#Hope especially because their design is an original

[interact-if]

Pride Month Feature #4: Devil's Liminal

Game: Devil's Liminal (Play here)

Tags: slice of life, horror, supernatural, fairytale, romance

Synopsis: A yuri horror visual novel inspired by Azores folklore.

Margo Silva has done everything she can to leave behind the trailer park in Arizona where she grew up. Now all she has to do is focus on her summer job until she can leave for college. Her illusion of a quiet summer is shattered when a hungry ghost enters her dreams.

Two mysterious girls show up in town, claiming they can help her.

Margo must contend with a demon's claim on her soul, and how to stop ghosts from this life and the past that want to take her future.

Author: Renee Blair @studiointerlude

I'm Renee Blair, I've worked in the game industry for 11 years as a game designer. With my background in psychology and human-computer interaction, I've worked on a variety of games - from educational, to mobile, to multiplayer.

Originally from the United States, I am now based in the Netherlands. In 2025 I started Studio Interlude, currently a solo developer studio with help from my wife.

My goal is to create narrative focused games with heavy topics and hopeful endings. I am interested in stories about class, queerness, and fairy tales.

1. Tell me more about yourself! What are some things new readers or long-time readers might not know about you?

I initially decided I wanted to make games because of visual novels! I had one summer in particular before grad school, when I spent all of my free time playing them. I especially loved Animamundi: Dark Alchemist and the Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side series. They really made me think “I could make this”, in a complimentary way. They’re very different, but for both I love the writing and characters, the art is pretty fun, and I really enjoyed thinking about the systems under the hood of Tokimeki. It really got me thinking about some stories I had been kicking around, and how I would structure them to fit a visual novel.

2. Has your writing or experience has been shaped by your identity in any way?

I am agender and grey asexual/bisexual, grew up in poverty in Arizona, and studied school psychology. I wanted to retell some of these things from my teen years in a story about selling your soul to the devil.

When I originally started brainstorming DEVIL'S LIMINAL in 2018, I originally planned to have one female and one male romantic option. As I started working on the game and became more comfortable with my identity, it became exclusively female romance options. This is reflected a bit with the MC's past experience with a boyfriend and now navigating having a girlfriend. One romance option is trans, which is inspired by my wife's transition and my own experience becoming more comfortable with being agender.

Read on for the full interview!

3. Can you tell me a bit about what you’re working on right now and your journey into interactive fiction? What inspired the game/story you’re currently writing?

I’m currently working on DEVIL’S LIMINAL, a yuri horror visual novel. 

I first started thinking about the story during my own summer between high school and college. During that time I worked on a web art blog, and thought about one day turning it into a full game. Some of the themes that are a large inspiration for the game are Faust, Tibetan Buddhism and Azores folklore.

While in college I took classes on 1800’s literature and Tibetan Buddhism as a framework for healthcare, and worked in school psychology research labs. The research typically focused on socioeconomic status and what factors influence later life outcomes.

And lastly, part of my family is from the Azores. There isn’t a lot of media that takes place there, and there’s a lot of interesting folklore. There’s stories about Flemish necromancers, caves to Hell, and lakes made from lovers' tears - these elements felt like a natural fit in a Faustian story.

All of these pieces came together to make the story, some of it will become more obvious in the latter half of the finished game!

4. What does your writing process look like? Any rituals or habits? Any tips, tricks, philosophies or approaches that have worked very well for you?

The #1 thing for me, especially with writing horror, is that I only write when I’m healthy and in a good mood. I also try to keep a sense of humor about it. A lot of the horror in my game is more based in reality and domestic violence, with the supernatural being a thin fictionalizing layer over top. So, it’s crucial to keep it at a bit of a mental distance so I’m only thinking about it as “story” and not as “oh no, there are so many terrible things happening in the real world.”

I think the distancing also helps to keep antagonists dramatic and interesting, without making them seem cool. Especially when writing an antagonist of a story, I often think, “Wow, this person is pathetic. What a weirdo.” You have to keep in mind you’re writing a maladapted adult, that at the end of the day is behaving outlandish and childish.

I picked this up from two places: The My Favorite Murder podcast and Revolutionary Girl Utena. It’s been a few years since I listened, but the podcasts hosts would make sure to always avoid the “sexy mysterious murderer” archetype, and avoid framing the story around the murderer and feeling sorry for them. In Utena, especially as I get older and rewatch, it becomes more obvious what a loser Akio is. You really just see a grown man preying on these teenagers, and the teenage boys idolizing him for it. But the story is still serious and heavy, and you’re still seeing this dramatic arc through Utena.

Another thing that helps is a tip from On Writing, to always have a specific person in mind to write for. I’ve written DEVIL’S LIMINAL specifically for my wife, and focus on her feedback. It helps me stick to the original vision, but still have someone to discuss things with if there's a scene or plot point I’m not sure about.

5. Are there any specific themes or messages you hope players take away from your work?

The biggest thing is that, with the finished game, I want the story overall to feel hopeful. With it being such a long game with some pretty heavy real-world themes, I want to make sure the player comes away thinking that everything Margo did was worthwhile. Especially with the themes of poverty and domestic violence, I try to depict that there is a way out.

To support the story being more hopeful, I also wanted to depict Margo as an active and emotionally mature protagonist. She does struggle with depression and self esteem issues, but a subplot of the game is her identifying these patterns of thinking and finding strategies to help her.

I also really wanted a story with characters in poverty and living in a trailer, but they’re still depicted with rich inner lives and part of a bigger complex plot. Trailers as a setting are usually reserved for comedies or stories about drug addiction. A friend once asked if my game was similar to Trailer Park Boys, so there’s some stereotypes!

I grew up watching a lot of horror when I was probably too young, but I didn’t think much of it. It’s pretty easy for me to look at horror as only a story, and not let it build up and get worse the more I think about it. I have a pretty similar mindset about romance stories. I grew up with Xena: Warrior Princess, Sailor Moon, and NiGHTS into Dreams. Between all these and internet access, it seemed pretty normal to me for a story to have gay characters and for gender to be a pretty loose concept. I hope these themes and topics come across as natural to the player, and can just exist in the world without being the source of conflict. 

5. What are some of the most rewarding or challenging aspects of writing Interactive Fiction for you?

As a game designer, my greatest joy is seeing a player have “The Reaction”. This is across every genre I’ve worked in, and my goal with playtesting is to make sure I’ve tuned everything to consistently get the right response from players. I’ve made sure every decision has a story “reason” for why it might be something Margo would think, feel, or do in her situation. It might not dramatically change the scene, but a variable will change, and the player will consider why that was an option. I think I’ve gotten things quite well-tuned that the game “answers” the player when they ask a question or wonder what’s going on, and I’ve gotten some pretty subtle things to surprise people.

