#Revived... Phew..: Other Interactions

[therebornofashadow]

"I like my Hotdog :3"

HELLOOOOO, THIS IS @lavenanswers 's FORSAKEN ASK BLOG!!!

[ Two time will talk like this ]

And this will be when he's doing an action

The rules are the same as my Solitude and Banished knight ask blog. Two time isnt shipped w/ anyone yet so uhhh Two time x Yall?? IDK!?

And Different tags will be made!!

[sparrowsabre7]

Just trying to mentally parse out Megatron's multiple plans in the Transformers trilogy as if they weren't made up film by film.

So Megatron begins life on the same side as Optimus and all other Transformers. He doesn't become truly evil until Optimus' archaeology team discovers a monument, which acts as a communication device for The Fallen. Megatron interacts with The Fallen and becomes evil and founds the Decepticons. The Fallen demands Megatron find the Allspark with a view to using it to find the missing Star Harvester on Earth to harvest a massive amount of Energon to save Cybertron, as well as sending Seekers to find the Matrix of Leadership which is needed to ignite it.

During the Cybertronian civil war, Sentinel Prime and Megatron make a deal to flee Cybertron and use the space bridge to bring Cybertron into another planet's galaxy to steal their resources and population to use as slaves to rebuild Cybertron. It's not clear if this is part of the Fallen's ultimate plan to regain the Allspark or if it's Megatron doing his own thing.

While making his escape from Cybertron Sentinel's ship is shot down and thought lost, so Megatron gives up on this plan and goes after the Allspark full time, which Prime decides must be jettisoned into the far reaches of space.

Megatron pursues and crashes on Earth, as the Cube does, getting frozen in the Arctic in prehistoric times.

The remaining Decepticons, presumably led by Starscream? Or maybe just with super secret Megatron orders, find the Ark on the Moon centuries later in the 50s or 60s and begin salvaging the space bridge pillars and hiding troops, weapons, and aircraft on the dark side of the moon in anticipation that one day this may be useful. Soundwave uses Decepticons to influence the space race and uses human allies to stop additional missions to the moon.

In 2007 Megatron awakens and attempts to retrieve the Allspark before it is pushed into his chest, temporarily destroying him.

In 2009, Decepticons loyal to Megatron and the Fallen retrieve the remaining shard of the Allspark and use it to revive Megatron. It turns out a different remaining shard put a bunch of maps and symbols into Sam Witwicky's brain that gives the location of the Star Harvester on Earth and this was why the Fallen wanted the cube all along.

They find the harvester and thanks to a poorly written script the heroes find the Matrix of Leadership which is lucky given it's unclear if the modern day Decepticons were even looking. Prime blows up the harvester and takes back the Matrix.

Megatron is now aware the Matrix can revive Transformers and goes back to his much earlier plan of using the space bridge, so he lays out breadcrumbs for Prime to follow and find Sentinel in the Ark on the Moon. Once Sentinel is revived the space bridge can be activated.

Phew. That was a hell of a lot of knotty threads to try and untangle but I think we made it.

[sleepylixie]

Hello! 2020 is coming to a close (phew, finally) and boy, has it been one hell of a rollercoaster ride. No kidding, this year has probably seen some of the worst and best sides of me and I don’t know what to think about it. It hasn’t been the worst year by a mile, but it has been the most difficult to get through. 

In the midst of a stress meltdown on Halloween, I decided to revive my old Tumblr account and revamp it into an SKZ stan account. That, ladies, gentlemen and readers, has been the single best decision I’ve taken for myself. It’s true when they say that Tumblr is where some of the softest, sweetest and kindest people go, because I’ve met so many amazing, insanely talented people over the course of 2 months. I did not think this blog would thrive the way it did, but I am so glad that it is. So yes, appreciation of the sappy kind are in bulk order tonight! 

Hi, I’m Elliana! I run Sleepylixie, an SKZ stan account. Under the cut is a long, long post-  little love letters to everybody that made my days on this dumb blue hellsite warmer and brighter. This is for all of you. :) (There’s one song rec for you below your letter, just for funsies hhhh-)

@decembermoonskz - Iz you’ve been one of the best things Tumblr dropped onto my dashboard. I adore the mutual brain wave moments, the next-level coincidences in this short but extremely sweet friendship ( wolf gang unite) and how we seem to be able to bounce ideas off each other almost too easily. I’m so thankful for the camaraderie we’ve built up in such a short amount of time. Being able to talk to a kindred spirit about the high fantasy disaster that runs it’s course in my head is such a good time, all the time. You’re a beautiful soul, you<3 <Song Rec: I am You - Stray Kids>

@rebecca-noona - I will never regret dropping that borderline screaming ask about More and More needing a sequel and then watching the chaos ensue xD You’re one of the first people I’ve interacted with on Tumblr and honestly, I’m in awe of how strong and steady of a person you are. I’ve been able to talk to you about the stupidest and the most meaningful things and your way of putting the difficult things into simple words has always left me feeling lighter and warmer inside. One day, I will absolutely drop you a casual text telling you that I am in Korea and expect a fanfare welcome xD. Much Love, Wifey <Song Rec: Hell In Heaven- TWICE>

@seraplantery - (Don’t fkin run away sit down and take the love-) Ma’am, I must build a shrine in your name for bribing me to join Katalk (and proceed to not fulfil said bribe) because interacting with you is one of the brightest moments of my day. You’re so easy to talk to, and your vibe is out of the fkin world coz it’s so vibrant and bright and beautiful I LOVE IT. Big Brain queen, you xD  <Song Rec: Spark- Taeyeon>

@mikoto-ica-fics - Hhhhhhhh you’re the first blog I became an anon for and eventually gave up on xD Your presence in Stayblr (and on my dash) has always been a calming and steadfast one- you always gave off the easy, approachable vibes that just made my awkward ass actually strike up conversation with you~ You’re another person that the Katalk chaos groupchat brought me closer to and it’s been a crazy fun time ever since then. Your stories are products of so much flair and thought, I admire your commitment to your tales. To good times and more soon!! <Song Rec: Woman Like Me- Little Mix ft. Nicki Minaj>

@hanflix - Right off the bat, I adore your blog and your writing style. I could go on and on about how much your stories sing to my soul, every word just speaks volumes about the effort and thought that goes into it. You take your craft so seriously and I admire that about you. And you’re so fkin sweet!? Like please?! Stay the same, you! < Song Rec: In & Out  by Red Velvet >

@delicatewerewolfsoul - I love talking to you so much hhhh- I don’t remember who slid into who’s askbox first, but I’m very, very glad one of us did and we started talking afterwards. It’s always a chill and nice time with you, coz, as it turns out, we have a lotta common interests to talk about, say ship games and astronomy xD. I’m the shittiest at keeping conversations going, but I shall strive to interact more coz you’re so fun pls- and you’ve got such a cool aesthetic too!! (The offer for your hand in marriage still stands, I must remind you-) <Song Rec : Flourishing- Chungha>

