#I just thought that this fusion would look neat

[lmelodie]

To distract form the raging dumpster fire that is the series, I ended up going ham on a little fusion character. Left over from my little stint in Fusion AU city. I can and will fuse just about anything and anyone, and I got bored so I PLAYED GOD. A Mother Nature and Jack Frost fusion? Thats Jericho baby!

The only reason that they exist is because i thought it would've been really cool for this fusions whole thing to be based around natural disasters. I ended up kinda loosing that thread, but their hair is based on a storm cloud :)

If Bernack is the fusion lawyer, this is THE FUSION COURT JUDGE. Not only because they are judgey, but because Jack cant help himself in trying abuse such immense power while they're fused, and tries to exert some strange and self beneficial laws and boss people around. And that means they are the alpha leader and they will put themselves in charge of any situation, no matter how small. Im thinking their kinda like the cool enby wine aunt/uncle, they still care a lot, but theres also a lot more leeway. 

I wanna make it clear that they can also be a bit of an uneven mess, but it’s LEAGUES BETTER than Julian. Which is why i only half attached their arms to show that they're a little more balanced to not need a full other set of limbs.

[gracefireheart]

Once again, did some fanart of @lenny-link TF2 x SU AU, but tried making more fusions! :]

First one is Andalusite [Heavy + Medic] (who I've drawn before already), second one is Iolite [Cheavy + Medic], and the third one is Ametrine [Demoman + Soldier].

[Below the keep reading line, I'll show off the fourth fusion I drew as well, but ended up just-- disliking to hell and back o(-( Also, some notes and such about each fusion]

First off, here's the fourth fusion I did, which was Cat's Eye Tourmaline [Scout + Sniper]. (Side note: I picked out Tiger's Eye as Sniper's gem)

After looking at Steven's fusions with other gems (since Scout's a half-human half-gem in this AU fusing with Sniper who's a full gem), I did notice that basically all of them (besides Obsidian) had some kind of oddity to them. Like Smokey Quartz has three arms instead of four or just two, Rainbow 2.0 is the first gem with male pronouns and has a tad bit strange legs, and Sunstone isn't as humanoid as the other (non-corrupted) gems and fusions.

So I wanted to show that off here, but uh, I just ended up giving up on it in the end o(-( Mostly 'cause I had no clue how I wanted to color them based on the Cat's Eye Tourmaline gem, but also 'cause the overall design ended up leaned a bit more towards Sniper's design than I intended it to do.

Anyways, onto the notes for the other fusions.

Andalusite [Heavy + Medic]:

The duo that imo would probably fuse the most out of the TF2 crew, whether for battle or to just relax together (like reading a book or whatever). So with that, Heavy and Medic would have had plenty of time to refine how their fusion would look like, and making sure both of them like how they look together.

For their fusion weapon, I was thinking about them either having something like Garnet's upgraded gauntlets (the ones with spikes jutting out of it's knuckles), or letting the gauntlets have claws or something.

Iolite [Cheavy + Medic]:

I mostly did this one 'cause of one of the drawings in Lenny-Link's original piece, which made me thinking of Lapis and Jasper fusing into Malachite and all that, which lead me to this. I wanted the design to 1. Make it look chaotic due to the two people that are fused here, but also 2. Make it lean a tad more towards Cheavy's looks to make said guy think that he's the one mostly in control of the fusion, only to have Medic take over take over and do something to trap the fusion and/or get them the hell away from the TF2 crew. Something something angst idk lol

Decided to make Cheavy a [blue] Topaz. Since Heavy's a Topaz as well. I don't have any other reason than that :') Also, I placed his gem on the side of his right shoulder.

The eye goggles change color depending on who is in control. If the two weren't fighting for it, it would be one eye blue and one eye magenta. But since they are, whenever Cheavy's in control, the eyes are blue. And whenever Medic's in control, the eyes are magenta.

Ametrine [Demoman + Soldier]:

Originally, I was going to have them be a Morganite, but decided on Ametrine instead as it fit their color scheme more. Also originally, I was going to give them a knight helmet, but I wanted to draw their hair, so I instead gave them a bandana covering their possibly one eye. Possibly.

Assuming Soldier's helmet (with or without the horns) is Soldier's gem weapon like Jasper's helmet, I thought it would be neat if their fusion weapon [(horned) helmet + sword] would be something like a Morningstar, which they would be able to duel-wield without much trouble.

I've got other lil' ideas as well for this AU, like how Jeremy/Scout was the one that gave these gems their nicknames (Spy, Sniper, Engineer, etc.), how Medic grew a fascination for the organic lifeforms of Earth and how exactly they healed/was able to treat their wounds, and how- instead of Spy being all dead and gone Rose Quartz style when Jeremy was born- Spy is a lot weaker than he should be due Jeremy getting half of his gem. But uh-- I don't wanna go too overboard when this ain't even my AU :')

Either way, I'll probably go and relax a bit before drawing some regular TF2 stuff. But I might do some more fanart for this AU whenever I feel up for it. 'Cause genuinely, I love this AU sm <3

[bunji-enthusiast]

Hello!

I wanted to make a dogday x cheetah smilling critter reader

Reader is basically the fusion of hoppy and kickin chicken

They're very curious, adventurous and energetic always looking for action or adventure around the factory and sometimes even bringing kids along with them which sometimes would always lead to reader getting scolded by both dogday and some of the workers because of the dangerous situations reader puts the kids into

And one day after reader comes back from one of their adventures to talk with dogday, he finds out that reader had injured her arm and tail from falling from somewhere and also bringing a child they took with them that had a small scratch on its cheek

Oops! This is way longer then I expected sorry ^^"

(Texas) Hold Em’ Please

Note || ooh this is such a neat idea, hope this was okay <3

WC || 1,005

More often than not, you would go searching for new adventures in the factory. You simply couldn’t be tied down to one singular floor or location, you wanted to feel freedom and the excitement of being able to search for things; even if you’d already seen it before. It was quite pleasant to do so anyway.

Though, this had led to multiple scoldings from DogDay and a few of the employees, as you had a habit of bringing the children along with you when they insist on it multiple times. You couldn’t help it! You certainly couldn’t turn down the children’s pleas either. Why would you be the one to restrict them from a possible adventure of fun? So you had always said yes every time they had asked. 

You try as you might to protect them from the possibilities of any bruises or actual injuries, as you know that will lead to real scoldings you were sure you didn’t want to be faced with in any case. Sometimes, there were bruises involved but you always had great solutions and remedies to fix them right up. It was a fortunate thing indeed that there hadn’t been any incidents of injuries before. The children getting hurt was the last thing you wanted anyway.

You just didn’t take into account it would one day truly be you in that position.

This was a recurring setup, it was everyday during work hours you had gone outside regulations and went along on one of your adventures. For someone like you, it wasn’t out of the ordinary to do so, you had always done this. But the sunny dog was beginning to get worried, you were taking longer than normal to return to Playcare, to their spot. You weren’t back just yet, and so many thoughts swam through DogDay’s mind.

“DogDay?..”

He didn’t respond, the onslaught of thoughts, still capturing his self-attention continuously. The figure snapped their fingers against his ears once more, trying to get him back to reality. 

“DOGDAY!” He snapped out of his incessant thoughts to find that Hoppy had been the one to snap the leader out of his mind-chamber. DogDay blinked for a few moments, white pupils flickering in and out. He shook his head and turned to Hoppy, wondering why she was making time to converse with him right now.

“Hoppy, what is it?” DogDay inquired, tilting his head as he awaited her reply. She groaned with a huff escaping her as she put a paw on her hip. She seemed to be consumed in thought as to how she would go about saying what she needed to, “SO… uh, our particularly adventurous friend got back from a recent one.”

Hoppy jabbed a thumb right behind her, throwing up her other hand to do so. “You really ought to be the one to look at this.” DogDay began to get worried upon hearing the words of his friend, sometimes at most you brought a sense of unease with how often you had brought about your adventures both privately and publicly with few of the children. But what has happened now? Something bad no doubt, he must hurry.

He then nodded, then stood to his feet. “Thank you, I’ll go right away-” He then turned to the group of children that accompanied him, looking on in confusion. “Could you?..” DogDay trailed off, gesturing to the children. Hoppy nodded with an exasperated sigh, urging him to go and check on you.

DogDay scuttled away, waving at Hoppy before he had disappeared out of view. “You're the best, Hoppy!” He smiled at her then continued onward.

It didn’t take long for DogDay to find you, seeing as how he was informed that you were in the infirmary being checked on by a medical professional. Now it didn’t take long either for it to register this was a more major situation, you were hurt. He looked around to see another body in the Med Bay, the building was buoyant, yet so empty. 

A child?

