#Depression sucks. Seriously. Can it just go away for a while so I can do stuff I've been trying to do for months now?

[averbaldumpingground]

The moment flickers. Anna, on the bed, her nephew on her lap, that crocheted blanket. The boxes in the corner stacked up high. And Anna's smiling at his chubby little hand. The photographs have all been taken down. The baby has her older sister's laugh. She's packed a duffel bag with her essentials.

"I hope our kids are just like this," she'd said.

"The truck will get here in about an hour."

[chrysalind]

last chance

pairing: kuroo tetsurou/reader wc: 860 tags: pre-relationship, fluff, high school setting (third year), bad flirting, kuroo is really trying

"What'd you get for number 8?" Kuroo asks as he leans over you.

"Umm," you tilt your head and the golden light of the late afternoon sun flickers across your cheek. "I think I put down 1868 to 1912."

"Wait, seriously?" He claps his hand on his forehead. That's five questions he's probably got wrong now, not to mention he'd barely finished writing his second essay, meaning the maximum possible grade he could get is...

"I hate history," he grumbles, trying to redirect his train of thought from its depressing destination. "I'm never taking it in university."

You sigh ruefully. "I feel the same way about chemistry. The moment I walked out of yesterday's exam, every piece of knowledge about thermodynamics just—" you wave your hand near your temple, "—vanished."

"Bet you're glad I gave you my notes though, right?"

The train doors slide open and a crowd of students from another school shuffle in. His legs brush against yours as he tries to make more room around him.

"Only because I gave you my English notes," you counter dryly, moving your bookbag onto your lap as a freckled teen slides into the seat beside you. The small plastic Keroppi charm on its side swings erratically against your thigh.

"A more than fair trade," he reasons. "Especially since I was getting the highest mark in chem, while you were just below Takaichi in English."

"Takaichi's mom is from New Zealand," you reply, with a roll of your eyes. "He's been practically fluent since he was born. Plus, your handwriting sucks, so you get points taken off for that."

Kuroo snorts, but has no choice but to concede. After all, he can barely read his own notebooks from last semester.

He watches as the Tokyo cityscape rushes past, still thrumming with life, even as the sun dips low in the sky. It's hard to imagine an afternoon where he won't be packed into the subway at this time, with his loosened Nekoma uniform tie around his collar, and your occasional company on the afternoons he's able to catch you at the school entrance.

His short spell of mourning is interrupted by the announcer as the train pulls into a familiar station. You both exit onto the platform and make a beeline towards the escalators.

"I'm not staying in Tokyo," he says, as you're halfway through the barriers.

Keroppi's face smacks against your zipper as you pause. "Oh?"

"I'm going to Osaka," he continues, weaving through the crowd. You fall into step beside him and there's a second in which Kuroo thinks he's vastly overestimated his importance in your life.

"That's..." He watches as a crease forms between your brows. "I thought you were going to Tokodai."

"Nah," he says, re-adjusting the strap of his bag. "I think it'd be good to gain some independence, you know?"

"Right," you say, tucking your Suica away. The sound of the city fills in the quiet that follows as you step out of the station.

Truthfully, Kuroo had been hoping for something—anything—more than the pensive silence that now settles between the two of you as you both walk the last few blocks of your high school era. But as you round the corner, the weight of the moment only grows heavier.

From his peripheral vision, he can tell you're sulking with your lips turned down in a pout that you probably aren't even aware of. And even though you've never admitted it to anyone, he's not oblivious to the way you can barely hold his gaze for more than two seconds, or how you linger at the intersection when you part ways.

"You know," he says, as you both stand before a crosswalk, "this is probably your last chance."

Your eyes flash up at him.

"What do you mean?"

He straightens up.

"Your last chance to admit that you're in love with me," he blurts. He had meant for it to come out a bit smoother, maybe aiming for a kind of teasing tone, but something had gone horribly wrong in the last second. Embarrassingly, he feels his own cheeks grow hot at the boldness of his declaration.

The crosswalk indicator changes, but you're both frozen in place.

You blink, looking absolutely bewildered, and he begins to fear that he's broken you.

And then an odd sound emerges from your mouth—a short snicker, followed by an open burst of laughter. Your giggle seems to carry over the noise of the traffic around you and Kuroo tries very hard not to die right then and there.

Instead, he forces himself to laugh along. How could he have miscalculated so bad?

He's sure he'll remember this moment for many sleepless nights ahead.

"Don't worry," you say later with the world's most bemused smile, as you near his building. "It's not my last chance."

Kuroo works up the courage to look you in the eye.

"After all, I still have our graduation ceremony."

[lianaloverr]

Let Em’ Know

Sam Golbach x Fem!reader

Summary: Sam had been gone on a trip, but when he got back to surprise you and saw a guy flirting with you, he does take it lightly…

ᜊ

Word count: 1.2k

ᜊ

Warnings: blowjob,fluff, sam being overprotective

ᜊ

It feels like an eternity since you last laid eyes on Sam. The ache in your heart grows stronger with each passing day, as you long for his presence.

Thoughts of him consume your mind, wondering if he misses you in return or if he even thinks of you amidst his busy work trip.

The emptiness you feel without him is crazy, and you yearn for the day when he'll return and fill your world with his warmth and love.

“Hey girl, you’ve been staring at that wall for quite a while. What’s so interesting about it?” Stas, your best friend since forever, asks, grinning mischievously as if she’s about to poke fun at you. “Uhh, nothing. I guess I’m just overthinking,” you say, glancing down at your hands.

Stas knows how much you’re hurting, how deeply you miss your boyfriend Sam, but all she can do is offer her support. “Well, that sucks. Let’s go to a party!” She announces suddenly, and you simply nod. You need to get your mind off things you almost look depressed.

You dressed up, feeling a bit unsure but determined to look cute. Sighing, you made your way to the living room and slipped on your heels. The dress you chose hugged your waist and accentuated your curves, making you feel confident and sexy. If Sam were here, he would have been drooling over how good you look. As you glanced at yourself in the mirror, a smile crept onto your face, knowing you were going to turn heads tonight.

You wondered where Stas was, but when she emerged from her room, you were taken aback by her beauty. It almost made you question your own preferences. "WOAH," you exclaimed. She grinned and approached you, showering you with compliments. "You look amazing, girl, ughhh," she exclaimed as she hugged you tightly. After the hug, she stepped back, eyeing you appreciatively, and playfully slapped your hand. "Thank youuu, but look at youuuuu, I could literally eat you," you said, giggling.

Stas chuckled, flipping her hair dramatically. "Oh, please, you're the one who's going to stop traffic tonight, not me."

You smirked, playfully rolling your eyes. "Stop it, you're making me blush. But seriously, though, we're going to be the hottest duo out there."

"Damn right we are," Stas agreed, grabbing her purse. "Let's show them how it's done."

As you both headed out, you couldn't help but feel a surge of confidence, knowing you had a friend as fabulous as Stas by your side.

As you and Stas entered the party, the music thumping and the crowd alive with energy, you couldn't help but feel a thrill run through you. However, your excitement went down a bit as a guy approached you, clearly interested.

"Hey there, beautiful," he said, flashing a smile.

You forced a polite smile, not wanting to be rude. "Hi."

"I'm Alex. Haven't seen you around here before. Are you new in town?" he asked, leaning in a little too close for comfort.

Before you could respond, a familiar voice cut in. "Hey, babe, sorry I'm late," Sam said, appearing beside you, a surprised expression on his face as he noticed Alex. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Sam?" Your heart raced at the sight of him. He looked so good, and the way you missed him hit you all at once, making your legs feel like jelly. You couldn't help but think, "Wow, he's here!"

You shook your head, relieved to see him. "No, not at all. Sam, this is Alex. Alex, this is my boyfriend, Sam."

Sam extended his hand, a friendly smile on his face. "Nice to meet you, Alex. Sorry, but I'm going to steal her away for a bit."

As Alex excused himself, Sam turned to you, his expression serious. "Who was that?"

You smiled, trying to ease his tension. "Just someone I met here. No big deal."

Sam's gaze hardened, a hint of jealousy creeping in. "Well, just so he knows, you're mine," he said, his tone firm. "I'm coming back for good, so let them all know what's mine."

You could sense Sam's jealousy, and you decided to play along, enjoying the attention. "Of course, babe. Everyone will know," you said, giving him a playful wink.

Sam's attitude softened, and he pulled you closer. "Good. Because I don't like the idea of other guys talking to you," he admitted, his grip tightening around you.

You chuckled, feeling a surge of affection for him. "Don't worry, you're the only one I'm interested in," you reassured him, feeling grateful to have him by your side.

“Is that so?” he murmured, his eyes filled with a primal hunger. “Yes, it is, baby,” you replied, your voice barely above a whisper, filled with seductive promise.

His smile was predatory as he pulled you close, his strong hands gripping your waist possessively. With a firm touch, he tilted your chin up, his lips crashing down on yours in a fierce, devouring kiss that ignited a fiery passion between you, quickly escalating into an intense make-out session.

After the intense make-out session, his hands roamed eagerly over your body, igniting a burning desire within you. With a hungry urgency, he guided you down to your knees, his eyes locked on yours, filled with lustful anticipation. You knew what he wanted, and you were more than willing to fulfill his desires.

Slowly, you unzipped his pants, freeing his throbbing member. You looked up at him, seeing the raw desire in his eyes.

Without hesitation, you took him into your mouth, savoring his taste and the sounds of his pleasure. He moaned softly, his hands tangling in your hair, guiding you as you pleasured him with expert skill, bringing him to the edge of ecstasy.

As he approached the peak of ecstasy, his grip tightened in your hair, his breathing growing ragged. With a deep, guttural groan, he released himself, his hot essence spilling over your face.

You closed your eyes, feeling the warm, sticky sensation against your skin, the intensity of the moment overwhelming your senses.

