#i've seriously considered it for the past decade...

[altadorheadcanons]

#maybe things would be different if the CEO wasn't balls-deep into GenAI shit and the like :^)

Finding this out is getting me to seriously consider cancelling my premium sub. I could choose not to buy the gatcha junk and I don't. I will not support a retail Neopets that adopts GenAI. That would spit in the face of the many creatives who play the game.

I had been something of a defender of WON up until the whole debacle with transphobic moderators admittedly because I do think that they are trying their best... but it seems that a techbro Kougra really can't change his stripes, can he?

#augh. can someone rich who Actually Understands Neopets just buy the site from him I'm so tired

tfw you're part of a rich family that could afford to buy Neopets but they're also pro-genAI fascists and you don't have the money to buy neopets yourself

In all seriousness, I've entertained what I'd do if I did own Neopets for over a decade. Since it is theoretically more possible for me due to the money I'm surrounded by (though said money would not let me implement a lot of these structural changes and would probably make things worse), I could go over the broad strokes list from a programmer/IT person's point of view. I'm having it be under the cut because my version of the post is very long as is.

TL;DR: Neopets would be a cooperative or a social club and players can vote on new features and probably new rules. Also there'd probably be an open source rewrite of Neopets in Rust or something idk

I'd change the business structure. I'd likely make Neopets either a worker-consumer owned cooperative or a worker-owned cooperative that is a 501(c)(7) nonprofit depending on what'd be easier legally. I am neither a lawyer nor an accountant, but in this hypothetical scenario I would have easy access to an accountant who will work with nonprofits. Capsules would be a thing of the past either way since I think lootboxes/gatcha are bad. Premium would likely be how a user would be an owner/member, and would probably be ideally the site's main source of revenue rather than ads/NC Mall.

If Neopets remains a for-profit entity, I'd probably recommend the use Neocash to balance the economy. If a vote on this were to pass (think Old School RuneScape), I'd allow players to buy Neocash with Neopoints from other players. In general I'd probably want more economy balancing features.

If Neopets goes non-profit, I'd also let the community vote on the new way to earn NeoCash. If it were purely my decision, it'd be contests. This also means no more ads for any players.

As hinted at above, either situation would result in a regular voting system for new gameplay features for Premium members (as they'd be the consumer owners/club members that the previous point mentions) as soon as new features are feasible given the massive code updates that need to happen. There would be greater transparency between the TNT cooperative and the playerbase, Premium and non-Premium alike.

I would probably focus efforts to update the site's backend rather than pipe dreams like the mobile games or World of Neopia like as, in this scenario, I would be an employee-owner of Neopets. Neopets uses PHP 5 (an ancient version of PHP) with PHP 3 and 4-era code and presumably an ancient MySQL. Without any access to the Neopets source code, I could see a rewrite (ideally in Go or Rust, but Typescript would be an acceptable compromise given what I can figure out of what modern TNT programmers know given the landing page uses Astro and I saw Neopets hire React devs a few years ago) being no harder than updating the site to modern standards. I'll admit here that I have been the solo developer for all projects I've seriously done, including at my job. This means I don't feel like I could really lead this charge as a developer.

I'd make the aforementioned rewrite open source to encourage fans to be another avenue to earn Neopoints or, in the event Neopets goes non-profit, be a way to earn Neocash. This could also translate to a player joining the TNT cooperative.

Also fuck transphobia. Fuck big tech hype shit like GenAI and NFTs. People should be able to talk openly about being trans, gay, disabled, being a POC, whatever. This includes prescription medication for fuck's sake.

On that note, I'd probably loosen up the filters significantly. Not sure if I'd allow players to quite say "fuck" since Neopets is generally seen as a family-friendly brand. However, most players are adults. We don't need the Scunthorpe Problem banning words like "grape" and "uncle" and "basement".

My vision of Neopets would admittedly be a lot messier in practice. This would be due to a distrust of TNT due to the past two+ decades of absolute nonsense as well as the fact that WON is owned by investors.

Ideally, my vision of Neopia would be more sustainable and more moral than the absolutely shady practices and short-term focused nature of the companies that had previously and currently own Neopets.

Neopets seems to be caught in a vicious cycle of "we aren't making enough money" -> "release some insane new gacha feature to try making more money" -> "oh no people hate it so much that they spend even LESS money" -> "alright let's try this even more insane gacha feature" and like. how do we break out of this lmao

(and on top of that they keep doing shit like 'not addressing the blatantly transphobic moderation and trolls on the boards in a timely manner' which makes people boycott spending money on the site then makes their own situation Worse)

I don't wanna see Neopets die but literally what is the long-term strat here

[rei-ismyname]

Is Magneto mistaken or am I taking this too literally?

Ambassador Magneto has a lot to say in House of X, especially to humans on the subject of violence.

All his dreams are coming true and he's not shy about expressing his feelings on the matter. At the Jerusalem habitat the other ambassadors (who are all intelligence plants) claim to be wary of military advantage Krakoa and the gates provide.

Let's fact check Magneto there. 'There has never been a mutant war.'

What's this then? It doesn't sound very good at first glance but can it be considered a mutant war? It's basically Magneto himself unleashing an EMP and making demands of the UN. A mutant sanctuary - one they gave him too - Genosha. Terrorist act? Yeah defs. War? I'd say no.

What else? Oh yeah, that time Magneto conquered Santo Marco, a fictional South American country. Spoilers for a comic from 1963.

Okay so shelling is bad, definitely a warlike action, though it's later said there were no casualties at all, mainly thanks to Mastermind's illusions. Still, really bad optics there dude. The fake soldiers are straight up goose-stepping. This is drawn by Jack Kirby too, who definitely had strong feelings about that kind of thing - not something he'd portray unintentionally.

You'll note Mags having pseudo telepathy at this point, mainly bc Stan Lee had no idea how magnetism works.

Let's be honest, there's a big Nazi vibe to this occupation. This is in X-Men #4 in 1963, over a decade before Mags was retconned into a Jewish holocaust survivor. I'm honestly not a big fan of the original X-Men run and I can see why it got cancelled. Magneto was their greatest foe, but he was a pretty one dimension Doctor DOOM expy with none of the pathos, willpower or consistent ideology Claremont would reinvigorate him with. Anyway, sensing defeat, Magneto arms a nuke to blow the whole country up. Yikes.

It's actually Quicksilver who solves that problem, deciding he's not okay with nuking a few million people. It's the start of his face turn proper, with only Wanda's 'debt' to Mags keeping her there, and therefore Quicksilver as well.

See? Not cool, Mags. Not cool. When it's all said and done though, his occupation of Santo Marco is very brief and news doesn't get out. I assume Chuck had something to do with that. Though the country refuses to accept Krakoa for 'ideological reasons' nearly 60 years later, so maybe not. I'm going to say it definitely counts as 'conquering their land and making slaves of their people ' though.

