#Progress Bar Avatar Generator

[a-tools]

Progress Bar Avatar Generator, Add a progress bar to your avatar! Just pick your avatar image, select the style of the progress bar, and then download it!

[changes]

Friday, October 13th, 2023

🌟 New

We’ve been experimenting a lot lately with the For You feed on the dashboard, and one thing that’s rolled out to everyone is that it now contains a mix of content from people you follow and people you don’t. This is an intentional change, and the mix should be around 50/50 for now. We’re still tuning it though, so please send feedback if you have thoughts about it!

We’re also now experimenting with a way for secondary blogs to write replies on posts. For some users who have more than one blog, the avatar icon next to the reply input is tappable/clickable, to select which blog is writing the reply.

When searching for content on a blog, if you use a hashtag (#) as the first character, we’ll show results tagged with that tag instead of performing a general text search. For example, searching for “#splatoon” on a blog will limit results to those posts tagged with #splatoon. Searching for “splatoon” performs a more general search.

The Tumblr Supporter badge is now available to everyone!!! Check it out in TumblrMart.

Folks using the beta version of the Tumblr app on Android will see a new design for the Activity/Messaging tab. Let us know what you think!

We have expanded the list of AI bots/crawlers we’re discouraging from using Tumblr data.

🛠 Fixed

Please update the iOS app to the latest version, 31.6, to receive the fixes for Tuesday’s two ongoing issues.

We’ve recently fixed some more bugs that have been preventing SoundCloud embeds from working properly.

🚧 Ongoing

We’re working to fix an issue in the iOS app that’s been causing the messaging/activity nav bar item to not be updated properly with a count of how many unread activity items you have. Sometimes it gets stuck and loses count, even though you’re receiving activity.

🌱 Upcoming

We’re working on setting up some logic to limit push notifications when a post of yours blows up, and we’re interested in getting volunteers to help figure out what the best thresholds are. If you want to help, reach out in the replies!

Experiencing an issue? File a Support Request and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

Want to share your feedback about something? Check out our Work in Progress blog and start a discussion with the community.

Wanna support Tumblr directly with some money? Check out the new Supporter badge in TumblrMart!

[filamentlights]

Welcome to LOVE & HYPERSPACE!

Clone x OC Week - Day 7, Free Space || ??? x OC

Event Masterlist

SUMMARY: Game description. Hyper realistic new otome game with never before seen immersion full of your favorite clone soldiers! Where all your dreams will come true! ��💗🐷

Tags & warnings: otome game, mystery, role-play games, dating sim

Caoimhe isn’t sure what amused deity possessed her to download an otome game of all things when her schedule is up to its eyeballs with essays to write. Between the game’s odd story premise and its boasting “realistic interfaces” that gave an “unbelievably immersive experience”, she doubted this was much more than a trashy romance game. With that said, the game had been downloaded. Caoimhe, fresh off of a catharsis cry after nearly flunking her OCHEM test, needed some trashy romance to soothe her soul.

She clicked on the brightly colored game icon, which showed a handsome man with tan skin and dark curly hair grinning at the camera charmingly. His eyes were a striking gold, and his warm skin stood in contrast to the saturated background.

As the game loaded, Caoimhe’s screen was filled with more eye-catching men. Shy, demure boys posing with wildflower bouquets and flushed cheeks. Men with gruff looks and scars hiding red-tipped ears from her. Playfully smiling guys running off to do something spontaneous.

One thing which stuck out to her however, was that they all looked the same and wore the same type of outfit. A white armor painted over with designs of various bright colors. She knew the premise of the game was odd; clones who fought in a galactic war, vying for her hand. What a weird game idea, but hey at least they were hot.

After a bit of loading, a neon pink square popped up telling her to build her character. Basing it off her own looks, she gave her avatar brassy red hair, freckles all around her face, a sloping nose. Although, Caoimhe did pick out pretty blue eyes with little gold flecks in them instead of her usual brown ones. Once that step was completed, another pop up appeared. This time it was to build her bio.

Out of all the options, being a “Jedi General” sounded most interesting, so she tapped that option. The game mechanics whirred and began assembling her character. Her avatar spun in glowing white and pink streaks until coming to a stop facing Caoimhe with a hand on her hip, swinging around to look at her new outfit: tapered brown trousers that looked a bit like cargo pants, practical boots, and a fitted long-sleeve cream top. Skimming the small biography, it said that she was a 24 year old Jedi learner, which made her a commander of the army. Her teacher was someone named Oppo Rancisis, but she was deployed under one Anakin Skywalker with the 501st brigade.

Caoimhe clicked on the Start button. As the game begins to load up, she’s met with an assortment of characters floating on screen, each with their names underneath and little factoids hovering around them. For one, bright futuristic letters read the name Fives. She skimmed the bit of information about him being an ARC trooper and being especially close to his batch-mate Echo. Extra information on the side told her the term ‘ARC trooper’ meant that he was in an elite branch of soldiers, and that ‘batch-mate’ meant that group of other clones he was made and raised with. Traits about Fives also popped up like “courageous” and “loyal.” Another figure with a zigzag pattern on his shaved head popped up, brandishing a suave smile. The pop up read that his name was Kix and he was a medic.

The little loading progress bar hit 100%.

Caoimhe blinked. Her head hurt.

Everything felt fuzzy.

“Commander? You alright there?” There was a man looking at her. She squinted. He had dark curly hair and hazel eyes. His helmet was tucked under his arm so she could see his face, which looked at her in concern.

“Yeah, yeah I’m ok,” she hesitated before adding, “Tup.” She didn’t know why she hesitated before saying the trooper’s name. The 501st, which she’d been assigned to as Anakin’s legion commander, had just returned from a battle on Orto Plutonia, and she remembered she was checking up on him. Before the battle, he was a shiny who’d introduced himself to her, stuttering all the way, when they were suddenly deployed to help Obi-Wan on the Pantoran moon. That had been Tup’s first battle.

“You weren’t responding there for a second, Commander Caoimhe.”

She frowned. She was in a corridor talking to Tup.

“Oh, it’s pronounced quee-vah, Tup. Odd, I know,” she murmured. Tup didn’t seem to notice, and just chuckled.

“Oh, where’s it from?”

Caoimhe paused, trying to recall.

“Oh, you know, it’s just a natborn name.”

Tup chuckled again. “Alright then, see you around Commander.”

She nodded.

Incoming Event: Frozen Hearts

The alarm blared.

Caoimhe looked around. Pulsing yellow lights flared all around her as everything dimmed. For a moment, it was just her in the dark. Low lights along the floor then flickered on, though it didn’t do much for anything but lighting her feet.

A squad of troopers ran by, of which she recognized Fives and Jesse among them.

CHOOSE:

[ASK JESSE] or [ASK FIVES]

The trooper nodded and rushed off. Caoimhe made to run for her quarters and grab her thick robe, but before she left, she watched a small glowing +1 tick off from the leaving trooper’s head before fizzling away.

She turned the corridor, looking for her quarters. Her assignment had been a relatively new one, with her having only seen one full battle before, having been in the Battle of Mumbai with Rex. The Council had assigned both her and Ahsoka to Anakin, Ahsoka as his padawan, and Caoimhe as a…mediator. For Anakin’s temper. Caoimhe chuckled, memories of Anakin throwing a fit at how she a padawan—despite her being three years older than him—was the Council trying to micromanage him.

Caoimhe turned down another corridor, knowing her quarters were somewhere in this area. But she began to feel a chill seep into her. Her fingers were already freezing, so she tucked them under her armpits. She bundled her hands into the long sleeves of her fitted top, but the material was thin. She shivered. Caoimhe realized she could see her own breath puff through the air.

CHOOSE:

[PUSH FORWARD] [TURN BACK & FIND OTHERS]

With a bit of mother-henning from Coric, Caoimhe managed to escape the medbay without too much of a scolding. Luckily, she just had a few mild frost bites, nothing that wouldn’t heal in a bit of time. Although, it did seem like her brief misadventure had quickly spread across the troopers, where more than one had come up to ask about her well being. Thanking the medic, Caoimhe went off to find a group to huddle with. All the troopers had settled into the surrounding armory, three training rooms, and the ship navigation systems center. She even spotted Broadside and Matchstick with a couple other pilots camping out in the hallways. 

