#like mega big time for the fourth one

[beescake]

i am in love with your sollux i think

sollux love party :]

if you’re interested heres some of my personal fondness thoughts on him.. big warning for the mega long read ahead aye

as we alr know sollux's rejection of participation somewhat mirrors dave's rejection of heroism, but even without getting cooked to completion i still find sollux's character v compelling beyond the fourth wall

as someone who doesnt get a pinch of that Protagonist Sparkle to begin with, he can openly say he wants to leave anytime…. and unlike dave, he actually Can leave the scene anytime. but he can never be truly Free from the story via permanent character death like the other trolls.

his irrelevancy is indeed relevant - he’s there so u can point him out.

while his image is intended to be a relic of past internet subculture, his role is not only about hehehaha being a Chad or a 2000s cyberforum 2²chan haxxor ragequit gamebro.

his continued existence also happens to add a Bit to the overarching themes of homestuck! a Bit that gives him longer-lasting thematic relevance compared to the trolls who could’ve had more character potential but didnt get to survive beyond the main story.

the Bit in question:

his defiance contributes to the illusion of agency (treating characters = people with autonomy). he’s “aware” of it, and that recognition is worth noting enough to forcibly keep him alive as both reward and punishment.

considering how his personality & classpect is designed its definitely a very haha thing for hussie to do LOL. he’s made to be op asf so he's resigned to doing dirty work, gradually deteriorating along the way but never truly dying. as fans have mentioned before, him openly rejecting involvement after a while of grim tolerance is like if the sim u were controlling suddenly stopped, looked up and gave u the finger while u were step six into the walkthrough for Every Possible Sim Death Animation.

but since he’s just a sim… the more he hates it, the more you keep him around. if ur sim started complaining abt your whimsical household storyline you’d definitely keep that little fuck.

but yeah i like that sollux is just idling. the significance of his presence being that one dude who's always reliably Somewhere, root core Unchanged, no individual ambitions (possibly due to fear of consequence?), and design-wise: a staple representative product of his time.

compared to dirk's character, who has aged phenomenally well into the present (themes of control + AR + artificial intelligence, clearer exploration around navigating relationships/sexuality, infinite possibilities of self-splinterhood and trait inheritance), sollux's potential is really... contained. bitter. defeatist. limiting and frustrating in the way old tech is.

the world continues moving on to shinier, brighter, more advanced automated things - minimalist and metaverse or whatever but sollux is still here 🧍‍♂️ going woohoo redblue 3d. (tho personally i imagine his vibe similar to what the kids call cassette futurism on pinterest mixed w more grimy grunge insectoid influences eheh)

conceptually-speaking,

at the foundation of it all, the rapid pace of modern development was built off the understanding of ppl like sollux in the past, who were There actively at work while the dough was still beginning to rise

thats one of the cool things abt the idea of trolls preceding humans! the idea that trolls like sollux excelled back when lots of basic shit still needed to be discovered, building structures like networks and codes from scratch, and humans will eventually inherit and reinvent that knowledge in ways that become so optimized it makes the old manual effort seem archaic, slow, and labour-intensive.

but despite information/resources/shortcuts being more accessible now, much of the new highly-anticipated stuff released on trend still end up unfinished, inefficient, or expiring quickly due to cutting corners under severe capitalistic pressures

meanwhile, some of the old stuff frm past generations of thorough, exploratory and perfectionistic development still remains working, complete, and ever so sturdy.

those things continue to exist, just outside our periphery with either:

zero purpose left for modern needs (outdated/obsolete)

or

far too important to replace or destroy, bcs of its surprisingly essential and circumstantial usefulness in one niche specific area.

which are honestly? both points that sum up sollux pree well.

dramatic ending sorry. anw are u still on the fence or are u Sick abt him like me </3

[strawbewee]

Family Man Farmer Logan (2)

dad!logan x fem!reader

YIPPIE part two!!!! thank you and credit to @mega-kittyglitter-1 for the idea of bringing wade in :)

i've also just decided to name the kid because i don't like referring to her as 'your daughter' so yeah

divider credit to @cafekitsune

part one

warnings: wade breaks the fourth wall

Logan held your daughter, Jean, as the two walked towards the stables. She messed with his beard hairs while they did so, to which Logan ignored.

"You remember the rules when we feed the horses?" He asked, his gruff voice holding softness to it as he brought her to the small stable he'd built along with several other buildings on the farm.

"Listen to what Daddy says." Jean repeated a bit vaguely, and he chuckled.

"Yes, listen to what I say. You gotta be easy with 'em. I know you're so excited to see 'em but loud noises can scare 'em." He explained, grabbing a bag of apples he kept around. The horses had grass and hay and the such inside the stable, but Jean liked feeding them applies, so he'd indulge her.

"But they're so much bigger than me!!!" She exclaimed incredulously.

"I know, but you're much louder than 'em sometimes." He chuckled, heading to one of the pens where a chestnut colored horse with flowers in her mane (courtesy of you and Jean), who was named Indy. She was the nicer one compared to her brother, Bishop. He was a bit challenging, more likely to fight with Logan. He was usually a good boy, though. Logan was a fierce man, able to establish boundaries and get some mutual respect going on between the two.

One time, Bishop had tried to nip at Jean when she was a baby. You'd never seen Logan so angry with an animal. He of course understood that the horse had been offended and maybe a bit frightened by Jean patting his nose with no warning, but the thought of anything or anyone hurting his girl was enough to make him fume.

Logan held Jean up, as she was nowhere near tall enough to reach the horses on her own. "You know what to do." He said softly, not too worried about Indy hurting Jean, but he was always careful when it came to his babygirl.

Jean carefully and slowly reached out with a big smile on her face, holding the apple in the palm of her hand. Indy made a happy snort and ate the apple whole, cronching on it loudly. Jean giggled infectiously, looking at Logan as she reached out to pet the horse.

"You're good, babygirl." He assured her, glad that Jean was so obedient when it came to this stuff. She was stubborn like her parents but neither of you played around when it came to her safety.

Jean gently began to stroke Indy's snout, a big grin on her face while she did so. Logan held her there for a while, until Jean pulled on his flannel to lead her over to Bishop. Luckily, she didn't have any bad memories of the horse trying to bite her, so she wasn't too afraid.

"Same thing, babygirl. Nice and easy." Logan hummed, giving her an apple to offer to the bigger horse. With no fear, she held out the apple to the horse, smiling innocently. Bishop hesitated, but did lean forward and take the apple from her hand. Logan nodded, pleased. "There we are, was that fun?" He asked Jean, who nodded happily as she carefully pet Bishop as well.

"Daddy, can we go pick flowers for Mommy?" She asked.

"That sounds like a great idea, baby." He chuckled, letting her say goodbye to Indy and Bishop before taking her out to the field of flowers that you mainly took care of. Logan was the handy man, dealing with the animals and any heavy lifting. He set her down, and she immediately went running to get the perfect amount of flowers.

God was he glad his daughter got to grow up in a space like this. If she was a mutant, it hadn't developed yet. If she was, he'd be even more grateful. She wouldn't have to worry about anybody trying to hurt her. You and him had the tools to homeschool her if necessary, and she had a big wide open space for growing and developing and learning.

His little daydream was interrupted by the crackling sound of a vehicle on the dirt road coming to the farm. His eyebrows furrowed, and groaned when he spotted the man inside the car. He forgot that Wade Wilson was dropping off a couple things per your request. You and Wade got along way better than Logan did with him. Wade always offered to babysit but Logan didn't trust him alone with Jean for even a minute.

Jean looked up and her brows furrowed just like his when she saw the car park and a strange man get out of the car. She dropped the flowers and booked it to Logan's legs, hugging them and watching.

Wade chuckled. "There's the wolfie! Look at you, a farm boy!" He cheered, a box underneath his arm. "The wifey wanted some rare flower seeds that little ol' me got for her! Oh! I'm getting your wife flowers!!!! You need to step it up, peanut!" He rambled, heading over.

Logan felt Jean's grip on his denim jeans tighten, and oh god her face. It was an exact copy of his scowl. He huffed, gently putting his hand on the back of Jean's head to comfort her. "I built this whole place for her. Now shut the f- shut up." He corrected himself. You didn't like it when he swore in front of Jean.

"Speaking of peanuts! It's your spawn!" He did crouch down, hoping that Jean wouldn't be too scared of his face. "I'm Wade Wilson, has your mommy told you about me? Daddy probably hasn't, he isn't as nice as your mommy."

