#and in the end created the biggest villain in that universe

[lnkedmyheart]

Beast universe is so hilariously tragic cause like half of Dazai's issues stemmed from Mori being a bad person in the main universe and Dazai obsessively trying to fix things. There was an entire possibility that none of the canon events would have happened because Mori in the beast universe is actually nice. BUT, with his antics and attempts at recreating the world to protect everyone and ensure Oda's survival, Dazai isolated Chuuya so much that he created his own villain. And now that beast Dazai is dead, thinking he has made that world a safe place, beast Chuuya is chained up, batshit insane, rageful and one snap away from using corruption again and ending everything Dazai did all that shit for.

[spacerockfloater]

Sarah J. Maas has no idea what’s going on in her series.

There, I said it. That’s my biggest pet peeve with this series. After the first book, it seems like she’s just desperately trying to create more books to sell, but has nothing left to say. Even the King of Hybern is such a one dimensional villain. What is his backstory? What are his ulterior motives? Why does he hate humans? What’s his NAME? What about the entire COURT OF HYBERN? What are people doing over there? Why are they all described as pale soulless black-eyed creatures? No animals? No nothing? How do the fae live there? How did they manage to raise such a HUGE army if they are below the poverty line? He clearly does not need any slaves if his forces are so strong that they nearly annihilated Prythian?

Unfortunately, this universe is so poorly built. I really loved the first book and it pains me to say this because the world of Prythian is such an interesting concept but it is so UNFINISHED and UNEXPANDED that I wish the series would end after ACOTAR. I felt like there was no story to read afterwards, I was simply watching Feyre’s reality show. And frankly, other than Nesta, Tamlin, Jurien and Eris, who are all SIDE characters, no one seems to experience personal growth or change? None of our protagonists become better people? They just, bond with one another in a weird friendship cult that’s lowkey starting to feel very incestuous.

[theresattrpgforthat]

do you have any recommendations for games with interesting superpower mechanics? bonus points for a clear love of superhero comics as a genre

THEME: Superpowers

Oh gosh do I have some recommendations for you. I have likely spoken about pretty much all of these games before, but I feel very strongly about them and I can’t help myself from talking about them again!

Exceptionals, by Bramble Wolf Games.

Exceptionals is a game inspired by X-Men about and for the spaces and communities marginalized peoples make for themselves. Play as a Geno, one of little less than 0.5% percent of the population that has gone through a mysterious process called Claremont-Simonson mutation, as you try to navigate a world that won’t make room for you. Exceptionals is a game about what the mutant metaphor means to you and the different lenses through which we view it. Punch back and build something of worth together in this narrative tag-driven tabletop role playing game.

What Exceptionals does differently than the other games mentioned here is that it ties all of your character abilities to descriptive words or phrases. You’re not just heavily armoured, you have bone spikes and you’re exceptionally good at resisting extreme temperatures. Your powers can just as easily be things that slow you down and get in your way as they can be handy weapons or powerful resources. Not only that, but your character is also defined by their role in the community. Are you excellent at socializing and often called on to provide a distraction? Or are you good at noticing details, and therefore asked to investigate local mysteries? Each answer gives you a tag you can use to improve your chances of success.

If you have some experience with Fate, you might find Exceptionals to feel pretty familiar, with the biggest difference being in the dice used. The system itself uses 2d10, with modifiers applied through tags, the environment around you, and social bonds. Your bonds are crucial to improving your chances, and that is why Exceptionals champions community. If you want a game that cares deeply about the media it’s drawing from, then I recommend Exceptionals.

Spectaculars, by Scratchpad Publishing.

Spectaculars is a tabletop roleplaying game where players create their own comic book universe, craft heroes and villains to populate that universe, and then play through full-length campaigns to tell incredible stories of heroism and villainy in a world of their own creation.

Spectaculars has different decks of superpowers depending on the kind of genre you’d like to play in, but you can also mix and match if you’d like. Your superpower options are dealt to you randomly, with five basic superpowers always available if you don’t like the options you’ve been given. You get five unique cards, out of which you can choose up to three. I really like this because it prevents analysis paralysis, while still giving you a good number of unique options!

Your superpower ability is usually tied to a percentile - 80 being your best power, 70 being the second best, and 60 being the tertiary (should you choose to take all three). Rolling under that number means you succeed, and you can also roll advantage or disadvantage dice to determine extra details - like whether your move sets up another superhero really well. Each superpower could have up to two different effects, using situational limitations or time tokens to debuff anything that is extraordinarily powerful.

So for example, the Corrosion power gives you the ability to reroll any advantage dice you roll once, as long as you are trying to corrode non-living matter. However for Light Manipulation, you can make whatever light effect you evoke last for longer if you put two time tokens on your card, and you can allow yourself to use your power and do something else at the end of the round by adding four time tokens to the card. At the beginning of your turn every round, you get to remove a time token. This is a great game for folks who love tactile play, as the tokens, dice and power cards give you a lot to handle.

If you want a more in-depth review of Spectaculars, you can check out this summary by Deeper in the Game.

MASKS, by Brendan Conway, at Magpie Games.

Halcyon City has had more than its fair share of superheroes, superteams, supervillains, and everything in between.

Your team of young supers must forge your own path amidst the pressures of a world full of people telling you what to do and who to be, and kick some butt along the way!

Masks: A New Generation is a superhero tabletop roleplaying game full of action, youthful angst, and dazzling bravery. Take on the roles of members of the latest generation of superheroes, young adults trying to figure out who they are and what kind of heroes they want to be.

I am remiss if I don’t talk about MASKS, the first game I would turn to if I wanted to replicate Young Justice, Teen Titans, or anything from the Spiderverse series. This game is often cited as one of the definitive examples of what a Powered by the Apocalypse game can do, and for good reason. The superhero powers are present as picklists tied to each playbook, while what separates the playbooks is the inherent struggle of the character. Are they trying to hide their mundane identity? Are they struggling with feeling like a freak? Do they have a legacy to live up to?

