me, but I vastly prefer Focalors to Furina.

From a logical standpoint, Furina really should be one of my favorites, right up there with Venti and Hu Tao, but somehow I don't really enjoy her to the same extent. I think its because she hasn't really had time to be Extremely Herself (and not Extremely "Archon") at other characters, as during the Archon quest and her story quest she's either playing a role or being depressed. I think that once she appears in a limited time event and talks with other characters I'll like her more.

In particular, I really want to see what Arlecchino thinks about post 4.2 Furina. Honestly, I think she'd really respect her for successfully pulling the wool over her eyes, as well as essentially being undercover for 500 years. As a spy and a parent, she'd probably have Opinions with a capital O on putting a 'newborn' human through such a deep undercover op without any check-ins like that. I've got a post 4.2 Fatui!Furina AU rolling around in my head, but I'll wait until we get more Arlecchino to get that started.

On the other hand, Focalors is absolutely my favorite part of the update. Her calm and elegant manner juxtaposed with "Anyway, so then I cursed her" is. Perfect. That plus "I'm a genius, I know" cemented her as my favorite archon we've seen yet, even above the tone deaf bard. You can just tell that in an informal setting she'd be a complete menace. "The sweet sound of bewilderment" indeed. There's also almost as many hidden nuances in her words to Neuvillette as there is in an average Venti-Hu Tao interaction, so expect a long post about that coming soon (tm)!

Her dynamic with Neuvillette is also really interesting. I bet a bunch of modern AUs are going to crop up with Neuvillette and Focalors parenting kid Furina.

[false-cowboy]

Do you have any litrpg recs?

OH BOY DO I

I will attempt to give little descriptions but I'm not the best at writing so if nothing else I hope the names pique your interest! This post will be more personal opinion than direct plot summary, though if you'd like I can add those too

Noobtown: Humor is a bit high school boy especially in this first one, but it definitely gets some full body cackles outta me. Though this is a comedy series supposedly, it knows how to tug at your heart strings with some genuinely good characters and an interesting break of the system surrounding the book itself. More than anything, this shits Fun. It gets really interesting, Shart the demon is a pathetic mound of anger issues, Jim’s name is the equivalent of a dog’s in this world, all hail Badgalor king of the badgers, fuck the fecking puma forest.

Chaos Seeds: Classic of the genre, though definitely dated and the series degrades with the more recent books. Very nice magic system, one of the better uses I've seen, and the characters are notably very colorful/fun. Good fights and damn graphic, isn't afraid to be gruesome though there is a beating heart of humanity through the series I personally enjoy

Dungeon Crawler Carl (mix of LitRPG and apocalyptic dungeon elements, what it says on the tin): one of the best, and I mean BEST of this genre in my opinion. extraordinarily dark and horrifically funny. This shit will depress you as you giggle at it. But its just so damn good with some really nice underlying as well as overt commentary. More gorgeous character writing though here it's all Carl and the beautiful Princess Dount (his show winning, talking, cat whom deserves the universe in her paws) all the way. Very absurdist humor by the by, if that's your thing

Ascend Online (town builder litrpg): I mainly love this one for something that happens I think at the end of the first book though it might be the second. It sort of flips the magic system against our hero in a wonderfuly monstrous way. This one is Very Big, and honestly a little boring at times. But the game mechanics and magic system are drooling off of the page, begging to be thought about. Our main character is smart and resourceful, as a veteran of video games he capitalizes his knowlage for a satisfying build. If you’re really into game mechanics this shit was MADE for you, it is also just plain interesting. Good ideas and good fight scenes to go around for everyone! And mainly I just consider it a bit boring because I listened to the audiobook and the narrator read off the Entire Status Page ever like chapter which, if you're an avid LitRPG reader, you’ll understand the pain involved in such a thing

He Who Fights With Monsters: Another insanely long book, another absolute banger. While personally I'm not a fan of the series as it progresses, the first one is a full experience all on its own, lightning in a bottle to me. The main character is one of the best I’ve read about, the magic system is deliciously unique, the side characters are memorable as hell, but most of all I adore the worldbuilding in HWFWM SO fucking much. I have like full posts thirsting after it GOD. I could sit here and just talk. This is one of the best on the list to me, right up there with Dungeon Crawler Carl; even better in the side character department

Ritualist (The Completionist Chronicles): This one’s strengths are a surprising mix of absurdist comedy and a somewhat well thought out magic system. The writing is,,, Not The Best especially compared to some others, but it was a fun and very quick read, especially compared to some others on this list. a popcorn turn your brain off read

System Apocalypse (While most LitRPG exist in fantasy worlds, this one is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi vibe): This is another short one. It takes place in Canada and the main character is a ball of severe anger issues and angst, he has a very cool motorcycle and kicks hella ass. It’s great. His companion is top tier as well, there may or may not be a hot space elf prince involved. If you don't like romance you’re still good though because there isn’t any since John is a pussy ass bitch. Sorry, sorry, I'm trying to be fair and balanced. It's good! John is definitely a flawed individual, I think people often miss a lot of the little nuances in his character and write him off as petulant and pissed (to be fair, he is) but to me at least there's a bit more going on. Even if he can be genuinely irritating to read about

And finally, my two favorite series... and guilty pleasures

The Good Guys: A quintessential barbarian. Think of a barbarian character. Boom. There it is. That’s our man Montana Coggshall. this series is my version of embarrassment exposure therapy, Montana is constantly being humiliated and nothing good ever happens to him. But Also, this is not a sad or angsty or dark series at all. Its fun and light and god are the fights amazing. a fantasy romp to its core. Charming and delicious and fun and action packed to the gills.

