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grandhotelabyss · 1 month

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Rearranging my bookshelves at the moment in chronological order. One thing I noticed is that after Austen... English literature kinda fizzled out. At least until the early 1890s when a whole pile of writers emerge all at once (Wilde, Yeats, Shaw, Stevenson, Conrad, Doyle, Hardy, H. G. Welles, and more; and almost immediately they're followed by a tidal wave of modernists). Whereas for seventy years, aside from the three big poets you're covering plus Alice In Wonderland, it's just Dickens, Eliot, and the Brontes!

Now, admittedly the 'just' is doing some heavy lifting — but so are those novelists, in carrying Shakespeare's language over a seventy-ish year period! And in terms of variety, they feel like both a less *diverse* ('sprawling 18C three-deckers' describes accurately, if dismissively, most of those novels) and, more controversially, a less *fruitful* crop than the bursting quarter-century from Blake's first illuminated manuscripts to Austen's death.

Now you did discuss the 'cultural studies' aspect of the Victorian era, which was very enlightening — but at the same time, Russian, French, and American literature each undergo what are almost certainly their greatest periods! Which makes sense to me considering the *imaginative* ferment I'd expect to be cause by the political and industrial revolutions of the entire period... like, those three countries didn't reduce to cultural studies!

So, three questions: 1) Who am I missing over that stretch from Austen's death to, let's say, Dorian Gray? 2) Do you think this reading is correct, or am I weighting things wrongly, either being too dismissive of the writers named, or giving too much credit to the writers at either end of the century? 3) What, if you can answer something so broad, was different in France, America and Russia?

(Sorry to set you a three-part essay question on a Wednesday night lmao, really I'm just fishing for any interesting thoughts you might have)

If I were to dispute your claim, I would do so in two ways: 1. I'd say that Dickens is so enormous, so much the iconic and canonical English novelist, the one who stands next to Shakespeare, that he carries the whole period; and 2. I'd say (and have already said in The Invisible College) that the Victorian Sage writers like Carlyle, Ruskin, and Arnold have the weight and intensity of the prior Romantic poets and subsequent modernists.

If someone else were to dispute your claim, someone else might say that there are a lot of great novelists in the mid-Victorian period, like Trollope, Thackeray, Mrs. Gaskell, and Wilkie Collins. Someone else might say this, but I could never get interested in those writers, and I doubt anyone thinks they're the equal of Balzac, Melville, or Tolstoy—or of Dickens. On the other hand, we now take the Brontës far more seriously than people once did—I would put them essentially on the same level as Austen and Dickens—so fashions in these things are always changing.

So I essentially agree with you that, except for the writers you name, especially Dickens and Eliot, it's a fairly flat period. I suspect the reasons are the ones the modernists would have offered, despite their sometimes exaggerated animus against the Victorians: the sentimentalism, the censoriousness, the middle-class piety, the imperial self-regard, the padded serials, and all the rest of it.

I've quoted on here before Seamus Deane's slightly offensive view of the matter in his Celtic Revivals, coming from Marxist postcolonial theory (and as I've also said before, this is particularly unfair to George Eliot, who, I must emphasize, translated Spinoza):

It is, I believe, easier to understand Joyce’s achievement in this respect by looking to the Continental tradition of the novel. There the theme of intellectual vocation was much more deeply rooted and was treated with a subtlety quite foreign to the evangelical, female puritan spirit which so dominated the sentimental English novel. Perhaps Middlemarch more than any other single work shows how the innate provincialism of the English novel deprived it of a consciousness of itself as a part of a greater European culture. This is something conspicuously present in the French and, even more, in the Russian novel of the nineteenth century. One could not imagine Crime and Punishment or Le Rouge et le Noir without the idea of Europe, especially Christian Europe, as a living force in them, in their traditions, and in the minds of their creators. But Emma and Great Expectations and Middlemarch survive happily, and more modestly, apart from that idea. Not until an American, Henry James, arrived on the scene was the novel in English Europeanized, and the Irishman Joyce countered this achievement by anglicizing the European novel.

So that "puritan" and "provincial" spirit explains the disparity between the English on the one hand and the Russians and French on the other, who were simply writing in different social circumstances for an audience presumed to contain fewer young ladies in need of moral protection. One might add the English empirical bias against big ideas, which authors as different as Blake and Eliot would so strongly protest.

In Love and Death in the American Novel, Leslie Fiedler says the European novelists held together an audience that consisted of common readers, mostly female, on the one hand, and highbrow intellectuals, mostly male, on the other. The Anglo novelist, by contrast, somehow let this audience fragment early on and had to address either one set of readers or the other.

