#(BUT OMG THAT DIALOGUE WAS MORE SILLY THAN I REMEMBERED IT BEING)

[sweets4dolls]

omg im literally obsessed with ur work !! the aesthetics and dialogue and everything is just so chefs kiss :3 this is my first time requesting something so hooray !! i wondering if u could do a bunny! reader with an over protective! alastor? i think he would be the security guard type of boyfriend like thats so yummylicious :D thank you so much and remember to drink lots of water and eat plenty of food !!!!!!

pairing: protective!possessive!alastor + fem!bunny!reader

content warnings: toxic relationship, emotional manipulation, canon typical violence, not proofread, kinda dark!alastor?

notes: but he totally would be thoooo :0 also I just added on possessive for fun oopsies - also, YAY CONGRATSON UR FIRST REQUEST! :D

its in his nature to be protective for people that he likes, so actually being in a relationship with him makes his possessive nature go into overdrive.

although most sinners know better than to try him, there are the occasional few along with some of vox's people that do come after him.

he doesn't like to kill in front of you, he just thinks that you're too cute n pure to witness those sort of acts:(, but don't get it wrong, he's more than willing to rip sinners apart, ready to destroy anything he deems a threat.

that also includes if anything were to say something bad about you, he'd be dragging them away from you and tearing them in two before coming back all smiles.

although he is a gentleman and doesn't like to kill people who he thinks don't deserve it, he'd be lying if he hadn't thought about annihilating some of your friends that he thinks get too touchy with you - if that is the case, you'll end up wondering where they went until alastor comes in, convincing you that you don't need them because you have him!

being so protective, he'd also coax information out of you if he ever saw that you seemed to be bothered, putting on that charming smile of his before he has you spilling your heart out to him.

definitely likes to be by your side 24/7, and at some point it almost gets invasive so you leave by yourself, which he gets very upset at since you didn't tell him first, so. he waits in your room until you get back.

"I thought that you weren't in the mood to go out, dearest bunny?" he says with a hum as he rests in the armchair in the corner of your room, eyes gazing down at you as you chew on your lip nervously.

"just went for a walk is all," you mumbled, hand shifting to grip your upper arm in a comforting fashion.

"to go and see that friend of yours?"

he's worried for your safety, not wanting his precious bun to be kidnapped or killed by one of his many enemies :(

sometimes it leads to fights between you too, you always claiming that you need space from him

"its like I don't have a life outside of you!" you cry, eyes slightly bloodshot from an abundance of tears falling.

"of course you do," a lie, "I just can't have my little bunny getting hurt, can I?" he says in a sweet tone, trying to get you to calm down.

if his words don't work on you, he would leave you to see how hell really was while he wasn't there, leaking information to his enemies on your whereabouts, letting them run after you before he swoops in like the romantic hero of your story that he is and saves you, this time not sparing your pretty eyes from witnessing the carnage he creates.

he takes you back to the hotel, you a mess, weeping in his arms, all frightened and shaking.

"oh, my sweet, silly bunny, how foolish you were to leave without me," he says, nearly patronizingly as he holds you in his arms.

"I'm so, so sorry alastor, you were right," you shakily let out between chest-heaving sobs as you cling to him, afraid to leave his presence for a mere second.

he's always right, he just needs to make you see that too <3

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel #alastor x reader #alastor

[cornflowershade]

bad buddy fandom getting-to-know-you meme!

Thank you for tagging me @lamonnaie!

note: i consider "fanworks" to pretty much everything people create related to a fandom, including but not limited to meta/analysis/discussion, gifs, fanvids/edits/fancams, filk, fanart, fanfic, fan food, fan crafts, etc. please include this note with the meme unless you have a different definition!

name and whatever you want to share about yourself Sonia (she/her). 24. I love getting to know people & chatting about shows so lets goooo

when did you watch bad buddy/join the fandom? I watched Bad Buddy in one week, in late October 2022. I owe it to @airenyah honestly. I think I found their blog through an SPN post and clicked over for that reason. In my scrolling, I happened upon a lovely gifset (wish I could recall who made it) of InkPa. It was the scene where they're outside and Pa says anyone taller than her is fine and hops down off the sidewalk. :) Love that scene. Anyway I reblogged it and in the tags was like WHAT IS THIS I MUST WATCH IT. To which airenyah gave me a whole blessed reply telling me the show name, giving a small synopsis/what to expect from my first thai drama & telling me where I could watch it. I immediately watched the series and adored it. I've seen it twice thus far.

favorite ship(s) PatPran & InkPa :)

favorite character(s): Okay I adore all the main 4 but I'm gonna go with Pran. I love him. There's just something so soft about him and how on earth do his eyes communicate so much?? I think I relate to his messy little overthinking and silently in love brain—very "me the first time i had a queer crush and simply wallowed the whole time bc it was impossible" lol. Also, he's always making the funniest facial expressions which gets me every time. I could go on about everything I like about his character (for instance how clever yet sometimes oblivious he is & how he gets all annoyed lol). Though I do question his sense of interior design and that smiley face obsession.

favorite episode(s) Honestly I'm not certain if I have one?? It's all so good! I do really like their "whoever falls first loses" era though. Wait actually?? My favorite ep might be the early one where Pat thinks he's hitting on the "girl" across the hall and they end up running into each other on the roof. Also both of the beach episodes.

favorite scene(s) *pastes in the entire show* Okay okay I'll try to pick a few:

~ The scene where Pat is staying over and he and Pran are lying in the dark, counting down to say in unison whether they have a crush on Ink. Idk I remember that scene having an emotional impact on me. Pran's face??? Then when Pat asks "would you like me?" and Pran says "I hate you" and then he yanks the blanket away but you saw him crying?? ahhhghrhghgh

~ The scene in the darkroom with Ink and Pa. I remember getting so emotional. Pretty sure Pa's dialogue and acting made me cry. "I do [like you being nice to me]. I like it so much that I thought I was special to you." ARE YOU KIDDING ME ASDFGZ. And then Ink says she is special to her!! And it's so sweet!!

~ OH and how could I forget. This should be at the top of the list. I realllly like the scene where Pran stands up to his mom and they have that emotional fight in their front hall. That whole thing is just. AHHHHHH. AHHH. AHIOFJEIOsdJIO. SIJDGRIOGJRIGJORE

~ And the scene at the stairs where Pat yells how much he loves Pran in front of Pran's whole faculty. :)

(Also any scene where Pat & Pran are being silly. Like their dumb little chopstick fight :p omg or the designing the bus stop at night scene)

one thing you would change about the show if you could Ohhhh I don't know! Maybe I'd throw in a few more InkPa scenes :)

what are your some of your favorite fanworks made by other people? Ahh fun fun fun. Get ready for some fanvid recs! (What else do you expect from me, a fanvidder.)

• Just My Type (Pat x Pran) by samyvids • Physical (Pat x Pran) by coldties • Enchanted (Ink x Pa) by rheaprodz • I really like you (Pat x Pran) by dkyth73 • Rebels (Pat x Pran) by coldties • Dandelions (Pat x Pran) by hylian fanvids

(if you create fanworks) what are your favorite fanworks that you’ve made? I've made two fanvids for Bad Buddy, as well as one song cover haha. I'll stick to the fanvids here. :)

• All I Need (Ink x Pa) • That dimple is illegal (Pat x Pran)

a song that makes you think of bbs (the ones in the show don’t count lol) Physical by Dua Lipa. The fanvid using that song is my all-time favorite BBS edit, so hearing the song reminds me of it.

idk anything else you want us to know? Uhhhhhhhh. I mean I could ramble about BBS and why it means so much to me for a long time haha. Should I do that? I guess I'll do that.

Okay so BBS was the first Thai drama I watched. I was still feeling a lot from the SPN-finale/confession scene era (yes that happened 2 years prior but it's SPN okay iykyk) which had me especially sad about and aware of media censorship etc. etc.

On top of that I was still working up the courage to leave this group chat of childhood friends, some of whom liked to complain about media "making everything gay" etc. (Amazing how you can not know people are homophobic for the entirety of your childhood bc the topic just never comes up lol.) Which was of course upsetting to me for multiple reasons. However the universe decided to do something nice and Heartstopper was released. That series felt really huge to me, but after it was over, I was left with this feeling of like... what else is there to watch? Where else will I ever find a queer ship this canon where they're also the main characters?

That's when I came across BBS and it gave me this realization that OH WAIT we aren't limited to western media and OH LOOK there's so many great shows that I didn't even know about!! And they keep making them! Also it was a queer story where the main obstacle wasn't being gay (Plus, Asian leads!!). And BBS itself is just such a standout show. First of all, I love a good comedy and the series made me laugh so much. It's heartfelt but full of ANTICS [like yes lets have fun! Lets not take everything too seriously!], and Pat & Pran & Ink & Pa are just such wonderful and lovable and real feeling characters—who have this lovely friendship too—and the show is just! Such a fun ride. <3 I recall watching the series and feeling like my world just got a little bit bigger. Anyway Bad Buddy goes all in for everything it does and it's such a joy.

.

Tagging @airenyah and @distant-screaming and @feralmuskyscentedhoepran if you haven't done this yet and would like to!

#bad buddy #bad buddy series #get to know you meme #mine

[izzyizumi]

* d o n o t r e b l o g [chatter/comments ok]

... So I ended up making that Keny@ko (writing it this way so it doesn’t show up in search) gifset because I was doing a rewatch of that ep overall for Reasons as I do, in fact, a) enjoy 02 b) will eventually be making more gifs from it c) side-ship them as I Am A MULTI-shipper, but yes

Please keep in mind my blog rules and banners before you reblog that post, if you do. Thank you.

#izzyizumi blog notice #izzyizumi posts #izzyizumi text post #izzyizumi text #izzyizumi chatter #(I WAS REWATCHING THAT EP ALREADY FOR THE AMVs AND SUCH SO Y U P) #(I PRETTY MUCH REMEMBERED IT NEAR EXACTLY) #(BUT OMG THAT DIALOGUE WAS MORE SILLY THAN I REMEMBERED IT BEING) #(MIYAKO PLS) #(MIYAKO EVEN HIKARI WAS LAUGHING) #(KEN WAS ALL HESITANT TOO LIKE ' U U MMMM ..... ' AND JUST. STARING AT HER) #(LISTEN I ALSO LOVE HIKARI SUPPORTING KEN IN THAT EP) #(LISTEN . KENMIYAKARI) #(DAIKENMIYAKARI FOR THE OT4) #(but seriously if you can't be respectful don't bother reblogging that post)

[thevoidable]

Connecting the dots on Mr Compress’s backstory (slight manga spoilers ahead)

So I was recently talking to a friend about the possibilty of when Compress’s backstory might be revealed, and I ended up having a massive brainwave in the midst of it in regards to just what said story might actually be.

Over the course of bnha, Mr Compress has proven himself to be one of the few characters that we know jack all about, even going so far as to give Dabi a run for his money in the mystery department. But what separates Compress from Dabi is that we're given a tremendous amount of screentime and hints alluding to who Dabi really is, many of which include very personal ties and connections to some big-name characters. 

But Compress? 

Let's give a run-down of everything important we know about him so far in canon:

- He was an entertainer back in the day

- He doesn't like being on the front lines

- His real name is Atsuhiro Sako

And...that's pretty much it. Not a whole lot to go on. 

So, given all that, what exactly is his reason for being in the League? He is the only one in the whole group whose motivation we still don't know - hell, even with Dabi we know that he at least despises false heroes. 

On the surface, Compress has always seemed like someone just coming along for the ride, similarly to Spinner, but with even less reason to do so, and this lack of character motivation is largely the reason why Compress isn't among the most popular villains. Horikoshi unfortunately hasn't given him anything thus far to make him compelling enough (not saying that people don’t like him though, I know that he has plenty of stans).

Until One's Justice 2, of all things, decided to do it for him, and drop THIS bomb on all of us.

Like, H U H????!!!!!??!?!

This information has just come out of nowhere with nothing to base it on - or has it?

Up until now, the idea of Compress being a big underworld ruler just came across as silly to me - he's an entertainer, and no one seems to bat an eye at him. Why does no one look at him and go, "Omg it's that one criminal boss!!"

And then it hit me. 

During chapter 125 when Overhaul is introduced to the League, Mr Compress is the one who explains who the Yakuza are and exactly how they began crumbling at the feet of hero society.

From the way he speaks it's like he's talking from experience, and all of a sudden, everything begins to make sense. 

What's important to remember is that the foundation of the core League was built upon the premise of bringing down hero society, and each of the members have a reason to want to see it happen. 

Shigaraki wants to destroy the society that failed to save him; Dabi wants to bring an end to false heroism and heroic idolization, allowing heroes to be held accountable for their own villainous actions; Toga wants a world where heroes don't make it hell to live in; Twice wanted a society where people like him won't be outcasted; and Spinner's original goal was to follow Stain's ideology (though now obviously his goals have shifted towards placing his loyalty in Shigaraki's goal). 

And now, we can glean that Compress, once an underworld ruler, likely using magics as his shtick and cover-up to get away with his crimes, was forced into hiding by All Might's age of heroes, and now seeks to dismantle hero society for making his kind a dying breed. 

