#and cheers to many much more development in designs to come!

[ghcstcd]

I just want to take a minute and say how happy I am that my boys went from image 1, to image 2, in the span of a month.

[reasonsforhope]

"On a blustery day in early March, the who’s who of methane research gathered at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara, California. Dozens of people crammed into a NASA mission control center. Others watched from cars pulled alongside roads just outside the sprawling facility. Many more followed a livestream. They came from across the country to witness the launch of an oven-sized satellite capable of detecting the potent planet-warming gas from space. 

The amount of methane, the primary component in natural gas, in the atmosphere has been rising steadily over the last few decades, reaching nearly three times as much as preindustrial times. About a third of methane emissions in the United States occur during the extraction of fossil fuels as the gas seeps from wellheads, pipelines, and other equipment. The rest come from agricultural operations, landfills, coal mining, and other sources. Some of these leaks are large enough to be seen from orbit. Others are miniscule, yet contribute to a growing problem.

Identifying and repairing them is a relatively straightforward climate solution. Methane has a warming potential about 80 times higher than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, so reducing its levels in the atmosphere can help curb global temperature rise. And unlike other industries where the technology to decarbonize is still relatively new, oil and gas companies have long had the tools and know-how to fix these leaks.

MethaneSAT, the gas-detecting device launched in March, is the latest in a growing armada of satellites designed to detect methane. Led by the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, or EDF, and more than six years in the making, the satellite has the ability to circle the globe 15 times a day and monitor regions where 80 percent of the world’s oil and gas is produced. Along with other satellites in orbit, it is expected to dramatically change how regulators and watchdogs police the oil and gas industry...

A couple hours after the rocket blasted off, Wofsy, Hamburg, and his colleagues watched on a television at a hotel about two miles away as their creation was ejected into orbit. It was a jubilant moment for members of the team, many of whom had traveled to Vandenberg with their partners, parents, and children. “Everybody spontaneously broke into a cheer,” Wofsy said. “You [would’ve] thought that your team scored a touchdown during overtime.”

The data the satellite generates in the coming months will be publicly accessible — available for environmental advocates, oil and gas companies, and regulators alike. Each has an interest in the information MethaneSAT will beam home. Climate advocates hope to use it to push for more stringent regulations governing methane emissions and to hold negligent operators accountable. Fossil fuel companies, many of which do their own monitoring, could use the information to pinpoint and repair leaks, avoiding penalties and recouping a resource they can sell. Regulators could use the data to identify hotspots, develop targeted policies, and catch polluters. For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to be able to use third-party data to enforce its air quality regulations, developing guidelines for using the intelligence satellites like MethaneSAT will provide. The satellite is so important to the agency’s efforts that EPA Administrator Michael Regan was in Santa Barbara for the launch as was a congressional lawmaker. Activists hailed the satellite as a much-needed tool to address climate change. 

“This is going to radically change the amount of empirically observed data that we have and vastly increase our understanding of the amount of methane emissions that are currently happening and what needs to be done to reduce them,” said Dakota Raynes, a research and policy manager at the environmental nonprofit Earthworks. “I’m hopeful that gaining that understanding is going to help continue to shift the narrative towards [the] phase down of fossil fuels.”

With the satellite safely orbiting 370 miles above the Earth’s surface, the mission enters a critical second phase. In the coming months, EDF researchers will calibrate equipment and ensure the satellite works as planned. By next year [2025], it is expected to transmit reams of information from around the world."

-via Grist, April 7, 2024

[suzukiblu]

ask game: reveal

(also sorry if I’m sending too many of these lol)

For the record there is no such thing as "too many of these", lol, you have nooooothing to be sorry for, friend, send away. ❤️

Usually Kon just doesn't mention the whole "genetically designed to fuck Superwoman" thing, since a) it's personally embarrassing for him and b) he's personally embarrassed for Cadmus. They were trying to make the ideal mate for Superwoman and they made him? Really? He was their best design for that?

That is so far past embarrassing that it's coming back around the other way.

When Kon's sixteen and not even "Kon" yet, that fact's just a casual mortification that he occasionally feels when he gets inadvertently reminded of the "education" uploads that were supposed to make him consider Superwoman the hottest piece of ass on the planet and also make him want to "keep her in line", but otherwise it's irrelevant to his life. Because, like–he's sixteen, and she's Superwoman. Even if he did want to bang her, there is literally no way in this or any reality that it would ever happen. Like, ever. The chance is so far less than zero that it is literally in the negatives.

Also, if Kon did want to bang Superwoman, he cannot imagine that ever making him want to keep her in line. Given his dating history, in fact, he's pretty sure he would've been cheering her on in literally every altercation she ever got into and actively advocating for her to throat-punch any implication of the line into the stratosphere. Like, that seems much likelier an outcome there.

Look, Kon has a type, and that type is "can kick my fucking ass and make me fucking like it". He is not ashamed of that fact in any way whatsoever.

So Kon gets older. Fills out, gets stronger; develops more Kryptonian powers and stronger TTK and better control of both. Gets a whole lot bigger than Superwoman, after a few very uncomfortable growth spurts, but still continues not to want to fuck her even after Kalura Jor-El gives him a real name and even after he meets Clara Kent and her demurely pleated skirts and geeky glasses and even after his first time seeing her rip open her neat little button-up to reveal the bright and bold "S" stretched tight over Superwoman's aesthetically perfect tits.

Like, Kon can acknowledge that Clara's goddamn gorgeous, whether she's wearing the "S" or the geeky glasses or even just beat-up farmgirl flannel. He's not blind or oblivious. Just he just genuinely has no interest in fucking her and honestly? Thinking about the idea of it kinda grosses him out. Cadmus was way too detailed in those education uploads that frequently function more like intrusive thoughts, though, so he figures pretty much anybody with his style of rebellious nature would feel similarly.

Anyway, a Kama Sutra's worth of creative ways to get a female omega off is not the worst thing anyone ever put in Kon's head.

Possibly the creepiest, but not the worst.

[aliennazero]

hi, your yoshiden posts are making me go insane at midnight. thank you so much for the good food! i was wondering if you have any personal thoughts on the reason(s) why yoshida would be romantically interested in denji? (or have the potential to be?) and if you think there's anything in the manga so far that does/could point to that?

Thank you for your question, yoshyoshy! Sorry for my late responses.

About why Yoshida would be romantically interested in Denji... honestly I have no basis for that, it just from VIBES and my feelings alone like- In my eyes, they have this weird gay tension that's only shounen mc and his *completely opposite designed* "rival" could have.

HOWEVER when we talk about CSM style of foreshadowing, I think yes, their relationship progression is already hinted since chapter 103 and 104. We, as the readers, just don't know exactly how it will ends up to be. We have the puzzle pieces, but not knowing the bigger picture. It could be platonic, it could be romantic (either one sided or not).

CHAPTER 103 SYMBOLISM

In chapter 103, there's so many details set up for both of them that I will show one by one. May be a reach, but knowing Fujimoto, we can't really predict or ignore anything tbh.

