#I kind of got away from the idea of encounter design specifically

[michajawkan]

encounter design is an interesting subject bc while I do enjoy games where every fight is designed to be fought and cleared by the party, it's not the whole of what an encounter can be and it's a shame that so many people think that's the only option, like, for some even just stepping back as little as removing the concept of "every encounter must be winnable" is too much for them

Like, again, I like walking into every fight knowing I am intended to be able to clear it in games built in that manner, it's very fun to navigate a battle with the foreknowledge that it's possible for me to handle in some way or another, but this design also inherently removes a lot of the tension from the situation, which is fine for a heroic fantasy adventure, but less useful in, say, a survival horror campaign

and "should encounters be assumed to be winnable" is just a tiny part of encounter design, which itself is just one segment of a larger game, and it already has such a strong effect on how the game feels, imagine how much it'd change if you altered even more of your approach, or removed the concept of them entirely

The mechanics inform the feel of the story you're telling through the game and I think that's really cool, and I really love seeing how different games emulate their different priorities through the design of their systems and it's a shame to see so many people disinterested in this and think any system out there can or even should do literally everything equally well all at once

[arikashimorika]

Omg i did see that one and its actually in line with my second idea! Im more comprehensible rn so lemme explain

Noogai instead of simply just being Alan's childhood self like in the first thought I got, is rather like sorta Alan's violent impulses. This also helps draw a connection to Alan/Noogai having pieces of themselves in the hollowheads since well, every creator always puts a piece of themselves in their creations, whether they like it or not. The Violence(The Dark Lord, Chosen one) and the Creativity(Victim, The Second Coming). Not every alter's purpose is set and linear, but i also like to think Noogai is kind of also the intrusive thoughts, specifically violent ones.

Doodle of that(I just gave Noogair round glasses to differentiate more clearly betwee the too but ill make more comprehensive designs when i receive my new tablet pen)

Also to the first post, Noogai being Alan's violent impulses also works with him showing up when Alan is very stressed!

also cuz unwinding and letting loose by commiting violence can and does happen, and prolly because of that very important art project that likely determined whether Alan was graduating or not at the time, the pressure was huge enough that over SEVERAL MONTHS Noogai had tortured Victim when he switched in to release some of the stress.

I cant decide whether to make Alan aware of his own DID or not, but i do want to see how the Color Gang(+Orange ofc) and others would react to it! It seems likely to me that the Color gang finds it normal since they spend time with Alan the most and they do tend to stress him out at times. Everyone else like Purple and Mango might find it rather jarring with the sudden switches between normal Alan to violence. The thing i would find most fascinating is Victim's own reaction to Alan not remembering who he is or what he did to him, then meeting Noogai who absolutely does(and prolly doesnt regret it)

Sorry if i made this very long i had so many things to say asnwks

It's okay. I enjoy reading, and I’m Excited to Share Ideas and Discuss This AU!

In my opinion, during the events of AVA 4, when Alan first meets TSC, he is designing stickman characters with a relaxed and cheerful attitude. His DID symptoms seem to have improved slightly, especially after his financial situation has significantly stabilized. Alan has successfully graduated from university and landed a job. (Of course, he remains unaware of his DID diagnosis. I like this, and which adds an intriguing layer of mystery to the story as it unfolds.)

Alan’s best friend, DJ, decides to move in with him out of concern for his health, especially since Alan is an extreme workaholic. Of course naturally, DJ is aware of Alan’s DID condition.

A Look Back at the Past...

DJ started noticing Alan’s symptoms around the time of the infamous blue screen of death incident. Alan occasionally exhibited signs of forgetfulness, which began when he took on part-time jobs to save money for a new computer. Since then, DJ has kept a close eye on Alan and tried his best to look after him.

Then..Bang!, it happened!

DJ encountered Noogai. The confrontation was intense and a little threatening. It was shocking to see his best friend suddenly behave so differently.

For example, Him aggressively pinned DJ against the wall (despite DJ being in peak physical condition from playing sports, unlike Alan, who was nowhere near as strong). Noogai warned him, “Don’t tell Alan about me. Otherwise, it might not just be your shoulder that gets bruised.” ..And he then walked away, muttering something about the part-time job he had recently taken on.

This entire incident left DJ feeling as though he had stepped into an entirely surreal and unbelievable situation.

Additional Notes About This AU:

Before DJ moved in, Alan lived alone in a rented house. Currently, he is single because he hardly has any time for socializing. Alan is a homebody and a workaholic, which has left him with very few friends. DJ has tried many times to get Alan to go out and have fun, but more often than not, he has to physically drag Alan out of the house.

DJ barging into Alan’s room: “Dude, you can’t just lock yourself in here all the time! Take a break! You’re going to work yourself to death!”

Alan, with dark circles under his eyes from sleep deprivation: “No!!!”

I truly enjoy the friendship dynamic between these two characters.

Anyway..

Concept of the Color Gang.

Based on my initial idea, the Color Gang was created by DJ as a surprise for Alan, showcasing how much DJ cares about his best friend.

As for their reaction to Alan's DID, the Color Gang may not question or pay much attention to Alan’s fluctuating behavior. This is because they are kids around 10-12 years old, a stage where they don’t fully understand the complexities of the outside world.

However, characters like Purple and Mango stand out as exceptions. Having grown up in a more open and diverse environment, they might show more curiosity or react differently compared to the younger members of the Color Gang.

This contrast highlights the diverse personalities within the group.

[crystalelemental]

Alright, just before bed last night, I beat the first few bosses in FF8, and I have some immediately updated opinions.

First, my incessant grinding feels wildly justified in the face of the mecha spider. Acquiring Aqua and junctioning to Atk meant dealing about three times as much damage. The base damage Squall was dealing was like 50. This thing has around 1k HP every time you encounter it. These fights go for a while if you're not decked out, and there's a 30 minute timer. Which is way more than you need, but...

Bosses have unique spells. Or at least, spells you can't otherwise get. So with three bosses in a sequence that probably could've taken 10 minutes, I had to deal with (1) draw 100 Esuna from Wedge, because that's a hella useful spell, (2) draw Siren and 100 Double from the flying beast, because those are also useful, and (3) draw 100 Protect from the spider thing, then I had hoped to pass on those 100 from Squall to the others and keep drawing but turns out that wasn't happening, because it got too late for me to deal with another rendition of this and you gotta call it some time.

It is a wildly slow process that added an hour to my time. Keep in mind, 3x speed, so this would've taken about 3 hours. Three. HOURS. For what are effectively tutorial bosses! That's too much, man! I know I'm doing optional shit, but again, doing the optional shit before led to a much less stressful time with the massive HP bars on the spider and the flying beast, so like...kinda justified!

I will give the system this: Draw and Cast is really useful in a tutorial, so long as the opponent has Cure. Which they all did. So long as you can draw and cast Cure, there is no limit to how long you can take to acquire things. The acquisition of a new GF via drawing is...it has me anxious about paying attention to that kind of thing, but more importantly, it has me thinking there's a better rendition of this system somewhere in the world.

Junctioning is not inherently a problem, at least not to me. I don't inherently dislike the idea of using spells to augment stats rather than cast them. The specific problem comes from the grind to acquire 100 for max effect, and the fact that using anything removes that counter and lowers the possible stat. Or, if they're not junctioned, it lowers the total number of remaining casts until you can potentially run out. Which isn't a problem yet, but I imagine will be, considering rarer spells are harder to draw, for reasons I don't quite follow. Squall was getting Esuna and Doubles like crazy, but Selphie and...oh god, I forgot punch boy's name...ZELL! Zell failed about as often as he got anything, and when he did get something, it was usually like. One. Maybe three if he was really lucky. Which is just tedious and annoying.

Siren offers a potential alternative to this approach. Specifically: spells are drawn exclusively from bosses, and are single-acquisition, necessitating planning around who gets what spells. For example:

The intro mission against Ifrit. On the way out, keep the Draw point for Cure on Squall, but instead of a number of casts, it's just...he now has the Cure spell permanently, so you always have someone able to heal. You go through your fights, and in the caves find a Fire draw point you can put on either him or Quistis. Then you face Ifrit, who has both Cure and Fire, as well as Scan. Now you can acquire both Cure and Fire on both characters, and Scan if needed. When you get to the next segment, you get a rendition of all offensive magic off Wedge, and another Cure off Biggs, but also someone in the party can start to be designated White Mage with the Esuna skill.

I think this kind of approach would solve for the two-fold issues. It removes the need for grinding out so many casts, which slows the game tremendously across the board, and starts to lean away from an FF7 feel of "Every character is functionally identical" and more toward an FF5 style "Set up your build and what each member is doing." Keep the trade around spells system for experimentation, but limit who has access to what over time so there's not the feeling that who you bring doesn't matter.

The only hiccup is junctioning magic to stats. I won't lie, this is hard to get around for me, because it feels like a system that disproportionately advantages melee. Yeah, I can cast T2 spells, but also I can use those to give myself like +20 Atk in a period where my base Atk is like 8. Keeping in mind one of these options is permanent, and there's little reason to ever use your magic. Healing spells seem justifiable, in part because of how desperately you'll need healing, so those can't be junctioned. But offensive magic feels like it's taking a huge back seat to just slapping things silly. Then again, I may be biased against using any form of consumable resource on the grounds of "what if I need it later?" Maybe these spells deal sick huge damage and it's totally worth it to just cast. I might have to try it at least once.

It's still too early to make final judgment calls, but the game is noticeably slow and a bit awkward. But I admit, the dialogue so far has had some good bits, so it's at least narratively got me a bit invested.

[gretchensinister]

I think you could really do something with a crossover between The Dark Crystal and Steven Universe.

The idea begins with the premise that the UrSkeks are not pure, superior beings of light but are simply (alien) people who really like to think of themselves that way.

In The Dark Crystal universe (from a 40+ year multi-media spaghetti canon anyway) the UrSkeks banish 18 of their people (the "Fallen UrSkeks") to Thra for reasons of being impure and/or too individualistic. They arrive on Thra by traveling through the Crystal of Truth and then are supposed to improve themselves by like...improving/civilizing Thra. Upon which they will have learned something and can go home and be good UrSkeks again. The astute reader will note that Thra did not ask to be civilized by the UrSkeks. The astute reader of history will note that a society saying, "These people of ours have problems. Let's ship them away and it will benefit them and the primitives they encounter," is pretty much ALWAYS a recipe for disaster.

So, basically, I don't buy the UrSkeks as a particularly socially advanced species, based on what they thought was the correct thing to do with the "Fallen UrSkeks."

UrSkek society, as I have gleaned from the supplemental materials I have encountered, is rigidly collectivist to the point where any individuality is seen as a threat, and once you've got a role it's a Big Problem if you want to change it. Also apparently they're Right All The Time By Definition and are cool with colonization. (Okay, I'm getting snarky, but seriously the UrSkeks have problems [and if you're ever kicked out of somewhere for being impure, don't try to go back].)

Onto the crossover...

When I watched Steven Universe my impression was that the Gems were designed entities rather than an evolved species. The process of making more Gems is a mechanized one. There's no natural population growth, and since Gem bodies are "hard light" they don't need resources like other living things--they don't eat, drink, or breathe. Maybe they need a little bit of light for energy? Some solar power? I don't know. The point I want to emphasize is that the Gem's expansion and colonization led by the Diamonds doesn't have an obvious purpose. There are no Gem needs that taking over planets satisfies, except to make more Gems--but Gems are immortal and therefore this isn't really necessary and doesn't make sense as a drive.

To me, therefore, the Gems seem like highly advanced artificial intelligences that were made by a different species that abandoned them (by necessity or by choice) and now continue to fulfill their programming to no purpose.

Of course, they're complex enough as AIs that they become people and we have the Crystal Gems and other rebels. But most of Gem society is rigidly collectivist, and each Gem has a specific role that she must stay in. The show showed us there were homeworld Gems that literally were just part of the wall.

For the crossover, then, the idea is that it was the UrSkeks who created the Gems to use in colonization/just to serve/whatever. The Gems seem like the kind of AIs the UrSkeks would create. Crystal-based, mostly made of light, similar societal problems.

Corruption, Division, and Fusing

Other fun things: Sound/song are vital to both fictional universes. It was a song that corrupted all the Gems on Earth, if I remember correctly. The connectivity of all beings on Thra is conceptualized as a song, and all magic in The Dark Crystal movie is associated with song/sound. I think there's a supplementary book that mentions the deafeningly loud sound that took place when the Crystal was cracked, and links it to the overall corruption of Thra.