It would also perfectly align with why Compress doesn't like to fight heroes and is constantly thinking about retreat, because he's used to playing carefully so that he doesn't get caught (anyone who plays OJ2′s arcade routes will know that wanting to retreat takes up like 90% of his dialogue). He's used to being the boss with henchmen on the front lines so he isn't at risk. He's used to underworld criminal activity, he knows that big-time villainy isn't his ballgame, but he has no other choice, because the League is his one chance to bring heroes down and allow the crime he's used to committing to return. 

It also explains why he's so much more sane than the rest of the League - he doesn't come from somewhere broken that caused him mass-amounts of trauma (not saying that nothing bad has happened to him but still), and his description (particularly in the anime) of the Yakuza and other criminal organisations being forced into petty crime, the lowest of the low, also explains his distaste for the League's previous poor living conditions and the need to steal. 

Compress's backstory has been glaring us in the face this whole time, and we just didn't see it until we had to be spoon fed by a fighting game. And in all honesty, it's given me a newfound appreciation for him.

How long it’ll be before all of this is proven right or wrong, I have no idea, but here’s hoping we’ll get the full insight soon (maybe even through Hawks, since he was able to find info on all the members save for Dabi and Shigaraki).

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mr compress #dabi #shigaraki #toga #spinner #twice #lov #league of villains #mha spoilers #bnha spoilers #mha manga spoilers #bnha manga spoilers

[river-bottom-nightmare]

Nightwing 79 Review

i said i would and i will. i did like this issue! not as striking and attention grabbing as 78, but i think this issue was meant to be a foundation one, laying out the groundwork for the future. overall, pretty good. also there wasn't enough bitewing. as promised, overly extensive metaphors and me reading too much into things under the cut

i know i've talked about this cover before, but this particular thing is oddly important to me, so i'll talk about it again

this is me, once again screaming about how artists put nightwing in traditionally feminine poses and how every time i see it i just get whiplash. i mean, true, the main reason why is because nightwing is a so often sexualized character, and putting him in these poses just increases the objectification, which is a goal that dc producers have. but there are very few popular male characters that do this. the only one i can think of off the top of my head is deadpool, but that was so obviously a critique and a way to make fun of the media industry. when they draw dick like this, they’re being serious. they’re putting him in appealing poses meant to show him off, and that’s something that’s traditionally only been done to women.

it's a very direct and very loud breaking of traditional gender roles in media, especially for a character as high-profile and historic as dick grayson. colour also plays a factor in this. the entire background is pink. i was absolutely shocked when i first saw it, when the teaser came out, because i cannot think of any comic book covers of male comic heroes this high-profile where pink is even just prevalent in the cover, let alone the majority of the cover. the pink does look beautiful: it offsets and highlights the black and blue of dick's suit gorgeously, but does it with more finesse than orange or red. but the fact that the stylistic choice was made to accent and draw this cover with aesthetic and beauty in mind, completely ignoring traditional hard-set gender rules in art, was a conscious choice and one i wholeheartedly support.

just another example of the sexualization i was talking about. i remember seeing harley quinn in this exact pose in suicide squad.

so far, taylor's been pretty dead-set on bringing alfred to the forefront of importance in this series. he wants people to know how much he loves alfred's character, and how much the butler meant to dick growing up. he was dick's father too. but what i adore is how taylor managed to stress alfred's importance in a way that didn't insult or belittle bruce.

this is one of the best bruce and dick interactions i've seen, and it's done in one simple interaction. in this, bruce is tough and harsh. he knocked dick down hard, but then he reached a hand down and helped pull dick back up. let me analyze their dialogue for a minute

on your feet: this is bruce telling dick to get up. he's trained dick, he knows what the younger boy is capable of, he knows his limits, and he knows what dick can do. this is bruce telling dick i know you're strong enough to get up, so get up and prove me right

are you just going to knock me down again?: surface-level, it looks like dick's complaining. he doesn't like bruce's rough training, and he's tired of bruce knocking him down. but look at his face in this. he's smiling up at bruce, knowledgeable and a little hopeful. he knows that bruce is doing this to help dick better himself, he's completely on board with the rough training, because they both know the rewards are incredible. also, he's teasing. he's bantering with bruce. there's an ease in that joking statement, one that belies affection and intimacy. they've only known each other for a little bit, but they're already slipping into a close familial relationship.

it depends on how fast you learn: this is bruce bantering back. this is bruce not being a stoic, unfeeling asshole. instead, he's shown with the dry humor that a good batman writer knows is a staple of the character. he's teasing dick, telling him he'll basically whoop his ass if dick doesn't learn fast enough. it's incentive for dick to train harder, while also being lighthearted enough to tell dick that believes in dick and doesn't want him to push himself too hard.

gosh i love the titans. also it looks like wally's staring at dick's ass.

this was cute. a prod at dick's silly and playful sense of humor, while not dumbing him down for the sake of a laugh. instead, he's joking about food, which is stuff everyone jokes about. this is the kind of stuff that'll actually make me laugh, instead of just making me vaguely uncomfortable.

bludhaven's almost always portrayed as a cesspool of a city. and to be honest, it really is. but this panel gives the city a meaningful history, while also giving us a reason for why dick moved there.

it talks of a time when people still thought they could beat the monsters. that if they fought hard enough, they could win the fight. it was a tentative hope that you could always overcome hardship.

dick's little "i like that it's still standing" shows how he still believes that, despite what the rest of the world thinks. despite everything that he's been through, dick is still tentatively an optimist, and believes he can fight the monsters of the world and win. it's a beautiful testament to his character, and i'm like that they added his signature element of hope back in. it used to be what he symbolized as robin, and despite his growth and character arc from robin to nightwing, this is one aspect of robin that i'm glad nightwing still has.

remember when i said "things that make me vaguely uncomfortable??" yeahhhh,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Shooketh Dick: A Sequel

(the expressions in this series are just,,,,on point)

this was an incredibly sweet and kindhearted thing for dick to do, but i found it kind of,,,,,,,,desperate? maybe that's just me, but let me explain.

dick's suddenly a billionaire, and he has entirely too much money that he knows what to do with. it's also alfred's money, what the man left to him, so dick forever links it with alfred. in addition to that, he's back and bludhaven and looking at it with "fresh" eyes. (at least, from a different point of view since he got shot in the head. then mind controlled.) he's desperate to do something with the money and he's desperate to help the people around him that so obviously needs up, so he comes up with an on-the-fly solution that's a little impractical and a little crazy, but it still helps and still does some good.

to me, dick seems a little lost. he hasn't completely found his balance yet, and he's trying to do things that will. he tries charity, because that's what bruce did and it's what he knows, even though he admitted that he always thought bruce could have done more as bruce wayne than batman.

they have a family group chat guys yall were right.

also, do i think that dick would ever actually get his wallet stolen?? no way in hell, he’d notice someone getting ready to pickpocket him a mile away. but i suppose it’s important to the Plot. 

okay this is getting interesting. first blockbuster, now maroni (+ the weird heart stealer guy). i can officially say that i am intruiged

this particular artistic quirk is shown a lot in this issue, and from this art team in general, but i feel like this panel is one of the best examples of it. it was stunning enough to take up a full page, and it’s well deserved.

the way they show dick moving is absolutely brilliant. as a reader, i like seeing these smaller versions of dick getting clearer and in more detail as they come closer to the screen. not only do they show depth in the picture beyond what a simple 3 dimensional piece of art does, it also shows the passage of time.

in addition, it showcases dick’s skill. dick spots these mobsters running after a group of petty thieves. he then, and follow me here, leaps off the roof of one building feet first, springboards backwards off the side of the adjacent building with his feet, gracefully continues his backflip, rights himself, shoots a line with perfect timing: just in time to soften his landing but not slow him down, execute said landing on top of a moving bus, keep running on the moving bus without missing a beat, shoot his grapple, use the grapple to swing, use the swing to build up momentum, then use the momentum to deliver a powerful blow to the mobsters. and he did all that fast enough to catch up with the mobsters, even though he was a ROOFTOP OVER. 

d a m n  s o n

this panel, the very first in the issue, is also another example of that art style, but a little more distinctive. i love the way they showed dick’s different costumes through the ages, along with him simply growing up. it’s a little heartbreaking, but a lot uplifting to see how far he’s come. thank god he got rid of the red. now all we need is the fingerstripes, and we’ll be golden

discowing my beloved. also i can’t clearly see discowing’s hair but it definitely looks like it’s pulled back. it looks like he put it in a ponytail. guys. guys. dick had a ponytail omg. 

he’s having a Hero Moment

are you talking about the city, dick, or are you talking about you? the kgbeast, the court, the joker. dick fell to each one of them, no matter how hard he fought. he won in the end, eventually and with his family’s help. but i think he’s feeling a little low, a little defeated right now. it’s almost like he needs a win, he needs to feel victorious, he needs to feel like he helped someone (hence the food and the hotel room), just because he needs to remember what it feels like.

these lines were supposed to resonate with you, and goddamn they did.

i looked at it from two ways. first, it’s the girl asking, begging nightwing not to hurt them. bludhaven doesn’t know dick the way gotham does, they’re still a little frightened of him. this child was brave enough to step in front of all of the other hurt and homeless kids and ask, to a strange man in a mask, if he was going to hurt them like the other men had. it’s heartbreaking, but commendable, and an echo of the city itself that dick’s decided to protect. they’re bloody and broken and terrified, but still gritty and brave enough to stare what they fear in the eye and ask it not to hurt them.

second, it’s dick seeing the question reflected in himself. recently, he got shot in the head and lost all his memories. while i think that the way ric reacted was a perfectly valid and human response to the situation, i think dick still regrets how callously and rudely he treated his family. then, he was manipulated by the court of owls, then he was brainwashed with a magic crystal by the joker. dick does have a guilt complex. it’s not a big as bruce’s, but it’s there. and right now, with this girl begging her not to hurt them, dick is probably thinking about all the times he hurt people, in control of his own actions or not, bc he “didn’t have a heart.” 

little ambitious don’t you think, dick?

also just look at the sunset colours loOK at the they could not make this any more obvious oh my godddddddddddddddddddddddd

in conclusion, i need more of her

#dick grayson #nightwing #nightwing 79 #nightwing 79 spoilers #dc #dick grayson meta #nightwing meta #nightwing 79 meta #dc meta #river thinks too hard

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh Season Zero: The Yo-yo Crimes of Jounouchi Pt 2

OK, last we left off, we were in a different Youtube video. This one I grabbed off of 2 different videos (you’ll see their watermark in the corner change) and it makes me appreciate the quality that our other episodes have been, honestly. A little bit of compression going on in these, just to give you even more of that nostalgic feel of watching a bootleg anime from the 90′s your brother got from his weird high school friend’s Napster account.

Because this is done with subtitles on, it takes more caps to cover it. Part of why I rewrite the dialogue in these recaps is to help abridge stuff, and so consider yourself warned...there’s a lot of caps in this one. For most of you, that’s probably not much of a problem. But I’m just letting you know because...I sure wasn’t expecting it to be over 40 caps for half an episode, and I’ll probably just type less to make up for that. (Tumblr keeps Erasing All My Words anyway, so this is for the best, but that’s a tech issue I already went into in another post.)

(read more under the cut)

So, to start off, Yugioh and co. walk up to a bar like a really weird version of a bar joke and are like “do you know where we can find the yo-yo gang?” And, much like a video game npc, the bartender was like “I know EXACTLY what you’re talking about, and I heard every part of their intimate conversation. Let me give you all the details, children.”

Hey, PS, there’s an entire Wikipedia entry about the bar joke. And that is wild. Apparently the first bar joke was from Ancient Sumeria, and Wikipedia was like “Here is the Sumerian joke, but we Do Not Get it. Please don’t try to get it.”

The joke being: "A dog walked into a tavern and said, 'I can't see a thing. I'll open this one'."

Damn. I can’t believe the Sumerians were onto meme humor before we ever invented memes. They were in the Galaxy brain over there in the land before time, holy crap. Depositing their memes knowing that 7,000 years later mankind would look at the world’s first joke and be like “I don’t get it!” while all the millennials and zoomers with our MB of nonsense memes on our phones are like “No. I get it.” Good on you Sumerians, that is freakin the best joke ever made. 7000 years to get to the punch line of confusing the hell out of all us. Bless.

They promptly tell Miho that everything was resolved and that she should go to bed and she was like “Cool!” and exited stage left. Bye, I guess. Anzu also went home, but she didn’t have to be tricked into doing it, she just went the hell to bed.

(PS, I just realized that if I want to write less...I should probably not look up Wikipedia articles about the world’s first ever bar joke. But y’all, habits die so freakin hard, and I just feel like it’s very pertinent to this Yugioh recap, although I know it’s really not.)

Yuugi and Honda decide to visit the warehouse and harass Jounouchi. In the context of the show, they’re going out of their way to pull their best friend out of society’s systemic downward pull of a life of crime and most likely turning into exactly like his Father. But, the way that it’s storyboarded makes it look a lot like these kids just show up out of the corner and this gang was like “Damn it, again? OMG small children, please leave us alone!”

