#<- new tags for the dlc maybe????

[eeveekitti]

happy campaign reveal day nightcat!!!

[crunchchute]

holy moly. just hit 1k. thank you!!

[draconscious]

(ooc. preparing for the dlc by blowing the dust off my switch, colorized.

I also missed the earlier heads-up on tumblr not sending notification alerts and that's definitely been happening to me too as of late!! I've successfully set up the discord webhook thing--thanks to those who shared, people rly are geniuses--so I should be good now, but please IM if you've replied/answered something recently and gotten nothing from me yet!! I'll be pinging people too.)

[ghostprinceiii]

ah, discouraged once again from continuing Persona 5 because of how People Like Me are portrayed and treated :/

Ended up down kindof a chain of articles (like this) (and this one) that confirm how I've already been feeling —ie that the NPCs are not only actively hostile to 'me' as a character, but me as a player, as well, in many ways.

What I've seen and read of the characters and world-concept from a distanced perspective (through the lens of an audience, and not Experiencing The Story As Joker) has been cool and interesting and the music fucks, obviously, but idk, I'm just tired of this shit, today. Maybe this just Isn't The Game For Me and this is just another factor of that to add to the list, maybe it's just not the right time to be playing it and I'll do another 8 hours in another 5 months, or get super into it next week, I dunno.

Anyways. The articles give some good context for part of what I'm referring to here, and I thought they were quite well-written, so I'm linking them above if anyone's interested.^^

[zhenghuaz]

i must say it again, but the gw2 community is such a loving place. i took a break from the game because i could barely function because of mental health, i returned just recently and the people around me are so lovely. i gain so much love for this game again! it’s silly, i know, it’s just a game, but it holds lots of memories that are dear and near to me. im happy to start a new chapter in my heart, im happy to play this game again!

but also 1 minute into playing for the first time in months i bought a corset for hua so maybe i sh

[goldensunset]

hm. well i was going to maybe start the dlc in violet tonight but instead i listened to the entirety of insaneintherain’s 4 hour compilation of dppt jazz covers while doing who knows what

[what-wait-why]

i don't know how to describe it but base persona 5 has an inherently more somber/serious tone than Royal

[hypaalicious]

Headcanon time to try and explain the King Daddy disrespect:

Since he was floating around a space/time void for so many years vs the others running around fighting and doing what they can to survive in the darkened world, Noctis’s growth was stunted which is how he stayed with his young body (probably with some muscle atrophy) while Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio got bigger and buffer. Also, he had no means of shaving and got the unfortunate scuffy beard genes from somewhere in the Lucius bloodline. —💕

This makes a lot of sense, bless you Anon. I still don’t like that he looks like a bobble head, but with this explanation I can like… stop being so 😒 about it, LOL!

… I’ll still be mad that he had to die, tho. That I will carry to my own grave!

[seagreenkey]

nintendo direct starts in 5 minutes and i have got to share my thoughts abt everything on my tumblr blog so u know what that means ^_^ LIVEBLOGGING TIME

[cinnabeat]

watching people speculate abt the ending of kh3 from when it came out and talking about the significance of yozora and the verum rex trailer and theyre fumbling through ffxv knowledge and its physically hurting me how much theyre getting wrong

[aloysarrow]

My most hated quest is about to go down so I'm gonna post the pretty sapphic sunset pic I took.

[sugar-omi]

Hi! Your writing is amazing and makes my day every time I see you post. Could I request Cove while trying for a baby with a female MC? He’s so sweet and emotional I can totally imagine it would be equal parts super fluffy/adorable and spicy/hot Thank you! ✨

omg ty thats so nice of you to say!!! also tysm for this rq, i've been waiting for someone to ask smth like this bc i was worried i was the only one thinkin shit like this!!! also i think this is a bit more horny than fluffy, which is why i tried to make up for it w lots of kisses from cove LOL but ykw.. i feel like a part 2 wouldnt be so bad either 👀

tags : NSFW, ok for fem/nb readers, after step 4/wedding dlc, buff cove lol, breeding kink, creampie, overstimulation, cove w oral fixation(? a bit implied), cunnilingus, cove "uses" a nickname that you can "insert" bc i can but also cant see him using pet names, + he calls u good girl, "multiple choice" dialogue (just read 1 of the colored text "options" than continue w the rest of the fic, theres no links or anything <3)

synopsis : you and cove try for a baby.