The Bad Guys: A quintessential rouge. Think of a rogue character. Boom. There it is. That’s our man Clide Hatchett. This series has a style and comedy and charm to i cannot physically understate and there are So Many genuinely clever moments

there are so many characters that fuck around with morality and right/wrong and different view points that make the world feel so lived in

Everything from plumbing to lumberjacks is explored and given loving attention.

Reading it feels like coming home, I honestly don't care that the plot has turned into side quests and atm the side characters haven't gotten enough time in the spot light

The main character and fucking sheer amazing awkward kind conflicted energy of his dialogue, I've developed a connection to Eric ugland's style of writing further than I thought and I can't get enough of this shit. Also every problem Clide Hatchett has is solved with some sort of fucking batshit way I Adore

He's the guy who used a dagger that could travel through liquid to travel through a guys stomach and out the other side. Did I mention how gorey these books are? Because Yeah. I adore Clide Hatchet, my favorite character to ever be written in any place ever. He walks into places he absolutely shouldn't be, gets called elf boy, kicks everybody's ass while simultaneously being the most awkward and uncoordinated mess elvenly possible, then leaves. He is in the palace throne room profusely apologizing to the servants for getting dirt on the floor and beating the shit out of the king, he is at the altar of your wedding punching you in the face and then turning around and tripping on his dress, he is calling himself a hero before robbing a home blind. And also he keeps on shoving acid globs down people's throats and managing to do that while maintaining pure silly little guy energy is genuinely character writing talent. He's perfect. Yes it is very dorky.

Eric Ugland (who wrote both the Good Guys and Bad Guys series) has this way of writing, this STYLE I cannot properly articulate how much I find myself in love with it. though I will warn you I'm definitely bias, since I've been following both of these series almost since conception my perception could be entirely skewed by nostalgia

[dearmantis]

It all goes in vain

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova/The Darkling x Princess!Reader

Summary: You flee from the celebration of your betrothal to a Fjerdan royal, convinced that no one will notice your absence, and hide in the only place where you know no one will find you. The generals chambers.

Warnings: period-typical sexism, the end is just a tiny bit dark

Word Count: 2.9k

Authors' Note: This isn't proofread and I'm still not a native English speaker.

Series Masterlist

Your mouth feels like it's full of ash and your skin itches disgustingly as you sprint through the gardens of the Little Palace. The building is dark and mostly empty, only inhabited by a few Oprichniki and the younger Grisha who are not expected to attend the festivities in the Grand Palace.

The celebration of your betrothal to that horrible Fjerdan royal.

No Corporalki guards to catch you and escort you back and the Oprichniki that stayed behind are all guarding the known entrances of the Palace. Perfect.

Quickly sneaking over to the windows you know lead you to the quarters of the General you realise with great relief that he must've decided to air out his office while he was at the celebration, two of the windows in his rooms slightly open, one leading to his office and the other to his bedroom. You choose the one to his office, pushing the window fully open before ungracefully climbing through, your stupid dress only making the whole ordeal more complicated and exhausting.

It only gets worse when you're finally through, your relief short lived when you notice that parts of your skirt got stuck on a splintered piece of wood in the old window frame. When you don't immediately manage to free your dress the tears come, all the frustration from the last few days finally overflowing and overwhelming you. You give up, fingers digging into the fabric of the fluffy, expensive dress before pulling, ripping a big slit into one of the many layers.

As soon as you're free you push the window closed and pull the curtains to block out even the last bits of light, then you fall to the ground behind the large, dark desk, pressing a hand on your mouth to stop yourself from wailing.

The tears running down your cheeks are hot and burn in your eyes but you can't stop yourself, not anymore. Today was simply too horrible to hold onto your self control and bottle everything up any longer.

The last bit of proof that you needed to know that you will never get out of this marriage. This is it. The celebration is the last piece of evidence required. You will be send off to Fjerda in hopes of strengthening the political bond between the two countries despite the fact that Fjerda has been sending their Hexenjäger across the borders without consent from the Ravkan Crown to kill Grisha for centuries now, refusing to apologise and refusing to stop.

If it was only the soldiers of the second army who fell victim to the Drüskelle, people who are trained and prepared for years to fight and defend themselves, their fellow Grisha, and the country, you might be able to overlook it.

But it's not just soldiers, no. For years you've heard of more and more Grisha testers getting attacked, of children being shot, burned, kidnapped across the border to be trialed for simply existing.

You don't want the political situation to improve. You want to see the Crown of Fjerda burn, watch it all turn into rubble and silently observe as a new government rises from its ashes.

One that will be kinder, hopefully, or you will set it all on fire once more.

You can't do that, not as the wife of some Duke, stuck in the capital where people would look down on you if you ever voiced your opinions on Grisha. Saints, you're not even sure if your betrothed would let you leave the house or if you would be stuck in some kitchen for the rest of your pitiful, empty life. Considering the last few conversations you've had with him he's incredibly traditional.

How he looks at you every time you dare to voice your opinion on something, like a lousy, annoying fly, or perhaps an untrained dog.

The memory of his face makes you cry harder, body shaking with your heavy sobs. How are you going to survive this? How are you going to handle watching the Drüskelle continuously drag Grisha to the Ice Court to trial them, hands bound while sitting in the very first row to their execution? The executions of your own people, unable to do anything to help?

Bile rises in your throat but you manage to force it down again, breathing heavy in the dark office.

