#it would most likely still receive a great deal of (deserved) criticism

[xbomboi]

thoughts about Epic Winter, & reconciling its place in Ever After High’s story as a whole

i wanna talk about epic winter because it—arguably more than any other aspect of the franchise—is definitely ever after high’s ‘ugly duckling’ piece of media, so to speak.

now obviously, a lot of it has to do with being the final big installment in eah’s main story, its premise being a side quest that sidelines the main protagonists in favor of new characters who are comparably far less compelling as the show’s actual leads, leaving the audience without any actual closure to the story which they were following.

in isolation, epic winter isn’t that terrible (though i think most would agree its better parts are the ones centered around already-established characters as opposed to the new ones), but in context it leaves a sour taste.

i entirely understand why anyone rewriting the series would either heavily rework it, only keep more important story beats such as daring’s arc & faybelle’s side plot, or completely remove the outing altogether.

in my case, however, deleting epic winter isn’t an option; my intentions are to continue where ever after high left off, and organically finish what they started. that means epic winter stays in tact, sanity be damned.

with that writing handicap, i can’t edit any pre-existing media in the ever after high animated lineup, which has forced me to brainstorm ways to recontextualize the purpose for epic winter’s place in the story and make the time spent on its story retroactively feel, at the very least, a little more worth it.

and the solution i found comes from viewing all that is introduced in the special through chehkov's gun.

(if you're unfamiliar, chehkov's gun is a narrative rule that everything introduced in a story must be done so with a purpose to serve. i.e. if you give a character a gun, they must shoot it.)

what's done is done; if we have to go on this detour following crystal winter and the top of the world, so be it. but let's pocket it like a tool that can be used later.

so here's my idea: bring crystal and the winter kingdom back into the story later down the line when the events of the story have reached a far more grandiose scale.

basically, i think the best way to use crystal would be when the story reaches a point of confronting and opposing the ruling powers in the fairytale world. having become the new snow queen, naturally, she'd be included in a gathering of the rulers of the kingdoms in the fairytale world.

i want there to be a moment in the story where the ruling powers gather together, and we see familiar faces return (including ones that we'd be introduced to after epic winter but prior to this), such as snow white, king charming, the queen of hearts, and of course, crystal.

with her outlook that would most reasonably be more aligned with the students at ever after high, she could end up being one of-if not the sole person-those present to voice opposition to whatever unfavorable verdict the rest of the rulers have made, as it would serve as direct conflict for the protagonists. she'd find herself outnumbered and ultimately her voice holding little to no power to sway the decision (especially being disregarded for her rather young age). afterwards we'd see her reflect on her frustrations with her colleagues and their rule of the system, thinking about it in terms of what kind of ruler she wants to be, before seeing her find determination towards something, though we aren’t yet shown what she actually decides to do.

the next time we'd see her would then come a little later, the conflict reaching the most dire circumstances. all hope is lost for our heroes; raven, apple, and co. would be down on their luck against odds they're unable to overcome. and that's when crystal would show up to offer her support, providing the numbers of her kingdom as allies to help better the odds. (she wouldn't be the only ally to show up, as this would be a 'getting help from all the friends we made along the way' ordeal. she would simply be one of said friends.)

crystal's help would ultimately play a part in winning the conflict. and because the audience would be familiar with crystal and the winter kingdom to a decent extent way prior to that point, the inclusion of it in the present fight at hand wouldn't feel like an ass-pull or a deus ex machina of sorts; it would make sense and feel earned for the most part.

and i think that's honestly the best thing to be made of epic winter's main adventure. we can't change it or fix it as it is, but we can create a payoff for it all later down the line. think of it like begrudgingly doing chores that lack any enjoyment factor, only to find that afterwards, you're glad you did.

so, yeah, that's my idea for how to give epic winter a genuine purpose. but i'm just spitballing.

#honest to god though i'm positive that had there been at LEAST one more special after epic winter #that shifted focus back to the already established characters and story #even if it was still inconclusive on eah's story as a whole #had it existed #epic winter wouldn't be AS hated as it is #it would most likely still receive a great deal of (deserved) criticism #but there wouldn't be the same amount of disdain held towards it #oh well #eah #ever after high #ever after high epic winter #eah epic winter #epic winter #crystal winter #raven queen #apple white #daring charming #faybelle thorn #ramble #duncontent

[xinamie]

🍵 — part of my design.

pairing: bi-han / sub zero x gn! reader

summary: not everyone understands him and he's aware of that, but he's silently thankful for those who try at least. ♡

tags: more of a short study of him, no dialogue, platonic or more if you want!

The Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei was truly a formidable and intimidating force, harnessing his birth right to lead along with his cryomancy. He aimed for grand heights, wanting to be more than mere defenders of the realm. His clan's best interest was always on the forefront of his mind, believing they deserved a higher standing than being shackled and seen as pawns. They were warriors trained for battle, yet that glory he sought out had hindered communication and connections.

Many great consequences had passed; his brothers were no longer by his side, and the Lin Kuei were deemed to have abandoned their intended purpose. He knew this, of course, but he was not one to give up. Any time he would cross paths with his family, he would ask them to join him, though his choice of words may not be what they wish to hear.

One day, the Lin Kuei would get the recognition and status they should have been given. There were some positive outcomes throughout this whole ordeal, however. Cyrax and Sektor were still around, aiding in his efforts and dealing with special projects.

Then, there was you.

Contrary to popular belief, the man had not wronged you in any way. There were times he criticized your forms during training, but was that not his job? His warriors had to be in top shape in order for success! If one couldn't handle being called incompetent from time to time, they would definitely not survive out on the merciless fields.

You were praised for your loyalty and diligence, and in return, you received his respect. Not that he never did before, after all, he was an educated and formal man. He held himself well and even with his rare outbursts due to frustration, he had never cursed loudly. Instead, it was always a rather chilling tone, authority seeping through and making even the best warriors tense up.

Today was a good day by all means.

Training had gone well, meals were warm and fulfilling, and pristine uniforms had been cleaned, pressed and distributed as usual.

You were able to catch a glimpse of the Grandmaster when the sun was about to succumb to the moon. He was in his usual attire, fitting to his form and proper by all standards. The only trait that seemed out of place were the strands that escaped his bun, resting across his forehead naturally. It made you wonder if that was a choice too; does he purposefully style his hair like that every morning or was it due to the activities he busied himself with?

Regardless, it was a nice touch compared to the rest of his composure.

He had been pouring a cup of tea, Pu'er to be exact as it was one of his favorites, when you noticed he had been staring right back at you. His eyes shifted to the low table before him where his cup and an additional one were seated.

An invitation.

The gesture was subtle, but you would be a fool not to accept it. You made your way over to him, carefully folding your legs against the mat. He offered you the spare cup, only partially filled with the brew.

That simple notion was another aspect to consider as a tea cup filled to the brim held a particular meaning. The fact that it was not the case meant he most likely wanted you to stay longer and enjoy the tea with him.

No words were exchanged as the two of you allowed the warmth to take over, and one thing was for certain.

Despite what others may say, your Grandmaster was an honorable man.

#mk1 x reader #sub zero x reader #bi han x reader #bi-han x reader #mk1 sub zero x reader #mk1 bi han x reader #mk1 bi-han x reader #mortal kombat 1 x reader #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat sub zero x reader #mortal kombat bi han x reader #mortal kombat bi-han x reader #xinamie writes

[duckyfruitbat]

Tales From the Internet:  The Time Internet Men Decided a Gamer Feminist Was the Worst Thing Since Milk With Pulp

Let’s step back to the year 2014, yes this was long after the events happened.  I just got home from school with a skip in my step and a smile on my face to mask the pain.  I sit down at my computer with snack in hand ready to watch my new favorite game journalist on the Escapist YouTube channel, James Stephanie Sterling.  I click on a video I haven’t seen and there I learn of an on going temper tantrum happening still to this day.  All centered around a game critic who looks at games from a feminist perspective.  Her name?  Anita Sarkeesian.

So what happened?  I’m glad you asked disembodied voice whispering into my ear.  To answer the question, she was a feminist who set up a Kickstarter for her new show at the time, this show was her critiquing games...but from a feminist perspective.  That’s it, I never checked out her internet show, because it didn’t interest me at the time, and honestly I’m scared of what the algorithm will spit out when I type her name in.  I was getting more into retro reviews and Game Theory at the time, I hadn’t even thought about exploring social issues at this point.  

If it ended with Anita launching the Kickstarter and going about with her life without any worry, we wouldn’t be hear.  What happened next was that the anti SJW crowd had the biggest meltdown in internet history.  There were a handful of channels that had too many videos on Anita Sarkeesian and telling the world how bad and mean she is, these were usually dozens of videos sometimes lasting hours in a bit of a podcast/reaction format.  Anita was essentially content farmed for hundreds of hours of content in just a few channels, all of which just hit the same beats and would boil down to just saying that feminism is icky, even in videos that had nothing to do with her.  The people who made them?  They were the same crowd who thought the N word wasn’t a slur and would drop it like they were the most enthusiastic flower girl at the worst wedding, and then they tried to use autism as a slur.  These were the same people who would claim they weren’t sexist by naming their favorite stripper, who they probably didn’t even tip, and then say that women were literal monsters.  Truly we are dealing with great minds, behold the next Socrates as he owns the libs through research papers he hasn’t even read.

With all that going on, Anita received so many death threats, rape threats, and doxing.  This was obviously unwarranted, my fedora wearing dumb edgy teenager self looked at all this and thought, “wow this is actually disgusting” and that was back when I was hanging around the edge of that rabbit hole (again, dumb teenager).  The strange thing is that among all this, I actually forgot what Anita originally did.  I completely forgot what she did or who she was because the meltdown overshadowed her so much.  All I knew from this era, was that she was gamer feminist.  I had to hunt down that original Jimquisition video to remember who she was.  

Honestly I think James Stephanie Sterling put it right when they said that Anita Sarkeesian was these people’s Frankenstein’s monster.  She was content doing her own thing in her corner of the internet among the vast cosmos that is the internet.  It was only because of the meltdown that everyone heard of Anita.  These days Anita has her head held high and looking forward, meanwhile the people who dragged her out of her corner of space are still looking back at her crime of being a feminist on the internet, yes they’re still bashing her.  I wish you well Anita, you honestly deserve it, especially after what you’ve gone through.

#dead man games #tales from the internet #anita sarkeesian #feminism

[alt-bluesman]

Animal Crossing memories, part 2

It's brand new day, time to get back to it! I'm going to toss in some of my favourite ACNH screenshots between the paragraphs. Stuff that I wasn't able to fit in previously, most of it silly, some pretty. They don't have anything to do with what I have to say, but I'd like to share them somewhere & I don't want this post to be a plain wall of text either. Let's go!

So what is my overall opinion on the game? I think it's awesome. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I didn't get around to experience any of the previous AC instalments, so I have no way to compare. I know that some of the faithful fans of the series aren't necessarily thrilled with New Horizons & looking at their criticisms, they raise good points! Personally I enjoy the game for what it is: there's no wrong way to play it and there is no pressure to do it one way or another. I keep coming back to the Sims and Minecraft for the exact same reasons.

When I opened New Horizons on my birthday this year, I finally took the time to check out all of the features they added over 2 years ago. Better late than never I say! They were met with a mixture of excitement and disappointment, haha. Mostly that first one, thankfully. Cyrus' customisation workshop is hands down one of the best things ever - you no longer have to hunt down your desired item variations on Nookazon or beg your friends for them. There are so, so many new objects in the game. Some of the prices were reduced. You can customise your home inside and outside as well as expand your storage. Froggy chair is back!

Let me tell you though, I was appalled when I found out that bulk crafting wasn't implemented. Why, Nintendo. Why! I know they're still adding minor patches to the game, but I'm afraid it's safe to assume that we're never going to get that at this point. I understand why it wouldn't apply to big items, but fish bait? Come on. We can already buy stuff in bulk. Same thing applies to Nook Miles tickets, why the heck can't we print several at the time? Or fly from one mystery island to another, skipping the airport? Eugh. I heard that Nintendo is notorious for not taking the voices of their fanbase into consideration, so I believe we're stuck forever with these pesky mechanics!

But I don't want to be a negative Nancy. I will stand by my words: the game is awesome. I'm thankful for what we got! I believe New Horizons truly deserved its success and I hope the next instalment in the series will receive a warm welcome just like this one. Unlike some players, I don't think another major update is necessary. Of course it would be great, though the game feels finished to me - with all the events, items, recipes, customisation options, it's a solid title. I can safely say it's one of my favourites as far as all games go.

Now, with all that said, what does the future hold for my little island of Pan? Well... the days of Pan are numbered. After some back and forth, I decided it's time to delete my save file and start fresh. I will take a hot minute to explain why (so bear with me if you're curious), but first I want to say why it was a tough choice. Pan is nearly dang perfect for me. Great layout, long pier, blue airport, oranges as my native fruit and windflowers as native.. flowers! I have quite a few items & board drawings that I hold very dear because they came from friends. I like all of my villagers a lot. I love how the island looks. I have so many memories. After all, it's my true and only Pan.

