#they had a valid point on one post that this mimics

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Sleeping In The Cold Below

If I had a nickel for every time Voiceplay did a song from a videogame, featuring Omar Cardona and arranged by Geoff... (Well, this was actually a co-arrangement between Geoff and Rob Dietz, but my point still stands! 😝)

Voiceplay's video for Sleeping In The Cold Below was uploaded on the 17th of February, 2024 (which for me typing this, was yesterday), and the song comes from an "action role-playing third-person shooter multiplayer online game" called Warframe, originally released in 2013. I know buggerall about the game, and have never heard the original song before, but as we should all know by now, that doesn't matter when it comes to Voiceplay! I'm very excited to break this one down, so let's get into it!

Very cool mask things! (But also I'm glad they were only for the opening (and closing) shots)

Apparently this was filmed at some place called Optiview 360, and the name checks out tbh, because those are some very cool wall and floor effects, which I will be pointing out multiple times in this post!

(Also very niche little fun fact: the guys are in the exact same lineup order as they were for Dream On and Whiskey In The Jar: Geoff-Eli-Omar-Cesar-Layne!)

The contact lenses were definitely a great touch for this video, I must say

Cesar is wearing two different coloured contact lenses, because apparently he (and Omar too) couldn't decide which colour to go with (valid), and in fact Cesar and Omar are wearing one each of two pairs! (So basically their contact lenses match up)

Geoff's hair looks greyer than usual here, and I can't for the life of me figure out whether it was coloured grey for the video, or if it's just the lighting, or if this is more of his natural colour nowadays. I'm certainly not complaining though, and I'll just have to wait for more videos from him and Voiceplay this year to hopefully figure it out!

Also, even though I love his hazel eyes, whether you can actually see a tinge of green in them or whether they just look a dark-chocolate-brown colour, I'm not gonna lie, the contacts he's wearing here are really doing things for me 👀👌

(And his outfit in this video seems to fit *really well* on him and he looks fantastic in it okay bye)

Eli's wearing two different coloured contacts as well! (This Is Halloween flashbacks anybody?)

This is almost pure-white lighting, and I reckon this is his natural hair colour at the current moment. You can definitely see his grey-white streak here, and his hair does still have a notable bit of brown to it, but it's almost definitely getting greyer (embrace it! Love it! I know I sure do!)

(Actually I might do a Geoff hair study for this video, but later, and not as part of this post)

Everyone is now unmasked, and more cool background visuals!

Swear I won't point out every single background change in this video, because there seem to be a fair amount of them, but still! So many cool ones!

Notice Omar's different coloured contacts as well!

Is that a freaking black hole?

"It can hurt you, it can hold you, he can kick you or console you"

(Not shown here are Cesar's cool little head movements during the third shot pictured above)

Omar's got some moves! (Also background change yet again!)

Layne looking like he knows full well that he's just showing off at this point 😝😁

Complete and utter superstars!!!

(Also that hand next to/under the head movement is definitely on my list of "movements I mimic when (re)watching Voiceplay videos")

I mean WOW!

Also the background design changes at least 18 times, that's quicker than once every 10 seconds!

I loved this song and video so much I rewatched it almost immediately after my first watch, and then that night, I went and rewatched it again two more times! And honestly I'd have to say that out of all the videogame song covers Voiceplay has done (Enemy, Halo Theme, Dragonborn Comes, etc), this is 100% my favourite! Everything about this cover and video is so absolutely top-notch high quality, and the song absolutely slaps! Well done Voiceplay, you've knocked it out of the park again! Honestly the fact that they're just an independent acapella group on YouTube blows my mind sometimes.

So I'm finally up-to-date on all the full-length Voiceplay videos that I wanted to talk about, although by the time you're reading this, there will probably be a brand new Voiceplay video (edit from future me: there's not),But for now? Well either tomorrow or the day after (depending on whether there's a new VP video to talk about first (there ain't)), you will be seeing a handful of "Voiceplay-Adjacent Visuals" posts, where I'll be talking about the visuals of some of Geoff's solo videos! But that's all for now, and stay tuned!

[thegreatzombieartisan]

“Gil-Galad gaslights Galadriel when he declared Sauron was no longer a threat”

This popular stance inaccurately personalizes what is ultimately an impersonal leadership decision. A manipulative one, yes, though not with nefarious intent. Rather, in service to what he believes will produce the best outcomes for both Middle Earth and Galadriel.

Consider Gil-Galad's decision from leader's perspective who must prioritize the bigger picture when disclosing sensitive information.

Juding by the ceremony for Galadriel and company, Gil-Galad was officially on the fence with Sauron still posing a threat. Not validating her is “gaslighting” as a necessary political evil for the greater good. It also presumes because she is entitled to his real beliefs while failing to recognize the risk of disclosure. The remaining episodes make it pretty clear: give Galadriel an inch and she'll take it to the moon. Oh, dear, what could go wrong? For Gil-Galad to so casually disclose his true beliefs to Elrond after Galadriel departs Middle Earth, tells us he didn't beforehand due to his herald's close friendship with her. The High King says to Elrond, "we foresaw” (royal we or plural we?) that Galadriel might have:

"...kept alive the very evil she sought to defeat. For the same wind that seeks to blow out a fire may also cause its spread."

There are a few different ways to interpret this. Knowing exactly how he reaches this conclusion (canonical wisdom, gift of foresight, or other means) would help narrow it down. If Galadriel's mutiny was given greater gravitas, as it should have had over disobeying Gil-Galad's orders, I would say he worries of her becoming evil due to her search, thus "evil spreading." (Maybe Gil-Galad read the script?) In any event, when the High King decided to end the war and send her to Valinor, updating Galadriel on Noldor happenings on Middle Earth becomes a moot point.

I liken S1 Galadriel to an American 9/11 neoconservative* hardliner, warning everyone about WMDs Sauron. Her aggressive zealotry renders Gil-Galad unable to trust her pursuing Sauron either as a commander in his army or discontinue as private citizen of his realm. If he discloses the fading of the Elves to her, he needlessly risks Galadriel's defection and jeopardizes his plans of intervention. And we know he's right when Galadriel reveals her plans to defect to Elrond post-ceremony. And since nobody has ever refused the call to Valinor, so he had no reason to think any harm might come from not telling her.

(Also, if you undermine your boss’s authority, and your subordinates rage quit, you might find validating you is not at the top of anyone’s to-do list.)

*A tongue-and-cheek way of saying she supports intervenist foreign policy a la Numenor to sending a military force into the Southlands to prevent the execution of a “weapon of mass destruction” aka Sauron’s “shadow lands” scheme.

It’s comparable to coalition forces sent invading Afghanistan to locate WMDs. However, in Galadriel’s scenario, the WMDs were within and alongside her the entire time.

Although Tolkien hated allegory, RoP has chosen include in its creative direction. The Southlands closely mimics the American post-Civil War Reconstruction Era minus the actual reconstruction. Pharazon is now a populist leader. I figured, why not carry-on with modern American political parallels.

[void-galaxy-shenanigans]

Yet another “I'm more non-speaking/nonverbal than I thought” post.

Hi. This is Nico. Our body is autistic. When I first found that out I thought we were “high functioning”, because we weren't as disabled as others seemed to be. But we were just very high masking at the time, & the mask is peeling off in painful layers.

I perfected my ability to write from 5 years old till now (we're 23), in part because speaking aloud is difficult. (But I thought everyone struggled to speak words & that I just....wasn't dealing with it well.) Because of that, this will be written in much better grammar & clearer words than I am capable of aloud right now. That does not mean I can speak aloud, nor that autistics who can't write like this don't exist or aren't super valid. That also doesn't mean I won't use wrong words sometimes, because I do still mix up words or have an inability to find the word I mean.