cove tries to be calm.

and he is! after a bit of panic of course, caused by his worries but excitement for fatherhood but also you want him to.. to... oh god he's too embarrassed to think about it, from finally deciding to have a baby the only natural next emotion is calm! he is cooler than a cucumber!

but now you're laid out under him, as beautiful as ever, and even after years of being together cove can't get enough of you; especially when you're so sweet to have like this.

"cove.." your gasp drug cove out of his daze.

you reach up and cup his face, cove leaning into your touch. "y/n.." he kisses your wrist.

"what're you thinking about?"

cove flushes. there's no way he could tell you exactly what he was thinking, saying that he found the idea of coming inside was totally different from thinking it and he was not ready to that something clicked in him when you finally talked about being ready for a baby...

"you.. just- just you, and how lucky i am." cove decided to distract you by kissing down your neck, leaving a new mark under your ear. thankfully it worked, although maybe you just gave it up because you already know what's going through his head.

he starts working his way down your body, and you fall back on the pillows and let cove treat himself to your cunt.

cove tossed your panties somewhere beyond the bed, his days of nervously folding your panties over. and he latches onto your thighs, sucking more marks into your skin and his fingers lovingly work your clit.

"cove.. i wan' more..." you tangle your hands in his hair, tugging on the strands. wordlessly he moves on to your twitchy core, his tongue slipping inside and lapping up your slick.

cove's boisterous ministrations has you grinding against his face, gasping as he works your sensitive clit and adds a couple fingers to the mix, speeding up the process so he can be inside you.

cove hopes you don't see him grinding against the mattress.

he sits up, his fingers spreading you open easily. while you're panting dozily, cove's fingers abandons your cunt so he can grab the lube from the bedside.

"habit.." cove laughs it off sheepishly.

he instinctually reaches for a condom, but realizes and a wave of heat rushes over him. you won't be needing those for awhile...

cove meets your hooded gaze, a knowing look in your eyes.

you grin, full of mischief. "guess we're gonna have to break it."

cove growls lowly, slapping a hand over his eyes. it does nothing to hide his blush and he curses himself when his cock twitches against his leg.

deciding to come out of hiding, cove peers at you from over his nose and you feel your own heart pick up sped at the stark look of his eyes. something about cove seems like he could devour you, but when he leans down to kiss you so tenderly you think otherwise.

cove poured the lube over his hand, coating his length and he hisses at the heat between his hand and cock. hazily cove thinks that this is the hardest he's been since he was a clumsy teenager.

cove captures you in another loving kiss, wanting to be close to you as he sinks inside.

this is your first time going without a condom, being connected like this has both of you holding onto each other, your nails scratching down his shoulder at the new but welcomed sensation.

this isn't the first time you and cove have done it unprotected, but it has been awhile so you both can't help but pull the other person closer, needing more.

cove buries his face in your shoulder, shaking from how wet and hot you are inside like this. he can feel the way your gummy walls flex around him and he pulls his hips back- the whine that comes out of your taut throat has cove closing his eyes and taking in your every sound as he moves so slowly, so sensually but so lovingly when he grinds his hips into yours.

finally, he finds the strength to remove himself from your shoulder, needing to see your face in ecstasy.

cove looked down at your own blissed out face, and if he could see his own face he'd notice that his own face his flushed and if it was possible, his pupils would turn into hearts from how lost in pleasure and love for you he's in.

he situates his hands on your hips, the pads of his thumbs rubbing affectionate circles into your skin.