Breathless and flushed with desire, he sank to his knees before you, cupping your face gently in his hands.

He looked into your eyes, his gaze filled with a mixture of satisfaction and adoration. “You’re incredible,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss you softly, a silent promise of more to come.

With a devilish grin, Sam pulled you back up to your feet, his desire for you not yet sated. His hands roamed over your body, igniting a new wave of passion between you.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he murmured, his voice husky with desire.

You melted into his touch, eager for more. “Then don’t stop,” you whispered, your voice filled with longing.

With renewed intensity, he pressed you against the wall, his lips finding yours in a hungry kiss. The fire between you burned hotter, driving you both to new heights of pleasure as you lost yourselves in each other once again.

You're thrilled that he's back, filled with anticipation at the thought of enjoying his company once more. The return of his presence brings you immense joy, knowing you can now savor every moment with him.

Ty @gloryaiis

Masterlist

[fuwaprince]

👉👈 Hi friends! I have a long, serious post made just for you(!) that isn't full of spoilers, smut or mooning lawn gnomes. Please read if you can, this is a 💥 mutual aid request 💥

It has been a horribly painful and long while as most people following/keeping up with me know. and in a few days I'm going to be down $1500, which is basically all my fucking $

I can't afford Christmas for anybody, which sucks and I'm very sorry. I can't even take care of myself and haven't been, which also sucks and I'm very sorry

Landlords spontaneously raised rent on me more than halfway through this month as punishment for not getting to my house chores and not communicating, to be totally honest with you. I feel ashamed and awful about it but I didn't want to clean the place while multiple ppl living here had tested positive for COVID and kept walking around unmasked... I am not fully vaxxed because I've been too depressed to get any kind of necessary medical care done and I didn't want to catch COVID in the middle of my finals week for the semester. I woke up to being angrily and rudely bitched at first thing after the last of my finals (I passed at least). It wasn't a humanizing text. Fuck the mistreatment though. Rent is now almost doubled and it won't be lowered

There was no room for negotiation and I truly believe they've resorted to pricing me out of living here because the group of renters psychologically tormenting me wasn't effective (actually- putting a picture of my rapist on the fridge rly was super effective in getting me to isolate myself in my room all day and so was outing me as trans to the transphobic ass neighbors.... But I didn't and still don't have any place better to move out to, like the way they were hoping I would. Yes, I have looked and BEGGED btw)

I want out of here NOW, but I can't leave. I tried and had to come back because it was the best option. I can't afford to stay in a motel/hotel/BnB just to get away from them for a day or two during Christmas. I don't have any friends who I can spend the holiday with either. During the semester, I resorted to convincing classmates with keys to locked buildings to let me crash in them while they worked at night and I would leave before anybody showed up. Now that school is out, I can't do that. I don't have any family I can reach out to for support or friends who I can depend on for immediate help. I have been crying day in and day out for weeks. I have records of it posted throughout my blog. Literally crying for days on end. I'm being so fucking transparent

All that lump of text is to explain to whoever is out there, who might be listening and willing and able, to please consider helping me, if and ONLY IF able. I know times are tough and if you'd rather use your $ for other reasons or just don't have any to spare, don't sweat it and take care! 🫂

I've thought about what I could do for a long time and have helped myself how I can. It isn't enough. I've applied for so much assistance. Been approved and been sabotaged by my inhumane mom (who does not love me) via stealing my legal documents and letters and hiding them for months. My mind jumps to grim places but I'm clinging for dear life to whatever hope I have left that says things will get better. I wish I knew somebody with a business that I could work for. Part of me feels so fucking terrible for asking for help because I feel like a waste of all your resources. I feel like I shouldn't ask, like I really do not fucking deserve help, but there are friends online who care, who I know mentioned being interested in helping in whatever ways they can

So to the people who care to seriously me, I'm ready to accept it: please send me nice words to get through this and feel less alone. It feels pathetic to ask but I would love a nice letter. A nice card even. Kind words of any kind would go a long way. It means more to me than food. I have felt so broken and every day feels like a test to figure out how badly I actually want to live

I'm also leaving my cash app and paypal here in case anybody would like to do more than what I'm comfortable asking but probably very likely will inevitably need very very soon. I will be left with fucking nothing and I will have no idea what to do once rent is paid

Thank you to those of you who have sent love, offered to listen and heard me out. I really wish it wasn't so hard to survive. I'm trying to feel better knowing there are people out there who are also without help and hoping the best, but it doesn't make me feel any better or comforted tbh. I just wish the help was there for us. I wish there was a place to go for spare love, care, compassion, empathy, kindness, humanity, generosity... I need that more than I need $. Call me stupid but that's what I live for. I don't live for paying to survive in terrible conditions. I live for love and to smile with friends

I hope to write back to the friends who have already been so kind as to message me soon btw. I'm sorry for not replying sooner. Your overwhelming support is sincerely sweet and sometimes I cry because I can't believe people are so nice (to me???). It'll give me something to do that doesn't make me feel like dying! :') so thank you thank you thank you *fist bump*

Hope you're all doing as well as you can and that somehow things get better. Hope anybody else struggling like me doesn't make the mistake of isolating like a sick and dying animal. You deserve love. You deserve support. Don't be like me. Have the courage to reach out to the people who care about you for help as early on into your emergency as possible. Don't let your situation snowball because you spend so long trying to figure out if you're worth it!!! This Random Tumblr user is here to tell you that YOU ARE. Sending my infinite everlasting unconditional love. Be nice to yourselves. Be nice to each other. Fuck the hateful assholes who wish I would just kill myself already. Tell your friends you love them. Happy Holidays!!!

And here's a single picture of a mooning lawn gnome at the very end, as a treat! I told you this post wasn't full of it.... It just ended with it 👉👉

[ohii-san]

UNKNOWN HOLY NIGHT AND NIGHTHEAD - WHITE CAROL 1

( The next day )

Rinne: Achoo!

Ah… My body’s cold, and my wallet is too…[1]

I shoulda stopped at my first win. If I’d just stopped pushing there, I’d be a lot happier right about now~...

Niki: ♪ ( Eating sweets happily )

Rinne: Hey. You look so happy. Don’t get too excited over that big win of yours, ‘kay?

Niki: Ah. Just ‘cause you lost doesn’t mean you can take it out on me, Rinne-kun!

I mean, Rinne-kun’s the reason I came here in the first place. Isn’t that cruel to say? I’m the one who gave in and went out with you, ya know?

Rinne: Ah, jeez~. Why’d Niki get such a victory while I’m left broke? No matter how I look at it, that feels wrong…

Niki: Well there’s no helping that, ‘cause it’s just the way things are, isn’t it?

I did it just like Rinne-kun told me, I aimed for the hole in the middle… Wasn’t that the point, to aim right there?

‘Cause then, before I knew it, a bunch of balls came out.

Rinne: Tch! That’s just beginner’s luck.

Ah, I’m so depressed. I give so much to that place, compared to ya…

Why’re they being kinder to some amateur first-timer than me, a regular customer… They’ve got an obligation to treat me well, don’t they?

Niki: Mogumogu. Of course Rinne-kun would be looking for kindness and fairness from a pachinko parlor. I wonder if this is the rumored sensor of material desire I heard about?[2]

Rinne: … Don’t look so happy eatin’ those sweets you won, c’mon. And they’re only a fraction of your winnings…

Hey, since I’m the one who invited you out here, those are rightfully mine too. Share them with me!

Niki: Eh?! That’s ridiculous, what kinda argument is that?! … Ah, you’ve seriously taken them already?!

Rinne: Mogumogu… I’m really depressed, so can’t ya be nicer to me?

Look around, everyone around seems happy and probably luckier than me, to boot. Am I the only unhappy person in the whole world? Ah… The world truly is cruel and dark.

Niki: Ah, well~. Don’t start being annoying to everyone around just ‘cause you’ve got bad luck, ‘kay?

Look, look. I want you to look around. There’s Christmas decorations all over the place. Even the sweets I got at the pachinko parlor were Christmas themed, see?

Niki: So, what do you think? Doesn’t it lift your spirits?

Rinne: … Ah? Come to think of it, I guess it’s true everything’s all decorated for Christmas… Isn’t it kinda early for that, though? It’s only November.

Niki: Eh? It’s just like this everywhere lately, though. Even Cinnamon’s begun taking reservations for Christmas cakes.

Rinne: Hm. So it’s Christmas…

Niki: That’s a pretty underwhelming response~. Weren’t you really excited for the Halloween event?[3]

Rinne: That’s ‘cause as the leader, if I don’t keep things lively, our morale as a unit’s not gonna go up either. Besides, if I’m gonna do something as an idol, I gotta make the most of it and enjoy it to the fullest, right?

Niki: Right, Rinne-kun’s just like that, huh~?

He pretends to be a pretty lively kinda guy, but he’s surprisingly calm-headed– or level-headed, rather. You’ve been that way since you started crashing at my apartment…

Rinne: But everyone’s like that. As long as I’m doing this kinda work, I’ve gotta control myself and be conscious of my energy.

Rinne: Besides, as long as I’m with Niki, there’s no need to force myself to act excited.

Niki: That’s true. So then, is Rinne-kun really not interested in Christmas at all?

Rinne: Eh. It’s not really like that…

I don’t mind if we do a live for it or something. It’s just a holiday that never made it into my hometown.

Ever since joining the idol industry, I’ve been given year-end schedules that didn’t gimme any time for Christmas. Besides, to be honest, I don’t have any memory of enjoying it either.

If you go to a pachinko place on that day, you’ll still get all your money sucked away and go home just as sad and lonely as you would’ve otherwise.

All the red and green decorations inside the establishment and along the way home just add insult to injury and make me feel even emptier.

I guess Niki would cook delicious meals back when we lived together, though… I suppose that’s a good memory.

Niki: Ah, now that you mention it… That did happen, didn’t it~?

