#Cyane does something productive

[bibibbon]

Tbhx and the disposability of man pt3

Here is part 1 aka lin Ling's arc

Part 2 aka yang cheng's arc

Lucky Cyan's arc both explores the disposability of her true self for a polished image and what it's like to be moulded into a product so your guardian can live their dreams through you.

This starts when Ms. Zhao starts to use cyan for her own benefit, although a few moments back, she charges in trying to stop the kids from 'bullying' her as she puts it. The word spreads among the staff of the orphanage and little by little cyan begins to be seen as just a puppet for good luck. Get cyan to do this for the best possible outcome or get her to choose something or bless something for you. It doesn't matter that she is a child, an orphan who is directly under your care she is a good luck charm that is bound to guarantee the best possible outcome. Through this, cyan begins to lose the little humanity she was allowed in the first place and begins to be just viewed as a commodity that must serve the people who believe in her.

The orphanage's care comes at price, and this is the price forced onto cyan. A cruel price indeed that further robs her of her sense of self.

While the Dean tries to call Ms zhao out for this and tries to deem himself as above this type of behaviour he quickly goes back on his words and also exploits cyan for his own personal gain, although his exploitation I would argue is way more sinister than Ms Zhao's since he is under the belief that this is something that benefits both him and cyan when in reality that's far from the truth.

Again, even with the Dean, the message of the orphanage's care comes at price, and a price that strips cyan of who she is and who she wants to be is repeated.

While Ms. zhao is criticised for using cyan as a money tree, the dean goes a step further and tries to live his life through cyan controlling every aspect of her that he possibly can. Episode 9 reveals that the reason the orphanage was created in the first place is to nurture heroes, and the dean picks cyan as his victim. A girl granted an immeasurable value of luck can both allow him to live his dream of being a hero, but she can make as much money as he desires.

He builds the image of the sacred maiden for her laying brick by brick, from building a whole church, selling merchandise, advertising the whole thing and even restricting her from what normal kids her age can do. Cyan will spend the whole day practising, she will almost always be seen wearing her maiden outfit, she will cover her hair, authentic parts of herself so she can live up to an indescribable image.

This further dehumanises cyan. If she wasn't already dehumanised by the staff in the orphanage, she is now fully dehumanised by her own peers who watch their step and themselves whenever she is around. This isolates her from everyone and everything, and the only one that manages to break that is lou.

Even though cyan does defeat the Dean and escapes his grasp, she isn't really free in the end, considering her new predicament with Micky and DOS.

Micky doesn't try to hide it in any means. He quite literally tells cyan if she likes her new character, taking the time to explain that the only reason they even ditched the sacred maiden image is not for cyan's sake or for her wants but because the public has been shifting and wanting more independent female heroes and that this new image only exists because of that purpose. Again, cyan is only here to fulfil a role. When the people wanted a maiden of luck, they got the maiden of luck, and now when the people want an independent loud and vibrant hero they will get exactly that not because she is in control but because that's what society wants. Again, under DOS she is simply viewed as a commodity however, she does now have people that care for who cyan is as a person and while that might not be enough its something in the grand scheme of things. In the grand scheme of things, at least there will be some who know who cyan really is and not just a made-up character wearing a costume and acting to please the masses.

The show does also go out of its way to make it clear that cyan doesn't want to be a hero. Her becoming a hero was for lou and now that she has found him and that he is safe I wonder if there will be any season 2 conflict with her wanting to be a musician more than her fully wanting to be a hero and having to live up to another character forced upon her by another man who is supposed to care for her.

There's a tragedy in how the things that cyan so heavily loves and finds freedom in such as music, rollerskating and her own clothing are twisted into things that trap her in her role whether that be by removing these things or changing them. If her arc had a darker tone, I can definitely see her paralleling nice a lot more in the way that the things they love are twisted into making her obey or having coperations suck the life and joy out of them.

[leonardalphachurch]

Red vs Blue: Reformation

After Epsilon fragments himself inside of his mind, Tucker is left to pick up the pieces.

An alternate take on Tucker’s story in Season 19: Restoration.

Masterpost

Available to read on Ao3

CHAPTER 1 - Recognition

They might’ve finally found what they’ve been looking for. But there’s one thing to take care of, first.

__________________________

We open on a shot of a military base at night. Two guards stand in front of an exit.

Guard 1: Hey.

Guard 2: Yeah?

Guard 1: You ever wonder… if we’re in a simulation?

Guard 2: Simulation?

Guard 1: Yeah, yknow, like, none of this is real. We’re just the product of some guy simulating a bunch of random outcomes to try to find out what happens next?

Guard 2: … No. That sounds made up.

Guard 1: It’s not made up! It’s a real theory!

A cloaked figure enters through the door between them. Guard 1 raises his gun.

Guard 1: Whoa. Did you see that?

Guard 2: See what? Your simulation?

Guard 1: No! I don’t know! Looked like something… invisible.

Guard 2: Invisible? How does something look invisible?

Guard 1: Well, it looks like something that’s not there.

Guard 2: How am I supposed to see something that’s not there?

Guard 1: It is there, it just looks like—

A second cloaked figure enters the base.

Guard 1: There! There it is again! Did you see it?

Guard 2: Did I see the invisible thing that isn’t there?

Guard 1: Yes!

Guard 2: No. No I didn’t.

Guard 1: Dammit.

Guard 2: Maybe it was a glitch in the simulation.

Guard 1: Oh, fuck you.

Cut to the inside of the base. We see a series of shots. A pair of cloaked boots run along a hallway, followed closely by another. A guard collapses out of nowhere. A silenced pistol is shot.

Cut to the inside of a room. The door opens. No one enters. The door closes. An armored soldier uncloaks.

It’s Locus.

Locus: Is this the correct room?

Another soldier uncloaks and walks past him. He’s wearing The Meta’s armor in black. As he speaks, it fades into an aqua.

It’s Tucker.

Tucker: It should be.

He walks up to a large terminal and plugs in a device.

Tucker: Let’s find out. Guys?

Multiple colors of lights flash around him. Green, cyan, purple, pink, yellow, turquoise. Orange.

Tucker loses his balance after the last flash. But only for a second. He shakes his head and turns to look at Locus.

Tucker: Security here sucked, huh?

Locus is standing in between Tucker and the door, not leaving his back open to either of them.

Locus: I’ve learned it’s not something to complain about.

Tucker: I’m not complaining. Just saying, if what we think is here, is here? Well, it deserves a hell of a lot more security than that.

Locus: …What do you think is here?

Tucker: Huh?

A flash of cyan light.

Tucker: Oh, it’s some old files from Freelancer. Nothing too important, but, shit’s super classified. Be fucked if just anyone found it.

Locus makes a noise of acknowledgement. Is he agreeing? Disagreeing? Gassy? Who knows.

Tucker leans against the terminal, all casual like.

Tucker: So, how’ve you been?

Locus: ………. Fine……..

Tucker laughs.

Tucker: Damn dude, slow down. Even the AI couldn’t process that much information.

Locus sighs.

Locus: I have been. Fine. Nothing interesting has happened since we last spoke.

Tucker: All right.

They take a beat.

Locus: ………. How…… are. you???

Tucker: Wow. That seemed physically painful.

Locus: I… am not used to being the one leading the conversation.

Tucker: Right.

They take another beat.

Tucker: Y’know, I was kinda surprised you were willing to work with a partner again so soon after. Well, y’know. Didn’t think you’d trust so easily.

Locus: I… was more surprised you were willing to trust me.

Tucker, quietly: Yeah, surprised me too…

He stares at the terminal. Some colors flash around him. Pink, cyan, purple, yellow. Orange.