You don't even know why you're here. Why you chose the General's office of all places in the Grand and Little Palace. Perhaps it was a last glimmer of hope. A last ditch effort to beg for help from the one person you know hates the Fjerdan Crown as much as you do, probably more.

You're not delusional though, fully aware that he will most likely not care. The disdain he holds for the Ravkan Crown might be hidden from everyone else but you can see it in his eyes. He believes your father is an idiot, he hates your brother, and you're sure he regularly forgets your mother exists. What he thinks of you is a mystery, however, because he actually bothers to hide his emotions when he interacts with you, as if he knows that you actually pay attention.

It's unlikely that his opinion of you is much different from the ones he holds of your family, so all you can do is lay on the cold wooden floor and shake and cry like a child, praying to every saint you can think of that he's enjoying himself so much at the celebration that he won't enter his quarters again until you've calmed down and returned to your rooms in the Grand Palace.

You don't know when exactly you fall asleep, if it's during the horrible hick up or afterwards, but several hours later you open your eyes to an unfamiliar bedroom lit by the morning sun. You're still wearing your dress but your shoes are removed, your hair is no longer pinned in place and your body is covered by black sheets. Fingers carefully stroking over your cheek you're also pretty sure that your makeup from last night has been removed.

For a few minutes you simply continue to lay in the bed, enjoying the warmth of the thick blanket covering you, the memory of violently sobbing while laying on cold wooden floor still vivid in your mind, but then the door to the bedroom opens and a familiar, deep voice greets you.

"Good morning, moya tsarevna."

The General walks over to the bed, placing a steaming hot cup of tea and a bowl of semolina pudding covered in berries on the small bedside table next to you. Then he sits down on the large bed beside you, helping you sit up before reaching over to give you your teacup.

You quickly drink a few sips, a pleasant warmth spreading in your body.

"Are these your quarters?" You ask finally, giving the cup back to the general who holds it in his hands. Reaching over him to grab the semolina pudding you settle back into the pillows and start eating while you wait for his answer.

He nods carefully, as if he's expecting you to call him out for how improper it is for you, the betrothed daughter of the king, to sleep in the General's bed. Truthfully, that's your first instinct as well, all of the rules of what is expected of you drilled into your mind, but you can't bring yourself to care. Not after all of your protests and concerns about your impending marriage have been ignored.

A part of you even hopes that a servant will come in and see you two sitting on his bed, spread the rumours until they reach the ears of your betrothed, stopping the marriage in it's tracks before it can fully begin.

"Why didn't you didn't call a servant? Bring me back to the Palace?" Eating a spoon of the pudding you watch his reaction to your words. His dark eyes are stuck on the dark sheets of the blanket, distant as he thinks over his answer before opening his mouth again.

"When I found you, you were unconscious, sleeping in a puddle of your tears." He speaks slowly, his deep voice calm and calculated, devoid of any emotion. "I saw you leave the celebration, but I assumed you went to your room because of how distressed you seemed. I thought you were overwhelmed and wanted to be alone. Then, when I came back, one of my Corporalki warned me that someone is in my quarters. As soon as I realised it was you, I decided against calling the other guards. I thought that there must be a reason why you didn't return to your quarters, why you chose to hide here instead of anywhere else."

His gaze meets yours for a second but this time you're the one to look away, eyes focusing on your pudding as you try to get as many berries as possible onto your spoon. While you didn't plan to get caught in your distress by the General, you did seek out his rooms specifically to cry in. Not your own quarters where your family or betrothed could've found you, not the kitchens where the servants would see, but also not the library where no one would've looked.

No, you went to the General's quarters because some part of you sees him as safe, despite the fact that he probably doesn't like you. And if he's safe, then so are his quarters, so you climbed through the window like a bunny hiding in its burrow and cried yourself to sleep, hidden away in the comfortable darkness of the night.

"I don't want to marry him." You confess quietly, setting the bowl down in your lap before taking the teacup out of the General's hands with careful movements, refusing to meet his eyes despite how clearly you can feel his gaze burning on your cheek.

"He makes me sick. Everything about him." Drinking a big sip of your tea you think over your words, deciding how much of your feelings you truly want to reveal.

The biggest truth is already out. Might as well lift the burden from me and bare my soul to him. At least I know he will listen.

"The way he speaks about Grisha and women is revolting. I recognize that we had different upbringings, that he was raised in an environment where he was constantly told that Grisha are dangerous and evil while I was raised in walking distance to the Little Palace, but I just don't understand how he can see Ravka flourish as a nation, non-Grisha working hand in hand with Grisha, and not change his mind. How he can see my mother carefully direct my father and brother, basically ruling Ravka from the shadows, without being in awe of her wit. How he can look at me and not see a person worthy of attention and the freedom to make her own choices."

A bitter taste fills your mouth at the thought that your parents don't seem to see a person worthy of freedom in you either, but you swallow it down with another sip of tea before returning the warm cup to the generals waiting hands.

"I know that it's my duty to my family, to the crown and to Ravka. I know that I have to marry him. I do. I've known since I was a child that I would one day find myself in this situation. But for some reason I assumed..."

You look at him, unable to find the words you're looking for and hoping that you will somehow find them in his eyes. "I was hoping the person I would be asked to marry wouldn't be like him. For years I've told myself that I could learn to love anyone, if I really tried. When I first met him and heard the way he spoke of the Fjerdan women, I thought I could prove him wrong, change him. And then I saw how he looked at the members of the second army, how he looked at you, and all of those dreams shattered like a stained glass window. And my brother likes him! He agrees with him on so many topics. It makes me worry for Ravka. I'm terrified for this country. We can't go back and destroy the progress we've made over the last few centuries because of some Fjerdan royal. I refuse to let that happen, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do to stop it."

