#also why is my theme light mode again

[cuubism]

Hey, okay so I'm still very much ruined by your Dream with wings au and I love the overall theme with coming to terms with the loss of them and accepting it and being able to move on, but my brain is by angst like this immediately in the mode of I have to fix this, have to give him back what he lost in some way. 

And yeah, here is what I thought could happen.

So the universe ends, Death closes up. But with every end comes a new beginning and so on. So new universe, all Endless are still there + Hob. But because there aren't any humans yet or maybe there never will be, Hob becomes something else, Hope for example, and grows wings because Hope probably has some. Hob is very much conflicted over that because of obvious reasons but then the first beings of this new universe begin to dream and something changes in Dream. He adapts to the new universe and the new dreamers and one day his back is in absolute agony, his wings have started to grow back because the dreamers of this universe need him to have them. And of course he is rather conflicted about this because he did accept his loss and learned to live without them but also he is so elated to have them back. And Hob is there with him every step of the way and it makes it a lot easier and the first time they fly together is magnificent. And maybe Dreams wings are not completely the same as his old ones as he is not the same he was then but he can fly again and cradle his dreamers close not only in his arms but in the safety of his wings as well. 

And well this kinda got a bit sappy but hope you like it. Of course feel free to ignore this ramble if it doesn't fit with your idea of your fic it's just how my brain works. Loved your fic by the way if it wasn't obvious.

Oh this is sweet! Yeah I understand the impulse to want to make it better for him somehow. Dream could definitely regain his wings in a new universe with new dreamers.

I love that it's just Hob at the end. Just Hob and the fundamental concepts of the universe chillin in the void. NOTHING can stop Hob.

On that note--

--

The first thing Dream knows of the new universe is grief.

He had not expected to know anything. Everything had gone when the universe he'd known had finally succumbed to its ultimate entropy, and if, when, a new one came to be, he had expected to reformed utterly. New dreamers. A new Dream.

The thought of not knowing had given him peace. One could not miss anything when one did not even know one had had it. And Dream, at the end, had had much to miss.

Strange, that. Terrible, that.

Why, then, is he sitting on the shores of creation, wet sand sticking to his clothes, the Dreaming stretching out around him? It's empty, flattened, nothing but black sand and dark sea infinitely in every direction--but it's still the Dreaming he knows. Why? And why is he sitting here?

In the next moment, why ceases to matter. He is sitting here, in the reformed, empty Dreaming of this empty universe. And Hob is not.

He curls his knees up to his chest, presses his forehead into them, wraps his arms around his head. He doesn't want this sun, this sand, this Dreaming. He doesn't want this universe that doesn't have Hob Gadling in it.

He blocks it all from his vision and sobs, there on the beach where he'd once spent so much time creating. There is no one to hear. None of his creations remain. There are hardly any dreamers. He digs his fingers into his hair, wishing he could simply rip himself right out of this universe. Some other Dream can tend it. He's had enough.

A light hand lands on his shoulder.

"Go away," Dream growls. It can only be one of his siblings, new-but-not, and he does not want to see them. Cannot, yet. "Tend your own misery."

"What misery?" says a familiar voice. Dream goes still. Someone sits down beside him. "Don't you want to explore a whole new universe?"

Dream throws his arms around him. Hob catches him, laughing, even as Dream presses his face into his neck, still sobbing. "I care not for this wretched universe."

"What kind of attitude is that to start out with?"

"Hob."

"Shh, it's alright." He pets Dream's hair as Dream persists in trying to crawl into him until they're irreparably tangled together.

"How?"

Hob kisses the top of his head. "You've really got to learn the power of just saying no to stuff."

Dream lets out a hysterical laugh against his neck. He just may have lost his sanity when the universe was scrambled. But he'll take this insane universe that has Hob in it over a sane one that does not. "Just saying no?"

"I didn't want to leave you, so I didn't. Simple," says Hob, and Dream wraps his arms around him tighter.

"Destiny will need to invent a new form of logic to accommodate you, Hob Gadling," he says, and Hob chuckles.

Finally, Dream lifts his head to look at him. Hob looks much the same as Dream last saw him, but a new power thrums around him, an aura that's obvious to Dream now that he is looking. "What... are you?"

Hob tugs on his ear in thought, and Dream smiles inwardly to see that that affectation still persists. "I think I, uh. Don't get mad."

"There is nothing that could possibly anger me now other than losing you again."

"Well. I think I... stole part of your power? Not on purpose, really. It's like you said. When you tell Destiny no, things get... weird."

Dream lays a hand on his cheek. Yes, he can feel it, the hum of his own essence, swiftly merging with Hob's. "You've stolen nothing. But part of my domain is within you, now. Under your care."

"What part's that?"

Dream finally manages a tiny smile, even through lingering tears, at the thought. "I believe it is hope."

Hob studies him, eyes wide, then huffs an incredulous laugh. "Sounds a bit messed up, doesn't it? Me taking hope from you?"

Dream leans his forehead against Hob's. "You give me hope. Every day. By being here. And as I said. You have taken nothing. The power is still a part of me. Hope and dreams are inextricable intertwined. But it is in your care, now."

"Right," breathes Hob in wonder, cradling the back of Dream's head. "That's. Wow."

"'Wow,'" Dream echoes, and Hob laughs, cuffing him lightly about the ear in admonishment for the mocking tone.

Dream's hand is still on Hob's cheek, and he reaches for the power that's in Hob now, touches it, lets it flow through him. It reaches for him in turn, lights up his own power that feels so new and fresh and alive, in this newborn universe. He closes his eyes at the warmth, cries finally quieting in his chest.

Hob sucks in a breath. "Dream..."

Dream comes back to himself with a start. "What? What is wrong?"

Hob is looking over his shoulder. "Nothing." He reaches over Dream's shoulder. Brushes his fingertips along the-- along the wing that is now arched there, folded carefully over his back.

He had not even noticed them appearing. They are not physical wings, to whatever extent Dream has ever been physical. They are pure energy, shimmering translucent in the sun when he folds one around himself to touch it. The ghostly feathers spark with power at his touch, and brighter still when Hob lays his hand over Dream's.

"You're beautiful," says Hob, as Dream keeps touching the feathers in wonder. Hob swipes his thumb under his eye, and it's only then that Dream realizes he's crying again. Silent, glittering tears.

"I do not... understand."

"New universe," Hob says. "New dreamers?"

Dream leans his head on Hob's shoulder. "New dreamer. Have you been imagining me with wings all this time?"

"Couldn't help it," says Hob. He strokes a hand along the phantom bone of the wing, and Dream shivers. "Knew you'd be glorious." He strokes the wing again, in awe. "You're beautiful."

Dream tucks his forehead further into Hob's throat, overcome. "What will I do with you, Hob Gadling?"

Hob pets his hair. "Well, right about now I could really do with a hot bath, I'm absolutely covered in sand. Don't suppose you can make that happen, Dream Lord?"

Dream laughs, wet and aching. "If you had not noticed, we are in the middle of an empty desert."

"So? Blank canvas."

"I suppose... I could create something for you." He thinks about it more, the pain of the empty, desolate Dreaming ceding to a different feeling. Hope. "I suppose... I could create anything."

Hob kisses the top of his head. "Exactly."

[theyellowstar]

Hi everyone here's my secret boss yaayyy (I'm totally not writing this on the last day)

*anyways,* meet scruffy!

yup, I told you the inspiration would be weird. scruffy is my chapter 5 secret boss for my take for the holiday Mansion dark world, and if you couldn't already tell: yes, he's based on that one hello kitty character (cinnamoroll)

his character, design and aesthetic choices are based a lot off of cinammoroll/sanrio in general.

his Item in the light world is - well, a cinnamoroll plush. or at least, the deltarune universe equivalent of that.

his speech quirk is meant to feel childlike/cute and innocent, although I'm not sure exactly what it would look like. it's a work in progress, mmk? <3

his soul mode is CYAN, but we'll get to that later...