The American case is particularly instructive: Hawthorne and Melville were neglected in their time, relegated to the margin by popular novels written in "the evangelical, female puritan spirit," of which Uncle Tom's Cabin is the most famous—but we just don't read these books! We read The Scarlet Letter and Moby-Dick instead of The Lamplighter or The Wide, Wide World. It's as if the English Victorian canon had been reduced to Sartor Resartus and Wuthering Heights. This causes the historicist critic to despair, and obviously a certain type of feminist critic too, who especially resents Hawthorne's line about "the damned mob of scribbling women," but what we can we do? We're interested in what we're interested in. And as I said in one of the IC episodes, it's not as if the great female writers of the 20th century wanted to follow in Stowe's footsteps either, since the puritan and provincial spirit was a much a prison for female authors in the 19th century as it was their place (their only permissible place) of articulation.

#english literature #american literature #charles dickens #victorian literature

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waheelawhisperer · 11 months

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are you still accepting top 5 asks?

if so: top 5 rwby fight scenes :)

Team RWBY & Team JNPR vs. Death Stalker and Giant Nevermore - the iconic scene that took RWBY from being a bad show I was watching because a friend liked it to a show that I thought had potential to be something special.

Blake and Yang vs. Adam - You will see throughout this list that I love Yang's fights, but this is definitely my favorite of them. Between the shipping moments and the way Yang in particular gives Adam the business during the fight, this one's fantastic. There are a few moments where it stumbles and the way it's spread out so much over like 3 episodes annoys me, but this is definitely an incredible fight for me. Also, the ending is demonstration #123946827 that Yang is smart as hell that the fandom likes to ignore in favor of pigeonholing her into the role of dumb funny party girl who needs simple concepts explained to her for some fucking reason.

Qrow vs. Tyrian (Volume 4) - We got a taste of how top-tier combatants fight with Qrow vs. Winter in Volume 3, but this was the fight that first offered us a look at what happens when two of Remnant's truly elite combatants go all-out in a fight to the death.

Yellow Trailer - This was the fight that showed us just how incredibly good (and smart) Yang is in combat. It established her toolkit, tactics, and technical skill. There is so much going on if you know where to look, and almost everything she does in combat throughout the series is built on the foundation the Yellow Trailer laid.

Pyrrha vs. Cinder - We see how incredibly powerful Pyrrha can be when she's going all-out... and we see that it doesn't fucking matter when a Maiden cuts loose. This fights sets the stakes for the powerscaling for Volumes 4 and onward and presents Cinder as someone the heroes are really going to have to work to defeat.

Honorable mentions:

Yang vs. Mercury - No special gimmicks, no fancy weapons (by the standards of the series), just two badass martial artists throwing down. Love this fight.

Team RWBY vs. the Ace-Ops - We get to see how far Team RWBY has come and just how good they are at tactics within small-scale fights (literally everyone picks the right matchup and comes out ahead because of it)

Qrow vs. Winter - First time we get to see professional Huntsmen and Huntresses fight instead of just students and it was glorious. Also, that fight and its preceding/subsequent interactions almost singlehandedly spawned Qrowin, one of my favorite ships.

Raven vs. Cinder - Maidenbowl Maidenbowl Maidenbowl! This fight was sick as fuck but unfortunately all the budget for Volume 5 that Gray Haddock didn't manage to steal for Gen:Lock or whatever his shitty robot show was called went to it so the gang spent most of the Volume chilling in a house and then we got the shitshow that was the rest of the fight at Haven.

Ironwood vs. Watts - This was a really clever and interesting fight with a ton of good character work involved.

I also have a soft spot for that time Pyrrha shat on Team CRDL in a 4v1 because fuck those losers

#ask game #rwby

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fandomtrxsh19 · 1 year

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V9E10 THOUGHTS

SPOILERS AHEAD

NO SERIOUSLY TURN AWAY NOW IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED THE EPISODE YET

1. ooooooohhh I like that art!

2. I better see many a cosplays of summer. like her design is SO GOOD

3. “I love you, just the way you are. Always” wait…. is this the night she left?

4. TAI!! HI BURNIE!!!

5. “I’ll be back soon” “I know” yup. yup it is here come to f e e l s

6. RAVEN? WHAT ARE YOU TWO PLANNING? WHERE ARE THEY GOING?

7. OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG HE’S SWITCHING BETWEEN THE TWO JAUNES

8. Alyx……

9. Ooooooo nice transition!

10. “It’s not. But that’s not the case for neo. “ OOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAA

11. OOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAA SUPERCAT

12. “What if I choose me?” “Then maybe that girl is enough”

13. THE RED LIKE ROSES MOTIF!!!!

14. ANOTHER RED LIKE ROSES?? OMG THE RETURN OF A CLASSIC ICONIC RWBY SONG

15. YESSSSS RUBY THIS IS SUCH A MOMEEEENTTT

16. OMG THIS SONG IS FUCKING FIRE!!! SOUNDTRACK WHEN????

17. OMG OUR GIRLS ARE BACK!! RETURN OF THE BROAD SQUAD LETS GOOOOOOOO

18. “No. You’re wrong.” “She’s never been any of those things.” “That’s why we follow her.” EUSHDBFUWA IM GOOD IM GOOD

19. Bye cat!!!

20. THE HUGGGGG!!! The VERY NEEDED HUG OMG

21. NEO. NEO. What are you doing

22. “She’ll find herself. One way or another.” ooooooOOOOO SHES GOING TO THE TREE

