#i have some criticisms obviously but overall such a good experience i had a great time

[saintadeline]

I FINISHED BLASPHEMOUS 2 BTW... game of the year game of the everything to me. Game of my heart. Smiles so wide

[genericpuff]

welp, i finished the Dawntrial MSQ last night

it was

uh.

i actually enjoyed a lot of the things people were complaining about in the beginning, because while i could understand their criticisms, to me its flaws felt like something it would grow past as it was establishing a new foundation for a new story, which was what was promised to us, and obviously that's gonna require slowing down the pacing and lowering the stakes, which is fine!

but then the second half of the MSQ hit and i just-

on paper it should have been amazing

on paper i should have fucking loved it

but in execution, i stg trying to finish the lvl 98-100 MSQ took years off my life, even tho the majority of them took me a single night to beat, it still felt like it both overstayed its welcome and also did way too little with what it was trying to present us with

i know this is vagueposting because i don't wanna spoil, but man. "divisive" is definitely a word to describe the Dawntrail MSQ with, especially considering how many people were telling me "it gets better in the second half!" and again, I thought the first half of it wasn't as bad as people were saying, so I was HYPED for the second half, and instead I was brutally disappointed by what I got instead u.u

that said, the dungeon and trial gameplay mechanics are great, when the expansion remembers that it is in fact a video game it does it really well, it's just unfortunately not often enough for it to make up for the sloggy pacing of the story

the music is a bop, there are a couple tracks that i was a little eeeh on because they just felt really saccharine in a way that just clashed entirely with the tone of XIV and made me want to throw my headphones in the garbage, but the majority of the soundtrack was otherwise really well done, soken was really channelling his inner david wise here with the donkey kong vibes LOL but there are some somber tracks that are great too, there's a lot of range here in the soundtrack that should be appreciated despite the odd cringe track

environment design was solid, there were some zones that were questionable in their design because some of them felt pitifully empty despite promising bustling populations (looking at you, Tuliyollal and Solution Nine >:x)

but man , the last zone was brutal and that sucks because again, on paper, the concept SHOULD have been awesome, but ultimately it's still relying on the exact same plot devices in the past (insert lost civilization whose previous inhabitants/rulers are hellbent on keeping it alive even at the expense of current civilizations here) and the gameplay itself deadass forgot it's a game because there isn't a SINGLE instance of necessary combat or gameplay during all of it and so when the final quest (as per tradition, named "Dawntrail") finally pops up, it's like wait what ? that's it?? thankfully the last quest has both a dungeon and trial in it but it feels less like thought out design and more like the game devs remembering they had to actually include some gaming in their video game at the last minute LOL

i think the extra burden of directing FF XVI definitely caught up to Yoshi-P on this one, as well as the budgeting problems that still exist from COVID, and the fact that much of that budget clearly went to overall QOL changes like the graphics engine getting an almost complete rehaul (even in the previous expansions which is. a lot of work. like they want to re-texture ALL of the gear in this game and THAT'S A LOT, literally thousands of items!). where this expansion wins, it wins big, but those wins aren't enough to carry an overall lackluster experience that drags itself out way too fucking long for its own good. the story could have absolutely used a few more rounds in the writing room, if they couldn't afford more voice acted scenes then they should have simply just cut down on the amount of cutscenes, and i think the devs need to seriously ask themselves if the Trust system is worth dragging the Scions back into every adventure even when they have nothing to do (and it shows). like idk, just spitballing here, but the Trust system might be a good chance to re-introduce the GC squadrons, no? maybe go back to the roots a little bit and buff up the stuff that could still have a lot more life if given a chance?

anyways my experience with DT has been about a 6/10 and that score in the end will depend on how the patch quests go over the next couple years, I still prefer it over Stormblood (fr fuck SB lol) but it definitely feels like it's trying too hard to be like EW and ShB while missing what made EW and ShB so good in the first place (or acknowledging why its flaws were forgivable within the context of their respective designs, like yeah EW's pacing was iffy too but it at least had a lot more going on in it to justify it, DT is just grasping at straws by comparison). and in that sense it winds up being a lot more like ARR, where it's just kind of lost in what it's trying to do and creates a worse experience by the end. hopefully like with ARR back in the day the devs will figure out it's time to shake things up and try something new without using the old as a crutch.

[beevean]

Multiple questions for you.

What were your thoughts on the Netflix castlevania show when you first discovered it?

How did you feel about the show when watching through each episode?

When did you realize the show was hopeless and would have zero redeeming qualities?

What are your overall thoughts on Netflix castlevania now?

1) I actually heard about it as it was airing - I vaguely remember posts related to Dracula and Lisa, or gifsets of the "I'm killing my boy" scene before I started playing the games. Needless to say, I heard nothing but good things, posts about how it was a great adaptation. I tried watching the first episode before getting into the games, but I got only confused and bored because of the CHURCH BAD scenes that had little to do with the plot lol. When I asked @spinningbuster98 (the friend who urged me to play the games) if it was worth watching it, his response was more or less "ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh", before sharing part of his grievances. At the time, I only vaguely understood the issues. After playing SoTN, CV3 and CoD, let's just say that everything became crystal clear.

The actual show turned out to be a much more unpleasant experience than simply "they fucked up the lore and the characters" could have prepared me for.

2) I actually have chronicled my first experience here :) as you can tell, while my criticism was not as well worded as I would phrase it today, it's proof that I only had a tolerable time in S1, and then things progressively got worse. Here's my second rewatch, if you're curious.

3) No doubt, S3 was my breaking point. S1 was mediocre but tolerable, S2 was boring and sluggish, but S3 was just a mean-spirited waste of time with a terrible, immature message and needlessly sadistic torture porn this side of an edgy fanfic. By the end I was so sick to my stomach, I really didn't want to watch S4, and to this day there are some episodes (mostly the ones focused on the Trepha plot) that I simply skipped because I just want it to be done.

4) That it's bad :P it's a bad adaptation, because it was obviously written by someone who only read the wiki and supervised by fans blinded by their own ego, people who didn't get the spirit of the original series and wrote a shallow Berserk ripoff with only the vague aesthetic of Castlevania: just the writing of the characters is appalling in how everyone was reversed for no reason, almost on purpose. And it's a bad story in itself, because it's rife with shocking writing mistakes, such as an over reliance on telling, glacial pacing, condescending hand holding to push you to think in a certain direction, long pretentious speeches to simulate depth, ridiculous amount of swearing (and even bland swearing) that doesn't fit the characters, dropped plot points, rushed plot lines, immense favoritism towards certain characters combined with the humiliation of others, a lack of focus in the last two seasons, and a general... mean mentality, that I can only describe as a combination of snobbish intellectualism, British imperialism, and victim blaming.

Aside from the cool fight scenes and the old-time fans who are so starved for CV content they'd eat dirt, I genuinely will never understand what people like about this show.

[sandalwoodbox]

Vidder asks: 12, 21, 27?

Thanks for asking!

(This is part of the Get to know the Vidder ask meme. See all my responses here and feel free to send me asks!)

12. Most underrated vid that you wished had gotten more views?

I'm going to say Stray Italian Greyhound for Dear Missy. I really like this vid because I think it most accurately summarizes what I see as the plot of the actual series - Lu Ke's journey to recognizing, accepting, and ultimately living her feelings for Shen Siyi. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, and it can still fairly reliably make me tear up to watch. It's a really great show and more people should watch it! Even with the weird canonical straight ending it's pretty good tbh 🤣 it has things like men and women dating and breaking up and still being part of the same friend group 🤯 what a concept!

