#LC-20

[lonestarflight]

NASA "Missile Row" at Cape Canaveral. In the top left, the VAB is under construction.

Date: November 13, 1964

NASA ID: KSC-64PC-82

[kelocitta]

In honor of the @rw-ship-showdown I wanted to write about Artihunter as someone who jokingly slapped them together pre-downpour and still thinks they are actually very compelling. Just not in the super soft love wins kinda way (Although I get why people like that more) And the only way I know how to do that is talking too much so heres a far too long slug essay-

Obviously the slugcats don't offer a ton of characterization but theres not nothing to work with. Their stories, whether by their roles in it or the overarching themes do provide a backbone to work with. Even gameplay itself can provide a bit. (for some more than others) Hunter, to me, is ultimately a story about selflessness. The goal is to revive Moon, which is very much an act of kindness from both Hunter and NSH. But the weight of that action is much more significant for Hunter- Hunter is deeply sick. They're on the clock, and for all their skill in combat none of that will ultimately help them to survive longer than their body can hold out. Moon is a close friend of NSH but that means little Hunter- Hunter really gets next to nothing out of helping them, and ultimately pays quiet a bit spending their limited time alive fighting to deliver that neuron so that someone else can live.

To spend ones limited days on helping another, in a game that very much stresses the unwavering cruelty of the world and nature- is pretty notable. (And you could even say that Hunter being the Hardmode of Rain World adds another layer to this)

And then we have Artificer. A storyline that very much stands out to people as more… villainous (so to speak) than the other slugcats. Artificer's story covers a lot of things. Trauma, violence, revenge, etc. Revenge is a bit of a selfish desire- That need to see someone hurt as they have hurt you. A punishment that ultimately does not fix whatever harm was done- but feels good to see because you were hurt and now those responsible share that pain.

Artificer's actions are founded in that need for revenge, their pups killed for overstepping boundaries they didn't know existed. Is it not fair for them to be angry at that, to punish the scavengers for their violence with their own? Why should the scavengers ever be forgiven when they and their pups were not? And that's how you get that loop- Harm for harm over and over.

The original action has been lost in a spiral of violence for violence. And here stands Artificer- their very spirit scarred. Not just because they sought revenge, but because they never ceased trying to scratch that itch for violence as an answer. Artificer only has two paths for their story- killing the scavenger king (Someone who, really, has little to do with the original 'crime' of the scavengers, but represents an important individual to them- as did the slugpups to Artificer), locking themselves as karma one for good and spending the rest of their life chasing creatures that no longer even fight back in a warped sense of closure- or to dissolve themselves in the acids of the void sea because they're too far gone to find any real peace.

They can't meaningfully recover from that state, not alone, twisting in on themselves. Even if they halt their actions, they've been using violence as a feeble defense against their own pain- violence that no longer has any real direction or basis. Artificer gets no real closure from killing the scavenger king. All they can do is continue the cycle, or try to scrub it away. No real peace in a prison of their own making. So you have a creature, who even with a strict timer on their life- a body that will crumble to disease, spends its last bit of time on saving another. And another who was so caught up in the pain of loss that were eaten alive by their own anger, poisoned their own soul on such a deep level even self-proclaimed gods have no solution for them. What peace can they offer each other? For Hunter, its only a fleeting moment of happiness- of selfish love, before their own body fails them. A bit of indulgence in something for themself. For Artificer, its a single, comforting thread to ground them again, something tangible to protect and care about again. But thats a thread that will ultimately be snapped under the cruel indifference of the world. Hunters timer will tick down regardless of if it takes another with it. Its a tragedy- its doomed to end badly. Whatever good it offers to either of them to find each other will only provide the fleeting comfort of a band-aid that will be ripped away too early. But all that can be worth indulging in anyway, if only for the moment. It doesn't change the ending, but the ending was never going to be happy. Its can so yuri

[pac1fythehunger]

aren't they kinda like angels

[the-woodlouse]

Los Campesinos! blinkies

in honor of the lc! song bracket tournament coming to an end (and me finally seeing them live!!) im posting the lc! blinkies i made a little while back, one for each album + wdb and a general lc! one

i dont think ive seen any los camp! blinkies out in the wild before (if there are any let me know pls!!) so enjoy!

[humanblt]

i found a bnuuy in my yard can you guys look after her for me

[azareiiextras]

I'm trying so hard to get caught up in Limbus Company but Kromer is just such a Kromer that I've been stuck for the past few months.

[reformedpeasant]

I guess the los campesinos song of the day is for whom the belly tolls

may I have a moment please, before the guillotine to lament on her wet hair?

