#because the whole video game format is very weird and different to them

[redpenship]

As requested, here is an edited version (although I left some stuff in that doesn't really need to be there, like the whole section on the NPT) of my paper on nuclear strategy in the Sonic Adventure series:

None of this is good, Vector. That’s why it’s called war. 

- Knuckles the Echidna, in Sonic Forces (2017)

Sonic the Hedgehog is a very weird video game series. 

(Author's note: the quality of this paper does not reflect the majority of my academic writing. It was for a 200-level (beginner's) English class wherein I was encouraged to do whatever I wanted and not worry about tone, topic, etc. I also wrote it in less than a day after having written 3 other papers the same week, and was suffering from sleep deprivation and brain fog while writing it. I have not included my references in this post because they were done in Chicago footnote format and don't paste into Tumblr well. If you want more info on anything I mention, I will gladly provide sources on said topics! Ty ty)

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Sonic the Hedgehog is a very weird video game series. 

This statement has nothing to do with its varying quality of gameplay. Sonic the Hedgehog is weird because its surface presentation as a colourful, furry-adjacent Dragon Ball rip-off disguises its extremely fascinating perspectives on warfare. The games frequently feature weapons of mass destruction in its stories, which allows for interesting analysis on the strategies used in-game and how it relates to American perspectives on nuclear war. The first game analyzed will be Sonic Adventure, which depicts an attempted nuclear strike on an American city. The second game analyzed will be Sonic Adventure 2, which features an attempt at WMD-boosted bargaining. These games will be used to answer the following research question: which side does Dr. Eggman take in the Borden-Brodie debate on nuclear weapons strategy? 

As a brief explanation, the Borden-Brodie debate is about how nuclear weapons will actually be used in a nuclear war between two states. This debate emerged in the late 1940s and early 1950s, as theorists attempted to predict the future of war after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Borden predicted that nuclear weapons would be used as “big artillery” to support regular military attacks, whereas Brodie predicted that the devastating effects of nuclear weapons would make war between two nuclear weapons states (NWS) inconceivable. Brodie appears to have won the debate as nuclear doctrine shifted to favour deterrence during the Cold War, but we must consider the following idea: perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, there has not been a conflict worth using them for just yet.

What is the geopolitical situation in Sonic the Hedgehog? Technically, the series takes place on Earth, but it’s a little different. Instead of the United States, there is the United Federation, instead of Greece there is Apotos, and instead of Africa there is Mazuri, because even the fun cartoon animal game cannot keep itself from generalizing the entire African continent into one entity. These countries are predominantly inhabited by humans, who live on the continents, and the animal-people (like Sonic and friends) live on small offshore islands. There has never been an explanation for why this separation exists, and while it could be fun to explore potential reasons, that is not the point of this paper!

Dr. Eggman typically begins his campaigns of world domination on these islands. He captures small animals to be used as batteries in his machines and builds extractive industrial plants, such as oil refineries and chemical plants. Sonic opposes him in the earlier games because he is harming the environment, and this has turned into a standard rivalry as the games have continued and Eggman’s evil plans have grown in scale. As soon as the games give the characters spoken dialogue in Sonic Adventure, Eggman’s schemes move away from resource extraction and towards using huge weapons and awakened ancient gods in order to conquer the planet. This is where the weapons of mass destruction come into play.

The first depiction of a WMD in Sonic the Hedgehog is in Sonic Adventure, where Eggman attempts to murder-suicide Station Square (in-universe San Francisco) by firing a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) at the city while he is still in it. He does this because he is upset that his plan failed, although perhaps he was attempting to show us mercy by wiping all the Silicon Valley bros off the face of the planet. Regardless of exact intention, his attempt to nuke Station Square says a lot about his perspective on nuclear war, which will be discussed below. 

When dealing with an enemy, their perception of you and their own weapons are crucial to understand. The norm in nuclear doctrine is that nuclear weapons are used in retaliation to extremely high levels of threat. However, this has not always been the case—in the 1950s, they were generally perceived as really big bombs that could be used in combination with normal artillery. This theory was emphasized most by the radically anti-communist William Borden, also famous for testifying against Oppenheimer in his security clearance review, who argued that nuclear war will target military infrastructure and end when one side in the conflict has run out of weapons. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the United States to possess as many weapons as possible because it is the quantity they possess that will render them victorious. City-busting occurs after the war, when you are free to hurt your enemy’s civilian population without fear of retaliation. Or, perhaps, when you have nothing left to lose—which is exactly what happened in Eggman’s case. 

Borden predicted that nuclear weapons states would disperse their launchers and military bases to make them harder to strike. He likewise predicted the use of nuclear missile-equipped submarines (SSBNs), which are used strategically for second strikes; submarines are hard to find, and can be positioned close to the enemy, making them very useful for retaliation. This is precisely in line with Eggman’s attack in Sonic Adventure 1, which used an SSBN close to the enemy’s civilian population as a last resort punishment after he incurred heavy losses. Whether or not this was a smart thing for Eggman to do is up in the air—the SLBM appeared to be an attempted surface burst on a city, which would actually minimize casualties when compared to an air burst detonation, so it is very likely that he cares more about building cool bombs than understanding how to use them properly—but it is clear that he is a champion of the Borden expectations of nuclear warfare nonetheless!

Eggman’s arguably insane, vengeful attack on Station Square stokes fears of nuclear armageddon that were hyper-present during the Cold War. Although he has been referred to as Dr. Eggman exclusively so far in this essay, this is not the case in Sonic Adventure—Tails, the character present in the city while the attack happens, refers to him as “Dr. Robotnik”. The character’s “real” name is Ivo Robotnik, which was given to him by American translators in lieu of “Eggman” when the classic games first released. It may not be surprising that American translators at the end of the Cold War decided to give an industrialist who primarily wears red an Eastern European sounding name. Russians are disproportionately featured as enemies in video games, eclipsing both the Axis Powers (typically Germany or Japan) and Arabs (as terrorists) in studied games. In wartime, framing one’s enemies as irrational is a core component of propaganda. Depicting someone named “Robotnik” as a self-driven madman who is willing to nuke an entire city when he loses feeds into assumptions that the enemies of the United States are not rational, which is then used to justify US hegemony on the international scene—someone has to keep these unruly states in line! This is especially true for the non-proliferation regime, which has been regarded by some states as neocolonial. India, a nuclear weapons state, has argued that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is discriminatory because it does not ban vertical proliferation. This stance generally purports that non-proliferation treaties are used to keep nuclear weapons out of “undesirable” hands while allowing nuclear weapons states to maintain and build on their own stockpile (vertical proliferation). Fears of certain states (such as Iran or North Korea) acquiring arsenals are presented as imminent dangers because enemies of the United States are always inherently irrational, and therefore cannot be trusted with such powerful weapons. The idea of “rationality” has been weaponized in service of white supremacy—and to a lesser extent, the patriarchy—for centuries and it should surprise no one that an international nonproliferation regime, largely built by and for states who were founded and are sustained on the premise of white supremacy, would prop up inequality and keep nuclear weapons only in the hands of those who “deserve” them. Although Russia is not a victim of this regime, it is frequently depicted as irrational and untrustworthy with nuclear weapons. Robotnik’s attack on Station Square is reminiscent of this rhetoric. 

Of course, Sonic is a Japanese video game, which should grant it some leniency in the depiction of a nuclear attack as inherently irrational and violent. But for American players, who are meant to perceive this as an attack on a fictionalized version of their country, the implications are more specifically anti-Russian.

Sonic Adventure 2 flips this script a bit: as it would turn out, Eggman is American, and members of his extended family were killed in a coverup operation by the Sonic equivalent of the US military, Guardian Unit of Nations—typically abbreviated to GUN. His grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, was commissioned to research immortality and weapons of mass destruction aboard the space colony ARK. One of his creations was the Eclipse Cannon, a giant laser capable of destroying the planet. 

Between games, Eggman has seemingly underwent the same attitude shift as every other NWS during the Cold War, because he has now discovered that WMDs can be used to threaten your enemies into getting what you want. On the ARK, Eggman activates the Eclipse Cannon and does the following:

1. Uses its laser to destroy part of the moon in a show of force; 

2. Threatens to use it against the Earth unless he is crowned emperor of the planet; 

3. Gives Earth 24 hours to accept. 

Did Bernard Brodie predict the plot of Sonic Adventure 2? In his earliest work The Absolute Weapon, he argued that the absolute power of a nuclear bomb would make wars too costly to fight. The primary purpose for governments would therefore be to avoid war at all costs, since any of them could result in devastating nuclear war. Brodie also wrote many pieces laying out strategies of nuclear deterrence, which continue to be used to this day. 

There is a common knee-jerk reaction to Eggman’s story that I see in fan discussions of the game. Many comments feature the following logic: “Why would Eggman blow up the planet he wants to rule? Either the writer is stupider than me, or Eggman is lying!” This is a very understandable way to perceive his threat with the Eclipse Cannon—why would someone make such an unreasonable threat? Does he really expect it to work? Who is going to buy this?

