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#if you want to know why I picked certain characters it was 100% based on their outfits haha
treysimp · 1 year
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I think a Disney meme might be appropriate like so
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Idk if I'm doing it right but anyway! Have a good night/day!
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“Hey TreySimp why did you make Leona’s ass bigger? Hey TreySimp???? HEY-!”
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milgram-tournament · 2 months
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MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 2, Match 4 TEAR DROP vs. BACKDRAFT
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Propaganda for both options under the cut!
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Propaganda for TEAR DROP:
"yuno kashiki enthusiast here anyways tear drop propaganda WE BALL
let's start off with the lyrics! holy fuck, i'm so glad yuno finally got to say what she's wanted to say!!
and she fully shows the fact that she does compensated dating through the lyrics ("the wanted wanting the wanted")
and even if it sounds like she's scolding the audience for the song, she's also scolding her clients! they only perceive her as a certain type of character and deciding that's all she is. She's upset that we decided based on how "naïve" she looked instead of her actual crime (to be honest, I could write a whole analysis into why her murder is perfect for her character anywa) and she doesn't care what will happen to her, she needs her opinions heard
also kinda rap section?? banger fr
THE VISUALS!! GOOD LORD THE VISUALS!!! THEY ARE SO BANGER!!! they're really pretty and gosh i literally don't know what to say, the scene where vampire is in the background and it transitions to yuno sitting on her bed... the pink tinted glasses (YES FUCK I LOVE THAT MAN!!!!) THE COAT!! THOSE INBETWREN SCENES i'm obbing
AND THE INSTRUMENTAL!! PLEASE IM BEGGING YOU ALL LISTEN TO THE INSTRUMRNTAL OF HER SONG THERES SO MANY SMALL DETAILS!! SIRENS, TEAR DROPS RAHHH THE CLAPS/CLICKING TJE TECHNO PIANO GUITAR??? THE INSTRIMENTS I CANT NAME I THINK THEY ALL HAVE SOME READON OF BEING IN THE SONG AND I WILL FIND OUT IN AN ANAKYSIS POST I JUDT LOVE IT AUEUEU
literally tear drop is the banger ever i listen to this shit religiously thank you for listening to my tear drop propaganda"
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-Yuno’s voice. Enough said. -The imagery in the MV is brilliantly used, and doesn’t shy away from the horrors of Yuno’s line of work. -Vampire cameo!!! -Almost Lo-Fi vibes to the instrumental?? I can’t really explain it but it’s a vibe and I’m 100% here for it,
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"For teardrop: The pink aesthetic in the MV as a whole makes it super nice to look at :D"
Propaganda for BACKDRAFT:
"Backdraft may be a minute shorter than Bring It On, but it’s still over three minutes long, and it makes up for the lost minute with a complex form. The “Pressure! Pressure!” might be the only part that truly repeats.
At the beginning, Fuuta is showing off, acting cool. Then the music slows down as he ponders his verdict. Then the music picks up the pace again and gets more and more frantic as the consequences of his actions catch up to him.
See that structure in the three distinct verses that sound nothing like anything else in the song: cool, contemplative, and “oh no, what have I done”.
The “chorus” (burn burn!) never stays the same. You’ve got the “cool” first chorus. Then you have the muted second chorus as it sinks in that Fuuta’s victim was a middle-school girl, which leads into the tense final chorus (which is twice as long as the first) as the victim and Fuuta both burn.
The instrumental and the spoken-word from the beginning combine in the end, changing the mood of the stanza from confident and showy to panicked and desperate.
And the words… You can hear the wordplay in the last stanza, even if you don’t understand it.
Appreciate this chaotic masterpiece of a song."
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- Fuuta being very cocky at first before realizing how fucked he is (it is kinda funny) - The use of spray cans and overall graffiti symbolism, it’s so good - The multiple eyes and people off camera showing how paranoid Fuuta has become, it’s really well done without being obvious - The name backdraft meaning when a fire deprived of oxygen gets a sudden influx of it. A kind of metaphor for what Fuuta did. Then it being shown through a spray can explosion, aaaa it’s really cool! - Fuuta’s overall look changing, being more realistic on how he actually looks contrasting Bring It On’s idealistic version of himself - Es at the end!! The only time Es shows up in a prisoner’s MV!!! And they looks so damn cool - Also the entire eye thing referencing the audience, he perceives us lmfao
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"Back draft is incredible because it not only has great visual symbolism with the use of the spray cans but its visual symbolism shows a progression from ‘Bring it on’. In ‘Bring it on’ the channelling is glorious , fuuta is surrounded by people and fuuta idealised himself (taller , better teeth , better posture ect) , the people he cancelled were portrayed as these powerful rpg monsters but now in back now the channelling is portrayed as vandalism a crime as destructive , the ally is empty we only ever see others as hands or his victim fuuta is alone and fuuta is no longer idealising his appearance and his mind is now portraying his victim as a harmless cutesy drawing. This shows a change in how fuuta views his crime between T1 and T2. It wasn’t glorious, it wasn't justified , he was at fault. The fire being recontextsied as something out of control , all consuming and out of control which is the opposite of how it was portrayed in ‘Bring it on’ we really see how the vote has changed fuuta."
"There are so many things in the song that show a progression "
-“ deliciously scorched till your mouth waters” > “I don’t want any more”
-fuuta spray paints the camera hen as the end es spray paints him/the camera
-the pressure graffiti changing
"There’s so many interesting details like the applause towards the start of the song , the personality in the subtitles like them going from “Burn , burn!” To “burn , burn?” But the pressure’s punctuation mark stayed the same:   “pressure , pressure!” , the way FIRE is the only word in full caps till LIES. The thumbs down fuuta does during “the fights up here! Come up to the ring and face me!” Part which is like his T1 art , the way the lighting changes from green towards the start and becomes red by the end (stop go colours) , The way fuuta is constantly interacting with the camera , spray painting it twice and kicking it."
"Backdraft actually makes amazing use of the camera , things are often shown from the (camera)audience’s perspective rather than us seeing the events removed. We are there like we are the ones doing it/looking through the eyes of the person doing it. When fuuta/the others spray paint the graffiti of his victim and the ice gorilla it's from the audience’s perspective , we don’t see them do it, we see it like we are doing it. When the spraypaint can explodes it's like it’s exploding in our face and then when es spray paints fuuta at the end they are spray painting the camera(audience). "
"Backdraft makes the most references to the voting system and uses it well to make the audience re-examine if they really are any different. Aren’t we using little information and inferences to hold people accountable for crimes we have no stake in? Aren’t we causing unintended harm? Aren’t we judging them from the safety of our screens? "
"And on a more silly level"
-ARTHUR CONANT GOES SO HARD IN THE VOCALS!!!! COME ON LISTEN TO BURN BURN AND TELL ME THIS MAN ISN’T GIVING IT HIS ALL!
-cat mouth fuuta :3 how can you not love cat mouth fuuta?
-lowpolydog designed amazing graffiti 
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Honestly? While there's no doubt that Luffy fucked up in Whiskey Peak? Like 80% of the outrage and 100% of the accusations of "ooc"ness come from 1) the misconception of Luffy being this super intuitive guy leading to him being put on an altar, and 2) a refusal to allow him any emotional depth.
To start off – Luffy's not that intuitive. The closest thing to it is what the crew call his "animal instincts" in Water 7, where he predicts that he will have to fight Rob Lucci, like he predicts other fights before and after. Only – is that really what happens? He "just knows"? Because, from what I remember, he very clearly identifies him as the leader and the strongest member of CP9 (#366: "of all the people we'll be fighting in a little while, the strongest is that pigeon guy! I'l definitely be the one to send him flying!"). Of course he assigns himself to fight him. That's his reasoning every other time, as well. At times (certainly not often, but sometimes), he demonstrates actual strategic thinking, like with Moria.
I think a lot of people want to think that Luffy "intuits" the Straw Hats' potential or even their pasts when he asks them to join, but we don't see any evidence of that. What we do see is a lot of instances where Luffy witnesses good things about his friends, both in terms of skill and of character. In Brook's case, he literally just went "talking skeleton cool cool cool cool cool". And that's all. It might be hard to swallow that some of the deepest and strongest bonds we see in the series, the most important ones and the cornerstone of the story, are based on something as flimsy as "hee hee I like you be my nakama", that Luffy didn't somehow know that they needed to be taken in. But that's just the way it is. Hell, if it had been solely up to him, Kureha, Iceberg and a bunch of random zombies without a will of their own who were trying to kill them would be part of the crew.
I think that what happens is that Luffy is very undiscerning and undemanding about who can join the crew or even sail with them (he also let Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 go with them without a fuss, same with the Franky Family, who he only knows from, you know, having beat up Usopp and stolen 200mil berries from them) and we want to think that there's some deeper reason for it. We know that it's nothing rational, because we're not so detached from what's happening on the page, so that leaves some kind of instinct telling him that these are the right people. It's a nice idea – it gives Luffy some unconventional wisdom to make up for his lack of it otherwise and fits well with his upbringing in the jungle.
But there's not really anything special about the people he picks up, except the fact that he picks them up. Not in the sense that they're special because of him, but that they become special to him. That's the real reason why he goes after Nami and Robin and Sanji when they leave. It's not that, oooh, he can sense how tortured and traumatized they are and that deep down they're good people. Nah – he just believes them when they say they are his people, so he refuses to abandon them.
And, okay, this might seem damning in the context of Whiskey Peak, because where was this faith when it came to Zoro, who arguably earned it more than anyone else in the crew? To be honest, that's one of the points where I'll concede that Luffy fucked up the most, but there is another matter at play here: everyone else claimed to be on his side, or at least be a certain kind of person, before apparently turning on him. He chose to believe that original impression out of loyalty.
Not only is Luffy not that discerning, he is known for being a sucker for deception. He can't lie, and he's so honest that most of the time he can't even conceptualize that someone might be lying to him. ("Are you going to betray me?" "No." *grins*) The idea that he could just... take a look at someone and divine either good or evil intent goes directly against canon. He gets taken in by CP9, by Kanjuro, hell, he buys that King Cobra betrayed Alabasta as Vivi is telling him of how Crocodile manipulated them.
And that leads me into Whiskey Peak and point 2.
Before we start, think back to Wano, if you would. (If you haven't reached Wano, don't worry, the spoilers in this paragraph are very light.) Imagine that, after spending the day with Tama, and Tsuru, and Kiku, and the rest of the village who gave up their scarce supplies to feed them, Luffy and Zoro go to sleep. The morning after that, Luffy wakes up to a massacre. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has been cut down. The people who helped them, the people who he was talking and laughing with just a few hours ago, dead or near enough. He recognized Tsuru among the pile of bodies and she still has some breath left, so he asks who did it.
Basically, imagine sympathetic victims to the Whiskey Peak massacre.
When we read Whiskey Peak, we know there's something fishy going on. For starters, it's Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9's town, which makes it suspicious enough. Then, before the attack, we see them writing a letter saying that they wanted the Straw Hats to go there, making it obviously dangerous. This is without even getting into the clear threat evident to us readers because we know this is a story and that there's no way the heroes will have it that easy. We mistrust and refuse to sympathize with the Whiskey Peak inhabitants from the start. Until the reveal that Vivi's undercover, they're enemies and future meatsacks to us. We forget that that's not the case for the Straw Hats. Especially, that's not the case for Luffy, who takes everyone at face value.
