#its too simplistic and easy

[r3medialch8os]

devastating trobed quotes (a list)

does thinking of troy and abed ever make you inexplicably upset? well, it's all in the text! aside from troy and abed serving as frequent comedic buffers, they are given some weighty emotional scenes throughout community's run. just look at the meat of these lines!

we just won't get masking tape (what a beautiful, simplistic way to portray how troy is able to think around abed's systematic manner of viewing their friendship in its beginning stages as well as an illustration of how he deals with conflict)

i love you (pure honesty in a moment of intense distress)

i know (both a reference, because it's easy, and the truth)

you don't like people who tell you what to do, and i don't wanna be one of those people (one of the more heartbreaking things said between the two of them, with troy knowing exactly abed's qualms and negative experiences with being controlled, not wanting to add to it, and still having to fall into the pattern for the sake of keeping him safe, fearing he's risking their friendship by doing so)

you weren't supposed to think those things (you of all people, the person i trust most in this whole world)

this is going to be the last thing we ever do together, we can't stop (what the actual fuck)

i know you hate when people do this in movies (whispered quietly to abed by troy, without anyone else hearing, one of the most romantic, intimate lines in the whole show, argue with the wall)

you're gonna have to trust that you're gonna have to trust me (said to someone with severe trust issues, and for good reasons, just an incredible invocation of the bond they have)

for the first time in my long history of being locked inside things, i knew someone would come (as someone who was bullied in high school, this line hits so fucking hard, aren't we all waiting on this moment?)

you were out there somewhere, and you weren't looking for me? (devastating in a way where i simply cannot believe they throw words like these around casually)

the floor can't be lava forever, the game's gotta end (troy, perpetually insistent on indulging abed, on letting him do his thing, on enjoying his imagination, has to be the one to bring him back to reality this time, and even if he tries to do it as gentle as possible, it will never not rip my fucking heart out)

it's not a game for me troy. i'm seeing real lava because you're leaving, it's embarrassing. i don't wanna be crazy but i am crazy so i made a game that made you and everyone else see what i see. i don't want it to be there either, i swear. i want you to be able to leave but i don't think the lava goes away until you stop leaving (fuck it, i'm putting the whole thing, not a lot makes me cry but abed so clearly experiencing disillusion and trying to assuage troy while also communicating to him how hard it is to accept him leaving all with an air of embarrassment and hopelessness and desperation will do it for me, thank you very much)

i'm not leaving, okay? i promise. the floor's not lava now, just give me your hand (all i can say is that i bet it tore abed to pieces hearing these words)

i think i might be able to let troy go now (the way he says it too)

when i cloned you i had to patch some missing parts of your dna with genes from a homing pigeon. you may notice side effects like a compulsion to come back (in other words, i am in love with you and i never found the right time to say it)

#this is lowkey silly i just like to talk lol #community #abed nadir #nbc community #troy barnes #trobed #abed community #troy and abed #troy community #trobed community #community analysis

[dooberific]

❝𝘖𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦❞

pre release wriothesley x afab!reader

genre: nsfw (dacryphilia, creampie, idk how to finish tagging this hehe)

wc: 2.7k

summary: Despite his imposing stature, your lover is the softest and most genuine man you know. His regular praises make it seem like you hung the very stars in the sky, so why his sudden withdrawl?

There was just something different about the flowers of Fontaine. Maybe it had something to do with the land, moist plains sweeping up into sharp mountain peaks that passed a gentle breeze over the winding waterways below. The easy smell of rain, the babbling streams that fed into raging waterfalls that drenched all below in a fine mist. 

They seemed to grow a little differently, proud and tall like the Rainbow roses dotting the hillsides, their very own fine bonnets adorning their heads as their brilliant appearances dazzled passing strangers.

Perhaps that was why the simplicity of the Marcotte slipped under so many eyes, winding through life with a silent elegance and glowing smile so heartfelt and utterly kind that even the most icy of hearts would tremble under the warmth of her gaze. She would never be a rose, nor would she ever entertain the thought of it, laughing away the idea with great mirth dancing in her eyes and a grin lingering on her lips well after the encounter. 

You may never be a rose, but your simplistic and nostalgic charms had catalyzed such a violent reaction that he was sure you had hung the very sun in the sky, elevating its position as a kindness for your own radiance far out shone the largest star in the Teyvat sky. 

But if you were the Marcotte, so delicate and pure, then what was he? Surely he was nothing but a weed in the garden of the gods, a wicked thing who rose from the dirt to strangle the life out of the pretty and soft things around. There was a trail of battered roses in his wake, resentful that the weed had never blossomed into something worthwhile as they had dreamed, that it had spent their precious time, basked in their light, and then left them to wither away in anger. 

But the Marcotte was wild and resilient, your unbreakable and hearty spirit more than strong enough to carry your own burdens with grace and dignity even before you had unfurled your brilliant petals. 

Pure and wild chased by the impure and plotting.

You should resent him for his wickedness, his impudence to dare stand under the same sun as you. He couldn’t help himself, he was little more than a moth drawn to a flame, a weed that kept creeping back into the garden. How long had he waited, chasing fleeting images and the feeling a hand could never hope to emulate, before your own interests had become so entranced that you allowed him closer? 

He would swear it was all unintentional from the beginning, that it had all started as a draw to your magnetic personality. Fleeting kisses of parting after he walked you home at night giving way to deeper intentions as he cornered you against the door and indulged you a little more intimately. The wet slide of his tongue into your mouth, the firmness of his hands trailing down your sides and toying with the hem of your shirt. The little whines from your lips as your fingers carded through his hair, a sting in your calves from standing on your toes as his chapped lips ravaged your neck, your body pressed flush to his own. 

It was such a natural progression until it suddenly wasn’t. Kisses left broken as he hastily departed, a harsh flush creeping to his ears as he apologized and took his leave. The onset of his behavior had left your head spinning with questions. Had you done something wrong? He never acted strangely about you until those last and most private moments together, maybe his interest was waning? If you had grown boring you would understand, it wasn’t like your job or life were particularly riveting—

Too many unasked questions, and too much sleep lost. You were not so shy or proud to confront an issue head on, and while Wriothesley loved that trait of your personality he loved it a little less when it was weaponized against him as you stood at his door, a finger pressed to his lips and a stern yet wary look in your eyes as you shushed his questions and gave him a piece of your own mind.

He really was nothing short of a weed, too cowardly to have confronted the issue before it had become a problem. He was a liar, unable to hold your burning gaze as he forced some half-assed excuse past his lips. He certainly could not tell you that his hasty departures had been the product of your evening rendezvouses which simply stoked the fire that the all consuming thoughts of you kept burning in his veins, of the perverse feeling stirred by the lovesick look in your eyes that was increasingly hard to resist. There would be no kindness in those pretty eyes should you know that he could barely touch you now without getting hard, that a moment too long basking in your presence would surely have him cumming in his pants with the same choked gasp that he so poorly suppressed as he jerked himself off later fantasizing your pretty cunt wrapped around him. 

There was no question of want, he needed you. He needed to defile you with every dirty thought that ever dizzied his head, to have you fucked dumb on his cock and begging for more because you knew he couldn’t resist. What a shitty lover he felt like, having let you think you had ever done a thing wrong when it was just his own self disgust that he couldn’t keep it together that was wedging you apart. 

Maybe just once he could show you, and if you hated him for it he could beg for your forgiveness. Just this once he would kiss you like always, whispers of reassurance passing between you that there was nothing wrong with you, you were perfect. Just this once would he not fight the onslaught of debauched feelings that flooded him the moment you sighed against his lips, parting your own at the gentle tease of his tongue. He would kiss you deeply and with no regrets or holds, making your head spin from the lack of oxygen as the feeling of his warm hands settling on your body as he pressed you against the wall. He wouldn’t make some shitty excuse to leave when he felt his pants tighten, nor would he apologize for the moment he grinded his hips deeply against your own in search of that heavenly bit of friction only you could provide. 

He swallowed your surprised gasp, hell bent on smothering you with every ounce of his affection with sloppy kisses and a tangle of tongue. One hand settled at the nape of your neck anchoring you to him as the other hooked under your thigh, drawing it up to rest at his hip as he pressed deeper between your legs and you whimpered at the roll of his hips against the apex of your thighs. 

He broke away from your lips, his forehead pressed flush to your own. Your cheeks were tinged pink, eyes dazed as your lip quivered from the greedy breaths you sucked in. His voice was deeper, huskier and tainted with lust.

“I want you.” 

Your own voice was shaky as you replied.

“Then you may have me.”

Your sheer stockings and well pressed skirts were hardly more than heaps of fabric on his floor, pearl buttons of your blouse scattered if not clinging to mere threads. A blind stumble through the house had left a trail of what was easiest to remove. Had it not been for his insistence to do right by you and take you in his bed he was assured he would have bent you over the nearest surface and had his way with you. 

He swore deeply to any archon that would listen that he would be the most devout follower should they let him remember your disheveled look in the clearest of details, from the smear of your lipstick and the swollen lips he had indulged himself in to the sweeping curves of your body that he had marred with his teeth which now burned the angry red of ruptured capillaries. His kisses were smothering as his hands explored every inch of newly exposed skin, leaving a trail of chills from his cold fingers. He was a gentleman even in the most dirty of moments, all ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ as he waited for you confirmation as if he was still hesitant to think it anymore than a vivid dream to unclip your bra and lathe his tongue over the delicate flesh beneath, to drag his fingers over the soaked fabric of your panties and press his thumb harshly against that little bud of flesh that made your hips jerk in his grasp.

He was sure the sinful noise that parted your lips the moment he pressed your panties aside and flattened his tongue against your weeping cunt had been permanently seared into his brain right alongside the taste of you. The clamp of your pretty thighs against the side of his head only encouraged his efforts, calloused hands easily prying you open as he tongue teased past your lips and his nose pressed against your clit. Your shaky cries that it was too much fell on deaf ears, your fingers fisting into his hair to pull him off a stark contrast to the way your pretty hips grinded against his face begging for more. 

He wasn’t so heartless to stop when he knew what was best for you. It wasn’t like you knew, and the flush on your cheeks as you had so softly admitted to him your intact virginity had him questioning if you had ever pleasured yourself at all. It was his duty now to show you what needed, to strip you of every ounce of purity, to fuck you so good you would never consider another man to be capable. 