When the crowd cheered for Chainsaw Man, Yoshida saw and interested in Denji only.

Yoshida seems to be more relaxed (leaning in) and comfortable sitting with Denji than Fami (in chapter 122).

There are metaphor using their drinks to showcase their personality. Yoshida is iced coffee: bitter, dark, tired, and more mature-like. Meanwhile Denji is orange juice: sweet, sour, and more childish-like. Both standing next to each other (with height differences too). Which is very cute in my opinion.

Lastly, the famous background scene full of paintings with each different objects and symbols. Which I might try to debunk later on, but it's for another post.

CHAPTER 104 REVISITED

Now we go to the next "foreshadow" chapter, which is my personal favourite because we get teased by the probability of new trio. But we will focus on yoshiden this time.

"I'll stop you by force if I have to." Yeah, he already did. But what interesting about that is, he never *actually* try to hurt Denji. He always try to minimize the impact of his force method and tries to make Denji understand (the problem is, Yoshida is really just that BAD at giving reasonings and excuses).

Yoshida's memory is hinted to be weirdly strong. He remembers so many details even from small talks months ago, talking about Denji and "10.000¥ is 10.000¥"

"If there's anything I can do, I want you to come to me" has the same energy with "It's save through cloth, right?". It's not just a random empty words. It must be relevance in the future, right? RIGHT???

IN MY CONCLUSION

I think that's it. If you think there's more evidence to foreshadow their relationship, feel free to discuss about it! For me personally, their dynamics is very interesting and it would take much more effort to develop them into nothing than something.

I am VERY positive that their relationship would go deeper beyond what we have now. Honestly let's be real, it would be more interesting if their relationship develops romantically. Not only it would break shounen rules, but it also will be a major character development for both Yoshida and Denji. And apparently it suit the subplot we had right now, conforming your real identity. However I don't hate the idea of them being platonically too.

Also their dynamics goes from "haha funny comedic duo with gay jokes sprinkles" to "I could see you for who *you* are, but our traumas and our limited social abilities has shaped us to threaten each other, we understood everything yet we understand nothing (also let's blame the government)" in exactly 30 chapters after their first meeting in part 2, crazy.

[klonoa-at-blog]

From: Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil Official Guide Book (Published by Famitsu/Enterbrain - 2001) (Pg. 207)  

~Messages from the Klonoa 2 Staff~ Lastly, we would like to show you messages from those who were involved in the development of Klonoa 2 to the public. You'll find hard work, inside stories, and a few positive ones(?!) here and there! ......So, thank you all for your hard work!

Tomomitsu Kaneko Profile: ● Age: 24 years old ● Blood Type: O ● Responsibilities: Sound Effects ● Comments: Sound effects...... sound effects? Ugh, too much light. ● Favorite character: Likuri

Minako Matsuda Profile: ● Age: 33 years old ● Blood Type: A ● Responsibilities: Package Design ● Comments: Every time we make a package, we go to the chief to see what the next one will be like, but this time, we don’t have to do that anymore, Mr. Kobayashi just comes in and talks like a madman and leaves. I could go on and on about this and that, so to sum it up, this is a package that says, “Let’s go on an exciting adventure!” What I really like is the part where the ears are moving. I think that’s what makes Klonoa so great. ● Favorite character: Moo

Shinichi Tsuruya Profile: ● Age: 25 forever ● Blood Type: Typical B ● Responsibilities: Quality control and programmer snoozing ● Comments: I am Tsuruya, in charge of quality control. I have always heard users say, “Klonoa makes me cry!” I agree with you completely. It really made me cry, yes. Both 1 and 2. I can’t stop crying. The first ocean is our incapacitation. It was only those who played Klonoa that stopped the tears. Thank you for playing! ● Favorite character: Large Dream Stone with wings x5

Ryo Sakamoto Profile: ● Age: 28 years old ● Blood Type: O ● Responsibilities: Quality control (Debugging) ● Comments: Hello, my name is Sakamoto of Quality Control. I hope you all are enjoying the scaled-up Klonoa 2 in all aspects. My favorite song is from Mts. of Mira-Mira. When I was tired, that BGM cheered me up. You may also feel more energetic if you listen to it when you are tired. Last but not least, the entire staff will continue to do our best based on your support, so please continue to support Klonoa for a long time to come. See you soon! ● Favorite character: Moo (I like the way he walks)

Noriko Kobayashi Profile: ● Age: Unknown! ● Blood Type: A ● Responsibilities: Sales Promotion (Public Relations - mainly magazine publicity) ● Comments: We held game tournaments (Jungle Slider Relay Race!) with users at event sites across the country. We also danced the “Klonoa-kun Dance” to the background music of the Mts. of Mira-Mira stage. We were blessed with the opportunity to actually talk with many Klonoa fans, making this year’s sales promotion activity a very memorable one. I hope that everyone who played the game will become a word-of-mouth promotion captain and spread the fun of Klonoa to the people around them.  ● Favorite character: Erbil is so nice~

Hideo Yoshizawa Profile: ● Age: Age? I forgot. ● Blood Type: Once a B, now an A ● Responsibilities: Scenario (Screenplay, Supervisor) ● Comments: I had a lot of trouble with this story. I even had to reject one entire story. In the end, I rewrote the story up to about the seventh draft. I wanted to make a fresh and a little sad ending this time, since I made a very sad ending last time. But I wanted it to be directly connected to the hearts of the players, who are the alter egos of Klonoa, and that’s how I set up this world. Think about what sorrow means to you. ● Favorite character: Leorina

[fujowebdev]

After an intense 30-day campaign, The Fujoshi Guide to Web Development has officially raised $18,039. 🎉

We're immensely grateful for your trust and support, and look forward to the journey to come 💜

As we salute this feat, let's now cheer for those who made it happen.

✨Final Spotlight: The #FujoGuide Team ✨

You’ve already met many of our amazing contributors (if you need a refresher on our spotlights, find them at the end), but today we want to focus on those behind the scenes and highlight the incredible team that made our success possible.

While the hot men did a lot of heavy lifting in attracting (😘) people to our cause, a lot goes into successfully hitting ambitious goals like ours: planning, organization, research, marketing, and writing (omg so much writing).

It's impossible to accurately list everyone's contributions. This Kickstarter campaign, pulled off in only 2 months, is the collective work of an incredible team of people who came together with a mission: make programming accessible to fandom in the most hilarious way possible.

As project lead @essential-randomness found out, setting up a Kickstarter is a daunting task, even more than it seems to those who’ve never run one. Thankfully the @bobaboard community came together to her aid and managed to pull off the seemingly impossible.

Together with Slogbait, who did incredibly vital work, like setting up deadlines, budget, & rewards, a team of Kickstarter connoisseurs researched similar projects to understand what would go into making our campaign a success: the incredible @a-brilliant-loser & @elfwreck.

With data on our side, we started building. A fundamental part of this process was the research on expenses and manufacturers for the book and potential merch. Here, Candle provided us with his expertise in publishing and helped us understand the best options available.