A whimper snapped him out of his shock, you noticed that DogDay had arrived. “Hey.” You grin tired, the vocal pronunciation prolonged as you appeased in embarrassment before DogDay. He wasn’t sure what to say, out of the shadow of the fear raging within his heart that he might make the situation even worse than it needed to be.

“Angel,” He began, “What happened?” DogDay walked over to you, seeing as how the nurse had finally taken her leave. 

“I, I uh…” You stutter, burning in embarrassment. “I injured my arm and tail, and..” Your head snaps to where the child was resting, actually taking a nap after his cheek had been tended to. “He got a scratch on his cheek.”

DogDay’s shoulders deflated in relief, seeing the situation wasn’t as terrible as he had made it out to be. Suddenly, he had hugged you, causing you to choke out in surprise. 

“DogDay?”

“I’m just glad you two are okay.” His voice carried a warmth as if he had lived a long time, though it wasn’t the truth it had simply felt as if it was that way. DogDay laxed in his hold, pulling back so you could regain personal space. “All that there was to it, then there was no reason for me to worry that much.”

You were almost stunned, used to the scoldings you normally would get. This wasn’t one, not at all. DogDay was actually genuine with his words, you weren’t sure of what to say in return. DogDay couldn’t help but chuckle at your inability to speak, “NO, worries… okay? I just, I really don’t want to see you or any of the children hurt.”

“But, what had happened in the first place for you to end up here?” DogDay questions, head tilted and one ear raised. Typical dog-like behavior resides within your friend, a small laugh escapes you at the thought. You shrug your shoulders as you return in reply with words of your own.

“We fell.”

“...”

“What?”

[fallloverfic]

"Nimona" movie artbook thoughts

There's so much neat stuff here. Spoilers for the movie below the cut but just dang I love this

So many neat ideas for long-haired Ambrosius. Ponytail Ambrosius! He looks so cute!

There was going to be a magazine cover with "Goldenloin bares it all" and I like to think part of this is in reference to the two pin-ups Nate drew (Pin-up 1 and Pin-up 2). It's neat to see how much they were building up his celebrity in more ways. In other concept art, he was on more magazine covers, and he shows up as part of a parade. There are lots of concepts of Goldenloin fans.

Also this Ambrosius test is amazing. The weird Todd/Ambrosius fusion in motion lol But you can tell they even modified it later to turn it into Todd. He's a bit softer here in a way and just... fun. Todd cosplaying as Ambrosius/having a nightmare/dream about it aldkjalj

It was also interesting to see more confident Ballister. There's an animation test with him fighting some Institute guards, and it's very clear in early concept art (from that popular viral test back in 2021 as well) that he was more confident in earlier production.

More adorable Ambrosius/Ballister moments, and some cute Ambrosius. They're absolutely sweet.

And unfortunately one of the biggest losses in the movie: the amazing stuff they show for Meredith Blitzmeyer. At one point she was going to be covered in magic tattoos.

"For a long time, the character of Meredith Blitzmeyer was in the film. She served many different functions in many different iterations. At one point, she had a magical van that was bigger on the inside. In another, she was covered from head to toe in magical tattoos. And in another, she was the head of a vast underground society, called the Silver Society, comprised of all the magical creatures forced into hiding by the institute. Ultimately, the story went in a different direction, but her design and model were so beloved that she wasn’t lost but repurposed into The Queen." This all sounds so cool (except the repurposed into a character who dies in the first 10 minutes of the movie part T-T).

She has an entire spread. It's neat that she got to show up in some form (when they recycled her design for Valerin), but I love the idea of the Silver Society and her place in it and also Ballister having more friends and just ugh. These designs and world-building are so cool. I wish we'd seen all of them in the movie.

Also finally an eye dings chart! With everything clearly explained lol Neat to know I wasn't imagining some in-between diamond/square shape when Ballister is changing.

And this pride flags spread! There's a drag queen club! I just love all of this!! Seeing them spread throughout the movie is fun but it's neat to see the collection here!

Also this line: "In actuality, there has not been a monster attack since the first, so the fear and belief of the possibility is the only thing keeping the populace in check." It's neat to get confirmation of that.

Also a very much more violent Nimona was in the early/late-ish production lol.

José Manuel Fernández Oli talked on his Facebook collection of concept art about there at one point being an underground of outcast shapeshifters, and I don't know if that's what we're seeing here, but we were at least maybe also going to get more magical people (which matches the Meredith plans)??

Weres? People with fire magic? Satyrs? Demons? Elves? Or just a wider range of shapeshifter people. That would have been so cool.

There are environment designs for the Institute, Ballister and Nimona's hide-out, people designs, a few more test animations they haven't put up elsewhere, more Nimona shapeshifts (more dogs and cats, a second kind of gnome, more of her bulkier, muscular design, more types of dragons, a goat, more ancient Nimona concepts, plant monster Nimona, alien(?) Nimona, etc.). We nearly had goblin Director. Older Gloreth concepts... It's all really awesome.

All in all, a lot of really cool stuff.

[pechtothevoid]

Hey @bluepeachstudios ! How are ya? i should be doing stuff but instead i'm here with your boy Lonny! whose name i always spell Loony first and then correct it :D Ngl to ya, Lonny's sketch is superior that the end result. I blame it on the brush i'm using for the lineart :] I won't change it tho. They need to be a set. I'm already screw.

SO, HC TIME!:

Ok, i don't remember the ask exactly but i remember reading that Lonny makes the more aesthetically pleasing inventions, but also the less efective. So i thought "Oh, he likes design! What kind of design does he like?" and i think he would really love interior design, which i think you may have mention already or something in that topic? So, yeah, Lonny might be an interior designer. (He would be one of those people that plays the sims just to make cool houses AND HE WOULD BE SO GOOD AT IT. Also, in the Animal Crossing game he shares with Leo and Dea, Lonny is the one that makes the Island cute and neat.)

In that topic, you also mentioned that he has a folder. So i thought it would have a lot of interior design ideas inside. Also that it gives him peace to look at it. This is not a big HC… more like a HC detail /hj But it helps with his anxiety.

I had this HC that i thought before chap 11 (and after Dea's drawing) of Dea and his thoughts. I thought being Deangelo might be really tiring because of all the thought in his head, but he's stable because he has a filter/system to them, so he consumes a lot of energy but is stable. I wanted to mention it because i think Lonny also consumes a lot of energy for of all the paths and worries he has, but doesn't have a filter for them yet and because of that he's kind of an unstable fusion. It's obviously not cannon because in chap11 Dea was outside for days without problem. But idk, i like to compare them. They are both sometimes overwhelmed by their thoughts but Lonny is worst at dealing with them (When he appeared the first thing he did was having a crisis SO-).

You know? Indigo is a weird color. Some people thinks Indigo is this purple shade (like Lonny uses) and others a bright-dark blue? Google Indigo, the differences between the colors is so wild! These are two completely different tones and yet both are considered indigo… (This is not a HC. This is just me being "indigo is not that shade!" at Lonny and discovering that Indigo is a fucking lie.)

Lonny is the only fusion with Leo who i think uses just He and plural they. He might be super gay tho /J

Anyway BYE i need to run or i will be late. This is totally worth it tho /hj (no. Really. I'm def gonna be late. I shouldn't be doing this rn)

[scarabaebutch]

Prompting Night: Jay Garrick deciding to have some quality bonding time with Bart, in whatever form that takes

A/N: this is the YJA-verse. Also technically within an YJA-preboot fusion AU I've been working on for a while but the details are unneeded since this is part of the very beginning of it. This is Jay's POV. I adore the Flashfam and have a particular soft spot for the Golden Agers.

Context: this is morning after the end of s2

---

7:06AM July 05, 2016

On his second cup of chamomile, Jay looks through Snapper Carr’s last reports and assessments on Bart’s academic skills again. Joan had already left early this morning for her microbiology lecture. Now it was just him and a still sleeping-in Bart in the house. That was a first he was pleased to see; the future-boy had a habit of being up as early as him, an insomniac old man who didn’t have many good dreams to look forward to.

Weak in essay writing and reading analysis, but strong in math, Mr. Carr’s notes began. Demonstrates excellent understanding of algebraic and geometric concepts. Has trouble showing his work and keeping on task, but that may be due to the subject material. Has not indicated extent of previous experience in the public school system. Will need additional guidance on school expectations prior to enrollment. Addendum: very neat cursive! Tell him to keep up the good handwriting. Did you teach him the Palmer method? 

Jay frowns. He'll need to submit these to Keystone North by next Friday. Bart will start eighth grade in the coming fall. The thought of Bart’s shocking youth in light of recent events makes Jay’s stomach clench. Jay had nearly pulled Bart off the Team after Wally’s death. Barry was hardly in a state to argue back. The thought of Bart being in the same danger—how did he ever tolerate that for Wally, Jay wonders. Then he remembers--the need for an outlet, for others like himself, for morality and self-discipline. Work from a young age was good for character and strengthening. Wally had blossomed on the Team, at least for a little while. Then college came and there was a…worrying decline. Frankly, leaving behind the suit was good for Wally’s mental state, whether or not he would ever return to the life. 

