#has gotten much more wonky than it used to be I think. but I've just been focusing so much more on writing

[justsigma-bsd]

A Blank Page, Torn From A Book Without Name

Well, I ended up trying to put the word salad in my head into actual, coherent words after all.

First of all, everything here is just my take on things. The theories and thoughts I've had on certain things. I don't think any of it is official, but if anything of it is, in fact, confirmed to be true or false, feel free to tell me!

Some of the panels were taken from a YouTube video, which I'll link at the bottom!

TW for: Human trafficking, dehumanization

Ok, so first things first, some of this stuff I've already written down a while back for writing reasons. I found some of my old notes, and noticed that, after rereading the panels, they make more sense than I previously thought.

Let's start here: what stands out the most to me isn't that he's in the desert, not even the ticket. No, it's the simple »[...] or even who I was«

Because who, indeed, is Sigma? Sigma does not have an identity. He has no history, no nothing. Just the clothes on his back, a ticket that seems to be useless and earrings, for some reason.

Without a name, you don't have an identity and without identity you don't have a name.

Then there is this, too:

»I gave myself a name. Sigma. A man of the casino«

I don't believe he had a name upon being created. I don't think he had one for a long time, because in the same panel that he mentions giving himself a name, he also mentions the casino- which came much, much later. Sigma existed for three years by the time the series started. However, the timeline is wonky as heck.

Because how long did he stay with the traffickers? How long was he on his own after escaping? How long ago did Fyodor find him? Questions upon questions, but since I've already mentioned the lack of a name and the traffickers, let's get to my thoughts on that, specifically:

»They captured and enslaved me« along with »And once they knew that I had a skill [...]« makes me wonder: how long did it take for them to find out?

I haven't researched anything about human trafficking, but it's basically slavery, from what I've gathered through the previous things I've heard and read. And he does say so himself, too.

Sigma, three days alive, spent his early life a slave. It's confirmed that he was shackled, seeing that he is wearing them in the panels.

(As a side note, I do believe that he has scars from the shackles around his wrist. He wears a tight, wrist-long turtleneck beneath his coat, and I think it's to hide the scars. Both from others and himself.)

His first human interaction was plain horrible. Did he know and understand that? Did he understand that this wasn't normal? I don't think he knew how wrong this was at first. I don't believe that he understood it immediately. If he didn't know who he was, why would he know that being treated like this is wrong?

I believe that he realized it at some point, but not as soon as it started. I think he lived like that for a while, thinking it was normal, before getting some sort of wake-up call. Perhaps through his ability, or a fellow prisoner. Maybe both, or neither.

He must've gotten whiplash, once people genuinely looked up to him when he was the manager at Sky Casino.

I also think that he, probably, does tend to forget that being treated like that is, in fact, not normal or okay. Our upbringing leaves some sort of mark on all of us, experiences define us, give us habits and a feeling of what's normal and what isn't.

Which means that his "normal" is skewed and he expects being used rather than kindness, probably even after learning that some people are genuinely kind. I'm guessing that his mindset is, due to that, a simple "If I'm alive I'm alright".

I don't think he'd complain about being treated wrong and or left behind, or admit when he's injured. Or at the very least attempt to keep it a secret as long as possible- especially from those he sees as authority figures.

However, I also think that he was isolated, as per this panel:

Not only the text, but also the background paint a picture that causes me to believe that.

I almost skimmed past this panel while making my analysis, before pausing and taking a closer look. I thought this was in Sky Casino at first, until I looked closer and realized three things:

1, the background does not match Sky Casino in the slightest

2, he isn't wearing shoes or his current outfit, but the old clothes he had when wandering the desert

3, the shadows aren't from the light of a window, they're bars from a cell

While I did believe before that the traffickers kept him isolated from others (due to wanting to keep him unaware of the wrongness of his situation as well as to make sure he doesn't learn things he should/other prisoners finding out things that Sigma got to know by accident), this sort of put the final nail in the coffin for me.

But, at some point, he did realize that it was wrong. Perhaps he'd had a bad feeling from the start. Maybe he hated being treated like this. Who knows? Point is, he escaped. This brings us back to this page:

»No matter how kind someone seemed, they used me and then tried to kill me for knowing too much«

Sigma, after escaping the traffickers, after escaping the life of a slave, probably still didn't know much about living.

And I firmly believe that Sigma is smarter than even he himself thinks. There's just one issue: Sigma is naive (at least in my eyes), and it's not even his own fault. He simply tried his best to survive, and what was the reason the traffickers kept him around? His ability, most likely.

Problem is that his ability truly is something people would love to exploit, and it seems as if they did. Which makes me believe that he has a talent for running into murderers thinking they're nice people, only to get a not-so-nice surprise.

»The last one to use me [...]«, this specific line is the reason why I believe Sigma to have been used a lot. We don't know how often, exactly, his ability was taken advantage of. But we know the latest person who did.

Fyodor was the last one to use him, which means that, at that point, he was probably used to it. Used to being treated like a pawn, and used to people trying to kill for knowing too much. And I believe that he was, quite plainly, exhausted.

Imagine, your entire life consists of being forced to aid others with crimes, with being shackled. You don't know the difference between working for someone and being used by someone.

If you were offered what you wanted most, wouldn't you accept, too? Even if you know that you're once again being used? I mean... this time around, you gain something for it. Doesn't that make it worth the risk?

It's a gamble Sigma took... and lost.

This page involves two quotes that give me pause:

»Don't you wish for a home?«

We don't know why or how he knows what a home and a family is, but he does. And he wants it. He says it was never within his reach. But it is perfectly clear to us, while reading the Sky Casino Arc, that he wants it. He wants a home and a family.