CHOOSE:

[BROADSIDE] [MATCHSTICK] [WHOLE GROUP]

Afterwards, Caoimhe made her rounds with the men. She’d checked in with Anakin and Ahsoka and let them know she was alright, and now she was just wandering through one of the training rooms looking for a spot to sit and huddle. Spotting a relatively secluded corner of the gym, she was about to sit down when she heard a voice behind her call her name. 

CHOOSE:

[FIVES] [ECHO] [DOGMA] [JESSE] [REX]

A/N: why did I chose to make this last day so hard for myself. why do I do this to myself. im so sorry if this whole thing is confusing asf LOL. Also I have no idea what Love and Deepspace is like, ive never played it, but I thought it was a cool play on words for the title😁. Anywayssss, hope u guys enjoyed the game!! Hella shout out to @clonexocweek for hosting this and going through all the trouble to make an event to bring together clone wars lovers. Aaaand also shoutout to @orangez3st for being amazing ur probs the only reason I finished the event💀. This wraps up clonexocweek 2025, and it was great! Thanks for reading! ALSO credit for the dividers goes to @/strangergraphics

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 16: Crossing Paths - Episode 21: The Virtual World

Towa: Please! If there’s one thing we’ve got plenty of, it’s potential!

Ibuki: Not gonna say it’s the only thing we haveee.

Homare: Hm? Looks rather lively over here.

-

Izumi: I think this will be a good experience for you as well, Banri-kun. What do you think?

Tsuzuru: I think the play’s contents suit you too.

Towa: PLEASE!!!

Banri: Woah, I’m totally in, y’know?

Towa: Really!?

Banri: It seems interesting, and I’m grateful for the chance.

Homare: Whatever are you having a meeting for?

Kureha: Ah, Homare-san. Hello.

Towa: Now that Tsuzuru-san has finished the script, we’ve come to ask for our director

Homare: Hooh, and that is Banri-kun?

Kureha: The script was very interesting.

Tsuzuru: I’m glad. I got to write differently than I would for MANKAI Company, so it was a good experience for me too.

Izumi: Is that so?

Tsuzuru: I’ve realized that recently I’ve only been writing for people who have experience as actors.

Tsuzuru: When we started out, I didn’t have time to think about things like this, so I didn’t notice at all.

Tsuzuru: I’m glad I got the chance to write something for people who are acting for the first time now that I’ve gained more experience.

Izumi: So this became a so this was beneficial for you too, Tsuzuru-kun.

Homare: May I read it?

Tsuzuru: Of course.

[Page flipping]

Homare: Hm… So the story this time is about the virtual world.

Izumi: It seems that AI characters and real people appear alternately and the story progresses by intertwining both sides.

Tsuzuru: After hearing all the KICS members’ ideas, I thought that a seamless blend of the virtual and real worlds would be good.

Homare: Meaning that this became a script made especially for KICS.

Banri: Now we just gotta figure out how to show that on stage.

Ibuki: I can think of a bunch of ways to show avatars in general, but I dunno how to do it on stage.

Keiku: Don’t think it’s possible.

Banri: You gotta think, man.

Tsuzuru: Given that I wrote this, I’ll take responsibility and support you through to the end. Let me know if you want any adjustments made, too.

Towa: We’ll be in your care!

Tsuzuru: That being said, when it comes to technological advances, only one person comes to mind…

[Doorbell ringing]

Izumi: Oh, perfect timing.

[Door opening]

Mizuno: Pardon my intrusion. I am Mizuno of MIZUNO Enterprises.

Tsuzuru: Sorry for making you come all the way here.

Mizuno: No, no need to be sorry!

Tsuzuru: Though I know relying on him time and again isn’t a good look, I sent Mizuno the script and asked for his advice too.

Mizuno: Actually, our company is also experimenting with ways to incorporate avatars in stage performances.

Mizuno: I’m grateful to have a part in this idea.

Ibuki: Woah, can we really ask that of MIZUNO Ent?

Kureha: That’s amazing.

Towa: It’s like a full-scale performance…!

Banri: Cause it is a full-scale performance.

Izumi: Reliable, right?

-

Izumi: Have you started practicing?

Kureha: Yesterday was our first session, and we’ve arranged to meet twice a week from now on.

Towa: I was a little anxious about being instructed by Yukio-san, but it was fun!

Keiku: He was shocked when I told him I’m a live-in part-timer at Zen’s place.

Banri: Huh, so he didn’t know?

Izumi: He may be trying to limit his contact with people related to theater as much as possible during the Fleur Cup’s run.

Towa: Do you think it’d be good if we practiced by on our own along with the times we’ll be practicing with Yukio-san?

Izumi: Well, you are just starting out, so I think you’ll get better the more you practice… Why not use our practice room?

Towa: Are you sure!? We’ve got our school jerseys with us, so we’d love to!

Izumi: Banri-kun… has a meeting with Tsuzuru-kun and Mizuno-san after this, so I’ll help you guys out.

Towa: Please do!

Ibuki: Well, we’ve got time.

Keiku: Yup.

Kureha: We’ll be in your care.

Izumi: …

Izumi: (Guy-san said he’d go shopping and then head straight to the bar, so it should be okay.)

Homare: I’ve also finished writing the script for my dramatic reading, so mayhaps I will join you for some solo practice.

Kureha: Um, where is Guy-san—

Izumi: He’s out shopping.

Kureha: Is that so…

Izumi: (It kind of looks like he’s avoiding him on purpose, and it makes me feel a little guilty… But with the circumstances being what they are…)

Homare: It seems Guy-san has also been giving it his all practicing by himself in preparation for our performance.

Kureha: I’ll definitely come to watch the Winter Troupe’s performance.

Izumi: Let’s all do our best.

Kureha: Yes.

previous episode | masterpost | next episode

[rametarin]

Sokka and misogyny

Can we be honest? The writing for Sokka's misogyny was tacked on in the original, because that was the style at the time. It was a remnant of the same hamfisted "lets signal how progressive and forwards we are by having Female Character put Sexist Boy in his place." It was a "conversation starter"

But it was a story we as an audience at the time had grown used to rolling our eyes over. It wasn't like being doused with acid, it was like being a pile of ashes and having burning embers put on us. There was just nothing left to burn. So we rolled our eyes and just carried on.

The first time I watched Avatar, 19 years ago, the phenomenon of the "Haha, Ur pretty good.. for a GURL!" and "Oh YEAH!? VAGINA-MAGIC POWER!" resolving it was just so overplayed and sophmoric I didn't even react. I just kept watching because if you got mad every time that bit of cultural toxin wound up in the media you consumed, you'd die quietly of your own venom in the corner. It's the sort of vitriol you numb yourself to just to survive with, "It is what it is."

Where Avatar got it right was they realized partway through writing it that Sokka's misogyny was the contrivance it was and resolved it quickly. Though I could practically hear somebody's inner fujoshi wheezing with manic obsession to putting a masculine teenaged boy in women's clothes and having them be shown up by a Pretty Warrior Girl(tm). "And he learned a valuable lesson! Girls can KICK BUTT!"

This was the norm for what would be labeled progressive writing that "challenged social norms." The caricature they felt they were fighting against were cigar smoking Bob Cleaver and George Burns type patriarchal 1950s dads casually remarking how girls weren't wearing long enough skirts or cleaning the house well enough. It wasn't even progressive in the 60s, it was beating a dead horse that had long since died in the 1900s and was kept alive purely by traditionalist core fringes, and that's who the progressives were aiming it at, acting as if there's a small population of fuckheads in a society, society should be defined by those fuckheads as the status quo.

Seeing it get retired in Avatar subtly was satisfying. It was hamfisted and lame, even then.

Now, on the subject of the live action remake

While the way Sokka acted was whimperingly trite and stilted and how Katara reacted was predictable, I still wouldn't remove it. The subject of gendered and binary roles in traditional cultures, especially agrarian or hunter gatherer ones, seldom saw morality plays. It was always the white kids, generally males unless they wanted to single out white girls, that were the loudmouthed bigots getting put in their place.