23 Tree Neo? Tree Neo. OMG THE LEAVES MAKE UP HER PARASOL

24. “When I was in the tree, I never saw little.” THIS CANT BE WHAT I THINK IT MEANS

25. OMG SOMEWHAT!!!! ADDING A SECOND CHARACTER THE BLAKE EAR ANIMATION SEROTONIN COMPILATION

26. “You do feel familiar, like a happy dream I can’t remember” “I’m so glad we got to meet you” AWWWWWWOMGGGGGGGGGGG

27. “It will be alright, huntress” ok IM SCREAMING OMGG

28. Somewhat and Juniper = THE MOST WHOLESOME DUO

29. Alright, I think they’re going home

30. OOOOOOHHHH Tree backstory! Those brothers, man.

31. “One small kindness, one small moment let to such a marvelous transformation. “ The whole scene is so good Omg

32. YOUNGER JAUNE’S BACK!!!!!!!!! I like the steaks of white ish gray left over!

33. THEYRE IN VACUO!!!! OMG THE SCORE BEHIND THIS SCENE OMGG!!

34. Oooh an end credits song!

Alright, that’s it. I can’t believe that’s it. Volume 9 is over. It’s been a hell of a ride. From meeting unforgettable characters to the bees finally buzzing, this volume has been a delight. From all kinds of moments, the good, the bad, the cathartic, the tear jerking, the relief, the comedic, and lots and lots of feels, we endured through it all. We grew along with these characters in what’d that are personal to each and all of us.

Thank you Volume 9.

Volume 10, we’re coming for you

#rwby #rwby volume 9 #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 9 spoilers

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thefloofartist · 2 years

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Maybe there's a good rewrite out there. If there is, I haven't seen it. Because I've had to walk through a bunch of people who say they're "fixing RWBY" and then throwing out basically everything that makes RWBY RWBY.

And "fixing rwby" is the biggest example of bad fanfiction I've seen.

Canonseeker? In my Ask Me Anything? OwO

Well, what makes "RWBY" RWBY?

I couldn't answer that because over the years, I've run to the conclusion that every version of RWBY is completely different to each individual who watches it. I mean, I'll try explaining why from my viewpoint, but it's because of that, that it won't be satisfying to everyone reading this post. I hope that makes sense.

Some people believe totally different things happened in the show (preferring headcanon or making up things that didn't happen), some people just like various aspects of the show (character design, weapons, fight choreography, visual aesthetic, etc.) while other people such as myself only view the show based on what literally appears on screen and comes out the speakers (focusing on the writing and how it contradicts what's shown on screen, or what's shown on screen contradicting the writing, plot holes, retcons, etc.).

I'd like to clarify that there's nothing wrong with thinking about the show differently, and all the power to you if you imagine scenarios that don't come up in the series proper. If that makes you happy and you find enjoyment in that, that's cool. That's your RWBY and nothing I say should detract from that happiness you've found.

But I have no idea what makes "RWBY" itself RWBY. It's certainly not the setting, which isn't unique. It's not the "each character has a unique superpower gimmick" (Semblances) which isn't unique either. It's not Dust (magic rocks), Maidens (magic), Salem (immortal bad guy), Ozpin (morally gray Isekai protagonist), Teams or Grimm (monster enemies) or anything else that comes up in the story.

Nothing story-wise in RWBY is unique to RWBY. It's because of RWBY's lack of uniqueness that I have trouble thinking about what makes "RWBY" RWBY.

(Please keep in mind that lack of uniqueness isn't a bad thing, what's more important is executing these ideas in a way that IS unique and builds story and character.)

You could take away most of these aspects of the story (maidens/magic, Salem/Ozpin, relics, etc.) and I'd still be unable to tell you the answer. RWBY itself has nothing that clearly, definitively, cements itself as "RWBY", except for one weapon design. That would be Crescent Rose. It's the most unique RWBY related thing. It's the most iconic and recognizable piece of RWBY, you can spot it on T-shirts or from cosplayers carrying it from a thousand feet away. Not even Weiss, Blake, or Yang's weapons come close to the level of fame that Crescent Rose's design has.

But what would happen if that was taken away? What does this story have going on for its characters and setting that makes it definitively "RWBY"?

I have no idea.

This is why you see so many various takes and concepts on RWBY. RWBY has such a prolific fanbase in spite of the main show lacking any core ideas or concepts that clearly embody "RWBY", so that's why you see many fans that churn out content, fanfiction, fanart all with their own interpretation of RWBY. Fanmade content dominates the original series. There's so much of it that without the people who are passionate enough to create these things RWBY would not have lasted as long as it has.

What's troubling is that I've seen Canonseeker here put down other people to push his own view of RWBY by trying to purchase his way into making Taiyang a more prominent character by flooding the fanbase with porn of Taiyang. He believes Taiyang is underutilized in RWBY and needs canon confirmation that Taiyang and Summer are a couple in spite of the writers having confirmed this for years now. This is hypocritical since he's doing the same thing he's complaining about fanmade projects doing, but far, FAR worse since he's doing so with the intent of trying to throw money at RT to change Canon RWBY to suit his own beliefs.

