#btw i forget if i mentioned it but i started posting art on twitter for kawoshin week and ended up sticking around after

[tomaturtles]

Got inspired by this and had to

[ttakttakmedead]

Week 8 : Real Talk on Body Modification and Health

today, I want to dive into a topic that’s been on my mind since week 8's lecture —body modification and how it’s portrayed on visual social media. yup, we’re talking about tattoos, piercings, cosmetic surgery, and even some more extreme transformations that are all over our feeds. with the rise of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc, we’re constantly bombarded with images of body modification that look super cool (or sometimes super scary and unreal).

The Digital Stage for Body Modification

First off, let’s talk about why body modification is so appealing. It’s a form of self-expression, a way to tell the world who you are without saying a word. Whether it’s a delicate tattoo with personal meaning or a dramatic surgical change, body mods can be empowering. They can also be a statement, an art form, or just a fun way to change your look.

But here’s where it gets tricky—what we see online isn’t always the whole truth. Filters, Photoshop, and the perfect lighting can make anything look amazing. It’s easy to forget that there’s a real person behind those images, and sometimes, a lot of pain and maintenance too.

what ‘aesthetic templates’ are on social media

Aesthetic templates aren’t just about fashion or trends—they’re about shaping how we see ourselves and others. When celebrities and influencers promote specific looks or lifestyles, they can inadvertently reinforce narrow beauty ideals. This can lead to feelings of insecurity or the pressure to conform, which can affect our mental health.

Korean singer, IU once mentioned on Happy Together 3 that her daily diet consisted of an apple, two sweet potatoes, and a protein shake. She did this to lose weight while filming a show and successfully shed 4 kilograms in 4 days.

This sparked a viral trend known as the 500 Kcal diet, with numerous YouTube videos showcasing people attempting it (i remember trying this diet when i was 15 too). However, this diet trend has contributed to a rise in mental health issues among South Koreans. (Naher, 2022)

BUT! it’s not all negative. Public health campaigns and positive influencers/celebrities are starting to shift the narrative. They’re advocating for body positivity, diversity, and inclusivity. They remind us that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all and that real life isn’t always filtered or perfectly staged.

For example, a Korean-American rapper, singer, and songwriter Jessi, celebrates body diversity and encourages self-love through her platforms. Jessi has also been quite transparent about her several plastic surgery procedures, most notably her breast augmentation, as well as the filler she had put in her lips and face. Jessi did, however, clarify that she had her fillers removed and now loves the way her body looks. She declared that she was now aware of her limitations and that she now encourages everyone to accept and cherish their bodies, regardless of whether they decide to get plastic surgery or not. (Kelly-Ouyang, 2020)

Over 2.2 million people have viewed the YouTube video "Jessi's breast surgery confession." One of the hosts asks Jessi if she's ever been made fun of, and that's when she makes her "confession." She responds that people often talk about her behind her back but never in front of her.

“For example, they would say, ‘You have fake boobs.’ OK, so what if they are fake? I paid for them.” said Jessi

On the other hand, influencers like Jameela Jamil challenge these norms by advocating for body positivity and criticizing unrealistic beauty expectations. She once called Kim Kardashian West "toxic" for posting an advert promoting a dieting lollipop. Kim was promoting a product from a company that provides diet goods, such as lollipops, which decrease hunger. According to the company's website, lollipops are meant to be consumed during food cravings. (btw, the same company has had social media adverts banned in the UK) However, there is a disclaimer that reads, "The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these statements." (BBC, 2018)

you can read the full article here!

Microcelebrity culture plays a big role too. These influencers may seem larger than life, but they’re also human. They have their own struggles and insecurities, just like the rest of us. It’s important to remember that what we see online is often a carefully curated version of reality. Being a good digital citizen means being smart about how we consume and share content, especially when it comes to body modification. We need to question the reality of what we see, remembering that not everything online is real. Before considering a body mod, thorough research is crucial—look up reputable artists or doctors, check reviews, and understand the risks involved. Think about the long-term consequences, as many modifications are permanent or semi-permanent. It’s also important to respect others’ choices; just because a particular modification isn’t for you doesn’t mean it’s okay to judge someone else who has it. Finally, let’s not forget the importance of body positivity and acceptance. Social media can make it seem like everyone is perfect and constantly upgrading their looks, but the truth is, everyone has insecurities, (me too!) and that’s okay. Embrace who you are, whether you have modification or not. remember, everyone’s body is their own canvas! :) thank you, xie xie, kamsahamida, arigato! hope to see u in my next blog! >.< References:

Abelman, D 2023, ‘K-pop star Jessi is entering a new era of sexy - and it doesn’t include plastic surgery’, Allure, viewed 19 June, 2024, <https://www.allure.com/story/k-pop-jessi-plastic-surgery>.

Anon 2018, ‘Kim Kardashian called “toxic” for Advertising Diet Lollipop’, BBC News, BBC, viewed 19 June, 2024, <https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44137700>.

Kelly-Ouyang 2020, ‘Idols who helped improve the female body image’, allkpop, allkpop, viewed 19 June, 2024, <https://www.allkpop.com/article/2020/09/idols-who-helped-improve-the-female-body-image>.

Naher, TA 2022, ‘Does K-pop promote a positive body image for women?’, Mindless Mag, Mindless Mag, viewed 19 June, 2024, <https://www.mindlessmag.com/post/does-k-pop-promote-a-positive-body-image-for-women>.

[miku-nt]

Art on the Internet

This is a bit unrelated to what I typically post, but It's something that I was thinking about since writing a previous post about changing my phone screen.

I feel like I don't appreciate the art I see on the internet enough. I see so many amazing pieces each day, and understand that most took hours to create. With that said, I spend only a few seconds appreciating them. I typically try to retweet any really good piece I see so that I can scroll back through my twitter to look at them, but there are too many to look back on and lots of the time I end up forgetting about those I love most.

The thing that really sparked this was when I was choosing art for my phone background. I ended up going with one of my favorite pieces of art, so It was one I had "memorized," but while looking for potential alternatives I found two pieces that caused me to kinda worry about how I was failing to remember pieces I loved.

The first was a painting of Miku that was meant to be a rainy day design. Her hair is in buns, my favorite alternate Miku hairstyle, and she has lots of cute details. There are flowers and raindrops in her hair, and she has umbrella earrings and a cloud hairpin. She is wearing an adorable blue dress and a pink undershirt with a blue ribbon as a belt. The colors of this piece are wonderful and overall Miku looks very adorable in it. It is probably one of my favorite pieces of art ever...and I had completely forgotten about it. I now have it saved as an alternate wallpaper, but It makes me worry about all of the other pieces I've potentially forgotten about.

The second piece is pretty much the same story. It was a piece that I couldn't stop thinking about for a period of time, that just completely left my mind. It's a collection of small drawings of Miku in her Hanami Outfit (the one designed by Rella) in a bunch of cute poses. I remember obsessively going back to this piece to look at it over and over again for at least a week just a few months ago. I shared it with all of my friends and liked it about as much as the official artwork by Rella. Then, when I was actually thinking of pieces of art to use for my phone wallpaper, I didn't remember it at all. I only found it again because it randomly showed up in suggestions while I was looking through Rella's PIXIV.

These are some of my favorite pieces of art, and when I had the opportunity to appreciate them again they didn't even come to mind. So many other amazing pieces had filled up the one place I use to save art that I forgot about them. I've created an actual "wallpapers" album on my phone now to save pieces I like enough to want as wallpapers, so hopefully it doesn't happen again. Still, I can't help but worry about there being other amazing pieces I've forgotten about. I don't exactly have the time to scroll through every single one of my retweets, so unless I dedicate time to it, I'll probably rely on pieces I see in the future to have as wallpapers.

This isn't really the type of post I necessarily want to occupy this blog, and it ended up being way longer than I meant for it to be. I just appreciate being able to get these feelings out. Honestly, however, I wrote this because I've been queueing posts (great feature btw) and I've been on a daily streak since starting this blog, but only have the phone screen post queued right now. I definitely haven't run out of Miku related things I want to post, like I said, I have a long history of instagram story posts I would like to expand on, I'm just experiencing the thing I mentioned in my "Unpacking" post where I get a bit overstimulated by my emotions, even positive ones. I wrote most of my previous posts all on one day only briefly after my initial day of unpacking. I haven't been able to work up the motivation to do much else, and I'm going to be away from home for the next few days. Basically, I got overstimulated from the excitement of unpacking and being able to write here and I haven't quite "recovered," and on top of that I won't even be able to unpack for the next few days due to me being busy. Overall it has me a bit bummed. I definitely want to unpack all of my figures so that I can go ahead and arrange my shelves, and I also want to write about a bunch more stuff on here.

Again I've made a post that completely goes off topic. Can you tell I like writing? I'm using writing as a way to relax from writing and ending up writing way more than I initially intended. Moral of the story: Artists please frequently repost your artwork, I want to see it. Next I'll most likely write about some goods I ordered recently, or something completely random and off topic. Who knows.

[tbartss]

Hello, artist here; the reason i dont like the whole reblog art argument it's because sometimes... you just don't want to reblog it. Either your blog is themed and it wouldn't fit, or you just don't like the piece that much, or whatever.

Besides i don't think a reblog without tags or comments from someone with 0 followers does much for the artist at all, it's the equivalent of giving 2 likes; and btw likes ARE helpful too. I keep seeing the argument that this isn't like twitter or instagram, but when you search a tag the top posts are the ones with the most amount of notes (notes, not reblogs). Therefore a post with 200 likes and 10 reblogs is going to reach more people through tags than a post with 100 likes and 100 reblogs.

I think this whole argument is based around doing numbers, and people forget that a like is a person out there who /likes/ your art. Isn't the point of posting art to share it with someone who will like it? but if they show you they like it by giving it just a like, that's bad?

For me it's come to a point where i won't even give a like bc if i give a like i'll feel obliged to reblog it, and i think it might be this way for more people, which is worse.

Now don't get me wrong, i love reblogs. I love reading tags and comments and it does motivate me to keep posting. This isn't an argument against reblogs at all. I simply don't think we should pressure people into reblogging art that they don't want to.

Hi! Thanks for sharing your point of view! I'm not sure how to start in answering this ask so I guess I’ll answer you point by point.

sometimes… you just don't want to reblog it. Either your blog is themed and it wouldn't fit

This is an argument I've heard many times and one I have also seen being responded to many times. The simple solution here is that you make a sideblog for which the art would fit. For example, I have many sideblogs that wouldn't "fit" on this one, like an aesthetic blog, a purely shitpost blog or a miscellaneous blog (this one is mostly for mass reblogs) and it seems this could be the solution to this problem, too. It doesn't cost you anything but may give a lot of artists the exposure that they want. It's pretty much a win-win situation. You get to experience awesome fanworks AND the art is exposed to more people.

but for this one...

or you just don't like the piece that much, or whatever.

I am feeling a little hurt by this frankly, and as much as I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, it also sounds... quite entitled? If you like it enough to give it a heart, surely you like it enough to reblog, otherwise why like it at all?

Now you also mention this:

Besides i don't think a reblog without tags or comments from someone with 0 followers does much for the artist at all, it's the equivalent of giving 2 likes; and btw likes ARE helpful too. I keep seeing the argument that this isn't like twitter or instagram, but when you search a tag the top posts are the ones with the most amount of notes (notes, not reblogs). Therefore a post with 200 likes and 10 reblogs is going to reach more people through tags than a post with 100 likes and 100 reblogs.

to which I have to say that this is simply not true. I don't know if you are new here on tumblr, and if you are I can't fault you for not knowing the way the algorithm works here, so I will tell you. Yes, likes do contribute something to the algorithm but not nearly as much as reblogs do. People on tumblr spend most of their time on their dashboard, which is made up entirely of what other people reblog. Does that make sense? 70-80% of the reblogs that artists, gif-makers and writers receive are second-hand. This means that most of the reblogs that we get are NOT directly reblogged from our blog. They are reblogged from other users who have reblogged their creation. Sure, the likes may keep your post at the top of the tag, but only for a couple of days. For a piece of art to receive continuous engagement and potential new followers it has to circulate. This is why the reblog button is two arrows instead of one, because it takes at least two to share a post. You, the reblogged, and the person you reblogged it from. So no, 100 reblogs and 100 likes does so much more for the artist than 10 reblogs and 200 likes, because it’s shown to more people, and has a higher potential of being shown to even more people from there.

