#ok FIRST OF ALL THE ORIGINAL FIT SLAPS

[titanelite22]

Look, if you don't like Mean Girls (2024) then that's fine, no one is holding you at gunpoint. However, the constant hate is seriously getting tiring. (TW For Body shaming, Eating Disorders For Point 2 Part A, Point 4 and the TLDR)

1) The people who were groaning like Minecraft villagers in the cinema every time they would sing confused me. It was stated that it is a musical movie and it is based on the musical. Do y'all not look at what you're going to watch before you watch it? That's not the fault of the creators, that's your fault.

2) Some of y'all need to leave Reneé Rapp ALONE.

2A - The body shaming that she experienced when the trailers were released was seriously disgusting. Let's keep two things in mind when it comes to this topic:

• Reneé has openly said that when playing Regina for the musical, The costume designers would change the sizing of her clothing without her knowing, and she was constantly body shamed. This led to her developing an eating disorder.

• The body standards back in the '00s were unrealistic and toxic. Rachel McAdams, from what I can see, is a naturally skinny person who probably doesn't put on weight as easily as other people. Now, if she was to gain a bit of weight, she would indeed be called "plus sized" back then. A "plus sized" model on America's Next Top Model, for example, was a size 6... Yeah, exactly.

Beyoncé was called fat back when she was in Destiny's Child (She's spoken about it, and there are probably even articles), which is crazy because she was slim. Very slim. And remember Dreamgirls? She lost weight for that film too, using very unhealthy diets and she didn't need to.

2B - Y'all need to stop lying to yourselves and saying that Reneé isn't a good Regina George - You just prefer Rachel McAdams' Regina George. Reneé did amazingly and she has an amazing voice and one of the strongest vocal performances. Reneé has been playing Regina George for years for the musical. Rachel McAdams herself even gave Reneé her blessing, saying that she can "do no wrong" and that she can't wait to see her on screen. She even introduced Reneé on SNL. I feel like some of you are trying to live out your Mean Girl fantasies, and you need to get a slap back to reality.

2C - "Reneé Rapp needs media training". When I first saw this, I thought that she was saying some extremely offensive things. Then, what do I see? Her calling out bad service from a business... People do it all the time, why is it different when she does it? Is it because she's a celebrity? I didn't see a problem with what she said at all. Reneé also has a very random train of thought from what I can see (Terrell even points it out on his show), but it's never anything to cause outrage about. It's just things that make you go "Oh! Ok lol".

3) "Why is Janis a lesbian in the 2024 movie? Isn't the whole joke that she's Lebanese?". Let me start by saying that while the joke was implied, Regina did not that this was the reason. Regina said that Janis started to get "obsessed" with her when she started dating Kyle (And it was probably more like Regina was more focused on her boyfriend and not much on her best friend, hence Janis probably asking Regina to spend time with her and Regina finding it "weird" because she's so self-absorbed...) and so she assumed that Janis is a lesbian. If the whole Lesbian/Lebanese joke was clearer, they would've had Regina state that Janis told her that she's Lebanese (Lesbian).

Secondly, Just because Janis kisses a boy at the end of the film doesn't mean she's not a Lesbian. For starters, there are things in the Musical that are changed from the original movie, and the 2024 movie is based on the musical (and Janis doesn't speak to Kevin at all in the musical. Correct me if I'm wrong). On top of that, there are many who later on realise that the sexuality they believed themselves to be doesn't fit them. For example, Reneé was Bisexual before she realised that she was a Lesbian. She's dated guys, does that suddenly mean she's not a Lesbian? No... Now, stop complaining about Janis being a lesbian in the 2024 film 🥱

4) The complaints about lines being changed/songs being cut e.g. "I never weighed more than 115" to "That filter you use looks just like me". Reneé was bullied and body shamed during the musical, why do you think they changed that line? I've seen quite a few people like "It's not even that offensive" like hello? Let's use our brains!

I do agree with the complaints about songs being cut (e.g. Meet The Plastics) and I do agree that Tina Fey's speech about girls respecting each other should've been added due to Tina Fey herself saying she wanted to reduce the amount of slut shaming in the musical. I feel like it would've added a lot of impact (I don't think the scene was in the musical. Once again, correct me if I'm wrong).

My Thoughts On The Film:

• It was visually pleasing in my opinion, the dance numbers were really nice, beautiful cinematography and I think the cast was well chosen

• I wish that they had chosen actors that could sing - Avantika did a good job as Karen, but her singing was lacking. Same thing with Angourie Rice. People may not think it's a big deal and fair enough, but I just think that it stands out when you have her in the same film with Reneé and Auli'i.

• The soundtrack was amazing, but I wasn't a fan of some rearrangements. However, I can understand why they may have done it with Stupid In Love.

• A lot of funny jokes, and it was fun to watch

TLDR;

• You're allowed to dislike it. However, the constant comparisons to the 2004 movie and the constant complaints about minor things is starting to get tiring. Like oh no, Janis is a lesbian? YAWN, move on !

• Stop bodyshaming Reneé. Y'all are genuinely nasty individuals for doing this and you'll be the same ones preaching about Mental health and being kind to people... I hope she doesn't listen to any of you assholes.

[py-dreamer]

Ok so I might've gone over time again a lil bit BUT I STILL MADE IT!!!

"Why is it Nezha? First Mk, then Mei, why Nezha? Shouldn't it be Pigsy or Tang or Red Son? Why are you robbing the less popular characters their spotli-"

SHUSH!!!!

Ok so a reason I made Nezha next, is cause I have an upcoming project due soon and I require our 3rd lotus princey over here to come help me.

Look it's an art thingy and the theme is 'Legacy of the gods' and I did chinese mythology not LMK. As such I couldn't pick an lmk exclusive character like Mk or Mei. Furthermore, since it was about the 'gods' specifically, I'm more focused on the deities and less demons the like.

Also a lot of my project has featured so much JTTW, and I'm sure it definitely will in future...So to break up from that and for a bit of variety, I've added in our lotus friend.

(I mean, I suppose I could've done Chang'e but I just decided Nezha had more myths so he was my best bet)

And I couldn't do Wukong. Cause I'm already doing another piece with him, I made two stickers of him already. They will know I have favorites. And I do, I know I do but damn it if I don't wanna show it so obviously!!!

Actually, originally I had like a list of who I wanted to do and it was mostly like main cast of lmk with some fan favorites/my favs here and there and Nezha was towards the bottom but I moved him up due to the reasons above. And I was going to do Pigsy and Tang today but that's not how things turned out, I'll still do them just everyone's gonna have to be moved up in the list now.

Don't ask me what kinda cake it is, if I had to guess some kinda cheesecake with like a thin layer of jelly on top. The pink/red contributes to his main color scheme and the blue jelly makes it look like a pond and all the decorations and lotuses on top look like they're floating in water.

And I suppose it's different from Mk and Mei's cause like the KNY arts have different cakes sometimes why not do the same for these guys? And Nezha is a prince, and the patron god of children! I think he deserves something nice. (I used Giyu's cake for reference)

The filling is strawberries again, hopefully better drawn this time and actually sakura petals instead of lotus ones. I don't know why I used sakura petals, the color is more like lotuses but the shape is inspired after sakura so maybe it's a hybrid.

I do enjoy that it is more detailed than the previous two (especially since I'm using it for a project-)

I actually had a lot of trouble thinking of the sugar cookies cause there's not much associated with Nezha other than his lotus theme and his weaponry. Like at least Mei had her sword and her dragon insignia in different styles! I didn't wanna just do lotuses for like 3 times so I did his universal ring and that golden brick from that one episode. And yes, that brick is an actual thing in the mythos, it's not just a quick visual gag.

I did copy paste the frosting swirls and shells from Mei, don't @ me pls they just looked cool, I needed something to jush up the cake and COME ON THEY LOOK COOL HOW COULD I NOT

No I did not change the color but the minty green broke up all the pink and gold nicely, I think...

I did add the lotus flower and that green thing that triggers ur tripophobia is a lotus fruit. So for those who don't know, lotuses are edible! Not water lilies though. There's a difference. And lotuses can be made into lotus jam and it's delicious! I do recommend trying a lotus jam bao at least once.

