#this is not a great quality to have lol but alas

[mashkaroom]

i have carried 2 cups of soup and some food in between plates vertically in my back-pack back to my dorm without spilling a single drop! I can do anything. Specifically *through gritted teeth* i can do this stupid essay

[sskk-manifesto]

And so the big sskk shortage begins (no sskk for the next 15 episodes) (and the sskk episode coming after kind of sucks)

[accio-victuuri]

All the Things I loved about “One and Only” : My review of Yibo’s new movie 🎞️

Alas, I was able to watch 1 out of the 3 films Yibo released this year. It’s also the one I’ve been looking forward to, because he will be dancing and as a fan of SDC, I wanted to see familiar faces too.

The movie is STUNNING. The visual is something else. I enjoyed how colorful it is. How real. The empty train Shuo Shuo rides, the market, his home and the restaurant below etc. Even if this was a movie, it felt to me like I know these places. I really have to hand it to Dapeng on this one! He did really well! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I remember one of the first reviews I’ve read about it is how it can compete with international films because of it’s quality — and they’re right!

Props to the cinematography ( Zhong Rui & Qian Tiantian ) and the Editing (Tu Yiran & Zhang Yibo) THE EDITING!!!!! It may be headache inducing for some because of the close ups and movement, but i loved it! I mentioned “colors” and I think the clothes contributed to that too and since I’ve read Zhao Yige’s process on it, I appreciated it even more.

Moving on the things I loved, let me list 8. 🤍 ( this is in no particular order )

1. It is funny without trying too hard. When you think of comedy, it’s almost always characters are deliberately given no choice but to be in a comedic situation. This is not one of those. It’s effortless. It also helps that some characters, like Dong Erlang, are naturally funny. He doesn’t have to do anything. Lol. I also find myself laughing with them, and not at them, which is the kind of comedy i like.

2. Every character is interesting. It’s hard to make main characters feel like someone the audience can relate to or be one they wanna get to know more. All the more, the minor characters and this movie nails it. I found myself wanting to know more about Shuo Shuo’s uncle and if he was able to overcome his crippling anxiety of meeting new people and going out. What happened to Kevin’s assistant/translator lol I was laughing so much watching his struggle to act as translators to the foreign dancers 😂😂😂. Shuo Shuo’s performing troupe. The story of his parents. The film is not only about Chen Shuo or Ding Lei. It’s their lives and the people in it.

3. It portrayed the struggles we experience in life without being too melodramatic. Critics have said that Dapeng’s movies focus more on showing the lives of the “little people” and what it’s like. He thrives on telling their stories and I have to agree on that. Ding Lei said that Shuo Shuo’s life could be a melodrama and maybe it is for some, but to those who have experienced life as it is, you could say that this is the reality. There is no magic solution. Shuo Shuo had to leave E-mark, Ding Lei and the team had to give up their “studio” and it’s comfort to be free, Patrick had to leave the team and Luffy is retiring etc. It was more than a movie about Dancing.

4. The Music is amazing! From key moments to the actual battles. The song choices were perfect. 🤍 Even when there was no conventional music playing, like that final battle and Shuo Shuo had to dance while the audience gave him a beat. Peng Fei did a great job with this!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

5. SDC personalities making an appearance. Oh! One of the reasons I loved this is the familiar faces. Knowing that the film was done alongside SDC 5 and they had to move to Hangzhou to make it work. It definitely paid off cause the film is Gorgeous. You can tell that everyone pulled their weight to make this happen. I appreciated seeing Yangkai as a judge in the national competition. I’m not familiar with MonkeyZ prior to him being in this film, but seeing him, well, congratulations on making the National Team in real life. JrTaco & David who have been Yibo’s friends even before they did SDC with him. AAAANNNDDD ROCHKA! My personal favorite. The apple of my eye. Seeing him shine in the final battle rounds 😍😍😍😍

6. The quirky moments. The characters and their own quirks added flavor to them and the story. Especially Ding Lei and his love for the TV drama Empress in the Palace or how he wears diapers 😂

7. WANG YIBO WAS SO FREAKIN HANDSOME IN THIS FILM AND IT NEEDS IT’S OWN ENTRY.

For someone who watched a lot of videos of him as Chen Shuo from actual scenes + behind the scenes. saw the photos. Edited a couple of those videos and photos — I knew Shuo Shuo is exceptional. But that didn’t prepare me at all for the full effect of seeing him in the big screen. I have to admit for the first few minutes of his scenes I wanted to hit pause so I can take a moment — I can’t tho cause I’m in a Cinema. 😂😂😂 HE IS BEAUTIFUL. This is the Yibo that they had to make an effort to look “scruffy” and give him ordinary clothes. The result? Still the most gorgeous human being. Tho in the movie, he is still supposed to look “handsome” but it’s his mom who is the only one who says it. So it gives you the impression that it’s just like how moms think their kids are the most handsome. BUT NO. NO. It’s dangerous how handsome he is in this film 😭

That scene when he falls down spinning when the train stops — and he looks at the girl apologetically? Dude! How??????? How???? Tell me!!!! SO BEAUTIFUL 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

8. WANG YIBO as Chen Shuo. The reason why I watched this movie in the first place. He played the role so well. He is such a lovable character and as a viewer, I can’t help but root for him. I loved the scenes where he was just living his life — trying to balance his responsibilities and reaching his dreams. The dance sequences. How he cried after that Star Dance (?) performance! It was so raw! It felt like he was just too overwhelmed with everything that he became emotional. Best Actor Wang Yibo!!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 That’s what I always loved about him as an actor. He doesn’t have to exaggerate. He is a natural. You watch him and see a real person and not a caricature. What else? His little smiles. How he interacts with other characters are good too, especially his Mom. I want a son like Shuo Shuo please. such a good boy! 😌😌😌

I’m so thankful to meet Yibo as Chen Shuo. This character and the movie is truly a gift to everyone who watches it. 🤍

I hope Shuo Shuo continues to live well, in the unreleased easter egg, it was revealed that he was accepted to the National Team. I wish him all the best!

-END.