"ah- cove, cove.. please move." you reach for him, intertwining one of his hands with your own.

he gives a kiss to the back of your hand, and when he rears back his hips to start a rough pace, if you could you'd think that the kiss was an apology for the way he's using your cunt.

cove's grip on your hand and hip is solid, it grounds you and the only thing you can think of is how deliciously cove is fucking you, his cock brushing and bumping against the sensitive and deepest parts of your insides.

you whine loudly and can't help but throw your head back because it's like he's going faster and when your eyes return from their trip to the back of your head, you open your eyes to feast on the sight of your husband/boyfriend.

and it's self explanatory why you're more aroused than a just moment ago; cove's hair is mused from all your tugging, and his glasses are long abandoned so that way he can see the way his cock pumps in and out of your cunt and the creamy ring around the base of his dick.

"ah- i love you. y-you're so beautiful..." cove soothes you, kissing your cheek.

"i- oh fuck right there!" your nails run down his chest, cove is going to be a mural of hickeys and scratches. "i love you too, ahh- cove!"

cove lets go of your hand in favor of your clit, already knowing your body well enough to know when you're going to cum.

"fuck... that's it, y/n, cum for me."

"hah, cove! f-finish with me, please. want- want..." you pant, hazy and driven to babbling from the way cove has worked you up all night.

"i know n/n, cum with me. that's it, good girl." cove leans down to kiss you.

tangled in a passionate kiss, your moans blend together as you finish. cove grinds his hips into you, his cock rubbing the deepest part of your insides and painting them white.

he falls into your shoulder, panting and planting a kiss there.

cove gets up, realizing you don't need a wall of muscle crushing you.

"y/n..."

he starts to pull out, and cove has another revelation that he did not think this through...

his cum is leaking from your spent hole, more cum pushing out with every squeeze of your insides, still twitchy from your orgasm.

"yes cove?"

cove swallows, meeting your eyes and he feels embarrassed that you already know what he's going to say. and that you clearly know how much this is turning him on.

"one.. one more round? i'll be more gentle, i just uh.."

you put your ankle on cove's shoulder. "cove, fuck me again."

cove tenses up, this is gonna end up being a long night...

[mono-dot-jpeg]

stop playing league - k. kenma

summary; a callout to me and my fellow league players. (not league enjoyers. players.)

genre/extra tags; one shot(?)/drabble, fluff, comedy, slight crack, kenma (kind of) slanders riot games and you, relationship unestablished and unmentioned, if you know the games cool (i hate valorant), self indulgent

[can be interpreted as romantic or platonic] [gender never mentioned] [i make many references to different games and use game terms, sorry]

word count; 489

a/n; no one except for league players can make fun of league in this post now, i make the rules and enforce them. (/hj) you ever think abt the difference between making fun of your favorite things and someone else doing it? yeah it's like that basically. i genuinely like the characters league has to offer, but people always think i like the game. (i play it but i usually end up hating most sessions)

"don't you dare hit that button."

your cursor hovers over the fated "find match" button. the button that has been torturing you for at least a few hours now. your dying urge to play "one more game" has you in a chokehold when you just want to win once.

"kenma..." you whine. the pudding head is playing a much more chill game compared to yours, which was slime rancher. it was a little bit nerve-wracking with how easily he almost slipped off ledges, deal with the occasional tarr slime, or the adorably angry slimes in certain paths. but nonetheless, it's a much healthier game to play than league. "it's not like i can even play slime rancher with you, it's not multi-player. just let me have this. i'm gonna win this time. surely. i'll switch to val after this, promise."

"you still won't be playing with me because i don't play valorant." you can imagine his cat-like glare staring at you through the screen. "and you rarely play tft and legends of runeterra."

"it gets me dizzy, alright?! and also you should know how painful it is to get those annoying people who hold my three stars from me!" you pause when he mentions the card game, "the card game isn't that bad. just not my favorite. what about overwatch?"

"isn't the new hog rework annoying?"