I think a lot of people maybe get too caught up in their image of Luffy as a sort of chaos, "do things for the laff" entity who'll liberate you from tyranny in exchange from food, so they don't realize that there might be emotional, non-transactional reasons for his behavior. That he feels thankful to the people who help him, because he's survived on the kindness of others all his life and he would've died without it (and if you think that doesn't apply now that he's a pirate, go back to read the Baratie arc). That he might get attached to the people who are kind to him and others. That, even if he doesn't feel affection for them, he'll still be outraged when their kindness is met with cruelty by others. We joke about his disproportionate responses to being fed (aka overthrowing the government for a bowl of rice), but that's because he's not acting under a perceived debt, but out of a bond he's created with his benefactor/s.
So Luffy, who couldn't understand duplicity if it showed up with a twin, gets to a village full of people who happily welcome him and his crew, who appear to do this for every weary traveler that has just passed through the harrowing ordeal of Reverse Mountain. They offer them food, drinks and shelter for as long as they need it. Not only that, they all spend hours partying together, chatting, having fun. Than, Luffy wakes up to find everyone either slaughtered or nearly – the people he was partying with not long ago, from the elderly to children, and, okay, gross, but let's recognize that One Piece is a piece of media with an antiquated system of gallantry that says that it's also an outrage that the women were also hurt. He walks up to one of them and asks them who did it. He says it was Zoro.
Take a moment to place yourself in his shoes. This was objectively a horrifying experience. You wouldn't be surprised if he went after the culprit if it was a stranger. And while I think he should have given Zoro the benefit of the doubt, there's something actually a lot more horrifying in the fact that it was one of his friends who did it: that means Luffy's responsible. He's the one who brought Zoro there, after all. Most codes of honor would have the leader of a group vouching, at least implicitly, for its members.
And it might have easily felt like a betrayal. Not because Zoro went against Luffy, but because he let him down.
A lot of people bring this fight back to loyalty – hasn't Zoro shown Luffy how loyal he is? (And, you know what, I think we could have an interesting discussion about that? About what's said, what's implied, also what's actually witnessed by the characters, but never mind.) Zoro promised him he'd be the best, and that he'd stick by Luffy in his path to achieve that... but he never promised he'd never cruelly cut down an entire village in the meantime, something which is not beyond what any other pirate would do, loyalty notwithstanding. And a good thing, too, because he did, in fact, do that in WP!
That's the other thing. Imagine waking up to a whole village of people who helped you and your crew cut down by a member of said crew. The children included. The idea of there being a good reason for it is actually more out there than a prideful and powerful man who agreed to become a pirate, specifically to establish himself as the strongest in his field, would lash out at the flimsiest offense to his ego, to be honest.
Basically, it all goes down to how this guy, so honest he can barely conceive of being lied to when he's directly informed of it, should have walked out to find bloodied piles of bodies and gone "this guy with violent tendencies I met like a month ago killed dozens of people, including children, who fed us and sheltered and fed us, who I like because of that, probably did it for a good reason". Forgive me if I bring up the children too much, it's just that, if there's one demographic you don't expect anyone to have enough of a good reason to maim, it's that one. Faced with this kind of scene, it makes sense to doubt your initial judgement of a person.
Of course, what he did see of Zoro before that should have told him enough to at least doubt. At the very least, he should have heard him out before killing him. Zoro did try to explain. (Then again, if someone admitted to slaughtering a whole neighborhood and then claimed to have a good reason for it I wouldn't be jumping to hear them out.)
That said, it's not about Luffy doubting Zoro's loyalty, it's about doubting his character when faced with incredibly damning evidence against it. One the one hand, maybe Luffy's the one who should've been more loyal. On the other, the fact that his loyalty didn't extend to forgiving one of his crew when they apparently go rogue and attack not just an entire village, but of full of people who helped them and continuously did the same for others, just goes to prove that he doesn't have the moral backbone of a wet noodle, in addition to checking out with his tendency to develop an attachment to people who feed him.
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with-love-from-hell · 10 months
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Melancholia
{part Ten}
Fandom: Obey me!
Genre: Angst
Written for F!Mc
WC: 3k
CW: Kidnapping!,  Michael is a heavy antagonist and angels are fucked up, slut shaming/victim blaming, mention of suicide vaguely, fear-based content and lots of tension, angst, depression, mentions to past sexual violence in Vermillion Skies, Torture, anxiety, descriptions of deceit, season 2 spoilers
A/n: Michael is quite the wad in this chapter, just as a fair warning! I will be discussing his character in my brain more in the q&a post later on, so send in your questions about the series to my inbox! Also I apologize if the formatting seems wonky or out of order...tumblr is deciding to test my patience this morning.
Music Accompaniment (Point of No Return thru No Love)
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>> Though I have a Masters Degree in Psychology and clinical training in treatment for mental health, I am not your therapist. If you have experienced any form of depression or suicidal thoughts, and are in need of help, please utilize the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, NIMH helpline, or the SAMHSA helpline. <<
Series Masterlist  
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You can find more of this series by searching the tag #Vermillion Skies or #Melancholia on my blog!
“Are you sure that’s what you saw?” Diavolo’s eyes darted between Simeon and Belphie. He wanted desperately for their concerns to just be baseless anxiety, but the grim look on Luke’s face made his heart sink deeper into his stomach. The phone call he had received from Lucifer hours prior was alarming, but he figured the sounds of shuffling and distant grunts meant he had just pocket dialed him. He never would have expected mc and Lucifer to end up missing, and in the brutish hands of the Archangels, no less. After what he had seen Simeon go through, he only hoped that they could get to them before its too late.
“I’m almost 100% certain that Michael has taken both of them.” Simeon clenched his fists, fighting back his demon form. “I don’t know what he’s planning, but it will surely be nothing good.”
Diavolo’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I see...” 
Luke squeezed his eyes shut to prevent himself from crying. His grip on Simeon’s sleeve tightened as he tried to make himself calm down. How could this be happening? Michael was a good angel; a merciful angel. This had to have been some sort of mistake!
There was a moment of silence as the brothers looked amongst eachother with uncertainty. 
“Well...ain’t we gonna do somethin’ ‘bout this?!” Mammon finally asked, giving a pointed look to Diavolo and Barbatos. "We should be stormin' that fuckin' palace and destroying everythin' in sight!"
A tense sigh passed through Diavolo’s lips as he massaged the slight headache developing at his brow line. “Mammon, it’s not that simple. We have no idea where they’re being held, or why. We have no idea what their next move will be, and we dont know what they'll do when they hear of our rescue efforts.” 
“And we certainly don’t have the manpower amongst us to fight the entire celestial army, even with our combined strength.” Satan paced while rubbing his chin, trying hard to think of how they could get both Lucifer and Mc back with the least amount of bloodshed. 
“I just...I d-don’t understand...” Luke shook his head, still trying to wrap his head around what was happening. “W-why would Michael do something like this?!” 
The demons looked amongst each other, unsure of how to respond to the small angel’s query. They felt so much pity for him. He was really having his worldview tested more over the past 4 months than than he had in his entire life.
“Michael is obsessive.” Solomon chimed in as he entered the room, a bag of tinking glassware slung over his shoulder. “He sees Mc as a threat, and it appears as though his desire to renew the exchange program was a ploy to get our guard down so he can neutralize that threat. I only wish i would have picked up on the signs sooner.” 
The remaining color left in Luke’s face drained, and he stared at Solomon, wide-eyed. “W-what..? Do...do you mean they’ll...”
Solomon locked eyes with him for a second, a glint of sadness passing through his expression. “They’re going to try to kill her, yes.” 
Simeon shook his head, finding himself feeling strangely numb in this moment. "They wont just do that. They've risked too much in even kidnapping Mc.” 
Everyone in the room turned to him, looks of pure terror on their faces. The fact that the situation would likely provide Mc with more trauma was enough to try to stomach already, but to run the risk of losing her again made their blood run cold. Each waited with baited breath for what Simeon had to add to suggest that it could get worse than you’re death. 
Simeon sighed, avoiding their desperate eyes. “Michael had said over and over that their worst mistake he made during your fall was not ensuring Lilith had been unable to be reincarnated. To ensure that Lilith’s bloodline won’t ever be able to cause a disturbance in the celestial realm again, they are going to attempt to wipe her from existence, along with the one person who could and would stop at nothing to ensure they would never see another day of peace. The one person who, without him, would leave the Devildom vulnerable in the event of an all-out war.” 
The brothers each dropped their eyes to the floor, slowly understanding what Simeon was getting at. 
Not only would they kill Mc- but they were going to kill Lucifer too. 
“But...But...” Luke stuttered, looking amongst the brothers. "Michael's a good angel! He couldn’t...H-he wouldn’t...” 
Tears burst from Luke’s eyes, now fully unable to hold back any more. Simeon kneeled, wrapping his arms around him gently, and allowed the small angel to sob into his shoulder. Simeon glanced to Diavolo, who’s expression had become a mixture of grim anticipation, and deep anger. 
“My lord, what would you suggest our next move be?” Barbatos did his best to bite his tongue, but was holding onto his sanity by a mere thread. It was bad enough that you had to be taken and threatened with death, but to have a close friend and necessary ally suffer the same punishment made the situation all the more dire. He himself wanted to charge in and swiftly decapitate any angel that crossed his path, but he knew that running in without a plan would be foolish. "If what Simeon says is true, we are already at a major disadvantage given they have been in their grasp for nearly 5 hours. We don’t have much more time left to lose.” 
Before Diavolo could even respond, Beelzebub stepped forward, catching his attention. His normal flat expression was turned into an furious scowl, his muscles bulging under his shirt with all the tension he held in his body. The prince didn’t think he’d ever seen the avatar of Gluttony so angry before. 
“Our next move should be getting our family back, no matter what it takes.” He stated matter-of-factly, but there was a lust for blood behind his tone that neither of the royals, nor his brothers, had ever heard from the 6th born. “I’ll annihilate their entire army by myself if I have to.” 
“While I agree we should prioritize their safety before politics, we mustn’t forget that charging in without a plan only gives them the advantage.” Diavolo sighed. “Though right now, I am frankly at a loss for how to develop one that won’t just be a suicide mission.” 
Beel closed his eyes, trying to refrain from snapping on the prince. He was terrified for your wellbeing, and didn't think he could handle the uncertainty of your fate for much longer. He needed you- all of his brothers did. And they needed Lucifer too. Without both of you, his family would fall apart. No one would ever be able to recover from such a loss.
Luke stared between Beelzebub and Diavolo, almost as if he couldn’t understand what they were both saying. 
“First we should decide who will be doing what.” Simeon stated, now rising from his knees. He gestured toward Solomon to take Luke from him, who quickly scrambled to replace Simeon’s place as Luke’s support. 
Barbatos nodded. “We should establish a rendezvous point as well, in case we get separated.”
Simeon looked to Barbatos, nodding in agreement. “I think it goes without saying that Diavolo and Luke will be staying behind.” 
“What?!” Luke and Diavolo both yelled at the same time, seemingly insulted by the assertion that they would not be helping. 
“Yeah, What?” Mammon added, crossing his arms. “I understand leavin’ the Chihuahua behind, but Diavolo’s got some mad strength. He could take down 10 seraphim at once without even tryin'!" 
