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Some people will say that you dream is impossible.
Some people will say that you're not good at gaming.
Some people will say that you're not clever at being smart.
Some people will say you've got bad breath.
( Well to those people I says )
Mood theme for me
Apr. 22nd, 2026 03:29 pmIt's only now that I'm making a mood theme for myself, that I see how uber-comprehensive Dreamwidth's mood list is. To the point of possibly being a bit redundant.
Like how do you "feel" sympathetic as a mood? The first thing that comes to my mind is a judgment someone would make about you, rather than something you'd feel yourself (Unless you are posting about someone else's bad situation, which...I would tread carefully on sharing.)
My mood theme is not very good yet btw, and definitely not something I want to put out for public consumption yet (ever?!), but feel free to have a look. It's a Surge the Tenrec centered mood theme, which I thought would be fitting for my journal.
Chaotic Surges by yours truly
I'm having a hard time finding panels where Surge both feels and looks visibly sad, haha. She seems to mask that particular feeling with anger pretty well. Usually if she's frowning, it's out of boredom, annoyance, or fear. If I were trying to make this for public consumption for a community like![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
moodthemeinayear, this would probably be a bigger hurdle to overcome. But this theme is just for me, and I don't really make "sad" posts as of now.
I was inspired to create this theme after seeing similarly-sized 100 x 45 Sonic X mood icons on user carriepika's page, which I found while surfing old Sonic Livejournals. (For whatever reason I cannot access the site now, so I'm not sure there would be much use in linking it.)
The mood theme consisted of screencaps of Sonic making various facial expressions with a little border around them. Though I had a paid account for awhile, I only made a mood theme after seeing that and realizing I didn't have to become a pixel art master and make a huge sheet of unique expressions from scratch.
Like how do you "feel" sympathetic as a mood? The first thing that comes to my mind is a judgment someone would make about you, rather than something you'd feel yourself (Unless you are posting about someone else's bad situation, which...I would tread carefully on sharing.)
My mood theme is not very good yet btw, and definitely not something I want to put out for public consumption yet (ever?!), but feel free to have a look. It's a Surge the Tenrec centered mood theme, which I thought would be fitting for my journal.
Chaotic Surges by yours truly
I'm having a hard time finding panels where Surge both feels and looks visibly sad, haha. She seems to mask that particular feeling with anger pretty well. Usually if she's frowning, it's out of boredom, annoyance, or fear. If I were trying to make this for public consumption for a community like
moodthemeinayear, this would probably be a bigger hurdle to overcome. But this theme is just for me, and I don't really make "sad" posts as of now.I was inspired to create this theme after seeing similarly-sized 100 x 45 Sonic X mood icons on user carriepika's page, which I found while surfing old Sonic Livejournals. (For whatever reason I cannot access the site now, so I'm not sure there would be much use in linking it.)
The mood theme consisted of screencaps of Sonic making various facial expressions with a little border around them. Though I had a paid account for awhile, I only made a mood theme after seeing that and realizing I didn't have to become a pixel art master and make a huge sheet of unique expressions from scratch.
IDW Sonic Vol. 4: Infection Review
Apr. 11th, 2026 05:41 pmI had already read this volume from the library via Hoopla. I had so much fun with it that I bought a physical copy of the book when I went on a birthday outing last month.
I'm only posting this now, but better late than never!
As I mentioned in my last entry, I only read the first issue or two before skipping all the way to here, but it was easy enough to get the gist of the prior plot thanks to my sister explaining the gist of the plot prior (and Sonic's inexplicable bird-expositioning in the first page).
I really liked Rough and Tumble, the villainous skunk brother duo. I feel like the fandom sleeps on these two! I never see them as a focus in fanfic or fanart, or even widely shipped with other characters, but they are so funny! I especially liked Rough's "tragic backstory". The way he talks constantly about having lost his tail makes me feel like he's trying really hard to be one of those sympathetic villains everyone roots for. My favorite is definitely Rough. Yet I wouldn't want to go without Tumble. Somehow, them being a duo just makes the whole thing.
( Read more please I worked hard on this there's a lot here )
I'm only posting this now, but better late than never!
As I mentioned in my last entry, I only read the first issue or two before skipping all the way to here, but it was easy enough to get the gist of the prior plot thanks to my sister explaining the gist of the plot prior (and Sonic's inexplicable bird-expositioning in the first page).
I really liked Rough and Tumble, the villainous skunk brother duo. I feel like the fandom sleeps on these two! I never see them as a focus in fanfic or fanart, or even widely shipped with other characters, but they are so funny! I especially liked Rough's "tragic backstory". The way he talks constantly about having lost his tail makes me feel like he's trying really hard to be one of those sympathetic villains everyone roots for. My favorite is definitely Rough. Yet I wouldn't want to go without Tumble. Somehow, them being a duo just makes the whole thing.