My biggest challenge has been improving the player balance between choosing Clara or Bec! Bec is very friendly and outgoing, but Clara is quite intimidating, so players typically pick Bec. It’s slowly improving, as I’m trying to add more early options to interact with Clara, and have more instances of Bec doing something suspicious. Clara’s storyline is quite sweet, so I do want people to give her a chance.

There’s also the general challenge of getting someone invested in such a long visual novel. I’m working on making a “conference version” that covers the story highlights in an hour-long demo. The story is really intended to be played a little bit over a period of time, but a lot of the conversation around games focuses on hooking interest fast and being able to binge a story. Visual novels also aren’t terribly popular or well understood.

6. Any books, music, movies etc. you’re obsessed with at the moment, or which changed your life (or perspectives on something)?

I just finished the audiobook for The Hobbit, and now I’ve started The Lord of the Rings. Obviously not niche, but I’m a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings and it really rewired me when I was a kid. I read everything when I was around 10, recently rewatched the extended cuts of the movies, and finally decided it was time to revisit the books. Sam and Frodo may have been my first ship, and they’re still in my top five.

I’ve noticed my favorite relationships are in big dramatic stories, and that I’m not much of a fan of strict slice-of-life straightforward romances. Things like Her Tale of Shim Chong where the stakes keep increasing. I definitely think The Lord of the Rings set that bar for me, so BL and GL in a school setting just doesn’t compare!

[youngpettyqueen]

more members of the USS Athena crew! a trio of ensigns who work the lower decks, and a couple of lovely civilians

I wanted to get some designs down for non-main cast members, so ive been working on these for the last few days. I dont plan on designing an ENTIRE crew, the Athena is a Galaxy-class ship so she has LOTS of people on board, but I will be designing several non-main cast members and recurring characters

more info on these guys under the cut-

image 1-

pictured from left to right: Ensign Hope Lazarus, Ensign Bekya Ch'krohl, and Ensign K'Nerow

Ensign Hope Lazarus - ??? - They/Them (Medical)

Ensign Bekya Ch'krohl - Bajoran/Klingon - He/Him (Security)

Ensign K'Nerow - Caitian - She/Her (Command)

an unlikely trio of friends, who will make multiple appearances both in the background, as well as having entire episodes centred around them. their episodes tend to be ones of levity, but as tones grow darker, so to do their own stories. there's no escaping what they all must face, not even in the lower decks

image 2-

Tavanu Shassa - Orion/Betazoid - She/Her

the bartender of the Moondrop, the Athena's bar/recreation deck. dont let her kindly old lady act fool you, she always knows far more than she lets on, and she didn't get those scars by being a sweet young girl. only a select few know that she has a Betazoid parent, others think she's just a wisened old bartender, who's done this so long that reading people is second nature

image 3-

Zeros Ellok - Cardassian - He/Him

a true civilian! Zeros has tagged along on the Athena by Doctor Elk's request- he's her younger brother, and she wasn't willing to venture into the Gamma Quadrant without him. a sweet young man with a particular interest in botany, he spends most of his time either tailing the ship's botanists and helping them tend to the greenhouses, or helping his big sister in the sickbay

[eternal-moss]

When people continually whitewash my favourite characters.

[ID: A black and white, rough digital drawing of someone sitting at a desk and clutching their head in their hands. End ID.]

^thank you @describe-things

[darklinespectra]

Are you 🫵 pissed off about the Lilo and Stitch monstrosity remake? Do you want to know how you can actually make a difference in supporting the people and ecosystems of Hawaii?

Tourism is a big issue in Hawaii (which the remake got rid of the original's commentary on because it makes foreigners look bad). I'm not gonna promote it, BUT I know that realistically, thousands of people arrive here every single day by the airplane-ful. And the majority of them aren't educated on the socio-cultural and economic impacts of tourism. SO, I'm making this post in an effort to educate visitors. If you or someone you know is visiting or moving to Hawaii (whether by circumstances in or out of your control), here are some suggestions on how you can give back!

You can donate to the Hawaii Community Foundation, which has been instrumental in giving aid to the displaced community of Lahaina after the Maui wildfires in 2023. They also provide scholarships to students of under-represented communities.

If you're interested in visiting Kualoa Ranch, you can do their Mālama Experience where you get your hands dirty giving back to the ‘āina (land)!

There are other organizations you can join to volunteer with, too, like Kupu and Mālama Maunalua. Check them out; maybe you can help with a beach cleanup or plant native trees! These are both non-profit organizations that accept monetary donations.

Visit the Bishop Museum to learn about Hawaiian history and culture! They also have events focused on sustainability and conservation.

If you're visiting Hilo on the Big Island, go visit the Laulima Nature Center! They're a non-profit aimed at protecting Hawaii's native species, and they even have an online store that ships to the US mainland and internationally! (After I post this, I'm gonna head on over and get myself a manu o Kū pin ♡)

A few other tips I have:

DO: Respect the locals' homes. Several beaches and hiking trails have access points in residential areas. Please be mindful to keep your voices down when passing by, and park ONLY in designated parking areas.

DO: Wear reef-safe sunscreen! Sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate are banned in Hawaii because they are known to damage coral reefs.

DON'T: Approach wildlife, particularly honu (sea turtles) and 'īlio holo i ka uaua (Hawaiian monk seals). Stay at least 10 feet (3 meters) away from turtles and at least 50 feet (15 meters) away from monk seals. If you see someone harassing animals, report them to the statewide NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline: (888) 256-9840. You can also contact the Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources.

DON'T: Collect sand, rocks, or other natural items to bring home with you. This is to protect the ecosystems and also out of respect for Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians), who have cultural beliefs regarding lava rocks in particular. Taking lava rocks is extremely disrespectful.

DON'T: Litter! Please throw away your waste in proper trash cans. If you see a bin that says "ʻōpala," that's a trash can!

Many Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) are moving to the US mainland because the cost of living in Hawaii has been driven up so high (because of people moving here), they can't afford to live in their ancestral home. So, if you are going to visit or move to Hawaii, please:

- Make the effort to support local businesses, especially those owned by Native Hawaiians!

- Educate yourself and your loved ones about actual Hawaiian culture!

- Try Hawaiian food, like poi!

- Learn some Hawaiian words and don't be afraid to ask how to pronounce words correctly!

- Donate to a food bank!

- Watch films and read books written by Native Hawaiians!

My hope is that whoever sees this post will use it to educate themselves, their friends, and their families who are considering visiting.