I think these thematic elements show a deep love for the superhero genre, and I also love that the chances of success aren’t tied to what your abilities are, but rather your reasons for using them. If you are trying to protect someone, you’re rolling Savior, but if you’re trying to do damage, you roll Danger. In either situation you could be using your powers, but it’s intent that matters - and then you describe how you want to do it in order to give us an idea of what success or failure would look like.

FASERIP, by Gurbintroll Games.

FASERIP is a neo-clone game of super heroes, based on a classic 1980s role-playing game. The game contains a flexible yet streamlined super power system, and a completely new character generation system which keeps the fun and unpredictability of the original game’s random character generation but tempers it with an emphasis on balance and player choice.

This is a retro-clone from another superhero game that has since gone out of print - I think perhaps Marvel Super Heroes? Unfortunately I’m not familiar with the source material, but I can tell you that this version is free!

FASERIP is pretty granular in your ability level, ranking characters and difficulty levels from Zero to Infinite. Your superpowers in this game have a few important factors - source (how you got the power), rank (how effective it is), and boosts (how flexible your abilities are. Powers are determined randomly in FASERIP, with roll tables used to determine what kinds of powers you get and how many boosts you get. If you’re a fan of older rules systems and random power generation, I recommend checking out FASERIP.

Those of Us Who Know Better, by C.J. Linton.

Those of Us Who Know Better is a tabletop roleplaying game about transgender superheroes whose powers come at a price. Civilians by day, in community every other Thursday evening, and heroes by night, the players use their powers to problem solve and offer protection and support around town. These powers must be used sparingly, however, because every use of a superpower demands a specific and costly remuneration.

For some reason or other, your characters are under a contract that gives them powers. How that contract came to be and how it functions is up to you, but the result is this: every time you activate your superpower, you must pay a price. If you do not pay this price, your character is immediately subjected to intense physical pain.

The book has a short list of some common superpowers, such as flight, fire manipulation, and super senses. It also has a short list of consequences - with options such as get an animal to bite you, run for five minutes, and take a shot of alcohol. The book has some basic guidelines for what to consider when creating your own powers and prices, so I think the world is your oyster with a game like this.

[jennsterjay]

Prowler Hobie x Miles Headcanons

Normally in fanarts Prowler Hobie is taller than regular Hobie, but in this au I'd like to think this Hobs is taller than Miles but shorter than regular Hobie (because every Prowler is shorter than their Spider-Man counterpart in my mind) (laughs in short Miles G)

This Hobs is from Miles universe Earth-1610B, so he's American and his style and fashion sense is more close to Miles'

Hobs fell for Miles twice. Once on their first meeting when Spider-Man webbed him up (but he didn't know it was a crush yet), and twice when he met Miles at Brooklyn Visions Academy before he found out he was Spider-Man.

This guy has so many hoodies. Does Miles eventually steal some? Yes (More like Hobs shoves some into his hands, in the name of upping his game. Totally not to give him  boyfriend hoodies of course)

After Spider-Punk meets Hobs the first time, sometimes Hobie will randomly portal nearby wherever he is and start joking around with him / pulling him into shenanigans. I imagine their shenanigans play out like regular show episodes. Sometimes Miles gets pulled in too

The first time Hobs meets Miles G (Prowler Miles) they try to act cool / see who's the coolest in front of Miles because they both secretly have a vegeta complex and immediately start talking about tech and gear and then go to G's house to play Street Fighter and Tekken (Miles laughs and knows they're both nerds and weebs). Miles G is definitely trying to play the 'gotta make sure this guy is a good match for my bro' card here, and Hobs is like 'I can't believe Miles has rizz in every universe'

Canon event theory is flaky at best, but everyone knows every Prowler is fated to create the most god awful FL studio beats known to man. Hobs tries to impress Miles by playing some of his self produced music and it takes everything in Miles not to laugh or say its trash because Hobs has the biggest smile on his face and looks proud of himself

Them falling asleep with Miles' head on Hobs shoulder on the Metro train because they're too beat from a mission to swing / parkour back to their homes (Metrooooo)

Hobs shows Miles some of his graffiti art around the city while they're suited up, and that night Miles takes a risk and trusts him enough to lead him to his secret spraypaint mural of his uncle and the other spiders at the abandoned train station. Hobs is in awe and they have a heart to heart and Hobs helps him remaster some of the art and also add his own stuff too

Hobs starts showing up more and more around Miles, and Rio and Jeff think they're secretly dating. Rio and Jeff hit Miles with the 'Son we love you no matter who you love' and 'So you and Hobs huh?' And Miles does a record scratch in his head and says 'Wait what are we talking about right now??'

Cue Hobs with the "Its a pleasure to meet you Mr. And Mrs. Morales" and then when he sees the Morales' relax more, Hobs grins to himself like 'Yeah I got this in the bag'

When they're already dating and it's Miles' birthday, he takes Miles around the city to show him graffiti murals he made of Miles' face with Sunflowers and murals of Spider-Man. He ends the date with them on Miles' rooftop and Hobs takes out his Bluetooth speaker and Hobs starts rapping a song he made for Miles (and the beats he made are actually fire this time too!!) and Miles is awestruck. He was in love before, but he's even more in love with him now.

Combined team attacks (after Hobs alignment starts leaning more towards neutral/good) where Hobs throws Miles like an arrow towards enemies or Miles uses his webs to launch Hobs up in the air to do flips and attacks and stuff to defeat the villain of the week. Cue being surrounded by enemies and they're back to back in a fighting stance and when the first move is made they fight together effortlessly and so well it's almost like they're dancing. Cue the victory poses.