Honestly, Magneto has died a lot since then, had amnesia and barely aged in 70 years so maybe he doesn't remember. One could argue that the spirit of what he's saying is correct - Magneto the individual did a lot of supervillain shit but there hasn't been a unification of mutants who then warred upon humans. Indeed, the opposite is true. Most mutant conflicts that could be called a war were defensive after these events.

None of the 'ambassadors' took issue with past events or his record, instead focusing on future hypotheticals. Someone should tell them that if mutants united in world conquest they'd likely be very successful and humans wouldn't know until it was too late. Technically Magneto has been tried for his acts before an international court, and acquitted because he'd been turned into a baby and was considered a different person. Yes, really.

The conversation pivots to the emissaries being there in bad faith, with slick concealing a gun. (Not that it would be very useful.)

Magneto demonstrates why that's the case and doesn't budge on his position. I guess we could say Magneto was (technically) right, in this specific circumstance. A show of force is certainly needed to make them take Krakoa seriously. It's only fitting then that Mags acts as the stick to make the carrot more palatable. I've still got room for one more pic so here's the X-Men enjoying post-training birthday cake, cut by Cyclops and his POWER BEAM. The X-Men's first birthday as a group.

Note the contrast in vibes around the Brotherhood of EEEVIL Mutants' dinner table, with petty bickering, Mastermind being a creep (the X-Men have that too tho NGL,) and a very impressive tower of mashed potato. Good to know Toad has poor table manners and that Pietro is willing to punch on over it. Not to be mean, but Wanda's headgear looks super silly. Oh well, it was the sixties!

[changingplumbob]

Silver: Wow you inhaled that

Glenn: Sorry, I was hungry. I'm kind of always hungry

Silver: Don't be sorry. I've just not had anyone be able to out eat me in a long time

Glenn: Well that's extra embarrassing considering you're like a millennium old

Silver: I'm not a millennium old

Glenn: Two millenniums?

Silver: How old do you want me to be

Glenn: Now that is a leading question

Silver: I'm less than a millennium

Glenn: Hmm, 69 decades?

Silver: *not getting the joke* Not that old even

Glenn: You must be over a century

Silver: I didn't see you asking Grayson how old he was

Glenn: It's not polite to ask a possible partner

Silver: Ah, so you'd never see me as a partner?

Glenn faltered. He really wasn't used to people being so direct. Of course he hadn't meant that. His normal flirting wheelhouse was stereotypical comments but nothing about Silver seemed stereotypical. Best defense is a good offense he supposed.

Glenn: Are you saying you don't see me as off limits having dated your brother

Silver: Why would I? He's with Clive, he's happy. Doesn't mean you have to be alone forever

Glenn: But... he's your brother

Silver: I know

Silver didn't understand what Glenn's point was. He came from a time when people often paired off with siblings if their original intended rejected them. What was the big deal?

Silver: You said Grayson didn't tell you about what happened with our pack?

Glenn: No, the production company just said he had no family left

Silver: Would you like to know

Glenn: I mean, if it's not difficult to talk about. You don't have to share if you don't want to, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable

Silver smiled. Glenn really was thoughtful even if he passed it off as no big deal. He did want to tell Glenn about it. So, taking a deep breath, he did. He told him everything but the secret he'd kept to himself. The lie he told. Glenn was a great listener, showing shock and sympathy in all the right places.

If you have not read Silver's past it can be found here.

When he finished he expected Glenn to look disappointed but the look he gave him was harder to read. Maybe he should have spent more time with people in human form in the last few decades? These days there seemed to be no such thing as keeping a straight face.

Glenn: You're amazing

Silver: What? Did you miss the part where I let my dad convince me Grayson was a traitor? Or the part where I couldn't bear to mess with the life he's created now?

Glenn: I only heard how as a kid you believed your parent. How you did your best to uphold the pack your dad was driving apart. How in the end you decided the best thing to do was walk away from a bad situation. I'm in awe of your resilience, seriously

Silver: Oh? Well... I guess that's a way of looking at it. Not the logical way mind you

Glenn: I don't put much stock on logic, I'm all about heart

Silver: Does that mean I get a cute nickname like stud muffin now

Glenn: *laughs* Wow you really did pay attention to the show

Silver: You know you're good looking. Are you surprised I paid attention when you were on the screen?

Glenn: Not really. I'm kind of insulted my abs didn't distract you so much it prevented you from hearing what I was saying

Silver: *shrugs* I have abs to

Glenn: Oh I bet you do

Glenn could almost picture them in his mind. If he leaned over he'd be able to lift up Silver's sweater to check- NO. No, not doing that. Silver was his guest, it wouldn't be right to overstep.

Silver: Ah... what were we talking about?

Glenn: No idea, I kind of got lost in your eyes there

Silver: *smiles* Since I told you about what happened with my pack don't you think you should tell me what happened with your family?

Without hesitation Glenn told Silver everything. How his family were kept as circus attractions, how his mother had enough, how a fire began and only he and his grandfather got out. About how he'd been picked on most of his life and how his confidence had grown as a necessity to survive.

Silver sat and listened. He wasn't as good as Glenn at commenting, but the spellcaster didn't seem to mind as he recounted his life for Silver, with a touch more dramatics than was necessary.

Previous ... Next

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria's Prophet #42

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [Intermission] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41]

[AO3] [wattpad]

Sinbad x OC

*emotional and physical flashbacks described for Mori's 1st POV *Child abuse and domestic violence mentioned throughout Mori's POVs *Sinbad officially enters his yandere era at the end of the chapter. He'll be like this for several arcs before he recovers ~POV Sinbad~ The shock and fear on Mori's face was a clear answer. Somehow in the next 5 years, Sinbad would have originally become someone willing to destroy the world. He had always wondered how much he would change while pursuing his dream. Just what was the taboo information? What secrets did it hold that would make him willing to do such things? Sinbad smiled for their benefit. "Mori, it's okay." As his words sunk in, their fear started to release them enough that they were actually seeing him again. "Since I know now, there's no way I'll repeat the same mistak-" "Why would you think that you're the one??” The words burst out of them like an accusation and desperate plea.

---

~POV Mori~ I didn't mean to cut him off. The question was out of me before I realized I had found my voice -not that I kept it past that.

Why was Sinbad able to consider that he will start the 2nd Calamity??? I couldn't look at Ja'far for more information because I was barely comprehending Sinbad. I was definitely experiencing tunnel vision and not the fun type.

His smile was unchanging. "You said there are people that think they are chosen by Fate and would ignore the risk of the taboo." I was hearing Sinbad's words but why was he saying them?? "You also said the tragedies in my past were caused because I think that way, didn't you?"

'The taboo, hubris, the tragedies from Adventures... Oh.' He was answering my question.

"In your visions, my death occurs around the same time you said the 2nd Calamity will happen. It's just like how King Solomon died after using the taboo information, isn't it?" Sinbad had truly figured it out.