“Really, Mammon!? You’re going to call me a Chihuahua now?!” Luke wiped his tears, shooting Mammon a glare. 
Barbatos interjected, ignoring Luke’s annoyance at the teasing name. “But if he is injured- or worse, killed- during battle, the Devildom will be without a leader. That’s not something we can afford. We would be susceptible to both external invasion and violent anarchy amongst the lower demons.” 
“Besides, it might be helpful to have someone here to prepare a space for injuries.” Satan added, tilting his chin toward Simeon. “If his vision is right...Mc and Lucifer could be in pretty awful shape...” 
Mammon winced at the idea of Mc being hurt again, not wanting to accept it as a possible reality. 
Diavolo sighed. “Fine, we’ll stay back for now. But if things go south...” He gave Barbatos a deathly serious look, “...I will not hesitate to charge in there- full force.” 
Luke shook his head, now pulling out of Solomon’s arms and nearly groveling to Simeon. “No! Wait, I...I could talk to Michael! I could get him to s-see reason!” 
Simeon closed his eyes and sighed. “Luke, I know this is hard for you to understand, which is why it’s best if you don’t get involved.” 
“But...Mc...” Luke swallowed back more tears, looking at the floor. “I...I want to help...t-to do something...”
“I know...I know.” Simeon took a deep breath to maintain the softness in his voice. He pressed both hands to Luke’s shoulder. “But the way that you can help is holding down a place for when we come back. Please Luke...this is what I need from you.” 
Luke sniffled, hanging his head and nodding. “O-okay.” 
Simeon gave him a firm hug, solidifying that things were going to be okay. He had experienced a loss of optimism for anything for so long. He hadn't felt the ability to cling to any sort of hope to allow him to move forward. Whether it be denial, fear, anger, or just wanting to see Mc smile one last time, the feeling allowed him to be strong enough to stand as an anchor for everyone else, and to make a plan to get them both back. He needed to be a rock for everyone else, who were near the edge of panic because the two who would normally take the lead were now indisposed.  
Mc and Lucifer will be brought back alive...they had to be.
Simeon stood, resting a firm hand on Luke’s shoulder. He pointed toward the brothers, giving fervent direction of what he wanted them to do. “Beel, you will be our tank.  Belphie and Satan, you’re his backup. Your job is to neutralize anyone in our way of getting to Lucifer and Mc.” 
The three looked at each other and gave a single nod to signify that they understood.
“Levi, and Mammon- you two will help me and Barbatos get into the Celestial prison cells to search for Mc and Lucifer. We will need help getting past guards, and the more people we have searching rooms, the better. You'll take the east wing, and Barbatos and I will be on the west wing.” 
“Got it.” Mammon nodded to Levi, winding up his shoulders to stretch the muscles. "I'll wipe the floor with any crumby angel that dares to do harm to the family of the Great Mammon!"
“Solomon- You and Asmo will take up the rear. Do what you can to ensure our portal home isn’t infiltrated and that the others have first aid in the event of an emergency. You will also be our center point of contact.” 
Asmo nervously glanced to Solomon, who pressed a reaffirming hand to his shoulder. “Not a problem.” 
“For the rest of us outside of Asmo and Solomon, our meet up point should be at the treeline just south of the prison.” Barbatos added, giving a nod to Simeon for thinking through the division of the groups. “If we need to change it, Solomon and Asmo will spread the message. No one should break off from their pairs. There's safety in numbers, after all.” 
The group nodded amongst each other, now preparing for what they assumed was going to be an absolutely bloodbath, and the beginning of the end of peace between the realms.
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“Get up.” 
Lucifer groaned as the words echoed through his throbbing head. He tried to bring his awareness back- to figure out who the voice was, and where it was coming from. A swift kick to the stomach caused him to sputter, the pain pulling his consciousness back to the surface.
How long had he even been out?!
He forced his eyes open, trying to adjust to the dimly lit room he found himself in. As he tried to move his weak muscles, he found his arms restrained tightly behind his back. He looked up, trying to push his vision to convert the blurred outline into the image of the individual standing before him. 
“I said: Get. UP.” 
Lucifer snarled as the individual grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked him up to his knees. He gritted his teeth as his vision adjusted to the shape of the blonde angel, who’s nose was only a few inches away from his own. 
“Stand, Demon.” Michael commanded, pulling on Lucifer’s hair again to make him stand. 
His knees buckled beneath his weight as he tried to remain standing. Eventually he was able to keep his balance, albeit barely. He hadn’t felt this groggy since Diavolo had spiked his tea with tranquilizer a few months prior. His mind wandered briefly to you, and he was desperate to know where they were holding you. He hoped that you were safe, but given the aggressive handling that Michael and the guards were treating him with, he concluded they were probably weren’t treating you much better.  Regardless, he knew he had to figure out a way out of his binds- to make sure you were safe again in his arms.
Michael snapped his fingers, signaling for two armored guards came to Lucifer’s side. They hooked their arms under his armpits and followed Michael out of the room. Lucifer swallowed hard, taking note of his surroundings. Clearly, he was in the celestial palace, but he was unsure of his specific whereabouts- that is, until he was brought before the familiar, intimidating council doors. 
He narrowed his eyes, staring daggers into the back of Michael’s head. The last time he was here was when he was begging on his knees for Michael to help him to convince father to let Lilith live. An odd sense of familiarity washed over him as Michael grasped the handles on the doors. He swallowed hard, trying to bring back his cold and confident demeanor...but the fear about whether you both would make it out of this situation alive continued to sit like a rock in his stomach, making it hard to turn away from the anxiety.
Lucifer was thrown down to his knees roughly before the council. He gritted his teeth through the pain, trying to wiggle his arms our of their binds enough to where his shoulder wasn't threatening to dislocate. He took a deep breath before looking to the judging eyes of the council, but was surprised to see only two council members other than Michael who were looking at him with glares of hatred. The rest harbored a look of shock and uncertainty.
"Lucifer. It's been too long." Michael mused sarcastically with a wicked smile as he took his place amongst the council members. “I would love to say it’s good to see you, but unfortunately the mere sight of you is very unpleasant.”  
Lucifer tightened his jaw, but said nothing.
Michael cocked his head at him, the smile turning into a teasing smirk. "Come now, you're not going to even give us a proper greeting?"
Lucifer hissed his retort. "Fuck you."
Raphael winced as Michael let out a sickening chuckle. He looked to the other council members, noticing Uriel and Saraquael with similar grotesque smiles. Gabriel, Raguel, and Remiel, however, shared in his discomfort, and tossed nervous glances amongst each other.
"Uh, Michael..." Gabriel nervously chimed in after a pause, trying his best to keep a smile on his face, though it was clearly weathered from nerves. "We...we shouldn't delay in discussing why you've brought Lucifer before us so suddenly, especially considering you didn't not get all of our approval before doing so."
Lucifer lifted an eyebrow as Michael's eyelid twitched. The archangel slowly tilted his head back to look at Gabriel, his intense eyes boring holes into the second in command. "Approval was not necessary. I made an executive decision for the safety of the Celestial realm."
Lucifer furrowed his brow. Safety? What was he talking about??
"When you discussed the revamping of the exchange program, I did not expect this to be your ulterior motive." Raguel shook his head in disapproval as he scratched his long, grey beard. "This isn't right, Michael. Send him home."
"And the human too." Remiel added, a furious look on her face. "I know many angels- including yourself- are wary of deceit from humans after what happened with Simeon, but we have no right to-"
"Silence!" Michael slammed his fists on the podium in front of him, breathing hard. The other council members snapped their mouths shut, not wanting to evoke Michael's fury. "Humans as a race are not the problem here. I've explained this to you thick headed fools 5 times already!"
Remiel gasped quietly, looking to Raguel and Gabriel for support. They said noting, only looked on in shock at Michael’s behavior.
Michael continued. "The problem is this particular human, and those who enable her. She should be exterminated for her sins... and Lucifer..."
He glanced to his former brother over the rim of his glasses, seeing his eyes go wide with panic at the acknowledgement that he wanted to have you killed.
He shook his head. "Lucifer is our second biggest threat if we are to get rid of her, and as such he should be imprisoned indefinitely at the very least- if not sentenced to suffer the same fate."
"Agreed." Uriel stated, without hesitation. "It took 5 injections of the strongest sedative we had to bring him down."
"Who knows what destruction he could cause with those brothers of his if we didn't include him in this." Saraqael glared at him, seemingly disgusted by his actions. "We should have executed all of them after their betrayal instead of letting them fall. The blood of their sister still runs through their veins, and the veins of that wretch of a human."
Michael nodded as Lucifer's lips upturned into a snarl. "His brothers will come for him, and prove just how much destruction they're capable of- but they're no match for our army." He turned back to Gabriel, shaking his head once more. "Mercy for blasphemous actions are what lead Simeon to fall in the first place. Are you suggesting you're fine with every angel turning a blind eye to grace and becoming demons themselves? That simply will not do!"
Gabriel gulped, glancing toward Lucifer and then back to Michael. "Demons are allowed to make their own decisions for how they run their realm. Lucifer having the freedom to love a human doesn't concern us at all, Michael. We have already agreed not to become politically invested in the Devildom beyond maintaining peace."
Raguel stood, mirroring Michael's intensity with his hands firmly on his podium. He had enough of Michael's dictator like order over the council, and unfairness in making such extreme decisions without their input. As the oldest member of the council and a man of tradition, he was insulted by Michael's apparent insolence and side-stepping of the parliament rules. "What you've done is akin to a declaration of war! We're you not able to set aside your petty jealousy of father's favoritism for one moment to think of the consequences of your bull-headed actions!?"
"Tch!" He stood and rounded the podium to the front of the room where Lucifer knelt. He paced in front of him, dark brown irises glaring down intensely at the eldest brother, completely ignoring Raguel's words. "Tell me: What would we have done if this human wasn't given the ring of light?"
“I hardly see what this has to do with anything.” Remiel muttered, sharing a nervous glance with Raguel.
“Just answer the question.” Michael demanded, glancing amongst the council. “Tell me what would have happened.” 
Gabriel sighed, crossing his arms. "It was told to us by the sorcerer that her pacts with the brothers would have been revoked."
Michael let out a sickening laugh. "And you believed him?"
Gabriel was taken aback by his words. "I beg your pardon?"
"Lucifer needed to die in order to go with that route. Do you really think the demon prince, had he known, would have allowed that?"
There was a pause, before the hesitant council members slowly shook their heads.
Michael nodded, lips turning upwards into a smile. "Precisely. Now, wouldn't there be an easier option that would produce the same results? And it didn't even cross any of their minds."
The room wad quiet for a moment before Michael let out a 'tsk.'
"What they should have done was dispose of the threat. She not only holds pacts with 7 of the strongest demons at their disposal and could be considered a danger to both the Celestial Realm and the Devildom in that right, but weilding that power has made the entire fabric of the universe unstable."
Michael turned to Lucifer, crossing his arms. "Now, wouldn't such a danger to the 3 world's go directly against your precious Diavolo's plans?"
Lucifer swallowed, but remained silent.
"It would." He answered for him, turning back to the council. "And yet, his love for the human resulted in them risking the stability of not just the Devildom, but the Celestial Realm and the human world as well!"