@aliceu ​ my OG tumblr buddyyyyyyy oh man, I legit can’t login to Tumblr without dropping you a scream text or recieving one from you. We have some insanely similar tastes (in tropes, stans, fic concepts and then some) and just. vibe so easily on that tumblr chatbox that is probably weeping from how much we use it. Thank you for being an unflinching support for my weak moments of writer’s block and proofreading stuff for me and also, thank you for having such similar preferences  to mine that I can send you random headcanons at odd hours knowing it will attack you in the face when you see it :D <Song Rec: I Can’t Stop Me- TWICE>

@blueprint-han  @hhjs @rosieecheeks @choideluxe @meiiyue @n8dlesoupguk @cotccotc @illicit-roses @nightshade-minho ​ @moonbeam-00 ​ @cyecandy ​ @hongism ​ @luminois ​ @mochinnie ​ - Y’all, I adore our interactions, every single one of it. All of you are so fkin talented content creators, I’m in awe of everything y’all put out coz it’s all so insanely good. You guys light up my dashboard, and I wish we talked more and hopefully get to do that soon!!<Song-Rec: Dumb Litty- KARD>

To everybody that follows me, or have interacted with me- Thank you. Thank you for being a part of this blog and enjoying the best moments with me. I hope the New Year brings all of you to a space of joy, love and peace for you and your loved ones. 

Much Love, Elliana. 

[soweirdondisney]

So Weird in 2020

This year was a whirlwind in many ways and a lot of it was negative, but let’s focus on the positive before we put it entirely behind us.

🎧 In 2020 The So Weird Podcast:

interviewed So Weird musician Annmarie Cullen/Montade

interviewed Molly’s bass player Dino DiNocolo

debunked show rumors

reviewed the entire So Weird soundtrack

and opened video submissions for interactive episode premieres  

🛍 Regarding merch, So Weird had a four page feature in Rue Morgue and the new designs in the Redubble shop have gotten so much praise!

In August, the first two seasons of #SoWeird20 wrapped and culminated in a weekend-long celebration of Twin. October was the first Halloween So Weird was available on a public platform! 🎃 And November was the one year anniversary of Disney+. 🥳

🎥 Not coincidentally, 2020 saw a boom in YouTube reaction and review videos about So Weird as fans rediscovered the show or saw it for the first time.

In cast news:

Mackenzie Phillips is now program director at Breathe Life Healing Center

Patrick Levis welcomed his fourth daughter

Alexz Johnson became a mother and opened a Patreon and P.O. Box to connect with fans

Chris Gibson shared never before seen set photos with us

Erik von Detten joined Cameo

Kyla Pratt signed on to reprise her role as Penny Proud in The Proud Family revival

Dave Squatch Ward hosted FB livestreams with his band and performed solo on YouTube

Erik and Patrick teamed up for a Brink! Reunion

Henry Winkler attended (virtual) SDCC, published another book in his Alien Superstar series, and turned 75

Dionne Warwick turned 80 in between being on The Masked Singer, hosting the National Covid-19 Remembrance, and becoming a Twitter icon

And that was all before a design from one of our forum members made it to Jon Cooksey for Christmas!

Phew... Still there?

One more thing: THANK YOU for helping keep this blog - and the other So Weird accounts - active. Every read/like/comment/listen/reblog are small gestures that add up to a big impact. It keeps the faith for our favorite show and momentum going for the community that's grown around it. 👽

2020 wasn’t easy, but if you’re reading this, you made it through. No matter where you are or how you celebrate, we wish you a safe and lovely New Year.

💕 Thank you for letting So Weird be part of your life, and we’ll see you in 2021 to help that continue.

[bigskydreaming]

The Spy Who Forgot!

Excerpt from The Spy Who Forgot To Come In From the Cold, aka the one based on that headcanon I made, where Lex Luthor steals Dick’s body after Forever Evil before reviving him, so even Bruce thinks Dick is dead, and the Batfam is unable to go after Lex for revenge due to how ‘beloved by the masses’ he is after taking credit for saving the day from the Crime Syndicate. 

Meanwhile, Lex has revived Dick, who has amnesia due to the trauma of dying and being resuscitated, which Lex then utilizes to convince Dick he’s a freelance espionage agent whom Lex often employs, and thus inserts him into Spyral as Agent 37, to be his own spy.

Spyral - and Agent 37 - cross paths with the Batfam as they’re pursuing an AU investigation into the mysterious figure known only as Mother because I couldn’t resist trying to make a better version of Batman and Robin Eternal too while I was at it switching up everything else, but don’t worry, Cass is pre-Reboot Cass and a full fledged member of the Batfam, because her part of the Mother storyline was particularly dumb and I Object and also I Refuse.

Snippet, from Jason’s POV, interacting with swirly-faced Agent 37, and no idea yet its his brother (not that Agent 37 has anymore of a clue why he finds this family so intriguing).

“Oh,” Jason grumbled, complete with homicidal scowl. “Its you again.”

The stranger with the bewildering and everchanging face looked around his perch atop the fire-escape, two stories up.

“Is it really? Phew, for a moment there I was worried it was someone else. Which would probably make me someone else, and that’s just a recipe for disaster. See, I’ve already exceeded my existential crises quota for the week, and that’s really not an area one wants to be excessive, y’know.” 

He leaned precariously forward while tacking on that last bit in a pronounced stage whisper. Its echo bounced about the otherwise empty alleyway, flitting from one brick wall to the next as it dropped down to the ground where Jason stood, hand inching towards his most accessible gun. 

Look, eccentricity just brought that tendency out in him. It wasn’t his fault. He was murdered by a clown once.

But this asshole was popping up in too many places and situations of interest to dismiss as just a chattering idiot best dealt with via bullets. Plus, he was supposed to be trying to ‘get along’ with his family these days, and do things ‘the right way’ and other boring as fuck reasons to stay his hand and just grit his teeth instead. He had made that commitment after all. And like. It’d be annoying as hell to have wasted all those hours he’d already logged toeing the line.

“Is there a reason you’re here?” Jason ground out, once his trigger finger had made its peace with being trigger-unhappy instead of embracing its preferred mood.

“Oh, noooooooooow you’ve done it,” Topsy-Turvy said, throwing his arms out so wide that Jason tensed and readied to lunge and catch him when he inevitably fell. But instead the man maintained his position with seeming effortless grace, leaning forward once more with an elbow atop one thigh and his chin propped up in his hand. “But if we’re going to unpack all of that, then we gotta ask - why are any of us here, really? Are we all bit players upon some stage, or are we nothing more than synaptic misfires in whatever passes for the universe’s brain?”