You could taste yourself on his lips, a bitter combination lost quickly on your mind as he dragged your panties down and pressed his calloused fingers into your cunt. His fingers felt thick and rough as he gave a few experimental pumps into your wet heat before burying them to the knuckle and curling them into your walls, relishing the heady cry that escaped your body as your hips canted into his palm.

“Fuck, baby, so fucking tight.” He groaned into your lips, his fingers scissoring you open as he set a brutal pace to loosen you up, the rough pad of his thumb circling and teasing your clit as the wet sound of your cunt met his ears. 

“Wrio, please I-,” You choked out, arms wrapping around his neck as the wave of molten lust that clogged your veins and made your stomach twist so delightfully became unbearable. 

“I’ve got you baby.” 

His words, low and reassuring in your ear, were the last straw as he fingerfucked you into an orgasm. Your whole body buzzed as you cried out sharply, your face buried into his neck as you came on his fingers, thighs clamped desperately around his hand as your entire body quivered. 

Your dearest lover Wriothesley felt safe and warm as he settled over your boneless body, gentle kisses pressing away the tears that had streaked down your cheeks from a pleasure never before indulged in. Any notion of vulnerability or embarrassment had been stripped away, replaced by the simple thought that his fingers seemed to intertwine so perfectly with your own just as his body seemed to slot so perfectly between your legs, as if he were some piece of a puzzle you hadn’t realized you were missing.

It was that sense of utter completion that overwhelmed you as his cockhead teased your entrance, the sense of the intrusion so much you forgot to breathe as your body trembled. You could feel every engorged vein, every ridge that bullied deeper into your cunt with the slow roll of his hips, how heavily he was pressed inside you. 

He hissed at the feeling, how tightly you still wrapped around him. His grip on your hips was bruising, a vain attempt to ground himself in the moment of the realization of his most hedonistic desires and the simple truth that you were so much fucking better than he could have ever dreamed. 

He fucked you deep and slow, reveling in the little sounds you made only for his ears, the gentle begging of his name in a tone reserved just for him. An exchange of sloppy kisses left your head spinning, his cock nestled deep in your womb, every slow thrust teasing that spongy spot inside that made your walls tighten and your legs quiver.

He was so kind, even as he felt that last of his composure slipping with the breathy whisper pressed to his ear that he could have his way with you. It had to be that look of glowing adoration in your eyes as you stared up at him, body rocking gently with each thrust as he made love to you, but he could be good for you just this once.

Just this once to press a kiss to the inside of your knee as he practically folded you in half. Just this once, to intertwine your fingers as he bottomed out in you with one smooth motion. Just this once to fuck you like he really meant it, to watch your eyes gloss over and tears pool at your lashline. Just this once, yet a thousand times over, another lie he would tell himself as if he wouldn’t pound you into his mattress until you couldn’t walk if you asked for it. 

Your fingernails scraped harshly against his skin, your own little desperate cling to reality. You didn’t think it was possible for him to feel any deeper, finding it hard to breathe at the new angle as you were certain he was well into your guts by now. Your mind was utterly blank, his name falling from your lips like a prayer as he fucked you with a new fervor as if to shape your insides to only remember the feeling of him. That heated, gut twisting sensation had rebuilt and teetered dangerously on the brink of collapse just as quickly.

He could tell you were close, your words slurring into an incoherent babble of his name. He could practically feel you tighten around him, willing him to finish you off as he leaned forward. 

“That’s my girl, cum for me.”

He kissed you, muffling the sharp whine you released as that familiar heat snapped violently in your gut. The harsh pull of your pussy was too much for him to resist, his hips stuttering as his teeth sank into your lower lip. It was a hot, sticky and overwhelming feeling that rested deep in your womb as he slowly fucked his seed into you, the taste of iron seeping into your mouth. 

He looked apologetic as his thumb swiped away the bead of blood forming on the vermillion of your freshly busted lip, but you had no heart to be angry when you met his glowing and tired eyes. There was a tremble to his arms as he effectively collapsed on top of you, trapping you under his weight. Your heartbeat was steady in his ear, your fingers tangling in his mussed hair. You could practically feel his entire body relax under your touch, hear his breathing slow.

“You don’t intend to sleep like this, do you?” You cringed at how hoarse you sounded. 

“I’m never opposed to this if it’s with you.” He countered, catching your wrist and pressing a soft kiss to your palm. “But I should clean you up.” 

It was a hollowing feeling, the loss of his dick that had been seated so firmly within your walls that you subconsciously clenched around nothing. You watched in silent surprise as a trail of fluids weeped from your used cunt and spilled onto the bed, a sense of abject horror striking as you caught the burning gaze of your lover locked onto the sight as well. You clamped your legs shut, shrieking as he easily pried you apart once more, his fingers scooping the viscous liquid back up and pressing it back into your pussy as you hissed at the sensation.

All at once he grabbed your ankles, dragging your hips to the edge of the bed. You propped onto your elbows, staring down his re-hardened cock that lay hot, heavy, and twitching against your hips before flickering up to his flushed cheeks.

 “I'm sorry, baby, let me indulge in you just a bit longer.” 

Rey, 2023

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #wriothesley x reader #genshin wriothesley #genshin x you

[super-paper]

Do you think Hawks will die to save Toga?

Personally, I wouldn't like it if either of them died. Like, the potential narrative payoff here would be strongest if both of them lived, imo. I would rather see a situation where Keigo donates just enough blood to stabilize them both, rather than a situation where one person completely exsanguinates themselves and leaves behind a rash of trauma and unresolved feelings in the person they "saved."

I'm definitely not the best when it comes to Hawks meta, but I'll try my best to break down my personal feelings on why I feel both Keigo and Himiko need to live in order to "break the cycle":

1. You Can Start Over. I'll Help You.

This one's the biggest, most obvious point in favor of them both living imo. Hawks made an offer to help Jin start over, but rescinded that offer and immediately went for the kill the moment Jin showed signs of resistance. This was Keigo's biggest failure as both a hero and as an individual, and something he has yet to atone for.

In turn, Himiko believes there are no second chances-- that her only options are death or being locked away forever. So, she chooses death. She needs someone to offer her a third option.

The set up is there.

There's also the matter of Keigo and Himiko both stating that they want an "easier world" as their core motivation, and both of them state that they want to be the ones who help make that world.

Their goals only sound simplistic on the surface and serve as a mask for their respective traumas, but... ultimately, a world that's easier for Himiko to live in (where she is consensually given blood by someone who loves her and she is allowed to give her blood back to the world in return) is a world where heroes can finally take it easy-- because it's a world that nips the endless creation of its own "villains" in the bud, through unified acts of compassion and understanding.

Both characters have caused others intense pain and hurt others in their attempts to take shortcuts to the creation of an "easier world"-- Hawks is the hero that's "too fast," and Himiko is also associated with her near-supernatural speed. They're both too impatient and want the quickest possible results. Having both Himiko and Keigo living and learning the "right way" to create their ideal world-- and then, getting to be a part of that world as they both continue to atone-- feels much more meaningful than having one or both of them die before they can see that future reach fruition.

2. The Big, Suicidal Elephant in the Room

The majority of the LOV members all struggle with suicidal ideation-- Touya wants to set everything Endeavor ever chose over him ablaze, and he wants that inferno to also serve as his funeral pyre. Tomura has got a dissertation's worth of issues regarding his own mortality and self-perception/identity, and his whole "let's-just-destroy-it-all/we-don't-need-a-future-actually-lol" schtick has always been a symptom rather than a legit proposal for a cure. Himiko wants to disappear into the identities of the people she loves, because the world treats her a little more kindly when she isn't "Toga Himiko." The LOV trio's arcs all revolve around "death of the self" to some degree. (That said... resurrection and rebirth are also heavy themes within Tenko, Touya, and Himiko's arcs, soooo....)

Keigo also struggles with suicidal ideation and places the worth of his own life far, far, faaaaar below that of everyone else.

This has already been said, and shouldn't really need to be said in the first place, but-- people have every right to feel uncomfortable and criticize a story that attempts to validate suicidal characters by portraying their suicide in a noble/redemptive light.

Next!

3. It's All About All Mi-- Err..... Tomie?

"I was fine with that-- not saving her, turning my back on her. Me, who claims he wants to help people." - Hawks, about Tomie.

"I tried to go about things the right way" is a good line that touches on one of the core conflicts of Keigo's character: He suppresses so much of his natural instinct to do good so he can do "right."

Keigo knows in his heart of hearts that "the right way" doesn't save people like his mother, it didn't save Jin, and it's not going to save Himiko. He's been groomed into upholding the society and status quo that caused him and Tomie to nearly fall through the cracks in the first place-- and I've always found it both fascinating and sad that Keigo seems to equate choosing "the right way" (i.e. becoming a hero) to abandoning his mother. Keigo effectively being *sold* to the HPSC is what took Tomie off of the streets and gave her a roof over her head-- it gave her "a chance to start over." But Keigo doesn't seem to view this as true saving. With that in mind, his attempt to "save" Jin by essentially giving him the same offer the HPSC gave Tomie was always doomed end in failure.

Keigo: "My mother feared punishment for harboring a criminal, so she took me and ran."

Tomie first ran out of fear of being arrested after Takami Thief was captured-- which led to both her and Keigo being homeless for an extended period of time. She ran again after Dabi/Touya threatened her for information on Keigo, this time out of fear of her son-- a son who had became synonymous with "the law" she feared so much in her eyes. She can't bear facing him after her betrayal and implicitly fears punishment/condemnation from him (even though Keigo had *no* intention of punishing her)-- Tomie readily leaves behind the "normal" home and "normal" life that Hawks obtained for her through "doing things the right way," bc the imaginary threat of punishment and condemnation is something that comes across as worse for her. This only further convinces Keigo that he failed to save his mother, even though he's the one who's being betrayed and hurt by her.

I can't help seeing similarities between Tomie & Himiko's decisions to run out of an intense fear of punishment/imprisonment, and how this inevitably ties to Keigo. Keigo subconsciously realizes that he can't truly save people like Tomie, Jin, or Himiko as "Hawks" because "Hawks" is part of the problem. He longs to save others as himself-- as "Takami Keigo" (which is why the loss of his quirk kind of has me like "👀 👀 👀 whatcha gonna do next, turkey boy...,,..👀 👀 👀" )

As an aside, I seem to recall that transhawks made a few meta post where they talk about how there are traces of Jin's design in Tomie (esp her eyes, which have the same dead-eyed thousand yard stare) and that their resemblance is likely intentional (edit: link to one post pointing the resemblance out)-- It's not as overt, but imo, Himiko also resembles Tomie (just a little!) when she has her hair down.