The "Fallen UrSkeks" discovered to their dismay that they have the capacity to split into the skeksis and the urRu and become flesh instead of light. They reunite at the end of the movie, and in the Age of Resistance show SkekGra and UrGoh are attempting to reunify on their own before the Great Conjunction. There's a sort of nebulosity when it comes to people-counting re: UrSkeks, skeksis, and urRu. (Especially in my view, which is that after living separately for hundreds of years, you become separate people, even if you only started as half.)

This is almost directly the opposite of Gem fusing, when two or more individual Gems combine to form one new being, in a process that can last for only seconds or be a permanent state. Still: there's also a nebulosity of people-counting when considering Gems and their fusions.

Anyway, I think that Steven and the Crystal Gems (if we start from the idea that the UrSkeks are the absent creators of the Gems) could have a very interesting time on Thra, not in a simple fix-everything-and-be-nice way, but because the Gems and the skeksis and the urRu are different manifestations of UrSkek problems and there's AT LEAST interesting conversations to be had there.

Also because I want the skeksis-urRu pairs to have a fusion-style solution rather than simply becoming UrSkeks again because you can't just undo things and also I don't want the "correct" end state for these characters to be "lose all your individuality and return seamlessly to the society that banished you."

[inolienkiki]

Hey, bear with me for a sec, we're going on a journey.

Marginalization is complicated. The experiences of people with all sorts of marginalized characteristics are different and wide-ranging and often confusing in the ways they apparently seem to contradict each other. (Stereotypes never make sense.) But one thing you probably know, if you've ever experienced this sort of thing, is that marginalization, and (in general) discrimination on the basis of some characteristic, is a systemic issue.

To me, at least, this is so painfully obvious that I barely understand why I need to say it. But a lot of people don't seem to understand this. The viewpoint that marginalization is caused by Some Random Jerk, and someone's Poisson-distributed Jerk Encounter Rate is what represents the "how bad" of their experience, is weirdly common...

This is the sort of viewpoint that leads people to get offended at the barest idea that someone might be implying they're "a" racist. If you genuinely believe, for some reason, that racism exists because some people are racists, of course you're going to get offended if someone points out that you believe some stereotype.

I've noticed this, also, in the writing of a lot of so-called "feminist" media. Lots and lots and lots of girl power movies will have a designated hate sink sexist dick (who, sometimes, they feel the need to write the "deeper backstory" or "emotional struggle" of, which doesn't make sense for a character specifically designed as a 2D hurdle for the protagonist.) They'll then go on to explicitly disprove and Own this douche, and treat this like an incredibly important moment. Which... you can't fix sexism by "disproving" "sexists".

(Brief tangent: now that I'm thinking about it, this reminds me of how in the God's Not Dead movie, they spent the whole movie building up a hateable atheist and then ran him over with a car. Just goes to show how, in attempting to portray marginalization of a privileged group, they both misunderstood what marginalization is, and tried a little tOkoo hard to copy the somewhat retaliatory nature of this writing trope...)

Ok. So. Bad Things that happen to a marginalized group are caused by Bad System, not Bad People. Cool, we got it.