( Read more please I worked hard on this there's a lot here )
After learning there was a lot more to the Precure franchise than the two series that got English dubs, I've been on a quest to find the ideal Precure for me. I read a few Reddit threads that felt a bit vague in their recommendations, then I watched a video where a woman was recommending Precures based on their tones and story elements.
The Gigantic franchise that's "Impossible" to Recommend by doreimani
I was midway through, but I got a little impatient, and decided to look at the Precure wiki to see a full list of Precure season summaries to see which ones jumped out at me. It was a well-made video though. I'll have to keep watching it later, and see what else I can find.
I saw Star Twinkle Precure a bit further down the wiki's list, and one thing that stuck out at me was its space motifs and 80s inspired bright aesthetics. I really loved the old mecha shows from the 80s and 90s, and that vibe in general, so I was immediately intrigued.
I watched the first episode of it the other day. I liked it so much, I figured I should write my thoughts on it now while my first impression is still fresh! (I had watched a bit of Princess Precure, I may have to give my thoughts on that one as well).
It focuses on Hikaru, a teenage girl who loves astronomy. She accidentally summons an alien when she draws a constellation in her magic notebook. which sets off a chain of events that leads her into outer space to protect the creature, and become a legendary Precure!
There was a fair bit of high-pitched screaming/squealing in the first few minutes of the first episode, when the cute magical sidekick, in typical anime fashion, slams into the protagonist's head. There's some more of that sprinkled throughout the episode, but it didn't feel too excessive. And if you can get past that, it looks like a very promising show! I love how it leans heavily into sci-fi elements while still having unapologetically girly, cute aesthetics. Both appeal to me, but it feels rare for shows to combine the two.
In addition to being bright and engagingly animated, the theme song is also an absolute banger! I've had it playing on loop, alternating between other Precure songs for the past few days!
If you find realistically written preteens annoying, this probably isn't the Precure for you. Though Hikaru (the main character) was a little annoying, for me it was in an endearing way. Her exuberant energy and nerdishness reminded me of myself when I was around her age.
Though it's clear the showrunners care more about her characterization than flattening her into a pure "genki girl". You see Hikaru stopping for about a minute to speak with her parents, even bowing when told to, so you can see that she does have a more respectful side to her.
I also loved the way she didn't freak out when meeting the aliens, but instead geeked out. Even at the villains! You could just tell she had been waiting for something like this to happen her entire life. The fact that this is exactly what I would have done at that age in that scenario!The more I watch the episode to grab screencaps for this review, the more I see that she's practically a self-insert of myself from my preteen years, help!
Though I like Hikaru, it's hard to say who my true favorite character is yet, as I usually only decide my favorite character after I've had time to see what each character contributes to the plot.
But I did like that poor jellyfish alien! When Lala (alien girl Hikaru meets) was too shy or surprised to say anything to counter Hikaru's recklessness, he had to step in. Or at least do his level best.
Fuwa is especially cute too. Perhaps my sense of humor is broken or irony poisoned or something, because during the flashback, when those older-looking Precures told the little puffball alien that she was "their last hope", and she was just like:
...
Fuwa? (A cute, blushy sheep face kaomoji)
I burst out laughing!
I dunno. Maybe "Fuwa" is my favorite. She is awfully cute. I was literally almost tearing up from how adorable she was when Hikaru was teasing her with the donut she was eating. Her increasingly delighted squeaks as Hikaru kept moving the donut closer to her face...they just have to be heard to be believed. Maybe she'll turn out to be the god of the home planet, or a secret monarch the whole time, or something funny like that.
The Gigantic franchise that's "Impossible" to Recommend by doreimani
I was midway through, but I got a little impatient, and decided to look at the Precure wiki to see a full list of Precure season summaries to see which ones jumped out at me. It was a well-made video though. I'll have to keep watching it later, and see what else I can find.
I saw Star Twinkle Precure a bit further down the wiki's list, and one thing that stuck out at me was its space motifs and 80s inspired bright aesthetics. I really loved the old mecha shows from the 80s and 90s, and that vibe in general, so I was immediately intrigued.
I watched the first episode of it the other day. I liked it so much, I figured I should write my thoughts on it now while my first impression is still fresh! (I had watched a bit of Princess Precure, I may have to give my thoughts on that one as well).
It focuses on Hikaru, a teenage girl who loves astronomy. She accidentally summons an alien when she draws a constellation in her magic notebook. which sets off a chain of events that leads her into outer space to protect the creature, and become a legendary Precure!
There was a fair bit of high-pitched screaming/squealing in the first few minutes of the first episode, when the cute magical sidekick, in typical anime fashion, slams into the protagonist's head. There's some more of that sprinkled throughout the episode, but it didn't feel too excessive. And if you can get past that, it looks like a very promising show! I love how it leans heavily into sci-fi elements while still having unapologetically girly, cute aesthetics. Both appeal to me, but it feels rare for shows to combine the two.
In addition to being bright and engagingly animated, the theme song is also an absolute banger! I've had it playing on loop, alternating between other Precure songs for the past few days!
