#as if anyone is too nitpicky when it's free art

[capn-twitchery]

i so badly wanna try doing a meme that i used to see circulating where people would send in one of their ocs + one of yours and you would draw them under the mistletoe

but i can't FIND IT!!!

will have to make my own post smh. have to do everything myself

[physalian]

The Woes of Formatting

I am… 22 hours into formatting ENNS for print (now ebook) and am making this post for posterity’s sake to say: Formatting is so. Tedious. I had to start over thanks to Amazon going “ha you didn’t set your margins properly,” and also some last-minute changes to the text. Yesterday (7/24/24) after a full day of work, I worked on Book from 2:30pm to 11:30pm. Today is probably going to be about the same.

My neck hurts from staring at my monitor, my pinkie hurts from the strain of holding a computer mouse in one position since 6am. I have forgotten to cook lunch and dinner, but I did have breakfast.

It doesn’t even feel real yet. I am exhausted. But you know what feels great? Eliminating widows and orphans on the pages to erase the page count only by one. If you don’t know, those are the little hanging words on the bottom line of a paragraph or the top of a page that can be resized to fit on the line above it.

Getting to the last page of the chapter and realizing there’s only 3 or 4 lines of text left eating up an entire piece of paper, and then scrolling back through the chapter like a madwoman to nudge other paragraphs around to eliminate that extra page… I was literally cheering in my room in satisfaction.

For the record it shouldn’t take you this long, but I wanted it to be pretty, and Amazon is incredibly precise with their formatting requirements down to 0.001inches. So I had to reformat the cover art, which took a while. Then I had to fix the margins at least 3 times until no more errors showed up. Then I had to reread the entire book for last-minute changes. Then I had to format the chapter header pages.

Before that, though, I had to make the art for the chapter header pages. And re-learn how to do all of the formatting on InDesign.

So here I am, 22 hours in, finally onto the ebook that will be done tonight goddamn. And I just want to say, if it’s within your power to do as much of the work yourself as you can, fucking do it.

I’d be losing my mind with stress if I was waiting for a cover artist to make adjustments whenever they deigned to find my order a priority. Or the person I’d be paying to format this book. Losing. My. Mind. Maybe after the ridiculous goose chase I have been on with editors for this book has completely murdered my faith in paid beta readers to do shit in a timely manner (ENNS' first draft was written in 31 days, it took from 2/25/24 to 6/10 for my tiny army of betas and the AWOL failed betas to deliver, then 6 weeks for the professional copy edit). Anyway.

Yeah it’s taken me a long ass time, on top of two full corporate-nonsense workdays, but the satisfaction I have felt hammering this project out isn’t comparable to paying someone to do it for me. I got the manuscript back from my copy editor and I wasn’t excited, I was like “I needed this 10 days ago thanks” (in my head) and then got right back to work. Copy editor is necessary, don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely necessary, but the catharsis that I have now was definitely absent then.

So. Yeah. This is rambly and I’m not sorry. Even after the ebook is up for preorder there’s still work to be done and money to be spent. But I’m forcing myself to take a break, pause, breathe, appreciate the work I have already done.

I am hours away from launching my first published novel. Hours.

It doesn’t feel real. August 25th, 2024, Eternal Night of the Northern Sky's official release date. Gahhhhhhh.

—

For anyone curious:

Cover was done in Photoshop (I have the Lightroom student package for $9.99/mo)

Formatting was done in InDesign (%#&%# $35.99/mo after 7 day trial choke on rocks, Adobe)

Formatting did not need to be done in ID, but other one-time fees were either more expensive when I can cancel my subscription after the month is up, or the free versions were too limited and constricting in their capabilities.

I’m far too nitpicky to not have complete creative freedom and control over my work, with all the hours I have put in. So Adobe it is.

Back to work!

[seriouslysam8]

Hey all!

I wanted to give you a little update on where I’m at and when I could potentially be posting again and why I left so abruptly.

I was getting a lot of nitpicky and negative reviews lately. Some were anonymous and made me so upset that I deleted them. It was really hindering my creative process and making me less excited to continue Legerdemain. Normally by this point in a story when I’m winding down, I am already planning my next story and nothing was even springing to mind of what I wanted to write.

I was upset and discouraged and just blah.

I understand a lot of people don’t like Lily. She’s too naive and immature. But she’s nineteen and lived a very easy life. Of course, she’s naive and immature. She dove recklessly headfirst into a relationship with some random guy she met at a bar. She’s adventurous and I always viewed her as being upset that she left Hogwarts without a boyfriend like so many in her family. I think out of everyone in Legerdemain, she had the most growth as a character.

I get you hate Rayko/Rayly. Except you had this guy who was so profoundly damaged after years of hard partying and thinking he had done terrible things while under the influence. He meets Lily who is so good and nice and had no idea about the person he was. It was refreshing and he tried very hard to play the part of the perfect boyfriend and the perfect person to make up for his terrible past. Yes, they went fast and furious but I like it. It was a change and switch-up from all the other slow burns of the series as a whole. Not every single love story is a friends to lovers sweet tale. There are those that are fast and messy with an accidental pregnancy thrown in. I get the pregnancy trope isn’t favorable but it’s a small part of a larger story and gives the characters their own unique tale so it’s not all boringly the same.

People hate how I have so many side stories piled into one large story. I don’t care. That’s what I want to write. It’s life. Things happen simultaneously. Why can’t I have a love story side story? Why do I have to split up the stories and have strictly just the Albus story? Fuck that. I write what I want to write and I like all the side stories. I don’t want to be boxed in where I write either an adventure/mystery or a romance or a fluff piece. I want them all in one.

People hate how I go from very angsty to comedy. Well, fuck, how depressing would this story be if I had no comedic breaks? If it “messes with the flow” or “takes you out of the story” then don’t read. If you don’t like my style then don’t read. Simple as that.

I’m not a published author. This is fanfiction and I write it as a hobby so I don’t have to worry about things that traditionally published authors who make actual money have to think about. I write what I want and about what I want and I share it for free. The key word is FREE.

I’ve said this before. This is my hobby that I enjoy. I share with you all because it’s fun. The moment it stops being fun, I’m done. I’ll just continue to write stories in my head.

I was brought up under the philosophy that if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all. There’s an x at the top of the screen you can click and go read someone else. There’s no need to discourage anyone who is writing for fun and for free. This is a hobby for us all and we should view it as that. Don’t expect the moon and the stars when legit this is fanfiction. I don’t care if I made a grammar mistake. You don’t have to point it out. I don’t get paid to make sure it’s immaculate and those types of reviews are annoying as hell.

In short, be kind and encouraging. Nobody is forcing you to read anything. This is all for fun and for free. It’s not a published work of art that follows rules and structures. It’s FOR FUN. Can’t we all appreciate and enjoy it as that? Can’t we just write encouraging words?

As to the update on Legerdemain, I want to have through 31 written so I’m a few weeks ahead. I just finished 29 and sent it to Bell to edit. As a fun side project, I also wrote a 11k one-shot this week as well just to help me enjoy writing once more. I’m hoping not next week, but the week after that (April 10) is when I will pick back up posting.

I have some asks that I’ll answer later today or tomorrow morning. I didn’t want this post to get lost in the flood of answering asks.

Thanks for all the support.

[t00thpasteface]

6, 11, 26 for the ask game!

6 - Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

Oh my god, how's this for a throwback-- I first started playing TF2 in 2011 right when it went free-to-play, which was also when Meet the Medic dropped. You can imagine that HeavyMedic/"Red Oktoberfest" was absolutely everywhere on the interwebs at that moment. And I totally didn't jive with it!!

I don't remember exactly why, but I pushed back pretty hard. IDK, I was definitely still in the closet (I didn't come out until I was halfway through college) and sometimes that manifested as nitpicky ship police. Or something. It's been a while since I was a fiery and overwrought teenager so it's honestly difficult to get back in that headspace and remember what I was so worked up about.

Later that same year, I joined Tumblr just to follow all the TF2 askblogs I had found, and I think somewhere along the lines I must've followed an "Ask Heavy" or "Ask Medic" blog that finally swayed me after a year or so. Now I still love that ship over a decade later!!

11 - Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t?

Answered in a previous ask!! I think I wrote enough about Delphine to preclude any other ramblings about unfavorites...

26 - Most shippable character?

I've never really been one to multiship. I generally keep every character to one ship, if anything at all. Not sure why, but that's always been how I roll... That being said, there's two characters (off the top of my head) who've definitely made me entertain the idea of multishipping, however briefly:

(1) America/Alfred F. Jones from Hetalia. He's just a big bubbly ray of sunshine. He's like a human golden retriever. Anyone you pair him up with is going to see immediate improvements in their sad lives, and a lot of the other nations are typically more level-headed than he is, so he benefits too! I'm a diehard FrUS shipper, but RusAme, AmePan, AmeChu, KorAme, PruAme, etc. are all very, very cute. Sue me-- I just LOVE the culture clash of America absolutely smothering whoever he's dating with food, PDA, and all manner of grandiose gestures! (Although I always found England too annoying to ship USUK... ah well. Not worth the ship wars, anyway.)

(2) Dave Strider from Homestuck. Sort of the opposite of America for this guy. I can see him gelling pretty well with the outgoing bananas-bonkers craziness of pretty much anyone else he gets shipped with. My go-to Dave ship was always DaveRezi (Woe is me!! Is it better to become canon and get retconned, or to never have become canon at all???), but of course I can definitely see the appeal in DaveKat, JohnDave, DaveJade, you name it. Hell, there was even some EriDave(!) art eons ago that made me say, "Yeah, I can see that!" Dave is a cool guy; he can get along with anyone. One of the may perks of being named/themed after Aragorn, King of Negotiators and Motivational Speakers, I guess!

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Smoochum Line

Cutest Pokemon is Best Pokemon.