My background is in sustainability and the environment, so that's what I know to suggest off the top of my head. If any Kānaka Maoli read this post and have suggestions to add, please do!

[aeyumicore]

caleb body worshipping you—a short drabble.

━ .ᐟ✧ PAIRING: caleb x female reader (afab)

━ ✧.˖ WARNINGS: mdni, explicit sexual content, body-worshipping, some female descriptors but tried to keep it as gender neutral as possible, stretch marks/thigh/tummy/etc worshipping, unprotected sex, petnames, no use of y/n, NOT proofread

━ ✧.˖ A/N: different from my usual plot-fic style. just a little smutty blurb. not proofread, i churned this out in like an hour. had a sudden hit of wanting to write :) enjoy! let's all have fun with the 4.0 update soon or tmw depending on what server you are!

good luck with your pulls guys. love you.

caleb body worships like no other.

caleb will use the rough pad of his thumb to trace the delicate lines of your stretch marks and scars. he commits each one to memory, mapping them like different flight paths—each one he was determined to explore and revere. why? for no other reason than that they mesmerize him and he finds them beautiful against your skin—especially when he’s buried balls deep inside of you.

“never seen anyone or anything so damn beautiful. i’ll never get used to it. never want to. never will.”

caleb sucks at your nipples quite literally like he’s hoping he might find some of your unbearably sweet essence. his tongue strokes at every pebbled groove of your hardened skin, reveling in how something could taste so perfectly sweet, salty, and perfectly you. 

“addicted to you baby, fuck. can’t live without you anymore, without tasting these perfect tits, every morning, every night. every goddamn day. you’ll let me, right?”

caleb has your ass and hips in the air, your feet dangling over his shoulders, and kisses your ankles so tenderly, even as he quite literally jackhammers into you so desperately it’s almost pathetic. his breath is hot and heated against them as he groans, his fingers firm as they massage into your calves

“god, you’re perfect. every fucking inch of you. fucking made for me.”

caleb uses his own hands to clench your thighs tighter around his head when he’s in between them. thick, slim, soft, rough, it doesn’t matter. they’re fucking perfect and he needs to suffocate in them. that’s how he wants to go. smothered by your heavenly, arousal-slicked, trembling thighs.

“tighter princess. juuust like that. good girl. don’t be ridiculous, they’re perfect. give them to me.”

caleb grabs the plush loose skin around your abdomen when he’s close, and it only turns him on more. sometimes, he squeezes a little too hard and leaves behind pretty little bruises in the shape of his fingers, the color of his eyes. and when he does, his lips will always find them pressing gentle reverent kisses into the achy skin, apologizing sincerely.

“fuck, sorry princess. you’re just so soft—feel so good—got carried away. let me make it up to you, let me make you feel good.”

caleb cums explosively inside of you. not because he wants to, which he absolutely did, but because you begged for it. because he knew you needed to feel him inside of you—hot, thick, and deep—in order to really feel how desperately he needs you. feel how precious your body was to him. 

“fuuuck—feel that, sweets? feel how dry you milk me? going to live inside of this perfect fucking body. taking me so damn well, princess.”

caleb has dedicated his entire life to you. everything he’s ever done, every decision he’s ever made, has been with you in the forefront of his mind. he’d worship you, mind, body, and soul, for as long as you’d let him. as long as the heavens would allow him. and even then. 

your body truly is a temple. his temple.

© aeyumicore 2025.

.ᐟ✧ THIS IS MY ONLY ACCOUNT. I WILL ONLY POST ON THIS ACCOUNT AND AO3. i am not @/aeyumicores or @/aeyumiicore or any variations of my blog name.

✧.˖ i do not permit translations or reposts of my work on tumblr, ao3, or others. please do not reuse my blogpost headers, dividers, or layouts. these are original designs of my own.

[wayward-stardust]

been thinking about how none of the adults in the isat party really had any plans for after defeating the king. it wasn't just siffrin! even as early as acts one and two, it's hinted at if you pay close enough attention to the dialogue.

isabeau brings up his dream of becoming a clothing designer exactly once: in loop zero. before fighting the king. when the thought of actually winning is still a hope rather than a reality.

as soon as that happens, his story changes.

he plans on taking up his old job again. the one he quit to support mira. the one he said he wouldn't go back to, in a timeline that's been long since overwritten. which may feel like a contradiction, but a) this isabeau never had that first conversation with sif and b) the atmosphere's completely shifted with everything else that's happened over the past day.

isa's supposed to be the rock of the party (pun intended). the emotional support. and now, he's supposed to be celebrating their victory, and ruining the mood by admitting he's not going back to anything meaningful would be breaking the persona he's worked so hard to craft. (also this dialogue occurs immediately after isa fails to confess to siffrin, which might have affected his mindset)

and even in that first scene, back at the favor tree in loop zero, isabeau's still unsure of himself.

he willingly admits to sif that he, too, doesn't have anything else planned for after. (in act one, where it's so easy to forget by the time sif actually succeeds). why would he? his closest friends are traveling with him. he's not particularly close with his blood family (especially after his change, i imagine, although he never talks about them enough to say for certain.) he abandoned his career that he no longer likes.

mirabelle, on the other hand, is very committed to staying a housemaiden. her original plan (in act one) for after is to start traveling again and go on her own pilgrimage. but, to me, it's never really felt like that's what she wanted to do, but more like what she felt she had to do.

she needs to go on a pilgrimage to change. because she's a housemaiden, which means prioritizing change, and she's already not dating and not getting bonded and not capital-c Changing so she has to make up for that elsewhere, and if even this whole journey to save vaugarde didn't change her she has to try harder, (and what she wants is to keep traveling with her friends but she's not going to admit that,) and... and so she has to!

even so, like isabeau, those initial goals fade away once she's actually defeated the king.

her dreams of continuing to travel and see the world and change things are replaced with just... staying at home. living in dormont. going back to her normal life. maybe, we can hope, part of that's because of the conversations she's had along the way — either her friendquest with siffrin or the whole "not being blessed by the change god" snack room discussion, alongside euphrasie's praise of her. maybe she's grown more comfortable with her relationship with her faith and her home (particularly in a friendquest run).

or maybe she's like isabeau and siffrin, wanting more out of her future but being unwilling to potentially sour the mood by asking for it. i suspect it's both, actually: she gets some character growth from the finale of her journey, but there's no way all her feelings of inadequacy can be erased in a day. she knows better than to actually admit that, though: after all, everyone else seems happy with their plans! they're the odd one out here!

madame odile’s the only one who keeps her story straight between iterations — no matter when siffrin asks her, she's still deciding whether to keep traveling or go home to ka bue.