Rather than keeping the art in your basement where no one will see it, why not put it in the living room, where everyone who visits may gaze upon it? After all we don’t keep DaVinci’s artworks in a dark cellar now do we? By sharing art by reblogs, we provide artists the exposure from which many build their livelihood.

Which brings me to my next point:

I think this whole argument is based around doing numbers, and people forget that a like is a person out there who /likes/ your art. Isn't the point of posting art to share it with someone who will like it? but if they show you they like it by giving it just a like, that's bad?

You seem to work under the assumption that many of the artists that share their works online do so merely for an ego boost or a self-pat on the back. This is not entirely true, although it may be for some (for example me, I won’t deny it). Actually, most of the artists I know and follow use their art to provide for themselves. it is a job, an income, which relies on the amount of customers they get. Reblogs give them exposure and exposure gives them opportunities. In fact, probably some of the most famous internet artists today are working real life jobs in the art industry, whether that’s animation, graphic design, concept art, book covers, what have you!

Off the top of my head here are a few:

Alice Oseman (yes, she started right here on tumblr) has just had her graphic novels adapted into a Netflix series. You may have heard of it, it’s called Heartstopper and only trended on tumblr like a bajillion times.

Viria was contracted by famous writer Rick Riordan to provide official character portraits to his books after her fanarts back in 2013-14 blew up and which she became famous from right here on tumblr.

Velinxi, the artist also currently known for her Percy Jackson fanart, has released graphic novels of her own, some of which I found in bookstores right in my town!

Loish is a world renowned artist who has been partnering with several art companies, one of which is Wacom, the leading brand in providing digital artists with graphic tablets, but this she never would have achieved if people hadn’t shared her art.

And there’s more. Cyarin, Piccolo, Ikimaru and many many more. All of these insanely famous artists started on the internet where people shared their art. Reblogs, exposure, follower count and notes open doors for people career wise and it is not shameful to chase after that or to ask for a simple reblog by the click of a button after having provided something for a wide audience for free. Digital artists today are even taught how to have a social media presence in their art schools. My friend who studies game design told me how they have a whole class project on building up your own Artstation account, because the industry has moved more progressively online than ever before and a simple printed out CV is just not impressive anymore.

And that's not all. I've also seen artists do commissions to pay medical bills or rent or other bills they have to take care of. For a lot of people art commissions are their last resort to get some semblance of stability.

And also I would like to point out this contradiction:

Isn't the point of posting art to share it with someone who will like it? but if they show you they like it by giving it just a like, that's bad?

So you get it… but you don’t get it? Yes, posting art is exactly that, it is sharing it. And you do that by reblogging it. A reblog is a share. A Like is a bookmark. When you buy a painting, you don't keep it in the basement with a linen over it. You hang it on your living room wall! Can you imagine if museums just kept all of Van Gogh's and Rembrandts and Mucha's paintings in their dark dark cellar where it will never see the day? What do we go to museums for then? Can you imagine if the library kept their vast collection of knowledge locked in a vault? What do we go to the library for?

Common curtesy on tumblr is to reblog whatever you like, which is another indicator which makes me think you might be new (or well newish at least) to tumblr. Actually there’s another post that circulated which showed that this ratio problem is fairly recent and that back in 2012-2016 the ratio usually favored the reblogs. Because this is the etiquette of tumblr. *squidward voice* We reblog stuff here, sir.

No one wants to follow an empty blog. Hell, I haven't posted any art the last two months and i still get new followers because they like my reblogs. I've had several asks tell me that they like the stuff I reblog and think it's interesting or that I provide them with posts they may otherwise never have seen.

Again, why keep DaVinci in the basement, when he could decorate your living room wall so beautifully?

Reblog art. Reblog art. Reblog art. If you want to keep consuming fanart and Fan edits and fanficitons, reblog it. support your fandom artists.

[eradicatetehnormal]

In The Case Of Shipping. Queer Ships and Straight Ships

A topic I will never shut up about. Before I start I will admit, I am on the queer side of fandom a lot more often than I am on the straight side and I will be speaking from that perspective. If you have another perspective to share with me, please do so respectfully.

Shipping will always be something that gray to me. I like shipping culture and enjoy certain communities around certain ships, but people getting way too defensive about it will always be something to drags me emotionally. It makes me sad especially when it's people who are like me. Fellow queer shippers trying to explain why certain things between two characters can be seen as queer coding and then being called delusional by people who are either willfully ignorant or simply don't understand the point of queer coding. That's not to say queer shippers are without fault, however. We do have a really terrible tendency of calling people who don't like our ship homophobic and ignoring characters from other media that ARE actually written to be queer, in favor of continuing to argue that there are next to no queer characters in the content they like. While they are scarce they are not non-existent. Not to mention, a decent amount of character portrayals do tend to be very extremely sexual and can be found in places that they do not belong.

That being said straight shippers aren't without their faults either. For starters, I don't really see this being brought up, but they also like to portray characters in very sexual ways as well. Particularly, male characters, with a popular means of sexualization being centered around predatorial behavior towards one of the female characters, or being a C H A D. Again, I personally don't have a particular issue with this, but just like queer sexual content, it does not belong where anyone can see it. Straight shippers also have a bad habit of calling queer shippers p*dos and perverts, even for the most inoffensive gay fan content imaginable.

With so much tension heating up between two groups, any interaction can come off as an attack even if that wasn't the intention. We queer shippers tend to get sensitive when someone has the opinion that our ship isn't real. Now sometimes we are justified in getting annoyed with these people as some of them will go out of their way to find joke posts and innocent fan art of a same-sex ship and pull that line, even though that wasn't really the point of the original post. However, even in people's own spaces when they aren't going out of their way to attack us, we still get offended. What gives? So let's take a tweet that's similar to what I'm describing:

(obviously, this is a fake image, I'm just using it to get my point across)

Now on its own, there's nothing wrong with this tweet. In general, there's nothing with this tweet. It's just showing frustration with people making every relationship a romance even if two characters only interacted for a few minutes. That's true. Shippers do enjoy pairing two people together, particularly men, who don't really interact with each other. Here's the thing though. This is an argument that's very popular and one that's been used by some not-so-well-meaning people.

Alright, it's sad people hours now, sorry sis. So for a good amount of queer people who are online or are big fans of fiction, fandom has been a big part of their lives. Shipping, in particular, holds a special place in many queer fans' hearts as, even though it's pathetic, ships were a lot of people's first exposure to genuinely queer content focused around queer characters. It would be through this shipping that a lot of people would find friends who were into the same media and fan content. Some of these people would grow up together and eventually find out that the other was queer. Some of these people would go on to have romantic relationships with each other, and because they meant because of a ship, would go on to continuously celebrate it as if it were real because part of the reason their romance is real is because of that ship. Sometimes people will hold certain ships dear to their heart because they were able to use them to not only find other people like them but explore their own sexual and romantic orientation via fan fiction and fan art.

The attachment to fictional, non-canon relationships would be met with consequences, however. A lot of people would become TOO immersed in their ship and would start to get into debates with straight shippers. Many of which were, unfortunately, homophobic or queerphobic in some way. A lot of the arguments these people would use were a lot of the arguments used today. "Said ship isn't real, you're delusional", "That wasn't the writer's intention", "Stop forcing your ship onto other people", "Two people can't be friends anymore".

It's when you look at it through this lens:

That the fake tweet above starts to look like it was trying to say something a bit different:

Now is this what the tweet is actually saying? Probably not. TityMaster69 might be someone who has faced harrasment from shippers innocently trying to vent out their feelings, but because many people with malicous intentions have said the exact same things and used it as an excuse to speak ill of queer people in fandom, it FEELS a lot more mean-spirited than it might actually be. To add to that, many malicious people have used the reactions of queer shippers as a means of giving a pass to genuine queerphobia inside fandom outside of shipping:

The screenshot ARE real this time and in are relation to this btw:

https://twitter.com/samelCamelCase/status/1382846776806412290

Now to be fair StarVolt358 did apologize to the person who retweeted the post, but the fact that they even brought it up at such an inappropriate time does still prove my point because, in a way, they did bring it up to draw less attention to the queerphobia in the KH fandom.

Stuff like this has led to queer shippers being berated and attacked by straight shippers in the community, even though in some cases they can do more damage than the people they're calling out. Let's not forget when Reylo fans doxxed and harrassed the actors because they didn't like whatever happened in the Rise of Skywalker, or when Sokai fans harrassed the voice actor SpuukyLIVE on Twitter for joking that the scene in kh2 when Sora sees Riku again was gay.

As I do not have a lot of energy, there are a lot of nuances I've missed, like many people who like queer m/m ships being straight teen girls and not actual queer people or queer people who like straight ships. This was, however, just a post to get my full thots out there. I'll shut up now.

[withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus]

Let’s talk about quarantine streams and smartass fans

This might piss off some people, but I’ve had it so here we go...these past 2 months have been hard for pretty much all of us and the fact some visual kei artists chose to not leave us alone during this time means a lot. Several of them did their part in their own way and we should all be thankful BUT still, some fans of some bands seem to find it soooo fuckin hard to not throw poison, even during a time like this, and instead of just being happy about their bands being there for them, compare bands to theirs and belittle the effort of everyone else. So I felt like sharing what I noticed from other bands to enlighten some narrowminded fans and also to clear some things up. I am not going to cut this, this will be a long-ass post so you’ve been warned.

So let’s start with the two of the biggest names in the industry shall we?

The Gazette: Many of the Gazette’s fans are disappointed because the band hasn’t been around during this whole time, and many Dir en Grey fans feel like it’s the perfect time to post things like “Where’s your band now?“ or “Gazette who?“. For your information, Reita, Kai and Aoi have been around too, just not as much as other band members. They check on us. And anyway the other day that Reita tried to share an opinion on people sending hate to artists and generally other people, many fans attacked him. He didn’t tell you not to tell your opinion, people, he just said it’s good to filter your fuckin tongue before talking. Did anyone of you think, even for just one second, that he said that because of what’s going around about them right now? And at the end of the day none of the artists who even did spend sometime with us owed us this. Yes we support them, we buy their stuff etc etc, but the only thing artists owe us back for that support is more music and art, not spending their free time with us, nor being our personal psychologists. So yes, please and I mean that, by all means show your gratitude to those who did that these days, but don’t attack bands who didn’t. And I don’t mean JUST the Gazette. Many more bands didn’t do the whole free lives & broadcast thingy, but since they are a big name, they are getting named the most. About Ruki now. I see people saying things like, oh Ruki is hibernating etc, when many fans were yearning for a new album. Personally I wouldn’t be surprised if when the whole quarantine is over, the Gazette will announce a new album. How do you know he is just staying inside doing nth? How do you know he is not caring for his own people or even working on new stuff around the very subject of the virus? I won’t speak about Uruha cause Uruha isn’t a fan of social media in general.

Dir en Grey: Dir en Grey is one of the bands that actually did a lot to stay by the side of their fans from early on during the quarantine, sth which filled their fans with joy. So I don’t understand why their fans then felt the need to start spreading hate to other bands, I really don’t. Dir en Grey were also one of the first bands that did a free live and in a huge arena like it was a full-scale show. I found that really remarkable and I was like whoa this is so amazing of them. But seeing their fans say things like “oh no other band does that, bitches“ etc, made me not care so much and overshadowed their kindness with hate and fans who really don’t deserve all that, in my opinion. I am not saying all fans are like that, in any way, I follow so many amazing Dir en Grey fans who are genuinely exhilarated about what they did and who just post about their happiness without hating on others, but yeah it’s really such a big shame to see the dark side of their fandom. Every fandom has a dark side but during this quarantine I got to see Dir en Grey’s one, as I am only familiar with the fandoms I myself am in. So for those bitter Dir en Grey fans I got one thing to say: not every band has their money to make such a show in such a big arena and hundreds more vkei artist actually stayed by their fans side during the whole quarantine. Shocking I know.