But personally I always advocate for just ignoring the heterosexuality in the last six episodes & just watching them for the bonus Lu Ke / Shen Siyi fluff.

21. How would you describe your vidding style?

Answered here with bonus "what is your vidding process" because I got distracted 😅

27. Advice for anyone just starting their channel?

I'm interpreting this to mean "advice for anyone starting out making fanvids"?

I'd say do what you want and don't expect anyone to see it. Exchanges (like Festivids) and cons (like VidUKon, Fanworks, or WisCon) are a great way to "force" people to watch your vids and not get criticism unless you want it. (YMMV - I am not sure what the experience of submitting to AMV contests is like, for example.)

I'd recommend using a modern fully-featured video editing program like Da Vinci Resolve from the beginning rather than something like iMovie - DVR is more complicated but makes it very easy to separate the vid itself from the source files. That is, you can move the files from your hard drive to a backup drive to free up space and work on something else, then put them back later if you want to go back to a previous fandom!

That said, if a low bar of entry is important, iMovie is also fine. Whatever works for you!

Bonus question 1 (from replies): How do you get ideas for vids?

It depends! Sometimes it comes from blorbos or otherwise loving a show such that I want to share it with other people. Other times it comes from frustration with something not being done the way I wanted in the show, or drawing out a theme that I think the show didn't fully explore. A large chunk of my vids are from Festivids, which is great because I can see what ideas other people have and then make treats for them if I'm excited about what they've suggested and think I have time to pull it off (which is usually only possible for movies and for shows I've already (mostly) clipped, in my experience.) From time to time I'll hear a song and think it's perfect for some character or concept, but I'll generally still end up spending a fair amount of time searching for other potential songs before I actually get started on the vid. More often I'll hear a song and think, that would make a fun vid but I don't know what for, so I stick it in a playlist that I go through every time I'm looking for potential vid songs.

If I have an idea for a vid, I write it down in a spreadsheet. I'll never make most of those ideas, either because I've moved on from the fandom or because I just ended up not liking it as much later. Here's a snippet of vids I will probably never make from my spreadsheet in case it's interesting:

Bonus question 2 (from replies): What makes a vid you're working on feel done to you?

I'm a bit of a perfectionist with my vids, so this can be tricky. I think I would say: Once I am satisfied that the clips on the timeline are doing what I want and there are no clips that I believe would be strictly better, I try to stop.

Overall my process is: I'll generally make a first draft that doesn't have things that feel obviously bad (but I might still have things I'm not satisfied with but don't know how to solve). I send that out for beta and work on other things in the meantime. Depending on how much I care about the vid / how uncertain I am about it, I might do multiple rounds of beta or send it to multiple betas at once.

Depending on the vid, I might do a pass specifically looking at clip timing or motion or color correction (for example, making sure dark scenes are possible to parse), or anything else that I particularly want to work well for the vid.

Once I have something that feels "final" I like to let it sit for a week to a month, then come back to it to see if there's anything else I notice that I'd want to change before calling it done.

But a lot of times I'm working on a deadline for an exchange or a con, which means that at some point I just have to stop and call it good enough.

By the time I'm done with a vid, I often no longer feel like I can tell whether it's good or not because I'm too deep in it, so I see things nobody else would. I can't necessarily tell how satisfied I'll be with a finished vid until 6-12 months after I've posted it. (So I try to keep that in mind if I'm agonizing over whether people will notice a cleancredits glitch that's only visible in the lower left corner of a clip for like 4 frames.)

I have a vidder friend who I can show things to at that point not for beta but just to ask, is there anything obviously wrong with this? Any reason I shouldn't post this? (The answer is usually: It's fine, just post it!)

[basicallyblank]

Australia vs England World Cup semi final; thoughts

ENGLAND ARE THROUGH TO THE WORLD CUP FINAL !!! I thought we played fantastic today, eery player genuinely stepped up and got the job done. We went into this game looked at as the underdog, people didn't expect us to win, we saw who the ref was and didn't think this game would go well, we saw that we were wearing the away kit and thought some curse was going to get us, the code to the England fans allocated seats got leaked and Australian fans bought most of them, some Australian news paper sent a HELICOPTER to spy on us... but this team blocked out every single bit of that noise out and did all of their talking on the pitch.

Our backline was a brickwall today, for the most part :) There were mistakes made with the Sam Kerr goal, but they didn't let that happen again, they regrouped and Millie Bright put her body on the line time and time again to stop Sam Kerr. Her long balls were the difference today, passing the ball down down the field which lead to the Hemp ad Russo goals which made us abe to safely see the game out and relax was one of the reasons we won. Lucy Bronze was everywhere again today, she put her body on the line (her bloody ankle says it all) and her headers which got the ball away helped us, she knows how to see out a game ;) annoying for some but she knows. Jess Carter and Alex Greenwood have saved us throughout this tournament, Jess Carter covering for Lucy Bronze and allowing her to go forward and covering that space in behind her so that opposition attackers cant make crosses or get up the pitch has saved us many times, shes been a rock this tournament. Alex Greenwood, the stats speak for themself, shes been our best player. She's created the most chances at this world cup (14) and her passing is pin point, she only made 5 incorrect passes against Australia.

We've all had concerns about our midfield throughout this tournament, it was a target area for other teams to silence, which significantly damages our play, but this team always finds a way. Ella Toone, recieved a lot of criticism this tournament, from myself as well, but in this game she showed up and reminded everyone of what she's capable of, showing up in big moments. The pockets of space she was picking up during that game which allowed passes to flow through from the backline into our attacking line were fantastic, she scored a rocket of an opening goal and overall had a great match. Keira Walsh, another outstanding tournament from her, her off the ball work is excellent, probably been marked more than she would have liked but she still manages to make it work, KW4 world cup final first england winning goal incoming ?? ;)

Our attacking lineeeeee cmonnnnnn. goals galore, probably not as many as we'd like to have seen, but they got the job done ! most of the time :) Lauren Hemp has set this tournament alight, as has Alessia Russo. Rachel Daly has been good at the front and at the back, which speaks volumes of her quality. Now that we're in the final, means that Lauren James can return to the squad following a 2 match ban after recieving a red card in the RO16 against Nigeria, curious to see where she'll fit into the plans for the final, she was having a good tournament and could've potentially been in the race for golden boot.

Mary Earps has obviously been THEE difference maker, the life saver, the game changer. England have conceded THREE times in this tournament. Three times. She's the best in the world for a reason she the least she deserves is her shirt being sold.

The Jordan not playing thing, will address my thoughts because i get a few asks lol. Obviously its disheartening that she hasn't gotten any game time, she left Arsenal to get into this squad, she really wanted to be here. Jordan will know her role in this team, she's an older player now, she's been out of the national team for a while, on the outskirts not really having a role, she's come back with a fresh mentality and new experiences to draw upon for this tournament. She's elevating this team, the younger players, Alessia, Ella ect have all said how close shes become to everyone in this team, shes uplifting them so they can perform at their best. She'll have known her role going into this tournament, obviously its sad she hasn't gotten any game time but if she lifts that trophy on sunday, i dont think she'll mind too much.

