#former accountant

[canisalbus]

Have you drawn Vittorio before? I'd like to see what he looks like pls.

Vittorio's design has given me more trouble than I expected, I'm still not sure if I'm happy with his looks. He's Machete's trusted personal secretary, a small and modest but resourceful and resilient man. I think he's somewhere in his mid 20's.

[ohello0]

SAG-AFTRA you dumb bitch

There was cross industry solidarity for actors for MONTHS only for gaming and voice acting to get thrown under the bus with ai shit. This is gonna fuck over so many people who will be underpaid to “touch up” something ai did or not paid or consulted at all

[delta-piscium]

Steve makes one of those teacher tiktok accounts where he mostly talks about teaching and tips for learning and stuff, he also posts videos like

“You wonder what it’s like to be a teacher? I’m spending my evening doing seating arrangements, the trick is to not let people who have any kind of tension, are close friends, have a crush, lose concentration easily, sit close to each other… so basically I’m playing sudoko but I only have 1, 2s, and 3s… and also the numbers change daily..” you can see him looking down at something wrinkling his eyebrows and then nodding to himself and he’s like “I think I got it though”

the next day he duets it and it’s just him looking tired and in the background you can hear incoherent shouting, the caption just says ‘there’s apparently been a breakup’

for some reason there’s a comment by Eddie Munson, famous rockstar, that’s like “you should let it play out, drama is what high school is about” and Steve has just replied “this is why you repeated senior year twice” not acknowledging at all that this famous Grammy winner commented and everyone are just like ??? ?? what are you doing here ??? and why is this high school teacher roasting u ???

[sasaranurude]

Okay. I've been playing Tokyo Debunker today, since the release happened to catch me on a day when all I'd planned to do was write fanfiction. I just finished reading the game story prologue (it was longer than expected!), so here's a review type post. If you're reading this post not having seen a single thing about this game: it's a story-based joseimuke gacha mobile game that just released globally today. It's about a girl who suddenly finds herself attending a magic school and mingling with elite, superhuman students known as ghouls. If you look in the tumblr tag for the game you'll see what appears to be a completely different game from 2019 or so: they retooled it completely midway through development, changing just about everything about it due to "escalating competition within the gaming industry."

I'll talk about how this looks like a blatant twst clone at the end.

Starting with the positive: The story is charming. I enjoyed it thoroughly the entire time and am excited to read more. The mix between visual novel segments and motion comics was really nice--it broke things up and added a lot of oomph to the action or atmospheric scenes that visual novels generally lack. I like the art in the comic parts a lot. the live2d in the visual novel parts is... passable. Tone-wise, I think the story was a little bit all over the place and would like to see more of the horror that it opened on, but I didn't mind the comedic direction it went in either. The translation is completely seamless. The characters so far all have unique voices and are just super fun and cute. Of the ones who've had larger roles in the story so far, there's not a single one I dislike. It's all fully voiced in Japanese and the acting is solid. (I don't recognize any voices, and can't seem to find any seiyuu credits, so it seems they're not big names, but they deliver nonetheless.) Kaito in particular I found I was laughing at his lines a ton, both the voicing and the writing.

He's looking for a girlfriend btw. Spreading the word.

The problem is like. The gameplay is the worst dark-pattern microtransaction-riddled bullshit I've ever seen. Hundred passive timers going at all times. Fifty different item-currencies. Trying to get you to spend absurd amounts of real world money at every turn. There's like five different indicators that take you to various real-money shop items that I don't know how to dismiss the indicator, I guess you just have to spend money, wtaf. Bajillion different interlocking systems mean you have zero sense of relative value of all the different item-currencies. I did over the course of the day get enough diamonds for one ten-pull, which I haven't used yet. Buying enough diamonds for a ten-pull costs a bit under $60 (presumably USD, but there's a chance the interface is automatically making that CAD for me--not gonna spend the money to check lmfao), with an SSR rate of 1%. BULLSHIIIIIT.

There's like a goddamn thousand-word essay explaining the dozen different types of character upgrades and equippables and equippables for the equippables!! Bad! Bad game design! That's just overcomplicating bullshit to trick people into thinking they're doing something other than clicking button to make number go up! That is not gameplay!