DESIGN: 

Smoochum is legitimately the cutest Pokemon ever. Maybe it’s just “The Screen Actor’s Guilt” sticking with me as an episode, but seriously, Smoochum is just a sweet little lovable baby who wants kisses and hugs but also looks absolutely sassy when she’s not getting them.  I keep three Pokemon nearby at night, and one of them’s Smoochum. (The other two are Eevee.) I love her bunches and she’s just distilled cute baby girl and I just want to hold her and squeeze her and take care of her forever. 

Jynx, on the other hand, is a pokemon design traditionally considered odd. Based on a mixture of the operatic Brunhilda and a Japanese mythological creature called Yamauba. Many also believe she’s based on the Ganguro style in Japan, and while this is possible, it’s unlikely- the Ganguro style was only just reaching real popularity when Pokemon came out. Jynx initially had black skin, but that was very swiftly changed to purple basically as soon as anyone outside of Japan got a look at her. 

Jynx is probably the most humanlike Pokemon, in more than a few ways. Unlike some Pokemon, there are no non-clothing explanations for Jynx’s outfit, and their pokedex entries state that Jynx speaks in a human-like language that nobody can translate. This is probably because the verbal language is incomplete- other Pokedex entries say that Jynx communicate by dancing. 

Jynx’s design and Pokedex entries really blur the line of what a Pokemon is, as opposed to what a Person is, and any real thought about it can only lead to people being uncomfortable, especially when there’s so many reasons to believe that humans are a type of Pokemon. 

I don’t know if I like Jynx’s design, but I’m definitely interested by it. Jynx is something interesting and special, even after some thousand Pokemon have been released (if you count alternate forms.) She’s a person, I think. A weird, non-human person, but a person. So what does this say about, well, everything? 

Art by Cosmopoliturtle

EVOLUTIONS:

Jynx got shafted.

Look, I get that not everything can have an evolution, but Jynx, Electabuzz, and Magmar were a clear trio from the beginning, and then when baby Pokemon showed up they each got a new baby form. And if you look at the early, proto-Jynx data it’s very clear that these three were created intentionally together, with Jynx being pure ice-type at the time.

But then Electabuzz and Magmar got evolutions, and Jynx just didn’t. Now, maybe it’s because at the time she was probably the strongest of the three, but it’s not as though she’s ever been tearing up the tournament scene. Jynx deserves a third form.

Anyway, Smoochum to Jynx is a pretty standard level-up evolution. Nothing to really note there except that level 30’s a bit on the late side for something with Jynx’s stats.

Art by Mataknight

TYPING: 

Ice/Psychic is a serious glass-cannon type. Defensively, it’s weak to six types and only resists Ice and Psychic, but offensively, it’s super-effective against six types, and only stopped by Steel. This is still a problem when switching in, but Jynx has enough speed and special attack that the coverage is more important than the resistances.

STATS:

115 Special Attack and 95 Speed is enough to work with if the rest of the Pokemon’s not useless. Jynx has abysmal physical defense and lowish HP, but its special defense is solid. This makes switching in even harder, but once she’s in she’s a threat right out of the gate.

Rocket Grunt Muchul by AutobotTesla

ABILITIES:

Forewarn is basically useless- moving on.

Oblivious prevents Jynx from Attract and Taunt, which isn’t inherently useless but pales in comparison to her Hidden Ability.

Jynx’s Hidden Ability, Dry Skin, makes Jynx absorb water attacks to heal and heals her every turn in the rain. It does make her more susceptible to fire, and take damage from Sunny Day, but she’s vulnerable to fire already and changing it from a 2x weakness to a 2.5x weakness isn’t a huge hit. Immunity to (and in fact healing from) water type attacks opens up serious options for free switch-ins, as well as tactical options in 2v2. Weakness to Sunny Day is a bit awkward, but the tradeoff is worth it.

Art by Maldock

MOVES:

Jynx’s moveset is pretty straightforward.

Ice Beam or Blizzard for one attack, Psychic or Psyshock for the other.  Energy Ball, Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast offer coverage.

Nasty Plot, of course, is always useful on a special attacker, and Jynx is fast enough to try and sweep with it.

Most importantly, though, is Jynx’s signature move, Lovely Kiss. At 75% accuracy, Lovely Kiss is one of the best Sleep moves in the game, and though Jynx is no Electrode, she certainly has the speed to use it to save herself from many attacks.

There’s other utility moves, of course, and a high speed enables a number of them to work well with Jynx, but you really can’t go wrong with Ice Beam, Psyshock, Lovely Kiss, and Nasty Plot, and even if you add in something else you’re not going to stray too far from this lineup.

Art by MrRedButcher

OVERALL:

Jynx deserves a third form. I know, I stay that about a lot of things, but now that Magmar, Electabuzz, Mr. Mime, and Scyther all have evolutions, and Pinsir has a Mega Evolution, it seems really weird that Jynx still doesn’t. And there’s so many design options: they could make her even bigger and bolder, or they could turn her into waifu material, or they could do both and make her a big, bold waifu. There’s a lot of great third form/mega Jynx designs out there, and many of them are entirely tasteful.

My more nitpicky complaint about Jynx is that the Pokedex specifies them as dancing all the time, but they only get Rain Dance. Teeter Dance would be totally in-flavor, and Quiver Dance would both be flavorful and seriously beneficial.

Also, Forewarn sucks a lot and really needs to be buffed.

Art by Oddsocket

BONUS: 

Okay, bonus art- Designs for Jynx evolutions I particularly like.

Lucas-Costa’s Mega Jynx is a classy lady! Blurring the line between Pokemon and person even more, she looks ready for a night on the town!

GregAndrade’s Operynx leans into the Brunhilde designs and turns her into a full-on singing valkyrie!

LuisBrain’s Malicciss (Which I assume is pronounced Mal-i-kiss) turns Jynx into a full-blown succubus, with wings, horns, and curves.

There’s plenty more designs, of course, but these three represent the basic three directions I see them in (winter clothes, valkyrie, sexy) and are art quality high enough for Pokemon to actually use.

[thisdamnsociety]

October 2, 2021: Damn Intro and Patriarchism

Well, this is it, a place where I can let all my stuff out. A place where I can be me, and not be pushed by society to do shit that I have to do. And I'm talking about that redpilled shit. I don't want to deal with anyone (including my parents) about shit that I can easily disagree on because simply, there's no logical explanation. Simply, you're a pseudo-intellectual if you come up to me talking about the most redpilled shit you can ever say.

But I've gone on a rant now, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Via. I'm currently a 16-year-old sophomore in high school. My hobbies include deep thinking, art, video games, reading, listening to music, and other teenage things other people do. I like to analyze people the most, so yes, I actually do love Myers Briggs and enneagram. I like to analyze the hell out of them. And yes, I prefer to use cognitive functions over letter dichotomies.

Now, for a diary part,

There's this one kid that tends to be a dick to me and use my deadname all because I'm "different." He has long hair, and is in the same grade as me, but there was one thing I noticed with him. He doesn't act like his true self in classes. Last year, he gave a spanish presentation without being an annoying little shit. Of course he had flaws, I had flaws too. We were freshmen. But I'm not being nitpicky on his presentation, I'm being nitpicky on the way he acts. He's a manipulative little douchebag that I despise. When he's around teachers, he tries to act as obedient as possible. But around friends, he's a total douchebag.

Sometimes, I feel that there's a reason why he acts this way. In society, since primitive boys learned how to stick their shlong in a hynie, boys have tried to slow talk their way to getting to a woman. And when the woman is pregnant, the man leaves as the woman is there to weep as the man with no integrity grins to find another woman to have sex with and leave. Kind of like Ted Bundy but not killing people. What I'm trying to say is that men have always had the floor for millions of years. And the fact that they have had that floor means that in their puny little mind, they have the authority to do anything they want. Like attack planned parenthood when they can't grow a baby themselves.

People (specifically cishet men) like these are the reason for queerphobia, sexism, islamophobia, and other shit that the redpilled community claims that "it's the truth" or "FREE SPEECH BITCH YOU CAN'T CENSOR MY SHIT!" No kidding, I was actually called the f slur for being fruity. Bruh, everyone loves fruits. You sucking on Dum Dum lollipops is fruity. You basically call someone out all because you follow a fucking bible from the 1940s? Have you ever considered legal euthanization before? Grow the hell up.

The Patriarchy we've known is corrupt as hell. And here's the thing, I can't change the damn minds of old immature little shits because they have this philosophy that they're right because apparently old = smart. Guess what, Elon? The maximum we can live in this world is 125 years. And the earth is 4.5 billion years old. And sure, you've probably passed high school global, and US history. However, you're so damn stupid to think that things haven't changed and that you know everything by then. The thing is, we don't. Conspiracy theories from Facebook won't expand your knowledge, they're just there to entertain. Adding on, those theories use evidence that is old as hell. The only evidence that your redpilled mind would listen to is evidence you want to hear. But like Leigh Allyn Baker, you don't know shit about the world if you stick to facts from 1972. You won't know anything if you don't look at both sides (or rather all sides) of the spectrum. If the world was a human, the world would be around 22-25 years old. You only lived a second of that time. And learning facts that we know so far won't help. Mostly because our world is changing. So grow the hell up, and stop being a huge dick.

[love-takes-work]

Steven Universe Comic #31 (2019) - Outline & Review

The thirty-first installment of the ongoing comic series for Steven Universe is about encouraging Peedee to develop confidence and have fun during a dance contest.

Plot:

Steven and Connie are immediately excited when they see a flier advertising a dance off . . . and they could win free pizza for a year! They've got to enter!

In their enthusiasm, Steven and Connie spread the word about the dance contest to Peedee while he's getting them their fry bits. Steven's seen Peedee dance before and thinks he's got some awesome moves. He encourages Peedee to show up for the dance contest even though Peedee himself seems less than confident in his skills.

Peedee's a little worried that people will laugh at him, but Connie assures him that they will deal with anyone who laughs at him with extreme prejudice. However, Steven and Connie have their own problems; when they count their money, they don't have enough to cover the entry fee, and Steven's wealthy dad is out of town as manager of Sadie's band while they're on the road. They decide to combine their cash AND their bodies and enter as Stevonnie. Decision made, they practice dancing.

