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embyrinitalics · 10 months

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Don't get me wrong. Tears of the Kingdom is a fantastic game. I'm still having so much fun with it. It delivered on so many fronts. It has my favorite final boss in the series. And the new mechanics really do make BotW feel like a tech demo.

But.

My Big Complaint is: TotK should not have been a sequel to BotW.

(spoilers below the cut!)

I understand why they did it, and think it was inevitable. Getting to reuse the assets and maps saved so much time. And BotW was such a huge success that they couldn't not give it a sequel.

But seriously, what the heck?

TotK's storytelling basically ignored or erased everything that happened in BotW. What happened to the Sheikah tech that was literally everywhere? The Divine Beasts that had been plaguing the four regions for a century? Zelda's incorporeal battle with evil incarnate for 100 years and the inevitable trauma she and Link must have after everything that's happened to them? Nah we don't talk about that. Half the NPCs don't even know who Link is despite having plenty of canonical interactions.

And I'm like, ok, I get it, sure. We are so 100% into this new plot we don't have time to explain away the old stuff and I'll just have to deal with it. All right, sure! BotW had very cool and well crafted lore, I'm sure TotK will too! I can't wait for this airtight new story!

Except 🤨

Who are the Zonai actually? Why did they come to Hyrule and from where? Why do we only meet two of them? If Rauru and Sonia are the first of the Royal Family, is she part of the goddess' bloodline (a direct descendant of SS Zelda)? Did she die childless? If they had a child, was it distinctly half Zonai? SO MANY GANONDORF QUESTIONS I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START??!?! What's the deal with the secret stones anyway? Who made them? Why do they cause draconification? Is that what happened to Dinraal, Farosh, and Naydra? The Sheikah Shrines were trials left behind by devoted monks who underwent self mummification to train the Hero, but what's the deal with the Zonai ones again? And if they're supposed to be for Link too, when did Rauru have time to build them? And like the Depths?! Make zero sense??!

I could go on and on. As much fun as this game is and as cinematic as a lot of it was, the whole thing is riddled with holes and would've been SO MUCH BETTER if they just made it its own pocket universe like they did with Termina. Trying to have it make sense in the world BotW already established is impossible, and honestly just sort of like. Disrespectfully shoves BotW's dead body off a cliff and hopes no one finds the remains.

So, yeah! Great game! Beefy cutscenes! Fantastic ending! Awesome mechanics! But really really disappointing BotW erasure.

(I also feel like it suffered from trying to follow the same open world formula? Lots of people found the Tears in the wrong order and felt like they spoiled the story for themselves. And the way you were going around doing "search for Zelda" sidequests when you knew where she was but couldn't tell anyone seemed like an oversight. And I wouldn't have minded some more traditional dungeons, like what the Fire and Lightning temples had going on, but just, like. More.)

#totk #totk spoilers #totk complaints #THIS SOUNDS REALLY NEGATIVE I ACTUALLY DO LOVE THE GAME I SWEAR 😂#But I also have Strong Opinions about it lol #especially as a fic writer I'm having a hard time like.#even attempting a totk fic that touches on the new elements is intimidating because they're so contradictory with the world we know #and like trying to reconcile it all in a way that makes sense just so I can tell a lil story in that setting does not appeal to me #I just came up with a weird theory tho maybe the Zonai tricked Din Farore and Nayru into eating stones and turned them into dragons 🐉🤔#silly goddesses secret stones are for sages?#long post

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whatsinmypen · 1 year

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Starter Fountain Pens

(that aren’t the Pilot Metro or Lamy Safari)

(So you never have to ask me for recs again)

New to fountain pens? Long-time enthusiast? No matter, you’re probably sick of hearing about the Lamy Safari and the Pilot Metropolitan (or Pilot MR in certain markets) and their respective merits as beginner fountain pens. It feels like every other day someone asks for suggestions for their first fountain pen, and inevitably the recommendations for either of those two come flooding in.

It’s not without reason. I’m guilty too—the Lamy Safari is still one of my favourite pens of all time (and I will still recommend it), and the Metropolitan is just about the safest bet you can make on a fountain pen when you’re just getting started.

That being said, there are a ton of other pens out there, and I feel like newbies sometimes miss out on pens they might like better. So, to help further our collective horizons, here are 22 OTHER fountain pens for absolute beginners. With links!

All under $30.

1. Pilot Varsity ($3.30 or $21.25 for assorted 7-pack)

Afraid of commitment? Looking to dip your toes before diving in? No problem--just try out a disposable fountain pen! For a pen designed to be disposable, the Pilot Varsity writes pretty well and comes in 7 fun colours. Just mind the paper you're using--it can bleed through pretty easily, as it is one-size nib only (and that size is medium).

2. Platinum Preppy ($6.00)

Not quite as "disposable" as the Pilot Varsity, the Preppy has a few advantages: multiple nib sizes (though they're all pretty fine), a wide assortment of colours, and can even take a (proprietary) converter if you so choose. They do crack pretty easily, especially at the cap and grip section, but they're still a solid choice for a fountain pen newbie.

3. Jinhao 993 Shark ($3.95)

Not only are these pens adorable and affordable, their (hooded!) nib is exceptionally good considering the low price, though medium is the only nib size you'll get. Don't feel too bad though, because this pen comes with a converter included! I honestly have zero complaints about this pen, it's an awesome, quirky buy.

4. Jinhao x450 ($9.90) & x750 ($9.99)

Now these look like fountain pens. Pull one of these out at a meeting and you'll definitely get a couple of questions (or perhaps encounter a pen friend out in the wild!). Metal construction, medium (& somewhat gushy nibs), and a converter included? Sign me up! They might be a little heavier than what you're used to, but otherwise make for a great starter pen.