What's wrong, then?! A lot, man. A lot. Even though I'm proud of how the island looks, it's not fun to play on and that alone is a big deal breaker for me. I (mostly) finished it around the time when heavily-terraformed and decorated islands were all the rage & unfortunately developed that unhealthy mindset of comparing myself to all those much more skilled players. For whatever reason, I wanted to live up to somebody else's standards. Not anymore! My next keyword would be "less": less decorations, less flowers, less trees, less cliffs, less waterfalls. (Seriously. They are so frickin' loud)

Admittedly, Pan doesn't have nearly as much clutter as some other islands do, but it's still a problem in many different ways. The whole central part lags and it drives me nuts every time. I'm pretty much confined to walking on paths as there isn't a lot of open space anymore. Said custom paths flicker a lot. Performing some of the daily tasks can be difficult. Wanna catch a fish? There ain't no space. Shoot down an airdrop? Nope, no space. Build a Snowboy without the snowball getting obliterated 10 times in a row? No. Space.

I know there's always an option to declutter, remodel or flatten and start over - I did these and considered them again! But each and every one seems so daunting now. This brings me to my next point: I miss so many things from the early stages of the game. The spacious, natural feeling of a brand new island. Darting around the place like there's no tomorrow. Slowly building everything from scratch, making your own way through it all. Catching all the critters, searching for fossils, getting scammed by Jolly Redd. Heck, even paying off all the effing debt!

I'm always a strong advocate for a second playthrough. It's true that I love jumping into games with as little knowledge about them as possible, hardly anything can replace that fresh, first experience! But it's so much fun to rediscover too. I pay a lot more attention to detail whenever I replay because I already know the main story and I'm ready to take in all of the smaller things. There is no real story in Animal Crossing, just progress and I hope to take it a little at a time. When the game came out, I had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with it, haha. (Who didn't, though?)

I never visited any of the famed treasure islands, but I did time travel quite a bit. Both things can be absolutely okay if they're exactly what you're looking for. Not sure if that was the right choice for me. I played for hours on end, grinding so hard that I think I just burned myself out much sooner that I wanted to. I couldn't bring myself to touch New Horizons for a long time after that. I believe many other players experienced something similar. That and also all the dramas that inevitably erupted with an introduction of so many new players to the AC community. The game kind of faded into obscurity after its prime. Folks were collectively tired.

Many aspects of that initial hullabaloo were great, not gonna lie! Jumping on the bandwagon, sharing our adventures, making memes. Still, it feels nice to come back after it all subsided - to a game that is, after all, supposed to be relaxing and mellow. I've mellowed down over the years too. Not only that, but I also don't feel the need to rush through it as there is no fear of spoilers anymore, I already know all the unlocks, I know what happens in the game. I'm looking forward to getting back into it with a fresh, blank canvas to have fun on and a more open mind.

------------------

There will be part 3 to this! Hopefully soon after I can access my Switch again. I ain't letting Pan go without a bang either, I will snap pics all around it and post & describe them here. If I can figure out how, I will record a tour. If it's worth it, I will save a dream address. This little fictional land meant so much to me (and I can't even fully explain why I get so attached to stuff like that). I even don't know why I just spent so much time talking about Animal Crossing. Perhaps it's easier for me to talk about games, cartoons and fictional characters than my personal life? It is easier for sure!

#Animal Crossing #New Horizons #Animal Crossing New Horizons #ACNH

[winter-soldier-vibes]

We Need You

Bucky x reader

Word count: 1901

Summary: Bucky comforts a reader with imposter syndrome (inability to believe that one’s success is deserved)

Warnings: imposter syndrome, low self worth/self esteem, feeling worthless, slight angst, mostly comfort

A/N: I have issues that present similarly to imposter syndrome, but I don’t experience it fully or severely. You belong and wherever you are, you fucking earned that. You worked hard to get where you are. I hope this fic can bring you some comfort, I apologize if I did not serve the topic justice. Sorry it took so long! As always, if anyone needs anything from me or just wants to talk and vent, I am ALWAYS here! <3

Tags: @buckys2thicc @buckfics @thatfangirl42 @mardema @barnesplums @bucks-bunny @stucky-on-spiderman @peggycarter-steverogers @freigeistundanderes

Add yourself to my taglist! Masterlist

------

You were calm, cool and collected. Smart, dedicated, and hard-working. You were an Avenger, one of the more valuable assets to the team with your training in hand to hand combat and knowledge of weaponry. 

At least, that’s how everyone saw you. Everyone except you. 

Every “job well done” translated to “I could’ve done better” for you. Compliments in a way felt like pity to you. Like it was all a lie or something. You could’ve been better, you didn’t think you were anything special. 

Anytime someone gave you praise you would wave it off with a small smile. Everyone saw it as you being modest, but internally you just couldn’t accept it. You couldn’t accept praise knowing you could’ve done better.

Settle for nothing less than perfection. But nobody’s perfect.

You were endlessly grateful for your team, your family, but you couldn’t help but feel like you didn’t deserve it. You had so much good in your life, but you felt like you had to keep proving yourself. 

You had everything you could ever want, but you still felt like you had to earn it. 

You thought you had done a good job at keeping it hidden. Imposter syndrome you had heard someone call it at one point. You had looked into it, realizing more and more of it resonated with you. You didn’t feel that you deserved your spot on the team, even though most of the team could agree that you were one of their best fighters. 

You were also one of the kindest people on the team, and everyone enjoyed being in your company. Again, you wrote it off as them feeling obligated to talk to you rather than them choosing to talk to you. 

Everything you thought about yourself, the degrading names you called yourself, and the way you waved off all of your achievements didn’t match up at all with the way anyone thought about you. 

It went unnoticed to most. You would put up a front, small smiles and thank you’s occasionally. There would be small side comments that you would make occasionally, but it was nothing that would cause red flags to arise. 

It’s nothing, really.

I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t have done.

It’s no big deal.

No worries

That’s why I’m here I guess

Compliments were deflected. Whenever you received criticism you would internalize it even though you knew it was nothing against you. Friendly advice to improve job performance. But for you, it reinforces the thought that your performance needed to be improved.

No matter what you did, you would never be good enough. You used to chase achievements, telling yourself that if you did well enough, if you did good things, that you would feel a sense of self worth. That maybe if you achieved things you would be filled with a sense of pride.

Instead you were left feeling as though you didn’t deserve any of the recognition you received. In a way, it made you feel even more insecure.

You thought that if you accepted the praise you would seem self indulgent or boastful that if you said what your achievements were you would seem prideful. So you accepted them with a small smile and thank you. At least until people moved onto the next topic and you drop the smile when it seemed safe. When no one was watching. 

When you thought no one was watching. 

Which is how Bucky had come to notice the discomfort you had.

When he had first joined the team, he was very quiet. He did a lot of listening and observing, not wanting to speak much himself. That was understandable to anyone. So when you had been introduced to him and your skillset had been mentioned and you waved it off saying no big deal, he had noticed how you shifted as if you were uncomfortable and your smile dropped as soon as the attention was on someone else. 

He didn’t think much of it. If anything it had to do with being uncomfortable around him. 

But as time passed he started relaxing around everyone too, especially you. He was still accepting what he had done and who he was now. He was still reserved but he wasn’t silent. The two of you had become good friends, being two of the quieter personalities on the team. 

Now you had someone to keep you company when you stayed at the outskirts of Tony’s parties.  

But as more time went on, he noticed small things that you did. Behaviors you had, things you said. Clutch phrases. The way you would seem embarrassed when people complimented you. The way you would say that there were no worries even if you were the only reason that a mission was successful. 

Sometimes when you thought you were alone or no one would hear, he would catch you mumbling things to yourself. Things like yeah right to compliments before giving a genuine response. The slight shakes of the head in protest. The nervous habits you had when you got a compliment. The little things that others were too distracted to notice, too small to 

Bucky was an observant man. 

Which is how one night, you hadn’t realized him come into your room to talk to you about something that Bucky completely forgot about once he saw you. You were sitting down at your desk, head in your hands and rubbing your eyes. 

Jesus why am I so stupid

What the fuck is wrong with me

They don’t mean what they say

How could they like you?

I’m worthless

Just like everyone else

I don’t belong here

You were so trapped by the marathon of degrading thoughts that you hadn’t heard Bucky come in. He stood beside you, concern etched on his face. 

“Y/n?” you jumped slightly and took your hands away from your face, blinking in surprise. You had been crying. Why was he here?

“Y/n what’s wrong?” he asked, coming over to you. 

You shook your head and shrugged, wiping a few loose tears from your face. “‘M fine Buck,” you whispered, struggling to keep your emotions out of your voice.

“Y/n,” Bucky said, crouching down in front of you. “You wouldn’t be crying if something wasn’t wrong. It’s okay to be upset, there’s nothing wrong with that. Just tell me why you’re upset.”

You shook your head again. “Really Buck, I’m fine.”

“Y/n, I may not be able to read minds like Wanda, but I know something’s bothering you.it’s okay.”

You sighed, taking a breath before looking at him. “Do you guys really mean it?” you suddenly asked meekly.

Bucky drew his eyebrows together in confusion. “Mean...what?” 

“After missions, when you say I did the right thing, that I did a good job, that you guys need me - do you mean it?”

Bucky looked more puzzled now. “Yeah, of course we do. Why else would we say things like that?”

“If you thought you were supposed to.” you said suddenly. “Or if, you know, you wanted to be polite, or you thought I wanted to hear it, or you didn’t really mean it I don’t really know I -”

“Y/n, hold on, slow it down...What?” Bucky said. “Why on Earth would you think that?”

You crossed your arms and shrugged. “I dunno, I just don’t really feel like I’m all that valuable to you guys here. I don’t do anything you guys couldn’t do without me. I make so many mistakes all the time and no matter how hard I try I just don’t feel like I belong here.”

Bucky took a minute to look at you. He had known you doubted yourself but this was beyond what he had thought. To think that you, y/n, weren’t valuable to this team was a crazy idea to him

To you it was the truth.

“Y/n, no, we need you. Why on Earth would you think you don’t belong?”

“Because I haven’t earned it. I’m on the team, I fight with you guys, but I still don’t feel like I should be. The mistakes I make all the time, the wrong calls, the selfish calls, bad judgements...I could go on. I just...no matter how much good I do it doesn’t make the mistakes go away.”

“Y/n, you are one of the best people we have, we -”

“No I’m not,” you said firmly, surprising Bucky. You shook your head. “You guys don’t need me. I don’t deserve to be on this team.”

“And I do?” Bucky asked.

You looked back at him. “What do you mean? Of course you do. Your the best fighter we have, Steve's best friend, we need you.”

“But I’ve made so many mistakes. You know all of the horrible things that I’ve done y/n. I was made into a weapon.” he said.”

“Bucky you know that wasn’t your fault. You didn’t choose that and you would've done anything to stop it. That’s different. You’re a great fighter and a good person, Bucky.”

“So are you.” he stated simply. “Do you believe that?”

You took a deep breath.  “I believe you believe that. But that doesn’t mean it’s true.”

Bucky put his hands on your shoulders. “You are a fighter. A hero. You’ve saved so many people doing things that some of us couldn’t or wouldn’t do. People out there remember how you saved them. How you protected them and gave yourself to them. That was you, no one else. You are a part of this team, you help make it what it is. We would be lost without you. You put your blood, sweat, and tears into this team. You give your heart and soul to this team. You’ve earned every goddamn bit of praise you get and more. You fought your place onto this team and you deserve to be here just as much as everyone else here. So when your head tells you that you don’t belong or that we don’t need you, tell it to fuck off. Because you’re one of the best people we have.”

By now you had tears in your eyes again, but not ones of shame. Ones of appreciation and relief. You had wanted to hear those words directly for so long and to be affirmed in that way was something you needed. “Thank you Bucky,” you said softly, giving him one of your first genuine smiles at a compliment.

He squeezed your shoulder reassuringly. “Anytime. Anytime you want a reminder, you let me know. I’ll tell you as many times as you need to hear it before you can start to believe it for yourself.”

#bucky #Bucky Barnes #james buchanan barnes #buckybarnes #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes x reader #bucky imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barns fanfiction #bucky barns x reader #bucky barns imagine #bucky barns x you #tw imposter syndrome #comfort #bucky barnes comfort #bucky gives a pep talk #bucky is a hype man #MCU #MCU fanfiction #mcu imagine #mcu fic #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel #fanfiction #fanfic

[linkspooky]

Do you have any thoughts on the Pro-Hero's discussion about Shigaraki and his hatred from chapter 311?

My thoughts are this, from both Jeanist and Hawks utter cluelessness to why Dabi could possibly have turned into a villain despite Dabi just telling them why, on tv, and being next to the man who pushed him into it, and from how all three of them fail to understand how Shigaraki could have been so easily groomed into hatred reflects an unacknowledged shadow for all three of them.

In Jungian psychology the concept of the shadow exists. The Shadow is an unconscious aspect of the personality which is outside of the conscious ego. While our consciousness is mainly made out of behaviors and memories, we judge as positive, and our Shadow differentiates by holding emotions, behaviors, and memories we label as adverse or painful. In a shadow, constructive perspectives might be incorporated, but most of the parts remain camouflaged under the thumb points of low self-esteem ness, anxieties, and false beliefs. "Everyone carries a shadow," stated Jung "and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. To know yourself, you must accept your dark side. To deal with others' dark hands, you must also know your dark side.

In other words, for characters like Enji and Hawks, all of their bad traits define them just as much as their good traits, to be a whole and complete person they have to recognize those bad traits instead of being in denial of them however, both of them choose to only see themselves as heroes.