That disclaimer aside....

I thought I was hyperverbal. Because we also have ADHD & C-PTSD, the tism didn't seem to affect our speaking much.

The hyperverbal speech was part autism mask, part ADHD hyperactivity (or, externalized symptoms to be more accurate), & part PTSD (got abused & punished for not speaking).

I am currently medicating my ADHD with a balance of sugar & caffeine that works short-term. (I will eventually seek actual meds but there's a shortage right now & I am a tired bitch who doesn't wanna deal with doctors right now.)

I was trying to sing along to my music playlist. That's typically one of my most reliable self-soothing tactics. Even as we've started unmasking the tism, I didn't notice much difference in my singing—as long as I'm singing with backup music, I can still sing when words otherwise don't wanna work/translate/etc.

It came out in soft babbles, “bah bah bah” (lip taps with air), “bleh bleh bleh” (basically just tongue taps with air), & faint humming. I could follow the general beat/tune of the song, but couldn't make any of the lyrics come out.

This followed a session of flirting with my autistic girlfriend, & her making me laugh nonstop for a solid 20mins, until my brain decided “I'm safe right now” & words failed me. My mouth wouldn't do it.

I can still make noise in my head. Some of my thoughts are words (in a jumbled mix of the languages I know (Spanish & French, & bits n pieces of Norwegian/German/Italian/Irish Gaelic/Russian/Greek)). But most are pictures, feelings, vague concepts that I couldn't translate if I tried. None of the thoughts, even the ones that are words, will come out of my mouth. I can't make them come out.

That said, after around 20mins of incoherent noise I was able to sing along again not by understanding the meaning of the words or by saying the words, but by mimicking just the sounds. Ignore that it's a word, let the meaning float in nonexistence, & I can repeat the sound. But I don't know what the fuck I'm saying when I do that, because I can't think the meaning or process the words at the same time as I mimic it.

And that's the same reason that I sing almost exactly the same notes, accent, tone, etc. when I sing, 99% of the time. I'm just mimicking—I'm not actively singing. In order to actually sing, I have to wait for my brain to have enough processing power to spare to not mask, not mimic, process the words, process everything around me (lights, sounds, etc.), associate the words with something or someone, preferably a memory (usually it's my girlfriend who comes to mind right now, but sometimes it's family or friends), AND still make the words come out like they actually mean something. And that takes...so much out of me.

I can't make meaningful words happen right now. Just meaning-detached sounds.

So...yeah.

I thought I had no problems with speech. I thought words were just “a little difficult sometimes”. But I can only word so much in a day before I run out now, & I mean hard stop, ‘can't even mask to save my life’, can't talk to my loved ones, ✨run out✨. My girlfriend pointed out I'm unable to word speech more often than I'm able to now, & suggested I might be more non-speaking than I realized. Because I can usually word inside my head, for most of a day (especially if I take a nap), but I cannot word aloud for more than 2 or 3 hours if I'm not masking, & my mask starts glitching & breaking (stutters, wrong scripts, etc.) after about 5 hours at work now.

So I was never high functioning. I was destroying my brain to mask, & now I'm so burnt out & destroyed from what I did mask through that I can't even mask most of the time. I am now “high support needs” (incorrectly dubbed “low functioning”) autistic, because of how masking destroyed me.

Once I graduate college with a degree that lets me get a job where I can be myself (preferably my own boss), I will never be masking ever again. I can't. It's so taxing.

Speaking isn't supposed to be hard. It's also not supposed to be an act of mimicry 24/7 (sometimes it is mimicry, but not this much). And this is news to me, and I am devastated for child me who thought he was just not trying hard enough or was broken or was just missing a tool.

He was always disabled. We were always disabled. I will honour that disability now, to the best of my ability. Because I love him, because we're worth it, because I shouldn't have to pretend to be neurotypical & able-bodied when I'm not, because that little kid deserved better.

I will learn other ways to communicate. I will learn other languages, but also non-word ways. I don't always have to speak.

And that's okay. I'm allowed to be disabled.

So into the future we grow.

~Nico

[acourtofthought]

Hey girl hey! How are you?

I feel like things have been NUTS in this fandom recently, and tbh I can’t be bothered to engage as much as I used to bc of everything else going on in my life. BUT I did see a post where an anti claimed that because Bryce and hunt “chose to be mates”, Elain will OBVIOUSLY choose Azriel. And that’s just “common sense”.

It tickled me, especially since I don’t think their Quinlar claim regarding choice is as valid as they believe it to be. But I did find it humorous that this is what they took from Quinlar to be proof or indication of E/riel. When Quinlar has all the mating code of SJM’s other mated pairs. But especially the two instances that mimic Gwynriel’s code from the Azriel bonus.

Like I’m sorry but op wrote this long ass post about Quinlar’s “choice” = Elriel but ignored the glowing within Bryce’s chest when Hunt first kissed her in CC & in their additional bonus which matches Azriel’s thoughts of Gwyn. That’s fucking hilarious.

Anyways, wanted to share bc I think you’ll find it funny to💀😭

💖🧼

How are things in your life? I'm hoping that if they've been stressful, you've had the chance to find ways to relax and unwind especially outside the fandom because this is definitely not the place for that 😂😂😂. I look forward to the day we have answers so things can settle by at least a few degrees. Do you have any fun summer trips planned or have you taken any so far? There are so many things off about the Quinlar = E/riel take. First, it's odd when they try to compare a "chosen" mating bond set in a modern world between a half fae / fallen angel (with unknown lineage) and use it as evidence of Elain breaking her fae mating bond and choosing Az instead. They aren't close to being the same thing. First, Quinlar didn't choose one another while sharing a powerful bond with another. Hunt previously loved Shahar and chose to be with her yet she still wasn't his mate (choice or not). He didn't walk away from a magical force with her only to eventually end up with Bryce. Also, we don't know if it was truly a choice between Quinlar because would the same things have happened had Hunt ever called Shahar his mate? Would their scents have merged and would Hunt have gone into a rage? Or were Hunt and Bryce always destined to be the only ones who could share in a mating bond together? Sure they could have dated other people and maybe been happy but we don't know if they would share mate coding with those people and been as happy and powerful as they are together. We don't know enough about the bonds in CC to know whether it was ever really a completely random choice between them or whether destiny played a part in their ending up together. But really, the main take away is that SJM could have just had Bryce and Hunt choose to be together as partners then left it at that but instead they STILL ended up as mates with mate coded language like you pointed out 😂 They are still the ONLY mates each has known. In the SJM world whether you are given a Cauldron blessed mate or a chosen mate a character still seems to end up with the only mate they've ever known. If that doesn't tell you that SJM prefers mates above all else then I'm not sure what will. Once mate is thrown into the equation, that's the ultimate for her. Even her poorly matched mating bond pairings still chose one another, i.e. Rhys's parents. It's not even apples to oranges at this point, it's like leafy sea dragons to apples 😂

[transpanda-1]

as one of the biggest TYFE fans. I would like to know #5, #8, #10, #13 and #25 or #26 (yknow if they're not major arc spoilers)

🫖 Thank you so very much, avid fan! We are happy to provide commentary and details about Thank You For Existing! 🫶🏽

This is a bit of a long post, so have it under a read more! Oho!

