#great for immersion also funny as hell

[doodlebloo]

Top 5 Hermitcraft* Members Who Could Survive On The DSMP:

*plus Martyn

5. Etho

I honestly think he'd end up joining Snowchester and defending his builds based on sheer force of will. People either like him or fear him too much to mess with his stuff

4. ZombieCleo

She could also hold her own and get people to actually leave her builds the hell alone for fear of retribution. I feel like she wouldn't join a faction but would definitely play a huge role in killing The Egg

3. Joel

He would be bullied and would be running around the server with nothing in his inventory but he'd be exceedingly open to role-playing. Would join Technoblade and Phil's Arctic Commune and be their loser cringe fail apprentice who hates cRanboo for no good reason /funny

2. Grian

It would take him a bit to adjust to there being absolutely 0 rules and etiquette about like cleaning up pranks and not causing lasting damage but once he got that taste for blood he'd be a major player in Doomsday I just know it. Double-crossing people and shit

1. Martyn

He would've fully immersed himself as a member of L'Manberg but aided King Eret in the betrayal I know this to be true in my heart of hearts. He would have RULED as a dsmp member it would've blown us all away

Top 5 DSMP Alumni Who Would Thrive On Hermitcraft:

5. Niki

If she had the chance to actually be fucking listened to and cared about she could do such great things and would love being a part of the lore

4. AweSamDude

They would love him over at Hermitcraft. The prison is incredibly impressive and he's amazing at role-playing an evil guy but still being a nice dude

3. Philza

Anyone who has seen his hardcore world knows this. He isn't ranked higher on my list because people have been saying this for years so it isn't a hot take

2. Tubbo

He's a bit chaotic yes but he'd be overjoyed to learn from everyone and make cool little contraptions, he is admittedly hellbent on chaos and destruction but i think they could keep him in line for the most part

1. Foolish

This man was made for Hermitcraft. He's an amazing builder and he's so silly and he gets along so well with everyone he's ever met. They would love him there I mean it

[adhdprincess]

TLOU rec-list for fics with less than 100 kudos!

If you don't have much time to read, rebloging is a great way to show support. Let's uplift these talented fic writers!

Cuddle up with some Fluff

Rest - 3k words, Joel gets sick in Jackson. It's filled to the brim with lots of banter and sweet family-shaped moments. Also, Ellie doesn't live in the shed!

New Seasons - 5k words, Outside of Jackson, Joel gets a migraine. Ellie takes care of him and it’s just so sweet. I have a cavity, guys 🥹 Both by: ABeckoningCat, @inherstars on Tumblr

bear with me - 700 words, Ellie spots a bear outside the walls of Jackson. Joel’s reactions are funny as hell. By: @bearrycool on Ao3 and Tumblr

if i could give you the moon - 4.5k words, 10-year-old Ellie meets Riley. Fluffy shenanigans ensue, wrapped up in a beautiful ending. Happy belated fic-erversary! By: @becomethesun on Ao3 and Tumblr

When the Party's Over - 2k words, Ellie attends a party in Jackson, but her anxiety takes over. Hurt/comfort vibes? Check! Fluff and angst? Double check! By: @paigegonerogue on Ao3 and Tumblr

Tear your heart out with Angst

Dear Shadow, Alive and Well(WIP) - 30k words, A gritty, immersive multi-chapter set after Ellie, Tommy, and Dina return from Seattle. The prose, the imagery, and the dialogue are all BEAUTIFUL! This story has killed me. @wicked--loving--lies I'm throwing you all of the virtual flowers!! 💐 By: Wickedlovinglies, @wicked--loving--lies on Tumblr

Arsonist's Lullaby - 4.5k, A character study of Joel and his relationship with anger. The angst had me clawing at the floor. The writing is AMAZING! By: fae_the_gay27

think I’ll miss you forever… - 1.5k words, A character study of Ellie after the major character death in TLOU2. Beautiful prose and I think I’ll cry actually 😭. By: @crystalflys on Ao3 and Tumblr

March 2, 2038 (tw gore) - 1.5k words, Might be the saddest fic I’ve ever read, but the angst is so good. This takes place right after the major death in TLOU2. By: Three_kittens_in_a_trench_coat

Journey through these AUs!

sangfroid - 3k words, Joel and Tess have an oops baby and it's Ellie. This is so beautiful and has an awesome twist at the end. By: Glitter_Gecko, @seethesunny on Tumblr

Calamity's Child - 10k words, An AU where Joel is a trans man set after the events of TLOU1. It’s very fluffy with a good helping of angst and so well written! By: Fiachra, @consultingzoologist on Tumblr

Ashes denote that Fire was(WIP) - 3.5k words, A firefighter🔥 AU. Ellie is feral, Joel is bewildered, and Tess is a banter queen. This AU is such a fun read! By: @bumblepony on Ao3 and Tumblr

Roll for Halloween Hijacks - 5.5k words, On Halloween, in a no-outbtreak AU, Joel joins Ellie and her friends to play a tabletop game. It’s so fluffy and communal and everyone is alive! By: MichiMe, @freetobeyouandmichi-me on Tumblr & @marceltheshellwithflipflopson on Ao3 and Tumblr

If you read a story and enjoy, consider leaving a comment! Writers love encouraging comments, even if it's just a heart emoji ❤️.

This rec-list is here to uplift the wonderful writing community in this fandom. Please share this around to show support for writers!

Thanks to @saradika-graphics for the divider!

[lotties-ashwagandha]

hi hi!! if u have time can i request a tess x autistic fem reader fic whereby tess comforts them when theyre overstimilated?? like maybe theyre having dinner at bill n franks and the sounds/ textures are ick TM ajsk idk, it doesnt rly matter, thats just what i thought of first... and like maybe she lets u stim with her fingers... or maybe she puts on a record (cause its bill n franks and i imagine they have them)...

sorry that was v poorly thought out asjd

WALK THROUGH FIRE, I WILL BE THERE

pairing: tess servopoulos x autistic!fem!reader

word count: 1544

notes and warnings: i loveee this request sm,, also i just feel the need to say this is from my own experiences with being overstimulated as an autistic person,, i know it's a little different for everyone but this is just written from my own experiences and sensitivities so be mindful of that while reading!! also i wrote half of this while i had fucking food poisoning and a fever thats how dedicated i am everyone also if there are mistakes that’s why bc fuck proofreading

It seemed that you had been doomed ever since you’d woken up that day.

You had been having one of those days, where everything constantly seemed like too much. It was as if every bit of exhaustion you’d acquired throughout the past few weeks had finally built up enough to overflow, and you were feeling the full effects of it, all while attempting to move forward unbothered.

You didn’t want to talk, you didn’t want to have trekked through fucking woods and abandoned towns, and you didn’t want to put up with Bill and Frank for the weekend. Staying with them was usually viewed as an escape for you, freedom from the QZ and its demanding labor jobs, but the journey it took to get to their house and the engaging enthusiasm with which the couple usually met you and Tess was overwhelming at the very least.

You’d made it through most of the day. You were laying on the bed waiting for Tess to finish getting dressed, the two of you having taken a warm shower together almost immediately after arriving at Bill and Frank’s. It was the only chance the two of you ever got at hot water, water that wasn’t rationed.

“I think Frank’s making some new recipe from a cookbook he found,” Tess said, adjusting the sleeves of her burgundy button-up. “Hope it doesn’t taste like shit, the food here is the best we ever get.”

“If Frank’s cooking, it’ll be fine. It’s Bill we have to worry about,” you smiled.

(A/N: I don’t remember if we ever saw either Bill or Frank cooking sooo we’re just pretending that Bill is a shitty cook bc it’s funny and gay <3 )

“Remember the last time we were here and Bill tried to cook?” Tess asked, grinning. “He almost burned the house down and dropped a knife on Frank’s toes.”