(act 1 "what will you do after" conversation)

(act 2/3/4 end room conversation)

but, as she brings up at the end of act 5, that's not the whole story. she'd prefer to keep traveling with at least some of the others, but the whole group’s a bunch of blinding cowards she hasn’t found the right time to ask yet. unlike isabeau and mirabelle (particularly the post-King versions of them), odile's not hiding the fact that she's unsure of her plans. after all, she's more confident in herself and her goals: in fact, she's already succeeded at her goal of learning more about vaugarde.

like the two of them, though, there's still the uncertainty. the not being confident in what to do next. the thought of going home feels like an afterthought, almost. isabeau even says it, in act five.

it's what they "should" do next. what they're expected to do. what they all think everyone else wants to do.

but none of them really want to go home.

not siffrin, without a home to go back to. not odile, both ka buan and vaugardian by blood but never finding a true home in either. not mirabelle, growing beyond the home that she never felt comfortable in. not isabeau, leaving behind his home because he didn't like the person he was there.

or maybe they do want to go home — or more precisely, to stay there.

home is where your family is, after all.

[art]

Creator Spotlight: @mimimar

Hi! I’m Michelle (Mimimar), an illustrator born and raised in Venezuela, currently based in Italy. I enjoy making colorful illustrations that reflect the things I love: fairy tales, fantasy, tenderness and queer (especially sapphic) stories. Occasionally, I also make paper dolls, comics and animatics. I have a lot of interest in book illustration and I’m currently developing my own stories that I hope to share as an author-illustrator someday!

Check out our interview with Michelle below!

Did you originally have a background in art? If not, how did you start?

I always enjoyed drawing when I was a kid, but it only became a hobby that I did almost every day when I was around 11. At first I only used traditional mediums, but I decided to make a serious effort to learn how to draw digitally when I was 15, and once I got the hang of it I never stopped!

I didn’t go to art school so all of my learning was done through studying the tutorials and resources that other artists generously share on the internet and lots of practice / trial and error.

How do you want to evolve as a creator?

I want to do many things but what I want to do the most right now is work on books! I want to make art for other authors’ stories and also my own stories as an author-illustrator. I want to grow as a storyteller and create art and stories that will really resonate with people emotionally. I’m always striving to improve my skills as well.

I also really love dolls, so working on doll box art or as a doll designer is something I would love to do someday. I actually have been designing paper dolls on my Patreon for the past few months, it’s been a fun project that is still ongoing right now!

What is one habit you find yourself doing a lot as an artist?

Probably using a lot of purple! It’s my favorite color so I find myself using it a lot. If I can find a way to sneak a little bit of purple into an illustration or a character design then I will.

Congratulations on finishing your Ivy Comic! Did the outcome turn out like how you expected or were there some unexpected bumps along the way?

Thank you! It’s a project that I worked on very slowly in between other art because I wanted to really take my time with every spread and make each of them a fully detailed illustration. I thumbnailed the full comic before starting but I kept changing the sketch for the final spread until the very end! Overall I’m really proud of the end result. I sprinkled a lot of hidden details in every page that I hope some of the readers will notice. For example: the meanings of the flowers in each page represent what the characters are feeling in that moment, and the colors of their wardrobe become gradually lighter as the story progresses to represent their emotions, as well as the changing of seasons.

We’ve noticed that you have created some amazing cover art for TGCF. Is there another series you would like to do something similar with? 

That was another passion project that took some time to complete. Initially, I didn’t intend for them to be specifically covers, it was just a series of illustrations based on the 5 books/main arcs of TGCF. But since they were well-received and I had people telling me they wish they could use them as covers for their books, I decided to rework them into dust jackets for the english translation of TGCF!

I haven’t thought of any other specific series but I love doing cover art so maybe I’ll do something similar again in the future!

What’s your favorite part of your style? Why?

I’ve heard from other people that there’s a delicate quality to my art, this is something that I like a lot! I like pretty things, fairytales and vibrant colors. I think all of these things probably reflect in the art I make as well.

If there is one thing you want your audience to remember about your work, what would it be?

I hope that they remember how it made them feel. Feelings and colors are the two things I give priority to in my work. Most of the time I like depicting tenderness, softness and emotional intimacy. If that could reach the viewer and stay with them it would make me very happy. 

I make a lot of art with queer (mainly sapphic) themes because they’re the kind of stories I personally like and want to see more of, so whenever people tell me that my art has helped them in their journey to discover and accept themselves, or that they see themselves and their partner in my art, it is always extremely meaningful to me. When art that I made to give myself comfort can provide comfort for others, no matter how small, it reminds me once again that despite any hardships art is genuinely worth pursuing.

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

So many artists! To name a few:  I love @sakizo’s amazing eye for fashion and detail,  @paneeps’ gorgeous style and striking colors,  the sweetness of @bevsi’s art,  @vickisigh’s pretty colors and concepts,  @idledee’s warm and heartfelt art,  @littlestpersimmon’s dreamy wonderful art,  and @loish has been an inspiration for as long as I can remember.

Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing, Michelle! Be sure to check out their Tumblr blog over at @mimimar.

[keferon]

Hey, with all of the recent Earthspark slander, I've noticed it's been a while since you talking abt Prowl form tfe.

I've only managed to watch ep1 from season 3 so HONEST QUESTION: How do you feel about his characterisation? (Especially compared to your version and/or the preestablished character) I mean, don't get me wrong his design is marvelous but character wise... I originally thought he was a skin-waker😶. No joke, I LOVED his introduction but when he started chatting all bubbly and confident, he was acting more like a Smokescreen or even Jazz! Like, what do you mean you act all friendly with Optimus and not professionally? Wdym you you dab up with all your fellow combatants like you're in college?? WdYM you arm restle with Arcee for funzies???

I really hope it's just first episode jitters and not as bad as I interpreted it💀. Does his characterisation become any different later on and if not is it explained or explored in the story at all? At this point, I'm so used to the usual Prowl fucked-up-ness that the whiplash was big with this one. I still haven't gotten spoiled for s3 though, as I still want to give it hope after whatever s2 was.

On no no that’s the fun part! He is still grumpy and serious and kind of a jerk. But to his enemies! So after sassing Megatron he turns to his friends and like. Hug! Wrestling! Playful fight!