5.) Pick a theme song for the tv adaptation

Hmm... okay, we have a thought. Considering each season of TYFE is basically like a different show (not in structure, but in immediate presentation) there should be a recognizable jingle/melody as the theme song (Think The Owl House), but each season different instruments are used to play it. (For Marcus's part it imitates The Simpsons instruments, for example)

8.) What inspired your world building, if anything

AaaaaaaAaaa LOT. A lot A lot. But if we were to point to two big ones: Kingdom Hearts and The Matrix. Kingdom Hearts solved the multiverse problem by just putting all the stories on different planets in the same universe. The Matrix because it's a more technological/loophole method to create the story worlds.

10.) Why did you choose that title?

The phrase actually came to us the night we were diagnosed with OSDD. We won't go too into detail on it, but after trying desperately to understand if who we are was valid, a phrase felt like it came to us: "Everything's going to be okay you're going to be happy thank you for existing"

Thank you for existing, to us, is thanking every alter in a system, no matter how they fit into the greater space. This series is a big love letter to systems, so we felt it was best to use that!

13.) How long have you been working on this project? What has changed from the outset?

This is a complicated question, because the answer is technically since middle school. But that isn't exactly true either!

You see, TYFE came together when we felt multiple different stories we had may work better as different parts of a whole. So the oldest "chunk" was supposed to be an original, single story we were interested in telling in middle school. But the decision for "TYFE" to exist, was gluing them together late in college.

For example, Yuni only exists to be the main perspective character of TYFE! Maya, Marcus, Amber, Crystal, and Pan Yu are all older characters than her! Yuni was made just to be an underlying thread!

25.) Best scene you haven't yet written, but have an idea for?

I think we really one day want to make commentary on the trauma of heavy demonization of your existence in media. And, if you notice, Sue Mary's hair is meant to mimic a paintbrush. We have considered a metaphorical scene involving a big blood-red lake, dragging one out of it to get as far away as possible, but a trail of red constantly following (due to stained hair dragging behind)

[acefaun]

I thought about this at one point with the non tangible/non animal gods too like... would hue turn into a glass of water? Would Zyglavis be like a shadowy scale? Dui being two people but not even a person?? I personally really want more eldritch/ethereal forms rather than robes for their god forms but yknow they're valid. -aqvarius anon

I don't mean as a permanent "This is how I want Lou to look 24/7!" Because... Yeah, that'd be rough, buddy... 😳 SCM doesn't appear to be the fandom for avid monster-lovers, in any case. 🤭

BUT LETS HAVE AN EXAMPLE SO WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE?

Ichthys here, for example. On the left, he has his normal god form, radiating normal power levels and he has a human appearance. And then on the right he has his "god form", which is supposed to be them radiating their maximum powers as Zodiac gods. But. They don't look too different from their normal power use. Just a change of clothes. And they only take on these maximum power god-forms when they're protecting MC or something similar. So we only see them for maybe five minutes?

In those five minutes, they should be the EPITOME OF THEIR ZODIAC CONSTELLATION! I feel like the Ichthys on the right should be more fish-like! He could literally be a merman! But Pisces is two fish, right? So give him twin tails. (kind of like those twin tailed foxes or cats.) That works better in my head... I'd have to draw it out for visual. 💀 We'll deliberate on that one!

But Hue is sort of fine the way he is, I think. Similar to how Virgo is a simply depicted as a female, meaning Partheno would swap genders to be the virgin maiden of Virgo; Aquarius is a water bearer, he's not the water itself. So... Make Hue bear water and I guess he'd be good? I'm not sure... I still do feel like he's somehow lacking compared to everyone else... But at least his max-god form actually depicts a water jug that he would be otherwise carrying.

But I mentioned in another post that Zyglavis, as the inanimate object Libra, god of Scales, might just have cool horns that would mimic the way the scales of justice would look. Of course, he'd be all glammed out and would probably wear a headdress to really accentuate the importance of his horns. And maybe he'd have unguligrade legs to further emphasize his height(I put an example below). Tall things usually look unstable and difficult to keep balanced, this would just be a nonverbal reference to the delicate balance of justice. (Unguligrade is just essentialy walking on your toes)

I'm thinking like this:

I really had that specific thought for Zyglavis' legs purely because of how weak and lanky a deer's legs look, but it turns out they're surprisingly strong and look elegant while they're at it. Symbolism. 😙 Because, again, I don't actually see him taking the form of an actual kitchen scale(Leo's famous jab).

Meanwhile, Gemini is just Twins, so I do feel like Dui and Shadow would just split into two. (it happened in one of the special stories) They were just vibing together.

But is this fine? It feels too human for a god form, so maybe we could spruce up their twin-looks with some ancient god inspiration somewhere down the line.

But you're also making me want super scary intimidating eldritch gods too. 🤭 That'd be super interesting for the Zodiac.

But yeah, these god forms are their non-permanent maximum-power forms. They poof into these magnificently powerful forms, destroy whatever's trying to kill you, make sure you're alright and in one piece, and then poof right back into their usual human-looking self in their department uniform.

Unfortunately I can't bring my ipad with me where I'm going tomorrow but I'll bring my sketchbook to try and get these wacky ideas out of my head. ✨

[jcmarchi]

5 CISO trends to keep up with during July of 2024 - CyberTalk

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/5-ciso-trends-to-keep-up-with-during-july-of-2024-cybertalk/

5 CISO trends to keep up with during July of 2024 - CyberTalk

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

What is the word ‘agile’ spelled backwards? CISO. (Just kidding, but it should be)

As we enter July of 2024, contending with the current cyber security landscape demands unprecedented levels of vigilance and strategic agility. This month brings a convergence of developments and challenges with far-reaching implications.

From a high-impact vulnerability in ubiquitous software, to the insidious spread of shadow IT, this article highlights five current cyber security trends that professionals should be attuned to, as to then recalibrate risk management approaches accordingly.

Protect your organization from the latest threats while driving innovation and implementing proactive cyber security mitigation measures.

5 CISO trends, July 2024

1. A critical Outlook vulnerability. Cyber security researchers have discovered a zero-click remote code execution vulnerability that, if exploited, could result in unauthorized access and data breaches.

Now patched by Microsoft, the vulnerability was perceived as “critical” by some researchers, and Microsoft rated it as “important.”

Immediate exploitation of the vulnerability isn’t terribly likely, but it remains a possibility, especially if this vulnerability is combined with another one.

Make sure that you organization updates all Microsoft Outlook and Office applications with the latest patches.

2. Google passkey support for executives. As part of its Advanced Protection Program (APP), Google is adding passkey support, which will better protect higher profile individuals from cyber threats.

Advanced Protection Program users typically have public-facing positions (CEOs, COOs, CTOs) or engage in controversial work (lawyers, journalists, human rights advocates).

“Security keys are super-duper strong. They are an un-phishable factor,” said Google’s APP project manager, Shuvo Chatterjee.

Organizations may wish to ensure that higher profile stakeholders leverage passkey support.

3. The rise of ‘Shadow SaaS’. In a survey of over 250 global cyber security professionals, nearly 75% admitted to the use of SaaS applications that the IT team had not specifically approved of.

Security professionals took this risk despite knowing the risk – 65% knew of the possibility of data loss, 62% noted lack of visibility and control, and 52% identified data breaches as an inherent risk accompanying the use of unauthorized tools.

Ten percent of cyber security professionals expressed certainty around having experienced an organizational data breach (or data loss) due to the use of shadow SaaS.

There is a clear gap between use of unauthorized tools and risk mitigation capabilities. Ensure that your organization closes this gap.

4. The impossibility of emails. After the emergence of ChatGPT, on a regular basis, phishing emails started to look nearly identical to typical email correspondences. The traditional red flags started to disappear. At this point, that’s old news.