Actual crickets around the grass punctuated Jean's silence.

"Oof, tough crowd. Daddy's girl, huh?" He said with a chuckle, a bit unnerved at how goddamn similar she was to him. He'd seen that scowl on a much older face plenty of times.

"Go on inside, she's in there." Logan said, not appreciating the fact that Jean was just as snarky towards this guy. Little kids did have good instincts, not to mention she was his daughter.

Wade held up his hands in surrender. "Alright alright, I'll let you have some more daddy-daughter time. The author needs it for his daddy issues." He said, heading inside to greet you.

"Who was that man?" Jean asked, the scowl still on her face.

"A friend of mommy's, like he said." Logan sighed as she let go of him.

"He's annoying." She huffed, going and collecting the flowers she had put down. Logan couldn't help but laugh out loud. She sure was his daughter.

"He sure is. Let's go bring these to Mommy."

[medusamagic]

So you want to know more about Big Barda

As Tumblr's resident expert on all things Barda, and as Kelly Thompson's Birds of Prey run brings far more attention to the character, I figured it was high time someone stepped in and gave the tumblr world a primer on DC's biggest and boldest heroine.

The Basics:

Introduced in Mister Miracle #4 by Jack Kirby, Big Barda was once the leader of Apokolips' premier death squad, the Female Furies. Trained from birth for a life of violence by Granny Goodness, Barda spent the first 250 years of her life as a living weapon. This all changed when she met Scott Free, a gentle Parademon-in-training with a mysterious past and a knack for escapes. Eventually, she and Scott both escaped to Earth, where they fell in love with both the Earth and each other. She's a lover, she's a fighter, she's a Pokémon card expert, but most of all, SHE BIG.

Barda's signature defining attribute is her raw strength. Her raw muscle allows her to keep up with heavy hitters like Wonder Woman. This isn't to suggest that she's a simple-minded brute, however-- Barda has centuries of military experience under her belt as leader of the Female Furies. She's mastered multiple weapons, including spears, swords, and her signature Mega-Rod.

Below are some reading recommendations for anyone interested in Big Barda:

Essential Runs:

Mister Miracle Vol. 1 #4-18 by Jack Kirby (1971-1974)

This was the run that introduced the world to Big Barda, as well as the Female Furies. If you want to know the basics of Barda, there's no better place to start. This run is collected in a trade, as well as a part in The Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 1.

(NOTE: Even though Barda doesn't appear until issue #4, I suggest you start with Issue #1. It'll help you get acquainted with the rest of the mythos.)

Justice League International #14-24 by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis (1988-1989)

Big Barda was on the JLI! She plays off the other characters as well as ever, and a lot of what's great about her in Jack Kirby's original run is still here! Definitely check this one out if you want to see her in another team setting. This has been collected in this omnibus.

(NOTE: Once again, I recommend you start from issue #1.)

Popular Runs:

Mister Miracle Vol. 4 #1-12 by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (2017-2018)

Yeah, I know.

Listen, Tom King is a writer with... idiosyncrasies to put it nicely. The characters in the periphery of his stories tend to act really out of character, and his dialogue can be clunky at times. That being said, The Scott/Barda dynamic in this book is excellent, and this book has some of the best art that the Fourth World has seen since the 80s. The series has been collected in a trade.

(NOTE: Did you know that the CIA has over 2003 files on Tom King? Look up "Tom King CIA 2003" for more info!)

Mister Miracle: The Great Escape by Varian Johnson and Daniel Isles (2022)

If you're at all interested in the idea of a Young Adult reimagining of Mister Miracle and Big Barda's origin story with an all-black cast, this book was made for you. It's a bit heavy on the YA tropes, but the Scott/Barda dynamic is really solid. It was released as a standalone graphic novel.

Birds of Prey Vol. 5 #1-??? by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero (2023-)

Admit it, this is the reason you're here. The Cassandra Cain & Big Barda is so instantly iconic, I'm surprised no writer has paired them up sooner. It also helps that this book has the single best Barda look since Jack Kirby's original run. Plus, she gets to throw down with Wonder Woman! What's not to love? This run is still ongoing, but the first 6 issues should be getting a trade pretty soon.

(NOTE: I started writing this before BOP #8 dropped, I had no idea about that thing that happens in the newest issue.)

Stories to Avoid:

Action Comics #592-593 by John Byrne (1987)

This is not a comic book-- it's an infohazard designed to cause pain and suffering to anyone who knows of its existence. Its premise is vile and disrespectful on the surface, and it becomes more insidious when you learn the context of its creation. This pair of issues is profoundly evil, rivaling even Avengers #200 in terms of loathsomeness.

For those who dare to investigate this, Content Warnings for rape, mind control, and human trafficking.

Anyway, let's end on something a bit lighter, shall we?

Remember that Mister Miracle YA graphic novel I mentioned earlier? Barda is getting a graphic novel of her own this summer! It's not out at the time of writing, but the preview pages look promising!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that introduction to one of my favorite superheroes ever. Please get back to me on this, I have no one else to talk to about Fourth World stuff.

[rockanniesims]

The Alphabet Alphabetacy - Chp. 5.1: It Takes Two to Woohoo

hello lovelies and welcome back to another crazy chapter with the Alphabets!! whoop whoop

before we hop back in, you may have already realized that something here is a bit different...well that's because I'm playin on a brand spankin new monitor and the pics will be a little wider from here on out

anyways we left off last time with the fam newly back from their super-mega-awesome snowy vacation in Mt. Komorebi and now they're all settling back into normal sim life

pretty much the second we got back, Asparagus aged up into an elder :((

so frickin sad, I hate my sims pets getting older gah

we also didn't get to see too much of the twins last chapter but they're adjusting quite nicely to their awesome new bedroom, courtesy of their supreme overlord

and with childhood comes lots of fun new activities and of course the time for some skillin !!

Blythe got to work right away plunkin her heart out on the grand piano in the foyer. And after all the simoleans we spent on that thing, its good to see someone is using it

although like most of us who've tried to play an instrument, she was suffering LOL

Bryn on the other hand had turned into quite a feisty little trickster and was never happier than when she was playing pranks on the rest of the family

she was also quite a fitness buff and loved to spend time hanging out in the pool with her parents. Ahhhh to be a spoiled sim child with a mansion and a pool *wistful look*

anyways, the twins aren't the only ones with changes as the day after they got back, it was Ayoze's bday and passage into elderhood

of course, we had to throw a big bash to celebrate the first sim in this legacy to become all old and wrinkly *sob* so all of the extended family was invited

oh yeah one last good pump in before you lose all that sexy muscle mass buddy

but all in all, everyone had a wonderful time, actually maybe too good because they were all so distracted with eating i might've uh accidentally invited them all to meal right before that poor Ayoze didn't get a lot of attention while blowing out his candles

yea oops

sparkly sparkly!!

ahhh elderhood doesn't feel so good does it bud

but he still looks pretty good even though hes all properly old and wrinkly

I think aging must have made him a bit sentimental becuase he basically spent the rest of the party going around hugging all his kids

overall, it was another bday party for the books, EXCEPT for the fact that this stupid papparazzi made it into the house and was taking pics of Bama dancing in her own kitchen *facepalm*

doesn't anyone have any decency anymore huh

poor rich Bama was forced to resort to undignified manners to kick him out lol

doing our best to forget this very traumatic event, we rejoin Briar the next morning. She was back in high school and exactly where she'd left off: doing her best to ignore the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about her teacher

which was difficult since this is sims 4 and he was always being a right weirdo around the school

sorry, *end of fourth wall break*

anyways, Briar spent most of her time with Jax and the rest of her very popular posse 

but despite her best efforts, she couldn't quite keep herself away from Mr. Billings. It didn't help that she had to see him all day everyday and it seemed like no matter where she went in the high school, he was just around the corner

and so as these things do, the affair started slowly. First it was just some extra math explanations after class, but that quickly turned into real conversations. 

They started to spend hours after school together with Briar completely blowing off cheer practice

then one afternoon, Christopher suggested they go over to the local boba shop instead to work on some homework 

and pretty soon, that had replaced their study sessions in the halls. Briar couldn't stop thinking about him, she loved the fact that he was older and wiser, and he made her feel like such a grown up

yea she was real grown up all right...

