#the best way to judge a piece of media

[whalesfall]

btw. your search for the most morally upright and ethical piece of media that has the most correct “representation” will destroy your ability to find the most profound and beautiful and human of stories. and may even destroy the stories themselves before they are created. if you even care.

#the search for the Ideal Representation is both unattainable and soul-crushing. childrens cartoons moral codes are not #the best way to judge a piece of media #and the stories created by the very people in the communities that are most silenced are always the first ones to be #targeted for their Problematic Factors #as if any story can properly encapsulate the breadth of every complex human experience in one go #something isn't inherently deserving of being reduced to Irredeemable Media status just because you cannot personally relate to it #on the other hand approaching every single story as if its only value is its Shipping Status and how you can #incorporate it into your identity (and stake your Moral Uprightness based on how Ethically you consume said media) #is not necessarily any better. but different post is needed. #aughhhh bite bite chomp kill

[badgertracksart]

Portfolio advice, from a lead who hires Concept Artists

(This was originally a twitter thread I wrote before the site self imolated, hense it's strange structure.) I wrote this after a weekend of portfolio reviews - 1. Like a maths exam, please please show your working. I want to see thumbs options, mid options and of course a final design.

2. Arrange your portfolio, I don't want to bounce about between subject matter and pipeline. Your portfolio's narrative should be as strong as your work... 3. Please make worlds that excite the viewer, make them want to go in and explore them, explain to them the interesting parts of the town, or the way the character's hat unfolds. How will this draw the viewer in? 4. As I've said before the majority of your project work is explanatory not mood, make sure your portfolio contains explanatory work. Explained here -

5. A lot of beautiful post apocolyptic paintings, , but 80% of realistic games and film, we just give the environment artists photo ref, they are capable artists in their own right. Different work in stylised where you do need to create rules for how things can be translated. 6. Production art contains call out sheets, material references and flat graphics. This doesn't have to be your final image, but it should support it.

7. Design characters on a swatch(es) of the environment they will be viewed in. Not on white. I make swatch backgrounds from screenshots, it avoids assumptions that damage readability. 8. Reverse of this, put people in your environments, show me the scale.

9. It's not a deal breaker for a review, but if you intend to get a job, please show me your work on a screen larger than a smartphone (print outs probably the cheapest option with the best battery life). 10. Please have your contact details clearly visible, and by that I mean email address, I will not pass your social media contact on, I cannot input your form into my tracking system. EMAIL ADDRESS emblazoned and bake it in, sometimes recruiters do funky stuff to pdfs

11. Your portfolio will never feel done, not to you anyway. You will have learnt from your latest pieces and want to apply it to older work. But we know art is a journey. Send your portfolio anyway. I've been in the industry 10+ years and my portfolio is still not 'finished'. 12. If you are applying to an environment centric Concept Art position then please vary your times of day! Golden hour is cool but show me some happy sunny days, looming overcast days, what about at night? Vary your weather too! Sunny snowy day? Rainy Spring day? Stormy night?

13. If you are applying for a character centric Concept Art role then please ensure your portfolio shows a variety of body types and ethnicities. 14. Designing characters for games? Please show back views and feet (!) Many potfolios contain only front views. This is a problem because:

You haven't shown you are considering the design from all angles.

In many games rear view is the main view.

Stop cropping feet.

15. If you are entry / graduating and looking at Portfolios to compare content and standard of yr own work too, look at hired grad/junior artists as opposed to seniors Seniors and leads often have old or personal work in their portfolio which isnt representative of the day job. 16a. Show clearly the intended use case for your Concept Art. Mention the game type in the description. Are these player character designs for a 3rd person adventure game? Then more back views please. Bonus points for diagetic ways of showing health / equipment / role etc.

16b. Are these designs for an FPS? Then really the player view of the gun needs to sell the player style/ choices, in an FPS your weapons are almost your character. Are these world designs? What's the view distance? For an RTS your shapes need to read from above & a distance. 16c. The lack of clarification means I am judging the design in isolation, which both harms the design (you might be considering the backview of a char as the main adventure character.) Or an NPC, their waist up expressions may be important for conveying exposition and mechanics.

16d. Concept art is not separate from gameplay, great concept art serves the game team before it is a good illustration.

17. Play games. A variety of games. Think about them. IMO to be a good concept artist you need to understand the common language & references used by your peers. Also understand the principles and common language your audience are used to. FPS design rules are v.diff from RTS.

18. There are many skills that are needed in concept art, please show them. For example: Graphic design - logos, liveries, typographic use etc. VFX concepts - Abilities, Ambience, motion concepts. Architectural knowledge - How buildings are built! & more but I'm out of space :O

#gamedev #conceptart #advice #careeradvice #hiring

[sc0tters]

Muffin Baskets and Frozen Meals | Jack Hughes

summary: when telling Jack how you felt actually went well.

paring: Jack Hughes x Devils Media Member!

request: yes/no

warnings: none?

word count: 1.89k

authors note: planned for this to be a quick blurb and then it became this. will say that I do love it and I was definitely needing more of this soft man like this today 🥺 did something different with parts of it so I’m not sure if it will land but I look forward to how you guys like soft Jack!

You felt like you were going to throw up.

Jack hadn’t been at practice for the last few days after he went to get surgery on his shoulder “you know he likes you right?” Luke smiled as he had gotten close to you in your opening season with the team.

It made you shake your head as you jumped “I don’t like him.” Your cheeks turned a crimson shade of red as the younger boy laughed in response.

The boys all spent the season watching your crush on Jack develop, it was hard not to when you would be left with a grin each time he approached you. But they didn’t notice your side of the crush first as they were far more focused on Jack’s new desire to apart oof everything that the media team needed extra players for.

The first time they noticed it was when you guys had to do the passing the phone trend. One player was needed at the end to say a line about passing the phone to the fans yet none of the girls wanted to ask the players “should I be offended that you haven’t asked me to be in the video peach?” Jack let his lips curve upright as he watched you look up from your iPad.

You tucked your hair behind your ears as you smiled “wanted to save the best role for you.” You explained making his smile grow wider into a toothy grin.

He started calling you peach after the first day when you bumped into him with a bag of sour peach rings in your hand and since that moment you were his peach and he was bringing you a new bag of candy each week “really?” He cocked his head watching her nod eagerly.

The boy naturally agreed and the team watched you pull him with ease to a quieter area of the practice facility “so do we think that he has had a change of heart or that he just thinks that the new girl is hot?” Curtis was the first to speak up from the group that watched the interaction go down.

Judging by the way your hand interlocked with his, Dawson swore that something clearly happened between you and the Hughes boy before “how do we know she doesn’t have a crush on him too?” He shot back causing a chorus of ahh’s to come from around him as the boys began to agree.

Nico just rolled his eyes “next one to talk about either of their love lives is getting extra laps.” As the words left the captains mouth it seemed like the gathering dispersed leaving Luke to awkwardly look up at the captain “I didn’t say a thing!” He whined as the Swiss man pointed to the door leading to the ice.

Jack swore he was slick in masking his crush on you. Sure he offered to do whatever you needed in the form of social media content, something he never did for anyone else. But maybe he was just trying to be your friend.

The all star game had arrived and given that you were in good books with both Jesper and Jack. The team opted to send you with. This was the first time that the fans finally drew the connection. Because after weeks of trying to figure out who was so special on the social media team.

But then they finally got to see the fan clips of you and Jack making fun of Jesper and it was like the puzzle pieces connected for everyone. All of a sudden fans were finding you and just like Jack, you had flurry of people who liked you “someone’s popular.” Jack teased hearing your phone go off again.

It made you send him a glare as you wanted to kick his shin “you jealous Hughes?” You quipped back letting your teeth catch at your lip.

He laughed as he shook his head “the attention they give you is nothing like what you get from me.” Jack pointed out with a smirk as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder.

Both of those memories replayed in your mind as you swore the boys were lying to you. It made you conflicted as to what you were meant to write in Jacks get well soon card as it was the final practice of the season and you were going to give the stuff to Luke to give to his brother.

Your tongue darted out of your mouth as you tried to think of how to start the card “now I’m no genius but most people usually start a card with dear and then the persons name.” Nico pointed out as he looked over the wall of your office cubicle.

His words made you jump as your head shot up “wondered how long it would take for you to see me.” He teased making you roll your eyes “nice to see you too Nico.” You mumbled watching him sit in the seat in front of you.

The captain pulled out a set of keys and before you could ask what was going on he handed you one of them “this is for his place.” Nico explained making your eyes go wide “I am not breaking in!” You shook your head not impressed that he offered.

He shrugged as he leaned back in his seat “technically it’s not breaking in if I said you could go.” Luke’s head popped out from the wall next making you his your face in your hand “how many of you are there?” You were scared to know the answer.

So instead you got to see just how many boys there were as Curtis, John, Timo and Dawson all smiled at you “please go put us out of our misery and tell each other how you feel!” Timo begged making the boys nod in agreement.

Your cheeks turned red as you went to complain “and don’t tell me you don’t like him again because the only person who can’t see it anymore is him.” Nico placed his hand on your knee as he took the card from you “you can give these to him in person so you don’t need this.” He explained as you got up.

It made the boys want to let out a silent cheer “now if he turns me down I will kill you all.” You warned making them salute you off as they knew it wasn’t the case “just to be clear we are all changing our locks now if she knows he has keys?” Dawson trailed off with a gulp.

“Definitely.”

Jack was scrolling through the tv bored out of his mind as he heard the knock at the door “who is it?” He called out muting the sound “peaches!” You called feeling weird hearing your own name be brought up in a conversation with him.

The Hughes boy practically jumped off of the couch “hey.” Jack smiled as he opened the door.

It gave you the rare glance you adored to look at his chest “what are you doing here?” He added as he cocked his head.

You felt like your mouth ran dry “came to give you these.” You explained holding up the muffin basket for him to see.

He nodded motioning for you to come in “and I wanted to check on you.” Your words made both of your tender hearts swell with joy “real sweet of ya peach.” The hockey player was beyond curious to see what you let into your basket.

But suddenly he stopped as he headed for his kitchen “was gonna make Luke give you these.” Jack explained as he handed you a bag of peach rings.

“There is something I need to tell you.”

The words came from both of you at the same time “you should go first.” Jack announced giving you the floor to talk.

It made you want to glare at him “I like you a lot.” Your words sounded really weird “like a lot more than I should as someone who works for the devils.” You added making his facial expressions soften.

But as you heard pure silence you thought the worst “god I made this so bad have I?” As panic settled into your system the boy shook his head.