Anyway, now for something completely different. Let’s talk about batman and the joker. Batman uses Jungian symbolism a lot, of all the heroes he’s the most famous for being a normal person, who dresses in a costume to fight crime specifically in shadowed alleyways, and has a rogues gallery that also consists of mostly normal people in costumes. Batman’s villains are batman. Batman plays with both the relationship between himself and his villains, and also the relatinoship between Bruce and his own Shadow, because his Shadow is part of who he is. 

Now the most iconic batman villain is obviously the joker, and he’s a character like All for One who most of the time is just written as a character who does evil for evil’s sake, but more serious looks at the Joker like The Killing Joke which My Hero Academia directly references make this comparison between the two of them. The famous One Bad Day speech is also, notably, an attempt for Joker to connect to batman, to try to explain himself to him. 

He’s not just spouting a villain speech, he’s also looking for sympathy and trying to give sympathy, because that’s just what humans do. Because deep down, both Batman and the Joker were normal people once. The connection between Batman and the Joker is that they were both normal people, but one of them became a hero, and the other one a villain, and therefore that potential exists in any normal person. 

However, the heroes in MHA still don’t acknowledge their connection to the villains. Hawks and Enji did apologize yes, but what’s also important is their actions after, which is to choose to continue fighting villains as heroes.

It’s been pointed out by Shoto before that what Enji really needs to do to heal his family, is act like a good father, rather than a good hero. However, when given the chance to reach out to his son, he chooses to fight it instead. There’s a reason that the public isn’t reassured by the actions of Hawks, Jeanist and Endeavor and that’s because they continue to keep playing heroes instead of acknowledging what’s wrong. I’m not saying they are good or bad people, both Hawks and Enji have bad sides of their personality that they are almost completely ignorant of. They, like any human being have the potential to be driven to villainy. That’s why Enji can’t reach out to his son, because his brains have still made the connection that he was what drove Toya to villainry. 

It comes across in the casualness which Enji remarks upon what AFO did to Shigaraki and the complete lack of self awareness. Enji did the same thing, he had a child for the sake of passing on his quirk, raised that child to hate all might and want to do anything to surpass him, and he even wanted to live vicariously through the success of Toya and then Shoto so everyone would know him as Endeavor’s son. He still only cares about Toya to the extent that his dreams were once resting on him. 

So when Enji makes the connection to AFO, he asserts that there must be something wrong with him to do all those bad things, because he’s unaware of the resmeblance between his own deeds and AFO’s. He sees himself as a human being with reasons for his bad actions, he didn’t mean to neglect Toya, he didn’t know what to say to him, he was too guilty and hid from his guilt for so long but he doesn’t allow his enemies to have that guilt. This is a pattern that repeats with Hawks, and Jeanist as well, they can’t understand why people like Twice and Dabi would feel like they have a right to be angry at the society that mistreated them. 

Jeanist’s defense is why can’t he just keep quiet about it. 

Twice’s last words were hating Hawks and wishing the worst for him, yet Hawks still thinks they were best friends somehow.

Hawks and Twice were not friends, because Hawks chose not to be his friend, and to hurt what was most precious to Twice which was all of his other friends. Enji chose not to be a father to Toya and not be a father. Enji and Hawks are neither heroes nor villains, they are not good or bad, they’re just humans and as humans they have the potential to be both. 

In only seeing the hatred that Shigaraki was groomed to have they’re also fundamentally misunderstanding him. The thing is Shigaraki has reasons for his hatred, and not just because AFO forced him to feel that way. It’s not just AFO, that’s what they critically misunderstand, it’s Shigaraki’s experiences with how the society around him has neglected both him and his friends.

That’s something that the heroes can never see, because Shigaraki has been assigned the role of a villain who hates society. It’s not just AFO, Shigaraki can’t be at peace with a society that is designed to reject others.

That doesn’t come from his hate either, it comes from his sympathy with the victims. Just like they only see their own good traits, they can only see the villain’s bad traits. The thing is we have witnessed Shigaraki constantly been challenged on the fact that he only has empty hatred, first by Stain, then by Chisaki, and finally be Re-Destro. We also witnessed the moment he changed. 

The conclusion Shigaraki comes to as the result of his arc is that while he himself doesn’t care about the people, he’s not alone anymore, he wants to give the future to the others around him. 

That’s why Shigaraki’s actions aren’t driven just by hatred, but also by a deeply broken sense of empathy. Not only is he a crying child himself, he’s also someone who acknowledges the feelings of others. What converted Spinner from being someone who didn’t particularly care about the goals of the league, and doubted Shigaraki in front of everyone to his most loyal follower. 

It’s because he came to recognize that this human side of Shigaraki was there. The same way that underneath his mask, Spinner was just a pathetic NEET struggling with his own feelings of inadequacy, Shigaraki gets close to broken people, he tries to protect them, he tries to give some kind of validation to their feelings. 

Shigaraki has grown from just hating all of society because it rejected him, to realizing the real reason is because it rejects everyone around him. That means while there’s hatred to his character, there’s also a very selfish and intense love that applies to a small group of people, but the potential for love is still there. Shigaraki reaches out and saves people the same way that Deku does, he tries to do all the fighting himself to protect others just like Deku, it’s just that he’s been hurt again and again and that’s twisted him to act on his worst trait. None of the heroes understand Shigaraki’s love, because they can only see his hate. 

It’s not just that he’s been victimized or that he’s a crying child. Shigaraki is constantly compared to a child both in a negative sense as a man child, and a positive sense as a child pure heartedly pursuing their dream, because there is that potential within Shigarkai, to grow up, and grow into a better person if he was given the same chance to atone that characters like Hawks and Enji have already received. 

Shigaraki and Deku just like batman and the joker both reflect that in perfectly normal people, there’s the chance for great good, or great evil. For Shigaraki there’s an added level of complexity, that you can still grow into a better person, after everyone has written you off as too far gone. You can still grow to love the people around you when you thought you were only capable of hating. 

Enji and Hawks still have the oppurtunity to grow just like that, not as heroes, but as people. 

However to truly grow as people they would have to learn to empathize with the villains, especially because they have done wrong things too, Hawks killed because he had to, Enji hurt his entire family. Defeating the villain really is not the solution, because sometimes you yourself are the villain. 

In order to fully grow as people they have to learn to see themselves as people, and not heroes. That also means admitting the villains are just as human as they are. If Endeavor is someone who can become better after realizing that he made so many mistakes in the past and the only thing he can do about it is try to do better from now on, then Endeavor’s ending point should be realizing that since he was given that chance by his family, others deserve that chance too, especially his own son.  People are not villains, or heroes, Endeavor is just Enji Todoroki and Dabi is Touya Todoroki deep down no matter how they see themselves. 

#Anonymous #shigaraki tomura #afo #dabi #touya todoroki #hawks #twice #best jeanist

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

Do you have any criticisms of the Jedi order or the Jedi? Like I love them and all but the whole padawans during war was kind of iffy even if sw universe doesn’t really have the same concepts of adulthood. Idk. Even though Padme is supposed to be 14 in tpm, I guess it doesn’t hit as hard because she doesn’t look 14 umm

Ah, that’s a very interesting question with an interesting answer. Yes and no. 

Yes, I do have criticisms of the Order in the sense that I recognize that they’re not perfect - thankfully! They’re not perfect, they’re not meant to be perfect, they never pretend to be perfect, and I don’t expect them to try to be perfect. And it’s a good thing too, because perfection would make the Jedi into these lofty, shiny beings, elven-like, ‘untouched by the sorrows and sins of men,’ yadda yadda yadda. And while that’s often what the fandom criticizes them for, that’s decidedly not how they’re characterized. They’re all in all very down to earth.

So yeah: sending teenagers into war sucked (even though yes - multiple arguments can be made in universe (the skills and maturity of the Padawans, for example) and out of universe (the need to have relatable characters for the young audience) to justify it. Still, it sucked).

Some of the choices they made during the war were probably wrong. As Yoda said: the right path, no. The only path, yes. 

Some of the Jedi were stubborn bastards, like Qui-Gon. Some were kinda intimidating and a bit cold. Some weren’t really people persons, like Mace. Some took a great deal of pride into their work, maybe too much, like Jocasta. Some lost their way, like Dooku, Krell, Barriss or the Inquisitors, and they did horrible things. Some were slightly insane and probably a bit morally questionable, like Quinlan on any given day. 

The Jedi weren’t monolithic, so of course I’ll criticize them individually. Now onto the “no” part of the answer...

I’ll explore the Jedi’s flaws when I write, but I’ll always, always, always talk about how good they were a lot, lot, LOT more. And the reason why is quite simple: I feel like Jedi criticism is nitpicky and pointless, because talking about any flaws of theirs is not only beating a dead horse, but beating a horse that’s so dead it’s been decomposing for fifteen years. 

Everything has been said on the subject of the Jedi’s faults - most of which I don’t agree with, but some that I’ll readily recognize (because again, they’re not meant to be perfect). But what is the point of talking about what the Jedi did wrong after a while? Even supposing they were half as flawed as the fandom makes them out to be (which they aren’t) so what? They all died. Their children died. Their history, art and philosophy were completely erased from the galaxy. Most of their legacy was forgotten. 

Whatever punishment they might have deserved for not paying enough attention - or too much - to a prophecy, for failing to untangle Sidious’ web, for being blind to a lie or another when they were too busy dying on the front lines to see clearly, for failing to save all the clones, for failing to protect all the Padawans... Whatever punishment this all deserved, they received a hundred times over. 

And beyond that, I firmly believe that the compassion, bravery, love they displayed consistently throughout the war and before far outweighs  any systemic of individual fault. I won’t go over why their philosophy on attachment, balance, self-control and the like were very much meant to be seen as good things in universe - just look through the billion metas on the subject on my blog or the blogs I follow, and the quotes by Lucas validating Jedi teachings that go with those metas - but even overlooking the fact that they were right narratively speaking, they were still amazing. 

They loved their men, they loved their Padawans, and they were so kind, as we saw time and time again. They were badass space wizards who devoted themselves to complete altruism instead of seeking personal gain through their magic powers. Who does that? They could harness the very essence and fabric of the actual universe and they spent their days running around trying to fix other people’s problems and getting blamed for not fixing them all. They were affectionate with each other (and yes, that’s easily demonstrable with like a few hundred captures of casual physical contact and caring words) and they even extended their compassion to their enemies - scumbags like Maul and fricking Hondo. I just love them so much.

So, yes and no. Yes, as in it’d be pretty boring  and wrong to see the Jedi as perfect. No, as in the good they did and strived to do makes any serious criticism that I have almost irrelevant, and it’s the good that I focus on. 

#ask #anonymous #making my way through my 30 something asks lol #jedi order #meta #my meta

[mshomestyle]

Can I request about a short story or head canon for Midoriya, Hawks or Shoto( any of the three will do) about S/O who experience a trauma about her work before due to abusive management, coworkers who bullies her and clients that demands the impossible things/wants them to break the policies for them because they are from influential family. That incident leads her to resign. S/O keeps the incident from Midoriya, hawks or shoto but her past keeps haunting her, how can Midoriya, Hawks or Shoto will help their S/O?

My ask box is crickets rn, so I can do all three! I will do a drabble writing about what happened to the reader and then do HCs for the rest!

Reader who was Abused at her Old Job x MHA Multiple Characters [Drabble and Head Canons]:

(Midoriya, Hawks, & Shoto)

The incident:

Oh, how you hated this place. There was currently not any better options for you out there, so you had no choice but to just take it. Your coworkers were rude and bullied you every chance they got, only to tell you things like ‘It’s just a joke, why are you taking it so seriously?’ when you reacted negatively towards them. You knew they weren’t fully joking, but all you could do was grin and bear it.

The upper management positions were filled to the brim with people who not only abused their positions, but also their employees. You were often stuck doing tasks not in your job description only to get written up and scolded for “neglecting” your actual job. And it usually happened by the same bosses who made you stop doing your work in the first place.

Lastly, and perhaps the worst of all, was the clients. They walked all over you and demanded things that just weren’t possible, and no matter how many times you politely told them that you would lose your job if you were to fulfill particular requests of theirs, you would get told in response ‘Don’t you know who I am? My family practically built this city! I’ll get you fired if you don’t do as I say!’

Day after day you came home wondering when this would all end. You just couldn’t take it anymore, but sadly this was all you had. There was nothing to save you from this.

Until one day, you were discovered so to speak. Your work was recognized by a top hero, who immediately wanted you to work for them, and you had to say that seeing your bosses beg for you to stay and your coworkers’ mouths dropping was satisfying.

It was great to be gone from that nightmare, but as time passed, you learned that you weren’t truly free from it just yet.

Midoriya:

-All Might had actually scouted you out to work for the Pro-Hero Deku at his agency.

-It was easy to tell that Izuku was caught off guard when he first met you, but not in a bad way.

-He was not only interested in your talents, but also you as well.

-So, once he worked up the courage to ask you out on a date, your relationship began. And you had to admit, Izuku was an incredible boyfriend.

-He was always so sweet, though he didn’t make you feel as if you had to date him because you worked for him.

-Everything seemed perfect, until these negative thoughts started to arrive.

-You wondered if you would ever have to deal with rude coworkers, or if they were talking about you behind your back. You wondered if any of the clients asking for Deku’s help would try to get you to manipulate the system for them. And sadly, you wondered if Deku would start to abuse his power.