"The solution that was arrived at was a suitable one." Raguel argued. "Providing the human with the ring of light was more than a reasonable solution, And I remember that you had hidden it from the council. Even after Simeon approached us with the option, you were still vehemently against it because of your own pride."
Michael glared at the older archangel. "And what if she were to take the ring off?"
Remiel sighed. "You saw it with your own eyes, Michael. She was terrified. Why in heavens name would she do that?"
"It doesn't matter how or why." Uriel nodded toward Michael. "His point still stands that it's a possibility, and made the option a mediocre one at best."
Raphael gripped his pants tightly in his fist. He wasn't sure who to side with at this point, and kept finding himself thinking back to Luke and the interactions he witnessed between the two of you. Raphael was still indifferent toward you, considering the bias he initially came into the Devildom with, but even a week with you was enough to sway his opinion slightly in the opposite direction.
Perhaps Michael was obsessed and blinded by anger and power, like Raguel had said to him before the meeting.
"Michael...y-you've gone mad..." Gabriel shook his head in a panic. "This isn't the way father would-"
"And how are you to know what father wants!" Michael snapped back. "I am the leader of this council, and I am the direct executor of his will!"
"Enough, Michael!" Remiel shouted, now standing. "The council was elected as a whole to execute father’s will. Cease this absurdity at once, and release these two back to Devildom! They are innocent!"
"Innocent!? Hah!" Michael laughed sarcastically at her. "Even meeting Mc in real life was enough to convince me she is anything but!"
Lucifer growled in warning, wanting desperately to tell Michael to keep your name off his lips.
Michael shook his head, feeling a shiver run through his spine as he remembered his encounter with the human. The way he felt such an unnatural pull toward her made him feel so disgraceful, and only re-affirmed his mindset on how dangerous she was. "Just the way in which she was dressed told me everything about her intentions. She’s clearly well able to use manipulation and seduction to her advantage. No wonder demons and angels alike have a difficult time controlling themselves around her- clearly she's inviting them to defile her!"
"Shut your fucking mouth!" Lucifer finally spat at him, finding himself enraged at the suggestion that your state of dress they had captured you in- that was supposed to be for his eyes only- was somehow an excuse for the trauma you suffered. His eyes bore holes into Michael's as they stared each other down. Lucifer panted, snarling at him as he wrestled with his binds, wanting to beat Michael to death right there.
"Tch." Michael narrowed his eyes. "How pitiful."
"Look, Michael..." Gabriel sighed, "despite your personal feelings on the matter, this entire situation needs further discussion, both amongst the council and with father directly. Until that is done, these two are not to be harmed, and should be returned home."
"We are not doing anything to either of them as long as there is disagreement among the council." Remiel reiterated Gabriel’s words, glaring at Michael with her emerald eyes filled with fire. "That is final."
Michael let out another sickening laugh, making the opposing council members' blood run cold. Even the two who were on his side lost the smirks they displayed through the meeting at the unsettling sound of it.
"This was not a request for any stupid debate, or a vote." He smirked toward Lucifer, who continued to glare at him. "This was just a warning to you that the wheels of retribution are already moving. Her punishment was started well before this meeting, and I saw to it personally."
"Wait...what?" Raphael finally spoke, unsure of what to make of Michael’s words. He glanced uneasily toward Uriel and Saraqael, who shared in his confusion. "Y-you said you would get the councils permission before...before-"
The color drained from Lucifer's face as Michael's smile grew. He felt his stomach churn as Michael folded his arms over his chest, staring Raguel down as the realization of what he had done sunk in to everyone in attendance.
"M-Michael... what did you do to that human?" Gabriel stuttered out, completely blindsided by Michael's descent into madness. He glanced to Lucifer, seeing the Avatar of Pride barely holding on to his emotions.
Michael stayed silent, watching the horror on their faces grow with each passing second. His wicked smile told them everything they needed to know.
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twopoppies · 8 months
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I’m new on your blog but the blue bandana was never confirmed right? Was it just a theory?
Just a theory, love. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a theory that was based on some pretty solid evidence in the beginning. The idea that it’s a day collar was a joke that I think people got a little too attached to. It’s fun to think that’s what it is, but that’s based on absolutely nothing substantial.
I also think it’s easy to believe that Harry or Louis put the same kind of weight on things that we do. Do I think Harry knows what we think about something like the bandana or the peace ring? Yeah, he probably does. Do I think he’s always thinking about that when he gets dressed. Unlikely.
The problem is that a lot of people want absolute assurance of things and when fan theories don’t play out 100% of the time (like always wearing the peace ring) or when patterns change (like the two-week rule), suddenly people freak out and decide absolutely everything they ever thought was wrong.
I’m not picking and choosing which theories are real when it suits what I want to believe, I believe things (like Harry and Louis were together and mostly likely still are) based on a thousand different reasons. It’s okay for a theory to be wrong. Or for reality to be somewhat different than we theorized. Or for something we theorized to change. So if I see that Harry let someone wear “his” bandana, I really don’t understand why that equates to the absolute end of the world. Brad wore his sweatshirt the other day. Xander wore what could be his bandana. Why is this making front page headlines?
These are real people. They’re not characters in a book where things are static and you can have absolute answers that never change. I just think people need to unclench and be okay realizing that we are never going to know anything for certain.
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tails-artwork · 5 months
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Gaming Thoughts - October 2023 - Xenoblade Chronicles X
Ever since the announcement of the Wii-U's internet being discontinued, I had found myself going back to this game after so many years. Also, knowing me as a small disclaimer, you may be seeing this game a bit from me as well. XD
I had actually picked up XCX back at Launch and played it quite a bit, but because things got busy and also there was a point that I was stuck in the game, I had put it down for a period of time and said that I would come back to working on it later when things calmed down a bit. Well...now became that later so I may be a little scrambling to get things in it somewhat gone through. At least get some of the online-only content in there at the least before it is no longer accessible. (I know that Pretendo could be an option in the future, but I'm not 100% confident on if they will be able to get XCX up and running through their service since looking at their roadmap it isn't quite a priority yet and also I just have great skepticism on fan projects of this large of a scale ever getting finished as well, so it is more or less a 'I'll believe it when I see it deal')
Though coming back to this game now, I've been enjoying it a LOT more now that I'm finally able to understand certain mechanics. The game does jack-shit to explain how some mechanics with the battle system works (ESPECIALLY Overdrive most of all) and the digital manual is like a pain for me to even go through as well (and why I miss physical manuals in games, dammit) either way, after a bit of research and such I've been finding myself highly enjoying it more and more now at this point. It already was my favourite game as it was even with how difficult it was being before, but now only just cemented it even further.
Just as a note for anyone that may want to try to get into the game, DON'T ever approach it the same way you do with normal JRPGs, if you do and just try to go at it entirely for the main story and only hit the side missions here and there, you will find yourself disappointed since the main story itself doesn't present a lot of development for the other characters as it was with the exception of one. You get more of your development of the characters and even of the world itself through the affinity missions and the side missions most of all. Even most of the sidequests have a lot of their own little storyline to them as well too that helps expand more on the world and everything.
I actually wish this game will get at the very least a port to the modern consoles, though. Or even at least Nintendo's next console since because it was on the Wii-U it hardly got a lot of attention as it was and not a lot of people would have played it, but more of all, I would actually also would love to see there be a sequel as well considering there are so many things that are still unanswered as well that I would love to find some resolution to.
Anyways, when I played this game, I made my primary OC, Conrad, being my custom character as well. So I tried to draw him with at least the equipment that I have currently in-game. Out of the weapon types that there are, because of some of the prior things that I have done with him, I felt that out of the weapon options in the game, the Sniper Rifle was still the best one that did fit him as well and I'm still keeping that as being the main weapon that I'm basing my build around. (You have a LOT of options of how to make your build and a few different weapon options to use. You have to have one ranged and one melee weapon in your setup, but with how the game is designed, you really cannot balance your build between the two and it becomes more of one being your main damage dealer and the other being essentially there for support because of the arts that are available to it.)
Either way, odds are likely I'll be playing this game quite a bit either until I get a lot of things finished up finally or after the end of April, whichever comes first so if I end up needing to cover this game again because of this, I'll try to at least make it more on that month's summary as opposed to the game as a whole. XD
(All in all, I don't think I will ever see this being dethroned as one of my top favourite games anytime soon)
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snapscube · 1 year
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I played FFXIV a while ago but had a hard time getting into it at the time, and I'd like to give it another go but don't really feel attached to my previous character and want to start fresh. Do you have any advice on getting really immersed in the game? I feel like you mentioned going through something similar before it really clicked for you so just wanted to ask! Hope you're having a good day :)
ABSOLUTE MOST IMPORTANT TIP: Take your time. Settle into the world. Create a character that you really like, and remember: it’s a role-playing game! Certain aspects and mechanics of the game you gotta do a little extra mental legwork to fully appreciate from an immersion standpoint. So roleplay! Take in the sights! Talk to NPCs if that’s your jam! But above all, pay attention to the story and the in-game tips. You don’t have to 100% understand everything right away. I sure as hell didn’t. But you’re only going to get out of the game what you’re able to put into it. It’s gonna be a long journey, so pace yourself and don’t try to rush through to The Good Parts. It took me like 2 years, no exaggeration, to get to Shadowbringers. It doesn’t ACTUALLY take that long to do the MSQ if you’re fast tracking it, or hell even just prioritizing it haha. I know of plenty of people who completely caught up with the story in a matter of a couple months or so. But that’s the beauty of it. I took my damn time getting there. I took MULTIPLE breaks, some for months at a time, and only ever came back when I was ready and the game seemed like something that would hit. And I still got an incredible experience out of it that remains my favorite game and one of my favorite stories ever. So, yknow, I would say in the early hours of the game you might find yourself a little bored or lost. Those are the moments where you want to make sure you’re playing enough that you find a HOOK for you to latch onto. Experiment with different content. Pick up as many blue quest icons as you can, the ones that unlock features & content, and see if you come across something fun. In my experience, it only really takes one or two mechanics or jobs that you find enjoyable to push you into sinking some serious time into the game. And once you’re giving the game your time, you’re likely going to realize that the game in turn really RESPECTS that time, and tries to make the most of it. A lot of features feed into each other, and if you’re enjoying something like, say, crafting really early on, that’s gonna snowball into a million other things you can do later down the road. Once you hit the point where you’ve found a rhythm and you’ve discovered what’s fun about the game to you, it’s all about the journey from there. So relax, give it your attention, and take it at whatever pace you find comfortable and enjoyable.
Here are also a few stray ideas you can take with you:
- I am one of the many who will insist that the game’s writing gets MONUMENTALLY better from Heavensward (The first expansion, included in the free trial of the game) onward. And when I tell you that the change in writing quality and the approach to appealing dialogue and pacing is nearly INSTANT, I really mean it. I would say, if you want to really understand why the story is revered as much as it is, you need to at least push through to Heavensward and see if the improvements to pacing and dialogue appeal to you. If they do, I assure you that (in my opinion) it only gets better and better from there. I can not actually express how good Shadowbringers and Endwalker’s stories are. It’s the kind of thing you NEED to experience to understand.
- There is a wonderful list I’ve linked here that will actually help you track what kinds of content you can unlock in-game based on whatever level your character and MSQ progress are at. It’s extremely thorough and if you need help finding stuff to do, this is a great resource.