What’s new is that as organizations have continued to send out emails, as organizations are wont to do, recipients have started to question the validity of the emails, as they arguably look like potential phishing emails.

At the end of the day, the issue here is that organizations need email security that both keeps phishing emails out and that users trust to keep their inboxes safe.

5. Fake network traffic. Last year, 18% of all network traffic was either automated or “invalid.” In other words, fraudsters used bots to commit fraud and compromise the security and integrity of websites, among other things.

Artificial intelligence has contributed to the proliferation and persistence of fake network traffic. In effect, AI has enabled bots to closely mimic human behavior, rendering traditional detection methods less effective.

In some cases, these bots aren’t actually harmful, but their presence means that CISOs and security teams have to deal with them – presenting a distraction from more significant cyber security tasks. The sooner that security leaders proactively address this issue, the sooner that everyone can get back to the more important stuff.

Further information

As your organization works to elevate its cyber security posture, turn towards cyber security tools that are AI-powered and cloud-delivered, enabling you to stay ahead of the latest threats.

For more insights like these, click here. Lastly, to receive cyber security thought leadership articles, groundbreaking research and emerging threat analyses each week, subscribe to the CyberTalk.org newsletter.

[spilltheteawithme]

I skimmed through the solar system blog, and I find it interesting that they're saying your information is lies, but their argument that he lives with AW is based on baits. Like one of his sneakers on a stair landing in her home. Do they even know for sure it's her home? (has he been seen in those sneakers again, curious), flowers on a table with a hat that looks like something he's worn, blurred photos that could be him with the dog on a sofa. There hasn't been a full body pic of him actually in her house, but when there's a pic of her in the house, they say he took it. It's his style. Anyone can mimic a style. My point is that your observations are just as valid as theirs. They think you're a fraud because you might be telling his business, but from what I've seen on your blog, it doesn't put him in a negative light, so why would he be mad or worried about what you've said. I imagine if his team asked you to stop, you would oblige. I don't get why you trigger them.

Scrolling my asks and I don't get it either. This is all I'm answering, on this subject, as it still fits with the bait conversations we've previously discussed. I hope everyone understands me wanting to stay away from all the drama.

I think AWs always had that style of her own photography, whether she has someone take them or sets a timer, who knows. I dont get how everyone immediately assumes he took them since theyve been linked. The baits, could be a similar hat or shoe, could be his, the point of baits is to hint and keep a focus on specific subject, them. PR would be smart to have them hang out for chemistry and to snap photos, for all anyone knows a majority of content could be from a single weekend hangout (not saying it is) but the baits are often slipped into photo dumps. Flowers, she could have bought them herself and likes flowers, her team or friends or family could have sent them. Why is it only from him?

As for my posts, I steer clear of anything that could get me in trouble and most of what I discuss, everyone is discussing. I'd never say anything bad about him or something I shouldn't as he is a great person. I'm not jealous of his situation, nor do I wish I were AW and yes, if asked by him or his team, I would stop posting about all of this. Let them think what they want of me and keep talking, its childish and I'm not jumping on that bandwagon. My blog is what it is, and I don't particularly like AW as a person from my own personal experience with the woman.

[phatmoto]

Phatmoto: Understand The Significance Of Bikes With Motors!

There is one thing you should know before buying a motorcycle, despite the fact that we'll go into why they're actually pretty valuable pieces of gear below. Depending on where you live, this type of bike may have a different legal definition. In France, for example, motorized bicycles are subject to the same laws as mopeds and scooters, including the requirement that riders be at least 14 years old and in possession of a valid driver's license or pass a test in place of one. In many Canadian provinces, however, there is no legal distinction between a bike and a motorized bicycle.

The Best Reasons To Get Motorized Bicycles!

When riding in traffic, stopping and starting frequently or accelerating from a complete halt (like a stop sign) to the pace of traffic are two of the most stressful situations. There is also the greater risk of sharing the road with heavy vehicles driven by individuals who have homicidal intentions. If you're not in great shape or are new to road biking, this could be really challenging.

I perceive an incline. Every cyclist has experienced this nightmare. Even when you are not riding on the road, it is a big inconvenience. You've probably stopped at the top of a hill while biking at some point to gather your breath and complain about the climb. Although the hill would not be a problem at all if you had a motorized bicycle. In fact, the ability of motorized bikes to climb slopes is one of its main selling features. With the aid of the engine, you won't be able to slow down even on the scariest or most enjoyable neighborhood hills (depending on whether you're going up or down). 

Even while cycling is typically not a physically demanding activity, there are occasions when you simply feel exhausted. It has a particular effect that wears you out. Lay to rest your concerns. Certainly makes up for the lack of physical energy in a motorized electric bike. It's nice that you can still cycle and work out because you don't have to use nearly as much energy thanks to the motor aid. When it's just too hot to exert oneself fully, I believe this is the ideal feature to employ. A motorcycle enables you to advance at the same rate of efficiency while using less energy, regardless of your physical condition, whether you're stiff, really exhausted, or just feeling sluggish.

As we so often emphasize, cycling is a far safer option than driving. This subject has been covered in almost all of my posts, so we haven't been shy about reminding you. The rundown, though, is as follows for our sporadic readers: According to the World Health Organisation, 1.24 million people died in car accidents in 2010.

Car accidents are among the top 10 causes of death worldwide. It is staggering how many people die in car accidents every day. Check out these figures! It is safer to bike. People usually dismiss bicycles as risky and bring out the occasional instances where riders are killed on the roads, but such accusations are simply the product of hysteria. There is no getting around the fact that cycling is a safer alternative than driving.

The convenience of an assist motor is added to the safety benefits of a motorized bike over an automobile. Because most biker-car collisions occur at intersections, this may also boost safety. By being able to accelerate faster quickly, it might be possible to reduce the likelihood of an accident.

You're conscious of it. When we were kids, we used to cover our bike's tires with crushed soda cans to mimic the sound of a motorcycle. A motorized bicycle may give you the impression that you are riding a motorcycle even if it isn't one. Ride around feeling like a badass biker after mounting your bike and starting the engine.

It's amazing that even if you don't own a motorcycle or a motorcycle permit, you may still feel that way.

Our primary motivation for buying items like motorcycles, cars, homes, clothes, and other things is their aesthetic appeal.  You want to dress or wear something that makes you look beautiful, thus having good taste is essential. Style matters a lot! Therefore, the fact that motorized motorcycles are stylish and sleek is one of their key advantages.

In The End!

When you need it, the extra kick is available. When you're feeling lethargic, it acts as a free pass. Even if you don't need one, having one is an excellent backup for all those "just in case" instances. Once you have a motorized bicycle, I can guarantee that you'll use it more often than you might think.

[pastelopossum]

OP has a lot to say about transwomen that isn’t so nice, so let’s try this again!

HOMOPHOBES INCLUDE:

Ben, who emphasizes when asking “How do you view lesbian and gay relationships” in That Tone TM. He calls things gay if they’re too colorful, and as a put down.

Breanna, who ships and fetishized her cute gay #itscalledyaoi ships but won’t be friends with lesbians because she’s afraid they’ll hit on her. She wants a Token #GayBestFriend like “cool” girls in tv shows.

Marissa, who will kiss girls when she feels lonely to make her boyfriend pay attention to her because “it’s sexy”.

Josh, who thinks lesbians are “hot” in porn but doesn’t actually think they’re real or should have rights or get married; actually no woman should have rights so he gets a misogynistic award too!