Now I know Nezha is a chinese deity and mochi/dango is japannese but Idk what other desert to use and I didn't feel tanghulu fit the vibe...

But yea, those are his flaming fire wheels he skates on, that's why they're on fire, no it's not the rings of the samadhi fire. (I'll be saving that for RS) though now, I do wish I'd just done the outline in a darker shade to make it look like it was an actual image grilled into the mochi rather than a sticker slapped on.

The sneks! Omg! I almost forgot about them! But yea, those are the golden serpent shears we saw in that one episode. They are a bit last minute but I think they turned out decently well. Lil bleps.

Then we have the fire tipped spear and yes, that is Ao Bing. I'm sorry, I know I said I shipped them, and I still do (I see lmk nezha as both mentally and physically an adult don't try me) but damn that idea popped into my head and it was funny. He's fine...I think

(also funny to think Mei's is all dragon oriented and here's Nezha and Ao bing like bleep)

The reason the ribbon is so long is cause it's the goddamn armillary sash that Nezha uses, and it's its own canon magic thing, why not let it be longer and yes I did add some white detail but I just thought it looked more finished and it's a celebration! Let him be festive!

I really like the pose like Nezha receiving a lil present. I think he's the kind of person to not expect presents but be pleasantly surprised at them.

And btw that balloon has lily pads, it's not a globe. I know they should be elevated for lotuses but I can't exactly make the leaves pop out.

So later today should be Tang and pigsy hopefully!

(Also I've noticed a trend in general lmk posts. Ships, duos, trios basically anything with a relationship of some kind always do better than just one character so if I had to guess this like my other birthday posts won't do that well)

Oh and @leesbian42, before I forget, happy almost birthday! If I remember correctly you're turning like 24 right?

[danielmndoza]

[DANIEL MENDOZA. 30. CIS MALE. HE/HIM] is here! They’ve lived in Asbury Park for [30 YEARS] and are originally from [ASBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY]. They are a [RECORD STORE OWNER/MANAGER AT GROOVY GRAVEYARD] and in their downtime love [WRITING SONGS FOR HIS D&D GROUP] and [FALLING ASLEEP TO PODCASTS]. They look a lot like [SEAN TEALE] and live in [SUNCREST]. The song that makes people think of them the most is [UNDER PRESSURE BY QUEEN].

FOLKS!! [clap] it is time for me to round out my promise and present idiot #2. strap in.

meet DANNY.

going to do this in bullet points because his story is a lot less linear than kacey's and also ??? i feel like it ??? ok

people know him as either daniel or danny, both is fine, he'll even respond to dan or "hey you guy" because honestly he Hates Confrontation

oldest child, was always used to bearing the brunt of responsibility. it was kind of like his siblings could do no wrong but any minor mistake he made was scrutinized

his family runs a restaurant and fully expected him to take it over. him and his siblings all worked there since they were teens, and when he saw the opportunity to break out in the form of buying his dream shop (groovy graveyard) he took it, along with his former best friend. they bought it together after the old owner with no next of kin passed on

his dad was very upset by this and no longer speaks to him, his mom tries to still keep in touch quietly without his dad knowing

his siblings, despite danny being the scapegoat, he loves very much and would do anything for them. in my head he's very close with his little sister. he used to be close to his younger brother but they've fallen out of touch a bit. his brother is the one that ended up taking the restaurant over and has taken on the role of "stepping up" so there's probably a bit of tension over that

danny generally assumes people have good intentions. this gets him into hot water more often than not, especially in the case of his business. probably the happiest moment of his life was acquiring his store, but he enlisted the help of his friend in order to do that. his friend, who, embezzled all of the funds for the business and disappeared for a year afterwards. the friend is no longer on the paperwork, but they still haven't paid danny back for the money they stole, either. the store nearly closed over it, and danny hasn't forgotten nor forgiven them for it.

in love he's very loyal, almost to a fault. he had the same girlfriend all through high school until she went away for college and cheated on him. since then his relationships have been a series of falling for someone very quickly, thinking the world of them, and the relationship turning out to not be what he thought. ok listen ill just say it, 500 days of summer-core

he's a huge dork. really into music and writes songs and stuff, so you would think he would be a Cool Guy. and I guess maybe he is and can seem that way, but hiding underneath that vintage leather jacket is like, an entire sleeve of Magic the Gathering cards and ideas for his 79th new D&D homebrew campaign.

also loves video games, board games, and weird shit. i think he had an ex at one point who was super into astrology (insert "someone cooked here" meme) and he actually learned a lot about it, he just likes learning about things in general. very open minded. will gladly talk to you about the denver airport if you ask

CONNECTION IDEAS;

the big one is obviously his ex friend who stole money and nearly ruined his business, i will probably offer that as a wc but in case anyone saw that and it fit into their bio i'm slapping it down here

siblings will also be a wc, but i'm open to other family! cousins, or that thing of like where you grow up around each other so you feel like family? the fake cousins at the neighborhood barbecue

all the exes, but especially his first love that broke his heart

friends!! all the friends. some ideas - regular customers at the groovy graveyard, a long time best friend who has stayed close with him and helped him through the mess with his other former best friend, his D&D group and other friends he games with (please i beg) and anything else you can think of

for rival/antagonistic connections, i'd love people who have been bad influences on his siblings in some way.

oh!! he is a cat dad so any other cat people RISE UP ok but no really maybe they debated the pros and cons of automatic feeders one time at the grocery store

ALSO I FORGOT TO ADD HE NEEDS ROOMMATES !!!!

that's all for now but im always open for plotting out other things!! sorry this is so messy i just really wanted to get this up so i could start writing ok ok

[tippenfunkaport]

Best Friend Squad Fake Break Up Caper

Short version: Post canon, the BFS set a trap for a spy by faking a break-up between Glimmer and Bow.

(I posted a small preview of this once.)

Long version:

While a lot of the fic ideas I've had that I've written a lot of / thought about a lot are things I would be ok if I never get to post them as fanfic because they are different enough from canon that I could easily write them as something original someday. This story, however, is one I would be kinda sad if I never have a chance to post for real. (And never say never but right now it's hard to imagine adding another canon-verse multi-chapter with how many I have in progress.)

The set up is that, post canon, these tabloids pop up on Etheria that are like our gossip rags and report on the princesses and their spouses like celebrity gossip. When there's a tragedy with important info getting in the hands of the wrong people, the BFS realizes that there is a spy, someone connected with one of these gossip rags.

Catra comes up with a plan: The Queen of Bright Moon and her war hero regular guy fiance are tabloid favorites. If Glimmer and Bow pretend to break up and date other people, they can create a series of gossip-worthy events to try to trap the spy. Glimmer and Adora both hate this plan but Bow thinks this won't be a problem, because he's incapable of jealousy (WRONG). Catra mistakes his misplaced confidence in himself as a sign that he doesn't care as much about Glimmer as she does about him. Catra loves Bow but, push come to shove, she's Team Glimmer first and wants to make sure her bestie is certain Bow's the one before they get married.

They stage a very public break-up, but it's meaningless at first because Glimmer just keeps teleporting to go see Bow anyway. But when the media storm is bigger than they anticipate and the spy eludes them, extending the ruse so they have to actually stay away from each other, things get more complicated. As Catra's sets up a bunch of suitor meetings for Glimmer to try and date other people and Bow is getting hit on, they both to start to wonder if maybe the other is doubting their relationship. All the fake reasons they broke up start to feel like maybe they were real reasons after all and both independently realize they don't want anyone else… while being convinced they are holding the other back by not letting them go.

Meanwhile, Adora figures out Catra's game and they clash over what Adora sees as Catra meddling in her best friend's relationship. Catra counters that both Glimmer and Bow have never been with anyone but each other so how can they really know they are in love without seeing what else is out there? When Adora points out all of that is also true about the two of them and does that mean these are doubts Catra herself is having? the two have a fight, compounded by the fact that the scheme is keeping them apart (Catra on Team Glimmer and Adora on Team Bow).

And obviously this all culminates in a caper style undercover mission where everyone gets back together and works out their issues and lives happily ever.

Doing this one for Slaps Idea: This Baby Can Fit So Much Projection! because this idea started out as me just wanting the chance to do a Perils of Peekablue style undercover caper with Catra, Adora, Glimmer and Bow but then it just turned into Tippen projects a lot of feelings about being bisexual and marrying your best friend onto Glimbow.