Peedee sees Stevonnie dancing and compliments them. He seems distressed, though, and admits to Stevonnie that he worries about his dancing because he's "in his own head" about it, in stark contrast to the carefree way Stevonnie dances. He feels inadequate competing against them, and in a burst of motivation, he asks if they'd mind giving him dance lessons. Stevonnie, flattered, consents.

Peedee still struggles with confidence, while Stevonnie is an unending fountain of positivity about how good he'll do at the dance off. He's still unsure when the dance off begins, and when Stevonnie sees him, they ask him to come out and dance. He's hesitant, and Stevonnie respects if he does not want to dance, but they encourage him and play up what fun it will be. Peedee finds that to be true when he accepts.

Soon they're all having a great time, but Stevonnie becomes conflicted when they realize the judges are focusing on and encouraging them. They want to win, but they want Peedee to win! How can they do both? Luckily, Mr. Smiley appears and provides an out: He wants Stevonnie to emcee instead of participate, because Nanefua lost her voice and their substitute DJ--Onion!--refuses to speak. With some relief at not having to compete against Peedee, they accept the last-minute emcee gig.

Stevonnie amps up the crowd and calls out compliments for all the dancers on the floor. But eventually, a dance off emerges. And who might it be? Jamie vs. Peedee!

The dancing heats up and both dancers are having a blast. The judges select a winner and give the envelope to Stevonnie to read, but a seagull snatches it and they have to pass the announcement back to the judges. Garnet gets up and handles it. They've selected Jamie as the dance contest winner and the recipient of all that pizza.

Stevonnie is concerned that Peedee will be so disappointed, and runs out to console him. But this turns out to be unnecessary . . . because Peedee, despite even his own expectations, really enjoyed the dance contest. He had an excellent time!

Mayor Nanefua comes to comment on the close call (though she can still hardly speak; lost voice you know). Peedee and Stevonnie feel very good about the outcome! And what's more, Nanefua awards Stevonnie a lesser prize of 1 month's free pizza for helping out with the emceeing. Stevonnie offers to split a pizza with Peedee and the comic ends.

Notable:

1. In the very beginning, in the place where Steven discovers the dance off flier, there is also a flier for "Sadie and the Killers," which seems like a corruption of Sadie's actual band name, "Sadie Killer and the Suspects." In the previous comic, #30, Steven also calls the band "Sadie and the Killers" in dialogue, though he also referred to them correctly earlier in that comic. Seems to be a weird misconception somewhere that keeps getting repeated. (Later in this one, Mr. Smiley mentions "Sadie Killer," but not the rest of the band name.)

2. In other news, I'm also very curious about the poor lost iguana being searched for by Ronaldo on another flier. I sure hope Brody's okay! But maybe it's good that the iguana escaped Ronaldo . . . one never knows.

3. When Steven is urging Peedee to enter the dance contest based on having seen him dance before and thinking he's talented, it reminds me a little of when Steven did the same thing to encourage Sadie to sing in Beach-A-Palooza in the TV episode "Sadie's Song."

4. Steven and Connie suddenly own piggy banks that they dramatically bring together to count their money for the entry fee. When it's only enough combined cash to make one entry fee, that inspires Stevonnie's entry instead of separate entries, and the author remembered that Steven's dad is way too rich to not be able to give Steven a $40 entry fee, so they had him conveniently out of town with no way to ask him for money. I do kinda wish they'd just decided to fuse for the contest because they wanted to, or so they wouldn’t have to compete against each other, or to choose to save money, instead of having a setup where they were pushed into that conclusion due to lack of funds with the First National Bank of Dad conveniently out of town. This is nitpicky, but in a comic where several developments occurred due to coincidences and forced circumstances, I would have preferred seeing some agency.

5. Stevonnie's Gem is drawn sort of inconsistently in this comic. It's supposed to be pentagonal but it shows up as hexagonal most of the time. It's strange because the same artist worked on this comic who worked on the previous one and Stevonnie was in that comic too with the correct facet configuration.

6. Peedee has a weird little mini-Frybo that he's carrying around in this comic. He hides his face behind it once while he's embarrassed. What a throwback.

7. Stevonnie encourages Peridot to "get out of the Temple more" at one point. I wonder if that means she's supposed to be still living in Steven's bathroom in this part of the timeline. Comics exist in a weird limbo sometimes.

8. Stevonnie's encouragement for Peedee is all really cute and relatable. All the scenes where they're helping Peedee are so genuinely full of Steveny optimism.

9. Mr. Smiley appearing and begging Stevonnie to emcee is a strange scene because he claims he's been looking for Stevonnie "since the competition started," and yet right before that we see him at the judges' table looking at them and approving with the other judges, in no apparent panic to recruit them as an emcee. I'm just as puzzled that Mr. Smiley couldn't just do it himself instead of acting like he's desperate for Stevonnie's help, considering it was supposed to be Nanefua's job (forfeited due to her lost voice) and she's also a judge so it can't be because he needed to be free for judging. It would've been a nice little gesture if someone on the panel (surely Garnet!) noticed Stevonnie's conflict and suggested this solution, but there was no indication that the problem was fabricated.

10. They call Barb "Mrs. Miller" in this comic--it's unclear in the show whether Barb has a partner, but nothing has indicated that Sadie has another parent in the picture or that her mom is married to anyone. I am not sure if she's actually a Mrs., but so far in canon we just have absence of evidence.

11. Garnet congratulating Jamie and referring to the prize as "more pizza than is usually recommended" and "enjoy your many, many, many pizzas" was hilarious and great writing for Garnet.

12. I love that Peedee enjoyed himself even though he didn't win the dance-off, but I felt a little disappointed that the story elected to take Stevonnie out of the conflict inherent in competing against a friend you're rooting for by throwing an equally appealing escape right in their path in the form of them being NEEDED for another role. It's nice that there was still a conflict that Peedee had to face and work through, but at the same time I kinda would have liked to see Stevonnie resolve the issue without a ready-made exit. And I feel similarly about a seagull snatching the winner-reveal envelope out of their hand so they didn't even have to personally announce that Peedee didn't win. I liked that Stevonnie got to have some free pizza too, though, since Steven and Connie seemed to really want that pizza but didn't care as much about how others felt about their dancing.

13. Man, Peedee enters the contest just wearing his usual tank top that he wears at work. Doesn't that boy have any other clothes?

14. I thought the way the dancing was drawn in this comic had some excellent energy! It really conveyed motion very well and each frame looked like it captured bodies on their way to another position, not just awkwardly posing. I love when art can do that.

[SU Book and Comic Reviews]

[allurefm-blog]

hey ! my name is link ! i go by he / they pronouns , am 21+ & live in the cst timezone ! i’m an obnoxious aries , but i promise i’m nice for a clown . i’m excited to be here ‘cause i’m a slice of life h*e . & this here is my weirdo tommy , who i hope you’ll like a lot . under the cut , you’ll find some misc. info & wanted connections , but here’s his dossier & pinterest board , which has more information for you . feel free to like this if you’d like to plot & i’ll swing by in your ims ( or ask for discord which is honestly easier for me but it’s okay if you don’t ) !

☕ . ˚ ◝  (  kim jongin. genderfluid. he/they. ) thomas “tommy” song is a twenty-five year old gemini. the deja brew barista’s go-to order is matcha lemonade and grilled cheese. they like to listen to tempo by lizzo feat. missy elliott while they wait for their order. the employees of the deja brew think they are inconsistent but swear they’re totally versatile as well. maybe that’s why collected sketchbooks that remain empty, horror movie marathons, band tees paired with perpetually messy hair remind me of them.

misc. info : ( content warning for : emotional abuse & neglect, negative religious imagery )

they’ve always lived in the la area & don’t really see themselves leaving even if they hate it here sometimes for whatever reasons they made up in their heads

their father owns several businesses & is generally well off. he has people convinced that he’s a really good guy but in private he’s an unbearable asshole. just really nitpicky about everything & overbearing in forcing his opinions on his family

their mother was a struggling actress & the few projects she was in flopped & then she became too old by society’s standards to get work & tommy’s dad ragged on her for it, poking at her appearance / weight until she finally gave up & settled for being his assistant

not only is their dad just a dick he’s also extremely catholic which intensified his already aggressive personality. for as long as tommy can remember their dad nagged him for anything possible. they never seemed to be “enough of a man” for him which absolutely tainted the way they viewed themselves

this plays a large part into why they decided to dump the idea of being a man period. all their life they never felt comfortable with being masculine & felt like a failure any time they tried but it wasn’t until their late teens that they felt comfortable identifying as nonbinary

they also suffer from a lot of catholic guilt. their dad was that typical shitty religious guy who went on homophobic rants at random so those views affect them even now

while they consider themselves closeted & default to saying they’re straight when asked they don’t keep up with it very well. any time a pretty guy makes eye contact with them they’re gonna go for it then beat themselves up for it later

they’re a thot. they enjoy physical intimacy but don’t really believe in the idea of romantic love ( yep his dad ruined that for them too ) so they prefer to sleep around than try to get close to anyone

whatever relationships they’ve been in they probably ruined it by not being affectionate or caring enough because they never learned how to be like that with another person ( whatever feelings they and their mother shared were more out of pity than actual love )

also they might be a cheater. i haven’t fully decided if they have or not but they definitely consider it constantly when they’re dating ( if you want some kind of plot like this let’s goooo )

so basically they struggled growing up but just emotionally & mentally. they were great in school but they hated the experience & everything along with their parents caused them to become pretty anxious & introverted in their adulthood

they can & will go out but they prefer not to & they’re terrible at socializing. things can be pretty awkward with them without them meaning to. & their sense of humor is very dry so it can come off as mean ( again without meaning to )

they’re really interested in drawing & painting but they went to college for computer science & honestly it makes them pretty miserable but they’d rather suffer than deal with their dad jumping down their throat

they took a couple of years off from school to gather themselves mentally ( basically had a breakdown in the middle of a semester & their dad still drags him for it ) but are in their senior year now