Anyway! Both Jin and Himiko dying after Keigo A) has spent his whole life agonizing about how his own mother wasn't able to survive in their current society, B) has expressed guilt about how he didn't even try to save her and didn't make attempts to involve himself in her life, C) has talked at length about he wanted to be "more like Bubaigawara" and then proceeded to roleplay him, badly, for a good third of Act 3 (ohhhh boy ☠️☠️☠️), and D) had demanded that Toga be killed immediately after she arrives in Gunga, only for Ochako and Tsuyu to explicitly challenge and reject the idea that killing was the only option available.... idk, Himiko dying while Keigo does nothing would just feel massively incoherent at this point??

TL;DR The resolution to Keigo's arc currently hinges on addressing his origin, his identity, his guilt, and his ties to these three characters. Keigo feels that he failed with Tomie, and he explicitly failed with Jin-- and I personally don't think his arc can have a satisfactory ending without addressing those failures through Himiko, or without him trying to right where he went wrong by helping her in some capacity. This is a chance for him to finally follow his innate drive to do good over doing what their society dictates as "right."

----

All that being said, if Hori did decide to have Hawks sacrifice himself: Hawks choosing to sacrifice himself because he wants to believe in the future that the hero kids are creating and wants to believe that children like Himiko have a place in that future feels WAAAY more tonally consistent with mha's themes than Himiko choosing to sacrifice herself because she doesn't think she has a future

One message is about healing and hope and belief, the other is about failing to truly save someone who was already suicidal from their inevitable self destruction.

MHA has been defining true saving as "going above and beyond" for hundreds of chapters now-- true saving means saving a person's heart, body, and soul. It means giving them a future. By mha's own definitions, Himiko choosing to kill herself means she wasn't saved. Pure and simple-- You can't save the heart but not the body/soul (Himiko), you can't save the soul but not the body/heart (Touya), and you can't save the body but not the heart/soul (Tomura). There's a lot more work to be done here-- but that's fine, bc MHA has never depicted true saving or true healing as some magical, instantaneous thing. (#recoverygirldni)

#mha spoilers #mha 395 #thank you for the ask! #sophie.txt #suicide tw #mha.txt

[kob131]

Out of nowhere I bet but I wanna try listing off why AI Art isn't good-

The common argument against the accusation of AI Art is that human beings themselves take ideas from their surroundings and mix them together to make 'original' ideas (like a horse with a horn to make a unicorn). However, the difference between an AI and a human being comes not only from how the human brain is infinitely more powerful than any computer ever made by humanity (meaning it can consider ideas and alter them at a far greater rate than any algorithm) but also that the human brain is affected by things like 'preference' and 'bias' for certain ideas or expressions.

For example, a person who prefers anime style drawings will almost always interpret the idea of 'badass horse' will interpret that to mean 'badass horse in an anime style'. While this seems simplistic and easy to replicate with AI (keyword being replicate)- there are INNUMERABLE preferences and biases that come into play when making art. To the point that an ultra specific prompt could still result in innumerable different interpretations because of people's individual tastes. This can then satisfy numerous peoples' different desires or perhaps even create a new demand. AI can't really do this- It will give you exactly what you asked for. ... Exactly. No differing interpretations or unique ideas mixed in. You ask for 'horse with a water mane' and you get a horse with a water mane. That's it.

Another reason why AI Art isn't good is that AI art...is just a dead end. The way it works is that the algorithm is taught to look at certain images in association with certain keywords and then, based off the data given, it will spit out an image to match. ... Notice how, in this process- the AI is reliant on outside information to make the image. As in, the AI NEEDS to be able to look at certain artstyles in order to properly fulfill its request. Unlike a human artist, who can use the data gained from other experiences (like touch, taste and hearing) along with how those would be associated with certain imagery to create new styles or interpretations. Humans can independently create ideas, AI can only regurgitate.

There's also how the human brain has this...uncanny ability to detect when something looks wrong or doesn't look real. You see this most often in movies or shows with heavy use of CGI- the images might be more technically impressive but without the grounding in real life that practical effects have they can easily look off because computers...just can't generate anything on par with reality. Same with AI- it can generate images resembling real works of art. ... But there's always something in them, some variable the AI can never account for, that will tip off the human brain to the fact that a human didn't make this.

In short- AI cannot take creative liberties, is basically parasitic with human artists and is too simplistic to match a real artist.

That's why AI art is a bad idea from my point of view.

[junipershouse]

communication in multi-species living spaces

it's relatively easy to learn a language. what is harder is learning to speak a language. this barrier becomes even more insurmountable when you do not have the anatomical parts to produce a sound used in a language, or don't have the organs to interpret the medium of that language. then, miscommunication isn't simply a case of miscommunication - it's a case of incompatibility. for example. rrikrik is a kkariko, and soh is a ki. kkariko communicate auditorily, using a specialized organ to produce noise alongside their exoskeleton teeth and antennae noises. ki communicate using low frequency waves, and their antennae organ is poised specifically to interpret said waves. kkariko lack any sort of organ to sense low-frequency waves, and ki physically cannot make the noises required to speak kkariko languages. so how can rrikrik and soh communicate?

this is an issue which affects almost every single multi-species living space in the universe. especially more political or industrial spaces, where communication is incredibly important. a lot of time and energy has been invested into figuring out ways that species with drastically different anatomy can still communicate clearly with each other. there are three methods used in tandem among multi-species living environments to ease communication. press keep reading to learn more about them! :3

the first method: common lingua franca and assistive devices

most sophant species already have hundreds, if not thousands, of languages and dialects spoken within their own species populations. in many cases, a couple of languages may emerge as "lingua franca" among the population, typically due to complex political situations. this lingua franca is often expressed in multi-species environments too.

just because somebody cannot speak a language doesn't mean they can't learn it. there are also plenty of assistive devices used by / fore example, referring back to rrikrik and soh - rrikrik could use a technological device designed to pick up low frequency waves to hear what soh is saying, and soh could use a specialist voice synth program containing a kkariko noise library to communicate in a kkariko language.

this is obviously the most labor-intensive method of communication for all involved. however, it's the most reliable and often the most personable. it feels good to be able to communicate with your friends in a language they understand, and

the second method: universal sign communication

universal sign communication (USC) is a constructed language developed in the founding age of the ICDCI by a cross-species team of linguists. the goal of USC as a language was to level the playing field by offering up a universal language with a low theoretical accessibility barrier.

USC as a lexicon relies on simplistic movements of limbs, with movements designed to be replicated by those with varying body anatomy. due to this, USC has a "less is more" ethos and relies on the stringing together of movements as opposed to fine motor control and expressiveness, with one sign or movement meaning multiple things depending on context. the only thing that a person needs to be able to communicate in USC is a moderately flexible body and potentially one limb. although some individuals without conventional limbs will simply perform the USC signs with their whole body instead. USC can be modified as a vocabulary to accommodate other more static body plans if needed, too.

this is the most common option when it comes to communicating in a work environment. USC is relatively easy to learn, is easy to understand, and doesn't require any technology. it can also be used in environments where other forms of communication are impossible. almost every cosmonaut knows at least rudimentary USC, and its required to work and live in many astral communities just because of how convenient it is in that environment. USC also has a pictographic "written" form which acts as diagrams in performing the specific signs.

of course, USC is largely inaccessible for those who lack visual senses. whilst there has been an attempt to "translate" USC into a spoken language, it sort of defeats the purpose of Universal Sign Communication. there has been discussion about developing a sort of spoken USC but it's a much more complicated feat due to the diversity of sounds vs the diversity of gestures and movements.

another pitfall of USC is the nature of its vocabulary. because USC was a language designed to be used in a professional environment, its vocab is often limited to professional topics. its easy to tell somebody what a certain lever does using USC, and even ask them how they are and if they rested well, but its significantly harder to chat about that piece of media you just love using USC. and forget about making jokes. some linguists have expanded the USC vocabulary with more casual gestures and signs, but these signs are often considered "non essential" for learners and seen as optional side studies for those more invested.

USC can also be easily misunderstood, especially by beginners. those communicating in USC are reminded to sign slowly and with intent.

the third method: received speakers.

received speakers are a specialized "memetic-will hybrid" device. "will" is a catch-all term for a grouping of energies exerted by beings onto the complex structure of energies/concepts referred to colloquially as "reality". memetic in this context refers to an idea or concept, translated into language, which can be brought into the consciousness of a being with behavioural changes apparent. this is a very basic description of both terms.

received speakers work by utilizing the memetic affect and will-energy together. the material that the received speaker made of is a sink and an amplifier of will-energy, a conductor of it. (the material used is a potentially-biological "fossil" alloy, found only in a few places.) before use, received speakers need to be calibrated to the specific will-energy of their user. after that, the received speaker will pick up on their user's will-energy and their user's will-energy only. however, a received speaker with no intentionality is useless. intentionality is built with memetic conditioning. the goal of the conditioning is to fix ideas in the consciousness of the user. these ideas are: 1: when the user communicates with a recipient, their intention with their words is transferred to the received speaker. 2: received speakers are able to send the intentionality of the communication between each other using will-energy waves. 3: despite the difference in language, the intention of the words are carried over perfectly to the recipient and they will understand the communication as it was intended. 4: likewise, the user will understand the recipient's communication with the same level of intentionality.

if both will-energy calibration and memetic conditioning are successful, then the received speaker will allow individuals with vastly different languages to communicate as if speaking the exact same dialect of the exact same language. they'll sense the communication almost instantly, and it'll be in their own voice, which can be a bit confusing to get used to. sarcasm and double-truth does not translate well using received speaker, which can be a good thing if you feel as if the individual you are communicating with is untrustworthy, but can be difficult when trying to tell a joke.

there are some issues with received speakers. first of all, they're single person use. you can't swap received speakers, or borrow them, or use one which has been used by another in the past. this is because calibration is very difficult to reverse. it's a very specialized task to reverse the calibration, and it takes a lot of time and energy. so once you've calibrated your received speaker, that's it. this also means that received speakers are a unrenewable resource. there is only so much material to make them, and there are more important things to use it for. for this reason, received speakers are often only provided to certain individuals. rrikrik was given one, as was some of the individuals they work with, but most of their crewmates do not use them.

different beings have different will-energy fields. even with the amplification that received speakers provide, some individuals just won't have the will-energy to broadcast their intention. some individuals also have high resistance to will-energy, and won't be able to receive the intention and often not be able to complete the calibration process. there is also the issue of memetic resistance. memetic resistance can be developed, but some people are just naturally resistant. for example, the sadum species is known for their memetic resistance. this makes sadum immune to cognitive diseases and other harmful things which spread via memetic transferral, but it also makes them immune to received speakers.

received speakers can also be very dangerous. if the memetic conditioning is replaced with a different sort of memetic conditioning, then a received speaker can be used to essentially brainwash or kill people.