Tucker: We’ve also been doing fine. Same old, same old. Chasing down leads, cleaning up Freelancer’s messes, blowing up Charon’s shit.

Locus: Being a thorn in the UNSC’s side?

Tucker points at him.

Tucker: You know it! Saving the galaxy. One step at a—

Sigma appears at Tucker’s side. Not as a flash of light, but in his full naked, on fire, hologram-y glory.

Sigma: This is it.

Tucker stands up straight, giving Sigma his full attention.

Tucker: Wait, seriously? Finally? It’s really actually him?

Locus: What is “it”?

Tucker: I told you, it’s just old files from Freelancer.

Locus: You said “him.”

A flash of cyan.

Tucker: Did I? Must’ve misspoke.

Sigma: Lavernius. It’s time.

Tucker: Right.

Tucker takes the device out of the terminal. The colors flash all around him again.

Locus: Time for what? I… have been patient. But I do not appreciate being kept in the dark. I know you have bigger plans—

Tucker: Dude, relax. It’s not like we were gonna tell you everything before we knew we could trust you. You? C’mon, be realistic. But,

Tucker lets out an over dramatic sigh.

Tucker: Fine. I’ll explain everything when we get out of here, okay? Just— oh, shit, watch the door.

Locus turns to face the door.

Tucker: Like I was saying,

Tucker pulls out a gun.

Tucker: We were pretty surprised you were trusting enough to work with a partner so soon.

Tucker shoots Locus in the back.

Tucker: Probably shouldn’t have been.

Locus: You—

Tucker starts walking. He reaches down to grab something off Locus as he passes.

Locus: You— why— I, I can’t move—

Tucker: Yeah, don’t worry. Delta says you’ll get use of your legs back in 6 months. Right D?

A flash of green.

Delta: 6-12.

Tucker: 6-12. Cool how they can calculate that, huh?

Locus: Why… why are you doing this?

Tucker: It’s nothing personal, man. Just taking out one of the few people in the universe who might be able to stop us.

Tucker stops walking next to a wall.

Tucker: Well…

He reaches his hand towards an alarm.

Tucker: Maybe a little personal.

He flips it. Lights start flashing, sirens start blaring.

Tucker: I hear the UNSC treats genocidal maniacs well.

Tucker moves to the door.

Locus: You… I should have trusted my instincts. You are just like him.

Tucker stops. Purple, yellow, cyan. Orange. He laughs.

Tucker: You’re joking, right? You two were mass murderers. I’m trying to clean up the mess that you made. I am protecting people. Look at how easily you were manipulated again! Trust me. The galaxy is safer with you put away. It’s safer with us.

The door flings open as Tucker turns invisible. Locus tries to tell the oncoming guards about Tucker’s presence to no avail. We see a Tucker’s cloaked figure maneuver past the guards, into an empty area of the base.

He uncloaks.

Tucker: All right guys. Calculate how fucking badass that exit was.

All the AIs holograms pop up around him. Their lines slightly overlap each other.

Delta: Given your standard metrics, I would calculate that was… 75% “badass.”

Gamma: Too cheesy.

Theta: It was so cool!

Gamma: Overly sentimental.

Omega: We should have killed him.

Sigma: You should not have taken his bait.

None of the others’ lines overlap with Sigma’s.

Sigma: You cut the door opening too close. It was an unnecessary risk. Don’t do it again.

Tucker: Oh, please, Sig.

He flicks Sigma’s hologram.

Tucker: I know you love the dramatics.

Sigma: Not when we are this close.

Tucker looks down at the device he’s holding.

Tucker: So this is really it? We really found him?

Delta: We will not know for certain until we can decryp—

Sigma: Yes. This is him.

Tucker holds the device up and stares at it. Lovingly.

Tucker: All right, Church. Just wait a little longer. We’re gonna fix everything. Real soon.

Omega: Not soon enough. Let’s move.

Tucker laughs, cloaks again, and heads out.

[skysometric]

Skysometric Design Retrospective, Part 2

Taking Shape (continued from part 1)

how does anyone decide on a personal logo? serious question, i have no idea. my old look as WillWare was a hexagon because i like hexagons, and it had a W because the name was alliterative. anything that has a deeper meaning than that is frankly beyond my creative scope.

so i'm Sky now, and i need an S in a hexagon, to continue the precedent set by my old self. well, duh, that sounds like a hole in one! i probably got the shape right on my first try, didn't i?

...of course not! do you know how many freaking ways there are to draw an S on an isometric grid??

now guess how many different ways i've drawn the letter W.

most of these initial attempts were to solve a simple logistics question: how do i inscribe the letter S without leaving any gaps in the hexagon shape? i'm sure i could've used some math to figure it out, but i much preferred treating it like a puzzle and fitting the pieces together.

on the left you can see this quite literally, "weaving" individual rectangles together to create the S shape. but even after a couple of attempts, i couldn't figure out how to close the gaps on the outside of the hexagon. the bottom shape is a fun experiment with taking this weaving concept to its extreme, at which point the S shape is no longer visible. (but it's more obvious if you remove the ↙↗ minor diagonal in the middle!)

on the right i decided to step back and try other methods, like a simple block outline – which i ultimately discarded because it looks a little too much like the Superman logo, or maybe the "cool S" everyone could draw back in school. but the two at the top are worth going into more detail!

wha? Gamecube logo? nah, i have no idea what you're talking about.

the first was an attempt to make an S in the style of the "New WillWare" logo, using isometric blocks. but it really did not pan out, and any other variations i could think of were too simplistic. this was the turning point that made me realize, yeah, there's no going back to my old look. it won't fit me anymore.

huh? Dropbox logo? nah, you're just seeing things.

even though i couldn't fit this one in a "regular" hexagon (where all six sides are the same length), i still really like the idea – a tight knit shape that shows its direction with a color ramp! the S is visible by following the colors from cyan to purple, a much more subtle look than the other in-your-face attempts.

all this experimentation was fun, but my heart was set on something closer to the "weaving" attempts i started with, fitting block shapes together into a larger hexagon. i could practically see the outline in my head! why won't the shapes fit together??

so i drew the outline, and the shapes naturally followed:

the moment of clarity.

i drew out the new shape several times to help me choose which order to layer the crossbar – should it go over or under the top and bottom? i chose to put it under the top and over the bottom so that the shapes "flow" downward, just like writing an S with a pencil.

and that just leaves one question regarding the shape: how does it look digitally?

"really fast mockup of... an idea" – November 17th, 2020 via Twitter, just twelve days after coming out.

it looks great! so now i have a stable base to work with and build a logo out of.

you may notice it's in different colors than the finished product – in fact, this uses my old color palette, just to make it quick to test the shape with. but now i have a difficult problem... i need colors, and those are historically my biggest struggle with graphic design.

(continued in part 3...)

[wsancho]

FF6 Characters Body Types

For a while I wondered about Sabin’s body type. His concept art and sprite make him look very bulky, but I always assumed that he should have the size of a martial artist. I had Bruce Lee in mind until I heard that he did some body-building (so his physique was not the product of ass-kicking alone). Then I remembered that the game gave official height and weight for the characters, so here’s a comparison of Body Mass Indexes🙃

Sabin Height: 190 cm Weight: 106 kg BMI: 29.4

Chris Hemsworth Height: 190 cm Weight: 104 kg BMI: 28.8

GODDAMN!!!!! 👀❤️‍🔥

Ahem 🧐 Mah boi is bigger than Thor, so going by the official data, there has to be some intentional, targeted, measured, disciplined, strict body-building in his routine. Some source said that Hemsworth was eating like a mf every 2hrs when bulking. Actors change their bodies too quickly and too often, so the changes don’t “stick” and the body quickly returns to its baseline.