If you find realistically written preteens annoying, this probably isn't the Precure for you. Though Hikaru (the main character) was a little annoying, for me it was in an endearing way. Her exuberant energy and nerdishness reminded me of myself when I was around her age.
Though it's clear the showrunners care more about her characterization than flattening her into a pure "genki girl". You see Hikaru stopping for about a minute to speak with her parents, even bowing when told to, so you can see that she does have a more respectful side to her.
I also loved the way she didn't freak out when meeting the aliens, but instead geeked out. Even at the villains! You could just tell she had been waiting for something like this to happen her entire life. The fact that this is exactly what I would have done at that age in that scenario!
Though I like Hikaru, it's hard to say who my true favorite character is yet, as I usually only decide my favorite character after I've had time to see what each character contributes to the plot.
But I did like that poor jellyfish alien! When Lala (alien girl Hikaru meets) was too shy or surprised to say anything to counter Hikaru's recklessness, he had to step in. Or at least do his level best.
Fuwa is especially cute too. Perhaps my sense of humor is broken or irony poisoned or something, because during the flashback, when those older-looking Precures told the little puffball alien that she was "their last hope", and she was just like:
...
Fuwa? (A cute, blushy sheep face kaomoji)
I burst out laughing!
I dunno. Maybe "Fuwa" is my favorite. She is awfully cute. I was literally almost tearing up from how adorable she was when Hikaru was teasing her with the donut she was eating. Her increasingly delighted squeaks as Hikaru kept moving the donut closer to her face...they just have to be heard to be believed. Maybe she'll turn out to be the god of the home planet, or a secret monarch the whole time, or something funny like that.
Fuckass age verification
Feb. 16th, 2026 06:54 pmJust this evening, when I went to check this site, I got a weird error page, telling me that I was being geoblocked due to age verification laws in Mississippi.
I was using Dreamwidth earlier today without any issue, and I was definitely not in Mississippi. Multiple reloads later, and I was still geoblocked. It became obvious I'd have to download a VPN to get on here again.
I went with Proton VPN due to how often it appears in Best VPN lists (usually as something like, "Best Free VPN"). My relief was palpable when I was able to access the site again. The server randomly chosen for me was in the U.S., so I was a little worried nothing would change, but it must have been far enough from Mississippi to not be an issue.
I was concerned about the privacy implications prior (because you KNOW these companies that collect ID scans don't provide this service out of the goodness of their hearts). But it hadn't occurred to me how prohibitively expensive age verification would be for smaller sites that run on donations.
These fuckass age verification laws had better not come for my state.
I was using Dreamwidth earlier today without any issue, and I was definitely not in Mississippi. Multiple reloads later, and I was still geoblocked. It became obvious I'd have to download a VPN to get on here again.
I went with Proton VPN due to how often it appears in Best VPN lists (usually as something like, "Best Free VPN"). My relief was palpable when I was able to access the site again. The server randomly chosen for me was in the U.S., so I was a little worried nothing would change, but it must have been far enough from Mississippi to not be an issue.
I was concerned about the privacy implications prior (because you KNOW these companies that collect ID scans don't provide this service out of the goodness of their hearts). But it hadn't occurred to me how prohibitively expensive age verification would be for smaller sites that run on donations.
These fuckass age verification laws had better not come for my state.
One of my pet peeves is when I come across a fanfic rewrite of an unpopular official work, and the summary is just...like...a combination of the author self-aggrandizing and/or talking about how bad the original is, listing all the things they didn't like, and then stating what they'll do to fix it. And their dislikes/fixes are things that many fans have proposed before.
I get being upfront about what your story will be about, but if they can't be bothered to make their summary a more interesting read than a random forum post fantasizing about a hypothetical rewrite, why should I be bothered to read it?
Each author is different. Each rewrite is different. But here they are, deliberately emphasizing the same-ness of it to other people's ideas, making it sound as cookie-cutter as possible!
I think the best summary is a coherent hook for a story that stands on its own, and, as odd as it sounds, doesn't rely too much on the idea that it's a rewrite. What I mean is, hypothetically, if the original work that prompted it were to vanish from existence, would the fic still sound like something worth clicking into?
I get being upfront about what your story will be about, but if they can't be bothered to make their summary a more interesting read than a random forum post fantasizing about a hypothetical rewrite, why should I be bothered to read it?
Each author is different. Each rewrite is different. But here they are, deliberately emphasizing the same-ness of it to other people's ideas, making it sound as cookie-cutter as possible!
I think the best summary is a coherent hook for a story that stands on its own, and, as odd as it sounds, doesn't rely too much on the idea that it's a rewrite. What I mean is, hypothetically, if the original work that prompted it were to vanish from existence, would the fic still sound like something worth clicking into?
(no subject)
Jan. 5th, 2025 07:36 pmI just changed the theme for my journal with a custom theme 💜 (Hope I did it right) It looks good on mobile!