Now let's talk about "child abuse".

~~~

I've decided to put "child abuse" in quotes here, not because I don't think it's real or important-- it obviously is-- but because we, Adults, the people not experiencing this marginalization, can't seem to talk about it correctly. We genuinely, consistently, talk about child abuse in terms of abusers. As if the marginalization that children experience in every avenue of their lives is just caused by, y'know, those Bad People. Great. Sure.

This is also why I think of myself as having been very fortunate growing up. The people around me loved me and cared for me. My family was supportive and allowed me to pursue my interests. My schooling and teachers wanted to help me learn. There is only one person frequently in my vicinity as a child who could be described as an abuser: my grandma on my mom's side, who has consistently been emotionally manipulating everybody who tried to be kind to her for 80 years. Her behavior has barely affected me directly, and her attempts to pull me away from my parents mostly haven't worked. Nobody ever hit me or took away my food or publicly humiliated me or even threatened to do those things. So, I had it good, right?

And then I have to remind myself that I frequently had emotional breakdowns all through my teenage years, that I was put in therapy and eventually medication against my will, that I never even had the space to figure out really important things about who I was. Only once I moved out and started seriously considering my feelings did I realize I wasn't lazy: I really did have ADHD.

All this stuff was done to me by people I love. GOOD PEOPLE who thought they were helping. That's how marginalization works... everyone has preconceived biases, and preconceived ideas about how they're supposed to act, and that seeps into whatever they try to do.

Sure, nobody ever took my food away, but very occasionally, I had belongings confiscated. This isn't supposed to be weird, since it's a parent's responsibility to supervise their child's behavior. But if it's considered societally acceptable to deny a child their own property, where is the line between taking away their phone and taking away their dinner? and taking away their bed? and taking away their freedom to go anywhere? and taking away their freedom to ask questions? and taking away their freedom to deny orders? and taking away their freedom? Everyone can see the line between taking away your friend's sixth beer and taking away their crutches, but not so for children.

Sure, nobody ever hit me, but very occasionally, as a toddler, I was carried upstairs and put in my room after a meltdown. This isn't supposed to be weird, since it's a parent's responsibility to keep their child from destroying things or endangering themselves. But if it's considered societally acceptable to lift and move a child against their will, where is the line between carrying them and pulling them? and leashing them? and dragging them? and hitting them? and biting them? and seriously injuring them? Everyone can see the line between yanking someone out of a busy road and yanking someone into an alley, but not so for children.

One thing I didn't mention earlier, when I was talking about girl power movies, is that of course sexist dicks like that exist. I've certainly seen and heard people like that, often secondhand. But people like this are a product of a society where it is common for men to perceive women as objects of sexual appeal and obedience. Of course child abusers exist, but people like this are a product of a society where it is common for parents to take complete responsibility over their children's lives.

Parents often rationalize the way they treat their children- any way they treat their children- by saying they're doing what's best for their kid. Lots of parents really think this way- mine do! They really did everything they thought was best for me, and 95% of the time, they were totally right. I love them and I deeply appreciate that. But... uh... so long as someone genuinely believes they know exactly what is best for somebody else, without discussion, without consideration-- and they have the power to make that decision-- something is going to go wrong.

Often, the child will get injured, or traumatized, or forced into some decision unwillingly, or have their personality permanently changed, or hurt themselves. All because of people who love them and want to help them.

Nobody should have that much power.

[coreysconcepts]

Demii, the Fluttering Finch Mirakawa Demiha is the grandson of the famed veterinarian Mirakawa Kishii. Like his predecessor, he's had his fair share of tending to animals of all variety, ranging from the mundane to the mythical. Demii walks through life with optimistic yet cautious lenses, always willing to extend a helping hand to most he encounters. Though he puts on a brave smile, few see his callous side when he's on the hunt. His oath of protecting the forest his late grandfather left him is something he takes deadly serious and will spare no wrongdoers.

Potential Concepts For the longest time, I've always had four things I wanted with Demii: Haku's bob from Spirited Away, an Elessian (sci-fi) bow and arrow, a long and elegant cape, and probably or probably not a sandogasa hat. As you can see with my older concept art, I really had no idea what personality to give him other than those four. Though, as time went on and I made new characters, I decided to revisit my old ones and finally have a clear vision on what I want for them. Now, I could say that his design significantly improved, but it still lacks in some parts, like how he cant clearly be seen as a vet/ someone that has healing capabilities. His name was something I expanded on today. On the car ride home, my friend (a very big WWII era Japan nerd) told me how Japanese names mostly have meaning, and it just occurred to me how Demii's name was born out of nothing, so I got to work. Demii's full name (Demiha) is kind of a mix between English and Japanese (though "demi" is already a Japanese word) which means "half leaf" (demi= semi, ha = leaf), which ties perfectly to his forest ranger characterization. It also serves as a symbolism of him not fully moving on from his grandfather's death yet, as he was the only who acted as Demii's father figure while his real father was busy f*cking the military. With that new expansion, I tried to integrate as many half leaf motifs in his skills as I could, with a revision on the outfit soon.

Lore: The Guardian's Apprentice

Squabble and screams filled the forests on where Mirakawa Kishii's sanctuary cabin stood. Demiha protested against his father's cruel motivations to force him into the military. If both of them have not shared blood, a soul would have been claimed by the Divine Court to silence the rioting.

Ever since birth, Kishii took in Demii under his wing; he showed the young boy the beauty of healing. His absent parents devoted their souls to the military, returning to their posts as soon as they could after the birth of their child. Demii learned that no matter how big or small, how tough or how gentle, everyone can be hurt.

The young child spent most of his life around animals, his grandparents, and his uncle. The trio tended to all sorts of animals at the same time in the same shop Demii's grandfather grew up in. Both nobles and peasants flocked to their humble clinic to seek treatment for their familiars.

Saving up enough money, his grandfather looked to establish a sanctuary-like home in the province of Shiroha. The place is known for the pure-white color and powder-like texture of the snow that falls every winter. It also boasts a diverse cast of animals that Kishii was looking to preserve. Hidden in the dense forests, the workers started laying the foundation of what was to be the biggest animal hospital of the forests of Shiroha.

Now a teenager, Demii devoted his time to helping his uncle run the vet clinic. A smile would always be on his face while tending to his patients, not wanting to be anywhere else. He made time for his grandparents in the forest, overseeing the construction of the sanctuary. While it was not yet finished, they scoured the forest for any animals in need, decorating a good chunk of it with futuristic traps, specifically made to trigger only when a clumsy hunter's foot lands on it. They also brought along their Elessian hunting bows, only unsheathing it when the true animals show themselves.

In the times that he was in Shiroha, Demii would learn the art of archery from his grandfather. He learned how to draw a bow, how to shoot an arrow, and how to aim at scoundrels. Kishii initially taught him the fundamentals with a traditional wooden longbow to go alongside it. As Demii's mastery flourished, his grandfather gifted him a custom-made bow from Elessia. It had all the features that make his longbow feel prehistoric, but it did not make Demii even a bit complacent.

Kishii and his wife soon passed away after the family moved in the newly-built sanctuary which was named after the exemplary man. Even the animals mourned his loss, peeking through the window of his bedroom. He was soon buried at the foot of the mountain where he first planted a sugi tree. Kishii's death left an indelible scar on everyone's hearts, especially Demii's. He knew he was never complete without his grandfather, but was not yet ready to accept the future without him.

None were quite as unaffected as Demii's father, Tsuyoi. He never saw his father as an important figure in his life. As far as Demii could remember, the two had no quarrels or indifference. They were just... unconnected. Demii could remember the many times his grandparents and his uncle tried to reach out to him. Not a single response was heard back from Tsuyoi. Everyone thought it strange how Kishii's distant son showed up to his funeral, but none more disappointed than his own son.

Just as he expected, he talked to Demii about enlisting him in the army. And, just as his father expected, he was fuming. The two hurled meaningless words to each other far away from the function. When Tsuyoi's hotheadedness got the better of him, he strangled his son's wrist and dragged him along towards his wagon.

The animals Demii and Kishii have helped over the years wanted to repay Demii for his kindness, so they all charged towards Tsuyoi in a flurry of animal attacks. Tsuyoi's iron grip let go of Demii's now bruised wrists, giving him a chance to escape. But, before he could reach a safe distance, he turned back to the comical scene and called for the animals to stop. Demii walked back up to his father, apologizing for the intrusion of the critters.

Demii sent his father back to the capital, sensing that he did not want to spill any blood in the presence of Kishii. As his father drove off into the night, Demii's knees fell to the ground. A flood of emotions drowned him right there, leaking through his body in tears. Like a scene from a fairytale, the animals walked up to him and stayed by his side in his sulking.

Gameplay Demii is the beginner's choice when starting out with the marksman archetype. Though he lacks AoE and effective wave-clearing by himself, he more than makes up for it with his single-target damage. Q - Refined Arrowshot On his next basic attack, Demii will deal more damage based on a flat amount plus 150% of his Physical Damage. this skill has 200% effectiveness against minions with HP lower than 10%, and 150% effectiveness on towers. W - Psyche of the Finch - Demii passively gains crit chance and attack speed. - Demii sends his finch, Toppū, to attack an enemy, slowing down their movement speed by 50%. Then, Demii calls on two other feathery friends to buff his attacks, dealing two extra sources of damage alongside Demii for 5 seconds when attacking enemies. E - Special Treatment Demii uses his stickers to heal himself or a friendly unit. After, the sticker heals the unit every 1.5 seconds over 5 seconds. Can be used on towers. R - Rest In The Wind Demii locks onto an enemy champion or tower and channels for 2 seconds. Then, he sends a destructive arrow to hit the target, dealing massive damage. This skill executes towers under 10% HP. Destroying towers with this skill refunds 70% of the cooldown.

[brightsuzaku]

So, I Have Space Freighters: Part 1

Oh, let's talk about something FUN for a change! It's a longpost about... space freighters. 

Ok, so in most of the stuff I've come up with, after years of role-playing science-fictional stuff with my best friend? For our stories?! Set in space! And, I'm one of the people participating here, so we've got "spaceships as people", too! Riveting! That's one of my favorite concepts! 

Well, an idea that has been a part of these worlds that we come up with includes Extremely Dumb Freighters. Like, they are not smart, and I mean they are intentionally not that smart. They really do not need to be, for how they work.

I am so sorry in advance to perfectly intelligent, quick-thinking, and hard-working heavy space boats that do the thankless job of Moving Stuff Around The Stars All The Time, but my first ideas were of specifically dumb freighters. And, it turns out they have their niche, and they fill it very well. 

So, it's like, we have these big slow-travel freighter ships that travel along preset "tracks" through general space, and they take special pre-set warp gates, along said tracks to speed along. Now, these occasional warp gates that are set along their tracks' are 2-way gates that only allow freighters through. And so, these ships normally pass through with zero issues, and trundle along their way all happy and undeterred.

But, as I originally explained it, the oldest in the fleet "aren't well-optimized and cannot adapt to setbacks". I'm talking about basic setbacks with basic solutions as simple as, well... Moving! Even slightly! In a different direction of some kind! To advance travel progress!

You see, because space allows movement along all axes it should be simple enough to move out of the way, right?

But no, no, I said poorly optimized, didn't I? They are not very maneuverable, and are trapped within their constraints, ostensibly for safety, I'm sure.

You see, most other ships that encounter these big freighters are gonna hear a monotonous "You Are Blocking My Route." repeated into all channels for the next measurable 4 hours (and counting). We'll get back to this, I promise.

Freighters will say "You Are Blocking My Route" regardless of what may be preventing them from progressing their travel.

So, imagine the most ideal un-ideal situation, where a route is being "blocked". A freight systems engineer could see that this was flagged, and intervene to change the track's checkpoints of each part of the route slightly. This would force freighters to "move around", but that kind of intervention requires LOTS of ships hitting LOTS of setbacks. It might even start to look like a queue!

Intervention, however, is extremely rare.

See, in a normal situation where a big hunk of rock is "blocking the route" the ship will complain about it repeatedly, until the hunk idly floats away. If MULTIPLE ships queue up for too long, someone probably does intervene, because that is rather unusual.

But usually, stuff floats back out of the way.

Every single track that these freighters move along has been specifically designed to allow passage with as few problems as possible. There should not be many issues with debris! Stuff rarely changes that much in space, unless something specifically happens! And, even if something does idly get in the way, usually a route is clear enough within an hour.

These freighters are big enough and strong enough that they could probably plow through minor problems with relative ease, even as they repeat "You Are Blocking My Route" the whole way through. 

So, unless it's an actual debris field that cannot easily be rerouted, and some horrifying freighter backup queue suddenly appears on Known Space News 655 or something, these small blips usually do not affect freight traffic. The freighters. Are just really stupid.

They do a great job of moving where they need to move! Going where they need to go! Unbothered! Thriving! In their lane! Literally!

So, for now, you know how my freighters work!

I AM SORRY TO EVERY INTELLIGENT AND HARD-WORKING FREIGHTER THAT DOES NOT NEED THIS SHADE.

These space freighters largely transport cargo that is being traded or moved all the time, and so the tracks are like a supply line. Faster freighters that need brains, personhood, and rights handle different cargo, including anything time-sensitive stuff. (GIVE YOUR SPACESHIPS RIGHTS.)

Also, PART 2 is up!

[smallredrobin13games]

Fuck it, I'm reblogging this again because I've got some thoughts I wanna share. TW: brief mention of death.

I'm the writer of Green Skies, which was arguably one of my first successful games, I was actually considering getting it physically printed for a while and it's also the game where I first worked with my long-time layout designer. Needless to say, I have a lot of good associations with it.