Scruffy is teased in chapter three a couple times. My take has a very small area based off of kids shows, and the miniboss/minigames is based off of a comically obvious hello kitty parody. after you beat the minibosses (based off hello kitty, melody and kuromi respectively) they will open a shop, where they briefly mention how there was supposed to be a fourth member of the show...

scruffy is also teased by a cardboard cutout advert in the cooking district.

scruffy's dark world is the HOLIDAY WORLD, with the fountain being opened in the holiday mansion (aka the mayor/noelles house) I would love to talk about that dark world more sometime, but the general vibe it has is a "late night city in december" feel to it. anyways, scruffy can first be found at the waterfront, an area of the city overlooking the river. he then gets very attached to pretty much everyone, since he's so lonely. he assists you ever now and than In the chapter, opening up a shop and generally just keeping you company.

the secret boss fight:

Scruffy's fight is basically him having a massive panic attack. he realizes that you're going to seal the fountain and dosen't want to be alone again. when you reach the ice palace and are approaching the fountain, scruffy snaps and uses his magic to break the ice palace into two, preventing you from going further. the ice the party stands on starts floating away into the river, and the battle starts. (or something like that idk)

As I mentioned earlier, scruffys soul mode is CYAN. I'll be honest here: I based the Mechanic off of the mad mew mew fight but vision crew did that first. so it's basically the exact same soul mechanic as the cyan soul in vcdr. the heart splits into two halves and you are locked in a grid, but can move the halves of the soul horizontally and diagonally- kinda like a rythm game! think ddr

as for attacks, I have some very vague ideas, so I'll spitball them here. why not

cloud:

a raincloud with a sad scruffy face on it. it will rain down tears the player must avoid to not take damage.

floating hearts: hearts appear below the battle box and float upwards.

star wand: scruffy uses a star wand to call down stars at the soul.

plane: a plane bullet that will occasionally fly through the battle box

head bobbing attack: idk really how to describe this one, not sure what the pulled pattern would be but the "head bobbing" is simillar to that one attack from the uty flowey fight

SECRET BOSS THEME:

while I sadly am not a composer, scruffys boss theme would be pretty unique compared to other sb themes. It would highly be inspired by breakcore/vocaloid/ music, I actually made a playlist of the three songs that inspired me the most! check it out if you want

Listen to ch5 secret boss theme inspiration, a playlist by Theyellowstar2009 on #SoundCloud https://on.soundcloud.com/62Jvg

And that's about all I can show rn. I wish I could talk about his gaster trauma backstory and other stuff, but I'm already basically out of time. so that's all for now, byeeeeee

[robotsafari]

bitsniper is so interesting to me as a pureblood heartless because the only time we see it is in ansem’s world of chaos phase, and it begs the question if whether or not this was a pureblood ansem created himself using his own darkness. or perhaps….

headcanon / theory time ????

its kinda all over the place but it is implied during the entire ansem final boss fights riku is still possessed. (or at least its just his body because final mix made it worse due to the new scene of him in the realm of darkness where he ??? has a body?? or maybe its his heart and soul?? wouldnt he technically get a nobody because of the separation?? is it implied riku is no longer possessed?? but ansem had his body a few minutes ago?? do you see the problem this creates.) in ansem’s speech he show ups initially as riku and then transforms into his own preferred form. let me add a little more onto this, even if it might not count, but there is an unused scrapped ansem phase where you wouldve fought riku-ansem AGAIN this time in a destroyed destiny islands. now even if it is scrapped it implies that ansem is still possessing him, but as i said earlier that is already proven by the fact that he shows up as riku first.

ok so with this in mind i need to establish something to prove my point even further.. SOUL EATER ISNT ANSEM’S. riku first uses soul eater after maleficent gives him dark powers. now her whole thing is thorny vines, dragons, spinning wheels that kill you on your 16th birthday, gothic castles, anthro animal goons, being an evil fairy and one of the coolest disney villains ever. but not bat wings. so this bat theming is implied to be riku’s own darkness, and his alone. (even DARK MODE is something riku gets pre-ansem possession) so why does ansem have a double edged soul eater in his final phase? its shrimple, hes taking that from riku. riku’s own darkness.

so anyone implying that “way to the dawn is a bad thing !! because!! look !! oh nooo !! the ANSEM SWORD is still on it!! thats the thing from his abuser !!” is fuckign wrong because soul eater never belonged to ansem, nor maleficent. that is a sword riku made with his own darkness, he is now just combining it with his own light. creating the keyblade that will carve his road to dawn. so get fucked, braveheart defenders.

ok . cool. but what is even the headcanon? well you might think im crazy but … i think bitsnipers are made from riku’s darkness. RIKU IS A BAT. WE KNOW THIS. look at the bitsnipers design, TEH BAT WINGS. like?? its gotta be from riku. like i said before. riku is still possessed and ansem is taking things from him like his cool sword that is part of his darkness so who says he can’t create heartless from it either. bingo checkmate whatever the fuck THE BITSNIPER IS RIKUS DARKNESS ACTUALLY. as much as i associated it with ansem . but like in the same way riku is ansems son by pure fact of just fucking trust me he was a father figure to riku in the worst way possible but it was admittedly fucking funny, the bitsnipers are also ansem’s children. riku has bitsniper siblings. oh how his family grows …

final verdict: just fucking trust me . kingdom hearts gets funnier if you think about it in deranged and unorthodox ways . like i do.

[pancake-breakfast]

I would love to say that it took me this long to get to the final three chapters because I was afraid of what would come, but the truth is I was just very very tired.

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 12, Chapters 7-9 below.

Chapter 7: Run, Livio, Run

Uh, oh. I'm looking forward to seeing Livio again, but I don't want him to be in any real danger. I know he doesn't mind, but that's actually part of the problem right now.

It's a good thing Milly and Meryl remain miraculously unaffected by this smoke somehow, even though it's messing with the soldiers so much.

Oh, no! Thomas down! Milly down!

Quick shout-out to the Thomas's spiky dinosaur tail.

OMG they make yipping noises. I had no idea.

Ugh, this could be bad. Meryl is too small to carry Milly away from the scene on her own, and it looks like Milly hit her head pretty good.

Meanwhile, Vash has his hands busy with his dumbass brother.

Ugh, his hair is sooooo dark now....

Knives, buddy, have you seen yourself in a mirror yet? You're more amorphous blob than singular being at this point. You should get that checked out. By a professional. Maybe Conra--oh, wait.

Dude, that's not the face you make when you realize the brother you love so much is basically about to die. It is, however, the face you make when you're about to score a resounding victory over your sibling.

Ugh, babygirl. You're a mess, babygirl. Why....

Ugh, Domina's also a mess....

I was promised Livio in this chapter. Where is my boy Livio?

AAAAAHHHH AAAAHHHH THERE HE IS!!! JUST IN TIME!!! YAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!

LOL, Meryl's shocked face.

Hahahahaha, Livio's so awkward. How long has it been since he's had a "normal" interaction with someone else? For that matter, this isn't exactly normal. He's probably overthinking the social aspect and might need to spare more brain power to the escaping aspect.

Livio's like, "Here. Have a military-grade bomb door. I'll just set this up for you right here... and I'm off! See ya in a bit!"

There we go. He's switching over into combat mode, not gonna worry about the social aspect. That's for someone else.

The heck?! He just went straight over the top of the door!

He... uh... he miiiiight be a bit outnumbered. Just a bit.

Smart. He didn't actually need any of them to say anything. He just needed a few people to look in the right direction.

Man, he's fast.

Tornado technique deployed!

Ugh, Vash. I wish I could tell you there is another way, but if there is, I can't see it. It requires Knives doing things Knives isn't prone to doing, so things are looking very, very grim. Maybe Chronica and her buddies can somehow offer some aid... if they can just figure out what's going on.

Chapter 8: Lights

Ooh, Chronica's peeking into Domina. Plants are weird, yo.

It looks a bit messy in there, even by Plant standards.

Vash's mini-gates are scaring the hell out of the Earth fleet. I don't think Knives realizes just how dangerous they are... or how crazy Vash's precision has been in using them.

Oh, seems he has some idea.

Noooo! Vash!

I don't think "disappointed" is a strong enough word for whatever Vash might feel losing to Knives here. You know... assuming he has enough of anything left in himself to feel.

Oh, Knives is implying Vash is just unconscious. That's... good. I think.

Huh, I need to save this shot of Livio for a project I want to work on. I honestly didn't think I'd find a manga panel of him in this kind of pose. It'll be a perfect reference.

I mean, he already commandeered another military-grade metal door for his own purposes, so I don't think this one stands much of a chance. Especially if the primary barring mechanism is on the OUTSIDE.

Shout-out to his EoM-themed twin gun holsters. Not sure how he hides those monster fangs in there, but whatever. They look cool.

Ugh, Vash.... Vash, are you ok? Tell me you're ok.

I'm not sure I quite understand the lights here. Are those... representative of the people down below?

Ahhhh! He's moving! He's moving!!! He looks like absolute shit, but he's moving!

KNIVES YOU LITTLE BITCH LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! And other things to say to Knives if you want to get yourself insta-killed.

Wait, why does Knives suddenly look afraid?

Up? Chronica?

Wait, why we focusing on Livio right now?! I love you, Livio, but I need to know what's going on with Knives and Vash!

Wait, what's happening??

Ok, I got it. Knives got hit by something from space at the same time Livio went through the door to the little shelter thing. I'm following, I'm following. Also, hi, Elendira. I was wondering where you were.

Vash has an opening.

FUCK. FUCKITY FUCK FUCK FUCK WHY FUCKING LEGATO GOSHFREAKING DARNIT EVERY SINGLE FREAKING TIME THIS GUY SHOWS UP AND IF HE ISN'T IN FULL BAGWORM STATE ALL I CAN DO IS SWEAR BECAUSE GODSDAMMIT LEGATO YOU MONSTER!!!