He'd rather sacrifice his own life than see Sky Casino fall. »Home« and »Family« are, to him, more important than staying alive. Because it's something he never had, and something he clings to. Simply because he doesn't have anything else.

»I, who was originally 'nothing'[...]«

Is the second line that makes me pause. Because like previously mentioned, Sigma was a slave with no name or identity of his own. We don't know when he found out about being created by the book (and I firmly believe that he found out one way or another), but I believe he didn't see himself as a human before, and this "confirmed" it for him.

Think about it, would traffickers care about their victims? Would they treat them as human beings? Call them by their name? What about a person who has no name to begin with?

He wasn't treated like a human being in the beginning, and thus considered himself nothing. Considered his home and "family" to be worth more than hid own life.

He was literally created from nothing. His story doesn't have a beginning. He has no memories prior to being created, he had no name nor identity. How his story will end is unknown. We don't know what's written on his page.

I believe this, combined with being with the traffickers, makes him doubt his humanity. Not only because he was created through the book, but also because for the first (months? Year?) of his life, he wasn't treated like a human.

His sense of self-worth is probably down in the dumps.

»In the end I never did understand what I was born for...«

I don't think he knows the details of his existence. The content of his page, the words that brought him into existence. He doesn't know why he was born/created. He doesn't know what things were predetermined.

He doesn't know what's real and what's just writing on a page.

Sigma, in three years of being alive, went through hell. He was enslaved, his ability was taken advantage of over and over, he was used by multiple people who all ended up trying to kill him and when he thought that he finally found a home? A family? It was taken away from him.

Genuinely, he needs a plate of cookies, a hug and a ton of therapy.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my little analysis and theories? I never did something like this before, so criticism is welcome!

Here's also the link to the video from which I got the screenshots: https://youtu.be/KwsSvFYAKjA?si=R_IvH-S8GYut_hrG

[lucalicatteart]

A character reference sheet sort of thing for the main character of the Poll Adventures, drawn more in my usual style (taking a picture of messy pencil sketches then coloring it digitally lol) rather than the cutesy ms paint style of the daily poll images .. there he is.. the adventure boy..

[obae-me]

Here's my personal thoughts on the last few lessons:

Spoilers ahead!

Mammon and Asmo losing theirselves to their demonic urges? WONDERFUL! I adored that for a number of reasons. Not only did it give us some possessiveness, some action, some drama, but it opened up the "subconscious scenes".

I personally do not think Mammon's dream was a perfect 1-to-1 scenario on what happened in the past. It's a dream! And Asmo's wonky fairytale confirmed that it's what their mind made up. Do I think something similar happened in the Celestial Realm? Probably, but I think the main focus was supposed to be on Mammon striving to accomplish his dreams and care for his brothers, sometimes at the expense of others. It also hurts because what does he fear most at the end of the day? Being a scummy person. Thinking that he's doing good things just for himself. Thinking that none of the love or kindness that he has is real. As someone who was raised in the church, always wondering if I was doing the right thing out of fear or in hopes of a reward rather than actually having morals, that stuff hit HARD. He deserves so much. Someone in the Celestial Realm gave this Boi too much anxiety.

Asmo's dream scene I think was beautiful! A little confusing on the whole teleporting through consciousness bit, but overall a really great look into Asmo's personality. (Asmo stans must be thriving right now.) I love that Asmo's power is strong enough to even influence Lucifer, even if it's just for a short while. I LOVE the fact that they tried to convince everyone he was doing it because he just wants fame and recognition, when they finally turn at the end and change all of that. What Asmo really wants is unconditional love. He thinks people only love him because he's beautiful, and so he's TERRIFIED of being ugly, because then he thinks people will leave him. He charms his brothers to make them stay (while of course giving into some more of his selfish urges, having them serve him). He's scared of good things coming to an end- so much so that he sobs and panics. He's scared of dying.

I love that Lucifer seems to be central to his brother's hopes and dreams so far. He RAISED those boys, he's crucial to them. And they're crucial to him, and I hope they dive deeper into that if/when Lucifer loses himself to his sin. I love that he's gotten humbled quite a few times these last few lessons.

I'm a bit iffy on the Barbatos and Solomon reveal. I do really enjoy the fact that Barbatos is being extremely petty, feeling that Solomon has slighted him by making him "eighth" and so he slights him in return. On the other hand, they did have an opportunity to make this a really deep thing, so it's a little anticlimactic, especially for having it been drawn out this long, but I'm not complaining *too* much.

I do love that we get a much bigger look into Solomon's personality. He's so lonely that he got drunk one night while MC was gone. He's pretty possessive and a little prone to anger, so much so that when Asmo even so much as insults MC, he's ready to use force. He's also a funny little man who gets real upset when he forgets to do his chores (which is hilarious because in the orignal OM, it was said that he didnt take care himself well at all, which means MC helped whip him into shape a bit) and wants nothing more than a home-cooked meal. I think he's been so far separated from normalcy, he's starting to heal from what he's been missing.

I love that they've really written the brothers like a *family*. A wonky mess of a family, but a family nonetheless.

Overall, Nightbringer has really been doing good. Of course it has its weaker moments, but I've really been enjoying it so far. (Now if we could have the writers give a little bit more of that tlc towards the events, I'd be super happy).

[efangamez]

Hey you beautiful people!

My name is EfanGamez, a very neurodivergent trans and pan creator who has created 20+ games and have gotten nearly 30,000 downloads on my games!

On this blog, you can find some stuff that I have created, as well as just some fun stuff. I'm not here to preach to people or make sales only; I just want people to enjoy what I make!

You can find my games right here. I promise they're amazing!

If you want separate stores, look below as well!

Itch.io

DriveThruRPG

Kofi

Have a wonderful day! 💜✨💜✨

MY BOUNDARIES <3

So a little PSA going forward btw! This isn't meant as a call out or anything, but a stating of boundaries with my page and communication, as well as some clear ups!