----

Hobs may have become the Prowler because he had to, or maybe he didn't have a choice, or maybe he did it because he had someone he had to protect, but ever since meeting Miles and being saved by his heroism, he's finally been given the one thing he's always ever wanted. A choice.

[lucianalight]

A Glorious Culmination

Let's talk about that perfect ending with its beautiful scenes and epic soundtrack, shall we? Here's all the reasons why I loved it:

The ending answered the question "what makes a Loki, Loki?"

"Authority, independence, style". Sure, but that's not all of it. And it's not the real answer.

So who is Loki? A villain? A loser? What defines Loki?

There are many characteristics that define Loki but one of the main ones that truly sets him apart imo is that he is a catalyst for change. Loki when faced with options he doesn't like, or a problem that looks like doesn't have a solution, makes a new way, creates a new solution, chooses an option that didn't exist before.

He has the power to destroy, like the mythological tale of Ragnarok.

And to give life. Like how the Ragnarok he brings, means the beginning of a new cycle in Norse mythology.

-"Yeah it was the best character development. Loki went from wanting a throne to..."

Let me stop you there.

Loki went from not wanting a throne but thinking he must have it to be considered worthy and an equal to Thor, to taking a throne despite not wanting it, because it was the right thing to do.

The fact that Loki sacrificed himself once again for the people he loved and cared about, wasn't a new character development. In the movies Loki risks and sacrifices himself every time when it matters. For Thor, for Asgard, for the world. The only development here was that this time he sacrificed himself for every universe there is.

And his sacrifice wasn't treated as sth he deserved by the narrative because of every terrible things he'd done. On the contrary the narrative acknowledges that this is the last thing Loki deserves. That he is paying for others' mistakes and wrongs. He spends centuries to save the timelines. He spends a long time trying to stop Sylvie without harming her. And when everything seems lost, he makes a decision to save everyone but himself, he creates a different path. He faces his deepest fear, to not hurt the people he loves.

If there is any character development, it's for the narrative and the audience that finally recognized who Loki actually is.

The Symbolism

I have to say my first reaction to the new Loki costume was:" This is the worst Loki costume ever :))))" also me two days later: "I'm gonna set it as my wallpaper." But I loved the symbolism. The biggest horns Loki's ever worn to show the weight of the crown. His cape that was connected to timelines, to show the burden of a throne. The simplicity in his clothes in contrast with his other outfits. Because this wasn't about the recognition Loki always wanted and deserved. This was about the responsibility Loki decided to literally put on his shoulders and feeling the gravity of it.

His shoes though :)))) I mean

Either let him be bare footed or give him boots you cowards :D

The Parallels

The fact that how the ending parallels the first Thor movie and everything came back full circle.

How Thor and Loki destroyed sth at the cost of themselves losing the people they cared about.

Loki doing sth not because of a desperation for acceptance, not because he thought it was sth someone else wanted.

Knowing if he chose the easier way, no one could have fault him for it because it seemed there was no other way.

He did it because he knew it was the right thing to do, because he knew who he wanted to be.

Loki not giving up, not letting go, not falling down from a broken bridge, but ascending, holding on as he fixes what's broken.

He holds and carries the whole universe on his back. It's not only a beautiful Atlassian tragedy, but also parallels Norse mythology in more than one way. Yggdrasil, the tree of life in Norse mythology, the one that Loki holds in his hands in the finale, wasn't the only parallel in the ending.

There's a subtle and beautiful nod to Norse mythology. The tale of Loki being bound till Ragnarok. The myth that says when Loki gets freed, the end of the world begins.

What a marvelous tragedy. And what a glorious culmination.

It's not all tragic though

Loki now is literally the most powerful and heroic character in MCU. He's holding the universe in his hands and keeping it alive. You can't top that.

And it makes his portrayal in the recent movies in which he was unfairly underpowered, even more ridiculous than before and that makes me happy :D

There is also a possibility to see Loki again and I'm not talking about the other variants. Marvel now has the best dues ex machina through Loki. He might be able to appear in any universe as an illusion to warn about dangers or help the characters. He might figure out a way to keep the tree alive without being there himself. That way he can find Thor in the sacred timeline. Or maybe the Loki who survived Thanos and is still in the sacred timeline finds Thor. Maybe there's still hope for a good reconciliation and a good story for Asgardian siblings.

So to sump up this was an epic, symbolic, beautiful and tragic ending. And yet hopeful. I loved it💚

[awesome-normal-heroes]

Why Dipper is so loved, while Mabel is a broken base...

I'm not the biggest Mabel fan, but even I believe that all the hate that Mabel sometimes gets is too much...

Why do almost half of the fans get angry at a little girl, while praising a little boy?

Well, we're gonna find out!

*You see during the beginning of Gravity Falls, we get the idea that Mabel is supposed to be the optimistic heart of the duo, while Dipper is the cynical brain of the team.

*And for a while it was like that, but then came the episode of Mabel teaming up with Grunkle Stan to laugh at Dipper's lack of manliness.

*Which was the first of a bunch of episodes where Mabel (sometimes with Stan) treating Dipper somewhat unfairly.

*Teaming up with Stan to make fun of Dipper for being slightly shorter than her, not trying to help Dipper create a plan that will allow her to keep Waddles and prevent Dipper from accidentally giving Wendy a black eye, taking a picture of Dipper giving reverse CPR to Mabel's mermaid boyfriend to use for blackmail later, laughing at Bill shooting a hole through her brother (I know it's a dream, but still...), getting angry at Dipper for refusing to help Stan (cause Dipper believed that Stan hates him; Mabel could've at least been more sympathetic before going to help Stan)... almost giving away Dipper's journal to Bill (to impress a guy with her play), choosing to trust Stan over her brother (even though the portal could destroy the universe), then afterwards refuses to play his board game and even makes fun of it with Stan (which results in Dipper spending time with Ford), getting jealous that Dipper is spending more time with Ford then with her (which she caused), proceeds to make fun of Dipper again when he calmly calls her out on her teasing, she feels guilty but doesn't give a proper apology (something that even Stan does), gets upset at Dipper for wanting to become Ford's apprentice and stay at Gravity Falls, willingly gives Bill the device that almost ends the world and nobody finds out about it (I know she was tricked but still), refuses to leave her giant bubble until Dipper finally agrees to come home with her and creates a radical brother that would have a 'more supportive attitude'.