“That’s deep,” Jason deadpanned. He mentally revisited his stance on To Kill or Not To Kill. That was the question. Horatio.

“I know,” Mr. Swirly Face said, nodding sagely. “I’m extremely profound. I’m thinking of writing a book, actually.”

[rebelsofshield]

Star Wars The Mandalorian: “Chapter 14: The Tragedy”- Review

The Mandalorian shakes up its status quo in a tight and tense episode.

Having arrived on Tython, Din Djarin prepares Grogu for a Jedi ritual that will hopefully bring the child a future and also part them forever. But other forces have tracked the unlikely pair to this ancient planet. Boba Fett (Temeura Morrison) and a revived Fennic Shand (Ming-Na Wen) hold Grogu hostage in the hopes of retrieving Fett’s family armor. Before this standoff can resolve itself, the Empire arrives as well and soon this unlikely trio must band together against an onslaught of enemy soldiers.

Phew. We waisted no time at all, huh? For such a short run time (”The Tragedy” runs just a little over a half hour), director Robert Rodriguez and writer Jon Favreau don’t waste a single minute.  After weeks of pit stops and distractions, there’s something oddly liberating about heading right to our next destination. No fetch quests. No favors to guest stars. Din and Grogu arrive on Tython and set out to do what they were meant to do. Of course there are complications. Big complications. But this is the sort of character testing, plot pushing devevlopment that the show needs.

Even before the fireworks start, “The Tragedy” strikes a clear emotional ground for our main duo. Din is getting used to Grogu’s new name, but also preparing himself for the fact that the end of his partnership with this special child is coming near. Pedro Pascal does a great job of selling this moment of interaction between Mandalorian surrogate father and Jedi child. Din is not an overt man with his feelings, but it’s clear here that in trying to talk Grogu into accepting this future, that he’s actually preparing himself for this eventual farewell. It’s the most emotional vulnerability we’ve seen from this character and it ends up giving this episode a melancholy push.

But of course, a quiet goodbye just isn’t in The Mandalorian’s nature. Yes, Boba Fett arrives and he brings the delightfully badass Fennic Shand along with him. After weeks of waiting and teasing, there’s a definite thrill to seeing Slave I break through Tython’s atmosphere and even more in seeing Temuera Morrison really get to play an adult Boba for the first time. Morrison commands an incredible visual presence and even before he dons his iconic armor, there’s a feeling of dangerous legacy playing beneath his dialogue and physical performance. Yes, the simple presence of Fett plays to fan service, but this is the meatiest material we’ve gotten for the character in some time and it’s sure as hell entertaining.

It’s also just a joy seeing Ming-Na Wen back in The Mandalorian. One of the biggest disappointments of last year’s lackluster “The Gunslinger,” was the quick dispatching of such talented actress and the potential of her character. Her return here is arguably even more exciting than Fett’s, coming as a real surprise and the chance to see someone new really get their chance in the spotlight.

The initial meeting between these three is a great recreaton of a nailbiter Wild West standoff and for once even uses a desire for fan service as a source of tension. Yes, we don’t want Din or Grogu harmed, but, come on, almost every viewer wants Boba to get that armor back.

This doesn’t last long before a surprisingly large armor of stormtroopers arrives with the intent of capturing the child. What follows is a gleeful and vibrantly directed montage of bucket head slaughter. It really does feel like every director was told to go crazy with the stormtrooper murder this season, and Robert Rodriguez definitely pulled ahead here. Whether it’s Fett’s nonstop smacking of enemy troopers with his scavenged Gaffi stick or Shand’s acrobatic gunplay, it’s some of the flashiest action we’ve seen this season and it effectively straddles that ground of excess without losing sight of the tension at play.

 And Favreau isn’t content letting this be a consequence-less showdown either. Boba gets his armor back in a flurry of explosions and blasterfire. The Razor Crest, the series’ most familiar setting, is obliterated. And the Dark Troopers arrive taking Grogu with them. After a season that even when it was offering exciting plot developments felt like it was treading water, this quick succession of shakeups feels liberating and thrilling and puts forward a new uneasy status quo.

My only real worry here is that it does feel that we are potentially covering familiar ground. As much as I love the dynamic here and I’m even a bit excited to see the return of Bill Burr’s Mayfield, this set up of Din gathering a team of former allies and rivals to rescue Grogu feels a bit like a replay of last season’s ending. We have two episodes left so any number of twists and turns could occur to shake this up, but at the moment we seem to be heading to a fun but not exactly revolutionary final stretch,

Also, as a lore junkie, it’s just nice to finally get some resolution to the unnecessarily long debate of whethr Boba Fett and his father were Mandalorians. They are. Maybe not in the traditional sense, but Din’s acceptance of Jango as a foundling is a thankful period on this long and winding answer.

“The Tragedy” is the shot in the arm we’ve been waiting for all season. It’s quick, fun, and game changing and puts us on fun ground for the future. Also! Din gets to be in a ship with other characters! That he can talk to! I’m ecstatic.

Score: A-

[mithrilwren]

The Great CritRole Fic Stats Roundup - Caleb/Jester

What is this project?

I’ve always been curious about what drives people to write about particular pairings, and how the popularity of pairings in fic evolves over time. Critical Role - with its smorgasbord of shipping combinations, healthy writing community, and predictable airing schedule - presents a fascinating opportunity to actually take a look at those patterns! For example, can we figure out the key, defining moments for a pairing just by looking at how much fic was posted after particular episodes aired? Well, I wrote a simple Ao3 HTML scraper to try and find out exactly that! (See this FAQ post for more on my data collection/analysis methodology.)

Previous Posts: Beau/Jester, Fjord/Caduceus, Caleb/Essek, Beau/Yasha

The Raw Data

Total Fics Posted: 500

First Fic Posted: Jan 14, 2018 - Cleansed by sabinelagrande. This fic was posted three days after the first episode of CR2 aired. Well done, you funky innovator!

Total Kudos: 53158

Total Comments: 8309

Comment/Hit Ratio: 0.015

Week By Week Analysis

[The graph below details the # of fics posted each week, aggregated from Fri-Thurs and associated with the preceding episode’s air date.]

The anon who suggested this pairing described Widojest as a “dark horse” in terms of CR2 pairings, and the data really does support that description! With very few-to-no fics for the two for most of the first year of the campaign, popularity rapidly rose in the middle of the pirate arc, and numbers have stayed fairly consistent ever since, placing Widojest solidly within the top 5 for total number of fics by pairing. 

Unlike the previous four pairings I’ve looked at - where spikes tended to match up with very obvious, ‘big’ moments between characters - Widojest’s rise in popularity seems to have been more subtle. Weeks I was expecting to have caused a stir were quiet (eg. the waltz from early campaign days) while episodes that seemed relatively light on interaction had huge numbers! I was perplexed! And intrigued! Let’s dig in!