You nodded, immersing yourself in the fondness of the memory. “And then Frank made us grilled cheese in apology.”

Tess sat down on the bed next to where you were laying, taking your hand in her own. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” you replied. “Why?”

“You just seem a bit off today.”

You shook your head, sitting up. “I’m just tired. It’s always a long trip here, and after all the shit we’ve been putting up with in the QZ, I just want to relax.”

“We have all weekend,” she assured you, both of you moving off the bed. “Unless Bill has us help him with setting up more of his fucking traps again.”

You smiled softly, leading the two of you out of the guest bedroom, repeating to yourself like a mantra that all you needed to do was make it through dinner.

—

You had wanted to fucking murder him ever since he brought the dish out. It was soup, to your great dismay. The very thought of eating it with three other people had made you want to stab yourself with the dinner spoon as Frank announced the success of his new recipe.

As soon as everyone had ladled soup into their bowls you were thrown into a fresh new depth of hell. The sound clinking of the silverware on the bowls felt like gunshots ricocheting through your brain. Bill kept slurping his soup. Some of it drained into his beard. Frank kept fucking talking while he chewed on bread. The whole thing had you almost in tears, it felt like you were on fire, and somehow everyone else was completely fine, which consistently renewed the obligation you felt to sit through the entire dinner.

Finally you couldn’t take it anymore — any other day you might have been able to make it another ten or fifteen minutes, suffering in silence as every bit of stimuli set your senses aflame, but you had simply had enough. Every bit of masking and terrible sensory stimulation had built up, like a cup overflowing, and any more would have sent you into a spiral.

You stood from the table, muttering something about getting more wine before rushing into the kitchen.

At last you were alone, and though it ceased the constant burning in your mind, it did not soothe the aftermath of it. A slight panic set in that you couldn’t explain, and all you wanted to do was go lay in bed, free from everyone and every sensation. For a while you stood in the kitchen, eyes closed, attempting to regulate your breathing.

The opening of the kitchen door caught your attention, and to your great relief it was Tess joining you — if it had been Bill or Frank, you weren’t sure you would have been able to keep your composure, not if they did one more thing to trigger you.

“You okay?” Tess asked, refilling her glass of wine before standing beside you, leaning against the kitchen counter. She offered you a glass of wine and you realized that she had refilled your empty glass along with her own.

“I’m fine,” you croaked, taking the glass of wine from her and immediately taking a gulp of it.

She raised her eyebrows, taking notice of how much wine you’d just drank, but you didn’t care.

“What happened?” She asked, ignoring your adamance that you were fine.

You sighed, gesturing to the dining room, feeling sick just thinking about it. “They kept making those fucking noises… the chewing, and the slurping. I think they heard those fuckers chewing all the way back at the QZ. I couldn’t fucking take it anymore. And the soup, I don’t know what the fuck Frank put in it, but the texture was atrocious.”

Anyone else would have looked at you like you were insane. Anyone else would have lectured you about how you were being ridiculous, how no one else could hear what to them was so naturally inaudible. But the way Tess looked at you only displayed the love she had for you — she understood, or maybe she didn’t, but to her you were perfect, and as best she could she would make things better for you, would listen to you.

“Come here,” she said suddenly, leaving through the back entrance to the kitchen in order to avoid the dining room. She led you back to the guest room you were staying in, and though you were grateful for the peace you had finally acquired, worry still lingered at the back of your mind, and the hammering in your skull had relinquished to utter exhaustion.

“They’re going to notice when we don’t go back down,” you said tiredly.

Tess shrugged. She began to rummage through her backpack, and you slumped down into an armchair by the side of the bed, closing your eyes.

“I was going to save this for when we got back to the QZ,” Tess said, turning to face you, “for a holiday or something, I don’t fucking know. But I think now is a better time.”

You opened your eyes to see her standing in front of you, holding her backpack.

You furrowed your eyebrows, a bit confused. You were about to ask her what she was talking about when she pulled from her backpack a record — it looked perfectly new, untouched.

As you took it in your hands, you paused. She had given you an album by your favorite band, a band you were obsessed with. It was the only album of theirs that you hadn’t collected in the last 20 years. Tess had completed your collection.

“Holy shit,” you breathed, your gaze shifting from the album to her. “Tess, how did you…”

“Frank and I made a trade.”

“What did you trade him for it?”

She shook her head, moving to turn on the old record player on the other side of the bed. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Tess, it does matter.”

“Just enjoy it,” she said firmly, and you joined her by the record player, setting up the player with the record.

After a moment the first song on the track began to play. It was a bit faded, a bit scratchy, but you didn’t care. It was perfect, simply because it was there.

Gently Tess took your hand, leading you a few feet away to the open space of the bedroom. The two of you began to sway to the music, relishing in the peace that came from the comfort of the music in accompaniment with silence. You still felt burnt out sensory-wise, and you would for a little while, but being alone with the woman you loved while listening to a band you adored took so much of the last few weeks’ burdens off your shoulders.

“Do you want me to adjust anything?” Tess asked after a few minutes. “Lights, music volume, anything? I know you’re overstimulated and I don’t want to make it worse.”

You shook your head, smiling softly. “I’m okay.”

And you were, so completely content with simply being there with her. She was everything, an embodiment of peace though so threatening to everyone but you.

“Thank you,” you said quietly, resting your head on her shoulder as the two of you continued to sway to the music.

“The next time Frank offers to make soup for dinner, I’m going to bash his head in.”

[byoldervine]

Why do you only ever use Miraculous Ladybug as a bad example

As in why do I use ML whenever I need a bad example or as in why do I never say anything good about ML?

For the former, I have noticed that I do this a lot and I’m trying to find other examples as well; in recent posts I’ve written (idk if they’re shared or not by this point or still in the drafts) I’ve made sure to actively put in other media such as ATLA or Helluva Boss, both shows that I do like and really like the writing of

In terms of saying nice things about ML, the struggle is that I’m generally speaking about it on this blog in terms of writing, and overall I personally don’t feel like the show is very well written, which means it’s easier to come up with relevant things to say about the show that are less positive than it is to praise it

There are definitely some great aspects to the show, however, and I’m happy to name some of them

1. Obviously I have to gush about the concept. The love square? Hawkmoth being Chat Noir’s dad? Marinette idolising Gabriel as a fashion designer? The villain having a power that means they don’t have to put themself at risk while still creating consistent villains of the week? Coming up with inventive solutions on the fly being a superpower? Emotion-based villainy that sets a difference between being a bad person and behaving badly while also encouraging people to seek support and assistance even after their negative emotions have lead them to cause harm? Brilliant! I love all of it!

2. Optigami had some of the best execution of this imo; both of them trapped in the elevator, unable to transform without revealing their identity to the other while the viewer knows the truth on that front, the villain slowly closing in… if it had been anybody else, Gabe would’ve let Style Queen find them, but because Adrien is his son, only because Adrien is his son and not a target, Gabe called Style Queen away and spared them. That scene would’ve felt so much different if not for the specifics of the situation and the relationships between the characters

3. There are some genuinely funny moments in this show omg. Chat taking out the entire police force with the power of dance? Amazing. The scene where they all do the weirdest movements ever to take on Party Crasher? Flawless. Chat trying to blend in by randomly breakdancing? Stealth 100. Jagged Stone randomly vibing as a crocodile? Man’s living his best life

4. Deliberately left out quotes because they deserve their own mentions. “They see me catwalking… they hating~” is funny as hell. “How about Gabe while we’re at it?” deserved an award. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to your dad’s funeral” is just plain iconic. “Hey look at me I’m a pickle!” gets more laughs out of me than it reasonably should

5. When they wanna be clever, they can be very clever. I love that they give you a little insight into what Ladybug’s plan for the Lucky Charm is so you can try and figure it out yourself while she does the same. I love how there are loads of convoluted plans from other characters too, such as Alya’s genius plan in Sentibubbler or even Sabine’s comparatively smaller plan in Qilin

6. Some of the shots in this show are gorgeous. The umbrella scene? Beautiful. The POV shots of Ladybug leaping over rooftops? So immersive and fun. The fight with Stormy Weather? Holy hell those angles!