Tears well up in your eyes again and you angrily wipe over them with your hands, frustration glowing like embers in your mind. You're so angry, so incredibly angry, and you don't know what to do with all of that hate in your heart. You're not a Grisha soldier. You can't simply put on a kefta, go into the forest and rip a Drüskelles heart out of his chest or cut him in half with shadows. You can't even pick up a weapon and march with the first army, not as a noble woman. So where are you supposed to put all of these emotions?

Distracted by your own frustration you don't see the General move until you feel his hand softly pet your head like one might pet a small, scared rabbit, movements slow and consistent to bring calmness and a feeling of security.

He doesn't speak for several minutes, instead watching you as you eat the rest of your semolina pudding while the tears continue to stream down your face, dropping onto the black bed sheets. When the bowl is empty he stops petting you, instead using the free hand to place the bowl back on his bedside table before giving you the warm teacup for you to hold in your shaking hands.

"There are still ways to stop the marriage." He says finally, eyes watching your facial expressions carefully as if he's trying to predict if you're going to run out and accuse him of treason for all of Ravka to hear. You sniffle, still a bit too caught up in the whirlwind of your own mind to catch what he said, until it finally hits you and your head turns to him fully. "What? How?"

The smile painting itself on his lips is rueful and a distant look finds its way into his eyes as he looks you over. "I believe it might be better if you don't know. Some things can't be unheard. But if you want, if you're truly so worried for the fate of Ravka, I could help you. I can give you the freedom you desire so deeply."

Hope rises in you like a fish swimming upwards towards the surface for food, but you try your hardest to push it down, unwilling to fully get your hopes up in case you end up disappointed.

"Why would you want to help me? What would you get out of it, if that plan of yours works?"

His hand finds yours, fingers entwining as his eyes take in every muscle twitch, every pore, every detail of your face, desperate to predict your reaction.

"It would give me a chance to make sure Ravka, my home, will be safe."

You know there's something hidden in his words but you're too exhausted to truly think over it, instead deciding to work out the subtext behind his words at a later time after you no longer break out into tears every few minutes.

"And what do you need to help me?"

"I will need you to fulfil your duty, moya tsarevna. You will have to pay a price in exchange for your freedom. You cannot hesitate. As long as you keep this in mind I will be able to make sure that you stay safe and sound in Ravka, right at the Grand Palace, until you die, old and happy."

There's something dark in his eyes, something impatient and hungry that hasn't been there before you started to show interest in his idea.

"A price to pay." You echo, lost in thought, before nodding slowly. Your eyes find a clock sitting on a dresser on the other side of the room, waking you from the almost dreamlike state the proximity to the general has put you in, standing up slowly, hands smoothing down the skirt of your dress.

"The servants will come to my room soon to wake me. I'll have to go, but I promise to think about your proposal, General. Just give me-"

"Aleksander" He cuts you off, still sitting on his bed. "If you choose to work with me and fight for your freedom and the safety of Ravka, you can call me Aleksander. I would prefer it if you would keep this name between us, however."

You nod again, stunned by his decision to trust you with his first name. Not even your father knows it, you're sure of it. "Of course, Aleksander. I will share my decision with you tonight, if that's alright with you?"

He nods, a bright spark visible in his eyes as he hears you speak his name out loud. It must've been a while since he has heard anyone call him anything but General. "It would be an honour, moya tsarevna. I will visit you in your chambers after dinner."

-

@snowkestrel (sorry I keep forgetting you asked to be tagged for Darkling stuff)

[zot3-flopped]

so the youtube critic i like to watch just said this about ttpd:

saying how one song is 5 minutes when she could've gotten the point across in half that time

emdless strings of metaphors that just fall flat

the writing quality makes it hard to feel bad for taylor in the middle of this heartbreak because they come across as self owns: you said normal girls are boring, why are you not gone in the morning; taylor what is not clicking

taylor hasn't taken the time to sonically or conceptually to find a new sound

it sounds uninspired and done before

she is closing those gaps that she has due to time by copying her peers homework: but daddy i love him-ariana grande, imgonnagethim back- olivia rodrigo, phoebe bridgers with a lot of the song titles, florida-ripping of lana, again and again. He is not shocked that at some point in one of her songs she is paranoid that her peers will come for her and he said how he isn't shocked considering what she puts out and how she is lacking so much in ideas and sounds

the albums stinks cause it is sloppy in terms of songwriting and execution

they don't feel like songs, they feel like taylor is just spilling tea

saying that the lyric about the heroin but with an e lyric is essentially coming from matty himself and it makes sense why this lyric alone is wittier than most of taylor's attempts at word play in this record, he should get song writing credits for that

saying how she tries so hard to make connections work for her fans that she forgets that being subtle works as well considerng that she capitalized the letters KIM in thank you aimee.

so as much as she says everything is working against her, the biggest threat to her public image is her: she wants this already doomed from the start rs to work, despite how big of a pr mess it is, she wants her haters to be mad but only it ending up with her releasing her most narcissistic songs to date: if you wanted me dead, you ould vejust said. I was gentle till the circus life made me mean. Along with the lyrics about an asylum. And something that made him laugh: so tell me everything is not about me, but what if it is.