Honda hands over the symbolism sash, to which Jounouchi symbolically says “Nyeh.”

And Honda didn’t take it very well.

After tending to his kidneys for a little while, Honda decided to go back at it again at the Krispy Cream and do some sort of insane parkour over this completely ordinary fence.

Ah, the very first instance of real duel law where you duel over a relationship. In later seasons duel law is invoked for things like Mai’s marriage and the right to date Tea (and then just kind of forgetting you ever won the right to date Tea twice). But to think the very first time was Honda dueling for the right of Jounouchi to be part of nerd gang because Jounouchi had fallen to the dark side yo-yo gang across the street run by some 40 year old man with blue hair.

How many times is Honda gonna fight with a broom? Like are they just magnetized to his location? where are they even coming from?

Freakin janitor powers over here, put him in a Final Fantasy style RPG. I want to see what his limit break would be.

Not like it matters, because Hirotani very quickly explains why these yo-yo’s are at all a threat.

Which honestly shouldn’t be...so lethal? Seems like the weight is all you need, not really the spikes. But it’s at least stronger than Honda’s janitor stuff.

Unfortunate for Honda that he just destroyed an antique.

So with lightning reflexes, Yuugi does what he does most:

The death yo-yo ricochets back and does this little itty bitty scrape to this guy’s face and he’s real bothered by it. Although it’s like...well dude, you’re a 50 year old high schooler, I don’t think people will notice the scrape compared to everything else falling apart in your life.

And so then the Yugioh Season Zero team was like “oh shoot is it time to torture Yuugi???” and they got hella excited.

Like I thought it was just Yuugi’s class that were a bunch of disturbing criminal disasters, but I guess it’s the whole city. Like...was Yuugi’s class the good school?

I mean, it can’t be, there’s no way...

but like...is there a good school in this universe? How does anyone survive till graduation? If you so much as disgrace a yo-yo, you will get the torture treatment that I sure did expect in Yakuza games, but not so much in Yugioh, tbh.

Just a reminder: This is the third time we’ve beat up Yuugi this episode. Within the first meeting of Yuugi and Hirotani, he beat the tar out of Yuugi within eye shot of Jounouchi. So like...Jounouchi was reallllllllllllllllly lax on that deal, right? Like...he took his toot sweet time to realize “yeah this just ain’t ever gonna happen.”

And then the yo-yo wars begin.

Just like Solid Snake crawling through the radiation chamber.

Hirotani throws his Fyper-yoyo, Jounouchi intercepts with his Eireboy, and Hirotani’s completely terrible yo-yo just flies off the string again because Hirotani should have just sticked to using his fists. No wonder they wanted to recruit Jounouchi so badly, their yo-yo game is so off.

We never get a door to darkness in this episode, dipping our enemies into mind horrors. Instead, we get home-alone style traps. But, this makes sense. Not only do the show makers have to make Yuugi avoid solving problems with magic in front of Jounouchi, they also have to make it Jounouchi’s choice to leave Hirotani behind. If Yuugi did it for him in like...some sort of duel law situation...then that sort of leaves out Jounouchi’s choice in the equation.

Not like this ever really comes up in later seasons, since who even follows through with duel law and marries Mai? But like, it does feel like Season Zero calls out the later Seasons a bit in this regard. Honda got beat up because he tried to win Jounouchi back by force (or game, I guess.) That was just another form of coercion on the heels of Hirotani’s. What Jounouchi actually needed was to make his own decision to leave.

...most other anime I’d be like “I’m sure that’s just a translation error” but not this one.

So Yuugi runs to the roof where Jounouchi will never see this.

My audible sigh reading this line about fight club roof.

These stupid gang members went into Yuugi’s native territory, not just a fight club roof, but on a warehouse? They were dead before they arrived.

This was like maybe 3 frames of animation in just rapid succession, it was pretty silly and good.

Reminder that like 4 minutes ago, Yuugi was about to get like executed on a meat hook.

Speaking of getting executed on a meathook:

Hope you like the idea of glass in your eyes, because this anime’s got it.

They chase Yuugi around, in a sequence that was done mostly to conserve frames, so you rarely saw the ground until this shot:

Lots of falling down this episode, but unlike Tea, who fell from a warehouse ceiling once and just kind of rubbed her ass after and was like “ah damn it.” these guys won’t come out of it virtually unscathed.

Also, Honda is here now:

Jumping off of his symbolic sash trapeze, he decides to do in Hirotani for good.

Hey so like...walk the dog is a fairly gentle walk that a yo-yo does slowly on the ground right?

Just pointing out how sensitive Hirotani’s fingies are.

And he...didn’t appear to be dead, so I don’t have to add to the bodycount...but it’s gonna be a real long road for recovery.

And now, with the gang back together Jounouchi is back at school knee deep in make up assignments he’ll probably completely ignore since we know that in a years time, these fools are going to be trapped on Pegasus’ island, and at that point school will be just that place you talk about when you try to remember why you’re friends with Bakura.

---hey aren’t those chairs attached to the desks?

Because...holy crap, Anzu.

Honestly this is what you see before you die, but I guess Jounouchi died off screen after the episode ended, so I don’t have to add him to the deathcount (again). RIP.

Alright! That took like...8 tries to get Tumblr to save this one, but it managed! (well...I guess “managed” isn’t the word you’d use for a typing program that takes 8 tries to save)

Next time, we’ll be back to S5, for an arc I’ve heard is kind of boring. We’ll see. If it truly is, I can condense episodes into fewer posts. Or maybe it’s a secret gem? I guess we shall see.

And if you just got here this is a link to read all the Season Zero recaps from the start:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yuugi-muto/chrono

(there’s also a link to read all the Yugioh posts we wrote from the start in chrono order but straight up, this file won’t freakin save, and I just can’t even will myself to look up that link again. It’s on the home page of this blog on the right.)

#YGO #yugioh #yu gi oh #Yuugi Muto #Jounouchi #Honda #Anzu #Miho #yo yo gang #Hirotani #Yuugi and the gang do serious property damage

[nameless-shrimp]

I legit feast on anything you write. The way you use dialogue and descriptions altogether is a perfect balance, omg. Do you have any tips for anyone trying to start writing or want to get better at it?

thank you so much my dear! i really appreciate your kind words. this brings me pure joy to my heart. 🤗

hmm, that's a good question. i will just lay it out in bullet points and then elaborate from there.

read. if you like to focus on more young adult novels, for example, and would like to target your genre based on that, then read more young adult novels. i like to write more in a poetic and literature sense, and my favorite genres to read are literature and poetry books. however, that isn't always the case with my writing - i tend to write whatever fits the flow. which comes to the next point.

write in different styles. whether you like third person the best or you're more comfortable with first person, experiment with it all. you won't get better at something unless you consistently do it. i don't always write poetically, sometimes my writing goes really harsh on the words but it depends on the setting, the situation, and the characters involved. if i wanna write dazai being soft and genuine towards his s/o, then the way i write will be somewhat different than having pm! dazai be more aggressive and harsh. does that make sense?

if you like an author/writer's works, study what they do. question why you like their works. what intrigues you the most about their style of writing or what they create? how can you apply what they do onto what you wanna do? this doesn't have to go for writing, it can be for anything else. it's okay to be inspired. let yourself be inspired. embrace it. i find myself rereading my favorite author's books because i adore their style of writing, and i wanna try to make something out of their own creativity with mine.

reread your writing. look at your mistakes. take note of your flaws. doesn't matter how many times you cringe, you reread your work. every artist will look back at their artwork as i can definitely say that every software developer looks back at their code. reread your writing. what can you do better? what did you do that you liked the most? stick with that if you want. or what can you do better? (e.g. use more imagery, stop repeating words, etc.)

i am not perfect. my fics on here for you guys are gonna have grammar errors, silly flaws, and dumb mistakes. it is what it is. but that doesn't mean i stop. i love doing this for myself and for all of you, it's fun and it makes me happy!

just work at a pace you're comfortable with. and remember you're capable of improvement. anyone is. take my words lightly though; do what's best for you and what you think is right. the tips i provide is only what has helped me throughout the years i have been writing.

good luck 🤍 and you can always share your work with me, fanfiction or not, i love to read!

#asks: anonymous

[masteraqua]

listen recoded is still one of my favorite entries in the series

sure it didnt do much for the plot but it was fun to play, it had my favorite version of the command system, and the matrices were fun to mess around on

and the system sectors unironically Slapped, especially the secret 13-floor one in hollow bastion where you got ultima

but since it got relegated to a movie in 2.5 people think it wasnt good

like. it was meant to be PLAYED you guys are just mean

ahhHHH i totally agree about the command deck being the best in recoded!! it felt WAY more refined than bbs for sure. and the stat matrix is super cool, kind of like the sphere grid from ffx but more customizable (not to mention cuter).

also omg, i forgot about ultima. i can’t remember if i ever actually finished the system sector but i definitely remember the time i spent trying 😭also recoded was the first time the series had upgradable keyblades and no one gives it credit for that!

but hmmm in my experience people were calling recoded useless/irrelevant long before 2.5 came out. if anything, i think the fandom (generally) started lightening up on recoded as an entry in the franchise when it got adapted cinematically bc it was more accessible. plus, the movie ended up being MORE plot-relevant than the game (ie. maleficent’s knowledge of the book of prophecies, yx & braig’s scene). 2014 was a good time for me as a recoded fan bc people were finally interested in talking about it haha.

with that said though, i always thought it was silly that people would completely dismiss a video game on the basis of.........simply being a fun game. “endearing dialogue, rewarding combat, experimental gameplay segments, and a buttload of post-game content? tch, lame, just give me kh2 again.” recoded haters are such an exhausting crowd.

#sorry for the late response!!! #Anonymous

[trashballerina]

Hetalia Fics I Really Like

this  ⭐ will be for fics I really like. I’ll try not to star everything.

I’m starting with my favorite of all time and tbh I think the fandom should see this fic as a OG, like Auf Weiderstein Sweetheart or Gutters, I really do.

Are We Even Humans  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (Literally all the stars)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4103344

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5660761/chapters/25048773 (prequel)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7036330/chapters/16007758 (sequel)

The war is over, but putting together everything that fell apart will be a greater challenge than anyone is prepared to handle. Alliances dissolve, and the lines between friends and enemies are blurrier than ever before.

Opinion: Please read it. It is a series with a sequel and a prequel that can be read on its own but it’s so good. Imma go on a quick rant here. This fic is great from the writing, plot, characters, and the nuances of nationhood abilities. I literally rioted during the first chapter because it was so good. One of my absolutely favorite things in the fic and the series as a whole is Prussia. Kingdom of Prussia, German Democratic Republic, Gilbert Beilschmidt. His character progression and seeing him through the series as a whole is astounding. I was literally left shaken at the end of this series and I’ve read it twice. The OC’s are usually the antagonists, but hot damn, they are memorable OC’s who are great (terrible?) villains. And the family dynamics! The family dynamics are enough of a reason to read it by itself and the romances. Omg I love this fic so much. Main takeaways: astounding characterization, amazing plot, will cry, long read, and a reality check on what it means to be a nation.

Would it be too much if I did a separate post on how much I love this series and an in depth analysis? (I feel like such a nerd omg)

Hard Times Passing 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23516458/chapters/56397817

Alfred is homeless during the Great Depression and in his wanderings he's charged with the task of caring for a small orphaned Taiwan. AU-Human names used, Taiwan is a child.

Opinion: So incredibly heart warming. It’s well written and I love the dialogue so much. Also, the little cameos from other characters are an absolute delight. It’s a it short, but so wholesome.

Flowers Don’t Grow on Battlefields  ⭐

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14153106/chapters/32619954

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16898919/chapters/39697068 (sequel)

As war tightens its hold on the nations of the world, new alliances are formed. Nobody will escape the war unscathed. Italy only hopes that this time, he will find a way to save those he holds dearest.

Opinion: I realllly like this fic. Maybe I’m a bit bias because I remember reading it from like to third chapter and watching it get updated till the end, but this is really good. Cute gerita, great characterization, good plot, and some lines just really make me melt. And the fluff omg. There’s a sequel that’s linked under too that I may like more than the first. 

Who Knew (One Shot)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23516695#main

“The last time the two of them had any sort of contact was when Gilbert sent the letter to Matthew before the first war started.

That was twenty-six years ago. Twenty-six years Matthew had not seen Gilbert. Twenty-six years of Matthew worrying about if his fiancé was alive or not. Twenty-six years of Matthew thinking about all the horrible things that could be happening to Gilbert. Twenty-six years of Matthew wishing he could just see Gilbert, even if it were just for a second. Twenty-six years of pure hell for Matthew. Twenty-six years of being all alone.”

Matthew Williams, the personification of Canada, never thought that he would fall in love, but he did. He fell in love with Gilbert Beilschmidt, the personification of Prussia, but their romance would have to be cut short with the up coming war that was soon approaching them.

Opinion: My god my heart. Matthew had great characterization. Like amazingly so. 10/10 somber and melodic tones throughout the story. Good tension. And again, my heart. 

TELL ME A PIECE OF YOUR HISTORY  ⭐

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3741175/chapters/8294941#workskin

An account of the media reactions to the reveal of Nations (anthropomorphic national embodiments) with scholarly commentary.