7. Some of the romantic moments are just amazing. I’ve already mentioned the umbrella scene, but what about the balcony scene? Luka’s declaration of love to Marinette? The scene where MariChat gently check each other’s comfort levels and consent when they exchange kisses? Sweet!

[the---hermit]

some of my favourite books of 2023

I decided to put together a list of some of my favourite books of 2023. I'll write a couple of lines for each one, and leave the link to my full review as usual in case you want to read a bit more of my thoughts. The list is in no particular order, and I did not include any rereads I did during the year.

Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and the locked tomb series

I finally read this series and absolutely fell in love with it. Gtn was surely my favourite out of the three. I had an amazing reading experience. I didn't know what to expect and I was pleasently surprised by the very funny narration. It got into my favourites right away, and I cannot wait to reread it this year. (it's too complicated for me to describe the chaos that this series is so all you get is my general feels)

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness by Kabi Nagata

This is a manga about the author's personal experience dealing with her sexuality and depression. It was an incredible read, I was not expecting to get as emotional as I did. It was a stunning book that felt incredibly honest, and I am so glad I read it because it had a huge emotional impact on me.

The Priory Of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

I think this is the book with which I had the best reading experience this year. I remember being intimidated firstly by the size of this brick of a book and then at the very beginning by the world I knew nothing about, but I got into the story so quickly. I remeber struggling putting the book down both in the evening and in the mornings, to the point where I had to run to my bus stop to commute to uni, because I spent too much time reading this novel. I adored it, it made me fall in love again with epic fantasy. I also think this could be a great starting point to the genre for people who don't read much fantasy.

A Psalm For The Wild Built by Becky Chambers

This book went straight to be pile of my annual rereads. It was such a comforting read I feel at peace just thinking about it. This is the core of falling love with life again by focusing on the small things, and I am so grateful for this book. I have yet to pick up the sequel but even on its own this is a book you need to read.

Il Satiro Scientifico: Riprodursi Male curated by Barbascura X

This is a collection of short non fiction about reproduction exposed in a lighter tone with the goal of making science more approachable for a larger audience. It was amazing. It made me feel so motivated to pick up more non fiction that is not academia-related. I learned so much, it was a great note to end the year on.

honorable mentions:

The Sandman vol.11 - Endless Nights by Neil Gaiman in particular the short story about Dream. I have been thinking about that story non stop since I read it. It made me feel so emtional over a detail, I loved it. It's one of my favourite Neil Gaiman's ideas.

Nimona by ND Stevenson - I am one of those people who found out about this graphic novel after the movie came out and I loved it. I am still to this day making jokes related to this with my brother, it was one of my favourite graphic novels of the year.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang - I decided to include this book mostly because I had a great reading experience with it. I was at the seaside, and I had the chance to fully immerse myself into this novel and overall had an amzing time with it.

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - I have been thinking about this book so much ever since I read it. From now on if someone asks me a ya rec this is the book they will get. It was an amzing mix of dystopia and horror, and the themes of religious trauma and queer rage were used amazingly. It actually left me wanting to read more about queer rage.

De Profundis by Oscar Wilde - yet another book I keep thinking about. And the more I think about this book the more I fall in love with it, it might even be my favourite Wilde I have read to this point. It was not a light read, it was very emotional but I am so glad I finally picked it up.

[yonderghostshistories]

I recently watched the film "A Liar's Autobiography" (2012) recently, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT AND IT'S THE GREATEST ANIMATED TRIBUTE TO GRAHAM CHAPMAN IMHO AHHHHH!!!

Here's my thoughts on this film and why I absolutely love it!

(Spoilers btw, you should definitely watch ALA it's great!!)

-all the animations were peak, I especially love the animations about Graham's childhood, the Monkey Pythons and the animation where it dealt with Gray's alcoholism and him going cold turkey was very brilliantly done fr!!

-Graham's narration and voice is REALLY immersive and cool and lovely, it's like he's genuinely talking to you in a way!

-i love the scenes with him and David, such wholesome portrayal of their love and relationship with each other like it so 🥰🥰 <3333 (honestly, shout-out to the actor Philip Bulcock, he did wonderfully as David Sherlock!!)

-i like the songs, especially the "Sit On My Face" song rendition!!

-i like the animation where Graham was Colin "Bomber" Harris is which he metaphorically beat himself up to defeat the alcoholism!!

-i like the payoff of the "Oscar Wilde" thing at the end from the beginning, it rounded out things nicely and it was really wholesome seeing John cheering up and patted Gray on the back as buddies, it was a nice moment <333. Also, apparently Stephen Fry voiced the God-esque version of Oscar Wilde, which imo IS REALLY COOL FR!!

-i cried internally (my body couldn't produce the tears physically fsr, but on the inside it was sobbing like HELL) when they showed the Graham Chapman funeral/memorial service video of John's speech at the end and like GAHHH IT WAS SAD AND HEARTBREAKING 😭💔

-i LOVED the "Medical Love Song" scene at the end, it was ABSOLUTELY GREAT!! Plus the second rendition of the "Sit on My Face" scene, pretty awesome!!

-Cameron Diaz as Sigmund Freud was really hilarious 🤣

-i like how the film portrayed Gray's struggle with alcoholism (especially the absolutely beautiful oil painting-esque animation which is from Gray's POV), and like my fellow moot @michael-palin-is-the-loml said, it was done very tastefully in a way that Graham would've appreciated himself!

-i like the scenes with Gray and his parents, they were quite nice!

-i love the simple line of "fuck off Ginger!", like I do relate to that moment very much fr 🤣😭

-Everyone voice acted SUPERBLY in this film, hat's off to them!!

-i loved the "Sex Test" scene in the film, like as a bisexual myself, it's probably (imo at least!) a VERY accurate and superbly funny representation of the "sexuality is a spectrum" thing 👏👏

-Oh yeah I also love the scene in ALA where Graham saw the love of his life David appearing out from the sea in the pose of "The Birth of Venus" painting, which makes sense imo since Gray would think of David as his (gay) God(dess) <333

Here's my final verdict/thoughts on the film:

This film deserves ALLL THE LOVE, and I don't think it's as bad as some people said it was! This was truly made with a labour of love 🫶💞 from both the team AND the Pythons! (Apart from Eric ofc lol) and it really shows that this is NOT only a love letter to Python, BUT TO GRAHAM "GRAY BAE" CHAPMAN HIMSELF!!

This movie is a glorious 10/10 from me, and it's my favourite film in the world! (Tied with HFC ofc!)

[wollemi-whump]

A List of My Favorite Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, & Helmut Zemo Fics + a few Matt Murdock fics

and from his bones the hills by bartonbones & LadyCharity ( @bartonbones @mykingdomforapen ). this rec goes out to my medical whump enjoyers, youll definitely get some here. really well written fic about bucky and sam getting kidnapped! :)

and the old linger by LadyCharity is GOOD FIC VERY GOOD FIC. i love the format of the three different characters confronting Bucky. the descriptions and dialogue flow so nicely into each other, it's really a wonder it wasn't written with old wizard magic (at least that i know of).

chance meeting by MedicBaymax. what an awesome crossover! macgyver and the winter soldier! this fic is short, sweet, and highly captivating. captures macgyver's wonderful resourceful antics and the winter soldier's seriousness and meshes the two characters very well together.

witness marks by bartonbones. a beautiful mixture of domestic and angsty moments and some lovely Wilson family! the emotional moments in this are wonderful.

irreplaceable by LadyCharity. this one is actually a Zemo fic! beautiful character writing in this and a really touching story. the writing flows gorgeously.

