#Visual Complexity

[drsilasaslan]

Urban Decay Close-Up A close-up of a textured wall showing the beauty of decay with a mix of blue, red, and rusty tones. The peeling paint and cracks tell a story of time and impermanence. silasAslan.com

[reasonsforhope]

Given the misinformation that's been going around and will be going around, thought this might be helpful to some people

For a lot of reasons, I'm very good at this/at searching, to the point where I have worked as a professional fact-checker for two different publishers. So, here goes:

My Article Fact-Checking Protocol

Thorough Version

Read the full article. Keep an eye out for emotionally loaded words, and all-or-nothing language

Keep an eye out or anything that sounds too good to be true, and in contrast, anything that sounds so awful it must be true

Run the website/source through the amazing Media Bias/Fact Check. They'll tell you about a publication's bias and history of accuracy

Go to the website's home page and read through the headlines. Look at what topics they cover/prioritize, sensationalist headlines, and whether they're framing anything in a way that feels odd/off to you

Do a search related to the topic. This can be keywords, a question, or even just copy-paste the article title (Recommended: use DuckDuckGo so the results don't change based on what Google thinks they can sell you)

If multiple highly credible sources that say the same thing pop up, and there's no major societal biases that might affect the coverage of the topic in those sources (e.g. anything related to the Israel-Palestine conflict/Palestinian genocide, no matter which side), then I'm done!

If there are major societal biases, or I can't get a consensus of sufficiently credible sources, then I do some combination of:

(1) search the topic again + the words "controversy" and/or "fake"

(2) search the opposite of the topic, or do some sort of other filtered search

(3) look up a sufficiently credible news outlet with the opposite point of view of my source, and see what they have to say

(4) if it's a big enough topic, start by looking up 2 of the top national papers and 1 major paper for your region (I usually do the ones in the US, because that's where I am In the US: the LA Times, the Washington Post, and the NY Times)

Adjust "news" to "relevant type of source, e.g. tech, environmental" as relevant for all of the above options

If no red flags come up, and it's a topic I understand enough to smell huge bullshit,

Then I'm usually done!

If there are red flags, or I actually need a certain amount of detail/understanding, then it gets more complicated, but that would be a whole other thing to break down and such

or

tl;dr

Quick Version

Read the full article. Keep an eye out for emotionally loaded words, and all-or-nothing language

Keep an eye out or anything that sounds too good to be true, and in contrast, anything that sounds so awful it must be true.

If I don't know the website:

Run the website/source through the amazing Media Bias/Fact Check. They'll tell you about a publication's bias and history of accuracy

If I trust the source, but something else pinged my radar:

Do a quick web search to verify anything that sounds suspicious or too good/bad to be true (Recommended: use DuckDuckGo)

[beguilingcorpse]

toxic locked tomb crackships that deserve to be explored

babs/coronabeth (one-sided. uncomfortable. deeply unhealthy. they would have to keep it a secret because everyone thinks he’s her cavalier…. except he ISN’T her cavalier. and almost nobody knows. the scandal! the perceived taboo! the way corona would do zero work in the relationship! the way ianthe would murder him if she ever found out!!!)

judith/camilla (the ‘we’re both in love with other people but that’s a sore subject right now’ pity squad. and also they kiss each other about it)

marta/dulcinea (the soldier who’s never been allowed to stop and look at pretty things vs the pretty thing that keeps looking at her. two people who rejected the ones who could have been right for them and have to figure out whatever the hell you do next)

abigail/cytherea (the way abigial historicized and anthropologized cyth’s whole life and never realized that she had the real damn thing right in front of her. like finding a well-preserved fossil only to discover that the dinosaur that left it is still alive and right behind you. scholastic psychosexual murder-flavored bonding)

colum/mercymorn (the bred and built battery of the eighth and the mourning woman who created that culture finally meet. what happens next may shock you! [traumatized sex])

pash/harrow (harrowhark FINALLY decides to take a chance on someone who isn’t literally undead and it’s gideon’s COUSIN??? drama. intrigue. resentment. delicious)

admiral sarpedon/colum (duty-bound servants. scrunkly and normal-pilled. two inconsequential characters who frankly never leave my brain)

alecto/ianthe (i have zero textual basis i just think it would be pretty funny)

[arkarti]

Mark's adventures in the backrooms a summary

Bonus:

Twitter: X

[gunstellations]

In the world I love

_

In a different world

[diezmil10000]

my body is a machine that turns blank canvases into kanadiamari fanart

[celtrist]

Controversial opinion: Vox's design sucks

...

Because he should be wearing a NORMAL TIE. not a BOWTIE. It would:

Add to his businessman persona

Give a place for that wifi symbol to go that isn't awkward

Be a good opposing design to Alastor's bowtie

Potentially give the idea he's moved away (or attempting to) from Alastor. Especially if they had it that Vox USED to wear a bowtie.

Also, we joke about it but seriously, why does everyone have a bowtie when it doesn't make sense for some characters like Husk--

I rest my case your honors.

...

Rebuttle:

Vox having the bowtie could signify him latching onto his past with Alastor and not being able to move on

[vellichor74]

Arcane - S.2 Ep.2 Opening

Something that I’ve always admired about Arcane is its ability to tap into the most heartbreaking concepts, and portray them in a breathtaking way that puts across the stark reality of such concepts, yet blends in the beauty of visual symbolism, dialogue, and emotional complexity.