- In a similar vein, the official FFXIV YouTube account has a really cute and genuinely well made/helpful starter guide series you can watch if you want some starter tips directly from the team
- Do not worry about the subscription cost for a while. I assure you, if you need to, you can get literally hundreds upon hundreds of hours of content out of the free trial. It took me over a year to get to the point of the game where the free trial gets locked off in terms of MSQ and character level, and even then I hadn’t even done like half of the available content.
My fingers hurt cause i’ve been typing this on my phone so I’m going to stop talking now :) Let me know if you have any more specific questions though and I’d be happy to answer and/or give my take on stuff! I love love love talking about this game.
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pixiemage · 1 year
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Ignoring for a moment that everyone dislikes Chris Pratt, ignoring for a moment that it would’ve been amazing to see an actor in the role specifically from the voice acting industry (because the entire movie is a cast of screen actors so if you call HIM out for it you can’t ignore the fact that Jack Black and Charlie Day and Seth Rogen and basically everyone else involved is known for their SCREEN acting not their VOICE acting)…ignoring that, for the moment. What is it about the two sentences he had in the trailer that has people immediately hating his performance in a movie that isn’t even out yet? Is it that people think it’s actually bad, or is it just the current trend to hate every bit of news we get about Chris Pratt in relation to this movie? (And no I’m not mocking, I’m legitimately trying to understand. I’m honestly asking.)
Is it because you don’t think Pratt’s voice works for the Mario you envision? Fair enough. But in that case you should be calling out the casting director who chose him for the role. Actors for all these animated roles - including Jack Black, who I think everyone agrees is legendary for Bowser - are contacted because of the way they sound. True, based on the cast we have, there’s some level of notoriety at play here too, we can’t ignore that. But there are plenty of other big name actors who could have been chosen. They weren’t picked.
Or maybe do you hate it because Mario has a Brooklyn accent? Is it because he’s not using the stereotypical Italian we hear in the games? People claim Chris Pratt “didn’t even try” but…he IS clearly using a specific accent in the trailer, and he doesn’t even have final say in what the character is meant to sound like. If that’s your problem, then you should be dissing the director and the folks in charge of the movie because it would have been THEIR call to have Mario and Luigi talk like that. In the voice acting industry, actors may have some freedom in their performance, but there IS someone in the room instructing you on what it is the role requires and what it is they want you to do in front of the mic.
(Voice actress here. I may not be in the big leagues like some actors are but I know how the industry works. Bigger actors may have more sway but they’re still being paid to do the job that the company they’re working for gave them. If the role asks for an accent, well, by Jove, you’re doing an accent.)
And if you ARE salty about the Brooklyn accent because it’s “not canon accurate”…this isn’t even the first time we’ve seen the Mario Bros portrayed with that dialect. I mean their origins are that they were in construction first and became plumbers later, and in a lot of non-video-game Mario media, both Mario and Luigi grew up in Brooklyn. For anyone who doesn’t know about it, go watch Film Theory’s video about the new movie and how old canon might tie in. His theory may not end up being 100% accurate but by god does he make some excellent points.
Anyway, I’m not saying you have to like Chris Pratt, of course not. I’m just saying not everything comes down to just him, and you can’t judge a film based on two sentences from a trailer. If you don’t trust him then try to trust that Illuminations and Nintendo know what they’re doing. Nintendo has always been a perfectionist for how their characters are being portrayed ever since the old Mario Bros movie was a complete train wreck. Trust that they’re going to do the Mushroom Kingdom justice in the new one.
EDIT: To clarify, I’m not trying to change anyone’s opinion on the trailer! I don’t have much of an opinion either way, I’m just excited for the movie as a whole. But I’m also just really curious about the reasoning behind why folks either like or dislike certain vocal performances. I made this post for curiosity’s sake and so I could see the trailer from other people’s perspectives :) So feel free to share your own breakdown of it! Let’s just try to keep the replies friendly ^^
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wintergrew · 24 days
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Hi! What does ur writing process look like??? It's just so detailed and thought out idk I just imagine you put a lot of preplanning into it beforehand if that makes any sense
Omg thank you very much!
Uh…It’s kinda chaotic. It basically starts from me getting an idea in my head. Somehow. I can literally not tell you how basic ideas come to me. Music, (day)dreams, art, and all sorts of things spawn them. And I get more ideas from making playlists/listening to music. Most often when on my way to and from work, which involves a lot of walking.
I kinda just have scenes play out in my head like a movie, pretty involuntarily. If I’m struggling with a plot point or how to connect things, I kinda just…force myself to play it through? If that makes sense.
I do often outline and make character bios/profiles. However, it’s more of an exercise as opposed to something I reference. Bios make me think the characters through deeply, though I by no means feel tethered to them. Outlines more or less force me to visualize the story from start to finish and figure out how everything connects, the three-act structure, etc. I very rarely look back at them once finished unless I’ve forgotten something. Which means, I often stray very far from them.
Finding aesthetics/making Pinterest boards also can be helpful! And if it's based at all off of history, a certain region, lore, etc I can get super wrapped up in research. I read a ton of vampire novels and documentaries on the history of vampire lore for KAYF, did a ton of research on the Middle Ages to then cherry pick for the thief trilogy... Etc. I find it fun and it really sucks me into the story I'm formulating
Actual writing…I work best under pressure. I write a lot during my breaks at work, when I have limited time. It’s an ADHD executive function thing 100%. Often when I write, I find things carrying out a little differently from the scene in my head, but I’m fine with that. I don’t know why there’s always a disconnect, but I guess physical writing is neater and less…abstract? If that makes sense.
Also…now I stray away from what I do and more outright advice I wish I listened to earlier but…please edit! For a fanfic chapter, do so at least a day after writing. I mean, you can edit immediately after writing, there is nothing wrong with that. But even if you do, please sit on it for at least a day. If you’re writing a novel, sit on it for at least several weeks without looking at it at all.
For fics, I do not write the entire thing before posting. However, when the plot is getting messy, I do write several chapters ahead. This has made life so much easier. It’s easier to write knowing I can go back and edit previous chapters, and it’s easier to edit previous chapters that are not yet published. (Though I do go back and edit published chapters because idc I do what I want.)
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fictionalstoryteller · 9 months
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Rating the Celestial Beings from LMK Based on How They’d Babysit Your Kid
Fandom: Lego Monkie Kid
Characters: Monkey King, Nezha, and Chang’e
TW: nothing but fluff! ☁️
Genre: Implied platonic relationships 
Extra: I’ve been most excited for this list since it has some of the most iconic characters in the show. But small problem… I haven’t seen season 4 yet… so that means Nezha and Chang’e might not be totally accurate since I haven’t seen if they get more characterization in season 4. Hopefully that isn’t an issue! Anyways let’s continue with the list down below ⬇️
Monkey King:
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Monkey King would be happy to help you out by babysitting, and also SUPER overconfident. After all, what kid wouldn’t want to hang out with the legendary Sun Wukong? 🤩 
He’d also be a little bit nervous, but either he’d be too prideful to show it or more self assured than nervous. It all depends on the situation.
You’d have to drop your kid off at Flower Fruit Mountain, which would be hard to get to… and even if he met you somewhere and took your kid to Flower Fruit Mountain himself, you’d still have to go pick them up.
If your kid does somehow make it through the trip to Flower Fruit Mountain they’ll have a multitude of places to play. After all, it’s a big island with a lot of cool locations to explore!
Monkey King has only two types of food on the island. Peaches, and peach chips. Hopefully your kid likes those-
Despite being irresponsible at times, your kid will be 100% safe due to Wukongs powers.
Wukong is such an attention seeker, but because of this he’d be great at entertaining your kid! He could show them some basic training moves, let them explore the island, play with them using his powers, and so much more. (Anything to make them think he’s just the coolest dude ever)
I get the impression that he would interact with your kid the same way he interacts with MK. Lazy, teasing, warm and protective. 
I can’t see why he wouldn’t be a good babysitter in all honesty. He has a personality kids would be drawn to, and literally nothing would be able to harm your kid when they’re with Monkey King. And he lives in such a cool place! I refuse to believe your kid would be bored with all the animals and hidden temple stuff. My only complaints are about the transportation and food situation… how do you plan to drop off or pick up your kid? I mean I’m sure you could find some work arounds, but it sounds like such a hassle. And we’ve only ever seen Wukong eat peaches and peach flavored chips while on the island, which leads me to believe there isn’t much else there to eat. But you could argue we only see him eating the same type of food because he’s a picky eater, and that there’s other type of food elsewhere on the island, so I’m not deducting too many points for that. Overall he’s getting a 8.6/10!
Nezha:
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I’ve been doing some research on the lmk characters recently, mainly the celestial beings, to understand the Journey to the West better. While digging around I learned that in China it’s commonly believed that Nezha was a patron god to children and teenagers. No wonder he’s so patient with MK! I think it’s safe to say he knows how to deal with kids
You won’t have to worry about Nezha slacking off, if anything he’d take his job SUPER seriously. 
Though, I can see this being a problem for some kids considering children usually hate serious adults.
He’ll have to take your kid out to town since taking kids to heaven to hang out is probably a no go. 
I’m not sure how well versed Nezha is in the modern world, so he might need some help figuring out certain things. Which, let’s all be honest, would make for a hilarious comic! Wouldn’t you agree Tumblr Artists? Hint hint wink wink 
Based on his mythology, I can totally see him having a soft spot for kids. Nezha would probably give even the most rebellious kids the benefit of the doubt because, in his eyes, they still have a lot of growing up to do. 
If they’re fans of Monkey King he’s going to be so mad XD 
He probably won’t have much of a plan for the babysitting session, and will rely on your kid to decide what they want to do (though, their options might be limited if you don’t give Nezha some money)
If Nezha is in a good mood, and if your kid is convincing enough, he might even show off his awesome fire wheels. Don’t worry, he’ll be sure to take them a safe distance away from the city
Nezha is amazing, and he totally has this in the bag! He’s got his mythology, patience, and powers working in his favor. He might be a bit out of touch with the modern human world, and some kids might hate him for being super serious, but both of these things are fairly navigable. As long as you give them enough money for lunch, everything will be fine. That being said, because of his limited knowledge and his unlikeliness to his powers if he deems it too risky, most kids might find him a bit boring… I’m going to have to deduct some points for that sadly TvT. 8.6/10! 🩷 
Chang’e
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I feel like Chang’e would be SUPER excited to babysit, but I’m just guessing based off of her overall cheerful attitude.
Unlike Nezha and Wukong, Chang’e would be able to babysit your kid at her place or out on the town. This is because she probably knows at least a little about mortal customs considering she has a phone (which is good considering not many people can go to the FLIPPING MOON)
If she babysat at her place she could teach your kid some new recipes, show them her bunny robots, and so much more!
Because she has a phone an a TV show, I’d say she’s fairly adapt with how the human world works. She’d have no trouble fitting in with mortals if you’d prefer her babysitting on earth
Chang’e totally packed homemade lunches that are both nutritious and delicious. She’d also bring at least one sweet snack for later on as a reward of sorts.
Chang’e has shown that she’s willing to hear people despite misunderstandings or previous mistakes, which is an incredibly useful talent when dealing with kids.