Which is why trying to claim or insist that doing something, anything, different from the main RWBY show makes it "not RWBY" is a ridiculous claim to make. When Canonseeker claims "Rewrites are throwing out basically everything that makes RWBY RWBY", I have to ask, "Well, define what "RWBY" is then." And what is the point of a rewrite if not to come up with different ideas? Does Seeker think a rewrite is to make a word-for-word copy of a show? Why even bother putting in the work to make a copy when RWBY proper already exists? It's redundant.

I would much rather spend my time animating or drawing something else than subject myself to "Canon RWBY". Instead, I'll be continuing environment drawings for FRWBY V6 onwards, and working on an original project that has nothing to do with RWBY which I've finally started storyboards for.

TL;DR: RWBY fans each have an individually unique viewpoint of RWBY, nothing makes "RWBY" RWBY except for Crescent Rose's design, and Canonseeker doesn't understand that fanmade content is allowed to be different from canon content.

#canonseeker #answerseeker #rwde #does this count as rwde?

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seriesluticons · 1 year

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like or reblog if you save. ♡

#icons #wolf pack #wolf pack icons #wolf pack tv series #sarah michelle gellar icons #sarah michelle gellar #bella shepard #blake navarro #tyler lawrence gray #harlan briggs #chloe rose robertson #luna briggs

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lexxlikes · 1 year

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Prepare for Trouble!

In Team Rocket's underground main base, the time of day lost all meaning. The artificial light and the constant comings and goings of various people made the time of day only an illusion and of pleasant insignificance. The windowless base stretched far below Celadon City's arcade and housed not only conference rooms and dormitories, but also a canteen, swimming pool and gym. That's exactly where Blake was headed. The twenty-year-old was brand new to the organization and currently had to deal with simple errands and master the operation of the coffee machine. So now he was making his way down the gray, branching hallways, and though he'd already spent a little time here, he kept threatening to get lost. Only small, abstract icons on the walls indicated where something was, and the image of the gym didn't appear until Blake had already given up hope. A glance at his watch revealed that it was approaching midnight, and even if time didn't matter here, he wondered who wanted to get physical now. Or had to.

When he stepped through the door, he was greeted by the typical smell of a gym. The smell of sweat was predominant and they tried to cover it up with disinfectant. Small spray bottles were distributed all over the studio and both mixed to form an unpleasant olfactory combination. The ventilation was running at full speed, but with the frequent use by so many people, even it eventually reached its limits. Acoustically, all that could be heard was the metallic clacking of weights coming from the room's sole user. On the weight bench was a tall man in a tank top and shorts, his face hidden from view. Behind the bench as a spotter stood a Machamp whose entire attention was on his trainer, who was currently pressing 165lbs away from his chest in smooth movements and slowly lowering the barbell again only to perform the movement again. Two of the Pokemon's total of four muscular arms took over the weight at the end of the movement and placed it back into its designated, secure holder as the man stood up. The wet glistening skin and heavy breathing indicated that the person had probably been training here at the studio for a long time. He was about mid-twenties, heavily trained and probably the most unusual thing was his blue hair. Normally Team Rocket agents tried to fly below the radar and not stand out - blue hair was the exact opposite. The initial screening confirmed the suspicion that the man named Lexx was a member of Cliff's team.

After there was an incident with a minor, which probably by accident caused chaos and a lot of damage, the internal structures were rearranged. There was still Giovanni. The one and only. The leader and founder of Team Rockets. But the competences were broadened. Sierra, one of the boss's closest confidants, had a focus on espionage and information gathering. No matter what a Silph Corp. was developing or who was the favorite in the Arena Challenge in Galar, Sierra knew about it. She coordinated the individual actions together with Giovanni. Arlo was responsible for technical development and had introduced the Crypto program some time ago. His focus was on internal digital security and cyber warfare. The last of the three leaders was Cliff. Muscular and intimidating, he was, like everyone on his team, confrontational. Trained thugs, he had his head through the wall. Often not with their own. All members of his departments were battle-hardened and responsible for the rough jobs. Thefts, assaults, or clearing precincts when another team felt they had to go overboard. It was all a job for the muscle-bound.

"What?" the blue-haired man asked the courier, who stood calmly in front of him. Blake handed him a piece of paper and Lexx let his blue eyes dart over the written lines. "Time to go," he declared, addressing his Pokemon, and only then did the newcomer notice. The Machamp was not shrouded in a purple mist, and its eyes were not dull or glowing red. Apparently, the powerhouse Pokemon was with him entirely of its own free will. „Thanks“, Lexx was replying as he rose from the bench, grabbed his towel and headed towards the showers. Blake's gaze still followed this man briefly, and in his mind he asked himself so many questions. No crypto smoke. A thank you. Who was this Lexx?