On sunday, we play in the final of the World Cup for the first time ever, we've won the Euro's (where we beat spain), we've won the finilissima, today we defeated the only team we've lost to since Sarina took over in 2021. This team are not finished yet, people underestimated us going into this tournament, they underestimated us today, on sunday we'll show them that we cant, and shouldn't be underestimated. In Sarina we trust xx

[halfelven]

love random not even logged in readers just dropping their 'constructive criticism' on your 100k+ story that you're putting online entirely for free. this is just a rant btw

"You obviously have a great talent and I think you should work on honing it some. As much as I’ve enjoyed the story, there are a few things that stand out that you might consider looking at. I feel like the story isn’t sure what it wants to be at times; is it character driven or plot driven? It doesn’t flow smoothly because sometimes we have these wonderful character vignettes, like Illumi and Kalluto on a road trip or Kite/Leorio/Gon/Killua in an apartment where plot doesn’t really feel important, followed by what feels like heavily plot driven beats, like Kalluto and the spiders. In addition, it contributes to confusion because sometimes we see established characterization turned on its head. Especially the weird way everyone all of a sudden just sort of was OK with Kalluto being a spider and then working with Illumi when they just went to all that trouble to escape him? It all kind of feels forced and not natural. You know?

Anyway, I’ll definitely keep reading and look forward to seeing what happens."

first: love you trying to sound legitimate with your "in addition" like this is some kind of writer's workshop. second: in what way would I, the writer, think that an incomplete part of my story in which the reader does not yet know most of the main motivations (they are only hinted at so far) feels forced and not natural when I know what's happening, where it is going (and where I haven't had other readers comment with confusion about that part)

and moving on. don't do this. also like i said this is a wip in and no, no one is cool with Kalluto being a spider and no they're not cool working with Illumi, really. it was already established that some of them /have/ been working with Illumi before this~ he's someone that they know. like have you never been in a seriously dangerous situation that you just have to get through before you get back to what you want?*** also at this point Chrollo's real motive hasn't been entirely revealed.

Killua keeps changing his mind about what he's doing because he's a scared kid whose self-hatred is destroying him from the inside out. the POV is so tight that I have to keep dropping reminders that what is stated in the narrative is often not true! Illumi's POV, for example, keeps showing Killua as really loving him and being happy he's around but struggling with a desire for freedom, while with Killua's POV he's terrified of Illumi most of the time. like how is that not obviously a distorted POV where you can't trust the narrator?

"where plot doesn’t really feel important, followed by what feels like heavily plot driven beats"

this part is especially irritating because it's like yeah that's how I want to write it? this isn't a published novel. I don't have to commit to making sure every scene is important to the plot. I can spend time writing a full scene about someone drinking a glass of water and then 13 chapters in a row that are for moving the plot forward. I didn't even tag it as a novel... I did tag it for unreliable narration and I keep getting annoyed that people keep ignoring that.

"I feel like the story isn’t sure what it wants to be at times; is it character driven or plot driven?"

it's both??? it's neither??? it's a fanfic??? why do I keep getting comments lately where people are expecting me to adhere to like fucking publishing standards. this keeps up and I will write a chapter which is entirely about a minor character drinking a glass of water. watch me. I'll write one about phinks drinking a glass of water and you'll like it*

"Overall, the story is good and presented a compelling alternative to CA. Look, each fan has their own opinion on CA and I know I didn’t like it. I think it was a product of what Togashi was going through as he began to experience health issues and then finding himself right back where he said he wasn’t going to be mentally after he ended his earlier manga. We can never know for sure, but it certainly had a “watch it all burn vibe” to it near the end. I honestly believe he wanted it to end with the finality of Gon’s suicide as a capstone statement, but was probably convinced to go a different route, which kinda of left a jarring feel in the narrative and culminated in a rather unsatisfying end to Gon and Killua’s journey. Despite that, I am very reluctant to read fics where the events of CA are erased or grossly modified and honestly yours is really the first long AU/alternate timeline I’ve enjoyed"

okay first of all, I love the CA arc. but I had to split a point off where Kite was going to survive. why do you have to leave this whole paragraph about how you think Togashi was or wasn't going to go with the CA on my fanfic? I didn't even write this as 'oh look at my alternative to CA bc I hated CA' I don't really look forward to hearing comments about how random people didn't like so and so aspect of the story that I'm basing my story off of. I've never written fanfic for a story that I didn't like (except for some things that I don't have published I wrote at a request for friends for a fandom they were into that I wasn't really) and yeah I've wanted to 'fix' aspects (like tolkien's treatment of women for example) but I am not looking for your 'this is what I hated about the source material' comments on my stories

tired of getting comments with little 'oh I didn't like your style at first but now I do' or 'here's how to fix your story!' unsolicited advice from people who aren't better writers than me (I don't even want it from people who would be better writers than me on stuff I'm just doing for fun and for free)

when did stuff like this become normal? at least don't be a coward and be not logged in so you can't even get a response notification. like girl they aren't cool with it! why do you think everyone is on guard standing around like they're in a fucking hostage situation? how do you see such wildly different interpretations from different character's POVs and think it's not intentional? what part about Kite watching Killua like a fucking hawk makes you think he's going to let Illumi take him after this?

like if you've never had to smile and pretend to be cool with your abuser (pretend to love them) or someone who was threatening you to keep someone else safe then good for you! it fucking sucks! also don't know how to explain to you what a child who is growing up in an extremely isolated abusive situation goes through (though I keep writing about it in this story you should catch on...) but it's a million back and forths with emotion and feelings--especially if their abuser does (to in some way or to some degree) love them. and it is often blaming themselves. I'm not letting my years of studying human psychology and child development go to waste here**

is this story perfect? no but I'm not gonna hire an editor for a fanfic. and everyone's interpretations of characters will be different. especially with child characters who are going through huge changes in the world around them and their personal lives. part of the appeal of fanfiction is 'who would they become if this happened instead?' *sorry I keep writing about starving and not having clean drinking water but I will never stop because that's what I grew up with and it's hell. also phinks drinking water would be compelling since I assume he'd have harder access to clean drinking water

**hunter x hunter is also one of the only stories I have encountered with characters who have backgrounds as fucked up as mine and Togashi's interest in human psychology really stands out.

***like good for you but that was most of my life and you sometimes just have to shut up and get through it. and no I will not put my notes in the right order bc I'm not being paid enough****

****I'm being paid nothing

[captainclickycat]

12 and 21, for the Good Omens asks

Thanks!

12. Has your interaction with the good omens fandom been overall good or bad?

Definitely both. As a franchise it’s definitely a lot of fun to talk about and engage in fun little scenarios and headcanons for. The source material is quirky and funny but also deep and thought-provoking, which is a really good combination when it comes to these things. I think my favourite part was always the “Crowley invented this” meme. Remember how there was that running joke where you’d point to some everyday annoyance or inconvenience and say “Crowley did that”? Loved that. Great fun. Genuinely quite therapeutic.

The bad part was, maybe not surprisingly, The Discourse. And listen, as far as the question of “should series 1 be considered Actual Queer Rep” goes, I think there are good arguments on both sides. It’s a complicated topic and obviously a lot of people are going to be bringing their personal feelings and experiences to the table. But like so many internet arguments, any kind of nuance got very quickly drowned in the sea of people obnoxiously trying to shut down anything contrary to what they thought and insisting that anyone who disagreed with them must be morally bad in some way. Like, the people who acted like it was the end of the world if anyone said anything even mildly critical of the way it handled things caused me a lot more anger and frustration than anything Good Omens itself ever did or didn’t do.

The other downside was, to be honest, I never really liked the level of involvement the author had with the fandom, or the way some fans acted (and still act) about him. I don’t like “word of god” at the best of times, I don’t think author comments should be considered “canon” or that anyone should have to take them into account in their interpretation of the material, and with GO that sort of thing was really difficult to avoid. Like it was just expected that everyone was going to listen to what Neil Gaiman said on twitter or whatever and factor it into their reading, and as a result sometimes you’d see people insisting that “such and such is canon” when hardly anyone who just watched the show and took it at face value would come away with that as an interpretation. Like, you shouldn’t have to do background research to have a full understanding of something! I don’t care what Neil Gaiman said on bloody twitter and I shouldn’t have to!