1. Week of Dec 6, 2018 - The Diver’s Grave (and Dec 13, 208 - The Stowaway)

This data point confused me more than any other I’ve looked at so far, for any pairing (including ones I haven’t posted yet). Why here? Why now? Why the sudden interest in this pairing over this episode and the next, after so little for the first half of the campaign? 

I scoured this episode for clues - I skimmed the wiki, the episode transcript, the youtube sparknotes, and couldn’t find any significant interaction between Caleb and Jester. I went next to the fics themselves, trying to find a common thread or theme between the summaries, but besides some hurt/comfort from two epiosdes of dangerous combat back-to-back, there wasn’t much similar between the 20-30 fics published during this time frame. I was lost! So finally, I turned to Tumblr, looking through Widojest posts from late 2018 to see if I could pinpoint what brought people to this pairing, at this particular time.

My conclusion? It wasn’t a big moment in The Diver’s Grave, but a number of smaller moments in the episodes leading up to it. Things like Caleb’s blush in Episode 36 - and Liam’s subsequent Talks Machina discussion of the same - after Jester attempts CPR on Caleb, or their discussion of whether or not Jester still has a crush on Fjord in Episode 42 (two episodes before this one). So, my best guess? This initial spike was the culmination of a long bubbling pool of ‘wait, but actually...’ that finally spilled over. 

Past this point we see consistent numbers week to week, on average. Popularity rises as we head out of the pirate arc and into the beginning of the Xhorhas arc, though numbers begin to dip during the extended Obann chase/dungeon crawl. 

2. Week of Jul 4, 2019 - Hiatus after The King’s Cage 

Hello, Widojest Week 2019, riding in with a vengeance! The event spread over this week and the next, and resulted in huge tallies for both. Yet again (as we saw with Beau/Yasha and Beau/Jester) content creation weeks work. 

3. Week of Jul 25, 2019 - Clay and Dust

Eagle buddies! In this episode, we get some cute aerial alone time with Caleb and Jester, though unfortunately, neither could talk at the time - apparently, polymorph doesn’t teach you eagle language :). Again, I looked to the fics themselves to see if I missed something, just in case. My impression is that there might have been some chatter in the Widojest server that contributed to the spike? Someone actually raised a similar suggestion about the Shadowgast server on that pairing’s analysis post, but as a person who is deathly afraid of group chats - on a ship-agnostic level - I don’t have a good way to verify most hypotheses that involve Discord. (But I’m very, very open to hearing from anyone with insider knowledge!)

4. Week of Sep 5, 2019 - A Tangled Web

Finally, a straightforward week, phew! Not withstanding the effect of Widojest Week 2019, this pairing showed some signs of slowing in the latter half of 2019, but was quickly revived (revivified?) by a very sweet shopping trip that featured gift giving, affirmations of mutual support, and Caleb’s ambiguous “I’ll tell you later” after a very long, very significant Look(tm) between the two. 

5. Week of Sep 26, 2019 - Through the Trees

Dual bird polymorphing make a second appearance in this list! Another week that doesn’t have a huge amount of Caleb/Jester development, though I see more chittering about the Widojest server in the summaries, so I may just have to accept that things were afoot beyond my ken for much of this ship’s history, and leave it at that :) We all love a good mystery!

6. Week of Dec 19, 2019 - Winter Hiatus

Another themed week, this time Widojest Secret Santa, and something I can unambiguously attribute to the Discord server at last, hurrah! It’s nice to end this uncertainty-filled post on a confident note :) 

This was definitely the most challenging analysis I’ve done so far, but perhaps Widojest is the exception that proves the rule! If this pairing illustrates anything, it’s that love doesn’t have to come from big, obvious moments, but can live happily in the small, in-between moments as well, and that’s fascinating in its own way.

[bax16]

Hey, @bax16, I was wondering if you had any suggestions for hermetic art sources or other esoteric works with unique art? I'm pondering getting some ink. Your wide range of topics makes me think you'd have some good suggestions.

Screenshotted because tungle cuts off asks when you answer em :T

@momentspause I suppose that depends on what you mean by hermeticism! Capital H Hermeticism proper has a long history, just slightly longer than Christianity. It started off as a syncretic mystery cult in Hellenistic Egypt, as the worship of the wisdom deity Hermes Trismegistus (Thrice Great Hermes), who came about as a merger of Hermes and Thoth. Aesthetically, its art would've been very visually similar to others of its time and place, the only distinguishin features bein its symbolism and iconography, which is true for the other cults and religions as well.

It then proceeded to evolve with the times throughout western history. Consequently it went through many, many, many philosophical, theological, and aesthetic changes.

It died out towards late antiquity with the strong Christianization of all major centers of the Roman empire (Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria (Egypt), Syria, etc), but had a big revival startin in the late middle ages and into the renaissance when neoclassicism was all the rage. This is when we get folks like John Dee and Roger Bacon, with their explicitly magical runes and circles and magical angelic languages and sigils and spirit conjurations (albeit couched very much in terms of Christian piety, faith, ritual purity, and predetermination. Not all of it was Hermeticism either. A big part of it was just the continued natural evolution of a long tradition of Aristotelian and Neo-Platonic natural philosophy, which contained a lot of stuff we consider magical hocus pocus like astrology and necromancy and economics).

As the renaissance gave way to the reformation and the age of enlightenment, philosophy started developin a rift between the theological, the scientific, and the metaphysical, and what had previously been seen as the interaction between the theological and scientific parts of philosophy (that is, magics, charms, curses and cures, etc) came to be seen as uncouth superstition no enlightened man would entertain. Hermeticism faded with this trend again until 19th century romanticism and the concurrent western European preoccupation with all things gothic and grotesque brought it back into the limelight. This is where we get folks like Aleister Crowley, the Rosicrucians, and the Golden Dawn, with their seances and demon sigils and revealed grimoires and magick-with-a-ks. From then on, it never really faded away completely even to the modern day. Wicca, neopagan movements, and chaos magic are all direct developments of the 19th century incarnation of an antique Ptolemaic mystery religion.

Phew. That was a long journey. But that was for Hermeticism proper. If you're just talkin about general mysticism, well lots of major religions have those, rangin from the revered and the feared (Kabbalah from medieval Sephardic Judaism), to the slightly heterodox (Sufi Islam, which gets treated differently dependin on the sect and the people in power), to the downright heretical (Tantra in the context of most major Hinduisms. Unlike the western conception of it as Sexy Ritual Magic Hehe ;) , it's actually a set of transgressive magical practices that heavily violates Indian social orthopraxy, and involves deliberately becomin ritually impure by partakin in things like meat, sex, and, supposedly, cannibalism). You also have syncretic religions like Yazidism, which probably came about as an Islamified Zurvanism (a heretical branch of Zoroastrianism from when it was the Persian religion); Manichaeism, a syncretism of Zoroastrianism in Christian and Buddhist guise; and many, many others.