But even Wally, Jay thinks angrily, was not exposed to such twisting violence like Bart at the same age. Wally was fifteen going on sixteen when he was first on the Team. The missions, from what he recalled, were tricky but not shadowed by a looming war. Bart wasn’t fourteen and yet he was called one of the most important assets on the Team.

Sickening. Jay had half a mind to question the competency of the Justice League, but he had to use his influence carefully. The Justice League may take his advice in consideration but any harsh criticism could be easily dismissed as an out of touch veteran’s cantankerous mutterings. While Barry would certainly listen to him, that was no guarantee for change. 

Why did he let Bart stay, he wonders. He and Joan were his guardians. Then he remembers again, the hard look in Bart’s eyes. If Jay and Joan did not let him, he would do it his own way, no matter the consequences. Perhaps he should have adopted a firmer stance. But Bart was not a young child that could be easily grounded or restrained. They were guardians but not…parental figures. Not quite. Bart did not openly rebel but neither was he obligated to stay with them, exactly. He listened out of respect and politeness, at least at this point. And Jay rather Bart be monitored and have help nearby than run the risk of Bart running off and doing God-knows-what in bum nowhere.

The new (old) suit and codename was just another hurdle for Jay to get used to. 

Jay sighs, rubs one of his temples. He reads the end notes again. To say they felt vaguely incomplete and superficial was an understatement. But most academic assessments were mostly a glimpse of a student’s ability to take a presented exam nowadays. His own and Joan’s experiences in the American education system long told of that. Bart’s strength in mathematics was unsurprising—his preference of fixing and updating his goggles was evident from the start, alongside his family history. Not that it would have been a shame if Bart wasn’t so inclined; it simply made many things easier. Though, strangely, Barry seemed startled whenever Jay told him of Bart’s fascination with machines and frequencies. 

Jay did not pretend to himself about any previous or future heartfelt conversations with Bart about the alternate now-unwinded future he came from. He didn’t know anymore than anyone else in the family. There was no one left to miss him, Bart had simply said when asked about any future-family to possibly return to, after the Reach were defeated, after poor Wally (it should have been you, you old bastard--).

Another life where there was no one left to miss him. Another aspect that was unfortunately similar to himself (no matter how long ago--). Jay takes another gulp of chamomile and watches the golden hour slowly pass into proper morning. Well, he thinks to himself. It’ll help no one fussing over that now. Bart will tell his current family more when he feels safe. Stable. Jay and Joan were happy to provide that but damn if Jay’s natural curiosity wasn’t piqued. It itched at him, to poke and ask so who did take care of you before you left. Time around fellas of his own generation had luckily taught him patience in that regard. 

The most pressing mystery to Jay was the way Bart ran and moved, smooth, graceful, unceasing. No pauses for recalculations. Leaping, darting. It reminded him someone he thought dead for decades--

Peripherally, Jay teeks a closeby aura shifting brighter, awake. The stairs creak a picosecond after. He straightens up and closes the beige folder.

“Bart,” he calls up. “Breakfast is ready. Clean up and eat some eggs. They’re in the pan for you.”

“Be right there!” Bart calls right down. Ten seconds and a gust of air later, he appears next to Jay’s seat. “Can I have some waffles too?”

“In the freezer.”

“Thanks!”

Jay works through the rest of his chamomile by the time Bart settles across him with a plate piled with eggs and a tower of blueberry waffles. Jay pushes a jar of honey towards him.

“Are we going to train today, Jay?” Bart asks halfway into his eggs and waffles, his tone a tad too casual, the muscles in his throat twitching. Modulating the voice. Jay doesn’t poke. “Gramps mentioned he wanted to skip patrol today so maybe we could go running in Utah or the Andes. I haven’t navigated mountains in a while.”

An incomplete assessment, only scratching the surface. An old costume from someone else. When was the last time Bart had done anything not related to superheroing? Barry mostly called to take Bart patrolling or to pick him up from Team missions as of recent weeks. Before, Bart would take every opportunity to blame the invasion to avoid many non-hero excursions. No excuses anymore, Jay decides.

“I was thinking something closer to home, slugger,” Jay says, pushing the folder to the side. “Do you like chemistry?”

Bart blinks, perks up a bit. “Can’t say I’m super familiar with it like you. More of a mechanic—I mean, I like playing with computer parts or, uh—I’m good with numbers. Carr put that in my report card, right?”

Jay smiles. “He did. Chemistry and physics are my game. I still work as a part-time director. I go in tomorrow.”

“I can do physics.” A twist in Bart’s mouth before his face flattens into something neutral. “Is there going to be a test?”

“Just on how fast you can figure out which chemicals can cause an explosion,” Jay says idly.

“Oh, I think I can do that.” A grin blooms across Bart’s face, something reflecting genuine emotion.  

“My lab’s in the basement,” Jay says, pleased. “After breakfast, I’ll show you what happens when you put sodium in water and how to put out a hydrogen fire. You gotta watch out for such things in a lab. You don’t want to blow up by accident.”

“A hydrogen fire?” Bart repeats, swallowing a bit of syrup covered eggs. His yellow eyes glittered with interest. “I know about magnesium and methanol fires but not hydrogen.”

“Not too different, asides from the fact it’s almost invisible in daylight,” Jay says cheerily. “It happens. After you learn how to not blow up by accident, then I’ll teach you how to make explosions on purpose.”

“Do you know how to put together a gas stove? Or a Bunsen burner?” Bart asks excitedly, voice climbing up. “I know how to fix one but I don’t know about which model parts belong to which since it’s hell trying to find an intact manual even in this time—”

“Sure thing, buster. But we’ll start from the beginning,” Jay tells him. “One step at a time. Think you can keep up?”

“I won’t forget a single one, Jay,” Bart replies with a thick layer of gushing assurance and eagerness. “And don’t worry, I won’t burn down the house. I promise.”

Jay huffed out a short laugh. “Alright, kid. Come on, let’s get started.” 

---

[bloomboxygo]

Very well, I shall share my thoughts, as best as I can, right here. We've been waiting much for this, and there are things to be discovered about them every hour, so I can't really say that this'll be a complete analysis. Nevertheless, now it's really the time to go back on stage! These talks will talk about the cards purely on their role, their design, and references. I won't insert any of my fanfic thoughts there, though I have a few.

Let the new tour begin!

Melodious Concerto

So we start off with the simplest card to talk about. This is what is essentially a Polymerization searchable by the new support, only it summons a Fairy Fusion and can use the Pendulum Zones as materials, which isn't much trouble in Melodious' case, as you'll see. This doesn't even require Melodious Monsters so... It could have potential even outside of a pure version. The GY effect is also kinda neat. It's the first Melodious card that can let you draw, which can make for some topdecks with its randomness.

Also... Aria and Elegy on the art. You know why they're there. Actually though... It's a bit weird of a pose for a Fusion Spell. They're not swirling towards each other, really, and they shouldn't exactly be used as Fusion Materials from the Field to begin with... It looks more as if they're on the Field, with their effects activated to protect the whole board. The pentagrams in front do seem to form a wall, after all.

Refrain the Melodious Songstress

Refrain comes up, belts one out with a grit that's hardly showed by the Melodious in their singing just so she could announce that she's pretty much all we've been waiting for: a Pendulum Melodious that the archetype lacked, a GY dumper (with an annoying caveat) and a Stratos (that works EVEN ON NORMAL SUMMON). These two things alone were amidst the most asked for by players, the first for theming and second for consistency. And she's great in both.

I say so because both Refrain and her companion, who's next up, can place themselves in the Pendulum Zone after a Melodious Fusion is Fusion Summoned as they're in the Extra Deck. That does mean that they can't do this off of Ostinato, but the card became so good in here anyways that they can afford to wait before going there.

Her on-summon effect is Stratos, not much to say, that's amazing and new to Melodious. But her pendulum effect is annoying because it brings back a tradition with Melodious Support that no one missed: conflicting with Aria. Because it Targets in order to get a Melodious from your deck to the GY... And it has to be a Fusion Mosnter so there aren't many opportunities for this. Then again, it's not that big of a deal right now, as there aren't any Main Deck Monsters, even in this set, that have effects off being sent to the GY. But it definitely has potential!

Design-wise, she looks lovely. But I'll reserve most of my thoughts after her companion is covered, which is warranted since they're meant to be parallels of each other. A thing unique to her, though, is her hat and her fiery-colored scheme, especially the hair. I wonder if that's actually a reference to Halil...

Remember this kid? He was the one who actually prevented Yuzu's first Pendulum Summon, and his theme consisted of Fire Genies. Could it actually be that the designers were somewhat inspired by this? It's all vague for me, but it would surely be cool if true.