they only answer to tommy. if you call them tom or thomas you’ll just get a scowl in response then ignored

basically they’re both a fake goth & art hoe. they wear black sometimes but not constantly but always refer to themselves as a goth & they buy more sketchbooks than they need ‘cause they never draw in them ( they prefer using napkins & their textbooks )

they roll up their jeans and their sleeves because they’re bisexual

dogs are some of the only things that will make them outwardly happy if you want them to lose their mind then just show them a dog or even pics / videos

they love matcha it’s their favorite flavor but they actually hate coffee despite working in a cafe. but they’re really good at making latte art & getting tips because they’re pretty & and good at flirting with customers

they’re obsessed with horror movies. they relate a lot to movie monsters for trans reasons & find them comforting even when they’re super gory. currently their favorite movie is midsommar so you can catch them going off about it a lot

they love slushies & smoothies. if it’s blended & has a lot of sugar then they fuck with it heavily. also most of the time they’re too lazy to make their own food so they use drinks a lot as meal replacements 

they can’t cook worth a damn. they probably get most of their food from deja brew

they love plants a lot & keep a bunch of them at all times 

they’re a hipster they love collecting vinyls & patches for their many denim jackets

they love going on drives to anywhere everywhere at random. they don’t need a destination they just wanna drive

they sleep in small four hour bursts & are pretty much always tired

they love pizza & pasta. if it’s italian they’re a stan

they’re super clumsy. probably run into things or trip five times a day

they’re secretly dramatic & gets upset when their friends / lovers don’t give them enough attention but they will never bring it up other than through playing it up 

they collect band tees even for bands they don’t listen to & they don’t care if they get called out for it

wanted connections : 

rooommates ( one or two )

exes ( any gender. it can be messy or friendly. i’m willing to have tommy be the issue since they can be rather uncaring & we could even do a cheating plot if you want maximum angst. also bonus points if they’re exes that are still “involved”. )

hookups / fwbs ( any gender. singular experiences or regular type things )

childhood plots for those who’ve lived in la ( childhood friends, first kisses / crushes, all that good stuff )

high school sweethearts

their first sexual experience with someone masculine. i want the awkward teen ( or early twenties whichever ) experience & it’s probably something that tommy gets ( dare i say it ? ) shy about even now

flirtationships that don’t go anywhere

maybe a regular customer that they keep flirting with & the customer thinks they actually have a thing for them but they don’t & it’s weird & awk

maybe they fuck up your drink and your muse is mad about it but they try to flirt their way out of it with either good or disastrous results

your muse is the person that has to deal with this behavior

one-sided crushes ( don’t mind who has the feelings ! )

mutual pining but they’re both idiots & have no idea

anything from this tag 

party buddies. horror movie buddies. video game buddies. road trip buddies. any of these can be combined

tinder date ( it can go well or not )

literally anything you can think of i’m probably down for it

[theregoesjodariel]

Supergem: Writer’s Notes, Chapters 1-10

Hey gang! It’s a long time coming, but I finally got off my ass and finished the full notes for chapters 1-10 of Supergem, my big huge SU fic. I’m just about to finally get to work on the next batch of chapters, so I figured now would be a great time to look back on what I’ve done so far and provide some hopefully interesting commentary. Read on for that stuff!

Chapters 1-5

Right off the bat, chapter 1's title is a reference to the now-famous single-page retelling of Superman's origin story from All-Star Superman #1. There, "kindly couple" was used to summarize Clark Kent's crashlanding on Earth and discovery by the Kents.

Chapter 2 features what I feel would be the natural result of trying to fire bullets at a Gem: absolutely nothing. While Gems are obviously made of hard light and have been shown to be capable of being hurt by conventional means-- see Peridot getting Wile E. Coyote'd by the corrupted Gem in Beta-- I like to imagine that bullets are simply so small and so high-velocity that they'd pass through Gem bodies harmlessly. The science is probably wrong, but let me have my Rule of Cool.

Aside from sporting the amalgamated personalities of Lapis and Peridot, the two superheroes Turquoise takes the most inspiration from are Superman and Spider-Man. She shows at least some compassion for all people, even bad guys, like Superman, and she throws plenty of quips, especially when getting it handed to her, like Spidey.

As stated in the notes, I do not have a set design in mind for Turquoise, but I DID end up canonizing elements of a couple of designs I really like within the story. She sports the unique five-pointed hairstyle and orange suspenders of ahhween's design, as well as the cool cyan color scheme and water cape of cheerkitty1410's. Those two are just fantastic.

Axinite is a Gem OC of mine, a gladiatrix who fights in arenas on Homeworld, which function as the world's equivalent of recreational sports. A lot of the lore I have for her is regurgitated in the narration.

There are, of course, a couple of lines from "Stronger Than You" in chapter 4. There's the title, plus Turquoise correcting Val that the fight is one-on-two.

When I created the character, I actually completely failed to notice Val's considerable resemblance to Jasper, both in appearance (big, bulky and orange) and personality (haughty, judgmental). Naturally, when it hit me, I wrote in a nod to it in chapter 4.

Chapter 4 sees Turquoise and Val's fight spill into a mall, the very same one from Pearls' Night Out, currently my only other multi-chapter work. Rhiannon and Diane, both OCs from there, also make cameos (Rhiannon is the employee who points Turquoise in Val's direction, Diane is the journalist who interviews her on the street).

Pearl and Jasper handle city planning like military tacticians, because, well, they are military tacticians. They're also very overdramatic about it, natch.

Amazonite is a close friend of mine's gemsona, a former Crystal Gem who retired to become a seamstress after the corrupted Gems were all cured.

A couple of things involving Jasper take inspiration from the excellent Back to Beta. Pearl acts as Jasper's parole officer of sorts, rewarding her with Pearl Points for doing a good job and Jasper has an attachment to Earth music for its ability to say what cannot be said through simple speech, just like in there. Go read Back to Beta if you haven't, it's outstanding (it's also Jaspearl-- look at me go).

In one of many instances of Jodi Doing Too Much Research Into Things That Don't Matter, I actually broke out my copy of SU: Art & Origins to study its map of Beach City to determine just how nitpicky Pearl and Jasper were being.

Why do the Nephrites want to talk to Pearl? Maybe we'll find out....

Garnet "borrowed" Andy's plane to go to Empire City. That's a step up from "finding" a phone, don't you think?

I like to imagine that Bismuth has been rooting for Lapis and Peri to get together since the moment she met them. Her gaydar is just that good.

Believe it or not, I genuinely considered having Turquoise adopt a secret identity at one point during planning. I call myself out on it through Steven in chapter 5.

I knew I just couldn't do this story without Jasper since she is, in a way, the villain (or at least a villain) in Turquoise's origin story. As an abuse survivor, showing the ramifications of her and Lapis' time as Malachite as best I could was tantamount to the main storyline.

Chapters 6-10

The foreshadowing in chapter 6's identity should make Ms. Knight's identity a no-brainer for seasoned SU fans. No one spoil it if you figure it out, though!

Ronaldo is absolutely, positively, 100%, one of the guys who doesn't shower before the convention. That's so him it hurts.

The generally meta premise of chapters 6-9 were the result of me drafting them right after I got home from my city's local big convention, which I had a wonderful time at. I did my first ever cosplay (I was Pearl!) there and managed to hold decent conversations with Zach Callison, Deedee Magno Hall, Michaela Dietz, and Estelle. The layout of DelmarvaCon is even copied from the layout of that convention center.

In one of many moments of narrative intersecting with reality, I did some sleuthing and found that Paulette was, in her very brief on-screen appearance, voiced by Deedee Magno Hall, Pearl's voice actress. As said above, I met Deedee at the con I went to. You know how everyone on and off set never stops talking about how nice she is? They're not exaggerating, she's a fantastic person. Kim Tan is fully based on her, taking her name from a couple of Hall's other roles (Kim in Miss Saigon and a bit character named Lori Tan from an episode of Third Watch) and Lapis and Peridot's encounter with her is based on my own; while she didn't usher us ahead of the line to meet her, she did take pictures of my friend and I's cosplays for free when she was supposed to be charging for them. Seriously, nicest celebrity I've ever met.

Chapter 7 has Peridot riff that she can "observe 800 moving objects and compute their direction of travel," a phrase long used to describe Prowl in the Transformers franchise. It has no character significance here, I was on a Transformers kick at the time of writing.

The uncomfortable pulling sensation mentioned in chapter 7 is called an "itch," a callback to The Itch, the oneshot serving as prelude to this fic. There, "the itch" is used to refer to the deeply unsettling feeling a Gem gets when fitted with limb enhancers-- think the feeling you have or would have felt from a dentist fitting you with those awful rubber bands to help with the braces process, it's that kind of feeling. The feeling being given off by Ronaldo's control device is similar, "adding" to a Gem when nothing need be added.

The long opening narration in chapters 8 and 9 were inspired by the writing style of comic book writer Scott Snyder, who has a tendency to start, end, or intersperse his comics with long, expositional comparative musings on seemingly simple or mundane things (seriously, count the number of times one of his Batman comics opens with narration explaining the philosophical meaning behind the rocks used to make buildings in Gotham City).

The cost of Connie's sword is, as stated in the story proper, a rough estimate borne from around half an hour of research. While there are other pink stones that could've been used, I picked pezzotaite because of its extreme rarity, just to drive home how absurdly all-out Bismuth went on it.

Give Jasper a metal-style song in Season 6, Crewniverse!

I like to think Jasper and Greg would be good friends. Think about it: you've just found out your former moral enemies were not only led by, but had close relationships with, the person you spent your whole life idolizing. Who do you talk to about it? Why not the person who knew her more intimately than anyone else?

At the end of the Turquoise and Steven segment in chapter 10, the two sit down to watch Crying Breakfast Friends' extra-length season finale, in which a number of characters get new outfits. Now what could that be referencing?

The narration of Jasper's thoughts makes reference to the exiled Hessonite, antagonist of Steven Universe: Save the Light and a criminally underrated character.