[feytouched]

the best tea drinks (& therefore best drinks of all, imo):

bird & blend peppermint cream - milky oolong, peppermint and cocoa shells. this is divine otherworldly delicious!!! very uplifting both hot & cold. the cocoa & milky profile of the oolong make it very cozy-tasting. alas it's caffeinated so i can't drink it after lunch bc of my insomnia

bird & blend moondrop dreams - rooibos, apple pieces, rosehip, lavender, fermented lemon peel, orange peel. to me this is 100% lemon and lavender but unlike a lot of lavender teas it doesn't taste like eating a sachet. if sleepy lotion by lush were a tea. so calming, i drink this after emotional moments to relax and i've classically conditioned myself to feel more stable after drinking it lol. best while hot.

yorkshire tea decaf + milk + a lil bit of sugar. hear me out this is my current obsession. brewing the tea real strong it goes so well with the milk...... and it's decaf so i could have it whenever i want. having to control myself or i'd be drinking this 24/7

black lotus tea familiar frumpkin - this is a yunnan black/rooibos/oolong blend with peppermint & almond and vanilla flavouring so it fits perfectly into my favourite tea flavours. it's been a while since i last had it but it's my stand-out fave from this company which has a lot of great blends all in all

companhia portugueza do chá violet macaron violette - a portuguese tea brand that has super high quality teas. this is my fav violet tea bc it features toasty almond notes!

more to be added in the future i hope but go give these a try if you can ! #teafluencer ☁️*:･ﾟ✧

[vexx-ation]

Account Update (mostly music project stuff)

Hi all! Just wanted to give a quick update on my music project (dw it's still going). I just started medical school, and while I love it, there's a lot less time to fool around and listen to albums than at my last job (alas.). Luckily I've backlogged everything until December 15th, so I'm not in danger of missing a day, but this does mean I likely won't be able to extend the project into next year while keeping the daily format. I do plan on reviewing every album sent to me, and eventually want to make it to 1000 albums, but after 2024 the reviews likely won't be posted daily anymore. That being said, because the backlog is so long and I'm so busy, please know that if you send in an album it'll likely be months before I actually post the review. Just wanted to say that I appreciate the recommendations more than I can say, and feel kinda bad it looks like I'm ignoring yall with how long it takes to post anything. Feel free to keep sending them-- there's no such thing as too many recs when I'm trying to get to 1000 albums!! Also, feel free to Truly send anything, the more niche the better. I've found some of my favorite albums that way :)

TLDR for this part: Daily album reviews for 2024, then switching to a looser schedule. Keep sending recs if you have them, I love what yall have sent so far! <3

In terms of other projects, especially daily ones, I do have another that I'm gearing up for 2025. I love taking photographs (landscapes almost exclusively), and plan on queueing up those to post daily starting in 2025. I'll also be posting reviews of things that I read, listen to, or watch, but those will be more sporadic and of varying quality

Final note: Thank you SO much to every single one of my followers and people who interact with my posts. I post some really niche concept and love to yap, so to know that people are reading it, finding new music, and sending in recs because they like my stuff means the world. I don't really browse tumblr much (I only really post) so if you have a project you want me to check out or promo on my more popular fandom blog (it literally has over 10x the follower count of this one lol) hmu!! I love seeing people's projects :)

Sorry for the wall of text-- I hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

[convoswcourt]

I Hate New York

Lately, I have often been wondering to myself: If I feel so out of place in New York City, why did I choose to reincarnate here? (Pisces moon 4th house here lol)

These inner thoughts started peaking especially after I had a conversation with a client of mine who lives in Sydney who used to live in Cali. He told me how he was outgrowing Cali and decided to move across the globe to Australia. He loves it there and mentioned that Australians value work life balance. He noticed there was less instances of work politics at his jobs compared to working in the states. People actually care about the quality of their lifestyles over there.

Being a New Yorker all my life - those things all sound like a DREAM. Every one in New York City grinds. HARD. Work life balance was never a thing for New Yorkers up until covid forced us to quarantine and wfh.

Even then - the pandemic happened years ago and many of us have been forced back into commuting to work so corporate companies can put their commercial spaces to use.

While people find New York City inspiring and love it here - I find it quite an overwhelming and draining place to live in. When I was little, I thought I wanted to live in a high rise condo on the Upper East Side, but now that I've grown up I'm realizing I actually want to live in a spacious, bright and airy house. I want my own garden where I can plant my own fruits, veggies and herbs. I desire a slow uncomplicated life.

My soul feels congested here in New York City. There's too many impurities here both literally and figuratively that are clouding up my mind, body and soul. These streets don't resonate with me and the energy of this city is at odds with mine.

So naturally as an astrologer, I knew there was a reason for all this. I looked to astrocartography for insight and alas, New York City for me is located on a mars/pluto line. The energies and experiences I go through living in NYC are scorpionic in nature which is great for my overall personal transformation and growth, but it would be in my best interest to look for another location that aligns more with my north node. Don't get me wrong, for another individual with different placements than mine, NYC might be the ideal home base. However, for me, the goal is to create more balance and grounding instead of constantly being in the state of change.

Are you currently desiring something different than your current reality? You can learn about your own astrological essence and blueprint with me to tap into your ultimate potential for joy, love, career and money. Email: convoswcourt@gmail.com for astrotherapy appointment availability.

[dericbindel]

LEGO MINI STARSHIP FLEETS

So, waaay back in late middle school or in high school (I don't really remember which now) (could be anywhere from 2009 to 2014, when I graduated), I set out to make whole fleets of starships and made expansive lore for them, did battle between them, all that good stuff! I was reminded of them the other day and realized I had taken pictures of them before they got packed up, and wanted to share them! (Note: These were taken on a 2014 model windows phone, so quality is not great, apologies)

FEDERATION STARFLEET (original)

These were the inital fleet, with a categorization based on size. From right to left, they were: Frigate, Destroyer, Cruiser, and Greatship. These scaled in power! My federation was more or less basically the same as Star Trek's, with a BIG difference, shown by the following fleet!

ROBOTIC EMPIRE FLEET (original)

(Unfortunately this image has been corrupted, and I would have to do some digging to find these models, fortunately not much is lost).