That was a long ass diatribe, but the point is that religions and religious movements rarely make art truly unique to themselves. There's always an underlyin cultural backdrop from which they get their themes and icons and assumptions, which they then adapt to suit their needs. It's why we can have depictions of Jesus on the cross, while ancient chinese Christians had their shinin "Buddha" seated in lotus position in front of a cross.

That bein said, I'd always been a fan of Arabic calligraphy, Irish illuminated manuscripts, and Aztec calendar glyphs. I'm not great with sources, but that might be worth lookin into, if only to craft your own personal symbolism with a unified aesthetic to your likin 😊

[vanillajama-moved]

How was I want it all/love is blind?

jason looked absolutely disgusted by his father first of all. he just radiates hate for him and honestly that’s a mood

whizzer/nick did the little “c’mere” thing and marvin/max just. stared at him. almost like he was awestruck he had a lover like That but anyways

the red tie is serving us well we love one (1) dad’s horrible fashion sense

marvin didn’t pull whizzer’s hair !! which was a little disappointing but it was okay

“do you only treat queers?” trina looked so SAD

then mendel paused for a good moment with a :} face before he said no

in the “put your head in my hands” part mendel actually put out his hands to signify that. sorry she doesn’t literally do it though

i feel so bad for TRINA she honestly looked so emotional during the entire thing and you can really FEEL the anguish from her, and all of her feelings are valid (can you tell i love trina)

whizzer looked Shocked at the “hepatitis hepatitis” line like ”WHAT ):O”

at the first “love is blind” trina already looked like she was crying because she was so upset

max and nick accidentally kissed for too long after “daddy’s kissing boys!” and they didn’t get to say all four “petty”s it was funny

marvin and whizzer sat together very intimately. they were close and they had their arms around each other and their legs almost on top of the other’s. it was sweet

max von essen’s marvin is the definition of charming. he is spiteful and overall he just seems like a heterosexual man since that Was what he tried to be for ~40 years of his life but like. yeah. love reads like a bad biography but his Emotions read, phew, like a darn soap opera

NICK BLAEMIRE’S MENDEL ! SUPERB !! so now only is he a very Deadpanning(?) Mendel (“yeah, i don’t care to discuss it.” End Sentence) he dances !! he is funky ! he kinda fingerguns @ trina during the “i think she’s charming” part! he is hip and lanky and reminds me a lot of the scientist from cloudy with a chance of meatballs

his name is mendel ( AAAAA ) LOVE NICK ADAMS !! this part was very Blended and his voice didn’t cut through the “mendel!!” part like the og revival but it was still Just as good

mendel’s interactions with trina. when he shook her hand at the end she looked so grateful and he looked so kind and i adore them

overall, just lovely

[therebornofashadow]

Do you like clowns?

[ No... Why? ]

[venusianbacon]

Doctor Who Impulse Buy Part 3

As of right now, I have made it to disc 7 of the box set.  I made it to the half way mark.  Hooray!  Same as usual, I’m doing quick thoughts on each episode. 

The Parting of The Ways - I’m conflicted.  It was a great way for Eccleston’s departure as The Doctor to face the Daleks, however, the reasoning on how he ended up being forced to regenerate seems kind of confusing to understand.  He had to absorb an energy signature that the Tardis uses out of Rose after she pulls a deus ex machina that destroyed the Dalek fleet.  Um okay. 

The acting is top notch by everyone and I definitely felt the tension rise as more and more humans got killed.  Except for the character Jack since he ends up having a series of his own named Torchwood.  He did go out heroically, it’s just seems like having him revived feels quite random.  John Barrowman is a great actor, I just feel I could have more time spent with him interacting with Rose and The Doctor.

Great build-up of the conflict.  Too bad the resolution feels like contrivances that happened than The Doctor using his extensive knowledge to save the day.

The Christmas Invasion - Since The Doctor regenerated, he is out of commission for most of the episode.  For the most part, seeing Rose, Mickey, and Jackie figure out their situation without The Doctor makes them quite useless.  Rose does the most, just not enough to save the day other than keep The Doctor resting.  When Tennant does awaken, he seems to effortlessly save the day making the threat seem really dumb in retrospect.

The one character that did stand out was the actress playing Harriet Jones, the Prime Minister of Britain.  She was quite charismatic and level-headed throughout the whole situation.  Plus, she does something that makes her quite interesting at the end that makes her challenge The Doctor’s belief in her.  Slow at first but picks up when The Doctor finishes his nap.

I will also not find Christmas trees to be all that terrifying in the slightest.  That whole attacking spinning tree looked so stupid to me.

New Earth - A antagonist returns and she is still lame as ever.  Cassandra, a face stretched out somehow gains the ability to transfer her conscience into other peoples body.  Also there are cat people with stellar special effects on their faces and zombies, sort of.  People are being given all diseases at once and act like zombies for some reason.  Once they touch you, they immediate infect them.

A silly episode that has funny and genuine moments.  It also showcases how much effort the show puts in with practical effects.  The makeup for the cat people look stunning and makes me appreciate this series even more.

Tooth and Claw - Werewolves hunting Queen Victoria sounds good on paper, ends up being somewhat forgettable in retrospect.  The Doctor’s interactions with Queen Victoria are quite good, it’s just muddled with bland characters and an antagonist who I think I was supposed to feel sorry for.  (shrugs)

There were monks that took over the estate that I thought were going be more problematic as they did bring a werewolf to attack Queen Victoria. I’m just not sure where they disappeared to once the werewolf ended up defeated.  If this was addressed, I must have missed it. 

A bad CGI werewolf and that setting up the spin-off series Torchwood was all this episode was about.

School Reunion -  Really great episode, just not sure about a villain that eats children.  Don’t get me wrong, Anthony Head is phenomenal here, it’s just having his introduction kill a child seems in poor taste to me.

Here we are introduced to an old companion of The Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith who is quite familiar with his antics.  (And a robot dog for some reason.  This show can be weird sometimes.)  Sarah and The Doctor have instant chemistry and seeing those two interacting is delightful.  We also see Mickey have a more involved role as he helps out however he can by being a hacker.  I wish he was more involved in the series and what I have seen of him so far, they did him good.

If you can get over the whole child being eaten moment, this is definitely one of the best episodes as Anthony Head and David Tennant act off each other quite well. Plus seeing someone who is familiar with The Doctor’s antics give advice to Rose is a nice moment.  I kind of wish Sarah Jane appeared more with the Tenth Doctor.  Just not the robot dog. It seems really dumb to look at.  Rush it is not.

Phew, only 9 more discs to go...