the production is bad and she needs to stop with jack, feel like midnights leftovers but worse. They make them sound dated at impact

my boy only breaks his favorite toys- so many clunky choruses, packing it with so much verbiage that there is no way it can be stuck in someones mind

so long london, constant tension without any release, goes nowhere

florida reads like a bad tourism ad

i can fix him- saying how she can handle a dangerous man but rhe album clearly goes against that and the song doesn't show how silly and futile this mindset is

loml is his favorite while easy

and that it isn't good to base an album only about finding clues about who what song is about cause it can get messy and dated quickly

....he doesn't give it a score which speaks for itself, he only does that when he really hates it but he wears a red shirt which means it could be around hm below O to 2 out of 10. he barely had anything nice to say which he usually does with albums that are 2/10. ano he could only list one song of 31 as his favorite.

the review is funny so i will leave the link here, sorry if my spelling is bad or something makes no sense, i'm not native and worked with captions on the video as well (he made another one for the second part of the album, i can write down the main points as well later if people are interested, he is a rather smart critic in my opinion)

Link: https://youtu.be/Sz9DgY6NAcY?si=UhRnlR558Qeyh81V

Whoa, he really didn't like it! Everyone is saying that she needs to ditch Jack, but now that Joe has gone, she also needs another lyricist on board to curb her worst excesses. That line about heroin/heroine does sound like something Matty Healy would write.

[avelera]

Whenever I see those posts that say your ancestors would be so amazed at you for having easy access to spices, and food, and all the technological wonders of our day, and so proud of you for your education, I always appreciate them for how they remind people to not only appreciate the wonders of our time but also to see them as the result of so much work by our ancestors to get us here. Even the societal woes we deal with today are often the unintended consequences of the goals of our ancestors to make the world better for their descendants, or are consequences that were impossible to predict back when the goal was to solve problems like starvation, exposure, or scarcity.

H O W E V E R, because I'm also the ultimate anti-nostalgia history pedant, I always get stuck on these anecdotes thinking, "Ok, but what would they be HORRIFIED about? What would they denounce us for? What would they look at and simply not understand how it's gone so very wrong? What would be dystopian for our ancestors?"

In my opinion? The precipitous decline of religion as central to daily life.

(By the way, I don't just mean the things we think of as dystopian in our society. Ancestors who lived in a world with child labor and slavery aren't going to be horrified by the woes of modern capitalism the way young online people today hope they would be, or if they are, it might be for reasons you'd never think of, like how few people are self-employed, though of course, everything is subjective based on the demographic of the historical person we're imagining. Honestly, one of the things they might find horrifying is the speed of our communication, and how we're always at the beck and call of others because of the cell phone in our pocket pounding us with messages and notifications all day without rest, but I digress.)

Now, I only speak to my own experience here, and I live in a part of the US with the highest level of atheism, and consider myself an atheist by any standard that matters and so I mostly see this as a good thing even as I try to see through my ancestor's eyes as to why it wouldn't be to them, but I have to say the one thing that I never see these rapturous posts about how we are the envy of our ancestors mention is religion.

Even relatively devout Christians today (Anglosphere, Western, etc, I don't speak for the world) who go to church every Sundays are practically heathens by Medieval standards, where society was built around attending church multiple times per day, including at midnight. Where being pious and devout was considered a desirable virtues in a marriageable woman. Where the church was the center of the town and the center of public life. Where the Pope could excommunicate a king and cause a revolt from that king's people with that leverage, because excommunicating the king meant excommunicating the whole country and the people went ballistic at the fact they were doomed to Hell (supposedly) because of their ruler's choices. A society where men traveled to the Holy Land because their souls were guaranteed salvation if they did and because they devoutly believed in that cause, and who would walk on their knees an equal number of steps to that journey if they could not make it for real.

I can't help but think these ancestors would look at secular life, even with all its technological wonders and marvels of health and convenience and think, "Was it worth it? If they're all bound for Hell as a result?" and for many the answer might actually be no!

Anyway, it's just a thought exercise. One I engage with whenever I hear a sweeping argument that seems to have no counter to it, that of course things are always getting better with time. There are no doubt many, many things our ancestors took for granted that we'd find amazing too, or that they'd look at with us and see as a huge step down compared to their life. On the other hand, one also can't understate how huge it is that we've basically eliminated child mortality, at least in the US, compared to only a century ago, or that huge societal famines are basically nonexistent (even if nutrition is another matter). There's plenty to recommend us, but there are also values I think that get lost in this discussion that as we travel further from them, become almost alien to us.

[devsgames]

Hey! Was just wondering, what are (in your opinion) the reasons for making games as a solo dev or small indie team in today's game industry / climate?

I read so much about how difficult it is and why you shouldn't (which is fair, to set expectations) -- but rarely hear the other side.

Hi! Thanks for the ask! 🙂

Prefacing with the obvious: the reason you hear so much about how difficult it is is usually because it's very difficult, and the redeeming parts don't often outweigh the hard parts. You'll usually have all the work on your plate that a regular dev would and then some. It also depends a lot on what exactly your team, context and personal work preferences are.

To your question: Maybe this is a hot take, but on the whole I'd argue there's not a huge difference between working with a smaller team and a big one because most of the problems in the game industry aren't a factor of team/studio/project size but rather the way the game industry works itself (and obligatory mention: capitalism). Those systems don't change much no matter how small the studio/team gets, so generally all the same pros and cons will exist independent of team size because they're all trying to work in the same patterns of constraints. Plus, small studios typically emulate industry-standard practices established by larger studios (tight turnaround times, hierarchical team structures, publisher deals etc), and that means they're usually subject to all the same issues even if they're a smaller team.