[dragonnon]

DDLC first impressions

so i played ddlc for the first time today, it's currently 6 AM. so first of all, Yuri is my favorite character and i love her personaility, she really cute, but i can't shake the feeling something bad's about to happen to her at any moment. also i love her normal outfit so much it's so fucking adorable and cute i love her :3 and right now i'm at the part where sayori confesses her depression to me, and oh my god i feel so bad for her, like bro my tear ducts. i felt them. i'm really scared that she's going to do something about her depression... you know, suicide. i'm scared, i got really scared when MC left her alone, i don't know whats going to happen too her im so scared. monica pisses me off ngl, i don't really like her poetry, it feels boring, except for the lady who knows everything one. that one was cool. i don't like her attitude towards the other girls, i loved the part where yuri told her to mind her god damn mf business. i ain't ever seen anyone with such a main character complex before. smdh.

natsuri, she's really adorable, i love her poetry eagles can fly, it really struck me for some reason, the meaning is succinct and straight to the point. I'm proud that she was able to get over herself and apologize to Yuri. plus everytime she talks about baking i get vivid imagery of cupcakes that i can genuinely taste so that mighhht have endeared me just a little.

i really like that moment where Sayori was all like "how could you not like squid? it's in your name, Mon-ika" and Monika is just like "that literally makes no sense in English." it reminded me of a moment in JJBA: Steel Ball Run, where a character called Gyro made a joke that makes absolutely no sense in English. it adds like this crazy feeling.

also everytime monika broke the fourth wall so far has shocked me and stuff. like i've never been so affected by a fourth wall break ever.

tbh i never played a dating sim before so it feels kinda weird, cause i just wanna be friends with everyone but they always think im trying to pursue them like nah bro, my heart belongs to yuri always, that will never change, just because i accidentally choose a word you like ten times in a row doesn't mean i have a big fat crush on you.

overall, this game is soo good and i'm gonna keep playing, and i may or may not keep live blogging, idk, sometimes i get lazy lmao.

(Also i don't know where to fit this, but i'm dissapointed i don't get to write my own poetry. it's really stupid that i am, but i actually really like poetry and whatnot so im kinda PISSED that this fucking dude is already mega good at it on day 3.)

[leafostuff]

Han Sohee as a Pokemon Trainer

Author's Note: HEY, Its been a while since this series has been continued, I hope yall ready for some more pokemon X kidols since in Today's blog I am gonna talk about Han Sohee (which was suggested by @lolita177013) and while she is an Actress and not a Kpop idol, I think it would be interesting, I hope yall will enjoy it and without any more wait: Lets get started

================================================

Han's Sohee's first pokemon on her team of 6th Would be Sylveon

Her partner Pokemon which was from her side ever since it was an Eevee when Sohee first started her Pokemon journey, while it will not always be one of her most used Pokemons when it comes to battling, she will always have her Sylveon running around when setting up for a camp, resting after a long day of journeying.

Next on her pokemon team she will have Gardevoir

The first pokemon she ever caught and also her MVP when it comes to battling, she is very loyal and with her bond being very strong she is also capable of Mega Evolving her Gardevoir, making it even stronger than she is already.

After Gardevoir was caught her next pokemon to join her team was none other than Furfrou

With Han Sohee being very big on fashion and clothing, it would be no surprise that she will have a Furfrou with her, a quarter of her money goes to changing her Furfrou's hairstyle every time she feels like it (which is around 3 times a week), and while she will never be used in battle when it comes to the pokemon fashion contests, this will always be her number one choice

and for her Fourth and final Pokemon on her team we have Togekiss

Getting Togepi ever as an egg while she was travelling in the Jhoto region with her family, this Pokemon has become her source of transportation and also become her way of comforting her when she is having a bad day, it is also Sohee's other good battle Pokemon (however it is less powerful than her Gardevoir)

================================================

I envision Sohee as one of the beauty trainers (Similar to girls in Erika's gym in Fire red leaf green) and while unlike in Erika's gym Han Sohee is a Fairy-type trainer who also focuses on Pokemon contests, she is always down for a good pokemon battle when she is bored

I Hope yall enjoyed Part 2 of ___ As Pokemon Trainers, if you want more posts like this in the future please feel free to suggest idols in the Inbox

Have a good day and see you later Leafies

[spookybabyraven]

I've been such a big girl lately and im both really proud of myself and annoyed I have to act big at the same time. You guys remember those polls I did about what I should buy next, well here's the update on how much my life has changed in those few weeks.

Firstly, I bought a baba, it's one from rearz, its long glass bottle with a little plastic cap that covers a removable nipple and has pretty dinos and dragons on it.

Secondly, I no longer work at burger king, I have an online job which pays more but requires talking to people litterally constantly so my social anxiety hates, which means more megas than m4s and lots more pretty padding and onesies and stuff

Thirdly, ya know how I leaked not that long ago, well I ordered some washable bed pads/changing pads from Northshore and these things are definitely a good purchase, idk how much they hold, but they feel super high quality and are litterally larger than my bed, which is amazing bc it's basically like I'm laying on a thin full body pillow, I'm much less worried about leaks overnight in the future now, cuz even if they do happen it'll only really be on superficial stuff I can easily wash.

Fourth, I finally got devrom and I do recommend it, I've been trying it out over the last week or two and I highly recommend. It's not some miracle thing, but it does do exactly what it says it will do, which is better than half the products out there.

Fifth, I experimented with different sizes and figured out that medium megas are the closest fit I'll get if not a little loose, large pulleys fit better than medium, and medium m4s are like still the perfect tight fit for discreet wear.

Lastly, I have covid agian, so im sad to say no Halloween party for me this year, which I'm very very sad about.

Id say at least three of those things somewhat relate to being responsible, mainly just the job one, but I feel better knowing I'm more prepared and knowledgeable about my options for later either way

[artbyblastweave]

I just finished a reread of Jonathan Hickman's FF and Avengers runs, since before I'd only ever been reading one half and had missed a lot of context, and them plus Secret Wars form one of my favourite extended marvel arcs ever made. Any thoughts about the storyline, or general perceptions you know others have had of it? I'm kind of curious whether it was loved or hated by the broader fanbase.

I enjoyed what I read of it, which was mostly the tail end- Secret Wars Proper and some of the stuff immediately leading into that. One thing that I appreciated about it, in a general sense, was that it posited the chickens finally, finally coming home to roost; the nature of the Marvel Universe is that the center is always gonna hold, because otherwise they can't keep selling comic books, but the subtext of every Marvel comic I read through the early-to-mid oughts, and during the Bendis-era Avengers-Disassembled-through-Siege mega-arc in particular, was that the planet was living on borrowed time due to the sheer volume of these self-righteous superpowered yahoos running around doing basically whatever they wanted. I'm principally a Wormblogger, I love Worm, and the fact that Worm actually acknowledged and depicted that collapse, after a decade-and-change of Marvel dancing around the idea, is a big part of why it hooked me so deeply. And thus, when you have an event about how reality is finally collapsing under the accumulated weight of all these retcons and reality-shifts and time-jumps and what-have-you, a story where the superheroes finally can't outrun the consequences of their actions via editorial mandate- well, it was cathartic. And the Battleworld, conceptually, was great. I enjoyed a lot of those tie-ins immensely; it was the summer of Fun Little Romps (even though it was markedly part of the defanging of the Marvel Zombies brand- but that's another post.) The downside, of course, is that it derailed the storylines of a bunch of different smaller books I was following at the time- Cullen Bunn's Magneto solo, Duggan's Deadpool Run, Punisher, Silver Surfer, The original run of Ms. Marvel. Like, I can't stress enough how early in the original Ms. Marvel run this event happened, like maybe the third or fourth TPB? She'd barely gotten going when Secret Wars hit. Some of these just awkwardly wedged a couple issues about the apocalypse in, but not all of these came back afterwards either. It's fully possible that at least a couple of these were flagging and the apocalypse was just a graceful offramp, but it still bothered me. It was the most exaggerated instance of the common complaint about crisis crossovers stepping on the toes of the ongoing storylines that I've ever experienced in real time, and you know, fair, it was at least a bit about that phenomenon, but it's not not annoying just because it's also self-aware!

[zenpouji-isaku]

Hama-kun secretly checks on Kema-senpai. However, when Kema-senpai approaches him, he runs away.  He’s being avoided?? Kema-senpai wonders if he did something to make Hama dislike him, but…

Happy Tomesaburou month! I’ve subbed a Hama-centric episode I really enjoy. I’m in the middle of watching Season 30 and there’s a bunch of really cute episodes…I’m chipping at the flashback episodes in the meantime but this episode was sandwiched between them so I went for it too. Kema’s a very sweet character…I love how he’s kind of the honorary big sibling of the entire equipment committee. They’re a big family to me…what am i saying

It's my first time subbing an episode orz...Translations aren’t perfect so if there’s anything off just come pester me about it!

mega link here: (x)

youtube link here (unlisted): (x)

happy watching!