In terms of the actual gameplay, there is none. The battle system is full auto. There might be teambuilding, but from what I've seen so far, most of that consists of hoping you pull good cards from gacha and then clicking button to make number go up. There's occasional rhythm segments but there's no original music, it's just remixes of public domain classical music lmao. I'd describe the rhythm gameplay as "at least more engaging than twisted wonderland's," which is not a high bar

At least there's a cat in the rhythm bit.

And like, ok, I gotta remark on how derivative it is. Like I mentioned in my post earlier, this game is unabashedly aping twisted wonderland's setting and aesthetic. (That said, most of the stuff it steals from twst is magic school stuff that twst also basically stole from Harry Potter, so...?) However, it isn't exactly like twst: in this one, the characters say fuck a lot and bleed all over the place and do violence. Basically, the tone is a fair bit more adult than twst's kid-friendly vibe. (Not, like, adult adult, and I probably wouldn't even call it dark--it's still rated Teen lol. Just more adult than twst.)

Rather than just being students at magic school, the ghouls also go out into the mundane world to go on missions where they fight and investigate monsters and cryptids. Honestly, the magic school setting feels pretty tacked-on. The things that are enjoyable about this would've been just as enjoyable in about any other setting--you can tell this whole aspect was a late trend-chasing addition, lmao. So, yeah, it's blatantly copying twst to try to steal some players, but... Eh, I found myself not caring that much. Someone more (or less) into twst than me may find it grating.

Character-wise, eh, sure, yeah, they're a bit derivative in that aspect too, but it's a joseimuke game, the characters are always derivative. Thus far the writing & execution has been solid enough that I didn't care if they were tropey. If I were to compare it to something else, I'd say the relationship between the protagonist and the ghouls feels more like that of the sage and wizards in mahoyaku than anything from twst. There's some mystery in exactly what "ghouls" are and their place in this world that has me intrigued and wanting to know more about this setting and how each of the characters feels about it. I have a bad habit of getting my hopes up for stories that put big ideas on the table and then being disappointed when they don't follow through in a way that lives up to my expectations, though.

So, my final verdict: I kind of just hope someone uploads all the story segments right onto youtube so nobody has to deal with the dogshit predatory game to get the genuinely decent story lol. Give it a play just for the story if you have faith in your ability to resist dark patterns. Avoid at all costs if you know you're vulnerable to gacha, microtransactions, or timesinks.

[officialspec]

im gonna need the millennials on here to stop romanticising vine in their criticisms of tiktok i cannot take yall seriously. i know all anyone remembers is Fre Shava Cado but in its heyday vine was one of the worst perpetrators of casual racism in recent history and it rly infuriates me when ppl compare the two as if vine never had any negative impact on the dominant culture. please get better arguments im tired

[unopenablebox]

i admit that i find it a little bit frustrating how Wildly Astonished other antizionist jews act when i tell them my israeli jewish family have lived in the region since [some unknown length of time before 1800 when there start being records about it]

[lukaherehelp]

PLAYBOYY, the guide.

buckle up, this is going to be a long one fam, but first:

now, where was I... AH, YES!

PLAYBOYY the series is a +18 BL series, directed and produced by Chewin Thanamin and screenwritten by Den Panuwat under Copy A Bangkok. Is set to come out November 16th 2023.

The series explores human interaction and its consequences through sex with themes such as escort sex-trade, illegal pornography, online hook-ups for drugs, covert prostitution and sex-love revenge, all to expose human’s darkest nature.

The MAIN PLOT (yes, it has a plot, is not just porn) of the series focuses on the disappearance of Nant, a 3rd year student at P.B. University who, inadvertently to his friends Zouy and First, started to get involved in the nightlife of Bangkok: buying services, having sex with strangers, getting involved in clips, getting involved in drugs... all of this until he went missing. Both friends, teaming up with Nont, Nant’s twin brother, are now set to find out what happened to Nant and where he, or his body, might be.

Only one thing is for sure: everyone is a suspect.

Yes, you read correctly, this show has a cast of fifteen characters and none of them is safe from scrutiny. So! Let me show you a chart with all the boys:

... nothing really

Now, you are probably asking yourself "whom are this people?" Follow me! I'll introduce you:

Let’s begin with our missing boy and the tiny investigation group set to find him:

Nant, 21 ( Nantnarin Saktawee )

MISSING

portrayed by Detch Narongdet

What has happened to him? No one seems to know. What we know is that he's a 3rd year student at P.B. University, at the faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, majoring in Performing Arts. He’s the youngest of the twins. When their parents separated, Nant stayed with their mother, which made him grow into a gentle and sensitive young man, loving towards his friends and fairly cordial to people… But the "perfect nice boy" life made him miserable. Unknown to everyone, Nant started to get involved in the nightlife of Bangkok until he eventually went missing.