True Believers by scioscribe ( @scioscribe ) is another (mostly) zemo-centric fic that i love. i really love zemo in this fic, i think its a very good take on his character after the events of tfatws, and the plot of the fic is creative and serves the characters well. good fic!

I've got red in my ledger... by undertalefa. oh I love this fic. wonderful mix of emotional and physical whump! i love me a good beatdown :)

talking is overrated by undertalefa ( @undertalefa ). great writing in this short fic about Bucky and some trauma about the Winter Soldier he's maybe not dealing with so well.

Machines by novelti. wonderful! pure whump, this one. very angsty and dark. i love torture :)

Homecoming by Face_of_Poe. OH I LOVE THE SPUTNIK PART. I wish it would be used a million more times very awesome. Many good lines in the actual fic but I just have to share one from the author notes because "I just really like to rip out my own heart and stomp on it with the possibilities" is an incredibly funny and appropriate phrase for us writers.

Try To Do Something New by Red_Tigress ( @redtigress ). good fic with some hurt Bucky and hurt Sam! I loved the concept of the conflicting injuries too. very nice to read!

the prison disappears by LadyCharity. this fic has a certain feeling of comfort and domesticity to it that really makes it such a pleasure to read. the mood setting and descriptions work together in great tandem and the story is just so sweet. very lovely fic.

Rusted by Face_of_Poe is a fabulous collection of missing scenes/alt-pov scenes from tfatws. the character writing in this is phenomenal and the writing flows so easily. I love the Zemo POV he really is such a bitch (affectionate) thank you for your writing service.

straddled cooperation by VIKAN. ( @mustangst ) fantastic character dialogue in this, especially for zemo, and some very funny moments (ESPECIALLY for zemo lmao) the character interactions are so so enjoyable and well written. overall just a fabulous fic with some tremendous writing.

True Quiet by betterthanworse ( @betterthanworse ) A fantastic fic in which Bucky survives the war and encounters Zola. I loved how this fic explored the trauma that Bucky experienced specifically with Zola and his initial experiementation. I don't often see a lot of that in either fic or canon so it was very satisfying. and I also loved the emotional whump of course very good :)

Wrong About You, Wrong About Me by betterthanworse. In my reviewing of this fic, I accidentally read literally the entire thing again, so you know this fic is good lmao. 30k words and it literally flew by I was so immersed in the story. and boy does it have WHUMP. one of my all time favorite fics <33

open the door to heaven or hell by chaosy. one of my favorite crossovers, Matt Murdock and Bucky Barnes. exactly the scene you wanted to happen in canon but never did. well no matter! this does the job very well!!

Bandaids Don't Fix Bullet Holes (But Punisher Does) by our lovely @whumpdoyoumean !! (221Browncoat on Ao3) An awesome Daredevil fic with plenty of whump and plenty of Frank!! :D whumpy, touching, and very funny. fantastic read! :)

Witness by ysande. A wonderful bit of Matt whump and angst. Paints very well the relationship Matt has with Stick and provides a rational perspective (thank you, Foggy) on how messed up it is.

[gothamcityhistory]

Detective Comics #29

Cover:

I love this cover art! I like how you can't see Batman's face - It makes him look more menacing! I hate that he doesn't have his purple gloves though... or any gloves... Nothing says stealth like leaving your fingerprints at the scene of the crime. The style of the building, the guy dropping the knife. His pose is so funny!!

I also love Doctor Death's secret lair with technology and bits and bobs... random human skull. Anyways, I also like his pose that is like "Drat!! It's the Batman!"

You might've also realised that I don't call Batman "The Bat-Man" anymore. It's because in this issue is where they drop the dash! (Well not in the title but y'know-)

Also in this post I'm going to start covering up text boxes where possible- Not if not actually reacting to something in the text box

Issue Credits:

Cover by: Bob Kane

Story by: Gardner Fox

Art by: Bob Kane

Recommendation:

Oh my god I loved that comic. It was really good. You should read it!!

Live Read:

Ohhhhh this is before he turned to a life of crime

"Jabah... YOU'RE A GENIUS I SAY! LET'S GET ON IT AT ONCE!!"

What's wild to me is that how it worked so quickly to get his attention

They just give it to him?- ??? No like verification?? No one was curious and collected it just cuz?-

Post man read the paper too and is like "Is that fucking playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne?"

Also the message says that he gets says that the guy will commit a murder and challenges Bruce to go alone and I like how Bruce is like "Sure. Why not". 1939 Bruce really gave no shits

It takes him an half an hour to change into his batsuit. canonically

Also he has those just cuz. Expected this day might come

WOOOOO ICONIC 1939 CADILLAC

I like to imagine he was there in his car, engine on just waiting for 8:30 exactly to drive-

Uhm okay...

Woah! No grappling hook yet!! A Lasso. Yee haw Cowboy...

It probably comes from his grandpappy Zorro

Batman! Batman! Does whatever a spider can-

Also do bats climb up the sides of buildings?

Yippeeeeee!! I love when Batman is being cautious and sneakyy!!

"I'm not trapped here with you. You're trapped here with me"

Bro went to far #NotMyBatman

I'm keeping this as a reaction Image- You can too-

I audibly gasped- /gen

They didn't have to do my bro like that and also why is his ethnicity relevant?-

"It happened on a night out with the boys. Trust"

"K boss"

I'm also keeping this-

He says that out loud- Bruce, my man, he could hear you.

That shit surprised me ngl

Doctor Death is legitimately insane wtf

Review:

I loved that comic. It was great and I actually enjoyed myself reading it and I got immersed in the last few pages and forgot to write my thoughts on the panels as I read them.

I got used to the narration style of the comic so that might be what helped.

I loved the art in the issue a lot so I wont be restricting myself for the Art section.

I liked the Batman acting more Batman and the lasso stuff. That was so cool!!

Art:

I love this panel. It's so cool!!

Hell yeah.

Thank you all for reading!!

Come back whenever! I will post at rarely the same Bat-Time but always the same Bat-Blog!

[rgbyshipper101]

Animaniacs Reboot Season 3 Episode 2 Review

Check comments for the rest of the review since tumblr can’t post the whole thing.

Variable verse: Folding paper craneys! -Wakko

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot

They’re walking funny to me. Mint, strawberry, and chocolate flavor ice cream? I can see that.

Why do they all look like Dot? It would make sense they all like her but it seems like Gigi took her look? Gigi Soda is based off of Jojo Siwa. She’s cute. Her song was ok. Love how scared/disgusted the brothers looked. Lol

They didn’t have to do Dot dirty like that.

It’s sweet how Yakko is defending his sister. Then it gets useless since she smacks his head out of frame. What the hell, Dot? He’s defending you!

Yakko did his “uuuuuhhhhh.” The HBO Max joke was great. Too bad it won’t happen (pretty sure that’s confirmed).

I really don’t like the idea of them breaking and entering to steal an award. Now if they bargain for it or do a competition it’s fine. But this isn’t right.

Again, Wakko wouldn’t necessarily do this. He may have trouble reading the room, but he understood the assignment. Dot wouldn’t beat up her brother, either. And the fact that the bruises stay on for several more scenes makes it worse. What’s with the Warner abuse this episode? It gets worse this season trust me.

-_-

Check out her schedule. She has two days for sleep! Aw, dinner with her grandmother. Is that having lunch and dinner like actually eating or is it a luncheon and dinner with people?

I do like this message. Work and no play makes Gigi a dull girl. Not necessarily dull, but taking a break is healthy and is needed to de-stress.

“What’s the point in a lifetime achievement award if you have no life?” - Wakko

Best quote.