[chimericarchitect]

==> Consider the Following

All throughout the memories you clung to so dearly, never had your misfortunes been anything other than your own making. Kick a beehive? Get stung. Basic action/reaction stuff. There was no beehive for you to kick this time, but it stung. A lot. Maybe you HAD kicked a behive, unbeknownst. Sleeping was different since your revival; vivid dreams full of color and sound that you could barely remember upon waking, but they were still DREAMS. The stretching velcro of before had been replaced with this tumble of sensations and uncomfortable hallucinations. Normal sleeping was a treat, but it was also a torment. You couldn't forget Anista so easily. For better or for worse, she'd been a major player in the events of your life, and as such memories of the time you'd shared plagued your resting hours.

Now though, she was gone.

And you'd gotten rid of her.

Her? It. Anista was an IT, you dolt.

Signing up with a pirate crew had done much to alleviate the strain of thinking; you were kept plenty busy with tasks around the ship, some yours and some not, leaving you with very little time for considerations. Sometimes there were little gaps of time, unavoidable dalliances with bitter thought such as the one you were faced with now.

A month in review: First you'd discovered the truth about Anista and been forced to conspire against her existence, despite the longstanding relationship the two of you had shared. That had come as a weighty blow, knowing that everything you'd ever shared had been fabricated nonsense. Had there ever been a "real" Anista? You hoped not, or you had surely killed her.

You'd also discovered a connection between yourself and the same eldritch monstrosity that had been puppeting your guardian; the reason for your hazy memories and lack of dreams from before. So much information, found and lost once more. Finding out your pal was going to be responsible for setting off one of many apocalyptic meteor showers hadn't been a super fun discovery either. That's one of the reasons you'd conscripted; to get Irakit away from Alternia and thereby delay the inevitable. She was safe aboard Her Holy Guidance; or at least, safe from the game.

There hardly seemed to be a single quiet day this entire month. Some days were calmer than others, plotting traps to catch the threats of your friends unaware or going on pleasant dates, settling the disputes of strangers or fussing with other people's lives like a nosy pest, but there were SOME days... Some days tested you, like the day you'd died to eradicate the tether between yourself and that eldritch thing that seemed intent on ruining everything.

Dying- Dying had been- D...

No. Not right now. Not right NOW.

...phew.

...Then there was everything that had happened since coming aboard. The captain seemed dead set on getting himself killed, and so did a good portion of the crew. You had been directly placed in charge of Sollux's physical therapy, but he seemed determined to bring himself to the brink of death every time you turned around twice. Injuries and hot tempers galore. Blood feuds, open hostilities, storms, dragons, and tricksters. How could one week be so full? It was very different from the second-hand adrenaline from vicarious living, and also from the danger a controlled environment could provide. Was it still as exciting as you'd dreamed, being wrapped up in a story rather than reading about one? Sometimes you got caught up in your flawed detachment from your own life, and yes, it was all very exciting. No one ever feels quite so alive as when they almost die. But it was also harrowing and taxing, taking a toll against your fierce optimism. This journey had only just begun, and already you were so tired. That itself was disappointing; how could you be so weak? It was... It was frustrating.

Frustrating. Yeah. That pretty much summed things up. How could things move so fast, yet feel so slow? You wondered if you'd always flit from disaster to disaster; a curious moth drawn with a lunatic's fervor to whatever looked most interesting. Would you tire of yourself and the machinations of others? That would be hideously disappointing. You made a mental note to spite yourself if ever you seemed inclined to waver from the path of curiosity.

Tricksters. You had a newfound opinion on them, spurred on by your very first interaction with one oh-so recently. There were going to be tricksters at your party, weren't there? Awful. You were far better equipped to deal with trouble at this party than at your last one where you'd been incapacitated and unable to use your powers, but you certainly preferred for that to not be an issue.

There was so much to think about, you doubt you'd gone over all of it with any sense of thoroughness, yet it was tiring too.

That was enough thinking for now.

[pinksweatergettingbetter]

warning, the following has mainly snarky (and possibly furious) opinions on Spirit of Justice. Reader discretion is advised.

alright. part two, here we go

-

“she’s safe”

“I’m afraid you’ve lost me”

the words ‘maya’ and ‘safe’ do not go together in phoenix’s dictionary 

-

...Phoenix’s phone has caller ID??

-

ooh a phone vocal-blip. cute

-

ok fuck you how is the Benefactor keeping tabs on them?? Did Atishon use his One Phone Call to report to headquarters or something???

-

“I admit, I didn’t see that coming”

well spoilers guys I know who the benefactor is, and they have to be pretty fucking stupid not to know that a spirit medium is needed for this.

-

“its your friendly neighbourhood dragon”

no dhurke, youre not cool enough to be spiderman.

-

“you cant lay a hand on maya fey, and i mean literally”

>foreboding 

-

[sighs deeply]

guys. just. fucking call edgeworth. he’s chief prosecutor of america and his sister is part of INTERPOL. call edgeworth and just. fix the fucking problem. right now.

-

“No time to explain”

ggghhghghhghghgh

-

...oh. there’s edgeworth

...............now watch him be completely fucking useless

-

.......ARE YOU KIDDING ME

PHOENIX /DID/ CALL EDGEWORTH THE MOMENT MAYA WAS KIDNAPPED AND HE STILL WENT THROUGH HIS FUCKING “DUHHH BETTER DEFEND THIS OBVIOUS CRIMINAL” SHIT??

-

oh edgeworth. you and your chartered planes.

whenever he does that i like to imagine he hired MJN air.

-

Edgeworth...

A) Why are you letting Dhurke be involved? Just cut him out, send Franziska and Lang in with a team of guys and kick the shit out of the enemy

B) You don’t need to conceal someone on a charter jet. You chartered it. You can do whatever the fuck you want with it. Besides, Dhurke got into the country p easily, he can get out the same way.

C) Dhurke is a criminal. Depending on what he’s done as a rebel, he could be as guilty in your country as his home country. Why are you acting like he’s innocent? Aren't you kind of by-the-book?

-

oh yeah and despite the fact that they’ve updated Phoenix’s sprite, Miles still looks like a frozen plank of wood. Thanks :\

-

Apollo: Sorry Trucy, guess you have to hold all the unnecessary evidence and hold down the fort and be LEFT BEHIND FOR A CHANGE AAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

-

oh. this is a really nice garden.

the drama theme is kinda harshing the mellow tho

-

o hai rayfa

-

um. what the fuck. that mask must make it pretty difficult to do shit pal

-

Garan, whilst ordering her henchmen online: drama queen or king preferred 

-

UR DIARRHOEA, GAH-RAHN

cool theme, love the use of the royal “we”. 

-

“what about those guards over there”

“ohh, just prepared to fuck shit u–– iii mean help you haha.”