[poppurini]

why play hard to get bladie

[a-world-in-grey]

I was deep-diving through tvtropes and-

I have no idea how accurate it is because I never played episode Ardyn. But please consider.

AU where Ifrit wakes up, sees daemonified Ardyn and goes "Wait, that was NOT the Plan". And proceeds to burn Ardyn (and most of the lab) in the Holy Fire, purifying him and accidentally-on-purpose giving him Ifrit's Blessing. (It was totally on purpose)

(Canon and the Prophecy are Yeeted out of the window)

Been sitting on this, because this? This is brilliant. Raven, you have no idea how badly I want this.

Ifrit's been dead-ish (you can kill an Astral as hard as you like, they just come back like a bad gil) for thousands of years by the time the Scourge surfaces in Somnus and Ardyn's time. Being dead or sleeping doesn't prevent an Astral from knowing things, so Ifrit is aware of House Caelum, is aware of Bahamut's plan to deal with the Starscourge.

(What does Ifrit think of the Scourge? He once loved humanity, may still love humanity despite Solheim's betrayal. Does he regret that he is not there to help? Does he weep for the children he once nurtured, taught, and cherished? Does he weep for the lives that will be lost?)

(Or does he laugh? That the only one to help humanity combat the Scourge is Bahamut, wholly unsuited to face an enemy that cannot be killed with a blade? That the ones who spurned him will now die to something he could have would have saved them from?)

But Ifrit doesn't care to watch Bahamut's flawed plan play out (doesn't care to watch the children of his Sparks waste away in the night) so he turns away from the goings on.

It's the chill (the feel of his lover's kiss) seeping into his bones that wakes him. He wakes, furious, because how dare she, how dare she after she sided with the rest of their kin, with those traitorous humans.

Only, it's not Shiva.

Through the fire and fury coursing through his soul, Ifrit doesn't recognize where he is. It's a human lab - not the same as Solheim's once were, not the same architecture, not quite as advanced.

He recognizes the son of House Caelum.

Bahamut's Chosen Sacrifice.

And here's the thing: Ifrit is the god of Knowledge. More than the other Astrals, Ifrit's power is to know. Anything and anyone, anywhere and any time.

So when Ifrit looks at Ardyn Lucis Caelum, he knows.

He knows this man's love for his people. The lengths he went to help his people. His love for his lover and his kin. His kin's betrayal. His lover's death. Bahamut's rejection. His own people abandoning him.

Two thousand years locked away in the dark with naught but memories and grief.

Ifrit knows how that old Soldier thinks. Bahamut is War. Bahamut is Duty and Sacrifice. Bahamut will sacrifice this healer alongside whoever his new Chosen one will be.

Ifrit hates humanity. They burned him and time hasn't healed that wound.

But... he loved them once. Mortals who burned as bright as they burned short, sparks of ingenuity in their eyes as they took the first staggering steps he helped them achieve and figured out how to run.

Thousands of years later, a little healer took a gift and used it to save lives in a way it was never intended.

Ifrit looks at Ardyn Lucis Caelum. He sees himself staring back.

Ifrit hates humanity.

He hates Bahamut more.

In the mere second after laying eyes on Bahamut's discarded Chosen King, Ifrit burns the lab in Holy Fire.

His new Spark burns with him.

[simcardiac-arrested]

OHHHHH MY GOD COMING OFF ANON BECAUSE !??!?!? SCPSL MENTIOn!!?!??!? you are the ONLY person i've EVER seen that mentioned that game in being similar to lethal company ohhhh my god oh my god i used to be so crazy autism over that game Okay. okay. oh my godddd I LOVE(D) SCPSL SO MUCH and it makes me so so so happy to see a game like it get so popular!!! i love lethal company!!! and i love the creatures and the randomly generated facilities and the PROXIMITY chat and the lore (sigurd adn desmond<3) and i love that ALL MY FRIENDS CAN AND DO PLAY ITTT ^__^ its like 14 year old me got blessed by the autism fairy joy and beauty to the world

i don’t know how to say this in a way that wont make me sound like i shouldnt be allowed in public spaces so i’ll just go ahead and say it. I have 200 hours in scpsl

[kvtoid]

do yoi see it. do you see the vision

[acr3ss-the-cosmos]

MY SKIN IS CLEAR AND MY CROPS ARE WATERED

[hydrachea]

My body is ready.

[vxnuslogy]

MAY ALL AVENTURINE WANTERS BE AVENTURINE HAVERS

[4izawas]

oh yeah … so i cracked …

[rabbitcruiser]

Apollo program: Apollo 11’s crew successfully makes the first manned landing on the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon (July 21 UTC) on July 20, 1969.