Honestly? She hasn’t been in enough episodes for there to be any MAJOR negatives I can call out. In fact, she seems perfect! Unlike the others on this list, she can be flexible with where she babysits. And she has a naturally cheerful demeanor, which most kids would absolutely adore. Also there’s no way your kid is going hungry! Because of this I am happy to say that Chang’e, the underrated queen, is the second character in this series to get a 10/10! WOOOHOOO 👑🍜
[Wow that took way longer than expected. Sorry for the wait! But while I still have you here, who should I rate next? The spider gang or the demon bull family?]
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horizon-verizon · 1 year
Note
HOT TAKE:
Rhaenyra x Alicent
Rhaenyra x Harwin
Rhaenyra x Daemon
Daemon x Laena
Rhaenyra x Aegon II
Criston x Rhaenyra
Aemond x Lucerys
Criston x Alicent
Viserys x Aemma
Aemond x Helaena
Aegon II x Helaena
every single ship/couple on the show is either VERY problematic or toxic, so fans picking and choosing who is better is stupid. every single male character in the show has done something problematic and I mean EVERY single male character. The day the fandom just admit that every ship/couple is problematic/toxic is the day the HOTD fandom will know peace and the day shippers just admit that they only give certain male characters a pass because they find them attractive is the day we'll know peace.
*EDITED POST* (12/4/23)
Don't pretend as if none of these relationships somehow got you to buy in and be emotionally involved!!!!
I've asked this before: what does "toxic" even mean anymore?
What is this such a catch-all term as if it perfectly encapsulates "evil"? We throw that word around as if people know exactly what you mean 100% of the time in a specific case whenever spoken when that's far from the truth or even truth-seeking. What are you specifically talking about when you say RhaenyraxDaemon or AemondxHelaena are toxic? These are all very different people and GRRM never stays with such black-white thinking.
Politics is the activities associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. Shipping has politics. ASoiaF is politics. Fantasy fiction is basically politics made easier to engage with and reflect on. Shipping can indicate what the person thinks of what should and should not be prioritized, but is not automatically an indication of moral success or failure because the characters are not JUST models of morality....they are explorations of humanity and psychology. If you cannot reason that a problematic ship should not happen in real life, you need better critical thinking skills instead of censoring people and stories that serve to make people aware.
You are basically saying people who read speculative politics should not speculate.....you've lost the battle anon. Shipping is more about liking the story of the ship than its canonical reality or its "healthiness" because of the implied possibilities that one speculates from it and the politics of such a story that will appear. Why would I shut all that creative thinking down for the "healthiness" of people who don't even exist, for patting myself on the back for liking the "appropriate" relationship that is closest to the real life one real people should have?! I don't need that badge.
A)
If you want to ship a couple just based on the feeling that they would have both a happy, satisfactory and safe life together in real life based on your own personal preferences or the already agreed upon rules for a healthy relationship--for what that would look like or a conflict-free one-- that's fine.
I, as a Daemyra and Jonerys shipper, argue that the healthier and happier relationships is already RhaenyraxDaemon and JonxDany because of their respective circumstances, cultural/sociopolitical contexts -- their world and personal backgrounds. (Jonerys specifically only if Jon is not her co-ruler not a situation where she is his Queen Consort. He should only be her consort if he becomes her husband and she out ranka him bc as brideoffires on Twitter pointed out, we see that a male partner is highly dangerous for Dany, Jon being the worst for his lineage).
And I do not judge every single piece of fantasy, romance, or romance part of a story by how well it conforms to that image of the realistic, healthy relationship. That's not what I and other shippers go for, including some of those who ship Rhaenyra with Harwin, etc., (since even Harwin is not the ideal modern choice for a woman he little started sleeping with when she was 19 (show) or 17 (book) while being not that far from either Daemon or Criston).
And not every shipper ships what they want in real life for every story they create ships for. Ships are made for how well it appeals for the individual, and the appeal exists from how/what subtexts they interpreted from the text. Sometimes the conclusions they make are just wrong, other times not very informed or fair, other times colored by or processing their own traumas, or it's about what shaped the possible/canon relationship that actually inspires the shipping. The ship shipped is alluring, charismatic, enchanting, and/or engaging and tickling for one reason or the another.
You may argue that realistically, uncles and nieces can't be in healthy relationships -- of which there's no point to this argument in-universe as a serious criticism because this is a fantasy series where literal magic-blooded, dragon-riding people marry siblings, uncles, nieces, aunts, nephews in order to maintain that power within their respective bloodlines or that Daemon is a one-dimensional evil, evil person, no cap (he's violent but not crazy evil). Incest is integral to the ASoIaF aristocratic universe. Why? Because of power and blood ties and the deconstruction of those things. Which inevitably shape relationships. And we are not focusing on smallfolk here, we haven't been since the beginning!
If you are going to use "incest!" and the misapplied "grooming!"/"pedophilia!" arguments to just conclude that every single relationship of ASoIaF is "toxic" and we shouldn't care about who survives or wins.....then you also say we should ignore and not care about the sociopolitical events, ramifications, and philosophical questioning about identity, sexuality, power, gender, etc that does go on in ASoIaF. Again, you're saying I/we should not think, that nothing matters at all in this universe, nothing matters. But then, those very things put into question makes this series! You're saying that the Dance doesn't matter at all...but then why are you here, watching the show and/or reading the books if you did not think the Dance mattered in some way?
What sort of self destructive nihilism is this?! Why do you bother to instruct others to not analyze when you yourself refuse to give a good reason why one should not?! When you claim that you are bringing an "analysis" that is so "simple that it must be genius?" Why do you even make a moral/ethical argument ("we would all benefit from recognizing that all these couples are 'toxic'") if it is to tell people to not think?! To not name their own ships and analyze the text/context/subtext to understand what is even happening below the surface of "magical dragonriders"? You yourself did it -- how is it an issue when others do?
You don't need to like these things, or to ship specifically how others ship -- nonconformity. Just consider why and how shipping and how the "factionalism" in this fandom happens for each ship before you go barreling over telling people that they are amoral for not thinking exactly like you.
B)
We saw:
Rhaenys and Aegon I -- no known quarrels
Jaehaerys I and Alysanne (pre-Quarrels. It was rather Jaehaerys' misogyny and Alysanne's need to empower herself but also feeling the need to conform in some ways that broke them up but if you are in the habit of not looking past the incest, you wouldn't likely understand that and how it came to be that way with them)
Rhaena and Aegon the Uncrowned -- reasonably harmonious
Jaehaerys II and Shaera [Aegon V's kids] -- no known major quarrels
so we can't even argue that in-unverse, these couples went through their traumas just or only because of incest specifically. Aegon IV-Naerys and Aerys II and Rhaella: these couples' problems were feudal/monarchial/patriarchal problems of the man having too much power over his wife/subject. and going by how the Starks ruled for nigh 6,000-8,000 years....feudalism in some form in this world is going to be here for long after even Dany dies.
So we focus on the revolutions and changes that Dany and Rhaenyra's reigns could have or would have brought for this system.
Back to the Targs, they and Valyrian dragonlords are one only a step ahead of the Westerosi lords, who the Faith allowed, can, and often married their first cousins. As Tywin Lannister did. Yet I have heard/seen nothing about how Westerosi marry their cousins and often. One of Sansa's arranged marriage options was with a Arryn/Vale first cousin.
The prime reason why sibling-marriage is considered taboo amongst Westersoi is because the Faith of the Seven rules that the gods say it so. That's it. There is an absence of logic where some Targ anti claim there is when it comes to why Andal Westerosi reason why incest is bad but still do cousin marriages.
There are even two uncle-niece marriages in the Stark family: "in the north, Serena Stark had been wed to her half-uncle, Edric, while her sister Sansa Stark had been wed to her half-uncle Jonnel Stark (AWoIaF; "Incest in the Seven Kingdoms")". One of these marriages produced children, and neither were ever ruled as sinful by the Faith, nor are the Starks ruled as being all seeds of "abomination".
So.... something is going on here that is more than just "it's incest!" These kinds of questions, not "is this my idea of healthy", are the ones that actually give you answers to how people think, how much does culture influences and where, train you to practice empathy, etc.
C)
It is also Westerosi/medieval/ancient history and general practice to marry what we Western moderns see now as older children (15-17-year-olds) to other teens adults. Real European societies (one of them Westeros was adopted from) still preferred marrying at least 15-16 year olds minimum out of fear of messing with their humors and the girls' physical safety--still delaying consummation.
*EDIT*: (Removal of past statement about GRRM and tone for age-gap relationships in story, he has many large-age gaps in the more romantically-told relationships of ASoIaF)
Westerosi custom has the age of majority of 16, but still, both genders can marry or get betrothed way before their 18th nameday. And girls who had their first period were considered safer to bed. It's considered "perverse" to bed a girl who hasn't had her period yet. The incongruence of GRRM's habit of featuring relationships (or suggested intimacies) b/t people w/large age gaps and real life medieval attitudes and practices regarding marriage is a relevant topic, but to claim that basically none of these people felt love or cared about their partners and ignoring how they interact in-text that proves otherwise is fallacious and dumb.
*EDIT*: These are screenshots to the link about maidens and the Westerosi age of majority:
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That means that from even younger ages, both Westerosi girls and boys understood that they might inherit adult responsibilities and political power, as well as get to be married or betrothed younger than what we'd like them to. And we can expect that since the entire world is modeled after ancient/medieval cultures the people we call teens also experienced this. And even 15-year-old nobles understand that they will be arranged to marry and have sex with (to reproduce) whomever their authority figure chooses, for that's the practice. Because 15-year olds can and do sometimes become lords and ladies with the power to order armies. Fifteen-year-old boys have been trained to use the sword and other military weapons (ahem, Daemon became a knight at 16, Aemond trained under Criston since he was 10, Jon was 14 in the beginning of the ASoIaF books and became Lord Commander around 16-17, etc.).
To call them all automatic forever victims-from-child-brides, etc is to completely erase the fact that these people also:
*EDIT*Removal of past points about people dying earlier being the main reason for earlier marriages, it's actually more complicated than that, which I simplified in second point below.
ignores that even medieval nobles in real life and in Westeros do try not to marry their kids too young for the girl's safety -- with the first also believing that to have sex too young would deplete your humors (that they themselves did express real care towards their children)
ignores, reduces/makes less significant/important/thematic how Rhaenyra and Dany, for example, actually gain back autonomy by being with Daemon, Harwin, Daario Noharis (Not the HotD, Fire and Blood/canon. They show how fucked that messaging up in relation to how it sets up a cultural presence against the female chastity model of this society by making her the possible aggressor towards Criston....what happens between them also cannot be made 1:1 to a modern capitalist boss-employee relationship).
And you end up dismissing, even not understanding, the bigger picture of this series, taking for granted how power is imbalanced and different from how it would be in the real, present-day worlds. Like how some people claim Dany abuses Irri when that is far from true; even going so far as to claim this proves she will go mad like in the show...another way to demand her progress and character and misinterpret all the Azor Ahai symbolism tied to her. Misogyny.
If you wanted relationships with absolutely no age gaps, teens marrying each other or adults and uncomplicated fluff and that's it...I'm sorry to let you know that you stumbled onto the wrong place, anon. Even if GRRM decreased the number of prominent age gap relationships, there would have to be one or two within the Targ line because the truth is also that real medieval peoples did have age gap marriage that were early-consummated and a few 12-year olds getting married and having that marriage consummated, even if it was uncommon and frowned on. "Uncommon' reveals that it still happened and that were was enough room for it to happen.