And now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about bands that were there too from home:

Kaya: Since the beginning of quarantine, Kaya has been online all the time, interacting with fans, doing various broadcasts, dolled up or casual, and telling everyone we are fighting this together and that he will be on our side no matter what. He’s been showering fans with love, he uploaded videoclips that hadn’t been uploaded so far on his youtube and some songs live. He is going through all kinds of things from fanarts to comments about anything and does so many broadcasts that I have lost count.

REIGN: Even though the band is disbanding at the end of May, during the whole quarantine, all four members have been twitcasting from time to time, with Ikuma being the overdoer as he streamed from 3-4 hours every few days, discussing about various subjects with fans. Even when they weren’t twitcasting, all REIGN members were on twitter, posting and being there for their fans. They also joined a 3-man live with Grimoire and Sick2′s side project at the beginning of the quarantine which they broadcasted for free. The live house wasn’t very big but it was good enough for the three bands performing and they also answered comments until the people working at the live house told them it was time to close for the night

D: D were more active for their paying fandom, but they sure didn’t leave those not belonging in their vip list hanging. They were on twitter the whole time, sharing videos of themselves playing music and even joining tag games that spread among vkei artists during the quarantine to pass their time, urging everyone to stay inside and stay safe. Also, Asagi took an active part in providing for charity during such times. Before the pandemic was announced it had already been decided D were working on a charity single that would send some of the earnings to Australia for the damage of the forest fires last year and, after this was done, he focused on providing money for live houses who were threatened to close due to lack of activity through a single that was written for everyone to know they are not alone. In case you haven’t heard, many live houses hosting vkei shows have been closing the last few years, making it harder for bands to find sometime during each week to perform somewhere. Once live houses are done, so will visual kei artists be, unless they of course turn to online performances. So Asagi focused on providing for the future of the live scene, which was very smart move at the moment and if I remember well some money went to providing people with more masks too. There is a new charity streaming happening at the moment for children, btw.

GLAY: GLAY donated 10 million yen and 5000 masks to medical institutions for COVID-19 relief. Need I say more? GLAY have also been active on their social media for their fans’ sake. I don’t know any more details, cause I don’t follow them that much, but they did things not only for their fans but also for their country.

Kamijo: Kamijo has also being active on social media but moreso lately, starting his own broadcasts to interact with fans. Until that point it seemed that he was working on various things and organizing them to have the form they have now. Kamijo also changed the lyrics of the lead song of his latest single Persona Grata so that the enemy mentioned in it is more of an invisible one instead of a story-focused one like he usually does. According to him, he did that so that the song can work as a hope provider against our current invisible enemy, the virus. He said he wanted to lift people’s spirits and use this song to spread hope, so he made that little change and let me tell you, it is an amazing and powerful ballad. Also, since some if not all shippings have been ceased at the moment, Kamijo uploaded the whole single on his youtube channel for free so that everyone can listen to it and hopefully find some strength to keep believing and maybe get lost in it and forget about the general chaos a little.

Gackt: No, I don’t want to hear it. If you are his haters and haven’t even tried to read or experience what he does for his fans, don’t bother coming for me. Gackt has already been trying to share funny moments with his fans and he hopes he does make it with that, through his instagram and youtube so I wasn’t surprised he kept doing that during quarantine. Last week, he uploaded all his live shows on youtube so that his fans can watch them during quarantine if they wish. He couldn’t provide us with a show during such days so he did give us every show he has done so far for free and so that we could enjoy a show from home. He also kept doing workouts to show us, encouraging us to stay inside and be hopeful and mindful of the people around us. He also started some accent lessons in English for Japanese fans, but I guess even that would be cringy to some of you so you will pass it like that. He’s been trying to spread laughter to his fans and I really appreciate that. And for the hate he got even for that, well, if you don’t like his humor, focus on your favorites and leave him and his fans be. :)

Sui/David: Sui had a performance arranged for Paris around this time but due to the pandemic, he couldn’t make it. He had even fundraised about it so he was really saddened he couldn’t make it. To make up for it, though, he went to a studio with just another person and performed for both his Paris and other fans live with a single phone recording. The studio was really small and, some of you might think oh well big deal, it was just one person, but the place was stuffed with furniture and equipment and on top of that, Sui isn’t very tiny, he is like 1,82 cm so, it was hard for him to move around. But yeah he still tried, he came all dressed up in his costume and even though there were no special effects, good lighting nor a band with him, he did his best to entertain his fans and I respect that. And I also had a good time. ^^ He had prepared enough songs only for 30 minutes that are given for free from twitcast as, obviously he didn’t expect many people to show up nor send him coins (points on twitcast to prolong broadcast) so after that, he cheerfully accepted to keep this going for 30 more minutes, singing a song one more time, then talking with us and closing his show with a Malice Mizer cover of Ma Chérie.

BPR bands: Well all BPR bands have taken over youtube the last one year, but even more so now, the bands kept posting videos to entertain the fans. They also did broadcasts in which they talked with other members online and also interacted with fans. I only follow Kiryu on twitter so I can’t speak for everyone but they sure continued being active on twitter on days like these and joke around to spread some laughs.

Alice Nine: Another band that has been online the whole time these days and broadcasting often. Tora has been taking his gaming channel very seriously these days and yes he has an option to tip him if you want, in fact several vkei artists do that because, like I said, not everyone has the money to survive without working these days, especially artists who can’t really sell their art at the moment, but his youtube lives are free, entertaining and a good company if you are feeling alone. He posts a new video every day or every two days, if sth comes up. Hiroto already had a radio show so I think he keeps going there, I haven’t checked, I’ve only seen his twitcasts but yes all the members have been twitcasting, for vip fans and not and recently they had a broadcast all together from home.

Other artists who also broadcasted a lot and/or did live shows are: RAZOR, Diaura, DOG inThePWO, Mana (Kozi and Yu~ki were more active in tweets not broadcasts), Zamb, Ryutaro (also mostly in tweets), Byo, Jin & Rui Takeru/Sleepyhead, Agato/Izumi (full father mode on his tweets ^^’), Versailles members and Vistlip, SHiSHi, Neth Priere Cain, i.D.A, Satoshi, etc etc.

Now be civil and nice and think before you speak. Enjoy your shows and broadcasts, be grateful and stop throwing poison.

[im-sad-lets-kiss]

Losers Club Band AU Part 2

Part 1: https://ifcknly.tumblr.com/post/187929910865/losers-club-band-au-part-1

* Stan usually runs their band’s Instagram, but Richie sometimes hacks it, and posts hot tea (example: bev and Ben when no one is looking or embarrassing photos of stan or bill)

* Everyone had their own Instagram, but Richie’s has the most followers (mostly because he posts random skits they make in the tour bus)

* When they first started out, they pulled savings out from each of them and got a crappy van from the junk yard

* They got spray paint and made a day out of painting their van. Each loser got a specific task. Mike did the group’s name, Bill did some intricate art on the hood, etc.

* Richie snuck some dick graffiti on there.

* When they had to tour the country, they used an actual fancy tour bus, but they still have the old one they use for fun.

* They named the bus Stacey.

* People started to suspect Bill and Mike were dating, mostly because that’s the only actual band members left

* Bill felt pushed to reveal his relationship with Stanley, even though they’ve only been together less than a month (this was around 19 years old)

* He thought the fans wouldn’t be excited cause it wasn’t Mike, and Stan wasn’t a musical part of the band

* He shared the news via an interview with Jimmy Fallon, but the fans were so supportive.

* Soon enough “Stenbrough” was trending #1 on Twitter and Tumblr

* Bill almost left the band once, because him and Stanley got into a bad fight.

* He said that Stan wasn’t a real member of the band and maybe he should be with Mike instead (it was a stupid fight, he didn’t mean it and was high)

* He only took a break for a month, then came back and profusely apooogized

* Stan forgave him after mailing it over and they were closer than ever

* When they are 18, their following reaches 5 mil, so they go on a tour thru Europe

* In Amsterdam, Ben took Bev to the royal palace

* That’s where he proposed.

* Bill came along, but, when Ben was going to propose he left, so they could have a moment, and came back to take their engagement photos there

* Beverly’s ring has diamonds forming a circle

* Ben’s band is coated in diamonds just like Beverly’s

* Richie has said before he doesn’t need a wedding to prove how much he loves Eddie, but that didn’t stop him from proposing during their tour in Australia

* They took a boat to the Great Barrier Reef, where they snorkeled. Richie has a last minute idea, and switched the box the ring was in for a oyster

* When they got back on the boat, at sun was setting and Richie handed him the oyster

* Eddie thought Richie was giving him an oyster with a pearl inside, but no there was a beautiful wedding band inside.

* Eddie shrieked And almost dripped the ring.

* Richie dropped to one knee and tried to give a long speech, but Eddie cut him off with a thousand kisses

* The band was rose gold and had “R +E” engraved on it

* Later they got Richie the same one in silver

* Eddie: “you asshole. I was gonna propose to you in Canada.”

* Mike ends up with a fan. She wasn’t a stalker fan, just she knew of them during their bar and coffee shop days

* She was in one of his classes his Senior year

* Her name is Katie, and she kind of looks like Luna Lovegood

* Mike ran into her after a concert at a nearby IHOP

* He thought she looked familiar, and she mentioned she just went to his concert and they were in AP Histroy together.

* They catch up and do everything Richie and Eddie took years to do in one night (not sex omg)

* I’m just saying they instantly clicked and moved fast where Richie and Eddie pines for two/three years

* Despite them moving fast, and Katie finishing their current tour with them, they don’t get married for 7 years later!

* Sometimes they’d forget they weren’t married

* Their actual music was a spectrum. Sometimes indie, some soft rock, some light pop

* January Embers is indie btw

* Eddie asked Ben for help writing a song for Richie.

* Eddie told Ben all his feelings for Richie and some phrases he wanted to incorporate and Ben would turn it into a work of art

* During a concert in Cali, they were supposed to sing a song but Eddie was nervously like “hold up, no.”

* He explained Ben helped him write this song for him, and he wanted to sing it to him in front of everyone on Richie’s birthday (which today is his birthday o m g)

* Richie sat on a stool while Bill played the guitar for him. Eddie sang beautiful, but was shaky and nervous at first

* Around the second verse he got super into it and was feeling v confident.

* The bridge was the best god damn part, because it was spoken. A chaste love letter Eddie write all on his own. At the end he said “love, eds” and he sang the last part gorgeously.

* Richie cried (so did the rest of the losers to be honest) and the crowd lost their minds

* By the next morning there were articles everywhere about this new unveiled song The Losers Club put out

* The song was called Trashmouth, and it’s the only song Eddie ever sang for the band

* It became their best song actually and was number one on the charts for a solid week

* It was a soft pop song

* It’s Richie’s ringtone for Eddie now

* Of course Richie also wrote Eddie a song

* In fact, Richie writes Eddie multiple songs all in his own. He has his own little red composition notebook that says ❤️Eds❤️ on the front

* There’s enough songs in there for a whole album just on him, but he can’t do that.

* He gives the notebook to Ben for revision, and he turns them into actual good songs.

* Richie slips two or three of them into each album, and it takes five albums for him to get every song out there

* Eddie’s favorite is an indie song called “Eds” ofc 🙄

* There’s a part where Richie just screams EDS like three times (kind of like Finn Wolfhard does in some of his songs)

* It’s Eddie’s ringtone for Richie

[blackeraser]

same anon here!! your answer made me tear up aaaaa yeah it's always a bit disheartening to see people succeeding so easily at things you also want to be good at, and this kind of success is always more glorified but you're absolutely right about working 100times harder!! it's easy to dismiss bc it's more discreet, but yeah there's always a reward for hard workers!! and hearing about your story rlly makes me consider the art school path, thats like,a big thing (btw did you receive my third ask?)