Heavily inspired by: United States v. Barnes, 617 F. Supp. 2d 143 (D.D.C. 2015) [fallingvoices, radialarch] with mixed genres.

Opinion: It’s really cool. It’s told through media, like email, twitter, texts, online magazines, subtitles of videos (not actual videos tho). I love the outside view point of the world on nations and how some people really like them and how others absolutely despise their very existence. One of the main things that sticks out the me is the in depth analysis other humans or posters do on the nations and people even interview the nations, chapter eight is like my favorite for that reason, or how some humans just gush about the nations on so media like how half the fandom does lol. It’s really good. Super creative, great insight on how to world sees the nations, and honestly a great read.

Red Winter (One shot and crossover!)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/909492

The Winter Soldier's new target: a Russian politician named Ivan Braginsky.

Things don't go as planned.

Opinion: Literally so cool. Like nations are total BS to outsiders, especially assassins. I was loosing it during this fic because from Bucky’s POV nations are something else. The writing is really solid and the author uses italics to highlight an action sound or word and even single-word thoughts. The fight scene is really entertaining but also it flows fantastically. 

In Costa Rica (Oneshot)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18614041

“You have this backwards,” McLaughlin said. “Everything. You have it all backwards.” He was a lithe man, looked to be in his mid-thirties. Schnabel leaned back in his chair. Outside, the afternoon rain started, and the frogs momentarily fell silent. “They are dangerous, aren’t they?” Two men discuss the nations and history.

Opinion: No actual nations appear in this fic. It’s just two men talking about the nations and it’s really interesting to see them humor and take seriously the idea of nations. They both discuss what they already know about the nations and theorize. Also hearing an outside perspective and how the nations effect the word around them is golden. I give this fic a big ol’ chef’s kiss. 

Finally, I’ll Just Miss You! (Oneshot)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15553608

Countries will be abolished tomorrow. For the first time, they breathe and realize this might be their last breath and they’ll never wake up again. They want to wake up, they want to go to sleep, the land will still be there when they’re gone. But they breathe, it won’t be the same- for once, they feel human.

Opinion: Bro, I swear I’m not crying. This one is short but really bittersweet and my heart really hurts. I like the snippets of insight on the characters. 

Diamond in the Rough  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12872642/1/

The year is 1952, the last full year of Joseph Stalin's rule over the Soviet Union. After an incident with Latvia, Estonia is determined to find out what Russia did to him. And so unfolds a chain of events that would lead the Baltic States to tears, to forgiveness, to unexpected courage and horrifying discoveries about the mysterious past of Gilbert Beilschmidt. See AN for rating.

Opinion: This just be a legitimate book. I have honestly read this one like three time and every time I read it I am absolutely elated to discover another detail or action I missed. It is a longer read but I think it is absolutely worth it. For one, the characterization is beautiful. Maybe I might be bias because I stan and love the Baltics, but how they are written compared to the many other fics I’ve read on them is phenomenal. While the author does take some creative liberties and deviates from canon a little, like the Baltics actually considering themselves to be brothers, I really enjoy the changes. ALSO, the history and research and on this fic is genuinely impressive. To think fic authors do this shit for fun and pour so much of their passion into a piece of writing. Secondly, while Russia may be an antagonist in this story, I honestly think it is just. His mentality, backstory, and current predicament explain his behavior and make him a justifiable antagonist. I highly recommend this one. 

Adieux (Oneshot)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6700886/1/

What happens to nations after they cease to exist? Do they simply disappear or do they get a second chance? It wasn't a subject Francis was particularly keen on finding out about...but at the same time, it wasn't something he could just ignore. One-shot

Opinion: I hate this fic because I love it way too much. I might of cried a little bit and I instantly melt of Francis and Matthew. 

In Our Solemn Hour (incomplete) ⭐

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8975529/30/In-Our-Solemn-Hour

The time was World War II, at the dawn of a global conflict like nothing any of the Nations had ever seen before. Nothing could've prepared them for what lay ahead: a war more total and radical than anything they could ever have imagined. This wasn't just business as usual; it was centuries' worth of pent-up emotions all coming into play at once. This was indeed their darkest hour.

Opinion: Characterization is on point. One part of this fic I remember very well during a fight to the death, Finland mutters a little “Oh dear”. The characters retain some of the qualities that make them silly in Hetalia but because this is another take on it it does get darker. I think Germany’s portrayal is my favorite because he does cruel and unnesscary things and questions it because its not his usal nature. The author notes are super insightful and sometimes funny; it really adds to the rest of the story. I might revisit this post to make a more in depth opinion on it because I don’t remember it all to well when I know I really like this one.

So that was my post lol. I’ll probably make more on other fandoms later tbh or I’ll just make a part two. If you end up reading about any of these posts, please feel free to tell me about them! I love talking about fics and reading in general. Thanks for reading!

#hetalia #helltalia #fic reccomendations #fanfiction #hetalia fanfiction #recs #help i really love fanfiction

[stimmypaw]

stimmypaw reads the apprentice’s quest, a blog post

A big one, just a bunch of thoughts as I’m reading it, of course, lots of spoilers for the first book in the Warrior Cats series A Vision of Shadows. This will be covering just the first book tho, it’s all in the Read More, let’s gooooooo!!!!

Vision Of Shadows time

Lots of new cats!!! I don't remember these guys as kits or anything wrow!!! I like their names but itll take a while to get used to them

Also cant believe they printed stormcloud's dead name

Omg there's a cat named beepaw

I love these cats all of them so much im going 2 cry

All new names are perfect

I FORGOT HOW GORGEOUS THE CAT VIEW IN THE RECENT BOOKS WAS, LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT

I'm glad leafpool smokes weed

I love reading from Jayfeather's point of view, his grumpiness hasn't grown on me ever but thats just me, I still enjoy it lots he's great and its fun

Firestar and Leopardstar's characterizations are On Point i love it

OOF i feel so bad when jayfeather is mean to others, poor kestrelflight, I love those two

Lovely Jayfeather moments now its time for the first chapter

I like this duo! Also I didn't think I'd ever say this but shut up squirrelflight one can have fun AND learn with their mentors

Sparkkit sounds nice she makes jingling bell noises when she walks around

Alderkit is chadphobic /j

I can see Alderkit taking deep breaths to relax its rotating in my mind its beautiful

God this first chapter feels so good and comfortable, like eating noodles and chicken nuggets. I am so so deeply in love with it, its gorgeous!

Sparkkit is so perfect too, and Graystripe remembering Firestar aaaaaa

DUSTPELT SAID WHAT? PHDHAHAHHA OH NOOOO I don't remember their relationship much, must have been fun, I love young little creature squirrelflight I MISSED HER SO BAD WOW

I started reading the second chapter and died, I think ill take a break now 2 sleep heehhee

I love them describing twoleg stuff its always so fun and alien, like watching an animal planet show about funny sea creatures.

Also I have determined sparkpaw is my favorite, might be my favorite cat ever next to hollyleaf??? I really identify with her and also she's autistic i have decided that

Alderpaw baby noooo hhhh their mentor at least is trying to show its okay, he seems very emotionally distant so far and alderheart feels very emotionally needy, actually both of them do, did I mention I love Sparkpaw??? I might be imprinting myself 2 much on her

I love how like, its clear both of them are absolutely anxious and worried about others opinions on them, which is clearly something they got from being Firestar's grandkids, deputy kids and leader kids. And bramblestar too, I recall him being quite the anxious lad ahhah. Sparkpaw will be showing confidence and being loud but the second anyone isn't approving of her or she does something "wrong" she gets small and quiet, and she ended up setting a high bar for herself by being good at hunting and fighting so I'm curious to see how that will go. Also there's nothing wrong with being guided through a crowded place to meet others Sparkpaw!!! I bet the two of them would be stuck without not knowing how to talk to others had Needlepaw not shown up. I love them, my gf is mocking me saying I'm a Sparkpaw kinnie.

Apprentices will like learn about a thing and tell everyone about it all the time and assume its always true in every situation and thats valid I love kids like that. Also in my head Needlepaw kinda looks like a porcupine. Oh boo she's fatphobic >:(

I love apprentices they are so fun and silly, just making fun of the leaders like its nothing. The way they are clearly learning and absorving everything their warriors say and do like sponges its just ***chefs kiss***

Omg shadowclan is just full of 12 year olds help

And then the old person said "it sure is hard being old!" And everyone clapped

Shout-out to pretty Riverclan apprentice #481977 I love her

Leafpool: 👁👁

Alderpaw: I knew it im cursed and awful and terrible and I will never amount to anything

I wish the cats didn't seem to be giving up on him so easily though

Ah yes the classic thunderclan move "you suck, into the medicine hole you go"

The way sparkpaw changes the things she says and how she does when it isn't the status quo around her oooooooooooooyeaaaaaaa I love 1 autistic cat

Alderpaw considering your problems lesser than other cats won't help you deal with them better bro

I love Needlepaw's excitement about Alderpaw being a medicine cat apprentice, and her sarcasm, she feels like a preppy teenager

Ahhh this is so good, I am so thirsty for family moments like this, just Alderpaw bonding with grandma, I’ll definitely want to draw this one it’s so sweet.

Oh to be young and silly.

I really am enjoying like, Alderpaw’s struggles to seeing how he fits in the clan, how he fits in himself, how he wants to be seen and what he wants to be, it’s really good. I Am Engaged(tm) With This Plot.

SPARKPAW NOOOOOOO but also Yes I want her to be shown vulnerable and weak please 

POP, god watching this stuff always awful, the cats must have thought he broke her ahahah

Also, really great that they learned from Dovewing and now like leave choices and discussions about prophecies between adults

And plus Brambles seemed to take the time to explain stuff to him, seems he wont be going alone either the 1 thing is that he will be the only one knowing what the journey is really about, why though??? I didnt read Firestar's Quest or whatever why does Skyclan need to be secret??? Seems quite silly really!

YESSSS SANDSTORM GET HIS ASS FIGHT FIGHT LOVE THIS LOVE SANDSTORM

I could feel squirrelflight nearing explosion here, this was very fun, i wish they werent hiding this though!!!

The secret thing is showing to be a plot point so I am once again Very Engaged

Also, wonderful dialogue bit, someone asked Bramblestar why an Elder is going and:

Lovely perfect perfect

I miss you dovewing

SQUIRRELFLIGHT LOVE YOU

Oh boy this is it

Traveling book moment

Graystripe: Soooo you're excited to go on the journey to the old territories and Skyclan?

Sandstorm: Yes! It's been ages and-

Graystripe: I'm sure the tribe will love the visit too

Sandstorm, groaning: Oh noooo I forgot about how the tribe is in the way of every journeyyyyy noooooo they're such a racist caricature, please tell me you have a plan

Graystripe: Yes don't worry about it the writers forgot about the tribe in my comic book so you can just use the excuses i did to actively avoid it

Sandstorm: Oh thank Starclan

Sparkpaw's desperation to prove herself oof, her anxiety with understanding the prophecy, oh boy, and Alderpaw feeling too overwhelmed by the questions and not managing to talk!!!! I am so glad they are both autistic

Hoping "Being Leader" wont mean theyre putting nonsense responsibility on the apprentice again

Ah good Sandstorm is on the lead again, as she should, she should have been leader she would have been great

I can't believe Alderpaw thinks I look stupid and diseased :( /j

Everything about this twoleg scene was scandalous I loved it, Sparkpaw just toppled over a trash bag and they are eating from it, iconic, also did those twolegs throw out a whole turkey? Damn

Its not that Sparkpaw is freakishly good at hunting she is very hungry and constantly on the watch for things to eat

BRO Ive never been in a road where the drivers are this wild, throwing bottles out of the car????? Ive seen Fruit being thrown like once or twice, what the fuck!!! I'm glad they are going to wait until the morning to continue

Okay I was not expecting Needlepaw to show up this girl is chaotic I love her

ACTUALLY YEAH WHY DIDNT THEY TELL THE OTHER CLANS ABOUT THIS SINCE THE PROPHECY IS ABOUT ALL THE CLANS???

Needlepaw is like Rono from Bambi 2 if he wasnt a mean bully and thats very epic

Very curious character though, how come her mentor isnt teaching her the warrior code properly? Is that an issue with all apprentices?? Is the clan overwhelmed by 12 year olds and they won?

Having lots of fun trying to play the game "what animal are they describing this time" the erins made here, im glad they're in a farm. Worried about Sandstorm though :c

Fuck im worried about sandstorm a lot, her wound hurt on Me

Yeah water is good youre right sandstorm

Aw man I hope she's okay let her at least survive to meet skyclan please

NOOOOOOOO SANDSTORMA A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Sandtteooonrjrbbbmmnnnnnnnnnn

I am so sad

Alderpaw denying it, Starclan shining upon their vigil, everything crushed me i cried

Alderpaw considers Nihilism

Haven't seen a cat thank starclan for prey in a while its

Oh look they time skipped a journey! They don't tend to do that thats nice

I'm so excited to be meeting The Skyclan that everyone in the fandom knows now

So far they seem kinda mean but thats most clans at first glance really

Okay somethings up

I uh have heard of Darktail pretty sure he's a bad guy so yeah something really bad happened to Skyclan

Am worried

Darktail sounds like an evil himbo* i may be enjoying him actually

*himbos are usually nice by default so he's just evil and stupid and strong

Does needletail know these cats already?????