It's also aged very weirdly when you consider the usage of AI in it. To be clear, everything in the game was human-made and I wrote it for a solar-punk jam before gen AI was something I was aware of.

In this solo journalling game, you play a building with artificial intelligence tasked with caring for the inhabitants of that building. In terms of systems, it uses one developed by Kumada for Wolf Slopes, a journalling game I played around the same time.

I say it's aged weirdly because, well, today it's honestly kind of hard to imagine AI being used in this way. Fundamentally, AI is just a tool but we tend to see it be used to harm artists and other creatives. Due to a personal encounter I had with an AI advocate, I also tend to associate AI with severe mistrust, both of the creators of the AI and the people using it.

This honestly makes Green Skies a very weird game for me to look back on. At the time I was grieving the death of a friend and I was relying heavily on the kindness of others to get through the day. The idea of a place, a building, built specifically with the intent to care for others, even when they felt at their most alone and lowest, was very attractive to me.

It's strange, most of those months are hazy, except for the moments when people, both friends and those I barely knew, showed kindness and compassion to me and others grieving this friend. That, at the end of it all, there was a basic human kindness towards those in pain.

If there's anything I want people to take away from Green Skies, it's that idea of caring for others, for your community.

Have you played GREEN SKIES ?

By smallredrobin13games

A solo solarpunk game about a sentient building caring for it's residents.

[stillness-in-green]

Why Deku's ultimatum to Overhaul is bad and he should feel bad

This is a bit outside my normal character wheelhouse, but I really need to get a rant about it off my chest, so here goes:

The Deku and Overhaul scene in Chapter 316 is terrible. It is fucking terrible.

I took a whirl around Overhaul's tag up through when the leaks first started dropping, but didn't immediately see anyone talking about why it's so fucking terrible, only concerns about letting Overhaul see Eri (understandable, but baseless, I think), some empathy towards Overhaul's current state (totally warranted!), some snark about Deku being So Done with Overhaul (haha because who cares about Deku's stated goal of trying to understand villains, right?), and, worst of all, some cooing about how Deku was being so compassionate and noble by offering Overhaul that olive branch.

Deku was not being compassionate and noble there. Deku was being arrogant, small-minded, and so shockingly cruel that it leaves me speechless that anyone could think his stunted and hard-hearted "offer" reflects well on him.

Deku's entire motivation in this arc has been wrestling with the realization that he might have been able to avoid some of the desperate battles of his past if he'd understood more about the villains he fought. He thought of three very specific people--Stain, Muscular, and Overhaul--as he reflected, "Maybe it wouldn't have had to go that way if I'd understood them better." He then thought of Gentle Criminal and La Brava, people who he’d come to some understanding of, who he’d been able to soften the conclusion of his battle with by going along with Gentle's fiction downplaying what had happened between them. The whole line of thought was intended to contextualize his newfound desire to save Shigaraki.

It soon became apparent that Stain, Muscular and Overhaul were, in fact, encounters that he would be revisiting, as a chance to see how he'd grown since he faced them, and as a dry-run on reaching out to villains that would give him a chance to practice ways he might reach out to Shigaraki when the time comes.

Well, based on his performance so far, the idea that Deku might be able to reach Shigaraki is laughable.

Firstly, his tentative questions to Muscular were ill-timed, all wrong for the middle of a battle. Muscular laughed him off, and I don’t think there’s any version of that scenario in which he would have done otherwise. Muscular was a huge threat, gleefully violent, disinterested in conversation about his history. Obviously, right in the middle of a fight was no kind of time to try to figure out what made the man tick! But Deku didn’t get the luxury of choosing the circumstances of that encounter, so yes, that battle probably was unavoidable, certainly if Deku wanted to stop him from doing further damage. But the idea that because Deku couldn't reach him right then and there, it's impossible for Deku--or, indeed, for anyone--to reach him at all is fallacious. Not every person has to be able to like or understand every other person. If Deku couldn't reach Muscular, so what? That doesn't mean it's impossible that someone might. And that means an obligation to treat Muscular like a human being, to afford him human rights, to not stop trying to find a way to rehabilitate him, even as you safeguard other people against him.

Deku's battle with Muscular being unavoidable was not some great triumph, for all that the narrative used it as an opportunity to let him show off how far he’d come in mastering One For All. In the way that matters, the way that Deku himself is currently trying to better, he hasn't advanced at all. Imasuji Goto represented his first test in the lead-up to saving Shigaraki, and Deku failed it.

His next trial was Overhaul.* Here, again, was someone who Deku was explicitly trying to understand. So what was the one thing that was most key to understanding Overhaul's current motivation? What was the one thing that Overhaul was ranting about out loud, incessantly? And what did Deku conspicuously fail to ask about? Overhaul's relationship with Pops.

This was so easy. So obvious. And Deku didn’t even try. All he could think about in the moment he was faced with that broken man was the little girl that man hurt--all thoughts of trying to understand where the man himself was coming from went right out the window, flown away in an instant. Instead of asking about why Overhaul feels the way he does, he demanded that Overhaul feel the way Deku wanted. He was essentially holding the only person Overhaul cared about hostage for the remorse he wanted Overhaul to feel.

I'm not going to try to armchair diagnose Overhaul with mental conditions. I don't have the educational background, and I'm positive Horikoshi doesn't. But it seems pretty clear that asking Overhaul to feel guilt about Eri was asking for something that he might not be capable of feeling, at least not without years of therapy that he was plainly not getting in Tartarus. And if Overhaul is not capable of feeling that guilt, then what does denying Overhaul his meeting actually solve? Who does it help? It doesn’t help Eri. Doesn’t help the old man. It certainly doesn’t help Overhaul himself. The only person who gets any satisfaction out of demanding remorse from Overhaul is Deku. And even Deku didn’t look like he found it very satisfying!

Another failure. A meaninglessly cruel, petty failure. A failure that served only to hurt a man who was already a live wire of agony, to sentence an old man to a coma he might never wake from without Overhaul's expertise, and to deprive Eri of the only actual family she had left.

And look, Pops might very well not be the ideal guardian for Eri, and I'm not saying he should get to "keep" her just because of the blood connection, but it's not like he cheerfully handed her over to Overhaul and walked out the door! He turned to Overhaul because he trusted Overhaul, because he wanted someone to help Eri and thought that maybe Overhaul could. And when Overhaul's thoughts about Eri took a very dark turn, Pops first denied his request about using her to further his research and then, when Overhaul kept pushing it, chose Eri over the kid he personally took in from the streets by telling Overhaul that he needed to leave the Shie Hassaikai if he couldn't muster any more respect for human life than that.

But, you know, Eri is so cute with Aizawa and stuff. And Pops was a criminal. Probably. Maybe? I mean, he was yakuza, anyway, so he obviously must have been a criminal even if the police never actually arrested him. Apparently, this means it's okay to just leave him in a coma forever! Even though Overhaul absolutely has enough medical expertise that letting him talk to a neurologist about what he did to Pops might enable them to figure out how to wake Pops up even without Overhaul being able to use his quirk to undo the damage. Hell, Overhaul is also the person alive who has the best handle on how Eri's quirk works. He might even know what her accumulation condition is. Maybe a better thing to ransom his access to Pops with would be Overhaul telling Aizawa everything he knows about Eri's quirk so Aizawa can use the knowledge to help her get a better handle on it.

But no. Obviously undoing some small part of the concrete harm Overhaul did was less important than how Deku felt about that harm.

And there's more! Oh, is there ever. I called Deku arrogant before; let me circle back to that.

Deku said that if Chisaki would feel the way Deku wanted him to feel, then Deku would uphold the promise to let Overhaul see Pops. But where in hell did Deku get off making that claim? Deku is a student. He's not a pro. He has no authority, medical, legal, carceral or otherwise. He has no say in where Overhaul goes or who he's allowed to see.

What the fuck? What the actual fuck? What kind of strings did Deku think he could pull that he could just casually make that claim without so much as going into a huddle with Hawks and Endeavor about it first? How inflated has this kid's sense of importance gotten that he made Overhaul that promise without even stopping to think about whether it was something he was in any position to ensure? It was such a bullshit ultimatum, not only because of how needlessly obstructive it was, but because it was so formless.

"If only you would feel a wish to apologize to Eri…" Okay, so what if Overhaul goes back to prison and, three days later, calls out to say, "Okay, I thought about it and I really feel like I want to apologize, now can I see Pops already?" Who gets to make that judgment call? Deku? Is he going to drop his faux-vigilante act and come visit Overhaul in prison just so he can squint at the man really hard to see if he's lying? Is Deku going to delegate the call to someone else? All Might? Hawks? A prison warden? A psychologist? Who? Who gets to be the one to say, "Okay, I think his remorse is genuine."

Then, once that call has been made, how many people have to arrange for Overhaul to be escorted out of prison and to whatever hospital Pops is in? Will Deku get to oversee that visit? Does he think he can overturn a warden declaring, "The scum doesn't deserve a visit, and the old man probably doesn't either," or a doctor protesting, "I'm not letting that man anywhere near my patient!"

The hell of it is, I think Deku could do all of that. He's got a close personal connection to All Might, who was basically a demi-god to this society for decades; he has the ear of the current top three heroes. Everyone is apparently convinced that the power to save this society rests solely in Deku's hands; I'm sure he could ask for anything he wanted. But the fact that that is the case suggests that this society is not even slightly turning away from its dependence on heroes dictating its morality. A hero having the sole right to dictate, out of hand, based on his personal feelings, the fate of people designated "villains" while the rest of society turns away is exactly what Shigaraki is angry about.

The only thing worse than Deku perpetuating the worst problems of hero society in an arc that's supposed to be about him finding a better way is that he didn’t even stop to think about it. It never even occurred to him that that was what he was doing. He thought that what he was asking of Chisaki was just and fair, and thus, he didn’t need to ask for any second opinions or permissions; he didn’t need to think about what would actually be feasible, about what was best for the people involved. He'd made his judgment call about a villain, and that's all there was to it. The villain could fall in line or--nothing. There isn't actually another choice. Hero's way or nothing

I hate it. I hate it. I don't care about whether Overhaul "deserves" to suffer; heroes making the cold decision that they will make him suffer is antithetical to everything a carceral system intended to rehabilitate prisoners stands for. And yes, Japan does at least claim on paper that the goal of incarceration in state hands is rehabilitation.

Restorative justice is superior to retributive justice. It's better for society and it's better for individuals. It is kinder, it is more compassionate. Retributive justice poisons people. It perpetuates suffering for no reason but moral grandstanding. Individuals are allowed to forgive or not forgive anyone they want, but a society should conduct itself with an eye to the long-term welfare of all of its people. That means that even the worst kinds of criminals still have human rights. It means not inflicting pain that serves no purpose.

I've gotten off-track here. Yes, I think that if Overhaul could feel regret about Eri, that would obviously be a positive development for his character. It'd hurt like hell, but it would be a hurt that indicated he was becoming a better person, a person who wanted to do more good, less ill, with his life and efforts. But you can't mandate that someone become a better person. No ultimatum handed down from on high is going to change Overhaul's heart. Telling someone, "I'll help you, but only if you only feel the way I want you to feel. Otherwise, you can just stay there and suffer," is not reaching out to help people who are suffering in the dark, which is, again, what Deku claimed he wanted to do, what he begged for Nagant's help in doing, the way he insisted to the vestiges that OFA should be used.

Deku writing people off because they don't conform to his expectations, because they can't be "good" the way he wants them to be, nor even "bad" in ways he can understand, is him failing to live up to his own expressed ideals. "I wish you'd feel bad about hurting people," wasn't enough to reach Muscular or Overhaul, and it damn well shouldn't be enough to reach Shigaraki.

Cruelty does not beget kindness. You cannot treat people with only callousness and severity, then condemn them for not taking the opportunity to grow. You have to give them opportunities to better themselves. For Overhaul, giving him an opportunity would be letting him help the man he wronged and then moving forward from there. Telling him to feel regret about Eri or else? That's doing nothing but sweeping his pain back under the rug.

---

*I have more or less exhausted my outrage over Lady Nagant in chats with friends, so I'll spare the rant on how disjointed, contradictory and ludicrous her turn was; the gist is "very, on all counts."

---

P.S. Anyone who says that Overhaul "has nothing left to live for" is being a level of ableist that defies description. Prosthetics exist. Assistive devices exist. Speech-to-text software exists. Overhaul is intelligent, driven and highly educated. Even if he never got prosthetics at all, there would still be things he could contribute to the world if he were motivated to do so. The better thing to do, though, would be to get the man some damn prosthetics, hook him up with the neurologist consulting on Pops' case, and let the two of them get on with the matter of waking up the old man.

P.P.S. Overhaul spent six months in solitary confinement. The United Nations considers solitary confinement exceeding 15 days to be a form of torture. Solitary confinement creates severe mental health issues and exacerbates existing ones. It frequently leads to a deadening of empathy, something Overhaul has in little enough amounts as it is. It is absurd to ask a man who's just come out of these conditions to "feel sorry for what you did to Eri," especially if you're planning to turn around and send him right back to solitary. Tartarus is inhuman, and the only reason more of the escapees aren't total wrecks like Overhaul is because Horikoshi clearly didn't bother to do the reading on the wide array of problems that those characters should be experiencing physically, mentally and socially.

[dark1k]

*slides into messages*

Hello, I am here to request. there’s lots of troubles Connor in RK1K let’s have some troubled Markus.

❛ you can’t save everyone. ❜

Troubled Markus my beloved <3 I took some liberty with this quote and I hope you like the result, thank you for requesting!

•••

“You’re frustrated with me.”

Connor was walking beside him, but his eyes stayed straight ahead and Markus noticed how his LED kept switching between intervals of yellow and red. He doesn’t remember a time, barring their first meeting in the helm of the ship, where he saw the other so exasperated.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Connor said, his voice flat and distant. Angry, then. Teetering towards furious. They reached New Jericho’s main office and Connor opened it, not bothering to wait for Markus to enter first, as he usually would. Instead, he strolled across the room directly to his desk and started shuffling through his DPD files with fervent speed.