Title and this episode reference Shuichirou’s debut back in the Season 23 (vol 54 in the manga) Hodohodo Castle saga. I really like this arc and I'd totally recommend watching it if you can (x) along with some of the other Hama-centric episodes in S23 and S24. Throwing backstory context below the cut for fun:

Hama's a descendant of Matsuhodo castle's ninjas (his great-grandfather was one of them). It was defeated 70 years ago which left a bit of a stain on their reputation and forced them out of work, so they've fallen out of vogue. Shuichirou's sentiment is that if the main Matsuhodo ninjas had been at the castle when it fell, it wouldn't have been defeated, so he guarded the ruins ever since.

A bunch of rival factions were trying to capture it for strategic reasons, including the Tasogaredoki (a prominent enemy castle on good terms with Ninjutsu Gakuen) so Shuichirou was helping them hold fort until the rest of the army arrives. Plot happens. The castle ends up falling and Shuichirou eventually ends up joining Ninjutsu Gakuen later as a ro-class fourth year. He picks the Equipment Committee to join in Season 24.

He was raised in the mountains so he's a bit inexperienced. His great-grandpa had terrible hearing, so he has a tendency to SPEAK VERY LOUD and is VERY ENTHUSIASTIC all the time. His main gag is that his sense of humor is terrible and he'll explode laughing over stuff like bad wordplay. i love him

[goddness-lunafreya]

Baldur's Gate 3 Characters' Pokémon Team (Part 2)

—Halsin, the (ex)Archdruid—

Read the other parts at the end of the post.

Hello everyone, let's go to part 2 of this little game I'm doing to think about a Pokémon team for the characters from Baldur's Gate, based on their personalities and backstory.

The only rules are: 1 Starter, 4 common Pokémon and 1 Legendary or Mythical. The team also needs a Gigantamax or a Mega Evolution.

Today we will see the (ex)Archdruid of Emerald Grove, Halsin, our beloved elf, bear, daddy and healer. Let's try to imagine the Pokémon he would use on his team!

Its starter was complicated, practically any Grass-type Pokémon would be perfect! However, I wanted to not be too cliché, so I thought of another Pokémon for this.

You know that line of his about ducks? Halsin loves ducks. So why not an energetic and joyful duck?

This is Quaxly! Paldea's Water starter!

Quaxly is a lively duckling with a cheerful personality. Motivates allies, but is full of active spirit! So active that its evolution becomes a Fighting-type Pokémon!

Quaquaval is a duck that dances and fights! With a willpower that makes him deal with challenges head on. We all know that Halsin dances in the epilogue and has enormous willpower, I think this grown duck would be a great companion for him!

Not to mention that water helps nature, so Halsin would be happy to make Quaquaval water any dry plants they had lying around.

Then that's it! Quaquaval would be Halsin's first Pokémon! They would dance(Specifically Samba) around while destroying those who threaten the nature!

But the second Pokémon needs to represent Halsin! And nothing better than a bear... There are several bear pokemon. But I would vote for Bewear as a Halsin signature pokemon!

This big bear is of the Normal/Fighting type, being a bear that loves to hug, but has such great physical strength that it hurts others when hugging.

But he doesn't do anything bad! Bewear has a huge heart... They are caring, gentle, protective and very soft! Fluffy is actually their ability...

They are big bears that represent Halsin as a whole. Strong, but loving. Gigantic, but with a big heart.

The third Pokémon continues this path of large Pokémon with a careful personality. And that's why I thought of Kangaskhan as Halsin's Pokémon!

This purely Normal-type Pokémon is a mother. Protects your child in its pouch with its life, lives in community and is kind to those who are good people.

Halsin loves children, that's no secret to anyone. So he would love a Pokémon that exalts all the beauty of motherhood and care.

And the best! Kangaskhan can Mega evolve!

Your Mega Evolution doesn't change anything, just the fact that your child is now grown up! And they can both fight together!

Halsin would love to see this little one grow up strong and healthy enough to help his mother with works.

Halsin's fourth Pokémon is to represent the change in nature. The seasons of the year. The beauty of change. This Pokémon is Sawsbuck.

Sawsbuck is a Grass/Normal deer that changes its antlers based on seasons. They are protective of their flock, linked to nature in an intimate way. Beautiful, graceful, like nature itself.

This Pokémon would be perfect for Halsin, he would admire the foliage of his antlers and recognize the state of the seasons at that moment.

Okay, but something is missing from this team, a medical Pokémon, a healer. A Pokémon that demonstrates the care that Halsin has for the injured and the sick. And no one better than Blissey, Halsin's fifth Pokémon.

Blissey is a doctor pokemon, who takes care of others, worried about everyone. They even offers her egg, full of nutrients, to those who are sick! They are by nature careful and affectionate. With an instinct to care and protect, as Halsin has at different times.

This Pokémon would help Halsin care for the sick and injured, as if it were an assistant. Blissey would be a great addition to his team.

And don't underestimate the power of Blissey! They can be powerful even if they are only Normal types. They can be very useful in combat.

Finally, Halsin's last pokemon is his Legendary. We have several options, but I will go with the protector of nature, Tapu Bulu!

This powerful Pokémon that protects Alola and nature is a Grass/Fairy type. Fairy itself is a type very linked to nature, to its power, to the natural.

Tapu Bulu is dedicated, focused, but also playful. They loves humans and cares for those who take care of nature. They is responsible for making vegetation grow, taking care of nature and plants.

It's almost as if he was sent by Silvanus for such a task. To care for and protect everything He created.

Furthermore, Tapu Bulu is inspired by one of the Hawaiian Gods and Totems (as well as the other Tapus), which are carved with wood. And well, we know that Halsin likes to carve wood.

And now, we have the conclusion, where based on what was analyzed, I say that Halsin favorite type is:

Normal type!

The Normal type is underrated, but it is an extremely interesting type. They have almost no weaknesses or advantages, but they have a unique quality of moves.

The Normal type represents, well, normality. Everything that is closest to our real world has the Normal type in the Pokémon world. Everything that is neutral or natural is of the normal type.

See how many animal Pokémon are normal types, or how many Pokémon you care for are normal types. The normal type also represents music, the nature, the change and the ability to change.

Halsin would love the normal type for its simplicity, for representing the beauty of life and nature in a simple way. Not everything needs to be very magical or powerful, and Halsin sees the beauty of this in Normal-type pocket monsters!

And I hope you enjoyed the analysis! I really want to team up with the other characters.

Other parts:

—Part 1 (Astarion)

Replots and reblogs are always welcome. Support the artist by giving a follow and like. Feel free to give suggestions for Pokémon and teams. 🌙 —Goddness Lunafreya

[writingpaperghost]

Finally got around to watching all of Digimon Adventure Tri (I watched the first movie several years ago when I got it on DVD, but it's been years and it was just that one), and. Man. I mean, I had fun, there were some parts I really liked. The OST was great, and it feels very much like it was meant to be one last big thing for Adventure (at least the original cast). I should say, I haven't actually watched the first season of Adventure, just 02.

Anyway, thoughts:

I really feel like this should have been a 25is episode tv season and not six movies. That would be about the same run time but segment it up a bit better, I think it would also let you have a cliffhanger episode end. One of my complaints is that they never cliffhang in a way that actually like. Made me want to know more. They continue an extra 10-20 minutes before ending and I'm like. what. Plus there's very much enough content for that style of show.

Then there's. The plot, lol. It's mostly okay, I liked them having to face problems in their life before they can reach Mega level. There were definitely a few moments with Meiko and Meicoomon where it felt. A bit forced. And also like. I dunno, some parts I can't quite believe. Obviously Tri takes place over several months, but like... You'd think Kari and TK, at least, would notice their friends are missing. And given how Ken's parents reacted to not knowing where he was in 02... obviously it's been a couple years, but I find it hard to believe that the parents of these four kids wouldn't be like. Calling their kids' friends to see if they knew where they were. And presumably TK and Kari still go to at least the same school as Davis, if not Yolei and Cody (kinda unclear on everyone's ages so maybe they might not be, but Davis was their classmate, so he would be unless Davis' family moved). (can you tell I really like the 02 cast?). And then there's the whole thing with Meicoomon having data from all the Digimon in her, which I would love to know why. Does it have something to do with her be the Libra? What even is the Libra? What was her intended purpose, before Apocalymon's data got into her?