This is how life works & it’s sucks lmao But tell yourself there always someone skilled than you but also someone less skilled than you. The 3 of you are running in the road of improvement. But the 3 of you can also help each other to improve. (Hate the competition, art industry have their share of pain, let’s not add more problem and enjoy the job)

Also I don’t know if I mention here, I think I said in twitter already but don’t forget your friends o/ They’re the one who can point out your improvement while you’re struggle in your improvement and feel like you’re not improving at all. It’s a precious motivation energy and a way to love yourself a bit more o/

I will support you with whatever path you’re going to choose ! Don’t forget to inform a lot, it will help you feel less scaried about this path. Also if you have an opportunity to talk with a professionnal please do, or read (if they made a post) about how they start and how they end up to be an professionnal artist . o/

(I only received 2 messages xD)

[lokaneiscanon]

Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder rant

Seeing Natalie Portman returning to reprise her role as Jane Foster, nevertheless wielding Mjolnir, finally getting the treatment this character deserves, was surreal to say the least. I had just started reading Lords of Midgard, the 8th issue of Mighty Thor (2015 - 2018), and had fallen in love already. But I didn't suspect at all that Taika Waititi would pull this card in Thor: Love and Thunder, considering Jane was barely mentioned in Ragnarok. The news about my favorite actress portraying one of my favorite characters coming out of the blue - you can imagine the excitement. Alas, I quickly remembered what the fandom thought of that comic (at least on tumblr) and imagined it now growing tenfold, cuz not everyone in the MCU fandom reads comics but pretty much everyone wants to watch another Thor movie. And yes, many fans weren't ready for this step, still recovering from Sam Wilson getting the shield in Endgame. Which is completely fine. We're not obligated to like everything Marvel throws in our faces, we're allowed to criticize and express our opinion on the internet or wherever. What is not okay is mindlessly hating, and even worse - using false facts to support said opinion.

I have seen some people using the argument that it is one of Marvel's worst selling comics. Which has already been proven wrong by multiple sites, including Comichron, just Google it, as I did myself. I read multiple posts, ones saying how good Jane is doing as Thor in sales, others disproving this, so I checked for myself the numbers at the site mentioned above month by month to be sure. The comic truly had its downfalls as the story progressed but in my opinion it's normal for the 1st issue to have more sales than the 21st. If we compare it to Unworthy Thor, which started running a bit later and followed the now unworthy Odinson, the data shows the latter had more sales. But then again, while Might Thor was at its 17th issue, Unworthy Thor was at its 2nd. Also, they later crossed paths, shared comic issues, it's fair to say they go hand in hand and Jason Aaron, the author, probably doesn't want us to compare them, as they complete and compliment each other's stories. Still I decided to check the comic that made Thor unworthy in the first place - Thor: God of Thunder (2012 - 2014), which seemed to me more "comparable" to Might Thor (2015 - 2018). *I keep putting the years it was being released so as to not be confused with previous Mighty Thor issues, whole Odinson was still Thor, please bear with me* So yes, the numbers were pretty close, but from what I saw, Mighty Thor had the upper hand if we compare first issue to first issue and so on. (In defense of Odinson, we have to take into account that this data is only from the US and does not include digital sales. Also, he's been around since the 50s. We could argue Jane was a breath of fresh air that some Marvel fans were indeed ready for. As a non-American, and also a person without a hint of knowledge in economics I cannot take into account inflation and whatever else has prevented or enabled Americans to get their hands on the comics or has affected prizes through the years. Bear that in mind.) Moreover, from what I saw on Comichron, both comics had much competition - God of thunder was released along with Avengers vs the X-men, the Uncanny X-men, pretty popular at the time, and the Goddess of Thunder faced Civil War 2 and DC Universe Rebirth (yes, DC is in the game too), also dominating with tremendous sales for the longest time. Yet I stick with my original statement - both Thors are valid and shouldn't be put against one another regardless of profit. Because at the end of the day what will matter the most is the story. And boy, what a story it is.

Now, I haven't read the Thor: God of Thunder, but as I was doing research I found one very well written summary and explanation of Thor's arc and his becoming unworthy and I will post a link below, because I honestly feel I wouldn't be doing this comic a favor by describing it without having read it. Which I plan to do in the future, tbh. It's a fantastic prelude to the Mighty Thor (2015 - 2018) that I've come to love. First, I'd like to ask you all to stop hating on the comic without having read it first. It doesn't make any sense and being petty for the sake of being petty won't benefit neither you, nor anyone, really. Now, about the comic itself - the art is magnificent. It's just gorgeous. Mighty Thor isn't , thank all the gods, sexualized, she is pretty buffed and generally looks like a warrior. As it is with the other characters, I dare say. The background truly captures the essence of every world Jane finds herself on. Action scenes are just the right amount and balanced with dialogue well. On a side note, it's pretty funny to read/listen to in your head the Shakespearean English cursive in which Jane talks as Thor. The plot line branches beyond this comic, starting from Thor: God of Thunder and leading to the War of Realms. And it is elaborately built in every issue. You don't know what to expect, yet it makes sense when it happens. Which leads me to the characterizations. My God, what a treat Loki is in this. Clearly, my opinion is kinda biased, since he's my favorite character, but you never know which side he's on. What his motivations are. And it just feels so... Loki. His writing is brilliant. Almost makes me forget what the MCU did to him. Also, he gets some daddy time with Laufey (not as kinky as I make it sound). Frigga/Freyja is just as awesome as in the MCU, even more, at least in the comics she calls Odin out on his shit, who btw is I guess an asshole in every version and universe. Malekith, the main villain, is unbearably despicable, I want to tear every page he is on. He really was mishandled in the Dark World, if you want some true action with the dark elves, you are welcome to enjoy. I saved the best for the end - Jane Foster/ Might Thor. Now, if you think Dr. Foster spends her time boasting about her worthiness and how Odinson is just called Thor, but she is Mighty Thor, you are horribly wrong. She just... does her job. Because the hammer chose her. Because there's no one else to do so. That's it. If you think there's some feminism involved, yes, there sure is, but it certainly isn't the reason Jane became Thor in the first place. It was not the creators going SJW because it's trendy, as such a mindset is honestly offensive to any descent creator with any self respect, but a well thought out story arc, which, I repeat, you have to read the comic to understand. Jane is not at all whiny about the hate she gets in-universe, not only from foes like Odin and who-not, but from Shield and generally people whose asses she's saving. Her having cancer is not something they pulled to provoke sympathy and make her look like a victim - on the contrary, she is a damn hero and a victor. I don't want to give out spoilers, but her being Thor is actually a giant sacrifice that no one really appreciates (both in-universe and in the fandom). She is not Thor to prove she can be, or just to prove "women can be heroes" - she doesn't have to. She is simply needed by the realms and so she does her job, even though she is called a thief, persecuted and generally hated. All that matters is that the hammer finds her worthy - the beauty and simplicity of that fact you will find out, for the last time, if you read the comic.

I'm not making you read the comic or watch Thor: Love and Thunder. I myself don't know what to make of this film yet because there's barely any information about it. I only know it will be based on the comic so that's a reason for my hopes to be up already. On the other hand, since I didn't like Loki's characterization in Ragnarok, I'm not sure what to expect from Taika. There are valid reasons to not like the idea of Jane returning to the MCU as Thor, which you are entitled to. However, reasons such as "why does everything have to be political these days" are not. Because if I had to make a list of everything politically related in the MCU, it would take forever. Steve Rogers kills nazis is the most blatant example. Make of it what you want. But I think we're far enough into the 21st century to realize art and real life are not that separable. It's undeniable that art affects people and that is to say, people everywhere. And they all have different opinions and aren't gonna like everything media is offering to them. And I wish I could simply tell you not to watch the movie but I'm a Marvel fan too and I understand that I can't just take away Thor from you because I want Mighty Thor as well. But none of us can stop Marvel from producing it. So, to quote an image I saw recently, I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people. Let the rest of the fandom enjoy what they want to enjoy. Yes, ik I can play around with the tags and avoid posts that unnerve me but, for example, I'm looking up Mighty Thor fanart, which obviously isn't anti-Mighty Thor, yet I get attacked in the comics for anticipating a movie that doesn't even have a full cast yet. Ik I'm not asking for too much when I wish to get the same internet experience (not only tumblr, but also insta, YouTube, Twitter, any site) as the Thor Odison fans, for example. I'm aware I cannot stop all the toxic fans and the trolls but I hope this post has inspired those of you who simply can't envision Jane as Thor, or don't like Natalie Portman in the role, or whatever eles personal preference that doesn't involve political issues and isn't harmful to the community, not to attack every post on your dash with hate. The movie is called LOVE and Thunder, for God's sake. (on a side note, is a franchise that is too afraid to show LGBT characters for more than 1 minute so as to not lose profit from China, THAT politically correct)

Anyway, that was a veeeery long rant, sorry to whoever reads this but, like, please, I put effort into this, hoping this time around I won't be the only positive reviewer of a movie, like I was with Solo: a Star Wars story (yes, I'm still bitter about this), which was boycotted for no apparent reason but was a decent film in reality, and I'm only bringing it up because it has a similar experience to Love and Thunder for getting hate before even being released. I'm not defending a billion dollar company that flopped in box office once, I'm defending the viewer's right to media they are interested in. If you don't like the character, remember - that's your opinion, not a fact that the character sucks. Kudos.

Not very easy to navigate, I advice you to do the research month by month individually for comics you'd like to compare. Also, if you happen to find more reliable data, pls say so in the comments.

Here you have the summary and explanation of the greatness of Thor: God of Thunder, Jesus, I'll go bankrupt if I buy this one too.

Yes, I want to end the sales dispute once and for all, I'm tired of seeing it on my dash. This guy probably explains it better than I did.

@awesomejenlawrence you said you'd like to read this and I delivered

[celticheartedfangirl]

Some commentary on the S4 Episode of OUAT -- The Apprentice . . . .

I wanted to unpack this episode, and my feelings about it, to accompany @sieben9’s watching of it, and thought this would be better than reblogging their post.  They know that I’m posting this, and are aware that it will be snarky, bitchy, and negative, so please don’t go pestering their inbox with “oh don’t listen to that bitch, she’s a bitch” because A) they KNOW THIS already (it’s not a fact I’ve hidden from ANYONE) and B) again – they know I’m making this post instead of reblogging theirs and that it’s not going to be all glee and squee.  

This episode is one I have never revisited.  (To be fair, I’ve not revisited MOST of the episodes from S4 on.)  But this one is forever seared onto my brain.  This is a LONG POST so under the cut . . . . .

 This episode was a turning point for me for 4 reasons:

 1)      I got a CLEAR PICTURE of what trajectory Rumbelle was on (as a pairing AND as individual characters) and I wasn’t happy

2)      I got a CLEAR PICTURE of the Hook trajectory and again – I wasn’t happy

3)      What VERY LITTLE remaining respect and/or admiration I retained for Adam and Eddy (which was not much at this point) VANISHED after this episode aired

4)      This episode forever changed the fandom dynamic for me

Now . . . . . let’s unpack this and start with #1 . . . . Rumbelle.

Rumbelle had just gotten married, and up until this point, aside from E1 with the dance (which to ME, although it was lovely and wonderful, also screamed “HEY!!!! FROZEN FANS JUST NOW WATCHING!  LOOK! IT’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!  YOU KNOW THEM!!!!”), we’ve gotten pretty much NOTHING for them.  So . . . . . . . let’s chat about the dock scene.

 Yes, that DELETED DOCK SCENE.  This one right here:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELkuD6zpZ2U

And look at that – not even cleaned up.  Which tells me that A&E decided to CUT THIS SCENE – this 37 second scene that they could NOT SPARE 37 SECONDS FOR – before they even started the editing process. Because otherwise – this would be a cleaned up scene.

And we wouldn’t even know it EXISTED if it hadn’t been for the fact that it was an outdoor scene and there were a FUCK TON of people on site that day taking photos.  

LOOK AT ALL THE BTS:

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95364011977/attackontaetan-emilie-de-ravin-robert-carlyle 

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95373664507/you-guys-this-episode-wont-air-until-october-19

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95364068497/betsypaige22-thatravenclawbitch

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95373377122/tjmystic-rumbelleotp-on-scene-pics-update

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95396861777/scififantasytv-robert-emilie-filming-aug-20

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95397126162/ouatwholock-august-20th-4x04-filming-x-i

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95395846932/vicieinatv-aaaaah-kiss-rumbelle

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95327102332/myaussiebelle-rumplestiltskin-rumbelle

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95327345502/fairytaleasoldastime-emilie-de-ravin-and-robert

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95320025497/delintthedarkone-itssandgirl-can-i-just-say

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95327073767/lulices-rumbelle-cuddling

And of course, my personal favorite:

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/95468578777/mrgoldsdearie-ouatcrack-he-does-things-to

I’d say I’m sorry for that last one but . . . . I’m really not so . . . .