5. Paili 013 Vacuum Filler ($9.95)

Pro: a vacuum filler pen for under $10?? Yep. Forget those cartridges and unleash the power of bottled ink with this surprisingly reliable fountain pen!

Con: If you're a newbie, you're likely unfamiliar with this filling mechanism, so it might be a little daunting. But I promise there's no mystery, and YouTube is your friend!

6. Platinum Prefounte ($11.00)

Another Platinum, this time a little dressed up but still fun! The Prefounte comes in both fine and medium nibs and takes either proprietary Platinum cartridges or converters (sold separately, unfortunately). This pen is also pretty forgiving if you end up forgetting it in your drawer: Platinum's Slip & Seal mechanism can keep the ink from drying for quite a while (allegedly, up to a year). Keep in mind, Platinum pens tend to have a little bit more feedback (read: scratchy feel on paper), so if you don't like the feel of writing with pencil, for instance, maybe opt for a medium nib.

7. Luoshi Labyrinth ($12.95)

If you want something striking and unique, this Luoshi might be right up your alley. The Labyrinth is an all-metal pen with a surprisingly smooth medium-fine nib. It might be a little too weighty for those not accustomed to hefty metal pens, and some people have complained that the cut out labyrinth design adds some discomfort to lengthy writing sessions, so keep that in mind!

8. Pilot Kakuno ($13.50)

If you've heard good things about the nib on the Pilot Metropolitan but wanted something cheaper/quirkier, boy have I got good news for you! Marketed for children in Japan, the Kakuno has the same nib unit as the Metro, making for a superb writing experience at a considerably lower price point. They come in a ton of colors and take proprietary Pilot cartridges or converters. Nibs of different sizes come engraved with different smiley faces for extra fun.

9. HongDian Black Forest Series ($16.95)

This pen is just cool. Matte, all metal finish? Check. Cool colours? Check. Converter included? Check. Matching colour nib? Check (on a couple of them, at least). Though this pen is metal, it is pretty slim and comes with a textured grip, making for a pretty comfortable writing experience (unless, of course, you don't like slim pens!)

10. Kaweco Perkeo ($17.00)

I call this pen Kaweco's Kakuno, because... well, just look at it. Then go back up to #8 and see that I am right. Regardless, this pen is a solid choice for a beginner, with different nib options (all pretty smooth) and a great assortment of colours. It also has a triangular grip, which will help you hold the pen in the correct position--though some people find it uncomfortable, so keep that in mind!

11. Platinum Plaisir ($17.60)

Pros: Aluminum body, several colours to choose from, different nib options (fine & medium), and Platinum's magical sealing cap to prevent your ink from drying.

Cons: Converter (proprietary) sold separately. Boo.

12. TWSBI GO ($18.99)

This little pen (the most affordable TWSBI iirc) has quite a few things going for it. It comes in several colours and has a bunch of different nib sizes (from extra fine all the way to a 1.1mm stub). The filing mechanism (a simple spring loaded piston) is very practical and easy to use, though it may be a little unfamiliar to most beginners and will require bottled ink (so go ahead and add to cart while you're at it!).

13. ONLINE Slope ($19.00) & Switch Plus ($20.50)

Smooth writers with ergonomic grips (i.e., triangular) to keep you in position when writing. Both the Slope and Switch Plus are made of plastic with stainless steel nibs that come in both medium and fine and write pretty smoothly. They're a great choice for a beginner, but maybe skip these two if you're not a fan of the triangular grip or if you like heavier pens.

14. Delike Mojiang Pocket Pen ($19.95)

If you'd like to give pocket pens a try, maybe start with the Mojiang. This little pen is all-metal, which gives it a nice heft despite its small size. It only comes in fine, but writes more like a medium. Though it takes standard international converters and cartridges, watch the size--some converters might be too long to fit! Furthermore, smaller pens usually mean smaller ink capacity, so if you're writing in long sessions you may have to refill more frequently.

15. Moonman M2 Eyedropper ($21.95)

If you want a large ink capacity and want to see it slosh around your pen as you write... well, look no further! Though this pen can take cartridges and converters, it was designed as an eye dropper pen, meaning you fill the body of the pen itself with the ink of your choice with... you guessed it, an eyedropper (included!).

16. Wancai Mini ($21.25)

Same as the above, just. Teeny tiny!

17. Diplomat Magnum ($23.20)

Despite its lofty name, the Diplomat Magnum is pretty slim, not to mention super light. It has a nifty little ink window so you can keep an eye on your ink level and comes Diplomat's soft touch stainless steel nib (in sizes extra-fine to medium) for a super smooth writing experience. This is another pen with a (less pronounced) triangle grip, and comes with a converter included.

18. Pilot Explorer ($23.60)

Pilot at it again with the superb nibs. Like the Kakuno and the Metropolitan, the Explorer also features a frankly incredible stainless steel nib (in both fine and medium). It comes in several colours and Pilot even deigned to include a converter with this one (though it's a squeeze converter that 1. might be a little unfamiliar to some and 2. kind of sucks in general, so maybe stick to the Pilot cartridges with this one).

19. Faber-Castell Grip ($24.00)

This pen is literally designed to be a beginner fountain pen, but it still looks pretty sleek, imo. It does feel a little plasticky/cheap, but that Faber-Castell nib writes super smoothly. It only comes in fine, though it writes more like a medium. No converter included with this one (boo-hoo).

20. Kaweco Sport ($25.00)

Another German pen, and another pocket pen! I love Kaweco nibs (from EF to medium, though you can buy other Kaweco nibs separately), and the Kaweco Sport is a great introduction to pocket pens. They come in a ton of colours and are pretty reliable, though they only take short international cartridges (and a short converter, which, you guessed it, is sold separately). There are several colour and material variations, but the classic has a plastic body and stainless steel nib. Maybe skip if slim writing utensils are not comfortable!