'If only I hadn't gotten drunk that night and spilled about his death. No, even if I had let some things slip, both of these two have been clinging to their denial for over a decade.' But they definitely believed what they were saying or they wouldn't have brought me this deep into the Purple Leo Tower. The jeweled mosaics on the walls and intricate patterns of the glasswork lanterns made it undeniable where we were. The fact that they were taking this so seriously had uncapped an old venom in my heart so I couldn't stop it from making my stomach turn no matter what they said.

Ja'far attempted to placate me. "There's no vision you could tell us that would be more shocking than this. I promise I will believe whatever you tell us from your visions."

'Does he actually mean that? Mr. Stabs as a warning?' I couldn't bring myself to check Ja'far's expression but I felt both of their eyes on me. All of my muscles tensed. I've dodged surprise attacks from closer in my own home and from point blank from a dog with separation anxiety. The faded scar from the dog on my upper lip was the only remaining proof and would have been much worse if I wasn't good enough at dodging and deflecting to normally not get hit. ((It's almost completely faded now btw :D))

Sinbad's voice was full of an emotion I couldn't comprehend properly. "I understand that you must be surprised that we figured it out, but know that we decided to tell you because we want you to trust us." His gentle smile only made the hole in my stomach greater. "Do you remember how you told me that there's more than one way to change? That I can choose a new path whenever I want?"

The person encouraging Sinbad to dirty his hands all these years was Ja'far. Sinbad would express the smallest amount of remorse or guilt and Ja'far would shoot down that line of thinking. What was stopping him from doing the same thing right now? I was too scared to look. He refused to accept the mere concept that Sinbad had the potential for the same evil as other Kings.

I know some ways to de-escalate a situation to prevent someone from having a violent reaction to a call out. And if that doesn't seem to work, I also know how to influence when they snap. An attack is an opening to escape and, depending on the person, an outlet for the emotion so they can actually have a civil conversation. But there wasn't a 100% guarantee that Sinbad could prevent Ja'far from hurting me if he snapped.

Sinbad leaned forward and picked up one of the Fate scrolls I'd made. My eyes followed his movement and the waves crashed into me when I looked at the table. The distance between the metal vessels and where those 2 were sitting was too great for them to reach without getting up. They made a point to sit away from their metal vessels, and made sure that they sat on the opposite side of the table from me so there was something separating us. Sinbad even said he knew their weapons made me nervous. They knew I would panic about this and wanted to put my mind at ease. 'I'm having a PTSD attack.' Them putting so many precautions in place was the first thing to start setting me off, but I couldn't deny that I would have panicked, regardless, the moment Sinbad explained they had figured it out.

Memories from the other me fluttered across my consciousness and I accepted their influence. They helped ground me faster than I would have with my own experience alone. Anger management issues and violent tendencies aside, Ja'far was not one of my past abusers. And no matter how manipulative Sinbad can be, he wasn't one either. Neither of these men were my enemy. Projecting doesn't help. My defensive anger was subsiding, but not my fear. I still knew what these men were capable of even if they weren't likely to direct it at me. But if I couldn't mask this feeling, I didn't want to be afraid. Being angry was so much easier.

--- ~POV Sinbad~ Mori sat there frozen. Anger, desperation and fear took turns on their face while they were unable to respond. Whatever plan they made to avoid the 2nd Calamity was completely destroyed. But lying to them, and hiding this would have been worse in the long run; Sinbad was sure of that now. How long were they testing and judging him for a sign of his future self? He'd never earn their trust that way. They were only panicking because he had moved things too quickly. It looked like they were barely breathing until they glanced at the metal vessels on the table. Even though he had prepared for this possibility it still hurt to see it happen. Mori really was this scared of both of them deep down. It's no wonder they were unable to see him as a real romantic option.

For now, the only option he had was words. Hopefully over time, Mori would come to understand that he truly meant them. He held up a scroll to emphasize his point. "I know now that you were also right about me ignoring my intuition. Even when I first arrived in Reim and got swindled I ignored the feeling that something was wrong because I was blinded by opportunity." He placed the scroll back on the table but didn't remove his hand from it. "After how things ended in Riem I started turning to others for help but I was hiding the truth of what I was asking because I didn't want to disappointment them again." He laughed at his past self and shook his head. For the first time in a while he was excited to be able to try something new in his pursuit towards his dream. "I'm human even if I can feel the waves. I'm not going to blame my mistakes on fate anymore."

--- ~POV Mori~ 'That isn't Sinbad. That isn't the Sinbad I read about!' The Sinbad I knew shouldn't have been able to accept he was a human person instead of chosen by fate -not while he could still feel the waves. (Although he was quick to accept it when that happened.) I was only in this world for two months. How had he made such a leap in such a short period of time? Sure, Sinbad is shown changing his stance quickly and without shame multiple times in the series, but-!

'No. There's still a chance this is all a show.' I knew this pattern. He could just be saying this to sedate me. Eventually he will grow tired of this and then he will stop pretending. When an opportunity to gain more power shows up, it won't matter what he's been saying, he'll dirty his hands like he did in the original. I won't believe him until he actually makes a different decision during a major event. Trusting him before that would just be setting myself up for failure.'

I subconsciously glanced at Ja'far for confirmation. 'Oh.' That was not an expression he used when he agreed with the situation. But it was one he wore when he had to accept it regardless. 'They really did talk about this before coming to me. Ja'far was forced to accept that Sinbad did those things, and is choosing a different path now because Sinbad said so.' That meant Sinbad really meant everything he was saying.

'Of course Ja'far would be uncomfortable. Whenever Sinbad said he wanted to change Ja'far was the one that talked him out of it. Even if you say that Sinbad's decisions are his own, Ja'far will still blame himself for not noticing the truth.' That scowl was because Ja'far sucks at coping with guilt. He grew up having to ignore and deny his own guilt to live as an assassin, so of course he couldn't understand Sinbad until now.

I knew something felt different about this Sinbad for a while. He trusted me. Really trusted me and the things I said about Fate. He would look for supporting evidence and cracks in my words to find what I wasn't saying, but he believed that I wasn't lying. And more than that, he had no problem making changes based on the new information I shared. Which was something he did in the original but not when it came to his self perception.

My eyes grew warm with the threat of tears and I held my breath on instinct. This didn't feel real. 'If this really is a fanfiction then this has to be a doomed draft or something, right?' This was more than just trusting my words; Sinbad read the scrolls and was able to accept and acknowledge his own flaws as a human person. He was already starting to make changes based on this information that was new to him.

"You're always like this." I sounded bitter. I was bitter but not at Sinbad or Ja'far. "Whenever you get new information and perspectives you have no problem changing your actions to accommodate them. I already knew that, but" being on the receiving end is...

He made it look easy. 'If it's so easy then why couldn't they do it?' Why did I have to grow up in a situation where I had to see words as more important than a person's willingness to follow through? I had forced myself to suffer through so much because of that conditioning.