Anyhow . . . the Rumbelle fandom was so excited about this scene.  Cause we’d had these BTS photos for WEEKS . . . and then they just . . . . CUT IT . . .

And Adam posted it on Twitter two weeks later because the Rumbelle fandom had a collective shit fit directed at him and he basically wanted to shut us the hell up.

And this all makes me wonder . . . .  what ELSE had they filmed up to this point that we’ll never see?  Because it’s OBVIOUS that at some point, between Episode 1 and Episode 4 – they changed the trajectory of what the had in store for Rumple, Belle, and Rumbelle.

Why, you ask?  Well first of all – don’t forget that in E2, they cut that scene with Rumple and Henry.  A scene that Bobby GUSHED ABOUT at SDCC (starts at 1:40):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqYngk_12Sw

Also Bobby talked about Rumple being ADDICTED TO MAGIC several times at SDCC.  Here’s one example (mentions it at the end):  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OCtgv4nX24

So . . . . . what we’re seeing to this point is so far TWO significant scenes that show Rumple as a caring human being have been CUT, one of them before the editing process even began.

And if they’re telling an addiction story . . . . . they’re sure as fuck not SHOWING US that here. They’re showing us Rumple being shady and an asshole . . . . but they’re not showing us addiction.  And even though Bobby is PLAYING IT that way . . . . . most viewers don’t do subtle.  The narrative must CLEARLY and UNEQUIVOCALLY TELL US that this is, in fact, what is going on.  And it doesn’t.  

Also – Belle has BARELY been on, and when she has been, it’s with Rumple.  I mean . . . . . gee, it’s like they don’t know what to DO with her without Rumple . . . . . . amazing that the fandom, at this point, has LOTS of ideas . .  . but the people who get paid for it?  Nothing.

So anyhow – that’s point ONE.

Onto point TWO . . . .

By now, we get it. They want Hook front and center. He is their pet, they want to go with Captain Swan.  Okay. But here’s another instance of “SHOW DON’T TELL.”  Having Hook follow Emma around like a lost puppy and just standing there isn’t TELLING. And also Emma has already had scenes with Regina and Elsa so far this season that show WAY more chemistry than any of the schmoopy shit they’re giving us with Emma and Hook.  

But here’s the kicker – instead of – you know – actually putting Hook on an actual, real, redemption arc – it just seems WAY easier to have him bully and blackmail Rumple (to get his HAND BACK so that he can play grab and tickle with his new boo without stabbing her, BTW) and make it look like RUMPLE is the baddie and Hook is just trying to be a good guy.  Basically they’re tearing down Rumple to prop up Hook.  Instead of showing Rumple’s struggle with addiction and Hook’s struggle with dealing with all the criminal shit he’s done in the past – THIS is the path they’re going with.  This is a disservice to BOTH characters.  And this episode, combined with the aforementioned factors, told me that yup, we’re doing this.  Because . . . .

Point THREE . . . . .

These writers are lazy as fuck and don’t want to be bothered writing complexity for literally ANYONE. Let’s not even discuss my issues with the Rumple trajectory.  Let’s look at Emma and her stupid little Pink Sandra Dee dress and the Charmings fawning over their damn date with a polaroid camera.

Who ARE these people? Did someone do a body swap with the Charming family?  Because that was some serious OOC shit, and for what?  To PROP UP HOOK.  So not only are they making Rumple an ass to prop the pirate, they’re making Emma and her parents into people I don’t recognize.  Because A&E are gross and seem to think that a woman must look and act a ‘certain way’ in order for a manly man like Hook to want to date her.  (I swear there’s some quote out there about “Hook makes Emma feminine” or some shit like that post-this episode.  Anyone have that link?)

Can you say misogynist?

And FOUR . . . . fandom . . . . . *sigh*

First of all, and example of post-episode banter from the pro Hook brigade:

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/101264943652/killian-wasnt-making-a-death-threat-against

So that was fun.  Now let’s move onto the Rumbelle fandom and a variety of commentary:

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/100465938827/so-it-doesnt-bother-you-that-while-gold-is

http://pamchenko-twist.tumblr.com/post/100272360750/mentemmortalia-if-the-writers-want-to-turn

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/100460351767/so-are-they-cutting-that-cute-little-romantic

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/100466470197/you-are-not-a-real-rumbeller-please-leave-your

http://thestraggletag.tumblr.com/post/100604059906/somewhat-pessimist-mini-rant-below-more-i

http://pamchenko-twist.tumblr.com/post/100608988655/charmedrumbelle-cartoonjessie

So the above is a mix of positive, negative, and general frustration.  

But THESE were the kicker for me (this is ME):

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/100499172547/thatravenclawbitch-spottytonguedog

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/100497962147/you-know-what-i-dont-know-what-is-more-hurtful

This is kind of the beginning of my PERSONAL trajectory within the fandom  . . . . . . . FYI . . .

This was the point where I realized that I was watching a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SHOW than about half of the fandom . . . . . . . .

All of the above posts were written post-episode 4.  

So I walked away from E4 frustrated about Rumple, Belle, Rumbelle, the propping of Hook, the shitty writers and their inability to write a complex story, and the obvious to me early beginnings of the breakdown of the Rumbelle fandom.  

Of course I had no idea what was coming, nor am I going to say because I know @sieben9 is spoiler free.

I just wanted them (and others who may have come in late in the game) to have a full grasp of WHY this episode, which in hindsight probably isn’t THAT BAD, was a turning point for me and many others.  Cause I know I’m not alone.

On the PLUS SIDE . . . . . we did get some lovely dock scene fan art:

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/100698762707/spottytonguedog-delintthedarkone-the-lost

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/101345237832/retrogrlfan-rip-docks-scene

And some ‘let’s make fun of Hook’ stuff which is always amusing:

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/100594138302/winterelf86-mathematicaltardistime-this-is-a

Look, I obviously kept watching the show.  But this episode?  It was just NEVER THE SAME FOR ME after this.  

[inky-thoughts]

hi! i was wondering, do u perhaps have any tips on what to pay attention to when applying for a zine instead of making one?

I actually planned to cover that a bit during a later post in the series where I also wanted to talk a bit about zine etiquette for contributors, but I definitely can give you some pointers already (also I love to procrastinate, soooooo this ask is more than welcome haha)

THIS GOT REALLY OUT OF HAND SO THERE’S A READ MORE NOW ^^;

First of all, find a zine for something that you actually feel passionate enough about so that you want to create for it. You don’t want to create something for something you actually hate. Zines are supposed to be fandom fun with this feeling of professionalism, not something you absolutely need to drag yourself to work on.

I also wouldn’t apply to too many at once, especially with similar/overlapping schedules. 2-3 is reasonable if you have a life outside of the arts, like a job or school, but if you’ve got both going on, maybe reduce it to a max. of 2 at a time. If you’re basically freelancing and the zines would be your next projects, apply to as many as you actually know you can handle. Always assume you get into all of them, and plan accordingly. If you don’t get in - more time for other stuff. But especially from the perspective of a zine mod, don’t take on too many if you can’t handle it.

Always, always, ALWAYS pay attention to the zine’s schedule. Check before you even open the tab for the application that you actually got time for the zine. Always be as pessimistic as possible (but still realistically so) because you never know when you’ll be in an art/writing block. If especially final drafts are due around major deadlines from school/uni/anything else important to your life, do yourself a favour and opt out of this zine. You’ll be endlessly stressed and the mods don’t know what to do with you.If you decide on applying to the zine and got in, write down all deadlines in your calendar of choice (I actually have two different calendars so I mark that in both), and if you know yourself as that person who is really forgetful about deadlines, please do everyone a favour and put yourself reminders on what works best for you (alarms, countdowns, reminders via phone, sticky notes in your room, etc.)

Check if you meet all of the zine applicant’s requirements, and if not all, can you work on them so you fit in time before applications close? It’s not worth getting your hopes up if you end up not even being able to participate because they look for certain people.

I would also always check out the zine’s mods/admins and what kind of reputation they have. If they aren’t publicly mentioned anywhere on the zine’s blog/whathaveyou, I would rather evade the zine.Same goes for any weird feeling you get, be it through the language they use (e.g. unprofessional tonality like My Immortal/2000s chat language seems like the mods don’t take it seriously enough unless it is actually the zine’s theme, the use of slurs or inappropriate/rude statements), or appearance of the blog/twitter account, … I personally also would steer around people who are self-acclaimed “antis” even if they support your OTP, this still can get ugly as the atmosphere might be tense/not very welcoming, or even downright hostile.Remember that if you participate, you will be associated with the zine and the zine with you.If it is not a free downloadable zine, what happens with the earned money? If they don’t state anything about it, it really looks shady. Same goes for a claimed Charity Zine where you can’t access any information to which organisation(s) they want to donate.

Here and here are some other really prominent red flags of how to spot possible scammers.

If you are just starting out with zines, it might be wise to rather look for smaller ones and see what comes out of it. An all-applicants-get-in zine is hard to find nowadays I believe, but is still a good opportunity to just get to know deadlines with creative works in a larger project.

Always tell in advance that you (possibly) can’t make a deadline if you got into a zine. Running after people 24/7 is exhausting and annoying and definitely triggers the will to strangle someone much more than you sending a small e-mail with “I’m sorry but I can’t make the deadline because [I’m sick/my dog died/my exams are more stressful than expected/I have to cover for a coworker/we have a big family celebration/…], can I please get an extension (of XX days)?” - please for God’s sake don’t be embarrassed or even scared to tell such things, it happens but it’s always better to know such things a few days or even a day in advance instead of … a week after the deadline actually was supposed to happen. I promise you, bascially all of the mods are very understanding and definitely will help you figure out a solution.

Be kind to other participants and try to get to know them a little better. Fan projects are such a great way to make new friends and actually find people to collaborate with as well, additionally everyone benefits from a good atmosphere on the team. The great thing about most zines having discord channels nowadays is that you can actually communicate with other participants instead of mainly just the mods. Also, if you happen to check out the other contributors you might find several hidden gems of artists/writers!

A bit on portfolios:

Depending a bit on the zine, it always is better for you to have a small compilation of fanworks that actually deal with the zine’s characters/the source material, even if it’s just a more detailed/polished sketch or a slightly longer drabble (between 500 and 1000 words). If it isn’t already required in the application form, it at least shows interest in the source material and the zine itself.

As an artist, have actually polished pieces with (preferrably full-body) characters and real backgrounds (physically interacting characters are always great btw). Think about what you enjoy about zine pieces yourself - you usually don’t discover everything at the first sight, or they just downright awe you so it’s actually worth it to look through the zine once more. Show pieces that are of the same quality because you want to get into a zine. If you apply as a merch artist, also have at least one or two pieces that show a style suited for the merch you apply for.

As a writer, it is good to have at least one solid one-shot between 1-5k words. Mods want to know how you deal with the rather small wordcount that is typical for zines. I really would recommend especially writers to have at least one piece from the source material the zine’s about.

Also, I wouldn’t include anything that is older than max. 3 years, however good and awesome it is. Whether you are an artist or a writer, I will guarantee you that you won’t create works the same way as you did back then. At some point, it’s just dated and you’ll have to say goodbye for good.Mods want to know what they can expect from your zine piece, so it’s also better to have a good average than an outstanding outlier that you are highly unlikely to ever recreate. Show what you usually do with a little bit of extra sprinkles of what they might get, as it is a zine entry.If you have already participated in zines, maybe include one of these pieces, that way they know you have ~experience~ and it gives them more realistic expectations.

Be honest with yourself: Are you actually ready to be in a zine, and is your art of choice, too? If your skill-level barely goes beyond middle-school art class/creative writing, and/or you don’t really have a portfolio to actually show people, maybe hone your skills a bit more as you create more pieces and challenge yourself.