Anyway, those were my major bugbears, but apart from that it’s been a lot of fun, especially in the early days of series 1. I love reading fics that capture the story’s tone and the characters; they’re very fun and endearing characters to engage with and honestly just to play with like dolls in a sandpit. My best experiences with the fandom have primarily been laughing at posts going “lol Crowley glues pound coins to the pavement and then tries to pick them up the next day”. I’m not as active in the fandom these days but I’d still like more of that.

21. do you prefer crowley's hair from s1 or s2? why?

That’s tricky. The colour in S2 is closer to the sort of colour I’d prefer to have myself, and it wasn’t a bad look by any stretch, but the more flashy and obviously-dyed quality maybe wasn’t quite… fitting? Idk. Maybe the first series, just because I preferred the first series in general.

Good Omens ask game

[cantquitu]

I sussed out your feelings about mp too and it was definitely because you didn't post anything about it, I was like hmm, oh no she didn't like it :(, hahah. So I'm guessing it was the same for the other anon. I'd still be interested to hear what you did think about it. Also, do you think it's possible for us to discuss harry's acting without it turning in to a whole thing? Because I think it's a mix of good, great, and not so good, and it'd be fun to talk about it! I have some thoughts about what his strengths and weaknesses are but I don't know if anyone feels the same...

After I watched My Policeman I was full of ranty questions about script and directorial choices, and also it was 1am and also I was in a FOUL mood due to other reasons, so I didn't want to start complaining about it on here (and yesterday was super busy)

But yes, Harry's acting! I think it's a mixture of good, occasionally really good, not so great. I felt that My Policeman was a far more challenging role for him than DWD and it showed.

I think Harry has genuine acting talent, he has natural instinct, but in My Policeman his lack of experience and training is clearly evident. I think his acting in Don't Worry Darling was unfairly maligned by some and lauded by some, but if you look at the scope of legit reviews the overall consensus was that he was fine and delivered on the assignment and his natural charm- essential to his character- came through.

That was my takeaway from Don't Worry Darling too. I've seen it 2 or 3 times now and I think he was a really good fit for the role. The chemistry between Jack and Alice is palpable, his easy charm and humour is evident, his discomfort and desperation in later scenes comes through clearly.

Where it's clear he's just "fine" as opposed to really good is in the intense, angry scenes with Florence Pugh where she's so masterful and he's...acting. I genuinely felt he held his own and was fine, but those scenes would have been elevated if Florence had an actor to match her intensity rather than just giving her a platform to shine. However I'd say that about a lot of actors when in a scene with Florence Pugh.

In My Policeman, honestly it's hard to separate Harry's acting from so many of the things I disliked about the film. But there were certain scenes where I felt he was really good and showed an instinct and commitment that's promising and exciting, and where his rawness came across as natural and vulnerable rather than inexperienced. Like the drunk scene with Patrick, and the intimate scenes in general. David Dawson is so damn good and felt like a generous actor, he took Harry with him. Honestly their scenes were the only times I felt the film came alive.

Elsewhere....oh god, the damn accent! It was so clearly hampering Harry's delivery and it wasn't even successful, so it was lose/lose overall. As soon as I saw the clip in the trailer where Tom shouts at Patrick about marriage at the table, I thought "uh oh". It seems like Harry's attempt at a southern English accent started and ended with "enunciate the 't's". And even that was inconsistent. It so obviously ruined his flow and often made his delivery stilted and awkward.

Overall I felt like it was an overly-ambitious role for Harry at this stage and it got the better of him. BUT I so admire that he went after it and gave it his all. I'm sure it scared the shit out of him to take it on....and good! It should! 🙂 I bet he's learned a huge amount from it and hope the critical response doesn't put him off continuing to challenge and scare himself, and to learn and grow as an actor.

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

The plane is done!

The rest as well!

Gotta say, there was a pretty dramatic dip in build experience quality between the Tornado (excellent and kino) and Tails' actual workshop. The former came together super nicely and had some really good shapes despite being really small and using very few pieces overall. The latter though has a lot of really weak connections and structures supported by like a single point of contact between blocks right until the very end - I felt like I needed to be really delicate with it for most of the building experience. Just wasn't great. All that for something with a final result I'm not even like excited to look at as well was just a bummer I'd say. Really do wish the Tornado was just a standalone set and I could've gotten it by itself for half the price.

One thing I absolutely can say though is that I think this singular set by itself kind of, sated my desires to experience this Lego Sonic wave. I really underestimated just how much of a difference the building experience is between an 18+ set and the stuff for literal children. I got a cool Tornado out of this, but I didn't really have as much fun building this as the Ideas Green Hill set, or even some of the speed champions I'd bought and ended up building for my brother. This obviously isn't a criticism - they're literally just targetting a different demographic than me - But yeah nah at this level it's way too simplistic to be that enjoyable or especially worth the price at all, so definitely gonna not buy any more of the sets at all. Might still try get some minifigures standalone secondhand or something - and if future waves do look appealing or have like series iconography I really really like, I might still buy. But as it stands now, that's definitely me filled up enough on Lego Sonic sets.

[woolmasterleel]

Maybe just a me thing, but something I've noticed (mostly in video games) that really irks me...

Why do so many contain some minor symbolism to Adam and Eve (as in, it's a theme but not the main focus) that most of the time makes the overall story crash and burn, when it would've been great (or better at least) otherwise ?? To me it just seems like they have it there just because. It hardly has any major importance to the plot until the very end, when it's suddenly such a major plot point. No you can't just do that.. you have to have buildup..... good buildup too, don't just have a few offhanded comments that the player can miss.

Most of the time it just seems like it's shoehorned into an already solid story, it makes thing far more messy and is mostly unnecessary.

Maybe it's just because my two (technically three but it's been years since I've played LBP2 so I don't remember Eve's character well enough to comment) times experiencing this type of "oh let's have Adam-Eve themes!!!" have been ass. I'll complain about spoilers below

Again, just my thoughts, if anyone else has had any good experiences with this kind of symbolism (or agrees with me) I'd be interested to hear

The elephant in the room is Bayo 3, obviously. Putting away my dislike for Luka and Bayo being a thing, what other purpose did the whole "Arch-Eve Arch-Adam" thing have aside from making it way too clear that they're a couple.. Singularity never stated that this was where he was getting power from, nor did it seem like Arch-Eves were particularly threatening to him?? It seems like he could just wipe them out easily. And what about the Arch-Adams... ???????? It's totally possible that I missed something but still. To me, the story would've been stronger without it?? Bayo already had the Left Eye (not in 3 since Loki eliminated them in 2), she didn't need some other special thing about her. From an overall story POV, this Arch-Eve thing just. Appeared. And not in a good way. Not even going to touch the whole Dark Adam and Dark Eve thing. As fun as the game was, the story was a hot mess, too many elements and things going on that hardly connect.. which is sad because I love Bayo ╯︿╰

Then there's P//5r, which I'm not going to bitch about too much because people are ruthless when it comes to criticizing the new ending. But. Ignore my undying affection for Yaldy and my immeasurable disappointment at him being pushed away. I like Mookie, I like Azzie, and Adam... Yeah he certainly is isn't he. Special specimen.

The whole Adam Eve thing here is less annoying here than my first example. However.