Also, like, King Drasil. I don't mind him existing as an intangible force pulling the strings. It's just. They introduce him as an antagonistic force, but by the end of the last movie, we're just told he's just. Gone. Removed by Homeostasis (an equally intangible force and one that is only sometimes antagonistic). I don't know, it feels really anti-climatic. Not to mention he's such an intangible force that we don't even know he exists until over halfway through. Like sure, Alphamon attacked Meicoomon for a reason, but we don't have any clue what that is or that someone's ordering it around until the fourth movie. and that's not a big deal, but it makes King Drasil just feel... unimportant. because he doesn't actively cause anything again until the fifth movie. Sure, he's the catalyst for a lot of the plot, he corrupted Gennai (or rather, one of the Gennai's, as the real Gennai appeared to be in cryostasis with the 02 cast), used Himekawa's desire to see Tapirmon again to get her to cause a Reboot, all that. But it just feels... like there needed to be a bit more. Also, it's just... if Homeostasis could remove him this whole time... why didn't he do it sooner? Even if it was too late to avoid Meicoomon causing trouble, I feel like it would have made Hackmon/Jesmon's life easier. Although I'd love to know why he couldn't just. Delete Meicoomon, even if his power was limited to the Digital World... well, she was back there for a bit.

Speaking of Himekawa... her ending with the Dark Ocean makes sense, but it just kinda brings back my thoughts from my 02 watch last week. Which is man, I really wish they got to do or would do something with that proper in the coming future. Tell me more about this place.

In regard to Dark Gennai, I don't mind him as a villain, but I do have to question why he took the appearance of the Digimon Emperor. I assume the reasoning was because he was the only living human villain from either Adventure or 02, as well as being a bit of a way for the DigiDestined to notice that the 02 cast was missing, but I feel like it would work better in something more 02 related. And then... I assume Dark Gennai was destroyed with King Drasil, but I feel like... they both could have been interesting to have as antagonists again.

I feel like most of my complaints with Tri could really be resolved if Tri was a proper season, maybe even a full 50 episode season. Like, the first half could be what we got in the movies, and then the second half could be about doing something about King Drasil. Maybe this is also helping Homeostasis with getting rid of him, but they'd definitely wouldn't be doing it because of him. Maybe even they get occasional help from Hackmon/Jesmon along the way. And in their attempt to defeat/change the mind of/otherwise put a stop to King Drasil, they're stuck having to deal with the Royal Knights, but at the same time, not all of them would probably agree with what King Drasil is doing. (I know some of the Royal Knights are antagonists in at least one other season of Digimon but I've only actually seen 02 right now). Although I guess that does start sounding a bit like the latter half of Digimon Story: Cybersleuth. I still wish they did a bit more to resolve King Drasil and Dark Gennai than just having Homeostasis make them go away off screen.

I think that's all my thoughts, at least for now, coming off of the watch. Over all, it feels like a good bookend to Adventure, even if it's lacking in some ways. I have no intention of watching Last Evolution Kizuna any time soon. Because ever since I saw the trailer back when it was coming out I have despised the premise (I hate coming of age stories where people are forced to abandoned parts of their childhood forever for completely arbitrary reasons) and thus it is noncanon in my heart.

[shiny-shaymin]

legends ZA predictions

i wanted to just write all this in a .txt but it was getting too long to screenshot lol. also im french so im obviously gonna be right /j

Time period: Contemporary (like 10-15 years after XY). my reasoning is the legends games take place when the legends happen, not necessarily in the past. The reveal did show the city as 3d wireframe so i imagine the renovations could be based on old paper plans or smt? theres a guy mentioned in the museum that was an artist and architect. And since we're finally aknowledging kalos again it'd be nice to get. Any kind of conclusions to stuff that was left unfinished in XY, like the message behind the train board, the ghost girl etc. I imagine it'd be 10 years after XY cuz if we're gonna do a game set in current times it'd be logical to follow real time. Also the motisma dex was supposed to have been built by Clemont so it'd be nice to aknowledge that now. And uhhhhh I didn't like team flare when i played the games so idk what they could be up to but i dont imagine they'd have disbanded after Lysandre disappeared.

Story: since zygarde is the balance pokemon and comes wrecking shit when the ecosystem is in danger I imagine it'd have something to do with the electric central from kalos; since it makes all the types of green energy i also imagine the A pokemon from the logo is involved with it. Also since i imagine it'd be only 10 years after XY I don't think the protag would need to be time traveled by god lol but i imagine like ingo there'd be others that were time traveled instead.

Starters:

Serperior: most obvious lol. If it gets a regional i dont really know what it could be based on or what type it'd be??

Empoleon: also obvious lol. idk either for the regional variant, a president instead of an emperor??? idk

Cinderace: idk why everyone wants the cat instead this one makes more sense, football is the number one sport in the country. Regional variant could be fire/electric and based on cycling instead bcs of the tour de france?

New megas? (taken from pokemons already in XY, i expect some getting introduced from future gens tho idk who):

Engine: in a good universe they re-use the PLA engine instead of touching whatever they used for scarvio. but since the game is supposed to be entierely in Illumis i have my doubts.

Others: - releasing in late 2025? and would prob get a switch AND sw2tch version thats just slightly better visuals (like what happened w botw on wiiu and switch) - south kalos mentioned. please. (<- sudiste on copium) - new KALOSIAN pokemons get introduced. not just regional variants. They could all be from south kalos and since in XY the dex was divided in regions its not like it messes it up. - ^ could also be a way to natively introduce pokemons from future gens, esp from paldea. - fashion is still a big part of the games. I wish the clothes weren't gender locked this time too - idk wich legendary trio would get a fourth if they do that but the only guesses i have are the swords of justice (they're already 4 of em) or smt to do w the legendary birds + lugia since there's the cave where they show up but i don't think that one's explained (and also they already got galarian forms)

i did lose the .txt where i originally wrote all this so i'm going off memory and what i wrote on discord but i hope im right about at least the starters and time period 👍

[lovejustforaday]

Shoegaze Classics - Xuvetyn

Xuvetyn - Lovesliescrushing (1996)

Main Genres - Ambient, Shoegaze, Ethereal Wave, Experimental

A decent sampling of: Drone, Noise, Dream Pop, Post-Rock, Neo-Psychedelia

I'm not gonna lie - I'm super excited to gush about this record. I've been meaning to get around to reviewing this bountiful, fascinating little gem for years now. Let's hope that I can do this often unsung masterpiece the much needed justice that it deserves.

🙙

I touched on this previously in my Ride review, but for all of the talk of the 'Big 3' of shoegaze, I think that many of the younger shoegaze fans these days would agree that Slowdive and My Bloody Valentines' discographies are a cut above the Ride catalogue. Not to diss on the band, but the Big 3 is really starting to feel more like a Big 2 these days, with Slowdive's relevance to new fans only increasing over time whilst Ride's relevance seems to be stagnating.

This has left a potential vacuum in the consensus online. Don't get me wrong; plenty are still going to champion Ride as one of the giants of shoegaze, and most folks that were around for the original scene that celebrated itself are most likely still diehard for Ride as the scene's closest group to being mega rockstars.

But in terms of the legacy of 90s shoegaze, could there still be a record that is missing from all-time canonization? One that has oft been overlooked when discussing this supposed "Big 3"? Is one of indie rock's most beloved and revisited eras still hiding an elusive diamond in the rough?

In case it wasn't already obvious, that's the case I'm going to be making today. And I don't think I'm entirely alone on this one. Few shoegaze bands from the 90s have had such a considerable late resurgence like this band, though they've always had a cult following.

Today I'll be making the case for Lovesliescrushing, the creative juggernauts behind the 1996 experimental ambient shoegaze masterpiece Xuvetyn.

The Band

Lovesliescrushing are one of the rare American bands of the original 90s wave.

The project began in 1991 as the brainchild of avant-garde guitarist and producer Scott Cortez, who teamed up with the apparitional soprano voice of singer Melissa Arpin-Duimstra, a vocalist who more than any other shoegaze vocalist before or since has dedicated her artistry to using the singing voice as a medium to carry and modulate the properties of sound timbre first and foremost.