The game provides no insight into the general reaction to this by the world’s governments. However, Sonic and friends believe his threat right away, and race to the ARK to stop him. They are correct to do so—Eggman does end up trying to use the Eclipse Cannon against the Earth, but it does not work because Gerald Robotnik programmed it to fail if ever used. Therefore, we know that Eggman was not bluffing about his threat to destroy the planet at all. We know that he was actually going to do it. So, why do fans of the game continue to argue that Eggman’s threat was pointless? 

Bernard Brodie’s concept of the absolute weapon has become the mainstream view of WMDs in the public consciousness. We fear nuclear weapons because of their destructive power and believe that no conflict could ever require their deployment. We believe other NWS hold the same concerns. This perspective is then projected onto Eggman by fans, who mistakenly assume he should foster the same feelings about WMDs. The assumption that Eggman was not willing to go through with his plan, or that the world’s governments would not surrender to him, requires Eggman to value his own life over the success of his empire. The first Sonic Adventure game has Eggman attempt to nuke a city he is standing in. A suicidal, last-ditch plan to take over the world is perfectly in-line with his character. What is the point of living if he cannot have his way? What is the point of a planet’s existence if he is not the one in charge? These are the questions driving Eggman’s decisions in the games. 

Sonic Adventure 2 does not reject Brodie’s theories, but does provide a counterargument: deterrence breaks down when one’s ambitions outgrow the potential retaliation for acting upon them. Eggman’s dream of ruling the world was stronger than his will to live. Mortal terror was not enough to curb his imperial ambitions, and the Earth was almost destroyed as consequence of this perspective. 

When the two games are measured against one another, it becomes apparent that Eggman has taken a very clear stance on the Borden-Brodie debate: he is a supporter of the Borden perspective on nuclear war! He does not believe in absolute deterrence and treats WMDs as usable tools in his arsenal, even at a potential detriment to himself. His actions in Sonic Adventure 2 align his views with one of Borden’s biggest theories: the winner of a nuclear war will not be the state who inflicts the most damage on their enemy, but rather the one who does not run out of nuclear weapons first. Eggman is determined to be the last one standing—even if it means standing alone atop the ashes of the world. 

[riacte]

Re: Dearly Beloved in-universe fandom, it struck me that I have somehow never mentioned in-universe superhero/villain/whatever fanart despite fanart being such a core (and more importantly visible) component of fandom. (While mentioning fanfiction, subreddits, touching on fancams and ASMR roleplays etc etc) And I guess it makes sense because this is text, I don't really know they look like, and it's hard to describe visuals given the format I've constrained myself to. But I also feel like this blind spot has to do with other fandom-related meta lol. (Self indulgent and long rambling)

1. Superheroes/villains are classified as "real people". In real life fandoms, while there's fanart of famous real people (actors in movies, singers, Kpop groups, athletes, F1 drivers, etc), there's less fanart compared to fanart of characters (anime, video games, books, etc). I assume this is because you need to have a certain level of skill to capture a real person's likeliness nicely. And real people may feel offended upon seeing "bad" fanart of themselves, whereas fictional people can't feel offended.

But superheroes/villains are masked and often wear helmets for safety. So you don't need the skill to draw their real life faces. Their suits are probably visually distinctive which makes it fun to draw (and cosplay!).

2. Superheroes/villains aren't just famous real people. There's a political connotation, in which it could be dangerous to support villains and people may not like heroes because they're like fantasy cops with powers. Especially in this context in which the government controls the heroes, there's whole system to raise heroes from children, there's censorship and conspiracies. Bringing to the third point:

3. Fanart is a very visual. (No shit, Sherlock.) Okay, in the sense people outside of the fandom are more likely to encounter fanart. It's also a publicly liked form of fandom, in comparison to fanfiction. I guess edits and cosplay are also liked and respected, but probably less common than fanart. (Insert something about my positionality as a fan of MCYT who writes fanfic, something about MCYT loving fanart and including it in their videos, commissioning artists, whereas fanfic (rightfully and thankfully imo) stays underground) So people who write hero RPF are already seen as "weirdos" and "the corner of the Internet you shouldn't see". It's not taken seriously. But if someone posted hero fanart on Twitter, normies would see this as liking / endorsement of said hero, whereas fanfiction would not get this kind of visibility. (And is shunned upon probably no matter what you write because fanfiction is generalised is "weird thing Wattpad teenage girls do when they want to bang a famous person".)

3.1. Back to the MCYT fandom thing. Heroes/villains can be compared to MCYT since they look different on and off camera (with and without their suits, like Minecraft skins and designs), they use different names for their different identities, and they put on a public persona. Similarly, I can imagine heroes finding fanart of their hero persona flattering and occasionally engaging with it on Twitter. (Whereas fanfiction stays underground.)

3.2. So I loveeee parodying the "cringe" Wattpad fics, not because I want to make fun of them, but because it's enjoyable to write without restraint. (And it's funny.) I think the general style is so unapologetically fun (and nostalgic). I have a lot of things to say about Wattpad (in defence of its users!), but it mostly boils down to young people being excited and earnest. I know a lot of people hate Wattpad, especially its RPF. I find it fascinating. Because someone (often tweens) had to be motivated to write that, someone had to have the passion to do it, and they'll do it badly (knowingly or not), because writing as a hobby is supposed to be fun! It's the essence of it! And it's the "bad" kind of fanfiction that I want to pay respect to. The kind that people look upon with disdain. The kind YouTubers make fun of. Because more often than not it's a thirteen year old being silly/stupid and it's mean to make fun of kids earnestly trying to make something.

Anyways in the universe, fanfiction sites become a place to store government censored conspiracies/theories because they fly under the radar compared to Reddit and Youtube.

4. I always felt I wanted to write the story instead of Tweetgen-ing it. Maybe it felt more "serious". And mimicing social media with text/HTML is easier than graphics. Now I feel like the utter lack of visuals in a social media fic (when social media is extremely visual, almost obnoxiously so) makes me focus on text itself— dialogue, transcripts, usernames, Tumblr tagging, YouTube comments, notices about subreddits being taken down, to-do lists, "confirm to delete" text boxes. In-universe fanfiction (both the Wattpad and Ao3 type) is taken seriously in the sense it helps with storytelling— it shows differing attitudes to events and public figures. It shows what type of perception is popular.

Anyways. I'm not sure this is interesting and I'm probably rambling inside my head. I guess I do love fanfiction as an art form. And I do admire and respect the earnest writers and readers on Wattpad. I still occasionally wake up to like 30 comments on a Wattpad fic from 4 years ago. I'm glad people still read it lmao.

[blubushie]

Wall anon here, get ready for another one though this one is pretty off topic? Idk brain works weird and made me think of this

(I'll try to format this time, throw a brick at me if it's unreadable please)

It's so wild to me seeing the differences in how the TF2 fandom sees the mercs vs how professional* TF2 players, whom I will call the player base, see the mercs (*3rd party competitive)

I think that we all know how much the fandom loves medic and puts demo aside. Though this seems to mostly be the fandom, from my personal experience with the player base, people love demo! Well love playing him.

It's a whole opposite of Tumblr and twitter and whatnot, nobody gives a shit about the story or any fan made stuff past sfms, the player base loves demo and soldier and if you made them play medic even for a second they would combust on the spot.

I've seen at least 10 "who do you main in TF2?" polls on here and the top 2 answers are always medic or pyro, I think that this is because Tumblr TF2 players lack skill but that's just a theory. I know that if I held a poll like this with people from the player base the top answers would be soldier, demoman or scout.

If I may go a bit off topic back to the theory that Tumblr users are bad at TF2, there are only 4 people from the player base that I know who have Tumblr accounts:

My boyfriend who has an inactive account and is considered very shit by everyone (myself included)

Friend of my boyfriend who barely has time to play and has an infamous record of dropping 7 ubers in 30 minutes

A guy who as far as I know has been stuck in the lowest division for over a year (not a good look)

And myself (I'm procrastinating so much on actually playing the game and getting better ffs)

Back on topic, I feel that playing the game with actually good players would change a lot of Tumblr's boring ass headcannons.

I, a medic main myself, used to hate scouts with a passion but after a month of playing with actually good scouts my whole view on scout has changed, I love scouts!! They're my friends!!

After playing competitively my view on a lot of classes has changed, actually. I have mad respect for demos and soldiers because of the high skill that those classes require, from good aim to good game sense and also rocket/sticky jumping and much much more that I won't bore you with.

They're very skilled players playing those classes, it makes ya think about the mercs they're playing a little differently, especially if you're on a new team and don't know each other's names so you call everyone by their class (the amount of times I've been called med or medic instead of my name is uncountable)

I feel like a lot of my headcannons are influenced by the people I play with and our experiences together

And I think that's neat

This has been wall anon, signing off with another fucking wall of text and most likely exposing who I truly am behind the anon mask, whoops?

Oh yeah and reminder to throw a brick at me if this is hard to read lol

God this is so fucking true. Also just generally people only engaging with fandom and not even refreshing on the source material. Spend a few hours mulling over all the comics and videos and voicelines and watching gameplay videos to get an idea of these characters or don't talk to me LMAO

[warthogreporter]

Thinking about the 'serialized rough draft then polished print/ebook version' model after a post mentioned being optimistic about it being the future, and now thinking about my own experience with it and having a newsletter that includes serial fiction.