-These thoughts were small at first, but as they grew, they appeared in your actions. You became more quiet and tried to make yourself seem less noticeable to those around you.

-You just couldn’t help but to feel that way as it seemed as if your old Job still had a hold on you.

-But, you did have an amazing boyfriend, so Deku noticed in no time at all. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting kind of strange at work lately.” The two of you were at his place when he expressed this concern.

-”Y-Yes, I’m fine,” you quickly told him, faking a smile. Izuku didn’t buy it one bit, and you could tell that by the look on his face. You let out a sigh, “Sorry...It’s just...My last job was so horrible. My coworkers, clients, and even my bosses were just so harsh and demanding...I guess it still stuck with me because-Well, I’m afraid that it’s going to happen with you and your agency.”

-Izuku looked taken back by this, and immediately he reached over and grabbed your hand, “Oh, you don’t need to apologize!” he told you, “I’m sorry that you had to go through that, but I promise I’d never let that happen to you again. Everyone at my agency likes you, and I’d always take the side of my employees over a rude client. I know my words can’t undo all that you’ve went through, but I promise that I won’t let that happen to you again.”

-He sounded so genuine and earnest, and you knew that he was. It would take some time, but you knew everything would be alright with him there with you.

Hawks:

-”You have a high profile client in your office, now hurry it up or you are fired!”

-You nodded quickly to your boss before rushing into your office, almost tripping on your way in as you made it to your desk.

-Hawks was a well known hero and deeply loved by people, so needless to say, your coworkers were pissed that you would be the one seeing him.

-“How may I help you?” Your tried to act as professionally as possible, but you were actually a mess on the inside.

-Hawks looked at you with an eyebrow raised, “Does your boss always talk to you that way?” he asked. Your mouth dropped as you were asked that. He heard?! Hawks started to chuckle, “Sorry, my feathers pick up vibrations, allowing me to easily overhear things.” You quickly tried your best to overcome your embarrassment.

-”No, no, it’s fine,” you told him, “I couldn’t keep you waiting. Now, what do you need?” This seemed to earn you an amused look.

-”I actually came here hoping to poach one of the workers for my agency,” Hawks told you, “With the way that asshat of a boss is, I’m sure this will be a good opportunity for you, too.” You were taken back by this, the wind seeming to knock right out of you.

-”E-Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly?” you asked.

-”I can even match your salary,” he smiled, “Now tell me, what’s the funnest and most satisfying way that you can quit?”

-You started to work for Hawks less than a week later, and then a month after that, he asked you out on a date.

-He was such an incredible man, that it was no wonder so many people fawned over him, and the more you got to know him, the more you felt as if he deserved that.

-But then...the doubts started to set in.

-You were starting to remember your old job and the way that you were treated, and despite the fact that the employees that worked for Hawks were so warm and friendly, you still felt a nagging pit in your stomach.

-What you had dealt with before was no joke, and sometimes thoughts from it kept you awake at night.

-It was just a good thing for you that your new boyfriend was so attentive. At the first sign of changes in your behavior, he confronted you about it.

-”Hey, you alright, baby? You’ve been kind of down recently.”

-You felt kind of unsure if you could truly talk to him about this, but he was such a good man that maybe his help was what you needed.

-”Remember my old job? Well, what you saw wasn’t the half of it. My coworkers and even my clients were just horrible pieces of work. They bullied and abused me, and well...I’m haunted by that.” You looked away from him, crossing your arms as you thought about the past.

-Hawks easily walked closer to you, reaching out and lifting your chin. “Sweetheart, you’re so much better than those kinds of people. I saw it, and I’m sure they knew that, which was why they targeted you. Good people don’t hurt others. Besides, I’m here for you, and if you ever have to deal with someone like that again, I’ll save you,” Hawks wrapped his arms around you and kissed the top of your head, “Now, the next time I see your old boss, I’m going to thank him for giving you to me, then call him an asshole.” You couldn’t help but to giggle at that.

-Hawks was just what you needed.

Shoto:

-Moving on and putting the past behind you was all you wanted to do, so when you received a job offer from the pro hero Shoto himself, you took it without delay.

-You were a bit intimidated at first, knowing that this was one of the best hero agencies in the country, but everyone around you just made you feel so at home-Especially your boss.

-And speaking of your boss, when he first laid eyes on you, he became a bit of an awkward mess.

-Eventually, he worked up the courage to ask you out, and several months later you were in a happy relationship together.

-Shoto was sweet, caring, and very loving towards you. You honestly felt as if you didn’t deserve a man this good, but there he was happily dating you.

-Everything seemed fine, until you felt a strong relapse in emotions. You were working in a safe and kind environment, so why was your anxiety about your old job starting to creep up?

-You began to remember the way your coworkers treated you, the way your bosses would demand the impossible, and the way your clients spoke to you as if you were nothing.

-This sort of thing had you tossing and turning at night and becoming very nervous about your current job. What if you messed up? Would your new coworkers start to criticize you? Would Shoto?

-”...Hey...Hey?” Shoto didn’t yell much, and even now he proved that as he gently got your attention. “You okay?”

-”Yeah, I’m fine,” you quickly faked a smile. Shoto had invited you to his office to eat lunch, which was a pretty regular occurrence.

-”I see...,” he spoke softly, indicating that he didn’t believe you. He then remained silent for a while before out of nowhere-”You know...You’ve been like this recently. I even notice that you have such a stressed look on your face when you sleep.” You felt your cheeks warm up at the latter thing that he told you.

-”Seriously, I’m alright,” you insisted. Shoto just looked at you, though; his disbelief in your words more than clear.

-”You also seem a bit distracted at times when you’re doing your work here,” he said. At this point, it became easy to tell that he was going to keep listing off your recent behavior until you told the truth. So, you took a deep breath.

-”Okay, I get it,” you said, “Look...I-...The place that I used to work at was a nightmare. Everything from the bosses to the clients was just brutal to the point where just thinking about it keeps me up at night...I hate that it still has this power over me, but I can’t help it. That time really scarred me.”

-Shoto watched your expression as you spoke, and then let out a sigh. “I’m sure it will take time before you can feel better about that sort of thing and move on, but if you keep it bottled up that won’t happen.” You looked at him curiously, “I’m here for you, alright? Instead of letting these thoughts just stay there, tell me about them. I’m sure once you get it out, and I tell you how awful the people you worked with were and how much better you are than them, you’ll be able to sleep with no problems at all.” You couldn’t help but to smile at his words.

-”You’d really do that for me?” you asked.

-”Of course. You mean the world to me.”

-You were sure that with Shoto’s help, you’d feel a million times better.

#hawks x reader #hawks #takami keigo #takami keigo x reader #keigo x reader #deku #deku x reader #izuku midoriya #izuku x reader #izuku midoriya x reader #midoriya izuku #Shoto #shoto todoroki x reader #shoto torodoki #bnha shoto #reader #reader insert #boku no hero academia #boku no hero x reader #my hero academia #my hero x reader #head cannons #heacanon #headcanons #drabble #drabbles #my hero academia drabble

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

Hi, I read your latest posts, I found the discussion interesting. I've always tried to understand the intentions of those I don't like. I followed the one direction and always found Louis the most charming, interesting with a varied personality. It was therefore natural to continue to support him in his career.

I've always been curious about his relationship with Harry even though I'm not a larry, I always thought there was an understanding (they were jealous, they sought each other, they often touched, I think they liked each other). They were teenagers, passionate, eager to discover their sexuality, there is nothing wrong with that. We can only guess about them, but this is their secret. As an observer, I think their relationship was very complex, we're not just talking about an alleged love story, but they were bandmates and friends. I don't think the difficulty of remembering the past relationship is just for Louis. Harry has to deal with his past too, he can't ignore a feeling (I think it was mutual, and the two really supported each other). They are part of the same industry, albeit in different positions, so one will hear about the other. We don't know who broke the relationship, but I think it wasn't easy for both of us to deal with it.

Now Harry, he just wants to be a famous, rich and powerful celebrity. But he is wrong on several points. Do you want to be like a Leonardo di Caprio for music? then it's in the wrong direction. Di Caprio is a huge talent, after the media success of Titanic he was burning as an actor. So, he staked everything on the quality of the films (he chose complicated and difficult arthouse films). He embarked on an authorial path, which has led him today to be one of the best and most innovative actors. But the funny thing is that he is one of the actors most opposed by the Oscars (just think that he was awarded only one award, instead he deserved a lot more). He has the esteem and respect of the other actors and this is his great merit. It is not enough to be popular, to receive covers, it takes work, dedication. Harry is taking a wrong turn for me (these false reports, these vulgar and low-level choices, will not help him establish himself as a talented artist but only as a popular one).

And then there is Louis, with his tenacity, compassion and honesty, he took the hardest road, life was not easy (defeats, bereavement, ostracism and boycott from the discography), but he stood up, fighting for his career. He doesn't want to be a celebrity, but an honest musician. He will not have covers, he will not receive (for now) the support of magazines or music critics, but he works hard, even improving his voice. Many antis await his tour for one of his missteps (the voice). I say this as his supporter, that I am not looking for vocal perfection, I want Louis to be able to stage himself, the ability to involve, his fears, his frailties, his values, because I recognize myself in him, because every time he goes on stage I get excited, I see his eyes shine and I tell myself that he made it, he is there in front of us, he supports us, he reassures us, I am proud of him and of his strength.

It’s good to hear from you. I think Harry’s popular appeal is much more dependent on looks and charisma than Leo DiCaprio, who has real skill. In entertainment, all are important, but talent begets respect. We see this with original artists— for example, Alex Turner, Fiona Apple, Sam Fender. What comes from the artist is consistent and builds over time— from film to film, from album to album. It is consistent despite people coming and going around the artist, teams changing, labels switching. It can be slow and painstaking, broken by personal tragedies and setbacks, but the talent and the commitment are still there.

I would say that Louis and Harry are still early in their solo careers, and maybe it’s too early to tell. They only have a few songs in their repertoire. They’ve had explosive success with One Direction, but their individual legacies are still up in the air. Harry is overpromoted, saturated in the cultural market like no one else, overpriced, but even so, his longevity isn’t certain, he hasn’t earned it. There are many, many people who dislike his presence. Unlike his ex-bandmates, Harry has never experienced failure: he walks on a tightrope with every cushion built in place, with guaranteed artificially positive reviews. His career has been golden so far, and he’s everywhere… but 90% of it is marketing. It’s great for a cash grab. Madonna built her empire this way too. Even though she was never a respected actor or a great singer, her electric presence spoke for itself. She built her brand around big pop hits— as Harry is trying to do. Eventually, big money becomes big power. The opposite is also true: no money, no power.

For a musician, the opportunity to be heard is the most important part early in a career. Louis has been kept off radio and streaming platforms for this very reason. Louis is the only member of One Direction never to have done a solo BBC Live Lounge performance. His bandmates all did Live Lounge at the launch of their respective solo careers. Despite robust UK sales, singles from Walls hardly spent any time on BBC or Capital FM playlists, and were notoriously difficult to request on American radio.

A live tour is incredibly important to Louis, for so many reasons. Touring allows him to take the music directly to international fans, for fans to connect to Real Person Louis Tomlinson to the music on the radio. It gives gratitude back to those who have supported him. It introduces him to new audiences. It builds his confidence as a performer. Tour also generates money, a lot of money… and money begets power. This kind of money is undeniable power. The fact that Louis has persisted this far is testament to his persistence and his stubborn tenacity, his confidence. Louis has faced adversity. In 2016, you wouldn’t necessarily bet on Louis Tomlinson, as he more or less said so in his 2017 Guardian interview. But as you said, he has the talent. We see him striving, learning, perfecting his craft, and we want to know more. We connect with him because he has connected with us, because we feel something real when we see him and hear his songs.

#louis tomlinson #harry styles

[izzymcfeegles]

Yet another post about Sebastian Stan:

I'm seriously tired of making these posts, but over the past few days, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding Sebastian's most recent IG post, and as a result,more things are resurfacing and its become impossible for me to ignore. I'm going to try my best to give a fair assessment, but if I'm being honest, this all appears to be a pretty troublesome pattern of behavior. Before I get into any of that, I think it's important to mention where I stand on cancel culture. As someone who is a longtime fan of wrestling and classic rock, I'm no stranger to seeing some of my favorite artists act in ways that would be considered unacceptable by today's standards. I do think that stan Twitter has a tendency to be a bit harsh when it comes to judging things that people have done in the past. That being said:

Context is important. The reality is that there were many things that were considered to be socially acceptable at one point in time, that we've since learned can be harmful, particularly to those who are marginalized on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc. Something that was considered to be acceptable 2005, we later find can be toxic and harmful. Do I think it's productive to cancel for someone for something they did decades ago that was considered to be acceptable at the time? Not necessarily. However, if this person continues to exhibit the same behaviors to this day, then yes, they should be rightfully taken to task.

In Sebastian's case, he has a documented history of saying and doing things that are ignorant and tone-deaf. In the early 2010's he made an comment about playing Bucky as a "transvestite," a word that is considered to be dated and offensive to Trans people. If I'm being honest, if I saw the interview the date it aired, I probably wouldn't have blinked twice as I was not as educated on Trans issues at that time. I now know that the comment was unacceptable and hope Sebastian does too.