For this to be Sabin’s baseline, fuck damnit he worked his ass off consistently. Maybe in WoR he could lose volume and get more shredded due to lack of nutrients. Bulking up and maintaining ridiculously sized muscles demands ridiculous amounts of nutrients.

Edgar Height: 183 cm Weight: 77 kg BMI: 23

Ryan Gosling Height: 183 cm Weight: 76 kg BMI: 22.7

Mah boi is Kenough, I freaking love it! 😆🥰💝 I also checked Tom Hiddleston (Loki), but he’s taller and heavier than Ed 🙃

Locke Height: 175 cm Weight: 67 kg BMI: 21.9

Healthy!Jared Leto Height: 175 cm Weight: 69 kg BMI: 22.5

More flesh than I expected. The Amano art made me think of a young punk rocker. But this body composition makes sense to me, considering Locke’s prowess.

Setzer Height: 175 cm Weight: 62 kg BMI: 20.2

Healthy!Michael Jackson Height: 175 cm Weight: 62 kg BMI: 20.2

This tracks. Seems Amano likes them muscles, though.

Shadow Height: 178 cm Weight: 66 kg BMI: 20.8

Bryce Mitchell Height: 178 cm Weight: 66 kg BMI: 20.8

Damn it took me a while to find someone with those dimensions! My man really is light as a feather, but we know he kicks ass, so he’s gotta be strong skinny.

Kefka Height: 167 cm Weight: 48 kg BMI: 17.2

Starved!Jared Leto Height: 175 cm Weight: 53 kg BMI: 17.3

Starved!Leto’s BMI is pretty much the same as Kefka’s. I couldn’t think of someone famous with Kefka’s dimensions, but skinny!Macaulay Culkin could come close at 170 cm of height. It’s interesting for Kefka to have that “hungry look”, something that the director of Thor wanted to convey with Loki’s pale, wiry appearance in the first movie. Being underweight makes one so incredibly hungry that there’s no such thing as “eating until feeling full”. You only get to “feel full” once you achieve healthy weight 😬

Cyan Height: 178 cm Weight: 72 kg BMI: 22.7

Khabib Nurmagomedov Height: 178 cm Weight: 70 kg BMI: 22.1

Amano’s art made him look huge, but to my surprise, he’s rather lightweight. Strength doesn’t equal bulk (bulking to Amano's art level would take intentional effort, it wouldn't happen with martial arts training alone), so Cyan’s incredible strength is probably the result of consistent repetition; just like Khabib's 😌

Gau Height: 163 cm Weight: 50 kg BMI: 18.8

Seth Green Height: 163 cm Weight: 52 kg BMI: 19.6

I don’t know enough short famous dudes. Green is the closest I could find, but Gau's composition is probably closer to that of an indigenous teen.

I won’t even try to find a match for Strago.

Celes Height: 172 cm Weight: 58 kg BMI: 19.6

Jessica Biel Height: 170 cm Weight: 55 kg BMI: 19

💪🏼👀 #goals

Terra Height: 160 cm Weight: 48 kg BMI: 18.8

Adult!Nadia Comăneci Height: 160 cm Weight: 47 kg BMI: 18.4

Slender and strong 😙🎀

Relm Height: 153 cm Weight: 40 kg BMI: 17.1

Child!Nadia Comăneci Height: 150 cm Weight: 39 kg BMI: 17.3

On a completely uncalled-for note, Child!Comăneci was 14 and the majority of age in Figaro is 14 (same as the age of consent in Japan), so Relm does look “all grown up” for Figaro (and Japan) standards 🫤

No, Edgar is no pedophile, it’s just a terrible joke from the devs, which aged terribly.

[halfghcst]

How does a Ghost work?

All you need to know about the rules of Ghost Physiology, a lesson brought to you by Fenton Works!

—✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

✦Ectoplasm✦ The substance that makes up the entirety of a ghost’s physical form. It also comes in many forms and densities. From a thick slime to an almost watery liquid to a dangerous plasma. Depending on the ghost, Ectoplasm can vary in many qualities, such as corrosiveness. Usually the thicker slime variants are harmless and if dangerous at all will only cause a minor rash or dull burning feeling.  The more liquid or plasma like it becomes, the more likely it is to be harmful to touch, however there are exceptions to this rule! So please use caution when handling! Considering some ectoplasm variants have been known to eat through flesh and even steel in a matter of seconds, you should always wear protective equipment when dealing with the substance or avoid it entirely. Additionally, depending on the form the ectoplasm takes, it can evaporate rather quickly.  Ectoplasm also comes in a variety of bright or neon colors, although all will have at least some sort of glowing quality to them. Green is the most common, however pink, cyan, yellow, purple, and red are other colors to look out for! Ghosts tend to leave an ectoplasmic residue where ever they most frequent. It manifests in more hidden areas of the location such as pipes and the inside of walls. This can cause a lot of property damage and you will need to call a professional to both remove the ghost and work with your ghost related insurances for a clean up estimate. If a haunting occurs any longer, you risk ingesting and coming into skin contact with ectoplasm and if you survive you will need to seek medical attention immediately.  ✦Forms✦ Be sure to remember, ghosts can come in many forms. Big or small, they all have the same capacity to do harm to the living. Many think of the more simply shaped ghosts, usually blob-like with eyes and a mouth. Or maybe one eye and many mouths. Either way, do not let that mental image lead you astray. Ghosts can look very animal or human like. Some can be unrecognizable as anything knowable from nature. Some can create disguises indistinguishable from the living. The latter grotesquely peels off if damaged by the right equipment. There are signs to look for in those that don’t go out of their way to disguise themselves. Some are obvious where others are not. A faint glow about their skin or fur, depending on humanoid or animal shapes taken. Strange colors to them, in any or even every aspect. Look for size differences or an unusual number of limbs, eyes, or mouths. (or a lack of those qualities) They can look quite sickly in some cases. One such case appears to be a blonde haired older teenager with pale “greasy” skin, his motive is usually to relentlessly flirt with living teenage girls. So he often comes into contact range with the living.  There are others that specialize in expert shape shifting. You should pay attention to vocal and behavioral changes in people you know to discern whether or not you’re talking to something you don’t actually know.   

✦Resistances & Immunities✦ A ghost has many passive physiological functions, the most notable being almost untouchable. While they have physical forms, ghosts’ bodies can only be touched by a living creature if they want it to happen. Barring specific equipment or treatments a living human can undergo. This does not appear to always be the case for inanimate objects, as we know some ghosts can bump into walls and furniture (and even break things) on accident. (However, we at Fenton Works study this phenomenon in only the most ghost active hot spots. Which could skew that specific information due to a lot of materials, objects, and products,  more often than not, being treated with anti-ghost materials and substances.)    Given the above information, you should be aware that ghosts’ physical forms usually cannot be affected by weaponry or containments of any kind. For the former, on the off chance it does work, we recommend giving the ghost a quick wide berth after your attack, as ectoplasm splatter may be dangerous and will most definitely stain clothing– if not destroy it. The right equipment; treated with a special synthetic type of ectoplasmic material, extracted material from special types of plants, or made with a special type of ore, are the only things we know of that can deal with the constant ghostly threat. 

✦Eating Habits✦ As far as we know, ghosts do not truly need food to keep their forms from deteriorating like a living person does. However, they can eat pretty much anything. Food, objects, cloth, other ghosts–usually humanoid ghosts will go for animal-like ghosts in much the same way the living hunts an animal to eat. They don’t lose out from not eating, however they do gain from the act of eating. Depending on what they eat, ghosts appear to become slightly more powerful or energetic. The consumed material acting as something akin to a fuel for a fire.  *We do have on record, many types of ectoplasm based foods within the ghost zone. Not just animals, but also fruits, vegetables, and grains. Do plants create ghosts of themselves when they die? A subject that bears further looking into. 