Rinne: Well, that’s good. Christmas is for the kids to enjoy, ain’t it?

As long as the kids are excited, enjoying themselves and bouncing around, it’s all good. But for adults, it’s just the same as any other weekday.

Niki: Eh~? Rinne-kun, are you for real? I don’t like that at all, though?

After all, it’s Christmas, right?

Niki: Turkey and roast beef and beef stew! Ginger cookies, candy canes, bûche de Noël[4], and the classic strawberry Christmas cake! ☆

It’s a dream-like kinda day for me, ‘cause I get to eat delicious food all day, y’know?! I wish Jesus Christ was born every day!

Rinne: … Didn’t you say something like that about Halloween, too? I guess you’d be happy with any event tied to food.

Niki: Well, simply put, yeah.

Rinne: … Huh? Ah, shit!

Niki: Eh? What’s wrong? You’re looking pretty alarmed at that clock…

Rinne: I’ve got a meeting for work right about… Now.

Niki: Huh?! Rinne-kun, you seriously came to play pachinko even though you had work?! I thought today was a day off for you?!

Rinne: Damn, I overstayed… Anzu-chan said “Absolutely don’t be late!” but, well… I am late, shit.

I wonder if I’ll make it if I run. ES is pretty far, though…

Sigh. It’s gonna be a pain either way~. Anyway, I’m heading off now, so it doesn’t matter!

Niki: Well, it’s a good chance for some exercise, right? Good luck, Rinne-kun!

Rinne: Hm? Why’re you talking like you’re not involved too, Niki. You’re comin’ too, y’know. Rinne-kun will be lo~nely otherwise!

Niki: Huh?! But it has nothing to do with me, really, right?! I mean, you don’t even feel lonely at all, do you Rinne-kun? You just wanna drag me into it!

Rinne: C’mon, let’s go~. Run, run~!

Niki: Ah, he’s already…! You were really serious about this?! Ugh– I’m only doing this for you this once, Rinne-kun!

[1]: the way rinne refers to this is something that can either be translated as wallet or breast pocket, such as that of a suit, where the wallet is kept . he's being kind of defeatist here

[2]: this is internet slang in japanese; basically, it's like when you really really want a card of your oshi, but they just won't come home . the object itself ( in rinne/niki's case, the pachinko machine ) senses your material desires, and therefore denies them ! there's not really a better way to translate this, but hopefully this helps you understand what niki meant better, lol

[3]: referring to spider, which aurora has translated here !

[4]: this is yule log/christmas log !

[purplemninja]

Little Nightmares hot takes

[Feel free to comment or reblog with hot takes of your own]

Someone on the LN subreddit asked for people's hot takes and I commented a bunch of spicy ones that I have, which I will copy and paste here (though the last one will have something added to it):

1- People who say that Mono is an uwu-softboi or portray him as such are awful and are doing him a disservice. Like, you can not look at his battle against the Thin Man and pretend that he's a pacifist, not to mention the other kills he made in-game. His fight against the Thin Man and moving the tower towards himself is his most badass moment and these rougher edges to him make him a much more interesting character. So by taking that away and acting like he wouldn't hurt a fly really doesn't do Mono's character and arc any favours, it just ruins it, so people have seriously got to stop thinking that he's a 'pwecious widdle angel' when he clearly isn't, especially when it hurts his character and story.

2- I'm pretty sure that people are expecting this one but the fandom needs to lay off Six, and way the fandom makes it so that Six must either be totally good or totally bad and is not allowed to be morally grey (in between) is so irritating. Just like with Mono, taking away Six's rough edges or smooth ones hurt her character and make her way less interesting. Also no surprise that I say this but the way that the anti-Six people treat her is so awful.

3- In addition to what I said about the golden child Mono stans in number 1, the way that the FNAF books treat Henry is very much like how the fandom treats Mono - only his suffering matters, screw everyone else. Or some go even stupider and treat all of the characters in LN except Six sort of in the same way that the FNAF books treat Henry, basically like "Six and her suffering? She should shut up and suck it up" or even going as far to say that she deserves her suffering. While just about all the other characters (Mono most especially) have their suffering dealt with a gentle hand.

4- I'm pretty sure this is ghost-pepper level spicy but it's so dumb that the fandom claims that Roger is nice. Like bruh, he literally has blood stains on his vest, chases kids, you can hear one that he catches whimpering as he takes them away, wraps them up to be taken to the kitchen, and there's a bloody guillotine in vicinity. Just because he doesn't kill Six or RK on-screen means he's nice? What?

5- They should've made a LN2 DLC where you play the game as Six and get to see her perspective of everything that happened, especially that scene. Make them step out of their Mono/Thin Man tunnel vision and focus on Six and her suffering too for a change instead of making Mono's overshadow everything.

6- Six being the Lady would be disappointing AF and lazy that they're recycling Mono's fate. I'd be better off if Six was the next Lady and not the same one encountered in LN1, but I still prefer a different way for her story to go (or maybe make my new depressing interpretation of her ending (where she's not the lady but is still stranded at sea with no innocence or humanity left, making everything she went through all be for nothing in the end) the actual ending for her).

Plus, you're telling me that the remaining staff on the Maw (The Twin Chefs) were like "Oh, this kid that we tried to murder earlier is our boss now" and Six is like "Oh, I'm not going to kill these guys who tried to add me to the menu earlier. Plus I'll hire an exact copy of the Janitor and get a replacement for the one and only mirror I was able to fight the Lady with since it broke and try to board it up in the same room that I found it in. Yeah, it tooootaaaally would prevent another me from being able to get it in the exact same way that I did".

Not only that but they also put a child in charge of dealing with other business-related stuff on the Maw like shipments of coal and vegetables (or maybe someone else did that)? So stupid.

7- Runaway Kid's name is not seven!

8- The ridiculous double standards of self defence. Why are Mono and Runaway Kid allowed to defend themselves from monsters trying to kill them but Six isn't?

Mono - Smashes a bunch of bullies, pulls the trigger on the gun to shoot the Hunter, beats some living hands to death, probably burns the Doctor alive, kills some viewers by electrocuting them to death or luring them off of a ledge, and probably broke every bone in Thin Man's body before Thanos Snapping him.

Fandom - Eh.

RK - Electrocutes the Granny to death and disintegrates the Shadow Kids with his torch.

Fandom - Whatever

Six- Helps Mono shoot the same Hunter that kidnapped her and locked her in his basement (and she didn't take the gun off the hooks, Mono did), kills one bully after being kidnapped, tortured and hung upside down by them for who knows how long (which will eventually kill you), cuts off Roger's arms with a door when she was cornered, eats a rat when there's no other food nearby, eats a Nome instead of a sausage that she knows is made of human flesh, eats the Lady when there's no other food anywhere, and kills some guests who are reaching over to try and eat her on her way out of the Maw.

Fandom - Monster.

Now, I'm not saying that what Six did was good or what the boys did was evil, but people have to stop acting like it's okay for one character to kill to save their own lives but not the other.

9- This stems more from a certain artist that I won't name to avoid people going to harass them, but on top of the self defence standards, people also have to stop with the double standards of bad things happening to a character due to another character's actions. What I mean with this is that while yes, Mono had no way of knowing that Thin Man was behind the door and getting Six kidnapped by him was a mistake, that does not, however, undo the fact that Six still got kidnapped or that her kidnapping is not that big a deal all because it was an accident on Mono's part. Especially when people won't give Six the same leniency when it comes to Mono becoming the Thin Man. Six had no way of knowing that Mono would survive the fall, let alone him being stuck in a room on a chair for decades and turning into the Thin Man, yet that is a big deal despite her not knowing but her kidnapping isn't because it's also an accident?

And lastly,

10- Another ghost-pepper level spicy but AUs where Six pulls Mono up yet all the suffering she has to go through before that is 100% the same as in-game makes her a way, waaaayyyy better person than Mono. This goes double for AUs where Six realises that he's the Thin Man (you know, her kidnapper and tormentor) but decides to pull him up anyway. Like, Mono as Thin Man decides to kidnap and torture an innocent version of Six, cursing her with the hunger and making the child Mono have to torture her to save her, but Six decides to pull him up despite all of the pain he put her through. Even more so when she realises that he is her kidnapper. That makes her a much better person that him. Though it also makes her kind of spineless. I'm not saying that she should drop him, but in-game the player can abuse Six in some ways (running when holding her hand, which makes her stumble, throwing stuff at her, bash her with weapons (even if they don't do anything to her) getting her to fall off of stuff (yes, she respawns or teleports, but still), blinding her with the torch) but not once does Six retaliate until Mono attacks the music box, making her a bit of a doormat TBH. Yet some people in the fandom portray Mono as the doormat instead, it's like the fandom goes out of its way to get Mono and Six as backwards as possible.

Additionally, fan content where Mono doesn't apologise for getting Six kidnapped in the first place, or torturing her during his fight against her monster self makes him a huge jerk. Like, this girl has to suffer because of his actions (unintentional, perhaps. But as I said, that doesn't make the pain Six suffered go away or not matter) and he doesn't even have the decency to at least say sorry for the hurt he caused her? It pleases me whenever there's fan content where he does apologise, because not being sorry for hurting Six makes him a huge jerk.

It's long, but those are my hot takes.

[alirex-art]

I actually don't understand all the Euclase hate like can someone explain to me I'm that lost 💀

Why specifically Euclase? tbh every character had problems:

Rutile's attachment issues with Padpa,

Yellow Dia is raw dogging 3000 y/o mental illnesses,

Morga insulted Phos at the very beginning and then fucking died,

Cairn fell into THE toxic relationship while trying to get away from one another,

Lapis just slayed all the way,

Ghost was bby girl coded and did nothing wrong tbh,

Dia was selfish to Bort, Bort was Bort. (just kidding I love Bort but Bort had some close mindedness + snobbish issues)

The fact that moon gems got so comfy with yk, THE MOON. The moon, which is the base of the evil civilization that commited genocide towards you; kidnapped your close ones and gave you depression for enternity. Like fr Goshe good for you. You are a sk8er b0y see you later boy now. I guess too sad for the old fellas that got turned into dust 😎 on the moon it was crazy to me that the only ones caring was Phos, with a little bit of Padpa.