[snowyvoid]

ohhh my god your benrey design slaps. can i hear more about the mandibles and antennae? if there's any more to share, that is. are they always there? or is it more of a comfort thing to keep? what sort of colouration does your benrey have? -- voidvoice

thank you so much!!!

ok so. around around 2022/2023 i first gave him antenna because i was watching the hlage streams and saw some of the weird alien plants that looked vaguely like antennae and went "lol what if benry had that" and went crazy from there. as i said before his mandibles originated from me wanting to incorporate some headcrabish features into him, but the eventually developed into more insect looking over time. the whole insect/invertebrate look i gave benry factors into the idea i have for his complete transformation kinda look. though i do think his TRUE true from would be something like what you see when you stand up too fast, i cant really draw that. ill add a few drawings from early 2023 i did of his buggish true form at the end of this. anyway. i think the closest looking real life creature that fits his mandibles are mantis shrimp, or maybe praying mantis'. his antennae change a lot in my drawings, but they mostly look like bipectinate antennae in moths and butterflies. yes he absaloutely has a heightend sense of smell because of these, and it fucks him up all the time. he cannot work in food related places because of this.

i think he has them out as much as he possibly can, and he thoroughly preffers to look as alien as he possibly can at all times. he can put away the mandibles if absaloutely necessary, but the antennae cant go away. they are however the most permanent parts of his general appearance when he shapeshifts, for example if he where to shapeshift into a dog, that dog would have antennae. or something.

in my personal idea of postcanon, he keeps all his weird powers and stuff, but if he were to loose them, the mandibles and antennae would go along with them. he would be extremely upset about this. so i guess, in a sense, yes they are absaloutely a comfort thing for him. hes kinda werewolf adjacent to me? like, werewolves always seem to have one or two random canine-like features while in their human forms, for example sharp teeth or claws, and for benry this is his insect stuff. the werewolf idea doesnt really work though because he can change whenever he wants, and he wasnt infected by the alien stuff.

the colouration for his antennae and mandibles changes to his sweetvoice, but default to a gradient blue-greenish look. i have no idea about the rest of his features, but i tend to default to blue-green tones for everything about him. i think this is based on his text colour??? maybe. i like the idea of his skin being human coloured though, adds to a sort of uncanny valley he would emit. hes a shapeshifter but there is always something slightly offputting about what he turns into. if that makes sense.

i hope this explains what you wanted to know!!! sorry if this doesnt make much sense, im not that great at putting thoughts in my head into actual word, lol. but ive been having these headcanons for so long so it feels good to get them out.

here is a little collage sort of thing of all the drawings ive made related to benry in his "true" form. these span from early 2022 to now. some have gordon as a kind if size comparison, but benry changes size a lot so they dont really. work. but whatever. also the gordon design in these is old, not my current idea of him. enjoy!!!!!!!

there is a lot more to explain about my ideas around him that would take much longer than this, and a lot i havent quite figured out yet too.

thanks for reading!!

[baqisnotdead]

have u ever seen the music video for "Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard?

^one of the most useless questions on tumblr dot com

ok anyway i was compelled tonight to rewatch this song's music video not only cuz it slaps, but i remember watching it with my sister some years ago and us being baffled about what this music video means

source:

re-familiarize yourself with this barely-sensical emo pop rock cinematic classic and you'll understand my confusion. so...it's a time loop concept. big deal. maybe it doesn't have to make sense and it's just interesting enough on its own to provide a lossely-cohesive storyline carried along by concept rather than by narrative?

and yes that could very much be it, but i was struck with some revelatory thoughts upon my own viewing of it tonight. i won't clog your dash but if you wanna dive in with me, i too have nothing better to do this tuesday night <3

so we all know the art of The Music Video is a pendulum that swings wildly in dozens of directions across several decades -- a music vid making little to no sense isn't the end of the world. sometimes the lyrics don't match what's on the screen at all and life goes on. however, i think i was wrong to assume that of this song and its video. now i don't mean i expected the song's lyrics to be literal; about "green cars" and "women running me over" and "goddamn sidewalk nuns again" but i think that all has a purpose for being in the video, regardless

just as lyrics can contain abstract meaning, music videos can help convey that visually as well. i think this time loop "gag" and the accompanying microgags within them in perpetuity is plenty entertaining, and that's clearly one angle in all of this, and that's great! the worst thing a music video can do is bore you. but i think the implied goofiness or high-concept-ness of it all can lead a viewer to not look as closely into the implied themes of it all. yes, it's great to follow in the storyline-not-storyline kinda way, but drawing critical thematic statements from a man parkouring over a shopping kart full of garbage? that's too fuckin far

except it's not! because like i said: it's all in there for a purpose. just breaking down what we see sequentially, all of it feels disjointed until the time loop clicks after the first chorus. only then, over a third of the way into the song, are we able to start piecing things together. with this, the theme of "cycles/something cyclical" is established. what's this cycle of? what's the intended outcome and how do we get there?

once a loop is established in any story, what's most interesting about it is what changes, and not what actually "loops." upon first run, barreling through Sidewalk Nunz, ragdolling over a shopping kart of trash, we see him pitifully miss the goal: a green muscle car of mysterious rock n roll origin. we loop and we're back on our feet. this time: side spin around the nuns, PARKOUR over the homeless -- that'll show them!! -- and we're a bit ahead of the curve as our hero is mowed down in his emo prime (electric violin continues)

but then it's bridge time! and that means: story development! inside what looks to be the nicest apartment in Newark NJ, a brief case and glasses fit for an eye surgery patient are seen. an attractively lesbionage agent takes them both and attempts to leave. the chase ensues once more, and the nuns are skillfully woven through, the vagabond is High Fived TM respectfully, and the hero successfully intercepts and boards the green muscle car, end of song

so...what's it all mean? well here's my take: it's all about the cyclical nature of self-improvement within the context of partnership. first off, this is supported at least somewhat by the lyrics. everything is very hypothetical and expressing desire for things like nostalgia, a better future, etc. "If I could find you now, things would get better" it's a bittersweet theme that desires for the past and the future, but not the present. typically, times of change or adjustment are what these desires and emotions manifest from. an unsteady or unpleasant "now" could be/would be/should be made better by remembering a better past, or wanting a better future. sadly, one of those things we can never get back, and the other only comes when work is done and change is made.

that's when i was reminded of what changes, literally, within the music video! as we know, time loops exist to be solved and escaped -- see "Groundhogs Day" or "Palm Springs" -- which is the thematic metaphor for what feels like an endless cycle of uncertainty during significant life changes and relationships. within a romantic/relationship context, i view our hero's cyclical journey as a test, some trials he has to figure out the best way to navigate to get to his intended goal. what ways work, which ways don’t? i think this says a lot about the deeper themes being discussed

in a basic sense, the street nuns and the shopping kart are problems or obstacles the hero is facing. since they're metaphorical and intended to have meaning to many viewers, what they are literally is up to you! one obstacle could be handling commitment, it could be with addiction (which can be cyclical as well), the list goes on. but what matters is not what the problems "are," but how the hero gets through them. we know the first attempt was messy and with complete disregard. trying to mosh pit through the nuns only slowed him down, and body slamming the kart looked ineffective at best. clearly, we are being told "You cannot strong arm your way through your problems."

Take 2: my guy jukes out the nuns and gets major air over the kart. while we're meant to think it's effective, clearly all was for nought. the lesson here: "You cannot simply avoid or completely skip over the problems like they don't need to be dealt with." the result of this path being the hero getting what he thought he wanted, only to be hoisted by his own green muscle car about to run him over.

as the final attempt begins, we're given important context that is the driving motivation for our hero. while the woman and the briefcase could be ambiguous in literal meaning as well, they represent loss/the threat of losing something or someone important if our hero can't break the cycle. this happens all too often to real people caught in cycles or constantly-shifting times in life, so the hero's desperation makes sense. but then, after artfully weaving peacefully through the nuns and scoring some Good Person Clout, the hero achieves his goal

the final lesson clearly being: work through the hard stuff. don't brute force it, don't dodge it. make mistakes and learn. learn that it's ok to have hope and want better things for yourself in the future. you might be afraid of losing something important to you along the way, but you can still get better and get things right as long as you keep moving through them.

and i dunno...i think that was a really cool and uplifting message to this song and this music video that i have no idea is there or not intentionally on the part of Yellowcard, but we all know that's not the point of art and music lmao. i found this cool meaning in this cool song/video and i hope you did too! k that's all go to bed

[dearweirdme]

I have a confession to make.. ok noone cares but there you go.