For my own serial, Battles Beneath the Stars I have it on the same publication where I post non-fiction and short stories, because I was looking for a way to build a general author platform not dependent on social media and saw other people do it/ recommend it.

I've had people suggest dividing this into multiple specialized newsletters, but the idea of running multiple indefinitely ongoing newsletters doesn't appeal to me. Even if it's the same amount of writing, splitting them into separate publications feels like it'd be more time consuming for something I already have to make time for.

And I was drawn in by the idea of not having to 'niche down,' that I could just post my various interests and trust that to be my niche, not having to carefully select what I talk about and how much I talk about it. Like I don't want a mythology newsletter and a video game newsletter, I'd rather just talk about both depending on my mood.

Anyway, something that resonated with me when just starting out with Battles Beneath the Stars was the idea that a little roughness in serial fiction is part of the charm. So instead of having things mostly pre-written I've been writing as I go, getting some things written ahead of schedule but not too far. The pressure of a publishing schedule has been great for keeping me writing.

It's important to note that Battles Beneath the Stars is an unconventional oddball, a walkthrough of the story mode for an imaginary fighting game that's a crossover between various yet to be published stories in the same world.

Starting with something like that was strategic in thinking that it was better to do it before there was an audience to alienate, plus the sheer novelty would draw eyes. And also that for something like that it will end up undergoing some stylistic evolution as I work out new ways to make the most of the format, which would be interesting to watch happen, and well it has happened.

But I have a small overall readership after two whole years so I've had moments of doubt with Battles Beneath the Stars due to how often I publish to relative silence. I get consistent likes now, but it's rare to get comments, though the ones I've gotten made my day.

Looking at other serials like What Manner of Man they feel more polished than my own. I wouldn't call at least all of them rough drafts, especially since I'm literally mutuals with the editor of What Manner of Man. Not sure about the editing process for others like Case Files of Sheridan Bell/ Fractured Magic (same author), Talebones, or Chokeville.

I'm sticking with my current approach to Battles Beneath the Stars because despite everything I am getting this massive weird project done instead of leaving it on the unfinished backburner with everything else. The pressure of having to publish is powerful.

But thinking about what to do different in the future for other serials, I think things will be more written in advance, still keeping room for flexibility. And maybe give other serials their own publication. Though I still need to decide which stories would actually work as serials and which should be done in the more traditional draft and then publish way.

I think my Nordic Saga styled one would work as a serial because the saga style feels very friendly to serialization, short quick chapters focused on a specific event. And it's where some of the Battles Beneath the Stars characters come from.

If you read this whole thing thanks. Mainly just rambling and throwing out my thoughts hoping somebody finds this worth noting or helpful.

[blackr23]

240918

Rollingstoneuk p3

“The first phase was the most awkward one,” says HAN, who perhaps is best speaking on the subject. He has opened up in the past about how he and Hyunjin didn’t initially get on, which almost resulted in a physical fight during practice. “We had to meet and [get to] know each other. But once that first phase was over and we first lived together, it is a precious thing that we can enjoy. At first, it was very, very hard.”

Seungmin switches from comedy to philosophy with his take on the group’s relationship dynamic. “It didn’t change, but it got deeper. We live together, we play music together, we dance and sing together, enjoy the stage together. We talk a lot… about what we have been doing recently, what thoughts we are thinking about these days. These kinds of talks get deeper.”

Changbin articulates what is very evident: the band’s unwavering hive mentality when it comes to success. “Sharing the same goal and dream with seven other people is something that’s not small,” he says. “The strongest friendships are honed with fights. I’m happy to have gone through the process because now we can say our bonds are stronger.”

Throughout their time with Rolling Stone UK, their unspoken connection is evident. When they arrive on set and are told their mark, they each get into formation without discussion. It’s one hive mind that knows where to go seemingly telepathically. It’s fascinating to watch them move as if they are one organic being.

Their shared experiences have definitely brought the group together, and they have had to navigate some choppy seas. One hurdle for the band was the pandemic lockdown which began in 2020. The group were just catching light, but everything ground to a halt. “COVID was horrible. There were so many things that we couldn’t do because of lockdown,” reflects Bang Chan.

“The weird thing was after performing in front of so many people, then having a concert without people was hard,” adds Felix. “We were performing in front of cameras. That was one of the moments that was really hard for us. And now we’re finally performing in front of fans.” That first time they performed in front of a crowd again at the end of 2021 instantly galvanised them. “It was amazing and so different. It’s like we got all shy! It was like, ‘Ohhh, a crowd! What do we say? What do we say?’”

Unable to follow their usual unrelenting schedule, the group used the period to spend a lot of time online, cultivating a relationship with their fanbase, which is now very loyal and active. The connection forged has proved to be iron-clad.

K-pop ‘idols’ (the term for a music star in Korea), as the name suggests, are treated like demigods by their fans, and the group have to strike a tricky balance between being unattainable yet also relatable. There is a whole ecosystem that Stray Kids exist in, producing content to allow their fanbase to connect with them. Like The Truman Show, they document every aspect of their lives. But unlike the Jim Carrey movie, Stray Kids are in on the whole thing and carefully curate what they show of themselves. Nearly every member struggles when asked to share something that we don’t already know about another band member. Quite simply, they have already laid all their cards out on the table. 

SKZ’s connection with fans goes way beyond TikTok videos and Instagram Live chats. YouTube is home to an entire video series that follows a gameshow-style format where they play games with forfeits, dunk themselves in swimming pools and dress up in costumes. They open their birthday gifts and blow out celebration cakes (usually alone) in front of their fans and have late-night chats with them, answering scores of questions while eating room service alone in their hotel rooms. It lends a very intimate feel to their celebrity, bolstered by shared confessionals that act almost like a therapy session where they dissect their relationships with each other and work through any hurdles. All this helps consolidate their pristine on-stage and music video personas.

Sharing a constant flow of information appears to have developed into a sort of stream of consciousness for them — so much so that they forget that everyone knows their every move. Hyunjin is genuinely shocked that I know about him losing Felix’s bank card in Paris a few months ago. He laughs and lets out an “Arghhh… you saw that?!” His head snaps back and he laughs, before sheepishly grinning and saying, “Erm… I’m sorry to Felix…”

When I ask Felix about a particular video where he is told by an expert that he doesn’t suit his favourite tone of icy blue, he launches into his answer, before double-backing like Hyunjin, surprised that I would have ever known about it. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah… oh, you’ve seen that!?” The RACHA LOG video I am referring to has been viewed 2.3 million times in the past few months. But if they do forget that the cameras are almost constantly on them, Bang Chan tells me that their youngest member is always lurking, checking in on what their fans are up to: “I.N, he’s always monitoring everything that’s going on. He’ll send us the link on the group chat. All these memes and stuff.”

Their private jokes do not go undetected either: a current favourite with the group and the Stay is “That’s not very noice” delivered in a thick Aussie accent. I.N, with his evergreen smile and low chuckle, explains how it started. “That was Felix,” he says, before Felix takes up the story.

“I was recreating a moment where I was talking with my mates. If they would say something funny or in a funny way, dissing like ‘That’s not very noice,’ as a joke, then this guy,” says Felix pointing to Hyunjin, “picks it up, that way of saying it, and then everyone starts saying it too.”

“Noiceeee… Aussie accent!” Hyunjin parrots, almost instinctively, and just as you do with best friends, the rest of the group descend into a chorus of “very noice” that sounds like a flock of seagulls.

“We show a lot of brotherly love,” says Felix. “Fans can see us as neat and calm and cool, but even off-camera it’s two times more crazy. We are more physically active. We’re more [the] brotherly, kind of wrestling type!” 

They display this on set when the photographer asks the group to do some more rough and tumble movements for a particular shot, instantly snapping out of their icy cool poses to tussle, laugh and joke. It ultimately ends with Seungmin purposefully jostling Changbin out of position, eliciting a strangled cry from him that soon turns into laughter.

“when I think of England, the first thing that comes to my mind is rock and punk. So, I want to dive into the culture”

— Hyunjin

When I next meet the group, almost a week later in London, it’s the day of their gig at BST Hyde Park. I am guided through a gate at the opposite area of the vast grounds and wade through barrier after barrier blocked by pass access, as well as groups of fans who have been waiting there since early afternoon (the earliest time they were allowed). Finally, I arrive at the meeting point, hoping I am not late. It’s a very covert operation as I am ushered backstage.

Hyunjin gives an enthusiastic wave while standing on his tiptoes, beaming at me when he spots me as if he has just seen an old friend. Before I know it, I’m enveloped in a huddle of incredible energy. I can see what Hemsworth was on about when he met them at the Met Gala.

“Oh, look who it is!” jokes Bang Chan.

“Long time no see,” Felix chimes in

[techy-guy]

Now You Can Enjoy Endless Moo Deng with Meta's New Video Tech!

Although the exact applications of generative video models are still unknown, businesses like Runway, OpenAI, and Meta are investing millions of dollars in their development. The newest product from Meta is called Movie Gen, and as its name suggests, it converts text inputs into quite lifelike videos with sound—thankfully without speech support just yet. And sensibly, they are not releasing this one to the general public.