At the same time, @tempural, @mizunotic helped us untangle the questions surrounding merchandise. What is popular with our audience? What are the best manufacturers around? What beautiful items can we afford to deliver to our amazing supporters?

Next, it was time for the practical setup: project lead @essential-randomness provided the first draft of our amazing campaign story, while @enigmalea and Heidi whipped it into the beautiful shape that will forever be immortalized on our Kickstarter page.

To decorate our riveting narrative, we needed graphics to match. As is April 1st tradition, project lead @essential-randomness got together with trusty pinch-hit designer CatBathingSun to create character cards and other campaign graphics, including the ones you saw on our socials.

But no Kickstarter campaign page is complete without captivating reward tiers. @a-brilliant-loser led this charge, coming up with our creative "GIT"-based naming and taking care of other copy needs. On the art side, @cmdonovann contributed the Boba-tans decorating our limited tiers.

Launching the campaign was a lot of work on its own. But that work, while important, could not have pushed us to these incredible heights without our incredible social media and marketing team, who worked tirelessly this whole month to reach and inspire old and new supporters.

While many people worked on this, we want to first shout out the amazing work of @owlpockets, who whipped our content calendar into shape, taught us social media strategy (and alt-texting), and helped us navigate the unknown waters of relentless promotion.

Then we have project lead @essential-randomness who spent an uncountable number of hours devising our marketing strategy and writing the threads that entertained you during this campaign.

As she herself writes, "May she now finally get to go back to coding, instead!"

But she could not have done it without collaborators like @elendraug, @enigmalea, and, again, @owlpockets, who painstakingly reviewed and improved her drafts and provided immense support throughout this extremely intense, exhilarating, month-long tour de force.

There are many other contributions-smaller, yes, but not less integral to our success. Like @thebiballerina, who first helped us wrap our heads around the inner workings of social media strategy, or @cmdonovann who kept our Discord updated on the week's happenings.

And then all the people who supported us with small (and big) bits here and there, like our very own Secret Final Boss, @thunder-the-ranger-wolf, Tovanish, @madgastronomer, Cante, Mantra, @PamuyaBlue, @playerprophet, @ignitiondork, @nianeyna, @codeargent and so many more.

Our artists, obviously, like our art director @brokemycrown; character designers @sgt-spank, @mappapapa, and @ymkse_art; illustrators @ikam177, Ererifan915, @kiwipon, @catter-bug, @admiralexclipse, and @tempural. Sensitivity readers, like @admiralexclipse and @angelfeast.

And then our project organizers, like our aforementioned anonymous contributor and @enigmalea who worked tirelessly on logistics and wrangling and showed up repeatedly to pick up all the dangling bits and pieces that a project this ambitious inevitably has.

Last but definitely not least, our project lead and director @essential-randomness who brought-and kept!-everyone together, oversaw and pitched in on every aspect of the project, designed our notepads (she's proud of them), and provided the initial investment that made this a reality.

And with this, our last spotlight comes to a close. We'd pitch the Kickstarter link here, but we're done with that for now. ;)

Thank you everyone for your incredible support. This campaign blew all of our expectations out of the water, and we'll forever treasure this experience.

We'll be back soon with more updates on the road from here. We're incredibly excited to get to work on delivering what we promised, and also pumped to get a small vacation break before we do :)

Find our previous spotlights here ⬇️

Spotlight on Localhost HQ

Spotlight on Browserland

Zine Demo

Backer Rewards

Thank you all, The FujoGuide Team

[yjyt85r98r]

Pretty Series song reviews: Sweetness×Darkness

It's certainly unique!

Song

The Pretty Series has done a few songs that are basically two songs being sung at once, but this one is a little different. Instead of having two solo performances that come together to make a duo, it's a duo from the start, and the chorus is made by combining the intro with the first verse. Lemon sings the melody from her solo part, and Miruki overlays it with her melody from the intro.

The song has a bit of a bluesy vibe that reminds me of old cartoons. The inclusion of spoken lines, and the juxtaposition of different musical and vocal styles, only adds to the cartoony feeling.

The fuzzy distorted guitar for Lemon's parts was expected, but I'm very intrigued by the, like... crunchy glockenspiel in Miruki's parts. Why does it sound CRUNCHY??? What IS that thing??? Is it two instruments synced to sound like one, or is it something else entirely? In any case, very unique.

Both Miruki and Lemon's music styles feel a little bit old school on their own, but when you put them together, they create a modern and fresh sound. The only thing I can say for sure is that I've never heard a song like this before, and I probably never will again.

Vocals

There's such an inexplicable feeling that comes with hearing Miruki do a cute idol call-and-response, immediately followed by Lemon launching into powerful rock vocals. I feel like Lemon's voice sounds even deeper in this song than in the other ones.

It was good to have the two characters take turns singing, with just a bit of overlap in the chorus. There have been too many instances of characters with very different voices completely overshadowing each other vocally, so in some cases, it's probably wise to not even try to get them to sing at the same time. It also works with the episode, seeing as they never practiced together before performing.

Also, is this the first time in the Pretty Series that the audience has been part of a song? There have been times where the audience cheers or chants during a performance, but that's just in the anime, not part of the actual song. This time, Miruki actually invites them to say a specific line as part of the song's intro.

Lyrics

Lemon has a dark image but is actually quite sweet, and Miruki has a sweet image but actually has hidden darkness in her. I initially felt let down when they lyrics didn't explore this, but Miruki keeps her private life separate from her public persona, so I think it works. It's common for idol characters to sing about their secrets and their life story, but they really don't have to if they don't want to. Plus, Miruki's lyrics clearly mention her self-love, which ends up being the most important thing in her character development. Also, Lemon's line about face-wearing holograms (that phrase goes SO hard) hints at the fact that there is more to these characters than meets the eye.

Choreography

The fact that it’s a duet between the two most physically unfit characters who never practiced together does not seem to have been overlooked by the choreographers. The movements are often unpolished and not perfectly matched. (I was thinking they might just look uneven because of the height difference, but Matsuri and Auru also have a height difference and their dance looked pretty synced.) There’s also not a strong sense of rhythm - the movements don’t really follow a beat or anything.

All that being said, it's not particularly bad choreography.

Visuals

Those coords are the best... I don't even know where to start, I just love them so much.

I like the stage design, but I can't help but feel like it's not suited for this particular performance. The pink and purple, and the lasers, both feel more suited to EDM pop. And the amount of pink means that Lemon stands out while Miruki practically fades into the background.

Good points: Unique song Bad points: The typical lack of catchiness and coherence

Rating: 6.5 Personal rating: 6.5

[mr-saturnnn]

HELLO AND @veeeffvee THANKS AGAIN FOR INSPIRATION. I LIKED YOUR GHOST FAN FUSIONS SM SO I DECIDED TO DRAW ONE. QUITE A LOT???