A short time later, Lexx, dressed in a similar suit to Cliff, entered the small office and his supervisor looked up. Team Rocket had become more bureaucratic over time, so he got his briefing on a Rotom pad. Sierra's agents had been able to learn that a private research vessel was arriving in Vermilion City harbor from Armor Islands the next evening, carrying dyna-mushrooms as cargo. These are to be brought to Pallet Town to Professor Oak for examination. The question of whether dynamaxation is genetically inherited and can be used in breeding was too theoretical and frankly too complicated for Lexx to continue reading this paragraph. He briefly studied the key data and then nodded. A short conversation with the supervisor clarified the last questions and so Lexx had time until the next evening at 9p.m.

Preparations were made quickly, as all members of Team Rocket had to be ready to go immediately. His Team Rocket outfit was in an inconspicuous sports bag, as was his equipment and his three Pokeballs. A larger suitcase he also carried should be able to hold enough Dyna Mushrooms. Dressed in a short sports jacket, he then left the catacombs and entered the Celadon City arcade. As on the lower floors, time was of no consequence. It was unclear whether people were sitting here "again" or "still" trying their luck. Of course, all the machines were rigged. Somehow Team Rocket had to finance itself. Nevertheless, you could hear the one-armed bandits rattling from time to time as a few coins were put back into circulation. When Lexx finally stepped outside the door, it was well past midnight. Much of the city was already asleep and only near the arcade was there still activity. Determined, he walked toward a black van in the parking lot. The drive to Vermilion City shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. He could drive past Saffron City, avoid the downtown traffic, and should be on site by early morning. That would be enough time to check out the location and get ready. After that, he could sleep a little more and should be sufficiently prepared.

With a coffee in hand, the blue-haired man strolled along the Vermilion City pier. The fishing boats from the morning had already been unloaded and Remoraids, Tentacool and Qwilfish were being shifted and further cooled at the dock. There was a bustle of activity and everyone was going about their day's work, so the stranger didn't stand out much. At some point, Lexx carelessly tossed the coffee aside, because with all the smell of fish, it was hard to drink it. The harbor itself was huge, and in addition to the merchant ships from Johto, Unova and Galar, there were also all sorts of private sailing ships. According to the information from Sierra's team, the ship with the Dyna Mushrooms was supposed to arrive at one of the southern piers, and after a few questions to locals, Lexx found said pier. It was quick and easy to get to, easy to see, and there were a few smaller covered areas nearby. These were intended for trading parties in bad weather and could be used by merchants and fishermen alike. From the roofs there was certainly a good view over the area and LightDive could take his observation post there unseen. There were three escape routes for a quick getaway. One led more or less directly into the city, the right one led back to the other piers and way No. 3 led into the forest. Of course, there were a few barriers to overcome. The chances were good and after another hour of observation, the blue-haired man found himself in his small hotel room. It was functional, without much luxury, but a comfortable bed. After making all the necessary preparations, he went to sleep for a few more hours. His advantage over overtired captains.

It was dawn when Lexx got out of his van in his black full-body armor suit and the significant "R" on his chest. He had parked the car in the woods, hoping to escape relatively unnoticed. The other options had too many, potential witnesses and the route through the city held too many unknowns. The blue-haired man once again checked the hold of his equipment. The two belt pouches on the back contained things like a knife, a small breathing apparatus, and a flashlight. His three Pokeballs were secured to his right thigh, and with a simple flick of his wrist, he removed the classic red and white ball and spoke softly to no one in particular, "Your turn, LightDive." A bright light from inside the mirrored ball manifested into a Magneton in no time, and the shrill, metallic sound of the Pokemon announced its joy at being free. The six magnets spun slowly and synchronously on their own axis, and while the three eyes gazed at Lexx, the Steel-Electric Pokemon floated toward its trainer. The Rocket bully, in turn, looked at his Pokemon and then gave clear instructions, "You take up position above the streetlight. Fire a warning shot directly on my signal. After that, fire at your own discretion. Once we have the goods, you secure us and then follow as quickly as possible. Got it?", again that shrill sound followed and LightDive did as he was ordered. The blue eyes briefly followed the trajectory of the steel Pokemon before it disappeared into the darkness of the night. Other bullies were working with Arlo's Crypto program. A mind-altering device that instantly made wild Pokemon docile, regardless of their level. Lexx was against it from the beginning, since the disadvantage of this tool was that a large part of the prisoners only knew the attack Frustration. Natural and understandable, but completely useless in combat. Steelix, Machamp and Magneton accompanied Lexx for a very long time and he was one of the few, successful bullies of Team Rocket. Not least because of his team. Next, he released BulkBrawl from his ball. The Machamp nicknamed BB was just 5'6", but was in no way inferior to his trainer in terms of muscle mass. Its four biceps were covered in thick veins and its broad shoulders made the Pokemon look just as menacing as Lexx. An implied grin accompanied the fist-bump the two exchanged. "As always. Big. Evil. Menacing." A double-biceps pose and a "Macho!" followed, after which the four-armed man took up position behind his trainer. Then there was a wait.