I'd like to preface this point with a content warning for abuse, as I'll be discussing that a bit here.

So, as I mentioned briefly in the 1-5 notes, I'm an abuse survivor; I broke up with my abuser, who I had been with for just about 3 months, in February of this year. An acquaintance of mine has since drafted a document exhaustively detailing all of the bad shit they did for which receipts could be found, and my abuser has reacted with avoidance, victim blaming, and a refusal to apologize. I wasn't yet aware of just how in denial of her own mistakes they were when I wrote chapter 10, so I tried to write Pearl and Jasper's conversation as how I wished the conversation my abuser had with themselves would go, in a perfect world.

To get reflective for a moment, writing that has taught me, in a way I hadn't seen before, how Steven Universe's real, heartfelt redemption arcs, as fantastically-written and just generally good as they are, don't always apply in real-world scenarios. My shitty ex is not Jasper and they never will be.

[honeylikewords]

Hey, K, I know it’s been days but you still feel like infodumping about Spiderverse? :o

pettyprocrastination said to jonedwardbernthal:Hello yes I loved into the spiderverse with my heart and soul please info dump I require sustenance

YES I DO WANT TO INFODUMP ABOUT SPIDERVERSE THANK YOU FOR ASKING

okay okay so i’m gonna put this all under a cut for those who haven’t seen the movie and wish to remain spoiler free, and i’ll also put a couple images so that mobile users (who sometimes automatically see the post, apparently?) to warn them to scroll past!

(pls enjoy my crappy ms paint warning banner ghskhgdk)

SO FIRST OF ALL I WANT TO SAY that genuinely, this movie changed my life. I have never been as excited or happy about a movie as I was with this one, and can find few (if any) flaws with it. I would have to be hyper-nitpicky if I wanted to point out anything wrong with it, but overall, I gotta say, this movie inspired me, made me cry, made me laugh out loud, made me shake and jitter with excitement.

I should point out that, yes, the visuals can be kinda jarring, especially for sensitive people like me who react to flashing stimulus and abrupt movement very poorly, but I honestly LOVED the visual aspect of the film. The character design is incredible, the animation is so unique and stunning, and every single person has this wonderful individuality in the way they look and move that it just blows me away. This movie is already a frontrunner for an Oscar in the animation category, apparently, and it’s easy to see why.

The writing is also impeccable, with a quick pace and genuine humanity to it, and it feels so bright and alive! The way people talk is so full of character and personality, and Miles’ codeswitching is adorable and fun to listen to, and everyone has such a special and unique personality that comes through how they speak. The voice acting is INCREDIBLE and the array of the cast is SO awesome and I LOVE everyone who was in it!

I literally am so excited about everything that I’m having a hard time keeping this post linear and sensical, but I just! Love it so much!

Some people criticize the film by saying that it’s not really the “first black Spiderman movie” because Miles “shares the spotlight”, but, honestly? That didn’t come across to me at all. This movie felt entirely centered on Miles. Yes, Peter B. Parker played a big role, but, like, every movie has supporting characters and co-mains. I understand the frustration, but that’d kinda be like saying that Captain America: The First Avenger isn’t Steve’s story because Peggy gets screentime and so does Bucky. But I also do get where people are coming from and I find the frustration very valid.

But I LOVE all the spider-people, and they didn’t actually overwhelm the movie. Peni, SpiderNoir, and SpiderHam all took backseats. They were fun additions, but didn’t ever detract from the experience of this being Miles’ story. Even Gwen didn’t derail the film, or even Peter B.! They all stayed in their lanes and moved Miles’ story along, more like the wheels propelling him than roadblocks obfuscating his progression. 

I loved every one of the characters, and I got so attached to all of them; Miles’ family really stands out to me, because they are such strong and loving characters, and it is so, so sadly rare to see loving black families portrayed like this. Jefferson, Miles’ dad, is allowed to be flawed without ever crossing the line into “bad dad” territory. He’s allowed to be wrong but still love his son and be doing the absolute best for him. Even Miles’ “bad” uncle, Aaron, made me cry and love him. When Aaron died, I was horrified (mostly because, I mean, god, we really did not need to see another black man getting shot by a white guy...), but they also never demonized Aaron, or downplayed the tragedy of his loss. He was heroic, even in his mistakes, and I think that was really noble on the part of the storytellers. 

The movie just feels so lived in and loved and human, and you can tell that it’s just a work of art and love and passion. It’s a game-changer. I legitimately consider it the best Marvel movie ever made, on par with Black Panther in terms of artistic value and importance. It’s the fun of Thor: Ragnarok and the art and significance of Black Panther rolled into one, unique, amazing bundle that has forever set the bar for how I want movies, especially movies intended for families and children to be.

“Anyone can wear the mask” means something. It may sound like a cheesy cop-out, but it means that we don’t have to look up to Perfect Pillars Of White Heroism as our standards. It means black children from Brooklyn are heroes. Jewish people are heroes. Women are heroes. Asian people are heroes. Even Miles’ parents are heroes, and it shows the wide gamut of good people and what we owe to each other. While neither Rio nor Jefferson Morales-Davis are “superheroes”, they are legitimate heroes, doing their part to make the world a better place.

Also, check THIS:

Just saying!

Anyway, moving on; the jokes in the movie are awesome, and my family has been throwing them back and forth ever since we saw the movie. SpiderHam’s t-pose ascension into the black hole and “keep this, it’ll fit in your pocket” had us in tears. SpiderNoir and the Rubik’s cube? Incredible. Peter B. crying in the shower? Artistry.

AND NOW FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT THE AFTER CREDITS SCENE BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN HOLDING IT IN FOR S O   L O N G

When I read that Oscar had a cameo in the movie, I needed to know. It was the only spoiler I allowed myself to know about, and when I heard he was going to be Spider-Man 2099/Miguel O’Hara, I flipped. I read nothing else about the scene, and wanted to go in blind, but I researched Miguel and, well, you know, I fell in love!

His scene was SO good and SO funny and I LOVE Miguel SO much, you have no idea. I am SO excited for him to be in the next movie (fingers crossed!) and can’t wait to see more of him. I do hope they give him more screen time, because he’s a great character, and because it’d be amazing to have a Latino Spider-Man AND a Afrolatino Spider-Man! And because, you know, more Oscar is always ideal.

I love, love, love Miguel, and Oscar was so funny (he has amazing comedic timing and such great range, omg), and I am desperate to see more of him. I haven’t stopped bombarding my poor friend Cydney with love and affection for Miggy in, like, two weeks. I’m sure she’s sick of it by now. Also, I kinda wanna write stuff about Miggy, lowkey, as self-indulgence, but for now I’ll just keep that foolishness to myself lol.

Miguel O’Hara Is My Boyfriend Now ghdkhgkldhg

Anyway, the movie is chock-full of amazing things, both from an artistic/cultural standpoint and from a Marvel-fan standpoint: so many easter eggs and little surprises, so much amazing writing, so much amazing character design, just!! So! Good! Please go see it immediately, because I’m itching to see it again and don’t know how I can resist going in for a second watch.

Also, Peter B. Parker is Jewish and it’s canon and if you want to step up and fight me about it, feel free to, but I will kick your ass. I will. Know this. Jewish Spider-Man FOREVER, FOOLS. No one is allowed to thirst after him if they also ignore his being Jewish or disrespect it, so if you wanna love him, you gotta love his Judaism too, or I’ll fist-fight you behind the Denny’s at 3 am and knock you the hell out.

also john mulaney’s cussing outtakes for spiderham are the funniest thing on earth and i’m crying 

OH and I have the art book for the movie and everything is so *kisses fingers like an Italian cook* B E A U T I F U L! And the soundtrack? BOY I TELL YA I was listening to it for WEEKS in advance even when there were only three songs released and some of those tracks are, like, incredibly powerful, whooh. 

Anyway GO SEE SPIDERVERSE. I LOVE IT. ALL OTHER SPIDER-MAN MOVIES ARE DOOKIE BY COMPARISON.

I have more I could say but I’m so excited I’m bouncing around and going hog wild dgkgdhgkg i love spider verse

[elcorhamletlive]

fandom: MCU (Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron) (Post-Captain America: Civil War) ship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark tags: Fluff and Angst/Angst with a Happy Ending/Character Study/Pining summary: The thing about hating Steve Rogers is that it shouldn’t be easy - but it really, really is.

[chyeahlex16]

Since I am not spoiler free...

BOY have I got THINGS TO SAY

Spoilers down below, pls talk to me if you’ve seen the season!!

First of all, of the top of my head bc i just saw something that reminded me of it, can we just talk about those flashbacks???

That outfit that Texas Kogane was wearing-- correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that what Keith dressed SHIRO in when they got him back in the first fucking episode of season one??? And the gloves??? Keith’s wearing his dad’s gloves??? 

And during the broganes flashbacks--Does that mean the hoverbike is Shiro’s and Keith took it over after he disappeared?? 

And can we talk about the Galran traits Keith had when he was fighting Clone Shiro? The eyes, maybe the teeth, and I think even the purple skin at one point?? Plus he’s apparently taller, ‘grizzlier’ and whatever else Lance called him lmao he ain’t slick pfft 

Speaking of Lance, I find it hard to say things that aren’t complaints bc I really don’t want to complain about things this season. We were handed something that didn’t leave me 100% unhappy and unsatisfied, and I wanna take that with grace and not be all nitpicky and weird about. I feel like the more we complain and nitpick at it, the less we’ll encourage other potential shows that might wanna do what we ask for, if that makes sense? That’s not to say there aren’t things to complain about, (bc let’s be real........you know,,,,) , but maybe keep it to constructive criticism instead of verbal attacks? Maybe I’m just sensitive but a lot of the things I see are really..... aggressive. Tbh Idek why I’m saying this as if anyone important is gonna read it aslkdjalk ignore me i guess lol

Anyway, let’s talk about the good things with Lance! My boy got some screen time giving those orders!! Being in charge, giving out good plans, doing good things!! Offering encouragement and being stern and levelheaded when needed, all that good stuff. Yes, a bunch of his screen time was him being jealous of Lotor and Allura, but again, I’m tryna focus on the positives here. I’m so excited to see what happens when they go home!!!! I wanna see Lance’s family!! Wanna see him extend it around!!! Wanna see him welcome everyone into his home!! And he was so suave when he was playing as his character in the DND episode, that was great!