Ah

Shit

Oh okay fuck

I've been quietly reading the rest because I am just concerned and I want them to be okay as quickly as possible

Waterfalls are a classic nice

Oh boy time for our unlikely duo of Alderpaw and Needlepaw to get out of a Mess!

I did not expect this to end up with the two of them journeying into parenthood, but I'm happy it did

Well actually I'm very unhappy theyre so lost and there's no sign of Skyclan I am very worried for everyone involved Sparkpaw must be feeling awful!

Twigkit is a great name

Yeah this ended terribly

Overall! Frigging loved it this book was GOOD and a great start for the series I am very excited to read the rest, SO WORRIED ABOUT SKYCLAN THO AAAA the characterizations were great the characters were great the pacing was fun and I didn't get bored once!

I think o only wish I had read this sooner really so I could look up others thoughts without getting heavily spoiled about the last books, I can watch a few videos already though thats a start ahhaha. But yeah it was great and it felt very good to read, haven't swallowed up a book so quickly in a very long time!!! Very happy I finally got my hands on this 💕💖💕💖💕💖 cant wait 2 start the next one

If you read all this, hope you had fun hahaha, ill be making more of these cus theyre fun and I like talking about warrior cats thats just my thing

Til next time

#wc #the apprentice's quest #warrior cats #a vision of shadows #avos #warrior cats avos #avos wc #wc avos #avos warrior cats #warrior cats a vision of shadows #alderpaw #needlepaw #sparkpaw #violetkit #twigkit

[maverick-werewolf]

(Resending in case your askbox turned into a werewolf and ate it) Going off of the angst anon, how much werewolf angst would you say is the Goldilocks of werewolf angst? Just asking 'cause I've read too many stories where all the main character does is whine ("ohwoeisme").

Oh man, there’s so much for me to say about this. It’s a topic close to my heart, one might say. I know there is no way I’ll get all my thoughts about this out in one post because my brain won’t consolidate all my thoughts at once like this and there’s always more I could add, but I’ll do my best.

I have very particular opinions on the whole “werewolf angst” thing because what the werewolf community talks about as “werewolf angst” is something I greatly enjoy writing.

I think it’s all about reframing what “werewolf angst” is - and figuring out why it can so often come across as just a character “whining.”

Bear with me. I’m going to do some breaking down, here. I promise I’ll get to the point. I’m a professor, I ramble a lot and wave my hands around before I finally make my final statement.

First of all, calling it “angst” isn’t doing it any favors. Referring to it as “angst” makes it sound immature and silly. Baseless. Unimportant. It makes them “whining” about being a werewolf seem ultimately like it’s not a big deal, and they need to focus on more important things.

So what do we mean by angst? People on the internet mean the very modern idea of angst, like teen angst. One informal definition of angst is as follows:

a feeling of persistent worry about something trivial.

The formal definition of angst is:

a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general.

The root of “angst” comes from fear, and the root of that root comes from “tight, painfully constricted, painful.”

We have made the word “angst” into something base and trivial. It originally wasn’t. However, the werewolf fandom as a whole tends to refer to someone upset about their lycanthropy in this way, and they tend to mean the modern definition (as most people today do).

Personally, I prefer to refer to this as “werewolf anxiety” rather than “werewolf angst.”

Werewolf Anxiety vs Werewolf Angst

There are a few reasons I prefer calling it anxiety.

This - that is, being a werewolf, and not wanting to be a werewolf - is a big deal for the character. This isn’t something people should refer to as “angst,” because that implies a lot of things that, by nature of this issue, should not be true (i.e., all the things I said about it being unimportant/trivial/a passing thing/etc).

And, as we all know, anxiety is a big deal and a very bad thing. It’s not something we want to have. Likewise, being a werewolf is not something these characters want to have. And let’s face it: being a werewolf wouldn’t make you “angsty,” it’d make you anxious.

Think about all that’d come with it. It’s a lot. The not wanting to be discovered, worrying about how people would treat you differently, wondering if people would want to kill you, worrying about people hunting you, wondering about the things you might’ve done… the list goes on and on and on.

This is, of course, assuming the werewolf in question is the kind that transforms against their will and loses control of themselves. That is what I’m referring to throughout this post.

Secondly, let’s think about some of the characters and stories where we see “werewolf angst.” In a good werewolf story, it shouldn’t be something referred to as “angst” simply because, again, by nature, it would not be something trivial.

Worrying about this, or complaining about it (via narration, dialogue, or whatever else) is something they would do because it is a very big deal. Any reasonable character would be worrying and complaining about it, vocally or to themselves. They’d be upset more than “complaining.” Stressing over it horribly. It’s a bad thing, a bad situation, and they don’t like it and wish it was different.

Angsting is something you do over getting zits when you hit puberty. Complaining is something you do when you didn’t get a pickle at the drive thru and can’t go back to ask for one. Werewolf characters shouldn’t “angst” or “complain” because what’s happening to them is a much, much bigger deal than that.

So how do we make it feel that way?

The necessary balance to doing that and making it believable is to make werewolves themselves a big deal: they need to be scary and taken seriously. In a world where werewolves are not remotely terrifying and everyone makes constant jokes about them, then yes, of course the person upset over being a werewolf is going to come across as a whiner.

A werewolf’s problems in a world where the protagonist is genuinely upset about it shouldn’t include “lol, you turn into a dog, bro” and “lol ur biggest problem is chasing the mailman and pissing on fire hydrants” and “omg ur shedding, u smell like wet dog!!”.

Their problems are actually killing and eating people. Killing families. Causing destruction. Death. Devouring flesh. Doing bad, terrible, horrible things that any sane and even remotely good-hearted person would be deeply upset to even imagine that they do, especially if they cannot remember even doing it or who or what they did it to.

Does this mean they should complain about it constantly? No, not at all. Does doing so make them a bit of a one-note character? Yes, absolutely.

A character shouldn’t exist solely to show us what werewolves are like in a setting, they shouldn’t exist just so their lycanthropy can be a one-off mystery plotline or subplot. They’ll never once be an interesting character if they’re created for that purpose, and when that story is over, they’ll just whine and flail constantly.

I won’t name names and upset people, as I know he is a popular character, but there is one character I know of in particular who existed to be “omg, you’re a werewolf!” and when that plotline was over, he served no purpose and had nothing else to offer as a character. None whatsoever.

When he showed up once everyone found out he was a werewolf, he’d just shout and smack and go nuts saying “oh my gosh, how could you even be friends with a werewolf!?” and then try to push everyone away constantly and never let anyone close. He was always mad and upset about something. We never got to see him be a person, just “that guy who is upset about being a werewolf.”

Sure, a character can have phases of that, but they have to get over it (even if it takes multiple books!), or they’re making no character progression at all.

Why was this character upset in the first place? We only saw the werewolf growl at some people and yeet away into some woods. And oh no, people arguably treat him poorly for it (even though we never actually see that). Werewolves in that setting aren’t hunted like animals. They aren’t considered monsters incapable of being human ever again. And if they’re treated all that differently then, again, we never actually see it to feel like his complaining is justified.

So where is the happy medium found?

It’s found in making being a werewolf actually a bad thing that we can clearly see and making that character human and relatable enough to be upset about it - while also having a character of their own beyond “oh no, I’m so sad I’m a werewolf!” That should not be their only character trait. Show us they’re also human. Show us they’re like us, how upsetting this would be if it happened to us.

Make it real.

A werewolf is a person, too. They’re just like the rest of us. Imagine being put into this situation. It’d be terrifying.

Make a character who is a character first and a werewolf second. Make a character, make them a werewolf, and put them into this situation and see how they react. A good person will react naturally without the anxiety and upset going overboard.

They need to have things going on other than being a werewolf. Subplots, other character interactions, moments when the werewolf itself gets to shine. Moments when we build toward that character overcoming the werewolf anxiety. And intermittent in those moments, you can have the character being upset about it vocally, but the anxiety over it should be apparent in their thoughts and actions throughout. Anxiety lingers and flares. This would, too. But like anxiety, they’d also have moments when they overcome it - even if, like anxiety, it comes back to haunt them later.

Just put the reader into the character’s shoes and what people call “werewolf angst” becomes something much bigger, much scarier, much more upsetting, and much more real. It becomes werewolf anxiety. It becomes something they need to conquer, and I know there are a lot of us who can relate to trying to overcome anxieties... be they unreal, supernatural, and incredibly dangerous, or otherwise.

And we want to see the character conquer it somehow, and when they “complain,” they are justly upset and we feel sorry for them, because we see this and we see how terrible it is all the time throughout the story.

That is the difference.

Bottom line…

The moment werewolves and being a werewolf becomes trivial, being upset about it is made trivial, too.

#asks #anonymous #werewolf #werewolves #werewolf angst #writing #werewolf writing #fiction writing #writing tips

[huds-hub]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; MUN & MUSE - MEME

FILL OUT & REPOST ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

Stolen from @mrfunnybone. Since this meme has a bias for canon muses, I’m tagging two of my favorite canon writers that I know didn’t fill this out yet: @soulcoerced and @spearslinger (I wonder if a fellow Undyne RPer has a different take on some of these questions? ^^;;). For everyone else, feel free to steal it and tag me if you do! I’m curious to see how OC muns answer some of these questions...

MY MUSE IS:   CANON / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless / complicated [[ The adult version of my muse is canon, but her teenage equivalent is not present anywhere in Undertale / Deltarune. So, uh… canon but kind of complicated I guess??? I like describing my muse as canon-wise. My Deltarune fishies are undoubtedly AUs at most, canon-divergent at least. ]]

[[ Mun’s note: I’m going to cheat on this. For the next 8 questions, I’ll answer for both Undyne as my teen muse AND regular adult canon Undertale Undyne. My thoughts on her counts as something, right? My muse is based on canon! ]]

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK [[ Undyne’s character to the rest of the fandom is unpopular (compared to Sans, Chara, Gaster, etc…). It’s a shame, because her dialogue portraits alone would make great meme fodder. HOWEVER, among Undyne fans, I notice there’s an interest in depicting her early years because she’s one of the few cast members who’s had their childhood explicitly mentioned. ]]

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK [[ She’d better not be, because my muse is a  C H I L D. As far as I’ve seen, canon adult Undyne is depicted more often as a ‘badass’ than a ‘sexy fish.’ ]]

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK [[ Younger Undyne is definitely interpreted to be a determined, tough kid. Of course it’s the same for adult canon Undyne. It’s basically her most distinct character trait. ]]

Are they underrated?  YES / NO / IDK [[ Lordy, Undyne as a whole is entirely underrated by the fandom... ]]

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO [[ OMG... you’re gonna get me started. I’m marking ‘no’ on this question because this is supposed to be about my aged-down muse. But Undyne... sweet violent Undyne’s very important to Undertale’s story! *fangirling START* Besides being the mid-point antagonist in the game, Undyne adds a layer of the theme of DETERMINATION to the game and how it can manifest in monsters if their bodies are strong enough to handle it. In an allegorical sense, she represents extremism in reaction to oppression and how that passion can take on the form of extreme love or extreme hatred depending on circumstance. So HELL YEAH she’s important to the main story of the game! AAAHILoveThisFish!! *fangirling END* ]]

Were they relevant for the main character? YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG. [[ Same as the previous answer for my teen Undyne: begrudgingly marking this with a ‘no’... It’s a YES for canon Undyne. In all routes, original game’s Undyne is the first character who is purposefully trying to kill the Player. Players can’t get the best ending without helping her hook up with Alphys and not incurring her wrath by killing any monster. In the worst ending, she’s one of the two antagonists that put up enough of a fight to make any player abort the Genocide Route. ]]

Are they widely known in their world? YES / NO [[ My muse WANTS to be significant to her world. In the original game, Undyne’s only mentioned by others in Snowdin and Waterfall (not counting Alphys in Hotland). She’s described as a “local hero” by Gerson. I get a sense she’s not exactly famous to the people in the entire Underground compared to, say, Mettaton. ]]

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL [[ Oof. Pretty sure my teen fish annoys the residence of Waterfall for being a loud-mouthed little scamp. The only reason she’s not considered ‘bad’ is because it’s pent-up energy and misguidedness, not flat-out cruelty. In canon, it seems like the people who talk about Undyne do it in either a positive or neutral light. You have Monster Kid, Papyrus, and Onionsan singing her praises. The Royal Guard members respect her. Asgore thought of her well enough to have her lead his military. Uhh, for a neutral instance, I remember an NPC in Snowdin saying she’s “loud, rude, and beats up anybody who gets in her way” (I don’t remember the exact quote). To weigh this more on the side of my muse, I’ll mark this answer as ‘neutral.’ ]]