I am a tkkr, but taenn!e made me originally lose my faith. I was like, ok that's tae, and that's her, and they walk hand in hand in Paris. I never believed the cosplayers theory in the first place and I felt that this time the truth must be the simplest explanation. They are dating. It made me doubt all tkk moments of course. I was reading your takes of it being media play but it felt so extra to me, so farfetched!

But the way it "ended" a few days ago, was a well deserved slap on my face. This was so fake, so scripted! How could I miss it?! My ult bias is Tae, why did I miss all his signs? The realisation of the situation actually made me sad. Idols lives are so complicated! I can pretty much guess what Jn had to gain from all this, but I still wonder what made Tae agree to it.. And the only thing that fits perfectly is a cover up for his sexuality.

What do you think he gained out of this circus?

Hi anon!

Well, you are not the only one and definitely don’t beat yourself up about it. BTS hasn’t done anything like this before, so many did not expect them to. And if you’re maybe not that familiar with celebs and pr relationships.. something like this might plant a seed of doubt inside your brain.

Pr is for perception. And it was/is important that Tae is perceived as someone who has dated a woman recently. He can now go into the army with a fresh breakup with a woman under his belt. I do feel from his side, that’s what most of it was about… maybe a tiny bit of visibility in the media as well.. but mostly to cover his queerness a bit.

What made Tae agree to it. I suspect a bit of pressure from his company and a bit of feeling he needs that cover of his queerness. Companies can bring this sort of arrangement by laying out the benefits and maybe there were some things he was allowed to do in exchange. Who knows? All in all the part he himself had to play was actually really small. Only one walk. Most of it was fandom fed by Jennie a bit.

[quietbluejay]

Ahriman: Exile Reread 1

So, I decided not to include my thoughts on the samples I read in between Buried Dagger and this the TLDR: Betrayer: I'm definitely intrigued but it felt like it was being unfair to Magnus :/ Angel Exterminatus: McNeill has really upped his game! The Path of Heaven: slaps roof of warhammer this franchise can fit so much chronic pain into it The Crimson King: this is what got me interested in Lucius originally

And now, the main event: Ahriman: Exile was the second ever WH40k book I ever read (first being Know No Fear), and it was basically the make or break between me staying and me leaving.

story begins with a space wolf pov and man i gotta read a space wolf book at some point, i found out there's a book where a space wolf and a thousand son end up sharing a body and then apparently they become besties so like this is a book written just for me future bluejay note: i read the sample at a later point and the book is on the list now

this guy however in the ahriman novels was as i recall my introduction to warhammer cannibalism And at this point I feel like I should maybe put a content warning. Cannibalism mentions ahead, if you've read the book it's fine, I'm not screenshotting those bits and I'm being even less descriptive

haakon (the pov guy) undergoes an experience that sounds a LOT like he has the butchers nails haakon dude r u ok

you know if i had a nickel every time in this book a dude got stripped and hung from a wall in chains and scribbled on with ink pens by one specific sorcerer i'd have two nickels which is not a lot but man, amon, you need better hobbies note from future bluejay: I misremembered oh i also forgot this bit

im sixteen pages in and we are on our SECOND cannibalism this is really gross i shouldn't have read this right after eating i was going to describe a bit and thought better of it even behind spoiler rip haakon you were alive only for the prologue chapter though wait i feel like he showed up again in a later book??? maybe it was a different gross space wolf

carmenta my beloved blorbo no, self, you have enough cosplays planned her child, for context, is the spaceship she's a rogue techpriest and she's connected to the ship

and here he is the specialest boy the sad wet beast of an evil sorcerer, the platonic ideal of a poor little meow meow

ahriman is uh, not doing very well how the mighty have fallen literally kneeling for an unsanitary blood covered dude who collects evil sorcerers like jewels

viva la vida plays in the background this is, to be honest, an uncomfortable scene, but it really works for setting the mood of the book

meanwhile ahriman is just sitting there like "his main sorcerer is going to betray him i could probably do something but what is the point of doing anything i don't know if all my powers still even work" "it was as if a portion of his soul had shrunken to a wasted shell" and meanwhile gzrel is calling him "a whipped dog among wolves" rip wolf reference ahriman doesn't actually react to that at all khayon would but ahriman basically attempts to repress all his trauma and Does Not Think about it he does that about a lot of things so yay ahriman got chosen to lead the attack on the Titan Child, he's being set up to die ahriman: ok and now over to astraeos who is also blorbo there's a lot of great characters in these books

ok so he's part of the remains of a renegade space marine chapter imperium turned on them without saying why we don't find out about this til a lot later and we find out why waaaay later and it's normally a plot i hate but it was kind of okay here because it fits the story thematically somehow he became the leader of what remains but he has no clue what to say also they're guarding carmenta

Gee I wonder why your powers don’t work any more Do I really need to know about the bloody mucus, French?

the overwhelming message im getting from this is "chaos space marines are gross and unsanitary"

ok i don't remember this either something possessed the dude next to ahriman and now there's frost everywhere it's speaking to ahriman and also everyone else is frosen in time "i am your fate come round at last" spooky note from future bluejay: arc words! arc words!

carmenta: ah my death is here i will be free at last but oops astraeos rescued her ahhh okay so she found him and his brothers floating lost in space and she rescued them and thats why they swore to protect her

ahriman 🤝 carmenta hearing ominous voices behind their thoughts ahriman 🤝 carmenta "you know what just let me die here"

oops ahriman's repression failed traumatic flashbacks to his brother's death time oh yikes rip astraeos he's a prisoner and they took one of his eyes and he's being hung from the ceiling with HOOKS IN HIS SKIN euerrrrgh rusty hooks man french is really going out of his way to emphasize the whats the right term the physical elements and the horrible reality of what it would be like, it's very visceral but also lmao trying to earn the mature rating for the book as if it didn't with the cannibalism

i don't think it's overshooting the horror im just trying to make a joke to lighten my mood because this book gets dark i actually had to take breaks when i was reading it originally because I was in a pretty bad mental place at the time oh yeah ding we have a third character held prisoner naked and hanging from the ceiling though tbh astraeos' situation is worse than haakon's or than future ahrimans will be note from future bluejay: you misremembered, there are 3 times characters are imprisoned and vulnerable and hanging from the ceiling but in only two cases were they naked and cannibalized, no one ate ahriman and he got to keep his tunic. To be fair to past bluejay, it is a weird thing to pop up multiple times in the first place

both of them they were both betrayed by the imperium that created them and outcast by it

astraeos is unsettling ahriman oh this is why he adopts astraeos isn't it

it's because he reminds him of himself and then he shapes astraeos into himself including his own mistakes…. third cannibalism at least it happened offscreen ahriman feel supernatural fear French does a good job at conveying the creeping feeling of something wrong at your back ;-; ahriman kept all the physical things he could from his time in the TS

forget bad mental health day ahriman is having a bad mental health millenium

I can't help but hear this as a riff on the "we should improve society somewhat" meme

so i am STILL not sure if it's the voice of something else in his head or not maybe this time when i finish the trilogy i will have clarity the end got really confusing

oh hey time for him to meet carmenta

and then he warns her to be careful oh gross not the human tallow candles again this was I think my first encounter with them, but sadly not my last of course they didn't do a good job rendering you think these guys know how to properly render anything it explicitly smells like meat

the visitors are thousand sons ahriman basically has a panic attack

oh ahriman is happy :D visitor is someone he knows and actually liked him

ahriman: i'm not alone :D :D :D meanwhile he keeps having visions oops "the vision slipped into his mind like a razor" i love french's similes tolbek threatens gzrel a bit and then ahriman and him talk via telepathy tolbek: you must come with me ahriman: sorry no tolbek surprise attacks it's super effective