Couplet the Melodious Songstress

And here comes Couplet, manifesting our joy in her songs! Let's see what, of her own, she can offer.

Her Monster effect is quite interesting: a Special Summon of a low level Melodious if it's revealed while added to your hand in any occasion besides the Draw Phase draw. Any occasion also means Shopina, Bloom Prima, and Soprano's effect of retrieving a Melodious from your GY. And she shares Refrain's effect of placing herself in the Pendulum Zone at the same condition. For her Pendulum effect... Well, she's a Spell/Trap searcher, as opposed to a Monster one. However... "Melodious" Spell Traps are actually very little. Most don't have that name, so the only targets are Illusion (very much a meme) and the new Concerto. Still good as a follow-up, but it's a shame she doesn't add Ostinato. Probably would have been OP though. Oh, and to keep the theme of Melodious being somewhat pure, you can only Pendulum Summon lights with her (very good) scale.

Admittedly, I couldn't find a specific reference in the design. She's cold color coded, the opposite of her companion, so maybe you can link it to Olga, Halil's Tag Duel Partner. However, I do very much like her skin tone being green. Weird, exotic colors were pretty much a staple with the Melodious Divas at the start, but we haven't really had a standout since Soprano. It's nice to see them back, even it's really only the case for Couplet and another Monster.

But... Let's do an extra segment.

Refrain and Couplet complete one another

It's evident that these two were designed as a pair because they mirror each other quite a bit in their effects, and their scale can Pendulum Summon the whole of the Melodious archetype. However, it's not just the effects that synergize, but also the designs.

Both artworks share certain elements such as the hand-over-chest pose, the light (very much the Pendulum's light) shining from above, and the most relevant one, double-ringed bracelets with a gem on the middle, just like Yuzu's! Refrain and Couplet also have differences in design that makes them mirror of each other: they share the color scheme and design of the dresses of Mozarta and Shopina respectively, albeit the armored, plated parts are different (Refrain has chest covered, and plates on her left hip with a blue gem on one, and one on the right shoulder, and Couplet has her torso covered with plates on right hip with a gem I can't quite make out -higher res is needed here- and left shoulder). There's some more asimmetries between their outfits as well, so they do look weird unless you see them together, which you should in a Duel. And they both have neon pentagram-shaped butterfly gown wings and that's just SO PRETTY. And both have black markings down their opposite eyes.

Bach(a) the Melodious Maestra

Now THIS. THIS IS MONEY.

In both ganeplay and design, this Card is just incredible, I might just be in love. I'll unashamedly admit that she's by far my favourite card of the set, and I know that another one has risen way above the rest in terms of popularity (in one day, which is legit impressive).

Let's get over how she's in game: a beastly extender who also acts as Fusion support. She requires 2 Melodious Monsters, making her the prime target for Ostinato. And she has 2 Special Summons of Melodious: 1 from Deck when she's Special Summoned, and one from the GY when she's sent to it, BY ANY METHOD (so also Diviner and Brilliant Rose). Well, this excludes herself, but it's still 2 Special Summons from favorable places, and it can be, in the second case, EVEN THEIR END BOSS. AYO. That's unbelievable enough, but here's another thing: Fusion Melodious' effects cannot be negated while she's on the Field. So that means even her own Deck Special Summon. Fantastic, she's legit incredible.

And now how about that design. Also incredible. The elegance and majesty of the Maestras was effectively brought back full force, and with an imposing black and orange scheme with gold accessories (even a huge treble clef that her left arm goes through), and red underdress, like a rose. Also her Hair's a bass clef and with her red eyes, hat and everything, I can feel her OP-ness and elegance, this is just magnificent.

That one-eyed golden mask of hers is also a really cute nod to Lunalight, albeit I don't know whether that makes her red eye glow more of if the other's obscured by the hat. But still... Red eyes, dark scheme, transparent gray veil, imposing pose, and inspired by Bach... This can go very well as a Parasite Fusion. Well, in this case, it's a reenactment, a gloomy one... And upon researching Bach further and remembering his songs... Dark, disturbing tones, especially with his Fugue in D Minor, really hammers the darker tone a Parasite Fusion card oozes. Not to mention the shade of purple of the background, as well as ORGAN PIPES AS BACKGROUND... The inspiration is too much, this is GENIUS. UNBELIEVABLE.

But she was not the main star of the show. In the fandom, for who she represents, and as a Card, we now have the main star of the concert:

Flowering Etoile the Melodious Grand Choir

As soon as Melodious was announced to come back, she was front and center. Well, of course! Not only is she the end boss, but she's also the Anime Character stand-in that all ARC-V decks got as of late! That's right, Yuzu has finally joined the Melodious Ensemble and become their End Boss.

This makes her position similar to Brave Masurao of Gongenzaka inspiration. However, while at launch Superheavy Samurai was more focused on efficiently going for generic negates, Melodious has to stay pure, so she's going to be core to any threat and disruption they can pose. Making her a 3 material Fusion also prevents Ostinato from just launching her in one move.

And yeah, while it's limited to essentially have just her (and Schuberta) as disruption, she's a really fun and potentially devastating one: she makes you banish any number of Melodious Monsters (until the End Phase) in order to return up to the same amount of your opponent's cards to their hand. You can do one or two early to disrupt combos, or call off the whole board while they're about to be wiped out and save them. Also the bounce doesn't target, and it's the same idea I had with my custom end-boss! That does mean, however, that the Melodious don't count themselves as Special Summoned anymore, so if Aria or Elegy get banished, they've lost their script. However, this does mean you can reset Schuberta's "once while face-up on Field" effect.

Also, if her opponent disposes of her except returning her to the Extra Deck, she can Special Summon pretty much any Melodious besides her.

But let's talk to the bigger reason she's broken through and risen above the rest... Her design and inspiration.

Well, I'll open this up with a take that I'm not sure you guys are going to like. Nevertheless, I've always been fairly open with criticisms. Even still, I promise to be fair.

I'm very ambivalent to this design. I like how she looks as Yuzu, but I don't like much how she looks as a Melodious Monster.

I'll go for the latter first. I feel like her style is very much contrary to how the Melodious dress in a way that she feels way more like an Idol rather than a classical singer. And Yuzu wasn't really much of an Idol, unless the Mikiyo duel, which had as much focus as anyone has on breathing when not told to do so manually, became the prime inspiration for this design. The bottom part is SO BUSY. Flowers, medals, gown after gown, ribbons, stars, it's just too much! If you changed her eyes a little bit, she would look like a Trickstar Monster! Also I can't make out what her hairstyle's supposed to mean, unless it's all kinds of bass clefs strung together.

That's where my conplaints end, because here comes the other part of the design... Which tends to be more of the focus when it comes to porting a character as a monster, which is the character part.

As Yuzu, the references are fantastic, simply put. She's pretty much got everything (besides other characters' themes aside from one) that Yuzu represented:

The bracelets are back, Yuzu styled, and on both hands this time.

The Hair colors are exactly like Yuzu's: soft, light pink with some darker tones, and it's somewhat reflected on her dress as well. Also the treble clef hairpins, doubling up as a callback to Yuzu and Bloom Diva!

Her flowers are Citrus flowers, and Yuzu is very much Citrus in japanese!

The mail below the flowers has an interesting pattern: one plain, one orange with a bright star, just like Yuya's goggles.

Admittedly this one's a reach, but there seem to be white butterfly-styled hair clips and white flowers on her slippers. You know... Like Pendulumstatue White Butterfly and White Flower? Kinda, the styles of such are not the same.

THE PINK PENTAGRAMS OF VICTORY! They're on both of her hands as tatoos!

So yeah, this one looks as if she had more of the job of referencing Yuzu than being a Classical Melodious Monster. It's definitely growing on me, especially as I've seen fantastic artwork of her already (IT HASN'T BEEN A DAY) and there's one last thing about her that makes her super valid: the Japanese name "Melodious Floral Song Goddess".

Yuzu joined the Melodious Ensemble and became their goddess.

Perfection.

Miscellaneous thoughts and conclusions

Ok! Phew! Each Monster is now covered, although here's some more of my thoughts before we close this off.

No Ostinato searching makes our Hands still reliant on having it already. Well, it's to soon to say that, because the theorycrafters are still working on the combos and it looks like Refrain and 1st Movement are also excellent starters, so we'll see!

Sadly, there aren't any references to Masumi and Sora in any of Melodious' presence, which is a shame. Heck, pretty much anyone besides Yuya is missing, and it's a bit of a blow considering the many great friendships she had. But I have hope for the future now that it's confirmed they haven't left Melodious to languish. Who knows, something even greater might happen!

There's no way Melodious is a top contender: that would require alienatingly strong support and more, because Melodious tends to be Pure in Monster variety. They'd need an entire revamp whereas these add another step to their current one while making it more active and fun.