Lots of negative things in the first half. Like Gigi getting disgusted with the bugs and Wakko and Dot not liking their games. The scene with Wakko eating dirt has the table and chairs from the theme song as the background. I like the detail of Yakko facepalming when he sees Gigi drawing data charts. Nice detail with Gigi being left-handed because Jojo is. I love how Yakko says “lunch.” It gets better when she opens up. Probably shows her progression and immersion in the song. Did…did Ralph just die? Damn Dot…ouch. Was Wakko gonna say Hooters? It’s an actual place but did they stop because it sounds inappropriate or for copyright?

The song would’ve been so much better if it was completed. I’m so disappointed. It was funny when Nora interrupted (if it was anything else I was gonna say the song was trash) but I would’ve liked for her to do it afterwards.

That is very scary. Deciding on what age she is. I get the joke on kids staying the same age in shows; but in real life…

Good on Gigi for standing up for herself.

Good on Dot for apologizing but I agree with Gigi. She shouldn’t have done that in the first place. Also, the internet made her insane. Sub, like, and follow. It just abruptly ends.

Half of the plot where Dot steals the award was bad. As I’ve said before, she should’ve bargained for it. This isn’t a good message for kids. Now it seems like Gigi didn’t learn anything from them. And that stinks since the second half of the plot was good! Don’t worry about being an influencer or a job especially when you’re a kid. Just enjoy life and have fun. If the Warners went about it differently and the ending was more heart to heart it would’ve been such a good episode.

Starbox and Cindy

I actually really liked this one. I can’t remember season 1 but I think I like this one the best. They’re adding more characters so it’s not stagnant. Good! The ending was funny when Cindy just grabs him. Also, “she died.” Lol Woah Starbox went through a crisis until she brought her back to life.

What I do like is that you’re supposed to focus on the slapstick. Reminds me of the classic Warner Bros. Very good. The animation was nice! I do like these shorts. There’s no attachment like how E,P&TB was so it’s easier to enjoy it. Cute, funny, very good.

Pinky and The Brain

I like the idea. Based off Harry and Megan I think. The song was nice. Like the UK English and American English differences throughout the short. The fries and crisps joke was funny.

Brain keeps selling himself out. Was this from the OG? I know Pinky did it. Brain could’ve asked to be king instead of selling himself out. Or they could’ve had Charles come in and take it. That would’ve been funny. The Royal flush at the end was great.

Warners - 6

S&C - 8

P&TB - 8

Avg - 7.3

I think my disappointment was radiating when I made the rankings. I consider 8 a solid. I didn’t like the resolution in Pinky and The Brain, but the stuff throughout the episode made it great.

[itcameuponamidnightqueer]

heyo! im in ‘lets circle back to that in january’ heaven rn, have you read anything recently that you’d recommend? I might finally have time to dig into it!!

hell yeah, this is a great year to ask me this question bc i actually read things, and enjoyed almost all of them! also, a plus for me and i hope it makes a difference to you—everything i read was either written by a queer author or centered the story around queer characters. yes, this was on purpose and yes i will be continuing that in 2024, i always need more queer stories in my life

fiction: siren queen, nghi vo—my favorite book i read this year. a chinese american actress trying to make it in pre-Hays Code hollywood but also there's magical realism. the queerness here is quiet but not muted. tbh i think it could have done with, like, 50 more pages; the meat of the plot seemed to really ramp up just as the book was ending. but the writing was immersive, delicate, and thoughtful.

the once and future witches, alix harrow—three sisters in 1893 work through their own loaded history as they try to bring magic back into the world. alix harrow looks at a story and says "this isn't complete until i put some generational family trauma into it," (looking at you, starling house, also recommended) and she's so right for it. she writes sisterhood wonderfully, the tenderness and trauma of it all, weaving folklore/fairy tales throughout and giving us some bonus (emotionally) tortured sapphics. can also highly highly recommend the audiobook of this; the narrator has a wonderful holly hunter-esque voice.

the teixcalaan series, arkady martine—i read both books this year but absolutely lost my shit over a desolation called peace, which is the second one. the first one, a memory called empire, is very very good and captivating but is also so full of politicking and bureaucracy that it felt slow for basically the first half. both books deal with mahit dzmare, an ambassador of a satellite station colonized by a vast, sprawling empire, and her investigation into her predecessor's death. which is a vastly simplified summary for a deliciously intricate plot; the second book has the advantage of first contact with some creepy-ass aliens and some really cool experiments with prose, from a writing perspective.

graphic novels: saga, brian k. vaughan (writer) & fiona staples (artist)—i know, i know; saga has been around for a while and i only caught up to all the TPBs this year. basic plot: two soldiers on opposite sides of a war fall in love and try to live their damn lives, despite all of the government officials, exes, and mercenaries after them. the art is impeccable, the writing is funny, sexy, heartbreaking, authentic—i can and will read this forever.

nonfiction: something that may shock and discredit you, daniel lavery—i'm not usually one for memoirs/essay collections; i prefer biographies. but i've also loved daniel's writing since the toast, and there is so much i relate to in this expression of his transition. do i always get all of the arthurian or columbo references? are there bits of it that just sail wildly over my head? absolutely. but i also burst out laughing so many times, and there were passages that i just wanted to highlight for pages and scream, "me! it's me, right here!!"

these are my top picks of my 2023 collection! i read a bunch more books but i don't want to clog up everyone's dash so just let me know if you want more recs! always happy to share

[hurlumerlu]

Okay so, Playboyy episode 1, the bad first :

the acting is so rough in parts. And in some scenes it's fine cause that cannot be easy to play, but in others I'm just like. what the fuck are you doing. As often in those cases I'm left wondering if it's a "we didn't have the money for enough takes" issue, an actors direction issue, or if I'm missing something.

the show flip-flops between visually intriguing and/or visually funny and absolute & total blandness in a way I cannot make sense of.

The good :

Love how deliberately not sexy most of the sex scenes/kinks are. The terrible "cop" outfit ? the cringy flirting ? the standard porn lines in japanese ? incredible. it's funny, it's an interesting change of pace from the usual BL sex scenes and getting rid of the glamour feels relevant in an episode which has for whole thesis that everyone has to contend with sex one way or another

Like i said, the show is really visually fun sometimes. Not beautiful, I wouldn't say beautiful, but I'm enjoying seeing sets that have had a lot of thoughts put into their design. The choice to go for the #aesthetic rather than realism is great imo, especially when you compare how "normally' the playboyys are filmed during their little get together with the lush, absurd environment the rich boys evolve in. it's fully two different worlds and I love that.

speaking of #aesthetics I want to kiss whoever was responsible for costume design on the mouth. Those characters are dressed the way you'd draw them if you wanted them to stand out in a reader's mind. Real manga charadesign vibes. I fucking love it.

Nont (or is it Nant ? why do they have such similar names T-T) was on screen for so little time and still managed to have real impact on me. I'm invested in him, I'm invested in his quest, and his smug "you wouldn't know, you don't have a mother" was so mean - I love him already.

Probably controversial but I really liked the tense music/almost scare chords over Zouey trying to masturbate like. the guy's complicated relationship with his own pleasure is interesting and i. idk, I'm sure it broke immersion for a lot of viewers but it worked on me, I felt real unease both times.

The "could go either way" :

I have no idea how they're going to deal with Zouey's reticence toward sex in the future and I'm a little wary. So far I have no complaints but. you know.

Listen I am fully team playboyy and I don't think we're meant to take their "scamming those poor, fragile men" scene completely at face value given that it's their ass on the line if things go wrong but at the same time i don't trust tvshows to be fair to sex workers so. we'll see. I have hopes though.