21. Pelikan Twist ($26.00)

OK, this pen may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I had to add it. It's super funky and the nib (medium) is pretty good. All in all, it's a pretty nifty way to try out a Pelikan, and if you're into the design (and the triangular grip) it can be a fun and reliable daily writer. Converter sold separately (askjdbaklsdjb)

22. TWSBI Swipe ($26.99)

This pen may not look like it goes over the top, but let me tell you, it does. The TWSBI Swipe boasts no less than four different ways of filling it. You can use your regular cartridge. You can use the (included!!) traditional converter. You can then swap that converter out for a piston converter (also included! what?!), and if you're not happy, you can just eyedropper the whole dang pen. It might be a little too much, too soon for complete newbies, but the learning curve is not very steep, and it's a great way to try out all of these methods on a single pen. Like the TWSBI GO, nibs (stainless steel) go from an extra-fine all the way up to a 1.1mm stub.

#fountain pens 101 #pen talk #pen rec #fountain pen #fountain pen network #nara talks pens #whatsinmypen

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inkandguns · 8 months

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Roommate and I are evaluating the Wingmaster for nightstand duty. In the video we were just blasting a plastic bag with birdshot for enjoyment of the smooth action. The target represents 00 Hornady critical defense buckshot from 12 yards - the distance from bed to door in both of our rooms.

It’s pretty clear the cops who had this before me were flinching like crazy. The zero is really high and right, leading me to believe they just zeroed it for the shooters bad habits instead of zeroing it for the correct dope. Hopefully the gun show has a lot of Federal low recoil 1 oz slugs, one of my favorite slugs.

I have 2 shells of Fiochhi Perfecta to try in it, but because it doesn’t work as well in the 1301 I’m hesitant to try it.

This is the pattern for Hornady critical defense out of the Beretta 1301 at 15 yards. My model of Beretta did not come threaded for choke - it’s “Optimabore Choke HP. I have no complaints with slug accuracy on that shotgun but dammit that Remington improved cylinder choke barrel is way tighter. I think a Beretta replaceable choke barrel is in my future. I think with the extended forcing cone on that shotgun the choke will tighten up the buckshot pattern just the way I like it.

So now I just have to resist the temptation to order another one, my plans for a cut down vent rib shotty were foiled, but I did get a really awesome barrel.

#guns #gear

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xcal1bur25 · 1 year

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Okay SO. The Legend of Vox Machina season 2.

I think I see what they’re doing. At the pace they’re going at (which is fine, I don’t have a problem with it, they’re hitting the beats they need to), they would, at this point, have a full six episodes left to dedicate just to westruun. Which, honestly? They don’t actually need. But episode 6 makes it very clear what the actual plan is.

1) Mythcarver gains a new role as a plot device. Keeping with the vestiges being just as hyperbuffed as the conclave themselves (which is fucking awesome, zero complaints here), Mythcarver goes from “occasionally useful item that doesn’t really synergize with scanlan beyond letting him be a mediocre knockoff of an Eloquence Bard sometimes” to “super cool macguffin that’s more than Just A Strong Magic Item and also fits with his character”. 11/10, highly approve.

2) Mythcarver clearly has the power to show where more of the vestiges are, but they get interrupted. Using it to get the location of the rest of the vestiges should be a complete non-issue...once they get the sword, which is now in the hands of umbrasyl. The dragon that we all know they’re gonna kill at the end of this season.

3) Mythcarver shows two vestiges. Fenthras, and the Titanstone Knuckles. By every sane law of storytelling, that screams “these are the vestiges that our protagonists will obtain this season”. 4) The story has also spent a lot of setup on Vex and Vax’s shit relationship with their father. I thought this was good, that they were laying the groundwork for season 3...but it did feel a bit weird for me. it no longer does.

5) The feywild arc will require an episode mostly dedicated to Syngorn and an episode mostly dedicated to Fenthras. Covering it in two episodes? Very possible, wouldn’t even be that badly paced. I suspect that they may stretch it out to three. I like this change - out of all the arcs to move to before umbrasyl, this is the best one. It syncs up well with the current themes and the season’s heavy focus on Vax and Vex’s relationship, as well as giving payoff for Percy’s character growth. 6) While they may do a three episode feywild arc...I suspect that they might do it in two episodes and adapt episode 1x57 - Duskmeadow as episode 9. Why? Because it will very nicely complete both Grog and Vax’s character arcs this season, having them all character development’d up for the final battle. It will additionally pay dividends on the foreshadowing about raishan hiding in their midst. Because it would feel weird in the seasonal tv format to lay all that foreshadowing and not pay it off at all during the season. The more I think about it, the less sense it makes to *not* do Duskmeadow during this season.

7) Then, with them having wrapped all that up in 3-3.5 episodes, the remaining time is more than enough to dedicate an episode’s worth to the herd of storms, one more to murdering the fuck out of umbrasyl, and then having a bit of wrap up to conclude it all.

#tlovm #the legend of vox machina #legend of vox machina

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hoperays-song · 5 months

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In the last post you said Johnny should put boundaries can you explain these types of boundaries and how he would say/ask for them? Also thanks for these awesome posts.

Thank you so much for another ask so soon! Hopefully, this will clear it up a bit! And I'm so glad you like these!!! - <3 Gooseless

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Over the course of both movies, Johnny is extremely overworked and under-listened to by Buster. In the first movie, Buster makes Johnny play piano, a skill that takes a lifetime to master, in only a month or so. And in the second? He's only given three weeks to learn how to dance professionally, with zero experience. In neither situation are his complaints and concerns actually acknowledged nor taken seriously. In fact, they are even played off for laughs a lot. In Sing 1, Johnny sucked at playing the piano at first, and that was supposed to be the punchline. However, he's a kid who is extremely stressed out and is trying to learn a very hard skill in a very short time. That's not a joke, it's sad and concerning. And it's worse in Sing 2, where literal physical abuse and bullying are played off as a joke, which it absolutely isn't. Johnny was being harmed, physically and psychologically. And yet all the adults and people in positions of power essentially brush this off over and over again.