Vash looks none too happy. Which makes sense considering the last time he faced off with Legato. Knives, on the other hand, looks like he genuinely doesn't know what to make of all this.

Awww, he's so happy.... I really need to update my collage of his seriously unhinged smiles.

Chapter 9: Two People Against The World

CW: Sexual abuse, sexual assault, depersonalization, abuse

Yusssss, Legato backstory! I've been waiting for this traumafest!

Note: While having a traumafest backstory might help explain one's monstrous actions, it does not, in fact, excuse them, especially as one matures into adulthood and (theoretically) gains a better understanding of action and consequence. The world is so much bigger than our trauma. Now back to your regularly scheduled reaction post.

Ah, I guess Legato and Vash did have ample time to get to know each other over those seven months.

The funny thing about this title is, assuming it refers to Legato and Knives, it's definitely Legato's perspective. I've seen people spell out some pretty decent evidence that Knives cares for Legato more than he admits, but the fact of the matter is Knives doesn't admit it. Knives repeatedly treats their relationship with a level of disregard that suggests no matter how much he values Legato, he's nowhere near admitting it enough to himself to allow room for thinking something like it's the two of them against the world. Gods, I could write essays on the dynamic between two. I adore how much there is to analyze with Legato and Knives. I love how it's Wolfwood and Vash taken to quite possibly the worst extreme.

Heh. Vash looks... almost relieved. And Legato looks almost peaceful here. I wonder if perhaps they reached some sort of understanding, as unlikely as that seems.

Oh, I thought Chronica was still in space. Looks like she's making this personal.

Eyyy! Milly's awake!

And here she and Meryl are both just worrying about Vash. Love them.

Chronica's got an impressive gun aimed at Knives' face there.

Ooooohhh, Legato and Vash are gonna have opinions on this... especially if it's successful.

What, he just blocked it? Hax.

Love the birdcage imagery for Legato here.

Ah, Legato.... This isn't even him seeking revenge. This is him seeking justice. He doesn't want them to pay. He wants them to experience what he himself experienced at their hands so they know. Gonna be honest, I can't fault him for this, even knowing that there were probably plenty among those who "stood by and did nothing" who lacked the power to do anything even if they were even aware of the problem.

Ugh, gut wounds hurt so bad, too....

Ok, so this guy's a monster, but for as unrealistic as it is, I love that you can tell so much about him simply by his character design. First, he's someone in power. Money... authority... probably both. He stands on a rich carpet in a fine suit with (what I can only assume is) a trendy hat while Legato is spread out naked, vulnerable, humiliated. Second, for all his power, he's a small man. It's a bit of... height-ism, I guess? Nightow is using it to show that regardless of what else this man has, he's not actually someone who's worth looking up to. And third, he's just... kinda gross. His proportions are distorted and weird with demon eyes and sex doll mouth and he just gives me creep vibes just looking at him.

Ugh, this is a common thing with abusers, though. They can get caught up in this sort of self-delusion that whatever they're doing is right and good, that their victims benefit from it or like it or even love it despite ALL signs to the contrary. And having ANY clear sign that, no, their action was NOT acceptable, any action from their victim that even has the possibility of allowing the victim to go free, to leave the abuser's "kindness," is seen as complete and utter betrayal. And then, after suitable punishment has been meted out, they may "forgive" the victim by allowing them to fall back into the abuse cycle... often while occasionally bringing up the failed escape attempt to excuse more extreme behavior toward the victim or to demoralize their victim and keep them in place.

Of course this guy would be turned on by the possibility of getting to punish Legato.

Legato's such a little guy here, too...

Yeah, there's no way something like that happening at such a moment wouldn't seem like an act of god to him. Nevermind that it was probably pure chance and the horrible, unnatural pose he was forced into that saved him.

Yeah, I don't blame him for this, either.

Ah, Knives really didn't intend this.

Legato really piqued Knives' curiosity here, first by surviving, second by daring to approach him, and third by not showing the least bit of concern that Knives might lob his head off in an instant, and instead asking to serve him.

I really can't get over how small he is here. Even if he was the type to take a bit to fill out, he doesn't look older than 15 here... and that's being generous.

Honestly, living one's whole life (or the vast majority of it) the way Legato did would leave little space for hopes and dreams to grow. It's hard to have even the smallest ambitions when all you've ever known is what it is to be an object used by others.

Heh, he finally smiles, and it's at the thought that it's all going to end.

I wonder what about this made Knives stay his hand. It's not simple respect for Legato's power. Perhaps he sees some measure of himself (or even Vash) in Legato here, in that time after they found Tesla and everything seemed meaningless and they just wanted it all to end.

Man, they didn't even see fit to give him a name. He was just a toy to them. Makes me sick.

In retrospect, implying I was looking forward to this chapter seems like a bit of a disservice to it. I had enough spoilers to know how dark it would get, but it's different reading it. I... still don't think it excuses a lot of what he does. But it does make me wish all the more that he'd had opportunities to know good people. If it had been Vash who had saved him instead of Knives... or even Wolfwood or the Eye of Michael... his life would be so very different, and probably for the better. He deserves better than he's ever got. He's endured enough.

Archive

Trigun Vol. 1: Covers + 1-3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 || Vol. 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Vol. 1: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 2: Covers + 1, 2-4, 5, 6-7 || Vol. 3: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-7 || Vol. 4: Covers + 1-2, 3-5, 6-7 || Vol. 5: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 6: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 7: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 8: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5 + Bonus || Vol. 9: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 10: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-8 || Vol. 11: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 12: Covers + 1-3, 4-6

Extra Credit: Trigun Vol. 1: Nebraska vs. Vash's Motivations, Vash's Loneliness, Vash's Depression (pt. 2 of post), Soupy Brains || Vol. 2: Coin Factoids || TriMax Vol. 1: Lina, Vash, and a Haircut || Meryl, Vash, and the Pursuit of Happiness || Vol. 5: Knives, Vash, and Hatred for Humanity || Vol. 6: Coping Series: Wolfwood, Meryl, Vash || Vol. 8: The Uncoordinated Counterattack || Vol. 9: Justice, Punishment, and Mercy, The Tolling of an Iron Bell || Vol. 10: Crucifixion Symbology (pt. 2 of post), Merging of Families, Being Childlike (And Why God Hates Chapel) || Vol. 11: New Hair, New Outlook

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "The Mystery of Chopper Base"

Spiders. Why did it have to be spiders.

So first off, it's hilarious and adorable that they named it "Chopper Base". Did Chopper claim dibs on the name since he's the one who found it or did they name it after him to be all, "Okay, yeah, you did really good this time." as a nice little way to honor him?

*chants* At-ol-lon, At-ol-lon, At-ol-lon, At-ol-lon. :D

Ahhh haven't heard the mellow variation of the Main Titles theme in a while.

Actually I think this is the same cue that opened "Path of the Jedi" I recognize these little string ditties.

Kanan and Ezra have been sparring in the cargo hold for hours, it's implied, and Sabine has been watching. You can already hear from the modified buzzing that the sabers are in training mode, and Kanan is performing a lot of basic strikes, reminding Ezra of the fundamentals maybe?

In light of his internal decision in "Shroud of Darkness" Kanan has apparently resolved to cram in as much last-minute lightsaber practice as possible before they have to go off and possibly confront Vader and the Inquisitors. He's pushing Ezra a little bit hard, and you can hear Ezra's frustration.

Something interesting I notice during this sparring session is that Kanan seems to be particularly focusing on getting Ezra to get out of situations where he's pinned against a wall.

HOO BOY all the little tiny things that wound up being horrible portents of things to come this episode.

"You win by surviving." Kanan already trying to correct Ezra in a "how we choose to fight" fashion.

Ezra's particularly snippy after all that, normally Sabine complimenting him would make him beam and try to say something cute or clever back but here he's just huffy and irritated.

"But since when are you my enemy?" *CRIES IN SIX MONTH GAP BETWEEN SEASON 2 AND SEASON 3 FEELS*

Hera's expression turns somber and downcast (which Sabine notices) riiiiight in time for us to have a fanfareless titlecard.

A very broken-down variation of the "Shenanigans" cue, with precise military-drum percussion accompanying it.

Hera unamused by Kanan's "excited face" lolol.

"So I can expect them to be late all the time then." Lol, yep, sorry AP, you picked a very disorganized scrappy band of underdogs.

Ha ha spoke too soon, Rex. Spoke too soon.

I feel so bad for Dicer, she didn't deserve to be spider chow. :(

Some clever foreshadowing with the dokma crouching under the sensor though.

"Everything you need." "...Except you and Ezra." :((((( Ugh the way Kanan and Hera's thread this episode feels vaguely like a messy divorce/separation in places.