Jack smiled as he pointed to the bag of peach rings. It made you look down all confused until you saw that the bag had I LIKE YOU printed on the front of it “Jack you better not fuck with me.” You warned as you shook your head.

It made him roll his eyes “trust me for that price I am not.” His words were soft as he walked over to you.

The gap between you both quickly began nothing as you looked up at him “so what do you say about staying over for a bit?” He asked cupping your cheek “we can order pizza and watch a movie.” Jack offered as you leaned forward to kiss him instead.

It was a delicate kiss as if you were too afraid that if any passion slipped into it you’d both end up waking from this perfect dream. So instead you both basked in the beauty that came from knowing how his lips left against yours.

Jack could taste your cherry lipgloss on his tongue as he looked at you “are we sure we want pizza?” You asked letting your fingers run up his chest.

His good arm wrapped around your waist “because I have been told I make a mean frozen lasagna.” You announced with such cheek that it made him laugh as a smile spread on your face.

The boy looked at his kitchen “well then I think it’s good we have everything accept the lasagna.” Jack pointed out letting his forehead rest against yours as you both inhaled wanting to not let the moment ever end.

You pretended to think about it for a second “last time I checked you had a brother who was out still.” Your words made his eyes grow wide “I love you.” Jack confessed as he kissed your lips once more before he reached for his phone.

It wasn’t that you hadn’t heard him because you did, but for the first time you weren’t running away from love as that night as he lay resting against your stomach you’d tell him the same three words back. And that was how, the perfect love story -as Nico calls it when he tells your kids the story of the team got you two together.- came to be known.

If someone told you that the meal that would get you into your future husband’s dreams was going to be a frozen lasagna. They would have been wrong. Jack was so in love with you that you could have served up burnt ramen and he would have eaten it.

Life for the two of you finally blossomed together on that day as two paths merged into one. A story that no longer had all these different endings, where you were with different people.

Jack was your person and you were his. So even know after all of the things you have been through in family and in hockey, you did it together.

With the help of your frozen lasagna.

#jack Hughes x reader #jack hughes x you #jack Hughes imagines #jack Hughes Oneshots #nhl oneshots #nhl imagines #hockey imagines #hockey oneshots #amber writes fics #jack hughes imagine

[pretty-unglad-you-were-born]

posting my submissions here to influence people and make it harder for @artsimpourtzi to cheat

tomdaya

- bestest moment of the year:

- most underrated moment of the year: the 72-hour trip to london after paris just to see tom's family with claire<3

- most unexpected moment of the year: london was never the same after this

- best pretzeling exhibit: zendaya falling off her bike and tom kindly helping her walk back home

- sappiest moment of the year: doing charity work together<3

- best photo of the year:

- best couple outfit of the year: matching tz<3

zendaya

- best moment of the year: winning her first golden globe and cca

- best street outfit of the year: pissing off the dailymail chic

- best red carpet look of the year:

- best down bad moment of the year: get ready with me to be my boyfriend's cheerleader for the day while he plays the worst game of basketball you will ever see

- best online moment of the year: of course this would happen the day before my birthday cause she did it for me

tom

- best moment of the year: june 1st you will always be the best day on the calendar

- best look of the year: valentino belt saved lives

- best down bad moment of the year: this is just 1/4th of them

- best online moment of the year:

- most unhinged quote of the year: girl get up

about tomdaya

- best noon moment of the year: humbling his superstar parents

- best tomdaya captain of the year: it's a tie between marina doby nails and mark thompson from gettyimages

- best tomdaya tea:

- most unhinged anti theory of the year:

- most memorable tomdaya rumour of the year:

- best account of people seeing them but no pictures: getting exactly 0 crumbs from tz during virgo's groove not once but twice😔

- most insane tomdaya family and friends moment: choose your fighter

tomdaya fandom

- best unglad art piece: all of them

- the ultimate papi award: monacunt

- the "you had to be there" tumblr moment award: i judge your level of fun based on the way you reacted to this

- biggest delulu moment of the year that came true: londonchristmas™ and concerttz™. can you guess what they both have in common?

- best tumblr running gag: revenge will win every tbt contest ever until the end of time

media

- song of the year: 😝🤪😜🤪😜🤪

- best tcr episode: if daniana has 0 fans it means i am dead

pop culture

- best new couple: we know you made this category so kylothée don't go home empty handed

- worst breakup: latisharry😢💔

[thisismeracing]

This love is ours | LH44

― Pairing: Lewis Hamilton x fem!reader ― Word count: 1.4k ― Warnings: mentions of food, daddy issues, an ex-girlfriend, and reader getting hate; ― Summary: Relationships aren’t usually easy. Add to it the fact that you date a world champion racing driver, and your dad doesn’t really like said driver, and the media is ready to dissect every move you make. At the end of the day, the stakes are high and the waters can be rough, but what you share with Lewis is true love, and it’s yours (Based on this request).

▸ my masterlist | my taglist | patreon guide ▸ you can support my writing by reblogging, leaving a comment (don’t forget to follow me if you like the piece), or buying me a coffee

You knew what came with dating Lewis, knew that his past lovers would eventually resurface — some fans would bring them to the table, others would bring themselves, like that one time she showed up in the paddock. Lip Gloss glowing, hair perfectly styled, and doe eyes.

“Hey, Lew!” she had a beaming smile on her face. One you can only get when you still hold something tender for the person in front of you. When they still represent something to you. And considering he was the one that ended things, it wasn’t hard to figure that maybe ‘something tender’ was aching desire, love, and intention of getting back together.

“Hey,” he gave her a tight-lipped smile and a nod of acknowledgment. And when his fingers dug into your waist, bringing you closer you released a small breath of air you hadn’t even realized you were holding.

“How’s life? I missed you so much!”

The way she held her arms beside her body, fidgeting with her hands you could tell she wanted to hug him, wanted him to do something, but then again, everyone would want affection from Lewis. It was like an antidote. He would smile at you, hug you, shake your hand, pat your back, and suddenly the sky wouldn’t look as gray.

You couldn’t blame her, but you did feel a bit uneasy with her presence.

“Life is great. Have you met my girlfriend Yn?” Lewis turns to you, and this time his smile is softer, you can see his teeth, and the gap between them you adored. His hold on you tightens and you’re so into your own world gazing into each other's eyes that you don’t even notice how said ex-girlfriend gulped, moving from one foot to the other in clear discomfort.

No one else’s mattered when you had each other.

Ghosts from the past weren’t the only problem you faced with Lewis too. You had villains from the present too, and unfortunately, they happened to be close to you two, not by choice, but by blood.

“So, how's the racing career?” There’s a hint of judgment in your father’s voice.

It was typical of him to start things during family dinners. It wouldn’t be the first time, but you and Lewis were together for about a year now, and you were tired of listening to whatever bad thing your dad had to say about him. He would usually stick with snarky remarks about his piercings, and style, and though Lewis would always tell you he didn’t mind, you knew it hurt him because, in all honesty, it hurt you too.

“Good, we’re making some improvements on the car, hopefully, we’ll get pole this Sunday,” Lewis answers, completely ignoring your father’s tone and intentions. He lived with “kill ‘em with kindness” most of the time, but that was him not you, because the second your dad made yet another snarky remark, this time about his tattoos, you dropped your silverware on the table.

“Can you please leave us? Stop pointing your judging eyes at Lewis as if you were the best person in the universe. I’m tired of your conservative attitude, while you go around doing all the wrong things. Yes, Lewis got a new tattoo, and yes I fucking love it, and you know what? I will be getting one soon too. Do I lose my value because I decided to paint my body? I don’t think so, right, dad?”

You felt your face hot with anger, and by the stare your mom gave you, you knew it was clear how your words were actually thrown and not simply stated. You didn’t care. You were tired of the constant critique.

“I suppose those are old jokes, huh? I’m going to try and move past them,” your dad stated as if the things he had been saying had any hint of humor in them. Lewis’ hand found your leg, and he gave it a light squeeze, making you take a deep breath, and lace your fingers under the table.

He had you, and you had him.

Side by side no bad comment would bring you down and let you there.

And as it happens, when you’re dating someone as famous as Lewis, it may seem like there's always someone who disapproves. Someone to judge as if they know him and you, but you came to learn that those verdicts usually came from those with nothing else to do.

You had just opened your socials to check what was happening world-wise but came face to face with some gossip magazine hate article about how you did not support Lewis properly. You frowned reading the title but still clicked to see what their point was. And just like you predicted before reading everything it was a total of five terribly written paragraphs, based on nothing but false perceptions they had. It wasn’t the first time you got hate online because you were associated with Lewis. He was loved around the globe, but he was also hated because with the kind of fame and talent he had it came with both, the good and the bad. Whereas you would get pissed with those who bad-mouthed him, you wouldn’t spare a glance when the hate was towards you, too busy trying to focus on the good things to worry about people who had no idea about what was really going on.

Of course, some comments would hurt, and one thing here and there could plant a small seed in your head for a weekend, but it wouldn’t go past that. You wouldn’t let it. Lewis wouldn’t let it.

“What is it, love?” Lewis’ soft tone took your attention away from the phone.

You smiled up at him, closing your eyes when his lips found your forehead.

“Just people being hateful,” you explained, making space for him on the bed.

The Brit sighed, passing one arm over your shoulders, and bringing you close, “and you’re reading it?”

There’s no judgment on his voice, but rather sheer curiosity as to why you would indulge in something you know wouldn’t be good. You shrug, “I wanted to see what the point was, this one says I don’t support you properly.”

“They’re probably aiming to implant cheerleaders into F1 or something,” he joked, as he usually did, blessing the room with his giggle. You loved how he would laugh with his own jokes.

“Possibly,” you bit your lips and chuckle.

You wouldn’t post much about Lewis’ racing career on your socials, limiting it to commenting on his posts or liking an article here and there. On your profile, he was just your boyfriend, and if there was someone in the world who didn’t know who Lewis Hamilton was and saw him there, they would probably just guess he was a rich guy and go about their days. Both of you had agreed on keeping things like this, Lewis agreed with whatever would make you comfortable. And though you wouldn’t post much, you were by his side every Sunday, some weeks getting to him on Friday.

“They don’t know about me and you, love,” he stated simply, and you threw your phone somewhere in the room, getting comfortable beside the one person who matters. Your person.

Life played its part in love too. It could make everything look hard, and turn the stakes high, but once you’re set in your commitment, love is something worth trying for. At least that was something you and Lewis were sure about since the beginning.

“I’m sorry, I just really miss you and I was stressed,” Lewis spoke apologetically the second you picked up the phone.