Overall, I'M SO HAPPY that the support came back, and this fully inspired me! No doubt, you'll see more from me about these lovely ladies and their performances! I've got the ideas rolling, all that's left is letting them rock.

It's good to be back, weirdos!

[askamnesiamoonjumper]

edit: HEY EVERYONE LOOKING AT THIS POST GO READ AAU FIC RIGHT NOW BC IM TIRED OF THIS POST BEING IN MY NOTIFS 24/7💥💥💥💥

Ok sorry about that now back to your regularly scheduled program: A!au toh au when??

Yeah hi I was bored n thinking about this idea and also wanted to do a style study for toh, (ignore that I had to use bases for the bodies I couldn’t draw them😭 my lines where too shaky I’m not the best at tracing stuff so I cheated a tiny bit) I had originally thought of this idea ages ago in a doodle where they all went to hexide and it was more a high school au if anything but now that the show is further along I thought of a more fleshed out idea for this hypothetical au!

Technically this could count as just a regular Ahit toh au BUT I based it off of ideas and hcs in aau so yeah I’m sticking with that

Also the characters aren’t one to one with toh characters it’s more just a “how would these characters and their story translate over to toh universe” thing but most characters can be tied to a toh character as being based on/in the role of if that makes sense like I said it’s a bit of a mixing pot with the characters

Uh yeah info about the basic idea for the characters/story:

The whole story with prince and Vanessa instead of prince getting locked in a cellar to die van curses him instead, but somehow idk how yet he ends up turning the tables and splitting the curse with her. I like the idea that prince is from his respective time period as Ahit and falls through a time pool so we get the same concept of this guy is old and from a long time ago just with skipping over the death ghost part so yeah he gets sent to present Snatcher is basically the eda character he has the curse and takes elixir (which I hc is blue bc haha Ahit reference)

If it’s not obvious from her design Vanessa is the belos of this au lol Probably instead of the emperors coven it’s something like the Queen’s court? I think it’s got a neat ring? Anyway yeah uh not much to say about her she’s basically the same lol, also I like the idea she uses illusions to hide her appearance and also to manipulate mj and the citizens 👀

mj is basically a combo of s2 Lilith and Hunter! He’s a grimwalker made by Vanessa to replace prince basically he’s made to be her perfect fairy tale Prince Charming that loves her and would never ever betray her <oblivious But yeah same idea as Hunter of being made as a clone of someone else BUT they’ve got a more similar role to Lilith in which they end up befriending the main cast and living with them Also included their “golden gaurd” design not sure what to call it? Moon prince? Moon something idk lol you guys might could help with that but yeah that’s the fit they got when with van also we got blood Amy too in which Vanessa gives her curse to mj after finding his palismen (she eats them belos style ofc lol) speaking of I still need to draw the palismen but I have some cool ideas!

Dels idk what to say besides uh she lives with snatcher n we still got the qpr going ofc lol sorry I don’t got much on her 💔 though I DID consider making her a star child to go with the twilight god thing but I also considered making eclipse a star child because the design is similar plus gives an excuse for him to be here without the fusion plus I think Vanessa using eclipse sounds cool it makes sense he’s prince in canon so like ofc she’s drawn to him but yeah still thinking about that

Time twins are our luz stand in, hc timmys jacket is snatchers like luzs jacket is eras bc I think it’s cute lol dont question why he has it idk I didn’t have the time pool idea at the time and bow is kinda like the willow/gus of the group and mu is the amity? Mu being a bully at first until joining the friend group n stuff and bow being the sweet straight man to the rests antics

Drawing time twins with round ears was cursed Anyway mu is a hybrid still, She’s half witch half eberwolf species! Cooking cat and Sam get to be her bio parents here instead of adopted so that’s cool

Shapes is the Vee stand in and omg they where really fun to design

I like the idea of the changelings/council being titan trappers? Considering they’re a cult? I think it sounds cool so maybe like shapes sneaks in with a disguise or like the trappers take them in or the trappers are basilisk in this universe? Idk considering no one in the cast is a titan it wouldnt really make sense so like maybe they are basilisk or basilisk hunters? Still chewing on the council lol sorry

Sorry I’ve been putting it off BUT curses!: basically same logic as canon they go by eda and belos logic respectively so van is a creepy skeleton cryptid ass monster and snatcher is a animal beast! BUT he’s not a bird like eda or Lilith ,and also not a snake though that would fit in being a more obvious choice, he’s ACTUALLY a ferret! Mostly bc I thought it was funny but it stuck lol they are furry and noodly so it works, plus I’m a sucker for the monster has innocent name but is actually terrifying trope lol, also idk about blood moon? They get cursed yeah but I don’t think they get transformed into anything mostly bc I have no ideas for them lol plus it’s more focused on the illusion hypnosis whatever abd not the curse itself

Anyway on to covens/magic specialties! The kids are obvious because they have the uniforms lol but I’ll still list them anyway: Time twins: Oracle/illusion Bow: beast keeping Mu: constructed Prince: Oracle/bard Snatcher: Oracle/potion Delilah: plant/healing Mj: bard Vanessa: illusion Shapes: abomination

But yeah that’s kinda it lol I do plan to add more doodles or ideas later but yeah hoo boy these took forever but it was a fun style challenge plus fun to design everyone!

Sorry if these notes are kinda all over the place oof I didn’t bother to double check them so sorry if it sounded rambley

[just-someone-online]

Monster High Headcanons

I haven't finished the diaries yet so some of the G1 headcanons might not fit with them.

G1 Twyla (And maybe G2 and G3? I haven't decided yet) is the Sandman's niece. He's really cool with her, but the last time he saw her dad a fight nearly broke out.

All three versions of Frankie are all trans in some way. Of course, G3 is canonically nonbinary, but G1 is trans and G2 is still figuring things out. What G2 knows for sure though is that she uses she/they pronouns.

All three versions of Clawdeen are gay. G1 Clawdeen specifically is an arospec lesbian.

The only reason Moanica wasn't expelled after Welcome to Monster High is because everyone thought it best to keep her where they could keep an eye on her.

G1 Frankie still has the electrical marks she got towards the end of Freaky Fusion. Likewise, G2 Frankie has their own after the events of Electrified, though they're mostly around her neck. Only time will tell if G3 Frankie ends up with their own.

G1 Twyla has to make a conscious effort not to daydream. If she isn't being careful, her mind will literally wander into someone else's daydream.

Alivia is the president of Monster High's new fearbook committee. Currently, the only other members are Fangelica, Cleo, and Spectra.

G3 Cleo loves human monster movies. They're hardly ever accurate to real life, but that's what makes them fun!

On the other hand, G1 Draculaura can't stand human vampire movies. They almost make the monster made ones look historically accurate.

G2 Spectra is Ari's cousin. Like Ari, she was initially masquerading as a human nearby a news office, then later joined Monster High to start a school newspaper.

G2 Twyla and Frankie are dating! They were all blushy and awkward around each other for weeks until Alivia bluntly told Twyla about how often Frankie said they liked her. Frankie was initially mortified but was thankful that Alivia at least had the sense not to say it in front of the whole school.

After finding out about Halloween, the G2 ghouls absolutely went out into town for the holiday.

Speaking of G2, monsters are kind of an open secret to Normie Town after Electrified. But since the monsters haven't said anything about the zombie attack and they clearly aren't all like Moanica, the humans all pretend they don't know. Well, most of them.

After Werewolf Weekend, Clawdeen ended up giving all of her friends a crash course on humans in case they ever needed to go into human territory.

G3 Twyla and Howleen are dormmates. They're not as close as their G1 counterparts, but they'll get there eventually.

Vampires can use their echolocation in their... I hesitate to say human forms. Anyway, Draculaura once had to use hers during a blackout. It was hell on Clawdeen's ears.

This one is more of a retcon than a headcanon, but G2 Clawdeen only has three younger siblings; Clawd, Howleen, and Pawla. They didn't live in a cave either because what the fuck were the writers thinking with that?

Draculaura was Moanica's gay awakening (And maybe vice versa? It was either Moanica or Ari/Tash), though she would live before she ever admitted it. Like seriously? Of all the ghouls it had to be, why her?

I wouldn't go so far as to say that G1 Draculaura is a neat freak or a germaphobe, but she goes to a lot of trouble keeping her space clean (Y'know, aside from the decade's worth of clothes crammed inside her locker). After nearly dying from the plague before being turned, she really isn't keen on getting sick.

Alivia has a habit of charging her cameras with her head bolts, despite Frankie telling her not to waste her energy on them and just plug them into outlets.

After her parents found out about Alivia, Frankie wasn't allowed in a lab alone for a while. They're happy to have a new daughter, don't get them wrong, but they'd have liked it if Frankie hadn't gone off and made her on their own.