D)
I find that this growing protest against any fictional relationship that is not the ideal healthy one that real-life people dream of in of itself indicative of being out of touch with reality, specious, and tedious. As if it is not "healthy", then it doesn't deserve to be fictionalized and distributed to be read.
There is frustration with stories like Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights, and the enemies-to-lovers trope itself...as if the writers of those stories expected you to copy their main characters 1:1 and take their tale as their own personal ideas in the first place. It is a protest that criticizes romance fiction/general fiction for not being 1:1 to what we should go for, or what we are taught to, in reality for the sake of morality teaching, censored. That fiction writing, especially romance, should only show fluff or as little conflict or high stakes between couples as possible because people are not discerning enough to always tell what is abusive behavior and what is grey behavior.
No people, they write characters for ideas and philosophical concepts. Innovative, new or familiar and already developed, or something in the middle. We also don't read fiction stories to just be educated, otherwise, we'd read nonfiction. Fiction is for emotional reality, speculative/philosophical thought, and creative thinking skills, again, they are for exploration of taboos, urges, ideologies, historical propaganda, narratology, mythology, some mysteries that run in the back of ones mind but aren't discussed sometimes because we do not know what sort of consequences we'd have if shared for whatever reason, but for some some of these reaaosn include oppressive structures. And emotional realities, set in a world with its own laws and facts as ASoIaF is, are still important to write in to realize what one feels in their everyday life and have others take a peek into that. But it also doesn't always have to be so damn apocalyptic either, because these characters are playthings of emotional reality, narrative, and philosophy which are all examinable. We as readers can/learn to examine or spy on the trajectory and themes of the fiction and leave the rest to the story as we go about your day.
It is related (not the exact same but there is a relation) to giving horror stories to children--stuff like Coraline--things some adults repeatedly wonder today why we/they were exposed to some films or stories. Some things they can should not be for kids: kids love to be scared, too but more than that they can get scared, get thrilled, get sad in a controlled environment while still familiarize themselves with stuff that one may not be able to articulate in just hunan conversation or is deliberately removed from them.
Problem is that they don't grow some reflexes to avoid, say, predatory behavior, which Coraline shows through the Beldam.
And if I hadn't read stuff like Anne Rice's novels--which people make the mistake of thinking Louis was sexually abusive towards Claudia, when it's really that they are getting that sense from how Louis "stole" away her childhood and humanity in his own horror at his immortality (eternal isolation from the beauty of change that is inherently human), at his horror at his never being able to have experience, that access to that beauty then I have more trouble understanding the value of myself and my fellow human and how that can get mucked up by societal exploitation of the fear of death (religious institutions and their teachings). Yes, his relationship with Claudia is mirroring that of a pedo, bc like a pedo he "took away" her childhood for his own lack of self control at his not being able to understand the ramifications of being a vampire and the predator of humanity/enemy of God. And he keeps talking about her beauty and seductiveness (her visual and tactile features like coloring and smoothness of skin, her ability to draw in her adult prey to feed on them). It is an utteroerversion of the innocence we give to children, baptism did that. That's what Rice wanted you to feel and understand, vampirism and forcing eternity into a child is inherently wrong!
Remember that this is exactly how she, just losing a daughter and w acting said child back and definitely feeling the urge to imagine a way she could have her forever while also going through religious trauma herself.
But it is not the thing (pedophilia) itself.
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pellaaearien · 6 months
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20 Questions for fic writers
@five-and-dimes, @signiorbenedickofpadua, AND @cuubism all tagged me in this, and when three of your favourite writers ask you to do a thing, you do it. SO! Here goes.
How many works do you have on Ao3?
A nice round 25 😊
2. What's your total Ao3 word count?
540, 538. I should update my portfolio.
3. What fandoms do you write for?
Sandman, right now. Technically I still write for Doctor Who and maybe Lucifer but frankly it's all I can do to manage one fic right now, so.
4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
They're mostly Lucifer fics, I'm surprised. I thought AWFA would have passed them by now. The Devil You Know (1955), 100 Ways (1696), What Dreams May Come (1626), White Days (1533) and rounding it out with Doctor Who, Fool Me Once (1474). I'm kinda proud of that last one.
5. Do you respond to comments?
Usually, yes. I try to.
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
I don't really write angsty endings tbh. Not my jam. Probably a toss up between the ending of The World is Unraveling, because it ends on a cliffhanger, and maybe Out of the Cold, because it ends ambiguously, but nothing I'd characterize as angsty.
7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
I mean, the rest are all definitely happy, enough that I have trouble picking just one. The first one I thought of, though, is To Hell and Back, because it ends with a wedding.
8. Do you get hate on fics?
Thankfully not. The worst I get are vague comments about "I wish you hadn't written it like this" which are hurtful, but I ignore.
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
The ace kind. In that, I've been told that my smut reads like it was written by an ace person (it was a compliment).
10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?
I write crossovers very rarely, because I find they tend to stray crackier than I intend. However, I am pretty proud of the Doctor Who/Lucifer crossover I wrote based on the Impossible Planet episode. (Mistaken Identity)
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
I don't think so. I've had people write their own version of my fic? Which was flattering, but also made me feel kind of odd.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
Not that I'm aware of. That would be really cool.
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Not really, no, unless bouncing ideas off a discord counts.
14. What's your all-time favourite ship?
I don't have one. I get REALLY into one ship in the moment, and then I move on to the next, which doesn't mean that I love the previous ships any less, or that I love the current ship more, it's just what happens to be bouncing around my brain at any given time.
15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
Can I answer 'all of them'? Truthfully I think Locum Tenens has to take that spot, I started posting it with the notion that getting traction on it would make me want to continue, but the idea of writing what I have planned for it is SUCH a daunting prospect. I never say never but that fic will be a LOT of work.
16. What are your writing strengths?
Character. I'm good at keeping voice consistent, at getting into a character's head and really understanding how and why they would react a certain way. I'm also really good at making connections, at drawing on things from canon to use in a new light.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
I am SLOW. I only put something down if it's what I really want to say, and I edit as I go, so my pace usually hovers around the hundreds of words per hour. I also think I'm bad at writing emotional scenes, but in this I compare myself to others, and I know that's a false dichotomy, because obviously my writing isn't going to affect me emotionally the same as someone else's. I just feel like I consistently fall short of the ideal in my head, but I guess that's common to all writers for the most part.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?
Awkward, generally. As a linguist, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't get everything absolutely perfect, and it's hard for me to justify including whole lines in a different language in a fic written in English. That's not to say I've never done it, but most of the time if I want to use other languages I'll just pepper in a few words here and there.
19. First fandom you wrote for?
I'm going to draw a distinction here. The first fandom I wrote for, where I was on tumblr and engaged in actual fandom stuff, was Doctor Who. My first published fic on Ao3 was for Dragon Age (Skyhold Slept), and my first fic I ever wrote (published nowhere, I was twelve) was for LotR, but I did not, and still don't, consider myself a part of their respective fandoms. Maybe that's a silly distinction, but I consider immersing myself in and engaging with other fans and content an integral part of how I write now, when it hasn't been, historically.
20. Favourite fic you've written?
That's like asking me to choose between my children. I'm going to cop out and say every fic is my favourite while I'm writing it, so it's Another Word For Ache. Sorry I don't have a more interesting answer to round this off.
Aaaaand I feel like a lot of people have been tagged, so how about @themirokai, @delta-pavonis, @thewollfgang, @moorishflower, @eidetictelekinetic and anyone else who wants to play!
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corruptedforce · 17 days
Text
respond to the prompts out of character!
what made you pick up the current muse(s) you have? I wanted to write Anakin for years, but I don't half ass pick up any character. It's one of the reason why I keep my multi under 15, at all times. I have to have them fleshed out. I've been fascinated by Vader since I was a child. All my friends had Leia Halloween costumes. I just wanted to be Vader. Anakin intrigued me, as well, as I got older. I ALWAYS loved Hayden as Anakin. But, I spent years before ultimately choosing to write him. I had to learn mannerisms, ways he fights, his quirks, his emotional responses, and Vader, because Vader is Anakin.
is there anything you don’t like to write? Look when you play one of the biggest villains in pop culture, there is not much that is off limits. I refuse to ever write or AU him, as a Rebel. He would never be a rebel and I would never write him as such. I also only very rarely and only really for I think one or two people, will write him not falling. His fall is extremely important to what the chosen one prophecy needs, to fufill. I'm not huge on fix-it. I mean, sometimes I enjoy them and I will never change Hayden as Anakin's FC. I don't ship him with other males, with the exception of one and it's writer specific. I don't write smut on him to just write smut, but if it fits, I'm okay. I also don't auto ship.
is there anything you really enjoy writing? Angst, pain, drama, things that make you cry and hate life. I love happiness if we have like something dramatic too. The prequels are a tragedy. They just are. Anakin's life even before his fall, he may have been married, but he was at war. He has brief times with Padme for instance, when he does have happy moments, but war is something that was a lot of his life. I lean towards his destiny more towards trying to create a healthy family dynamic, that didn't exist.
how do you come up with headcanons? I have things knocking around my head and sometimes I get asks. I'm currrently working on one, for three days now based off someone asking me what I thought of one quote.
do you write in silence or do you play music? usually, the TV is on.
do you plan your replies or wing them? I wing them mostly or for the most part, I don't pre-read the previous reply always. I mean, I will sometimes, but with certain partners, I know how I'll react. Sometimess, I have to calm Anakin or Vader down if it's angst before I reply because he's a mess, who will say things, if I don't. But, my best rp partners understand his reactionary responses.
do you enjoy shipping? I love shipping. Just not having it forced on me. I'm open to a lot, if it it makes sense. I also love many types of connections.
what’s your alias/name? Tanya
age? Older than 30. I'm at the age where it says years young on Tumblr.
birthday? April 21st
favorite color?  Cubbie Blue
favorite song?  Anything off the Sons of Anarchy Soundtracks by lately Day is Gone by Noah Gundersen and Come Join the Murder; Also, Lightning Crashes by Live is a song I listen to a lot, Anything by Bob Seger when I need to feel close to my mom
last movie you watched?  Red Dawn (not my idea)
last show you watched?  One Tree Hill
last song you listened to? Ainsi Bas La Vida by Indila.
favorite food?  Tough Guys by REO Speedwagon
favorite season?  sprinter. it's that time in February - March, when it's like 70 but not miserable yet.
do you have a tumblr best friend?
For the last year and half and some change, 100% it has to be Mica (mayxthexforce) and Tori (bchemianrhapscody). With Mica, I have talked to her more than I have talked to anyone, in a time when things were really hard for me, after I lost my mom. But, there are others in the Star Wars fandom, and those are people who have been my friend, even when lies were told and I lost long-term friends. Some people aren't like bestie status but I adore them so much. More recently, I have been talking a ton to @story1ines of late and she is quickly becoming a close friend who I bombard with messages. I also adore @xx--ofmanythoughts--xx, who listens to my baseball ramblings.