I even gave him a name

✨Shuffle✨

I love Chris and Kennith so much so. yeah I gave them and their fusion much info and headcanons. hope you enjoy it

let's get started

✨Shuffle✨ is the fusion of Christopher and Kennith

He loves TV shows, design, music, gothic architecture, and smashing mirrors and faces of his bullies with a metal bat.

He has a pink metal bat, a microphone and a megaphone (I thought that would be a good mix of Chris and Kenny's stuff).

Shuff is quite a joyful and cheerful fusion. Easy-going, big hearted and broad minded, but tricky if he has any intention. Usually he doesn't carry violence first— only as a defense. During self-defense, he becomes ruthless since he doesn't feel sorry for the aggressors— he will attack and move on as if nothing happened.

Shuffle is rather less (passive-)aggressive and less impulsive than Christopher but he is much more brave and sharper than Kennith.

From Christopher, the fusion has a pronounced theatricality and mannerism— it won't be difficult for him to make the right impression and play out the right emotion. The only difference is that Shuff is actually able to feel emotions unlike Chris. The latter has a long way to develop and express his emotions.

From Kennith, Shuff has a vision of the world as an opportunity to turn any of his ideas into reality. Shuff is not shy at all about experimenting with many things— the eccentricity comes entirely from Kennith.

Kennith himself is a simple boy, he is very sincere. Thus the fusion is very communicative, talkative and has zero hesitation. Similarly with Christopher— this goes well with independence from the opinions of others and the ability to protect himself.

The main difference between Shuff and both of them is that he has a basic trust in the world, although that sounds like a paradox.

Shuffle doesn't mind doing anything active and social. However, Shuff will never do what might be annoying for one of his halves. Kennith dislikes to be watched by a crowd, and Christopher can't stand to be idle, either. Therefore, we find a compromise and something in between.

Shuffle is independent from his creators, he has his own will, his own personality and own hobbies. He is not just an appendage of Chris and Kennith. Although Shuff is very impressionable and sometimes not the most stable, especially in the case of a mental breakdown of one of his halves (often Kennith).

~Headcanons~

▷ Christopher is 190 cm (6'3") tall. Kennith is 165 cm (5'5") tall. Shuffle is 267 cm (8.76), very tall fusion

▷ Christopher plays in the theater. Kennith is passionate about technology and works in a modest electronics store (he graduated from high school and gave himself a couple of years to save money for college). Shuffle has skills in both of these areas but he isn't such a fan of electronics. He prefers social and active work

▷ Christopher is still able to transform into his shadow (distortionist) form or simply summon dark arms from his back. Shuffle can do that too :))) and this is the best feeling for Kennith in the fusion, and outside of it too, hugging and cuddling with six arms is great

▷ Crispy's sharp tongue and his perception greatly affects Kennith both in the relationship and inside of the fusion. Learning self-defense and reflecting back on himself, so to say

▷ His pronouns— Shuffle uses both 'I/me' and 'we/us' depending on his mood

▷ Shuffle has scars on his body. On his hips and arms most of all, the wrists, forearms and elbows are covered with striped scars. But Shuff doesn't have burn scars— he is afraid of fires

▷ Shuff looks at his scars with severe sadness. The scars are a reminder of his most difficult time when everyone was against him (Kennith, honey, all these b!tches will burn in hell which you will set up for them together with Chris). Shuff felt how helpless Kennith was during that time, and feels bitter that he couldn't help him

▷ Shuffle likes to wear colorful socks

▷ Shuffle likes to crunch his fingers and all bones

▷ If you think about their relationship, Christopher felt very bad about Kennith's scars. Usually a sense of justice only works towards Crispy, but he was surprised when he felt the same towards Kenny. Chris is of the same sexuality as him, and he would have smashed all who disagreed, to pieces with a metal bat. Also Christopher taught Kennith how to use a bat don't change my mind

▷ If Chris acts on a momentary decision, Shuff thinks about his feelings here and now. That is, first he feels, and then decides. Chris lacks empathy (which he began to develop in the relationship), but Shuff has enough of it, especially for himself

▷ Shuff knows how to be cheeky, this is both toxic from Chris and hostility to the world from Kenny

▷ Shuff drinks a barrel of wine at once. He doesn't get drunk at all

▷ Yes, Christopher loves red semi-sweet wine

▷ The first time Chris and Kennith fused, Shuffle was unstable and had a slightly different design. For example, unstable Shuff had pink hair with parts of white and chaotic mixed clothing from both members

j'aime mon garçon

[luimagines]

Fck it Droid AU headcanons? Or just a small thing with Skydroid / Twidroid?

Droid au lives on forever

Let’s introduce the rest of the boys

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

Sky

Model SKYLNK

Programmed to be a domestic droid

Babysitter, cook, butler

Tutors the small children, watches over them, and takes care of pets as well

Due to it’s softer programming, when working in the public, it tends to work in bedside manner

Like nurses and nannies

The kind to work in hospitals and elderly living

Not necessarily the newest model on the block, but is one of the most affordable one

Commonly seen in the homes of the middle class

This droid is known for having very little drive deviate from orders

There’s very little facial expressions for newer models

Some, however, have been seen to mimic the facial expressions of the people they serve due to the acclimating programming naturally found in all droids 

The droid is built for handy work around the house

But not designed for hard labor or any heavy lifting

Perfect designed to keep things moving smoothly through the unit it’s assigned to

However- newer models have been seen to come with relationship programming (a new project from Hylia.Inc) 

Further development is yet to be seen

Time

Model TIMLNK

One of the few adults droids on the market

Versatile for many upgrades and job applications

Heavy work? Built for it

Domestic droid? On it

Teacher, hospital nurse, secretary? Just download the needed package for him to take on what job you need him to do

There are certain things that maybe a bit awkward for him to do

Like translating or babysitting

But it works in a pinch

Also sought out as a companionship droid

Takes on a lot of brunt work

While he has a lot of packages that came with time (ha), he is used more for heavy work, like cargo or supply shipments

Isn’t so much for public availability despite the company’s best efforts to expand his roles in society

Not very expressive due to the shift in attention when he was being designed

This is probably why he’s not bought for public use even if he can do the jobs

But he is programmed to be hard working and the robotic equivalent to compassionate 

So this guy never really stops working if the data received can be interpreted as contributing

Legend

Model LGNLNK

Teenage Domestic droid

Known for it’s extensive programming

In the highest demand due to the versatile talents that goes into him

Is used beyond domestic circumstances

Is typically found in place of a translator for political or high standing communal events

Can cook

Clean

Teach

Can directly call emergency services 

Known for the original intention of keeping younger children company or for acting as a Jiminy Cricket for older children

Also originally advertised for older couples who wanted a younger energy in their empty nest

As since branched out to include the other features and is the more commonly seen droid out in public

Also the most customizable out of all of the publicly made droids

Is the only droid available beyond national borders

Other, more advanced models are in progress

Hyrule

Model TRVLNK

A multi-purpose droid

Designed for human relation work or bedside manner

Typically a nurse droid

But not designed for domestic use

Is designed with high grade professional use in mind

Is commonly found in nursing homes or in children’s hospitals

Is also a part of public staff in very highly populated common areas

Like carnivals and amusement parks and zoos and museums and the like

Also acts as tour guide in many other places where travel agencies send tourists for their holiday vacations