This post is kind of a shitpost so please don't take it too seriously. But I really want to know why people hate specifically Euclase.

I used to see Euclase as pretentious but after going back at the manga I think they meant for good at whatever they did or say, but they did not know how to do good that well 🤡 They sucked at being good.

Honestly there are way more bad characters than Euclase. Go be mad at the moon man himself; the master manipulator, groomer, genocider: A*chmea!

[askbensolo]

Journal Entry #42: Call me your brother.

I finally got Fannie to talk, on a picnic blanket by the lake, while we shared a Gungan fish egg tea (which is merely an unfortunate name—they're tapioca pearls).

"I feel...lost," she admitted. She glanced at me, as if to gauge my reaction. "What I mean is...I've been back on Ryloth for almost four years now, doing what I always knew I'd be doing...what I thought was my life's purpose. Fighting injustice, and working to heal those who have been harmed. But...injustice never goes away, and there are always more who need help. The problems will never be fully solved..." She shook her head and bit her lip. "It's gotten to the point where I find it...hard to care anymore. And that truly frightens me. I do not want my heart to be dead."

"Hey," I said quietly. "There's a word for that, you know. Burnout. It's pretty normal."

"Well, it shouldn't be." She blinked out tears and looked at the sky. "How is it that I can listen to these women tell their stories, share their nightmares with me...and feel nothing? Or worse yet...I find myself getting bored. Or annoyed. Waiting for my lunch break. Watching the minutes with impatience while they weep. I feel like such a horrible person, and it's not like me at all. Unless I've changed, or...unless I've always been this way in secret, deep down." She looked terrified at the thought.

"That can't be it. You're the nicest person I know," I said. "Sounds like you're just a little depressed right now. And anyway...it looks like you do feel something." I took a napkin and patted the tears off her cheeks. "Have you talked to Luke about all this?"

Fannie sighed. "A little bit. Your uncle is so kind and a wonderful teacher and has good advice...but I don't think that's enough to help me. It's not like before, when I lived with him and the other Jedi and had their constant support. I go through my days alone now. And I don't know what to do."

"You're not alone," I told her. "You just have to reach out."

"Yes," she agreed. "But surely you know more than anyone that it's not as easy as it sounds, when you feel darkness all around you."

I nodded. She was right.

She laughed a little. "Imagine: me, talking about feeling darkness all around. Me, with my knitting and my ribbons and my bright pastels." She held up the corner of her sky-blue tunic with the pink ruffles she had sewn herself, and let it fall with another sigh.

"Hm, yeah." I bumped my shoulder against hers. "You know...I know a guy with a ton of black turtleneck sweaters he never wears. Maybe he can lend you some."

That got her to laugh, more genuinely this time. It felt good to make her laugh.

"Seriously though," I said. "It doesn't matter that you're Little Miss Ribbons McRuffles. Life can get anyone down. And just because you feel like this right now doesn't mean you're not still who you've always been. I know you're still you."

"Well...thank you, Ben." She smiled a little.

But then something else seemed to cross her mind, and her smile vanished like air being sucked out of an airlock. Her face grew dark and concentrated. I noticed her fingers start to twitch in her lap—a phantom knitting project.

"...Fannie? You okay?" I scooped up both her hands with one of mine and made her lose count of the invisible stitches. She looked at me, surprised, and shook her head.

"No...Ben....there's...well, there's something else going on."

Her hands were quivering. I had a feeling this was bad.

"Okay," I said solemnly. "Spill."

"It's—" She stopped abruptly, as if desperately holding back the words from leaving her mouth, then tried once more. "It's my—" She choked again and planted her face in her hands.

I got on my knees and shuffled around so I could face her. "Hey. It's okay," I said. I gently pulled her hands down.

Her eyes shot open, like sharp unseeing daggers. I jumped a little and almost withdrew my hands from hers.

"It's my youngest sister," she blurted. "Pennie." Her voice was strained, yet monotone. As if she could not feel. "My father...Pentarra..."

Then she started to crumble, her lips trembling, her eyes blinking rapidly and darting around like panicked fireflies. She took a few jagged breaths, in and out, in and out—then suddenly she locked eyes with me and spoke hoarsely.

"My father has made my sister one of his dancers."

The statement hit like a space freighter slamming into me. I stared at her.

Fannie had often told me about her family on Ryloth, her story unusual to someone who'd grown up in the Core Worlds like me. How her father Ruut Pentarra, a rich and powerful Twi’lek, had several "wives" who were really more like slaves—one of whom being Fashha, Fannie’s mother. She’d told me about her three younger sisters, Connie, Ginnie, and Pennie, and about her nine other half-siblings. And she’d told me how Pentarra praised his sons and treated them as such, but seemed to ignore his daughters.

Well...until now, at least. Ew.

"...How old is Pennie now?" I asked, after a long silence. I was thinking of my own sister, Rey, who was thirteen. I couldn't remember, but I hoped Pennie was older—not that it would make things much better.

"Nineteen," Fannie said. "But she is still more girl than woman."

I didn't know what to say. My first thought was something along the lines of "that has to be illegal," but we'd had that conversation so many times before. Ryloth was an independent world, not part of the New Republic, so their laws and law enforcement were different from ours. And anyway, Pentarra's influence and wealth protected him from a lot. Fannie had told me stories of things he'd gotten away with that I couldn't believe.

“Pennie is too immature to understand,” Fannie went on, staring hard into the distance. “She has always felt overlooked. So now, she is pleased to receive what she sees as extra attention, a recognition of her adulthood, and an honor not given to any of her sisters. And Pentarra sees Pennie’s hunger for love, and uses it to his advantage. I tried to speak to my sister, to convince her to leave, but she is so blinded by delusion that she accused me of being jealous. My heart is broken for her."

Fannie's lips curled into a faint odd smile, and she looked straight at me. Her brown eyes, normally soft and kind, were intense.

"I would love to spill my father's blood," she stated calmly, sweetly, with an eerie lilt. Her lips pulled back to reveal a feral, toothy grimace that sent a chill down my spine. "And drink it. Drop by drop."

I could only look back at her, shocked. Not at what she said, because I felt she was entitled to that sentiment (well, okay, maybe the drink-it-drop-by-drop part was just a little unhinged)—but shocked because it was coming from Fannie, the good girl Jedi who had asked me not to use swear words in front of her.

And then her eyes widened and she looked all scared and she shuddered all over and turned away. "Oh my goodness. It just came out. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I would say such a thing. You see? I'm not myself." She gave a distracted whimper and went back to her imaginary needles and yarn.

I chewed on my lip, thinking carefully. All right. Well. This was...a lot. Like...a lot a lot.

After a pause, I reached out and took her hands in mine.

"...Okay," I said slowly. "So. You're not going back to Ryloth. At least, not after we go back and get your stuff. You're gonna stay here with me for a while."

She shook her head again without looking at me. "I told you already, Ben. I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to be roommates with a boy."

"Hey." I swiped my knuckles against her cheek playfully. "I'm no boy, sister. I'm a gentleman."

“Maybe if you’d been wearing a shirt this morning, I’d believe you.”

There was just a hint of a smirk on her face—the mischievous side of her that rarely revealed itself. I rolled my eyes.

“I’m just teasing you,” she said with that tiny smirk, then cleared her throat and picked at some fuzz on the picnic blanket. “But…I don’t know, Ben.”

"Come on. I lived in the same house as Rey for three years and she's a girl."

She gave me an exasperated, are-you-stupid kind of look. "Well, of course, Ben. Rey's your sister."

"Not by blood," I reminded her. I was going somewhere with this. "What's that Twi'lek thing you always used to say? Kartakk..."

Her eyes told me she'd picked up what I was putting down (even if my Twi'leki pronunciation was atrocious). "Kartakk erai de numa,'" she finished begrudgingly. It was the phrase that Twi'lek slave women were said to have whispered to one another in passing to show camaraderie. Fannie had said it to me many times in the past.

"Which means...?" I gave her a nudge with the back of my hand.

She sighed. "'Call me your sister.'"

"Yeah. See? You're my sister, too."

“But...I can't leave Ryloth. I have my work…”

“Which is…?” I prodded. She blinked.

“...Holocounseling.”

“Exactly. You can do that from Naboo.”

She was quiet.

"...Hey," I said. "You had fun today, right?" She nodded slowly. "Well...maybe getting away for a bit is just what you need. You said you feel like you face every day alone, so...maybe it could be good for you to be less on your own. At least for a little while."

She stayed quiet. I saw her counting stitches in her head.

And then...

"...Well...maybe I can stay with you for the summer," Fannie said finally. "For just a couple of months. Till...till I can get back to my old self again."

She smiled. Genuinely. It was like that time I'd called her a month ago. Like sun breaking through the clouds.

I smiled back. It was good to see her smile.

[carolmunson]

unpacking some feelings

I just came across a TikTok of a girl who is experiencing a hypomanic episode which is something I experience as a bipolar 2 (potentially BPD) person. In the TikTok her boyfriend takes her wallet while they go shopping together so she can’t over spend and mentions it’s ‘on the sheet’ because I’m assuming they have a sheet of things he assists her with.

On paper this seems so genuine and nice because how wonderful is it to have a partner that wants to help you while you’re going through it? But for me, I felt sick. I felt repulsed — disgusted.

‘He’s treating her like she can’t take care of herself. Like she’s a fucking baby who doesn’t know any better,’ was my initial thought. She asks her boyfriend in the store, ‘Can I get this?’ and my face soured. Asking for his permission like she can’t possibly just suck it up and do it herself.