I hate to be that person but I think especially artists are over-eager and just apply whether or not they are even skilled enough. I can guarantee you that just a poorly executed headshot of a character isn’t even close to enough to get into 99% of the zines out there, same goes for conveniently hiding hands behind the character’s back or other strategically placed objects. Know your skill-level, and know when it’s actually realistic to go semi-professional with it, because even if it is about a fun fan experience, mods also want to present a solid product in the end. This is not to discourage you but more as a sisterly advice because when I looked through the apps of our zine, I saw applications on a level where I would have never even dreamt of participating in a zine when I was at that stage.

That became more than expected (and sorry for the little rant at the end) - I hope that was somewhat helpful and what you had in mind, nonnie

[attract-mode-collective]

Just Another Late Night At The Game Center

And just another massive dose of game culture, as originally shared on the Attract Mode Twitter account, (most of) everything that was shared in the latter half of February. The first half was covered here.

Before I forget: the above is courtesy of erickimphotography.com.

Again, given how short Feb is supposed to be, I figured this post would be too... and it's not. So am wonder if going weekly might best going forward?

Anyhow, where did I leave off last time? Oh yeah; Valentine's Day. And here’s Amy Rose, from the day after, reminding us all that, as great as love can be, it also hurts (via sonicthehedgeblog)...

Check out this devastating big boot from Mario, one that would make the WWE's Undertaker or Kane proud (via suppermariobroth)...

You're no doubt familiar with Julie Bell's work, but are you aware of the close resemblance between her art & the artist herself? (via slbtumblng)...

Some nice, pixelated sukajans we have here (via kauzara)...

Look at these hipsters...

Look at these hipsters standing around, on a Brooklyn rooftop...

Look at these hipsters standing around, on a Brooklyn rooftop in leggings based upon the interactive menu for the Super Famicom's satellite modem peripheral. (via minusworld.co.uk)...

Am legit thinking of getting this shirt covered with quotes from people trying to figure out which Metal Gear character is gay (via kotaku.com)...

Am rather fond of Data Weave, which has more than a passing resemblance to the Eliss scarf that helped put the Attract Mode shop on the map (via prostheticknowledge)...

When you go to bed, don't forget to never use your Dreamcast as a pillow (nor should you ever place it on a bucket filled with leafy greens either, but you probably already knew that one; via posthumanwanderings)...

Not sure which SNK 40th Anniversary shirt I like more (via miki800.com)...

It's just Hidetaka Suehiro, playing... I think The Last Blade? Criminally underrated Neo Geo game btw (via nintendu)...

And the late, great Robin Williams playing Ground Zero Texas for the Sega CD (via celebgames)...

Plus the President of Turkey, circa 1990, playing Galaxy Force II for whatever reason (via historium)..

Pro-tip to any & all custom arcade cabinet sellers: if you're going to photograph someone playing a game on your thing, have said person actually play the thing (in this case, Robotron utilizes dual sticks and no buttons; via arcadephile)...

Today's recommended reading is a follow-up to another older post, one that's all about Willie Williams, who not only inspired Virtua Fighter's Jeffry McWild but also Tekken's Paul Phoenix (via lordmo)...

After seeing this gif of a young woman punching a dinosaur (or possibly a dragon) in the crotch, I may have to give Capcom Fighting Jam a second look (via kazucrash)...

Sticking with the subject of crotches for just one bit, everyone out there's familiar with PuLiRuLa, right? (via kazucrash)

Just a friendly reminder of how wacky commercials for the PlayStation 2 were back in the day (via kurhl)...

Back to the subject of dinosaurs... yet still sticking with fun under the sun (via sidestorygaiden)...

If I'm gonna share fan art of unofficial PlayStation 1 era mascots, then I have to pass along this rendering of Abe (via it8bit)...

Seen countless folk play music with a Game Boy or a NES... but a Dreamcast? @slowmagic is the very first, and with a Hello Kitty edition Dreamcast no less...

Does anyone know if these figures of Dorimukyasuko & friends were commercially produced or if they were just made for the Sega no Game wa Sekai Ichi~i~i~I ad that the image comes from? (via vgprintads)...

We've gotten snowfall here in NYC over the past few weeks, once during during sunset, but alas it wasn't nearly as pretty as this (via kirokazepixel)...

It's been ages since I've posted any Game Culture Snapshots, despite countless promises that I'd fix that. Well, until that finally happens, here just one, from IndieCade East 2018. Which was an epic bust, but hey, at least I finally got to play that Bill Viola game I first encountered at GDC 2008...

PLEASE tell me that GBA Video carts are the new hot means of distributing bootleg Hollywood flicks (via @katribou)...

This part from The Thing always reminded me of Asteroids on the Atari 7800 (via pixpunk)...

I posted this on Twitter, not realizing that I had shared it on the blog once before. But since I can’t find that original post, and since it's so damn nice, plus totally worth looking at again (via humanoidhistory)...

I also need to re-share that Tron movie poster cuz it's the first lead up to this Blade Runner-related spread from Joystik Magazine (via mendelpalace)...

As someone who fetishizes old video game magazines, I'm legit ashamed that I didn't know about Joystik sooner (via here & here)...

Please enjoy a healthy helping of scans from Lovely Sweet Dream, the dream journal that would become the basis of LSD for the PlayStation 1 (via here & here)...

Sorry, but I still think the idea of a multi-billionaire sending his sports car into space just cuz he can to be kinda cringey, yet that doesn't mean I'd don't think this pixelated recreation is any less pleasant (via it8bit)...

I've never been to Beverly Hills, so I have no idea if this portrayal according to Super Chase: Criminal Termination is accurate or not; maybe it was when the game was produced? (via obscurevideogames)...

Meanwhile, closer to where I am (somewhat; am not all that far from Long Island) is Mario & Yoshi & the Book of Revelation (via greathaircut)...

Are you playing Mario? Or is Mario playing you? (via suppermariobroth)...

Game Boys. And Game Girls. Mostly Girls. (via contac)

Before anyone asks, no, I do not have a bigger/wallpaper appropriate-sized version of this super sexy image of a couple of Wiis (via klaus-laserdisc)...

I think I kinda need to do this to my PlayStation (via dreamcast.tokyo)...

... Which reminds of those fancy, souped up by audiophiles PSXs I mentioned a whiles ago...

I celebrated Cat Day in Japan by posting this fave official King of Fighters illustration (via videogamesdensetsu)....

... along with this Monster Hunter fan art (via kerriaitken)...

... plus this highlight of a fave WarioWare: Twisted micro game (via suppermariobroth)...

So yeah, Flash sucks, I get that, but as the platform fades away, so does the opportunity to play games like Fear Less! (via zombie-chaser)...

Thankfully, WORLD OF HORROR, "a love letter to the cosmic horror work of Junji Ito", is something that's much more accessible (for now at least)...

I don't know much about Dujanah, which has you assuming the role of a Muslim woman with grievances against a military force that's occupying her Islamic homeland, other than it looks extremely compelling...

Yet another game I need to check out is CONTINUUM, which is a shmup that combines time manipulation and Tetris? (via alpha-beta-gamer)...

It's a legit shame that Jetpack Squad has seemingly fallen off the map (via shmups)...

Another shmup that I really, really want to play (though it's starting to feel increasingly unlikely) is AEROBAT, which looks just as gorgeous (and insane) today as it did the first time I laid eye (via shmups)...

Yet another game that was never meant to be, and the only thing we have here is some incredible looking concept art; if it ended up happening & was any good, I wonder if I'd be a PC-FX owner? (via videogamesdensetsu)...

If a Tokyo Dark Souls was ever to happen, which artist's take do you prefer; this one (via visor-visual)...

... or this one? (via mendelpalace)

You know about celebrity roasts, right? Well, a comedy club in Long Island City had one for Mario, though I have no idea how it went; I had kung fu practice that night...

Me, when the coffee kicks in (via anthony10000000)...

I had no idea that Typing of the Space Harrier was even a thing (via posthumanwanderings)...

It's a bit unsettling how some of Dreamcast Magazine's advice on how to survive Y2K are still useful today, in particular their words of wisdom regarding Seaman (via posthumanwanderings)...

Megadora Man, a Tokusatsu-esque take on the Mega Drive, for Beep! Mega Drive; am assuming his foes are inspired by the Famicom and PC Engine (though am not totally sure which is which; via obscurevideogames)...

Question: how hard would it be for someone in the US to get the first three issues of Famitsu from the Japanese Kindle Store? (via miki800.com)

Been well over a decade since first laying eyes and I FINALLY know the identity of the artist behind a series of Mario illustrations that has long left me stupefied: his name is Ishihara Gōjin (via videogamesdensetsu)...

I woke up the other day with a sense of purpose, with the knowledge that I finally have a mission in life: to do whatever I can to make this dancing kid from Sega Splash Golf a viral sensation (via sonicthehedgeblog)...

Though speaking of morning, been feeling run down as of late, though it's my own damn fault for not having breakfast. Which is why I can't wait for my Persona 3 toaster has yet to arrive (via gasp-theenemy)...

Had no idea that MAME can also emulate those crappy, Tiger handheld games; naturally there's not much to look at, since none of the background is part of the game's code (via lanceboyles)...

Eggman has a sense of humor (via voidirium)...

Eggman also has aesthetics (via posthumanwanderings)...

When you mess with the textures in Wind Waker for the sole purpose of making Vaporwave Link (via pmpkn)...

Man, I really wish each and every mech in Tech Romancer actually had its own anime (via ultrace)...

Before Mappy was a video game, it was a physical game involving real deal robots (via namcomuseum)...

And I swear, one of these days, we'll make available online Zac Gorman's print from Comics Vs Games 2...

In my time I've encountered lots & lots of BMO fan art, so much that it has become increasingly difficult to take notice and be impressed, yet this one managed to do so regardless (via it8bit)...

Let's all take a moment to appreciate the instruction manual for Cubivore, shall we (via skincoats)...

Cubivore's Japanese box art is also very nice (via gaygamer)...

An important message for all parents out there, concerning Minecraft (via reddit.com)...

When you can't afford the licensing fees for Miami Vice, Ghostbusters, Barbarella, I think... and maybe Logan's Run? (via mendelpalace)...

Given how Platoon ended up as a NES game, the idea of the Terminator on a Tiger handheld isn't totally far-fetched (via rewind01)...

And finally, PUT THAT CONTROLLER DOWN, NOW! (via fuzzyghost)

[thehumgame]

DevLog: Week 2

Hey there.

Welcome to the 2nd week of The Hum development since I restarted with this game, now in Unity3D.

Another busy week for me so my time was again a little limited, but still could do some progress. 

The main thing I can mention is that I started writting the Player Controller logic from scratch. Your character can now do all the basic things like walking, running, crouching, etc. I still didn’t decide if I want to have jump or not. Probably it will be there, just because it feels weird not to have it, but will be a low not too powerful leap. 

I also added a prototypish 3D avatar, so you can se now your body and shadow. One thing I wanted to do is to create some effect with the player hands when you are close to walls. 

I saw this effect for first time a few years ago when playing Outlast (btw, The Hum’s audio designer is the same guy that made sound for that game, did I tell you?), and then I instantly knew I wanted my game to have that. Seeing your body already gives you some better feeling of prescence, but using your hands in a natural insintive way, really empowers that feeling. 

Specially, when the character uphold himself in a wall to sneak over the corner. That automatically makes you understand you are hiding from someone or something and you want to remain undetected. 

This old concept art of the game shows the mood very well in my oppinion. 

Another simple effect I added is using Q and E to peek to side views and using right click to zoom/focus in something. I’m not sure if these features will survive in the long run, but for me they empower the overall sense I want to transmit. 

To create the hands on wall effect, I just used some Inverse Kinematic tricks there, plus some animation layers blending for the characters. I’m using Mixamo animations for prototyping, so I looked for an animation that looked similar to the gesture I wanted, and did one for each hand (mirroring the selected animation). Then I created in Unity animation layers for those animations and applied them just to an avatar mask, one per arm, selecting the corresponding bones of each arm. 