Is one of the few droids on the market that can connect to GPS

When droids begin to start working for the public division, they were at first found in buses, driving people from destination to destination

Naturally this upset many people and bus use fell around 19%

But with time people got used to it’s features and the buses ran on time for a change

Not to mention his pleasant demeanor and over all cheerful disposition in his programming made this model likable by many who had to see him on a day to day basis

Four

Model FSWLNK

Meant to be the successor to the WNDLNK model

Used as a child support droid

But also a family companion for lonely, childless adults who want youthful energy in the household

Because of his youthful appearance but older programming, this model tends to be used for public service more so than private ownership

Even if this model is seen nearly in every family friendly public space, there are a few who do accompany children as a family owned appliance

The reason he’s more corporately owned than privately is because he is also used as a child safety surveillance system

Like at public places where children can easily be lost

Like at the zoo, museum, festival, carnival, you name it

They are looking for kids without supervision or who appear to be in danger

It took a lot of training to get that programming even marginally successful

Because they need a lot of of the droids on surveillance, they tend to wear different colored uniforms so people can identify what job that specific droid is doing

Can also be found in child counseling offices or therapy clinics (physical therapy included)

One of the more easy going personality programs

Easy to get along with and easy to like

Is programmed to work with multiple units despite the success in privately owned facilities

Wild

Model CALLNK

Meant for high paced, highly demanding work

A public service droid by nature

Meant to work in the police force

Also found in office facilities 

Or a high scale kitchen where orders have to leave in the matter of minutes

Used as a security droid in a lot of places as well

But more so as a security droid for high profile individuals

Meant to defend and protect no matter the cost

Even if it includes damage to self in the process

Not very expressive in nature

Due to the difficulties and intricacies in programming, they forgo any need for there to be a personal expression in this particular model

So he’s always straight faced no matter what the circumstances are

It’s very unusual for this model to be found in the private or commercial sector

As mentioned before those who use this model for private use are high profile people and people with money

One of the most expensive models on the market

Very few even know he exists

Wind

Model WNDLNK

Child Domestic Droid

One of the first models made by Hylia.INC

Made as an support companion

Later tweaked for homes where children are wanted but not available for whatever reason

As support companions they were designed to help children with special needs, whatever it may be

From reminding children to take their medicine on time, to helping them keep to a schedule and remembering chores as well as simply being emotional support 

The concept was at first a personified tablet

But later on, newer models became more life like and more attuned for family life

Even more later on, they were designed for aforementioned concept of lonely adults who wanted to have children without the cost or mess or real children (Take that as you will)

Is sensitive to temperature

Occasionally feels “hunger” to simulate taking care of another human

Very playful in nature

Few models can be seen in schools with a little more money to float around, helping children where Paras are hard to find

Typically used in school with younger children as the older ones tend to be a little put off by his young appearance

A people pleasure by default, but no one knows if it’s based on his programming or on his need to see though with his missions for the day

Warrior

Model WARLNK

Consort Droid- built for relationships

Has been used for espionage purposes

Doubles as a security droid as well

Is seen typically working a desk job as well

Secretary models, am I right?

Someone has to handle all the forms and PAs and meetings and names and appointments

Not just desk jobs, but also customer service

Is very much used for the public service

Only the rich have it for personal use since it would have added features regarding said spy ware and filtrations mannerisms

Or just to have a pretty thing around

Some people are into that so he’s also for them

Service with a smile~

(potential angst for android War? Definitely.) 

That being said, due the upgraded systems used for both security work and espionage

WARLNK models have also been integrated into public police forces

Public opinion varies heavily on either side

But their effectiveness cannot be ignored when investigating a crime scene

Twilight

Model TWILNK

Heavy work load droid

Handy man is all aspects

Meant to be put to work

Known from farms to construction sites

Programmed to be very loyal to the cause

Lives to serve so to speak

Needs to receive feed back to know if it’s contributing to the community

While not the typical domestic droid, some houses have been known to have a model or two around

Some companies rent out their models to the common folk to help with renovations, or moving, or landscaping, or plumbing- even electrical work

In this au, a lot work for “Got Junk?” 

There has been the one in a million celebrity that has managed to find customization locals and renovate the model to be that of an escort droid

But that’s a very expensive process

And frankly, it’s easier to change the hardware than the software

Is also the occasional nursing droid

Known to be working in nursing homes and independent living units, where it might be required to lift an entire body as dead weight for whatever reason

Is the strongest droid on the market

[thefreelanceangel]

Which OCs that are not yours do you most admire? What is it about that character that you find impressive or engaging?

is... is there a limit to how many I can name...?

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-

Um, okay. *deep breath*

Seifer d'Latu -- yes, it's my husband's character, but that's not the only reason! (He has other characters that aren't my favorites!) Seifer very, very clearly comes across with a powerful sense of self that I genuinely think comes from Sev having played the character for decades. {As someone who has chronic altitis, I don't think a character has to be a "main" or written for 20+ years to be good, but the development of personality and writing style that Sev has built up for a couple of decades sure doesn't hurt!}

He's also a fantastic villain who never bothers lying about his intentions, but seems… able to just… slide that right past people? I can't COUNT the number of female characters who happily followed Seifer to the d'Latu home and were shocked to not only meet his wife, but also at his disinterest in bedding them. Like they just… didn't listen when Seifer clearly told them he only wanted to fuck with their heads. It's genuinely amazing.

And Seifer I find particularly interesting because he's not the evil overlord who wants to rule the world. He's best suited to and enjoys being an advisor to the throne (so to speak) and was originally designed to be an enforcer to someone with a greater degree of power. It's rather rare to run into a villain character that isn't either The Leader or aiming to be The Leader and I genuinely enjoy how Seifer works into that role. (And how he works the role itself, he's just… such a delight to engage with.)

There are a LOT of characters I've had the pleasure of engaging with that are just marvelous. Voranoix L'espoir (one of my top fifteen RP characters ever tbh), Zale Bolton, Lupus Lynx, Thravnar Ravensun, Sezra'tan Entialpoh, Targur Steelfist, Wisteria… (Why are none of them active on Tumblr, you ask? Because the Irony Gods love to poke me with sticks.)

However, there are also a whole lot of characters I've never been able to RP with (usually because of anxiety/lack of time/lack of IG availability) that I find fascinating to read about.

@luck-and-larceny's Malika and @dumb-hat's Evander both fall in my top tier. Not only are they well-rounded characters with depth--obvious when you just scroll through a very few pieces of writing--but they're also FUNNY. And characters written with humor--both as from the reader's perspective as well as the character themself--are so, so rare. I LOVE funny characters and I love it when authors/players don't take themselves so seriously that they can't laugh at their characters or themselves. It genuinely makes the serious moments of character reflection feel more important when there's a contrast.