Regarding the Jeff!Seb pedo memes, I'd be lying if I said my edgy 2009 self wouldn't have found them funny at one point, however in 2017, my adult self was not amused. And coming from someone who was playing an abuser at the time, liking those memes was a bad look. Same goes for the Kneegate meme, especially when you consider the amount of hatred black NFL players were receiving from people including the President of the United States for kneeling in protest during the national anthem. It was tasteless, tone-deaf, and he should have known better. The fact that his "apology" over the incident was surrounded by quotes, and as some fans speculated, copied and pasted did not help matters. Mind you, many fans were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and forgive him, and for a while things seemed okay.

Fast forward to 2020. After the man made it a point to shame Miami spring breakers for vacationing during the pandemic, he is seen months later vacationing in Ibiza and later Tulum. The fact that he used his money and Romanian passport to go on vacation while many of us were either stuck at home or worse, putting our lives at risk to put food on the table, understandably did not sit well with many people, especially when taking his previous comments about pandemic vacationers into account. The fact that his traveling partner is a socialite who has a history of doing cultural appropriation, including doing brown face and using the word "savage" in reference to her friend doing a native war cry made it sting even more. I'm not going to go into depth about her because she doesn't deserve the attention and this is about holding Sebastian accountable, but the fact that he is still with her and they appear to be inseparable, it's clear that her history of CA is a non-issue for him. Make what you will of that.

Moving to recent actions. The current project Sebastian is working on is controversial in its own right. As someone who has been a Mötley Crüe fan for almost 20 years, I am familiar with the history of that relationship and how toxic is was and will never defend Tommy and the abuse Pamela suffered at his hand. While my issue is mostly with the producers, it doesn't change the fact Sebastian and Lily are still willfully participating in a series that Pamela herself does not wish to be made.

Sebastian's most recent post seems to be catalyst for the most recent wave of Twitter outrage. I am well aware that Tommy is/was a practicing Buddhist and that things like Buddha statues were part of his home decor. That's not the issue. The issue lies in the face Sebastian chose to make in the photo where he appears to be prying to the statue, along with the caption "find your zen fuckerz." Once again, I am aware of Tommy's speech patterns and get that it was "in character," but to use the combination of that photo and that caption as a non-Buddhist, it's understandable why some Buddhist fans were offended and saw it as disrespectful. And as a non-Buddist, I don't think it's right to tell these people what they should and should not be offended by.

So for those of you who hate paragraphs, TL/DR:

Sebastian has a documented history of ignorant behavior and posts and as of now does not seem to be interested in addressing these things and learning about why the aforementioned behaviors are problematic and why some fans are hurt. This is not okay and we should not be defending him.

I understand that for many of you, he has been a source of joy. Bucky is still my comfort character and I will always be grateful to Seb for portraying the him with the nuance and care he deserves. I'm not asking anyone to stop staning Bucky or to take down your Seb x Reader fanfics. Life is short and you're entitled to the things that make you happy. Just understand that his actions have hurt a lot of people and why fans are upset and lashing out. While I do not condone any threats or doxxing aimed at his direction, the same goes to people who criticize him. I've seen people go to some vile lengths to defend him, from going after Pamela, a victim of abuse, to telling Buddhists how they should feel about their own religion, to anons telling the blogs who call him out to go kill themselves. None of this is ok. At the end of the day, Sebastian is a 38-year-old white man who has a great deal of money and influence and has more social capital than the people calling him out. He will be fine regardless of what happens and does not need people to protect him. The same cannot be said about the people he hurt through his actions.

#thats my ted talk folks. thanks for coming #if you're not happy with any what i posted i suggest you either do some relfecting or keep scrolling but dni. i am not here to debate #just getting my thoughts out #sebastian stan

[epicseptic]