annnnd ahriman awakens his power again

after centuries of depression, local man finally feels something and it's joy that he's going to kill someone he knew rip and then ahriman turns into a killing machine rip everyone in the room you're all dead also things get trippy with visions

oh, honey sometimes, having hope is bad because this is wh40k

but this is where it starts he's at his lowest point but he's going to start to climb oh welp he didn't kill one dude just broke his mind

ahriman: i almost feel bad for him then he remembers that this is the guy that ate astraeos' eye and tortured him ahriman: nvm and then for some reason (vision he had) he doesn't kill Maroth seriously at this point i have to think it was something making him not do it the first thing ahriman does is go to free astraeos

the thing he does not want to do is he frees astraeos anyways so now astraeos feels obligated because his honour and obligation are all he has left time for carmenta to be a badass

elmo emoji

anyways the prose is definitely holding up the weird stuff feels weirder, somehow

thinking about how fast ahriman gets attached to carmenta and astraeos but doesn't really admit it to himself which is a repeating pattern in his life thought I had last night: he has the wisdom and critical thinking skills that God gave a slug

let me amend it, that's mean to slugs ahriman does not have the wisdom and sense that God gave a slug i had some thoughts about ahriman and astraeos and some of the themes of this book but they aren't entirely coherent but basically about ahriman being at his kindest when he's at his lowest point mentally and physically and also tbh at his wisest and as he gets in better shape he loses that to his all consuming focus

ahriman is basically the manifestation of that diane di prima poem all he has is a collection of means

[lumiidragon]

This is spoilers so if you haven't watched it yet pass this by. But watching them causally destroy and deface thousands of year old artifacts that belonged to the original gang is making me go ballistic

Ok ok ok ok ok ok ok, so here's my thoughts on that entire part there.

First off, I know some fans might get upset at the fact that TNR shows that it's canon that the gang (or at least Hiccup and his family) have been down in THW and did not, indeed cut contact off for good. I say, 'good for them'. Screw the whole nonsense that Hiccup and the others never saw another dragon in their lives because what a miserable existence. Imagine living in a world where you have ACTUAL. DRAGONS. and then all of the magic is sucked out of that world because one dragon hooked up with a chick and decided that all dragons needed to pack it up and move underground to better fit HIS lifestyle and call it "being safe". However, that's an issue I've touched up on countless times, so I'll leave it at that.

Now onto what happened. Note, if you have not watched season 4 yet, here is your SPOILER WARNING:

I lost my shit mentally when I saw the mural of Hiccups family because I thought "Oh my god, they didn't separate after all! Hiccup might have still actually had the chance to have his kids grow up in the same dragon-populated world he did and that's fantastic!" and it was great that Tom is now certain that he comes from Hiccup's lineage (granted, it's not that any of the fans weren't expecting it. It's pretty obvious and they sure made it that way). However, then Tom finds Hiccup's, I'm guessing, last prosthetic leg. Obviously, they don't know exactly what it is, but I can forgive that. They're kids. However, I was expecting this iconic wonder they found to have more of an impact but TOM FUCKING THROWS IT INTO THE MOUTH OF A SNOW WRAITH FOR IT TO GET DESTROYED CASUALLY AND HE CRACKS A COMMENT ABOUT IT AND THAT'S IT.

We're talking HICCUP'S. PROTHETIC. LEG. This is the most iconic item next to Toothless's tailfin, and it's just CASUALLY munched and nothing else is thought about it. That...I dunno. That felt like a genuine slap to the face for the fans and a spit on Hiccup's grave. Tom couldn't have kept it as another clue? An artifact? ANYTHING?

Why??? What was the reasoning for that? Why bother showing the leg at all if it was going to be used as a non-important throwaway object????? Why couldn't he have just grabbed a rock or something?? Watch, when they find Toothless's tailfin, they'll either use it for shirt tear patches or will display it like God's trophy because Toothless and "cute" night lights matter more than Hiccup and whatever accomplishments he made that were long forgotten these days, I guess. Why does everything THW+ hate Hiccup so much??? /rant

[alathan13]

The Little Mermaid Live Action

I’m so freaking prepared for this movie and it’s not even funny!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve watched the trailer so many times since the full trailer was released.

The original Little Mermaid movie was and is still one of my all time favorite Disney movies. And now just seeing in come to life is amazing. I can already tell you I’m gonna be in tears probably halfway through the movie.

There are probably a million reasons why I’m so excited but I’m only going to talk about my top 3.

Halle Bailey: She such a beautiful woman and a wonderful singer. I heard her singing only a few times before, but when I really heard her voice was during the Disney World 50th Anniversary and she sang “Can You Feel Love Tonight” and she has such a beautiful singing voice. I also read this article somewhere online about Jodi Benson (the original Ariel) and her opinion about Halle playing Ariel. Jodi Benson has been very supportive of Halle as she plays Ariel and was there when Halle received backlash about her playing Ariel. So, Jodi Benson talked about how it doesn’t matter who you are, what you look, or where your from, it’s about the spirit of the character is what’s important. I 100% agree with her. Halle Bailey is going to do a wonderful job by bring one of the most iconic Disney princesses to life.

2. The Music and New Songs: Can we just take a moment and talk about Lin-Manuel Miranda?!?! As everyone should know, he wrote the Broadway musicals “In The Heights” and “Hamilton” and has also written music for other Disney movies like “Encanto” and “Moana”. Lin-Manuel is also a big Disney fan and he also named his son after Sebastian in the little mermaid. And now he gets to work with Alan Menken (the original music composer) and he was the one who inspired Lin-Manuel to compose music. He basically gets to work with his hero and that’s amazing!!!! I’ve also read somewhere that Lin-Manuel might be Chef Louis in the movie.

Ok, now the music. We all have to admit that the original soundtrack slaps!!!! They are classics and masterpieces. I can’t wait to listen to it again in the live action. I have a feeling some of the songs might be a tad different from the original, but that doesn’t bother me. The have done the same thing in all the other Disney live action movies and I love those movies.

I’m really excited to hear these new songs in the movie. As I said earlier, Lin-Manuel Miranda got up work with Alan Menken and wrote 4 new songs. Can’t wait to hear them and listen to them like a million times once the soundtrack comes out.

3. The Actors: Besides Halle Bailey as Ariel, I think they did an amazing job with the cast. I mean, you could have picked better than these actors and actresses to play these roles.

Awkwafina as Scuttle: If you didn’t know who she is, Awkwafina was in “Jumamji: The Next Level” and “Chang-Shi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”. She is a really funny actress and always makes me laugh. I think she will make a great Scuttle.

Daveed Diggs as Sebastian: I think everyone had a feeling that he would play Sebastian before the trailer even came out. He was in “Hamilton” with Lin-Manuel Miranda and also rapped a whole bunch in the musical. I read somewhere that he might rap in the movie and that makes me happy. He honestly fits the role of Sebastian perfectly.

Melissa McCarthy as Ursula: Just like Awkwafina, Melissa McCarthy also makes me laugh as well. She was in the movie “Life of the Party” and Netflix “Thunder Force”. I’m excited to see her bring out her inner diva while playing Ursula.

Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric: First of all, he is extremely cute and hot. When I first saw him I was like blushing like crazy. Also, he was in “A Dog’s Way Home” and the tv show “World On Fire”. I’m excited to see him play Prince Eric. Another thing to point out is that Prince Eric was my Disney Prince crush when I was little and that crush it starting up again.

Those are my top 3 reasons why I am excited about the Live Action Little Mermaid. I won’t be able to wait any longer as it approaches theaters.

[jeremy-queere]

Been asking around random bmc blogs to see what their favorite bmc song is. So you’re next! A full rant and everything would be nice >:)

I'm answering this 3 weeks late. sorry. don't @ me

Shoot, okay, that's a toughie. I think I'm going to go by "odds of me skipping when it comes up on shuffle" rules. So unfortunately, that immediately knocks out many of them - The Play (obviously...), Do You Wanna Hang; both Christine songs (SORRY CHRISTINE I HAVE NO EXCUSE) (i just like singing dude songs ;-;); the instrumentals. Do You Wanna Ride may well be called Do You Wanna Singreallyhigh :/

More Than Survive is the best for when I want to sing along loudly and flex my "acting" but it's also a million years long and starts out with porn, making it harder to play in mixed company.