But then I had to step back and wonder why my first reaction was disgust. I don’t think it was jealousy — but, sadness, anger. Not at her and her relationship but that I’ve never been offered the same kindness and because of that, I have never wanted to ask for help. I have stopped asking for help all together. I don’t expect people to help me.

My parents never took my moods swings seriously, always chalking it up to pre-teen and teenage growing pains. When even as a child I suffered from really big feelings of inadequacy and overwhelming stress. Even up to my late twenties with a diagnoses my dad described me as always being dramatic.

When I started dating my ex at fifteen, I was never allowed to be sad or to be hurt or hurting. It was always about helping him, especially in ways that I young teenager should not have been expected or required to do.

I got hardened, I stopped letting myself feel it. I stopped asking for help. I just let it happen. I stopped crying altogether. I swallow every negative emotion. I don’t allow bad days, I don’t allow sadness. All of my depression episodes are high functioning. All of my hypomanic episodes were ignored — praised for my positivity, my productivity, my weight loss.

My most recent ex just…didn’t understand it. And by then, I didn’t know how to talk about it. He didn’t know how to help, so he didn’t. He’d tell me to see a therapist; and I did. But I needed his support; just not with kid gloves, I never wanted to have kid gloves

And I wonder if I will ever be able to feel better. If I will not get nervous when someone is kind to me. If I will not feel suspicious or sick or disgusted when a romantic partner puts in the effort. When they are nice. When they care. Because after so much silence, or being silenced (okay Oprah), or forcing myself ti be hyper independent — I don’t really fully think I deserve it. This hyper independence has made me believe that I’m selfish and unlikable; like I’m lying about myself. Like I turn on this fake part of me to make me seem normal and okay and together — but internally I am fucking screaming. All the time. Just screaming and ripping my skin off and setting myself on fire.

And I don’t think anyone can hear me screaming. So I don’t tell them that I am. Because I don’t want them to know that I need someone to kindly take my wallet away when I’m about to over spend at the store.

[crashingwavesinmyworld]

Losing a long time mutual really hurts. They didn’t deactivate cause they’re still posting. They would reblog from me all the time and normally I don’t notice or care when I lose a follower but it just sucks to feel like I’m hated by even people that don’t actually know me. I get that my posts can be depressing and I guess maybe because other people have it worse people are sick of seeing me be sad when maybe they feel like I don’t have a right to be when others are suffering more, or at least that’s the vibe I get sometimes on here. It’s hell to force myself to keep going each day and I get there are other people that have it way worse but, I’m not trying to take away from that. People can care about and focus on what they’re going through while simultaneously caring about what others are going through. Trying to make people feel bad for struggling and being open about it is just going to cause them to isolate themselves further and resent people further. And I know no one takes Mental Health seriously but not only is it mental health awareness month but it’s also BPD Awareness Month. I’ve barely seen any posts about either thing on here. I know BPD isn’t as well known about or talked about but my BPD has been making my life a living hell for years but especially this year. I keep getting told I just need to forget about my favorite people that I lost because they aren’t worth it, they’re idiots, etc but no one understands how impossible that is. It is not getting easier with time it’s getting harder. And there’s nothing I can do about it. No one cares and I just want to be fucking dead. I tried to kill myself about a week ago but it failed like always. No one gives a fuck though. I’m expected to just keep going. This world is full of heartless pieces of shit and yet people expect me to put myself out there and meet new people…fuck that. And on top of that the fact that the whole entire world is full of so much evil and it just keeps getting worse every day. What is there left to live for really when the reality is like this???? It’s like there isn’t anyone or anything that isn’t wrapped up in some kind of evil or associated with something evil. There’s nothing to be happy about or enjoy because it’s all tainted by evil and corruption. And people have to suffer every day and watch their families suffer and it’s just so heartbreaking that this is the world we live in. No one cares about anything but themselves and money and hurting people that don’t deserve it. I just want it to stop!!!!!!

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball GT 41

✨GT Stands for Glum Tournament✨

It’s time for the World Martial Arts Tournament!  GT Style!  That means it’s really bad.  For example, here’s a scene of Goten on a date with Palace, and she’s trying hamburgers for the first time.  Goten isn’t in the tournament, and he has absolutely nothing to do with the tournament.  He just hears about it on the TV in this restaurant. 

Vegeta is also not in the tournament, but he still shows up anyway because he wants to fight Goku.  You’d think he would have challenged him before this, but it’s like he heard the news coverage of the tournament and suddenly remembered he’s never beaten the guy. 

Unfortunately for Vegeta, Goku is unavailable, because he is in the tournament..... the junior division that is!  Uh-oh!  He’s a 53-year-old man, but everyone thinks he’s a little kid!  It’s a recipe for wackiness!

So yeah, Goku’s spent all afternoon beating up defenseless children, because he’s such a great hero.  While he’s shooting the breeze with Vegeta, his opponent in the final round panics and just goes apeshit, knocking Goku out of the ring.  At least, that’s how I remembered this episode going...

... but it turns out that Goku didn’t land outside the ring right away.  Instead he managed to cling to the edge, so his opponent started tickling him until he let go and lost the match.  Goku can fly, right?  Like, I’m pretty sure that’s something he knows how to do.  And you might argue that he wasn’t taking this competition very seriously, but then why did he enter in the first place? 

I mean, Goku and Vegeta can literally fight each other whenever they want, but for some reason, they both seem to have forgotten about it.  So Goku slums it in this tournament for lack of any better ideas, and then Vegeta hears about it and he’s like “Oh, yeah, I knew I was forgetting something!”

At the end of the episode, Vegeta challenges Goku again, and it looks like they’re about to throw down, but then Goku calls it off because he’s hungry!  Everyone shares a big laugh, including Vegeta, which kind of pisses me off. GT has run the “Goku wants to eat first” gag into the ground, and here they use it yet again, and it’s supposed to be this laugh riot.  It sucks. 

Okay, so here’s the A-plot: Mister Satan is still bummed out about Majin Buu’s death in Episode 32.  Well, I’m not sure Buu actually died.  He merged with Uub, so I guess he’s still alive as a part of Uub, but he had a farewell scene with Satan, and Satan’s pretty depressed about it, so I think it’s fair to say that Majin Buu is dead, if only in a dramatic sense. 

I think some fans lump this episode in with the Super 17 saga, but I prefer to consider it a coda to the Baby Saga, since the episode is about Satan moving on after losing Buu, which happened because of Baby.  As we saw in the final episodes of Dragon Ball Z, Mr. Satan told the world that Majin Buu was his star pupil, and he used his stroke to change the rules of the Tournament.  Before, fighters would have to qualify for an eight-person, single-elimination bracket, and the winner would be declared the new champion.  But by the 26th Budokai, the winner of the bracket simply earned a match with the defending champion, Mr. Satan.  Majin Buu would make sure to win, then take a dive for Satan to allow him to retain his title.  Of course, we saw the 28th Budokai play out in the final episode of DBZ, where Goku and Uub abandoned their match and the tournament was canceled. 

Well, this is the 31st Tenkaichi Budokai, and for the first time in 15 years, Mr. Satan can’t do the usual formula of having Buu sweep the bracket and do the job for the champ.  Satan might be able to get someone from Dragon Team to help him out, but that’s not the point.   He misses Majin Buu, and he’s starting to wonder what the point is to keeping up this routine.  And so Satan announces in this episode that he plans to retire after this tournament is over.  Whoever wins the match to face him for the title will be named his successor.

There’s this weird bit where Trunks hears the news while listening to a radio during a Capsule Corp board meeting, and everyone panics because they think Trunks is resigning as President of their company, but then they find out it’s Satan who’s retiring, and they flip out even more.  Trunks uses the chaos to sneak out of work, and he flies to the tournament stadium to see what’s going on, but I don’t really get why he’s so interested in this.  I mean, what does it matter to him if Mr. Satan retires?

For some reason, I could have sworn that Trunks really did resign as President of Capsule Corp. in Episode 42, but maybe I got it wrong.  We’ll find out soon enough.  Anyway, this feels like a weak attempt to shoehorn Trunks into the story, since he’s all over the opening credits. 

Pan, on the other hand, fits right into this story, since she’s Mr. Satan’s granddaughter, and her Saiyan power makes her the heir apparent to the Mr. Satan combat sports empire.  And she even enters the tournament, but just for the fun of fighting.  Once she learns that the tournament winner will become Satan’s successor, she withdraws from the competition.  She wants more out of life than following in her grandfather’s footsteps.

So she spends the rest of the event eating lollipops with her parents.  I don’t want to harp too much on the cheap animation shortcuts in this series, but I found these sequences kind of strange and offputting until I realized that they probably only used them here because it allowed the characters to talk without any lip flaps. 

Naturally, Pan’s resignation upsets Mr. Satan’s plans.  He was the one who arranged for the junior division to have a height requirement instead of an age requirement this year.  That way Goku would be kept out of the adult division, while giving Pan (who is taller) a clear shot at the finals.  Wait, why didn’t Goku just turn Super Saiyan 4?  I mean, if there’s a height requirement, that doesn’t matter, because he can change his height at will.  Well, too late for that now. 

Okay, so if Goku, Vegeta, Goten, Trunks, Gohan, Videl, and Pan are all out of the tournament, and Piccolo and Majin Buu are dead, then who’s left?  Well, it turns out to be Papaya Man, a mysterious new competitor who sweeps the whole bracket. 

Pan is impressed when she sees him in action, and starts to wish she hadn’t quit before facing him.   Also, she stuffs her lollipop in her mouth and turns into nightmare fuel.  Hey, if I had to look at this, then so do you.

But “Papaya Man” turns out to be Uub in disguise.  I forget why he used an alias.  I think it was something about him being nervous in front of crowds?  It doesn’t matter.  The point is, it’s Uub vs. Satan for the world title, and Uub doesn’t bother holding back.  He really wants the championship, and he seems to think he needs to fight with everything he’s got to win it. 