He was somewhere around the globe, getting ready for Sunday, while you were at home, dealing with work and personal business. You wanted to be with him just like every weekend, but this time you weren’t able to and Lewis pushed a bit during a call, asking yet again for you to join him when you two had already talked about it.

You sigh, body relaxing on the couch. You hated when they fought being each on one side of the world. “It’s ok, Lew. I get it you’re under a lot of pressure. Don’t worry about me giving up because of a small fight,” you joked by the end making him chuckle. “We promised to try,” you reminded.

Lewis nodded even though you couldn’t see him, “Our love is worth it, it’s ours.”

“Yes, honey. This love is ours.”

────── ⋆🪩 VOICEMAIL: Hi, besties! I hope you liked the piece, this was a request based on ours by Taylor Swift as I guess most of you could tell hihi. I hope this narrative switch with italics and regular writing didn't get you guys confused. Let me know if you liked it *mwah*  I wanted to add a huge shout-out to Coffee (my coffee emoji anon on Tumblr) for proofreading this <3.  

If you liked this piece and want early access to new ones and exclusive access to others, subscribe to my patreon!💘

▸ check my main masterlist | patreon guide and my taglist.

taglist: @sachaa-ff @mickslover @mishaandthebrits @fdl305 @iloveyou3000morgan @crimeshowjunkie @saintslewis @carojasmin2204 @chaoticevilbakugo @wondergirl101ks @smiithys @shhhchriss @f1kota @lunnnix @karmabyfernando @crashingwavesofeuphoria @schumacheer @callsign-scully @v1naco @dearxcherry @elliegrey2803 @peachiicherries @he6rtshaker @therealcap @mehrmonga @the-depressed-fellow @cixrosie @darleneslane @buckybarnessweetheart @nichmeddar @fastcarsandshit @goldenalbon @balekanemohafe @jamie2305 @nzygftoji @scorpiobleue @bbreezybitch @graciewrote @skepvids @soph1644 @leclercsluv @alessioayla @littlesatanicassholebitch @barcelonaloverf1life @noncannonships

©thisismeracing ― do not copy, steal, or translate my work; do not repost on a different media platform.  

#lewis hamilton #lh44 #millie writes #f1 x reader #lewis hamilton x reader #f1 fandom #f1 fanfic #lewis hamilton imagine #f1 fluff #lewis hamilton fluff #formula one imagine #formula one x reader #formula one x you #lewis hamilton x you #f1 imagine #formula 1 2023

[alavestineneas]

Together

pairing: Johanna Mason x fem!reader

summary: Johanna hears the baker assure Katniss. District 12 tributes remind her so much of them. She was once seventeen, and she was once blindly in love. It irritates her—why are they allowed to be like this? Why did she have to hide?

warnings: mentions of suicide attempt, typical hunger games violence

''I think I'll retire quite sooner than I intended with that girl,'' Blight announced, flopping down on the sofa with a distinct sound.

Haymitch chuckled at the man's visible misery, passing him a glass from the nearest tray. ''Is she back at it again?''

Blight nodded in defeat. ''I tried to be understanding, you know, with all of that happening to her family, but my nose is bleeding for the second time this week.''

Haymitch mastered a sympathetic face.  "I've met a lot of monsters, but teenage girls are by far the worst beasts.''

Y/N rolled her eyes at them. ''I'll talk to her.''

Blight looked at her as if she had three heads. "There is no point unless you want a black eye instead of that makeup.''

''Well, I am also a teenage girl, which is what you are so afraid of,'' Y/N said as she stood up from the couch and straightened her dress. ''If I am not back after half an hour, call security.''

''Or doctors,'' muttered Blight under his breath.

"Or doctors." Y/N shrugged.

To be fair, Y/N was quite intrigued by Johanna Mason, the most recent victor. Cunning, quick, and violent—this is what the media tried to portray her as. Y/N knew better than to trust their vision—after all, according to them, she herself was the Capitol's darling, bathing in love and fame for the past two years.

Judging from the sound, somebody was moving furniture in the room. Y/N knocked, more out of habit than from need. The doors in the Capitol are never fully locked—another illusion for a fake sense of privacy.

"I said go fuck yourself, or did I completely knock out your brain?'' a girl's voice responded from within.

Y/N chuckled. "Is this how you talk to your elders?"

The pacing around the room stopped.

''Who are you?'' the Mason girl asked, obviously surprised.

"You'll find out when you open this door—not the best way to start a friendly conversation, is it?"

The loud thuds continued as if nothing had happened.

Y/N sighed. Why can't things be easy for once? She pressed the hidden silver button, and the door unlocked.

A girl with black hair looked at her with wide eyes. She was standing on the chair, holding a piece of rope.

''Hanging? Very original, I'll give you that.''

''What do you want?'' the girl grumbled, undoubtedly dissatisfied with the failed attempt.

''I want you to come down and get dressed,'' Y/N answered, glancing at the undone bed and shattered glass everywhere. ''As simple as that.''

''No.'' The girl looked determined, still standing on the chair. ''I am not going to another idiotic party with those fuckers.''

''Really? I hope you believe in ghosts, because you'll be dead tomorrow morning.''

''I don't care. I don't want to live anyway.''

''Has anyone ever told you that you are such an egocentric bitch?'' Y/N asked, leaning against the wall. She surely got Mason's attention with that—the girl looked at her, insulted.

''Excuse me?''

''You should've just died in that arena and given somebody a chance to live. Take my tribute, Elly. Do you know how much she wanted to survive? Why steal her chance if you'll waste yours anyway?''

"My entire family is gone, and you want me to smile for the cameras?"

"You are correct; they would have been overjoyed to learn that you honored them by killing yourself over a damn party."

The girl stared at Y/N, debating whether she should listen, before getting off the chair with a slight thud.

''I'm Johanna.'', she mumbled.

Y/N grinned.  "Nice to meet you, Johanna. Now let's show these bastards who they are messing with.''  

-

Y/N writes to her almost every week. Johanna has learned the schedule by now - she writes on Saturdays, and on Thursdays, a white envelope is sitting on the porch. She complains about life in District 8, the horrendous dresses she got as presents for her birthday, or how her make-up team appeared to lose their taste after changing the designer.

Johanna never answers. She tells herself it is for the best—she can't get attached to anybody. Mason keeps all the letters neatly stocked in the first drawer of the closet. She won't admit it, but she rereads them every evening. Then, it's easy to pretend they are just two ordinary 17-year-olds.

She doesn't allow herself to answer. Not until Y/N mentions that she is back at the Capitol. Johanna knows what it means—while her friend got to keep her family, it cost her a lot. Only then, she takes a pen and sits at the table, scribbling a response.

It looks messy—nothing like the nicely curved letters Y/N has. She rewrote half of a paper five times. Johanna shoves it into the envelope and sends it off before she can change her mind. She can't help but smile when she gets an answer. Y/N doodled a funny figure, suspiciously similar to Johanna's, covered in spikes. Mason gets the message—she will write more often.

-

Johanna mentors for the first time; her tributes are both alive, which has been rare for so long in the Games. The mentors' lounge is not as crowded as it was in the morning; most of the past victors take turns monitoring the arena. The quiet chatter is the only sound besides the screen. They talk about a dinner tomorrow, a new escort, stylists—anything but the Games.

Y/N is also here - the boy from District 8 is still hiding. They both know the game makers won't allow it for too long. Y/N anxiously fidgets with the rings on her hands, staring at the void. Johanna guesses they are never getting used to it—even older mentors are visibly uneasy, almost too drunk to walk a straight line.

A scream draws her attention back to the screen. A massive, tiger-like creature charged at the boy Y/N mentors. He tries to fight it off with the nearest stick, screaming in horror as the animal opens its mouth and takes a bite of his leg, tearing it off.

Johanna's head flies at Y/N; she is already watching, lips pursed into a white line. More screams ring in the now silent room, along with sounds of growls and what Johanna believes to be the sound of tearing flesh. Finally, the screaming stops; the camera changes to Career's pack.

The mentors try to hide their gaze from the Y/N's figure as she stands up from the couch and leaves the room, her steps echoing in the hallway.

The District Two mentor pours himself a glass of whiskey, downing it in one go; most mentors follow him, and the conversation completely vanishes.

Johanna tries to recollect herself, adjusting the hem of her shirt. The boy's blood-stained face still runs through her mind, so she doesn't notice a figure behind her until somebody places a hand on her shoulder.

''Go talk to her. I'll watch.''

It's a blonde woman from District One - Cashmere or Gloss, Johanna was not sure. She wants to argue but quickly changes her mind. The woman obviously means no harm. So, Johanna nods.

She finds Y/N easily - she is in the training room, sparring with animated figures with a spear. Johanna recalls Y/N telling her that the only reason she chose spears was because they resembled the sticks she used to practice with at District 8. Mason thinks she was joking - her friend was hitting every target with ease right now.

Johanna sits down beside the girl on the burnished metal floor. She was never good with words; it was Y/N who always seemed to know what to say.

''I'm sorry.''

''He was very happy to eat ice cream, you know?'' Y/N says, her voice faint.

"It was his wish?"

Y/N nods. ''It makes them feel better, I think. Hell, it makes me feel better about sending them to their deaths—to know I did something good for those kids.'' She looks down at her hands, her lips trembling. ''He was a nice kid and died such a horrible death, Jo, such a terrible, cruel death.''

Y/N's voice breaks.

She leans into Johanna's embrace, and Mason almost instinctively wraps her hands around her friend's shaking shoulders. It was the first time she saw Y/N like this. Without a mask Capitol made her wear, without the walls she built around herself. Just Y/N.

''We are going to be alright,'' Johanna says.

She hopes her words sound convincing. Of course, they're a lie - nothing is ever okay in this messed-up world. They both know this, but Y/N still whispers a small thank you.

Johanna's heart aches, and a familiar warm sensation spreads through her chest. She resists the urge to wipe the tears off her friend's face. They are friends, and Johanna is happy with that. It is still a lot more than she deserves.

-

Today is Y/N's birthday, and the Capitol is throwing a big party for "the favorite." Johanna doesn't ask why she has this title. Of course, they adore her - Y/N won the Games when she was fifteen. She grew up in front of the camera, and, what is more flawed, she grew up with people behind it.

It is easily seen when Y/N's face changes each time she walks on the stage. Her warm eyes transform into big doe eyes, and a picture-perfect smile appears. She is a perfect actress, quick to come up with a witty remark or play into the naïve girl they view her as.

She won the Games that way; Johanna has to remind herself. Y/N got a 3 as a training score, possessing almost none of the fighting skills. She did, however, know what the Capitol wanted: someone charming, attractive, and willing to put on a show. That and the desert arena got her where she is now.