Basically everything @gatheredfates writes. Throw @riftdancing in there because they give each other some truly admirable support and cheer each other on. (It's beautiful to see.) There's… just the sense of WEIGHTY backstory in everything they do and reading their snippets, seeing their screenshots, I feel the same way I do when listening to "Jenny of Oldstones" written for Game of Thrones. Which is to say that there's a whole world they've created I'm getting a glimpse of and I'd dearly love to see more.

While I love @kuro8529's "black snack" (:D), his Viera Fakhri (on @gray-morality ) and @catscratching's Seda have a solid story built up, not only between them but also separately, so when I read either of them writing, I get a glimpse of the HOURS it took to painstakingly build this mutually satisfying story that has so much further that it can go.

@ofcruelghosts -- I love the noir aesthetic, the writing style and the very concept. I can genuinely feel the inspiration from the pieces and I'd love to see the character in even more scenes.

@bloodpoetry-lytharp -- Hi, have you read about Lytha? You should. Not only that, but you should read the other characters @erithe writes because she has an amazing grasp of style, character development and plot. (She's also one of the best people I've ever known.)

@mirugaidoesthings -- Dayar, ofc, I love because not only is he old enough I can thirst after the character without feeling like a perv, but also because he's written so pleasantly, so casually that it's like catching up with an old friend only to find out they killed a tiger with their bare hands at 15. You do a LOT of "WHA??" and it's amazing. Miru is a miraculously talented writer and a wonderful person.

@rylen-ashworth -- Eh, he's okay, I guess. Decent character. I suppose. {:D}

[holocene-sims]

🥧👻🦃

thank you so much for the ask!! ❤️

🥧 Pie: Which of your characters takes care of the others around them? How do they take care of themselves?

tbh the very nice thing, i think, about my cast of characters is that most of them are very kind and caring towards others; it's rarer to find cold/uncaring characters.

however (and i know this is the obvious answer), grant is one of the most caring and generous of them all. by default, his primary method of caring is acts of service, aka making himself of use to someone. do you need someone to make you soup when you're sick, be your shoulder to cry on when you're having a shit day, or come pick you up when your car breaks down? he's your guy!

he's not super good at taking care of himself, though. lmao. but he's trying! his current method of taking care of himself is to actually heal his trauma. also, on a smaller note, he is a huge fan of a nice skincare routine and cooking a good meal, so that's one of his practical methods of cheering himself up.

btw aoife is exactly the same as him, let's be real

👻 Ghost: Do you have a character or a scene that continues to haunt you? Something or someone you wish you had done differently or just can’t stop thinking about?

automatically, there are two scenes that come to mind, and they were both some of the biggest scenes in the story thus far, so i think my unhappiness with them comes from the fact that this is a sims story and i have to take the fully developed movie from my brain and convert it into pictures and text, and it doesn't match up. no matter how aesthetic i make it or how many song links i add to make it more like the movie in my head, it never feels just right.

ANYWAY

that said, the first scene is the end of the bachelor party scenes where grant is like blackout drunk and hallucinating/dreaming in 2x speed about his history with addiction, and even though he is engaging with addiction in that moment, he's traumatized by it. i think it all played out well as a whole BUT the flashback scenes did not feel dynamic to me, and that's what they should have been. i wanted it to feel like you're dragged along through that hell and chaos with him, and like you're experiencing the same oppression from substances and the people who encouraged it, and it just didn't because it was made out of stationary pictures. also, i hate using poses for more than two sims, so the party pics were bland.

the other scene is really just the end of the ireland trip where you learn a lot more about aoife's backstory. i didn't get to spend as much time with those parts because i was quite literally in the middle of working on them when i got the call my grandma died, so i abandoned them for a hot minute, and when i came back, i wanted so badly to be DONE with all that content because it took on some bad associations for me and i couldn't think much about it.

i do think it came out okay but i would have added a couple other scenes expanding on things there instead of pushing it off to another set of scenes. like i would have had a conversation there where someone tangibly discusses what aoife's parents were really like, and i would have expanded on that contrast of aoife the real person and aoife the embodiment of everyone else's desires because she's supposed to be a representation of a specific female archetype in art (medea/cathleen ni houlihan/aoife nic mhurchada - a category of women who've lost agency and/or everything they've ever known, and have endured things like forced marriage/love or symbolize stuff like someone else's freedom, etc.)

i did just kind of spoil aoife's design lmao but it doesn't matter anymore because the literature aspect is more of a fun fact and only relevant in one specific case (if you remember grant reading cathleen ni houlihan...) and i'll come back to it later, but if you read between the lines enough, you at least see there are two aoifes (so to speak.)

🦃 Turkey: What’s the most abundant burst of inspiration you’ve ever had? Were you able to translate that into writing?

hmm this is an interesting question! i'd say one of the most abundant inspo moments i've had was when @crazykissim and i decided on grant's future love interest 👀 i obviously can't share too much because it's a huge spoiler rn but i've had so much fun constructing the romance aspect into the story, putting twists on classic romance tropes, and developing an interesting personality and history for [REDACTED]. i've even built MULTIPLE lots for the romance arc. you know i'm serious when i build lmaooooo

it is translated into writing, though! the final versions of everything aren't quite done but i do have drafts ready and a full timeline set in stone :)

[maeve-99]

My thoughts on AI Art and AI in general // ranting & rambling

We live in an age where technology is overtaking humanity, fueled by greed. With everything happening with AI art I wonder what will be next? First it’s art, then graphic design, and then what? Will the next AI be able to write books? Make animations? Produce music? Write movie scripts? Program software? Until all future generations are brain dead and just consuming content botched together by soul-less machines. Why are people so keen on screwing themselves?

I’m sorry If I come across as fatalistic and too dramatic but I keep thinking about this a lot. And it’s not even a problem with the AI itself, but with the humans who create it, tell it what to do and finance it’s development – making money off of it.

AI is created by humans, and the data it uses to generate art (for example) is based on information in a database. A database that is fed by humans with things others created. No AI can create something from nothing. In case of art: it’s taken from online portfolios of artists and other sites. It’s “fun” for the average person but art theft for another. AI is created by humans and humans have intentions, humans lead corporations.

And at the end of the day billion dollar companies are getting richer and more powerful because of those technologies, while small creators are paying the price. All the while people are celebrating the innovations and cheer mega-corporations on like brain-dead goons. I wonder, will they still be laughing when their job position gets replaced by an AI? They’ll probably say “Good, we don’t have to work anymore!”. Well, it never works like that. The hard truth is, that they’ll lose their job and be broke, all the while corporations and their CEOs and managers are getting even richer. You’ll have to sell your grandparent’s house to pay the bills while those you celebrate buy their 3rd penthouse or yacht.

People will say “It’s not that deep” but I honestly think it is. It points to much deeper-rooted problems: People glorifying corporations and billionaires, people craving that dopamine from short-form content, people wanting quick solutions for complex problems. To corporations, we are consumers, consumers of content. Content we pay for, walking dollar bills.