When you do that among the progressive circles, you stay within those invisible lines. And the unspoken rule was, you can't depict non-whites being bigots, or indicate their culture may have any kind of -ism or problem. because, "that's insensitive." That opens the conversation to all that they should also have these progressive values applied. That allows the traditionalists and gender-binarists and ethnocentrists to get up in arms and see these values as un-group-like, and people that might otherwise embrace them and adopt their hardline progressivism, reject them utterly, seeing how they treat the whites and the men who are guilty of those -isms.

They did not want that. They wanted the media to just use whites as the examples of those social crimes as a safe bar, keep even discussing the fact sexism or other -isms exist in non-white and indigenous cultures out of the mainstream conversation, and have the progressives inside said cultures ask those questions internally and hold them to those standards. A way to introduce discord and strife inside of a community and own the youth's values. Keep the lines drawn between Indigenous Minority and Western Modern. So, it was very paramount not to allow any depiction whatsoever of sexism in western media happening because of, "Men of color." Unless it was in a For Us By Us fashion; black comedys that depicted black male sexists getting put in their place or rebuked by assertive female protagonists or support characters having their moment.

A work like Avatar that wasn't made by For Us By Us types and maintained some progressive sentiments but no official sponsoring by Progressive Groups, technically violated some unwritten rules. Mike and Bryan, "didn't have the right" to comment on even the "coded" sexism of tribes, real or imagined, and that gave the progressive advocates carte blanche to treat Avatar like it was some sort of western imperialist critique of glorious noble close-to-earth tribalists through, "western lenses."

It's for that reason, and not because, "Sokka is a sexist and that is so cringe so we changed it," that Sokka's sexism storyline is dropped.

Also because "redemption" isn't really a thing among progressives, these days. If you've ever been guilty of saying slurs on social media, the number of your apologies or the amount of different instances of people capturing you kissing Jesse Jackson's ass means nothing, because in your past, they have evidence at your worst, you're capable of doing Bad Things(tm). And why would they bother with you, if you have a history of Bad Things(tm) at your worst? It's just precedent to do them again. So naturally the protagonist you like isn't allowed to have terrible instances or even problems before they're resolved, because they're proof you're capable of relapsing and breaking that way again.

So given the standards, both unspoken and culturally reinforced by those that tout themselves as having "progressive" values, Sokka isn't really allowed to start with some problematic views given he was the oldest and strongest boy left in his dying, war destroyed susstenance living tribal community, all dependent on him hunting and fishing and dealing with a whole tribe of women's very female brand of shit and expectations of him as the only hammer around for all these nails sticking out.

Rather than try and make his sexism less 1970s or 1980s saccharine sweet hamfisted saturday morning cartoon moral, and more well written and better resolved, given more depth, given more nuance and spotlight,

they just dropped it completely.

There were a million different ways they could've chosen to depict it, and simply erasing it because there are too many chefs with very strong and very absolutist views in the kitchen, is one of them.

It's a pity it had to be this way, but honestly, this is probably the best option.

[archwardens]

Main Feature: Forums

A rather thorough breakdown of the current forums design. This includes a number of images and a description of what is shown.

The main page lists the posts with filtering by category and sorting by "most recent", "newest", "oldest" and "top" under Advanced Search. Search is currently by title only with more options planned for later.

At the top of the main page is a sliding panel to show any sticky discussions, this will include important posts pertaining to rules within a category.

Show 10 discussions per page with pagination at the bottom.

When loading, such as between pages, categories, or searches, 10 "ghost" discussions are shown to indicate loading is in progress.

The categories on the right side can be clicked to fetch posts within that category, and will slide down to reveal sub categories.

An active parent category will show all discussions in that category AND discussions in all their child categories. An active child category will only show discussions within that category.

On mobile the sidebar is hidden and can be opened as a slide over panel by clicking the three vertical dot button.

The "new discussion" button takes you to a new page, it automatically selects the last active category (or defaults to general).

Can add a title, select the category, use BBCode for content, and subscribe to the discussion.

Current bbcode tags: blockquote, code, spoiler, headings, b, i, u, s, left, center, right, color, img, url, with more to be added later. And you can of course preview the output before submitting.

The discussion view shows the title with the category next to it. The category can be clicked to go back to the forums with that category selected.

Moderator actions in the header include stickying and locking the discussion.

Other actions include subscribing to the discussion or scrolling down to the reply form at the bottom.

To the left of the each post is user informations with a vista, an avatar, the display name and the username.

At the top of a post is a bar that contains: a button to view post history (moderator only), the date the post was made, delete post button (moderator only), edit post (moderator or post owner only), and the post id that can be clicked to copy a direct link to the post.

At the bottom of a post is the post user's signature. (The "Hello World!" in the image.)

On mobile everything stacks and the vista disappears to show a color block only instead.

When looking at a discussion, if another user makes a post a button will pop up above the reply form that upon clicking will load in all of the new posts. This works via websockets.

Later Features:

Discussion tags.

Pinglists.

Note: The vista and avatar are temporary. I'm a solo programmer, not an artist and work with what I've got while building.

[dreamdropsystem]

I can help with toyhouse! I'm sorry if this is too long and wordy :( (I'm on android mobile, so I'll help as best I can from there)

To make a character: go to the main bar (the bar at the top of the site that says toyhou.se on the left of the screen with the three lines on the right), click the three lines, find the "submit" dropdown, click that, then click "character." It'll bring you to a "create character" screen. From there, you can upload an avatar, type the name in, put it in a folder, change it's visibility, add tags, make and fill out fields, and do the description. You can also upload your first image for the character. After you've done all you need to do for your character, you click "create character" and TA-DAA you have your character!

To upload an image: go to the main bar (the bar at the top of the site that says toyhou.se on the left of the screen with the three lines on the right), click the three lines, find the "submit" dropdown, click that, then click "image." It'll bring you to an "upload image" screen. In the "Basics" box, click "choose file" and select the image you wish to upload. You can optionally make a thumbnail for this image using the zoom slider and you can select "watermark thumbnail" to add a watermark. You can also make an optional caption! On the "Privacies" box you can choose who gets the see the image and how (eg: logged in users get full access, logged out get watermarked), you also get to select the watermark type. It's worth noting you can upload your own watermark. Then, you can select content warnings. The next box below, allows you to select what character the image shows. Select the button, then select "select," and choose the character you wish. Finally, select upload image.

To upload writing: go to the main bar (the bar at the top of the site that says toyhou.se on the left of the screen with the three lines on the right), click the three lines, find the "submit" dropdown, click that, then click "literature." It'll bring you to a "create literature" screen. In the "General" box, you can choose a thumbnail by clicking "upload file" and selecting the image you want. You can use the slider tool to adjust how close or far the image should be. Type the title and the summary (under blurb). In the "settings" box, you can select if the writing will be multiple chaptered, one chaptered, or an collection and the progress of the writing. You can allow or disallow comments, favorites (likes), and subscriptions. You can change the visibility, listing, and maturity level. You can also add warnings. The last box allows you to add the cast of characters. Select the "add charcter" button, then select "select," and choose the character you wish. Repeat for each character. If one character is the protagonist, you can click the box that says "main character." If you select "quick publish," you can write the chapter and publish it with the stuff you just done. Finally, click publish literature.

To create links (relationship link) between two characters: Veiw the character's profile. At the top right of the screen, below the toyhou.se label, click the menu pull out. Click the "link" button. It'll bring you to the character's links. Click the "select" button and select your desired character. Click the "request link" button below the character's profile. Finally, write how the character's feel about one another. Make sure to click "edit link" when you're finished with one!

To make folders: go to the main bar (the bar at the top of the site that says toyhou.se on the left of the screen with the three lines on the right), click the three lines, and select your profile picture. Find the "folders" button and click it. It'll bring you to a screen labeled "folder management." Click new folder. Choose a thumbnail if you want, choose the privacy, choose the sorting, and the style. Make a description if you want! Then select "create folder." When you make multiple, you can nest a folder inside another!

To create a world: go to the main bar (the bar at the top of the site that says toyhou.se on the left of the screen with the three lines on the right), click the three lines, find the "submit" dropdown, click that, then click "World." Make a name for your world, then it's privacy level. Then, select "create world."

To make a profile warning: go to the main bar (the bar at the top of the site that says toyhou.se on the left of the screen with the three lines on the right), click the three lines, and select your profile picture. Click anything under the "manage" (folders, tags, characters, sort characters, designs, or images). At the top right of the screen, below the toyhou.se label, click the menu pull out. Click profile warning. It'll bring you to a screen that says "edit warnings." Turn on the account wide warning if you want and write your warning! Click "charcter warnings" to veiw warnings on characters.