The Robotic Empire had generally weaker ships, but tried to compensate by having greater numbers. The dramatic twist is that they were sympathetic, and arguably the "good" guys in their conflict with the Federation! They are comprised of sentient robots and programs who arose in various other civilizations, who petitioned for rights and liberties, and were soundly rejected. The ship that is cut-off in the image was a precursor vessel found that drastically shifted the balance of power with its secret weapon.

(No, they don't have an emperor, I was just a youngster who didn't know of other good civilization names, lol)

COMMERCE CORPORATION FLEET

These were basically mercenaries for hire, generally under the employ of the RE. I dunno why I had a corporation of all things ally with robots, but thats what I went with! Their ships are generally utterly terrible, but very cheap to manufacture and deploy.

HUMAN RESERVE FLEET

These ships run the gamut of power, and were not very plentiful. These belonged to Earth's government, and served their own specific interests, but never in opposition to the broader Federation's interests.

THE RED AND BLUE ANCIENTS

(Another weird image corruption)

These two sets of fleet seem to represent two unknowably ancient peoples locked in perpetual and unending conflict. They do not respond to hails, and do not go out of their way to protect ships caught in the crossfire. While their homeworlds and colonies have never been found, they do seem to build new ships. We can only speculate their motives and what they might look like.

UNPICTURED FLEETS

Alas, I have no pictures of the smaller fleets. There was a non-color themed fleet of traders, an ancient green fleet that only consisted of a single vessel (both MOC and in da lore) that might have been involved in the Red and Blue war, a beige/tan fleet with weak ships resembling birds, and arguably the most important unpictured fleet, the brown fleet.

The brown fleet represented the Cynets (Cybernetic Insects), and were responsible for a massive shift of power in the Federation-RE war, easily crushing ships on both sides. The would lead to a second set of ships being designed and commissioned in order to combat their threat, along with an uneasy alliance between the Federation and the Robotic Empire!

FEDERATION STARFLEET (New)

These are the new Federation ships! They all featured vastily upgraded weapons, with the destroyer and Great Ship being able to fire mark 2 Hyper Torpedos to destroy the Cynet ships! The great ship only had one vessel name, the USS Fair Haven, and had a lot of weapons tech.

ROBOTIC EMPIRE FLEET (New)

The robots got a lot of new cruisers and finally a Great Ship of their own! It had 2 Hyper Torpedo replicators and was very important in a lot of the joint deployments.

ALL TOGETHER

And here are all these ships together! You might be wondering what all the extra white up top is, and well, I was really into age of empires back then, and so I made a whole set of mini buildings for a strategy game type deal for the Federation, lol. They are pictured below:

Thanks for taking a look at these! I got a couple other lego MOC's from back then in this folder I found, so keep an eye out for those!

[voxofthevoid]

Hey, I actually don't know if you've ever answered the question I'm going to ask (I'm like 90% sure you did lol), but you're very active on Tumblr, so I couldn't find an updated direct response 😅 - have you ever considered to post more often on ao3, not just one chapter for each work you're currently posting? From my understanding, all JJK and Marvel works you have on a current schedule are finished? And don't get me wrong - of course you have life and I don't mean you SHOULD post everything all at once, but as a fic writer myself - I do not have a patience to sit on my works for long! Like I need to share my obsession I have with certain ships ASAP. For example, your Shibuya Swap fic - someone already picked on that too - will take 2 years to post! That's insane, I don't know if I would like my own stuff in 2 years enough to not feel embarrassed about it and delete, and you will be coming back to it on a monthly basis for 2 years at best, 2.5 at worst, if something will not change the schedule by that time.

Or could it be, that those works aren't actually *finished* it's just that you have a general idea or "drafts" how will it start, progress and end?

I really admire your consistency though, but sometimes can't help myself, but think "Man, I wish you'd post *that* fic more often, it's SO good!" Or post like one fic, just 3-5 chapters of it in a month or sum. But alas, I will restrain myself from begging on my knees in the ao3 comments, because I can understand how annoying it can get, FAST (I dealt with certain people there, too).

Have a great day and please don't take this question as an attack, I'm just a desperate fan of yours, who can't even mind my own business most of the time due to being an ANNOYING person with ADHD lmfao🙏

You WILL see me generally commenting *OMG SO GOOD WOW HOLD UP* gibberish on your works, though (it is a threat).

Haha, don't worry, I won't bite your head off for this. No offense taken or attack interpreted 💜

I have answered a few versions of this question before, twice in relation to JJK and at least once in relation to MCU. They're all somewhere in this tag (link only works in browsers), and the former two will be more recent...but well, that tag has 127 pages of results and Tumblr search sucks balls; even I can't find my posts most of the time, so I definitely don't expect others to. But I did hunt down the most recent one: https://voxofthevoid.tumblr.com/post/746745605036064768/hey-i-was-wondering-why-you-post-one-chapter-a

As for stuff you've asked that's not covered in that answer—

My works are all finished, not just drafts. The "plot bunnies" I talk about are outlines of varying detail, but the fics I'm posting to Ao3 as well as the fics I've posted in previous WIP Wednesday installments are all complete. They need editing, but my first drafts are essentially my final drafts. I proofread to catch typos and grammar errors and to generally polish the phrasing. My day job is editing, which means I'm extremely lazy about editing my leisure writing, but I manage a decent pass.

Regarding how I feel about my work years down the line: I've more or less settled into my writing style. It's still changing and growing, and I enjoy experiments and challenges, but the base quality is at a level I'm content with in terms of both prose and mechanical elements. I'm not embarrassed by anything I've written after 2018, and I don't really see that changing. I will always see the flaws prominently, both objective and subjective ones, but I'll also see the strengths. The older fics (2014–2018) are of significantly poorer quality as well as clumsily executed in many, many ways, but I'm still proud of my ideas and absolutely delighted by how they still entertain so many people. Regardless of my personal feelings toward my writing at a given time, I won't delete my fics.