My legs would not be able to support me if I stood -let alone carry me out of here. Since coming to this world I had managed to cry a few times. Back home I was so practiced in holding it in that I didn't know how to let myself cry anymore, but this place made me feel safer than I had been in ages. I could only hope I'd be able to hold out until I left.

--- ~POV Sinbad~ "Can I have a minute please?" Mori covered their face with their hands.

"Of course."

One minute easily turned into ten.

"You're correct." Their voice came muffled through their hands, so they dropped them. The eyes that peeked up at the King were very tired and glossy. "You will use the taboo because of the opportunity it poses in contrast to the recent losses." A deep breath. Mori glanced between the two men and their show of faith on the table. "They were so unexpected and great that you finally realized you're a flawed human like everyone else."

Mori had previously said he would repeat the mistakes of his past. Was it something like that that would originally lead him to realize he's human?

The Prophet held their hands together in their lap. The growing acceptance on their features was heartbreaking for multiple reasons. There was a pain in their eyes that he recognized from many people he had saved. He had the sinking feeling that Mori's ex wasn't the only person that had hurt them. Sinbad gripped both arms of his chair to stop himself from getting up. If he moved while they were this fragile he'd definitely startle them.

Mori took a slow breath to keep control of their tone. "I don't know what your specific thoughts were, but there was a point that you thought of your parents as you were processing it."

Of course he thought of his parents and childhood. When his father was alive was the last time he felt like a 'normal' person. After that he couldn't act like the other children in his village. His mother's health declined, so he had to start working much earlier than others. And then the war took all of the able-bodied men, so he had to help the whole village, not just his mother. Sinbad normally says that his citizens are his family -he knows most of them by name and walks amongst them regularly- but he hadn't felt that type of connection between a close group of people since his parents died. And after learning about Magi and being a Singularity it made sense to him that he couldn't find anyone he wanted to start a family with. Who could possibly stand next to a Singularity as an equal? Who could possibly be his family? Sinbad found himself answering these questions and remembering his parents since meeting someone else who could feel the waves of fate. So realizing he's human would definitely lead him down a similar line of thought. ---

~POV Ja'far~ King Sinbad had once explained that Mori was the type to turn away when admitting to a painful truth. So when they looked towards the windows and their arms wrapped around themself to grip their sides, Ja'far knew their words were going to carry more weight.

"Even though you knew no one else wanted you to do it, you kept finding yourself wanting to anyway. You couldn't understand why until you-" They cut themself off and after a moment found the will to finish. "...Until you went through with it. You realized it was because you wanted to see how far you could go with your own strength as a human. For the first time in your life you relished in your own power and coveted something just because you wanted it."

Sinbad was greedy. Everyone knew that. Even the Djinn had to cut him off from capturing more Dungeons. It was obvious that Sin found using his power thrilling. But it was also true that all of the power and wealth Sinbad was gathering and using was in the name of his dream. The only things Sin ever sought out for indulgence were travel, alcohol or sex. Even all of his personal possessions were easily replaceable things. Ja'far had to ask, "Wait. If the thing holding back Sin's greed all this time was him thinking he's some chosen one," he sent a glare at the King in question who flinched as if to confirm his words, "then why have you been trying to get him to accept that he's human? It doesn't make any sense."

Mori turned back to them. "He'll figure it out on his own no matter what happens," she glanced at the King in question but couldn't hold it, "so I just wanted him to get there when he hasn't experienced such a major loss." Ja'far turned to Sin as well to see his eyes widening and a hand raising to cover his face. "If he has the time to become self aware instead of his desperation making him impulsive, then he can find something to focus his greed on that won't hurt others or disappoint himself in the process."

It was a good thing Mori wasn't looking. The smile growing on Sinbad's face was one he rarely wore, but Ja'far knew it well. At least Sin had enough shame to cover his mouth even as he said, "Yes. I believe you might be right about that." He couldn't look away from 'his Beautiful Prophet' if he tried. The King had realized what he 'needed' to move forward and he wasn't going to accept 'no' for an answer. "But now I'm curious. What made you think you could convince me?"

Sinbad wasn't looking at Mori the way he looked at his possible one night stands. It was somehow worse. This was the very greed that was at the root of their problems. And yet Ja'far couldn't bring himself to truly consider reeling Sin back in. Mori had managed to break through the mask that they had all watched slowly form on their King with no way to stop it. Ja'far couldn't judge if any of this was right for Mori, but it was definitely good for Sinbad and Sindria, and by the sounds of it, better for the whole world. Was this why Hina and Drakon kept pushing for Sinbad to settle down? Mori's face reddened. His overly flirty tone was not lost on them. "Well, because you felt remorse. Both in the past and future." They twisted to try to turn more away while staying in their seat. If they weren't saying something important, Ja'far would be gathering his things to leave the two alone. "Even when you used the taboo, you left openings so someone could try to stop you. And when several came to talk you out of it, it took a while but you were relieved to find a new answer even though it was too late to stop everything completely." A pause. "And in the end, you used the last of your strength to make sure everyone else had a chance to survive. So I knew you would be at least willing to listen to me..." The smile on the King's face softened. He only waited one beat before standing and walking over to her. Mori flinched when he kneeled on the floor by her feet but relaxed when he took her hands. The General didn't need to see the rest. He silently grabbed his things and left. Ja'far sighed. This past month he had been hoping their theory was wrong, that -if nothing else- the pattern wouldn't repeat again. His chosen master both was and was not the person he thought. All of this turned his stomach into knots in a way he hadn't experienced in at least a decade. He believed Sinbad when he admitted to the past. He would always follow whatever choices Sinbad made. On occasions like this, the ex assassin couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It's why he had always advised Sin to stick to his plans, his dreams, his methods, the thing that had worked all along. Change was here whether or not Ja'far was ready for it. And it was necessary. ((A combination of working on this chapter and other self help let me finally reach the point of being able to truly mourn the relationship with my ex. One night in the middle of summer I felt my brain rewiring when it finally all hit and I cried. Thank you all for sharing in this journey with me :3 I'm not done this story yet though! This is just the first of my bigger therapy goals being achieved :D The next is trying to feel comfortable being in a relationship again once I realize I can trust that person enough to try. This took a bit longer to get out than I thought, and not because of making the JJK fic. The antibiotic I had been on started causing too many problems, so I had to switch again. The good news though is that it's almost completely out of me :D I was told that by the rate I'm going I might actually be infection free by February!! I hope everyone had a good holiday, and will have happy New Year!))

[chaifootsteps]

Hiya! If you don't mind a little bit of Hazbin-themed venting, I've got something I'd like to get of my chest, if that's alright!

I'll start this by saying that I'm...uh, well, a decently competent artist. The sort that can land some goofy roles here and there, those entirely irrelevant to this ask. Saying this not to brag, of course, but just to illustrate that I have spent years on my craft and take it very, very seriously!