And the fact that he absolutely sucks at both wrestling and fighting makes it even funnier. I wonder how that tradition even got established because everyone is so happy to grab this guy and he literally never wins. There must be some kind of story behind this haha

Generally. I find it very amusing how bad he is at almost every physical activity while it was clearly stated that he is REEEEALLY good at catching Decepticons. He is the best amongst all Autobots! And even Megatron knows that and really fucking offended by that ahahah I love it~

I don’t know man. He does act calm and collected and professional but he is also such a stupid goober and I find the contrast really entertaining. Also it’s nice to see Autobots being genuine friends with Prowl. Although..it’s a bit sus when the..wait can I throw spoilers at you? Um. Okay so he was in big fucking trouble at some point and all the Autobots were standing RIGHT there and none of them moved to help him. I still wonder if that was a storyboarding fuckup. It probably was. Season 3 had a lot of those🤔

[michanvalentine]

Here I go again, venting about the whole "I can fix him" thing that all spawn Astarion fans get accused of. But seriously—what the hell are we even talking about?

First of all, having a moral compass is not a flaw. It’s a good thing. Let’s stop promoting the idea that being a piece of shit is somehow okay—because in real life, it’s not. In the game, sure, do whatever you like and enjoy it—but that doesn’t mean it’s justifiable in the real world.

Secondly, Astarion is not some one-dimensional monster whose sole purpose is to gain wealth and power at any cost. His goal is to be safe. Period. If you didn’t get that, then you missed the entire point of the game and the character. And safety doesn’t come in just one form.

Most importantly: Astarion contains both light and darkness. It’s up to the player to bring out one or the other. This isn’t about fixing him. It’s about recognizing and valuing the qualities that are already in him, for fuck’s sake. There’s no way you could talk him out of the Ascension if he weren’t already having doubts about it! He’s meant to be ambivalent—designed that way to let different players make different choices and enjoy the journey.

And let me say this again, because it’s a hard myth to kill: rolling the dice to convince Astarion not to ascend isn’t making the decision for him. It’s cutting through the bloodlust and fear clouding his mind and saying, “Hey, babe, have you considered this, this, and that?” Nothing more, nothing less.

The person who convinces him not to ascend doesn’t change him—they reassure him. They show him a different possibility.

So no, it’s not “I can fix him.” It’s I see you.

And for the record, if you choose the spawn ending, Astarion stays exactly who he was—just with a new perspective on the world and the people in it. So what the hell was “fixed”? Nothing. He has to fix himself from that point on, using the tools he’s chosen to reclaim: connection, friendship, and—yes—some level of morality (he’s still an antihero and a vampire with needs, after all).

The Ascension literally changes him—turns him into something he’s not, into a type of unnatural vampire that didn’t even exist before. And it’s in that exact moment that he becomes a true monster with no chance of redemption—because he chooses to go from victim to predator. Once again, something he wasn’t before.

And who pays the price? Not enemies—mostly innocent people, including children who will be damned to hell for all eternity.

And for what? The gain (which, honestly, is highly questionable—and for me, not worth it) of one person. A person who, again, gains things he didn’t originally have—wealth, power, sunlight, no more hunger, etc.

So isn’t that what trying to “change” or “fix” him really looks like? Making him different? The excuse that “he was always just a piece of shit with no hope” doesn’t hold up—even if it helps someone sleep at night.

And let me be clear—I don’t give a fuck what people prefer or how they play the game. I ascend Astarion too, in some of my runs, when and how I feel like it. But seriously, this whole “fixing him” narrative? It needs to die—especially when tied to morality.

Shocking news: everyone should have a moral compass and use it. It’s not about “conforming.” It’s about the fact that without it, the world—which is already falling apart—would be completely doomed.

And by the way: the only reason some people get to ignore morality is because most of the idiots on this planet do follow it. Otherwise, it’d be absolute chaos.

[empty-movement]

GOGAI, GOGAI!!! COME GET UTENA KIBBLES

It's September 3rd. It's 1997. Princess Diana just died, and that's very important to lots of people. You, however, are chewing your nails to nubs waiting for the climax of Revolutionary Girl Utena's Black Rose Saga. It's going to air today.

But like any good fan, you're already one step ahead, because you've spent the last couple days thumbing through Animedia's September issue supplemental, the 100 page Duelist Bible. Strangely, it appears to be in English??? Wow! Thanks Nagumo for translating, Ayu Ohseki for Japanese editing, teasot for proofreading, and ME, FUCKIN' VANNA, for scanning and scanlating this massive booklet!

We've got duel summaries! We've got character design sheets! We've got a school directory! We've got THE DUEL RULES. We've got cast interviews! WE'VE GOT THAT CHU-CHU DOLL CRAFT GUIDE. Check it ALL out here, in the Something Eternal Bibliothèque! You can flip through it page by page here, or you'll also find on the page a link to a PDF version for your at home viewing/archiving needs!!

This gargantuan tome really gets it across that in 1997, you didn't have a fandom wiki or on demand viewing. If you didn't catch and record the episodes, a booklet like this becomes a critical tool for keeping track of everything that's happened up to now, and is also a way for the series creators to tap fans on the shoulder and draw attention to details they want seen but not explained in the show directly. For example, this drops at the close of the BRS, but points out Touga's sword isn't the same in Keiko's duel and in the opening sequence. A thing we don't see cashed in until MUCH later!

This has been a true and absurd labor of love on my part. I even rescanned the booklet from my originals because their quality (decades old lmao) was not worth scanlating. This took a ludicrous amount of time, and has been a main project of mine for over a year now!! I'm so happy to have gotten it done in time for the Something Eternal Watch-Along thread, and I really really hope everyone finds something cool and interesting about it! The really cool thing is this now completes the set of magazine supplementals by the big three magazines made for Utena during its run. We now have fully scanlated this, as well as Animage's June Utena Dossier, and Newtype's November Utena? (Oh My!) UTENA! Take a stroll through memory lane, be they yours or someone else's!

As always, if you like this kind of content, consider supporting us on Patreon! Especially right now, a holy grail acquisition is in the works that I will bleed to share with y'all. More on that later, lmao.

Revolutionize the World! Love, Vanna

[zafirreja111]

So, I've been trying to give this random Sans a meaningful backstory and personality for days, but my brain just wouldn't work and I couldn't think of anything interesting. Luckily, today I somehow had enough imagination to use this as an idea, and this rudimentary concept was born:

[!This information may change later!]

About The Random Sans:

Sans' personality is split into two parts for some reason. His silly self and his serious self. While his silly self is the one who usually controls his body (because it costs him less energy), his serious self can only come out when he uses his main magic. (When his eyes flash yellow and blue.) The necklace he wears around his neck blocks the half of himself that is not in control. If the necklace is not specifically near him, he cannot use his power and cannot switch with his other self. 

Origin: 

Sans has no Au or backstory, he just appeared in a forest. However, his confused state leads him to believe he has amnesia and no memory of his past, which is why he wanders through AUs hoping to find some clue to his non-existent past. 