I truly believe those are the things we need to think about when talking about AI. We all need to take a deep breath, and step back and listen very carefully when corporations or billionaires talk about “innovation” and “fun” and listen to what they are really saying, what they are trying to sell us.

Intention is the word of the day.

And hey, I get it. It’s fun to have a new App to play around with & I do see the appeal of it. But we need to remind ourselves that those technologies affect humans in a very real way. When book publishers/companies are thinking about replacing artists/workers with the much cheaper AI THAT’S when we have a problem. And not to mention people selling AI Art for a price no real artist can work for, this is not OK. Especially when they are not labeling it as such. There are already too many people who think of art as just a hobby, not thinking about all the people that earn their money by illustrating and creating art - relying on the income. And I don’t talk about the fancy art shows where people bid billions of dollars for paintings/modern art. I talk about the normal people, who do not want to get stupidly rich but just want to get by by doing what they love. People who paint or draw the images and illustration you see on your everyday items, books, magazines, packagings etc. Everything you see.

Where do we draw the line? At what point do we decide to not to be controlled by machines inspired by human greed? This technology needs to be regulated, it needs to be clear what is made by an AI and what is made by a human being. Because we are blurring the line, getting lost in the fog - and the only ones who will be laughing in the end are the corporations.

I could write way more than that but I’ll stop now – because I’m causing myself a headache. Sorry for the extensive rambling, but I had to get it out of my system. Thanks to the people who have made it this far. <3

I support small artists instead of big corporations and day of the week!

[artsy-hobbitses]

Hi! Really big fan of your art. Really love the dynamism (I don't know if that's a word? Sorry ^^;) of your Humanformers and how their designs are all so different!

I'm trying to get back into drawing (I used to draw so much as a kid, really fell off the wagon when I went into college), and I was wondering... how do you deal with the frustration of pieces not turning out the way you picture them? I get so discouraged sometimes when my skills just aren't quite up to snuff for what my brain wants to do. How do you stay motivated to keep at it?

Hello hello and thank you very much for your kind words!

Honestly you’ve got to find a way to love the process, to just see something come to life in your hands even though it’s imperfect. Embrace that imperfection as a reflection of who you are and your development as an artist at that point—a lot of old art before you get to a point where you’re happy does mirror a part of you and your influences at that period, like a little time-back machine.

Keep drawing even though you’re not ‘there yet’. Give your art a little story and narrative so the technical aspects of it are not all you have to go on. I know a lot of local artist friends who just draw things without a story or narrative, and when they cannot get it ‘right’, it inevitably feels harsher because the critic in you will see it as ‘hollow’.

You not being able to 100% put the things in your head on paper is actually a good thing—you’re already able to visualise, your body naturally needs to play catch-up with your head.

So asides giving it a little story or narrative, look to people and IP which inspire you for reference. I keep telling people this—if you’re not at a point where you can freely draw without reference, use a reference—hell, trace if you have to (practice only) to build muscle memory.

Finding a core group of art friends who mutually support each other is also invaluable. I started out a 14-year-old with shitty but determined and lovingly-made MSPaint and Mouse Neopet doodles, I can’t imagine how my progress would have been if I didn’t have a little group on the site who were genuinely charmed at what I managed to accomplish with the roughest of tools and kept cheering me on (I was entering those damn Beauty Contests and I did not care that other pieces were prettier the mine).

Last of all, remember the audience you’re drawing for first and foremost—you. Draw what you love, draw self-indulgent shit, because the best way to motivate yourself is “I WANT IT THAT WAY” and actually clawing to get it that way. There’s a running joke that so many fan artists get good at anatomy because “I NEED to see X and Y DOING THIS THING”, it’s that simple/silly and that’s the energy you need to embrace.

My first year college lecturer told students about my portfolio project something along the lines of “She’s not technically sound, but you can see that she LOVES what she’s doing, and that’s the kind of passion you need”.

So keep drawing to build muscle memory and storytelling to give even rough art a soul, and embrace that imperfection as just a snapshot in time. Of course you can do better, everyone can, but use that as a motivator, more of a “HELL YES IM GONNA DO THAT” instead of a “Why can’t I do that”. It’s a matter of perspective too!

[nothinghereisworking]

Finrod Appreciation

Wanderlust

Rated: T Words: 22,217

Felagund spent much of his time in exile exploring, documenting, and experiencing life in Beleriand's many regions and realms. He kept a journal and scrapbook into which he wrote and drew and collected a great many mementoes of his life.

Through his eyes, the First Age comes to life on the pages of his book, capturing both the joys and the sorrows of the Eldar in exile.

Moonlight In His Cave (in progress)

Rated: M Chapters: 4/? Words: 13,162

The Dagor Bragollach has broken the Noldorin siege and scattered the Sons of Fëanor across Beleriand. Celegorm and Curufin are at last overrun and forced to flee, ending up in the last place they had ever expected: Nargothrond. This is the account of their years there, and how it all came crashing down again.

Finrod: 30-Day Character Study

Rated: G Words: 14,411

For the Silmarillion Writers' Guild 30-Day Character Study prompt: During this challenge, you will choose one character whom you want to study deeply and complete prompts and activities designed around developing a deeper understanding of that character.

I got in a mood and did all 30! Prompt type will be noted in chapter title (i.e. study, writing, art), and any chapter-specific warnings will be noted in chapter descriptions.

While I attempted to stay as close to canon in this study as possible, in some things canon is simply silent, or I folded some personal theories into the prompts.

The reason this 30-day character study is longer than 30 chapters is some days involved both 'study' elements and 'writing' elements and I wanted to break them apart for those who were interested more in one or the other, to make them easier to find.

On Sands of Pearls

Rated: G Words: 5,500

Finrod Felagund returns from the halls of Mandos. Though his body has been restored, he remembers little, and the traumas of his first life and death lie just beneath the surface.

With Lights and Holly and Songs of Good Cheer

Rated: G Words: ~1,200

In Post-First Age Valinor, Finrod and Elwing create a new custom to share with one another, to keep them connected to their past and kin.

The Children of Eru

Bëor/Finrod Rated: G Words: 188

A poetic glimpse into Finrod's feelings as the end of Bëor's life draws near.

All Shall Fade

Rated: G Words: 823 Character Death

Finrod sits with Bëor at the end of his life.

---

The years of the Edain were lengthened, according to the reckoning of Men, after their coming to Beleriand; but at last Bëor the Old died when he had lived three and ninety years, for four and forty of which he had served King Felagund. And when he lay dead, of no wound or grief, but stricken by age, the Eldar saw for the first time the swift waning of the life of Men, and the death of weariness which they knew not in themselves; and they grieved greatly for the loss of their friends. But Bëor at the last had relinquished his life willingly and passed in peace; and the Eldar wondered much at the strange fate of Men, for in all their lore there was no account of it, and its end was hidden from them. The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien

The Hunt

Amarië/Finrod Rated: T Words: 1,430

Now King Finrod Felagund had no wife, and Galadriel asked him why this should be; ...for indeed she whom he had loved was Amarië of the Vanyar, and she went not with him into exile.