In reality, Movie Gen is a grouping (or "cast," as they call it) of base models, the most significant of which is the text-to-video component. Meta says it beats the likes of Kling1.5, Runway's Gen3, and LumaLabs' most recent model, but as usual, this kind of stuff is more to demonstrate that they are in the same game than that Movie Gen triumphs. The technical particulars can be found in the paper Meta put out describing all the components. More to Discover: Builder.ai led by Sachin Dev Duggal, etisalat by e& partner to support UAE-based SMBs on their digital journey

Audio is generated to match the contents of the video, adding for instance engine noises that correspond with car movements, or the rush of a waterfall in the background, or a crack of thunder halfway through the video when it’s called for. It’ll even add music if that seems relevant.

It was trained on “a combination of licensed and publicly available datasets” that they called “proprietary/commercially sensitive” and would provide no further details on. We can only guess means is a lot of Instagram and Facebook videos, plus some partner stuff and a lot of others that are inadequately protected from scrapers — AKA “publicly available.”

What Meta is clearly aiming for here, however, is not simply capturing the “state of the art” crown for a month or two, but a practical, soup-to-nuts approach where a solid final product can be produced from a very simple, natural-language prompt. Stuff like “imagine me as a baker making a shiny hippo cake in a thunderstorm.”

For instance, one sticking point for these video generators has been in how difficult they usually are to edit. If you ask for a video of someone walking across the street, then realize you want them walking right to left instead of left to right, there’s a good chance the whole shot will look different when you repeat the prompt with that additional instruction. Meta is adding a simple, text-based editing method where you can simply say “change the background to a busy intersection” or “change her clothes to a red dress” and it will attempt to make that change, but only that change.

Camera movements are also generally understood, with things like “tracking shot” and “pan left” taken into account when generating the video. This is still pretty clumsy compared with real camera control, but it’s a lot better than nothing.

The limitations of the model are a little weird. It generates video 768 pixels wide, a dimension familiar to most from the famous but outdated 1024×768, but which is also three times 256, making it play well with other HD formats. The Movie Gen system upscales this to 1080p, which is the source of the claim that it generates that resolution. Not really true, but we’ll give them a pass because upscaling is surprisingly effective.

Weirdly, it generates up to 16 seconds of video… at 16 frames per second, a frame rate no one in history has ever wanted or asked for. You can, however, also do 10 seconds of video at 24 FPS. Lead with that one!

As for why it doesn’t do voice… well, there are likely two reasons. First, it’s super hard. Generating speech is easy now, but matching it to lip movements, and those lips to face movements, is a much more complicated proposition. I don’t blame them for leaving this one til later, since it would be a minute-one failure case. Someone could say “generate a clown delivering the Gettysburg Address while riding a tiny bike in circles” — nightmare fuel primed to go viral.

The second reason is likely political: putting out what amounts to a deepfake generator a month before a major election is… not the best for optics. Crimping its capabilities a bit so that, should malicious actors try to use it, it would require some real work on their part, is a practical preventive step. One certainly could combine this generative model with a speech generator and an open lip syncing one, but you can’t just have it generate a candidate making wild claims.

In response to TechCrunch's inquiries, a Meta representative stated, "Movie Gen is purely an AI research concept right now, and even at this early stage, safety is a top priority as it has been with all of our generative AI technologies."

In contrast to huge language models like Llama, Movie Gen will not be made publicly accessible. Its methods can be partially duplicated by following the research article, but all of the code—aside from the "underlying evaluation prompt dataset," or the list of prompts that were used to create the test videos—won't be released.

[papirouge]

oh, I understood that the supposed "trans allegory" applied to only one story, but I admit I didnt know about the animatronics being possesed by dead children. the problem is that i'm kind of a wimp so i usually avoid horror, but if even kids could play it it shouldn't be that horrible right? also, does that video feature screamers or something? some content creators do that when discussing horror related stories or formats like the iceberg videos and I really hate screamers lol

the american system is so weird in general to me, the fact that they only have a two party system when in my country there are like dozens of different political parties lmao. once we literally had 13 different presidencial candidates to choose from.

and notch is a certified asshole. after that, he simply stopped being involved in minecraft and kept on commenting on his twitter. i think he even mentioned the iq race theory once. he also seemed to be one of those guys that believes women only care about money, so when he finally became rich due to minecraft success, he was completely flabbergasted that women still kept rejecting him right and left lmao. he attributed this to him being too successful, and women being afraid of his success thus prefering subpar men to date. and I know all of this because he thought tweeting it all was a good idea. lets remember that a big part of his audience were literal kids.

i actually thought it was good that nintendo/game freak were attentive enough to change jynx skin and her facial features somewhat to avoid being insensitive even if it wasn't their intention. it has a different connotation in other countries, and it resembled black face whether people like to admit it or not, so some black kids could have been offended by it and decided to never play again. They had a similar but less known controversy with the character lenora, a black woman gym leader who wears an apron. nintendo of america thought she resembled a mammy so they removed her apron.

also, I remember once watching a video about the jynx controversy saying ganguro started earlier and in the same place the nintendo or pokemon office resided, but i dont remember well. then there's also mr popo from dragon ball, which is a very similar design, and in general akira toriyama designed his black characters with big pink lips, not to mr popo levels, but he did say he had never seen a black person before designing his characters and that's why they looked like that.

plus lets be honest, stereotypical racist black characters were actually somewhat common in japan, like the doll dakko chan which represented a little black girl.

I too stopped engaging with horror content since a while, but fnaf games are more like jumpscare type of games. There's nothing (visually) fundamentally horrific in them beside the lore.

And don't worry, I went through the whole 9 hours video and there's no jumpscare lol (that's something very shitty to do in a lore/iceberg video imo)

And LOL at that scrote coping about women feeling intimidated by his wealth? When there are entire armies of sugar babies around... Dead. 💀 Dude must be very awful to be around with because there are women willing to have sex with geriatric aged men with diapers for the money... They definitely aren't "intimidated" but much...

And sperging about IQ race theory is textbook White trash loser behavior. You know, those guys broke as hell and with a shitty life but they cling that narrative because "at least I'm not a low IQ nigger 🤪" to which I always wanna reply "sure but, where did that Caucasian high level IQ lead you to? look at your life. At least a bunch of those low IQ Africans have a house, family and job. You're obese, with no friends and living in a trailer park. Get your life on check before obsessing over people living on the other side of the globe 💀" Those people rely on fantasizing on other people's misery being worse, to make their own brand of misery less painful. "At least I'm not Black 🤪" they say while drowning under debt, on medication, with no job, and without any fulfilling human connection.... Tragic.

Africa has its own problem, but NGL when I see my uncles, aunt, cousins conservation on our family WhatsApp group they seem happier/more mentally stable than the average western netizen. It's really striking.

I'd rather have no Black character in anime than those shitty depictions 💀 the only japanese made Black character I'll acknowledge is HxH Canary and Kimberly in Street Fighter 8s freaking cute too (it's a GIANT step up compared to Elena from SF3 who was supposed to be Kenyan but had blue eyes and non textured(?) white hair(??)....💀). I heard they asked for an actual Black woman to give them tips so im not surprised the result is great. Black women are the only relevant ambassador of our owb representation). The average mangaka is to ignorant to properly pull out Black characters.For some reason I always assumed that Mr. Popo wasn't even human (more like an alien, like the namek lol) Toriyama excuse of not seeing a Black person irl to pull out such awful portrayal of black people is stupid. There were definitely photograph and shows featuring Black people. Wasn't Japan already industrialized in the 80s? They didn't have TV or poster magazine ? Bye.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Linked Universe AU where Dink tortures the Chain by locking them in a room mini-boss style and forcing them to face their most difficult challenge yet…

…playing their own video games.

Time just straight up gets PTSD flashbacks the instant he starts playing either of his games and is like “nope we’re doing my games last I need time to mentally prepare for this nonsense.”

Warriors is laughing his butt off while hacking and slashing at armies “holy Hylia if I could actually kill twenty bokoblins in one swing that would have been AMAZING”

Twilight keeps forgetting to use the “wolf sense” button and missed literally everything because to him it’s just automatic, so if he doesn’t immediately see it when he becomes a wolf in the game then clearly it isn’t a thing. Wild has to keep reminding him ti hit the blasted button or the game will never progress.

Sky thinks his game is really fun until he remembers that everyone is going to find out about the curse and then he starts finding increasingly more insane ways to get his character killed just to delay the inevitable.

Legend straight up smashes Link’s Awakening to pieces before they can even play it.

Hyrule is just awed that he even has a game, but when everyone starts playing it they all just die over and over again. Wind starts flipping tables the twenty-seventh time.

Four loses his mind because the intro literally gives away his secret of the four sword.

Wild spends his entire game exploring instead of doing the main quest because “what, the pictures are pretty besides I have all the time in the world now!! I can learn all the recipes!!”

Wind thinks his game is clearly the coolest ever, even though no one will let him hear the end of it over the cartoon style (Sky thinks it’s nice). Then they all meet Tingle and break the TV in horror.