Two Player Game - OK, so this one is good but. But. If we're including the big band version in our ranking, it might manage to eke its way out on top.

I'm calling this an unfair advantage since the other songs, if similarly arranged, might also slap this hard. Might.

Michael in the Bathroom and the Pants Song are on the same tier for me (SORRY AGAIN!!!) in that they are both very easy to get stuck in your head, you gotta get weirdly heartfelt singing them, and you really gotta be in the mood for them specifically. MitB is iconic for a reason but I'll skip it more often than not if I want to keep my energy up (which is usually the only reason I listen to music whoops). Loser Geek Whatever is also in here if it's the Broadway version. I know in my heart that the Christine songs also belong here.

Halloween, Smartphone Hour, Pitiful Children, and hell, Be More Chill Pt. 1 - These are all bops that are really plot important but that also means you gotta be willing to engage with the story if you want to jam out about it. I dunno if that makes sense? But like you can't sing along to Halloween without paying attention to what's going on with Jake's house during the song. (Sync Up may also fit in here but like. it doesn't go quite as hard as these 4)

Upgrade also fits in with the above category because um. Sorry to all again but. I used to love the first half and then just skip it as soon as the SQUIP verse was done. Again, for singing-along hype building.

So I think that narrows us down to Voices in My Head and the SQUIP Song.

Voices in My Head is an all-mood all-ages fun ditty. It's got heart, dammit. Does anyone not like this one?

But the SQUIP song......... That's the moneymaker, I think. I used to not be able to get my voice low enough, but either I've gotten better at it or I've stopped caring. This one is just fucking FUN. BUT. But but but but. But it has to be the original cast recording.

The Broadway version, someone send me an ask and I'll give my opinions on it. tl;dr they cut out a section of the song for NO reason.

HOWEVER, ON THE FIRST HAND. I have incorporated the Broadway version's little fake audio glitches into it whenever I sing the SQUIP Song. That's good shit.

If you were asking me what my fav is to listen to and not to sing along to, I couldn't tell you. If BMC is playing and I'm not singing along, there is something wrong with me. I don't say that jokingly. That's literally how I realize I'm in a bad mood/really tired is if I'm not singing in the car lol.

[galvanizedfriend]

32, 33, 36, 37 for the ask game ♥️

Hi, friend! How's it going?

Do you have a word/expression that you always use in your writing?

I'm sure I have several. 🤔 I tend to get attached to certain words or expressions because English is not my first language and then I repeat them often and I'm aware of that as I do it, but I can't think of anything in particular right now lol If I had to guess, it's probably something Klaus says to/about Caroline. I always run wild with the way he talks about her, he's so extra. I'm sure I must have repeated myself. 😂 But I have the memory of a dead fish lol I'm sure it will come to me at like 3 in the morning when I'm in bed, trying to sleep.

Give your writing a compliment.

Oh man 😂 I don't know how to compliment myself lol I guess my writing is kinda decent? Could do with some improvements, maybe some beta-reading, but it's ok? Ish? Maybe? I don't know 😂

I like to think I have a good humorous vein in writing, obviously when I'm writing stuff that's more on the lighthearted side (like the romcom stuff), and I think I write a good Elijah? I don't know if those are true, it's just what I feel in my heart 😂 I'm usually proud of my Elijah, and I feel like he's a difficult one to get right. I also always try very hard to do good adaptations when I'm writing AUs, especially human AUs. Doesn't matter the setting or the type of story it is, I do very meticulous work in picking the characters so their personalities will match and they won't be just random OOC people thrown in with a name slapped on them for convenience. I also draw parallels to canon, bring in lots of references, sometimes even little comments. I like for things to still be recognizable regardless even if it's a completely different world, and I think that makes for better stories, especially with AUs. I don't know if anybody ever notices that, but yeah, that's something I personally feel I do a decent job with.

How do you come up with fic titles? What's the one you're most proud of?

Fic titles are the woooooooooorst! I suck at titles, I think I hate almost all of mine. I usually take them from songs, some I tweak a little, but yeah, it's mostly from music. But I usually regret them. Like The Wolf. What was I thinking?

My favorite fic title is probably Vice & Virtue or The Sound of Settling. Gasoline is a little stupid, but I really think it fits the story, at least in my head it does.

Do you research before writing or while you write? Is it fun or boring for you?

I do! I research for everything, even tiny details within stories, even if it's just to write a single line of information, I do some research. I once spent hours using google street view to find the building they use as the compound in The Originals just so I'd know exactly where it's located and what one would see if they looked out the window or stepped out on the balcony (it's Royal St. 837, if anyone's curious). I do a lot of research, yes. Sometimes it's more basic stuff, just to get a date or name or random bit of info right, sometimes it's more in depth. I like doing it, but at the same time it's so distracting. I can sometimes spend hours on research and then before I know the day is over and I haven't written anything. 🙃

Thank you so much for your asks! Have a lovely week! ✨

[xenonmoon]

Ok this is a part I've completely forgotten from when I've read this comic the first time

Wait, is this a flashback that fills in when they mentioned during the 2006 era (surely one of the Hulk crossovers from around that time) in which he mentions having been to a psych?

Here:

Why am I trying to identify some resemblance of continuity into a marvel comic series

Huh?

So Marc was convinced he """"caught"""" DID while assuming the roles of Steven and Jake and he asked to be tested.

Let's not forget: This was how the character was first written to be, inspired by a real life case of a (what back then was known as MPD) patient, but inspired only. It was mainly a story of a deeply traumatised man who got heavily "lost in character" trying to run away from his past and guilt. It got the vibes, but it was meant to be a different thing. Different times and all of that.

With time, two versions of his condition emerged: one that leant more into the "his other identities are characters he impersonates / he's convinced to be" reading more heavily, and one that leant more into "The others are separate entities with some degree of autonomy"

They are both different readings of the same concept, which were used by different writers in different degrees depending on their interpretation of the character and the story they wanted to tell.

Moench always tried to play on the ambiguity of it and anyone (characters and readers alike) could interpret it in their own way.

Dixon and Huston, just to name some, went more with the 1st while Steven Grant (the writer) is the holy prophet of the 2nd during the early days (he's the one who established it as a proper reading after all).

However, the second reading seemed to have sort of disappeared after a while. Sort of like, during the late 80s till the 90s talking about someone with potential MH issues was apparently not cool? Most writers seemed to have completely forgotten about that.

Then the turn of the century happened and suddenly talking about MH was cool. But apparently everyone forgot which particular brand of MH struggles the character had so people sort of made up their own?

Or just fucking slapped some cheap pop psychology shit like "borderline psychotic" "psychopath" or "multiple personality disordered" or stuff like that. Throwaway labels that were in no way reflected by the plot. Ok the last one almost ALMOST got it and really stuck with the character (despite the alleged "personalities" almost never appearing or being treated as aliases) but-

There's one problem though. Even if he was confirmed to have That Specific Disorder (which is, in our civilised terms, DID), there'd be one problem.

It's a real disorder with real diagnostic criteria and real people living with it. The character wasn't written to fit said criteria and work exactly like one, only to show similarities on a surface level.

Trying to claim something that isn't made to be X is X shows both poor understanding of the X thing and poor respect for people living with X, or even worse contribute diffusing harmful stereotypes about the X thing. Classic rep gambit, for this reason most of the times I think it's better leaving it unmentioned unless you know what you're doing.

Well that's dramatic

(I omitted a part because it's funnier in its separate post)

That's... one way to do it? It's very conservative of what was said in the previous runs connecting them all without overriding anything significant. And gives it a supernatural (? sci-fi?) origin (brain got rewritten by an entity), so to distance itself from any real world connections (outside of its resulting behaviour)

Clever in its own way, as it's a solid attempt to bring order to chaos while being respectful to previous works.

I'm not sure I like it. Most likely not, as it shift from an internal, mental struggle to an external and more "physical" cause that can be "removed" by eliminating the agent responsible for it (in this case, the ancient consciousness from beyond space-time). MK's condition is no more something that stems from him but that was "done" to him, something that somewhat reminds me of when they thought MPD was iatrogenic and didn't actually exist?

But it's not really really that eloquent on how much exactly is Khonshu's fault and how much stems from MK trying to manage their condition. And how much of all of that is a permanent change.