Just because Hera understands and accepts that Kanan and Ezra have to leave to keep the rest of the base safe doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, doesn't make her any less worried and anxious.

Lol Chopper running straight into Ezra while chasing the dokma that got in.

Ah frick this scene.

This whole episode has this melancholy feel of the calm before the storm. Building up an anticipation of major narrative shake-ups, giving us a breather before things get really crazy.

"The deep breath before the plunge", as it were, since I know the nerds working on this show adore the Lord of the Rings films.

It permeates the whole story, infused in every small sad expression, every innocuous line of dialogue that hurts so much more afterwards.

Catch me crying forever about Ezra and Zeb's friendship and how close they've gotten and how sweet it is.

ALSO PLEASE DON'T THINK ABOUT ZEB THINKING BACK TO THIS MOMENT AFTER THE FINALE HAPPENS, WISHING AND HOPING FOR THE DAY WHEN HE CAN KEEP HIS PROMISE TO SWAP WAR STORIES WITH EZRA AND MISSING HIS LITTLE BROTHER TERRIBLY.

Ahhh I see we brought back the Fyrnock cue, once again signaling something dangerous and hungry lurking in the dark.

NOOOOOOOOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. I DO NOT LIKE THE KRYKNA I DO NOT LIKE THEM.

"Aim for the eyes." Right and it turns out to be actually very hard to hit the eyes so that helps only slightly.

Cheeky Ezra with his lightsaber flashlight lol.

"We've got to get used to not having them around." :((((( No one knew at the time how long Kanan and Ezra were going to be separated from the rest so this hit a lot sadder back then. Still ouch tho.

Sabine so worried about Hera. :(

HA HA LOOK AT THIS BOY HE SEES A STRANGE NEW DANGEROUS CREATURE AND HIS EYES JUST LIGHT UP ALL, "I WILL MAKE IT MY FRIEND! :D"

He's so excited to try and connect with it aww.

Hints to the strained tension between Kanan and Ezra, they immediately fall to bickering once the threat is dealt with.

I... don't even wanna think about what they were going to use Rex for, probably storing him for food after they ate Dicer.

People complained about the fact that shots kept missing the eyes but I appreciate this little bit of realism about shot accuracy. Even trained marksmen will have trouble with a small moving target like that, they won't always hit the eyes every single time first try.

Lightsabers be more effective. :)

See, this is what I'm talking about, Zeb has great clustering, but the eyes are a four-inch round bullet hole on a moving hungry target with long legs.

Ezra's nervous little, "Well, we're safe in here, right?" and Hera's inability to confirm it.

These things even shrug off turret blasts ghgshkjh.

AND Hera's trick with the electrified hull that worked on the Fyrnocks.

The tense situation is fraying Ezra's already raw nerves. Love Sabine rolling her eyes all, "Okay chill for a minute drama queen."

"What am I doing on the ramp?"

Lol Ezra's idea is "Hurl girlfriend at problem to make it go away."

That panic in Kanan and Ezra's faces when they think they've flung her too far. <3

Badass family shot.

Sabine glancing from Hera to Kanan all, "Soooooo either of you gonna talk about the issues? No?"

Sabine sounds so sad here. :(

That palm to her forehead all, "My gosh this idiot." There's this hurt in her eyes and voice when tells Kanan, "[...]you're still walking out... and taking Ezra with you." A very loaded phrase and an interesting one. Sabine's choice of words here, "walking out" feels like a bit of a call forward to her backstory reveal, and also possibly more how she feels about the situation, rather than Hera.

Mayhap there be a niggling negative voice in her head that's saying, You're abandoning me and you're taking away my best friend too.

"We're gonna be okay" wow the layers in that one. We as in him and Hera, relationship-wise, we as in him and Ezra, physical safety-wise.

*SOBS OVER THIS EMBRACE AND "WE'LL SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN, I PROMISE."*

Frick they really know how to pull the Harsher In Hindsight on us.

Ezra still trying to connect with the krykna. :(((( That was the one talent he was better at than Kanan, that made Kanan so proud of him just a few episodes ago, and now it doesn't work.

Imperial March sliding into the strings there, as the convor heralds Ahsoka's arrival.

OH.

OH WAIT.

WAIT.

FFFFFFFFFF--WAS THAT DELIBERATE??!!???!

Wide-shot, pan up, Ezra walking towards the camera as the pan drops him out of frame, THAT WAS DELIBERATE WASN'T IT???!!???

ANSWER MEEEEEEE.

Ezra's theme plays haltingly one last time, the last note souring and the ominous Imperial March taking its place.

And boy if my levels of dread had not been sky high before lol.

As I said before, this episode is permeated with a sense of impending change, portents of doom hanging over us. It was very effective at setting the stage for "Twilight of the Apprentice", mentally preparing us for that crowbar piledrive into our kneecaps.

This is NOT filler it is NECESSARY connective tissue between the finale and the rest of the season and I will hear no slander about it.

It's just good writing.

[ghostradiodylan]

Which Hacketteers do you think are pro Christmas music and who do you think is totally against it?

Okay this is a great question and such a hard one for me because I’m kind of ambivalent about Christmas music myself! I like it fine for a couple of days beforehand but when it starts playing in stores right after Halloween? I’m still in spooky mode, stop trying to make me be merry for the sake of capitalism! 😂

Also given the setting of New York state, I wonder if any of them come from Jewish or otherwise non-Christian families. Idk who’s most likely to fit into that category but it’s a consideration. Christmas culture infects everyone though lol.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

I feel like Jacob is a literal child so he probably gets super excited about everything Christmas and is like helping his parents put up elaborate light displays and buying Christmas themed snacks and stuff, so he’s probably listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween and I feel like Emma might be similar. Emma might come Christmas caroling at your house because she loves performing so much! Emma doesn’t mind a pop cover or a bit of Mariah Carey at all.

Kaitlyn might be a total Grinch if left to her own devices but she can’t help indulging Jacob a little. She doesn’t mind Christmas music in the context of Christmas movies but she probably wouldn’t listen to it on purpose just for fun. She has a secret soft spot for the soundtrack to The Muppet Christmas Carol.

I feel like the holidays might be complicated for Ryan. We don’t know why his mom isn’t around, though I obviously have my headcanons for fiction, but that might make it a little bit of a tough time for him. At the same time, he seems really invested in his sister so he probably wants to make Christmas special for her. He lives with his grandparents, so maybe they’re listening to the more classic, old school Christmas music and jazz covers and he’s probably fine with that.

Dylan I think could go either way, either he’s rolling his eyes about it altogether or he’s making massive playlists of indie and alt rock covers and then throwing in annoying goofy songs like “Dominick the Donkey” and “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” I think he probably does not want to hear Christmas music prior to Thanksgiving. But maybe I’m just projecting as I often do.

Abi’s watching The Nightmare Before Christmas on repeat to match her Hot Topic aesthetic. 😂 She likes that original soundtrack and the various artist cover versions and “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out” by Fall Out Boy. But when it’s actually the week of Christmas she gives in and gets into the regular cheery stuff.

I wonder how long Nick has been in the US because I always think it has to be so weird for Australians to have all this wintery themed Christmas music when it’s summer in their hemisphere at Christmas time! Maybe he gets really into it because it’s so different from what he’s used to. Or maybe he gets cranky and misses the summer and listens to Tim Minchin’s “White Wine in the Sun” to remember warmer holidays. Could go either way.

Maybe it’s his 50’s fit talking, but I imagine Max being into the old crooner type Christmas music, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra and more recently stuff like Michael Bublé that’s copying that style. I feel like he starts terribly serenading Laura with that music in early November.

I feel like Laura might not get super into Christmas until school is out because she’s so driven, so maybe she pushes all that out of her mind until then, except when Max is badly crooning “White Christmas” in the shower. But then again, I also headcanoned her as a choir kid in high school so she probably had concerts to practice for too that made her get into the spirit earlier than she really wanted.

Thanks for the asks today y’all! I think my brain is tapped out but I will be meditating on some I can send back! 💜💜💜

[the-ultimate-tree]

My initial thoughts on side order

(Written pretty much as soon as I finished it. So don't expect these thoughts to be super coherent and/or accurate)

Putting in a "read more" here because WOW did this thing get long.

Before we start, I have only finished the main story of Side Order so far, because I've been playing it all day. If I tried to get any closer to 100% completion than I currently am, I'll be here all night as well.

It was very fun to play (so fun that I spent all day playing it, as previously mentioned). I think that a part of that is down to how different it is from the three Hero Modes, and from Octo Expansion. Going up the tower was never too frustrating (which may be partly becasue I am primarily a shooter/dualies main, ie the two palettes you get first if I'm not mistaken) but it was difficult at times. Which is good! There weren't too many floors, but there weren't too little either. And I really enjoyed the colour palette system. It was very fun how you just gradually get higher and higher in strength, but you almost don't notice it as you're going because youre almost always only getting one pallette chip at a time. (Also I like being overpowered, which was the case in the bonus levels with chip saturation, which were my favourite levels). I also liked the variety and randomness in the levels a lot, and their gradual difficulty increase. Maybe I should play more roguelites. The danger stages were very fun as well, and the ones with the lights out were genuinly quite creepy. They also added even more variety than the gameplay already had, as you couldn't predict when they'd show up.