Daringly, Lovesliescrushing as a band decided to forego having a rhythm section altogether. Not even a drum machine. The band's radical ethos right from its inception would seem to have been to distill shoegaze rock music down to a purified elemental substance, achieving the platonic ideal by creating an undisturbed solution of dense and glorious blended textures.

Indeed, where reverberated guitar sounds with bizarre effects and blended vocals were what set apart bands like Swervedriver, Catherine Wheel, and Curve from being otherwise ordinary indie/alternative rock bands, the qualities I just described encompassed the near-entirety of Lovesliescrushing's early output, taking the concept of the subgenre to its logical extreme.

The band pioneered what is essentially the fusion of ambient music and shoegaze, a match made in heaven as far as I'm concerned. This marriage of genre ethos would give way to some of the most unyielding sublime auditory sensations that I have ever been so fortunate to have experienced.

Lovesliescrushing also had one foot steeped firmly in the murky waters of ethereal wave (particularly on the sophomore record), the goth subgenre which served as shoegaze and dream pop's most apparent predecessor and influence. Indeed, some of the band's material can be seen as building upon the prototypical blueprint that can be found in Cocteau Twins' fourth LP Victorialand which similarly removed the rhythm section in order to create pure blissful atmosphere.

Some may see Cortez's work as hero worship, and I've heard a dozen or so folks accuse this band of being "My Bloody Valentine without the melodies and drums", but this is a grossly reductionist take that does a huge disservice to just how brazenly groundbreaking and experimental this band's early work was at the time and still remains to this day.

Lovesliescrushing also regularly made their foray into other schools of experimental music like drone, sound collage, and harsh noise, incorporating these ideas into their creative process. Some of their material even sounds like experimental music with no apparent roots in any particular legacy whatsoever.

This is honestly some very radical music. I can't think of much of anything really quite like early Lovesliescrushing. Perhaps MBV is one of the closest points of reference, but then only because they were a shoegaze band that also sounded quite unlike anything at the time.

Information on the beginnings of this band is scant on the internet compared to many other shoegaze artists, and they were never well-documented by the alternative music press the way that bands like Slowdive or even Catherine Wheel were. And as far as the North American scene goes, Drop Nineteens definitely overshadowed their popularity.

I think it's a fair assessment to say that Lovesliescrushing were truly underground in the band's formative years. I remember only as far back as 2017, when I was just getting into this band through online recommendations, that even many avid fans of Slowdive and MBV had never even heard of this band. But I digress.

Lovesliescrushing released their debut LP Bloweyelashwish twice: first as a casette tape in 1992 on their own indie label with a shorter track listing, and then as a longer full-length album in 1993 on Projekt Records, with newer recordings and mastered versions of the songs.

Bloweyelashwish is a beautiful record in its own right. More generally noisy and droning than its successor, with crunchier guitar sounds, blown out distortion, and a listless melancholic atmosphere. Somewhat closer to very early Sonic Youth, or some of A.R. Kane's weirdest output. What the record does somewhat lack, at least in comparison to its successor, is relative cohesion.

Nevertheless, some very brilliant tracks on the debut LP. "Babysbreath" is music for when you need to smother your tears in a pillow with all of the lights off, "Sugaredglowing" is one of my favourite ambient tracks ever (and a surprisingly potent form of migraine relief), and "youreyesimmaculate" is a stunning and ethereal foreshadowing of what was to come next.

Speaking of which...

The Record

Xuvetyn is... what even is it?

Xuvetyn is a series of documented sound frequencies that would be made by a sentient, shimmering blue light galaxy consisting entirely of trillions upon trillions of frozen ice shard particles. Alternatively, it is the contradictory sound of the bitter coldness of the universe itself caressing the listener in a warm cocoon.

The fact that most of all of this is accomplished with guitar, pedal, vocals, and some studio effects here and there is still unfathomable to me. That is an incredible feat in itself.

Judging solely by the ability to create awe-inspiring atmosphere, I don't believe that there is any other shoegaze band that has managed to accomplish the level of mastery that Lovesliescrushing consistently demonstrates on this record. Yes, If Loveless was the zenith of shoegaze texture, then Xuvetyn is the zenith of shoegaze atmosphere. Completely surreal and captivating.

As I've described the band's sound itself, Xuvetyn really is the concept of shoegaze distilled into its essence, then manipulated ever so slightly with a delicate songcraft and expertise, in order to give these tracks a semblance of form and structure. But make no mistake - there is no solid seabed foundation to this ocean of resonant sounds like there would be on any other shoegaze record. No, this is just infinite, icy sonic fluid that flows all the way down into a multi-dimensional abyss. And holy fuck is it ever beautiful.

Which is not to say that there is no songwriting here - just that it is incredibly subtle. But also incredibly effective.

People who generally don't care for or listen to ambient music often stereotype the genre as being uninteresting, low-effort, or too non-descript, when in fact all of the truly greatest ambient musicians know that making a masterpiece is about learning how to do miraculous things with precious little. It requires immense patience (as does the listener sometimes), a keen ear for detail, and meticulous perfectionism. Unsurprisingly, Scott Cortez strikes me as being just that kind of guy.

The album is a double LP in length, with an hour and sixteen minutes runtime and a listing of 18 tracks. Most songs generally run over the five minute mark, with the A, B, and C sides of the record all padded out every one or two tracks with these really curious little intermissions that are generally less than a full minute each.

These intermissions are often the most experimental recordings on the album, like the abrasive hailstorm noise collage of "Aquan 1" and the gloomy factory white noise of "Hum VIbralux". I could see how someone might want to omit these, but personally I think it adds to the record's pacing by giving it room to breathe, and they made the right decision to let up for the last set of tracks. Plus, the little intermissions are all so deliciously weird that it kinda reminds me of the way that your brain will just plant these bizarre, inexplicable little blips in the middle of your dreams sometimes.

Also hey, can I just nerd out about something really silly for a second? Has anyone ever noticed how a bunch of the track names on this record end in an "-ed"? "Threaded", "Handed", "Blue-Eyed", "Honeyed", "Blooded". Just another cute little detail, adding to the esoteric nature of this record, and I appreciate the alliteration.

OKAY, let's just get to the track by track analysis already.

Admittedly this is one of those records that hits you with the very best it has to offer right out of the gate. Listening to "Valerian (Her Voice Honeyed)" is among the most sublime feelings I have ever experienced in my life, literally ever. Not just in music but like, anything.

Think of any familiar place, or perhaps a virtual space in a piece of media, that held a sort of transcendental significance to you during your childhood, as though it carried a life of its own, a place that you may have revisited in your warmest dreams - for me, it's the lost woods in Ocarina of Time. Think of the sensation that those transcendent spaces would give you.

This track is that same sensation, only on steroids. As soon as that heavy ambient wall fades into the foreground and the sense of infinity takes hold, this gently flowing waterfall of dark sound matter creates a sort of window of reflection into wherever it is in your soul that you have ever felt the most at home. I get that music is a subjective experience at the end of the day, but I feel like what I just described would be inevitable for almost any listener, unless they simply weren't listening to this track the right way. One of the greatest songs ever? I'd wager a hard fucking yes.

The good news is that from here, you have only just begun your journey into a world of many more sublime and mysterious figures.

"Xarella Almandyne" is like the sound of a choir of angels in a massive hall the size of an entire city - the unknowable, lovecraftian, biblically-accurate seraphim kind of angel. Somehow soothing, yet oddly paralyzing at the same time. Based on this track alone, I must say that I'm not entirely convinced that Scott and Melissa are regular mere mortals of this world.

"Blooded And Blossom-Blown" is an eerie, gleaming, and loudly piercing void. I find the majority of the songs on this record to be overall comforting, sometimes somber and darkly mystifying if anything, but this might be the one odd track that genuinely unsettles me; in a way that I cannot get enough of, mind you. Compared to what we often call white noise, this piece represents sound that I visualize in the distinctly unnatural shades of negative blues and turquoises.

"Virgin Blue-Eyed" is a very rare departure in the band's early discography from their guitar ambience, focusing on the incantations of Melissa's euphonious elven voice, with clanging little bells in the background (which, funnily enough, technically makes this the most percussive track on either of the band's first two records).

My favourite of the intermissions is "Seesaw". Transitory shoegaze in a continuously elevating loop, like music for the loading screen that would take you to the shoegaze version of heaven, or perhaps the mythological world of Mag Mell.

"Golden-Handed" is soft, swirling, hypnagogic, and lamenting. This ambient ethereal wave track manifests as the faintest, loneliest light flickering in the gloomy hush of an otherwise dead midnight. Completely arresting atmosphere.