So, he's overworked and ignored. And while other aspects of him working for the troupe might be amazing, I would not say what we've seen is a healthy work environment for Johnny at all. He's been hurt on the clock and no one really paid any mind to it.

I would love for the poor kid to actually set some boundaries, as it's pretty obvious that no one else has really realized what's going on with him is bad, and put his foot down on things. I have no doubt that would be hard for him, especially after having to leave rehearsals he wasn't even being paid for for family reasons (not the heist, the time before) in Sing 1 was so heavily looked down on by his boss. He's probably worried about his job and losing the troupe.

However, it would be amazing for him to say no and hold his ground on that to a plan of Buster's that he knows is going to go bad, or refuse to burn himself out learning another new lifetime long skill for no real reason for a show despite technically being a triple threat already.

#sing #sing 2 #sing johnny #johnny struggles a lot in both movies with focusing on his health or even taking it into consideration #like a lot #he needs therapy and people to actually listen to him when he expresses concerns about his role #because what he went through? not ok. not in the slightest #if you are in a dance class or theatre and you start seeing similarities with your treatment and johnnys... RUN

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samd1o1 · 1 year

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Ableism In Renfield

Renfield is probably one of my new favorite movies I won't lie. I'm absolutely obsessed with it! But that doesn't mean it's perfect and that I can't have some complaints.

There's two main points I want to bring up;

Demonization of NPD, and Erasure

Ok so obvious TW for Ableism and Sanism!

1. Demonization of NPD:

I'm sure if you've seen the movie you know they basically use "narcissist" as a synonym for abuser. They call Dracula (Robert's abuser) a narcissist and it's the general term used by the support group.

NPD and other Cluster B disorders are often used as synonyms for abusers. Take for example the Amber/Johnny trial. Idc who you think actually was the abuser. What matters for this conversation is that Amber's disorder was used as LEGAL EVIDENCE that she is an abuser.

There's also a rise online of a term called "narcissistic abuse". Now fucking imagine if someone said they suffered from say idk "autistic abuse". That's disgusting right? Everything that is claimed under narcissistic abuse fits under emotional abuse!

Also do you want to know one of the main ways NPD ends up manifesting? FROM ABUSE. So not only is the movie demonizing NPD ableist it's also just alienating it's own target audience. It's an abuse survivors story for fucks sake!

If you want to call an abuser selfish then be my guest. But don't pull a real mental disorder into it just because you wanted to seem like a big boy who knows big words. Selfish is a perfect word for an abuser!

2. Erasure

This one is specifically about the character of Renfield. If you've never read Dracula let me fill you in on Renfield's part of the story.

Renfield is a patient in Dr. Seward's asylum. He has psychosis and bouts of mania and depression, highs and lows. He has these symptoms BEFORE Dracula ever interacts with him! In fact his symptoms just make it easier for Dracula to use him. (Like real life abuse wow).

Now I understand giving Renfield Jonathan Harker's backstory (the soliciter role) in fear of ableism (ironic lol). Asylum in the victorian era was torture (hell it was even worse in the book). (Also I think it's a reference to the 1931 movie).

But they still should have kept his mental illness. There are absolutely zero signs of any psychosis in Robert.

(Random side note, I really liked that deleted dance number because it was all in his head, should have kept it smh).

Anyway; it would have been really cool to have a protagonist/hero who had some of the most stigmatized mental illnesses/symptoms out there.

And in not giving Robert any of his symptoms he just comes out, well not Renfield.

This is just the Jonathan Harker movie. Robert is a bit awkward of a person but that's about it.

----

Either way I still love this movie. As an abuse survivor who loves gothic horror and homosexual vampires it's fucking awesome. But these problems sure as hell bug me. (Bug get it?)

#Renfield 2023 #Renfield #Dracula #RM Renfield #Robert Montague Renfield #Neurodivergent #Mental Illness #Mentally Ill #Idk what tags to use ngl

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dagmartoons · 1 year

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Lupin Zero Last Episode Thoughts:

LUPIN IN THE GREEN JACKET MADE ME SO HAPPY

WHY IS JIGEN'S NEW JACKET LEATHER WHERE DID HE GET THAT I MEAN I'M NOT COMPLAINING BUT IT'S STILL REALLY FUNNY TO ME

I LOVED YOKO!! I DIDN'T WANT HER TO DIE

Her last scene there was really sad (was totally expecting Lupin to tear up there)

SHE WORE THE NECKLACE HE GAVE HER AAAAAAAAAAA

Also *flashbacks to that post that was going around yesterday about Lupin being put in the Clarisse role in this series because I DEFINITELY got that vibe from Yoko kissing his forehead*

ALBERT WAS AWESOME (have they officially confirmed that that is the same Albert? I don't think they have but by this point I think it's fairly obvious)

SHINOBU'S OUTFIT AT THE END?! I TOTALLY THOUGHT THAT WAS GONNA BE FUJIKO FOR A HOT SECOND

Speaking of which, no Fujiko/Zenigata/Goemon cameos! I totally thought we were going to get those (or at least one of Zeni)

Also no flash-forward either! Huh

Lupin enjoys cigarettes now aaaaahhhhhhh

Lupin II was great! I'm still probably gonna prefer versions where he's an asshole cause I think that makes for better drama (also they're a lot more common in terms of fanworks) but I'm not gonna pretend this interpretation wasn't incredibly enjoyable. AND HE GAVE LUPIN THE WALTHER! That chase scene was SO fun!