#sci fi #alien species #speculative biology #alien biology #worldbuilding #xenobiology #oc #been working on this for ages orz... sorry if its confusing! the stuff with real energy/will energy is very difficult to describe #inspired by stuff that aconite @ / wolfsbane and thistle said about universal “translators” and sign language in this setting :3 #pls go follow them their worldbuilding is awesome and always an inspiration #oh yeah. the purple and blue cloud in the center of the first image is actually the ship's translator and linguist #theyre a gaseous based lifeform... in very early stages of development. and their name is sadly not writeable #and the other qoosai is epowi who manages food and materials on the ship

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * *

One more time with feeling . . . Ignore the polls!

November 6, 2023

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

    We are one year out from the 2024 general election, and media outlets are busy predicting a future they cannot know. I routinely advise readers to “ignore the polls,” so whenever I write about the polls, readers tell me I should follow my own advice. Fair point. But the poll by the New York Times released over the weekend prompted dozens of readers to send panicked emails asking me to “Talk them off the ledge.” The NYTimes poll will get more coverage in the Monday news cycle, so in anticipation of hundreds of additional panicked reactions, I will once again address the issue of polling. It is a scourge that we will live with for the next year, so occasional reminders that the only poll that matters will occur on November 5, 2024, is in order.

          In short, the NYTimes poll found that Biden is trailing Trump in five of six swing states and that Democrats are losing ground among young, Hispanic, and Black voters. Many voters believe that Trump is better able to manage the economy, that Biden is “too old,” and cannot identify anything that Biden did to improve their lives. Go figure!

          Nothing I write below should be interpreted as saying that polls do not contain valuable information. They can (depending on their quality). Polls include information that helps campaign managers and candidates focus and refine their message. They are NOT predictions. Remember Nate Silver’s article in FiveThirtyEight in 2011, “Is Obama toast? Handicapping the 2012 Election.” If polls taken one year before elections were meaningfully predictive, then each of the following candidates should have quit their first campaigns: Carter, Clinton, Obama, Biden—and Trump.  

          So, why should we not panic over the polls? Indeed, is there a silver lining? (Spoiler alert: Yes.)

          Let’s start with a lesson that we must not forget: The old paradigm of “horse-race” polls no longer applies. Why? Because such polls assume that two legitimate candidates are competing for votes within the system. We have never had a candidate who seeks to overthrow the system. Or who attempted a coup. Or who plans to invoke the Insurrection Act on the first day of his next term. Or who called for the execution of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Or who will use the DOJ to persecute his perceived enemies. Or who was found liable for sexual assault. Or who will support a nationwide ban on reproductive liberty. Or who views Putin as a friend and NATO allies as adversaries and leeches.

          I have not studied the NYTimes methodology, but I am confident it simply asks some variant of, “Which candidate do you support in 2024?” Faced with that limited construct, it is easy to be seduced into making a forced choice without regard to the fact that Trump is an anti-candidate. That error is compounded because the poll does not highlight Trump’s fundamental desire to destroy the system but instead asks about Biden’s age.

          As I have written before, believing that most voters will walk into the polling booth in 2024 and vote only for “Biden vs Trump” is simplistic—and beneath the NYTimes and its expert pollsters. When WaPo/ABC published a poll that was subjected to nearly universal derision for its flaws, I wrote the following:

          The 2024 presidential election features two candidates who are surrogates for different visions of America: Democracy versus autocracy; liberty versus tyranny; dignity versus bigotry; science versus disinformation; personal autonomy versus subservience to Christian nationalism; sustainability versus ecological disaster; safety versus gun violence; global stability versus confrontational isolationism. All of that—and much more—is on the ballot in 2024. The WaPo/ABC “horse-race” poll captures none of that.

          Three more points and then I will stop paying attention to the polls (as I recommend).

          First, Dan Pfeiffer’s article in The Message Box on Substack explains why the NYTimes poll shows the path forward. See Dan Pfeiffer, How to Respond to the Very Bad NYT Poll. If you are worried about the poll and want more details, I highly recommend Dan’s article. Pertinent passages include the following about “double haters” who dislike both Biden and Trump:

Perhaps the simplest explanation of Biden’s political challenges is that he has done a lot of good, popular things, and almost no one knows about them. Navigator tested a series of messages about Biden’s various accomplishments, including allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug costs, the bipartisan law to rebuild roads and bridges, and efforts to create more manufacturing jobs in the U.S. Guess what? All of this stuff is super popular. Medicare negotiating drug prices is supported by 77% of Americans, including 64% of Republicans. The bipartisan infrastructure law has the support of 73% of Americans and a majority of Republicans. Every accomplishment tested in this poll had majority support. It’s hard to overstate how impressive that is in a deeply divided, highly polarized country at a time when the President’s approval ratings are in the low 40s. That’s the good news. Here’s the bad news: according to the poll, a majority of Americans heard little or nothing about the accomplishments tested. There is a yawning knowledge gap. Now for more good news (think of this as a positive sandwich); the poll shows that when people are told about what Biden has done, his approval rating goes up. The voters most likely to move are the “Double Haters.”

          My penultimate point: The 2024 presidential election matters a lot. But so do congressional elections, gubernatorial elections, state legislative elections, municipal elections, and more. If—heaven forbid—Trump wins in 2024, a second Trump term with a Democratically controlled Congress is radically different than if Republicans control Congress. And states can be bulwarks of individual liberties if Republicans are able to pass national legislation. So, let’s not put every hope and aspiration into the presidential election. We should do everything we can to win up and down the ballot.

Concluding Thoughts.

          Although I did not intend to devote the entire newsletter to the NYTimes poll, I will stop here. We will be dealing with bad polls, handwringing, and negative press for the next year, so it is worth drawing a line in the sand and saying, “Enough!” The election is not over until it is over—notwithstanding the media’s best efforts to declare defeat a year in advance. And while I am criticizing the media, shame on the media for normalizing Trump as a legitimate political candidate. He is not.

          We will prevail over the long run, no matter what happens in 2024. (To be clear, I believe Biden will win re-election.) But if we have confidence that we will ultimately prevail, we can set aside the apocalyptic fears that we wrongly ascribe to a single election in 2024. We don’t need to panic over every poll.

The NYTimes poll reminds us that we have plenty of work to do in spreading the good news of Biden’s accomplishments. So, rather than needlessly fretting a year in advance about 2024, let’s recognize that we have a year to achieve

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

#Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter #political #NYT poll #polling data #Robert B. Hubbell #democracy #media #Mike Luckovich

[catwouthats]

My ideas for a Young Justice show that is actually based of the comics (that will never happen)

Animation style:

Bart’s hair is its own entity. To be animated differently than Bart and others. Hair is animated studio ghibli style bc of the static (this will slowly fade as he gains more control over excess energy. RIP extra fluffy hair Bart.)

It’s important for it to not feel like cinema. It should feel like a moving comic. Backgrounds will be simple and mostly stagnant unless the characters interact with it. Backgrounds will not always be where they are, like comics, it could just be a color, abstract art, or simplistic abstract art. When a character is moving towards the camera it should slightly feel like a 2D object is moving towards the camera.

Animation in different layers to get more comic feel (think how the background moves in the opening of beauty and the beast.)

Nothing regular should have a high frame rate or have smear (exceptions: odd things like Bart’s hair or an odd object/person like Bedlam. One background smear frame that stays a smear frame while a character is flying to help show speed without making viewer dizzy.)

Should not have a lot of bright flashing colors (especially without warning.) I WANT THIS TO BE ACCESSIBLE PEOPLE!!

Showing multiple Bart’s at once (like how they do in the comics) to show how he’s moving fast rather than give the viewer a headache (or/and rather than leave out him being like that)

Onion layers are our friends, onion layers are our friends, onion layers are our friends

Character outlines are our friends, character outlines are our friends, character outlines are our friends

Should have occasional little text pop ups like they do in the comics(ex: “this actually happened in Superboy #80” or some shit)

I think I was a frame rate of 12-20… Maybe just 12 fyp? Idk yet

Character’s

We will be addressing Kon’s SA trauma thank you very much. Or at least mention how IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.

I just really want more interactions of Slobo, Bart, and Kon, bc I feel like we never explored that dynamic and they’d do so many petty crimes together.

We will very much be exploring Anita’s background and will very much STOP SEXUALIZING NATIVE/BIPOC WOMEN SO MUCH.

Every one of the characters will be voiced to have their specific accent (I have already made a list on all their different accents)

We will also be addressing Bart being infantilized bc DC seems to be on and off doing that with him??? wtf???

The “Cissie’s trouble with her mom and than her mom admitting she was wrong etc” arc is STAYING I LOVE THAT ARC SOOO MUCH

We will have the Anita and Lobo date. (I love them so much.)

We will be implying that Young Justice is just a big polycule (which is very fucking easy to do. Literally just have to follow the comics)

We will have Slobo and Slobo helping Secret and Slobo being vulnerable and Slobo and Slobo

Snapper’s shirts are staying.

We might be adding to Anita’s story BECAUSE I FEEL SO RIPPED OFF THAT SHE DOESN’T HAVE HER OWN COMICS

We also might do a flashback to secret’s past or something… I dunno yet… I just know I need to include her history

Other

I don’t think we should start at the beginning of Young Justice 98. I wanna start after Tana Moon dies; I hate her so much.

That song Go! By Santigold WILL BE THERE IT WILL BE THERE ISTG

I will be mentioning the blue eyed stare. Too many of these mf have blue eyes

We will be mentioning/doing the Santa Clause dying story

#it should be called Young Just Us #“oh it’s too close to the comics it won’t feel like anything new #STUT UP!! IT WILL BE COOL AND THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS #young justice comics #yj98 #young justice #young just us #bart allen #kon el kent #anita fite #slobo #dc comics #dc show idea

[renaissanceofthearts]

NEO-JAPAN 1.0

"NEO-JAPAN is a harsh place for a child growing up.. theres gibble venders, 'prosties,' (you know curb walkers, fiddle contractors) and the assortments of thugs, blackmailers, back yard cooks , not to mention the life suckers."