Nont, 21 ( Nontnapas Saktawee )

portrayed by Detch Narongdet

The older of the twins duo. At the end of elementary school, after their parents separation, Nont was forced to leave Thailand with his father to live abroad. Although pretty much an introvert, Nont is outspoken and an entrepreneur, a full contrast to his brother. He’s dead set on finding out what has happend to Nant, and he’s not afraid to approach others with the intention of extorting the truth from them and, if needed, seek revenge. He'll get his little borhter back, any means necessary.

Zouy, 21 ( Sippakorn Kichlerdpaisal )

portrayed by Korn Palat

Just like Nant, Zouy is also a 3rd year student at P.B. University, at the faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, although he’s majoring in Fine Arts. He’s described to be laconic but with a hard punch. Never trust a sweet face, I guess. He’s fascinated by human beauty and erotica: “ Sex has been a beautiful thing for the human race in every age and period of history “ - Zouy in the foreplay video, now forever lost u_u Due to his more shy nature, Zouy has been more of an outsider to romantic and sexual relationships, which makes him curious but also afraid of them. Little does he know that his passion for the “artsy” side of it will pull him towards an unexpected but well versed individual on the matter.

First, 21 ( Yodsanant Sarvasiddiwongse )

portrayed by Chat Wasuta

This cutie pie is also a 3rd year student at P.B. University, although his faculty is Medicine. Makes sense for the eldest son of the director of a famous hospital. Maybe is the demanding nature of coming from a wealthy family, maybe is having a mother who puts a lot of pressure and hope onto her children what has turned First into quite the "feral bunny": although he loves his friends to death, he's aggresive, wayward, highly stressed and easly bored. Poor Little Rich Boi™ ( a bop of a song, go listen to it) Maybe is this lack of freedom and entretainment what makes him interested in a particular delivery boy. Or may is how easy is to make him submit to all his commands, no matter how humiliating they are.

other students from P.B. University to take in account are:

Captain, 21 ( Kamontarsna Wang )

portrayed by Vivit Pharunrit

Oh, Captain. Sneaky, little Captain. Another 3rd year student at P.B. University, this time in the faculty of Sport Science. Our boy over here is a textbook brat: ambitious but quite the aggitator. He's assertive and quite the talker, but he's also a hot-head with a lot of anger. This might be the reason why he didn't get the position as team captain for the university's rugby team... initially. Pretty boy has in his posession quite the "interesting" clip about fellow student and coach, Keen, and that might have helped get to where he is at right now. But he's a jealous boy, as much as he tries to hide it. Poor thing doesn't know he never had the upper hand in this situation.

Keen, 22 ( Poomin Suphakijkosol )

portrayed by Boat Pakorn

4th year student at P.B. University, at the faculty of Sports Science. Not surprised that he has to coach the university's rugby team instead of the teacher, and it might be for the best. He's authoritative and presses everyone, making him look agressive, but the boy is actually a sweetheart. Although don't think that stops him for being quite the "dominant force" when dealing with little shits like his fellow teammate, Captain. That boy is eating out of the palm of his hand and doesn't even realize.

Porche, 21 ( Patchanon Ponglerd )

portrayed by Fay Chintub

Another cutie pie! Here we go again: 3rd year student at P.B. University, but we adding a new faculty, Business and Administration! He honestly doesn't care about his studies, really. Prom is the oldest out of the two siblings and has already graduated, so whatever plan their influential father has will relay on him, not on Porche. He's just happy to run Miracle Car Care. Mind you, it might be due to the fact that one of his employees tends to offer "special fixes" to the clients, if you catch my drift, and Porche might be using them as way to fullfill the lack of warmth in his life.

Puen, 21 ( Pakorn Booncharoen)

portrayed by Parm Pawarate

Here is where the worlds collide. He's also a 3rd year student at P.B. University, in Sport Sciences alongside Captain and Keen. But he's also the newest addition to the PLAYBOYY line up. You see, he got into the university by a scholarship, but this doesn't make the uni journey less expensive, so the extra money he gains through PLAYBOYY to pay his studies has to, obviously, be a secret. He's shy, silent and doesn't like to fight, which gives him an "innocent" demeanor many guests at PLAYBOYY are interested to "try out", making him quite the rising star. But the boy has ambition, and he doesn't care whom he might have to use to get into the golden throne of the número 1.