I have been on tumblr rp for 13 years and there are people who have come and gone. I will always still communicate with the ones I was the closest to in the world offline, but I forever love my first rp friendship, the Rachel to my Puck, my main Tara to my Jax who I wrie with on Discord only now, the only Wendy I will ever accept to my Jax, my one and only Athelstan and Philippe @mcnsieur, who even though I don't talk to everyday by any means because life is busy, I literally can message her anytime. So many other people I am not remembering.
TAGGED BY: @mayxthexforce
TAGGING: @galaccias, @bchemianrhapscdy, @cagedpotential, @writtenxbeginnings, @story1ines, @mcnsieur, @xx--ofmanythoughts--xx
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penncilkid · 1 year
Text
Got tagged by the bringer of amazing headcanons and provider of gorgeous, jaw dropping interpretations @mr-laveau to assign some ships songs. Did my best here and 100% picked songs I already associate with other ships and characters because listen, sharing is caring. Let's get into it!
[D.A.M.N. Polycule]
This is all the boys @ FL and simultaneously FL @ all the bots. All of them are grateful to be in each other's lives and wouldn't have it any other way. They can't imagine things being different. Lyrics that specifically stick it: "It feels so good to know ya"
[Sam/Darlin']
It's a tad upbeat from what I envision the vibe of this pair to have but the lyrics fit to me. I'm also a sucker for any song that's like "I'm scared to love you but I love you too much not to try" so here we are /pos
[Huxley/Damien]
If there's one thing you need to know about are the blueprint to me. Alright, this is my top ship, can't be beat. I like to think that this song is from Damien's perspective once they get together. In general, I think they bring out the best in each other and this song fits that.
[Avior/Starlight]
LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN (/LH)— Avior is one of my favorite characters. Starlight is one of my favorite listeners. Their storyline is one of my favs overall. That being said, I also love a little pain and this song cuts me deep. It feels like it sums up where they're both at mentally when it comes to the meridian stuff.
[Cutie/Geordi]
Much more from Cutie's perspective, but I feel like this captures their inner turmoil and how that conflicts with their love for Geordi. I love them and their story in general, and I think this song shows a certain will for their relationship to work out while still highlighting how Cutie has their own stuff to work through.
[Vincent/Lovely]
This specific version. The almost quiet feel to it compared to the original draws you in, pulls you close. Gendering aside, it's even more fitting post-Inversion.
[David/Angel]
Reminds me of quiet nights and healing as you go, which I feel is a major part of their relationship development. To me, this gives off "I want to be there for you and help you when the darkness clouds your mind". Again, always a sucker for.
[Vega/Camelopardalis]
This is an ultra specific pick based entirely off of the fic "And That’s Why We Broke Up" by @dominimoonbeam (your writing is >>>). I get that it's canon divergence, I get that this ship ain't for everyone, I get that I'm 99% certain it'd never happen in canon. That doesn't change the fact that this is 100% what I think of when I think about this pairing in the context of this fic.
[Elliott/Sunshine]
Beginning of the song reminds me of Elliott showing Sunshine dreams dreamscapes and stuff. That mixed with the friends to lovers vibes from the beginning of their relationship/dynamic and overall energy this song has made it fit for me.
[Alexis/Sam] (LET ME EXPLAIN /LH)
This ship isn't for me and I debated adding it at all, but this is one of the first songs I thought to add for this. I think it absolutely fits from Alexis' perspective and, if you view her as a more complex character rather than one dimension, it makes you hurt in a "It is what it is but damn" kind of way. Especially the line "strangers to friends, friends into lovers, then strangers again". Like come on, it fucks me up to imagine that pain after everything that transpired between her and Sam.
[Bonus Honorable Mentions]
Hit my audio limit whoops but Friendly Dark by Ollie MN for similar reasons as Die Trying assigned to Avior/Starlight. Also Our Love by Curtis Harding and Jazmine Sullivan from Arcane for Milo/Sweetheart (gendering aside). The girls that get it get it, and the girls that don't don't (/lh).
This was a lot of fun, even if I had to rack my brain a bit. I hope you enjoy my selection~ Tagging @thefablefoxart because I'm always in love with your musical suggestions (and don't know anyone else to tag /lh)
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aimmyarrowshigh · 4 months
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fic writer meme: 2, 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62, 72?
Answering under a read-more!
2. Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?
For long multi-chapter fics, I plan ahead by chunk but not necessarily by chapter -- I have a general outline and I write to that, and then after I write, I cut it down into chapters where there are "good breaks." I never decide ahead of time how many chapters I'll have and then outline to that, though! That's too much planning for me.
For long one-shots, I generally don't plan and I often don't outline more than knowing the beginning, the climax or big turning-point, and the ending? (And I often don't know the ending tbh.)
12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?
I would say that not getting feedback affects me less than it used to, just because there are so many things that I write now that DON'T get any feedback that if it still made me feel like total shit, I'd feel like total shit all the time, and I don't have the bandwidth for that.
Getting feedback definitely makes me feel more connected to a fandom, though, and inspires me to want to create more for that fandom than the fandom(s) where I don't get any feedback. Fandoms like Steve/Bucky, The Baby-Sitters' Club, Scooby-Doo, and Miss Fisher give me more creative energy through feedback than, say, The Old Guard where I don't really get any feedback anymore, even though I objectively like TOG in a more "fannish" way than Scooby-Doo, or whatever.
I'm in fandom in large part for the connection to other people who love the stuff that I love. If there's no feedback, then a major part of the equation is missing for me, and if I don't feel like the other people who love the thing are out there, then it makes me love the thing less, too.
22. Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)
Not really -- it depends on the fandom and how to best serve the story. I've written in first-person, second-person, and third-person POV; I've written non-HEA darkfic; I've written kink and vanilla and gen; I've written slash, femslash, and het. There are certain tropes/kinks that I personally am not at all into and wouldn't write just because I personally don't think I'd ever like a fandom where those were in-character for the characters, but that's just kinktomato. There are a LOT of things that I wouldn't write "on request," though, because I would have to have an actual inspiration to be able to feel out the thread of the story -- like, I wouldn't write Steve Harrington/Joyce Byers for an auction/exchange fic, even though I wrote a 10k fic for them. Same with Poe Dameron/Ben Solo.
32. Name three of your favorite fanfic writers.
This changes all the time and I more have favorite fics than favorite writers, but I always love @dracosollicitus, @fille-lioncelle, and @kaikamahine when their fandoms-they-write line up with fandoms-I-read. But 99% of the time I pick to read something based on the summary and not the writer.
42. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?
I've been in a book reading phase for a while now and less of a fic reading phase, so I'm not 100% positive what the last fic I read was! HONESTLY it was most likely a reread of owlet's Infinite Coffee & Protection Detail series, which I recommend to literally everyone all the time. It's a fic I would recommend to my DAD, it's that good.
52. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?
I do but I'm slowwwwww at it. I get anxious that I'm going to sound stupid or conceited or something, so I let the comments pile up until there are an unreasonable amount and then I get overwhelmed by how many there are and how long I've been sitting on them. It's a bad system, but it's what I got. I do try to write back reasonably quickly if someone asks an actual question or something, though.
62. Thoughts on cliffhangers?
Very hard to write well. Even in books. I can count the number of actually good cliffhangers I've read on my fingers, and honestly at this exact moment the only one I can really say definitely counts is the end of Catching Fire (THG #2). I think A LOT of the time they feel really contrived and don't actually hit that emotional tension spot that a good cliffhanger needs to hit. Oh, you know what fic has a good one? The Maskfic (despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) by @praximeter). It's not the ending, it's the chapter-ender of the Big Reveal.
72. What order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?
It depends on the format! For a free prose longfic like Lent From Tomorrow, I write out of order and just go for the scenes in the way that they come to me and lead into/from one another. Usually it starts from either the climax or the opener and then jumps around to get from one to the other.
BUT if I'm writing something as a structured drabble series like Not In The Answer But The Question or Could Use A Guy Like Me, I write strictly in order chronologically. Those I can't write out of order because I would die.
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griseldabanks · 5 months
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11, 13, 34, and 41
11. Are you partial to a certain character/pairing or are you more equal-opportunity? If you are partial to any character/pairing, why do you think that is?
Well, obviously I tend to write the most about my favorite characters, and my favorite characters tend to be brothers (like the Elric brothers) or at least in a brotherly sort of friendship (like Steve and Bucky). I think a lot of that comes from my brother being my best friend growing up. There are a lot fewer stories about a brother-sister duo rather than two brothers, for some reason, so those are the characters I end up falling for most of the time. I just love the camaraderie and selfless nature of sibling love, two people who have known each other their whole lives and would literally die for each other.
Within brother duos, it's usually really hard for me to pick a favorite, but now I'm wondering what the result would be if I did a study to see whether I end up writing one POV more than the other. Without taking the time to do so (because that would take forever), I would guess I've written more from Ed's POV than Al in my FMA fics, mostly because he's the main character (so he's the one things happen to most often), and because my Parental!RoyEd 100 Themes fic skews things away from Al. In my MCU fics...that's harder to say. I might end up writing Steve more, but with the focus still usually being on helping Bucky through various issues. Probably because that's really what I'd want to do if I were there.
You know, that's interesting. In both of those duos, my first impulse would be to say that Ed and Steve are the ones that I identify with less, but they're the POVs I end up writing more. If, indeed, that is the case.
13. Are there any tropes you used to like but don’t anymore?
Ugh, I hate answering questions about tropes, because I always end up feeling like everything is a trope or nothing is -_- I've never particularly cared for the main tropes people talk a lot about, like "enemies to lovers" or "only one bed" or "high school AU" or whatever. The closest I can think of is that I read a lot fewer sickfics than I used to? After a while, they all start sounding the same unless you do something different with them, because there's only so many ways a person can be lying in bed, sick with something, while someone else takes care of them. I wouldn't say I categorically dislike sickfics - I've written plenty myself - but I think I pass more of them up these days than I used to.
34. What aspects of your writing are inspired by/taken from your real life?
Other than the very occasional dream-based fic or something, it's mostly the small details that worm their way in. Like how I have Steve hardly ever use his voice when he cries - I'm the same way. Or my OC Leyla, who has a cat named Simon who is based on this lovely cat who hung around my college campus one year, who would yowl angrily at you until you sat down and made a lap for him to curl up in (we named him for Simon's Cat). Or any number of books and movies that get referenced because I like them and want to get a chance to talk about them, even just briefly. And...well, I haven't written it yet, but let me just say that when I finally get to the point of writing Steve and Sharon's wedding, the mishap I'm planning for their special day is based on the mishap from my parents' wedding ;)
41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”
There are so manyyyyyyy @_@ I don't know how to pick just one, because I tend to think that whenever I read any halfway-competent fic. I'm pretty confident when it comes to grammar and wordsmithing; I know I can write a coherent story with nothing egregiously wrong. But I always feel like everybody else is so much better at characterization - both at understanding what really makes the character tick, and in conveying that to others. I'm also pretty bad at writing humor (or at least, it takes three times as much effort as writing anything else), so any time I read something that makes me laugh, I think, "I wish I could write like that."
But I have to pick something, so I'll pick the first fic I thought of that fits both of these criteria: "Silver Bullet" by @x-rainflame-x It's an FMA fic in which Ed becomes convinced that Mustang is a werewolf, and it is a hilariously, beautifully written piece of almost-crack XD I long for the day when I might be able to put someone in stitches as much as I was when I read it, while still being so true to the characters even in such an extreme situation.
Fic Writer Asks
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