The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien

---

I thought about why Galadriel, of all people, would not have known about Amarië, the one her brother loved in Valinor. I decided to explore this seeming contradiction and why Finrod would not have told her (or possibly anyone) about Amarië.

Wrought In Secret

Rated: G Words: 1,500

Nolofin and Arafin disagree on the need for weapons, and their sons grapple with questions on the nature of swords.

The Gifts

Rated: G

Collection of pictures featuring FinrodBear in his finest.

[transhitman]

Honestly I'm sort of obsessed with how the Deltora anime is a case study into how even small details in adaptations can utterly obliterate how a character reads. Jasmine specifically is such a huuuge victim of this and it makes me a bit insane. Like somehow her anime version ends up reading absurdly misogynist despite most of her dialogue and most of the stuff she does being the same as in the book. Forgive me for writing essays about children's media but hear me out for a second.

Ok so to start, Book Jasmine is almost cartoonishly badass. Like she would 100% be a stereotypical Mary Sue, animal companions and all, if it weren't for the fact that she's wildly abrasive and unlikable to a lot of the other characters. And even being hypercompetent in many areas, Jasmine is definitely not overpowered. She is stated and shown to be the smallest and physically weakest of the group. Making the token Girl of the group the weakest would usually end up reading as sexist, however Jasmine does not. She is never truly excluded from any combat or major events because she's weak. As shown during the Rithmere games, she's screwed in a direct contest of strength, but has developed a unique fighting style that evens the playing field against bigger opponents. She always read as a ranger/rogue type to me -- somewhat frail, but very precise, and most useful outside of combat. Which, in combination with the rest of the writing + strong women in the series, is just sort of realistic for someone in her position. She's a really good character imo even if we don't get to see all that much interpersonal stuff between the cast. But what we do get works really well.

But then we have Anime Jasmine, who just like... Is bad lol. Even though she makes most of the same decisions and accomplishes most of the same tasks, she comes off as irrational, annoying, and generally incompetent lmfao. I think part of this is that her anger issues and difficulty expressing herself in the books gets turned into cattiness instead of like a genuine character flaw that causes issues. Part of it is also that for some reason Barda isn't allowed to be sarcastic since he got flanderized into the stoic adult (telling jokes isn't masc enough I guess???), so Jasmine got designated the group funnyman. Which honestly wouldn't even be a big problem if she told actual jokes? A sarcastic, dry wit would totally work for her. But she's just sort of catty for no reason instead of being funny. I do understand that the general tone of the show is a lot lighter than the books as well, so having a really angsty character would go against the more child-friendly direction they went. But there are also others ways they could have changed her while still keeping her general concept and vibe the same.

But the majority of it, I think, is due to the line delivery/visual design. In the anime she's very whiny and like. Cheerful? Which... I guess isn't technically an incorrect interpretation, but it's certainly a weird one considering how much she mutters and hisses her dialogue. Her visual design is, however, completely contradictory to how she's supposed to look. In the books, she dresses in worn-out military-esque clothing, is unkempt, and is -- to some degree -- androgynous. And this physical appearance doesn't really call to mind a huffy kid. In the show they made her dress a lot more brightly, and she's like weirdly sexualized imo? Which is a pattern with the women in the anime. But that's a whole other rant I could go on. Basically, my point is, because of the tone in which she reads her lines and the way she is disallowed from being Actually Disheveled, her decisions are tainted by the misogyny of the writers. You know? Like you can tell that the in-character intent behind her actions is different because the writers themselves view her a certain way. She objects to the monarchy not because she has a strong sense of justice while being somewhat vindictive, but because she's an irrational, emotional Woman. She gets sidelined in fights not because she's trying to find a way out that doesn't involve getting pummeled by a creature 10 times her size, but because she's a weak little girl. Her hating Neridah gets turned into some kind of cat fight instead of the party rightfully being distrustful of her. The whole thing with Doom goes from being about Jasmine's trauma and loneliness, to being about her finding a big strong father figure to... Idk fill some kind of emotional void only a man can fill? Some of the differences are very subtle, but they really do change the entire vibe of the character from "jaded, violent survivalist" to "quirky girl with an attitude" even though the actual events in the anime -- up to book 8 at least -- are pretty 1-to-1 with the books. The weird characterization somehow retroactively makes things that happen in the books kinda misogynist!!! Maybe I'm insane for thinking all this but really do believe it. It's such an odd feature of the writing and it's honestly so fascinating to me. Anyway this is what I think Lindal would look like in the anime

[lietpolski]

please ramble about yugotalia, i would love to hear 🤲🏻

THIS IS THE ASK EVER THANK U ok!!! uh my version of yugotalia isn't like?? the established yugotalia TM? it's inspired by it !! i read yugotalia fanfics as a young teen, but that's as involved as i was with it :O so some of my versions of the characters are inspired by the popular yugotalia versions, and some are a lot different!

under the cut because i'm sure i'll end up ranting for ages

if it wasn't obvious from how much i freak out whenever i see fanart of him, my favourite is serbia!!! :,) ISNT IT INSANE BTW how hws serbia and yugotalia serbia are literally the same guy with a different haircut. anyway i LOVE him i love unlikable greasy men ❤️ i like shipping him with bulgaria because i think their combined swagless energy is so powerful fr

i also ship him with slovenia!! or i think they're fuckbuddies BUT slovenia is my favourite oc :) he's also 100% made up by me, because i didn't remember yugotalia slovenia when i came up with my version! i drew fanart of him once it's under #mine if u wanna see that

in my head he's a sociable guy, but he often comes off as prissy or judgemental (and often refuses to acknowledge he's balkan, what an L) and he idolizes austria quite a bit while also kind of disliking him (weirdo) and he's closest to croatia! and i.. had to integrate the stupid internet memes about slovenians being femboys so..... let's say he likes dressing frilly in bed :) oh oh and he's a nature lover (sidenote, i have a serbia/slovenia smutfic i wrote that i was never gonna post or show other people but since we're talking about it lmk if you want that)

i also like montenegro a lot :D i hc her as serbia's younger sister & they're each other's closest relationship! (although they bicker more often in modern day) off-topic but i use a design for her that i've seen other people use. and she looks almost identical to me it's a little jumpscare-y HAH

i think of her as laid-back & a nature lover too, but less in a "buy expensive equipment and do fancy mountain climbing" slovenia way, and more... she's a chill gal who likes a good nap on a hammock by the sea or on a mountain u know! that said, she has a roguish side!

i don't have as many thoughts on the others (yet!! still developing my hcs on them!) but i have a set design for albania (not yugoslav so i guess not yugotalia but come omnnn he counts) & some hcs for his personality (cheerful prideful guy, sometimes a lil naive!!) and i think he'd be very good friends with greece

i'll shut up for now but lmk if there's anything else u wanna know!! i have general thoughts on the other countries too, but def have thought more in-depth abt serbia, slovenia & monte!