"I had to get infared eyes to make sure the invisible pick pockets don't get ya when you're in city streets. these asshole are as silent as mice, and fingers like a 1500 century pianist."

"things dont get easier when you enter the center of the city, the overwhelming sense of movement is nothing get to use to. you can go from upper-tire high-class, to a guy running his finger through an old sardine can, missing teeth and looks like he's been run over by a bus, with sand paper wheels.."

getting by isn't easy and every time you think you have something, it spills away like rain through the storm drains. Neo- Japan, is the worst and best place to be."

"the authorities are not to laugh at, the basically run around in this thing, 'The Crowd Buster.' its comparable to a mini-tanker with legs, motion sensors, inferred cameras, taser the size of a cannon and fires 50 caliber rounds; its has a horn, with a pitch frequency sound so high and loud, it'll make your ears bleed. I swear the guy got too close and nearly shit his guts out. - it's something people don't forget. It patrols on a 24 hour cycle, in case the local mobs or large gangs get any smart ideas, on who in charge in the city."

"not to mention the 'HIGHWAY PROTAL,' they fly around in gravity paralleled 'NIGHT HAWKS," completely silent and have the speed and range thats unmatched to the normal vehicles on the city streets, it nearly never get old , you see these guy flying around in between towers, making it look easy. it make you dream like a kid, and thats they talk about, being a NIGHT HAWK pilot, I have to say - I always wanted to be one as well.

"above that you have the sub control vessels, impossible to hack, can take a rocket hit straight on and has a Barrier that deflect nearly all energy focused beams. these guys relay all the messages to through out the city, making sure things are under control. 'the eyes in the sky,' if you will...they call these "THE SCARABS", like the beatles. (not the band jack ass.) Do have any idea how many people try to hack and steal these things, you'll become a legend just for trying, there was one guy managed to hack one, but we'll get to that later."

"NEO- JAPAN, is out of control, til the second you see any of these guys in your district."

and they all get controlled by the central tower, "THE DIGITAL FORTRESS," this thing run off 10,000 ocean fans. they pretty much get energy from the constant ebb and flow of the ocean waves, this thing, other then the size is completely unknown, no one and I mean no gets in...

some guy tried to use cyborg insects, at attempt to get in, but was able to infiltrate the tower, the lasers surrounding the "DIGITAL FORTRESS", have unmatched accuracy. I've been told they can shoot a grain of sand out of the sky.

"THE INFILTRATOR - THE DUNG BEETLE."

"these guys are pretty sweet, they can fly, relay messages - via micro short wave speaker they also release a stinky gas, sleep gas and smoke screens, doesn't last every long but gets the job done, not to mention holographic maps of the local areas"

"At times when I dont get enough rest my 'INFA-EYES' get hazy, the synaptic connections get hyper stimulated, my vision hits like a tv inetween channels"... SFX(zzz,zzzt) [infrared eyes]

and ill run into one of 'her.' attitude and all, girls like this can be some of the most dangerous in NEO-JAPAN. they mean business, and the semi to prove it, they run in groups but mostly solitary, they're all connected through a wireless neuro-link, its pretty hi tech, even more hard to install..

you might find them with a "TX9" don't let the simplistic look fool you, it's ability to think, make choices is on par with humans, if not pushing the frontier on whats considered intelligence. These girls roam the city like an unnamed army of hit tech-kittens with 9 inch alumanitum claws, but dont ever call them that. (kittens)

just my luck, my vision comes clear and im being "TOMMY JONES'D"

" you better have something worth taking? or you might have a perma- black out, with those eye."

Zainda, dont joke around with that thing, I dont trust the gentle touch of your 'AUTOMATION HANDS, put that thing down...

"every time I see her, its like the rains falling, as if the storm follows her around, or perhaps she is the storm, just millimeters from firing that thing at anyone. ("DK3," it's a compact 25 round mag with a recall of a 9mm but hits like a 45mm, it's no joke.) i walk past, as she shows the typical smirk on her face."

"I decide to head out the city, to the outskirts for some materials, difficult to find, necessary for keep these eyes working smoothly."

End of part ONE. NEO-JAPAN.

*hope you like part one.*

"NEURO-LINK" EXPLANATION: ITS SOUND, not as simple as you may think, they pretty much replace the whole formal cortex, giving the the person faster reaction time, instant calculation ability, the only down side, you lose the sense of emotional range, a lot of the people who part take in the transplant went completely nuts, with out happiness and sorrow, you tend to lose a grasp on whats real, but for some strange reason woman take better to the transplant then men, why, who knows?"

chat gpt explanation:

The concept of a Neuro-Link involves high-tech brain interfaces that enable wireless communication with external devices. One prominent example is Neuralink, an American neurotechnology company focused on developing implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). These interfaces hold promise for restoring sensory and motor function and treating neurological disorders. Furthermore, Neuralink aims to create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy for individuals with unmet medical needs and unlock human potential. Additionally, there are discussions around the technical complexities and requirements of such high bandwidth interfaces and brain-to-brain communication. However, it's important to note that while this technology holds significant potential, it also raises ethical and safety considerations

#color #light #midjourney #illustration #abstract #digitalartistr #japan #neocity #adobe photoshop #brain #tech #futuretech #japanese #tokyo #kyoto

[bettsfic]

hi betts! i was wondering if you would be willing to explain a little further about the third thing in a concept you spoke about in the feb '22 issue of lkwrnl? would you describe it as an unexpected conflict? i'm just not sure i've wrapped my head around it! thanks! :]

sure! "third thing" is really not a great term for it and i wish i'd thought of a better one before writing that newsletter. sometimes i use the phrase "initial escalation." an initial escalation is something that elevates or complicates the conflict just as the audience is getting grounded in the story.

my definition of a conflict is "establishing a status quo, and something happens to interrupt the status quo." the third thing/initial escalation is, "something happens to complicate the interruption of the status quo."

here is a very simplistic/ridiculous example:

you have the protagonist, let's say a hero, driving the forward movement of the story. you then have the antagonist, a villain, pushing against that forward movement and slowing it down.

a hero getting to their destination without any obstacles is not very interesting. a villain thwarting their efforts creates a conflict. but still, that's two things, two forces, and i can kind of predict where it's headed. that's not a bad thing. it just means i'm grounded in the story.

the third thing, the initial escalation, would be to put both of them in a burning building. this complicates our understanding of their motivations. they can no longer prioritize their primary objective; they have to work together to escape the burning building. they're suddenly allied.

now i have no idea what to expect. will the protagonist and antagonist being on the same side for a time alter the trajectory of the story? will it change decisions we predict of hero vs. villain?

note that the burning building/third thing/initial escalation is not a twist. twists happen at the end of a story. this is merely an early complication that alters the anticipated plot trajectory.

most stories don't have a third thing. many don't even have a second thing. i'm looking at my bookshelf right now to find an example and noticing how few of my books have a plot at all. and that's fine. plot isn't really necessary in telling a good story.

upon looking at my letterboxd diary, i've found an example. the last movie i watched was Poor Things. the premise is that Bella (Emma Stone) is a grown woman whose brain has been transplanted with that of a newborn infant, and so she's learning how to be a person. as she grows, she feels stifled by her "father" (Willem Dafoe) and wants to see the world. she gets her chance when a sleazy lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) offers to help her escape, in exchange for being at his mercy (but she doesn't understand that).

it's your basic princess story in the format of a bildungsroman (i did really like this movie, but i'm an easy sell on bildungsromans). it's still three things:

forward movement: Bella growing and discovering how to be a person, which is a story with its own merit

opposing force: her father keeping her safe by imprisoning her, halting her growth and desire for sex meaning

initial escalation: the lawyer sweeping her away, only to trap her too, so that she has to escape his grasp as well, and in doing so her growth, the forward movement, is happening but it's more complicated now than it would have been if she'd just walked out the door

(note: this is a VERY fucky movie, and i mean that literally. there's so much sex. like so much. truly regret seeing this with my sister.)

sometimes the escalation is in the structure of a story, like an alternative point of view or another timeline. sometimes it's an added element to a trope that subverts our expectation of how the trope plays out. anything that escalates or complicates the inciting incident in act 1 of a story is a third thing.

again i want to emphasize that there are many amazing stories that only have forward movement, especially if what's driving it is exploratory. most stories have two dimensions, and those are also perfectly good stories. the third thing only exists to escalate and complicate, and not every story needs that.

#writing advice #third thing #initial escalation #plot #conflict

[weirdmarioenemies]

Where do you think we go when we die?

Somewhere nice? Somewhere horrible? Somewhere in between? Do we go anywhere at all, or do we just start anew? I’m not asking for my own sake, I’m not concerned about that, really. I’m just wondering for someone I once knew...

Where are you now, Tetris Friends? I hope you’re happy, wherever you are.

We may never be able to go back in time to May 30th, 2019 to tackle the farmer before he was able to shoot Tetris Friends behind the old barn. But we can always celebrate its life, dangit! Let’s look at some of my favorites from the vast selection of Tetris Friends premade avatars! It is so easy to get lost in all these silly creatures...

First, let’s just appreciate the Tetromono. The humble cube. The basis of nearly all these avatars! So much, from so little!

So here we have me being predictable! I see a funny crab, I am delighted, it is as simple as that. I love how simplistic it is, all it really needs is eyes and claws and you know it’s a crab! Or maybe it’s a lobster, and I’ve been mistaken all these years...? We will never know! But I am inclined to say crab since it is compact.

This funny ant is cute too! It has its very own abdomen behind the cube, and maybe even a thorax hidden between? I also like its cute little x mouth between the mandible. Like the anus of a cartoon cat. The only animals allowed to have an anus!

And look at this octopus! Look at that face! It is so cute and it does not know what is going on around it. It will say “Hwuh? Ok!!!” but not really mean it, it just wants to be done with the conversation and get back to looking at a cool thing in front of it!

That’s enough of regular animals, though. MOST of these icons are weird combinations of the features of the standard animal ones, like a Picrew! How I wish there was an actual Picrew for these.

These three are like a trio to me, all sharing the same face, and I like it! Quite  a cute face! I think I used the panda-looking one at some point, but now my favorite of the three is the one with elephant toes and a rhinoceros tail. Just a sprinkling of creature attributes.