I'm so sorry this is so, so long. I covered as many basic things as I could think of. If there's anything else, just ask around! I'm sure someone will happily answer! Have a wonderful day!

we will be saving and using this we want to make profiles fod our paras plushie and regular paras /OCs on there but it'll take time. cheese will probably be first haha.. we will do our best - HoneyLily+others

[gascon-en-exil]

In your opionion is there things that Engage did better than 3 Houses or things they did worse than 3 Houses ? if that is the case, which one and why ?

Those are two different questions, and ones that people have been bandying about online for months now. I thought for about five minutes about turning this into a video prompt, but there's already plenty exactly like this on YouTube - plus I'm currently working on way too much as it is.

What FE16 does better than FE17:

In general, character work - I say in general because there are characters I like in Engage and characters I very much don't in Houses, but the more substantive supports and other side interactions in the latter help the cast stand out more. They're also broken up more, so it's easier to focus on the groups you enjoy.

Non-Avatar queerness - So much lovely subtext, so many paired endings. I've done multiple videos centering around them, even. I said in a video a few months back that I dislike how so many of Engage's non-Avatar supports end with bland affirmations of friendship, which in combination with the lack of endings really kills the potential of pairings like Fogado/Bunet and Timerra/Merrin. Dimidue though? When their A support pivots around the word "friend" you just know that it's a euphemism, and that they'll be calling each other that mid-coitus that evening. Throw in around a dozen other pairings who've gotten big based on subtext and you've got a bunch to choose from.

Cozy life sim elements - The Somniel may be more streamlined and its loading screens slightly less agonizing, but the monastery better nails the feel of a persistent hub area - even if its coziness kind of undercuts the tone of the game's second half. This isn't something I'm really into, but I know a lot of fans get into stuff like gardening and fishing and tea time, and the calendar system and (weird) time progression does make Houses feel more like a life sim in contrast to the Somniel and its randomized character loadouts. Also, Engage has way more to grind for if you want to see everything, which is annoying. This is in contrast to...

100% Completion - It may be something only I care about, but Houses goes above and beyond any other mainline FE if you're a completionist. Of course there's the support logs and event gallery and such (features Engage doesn't even manage correctly), but there's also the in-game journal which provides a ludicrous but still doable 100% target in the form of watching a whole bunch of bars fill up very slowly over dozens of playthroughs. This requires so many spreadsheets to keep organized - love it!

What FE17 does better than FE16:

Story originality - Yes, really. Houses's story is three variations on the series standard plot, plus one other option - side with the conqueror -that Fates came up with first. Engage is the least politically-interested game in the series, and it barely even teases at a mundane war between nations before it's back to fighting zombies and collecting rings. Original doesn't necessarily mean good, but at least Engage knows exactly what kind of story it's trying to tell and what it can feasibly expect to do.

Tangible, linear worldbuilding - Engage isn't as ambitious, but it's more successful thanks to more traditional FE worldbuilding tools like talking to NPCs around the world as opposed to gathering them all in hub. The single story also helps keeps everything orderly and easy to understand, rather than going for an unreliable narrator + mystery box approach across multiple routes and half-assing the execution.

The Avatar - No contest here. Alear is an actual character with an identifiable arc, and while it's not the most compelling thing in the world it's leagues ahead of anything Byleth can claim. Byleth is a blank vessel for the player (and also Sothis for a while, lending them some facsimile of a character in the form of her reactions) with a ludicrously contrived backstory to justify why they are the way they are; Alear has fears and development and a backstory that's coherent even if it relies on a fair amount of cliché. Also, even in localization Alear as a god complex fantasy is undeniable, whereas Houses bends over backwards to act like a main source of its appeal isn't teacher-student sex. Speaking of -

Avatar queerness - Again, no contest - not that I especially care. Byleth's same-sex S rank options are limited, while Alear can give their not!engagement ring to every character regardless of gender, a huge step up in open-ended self-insert romance that gets mostly overlooked because they can also give the ring to preteens.

Understanding of FE's camp appeal - The above only underlines how much better Engage can be when it comes to the campy and the tasteless. From the ridiculous outfits to the Emblem stuff being compared to Saturday morning cartoons or Power Rangers or such to Zephia/Zelestia to the AU dragon incest wank nonsense, Engage wears its silliness on its sleeve. Houses doesn't totally lack that element, with stuff like the Proper Conduct Tournament and Manuela's...everything, basically, but like the teacher-student fetish it's hidden beneath this veneer of respectability that begins to grate after a while. Most of that is probably just overcorrection for the poor response to that sort of content in Fates, but it obviously didn't stick...not even for Fódlan content in Heroes. Look at the new duo Cathmir, and tell me these characters still aren't being sold on sex appeal aimed primarily at straight men.

Handling of characters of color - Not something I discuss often, but it has to be said. Solm is as developed of any of the other main four nations of Elyos, with just about as much of a role in the story and a presence in gameplay (i.e. you spend around half a dozen chapters there). There are still some oddities, like how the royals and NPCs are all dark-skinned but the retainer characters aren't, but compared to the various periphery nations of Fódlan it's a real standout and actually feels like a part of the world. Sreng is a plot device in Hopes, and even less than that in Houses. Duscur, Brigid, and Dagda basically only exist in relation to Dedue, Petra, and Shamir respectively. Even Almyra, from which we get two playable characters including one of the lords, barely appears at all, and most of Claude's Almyran heritage is left out of his writing because he spends the whole game disguising his identity.

Standard gameplay - I play on Normal and freely abuse time rewinding so my opinion here isn't going to be held in any regard, but go check out anywhere Engage is being discussed online and you'll see tons of tier lists and comparisons of builds and chapters and Emblems and whatever else. You know, the things that people ordinarily talk about when it comes to FE, and not -

Less enabling of toxic fandom elements - The inbuilt faction drama in a faux-serious war story, the continued growth of the anti phenomenon first seen when Fates was current, and a years-long global pandemic fostered endless division and conflict that persists to this day. It somehow even continues a year after the release of Hopes, now in the form of bashing Engage because it didn't sell as much (while still talking about its gameplay way more than I could ever bother, go figure) and IS is being more conservative with its Heroes appearances. There's still pointless nonsense to argue about here - like the aforementioned incest wank - but there's far less of it in a linear story that doesn't encourage players to latch as hard onto their favorites.

Non-100% replay value - Related to the gameplay, if you're not going for all the supports/bonds/achievements there's much more variety you can pull out of repeat playthroughs of Engage via the standard ways to mix up your runs in FE: using different characters, allocating resources differently, limiting yourself in certain ways etc. Houses's gameplay is so freeform and has such clear best options that for replays you're relying on the story...and there's exactly four stories. Worse, White Clouds is almost the same regardless of house, and there's a bunch of crossover content among the Part II routes as well, even Crimson Flower, which leads to it all feeling quite repetitive even if the narratives technically go to different places.

Nostalgic throwbacks - Not only the Emblems, but also the many legacy paralogues. These were a fun element of Awakening and Fates's DLC, and it's nice to see them brought back here with a bunch of callbacks for fans of those older games. Houses has...its batch of DLC classes all coming from Awakening, and the Archanean regalia appearing as random drops. Oh, and probably the least notable playable version of Anna ever.

Absurdly cute mascot factor - Could have talked about this under the camp factor, but some players get really into how adorable Sommie is. It's a fount of memes and goofy videos if nothing else. Is IS taking notes from Pokémon?

And yet I still prefer FE16 overall, because it better caters to my specific interests (gay stuff that doesn't involve Avatars, spreadsheets). The years of fandom toxicity are unfortunate, but I've grown accustomed to laughing at it when it amuses me and ignoring it when it doesn't.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

(Context)

I wanna say this takes place before the Hell Arc, when all the Avatars meet.

○●○

The intern stares at the now gone file, placing a hand over her mouth as her eyes were wide. She'd just deleted a save file that would be needed in an upcoming video.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

It had to be backed up, right? It had to be. Why wouldn't it be? She looks around, gnawing on her bottom lip, and it doesn't seem like anyone's noticed.