*I personally think that Mabel did the right thing by trusting Stan in the end, so Ford could be rescued... the portal still could've destroyed the universe, if Stan had miscalculated something.

*I'm also angrier at Stan for the mocking Dipper times, cause Mabel was a child and children don't know better sometimes, but Stan is an adult and he knows what it's like to be made fun of and yet he still does it to Dipper... no wonder Dipper briefly believed that Stan hated him... and no wonder Ford quickly became Dipper's Favorite Grunkle.

*As for accidentally almost starting the apocalypse, I don't completely blame Mabel for what happened, but the other characters deserved to know the truth and I'm surprised that Bill didn't tell them to cause drama.

*When all these things are stacked together, it's not a pretty picture.

While in comparison to Dipper, the brother is actually already quite supportive:

*Saves Mabel from gnomes despite Mabel yelling at him, he was willing to break up with Gideon for Mabel, he gave up his chance to be with Wendy twice to make Mabel happy, he doesn't make fun of Mabel's flaws, he comforts Mabel when she's sad, he helps Mabel whenever she asks for it (even when he doesn't like the thing that they're doing), he's always forgiving with Mabel, he's viciously protective of Mabel and gave up being Ford's apprentice to make Mabel happy.

*So, yeah the twins do have a bit of an all take, no give relationship... the writers could've handled it a little bit better.

*It doesn't help that Mabel technically does get called out on how she treats Dipper in Season 2, but the people that call her out are the Main Villain and a jerky unicorn, who are seen as in the wrong (but even the villains can make decent points sometimes)... Mabel had a chance to get proper character development and become a better sister after saving Dipper from Bill's possession... but Mabel doesn't really grow much as a person, not even during the finale... she's almost the same as she was during Season 1.

*Meanwhile with Dipper, he slowly becomes less cynical and socially awkward as well as braver and more kind-hearted over the course of the show... he even handled the fact that Wendy wants to simply remain friends beautifully... he still has a crush, but he respects her wishes.

*In contrast to Mabel, who keeps falling in love with guys and trying to force a romance, instead of letting it happen naturally or realizing that she doesn't need a boy to be happy... she also uses a love potion on Robbie and another girl to basically force them to get together and this is later seen as an okay thing (when Robbie hypnotizing Wendy with romantic music was seen as wrong).

*Even Stan and Ford go through a bit more character development then Mabel does.

*I think that's what truly bothers the fans... Dipper goes through character development, learns some lessons and slowly becomes a better person... while Mabel remains the same.

*Mabel isn't a horrible person... she's a fun, creative and energetic girl... but she wouldn't exactly be winning any 'Sister of the Year' Awards either.

*It's disappointing, because Mabel's character had so much potential... and the writers make her repeat the same mistakes... if they did handle Mabel's character better, she'd probably be almost as loved as Dipper.

[coolcattime]

A Mianite Superpower AU I've been cooking up where the gang is split between heroes and villains. This little explanation focuses on the “villains” because I came up with the Au based around them so I'm more sure of their backstories. (More of the AU under the read more because as it turns out, I had a lot to say. This focuses on Tom, Sonja, Capsize, and Redbeard).

The universe is one where some people are just born with superpowers. Their strength grows with time, and generally it's accepted that a person with powers will have fully developed them by teenhood. Hence the heroes association has a required test for children to find those with major powers so they can be properly trained to become superheroes.

The test is controversial, and has only been growing more so in recent years. Especially as being caught ‘cheating’ the test has become an arrest-able offence. From this development a small group of villains has been forming from those caught ‘cheating’.

Tom

Powers: Creation and manipulation of explosions, creation and manipulation of fire, mild healing factor, will come back to life after dying

When he had taken the test, Tom only had minor powers. He could create tiny explosions the size of firecrackers and manipulate the flame of a lighter, but his powers weren't anything to write home about and certainly not superhero worthy. The superheroes association agreed, marking him as having minor powers and letting him remain to live his life rather than training him. It seemed that Tom was destined to live a normal life.

Then Tom died. He was hit by a car and died on the scene. Technically nothing out of the ordinary. Except, a day later, Tom woke up.

He woke up confused as hell in a hospital morgue with no idea as to how he was currently alive. What should have been a miracle was quite tainted by him getting arrested mere hours later for “hiding superpowers”. No matter how much he tried to explain that he had no idea had he come back to life, they didn't listen to him. Only made worse by the powers he had already being amplified to the point that he's pretty sure he could blow up the building he was being kept in. He didn't go that far, but he did end up breaking through a good number of walls to escape custody as, for reasons as unknown to him as the rest of his newly upgraded powers, the power-restrictor that was put on him didn't seem to work.

That night Tom was declared a super villain. And if they were going to call him a villain, Tom was going to be the biggest thorn in their side they could possibly imagine. After all, who can cause more trouble than a villain who can't die?

Sonja

Powers: The ability to comprehend all written language, clairvoyance via ink and paper, shape-shifting

Sonja's original power of language comprehension was never going to be the sort of thing that got her put on active hero duty, but it was deemed useful enough to get her recruited for behind the scenes work. She liked it well enough, even if her job seemed to mostly be being told to dispose of anything actually interesting. But it wasn't a hard job, she got training, and above average accommodation, and she was well liked by pretty much everyone in the building.