HOW STRICTLY DO YOU FOLLOW CANON?  [[ Since I have an aged-down character, canon is literally my END GOAL! I gave her a “starting point” on her journey to the determined, dedicated, and excitable warrior fish we all know and love from the game. I filled in the gaps from there, using parts of her past mentioned in the game to glue the headcanons together. Deciding what she was like when she was younger – What’s her family background? What aspects about her changed as she matures? What internal and external conflicts would she deal with as a teen? – THAT’S the non-canon part. My Deltarune AUs are… different. Canon is my end goal too, but the timelines are all wonky to fit the needs of wanting to interact with the Fun Gang. LOL ]]

SELL YOUR MUSE! AKA TRY TO LIST EVERYTHING, WHICH MAKES YOUR MUSE INTERESTING IN YOUR OPINION TO MAKE THEM SPICY FOR YOUR MUTUALS.   [[ This kid is spunky, loyal, compassionate of the plight of her people, and will see through anything she sets her mind to, despite life’s barriers. She’s got a lot of pent-up energy and is searching for what she can do with it to help her achieve her goal of setting Monsterkind free! ]]

NOW THE OPPOSITE, LIST EVERYTHING WHY YOUR MUSE COULD NOT BE SO INTERESTING (EVEN IF YOU MAY NOT AGREE, WHAT DOES THE FANDOM PERHAPS THINK?).  [[ The teen fishy has a streak of selfishness and short-sightedness. Being honest, Undyne would be a racial supremacist if she existed in real life. Big yikes. Also, she’s willingly being trained as a child soldier. Another big yikes right there. ]]

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO RP YOUR MUSE?   [[ Ages ago, I RPed the adult version of Undyne, which resulted in a bunch of headcanons for her past. I had no desire to RP any of them after it ended. A year later, I commissioned an artist for a Gerson vs. teen Undyne piece. That single-handedly made me want to get back into RPing again. ]]

WHAT KEEPS YOUR INSPIRATION GOING?   [[ My fellow RPers wanting to interact with this silly fishy! When I first started, I expected my interest to peter out over the months. I didn’t expect many RPers wanting to interact with an aged-down character. But here I am, wanting to expand my headcanons further and making AUs so I’m not limited to canon. ^^ It’s all thanks to you guys!! ]]

SOME MORE PERSONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE MUN.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES / NO / I SINCERELY HOPE I DO?

Do you frequently write headcanons?  YES / NO / SORT OF?     [[ I should do it more often TBH. But I find showing them via story-telling more fulfilling than just explicitly explaining them in posts. Plus, it gives me more leeway if I’m still playing around with an idea. ;) ]]

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO  [[ I’m not counting the three pending drabbles until I finish them. ^^;; ]]

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO [[ She finds a way to bother me! Usually in the form of sudden inspiration for how to respond to RPs. ]]

Are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO / SORT OF? [[ Sometimes I wonder if I forgot some aspect about Undyne that’s in canon, or unintentionally exaggerating other less-important aspects of her other characteristics… ]]

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO / SORT OF? [[ Generally, yes. But I do have my days when I suffer from low self-confidence. ]]

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO. / SORT OF? [[ It depends on what’s meant by that. I’m sensitive to other people’s feelings, so I don’t intend to sound rude OOC, even if I’m expressing something negative about something I think the other did. If this is referring to being sensitive about events in RPs… my sensitivity is equivalent to that of being invested in any work of fiction. I know it’s not reality. I can pull away from the fictional world and it won’t bring down my real life. ]]

DO YOU ACCEPT CRITICISM WELL ABOUT YOUR PORTRAYAL?   [[ If it’s given in good faith and is constructive, sure. ]]

DO YOU LIKE QUESTIONS, WHICH HELP YOU EXPLORE YOUR CHARACTER?   [[ Hell yeah, give them to me! ]]

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES TO A HEADCANON OF YOURS, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?  [[ It depends if they want to tell me. I don’t mind either way. Personally, I like hearing other people’s interpretations! ]]

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH YOUR PORTRAYAL, HOW WOULD YOU TAKE IT?   [[ *shrug* It doesn’t matter as long as they don’t harass me. ]]

IF SOMEONE REALLY HATES YOUR CHARACTER, HOW DO YOU TAKE IT?   [[ I’d just ignore it. They don’t need to interact or follow me. If my muse really is a bother to them, they can block my account. ]]

ARE YOU OKAY WITH PEOPLE POINTING OUT YOUR GRAMMATICAL ERRORS?   [[ I hope my grammar’s good enough, or else my English degree studies went to waste! But yeah, sure. Fun fact: explaining grammar rules so people can avoid major errors in the future is more helpful than nit-picking insignificant errors without explanations. ]]

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE EASY GOING AS A MUN?   [[ As long as fellow RPers aren’t being rude OOC, don’t break any serious rules, or do something that I mention are personal triggers to me, I am easy-going! RPing is fun and it should stay that way for everybody involved! ]]

#mun monday #ooc #long post #yikes that took me a week to finish writing #but it was fun #this post was such a pain to format

[atopearth]

Chrono Cross Part 1 - NPCs living their lives

The music is so nostalgic~~ Anyway, I love how both Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross kinda start off the game with the MC or someone opening the blinds in their room, it really gives that feel of it’s the start of an adventure!! Okay, it’s so cute how both Crono and Serge’s houses have a mum and a cat lmao, is this the classic MC house? Lol. Omgg I remember the fisherman guy and his gigantic fish, I always thought he was right to be so proud of catching it, I mean it’s literally the size of a house lmaoo. Anyway, did that fish…always wiggle and move?! That’s so scary LOL. It’s pretty interesting how they implement the Record of Fate/save point in the world, like it’s actually a thing in the world and not just something the player uses to save. It sounds kinda scary when the guy says it like that though, like if you forget to record it all down, you’ll lose your past, that’s… frightening. But the thing the girl says is pretty scary too! Like apparently it’s supposed to tell you what to do next, and if the Record of Fate doesn’t do that or you can’t hear anything, it means you have no future! That’s deep and scary! I find it hilarious how she tells you to deal with it by just sleeping though, since you can’t change your fate lol. It’s kinda interesting how the guy outside didn’t go fishing today because the Record of Fate told him not to go, I guess in a way, it’s kinda like a fortune telling thing too? There’s a Toma the Explorer here too?! How the world has changed though! From the great explorer that found the Rainbow Shell to the 14th generation of Toma who is outside gardening for living expenses haha! Lmao at Radius teaching the basics of battle, why did he kill me with Aquaball, revive me and then kill me again?! Hahaha. LMAOO at the grandpa admiring Miki the dancer’s poster even though he’s never seen her dance, he just wants to see her boobs jiggle HAHAHA, I loved it when he said don’t tell grandma lmao. Omg I remember the waitress girl that wants to be a poet! Lmao when she keeps calling the place a run down shack and the chef says she’s fired hahahah. Ooh dang, the poor boy is right that he needed my Komodo scale to make an accessory for Kiki because she might like Lolo instead, like dang Kiki is super happy that Lolo said he’s going to get scales for her, the boy better up his game! I’ll always remember the fisherman who gives you the Shark Tooth he got 10 years ago when he decided to succeed his father and become a fisherman instead of chasing after other aspirations he had, mainly because the him in Another World was quite different to say the least haha. I always love how easy it is to get Poshul to join the party, you literally just give her a bone and she’s like let’s go! Hahaha. LMAO at the barrel who gets annoyed at you constantly wanting an answer and gives you an uplift element hahahaha. Gotta love how passionate Leena is about the Komodo Dragon scale necklace hahaha, it is Serge’s fault for waking up late though, so he should get them for her now since she’s stuck with babysitting kids.

Gotta love how the monster’s name is literally Beach Bum hahahah. Also, I remember chasing that Komodo Dragon!! It used to be so annoying hahaha. Leena is really a sentimental girl huh? I like it though haha. Too bad Serge just disappears into Another World and can’t come back for a while. Lmaooo, did Poshul just ask if Leena spontaneously combusted?! HAHAHA. I nearly died. I don’t remember that line at all! That was hilarious. Anyway, I love how in Another World, the Komodo Dragon jumps you instead of you jumping on it in the Home World lmao, it’s such a cute detail. I find it hilarious how in the cafe, now it’s the grandma staring at the hunk Nikki hahaha. I always found the poem girl interesting, mainly because they both feel like they’re stuck in a random small village not able to really venture the world with the poems they really love, but they possess a really different attitude towards it. In the Home World, even though she’s just a waitress in the cafe, she still holds hope in writing poems and still has the drive and the dream to continue it, whereas here, she gave up on them a long time ago and doesn’t even want to mention it, she’s literally given up on her dreams and doesn’t think it’s realistic. Which may be true, but the way she’s doing it is really just avoiding what she really wants to do, which is saddening. I don’t think I realised but the guy who prays to Mojo instead of becoming a fisherman was actually a friend of Serge’s father! And it was because of what happened 10 years ago where Serge “drowned” that he ended up changing and praying to Mojo instead of becoming a fisherman. I find it saddening though, because you can see how happy the family was in the Home World where they happily talked about their daily life, whereas here, the mother and the wife etc all just talk about how the dad keeps just praying to Mojo and refuses to do anything else in his life, he doesn’t even spend time with Kiki. I always love the Komodo Dragon in “Serge’s Room” that rips you off 100G for resting there lmao. He doesn’t tell you beforehand!! He just let’s you rest and then goes pay up lmaoo. Btw, I really love how even though Chrono Cross has the same “silent protagonist” thing going on, he’s less “bland” than Crono because you can actually assume what he says from the NPC reactions in the dialogue, like they’ll kinda repeat what Serge asked to kinda gather what Serge says without you knowing. So he has more personality than Crono haha. It also helps that Serge has more dialogue choices. It’s pretty interesting how much the people rely on the Record of Fate. The girl in the front of the line at the chief’s house in Arni explains it really well, the Record of Fate tells her what decisions she should make, so there’s no anxiety or fear about what to do. It’s kinda interesting yet crazy that this thing is basically relied upon for their whole lives, it’s also kinda scary to think that if they don’t record things down, they’ll essentially like disappear from this world with no records of themselves. It’s kinda saddening that Radius isn’t the chief here, but aside from being stingy, Gonji doesn’t seem too bad?

Omggg Peppor is so slack! He literally kicked Poshul off the cliff!! I forgot who told Karsh and them that Serge will appear here, but I assume it’s Lynx? Anyway, I always love Kid’s first appearance, she’s so cool haha. I always feel bad rejecting Kid’s company here since she obviously really wants to travel together, but Leena!! Haha. It’s nice that even though this isn’t the same Leena he grew up and spent most of his life with, she still feels a certain connection to him.. It’s really sweet how Kid tells Serge to find a place to rest up since it’s getting dark and dangerous to stay out even though he just rejected her company. Lmaoo at Poshul coming back by herself hahaha. Mojo jumping down and saying he’ll join Serge and them is so random, at least the guy got it right that it’s some sort of agent of love and courage lmao. It’s just…maybe it might seem like he wasted 10 years, but his family have waited for him these 10 years to turn around and face his life, so I’m sure it’s not too late, he can still be a proper father, husband and son! I always found Skelly to be a really interesting character. Mainly because he’s a character you literally have to piece back together by finding his body parts around the world lol. I still remember his story though, I found it really saddening yet sweet. I find it hilarious that he was howling this whole time trying to find someone “dead” like Serge to help him. I love the newbie soldier that warns you to not go down and get the Big Egg because the Dodo is gonna kill them, I found it so wholesome how he was so worried about Serge’s safety and asked if he was really okay haha. I kinda feel bad for stealing the egg but the egg isn’t really the Dodo’s anyway haha. Anyway, I love how silly Solt and Peppor are, they’re such a highlight. Their theme soundtrack is so funky and jumpy, I always loved hearing it, so iconic haha.