Markus sighed and followed him inside, closing the door behind them.

“You seriously didn't expect me to just stand around and watch as that helpless android got mistreated, do you?” Markus asked, puzzled as to why they were having this conversation.

“Yes, I’m aware that you had to insert yourself in a dangerous situation, despite the fact that I was standing right beside you. An investigative, police android who was specifically designed to both handle and deescalate those types of scenes, thank you.” Connor was never this cold with him. They’d never been cold with each other. Everything was warm and electric; their discussions, how they woke up tangled in blankets, and whenever they grabbed onto the other's body in a desperate intensity.

“I had to help,” Markus hesitantly answered, touching his cheek and feeling how his polymer skin was starting to cover a scrape he got in the scuffle. Turns out their perpetrator had a strong right hook, but the leader barely felt his punch in the heat of the moment. “I led the revolution, Connor, I have a responsibility to our people. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t help.”

“A responsibility?” Connor’s tone became incredulous, “How chivalrous of you.”

Markus dropped his briefcase on his desk, his own anger steadily rising. Why was this turning into an argument? If anything, they should be brainstorming future legislation ideas to prevent these kinds of anti-android crimes; they only encountered this one because they had some downtime in between meetings and decided to take a walk in the nearby park. “Well, I had it under control. I stopped the attacker and kept him restrained until DPD arrived — I don’t know why you���re getting so worked up over this when it doesn’t even affect you, Connor!”

Connor slammed the file he was holding with such force that Markus jumped, papers scattering across the desk. “Doesn’t affect me?! Are you serious? What if he had a concealed weapon, a knife or a gun, and used it? What if he wasn’t acting alone and you were suddenly outnumbered? You just run into these situations with no regard for your personal well-being, Markus! In case you haven’t noticed, we aren’t fighting in the revolution anymore!” Connor’s face was flushed a bright blue, his chest panting from the pressure of his shouts.

“Stop needlessly sacrificing yourself! Do you have a death wish? You can’t save everyone!”

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Markus was screwed. He took a cautious step forward, “No! Of course I don’t want that to happen, Connor! I won’t ever let it get that far." Yeah, he definitely feels like an idiot now.

Connor shook his head and turned away, looking out their shared office window to the bustling streets of Detroit below. “Yes, well. It doesn’t matter what you want. You’re a public figurehead, there’s always going to be a risk when it comes to your safety for the rest of your life. But you clearly don’t seem to care about protecting yourself, let alone how your actions affect those in your life. What do you think I would do if you were ever seriously harmed? What about North, Josh, Simon, or the thousands of androids who see you as an inspiration?”

Markus stared at his back, embarrassed in the wake of such words. He never thought of it from their perspective, believing it was better for him to endure the pain rather than another android. He was almost tempted to drop to his knees and beg for Connor to understand, to forgive him. It was their first argument as a couple and the whiplash felt horrible. “Con, wait a minute.”

“No, you wait.” Connor snapped, shoving his fidgeting hands into the pockets of his slacks. “I can’t bear the thought of something happening to you, don’t you understand? It scares me, keeps me awake at night. It’s exhausting, constantly being reminded of the dangers circulating you.” Markus noticed how he curled in on himself, the spark that ignited their fight seemingly drained from his body. All that remained was a weary sense of defeat.

Markus felt like the worst boyfriend in the world, having been the one who caused the android he loved and cared for more than life itself, to feel anything other than happiness.

He took another slow step forward, raising his hands in the gesture of universal surrender. “You’re right and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being careless when it comes to my safety and I’m sorry for not being more sympathetic of your feelings about it.” He saw Connor turn his head slightly, just enough to glance at Markus for a quick moment, but not enough to fully face him. Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, Markus closed the last bit of distance and stood in Connor’s personal space.

“I just... hate seeing our people abused. How there are injustices done against them, after months of us tirelessly fighting and advocating for the right to live peacefully. But Connor, I swear, I do not want nor would I ever do anything that might endanger you or our relationship. I would be the biggest idiot to place something so important, so special, at jeopardy.” Bending down to stare into honey-colored eyes, Markus stressed his next statement. “I promise, I won’t jump head-first into those kinds of situations again. It was stupid. I’ll be better about cautioning myself, I’m sorry. Again."

Connor quirked a reluctant smile and muttered, “You sound like a broken record.” Turning to face him for the first time since barging into their office, he continued, “Thank you for understanding, I’m also sorry for yelling at you, Markus.”

But Markus just shook his head, indicating that he had nothing to apologize for. “Are we okay?”

Instead of nodding, Connor simply held up his hand and peeled back his polymer skin, sunlight gleaming off the white porcelain beneath. Markus did the same and accepted the request for an interface immediately. Fear from the attack, unease from their fight, and immense amounts of love easily flowed between both androids. It was a loop of growth and acceptance, a learning experience.

Their argument was settled and forgiven by the time they left New Jericho that evening.

[soundofseclusion]

Pokemon Series Retrospective, Volume 2: Pokemon Snap

After the break: a massive Pokemon fan plays Pokemon Snap N64 for the first time to completion.

Background

I mentioned in the previous volume that I got into the gaming sphere kind of late, with my first console being the GBA.  I didn’t grow up with an N64.  My experience with Pokemon Snap was brief encounters at the homes of friends and wealthier family members, maybe some posters or promotional videos at Blockbuster, maybe a McDonald’s N64 kiosk if it was ever demoed in those.  Mostly, just a vague impression of the game.  So playing the game was an experience I didn’t have until the Wii era, when it released on Virtual Console.

The Virtual Console release was notable for letting you post pictures to the Wii message board, but other than that, it was just another Wii Shop novelty for me at the time.  I barely progressed, possibly because I was confused, possibly just because I didn’t really play through video games back then.  For context, I played every single Zelda game as they came out from WindWaker onwards, but never finished a Zelda game until BotW.  Part of the reason for starting a media thread on Twitter and a (since abandoned) Zelda game marathon years ago was to encourage me to actually complete games.

I’ve recently revisited, and completed with unexpected quickness, Pokemon Snap on the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack.  I found myself quite enamored with the whole experience; here’s some more detailed thoughts.

Present Day

The main elements of this game just work well.  The fact that courses are relatively short, on-rails segments means you can revisit levels with a sense of familiarity that makes experimentation with different course elements into something you can do reliably.  There’s a good loop of “next time around, I’ll try this here and that there,” and when you unlock new items/tools you get a good sense of “I should try this in this previous course element which eluded me.”  Feeling those things is especially important because I believe this is designed to be a short game with a lot of elements--experimentation, discovery--that make revisiting it fun.  I don’t believe Pokemon Snap is trying to be more than a brief novelty which lets you live in the fantasy world so many of us dreamed of.

The allure of Pokemon is, at least partially, that these are wild creatures with a real presence in the world.  Pokemon Snap is the first game to really lean into that by taking away a lot of your agency.  You still interact with the world through apples and pester balls and flutes, but primarily you serve as an observer.  For people who enjoyed the act and idea of completing a Pokedex, reading every new entry as though you were making a new discovery every time, this game actually puts you in the shoes of the person making those observations that lead to Pokedex entries.  Pokemon mainline games mostly exist in this realm where you’re meant to take Pokedex entries at face value but never really get to witness the behaviors described in any real capacity.  This was the first attempt to actualize Pokemon behavior and natural habitat, and it’s a good attempt. 

The game has its flaws.  The scoring system for photographs is... awkward, clumsy, somewhat archaic by its limitations.  Oak looks for photos that fit a very specific criteria that is often extremely difficult to pull off well.  While getting a better photo is definitely part of what makes going through the courses multiple times enjoyable, that only slightly alleviates the sting of a good picture prompting a “YOU WERE CLOSE” from Oak because the Pokemon was turned 15 degrees away from the camera’s focus.  The actual act of maneuvering your camera is also a bit janky, but not enough to detract from how enjoyable taking photos and interacting with the world is.

Though, overall, I hope you can see that I was pretty endeared to this game.  I went into it expecting a fun but clunky game, and yeah, I did scream at Oak a few times, but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the overall experience.  I think Snap quite impressively accomplishes what it was going for: a chance to exist in the Pokemon world from the role of an observer, and a chance to contextualize those creatures into a believable world which lives up to the series’ potential.

[mackeydoodledoo]

Café Food and Tattoos

Pairing: Daniela Dimitrescu x (Fem!)Reader

Summary: One small glance at each other from across the way, has Daniela Dimitrescu enticed. One post-work encounter has her walking R home and visiting R during R’s work hours. Turns out that Daniela is not only there for the café food.

Warning: None, fluff all the way :)

A/N: So, this original idea is from @su-lilly-reblogs​ and I really love the idea of Daniela being a tattoo artist and I just love this entire idea in general! It’s a little short but I hope this entry is a good one! 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

As you were cleaning a table out on the patio, you heard a door from over next door open. Being the person to always want to see who was coming out of the tattoo place next door, you saw a strawberry-blonde woman step out. You attempt to snap your focus back on bussing tables out on the patio but when you look up at the same woman that had stepped outside, she had noticed you staring at her. The world stopped for you. She looked so enticing to you. You just wanted to drop everything and walk over to her. However, you were snapped back to reality when your elbow made contact with a glass cup. Your instincts had caught the glass just before it could make contact with the ground. You sigh when you looked back up to the tattoo place and the woman was no longer there. 

When you stopped at a crosswalk, you shiver at the slight breeze of the cool evening. You regretted not bringing a jacket of some sort. However, you felt a jacket being placed upon your shoulders. You could feel the presence of another person standing next to you. You use your peripherals and from the corner of your eye, you saw a familiar strawberry-blonde hair. 

"Warm now?" She asks 

"Yeah," you slightly smile, "Thanks." 

"Daniela Dimitrescu," she answers 

"Y/n Y/l/n," you reply 

When the crosswalk light had allowed you to cross you noticed that Daniela was walking alongside you. 

"So," you break the silence, "How long have you've been tattooing?" 

"Since my apprenticeship at 18," she answers, "I mostly tattoo in black and white. Majority of my works are botanical and anatomical." 

"Has any client requested a tattoo that was out of your comfort zone?" You ask 

"A couple of times," she answers you, "But, the clients loved the end products. So if one would specifically request for something I don't normally do I'll do it." 

"Maybe I'll have to get a tattoo done by you one of these days," you smile 

From the corner of your eye, you could see that Daniela smiled at your suggestion. What you didn't notice was how she was still be your side long after the both of you met at the crosswalk. 

"Did you want someone accompanying you home?" She asks, realizing your silence 

"That would be nice," you say, "We're pretty much here already." 

You walk up the steps to your house and turn around. You notice that Daniela is no longer in sight.... You sighed as you were going to offer her a cup of coffee to go. Even give her jacket back to her as it was still placed on your shoulders. You couldn't help but take in the scent of herbs and citrus that lingers on her jacket. Maybe she'll stop by tomorrow... I'll give her jacket back then.

The following morning was a mess. Table after table you barely could keep yourself steady trying to wait tables, clean the tables etc. You weren't the only one on the floor however, nearly everyone requested for your presence specifically. It was hell. 

"Y/n, a table is requesting for you," your coworker says 

Great... Just when you were able to breathe. You compose yourself and head back out onto the floor but you freeze. 

"Daniela?" You call out, walking toward her with a menu in your hands 

"Hi y/n," she smiles 

"Fancy seeing you here," you smile back, "What can I get you to drink?" 

"Water," she says, looking up at you 

When you return to her table with a glass of water, you go on to check on your other tables with the assistance of your coworker. 

"Sorry about that, its been a mess all morning," you sigh, seating yourself across from Daniela 

"That’s okay love," she says 

"You know what you want to eat yet?" You ask, taking out your notepad 

"Are you on the menu?" She flirts 

Your heart skips a beat, your cheeks flush red, you look at her surprised. Daniela giggles as she watches your face. 

"What’s wrong love? Cat got your tongue?" She asks, smiling menacingly 

The only thing you could do was nearly choke on your own spit before Daniela actually tells you what she wants. With haste you make your way back into the kitchen to give the chef Dani's order and catch your breath. 

"One of the best tattoo artists in town, enticed by the awkward café waitress," your coworker laughs 

"Shut it Clarice," you sigh, "We only met last night." 

"She apparently dedicates her life to tattooing," she explains, "No one to get attached to. But, you can change that, I think it's time for you to get out there. With her. Maybe even get a tattoo done by her." 

"Are you crazy?!" You ask, "She's so out there and I'm me. So who am I kidding??" 

"Just look through your cameral roll for some inspiration for a tattoo, I’m sure the two of you can negotiate something in the next couple of weeks," Clarice suggests, "You got your tips, hourly pay you've been saving for this tattoo haven't you?" 

You nod. You only have one tattoo. You've been dreaming about getting another one but you haven't really looked into it. You didn't plan to until you had enough money to have it done. You hear the chef calling out Daniela's order and you begin reaching for it. 

"I'll check on your other tables," your coworker says, "Just book that appointment with Daniela." 

You nod, because your coworker will make sure you do so if she found out you chickened out. 

"Took you long enough," Daniela teases 

You smile as you place the plate of food in front of her and seat yourself across from her once more. 

"Do you have any tattoos?" Daniela asks 

You roll up your left sleeve to reveal an arrow tattoo with a color in one of the three triangles. 

"I got this when I turned 18 with my older sister," you say, "I've been saving up for another tattoo. But I don't think I have saved enough yet nor have I done research on artists to do it on me." 

"Hit me with the design," Daniela suggests