Her life probably could've just continued this way, working her way up behind the scenes until she became irreplaceable. But one day, Sonja became intrigued by one of the documents she'd be given to investigate. A set of instructions for an apparent ritual written by a newly captured villain. Now those were, at least in her line of work, dime a dozen, but the exact nature of this one was something she couldn't ignore. A ritual for an individual to be gifted new powers. And that was just too interesting for her to either destroy or hand over the document to be sat in an archive for the rest of time. So she tested it on herself.

She had no idea if it would work or how she would get to grips with a brand new power, so she set it up to get herself the ability to gather information via ink and paper. It seemed similar enough to her current power to quickly get to grips with and useful to the heroes association since it would be great for low stakes intel gathering. And it worked. She did the ritual and suddenly just spilling ink on paper could produce maps or lists of information. She was so excited to present the ritual to the higher ups, because she was sure it could help the association.

Sonja was arrested. Officially she was arrested for hiding her powers, but she knew it was really because she did something she didn't like. Her arrest was argued against by a number of heroes and association staff alike. She had always been well-liked, a bullshit arrest wasn't going to change that, but none of their arguments stopped her from being sent towards the same facility that held actual supervillains. What actually stopped her from being locked up was Tom causing the transport truck to crash. He offered her freedom, and if she was going to be deemed a traitor anyway she might as well take the road where she isn't imprisoned.

Since joining Tom, she's managed to gather the resources to perform the ritual again, giving herself the ability to shape-shift. She's also used her clairvoyance to figure out what precisely caused Tom's revival and sudden power spike. An odd heart-shaped artifact apparently sewn into his corpse. Though her powers won't say exactly what it it or who put it inside Tom, leaving them a goal to investigate.

Capsize & Redbeard

Powers: The ability to transfer their powers between each other, water manipulation (Capsize), short distance teleport of themself and others (Capsize), air manipulation (Redbeard), minor charmed speech (Redbeard)

Coming from a small coastal town, Capsize and Redbeard were very used to the idea that their powers meant that one day they would be taken away to never return. The only time heroes ever showed up was when a villain threatened to rise sea levels and honestly even that didn't make them show up sometimes. The only time they saw anything of the heroes association was once a year when a single clerk would come to administrator the power test to the of age kids. Not liking the idea of being forced away from their home, Capsize and Redbeard decided to trick the test.

With the clerk only able to administrator the test to one kid at a time, they knew that they just needed to transfer all their powers into whoever wasn't being tested and hope that they didn't get caught. By some miracle, they didn't. There was some brief questioning as to what exactly their transference power did when they didn't have powers, but seeing that nothing could be proved, they were marked down as having a minor power and left to their own devices. Given the town's less than stellar opinion towards the heroes association and the twins doing their best to help around town, they were more than happy to keep the secret.

Years passed, the two growing up with being able to live their lives and learning their powers at their own pace. As long as they hid their powers one day a year, they could continue to do so. But eventually everyone's luck runs out. It wasn't as if Redbeard wasn't aware of the day, but that thought went out of his mind when he saw a workman falling from some scaffolding. He acted on impulse, slowing the man's fall. Unfortunately the heroes association clerk was walking by and quickly Red was arrested for having hidden powers. He just about managed to transfer his powers to Capsize before the power-restricting handcuffs were put on him, but now the heroes association was aware of his powers, the power transference made sense.

Heroes were summoned to the town for the first in over a decade as a Capsize was marked as a wanted criminal and the mood of the town threatened to turn riotous. The news managed to also catch Tom and Sonja's attention who headed to find Capsize with Sonja's powers, a little surprised to find she hadn't yet left town. They found her already being confronted by a hero who was attempting to talk her into surrendering. Said hero is extremely distracted by two supervillains turning up and turns his attention towards them only to be knocked out by Capsize who frankly isn't in the mood for the heroes associations bullshit. She isn't stupid. She knows that the only thing waiting for her and Redbeard from them is prison. So she asks Tom and Sonja if they'll help her break out Redbeard. Of course, the two agree.

Capsize and Redbeard end up fleeing their home town being officially declared super villains as they join Tom and Sonja. The group counts the whole thing as a victory as the heroes association's reputation has never been lower in Capsize and Redbeard's home And, for their long term goals, Capsize and Redbeard recognise the idea of a heart shaped relic from an old story about the original three heroes giving them at least some kind of a new lead to look into.

[7thingsnbeings]

Full Moon episode - takes and feelings

Hello everyone.

Last post I announced that I will be making a post about Helluva Boss' new episode 'Full Moon' where I'll state my own feelings, takes and probably add some of my own theories as to what comes next afterwards. And of course that I will be spoiling the WHOLE thing. So for those who haven't seen an episode, please go watch it before reading this whole text.

CW: Spoilers ahead

... and a very looooong text

First things first, HOLY SHIT! WASN'T THAT THE BIGGEST TRIP OF EVERYTHING I HAVE SEEN AND FELT IN JUST ONE ENTIRE EPISODE?! I mean, it wasn't extremely bad as I had thought it would be, but it still left me speechless and shocked throughout some of the scenes which I'll get to later. And the ending, oh boy I can't wait to get to that.

I haven't honestly expected for Stolitz duet to come so soon in the first few minutes. I mean I was already aware of it, but still. It was great though, and kind of funny, especially Blitz's lines and the transition where they kind of censor (but also not) the...intimacy that they usually do once a month. Not to mention how both of them are kind of nervous during the duet. Dammit, they're nervous wrecks made for each other XD.

Then we have the unexpected guests of the party. Agents D.H.O.R.K.S. and CHERUBS. I have not expected them to appear this early in the show. I mean, I have heard a theory on Twitter that the CHERUBS would appear, managing to steal the grimoire and such. I honestly thought they would show up in 'Mastermind', which makes me wonder...whats going to happen there now that those characters have already appeared? Would they appear again? Next time, actually managing to open a big enough portal to Hell, creating further conflicts in the future?