It was late evening, around 10 p.m., when the ship arrived from Galar. It was not a large transport cruiser, it seemed almost like a fishing boat paired with a research vessel. Disembarking after all the ropes were fastened were three people in white coats and the apparent captain. All appeared overtired and were packed with bags, and while the two port employees were still discussing berthing rights, fees and other formalities with the captain, the white coats headed toward the exit that led into the city. The day-bright flash of light that twitched through the night and hit the ground just ahead of the three people immediately made everyone stop moving. "We'll take it from here..." declared Lexx in a threatening, bassy voice as he stepped out of the shadows and was joined by a muscular Machamp who immediately cracked the bones of four fists. "The suitcase with the mushrooms, please, gentlemen," the bully declared curtly, sticking out his hand, "Then we can get this all over with quickly and start the end of the day. A good suggestion, isn't it?" From the reaction of the three people, Lexx could tell a few things. First, that they were scared but not ready for immediate cooperation and second, who owned the mushrooms. The man was estimated to be in his mid-thirties, had a half bald head, was slightly stocky and, according to the blue-haired, pressed his bag conspicuously close to him. "No way!" someone actually dared to say, and the next moment the two dockworkers were on the scene. Brave - Lexx had to admit that to them. A Pelipper and a Poliwrath appeared next to each of the two sailors. Secretly, the bully had hoped for a fight - because he loved it. BulkBrawl intuitively knew what to do and immediately ran at the Poliwrath. The melee attack might be at a disadvantage against an opposing fighting Pokemon, but the muscles and four arms elegantly compensated for that disadvantage. BB's punches were so fast that it seemed as if his arms completely blurred with the darkness around him. The Poliwrath still tried valiantly to fight back, but eventually the storm of fists was too much and after landing a hit, the defense completely collapsed. Lexx's blue eyes fixed on Poliwrath for a moment too long for him to notice the approaching Pelipper in time. After the initial power-boosting Agility, the wings began to glow and the attack Air Slash was imminent. Lexx still tried to dodge it with a jump, but at that moment the water bird Pokemon crashed into a crackling obstacle and fell to the ground unconscious. Magneton's Flame Burst not only defensively caught the impact, but also instantly knocked out the opponent with the electricity it built up. The Steel Pokemon barely noticed the collision itself, and when Lexx was back on his feet, both of his Pokemon positioned themselves next to him. Neither seemed to be really strained by this fight.

"I hate to repeat myself. But I am now taking over the mushrooms. Give them to me and you could move unmolested." Indeed, this brief show of force did not seem to have been enough, for the three explorers still looked frightened, but at the same time defiant. The two sailors attended to their Pokemon, and the captain remained standing quietly with his hands hidden in the pockets of his jacket. Too calm for Lexx's taste.

There was a moment of absolute silence and no one seemed to move. For the bully, this all took too long and he had to leave. He walked threateningly towards the group of three for this reason. "Give it to me," he commanded again, and with his accompaniment of BulkBrawl, it seemed that this threat was finally having an effect. The faces turned pale and the bearer of the goods began to tremble slightly. He started to extend his hand with the bag towards Lexx when the captain's voice rang out. "You don't do that, Eugene!" he thundered authoritatively. "The port police have already been notified and you're outnumbered, Rocket scum. What do you want with the mushrooms anyway?" the old man asked, clearly trying to stall for time.

"Get them," he commanded off his Machamp as he looked at the boatman. „Dynamic Punch," he ordered without really looking, and only the appearance of three bodies signaled to him that BB had taken care of the three people. Lexx had no idea - nor did he care much - if the attack had killed the individuals. He hadn't risen this far within Team Rocket if he had a conscience. The captain's wide eyes, however, allowed conclusions to be drawn.

"I'm not a simple bully who takes kids' pocket money by the wayside, old man," Lexx finished this argument for himself and turned around to the victims. All three were lying on the ground and the wet shiny surface did not allow any conclusions whether it was blood or water. He walked up to the researcher named Eugene and picked up his bag. After a quick look at the contents and confirming that it was the mushrooms, he turned back to the captain.

"Get out of here," he ordered and waited to see how he would react. Of course, he could identify him as a potential witness, but Lexx didn't care. He lived for and with Team Rocket. It wasn't like he could have been arrested while shopping. Speaking of arrests…

Even as the bully's blue eyes glared at the old man, he heard sirens in the distance. The harbor police were there sooner than he thought. The old man had to have a rotom phone. Annoying little beasts. Since escape was too dangerous at this point, he had to somehow take out the lawmen. Then he could make his escape in peace. Maybe it was all very risky, and Lexx was playing the poker too high - but the adrenaline of the fight was still coursing through his blood and probably diminishing objectivity. And who on Cliff's team shied away from a good fight? The boatman took to his heels and disappeared, as did LightDive, retreating back into the shelter of the shadows. BulkBrawl stopped at Lexx and he took his last Pokeball out of its holder.