Bethany, who drinks in lesbian bars and makes advances on couples to film when she gets a threesome and sends it to her boyfriend. She also likes to send nude snapchats of herself to the other lesbians and bisexuals from work to prove she’s sexy. She doesn’t use labels like “single” or “taken” or “straight” or “gay” so no one else should when it’s convenient for her self esteem issues.

Christopher says lesbians are just girls who don’t think they’re worthy of a guy and just need to work on their issues because they’ll find a good man when they “stop acting so gay”. He likes to stalk his first dates for a few weeks before he decides they “aren’t worth the trouble” and hovers over the next girl.

Michelles step-daughter came out before she went off to college and insists she only stop by for short visits on the holidays so the rest of her conservative family doesn’t find out yet. Down the line when they do, she’ll say nothing when her family members are rude to her step-daughters girlfriend and calls it “a scene” when her husband defends his daughter. When her son comes out a year later, she’ll break into tears and do everything in her power to prevent him from seeing his boyfriend.

David thinks domestic partnership and “straight marriage” are the same. As an EMT he has refused boyfriends/girlfriends to ride in the ambulance because they’re not really family. Gay marriage is against god.

James calls his son a lady killer at the ripe age of two months. He says he’s not a homophobe because “I have family who’s gay”. He just “doesn’t understand it” and never wants to talk about it. “It’s kind of gross when you really think about it.” He says “no homo” a lot.

Lisa has tattoos of bible quotes against sins and sinners. They’re on her Facebook and Instagram. Being gay is against god. She’s on her third marriage - the first two fell apart because she cheated; but it’s okay because she wound up marrying the guy she cheated with. She tells her church to pray for her gay brother.

Selina had gay friends in high school. She was an “ally” in a LGBT group in high school that was 90% straight, cis, white boys and girls. She thinks she knows everything there is to be gay, bi, and trans because she’s had friends of each and has helped stood up for them in school. She also voted republican, and refuses to talk to her family because her brother is trans and her mother who has been single for 20 years has realized she’s gay. She won’t talk to any of her former high school “friends” because she “is tired of the drama, they said I was a bad friend” because she never actually went to any events or helped stand up for them. She admits later she knows it looks good on her college application and believes “everyone’s soooo obsessed with diversity”.

Karen found out one of her daughters friends is gay and anytime she came over, she would send her home early from parties and sleepovers and lie to her parents about her misbehavior and rudeness so she would supposedly get in trouble. She has bible quotes on her daughters wall and crosses everywhere.

Franks daughter has been struggling with money and has moved back in, but when she can’t hide her secret anymore because it makes her feel guilty and she comes out to him, she’s kicked out and isn’t able to talk to him about anything; their relationship down the line is never the same.

Justin says he doesn’t hate gays, but anytime one of his friends does anything not manly enough he’ll throw “fag” at them. Tranny isn’t a slur, nor is pussyboy; and only gay guys show any form of emotion.

Charlie refuses to call one of his childhood friends by their new name and pronouns because they haven’t “really transistioned”. You can’t really be trans* if you don’t change your voice, bind, and have an operation.

Dillan supposedly is a good alley. In one of his friend groups he and his best friend are the only two straight people. He also thinks pride is a bit ridiculous, gays being able to get married now is totally equal to the “straight marriage” despite what his friends say, and doesn’t fully recognize different sexualities of the couples because “does it matter if she’s bi if she’s dating a guy?” And “does it matter if you’re pan if you’re dating another girl”? He also believes lesbians will always be virgins because “real sex is a penis penetrating a vagina”.

Danny refuses to recognize any non-straight non-cis characters in tv shows or in rpg games with his friends. When he stopped being invited , he argued he was totally okay with “all that gay agenda stuff” but didn’t understand why it needed to be talked about all the time or why his friends wanted to play gay or trans characters.

Melissa wants to upset her parents, so when she finds out the person she’s been flirting back and forth with is “not just a lesbian, but a trans guy too!” they start to date so her parents can be disappointed in the fact the “boyfriend” she’s talked about is “really a girl” and panic when they find out. When they break up, she sends her friends to send equally hateful transphobic, biphobic, and homophobic slurs via voicemail and text message.

[bad-hellaverse-ideas]

I’m trying to take a break from interacting with the fandom but I really had to get this theory out.

Another user was talking about how long “Hell years” could possibly be, and it’s an interesting question. However, they came to a VERY different conclusion than I did. They took evidence from king Solomon that it had to be 118 earth years.

Personally I don’t like using old texts as my main evidence since we’ve seen multiple times that Vizie changes things from them. I don’t find it to reliable enough to use. I use it for inspiration at most. Just because something happened in mythology, doesn’t mean it happened in this universe. Every adaptation is like that. Not saying others can’t use that stuff, it’s just not my style. So I will strictly be looking at the show itself and the Hazbin Hotel pilot.

First up, let’s make a few things clear:

Many cultures have their own calendars systems. It is possible that Hell years might be something similar to that since the original inhabitants probably had their own system before sinners started appearing.

Sinners probably still use their old system, and as such, both Earth and Hell years are common and valid forms of keeping track of dates in this world.

I believe Hell’s technology growth mimics Earth’s. While the other theory countered this with the fact that it could be the other way around, it’s just headcanon based and I will be following my own headcanons until proven otherwise. I also have a counter to this in one of my upcoming points. Besides, with all the sinners coming down, especially with their spot on the higherarchy, it just makes sense to me that they have an influence on Hell’s culture.

This isn’t me trying to go “grrr other theory bad!” No, I just got the idea from it, and I like discussing theories. I actually really enjoy that person’s blog and if anything this is mostly me having fun and wanting to spark discussion.

Alright, let’s get to it!

The clock tower

While pilots are often changed, I don’t think the lore will change that much so I still think it’s worth bringing up.

Either this shows that Earth years are a common system down there. I don’t think exterminations would be following Hell years if they are longer. With population control, they don’t wanna wait too long otherwise that would give them more work. However, IF, by the chance that they are following Hell years…this just confirms it’s the same as ours and “Hell Years” is just a title that refers to what marks a year in Hell since it ain’t rotation around the sun…which would mark this post as completely useless. Still, it is the only thing we see referencing a year, and thus, it’s worth noting either way.

Loona’s adoption

Two points come from this one: her age, and the photo. Let’s talk about her age first, since her age was referred to as “hell years” outside of the show.

Loona mentions she was almost 18 or something when Blitzo adopted her. Meaning this picture would be set a few hell years back. Now, notice how this picture has color. If he’ll years lasted an exceedingly long time, it would either be in black and white or there would be no picture at all. Meaning, Loona had to grow up in modern times.

Alastor’s manifestation and influence

To quote Vaggie: “Decades ago, Alastor manifested in Hell”

It’s unknown if she’s using Earth time or Hell time, BUT we do get evidence that Hell’s tech mimics ours.

Alastor was a radio host in the 1920s-early 30’s. When he came down, that radio trend was still alive and very popular. Like Vox, he took over the radio. The point of reflection to our world comes in once you consider their rivalry. Alastor is old school technology, he had his day, but Vox came around once TV hit and radio was left in the dust. I mean it’s all about video killed the radio star with them.

If Hell’s technically was ahead of us, why would this happen? Why is it that radio was popular down there at the same time it was on earth? Why would TV blow radio out of the water when going on that logic, it would probably already exist? That would really throw a wrench into their plot line and narrative.

A glimpse into the 1950’s

In Alastor’s official comic, it’s the earliest we’ve seen of Pentagram City. One thing I wanna note, I believe that some sinners like to hold onto the past, so no matter what year it is, there will be people with old fashioned clothing, objects, etc. But we do know this comic AT LEAST takes place in the 1950s because that’s when Vox came to Hell and to power.