She exhales softly and starts clicking around. The file had to be backed up. It had to be! She couldn't lose this internship now..

There! She thinks, eyes going wide. The deleted file!

She clicks on it, hits restore, and sighs in relief as it begins to restore. She watches the progress bar anxiously. As it slowly inches up..

Error: Corrupted data found. Expunge?

She swallows thickly before clicking the 'yes' option.

It was just a game about a road trip. What kind of corrupted data could there even be?

○●○

Tulip jolts, eyes going wide as she slaps a hand over her mouth. She sets down the wrench she had been holding before bolting across the floor of her uncle's shop to a trash can.

"The hell..?" Dale mutters as he peeks as head out, just in time to see Tulip get to a trashcan and..

"10, is Tulip not getting enough sleep again?" Dale looks back into the room he was in, where SMG10 was fiddling away on his computer.

"I've had to use Benadryl on her three times this week." 10 sighs. "So, no, she's not."

Dale crosses his arms. "Is she having nightmares again?"

"Sometimes.." 10 frowns. "In general, it just seems like she's been antsy about something."

"Shut up!" Tulip groans from the room over before audibly heaving again.

The other two simply sigh.

○●○

The woman clad in all purple brings a white gloved hand to her face. She rubs it before exhaling. Her body felt as if it were on fire, like everything was tearing away at her.

It wasn't the first time she felt this, and she doubted it'd be the last either.

She lowers her hand before looking out the window.

"Nothing like home." She mutters.

[radiant-future]

THE GAME

Radiant Future's gameplay takes place on a traditional Fire Emblem map with your usual assortment of units, terrain types, obstacles, et cetera laid out on a grid. The player and enemy take turns moving all their units, choosing what to do with them, yadda yadda yadda.

HOWEVER. The roster of playable characters is quite small compared to the average Fire Emblem game, and furthermore each character has only a small number of different weapons they can use (usually 4). Inventory management only matters for consumable items, as weapons do not break, and when a weapon is purchased for a character it becomes permanently added to a special inventory slot. When I start talking about individual characters I'll include the weapons available to them.

Each character has a Map Action - an active ability they can spend their turn on, like Rally Spectrum or Dance.

A form of Biorhythm exists as a double-edged snowball effect. Instead of fluctuating based on the individual character as a chapter progresses, your Biorhythm improves every time you pull off a combo of 10 hits or more, and worsens when you whiff 10 moves in a row in a single engagement, representing the character's confidence and doubt. Since Hit and Avoid are gone, Biorhythm affects Attack and Defense.

Stats and levels still exist. As mentioned, Hit and Avoid are done away with. The Dexterity/Crit stat determines the rate at which the Skill Gauge fills relative to damage dealt, the Speed stat shaves frames off the startup of a character's moves, the Luck stat extends the character's window for a successful perfect block, and the Movement stat has the same effects on the map as always, but also determines in-battle walking and jumping speed. Range still affects how far away you can initiate combat from, but there is no instance where one unit can fight and the other can't, unless there's an item or Map Action that can force a unit to start combat in a stunned state.

Promotions and class changes are done away with entirely, even for the Avatar, as this is a fighting game and it wouldn't be as fun if you could deal with every single enemy by throwing a General with super armor and a guard crush super at them. However, characters do still have stated class names, which can give you some idea of what they're about.

Oh, right, the actual fighting game side of things. Should probably get into that. THAT begins when you use the Attack command - at the same point where a real, official FE game switches into an automated sequence that plays out entirely by comparing stats and calling RNG. Instead of that happening, the unit you use to attack and the unit you attacked are thrust into a 2D plane with health bars at the top of the screen, three-segmented Skill Gauges (super meters) at the bottom, and a 30-second timer in the middle. The fighting units do entrance animations, pausing for dialogue if they have a special interaction, and then the fight begins.

There are five main button inputs: Light, Medium, Heavy, Signature, and Skill. Skill is used sparingly, primarily for supers, while Signature can be compared to the Slash input from Guilty Gear, in that you tend to get a 100% character-specific move out of it.

Your objective in combat is not necessarily to defeat your opponent. Your average unit can take substantially more of a beating than even some bosses in official FE. When the 30-second timer runs out, the game returns to the map screen and each unit's HP is set to what it was at the end of the engagement. This also applies if you KO the opponent before time runs out—the engagement immediately ends, the victor's HP is adjusted if applicable, and the loser disappears from the map. It may be worth it not to overcommit to defeating an opponent in one round, and to instead deal risk-free chip damage to soften them up for later. All units have their own separate HP meter, but the Skill Gauge is shared between everyone on the same side.

The Weapon Triangle exists in a form. Instead of hard number superiority, lances have the longest reach, axe-wielding units tend to have a lot of armored moves that let them push through lance disjoints, and swords have a way to beat super armor, whether with counters, command grabs, or just hitboxes that ignore armor. The Anima Magic triangle does not share this property.

Weapon types are not as strict as in real FE games—the Avatar's fighting style is best described as "sword with some unarmed street brawling thrown in"—but represented weapons include the core weapon triangle; bows; knives; at least two spells from each of the Fire, Wind, Thunder, Dark, and Light groups; staffs; gauntlets/martial arts; Laguz transformations and weaponized Creatures mimicking them; and guns that shoot non-elemental magic bolts instead of bullets.

Last thing for now: If you start combat while adjacent to an ally, you can make use of a sixth in-battle input: Assist, which is shared with a quick-select for your Map Action on the map screen. The Assist input summons the adjacent ally into battle to perform one of their special moves, just like in a tag-team fighting game sans most of the tag mechanics. If you start combat while adjacent to multiple allies, you can only choose one to be your Assist for the engagement.

[dearestones]

The Only Way to Win… Is to Not Play (Lucifer, Mammon, Leviathan, and Satan Scenario with Reader)

Warnings: Unjustified anger and malcontent towards an NPC.

Scenario: (SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST SEASON DURING THE SATAN-AND-LUCIFER-SWITCH-BODIES ARC) It’s the last session inside of Levithan’s dating sim game. Unfortunately, all of the brothers that have accompanied you on this quest have their sights set on you. What happens if you decide to give the game the middle finger and not choose any of the brothers? What happens… if you choose John (an NPC from the game)?

(The game has completely discarded Cerberus from the storyline and progresses the way it should before that plot twist).

.

.

.

GAME START!

The walk up to the roof of the building was somewhat silent and eerie. Although you’ve spent a fair amount of time with each of the brothers, a part of you feels somewhat apprehensive with the decision that you’re about to make. You’re not sure how much time has passed in the real world, but in the game world, at least a semester has passed. In that time, the boys have spent most of their time thinking of cheesy pick up lines, engaging in activities that you thought might like, and generally doing everything in their power to win.

In all honesty…

It was kind of cute.

Having this much attention after getting hounded left and right by many demons in the Devildom because you were a weak human took a toll on your mental health. Honestly, you had to agree with Lucifer on this one. Technically, you didn’t have to try or work hard at anything. By all accounts, you were basically the heroine of the game, but they were trying to win you over.

Let’s be real, it was a nice change to get pampered and complimented

It was a vacation for you and a competition for the boys.

As all five of you made the final trek up those stairs that would lead you to the roof, you knew that in a few moments, you would have to come to a fateful decision. A surreptitious glance at your side made you realize that each of the brothers were somewhat apprehensive in their own way.

Despite yourself, you smiled and noted that even if some of them thought of this as a mere game, you knew that they tried their hardest to woo you. Their attempts were all noteworthy (except… perhaps Lucifer), but you knew that you had to keep true to your gut instinct.

You only hoped that their priceless reactions would be enough to stave off any guilt that might accompany your actions.

As all of you assembled in the middle of the school roof, you looked at each of them in turn, took a deep breath, and said—

“John. I choose John.”

SIDE LUCIFER

For a moment, he’s confused.

Really confused.

This man has been putting up with Diavolo and his weird ideas for entertainment. For literal centuries. He would have thought that a lowly human such as yourself wouldn’t have raised the bar on how weird life can get, but here he is.

Completely and utterly baffled.

John???

You’re choosing an NPC who had at best ONE (1) line in the entire game?

Him?

Before you can get another word out of your mouth, Lucifer is crowding around you, not because he cares that you obviously didn’t think that he was worthy of your love confession (he does, but it’s not like he’ll ever admit it), but because you rejected him. For John! Not even one of his brothers, but John!