About his two sides:

His silly side is the one that mainly controls the body. At that time, his necklace is blue and yellow, and his eyes are two white stars. He is clumsy and tells a lot of jokes, often getting himself into trouble for stupid decisions. 

He can only switch to his serious side when he uses his main magic. His necklace is black at that time, and his left eye flashes blue and yellow. He is quite, tries to get the best out of a situation, and sometimes overthinks things.

Rarely, but in certain cases, the two halves can merge.

Small information(?):

- He'll eat any stupid plant he finds delicious. Even the ones that are poisonous and he'll regret eating them later. He'll do it again.

- His orientation skills are sucks.

- His two halves can communicate with each other, but he doesn't do it much because he finds it weird. 

✧˖

That's all for now. I don't know how to write a character description, sorry. I know it might seem like a lazy idea and maybe more could have been done with this great character design, but my brain is still foggy right now and I like this idea so I thought I'd share it with this drawing. :>

Thank you so much everyone for all the feedback! ❤️ I'm happy so many people liked my Sans design fot my latest drawing. I honestly didn't expect everyone to like it so much, especially since there wasn't even a description at the time, but it was a pleasant surprise for me. 💕

Sorry if the English is sloppy. Unfortunately, Google Translate and my questionable English skills can only do so much at a time, but I hope it's still fairly clear and understandable, even if it's not perfect. 

(Also, check out my last reblog if you want, there's another story idea there that I didn't come up with but I really love. ;] )

[parisoonic]

How the hell do you manage to superimpose the hilariously exagerated proportions of the tf2 mercs into a cohesive 2d style? I always struggle SO much with like, the way the mercs' models have huge hands, the way they have relatively low-poly definition on things like arms, shoulders, and legs... and Especially the way like, the models are kinda janky when you pose them for art purposes- when using movement tools, things like armpits and seams between body parts get all deformed... Which makes the study of form and silhouette rather difficult.

I assume that a lot of your ability to translate the concept of the mercs from their original mediums into your own works of art comes to you quite naturally- through experience you have with drawing and art style stuff, as well as through intuition. I was simply wondering if I could poke at your mind and get some insight into your process, any thoughts you have about the proportions and silhouettes of the mercs, any quirks you've found while drawing the mercs, or simply what you enjoy drawing about them. Like, don't be afraid to infodump about something just because you think people wouldn't find it interesting- I am here, I am sitting, and I am listening- if you so choose to speak.

I am utterly fascinated and enraptured by the more behind-the-scenes aspect of art. The mundane things that come second nature to great artists yet seem so revolutionary to less experienced artists.

I love your work, I look forward to seeing more of it, and I hope you have a nice day :]

Sorry for the late reply! I've been a little…stuck on how to answer this but that's mainly because to me, drawing is composed of SO many different little skills - you have form, anatomy, shape language, silhouette, appeal, rhythm, acting and posing…not to mention everything AFTER your raw draughtmanship like line style, rendering and colour theory. Trying to distill a multiude of small skills into some pithy advice is overwhelming to my brain. So I'll take the invitation to ramble instead :))

I don't think I have any new or revolutionary insight into the tf2 guys specifically - more I'm using them as work horses to excercise general silhouette/posing/shape-language and further my skills when it comes to drawing characters!

I do agree though the proportions are rather silly when you stop and think about them realistically…they can be kinda tricky if you follow their 'actual' proportions. what looks great individually was maybe never meant to be directly compared (ie: Heavy's hand size against Spy's lol). It would've been funny if the TV show exsisted and we had more content to review…would the animators have had rules like Spy and Heavy can never shake hands? Would they cheated the proportions for shots? Or would they have said WHATVER it's gonna look weird and embraced it? (Like Kingpin in Spiderverse lol)

Paul Lasaine for 'Into the Spiderverse' This is AWESOME. But it's also one of the silliest designs I've ever seen comitted to screen. The varied scales of the characters work because of the unifying treatment (lighting, rendering, consistant hand anatomy, consistant clothing fold treatment etc) and because they are sort of proportional within themselves. A common mantra is that hands should be about as large as a characters face....which they all are here!

Human brains are very flexible and forgiving though. It's totally fine for you to put a character with huge hands and head next to a teeny tiny character! Vanellope and Ralph from Wreck-It Ralph look grand next to each other! And in that film you even have varying levels of stylisation sitting against each other (unified by the look dev treatment of the shaders and lighting). I think as long as the chracter is proportional within themselves it sort of works out. IE: a general rule is that a hand should be as large as the face so…you can have some large arse hands as long as their placed on a body with a big arse head. Unifying characters with the same treatment (ie: lineart brush, colouring style will also help them look cohesive next to each other :) )

I don't actually reference the 3D models/animations very much at all and instead draw their proportions based on my tastes for stylisation following their general vibes/silhouette profiles. I don't stick THAT close to their in-game looks and there are artists who do that are so so so much better than me (Creedei and Flapjack come to mind). I'm not amazing at body-type differentation and TBH they're all wearing chunky clothes all the time so I usually draw the guys as one-of-three body shapes: Heavy is the uniquely wide guy; Sniper/Scout/Spy are all tall and slim and Demo/Soldier/Medic/Engie have a little more of the generic 'hero' bodytype with varying tallness and broadness of the shoulders

Something like this! You can vary all these individual elements in terms of size, thickness, taper amount etc to create different characters. If you ARE going to reference the 3d works though you'll need to apply some anatomy knowledge to overcome the weird shoulders, armpits and knees which desperately need blendshapes to correct the 3D volumes and approach it a little more like an animation supervisor. There's a reason why you see in making-ofs and art-ofs character designers, character leads or animation supes doing drawovers of the models. These are character models that have had great effort put into their 'base' silhouette but it still needs to be reinforced in every frame for maximum appeal.

Shiyoon Kim for 'Raya' This sort of thing will occur at multiple stages during the animation process. Shiyoon Kim's notes are post final model but pre-animation. Most likely for internal rig tests, exploring what blend shapes and alt shapes are needed for the rigs etc. If your production has time, this will continue all the way to final anim. IF! But it's interesting to see how he emphasises the shapes and enhances the character acting of the 3d model.