"that's... it's something. what about plate up?"

"you're gonna rage."

"stardew?"

"you're too lazy to update your mods."

"shut the fuck up, actually." you hissed at him as he huffs out a laugh. "i'm waiting for the next update. i think everyone is at this point."

"literally play anything but league for fucks sake, y/n."

"but cute neeko skin.." you pretend to cry, "i just want to play my sillies. maybe even win a game, dare i say." you angrily wave your mouse over your screen. kenma watches your screen share, unamused.

"you spent money on that skin."

"WRONG, I SPENT MONEY ON ONE OVERWATCH SKIN AND TWO BATTLEPASSES."

"still spent money."

"that's a lot of backtalk coming from you. you buy skins and dlc too. you're not clean either." despite kenma trying to prolong the inevitable, you click "find match" and sit back and wait as kenma groans in annoyance. "your signs can't stop me because i can't read." you read the burst of notifications in discord of kenma and your friends making fun of you for even playing league willingly. "fuck y'all. god forbid, i have a hobby." you huffed.

"it's league."

"just let me play my silly champions in peace, kenma! you don't see me judging you for picking sebastian every stardew save!"

"he's not even that bad!"

"you always steal him from me!"

"you don't deserve him!"

"fuck you!"

"fuck you!"

a blanket of silence falls over you both as you end your silly bickering.

"you wanna play a pokemon soul link run after your match?"

"fuck you, yeah i do."

[evilbihan]

I'm curious, do you think Smoke might leave the Shirai Ryu at some point? I don't know why I feel like he might.

Yes, absolutely.

This is actually one of my favorite theories/predictions for either the next MK game or a future story DLC because there are a lot of things hinting at exactly that happening.

We have to keep in mind that Smoke's motivation in the new era, according to his official bio, is loyalty, so I doubt that he will simply turn his back on the Shirai Ryu.

I only see him leaving the clan he himself helped build if he either gets corrupted by the Enenra or if he decides Kuai Liang is no longer deserving of his loyatly, perhaps once he finds out about how Kuai Liang was willing to let Bi-Han die.

These are the main reasons why I think Smoke will leave the Shirai Ryu.

1 - Smoke is apparently not going to be in the upcoming DLC

Don't quote me on this because I can only talk about what I've seen on reddit, but so far none of the leaks have mentioned him and it seems he won't be present at Kuai Liang's wedding. Of course, there could be many explanations for his absence, but personally, I believe there might be some disagreement between Smoke and Kuai Liang.

Scorpion: Our resolve cannot waver, brother. Smoke: I’m offended that you think mine has.

It's obvious these two don't exactly see eye to eye since Kuai Liang seems to doubt Smoke's resolve and we also know Tomáš would prefer his brothers to reconcile, not kill each other, which is the opposite of what Kuai Liang wants. Kuai Liang wants to kill Bi-Han and is going to leave him behind to die. I feel like Smoke might be upset when he finds out about that. He already seems reluctant to follow Kuai Liang down the path of vengeance.

2 - A very old leak mentioned Smoke leaving the Shirai Ryu

I don't know if anyone else remembers this, but I can recall a leak from back before the game came out claiming that Smoke's tower ending would have him leaving both the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu because he was tired of fighting.

I've been trying to find a screenshot of this because I remember seeing it in a youtube video but I've been unable to do so. Maybe it was taken down and obviously, we got an entirely different tower ending for Smoke, but I wonder if, instead of being fake, that leak was just talking about something that's to come in the future. It definitely feels like something that could happen because Smoke seems like he's tired of the feud between his brothers.

3 - Noob and the tag team mode

Chances are that the tag team mode will come back to MK1, especially with the return of Noob which could also hint at a comeback for Noob-Smoke. While I personally doubt that Smoke would side with Bi-Han, unless he becomes corrupted himself, it's a possibility that we could see that team up making a return.