I am incredibly mentally ill and autistic, with memory loss and attention disorders, so if we communicate and things are a little wonky, let me know! Sometimes I'm unaware what I'm saying may be a little rude, so please kindly let me know!

Boundary 1: Please do not ask me to review game items of yours or someone else's! I currently am trying to simply exist in this world by eating, drinking, and showering, so I may not have time to read your games, even if they're really short. I think that, for me right now, it puts a lot of pressure on me that I just cannot deal with right now.

Boundary 2: Please do not ask for advice or tips unsolicited unless through an ask. Again, because I'm a slow texter and have memory loss, I may not be able to get back to you, and I'd much rather you just ask publicly than privately.

Boundary 3: Please no unsolicited DMs. I have learned the hard way many people on this app who DM me wanting something, trying to strike up conversations, or love bomb you, are trying to get something out of you, and I'm kinda tired of it, frankly. Some people who have DMed me have become cool peeps I can talk to, but some have manipulated me and used me, and when I was of no use, discarded me. Because of this, please ONLY DM me if I have expressed a want to otherwise! (This is for mostly random people I don't know, so if we're already talking, we should be good!)

Boundary 4:This kinda goes without saying, but please do not interact with me if you are a minor. This is an 18+ page.

Boundary 5: This one may sting for some people, but it's my personal boundary and it has nothing to do with people individually. I do not wish to be called a "friend" of yours unless I myself call you that. It's a term I hold quite dear and hold for a VERY few people. I'm more like an acquaintance to many people or even just one step up from stranger. Again, it does not mean I don't like you, I just hold friendships super close to my heart, and I've been burned calling people friend who truly are not mine.

Boundary 6: This one is kinda twofold. I want people to know that if my boundaries are crossed after warning, I will block you. My mental health cannot take constant violations of my boundaries, and thus I have to enforce them. The next is that I will ALWAYS restate a boundary with someone, because I'll never expect anyone to know a boundary without them knowing, so if it happens, I'll let you know, sometimes more than once if I know you well enough.

Boundary 7: I will ALWAYS talk about politics or human rights issues, so if you have an issue with that, please do not interact with me. I do not wish to be comrades with those who are "apolitical".

And that's it! I know it's a ton, but like I said, I'll never expect anyone to know automatically what my boundaries are, so if ya mess up, I'll let ya know very kindly!

I'll also have this up on my pinned post so that way people can know exactly my boundaries are!

Have a wonderful day to y'all, and to my fellow disabled and mentally ill baddies out there; you are absolutely loved, and please don't drive yourself to spiral because your feelings are ALWAYS valid (this goes to me too lol).

[staringdownabarrel]

The Game hits differently as an adult than when it did when I was a kid.

Back when I was a kid, mobile games were still in their infancy. Like yeah, there was Snake and Bounce, but that was pretty much it. A mobile phone had the games it came preloaded with and while you could get new ones online, most people didn't. And while there was still that phenomenon of annoying little kids going up to random adults and asking if they had games on their phone, I feel like it wasn't as common.

For the most part, mobile gaming hadn't really gotten to the point where it was psychologically addicting the same way it is now. That kind of thing only really started up when I was in high school. Even then, I tended to write off the "oh, my mum's addicted to Candy Crush" stuff as just a meme-y thing rather than an actual phenomenon. It's really only been in the eleven-ish years since I finished high school, and mostly in the last five or six years, that I've really been aware of people getting super addicted to mobile games as a thing. (This isn't to say it wasn't happening at all before then; just to say I wasn't as aware of it before then. Keep in mind that I live under a rock.)

The other thing here is that back when I was a kid and watching The Game for the first time, it wasn't really as acceptable for people to just sit there on their mobile for hours on end. For a long time, the mobile phone was seen as a thing you had for emergencies only, and even then a lot of people wouldn't bother to take it with them when they left the house.

This did eventually change around 2009 or 2010, when even less well off people could get a mobile phone that wasn't just a Nokia brick that was really only good for texting and calling people. Once that happened, people started using them more. But before that? Nah, not really. The Boomer cartoons from the mid-2000s about Millennial teenagers always being buried in their phones were either making mountains out of molehills or based around the one kid they knew who was a bit more of a social butterfly.

So the first few times I saw The Game, I wrote it off as just being a product of its time. When I thought of video games at the time, I was mostly thinking of console games, not of Snake. I dismissed the idea that someone would get addicted to a video game as being something that didn't really happen that much outside of a few edge cases here and there where maybe a guy died at his keyboard after playing World of Warcraft for a week straight, and even then I thought it was mostly because they had no life outside of it.

Nowadays though, I think it was weirdly prophetic, and I'm not entirely sure the writers on that episode fully realised that at the time. People really are getting addicted to mobile games (and, to some degree, MMOs) much more than they used to, and that's largely by design. Those games really are designed to be addictive.

So while in 2007, I wrote The Game off as being a wonky fantasy written by a generation who were maybe a little bit out of touch, now I realise they were probably on to something. The idea that someone might design a game to be extremely addictive and try to weaponise it somehow doesn't seem as farfetched now as I thought it was back then.

More to the point, there really are people out there who'll do remarkably stupid things because of an online game. It doesn't have to be some propaganda campaign or anything like that; they'll just be mad that a certain part of the game isn't realistic enough. War Thunder in particular has a bit of a reputation for this--there's been multiple military personnel from multiple countries who've leaked design specifications for their country's tanks online because of the game. I wouldn't be too surprised if most spy agencies have people keeping an eye on message boards related to it just because of that.