The perfect victor now lays on the floor next to Johanna, her head on Mason's lap. They are both twenty-one now, not that their age ever stopped them from stealing the alcohol. The party is tomorrow, and Snow wants to put on a show. For now, they can live.

''Jo, can I tell you something? But you must promise not to be angry.''

Mason responds with a hum; she enjoys hearing her rash ideas. The braid she is making out of Y/N's hair is coming out not like she intended, and Johanna huffs in annoyance. ''Just spill it, would you?''

Y/N's face becomes serious. ''I think I am in love with you. And to be fair, it scares the shit out of me.''

The world stops for a second. Johanna thinks she did not hear it right, but there is no other way to understand this. She feels her heartbeat in her ears, loud enough to cover any other noise.

''Well. Yell, scream, or say something. Anything.'' Y/N sits up, a half-finished braid falling undone.

''We can't,'' Johanna says nervously, licking her lips.

''So, you feel this way too?''

"No, that is not the point. We can't do this.''

''Why?'' Y/N takes her hand in hers. ''They'll have to allow it. We can even be a secret if you want to. We'll figure it out, I promise.''

''No.'' Johanna shakes her head. ''You know what happens to the people I love, Y/N. One wrong step, and you will be dead. I can't do this, not again.''

Y/N pauses. "I think you are just afraid to be happy."

"No," Johanna whispers, "I'm afraid of losing you."

Y/N blinks, fighting the tears gathering in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but Johanna was faster.

''I'll go. It's late.'' If she stays any longer, she might lose it.

The door behind her closes with a loud bang. The realization comes suddenly - she lost the only person who loved her. Johanna lets out a few choked sobs, sliding against the nearest wall in a small, empty hall. The worst part is that she loved her too.

-

Johanna is mad—furious even. The Capitol already did everything in its power to break her, yet here she is, going back into the arena. Her reaping wasn't that much of a surprise; she is the only female victor in District 7. Johanna is convinced every name drawn wasn't random—a brother and sister from District One, Finnick and his sweetheart Annie, Y/N.

They meet in the bathroom before the interviews, of all places. Y/N is attempting to remove the mascara from her eyelid, and Johanna is trying hard not to laugh - if only the cameras saw her like this, she would undoubtedly win over all of the sponsors. No other victor radiated as much anger and determination as she does now.

''Stop laughing and come help me,'' Y/N grumbles.

Johanna grins. ''I wasn't laughing.''

''Yeah, whatever.'' Y/N watches as Johanna picks up a napkin and dips its end in the water.

''Close your eyes.''

Y/N does what she is told, the corners of her lips twitching. ''Yes, ma'am.'' She earns a slap on the hand from Johanna. ''Ouch! What was that for?"

"Not everything has to be a sex joke, you know?"

''Well, where is the fun in that?" Y/N opens her eyes. Johanna's face is inches away from hers. ''Jo...''

''Shut up," she mumbles, covering the girl's lips with hers.

Y/N throws her arms around her, pressing Johanna's body as close as humanly possible. The kiss is hard. Griping. Almost painful. It's like they can't get enough of each other. But Johanna wouldn't want it any other way.

Y/N pulls away first, watching Johanna take a few rushed breaths in. ''I thought we couldn't do it,'' she jokes.

Mason rolls her eyes.  "I liked your mouth closed better."

Y/N's face turns serious, her playful expression vanishing. ''Regarding that. Give them hell. For me.''

Johanna nods. ''I promise.''

-

It wasn't supposed to be easy, and Johanna is reminded of that by stupid birds; while she pities Finnick and Katniss, she is also jealous - they still have someone to care for. Mason doesn't know if Y/N is still alive - the last time she saw her was at the Bloodbath. She can't swim.

''They won't touch Prim!''

Johanna hears the baker assure Katniss. District 12 tributes remind her so much of them. She was once seventeen, and she was once blindly in love. It irritates her—why are they allowed to be like this? Why did she have to hide?

''Your fiancé's right. The whole country loves your sister. Forget the districts; there will be riots in the Capitol if they torture or harm her.'' Johanna turns to the cameras and yells. ''Hey, how does that sound, Snow? What if we set your backyard on fire? You know you can't put everybody in here!''

She feels the stares of her alliance on her, but frankly, she does not care anymore. ''What? He can't hurt me. There's no one left that I love.''

Finnick glances at her, eyebrows raised. He knows. Y/N was his friend too.

-

Johanna tries to meet her fate with anger at first. It served her well throughout her life, as she dealt with every adversity with sarcasm and insults. Mason maintains her arrogance, refusing to allow them to hear her screams or begs. Johanna refused to be turned into entertainment, even after losing. She didn't cry when they cut her hair or beat her. She told herself, "The help is near.''

It provoked them more. The torture becomes more violent day by day until Johanna is exhausted. She has endured it for weeks, and help still hasn't come. She just wants to slump in her chains and silently take it.

The breadboy's cells are next to hers; she hears his screams more than she does her own. Johanna wasn't sure how much time had passed until she heard another familiar cry.

It's Y/N. Mason can swear on the remains of her sanity that it was her voice. She was alive. It takes Johanna everything not to show how much those shouts affected her—it could mean more torture for the District 8 victor.

Johanna now awoke from Y/N's screams and drifted into unconsciousness with them, as if by clockwork. The torture was sometimes worse than electricity. Her biggest fear came true—she sacrificed their happiness for nothing.

Mason is drawn away from her thoughts by another couple of screams. The sound of water pouring fills her ears - it's all happening again.

-

Johanna finds herself even more isolated when they are finally rescued. In a sense, they were in this together in the Capitol; she could at least hear other people, even if it was just screams. Johanna was now completely alone; whereas Peeta had Katniss and Annie had Finnick, Johanna had no one to look out for her. Johanna doesn't want to fight anymore. She is tired. There is a void in her soul, and she doesn't know how to fix it.

The doctors here tell her it's okay not to feel understood, but Johanna knows old Y/N would. She always somehow did. Mason wonders why everyone in her life despises her - what has she done to deserve this? Why do others have someone to return to, someone in their right mind? Why couldn't it be them?

Y/N was still under the constant attention of the doctors. They meet twice a week under strict supervision. Y/N listens to Johanna attentively each time, but something about her gaze feels odd. She can't place it - Y/N is distant and quiet, but that's unusual. Mason tells herself that it was the outcome of the torture they had to survive and that she'll get better with time. It's not her Y/N, but Johanna can't be the one speaking. The Capitol changed them both.

It finally clicks for Johanna when she hears that doctors found a knife in Y/N's room. A knife that she intended to use. It was the absence of hope in her eyes that felt unusual; before, it was always there.

''You are such a hypocrite, you know that?" Johanna tells her. They are in a hospital ward. Y/N's face is tear-stained, and yet, she doesn't answer. ''Remember what you told me the first time we met? That you have to live for those who can't?''

Johanna is angry. She is furious, both with Y/N and with herself, as well as with everyone in this dreadful building. Why can't they understand?

''Well, maybe I lied.'' Y/N's voice is hoarse. It was the first time she had spoken since their rescue. ''There is no point in living anymore, Jo. There always was none.'' She shifts on her bed, looking up at Johanna. ''It never gets better. So it's fairer if we end it now and save ourselves a lot of suffering. ''

''No.'' Johanna's hands are in fists, and she comes closer to the woman in front of her. ''You are not fucking allowed to decide that, not when I spent all those days staying alive and sane for you. Do you hear me? Not for me, for you! I woke up and listened to your screams. I thought about you before I fell asleep because I knew we would get a chance to finally have a normal life when this was over. And now you're saying there's no point?''

Y/N's lower lip trembles, with glimmery tears running down her sunken cheeks. ''I'm sorry.''

Johanna sighs and settles in next to her. ''Look, I can't promise anything. I don't know if it will ever be okay. But we can try.''

Y/N looks at her, and her eyes are finally warm again. ''Together?'' she asks.

Johanna feels the knots in her chest loosening for the first time in a while. ''Together.'', she nods.

#hunger games #thg #johanna mason #hunger games johanna mason #johanna mason x reader #johanna mason x you #johanna mason x y/n #hurt/comfort #wlw #au #imagine #district seven #district eight

[shrimpys-log]

Shrimpy's Log 001: Sleep-Talking

✎ Concept/Headcanon ✎ Characters: Azul, Ace, Rook ✎ Gender-neutral

『Mumbling in Your Sleep, but Not the Romanticized Way』

It's not unusual for you to fall asleep in impractical places around campus, such as in the common rooms or the library or during study sessions... which, really, you should be a bit more cautious about, considering you know you talk in your sleep... and judging by your dreams, you don't have anything particularly intelligent to say when unconscious.

When with your favorite person, the moment does have the potential to be cute. Too many times have you been exposed to those cute scenes in various romantic media, wherein a lover confesses their feelings in their sleep, mumbling their truest and most vulnerable words of love without fear of consequence---and unbeknownst to them, their lover is privy to it all.

...if only you were one of those people who had anything remotely romantic to say...

『Azul』

When Azul catches you sleeping, it's not nonsense you're mumbling--then again, it's nothing romantic either. Instead, you're mumbling about something that makes Azul end up loving you even more: plans.

Even when asleep, you're buzzing like a little worker bee, mumbling about due dates, time slots, objectives and priorities. It comes out in short bursts--key words that give him minuscule insights into what you're dreaming about--but he pieces it together soon enough, and it's beyond endearing.

You're truly someone after his own heart, aren't you? All ambitious and organized, even as you sleep. You'd probably forget it all by the time you wake up, but it was adorable to him nonetheless.

As far as priorities go, you're his number one--though of course, number two is chasing success, and he's glad he's found someone who shares that ambition. You two were truly made for each other.

『Ace』

Ace doesn't know what in seven's name you're even saying as you sleep, but that doesn't stop him from taking out his phone and recording a nice, long clip to tease you about later.

He's practically vibrating with excitement as he waits for you to wake up and realize you fell asleep in the middle of a study session. He's smiling at you like you'd given him the best gift in the world, and by the time you finally open your eyes, it almost seems as if you had babbled about how much you loved him in your sleep, with how delighted he is and all.

"What are you, the wizard?!" He cackles, practically rolling on the ground. "I didn't even know what you were saying! It sounded like you were chanting spells! Pfffft--your droning is worse than Trein talking about eras of magical prosperity. What's that one wizard fellow from your world you talk about... uh... jigglypuff? Rumbleroar?"

"Dumbledore?"

"That!" Ace snickers. "We got Dumbledore over here, muttering some expect-a-patrol-bus nonsense. Bahaha!"