I was a massive fan of almost everything about the Jelletons. Primarily the fact that their existance meant NO MORE OCTARIANS. Not that I dont like Octarians, I just think we've been fighting against them for far too long. I also really liked the Jelleton's general apperance and skeleton fish theme, and the jelly part. They looked really cool. The main thing I don't really like that much about them is the lack of explaination about what they actually are. I know we can kind of explain it away with "ohh simulation blah blah blah" but still. It bugs me.

The story is quite a different beast all together. It was pretty good. I l liked the insight we got on things such as Pearl and Marina's relationship (it all but confirmed Pearlina as canon in my eyes). The only problem was that it didnt entirely make sense. What the fuck was order's deal. How did it even get there. I was just. Confused. And my confusion wasn't really helped by the final boss, and the aftermath of said boss, like... is it an octoling of some kind? I just don't know. Maybe it's revealed in the post game somehow. It was cool, dont get me wrong, but... why was it there exactly? Why was it the antagonist, especially when the Telephone is right there. I know it was implied to have died at the end of octo expansion, but we didn't exactly see it die. It just kind of faded out into light, and we never saw it again. It was also on the side of order in the FinalFest of Splatoon 2. Having the Telephone as the antagonist would especially make sense because of the original purpose of the Memverse, that being, to unsanitise the sanitised Octolings (and other creatures). It stands to reason that if the Telephone had found out about it, it would be more than a little bit angry, seeing as it is the one that sanitised all those octolings in the first place. I thought the telephone would make sense as the villain even before I found out about the existance of order (not that much before mind you, it was during the boss fight against marina, because the stuff that was holding her was turquoise and looked a little like sanisised ink, because of the colour). Also, the whole plot to take away the free will of the people of the world using the program that was meant to save them from sanitisation does feel like something the Telephone would do. At least it feels like that to me. Maybe it would just want to resanitise them, I dont know.

The boss fight against Marina and the section leading up to it was my favourite part of Side Order. There were so many unknowns at that point! Like who was doing this, what did they want, what had happened to Marina, etc etc etc. And in the part leading up to the fight against her, those unknowns kind of came to a head, and I was wondering what would happen after the boss fight, because surely this couldn't be the end? It was not the end. I quite like how both of the Splatoon 3 storylines have sort of "false starts" before the story really begins. Hero Mode had it and now Side Order has it too. It's a shame that Splatoon 3 has seemingly exchanged the story making sense for cool openings. At least both Splatoon 3 Hero Mode and Side Order are very fun to play. Also Ahato was there! (Or Acht or Dedf1sh if you'd prefer to call them that, I'm just used to calling them Ahato). They are my favourite character in Splatoon, and have been since I found out they existed, which was in the days of the Octo Expansion.

i was very much a fan of the whole colour thing, with saturated colour v greyscaling. i really liked the visuals of it, and how the saturation of the colour kind of represented power and free will and stuff like that. Just the visuals of the game in general were exellent.

A very minor thing, but I like how Side Order pretty much confirmed that coloured fingertips is a thing that Octolings get with age, since Agent 8 in the Octo Expansion didn't have them, and they do have them now in Side Order.

Thank you very much if you read this far! I hope you enjoyed reading my extremely rambly thoughts. I might make another post if I have more Side Order related thoughts and/or when I finish the post game.

[luulapants]

Why Pumpkin is the Best Palette

There is a poll going around now that leads me to believe this site is MASSIVELY undervaluing the inherent superiority of the pumpkin palette. I have no choice but to speak out on this manner.

Let’s break down the main features of Pumpkin:

I don’t know about you, but if I didn’t need to read anything, my ideal color scheme would be a black screen. This is a close substitute. Importantly, there are almost no blue tones, which we all know is the evil electronics light color that is poisoning our brains and making us insane. Pumpkin with soothe your brain and make you sane again. Pumpkin can fix everything that’s wrong with you. When your computer shifts into the sunset digital wellness mode that you enabled months ago in a fit of desperation to have a sleep schedule, you can’t even tell the difference in pumpkin mode because it is Perpetual Sunset Digital Wellness.

Also, pumpkin theme has this guy:

That’s your messages button.

Compare this to some of the glaring (pun intended) issues with the other themes:

Snow Bright/Cement/Canary/Ghost:

Deranged themes for deranged people who have something wrong with them. People actively attempting to burn their own eyes out of their skulls. People who haven’t blinked since 2007. They hunch in front of their computers, their faces flooded in light as if they are being interrogated in an old film noir. Remember when they told us not to look at the eclipse? These people did. And they liked it. An addiction formed and now they simply cannot stop abusing their eyes.

Oh, and the messages button on ghost?

Fuck off. A) That doesn’t even look like a chat bubble, it’s literally just a ghost. B) Turning a second button into a ghost also? Lame.

And while we’re talking about that, let’s talk about vampire palette having the EXACT same ghost icon next to the (admitted cool) vampire messages bubble.

You’re not ghost theme!! Why is there a ghost!!

But that does lead us into our usual dark mode options.

Dark Mode/Vampire:

The really disappointing thing about dark modes like this is they come SO close. But the white of the text is absolutely blinding. And guess what part of the page you spend most of your time focusing on!! The text!! It’s like having room darkening curtains with a bunch of little pinpricks in them and the bat signal shining directly at the window.

True Blue:

This falls somewhere between the cursed light modes and the dark modes. The background is fine!! But the White secondary and text colors are a crime against me personally!!

Low Contrast Classic:

This one COULD have rights if you just lowered the brightness on this entire palette until the background was black. Loses points for being blue though.

Cybernetic/Goth Rave:

Let’s talk about everyone’s beloved Goth Rave, which I lump in the same category as Cybernetic. Those text colors are WAY TOO BRIGHT! The black background almost makes it worse because it just accentuates the eye-gouging vibrance of the other colors.

Cybernetic COULD have scored points if it actually committed to the Courier Sans text it promises in the palette toggle:

But no other palettes are willing to make the bold font choices you see in Pumpkin and Vampire.

Finally,

Pride

deserves a special shaming. I am not proud of this palette. This palette makes me want to comphet.

Hell is real.

WHAT IS THIS??? Yellow on pink?? I can’t see that! I’ve been blinded by the bright colors AND it’s already impossible to see!! The blue! That horrible blue!

Anyway, I hope I’ve opened some minds and hearts to the truth today. Pumpkin is love. Pumpkin is life.

The account button has a little witch hat <3

[almostpleasantrebel]

Dozens of Songs Tag Game

I was tagged by the lovely @thebiwifeonao3 for the dozens of songs tag game!!! Here’s how to play. Also I’m sorry for how much M*A*S*H is on this.

step one:

so here's the game: 12 songs you've recently listened to (include a lyric that you like maybe), 12 ships (can be solo or platonic, dw) (hard mode: from 12 fandoms???) that the songs loosely make you think of, & tag 12 people to do the same.

easy mode: do half a dozen instead idk

here's a fun idea: you could even listen to the playlist from the person who tagged you to use some/all of their song picks!!

step two:

whether you've been tagged or not, you can send an ask with the song & pairing and create a work based on the idea. And the theme of 12 is fun so could be 12 characters, words, paragraphs, chapters, anything!

profit!!! (have fun & maybe end up reading some new fic!)

Songs and ships under the read more thingy

1. XXL (LANY) — Margaret Houlihan/Lorraine Anderson, M*A*S*H

Backseat secrets we will never tell

2. Apocalypse (Cigarettes After Sex) — Margaret Houlihan/Helen Whitfield, M*A*S*H

Your lips, my lips, apocalypse

3. She Looks So Perfect (5 Seconds Of Summer) — Margaret Houlihan/Hawkeye Pierce, M*A*S*H

Your lipstick stain is a work of art

4. Only You (Yaz) — Elizabeth Corday/Anna Del Amico, ER

All I needed was the love you gave all I needed for another day and all I ever knew only you

5. At The Ballet (Kelly Bishop, Nancy Lane & Kay Cole) — Margaret Houlihan, M*A*S*H

Everything was beautiful at the ballet. Graceful men lift lovely girls in white. Yes, everything was beautiful at ballet. Hey! I was happy... at the ballet. That's why I started class... Up a steep and very narrow stairway. To the voice like a metronome. Up a steep and very narrow stairway. It wasn't paradise... It wasn't paradise... It wasn't paradise... But it was home.