The opening scene of S.2, Ep.2 is a brilliant example of heartbreak and grief, with Jinx’s farewell to Silco cutting deeply to the core of her character. Her words, especially, “Except this time, you aren’t here to put it all back together, because someone put all those holes in you,” carry a devastating emotional weight. What makes this line so heart-wrenchingly haunting is its childlike simplicity, masking the violent nature of Silco’s death behind a tone of innocence.

The phrasing feels almost as though a child were trying to make sense of something incomprehensible, softening the horror of death by turning it into something more clear and manageable. “Put it all back together” evokes the imagery of broken toys, where fixing things can be an act of reassurance and love. Silco was the one who used to ‘put her back together’ when her mind fractured, acting as both a caretaker and the very creator of her evolving identity. Now, the reversal is straight-up cruel; she quite frankly cannot repair him, and the finality of “all those holes in you” is heartbreakingly literal, yet phrased as if a child were describing a once revered doll, lost by damage.

This childlike lens shines a tragic contrast with the reality of Jinx’s world. It’s a brutal, unforgiving place that has stolen her innocence time and time again, yet in this moment, the words suggest a yearning to escape the harshness. This juxtaposition mirrors her core struggle - wavering between a fractured, older psyche, and the lost, uncertain child she once was.

Visually, the scene is amplified with its soft, muted underwater setting, a place where her words like bubbles seem to float, untethered by logic or chronology. It’s as if she’s clinging to the last remnants of her childhood: words, images, and a desperate belief that things can be undone, even when they can’t. In the water, time itself seems irrelevant, just as it does in grief.

This quote also ties directly to Silco’s role in her life. Despite his manipulations, he became a parental figure who accepted her for all her chaos. Her phrasing suggests she still sees him in this light, not as the dangerous and cunning underlord of Zaun, but as a steady, almost mythical presence who was always there to catch her when she fell. This childlike portrayal of Silco’s death renders it even more tragic. She simplifies the trauma into something she can understand and endure; a defense mechanism as fragile and devastating as Powder’s remaining sense of self.

I just love how this moment captures so much of what makes Arcane unforgettable. It is raw and poetic, balancing emotional complexity with a delicate touch of innocence that both humanises Jinx and deepens the tragedy of her world. I swear this kind of portrayal is so rarely done well, and oh my goodness when it is..

[spaghetticat3899]

I zoned out and thought about that 3D CGI Zim floating completely motionless through space in the Planet Jackers episode and started cackling at 12 am

(I could only add this from my iPad and not in a reblog, but manually editing it in)

[doodlingwren]

☀️ 🏖 🍧

Summer Holidays! Going around, visiting new places and taking lots of photos! (maybe eating some ice cream too...)

Here's my entry for the @aldemuappreciationhub event. Since it's summer, I drew something inspired by this season ^_^

[canisalbus]

hi i ride motorcycle year round and wanted to chime in. for vasco's small around-town trips he'd probably be fine with his ears free, but for longer trips at higher speeds or when its cold out he'd want them protected. probably by tucking them under his chin into the collar of a jacket and then putting a scarf or bandana on. also goggles would be helpful if a full helmet wasn't wanted. since they're in europe and around italy specifically he could have a nice ducati (fast rockety sport bikes) or a cafe racer (much more like a motorized bicycle but they can still have a lot of power) a cafe racer would offer a lot of seat space for machete to be thoroughly uncomfortable in lol

i love your ocs they're great thanks for all the cool art :)

.

[jyou-no-sonoko19]

Progress on Anemone, for my Iwatex x Utena coasters ^_^)v

(Note that for the finals I will more properly layer everyone's hair, by cutting portions out of Sol's sprite, but for now her layer is the same for everyone, and in this case it hides a lot of Nem's hair.)

[jackklinemybeloved]

Will the umbrella academy writers ever remember that being a monkey man is not actually Luther’s power? The world will never know.

[maryvioletique7708]

Haha… yikes 💀

[cyberchangeliing]

Burden

[yukiicantdraw]

Hello hello! I'm back with a new character! :D

They're still pretty new so I might retcon things from time to time so just keep in mind that not everything here will be brought up when I finish this weird passion project-

(Also just a heads up, I'll be referring to Otori with they/them and the character that inspired the creation of Otori as he/him in future things related to this game ^^;)

So the main idea I had for this is that on Valentine's day, You were dropped off at the mall by your toxic partner and you have to wait for them at a specific time for the both of you to go on a date.

Coincidentally, you bumped into your friends at the mall and decided to chat for a bit while waiting. When your friends went to the bathroom, a stranger asks you to help them find the perfect gift for their partner, only to help you break off your relationship with your current partner.

short ramblings below cut (+bonus slightly non canon whiteboard doodles)

I wanted to make a vn based off of a video I watched and see how much can I change in the storyline and characters :D

the premise itself is similar to the original video, but I plan to have the interactions and the characters themselves feel different in some way

In the original, the yan is more right in front of your face with what he thinks and what he wants, not shying away from telling you what he thinks of you and your ex. but in this, I kinda wanna challenge myself to see if I can write subtle hints of manipulation and romance since I haven't written a character in either of those scenarios yet