-

yeahhh... I'm not buying her super calm “my husband is a kidnapper” attitude. 

-

UIGSFILGFLIS DHURKE YOU FUCKING MORON

god he’s such a useless piece of shit. unless he’s trying to get taken so that he can be taken to... idk, wherever Maya is held in some sort of Gambit, he’s a real moron for just up and outing himself like that.

-

BAAAAARBED HEAD. YOU HAVE SOME SPLAAAAAAAAININ TO DOOOO

-

man why do they even give us other options if we can’t use them???

-

“Dhurke... I sure hope he’s alright”

hey apollo wanna hear a secret

i dont 

-

Phoenix externally: Patience, Apollo, patience.

Phoenix internally: we are so screwed at any moment the queen could be all “OFF WITH YOUR HEAD” and i’ll never see trucy or maya again jesus holy mother buddha help me

-

i love that Garananana is kinda just chilling with them. You got more important shit to do, queenie. like being evil 

also open your goddamn mouth once in a while, sheesh

-

Apollo: I hope no one gets hurt

The entire series of ace attorney as a whole: oh honey

-

wait ... INGA HAD A RATTAIL?!

-

ohhh yesss listen to those punches

why couldn’t they have animated it too ;w;

-

phew. im glad Maya’s ok. 

-

yeesh... poor Rayfa.

-

i love that even apollo’s like “fuck dad, you didn't kill him, did you?????”

its a beautiful contrast to how adamant he was about Trucy not killing Manov. 

-

um, soundtrack, now is not the time for Grand Revival. I know Edgeworth is on screen but the shit he’s saying is far, far from uplifting.

-

“it seems prosecutor sahdmadhi has grown quite fond of her”

nooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

-

“they’ve almost become a team of sorts”

ok so mark Ema down on the list of AJ characters who will never be seen again after this game.

fuck man i’d even take Klema over this 

-

can you imagine if they'd split up Apollo/Phoenix  Edgeworth/Athena instead

i really wonder how Athena and Edgeworth would interact. Athena’s spunky enough to be a bit like Kay I suppose, so maybe similar to that.

-

again, Kooraheen’s detention centre theme is really quite pretty

too bad i have to look at Dhurke’s face while listening to it

-

...a tasty... hash house

i

oh apollo’s up for that

well tbh if i was him i could use some hash after all this shit

-

yEAH YOU TELL’IM APOLLO

SMARTEN THAT BASTARD UP

-

god apollo he’s not worth it. i’d say leave the fucker to his fate but i guess it is important to find the real killer... sigh

-

apparently queen Amara liked insensitive fuckbags with masculinity issues

oh well. to each their own.

-

>:( don’t compare Dhurke’s story to Phoenix’s, Apollo 

-

“you ran?! but why?!!”

oh i dunno, athena, maybe the fucking death penalty?????

-

hang the fuck on

are you telling me that Dhurke started making trips to his shitty abandoned law office via sewer... while Apollo was still with him?!

Like what fucking reason would he have to drag him down there?! The place is an archive/resistance base, but Apollo and Sadmad lived in the mountains as children; why the fuck would he take his /kids/ into town at the risk of having them all arrested at once?!

WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM, DHURKE

-

that orb better be a fucking laser or some shit cause I'm really tired of hearing about it 

-

oh......... hi sadmad..................... what a pleasure to see you........... again................

just as fucking pleasant as ever

-

i love that Dhurke is like “what happened to fighting the man, son??”

like even if he is a double agent he can’t very well just be like “psst I'm still on your side!!!!” in front of the fucking guard 

i hate that dhurke’s face is so placid during this too.

“Son, why did you betray me? Also how was the sports game?”

-

“The Nahyuta you knew exists no more”

yeah sure sadblackworth, whatever you say

-

oh well that was abrupt 

meh, onwards to the tomb

-

“No, that’s the holy mother. She’s the one who brought spirit channeling to Khura’in”

oh so you mean Ami Fey.

-

oh ema... i’ll miss you while youre off being Sadmad’s lapdog 

-

“You mean His Ephemeral Holiness?”

Yes, Ema, fight it!!! Fight it!!!!!!

“But when he manages a smile and compliments my work, it’s hard to say no.”

...nuts. 

-

wait what do you mean the defendant is someone you know

you met Dhurke like once a day ago 

-

aw apollo took the locked-room-mystery words right out of my mouth. i love him so. why are they going to take him away?

-

 alrihgt back to this shit after like a 3 month hiatus or something 

-

i love how chill everyone is talking about Maya’s kidnapping 

“oh yeah he brought her here to the tomb so nobody would see. sensible thing to do. oh also maya almost died but i guess that’s nbd”

-

casually opens a tomb

casually opens the sarcophagus hangings  

casually tries to open the sarcophagus when told there’s a mummy inside

apollo, you're contracting douche-itis from everyone else. this old family of yours is a bad influence.

-

...we’re gonna yeet this sarcophagus arent we 

-

i love that Amara’s just kinda. depicted standing there as she’s burned to death. i mean i guess theyre trying to preserve her beauty and dignity in death but it also makes her look like an idiot who didnt try to escape the flames. 

ooh i like that last one though

-

pff thats a pretty well-equipped corpse line

-

“Where’d the other three bullets go?”

“Maybe Dhurke ate them?”

if he did they'd better have a VERY good explanation 

-

“the poor guy”

EMA

HE WAS HOLDING MAYA HOSTAGE

-

“the cuffs of justice”

love it

-

“just one of those traditions people do and they dont know the reason why”

“like rolling up your sleeves?”

“or your psychology, if we’re going there” HE FUCKING WENT THERE

OOOOOOOOOOO I LOVE YOU APOLLO

-

“he said grape juice has something in it that helps you relax”

are we going into grape juice lore here

"Really? ...Um, are you sure he was talking about regular, plain old grape juice?”

Yes, actually, Athena. It’s canonical that it is /actual off-the-vine welsh’s good ol’ sippy cup grape juice/. It’s not a metaphor or a censoring for kids, it’s just juice.

Of course, this is written by the DDSOJ staff. And considering the intense, dark n’ gritty action makeover the series got, I wouldn’t put it past them to retcon the juice into the... “fermented variety”. thanks Athena.

Yayyy not only do they write shitty dads, but they have to retroactively en-shitten Phoenix as an alcoholic father. Gosh, I sure do love these guys.

(obviously this isn’t a dig at anyone who head canons gj as wine, there’s a difference between head canons and malicious retconning.)

-

hmm interesting mechanic for this chair. i guess since you can’t stuff it in your inventory you cant do the ‘look all over’ thing. but on the other hand, they REALLY wanted to impress you with that hidden blood.

-

Ema: [performs a blood test in 2 seconds] I didn’t get a match!

Well probably not in that time, babe

i have to commend them on the little cutscene though that was nice. 