If Hell’s tech didn’t mimic ours, I find it odd how things that fit the 50’s, and nothing like cell phones and crap that we see throughout the show. Even the only car we see is an old model

I don’t think this is a 50’s car. I don’t know shit about cars but the wheels don’t look 50s to me, it look more 40’s or 30’s, maybe earlier. BUT, this car isn’t modern, and in a society that advances way before ours…it’s just odd that we don’t see any of it.

Young Charlie picture

I’m sure we’re all familiar with the look and aesthetic of Stolas’s childhood. It looked the same way it does in the show, as to be expected from the childhood of someone in their 30’s.

Charlie is over 100, I think 200?? While there are what looks like to be paintings, there is what looks like a photograph.

All dressed up and ready for the titanic. This is clearly a very old picture, based on both the Edwardian clothing and colors. This makes sense considering how old Charlie is, she would’ve been a kid back in these days. That, and we know for fact she’s older than Stolas. Her aging is clearly slower than his (though I have no doubt Stolas could live to be very old. He just ages faster)

And honestly I’d just be repeating my previous points I made in the last two sections.

So, what do I think?

I still think Hell Years are different than Earth years. There’s no way I can narrow down to an exact length, BUT I don’t think Hell years are absurdly long or short. They’re different, but not completely unfamiliar, much like calendars in other cultures, or years on planets like Mars or Venus.

So, really this post is just me speculating and talking about things that caught my interest. I hope Vizie tells us eventually. I also hope this inspires everyone to come up with their own takes and headcanons.

[twst-discourse-bot]

Hello twstrhythm here, just on anon because twstrhythm is not my main account, just a side one connected to the main so asks or replies I make will not appear as twstrhythm.

Now to what I came to say. When I took a look at Ray/Jordan/whatever they are calling themselves' profile for their ocs, it seems like the information was pretty much just copy pasted from one another with small adjustments. And taking a look at their UM, or signature spells as they chose to go with, they seem to give their UMs only strengths without a weakness or handicap to them. Some of the ones we know in canon, have something that holds them back from being entirely op. Azul, for example, needs to have a signed contract to minimize the amount of blot he accumulates. If he uses his unique magic without the contract, the amount of blot he accumulates sky rockets.

Looking at the UM Jordan chose for their Mulan OC, Lin Chau (they could have gone for a better name. This just feels lazy with zero effort), they decided that she would be able "mimic and perfectly match any kind of attack her opponents are doing. She can copy any kind of physical attack and any kind of magic spell." While mimicking attacks isn't too OP on its own, being able to copy both physical and magic attacks without any consequences gives the UM too much strength. If they wanted to have a UM that mimics attacks, they could have chosen to go with either physical or magic attacks. Like how I had chosen to make it so my Mulan based oc can only copy physical attacks, but for a limited time. Being able to do both would make their oc unstoppable and unbeatable in a fight.

I had sent them a friendly message giving them some small advice on what they could do to make their oc a little less op, but they blocked me right after. Fine, I guess.

I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that this person is just blatantly refusing to accept help from people who are actually Chinese. I cannot believe that they actually think they know better for this when all signs have been pointing to the fact that they do not.

And a quick message to that anon that spoke of having an insecurity about the fact that Jordan could be copying their Mulan OCs: Don't worry. I understand you. I feel the same way having a Mulan based oc, myself. I'm thinking that Jordan may have been stalking the tags and taking ideas from existing OCs to try and make their own "unique" ocs. I'm sure your ocs are still unique because while many of us may have similar ideas, your ocs are your own creation using your own ideas. It's okay for some ocs to be similar to another seen online because sometimes it is nice to see people with similar ideas. As much as we all want to be the only one that did a twst oc based on a certain character, there is bound to be someone else out there with a similar idea. But that is not a bad thing. Be proud of yourself, you're doing great!

Hello Rhythm! Hope you are well.

I have nothing much to add, just confirming your statements about Jordan's copycat tendencies. It was evident from the moment they started posting their non-Yuu TWST OCs that they couldn't come up with an original thought to save their life.

And the overpowered UM just screams baby's first OC, which I wouldn't insult them for if they didn't suck as a person. Balance is important, especially when your goal is for other people to like your character, not just to have fun and go nuts.

I don't want to get too into it now, but they seem to crave the validation that comes with creating a fandom OC more so than wanting to have a good time making them, which is really sad but predictable of them at the same time.

It's indeed possible that she went sniffing for others' ideas and cherrypicked ideas she liked, but she still hates the thought of not being the first to come up with something so she would never admit to it even with some kind of proof if we had it.

And I absolutely agree with your message to the other anon! That's how it rolls in fandom spaces, you just have to keep your head up and focus on improving your own skills rather than what everyone else is doing. It's especially hard to be unique in an offshoot of the D*sney fanbase of all things.

Just have fun but be respectful. That's all you need to do :)

[donutdrawsthings]

NO THIS POST IS NOT A DISCUSSION FORUM. EITHER KEEP SCROLLING OR VIBE WITH THE REST OF US

I thought I had already been clear on what my stance was on the matter, but after today I feel like I need to yell it off the top of my lungs. I SUPPORT ROETVEEG PIET AND BLM. LISTEN TO BLACK VOICES AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR WRONGS.

(Information about the Dutch holiday and why it’s racist under the cut! includes extern sources and images!)

Summary

Sinterklaas is a Dutch tradition that starts at the first Saturday after 11 November and ends at 5 December. A figure called Sint Nicholaas comes on a boat from Spain to the Netherlands to celebrate his birthday on the 5th with his little helpers, the Zwarte Pieten. The Zwarte Pieten give candy to the kids and on the 5th kids get a gift from Sinterklaas.

The Racism (Black Pete)

All sounds fairly innocent, until you see what the Zwarte Pieten look like.

These are the traditional Zwarte Pieten (it translates to Black Petes btw). These individuals are usually played by white people and are purposely darkened to black with red lipstick, black curly hair and sometimes golden earrings. I have always been told the dark skin was to represent “soot” from the chimneys, however, up until recent years there was no effort made to actually appear as smeared. In fact, a lot of effort was put into making sure not a single speck of light skin was visible because that could ruin the illusion. (the illusion being, hiding your identity behind blackface.)

These characters are also played to be playful, hyperactive, carefree, happy to do their work and often praise Sinterklaas himself. Which are all traits often depicted alongside the “happy slave” stereotype from way back when and the S*mbo stereotype.

other racist depictions are also on display in stores and houses (often on display near a window for kids to see) in the form of little Black Petes, most of them resembling the G*lliw*g. (first image is a common window prop during Sinterklaas, the second image is the racist G*lliw*g)

This very outdated depiction of black people only really started being questioned in the early 2010′s. However, support for questioning Black Pete only started to become somewhat acceptable around 2016/2017... And even then the public has been largely Pro Black Pete until 2020, after the Black Lives Matter movement also started to become a valid topic of discussion in the Netherlands.

The Transition

Between 2010 and 2020 a lot happened since Black Pete officially got taken into question and talk about whether or not Black Pete should be changed started to become a genuine topic of discussion. When the question first rang, the majority of the Dutch folk were against the change. I was against this change as well. I think I should note that I was around 13 at the time and it is a very common phenomenon for kids to mimic the opinion of their parents and teachers. But this indeed a genuine opinion I had at some point and I acknowledge that with full responsibility. 

The main reasons everyone was against this change was because we did not see it as racist and were convinced the “goal” with this movement was to entirely remove Pete from the holiday or remove the holiday as a whole from the list.