"Bones of Angels" is a two parter - first there's "Bronze Lit Feathers", a labyrinthine chorus of resplendent, inharmonious, and rippling guitar impressions, drifting almost aimlessly and forming only vague constellations with the help of Melissa's frail melody, and a foundation of ambient bass notes cutting through the discordance with great magnitude. This is contrasted by the second part "Her Tongue Pulled Out", wherein the sky parts and the drifting guitar sounds align into a shrill cry, forming a radiant column of sonic light, as if something gorgeous is beginning to descend upon the world. Music for high priestesses summoning divine power.

Xuvetyn reaches its second greatest peak with the penultimate track "Ghosts That Swirl", a piece which opens with this really foreboding orchestra of dreary, gargantuan ambient chimes, sounding as though the world around the listener was compressing in on itself and then stretching in and out of itself, like alternating waves in the membrane of the universe. This overture leads into an ominous, secluded, and crystalline dreamland soundscape, further removed from reality than any other track on the record, and unlike any other song that I have ever experienced. This is music that could only be dreamt up from the confines of a comatose slumber, wherein Melissa's whispers in your ear are the only traces connecting you to the corporeal world, though only audible as faint echoes far off in the distance of a seemingly endless cerulean.

I could go on all day but I've decided to end the track-by-track analysis here. The entire record is vividly evocative beyond what should be reasonably possible (and what I can convey words). You might get something entirely different from my descriptions of these tracks, but I guarantee that you will experience something unearthly.

What Came After That?

Lovesliescrushing followed up their first two records with a series of two records in 2002 that were more just straight up ambient music, rather than comprising an ambient shoegaze fusion.

The first of these is Glissceule, a similarly icy record to Xuvetyn with less dark edge and more of a reserved calm, plus more electronic elements. Second was the more ambiguous Voirshn which I enjoy significantly less than previous projects unfortunately.

The band has sporadically released more ambient records over the course of the last couple of decades, which I have yet to really deep dive into. Scott has worked on a few separate projects, most notably his other band Astrobrite which releases much harsher noise shoegaze records. Nothing from this band has really grabbed me like Lovesliescrushing's work, so I am not very familiar with it.

Like I mentioned previously, Lovesliescrushing's relevance in online shoegaze circles has seen a steady increase over time for a little while now. But Scott and Melissa have always been favs amongst the more hardcore followers of the scene, achieving an almost mythical status as figureheads of the experimental shoegaze micro-scene. And they're pretty much always one of the first bands I see people recommending nowadays when someone online says that they're looking for more "weird shoegaze".

And believe me, I'm one of those nerds recommending this band with every relevant opportunity that I can seize. This should be among the first dozen records we play when the aliens come down to Earth, in order to plead our case for the culture of humankind. This is a very special piece of art.

I won't pretend that this is going to be music for everyone, but if you really wanna transcend your corporeal existence in way that doesn't involve experimenting with potentially harmful substances, I can't really think of any better method. Xuvetyn is from beyond our plane of existence - some people native to our world (allegedly) just happened to manifest it one day.

Join me next time where, in case this review wasn't goddamn long enough, I will be doing a series of reviews on every major Slowdive release from the self-titled EP all the way up to their latest record 🙃.

10/10

Highlights: "Valerian (Her Voice Honeyed)", "Ghosts That Swirl", "Bones of Angels", "Xarella Almandyne", "Golden-Handed", "See Saw", "Blooded and Blossom-Blown", "Virgin Blue Eyed", "Flowered Smother", "Mother of Pearl", "Mandragora Louvareen", "Milkysoft", "Hum Vibralux", "Staticburst"

[my-rewrite-academia]

Are there some rules in your writing process to decide wich character will be stronger or do they just use luck and KyouBrainMagic? Since quirks don't play a big role in who wins in your story and i don't get why the invisible girl just wins all the time. Thank goodness we don't see her much in the actual story(haha get it? Cuz she invisible)

It's kinda like, "Izuku is so great and helpful and great and awesome! Look at him beating mega-quirk student! Isn't he so incredible! He's proving to us anyone can be a hero!" It's better than what we got in the actual story wich is just Izuku being belittled at every action but it gets a bit repetitive and predictable i guess. It ain't showing anything new apart from "great superpowers≠practice"

Hello!

-

Short answer: yes!

Long answer: there's been a lot building up to justify why Tooru wins a lot. First of all, in the Q.A.T., instead of it being ironically biased towards strong, flashy quirks, the students do a physical exam entirely quirkless. Tooru gets second place because I made her far buffer for this rewrite.

In Week Two, she is one of the few (Izuku, Momo, Shouto, Tooru, Rikidou, and Mashirao) who understands the value of combat outside of quirks, because, before Izuku analysed her quirk, she believed she was only invisible, so she made up for that by improving her muscles and combatitive ability.

This post explains why she's buff and a good fighter. This post also explains that Tooru is as muscular as Izuku, though people obviously can't see this due to her being, you know, invisible.

Her quirk analysis also explains why she's good match-up against most people. She beats Shouto because she can manipulate energy/radiation. In other words, she can melt his ice. Now, if Shouto didn't go straight for the kill, he would have beaten her, simply by pushing her away with the ice rather than trapping her. But, because he trapped her, she was able to melt the ice by manipulating the thermal energy and take him down while he let his guard down. Shouto was overconfident, that's all.

In the King of the Hill game, she doesn't beat Shouto. She pushes back against his ice and directs his attention towards her, but that's it. Against Mina, she bluffed her way into making Mina attack the way she wanted. Mina's acid would burn her, but Tooru made it sound like it wouldn't, so Mina didn't bother trying.

In the One-on-Ones, she beats Itsuka by using her stealth and gaining the advantage. She could see Itsuka, but Itsuka could not see her. Then she loses to Izuku.

Tooru does not keep winning, and I do try to keep battles logical while also subverting expectations - again, in a logical manner.

Mina beats Ibara by melting through her vines. Ochako beats Shouto by making his ice collapse in on itself, and Shouto can't bring himself to use his fire, because trauma isn't so easily beaten. Izuku beats Tooru by taking her by surprise, with gravity on his side.

And Izuku loses too.

He lost to Tomura when he broke into U.A., and he couldn't fight back against a nameless villain in the USJ. He couldn't do anything to the Noumu. He loses to Shouto, and then loses to Koujirou. If he was alone, he wouldn't have stood a fighting chance against Stain.

And I do not intend to make Izuku the greatest, strongest hero who can overcome any enemy ever. That's not the point of this rewrite or his character.

He doesn't win because he works harder than anyone else. His intelligence doesn't make him better, it gives him a platform to stand on. In fact, he doesn't win all that often. Yeah, he won against Momo back in Week 2, but he also then lost to Mashirao afterwards. He didn't even get in the top three in the Labrynthe. His team comes fourth place in the King of the Hill. He doesn't stand on the podium in the Sports Festival. Let's remember that he only landed one hit on Stain and was paralysed twice during the fight.

I know that not everyone who works hard succeeds, but I also believe that everyone who succeeds works hard. This rewrite isn't even a quarter of the way through, and there will be plenty of moments in the future where Izuku loses badly or messes up big-time. Times where he's in over his head and pays the price for it.

Izuku has only won five times. He got first place in the Entrance Exam, and that was only because the exam was reworked to favour heart over brawn. He won against Momo in a sword fight. He won against Hitoshi and Tooru in the Sports Festival, neither of whom have a super strong quirk. He won against Stain, but only because he was backed by Shouto and Tenya, and Stain was in rush to kill them and leave before more heroes got there.

In 23 plot-focused posts, Izuku has won 5 times. Out of 13 fights, he's won 5. He's lost 8 times. I don't think that's out of line at all, especially considering the people he won against. His wins were against people whose quirks weren't traditionally powerful, like Shouto or Bakugou.

Luck will always take place, no matter the moment. But it also takes skill to take that luck and turn it into opportunity. That's exactly what Izuku does, and what many other characters do. Like Mina metling Ibara's vines, or Mina believing Tooru's bluff, or Eijirou being better at hand-to-hand combat than Tetsutetsu because people more skilled than him at it happen to be in his class.

I'm sorry if it feels repetitive, but I do think carefully about who should win fights and how they can in the first place.

-

Thanks for the ask!

[askroahmmythril]

If you had to rework the Smash roster for the "big three" (Mario, Fire Emblem, and Pokemon), who would you cut and add? On the flip side of the coin, for series that have less than four fighters, and Zelda (since Melee was the last time they had fully original fighters) who would you add?