(AND JIGEN'S GOT THE MAGNUM NOW AAAAAAAAA)

Also Lupin II once again disguising as a woman omg

you still can't tell me shinobu isn't lupin's aunt. you can pry that headcanon from my cold dead hands

all in all 10/10 great episode great series my only complaint is that now it's done and there's nothing left to watch. eh at least there's lupin vs cat's eye in a couple weeks amirite?

#i mean i am still really excited for lupin v cat's eye but still #lupin iii #lupin the third #lupin the 3rd #lupin zero #lupin zero spoilers #dagmar's opinions on stuff #so long zero. you were a blast

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chemicalbrew · 10 months

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@elendsessor listen, I love your blog and the way you curate stuff!!! that comment was honestly self-defeatist on my part, and I'm sorry if it made you doubt yourself, you're one of my absolute favorite mutuals at the moment (even though we don't talk, your blog is so awesome!), and I was genuinely worried you'd not follow me back when you remade, wahhh (mostly because I barely post fandom lately, and all I do is lazily scroll my dash and scout the katana zero tag, and I am so self-conscious about how much i love kz these days... i gotta stop with that)

ANYWAY!! back to your original inquiry, at full force

9. worst part of canon

stealth levels in games that are not otherwise about stealth tend to be quite ruinous. off the top of my head, two examples I am forever a little salty about are Ghost Trick and Katana ZERO (though it's partially optional in the latter - I always opt to kill my way through the prison on replays)

For Ghost Trick, that's legitimately the only issue I have with it. For Katana ZERO, however... the ending stretch of the plot is somewhat poorly paced\unsatisfying compared to everything else + hard mode is genuinely unbalanced to the point where I actually gave up on it last month (but god, the itch to play more has not left)

SMT4: rapid-fire complaints from someone who hasn't played other SMTs yet: most of the plot after the Tokyo reveal felt weak, the game needed to be a little more obvious early on about how your choices matter, I wish Flynn had a bit more personality, just to match his companions, the Isabeau twist in particular sucks ass, Burroughs turning out to be a goddess sucks even more, App Point costs were unbalanced, they could have afforded to use multiple asset sets for Domains, I didn't like the prospect of endgame grinding.

I said Chrono Trigger is perfect, but that's only if you ignore what follows after (especially the tie-ins attempted in CTDS). I still do not have it in myself to wholeheartedly love Chrono Cross

Pyre is a wonderful game, but the second half of it was a huge drag and could stand to be less repetitive

Hades has an ending that basically ruins the rest of the plot and it's BAD. also, endgame grind is way too tedious and the progression system can break in places

Brandish 1: the remake doesn't have speed options like the original game did, Tower is a bland-looking stage with awkward music, boss music in this game is uninspired outside of HEADLESS Brandish 2: literally nothing important to the larger narrative happens in this game when you think about it, endgame is not fun and absolutely ridiculous (I get why, but this is truly old school game design at its worst), boss music still sucks (most of the OST outside of the opening hour is honestly weak), there's a different Tower and it sucks for different reasons (backtracking yay) Brandish 3: the fact that the translation isn't out yet (serious answer: this game, iirc, has more backtracking than the others. Sanctuary was a really gimmicky stage in particular) Brandish 4: for fuck's sake, who decided the Temple stage was acceptable? it's literally an assault on the senses

Trails series: awful with ships. awful. the main ship of the first arc of the series is a case of adopted incest lol there's some other really gross tropes like this all throughout and I really don't feel like reciting them right now, so... I'll list other stuff: the games weren't intended to have multiple difficulties, so playing on anything that's not Normal will suck in some way you have to be extraordinarily meticulous to 100% or use a guide as the series went on, it became easier to break the difficulty into pieces with how ridiculous skills get despite that, superbosses and scripted losses that you have to win to 100% are a tradition of the series and can be really annoying to deal with as the series went on, it also started using more modern anime tropes to appeal to more people and it UNFORTUNATELY has been working

Ys series: modern games suffer from trying to be more like Trails, which they shouldn't <3 end of story

Xenoblade 1: battle system as a whole was unrefined and unsatisfying, worst sidequests in the series, female party members are all suffering in some way (Sharla's arc was cliche and unsatisfying, she sucks to use, her design is awkward; Fiora's situation was not explored deeply enough and she got fridged; Melia suffers in the story so much it almost turns into comedy and suspends disbelief) the only antagonist that resonated with me was Zanza.

Xenoblade 2: (DLC fixes most of this) The obvious: there needed to be less titties; The obvious again: Tora's introduction sucks ass (and he doesn't get truly better ever :() AND Tiger! Tiger! can go fuck itself; The introduction in general is slow and is why I won't replay this even though it's a GOAT; I actually like the gacha being around (I got lucky and the only real trouble I had was getting KOS-MOS imo), but it should at least become infinitely more generous in NG+. AT LEAST THAT. The infamous roadblocks to 100% like Ursula's affinity chart; The UI issues that everyone harped enough on; The maps got so much worse in this game compared to 1 like? I had so much trouble navigating here compared to other XB games.

Xenoblade 3: (DLC fixes most of this) literally the worst antagonists in the series; not a great party either (RIP Sena); Noahmio was kinda boring for half the runtime; in general the messages made by the game are not interesting to me and did not resonate like 2 did; the class system ruins every good change made to battle system; chain attacks suck, and not just their music - they're worse than 1's; weakest soundtrack (same issue as Brandish 2, where it starts strong but as a whole is eh); probably the only XB game that I do not ever intend to actually finish, because it's such a slog somehow.