You open your phone to reveal a botanical anatomy piece. 

Daniela looks at your phone in awe, "I'll do it." 

"What?" You ask, putting your phone away 

"I'll do that tattoo on you," she says 

"R-really?" You ask, your mood changing 

She nods happily. You sigh in relief. 

"How much do you normally charge?" You ask 

"For you my dear, I'll discount it," she answers, "Normally, that kind of piece would be $600-$700." 

You, again almost choke on your own spit. However, re-composing yourself. 

"I'll do it for $400," Daniela says 

You've saved up at least $300 as of your last paycheck. However, since the tips are really piling and you look pay is tomorrow, you have hope. 

"When are you free?" She asks 

"I'm pretty much free Mondays and Tuesdays," you say 

Daniela pulls out her phone and supposedly looks through her calendar. 

"How does Tuesday at 3pm sound to you?" She asks 

"Works for me," you smile brightly 

You leave to get Daniela's check and pay for her food. It was the least you could do for her. She practically got to book your dream tattoo. You go on and check on your other tables, running their checks, your coworker bussing the tables for you. 

"Where were we?" You ask 

"My check?" Daniela asks 

"Don't worry about that," you say, "It's the least I can do for you." 

"Thank you y/n," she smiles, "I gotta run. Work is about to open." 

She stands from her seat and walks by you. However, before she leaves she leans down to your face and places a kiss on your cheek and then walks out. You just remembered about her jacket. Damnit...

Tuesday couldn't come soon enough. You've been working your arse off at the café. Daniela would pop in during her breaks to come say hi or order some food to go. You had long sent the image you had shown Daniela on Thursday to her. She’s talked about how excited she is to do that big of a piece. You told her that you had wanted it on your right outer forearm. 

"So you didn't even HAVE to ask Daniela to do that tattoo?! Man, that's golden! She's definitely into you if she had cut down the price by THAT much," your coworker states 

"Is she?" You ask, blushing 

"Oh come on, if I didn't see how she looks at you when you talk to her, I wouldn't be saying that she's definitely into you," she says 

"You have a point," you say 

"Did you get her number?" She asks 

"No," you say, "We've barely had time as is. She heads straight home to work on the piece for me and I'm busy here. Only chance I get is Tuesday." 

"You better girl," she says before walking off to a table

When Tuesday had finally come, you tuck the tattoo fee in one pocket and her tip mixed with your phone number in the other. You take a deep breath before opening the door to the tattoo shop next to your own work. 

"Y/n!" Daniela smiles as she comes walking over to you to give you a hug 

"So I just finished up your tattoo and I just wanted to run through it with you," She says 

"Dani, didn't we both agree on whatever you do is fine with me?" You smile and jokingly sigh 

"Yes but I just want to have your approval anyway," she smiles 

She takes her iPad and opens up to her editing app and shows you. You noticed that Daniela edited the work a lot to her style of work. And you loved it. 

"Lets get that bad boy tattooed on me Dani," you smile 

She has you fill out paperwork as the stencil begins printing itself out. You hand back the paperwork to her and she leads you to the back of the shop, leading you into a separate room, presumably her studio. 

"Welcome to my humble studio," she smiles, "Just sit your little cute butt in the big chair and give me a hot minute." 

You watch her cut out the stencil and watch her concentrate on applying the stencil to your arm. You try to keep yourself as steady as possible so she wouldn't have to reapply the stencil. 

"Relax love," Daniela says, as if she could feel your tension 

"I don't want to accidentally move my arm," you say 

Once she removes the stencil, she backs away, "Check that out and see if you like the placement." 

"I love it," you almost squeal 

You again watch her prep her tattoo machine and begin concentrating on you.

The pain was unbearable but it was a pretty big tattoo that you had picked out. Daniela barely talked though. But, you assumed it was because she was concentrated on your piece. 

“Hey, I have your jacket and-”

“Keep it love,” She says without looking up at you

“Are-are you sure?” You ask

“You look good in it y/n,” She finally looks up at you, smiling

You smile back at her.

Once she removes the excess tattoo ink she guides you to step outside with her for her to take a picture. After the fact, you two go back into her studio to have her put saniderm on your arm. 

"Now keep that on for a couple of days for me okay?" She smiles 

You nod. You reach into one pocket and pull out the $400 Daniela requested for the piece and then reach into the other and hand it to her. 

"Why thank you love," she smiles 

"That's not all," you say 

You lean forward and give her a kiss on the cheek. She somewhat gives you the same face you did when she did the same to you. 

"Will I see you at the café tomorrow?" She asks 

"You will," you wink at her before making your leave 

She opens the piece a paper: a $40 tip and a note. 

"If you want to get together sometime outside of having café food and tattoos," Daniela read aloud 

At the bottom of the note, was your phone number.

[salmonid-ink]

Let’s talk about Salmonid intelligence!

There seems to be a wide misconception that Salmonids aren’t intelligent, or at the very least, aren’t as smart as Octolings or Inklings. This idea couldn’t be farther from the truth! And because I’m the Resident Salmonid Fanatic™ it’s my job to talk about this. 

In hopes to make people consider and think of Salmonids in a better light, and NOT as pets, I’m going to do my best to pull evidence from in-game, as well as interviews, that imply or outright confirm that Salmonids are sapient, much like our beloved Octolings and Inklings. 

To start, I’d like to touch on their interactions with other creatures, namely their trade deal with the Octarians. It’s hard to argue for Salmonids not being intelligent when you consider the confirmed fact that they actively trade with other creatures to benefit the both of them.

They exchange their useful Power Eggs (and perhaps vegetables and fruits) to the Octarians for mechanical blueprints, weapons, and machine parts (and potentially tentacle cuts for food). We can wager this trade deal has been going on for a long time, as the Salmonids are fitted to the gills with machinery, and you can make the argument that the Octomaw was inspired by Maws!

While the Salmonids could easily take these blueprints and make the machines exactly as the Octarians planned them, these fish take it one step beyond and put their own twist on things! With their intellect, they’ve customized traditional weapons to suit them better, and the examples can be seen in just about every boss you encounter. 

Ink Storm + Brella -> Drizzler

Sting Ray -> Stinger

Ink Jet + Tenta Missiles -> Flyfish

Splash Wall -> Steel Eel

Baller/Splashdown   -> Steelhead

Shielded Octotrooper + Roller  -> Scrapper

Octocopter -> Chinook

Flooder -> Griller

Octo Seeker -> Mothership

Additionally, they are INSANELY resourceful, able to use any scrap of metal or machinery to make their contraptions, and make them decently reliable. Not to mention the fact that Scrappers are able to repair their cars! On the fly! All while under fire! That takes dedication AND smarts!!

Not to mention the fact that Smallfry, who could very well be babies (and I will argue that they are, as there is no benefit to stunting the growth of ANY creature), are able to pilot Flyfish. They were raised just right in the best environment, and now they’re super smart!

Also, Salmonids are crazy creative, with how they’ve incorporated their cookware into their weaponry. They take their aesthetic to the next level, man.

Next, lest talk about their homes!

It’s vastly clear that they have their own society. At the very least, we can take a glimpse of it with their houses. The Lost Outpost (known as the Colony at Sea in Japan) is a great example of this!

While these houses look like they were cobbled together with recycled parts, which falls in line with Salmonid resourcefulness, they are clearly stable living spaces that were built by he Salmonids themselves with ocean living and fishing in mind. 

Additionally, towards the back of the stage, we can see another house with a city on the horizon. While this is purely speculation, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to believe that this city is Salmonid-owned. The areas you go to are claimed to be restricted ocean zones, and given that you’re so far out that you need a house-sized radio dish just to communicate, it’s hard to believe that the city would be owned by anyone else. 

I think these city-based homes would be owned by Salmonids that work with machinery, such as repairmen and mechanics. This could also include artisans! Farmers would obviously live in more rural areas, where they can plant and grow their crops. 

We can also glean a similar idea from the Spawning Grounds (called the Salmonid Dam in many other languages): 

I will argue until the day I die that the dam found in the Spawning Grounds, as well as the adjacent city, belongs to the Salmonids, as evidence by its proximity to the stage, the green water pouring from the dam, and the very clear Salmonid mark on it.

Whether this city was built by them, or it’s one they took ahold of and built upon during one of their past migrations is yet to be determined, seeing my speculations are even true. Either way, it’s clear that the Salmonids are capable of building structures and homes with ease!

If we talk about their homes, even if this is much more on the speculative end, we’ve also GOT to talk about the factory we can see at Marooner’s Bay:

Again, given the proximity to Salmonid territory, as well as the various Salmonid-themed items around the stage, we can speculate that these factories are Salmonid owned, and perhaps where they work on many of their machines and devices.

Things such as Scrapper Cars, Steel Eels, Flyfish jets, Grillers, and Motherships could be constructed here, or this place could be used for processing water or chemicals! It’s a rather vague factory, so again, this is all theoretical. I haven’t a clue what they do here. 

Next let’s talk about their art. The existence of art alone should be enough of an indicator that they have minds to think and feel with! Especially when their designs are as intricate as these:

The most of these can be seen around the Lost Outpost and Spawning Grounds, but every single stage has a few of these markings floating around. I don’t currently have many in-stage caps on hand, but if you take the time to look around, you’ll find a few on the ground and walls!

While a lot of these are very clearly graffiti markings, the intricate designs may have some meaning. While we haven’t a clue what exactly they mean, or what they represent, I think they’re extremely fascinating, and give us a peek into what culture Salmonids have. 

They’re likely made with stencils, but all the same, they were designed carefully, and must hold SOME significance.

I have a theory that these designs are primarily to mark specific territories. Perhaps certain marks mean different schools and families! Or some of them could be warnings, such as to indicate Grizz activity (such as with the bear icon, which appears in a few stages). 

I believe in part, these are a form of expression, ESPECIALLY if they indicate schools. There are so many unique fish-shaped designs, it’d be cool to see how these correlate to individual groups!

They could also be a visual indicator for Inklings and Cephalopods that, yes, this is Salmonid territory, so you’d best stay away! Because while it’d be easy for a Salmonid to tell what area belongs to who by smell alone, Inklings certainly don’t have that luxury!

At any rate, I’d love to see what personal art looks like for Salmonids. What kind of crafts do they make? What sort of things do they love to paint? We don’t really know, and we can only speculate...

One thing we know for certain is that Salmonids appreciate music. It even seems as though they’re inspired by it, given the descriptions that the Salmon Run songs have.

I feel like this is worth stating, even if their existence is fairly common knowledge: ω-3. A band. That plays complex instruments. And does all their own mixing. 

Pretty freakin’ smart, I must say!

Additionally, each of the members have VASTLY different styles. The Cellist is stern and stubborn, and won’t accept anything but the best, be it in passion or in radical works. The timpanist is soulful, passionate, and is straight to the point. The DJ is reckless and disrespectful, yet puts forth his best effort.

All three of them are so unalike to one another in style and personality. They may not even get along that well, but at the end of the day, they value working together SO MUCH that they make amazing, unique, and great-sounding songs that stir and inspire their people. 

It’d be amazing to see what other types of music that Salmonids like, because this can’t be the only kind. However the style of  ω-3 certainly goes hand-in-hand with the chaotic, resourceful, and determined nature of the Salmonids. 

We should also touch up on the fact that Salmonids are stated to have tradition. Aside from their 70-year migration, they’re also stated to pass cookware from generation to generation in Sunken Scroll #19.

"Salmonids are known to keep their weapons in tip-top shape. The frying pans they wield have often been passed down from generation to generation. You can see the unwavering pride of these fierce warriors in their (somewhat crazed) eyes."

I like to think that they also pass things like recipes and other tools down to their offspring and kin. Family and schools on the whole appear to be very important to them, which ties directly into their drive to work together as a unit, rather than separately as a makeshift team.

For some conventional evidence, look at this one bit from the Merry Fishmas piece, posted by official Splatoon sources: 

I LOVE this image, and there are so many tiny details that you can make out in this. Such as these two:

THEY ARE PLAYING CARDS, and this ain’t no dogs playing poker bit, either! It looks like the other one is losing really bad... Or going into a food coma. One way or another, the other Salmonid is trying to check up on them, haha. Or maybe they’re trying to sneak a peek at the other’s cards? Who knows! That sly grin tells a story.

Also, there’s this Goldie, who is fishing:

These are all pretty human-like characteristics, which makes me think, all the more, that they’re on par with Inklings intelligence wise. I REALLY want to see more interactions like this someday, it fills my heart with delight and joy.

Phew.. Well, thank you so much for sticking with me through this whole thing. I hope this helps people get more perspective on Salmonids, and what little we know about their community and culture. 

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 10 second part

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Meta)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Unclean Realm

Lan Wangji has a Louis Henry Sullivan moment on seeing the Nie family home, becoming enraptured by its overwrought monumental architecture after a lifetime of restrained good taste and single-story buildings.

He approaches the fortress with the expression of delighted wonder that he usually reserves for when he’s looking at the moon or at Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian is like, yep that’s a building, all right, but he supports Lan Wangji’s kinks.  

Meng Yao tells them about the Wen Clan directive, and has what appears to be a moment of genuine, affectionate amusement at Nie Huaisang’s reaction.

Jiang Cheng kinda blames the Lans for inventing the whole “indoctrination” thing and for encouraging his brother’s disaster bi tendencies. Wei Wuxian responds by complimenting the Lan Clan, almost like someone who met his true love got some real value out of the instruction he received there.  

(more after the cut)

One of the great ironies of this story is that Wei Wuxian sort of becomes a rogue Lan disciple because of his relationship with Lan Wangji. He relies on Lan temperament techniques, uses music as a primary cultivation method, has committed all of the Lan rules to his supposedly terrible memory and cites them on multiple occasions, and is an important mentor for the younger generation Lan disciples. Because Hanguang-Jun is just that good in bed.

Xue Yang in the background of this conversation is channeling OP’s church-enduring, school-enduring inner 10-year-old.

Nie Mingjue, Chifeng-Zun, appears, and couldn’t be more different than his brother. On first watching this episode, I saw him as a grumpy, sexy, very emotional leather daddy man who is quick to anger. Rewatching, I see someone who’s struggling with a growing illness...the resentful energy kind.