As much as I know we're never going to quite have something the level of Ultimate again, ideally I wouldn't be on the side of cutting characters, so just for fun, I'll go with who I'd most want to see as a new character for each world.

Mario - Toad, with Toadette as an "Alph" style alt. Just feels like they SHOULD be there. Extra, I wouldn't be adverse to Waluigi as like a "side games" rep with moves referencing Party, Kart, Sports, etc., but I feel like Toad deserves a spot more by this point.

DK - Dixie Kong is probably the overall most wanted there, and I'd agree with it.

Zelda - I'm biased toward TP so I'd say promote Midna to playable.

Metroid - ......Hard to say on this one... Honestly most of what I'd want for Metroid is for Samus' alt costumes to really BE alt costumes, i.e., factor in more of her suits. Thinking about it, honestly since we have ROB as a cute robot, I'd be down for having EMMI around as a creepy robot fighter.

Yoshi - ...Can we count Kamek? If so, him.

Kirby - While he probably wouldn't exactly be my first choice (total bias, it'd be Daroach), Bandana Waddle Dee probably makes the most sense at this point as a fourth.

Star Fox - Leon, play up the idea that he's an assassin. Make his blaster more "sniper" type, give it the ability of the Staff item : it does more damage the further Leon is from his opponent.

Pokemon - We need a fully evolved Grass starter, for which I'm honestly torn between either Decidueye or Meowscarada.

Mother - I'm gonna be honest? I don't know the series enough to really have a strong leaning toward a new character. I'd guess maybe a rep from Earthbound Beginnings could work? But I have no idea who it would be.

F-Zero - As it stands, any character from F-Zero put in a fighting game would basically be a whole cloth moveset, so anyone could work. For the rivalry, I'll give the nod to Samurai Goroh.

Ice Climber - ...Now here's a weird one, and we're going to hit this more in the future. This is a very, VERY specific game, with a very, VERY limited cast, so.... not really much we can do with this one.

Fire Emblem - Another where I've never really played anything in the series (unless you count FE Warriors) so I don't know a lot of characters. Honestly from what little I know, I'll just say Anna because I think it'd be funny.

Game & Watch - Another that falls into the "where do we go with this?" category.

Kid Icarus - Honestly I'd like to see what they'd do with either Medusa or Hades. Medusa kinda feels like she deserves it for being in the original and Uprising, but Hades did kinda steal the show, let's be honest.

Wario - They pretty solidly reference the Ware world in the direction they went with Wario, so... let's mix it up and go with Captain Syrup. I'd love to see what they'd do with a fun tricky pirate moveset.

Metal Gear - Just because he'd have amazing taunts? Revolver Ocelot.

Sonic - I'd honestly be down for either of the two other main usual party members, Tails or Knuckles.

Pikmin - Oatchi, bring in the goodest boi.

ROB - Once more in "what else is there?" territory.

Animal Crossing - Tom Nook, just feels right to have him there. Let him work off some steam due to everyone constantly calling him a villain when he's... really very much not.

Mega Man - If we're sticking with Classic, Bass. He feels different enough from say, Proto Man that I could see him working, and maybe specifically give him weapons from MM&B and 10, where he was playable.

Wii Fit - If we count Ring Fit as part of it, Drageaux just because I think it'd be funny.

Punch Out!! - Really any of the rival boxers could fill the role, for meme potential, I want to say Super Macho Man. Let's be honest, dude is pretty meme worthy.

Mii - Not sure if we can really go anywhere from here. Unless you just want to canonically have Matt in the mix. Which... dear gods, we're all in trouble if so.

Pac-Man - I'd say Ms. Pac-Man, but I guess there are apparently rights issues, hence why we haven't seen her even in Namco's own stuff in a long time. I wonder if a fun moveset could be made for the Ghosts? Have it by default be Blinky, but alts could be Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, Spunky, Funky, and Orson.

Xenoblade - By default, I'd guess someone from Xenoblade Chronicles 3? But I have basically zero knowledge of the Xenoblade series, so I can't give a more solid answer there.

Duck Hunt - Another in the "what's left here" set.

Street Fighter - With Ryu and Ken both in, I'd say either Chun-Li or M. Bison would make the most sense.

Final Fantasy - If we're sticking with 7, I'd probably give the nod to either Barret or Tifa. Though it would be kind of funny to put Cid in just so we continue the tradition of "is it Final Fantasy? Somewhere, a Cid must be present."

Bayonetta - Jeanne would probably make the most sense.

Splatoon - Octolings would probably work, give them a set of weapons the Inklings don't use in their set maybe.

Castlevania - I'd be interested to see what they'd do as a moveset for Soma.

Persona - Again, if we're going with "use the one they used," we're going with P5, but I'm going to cheat and say "P5 adjacent" and go with Strikers, because Sophie's just really fun.

Dragon Quest - I'd still like to see a playable Slime just because I feel like it'd be fun.

Banjo-Kazooie - We've already got the big duo there, so it comes down to ally or rival. Either Mumbo Jumbo or Gruntilda could probably have a fun moveset.

Fatal Fury - This one's in that situation of I don't really know the full roster well enough, so can't really make an educated guess outside of Geese for rivalry.

ARMS - I kinda want to give the nod to Lola Pop just because I think she could have some interesting differences.

Minecraft - Honestly, no clue what else you could even go with since Steve also brought Alex and a couple of enemies to the game.

Tekken - Either Heihachi because he's the big bad, or Kuma because hilarity.

Kingdom Hearts - Riku honestly probably makes the most sense as the friend / rival. Give him a darkness meter buildup mechanic where he can transform to his dark outfit and such.

[archoneddzs15]

Super Famicom - Return of Double Dragon (Super Double Dragon)

Title: Return of Double Dragon / リターン・オブ・双截龍 

Developer/Publisher: Technos Japan

Release date: 16 October 1992

Catalogue Code: SHVC-WD

Genre: Beat-em-up

After the Double Dragon trilogy and their Kunio-kun franchise made a great success on both arcades and the Famicom (and other platforms including the Mega Drive and the PC Engine too), it seems natural that Technos make a fourth game, for the SFC this time. Instead of calling it Double Dragon IV, they called it Return of Double Dragon in Japan, and Super Double Dragon in the West. This game is obviously based on its more well-known Famicom and arcade counterparts, you play as the Lee brothers, Billy and Jimmy, and go out to kick the butt of bad guys.

First of all, the gameplay of the game is awesome. You can play alone or with a friend, and instead of having clunky controls like Double Dragon games on the Famicom (even worse on Mega Drive Double Dragon 2 in my experience), this time you get a really great control scheme. The four buttons of the SFC gamepad are used to kick, punch, jump, and block enemy attacks, which is great. This new scheme allows for much more combos than the old Double Dragon games, and that is much more fun. You can also use L or R to charge a power gauge, allowing for even more combos, but this one is hard to use. In addition to that, enemies come up with various weapons (like in previous Double Dragon games) that you can be a victim of, but if you're skilled you can grab them and use them to your advantage. This game features much more weapons than older Double Dragon games, and that is very cool. You can also sometimes use the background to your advantage. So yeah, the gameplay is awesome. The only small flaw is that the animation is a bit slow sometimes, depending on which version of the game you have (there are a lot of differences between different regions and cartridge revisions I guess).

The graphics are really good, the Lee brothers look different (head swap) instead of just palette swap, and they are much more detailed and don't have that cartoonish look any longer, adding a more serious overall feel to the game. The backgrounds are detailed and realistic. Enemies, while still not very varied, also look more realistic and are more brutal than before, as they also use combos and jumps against you. You can fight more than one type of enemy at a time, which is a great addition. And there is a new hard boss at the end of each stage that is each time harder than the previous boss, unlike the original Double Dragon which only featured multiple palette swaps of Abobo as hard bosses. And yeah, that big old Abobo is gone, we're getting more serious bosses this time, and you don't fight 2 clones of them at the same time, and that's good. You have to refight all bosses before the end of the game in a row, which can prove challenging.

The music of the game is awesome, there isn't much of it, but it's good. Also, the Japanese version has more music (I own the Japanese version seen here). I like the rocky style of the music in the game very much, it suits the fighting very well. The sound effects are more repetitive punches and kicks, but you get a couple of voice clips, which is cool. However, I'd have liked more exciting sound effects than just two repeated kick and punch sounds.