While I really dislike the "because it's crazy" introduction it sort of serves ad a bridge from the previous era of the character (in which everyone labelled as such without motive, as I've said) so it can be properly dismantled and disposed of as the character slowly transitions to a new "era".

I can respect the attempt, while not exactly fond of it

[ficretus]

Theory: Speculating about Relic of Destruction

I had some thoughts about the matter so I wanted to throw some theories about it. This will be slightly different than my usual output of looking at plausible ways for certain ship to happen.

When Relics were first introduced with Relic of Knowledge its attributes made perfect sense. It's inspired by wish granting lamp so of course it will have a spirit inside and 3 wish restriction. But then similar attributes were repeated with Relic of Creation. Once again it has spirit inside and significant restriction of needing precise instructions as well as only one creation at the time can exist. To me this implies that remaining two Relics will also have an ability that requires spirit to function as well as have some significant restriction.

This brings me to Relic/Sword of Destruction, which we know quite literally nothing about. Usually when I make speculations I'll base them on confirmed literary influence, but with this one there is not much I can definitively base it on. So bear with me.

I've been reading about various mythological swords and best I can base it on are various cursed swords like Muramasa, Dainsleif and Tyrfing. I choose those influences because I feel they work best with given criteria (ability comes through spirit, has restriction). Is it weird that Relic that is placed in Middle East inspired region could be Nordic inspired? Kind of, but then again, Relic of Knowledge is Middle Eastern inspired artifact in East Asia inspired region, so, eh.

There were some relatively attractive options like Joyeuse or Durandal, but thing with those is that they are mostly just really strong famous swords. If Relic of Destruction is just some really strong sword (that let's say erases existence or something like that), where does spirit and restriction fit in? Does spirit then become wielder's hype man?

Appearance wise, Tyrfing also work relatively well as an influence. Both Relics so far were golden, and Tyrfing has been described as having a golden hilt as well as gleaming like a sun every time it gets unsheathed.

Tyrfing and Dainsleif also work as parallel to Sword being Maiden kept relic. Maidens are essentially royalty, both holding divinely mandated hereditary powers (also 4 Maidens, 4 kingdoms). Similar to that, Tyrfing and Dainsleif were swords used by royalty. Tyrfing itself regularly switching its owner between various kings and powerful warriors. I've seen on one page (and nowhere else, which makes me sceptical) that Dainsleif was originally forged for Odin before it was given to various kings. If that is indeed the case, this once again works well with Relic, being given to Ozma (who has lot of parallels with Odin) and handed down to Maidens for safekeeping.

While Muramasa, Dainsleif and Tyrfing don't literally have spirit inside, all three share the aspect of wielder being compelled to fight to death as soon as they are unsheathed. This makes me believe that spirit of the Relic will this time work through possessing the user and fighting for them.

Ok, but what would sword's ability be? If Relic of Creation (which would logically be destruction's counterpart) creates something when given instructions, how about Relic of Destruction destroying given target. Now, I don't think something like Death note where intended target immediately dies, more like it becomes intended goal of Sword's rampage. Spirit possesses the wielder and makes him go berserk hunting down intended target. Berserk mode gets disengaged if target is killed.

While in berserk mode, user is almost invincible due to spirit's combat prowess being transferred to it (similar to something like Sword of Freyr). Three blades I listed inflict unhealable wounds and are capable of cutting through anything. In RWBY, this might translate into Sword completely negating Aura's defensive and healing properties.

This does sound fairly overpowered, so time to slap some usual restrictions. First, there can only be one target at the time, mirroring Relic of Creation's restrictions. Berserk state rapidly consumes user's Aura, and if that runs out it continues draining their life force. This prevents abusing the Relic as well as cheating the system. You can't pick some impossible target to kill (like Salem) and keep permanent combat buff until the end of time. Just like those three blades I listed (and especially Muramasa), Sword wants blood, be it yours or enemy's, it doesn't matter. Either you or your opponent will be consumed by Destruction.

Alternative to disengaging the berserk mode would be if Sword is somehow separated from the wielder. Due to spirit's possession, wielder would be unable to drop the Sword on their own unless they can somehow break through spirit's control with their own willpower. Both of these are unlikely scenarios due to spirit's overwhelming power.

Anyways, what are your thoughts? Do you consider it plausible or do you think only thing Sword ever destroyed is prospect of ever seeing Volume 10?

[miloscat]

[Review] Brawlout (PS4)

A competent Smash Bros. clone.

After finally clearing Dead Cells and Hyper Light Drifter from my backlog, I could tackle this, to which the two had contributed guest characters. It's a platform fighter in the vein of Nintendo's Smash Bros., made by a Romanian indie studio as their first big project. From that perspective it's impressive how solid it is, but it struggles to escape the shadow of its more established source.

Brawlout sells itself as for the hardcores as well as being accessible to newcomers, but to me its pace calls to mind competitive Melee's fast and technical playstyle. The thing is... I managed to play this locally with others familiar with Smash a couple of times, but we didn't put in the time to get used to its quirks and decided to return to the big dog instead. This is the problem when trying to compete with something so monolithic.

Those quirks are trying to carve out an identity: the control scheme is streamlined to "focus on aggressive mechanics", by removing shields and grabs from the standard Smash Bros. set. One innovation was a jab-to-special combo which I liked. There's also a rage meter that lets you interrupt opponents or your own momentum when launched, and enter a desperation mode. It's a nice idea but using special moves actually takes rage away from you, which disincentivises employing the novel mechanic or half your useful moves. The movement also feels squirrelly in a way I'm finding difficult to describe, but I did get more used to it the more I played.

I'm approaching Brawlout now not for its technical mechanics but for its indie crossover appeal as a solo casual. Slap City, for example, managed to shine in this regard, but for Brawlout the focus is not on that aspect. There's no items, only a handful of fairly flat stages, and a mere ten characters (not helping the perception that it's aping top-level Melee with its restrictive meta). OK, technically there's 25 but many are essentially skins of the six OCs with some tweaks.

These six characters are fun anthropomorphic animals with some oddnesses in their designs, like the cat lady lacking ears and a tail, not to mention that there's only one lady in the entire cast (plus Laylee). The guest characters also make the other characters look oddly small for some reason. These four guest characters were fun to play as, especially now that I've played Yooka-Laylee, Guacamelee, Dead Cells, and Hyper Light Drifter. They're all faithfully presented (aside from it feeling weird to have Drifter with spoken [text] dialogue and in 3D), but I enjoyed Yooka and Laylee most, and Juan fits like a glove with some tweaks to suit his home playstyle. Only two of them got stages, strangely, with HLD and GM left out. The other point I'll make is that some specific moves seem lifted more or less right out of Smash; I don't have a problem with this per se, it's just the game being obvious about its inspiration... also it's funny to see a hedgehog doing a Sheik motion, etc.

For solo play the best option is the arcade mode, a straightlaced series of battles. It at least has some fun back-and-forth quips before each match, and each character has an ending (although the variant characters don't have unique endings or dialogue). The other main mode has more shake-ups and bonus stages like Smash's Classic mode, but without selectable difficulty or continues I couldn't get past more than a dozen stages, finding myself hard-walled at a boss each time. An in-game store provides some meta-progression in the form of randomly unlocked character skins and such, but that didn't prove an effective motivator for me to grind these lacklustre solo modes.

Ultimately I didn't get a huge amount out of Brawlout. As a platform fighter it's certainly competent, but that's all it is, and it needed to be more. It's so hard to compete with Smash especially with Ultimate's level of polish and its IP access (to be fair, this originally released a full year and a half before Ultimate so was competing with the more mediocre For on a previous generation's consoles). Leaning more into the fun crossover aspect and having more for a casual or solo player to do would have gone a long way for me with this, but those things seem like afterthoughts here, and even the worldbuilding for the original characters needed more room to breathe. But for what it's worth, I was here for the continuity of the guest characters and they did well with that in what they did implement; there's some top-shelf Laylee snark in here!

[r8tykearrays]

R8 tyke’s Adventures: R8 tyke Went For A Picnic

Finally, one of the first ever stories in this place! They’re used to be in DeviantArt but I want to have a unique place for them. So here we go.