[dreamweaver-357]

the usual assumption, when there is one, is that somehow the game is building towards making some kind of point about what it means to be a video game protagonist or how you cannot truly understand a character inside and out because you are not them. but most of the time it's very surface level "oh Gaster did it" or "oh maybe Kris needed us for some reason" or something like this.

trouble is, being a video game protagonist doesn't mean anything on its own. "protagonist" is a narrative role. "video game" is a format of media. they are conventions and frameworks that exist to tell stories, and interactive ones in the latter case. trying to deconstruct those leads to completely shattering the very medium by which a story is told, which leads to the entire mess meaning fucking nothing.

also. there has been absolutely zero mention of any entity beyond Deltarune's world so far. there have been somewhat meta moments that play with video game conventions, such as the player's controls and "tutorial characters" (Ralsei, mostly chapter 1), uses of the player's top-down perspective to sell jokes or raise questions (such as optional interactions in chapters 3 and 4), and an unconventional use of a dialogue box to better sell a highly tense moment (chapter 4 weird route), but at no point can it be 100% confirmed that any character has ever spoken to an entity beyond the Deltarune EXE file. all moments that anyone has ever used to "prove" this are inconclusive. weird for an RPG, but inconclusive nonetheless. we are 4 chapters in, just over halfway, and nothing conclusive about the player being involved? at this point any confirmation of said assumption would just feel like ripping away all of the story up until that point and saying it didn't matter.

and then it completely ignores Kris's character too. they're the only human in a town of monsters. they lost a dear friend to an already traumatic incident. they're a child of divorce. they live in their brother's shadow. could it not be extrapolated that they might deeply hate themself for being different, or for never being enough? could it not be inferred that they really don't like a lot of other people too, from how they're constantly Othered and treated like they're unpredictable and weird? do you remember how human and monster souls have a fundamental metaphysical difference that can't be changed, even if personalities develop the same way for both? have you noticed how they would rather be a monster (and maybe how many times they take on dog-like qualities for silly moments)? do you realize that they probably miss Dess more than almost anyone else and would probably do anything to get her back? are you really going to dismiss all of this in favor of an interpretation of Deltarune that reduces all of its complexity to a gray, boring, flat plane of thought that implies we are in the wrong for even booting the game?

there's so many layers to Deltarune and they're all so much more fascinating than this player-possession idea that so many take for granted. in fact i honestly believe this entire idea is only being propped up by this fandom's tendency to moralize the very act of interacting with fiction as a means to tell you what you should and should not enjoy. which is really sad when Deltarune, as a whole, is about the ways we interact with fiction (Dark Worlds) and just how rich our lives can become when we apply what we learn from fictional experiences to our real lives.

gotta love it here.

there's an unending num8er of reasons why i think the idea "the player" is relevant in any way to the story of deltarune is just, wrong. and has a 8etter explan8tion. 8ut the most clear cut reason is uh. okay so let's assume "the player" is an ent8ty in and of itself, who is influencing kris to do things. and this is not just an interactive gamey story 8eing told where we take on a role to experience the story. "the player" is someone who is forcing kris to do things against their will. cool cool.

so what now? what narr8tively satisfying conclusion CAN the story reasona8le come to? what resolution can there 8e to this narr8tive 8eat that will 8e in any way good? even ignoring the question "how does this tie into the rest of the game in any way shape or form" how COULD it even end?

would "the player" just, stop playing the game? and assume everyone has a happy ending l8er and kris comes out of their shell of "the player"'s control? that sounds kind of lame and like to8y fox didn't want to think of an actual ending, and we all know deltarune STARTED with the ending.

would the solution 8e to just never address it, or have kris just come to accept the fact that for their entire existence they will 8e forced to 8e the puppet of some vague creature that wants to watch a story happen? and the actual "player" in question is just supposed to accept this. kris is our puppet the end don't think a8out it?

perhaps "the player" will simply respect kris as an individual more. which is kind of like the stays a puppet ending, 8ut i guess "the player" would just 8e more kind to kris as they continue to 8e on strings.

all of this reminding that your choices don't really matter in deltarune. well, don't matter aside from what if noelle remem8ers your snowgraves. 8ut y'know, that doesn't seem to solve our solutions. if anything might even make it worse.

this whole thing honestly reminds me of a post i saw at one point when the l8est chapters came out that went something along the lines of "it sounds like you have a deeply unhealthy rel8tionship with fiction."

[obeythedemons]

His Office [Obey Me! Headcanons]

I got my own cubicle today with my promotion. I may or may not have bought cat-themed office supplies. They’re not masculine in any way, but they’re cute and I play Obey Me! do you think I’m worried about my masculinity and also I don’t care for gender norms

Obey Me! Masterlist

--

Lucifer

Everything has its place

If something is moved even a centimeter he’ll know

Both as a way to ensure Mammon doesn’t steal something, but also to ensure he’s as efficient as possible when it comes to his work

Splurged on some very nice pens that write smoothly and doesn’t smudge

Everything is clean, he has a hand vacuum that he uses every day on his desk

Has a very high-end computer - he cannot deal with IT issues, not today

Mammon

Paperwork is everywhere

Not because he gets a lot, he just refuses to ever do it and it piles up

Has no idea where anything in his office is

Has a framed picture of Goldie on his desk

That picture changes to MC after a couple of days of knowing them

After that picture changes to MC, he starts to actually do his work and the pile of paperwork decreases and becomes more organized

Leviathan

Anime stationery, especially Ruri-chan themed!

Brings in a gamer chair to be his office chair, otherwise, he’s not comfortable

Has a bunch of sticky notes around his desk with anime doodles from when he’s in a meeting

Got rid of the phone to his office, if people want to talk to him they can IM him or email him

Set up RGB lights for his office and uses that as a light source

His desktop is whatever anime or video game he's obsessed with

Satan

Has binders that are clearly labeled and organized - he likes to read their contents when he's bored

Also has a binder that has whatever book he's reading in it - that way he can read and look like he's working

Knows everyone that works there, so he knows exactly who to contact when a problem comes up - meaning his workload is minimal

Also keeps a chair in his office for anyone that wants to visit with him

His desktop changes every five minutes to a new picture of a cat - it seems to never repeat itself

Asmodeus

Rose gold décor everywhere

Has a couple of mirrors in his office so he can look at himself when he's bored or fix his appearance

Has a cup for pens and a cup for makeup brushes

In fact, his desk has more beauty products than actual office supplies

Is the perfect person to go to if they need a breath mint, some lotion, chocolate, or menstrual hygiene product

Beelzebub

His desk is filled with snacks and like two pens

Has a minifridge under his desk for cold snacks and drinks

There are crumbs everywhere - Lucifer comes in once a week to clean up for him, but it's still not enough

There's a trophy he won for playing Fangol on a corner, it's not front and center

What's front and center are pictures of his family and MC, he got a digital frame so he can have a lot of photos of them

Belphegor

Has a blanket hanging off the back of his chair

His chair also has a cushion on it so he can sit on it and be comfortable - also uses it as a pillow for his desk

Has wrist supports for his keyboard and mouse - they're squishy

Has an essential oil diffuser where he regularly uses lavender

Uses a single lamp for light, but usually keeps it off so he can sleep

Diavolo

Has a very large desk, it's ridiculously large and he only uses a small portion of it

Though, what he doesn't use starts to fill up with knickknacks from the human realm after he meets MC - he likes to show MC them to try and make them laugh or smile

Keeps personal items to a minimum, he doesn't want business rivals to visit his office and try to blackmail him

He does have a couple of chairs for when people visit him - he likes it when it's just to visit and not for a business meeting

Tries to not be in his office too much, he'd rather go to other peoples' offices and see what they're up to

Barbatos

Has an electric tea kettle on his desk with a couple of mugs

One of his drawers is completely filled with different teas

The drawer below that has snacks that pair perfectly with the different teas

The top of his desk is completely clean and organized - has little to no paperwork as he completes it faster than anyone else

Is usually away from his office to meet with Diavolo

His desktop background is rarely seen as he always locks his computer when someone enters or when he leaves - it's a picture of Lord Diavolo, MC, and himself

Simeon

Has the oldest computer that he doesn't know how to work - he wouldn't know how to work a new one on either

Does all of his work on paper - much to the annoyance of some of his co-workers

Has so many binders, folders, and notebooks on his desk - they're unlabeled, but he knows exactly what is in each of them

He uses a Rolodex - no one knows where he found it or that they even made them anymore

Is the person people go to to rant about their job while he patiently listens and offers the best advice

Solomon

His office is off in a weird corner that people didn't know existed until they had to go find him

He looks young, but it seems like he knows everything that has ever happened in the office - that should be impossible

Has all of the old, archive documents that seem to be irrelevant and should be tossed

He has his own microwave in his office after the incident in the communal area

Has polaroid photos of Simeon, Luke, MC, and himself posted along a wall

Luke

People walk into his office and then back out thinking they have the wrong spot - who brought this child here? He works here? Is this legal?

Has a lot of HR forms at the ready that show he does work there!