I would also like to note that the Dutch folk’s opinion on what is and isn’t racist is very outdated as well. (As I write this now in 2020 it is still not a whole lot better but around the 2010′s it was definitely worse.) As this topic gained attraction, jokes about black men having huge dicks (the m*and*ngo stereotype), “watering the Africans” and much more were made to me and other people regularly enough to be normal or at the very least, were seen as a bit of a cheeky thing to say. And despite being a multicultural country, Asian people were still referred to as “Chinese”, Native Americans as “Indians” and Islamic women as “Penguins” as well.

But back on the topic. As the years went on, more and more protests against Black Pete gained attraction and by now parents started to use these protests as another reason to be against the change because “they are ruining it for the kids”  White parents would also start to praise the word of their 1 black colleague/friend for being against the change as well.

When the topic started to become more prominent, people made the attempt to change the Black of a Black Pete to another colour. This created the short lived bizarre creation of Rainbow Pete. (also seen in the picture above)

Rainbow Pete was a very short lived idea and was considered weird by many. However, I personally do believe this was an important step in the transition. Rainbow Pete took the depersonalisation tied to Black Pete and quite literally, showed its true colours. It’s ehhh hard to explain what “A Pete” is in English. But growing up I never considered them as human, nor were they ever explained to me as ACTUALLY being human. They are just described as a Pete, and a Pete is all they are. They aren’t people who can have other jobs in Spain or can travel the world to find something else to do. They are a Pete, and therefore they will always be with Sinterklaas in Spain, making toys for us, giving us candy and then going back to Spain with Sinterklaas again.

And that’s why I think this odd colour change was so important. Because by making them green or blue or pink it properly showed how ALIEN Petes felt. Like a whole other species. It tied a certain uncomfortable environment to the depersonalisation and after it’s short lived appearance, Soot Smudge Pete was a much easier step to make

Soot Smudge Pete, or in Dutch known as Roetveeg Pete, is the most recent and most inclusive variant of the Petes. This Pete only requires a few dark smudges to mimic actual soot and can be played by all races.

in 2018/19 Soot Petes started to become more present in the official parades, which a lot of parents were rather disgusted about. I personally think this is the period in which a lot of people just straight up outed themselves as racist, actively being against “White Pete” and actively longing for the “Real Petes” to return. Even with these Petes slowly becoming more popular, it is still not safe for most people who are against Black Pete to discuss the matter with Pro Black Pete individuals in this time period. Pro Black Pete individuals (often family or coworkers) more often than not become very heated when the topic arises and I cannot say I’ve ever seen the same attitude from people who are against Black Pete.

Present Day

In 2020, thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement, it has become way more socially acceptable to support Soot Smudge Pete. Parents who are still Pro Black Pete are still vocally voicing their disgust every time Soot Petes are present instead of Black Petes and much like what happened to me back then, their opinions also seep through onto their children. With these people still present in Sinterklaas spaces it also sadly occurs they press their believes on Soot Petes by giving them too much soot and still giving them a black, curly wig.

However, with the way things are going right now and the positive, multicultural depiction present in the media, I believe we are finally on our way to a more positive environment for kids of all kinds of backgrounds!

Afterthoughts

This whole post sparked after I dealt with a nasty situation myself while playing a Soot Pete at my old Elementary school. I really wanted to play this role to tie a more positive view on Soot Petes with all the parents creating such a negative environment around the Sinterklaas times and thought I could take matters into my own hands. However, I was Sooted up by a Pro Black Pete mother and thus, nearly got as dark as my brown hair. (besides that I also have gender issues and despite the school knowing I’m called Josh, put me in a dress outfit,, but that’s a more personal issue) I was able to wipe most of it off by the time the kids came in, but not without sharing some discouraging words with my mother, who told me to “just suck it up”.

It’s really important to me for people to know how Bad stuff like that still is in this country and I just... don’t understand why people would still support Black Pete after all this time. These people are either friends, family, or just kind people I know and love who around November open their mouths to say the most vile things and create such a sour situation for everyone involved. And after Black Pete is proven to be racist time and time again, still supporting it... It makes me wonder if this has to do with pride more than anything.

No one wants to be called a racist, but is it really that hard to acknowledge some of the shit you said and did was just plain wrong to the point that you’re taking your opinion to new extremes and decide to die on a sinking ship..?

I’ve said racist things. I have compared the curly black hair of a Black Pete to black classmates. I have compared Black Pete to black classmates. I have joked about them not needing to be face painted to be just like Black Pete. I have made those connections and I’m ashamed I did. But you do what you can to deal with it and become better for those around you. You listen to black voices, support black artists and black businesses and become better as a person. We need to start acknowledging how much our society is actually structured to belittle and undervalue black people and you can’t do that when you’re THAT far up your own ass. 

phew... anyways. Black Lives Matter! Don’t use tradition to defend racism! Fijne Pakjesavond!!

[no-psi-nan]

@emphasisabled Hmmm, I think you very much like Danger x Bigger Danger (so so valid lol).

🤔🤔🤔

Okay I'm remembering that one Tumblr post where someone points out that atheist D&D characters can be a thing because there are so many powerful non-deity creatures that can reasonably masquerade as a god. And there was a suggestion of a very powerful Mimic. I believe afterwards the Mimic became a chair for an adventurer or something hsfjdlshfks.

So anyways: wildly powerful Mimic Saiki x seasoned adventurer Kuboyasu who was planning one last campaign before retirement. He's supposed to cut down a mystical tree that grows upside-down in a magical cave or whatever and bring it back.

But that cave is Saiki's territory, and while he's fine with some quests if they don't make too much of a mess, that particular tree grows key ingredients for his coffee jelly so like hell he's going to let Kuboyasu take it down.

But at the same time, he feels kinda bad about killing someone right before retirement. So he gives him a chance and takes a humanoid form to see if he can reason with Kuboyasu.

But Kuboyasu's instincts are too good and he attacks before Saiki can speak, and they have a fight until Saiki decides he's had enough fun and easily holds Kuboyasu down and asks him what he thinks he's doing, etc. And Kuboyasu is like 😳 sir how are you holding me down so easily like this 😳

Saiki laughs and invites Kuboyasu into his quirky little cave home and romance ensues. Turns out Kuboyasu doesn't need that extra reward if he marries someone who already has real estate. 😂😂 Also then they get to fight the next band of adventurers seeking to cut down the tree together. 💜

[Context for this ask]

[nowplayingblog]

Why the charictarization of Remus Lupin matter so much to me?

A character study of Remus Lupin

Disclaimer: I think every interpretation of every character is valid and should not be torn down (further discussed in this post). The following is a discussion of how I interpret a character, and things that I (me, specifically) don't like to see when I read fic, or even in fanart in many cases, and why.

(Just a friendly reminder that if you don't like someone's interpretation of a character, you can click off the fic, or block their account. It's OK to create a happy space for yourself.)

I'll begin with the reason I decided to make this post.

I've noticed a lot in my many years of being a marauders fan that there is a generally accepted interpretation of Remus, and the way certain people in the Fandom feel about it is that this is the only acceptable interpretation.

Based on my own observations, "Fanon Remus" is:

Negative/pessimistic.

Rough around the edges.

More confident in himself.

Borderline mean to anyone who he isn't friends with.

Usually smokes (cigarettes, weed, or both) and drinks.

Perpetually sad and tragic.

Tends to come off as disinterested in everything.

Fully accepting of being a werewolf and feels there is no separation between himself and his werewolf form.

(To be fair, this list is based on how I view this interpretation of Remus so it's likely bias.)

This interpretation of Remus has seen an increase in popularity with the re-emergence of the popular fanfic All the Young Dudes by MsKingBean89.