Termina is such a great town with such a good song! Like it really reflects the upbeat and cool town it is. Omg I totally get that lady doing her laundry, it’s like, sunny weather is great, but sometimes you need rain too, it’s hard hahaha. Lmao at Lisa’s (Leena’s friend) father I assume who likes to gather mushrooms, I love how when he finds a secret path to get into the Viper Manor, he automatically assumes it’s because Master Viper likes to gather mushrooms too hahahah, yes, he’s a good lord just because of that lol. Van’s father’s story is pretty terrible. Van laments and wonders whether his father really used to be an artist back in the day considering how he’s so obsessed with money now, but really, maybe if he listened to the maid, he might understand his father better. His father is still bad for neglecting the kid and stuff, but honestly it’s understandable. When he was an artist, he was poor, so when his wife got sick, he couldn’t do anything but watch her pass away, powerless to helping her, so now he earns money to make sure that his son can stay healthy and be taken care of if anything happens. I just hope he spends more time with Van, promises are important to keep. LMAO when you do the fortune telling and it’s all serious and stuff when it comes to the future of Serge and Kid, but when you choose Leena, the fortune teller just says that she won’t get a boyfriend for a long time hahahahaha, that’s so slack. Despite how cool Termina seems though, racism is definitely rampant against demi-humans, whether it be the way people treat demi-human workers or how that guy has a freaking live mermaid in an ice cube, like what?! I always find it so funny how you can take Greco’s weights and it makes you run around really slowly because it’s heavy hahaha, it’s so random and silly. And the new Glenn! He’s not as cool as Frog but I always liked the Glenn in this game because he was such a kind and gentle soul. He lived in Dario’s (his dead but capable brother) shadow but he’s good for his own merits imo. I guess in a way, it parallels the story of Frog and Cyrus but instead of Glenn being truly as capable as Frog, I think Glenn instead found his own strengths as a person, and it also intertwines with Riddel’s story. I like Riddel~

Honestly, I like Nikki and want to get him, but his path is boring compared to Guile’s so I always end up climbing the cliff with Guile haha. And don’t even talk about Pierre’s route into Viper Manor loll, it’s so anticlimactic, it’s boring lol. To be fair though, I really enjoy the different variety because I have actually played the game three different times to see the different paths haha. I have to admit though, I love how the great idea the guards have to protect the manor from intruders is to constantly throw rocks down at them LOL, like where does all this energy come from?! Hahaha. Omgg that dragon feeding game, I am so bad at it lol, I had to get my bro to help me do anything more than 10 times hahahaha. I feel like if you suck at it (like me), the 40 times one is the most worth doing because it gives you RecoverAll which is really good! Lmao at falling through the trap hole, I remember that~ So silly of the guards to just open up the cage because Kid taunted them hahaha. I remember Orcha!! I love how he’s chopping carrots(?) and they’re just flying everywhere lol! It’s saddening that the evil guys did something to him though. I find it so funny yet silly that Glenn can’t remember the password to get through the main door and needs to write it down on the wall lol! Thanks for the tip hahaha. The Boxer Brothers aka the big and small mimic duo are so cute! I keep hitting the wrong one and don’t get any items though😭 OMG hahaha, I love how the password to get through one of the doors is “silence” because, dang, my indecisiveness helped me get through LOL. I couldn’t decide which one sounded less stupid of an answer and right when I was like whatever, the guard says staying silent was correct hahahah. LMAO at the treasure chest in Karsh’s room. Initially, he tells you that you can’t open it, but when you keep trying to open it, his dialogue changes and he counts how many times you keep trying, and when you do it for the 20th time, he gives up and just let’s you have the accessory inside the chest hahahaha. It was so cool. Too bad for Zoah’s chest, you can’t get it until he joins you haha. Marcy is a crazy girl as usual haha, she deals so much damage!! I know she’s the highest ranking dragoon (apparently) among the three since Dario is dead now, but dang. As for what the prophet said, it’s not anything I’m not aware of since he’s really just telling him that there was a 50/50 chance for Serge to continue existing 10 years ago and the two worlds kinda reflect how he survived in one and died in the other, but now what he exists in this world where he has died, there might be something more to it? I always found it really evil of Lynx to throw that dagger at Kid (who was holding Riddel hostage so that everyone could escape), it was pretty dirty. It’s kinda weird to hear Lynx call Serge the Chrono Trigger now haha.

For now, I’m really enjoying my replay! It’s honestly been so long~ The music is as beautiful as I remember, and even though the graphics can be rather jarring with the crappy quality it shows up as on the TV, it’s still all right haha. It gave me a headache before but I think I’m getting more used to it now haha. Gameplay has never been something I cared about too much, but I honestly find the Chrono Cross battles so nostalgic. However, the highlight of the game for me is still the NPC dialogues, they’re just so full of life and vibrancy! Like, I can actually feel that they are living their own lives in their own way, and maybe it’s not always the “correct” way of life, but it is their life. Whether it be the grandpa looking at Miki’s poster or the poem girl, a lot of the NPCs are ones I’ve remembered for years and years because they made some sort of impression on me and I think that’s what makes me love Chrono Cross so much.

P.S 500th post apparently! Yay to more!~

#chrono cross

[hardnoctlife]

About Me

Me: Oh, sweet, I have time to write on my WIP!

My brain: Let’s answer these author-asks instead that NOBODY asked for:

Fandom Questions

1.       What was the first fandom you got involved in?

FIRST, first? InuYasha! First one I wrote actual fanfiction for? I think that was Yu Yu Hakusho.

2.       What is your latest fandom?

Final Fantasy XV (if you couldn’t already tell.)

3.       What is the best fandom you’ve been involved in?

Final Fantasy XV. I haven’t met a person I don’t like! Generally everyone is super nice and supportive.

4.       Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms?

Supernatural, maybe?? Only because they killed it with too many seasons…and there are some pretty weird fans.

5.       Which fandoms have you written fanfiction for?

Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy VII, Legend of Zelda, Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, InuYasha…maybe some others when I was younger?

6.       What are your OTPs from your current fandom?

Promptis and Gladnis

7.       List your NoTPs from your current fandom

ArdNoct is my least favorite, but everyone is SO shippable…

8.       How did you get involved in your latest fandom?

One of my good friends, Claudia, was obsessed with the game so when I finally got a PS4 I started playing and got hooked! I’ve played final fantasy games since I was young so I was already a fan of the others.

9.       What are the best things about your current fandom?

I know there are dark sides to every fandom, but seriously, FFXV is the most kind and receptive fandom I’ve ever been a part of. I have a discord group chat with several people and we talk all day, everyday about anything and everything and I’ve made some really good friends from it. I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

10. �� Is there a fandom you read fic from but don’t write in?

I’m actually not a huge reader of fanfiction (I know, it’s awful), but that’s because I’m too busy writing my own! I do read FFXV fanfiction that gets recommended to me though.

Author Questions

11.   What’s the first fanfic you ever wrote?

It was waaaaay back in high school. I can’t remember much, but I know it was a YYH high school AU.

12.   Is there anything you regret writing?

Eh. Not really. I had fun with everything I’ve done so that’s what’s important, even if my skill was cringy back in the day.

13.   Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of and explain why you like it. 

Insomnia High School! (Really, my whole FFXV high school series). It’s the first set of long-fics I’ve written in probably over a decade, and I wrote them while recovering from knee surgery, which kept me sane because I’m a super active person and not being able to do anything had me depressed. IHS I’m particularly fond of because it’s a little edgier and I got to feature Zidane from FFIX who is probably one of my favorite video game characters of all time! Also, it’s my longest fic I’ve written, but it was maybe the easiest for me to get through. It really just flowed for me, and even though it’s not my most popular, I put a lot of heart into it. 

14.   What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?

Probably Dawn of the Godslinger, simply because it was the first fic I wrote after a ten-year hiatus from writing!

15.   What’s your most popular fanfic?

Rain or Shine and Everything In-Between. It’s probably my second favorite thing that I have written, and it was definitely the most fun to write out of all my current works.

16.   How do you come up with your fanfic titles?

Uh… they just come to me? Some are pretty straightforward (like Insomnian Academy for the Elite), and then for others I try to pick the main theme and come up with something witty, like Rain or Shine and Everything In-Between, which is meant to reference all the different domestic life scenarios and the ‘slice of life’ vibe. 

17.   What do you hate more: coming up with titles or writing summaries?

SUMMARIES. God, they suck. I’m really not sure why they are so hard, but I struggle with them at times.

18.   If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story/stories, which story would it be and what would it be a picture of?

I have been blessed with talented artist friends who have done fanart for several of my works! If I’m being selfish though, I really want some from Rain or Shine or The Long and Short of It All with all the bros being cute and silly.

19.   Do you have a beta reader? Why/why not?

My wife is an editor with an MFA so she is my beta reader/editor (I’m very lucky). Overall, I think it’s important to have someone check your work and give you objective feedback. No one is perfect and there is always room for improvement.

20.   What inspires you to write?

There are endless possibilities in my fandom…it’s pretty easy to stay inspired. But really, I just enjoy it.

21.   What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?

I have received a lot of super nice comments… I think I enjoy when people are inspired to write or draw their own stuff because of something I wrote! Also, when people told me they cried or FELT some sort of strong emotion, that’s the greatest compliment.

22.   Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you?

Omg YES. Music inspires me more than anything else. I have playlists for just about every fanfic I write! I’ll often listen to a playlist on repeat while I’m writing or throughout the day when I’m brainstorming ideas.

23.   Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics, or HUUUUUGE epics?

A little bit of everything! Depends on how I’m feeling and how much an idea takes off.

24.   What’s the word count on your longest fic?

I think it’s around 88,000

25.   Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?

I walk the line between drabbles/one shots, but usually they’re just a single scene I wanted to get out but was too lazy to put into a larger story.

26.   What’s your favorite genre to write?

Probably angst, with fluff/romance being a close second.

27.   First person or third person- what do you write and why?

Both! It just depends on how I want the fic to be interpreted/felt by the reader.

28.   Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs?

I try to use canon characters as much as possible, but I don’t have an issues creating OCs if the need arises.

29.   What is your greatest strength as a writer?

People have told me they like my dialogue and also the little subtle details/body language I include.

30.   What do you struggle with most in your writing?

Probably pacing, especially towards the end of a fic when I get excited about finishing it. Also, I don’t usually write outlines so sometimes I can dig myself into a hole plot-wise and my wife (editor) has to help get me out. (thanks babe!)

31.   What is your all time favorite fanfic?

Probably “Such Is Us” by surveycorpsjean. It’s what inspired me to write my own OT4 fic for FFXV.

32.   If someone wants to read one of your fanfics, which would you recommend to them and why?

Honestly, all of my stuff is so different it would really depend on the person! But my favorites that I’ve written (in order) are: You’re My Cup of Coffee, Rain or Shine and Everything In-Between, and The Insomnian Academy for the Elite.

33.   Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why or why not?

Of course!! As a writer, I love when people comment on my stuff so I feel it’s important to do the same for others.

34.   Do you care if people comment/reblog your writing? Why/why not?

If they do, it’s AWESOME and I really appreciate. If they don’t, that’s their choice! I believe in writing for myself, so I’m not going to base my worth as a writer on kudos/like/reblogs, etc. It does give me the warm fuzzies when people leave sweet comments though <3

35.   Rant or gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction.

Okay, so, smut. I like it! IF I’m in the mood for it. If I read a smutty fic and I knew what I was getting into, it’s great. However, I tend to not like s*x just for the sake of s*x in my fics. I try to focus on emotion and WHY two characters might be getting physical rather than just throwing something in there because I think it will get my fic attention. When people put in a s*x scene that doesn’t further the plot it’s a major turn off for me. 

#ao3 author #hardnoctlife #hardnoctlife ao3 #fanfiction #asks #final fantasy xv

[skarletterambles]

Mummy re-(re-re-re-)watch blog

Because sometimes self-care is rewatching your favorite movie for the first time in many years, I’m currently enjoying The Mummy (1999) on a nice big flat screen TV and eating pizza.  Life is good.

Random thoughts typed while watching (so expect typos) below...

[Disclaimers:  Obviously, this post contains massive spoilers for a 20-year-old movie, if anyone actually needs to be told that.  There are spoilers for The Mummy Returns, as well.  Also, I’m an unapologetic Imhotep fangirl so don’t expect me to talk about him like he’s some kind of villain.  That’s just silly!  Ahem.  I have the hots for Rick and Ardeth, too, though, so the drool will be spread out a bit.]

..............................

Imhotep’s priests really got the raw end of the deal.  They were just there to watch the door and make sure nobody interrupted their boss’ booty call, and they ended up witnessing regicide and then getting mummified alive.  Dang.

I bet the noise of the battle with all those horses and guns above him irritated Imhotep.  No wonder he sent sand jets up to scare away Rick and the others.  Damn kids, get off my lawn--er, necropolis!

Honestly, the havoc Evy wreaked on her library only made it look slightly worse than my workplace this summer.  :p  At least she didn’t have to worry about DVD shelving...  [Only I get this reference, but trust me, to me it’s hilarious, in a “if I don’t laugh I’ll cry” kind of way.]

Rick is damn good-looking when he’s all bedraggled and beat up, and even better looking when he cleans up.  The look on Evy’s face when she sees him after a haircut and a change of clothes, well... Same, girl.  Same.

Beni is one of my favorite comic relief characters of all time.

The Med-Jai wouldn’t have threatened Evy on the boat if they knew she was the reincarnation of their long-dead boss’ daughter.  I’m picturing Seti in the afterlife facepalming...

I had forgotten how hostile and scary the Med-Jai were at first.

It’s amazing how much of the dialogue comes back to me, though.  Even throwaway background lines like Jonathan complaining about the price of the camels.

Evy’s sheer joy over everything camel-related is so freaking adorable.

That first chitter of scarab beetles...my least favorite part of the movie.  Heh.

I can just imagine Imhotep in his sarcophagus, feeling the first hint of movement around him in over 3,000 years, and then freaking out as his sarcophagus falls through the ceiling and goes THUMP on the ground.  And then there’s screaming and everyone leaves.  He’d be like, WTF?

“He must have been someone of great importance...or someone who did something very naughty.”  Both correct, Evy...

It’s so not fair that Ardeth can be that drop-dead sexy-looking and have such a sexy voice.

And here’s that “I...AM A LIBRARIAN!” line that everyone in my line of work loves so much.  Heehee...

Mummy:  *bursts out of sarcophagus* Evy:  “Gah, I hate it when these things do that!” LMAO

Of course Imhotep scratched “Death is only the beginning” into the inside of his sarcophagus lid like a bored emo kid in study hall.