Ghoulia and Elle are Robecca's unofficial guides to the modern world. She's a quick study and currently knows about as much as Frankie or Hoodude, though iCoffins are still a mystery to her.

There's a knockoff brand of iCoffins going around known as iCaskets. They're awful, even worse than normie cell phones. They're expensive as hell and very few monsters have kept theirs intact for longer than three days.

[yallemagne]

Instead of sleeping or doing anything else productive, I'm gonna talk about Monster High.

So like. We all know. About the new generation. I'm gonna get out all my complaining here: wahhhh I don't liiiike it, it's not like the original!!

Okay, that's done. What can we do about it? Nothing. But I can DREAM.

So in the shower, I was just thinking: "This doesn't feel like Monster High. It feels like a yuppie middle school. This is Monster Middle." and is it mostly just because all the characters look like babies? yeah. Also from what I've seen of it... it feels like none of the characters are allowed to be mean. If you're gonna set something in high school, where are the catty mean girls?? the bull-headed bullies?

BUT THEN BUT THEN--- so my major problem is that the characters don't really feel like themselves. I would like them better if they were their own original characters, not burdened with the titles of their forefathers.

Forefathers. Foremothers. Foreparents.

Now, picture you are tied to a chair and I'm showing you my corkboard right now.

Imagine how cool it would be if they made the reboot about the children of the originals! So many fusions also!!

The new Cleo is so nice because she's not actually Cleo, she's the daughter of Cleo de Nile and Deuce Gorgon. Hell, you could keep the name if you want, have her be Cleo II, that fits the original Cleo's vanity. Deuce's kind personality mellows out Cleo's diva and we get this character I cannot believe they tried to pass for THE Cleo de Nile ijoergpoi.

The new Draculaura's whole witch thing doesn't really make sense to me and it never will. (especially her apparently being the bio daughter of Dracula now when she was previously adopted-- also Dracula is scared of witches or smth but if you READ THE BOOK HE IS A SORCERER) Buuuut if Draculaura and Clawd had a daughter and she just happened to be into witchcraft, sick dude. Also, even though it's such an obvious fusion I don't think Mattel ever did a Vampire/Werewolf hybrid. Now is the time, people!!

I don't think Clawdeen would really have children of her own? She feels like... a lesbian aunt. She and her wife are career women and shower Draculaura and Clawd's kids with gifts. Maybe Clawdeen's married to a witch and that's why their niece became so enamoured with witchcraft.

New Frankie would be made by Old Frankie in a lab and... with that robo leg... and blue highlights... hear me out... So one time speaking with a friend, we were kinda spitballing who would be a good match for Frankie with her endless line of suitors... I suggested hmmm maybe Robecca Steam?? I just think it'd be neat! Imagine them married and in the lab piecing together their perfect child ahhhh. Cute?? Right??

It's not a perfect solution because we have so many characters to reckon with. Maybe some drama from older fans mad that their pairing is not canon... but that's just already true. So many ships, characterizations, and backstories have been scrapped :(((.

like... not all of my thoughts can fit into this post but CAN YOU BELIEVE THEY ERASED MY SONS JACKSON AND HOLT??? and made Clawdeen half-human (bitch werewolves are already half-human what the fuck) so they could slap Jackson's/Holt's conflict onto her. They couldn't handle my sons' autistic swagger.

[fefairys]

Tbh my biggest has hot take that instantly comes to mind is that I really fucking hate the DPS/arquius "bro hug bunp" joke a lot. It feels like the apotheosis of homestuck's irony poisoning to me. It's easy to look at the really interesting, heartfelt moments and it's neat to extrapolate implications from small details, but the degree to which that moment was taking the piss out of everyone involved drives me a little insane.

wow!!! i… do not feel that way about it! you’re entitled to your opinion but i AM going to ramble about why i disagree now

i remember when that update came out and i thought it was hilarious at the time and now it is just something that makes me smile and go “that’s homestuck, baby”

like i’m imagining a world where dps and arquius hug and its NOT made into like an over the top Bit like that, and like… i dunno it would feel out of place? lol.

dave and dirk get to have their genuine, unironic, heartfelt moment that ends with a hug, but dps and arquius are these weird twisted up fusions that make the interaction a little bit silly. it probably feels a little bit silly from the perspective of each individual personality in those sprites, too. so personally i think it makes sense for their characters and for the narrative that the moment was treated that way.

i do not think homestuck is “irony poisoned” in general. it has a LOT of genuine emotional moments that are allowed to be emotional and breathe in that space without being undercut by a joke. A LOT. it’s actually Very Good at that. at switching things up tonally and allowing the characters to have a serious genuine interaction and treating it with the weight it deserves, before going back to some silly dumb shenanigans a bit later. i think it’s allowed to pull that bit every so often.

cause i mean look at the situation: you’re dave and you are meeting an alternate version of your bro for the first time, except he’s fused with this weird sweaty troll guy you talked to once, and also YOURE fused with a silly catgirl troll yourself.

you’re equius, and you’re meeting nepeta for the first time since you, in your mind, let her die, except she’s fused with some human you do not remember or care about, and also YOURE fused with an ai of a random human you never knew

everyone is nervous and excited to see each other as individuals, but the fact that they’re not those individuals anymore, that they’re these stupid fusions with conflicting feelings and memories, already undercuts the emotions of the moment. taking it to the extreme by doing that big stupid flash where they hug is like.. the logical conclusion, imo. i think it works perfectly and i wouldn’t want it any other way

[peanutmcflurry]

What are your thoughts of Tomorang as a Southeast Asian Simmer? I'd genuinely like to hear your thoughts.

I'll share mine as a Malay person with Indonesian ancestry myself.

I'd discuss mostly about the cultural aspects of this DLC since my culture is RARELY represented in the western media, so having a Sims DLC that's sort of based on my culture is really cool as fuck. I am not gonna touch on the renting aspects of it, I heard it's buggy and to be fair I haven't played enough on the renting gameplay as much.

So when I got the pack and looked at the world for the first time, I did notice there are two lots with names in Malay language. (or Indonesian) This made me surprised since I assumed the pack was mostly about Thai culture and didn't expect much.

One is called "Zosul Taman Botani" or translated to "Zosul Botanic Gardens." I can't remember the other one. But they're both translated well, no mistakes there! But other than that, there's.. not a lot of lots? There's the market, but isn't it a rehash of City Living's, or Snowy Escape's markets?

Well, I went and played the game. Now here's what I noticed.

The atmosphere and the tropical setting reminded me a LOT like a village area in some parts of Malaysia or Singapore pre-rapid development. It has this "Kampung" (Village) vibe to it, and I love it. I really do. I'm assuming this has to be the same for villages in many parts of SEAsian countries.

I wasn't raised in a village environment nor have I personally visited one (HAHA I'm an urban city person please forgive me-) but I've read and listened to stories about it at school and from my parents before. The furniture, decors, and buildings looked somewhat similar to how my parents/grandparents/great-grandparents would've lived in during their time, just more wooden, I think. The marble is accurate, village kids would always play marbles back in the day, I know my parents used to. I don't know about now, they might be an iPad kid who never went outside.

Squat toilets are accurate, and you'd be surprised to hear how it still exists in modern shopping malls in Singapore and Malaysia, and there's only like 1-2 stalls of those per bathroom but you don't see many people using it, and if there are, it might've been older generations or people who really need to go that bad. Even then, I hardly see squat toilets in Singapore's apartments. Many people use the widely used modern toilet we have today.

I can also tell you that the decors, walls, and floorings sometimes do appear in apartments with Malay families in it today. So, yeah!

And yes, the iconic plastic chair, too. I swear those plastic chairs always appear in a many Malay wedding parties and from my late grandparents's place. The tuk-tuk is also cool too, sounds like it's used in Singapore and Malaysia in the olden days. You hardly see them anymore except in Thailand, maybe Philippines, and maybe even Indonesia? It does seem nostalgic to those who've rode it before so yeah! It's nice!

So yeah, in terms of gameplay interactions,

Your sims would greet each other just like how the Thai folks do with a sawadeekap. I think that's cool!

I believe the faith Tomoranis practised in the game was the equivalent of Thailand's form of Buddhism? Which is actually really neat, not gonna lie. I don't know how accurate this would be for Thai Buddhists folks and I'm not familiar with Buddhism myself, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

But then that also got me confused af. Is the world and culture supposed to be a weird Thai-Indo-Malay-Philippines fusion? I mean, I know it's majorly Thai, but there's two lots I'm certain that are in Malay/Indo language, and there are cuisine based on many Southeast Asian cultures? They'll be referred to as Tomorani cuisine in the game as you see your sim's moodlet mentioning it. So that's why I'm VERY puzzled. I know the game tries to make Tomorani a whole Southeast Asian fusion so that us SEAsian players can feel included, but it's important to remember many Southeast Asian cultures can be different, too.