6. Trouble (Kristin Hersh) — Abigail Marjorie Lockhart, ER

Trouble oh trouble can't you see you have made me a wreck now won't you leave me in my misery

7. Summer, Highland Falls (Billy Joel) — Elizabeth Corday/Mark Greene, ER

For we are always what our situations hand us

8. Miss Atomic Bomb (The Killers) — Margaret Houlihan/Trapper John McIntyre, M*A*S*H

All that I wanted was a little touch, a little tenderness and truth, I didn't ask for much, no talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time

9. Until The World Ends (Arch Tremors feat. Lollo Gardtman) — Margaret Houlihan & B.J. Hunnicutt, M*A*S*H

And you are safe with me until the world ends

10. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths) — Margaret Houlihan/Peggy Bigelow, M*A*S*H

Take me out tonight where there's music and there's people and they're young and alive driving in your car I never, never want to go home because I haven't got one anymore

11. Father and Son (Cat Stevens) — Margaret Houlihan & Alvin Houlihan, M*A*S*H

How can I try to explain? When I do he turns away again It's always been the same same old story from the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen, now there's a way and I know that I have to go away I know I have to go

12. Remember Me (Lullaby) ((Gael García Bernal, Gabriella Flores & Libertad García Fonzi)) — Henry Blake/Lorraine Blake, M*A*S*H

Remember me though I have to say goodbye remember me, don't let it make you cry for even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart

Tags: @remyfire @mercysong-tardis @cuddleswinchester @allcanonisrelative and anyone else who would like to participate

[tarotmundomonde]

Hello again ♡

My option is 4 !

I want to know it because I'm single lol and I think I will soon meet my fs and some time after I will be growing more with the person .

I feels this reading will help me with certain parts that will let me know who I'm attracting to me and all !

My Venus sign - Taurus in seventh house

My sun sign (western /vedic)- aries/Pisces

My initial - h.s

I see u in colour blue 💙:-

The color blue represents both the sky and the sea and is associated with open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, inspiration, and sensitivity. Blue also represents meanings of depth, trust, loyalty, sincerity, wisdom, confidence, stability, faith, and intelligence....I feel same that with u . My Venus sign - Taurus in seventh house

Gif that resonates with me :-

Gif that would resonate with u :-

Done ! ✔️

Hello H.S, let's dive into your reading, shall we? Looking at the cards, it looks like your current immediate environment doesn't support you finding love at this time. But it's not completely blocked, either. It seems more like there is a need to go differently about it, to maybe look elsewhere. It is you with the keys. So it's kinda more like there could be someone ready to meet you but they chilling, while waiting for you to find them and reach out to them. So, if you don't do anything, your love life will simply stay in night mode. But if you try knocking on another door, one could happen to open and there could be some exciting events taking place, especially in the form of new love and exciting communication. Let's go deeper into the details of your reading. It seems in love there is some kind of challenging times going on for you. A need for some time out. Since we are looking at your chances to find love at this time, this could be something the other person needs as well. Nonetheless, it looks like there is a time out on the horizon. There is need for heart healing and relief. Maybe your thoughts ain't the clearest at this time regarding matters of love. Maybe you need to clear your thinking a bit. It could be about being realistic, but it's also about having hope and faith. And not being stuck on preferences or past ideas of love. There is divine light and clarity present, but it's for you to see it. To be honest, it seems like it is more about issues regarding motivation and about truly thinking that you are worthy of true joy and stability in love. Like love is not about working your butt off to make someone love you or be with you, etc. Like love is not something you earn, it's something that there is naturally between you and someone. So you may need to clear old ways of thinking. It seems like you are given time off in love, so that you have time to gain clarity and heal. There is a focus on justice and fairness as well, things being equal, especially as in sharing love with each other, equally so. So finding someone is not about them giving you love, it's about both giving each other love, sharing love with one another. There is a sense of gaining momentum. It's time for you to find your own inner power and to trust yourself more. When healing happens, there is more room for intuition as well, even if it's just gut feelings or being at the right place at the right time. So as you heal, you are freed from old energies and then comes the expansion in love. You'll be ready for new adventures in love. The key is using your voice and communicating and communication. It's important to voice what you want in love. One more thing that came through is that you could already know your future partner in love, but right now the view is blocked. Possibly there is no communication between you two, so that could be why communication keeps coming through as a big theme for you. And whether you are in any contact with this person or not, your view is still blocked. Perhaps you can't recognize them as a partner in love, because your current way of thinking or negative thoughts or simply because you need first to go through some heart healing and relief, before you sort of can recognize/see them. Otherwise, it could be just what was said before, to go about love in a different way, or different place, etc. That's what the cards are telling you. ps. feedback is always appreciated~

[cobalt-owl]

I hope yall don't mind but I'm gonna hard rant about how Halo Infinite has reminded me of how I feel after coming back to try it again after all this time, after the first time I ever uninstalled a Halo game.

I have such a love hate relationship with Halo, specifically Halo Infinite. The franchise easily has my favorite written aliens in scifi as well as a wonderful theme and shockingly good books. Halo infinite also brings wonderful gameplay mechanics and changes that makes it more satisfying to play, not to mention the forge.

But

It also brings out the most greedy scummy bullshit I've seen in almost any game franchise. Making so many promises about "you will earn your cosmetics, not pay for them like in the original halo games" but then you can get basically no cosmetics without buying season passes because 343 still hasn't learned to just make halo and NOT base it on another franchise like cod or titanfall or fortnite. They even put armor color behind a pay wall. YOUR ARMOR COLOR. Majority of the color combos given are absolute garbage or are forever locked because you didn't play at a specific time period or they're divided by "armor cores". This all because they wanted to make the multiplayer "free to play" but still charge $60 for a mediocre campaign that is STILL BROKEN. After all of this, the slap to the face of the halo TV show, and the fact they held off on an important game mode like Infection so it could fit in their unwanted live service story. It feels like they actively don't give two shits about their community which is probably why there's less than 5,000 players on infinite at a time! Don't even get me started on the lack of playable Elites!

I WANT it to succeed, I WANT to see it blow up with a following. I see they put effort in the mechanics, the beautiful art design (hell I even got the concept art book), the freedom they gave in the forge game mode, the armor sets they supply that they know only long time fans and people who have read the books would care for. I was originally happy it was all falling apart for the amount of lies and empty promises that 343 made, but now I'm just depressed because I had so much hope for something from my childhood to not be ruined by corporate bs and self-righteous like franches such as star wars. That the one light I had after losing both my jobs and all my savings to covid to feel some joy from before everything fell apart slipped through my fingers like ice melted in summer heat. Now, just like the bright blue armor shader, I'm either having to settle with it or drop it entirely.

I suppose it's my fault for having such an attachment to a video game.

[gunpointpokereviews]

Sprigatito

Hyahhh, what horrors will you...! Huh? This thing is adorable! You guys really didn't have to hold me at gunpoint to make me review this guy/gal/vegetable. In fact, why don't you just untie me so that I can... no? Alright. Where do I start:

Sprigatito! Lovely name. I think its origins are pretty straightforward, it's a small cat with small leaves. Its facial markings even look like leaves, but knowing what I know about its later evolutions, I can see them for what they truly are: the beginnings of a marvelous sort of facialwear.

Its animations are about what you would expect from a relatively frill-less kitty cat like itself, characteristically sweet and inspiring many loud and obnoxious AWWs from myself as I watch them. I may not be a cat person, but I'm also not a callous beefcake who holds people hostage, and so I can appreciate them very well.

I'm enjoying this too much for my situation? Drat. It must have been Sprigatito's soothing scent--supposedly it smells rather nice. I'm thinking something like a cool mint, sharply fresh and distracting. Do they make Sprigatito leaf-flavored toothpaste? Sprigatito leaf-flavored... altoids? Chewing gum? There are so many possibilities, dear captors, if only you had a few with you now, you could demonstrate their efficacy for me personally! WOAH, not so close! *mutters* with your breath, I don't even care about the gun at this point...

Upon its reveal, a combination of its cheerful pink-colored eyes and its other features lead to many exciting and imaginative comparisons that surprised everyone. But in any case, a pink and green color scheme is essentially impossible to screw up, and Sprigatito is no exception, especially when all of its colors (well, all of its three colors) are so vibrant.

Floragato

I want to be a yoyo man, I cry, make me a yoyo man!

Floragato doesn't seem to hear me, but let's see. Hmm... nope, I am still a clumsy woman who can't do anything cool with a yoyo, such as unexpectedly fighting off nonspecific swarms of burly thugs who have me captured with what appeared to them to be merely a children's toy... Maybe next time. Floragato has no such limitations, however.

Sprigatito has evolved, and now walks alongside the trainer on its two hind legs! This might bother some people, but I don't mind it. Personally, I find walking on two legs to be a very beneficial undertaking in day to day life, as it frees up my hands to do important things, like practicing yoyo skills. That's just me, though; Zacian gets along fine with its mouth-wielding.