Sorry if this turned out longer than necessary, but yes, I definitely do believe we could see Smoke leaving the Shirai Ryu at some point in the future.

[abibeur]

So. I played Side Order (or rather I finished Side Order, aside from a few completion marks that doesn't offer any spoiler stuff!).

I've been seeing stuff on Tumblr, on Discord servers, on YouTube comments by people who were… Not entirely happy with it. Or rather disappointed. "They could have done more…", "This character was underused…", "I preferred the Octo Expansion…", "Let's re-write it for something better…". And let me tell you, I was (and still am) infuriated when reading these. Not because those comments and posts and messages were unfair, unjust and idiotic or anything (well maybe the re-writing thing was uncalled for), but because I actually loved that DLC. I think that's pretty normal to be angry with seeing a thing you love being shit on, even if I get what all of you meant. But I still wanted to share my own thoughts (because why not, I like saying what I think).

First and foremost, let me just say that I have a pretty different relation with Splatoon than most people. I was in since the release of the first game. I didn't play it due to a lack of Wii U, but I watched a lot of videos. And I liked it! I even had Splatoon OCs, I could be considered a fandom veteran at this point! But after some years, I put it at the back of my head as something I loved. When the Switch came out, I didn't have the money for it and no one would buy me one, so I continued to be a PC gamer. And when I saw the news of a Splatoon 2, I dismissed it like it was something silly, "what can you say more about Splatoon!?" I knew there was some new idols, some stuff about a DLC, Callie being kidnapped, but that's all. I dismissed all of this, and as a result I don't have much of an attachment for it. But in 2021, when I saw the news about a third game, I was ecstatic again. And in 2022, when I finally could afford it, I bought a Switch. Not just any Switch, the Splatoon themed one, and I pre-ordered the game. And when it came out, I spent less than a day to finish the story mode, and it was one of the best day of my life, I played Splatoon for 16 entire hours. Splatoon 3 is now my most played game on the Switch, more than 300 hours (that can seem not that much for some of you, but I'm a casual gamer, I don't play every day, so that's still a lot!). I even bought Splatoon 2 and the Octo Expansion after that. Splatoon 2 story mode was incredible, because that's the game I never got to play but more mastered. Octo Expansion was incredible, because it was… incredible. But I still liked Splatoon 3 story mode better. Is it because I've played it before? Because I hadn't the one year of unskippable Off the Hook news to make me like them before the DLC (to be fair I didn't know much of Deep Cut too!)? Because it clicked more on me? Honestly I don't care. It's not important, because it's still my preferences. But let met tell you, when the news of Splatoon 3 DLC dropped, I was roaring. Every crumbs of news and trailers widened my life expectancy. I was finally sharing the hype that you felt for Octo Expansion. And…

Two days ago, I played it. And I loved it. Why? Why did I love it where so many people seem disappointed? This will not be an analysis, I'm not good at those, just… Here's how I see things. Also there will be huge spoilers so if you haven't censored the tags for whatever reason, I will hide it beneath a read more because I'm nice.

First, the gameplay. When I heard it was going to be a roguelite, I was intrigued, because it seemed interesting. I was wondering how it was going to play out, more like The Binding of Isaac, or like Hades… Okay I only played those two. And it was like Hades. But I think the best thing to come out of this gameplay is… Well, the fact is every mission from all other story modes (including octo expansion) are pretty much the same in that they have an intended way to be beaten. Sure, for OE and S3 you have a choice of weapons, and there's probably unorthodox ways to finish them (including speedruns), but it's still organised around a specific way to deal with the levels. You go at one point and there you're done. And that's why I will never re-play the story modes I already finished. I know the ropes, so… Why? But here… The gameplay itself doesn't change much. It's an amalgamation of most Splatoon gameplay since now, Salmon Run, Ranked Match, Octo Expansion levels… But the way you APPROACH this gameplay is different and that's why every thing changes. Because you are now free to choose. You don't want a stage? Choose another one, the cost of a good chip and membux not being that punishing, you want a specific type of chip? Go for it! There is so much fun combos to do, I have fun at every run! They told us it was going to be replayable. And they haven't failed to give. Because when I want to replay a game, then I know it's good. Aside of multiplayer games and games made to be replayable (TBOI, Dishonored…), some of favourite games are Half-Life 2 (my favourite game in general), Hollow Knight and Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story. Once you've finished exploring it all, well there is nothing else. But I still want to experience it again. And again. I have tens and even hundreds of hours on each of them. So yeah. If a game makes me want to replay it, I like it! And also… The final fight. The "phase 2" of the final fight. It was probably the most satisfying gameplay in all of Splatoon. Every path you took? Every path you didn't take? It was there. And you could experience it all together and finally finish your first run, empowered by it, in-game and outside. This was so good. I really wish we will get updates like more stages, bosses or even chips, because wow.