I don't know if I necessarily think The Game is a good episode. Of the Wesley Crusher episodes made after he goes to the Academy, this is the only one that really falls into that "Wesley the wonder boy" trap a lot of season one episodes had where he'd be pivotal to saving the day. It's still a more interesting take on that concept because it's ultimately Data who does it rather than him, but that honestly could have been incidental more than anything.

What I do think, however, is that it's an interesting episode. It's the kind of episode that's definitely made me think as I've gotten older. My opinion of it now is that while it's not really the best episode, it is good science fiction because it was remarkably on point about the general direction society was going to go down and it inspires thought.

[youngchronicpain]

hey srry if this is an odd question but I saw that you use/used an EZ Lite Cruiser and I was wondering abt your experiences with it (+ the company) / if you would recommend it to others? Specifically how it handles slopes steeper than most ramps, shitty sidewalks, wet / somewhat icy roads, etc and also if it holds up well after a couple years. No pressure to respond if you don’t have the time/energy, hope you’re doing well!

I love my EZ Lite Crusier! I got it in 2018 and it has gotten me around my house, my yard, and the US. My dad had to replace a bunch of parts last year (I somehow bent something on the wheels and they were wonky for awhile, but he's a mechanic so it was no biggie) but it was honestly great up to that point. I've flown with it countless times as well.

The only thing I will say is that when I first got it, the first chair totally stopped working after my first 20 minute trip around the yard. But the company was great and replaced it as quickly as they could. (It took about a week.)

The reason I got this specific chair was because it could recline, which was something I absolutely needed. Plus, it had a bigger wheel option which I love for going on grassy areas and dirt trails that are a little uneven. It will sometimes slide a bit when going down a wet steep path, but that is to be expected, I think.

I've only used it with very light snowfall, so I can't speak on its use on ice and heavy snow.

(Weight mention tw: for reference, I was around 215 lbs at 5'11 when I first got it and 172 lbs at my lightest using it. The chair has been comfortable for me at all different weights, though I use more cushions to make the fit better when I'm closer to the bottom of the weight range.)

But please do your research on the other chairs available! There are many other options now and I can't confidently tell you this is the best foldable powerchair, I can just tell you it has been an amazing powerchair for me.

Places I've been using my EZ in the US: Las Vegas, NYC, Portland, Austin, Helen, Denver, Ouray, New Orleans, Knoxville, Charleston (WV), Houston, Tupelo, and all around Florida.

Just to illustrate that I've put some good miles on her. I wish you the best in finding the powerchair that works for you!! My powerchair has changed my life and enabled me to move about the world much more comfortably. I hope the same for you. ❤️

[ambelle]

Just had a random thought about DC Titans and Dickkory. *bear w/me, it's kind of long, sorry.*

I listen to your podcast & remember something being mentioned about how some DK fans may be a little confused about the genre of the show, and I think that could be accurate.

I grew up reading and watching a fair amount of anime and manga. As you may know, specific labels are used to describe different genres. The two I mainly engaged in were either Shounen or Shoujo (pretty common and popular genres).

shounen

• a genre of Japanese comics and animated films aimed primarily at a young male audience, typically characterized by action-filled plots.

shoujo

• a genre of Japanese comics and animated films aimed primarily at a young female audience, typically characterized by a focus on personal and romantic relationships.

Now if I had to make an anime/manga comparison for DC Titans I'd definitely say it falls more in the Shounen category, as the main focus is the "action filled plot" as opposed to "romantic relationships". The Shounen media I consumed as a kid usually did have some primary "ship(s)" or romantic elements included, but it was hardly ever the main focus of the plot.

If I happened to like or ship a pairing in a shounen anime or manga, I learned quickly to expect the (romantic) interactions between whatever 2 characters to be sparse and few & far in between. However, it was never too difficult to tell who might eventually be "endgame" bc authors/writers more often then not made it a point to imply throughout the series that those characters hv feelings for eachother & will likely end up together in the end.

Even if they didn't hv a whole bunch of overtly romantic time together in the series, this was usually enough to satisfy me, bc it's just not the type of genre where that happens or is a priority.

I say all this to say, that's exactly how I feel about DK in Titans. Like I get why some ppl might feel cheated or unsatisfied but if you pay attention to how the structure of the show has always been, expecting all this "shoujo"-esque, romantic drama was just not realistic. Do I agree that DK could've had better & more development in seasons 2 & 3? Sure. But tbh I've rewatched the seasons, and the scenes they do share together were always important & impactful. It wasn't a reach to assume they would end up together. In typical Shounen fashion, it doesn't officially happen until the very end 🤷🏾‍♀️ but as long as it happens, me personally, I'm happy.

Oh, I love this comparison and wholeheartedly agree!

When I watched the pilot I knew right off the bat this show was selling me action first and foremost. I even feel like they go out of their way to create as many fight scenes as possible and when they can't fill the time building up to that the plot gets a little wonky.

In my opinion, I credit Prathi's addition to the writing staff as to why things were so much clearer romantic-wise in s3 & 4. Had she been around in season 2 I know DK wouldn't have gotten together but I do think they would have been more obviously romantic.

I also feel like Hank and Dawn's awful writing is proof they didn't know what to do with couples when they were together long-term. They actively dodged really writing Dickbabs as a couple for more than 2 episodes. It's hard not to notice.

So do I wish there were more shoujo elements in the first 2 seasons? Yes absolutely. Do I also love all that season 4 is so much about Dickkory that Dick doesn't even have another storyline lol? Yes.

Both can be true.

It just wasn't a romance show which is why they were all undercooked (Jayrose, DonnaGarth, Dickbabs, etc) or terrible to witness (cough cough Hank &Dawn) except for, ironically, Dickkory. Cause they got together at the very end but it's not quite out of nowhere. They've been a thread 1-3 and a complete focus this entire season.