CHERUBS were interesting to me. The way they redeem mortals at the beginning, spread 'goodness' but also pickpocketing them unnoticed. And the way they differentiate, especially Keenie and Cletus, who had definitely gone south when they had gotten banished from Heaven, while Collin possibly remained the same, still hanging onto his morals, questioning his peers' actions. Based on the interrogation scene, I believe that he'll be the only one to return to Heaven, while the others will likely die or serve their punishment in Hell.

I jumped when Cletus mentioned they were the 'Exorcists' sent from above, because it made me think of the Exterminators from Hazbin Hotel, since both of these shows are from the same Universe. He probably meant something else, but I digress.

And then there are the agents D.H.O.R.K.S. I knew these guys would show up later on, especially since the ending of 'Truth Seekers'. They managed to catch the main cast on video, which would explain why they got such a massive upgrade with their weaponry. The Pope army, the portal to Hell and robotic suits which if you look closely, look close similar to IMP gang, along with Loona furry costume XD. I bet Agent 1 is a furry...

Before I close a part of this ep's main villains, I just wanna point out how innocent CHERUBS are when they spend their time following Blitz in the Lust ring. They think Blitz is buying some kind of weapons to kill mortals on Earth, when in actuality he was just buying some sex stuff for tonight XD. And when they assume Ozzie's is the armoury for demons to go to. Well I mean it could be, but for something else...

It's worth mentioning the rest of the IMP gang. It's good to hear Loona's VA again, I kind of missed it. Along with M&M whom we haven't seen for two episodes.

It was also surprising, but in my take out of nowhere, for them to have a 'deus ex machina' moment with Cherubs in order to protect Blitz. I'm probably looking at this wrongly, since they live in Hell (the place you as a mortal DO NOT want to visit) and safety to them is number 1 priority, especially when Blitz had grimoire with him at that moment. The destroyed buildings and street in Lust might come to awareness to the higher ups, but probably not as much as the ones in 'Mastermind' as I theorised before.

Before I get into big meat of the plater, I cannot forgot to mention the cashiers. Like, WHAT are they supposed to be??? Are they hellborn hybrids, the Goetia, Sinners or something else? Either way, they look cool.

Also Fizz. Not much about him, I like his new outfit and how he helps Blitz with the stuff. Now, I BET that he uses that giant vibrator with Ozzie. Boys like it rough sometimes, don't they?

Finally, the moment we'll all been waiting for. The night of the full moon.

I knew that their last transaction would end painfully. And yet, it was by far the hardest to watch. Blitz's yell was marvellously done and it truly beat to the core. And so did Stolas' last line.

'You folks think you can do this EVERY time that you can just play with our feelings because we're smaller and not as important!!'

'Blitz, I think so highly of you, I didn't realise you think so low of me.'

Words cannot express how I felt when I heard those lines. It's easy to say that I was shocked, mind blown, sad, but honestly it would feel cheap as a result.

I mean...

It's obvious FROM A FAR that the only thing standing in the way between them is lack of communication and misunderstandings. There is NO ONE who can convince me that these two FUCK EACH OTHER for the sake of PLEASURE AND GOD FORSAKEN TRANSACTION.

They LOVE EACH OTHER!

But Blitz is too scared to get hurt again, it ACTUALLY happened to him and Stolas now believes that Blitz doesn't LOVE him, let alone never cared for his feelings!

I may be exaggerating, however this is how I see it now.

Based on the scenes from trailer, I believe Blitz and Stolas would begin their relationship on bad terms after FM, then Stolas would stand up for Blitz in 'Apology Tour' where seems Verosica is hosting 'Blitz Sucks' concert and Blitz, covered in stained fabric all heartbroken, looks up at Stolas and realises his true feelings for him.

That's just a theory, we'll see what an 'Apology Tour' has for us this June.

Ooof, I wrote so much here. Might be my longest post I have ever written. I probably went into whole summary of the ep I didn't focus enough on takes, critical thinking etc. I nearly have none, because I enjoyed FM at most, so I have no prejudice whatsoever. I'm also tired of writing as you can see.

So in conclusion, 'Full Moon' was worth the wait. The outcome might have been predictable, but it still hurt. It did surprise us with few things, and for now, we can only contemplate as to what's to come next for Helluva Boss story.

Thank you for reading my long ass post.

And also thanks to Vivzie and Spindle Horse crew for FINALLY giving us 'Full Moon'.

I, as always, am sending kudos and look forward for their newer work in future. <3

[warsamongthestars]

ONTO TBB - POST-SERIES

I am going to need to sit down, and go through all of the show, and I hope to (energy providing). Mostly to make a review, or series of reviews. Produce a few what-ifs. Someone might want the fanfic inspiration.

( I hope, I'm not going to promise because I am bad at energy, and I'm not going to promise things until I can actually deliver. So let's just say I want to do it, but we'll see if it happens or not. )

Look, I still dont' want to rain on people's parades this close after the Finale, so read at ye own risk. Lots of critical down below.

I would call the TBBshow a waste of time. But its not a waste of time, the reason being is that, I have dedicated an enormous amount of energy, to tearing this show into pieces. It soothes and enflames the rage that lies in my heart.

( Remember, I do love Star Wars, and I love the Clone Wars. And Anger and Fury are what happens when something you love, or something you cherish and care about, gets hurt very badly. And I find that the TBBshow is both the weapon and wound. But its a weapon I can turn against itself. And it is a wound I can remedy. )

Now for my bit thoughts on the finale, and bit thoughts on the show itself.

They're just big bits, because when I want to really tear into the little issues of this show, I will go molecule-by-molecule, atom-by-atom when I do.

I am going to be the fucking Saturday morning cartoon villain, with suit and cape and evil laughs, about it.

So...

One). Fifth Enhanced Clone and Omega wasn't it, remember? You remember that from the first Finale?

I remember. The show didn't.

I 'd like to think it was Emerie. It points it that. But even now, I have doubts.