Secondly, the atmosphere. This point will be much shorter, but holy shit this game was incredible to be immersed into. The cold and sanitised atmosphere of the Spire? Amazing. Obvious Portal and liminal spaces vibes, but hey. And the music… Really the music makes a lot of it. The final fight music is absolutely incredible, one more time, and the credits theme is probably my favourite credits theme of every Splatoon game and DLC (that VIOLIN, that heckin' VIOLIN). I wouldn't be able to say which one of Octo Expansion and Side Order's atmospheres was my favourite. I guess I'm less sensitive to childhood memories and such but hey. Both DLC's atmospheres were incredible good.

Finally… The sore point of everything I guess, the story. I guess we expected more. Even myself, I expected something darker, deeper, more mysterious and esoteric… Have I been disappointed. No. I understand that some people were, but I am not. And frankly, I feel like I don't have to be. Like what do we really wished for? More octoling lore? Marina's past uncovered? Mature themes and dark atmosphere? I am just describing Octo Expansion. We didn't need Octo Expansion 2.0. Every theme that I've seen wished for? Octo Expansion tackled them, greatly even. So did we really need to do the same thing again? I feel like Splatoon 3 was the great conclusion of the other games' story modes, where all marine life finally united against the common enemy: mammals, the past of Earth's life coming back for its great revival. And it was a spectacular conclusion. And Side Order was Octo Expansion's conclusion. But it wasn't that bombastic, it was more of a calm conclusion, an epilogue of some sort. Marina wasn't in great danger or anything (well she was but less than we expected), we didn't need to expand the damsel in distress role for confirming Marina and Pearl's relation (which was pretty much hinted on greatly without it lmao), we already knew that. We didn't need some dramatic story about Marina's departure's effect on the one she was close to, like some people predicted for Acht. I think some fan comics explored this way better and Nintendo telling their own version would have been disappointing either for it or for the fan comics' versions! We didn't need more insights on Eight, because once again Octo Expansion ALREADY did this. Eight seems happy with their new name and identity, so why should we uncover more? They already won a lot with Octo Expansion and their sacrifices would have been dull if there were reveals on "who they really are".

Nah. Side Order, how I see it, is a story about fixing the damage made in the Octo Expansion. It's a story about recovery. About finally confirming your place in the world and accepting that everything will not be like you think it will. Acht is not there to expose Marina's errors, Acht is there to show how this recovery can work. She symbolises every octoling Marina left when she quit the army and ESPECIALLY every octoling she swore to help. And she's also there because it would have been less interesting to see an octoling we've never seen before, especially since she is an octoling we knew got Kamabo Co.'d! Every palette is someone we already know, an anchor to the world of Splatoon, and for Eight, an anchor to their memories, as the locker was their palette. As they know more and more people, they know more and more where their place in the world is. And the end of your first run? The start of the final boss phase 2? Yeah the music is Pearl, Marina and Acht's. But it is Eight's pulse that got everything back together. Their heart beating made the world beating again. They found freedom, now they found their place in the world. They're finally complete. Like you complete your palette with every chips at once. Octo Expansion final fight was their last fight for freedom. But I think this was their last fight for identity.