Now, onto the PLAYBOYYs:

Aob, 34 ( Anand Aiemwilai )

portrayed by Aun Warit

Whom is sitted in the golden throne Puen so desperately wants? Aob, of course. He's the most popular host in PLAYBOYY: handsome and charismatic, dashing with his friends, pleasing with his customers. Rised himself from the ground and his gaze is set on saving as much money as possible so that he can have a comfortable life, take care of himself and be proud of his profession. He grew up in a ragged and unwarm family, making him not trustworthy or a believer of love, but he enjoys taking the more "submissive" role when he lets someone in.

Teena, 27 ( Tinarath Somwong )

portrayed by Kaowoat Supasin

You beautiful bastard... He's a senior graduated from P.B. University, at the faculty of Fine and Applied Arts. Just like Puen, Teena used sex work as his way to pay his studies, but didn't left PLAYBOYY right away after his graduation. However, the opression and limited freedom at the club made him take the decision to leave the sex work life behind and went back to P.B. University to offer himself as a nude model for their art classes. He's a hopeless romantic, although life has only thrown rocks to his roof. Due to his former job, no one takes him seriously when it comes to affection, making him cold, but he's really sentimental. And he's sharp. He's being desire for his body for years, that's why he's always worked hard on maintaining it... and yet, the way that 3rd year student looks at him, sends shivers down his spine. The same ones he hopes to provoke on him.

Soong, 24 ( Sorawis Sergio Romano )

portrayed by Jack Giacomo Piazza

Listen, people work with the cards life gives them, okey? Soong has a really basic education, but he's a diligent boy and a hard worker. Good mentality for his delivering job! Oh... and also for a former PLAYBOYY host. He left due to being unable to choose his costumers and, for a while, worked for other hires. But now he "delivers" his "services" to your door 24/7. He's quite layback, but enjoys when things get rough. Pretty rough. A certain wealthy young boy with a lot of anger to unleash might be his perfect match, they just don't know it yet.

Jump, 27 ( Jessada Sopha )

portrayed by Jeffy Chutipan

Another former host of PLAYBOYY. He now works at Miracle Car Care, but hasn't stopped to offer his services. He just... has a new name for them, sort of speak. Is quite surprising to know he used to be a host: he's quite stiff and doesn't like to please anyone. He also doesn't like commitment, so I guess that's why. He hates being objectified, but Porche seems to give him a good time... for a good price, that is.

Prom, 23 ( Prompitch Ponglred )

portrayed by Shell Thankrit

Here we have another Rich Boi™, but in this case he's neither tiny or a meow meow. Prom graduated from P.B. University at the faculty of Business and Administration, same major his little brother is now coursing. However, Porche doesn't seem to know that his older brother doesn't like the live under their father's shadow. So, with a lot to lose and not giving a fuck, he joined PLAYBOYY as host. Makes sense, he's charismatic and sociable, and his BDSM habits attracts clients... Nant among them.

And now we are left with this two, like two peads in a pod:

Nuth, 32 ( Nuthakrit Varindr-Vachararodch )

portrayed by Win Jirapat

Ay, Nuth, la cruel vida del creativo! Nuth dreams of becoming a sucessful film director one day, but with the lost of a family member, he has become introverted, depressed and unmotivated, making him currently unemployed. This has made him dive head first into the world of webcam. Whom would have told him that this decision, alongside drug dealing, would make him meet the only light at the end of his tunnel?

Phop, 21 ( Piphop Srikaew )

portrayed by View Thanatorn

Not every sex worker starts their journey in a high-end club like PLAYBOYY, some take the more classic approach of a "massage parlor" kind a way. However, after a client accused him of "molesting them", Phop had to find his footing again. Alone. Is always being like this since he was a kid. What he didn't expect was to find a kindred soul during a drug exchange.

And that's everything, folks! I have nothing more to share with the class today, but I do have a never ending curiosity, so:

[ziracona]

Still can’t get over that time Bull called Cole a demon and Cole immediately said ‘Yeah and you’re a latent mage who’s lying about it’ in the middle of the party; never seen a man shut up so fast in my life. Just:

I’ve never seen Cole hit back before once before, but he hit back @ Bull so hard it knocked Solas and my wigs off just watching.