Then I used some C# logic. In that script I did some casting to check if you are in a position to trigger this animation. That includes the distance, angle and some other details. If the animation should be triggered, then I enable the IK solver and blend the animation layer. 

I release the pose if you move further enough or your angle is too much to hold the position. 

While is a good first step, the effect still needs some good amount of work there. Currently it only supports one height to place the hand. Also, there are lots of visual glitches like the hand overlapping the walls or not sticking properly. 

For all this overlapping issues, I plan to use some physics applied to the arms, hands, fingers, etc. Not just in the player but in the aliens aswell. I was taking a look to the Puppet Master asset and might end up purchasing it. If it’s not what I’m looking at probably will need to implement some solution by myself, but I’m not crazy to do more work if some tool can solve it. After all, there are still lots of things to do that demand my attention.

I also was doing many other minor tasks, improving the aliens AI and adding some prototype assets. But I save the details for next logs when those things are more completed and ready to be showcased. 

Don’t forget to follow the game in the Facebook Fan Page or Twitter. I’m not posting too much, but I do when I have updates likes this one. I also used to do some Twitch streaming, and I’ll do some for sure when I have something more completed to show, so don’t forget to follow there too if you don’t want to miss it. And the discord server: https://discord.gg/zrXZyB

[attract-mode-collective]

It’s Still (Pixelated) Hot Dog Legs Season

Fall should officially be in full swing by now, yet here in NYC (and many other parts of the US), it still feels like summer. Which I’m not thrilled about, though at the very least, I don’t feel so bad for sharing the above (by Robert Penney) so late into September.

On that note, time for a way overdue game culture round up! It’s been a while, and a LOT been going on. And not to be a downer, but the chaotic weather has been in the news, obviously.

Here’s a pic from Gamer Geek Nation on Facebook, who shared the aftermath of the Hurricane Harvey, along with: “… This is a time when we collectors need to remind ourselves that ultimately, this is just stuff, and our lives are more important. And make sure your collection is insured properly.”

Elsewhere in the world, the Tokyo Game Show just wrapped up, and not to repeat the obvious, but yes… the biggest, most exciting news was the Sonic X Hooters collab…

Though the one between Hello Kitty and Game Center CX is far, far better (photo courtesy of Kotaku)…

You also have this comically large Rockman doll, which apparently was available on Amazon but is now out of stock…

Though I mostly wished I had been there to pick up some primo looking attire, like this Mega Drive track jacket that miki800 gave the heads up on before show time (there was also a Dreamcast hoodie that I personally don’t think looks as nice, hence why I’m skipping it)…

I also really like this Pac-Man shirt…

This Galaga shirt as well…

Also taking place in Japan was an exhibition held by the JARGA (Japan Retro Game Association); miki800 was there and captured some interesting bits of hardware, with the highlight being (IMHO) this Mega Drive clone that resembles a perfect mix of the model 1 MD and the original Wondermega…

There’s no preview of the music yet, though may as well share the recently unveiled cover to the third (and final) installment of 8 BIT MUSIC POWER…

Meanwhile, according to Original Sound Version, Mitch Murder has released yet another soundtrack to another game that never existed. In this it didn’t come out for the Mega CD and doesn’t involve mecha…

Remember that Jet Set Radio figure I showed a while ago? Well, it's finally available for pre-order! Alas, it's not cheap, at least over at Big Bad Toy Store...

BTW, videogamesdensetsu shares with us what Beat looks like, sans-cel shading…

Sticking with VCD for a tad bit; here’s what Pulseman looked originally looked like, and he sure was cute!

Whereas NiGHTS looked goofier… as well as more menacing….

Am confident most people will not give a rat’s ass about seeing hand drawn Virtua Racing track designs, but as a massive fan of the series, oh man, oh man, oh man...

Two never before seen Saturn prototypes that must be: “[taken] with a grain of salt!”

Apparently Looney Tunes X The Matrix was actually a thing? Somehow this does not surprise me…

The work of Hideaki Kodama was recently highlighted, which was also recently auctioned; I wonder how much this painting of various PC Engine hardware went for?

Yet another Kickstarter mention? Yup. And this one is Jed Henry's third crowdfunding campaign: this particular variant of the Ukiyo-e Heroes concentrates on boss battles, with perhaps my fave piece being his depiction from The Breath of the Wild...

Am particularly fond of this image from the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary art book that grease-howard spotted, of old Chun Li chumming it up with her younger self...

Any and all BoJack Horseman fans out there may want to pick up this piece by Jude Buffum...

legendofnes reminds of that time Batman visited New Donk City…

It's just a bunch of cyber kids, all just hanging around, by sanigo...

Speaking of the gang, here we have the kids from Persona 5, by @aranciart…

Apparently, if Jedah (from Darkstalkers) ran a juice stand, it wouldn’t be the best, according to dreaminerryday…

The individual who runs SPLENDID LAND describes SLN-003 Gacha Man as a: "vendor robot who dispenses toys. even he doesn’t know what’s inside the capsules, so he always gets excited to find out"...

Meanwhile, here’s official artwork of Mario and Peach, courtesy of the thevideogameartarchive’s catalogue of the Mario Golf N64 manual; am pretty sure I’ve seen images of Mario looking distressed, though never to this degree…

The above is something Super Mario Broth would normally deliver, and speaking of, may as well share some recent faves on that end! Like these photos from a promotional campaign with a Japanese sports drink when promoting Mario Sports Superstars…

Instructions found on the arcade cabinet for Vs. Super Mario Bros (which I remember so distinctly, and fondly)…

From some Japanese video guide for the same game (am assuming the home Famicom version this time)…

A greeting card (am assuming a Valentine’s)...

Mario without his hat, as he appears in a Game Boy controller test cart that Nintendo service reps used to calibrate buttons on a the handheld…

And he we have a shortcut in SMB3 that I had no idea existed, and it’s a safe bet that most don’t either: “In Super Mario Bros. 3, the rock between the path to the first fortress in World 4 and the Spade Panel can be destroyed with a Hammer item, allowing the player to bypass the fortress. There is no obvious indication that this rock is destructible, as it is surrounded by decorative rocks. In fact, many guides for Super Mario Bros. 3 do not mention this shortcut.”

As for Super Mario Broth’s counterpart, Sonic the Hedgeblog has seen plenty of action as well… largely pinpointing all the obscure references found in Sonic Mania, So head over for that if that sounds like fun to you! Otherwise, there’s also the Mario Bros having a Sonic Panic…

A reminder of how Sonic looked at one point as he was being prepped for the Dreamcast; it would appear that at a certain point, in Sonic Adventure, he was going to look a lot more realistic…

And this issue with EGM featuring a sneak preview of Sonic 2 is the very first video game magazine that I ever picked up!

Meanwhile, oldgamemags recently posted a page from an issue of GamePro, circa 2000, on a peripheral that allowed the Game Boy to play mp3s. Am sharing it cuz I really want a GB-looking mp3 player…

So someone on Twitter (who has since protected his account, so I’ll have to refer to nintendolife they snagged the pic before it was locked down) cracked open a electrocardiogram measurement instrument and found... a GBA? It’s theorized: “perhaps earlier revisions of the unit had different screens, and once the supply chain dried up MiE was forced to source the next best thing?”

vice-s-assistant sez: "OK Guys, I’m ready to hack."

According to bunney: "i was working at a convention arcade this weekend and some guy cosplaying ryu was playing street fighter with a blunt in his mouth"...

Can anyone tell what's being played here? At the very least, it's a nice shot (via rekall)...

Much like Arcade Crusade, I have no idea what’s going on, and I agree that whatever it is, it looks intense...

If you’ve ever wanted an artist’s rendering of the Raspberry Pi, then look no further than the work of retronator…

rasec-wizzlbang states: “those square cross sections of the human skin layers you always see in biology books but as like, a minecraft block”…

Courtesy of Arcade Crusade once again comes a very tender moment…

Is it just me or does this promo image for Food Fight sure does look like a Norman Rockwell painting? As seen on thedoteaters...

Here we have a flyer for a really old SNK arcade game (we’re talking really old; almost a decade before the Neo Geo was a thing) that looks like it was made with today’s sensibilities, doesn’t it?

Also via obscurevideogames is a moment of pathos from Hacchake Ayayo-san 4 - Sexy Olympics - Ayayo’s Live Affection. It’s… pretty obscure alright…

Yup, that's Hieronymus Bosch-styled Tetris all right (via freeindiega.me)...

crashcarnival presents: "true facts of the Ice Age"...

Hey, it’s the Ninja Turtles playing Pong (via rewind01)…

Behold, Fighters Megamix version 2017 (via lonelyfrontier)…

Yup, that is definitely a Chu Chu Rocket skirt  (via radicalhelmet)...

For those who have ever wondered what their Sonic character’s political leanings are, in relation to the rest of the crew (and can’t be bothered to sift through DeviantArt; via erratticusfinch)…

Face to face (via futureisfailed)…

It’s been out for a while, though it’s not too late to pick up this Xenogears tribute zine, right?

Just a friendly reminder of how bat-sh*t insane Sin & Punishment is (via n64thstreet)...

Zimmerit.moe has everything you need to know about a game by Square involving mecha that you’ve probably never heard of. And no, am not talking about Thexder; it’s even more obscure than that (am talking about Cruise Chaser Blassty BTW/FYI)...

Meanwhile, Michael “Kayin” O’Reilly discusses the “Barrel Distortion” look that emulators use to recreate the look of playing something on a CRT display and why it’s total crap…

And… that’s  it! You’ve made it to the end! Enjoy a cool, refreshing drink with Pac-Man (on the behalf of arcade-crusade)...

Don’t forget: Attract Mode is now on Medium! There you can subscribe to keep up to date, as well as enjoy some “best of” content you might have missed the first time around, plus be spared of the technical issues that’s starting to overtake Tumblr.

[attract-mode-collective]

Love May Dwindle Between Street Fighters, But There Will Always Be Paris

The above is from Bastien Vives, which recently made a reappearance on Twitter (thanks for the heads up @VitaminSteve). Though I’ve known about them for some time now, dating all the way back since 2010, when Eric posted them on GSW!

Anyhow, here are two others in the series…

I’d also end up sharing another illustration of Bastien’s on GSW myself, which was part of another series…

BTW, I’ve been trying to get ahold of Bastien for literally years now, so if anyone could please pass this post along to him, along with the following message, that would be awesome:

“Bastien! I’m a HUGE fan of your work and would love to work together! There’s an art show I’m putting together and would be honored to have you take part! So let’s talk; my email is matt@attractmo.de.”

So what else has been going on? Well, lots of stuff as usual, though for starters, there’s going to be a Papers Please? movie! Well, a short film at least; here’s @dukope with some production shots…

Also, according to Eric at his regular digs, there’s gonna be another Seaman!

Hopefully this one makes it onto US shores, cuz I’m still bummed that the last follow up for the PS2 never arrived here…

As for “actual news”, you know how Trump brought out the best in folks on Twitter this past week? Including those who enjoy making game related gags, and this one might be the my personal fave (via @Nibellion)…

Coming in at a close second we have (via we-love-gaming)…

Speaking of Pokemon; a Blastoise sculpture made out of cheese for whatever reason (via retrogamerblog)…

And here have a more traditional definition of “art”; it’s an oil painting of Marisa Kirisame, and kbnet explains: “Artist is Zarigani Misawa, an art teacher by trade. There was a small exhibition of Touhou art done in traditional media on the 28th where this photo was taken”…

The Verge recently highlighted the work of Matt Anderson, it didn’t so much make me think of what Zelda game on a smart phone could look like but instead a Zelda game in the hands of CAPY…

Here’s a video that’s gotten a surprising amount of attention, though perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised; The 8-Bit Guy decided to restore a pair of old games that were more than a little rough around the edges, which ended up upsetting classic game and preservationists. And while I understand where they’re coming from, I also love the total DIY route that Dave (aka The 8-Bit Guy’s real first name, I think) employed when replacing the label for Pitfall…

And here’s a video that hardly anyone has seen, which I’m hoping to correct: my buddy Andy Reitano has been showcasing NESpectre, a project by himself and his pal Zachary Johnson, for quite some time now (my first taste was at the last, and I do mean last, IndieCade East).