Again, Floragato's name is straightforward enough. It is still a leafy cat, but it's older now, and carries with it a little flower bud. Aww. Of course, in a classical cat fashion (Do you remember Torracat's "bell" and Incineroar's "belt buckle"? The mind games never end), the bud which appeared to be nothing but a charming decorative pin at first glance actually can extend out on a vine and functions as its favored mode of attack.

This is pretty original, isn't it? I freaked out when I first saw it. My god. Yoyos. Next thing you know, there'll be Pokémon with coins or surfboards, or even spoons. (Nah, that last one is too ridiculous.) Yo-ing requires a lot of skill and dexterity, making it a very flashy art form and perfect for an evolution line themed around showmanship. Also, on a cat Pokémon, it brings to mind the image of a cat playing with a ball of yarn or a cat wand. I'm not sure if that factored into the design, but I do like it.

Meowscarada

As pretty as Meganium, as cool as Decidueye, and as tricky as... hmm, Greninja? And also, as cool as Greninja? Is Greninja cool? Its tongue is... *Hank Meatloaf, one of my most terrifying captors, growls or possibly laughs* anyway, it's MEOWSCARADA!

Its shawl/scarf/poncho thing has grown out into a magnificent dual masquerade/magician's cape that refracts light around Meowscarada to aid it in its increasingly extravagant sleights of hand, and also looks a bit like a fleur-de-lis. Meanwhile now-hidden vine's flower bud has also apparently opened, but all that's normally visible is four sepals with nothing at all in between. This changes in battle, blooming into an explosive six-petaled flower that looks suspiciously like a young pomegranate.

In fact, I rather suspect that it actually is based on a pomegranate and its flower, particularly with the historical importance of pomegranate iconography in particular regions of Spain, such as the aptly-named province of Granada in Andalusia, and the fact that Meowscarada uses the flower as a bomb. Did you know the word for grenades in many languages comes from the word for pomegranate? I bet you did, huh. *I pat Bloody Kate's beefy arm knowingly and am rewarded with a riveting punch to my solar plexus*

Now why would a pomegranate grow on a vine? Well, here's my conspiracy theory about the vine. Meowscarada's paws look suspiciously like beans. I don't mean like, cat toe beans. But like, actual beans. Their claws, which I have never seen protract, look exactly like the germ of a bean. There's no way they didn't think about this, come on, you should just beanlieve me on this one.

Regardless of what flower it actually is, the same one blooms around Meowscarada's neck in the manner of a collar. Cats wear collars, of course, but I think this is more of a traditional ruff. Its mask is potentially a part of its fur; Floragato's dex entry mentions that its fur can stiffen up into a very hard and tough consistency, and so so far as evolution is concerned, this feels like a logical continuation. Who can say, though.

Between the diamonds printed on its mask, its diamond shaped flower (the idle version, I mean), and the many acute angles across the rest of its body, diamonds are important to its design in some capacity. I'm inclined to think its a reference to harlequin print, as Meowscarada itself seems to take a general influence from the harlequin character, but along with its refractive cape it could be something crystalline as well. Maybe if we get something like Terastrallized forms in the DLC, that could end up featuring a bit more prominently.

It's really very impressive how much they integrated all of its fancy faux "clothes" with its nature and gameplay, isn't it? Well, that's Pokémon for you. *starts thinking about Greninja's tongue again*

The official Pokémon website justifies its overall flashiness by saying that it, along with Floragato, is a very needy Pokémon that loves attention, and grows lonely and jealous easily. That's such a perfect explanation for why it would develop such a showy demeanor, though it is a little sad. But really, if you can give it the attention it wants, who doesn't love a velcro cat? All the more cuddles.

Wrapping up!

Unless my zooarchaeological knowledge of real-life Iberia is severely lacking (*pushes up glasses but then devolves into a coughing fit*), all members of this evolutionary line don't appear to be based on any sort of extinct fauna, which means that the rough-and-ready theory that grass starters are based off of extinct animals can at last be discard... no, adapted! The Iberian lynx, which Meowscarada seems to take a spiritual inspiration from, is endangered. Therefore, it is very nearly extinct (nevermind the ongoing and relatively successful conservation efforts for the species, this ain't about them). Dearest captors, you needn't throw out that dollhouse-scale child's boot just yet. If you managed to shove it on poor Grookey, Rowlet, Chespin, Snivy, and that Sinnoh twig turtle whose name escapes me, no doubt you shall continue to be able to do so for the rest of time. Huh? No, I'm not being a smartass! Aaaghh no I'll behave I swear just back off with the peashooter I'm [muffled] [indecipherable]

But all in all, the Sprigatito line is cute, complex and interesting, and visually quite stunning. The sundry themes and influences you might expect to be a little discordant come together just perfectly for my tastes. It purrforms its duty as the primeowry starter and face of the beautiful Paldenya region very nicely, and it's basically everything I could ask for from a cat made of salad. I'm looking forward to finally having one myself. Have you seen how Meowscarada run??

For my special personal rating, I give it a Mari-approval mark: GOLD EDITION. This is a real thing now, I'm totally sticking by it. Unless you threaten me some more about it.

[thegeminisage]

ok, i'm shifting into zelda mode. i have until friday to finally beat this sucker which i think has actually wound up being a good thing - i was playing less and less of it and less and less often, partly because of time, partly because of brain chemistry, but mostly because i was getting tired of the like. grind. koroks shrines lightroots etc. i don't really want to burn out on totk, so i think if i stop and play pikmin, it will be a nice little break and motivate me to come back to zelda and actually enjoy it instead of just. going through the motions. which is great because i do enjoy this game and i want to remember that i enjoy this game, and also it means i have more of it to enjoy later - at WORST, i will come back for 100% when the inevitable dlc comes out. map fatigue of doing botw twice (nearly 100%ing it the first time, doing it all the way the second time) has been my biggest problem with totk, and it's possible that i will never play either game again (or if i do it will be a very, very, very, VERY long time from now, like at least a decade), so ultimately i'm not mad about stretching it out to make it last longer than just one summer. it's going to be a REALLY long time before we get another zelda. as in, i could very well be in my 40s by then. might as well shorten the wait if i can

anyway the first order of business is to go back and finish the mineru quest. i wanna enjoy actually having her in my party for awhile before i take her to the final boss fight - i should have done it ages ago lol

oh yeah i quit bc of a hinox lol but he was super easy

deeply unfortunate: found several enormous piles of minable rock. which i felt compelled to break all of even though it wasn't fun. the good new is one of them was made of zonaite somaybe soon i can upgrade my battery again

another giant pile of zonaite. im thrilled to have the mats but like...please let me do something else now lol. even mineru's arms have durability. i need my weapons. i've used like 40 bombs. i can't do this with yunobo over and over

also love and light to mineru but she is straight up in my way, and at this point in the game i can't dismiss her. like she wants to be close so she can kneel so i can piggyback and the mech is awesome when im in the mood for it but i am trying to do something. and she makes so many noises also. i think the sages, controlswise, are my least favorite gameplay element of this. they are SO. ANNOYING. i wish there was a limitation where only one could walk around with you at once and the rest were mapped to buttons lol

ok, got it mined. now to the actual spirit temple

aww i like the music here. i like the little lightroot piano cue. i wish i had an actual lightroot lol my hearts have been decimated

little bit worried about this boss.

oh shit i was exploring the arena and fell into the water while riding the mech and now i cant find her?! is she ok......................

oh whew there she is. rip i wanted to go get that big poe...i guess not. i'm sure after the fight i'll be teleported out and even if not it is so much swimming in the dark

oh SHIT evil construct?? DARK MINERU??? why can we have dark mineru but not dark link???

aaaah the old electrified fence arena

i wish i hadnt had to use a rocket to get in here. this fight feels slow and clunky without the benefit of a fan on mineru's back

FOUR ARMS?? OH SHIT WE GOT GENERAL GREIVOUS OVER HERE

GOT HIS ASS

oh my god it's MINERU like it was mineru but now she looks like a person and not a robot

oh god is she gonna give me a CUTSCENE?

like we just got one but am i gonna get another memory

THE

MURAAAAALLLLLLLL

this is breaking so much lore.

NOT THE HYRULE CASTLE THEME

oh a man of great evil here we go show me the boy it's been too long

SCREEEEAM THERE HE LITERALLY IS!!!!!!

oh my god the theme from that very first announcement trailer

THE SHOT FROM THE TRAILERS!!!!!!!