My art has always generally leaned a certain direction, and that direction has overlap with VivziePop's art style, incidentally. I've never taken inspiration from her—my inspirations can be sourced elsewhere—and my artistic journey has not involved her whatsoever. Regardless, in real life, in the past recent years, people have repeatedly compared my art to Hazbin Hotel. Over, and over, and over. When the show came out, those comparisons ramped up, and I feel like by pure misfortune I have this shadow casted on me, as if I owe all that I've worked for to a coincidence.

I don't know. There's no real way for me to prove that I 100% did not take after Vivzie since I don't really have the Internet footprint for it. My friends and loved ones can attest to my work being my own, but...there's nothing I can do. People look at me and see someone else now. I've had comparisons before, but nothing like this. I consider art ultimately as an expression of the self, and to know that others hear a voice that's not my own is nothing short of distressing.

I would like to post my work online, and I'm itching to (if the dice rolls well on it) make my own cartoon, but I kinda sorta fear that those Hazbin comments'll end up dominating the space and, uh, I admit I don't trust the Hazbin Hotel fandom to be nice about it.

I'm considering the idea of changing my art to escape all the comparisons, but I also hate the idea of changing myself over something vain and, really, so, so dumb. I like my art. I think it's different, and I think it's me. It works for what it's meant to do! I just...wish other people could see that, y'know?

I've developed a sort of embarrassment over work that I've been chipping away at for over a decade because of this, and I find myself demoralized over making and showing art knowing exactly how other people are going to percieve it. I'll for sure still do what I do, but I find myself at a low point, and I felt the need to yell it out there. I'd be more than happy to welcome any advice on how to tackle this issue!

Trust me, Anon, you're far from the only artist who's run into this problem. You'd be surprised how often it comes up.

I think you've got to just do your own thing, even if some of the comments make you develop an eye twitch. There will always be people who see your hard work and unique style for what it is, and you can't hold back your talents just because Vivienne Medrano happens to be dooking up the Earth. The world needs more artists and more stories!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I went to a family gathering without coming out first?

Me and my parents moved to the US almost a decade ago. My relatives in another country and I used to be very very close, but since I've moved here, went to college, and now have lived independently with my partner for a couple of years, a lot of things about me have changed.

Please consider that these changes (disabilities diagnosis, queer) in the eye of my extended family can be considered part of the colonial americanization of my culture of origin. I've studied my culture of origin extensively and I know that's not true, that there are very open records and stories of people like me in the past, but alas.

Anyway I started HRT a year and a half ago, now I look and sound a bit different than what my extended family would expect, and they have no idea.

A mandatory trip back to this country and my extended family is coming up. Would I be the asshole if I didn't say anything about my hrt? And if I just acted clueless when there?

Please do take the "americanization of my culture" part seriously, I understand that I'm not an asshole for becoming my own person and not the person my family wishes I was. And options such as "just distance yourself from them" are not avenues that I am willing to take.

(PS: I know I've sent different versions of this ask multiple times, but I think I finally got the hang of it with this last version? If not, I sincerely apologize to the mod, I'm not trying to spam, I am genuinely asking if I am the asshole 🤖)

What are these acronyms?

[aziraphales-library]

Thank you so much for all that you do! I've found so many good fics from your recommendations ♥️

Do you know of any that involve Crowley being homeless or otherwise seriously struggling financially? Thank you!

I have read one with this theme, Divine Restorations and Repairs, so I'd love to rec that too! It's fantastic.

We have some fics in which Crowley is struggling financially here. And I've got a few more in which Crowley has problems with money/housing...

Copper and gold by Joseph_Amadeus (M)

Aziraphale doesn't pick up hitchhikers but he can't help himself when he sees Crowley getting steadily wetter in the rain one night.

Be Still My Soul: The Romance by MirjamOmens (E)

It’s the summer of 1917 in the Grand Duchy of Finland. The Great War rages over Europe, and the empire of Russia, of which Finland is still part, has suffered a revolution. For Azirafel Fjäll, a minor landowner and a shop runner, all these things are only mildly annoying inconveniences. His dear friend, Anton J. Crowley, is not as fortunate. The working-class people struggle to make a living in a world where there's a constant shortage of food, fuel and work. Despite their class differences, Azirafel and Anton have been friends since childhood--and both secretly yearn for more. Can their two hearts find each other as their country heads from one crisis to another? Or will the ever widening gap between their worlds keep them apart?

Sharp Objects by ElderlySardine (M)

Back in the mid-nineties, Aziraphale and Crowley had it all. They were friends, lovers, soulmates. Life was hard, but as long as they were together it didn't matter. Then in one catastrophic fight caused by Aziraphale's cruel, coercive brother Gabriel, the whole thing came crashing down. The boys parted company for good. Now it's 2021. Life has spun Crowley and Aziraphale in very different directions before throwing them back together at their lowest ebb. Can they manage to hide their history from their new friends? Can they forgive each other, and themselves? Could there possibly still be something there between them? And with Gabriel still lurking on the horizon, will they be strong enough to do anything about it?

The Ghost of Husbands Past by A_N_D (E)

Az always knew that he’d be thrown out the moment his father found out he was gay. He hadn’t expected to be declared dead though - or for his husband to believe it! But their marriage had been a foolish teenage impulse (not to mention invalid in America), so when Az moved to a small town far upstate New York to start his new life, he moved alone. The kindest thing he could do was let Crowley mourn and move on, not be shackled for life to a now disabled partner. Tony Crowley never recovered from losing his best friend, his childhood sweetheart, his better half. He’d been drifting ever since; no plans, no hope, no money - and now, just before Thanksgiving, no job either. Given the stark choice of freezing to death or accepting his sister’s invitation to join her upstate, Tony reluctantly lives out the Hallmark cliche of Recently Unemployed Person Moves to Small Town for Christmas. It’s a time of hope, love, and family. It’s time for Az and Tony to find each other again.

Magpie by southdownsraph (E)

Ezra has just been hired as a bartender at an underground LGBT nightclub to help supplement his income while he studies for his master’s, and he can’t help but become infatuated with one of the performers, an exotic dancer who goes by the name AJ.

And the one you mentioned...

Divine Restorations & Repairs by skimmingthesurface, SylWritesStuff (E)

While it's unfortunate for one’s car to break down in the middle of the countryside, the pretty-as-a-postcard Tadfield could hardly be considered the worst place Anthony J. Crowley has ever been. Of course, it doesn’t help that it looks like it hasn’t yet seen the turn of the millennia, let alone this decade, but perhaps that’s just what he needs as he crawls his way out of the Hell he’s endured for the past fifteen years. Maybe the last thirty, if he's honest with himself. Though he could do without the rain. When Aziraphale Fell happens upon him and offers him shelter from the storm in his little family-run antique repair shop, neither are expecting it to change everything. The angel with his white umbrella and his tartan bowtie doesn’t expect this mysterious stranger to be able to fill the timely vacancy in his shop or the quiet of his life, but they’ve both had experience in restoring once-beloved items back to their full glory. Perhaps Crowley hasn’t fallen quite so far that he wouldn’t fit in with the rest of Aziraphale’s ragtag team of eccentric restoration experts. And perhaps they may be able to turn that talent on themselves and each other, and seal the cracks in their own hearts.