A tiny indie studio team can be a toxic cishet, white male dominated studio as easily a AAA studio (I'd argue this is often more likely to be the case), mismanagement is just as likely at a small scale, a worker can have to put in as much crunch work as a massive studio pushing for deadlines does, teams might be chronically undervalued and underpaid in both environments, small studios might operate off of exploiting the labour of outsourcing studio in the Global South, etc.

I think team/studio size most directly effects a person's relative workload to a project's scope, and isn't much of an indicator for stuff like team health, working practices, and the like - this makes a question of 'how are small teams better' hard to answer because...they're not better or worse. At least not implicitly.

I think also lots of little indies conflate "my team is like [x]" as "every indie team is like [x]", which is never true because it changes a lot depending on a lot of factors surrounding the team, studio, project and so on. You can have a AAA studio that meets many people's needs and is generally a healthy place to work, just as you can have a tiny studio rampantly full of horrible people who constantly want to kill each other. Point being, I think it's less dependent on size as it is patterns of operation. While small size might helps identify issues more readily, it doesn't guarantee improvement.

Anyway, just so I'm not saying "it depends", here is what I perceive as some pros you might encounter at smaller teams (others might not see all these as pros):

The reasons for making games is always the same - we like games/art and wanna make them. I think that's a good reason for creating any art at any scale!

Smaller team size often means less people to work on specific tasks, so your day to day will involve doing a wider array of things than it would while working in a huge studio where your role is hyper-specialized. As an LD on a small team I might be scripting, doing layouts, coding level systems, lighting passes, etc, where as on a large team I'd be working on the same level layout for 8 hours every day. Smaller teams give more opportunity to build cross-disciplinary skills like this.

You'll likely have more opportunities for creative input or for your voice to be heard as an individual in a small team as you'll be working more directly with directors and people in charge. Whether or not they are open to that input is a different story.

You'll get to know more people outside your own discipline, as opposed to just people you directly work with. You'll also know the people around you much more intimately than you would with a larger team.

Your lead (providing your team is large enough to have one) will (usually) have less people under them, which means more time to dedicate to your needs.

From my experience that's all the bigger stuff I can think of!

To speak to 'today's industry and climate' - I'm not sure of many advantages small teams hold there honestly. Unless you're entirely self-funded (most studios aren't) you're just as likely to get laid off or suddenly shut down by funding cuts on a small team as you would on a large team, so there's not much exceptionalism there. I think small teams struggle with marketing and fighting oversaturation even more, so they don't hold much ground on that front either.

For myself working solo, I hated feeling like a cog in a machine and just doing the same thing day after day. I like variety and being challenged, but hate work processes that are inefficient. I also have developed a lot of trauma from the industry (can you tell 😅) and over time have often found myself growing absolutely miserable working at every studio I've worked at in the past. I've found working alone has given me a happy medium that allows me to prioritize what I want to prioritize as well as make the things that I want to put out into the world, without being mismanaged or exploited into oblivion. That being said I still don't make rent, so I wouldn't say it's preferable to working at a studio for most people without a safety net or Plan B.

I do however think there are tangible and notable advantages to stability in structures which fundamentally challenge how the industry works, such as worker-owned structures (like co-ops) and the like. However, that's less a question of team size and more about how a studio operates foundationally in opposition to the way the industry pressures expect things to work.

Anyway, sorry this is a bit of a rant! I think small studios are good for more interpersonal relations between folks, but unfortunately I wouldn't say there's much that team size implicitly impacts outside of that.

[evolutionsvoid]

When the betrayal of the dragons occurred, the world changed. What had once been a respectable partnership between these primordial beasts and the all powerful Church of Divine Wealth had evaporated in an instant, and what emerged was pure carnage. Following the attack upon the holy city, Ichor constructs were unleashed by the church to hunt down the treacherous dragons and armies of eager soldiers swarmed like ravenous ants upon any that fell from the skies. The following weeks were ones of bloodshed, as the dragons were slaughtered in droves, shot down from the heavens and torn to pieces by armed mobs. When the fury of the scorned church died down, countless primordial corpses lay broken across the land, and those that survived the massacre fled to parts unknown. From these carcasses leaked rivers of Eitr, which would eventually taint the earth and beasts that dwell there. Before the mutations and aberrations began, the people of the land celebrated the ousting of the dragons. The beasts once revered as allies for decades had become reviled within a single night, and there was much rejoicing when their ancient bodies fell. However, not all were pleased with this outcome, as there were plenty of groups out there who had aligned themselves with the dragons. Some flipped after the attack on the capital, others claimed that the slaughter that followed was an overreaction to a single misstep, but there were those who thought the dragons blameless in the whole thing. Regardless of their opinion, there were those who were infuriated by the needless death and desecration of the dragons, and swore that they would avenge these ancient beasts. Of those who condemned the Church of Divine Wealth, the Drakontos are some of the most feared. 