The only sin Kid Icarus Uprising committed was its control scheme. Might have been justified, but it sucks.

Ace Attorney has too many issues to count <3 I'll just mention that: The series as a whole sucks at guiding you when you get stuck Big Top sucks, we all know this AA6 ruined Athena and Apollo and has questionable setting\design choices AAI2's last case dragged on for too long even if it was hype

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim's battle system as a whole really sucks if we're being honest, and nowhere is this shown off better than the final battle.

VA-11 Hall-A often goes overboard with humor, but its worst offense is the optional bullet hell minigame they put in

#zero.txt #whew i like pointing out flaws in things #TO BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ALL OF THESE ARE GAMES\SERIES I LOVE AND I WOULD NOT RATE THEM LOWER THAN 8\10 (except for xb3)#i could have elaborated on ys tbh but every game is so different....

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daylander1000 · 1 year

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Thank you so much for posting these chapters. I have no idea what you were talking about when you said we should keep our expectations low. This was absolute perfection and surpassed any expectations I ever had. Rhaena and Beala’s Picknick was so beautifully written, you wrote Beala perfectly and I loved her spontaneous haircut moment which will explain whatever that was that she had on her hair in the last dinner episode. You created such chemistry between them and really brought across the feel of how they have grown estranged yet are still familiar with each other. I loved everything they said about Deamon, that was such an accurate portrayal of his motivations. My favorite part of their dialogue was Rheana roasting the Strong boys like grilled chickpeas like Jesus Christ that was so satisfying to read thank you for including that. On another note their conversation made me cry when they talked about Leana and again, you really understood the assignment. Her letters were so heartbreaking to read and everything the twins went through because of the blacks made me so angry. Them plotting together was awesome and the plans they came up with seemed very logical and plausible. I officially became a Beala fan the moment she said she planned on killing Daemon. I would pay so much money to see that.

Maegora the cat was so cool and Rheana’s take on how the blacks younger dragons are stunted was so good.

And oh my god AEMOND!!! Adult Aemond is so amazing and I loved how you showed how different he is from Daemon through Beala’s eyes ( I hate it when people compare them ). I swear, your take on Aemonds character is better than any other I have ever seen. Your Aemond is canon now. I love him. He seems to human and I just love him and Rheana together. He’s such a sweetie and you actually give him a personality unlike most fanfic writers. Him telling Beala what helps Helaena with her moonblood was so sweet I love love love him. He would be such a good husband to Rhaena, please let them marry and band together with Beala, Veamond and Leanor and the greens against Deamon and the blacks.

Honestly, I will probably reread these chapters a dozen times over, if this were a book these chapters would be the ones I’d annotate with with five different colors because they’re brilliant in so many different ways. There were so many phrases that made me giggle or want to cry and they were all so wonderful.

You absolutely DESTROYED team black in these chapters. My brain is now filled with Aemond and Rhaena and all I want is to see them talk and be happy together. Thank you so much 💚💚💚

Thank you!!!

Idk, I kinda hate it still, but it's there. Lol thank you (and everyone) for reading! It is zero fun to just have chapters in draft mode that no one's read. Idk, it's like, I get ambitious sometimes and start things on impulse, and then I have Editor Me who's just like "This is shit!!! Delete!!!" so yeah, the feedback is really nice. Thanks for staying with it after a 3-month wait and for reading a 20k conversation with no complaints 😹

Team Black is fine! I have destroyed no one. Lololol. 😅 I didn't want to make Rhaena a "hater," but they went out of their way to have Rhaena voice that she felt neglected. Are we assuming that her relationship with Daemon improved with the addition of a stepmother and five boys? They went out of their way to have Laena say out loud that she was a placeholder wife, that she was unhappy in Pentos, and they sat down and agreed that "kill this bitch with fire and have celebratory funeral sex on her grave while the ashes are warm" was how they were going to treat Laena. It's too in-your-face to ignore, and in light of that, I just couldn't write Baela as "Yay, lemme go risk my life fighting for my stepmother. Marrying Jace is peak goals." I was literally unable to write that. I want to do happy shipping, but it's also a fix-it fic.

Daenerys, Sansa, Arya, Brienne, Asha, Cersei, Catelyn, Margaery and Olenna didn't exist and do schemes and burn shit down just for Rhaena and Baela to stand in the background like invisible elevator bellboy people saying “Wine, my queen," while being married off to randos. Nope.

I just want them to be on the same page when it comes to destroying their enemies. If their in-canon enemies happen to be the bulk of the characters on Team Black then 🤷🏾‍♀️ 😂 Rhaena's just sort of giving Baela the hard sales pitch to join a side that's not Team Black or Team Green but a third, secret two-woman operation like

Thank you for liking my version of Aemond!😊 He's a ton of fun to write.

To be fair, he doesn't have a ton of personality in the show. He and Aegon have a little bit more meat on them than the other kids, but they're mostly just there. Like 90% of these hotd characters are just 1-d stick figures with wigs on imo. It took me three months to figure out a personality for Baela that made sense. 😭 Like, on one hand, you're doing a fanfic and anything goes, but on the other hand, like I'm always worrying about what's ooc?

I'm going with "Teenage boy who was raised by a knight templar and his sister-mother. Used to be a nerd. Had a glow-up but is still a nerd. Wants to be a jock but doesn't really like sports. Is considering his career options."

I have no idea why the Daemon comparisons are so popular. All the Targaryen men have the same "Draco in leather pants" look. Daemon's been living his life one 10-year exile at a time and Aemond's a post time-skip baby. The first time he's even meeting his uncle is during his eye-gouging incident.

I mean, is this the face of someone looking for a role model to emulate or someone making a kill list?

Daemon actually did very little during that scene. He's really just standing there spectating for the most part. And then he and Rhaenyra exile themselves to Dragonstone for 6+ more years. Why would Aemond care about Daemon?