This one is really funny to me! It looks like an Octonaut. It would be like an alien of ambiguous taxonomical placement, but then the snout is so mammal. Mammal who didn’t get the memo to have whiskers over antennae!

Most of the avatars are unique combinations of features, but these pig-nosed, shark-finned cubes are situated right next to each other, and are recolors of each other! I can only assume they are siblings. They will teach Mario and Luigi a new Bros. Technique!

This poor one just ate something yucky. You could use this to communicate that you, too, just ate something yucky! In another world, instead of emojis, people would direct each other to their Tetris Friends profile, where their current avatar would display their current emotion. Too bad we’re in this world. Where Tetris Friends is dead.

Now let’s look at some holiday exclusive ones!

For Thanksgiving we get a Meat On Bone! Would you eat the meat of a Tetromono? Doesn’t HAVE to be the leg. Maybe you would prefer some Tetromono Breast.

There are also TWO pumpkins! A Halloween pumpkin, of course, but also a Thanksgiving pumpkin with a goofy face! I think this may legitimately be the first time I’ve seen a pumpkin with a face for Thanksgiving! This one teaches me that unlike Halloween ones, Thanksgiving pumpkins have real flesh inside!

Of all the Christmas ones, this Gingerbread Cube is just so darling. I bet it’s so cakey! I would love to eat it. If it is alive, then, sorry!

Easter includes this delighted Half A Hard Boiled Egg. I am so amused by this! I guess just an egg on its own isn’t that visually interesting compared to this, but they really went all in on depicting the texture. Fascinating.

And lastly, Tetris Friends did collaborate with another property for some licensed avatars! Just one, ever. It was Ice Age.

Represent yourself with Scrat Girlfriend Cube!

#tetris #tetris friends #not mario #funky friday #mod chikako

[micah-drew]

Flame | ApoLeo

—

CW: May be ooc for some characters, kinda spicy? ApoLeo

I can’t write smut to save my life, so enjoy this instead!

(Wonderful art by Syugyout on Twitter!)

Gentle orange and yellow flames danced around in the lantern, brightening the dim tent up with its powerful light. The flames crackled, attempting to escape out of the gold and glass enclosure as the light grew brighter and larger. Though that was put to an end, with a simple snap of the gods fingers.

The flames inside the lantern quieted down, allowing for Apollo to hear the quiet breathing of the rebel king next to him.

It was peaceful at night in Valhalla.

There were no worries to be had, and no dangers to spring out nowhere whenever things got too comfortable.

Of course, that didn’t mean much to Apollo. After all, he was a god, even if there was any sense of danger, he’d be able to handle whatever it may be with a flick of his wrist. To a god, it may have been nothing.

But to a human, it was peace. A sense of comfort they may have never had in their mortal lives. That shown through with the Spartan army, especially. The men were able to sleep peacefully, not having to worry about suddenly being attacked during the middle of the night. It was a peace they had wanted, and something that could only occur after their mortal lives ended.

There would no longer be sleepless nights, filled with anxiety and dread as they waited for an oncoming attack, or a wild animal stalking the men. No, there would only be peace.

The god had seen it first hand, over and over again by the same man. The strongest rebel in history, King Leonidas, who was currently sound asleep next to Apollo.

His mortal life was one that was full of fighting and war, and his flame was snuffed out by arrows in Thermopylae. Even then, his mortal body didn’t know peace. It had been taken by the Persians and destroyed, only for his bones to be returned to Sparta forty years after his demise.

And yet, he was able to find peace in Valhalla.

That peace was with his men, and a certain sun god. The same god he had swore to destroy, his former enemy, was now his lover.

Apollo hadn’t expected it either, going into their round of Ragnarok. The god and human were both ready to earn a win for their respective sides, bring said side closer to a final victory…that same victory that would decide humanity’s fate.

Though in the end, both had given the entire fight their all. They had fought with their entire souls, including Geirölul, the Valkyrie Leonidas had performed the Völundr with.

The gods had won another match, but despite that, Apollo had seen how truly beautiful Leonidas and his Valkyrie were. Both inside and out, refusing to give up even when faced up against a god.

Leonidas, in Apollo’s eyes, was a true definition of beauty.

That was perhaps why the god had fell in love with him.

It was far from an easy challenge, and what seemed pointless attempts eventually paid off. What seemed like a dying flame had suddenly burst forth, revealing that his attempts were nothing short of fueling the fire that laid deep in Leonidas’ soul.

And because of that flame, Leonidas was currently asleep next to the sun god. His breathing was quiet and gentle, his chest rising and falling in a simplistic rhythm.

Apollo had been watching the sleeping king, golden eyes scanning over single feature the man had to offer.

How his brow furrowed whenever things got over a certain decibel, or how his calloused hands were wrapped so tightly around the gods waist. Despite being in Valhalla, memories of war always seemed to flash through the kings mind, and the way he held Apollo whenever the two slept next to each other was nothing short of protective.

Usually their sleeping position would be more comfortable, though the god found himself restless that night. Perhaps staring at his former enemy for so long had done that to him.

The sleeping man put him under a spell, and it was one he was unable to break free of.

Not that Apollo would complain, because it gave him the chances to do whatever he wanted as the other slept.

His fingertips gently danced over the small of Leonidas’s back, tracing over the scars that were left in his skin by his enemies. Men that wanted to destroy him, and paid the price for it.

The god went silent when he felt the king shuddered slightly once he touched him. That delayed him for a moment, but he continued on once Leonidas went still once more.

Apollo’s fingers slowly trailed upward along the man’s spine, and then eventually stopping at the nape of his neck. He pursed his lips together, golden eyes scanning over the kings sleeping figure before an idea popped into his mind.

The god of the sun wiggled his way out of Leonidas’ arms, leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss to the kings collarbone. He waited for a respond, and upon receiving nothing, he continued. Kiss after kiss was left around, from the mortals collarbone to his neck, and then on his lower jaw.

The silvery beard scratched against Apollo, though he obviously didn’t mind. As nights together, some sleepless and some not, had gotten him used to the others facial hair. It tickled against his skin, and it made his lover look even more handsome.

While he left kisses everywhere, his hand slowly trialed up to Leonidas’ hair which was still tied up from a day of training. His slender fingers eventually found the tie and took it out of the man’s hair, letting the soft, silvery white strands fall down. He ran his fingers through his hair before retracting his hand, and placing it next to him.

Leonidas hadn’t stirred, only shuddering slightly under the gods warm touch.

Apollo’s lips quirked up in a smile, and he dove back down to continued showering his sleeping lover in kisses.

He started back at Leonidas’ face, pressing a few quick kisses against his forehead and cheeks, and then moving to his jaw. He left behind a flurry of affection, and he still wasn’t done. At least, he hadn’t planned to be done until his assault was stopped by a calloused palm covered his mouth.

“Stop it…go to sleep…” Leonidas grumbled shortly after, pulling his hand away and moving his arm instinctively around Apollo’s waist. He grunted, pulling the god down with ease and holding him close.

Apollo hadn’t even attempted to fight back, a soft pout now on his lips after he was stopped. He looked toward Leonidas, who’s eyes were still closed, before he used his free hand and quickly moved it to the back of the kings neck. He managed to pull himself close, leaving an attack of kisses to Leonidas’ neck.

With that though, the kings eyes snapped open and he stared at the sun god with blurry vision. He pushed himself up on his side, keeping one arm around the gods waist and moving to hover over top of him.

But that too was quickly put to an end, with Apollo placing his hand on the kings broad chest, and hooking his leg behind the others thigh. With a simple push, and his godly strength, he quickly switched their positions. Though, the god was now straddling Leonidas’ waist, both hands on his hips.

“Shiny brat…not letting me get some deserved beauty sleep…”

Apollo blinked, letting out a soft chuckle underneath as he leaned forward and placed his hands on the man’s stomach. His fingertips trailed over the outline of his muscle, eventually stopping and resting his palms near his abdomen.

“I was only showing you my affections, my love. Did you not enjoy them?” The god asked with a fake pout. It was obvious he was teasing the other, and he was happy when he received an eye roll in return.

“I’d enjoy them more if you let me sleep, and then we can continue in the morning.”

Leonidas yawned, turning his head away, yet moving his arms around Apollo’s waist and holding him in place. One thumb rested at his hip and rubbed circles into the soft skin, while the other hand squeezed gently.

“But I’ll be called away by my half-brothers, I’m sure of it. Another meeting, another problem my father created…” Apollo huffed softly, gently digging his fingertips into Leonidas’ sides.

The king only stared at him, a tired and deadpan expression on his face. His eyes narrowed, yet a slight smirk was on his lips.

“You’ve survived before, now go to bed…”

Leonidas shifted a bit, going to lift Apollo off of him. Though, that only made the god hold on tighter, and shift a bit forward. He huffed once more, pressing him down further against the kings stomach, which got him a groan in return.

“Fucking…come on, seriously…?” The king muttered, softly hissing under his breath before glancing back up toward the god. The god of the sun only titled his head innocently to the side, grinning in return.

“What did I do, hm?”

“You know damn well what you did, you shitty prick…” Leonidas frowned, sitting himself up slightly. Apollo remained in the kings lap, though felt something poking ever so slightly against his thigh. A small flame came to life inside of the gods chest, and he found himself smiling.

“You’re so cold…” The god tutted playfully, wrapping his arms around Leonidas’ neck and pressing himself closer. He earned a groan in response, which caused him to smile wider.

It had not been his intention for the night, far from it, and yet he couldn’t help but feel somewhat excited. The prior flame now danced in his stomach and chest, making him feel even warmer than before.

“You’re such a brat sometimes.”

Apollo gave a tilt of his head, shifting slightly as he leaned himself forward. His lips were next to Leonidas’ ear, and before he could do anything, his lips were captured in a kiss.

If Leonidas was like fire, then so were his kisses. It left the god of the sun feel as if he were on fire, his inside tingling as the flame burst inside of him and grew brighter and brighter. It burned, and yet it pushed him to continue.

He only pulled away from the kiss when he thought he saw Leonidas getting dizzy. Apollo let out a soft chuckle, which only received him a glare in return.

“Do you want me to apologize?” He pressed himself down, sending another groan in response.

“I want you to fix it.”

“…very well.”

Apollo grinned softly, bringing Leonidas into another kiss and holding him close. Arms looped around his neck, and his legs wrapped around Leonidas’ waist. He had the man captured in his arms, and his heart.