Erseptyl AU

This part one of a 3 part prologue for one of my aus. I won’t give away any details but this is my first time writing anything so its far from perfect ^^’

~~~~~~~~~~

It was early morning and the sun was already high in the sky, its soft rays of light peeking in through the closed curtains. The windows on the far end of the room were tall and let in just enough light to disturb the figure sleeping in the bed on the opposite side. Though the bed was elegantly decorated with drapes and curtains, they proved useless in providing shield against the blinding rays that managed to sneak their way past the windows' protective shades. The figure, who was still asleep, was wrapped up tightly in the wool blankets. They stirred lightly in their sleep and buried their face into the pillows, green hair falling over their face, completely shielding it from sight.

Only moments later, the door to the room opened and in walked a man dressed very properly in a beige vest and bow tie. His white dress shirt was without a single wrinkle, and even his moustache was perfectly groomed and curled upward to a fine point. Every detail in his appearance was put together with such delicate attention. With him, he carried in his hand a small tray with a teapot and a single teacup upon a saucer. The fine dishware had beautiful designs that were hand painted and appeared to be very delicate and expensive. The servant, who primarily went by JJ, carefully, and quietly, placed the tray on the nightstand closest to the door, careful not to startle the still slumbering figure. Then, he gently placed a hand on the individual's shoulder and gave it a soft shake.

Marvin awoke slowly at his touch. "Hmm...?" He hummed tiredly, attempting to open his eyes but immediately regretting it when JJ opened up the curtains, letting the sun mercilessly sting his eyes with it's harsh light. He quickly squeezed his eyes shut again and used his hand to shield them from the rays. Giving his eyes a moment to adjust, he attempted again to look at JJ, who was now pouring a cup of tea beside him. He really did move fast in the mornings. Then again, Marvin always felt like he was stuck in slow motion during the earliest hours of the day.

JJ noticed him awake a few seconds later, flashing him a bright smile to greet him. He set the teapot down on the tray once he was finished pouring it's contents into the fancy cup. The sweet aroma filling Marvin's nostrils already, threatening to further pull him out of the sweet, dark abysmal sleep he so longed to return to.

"Good morning, your Highness" the mute signed with his hands, briefly bowing to the prince respectfully.

With a heavy sigh, Marvin plopped his head back down onto the pillow, clearly disinterested in getting out of bed anytime soon. "Five more minutes, Jamie...." he whined. He was tired of having to wake up early at the same time every day. For once he just wanted to sleep in late without worrying about his responsibilities. The servant raised his brow, clearly unamused. JJ wasn't willing to deal with the young prince's stubbornness this morning, and he responded by placing the teacup right beneath Marvin's nose, letting the warm scent of tea do the talking for him.

He knew there was no way he was going to get any sleep with his favorite, mint tea tempting him out of bed so with a groan of reluctance - and possibly a curse under his breath - Marvin sat up against the pillows and rubbed his eyes, yawning tiredly. Finally, he accepted the tea that JJ had handed to him to help himself wake up. He always started his day with his favorite tea. It was Jameson's idea to use it as bait to get him out of bed each morning. Marvin was known to be uncooperative at times and thanks to how often he tried to sleep in and dodge his duties, this tea was a lifesaver.

While he was busy sipping his tea, JJ was busy by the wardrobe, pulling out a few outfits for him to choose from for the day. Marvin watched him bustle around the room, getting everything ready for him just like he did every morning; laying out his outfits, preparing his hairbrush and hair accessories, finding that cupcake that he had stolen from the kitchens the previous night... Why was JJ not surprised... All Marvin could do was shrug when he gave him a disapproving stare.

Even so, Marvin couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate how hard his valet worked to care for him. Not only was JJ a helpful member of his staff, but he was his best friend; someone that he felt he could trust with even the most personal matters.

JJ waited patiently for him to finish his tea before beckoning him over to the wardrobe where Marvin chose to wear a simple, plain white blouse with frilly cuffs and a corset wrap. He decided that a much simpler outfit would be more appropriate, and comfortable, to complete his duties for the day. His trousers were black and made of a soft fabric and he wore tall boots that came just below the knee and had the usual 4 inch heel he was used to wearing. He preferred shoes that gave him a little boost in height. It was apparent that he had a.... diminutive height. It was something he found to be a rather embarrassing topic if it was ever brought up and actually felt quite insulted that the gods would curse him with such short stature. What kind of king was so small? It seemed even the divines were mocking him.

After helping to get him dressed, JJ allowed him to take a seat in front of the vanity so that he could brush his hair for him. It was filled with tangles and very frizzy. It always looked like a giant, dramatic tumbleweed when he got out of bed in the morning. 

While he waited patiently for JJ to take care of his hair, he gazed into the mirror at his reflection, his sky blue eyes meeting the cold icy ones of his doppelganger in the mirror. For a moment, he wore a soft smile on his face but after seeing himself through the glass, that's when suddenly his mind started to wander again, and the smile quickly faded.... He stared into the eyes of his reflection, who only looked back at him with a harsh, lambasting stare of its own. It was only himself in the mirror, he knew that, and yet, it felt like a completely different person was looking back at him, judging him. Judging and criticizing him in any and every aspect....

By now, this was routine for him on most mornings; to remind himself of the burden he was forced to carry. This is how he normally started the day, being hard on himself and chastising himself for not doing better. For not BEING better, but unlike most mornings where he was able to ignore those thoughts, he felt especially troubled today. Today the worries he faced clouded his mind far more than usual and he found that he just couldn't shake them away. He criticised everything about who he was. His appearance, his intelligence, and most of all his worth. He just wasn't good enough. He wasn't "them"...

JJ must've sensed the tension in Marvin's silence but he didn't acknowledge it in fear of putting his friend through even deeper distress. He didn't want to seem intrusive or pull any loose threads. It was known to him that Marvin often preferred to keep quiet about things and not have anyone question him. Making a big deal out of the situation usually stressed him out even more and didn't help to solve the problem. Instead, the best thing to do was let him decide when he was ready to come forward and speak about it. Marvin felt more in control of his situation that way. The servant’s patience was rewarded in a way because it didn't take very much longer for Marvin to decide to open up.

"Do you think I'll ever be like them...?" He questioned, the tone of his voice was so soft that JJ could barely make out what he said. In the reflection of the mirror, his eyes met with the prince's as he gazed at him with bewilderment. Marvin must've noticed because it wasn't long before he spoke up again. "I mean my parents. They left me so early, I don't even know if I'm doing any of this right. All I did was pick up where they left off. And I'm doing my best but I don't know how to be a ruler. How do I know I'm living up to their success...?" By that time, Jamie had finished brushing through his long hair and set the brush down on the table. He approached the side of the stool so that he could make proper eye contact with the prince.

"Fret not, my liege. You are a hard worker and your people respect you for it. That is a great honor and you've earned it well. Your folks would be proud" he signed to him with a gracious smile, hoping to put his Highness at ease. Marvin often doubted himself and JJ knew that about him more than anyone in his staff. It was rather heartbreaking to see someone he truly cared so much about experiencing so much doubt in himself and comparing his own successes to that of others before him. Marvin did lack guidance, there was no doubt, but he was so young and had far too much expectation for himself.

"I suppose you're right..." As he thought about his words, he had to agree that he had a point. He was grateful that his people respected him but at the same it left him with a dreaded feeling of guilt. It was a respect that he wasn't sure he deserved. "But no one ever taught me how to run a whole kingdom... How do I know I am doing this right...?"

"Who's to say? You're doing it your way and it's working. If you ask me, I'd say you're doing just fine...." JJ signed.

On the table just in front of the mirror was a glass display case. He used this moment to open it up and remove a crown littered with jewels that was made specifically for Marvin.

He picked up the golden crown and moved back to his spot behind the stool and placed it gently on Marvin's head, being careful not to set a single hair out of place. Afterwards, he stepped back to admire his work, gazing into the mirror at their reflections to make sure that everything was centered and tidy.

Marvin too admired his own reflection. Before he had received this crown, when he was younger, he used to wear a small, elegant tiara but after he was put in charge he was urged to take the title as King. It was a title that he refused profusely. Perhaps he was afraid of the responsibility or maybe he was still trying to move on from everything that had happened to his parents, but for whatever reason, Marvin kept the title as a mere prince. However, a special crown was made in his honor. A crown fit for a King but not exactly something he felt he deserved. Still, he much preferred this to taking his father's crown.

Aside from it all, he was very much impressed with JJ's ability to seemingly turn anything into perfection. If only he could turn more than a person's appearance into perfection... Marvin knew that Jamie would never want to hurt his feelings, even with the truth, and that's why, sometimes, he could never truly know if he was being honest with him. He knew that he wouldn't hide things from him out of fear, but rather, he hid them to spare his feelings. JJ was a sweetheart and Marvin knew how much he cared about him, but all he wished was for him to tell him sincerely if he could do better, not just as a person, but as a ruler. Sometimes he felt that Jamie just didn't really understand the weight of it all. That was probably true. To lose your only sources of guidance as a mere child and have every responsibility of running a kingdom fall onto your shoulders... Though it'd been over a decade since the assassination, he never truly did know if he was living up to his name. Then again, his expectations for himself were much harsher than anyone else in the land but he didn't know how else to strive for the same success as his parents.

While his mind only got more and more muddled with thoughts, JJ had snuck off, taking the time to make his bed and straighten up the sheets for him. It didn't take him long and when he was finished, he came back to the vanity to notify the prince of his other priorities.

"My apologies, your Highness, but I have other duties to attend to." He gently knocked on the wood of the table, briefly snapping Marvin out of his thoughts. "Please come to the dining hall when you are ready. Your breakfast will be waiting for you. Now, please excuse me..." He bowed politely before taking his leave, leaving Marvin alone in the empty bedroom. The door clicked behind him and he glanced back to make sure he was alone. Then, he stood up and walked over to the tall windows where, in the center, there were two arched glass doors that led out to the balcony.

Marvin opened up the doors and stepped out onto the veranda, gazing out to the town below. It may have been a warm sunny morning but the breeze still carried a cool, refreshing scent on the wind. It was the kind of scent that you could only smell at dawn when the sun still hid behind the clouds and air was cool and humid and smelled like rain. The gentle wind that blew through his hair carried away with it some of his stress from before. He closed his eyes and leaned his elbows on the stone rail, feeling the air on his skin and taking slow, deep breaths to relieve the ache in his chest.

The tangled web of anxiety that he felt just a moment ago was now starting to unravel, allowing him to try and decipher just what it was that always left him feeling this way; feeling that he wasn't good enough.

Maybe the reason he was hard on himself was because he felt that he had nothing to show for all of his work. In mere seconds, his entire life had completely changed and he, all of a sudden, felt so heavily pressured to prove that he too could be a great king, just as his father had once been. He never noticed it until he stepped into power, but once he had taken the throne, he felt everyone's eyes on him. It was like he was performing upon a stage and his audience was just watching, waiting for him to make a mistake. The only problem was, one mistake could ruin his entire family name. He alone represented so much and his parents' entire legacy was on the line. He HAD to show everyone that he could be just as good a king as his father. In fact, he felt that the only way he would be worth anything was measured by great and noble achievements. Achievements of his that he felt could never compare to the deeds of his father. Perhaps he coveted that success...

He stood there with his eyes closed for quite some time, but soon he began to long for an escape. With another deep breath, he opened up his eyes and looked out to the city below. To be fair, he couldn't see many people, besides the castle staff, since the town was a ways down the road from the castle and many of the buildings made it hard to see what was going on, but the scenery still brought a fond smile to his lips. He caught small glimpses here and there of the townsfolk bustling about in the streets. There were farmers tending to and harvesting their fields, an on-duty soldier offering a flower to a small child by the gates, a man grooming the horses by the stables... There were children running by the shops in the circle and there were people dancing and playing music as if they were celebrating the new day. There were vendors passing out food, no doubt hot and fresh and Marvin could already smell the bread and cakes just by thinking about them.

Everything just felt so peaceful and it all brought him a sense of comfort...

Perhaps Jamie was right about everything. Maybe he did have everything under control after all. He gazed out at the town and everything was in order. The people were well and happy and they were all joyously doing their part to provide for themselves and their home. Everyone seemed so content. Maybe that was really all that mattered. 

He thought hard about it and settled that even if the job was tough, it was all worth it to see everyone so happy. It made the job feel a lot less lonely. Besides, it wasn't like he could just give up who he was. He was the prince, the heir and future king. Whether he was ready or not for this burden, it was his to bear and it was time he accepted that.

He was now starting to realize that maybe the only person he was trying to prove himself to was himself. He so badly wanted to prove to himself that he could be just as successful as the late king, but something that he often forgot was that such incredible feats of leadership didn't come overnight. And his life was only just getting started. There was still plenty of time to make his own accomplishments. And he could do it all his own way.... That would be the best part.

He just had to be patient.

He closed his eyes and took in one more deep breath, filling his lungs with that refreshing morning scent before it had finally disappeared for the day. It was calming and he soon felt all of the pressure from before leaving his shoulders. He stopped comparing himself to those before him and abandoned whatever harsh critical thoughts he had of himself. He wanted to face the day with a new mentality. He wasn’t a failure and he wasn’t going to be. 

As he stood there on the balcony, he made a silent promise to himself that he would never lose sight of what was important and make the most of every day, not just for him but for the people he swore to protect. The refreshing wind began to die down now, replaced by the less pleasant heat of the sun. Maybe it was time to head back inside, before it got late and the servants would come looking for him. He turned on his heel and entered the bedroom through the open glass doors. He closed them behind him and locked the door with the latch. 

He was on his way out and had approached the door that led out into the halls but just before he turned the handle, he looked back at the portrait above the vanity. Seeing it again made him wonder if they were watching him from their place up above but he knew, either way, that he didn't have to worry. Of course they were proud of him.... Even if he wasn't proud of himself yet, he knew that the most important people in the world were, and that was enough for him. His lips curled into a small smile before he inevitably turned away to head downstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~

This is my very first ever written piece so plz go easy on me ;w; 

Tags:

@geekyfox2 @cryptid-bwoid @fanaticallyperfect @jack-and-sammy

#jacksepticeye #jse #jse egos #marvin the magnificent #jameson jackson #jj #fantasy au #erseptyl au #writing #fic

[d4rkpluto]

𝔣𝔢𝔢𝔡𝔟𝔞𝔠𝔨 𝔣𝔬𝔲𝔯

(they have allowed me to share everything, i believe this was the most accurate reading i have done, it scares me to be honest, the feedback is pretty lengthy)

❦ ok i wanna start off by saying this was by far the most detailed & personable natal chart reading i’ve ever received. i felt like you were in the room with me while reading it tbh, idk if that even makes sense.

❦ i thought it was extremely funny how you mentioned i have a loud tone of voice because literally everyone in my life tells me i'm loud when i don’t even realize it. also you said that my food taste is influenced my by father & i tend to like yellow/spicy food which is completely accurate, i'm half Dominican paternally and i obsess over any type of spanish food.

❦ school was extremely transformative for me. as you stated i may have had traumas that shown through in school, most of my subconscious traumas did come to light within school. early elementary i showed a lot of attention seeking behavioral patterns as well as inappropriate discussion topics for a child that age. during intermediate school there was a lot more escapist tendencies, focusing more on not being involved much with family/school. there were times i had to lie to faculty about where my bruises would come from. high school was the hardest, i’ll only share that when i was put into foster care i was sitting in my headmasters office. i learned a lot more about the negatives and dark side of life and focused a lot more on making it through than living a childhood.

❦ you mentioned my mother being earthy well gf you’re so right📷 she’s a cap sun, libra moon, cap ascendant & probably my biggest trigger/unknown enemy. she was definitely more picky and critical my entire life, causing myself to be self critical, and she was very possessive of myself and my siblings, using us as a scape goat with our fathers/grandparents. my mother’s side of the family in general is very possessive (when myself and my 5 siblings got put into foster care there were multiple fights about who got which kid like we were some object)

❦ i thought it was scary accurate your interpretation of myself on social media because i tend to be more “mysterious” but oh no when i have my episodes everything is reflected on my pages (thank god for private blogs)

❦ i am extremely protective of children like you mentioned. i actually work with children that have developmental and behavioral disabilities, and i started raising some of my siblings at the age of 5 so i have this motherly instinct over them.

❦ my brother is younger than me BUT he’s much taller than me so i’m counting that as a big brother, he has a huge ego (leo/scorpio/leo) and we tend to butt heads a lot on how to cope/deal with the trauma we’ve been through.