[spiribia]

the walrus / fairy question is being argued about as a universal 'is it more likely / more surprising for Man to witness this or that given x or y Nature' not quite taking into account that answers about level of surprise are going to vary wildly based on things like peoples own proximity to believing in fairies, where they live geologically and what the features around them are, and countless other personal factors. it should be read more as a casual talk about yourself question than a right wrong one, even though there is a correct answer, and its that walrus would be less shocking to everyone, by my mandate as king of earth.

[ivan-braginski-2001]

Genuinely what in the actual fuck could this possibly mean

[sleepnoises]

The boat bed you reblogged is AI, every "photo" on that person's account is ai generated :/

ah well. we can dream

[exeggcute]

broad observation here but I always find it interesting/amusing how so many critiques of corporate establishment institutional shit from people outside those institutions are like "everyone involved here is working in coordinated calculated unison to meet some overarching mutual goal" but critiques from people adjacent to or inside those institutions are like "most of the people involved here have the same rough goal but the infighting is insane and anyone with sway is an idiot or a liar." which tbh I think makes a case for separately examining the motives/incentives for big theoretical entities and the people who service them. because sometimes both are true simultaneously

[myreygn]

modern au dad askeladd except he's not an actual dad but this random kid shows up to his house every day and tries to have beef over the closed food store askeladd bought and turned into an antiquarian store. turns out the food store used to be run by the kid's father until he passed away which is very sad of course but also askeladd is not gonna cooperate with some brat that borderline harasses him day by day. only that he can't call the cops because he kinda has a turbulent past and if they find out he's filling his store with stolen goods it's gonna become a huge problem. and note to destiny, the stupid kid finding out is not that great either because now he has to hear it out if he doesn't wanna go to prison and also he should probably learn the demon child's name while he's at it. shenanigans ensue.

[dat2ndaccount97]

Was randomly thinking earlier how the Barbie Movie (2023) and Batman & Robin (1997) both occupy the same space as hyper toyetic films, but Barbie didn't capitalize on it as much unlike B&R

[hushedstars]

There is one thing I'm kind of wondering about.

Do addicts, ones that are so deep in like Ray is (I've been observing him more this ep and he really is constantly buzzed, his cheeks flushed. The most sober he looked was in the club, when he talked to Sand.), could really see that they should not introduce drugs etc. to sb else?

Especially in Ray's case when he would do anything to please Mew. Mew wants? Mew gets it. It's not like Ray is sober enough to actually think rationally (he does briefly question Mew about smoking, but hey fun is fun right?). He doesn't even want to admit he is an alcoholic, never mind a drug addict.

Mew knew FOR YEARS that drugs, and too much alcohol, and smoking (I guess) are bad. But he is having his moment, and doing bad decisions. That's on him.

Yet everyone is blaming Ray for this? That he is dragging him down? (Top and Cheum did mention how Mew is changing himself, but it still circled back to "the bad friend" Ray when even Mew was like "I do what I want".) Sure, Ray is not a saint, not blameless. But Mew walked into his lifestyle with open arms. Looking at what he said to Top that "he is only caring about himself now, a free man", I would gather a guess that he doesn't see Ray as a person anymore. Just sth that he can use to: change himself, spite Top (the kiss), have the fun that everybody seems to be so into. Also the faithfull one (welp, that didn't go well).

Ray is drowning. Had been for years. Mew knows that but it kind of looks like he either forgot or never really got it. That this "fun lifestyle" Ray has is his way of destroying himself, of escaping from reality, and not sb he really wants to be (or still would be if he didn't have his issues). Yet he chose to be like him for his "Mew upgrade". Sb others see as a burden. Sb people keep getting mad at, even Cheum went from "Ray you are perfect" to thinking the worst of him - so not sb you want to be to become one of the cool people. (Weird choice in my opinion. You want to be unbothered and just there to have fun - be like Boston. But he needs Ray for revenge since that is sb Top was jealous of so there is that.)

The others don't see that Ray is so deep in addiction and so mentally unwell that he won't stop Mew from joining him in his idea of fun.

(Top was using drugs but smh dropped them cold turkey as if it's not a big deal. He wasn't in the state Ray is but it's still interesting that he could just stop with no problems.)

[celestial-citrus]

I think the closest I get to becoming a socialist is when I try to use a printer