Before the betrayal occurred, the Drakontos (sometimes also referred to as Spartoi) were warriors who worshiped the dragons and carried their symbols upon weapons and armor. They were inspired by these ancient beasts, and modeled their ways and rituals around them. After the attack occurred and the dragons were labeled traitors and worthy of death, the Drakontos were disgusted at the sudden change in opinion. What once was revered was now reviled in moments, and the people who were once in awe now cheered for these senseless killings. Perhaps the Drakontos would have vanished with the dragons they loved, or simply kept to the shadows to seethe over this turn of events, but what they witnessed drove them to another path. When a dragon was felled and left dying upon the earth, the church and its followers would eagerly gather as many parts, pieces and fluids they could, harvesting them as if they were cattle. The corpses were hardly cold by the time these scavenger teams would strip them of valuable materials, not content to only kill but to desecrate as well. Even when the church's stores and vaults were packed full of dragon parts, people still tore apart these ancient beasts, now collecting tooth and scale as souvenirs and trinkets. It was these acts that drove the Drakontos to violence, as they watched their beloved dragons be ripped apart for gaudy charms and useless decoration. It is said that their fury drove them to the great carcass of a dragon, where they took its tooth, scale and bone to fashion new armor and weapons. They donned these suits of dragon teeth and swore to give their ancient idols a proper burial, which involved gathering all the pieces that had been scattered across the land as fancy baubles. This is what their mission supposedly is, but this is merely guesswork, as the Drakontos do not speak of their goals as they tear apart their victims in bestial fashion. 

What the Drakontos are now are feared predators that stalk the land, mostly alone but rarely in pairs. A single warrior clad in dragon teeth will wander through the wilds, seeking those who betrayed and defiled the dragons. They are said to have a sense for dragon materials, able to sniff out those who carry their scales or bones. Those who cling to these ill gotten goods, robbed from the graves of ancients, are targeted by these lone warriors. They attack with bestial ferocity and overpowering strength, some using bladed weapons to stab and slash, and others opting for simple tooth and fist to crush and pulverize. When prey is reduced to a bloody mush, they collect the stolen dragon scale and continue their hunt, gathering as many pieces they can to make their dead idols whole once more. They have an undying hatred of the church, so they attack any of its soldiers and priests on sight, even if they don't carry dragon parts.

As the world has fallen to chaos and war scars the land, the Drakontos have only become more fierce and maddened in their cause. It is believed that the state of the world has caused them to descend into pure mindless hatred, no longer finding specific targets but lashing out at any person who dare crosses their path. Tales of them wiping out entire camps and destroying trade routes have spread far and wide, making them another horror that the common citizen must dread when forced to navigate this broken land.     

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

"Drakontos (or some say Spartoi)"

Yes, we are still posting Fall of Ichor stuff! We will get back to species entries at some point, but it ain't today!

[e-adlirez]

I've read your treasure seekers rambles and ngl your thoughts on Luke as a villain makes me kinda curious on your opinions on most of the villains in the series as a whole :O

Most of the villains (the older ones, I'd say) are really good. Madame Hu is intimidating and probably a mommy people simp for (also the closest to being a proto!Luke), Mortimer MacCardigan is a properly self-centered dick to root against, Dunya is actually kinda terrifying, the corrupt judges in Dancing Shadows probably hit a bit close to home for the competitive performing artists out there, Sammy Sharkfur is capitalism incarnate-- you get the idea, all of them are really good.

The newer books do vary in quality, and they lean more into domestic-ish travel drama and stuff like that. Which I am fine with, don't get me wrong-- it can be done right, and they are done right (coughs and sips tea loudly at Fiesta in Mexico), but when they aren't they do be boring -m-

And then there are the occasional villains like uh Olaf and Ulfur in Frozen Fiasco, and those guys are hella basic, I'ma be real

They're literally the SKINNIEST TWINKS IN EXISTENCE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY MANAGED TO INCAPACITATE NINE GROWN-ASS ADULTS ALL BY THEMSELVES--

I get they can't use tranqs or guns or anything like that but C'MON A CROWBAR AT LEAST LIKE C'MOOONNN SHOW US A THING WHERE THEY'RE LIKE "If you don't want your friend or the pencil pusher to get hurt, you will cooperate with us" OR SOMETHING THAT JUSTIFIES THEM GETTING YA YEETED INTO A SHED BY THESE T W O T W I N K S

Madagascar Madness was kinda better at it since well, they were in the middle of the jungle and the animal traffickers can wrangle aforementioned exotic animals with perhaps ungodly reaction times/speeds (like lizards/iguanas), sooo at least it's somewhat imaginable and understandable that they'd be able to tie up eight people. They prolly used and abused the lasso tool /j

One notable villain in the newer books is the magician from Venice Masquerade-- that guy was cool, a magnificent bastard who was seven steps ahead until the girls figured out how to anticipate his anticipating. (Kinda. Hoping the misdirection thing Marco did when stumping the magician was just a Scholastic blunder because my god did it sound stupid in the English translation)

Anyway yeah the books do what they do well, but I can't deny that I miss the unabashed evilness of the villains in the old books. We need a little more of a big bad getting up in the girls' business enough for the girls to want to do something about it dammit

It's probably a bit of Scholastic cherrypicking the books to publish because like, we do have like, about 19-ish Thea Stilton books that haven't been translated to English, maybe one of them had a big bad we can root against -m-

But I dunno, we wouldn't know

Because they haven't been translated to English -m-

[chaifootsteps]

Re: Dave’s tweet about an indie award show.

I think it was well-intentioned but I absolutely agree with his new tweet about it that it should be more of a showcase.

WhTever people were being asshats in the replies can fuck off—but I think there’s a very real problem in indie and it’s kind of simple: indie is too personal right now. And there are layers to that.

All art is personal : indie feels more personal than mainstream because everyone has to market Themselves as an individual and being online means everyone has more direct or personal access to you : if you’re young or inexperienced you’re unlikely to have the professionalism or patience required to carry yourself or your project’s production which can result in a looonnnggg laundry list of potential spin-outs and drama.