Because what was the point.

They oh so twittered about Emerie, and that didn't end up much--and I'd know because the biggest TBB Fans here haven't talked jack about her. That's how good her character is.

Just listen to the silence and all those crickets.

Two). Remember how this was supposed to be the Republic becoming the Empire?

They didn't act like it, did they. You could place these scenes in the Clone Wars, and y'know, it would not only still make sense--it would be more pointed on how the Republic had always been the Empire underneath.

Because you don't get the evil of an entire instellar Empire out of nowhere. That just doesn't happen in stories that have any depth.

If it does happen, you're reading a kindergarten story then.

( ... Frankly the kindergarten story would prolly tell it better, honestly. )

THree). They killed Tech, and CX-2 meant nothing.

You can't tell me they didn't have time, because they spent 3 seasons bullshiting and then at the last minute went "Oh shit, we're supposed to have a plot! Uhhh THORW SOMETHING AT THE WALL AND WE'LL SEE WHAT STICKS"

They knew full well how much fucking time they were alloted, because TV time always allows at least 3 seasons unless you have fucked up that royally.

It is by Contract. They Knew, and they still Bullshitted.

They murdered Tech for Shock Value. Oh someone is going to say "But George Lucas didn't Like Tech--so it made sense to kill him!"

I know they're going to say it.

If they didn't want Tech, then they shouldn't have created him. If you didn't want the Apple Pie, you shouldn't have made the damn Universe. When you introduce a vital character, a main character, people are going to care about them, especially upon character development.

So when you kill that character for Shock value, and then made that value meaningless by lack of conversation and perceived impact, then all you've done is spat in the face of everyone who cared about him--who might've identified with him--or felt that they needed a fictional example of grief--or fucking hells, just WANTED TO HAVE CHARACTER IN YOUR FUCKING CHARACTERS.

Tech was the point where my fires started. He was the point, where I realized, there was no hope in this show. Can't repair the character dynamics, can't do anything of significance now.

And by their refusal to allow the characters communication and grief, they stamped Tech into the dirt by the heels of their imperial boots.

CX-2 had all this development, for fuck all. What was the point of the CXs if they weren't going to do jack with them.

Four). Spent an awful lot of time shitting on other ideas.

Every possible guest character that could appear, did appear, and it took away from the story. Worse, it took away from Authors, and Game Makers, and spat all over them with a "Haha this is OUR CANON NOW!"

Cid lost her appeal. Because it was an episodic format, and the series did not stick to an episodic format. Would've been a great minor villian, too fucking bad though.

Phee was a phenomenal character (even if I don't care for Indiana Jones / Lara Croft archetypes), and she didn't go anywhere. She stood nearby Tech, gave him a pet name, and that's it. They wasted her.

( I would say that the shippers went too hog wild--but shippers have always been hogwild. To say that they're overdoing it, means they've been underdoing it. They will go hogwild for "Nameless Twi'lek in Background". That's the beauty of the shippers. Keep shipping folks, the Empire can't take all of us out. )

They killed Scorch. Scorch, from Republic Commando, is dead now. You remember that happy go lucky guy? The one who wanted to go back for Sev?

( HE WAS MY PARTY MEMBER, GODS DAMN IT. I PLAYED THE GAME WITH HIM. )

Well. He can never go back now.

( From the bottom of my gamer heart--I felt like this was the greatest Fuck You of all time. Tech's death was already unforgivable, but this? This is as if you just executed Carth Onasi in front of me. )

( The only way they could've done worse, is if they had made a poor copycat of the deathstar as some star destroyer with a rip off of Darth Revan except he's like, the grandson of Darth Vader or something. And he like, murdered a lot of Jedi again, because they wanted to rip off the prequels... )

Why is VENTRESS EVEN THERE.

Why did we need KANAN AGAIN!?

Oh look, Rex, and... Clones... Fucking wonder what's going on there. I can't imagine that the sequel of the Clone Wars would have anything to do with Clone Wars maining Clones. Can't imagine why they might've been important for the Star Wars audience. They're just CLONES AREN'T THEY ITS NOT LIKE THE AFTER EFFECTS OF THE CLONE WARS WOULD HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH CLONES.

Completely dissed the Chip plot, for victim blaming, and all the victims paid for it. In fact, they even villianized the victims and punished them dearly. Through execution, or dismemberment.

And they just straight up murdered every villian they could get away with, for... no reason. It wasn't satisfying. It was bullshit.

The sheer audacity to fuck Echo up. He was our Audience Surrogate, on par with Ahsoka, and THIS IS WHAT THEY DID TO HIM? Made him a bit player in his own show?

Only gave Fives, one of the most important people of Echo's life, a mere throwaway mention.

Not gonna get into what they did to me boys the Bad Batch, because we'd be here all day. And I've got other things to do.

And finally, because this made me rage so fucking hard.

FIVES) The Spoken Message "Now we can be who we want to be!"

...

ARE YOU FUCKING FOR REAL. WHAT IS THIS SHOW'S MAJOR MALFUNCTION.

The Entire Point of the Bad Batch, was that they were already being who they wanted to be or who they were, since their introduction in Clone Wars. They were Unique Nonstandard Clone with Unique Abilities and excellent character (In the Clone Wars)

And suddenly the show wants to say "Oh by they weren't really being themselves--"

They didn't set that the fuck up. The TBBShow, spent the last 3 years fucking around in the ether. They had plenty of time, and they squandered it, and then they rushed jobbed like kids on final group project day.

If the "Good Soldiers Follow Orders" was the set up, then that is akin to saying "Oh don't worry about being drugged into doing something you didn't want to do, you can learn from the experience of having all your choices forced from you and against your consent, and be better from it!"

We can even take in-story!

They spent, so much time, never once talking to one another, about one another, setting up jack all. In fact, vast majority either followed Hunter's lead or ignored him, and left the Camera--there has never been any "Oh we can be who we want".