Random thoughts :

I went from "Zouey what are you hiding ?" to "oooh noooo sweety" real fast, only to go back to "what the fuck are you hiding" toward the end, so at least the show is commited to keeping me guessing, which I appreciate

wow, Zouey's friends are dicks. also I get hat guy's annoyance at rich client's antics but like. not Zouey's fault, and I'm pretty sure anyone would refuse a blowjob if they had to lie on that coffee table with their hand behind their back for it. that shit looked terribly uncomfy even for someone experienced and you already know Zouey isn't. I know I said I was team playboyys but give that guy a break

how many kinks does First have ? put some back on the shelf honey you can't carry them all.

Nont (Nant ?) recording his investigation seems risky as hell but given the number of time we see the boys filming stuff/recording stuff/watching vids (and to a lesser extent Zouey's painting and all the shots through windows/glassdoors etc) I don't mind. I assume they're going somewhere with it and if they don't it contributes to the Vibes (also known as themes, probably).

I don't even think I've met all the characters in the opening and I've already seen three blowjobs. Not complaining, I'm impressed.

speaking of that, who is that scholarship student with the camo pants and white tank top ? he said like one sentence but I've already imprited on him.

kinda wish i could take an "east asian gay porn 101" class because I know I'm missing stuff ! I can feel it !

OBSESSED with that "play with me" tattoo. it's in such poor taste i could cry of joy.

[waterhorseyblues-ao3]

WHB’s Ever-Growing List of Comic Recommendations

I am SICK and TIRED of people saying they’re not into comics!!! You could be!!! You just read a Captain America comic one time and realised it kinda sucked!!!! It probably did!!!!!! There’s other comics!!!!!!!!!

In fact I am intentionally NOT going to include DC or Marvel in this list because there’s so fuckin many of them dude. That’s gonna be a different list entirely.

Anyway I’m gonna break this up into segments as best I can and hope I remember all the amazing works I’ve read over the years. This is also only a light sprinkling of things I’ve read that I think are good starting points. If you ejoyed something and want more like it, or are more interested in one type of comic than another, I’ll happily give you more options.

If you’d like any info about how/where to read these comics just DM me and I’ll happily answer any questions.

Western Industry-Published Comics:

Tank Girl - I fucking love Tank Girl. I have a HUGE collection of Tank Girl comics. 1, 2 and 3 have NOT aged well, but Tank Girl was very much a symbol of counter-culture and was used as an icon for protests against Section 28 and the Thatcher regime. Crass, violent, scruffy and extremely punk. The upside is, you can pick just ONE TG title and read only that. She’s been passed around a few different publication companies and been handled by a variety of writers, so the themes and values of the comics are quite broad. My personal favourite is Visions of Booga.

The Ballad of Halo Jones (cancelled) - oh my GODD this COMIC. A 2000 AD genstone. The tragedy of Halo Jones is that the comics got cancelled due to a dispute with her creators and the company. Alan Moore at his absolute finest, creating the most elaborate sci-fi world with really great characters. Every day I morn that only 3 of 9 volumes were ever made.

Saga (ongoing) - o, um, you’re NOT reading Saga? cringe... Jokes aside, Saga published by Image Comics is fantastic. This immense space fantasy follows an inter-species family escaping the war that separates their people. The art is great, the characters are wonderful, the world building is fantastic, it’s so, so immersive. Sex, drugs, and violence abound. An epic space-opera for adult readers. Dude, c’mon, just read it smh

The Pride - This started small and indie but was picked up by Dark Horse. Joe Glass’ response to the lack of representation in Marvel and DC comics. A superhero series where all the characters are out-and-proud queer and fight against queerphobia and oppression, with very blunt explorations of hate crime, AIDS, and inter-community issues. Loveable characters and great art.

Scott Pilgrim VS The World - YEAH I’LL DO IT, I’LL REC SCOTT PILGRIM. I genuinely loved these comics as a teenager, they felt so cool and funny and fresh and dynamic. They were everything I wanted my life to be. Ultimate geeky dorky comic.

Jem and the Holograms - you remember that cartoon? well the comics go hard. VERY cool rock sci-fi, great new takes on the characters, queer as hell, very fun. definitely aimed at bringing more Jem content to fans who have grown up and want something a little more intense.

Persepolis - I’ve only just started reading this. It’s a memoir of the cultural shift in Iran and it’s very real and down-to-earth. Incidentally this is a Banned Book, so obviously that is why I recommend you read it. Incidentally quite a few comics about politics and identity have been banned around the world, so I suggest finding a list of them and reading through all of them as soon as you can.

World of Warcraft: Deathknight - not gonna dress this one up. it’s the manga about Koltira and Thassarian. I legit think the WoW lore comics and books are good. I want these two to kiss.

.

Japanese Manga:

Death Note - oh my god. dude. just read it. or watch it. i don’t care. this is a cultural ICON. this blew my MIND. the character tensions and dynamics, the long-term planning and payoff, the plot twists, the characters, it’s amazing.

Full Metal Alchemist - this should go without saying. i don’t think either anime really successfully adapted the manga. a very in-depth war-time fantasy with brilliant characters, so many plotlines and complex socio-political issues, a huge cast of different types of characters. It has the RANGE.

Uzumaki - I generally recommend Junji Itou’s work anyway, and tend to prefer his shorter stuff, but this particular horror series is so iconic and has some incredible artwork and imagery that just stays with you forever. Personally not a huge fan of the ending but it is very his style.

Shaman King - this aged both very badly and very well, somehow. the mix of traditional shaman practices from around the world, as well as the use of mythology and folk tales to pad out this urban fantasy, is very engaging and interesting. The characters are all from very different walks of life and it’s so easy to get attached to them. the anime adaptions didn’t quite capture the sheer intensity of this story and while it very much is a shonen, it has so much else going for it that really makes it such a unique gem of a series.

Black Butler (ongoing) - oh my god PLEASE read Black Butler. don’t bother with the anime. ignore that. you THINK this is gonna be a fanservicey series about fancy boys and demons but it’s NOT. it’s about TRAUMA and CORRUPTION and SECRET SOCETIES and PLOTS and it is getting better and better and better with each chapter. the artwork is gorgeous and the characters went from archetypes to really complex and fleshed out with individual backstories and I love them all dearly. this series has made me cry.

Saint Young Men (ongoing) - Jesus and Buddha are roommates in modern-day Japan. It’s a very fun and easy slice-of-life that takes a teasing but respectful angle on the two faiths and is just so wholesome. Was a big meme a few years ago.

The Way of the House Husband (ongoing) - you’ve seen this manga about. an ex-Yakuza becomes a house-husband to a working wife who loves magical girl anime. Slice-of-life with some of the most intense artwork and hilarious dynamics.

Skull Faced Book Seller Honda-San - a non-fiction account of a bookseller and the various customers they encounter. Very funny and truthful and easy to read.

The Two Of Them Are Pretty Much Like This (ongoing) - Slice-of-life lesbian romance with an age gap. The two must carefully balance their professional and private life, and navigate where they can and can’t be open about their relationship.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō  /  Quiet Country Café - scifi future post-environmental-apocalypse slice-of-life about an android who runs a café and the various people she meets and the strange world around her. Perfect for fans of Ghibli films.

.

Independent Comics

Emily Is Burning - Honestly I rec most of Steph Seed’s work, her limited use of dialogue and impressionistic-style artwork lends itself so well to the weird horror stories she creates

NPC Tea (ongoing) - urban fantasy story about D&D type characters who run a tea shop, but must also deal with a dangerous power that threatens to destroy everything.

The Miracles - from the same creator as The Pride, this is another superhero story that focuses more on alternate universes, coming of ages, secrets and deception.

.

WebToons and Web Comics:

Homestuck - fuck you. yeah im recommending Homestuck. it’s GOOD okay? it’s innovative and complex and deep and hilarious and weird and imaginative and it’s everything. there’s a BUNCH of lets-reads online to make it easier for you and loads of dubs and helpful guides to navigate it. It’s fucking good okay. shut up.