Nie Mingjue’s handling of resentful energy is very different from Wei Wuxian’s straightforward interest and acceptance. NMJ has a traditional cultivator’s view of it, regarding it as evil and as something to resist, while he is literally carrying it on his back. He’s like a secret alcoholic who is preaching temperence, and can’t find a way to be reconciled with himself.  

At this point of the story, Nie Mingjue is keeping it together, but is under a hell of a lot of stress, and Baxia’s blood thirst is already maybe a problem.

The Yunmeng bros think that Nie Huaisang’s fear of his brother is hilarious, because they don’t understand the situation. They think he’s just living in a hideously toxic family dynamic like theirs, when actually he’s in a loving, sorta healthy, if parentless, family that is being crushed under a generational curse.

Compliments for the Yunmeng Bros

I’m not the first meta poster to notice how happy Jiang Cheng is to be praised by Nie Mingjue.

He never gets this at home. Jiang Yanli praises him, but in that watery “you tried your best” way that doesn’t really stick.  Nie Mingjue’s praise really means something, because he is a fearsome warrior and stern authority figure. And this is a double compliment, because Nie Mingjue says he heard it from Lan Xichen, and agrees with it.

Let’s Make Terrible Decisions

Keep Xue Yang alive, says Wei Wuxian, and Meng Yao immediately agrees, although I’m pretty sure he would have proposed that even if WWX hadn’t.

So they do, not realizing that “kill him later” is never a good plan for someone who 1. super needs killing 2. has a whole lot of death-dealing skills.

Future clan leader Jiang Cheng notices how smart and talented Meng Yao is.  Xue Yang finds it hilarious when the trio praises Meng Yao, possibly because their evil team up is already underway.

Boss’ Bed Warmer Son of a Ho

The constant insults toward Meng Yao are about his mom, but there’s another level of leering implication, that Meng Yao seems to encourage in his conversation with the soon-to-be-murdered guard captain.

Nie Mingjue elevated him way above his expectations, and he is ridiculously pretty, which has to create rumors. In the Nightless City scenes when he’s fondling Baxia and telling Nie Mingjue’s family secrets there’s definitely a sense of intimacy that’s not just “loyal retainer.”

I feel like maybe this whole exchange is a bit of theater designed to show Xue Yang something without showing it to anyone else. Meng Yao didn’t need to have this conversation in front of his prisoner.

Let’s Do Exactly What We Said We Wouldn’t

Once the younger quartet are alone with Nie Mingjue, Wei Wuxian crosses the room away from his friends and practically into Lan Wangji’s pocket, if Lan Wangji had pockets.

He has no pockets and also has no personal bubble any more, when it comes to Wei Wuxian.

We could make a weapon out of Yin Iron, Wei Wuxian says, completely forgetting his entire conversation with Lan Yi, apparently. Lan Wangji doesn’t argue with this idea.

Nie Mingjue warns Wei Wuxian not to try it.

I stabbed a man in Qinghe just to watch him die

Nie Mingjue is like the Johnny Cash of the cultivation world, carrying the weight of his poor choices and trying to steer the young folk to the path of righteousness. But--like Johnny Cash--his bad choices have made him really fucking cool, so he isn’t very good at deterring anybody.

Meng Yao Didn’t Come Here to Make Friends

Immediately after Meng Yao’s fellow Nie clan people call him “son of a whore” again, Wei Wuxian meets him, is nice to him, addresses him by his military title, bows to him, asks why he’s away from the party, and thanks him for his service.

But Meng Yao has already decided to make friends with Xue Yang, so Wei Wuxian goes onto his list of people that he doesn’t give a crap about except if they can be useful to him.  Then Meng Yao goes to make out hatch a plot with Xue Yang.

I’ll Sleep On Your Roof

Meeting SongXiao seems to have done away with the last of Lan Wangji’s resistance to his connection with Wei Wuxian.

He hears a noise on the roof and, when realizing it’s Wei Wuxian, he smiles one of his tiny reserved smiles before heading outside.

When he sees Wei Wuxian drunkenly sprawled on the roof, limbs akimbo, wine on his chin and neck, mouth full of poetry about the open road, Lan Wangji gives him the most fond look imaginable.

Then he reluctantly leaves, with his signature “say goodbye, but only when he can’t hear you” thing.

They’ve both come a really long way since their first meeting. Wei Wuxian is openly and vocally attaching himself to Lan Wangji...but is not actually entering his space or asking for anything from him; he just wants to be near him, and wants to let him know that. “I’ll sleep on your roof tonight.”

And Lan Wangji just...loves him. Wei Wuxian is drunk, embarrassing, demonstrative, eager to make a hell weapon out of yin iron, touchy feely, and absurdly sexy. And Lan Wangji is pretty okay with all of that.

I Might Have Been Drunk

Wei Wuxian carefully avoids telling Jiang Cheng where he was last night.

Even if he did get blackout drunk, he would have woken up on Lan Wangji’s roof. And I don’t think he was as drunk as that. He just knows Jiang Cheng wouldn’t like the truth.

Wen Fucking Chao, Again

Wen Chao shows up to be annoying and boring.  This leads to a pretty good fight between Nie Mingjue and Wen Zhuliu. Note that when the chips are down, Nie Huaisang stands with his Gege without any cowering. Almost as if he had hidden reserves of bravery, and is not as helpless as he lets on.

Wen Zhuliu isn’t styled to be super hot, although he’s certainly compelling, and in Dance of the Phoenix he looks good with sensitive-guy hair wispies. I wonder what actor Feng Mingjing looks like out of character?

BRB, adding a tag to my follow list

Battle Bros

When the fighting breaks out, the Yunmeng brothers are decisive and united, with Wei Wuxian giving orders to Jiang Cheng and JC following without hesitation.

I feel like if these two could have gone through a few big battles together, instead of being separated during most of the Sunshot campaign, their whole relationship would have improved. On the battlefield, they respect, trust, and understand each other.  

The Pointy End

Nie Mingjue is holding his own against Wen Zhuliu, but he gets distracted by Meng Yao hollering “Xue Yang has escaped” and then shanking the guard captain right in front of him.

Wen Zhuliu takes advantage of the distraction to aim a very slow stab at Nie Huasang, and Meng Yao jumps in front to get stabbed on his behalf.

When the Yunmeng bros show up to help NMJ, Wen Zhuliu immeiately yanks Wen Chao back behind him and points his sword at Wei Wuxian. He absolutely sees these two as a serious threat.  Considering that eventually WWX is going to kill Wen Chao while JC kills Wen Zhuliu, this concern is not misplaced.

Wei Wuxian tells Wen Chao to stop being such a jerk, and Wen Chao menaces Wei Wuxian and gloats about the burning of cloud recesses. The burning, that is, of some part of cloud recesses that doesn’t include the library, the Jingshi, the main cultivation chamber, the rabbit warren, or Lan Qiren’s house, unless the Lan Clan is really really good at rebuilding things to very exact specifications.

In a rare moment of seeing Meng Yao’s internal thoughts, he is worried about Lan Xichen when he hears about cloud recesses.

The Yelling Part

Now we have the particularly nasty breakup between Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao. It’s...got some layers. Meng Yao is cowering on the floor, but is not apologizing.

He never apologizes throughout this encounter.

孟瑤無悔  - Meng Yao (has) no regrets

This scene is amazing and excruciating to watch, even more when you know what’s ahead.

What the Fuck is Meng Yao’s Plan

On one level this is Meng Yao, manipulative sociopath, setting up a cover story for his aiding and alliance with Xue Yang.  On another, this is Meng Yao, loving subordinate, being tossed aside by his lord because he dared to stand up for himself.

He uses the same “scout’s honor” gesture we’ve seen Wei Wuxian use to swear he’s telling the truth. Wei Wuxian is always lying when he uses this gesture.

I’m...not sure exactly what Meng Yao’s plan is, with all these chess moves? By stabbing the captain in front of NHS, he created an opportunity to plant a cover story about Xue Yang’s escape. He might be hoping that Nie Mingjue will forgive him and keep him on, while Xue Yang can stay in his back pocket to be used later.

Dry eyes? Try Visene

Or he might be intending to get kicked out, given his non-apology. In any case, Nie Mingjue is weeping during this encounter, and Meng Yao...isn’t. He is signaling distress in his voice, expression, and body language, but his eyes are dry up until the last moment, and even then they just glisten a bit. In a show where every actor is an expert at crying on cue, that’s got to be a deliberate choice.

Which isn’t to say that Meng Yao is faking being full of emotion in this scene. It’s just that the emotion isn’t necessarily sorrow.

What Does Nie Mingjue’s Head Think

Flip the view and this is about Nie Mingjue being betrayed by a subordinate, who has turned out to be a self-serving murderer. And on another level it’s Nie Mingjue being betrayed by his lover, who was just using him for advancement.

I rewatched the later episode where we get the scene as Nie Mingjue’s head perceived it, and he’s particularly brokenhearted and disillusioned from his head’s POV.  In that version there is a telling addition to the conversation.

Nie Mingjue asks about the guys who were roasting Meng Yao behind his back. He asks, if I hadn’t come, would you have murdered all of them?

Um. No, dude. Of course fucking not. That’s what a patriarchal authority does. That’s the way an angry Nie Mingjue/Baxia team might solve a problem.

Meng Yao has to use subterfuge to kill his enemies. And while he super hates being called “son of a whore” it’s absolutely not enough to make him kill someone, with the risk murder brings. Likewise, being treated well isn’t enough to make him spare someone. Nie Mingjue totally doesn’t get this, because he’s been the patriarch of this clan his entire adult life.

And Here’s the Actual Problem

There is a betrayal here, but Nie Mingjue is not simply a victim.  Whether it’s a sexual relationship or a non-sexual bond of affection, there can be nothing solid in Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao’s relationship within a feudal society, because it is fundamentally unequal. Even if they love each other deeply - which I’m not convinced either of them does - every encounter they have is tainted with power dynamics.

Meng Yao has been elevated by Nie Mingjue and quite probably taken into his bed, as well as being told many family secrets, but has not been given a new surname (like, for example, Wen Zhuliu was) or independent power. More importantly, Nie Mingjue has not used his authority to remove or punish the many people who disrespect his subordinate.  Lan Qiren would have had all of those gossipy fuckers kneeling in the snow, and Wen Ruohan would feed them to his mosh pit zombies.

Meng Yao is a murderous little snake, but he is right to be angry with Nie Mingjue about some things, and his pursuit of his own agenda is understandable.

Well, That Was a Slice

Meng Yao leaves, hurt, with a dignified bow; just as he did that one time when his dad kicked him down the Carp Tower steps.

Take note, both patriarchal authorities: that is his way of saying “I’m going to murder you one day.”

Nie Mingjue sits with his broken heart, as we realize that we’ve only spent 20 minutes with this guy and we’ve gone on an entire emotional journey with him. This episode packed in a LOT.

Soundtrack: Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison Blues

[maxwell-grant]

Would you consider Hugo Strange a pulp villain?

Yes. And I would argue that he didn't really stop being one even after his revival.

"Professor Hugo Strange, the most dangerous man in the world! Scientist, philosopher and a criminal genius - little is known of him, yet this man is undoubtly the greatest organizer of crime in the world! - Bruce Wayne, Detective Comics #36

Hugo Strange was created with the intention of being Batman's arch-enemy right from the start, introduced as such by Bruce when he figures out he's responsible for the G-man assassination, pretty explicitly intended to be Batman's Moriarty and with even an equivalent demise. He was big enough to tower over his henchmen and fistfight Batman, he had a uniquely deformed skull, he was both a charismatic but threatening crimelord as well as a mad scientist plotting to TAKE OVER THE WORLD, and I've heard before the argument that the Monster Men were taken from a Doc Savage novel released earlier the same year called The World's Fair Goblin that revolves around a giant mutated man doing crimes under command by the story's villain

That poor devil, Maximus, was a Fair visitor himself, once. He was given injections of thyroxine and adrenalin—and changed rapidly into a pituitary giant. But, in the experiment, his will power was destroyed. Now he only follows the directions of that masked devil who has him hypnotized

He said, "The Man of Tomorrow stuff was merely publicity to draw the Fair crowds—and a shield to cover your own experiments. But the masked surgeon cashed in on it. Obviously he is mad enough to really believe a superman can be created." - The World's Fair Goblin

(Considering Lester Dent had taken potshots at Superman explicitly in "Whisker of Hercules", it's not unlikely that this is an explicit reference)

Although there's really no overlap in the stories besides that, as The World's Fair Goblin only had one giant where as Hugo mutated a couple dozen mentally ill patients to create monsters and then used them to go on mass murdering rampages, because Batman has always been over-the-top. But, yeah, original form Hugo was a pretty cut and dry pulp villain, like most of Batman's villains who debuted prior to 1940. Which is part of why he only had about 3 appearences before they killed him off.

By this point, Batman was in the process of moving away from his pulp knock-off origins into more of his own character, with the introduction of Robin and Dick Tracy cartoon villains that would set the tone for the rest of Batman in the Golden Age, and with the debut of Joker and Catwoman in Batman #1, Hugo was already obsolete as an arch-enemy, and was killed off the following appearence.

Of course, if you know Hugo Strange, you likely already know this, and that he was then revived in the 70s by Marshall Rogers with a brilliant take that stuck to the character's origins as a brilliant crimelord and scientific genius, but also added to him a specifically twisted psychological bent of being obsessed with Batman and becoming Batman, a villain of unshakeable will and even a twisted sense of honor and ethics, refusing to divulge Batman's secret identity even while beaten to death.

And from that moment onwards Hugo would go on to have some of the most consistently brilliant appearences out of any Batman villain (at least until the 2010s) and would secure himself as a mainstay, albeit a very obscure one, figure of Batman, the kind of villain whose plots can range from Born Again-esque subtle destructions of a person's life to a rampage of mutant kaijus on downtown Gotham, and like many of the best Batman villains, it all comes back to a central obsession and psychological edge upon Batman, and the weaponizing and destruction of anything that stands in his way.

You could argue Hugo Strange used to be a cut and dry pulp villain who was eventually reimagined as a Batman Villain, and it would even be somewhat fitting of his in-universe trajectory as a man who started out a career as a figure of prestige and respect, effortlessly able to blend in society, until his repeated encounters with Batman and, most importantly, his gradually increasing obsession with becoming Batman, gradually destroyed him until he's no longer the one ruling the madhouse, but instead trapped in it.

But the reason why I'd argue Hugo Strange is still a Pulp Villain is because his reinventions didn't shed away what he used to be, they merely returned him to his true origins. Because Hugo, you see, is not just a Mad Scientist or Mad Psychologist, Batman's got those by the dozens. Hugo is of a particularly nasty kind of Pulp Villain, who came to existence around the same time as the Mad Scientist if not slightly earlier, an archetype Jess Nevins has named The Evil Surgeon

Medicine has arguably thrown up more serial killers than all the other professions put together, with nursing a close second - Herbert Kinnel, former chairman of the British Medical Association

The Evil Surgeon came to existence as a pop culture archetype in the late 19th century, as the result of serial killers like Jack the Ripper and H.H Holmes making the news, with Doctor Quartz from Nick Carter being first and foremost among these, as the main arch-enemy of the most published character worldwide at the time.