HOLY SHIT ZELDA USING RECALL BABYGIRL YOU ARE SO COOL

YOOOOOOOOO

rauru sealing ganondorf with the fma scar movement. he threw his whole body weight behind that fist 😏

this is gay

IM LOSING MY WHOLE ASS MIND. REMEMBER THIS NAME: LINK. AND THE MAIN THEME STARST PLAYING

AND AT THE BEGINNING. IN THE VERY FIRST CUTSCENE. I REMEMBER SCREAMING OUT LOUD BECAUSE HE RECOGNIZED US. HE REMEMBERED. THE NAME

holy shit. holy shit!!! they literally are just frozen like that just like in my movie pitch <3

ANOTHER cutscene?? i am literally eating

WAHHHH fi's theme

oh im wailing she and mineru love each other so much...neither of them wants to lose the other bc theyve already lost sonia and rauru :(

GOD ZELDA BEING WILLING TO DIE FOR LINK...girl they said you WONT be able to change back ik bc of spoilers that she does but AAAAAA

idk why all the zonai are so long and wiggly. like kaminoans. i don't like it

"even if my body should perish i will be with you in spirit" zelda about to lose mom #4 :(

oh NICE i have unlocked some cool zonaite shopping options...which i refuse to use until i max out my battery, lol

wow. i even got to get those poes

popped out of the spirit temple and was able to grab a lightroot. perfect stopping point bc now i have stuff i have to do lol

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2022-12-19

Winding down

Listening: I have no idea why but this song has been open in a tab on my desktop for ages and I finally got around to listening to it. And then I listened to it like a dozen more times. Here's Expert in a Dying Field by The Beths

Reading: Finished What If? 2, the xkcd What If book. A fair number of these are reruns from the site, but lots of good originals, and as always includes some comic panels that are extremely funny out of context, such as:

Also started Africa Risen, an afrofantasy/afrofuturist spec fic short story collection. I have a soft spot for afrofuturism even though I find a lot of it either unbearably optimistic or distressingly pessimistic. That's true of a lot of sci-fi though I guess. I think I saw an ad for this go by on Tumblr Blaze, so good job whatever was in that ad.

I have more to say about this collection but what I have to say will probably change by the time I finish more of it.

Watching: Umbrella Academy Season 3, first few episodes. The dance number in E1 is so good, runs just long enough that you go "wow that's a really long dance number."

Playing: Dorf Fort, started a fort on my desktop and then restarted on my laptop because I don't have power most nights and it's a good way to kill time. The new GUI is fantastic, I don't t think any of the DF players I know are using the original version anymore, it's so much more flexible. Honestly just dragging to designate is such a huge change on its own, forget even having sprites.

Have a fortress up a mountain by a huge volcano, I've done some experimental digging to create lava channels for magma forges and so on. Successfully did not kill any dwarves horribly.

Also went to a game day at a nearby board game store, played a few games but noteworthy ones were:

Photosynthesis, a strategy game about growing trees in a forest without getting overshadowed by your opponents or yourself.

Inis, a Celtic themed strategy game about controlling territory that uses a clever card draft to distribute abilities between players.

Junk Art, a dexterity game about building towers of inconveniently shaped blocks. Not in print anymore, unfortunately.

Canvas, a really cute art-themed card draft game where you try to meet scoring criteria by stacking transparent cards to build up a painting.

Making: More quilt, I haven't touched it in a couple weeks so it was nice to get back. Every now and again you hit a patch of nice easy seams without complex corners and it's a nice break from trying to cinch together seven patches.

Digging into Linux internals to try and figure out what the hell is wrong with the sensor hub in my new laptop led me down a perplexing rabbit hole, the plan is now to try and sniff or otherwise inspect the Windows driver and figure out what it does that the Linux one doesn't.

Tools and Equipment: Gonna make a pitch for Small Laptops. My new 13-inch laptop is a godsend, small enough to chuck in basically any bag, light enough that you won't even know it's there, but big enough that it's way better for watching YouTube videos on in bed than a phone.

I've been doing all those power metric tests so I know it's good but also just using it, it's a real improvement over my old laptop, which I really only ever moved if it couldn't be avoided. The tenting and easel modes are really good for using on couches and in bed because they avoid choking the intakes.

[totally-correct-shenanigans]

heyo!! just a question as to why penelopes tet name colour is orange instead of lilac? then again im on tumblr dark mode and i could see a light lilac skdhgjsk, love the posts btw!!!

shes red actually!! er. at least she is on my theme lol. i wanted to give all of the cooper gang their own unique colors, and pink was already murray and purple was already dimitri, so i went with the color of her lil bandanna instead. to be fair i proceeded to give the guru purple also, so maybe itll change later, who knows ekfjjenf

[hamatosami]

Away too long-💙

Notes: I was feeling a little angsty today haha

(ALL OF MY STORIES ARE 18+ MAY OR MAY NOT CONTAIN SEXUAL CONTENT, LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, GORE, DARK THEMES)

Please read responsibly 🫶🏼

Shakily you paced back and forth through your apartment. Hands shaking and sweating. If he were to come by he would have done it by now.

It’s only been a few months since you started dating the blue banded turtle and it’s been nothing short of an adventure.

What once started as something light and friendly, turned into a deep obsession. Things were still very new and fresh. The last thing you wanted was to screw anything up this early, likewise, you kept a lot of your pent up emotion to yourself.

While facing the basic difficulties of keeping his existence a secret from your friends and family, you also had to survive with the idea that when he leaves on a mission, he might never come back.

And it was nights like tonight that had you going fucking crazy.

“Should I call him again.” You whispered to yourself looking at your call history. You’ve called him 15 times in the last 2 days. Maybe it was a little obsessive, but what else could you do?

Loneliness engulfed your soul. You had no one to talk to, no one to call if anything went wrong. He kept resources from you purposely to keep you from running to help him and putting yourself further in danger.

It wasn’t a call you liked, but you understood why he did it. Because if you knew where he was, recklessly, you would have been there by now.

But to you it was all worth it.

You decided a hot shower would take the edge of. It’s been three days since Leo left on a mission and he hadn’t returned back or answered any of your calls.

Against your will, he didn’t tell you his location or what exactly the mission was. All for the sake of your protection. The less you knew the better.

As you got out of the hot steamy shower you felt your eyes swell up again. You were crying off and on worried sick. You fought every instinct to cry again but you couldn’t help it.

Thinking the absolute worst creeped into your mind again and tears poured out once more. You savored every last memory you had of him, putting yourself back into panic mode.

Slowly putting on your robe, you fought the urge to call him again, but you didn’t succeed.

Voicemail again…

Your eyes shut tight in frustration.

“Leo… it’s Y/N. Please… I need to know that you’re okay.” In defeat you pressed the red icon on your phone ending the voicemail. You couldn’t help your shakes and tremors thinking the absolute worst.

You almost jumped out of your skin when you heard your floor creek…

You lived alone…

As your heart thumped hard against your chest you felt your entire body freeze.

Leo armed you with quite a few weapons hoping you’d never have to use them, but with you being affiliated with the turtles, he never wanted to risk it with you.

You swiftly and as quietly as you could grabbed the mini katana hidden under your bed and creeped around to the living room where you heard the noise. Hair still dripping wet.

Your throat became dry as you slowly creeped along the hallway.

You heard another footstep.

You for sure knew now that there was someone in your home.

And you were 100% sure as to who it was.

You listened carefully to hear how many foot clan members were in your home trying to remember the very little fighting skills Leo taught you.

As the figure got closer you hid behind the wall ready to attack whoever it was in the very hopes of making it out alive.

You waited for your moment. You only had one chance.

You waited until they got close enough, you could swing at them and then hopefully make a run for the door.

The steps got closer and closer

And your breathing got heavier and heavier.

Now was your chance.

You closed your eyes and counted to 3 in your head.

As you swung your wrist was caught firmly

Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

You opened your eyes expecting to see a killer, but instead was shocked to see worrisome eyes.

Eyes bluer than blue. The only eyes you knew.

It was Leo.

“Y/N it’s me.” He lowered your hand. You gulped hard first grasping the idea that he wasn’t dead. The. Slowly you became angry.

“Leo?” You shuddered not knowing how to respond.

“I’m back…” he tried to sound cheerful for you, but you didn’t buy into it.

“You couldn’t at least give me a damn call?!” You couldn’t help but yell. You were so… fucking… furious with hun.

His mouth dropped.

“I- I’m sorry I got caught up.” Eyes looking guilty as ever.

“Damn it Leo! I thought you were dead!” You couldn’t help the tears now streaming down your face.

His hand found your face. Wiping your tears as you broke down.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered simply.

Your eyes trailed to his arms that were covered in blood.

“Don’t worry.” He reassured. “It’s not my blood. I’m fine.” His voice was so low and soothing. “I came here first thing to let you know i was okay.”

As you got a closer look at him, you felt guilty for yelling. He was beaten up bad.

“I’m sorry Leo I just get… so fucking worried.” You cried more.

He pulled you in for a kiss.

A deep… long kiss, attempting to kiss all your worries away.

“I’m not going anywhere I promise.”

Thank you so much for reading!! If you enjoyed like and comment for more content! (Master list coming soon)

~HamatoSami