❦ OUCH- i’m going to talk about both your lilith and chiron interpretations here because the accuracy & the pain of the accuracy is real. my need for revenge is disgusting, sometimes i feel like a bad person because of it but nothing satisfies me more than seeing people get what they deserve. when i was younger i was coerced into a situation that i wasn’t ready for and taken advantage of. after than i became very embarrassed of my sexual nature. it took a long while for myself to feel remotely comfortable again, but my insecurities still shine through with this need to be in control. (the last paragraph of your lilith interpretation was scary relatable and a little too personal to share, but the accuracy was amazing thank you<3) i did in fact have to grow up at such a young age and i lost grasp of things i enjoyed doing, things that made me happy and i thought was fun. i still have these feelings sometimes, just sitting in my house on a nice day because i have no idea what makes me happy. my mother has caused to most hurt to me, she was a single mom as she was my main life teacher as you mentioned.

❦ my friends always tell me i’m confusing and mysterious, i’m always giving great advice and i’m always great with helping people but i’m horrible with letting people help me. i tend to look through rose colored glasses, as you stated, within my relationships, seeing things as i want to see them opposed for what they are. i never had a good picture of what a relationship is due to my fathers absence and my mother’s rotating partners so i created my own.

❦ i wasn’t always great at communicating but once i learned how to communicate i did find that this was the best way for me to release pent up thoughts/emotions. i have a ton of siblings, and i don’t really know my siblings on my dads side like you mentioned not having information on relatives. this directly relates to your impression of my father mentioned under my sun sign.

❦ i do really enjoy crime & serial killer documentaries, i’m fully immersed with learning about anything occult. i LOVE astrology, life became so much easier when i discovered it and all of this falls under everything you wrote for my uranus.

❦ the way i express my emotions/love can be found in my music (i am super huge on playlists for every mood) i’m definitely a hopeless romantic as you said, i tend to fully emerge myself into a relationship, kind of wanting this otherworldly soul connection causing unrealistic daydreams.

❦ i find myself to be very lucky within work like you mentioned and very healthy for the most part. but i do also find myself being over indulgent & suffering from substance abuse when i feel like withdrawing.

❦ i touched on some of saturns topics earlier but i wanted to point out your comments on tattoos 📷📷 i have an entire arm sleeve and random tattoos throughout my body BUT girl i felt so attacked when you stated “there could be tattoos that were thought very quickly, some tattoos where you think “yeah i should’ve thought about that longer”” ahaha, i have at least 3 tattoos like that! i love them all the same but definitely can tell which tattoos were impulsive.

❦ i do have a tendency to try to escape the physical world, more often than not. i definitely find myself smoking and going on late night drives to get the best escape, but also find myself sitting in my own head sometimes because i got used to escaping mentally when i couldn’t physically.

❦ i’m extremely emotional, obviously bc of my cancer moon, but the way you were able to rope everything together was scary good. i feel a lot, almost everything, but i also feel this impending weight on not sharing what i feel? my mother’s rule growing up was “what goes on in this house stays in this house” and i got a lot of my ‘secretiveness’ from that. mostly due to feeling like a burden or a problem after sharing. i’ve witness my mother get arrested on multiple occasions, even had to console my siblings and pull them away from it before. i’m moody, possessive, and comfort-seeking as you stated, all traits i can see that i’ve acquired from my mother. i find myself taking on a mother role within relationships, platonic, familial, and romantic and i can see in my past where i’ve gotten taken advantage of from that. ❦ overall this reading was amazing, you know me without knowing me. i feel understood and accepted. the time it took to write this and feel the things you wrote make you one amazing astrologer and human being. i love your work as a whole, thank you so much. you’re a d4rk angel📷

(longest feedback i've gotten and i love it, im glad my astrology skills have been upgrading)

natal chart reading feedback ❦

[michibikionmain]

This isn’t THE tommyinnit villain essay but it sure is one of them

Ok ok so 4 those of u who aren't on discord with me: i have two main essays that have been in the works for MONTHS, these being my Complete Dream character analysis essay going in-depth for nearly all of his canon interactions and finding his character traits and motivations through the story, and my Tommyinnit (and Wilbur Soot) were Always The Villains on the server essay talking about how the only reason so many people view them as the good guys or heroes is because we see the story from their perspective mainly. This essay? Is not either of those. BUT, it does go through a lot of my thoughts on Tommy and Dream’s characters so I figured I’d post it. maybe itll help me organize my thoughts 4 my Mega Projects lol

@ranboocore bc u helped me pop off on this so hard LMAO

Warning, it’s VERY Tommy Critical, what a suprise. I do not like Tommy as a character lol. idk what triggers yall might need me to tag but if u need one in particular pls lmn!

My biggest issue with tommy's character is that he SAYS hes learned but he never does he is exactly the same person he was at the start of the server just More Sad and with Trauma, when out of all the characters he's had the most push to change. c!Tommy is a very tell-don't-show character which can make it hard for some people to connect to him, especially those who don’t directly share his trauma or see themselves in his character. Of course, there is still a MASSIVE amount of people who relate to his struggles and thus love him regardless of his writing, but those who can't relate to him will always feel some kind of barrier until the things they've talked about are actually shown to the viewer instead of being spoon-fed to them.

It is a very beginner writing thing, and I'm hoping that Tommy is figuring out how to fix this, maybe with support from the many other writers on the server. There's the 3 you mentioned, plus fundy, niki, and maybe tubbo who also play dnd, plus Dream who said he would've been an English major and does a lot of personal writing for fun.  I think the biggest issue in the writing lies in the individual ccs being inexperienced in the medium, particularly with planning out their own character growth. 

Another glaring issue I have with c!Tommy is how he's framed to be sympathetic and he goes through all these horrible things without acknowledging his role in any of them. The things that have happened to him are a direct result of his actions, but the thing is HE won't acknowledge and so it falls flat. This isn’t to say that being abused is his fault, because it’s NEVER the vicitm’s fault, but being exiled? His multiple fights with c!Dream? His friendships falling apart? Losing the disks in the first place? They’re the direct consequences of HIS OWN actions, but he never acknowledges this and constantly just... brushes off any accountability by either saying that it’s Dream fault or simply SAYING he feels bad without properly showing it through redemption and GROWTH.

Denial is useful in storytelling sometimes, but Tommy's character has been in denial since the very beginning of the server and at this point it's just exhausting. He only ever switches between denial and depression, not really going through all 5 stages of grief properly. His violent/upset reactions would be more powerful if they were any different from how tommy usually acts, but this is always how he is. When he “lashes out” because he’s reached the end of his patience, it doesn’t SEEM like the snap it is because that’s just... it’s seriously just his standard reaction to everything. It hold no WEIGHT to see c!Tommy yell at someone violently or threaten to fight them because he does that anyways!

Static characters can be a good thing, and can be interesting if done correctly, but not every character SHOULD or CAN be static in a story.

Static characters need to have their position or behavior challenged and question, where they look into if the way they see and interact with the world is really the 'correct' one or just evaluated to see if they truly believe in them. This questioning period is CRUCIAL! and NEEDS to be well done in a way that ACTIVELY SHOWS the conflict between the two ideals. If they decide to hold onto their beliefs/continue their behavior then, it feels deserved, because rather than just being a flat "they do thing its who they are" they have defined WHY. WHY is a very important question to think of when telling the difference between dynamic and static characters. The why of a character is ESSENTIAL to developing them as a relatable, sympathetic person rather than a flat story telling device. It makes them a human rather than a puppet. When a character's motives aren't well defined or discussed, they're doomed to fall flat in everything else, because the WHY is the foundation of what makes them who they are.

c!Tommy has an underdeveloped "why", his motivations are weak, rarely properly discussed and when they are it doesn't particularly stick with him. His motivations change without showing us the internal struggle that should come from literally shifting your driving principles. There are some good MOMENTS of him reevaluating the importance of certain things, but they're so spread out and contradictory and immediately spat one that they're hard to piece together. He TELLS us what his motivations are as well, which is another big flaw when it comes to all that but we don't have time to unpack all THAT Anyways, the key to static story telling is reaffirmation. The character goes through a complete journey and ends with the same beliefs because they've looked into why they have them and determined that they still matter to them. A great example of static writing in my eyes is c!Techno, who since the beginning has believed that governments are bad. c!Techno enters the server to destroy a government, and still ends up doing that because he sees and we see him experience that the reasons he didn't like government before still hold true and he has no reason to support them any more than before, and so his anarchist beliefs are REAFFIRMED, proving to him that they way he handles things is the right one for him.

c!Tommy’s attachments are all just... they're all so weird.  like he LITERALLY SACRIFICES HIS LIFE MULTIPLE TIMES for L'manburg. By action of sacrifice it seems like it should be the most important thing to him, but then he throws it away for some disks that mattered less to him just a minute ago.  But then it's all about how c!Tubbo is worth more than Anything and maybe he's found something more important! but then he shoves THAT out the window for the discs again ig!!! but then it's about l’manburg again? Make it make sense.... pls....

Here's smth that really irks me about Tommy's character, and is kind of weird but give me a second to explain: Tommy has never actually permanently lost much of anything on the server. Every punishment he's ever received he's tried to find some way around. And like... I'm not expecting him to be HAPPY to face the consequences of his actions but seeing him constantly have his cake and eat it too is very irritating, especially when there are characters who DO have to deal with actual permanent sacrifices. The whole thing with the disks. where he WILLINGLY OFFERED THEM UP AND GAVE THEM AWAY THEN SPENT FOREVER TRYING TO STEAL THEM BACK WHILE CLAIMING DREAM STOLE THEM FROM HIM, is the biggest example of this, but it's generally his characters way of dealing with things. He's very backhanded and conniving, constantly calling himself "big man" except for when he wants things from people and he plays up the "iM a MiNoR" card to try and get them to give him things or feel bad. He's not just some sweet innocent kid like people paint him, he knows damn well he's messed up and while he SAYS he feels bad about it, he has never once really shown, with his ACTIONS, regret for what he's done except for the stuff with c!Sapnap, which could it could be argued he did because he thought it would help get c!Sapnap on his side to fight Dream and he knew c!Sapnap was a skilled warrior and could possibly be persuaded to fight with dream.

c!Tommy is in NO way some sweet innocent child, he knows what he's doing. He KNEW l'manburg was a drug empire, and wanted to turn his hotel into the same He was FULLY prepared to just murder c!Schlatt for legally winning an election that he KNEW was rigged AND INTENDED TO HELP RIG HE LITERALLY TEAMED UP WITH c!TECHNOBLADE KNOWING THAT HE INTENDED TO BLOW UP L'MANBURG AND ONLY LEFT WHEN HE REALIZED IT WASN'T GOING TO ACTUALLY HELP HIM--

The line of c!Wilbur saying "Tommy, are we the bad guys?" wasn't him mentally going batshit it was him realizing that the entire time they've been doing terrible things. c!Wilbur was literally ALWAYS Vilbur but the time people CALL Vilbur is when c!Will himself realized he was a villain.

#like. VERY critical #i do not like the child can you tell? #im sorry tommy fans but i am not one of you #and before you ask: Yes I have and do watch his perspective of the SMP just so i can try to understand his thought process #dream smp #dsmp #dream smp analysis #dsmp analysis #critical analysis #prince/pea and i pop off about this so much LOL #this is the first of MANY essays/collective analysis bits ive written about Tommy #lets see how many ill have by the time i finish going through the discord #tommyinnitcritical #discourse #ig. i saw a lot of ppl asking 4 this tag on similar posts so i thought id add it?

[gallavictorious]

I was delighted to be tagged by Our Lady of Words and Joy @howlinchickhowl Cheers, dear!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Earlier today it was 40. Now it’s 39. WHAT GIVES? Did someone eat a story? Which one? I am so confused.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

137 098. At least that hasn’t changed...

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Highs, and Your Lows (i will weather them)

This Time (We'll Be Fine)

Teenage Tales

To Keep Your Gentle Heart

Captive Look

Huh. Would you look at that. All Gallavich stuff!

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Eh. Well. Listen, I always want and mean to respond to comments, because as a commenter I always love a response from the author, but I am procrastinator supreme so a lot of the time I just... don't. Not for a great long while at least. Then, two years AFTER you left a comment, you might get an e-mail notification about me responding. It's horrible, really, because I keep the comments in my heart and treasure them so much and the lovely people taking the time to leave a few words on my silly stories really do deserve better.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Life, Still to Come has the one main character Jim Moriarty killing himself and his lover Sebastian Moran after he's diagnosed with incurable brain cancer, so I guess that's pretty angsty? The tone of the fic, however, is... kinda soft and peaceful, really. It doesn't feel so very sad, I think.

For Gallavich, I've got Chapter 7 of my ficlet collection Highs, and Your Lows (i will weather them). It's an Wild West AU kind of deal, where Ian Gallagher is visited by the ghost of the young fiend Mickey Milkovich after his dad beats him to death. That one is sad, but there's the glimmer of a promise that they might meet again one day, in a better world.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

My fics mostly end on a happy note, and I have a hard time pinning down which is the happiest. Hm. I'm gonna say Pressure or possibly Foreign Country, if only because the happy endings there are offered in contrast to the otherwise angsty story and so seems all the happier for it.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I have, once. Well, started one, really. Notes Regarding the End of the World is a crossover between Sherlock BBC and Mark Lawrence's The Broken Empire trilogy. I still feel there's a bunch of potential there, but I'm very hesitant I'll ever finish it.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not to my recollection, no. Back when I posted my SW fic on the Jedi Council forums you might receive critical comments at times, but no hate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not really, no. I'm not very interested in reading it, and so see very little point in writing it. There's been a few semi-explicit depictions of sexual acts – most notably in Claim – and I'm not averse to writing kink fic, even if they don't typically include actual sex when I do. For instance, I did The Ways We Bend and Break and Mend for X-Men, and the whole point was Charles first whipping Erik and then cuddling him – except in the end it turned into a character study with lots of emotions, and I think any attempts to write smut would be like that for me. Accidental character drama. XD

I might have a Gallavich thing for kinktober that is likely to be pretty explicit and kinda messed up. We'll see.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so. There have been a few instances of stuff popping up bearing a strong resemblance to things I've written, but there's also been times when I realize that things I have written bear a (very much unintentional) strong resemblance to other stuff that predates them, so I really think that's the nature of the beast. In any big fandom, the same ideas are likely to occur to multiple people, and we are all, often unconsciously, inspired by the same things and by each other.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, to Chinese and Russian.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Pathoftheranger and I co-wrote (How to Break the) Alibi Armistice, which was fun!

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I'm a creature of ever-changing affections, so I'm not so good with ”all-time favourite”  and to be honest, I mostly tend to have favourite characters and ship them with everything in sight... Currently it's all about Gallavich but pretty much all ships including Jim Moriarty is forever gold to me (though MorMor is The Best. Or is it Sheriarty? Or maybe Mormorlock? Or Moriadlock? Or Johmlock – notice the 'm'?). Cherik's a big one too!

Ask me again in six months and my answer might well have changed!

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

The aforementioned Notes Regarding the End of the World. And I have this superlong Star Wars fic I started writing when I was 16 and wrote for years and years and then just... stopped writing, when I was maybe 20 pages from the end? It's currently at 180k words. This one I DO have some hope that I will go back and finish one day, although it's likely to be a jarring experience since I'm very much not 16 years old any more and my ideas about writing and the characters and everything have shifted quite a bit.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I do pretty well with the short format, I think. And with dialogue? Finding the voice of the characters (some more than others, certainly). Writing in my native Swedish, I think I'm pretty good at offering decent prose – I'd like to think I have a fairly developed ear for the flow of the text, and the melody of it? But when writing in English, that gets quite a bit harder. This really annoys me, because I'm rather preoccupied with the stylish elements of writing – though I've found that a lot of people seem happy enough to overlook clunky writing as long as they find the story otherwise engaging, which is a huge blessing for me. I believe I can build a decent plot, but since I can't write anyting longer than a few K these days there's no telling, is there?

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Primarily getting any writing done at all. Mostly, I stare at a blank page and despair and then I give up. This is why I no longer write long fic. I also tend to reuse favorite phrases or themes far too often. And there are so many subclauses... Proofreading happens to other people (I'd like it to happen to me too, but I'm terrible with it). I'm not good at accepting constructive criticism, even when I ask for it. I will often favour style over efficiency, and I'll stubbornly refuse to admit that this can be a problem.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

This question makes me feel like I ought to have developed thoughts on this, but I don't so much... I don't mind it? I've used it. Uh. It's a good idea to do a bit of research and not just rely on Google translate for it? If you don't like it, don't use it. Those are my thoughts.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars. <3