You personally thought his complete butchery of your world's pop culture references was more embarrassing than anything you could have mumbled... but whatever. If it meant waking up to see Ace smiling so brightly, it was well worth the embarrassment.

『Rook』

You were slowly picking up some French phrases from hanging around Rook so often, and unbeknownst to you, they were slowly seeping into your spontaneous sleep-talking.

Rook was rarely caught completely off-guard, but he certainly hadn't been anticipating you to burst out with a particularly passionate 'Aujourd'hui!' in the middle of your nap. Aujourd'hui - 'today', of all things to say.

"What about today, mon amour?" He asks with an amused smile, fully aware that you were merely sleep-talking, You go silent after that, and he seems to decide that's the end of it, because he goes back to focusing on whatever he was focusing on before.

Then, you hit him with another curveball.

"Filet mignon." You say, before letting out a soft snoring sound. "Mm... mignon..."

"Tu es trop mignon(ne), ma trésor," Rook coos in response. "Cuter than any filet."

Silence, once more, and then...

"C'est bon!"

He can't help it--he starts laughing.

"I love you more than anything, mon ange," he replies--not loud enough to wake you, of course. He didn't mean to disturb your sleep; he just couldn't contain his affection for you any longer! You may have been the one sleep-talking, but in this scenario, he was the one confessing his love for you (again)--and he would happily repeat the sentiment as many times as you want, once you wake up.

#azul ashengrotto x reader #ace trappola x reader #rook hunt x reader #azul x reader #ace x reader #rook x reader #Shrimpy's Log

[the-kestrels-feather]

I know I'm SO late to the party, but In light of the hbomberguy video, I wanted to drop a list of some of my favorite video essayists on here who are all great. Some are well known, some of them not, but all deserve a lot of love thrown their way!

Any creators I know are Queer will have a * next to their names if that's what you're looking for! (Note some of them might not have a star that should, that's not me trying to invalidate anybody I just didn't know, please feel free to correct me!)

Dominic Noble- book content! Has a series called Lost in Adaptation that judges how faithful movie adaptations of books were to their original source material, but also does some reviews/summaries as well. Very publicly denounced JKR after she was revealed to be a TERF and stated he will no longer review anything by her on his channel. Also deleted ALL of his HP videos after finding out she was a TERF (which were his most popular videos), so I have a really deep respect for him tbh. Former Channel Awesome member who publicly denounced them on several occasions, and an all around swell guy.

*Overly Sarcastic Productions- channel run by 2 people who go by Red and Blue. History and Mythology/Literature content, as well as analysis of tropes and media! I've been told their History content can be a bit... Iffy, but I'm not a Historian so I don't know, however if they get something wrong they're good about correcting it for what that counts for. Very interesting to listen to, I've watched Red's Videos roughly 100 times each. Also has a podcast.

*Strange Aeons- fandom/Tumblr history mostly, as well as some history, and weird businesses too. Reads a LOT of cursed content for her channel.

*Lindsay Ellis- Media/film analysis. obviously not as unknown as some of the others on here, but I absolutely adore her content and will forever be sad that she isn't on YouTube anymore.

Cruel World Happy Mind- MLM/explanation of controversial figures. I'm not sure how best to explain her content, but she seems genuinely lovely and is interesting to listen to. Also a victim of Illuminaughtii's ire and deserves some love. The video she made on Blair is a bit outdated since she made it at the start of when this all came to light, but imo it's definitely worth a watch. Her talking about her interaction with Blair genuinely broke my heart.

*Night Mind- Analog horror/Unfiction/ARG content! Analyzes and explains various internet horror pieces, and also has a very nice voice to listen to.

*Lola Sebastian- Film/Media Analysis!

Li Speaks- Deep dives into various nostalgia, mainly flash games!

*Princess Weekes- Media/film/literary analysis!

abitfrank- summaries and analysis of various "darker" children's content such as Coraline (book and movie), Nightmare Before Christmas, and various dark fairy tales

Hello Future Me- writing advice and world building information!

Curious Archive- deep dives into the various bestiaries of video games and the animals in real life that they're similar to, I love his Subnautica video!

In Praise of Shadows- Horror media analysis! Will often focus on specific franchises, but also covers things like horror comics and tropes as well.

Wait in the Wings- theatre! Deep dives into the back stories behind the production of various musicals! His video on Rogers the Musical that he did for April Fool's last year is comedy fucking gold

Weird Reads With Emily Louise- conspiracy theory/cult/weird thing analysis! Looks at things from an objective and skeptical view, and is very in depth. Recently served as a consulting producer on an HBO Max documentary on the Love has Won cult.

Ask a Mortician- death content! Covers various historical events and darker stories of death from the view of a Mortician.

*Izzzyzz- deep dives into fandoms, as well as well as different video games and kids' virtual worlds.

Disney Dan- Disney content! Covers the history of different mascot costumes at Disney and Disney-like parks! Has collaborated with Definctland in the past too!

Yesterworld- theme park content! Discusses history behind rides and parks, as well as some Disney movies. I think has also collaborated with Defunctland and Disney Dan?

Legal Eagle- legal content! Breaks down news about ongoing legal cases in a way that feels approachable. I like him because both my parents are paralegals and his videos have helped me understand what they mean when they're talking about work a little bit

Super Eye patch Wolf- media video essays! Mostly about anime/manga and video games, but also covers things like influencer scams and pro wrestling. His "what the internet did to Garfield" video is SO GOOD

*Jessie Gender- Media Analysis, loves Star Trek

*Laura Crone- Media Analysis video essays, her videos on the Swan Princess are fucking great I highly recommend!

*Lady Emily- Media Analysis, did a whole video on Spuder-Man turn off the dark that is SO good. Co writer for Sarah Z

Tale Foundry- covers different forms of fiction, their xenofiction video is great, as is their Angelarium one!

Defunctland- Theme Park ride and Children's TV History channel!

Jenny Nicholson- one of the sort of "big three" commentary channels with Lindsay Ellis and Sarah Z imo, covers all sorts of stuff but her most recent one is a 3 hour video on the theme park Evermore Park!

*Sarah Z- Fandom history and Media analysis! I really enjoy their content, the Johnlock Conspiracy and DashCon videos are my favorites!

Li Speaks- Flash games/virtual world analysis mostly! She has a very soothing voice to listen to, if you played like. Any MMOs or virtual worlds growing up I Highly recommend. I've watched her video on Horseland SO many times.

*Codex Entry- Video game coverage! Her videos on Pathologic are great if you're like me and wanted more after the Hbomberguy video!

Wendigoon- ARG/Spooky content! One of the early proponents of the Mandela Catalog and best known for his conspiracy theory iceberg, but has also covered things like various weird/unsolved crimes, Assassination conspiracies, and other things. His videos on Faith, Blood Meridian, The Mandela Catalog, and his Religion/Cult iceberg are some of my favorites

Dino Diego- Dinosaur fiction, like movies, video games, books, short stories, etc. his 2 videos on West of Eden and Winter in Eden are two of my favorites!

Haley Whipjack- I don't know how to describe her content really? She does a lot of deep dives (her Shrek one is my favorite), currently doing a recap of Once Upon a Time by season that is very fun. She's an elementary school teacher by day (that's not me dozing her she talks about it on her channel), and so she has fun unhinged teacher energy!

Other channels that are a sort of collection of different people talking about different things rather than 1 or 2:

TEDx

PBS

The Exploring Series

#james somerton #hbomberguy #i know this is late #i meant to post this a while ago but i had so many to catalog #video essays #video essayist

[timeoutsoup]

Dig You A Grave

Part 5

This is the next day.

___________________________________________

Klarion wakes from his well deserved sleep, to see his beloved feline resting on her cushion, next to him. Sitting up, a malicious grin spreads across his face. He is ready to plan his revenge on the Light.

Teekl stretches, then follows her witch boy as he begins to move around their dwelling.

“First things first Teekl, we plan.” A malicious grin split Klarion’s face as he got to work. Books, papers, and magical items began to fly around, summoned and judged on how useful it may be. Everything slowed to a stop as Klarion plucked a small electronic device out of the air. “oh, this will be fun.”

__________________

Back in amity Danny, Sam and Tucker were at Sam’s house finishing up their homework, when Tucker’s PDA begins to ding. Grabbing it to check the notification, he is surprised. “ Nothing!”

“What’s nothing?” Danny asks as he and Sam raise their heads, trying to figure out what their friend is going on about.

“So guys, I decided to do a background check on Danny’s new boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, Tucker.” Danny pipes up, flustered.

“Wait, I want to hear this. What did you find?” Sam asks as she waves her hand at Danny.

“Anyway, as I was saying, I decided to run a background check when I got home yesterday, and nothing came up for him.”

“What do you mean nothing came up for him? There has to be something.” Sam states confused, tapping her pencil against her notebook.

“Or maybe Tucker’s skills aren’t as good as he says.” Danny says getting a jab in at his friend.

“Ha ha very funny, but no it’s more like he doesn’t exist or more likely someone is trying to hide him from being found.” The tech genius fires back, glaring at his best friend.

“Or maybe he just doesn’t use social media.” Sam ponders.

“Come on Sam. What teen doesn’t use social media?”

“Maybe Klarion is Amish?” Danny thinks out loud.

All three friends stop and think. What if Klarion was Amish. It would explain his lack of internet presence, his clothes and why he has never tried tamales before.

“They do send out teenagers to experience the modern world. He could be doing that.” Sam points out

“But aren’t they super religious and stuff?” Danny asks.

Sam looks at him before replying. “I mean they can be. Why?”

“Well I asked him out on a date, he has styled his hair into horns and he broke into the Fruitloop’s mansion to steal a book.And he put his contact as ‘Klarion the Witch Boy. Are there Amish Witches?”

Both of the halfa’s friends stared at him in disbelief.

“Ugh, now it makes so much more since.” Sam groaned. “If he does witchcraft and he is currently doing Rumspringa, that’s what it’s called by the way; I looked it up. Klarion is probably trying to find a way to not go back.”

“Why wouldn’t he want to go back?” Tucker inquired.

“Do you remember reading The Crucible last year?” Sam responded.

“Oh Ancients, that is as bad as me having ghost hunters for parents, maybe even worse. We need to help him.” The ghost boy says frantically jumping up.

“Well we yeah, but rushing in won’t do us any good. Now sit down.” Sam grabs Danny’s wrist, pulling him back down to the floor.

_________________

“Achoo!” Klarion sneezed in the middle of The Light Meeting, receiving glares from the other members.