✦Specialized Functions✦ Ghosts who have special abilities, such as weather manipulation– infuses ectoplasmic energies into whatever it is they do. This adds an extra danger to say, a flood or a blizzard. You do not want to be flooded by ectoplasm contaminated water or pelted with ecto-infused snow. It is important to follow any protocol your local government, school, or workplace issues for ghost related emergencies. There should be documents at any of these establishments relating to any situations we have recorded previously. If you have not been briefed on what to do in these events, you may be entitled to receive compensation for any damages you manage to survive.  

✦Drive or Motive✦ It is sometimes difficult to tell what a ghost’s true motives are. However there are many that are compelled to tell you, if they are able, exactly what they want. Every ghost has a basic emotional drive relating to some sort of attachment. We assume this attachment is related to things they loved or worked with often in life. They will be persistent as it is almost all they can think about. So please call a professional if you suspect a haunting occurring.  

✦Behavior Pattern✦ Most ghosts actually are very passive and neutral. Tending to leave the living alone and simply exist. However, due to the fact that they still affect areas they inhabit with their residue, they can cause unintentional damages and harm to the living. So even these types of ghosts must be relocated or dealt with in some manner.  The types most often talked about may be outnumbered by the non-aggressive types, but they do significant enough damage even when there is only one around that they must immediately be taken care of by a local ghost hunting team. The aggressive types will go out of their way to satiate their driving motive by any means available to them. This includes but is not limited to; physical harm of any living being in the area, property destruction, water and food contamination, power drainage, theft of property, abduction of the living, and even death of the living.  Some ghosts may attempt to push the living out of a home or establishment in a bid to obtain a territory for itself. They may even engage in conflict with one another over a perceived territory. Or work together as a means to push the living out.  There are no records of any ghost going out of it’s way to do anything beneficial for or to help the living. Other ghosts, yes. But the living? They may trick the living if their goal is to gain something from them, but they will not selflessly act to help them in any manner. They especially will not engage in combat with other ghosts to do so. So be wary if a ghost is offering you assistance or “protecting” you. This is likely a manipulation tactic of some kind.

✦Ghost Language✦

All newly formed ghosts will be unable to communicate with the living. We can use special devices to understand them. Or they can try to get their points across in other ways. However, don’t expect a ghost to be up for a game of charades. The age at which a ghost is finally able to speak to the living in an understandable way, without the use of an aid of some kind, varies from ghost to ghost. But most research into the subject suggests that it must have at least been ten years since the first formation of their physical form.  

[sandanth]

Intertwine: The Mini Market

Before I go into this story, I'm just gonna say that this is one of two teasers that I'm gonna put out for the 1st chapter of my webcomic! Hope you enjoy these :)

The Mini Market

Clyde was wondering around the dusty place, his clothes and the backpack he wore were dusted with sand and grime as he strewn about the decrepit city, reminiscing about the past and how he felt regret in getting into this mess which he wouldn't have caused if he had just controlled himself.

It wouldn't be long after walking for a while that he noticed the area wasn't full of sunlight anymore. It used to be evening, however it started to darken to night. He could've kept on walking, walking around the dusty place, maybe bumped into concrete or fell time to time, his body doesn't need any requirements to survive like any other person does, but he felt that it should have one, as a treat to himself, even if he shouldn't need it.

He walked and walked around, trying to find shelter for himself. A rest should be enough, he thought as he looked around, but blocks and blocks of concrete from abandoned stores surrounded him, none of them in sight would be considered useful to be a place habitable enough to stay inside for the moment.

It was only then a slight cyan light shone across a sliver of concrete that attracted his gaze.

"What?" He said in confusion.

Clyde thought this whole city was abandoned, and that no electricity was to be found powering anything at all. This gave him hope, maybe there is someone or something nearby, that is able to help him, that is able to offer him a ride out of this place, that is able to talk with…

Clyde starts walking over to the source of the light, weaving through the blocks of concrete that once used to be lively with buildings and stores, it felt like forever before he reached his destination, a small mini market standing out in the middle of abandoned stores and buildings, cyan colored lights shined bright, lighting up the outside of the mini market. The atmosphere felt lively from looking at the sign itself, as it was made out of neon lights, however no name was made with them.

Clyde walked over to the front entrance and peered inside, it seems to just be a normal small mini market, food were placed on rows of racks and drinks were placed in what looks to be a cooler. There were 4 aisles in the store, with gaps in between each racks holding on to some products so much so that you can walk in a line horizontally through the aisles. On closer inspection, several things inside were flipped on it's side on the ground, a spot in the back of the market made way for a resting place.

After looking through the front glass, minding one of the busted glass doors at the entrance of the mini market, Clyde decided to head inside the market. The outside darkening as the night comes on.

By the time he entered, he did not notice that someone else was watching him from one of the windows from the empty buildings nearby, their eyes glowing white in the darkness, filled with curiosity, before receding from the empty window.

The mini market was chock full of resources. Using what he learnt, Clyde was able to start a small fire in a barrel at the empty corner of the market. Snacks that were still edible, were in his hands and his backpack as he sat down and huddled close to the fire, feeling it's warmth.

Clyde closes his eyes, as he reminisced again about his time with his friends. It was a Christmas celebration and all of them were hanging out for a group sleepover. All of them were chatting, messing around, playing activities and such.

What Clyde focused more on was his then boyfriend, Darc, both of whom were happily discussing about the events taking place at that time, laughing about silly jokes, enjoying the moment as well as flirting with each other. He sighs as he experienced the peacefulness of the memory.

"Wish I can go back." Clyde thought, a sad frown formed on his face as he slowly drifts to sleep.

CLINK CLANG

Clyde was jolted awake with the sudden sounds of metal clashing together.

Someone is here,

but within the range of the light of the fire, as it was slowly burning in intensity, he could not see anyone. The blue light from the sign outside did not help, as Clyde realized the lights were turned off by now. It was dark out there, night has fallen, the darkness grew in the market.

"God dammit."

Clyde grew anxious, he had to remain calm, it's his responsibility to keep himself out of harm's way, he has to survive, he can't bear the fact that he has to encounter this stranger for the first time but he has to, he has to.

He stood up and slowly started walking around the aisles, checking each and every one of it to find a weapon that he can use.

Soon, he picked up a frying pan, it was enough to be dealt on someone without killing them with his current strength. It was also the only suitable weapon that he can find while searching through the aisles he went to.

It was quiet. Clyde was slowly walking to another aisle to search for something useful on the racks, he planned to book it from the store if he ever approached the front door by then. However…

for a moment from the back of the store, he had never realized the white glowing eyes that were near the front entrance were staring at him.

Only when he saw them in his peripheral vision was when he turned to look at it fully and froze. He was petrified, meeting eye to eye with the stranger.

"YAAAAAAAAR" "Shit SHit SHIT ARGH-"

Clyde was ready to turn back and run away, but he wasn't fast enough as the stranger threw an object at his head at high speeds that he easily slipped and fell to the ground, letting the stranger catch up to him.

Hands were up on Clyde in an instant, one hand wrapped around his neck tightly, followed by the other who cupped Clyde's abled arm, forcing him to drop the frying pan. The stranger stretched forward and high over him, however the stranger does not look at him directly.

Clyde was struggling to remove the stranger's hand off his neck, which it was impossible to do so. His neck was gripped tight and he might die if he doesn't do anything.