In hindsight, I'm realizing a ton of Dickkory's biggest romantic moments came in the middle of some kind of dramatic fight. From the Trigon dream to Kory showing up to fistfight Deathstroke to him dying and dreaming about their daughter LOL.

[coldgoldlazarus]

🔥 Weiss RWBY

Alright, finally responding to this

Weiss herself, directly? I couldn't really think of any unpopular hot takes I have about her. Maybe that I like her Volume 4-6 outfit more than most, but I do agree it's let down in V5 by the wonky lighting choices they went for. But like, that's not really a major thing, and I generally agree with the meta about her characterization I've seen.

Honestly, the only real hot take I can think of is that I feel like White Rose (Ruby/Weiss) is kinda overrated as a ship. (And I say this as someone who does still ship it, just not as much as I used to.) A lot of their early dynamic was that spicy Little Witch Academia-esque "reckless girl/snobby girl" stuff bouncing off each other, but Weiss has pretty thoroughly departed from the latter archetype (like, there are still bits of her wealthy upbringing coming up, like the Baked Beans conversation at the farmstead in V6, but overall she's chilled way out about that) and in general I feel like the two have pretty comfortably settled into a very close but very platonic friendship. They support each other, they will fight and die for each other, (and goddamn did they think that was exactly what was happening at the end of V8, I expect Weiss to be very clingy with the others after reuniting, thinking she'd lost them) and if CRWBY decide to angle their relationship back into romantic territory I certainly wouldn't complain... But I still feel like it would take some work to shift it back in that direction. Especially after all the focus and setup Penny's gotten with Ruby in recent volumes, despite uh, the decisions of V8's ending hanging over that at the moment.

(The really fervent White Rose shippers getting mad at the show because they aren't together (yet?) and acting real immature about it also doesn't help, if I'm being perfectly honest.)

I do still like White Rose, but now it's fallen into a secondary sort of ranking compared to Nuts N' Dolts and even Ladybug. I think I prefer it in a poly context, honestly; Frozen Steel and Newspaper, that sort of thing. But just Weiss and Ruby on their own feel like their dynamic has shifted away from that sort of vibe, and with all due respect, the people who still insist on it over everything else seem to be clinging to versions of the characters that they haven't been since like, Volume 2. Frankly, part of me kinda likes the idea of Weiss the aroace queen, exasperated wingwoman but content to do her own thing.

[razberryyum]

Scumbag System (SVSSS donghua) episodes 1 and 2 Thoughts

(covers SVSSS novel chaps 1 - 6, available on BC Novels)

Thanks to Legend of Tang, I've gotten used to 3D donghua animation so this was a much easier pill to swallow than when I first saw a preview of the show like last year. Of course Legend of Tang looks like it has a MUCH larger budget, but the SV donghua is not bad at all. I feel as if they spent all their effort on making sure our two protags look as beautiful as possible which is fitting.

Ok their smiles are a little wonky but I thought they both looked really pretty, especially Binghe with his big doll eyes. My favorite moment from both eps:

Each grasping the symbol of what will become most important to them. So beautiful.

The size difference between the two of them right now is hilarious. I cannot wait for Binghe to grow up and tower over his Shizun.

The donghua captured the humor of the novel perfectly. I was lmfao during Shen Yuan's recap of PIDW in 10X speed. I love SQQ's voice so far the most... the performance is superb. Binghe's voice on the other hand, is much softer than I expected... even when he's Bingge, so that's gonna take some getting used to. Speaking of getting used to...

Yue Qingyuan's face. His entirety's kinda weird actually, like his head is too small for his body, and his voice is off putting too. Again, I'm sure I'll get used to him, but so far, whenever he appears, I just immediately think, dude what's wrong with you?

Those damn sleeve thingys. I seriously need to know if they serve any purpose. If they don't they better have a self-aware scene where someone grabs onto those things and pull s SQQ down to the ground with them.

Love the show so far, the opening and ending themes are beautiful, the pacing was quick but not overwhelmingly so. The animation's not perfect but it was easy to get used to. As another indication of the production crew's sense of humor, they even included a 2D sequence to tell Binghe's backstory, and honestly, even though it looked cool, I'm ok with this 3D style. Made my peace with it. I'm just so glad we finally got to watch this donghua that I honestly teared up a little during the OP credits. They really would've had to fuck it up very bad for me to hate it, so I guess I'm just biased already going in. No regrets.

The donghua is available on the WeTV app.. VIP members get one more episode in advance. Episodes are available on Youtube a week after release.

[thehoneyedhufflepuff]

Promises Kept & Made (& Researched):

behind the scenes on my zine fic

(Wow, cannot even keep the title of this post succinct, but is anyone actually surprised?)

Yesterday @captain-aralias made an awesome post re: the research that went into her zine fic, & I was inspired! So, with a little less than one week left to pre-order @goldendayszine , I thought I’d fill y’all in on some of the research & reasoning that went on behind the scenes for this particular fic of mine. (If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy yet, please do! All you have to do is donate $10 or more to our charity of choice, Outright International at this link. That $10 gets you a digital copy of the zine + an entry into our raffle! More info on raffle prizes here.)

While being accepted as a writer for the zine was super exciting, I was suddenly faced with the debacle all of us writers have to face: what the heck was I going to write? What do? What is plot??? The zine’s theme is new beginnings, & I let my noggin think on that for a while, & eventually it came to me: honeymoon. Give the boys some distance from their current trauma, set this in the future, give them that milestone moment, let them be happy…

What is plot???

As usual, I laid out a short, corny, ridiculous outline for myself. Actual footage of me sharing my nonsense with the zine discord:

Why Disney? Well, I know Disney like the back of my hand. I even worked at the one in Florida for a short period of time in college (pre-bookstore days). And at the heart of it, our boys need to have some fun & experience the childhoods they never really had. I was thinking of the fun they had together at the Ren Faire & wanted to draw from that.