“If you dry that fella out you might be able to sell ‘im for firewood!”  As I’m sure the writers knew, they actually did burn mummies to fuel trains back in less enlightened times.  And grind them up for medicine and paint and all kinds of stupid, disrespectful things.

I love how they refer to Imhotep as “our friend” and “our guy” when they’re discussing how horrible his curse was.  That sympathy fades quickly enough once they meet him, though.

“Probably got a little too frisky with the Pharaoh’s daughter.”  No, Rick, that’s you.  Bwahahahaha!

“No harm ever came from reading a book.”  Evy, you’re a librarian.  You should know better.

Poor Imhotep must have been so stiff after not moving for a few thousand years. I bet he had to do some stretches before he went looking for people to drain life force from.

Forecast for today:  mostly sunny with a 90% chance of locust plague.

Gotta love Imhotep’s one-track mind.  Woke up for the first time in 3k years, just regained sight and speech, and the first freaking thing he does is assume the first woman he sees is Anck-su-Namun.  Because of course he does.

I wonder if Ardeth got any backlash from the rest of the Med-Jai for giving the interlopers a chance to leave Hamunaptra.  If he had just slaughtered them all the previous night, none of this mess would have happened.

“He will never eat.  He will never sleep.  He will never stop.”  Awwwwwyeah.

Because he looks so rotted, Imhotep looks threatening as he slowly advances on Beni, but if he was fully regenerated I bet his expression would have been confused and even slightly amused at Beni’s religious roulette, something along the lines of “WTF is this idiot doing?”

Imhotep, did you really need to wear a mask to meet a blind guy?  (I know, I know, he needed the disguise to get through the hotel, but it’s still funny.)

He was even polite enough to thank Evy for saving him from undeath.  What a nice mummy!

Med-Jai discussing Imhotep and Anck-su-Nam:  “Even after 3,000 years, he’s still in love with her.” Evy:  “Well, that’s all very romantic, but...” Me:  “Yes.  Yes it is.  Shut up.”

“You came back from the desert with a new friend, didn’t you, Beni?”  One of my all-time favorite lines, and one I randomly quoted to my late goldfish, Benny, many times over the years.  LOL

Couldn’t Beni have found some better clothes for Imhotep to wear?  Those ragged robes make him look like a beggar.  Although considering he was running around in nothing but a few wisps of rotten bandages before, they couldn’t afford to be choosy.

The casual way Imhotep chews that scarab beetle that crawled into his mouth is such a power move.  LMAO

The longing in his voice as he whispers Anck-su-Namun’s name almost makes up for the fact that he kissed Evy right afterward.  I know you’re impatient to get your girlfriend back, man, but control yourself.  :p

Another classic bit: Evy, trying to translate hieroglyphics:  “Patience is a virtue!” Rick, looking at incoming torch-bearing mob:  “Not right now it isn’t!”

The crowds chanting “Im-ho-tep” are so iconic, and the way they part to let him pass gives me shivers.

“It’s the creature!”  Thanks for the reminder, as he’s now fully regenerated and looking damn fine.

OMG that little smirk Imhotep gives to Rick as he turns to walk away with Evy...  Imhotep isn’t stupid.  He can see Rick’s in love with her.

Ardeth wearing that flight cap and goggles, grinning as he rides on the plane’s wing, is the funniest damn thing in the movie.  It’s such a departure from his usual demeanor, which is what makes it work so well from a comedic perspective.

Why did Imhotep stop the sand vortex so far from Hamunaptra?  He could have deposited himself, Beni, and Evy on the doorstep, but instead he stopped on the other end of the valley.  I mean, sure, it gives plenty of room for the famous sand wall attack scene, but it was still weird.

Evy:  “Stop it!  You’ll kill them!” Beni:  “That’s the idea.” Well...YEAH!

Beni to Imhotep:  “I loved the, uh, sand wall trick, it was beautiful.  Bastard.”  That’s funny enough, and then you remember that Imhotep doesn’t understand English, and it’s even funnier.  Stop trying to brown-nose a man who doesn’t speak your language, Beni!

The whole Winston subplot always seemed so pointless.  Just deus ex machina to get the airplane in there.  Honestly, that’s my only complaint about the movie.

Yeah, Imhotep, you had better bow back when your newly-risen priests bow to you.  You owe them big time after the shitstorm you dragged them into.

OMG Ardeth is even more gorgeous in the glow of gold artifacts.  Heehee...

And then some of Imhotep’s priests barely rise from the ground before being mowed down by machine gun fire.  Damn, they get the short end of the stick every time, don’t they?

One second I’m like, “Oh hai Anck.  You need to moisturize better, lawl,” and then the next Imhotep strokes her face with such tenderness and whispers her name and I’m like, “Awwwww!”  That’s what’s so much fun about these movies.  There’s the silly, campy fun intertwined with actually poignant, emotional moments, in perfect balance.

I just noticed that Anck-Su-Namun’s reaction to being resurrected both in the prologue and later as a mummy was the same gasp and fluttering of her hands over her collarbone.  Neat detail.

There’s this little glimmer of “Whoa, cool, I did that!” sometimes when Imhotep uses his powers.  It’s adorable.  (Yes, I just called an undead plague-bringer summoning mummified soldiers to kill his enemies “adorable.”  I warned you in the disclaimer.)

I love how Anck-su-Namun’s first response when waking up was to try to beat the crap out of Evelyn/Nefertiri.  Old habits die hard, y’know.  She was probably disappointed that her opponent didn’t remember the old ways of combat...yet.

I hate that poor Imhotep had to watch the love of his life be killed in silhouette twice.

And again he promises, “Death is only the beginning.”

Then it’s time for one last moment of Ardeth being hot beyond all reason, some Rick and Evy kisses, Jonathan getting a face full of camel breath, and a happy ending for at least those four characters.  ;)

The end...for now!

#the mummy

[curtangeled]

1967 version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

I’m not going to do too much compare and contrast until we’re more to the last act, because those are the most extreme changes - and the ones that are more disappointing vs “I can see why he cut that”.

My understanding of how published scripts work is that each edition is a reflection of a specific performance script. So generally different editions tend to be different because things get changed - some lines don’t work on stage, sometimes you don’t realize how an audience will react to something. The 1967 Faber edition is different from the Samuel French edition which is different from the standard edition you’ll find in most bookstores. 

Tom Stoppard is a famous fiddler. He is CONSTANTLY changing lines - so its not surprising that the differences between the different editions would sometimes be a bit extreme. Tim Roth and Gary Oldman talked about how much he changed the script. I had a published version of the movie script that was pretty different from the movie. He was on set on the Daniel Radcliffe version and still making changes (I remember noticing a few fun ones but unfortunately I didn’t record them at the time).

However the Faber edition is the only one that has this ending - which is actually way more exciting in its implications than the little excerpt I posted the other day showed.

This is a silly joke and nothing was lost by cutting it.

Was this in a different version? Maybe I’m getting mixed up.

Now we’re getting good. This is the only reference to religion Guildenstern makes in any version of the play that I’ve seen. I tend to write Guildenstern as atheist, though I’ve written romantic Catholic Guildenstern in the deep past (more attracted to the ritual and beauty and the taboo factor in a Protestant society).

I wonder if removing references to religion from Guildenstern’s mouth was a conscious choice. This really isn’t worth the reference made - its kind of superfluous that’s not deliciously extra the way the “nightingale at a Roman feast comment” is.

He’s kind of needling the Player here in a way he doesn’t in other versions. Like damn son, he just offered some sex he didn’t do anything to you... yet....

If you’re going to threaten to step on my head you better wear those slick ass boots to do it.

Here’s that weird aggression towards the Player again.

I think cutting these things was a good choice. Some of that weird aggression remains in the final version but I bet this didn’t make sense in performance the same way and it probably makes the Player more sympathetic later in a way Stoppard didn’t intend.

Firstly the Player should not be forgetful. That’s not his thing.

Secondly, this is a lame bit - its better gone. I get what he was going for and its a fun idea but yeah....

Meh minor change but thought I’d note it.

(starts on prev page with)

ROS (thoughtfully): Madness, then.

Yeah this was better cut. Though the madness talk at the beginning is fun, but also too insightful, unless Stoppard is implying they did figure out Hamlets hawk and handsaw comments (wait was this in this version? - it is).

And there’s the weird sexual implications in their talk about Ophelia.

Did she?

What do they care? They barely saw her. That’s Hamlet criticism talk and removing it was a total smart move.

The “loved her back” “loved her front” stuff made me say “gross” out loud when I first read it, but I have a really dirty mind. Its fun wordplay but I can’t even figure out what Rosencrantz is trying to say by “Though he loved her front” - like Hamlet thought she was pretty?

It gets incomprehensible pretty quickly. I’d hope that it played better in performance but since it got cut I bet it didn’t.

Its fun to see this bit, though.

I like the little “Why can’t you be still?” to Rosencrantz. That’s so adorably mother hen.

Ok first...

Let’s compare.

(Finishes with stage direction stating they “blend”)

Secondly....

I like that “Always underneath.” joke, ok? I think the Player needed more moments like that in the final version.

I don’t know why, but I do. I get why it was removed. It probably didn’t play well - especially as in a lot of the pictures of the early versions show Alfred being played by a literal child. I mean there’s really no reason to underline that at this point. So ok, it was pulled.

But why did he pull that wonderful actor talk in the middle? And that delightfully surreal moment where they all chant “company I keep)??? WHY???

Did some actor get all offended? Did it just really not play as well on stage as I imagine it playing? Because in my mind that moment is awesome. And then the Player assigns roles BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DOES. JESUS CHRIST WHY IS THIS NOT IN THE FINAL VERSION?

Oh and I consider the chant thing a point in my argument that the tragedians are a supernatural hive mind.

Here it gets different enough that its difficult to do a step by step comparison without just scanning the rest of the play.

Stoppard REALLY reworked this part heavily and I haven’t seen anything that explores why (its been a few years since I’ve tried to find information like this so its possible something has come out since then). 

So I guess I’ll be the one to explore why.

Supposedly the way Stoppard first wrote the play was this:

He wrote Rosencrantz and Guildenstern meet King Lear - this is in iambic pentameter and I have not found any published version of it. Supposedly a draft of it was in a collection of his personal papers at a University in Houston. I actually once seriously attempted to travel to Houston to see if I could find this early draft but it never worked out.

It wasn’t good, by any account. Basically Rosencrantz and Guildenstern meet an insane King Lear.

From there, Stoppard started backing up and wrote about the boat ride to England and in the end he essentially wrote the play backwards (this is my understanding).

If you think of it from the writing perspective - that makes the major changes to the ending make more sense. The final version is cleaner. I think in the 1967 version he’s allowing thoughts an meanderings that were definitely important to the character but not necessarily needed by the audience. I bet it must have been a little muddied in performance for him to change it so much.

But ok

OK

OK

I totally screamed the first time I read Guildenstern say “You knew.”

I felt SO VALIDATED IN THAT MOMENT.

I get why it was removed and changed to a more helpless existential anxiety.

BUT DAMN STRAIGHT GUILDENSTERN. HE KNEW.

Its even better if that’s pointed towards the audience. I’ve seen that played before. Its fun.

Ok - my favorite version of the Player is officially the 1967 Faber edition. Man, he cut so much of third act Player’s personality. I bet he showed that shit to Richard Dreyfus.

“Show them the difference between an old ham like me and instinctive genius”

HE FUCKING CUT ALL OF THE PLAYERS BEST LINES OUT OF THE THIRD ACT? WHY?????

I suppose its worth noting the boat talk was moved up in the final version to directly after the Letter. That’s an interesting change. I can see, based on the difference in how it came out in the end why he would make those choices. “Where we went wrong” Guildenstern is going to be a calmer Guildenstern. Like going to the heights of “You knew” Guildenstern every night after spending hours on stage is a recipe for someone getting hurt.

At least he kept the beautiful statement on the nothingness of death.

One last thing on the original ending:

That “Are you coming?” KILLS ME.

Because Rosencrantz is leaving to die. 

“Ok lets go. Come on.”

And Guildenstern is like “Why can’t you be still?”

I guess by 1968 Rosencrantz figured out it was best to leave without giving Guildenstern a chance to argue.

I find it very interesting that most of Guildenstern’s dialogue is moved to Rosencrantz in the later version and that Rosencrantz leaves much earlier and on such a line! OMG.

I love the common ending. But I will not deny that Rosencrantz disappearing on “Not that it makes much difference.” is fucking AMAZING.

Ok so I don’t know why he switched this shit around. Maybe he felt like the end was too Guildenstern heavy and Rosencrantz needed a few moments. It kind of was and he kind of did so good call on that. 

But the original ending is still fucking AMAZIING. 

AND

IT 

ISN’T 

DONE

YES.

I didn’t go into this in my original post -  but Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead originally had a circular ending.

The Tragedians are a supernatural hive mind eating random Elizabethans. Change my mind.

But seriously, I get why Stoppard decided to remove this. Removing this is probably why he can reread this play and go “not bad” instead of cringing. But this ending is so great. 

And that is my thesis as to why any Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead fan should own the 1967 edition if they can find one (you can find them surprisingly cheap if you keep your head on a swivel)