Clyde realized the stranger's grip on his arm was loosening by this very moment. He took it as a chance to free himself. He was looking all over the floor for the frying pan he picked up just now, seeing it mere centimetres away from him.

He reached out for it, yanking his abled arm off the stranger, while one hand was still on the stranger's hands that held his neck.

WHAM

The stranger's face was hit with a force so hard that their head collided with the racks as items on it fell off, the grip on Clyde's neck was lessened significantly. As a result, Clyde was able to get up after the struggle.

The stranger looked back at Clyde before-

WHAM

"Arh! Stop STO-" The stranger fell on to their back on the floor of the market, splayed out as their noodle-like arms tries to find its way to protect themselves. Clyde winds up another strike as he finds an opening.

WHAM

The stranger finally went unconscious, splayed out again as messed up spaghetti. Clyde towered over it, panicked breathing escaping after being full of adrenaline before letting go of the frying pan.

He stepped back from the mess. As his adrenaline rush was slowly fizzling out, he looked back at what he'd done.

"Oh no… No no no no no…" He didn't kill it, did he?

Regret washed over him once again. With what strength he had left, he dragged the stranger over to the fire, he didn't know what to do, all he could do was to prop it next to the fire, despite looking like the same mess as before, hoping that they're still warm in the scenario that they're still alive.

Clyde grabbed his backpack and packed extra supplies into it. He sat down next to the front entrance, thinking of things to do when he leaves, but he doesn't want to leave until ensuring that the stranger is at least alive.

It's all too much. "What will he do when it turns out to be dead? What will happen to me if it's dead… If it's dead… If…"

"Please be fine…" Clyde whispered as he started sobbing, tears running down his face, he can't stand losing someone, even if his life was in danger from them minutes ago.

Clyde ended up sleeping on his side, leaned on his backpack, tears stained his face.

After double checking for any more sounds from Clyde, the stranger opened his eyes as he retracted his elongated body from the fight.

He never passed out in the first place, all he did was pretending to be dead.

After a few moments, he walked over to Clyde and kneeled down to meet his face eye-to-eye, looking at him longingly, before getting up and sitting down somewhere near him, just close enough so that Clyde wasn't able to directly see him when he wakes up again.

The Mini Market: END

[marcusrobertobaq]

ANDROIDS AIN'T HOT

Yes, it's exactly what u thinking. Actually looking the infrared they're kinda... cold, for a human ofc. The blue, cyan and green range should mean around 18°C~25°C depending on what they're using for. In this case is for detecting androids (based on humans temperature):

Androids won't show red, orange and yellow spots cuz, well, they're cold. In this case ain't only bout the surface but also the whole thing. Their "mass(?)" ain't hot overall cuz they ain't organic.

But now I wanna talk about internal components. I don't know much about 'em architecture and engineering besides CPU instruction/sec to know how much heat the processor produces, but i think they got this part of kinda under control, it's 2038 after all.

Androids don't seem to suffer from overheat that much even under stress (like deviancy process for example) so i think 'em shit got heat control in mind overall, i mean, they're kinda complex androids, in both software and hardware sense, and got lotta functions - I bet their program is polished enough to be efficient and take less power as possible. U need think about these things when u got a CPU faster than light speed - u need a way of producing less heat as possible and got a good dissipation method in case shit's get above the average.

U also needa think how much electricity u gonna need to power everything but ain't what I'm talking about here but this is also relates to heat.

And this thirium thing must be big deal in less heat production too. I bet if u could get an infrared scan inside these androids, especially in the head and thirium cables ends, would be colder than u think it is. Obviously the infrared gonna show orange and yellow spots where we got electrical contact cuz it produces heat but I think wouldn't be something exaggerated. They also probably got a decent cooler system.

It's canon, at least for Markus, they can raise the body temperature at will and overheat, catch on fire. I honestly don't know how in the game but my bet is he stress his CPU causing a disbalance in the electrical energy, and as thirium is a conductor this high amount of electricity flows to other components contacts and it overheats too. It should catch on fire first in weaker places, places ain't got much "protection" related to this thing, like limbs for example (it's what happens).

Does it ring any bell? Yes, self-destruction method. By overheating u gonna be destroying not only the surface but your internal components. You're literally frying your core and melting everything. It's just..."impossible" to fix. Everything is ruined. It's a good tactic that could be use in soldier androids - actually I think it comes from military stuff.

So yea, ladies and gentlemen. Forget about the soft and warm touches in your NSFW. Unless u really wanna get human in your thing they'll hafta raise 'em temperature. Ain't something good to an android that's supposed to be cool, bad things can happen. But if it's a controlled situation, well 🤷🏾‍♂️

For u to really overheat your android gotta be an input outta this world.

[thedestructionoftheheatray6471]

Sudden Shift

September 14, 2016

Fey & Co. Law Offices

Ugh... I fell asleep? When did that happen...? Must've been the celebration last night...

[Phoenix groggily blinked awake on the office couch as he sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.]

Wait a minute... This isn't the Wright Anything Agency... is it...?

[He looks around. He sees files and a desk.]

...I feel like something's wrong here. Last night, it had magic tricks and the owner of this office was Trucy. Apollo even started his own office "Justice Law Offices." So why is it back to its original place...? ...Wait. Wait. Wait. Does that mean...

NICK!! Nick, wake up!! It's an emergency!

Gah?! Maya?! I'm awake! What's the emergency?!

You have to see this! It's on the news! Hurry!

The news? Maya, what's going on?

There's no time to explain! Come on!

M-Mayyaaa?!

[Before he could say anything, Maya grabbed his arm and dragged him into the side room. Pearl was already standing by the TV. The TV shows the news.]

News Reporter: Breaking News!

[The TV shows a grim photo of the Global Studios gate. The scene is surrounded by police tape.]

(Oh no... It can't be what I think it is...)

News Reporter: There has been an horrific incident at the set of the television series "The Steel Samurai." during production. Multiple staff members were found brutally slaughtered, and the Authorities say that the victims were so badly mutilated that identification has become almost near impossible.

[Phoenix, Maya and Pearl stared in horror as the news continued.]

News Reporter: We also found some strange orange and cyan coloured residue at the scene, which was never found before by forensic experts. Analysis suggests that it may be hazardous, and even capable of spreading throughout the multiverses. We urge all citizens to stay indoors unless it is absolutely necessary to go outside. We repeat, stay indoors, unless necessary!

[The news ended.]

.......

.......

.......

[There was silence. They couldn't say anything for a few moments. Phoenix clenched his fists, Maya stood frozen, and Pearl gripped her sleeves tightly.]

[What... what...the hell...just happened...?]

Wh-What's going on?! I don't understand...!

What the heck happened out there?! Why would anyone do this!?

I-I don't know...! I was just about to get ready to watch the new Steel Samurai episode when...when this happened!

My favourite show... is gone...again?! Why does this always happen to them?!

Mystic Maya... It's going to be okay...

[Maya collapsed to her knees and buried her face in her hands as Pearl knelt beside her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.]

First the DL-6 incident...then the Misham case...and now...this...?! This crosses a whole new line... ...Huh?

[Just then, something slid under the door. It is a newspaper. Phoenix picked it up and began reading...]

"Will Powers Arrested for Spreading Mysterious Virus. Sentenced To Death?!"

WHAT?!

[Maya stumbled to her feet as her eyes were wide with disbelief.]

Will?! No... that can't be right!

Nick! We have to help him! If we don't prove his innocence... they'll... they'll...!

[At that point, Maya took off running.]

Maya, wait-!

No time! Come on, Pearly!

R-Right!

[Maya bolted out of the door with Pearl scrambling after her.]