Ava’s Demon (ongoing) - gorgeous art, really cool space fantasy, loveable chaacters, animated sequences, I could go on. It’s a slow, slow update because of the sheer quality of the artwork that goes into it.

Lackadaisy (ongoing) - another absolute banger of artwork and detail. set in probation era about an underground bar, the goofy and eccentric characters get in violent fights, tangle with the law, and get up to be questionable and extremely illegal hijinks to keep their bar going as the business starts to wane. Updates are on hold while the creators work on an ACTUAL ANIMATED MOVIE for it.

Heartstopper (ongoing)- YEAH IM GAY. WHAT OF IT. I LOVE this gushy, mushy, sweet little comic about theseschool boys in love!!! This is a webcomic but has been officially published into paper books. The show is lovely and captures it well but the series is much further on than the show is. I genuinely hope it’s making life of queer teens easier!!! Because god damn it was bad when I was growing up!!!!

Mage and the Demon Queen (ongoing) - beautiful WebToon set in an RPG style fantasy world where a young mage falls in love with the enemy of her people, Demon Queen Velverosa. Adventure romance with a lot more happening than it first lets on.

Carciphona - Very elaborate and stunning fantasy series about magic, war, uprisings and mysterious backstories. Engaging character dynamics and intrigue throughout. The spin-off slice-of-life romance series Amongst Us is also worth a read.

Ruby Quest - you are not ready for this. Using the characters of Animal Crossing and an incredibly simplistic artstyle, this sci-fi horror used reader-input choices to navigate the world and storyline. A mix of rpg-style reading, animated panels and single-panel storytelling create immense amounts of tension and clever use of detail in the right places adds to the horror element. It’s spiritual successor, Nan Quest, is also very recommended.

[37q]

11 spending a lot of time on r/AmITheAngel for like a month straight late this winter rly helped me flesh out this tension in my cranium about mass public "socialization" in the post-modern internet. a little too much detachment on there for me but its honed my skeptic eye for that mediums social propriety and writing. they could stand to identify fetish stuff a little better but theyre pretty keen compared to, like, the rest of the internet.

12 oh for some context the premise of the sub is that, like, most of the content on r/AmITheAsshole is manufactured, self-serving BS, and so they pass their time on /AITAngel by taking potshots at OP's embarrassingly obvious agenda and psychological issues. "16 year old trying to find non-scholarly quotes for their creative writing prompt", "boyfriend provoking argument material for his weird obsession over getting babytrapped" etc etc. anyways

21 so like ok weve long-tempered the observable materiality and truth of these online social domains. like weve screened for all bullshit and loopholes, people are only engaging here in formal avenues of real feeling and good faith, moderation is swift, vastly codified and arbitrarily enforced. but oh wait 99.5% of members are viewers... and commenters are encouraged to speak outwards to hypothetical audiences...

31 hm gotta admit too the reality of it makes great, free, and "natural" educational material. or cringecam footage. or fetish fuel. or argument enders. or just mundane attachment to things we think we know and things we use to fortify those assumptions!

212 nothing gets you more engaged than totally immersing yourself in the totality of a "truth", however theres a conflict in that kind of detachment, the subject-object utility. either we genuinely give a shit about all these mf's miserable lives and get offended by some commenter's moral code, or we detach, confirm, reproduce, and make it a theater.

213 and the theater isn't a fun one, either, the cynicism and objectification will rot your brain. we can slap together some semblance of critical meta-engagement -- yknow like consumption as a consumer, collecting this to use it later, self-aware bordering on parasocial viewership (my god when a lurker mentions a "well-known" commenter by name... EW!) -- but in the end our consumption of the material will mediated by the fact that, like, we can only find use of it by suspending (and IMO fundamentally sundering) the scrutability of what we hold to be true. the authenticity gets all garbled up in the process, like this is hilarious bullshit for their sense of reality but also i kind of dont think deception or gullibility is very funny for weird stuff...

2141 see right there! "weird stuff", i have a threshold based on propriety of what i consider recognizable, authentic, "real" or socially legible expressions or behavior

22 so anyways!!! somewhere down the line after weve cleared out all the riffraff and its all respectable legit service usage and socialization, and funny enough the people suddenly have no place to put their neurotic internalization of unstable social systems and mundane life, the only solace is in a simulation of reifying and legitimizing their feelings. radical expression is demoralized, and emotional authenticity is quite literally socially determined. what the hell is an outlaw

23 heres where we get into the meat of it. remember AITAngel's premise? yeah, so, writing exercise, self-confirming or -serving, 99.5% viewership, most OP's post from a throwaway account (although when they dont its INSANE), people are commenting on the OOP like "what's up with the spike in vegan child-free weddings lately"... at soooome pooooint viewers have trouble suspending their disbelief. just a lil artificial, make it a one-liner karma game with algorithmically generated prompts cuz why not. a circus! lets dress up as elephants

32 now were starting to see how we can make use of this charade. want all the dads terrified of sexism to come out of the woordworks and give you the soundbites they wish they couldve used in their custody battles? need to farm some philosophical talking points for class? do you feel alone, scared, on your last leg, and are in need of others to console you over how you allegorically represent and sterilize your series of misfortunes and poor decisions? you want validation that you didnt sit next to your mom during your friday family outing? do you need disgust, horror, shame, or really any genuinely visceral reaction to your fantasies from strangers to make it real enough to get you off? easy reification machine

[askseriousrainbow]

Here are my top ten games of all time. And remember, it's my list. Your list would likely be different. XD

Link to part 1. Link to part 2. Link to part 3. Link to part 4. Link to part 5. Link to part 6. Link to part 7. Link to part 8. Link to part 9.

10. Undertale

Undertale is another one of those games where if you talk about it, you have to walk around spoilers, and I don't want to do that to you guys. It's just a great RPG.

9. Portal 2

The Portal series is great, and Portal 2 shows that greatness in a hell of an adventure. GLaDOS and Wheatley are great characters and the puzzles are intuitive. Not to mention, getting to know the history of Aperture Science is amazing as well.

8. RollerCoaster Tycoon

Ah, RCT. It took what made Theme Park great, added a killer roller coaster builder, simplified staff and stall management, and just improved everything possible. The screenshot is of RCT 1 in OpenRCT2, which is the best way to play both the original and the sequel now, in my opinion.

7. System Shock

This game was groundbreaking at the time, and its style of immersion and horror still stick out today. This was the first game to get close to the now-standard WASD style of movement by default. (It's not quite WASD, but it's still in the area.) SHODAN is a worthy opponent, and one of the scariest AIs ever put into a video game.

6. McPixel 3

A goofy little puzzler that's big on laughs and moon logic. McPixel 3 has you save the world from many threats, and it also has a killer soundtrack. It also is mind-challenging as you try to figure out how you have to solve each puzzle, because each puzzle is different. I love McPixel 3.

5. DOOM II: Hell on Earth

DOOM DOOM DOOMy DOOM. I love DOOM. DOOM II is the best of the classics in my opinion because it knows how to balance its enemies. The addition of the new enemy types and the Super Shotgun makes the game feel like DOOM. Fuck The Chasm and Pain Elementals, though.

4. Fallout: New Vegas

What can I say about Fallout: New Vegas? It's my favorite of the Bethesda-styled Fallouts and it's one of my top favorite games. Everything just feels... right. I will never do a Caesar's Legion playthrough though, screw them.

3. Saints Row 2

Easily the best of the Saints Row games, still tongue-in-cheek but dramatic when it wants to be. I just love everything about it, and especially love the Gentlemen of the Row mod. Let's hope Volition actually gets to release the patched version that Mike “IdolNinja” Watson was working on.