I don’t understand this, since he’s been training with Goku for five years.  You’d think at some point Goku would have let him in on the whole Mr. Satan thing.  But Uub seems to think that Mr. Satan really is a dangerous opponent for some reason.

Then, just as Uub goes to knock Satan out of the ring, he hears Majin Buu’s voice telling him to let Satan win, because if he loses, “everyone will be sad.”  Uub just sort of freezes in place, so it seems like Buu is somehow controlling his body rather than convincing Uub to take a dive.  Wait, if Buu can control Uub like this, and talk to him whenever he wants, then why did he wait until just now to explain this to Uub?

Anyway, Satan manages to knock Uub out of the ring while Uub is frozen, so he wins.  And Mr. Satan is gobsmacked, because he thinks he won all on his own, something he hasn’t done in decades.  He’s so overjoyed, and so moved by the crowd’s adulation that he decides he won’t retire after all. 

Uub is disappointed at first.  The others congratulate him on letting Satan have the big win, but it wasn’t Uub’s choice.  But then, as he sees Satan celebrating with his fans, he starts to understand why it mattered so much to Buu.  I seem to remember the dub version having Buu explain it in greater detail. 

Oh, also, there’s this weird running gag where cars keep crashing into each other throughout the episode.   I think it’s supposed to be that motorists are hearing about the shocking news of Mr. Satan’s retirement, and they end up getting so distracted that they crash into each other, but I’m not sure.  It’s very odd.

✨ “Good” “Ideas”, Poorly Executed.✨

When Totally Not Mark covered this episode in his GT review, he seemed very touched by Majin Buu’s parting gesture. Satan was all bummed out about not getting to win another tournament with his buddy, and then Majin Buu basically gave him one more win for old times’ sake, using Uub as a proxy.  And yeah, I can appreciate that. 

Buuuuut, this whole episode sort of underscores how far the characters have evolved beyond the Tenkaichi Budokai.  When it was introduced, it was a proving ground for Goku and his friends.  In DBZ, it was a place for Dragon Team to have a friendly reunion, as well as a way to reintroduce Mr. Satan for the Buu saga.  But in GT, it doesn’t serve either of those purposes.  All of the characters basically hang out together all the time anyway, and they’ve all become so powerful that the tournament competition is meaningless to them.  Goku doesn’t care if he wins or loses, Pan enters and withdraws on a whim, and Trunks only seems to care because he wants to know what happens with Mr. Satan.  Uub seems to be the only one who takes the competition seriously, but he looks like a fool because of this.  It’s like no one let him in on the joke.

You can argue that the Tenkaichi Budokai still matters for Mr. Satan, but... does it, though?  I mean, sure, it used to matter a lot to him.  I always loved that scene where he imagined everyone turning against him if he lost to Android 18.  In his mind, even his own daughter would want nothing to do with him if he failed to defend his world title.  And afterward, when he became part of Goku’s circle, rigging the tournament every year was kind of this cool thing he did to maintain his prestige.  It’s how he was able to convince the people of Earth to evacuate to the Tuffle Planet. 

But by this point, Satan’s held the world title for about 23 years.  The people love him unconditionally, and he’s a living legend.  He doesn’t need to win this event anymore.  He could step aside at any time and people would still love him anyway.  And more importantly, Mr. Satan has the love of people who know him for who he really is, so defending his title doesn’t factor into that anymore.  

And as the episode starts, he seems to have figured this out for himself.  The last few tournaments really were just something he and Buu did for fun, and now that Buu’s gone, he realizes he stopped needing it a long time ago.  I feel like this was the thought that GT should have followed through on.  What does Mr. Satan do with himself beyond the World Tournaments?  What’s the next chapter of his life?  But instead, Buu gives Satan one more win, and it convinces Satan to stay in the game a while longer, at least until the next tournament, where he’ll probably end up facing the same existential crisis. 

And sure, Buu did something really sweet for his friend.  I don’t want to trample all over that moment, but you know, this episode feels like a metaphor for everything that’s wrong with Dragon Ball GT.  The series was conceived as a way to focus on “the next generation”, which is how we got Pan and Trunks in the main cast.  But Goku had to be in the lead, and he’s old as balls, so they turned him into a kid in a weak attempt to have their cake and eat it too.  Meanwhile, Trunks and Pan barely get to do anything in this show, and other “next generation” characters (Uub, Bulla, Marron, Goten) hardly appear at all. 

Episode 41 is all about Mr. Satan deciding to move on and pass the torch, sort of like how Master Roshi tried to pass the torch to Tien in the 22nd World Tournament.  The problem is that the torch kind of doesn’t matter.  The Tenkaichi Budokai is a joke now, because it’s been a rigged event for decades.  I’m going all the way back to when Chiaotzu would use his telekinesis to rig the brackets.  And even if the torch did matter, no one wants it.  Pan flat out refuses it.  Uub thinks he wants it, then he has a change of heart and decides he doesn’t need it.  So Satan keeps the torch, but it’s pretty clear that he has no use for it. 

Does this sound familiar?  GT opened with Goku declaring that Uub had completed his training to become the defender of the Earth, but it never really mattered, because Goku never went away.  The series implied a shift to the next generation, but it never actually happens, because all the focus is on the old characters like Goku, Vegeta, and Mr. Satan.  When Goten and Trunks offer to use fusion, they’re told to skip it.  When Uub tries to become world champion, Majin Buu stops him.  When Pan does anything too heroic or independent, Kozo Morishita cuts her off. The big climax of this series is Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta, not Badass Coolguy Uub and Double-Ultra Saiyan Pan.  And even if the show really did shift to one of the younger characters, what’s the point?   We’re 41 episodes in.  This show gets canceled in about six months, so why bother? 

Okay, so it’s a show about Goku.  Not a problem, that worked in DBZ.  Goku doesn’t need to pass the torch, just like Mr. Satan doesn’t need to give up his World Title reign.  Except...

This isn’t really a show about Goku either.  He’s all over this series, and he has a nifty new transformation, but it’s not the same character.  He does a lot of pointless gags, like losing a juinor tournament to tickle torture, and always being hungry all the time.  They could have him fight Vegeta for five episodes just because that’s a fun thing both characters would like to do. It’s a crowd-pleaser.  They put a little Goku-Vegeta battle in both Dragon Ball Super films and no one complained.  But GT won’t do that either.  So if it won’t focus on the younger characters, and it won’t take the older characters seriously, then what does that leave?

And this is why I find GT Vegeta quite relatable.  He grew his mustache and wore his middle-age dad clothes, just as the showrunners wanted, and then they got cold feet and put him back in the limelight, so now he’s dressed like Early 2000′s Wolverine, looking like a classic tough guy, but they won’t let him play that role either.  All because this series can’t decide what it wants to be.  It can’t do lighthearted adventure, it sucks at comedy, and it refuses to commit to Z-style mayhem.  So we’re constantly left with farce. 

To put it another way, there’s like eight or nine fights in this episode, and none of them matter, because all of them are total mismatches.  Papaya Man suplexes this dude and it doesn’t mean a damn thing, because wins and losses are irrelevant in this episode... about a tournament.  Think about that for a minute.

✨ Positivity Page✨

I do kind of like this enormous dude who gets matched against Pan in the tournament.  She shows up for her match and she’s stunned by how huge he is, which seems weird because you’d think she would have noticed this guy at the prelims, or during the drawing for the brackets, or when they were in line at catering.  He’s taller than the stadium is my point.

Also, he stomps on Pan and somehow draws blood?  It’s pretty cool to have Pan wear the Crimson Mask, even if this is only 0.1 on the Muta Scale, but this seems like a strange place to do it.   Baby hit her several times during the fight on the Tuffle Planet, and she never seemed to get a scratch. 

But again, none of this really has any impact because the competition is pointless.  Pan just raises her ki and knocks this huge dude on his ass. Then she pulls out of the tournament, so I guess this was just a big ol’ bye in the tournament.  Byes suck.  The only time they’re any good is when they let dastardly heels get a free pass to the finals, while the babyface has to win several rounds through blood, sweat, and tears.   Like WrestleMania IV, and even that wasn’t exactly a great tournament.

✨Is this Episode worse than “The Roaming Lake”?✨

 Initially, I was on the fence about this, because the episode has a strong start, and the focus on Satan moving on after losing Buu was compelling.  But things got really dumb really quickly, and it is pretty grating to have a tournament episode full of fights but zero action or suspense in any of them.

Also, when Goku does the “I’m hungry” bit at the end, there’s this line from the narrator that just bugs the shit out of me.  “Always, no matter the time, Goku is Goku.  It is that Goku that everyone loves.”

What the fuck does that mean? Of course everyone loves Goku, he’s awesome.  Just look at this dude.

Ha ha!  He’s playing Fortnite!  Look at him running around with that gun.  Goku, what are you doing with that, my man?  You’re too much. 

GT seemed to really want to show Goku off in every episode, but they never seemed to have anything in particular to say about Goku, which leads to lines like “Goku is Goku” from the narrator.  “Yessir, people sure do like that Goku!  What a Goku this Goku turned out to be!   Remember when Goku was here?  He sure is a special guy.”

Well, Goku was also Goku in “The Roaming Lake”, and they actually showed him being a swell guy, instead of just talking about it.  TRL wins again.

✨ The Blade Braxton Memorial Haiku*✨

What happened to the

Tuffle Planet?  Did they just

Forget about it?

[joysbaereal]

Never Again

Chapter 21- we know...

PAIRING: Choi Beomgyu x fem reader; fem! Reader x ????

SYNOPSIS: You and Beomgyu break up every other day but what happens when you decide moving on would be better for you.

GENRE: angst, crack (maybe?) SMAU.