As for patience, I am indeed patient 🤣. Well, for a year or so, I've been posting snippets from whatever I'm currently working on as WIP Wednesday posts, so I am actively sharing the pieces that I'm working on, but I'm pretty comfortable with sitting on the full stories for months or even years. It just doesn't bother me.

The only issue with how I build a backlog is that once I lose interest in the ship/fandom, my posting slows down, and I get 100 times lazier about editing—to the point I'll likely post the rest of my MCU and Bleach works all raw and dirty. One of the reasons I'm posting as much as I do for JJK is that I'd like to avoid a similar fate in this fandom. Fool's errand with how my inspiration and writing function, but hey, no harm in trying.

And, in line with the post I've linked above, even if I had fewer fics on the roster, my pace would remain a chapter a month per fic. Let's say I suddenly stop writing and also whittle my backlog down to only 2 fics: That won't mean I'll post 3 chapters each for those 2 fics every month; I'll still only post twice a month in total—one chapter from each fic.

As long as no one's being rude or entitled (I've seen some asinine takes about prewritten fics being posted slowly), I consider people wanting more of specific stories as a compliment! However, you'll have to be patient right along with me 😂

And that's a wonderful threat; I look forward to it 🥰

[crehador]

brother crab's spring 2024 parting thoughts (part 1)

doing this quickly and messily this season because it has been a very messy season for me (how... how did i get 50+ episodes behind at one point)

anyway LOADS OF PHENOMENAL STUFF THIS SEASON although i would not call it flawless sentai daishikkaku is still far and away the anime of the season for me (but more on this in parting thoughts part 2, since its season hasn't finished airing just yet)

THE GREATS

kaijuu 8-gou was so much fun. imo it's a very typical battle shounen (but with an adult lead! fantastic) in that it hits all the beats you would expect a battle shounen to hit, but it hits them well. characters are fun, fights are dynamic, worldbuilding is solid and compelling (not terribly revolutionary, but it doesn't need to be)

it's overall just such a good time. hoshina im lov u. s2 please come soon

boukyaku battery was also phenomenal. easily one of the sports anime of all time. hilarious and riveting. the characters are so good, both as individuals and a team, and their backstories all unfolded so wonderfully. the visuals just get better and better. mappa let your staff rest but also. damn. undeniably good work

and todochi!! todochi forever!!! terrible fucking boyfriends (affectionate)

wind breaker was super solid all around as well, i haven't seen toman myself but i keep hearing that it's like toman if toman were good (lmao i'm so sorry to hear this toman enjoyers, stay strong)

oddly enough i'm not possessed with like... and overabundance of super strong feelings towards the characters, though. they're all really fun to watch, and i definitely plan on continuing the series, but i'm not quite rotating them in my head all the time. still good stuff though

THE GOODS (THE VERY GOODS)

astro note should be in the greats honestly but i'm trying to do three per section in this post, but it was just a delight through and through. there was nothing i didn't enjoy about this. takumi you are such a shit (affectionate)

tadaima okaeri... honestly i'm really happy with this adaptation! not only for voice actor reasons (but yes mostly for voice actor reasons) but like put next to all bl adaptations, this one imo does a lot very, very right

i adore the series itself too, did a quick reread before the series started airing and it really is just so wholesome and sweet. but personally i find it a stronger family (and found family) story than a romance, like where it really shines is its exploration of community and generational trauma despite best intentions. which is i imagine not what many people expect from an omegaverse bl but there it is

yozakura-san chi no daisakusen is continuing on into next season (i forgor) but i think it's pretty solidly made its home in this tier for me. it's a lot of wacky, zany fun, and really a delight to watch every week, but it doesn't really stay on my mind afterwards. so just, good stuff!

THE NOT BADS (OR AT LEAST NOT TERRIBLES)

jii-san baa-san wakagaeru was actually overall really enjoyable to me! lots of really deep, poignant moments, an ending that... i shan't say, and loads of quality humor and sweet family moments

but it came out the gate real strong with a first episode that was rife with grandpafucker jokes so i feel like a lot of people might not have made it to the poignant stuff which, fair enough lol. wouldn't say this is something that can't be missed, but really wasn't bad all told

sasakoi... tragically... had i think a pretty strong start but alas. production issues have reared their head and the animation quality in particular got worse and worse throughout

personally i'm not that much a fan of the drama either. the main relationship is pretty cute, but the drama surrounding them... honestly i just couldn't get invested. but that's solely a personal taste thing

as for re:monster... the less said the better. never in my life have i seen a show that more obviously wanted to be a hentai but wasn't

THE SEQUELS/CONTINUATIONS

obviously dungeon meshi was excellent no one needs me to say anything about that

yuru camp s3... i can understand the criticisms, i can understand not vibing with the new art style. but tbh i personally still enjoyed it immensely, it's still cozy, it's still cute, i couldn't really ask for more

hashira training arc my beloved. i can't really give an unbiased review of this one because i love u genyaaaaaaaaa. and gentaaaaaan. god this was such a good arc for them. anyway

shockingly enough i think that is... all i watched this season? (besides yatagarasu and sentai daishikkaku, but more on those later)

i thought there were more than just these but i don't see anything else in my activity log

so basically EXTREMELY STRONG SEASON aots will be decided in like... 20 hours

[zer0psd]

never used photoshop so im curious to see your opinions about photopea vs photoshop

ok things to be known: 1) adobe can suck my cock and balls theyre evil and i wish that the corporate entity that is adobe would go up in flames, a corporation shoud NOT have that much insight in your privacy, files, sensitive info, etc 2) photopea is great and built off a small dev team as a basically a passion project, which is awesomesauce! i'm not knocking them at all, and i think ppl should support them in anyway they can

i've been a graphic designer and photographer for years now, and in hs i became adobe certified. i literally spent four years of my life learning on an industry standard. it becomes muscle memory after a while. beside that i was a roleplayer so i became VERY familiar with edits and gifs and all that. again everything became muscle memory. adobe suites are the industry standard for a reason, and for GOOD reason. i think they have an amazing interface and work hard to update the experience and make shit easier for artists; like i will give them that even if i sound like a bootlicker. i never paid for it tho lol as a student i got it for free and i would use cracks/torrents.