[vissy1]

Alright, Here are my 47 new OCs! But this time, It will be clocks, pails, and even shovels! Now let's start with the clocks.

Samuel is a Basketball Colored clock who likes to play Basketball.

Rosie is a striped Sky Blue and Light Blue clock who make plants at the garden.

Bob is an angled Red and Green clock who works on VeggieTales.

Darren is a DNA Production Background colored clock who can do funny things.

Michael and Kristian are Light Mint Green (Michael) and Light Sand Yellow (Kristian) clocks because they're Tickety's Silly Cousins, which is way better than Lilly and Billy. They love to do funny pranks, make jokes and people laugh out loud.

Andrew is a striped green clock who likes to be an actor.

Arthur is a UK flag but with yellow, red, blue and gray colored clock who likes to do the same as Arthur Read does.

Cary is a Cube Red-Dark Tan Yellow clock who likes to develop something using AI.

Griffin is a vertically striped Blue and Light Blue clock who likes to do gaming stuff.

Ian and Anthony are Striped Striped Yellow-Turquoise (Ian) and Turquoise-Yellow (Anthony) clock who runs Smosh together.

Balton is a sided zigzag Light Blue-Bubblegum Pink clock who test out crazy things everyone never tried before.

Johnny is a rocket-shaped Red-Yellow clock who plays with toys.

Carl is a darker tan yellow-dark green clock who loves crossiant (as a dessert).

Jackson is a Red-Yellow clock who likes to be friends with Vissy.

Roxanne is a sunburst Purple-White clock who strips hard.

Allison is a flower shaped Magenta-Red clock who loves to hatch eggs.

Ella is a grid Red-Rose clock who makes something out of wood.

Jenny is a Sky Blue-Light Blue clock who can fly high through the sky.

Sherry is a sunburst Magenta-Brown clock who flirts with handsome male clocks.

Usher is a wavy brown clock who likes to feed pets.

Xavier is an X Blue-Cyan clock who acts like a villian.

Bella is a Light Orange-Orange clock who likes to be Talking Bella

Kya is a star Yellow clock who likes to do the same as Lapis' clocksona does. Plus, Kya was Lapis' prototype clocksona.

And now let's go for pails.

Jared is a grid dark green pail who develops YouTube in 2005.

Dane is a white with black square pail who kills bootleg plushies.

Walden is a zigzag dark aqua blue-orange pail who reads people's minds.

Quincy is a yellow-green-blue pail who likes to do the same as Quincy from Little Einsteins does.

Dave is a vertically striped turquoise-navy blue pail who likes to rap hard.

Penny is a circle illusion green-purple pail who loves to draw.

Laura is an orange-violet pail who likes to do the same as Laura The Carrot does.

Israel is a striped white-blue pail who's always Jewish and lives in Israel.

Zachary is a navy blue with colorful shapes pail who loves to watch Blue's Clues and its spinoffs.

William is a vetically shapes Red-White pail who works at the theater.

Joseph is a green with a basketball pail who likes to do the same as Joseph from SML does.

Cody is a Cody's Clothes that doesn't look like it colored pail who likes to do the same as Cody from SML does.

Randy is a zigzag turquoise pail who likes to be friends with Pail and Tickety and be best friends with Ronny who has the same color as him.

Norman is a light navy blue with infinity shaped orange pail who does naughty stuff like Lilly and Billy did.

Tony is a black with a green star pail who likes to be best friends with TAT Clock.

And finally, We go for shovels.

Jack is a striped black-orange shovel who likes to eat burgers.

Andorra is a purple with pink heart shovel who turns anyone into anything.

Vicky is a green with spikey orange on top shovel who does the same as Vicky from The Fairly Odd Parents does.

Joey is a Sky Blue-Blue shovel who does nothing but being a GoAnimate/Vyond User.

Stuart is a yellow-red shovel who invents something dangerously expiremental.

Peter is a grid dark aqua blue shovel who makes early CGI animation.

Halden is a grey with black swirl on top shovel who likes to play retro games.

What do you think of these new OCs? Which one is your favorite?

[a-sea-with-no-shores]

Intro:

This is a just-for-fun collection of Chinese drama fics that were written for Yuletide. Qualifying fics should be either specifically for a Chinese-language drama (including dramas from Taiwan, Cantonese-language dramas, and Chinese-language multinational productions) or a very closely related fandom. Fics will not qualify if they're only about periods of history, historical people not as characters in a specific drama, works of classical literature and philosophy, etc., or about media that does not yet have any drama adaptation. Yes: 三国机密之潜龙在渊 | Secret of the Three Kingdoms (TV), 天涯客 | Faraway Wanderers - priest, 花开有时颓靡无声 | Meet You at the Blossom (TV), 不良執念清除師 | Oh No! Here Comes Trouble (TV), 周也马闻远七夕心动大片 | Cadillac x Bazaar “Zhou Ye and Ma Wenyuan” Commercial No: Tang dynasty poet RPF, 三国演义 - 罗贯中 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Luo Guanzhong, 魔尊也想知道 - 青色羽翼 | Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know - Cyan Wings, 神话：悟空 | Black Myth: Wukong (Video Game)

You should be able to add works to the collection yourself.

(I'm new to both modern cdramas and ao3 collections, so if I've screwed something up please let me know)

[t-squaredproductions]

To the Myst and Cyan Fan Community...

(Note: Main topics are in bold)

I already posted this on reddit, but understandably, it was removed because some comments there were not the most productive. (I hold no ill will against the particular moderator there for removing it, though, and thank them for clearing up their reasoning and for considering my point of view.) Some will judge me for posting this here; this is vague, and some may see it as petty, but I need to clear this up. I am genuinely concerned about the inner community based around the famous video game Myst.

An incident occurred, of which I was involved with, on July 7th, 2023. There was a neutral party that I tried to help and support. I hope their efforts are extremely successful. (and I have seen that they have gotten positive attention from their efforts on reddit and Youtube) However, my help was misinterpreted as malicious and selfish by a higher party in the community, and I received a heated public accusation from that same party on that same day, the specifics of which, and from whom, I've tried to keep private.

I have no criticism of Cyan, nor its creators and developers, nor the grand majority of its community. This did not involve them. I'm thankful for the connections that I've made, and those who have tried to stay civil during the incident.

Most of us in the Myst/Cyan community have grown together for the past near-25 years. I have been with it for 20 of those years. Unfortunately, in the community's present state, this is not what I recognize from 20 years ago. It seems that we are losing sight of what Cyan's games embody, and how those should guide our community in-turn. We are supposed to SOLVE problems and break down barriers, not create them.

Some may also think I'm using a DARVO strategy. This is not a deflection of responsibility on my part. I did make a well-meaning decision, contemplating how to approach it, with easily-accessible information, based on the same precedent of another member of the community, but my decision was misinterpreted as something that it was not meant to be. When clarified in-private, I thought it was as simple as remedying it (which I did immediately, no question, no resistance, no discourtesy), and it would be finished. Despite my efforts, there was still a heated judgement made towards me from someone higher-up, behind my back and in public, instead of in private.

Yes, I am upset about being treated like this, but I'm actually more scared than upset, because I don't know how to approach this community now, despite the fact that we all have a common interest in Cyan's games, and we seemingly had open connections.

I feel my conduct in this incident was judged very unfairly, and unnecessarily in public chat. In other less-professional public chats and other hobby communities, I have seen well-meaning and harmless people summarily judged in similar ways by those in higher positions, vindictively and without thoughtfulness. If my experience has taught me anything, I'm seeing the start of a double-standard in how our community is being moderated; a skirting of reason to avoid explaining it due to status, and I am very concerned. This is also not the first time. If someone else does what I did, in the future, with the best of intentions, how will they be treated?