Here's the thing - I don't take issue with this version of Remus existing, it's definitely not to my taste (and we'll get into that more later) but it's a valid interpretation of his character.

Where I take issue with this is attitudes surrounding it, and people in the Fandom trying to make me feels as though this is the canon/only interpretation of Remus there can be.

I've been on multiple platforms where fellow Wolfstar/Marauders fans have stated that they hate seeing Remus depicted as:

Shy/timid.

Not as confident in himself and his abilities.

Thankful for his friends for the simple act of being his friends.

Overall softer (both in appearance and personality).

Being kind to most people he meets.

Being physically smaller than the other boys.

Referring to his werewolf state as something that is separate from him.

These people have argued that their interpretation is back by Canon, and writing Remus any other way is out of character - but the truth is that we know very little about Canon Remus (or any of the other Marauders or characters from that era.)

However both interpretations (or rather these two generalized interpretations, as I believe everyone sees every character a little differently) address aspects of what we know about him:

He's a werewolf and he has a complicated relationship with that aspect of himself. You can either interpret it as an internal conflict where he doesn't want people to be hurt by the part of himself that he can't control, or as an external conflict where he sees himself as a threat all the time, because there isn't a definitive line where "Remus" ends and "The Wolf" starts.

When we meet him in Prisoner of Azkaban, he is a warm and inviting, if a bit unorthodox, teacher. We also later learn he was a part of a group of friends who were notorious for playing pranks. Some interpret his unorthodox teaching style and his occasional sassy-ness (seen in flashbacks and in the present plot of the books) as an indication that he was always on board with the pranks - sometimes the mastermind behind some of them - and also that he was a bit rude or mean to anyone who he wasn't friends with. Others interpret his warm and caring personality to be at the core of who he is, and that his friends taught him to be a little mischievous, sarcastic and sassy.

As I've stated several times now, both are valid interpretations. One is no more rooted in Canon than the other. (I tend not to rely on Canon too much regardless, but that another topic for another post.)

But I think the real core of my problem with "Fanon Remus" comes back to a topic that I spend a LOT of time thinking about. So much time, in fact, that I have original stories and fanworks in the works that address this very issue:

The importance placed on the "dominant" or Type A personality.

(For clarity - Type A personality means someone who is achiement-oriented, ambitious, constantly working towards success, while the Type B personality is the more passive, flexible, easy going personality. )

We tend to see dominant, Type A personalities glorified in our society. We like go-getters, leaders. We glorify CEOs, activists, people who lead change.

We see the more submissive, Type B personalities as weak, passive, lacking the strength needed to succeed in this world.

But being passive, submissive, Type B, doesn't make someone weak. You can passively support causes you believe in. All leaders need followers.

I am more of that Type B, submissive, follower personality, and I identify and look up to characters and people who are like me, and are still strong.

I like to see - and want to see - characters who are more passive, less sure of themselves, but they are still strong and do what's right.

Which is why, while valid, I just can't interpret "Fanon Remus" as MY Remus. I can't relate to "Fanon Remus" and that interpretation of him doesn't serve the purpose I need in the kinds of stories I like to write.

And I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way, about a lot of characters.

They way I see Remus, is like this:

He is shy, he's one of those introverts that gets found by his extrovert friends and has no idea how to make friends outside of that.

He is focused on academics - in the Hogwarts world I see this as a way to prove to himself that he deserves to be here. To James and Sirius, their studies (magic or otherwise, depending on the AU) come naturally to them, but Remus works hard for his grades. (In this way he is a Type A personality, but he's not that dominant personality type.)

He loves his friends and unknowingly starts to mimic and adopt some of their traits the longer they are friends, which is how he becomes more sarcastic and mischievous.

He is kind, to the point of being overly apologetic.

He's one of those students that during parent-teacher conferences the teachers say he's "so quiet" and "a joy to have in class".

He's pessimistic in a "if I don't get my hopes up I won't be disappointed" kind of way. He wants to be optimistic but can't really visualize the things he wants as something that could be true. He feels like his wants are silly wishes. However, he's not pessimistic in the way that "nothing good will ever happen to me."

He's open to things turning out a little differently than he had planned.

He's supportive and wise. He gives good advice to his friends.

He has bad self-esteem issues, often falling into negative thoughts along the lines of "nobody actually likes me" "nobody can stand to be around me" "everyone wishes I wasn't here"

Loves doing big, thrilling activities, but needs his time to have quiet, introspective, and calming activities.

A true introvert, while he loves spending time with people, his social energy drains when he's around others, and recharges when he is alone.

So the moral of this post is meant to be - every character in every fandom is going to have lots of different interpretations, and is going to be even more different from person to person. We all see things differently. They may look wildly different from your interpretation, or even from Canon, but that doesn't make them less valid, and they don't deserve to be told that they're wrong.

There is now correct way to see a character - there are only ways that you disagree with.

Expect to see more character studies and interpretations in the future

[melsie-sims]

tips on starting a bacc? as well as managing one? i’d loveee to start one but man idk the best way and if i’d be able to keep up with it all LMAO😭but it looks so fun!!

oh man! it's so much fun!! i've only been playing this save since may and i'm still really enjoying it. but yes, it is A LOT, so I don't blame you for not knowing where to start.

for your sim creation, I answered this ask recently. if you know roughly which achievements you want to try to get first, that may help you determine what kind of sims you want. some traits that may help are the following: family-oriented, loves outdoors, genius, maker & outgoing. you might like a materialistic sim with the mansion baron aspiration too. honestly, this all really depends on your type of gameplay. if you're heavily into farming/animal husbandry with cottage living, you might want all of your sims to be geared toward that for gen 1.

organization is also big, and the earlier you start to keep things updated the easier it'll be on you in the long run! I organized my spreadsheet first thing, and have tried to keep it up to date whenever something happens in-game (achievements, births, age ups, marriages, etc.) I created this one for myself that I made available for everyone to download, but it's outdated now and I have no plans to update it tbh. I think this one by the actual bacc creators might even be better than mine).

setting small goals for yourself and your sims keeps things interesting. I mostly just had my sims live their lives and didn't have a big game plan. unlocking lots to keep things fresh would probably be a good way to go. maybe working on a park or a bar so they have a community lot to go to? but again, that's just what I did.

making fun storylines and not just chasing after achievements is how I've kept things fun and how I've managed to get so attached to sims. they aren't just grinding skills and working on careers. they have a story and personalities and things they want to achieve personally. like for example, in my game jericho wanted a baby but didn't have any valid partners. so he asked his best friend to be his "surrogate" (there are no doctors or scientists so that also doubles as "friends with benefits" lol). now years later they're married with another kid and a third on the way!

a few more bits of advice. lifespan!! mine is pretty long. don't feel the need to mimic that. but if you do enjoy getting attached to the same characters for extended periods of time, it's definitely a good way to go! the population doesn't grow as quickly though and you may get bored. don't forget to only make your active household age! everyone else should have aging off! cas points are HUGE in the beginning if you want more sims to get more genetics in your town quicker! grinding the charisma skill is definitely an easier way to get them. getting people moved out from your main lot doesn't HAVE to be a priority. the more households you have to play the longer it takes to get through a round... so just move people out when you need space or start feeling overwhelmed! and even then you can just split everyone up into two or three groups so you have more people to play with at once.

but honestly as long as you just have fun playing the game, that's what matters. don't get to hung up on rules if you don't want to.

if you have any questions that are more specific that I haven't touched on, definitely keep them coming! I love doing these q&a style posts!

I hope this helped!!