“Now as I was saying, for the next phase …” Vandal Savage continues to drone on about their plans (read his plans). Klarion hates it but just a little bit longer and he would have what he needs. He had already switched out the book for an identical fake, duplicated many files, placed transportation sigils on many important pieces of equipment, and most importantly using the Young Justice comm he stole a while ago to not only record but transmit everything he was hearing. Oh his revenge will be a grand affair.

A little over an hour later, the meeting finally ended. Klarion had been assigned to kidnap metas and other beings for their new ally, the Reach. How dare The Light think, he a Lord of Chaos would willingly work for a species who just conquer and want to rule. Meaning everyone follows their laws and rules. How droll and orderly.

Klarion had other plans, and yes he might have to work with the justice losers but the chaos and calamity that will arise from it will be worth it. Now all he has to do is make his leave and watch the show.

With a snap of his fingers Klarion and Teekl disappeared from his former allies hideout, and appeared in Tim Drake’s penthouse, in dreary Gotham.

“Now Teekl, for the fun to begin.” Klarion smirks as files appear from nothing, covering the Kitchen island. He jotted down a quick note, then deliberately set off one of the bat alarms. The Witch Boy needed his friend to find these files sooner rather than later.

“Now to deal with the Reach.” And with another snap Klarion and Teekl were gone.

___________________

Sam and Tucker were able to calm down Danny before he went ghost and searched the world for Klarion. How they did it was simple. They called Jazz. With her help, they now had a plan. Make sure he is safe, then show him all of the great things the modern world has to offer.

That evening when Danny went home he texted Klarion. Seeing what he was up to and how Teekl was doing.

It took a while for a reply but he did respond. Danny’s obsession with protecting was soothed with the reply of being well and the picture of Teekl sleeping on a mound of pillows. They chatted for a while about various topics until Danny fell asleep mid text.

_________

______________

Klarion had had a great day. Destroying that blowhard Savage’s plan had made so much chaos and now he gets to relax and watch everything unfold. Now Danny was texting him, seeing how he was and asking about his amazing familiar.

Teekl had just settled onto a mound of pillows, being extra cute, practically begging for him to send Danny a picture of her. He did of course. Sharing the wonder that is Teekl, is second to spreading chaos. Their conversation carries on for a while, well into the night. By the time Danny stops replying Klarion is half asleep. Figuring Danny is also asleep he turns in for the night.

Tag List

@naluforever3 @seraphichana @starmee-lodurrson @rhode13 @fisticuffsatapplebees @kyrianclawraith @lehana37 @akikoyuii @undead-essence @crystaldrops20 @quirky-gardener @learning-to-fly-on-my-own @Kaindraws @luffyrose @beelze-the-bubkiss @aro-in-danyl @agaponislovely @enderglace @plant5318008 @jotaroslooseeyebrowhair @moonlightheart11 @dontfightmecauseillcry @asrielstars @jaytriesstuff @arend000-blog @mnemovoid @thegatorgoose @do3y @wisp-ghost @youracearocroatneighbour @akikoyuii @omgnectarina @phoenixdemonqueen @iamheretoconsumeandsharethatisit @cottomscrambles @satoshy12 @alice-hazelwood @benrey-the-late-ace @felicityroth @confusionchaos @mysticalcomputerdetective @yjfk

#danny phantom #dp x dc #dc x dp #danny fenton #dp x dc prompt #dpxdc #klarion #jason todd #john constantine #klarion dc #chaoticspirit #danny and klarion friendship #danny phantom au #dc comics #dp x dc crossover #klarion the witch boy #Dig You A Grave AU

[waitmyturtles]

As much as I've been trying to shake Only Friends from my brain vibes, I can't quite do it yet, simply because I'm a little shocked about how much time I spent on this show, for it to end in such a way that struck me as a very heavy-handed moral indictment against the character of Boston. I think I'm feeling just generally unmoored about the fact that the show was going to make moral indictments of any kind in the first place. If I knew that was the intended direction of the show, good god, I would have dropped it and ran away from the burning fire a long-ass time ago.

I need to process something that I've seen coming across my dash the last couple of days, in part inspired by this excellent Q&A exchange by @chaos0pikachu, which touches upon how some Only Friends defenders have defended the ending -- either by noting that the show is coming from a transcendent perspective of very literally demonstrating that so very often, people judged as "sluts" are kicked out of their friend groups; and/or saying that the show is "message-less," and thus, the finale is defensible.

That "message-less" notion is something I've seen repeated a number of times, and I need to comment on it.

All media is communication. Art is communication. And: all communication has intention. All communication has messages and messaging.

What's the point of communicating otherwise? There is messaging inherent within communication, because.... how can you communicate without a message?

People get in trouble all the time for trying to defend their communication as message-less. I'm a huge believer in personal accountability; if I say something that reads or sounds idiotic, I'll call myself out on it and try to fix it. Communication is about messages, it's about tone, it's about phrasing, it's about intention. You might be acting like a little putz on a social media forum, and you might defend your right to act like a little putz, and you might even say that you don't mean to act like a little putz! But no matter if you say that your communication doesn't have intention -- well, it actually does, because communication will ALWAYS have implicit AND explicit layers of intention and messaging in it. Intention and messaging are inherently built within ALL styles of communication.

I don't recall Jojo and his team ever saying that Only Friends was a show without a message, and I'm happy to see primary sources with quotes that recorded him saying that. If and when I see these primary sources, I'd like to say to him, and to OF fans who defend the ending by saying the show is message-less:

There is no such thing as a message-less show. There is no such thing as a message-less piece of art. If the piece of art exists: it's communicating SOMETHING.

The best way to NOT send a message? It's to not create that piece of art. Because art is inherently communication. And all communication has messages. No messages means no communication. A message-less show means: no show.

Not only did Only Friends have messaging embedded within the show -- but Only Friends was incredibly heavy-handed, especially at the end, about the way in which the show judged sex outside of monogamous dyads. In my Morning After meta published on Sunday, I screenshot numerous conversations within the show judging Boston's casual sex outside of relationships. And I also note that Boston is judged for having sex with people other than Nick -- Nick, to whom Boston wants to commit, and Nick won't commit back to Boston. But Boston is still judged for having sex outside of a relationship setting -- while Nick refuses to be in a relationship with Boston. This hypocritical messaging is extremely clear in the show. Boston is caught in a hypocritical catch-22 of judgement by his (idiot) former friends.

I don't know why Jojo larded Only Friends with these messages. I don't know Jojo. All I know is that Boston's resolution at being left alone by Nick, and being made to grovel to his group of friends, left a message that only monogamous couples were allowed to find happiness within the fictional sphere of the Only Friends series. There was no other transcendent indication that happiness of a kind that included casual sex existed in the fictional Only Friends universe. And that is a HELL of a message to send to young folks watching this show.

All I know about Jojo is that I've enjoyed some of his past works -- especially those that came with CLEAR messaging about topics he clearly feels strongly about, such as 3 Will Be Free and Dirty Laundry, and wealth and social disparities; Gay OK Bangkok, and sexual health and equality for Bangkok's queer community; and The Warp Effect, for sexual health awareness and women's reproductive freedom.

The notion that Only Friends was intended to not have a message is not only disingenuous. It's literally impossible by the ways in which communication works by way of art and human psychology. When we receive communication -- we receive messaging, full stop. It's up to us to learn how to deal with those messages.

(....which is why I write meta. I need to process the communication that I received from Only Friends, and that I'm still shocked by. Thanks to @lurkingshan for hearing these ramblings before I put fingers to keyboard.)

#only friends the series #only friends meta #only friends

[thatgirlonstage]

Considering the cross section of people who want ao3 to have an algorithm with the painful lack of reading comprehension you see so often on the internet and it occurs to me that part of being able to use a website like ao3 the way it’s intended requires you to… know your own taste.

In order to input the correct filters to find what you’re after, you have to have some sense of what you like and what you don’t like and how those things are described in tags and categories that you can filter on. You have to have the ability to take a fic and parse out which pieces of it you responded to and then figure out how to get more of it. You are, with the aid of a filter system as fantastic as ao3’s, actually more effective than an algorithm at doing that once you know how! You know that the reason you liked this fic was because of the really gooey cuddle scene between A/B, so you know that now you should go look in tags like “Cuddling” or “Hugs” or “Comfort” or “Fluff” or “only one bed + Rated T”. An algorithm can’t tell if you liked the gooey cuddle scene or the fact that it was a steampunk AU or this specific author’s style, it can only make statistical guesses at the fact that a lot of people who liked THIS fic also liked THAT one. It doesn’t know WHY.

But like… that is a skill. It may be a very intuitive skill, especially for people who have been doing it a long time, but if you’re accustomed to being spoonfed suggestions I can guess it wouldn’t be intuitive at all. I can absolutely see how needing to search for your own preferences would stump you if you’ve never had to do it before.

And it is very much an exercise in both literacy and understanding your own taste. If you don’t bother to paint things you read or watch with any more nuanced brush than “I like this” or “I don’t like this”, then you never learn what, exactly, it is that you’re liking or disliking. You’ll never be able to pull a text apart to figure out which strands are compelling and which you could do without. You’ll never be able to tell the difference between what is a generally well-written story and what is tugging at something that you specifically enjoy. Especially in the climate of judging media by its moral correctness, where dislike and especially disgust gets equated to “there is something objectively BadWrong with this art and therefore NO ONE should like ANY part of it,” people are increasingly encouraged to sand away any understanding of their own personal tastes.

Knowing your own taste can be scary. Very seriously, it can be hard to look at yourself and reconcile all the weird, cringe, taboo, silly, gross, embarrassing, or fucked-up stories you might like. It can be easier to just go along with what other people tell you is good or bad, particularly when there is as much pressure as there can be in online spaces—both inadvertent and intentional.

But I promise, I absolutely promise, knowing your taste is the best and fastest way to find more art that you love. Figuring out what it is you like is the route to finding more of it, to finding art that resonates with you, art that bring you joy. Figuring out why you like it can be interesting, but that can be an even bigger and more fraught question to consider. You don’t have to understand the why. Just start with the what. It will unlock so many doors for you.

#idk is this anything #I’m just thinking out loud mostly

[princescribbler]

A Few Gentle Reminders to Fellow ABDLs Online

You don't have to go crazy to be kinky! Seriously, it can seem like every blog is 24/7 dynamics in full time power exchange, but the reality is... you're seeing their public and often humiliating public image! Your own kinks can be quiet, private, occasional, and that's ok. Or They might not be sexual, might involve other kinks... give yourself permission to be you, and not follow the online trends.