I have nothing but respect for the many fans of Myst all over the world, to whom I've wanted to contribute and help with. People have asked me to think and be considerate. I did in this instance, and unfortunately, it's had to become an obsession, in order to at the very least reach enough of the standards put out by others, but it seems that I still came under scrutiny and that effort isn't good enough anymore.

THIS IS NOT WHAT A HEALTHY COMMUNITY DOES.

I'm taking a giant risk to my status as a member and my own emotions by posting this, but I have already had to live with the stress of being told to keep quiet, and how I now assume other people think of me, for the past month. I am BURNED OUT. (For all my life, people have already judged me based on my disability, and used that against me.) Those involved did not listen, to come to an understanding, so I feel it must be said, because the quality of any community shouldn't be above criticism or stay unquestioned. Again, It's not healthy for anyone to have to be constantly on self-guard when reasonable boundaries aren't made clear, or can't be explained with rules, for fear of crossing them accidentally.

I also feel that those involved have already decided my status as a member, despite how long I've been with this group, and I'm unsure if I will be allowed to return. I only hope that the people who have known me for these 20 years will understand my words at face value.

[bellesdomain]

It's a non-replica production in certain very crucial design ways... the programme says:

The set design is "more modern", "slick" and "poppy", set designer Tim Hatley says. "We don't have any brick and we're not in any grubby station yard... It's a little more Mario Kart-influenced."

The costume designs by Gabriella Slade aim to "embody the spirit of the train" more than "look like trains". Influences are drawn from contemporary and futuristic fashion, Marvel superheroes and arena pop shows.

Sooo... yeah... not at all train like, intentionally.

TO BE FAIR! Gabriella Slade had to NOT use John Napier's concepts - his copyright, his right to get paid for his work being used. But how do you come up with "train people" that are significantly unlike the originals but still read as trains? Do you try to walk a tightrope of "just different enough" to get away with it? Or, you do what she did, and just not even try to make them look like trains... or human archetypes... or anything at all beyond AI-imagined bright shapes and colours.

My problem (one problem...) with female GB costume is that - in that pic you shared - she looks like she's already been in a crash or two. They used a lenticular material that gives the cool yellow/black changing colours effect - but it also isn't meant for costumes, it's beat up easily. Particularly on her leg panels, the wear and tear really shows.

Another problem is that the designs are just so inconsistent! There's *ALMOST* no use of archetypes or familiar details - nothing about Greaseball says "reigning champion" or "macho bodybuilder" or "big polluting diesel motor". But then - Dinah does look like a diner.

Apart from the check floor (check walls instead), this is absolutely Dinah! But none of the other coaches have any real world references.

Rusty has rust? Of course. And he has a hood? is he a hoodie? No, not Rusty. You might think that's a real-world detail that tells you something about the character, but you'd be wrong.

Also, colour theory. Complementary colours - opposites on the colour wheel - are really eye-catching. Like Dinah, the primary red and baby blue are opposites, your eye is subconsciously drawn to it. Tassita is one small step around the colour wheel from Dinah, with cyan and orange - still complementary colours, still a SUPER LOUD colour combination.... why... is the QUIET CAR... dressed as loudly as possible?

I'm not leaving John Napier out of the critisim here on colour theory - OG Electra is the red and cyan complementary loud colours, suits their personality as wanting to be the centre of attention, the first person anyone sees. So why put Electra in silver and black, on a grey and black stage? And why put ESPRESSO of all people in the high-contrast red and green? (I know, Italian flag colours, but you don't need to use the flag colours for the main costume!) Espresso is probably the least important character in the whole show, you never need to be looking at him instead of anybody else!

*ahem* Sorry, ranting on a tangent there. But yes, the point is down to copyright and vision for a CGI production with none of the dirty dusty reality of a railroad.

My criticisms of Starlight Express's Wembley's costume choices (long rant)

Note: This rant is SUPER SUBJECTIVE. 100% my opinion, it's totally okay to disagree and tell why do you disagree with me, it is just something i wanted to share

I've been liking Starlight Express for quite some time, I found out the Bochum version before the Wembley one, and obviously I notice how DIFFERENT they are visually. Personally, i think there's nothing bad about the music, I think the musical numbers for both version have its very own charm!!

I don't know much about musicals in general, but Starlight Express gotta be the most stand out musical out there when it comes to costumes ive seen so far, the idea of personifying locomotives and their coaches are really interesting and i think they execute it really good!! (or maybe im just a railfan)

tho the same can't be said with the Wembley version,,

The Bochum/pre-2024 version ACTUALLY looks like Locomotives and coaches. You can tell Rusty is supposed to be a steam train, Greaseball is the Macho antagonist diesel engine, and so on.

I just feel like you wouldn't be able to tell what locomotive/coaches they are supposed to be in the Wembley version without them getting introduced

Like, tell me you dont know anything about Starlight express, and you had to guess which one looks more like a locomotive?

The wembley one feels more like modern spacesuits, rather than armor of metal

tbh there are some that are not super clear on both version, like Pearl, like i didnt know she was supposed to be a first class passenger car until i watched them slime tutorials.

They also removed the iconic locomotive-looking helmet and changed it to normal helmets in the race which also got me,,, 💔

the helmets is what makes it feels like A TRAIN RACE! not only that, it looks really unique!! i dont know why they removed it </3 maybe its better to breath on a normal helmet? i guess i can understand it, but it's really just a bummer, i think the locomotive helmet is what completes the whole personified-train look.

I think my biggest ick about this whole costume thing is the changes they made with Greaseball, he(or she, for the wembley version) is my favorite character of this musical, and i just- really, don't like her costume in Wembley version. I dont care about the fact you turned Greaseball into a woman character #lesbiansareawesome it just feels like a total downgrade where Male greaseball have all that machine detail in his costume while the Female Greaseball lookin more like a space soldier.

Tho i think it's worth to mention despite that all, there are some characers that nailed their looks in both version, like Dinah and Electra, they do resemble what they are supposed to be (the checkered pattern for Dinah and the futuristic look for Electra)

I think that is all i can say (for now). I just think that StEx 2024/Wembley doesn't feel like a train musical as much as the Bochum version would.

Or maybe I'm just being a closeted foamer finding out my fav UP character doesnt resembled UP diesel anymore

That being said, I do not dislike StEx 2024, i've seen someone said "enjoy StEx 2024 as it's own musical rather than a remaster version" and i think i agree with that, Wembley version has it's very own charm that makes it awesome, It's attention to details and it's performance are rather just as cool and maybe better than the old ones. My only problem i have with it is, again, costumes.

oh and the fact they removed C.B. thats also a sin /j

anyway, here is my attempt on drawing fem greaseball on male greaseball costume as my end note. Thank you!!!

[starynightraign]

Shadow Dancer AU

"Alright dude listen, disguising yourself as a hot chick? that's like man eating trick number 1. hell I did it all the time when I ate people."

Overly Sarcastic Productions.

in this AU Macaque managed to run from Lady Bone Demon, still holding on to the lantern. On the run, he places a glamour on himself and turns himself into someone else entirely. A beautiful human woman, with dark black hair and a few locks of pure white. Dangling on each side of his head are what looks like three colorful decorations red, blue and cyan. And a white lily hair clip placed on the right side of her head.

The gang ends up in a city on their way where a festival is happening, and coincidently Macaque is there giving a shadow performance, because we all know the monkey just has a knack for theatrics. MK doesn't use his golden sight or hasn't even gotten it back yet, and Wukong doesn't even think to look. Wukong and MK feeling something very familiar about the performance

Macaque ends up spending the night with them, mostly messing with them and seeing how far he can take this performance of the friendly shadow puppeteer.