But outside of that, I think Order/Smollusk is more than that. More and more we advance through completing the palettes, we learn that Smollusk is the result of Marina's wish for order in her life (and her fellow octolings') and especially the other octolings developers dreams. And I think that's really important, because after that, we learn that why Smollusk still fights us is because it's… alone. And Acht seemingly understands that. You know why this is? Why it doesn't understand Marina's intentions by "betraying" it? Because Marina, as opposed to the other developers and Acht, found someone. She found her partner for life, the love of her life you could say, she found someone else that could offer her something great. And I think the other developers didn't find that companionship, so they had other goals with the Memverse, and Acht, left behind by Marina, felt this loneliness too, taking refuge in music, so that's why she understood what Smollusk felt. I think Splatoon story is a lot about isolation, solitude and loneliness. The (Inkadian) octolings were chased from the surface, living in the underground, isolated and forced into military life. When they risked survival, they stole the great zapfish and we sent then back into the dark. So they retaliated by stealing it again and also kidnapping Callie, separating Marie from the person she holds dearest (while Callie thought she could offer them company and finally uniting back the two people). Octo Expansion was also about isolation from the surface, for everyone involved and Tartar… Well the mammal (and adjacent) survivors don't really have it well, huh? Judd was made immortal, a great lonely situation for one of the last mammals, even if the professor give him Lil Judd for that (isolating the latter from self expression, oops!), Tartar wanted finally someone who could understand the knowledge he was bearing, and in his final instants was longing to return to the professor and for Grizz… We saw what happened in the logs! But this is not where it ends. The first final Splatfest was literally choosing between the Squid Sister, separating one from the other. And when the Splatocalypse happened, we thought it would be the same, that both option were going to be negative. A endless world of anomy where nothing makes sense against a cold and dystopic dictatorship. But we saw Chaos rather meant a world of differences where anyone can be what they want to be and still be reunited with people. So now we see what Order meant: reuniting people by putting them on equal terms. And at the end, that's what you and Smollusk agreed on! He'd be a difficult final boss and you'd be a formidable opponent for him! Splatfests weren't meant to be divisive or anything, it's just a fun way to see what do people choose in their life. So to face loneliness and meet new and fun people, what will you choose? Chaos or Order?

I guess I understand if it wasn't the story you wanted to see. But I liked it either way, as I also struggle with loneliness and finding my place in the world. And as I also like roguelites!

[dimonds456]

One Hell of a Dream (DLC Analysis)

!!SPOILERS!! Block the tag if you haven't!

So, in the new DLC, there is a secret boss. We don't really know anything about it, just that it has lots- and I mean LOTS- of implications. You find it by doing a randomized puzzle and then falling asleep, taking you to a dream.

We know it's a dream because A) we just fell asleep, and B) the soundtrack backs this up. The track that plays during this fight is called "One Hell of a Dream."

I want to take some time to talk about the significance of this little segment here.

Before that, though, I want to point out a few things.

- Cuphead can only face towards the Devil

- Devs and the Angel swap sides depending on which way he's facing

- The stopmotion skeleton in the background

- The night sky behind that

- The swirly clouds Cuphead is standing on

If you haven't seen this boss yet, here's a no commentary fight.

Now, on to the good stuff.

Also, as a short summary of this essay, have a meme.

K let's get into it.

So, for those of you who have watched The Cuphead Show (no S2/S1B spoilers here!), we all know how Episode 8 started. Normal day at the Cup household, Kettle's making pancakes, we're wondering if there was an upload mistake when suddenly

AH

My friend @joyflameball and I have been going on for a while about the depth of this show, and this is the scene that really tipped us off to begin with. As Alan Seawright of CInema Therapy once said, "nightmares are a cinematic shorthand for trauma."

The same is true here. In this boss, it's heavily implied it's a dream, or more accurately, a nightmare. Just like we see in the show. However, this one takes place after we had already beaten the Devil, and have been thanked and given money for it. So, what's the deal?