His heart beat loudly in his chest, every second a new voice telling him to go forward.

He burned all over, fingertips gently grazing over the back of Leonidas’ neck, before trailing down his chest. Apollo smiled to himself, letting out a gentle hum before he reached back up and quickly cupped the kings cheek.

No words were exchanged, only looks.

Leonidas’ eyes seemed to brighten once the god looked at him. His gaze almost softened, before he quickly recomposed himself. A hand squeezed the gods waist, and Apollo responded instead with a kiss.

Burning fingertips brushed over the kings scarred skin, finding every crevice possibly and leaving his fiery touch there. Every time he found a new spot, he felt the human kind shudder underneath him. Apollo smiled into the kiss, holding Leonidas close to him before he pulled away and pushed the man down onto his back.

“You…are so beautiful,” the god whispered, eventually leaning down and capturing the king into the another kiss, his other hand trailing down somewhere more private in the process.

The only thing heard from the tent that night were the groans of a god and a king, and the soft crackling of a flame, fighting to break free of its glass cage.

#record of ragnarok #shuumatsu no valkyrie #ror apollo #ror leonidas #ror apoleo

[itsclydebitches]

I... don't even know what to do with that episode. That was far worse than I was expecting. Look, I might not agree with how they're framing the Paper Pleasers, but at least they're non-human civilians of the Ever After whose ultimate goal is to improve themselves. You cannot compare that (which is what RT is doing with Ascension as a whole) to Ruby having an intense grieving arc, being tortured, and then deciding she didn't want to be Ruby Rose anymore - she needed it all to stop. That's a suicide attempt. And it's treated as such! The issues with the team just standing around while Ruby drinks the tea aside, there's a reason why we get that horrified closeup on Yang's eye. Why many fans are pleased that now she has someone romantic to comfort her in her grief. Why the Cat is desperate to get Ruby back and is surprised to find her later in the tree. Why Neo suddenly gives up because, supposedly, she now has no goal. Because Ruby is gone. The Cat's plans, Neo's emptiness, the team's horror - ALL of it stems from the understanding that Ruby has just done something irreversible and (outside of expectations for a story's protagonist) is not coming back.

So to then open the next episode with pep-talk fun times is??? Oh look, the Paper Pleasers are now gem people and have no memory of who Jaune is. Isn't that great? Didn't allowing them to drown themselves make them so much better? Because after all, "better" is to be stronger, physically, impervious to fire and flood, never mind their memories and personalities. Who cares about those? Who cares about incremental self-improvement gained through hard work? Who cares about reframing supposed weaknesses as unique strengths under the right circumstances? Nah, forget all that. Evil Jaune was being so selfish for trying to keep a village of friends from killing themselves. And yes, we need to focus on that because why would anyone be worried about Ruby right now? She's fine! Putting aside the fact that they don't know what Ascension does to a non-Afteran, clearly suicide attempts = power-ups, so yay circumstances forcing Ruby to a place where she wants to die. That'll be useful in defeating Salem. C'mon, Yang, you were so cheery a moment ago. Why the sudden doubt while seeing your little sister encased in a tree? This is her choice and nothing matters more than letting people hurt themselves if that's what they want to do. Obviously Ruby will come back better than ever, so just chill about her being so broken she wanted to end it all, yeah?

This could have EASILY been avoided by just presenting Ascension as a kind of self-reflection - similar to the Caterpillar's smoke - wherein the girls can all choose to drink the tea with no suicidal implications, have a chat with the armorer, and come out with a power boost before they return to Remnant. Simplistic, but easy. So WHY did we spend all Volume taking Ruby through a deep depression, culminating in her becoming so hopeless that she decides to end things despite rescue standing right in front of her... and then presenting that as a celebratory moment of growth??

This is, for me, where RWBY officially jumps the shark. They really did that. Local girl tries to die after being horrifically tortured, but that's a good thing because she'll come back better than ever, wielding her mother's weapon which we've never seen before. Love that for Ruby. So the rest of the team should try to hurt themselves too now, right? After all, there's nothing to be afraid of with this wonderful tree. Just engage in a little inconsequential self-harm and come out a new and improved huntress.

On the WIP docket: write a fic where Ruby, in keeping with canon, comes out with no memory of who anyone is, with a radically different personality, and no intention of being a huntress anymore. I want the story to follow its own rules and implications, resulting in the group having a serious reality check about what Ruby actually did and the actual impact this should have based on what they've seen in the Ever After. The Cat is right: it's not Ruby Rose that comes back out - because that's what she wanted when she drank - and the team has to grapple with the fact that they're never going to have their leader/little sister again. There's someone new standing there, sure, but she's a complete stranger in Ruby's body (if even her body comes out the same, ie the King).

Ruby Rose is dead.

#rwde #rwby #mymetas #suicide tw

[csoisoi]

i saw a post regarding the grownup misfits from chapter 198 and decided to do a post on purson, because, it got way more length than i first thought

purson's wings grew! theyre significantly larger compared to his current wing size, albeit smaller than the average demon's but somehow i feel like its the perfect size for him

he's wearing the same headress too, i wonder if that signify's his being head of the clan but his father doesn't seem to be wearing it? that unless they only wear it when theyre on Duty

comparing future purson and the above purson's clothing, the sleeves in the grownup version are more fitted with the shoulders more structures, and it looks like his grownup attire is more fitted to his body rather than flowy

personally, the grownup attire looks better by a small amount, the flowiness of the initial attire screams mysterious and elegant, sleeves fluttering as he reappears and disappears constantly, the epitome of being a Purson. i feel like when he walks it feels as if he's gliding instead of walking.

he and his brother seem to be matching! awee

which is traditional purson clan attire!

soi, his brother, and his father seem to be wearing the same thing around their necks as well, i couldnt find what it's called and the closest thing i could find was a chinese knot tassel, but even then it's quite distinct

also to diverge from outfits and to their appearances themselves

soi and his mother look very much alike, and he takes after his mother more than his father; the same eye shape and small wings (though his wings seemed to grow when he grew while hers did not), as well as the small horns on his head

his father's features are more detailed (and he's unfairly pretty oh my god why is he so pretty), he doesnt have any visible horns, but the hair pin he's using looks like a wing! and it being pure black kinda unifies his appearance to those of his wife and (pur)son

and you know who else kinda looks like momma purson?

and couple that with the fact that we haven't seen purton's face, and soi himself doesn't remember what his brother looks like (which is, that's rough buddy), wett being purton is kinda plausible, and we don't exactly know his bloodline magic, and wett looks to be around what purton''s age should be... everything's up in the air!

wett, from the six fingers

the simplistic eyes that we take as a purson trait, the small horns (though they're bigger than momma purson and soi's) his hair is a dark purple which is similar to the soi's lilac hair, we havent seen colored parent pursons yet and changing hair colors easy pretty easy in the mairuma world, a simple first year spell instead of going through the hassle of buying dye

this was initially a purson clan attire post, it becoming a wett is purton theory post? not that surprising i can jump from one thing to another, parkour

#csoi posts #mairimashita iruma kun #mairimashita! iruma kun #mairuma #welcome to demon school iruma kun #welcome to demon school #iruma kun #m!ik #mairuma talks #purson soi #purson purton #im still hung over the fact that his name's purson purton #purson's parents #wett #csoi talks too much #i feel like im missing several tags but it all seems to check out?? #the side effect of rambling through tags

[adobe-outdesign]

Can you review Crabmon, Coelamon and Anomalocarimon?

Crabmon is definitely drawn in an usual style for Pokemon, probably due to new artists being brought on as Sugimori moves his attention elsewhere. Regardless, it's a fine looking crab Pokemon, with some neat shapes and segmenting around the eyes and legs.

If there's one issue I have with this Pokemon, it's that it feels a bit generic. We've had other crab Pokemon before (like, shocker, Krabby), and this one doesn't have much to make it stand out. It does have blades on its oversized fiddler crab-style claw, which is pretty neat, but they're so tiny as to barely be noticeable.

Crabmon evolves into Coelamon—not a crab at all at this point but instead a fish-like creature. Ostensibly it's supposed to be a coelecanth, though it looks more like a dunkleosteus to me due to the head shape and segmented metallic plating.

Regardless, it fixes the main problem with Crabmon, going from being a fairly standard crab monster to a bipedal fish-like creature with exposed flesh, clawed mammal-like feet, and ripped, tattered fins. It's a really cool design, and one that's much more memorable.

The only problem with this design is that it's a bit too busy—I had to look up some other images of it just to fully grasp what was going on with it. Things like the amount of wrinkles in the skin, the arm-fins, and the "ribs" on the underside all could've been cut down on a bit. I also wish it kept the blade theme from Crabmon, as the only real connective bit here thematically is the seemingly metallic plating. Still, it's a much improved design as a whole.

Anomalocarimon (apparently called Scorpiomon in English) is honestly fantastic. Continuing on with the prehistoric feeling of Coelamon, it's not a crab or a fish but this time an anomalocaris, i.e., one of these guys:

And what a beautiful anomalocaris it is! It brings back the blade theme from Crabmon, but actually fully fleshes it out this time, making the blades much more obvious and giving it a sick scorpion-style tail to match. These blades and the matching spines on top give it a sense of repetition that makes the design easy to read despite the high amount of detail present.

I also love that it has two pairs of eyes—the striking blue eyes from Coelamon and a second pair of compound eyes for good measure. It also has a few markings on its body, which are carefully placed and really make things pop.

The only critiques I have are color nitpicks—I don't think the black at the ends of the "arms" in front was needed, the tan could've been a little lighter to give more contrast to the red areas, and the blue spikes could've easily been gray. Other than that, I really like this guy.

Overall, this line is pretty decent. While Crabmon is a bit simplistic for its own good, Coelamon is a much better (if not slightly too busy) monster design, and Anomalocarimon is nearly perfect in both concept and execution. I'll certainly be looking forward to Gen 10 if all of the Pokemon are this interesting!

#happy april fools everyone #digimon #digimon reviews #crabmon #coelamon #anomalocarimon #pokemon reviews

[doodlegirl1998]

Here I'm beating the corpse of a horse, but I do find ODD how no one in MHA is even interested in understanding their own quirk bar the basic of basic.

Granted some powers are so simplist that you dont need to waste too much time. Like, Mirko's power doesnt need to be heavily analyzed in the story. She has super strenght and it is ok.