Speaking of the DND episode, it was actually really good I think! It made me laugh a bunch, and although it was a lot of comic relief and funny times... actually, I think that’s all it was... I’m v tired and the earlier episodes are blurring, ngl. Moving on! It was a good episode that made me laugh and showcased a lot of their strengths and abilities to work as a team, and I love the jokes they made about Shiro in it. Really humanized him and made him more like one of them, if that makes sense? I feel like he’s always been treated as Black Paladin, Leader of Voltron, Levelheaded Person At All Times, when, like, he’s a real person with lots emotions and joys too?? Ya know, a human, on the same level as the others. I feel like, as far as the show goes, he’s put on this pedestal and only taken down in rare moments, like the jokes in the DND ep and (only instance i can think of off the top of my head) the laser gun noises instance in s1. 

AND SPEAKING OF SHIRO, CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THE ASTRAL PLANE SCENE WITH KEITH. His fucking explanation of what happened to me killed me. He said he DIED and I WANTED TO DIE. I’m very surprised by this season, it’s the only one to have made me almost cry in the span of like 3 episodes like this. Where emotions come in, this bitch really tried to go for it. They had me for a bit, ya know?? I laughed, I wanted to cry, I got angry and annoyed and irritated, the whole shebang, it did a good job of getting an okay range of emotions out. 

Everyone else is talking about this too, but they made Keith look so good in this season??? Like, as a lesbian, I am surprised; they made my sons look amazing. And this sparked the need to complain about the Krolia scene continuation from “You’re my mom??” but. But. I am not going to complain (yet ). And I’m not going to reblog discourse either. I am not tryna be in the business of tearing down things that potentially make me happy. This season gave me moments of happiness. Sparse moments, but moments nonetheless. It left me hopeful for the next season bc let me be an honest bitch and say that I have no idea what’s gonna happen next. All I can say is I hope they don’t fuck it up. 

For now, I think this concludes my bubbling thoughts on season 6 for the night/morning. It’s 3am and I am Tired. If you’ve made it this far on my ramblings, thanks for reading, I probs didn’t make much sense, pls come talk to me further about it!! Let’s gush!! And although I said I wasn’t about the complaining that doesn’t mean you can’t come into my messages to complain! I’m actually a fair bitch who will hear you out lol, we can discuss. But yeah. I look forward to all the art and fanfics that will come from this season, even tho I myself as a writer can’t think of anything I could write from this. It was kinda... dry of substance for my tastes. But after a few days of mulling it over, I’m sure something will come to me and many others. 

I go slep now goonigh <333

EDIT: HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN THE FUCKING WOLF???? MY BOY HAD A PET AND I NEVER EVEN LEARNED ITS NAME BUT I LOVED THAT MONTAGE OF BONDING BETWEEN THEM, MAY IT BE LOYAL AS FUCK TO HIM 

[dauntless-dragayn]

Life is Strange fanfiction: All Wounds

   HEY ALL, somethin different for today. I will honestly say I don't read tons of fanfic, call me picky or just, see the truth as being i don't have much spare time to read, period so I've never reviewed one.  BUT. I really want to call attention to one this time, and what better way to do that then by helping out the author with a review? I don't think people realize how much criticism is worth to writers, even taking the time to type out something small is great. (quick note: this review contains spoilers for Lis and BtS. spoilers for the fic itself will be left to the end)   All Wounds by @destiny-smasher is a fic taking place in the Life is Strange universe, almost directly after the 'bae' ending. Throughout, it switches between Max and Chloe's PoVs, however Max is still the main protagonist here. But this is no fluffy feel-good fic (though there is some spots of fluff here and there) it's real and it's painful. It deals with the trauma and emotions that have built up in these women over that fateful week, even their teenage years - stuff that doesn't just magically disappear after the climax. That premise hooked me, because the kind of nitty gritty that often gets ignored in the fandom is exactly what tends to interest me. It actually (minor spoiler!) timeskips after a bit to when they're adults, and when things finally start crashing around their heads .. again.   I will say outright, this isn't for the faint of hearted. It's lonnnng, at 3.5 k words, which rivals many novels!! And it deals with PTSD, mental illness, suicidal ideation, and even a certain amount of psychological horror. Themes present in both games definitely come up again. And no, Max and Chloe's relationship isn't without its bumps. Or rather catastrophic crashes. Don't worry, it'll hurt you but patch those wounds up, by the end. see what i did there   Truthfully, I tried to read it in a RIDICULOUSLY short time frame for Reasons™ (unrelating to the piece) but just could not. I would continuously find myself compelled to slow down, sink into each sentence, into Max’s head or Chloe’s frustrations. I was living in their world more than mine for a few days. It was great - a piece of fresh writing hasn’t done that to me in a while.   I highly recommend taking the time to appreciate this story; it’s ups and downs, romance and time fuckery. If you loved Life is Strange (duh) there’s little reason you wouldn’t love this, too.   You can absolutely tell that this is a project woven together of heart and struggle. Art is never easy when you truly care about the outcome and the fact that this took years of the creator's time and attention stuns me. She did all that mind you, for FREE. Not for publishing, not for profit, not for fame. For a fandom she cares about. Serious writing for fandom is tough, because frankly it's not the easiest medium to sell (sell being used nonliterally here of course, and also, this applies outside of fandom too, just especially so in it) I have an INCREDIBLE amount of admiration for creators like her who dive into these characters they love - but did not create! developing them further, taking them in new directions or continuing them on paths they were already set on -  and write novel length stories or comics for absolutely nothing. You have thoroughly earned my respect.   That’s not to say it’s flawless! Nothing ever is, psh. I do have criticisms here and there, but with those I’ll be more specific, which means they’ll be put under the cut. This is mostly for Destiny-Smasher’s sake, since she is in the process of turning the fic into a visual novel! I’ve read the first few chapters of that too, it’s a cool adaption.   So yeah, if ya haven’t read it, please stop here.   (Also before you go, check out her girlfriend’s art, I’m in love with that too!!)

SPOILERS BEYOND

   Some of these tend to be on the side of minor and nitpicky, I feel, but I'll still go into them. Not trying to be annoying !

  Okay so OBVIOUSLY the repetitiveness of certain scenes or conversations was purposeful, and a big part of how you told this story. And that's GREAT I think you used that unusual element well, certainly paying attention to details. There were some times when it felt repetitive in the wrong places though I think, and I guess I mostly mean some conversations. Or sometimes rather than being repetitive they just felt unnecessary as a whole. If I'm remembering correctly sorry its been a little while by now the conversation between Chloe and Steph in the diner before Chloe realizes she can rewind time now felt like that - just unneeded, like if you had cut or shortened it nothing would be lost. I can't think of any more examples right now, but maybe just keep that in mind?   In general there are definitely a few filler scenes but I hesitate to condemn that because like I said, this world really breaths and feels genuine, and I think those are part of why.   The addition of quotes and especially linked songs was an awesome touch I thought, since ya don't normally get auditory nods like that in writing. There were a few times it broke my immersion but for the most part it was a very appealing layer to your storytelling, so I look forward to seeing that carried out with the adaption.   One thing I didn't like much in general were Chloe's pirate dreams in the second half. I understand that there were some important nods and revelations about what was going on in her psyche, not to mention the role of dream weaving being hinted at, but for the most part they just left me pretty confused.   As far as inconsistencies, I know you were worried about that, but I really think you're fine? Like other than the stuff involving Before the Storm and what that revealed/changed (which you can't be blamed for because this story was written over yEARS) there was nothing major that I noticed. And considering the utter insanity of the timelines n shit, I'm seriously in awe you kept it relatively smooth. I have a HUGLY less complicated story in the works (no time travel) and I still managed to fuck up the timeline. Moving on. :')    I’m embarrassingly forgetful, and that’s all my initial notes on the subject had to say, so I may be missing some things? But yeah, I honestly don’t have much in the negative to say.    So let’s talk about THE plot twist. Yes that one. I remember around, chapter 16.4, the idea piecing together in my mind .. the title of the chapter, her behavior, speaking patterns, the fact that yes, this wasn’t a deviation like any of the others, it was in fact the canon divergence of timeline.... hoLY CRAP ITS OTHER MAX SHES REAL AND - yeah I fangirled a bit. (I was freaking so badly about my theory that I was so sure had to be true - and I was right, heh - that I tried to explain it to my dad. Who, FYI, has minimal knowledge on Life is Strange’s plot, and no hope of understanding the convoluted details of the fic thus far. I finally gave up and went back to reading while squealing excitedly over it in my head. And then I shut up because things got dark)   Just, gods, the details! That was the most satisfying fucking feeling, seeing all these seemingly little or random things come to be crucial. Things like Max clinging to her reality with the wedding bands on her finger, or like Other Max’s particular personality, from being aggressive and upfront more than Max has ever been, to her freaking sexual behavior. Her having red streaks in her hair to represent both sides to her, the cover of the fic and the visual novel not being a symbolic picture but an actual look at the End of Time and Other Max!!   Her falling in love with Stella was definitely a curveball I did not expect, and admittedly I was pRETTY weirded out. Cuz like.. she's engaged to Chloe in the other timeline, and obviously I ship them over anyone else.. I'm not complaining! Just, a very fresh take on Stella and their relationship. Speaking of- it did seem a little strange to me that, after the awkward start to their dating and the mention of how it was going right after, that it never came up again. Obviously things got cut short, but, how was it really working? Did Stella turn out to actually be gay? I interpreted that she was doing it out of a sort of obligation and platonic love for Max, and that she was 1000% straight. Maybe you left that open on purpose? It seemed coded that way, though..   All in all I loved what you did with Other Max. She was an edge of a concept in Life is Strange, in that confrontation scene after the nightmare of episode five - which I loved for its implications - and you took that and RAN with it. So I go in thinking "okay. she's a more literal form of this mental battle Max faces, made so much worse by death shes surrounded by after the storm" And for a while that holds up.. Max finds herself moving on, as a teenager, with Chloe's pushing, and things get better for a while. Great!! Woohoo!   Except ..  the past will always find you .. especially when that past is yourself ... and not even time travel can keep it away forever.   That's the shit you don't see delved into. This power is like, a drug. A limb she's gotten used to and relies on as much as any other. I've never believed she would just, drop it. Does it go away when the storm hits / chloe dies? Maybe, I always thought. But that's so convenient. And without an explanation for why it showed up, we have no basis for why it would go away.   And why not use it, Max convinces herself. ‘I must still have the power for a reason.’ Maybe so, and you've certainly grown, Caulfield, but you are still avoiding consequences. You are still a god amongst mortals, but guess what? That immortal facade can only be contained by a human body for so long. Things start crumbling, and as a reader you see the inevitability of all, feel the hopelessness. She's keeping things from Chloe, BIG fucking things, and I want to reach over and grab her by the shoulder and shake her. "CHLOE YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS MINDFUCKED"   I literally couldn't breath for a minute when I realized the implications of the car crash scene, where Max says she's been regularly getting lost in time for months. But, no biggie. Quick weed, call, and you’re right back where you should be. Right? Just wipe the blood off your face, no one will notice.   Damn.   Anyway, enough about that. Remember earlier, when I said 'psychological horror'? Truthfully I don't know if that's the right word for it, or even if its a real thing. But whatever it is, I live for it. People's mind are their own worst enemies, and that bit is ultimately and personally relatable. Max is constantly arguing with herself. But this time, the nightmare - mine, and hers - is creeping into real life. The Other is ripping control from her shaky hands. Its twisting her into someone she never wanted to be - a literal worst version of herself, and, we find out - a real version, just from a different timeline. A broken one. A nonhuman one .. or that's what she says. But as we see this Other raise her voice, and read on in bafflement alongside Max, we get to see that her intentions, aren't necessarily evil. Has she done evil things? Yes. Did Max see her as evil? Yes, and even Chloe did for a while. But the big question I found myself asking, and Chloe eventually challenging is.. is the Other.. still Max? Is the worst reality, the worst view in the mirror, still us? All Wounds says yes. But not to give up hope, far from it - instead that we MUST confront these self made demons, we MUST accept these wounds for them to ever heal.   While spurred by a morality grounding near-death experience, that last fight at the End of Time - while a supernatural slew of symbolism, time travel, and dreamscapes - also sung to me of reality. That's what the best fantastical fiction is.   Amazing.