when i got my new computer it wouldn't let me run bootcamp so i couldn't crack the adobe suites like i used to :/ new mac processors or whatever don't rely on intel anymore, so not intel = no bootcamp. most cracks are pc based so i just couldn't find one that worked for me. apple went ham on protecting IP and combating torrents so it's like impossible to crack without an extensive VPN or else adobe will literally send a cease and desist to your internet provider. its sincerely fucked up.

i switched to photopea bc of this. i really liked it, but im autistic so having to relearn my own workflow that ive had for years made me want to hashtag die. the interface is VERY close to photoshop, so it wasn't hard, but it doesn't have the same capabilities i was used to w ps. i do NOT like edited photos in photopea; i think its way too laggy and glitchy to work with giant raw files, which really sucks!!! for making small edits and doing my graphic design tho??? i do really like it. it doesn't have the same capabilities as ps sure, but once i just fucked with the filter galleries and different plug ins and worked my process around what photopea could accomplish, i was good as gold. i've been producing quality work on commission through photopea. it's a learning curve for sure, especially if you have zero experience with an editing interface like that, but the more i use it the more i learn.

all of that being said, i think photopea is fucking awesome for being completely free and open source. it has its issues —— sometimes its way too glitchy for me and pisses me the fuck off, i have to frequently save my psd files and hope that they don't fuck up, and then reopen so it's less laggy and rinse and repeat bc some of my stuff takes hours lmfao —— but i think its pretty darn close to the photoshop i was using like less than a year ago. its glitchy, its laggy, the ads are annoying and clog up the screen, but i simply cannot complain to much when its a smallish dev team working on a shoestring budget (last time i checked) and for FREE. like its open and usable on any browser and computer and i think thats rad.

if i could go back to ps without giving them money i would in a heartbeat. ps is awesome for the work i do, and i like that there's constant improvements and updates. it just boils down to look, feel, and workflow to me; ps is rarely laggy and glitchy, its meant to handle giant projects, there's so many plug ins you can find online, etc. i just wish it wasn't a subscription based software; honestly if i new adobe was less like the elf on the shelf and i could make a one time purchase, i would. but alas.

anyways i'm pro photopea all the way. idk if any of this was helpful its mostly rambly lmfao. but yeah. i don't do much photography anymore, so i don't have to work around the glitches and lags and all of that with photopea; i focus on graphic design for event fliers and social media content + rp resources. it has room for improvement for sure for sure, but it's lovely and helpful in its own way.

[coldgoldlazarus]

Do you have a favorite of the metroid games (including pinball)

Despite the temptation to answer with Pinball for the meme, tragically I must admit that I have not played Pinball. I am sure that if I did so, it would take top rank, but alas. For now, my loyalty is to Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Which isn't really an unpopular opinion anymore lol, I understand it used to be the least favorite, but now has been reconsidered and has plenty of defenders; for better or worse I came to the party late and uninformed and just like it based off my own experience with it.

I honestly think it's tied with Metroid Prime in terms of overall quality, though it has different strengths and weaknesses, and is kinda a more uneven experience overall. Soundtrack and aesthetic isn't as great and memorable, but they're more consistent in selling the atmosphere while still managing to achieve a few good wow moments here and there. World layout/progression/narrative delivery is more linear and direct compared to Prime, in both good and bad ways. (Though still less so than Corruption at least, lol) Story branches out from Metroid's usual subject matter and recurring motifs, but also feels kinda disconnected as a result. Bosses are bigger and better, and the Spider Ball gets its dues here, but there are also plentiful frustrating QoL-related decisions scattered throughout the game as a whole, one of which turns a potentially great boss into the absolute worst. (Spider Guardian Phase 3 my beloathed) Chozo Ghosts vs. Dark Pirate Commandos. Beam Ammo. (Which I had no problem with personally, but I've heard even other defenders of the game apparently tend to dislike.) From an objective standpoint, I think Echoes is on par with Prime, building off of its foundations well, but also liable to be a more frustrating experience in a bunch of little ways.

But from a subjective standpoint? I just love it a bit more despite its flaws, all thanks to Dark Aether. The creepiness of the dark world and overall moodier atmosphere, and how the game handled difficulty in a way that I really appreciated, make me able to look past its shortcomings in other areas and choose it even over Prime's overall smoother experience.

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The vibes throughout are simply impeccable, and I love how little touches like Samus slumping exhaustedly in the save station animation, and the frequency of Luminoth corpses littered throughout the world, really help to sell the severity of the situation. Not to mention the opening investigation of the missing Federation troopers, and how their eventual fate (and the sobering realization that they never even met the Ing proper) really sets the tone powerfully right off the bat.

And it's not all gloom and doom, either, I have just as much love for the bright and sunny Temple Grounds and the associated banger of a theme as for the darker stuff. The environmental design is gorgeous throughout, and I love how bits of Luminoth decoration and artwork are visually echoed (heh) later on in the Light Suit. But even then, it doesn't feel like a complete break in tone, light to offset the shadow and make it darker by contrast.

On that note, I just adore Dark Aether, with its swirling purple skies, the twisted versions of parallel rooms, and eerie distortions of the light world area music; just mwah, chef's kiss from me. Plus the fact of constantly taking damage while outside the light bubbles, further underlining the grim atmosphere and adding an extra layer of anxiety to both exploration and combat.

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Which brings me to my second point; I really enjoy how the whole concept of Dark Aether's toxic atmosphere provided a compelling challenge that is like, the kind of approach to difficulty that I actually like. AM2R, much as I love 99% of it, I wound up giving up on at the finish line, because the last two Shinespark puzzles demanded a level of pixel-perfect timing and precise execution of several consecutive, individually tricky actions within the space of a second at most that I simply could not pull off, which kinda killed my motivation to continue despite being right on the Metroid Queen's doorstep.

With Dark Aether, there isn't that same demand for perfect execution, but instead an ever-present source of danger; that emphasized, (for me at least) a fine mixture of thinking ahead by using knowlege of the light world's layout to navigate the dark, and a need to be willing to take risks and go into areas without the light-bubbles. Sometimes that risk would pay off, and sometimes it wouldn't and I'd die; but either way I'd be getting something out of it, whether the reward of success or the reward of learning.