WARNINGS: Toxic Relationship, Cheating, Gaslighting, Substance abuse, death jokes, Beomgyu and you are assholes, suggestive, yall both are really bad for each other, crude or disrespectful language

“Yeahh that’s enough for tonight” the girl you’ve been friends with since diapers quickly takes your 6th drink of the night “Ryu give that back pleasseee” your words are slurred, and you can’t tell if it’s from the alcohol or from the stinging you still feel in your heart. Yes, this is a modern-day cliché getting cheated on and then drowning your sorrows in alcohol. But hey what else were you supposed to do sit there and cry. One thing about y/n l/n is she doesn’t cry over a man even if that man is the love of her life and made her feel like the she was the world. “I know you’re depressed but sitting here drinking all our alcohol isn’t gonna make you feel better” she pauses and looks you dead in the eye “In fact its gonna make you feel worse and when you wake up your gonna feel like shit AND feel depressed.” She emphasizes the and part knowing that no matter how much you deny your still gonna feel depressed in the morning. “Ok well it’s not the morning yet so can you please just give me back my drink” the already wasted girl reaches over for her only to be pulled from behind by a tall figure. “Let’s go dance birthday girl” the bunny smiled man says dragging you before even waiting for your response.

“Soobin, you don’t have to pity or comfort me because your best friend just broke my heart” you giggle as you and him dance together. He pulls himself closer to you so you can hear him over the loud music “Why would I ever pity the beautiful, amazing y/n” he laughs as he spins you around not caring if the dance move doesn’t go with the music. “You flatter me but seriously I don’t need comfort I need alcohol.” You giggle trying to go back to the kitchen your pulled back by the tall man “ah ah ah you don’t need any more drinks tonight and c’mon hanging with me can’t be that boring.” He pouts while saying the last bit. Causing you to giggle you can’t tell if you genuinely find it funny or if the alcohol is really hitting you. “I promise I enjoy every second of the time we have together Bin but right now I can really use a drink” you smile at the pouty man who still has a hold of your wrist. “Welp that sucks cause I’m “on prevent y/n from getting so drunk she blacks out duty” and its my first day on the job meaning if I fail, I’m fired” he smirks at you and continues to dance with your wrist in his hand. You also enjoy his humorous rebuttal “Well than who is your manager because I might just have to report them to corporate for firing my favorite employee” you say dancing and smiling with the now flustered boy. You knew that Soobin had a crush on you a long time ago, but you never really saw him as an option after dating Beomgyu. Yes, you were a bitch, but you’d never try to use someone who was so close to Beomgyu for jealousy that was a line you’d never cross but then again Beomgyu already crossed every possible line. “That manager you speak of would be me” the girl you were just with speaks causing you to look back and smile “Thank you Soobin for fulfilling your duty your definitely getting employee of the month” she playfully winks at the boy who chuckles at the continued joke he originally made “Y/n it’s time for cake, Soobin can you tell the DJ to make an announcement telling everyone to come to the kitchen” she ask as she pulls you away and the man can only sit there and nod. As you get to the kitchen you see Somi, Winter, and Jaehyun holding the candles. “You guys are honestly the best friends I could ever ask for” you look at all of them today was probably one of the worst days of your life but your friends still helped the wound sting a little less you know your gonna feel like shit in the morning but at least in this moment you feel amazing. Everyone from the party fills the kitchen and sings you happy birthday. You can only think of one wish I wish Beomgyu gets every single bit of karma he can you blow out the candle and everyone cheers you go back to partying and think back on the wish you made hoping it would come true because no matter how much you love him right now in this moment you wish him the most pain and despair.  

<<Previous ||Chapter 21|| Next>>|| Masterlist

[thessalian]

Thess vs Niche Tastes, Maybe

Sometimes I feel a little iffy about some of the video game recommendations I have. But then, a lot of the ones I’ve been playing of late are a little ... niche, I guess? It’s been awhile since I played a new AAA game, mostly because it’s been awhile since I bought one. Mostly I’ve been playing indies. Anxiety talking again, but sometimes I worry that it looks like intellectual snobbery or something, but it’s really not. I’m just looking for a good story, fun mechanics, or both. Usually both. And honestly, ‘both’ is a little hard to find in AAA games at the moment, or at least that’s what I’ve been finding. I have my limitations when it comes to mechanics, which leaves me out of a lot of the love affair the industry’s been having with Soulslikes. I’d love to play a lot of them, but the barrier to entry’s too high for me. Sad, but what’re you gonna do? As for a lot of the rest ... well, some open world games are really fun but it’s hard to get a story with any kind of urgency when you’re encouraged to spend so much time faffing about. And even then I can’t play half of them because they’re first person.

Being disabled sucks ass, seriously.

Anyway, point is that I keep rummaging through the indies, and I keep finding gems. DREDGE is the main one, but I’ve talked about that one enough. Haven’t finished it yet, but haven’t been into going through the tension main quest goals involve, and I’m more likely to try to fish up every type of fish before I go for endgame. The one I did just finish, though, is a really neat little game from Annapurna Interactive called I Am Dead.

It’s ... not as grim as it sounds, honestly.

What it is, rather than being grim and depressing, is a calm and contemplative hidden object game with a twist, focusing on what we leave behind when we’re gone, physically and otherwise. The title’s because the main character is, in point of fact, dead, and is searching the island for memories to summon various ghosts of the island on which they lived. The ‘with a twist’ part of the hidden object is ... well, because the main character’s a ghost, he’s not bound by a lot of physical laws, so you spend the game looking into things, looking at objects in cross-section to find items (and, if you’re a completionist like me, finding patterns in the cut-away cross-section to seek out Gremkins, little luck gnome things). It’s sweet and a little sad and kind of weirdly hopeful and I really did love every minute of it. I kind of stretched it out to make it last, but it’s not a very long game, so ... you know. I’ll move on to other things until I need that precise combination of sweet, sad, and hopeful again, and then it’ll get a replay after I’ve had enough time to let it feel as close to the first time as a replay can ever be.

...Or I’ll replay more or less immediately to get the other half of the achievements I missed. Either way.

Now, I was lucky enough to get it on sale, and I’m not sure I’d have got it at full price ... but honestly that’s just because the budget, y’know. I actually watched the credits, partly because they weren’t very long. Published by Annapurna Interactive, but the developers were basically, like, a half-dozen people with some outside help. It’s amazing what a small team can do, honestly. And I just love how Annapurna Interactive is willing to publish such interesting concepts. It’s a rare thing, or at least it feels that way, when most of the games that get all the press are following more or less the same mould as the last popular thing. The AAA companies are so invested in getting ALL THE MONEY that they can’t take the risk on something new. Indies aren’t bound to that, so while there are obviously going to be clunkers somewhere along the line, it’s nice to see the imagination and inventiveness that come out when your dev team’s just like, “Okay, let’s make a game and hope it makes some money”. I’m glad to have put money towards something like that, even if it was at sale price.

It’s definitely worth having on the wishlist for the next sale, is what I’m saying. It’s cute, it’s sweet, it’s clever, and it’s thoughtful.

[dead-dove-doesnt-eat]

Do you have an active ED and an attention disorder?

Let me put you on something (medication) (it sucks)

Like many people with ADHD or ADD, I’ve been on adderall, Dexedrine, Ritilin, focalin, you name it. Here’s he one that worked for me

I started Vyvanse about 2 ish years ago when I was 17, and it has WAY way way more cons than pros, but the pros pay off and It’s what works for me. And while it might not work for everyone, I figured I’d share what I know

Disclaimer: this is an over the counter prescription drug. I am not encouraging getting this drug illegally or using it recreationally but also idc what you do

CONS (based on my personal experience an limited research)

Because It’s a known appetite suppressant, you may have a hard time getting it if you are already underweight or have ED anywhere in your records.

Random panic. I can just be sitting there and get shaky and can feel my heartbeat super fast, and overall I just sweat more when I’m on it.

I focus on whatever I’m doing. Not just school or work. I have a midterm due next week that I haven’t started, and I’m doing research for this post instead. This happens most of the time

I scratch myself till i bleed, and I pick at every imperfection on my face and body and scalp for hours on end without breaking concentration.

When I first started taking it I got panic attacks pretty often, but that went away as I got used to it. But it doesn’t go away if you aren’t consistent with taking it every day.

It gave me a couple of motor tics, which mostly faded away after about a year and a half of taking it.

I know the point of reading this for most people is to suppress appetite, but sometimes I just don’t notice that I haven’t eaten for a long time, and I get super super hangry without actually feeling hungry, so I just get frustrated.

Unlike other adhd medications that are more “take it when you need it” It has to be taken every morning to work best

You can’t sleep when it’s active. Its designed to keep you alert and focused for about 12 hours, but in my experience it fully wears off about 15 or 16 hours in. If I forget to take it in the morning I skip it for that day otherwise I won’t be able to fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning, and will be tossing and turning all night

^Seriously. Idc how sleepy of a person you think you are, it fucks up your sleep. Other people who take vyvanse have expressed this as well

It changes your personality. It changes who you like, how you think, how you act, and how you feel. It numbs me out big time

I had to get used to actively remembering to drink water

But also your mouth is always dry

I grind my teeth a ton and started biting my nails again

Random depression

I swear I’m like 70% less funny and socially aware when I take it

Everything around me is serious and I have a generally less fun than when I’m on it

PROS

Many doctors prefer it over adderall since it’s not as well known, isn’t a good high, and doesn’t have as much of a risk of being sold and abused

I can actually fucking focus when I take it it’s crazy

It’s used for treating binge eating disorder

Unlike other focus meds, it lasts all day. It’s working during class, it’s working at the gym, and it’s still working just as well at the end of the day so I can do my homework.

It just makes you flat out, not hungry all day

Like I don’t even think about food

Makes you less impulsive

I’m never bored when I take it. Idk if that makes sense but I used to get bored of video games and drawing and stuff and now I just don’t

It makes me motivated to do stuff idk

Gave me lots of pent up energy I used for working out

It gives you laser eyes and all the cool kids do it

Anyways that’s just my personal experience with it, if you have anything to add from being on it or something similar PLEASE do so

it’s cool and evil, and I love/hate it a lot.