  To top it all off, the ending chapter was perfect. I'm not gonna lie, I teared up a bit. It felt right, and more importantly, real. Not some overdone fictional fanservice crap. But still the happy ending these women MORE than earned.   Through it all, the exploration of characters who didn't probably get what they deserved in LiS (I'm thinking about Victoria, but also Stella and even Joyce..) was really satisfying and ultimately shifted my perception of them.

  Honestly, there are so many quotable moments throughout this thing. (I have a ton of screenshots of some on my phone, actually.) But I'll go with .. "You Power isn't what makes you special, Max. Stop worrying about fixing. Focus on being. Yes, even those parts. That's all in the past. All I care about now is the future. And I want to share that future with you."

-Chloe 

 What you called experimental bullshit, I applaud. So.. Thanks for writing All Wounds.

[frozenartscapes]

About the Arendelle Royal Flag

So I happened upon this video on youtube, detailing why there are no national flags with the colour purple. It’s an interesting video, but if you know anything about the history of garments or colours you likely already know the answer: purple is expensive. That’s actually why it tends to represent royalty, because up until the 1850s it was only royalty and those with lots of money who could afford the purple-dyed fabric.

And that got me thinking, because Arendelle’s flag has a good lot of purple in it.

That’s not to mention the many other banners and flags Arendelle has, including the Royal Standard, it’s Shield, Elsa’s royal banner, and the various profile banners.

(From The Art of Frozen book)

And as we can see from this shot, there are a fair number of these banners just around the castle alone, and more likely throughout the town.

Now: we could simply chalk this up to Arendelle being set in a fictional kingdom located somewhere in Very-Similar-But-Not-Real Europe, sometime around 1840, and that because of that reason there was no shortage of purple dye and it wouldn’t have meant financial ruin for a country to choose purple as one of three colours in its flag. After all, Corona’s flag from Tangled also is largely composed of purple fabric:

And it is much easier to simply say these were both made as artistic choices by the modern creators of these movies because purple = royalty and we needed something to very obviously show that these nations are monarchies. But that is also the boring option (and one that suggests the creators didn’t really care too much about this particular kind of historical accuracy, but let’s not get into that).

So, let’s assume this is close to reality and purple fabric was ridiculously expensive. Going off the linked video above, purple dye was traditionally produced in one area of the Mediterranean known as Tyre, when thousands upon thousands of a certain kind of sea snail were routinely used so royals could wear purple. Because of these snails only being found in that location, and the sheer number of them to produce even a single gram of dye (about 10,000 snails for one gram), purple dye cost up to three times its weight in gold.

Purple did become more popular and easier to produce after 1856, when Willian Henry Perkin (an English chemist) accidentally created a solution that was capable of dyeing fabric purple. But, as mentioned above, Frozen is supposedly set in the 1840s, and it is likely that its national colours had been set long before that point. And while the video lists numbers that are more likely to apply to more older civilizations, I have a feeling purple would still have been fairly expensive to buy en mass when it’s likely cheaper to use other colours. Hell, even some of the biggest empires in history didn’t use purple in their flags, mostly because something like a flag would have to be reproduced for every ship, every army, every town, every castle, and every fortress a kingdom might have. 

So why would Arendelle, or Corona for that matter, use that much purple in their flags?

There are two options I can come up with, and feel free to state yours if you have any. The first one isn’t quite as exciting, and kinda cheats with the whole “it’s like Europe but it’s not actually” concept of the Disney universe. Basically, there’s something in either Arendelle or Corona that allows them to make their own dye. While it’s not very exciting, it would still be an interesting way for these kingdoms to flaunt their wealth and power by being some of the few places where purple dye can be bought, and since they have so much of it they can afford to have it feature prominently in their flags. It’s not quite as obvious a statement of wealth as, say, building opulent palaces or constantly utilizing gold and marble in designs. (This would also give Arendelle an actual processed good to trade rather than solely relying on raw materials). For Arendelle, I’d say a flower, like a crocus, might be able to be distilled down into a natural purple dye, or perhaps there’s a mineral in the mountains that’s similar to something like lapis lazuli and can be used to create a pigment. Probably the latter would be more likely. Corona could probably get away with having some kind of aquatic animal as its source, given it’s position further south and closeness to a large lagoon/sea.

The second option is also a little out there, but much more interesting in terms of story potential: Arendelle and Corona are both loaded. Like, fabulously wealthy. But unlike other nations that try and flaunt it, both - but especially Arendelle - try to keep it on the down low. This could be a wise strategy, as it makes them a key player in a lot of international affairs without outright painting a massive target on themselves just daring someone to try and rob them of it. The same sort of thing would then apply: their flags have purple because they absolutely can afford it, but that’s really the only clue they’ll give people. For anyone who doesn’t get the hint then they wouldn’t even notice, but anyone who did know exactly how much purple things cost would totally understand the symbolism. In terms of story, things could range all the way from our main cast having more run-ins with characters like the Duke of Weselton who know Arendelle is beyond wealthy and want to try and get their grubby little hands on it, all the way up to citizens of Arendelle getting fed up by exactly how much just one flag costs and why the kingdom is spending money on stuff like that rather than spending it on more important things. Heck, maybe Arendelle isn’t as wealthy as it used to be when all those flags were made, and as a result whenever a new one has to be created the public get more and more frustrated.

I don’t know, it’s something to think about. I know none of this really matters because a) Frozen is a kids’ movie set in fantasy Europe so ignoring nitpicky points of historical fact is kind of what it does and b) it was more than likely that Arendelle’s flag, colours, and crest were designed to fit the symbolism of the movie and not match up with anything from history. While it is something interesting to think about, it’s not something to get annoyed at the creators for. If anything, it just gives those of us desperate for more world building an excuse to start imagining more about Arendelle.

(Also as a side note, the other colours of Arendelle’s flag also create interesting issues if you go ahead and apply real-world fact to them: The yellow crocus would actually be fairly easy to produce as yellow dye can be easily created from several natural sources, however if it’s embroidered then it the yellow could be replaced with gold thread, once more upping the price. Green, on the other hand, was a pain in the ass to get a good colour for, as you either had to mix blue and yellow dyes - often leading to something that will fade into a splotchy, ugly mess - or it was made out of an arsenic-based dye. The latter didn’t come into play until the 1800s, and given the more natural look of the green in Arendelle’s flags I’d be more inclined to say they used the safer method. But it’s still interesting to see how something that was chosen based on how we see colours today would be affected by the methods of the actual time period.)

[goodbonesassembling]

a few questions for tarot people

I spent nearly all of my waking hours today on the phone doing ridiculously adult things like reporting medical groups to the government for refusing to accept insurance and trying to convince the department head of a hospital that I deserve to be seen by a new doctor asap because the one I was orginally assigned refused to actually explain my own blood work to me and because she hadn't she didn't know it was actually super abnormal and not just vaguely weird.

BUT I have also spent a LOT of that time on hold and so I have thought of a few questions I wanted to throw out into the universe and see what others thought.