Similarly, I think I died once or twice during the Chykka fight, to the atmosphere instead of the boss itself, and it felt like an entirely fair outcome for playing very haphazardly on that attempt. So to get back to the point, I like how it didn't demand flawless timing and execution, but still forced me to play well, and employ a fine mixture of cautious planning and calculated gambles to make my way through both exploration and the boss fights. Even if not done through the same means as Dark Aether, this is the kind of approach to difficulty I would like to see more of from the series in general; fingers crossed for Prime 4.

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Like I said, I think Echoes isn't as smooth or polished an experience as Prime, and replaying it is as much a reminder of all those little frustrations as a reinforcement of my love for it, but I still think that the fantastic execution of the tone and tough-but-fair approach to difficulty keep it my personal favorite despite the flaws.

[sugoi-and-spice]

Okay Hi again. I'm the Anon that made Dust Daddy Bible a thing. I wish to open the Dust Daddy Bible again and take a few new notes as I am curious if you can reveal some hcs about the Reader that once again has already been revealed/you wish to share? Maybe even some Hcs bout other characters like Spinner? Maybe some hcs that'll never see the light of day that you wish to share?

I'm also a bit curious on what inspired you to write PN and how does your general planning looks like for the series? I was inspired by you to start my own fanfic but alas...making hcs and an actual story is very hard and ends up in the dirty mostly white gutters fast.

Hey Anon! So glad to hear that my weird little Au fic inspired you!! I'm certainly happy to explain my inspiration and process a bit!

This took A LOT longer to write up than I anticipated, but I wanted to be thorough lol. So, in an effort to not make these novel of a post any longer than it needs to be, I'm just gonna answer the second half of your ask, rather than the headcanon stuff. But if you wanna re-ask that in a separate message I'll be happy to answer. ^_^

Alright, onto Spice's Fanfic Plotting 101!

So full disclosure: I get a lot of (if not most) of my ideas from other media and in some case other fanfics. For Play Nice, I was really inspired by the fic: The Danger Next Door by ratmonkey. I really liked that dynamic of the creepy forced friend with the popular girl and wanted to explore that in a one-shot. But of course, as I got writing, I ended up taking it in a completely different direction that I thought better suited the types of long-format stories I liked to tell and fit better in my writing style. And they went in two wildly different directions.

I'd never be ashamed of that idea origin though -- and neither should any of you. If you decide that you want to write literally the plot of Titanic but with Jujutsu Kaisen characters, fucking do it - it'll be original just on the basis that it'll be written by you. It's as the saying goes:

Good artists borrow, great artist steal.

So that's where the original idea came from. But as for expanding an idea into a full fic? Lately, I've been using the three following steps to do that:

1. Pilot.

2. Outline.

3. Schedule.

Self-explanatory right? No? Haha, well then--

So a pilot, in the way that I'm using the term, is the first episode of a tv show that serves as a prototype of a series. When a network likes a concept that they're pitched, they'll typically order a pilot episode to showcase the series' potential and gauge audience interest before committing to making a whole season.

This is essentially the same thing I do with a fanfic concept - a Pilot Phase. I write the idea as a one-shot or short multi-chapter fic, something that has a satisfying ending if I leave it as is, but that I could also expand on later. I measure how good or poor the response is as well as my own enjoyment and inspiration while writing, and if it's all great - I'll move forward into turning it into a longfic.

After that, I move into the Outline Phase. Outlining goes such a long way in keeping a fic consistent and motivated, imo. There are a lot of writers that start writing without any goal in mind, and then eventually burn out because they run out ideas. No shade to anyone who does btw! There are writers out there who can write without an outline and make something complete and amazing. And even those who do end up running out of ideas and abandoning a fic, fanfiction is all about fun at the end of the day. But for someone looking to break out of that habit and finish their long fics consistently and with quality, outlining and having a clear direction can really help mitigate these pitfalls.

Outlining can also work wonders for eliminating the ever-dreaded blank page. If I'm starting a chapter, even copy-and-pasting a word for word description like the following gives me something to work with:

"The beginning of MC and Shigaraki’s new routine. Bratty back and forths. Although by the end of it, Shigaraki decides that the time they have together is not enough and sets a new plan in motion."

And then I can expand and flourish the language from there, I'm not starting from nothing.

But of course, writing out a whole outline can be just as intimidating if not more so - after all, how do you go from a blank page to "here's all the plot!"? Well, this is why the Pilot and Outline Phases actually go hand and hand for me. Writing a Pilot/One-shot version when I'm first inspired by an idea means that when I start expanding it into a long fic, I'm also not starting from nothing! I already have a story or dynamic started, so it's a lot easier to build ideas and plot-points off of that, rather than just pulling a whole story out of thin air. They're very symbiotic.

Now, writing a good outline could easily be a whole giant post itself, and there's no one right way to do it. For me, I really like to use my outlines to track character arcs and different storylines. Play Nice has about four major different Plots and Sub-Plots going on that I label alphabetically and track in each episode.

Now as anyone that has read Play Nice can tell, these story beats are not necessarily all separate scenes or plotlines or anything - the A, B, & C Plot of this episode are all part of the same actual scene, but I still like to note them and the different effects that even one line of dialogue has on all these different plot points!

Identifying which story beats belong to which plot points helps me keep track of the progress of each one so that I don't write five chapters in a row just about Shigaraki and his relationship with AFO and suddenly realize "Oh shit! MC hasn't been in the story for like five chapters!" (Extreme example, but you get what I mean lol).

I also write out character guides and such in my outlines with the characters' wants, needs, and - in these AU fics - their alternate backstories. Crafting those things for a character however could, once again, be it's own whole post - but knowledge of Want vs Need and keeping character arcs in mind is what takes any piece of media to that next level, not just fanfic. :)

(You can find a great brief on Want vs Need here - welcome to Spice's film school friends xD)

One last note on outlines, is that you don't have to be beholden to them. I move around plot points I've outlined for earlier episodes into later episodes all the time. Play Nice was originally outlined as like a 15 chapter long-fic, but as the story has developed, that's obviously doubled (potentially tripled as I already brain-storm the sequel lolol). But yeah, Outlines are a map, not a bible.