Of course, I then had to figure out what exactly was going on—I had a word count limit, & if y’all know me at all you probably know that had me side-eyeing myself. I knew I had to get my point across, & I only had a certain amount of words to do it. So I needed to pick one area of the park to set my fic in…

And that turned out to be the easy bit. What's my & Mr HH’s favorite attraction? The Haunted Mansion. Where do Simon & Baz have their first kiss in canon (among many of my other favorite scenes)? A literal haunted mansion.

Okay, great. I had my setting. But then I realized I had another small problem: I was sending them to Disneyland Paris, where I’ve personally never been. And then I got to thinking…that I was pretty sure the Haunted Mansion in Paris was different from the Haunted Mansions here in the US. Because after my husband & I went on our own Disneyworld honeymoon in 2015, I bought & read a book all about the Haunted Mansion in its many iterations. 

And, well, I was right about the differences, of which there are many. (Maybe you wouldn’t think so if you haven’t ridden the US versions upwards of one billion times, but this one is so very different.)

Starting with the name: Phantom Manor.

I think a few people have guessed where this fic is set based on the previews shared here & by the zine tumblr, but I don’t want y’all North Americans to be shocked & confused when Baz literally says “Phantom Manor” in the fic instead of “The Haunted Mansion.” If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was trying to avoid like…some weird copyright thing. Treading lightly. Nope, I’m just being geographically correct.

Second difference? The outside of the manor. Unlike its cousins in the US & Tokyo, Phantom Manor is more derelict & ramshackle in outward appearance, which is really just a factoid & not at all relevant to the fic itself.

Third: the locale. With no New Orleans Square in Disney Paris, & nowhere to put the manor in Fantasyland, the house found its own home in Frontierland. And unlike the Frontierlands of the other Disney parks, this one has its very own story that ties all the attractions together. The boys refer to the legend of the Ravenswood family very briefly in the fic (it’s more of one of the many bad jokes made in the fic than it is a referral, tbh). Put very simply, it’s one of those stories where the crazy dad kills all his daughter’s suitors because he doesn’t want her to grow up & leave. You know, normal shit.

Fourth: the ride itself. Because there’s a different storyline for this manor than there is for any of the others, I spent a good deal of time watching a ride-through video. I watched that damn video so much that the music was stuck in my head for days. What’s the same? We’ve got our portrait room. We’ve got our doom buggies. We’ve got our ride through the dark, haunted mansion house (which Baz complains about, since he can see in the dark & is therefore underwhelmed with the effects) & then through the graveyard. What we don’t have: the ghost host (RIP) & the hitchhiking ghosts. And keeping us company through it all: the bride.

I was admittedly a little put out at first (so much so that I tried to find a way to rationally send them to Disneyworld in Florida instead) (spoiler alert, there was no rational way to do it, especially with Baz's sensitive vampire skin & how much he probably hates America at this point). Still, I was perturbed: no ghost host?! WhY iS iT dIfFeReNt?! But I really warmed up to this version of the manor after I acquainted myself with it. It’s just as magical as the others, really. And I love that I got to share one of my favorite things with Simon & Baz, in a way. 

If you’d like to see Phantom Manor for yourself—& get the music stuck in your head—here’s the private ride-through I watched about one million times, outlined, reviewed, & used to block every mini section of the fic. (Below is one of my many outlines, & most of the bad jokes shown here did not make it into the fic.)

Anyway, hope y’all enjoyed this tangential & probably unnecessary look into my process. It’s been such a pleasure to be part of the zine, & I really hope y’all enjoy it! The previews & pieces I've gotten to see from other contributors are absolutely phenomenal.

donate $10 here to receive your digital copy of the zine*

Oh, PS. I made sure to give Simon some wonky dragon magic. It’s there if you squint. 😉

*please note that zines are not being distributed until April 1. 💜

💛💙

[darkvolley]

Okay, I know all the discussion about the newest story update in KHUX has already gone down, but I just watched the MoM and Luxu convo for myself and now I need to talk about it and my own theories cuz it feels like strong evidence for the Sora is MoM theory. So yeah, that's where this is gonna go. I'm gonna try to cut to the chase here cuz it's 6am and I'm never good at explaining things.

So right off the bat, MoM specifies he was a boy. Sora partakes in his first real Keyblade War at 15(yes, he's still 15 in KH3). In the bigger picture of things, what directly gets the ball going for him directly happens when he's 14. And even earlier than that as a newborn he helps Ven, who partakes in the first war Xehanort tries to start and being a baby can qualify as part of the time when you're a kid. Honestly, the second Xehanort started getting up to shit was essentially when it started anyway if you wanna get broad with the terminology.

This is kind of an easy one, cuz there was no one else that we know of during any point in KH that was called the Master of Masters before MoM was introduced. It could also imply that MoM gave himself that title and he's the very first/only one. It's pretty straightforward if he is Sora then. After everything Sora's done so far, and probably will do in the future, I'd say he's earned the right to start calling himself the Master of Masters.

This one's kinda tricky cuz it's hard to tell if MoM is trying to avoid answering the question or if he really didn't know much about other Keyblade wielders existing. It's also a bit confusing cuz it's said he 'forged' the first Keyblade. I feel like if he is Sora, and considering MoM's personality, the first one makes more sense. All the Guardians of Light were Keyblade wielders, but Donald and Goofy, as well as Yen Sid, helped them out. He also could have his reasons for not wanting to out right say so since Luxu might want to question him more about that. (Also the translation sounds kinda wonky here cuz the second half of his answer sounds like it would make more sense if the first half was esentially 'No' or 'I don't think so')

I've seen people suggest he's referring to Nobodies when Luxu asked about the darkness. That actually seems really likely cuz, yeah, there's several human shaped Heartless, but Nobodies all look extremely more humanoid than your average Heartless. Even the Org members look indistinguishable from Somebodies. The only ones that don't look humanoid are the little ones that look like a pair of feet and sometimes change into that weird disc-like shape. And most of the folks Sora fought in the war were Nobodies(Larxene, Marluxia, Luxord, Saix, Xemnas, and Xigbar). MoM saying "but it's a bit different from now" could have to do with the fact that we haven't seen any Nobodies at all in KHUX(cuz seriously if wielders are dying(and we know they are) then you'd think their hearts would be strong enough to produce a Nobody, so where are they???).