As for 'mundane things' - I wouldn't say they're second nature! (If that makes you feel better!) I have to actively really persue certain advice and try to figure out how to best apply it. This can sometimes involve redrawing and redrawing an element of the drawing until I've grasped the nettle of whatever I'm after or…..until I get frustrated and either delete the drawing or just call it done lol

Here, I'm looking for a really specific flow of the head that sells both the acting and a subtle head tilt. I'm also trying to apply the general mantra regarding faces that converging lines (set by the eyebrows and mouth) are more appealing than parallel. It's tough! I also tend to use a drawing I've already done as a template/reference on the page too. Oh! This page is an amazing example of why I'm not an animator or storyboarder…consistancy? Who is she? 💅

Converging lines (that form tapered shapes) are always more appealing than parallel. Using this logic you can loft the facial features across converging lines to create dynamic appealing espressions. Combining this with anatomy, perspective and rotation is the tough part though. I'm still learning o7

The things I probably think about MOST are always flats vs curves, simple vs complex and general line of action/flow...and then eliminting tangents. Each of these can be a dedicated visual-essay on their own - hence my stumbling as to answer your question. Anyhow, not sure if it's ever come up on this blog but I looove dinosaurs :)) so i'm using a wee piece to demostrate these ideas! (but also to demostrate these concepts apply to everything from humans characters to animals, props and background design)

Okay, I'm getting self-aware that this is getting really long :') I have a wee tutorial tag for my blog if anyone wants to comb through my garbled art-thoughts. Learning, studying, repetition and practice will always be the greatest teachers! I'm glad you like my art- thank you so much for the lovely comments - I feel like such a noob still and not qualified to give people advice but we're in it together learning! High-five! 🙌

[sunnylovesgirlythings]

This doll is a lgbtqia+ victory by themselves. they’ve survived not only an active release sabotage attempt by retailers but also two long gruelling years in a limbo state.

If you don’t know? This is the welcome committee Frankie. They’re a doll release of monster highs nonbinary character Frankie stein. This being the first doll that explicitly references the fact they’re an lgbtqia character.

This doll was originally going to release twoish years ago along side the first wave of the “Fearbook” dolls. A line of the characters reimagined as the leader of a school club.

The standard releases of the Fearbook line featured Draculaura as the drama club leader, Toralei as the music club leader and Twyla as the leader of the game club.

With welcome committee frankie slated to be the more slightly more deluxe special release. Them being presented as the leader of the schools welcome committee. Not only being explicitly pride themed because they themselves are lgbtqia+ but also because it’s their job in the club they run to help people feel welcomed, included and safe!

So it’s safe to say… we were excited. Not only is welcome committee frankie just a really pretty doll but they were also a really clever way to incorporate a characters queerness in a loud, unambiguous and bold way that feels completely natural and not tokenised.

So we waited. And waited. And waited. But they seemingly never were released unlike the others.

The retailer had dropped them. Target who was set to have exclusive rights to releasing them and the Fearbook dolls in the US just straight up refused to release them and only them. in what would end up being one of the first instances of target dismantling its Dei and diversity programs.

After this we didn’t know what to expect. Are they releasing? are they not? Are they cancelled? It’s was ups and downs of getting hopeful and losing faith.

At literally any point they could’ve been dropped for good. Hell it probably would’ve been the cheaper option. They had to find someone else to carry the doll and set up for a completely different release than they originally planned, separate from the dolls they were meant to release along side with all the new marketing that would take.

All of which costs extra money. On a doll the designers probably had to fight to make in the first place.

It’d be tough to convince the average doll company to put in that extra time and effort. Especially not Mattel who are infamous for their penny pinching budget cuts. But for some reason they kept pushing to get welcome committee Frankie to release.

Now I’m absolutely not crediting that to Mattel. Nine times out of this kind of stuff only happens because of internal pressure. Usually from a staff member they cannot afford to lose. We don’t know who was pushing for this behind the scenes but they get the credit. Not big corporation.

The fact this doll has released is nothing short of a miracle. Especially in this current political climate. The corporate side of things had every reason under the sun to just quietly brush the doll under rug. And they probably wanted to.

But they’re here. Took them two years but they made it. Adding so much more meaning to their release.

The perfect embodiment of lgbtqia+ resilience <3

[requinoesis]

Do you have a favorite among them? Or are they equally your children to your heart

I certainly love them all equally! But there's a funny story about it.

Originally the story I wanted to tell about the sharkfolk town called Reefhaven (or Reefside, I couldn't decide on a good name yet), would be through the lives of three juveniles, you may have seen them around. Hanna (Bonnethead shark) , Lucca (Zebra shark) and Macco as the main protagonist! (Mako shark)

It was a simple story about when we dream too big about what we want to be when we grow up and discover that it won't necessarily be what we imagine, but that realistically it could be related. Hanna dreams of mastering music and singing, but discovers that her talent lies in composing musical instruments. Lucca dreams of writing a fantasy or RPG book, but will discover that his talent lies in creating dungeons and organizing level design. Macco, being the most abstract, dreamed of being a racing pilot and created an extensive comic book about it, only to discover in the end that it wasn't the racing that caught his attention, but how much it opened up his imagination and he would discover that he would be a good art director! With these three, discovering that together, they could create a video game together!

The creation of this video game would trigger important events for the well-being of Reefhaven and these three children would become a symbol of hope, motivation and inspiration for the inhabitants of the town, who are recovering from a collective trauma.

And to expand the story to tell the lives of other inhabitants, I then thought of creating the “idols” of inspiration for these three children, which they created a lot of expectation so that in the end these idols would help them open their eyes to their real talents.

⭐Macco's idol was a famous shark mako racing pilot called Vicky Stormrider. She was facing her own problems of wanting to end her career but was feeling trapped by the high expectations of her supporters and admirers, until an accident changed everything.

⭐Lucca's idol was a famous whale shark writer called Julian Whalesong, renowned for a fantasy book. He also had his own problems because he missed his dead daughter and was facing a creative block and pressure to create a sequel to his books.

⭐Hanna's idol was a shark band called Dreamfarers, which, guess what, is Roberto, Tiago and Aria's band! They were facing problems finding support to bring their music to life in the city, and at some point these three children's idols connected at a common event.

But by strange ironies of the universe, my mind traveled deep into the characters of this band, especially Roberto, I decided not to censor my imagination so I just let it flow to see where it would go. I went so far with Roberto that I created for him: personal problems and the ways he found to overcome them or find escapism, conflicts and resolutions in love relationships, childhood traumas, likes and fears, supernatural and mystical events, ancestral memories and origins, complex families, etc.

I have no idea why this happened, but I'm having a lot of fun so far! I haven't forgotten the three children, they will play a part in all this at some point, I think. It's a shame that my physical ability to illustrate is disproportionate to my ability to imagine, I'm quite slow at manifesting art into reality, I still want to show a lot of things, as many of them are unknown to me because I'm a person, introvert, ace and on the autism spectrum, so having feedback from other people who better understand the construction of captivating characters is a great light for me!