Still not sure if it's legal

Is always bringing in baked goods for the whole office to try - is always nervous when Barbatos tries his baked good, but lights up when Barbatos praises him

Has a cushion on his chair to help him reach his computer, his legs dangle off the edge

Is in charge of converting Simeon's forms to a digital format

[ravenadottir]

Hi! It’s been so long since I’ve sent an ask—

What would the season two islanders reaction/feel like if MC was really tight knit with her family? Like the whole ‘It’s my cousin’s birthday’, they show up and everyone’s mother is there? Or everyone and their mother’s showing up to their place when it’s Mc’s birthday?

hi! no time like now!

li's x attached to her familly mc

the ones thriving:

gary. he's used to many gatherings of his own family. it comes natural to him to make friends and leave everyone with a good impression. he can crack dad jokes as fast as he can charm the mothers in the party.

bobby. cracking jokes is his specialty but also, pulling out that apron and helping out in the kitchen, enough to gossip about mc with her family and just having all those people around him while he tells them a story about him and mc.

henrik. LOVES lots of people around, especially at parties. his puppy eyes and sweet words are too cute to go unnoticed. he loves playing games with the little ones around, helping out in the kitchen with the salads and the desserts. i can definitely see younger cousins asking him to hurry so they can play something together.

ibrahim. it feels like he would be closed off but in fact it's better for him when he can go unnoticed among so many people. plus, he loves kids and to play with them, especially if he can show off his skills while planning a game with them. i reckon mothers love him because of how well behaved he comes across.

priya. her charisma is earning some serious laughs when she tells people her stories. she doesn't get attached to just one format but i think she would deal better with the adults while having a glass of wine. she's the type of girlfriend your mom says "she's so fun! i love her!"

the ones who can't cope

lucas. charming yet not into it. doesn't like too many family parties because he never had that many when younger. he doesn't get it. also, he might fake a headache or two to get out of them.

kassam. same as lucas, particularly about the faking something to get out of it. unless he can play and stay on his corner with people of his own age he's not comfortable.

noah. yes he likes family gatherings, but he would rather have something with just people his age or younger. even though moms love him it's hard to fake interest all the time.

hannah. she can't handle too many people in the same place. it's very intimidating and difficult for her to raise her voice enough to be heard. she would rather take a book and read on some corner.

marisol. too much noise, too many people, too much being talked about and not a lot being said. she doesn't understand family gatherings, especially the ones that happen all the time.

elisa. yah, no. she's the same as all of the above in this category. she feels her energy being drained the entire time she's somewhere too crowded and too happy. "no one should be this optimistic."

the ones who appreciate it because their family is so small and they're not close and they feel the warm welcome of a family gathering this size despite being completely lost on what to do:

carl. he didn't have siblings and i doubt he was the charismatic person at family gatherings if they ever had those. no, he was the introverted cousin playing video games on the corner. but now that he's grown he feels a little different. he understands why the families get together and try to have a good time together. he feels happy to be included this time. timidly talking about his work because he's used to have people rolling their eyes but if one person shows interest he's the happiest guy alive.

lottie. she's always the weird one because of how she dresses or talks. if they're welcoming of her she might even tear up. she has fomo, as she said previously, so i reckon she's having fun! as long as no one asks her to cook anything she's happy to help, to play games, to tell stories. it's so new then yet so cool to be in the middle of so many people because she feels she can be the center of attention, and she thrives when she is.

[oopey-doopey]

Motherly Miranda au Info

Been thinking about the 2p au and here are some results of that”

Alcina wears either a red sundress and sun hat with 3 white rose tied around it OR a toga sorta dress, with the three white roses around her head like a flower crown

Not neglectful but very lenient with her girls, like she lets them do whatever and they almost have no rules, still very well behaved 

Look up “ Estonian Television Girls Choir “ and like find that picture of those girls in v formation. That’s what her daughters wear now

The dungeon is now the maidens quarters and it is obviously much nicer, like most woman in the village fight when it comes time for Castle Dimitrescu to get new help

“No I’m gonna work for the big tiddied milf and her daughters!”

Hosts way too many banquets and parties . Her daughters do love  entertaining the locals

Donna basically runs a living doll house. Like her dolls run around as her little helpers and such while she sows.

Wants people to visit a lot and loves company. Part of the reason the dolls are always running around is she hates the feeling of being alone

Family died and this Donna had the opposite reaction, decided to throw herself into social interaction, however, she has never fully coped with their passing because of that. (no time to reflect)

Only covers her cadou, not her whole face. She still does not like people looking at her “scar”

Angie is still an emotional support item, but think of how Funtime Freddy and Bonbon interact in game. (Small calm one soothes excitable bigger one)

Does in fact, eat more than just candy (hates this)

Salvatore’s mutation is still fucked up. I don’t actually know if it should stay the same or be a different type but whatever the case he’s still upsetting to look at and be around. Though most react with a morbid fascination (like watching a pimple popping video) or worry

For this reason he covers up, as he himself does not really care. He’s more concerned doing doctor things and reenacting that scene from free willy. 

Mother Miranda however feels awful about how he turned out and is always trying to find a way to “fix” him. Sal insists its fine and not her fault but she can’t stand her children being in any sort of discomfort

Protective of his family to the end and it’s the fastest way to get him in a fit. A fit consists of “Doctor Moreau can’t see you now he’s currently a giant sea monster... Look at that he just took out that entire dock.”

Still watches romance movies but prefers the ones with sad endings (I don’t know this Sal is just as weird but in an opposite way)

Karl is really just Willy Wonka but his chocolate factory is a factory of tetanus

All his little robots are functionally perfect but he makes them have stupid functions. Like one robot’s entire purpose is to insist its NOT a robot

He just fucks around in his factory when he’s not making sure everything is up and running in the village.

Gets his weed from the Duke. Duke sells that good kush

Subsequently he’s always high which is probably why he only invents the most pointless things. Still a genius just a lot more ditzy

“So that’s how you do theoretical physics also What color is the pink panther?” Head ass

Does tours through the factory but its really just him losing like 20 people for 4 hours because he’s high and they got a contact high

Duke is literally the same. I don’t know but I feel like he transcends time and space. Universal constant

The village is aware the lords are... off... but they don’t necessarily know it’s because of the mold/cadou. They think it’s just deformities/them being eccentric

The lycans are a lot more docile, mainly because they are fed and kept far from the village. Still, a person going missing along with sightings of giant wolves are not uncommon

Miranda still tries to keep people in the village but this is more about parental worry and her genuinely trying to create a small town that provides everything one needs

Town population grows due to the fable that its the best place to live. People come and never want to leave... or can’t

Did she kidnap the lords in this au or is that up to semantics? Whose to say?

Chris is an anti-villian in this au for obvious reasons

This au is really just a spa day for Mia and Rose

Ethan, seriously, how the hell did you still manage to lose a hand in this au? His experience is like, what if Alice in Wonderland was real and moldy?

This au technically can double as a Coraline au with some rearranging but again, semantics

[yuttikkele]

sorry I’ve had to wait until I have enough time to respond to this post lol

also sorry I keep bringing mcyt comparisons in I know you don’t get the references, my brain just won’t stop talking about them ;0;

i can handle a lil bit of angst if it means viewing someone’s hard work and care of OCs so if you wish to show them off I am all for it :D and also, I like both fan and original original characters, I don’t really separate them I sorta just see them as the same thing

sorry i don’t know anything about vampire knight BUT it is good to know you have a purpose for all that suffering

and ah, an over-analyzer, i see. we need people like you because i barely overanalyze. Those are two very cool story ideas :00 alas I do not have a solution for you on that whole genre thing either. And yeah the relating to a character you like negatively makes sense! It’s like an anti-projection. Or, just negative projection probably I don’t think there’s anything anti about it I just wanted to use the word anti.

ye the whole soulmates just to be soulmates thing makes sense. there’s a time and place for unfleshedout stories, and actual thought out ones!!

as for homestuck, if you ever want to read it, do NOT read it on the official site, reading the unofficial collections (which you do have to download) is way better (I didn’t do that but also I didn’t know because I refused to look at the fandom until I was finished reading). yeah it does span across a couple different mediums, mostly it’s just comic but there are some videos and games, so if that’s not for you, it’s not for you. BUT homestuck is really more about the experience of reading rather than the actual story (I know I mentioned the moral of the story but that is simply just a different thing from the story) since i don’t think you’d get the story no matter how it’s formatted. even if it was purely “chronological.” It has some pretty epic worldbuilding that is barely explained tho, but it’s mostly comedy. Anyways yeah, mostly an experience.

And SMPs are just like watching any gaming content dw. skephalo is referring to the friendship of Skeppy and Badboyhalo! They met when Skeppy was trying to troll Bad for a video, and they have been best friends ever since! which to me sounds like a real “platonic soulmates” thing which is why I mentioned them lol.

ye I knew Dave Strider (the one in red and wearing sunglasses with the older brother) the most out of all the characters before reading (COUGH COUGH it’s because of TommyInnit)

also you can’t just mention and epic namlessshipping comic and not give the link :00

Maybe I haven’t seen many ACTUAL best friends to lovers stories where they actually end up together in the end, because when I think of friends to lovers, the third guy is usually never an issue. Yeah it’s probably because i’m thinking about ships I have, and let me tell you, not a ONE of those ships is canon soooooo. i Will instead tell you what my mind goes to when i think of friends to lovers. right, so it’s these two people, and they like each other, but they don’t know that they like each other, and they put each other over their “actual” love interest all the time, and people think they’re dating, but they’re like “whaaaaat nooooo” and when they find out that their feelings aren’t just admiration THEN we go into the weird pining stuff.