The night does not end up well however, when minions of Lady Bone Demon reach them.

[terraxcloud]

Cyan’s WoR Story

Act 4, Chapter 2 - Part 2 of Opera Omnia is rather intense with the Clerra hints.

Terra says something peculiar, and since she says it with Vincent and Eiko in the scene I feel like I have to post the translation.

Terra: “But I want to believe in inevitability. My esper father and my human mother met beyond the boundaries of their world. Maybe I was born to connect the two races with this power I was struggling with...I'm ready to move forward.”  

This scene is all about finding someone to love (the whole chapter is about loving someone, tbh), so in essence, that’s what Terra’s talking about here. It’s not really clear with just this line alone, so I’ll put the line that she’s responding to below (which comes before a line by Vincent, who always portends Clerra-related storylines in DFFOO):

Chelinka: “Hmm, maybe it hasn't clicked for me yet, but someday I'll meet someone like my mom and dad, and just "know"!   But...isn't that an incredible miracle? My mom was a priestess, so she could see it, but for normal people, depending on the world's situation and position, there are times when you can't fall in love, right?”  

A few scenes later Cyan will recall his World of Ruin story...

Cyan: Yes...I once encouraged a girl who had lost the will to live after losing her lover. She looked so haggard...but when she talked about her memories of love, she looked lively and I felt relieved.

The FF6 Opera was more informative, so I just kinda ignored Cyan’s story, but it’s now time to mention it. Here’s Cyan’s letter:

Dear Lola,

I’m writing to beg for your forgiveness. I am guilty of perpetuating a terrible lie. I have only now realized the error of my ways, and taken up this quill in hopes of correcting a great wrong. Your boyfriend, who you believed to be in Mobliz, passed away some time ago. I have been writing to you in his stead. We humans have a tendency to become trapped in the past and refuse to move on. I implore you not to let this happen. Now is a time for you to look forward, and rediscover love and all of the other joys of life...

Cyan

The hint that this is “secretly” about Terra and the cut main character are the flowers surrounding the letter, since it’s clear that the “filling the world with flowers” dream was a original story element from FF6 involving Terra and the cut main character. It’s very easy to see, and I’m sure a lot of stuff in FF6 has this "missing main character storyline” rhetoric. It’s interesting that Cyan mentions the guy as being in Mobliz, since that’s where Terra’s World of Ruin story takes place and where you get the Fenrir esper, which I know was always supposed to be for Cloud (thanks to the similarities with Squall’s Griever).

At this point when FF6 was released, I don’t think they had any plans to “reunite” the main character and Terra (Square was struggling when they made FF7)...Nomura decided on that during FF7′s production as they were almost going to give Cloud a different love interest (it was an early form of Aerith). Nomura’s decision to instead put the original FF6 main character in the game as Cloud gave birth to Zack. The FF6 Opera does hint of the possibility of a reunion at the end of its translations, but the FF7 Remake makes it apparent that Terra’s not the one going to wait (”Hollow” lyrics are a good example).

This line Cyan says gives me “Loveless” vibes, and on that note, Crisis Core devs decided to specifically include the last line from Loveless’ ending (originally said by Cid at the end of OG FF7):

Went to see LOVELESS From: Kunsel

Contents:

Genesis, K.I.A? Yeah, right. Who do they think they're trying to fool? Just got back from seeing the stage production of LOVELESS in Midgar. Genesis was a big fan, wasn't he? I usually don't care for classic drama, but it was pretty damned good. The guy is the hero in the original, but the play was more from the viewpoint of the girl who helps the guy. When I heard that last line: "Of course... I'll come back to you. Even if you don't promise to wait. I'll return knowing that you'll be here." Aw, man, that's when I lost it and just started bawling. Received: After being promoted to 1st.

It’s surprising how many Final Fantasy games have this rhetoric, but it is in essence about Cloud and Terra or a product of what happened to them. Yet, despite all their hinting in a bucket-load of games, no one seems to “get the hint”.

By the way, when I put the bold over “The guy is the hero in the original”, I realized that many people take these story elements too literally. Sure, you can assume that Square-Enix is creating “new intriguing stories”, but this isn’t what’s happening. Why would they say “The guy is the hero in the original”? The original line literally came from the end of FF7 and had nothing to do with Genesis’ gibberish. It’s about Cloud and Terra, no joking, period.

[temporoom]

You know, there was always one flaw in my clothes’ analysis post, and it was about the use of primary colors to express different grand groups.

The cyan was for the Blue Moon clan, the magenta for the Crimson Moon vampires, but one color was left unused, and I couldn’t find what it corresponded to, no matter what. This color was Yellow/Gold.

In one of my long moments of twitter scrolling, I ended up on the blu-ray picture again:

“Ah yes, that’s a nice picture. Haha, Misha is under a golden light casted by the Teacher, yeah that was a clear sign he was... working... with him... Wait, golden?”

Gold. Yellow. The third color. In my analysis, I said purple was the color of the Teacher, but I knew I was wrong because he did not have any purple on himself. No, this entire time... I should’ve noticed it. The only blond vampire of importance to the story, his golden mirror... All this time, the Teacher was yellow.

And then I looked at the picture again, we finally have Jean-Jacques real eye color on it: golden as well. Actually, so many characters have golden eyes: Dominique, Jeanne, Louis, Veronica, Ruthven, Jean-Jacques... As for mysterious ones: Orlok isn’t clear, but in the anime it has a slight brownish tone, Nox and Manet have dark eyes and Amelia is hazelnut like Orlok. Is it really a coincidence to have so many characters with golden eyes? Especially when two of them are part of the main cast? Especially when most of them are part of the same specie?

But it’s not just that, do you remember Paracelseus? The famous alchemist, who, in VnC’s universe, rewrote the world’s formula? Do you know what alchemists goal was? The transformation of “base metals” (lead, black) into “noble metals”... Gold.

Gold IS indeed a mark of nobility then, Vampire’s nobility. The ones capable of twisting the formula as they so desire, the bases transformed into nobles. Basically: Paracelseus successful experiments. 

But there are three vampires who do not have golden eyes: Noé Archiviste, who has them purple, Chloé d’Apchier, who has them blue, and finally, Lucius Oriflamme, who has them green. They are of far too great importance to simply relay them as proofs my talk about gold is meaningless. 

I already said it, but Noé represents neutrailty between the blue moon and crimson moon, so his eyes are most likely purple for that reason. Chloé is one of the first humans transformed into vampires, then... does that mean the blue as something to with humanity? Or the first vampires? Or maybe simply because she wasn’t a direct product of the experiment like the others. And finally, Luca.

I have so much to say about Luca, but the thing you should know is that green is a mix between yellow and cyan. If we use Noé as a base, then it means that Luca is the balance between the “originals” and the “artficials”, the original vampires, and the products of Paracelseus experimentations. That, or something else entirely...

It would also explain my doubts about the dhampires being associated with orange. If they are orange, then they are a mix between yellow and red, and if yellow represents the alchimist, the humans, then they are indeed a mix between humans and vampires. Though only Dante truly fits to be categorized as orange, does that mean he has a direct correlation to the “experiment”?

There are so many things to say about this gold. So many things to look into, but right now, I just wanted to share my sudden thoughts and realizations about it. Gold might be the key to unravel VnC’s world’s true nature.

[cyanenoms]

"hm, we could just put Hoffnar outta his misery-"

(This should be fun considering he dosent like Deimos but have a Basil.)

*A large grunt falls from sky.*

@ask-the-achs

(Holy shi- wait whuuuut-)

"AAA- WHATTHEFU-"