A part of a culture can be different and not practiced in another culture. That's why I feel hesitant to put my simself or my simself's family with the Tomorani culture trait, as much as I love it. It feels as if it ain't a part of my culture and it rubs me off the wrong way to see my simself's family to greet or pray like Thai Buddhist people because well, none of us are Thai lol and I don't wanna feel like I'm culturally appropriating something I'm not a part of.

It doesn't matter that I have super distant Thai or Dai Chinese ancestry in me. I was never raised in those cultures and I can't claim I'm a part of those. They're all dead way before my grandparents were born. I can say my Indonesian ancestry matters, though.

Though I'm not extremely familiar with everything in Indonesian culture, the Malay and Indonesian culture/cuisine/language are super similar and many relatives of my relatives are part Javanese (Based on Indonesian's Island of Java. NOT JAPANESE FROM JAPAN.) or part of an Indonesian minority like the Bugis people. It's just that we don't really speak Indonesian (we can still somewhat understand) or Javanese. My late grandparent did spoke the Bugis language but not our descendants, tho. Javanese and Bugis language are like a whole different language and script to learn.

But yeah, only the Thais would greet people with sawadeekap, and they practice Buddhism. Majority of Malays, Filipinos, and Indonesians in today's world do not practice Buddhism and we definitely do not greet people like that, haha. Those are very uniquely Thai.

Ancient Malays and Indonesians did practiced Hinduism or Buddhism (maybe a combo of both) in the ancient times. I'm not sure about Filipino but it *might* be similar? Then the majority of Malays and Indonesians converted to Islam after dealing with traders from the Middle east. So now you got majority Malays and Indonesians raised or ID themselves as Muslims. There are Indonesian Christians, but they are the minorities.

The modern Muslim Malays and Indos would greet with a salam. This is like a handshake, but you only kiss the hand if it's your relative or someone older than you?

This can depend on your age, if the other person is also Malay/Indo, and your gender. It's something like.. How the Japanese have different ways of bowing to people.

The cuisine could be.. better? They did nasi lemak fucking dirty and it LOOKS absolutely nothing like a typical nasi lemak. It looks more like.. Beehoon noodles or chicken noodles?

Goddamn have the Sims team ever look at a picture of nasi lemak on GOOGLE? Satay is fine, it is accurate af and I like that. Just found it odd that the satay's peanut condiment was gone after your sim took the first bite.

The kopi luwak is funny to me, I never tried it before but I can tell you it's basically poop coffee from a part of Indonesia. It's quite expensive and what they do is feed the coffee beans to the civets, then the civets poop it out. They clean the poop away, and pick the coffee beans. They then sell it as Kopi Luwak. To be honest, I was expecting funny moodlets when your sim drinks it or realizes it's poop coffee, but unfortunately I don't think there's one. But I wonder why aren't there other coffee or tea options? There's a LOT of drinks in Southeast Asian cultures, or maybe add a Sim's version of Nestle's Milo. It's like Nesquik but it's originated from Australia, and this is consumed in every food court or places you eat at. At least in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

I do think the food and drinks are wasted potential though. There's a lot of cuisine they could add, like sinangag/fried rice, mee soto, teh tarik, or even special fried instant noodles.

In conclusion I'd say that this pack is okayish in terms of diversity. I mean, I'm rarely represented in the western media so I guess this isn't too bad. I'm disappointed with the lack of gameplay content in the world compared to other worlds like Sulani or Komorebi and I know this game focuses more on rental and being a landlord but it's just.. There's so many types of lots that can be included. I'm sick of just having a bar as a lounge area just to meet the local sims and how the lots are so SMALL for an EXPANSION pack. This is just as bad as Del Sol Valley, but even then I can assume housing is difficult in real life Socal Hollywood.

What about a museum for Tomorani heritage culture? A restaurant, a spa, and other types of lots would honestly be a GREAT choice but unfortunately they're locked behind DLCs! ✨️

I have really mixed feelings about it. It could be better. It's not the best, but it has a lot of room for improvements.

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

Hello beloved Blog of Void, I've come to you again w/ another Homestuck post! I was reading the new Act 6 update and your previous prediction about Gamzee Makara getting killed by Nepeta was right! I couldn't believe it, but you called it dead on! I was shocked to see Nepeta come back to life, kill Gamzee, and then combine w/ Davesprite. We're clearly reaching the end of Homestuck, there's really not much more left for the comic to do and yet, we have a new character in Vriskatsprite^2 palling around w/ the sprite crew. Do you like this new addition to the cast? I don't like them much, I don't understand why at the end of the comic, we're introducing new characters for comic relief scenes that take up half an update. These pages feel very redundant, especially as we're nearing the end. I liked that we finally saw Tavros and John kiss! Their relationship has really come a long way from Tavros killing Jake English in front of John in Act 3. Isn't it wild how they went from rivals to enemies to lovers? I feel like Homestuck just invented a new romance trope. Do you have any pairings you'd like to see interact before Homestuck ends?

I heard a rumour that Caliborn is going to be killed by Vriska next update and that's why she was seen grabbing The Ultima Spear in the final page of the update. Do you believe that too or do you have other theories? Maybe the next update will be the last update ever? It's almost 4/13 after all.

Nice! I don't think I got that one right, but then I just picked the most unexpected one I could think of (I thought Vriska would have more to do than just die!).

I think most of the moresoirity involved with the next update is coming from the fact that it will be the 8th anniversary of the start of Homestuck -- if not the first page, at least the second page. So, 4/13, yes?

The next update seems like it should be the end of Act 6, but it's hard for me to say with any certainty. It looks like we're going to get a HUGE update (huge as Homestuck updates go, like the first two or three pages), but since it's the start of an "act" it's not a "perfect" resolution to the comic, and that might make things complicated. I kinda hope that some sort of "long arc resolution" happens, like the arcs at the end of Act 2, but I can't imagine what that might be.

(The one thing that seems most obvious is that in most cases where there has been some kind of twist or sudden reversal, a "long arc resolution" has occurred soon after -- like the reversals in Acts 3 and 5, or the sudden kidnapping and subsequent return of Jake in Act 4. So maybe something like that.)

The most interesting part of the update will probably be the final line? I mean, presumably the 13th Anniversary thing is going to be in there. (I mean, it has to, right? "On April 13" is not a sentence you can just tack on to the end of an Act 6 update. It's going to be . . . something)

I don't know what I think of the new character? Their sprite is lame but I guess I'm fine with the concept of a new fusion.

I don't like Karkat and Tavros' relationship or any of their dialogue, but I am glad they kissed. It didn't make me any more invested in Karkat or Tavros per se, but it was . . . a thing that had to happen. (And the fact that this new character was created as a result of it was kind of neat.)

The Ultima Thule thing makes the least sense to me. It's possible that it represents "Mituna in the Ultimate Heir," but (a) is the Ultimate Heir a sylladex? and (b) doesn't Hussie like Mituna? If he did intend to kill Caliborn, I'm sure he would have had Mituna do it, since they are friends.

[the-antiapocalyptic-man]

What would be your ranking of the different Dr.Fates?

Inza Cramer - all due respect to Kent, the best and brightest Fate.

Khalid Nassour - I think Khalid's sort of the ideal concept of Fate for modern audiences and addresses a lot of the typically golden age issues with Kent (mostly shared with Hawkman and Blue Beetle as he was originally conceived).

Jared Stevens - fucked up little gremlin of a man whose first thought on getting a bunch of magical objects was to DIY that shit to fit his aesthetic, and I think that's beautiful

Kent Nelson - the gold standard (no pun intended) but also he's always Oded Fehr in my mind, which is a v calming voice

Hector Hall - Fate's got legacy built into the concept--arguably Kent Nelson is a legacy for Nabu--so Hector's multi-faceted JSA heir apparent bit really suits Fate-as-Hero over Fate-as-Magical Being

LoSH Era Fate (Sofie?) - she looks hella cool, which is unfortunately a big deal in my book, we're very aesthetic driven around here

The Strausses - dysfunction junction, but I love fusion characters (see also: Firestorm) so uh, points for that?

Kent V. Nelson - uh, Steve Gerber worked on this version which is neat? idk, handing off the Helm to some guy who's vaguely related to the original smacks of laziness, I'm glad he didn't stick around so Khalid could get the role.

Ben Stoner - don't like him, seems like a dick

If we're including parallel universes, Khalid Ben-Hassin and E-20's Kent Nelson are near the top (actually Kent-20 might be my favorite?). I'd add Jared-13, but he's basically just prime!Jared in an environment where he can thrive. Steel Maxum is fantastic. No comment on the Zataras.

[just-a-normal-regretter]

Can. Can I ask to hear more of the it was only Tuesday AU? It sounds really neat (plus powers in the real world is my JAM).