The entire third sem screams eldritch horror (which is kickass and they should've done more with it), then it's suddenly Adam and Eve??????? There's the garden at the top and.. Adam. Yes there is the whole "apple juice" throughout the game, and it kind of works, but I feel like they should've just stuck with one or the other.

I feel like I had more to say about this but I don't feel like being chewed alive for my opinions today <(＿　＿)>

[smokeybrand]

Critical Success

Finally completed my first run through Baldur’s Gate 3 and I understand, wholeheartedly, why this game has so much praise. It’s f*cking brilliant. Seriously, I’m already about six hours into my second run, and I’m still having a blast. Seriously, this game has exceed all of my expectations. Baldur’s Gate 3, for me, is as good as Mass Effect in almost every way. If you’ve been around these parts for a while, then you know that is high praise. ME is one of my favorite game franchises of all-time. They won me over with solid world building, great narrative and plotting, plus some of the best character work I’ve experienced in any form of media. I’ve been through Tali’s story so many times, and I still love every second of it! It’s been years, man, and every time I come back to that world, I have a blisteringly difficult time not courting my darling Quarian. I get that same vibe with Karlach. Goddamn, is my muscle mommy Tiefling barbarian, straight sugary adorableness!

Now, I know when I say it was the narrative that hooked me, that’s kind of a cheap reason. Dungeons and Dragons has been around for about as long as I’ve been alive. A little longer actually. I watched the old cartoon when I was super young and have been DnD adjacent my entire life. My best friend in elementary was a huge DnD guy so I am aware of how vast that world truly is. That said, the narrative chosen for this game is just plain good. The scope is vast enough for a grand adventure, but the detail in every interaction is what does it for me. These cats really put lobe and effort into the script, plotting some great experiences and legitimate, emotional, situations. Look me in the face and tell me Astarion’s story doesn’t get that single man tear to drop. And the voice cast?! My goodness, did they perform their asses off! It was a weird experience, mostly because these characters are all brand new, yet, their actors were cast perfectly to bring them to life. Like, there is no way Shadowheart doesn’t sound EXACTLY like Jennifer English. None.

Obviously, my favorite part about this game was the actually flaming, delicious cinnamon roll, known as Karlach Cliffgate. Everything about that chick is fantastic. Design, backstory, growth; I adore me some Karlach. She’s the reason I even bought this game. She was the first companion I romanced. Loved every second of that side story. Until the end. Her ending sucks balls, which is the biggest beef I have with this game overall; The ending is kind of lame. Listen I loved every second in the Forgotten Realms. The journey was epic and entertaining but the ending? Man, that felt flaccid as sh*t. The weakest part of this game, for me, was that final battle. After facing off against Ketheric and Orin, among others, the Netherbrain was kind of meh. The entire conclusion was just less. That’s the one thing Mass Effect has over this game. The ending to every ME title was epic, cinematic, and satisfying. The ending to BG3 left me wanting. It’s not bad, per se, just pedestrian. We had such highs and legitimate pathos throughout our adventure just to get to the end for what? And ending? It feels like the game just kind of stops. You obviously have your character moments, which are dope (except for Karlach's because f*ck that sh*t, bro), but not much outside of that really gets you pumped. I wasn’t disappointed of anything, just indifferent.

At the end of the day, this game was fantastic. This gaming experience was transformative. I’ve already started my second play through, opting (after much internal debate) to romance Shadowheart. I hear she’s the most popular option and, so far, I understand why. Still team Karlach till I die, but Shadowheart is a different kind of adorable. Rolling hard with Astarion in my party, Le’zel was in his place last time, and I’ve already seen some interestingly catty banter about. Good times, that. I plan to actually cure this Shadows out this time and see where that goes, just like I opted to go Underdark instead of over the mountains or whatever. I’m already set on a Dark Urge run after this one, or whenever Patch Seven drops because there are hints of a possible romance with Alfira. Also, Dragonborns are cool to look at. There’s SO much to do in this game, so much to explore and develop. You can get lost in this narrative, which is the entire point of DnD. It’s wild seeing how far this franchise has come. Once upon a time, it was the reason for a Satanic Panic. Then it was a denizen for the Nerdy. Now, it’s got a solid film under its belt and, arguably, one of the greatest video games of all time. In conclusion, Karlach is best girl. Fight me!

[kinetic-elaboration]

May 3: The Fall Guy

I left work an hour early today to just hang around outside and have a coffee and do some writing. It’s been hot all week but cooler today and tomorrow and I wanted to enjoy a brief period of ‘nice’ weather before it gets gross for 4 months. I think this was a good idea although honestly it was sort of chilly and I didn’t have a jacket, and also everyone at work was just hanging out and functionally having a party at circulation so it’s not like I really would have been doing anything if I stayed the whole day. But still.

Then I was last-minute invited by a former co-worker to go out to a movie with her and her family. So I said yes; I like the movies but almost never go. We went to see The Fall Guy. I had never even heard of this film before and I literally spent 30 seconds looking up what it was about before going, but I really, really loved it. I’m not really an action movie person either but the stunts and action sequences were so good—I think I like them best when they’re really heavily choreographed, sort of like dancing more than just random fighting. This is why I like the fighting sequences in TOS so much; because they’re not really ‘realistic’ fights. Obviously this was several orders of magnitude more complex, but it had that same feel like someone really thought this out very well and was invested in it looking good and being like a work of art you could truly appreciate. And I did appreciate it! All of us left the theater saying ‘yeah, stunt people SHOULD get Oscars!’ (They should, though.) Similarly, the plot was very well-constructed. I love call-backs; I love when one-off little details from the beginning make up big plot points later on; I love meta jokes; they’re all so satisfying.

It was so funny, too. I wasn’t sure about it in the intro sequence, but then after the little prologue, it got better fast and when I heard the prayer hands emoji joke I was basically sold. I think it was just the timing of it. That earned my trust totally. All the jokes landed at the exact right place and there were multiple times I just lost it with laughing, like the extended sequences with the fire stunt. That scene is before the main conflict of the movie is even launched and you’d think maybe it would slow the plot down too much but it wasn’t totally worth it.

Also I think I’m in love with Ryan Goslin now. I decided this before the movie even started, during the little intro he and the director did about like texting in the theater and so on. When he looked to camera and addressed the audience… boy. Then he followed that up with two hours where his character did all these sick stunts but also cried to Taylor Swift and shot out one-liners everywhere and was totally cool and charming and also kinda bloody sometimes. I’ll clean your wounds, handsome.

I’m glad I saw it in the theater too, not just because the stunts and action sequences were so big and fun and played so well on the large screen, but because the audience was so expressive. People laughed, but they also gasped, clapped—one person said “No!” in a very audible way at a critical moment. Like it was just a fun movie to see as part of a community with a bunch of strangers.

The popcorn was good too. I didn’t… really eat dinner so much as I ate kind of a snack beforehand and then the popcorn. I can’t really decide if I’m still hungry or not. The only thing I didn’t like about the experience, which wasn’t really the movie’s fault, was that I had a large thing of water and I had to piss SO BAD for like a solid half hour at the end. And the movie has a lot of false endings so I kept thinking ‘oh it’s about to wrap up, there’s not much more…’ and then there was another climax. But that’s kind of my fault more than the movie’s. So overall a really great experience; I had fun.

[jimmeadows]

MY 30-YEAR PC SAGA 

It’s official. I have been a PC owner for 30 years. I purchased my very first PC in May 1993. That first PC purchase marked the beginning of an amazing new technological era in my life, both personally and professionally. I sensed my life would never be the same again, and I was right!