Scammers are constant in any community... and they're pervasive in this one. Be careful with personal details, pictures, videos, and anything you send online. A bit of caution goes a long way! But that doesn't mean EVERYONE is a fake and a scammer, either! Be careful, and use your best judgment.

Learning about BDSM and power exchange relationship dynamics is a good idea even if you never want to incorporate it into your relationship. Go learn, expand your knowledge, and try to educate yourself about kink and this stuff: you deserve to be well informed about your own desires and needs!

Most ABDLs aren't public and shouldn't be! It's OK to be private, not post pics, not go to events that risk exposing your kinks publicly, etc. Some people do better being a bit more public but you're not at fault if that doesn't fit for you!

Yes, most ABDLs struggle with kinky feelings and not wanting their kinks or desires. You're not alone. But the healthiest ones are the people who embrace their desires in a healthy, moderate way, and who get mental health help when needed. If you're struggling, get help: you never know who will help you embrace yourself!

Not EVERYONE is going to be shitty to talk to... but it can feel that way in this online community. That's because the most social and message- heavy folks tend to be binging and purging, going a thousand miles an hour into kink then suddenly quitting temporarily. So don't think those few chats or messages that stop are about you, and don't think that you can't meet real, fascinating, COMPLEX ADULT people here. I met my fiance through this platform: you never know!

Don't compare your kinky reality to what you see online. The online stuff doesn't show the discussions, finding the right balance, taking time off, focusing on supporting your partner in vanilla ways: that means you see a small piece of someone's reality, doctored and fixed up for social media. Don't compare yourself against the most public and extreme kinky blogs. It isn't a realistic view or comparison.

Never let your own kinks drag you down. If you like something, it's safe and nobody else is being hurt... it's OK to like it! Even if it's a bit unusual. You don't get to control your kinks, only your reaction to those kinks. Be self compassionate.

Ageplay, regression, enjoying things for little kids or babies, well... it can feel weird. But an adult watching blues, or Disney, or playing with stuffies isn't a BAD thing! So stop judging yourself by using the false, misinformed external judgments of other ignorant idiots to inform your true, personal, informed opinions about yourself!

Life can't be truly 24/7 kink, so take time to foster vanilla friends and relationships. It never hurts to cast a wide net and keep yourself grounded in the vanilla life!

Just a few quick reminders you might need, though I hope you don't! And as always, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay kinky!

- Scribbler

[hermitzine]

HERMITZINE FAQ

What is Hermitzine, anyway?

Hermitzine is a fanzine, a compilation of illustration, comics and writing based around the long running Minecraft SMP Hermitcraft, with works focusing on the creative projects, collaborations and interactions the creators on the server (aka Hermits) share with their audiences. For each edition, we (the Hermitzine mods) announce the theme we're running with this edition, open applications, and pick our roster of collaborators from the artists and writers who want to be involved. 

Once our line up of collaborators has been selected, we invite all the contributors for the zine to our discord server, and the process of making the zine pieces starts! Contributors brainstorm an idea for a piece they want to do, and run it past our mods for approval, then work on it over the course of about 2 months (to make sure people have time to put together something they're proud of without having to ignore things like sleep, school and work). Hermitzine #9 has a little bit more going on with collaboration and format, but we go through that in the application form.

What's the timeline of events for this edition?

The current schedule for Hermitzine #9 is as follows:

March 02 — Applications open at midnight GMT

March 16 — Applications close at midnight GMT

March 23 — Acceptance / Rejection emails go out

March 30 — Check in 1 (initial sketches / ideas)

April 13 — Check in 2

April 27 — Check in 3

May 11 — Check in 4

June 01 — Final pieces are due

Late June / early July — Zine is published

More questions and answers below the cut! (A lot more. Be glad we added the cut).

How do I apply?

Fill out the form (we'll be posting them very soon)! We have a writers application form and an artists application form, both will be open between the 2nd and the 16th of March.

In your application, you'll be answering a few questions and sharing 3-5 of your best pieces, to let us know what you're about as a writer and/or artist.

Then all you have to do is sit tight and wait for our email on March 23rd to find out if you're in!

Who can apply?

We have three requirements: 1) you’re 15 years or older, 2) you can speak enough English to communicate about deadlines and other important zine-related discussions, and 3) you have a Discord account, as that is how all communications with contributors will be made. A free account is fine — we don’t send files through Discord itself, so there’s no need to buy Nitro.

What do I need to do / have to apply?

For all of our applicants, we ask for a small portfolio of 3-5 pieces of your best finished work. We ask for a small portfolio to keep our views of your work focused on what you think is you at your best. These portfolio pieces don’t necessarily have to be Hermitcraft related, or even belong to a fandom. As long as it’s your personal work and you’re proud of it, we want to see it.

For writers: we ask that the 3-5 works you submit are around 3,000 words maximum, since that is the vague limit you will have to work within the zine. You can submit excerpts from longer works as long as you specify that somewhere within the application piece.

Do I need to be well-known or have a large social media following to be accepted?

Not at all. Social media following does not factor into whether or not you’re accepted. You could have one follower or one thousand — either way, we’re looking at your portfolio. You don’t even need any social media at all! We ask for social media handles in the application in case we want to check out more of your work beyond your portfolio.

What do you look for in the portfolio judging criteria?

We look for several things when judging portfolios. For artists, the list includes:

Your ability to finish zine-quality pieces (fully-rendered, backgrounds, not rushed-looking, etc)

Hard skills: composition, color theory, anatomy, perspective, shape language, etc

Comic paneling skills, if applicable

Solid illustration styles that interest us and we want to see more of

For writers, the list includes:

Your ability to finish zine-quality pieces (complete and concise work, with a full narrative if applicable)

Good grasp on writing basics (grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence flow, etc)

Solid writing styles / voice / characterization

Ideas and we find intriguing, interesting, or otherwise would like to see written in full

If either of these lists are daunting to you, don’t worry! We are very interested in people who are eager to try new things and push themselves as artists and writers. We’ve accepted many people before based on their apparent eagerness to improve and collaborate with others.

We also like applicants with a unique or unusual approach to artmaking. Some examples include: traditional media, 3D modeling, photo manipulation, graphic design, typography, poetry, etc. While these skills are fun to include, don’t worry — not having them won’t detract from your chance of getting accepted.

Can I apply for both an artist and a writer position?

Yes you can, but if you’re accepted, we’ll choose you for only one of the two options. For example, if you apply to both and we accept you for writing, we expect you to create a written piece for the zine only, no illustration. This decision will be revealed to you in the acceptance email you get once the application period is over.

Can I participate if I’m a traditional artist?

Absolutely! All we require is that you have a scanner in order to submit high-quality images of your work. We work around the 300dpi range, and unfortunately photos taken with phones or webcams usually aren’t high-quality enough for us to include.

How many artists / writers do you accept?

The number of participants (artists and writers combined) we accept depends on several factors — the most important of which are how many mods we have working on the zine and how much we decide we can handle. Historically, our acceptance count ranges anywhere from 35 to 75 participants, with our most recent editions hitting numbers closer to the top of that range.

How do I know my application was submitted correctly? What happens if the link to my portfolio doesn’t work?

If you don’t receive any word from us from the time you submitted your application to when the acceptance and rejection emails go out, then congratulations, your application was submitted correctly! If something is wrong with your portfolio, like if one or more of your links don’t work, we typically request access — which will then appear as an email in the inbox of whatever email is linked to the drive you shared your portfolio from. If the issue persists, you might receive a private message requesting access from one of the mods on a social media handle you included in your application. If you don’t receive an email or message from us, then everything with your application works.

Do you guys send rejection emails?

We do. If you apply to Hermitzine, you’re going to receive an email from us regardless of whether you’re accepted or rejected. If you’re rejected, we give you the opportunity to ask for feedback with your portfolio.

I applied but never got an email. What’s going on?

If you haven’t received an email even though we’ve announced they’ve been sent out on our social media accounts, please check your spam folder to see if it accidentally went there. This has happened a lot in the past!

If I’ve been rejected from an edition of Hermitzine, does that mean I can never apply again?

Absolutely not! You can apply to any edition of Hermitzine you’d like, from now until forever, regardless of the results of previous applications. We love seeing friendly names show up in applications!

Do people who have participated in prior editions of Hermitzine have a higher chance of getting accepted to the newest edition?

No. Applicants who’ve participated in previous editions have the exact same chances at getting into the newest edition than any other participant.

What content is allowed in Hermitzine?

Requirements for a piece are only to feature Hermitcraft and/or the Hermits primarily, follow the theme, be SFW and not have any shipping content. That means that crossover content (ex: the Empires crossover) and hermit-adjacent people can be included, and that pieces can be about content from any season of Hermitcraft.

[haterbracket]

A BRACKET FOR THE HATERS

Sick of polls about heroes and duos? Want a poll about guys who hate? Guys who loathe? Guys whose raison d'être is just to suck, like, so bad?

INTRODUCING: the Hater Bracket, a single-elimination competition to find the Biggest Hater in All of Fiction. Your Iagos, your Yzmas, your Syndromes, your GLaDOSes: characters whose primary motivation is a grudge against one specific person or group for some (perceived) slight—the pettier the better.

Entrants will be judged on:

Proactivity: ok, so they're a hater, but what do they do about it? Anyone can hate, but a true hater puts everything they have into their effort to screw over the person who's wronged them.

Pettiness: how "wronged" has this person been, anyways? Did the object of their hatred kill their entire family in front of them, or were they just less than perfectly 100% accommodating once and the hater has literally never gotten over it?

Successfulness: is a successful hater or a failed one a "better" hater? You be the judge!

Overall panache: The "x factor" of haterness. Did they hate with swag? Were they super eloquent in their monologue that basically boiled down to "oh my god I hate that guy SO MUCH"? If not, was it at least funny to watch them fume incoherently?

Submit a hater here. Nominations are closed; you can still submit through the ask box, but we reserve the right to point and laugh at you if you do.

FAQ below the cut.

FAQ:

How do I navigate this blog? With the tags! #mod post - housekeeping stuff #hater polls - bracket polls #hatemail - asks #haterprop - propaganda (asks and reblogs) #hb off topic - anything that isn’t housekeeping or a poll

How will competitors be selected? Mod discretion. Note that we will be more likely to select haters that we either know, have friends who know, or that come with a good explanation of their hater-ness (that is verifiable by google) in the submission. Stuffing the ballot box, as it were, will have zero effect, since the bracket is not selected by number of nominations.

How many characters can I submit? As many as you like.

Can I submit real people? No. This is a bracket for fictional haters. Real-life haters are way less cool and fun anyways.