- Mod D

[eksentrismi]

Small quick vent about my mental health-issues and my region's healthcare, otherwise I'm okay!!!

The way how my nurse and doctors treat my dissociative symptoms in such a dismissive way, it makes me so so sick </3 It's messed up, I really don't understand why it's so hard for them to even consider that "hey, this patient has had a traumatic childhood and past, that they're clearly dissociating and suffering because of it, we should probably really look into this further or get this patient into better care". Like the amount of horrors and terrible stuff I've told to them about my childhood for the last decade, yet they don't give a fucking damn </333 Wtf does it take to get taken seriously ever, especially since I'm *visibly* shy & quiet, and known for being autistic and ADHD. And to actually not be infantalized by nearly every single medical professional who ever sees me </333

Like I actually suffer from a lot of dissociation, depersonalisation, derealization, maladaptive daydreaming and constant identity issues almost constantly, but my nurse & countless million other doctors who have examined me over the years; they just don't care about it at all. One has even admitted to a friend of mine, that they DON'T examine anything to do with traumas or dissociation, because idk, they just don't give a shit or don't have resources. Fuck this crappy region, I hate living here because of this crap </3

[chaosirradiated]

there's this idea i've seen occasionally that it's somehow a bad thing that shadow generations is revisiting shadow's backstory. but honestly, this was the exact thing that shadow really needed.

because if you think about it, the last time he got a serious story based around him was shadow 2005,, and that game had some serious storytelling problems. there's been nearly two decades where shadow's character has taken a backseat, and when he has showed up he's been dubiously in character at best. so really, this is exactly what he needed. a story to remind everyone that shadow isn't just some edgelord, and that his character is far deeper than that. especially considering this is meant to be an introductory game to those completely unfamiliar with shadow.

i've also seen complaints that the shadow generations story is too similar to his arc in shadow 2005, but in my opinion? i think that's a good thing. no one took that game's story seriously because of how the game was written, and in some ways, the game didn't even want to take its own story seriously either.

and besides, the shadow in that game and the shadow in generations are wildly different. in 05, he had amnesia. in generations he does not. that alone makes the stories very different. in 05 the main conflict wasn't the alien invasion, but shadow's own lack of memories, and he spends the entire game trying to understand who he is through what little he manages to remember about himself. generations skips all of that, because shadow has his memories. he knows who he is, and he knows who black doom is too. the conflict is that he's trying to stop black doom, which is very different from 05 where up until the final story you could side with black doom if you really wanted to.

i do understand the idea that shadow's backstory constantly getting rehashed can be frustrating. but it feels to me like shadow generations will be the last main time they bring it up, to let him finally move on from it in a game that doesn't have the negative reputation that 05 does. and now that we're past the 2010s era of him being constantly sidelined and mischaracterized, we'll hopefully be able to see him actually utilized properly in future games.

[sylviareviar]

Dear Yusei,

Currently, it's... quite a ways before our time. I followed Pandora all the way out here, and it seems like she has the power to travel through time, just like Paradox. The problem is, when I spoke to her, she seemed to be after my power.

The Power of Creation.

My power allows me to create monsters and give birth to new spirits by molding them from my life force-- my soul. Of course, you already know this. You've seen it in action.

Mirage said she mastered the Power of Creation too. That makes me think, maybe... Maybe there's some kind of hint on what the Power of Creation really is here in the past. And maybe Pandora wants it. That's how she led me here.

Well, to be honest... I ended up crashing onto an island. Kind of. The Runner's fine! Honest! Just a little dirty. But the Sky Dancer was a result of your hard work. I promise, I'll continue to take good care of it, just like you taught me. But I did end up slightly injured as a result. Apparently, there's a school on this island called Duel Academy. I don't know if it's the same one as the famous school from a few decades ago... but I honestly think it might be.

The chancellor is... strange. I told him I was a time traveler, and that I was after a threat that landed somewhere on this island. He didn't seem all that surprised, for some reason, and told me it'd be more efficient if I signed up as an Obelisk student in the art track for now, as a sort of cover-up. I know he took my words seriously because of the look on his face, but I honestly expected him to call me crazy. He just... didn't bat an eye.

But I'm a student now. Chancellor Shepperd gave me access to a hidden spot beneath a hill to hide my Duel Runner, and he said I'm allowed to ride it around on the back half of the island if I ever need to investigate. He also gave me a skimpy uniform. Needless to say, no thanks.

Oh, and I have a dorm room and a device called a PDA now. It has way too many buttons. I'm still figuring out how to use it... but I know I won't be able to use my regular phone. It's too advanced, and I didn't bring my charger with me. I have to save the battery in case of emergencies. And... I've made a couple of friends.

Judai Yuki is a Slifer Red student-- considered the worst rank in the school, and yet, he has the record as the strongest student. He uses Elemental HEROs and Neo-Spacians. I think he can see Duel Spirits, like me, but it's a little hard to tell for sure. I do know he loves to duel. Leo would love to meet him. I bet they'd get along great, with their favorite heroes fighting together.

Johan Anderson, meanwhile, is a student from North Academy. He was brought here to Duel Academy to take part in an event. Now, I KNOW he can see Duel Spirits. He chats with his cards all the time. The Crystal Beasts chose him. I feel a kindred bond with him, because his cards are his family to him, just like me. I've known him for only a day, as opposed to Judai, whom I've known about a week. But despite my anxiety, I approached them, and they seemed really friendly.

Judai and Johan had an opening exhibition match. Judai won, but Johan's Crystal Beasts put up an impressive fight. And Johan was dueling with an incomplete deck, too. He says he needs his ace monster: Rainbow Dragon. Sound familiar? Paradox stole it in the future.

Based on these clues, I'm realizing now that I've gone further back in time than you. Before Rainbow Dragon even existed. This might be what Pandora was after. The Power of Creation... Rainbow Dragon. She might actually be after Johan Anderson. And if that's the case, I need to protect him.

I can't let our future be rewritten.

...I miss you. I hope you'll stay strong in the future and wait for me. I'll be home soon.

With love, Sylvia Reviar

[linskywords]

Re: Mcdrai Popularity.

I really believe it's just at the beginning of its popularity in terms of fic even though they technically have been playing together for almost a decade. Anecdotally, it was really the oilers run (not just the playoffs/scf) last season that sealed 2997 as THE offensive tandem to watch in the NHL which results in just more volume and circulation of their relationship, interactions, etc. that are bound to be compelling to even non-hockey fans. I mean seriously they act like some kind of soulmates on a constant basis.