1) has anyone else used the Labyrinthos tarot app and found it's descriptions of the cards a little...off? I downloaded after seeing a few posts circulating mentioning it and it's free so what the hell, worth a try, and while on hold I worked my way through the Major Arcana and Wands suit card "lessons" and I was kind of taken aback and disappointed by the language used to describe some of the cards. I don't want to come off as elitist and I really truly do believe you get to construct meaning in the deck through usage and what works for you. But there is at least an established framework for base meanings for the cards and I felt like some of them for the app were just off or at least misleading about that framework. (in case you've never used it, the lessons work basically to give you a word or phrase association with each card by repeated selection) Like, I got the Queen of Wands wrong EVERY SINGLE TIME because the prompt word was Brave and I chose Knight over Queen or Page over Queen each time. At first I thought maybe I was having a bad fog brain day so I went into my Galaxy Tarot app and looked up the Queen. Creative, confident, sexual, influential, friendly, etc, all of those made sense to me. But Brave feels like a Page/Knight word. And there were other little things, like the keyword for the Hierophant is Conformity and the one for the Devil is Excess. Like neither is strictly wrong but trying to read from that kind of place is gonna give you really weird and regressive ideas I feel. I mean I literally wrote a shirt essay about why reading the Hierophant as conformity is kind of missing the point. Am I being nitpicky/judgemental or does that rub other people the wrong way too? I'm totally open to this being a me problem, I think I just want to gauge where I fall on it I guess....

2) I recently got the Mary-El Tarot in a trade and finally got a chance to flip through the guidebook. And I found myself being a little bothered by the repeated need to compare spiritual and creative processes to super hetero sex acts. I don't mind nudity/sexuality in tarot art for the most part and I don't think it's necessary to completely remove sex from the deck, it was just weird to see it so repeatedly referenced and it made me think of other spaces in tarot writing where creation and insight become really fraught metaphors involving, like, way more semen than I really needed in my brain. It made me wonder what the line was and how to both respect the intention of the artist who created beautiful works that resonate visually for me with an description that makes me frankly really uncomfortable (there was one in particular that bothered me, I believe it was the 4 of Disks, and it involved the image of the Emperor using his sword to penetrate the earth and the earth was "you, the reader" and because of the position of the card in the reading, it set off a really intense feeling of violation as though I was being forced to be involved in some quasi-sexual act that I had not asked to be a part of...). Are there places in Tarot where the language used makes you uncomfortable? How do you deal/choose not to deal with that space? I would really love to hear about it! I plan to keep using the deck for but will probably use the guidebook much less.

3) Imbolc is coming up and it's usually my favorite of the holidays since it's very close to my birthday and Brigid has been a(n accidentally chosen) patron of mine since I chose her name as my confirmation name in 8th grade (when I learned she was not just a saint but herself a god a few years later I chose to keep wearing my little gold St Brigid's cross even though I was fully beyond being Catholic anymore) and I have three "levels" of spreads I've designed that I'm considering offering here or putting into the shop. They're basically divided up into levels of depth and complexity to try to offer both a super cheap but still impactful option and a full out, here's an outline for your spring/summer option. Would people be at all interested in them? I think the prices would be $5 for 3-5 cards, $15 for 10-12 cards and $20 for 15-17 cards and I'd love it if I could manage to make enough to replace the bad treading on my wheelchair tires before they actually give out completely... Does this sound like something you'd be interested in at all and do those prices sound vaguely fair?

Alright, longest post ever, hopefully it wasn't so boring you all gave up and if you made it this point, you're excellent!

[jemandthesingalongs]

how i think dark jem could of been better

after some lovely encouragement by @androgynous-barbie i’ve decided to write out my thoughts abt this! please take this post with a grain of salt as they are just my opinions and it’s been awhile since i’ve read dark jem.

i’m also gonna be using bullet points for this because it’s more thoughts than an in-depth anything, but also at some point i’ll try to do some sort of “review” of each arch/issue when i have the spoons to

lets start off with the pros and cons of the story

pros:

the ART AND DESIGNS, ofc it’s sophie behind the art wheel so i never doubted it’d be great. the design work of the dark holograms is probably some of the best in the entire series. silica is def tops in this too, she’s so ooey and gooey and creepy and intimidating i love her.

the idea of dark jem over all. it’s not your run of the mill mind control story, they’re not really mind controlled, they’re just gloomy emos. seems a bit silly but it’s really speaking “jem” to me since it involves music and a genre of music, that being goth.

i think the holograms being effected too was nice, seeing them all goth’d up. it was a drastic change from their regular selves.

pizzazz’s scene at home alone in the dark really was a shining moment in this arc, and a good show of exactly how lonely she is, and how bad her homelife is and how much the misfits mean to her.

the flashback part with the holograms parents, despite some issues, i genuinely enjoyed this scene, and just how... gentle and nostalgic it was. also the reveal of jacqui and emmett in such a nice scene was tops. the art also was really great in it too.

the build up (within the arc at least) was SO GOOD, i was really caught up in the story... at least up until 15 which leads me to...

cons:

the plot... ended up really becoming rushed during 15 to 16. 15 was pure just, text and explaining and it wasn’t at all integrated well into the story. i mean it was interesting to see and learn WHAT silicia’s powers were, but it wasn’t delivered the best. and 16 just became a “fix-it everything is fine” ending which didn’t seem at all tied to the story.

plot hole:

pizzazz’s sudden return somehow knowing EVERYTHING about what’s happened? and her voice is okay now? no or little explanation for it. this goes above with the “fix it” issue i had above.

how silica got the sickness in the first place. we didn’t see the sickness un-silica’d before or after, or anywhere silica could of had a backup band?

more nitpicky but how was silica able to project herself without the earrings or the machine? there’s a part where she’s projecting herself to one of the sickness members yet no explanation as to why or how.

silica looking like jem and nothing coming from that? not even anyone pointing it out?

eric/techrat KNOWING for a FACT it was the ai doing this, and then confronted the holograms, but nothing... came out of it? even though they knew the holograms had the ai.

the flashback bit with emmett “creating” silica? nothing is really answered about this?

the scope of the mind control is wide-spread, to the point it infected 5x5 yet this doesn’t come up at ALL in later issues.

the sickness as much as i loved their designs, ultimately proved pretty useless, more on this in my “better suggestions”.

as an issue with most of the comic i have, too many characters in both issues and arcs.

now, every story has its cons, and of course everyone has their own suggestions so here are mine! i’m gonna in “before, during, and after” format. with before being obv during the arc in previous issues, during the arc, then after in issues.

what could of been made better before the story of dark jem:

a much stronger foreshadowing storyline, from what i remember, the foreshadowing was in the annual in the form of coughing in the dreams by synergy and then in viral with the name being viral + techrat saying something is wrong with the ai. this, over all, didn’t... amount to too much haha so i’m gonna break down my suggestions for it.

for the coughing, i would have had that synergy was using silicia’s powers to like, weakly control people to like the holograms music and also be able to “enter” into the minds of the holograms? like silicia was able to do this albeit with more malice intent, and THIS could of triggered silica’s awakening/overtaking of synergy and techrat’s learning the ai is bugging out. which leads me to

like i said above, synergy using silica’s powers. synergy in both the show and comics (I assume) is amoral. she’s bound to whatever she’s ordered to do, since she’s an ai, a very advanced one, but still a computer. so her lightly drawing people in using a form of brainwashing to like the music of the holograms, isn’t that far off the mark and would have overall made for a stronger build up and interesting character.

what could of been made better during the story of dark jem:

oh boy here we go

let’s start off with a big one: the sickness. like i said above, i like the sickness, i like their designs but... i have 0 emotional investment in them as characters or any problems/danger they were placed in. they’re new characters, we were introduced to them AS mind-controlled pawns, so we don’t know what they are like before this so therefor shouldn’t care.

i’m biased i know but if the stingers were to be introduced at the end of this arc, they should of been the sickness. sure it would have been obvious (one male, three females band who else could it be), but then we as readers would have been emotionally invested in them and wanting to see them be free since we know them as characters.

if not the stingers THEM THE MISFITS! they were THERE already and easy pickings for silica. it could of even happened with kimber -> stormer and kimber could of blamed herself. and i think overall that would have made a much better conflict with eric, and pizzazz’s determination to save her band and team up with jem.

even the limp lizards would have been good..., i truly had a theory about that when dark jem first started.

the flashback with emmett and where silica “came from” is probably one of the weakest parts of the story over all because it doesn’t explain anything. emmett somehow made silica...? okay how? why couldn’t he of gotten rid of her? why was she “evil”? a lot of questions unanswered.

this could of been solved with making silica a sort of “synergy beta″, a prototype deal. and the original intent wasn’t meant to be malice, just have people be drawn in by music but it proved to be too powerful, but emmett couldn’t delete it and just made it core coding for synergy 2.0.

pizzazz’s sudden return was not really explained at all, or.. earned? i mean it just seemed like she was back to give it the story the “fix-it” ending.

i would honestly say she should of not shown back up, or not physically or something. like over the phone encouraging the misfits and have blaze lead the team-up.

overstuffed character roster.

have none of the boyfriends show up, because they didn’t contribute much outside rio being kissed by jem. and like i explained above change the sickness to previously established characters.

what could of been made better after the story of dark jem:

i adored the idea of jerrica being afraid of being jem again, that was real true consequences but then it was... dropped? and instead changed out for jerrica getting confused she was jem, which is ALSO something i really enjoyed but it really kinda ruined the impact of dark jem and silica’s control

i would suggest having jerrica still be terrified to be jem, and have her make synergy project jem in her place, and that be an issue when riot shows interest in “her”. then having to come to terms with being jem and being herself or something.

eric/techrat knowing the holograms had an ai and nothing came of it other than one scene. a huge waste, and even now nothing has come from this conflict.

i would suggest like, eric blackmailing the holograms over it post-dark jem, maybe something like making them leave 5x5 and they’re forced to start their own company (starlight music). honestly anything better than a dropped plotline

so.. ahaha done i guess! i didn’t proof read this much it’s just my brain spewing out thoughts, so if something is wonky/doesn’t make sense, that’s why! i also didn’t talk about blaze or her arc because it’s not my place to comment on her coming out, and also because blaze deserves her own post about her arc and character because i love her that much <3

i’m certain i missed stuff, or mis-remembered things, but like i said above it’s just some of my opinions and thoughts on how to improve an already good comic!