Honestly, you should count your lucky stars that Lucifer has some sort of semblance of self-control because if this were any other situation, Lucifer would have done away with his human glamor and donned his more demonic appearance.

That said.

Lucifer is somewhat mollified that you didn’t choose Mammon.

Or, Father forbid, Satan.

SIDE MAMMON

You killed him.

For centuries, humans have been trying their damnedest to kill high ranking demons and here you are, the Avatar of Greed quite possibly keeling over in befuddlement.

“Wha—You can’t just—” Mammon throws his hands heavenward, a pleading look in his eyes. He had accepted that he might be rejected in favor of his brothers, but this—! This was too much! “Oi! Where did you get that idea that you can reject The Great Mammon for some guy?”

“But I thought you didn’t want to—?”

“The Great Mammon would happily receive a love confession from you!”

He says with a blush and hearts in his eyes.

He’s also pouting (“Demons don’t pout!”) and crossing his arms as if he were a child who wasn’t gifted their favorite toy.

Honestly, Mammon was actually trying his hardest throughout this game and you had the audacity to not only not choose him, but a nobody?

Who was even John?

In fact, where is he? Mammon’s going to kick the ever loving devil out of that guy and then, maybe you’ll come to your senses.

That, or Mammon will cry.

Or both.

Either way, Mammon is somewhat mollified by the fact that you rejected everybody, even if everybody also included him.

SIDE LEVIATHAN

How dare.

How dare you.

What makes you think that you have the right to ruin Leviathan’s long, long, long streak of speedrun wins?

He worked his butt for this game! Do you have any idea how much of his “Socialization with Normies” juice has been depleted? And he also had to think of so many cheesy one-liners and pick up lines…

Why?

What did John, a no good NPC, have that he didn’t?

Leviathan already compares himself with his brothers and basically everyone else in the Devildom, now he has to compete with fictional side characters? Seriously, where is the appeal?

Does John even have interests?

Anything that makes him stand out among the blank canvases that are part of this game’s world?

Does he even have a face???

You can see that Leviathan goes through the five stages of grief and only seconds away from pitching himself off the roof.

Maybe confessing your love for John on the roof wasn’t a good idea?

SIDE SATAN

This man, this demon… he does not care.

Sure, he may or may not have actually tried to play the game, but honestly, Satan used it as a way to get to know you better.

After the incident where he nearly killed you, using the game as a way to climb the intimacy ranks into close friendship was probably the closest you’ll get to resolving any hard feelings you may have had for him.

That said, Satan wishes he had his DDD with him because the look on Lucifer’s face is priceless.

Satan wishes that you said his name instead of John’s, but Lucifer losing is always a win in Satan’s book.

Although, Satan has to wonder, what did John say or do that made him catch your eye?

Perhaps he should… gain some knowledge before the game officially ends.

Watch as Satan sneaks off to find John and possibly question his methods as an NPC.

Overall, Satan appreciates your audacity and is probably the only one who understands that you’re not taking the game seriously.

BONUS: SIDE JOHN

Umm… is this a bug?

This was not supposed to happen?

John is an NPC?

And now at least three demons are coming to rip apart his binary code?

Help?

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If you want to donate a Ko-Fi, feel free https://ko-fi.com/devintrinidad.

OBEY ME! ONE MASTER TO RULE THEM ALL MASTERLIST

[princecosmosanon]

Historic Changes in How to Seduce Your Husband

In my fic, you’ll notice there are some significant changes in how history has shaped the world of the Avatar. The Fire Nation is not at war with the world, Fire Lord Azulon lives and continues to reign as king, and Air Nomads, while rare, are still alive in the world.

Why? Well, here’s the Long History to explain some of it (may contain mild spoilers, but shouldn’t be anything particularly poignant for the main story)

Some of this is directly related to information stated in the wiki, which may or may not be full canonical. For example, supposedly, during the time of the Air Nomad Genocide, a great deal of the Air people were actually gone from the temples. Many were traveling the world, helping others, spreading peace and spiritual values, going on pilgrimages, and just living their lives. This is why the temples were vulnerable during the attacks mounted by Fire Lord Sozin during the heightened comet storm. And that means it makes close to zero sense for all the Air Nomads to have been wiped out in one fell swoop.

The attack on the Air Temples still happened but it was less successful at culling the general Air population. Instead, most of the world’s wandering nomads went into hiding. They basically became like the Roma people, wandering and integrating into the other cultures around them. Generally they avoided the Fire Nation continent, keeping to primarily the Earth Kingdom and at times joining with one of the Water Tribes, though still several remained wanderers, hiding out in the many vast wild areas still prominent in the world.

(Aang managed to escape very similarly to his actual story, and was awoken around the same time as well, but with a bigger Southern Water Tribe to greet him.)

Roku had died years before the attack, but after he first learned of Sozin’s attempt to take down the world under Fire Nation rule (back when he still believed they were friends) he had sent many letters informing spiritual leaders around the world to warn them of a potential threat from the Fire Nation. When Dragon hunting became a sport among the Fire Nation nobility a lot of these leaders saw this as the beginnings of war, and thus they were prepared when Sozin attempted to strike them all, leading to a much more bloody end on all sides.

The attack was seen as a failure with too many Fire Nation casualties and with their defenses shored up the other countries of the world barred much of the Fire Nation from their previous business dealings and trade routes, further weakening the resolve of the nobility to back Sozin’s bid of war.

Azulon had been born shortly after the events of the attack, also much like canon, with Sozin being in his 80’s by the time his son was born. Once it seemed Azulon was a healthy, growing boy, the nobles of the Fire Nation, led by Sozin’s embittered outcast sister, staged a coup and locked the Mad Lord up for the rest of his days.

As Lady Regent, Zeisan took Azulon under her wing and greatly emphasized the old Air Nomad teachings of peace and spiritual purity over all things. But she could not so fully extricate the Fire Nation from its strict hierarchy. She had made political promises she could not renege on in order to seize power from Sozin and thus the Fire Lord role remained despite her own distaste for continuing the monarchy rule.

When Zeisan died, Azulon was still incredibly young, barely 15 years of age and not yet considered old enough to take on the role of Fire Lord but few had any choice in the matter. He had already presented as Alpha and dared anyone to take his spot as rightful heir to the throne; a few attempted, for sure, but none succeeded in knocking him from his status.

Determined not to allow any further dishonor upon the Fire Nation, Azulon took a very strict approach to his rule, dictating that the Nation strive to reach the same levels of progressive power as all the other countries. He curried favor with the other countries of the world by sending well-trained diplomats and savvy merchants to re-establish more concrete ties and regain trust. He also attempted to reach out to whatever contingents of Air Nomads he could find word on, but none were willing to step forward without knowing for certain it was no trap to try and snuff out the remaining Air Nomad lives co-existing in the world. Eventually, Azulon gave up on re-establishing contact with Air Nomads in his lifetime. The Avatar had never resurfaced, as far as anyone knew, and until he did and willingly stepped forward to accept peace Azulon doubted any other Air Nomad would try.

Azulon married late in life, never having taken an Omega mate, instead relying on a steadfast Beta woman who had a gentle nature and stayed out of politics. Iroh and Ozai were born well into Azulon’s 60s and became primarily the same as they were canonically. Iroh and Ozai both served in the military as they were Alpha and it was expected, though Iroh gained more favor and a higher rank than his younger brother who excelled more in political maneuvering.

Currently, Azulon remains the head of the Fire Nation though he’s nearing 105 years of age. It’s thought he won’t be much longer for the world, but more info on this will be explained when I go into the Short History, and that’s another post for another day.

[marireadshellblazer]

Hellblazer Issue #13

THIS. THIS FREAKIN’ ISSUE.

Honestly, the best review of the chapter would just be this picture and nothing more.

Just this thing. That’s really all you need.

However, I wanna dive into my thoughts on this a little more. So, off we go.

Okay, so I love the flashback to John’s childhood. I think that it’s easy to look back on our childhood and think of the “good ol’ days” when, in reality, those times were often not so good in the moment. I like how he addresses that by talking about what problems he could have faced during that supposedly happy time for him. In my own case, my family used to go to the ocean every summer. While I do have fond memories of those trips, as I reminisce about them, it doesn’t take long for me to recall the more unpleasant aspects of it that are easily forgotten in the sea of mental and physical snapshots of smiles and laughter.