Living through my 30-year PC era has definitely had its highlights and its lowlights. As with most of us, I witnessed and experienced some astonishing technology transitions, some very pleasurable and some very painful.

My first PC was a Compaq. It came with a whopping four megabytes of RAM (yes, megabytes, not gigabytes). You can imagine my sense of accomplishment when a year later I installed four additional megabytes of RAM for a grand total of eight megabytes! My PC suddenly was a lean, mean, screaming machine! My hard drive was 120 megabytes. I thought I was the Storage King when I later installed a second 250-Mb hard drive. 

Upon learning all my PC’s capabilities and software, I immediately began applying my exciting newfound technology to all aspects of my life, both personal and professional. I saw applications everywhere. I remember sitting in a church board meeting declaring, “This has revolutionized the way we can do ministry.” I received several blank looks. One of the older board members disinterestedly mumbled, “My son has one of those.” I quickly learned some people got it and some people did not—and that is still true today. 

Speaking of excitement, welcome to the nefarious world of computer viruses and malware! I remember one day suddenly noticing that every single title underneath my desktop icons right before my eyes was changing into a one or a zero. Obviously, I had an unwelcome stowaway onboard. Fortunately, in that case, a simple reboot eliminated the problem and its source. 

Rebooting, I learned, was (and still is) often the panacea for all sorts of PC problems. I remember hearing a radio talk show host emphatically declare, “No matter what problems your PC is giving you, rebooting fixes them all.” Funny, it seemed to work back in those days. Many things were simpler then, such as working in DOS or manually editing your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. However, simple did not stay simple forever. 

This annoying matter of “software conflicts” and “OS glitches” often arose. Technical support phone calls at all hours of the day or night became a common experience. I remember one software conflict that quickly degenerated so badly, I was up until sunrise reinstalling Windows. I did not get much done that day. 

Once I gave into the temptation to play an online game. After typing in a code to indicate I was turning my character right instead of left in the warrior’s labyrinth, the game responded, “You are looking at a wall. What do you want to do now?” I did not have much patience for online gaming back then. 

It has been an astonishing 30-year technological ride filled with great victories and horrific failures. Nonetheless, I am so glad that I have stayed on the ride. Did I really have any choice?—did any of us really have any choice? Look at where we are at today! 

What I encounter today in PC technology is quantum leaps beyond where it started. My PC life still has its problems, but the good news is we just seem to know so much more today about how it all fits together. Overall, problems seem to get resolved faster and easier, and there seem to be fewer of them. I like where we are going. And in spite of what all the critics say—thank God for Windows 11! 

My 30-year PC saga has been absolutely fascinating. It has been gratifying to see that the PC, like any tool with time and experience, has been refined and strengthened. I can only imagine what I will now encounter on my next 30-year PC saga (yes, I could live that long). But I remain convinced that I will enjoy all its new benefits and efficiencies . . . and so will you!

[impostoradult]

I finally figured out why it feels like Supernatural murdered a unicorn (AKA why you need to STOP telling me to watch Black Sails)

I’ll start by saying, everything everyone else has been saying CERTAINLY bothers me: 

- the queer-baiting - the bury your queers - the undermining of Dean’s character arc  - the wasted opportunity for a certain kind of overall narrative closure - the flat out disrespect to Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles

 All of that bothers me tremendously. 

But there has been something else rather ineffable about this that has left a horrible taste in my mouth that I couldn’t quite pin down until last night. Bear with me, if you will, because this will require some set-up. 

*** This is not the first show to ever disappoint me in a spectacular fashion, nor will it be the last, I suspect. And one of the ways I’ve always coped with that disappointment was to remind myself that there will be other stories, other characters, other chances to get it right. (”It” being any number of things from just pure narrative emotional coherence to not burying your queers to not stringing along your queer audience and then yelling fuck you to them on the way out) 

But somehow that assurance -- that there will be other stories, other characters, other chances to get it right -- has rung particularly hollow in this instance, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why until yesterday. 

I kept asking myself, why do I still have this feeling, deep in the pit of my stomach, like something was lost here that can never be recovered? 

Because something was lost here that I am doubtful can ever be recovered, and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else talking about this aspect of it at all. 

***

A few months ago, TV critic Maureen Ryan did a great interview piece with Mike Schur (of Parks & Rec/The Good Place) discussing the death of long-form TV in the streaming era. They explore how the longer seasons and longer runs of traditional broadcast/cable TV provided an opportunity to tell particular kinds of stories that you simply can’t when seasons are 8-10 episodes and series typically run 2-4 seasons (thanks Netflix).

One key thing we’ve all lost in this new era of highly condensed TV storytelling (and of prestige TV narrative styles)? The traditional (several season’s long) slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance. Not only is there simply no longer the time or space to write such romances, it has also come to be seen as hacky, manipulative, cheap, artistically impoverished, low-brow, a embarrassing vestige of the era before TV became art™. 

Everybody is trying to be Fleabag now. No one wants to be Frasier. (”It’s really more like a 10 hour movie” they all like to brag)

Obviously TV still has romances, even ‘drawn out’ romances. But ‘drawn out’ in 2020 is like 2-3 seasons, maybe. More commonly it’s like half a season. Take Schitt’s Creek. The number of episodes between when David and Patrick first meet and when they first kiss? Seven. Seven episodes. Half a season. If you watched it live, it took less than 2 months for them to move from introducing that dynamic to consummating it. And I’m not bagging on Schitt’s Creek; I think the David/Patrick’s story is very lovely and well-written. 

But Niles & Daphne (Fraiser) had to wait 7 years and over 150 episodes before they finally got there. Josh & Donna (The West Wing) had to wait 6+ years, and 145 episodes. Mulder & Scully (The X-Files) had to wait 7 seasons and 143 episodes. Booth & Bones had to wait...you see where I am going with this. 

And my point is (and I can’t believe I never realized this explicitly until now): there has NEVER been a queer slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance of that type on TV ever. EVER. 

I’m going to say that again, because I think it bares repeating:

There has never been a queer, slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance that fits the 100-150 episode paradigm of delayed gratification on TV. 

Not ever.  

I can’t think of ONE example  Not a single, solitary one. And I know queer TV pretty well. Arguably the closest we’ve ever come is Legend of Korra, and that ran 50 episodes, a THIRD of the length of old school will-they-won’t-theys like Booth & Bones or Josh & Donna. 

Queer people have had a fair number of canonical romances on TV by now, even fairly long running ones. But we never got a primary/front-and-center romance that you had to root for for 100+ episodes before you got any kind of canonical consummation.

That is a particular kind of TV experience that queer people and queer characters were just 100% shut out of until it was too late. And because of how the TV landscape has changed in the last 10 years, I don’t know that that opportunity will ever come back around in our lifetimes. 

***

Dean and Castiel are/were a legacy of an earlier era of TV, an era that still contained the possibility for a will-they-won’t-they of that particular mold. There were other shows that could have also filled this gap at one time - Rizzoli & Isles, OUAT, House MD, etc. But one by one all of them were killed off, their queer romances unrequited, until Supernatural was the only one of its’ generation left standing. 

And they should have acknowledged that they were a species about to become extinct. 

There are plenty of other valid and compelling reasons Supernatural should have gone full Destiel, don’t get me wrong.

A) It would have been the most emotionally satisfying ending to the series and to those characters (and that would have been reason enough). 

B) It would have stopped the manipulative queer-baiting of the (disproportionately queer) fanbase (and that would have been reason enough). 

C) It would have been queer representation of middle-aged men, of bi men, of queers who came to their queerness later in life (and any/all of those would have been reason enough). 