Basically, it’s a modified NES that allows people to alter various aspect of a given game by logging in via their smart phones. It’s also one of those things in which you need to see it action to understand, so here’s Andy’s talk from SIGNAL last week…

BTW, some may recall another project of Andy’s I mentioned around this parts a whiles ago as well, that being Super Russian Roulette. The following was posted on Twitter; “First official run of @adamgetsawesome's batch programming GUI. Wirelessly flashing 5 NES carts at once (with progress bars!)”

Elsewhere on Twitter, another example of game development, courtesy of @dosnostalgic…

And back to the subject of hardware tricky; am not entire sure what’s going on here, which I spotted over at cf-12’s corner, when looking to see if he’s been up to anything new since last checking in…

All right, enough of the house that Mario built, let’s talk Sega, yet also sticking with hardware innovations… or Innoventions as Disney calls them. Here we have the latest from home movie from My Retro Life, which again proudly flaunts the Esposito family’s affinity for the house that Sonic built, even while vacationing at Disney World…

All I can say is, I would gladly opt for Virtua Formula (that eight player linked Virtua Racing set-up that you might miss if you blink) over that dumbass looking Avatar thing they currently have going on.

And sticking with Sega for just a bit more; some not so funny jokes from a not so funny Sonic joke book (via sonicthehedgeblog). While not directly contributing to them eventually bowing out of the home console business, I still can’t help wonder how little it helped them either…

Remember my mention of an Ulala Figma from a few weeks ago? Well, here it is “in action” (this is mostly just a chance to showcase Good Smile Company’s YouTube page, which I had idea existed until now)…

Do you also recall that unpainted TwinBee toy I posted pics of a few weeks ago also? Well, here it is in color, cuz it’s now available for pre-order (via miki800.com)…

And a reminder of how Konami used to be a fun place to work, as well as how Konami is attached to Frogger (via vgjunk)…

Please enjoy this downpour of Famicom Disk System discs (via gamergunk)…

Also please enjoy this latest reminder of how batsh*t insane Sonic Blast Man is (via obscurevideogames)…

You know that girl that really likes Sega, as evidenced by the Saturn she wears on her head? Well, she’s into SNK as well, as evidenced by the new shirt that our pals at Fangamer recently released…

Speaking of SNK, I finally have a reason to share the marquee for the mini 2slot MVS that were in certain McDonald’s in Japan. Been looking for the perfect time to share this for ages now (via @turfmasta)…

Here’s something that originally aired on Japanese TV and which I stumbled across on YouTube…

I’ve looked high and low and cannot find any hard info, so all I have are observations. So for those of you who don’t feel like watching the 20+ minute long clip: for starters, it’s clearly a show that highlights retro gaming, and one of the hosts is… the creator of Dragon Quest?!?! Actually, one of the hosts simply strikes a very close resemblance to Yuji Horii (I’m pretty sure if he was hosing a show, it would be somewhat common knowledge). Also, everyone’s wearing snazzy THUNDERBOX attire!

I believe the guest is the dude whose apartment we visit, which is overflowing with Famicom boxes. Am shocked that he’d allow television cameras come visit, but hey, more power to the guy for being so proud of his collection. We immediately cut to a segment on controllers for the Famicom, with the highlight being an inflatable motorcycle! After that is their version of the Power Pad and their version of the Power Glove. Turns out, the latter is just as unmanageable as its American equivalent. And finally they bust out the Switch cuz the milking mini game in 1-2-Switch makes for great television.

And finally here, gonna wrap things up with the final thing I shared in that GSW post of mine that I posted at the very top. Which basically served as the prototype for the Attract Mode blog, as anyone can tell. Anyhow, here we have the ultimate dream team of Link and WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon…

Don’t forget: Attract Mode is now on Medium! There you can subscribe to keep up to date, as well as enjoy some “best of” content you might have missed the first time around, plus be spared of the technical issues that’s starting to overtake Tumblr.

[attract-mode-collective]

Finally, The ET Video Game That You’ve Been Waiting For

Since there was no proper game culture wrap-up last week (again, sorry about that), along with how I’m filing this at the end of the week instead of the beginning (there’s… stuff happening, so consider this one of the more minor examples), there’s a lot to cover this time around. Including a bunch of happenings from the word of art.

So kicking things off is the latest from Amanda Visel X Michelle Valigura. Much like their Star Wars, Beetlejuice, and Heathers cabinets, here we their ideas of what arcade games based upon ET and Aliens could and should look like. And yeah, playing as Gertie is an approach that could salvage its reputation in the video game sphere, plus I totally want an Alien/Aliens video game starring Newt.

Actually, hasn’t something similar already happened? Sorry, haven’t kept up with the video adaptations; last one I played was for the Jaguar. Anyhow, and unfortunately, both pieces are sold out online. Though… and I’m not 100% certain, but… they’re both at the Thailand Toy Expo, so maybe they brought a few extras with them?

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan to be exact, are not just one but two other notable shows, and both focused on electronic entertainment. First is something you’re probably familiar with, the My Famicase Exhibition, and not just because it’s been around for 13 years. As of this writing, the entire assortment has yet to be shared officially, so you’ll have to turn to Twitter to see the participants boasting their own handiwork.

[UPDATE: 5/7/17] Actually, all the pieces are finally viewable on the Famicase homepage proper. Here are my faves…

… I particularly love Saturdays’s flavor text: “The gateway opens once a week. Tomorrow I’m going in.”

… You kinda need to see the actual cart in the wild to understand; here’s a pic courtesy of @mandimappy…

And finally...

… It’s maybe pointing out that the artist responsible for the concept above also did a piece for last year’s event as well, which ended up becoming something that’s actually playable! Hope history repeats itself cuz I really want a game about an all cat band with gross lyrics.

Now, the other show is something you may know nothing about, cuz a. the 16 Bit Models Exhibition has only been around for two years and b, was only open for just one day, hence why it’s fallen under many radars.

Admittedly, I found last year’s assortment a bit more up my alley, most due to my affinity for the obscure. Yet I can still appreciate this very realistic take on the Super Mario Bros (btw, am also sorry that I don’t know who’s responsible for what)…

Along with this realistic take on Pauline and Donkey Kong…

Yet the exhibition was a reminder that not every Nintendo game out there has been paid tribute to death, specifically Urban Champion…

The dioramas are easily the best parts of the 16 Bit Models Exhibition. Here’s an equally impressive one, featuring Castlevania…

Though once again, the obscurer the better, so this tribute to Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa gets a thumbs up from me…

Which is the lesser known game: Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa or City Connection? The latter at least was released on the NES at the time. Then again…

Moving onto fashion, UNIQLO recently unveiled an upcoming line based upon Mario and company. As one might expect from UNIQLO, they look quite nice! Here’s the campaign movie from Japan…

The best part is that UNIQLO’s entire line is headed towards the US! Was not expecting that. Alas, certain designs are not available to everyone, and I know more than a few adults who wouldn’t mind that Kirby tee. So here comes YUMMY MART to the rescue…

Somewhat along the same lines is Namco enlisting the talents of PAYNUS, who represents some of the esoteric offerings in the Pac-Store…

The constant reference to pizza is something that’s present in both the PAYNUS designs and Namco’s own in-house efforts…

Meanwhile, back at METEOR, in addition to the latest Famicase exhibit, they’ve also been busy with a collab with THUNDERBOX (which I highlighted just a few weeks ago). And from the looks of miki800.com’s post, MOUNTAIN GRAPHICS is also involved? Talk about a holy trinity…

Whereas the previous combination makes sense, the following is… unexpected. Recently discovered that R23X has teamed up with the The Yetee of all folks to produce a line of shirts showcasing glitched VHS stills. Including one that’s game related (technically two; there’s also a crop top version as well)…

Looks neat and all, but I’m less of a Final Fantasy 7 fan and more of a Wave Race 64 aficionado, and would therefore love to see this on a tee…

I’d also love to get my hands on one of these 100 yen pins that @rgb_club posted a couple weeks back, though no word on when it might be available…

Here’s another thing that’s not for sale, mostly cuz there was only one, which is of this baseball player made to look like a Street Fighter…

Which had the better Spinning Bird Kick; Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li…

Or City Hunter (yup, that’s Jackie Chan; via tenshokyaku)…

Sticking with leggy video game stars, thanks to thevideogameartarchive, we finally have an answer as to whether Link is boxers or briefs…

And sticking with Link for just a bit more, I particularly dig nozovis’s summary of the fun times him and Zelda have in Breath of the Wild…

Along those same lines is a zine that @WPR_haru made that’s filled with all the photos he took, one that I’d love to have a copy of…

Which fan art featuring a character from behind do you prefer; this Breath of the Wild piece by James Kochalka…

Or this Overwatch piece by some unknown artist (if anyone knows, plz let me know)…

Here we have @RAStyle85’s Astro City with a lots of buttons, for playing whatever game that requires that many inputs…

And here we have former Taito graphic designer Atsushi Iwata’s custom-built device, for producing pixel graphics!

Such things were used in other places, like SNK. Here we have a quote from someone who worked there, courtesy of videogamesdensetsu…

“The sprite editor used by artists for a number of SNK fighting games (Art Box) was written for the Neo-Geo, and uses the Neo-Geo as the interface. As in, you would use the joystick and the buttons to draw the sprite. He didn’t believe this when he started there, until one of the higher ups showed him by firing up one of the machines and drawing a kickass sprite of Robert Garcia in like 10 minutes”.

Does the Art Box sound familiar? Well, it should be.

The latest from The Gaming Historian, on the creation of the d-pad, answers the one question I’ve had for ages: if Nintendo was able to patent the control input, how were Sega and others able to get away with something seemingly similar?

Remember the 8bit Harmonica from last week? Well here’s another project involving the Famicom by Ugoita that’s a bit more… random?

This post has gone on for far too long without any Sega. Time to fix that with some gifs of Sonic from Sega Saturn de Hakken!! Tamagotchi Park, which as you may have guessed is a Tamagotchi title in which you can raise Sonic (and sorry, chilli dogs was Sonic’s fave food in the US, though I believe Sonic Generations would later recon that; via pr0jectneedlemouse)…

Though you can also raise other Sega personalities, like Opa Opa and Alex Kidd, plus even a Mega Drive cart (via grooveonfight)?

Super obscure Sega humor doesn’t get more obscure than this folks (note to self: on the next car trip, bring along the soundtrack to Super Hang-On cuz repeated plays of OutRun and Daytona USA tunes can get old after a while; via dnopls)…

I know the following has been shared liked crazy (hell, even NPR posted the damn thing), and for good reason. All I can say is, Pikachu #14, get your sh*t together…

Speaking of Pikachu and his pals, The Pokemon Center released a line of Ditto Gachapon figures that are supa kawaii (via retrogamerblog)…

Though the one piece of plastic I want the most is the also recently unveiled Samus from Metroid Prime figure by Good Smile Company, which looks hella cooler than the previously released Other M Figma…

Am embarrassed to admit that I have no idea where this following screenshot is from, nor the tune that accompanies it, both courtesy of radicalhelmet. If anyone would be kind enough to clue me in, would be supremely appreciated…

I wonder what the cover girl of this issue of Spoon is playing (via sixteen-bit)…

And this week’s recommended reading comes courtesy of mah boi Don Miller, and is actually something that Oliver at Minus World also picked up on, which is a book produced by the creator of LSD: Dream Emulator, among other things, and someone I’ve mentioned quite a few times around these parts. It’s called The Art of Computer Designing: A Black and White Approach and is available via archive.org…

As someone who has always planned on transforming an old iMac into a fish tank, thanks to Phazed, I know have other ideas…

And finally, and I also know that I’ve been saying the same thing over and over again, but Super Attractive Club members will be receiving another round up game culture snapshots, hopefully very soon! Until then, please enjoy this still life courtesy of peazy86…

BTW, peazy86 also does music, plus music videos…

Don’t forget: Attract Mode is now on Medium! There you can subscribe to keep up to date, as well as enjoy some “best of” content you might have missed the first time around, plus be spared of the technical issues that’s starting to overtake Tumblr.