Ahh nuclear power. This is a subject touched on early in Swamp Thing, and rightfully so; the avatar of nature and life would certainly have a bone to pick with nuclear energy and the destruction it can/does cause. In the case of Hellblazer here, this chapter outlines yet another social issue relevant to the time. On a side note, it’s chapters like these that are part of why I love these early issues. They are a time capsule that explores the issues of the time and presents them in a way that still feels very real even 30 years later. I mean, nuclear energy is still such a point of contention in the world today, not to mention nuclear weapons.

Now, I don’t know much about nuclear power usage in the UK or the feelings on it in the late 80’s-early 90’s. According to what I was able to find online, there are 13 nuclear reactors in the UK today. Like in other countries that use nuclear power, it’s believed that the benefits of having them outweigh the risks; not using fossil fuels, low emissions, relatively high efficiency, etc. However, as Chernobyl, the Three Mile Island accident, and the Fukushima disaster have taught us, these power plants can be dangerous with effects that are straight up nightmare-fuel. Only worse, because those nightmares are real.

Growing up in an Okinawan/Japanese household, the dangers of radiation, nuclear power, and nuclear weapons are stressed from a very young age. I remember reading books about hibakusha as a child and observing days of remembrance for victims of the bombs. War in general is a big no-no. So, the aftermath of the nuclear plant explosion really had me thinking about the hibakusha a lot.

Woooo this panel. I keep reading about how if all the major companies pitched in a small fraction of what they make the oceans would be spotless. I read the Japanese news, and the fact that the waste from the nuclear plant meltdown in 2011 is going to be released into the Pacific Ocean has incited public outrage. The American military base in Okinawa is poisoning the water supply, pushing native wildlife to extinction, and killing the coral reefs. The companies can afford to keep their executives in homes with golden shitters; the world’s governments are ok with spending over half it’s budget on guns; it seems that the world’s biggest players are more than willing to spend their money to keep handling things as they are. Even to the detriment of the environment. Even if it means sacrificing the health of not only the future, but the here and now. Supporting war and death over health. Disgusting.

Yes, John. We are pretty much doomed in one way or another.

Same though.

The whole scene of the power plant explosion is really well done. The art, the narration, it’s just *chief’s kiss* mwa!

The boyfriend going back for his boots and the woman with her children really struck me. They choose to stay close to the danger and worry over trivial things in the face of what is happening. Even the girlfriend arguing with John; she’s wanting cigarettes at a time like that. It parallels how a lot of the public looks at these situations, I think. I mean, just look at how people have reacted to the COVID pandemic; choosing to go out and risk their health as well as the health of others over trivial things. Do boots really matter when a reactor has exploded? Is going to a bar with the boys really more important than staying home to keep from being exposed to a deadly virus?

The “rescue” team that chases off John as he climbs through the ruins is pretty true to life, honestly. Caring more about the image of things and how well they can hide the reality of the aftermath than actually helping people. After all, if the world saw once again what destruction a nuclear meltdown can cause, it would cause worldwide outcry. No reason to scare them, right? Just hide all the bodies. Nuclear power is “safe” after all.

Nice references to Peter Pan.

Aaaaand now, this is where the weird finally reaches it’s peak.

Now, I had a few thoughts reading this section; how this whole issue could have parallels to human nature in it’s most basic form; disaster and industrial progress could actually send us back to a more primal state; the instinct to breed and continue on is innate even through a nuclear winter; evolution marches on; etc. I could elaborate, but that would be exhausting to write. Really, this explains everything.

Honestly, knowing what John has been through, it does not shock me that his dreams are like this.

[mrfrogmouth]

So there's a blanddcheadcanons post that says that "Kara is the mortal avatar of Rao" and I really don't like it, especially in the context of SG 3x04 (The Faithful). At best, as was pointed out to me by a friend with whom I discussed this post, the House of El is likely blessed and somewhat sponsored by Rao, which probably doesn't do much but produce Krypton's greatest heroes, given what the word "El" **means** in Kryptonian. I'm interested in your thoughts on this (pls post your answer).

    I reject the headcannon solely because if it were true it would mean Coville was right and I fucking hate that bitch.

     In all seriousness, though, this is an idea I've seen a lot and I'm not a huge fan of. I don't know much about Raoism beyond what appears in the show and that which can be inferred off of the show. One thing I would point out though is that El in Kryptonian (while obviously being intended to mean God by the original comic writers) can mean Sun or Stars, and since the Kryptonians in the show are, as far as I can tell, monotheistic, and worshipped only one particular star, the El family is not necessarily named God. It would, however, signify their enormous prestige on Krypton and contribute to the famous El pride (or rather, arrogance). I’m not sure it would necessarily have to mean anything more than that-- that the Els are a respected house who have produced a variety of successful politicians, civil servants, and scientists. And (this time reaching a little bit) that they are perhaps so old and respected that their house name was once a title. 

      There is a certain allure to the theory, for sure. Kara is a paragon character. She always, always does what she thinks is right, regardless of the cost, personal or global, and regardless of what other people might think of it. She has a very direct moral compass, and there are only a handful of times when she doesn’t follow it, all of which involve saving Lena. Ship who you want, but it is notable that Kara routinely prioritzes Lena’s life over that of others given the rarity of that happening otherwise. She never even considered breaking Rick Thompson’s father out of prison when he kidnapped Alex, and all he’d committed was bank robbery. Kara has lines she does not cross (though murder is clearly not one of them). She is a character that has seen some of the worst that sentient life is capable of, has seen more death and suffering than most people could imagine, and she came out of it with an all-encompassing desire to protect others. She lives to give people hope. Plus, the humor of having Kara-- the one person most offended by the idea of being an Avatar of Rao-- turn out to be an Avatar of Rao is great.

       But, I would also say that having Kara want to do good because she is the avatar of a benevolent god is reductive and not particularly true to her character. It is true that helping and protecting people is a large part of the core of who Kara is. But there is a difference between altruism and the self-destructive, bordering of suicidal desperation to save absolutely everyone that Kara practices. And to anyone who doubts the suicidal bit, I direct you to the season 1 finale where Kara literally goes on a goodbye tour because she thinks if she goes out to fight Non she’ll die. She still goes because she has hope, but that hope is that she can at least save Earth with her life. She doesn’t fight because she is certain in the ultimate victory of good and justice. She does it because she more afraid to lose another family than she is to die. Kara doesn’t become Supergirl and risk her own life because she believes in good, she does it because she can’t stand to listen to people suffer-- because she has suffered. To use Alex’s words in 1x13 “You fight everyday to keep people from struggling like you have.” Notably also in 1x13, Kara wakes up from the Black Mercy and her first words are “Who did this to me?” and then she goes after Non in what could arguably be described as a homicidal rage-- a rage that is fueled entirely for personal reasons, not the greater good of Earth (though that comes as an added benefit), which is.... not very befitting the avatar of a benevolent god. 

     A major part of season 1 is Kara dealing with grief and rage. She nearly breaks a guy's arm in episode 6 because he screamed at her for damaging his car, to hell with the children he'd almost hit with it. In season 3's Midvale flashbacks we see her first put both hands through a lunch table, then attack Jake when she suspects him for Kenny's death. She gets better at controlling it as the seasons progress, but during Crisis she very nearly melts Lex. Also not particularly godly of her. 

     Then there is the fact that so much of who Kara is is shaped by fear: fear of the government, fear of humanity, fear of abandonment, and fear of herself. In her civilian life, Kara is, for the most part, unnoticeable. She's polite, soft-spoken, doesn't wear a lot of bold colors or styles, and is often a pushover. As shown by her encounter with Red Kryptonite, Kara would not dress or speak the same way to people without the pressure of hiding her identity (though much of her dialogue is purely the loss of her "don't be an asshole" filter, some of it is stuff she had every right to say before and just didn't). I have always found that episode to be very interesting purely for the fact that Kara doesn't actually seem to be seeking harm on others so much as seeking their attention. Her argument with Alex is almost entirely about how much she hates having to hide and pretend to be less than she is. Kara drops Cat off the balcony and then catches her. She attacks the police when they point weapons at her but doesn't kill or even hurt them that badly, instead of destroying the car they're using as shelter. Red-K removed her inhibitions, made her angrier, yes, but if her goal was to actually hurt people, she could have done so-- would have done so, and with great ease. She goes to a public bar and uses super strength to smash bottles by flicking peanuts. Why do that at a crowded bar? Why not just flick potato chips at the windows in her own apartment?