D) It could have been a glorious subversion of the bury your queers trope, considering how often they’ve died and been resurrected (and that would have been reason enough). 

But point E) on this list is the reason this one hurts in a singular way that no one even appears to be acknowledging. 

Almost all of the other wrongs and missed opportunities contained in this Supernatural debacle have the possibility of being rectified (at least to a degree) elsewhere. I can and I likely will get more bi male characters from TV as time goes on. I can and likely will get more middle-aged queer characters. I can and likely will get more queer characters coming to their queerness later in life, and starting queer romances later in life. I can and likely will get more queer characters who aren’t killed cheaply and prematurely. I can and likely will get more genre TV shows with sprawling myth arc plots that are resolved in a coherent, satisfying way. I can and likely will get Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles involved in other projects that value their work and their talents. 

All of those other things are at the very least POSSIBLE, and many are even likely. 

But a queer 100-150 episode slow-burn romance a la Mulder & Scully or Niles & Daphne or Booth & Bones? That is the one baton Supernatural dropped spectacularly that no one else even has the possibility of picking up again for the foreseeable future. (They don’t even write those types of romances for heterosexuals anymore!) 

Seriously. It was a TV unicorn. And rather than letting it run wild and free, they stabbed it with a rusty nail. 

***

Given the monumental shifts in the TV landscape that have occurred in the last decade, I don’t know that TV will ever go back to the slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance spanning 100-150 episodes. Today it is a miracle if you can get ANY show to last longer than 50 episodes in the first place. 

And that is the piece of this that makes it feel (to me) like they murdered a unicorn.  

Because queer people have gotten a lot of things from TV, and they will get a lot more as time goes on. But that one? That one could very well be a totally extinct species.

That is the larger missed opportunity here that has left this feeling especially hollow and destructive. That is the thing that makes me balk when people tell me to go watch Black Sails or Pose or whatever other prestige TV show is doing this representation ‘better.’ Because that’s not really the loss I am mourning here. I KNOW there is ‘better’ representation elsewhere.  

But the will-they-won’t-they/slow-burn romance is a qualitatively unique thing that queer people literally just never got. Ever. There is no substitute, no alternate, no other show I can turn to with that kind of build-up and pay-off for a queer couple, and there probably won’t be in my lifetime. Not unless the TV industry undergoes another monumental evolution similar to the streaming revolution that shifts the incentives back to telling those types of stories again. 

All those shows you want me to displace Supernatural with? None of them can give me the one thing I uniquely wanted (and could have gotten) from Supernatural. THAT ALTERNATE SHOW DOESN’T EXIST. It doesn’t exist. And I have no reason to hope it will ever exist in my lifetime. 

So stop telling me to look somewhere else; you don’t understand what made this one a unicorn. 

***

Addendum: The only other possible show that could perhaps fill this gap is It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (re: Mac/Dennis). But I’m hesitant to say it exactly meets that criteria, for a number of reasons:

1 - It’s far less serialized relative to Supernatural and (except for a handful of stand-alone episodes) very little of the story is grounded specifically in Dennis/Mac’s romantic dynamic (unlike SPN, where it is absolutely central to much of the narrative)

2 - IASIP is fundamentally satirically in nature/tone which makes it much harder to have genuine romantic pathos (not impossible, but harder) 

3 - All the characters on IASIP are fundamentally crummy people who you aren’t exactly supposed to root for. Which doesn’t mean a romance between two of them can’t have its value/charm/worth but it’s not the same as when it is between characters who unequivocally deserve nice things/happy endings

[thefanficmonster]

Just Two Sad Roommates

Corpse Husband x Reader(Female)

Warnings: Swearing (maybe)

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Summary: The power of medieval tavern music gets put to the test when Corpse’s roommate is having a rough day. SPOILER ALERT: it’s more powerful than anyone could assume.

Requested by Anon. You know who you are 😊😋 Wish I could tag you, I loved this idea so much and had such a fun time writing it. Hope you enjoy it just as much 🥰

The last twenty four hours haven’t been so great. 

Last night I had a huge fight with my boyfriend over his flirty messages with several girls. It was not just witty banter, it was way more and way more hurtful to me. He obviously denied it and defended himself, at least in the beginning of the argument. Then he took on the accusatory stance, pointing fingers at me for living with another guy. That had me absolutely fuming. Not only was his statement fabricated and literally made up on the spot, but he also used some seriously horrible insults for him. I was having non of it. Corpse is a really great roommate, sweet guy and overall amazing person. I haven’t once argued with him since we’ve started living together. We’re actually quite good friends. So hearing my asshole boyfriend call him all those names was more than enough to chase him out of the apartment. Thankfully, Corpse wasn’t home to hear all that. He rarely leaves the apartment but by some miracle this was the time he was absent.

Then this morning my mom called me to have a chat. It started off decently enough but it only remained that way for so long. It didn’t take her long to start criticizing each and every element of my existence. From my job, my boyfriend, my living arrangement, the career I’ve decided to pursue, the fact I moved to a different state, my paycheck that’s lower than her friend’s daughter’s...…..You get the point. 

Now I’m sitting here, contemplating what the two years I’ve been in a relationship with Marcus mean to me. I guess it is just like a phone call from my mother - starts off nice but slowly deteriorates. All things follow this pattern in my life, apparently. And just like the phone calls, I’ve considered ending things between me and him many times but never actually decided on it. Until now. The last part of this decision is executing it, which doesn’t look very promising. My thumbs are frozen, hovering over the keyboard.

I take a second to take a look at my life from a third person point of view, like an out of body experience. I am wrapped in a blanket, huddled on the couch like a burrito with a face. A really sad burrito with a face. I have a job where I work as much as three highly ranked workers and get paid a little over a secretary’s paycheck. I’m in a constant state of exhaustion and disinterest. I often forget I’m human and just assume I can live like a cactus - no food, no water. I have a boyfriend that’s cheating on me and most likely has been for quite some time now. And we’ve been dating for two fucking years. Man, that must be the longest cheat streak in history. Who knows with how many girls as well. And I still have trouble deciding weather to break up with him or not. Actually no, scratch that, I have already decided, but it feel so unnatural and so out of character that my body refuses to complete the task of delivering the final blow to the structure of this relationship which was already weak to begin with.

And it only got weaker when I started catching feelings for another guy. I know, I know, I’m a bad person for that, but I was never planning to act on those feelings. They have always just...lingered, loomed over me. They got stronger and stronger every time Marcus and I would fight, as though they were laughing at my mock of a relationship.

Speaking of laughter, I hear my roommate laughing in his recording room. I gave him the spare room for his recording equipment for a cheap add to his rent fee and it’s probably the second best decision I’ve ever made - first being picking him to be my roommate. He was among the first to reply to my online add and appeared the least sketchy over the phone. More hypnotizing if I’m honest. He could’ve told me he was a hitman and I wouldn’t have batted an eye, handing the keys to his room and the apartment without a second thought. All he had to do was keep talking. Again, SUE ME.

“Fuck, I’m so fucking pathetic!“ I drop my phone when all the strings inside me snap, releasing the sobs and tears I’ve been holding back for so long.

I bring my knees up to my chest, hiding my head in between them, desperately trying to shield myself from the plane crash that is my life at the moment. Crying makes me feel even sadder and more miserable but I have nothing left to do to get all the crap that’s piled up inside me out.

I’m on the verge of falling asleep, the tears have dried and the sobs have died somewhere in my chest, when I hear what sounds like music straight from Robin Hood’s time. 