[Synopsis: R8 tyke invited his friends for a picnic. What could possibly go wrong?]

Note: All content depicted belongs to their original owners. This story is within a series of a bigger plotline collaborated between myself, TF2014, Fred-104-Centurion, and Azelfland, and it is not intended to alter the canon of the original sources. No real entities are harmed, nor intended to do harm, in the making of the episodes. Check them out here:

Azelfland

TF2014

Fred-104-Centurion

One day…

(R8 tyke was taking a nap when the phone rang.)

R8 tyke: (Wakes up and answers the phone) Yes?

Azelfland: (On the phone) Hey, R8 tyke, I have a new Huracan Performante! Do you wanna see?

R8 tyke: I have my own Performante.

Azelfland: (On the phone) What the – (gets hung up)

R8 tyke: Well, time to buy stuff!

(R8 tyke proceeded to order a bunch of body kit for his Alfa Romeo 4C, and moments later, a big box fell from the roof and landed on top of him)

R8 tyke: What? (Unboxes and find the body kits have arrived) Fine job!

After some tinkering…

R8 tyke: There you go, son.

R8 tyke’s 4C: I can have extra D O W N F O R C E, right?

R8 tyke: Hopefully.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door, and when R8 tyke opens it, he found his classic variant wearing a tattered version of the Mercedes team uniform.

R8 tyke: What are you?

R8 tyke (Classic): I’m… the Dumpster Team Principal and his Barely-Held-Together Mercedes! (Moves aside to reveal R8 tyke’s F1 W12 X, which is now fitted with all sorts of damaged parts from the 2021 season, held together by duct tape) Now, tr-

R8 tyke: (Slaps his classic counterpart) Trick-or-treating are for children! (Closes the door)

R8 tyke (Classic): Bloody hell!

R8 tyke: Now, what to do… I got it, let’s go to a picnic!

Meanwhile, at Peach’s Castle, Peach is baking a cake when a big crunch is heard from the roof. As she dashes out of the kitchen to investigate, she found R8 tyke sitting on the dining table next to the Mario bros., playing Mario’s handheld video game console. All 3 are wearing hiking outfits.

R8 tyke: Oh hello pretty lady! We are going to a picnic!

Luigi: Will you join us?

Peach: NO! Rosalina has depression!

Meanwhile, at a room in her castle…

Rosalina: *Sighs* Azelfland went boxing with his friends. Daisy is dressing for trick-or-treating, and I have depression.

TF2014: Hmm…

(Suddenly, the door gets slammed open, and a can of tuna is thrown at TF2014)

TF2014: What the F*CK, dummy –

R8 tyke: We are going for a PICNIC!

TF2014: I… Don’t wanna go to one! Let’s kill some –

R8 tyke: *Takes out and loads shotgun*

TF2014: ENOUGH! I leave!

(TF2014 proceed to board a Warthog that is parked outside the window and left)

R8 tyke: … Aww.

Rosalina: *Moans*

R8 tyke: What’s that? You get spoiled by the new Mario + Rabbids?

Rosalina: *Nods*

R8 tyke: Mmm…

(Suddenly, R8 tyke got hit by a piece of metal, which is thrown by Daisy, who completed her Halloween costume… who dressed up in a silver version of the Tin Soldier set from Team Fortress 2)

Daisy: (Mimicking a robot) Beep boop, I run on Mushroom Kingdom jobs!

R8 tyke: Shut up! (Returns favor by summoning a Porsche 918 Spyder on top of her) Trick-or-treating is not funny – I’ll be right back.

At the kitchen…

R8 tyke: (Opens the door) What is this smell? And why are there smoke?

Peach: Um… This is not steam! This is baked Alaska!

[Objection!]

R8 tyke: Then why do I see the oven on fire?

Peach: (Notices the oven is open, revealing fire inside, and then closes the oven) That is the burning Alaska.

R8 tyke: …OK.

Peach: And it is done! (Turns off the oven and takes out the ‘flaming Alaska’, and pours water on it)

R8 tyke: You dumb witch! I am going to turn you into a –

Mario: (On the outside) Come! We are waiting!

Peach: OK.

Rosalina: Hi! Dream is going to have –

(Daisy pops out from nowhere)

Daisy: Dream face reveal is so bloody old.

Later, at a deserted campground at night…

R8 tyke: Oh look, we are here!

Rosalina: Finally. About time.

R8 tyke: I will find some firewood! (Dashes into the nearby forest)

Peach: I have a bad feeling about this.

Daisy: I will go fishing!

(Daisy picked up R8 tyke’s enchanted fishing rod, named ‘Funny Hook with Stick’, and dashed to the nearest river)

Rosalina: So, I am going to make mushroom sauce with these wild mushrooms!

Tails: (Popping out of nowhere) Didn’t your mama not to teach you –

[Emotional hit!]

Rosalina: *Crying as her mother is long dead*

Peach: *Sighs* Oh, please –

R8 tyke: (Teleports to the team) Go to Brazil! Her mama is dead. Stop roasting her.

Peach: What about you? Did your parents teach you manners?

R8 tyke: Jokes on you, my mama had taught me manners!

Peach: I would like to see you try that. I will leak your real name – Do I smell One Punch Man?

(Peach turned back and saw R8 tyke staring at her… menacingly.)

Peach: *Gulp* OK.

Daisy: (Points to a salmon on the grill) By the way, I caught a salmon, and tonight we will have roasted –

???: OW! Fools, who dare to disturb my private campground?

[Luigi disconnected from the game. (Too scared)]

Mario: Who’s there?

(Suddenly, from the campfire rises a young man with purple hair and a mask covering his right eye. He is in a fancy purple coat with gold highlights and a pair of trousers)

???: I am Loki, and you mortals are disturbing my private campground AND trying to eat me! I shapeshifted into that salmon!

R8 tyke: F*ck!

Loki: I will punish you all, for your evil deeds! Huzzah! (Fires a beam of magic towards Daisy)

Daisy: No! (Takes Peach as her own personal shield and the beam hits Peach instead, snapping her neck in the process, and Peach turns into a gravestone when she collapses onto the floor)

Mario: *Gasps* The princess is dead!

[RIP Princess Peach Toadstool (1983 – 2022)]

R8 tyke: You’re good, girl, real good, maybe even the best –

Rosalina: *Slaps R8 tyke* Shut up!

Peach: (Pops out from her grave with her head facing the wrong way) Help me!

Daisy: I got this.

[Neck fix!]

Peach: This is not fun.

R8 tyke: Loki! I will haunt your butt with my foot, my sword, and my potion of fire resistance! (Unsheathes his new netherite sword)

Loki: Try it. (Unsheathes his Spectral Dagger)

The two entered a Mexican Standoff, with neither making their move. Suddenly, both screams as they charge into each other, and as they pass by, they attacked each other, with R8 tyke falling to his knees afterwards.

Loki: Well now…

(Suddenly, R8 tyke turned into a wooden practise target of his likeliness, being sliced apart by Loki’s dagger)

R8 tyke: (OC) Ha! You fight like a baby!

(Scene turns to R8 tyke, who escaped the dagger in time)

Loki: What?

R8 tyke: Now it is my turn. *Summons his stand, which is a buff man with the head of his R8 LMS GT3 Evo* You are not prepared to meet my stand! Crush him.

(R8 tyke’s stand punched Loki in his stomach, and then the deity crumble onto the ground.)

Loki: Aww…

R8 tyke: This is a good fight! Are you looking for a new friend?

Loki: …Yeah. I’m lonely.

(R8 tyke helped Loki up and listened to his stories about his life.)

Loki: Well, it’s getting late. Until we meet again, R8 tyke. I leave! (Vanishes out of thin air)

R8 tyke: Well, that was a hell of a picnic, isn’t it?

[Luigi joins the game.]

Luigi: Yes!

Peach: *Slaps Daisy* This is YOUR fault.

Daisy: I can un-fix your neck snap if you want.

Meanwhile…

???: I can see it.

???: What’s that, Verthandi?

Verthandi: This man’s is destined to fight alongside the man that can save the world.

???: You serious? He and his friends? I dunno about you, but they look like a bunch of jerks.

???: I suggest giving them a test to prove his ability.

???: Excellent. We will go!