So the Pilot and Outline phases make up the bulk of my patented fanfic process lol. But the icing on the cake that really keeps a fic moving for me is to keep a Schedule.

Full transparency if you didn't know already, I've worked professionally as a freelance writer for a little over three years now. And before that I got a BFA in Screenwriting. So I'm admittedly pretty used to having weekly deadlines for my creative writing now. My grades and rent have depended on it for 7+ years. There were absolutely weeks where, even on a project I loved, the absolute LAST fucking thing I wanted to do that week was write. But I had to push through if I wanted to get paid.

By setting the same type of schedule and expectations for myself, I'm able to hold myself accountable and force my way through even the worst writer's block. There's no real other trick to this one, I'm sorry to say. You just need to set a doable schedule and stick to it.

Now, I am fully aware of the irony of me stressing the importance of schedule right when Play Nice is in a bit of a slowdown - but I am only human. And while I have switched to a monthly posting schedule, I do still keep a similar writing schedule: I try to finish at least a rough draft of a chapter every two weeks. It just takes me a lot longer to edit the chapters now because they're so freaking long these days.

And, you know, this isn't my job. I write fanfic to have fun and explore ideas and themes that I don't necessarily want connected to my personal brand (*cough* Non-Con & Problematic Relationships *cough*), as well as to write for fun without the worry of whether or not an idea is sellable. If any of you do decide to take these tips and tricks for yourself, please remember to keep having fun and not put too much pressure on yourself!

(Also, a little Step 2.5: I try to have at least two chapters - preferably three or four - written past what I'm posting that week. For example, Chapter 20 is the last chapter I uploaded, but I'm actively writing the rough draft for Chapter 23 at the moment. I write in little arcs essentially, that way I can switch out moments between episodes and make edits to keep them all connected).

So, yeah! That's more or less my process! There's a lot more I could say but this post is already way too long, so if you have any follow-ups please feel free to send them in. Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk lol. I hope it was helpful for some of you and not just super lecture-y and pretentious. 😅 At the end of the day, whether you write a one-shot or a long fic, finish or abandon it, the fact that you put your ideas into existence is amazing.

¡Adiós!

[steelycunt]

Hey Ridi!!!! Hope you're well xxx

My problem with swift is that people really really want to convince you that her music is good, and that you should like it. Like telling me that she won such and such award is not going to make me like her music. Neither is you reading her "most touching" lines to me. Like, I'm not a native english speaker and I don't speak it in my day to day life at all, however I can tell that her lyrics are rather clunky a lot off the time. I don't want to know how her music sounds when english is actually your first language.

Also I just don't like how her music sounds?? It's not that her music is badly produced (usually lol) or like uniquely bad - it's just a kind of pop music I don't care for and if nobody tried to convince me to like it I would happily ignore it just like the rest of music that I don't care for. Alas, when someone tries to get me to like swifts music ("It's so imaginative!!" "There is so much emotion!!" et cetera) I turn into the most pretentious music snob I can be 🤷🏻‍♀️. What's your strategy??

hi my love im not too bad i hope you're well too!! i didnt mean for it to become a party but well. im glad to see im not alone and also ive had so many things ive wanted to say about the tswift phenomenon for so long...and with that. come under this cut with me perhaps..

and like. yeah. i am fortunate that i havent really been in the position of people trying to get me into tswift where i would have had to politely resisted the pitch but like. thats exactly it. that is what i cant bear like if you like her music if you enjoy it if you think its good if you relate to it (and i think thats the real strength in taylor swift i think thats what makes her so successful, the relatability of her music rather than the quality of it or of her lyricism) that is FINE!! but then trying to push this narrative that shes objectively a super talented genius ("you might not like her but you can't deny she's a talented lyricist..." yes i can, i don't think she is) because look how many streams she has! look how many grammys! look how great this lyric that ive pulled up is! you can't argue with that! is such nonsense. like i KNOW these people dont genuinely think that there is a direct correlation between success and talent in the music industry, thus implying that if youre the most successful youre the most talented, and if youre not successful well you must not be talented. i KNOW they dont believe that nobody is that stupid. yummy by justin bieber was nominated for a grammy. is this the company you keep lol those awards have never been about talent or quality of music.

and beside all that the citing of lyrics is funny because the lyrics that i see cited are not, in my personal opinion, good. like her music just personally does nothing for me, her lyrics do nothing for me, i dont see the talent or quality in them that somebody else might and thats fine but like. i completely agree its not that she's especially bad it's that she's especially and aggressively made out to be especially objectively good and if you disagree youre wrong and shes the lyricist of a generation and shes the last great american songwriter and shes second only to shakespeare and et cetera. no proof i am presented with will get me to believe she is objectively a genius and that is fine...you do not need to convince other people youre allowed to just. like her...i prommy...

[thesungod]

Honestly one of the problems here is that the PJO universe has been milked to death already and the longer they try to keep bringing it back and continue the universe, the more nonsensical and unnecessary the whole thing gets. Don't get me wrong I liked the Apollo series and I love Nico, and I am still grateful that we got a book for Solangelo, a gay couple being featured as the mains is really great but the writing and the plot/story just keeps decreasing because in order to keep the story going, they just take the development back and kinda step back from the earlier books' development in order to keep coming up with more adventures. Or the writing just isnt really that great anymore due to many reasons.

The thing is that for me, ToA fixed HoO’s problems, or at least many of them.

It was back to being first person narration, not too crowded, actually addressed the point of the gods being bad parents and not caring about demigods. Not to mention certain characters, such as Nico, were allowed the development people wanted to see for them in HoO.

But alas it was too late, too many people had either grown out of the series or had been disappointed by Blood of Olympus and now we’ve kinda slidden back again with tsats.

I wouldn’t say the writing’s quality steadily decrease, I’d say it’s inconsistent. Every time you pick a RR book up, you don’t know if you’re going to read a beautiful fantasy book or… well. something else. I’ll wait for the Chalice of The Gods to make a judgement.