I honestly just think Martin and the writers (and half of the fandom, I guess) believe that Daemon is so cool that all the young kids in Westeros have Morally Grey Rogue Prince™ collectible action figures, (dead wives sold separately).

I sort of assume it's just a thing from F&B where Daemon wasn't banished from King's Landing and was around doing a ton of cool shit while Aemond was growing up???

In swhhw, Aemond's only interest in Daemon is killing him.

I wanted Rhaena to sort of just have a hypersensitive "I'm allergic to Targ bullshit" reaction to Aemond because she's been on Dragonstone for years and needs time to decompress, while Baela has the more objective stance, while Aemond's mostly just sort of offended that she's comparing him to her deadbeat hobo dad.

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saltwukong · 1 year

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Nitpick November #3: Fairy Tales

After a while, I finally managed to think of something significant about Volume 8 that amounts to a nitpick, and not something that makes me blindingly angry. It's one of those Miles-and-Kerry-isms, the dependence on old legends and fairy tales in-story that you can tell usually appears when they're doing some Plot Bullshit they didn't bother to properly set up.

Some people are probably going to be scandalized by hearing this, but I really...don't care about the 'thematic rules' as they apply to minor details. If a character's name doesn't relate to a color, I really don't care. If a character doesn't link back to some old legend or literature, I'm not bothered. Really, those aren't things that affect the story all that much, and that's what I care about: the story. I don't find these things absolutely necessary.

In fact, you could probably excise them and I wouldn't notice. In many characters, they have. But that only makes it all the more jarring when the whole fairy tale nonsense pops back up as something it was never meant to be: a hugely important part of the story.

I mean, they did that the first time, and it was already bad then. Our first true delve into overarching plot came in Volume 3, when the maidens were introduced and came packaged with a whole fairy tale bit that Pyrrha explains. The thing is, nobody in the audience cared about in-story fairy tales. Why would they? This isn't an urban fantasy show. They cared about the slaying of monsters with huge badass weapons. It shot the story into that abysmally frustrating "MAGIC IS REAL?" nonsense that was so rightfully mocked every time it appeared.

And that should've been the end of it. You got one free pass out of that because it ostensibly did double duty as worldbuilding. Made-up in-story fairy tales should have had absolutely zero presence or impact in the story from there forth. Yet, at the end of that volume a mere six episodes later, came "silver eyed warriors".

When you do that, just drop random legends and myths out of nowhere the second they're ostensibly relevant, you make it abundantly clear that you didn't really plan for this and are just making shit up as you go. That you're too lazy to actually, properly establish something--because if you weren't, you'd have other options than this, and better ones, too. Naturally, the silver eyes nonsense resulted in a lot of complaints of exactly that.

Volume 4 provides us this in the form of the Only Religion That Matters, with Generic Good God and Generic Evil God, and from then on whenever a character needs to swear they say "Gods!" or "Brothers" even though they've never done that before and it sounds really awkward. Again, another Old Legend featuring as the star of an exposition dump, this time from Qrow, to actually hammer in a plot for the heroes to navigate.

There's no new legends dropped for Volume 5 and 6, mostly because they're busy dealing with the first two--maidens and silver eyes. Volume 7 features no new legends as well, along with almost zero mention of either of those, because Volume 7 is awesome and can carry itself with a plot that doesn't rely on Randomly Generated Exposition Lore. But then of course, comes Volume 8.

In Volume 8, it's "maiden" this, "silver eyes" that, along with something new: "the girl who fell through the world". Because of how far we'd come, I knew the second that Oscar brought this random fairy tale up out of nowhere for no reason that it was going to be super important Plot Bullshit dropped out of nowhere, and I was right! This is supposed to be "foreshadowing" for the Ever After, the alternate "plot" Miles and Kerry pulled out of their ass after they finished bludgeoning, shredding, and burning the actual plot that Volume 7 had set up to that point. You would think that after nine years, these two would've learned that they can't get away with that, but not. They show their hand every time.

It's lazy. It gives the audience absolutely no reason to invest in a plot point and relies on their existing attachments surviving the awkward transitions (and they might have, had those existing attachments not been villainized and killed off). It's a hand-wave for when a plot just happens, with no input nor logical action from the cast themselves. There's no way to have characters drive plots like these because it's all referential, ordained crap.

It doesn't even have the guts to be original crap. RWBY has now entered the dull and unsatisfying world of Alice in Wonderland recaps, because creating original mythology to contain their writing decisions is too much work.

And all of this, for what? Am I supposed to be impressed that Miles and Kerry can crib Lewis Carrol like everyone else on the planet? Cause I'm not. This was never what RWBY was supposed to be about. Fairy Tales were an interesting feature and source of design notes when this show started, never a whole major facet of the story. I'm bored by this.

#rwde #nitpick november #nitpick november 2022

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fizzingwizard · 10 months

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Went to see Across the Spiderverse so I can fiiinally join in the hype hahahaha.

It was fantastic. The whole time I kept thinking how much I wished there had been a movie like this when I was a teen. I loved it as an adult, but as a teen I'd have been like next level obsessed.

Spoilers in between general squee

So Miles Morales is officially the coolest Spiderman. Well, at least he has the coolest movies, haha. Take your pick what Spiderman you like but seriously, I can't get over how this movie is conceptualized. Of course I felt the same with the first one, but this one lit up even further. It's artistic, it's musical, it's action-packed, it's comedic, it's full of heart, and somehow it balances all of that - never seeming too sentimental or too callous or too rushed or too cliche. It could have been any of those things, but instead of running from it, the movie embraces weakness and takes advantage of it. Heck, the core concept of the movie - that there's a "canon," a destiny, which must be fulfilled - could be a metaphor for how a story doesn't feel cliche no matter how many times it's been told if the characters have individuality and agency of their own.