Holy shit, I’ve lost it

I lift my head from in-between my knees, looking around the living room for the source of the jolly, lighthearted tune which despite all the heaviness of my self-loathing makes me feel like the main character in an medieval adventure. Wait...Holy crap, it’s that medieval adventure, Robin Hood-ass music I hear from Corpse’s room!

I whip around to face the entrance from to the hallway where I see an arm sticking out, holding a phone which is where the music is coming from. 

“Corpse?“ I call out to him in a questioning manner, shifting to a sitting position with my blanket kicked off of me and bunched up next to me.

“I can’t tell if you’re angry or sad...or both. Didn’t want to get attacked upon entering the room.“ I see the right side of his face peek out as well.

I break out into laughter, covering my mouth with one hand, “You’re such a dork.”

He takes this as a sign to come in, pausing the music as he does so. “What’s wrong?”

My laugh stops but a smile remains on my face as I look at him. He just has that effect on me. “A lot. What’s going on with you?”

He shrugs his shoulders, plopping down on the couch, “The usual, streaming Among Us. You should play with me and my friends some time.”

I scoff, “I can pull of a lie no problem. Maybe I really should.” I don’t actually consider it, it’s just funny to think about. 

I have never watched any of Corpse’s content. Not his scary story videos, not his streams, not his animated compilations. Just his songs. And let me tell you...they are hella good. One song and I was hooked.

“Hey, I have a question.“ I tilt my head to look at him, “What’s with you and your love for medieval adventure music?“

“Medieval tavern music, and it’s not really love.“ He shakes his head with this dopey grin that is just. so. adorable. “More like a coping mechanism. Tell me, did you feel less sad I played it for you?“

I stop and think for a second. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Point made.“ He declares, leaving me to nod in amusement. “Now, tell me what that ‘a lot’ is.“

So, I do. I tell him everything, from how my boyfriend is cheating on me to how my mother thinks I’m a complete failure. He listens carefully, paying close attention to everything I’m saying. I catch myself laughing a few times while I retell the recent upsetting events.

Must be that music.

“So, you broke up?“ He asks once I end my monologue with a sigh

I shake my head disappointedly, “Not yet. I still haven’t pulled the plug. I don’t know what to say.”

He holds out his hand to me, “May I be of assistance?”

I look at his hand then at him and contemplate for only a second before deciding ‘what the hell’ and handing over my phone after unlocking it. The screen displays my boyfriend’s chat so Corpse just types away what he has in mind. Before pressing ‘send’, he hands the phone back to me. “Proofread it.”

‘Dear Marcus, this is one of your girlfriends speaking. Yes, one of them. You think I’m not onto what you’re doing, you little shit? Well, to your dismay, I am. And so, I discontinue this relation between us. That word might have been too long for your IQ so let me rephrase: We are over. Finished. Hope your other girlfriends wake up too, unless they are already in the know, of course. Love, but really hate, Y/N‘

I was never aware this level of sass even existed.

I add a smiling emoji and send the message, sighing in relief. “I can check that off my to-do list now.”

We both lean back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. A moment of comfortable silence takes over, leaving us both wandering in our own heads.

“Hey, um, I wanted to do this when I first moved in, but then I met your boyfriend and I took the hint. Now that you’re single, would you want to...“ he sounds a bit uncertain but continues regardless, “It’s ridiculous cause I don’t really like the idea of going out, but maybe we could order take-out...“

“Are you circling around asking me on an at-home date?“ I am surprised by how unbothered I manage to sound while I’m squealing on the inside. It’s fascinating how quickly a person can flip someone’s day around. Turns out it wasn’t the music at all. It was him that had the positive effect on mine.

Out of the corner of my eye I catch his face turn red and have to contain my laughter. The grin can’t be tamed though, especially not when he says, “Yes.”

Internally squealing, I launch myself from the couch, standing up straight in front of him. “Thai. My usual order is on the sticky note on the fridge. But first,” I offer him my hand, “I need to find out if a person can even dance to that ridiculous music.” At his amusement, my grin widens, “May I have this dance?”

He laughs that adorable laugh of his I’ve only heard through the layer of a wooden door. It’s even cuter when there’s nothing between me and its source. The source is cute too, not gonna lie.

With a shake of his head which is most likely disbelief, he takes the hand I’ve offered him, saying: “And you call me a dork.” 

@susceptible-but-siriusexual  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @hacker-ghost  @itsminniekat  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze

[willowbirds]

A Review of The Legend of Vox Machina by a Critter that hasn’t watched Campaign 1

Obviously to get it out of the way, yes. I have not watched Campaign 1 of Critical Role. I know the plot, some of the arcs, and some important moments. So when I found out that Critical Role was making a show for the first campaign, I was really excited to finally get to know the characters everybody loves.

I am going to try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible because it is honestly a really fun show and I believe everyone should get a chance to watch it blind.

Also please remember that this is my opinion. Everyone’s experience with the show will be different and you are entitled to your own opinion. I am simply one person who hasn’t watched the stream and enjoys this show.

With that out of the way, lets start the review!

First things first, the characters. Only knowing the basics about the members of Vox Machina it was awesome to finally get to know them. Keyleth is simultaneously funny and sincerer and is probably my favourite, Vex and Vax are badasses that only care about each other and eventually the rest of the party, Percy has the appropriate amount of angst and is just trying to survive the tomfoolery the party gets him into, Pike and Grog are both pure sweethearts that can also smash your face in, and Scanlan is both the comic relief and the perfect person to cause chaos. Needless to say I now understand why people love these characters. I love them too now! The voice actors are amazing at what they do and the character interactions are everything.

Now what about the story? Well the majority of the season follows the Briarwood story arc, where Vox Machina travel to Percy’s home in an attempt to free its people from the hands of an evil Necromancer. The first two episodes however follow a storyline that happened before the stream. Those episodes mainly act as the introduction to Vox Machina, eventually an introduction to the main plot, and are not as interesting as the rest of the season, but are still fun. There is an amazing fight scene that gives me chills every time I watch it. The story of the Briarwood’s and the De Rolo’s is dark and unnerving. Innocent or not, people die. And they die in gruesome ways. Although this show is inspired by DnD, this show is not family friendly, and it’s awesome. It’s gory, violent, Scanlan makes many innuendos, and it’s an overall great time.

What about the animation? It is so heckin pretty! The fight scenes are really well done and the score fits it so well. Although people will probably have different opinions on the 3D monsters I feel like they do a good job blending the styles together. The 3D monsters actually reminded me of the animation style of The Dragon Prince. If The Dragon Prince was a bloody, gruesome show for Teens and Adults. Overall, great animation.

How does the show compare to the stream? As mentioned before, I have not watched the campaign 1 stream, but there are a lot of fun references. Campaign 1 references, campaign 2 references, and some overall DnD references. The show is obviously different from the stream. After all, the stream is improvised while the show is scripted to better fit the format. The stream episodes are hours long while the show episode are around 30 minutes. Things have changed from stream to show, but I think they work fairly well. And obviously there are some iconic lines and moments that just couldn’t be left out.

Do I need to know anything about Critical Role to understand what’s happening? Short answer, no you absolutely don’t. I was watching the show with two other people, one is a casual DnD fan and the other is a huge DnD fan, but is not a Critter. Both had a really fun time watching the show, so it’s safe to say you don’t need much knowledge of DnD or Critical Role to enjoy the show. Sure you won’t get some of the references, but other than that you should be fine.

To close this review, although the show started a little rocky, the season only got better as it went on and it seems like season 2 is going to intense. Super excited to see where the show goes, what references there are, what they change, and what iconic lines and moments they include.

Score: 9/10

Exited for more to come!