While ToA was definitely still a way to milk the PJO franchise, it gives me the vibe of being something RR actually wanted to write. it’s pretty different than the standard 12-14 fantasy book, starting with the plot, but also for the protagonist and the side characters.

That’s why it works, honestly.

It has some of the typical cashgrab elements (cameos, fan service ships etc except they are mostly inserted when they make SENSE) but it’s also genuinely enjoyable and personally I found the themes and story more mature and well constructed.

HoO is really the typical fantasy series for kids lol, not exceptional but not terrible.

The ToA fandom always says Rick Riordan had to write HoO because he wanted to write ToA sajdjajasks. Obviously we have no idea if that is true, but ToA was so peculiar and came so late (Rick must have known his old audience had grown up) that it seems a passion project to me. Literally who sat him down and forced him to write a book series about the god Apollo becoming mortal and going through Stuff.

On the other hand… you’re telling me they didn’t sit him down and force him to write the solangelo book? Please.

I don’t doubt he loves Nico (especially as he carried HoO on his shoulders tbh) but c’mon.

[chdarling]

Hi! I am great fan of TLE! Any news about 51 chapter?

Not since my update about lack of an update on Sunday lol. I basically have zero hours during the weekdays for quality writing time, so it won’t come before the weekend, alas.

[has-gilgamesh-doneanythingwrong]

Hi, how about a short bit about Nobukatsu maybe drawing/sketching something (like an environment drawing study of sorts?) and getting really focused on getting it right, only to be surprised by Archer Nobu coming up from behind and complimenting his work?

Nobukatsu would be totally embarrassed/shy about the quality, but Nobu wouldn't be having it at all and insist it's good lol

Hello, thank you for the awesome request idea, it is very unique and fun. Thank you as well for waiting so long. I hope that you will enjoy this (it is my first time writing both Nobukatsu and Nobunaga).

I wish you all the very best and hope you have a great day!

Archer Nobunaga Catching Nobukatsu Drawing (And She LOVES it!)

ꕥ Ah, nature. With the fresh, crisp air and clear blue sky; Nobukatsu's mind was free to drift away... not that it'd stop him from thinking about his sister, of course.

ꕥ However, this time, he wanted to try something new, to bolster his skills. Despite currently viewing himself as a good-for-nothing, it'd be good to do something new, something a bit different than his regular negotiation, political strategy and goods acquirement skills. Something more fun, maybe more spontaneous. Seeing as his sister was always up for trying new things, wouldn't it be nice if he could as well?

ꕥ '...But I'm not sure if I'm talented enough...' No matter what, he wouldn't let such thoughts stop him this time. Whipping out an ink brush and some washi paper from the GUDAGUDA Boiler Room (thank the gods for its vast resources), Nobukatsu awkwardly sticks out his tongue, as he tries to work out what to draw for his very first study piece.

ꕥ Now...all that was left was to think on a topic. What should he draw? Flames? Nope, there were none to be seen. Someone in Chaldea? Nope, for he'd likely pick his sister or her other forms as a muse. Himself? Nope, he didn't quite have the confidence to sketch himself as of yet. Scouring his eyes across the surrounding planes, narrowing into any and all forms of nature; Nobukatsu eventually yields and decides to stick to inking the grass and flowers (or weeds) laying before him.

ꕥ He could relate to these facets of nature, viewing them as tiny little things that would be overshadowed by the greatness of a much bigger flower than themselves. Slightly amused by that thought, he finally absorbs himself into his work; as all extraneous thoughts fade away, with only the sound of twittering birds and the billowing breeze providing the accompaniment to his deeds on such a beautiful day.

ꕥ By the time he's finished, the sun is already settling into the horizon, the world around him dappled within a pulsating reddish-gold shade. The view before him was beautiful.

ꕥ "So this is how it feels to try something different-" For the first time in a while, Nobukatsu felt a bit of pride regarding his work today.

ꕥ But before he could fully congratulate himself for his accomplishments, a smug yet appreciative "Hm, so this is what has been occupying your attention this eve? It's a fine work, if I do say so myself!" catches him entirely off guard, Nobukatsu's body leaping into the air in horror, as he slowly turns to face the intruding voice that had caught him in such a vulnerable state.

ꕥ It was none other than Nobunaga. His dear sister. His precious sister. Hand perched upon his shoulder, looking over at his messy yet incredibly detailed and intricate ink painting, her red eyes sparkling with glee. His sister was showing direct interest in the works of a nobody like himself!!!!!

ꕥ Squawking with embarrassment, Nobukatsu immediately tries to hide his artwork from her sharp gaze, but alas it is too late! A crimson blush envelopes his features as he stutters out a small, "S-sister....your lofty gaze need not witness such pathetic art as mines..." If only he could burn into flames right now!!!

ꕥ However, Nobunaga is less than impressed by such a humble response, placing her hands on her hips as she frowns at her younger brother. "You shouldn't give up on yourself so soon! I can tell that you've put great effort into this piece. I cannot help but praise such devotion to your natural surroundings!!!" Patting him on the shoulder, Nobunaga declares her pride in his art, and states that it is the ultimate cumulation of hard work and effort.

ꕥ Overwhelmed by such praise, Nobukatsu is reduced to a stuttering mess, unsure on how to handle such praise, especially from the sister that he admires so greatly. "....I-is that so...?" Finally giving his art another peek, he too begins to realise just how amazing he was to produce something of his own.

ꕥ Gleeful, Nobunaga grins so wide that her teeth glimmer omniously. "That's exactly so! To create something with your own hands, and see it through to the very end... that is a feat worthy of pride and joy! I hope to see more works from you in the future. I wonder what you'll make next!"

ꕥ As an enquiring mind that loves all sorts of creations (especially the new and unusual), Nobunaga sensed a certain potential within her younger brother's art.

ꕥ What started off as a mere way for Nobukatsu to try challenging something new had now eclipsed into a newfound sense of confidence; burning softly within his heart. With a slight twinge of determination, Nobukatsu made a small vow to try creating more things from now on!