Whether he's talking about Heartless or Nobodies doesn't really matter. For Sora the Heartless appeared on Destiny Islands when he was 14 and he basically hasn't gotten a chance to rest since then. He's still got more to do too. If he's talking about Nobodies, they've been pushing the war agenda more than the Heartless considering all the pieces Xemnas tried to put into place what with wanting to use the other Nobodies as Xehanort vessels, who would make up the 13 darknesses to fight in the war. Xehanort and his vessels started the war, and since Sora's fighting isn't done, it's totally reasonable that things could get worse and/or everything he's going to do will make it feel like the war is still ongoing.

If MoM is Sora then it's obvious he's been through a lot. Especially since that would mean some time travel/time looping stuff has been keeping him busy for so long. There's no way he wouldn't need a break from all his work. And the bystander part is most interesting. I feel like in comparison to all of Sora's other work, him being MoM would feel like the part where he sits down and works on something on the side that'll help out later. Meaning he's gotta take a side trip from all the other work. So you could say his time as MoM makes him a bystander since he's not still out there doing the heavy lifting part at the moment. At the least he wants to get back out there finally and do some direct action.

But anyway, if there's anything that goes against any of this then feel free to dispute it. Even I know there's a couple things that make it really complicated to actually work out. But at the same time we still don't know everything and who knows what else Sora is gonna through in the future that could add to the theory.

[warren-lauren]

Gwilym Lee! Brian May x F!reader

Don't panic! Yes, this has been posted on Wattpad but it's my page that is linked to @i-have-a-wonky-eye-too I fancied writing something different since I've had mega writers block and came up with this little thing. Might turn it into something. I dunno. Let me know...

Fate...

A long drawn out breath left your mouth as you leaned against the phone box as your father lectured you about 'finishing what you started'. What started out as a bollocking for quitting your boring job stacking shelves, turned into 'I'm not mad, just disappointed' lecture after you said you were thinking of changing your studies.

"Dad, can- please, dad, just- Dad. Dad! DAD!" you let out a small scream as you slammed the phone back on the hook repeatedly. "FUCK YOU!" you huffed, kicking the door to the phone box open.

"FUCK!" You spun round at the pain filled cry from behind you to find a tall boy holding his face where, obviously the door you had kicked open, had smacked him.

"Oh, MY GOD! I am so, sorry." you gasped, your eyes wide with fear. He shook his head as he held his hand out that wasn't covering his face.

"No, it's fine... it's not like you, did it on purpose... I hope." he let out a dry chuckle as he moved his hand from his face, turning to look at his reflection in the phone box. The side of his face had a slight pink mark covering it from where it had been hit. Thankfully you hadn't done much damage to his, if you were being honest, quite handsome face.

"No, but still, I just twatted you with a bloody door." you frowned a little, noticing his face was getting redder.

"It's fine." he sighed into the small glass window of the phone box as he looked at his face. "Honestly, I'll be-" Brian's words died in his mouth the moment he laid eyes on you. "I- hmm-" he cleared his throat, trying to get his mouth and brain to work.

"It's getting redder." you began to panic. "Shit! I'm sorry."

"It's fin-"

"It might bruise if you don't put something on it... My flat is just down the road, you can come and put a bag of peas on it... if you like?" you offered a small smile.

"Brian." he suddenly spat surprising you.

"I'm sorry?"

He shook his head as he closed his eyes, mentally scolding himself for letting his brain turn to mush. "My name, it-it's... Brian." he whispered his name, blushing as he nervously ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Oh-" you let out a small giggle; a sound Brian desperately wanted to hear more of. "-of course, why else would you say it. Sorry." you let out a little nervous laugh.

Brian shook his head, a small smile adoring his lips as he thought about the most beautiful sound he'd just heard leave your lips. "It's fine. I just, thought, since you were offering to put your peas on my face, we should, know each others name first." he shrugged, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sure... I'm, hmm, Y/N." you giggled. "Nice to meet you." you blushed as you held your hand out to Brian, all of a sudden shy. Brian grinned as he took your hand in his.

"And you."

----------

The peas were long forgotten and completely defrosted by now on your coffee table, as you and Brian faced each other on the sofa, fully engrossed in whatever topic had popped up between the pair of you. The two of you were, somehow, just clicking. At first when the two of you entered your apartment there was a lot of nerves and shyness but after you explained the reason for you kicking the door (and apologising again), the pair of you slowly fell into a comfortable rhythm of chatter.

"We're, uh- hmm, we're actually playing, this weekend. You should, uh- come." Brian smiled at you, a light blush colouring his cheeks.

"Yeah-" you nodded, smiling at him. "-sounds fun.

Brian's face lit up a little. "Great!" he began blushing. "I mean, we're not, brilliant or anything, just, you know-" he shrugged as he ran a hand through his hair. "-three guys, playing after college. Nothing special-"

"Are you kidding? You can play an instrument. That's more than I can do." you smiled at him.

Brian's head fell back as he let out a short laugh. "More than- Y/N, have you not seen your paintings?" he said as he raised his hand and thumbed at the watercolour painting of a sunflower hung on the wall behind him. You blushed a little, lowering your gaze to your hands that were folded on your lap. There was a moments silence between the two of you before Brian sifted in his seat. "I should, hmm, it's late."