[cheshirette]

Happy New Year!

here's some of my thoughts of 2022 and what i want to do in 2023 ↓

2022

This year started off nice, I got to work on cool projects and I tried out so many new things. Unfortunately halfway through the year it went downhill and despite being hired for my first ever job, it sucked and I fell into depression.

Fuzee visited me at home for the first time ever, and he stayed with me for a few months. This was probably the best highlight of the year for me because I missed him for so long... I was seriously struggling mentally and just having him here with me has done wonders. I was determined to work hard so I can eventually move out and stay with him.

Living here at home isn't doing so well for me. I still live with my parents and I have a very controlling Mother. I've been purposely avoiding her so that I can be at ease, and I would put so much effort into locking myself up in my room or going out with friends. I hope I can finally get away from this next year.

Emotionally, I was doing really bad. October was super bad, and my friends were nice enough to help me get back on medication. I feel like ever since I went back to fix myself up, my long lost motivation came back and I've been drawing so much and it feels so good! I'm really happy I got to go back to this.

Lots of friendships crumbled this year, but I also befriended many people this year too. I'm still really sad about this separation and I continue to yearn for the old times where all my friends hung out together and nothing was wrong, but I have to leave those memories behind. I do miss them a lot but.. I dont know, I was left conflicted for so long.. I'm still grateful for all the friends I met this year.

I finally opened up design commissions as this was something that many friends encouraged me to do, and so many people were interested. I was worried it wouldnt go so well but I was surprised to see the demand!

I did a lot of new things and picked up old hobbies I've long abandoned due to depression. I bought lots of new books and read a lot of them and bought a new sketchbook from the farmer's market and decorated it with stickers I had lying around. feels weird how I got over my sticker anxiety but its soooo nice decorating things and it makes me feel so relaxed!

Commissions were super slow and I feel like it was hard for me to get around with my absence during my last job. I need to work harder.

I recently started getting back into drawing things with backgrounds so I hope I can keep this up.

I got more comfortable in streaming and didnt feel so anxious after having meds. I even hosted my first birthday even and I'm glad it was successful!

2023

This year I have a weird goal where I want to collect as manu stickers to the point that I can fill up a box. I like using stickers and tapes for decorating my sketchbook so I hope to collect more.

My biggest goal for this year is to move out of this house with Fuzee. I cant stand being in this toxic household and I havent felt safe in a long while. I plan on raising money so I can get out.

I want to make merch, stickers or small postcard prints sound nice

I want to make little comics on my ocs again like I did years ago, especially now that I feel like I can draw anything

I aim to explore doing Live2D stuff so I can do commissions for it in the future

I hope to get hired for some job position again. I wish I could get hired for character design 💦

I wanna do weekly(?) community drawing session with viewers and enhance my stream setup and hopefully upgrade my computer.

I wanna go on a trip next year somewhere, I think it would be nice to go to the mountains again.. 🏔️

I want to try and do silent vlogging. I got invested in it last year and I want to give it a try ✨

There's probably more but I'm just generally excited since it's bunny year 🐇 Thank you all for sticking around with me, I'll try my best this year!!!!

[commodorebuzzkill]

Halo 4 still sucks

Maybe I'm just in a pissy mood, but I don't care. I'm gonna be an asshole today. Depression rant time. Time to revel in my assholishness. I got the Master Chief Collection several months ago, downloaded the main series, you know the ones that count (CE, 2, 3, 3 ODST, Reach), and out of morbid curiosity, downloaded 4 and decided to play it. I never was a fan of Halo 4 right from the day it was announced. To those of you who would say "come on, you never played it! Just because its different doesn't mean its bad! Give it a chance!" I would say: Halo 4 was made by a large, greedy, faceless corporation that only wanted your money, like all mass media we consume, and so long as that's the case, I think we owe the products they churn out nothing. Why do these cynically made plastic creations deserve our careful consideration of their dubious merits? Why identify ourselves with crappy product? Because religion now functions just like capitalism too, and we need another salve for our pathetic lives as they're sweated from age 18 until we're discarded as too old to be useful. Halo 4 never needed to exist and never should have existed. The fundamental drama of the main Halo series had been resolved. But Microsoft couldn't let go of such a beautiful cash cow, especially while CoD and Battlefield kept cranking out sequels on a yearly basis. So, Bungie left it behind, but that didn't matter when Microsoft could build its own sock puppet studio, 343 industries, unfortunately without blackjack and hookers. They put out the idea that the studio was staffed by old Bungie employees who were just too passionate to leave their favorite franchise behind, (there were, like, 3 or 4 of them in total) AND that they'd make the franchise better than ever. So, how is game? I'll preface this by saying that I haven't finished it, and I skipped every cut scene and ignored practically all dialogue, because fuck the plot. Don't care, plot can go die. So, onto gameplay.

Halo 4 plays like a slightly worse Halo Reach. The weapons that carry over feel about the same, save one major difference: Ammo capacity for every damn weapon I've encountered so far is always less than it was before. The assault rifle in Halo 3 had a spare ammo capacity of 352 rounds, in Halo Reach it had 288, in Halo 4, it was hacked down to 224. So, 2 covenant squads or so, or one Promethian KNNNIGIT (more on those fuckers in a minute), and it's running painfully low. The DMR has had the the clip capacity reduced from 15 to 14, and spare ammo hacked down from 60 to 42. It's still a solid weapon, handling in all other respects exactly the same as it did in Halo Reach. The new weapons, like the Storm Rifle for instance, are generally crappy. The Storm Rifle is another gun that the developers put a ton of focus on making it run out of ammo as quickly as possible, shoot 6 dudes, or one Promethian KNNNIGIT, and the fucker's empty. Promethian weapons generally feel shitty. The suppressor has a decent ammo capacity, but it generally sprays ammo, pardon me, I mean """"""hard light""""" (what is it? Light with a higher alcohol content? (@stabbedinthenameofscience came up with that joke for me) Seriously, who writes this crap?) all over the place while having a low damage output, meaning it runs out of ammo early on in most firefights. The lightrifle feels like a Covenant Carbine that deals damage only the developers imagination. The scattershot is a shotgun with crappy ammo. Seriously, its just a fucking shotgun with a sci-fi coat of paint. So, half the weapons suck and the ammo capacity always sucks.

Combat somehow feels, tedious. I found my self just running past enemies whenever I could get away with it most of the time, since that way I used barely any ammunition. Gameplay is frequently broken up by early 2010s scripted set piece action sequences, and pointless button pushing. (TAP E rapidly to open door, Use W, A, S, and D to climb) Hell, every time Master Chief pushes a fucking button, gameplay stops so we can see him reach out and press the button. It was really important to have realistic button pushing, guys!

Also notable is the fact that marines are completely useless in combat, firing at everything but the enemy, and generally being totally useless at driving vehicles.

Vehicles wise, warthog's pretty much the same. as is the ghost and the banshee, although I'd describe the Scorpion as slightly worse. The main gun reloads more slowly, and the 90mm high explosive projectiles seem to have a far more glacial muzzle velocity. And I HATE the redesign of the Pelican. It's ugly, make it go away.

Level design wise, the levels feel narrow and confined, acting as a series of corridors to lead to open areas where a series of buttons need to be pushed or glowing thingamajigs need to be shot, along with a ton of enemies that you have to fight it out with, while discovering that your ammo has run out after killing the first 4 or so. Visually, I'd say the concept artists liked caves a little too much.

Enemy design wise, the Elites are the same as they've always been, the grunts fight pretty much the same as they did before, although their walk cycle just looks shittier for some reason. Then there's the Prometheans. The little climbing dog ones that splatter all over the place after being shot once, the flying ones that throw your grenades back at you, and the KNNNNIGITS, annoying bullet sponges that teleport away to make you waste more ammo you don't have. I heartily despise bullet sponge enemies, and find a more punishing difficulty in my games far more engaging with high damage low health enemies against high damage low health me. So, Promethean KNNNIGITS can just fuck off, like the pointless assholes they are.

So, positives, if such positives really deserve my focus, I mean its not like the gaming industry cares about my opinion anyway, or yours, or anybody's. It did still feel mostly, like a Halo game. Although there was a lot more... redundancy.. in the weapon types. The Bungie games pretty much always did a great job at making every weapon feel very distinct in role. The SMG, the Brute Spiker, and the Plasma Rifle all fill the same niche in theory, but they all have significant distinctions in damage output, ammo requirements, melee power, and just plain cosmetic differences. Meanwhile, the Assault Rifle, the Storm Rifle and the Suppressor all feel like generic automatic sci fi weapons. The DMR and the Battle RIfle fill pretty much the same role as medium range marksman's weapons, but there they are, side by side anyway. Oh fuck, I forgot to focus on the positives. Oh well, that's not what I was here for anyway.

Soundtrack wise... it blows. Loud, obnoxious, dubsteppy trash. It can go die in a fire.

So, yeah... Can't recommend. It felt like anything but a passion project. If you enjoy it, whatever floats your boat, but I don't get what the modern Halo fan sees in it, nor how the fanbase managed to survive and somehow stay interested in what Microsoft shits out for them every once and a while, simultaneously sneaking in aggressive micro-transactions, season passes and and all the usual garbage to turn gaming into a hobby only the rich can enjoy. They don't deserve your loyalty, guys. There are fantastic mid budget or indie games out there you can play with your friends. Go play Nuclear Option. It's only 18 bucks on Steam, and you can have an absolute blast with your friends. Try shotgun farmers. Don't buy this kind of shit, you'll only encourage them.

Again, had a shitty mental health day, felt like having a great big rant at something that irritated me. If you enjoy Halo 4, by all means keep on enjoying it. I'm still gonna reserve the right to be a salty bitch.