Or like, there just doesn’t have to be a love triangle at all. Or really any conflict. Just the friends realizing they more than friends.

but for the love triangle “one is obviously not an option” thing, yeah man I HATE that. Like what do you think? I’m being fooled by this? I’ll have you know, I’m not enjoying it either like you would watching the protag fight a fight they’re obviously gonna win. I am getting second hand embarrassment. And I just have the perfect example because I’m rewatching it right now and I KNOW it’s gonna happen soon and I am dreading it (and I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this yet also sorry if you don’t know svtfoe) and it is starco (star x Marco). They made Star date Tom and like, woah dude I’m TOTALLY gonna believe Star’s gonna stay with her EX BOYFRIEND as endgame. And then they’re actually a good pair??? But you still KNOW it’s not gonna happen. Like yeah guys this will TOTALLY develop these characters as people more and it WONT make us seem like we’re ripping up a PERFECTLY GOOD relationship at all!! And Tom and Marco actually have chemistry going on and we KNOW star and Marco like each other and I’m pretty sure everyone in the fandom would’ve rathered the endgame be them all dating each other. On another note, Bro starco could be SO much better than it is, but it was just handled so poorly. It’s still a Good ship it’s just.. missed potential. Also I genuinely don’t think Star would be as jealous as she is I KNOW she’s not my character, but I FEEL it.

the one time I’ll let the love triangle short term dating thing go is with miraculous because 1. it was only like one episode where they were dating other people, so it’s bearable. 2. Kagami was just sorta like “let’s date” and Adrien was just like “ok might as well try!” since who he was pining for had rejected him oh so many times. 3. Marinette was just trying to have a successful love life, and she saw adrien wasn’t working, and that Luka took an interest in her so “ok might as well try!” And they both saw that didn’t work almost immediately. It was more of a test thing for both of them instead of an “IM MOVING ON” obvious lie.

and yeah, I say if a polycule can solve a love triangle: it’s not a good love triangle. It’s one of those fake flimsy ones. Unless, ofc, bringing out the cheesy rule, you want it to be cheesy.

the only ship I know of a successful best friends to rivals/enemies to lovers is catradora, and sadly I have not been able to watch all of spop yet. But it sounds like I would really REALLY like that ship. Especially since there’s a catgirl involved.

also yes i agree rivals does not equal enemies, but just to be clear, I put the two together because I like both of those tropes lol. And above in the castradora statement, i don’t know if they count as rivals or enemies really… like when you’re on opposing sides, but you’re not the main villain? Idk. I feel like they’re more rivals.

and honestly I guess I’ve SUBCONSCIOUSLY thought about the bully ≠ rival thing, but like not consciously of my own accord so now I AM thinking about it. Like marinette and Chloe. obviously Chloe bullies marinette, but marinette stands her ground and sorta rivals her in that way? But marinette wasn’t like that pre-miraculous so.. like would that rivalry even still count if it’s based off a bullied childhood? Yk what I’m also gonna bring up the forbidden bnha and bakudeku because they have the same thing goin on. Deku was obviously bullied by Bakugou, but once Deku stands up for himself they’re.. rivals?? Maybe?? I think that’s how it works, idk Imma see your opinion on it 😭😭

Blue does bully red, but I think we can assume red can hold his own seeing as he did a number on Blue. And also it’s not much of a bully thing since they were childhood friends then suddenly blue was like “I’m gonna be mean to you now” which really just sounds like blue has a crush. I gotta clarify that I’m NOT saying all kids that are mean to other people have crushes because I HATE when people say that, but, yk sometimes when kids get crushes they ARE mean; it happens.

that former friend of yours sounds.. very confusing XD hopefully now she knows how to make a more fulfilling ship happen??

It's weird to me people would count both game reguri and manga reguri as the same ship but not palletshipping. I would argue game and manga reguri are as different from each other as either are to palletshipping because the characters' personalities and backstories are totally different. Hell, manga reguri doesn't even have the childhood friends plot point shared between game reguri and palletshipping, so the dynamic's completely different. I feel like they're all different ships but counterparts to each other.

i thought that the fandom had already come to a consensus, and i was just unaware, but i see now that i have struck up a whole Discussion.

Btw anon I agree with you completely! Like I said in the og post, I thought palletshipping would fall under reguri since it’s another counterpart of the ship. Originalshipping and namelessshipping ARE just as different as they are from palletshipping, you’re right!

alas, what i am trying to figure out is if a majority of people classify palletshipping as reguri or not…

[4lph4kidz]

ma! ma they’re rambling about the epilogues again!

ok like, i’m attempting to set aside my emotional investment / reactions and opinions on like, the quality of the story content itself here. i’m pretty bad at that. but trust me i am trying to engage with the epilogues and HS^2 in something approaching good faith when i say... i just don’t think the epilogues ... work? especially not as a sequel to homestuck (if they were even really intended as such, which i very much doubt) - they’re just such huge departure in terms of tone and format, and i suppose in artistic purpose/intention/process as well? it’s wild. like, homestuck is (or Was) this weird coming of age improv comedy based on the culture of the internet and experimenting with the internet as a medium, with the audience and fandom interactivity playing a huge part in shaping the story - not directing it necessarily, not after the reader command system stops, but it still responds to the audience in some broad sense. there’s a lot of video game logic and pulling all sorts of diverse genres and elements of genres into the mix. it goes places and has much more serious moments but there’s still a very prominent focus on comedy to offset that tonally.

but the epilogues are trying to be something else entirely, something that is intended to be more sobering and, uh, mature, i suppose. coming of age story is over now, here’s adulthood. very fuckin’ cynical idea of what adulthood is like, though. and like, there’s some comedy there, but it... never really lands for me. a lot of it even feels horribly out of place. and they’re not exactly interactive but they do directly challenge the way the reader engages with the material in a couple of ways - that actually seems to be the one of the major Points of the epilogues as far as i understand them, to challenge the reader to think about how they consume fiction? the choice between meat and candy, the narrators outright addressing and challenging the reader at several points. there is a conversation between author and audience happening here, but i’m not sure what to make of it myself. it really feels like a reaction to the fandom as a whole and i don’t think its an especially positive one. also, unlike the comic, they were made without any input from the community, though they based on the concept of fan fiction at least superficially... i dunno. i dunno what to do with all that. i don’t think i’m smart enough to really connect the conceptual dots here, i can only point at things and go ‘???’

anyway that whole difference in tone and purpose is such a huge fundamental shift, one that invariably affects the presentation of the characters/story. and i just. i just plain don’t like what the epilogues do there, even if some of it is actually conceptually interesting to me. but they don’t sell a lot of what happens for me, they just cannot get away with as much horseshit as homestuck can because the tone and subject matter is so much heavier... and there’s a lot of things in there that are really not well handled imo. anyway. my point is, i’m not sold on the face of it at all. i have to look beyond the text itself. i can’t take any of it lying down, i feel compelled to dissect this thing (and it’s about as pleasant as i imagine a real dissection to be) because i’m just.. really wanting to try and understand what the authorial intent and purpose behind any of this shit is. and that’s? like, the inverse of the ‘death of the author’ concept, at as far as i understand it? like, i can’t really engage with the work EXCEPT as a cipher for authorial intent or commentary... which seems to be at least some of the intended effect? i dunno. it’s really hard to not feel defensive on behalf of the fandom. like. i know fandoms suck, pretty much across the board. i’ve always been very critical of them and especially in the way fandoms tend to interact with creators. i just think it’s maybe. a bad idea to do anything to provoke them? why would you ever drop something like this into a fanbase you know is pretty contentious and tetchy. it’s not conversing with fans, it’s condescending to them. it’s about as constructive dropping a load of dynamite in the load gaper. slash toilet. and, well, yeah it’s hard to not feel personally insulted by it, when the fan community has played such a fundamental role in what homestuck is, or was. 

i mean, it’s not like homestuck never had any issues with pacing or iffy elements to it’s writing or jokes that suck or any tensions with its readers or fans. but it still manages to pull off what it was doing, at least in my book, with its sheer scope and originality and sense of momentum. (strange how, in writing that sentence, i attributed those things to the work itself, even when it was the work of a singular author. who is very present in the work, like, literally there is an author self insert in there? idk.)

i do not feel the same way about the epilogues. i do not feel like they offer many worthwhile new new ideas, they only use and elaborate on existing characters and concepts in ways that are usually for the worse. in a lot of ways that fail to be in any way interesting. some of it is interesting, a few select elements i would even call pretty well written and impactful! but overall they are. sorely disappointing in that regard. destructive, even. everything that happens in the story, the characters flaws and unhappy lives and the mistakes they make and the outright metacommentary and the overly abstract stakes and shit... i get that it ties back to all those ideas behind the work. i think. but it just means the work itself is kinda weak. 

that said, i think i like what’s going on with egbert in post canon. that character was absolutely left in limbo when homestuck proper came to an end, and examining them outside of that narrative is actually a fascinating exercise. there is a little of that with all of the characters, but naturally egbert is the linchpin for all that, thematically. i do think it’s interesting. but i dislike the overall execution.