Secondly and this is vain, but they both have seriously glowed up over the years. Like Leon may have always been considered one of the more conventionally attractive players on the team, but I know at least a few people who use to think McDavid was boring and bland-looking who now believe he's hot (but maybe still boring lol).

Lastly, I think there's actually much that is interesting, heartwarming and even inspiring about the story of them. You have Draisaitl who was more of slow burn in his ascension in the NHL after coming from Germany to play hockey in North America- now about to be the highest paid player and widely regarded as one of the best ever. McDavid was the once in a generation talent who came to the league of few years later who for the most part met the standard that was set for him. They met during the time where Leon was still trying to find his game. There actually could have been some potential jealousy, animosity between the two but they end up falling in love with playing together, making each other better, praising each other, being what the other needs and more. If you would have told Leon who was sent down Connor's first year (and called up after Connor was injured) about how the next decade would unfold before him, I wonder if he would believed it.

Yes, this all sounds right to me! So many people chimed in on theories as to why they weren't more popular earlier; it's a fun topic! Another anon reminded me about Connor/Jack Eichel, for which there are over 300 fics out there -- another ship that was more compelling than McDrai back at the start.

Your read that they're still at the start of their popularity feels true. For me, they only came onto my radar as a major ship I want to write about in the last...year or so, maybe? Year and a half? I've always liked them better than MattDrai -- I'm just not an enemies to lovers girlie, what can I say -- but I remember someone suggesting adding Connor to the MattDrai wolfverse story people had been encouraging me to write, and that's what made it click for me (gotta have that friends to lovers piece). But it hadn't occurred to me to add Connor before that, and I wasn't deciding between McDrai and MattDrai, because MattDrai was by far the dominant narrative at the time and McDrai didn't have much traction. It didn't really catch fandom imagination until the drama of their cup runs the past couple years, and the clear burden on Connor of being one of the Great Ones who hasn't delivered yet.

I actually think that for me a big part of what hooked me was the polycule narrative. Even when I'm writing just McDrai without the girls, it feels like a big piece of what cements them as meant for each other: they got together with these girls who are ALSO best friends and who post lovey-dovey things about each other, and they're all hanging out and driving across Canada together in the pandemic and having lake houses near each other so they don't even have to spend the off-season apart. Add that kind of closeness to their dominance on the ice, and it's irresistible in a way that, like you said, we really couldn't have seen coming ten years ago.

Also, I'm with you on the glow-up. Age agrees with them!

[polyamorousmood]

Husband of 20 years is finally feeling safe to explore himself and his sexuality and thinks he's always been polyamorous. I agree frankly there have been a lot of signs in his past and present. I have a lot of trauma around cheating and abuse that I've been ignoring for decades but going on this journey with him is helping me confront and work though it and I'm grateful for that. I hope we both end up as stronger and more healed people.

You seeing it as an opportunity for growth as opposed to, say, a particularly inconsiderate betrayal for someone with your history, I see as a great sign that you will do exactly that AND grow closer to each other through it. 🥰

It will be hard at times. You can count on that. You must already have such an amazing relationship, though, I think you'll be able to work through it together. There will be knots to untangle🪢, but surely you've done that with other things already and lived to see the other side. This will be no different. Like, I don't even have any advice, because I assume someone in a relationship of 2️⃣0️⃣➕ years with this good of an attitude about such a big wrench already has everything they need -- except maybe a therapist? If you feel like you'd like some outside perspective? But even that is more of a "helpful" (and it is helpful!) than a "necessary", I feel.

Like, you'll communicate, you'll compromise, you'll be fair to one another, and nothing matters besides that.

I'm just so proud of you, stranger on the internet. I can only imagine how elated your husband must be that you're willing to not only consider this, but actually start the journey. I seriously just want to bask in you two🌞, this gives me so much hope and warmth. I feel like you must really be special 💙💖🖤 (<-please read the preceding paragraph in the dreamiest tone possible)

[andimultiverse]

I've seen some stuff floating around on 911twt about Lou and how people are going back on his insta account from 10-12 years ago and talking about the stuff he posted. Sure, some of the stuff he posted would be considered controversial now, but wasn't that the type of stuff/humor that was on the internet in 2012, 2013, 2014..ect.

The things on the internet now, the things we find funny, will most likely be considered controversial 10-12 years from now. Yet we all still posted about it and laughed about it.

I've also seen people say that the reason their bringing this up "is not about buddie" do you seriously expect me to believe that? If it's not about buddie then why were his posts not brought up when he first became Tommy in season 2 (correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it was. I wasn't part of 911twt then) I bet many people stalked his insta when he was in season 2, they probably went all the way down to those specific posts, yet nothing was said about them.

Yet it just seems pretty convenient that now is the time you bring it up when he's playing Buck's love interest (who's not Eddie)

But I honestly think bringing up stuff like this just to hate on him because you're mad is so childish. At some point, people just need to move on. Most people in this world have said or done some nasty/controversial things. We would get absolutely nowhere in the world if we stayed stuck in the past and focused on every bad thing someone has done.

I'm not really into getting all the controversy about this because I honestly could care less. I enjoy a TV show, the characters on a TV show and sometimes I enjoy the actors who play in said TV show.

I just think it's pretty stupid to bring stuff up from over a decade ago... but maybe that's just me. Agree to disagree.

[ss-shitstorm]

Hey I am considering writing my own book for a different fandom (gravity falls ) and you are without a doubt my favorite author (I recommended your works to my sgt lol). I have a few questions if you feel like answering if not that’s totally fine too.

First off- how do you prepare a space and headspace to get in the writing mood

Second- do you have any recommended playlist that help

Third- how do you make your characters so personable and yet not copy paste persona

I really enjoy how passionate you are and how much it shows through your work and would like a crumb of knowledge on how to derive from it 🙇‍♀️

My brain is sorta fried but I'm so fucking flattered you'd ask and are gonna do my best to answer this.

This is kinda complicated. I kinda...don't. I just force myself to do it. It's part of my routine like brushing my teeth or exercising. If I need to be in a specific mood for a specific character then I've got moodboards and by moodboards I mean picture folders of the character in question with a bunch of memes/shitposts/aesthetic fodder that reminds me of them. But a huge part of my productivity is to make it routine. That and (if I can help it) writing it as early in the day as possible, and leaving more mundane, less cognition-intensive tasks for later. (looking up "chronotypes" has actually been super helpful for this. Most people's brains have a certain time of day that they work best)

2. I don't really have a specific playlist for writing, but I kinda trained my brain to respond to certain musical genres by *only* playing them while I was studying or writing, so now when that type of music comes on, my brain goes "oh. It's time to learn chemistry/write." if you wanna try this then I suggest using a genre that you're not gonna really be tempted to listen to in different settings. Something pleasant to you that you're sorta ambivalent about.(I personally listen to Keji Haino and drone metal bc the odds of hearing or wanting to hear that shit outside of writing sessions is really low)

3. Ooh. this one's a (super flattering btw!) toughie. My personal technique for this is to write every character as though at some point, I might have to make the protag fall in love with them.(Or if that's not appropriate/possible for whatever reason, then the protag might adopt them/become extremely close found family) This way I learn more about them, take them more seriously, and I fall in love with them a little too. It kinda makes nobody a true side character.