Well, even if the danger is gone, that doesn't mean you forget. You remember.

Cuphead still dreams of the Devil, even if he beat good ol' Scratch's behind 7 ways to Sunday. He's scary, and Cups sold his and his brother's souls to him. That doesn't just go away.

Look at the Angel. Notice the horns, nose, eyes, and fur, plus the fact that he turns into the Devil when you look at him. The fact that he and Devs flap their wings in sync. That angel is the Devil. That's Lucifer, just from before he was booted out of Heaven.

To further solidify this, the skeleton in the background is the Devil's skeleton. Notice the long horns and wide eye sockets. The skeleton is overseeing this because that's who he really is, fuzzy exterior aside. He may look different, but he's always been the same.

Now, as a non-believer, not-a-Christian, this tells me two things.

If you look, Cuphead is still getting attacked from behind. The Angel still produces attacks, they just don't hurt you unless you look at him. So, that tells me paranoia. If Cuphead does turn around to look, then the attacks hit him. If he doesn't, then the ghost of those attacks still phase through.

It's like feeling imaginary bugs crawling on you. Nothing's there, but you feel like there is.

Before I go further, here are two lists of trauma symptoms. There's one point per list I want to draw attention to; in the first "Anxiety," and in the second, "Nightmares."

That's both of what we're seeing here.

The second thing I see here is... well. A lot.

Have the screenshot again. I'd like to draw attention to another point: Guilt.

Imagine you have a brother, or picture your sibling. You both go do something you know you shouldn't, and you decide to put the both of you in danger. Your sibling says that maybe it's time to go, but you instead make it worse and nearly get both of you killed.

Now, what would you be feeling? Your sibling didn't want to be there, and you made it worse for the both of you. Or, you knew not to go and you id anyway. Either way, you'd be feeling guilty, right?

Well, something that goes hand in hand with guilt is self-evaluation, and often, self-loathing. You suddenly feel like you don't deserve X, Y, and/or Z.

Now, back to the screenshot.

Why is Lucifer there? It would make sense for Cuphead to be dreaming about Devs, but... Lucifer? And what about the clouds and the starry sky?

Well, the night sky is up, right? Above us. What else is up?

Heaven.

Now, the clouds with the evil green glow make more sense. This is Cuphead dreaming about Heaven. Or, some equivalent.

Now, notice the spikes at the bottom. Those could be the mountainous Underworld, as it's often depicted like a cave in these kinds of cartoons. The stalagmites reach upward. I think that's what we're seeing here.

This is a battle between Heaven and Hell.

Now, apply that to Cuphead. Why would he be dreaming about this? Well, apply the guilt aspect, and suddenly this just got really sad.

Cuphead is debating whether or not he's a good person, ie. whether or not he'll go to Heaven when he dies.

That's why he can only face towards the Devil. He has to face his inner demons and destroy them on a mental level, too, in order to overcome that trauma. And even then, those scars don't just magically disappear.

This is further evidenced by the Relic.

As soon as you win that fight, the ghost nearby says this:

"Despises bravery"?

Now, this thing basically turns on Hardcore mode. You have 1 HP and all your weapons and charms switch and randomize during fights. Basically, you have to no-hit bosses while having very little control.

The relic was awoken by Cuphead beating Devs in his dream- being brave. And, if you complete boss fights with the relic, it gains more eyelashes until it turns into the Divine Relic, which basically gives you a 3rd weapons slot from what I hear.

It's the reward for facing your fears. Your trauma.

Now, wrapping this all up, I just want to commemorate the DLC and how much it adds to the world and the characters. They didn't have to put in this last bit, but they did, and now we know more about Cuphead's mental state because of it.

Also, buddy, I think you're less than 13 you should be fine lol. Isn't that a free pass? idk. (again, non-believer, not-a-Christian.)

That's all for that. Thanks for reading.