The whole thing was good but the art and music, THE ART AND MUSIC. As for the art, it's so creative, such an innovative marriage of comic book style and computer animation. It doesn't say "This is too much, we won't be believable." Because it's not afraid of itself, neither is the audience. I think what makes it great is that it's got a clear idea tying all the different styles together, that idea being that this is a celebration of art styles throughout the decades, the same way the story is a celebration of our shared human experience.

The music is very Now. It's interesting and fits really well with each character and each scene. When Hobie appeared and it got all awesomely punk rock I could barely resist banging my head hahaha.

Also Hobie is THE BEST. From his character design to his personality to his role in the story, he's just so, so memorable and cool. He's got a small role, but he takes full advantage of it.

Loved Pavitr too, adorable, charming, annoying sweetheart. Really hope we haven't seen the last of him. "This is your daughter who I do not know" x'DDD My one complaint about this movie: I wanted more of Hobie of Pavitr so badly!!

Also Jess!! Pregnant, riding a motobike, and fighting evil. This movie pulled zero punches.

My favorite was Gwen. Gwen was everything. I was so super into her. Anecdote time: When I was growing up, I loved action and adventure stories. My favorite characters and ships almost exclusively involved boys and not girls. I felt bad because I wasn't supporting female characters - but I couldn't help that I didn't like them, or at least not as much as the boys. And I hated any time it seemed someone treated me like a "fan girl" who's just "in it for cute boys." But here's the thing. I did like female characters... in shows made for girls. Like Sailor Moon, CardCaptor Sakura, Utena - in all those shows my favorites were girls, and my ships were het or FxF. But the shows for girls weren't as popular as the shows for boys, because girls would watch both but boys mainly wouldn't. So the boy shows had bigger fandoms and more content and lasted longer.

What I'm trying in a roundabout way to get at is: Gwen Stacy is the proof that I, and many other unfairly labeled "fan girl" types, were really just desperate for great female characters in action shows that were popular with boys too. Your choices back then were: the love interest who is mainly a cheerleader, the love interest who does have some cool skills but never as cool as the boys, the love interest who is really cool and interesting but the story is only told from the boy's perspective, or the strong independent woman who doesn't need a man (aka a horrible, one-dimensional, token example of a "strong female character"). But Gwen. Gwen is none of that. She's strong, she's vulnerable, she needs help, but she's independent, she's fierce but also soft, and she's so far very much got her own natural, organic role in the story. She's hands down my favorite. And if there had been more female characters like her when I was a kid, I'd have loved them as well. So there. Fuck everyone who says otherwise, lol. And I know that there is a theory that Gwen is trans, and if so I will support it for all the same reasons. Just make characters who are fleshed out and real, whether they are boys or girls or trans or nonbinary. Just make them all like that and we won't have to have silly arguments about it! :P

Anedcote over. So, I love that Gwen got her own mini-movie in the first bit. I love the storm clouds in her relationship with Miles. It's not the usual stuff - I mean it is, but it's done in a way that feels really fresh. Her story almost predicts Miles's, or what Miles's could be. She's already lost a Spiderman, and when her father, a cop just like Miles's, discovers her identity, he isn't supportive. So when she hears that part of her canon as a Spiderman may mean her father dies, she's so heartbroken and depressed that she accepts it must be. When she tells Miles that in every universe a relationship between Gwen and Spiderman ends badly, and he responds something like "Then let's make this the first which doesn't," omg. My heart. I love them so much.

And more on Gwen. When it was clear that she was more or less betraying Miles, "for the greater good," I was a little disappointed at first. I loved her bit in the beginning so much and felt sad that she was then degraded to "girl from the wrong side of the tracks who needs to be saved by the hero." But that doesn't happen! Of course she's inspired by Miles, he's a big part of why she's able to stand up again. But he's not all of it. When Miguel throws her into the machine to send her back to her reality, I was so afraid she was going to cry and plead for another chance. But again, she doesn't. She just fights, and when she can't fight anymore, she says "We're supposed to be the good guys." And when she gets sent back, the thing she most feared, she discovers what can change when you take a risk on a second chance. And I think she realizes that her resignation was really fear. A false sense of control felt safer than accepting that our world is really chaos. That's where Miguel, I assume, is still... interesting to see what will go down with him in the future.

And last, Miles. He's just the perfect hero for this movie. He feels deeply. He's got conviction. I never believed The Spot was his real nemesis, so when it turned out to be his doppelganger in the other reality, I was like, omg so fitting. Yeah, it's overdone, but it doesn't feel like it is! Because it fits so well with what the story is trying to do. Miles was able to resist Miguel's rationale in a way the others couldn't because he has those deep convictions and that raw human hope in the future. But for that same reason, if things go wrong, if he fails when he's staked his whole heart on succeeding, the danger is losing his sense of self and turning into Miles the Prowler. It's such a great analogy for grief and suffering and why we struggle through our hard lives.

Just every moment was good. I kept waiting for one that I'd think well this could have been done better, but it didn't come. Maybe Gwen's dad was a little too quick to be ok with the whole portal jumping thing, lol. I really don't care. Such a fun movie and incredibly well made. I know the music and art made a huge difference for me - one reason why I feel like I could stand to watch it again, when I really haven't bothered to rewatch any other superhero movies. (Except the first Avengers, I think I'd still enjoy that if I watched it again.) It just never got stale and held my interest the whole time. And I gotta say: MilesxGwen 5 ever. Hahaha. Idk what the future holds for them (I mean Margo is also a sweetheart and nothing lasts forever...) but anyway I SHIP IT!!!

#spiderman #across the spiderverse

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