You quickly looked over your shoulder to the clock, only just noticing the time. "Oh, God. M'sorry. I hope I haven't kept you from anything?"

"No, not at all. I... I've enjoyed, talking to you, Y/N." Brian smiled, something that once again caused a funny feeling in your stomach.

You bobbed your head as you brushed a strand of your hair back behind your ear. "Yeah, me too, Brian."

"Good."

"Yeah."

Suddenly the shyness and awkwardness from before was back. You cleared your throat before standing up quickly, followed by Brian. The pair of you stared at each other, desperate to say something but not quite having the words, so you just nodded at each other before slowly making your way to your front door.

With a heavy heart you pulled your door open and let Brian walk past. It was strange. You'd only know Brian a handful of hours, yet, you felt so comfortable with him.

"Oh, hang on-" he turned back to face you as he dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out  crumpled up receipt along with a worn down pencil. "I forgot to tell you where we're playing." he let out a chuckle as he wrote down the place. "Here you go." he smiled at you as he handed you the piece of paper. "Hmm, see you there?"

You nodded glancing down at his writing. "Definitely."

Brian's smile grew, nodded as he stepped back from the door. "Great." he nodded again. "Great... Hmm, bye." he raised his hand shyly, a blush filling his cheeks.

"Goodbye, Brian."

With one last smile Brian turned on his heels and left. Once you'd shut the door you let out a deep sigh, letting your forehead fall against the door as you closed your eyes.

What the fuck?

----------

You slowly pushed your way through the crowd as you made your way towards the front. All week you had been looking forward to not only seeing him again but hearing him play the guitar. You'd hoped to have gotten there for the beginning but seemed the paint you had been using for a new painting had grown quite attached to your skin and wouldn't come off, therefore putting you behind getting ready.

A smile broke out on your face as soon as your eyes landed on Brian, until you saw the slight bruising on his face. Your chest tightened as you stared at him, guilt flooding your brain as you thought about what pain he must be in.

If it wasn't for Brian making direct eye contact with you when he looked up, smiling as he did, you probably wouldn't have realised you were staring at him. He sent you a wink, his smile growing as he watched you blush and drop his gaze, too embarrassed to look at him because he'd caught you staring at him. It filled him with an odd feeling, knowing he could make such a pretty little thing act like that. Brian was usually the one like that.

Each song started and ended, surprising you even more the more you heard. Brian sang. Good. Not a lot what with him being back up, but when he did, he was good, great even.

The band said goodbye to everyone, thanking them before they began to leave the stage. A sudden feeling of nerves hit you as you watched Brian remove his guitar, gently placing it down before he turned back and jumped off the stage, his gaze fixed on you in the middle of the moving crowd. He raised his hand in the air slightly as a greeting. "You made it." he smiled down at you.

You nodded biting your lip before you began grinning. "I did."

"Good." he nodded. "I was, hmm, worried.. you weren't, hmm, going to, when, you know-" he began to trip over his word, a little nervous himself.

You shook your head quickly. "Definitely not!" you smiled. "I just had a small paint malfunction that took longer to tidy up, that's all." you blushed slightly.

Brian raised his eyebrows as he quickly worked out what the green smudge was on your chin and the white spray that was in your ear. He began grinning, nodding as reached up and brushed back a strand of hair that had yellow paint covering it. "Ah! That explains why your very colourful tonight then." he winked with a chuckle, making your eyes widened as you grabbed the piece of hair and pulled it in front of you so you could see it, gasping when you saw the paint.

"For fuck sake. I was in the bath for like an hour." you whined.

Brian tried not to think about that as he watched your lips pout, your fingers playing with your hair, your eyes focused on the yellow paint-

"OY! BRI! C'mon, move your shit!" Roger shouted from the stage, clearly pissed the guitarist was taking forever.

Brian rolled his eyes before nodding. "Yeah, just a second." he sighed looking back at you. "Can you give me like, five minutes and then-"

"Brian-" Roger walked up to where the pair of you stood, tapping Brian's arm. "-not that I'm not happy you're about to lose your virginity and all but, band stuff first, yeah?" he winked at you before he walked off laughing.

You bit back your laugh as you saw Brian's face redden. "I'll wait over in that booth whilst you twat him." you winked at him before walking off to where you had said, laughing to yourself when you heard Brian's annoyed voice tell someone to 'shut the fuck up'.

----------

"I'm sorry about tonight, Y/N. I really didn't intend on Roger and Tim to interrupt." Brian sighed as the pair of you walked towards yours. Brian had his hands in his pockets as you had your arm linked with his so neither of you stumbled. You were a tad drunk.

You shook your head with a small laugh. "And tell me, Doctor May-" you missed the way Brian rolled his eyes and grinned as you called him that, a small joke that had built through-out the night. "-what were they interrupting?" you asked, desperate to know if tonight was what you'd been hoping.

"Our date." Brian simply said, nodding. "I hope."

You turned your head so you were looking up at him, smiling as your eyes met. "Funny that. That's what I was hoping." you giggled, almost tripping because you hadn't been paying attention.

Brian laughed loudly as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer. There was a beat of silence between you as the two of you lost yourselves in each other, smiling drunkenly at one another until your eyes flicked up to the sky.

"Will you teach me about the stars, Doctor May?"

Brian nodded slowly as he took a deep breath, his eyes staying on yours that stared up at the night sky. "It might take a few years." he whispered, reaching up to cup to your face, smiling as your eyes met once more. "That okay?"

You nodded biting your lip. "Yes..." you whispered before you leaned in to him.

Your lips softly moulded to his like they were made for one another, sealing your fate with a kiss.