      This is Kara at her absolute worst-- but does she seek out the DEO agents who shot her out of the sky? Does she go after Maxwell Lord or Non? No. She tries to make people pay attention to her. Her most shameful and hideous desire is for people to give her respect. (Admittedly, respect gained through fear, but still.). Kara's a nice person-- much, much nicer than average-- but a lot of that "nice" is just her avoiding conflict to avoid attention.

      Kara is a good person. Kara inspires people. But that is because Kara gets up every day and chooses to be good and to inspire. It's one of the reasons I enjoy Non as a villain so much-- he and Astra are Kara's narrative foils. They also remember Krypton and grieve its loss. They also were trapped in the Phantom Zone. But where Kara had the Danvers to convince her that some good people existed and would risk themselves just to help others, Non and Astra had Alura sentencing them to eternal suffering rather than helping them save their planet (through the means they thought necessary) and then landed on Earth and found it headed on the same path as the planet they'd just lost. Kara had people to help her grieve. Non and Astra were surrounded by misery. They lost hope. Kara discovered it.

     Kara is the Paragon of Hope because she has been hopeless. Because she has suffered so much, seen so much, and because she chooses to believe in a better future. She didn't have hope her first time in the Phantom Zone. She didn't even have hope for a while on earth. From what we can gather, Kara's choice to start actually believing in the future was a gradual shift that occurred sometime after Kenny's death and has lasted her ever since. For Kara, hope is learned. She chose to hope and she won't let it go, and to assign that incredible victory off to her being a God is an insult to her growth and to her character. 

   Now I personally thought “The Faithful” handled this concept very well. 3x04 is one of my favorite episodes of television in general, let alone in Supergirl. Season 3 is my second favorite season, and that says a lot for its good episodes when the bad of season 3 is so, so very bad (To say nothing of the episode to episode production value, we have the waste of Argo, Mon El’s return as obviously he’s grown he has a beard Mon El, and whatever the hell was going on with Kryptonian genetic engineering eclipse causing witches). To this day I don’t know why Kara had magic dreams. The show did nothing to explain it and I can’t imagine up a reason. 

     But “The Faithful” works because it highlights the whole paragon part of who Kara is. When you realize that every person in the room of Coville’s cult is a person she has personally saved-- that hits hard. Especially since only a fraction of the people she’s saved would ever set foot inside that building with the totally not-creepy, entirely wholesome way they deliver the invitations. (“Your daughter is special. She has been chosen. As have you.”) It works because it focuses on how the average human must view Kara, the ones who don’t see her argue with her sister over potstickers and crush her phone when she gets mad. It works because of how desperately hard Kara tries to be a human. It works because the writers know that we, the audience, do not see Kara as anything but a regular person with irregular abilities: a kind and remarkably devoted person, but not a god. 

[muffinlance]

I'm really interested in your writing process! Do you have some specific techniques fleshing out/developing new side characters? How do you come up with all those details that add so much flavor to your writing (Thinking of the Yuyan archers - again - and about how every single of your side characters is bursting with personality, no matter how small their role!). Does characterization/worldbuilding just come to you, or do you have specific techniques/tricks to help you? ~Gwen

I was gonna say "no specific techniques" but then I was going to end the sentence with "except" so I realized I was a dirty rotten liar. So no particular techniques except...

For fanfic/background characters in any story:

Make sure those appearing on screen together have distinct personalities. Ex: in the Wani cast, Helmsman Kyo and Crewman Teruko and Engineer Hanako are all reasonably distinct in how they'd react to a situation. There is a clear sliding scale on who is most likely to joke with a threat v stab it, and I think all Little Zuko or Cheating at Pai Sho readers can do that ranking without my assistance. In Little Zuko's Yuyan, the three main Yuyan also have differences (though less, since they've had way less screen time to be developed). But Helmsman Kyo and The Archer That Glued Himself To A Lemur? Not too different in their base personalities. Which is fine, because they'll likely never be in a room together, so readers don't ever need to keep them straight (and if somewhere down the line they were in a scene together, I would just make the obligatory "...that guy is the Kyo of the Yuyan" joke to lampshade the situation and make readers think it was intentional all along. As long as the writer catches things before the reader does, you can always pretend to be smarter than you were.)

Focus on one initial character trait/label. New characters are hard for readers to remember. Especially ones that only crop up occasionally, or for short periods. Pick a distinguishing trait and cue readers with it early and often, particularly at the start of scenes, to reduce the need for back-reading to remember "who the heck was that person again?" Ex: This is why I say "Helmsman Kyo" instead of "Kyo"; that nice man that rammed a ship into the Water Tribe village is his initial trait and what I built the rest of his personality around. Not his name. Never assume people will remember a minor character's name. This also works with character traits. Ex: the guards in Dark Night in Ba Sing Se, Knife and Mountain. Even in their own POVs when they're not using Zuko's names for themselves, I make sure to use their defining traits early after a scene switch to cue readers on who they are. So Knife says biting comments and tongues his sharp tooth, and the Mountain looms with great outward disinterest.

Grow characters in depth with repeat exposure. If you keep using characters, sprinkle in some light background detail and opinions for them in subsequent showings. This is how Engineer Hanako became a crappy firebender (only need small-scale bending for engineering applications), but a scary-ass knife fighter (WHERE WAS SHE HIDING THAT). If you re-read the early scenes of any of my stories, you can see this evolution in progress--at first we get the name and a basic personality, then it gets expanded upon. This makes their character building feel organic, breaks it into chunks that are easier for readers to remember (though you'll need to consistently cue anything important), and also gives you massive pretend-I-planned-that-all-along room. I generally have no idea what new characters are like; I'm meeting them as you are. But building them up little by little means I can figure out where they fit and how they can contribute as I go. Ex: the Yuyan squad leader in Little Zuko became the perfect POV for explaining how an elite group of fairly sheltered archers viewed the Avatar: their commander gave them that "he's not a real kid he's a spirit" briefing and she buys it... uneasily, as she interacts with these children more and more. Fleshing out your side characters should flesh out alternative perspectives on the world.

Use them to support the main cast, do not let them distract from the actual story. I think one of the reasons folks comment favorably on my original characters is they're their own people... but they are used to support Zuko (or whoever they're guest-starring with). When they are having their own conversations, they are about Zuko. When we are seeing the world through their POV, we are getting a sweet sweet outsider view on Zuko. They are real characters with real motivations of their own separate from the main cast, but I am not letting them run away with the plot. Which is a super easy rookie move to make, especially in original fiction--some characters "get away from you". When that happens, instead of letting the minor character steal the show, see if you can re-assign their actions to a major character or otherwise shift things around to support the larger narrative rather than this one small character's plot arc. Ex: Little Zuko's Helmsman Kyo was legit outlined to die, but people liked him so I let him live. He's getting his own plot arc separate from Zuko and the crew now, but it's in support of Teo and Mai's subplots, and it will be only small windows into their world. Because I am keeping him (and Teo and Mai) in their "background character" slots, and not letting them take over. Wrangle your characters' screen time relative to their plot importance, yo. Especially in fanfic, where people are here for the canon cast, and have only limited patience for OCs. It's nice when readers get invested in OCs, but they do so with the understanding and trust that the author isn't going to abuse their attention span.

Final word of advice: treat even the most minor characters with respect. They are real people with real motives, and that should shine through even if they only get one line of dialogue and a brief bit role. Especially especially especially do not treat them like they're idiots. I see that so often with "guards the main characters need to get past" or similar characters. When you make the side characters dumber, you are lowering the bar for your main cast and lowering tension for your readers. Give your main cast smart opposing forces, and you'll make the story so much more interesting while also making the world feel more real. Ex: Little Zuko got caught by the Yuyan. He didn't make them look like idiots by escaping in his own, he got caught like a twelve-year-old v experienced professionals should. And then the fun began. If the Yuyan had been idiots, that plot arc wouldn't have ended in tricky shooting and plausible deniability for everyone.