He would be followed years later by H.G Wells's Doctor Moreau, and the likes of Dr Caresco and Professor Tornada, the stars of novels created by André Couvreur, who was himself a medical doctor and used these novels to both condemn the characters as well as give serious consideration to the ideas they explored, and depicted Dr Caresco's over-the-top exploits harkening back to stories about Marquis de Sade (the origin of the term "sadist"). These would be followed by characters like Grigorii Trirodov, Dr Cornelius Kramm, Dr Gogol from Mad Love, currently the most famous example of this seems to be Hannibal Lecter. And Hugo has been operating much more along the lines of those characters in the last decades, than the typical mad scientists he was once designed in reference to.

Of course there's a massive overlap between the two and room to dispute whether they even constitute separate archetypes, they practically came to existence together following the footsteps of Victor Frankenstein, who really isn't a true example of a Mad Scientist in the original novel, and wasn't even a real doctor, but Frankenstein's reputation undeniably is the oldest cultural touchstone we can point to as an influence in the archetype, even if said archetype would only truly take form in pulp magazines and serials.

What I'd argue defines the Evil Surgeon as an archetype specifically, is that they are specifically centered around the violation and destruction of the human body and function more as murderers with budgets, than supervillains in labcoats. Mad Scientists are generally more centered around plots closer to sci-fi/fantasy inventions like sentient robots and immortality potions used for large scale global domination, where as Evil Surgeons are more preoccupied with wielding psychology and torture and criminal resources to get away with destroying minds on more individual scales, or turning cities into slaughterhouses for them to work in.

They aren't quite full blown slasher villains, like Zsasz or Professor Pyg, instead they usually tend to be quite good at passing off as respectable, mentally sound figures of moral standing, and usually possess a sense of purpose towards their work, a goal they are working for by piling corpses atop each other and moving resources to achieve, even if said goal is a purely selfish fulfillment of their own desires. It's quite common for these characters to acquire large bases for them to operate in, even islands specifically.

In Caresco Surhomme, Caresco has taken control of the Pacific island of Eucrasia. Caresco applies his surgical methods to the inhabitants of the island, altering them to better do their jobs. The captain of the plane which brings outsiders to Eucrasia is a limbless trunk with telescopic vision. Even the island itself is in the shape of a human body. The natives of Eucrasia are addicted to various sensual pleasures and generally submit to Caresco’s rule, for fear that he will castrate them or worse.

On Eucrasia, Caresco makes use of “omnium,” a mysterious and unexplained power source, to create: a machine capable of stripping the years from human bodies and reversing the aging process, a fast underground train system, food pills, omnium-powered diving suits, and so on. Caresco is given to such things as collecting the spleens of all those he operates on - Jess Nevins, The Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes

So, yes, I absolutely would argue Hugo Strange is still a Pulp Villain. Pulp villains do come in many different forms other than the Fu Manchus and Fantomases that are most commonly imitated, pulp was the breeding ground of the supervillain as a concept after all, where they got to star in their own magazines time and time again. Hugo started off as a fairly generic one, and when he's written poorly, he tends to be brought onboard of a story purely because it calls for a mad scientist.

But Strange came back from death as something much, much worse than just a crimelord and mad scientist, a much more rare and much nastier type of villain that, much like Hugo himself, may lie dormant, but refuses to stay dead for long.

"Quincy. My servant. My friend," Hugo said. "We don't have much time."

Quincy was crying again, with joy. "How, master, how did you-?"

The therapy, Quincy realized. The hypnosis. The drugs.

"Stay with me master, please!" Quincy tried to grab hold a phantom hand.

"I cannot." Strange said, looking benevolently down at Quincy, stroking his hair with a touch the prisoner couldn't feel. "But there is one last service you can perform me."

"Anything, Hugo, please."

"First, remove the sheet from your bed, Quincy. And tie it to the light-fixture on the ceiling."

[thenamesblurrito]

ladies and gentlemen this is ask dump no. 5

aw scrap here we go again!

answered asks include body modification as the opposite of empurata, Mutacons making bandages out of kibble, kibble used as furniture, numbers of Sweeps, a DILF alligator, RID15 Tidal Wave, a BIG infodump on dealing with the circus that is Iacon’s media, Cybertronian muppets, a WIP of Elita Infin1te (or rather her sword), and the many secret sufferings of Alpha Trion.

yea, sorta! body modification in SNAP is more limited than in canon. you can’t simply switch out your body like the total frame reformats of IDW or TFP, and losing a limb can be permanent if not healed in time. for the most part, the frame you have is the frame you’re stuck with, and those frames fall within specific parameters.

HOWEVER-

some modification and upgrades do exist! the most prominent here would be a prosthetic helm like Lugnut. if the processor is left intact and attached after a helm injury, a new helm can be sculpted, with extra optics to make up for the lower quality of artificial optics, and as visibly different as possible to differentiate from empurata. other replacements and prosthetics are common after debilitating injury where the original body part cannot be saved. whether or not the prosthetic is as good as the original depends on the individual and the specific injury. there are also functional medical upgrades, like thicker armor attachments, alt mode additions, etc. almost every upgrade is for the express purpose of improving one’s frame for their function, and there’s definitely a limit to them. you can’t give yourself new limbs if you only had four to begin with. a grounder cannot become a flier. the spark can only power so much mass in the frame, and some people have adverse reactions that mean the upgrades don’t take and must be removed.

this sort of relates to the next point here-

yes, with some caveats.

Cybertronians are a segmentary species, so they can detach some body parts for a bit without negative consequences, as long as that body part is reattached for revitalization and repair. many folks can do this without any medical assistance for the less integral kibble. for instance, Kup uses his tow arm as a walking stick, but he has to reattach it whenever he wants to go into alt mode, and if he doesn’t transform he still needs to reattach it for a couple hours every day at minimum. so if a Mutacon were to create a makeshift splint out of kibble and detach it, it would likely be fine, as long as they got that kibble back. otherwise, they’ve lost a whole chunk of their body that they can’t just regenerate.

for shifting armor to cover a wound without detaching it, that depends on the nature of the wound. if it’s ragged, large, or in areas with a lot of joints or movement, it might be difficult to shuffle around plating to cover it. a more superficial injury in a less delicate area would be easier

sort of! it’ll depend on the individual’s kibble, of course! double checking SNAP Bulkhead, i don’t think he could, because his kibble isn’t large enough. but Scylla could probably use her alt mode arms as a chair, Wreck-Gar has a built in backpack and belly bag, and of course the Necrobot uses his wingcloak as hands. different kibble with different bonus uses

the ideal number of Sweeps is seven, since less than that means they don’t have enough collective processing power to function optimally. more than seven, however, puts a strain on that collective processing power to smoothly operate so many at once. so there’s usually packs of as close to seven as they can get.

as to how many can just exist at the same time, it’s limited only by how many Scourge is willing to forge. he first invents them in s1e06 A Use for Army-building! An Upgrade to Sweeps. by the next episode they figure out that having dozens of them running around is... well it’s about as chaotic as having dozens of flying puppies with hands and weapons would be. in large numbers they’re very difficult to control. good thing Galvatron is excellent at commanding his new army!

(the post this is referring to) @oldboyjensenhinglemeier​ thanks Dilf Waitress, i can always rely on you

(the post this is referring to) i think that’s fantastic, i’d love to see a Cybertronian whale. imagine the size of the holding cell you’d have to have for him!

oooohohoho what a sticky subject. here’s a quick rundown on faction ideology to give you some context for how they operate and thus deal with the media. the heroes aren’t referred to as heroes, but rather as vigilantes at best and violent gangs in a turf war at worst. Froid has remotely diagnosed them with pathological dissent. at the same time, some folks have jumped on the market to make hero merch, and it becomes a very lucrative business for some. public opinion is constantly torn between fear and anger at how they do whatever they’d like and gratitude and admiration for how they throw themselves in harms way to prevent disaster and save people. it’s really a giant mess all the time that changes by the day.

there is of course the whole snafu surrounding the media’s portrayal of the Elite Guard as a backup team for the Autobots, and Elita 1 as Optimus’ sidekick. and Elita 1 is Not Happy about that. Elita 2 is startlingly good at winding the reporters around her little finger and always seems to know just what to say, whereas Elita 3 just grumbles at the cameras, even sometimes demanding they respect boundaries or be locked in the nearest building with the use of her powers. Elita 4 barely notices them unless she’s in the mood to prank someone, and Elita 5 just avoids them, as they tend to dramatize her size and thus her danger. given their excellent teamwork and how they’re (mostly) in favor of reform instead of anarchy, the Elite Guard would actually have a good shot at getting along with the news, except they bow to precisely no one, including the people wanting to interview them, so instead they come across as a standoffish and self-serving clique with dangerous habits

the Decepticons are in the bad-boy limelight and they love it. well, at least Galvatron, Hellscream, and Thunderblast do. Galvatron takes advantage of every opportunity to pontificate on the evils of society and the right to rise up for freedom. broadcasters have learned to cut the cameras as soon as he starts speaking so his ideas don’t get the chance to spread too far. Hellscream cares less about principles and more about scaring the living daylights out of every reporter he sees, often leaving them with cracked equipment and ringing audials from the sheer destructive power of his voice. Thunderblast just wants to preen in all the attention and boy does she get it. Cyclonus actively avoids most gawkers, Scourge talks too long and complicated to make good news, Drift either ignores them or sends them away with some lofty spiritual advice, and Triptych is dangerously unpredictable so most reporters have learned to stay away from him.

the Predacons came into existence in a negative light, and they were grimly prepared for it. after all, Sixshot used to be a Decepticon, and their falling-out and defection caused quite a stir. when Abominus first appeared, the fearful reaction of the public to such an ‘abomination’ is actually how he chose his name in the first place. Airachnid loves tormenting reporters with nuclear-grade sarcasm and subtle threats, but if anyone makes her truly mad she’ll string them up in her web cabling and leave them hanging. she also flaunts that cabling by using her darts to knit nets, shawls, and other decorations, despite the fact that getting cabling tangled up in seams and joints can lead to something called entrapment protocols, mentioned in the seventh ask here. Enforcers use capture equipment designed to trigger entrapment protocols, so her mimicry of that as nothing more than a casual accessory is a big ‘frag you’.

Soundwave.... is a category of his own. he only comes into being in the fourth season, but the media soon learns to quake at the thought of encountering Soundwave, and his minicons are little better. there’s at least one instance where he Rosanna-rolls the entirety of Iacon.

the Autobots keep wavering between ‘the only true good ones of all these vigilantes’ and ‘the worst possible people in the world, hide the children, lock the doors’ in the eyes of the media. Optimus does his best to treat everyone fairly, and the Mistress usually has something encouraging to share. much like Galvatron but for completely opposite reasons, broadcasters have learned to cut cameras when Ultra Magnus starts talking, because his encyclopedic knowledge of law means he regularly lists every instance of malpractice, abuse, illegality, and disrespect that he sees in the average reporter, Enforcer, or politician, which is not the kind of upbraiding that would serve the propaganda machine. however, it does get him the attention of Tyrest, who leverages legality and public opinion to try and draw Ultra Magnus into an agreement during s3e03- A Councilmember’s Boon! An Upgrade to Legality. Rodimus is a chaos beast who has been known to snatch cameras for selfies. it’s kind of a tossup as to whether Cheetor will be going slow enough to show up in the footage or not.

now, i can’t talk about the media without mentioning the feral force of nature that is Rewind. the best of the best, he’s the only one willing to brave the battlefields for an up-close look, constantly endangering himself in order to get the freshest scoop. he might not always hold opinions in line with the mandated propaganda about these vigilantes, but the media lets him get away with it, since he’s the most successful at getting them more news. this has caused him to be targeted at least once, unfortunately.

love this question. love it. you know those lil remote controlled robot dogs, or things to that effect? i’m imagining that’s what Cybertronian muppets are like, since they can create robotics and animatronics with a lot more finesse and ease than we can. in fact, making fabric is probably harder for them than robotics, since they don’t have the same materials as we do to work with. but anyway, these muppets wouldn’t be limited by what a hand can do to puppet them around, being instead remote controlled from off stage, so i don’t know if they’d have that kind of visual gag. maybe instead there would be fourth-wall breaking where one muppet snatches the remote of another?

the painful thing about this answer is that i have a design i’m happy with EXCEPT FOR THE HELM i have sketched and resketched a dozen different ideas ugh. the body looks fine, all five of them combined in a way that makes sense to me, but i just CANNOT get the helm right i’m so angry. anyway here’s the Cyber Caliber, all of their swords combined into one massive weapon

the more accurate question is, what hasn’t happened to him. he’s been through a lot, the poor mech. but i’ll list some things for you:

that one time he had a sibling be erased from reality

that one time he had to murder another sibling because they decided evil was fun

that one time a fragging beachball stole his work

the fact he doesn’t know if his twin is alive or not

that one time he was a junker running for his life

that one time he was too late to save the Terminus Blade, and it was stolen

that one time his pride and joy, the Athenaum Sanctorum, was destroyed, and everything archived there was lost

that other time the same fragging beachball stole his work

that other time he was a junker hiding for his life

the fact that the theft of his diary started a whole new branch of religion and he has to read his own words as if they’re sacred

the fact that the title of Trion was in fact derived from his diary, and the sheer painful irony of being given the title of Trion.

that one time he had to rip off some fingers to fit in

that one time Trypticon showed up, awhile before the JAAT was founded, and he had to take it on alone

that other time Trypticon showed up when the JAAT opened and he had to hand out some precious relics to children to protect the school

aaaaand his current reason for drinking! the fact that of all twenty-something heroes running around, he only knows who THREE of them are because he only gave out THREE RELICS! and relics just keep disappearing from the collection he’s guarding

someone help him he is not having a good time. and it’s only going to get worse...