A short time later, three vehicles turned the corner with squealing tires and the light of the headlights dazzled unpleasantly in the eyes of the bully. Protectively, he put his hand in front of his eyes and he heard rather than saw the police officers get out. "Hands over your head and don't move. Your Pokemon is to return to its ball," came the officers' routine orders.

"Yes... yes... please... it... all... a misunderstanding...", Lexx tried to stammer as intimidated as possible as he raised his arms above his head and with an unnoticeable movement dropped the Pokeball into BB's hand. The Pokemon reacted instantly, catching the ball, whirling around and throwing it far behind its opponents. "Please!!! Don't shoot. He doesn't like... his ball..." It seemed to work and the announcer from a moment ago said, "All right. Two police officers will now come to you and handcuff you. Behave calmly and no tricks." The scraping and squeaking sound of metal on metal in the distance was probably background noise not to be noticed by the policemen at a port with containers, but to Lexx it was the clear sign that his escape plan was in place. As the two cops approached him, guns pointed at him and secured to the car by two other officers, he took a deep breath and tried to harness the adrenaline in his blood. To Lexx, it seemed like everything was happening in slow motion, and while the law enforcement officers were still aiming at him, he shouted loudly, "Protect!" Instantly, in the darkness, Magneton's three eyes glowed and before the bully, hexagons manifested themselves, growing larger, their edges meeting and joining to form an impenetrable shield. At least for a short time - from the beginning of his call, to the annihilation of the police - this should protect him from bullets. As might be expected, the officers fired immediately, but the shield held. "Iron Tail!" roared Lexx again as he took cover behind the shield.

The roar that then filled the port area even made the ground shake slightly. All at once the officers seemed frightened and when they heard the renewed sound of moving metal and in the darkness a black silhouette rising to almost 30 feet high, it was too late. Seconds later, the back of Lexx's Steelix began to glow and the metal-coated skin glowed. The bulky head with the red eyes fixed the policemen calmly until the huge body whirled around its own axis with force and the glowing tail hit the car. The force of the impact coupled with the metallic energy of the attack dealt such a blow to the emergency vehicles that they flew with incomprehensible ease to the wall of the nearest port building. The two officers standing next to the vehicles lay lifeless on the ground, next to the piles of scrap metal from the former cars.

"Get us out of here!", Lexx immediately ordered and Chrome, his Steelix, obeyed. With sinuous movement and an ease one would not have expected from the 30-feet-long and nearly half-ton steel boa, he came at the bully. The two remaining officers could only jump out of the way, looking for help. Without slowing down, the Pokemon continued to move toward the blue-haired man. With a skillful movement, he clung to one of the elongated outgrowths on one side - and BulkBrawl on the other. Barely feeling the weight of the two muscle-bound, Chrome moved on unchanged.

"Flash Cannon as our glorious finale, LightDive!", Lexx gave his last order for the evening. While the other three made a run for it, the Magneton followed briefly, but then paused and the six magnets began to spin on their own axis, accelerating. Through the buildup of momentum and electrical energy, a glaring white sphere formed. The magnets stopped spinning and all at once the concentrated light energy was released in a destructive beam. This hit the boat irreparably and one the leaked tanks of the former police vehicles ignited. Enough distraction for Lexx, Chrome, Bulkbrawl and LightDive.

The fortified wire fence that separated the harbor from the adjacent forest was not really a serious opponent for Steelix. With an unsightly sound, it simply snapped as the broad head made its way through it with all its might. The Pokemon then came to a stop near the car and immediately curled up a bit to regain its balance. Machamp and Lexx now let off and landed back on their feet. LightDive joined the group, hovering for a short time.

"Well done!", Lexx praised his Pokemon and grinned over both cheeks. A successful evening. He got everyone back into their Pokeballs - there was a brand new one for Steelix - and then went into the van. He stowed the mushrooms in the designated box and, after another moment, started the engine. The adrenaline slowly subsided, but the euphoria remained. He had accomplished the mission, clearly demonstrated Team Rocket's point of view, and had a few good fights. A thoroughly satisfying night.

#pokemon #pokemon fanfic #pokemon fanfiction #lexxlikes pokemon #steelisreal #machamp #magneton #team rocket #oc

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nyssasorbit · 2 years

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How do you make your thumbnails they look so good omg

Thank you so much!! To be honest, I'm not entirely sure 😅 I reference Erik's array of thumbnails a lot, but I mostly just goof around and try to make something that looks visually appealing.

However, in an effort to give you a serious answer, here's a long reply below the cut where I walk through my design process!

Sooo let's see. The first thing I decide on is the symbol!

Now, the symbols Erik uses I assume?? are just stock photos he finds online, but the ones he chooses represent what the character is, and typically embody imagery one would first think of upon that description. While there's some exceptions: the vampires are fangs, the wolves are wolf/dog icons, the demons (minus Gavin and Cam) are horns, the elementals are their respective element. Some specific ones are Flyboi, who's an airplane, or Pizza Guy Boyfriend, who's a heart-shaped pizza. These are all recognizable enough without being too kitschy (i.e., none of the vampires have a silhouette of Dracula).