Thanks for the ask anon! o7

And yeah, I'd be happy to talk about one of my many crossover fics (seriously I have a ton lmfaooo).

Recapping "For Me, It Was Only Today": CL/MLB AU with combining lores, Lyoko powers sprouting irl, and some Odd/Adrien rarepair shipping

Okay I'll admit straight off that I didn't realize how much content I made in the trio AUs for a CL/MLB crossover. I thought it was just Cherrybird with all the stuff I wrote up but I'm looking at this one and Strays and it's hitting me my notes are so deep haha

They were so thought out that I got stuck for a moment thinking about how I'd explain this but here I'll try my best:

I mentioned this above but this fic of the trio I do plan to mix the lores together without going uh, too crazy. I don't want to reveal my hand given it's supposed to be a big plot point properly unveiled in this version's take on the episode Franz Hopper (I had to specify episode but it's also fun adjusting Hopper the character in this lore shift).

If this got posted this would likely be a fusion type of crossover I think.

This fic in particular is limited to Ulrich's POV given I want to have the story be about the Warriors seeing Odd's shifting relationship with Chat Noir. The wacky lore is just stuff that goes on in day-to-day. Also sorta open ended to leave room for additional content given the lore of this particular fic is pretty big + the cast leaves ample other stories to tell from their perspectives.

But I digress, we're talking about the Ulrich POV for this fic in particular.

I'll first start off by focusing on the format of this fic in particular. There should be about 12 chapter to match up with the Subdigitals album because I'm a bit corny and wanted to pair that up haha

Each chapter takes the premise of a episode (whether it be CL or MLB) and meshes it together with the crossover/lore shift.

An example I can throw out is the first chapter, which would just be Ulrich and Odd chatting while watching some of the events of Prime Queen happen from their phones (given Nadia did host her segment etc etc).

The CL powers though I agree I'm also a big "powers in the real world" enjoyer haha. Sometimes I just think about this AU in a bubble without the crossover and ponder the shenanigans that can crop up if you just play the power exposure as comedy instead of the angsty potential it is.

Love this AU because the kids are not alright. They have to adjust to shifting into things very much not human, despite having some of the basic human traits.

Odd gets the worst of it given he's a literal cat-boy in Lyoko. The Digitization process is subtle at first but then it becomes extremely difficult to hide that he's growing purple fur, he's nursing intense migraines whenever a Future Flash decides to crop up, his vision nearly landed him some glasses, etc.

Yumi and Ulrich don't have it as bad, but the pains that settle in once Telekinesis and Super Sprint respectively show up for each of them is exhausting. Their clothing tends to get shifted by their exposure, so there's a bit of a running gag of swapping shoes out so they don't constantly lose them (at one point Ulrich has more sandals than shoes lmao)

I also toss in some new abilities because as they grow older aka as the chapters progress in the fic. Odd deals with camouflage that glitches whenever his emotions get out of control (it changes the color of his purple fur like it's a mood ring), Ulrich has to keep a certain mask on him (the one on the back of his S1-S3 outfit) just to make sure he's not phasing through the earth every few minutes, and Yumi has to be very cautious when it comes to stepping in shadows in fear of getting stuck in them.

Digitization (i.e. the term Jeremie coins to explain the shifts the four are going through) is not completely defined all at once. It takes time and as they grow older, their forms will only grow stronger and more defined.

The process isn't immediate for anyone. It shows up with frequent scanner usage, though it isn't until the events of Frontier that it truly settles in that Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi are not exactly humans anymore.

Will also mention that I abuse the concept of TransWatches that Evolution introduced and rehash them to be a temporary solution to let the kids blend in as proper humans. It doesn't prevent some of their glitches from leaking out though, just hides away their outfit changes or their cosmetic changes (i.e. Odd's fur or Yumi's makeup).

Aelita does not immediately experience Digitization given she only used the scanners once then stayed on Lyoko for a long time. Throughout S2 she'll deal with her own changes and will catch up in time with her creativity ability being very uh, destructive when it comes to her nightmares making the power flare. This fic in particular glosses over it given it's not her perspective focus but I feel like I should mention Aelita since I don't give her a lot of love in these recaps ;-;

I also feel extremely bad for Jeremie since he always has the weight of the world on his shoulders all because of his decision. He's the leader of the group and sometimes his plans don't pan out which result in him being extremely cautious to give them another shot unless he's forced to.

One of these plans was trying to enlist Ladybug and Chat Noir for help at the very beginning of this mess. A RTTP stopped the duo from trying to get rid of the machine to prevent XANA from ever harming the real world again. So it's obvious why he wouldn't be the biggest fan of Odd turning around and trying to court Chat Noir.

I'll talk about the Chat Noir in the room. Why him? Why not Ladybug? Well besides my own shipping agenda, I do have a bit of a fic logic haha

The fic in particular starts in the midst of MLB S2. Ladybug and Chat Noir have been established in Paris enough. The whole reason Adrien gets involved is due to Fluff.

She's the one able to sense all this time phenomenons and wants to know more. Fu is already busy with training Marinette to be the Guardian atp, so he decides to give this investigation mission to Chat Noir to satisfy Fluff's curiosity.

Hence Adrien gets his own time companion and has to keep this secret from Ladybug (Fu doesn't want it to leak out to anyone that Chat currently possesses another Miraculous, that and he worries Ladybug would become distracted if she found out that Chat is working on other things not involving her).

MLB S2 is working around the same time as CL S1. So thanks to Fluff's Miraculous, Adrien can feel the time shifts too. He just can't completely remember things.

This is how Adrien gets to remember some of his interactions with the Warriors, and how he and Odd start to bond a bit. A Great Day is when Fluff can finally fulfill her satisfaction and Burrows herself, Adrien, and Plagg into these Time Phenomenons.

After that the shenanigans can properly ensue where Adrien can remember everything after a RTTP has been done. He also has to give Fluff back as she's perfectly fine with these phenomenons now that she can properly access them in her Burrow.

Adrien couldn't leave well enough alone though, way too curious about why these things were happening in the first place. It's why he continues his investigation to the other plot points that happen generally in the fic.

I'm sorry if this one seems pretty jumbled haha. I have been having some issues with sleep so my brain was just all over the place trying to convey this recap without like giving up everything plotted out.

Once again thank you for the ask anon, and thanks to anyone who reads this o7

[thewapolls]

So a weird quirk is that, in April of 1996 the arcade fighter, Soul Edge was first released. In it the enduring franchise long protag Siegfried was introduced, and in the Bad End of his story mode, he is possessed by the malicious supernatural sword, The Soul Edge, and in epilogue becomes the new nightmarish wielder of the cursed blade(s). And in his ending cutscene he is seen in a corrupted suit of armor. That armor is itself a variation on his Player2 alternate skin in the game, and is also a secret playable character that can be unlocked: "Siegfried!"

Then the Original Wild Arms came out December of that same year (1996) and this(↑) is what the villain "Ziekfried" looked like... No big deal, totally dissimilar. But note his neat fleshy spear with the big bulging eye...

So, then in 1998, Soul Calibur debuted Nightmare's first official design as a distinct character. I feel like the obvious angle was that he was supposed to be wearing black armor, but the metalic sheen and associated artwork kinda gave the impression it was blue, notable because later redesigns would lean into the blue armor much more explicitly.

Like in Soul Calibur II in July of 2002...

But in Wild Arms 3, which came out in March 2002, "Ziekfried" returns with this new redesign. And like????

So, in the same year the initial Soul Edge featured a grotesque fusion of flesh and metal but no eye at all; and a variation on Siegfried with red corrupted armor and the GramZamber was introduced in Wild Arms, with a similar gruesome bio-metal look, and a broad blade and singular eye; and Ziekfried here has blue armor with a sweeping backwards crest/horn.

And a few years later we get Nightmare with a forward horn on his helmet, a giant claw hand, and the first instance of the Soul Edge with a big honkin' eyeball, just like Ziek's GramZamber.

Another couple years and once again, in the same year, we get both new Nightmare with now distinctly blue armor, and Ziekfriend[sic] returns with a new forward facing horn helmet, a big claw arm, and an admittedly less organic looking GramZamber.

I don't actually have a point I'm getting at here. I went to dig up some details and quickly found that the things I thought would sort of slide into place as I went, didn't. A lot of things got misremembered in my head, and I sort of assumed the original Soul Edge had the eye. I assumed original Nightmare had more obviously blue armor. I thought a few of these games came out in different years than they did, and in a different order... So, is there a link between these two characters? It doesn't appear to be the case. But, like, at a glance it feels like there should've been something there, right?

They do of course both reference the Siegfried/Sigurd of the real world Volsung Saga. But its not like he had blue armor, a helmet with a big horn, or a blade with an eyeball on it, so it isn't as if that shared reference accounts for anything ¯\_(ツ)_/¯