2. PAYDAY 2

I love me some cooperative shooters, and PAYDAY 2 is my favorite one. It just clicks, and the characters are great. The shooting is fantastic, stealth is fantastic, it's just a great time. Also, keep those helmets flying!

1. You Don't Know Jack Volume 4: The Ride

Are you surprised? YDKJ The Ride is my favorite game of all time because its writing is sharp, its hosts are fantastic, the music is excellent, the new question types are enjoyable, its naming gags are funny, and frankly, I probably wouldn't be the person I am without You Don't Know Jack The Ride, full stop. Play it today.

So, that's my Top 100 Games of All Time. Did you see some you've never played before? They're all great games and I had a little bit of a tough time deciding the order. We'll be going back to answering questions soon, so have fun asking me some stuff, whether it's related to this or not. I'll also have a "final thoughts"/mega post tomorrow at some point. :D

Link to part 1. Link to part 2. Link to part 3. Link to part 4. Link to part 5. Link to part 6. Link to part 7. Link to part 8. Link to part 9.

-SR

[tangleweave]

ℛ - What are your top three favourite books, and why?  

[ Munday Positivity / Accepting ]

This ought to be an easy question to answer but in fact it's brutally difficult, not least of which because much to my embarrassment, I haven't read many in the last few years. I should really fix that. But I'll give it a shot anyway!

The Martian by Andy Weir - An absolutely fantastic read and the source material for the Matt Damon movie of the same name. If you thought the movie was awesome (and I do), this book is ten times better, and at least that much more insane in terms of the difficulties presented in Mark Watney's lonely survival on Mars. It's immersive, it's instructive, it's emotional... it's real.

Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber - I grew up in a household defined by religious faith and I've spent the majority of my life struggling mightily to define my own. The various vignettes within this book discuss in compelling and raw detail the author's own mighty struggles with faith and the notion of 'finding God in all the wrong people'. A lot of it feels like it could have easily come from my own experience. It's irreverent, vulgar, engaging, and I promise you, funny as hell. It's also achingly moving.

The Red Wolf by S.R. Mateus - This one might be cheating, just a tiny bit, because I was the editor for this book (yes, really). It's an adventure tale set in a dark fantasy world that the author spent a great deal of time agonizing over in loving detail. The characters are captivating, there's a lot of world-building that takes place, and an element I truly appreciate about the story is that nobody and nothing is perfect. No paragons exist in this world. It's the first of an ambitious series, and I would gladly edit the next entries in it as well. (As an aside, the author is directly responsible for my presence here in the Tumblr RP community. Throw them some love!)

[angevon]

Games I beat 2024 - 6

FFXIV: Dawntrail

In a nutshell: I did not enjoy this. 

I’ll put my comments in a read more, but it won't be super in-depth. Most of what I didn't enjoy has been explained and discussed thoroughly by other people. 

So here I’ll add my own personal complaints which I didn’t see as often when I googled “does dawntrail get better reddit” for validation when suffering through the story.

My first and admittedly rather minor complaint is that they decided to give each fantasy race yet another fantasy name. The catgirls aren’t just miqote anymore, now they’re Homosaro or something, and bunnies are now Setsuna or hell if I know. It’s already hard enough trying to keep them all straight when many were given off-brand versions in Shadowbringers, so why do it again? I get that they’re going for ~cultural differences~ but this is way more annoying than immersive. 

With that out of the way, the main glaring problem with Dawntrail is the poor pacing. We go to a new area, we talk to the npcs to find out what’s going on. Rinse and repeat (and don't forget to tag the aetheryte!). This isn’t unexpected, but it’s made worse by the formulaic cutscene direction. 

You know what I mean. 

“Cut to a close up of character 1’s face. Wait 3 seconds. Character 1 nods. Cut to close up of character 2’s face. Wait 3 seconds. Character 2 also nods. Cut to your character. Your character punches their right fist into their left hand. Zoom out. Character 1 walks off screen. 3 seconds later, character 2 follows. 3 seconds later, you follow and the scene fades.” The flow of most cutscenes are aggravatingly slow-paced. I know they’ve got engine limitations that restrict them from being particularly action packed, but more and more I’m starting to think it’s just an excuse for laziness. 

Additionally, there was more than one occasion when the entire point of a cutscene was just to recap everything that literally just happened. Like, I know what happened, I was there! It happened 5 minutes ago! Why are you telling me this? I can excuse this in patch content when there’s months between story beats, but not in a fully released expansion. 

(It reminds me of ff5, when Galuf suddenly declares “I remember!” and then the flashback cutscene it shows is when cid (?) was slapping him, a scene which happened very shortly beforehand. I remember laughing my butt off as a kid because it was so funny to me. Great memory Galuf, good job! You’re not senile yet, definitely.)

I think the game would greatly be improved from shorter cutscenes without all this … weird pausing as we look at a character just to watch them nod. It ruins the flow of the scene and makes it all so boring. They need to find better ways to end cutscenes than showing people walking off scene. They ought to add more emotes and reactions. I’m quite tired of seeing Wuk Lamat do the Arthur fist meme, and seeing Alphi put his hand under (but not touching) his chin. In some ways it’s hilarious that they haven’t added any new emotes for the npcs to use, but in other ways it’s just sad and lazy. It makes the game feel both cheap and dated.

I should get this out of the way too: for the record, I found the first half of Endwalker a frustrating experience for similar reasons. I didn’t want to explore yet another snow region, and the Garlemald-focused story was made extra depressing just to bash into your head that war sucks. Then EW takes a huge swerve back into fantasy, and that’s when I found it a lot more enjoyable. Definitely a ymmv thing, of course.

Now, Dawntrail tries to follow the same formula, but just doesn’t manage the “enjoyable” aspect. I think, in fact, it’s too similar to Endwalker and feels like a retread. Immediately when I first saw the queen of sci fi land, I said to myself “here’s the final boss” because she’s basically Meteon. And I wasn’t wrong and they never tried to hide it either.

We have the running gag of Atlus Girls but it seems like Square Enix has the same sort of thing going on……

Another thing they retread is taking time to teach us where the food comes from. Seriously, is someone on the writing team a horticulturist or something? We had a lengthy segment in EW with the Loporits and here there’s a(n admittedly much shorter—but still there!) quest to teach us how they grow food in the electric field. It had no bearing on the story in this case, just there to… pad the game time I guess. Or world build but I honestly couldn’t give a crap at that point 😂 I want to know where the big bad is! but no you gotta slow down the story by telling me how to grow fantasy potatoes, go off I guess.

Which leads me to my other problem. Throughout the story I had major questions that the story either never addressed, or if they did address it, it was too late to be satisfying. For example, as soon as the queen of sci fi land (I refuse to call it Alexandria lmao) shows us that souls are being used as currency, I’m like “where do the souls come from”. And literally NOBODY in our group thought to ask this most basic and obvious question. It was so frustrating!!!! Turns out they were saving this info for a Big Reveal but by that time I was already grinding my teeth so much from how slow and boring all these filler cutscenes were, its impact was absolutely wasted. 

And the biggest question I have: who is Zuraal Ja’s mom? And who was Gulool Ja’s mom? Both questions were never addressed. Anything would’ve been better than what we got, which as far as was revealed in the main story: nothing. Never mentioned. Never named. Leaves me wondering if Mamool Ja reproduce asexually??? But Bakool Ja Ja had a mom, we even met her… so… ??? 

I mean this is absolutely the first question I would’ve asked! “We think Zuraal Ja is this kid's dad, just look at him it’s obvious” ok then who laid the egg? Heck, do mamool ja lay eggs…? I don’t know! They never said! 

I’m sure I have more complaints but tbh it’s been a month since I beat it and a lot of the specifics have faded in my memory. I don’t have the energy to comment on the ff9 aspects but ff9 was never my favorite anyway so you can just imagine I wasn’t impressed 😂