The exceptions to the rule are Will, who's a crown because he's considered as the King, not another vampire, and James, who's symbol is the ETS logo, because for all intents and purposes, he is our voice of ETS. Another one is Avior, whose symbol seems to embody more his story/situation than his character.

And this can get kinda creative depending on how you go about it. Kalila's is a bat masquerade mask, which plays both into her being a vampire (since bats are another form of "vampire" imagery) and a little about her character. Maisie's is a cowboy hat since her label is "country girl", but I could have also gone with something like a cowboy boot, or maybe even a lasso. Elliot's, Blake's, and my OC Ava's symbols all have a creative take on their respective symbols. Elliot's (and Blake's once) is a maze, representing how a dreamwalker can construct dreams. Blake's is something you could kind of attribute to being "cult-like". Ava's is a puzzle, putting a detective spin on the regular Dreamwalker symbol.

Next is the layout! I reference back to the actual thumbnails for these a lot, trying to figure out how he makes them the way he does. I was a studio major, so I don't think I have much of an eye for graphic design, but I try, lol.

Erik has a lot of fun ones, and I notice he tries to experiment with layouts and things to keep them interesting. The more basic ones are general text with the icon around it like these ones:

This also includes him taking advantage of the circular-shaped icons to use as an O in the words, which eliminates the need for him to find space for the symbol elsewhere in the thumbnail.

Others that I haven't tampered with yet also include things like shapes, repetitive/excessive text, "wall-to-wall" text, and text that interacts with the respective character's symbols like these:

Which leads me to: Spacing! Now, I have no solidified guide to how I've been doing the spacing, since I've just been eyeing it and comparing to get it the way I want it. However, I do try to keep text evenly-spaced on the thumbnail as often as I can. The words, no matter the sizing, are equidistant from each other, and I tend to line text up with the largest phrase if I don't choose to center it, like these:

The symbol placement in relation to the text also depends on what you want the thumbnail to say. I've had to change the sentences a few times because I just couldn't get other ideas to work right, and some symbols are more difficult than others. Kalila and Sam's symbol was hard to figure out because Kalila's symbol is longer than Sam's, so trying to fit them in evenly-enough took some effort.

Then, colours!As seen above, Erik tends to use a single solid colour in his thumbnails, then balance it with white and shades of gray. Some characters seem to have their own "defining" colour, like the elemental boys in particular, and others are a mixed bag even when not considering the anthology videos. They can also vary between what you believe to be a "defining" colour for the character (i.e., Sam's videos tend to be in shades of red, Elliot's tend to be cool colours from what I can tell. I chose purple for my shadow elemental character as the next-closest option that wasn't black), or colours that fit the video scenario (i.e., the anthology vids [gaming, Springback, etc.]. My first Kalila icon is themed for Halloween, in the colours of candy corn, though he doesn't seem to ever use more than one solid colour for any one thumbnail.)

I noticed that Erik doesn't seem to use a pattern on his text for only a portion of it; he covers the patterns over the whole text minus the character and "edition" text. This helps the thumbnail itself look less cluttered (I think) and allows the character symbol to really pop.

And finally, the character label and "edition" text! Erik tends to move these around and, depending on what looks appealing and how your chosen sentence texts fits, this can travel around the bottom or sides of the thumbnail. The character label I usually try to pick as “honest” rather than something flattering or trying to add a “hook” to my character, personally. What’s the base part of their personality that will shine the most in their default? For Kalila, I chose “eccentric” as opposed to “cute” or “cinnamon-roll” (which is what I would probably consider her), and even despite the serious tone on Ava’s thumbnail, I chose to describe her as “plucky” since she’s normally a relaxed and outgoing. In Hestia’s fic, she’s described as “enthusiastic”, but the more honest label for her would be “lonely”.

The “edition” I try to follow the same course for, even though that’s a bit difficult to decide for a video and/or story that doesn’t exist. I’ve had to change a few of them a couple times since I didn’t have more than a small idea in mind, and I wanted to capture the whole events that would be in the video rather than one small part of it, such as referring specifically to whatever sentence is placed in the main part of the thumbnail. For example, Kalila’s subtext was initially “Celebration Edition”, but since a good chunk of that fic was Fred and Bri arguing, I chose “Surprise Edition” instead, since the meeting and pseudo-celebration were both kind of a surprise to them. Kieran’s changed from “Teasing Edition” to “Discussion Edition” since I imagined that Chrys and Ava teasing him would only be a portion of the entire video. It’s a part of it that would probably stand out, but that’s what the main text is for.

Annnnnnnnd I think that’s everything! There’s of course exceptions to all these probably arbitrary rules, and ways to break said rules as found in Erik’s own thumbnails! But this is just how I tend to break down how to make them for myself ✨

#shroom answers #redacted asmr #redacted thumbnails #sorry this one also got so long!!#also I hope you don't mind such a lengthy asnwer #wifi was out so I had nothing but time to type up a long response #lmfao #just had to format all the images

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