Another thing is giving the preexisting characters(if we're speaking strictly fanfic) multiple new traits and hobbies that don't clash with their canon personality. Take your blorbo. Plop this fucker down in front of you and see how hard you can OC-ify their ass before they're no longer the character you started out with. Basically blingee the evershitting FUCK out of them. Then dial it back. Strip your new OC back down until they start resembling the character you started out with, and stop somewhere around there. That's your blueprint. You don't start OUT with this brand new freshly makeover'd guy, you slowly let your readers get to know them over the course of multiple chapters.

There's a thin line between enhancing their personality/backtory and covering up, and you'll probably cross it multiple times. But if there's one thing I've learned from decades of reading fanfic, it's that risking OOC behavior is kinda necessary to turn a good fic into a *mind-blowingly* good fic.

thank you for asking bro and good luck. I don't know much about GF other than ppl want to fuck the old guys and the flying dorrito but I'm in your corner the whole way. LMK when you write that shit

[kaiowut99]

ARC-V Episode 1 "Dub-Uncut" (ENG Dub w/ JP OST) WIP #3 | The Duel of the Decade? (WIP #1; WIP #2)

Another preview of my ARC-V Episode 1 "Dub-Uncut" take, as this time, we go into the first couple minutes of the episode. Dialogue-wise, I didn't change things too much, other than snip out some extraneous fluff added to some lines to make them longer than the Japanese line(s) (which 4K loved to do for ARC-V, but luckily it's usually easy to un-fluff them). I removed a line Yuya had after bumping into Gongenzaka calling him a "boulder" and reused an "Ouch!" with his groaning here to make this more like the JP version; I had to grab a Shuzou "Let's see now..." line from episode 12 (I think it was) for use as he sees Nico (4K trimmed his "Who are you?" shot a bit for time); Nico's "so lovely to see you my boy" is from a later episode since 4K cut his bow there; and as Nico says he'd offer the "ARC System" for free, 4K shortened his line to have the "as in 'free'" bit before he gestured with his hands (which was cut), so I reused a "seriously" to pad out the previous line, then slowed "as in free" some to play it over that part. Also, in the dub, Nico's line about the potential Ishijima/Sledgehammer duel after Yuya's flashback was over reused footage of him speaking earlier that replaced the poster shots here, but was also another fluffed line; I trimmed it some and fit it over the poster shots. All in all, a fun listen with the "Everyday Life on the Move" OST playing here, one of my faves.

You'll notice I also applied a few visual translation edits here 😏 The edit to the poster Nico holds out about Ishijima was one I'd previously worked on back when I was considering subbing ARC-V (before Crunchyroll did) and though I lost the original project file when my file drive crashed in '22, I thankfully had it posted here; I redid a stitch of the panning shot down the poster and then cut/pasted/slightly edited my translation edits into it before mixing it back into the footage--I then just quickly made changes to two bits of text for dub use (using "The Sledgehammer" and "Paradise City" in the ad over the stadium). After that, I worked on the Yusho poster, using 4K's blank edit for it as a base which I touched up and then edited the text onto, working it back into the footage using AfterEffects and some motion tracking. Then, I worked on the destination sign on the bus in the beginning, making an edit for the Japanese version (with "Maiami City"), and then one for the dub for use here ("Paradise City"); not the smoothest edit I've worked on as mentioned in that post, but overall I like how it looks in motion, lol.

(I had also thought about translating the billboard ads in the city shot, but there aren't enough reference shots for some of the further away ones to see what they say, and that might also be a slight pain in later episodes, so I'll save myself from going full madman, haha.)

Anywho, lemme know what you think! I have another finishing touch or two I want to work on, then I'll likely be all set to release this with the next teaser. Stay tuned!

[cer-rata]

🥤 and 🍬

Oh. Oh I'm in danger.

🥤: Damn just exposing the fact that I'm terrible at actually reading fic--

Frequency by @cryptocism is one of the favorite fics I've ever read, and a weapon with which I use to whack myself whenever I realize that I need to finish the last two chapters and am just a hot mess at getting back to it I'm sorry Noah, I'm trying--

Seriously though it really sparked my interest in Thad as a character. and reminded me why I fell in love with Bart when I was younger, while also being impressively structured and executed. Very good fic, with very good art as a bonus.

🍬: *Nervous chuckling*

Tim Drake is narratively the least interesting Robin and batfamily member overall, and it is intensely frustrating that so many more fully written characters are completely ignored in order to give him narrative and fanspace that ultimately is never used for anything compelling.

This isn't a rabid hater's perspective I promise. Growing up, Tim was my favorite Robin. But he was quite literally designed to just work as Robin in a utilitarian way. Meaning he was intended to be neutral and acceptable so as to convince readers (and other creatives in the industry) that the very concept of Robin was still viable after the Jason Todd fiasco. Most of his interesting character moments are no longer canon and the interesting quirks and flaws of his character have been downplayed for years and have basically been absent entirely for the past decade. It's why no one knows what to do with him, because he hasn't been written in so long, and at his core he is a narrative meta tool.

He may be the most fanonized character I can think of, which is wildly frustrating considering that said fanon almost never takes into account how important it is that he's kind of an asshole in many of the same ways Bruce is and how tragic his warped sense of morality is. He's not always the most heroic character, which is a truly interesting character struggle. But instead fanon creates this ridiculous narrative where he's this put upon suffering sadboy wet cat insomniac(?) loser with no backbone or teeth, which invariably strips away empathy and agency from anyone he's ever paired with or compared to, and downplays the very important detail that he is the only of Batman's sidekicks who actually went out of his way to join up, and had the agency to do so. It is questionable if any of the Robins were ever in a position to truly consent to the role, but there is only one who hunted Batman down and broke into the cave to get involved. On the scale of comic book backstories and character histories, Tim isn't actually that tormented, and often where he is, he has directly contributed to it. Which is not to say bad things haven't happened to him, but they're very standardly in genre for what comics have become and not truly interesting on their own, certainly not to the extent where he deserves more thought and consideration than many of the characters he shares a cave with.

Make no mistake, I like Tim Drake and think he serves a great many uses and was in some respects a necessary character for the time in which he was created, but he's never been written past his usefulness as a Robin, hasn't been a full character in many years, is treated by both fans and modern authors alike as a bigger deal than he should be, while being made so sanitized and bland now that it's hard to find him likable.