You can look at video essays of just about ANY failed product/project/kickstarter and have a glimpse into what happens every time someone steps forward with a dream and no experience or maturity to handle the weight of it.

More experienced or generally mature/professional creators know how to handle their productions and their feelings. Such as Tracy, Goose, and Zeurel.

But there’s a MASSIVE population of too-young and/or too-inexperienced indie creators who are impatient and sensitive (and frankly there’s also people involving themself in the indie scene who aren’t creators, akin to “idea guys” who want to make their own “”studios”” or self-proclaimed “journalists” who want to capitalize on the indie interest via video essays.)

Basically what I’m trying to say is indie as a whole is fine but the current climate of the community is extremely under-developed and inexperienced and is comparable to getting really excited about the concept of surviving in a forest but only running in with a dream and a backpack of basics, without any of the physical or mental preparation or experience with survival skills to actually survive or to even enjoy it.

Anyway this was a long-winded way of saying trying to start indie events like award shows is well-intentioned but I don’t think the indie community is mature enough for that right now.

There’s like this unspoken expectation to support or include any indie production no matter what level they’re at just because they’re indie and if you don’t people take it personal and/or start shit-talking.

But the reality is vetting is still important. There are L O T of amateurs in indie who might mean well that can appear impressive with how high excitement and interest in indie is right now—but they don’t realize (or can’t accept that) they aren’t ready. They wanna make the dream happen NOW.

They aren’t actually seasoned enough to see their idea through, run their production efficiently, or carry themselves maturely.

A showcase is a much better step forward in my opinion. Unofficial awards and “top 5 indie series” type posts from random Twitter accounts trying to establish themselves as an authority/news network/hub for animation that are run by people either too unaware/biased/easily swayed, or far too young, are only creating unnecessary divide and isolated storms of drama.

Especially since people don’t realize most of indie is still isolated in its own bubble. “I can’t believe I got shouted out by this random Twitter with INDIE and NEWS in its name I’m so honored—“ and the post itself has very low engagement or has only been engaged with people already on indie’s side, it’s own bubble. I’m not saying the community can’t celebrate itself, just that it needs to be a little more self-aware and analytical instead of blindly trusting and outpouring their whole soul at every slight expression of interest because there are already small fires and spin-outs occurring that result from that very naivety.

Such as an “online convention” that popped up for indie series to join via a Discord server that turned out to be being run by a literal 17-year-old who then got called out for running it like shit and letting people post/say 18+ stuff despite it being in the rules to not do that.

CartoonBase which occasionally makes unresearched biased or interaction-bait posts about indie productions.

Or a 19-year-old running another indie news type of account that jumped onto the Ang drama without knowing the full story.

Sorry, this got long and rambly and kinda turned into a vent lmao. TL;DR we love indie but a large percentage of indie needs to calm down and slow down.

Nah, these are some very good thoughts. Thank you for this.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

American Riviera Orchard - the dream vs the reality. A pictorial essay. by u/Mickleborough

American Riviera Orchard - the dream vs the reality. A pictorial essay. There have been a couple of posts about the unfortunate name chosen by Meghan for her (cough) lifestyle line.Great minds think alike; at the same time, I was curious to find out if the name evoked what I thought it was intended to.The (cough) logoFauxligraphy - my guess is that it’s been improved with computer fonts. For example, the lower case C’s, A’s, and R’s are very regular. The lower case D is pure Meghan fauxligraphy - there’s no way you can write that without lifting your pen. Note that the capital A and R are disproportionately narrow compared to the generous O. No money for a pro? Distinct amateur vibes.The dreamWe know what that is, thanks to Meghan’s nightmare sequence.Flowers - so feminine and genteel and ladylike. What is it with Meghan and flowers? (‘I’m a lady! I do lady’s things!’). The kitchen - the heart of the home, complete with weirdly textured mixing bowl and an impractical receptacle for fruit to be used in a kitchen, as opposed to displayed.The Woman in Black. Run for your lives! In the video, the door actually opens slowly - with no human aid…Actually this is more frightening - there’s a lot to be said for soft focus where Meghan’s concerned. We know she’s on a red carpet because her red dress matches it. Not sure what her shoes are meant to go with.The realityLet’s break down each word of that outlandish name. What does each word make you think of?AmericanApple pie’s often invoked as being quintessentially American (along with mom).RivieraThe Riviera‘s the American term for the South of France. Villefranche-sur-Mer, in Provence, east of Nice.Oh wait - you’re supposed to put the words together.American RivieraSanta Barbara - considered the southernmost part of Northern California - bills itself the American Riviera because of its balmy weather and scenic coastline. It’s interesting that Meghan’s gone for a name which invokes an original, namely the French Riviera.OrchardShade Farm Management, an 800-acre avocado and citrus orchard in Santa Barbara.ConclusionIn my opinion the 3 words don’t add up to the whole as promulgated by Meghan in her photos. ‘American Riviera’ has a different feel - leisured, moneyed - from the more workaday, hard labour ‘orchard’.This looks like another instance Meghanese. It’s like ‘silk scouring pad’ or ‘crushed gold ear wax’ - the concepts just don’t go together.‘American Riviera’ on its own would’ve conjured up the fine china, linen, elite lifestyle Meghan’s aiming for. Adding ‘orchard’ makes it sound like what the Beverly Hillbillies do. post link: https://ift.tt/NqXzckn author: Mickleborough submitted: March 20, 2024 at 09:42PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.