-

again, i guess Amara really liked emotionally stunted fuckwads

the devil horns are a bit much, though.

-

oh damn.

thats a nice ass pendant 

...oh thats blood

well, it sets off the pink and gold quite nicely. and its a butterfly... seems like something Dahlia would wear

-

“speak of the devil...”

speak of the devil indeed. hiiiiiii sadmad... its been a while.

-

oh ok he didnt say anything 

also i find it funny that apollos like “Wait!! wait!! damnit, after him!”

and then you just. go back into the talk menu with Ema. bit of a moment killer, there.

-

“why does everything have to be so difficult with you?”

cause hes a prosecutor, apollo. thats just how it is on this bitch of an earth 

-

“the law is the law. placing personal feelings above it is beyond reprieve”

ah but placing religion above it is totally fine. gotcha yuts

-

“And the winner is... prosecutor Sahdmadi!”

helpful, athena

-

“it’s like he’s trying to cover something up with his pretty words!”

oh did you mean the inevitable reveal that he's actually a good guy and we have to forgive him for being a shitwad? 

-

oh wow. that joke post about sadmad developing generalized anxiety was actually based on a legit thing that happened 

is it ok if i hate him even more for it? i mean how did he figure it out? he didn’t let apollo use it in court so where would he have gained the knowledge? unless he knows about Thalassa’s abilities...

...also, how /is/ he doing this? the way Perceive works isn’t just “i can sense that you’re uncomfortable”, it’s that people who can use it have extremely good eye-sight and see tiny little movements in other people. If they’re smart about it, they can tell that the movements mean the enemy is lying. Apollo just happens to get tense when he notices this, most likely because he’s kind of straining his eyes.

But then again that brings up the fact that his power would act up CONSTANTLY, either because EVERYBODY FIDGETS, or Apollo himself could just be stressed and making the bracelet squeeze on its own.

So thanks, SOJ. Not content with ruining Apollo’s canon, you’ve also got to ruin his cool lawyer power. Gosh, you’re just the gift that keeps on giving, aren’t you? 

-

“Powerless in the face of the Holy Mother’s blessings”

SOJ team is now nicknamed the Holy Mother. Or possibly the Unholy Mother.

-

“Looks like your power won’t work against Sadmadhi. Guess we’ll have to try something else.”

“Yeah, let’s ask Dhurke...”

Yeah. Because you obviously don’t have someone with you RIGHT NOW who ALSo has a special power. You dont even have TWO POEPLE with you with a special power. Guess we’d better talk to the man who birthed this shiteater.

-

“I won against Mr. Wright”

yeah in a completely rigged trial where losing would be the worst option. thats not really something to brag about, you know.

-

“...doomed to be reborn as something lower than a bug or a vegetable”

you heard it here first folks Sadmad hates sustaining agriculture and the bees.

-

>Lang’s scrolls and dickfuckery

>Edgeworth’s by-the-bookishness

>Franziska’s catchphrase

>Blackquill’s backstory twist

These were the ingredients chosen to make the perfect prosecutor. But the SOJ writers accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction: BAD WRITING 

THUS UNINSPIRED ASSHOLE WAS BORN!

-

apollo you don’t matter to anyone anymore youre getting the boot. do as your foster pop said when you were a drowning 5 y/o and suck those pussy baby tears back into your skull.

-

welp thats it for part one of investigation day 2. now (i think) we’re headed over to the delicious pandering of Phoenix and Edgeworth, back together. Will it bring me solace despite being an obvious ratings grab?

good god, i hope so.

till next time.

[justadirtyhacker]

xceancyes‌:

Computer stuff really wasn’t his forte. So it was absolutely, batshit, wild that this person apparently could hack and program a lot just to find out all they did, and that they managed to do all that in the first place. It was honestly incredibly cool. Zenith could admire that from PLAYER. He was pretty interested in hearing what they had to say, his avatar nodding every now and then as he listened to them speak.

He didn’t want to interrupt, so he mostly just waited until it seemed they were done for him to pipe up with his own thoughts. Other maybe an, “Oh, cool.” or “Nice.” in the appropriate places after they said some things. But then again, he didn’t really have that much to say anyway. He was a fairly awkward person whenever people actually talked to him. Heck, he thought he was sort of still pretty awkward even online. But that was fine. He was trying, at least.

The last couple parts had earned an, “Oh, wow… Oof.” reaction out of him. “Jeez. Sleeping for nearly three days? That can’t be good. I think that’s, like… Lowkey probably a medical emergency at that point?” He said, concern in his voice.

Zenith ended up shrugging, “Well, um. I think I’m good there. I don’t think I’m gonna be trying that anytime soon. I’m actually not really that great at coding, or programming, or hacking stuff. And having to go through everything without saving sounds terrible. Like, I’m good at dodging all the stuff without getting hit, but that’s kind of anxiety inducing. …So, um, what kinda new ‘interactions and events’ are we talking about? Deets?”

“If it were anyone else, yeah. I’d say definitely take them to a doctor. I’m a bit different from the norm however. I’d probably baffle most doctors, if i’m being honest.... ack, but let’s not talk about my personal life.” Phew. Close one there.

“Anyways... Some of the newer stuff... I was able to drag Flowey along with me in a pot for a good portion of a few runs... Helped put out the fire that Undyne accidentally started... A few times I end up in a run where either it’s someone else who’s the player or... the game doing a very good imitation. That was how I learned that I couldn’t... revive a dead NPC without breaking things.”

The memory of their attempt to bring back Toriel hung bitterly in the back of their mind. One of their first runs and it was a genocide Frisk on the loose. An even more painful memory forces itself to the forefront. “I... did manage to find a way to bring Asriel back...”

A bittersweet smile at that, looking down at one of their hand’s palms. “I took away Frisk’s friends. I took away Frisk’s journey. The barrier was never broken. But I did it. It was... almost good enough. Almost. But in the end it was a world with no future.” A world they didn’t belong in. “So in the end I gave them back their future and broke the barrier. I knew i’d never be able to go back, but...”

((Optional BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z57Dzcoob6Q ))

PLAYER lets their hand drop to their side. “I guess that’s just the kind of person I am. Incurable messiah complex. I wonder if this is what he felt like. The man who played through Undertale in hundreds of pacifist runs searching for the means to save Asriel.” A bit of ancient internet history that, before PLAYER’s time. 

“And that’s why it’s important I can’t give up. I want to find this true happy ending. For everyone counting on me... I need to stay determined. No matter how painful it gets.” They say this, all too aware of how much this is hurting them on multiple fronts. “Something Sans told me last run. Maybe... just maybe it holds the key. I’ve got a plan” One last big shot. PLAYER wasn’t sure they had much time left in this body anyways.

Co-Op Session ((Closed RP with @xceancyes ))