But others? No. I want some explanation, especially and Shig's case. Decay is so powerful (and I do have a thought about afo sabotaging shig in a way. "If he cant know how to use his quirk, better for me" but is a sentiment Hori never dwell well enough bc you know, my abuser academy) but no one has any plan or idea of this quirk.

We have tecnhology to make a clothe to Mirio(not for Toohru of course) why not developed smth it cant be decayed?

Hori:😍my abuser academy

(Then again the bullets are useless and afo is deaging bc........evil plan?)

And now it makes me back to Izu. Our poor mc. He has a powerful quirk and 0 thought about this. Like he was quirkless and now has the power of a god(ignoring the bone crushing thing) and we get 0 introspection. And Izu never analysed his quirk.

I mean, maybe he did as he handles well...but to me it was more of a gamble than anything. No one helped him, Izu doesnt comments about his own quirk ...

And the users doesnt even offer some help...(not bashing them, maybe the second but bc he is BK 3.0)

Hori loves to kill any potential in his story. Its quiete fascinating, its like seeing a captain purposely sinking his own ship for no reason.

Hi @mikeellee 👋,

I think I've mentioned before how odd I find this that not more people are like early story Izuku - eagerly analysing their own and others abilities to explore what they can secretly do.

Even powers that seem simple for example Miriko's rabbit that you mentioned - I've looked this up recently for a fic I'm planning on writing and she doesn't just have super strength* and speed* she has:

Enhanced flexibility*

Enhanced hearing

High pain tolerance*

Animalistically high intuition*

All of these things would be awesome to explore more. Particularly as with her broad array of abilities (the ones I've placed a * by actually are similar to some of the abilities given to Izuku by OFA or high pain tolerance which he had built up through excessive exposure to an explosively abusive BKG growing up) she could have been an excellent mentor to Izuku. She also could have helped Izuku gain confidence by Hori wastes all this potential by turning her into... A stick for his gore porn fetish it seems...

As for the technology to do with quirks and how unequal it seems that could have also been explored narratively. With Shig it's easy to see that as AFO not wanting him to know too much about what he can do and keep him under control.

But why can't Momo and Hagakure have a costume that works with them if Mirio can? It would be interesting if that was sexism, HPSC corruption, the over sexualisation and celebrity nature of heroes but Hori... gave us all this set up then nothing.

To conclude, Izuku over time has been whittled away at - things like his analysis - which I actually enjoyed, vanished. Part of me thinks this is due to Hori's laziness and lack of being bothered to think through every quirk of the people he puts later into the story like Nejire (what happens if she overuses her quirk? Can she die from it?)

But Izuku's lack of analysis into OFA, is that Hori literally can't be bothered so is just shoving out content at this point, seems in universe like he doesn't feel like he deserves to, this doesn't feel like his quirk, it feels like All Mights and Izuku could feel unworthy of analysing it.

#mha critical #bnha critical #Izuku deserves better #anti bakugou #anti bakugou katsuki

[toastsnaffler]

Would love to hear ur thoughts on Hades game sometime because I too loved but had beef with the game and I think we are the same ….

yessss, disclaimer I haven't played it for like 3 years and I only played 10 hours/got to the end once before I dropped it so i might be misremembering some things but I stick by my opinions! under the cut cuz this is long as fuck 🫣 my haterism has no limits

ok so basically my grievances w hades can be split into 2 main areas: gameplay + narrative, I'll break them down in that order.

firstly gameplay - roguelikes/lites are my fave genre so I was predominantly approaching hades from this angle + its failure here is the clincher for me.

I found the gameplay repetitive and stale. this isnt a criticism of its permadeath like ive seen some ppl make - I usually relish repetition/grind especially in permadeath-based games bc I find tactical challenge fun + love the learning curve, its soooo rewarding. but hades is ultimately just a glorified button masher. mob/boss movesets are boring + unoriginal, and can generally all be fought the same way. trying to do otherwise drags out fights; it actively discourages emergent gameplay so theres little variance WITHIN runs. the pool of rooms for procedural generation is far too small so theres little variance BETWEEN runs. there's no real challenge to combat, difficulty is mainly increased by heightened mob tankiness as you get further in a run. movement/combat doesn't flow well, its mechanically very weak, relying heavily on its permanent upgrade system instead of developing skill in the way you approach the game. all the weapons feel clunky and don't really offer any unique challenge/benefit so theres virtually no point switching between them and the grind to unlock them all is so pointless… god there are just SOOO many hack n slash crawlers that keep it fresh even for hundreds of hours and hades fails miserably at keeping it fresh for even 5 measly hours :^/

I didnt like the boon system either - its far too simplistic + shallow. its fine to rely on chance, this is part of the random generation, and I think it had a lot of potential in that it was a good way of combining aesthetic w gameplay itself. but this is pretty much the only form of resource management - and theres barely any management to it! theres no reward for exploring different builds, they dont really synergise BETWEEN gods in interesting or useful ways, so the game encourages you to just stick with one god throughout, and biases random generation towards boons youve already collected. part of the fun for me is learning HOW to design a build, and working with the randomiser to play flexibly, but hades just isnt interested in that at all...

also - I don't like the permanent upgrade system, I think this detracts from it as a rogue. every time you should be starting on square 1 - maybe you pick up health upgrades etc throughout each run, and maybe you unlock new weapons etc for the random generation pool, or purely cosmetic upgrades, but the point of permadeath is that it RESETS! zags base health + dmg should be the same 50 hours into the game as when u first open it. make a different genre of game if u dont wanna do that lol. I also think IF youre going to say fuck it and add a permanent upgrade system, you should also add unlockable permanent biome shortcuts bc ur just making it boring as fuck to have to waste time grinding thru earlier biomes with unskippable combat once youre op for them.

I GET that they did this to make the game more accessible* to players who dont typically enjoy rogues, but it just makes it really disappointing for those of us who DO love rogues, and it always feels cheap to me when games are like "well of you want challenge then set the difficulty yourself with these modifiers 🙄" like just make the base difficulty TOUGH up front and then add an easy/story mode and accessibility features* for players who don't want the challenge.. if you're gonna call yourself a rogue the gameplay should be the PRIORITY not a throwaway option

one of my biggest peeves with hades is how people now laud it as one of the best rogues - whenever I mention I like the genre I almost always get asked "oh, like hades?" and it pisses me off so much… its a rogueLITE not roguelike, ie. it has rogue ELEMENTS but its not a true one and imo, it does a pretty shit job implementing them! I would have a lot less resentment towards it if it wasnt marketed as the forefront of the rogue genre - frankly its a very basic rogue with very mid gameplay, its characters/design are by FAR its strong point and it should be sold as such. its misleading and makes me sad that this is what most people think of when they hear rogue :-(

*(side note - accessibility in this game is another major flaw. theres really no excuse for a game as popular as this to be so lacking in accessibility options. allow people to bind keys together or use coloured outlines or have colourblindness settings or alter font/text size etc - its not that hard! dead cells did a great job of this lol)

anyway... moving onto my second criticism - narratively, its also unsatisfying.

the hades plot is, loosely, about a cycle of abuse, so the 2 natural directions to go in with this are either: #1: escaping the cycle, or #2: continuing it forever.

#2 is the easiest to do with a rogue format - bc of permadeath the game is already cyclical, so all you have to do is create an ending which loops perfectly back to the start (smth like 'its impossible to truly defeat/reconcile with his father so even after zag beats him, hades drags him back to the start again). obviously this is a miserable story to tell, but tbh I think it wouldve been interesting + fitting - so much of greek mythos is about cycles and the unchanging nature of the gods, and they LOVED eternal cyclical punishments. plus theres smth rly tragic about zag gradually helping everyone else while no one else can save him from his family LOL

#1 is a bit harder to do - this is the story they WANTED to tell but I just don't think it worked… the driving force plot-wise is his desperation to escape. realistically for this to happen the game needs to be finite, which it can't be due to its rogue nature - somehow you have to end up at the very start again. the main solutions I can think of for this are:

a) after the final boss, insert some time travel shenanigans (easy to fit into the worldbuilding using a character like kronos) and all of zags progress with hades is unspooled. this can be completely out of his control, or it could be a choice the player makes (to end the game here or choose to go back and relive zags past in order to progress npc questlines). eg. what happens in dead cells. again, tragic but it makes more sense to me

-or b) bite the bullet and give the game a completely finite ending after beating hades. if players want to go back and play more to complete other npc questlines, they pick up play from before they beat hades. this isnt explained "narratively" bc the plot is already concluded and now theyre just playing for fun (eg. what going under does)

I also think for a character-focused story-rich game, roguelite was a really terrible choice of genre as it locks every interaction behind pure chance and hours of grinding - just really baffling why they decided to do this, especially when theyve had such success previously making games within different genres (transistor, bastion, pyre). the core of the issue for me is that the devs wanted to create a game that was both story rich AND a rogue - and these things arent mutually exclusive, but the best features of each contradict each other when you try to balance them in a way to appease their respective fans (ie. the challenge/complexity of the gameplay is heavily restricted by keeping it easy for ppl unfamiliar with rogues to pick up, but the strength of the narrative arc is simultaneously weakened by the fact that as a rogue it has to be perpetual bc of permadeath + you're working with procedural generation…)

I'm not going to beef with the artstyle or music bc I rly loved them both (even if I wish the body diversity was better!), or with the interpretations of greek gods bc literally every piece of media abt greek mythos has to decide how to interpret them and I think its silly to be like "this isnt CANON" - since we actually dont HAVE a strict "canon" for many of these stories bc theyve been retold/translated in so many conflicting ways lol. I've just heard ppl complaining abt that and I dont think its worth complaining about 🤷‍♀️

ANYWAY tl;dr: hades should've been an action-heavy isometric metroidvania… it wouldve made it far easier to focus on character questlines (ie. with respawn points + a fixed map), unified the story they wanted to tell with the gameplay SO much more effectively, and allowed them to reach the full potential of both, whilst also playing up to supergiant's previous game-making strengths. but thats my 2 cents!

#SORRY THIS ENDED UP BEING SO LONG I JUST HAVE A LOT TO SAYYYY #also sorry for the weird formatting i typed this out in my phone notes and copy pasted into tumblr sjkdjf. hope it makes sense #just really frustrating to me that it ended up how it did bc it couldve been soooo good if it was good. but it wasn't 💔 #whats even more frustrating is that hades 2 doesnt look like its gonna improve on any of this lmao. sad well theres other games! #hades #.asks #.diaries