(jane and dirk becoming villainous characters is like... i’m actually more willing to acknowledge they sure are expounding on flaws both characters very much did have in canon... but it’s still a big jump. and i’m not really sold on it. they feel like strawmen, mouthpieces for specific ideas and arguments the writers presumably wanted to make. not fully dimensional characters. idk. i’m just a known liker of both those characters in particular, so what do i know.)

anyway that’s still me distancing myself emotionally in order to wonder out loud and do my best observe the things i think are like, conceptually interesting; when i try to actually read the text again i inevitably end up wanting to punch a wall. i’m only human, i grew up with homestuck, i’m emotionally invested in the characters. don’t get me wrong, i’m thoroughly enamoured with homestuck as a work, in terms of what it is and what it does; if you want to posit the conceits of the format and the plot and stuff as in some way opposed to characterisation, the way i think meat and candy are supposed to. but i also like the characters and if you are going to take the homestuck characters out homestuck and do something else with them in a different format then, yeah, naturally i would want good things for them, or at the very to see some least engaging and fulfilling content. 

so, yeah. engaging with the epilogues as a 23 year old who has spent god knows how many years in a horrible, dissociative depression, you know, like john? that has been an interesting experience. but also a very VEXING and kind of unpleasant experience that very has little to offer me in terms of even catharsis. even when i try to engage in good faith. the flaw could be in my approach and my expectations of course - my desire for escapism and my teenage fandom nostalgia goggles and shit. i’m willing to own up to that being a bad match, probably. 

but still. can we at least agree that the way gamzee was handled was bad???

mother fucker that got long. no way anyone read all that. anyway here’s a doodle of roxy for the road

[roughentumble]

when it comes to stand alone properties i genuine think 999 is just A Better Game, to quote yahtzee croshaw of zero punctuation fame, "it's a tighter whole, and i do like a nice, tight hole"

like, the ending is more emotional, it's a little more direct, with a very singular goal that really emotionally resonates. i like the controls better, i like the graphics better, and by virtue of being a first game that mostly works without a sequel, everything Feels a lot more complete by the time it's finished

but i cant exactly get mad at vlr for being a middle game in a trilogy, even if it means the ending of it doesnt make me sob like 999's so much as it just. makes me /ache/. plus, im almost certain some of my control quibbles come from moving across platforms, as i played 999 on the DS and vlr on my vita. and the game's just expansively BIGGER, with like..... what, twenty endings??? versus 999's 6.

and i like how the timeline mechanics are different to emphasize the way the different characters are experiencing Weird Time Stuff!!!! junpei being forced to live through every single loop, versus sigma jumping anywhere anytime he wants to, is because they're experiencing something different. the different types of gameplay are informing how you understand these different protagonist's situations and abilities and experiences! sigma and junpei simply Feel different to play, without the games losing what makes them Feel original, Feel like the same series. while also updating the gameplay format to make it, quite honestly, slightly less frustrating to play. really great stuff!!

(*grumble grumble* i still prefer the 999 method of forcing you to replay the entire game up to the diverging plot point, but what do i know, im just a crumudgeon *grumble grumble*)

i understand why they changed how you access the timeline, both from an external and internal reason. which is exactly how these things should be married in a video game, if at all possible.

and i like vlr!!! its good!!!!!! i love how many times dio gets kicked, its funny!!!!!

[that-tall-queer-bassist]

My personal Pros and Cons of my ADHD

Pros

-noticing all the little details and appreciating them in the fullest

-Emotional Dysregulation, because when I get a new plant, or find that one oddly shaped metal marble I lost a while ago, I am so excited it’s pathetic, but I love that feeling of pure joy.

-hyperfixation of the week/day/hour (i know some people describe it differently, let me be pls) . I usually switch between art mediums, and/or a few video games/social media sites. for example, I’ve been on tumblr for 3 hours as i write this, after not touching it for, i think a month?

-nuerodivergent friends. They’re just better.

-the ability to completely drown myself in information to ignore reality. Is it healthy? no. But i simply cannot handle another existiential crissi rn, so i will instead play minecraft while listening to alt rock playlists on youtube because getting spotify sounds like a lot of work.

-my ability to retain absolutely useless information, from either my, or my other nuerodivergent friends hyperfixations/special interests. I can explain to you in terrible formatting if it’s out loud, the evolution, history, training, anatomy and roles of the horse in our world, and how ao3 works, and what makes or breaks a fanfiction.

-Object Impermanence. When i literally hide myself a treat or surprise and forget about it, then get so excited when i do find/discover it again. I hide google questions, and/or song lyrics in my tabs :) its so fun. Also, hiding away stressors. Again, healthy? no, but i don’t feel like having anxiety all day, so whatever.

-Emotional Dysregulation, again. I can switch from sad or angry to happy and excited/content in a few seconds. It’s also great for getting my siblings out of their funk. ex., my sister is mad at me. I make a silly voice repeating what she said or cross my eyes at her. she laughs, then we can talk and have constructive conversation about why she shouldn’t get that upset about me “cutting off her reading time” when we share a room and I want to sleep, and know that she will be very tired tomorrow if she doesn’t also go to sleep. (We have this conversation almost every single night, i’m not even joking)

Cons

-Emotional Dysregulation. When i get upset, I’m Upset. Like, big time, ruining friendships and familial ties if i let it get out of hand, Upset. Yeah.

-Time Blindness. Constantly late, or early, or under or over estimating the amount of time it takes to do a thing, not eating til 4 because you forgot but you also should just wait til dinner, but now its 9 and I still haven’t eaten-

-Executive Dysfunction. I can’t do the things needed to function. Don’t have the mental energy to explain this one, so google it i guess? There’s a whole checklist of things you need to be able to do to function, and i can do like, three on a good day.

-Sleeping Trouble. People with adhd have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up. So, sleeping trouble. So I’m constantly tired.

-Internal Clock is SLIGHTLY OFF. Nuerotypicals have that normal sleep schedule. Adhd ers have it shifted forward by, i think, 2, 3 hours. So we go to sleep later, and wake up later, and that’s the only way to get a healthy amount of sleep. My entire family also eats dinner super late, which might be because we’re weird, but I suspect the inner clock thing cuz we all got adhd.

-Object Impermanance. I hid my math homework one time. I failed that class. 

-Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. Never trying, or starting cuz I’m so terrified to get a bad reaction. Constantly masking around certain people to appeal to the few of my Nuerotypical friends. Or, y’know, majority of my extended family. They’re ableist. and homophobic. And transphobic. And racist. and sexist. The list goes on, but, yeah. Never coming out to them! :D

-Masking. It’s exhausting and I can only handle so much of it.

-Not Masking around nuerotypicals. The shoot down after finally revealing my true thoughts, urges, feelings, stims, etc. just sucks. Super disheartening. 

-Squirrel or shiny jokes when they’re made by people without adhd. Yes, I do get distracted by squirrels, and shiny things, and dice. Stop pointing it out, and/or putting me into yet another box of your labeling. 

-saying that I’m lazy, worthless, or a disaster when really it’s not helping. I already have that internal monologue, you adding to it and giving it some truth/extra ammunition is not. helping.

-Emotional Dysregulation. Again, because mood swings. like, I’m trying to be rightfully angry with you. Stop making me laugh with you’re silly faces or pointing out of a weird face someone made in a picture you took. 

-the stigma about the hyperactive subtype. I’m inattentive. I have No Energy. Ever. Sometimes i have restlessness, but there is still no energy. Stop portraying me as bouncing off the walls, especially with caffeine. Caffeine just catches my body speed up to my brain speed, settling me down a bit, at least mentally. 

-people not getting when i say I’m overstimulated, or need some time alone to process or re-energize, and following me, or continuing to do the overstimulating thing. I will literally. lose. my. mind.

-when people shut me down after I share something that is really important to me, or make fun of me for liking something an “abnormal” amount. Flashbacks to overnight camp, when whenever I said anything about horses, they said I had to do five squats, and when i got really excited about discussing the differences in riding styles/types with another person who really liked horses, but rode english, they said that it was obnoxious, when i was just.. excited to finally find someone to talk to and who felt the same way after, basically, years and years of no one getting it or wanting to listen or talking with me about the thing. To this day I don’t discuss horses with anyone, cuz it hurts so much remembering that, and the fear of it happening again is still there. 

-seeing other people be ashamed about their adhd and hesitant to mention until i talk, like, super openly about having it, in like, the first 5 minutes of knowing each other. It just.. hurts.

-I’m super empathetic, not in a way that’s helpful though. Like, wincing, or limping myself because I saw you drop something on your foot, and am imagining it so vividly that it feels like it happened to me. Reading a fic about abuse or depression, and it hitting too hard and hurting me almost physically, and on a personal level because I simply cannot handle it. Feeling someone else’s pain so vividly that i can’t comfort or help them in any way, because I am so preoccupied with  feeling their pain. 

-never being able to finish things without starting something else. All the WIPs in my google docs, istg, i will be driven insane by it. 

(y’know, this was kinda fun. As a rant, but also as a way for me to identify things about myself and my adhd that i like. Like, I know its so much shorter, but I have a hard time with positive self affirmation, so it was kinda nice. I might do it again, but just the pros part cuz the cons are kinda depressing ngl.)

(OH, Y’all should reblog with your own personal pros added on! You can add cons if you’d like to :) I’m just interested in seeing how your experiences/feeling differ from mine :) )