Note: Real people who have been sufficiently fictionalized (either in one piece of media, or multiple), and real people who play a public “persona” that is separated from their actual private life & beliefs do qualify for the purposes of this tournament.

What about [MCYT/celebrities/other thing where people play ambiguously fictionalized versions of themselves]? Sure, but if we think it isn’t sufficiently fictionalized, we won't include it.

What about...? Submit it if you want! In the worst case I simply won't include it, in the best case I will.

How many submissions has _ gotten? We will release a full tally of submissions after nominations close. We are working on tallying up all the submissions! We will post a full list once we’ve cleaned it up sufficiently. Until then, we will not be answering any questions about how many nominations any particular character has gotten.

#polls #tumblr tournament #tumblr bracket #bracket #haterbracket #haterbracket23 #fiction's biggest hater

[markantonys]

Ok I just need to come here and say: got costumes were not that great. They were showing off with the embroidery, but it was made purposefully “rustic” which contributed to it looking unprofessional, and made Cersei look like an idiot. The embroidery was very detailed, true, but you couldn’t see it while watching, it just looked like a blob usually.

The colours were dull, and most of the costumes were not well thought through. And also I don’t really think they fit that well? what looked great on Lena, looked very questionable on Sophie, which was not supposed to be happening. I’m not even going to discuss the jewelry.

Wot costumes are much better, are clearly comfortable for actors to be in (remembering Sophie again and how awkward she moves in the dresses sometimes, and like compared to the way Madeleine and Zoe look and move, even though they have spent most of the second season in uncomfortable clothes), show status clearly without the insane classism of got “you are either wealthy and beautiful or literally live in a pigsty” and are weather appropriate. And they embody the “early 90s late 80s fantasy looks” much better than got. So in my book wot is definitely much better.

Sorry I’m the costume rant anon. Wanted to add that a lot of costumes in got and wot have a similar silhouette and the difference in quality is like. Obvious. I know it’s subjective but like. I think we have been gaslit that got costumes are THAT good

iiiinteresting! i only know GOT costumes from seeing them around social media, so i can't weigh in here since i haven't seen them in context while actually watching an episode, so it is interesting to get a perspective from someone who's watched both shows! (and who knows stuff about costumes and how to judge quality - i don't at all haha i just go "oh that looks pretty, i like it!")

but i definitely agree that WOT costumes look generally pretty comfortable in the sense that i buy real people would actually wear these clothes day-to-day (i mean, except for statement pieces like lanfear's TAR dominatrix outfit or siuan's ceremonial attire). one that jumps to mind right away is one of alanna's s2 outfits - super pretty, but also looks quite cozy for just a normal day at the tower teaching novices!

and that's a really great point about how status comes across in WOT costumes. here, we can obviously tell that moiraine is upper class and egwene is a humble villager, but egwene's outfit is still pretty and well-made and colorful and clean, just simpler fabric & style than moiraine's (and she gets to wear jewelry too despite being a humble villager, just simpler jewelry than moiraine. and her skirt is a cute plaid pattern and she has a nice dash of simple, handmade-looking embroidery on her top - perhaps she added that embroidery herself to jazz up her Best Feastday Shirt!)

#anonymous #answered

[chaos0pikachu]

I am here actually to appreciate your post. I saw a blogger’s post saying The sign would have been ‘successful’ had it got filled with fantasy and romance and limit action to 10%. I wondered why that person, who says BL is all about romance, watched a show whose genre is action. Then I saw your post about people watching many shows to stay in fandom and I agree. Also you are right about dramas with a complex story receiving heavy criticism. Everything (even lack of proper plot or conflict) is exempted in a romance drama. No wonder most BLs are confined to ‘2 boys and their jealous & crying moments, routine conflicts enhanced by Escola or leads explaining how important Nikon printer is for their relationship’

Well damn hit me in the feels with this appreciation I'ma get all shy and shit.

I always wonder if by "successful" people mean in terms of critical acclaim, story telling, or monetarily. When it comes to Thai shows - and some please correct me if I'm wrong - it's difficult to tell how "successful" they are terms of audience reach/monetarily because there's no easily verifiable information. Like, there's Youtube numbers sure, but The Sign as an example, aired on Channel 3 what were it's ratings total on that channel? Idk, does anyone know that? Sincerely asking lol

Personally the way I like to judge a piece of media is what I call the Roger Ebert method; he often judged films based not solely on whether they were "good" or "bad but by how successfully they accomplished their goals.

If you read his review of Space Jam while it's clear Ebert doesn't think the movie is high art, "You can watch the movie on the sports and cartoon levels, and also appreciate the corporate strategy that's involved. [...] It is difficult for an actor to work in movies that combine live action with animation, because much of the time he cannot see the other characters in a scene with him. But Jordan has a natural ease and humor, an unforced charisma, that makes a good fit with the cartoon universe."

Ebert praises that the film, while filled with obvious product placement and banking on both nostalgia for the toons & star power of Jordan, accomplishes it's goal of being a family for that can be enjoyed by adults and children, and also the ability to blend techniques of live action, animation and 3D rendering.

I bring this up specifically b/c when I see "reviews" of shows in BL - the most common form of meta I see in BL fandom as a whole and that's not a knock just an observation - it's usually always about the narrative. Nothing about the filmmaking. And if there is discussion about he filmmaking it's usually misinformed or worse misinforming - no that's not what aperture means, yaoi framing isn't really a thing in film, the t-shirt is really just a t-shirt, etc, etc.

And like I get why. Fandom is more about story, what the words on a page or what the characters on screen are doing and saying. It's easier to talk about the amazing communication two characters have b/c you don't really need a film knowledge to discuss that. Which is a factor in why I think shows with lower stakes, more streamlined and straightforward plots get praised at a higher, less diligent and harsh level, than shows that are a bit more daring. They're less challenging in structure, they take less risks, so there's less to critique, and there's less room for a show to disappoint.

There comfort food, rather than trying something new at the restaurant. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, again, this is just a general observation.

To me, The Sign is miles better than Cooking Crush on a simple technical level. I only watched one episode of Cooking Crush and I found it pretty mediocre at best from all technical points: acting, editing, cinematography, directing, storytelling.

This isn't to say Cooking Crush is "bad" or that even if Cooking Crush was "bad" people shouldn't like it. I don't give a fuck if people like it, good for you chase the things that spark joy! I like lots of "bad" media, have y'all ever watched Jason Takes Manhattan?

For me, The Sign, like Space Jam, accomplishes it's goals and those were ambitious goals. An action fantasy BL that actually lives up to that premise and looks good?? The fight choreography looks great considering the obviously budget??

Like one of my issues with Laws of Attraction - aside from how painfully disinterested those kisses looked - was the fight choreography was bad.

The characters very rarely land hits in a way that looks real, or even marginally real. I can only speculate they didn't hire a stunt coordinator and/or couldn't hire stunt doubles so there was a worry of injury on set (for both reasons).

This isn't a disparagement on the actor(s) either, like stunt work is difficult and it's important to have professionals on set who can walk an actor through the steps so both them and others don't get hurt. Jackie Chan is probably one of the best known actors alive for stunt work, but watch how many times he fumbles and potentially hurts himself to the point where other actors are actively worried for him:

So yeah I'm going to give The Sign it's fucking gold star stickers b/c aside from some missteps in the gun handling - to many one handed gun fights but even then it wasn't all the time and bullets ran out of ammo! Y'all don't know how exciting for me that was to see - the fight scenes look damn good.

I understand the work that went into them, I understand the pre-production time that it took for the crew and cast to learn that and filming them well is another beast too.

There's a couple scenes with shaky cam that I dislike, but god do I love that first long take in The Sign. I love how good the CGI looks overall again, considering what is probably less budget than Black Christmas (2019).

I'm admittedly, fucking picky about what I watch b/c I'm really lazy and prefer watching films in general. I don't really like TV all that much, but if I am watching a tv show I wanna be impressed with more than just the characters talking to each other. Especially if said show is 12 hours or more.

When I'm looking at a piece of media - a comic, a novel, a film, a tv show - I'm thinking about stuff like "what were it's goals, and did it accomplish them? How was the filmmaking? How was the narrative structure? What is the time/place/culture this was made in?"

I'm not sure if people are arguing if The Sign was "successful" in terms of narratively, monetarily, or critically.

In reality we can only really speculate on how successful a Thai BL is based on data that's not not entirely accurate - social media, youtube stats, awards, etc - and even then most of that is based off international audience.

I can glean that 2gether was successful for gmmtv b/c it got a second season and a film, pretty much skyrocketed Bright and Win's individual careers but again, and created a cross country alliance for activism. But even all that is still speculation not facts (except the alliance that's a real thing that happened lol).

[This is all regardless of my own feelings regarding the show which is not kind. But feelings have nothing to do with individual discussion about how monetarily successful or accomplished a show is or isn't.]

Like it might be valid speculation on both shows but it should always come with a disclaimer of - these are not facts. Also, what is "popular" or "successful" can and will be dependent on individual countries too.

Take Cutie Pie for example, I would argue that it wasn't super "successful" here with American fans, but given how overwhelmingly popular Zee and NuNew are in both Thailand and Korea, I would then argue that the show was a success in Thailand and Korea. So was Cutie Pie "successful" or not? I would say yes!

Because "success" isn't and shouldn't be measured only by how western fans receive a piece of media.

In regards to The Sign, I'd argue it appears to be very successful with only the partial data I have at hand - social media which includes places like twitter, facebook, tumblr, the success of their sold out showing for the finale, a special episode, etc. If people argue it was unsuccessful in terms of narrative, well that's debatable and I have no interest in debating why the show is good except in terms of technical filmmaking and storytelling.

And even then it's a pointless debate like or dislike whatever just don't lie or mislead people regarding film terminology and techniques or harass people because they did like A Thing or clog up the tags with annoying posts about how you didn't like said Thing.

Overall, I don't give "reviews" on things I watch either positive or negative cause, well, I'm lazy lol, I don't believe putting how much I hate a show in it's tags and a thorough rating system would be to much work. I actually like how My Drama List rating system works, I just find most reviews on it to be Annoying lmao. Like giving Kinnporsche a 5 or below is absolutely bonkers to me but whatever es lo que es. But I also don't think my thoughts and opinions on shows are that valuable in terms of discussion.

These are mostly my general thoughts on fandom at large and it's not directly at any particular people its just observations at large across various social media platforms.

I think if you like more squeecore shows that's totally gucci, I just wish didn't proposite that 1) those are the only valid shows in terms of BL/queer media and 2) didn't overhype them to such sky high levels

#the sign the series #chaos pikachu speaks