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Buffy/Angel/Spike. The Book of All Hours. Heroes. Maybe something based on The Coldfire Trilogy... ? Oh, and the Bible. I'm sure there are others.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I really don't have one. There are a few I'm particularly happy with, but no one that truly stands out... That said, I was quite chuffed with how the first ficlet in Or Else Into the Light, my (tiny) collection of Anakin redemption one-shots, turned out. And Claim. I’m very pleased with Claim.

Tagging @dreamylyfe-x @fiona-fififi @pathoftheranger @abundanceofnots and @captainjowl

#tag games

[seriouslysam8]

For the ask game, would you please answer questions numbered 2, 8, 14 (all of your titles have such cool names), 18 (I hope Abditory isn't one of them as that story rocks), 21, 24, 29, 30, 33, 34, 44, 51, 62, 76, 82, 85, 88, 90, and 98.

Sorry for asking so many, but I love your work! Entombed gave me so many feels! I found your stories because author Breanie said to read them in her author's notes. Best rec ever! Thank you for answering.

Wow, that is a lot of asks! Thank you so much for wanting to know so much about little ole me. I think I hit them all in this and my apologies if I missed one. Let me know if I missed one. @breaniebree is awesome and my writing BFF. She is amazing, and I love her.

2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one?

So, I’ve written for The X-Files, Supernatural, and Harry Potter. I currently only write for Harry Potter. I would say Harry Potter has always been the most fun.

8) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Random shit. Brontide came to me because I was browsing the HPFanfiction subreddit looking for a story suggestion and someone asked for a story where Harry was addicted to Felix. Only one unfinished dimensional time travel story was listed. It idea sparked me to write my own version. Entombed came to me because I was rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer where Buffy was buried alive. I knew I wanted to bury Ginny alive. As I stated in the author’s notes of last Kalopsia chapter, I drew inspiration from the Djinn storyline in Supernatural. I write about things I know, too. I have young kids at home so I like writing the Potter children as young because I can mimic their mannerisms in my writing. I’ve even asked my kids to say certain words to emulate their speech pattern in my writing if I’m writing that age group.

14) How did you come up with the title for the XXX? You can ask about multiple stories.

I HATE coming up with titles. My newest trend has been to literally Google “unique words”. There are a ton of Pinterest accounts who make fancy word and definition pictures. I scroll through all these little unique words and pick out ones I think fit a story. Sometimes I Google a unique word for BLANK and see if I can get a cool version of that name. @breaniebree actually helped me with Entombed.

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Sadly, I would put Abditory in this category. Never say never though. I think about it from time to time. Honestly, I abandoned it due to such a negative response I was receiving and the lack of positive response. I became discouraged. It wasn’t even negative response due to my writing, it was literally a bunch of “why would you waste your time writing a story about the biggest plot hole in the books? JKR butchered the whole SK storyline and it’s unbearable to read.” So, basically, my reviews and PMs were filled with JKR hate over that plot point in the books. They heavily outweighed the positive reviews I received. Honestly, I think that’s why a bulk of stories get abandoned - lack of positive reviews or enthusiasm for a story. If I didn’t get so many great reviews for my stories, I don’t know if I’d be able to finish them or continuing writing new ones. Fanfiction is free, (as it should be) but it’s a lot of time and hard work. A little appreciation goes a LONG way. So, my advice, review everything you love reading and encourage writers to keep writing. I always say in my authors notes that reviews make me want to write and inspire me. That’s the truth. The moment I stop getting reviews will probably be the time I take a writing break again.

21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

@breaniebree. I mean she’s dedicated years to a single story with so many plot lines and characters that I’m amazed she did it. She’s a fantastic writer, and I definitely consider her my writing BFF. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from her and enjoy talking about writing with her so much. I’m so glad we’ve become friends.

24) How do you feel about writing smutty scenes?

Horrified. Anytime I get a little steamy in my stories, it goes immediately to @breaniebree who usually adds way too much smut and then I cut it down to still be somewhat PG-13 in order to appeal to a wider audience.

29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

I feel like Kalopsia isn’t getting as much love as my other stories. I’m way behind in my normal review count per chapter. I wonder if it’s just the confusing storyline or if it’s just not as fun to read? But I was definitely worried it wouldn’t get the love I thought it deserved when I started writing it and it’s lived up to that expectation.

30) In contrast to 29, is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Cronus Rising. People still recommend it occasionally and I still get random reviews. I’m like, “why????” Its horribly written and a stupid plot line. I literally was getting back into writing after not writing for a good five years, so it’s abysmal. I’ve often wanted to rage delete it.

33) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

When someone tells me I should write an original novel and they’d buy the hell out of it. I do have some original novel ideas floating around (one I’ve been writing since I was like 15), but crippling fear of rejection from publishers have stopped me from ever actually finish an original novel.

34) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

I got some criticism in Brontide for having drama for drama’s sake with no real purpose or goal for said drama. I felt my drama served a purpose, drove the story along, and I add a lot of fluffy and cute family moments. I feel like in real life, when you to your loved one is going through sometime, it feels like nonstop drama and bad news and like a dark cloud just follows you. I wanted to emulate that in real life. So Harry’s POV was often drab because HE was the one going through something horrific and it was all doom and gloom for him.

44) What is the last line you wrote?

“You never think I listen to your ramblings, but it’s kind of hard to block out, mate.”

51) From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

Um... I’d say a 3. I think I have some good and unique plots for stories but sometimes I struggle on how to execute those on paper effectively. I struggle with descriptions, action, and showing rather than telling. But I do think I’m good at dialogue and capturing a character’s personality. So, 3.

62) Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

A lot! I have a Teddy/Victoire stalker story in the works that I’m excited about. I have (this is going to sound weird) but an outsider rom-com planned where Ron/Hermione breakup right before Hinny’s wedding and Hinny struggles to get them back together before the big day. I have a Potter family vacation fluff/comedy story planned. I have a game night one-shot planned. I have a short story about Luna’s wedding. So many that I want to write and don’t know which one to write first!!

76) Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

I’d say no. I’ve always tried to write my ideas down. Some I’ve never finished because inspiration peters off and some I plan on finishing once my newest big project is done.

82) Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

Harry goes through some shit, and Ginny is his soulmate.

85) Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

I don’t understand why people don’t ship Harry/Ginny more. I don’t understand the Harry/Daphne obsessions (like just why???) or the Harry/Hermione ship at all. I always see people asking for story recommendation and they specific say “no Harry/Ginny”. They are literally perfect for one another and they are soulmates.

88) If you could ask one other fanfic author three questions about their writing, writing process, or works, what would they be and who would you ask?

@breaniebree .

1.) How do you organize all your charts? Send me the ALL the charts. Because I don’t understand how you keep everything straight!

2.) How do you write so much? You’re like a little writing machine in a cute little package.

3.) Where do all the ideas come from? In a dream? Just thinking? Driving? Do you write everything out in your head like meeee? Can I have some of your writing mojo?

90) How do you process and deal with negative reviews?

I obsess over them. I analyze them. I may get bummed out and not write for a few days. If you don’t like what I write, then don’t read or review. It’s a hobby. I do this for free. I’m not asking you to critique me. Give me a nice review or ask me a question, but don’t be cruel or mean because you can hide behind a keyboard and be a bully to make yourself feel superior.

98) If you had to give up either snacks and drinks during writing sessions, or music, which would you find more difficult to say goodbye to and why?

Music. I grew up with three older brothers. My house was always rowdy and loud and obnoxious. I need it to be loud. I can’t stand the silence or focus when it’s silent. I need music to help me think and write. When I’m home alone, I always turn on the TV or music, because I can’t stand when it’s silent. I think I’d go insane.

[crusherthedoctor]

Can we have some unpopular Sonic opinions?

I tried to cram in a lot, so I hope this satisfies you. :P I tried to stick to the ones that I haven't brought up quite as often, since by this point, we all know that I think IDW's storytelling is dire, SA2's story is overrated, X Eggman is an embarrassing portrayal (at least from season 2 onwards), Blaze shouldn't be handcuffed to Silver, Shadow's backstory had issues with or without the Black Arms, Neo Metal Sonic looks silly, etc. But anyway, here we go:

- Knuckles may be tricky to incorporate into plots that don't relate to Angel Island, but making him obsessed with his duties is no better than having him forget about Angel Island entirely.

- I like Marine, and never found her annoying. Oh, I understood what they were trying to do with her, but I honestly wasn't put off by her, and found her Aussie lingo more endearing if anything. Since her debut was during the period in my life where where I couldn't stand Sonic himself, I instead thought he was irritating (and hypocritical) for getting annoyed with her for doing shit he would often be guilty of.

- Silver is just as guilty of being shoehorned into games and plots as the Deadly Six are. Having more fans than the latter is irrelevant, since we're still talking about a character who constantly has to time travel in order to be present.

- Speaking of Silver, if he has to stick around, please do something different with him. They've pulled the doomed future routine multiple times now, and it's been boring every single time. I wasn't interested when it involved Iblis. I wasn't interested when it involved Knuckles drinking the edgy Kool Aid. I wasn't interested when it involved a council of dumbasses... give it a rest already.

- The Tails Doll can work as a mildly creepy thing, with maybe more to it than meets the eye when it's time for a boss fight or what have you. But the memes about him stealing your soul are just dumb, and I thought it was dumb even back in my teenage youth.

- “Eggman is supposed to be clownish!” Yeah, well he's also meant to be a genuine villain with a 300 IQ. These qualities don't have to be mutually exclusive.

- “Sonic is supposed to have attitude!” Yeah, well that's not the same thing as being an absolute cunt. Sonic was only ever meant to come off as having an edge compared to Mario. He was never meant to be a GTA-tier protagonist.

- Rouge is not a villain, and never was a villain. Literally the whole point of her role in SA2 was to reveal that she was working against Eggman and Shadow the whole time, albeit using sneakier tactics to do so. You'd think all those people who exult SA2's story would remember this, but apparently not. She barely even qualifies as an anti-hero, since aside from stealing the Master Emerald, she rarely does anything morally questionable otherwise. She's got a lot more good in her than people give her credit for.

- Captain Whisker is a better Eggman Nega than the actual Eggman Nega. And as far as robot characters in this franchise go, Johnny's design is pretty underrated.

- I don't like Iblis or Mephiles, but I DO like Solaris, and it annoys me that it was out of focus for most of the story due to all the time spent on its less interesting halves. Had they kept the backstory with the Duke and his experiments, and worked from there, I think they could have provided an interesting contrast with Chaos (since Solaris can also qualify as a monster with a sympathetic backstory) instead of recycling the surface level schtick.

- Black Doom may technically be just as bad as Mephiles, Nega, Scourge, Mimic, etc, since he's yet another villain with one-note characterization and fucked over Eggman. But because he never gained a disproportionate fandom, he doesn't annoy me to the same extent. It's easier to ignore him by comparison, and his Dr. Claw voice and face shaped like a lady's delicate part make him enjoyable to mock.

- Likewise, while Lyric is also on the same level as these other villains, it's easier to dismiss him because I was never invested in the Boom games anyway, and being an obvious alternate universe (compared to Sonic X or IDW, which retain the Modern designs and plot elements), it never had an effect on the main series. I also unironically like his design, and if nothing else, at least this snake didn't start a hypnotism fetish across the internet.

- Sally - and the rest of the Freedom Fighters for that matter - have had their importance in the franchise severely inflated. They may have been lucky to be the face of popular media (SatAM and Archie), but they're not these magnificent entities that the game characters are but a speck of dust in comparison to. Having a “legacy” doesn't make them more entitled to shit than any other character, old or new.

- Conceptually, the treasure hunting gameplay is one of the better alternate gameplay styles IMO. But it was let down in SA2 by its one track minded radar (the levels may have been big, but I don't think that would have been an issue on its own if the radar was better). If they brought it back and made it more like SA1's treasure hunting, I'd be all for it, although it would probably be better suited for a spinoff title.

- This goes for a lot of games, but when it comes to 2D, I prefer sprites over models. Not that the Rush models are bad (though the ones in Chronicles sure as fuck are), but the sprites in Mania and the Advance trilogy are just so charming and full of character.

- I actually like Marble Zone. Yeah, the level design is a bit blocky, but I love the concept of an underground temple prison, mixed with lava elements in a zone that otherwise isn't a traditional volcano level.

- I also like Sandopolis Zone. Again, completely understand why it's not the most popular zone around, but I've been a sucker for the Ancient Egyptian aesthetic since childhood (you can thank Crash 3 for that), and Act 1 is visually stunning.

- I prefer the JP soundtrack for Sonic CD over the US version overall... but I also prefer Sonic Boom over You Can Do Anything.

- SA2's soundtrack isn't bad by any means - I love Rouge's tracks, and The Last Scene is one of my favourite pieces of music - but as far as variety goes, it's a step down from SA1's soundtrack.

- If Sonic X-Treme had been released, it probably would have been unenjoyable and confusing. Whatever your thoughts on SA1, it was probably the better option between the two as far as Sonic's first legitimate translation into 3D goes.

- I have no qualms with Modern Sonic and the other Modern designs and characters, but I also fully acknowledge that changing gears from Adventure onwards - and doing it with a great amount of fanfare - was always going to create one of the biggest divides in the fandom, and fans shouldn't act surprised that this happened. The fact that they felt the need to hype up a new design and direction in the first place (compared to Mario, who has mostly been the same since the beginning, with only the occasional minor change with little fanfare) also indicates that they weren't confident enough in Sonic and his universe being the way it was, which often gets ignored by all the “SEGA have no confidence!!!” complaints you see with their recent games.

- Unleashed did not deserve the incredibly harsh reviews it received back in the day... but it doesn't deserve its current sacred cow status either. It had more effort put into it than '06 to be sure, and I can respect that, but much of it was misguided effort, and even if you like the Werehog, you have to admit that the idea came at the absolute worst time. The intro cutscene may be awesome, as is the Egg Dragoon fight, but 2% doesn't make up the entire game. Chip was also quite annoying, and I wasn't particularly sad when he pressed F in the chat at the end.

- On the other hand, while Colours definitely has its shortcomings, and people have every right to criticse those shortcomings, a lot of its most vocal detractors tend to have a stick up their arse about the game because people actually enjoyed it, and it had a gimmick that people actually liked. Yes, it may have been the first game to have those writers everyone hates, but then SA1 was the first game to give the characters alternate gameplay styles and have other villains upstage Eggman, so...

- Forces is absolutely not on the level of '06. It's nowhere close. A game being flawed does not make it the next '06, clickbait YouTubers. Or should I say, the game they want to retroactively apply '06's reception to, since they've been trying hard to magically retcon '06's own quality...

- To echo @beevean, ALL of the 3D stories have their issues. SA1 is probably the most well-rounded of them on the whole, but even that one isn't perfect.

- To echo another opinion, although I do love SA1, I'm not crazy over the idea of a remake, and would prefer them to just take Sonic's gameplay from SA1 and work from there. Because with a remake, you're stuck in a hard spot: Do you keep it the way it is bar the expected graphical upgrades, and risk accusations of not doing anything to actually improve the experience? Or do you try to address past criticisms, and risk the wrath of the fans who will inevitably go on a #NotMyAdventure crusade about it? What people fail to consider is that the Crash and Spyro remakes were accepted gracefully because their original iterations were still unanimously beloved for the most part, whereas SA1 - and especially SA2 - have always been divisive, and have only gotten moreso over the years.

- People take their preferences for the character's voice actors too seriously. I have my own favourites like anyone else, but I don't make a big deal out of it.

- And with fandom voice actors, they usually focus too much on doing a basic impression of their preferred official voice actor, and not enough on the acting. So you end up getting a lot of fan voices who sound like decent impressions of Ryan Drummond or Jason Griffith on the surface, but they sound utterly empty beyond that impression, because there's no oomph or depth to the actual emotions. They think about the actor rather than the character, when it should really be the other way around.

- The thing with Ian Flynn is that he is capable of telling a decent story, and he can portray some characters well. But he's proven time and time again that everything will go off the rails if he's given too much freedom (ironic, given how quick he is to point the finger at mandates when something goes wrong).

- Ian Flynn and Shiro Maekawa are not the only people in the world who are allowed to write for Sonic. I understand that one should be cautious when seeking out new writing talent, but for all the fandom's accusations of playing it safe, they sure aren't in a rush to experiment outside of their own comfort zone.

- And of course, the big one: You don't fix the franchise's current problems by crawling back to its previous problems. It's much more helpful and constructive to discuss the good and bad alike with each of the games. Less “THIS GOOD, MODERN BAD”, and more “This could work, but maybe without that part...”

#Crusher's Asks #Opinion #Sonic the Hedgehog