I'm very grateful to everyone who shows support or interest in my shork creations! 🌊🦈✨

[hopesaheartache]

I never thought I'd be creating an new account and being active on Tumblr again after years just to talk about a new THG book, but I've shipped Hayffie for more than half my life and people on Twitter are really getting on my nerves, so I needed to vent with people I know will understand.

I have some issues with certain narrative choices in SOTR, but I expected that since I’m not a big fan of prequels, especially ones released long after the original story. I think it's very tough to write a prequel more than a decade later without some things feeling like retcons. I had the same issue with TBOSAS, but I’m good at just ignoring that kind of thing. The original trilogy will always exist, so it doesn’t really affect me that much.

But I cannot stand seeing so many people saying the new book makes Hayffie impossible and acting like they're smarter because they don't ship it.

We've always known that Haymitch had a girlfriend when he was a teenager. It's not new information.

Haymitch and Lenore Dove had a sweet, young, idealized love - that ended up being an eternal what if and could it be if Haymitch had never gone to the Games, if Lenore Dove hadn’t died, if they had been born in a better world.

But Haymitch did go to the Games. Lenore Dove did die. They were born into a terrible world.

So why would it be so wrong for him to find love again? To allow himself to be happy? To have a relationship that works within the reality he actually lives in, instead of the one that could have been?

The reason I was drawn to Hayffie years ago and the reason most of my main ships are between mature characters instead of teenagers is because I’ve always found it more interesting when two people, in later stages of life, with scars, baggage, and different experiences, still manage to learn from each other, discover new things, and allow themselves to grow.

It’s so tragic to think of someone’s life as over when they were only 16. And Haymitch’s life is already tragic enough.

What SOTR establishes as canon shows that, despite all odds, Effie and Haymitch are gentle with each other from the very beginning. Despite all the propaganda and life in the Capitol, Effie is introduced as someone involved with the Games because of the love she has for her sister, as a kind person, as someone who knows Haymitch won’t hurt her.

Despite their social and ideological differences - and all the friction between them - they spend two decades keeping each other company in a horrible environment designed to discourage any kind of bond. They still work together as a team.

Post-Mockingjay, when they have to carry the weight of all their pain, torture, loss, and war, why is it so hard to imagine that they would help each other figure out who they are in a world without the Games? That they would help each other process the pain and learn to live with some peace and hope for the days ahead? That two people who know each other so well would slowly build their slow-burn romance, allowing themselves to love and be loved?

And none of this erases the impact or the feelings Haymitch had for Lenore Dove. It's just different. Simple as that.

He may believe that geese mate for life, but in reality, he hasn’t had the same life in a very long time. And in this new life, it’s Effie who walks beside him.

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: F.L.U.D.D. (Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device)

Debut: Super Mario Sunshine

F.L.U.D.D. was Mario's first ever Platforming Buddy! Unless you count the Lakitu Bros. from 64, but they just operate the camera and don't affect Mario's platforming moveset, so I do not. So really, F.L.U.D.D. is- hold on, I really don't want to write every individual period each time I write its name. I'm just going to leave all the periods at the end of the post and you can put them where they belong yourself, or anywhere else you think is funny. Or you can keep them, I don't mind. Put them on a bagel and tell a friend they're poppy seeds!

FLUDD is a big deal. A landmark for the series in terms of mechanics. Not that these specific mechanics returned, but the concept of a buddy granting Mario some new abilities has become a recurring thing. FLUDD even talks, and is fully voice acted! In a robot voice! Like mine! A cute and silly little robot buddy for Super Mario.

So then... why don't I absolutely LOVE it? I feel like I should! But I'm just not getting that urge to imagine it driving a kart or playing tennis like I do with far less important characters. Does it work so well as a Tool that I have a hard time viewing it as a Character? Let's See!

I think FLUDD's design is honestly kind of perfect. The two massive screws that evoke eyes are really clever, and especially great is that they give it + shaped "pupils"! Aside from that, the nozzle's funnel shape is an extremely funny shape for a mouth, and FLUDD does indeed speak out of there. Excellent head! Though I feel like the excitement fizzles out once you look past the head, because the rest is much more "equipment" than "character". That's fine, this IS a piece of equipment! It just makes it feel less like a character, when I'd like it to have a bit of a balance of both. Maybe if the handles also functioned as little feet that it could walk around on? I don't know. Maybe that would be stupid... but I do love when creature designs are stupid!

FLUDD was made by E. Gadd, but that's all the backstory we get. We never learn why it was just there on the Delfino Airstrip, and that's really weird! The perfect tool to combat the game's main conflict is just there immediately when Mario arrives. It could have been a cool little mystery, but I guess the reality is just that some Pianta ordered it when the Goop Incident happened and got express delivery. Or maybe someone already had it and was just waiting for a calamity like this to happen, to justify the purchase!

I don't need to go over everything FLUDD does, right? I'm not the Super Mario Wiki, it's not my job! I'm here for the Weird. And a weird thing is that FLUDD freaken dies.

During the final boss against Bowser's Hot Tub, FLUDD starts stuttering, as if breaking down. And then in the final cutscene... it Dies! Mario goes to it, it tells him it hopes it was of assistance, and it dies. And Mario is sad, because this was his friend. But then in the very next scene FLUDD is back! Some Toads fixed it and it's fine now. So this ends up having the emotional impact of Mario needing to change the battery on his TV remote.

Even though it's our and Mario's friend, FLUDD is still an object, a product. It's technically not just FLUDD, but A FLUDD, one of many, mass produced. I have to wonder if it actually formed any bond with Mario, or if it was a one-sided friendship. Is it even capable of friendship...?

Whatever the case, the others absolutely consider FLUDD a friend, and well, that's just so sweet. During the credits we get to see some extremely compressed pictures of Mario and friends enjoying their real vacation, and FLUDD is there with them! It's not even on Mario's back anymore, or always WITH Mario, for that matter. Sometimes it's hanging out with Peach and some Toads, sitting there independently. I think it is safe to say FLUDD is a real true friend, and likes to just Hang Out sometimes! Even better, maybe it wasn't originally sentient, but learned how to love over the course of the adventure. Such a wonderful robot thing to do!

As expected, thinking in depth about FLUDD has absolutely endeared me to it. Hooray! It's about time. Well, it's too late for FLUDD to be relevant again, probably. I'm not saying it should be a driver in Mario Kart, but I AM saying there should be a kart based on it, and I'm also saying that this kart should canonically be the FLUDD, now upgraded. This feels like something that should have happened long ago!

This has been a long post, but it is far from all FLUDD has had to discuss! So next time, I will post about FLUDD once more, and its various appearances during the GameCube days and beyond! There is milk involved at some point. Get excited to learn what milk has to do with any of this!

Here are all those periods you were promised! I hope you like them.

....................................................................................................