Unless you're Omega. And y'know, I tots watched a show called the Bad Batch, because I was totally clearly there for an original character not apart of the Bad Batch.

At the end of all it, I have to ask... what... story were they trying to tell exactly?

The show didn't dedicate itself to anything. It spent so long avoiding dedication that it robbed all impact, and left a constant sense of tension in every episode.

It didn't dedicate to a story. Oh it dedicated to the Rush, the New AND SHINY CONTENT--but that's it. Honestly, if they wanted the feeling of rush, they should've just dedicated themselves to Youtube Shorts, Vines and Tiktok.

I'm not here for the rush of content. I'm here for a fucking story, with characters. I have games that are decades old, I have the original Han Solo Trilogy, far before that fucking film.

And I go back, and I reread and replay, because I fucking love them. And that's what you do with something you love, you return to it constantly, its not a Fad that passes once the rush stops.

But I can only go back to the TBBshow, to take what little is good, And destroy the rest, and plant garden above the ashes.

(There are things good in this show that I want to drag out into the light and into better things. And I know, plenty of people have found that good too, and they have done the same. The sheer dedication of interpretation is a beautiful thing. )

There is no Replay Value here. By all accounts, they turned this into a throw-away show, that I guarantee, in about six months, half the fandom is going to be gone from because there's no substance here.

( I'd be shocked, but also not shocked, if it isn't, but I'm not hopeful here. )

And I'll guarantee to you, my audience, that I am going to be here with a never ending coal-fire in my chest.

Because as a lifetime Star Wars fan, from birth and unto where ever the end of my journey is, it has me--it can have my Love, or it can have my Never Ending Rage, but it has me regardless.

ADDENDUM

There are other things, believe me, I am not finished, but I wanted to get the big points down and out, to air my grievances. Twas an emotional response of sheer fucking unbelievable rage. The fires of mustafar would mean nothing in comparison to fires that lie inside. ( i'm in my darth vader arc. )

This hasn't been a waste of time... But fuck it was a Waste of Story and a waste of characters, and I will never forgive the TBBshow, for the fact that the Clone Wars lead me to love, and the TBBshow lead me to antagonizing rage.

The TBBshow story should've been a tragedy. That would've set some things to rights. If they had just, killed the team, and finally made the Empire into the tragic but villianous threat it really is, then that would've at least, made up for somethings. It wouldn't have fixed the show--S1 and S2 are still bad and no amount of good endings will fix that--but it would've been an anchor for it.

[amerricanartwork]

Part two of this! Felt like I should get around to finishing these. I've already answered the second, but a lot of my thoughts for these go hand-in-hand so I'll kinda answer them as one here.

Also, I apologize if these seem a bit scattered. The questions are pretty broad in their interpretation, so I'm more just using this to get out some loose character thoughts I probably won't end up saying in other posts I plan to make.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

8. What are your opinions of Looks to the Moon (character)?

9. What are your opinions on Five Pebbles (character)?

To summarize what I said about Five Pebbles last time, I basically see him as another example of what I find to be a fascinating kind of tragic villain, where their bad environments combined with their own major character flaws essentially create a vicious cycle undermining all of their successes and worsening their failures more and more until they meet their demise in some way. But like I said before, I stated I also like the idea that Pebbles's own personality flaws and bad decisions, while still being the ultimate problem, were not the only things to blame for what happened to him, and as of now I think Looks to the Moon takes 2nd place in making the worst mistakes when dealing with him, only topped by Seven Red Suns.

I plan to go into it more later, since it's pretty crucial for an iterator off-the-string AU story I've been working on for a while, but I basically believe Moon's biggest flaw is being too selfless and making decisions based solely around what others seem to need while neglecting herself. In this regard Pebbles could actually be seen as more virtuous than her, because he's extremely committed to doing what he believes is right and follows through pretty much unconditionally, whereas Moon can only pursue her goals if it doesn't appear to do anything bad to other people.

Again, I'm gonna go into this more later, but for now I wanna give some out-of-universe thoughts and say that I would like to see more content showing off Moon's flaws and Pebbles's virtues. I feel like both of them can be a bit flanderized from time to time, with Pebbles being portrayed as overly mean or uncaring and Moon being cheery and caring with no flaws. So to help balance out their sibling dynamic better, I'd like to explore the idea of Moon making her own big mistakes, yet hiding it behind politeness and selflessness, and her eventually having to realize that Pebbles has some merits she could probably learn from!

Even despite that though, I really like Looks to the Moon as a character, and she's probably one of my favorite female characters in any story thus far! Firstly, I really feel for her struggle, not just in being collapsed by her own brother, separated from her friends and drowned constantly, but in (at least my headcanon idea of her) how much she enjoys in the world around her, yet doesn't feel like she can enjoy it fully. I get the sense that because of how old and broken down she is, she feels like "her time has passed" more-or-less, and it's no longer her right to exist for much longer. And that's just so sad! Like, poor girl's gone through so much and doesn't feel like there's anything she can do about it!

But on a more positive note, I think Moon is conceptually a really cool character, albeit in a different way to Five Pebbles. Rain World has always seemed to be largely about the feeling of existing in a strange world with a lost history far older and more complicated than you can ever understand, and I think no character symbolizes that idea of civilizations being lost to time than Looks to the Moon. Her primary utility is giving the player lore about the world, and with her broken down state and age old enough to probably have seen a good deal of Ancient society change over time, it feels all the more like I'm talking to one of the last remnants of a lost civilization. And on top of that, she literally is a broken down massively complex artificial structure, the pinnacle of Ancient civilization slowly returning to the natural ecosystem. And I especially mean that last part! Submerged Superstructure is one of my favorite regions conceptually because abandoned architecture being reclaimed by the wilds is a trope I find so beautiful and poetic, and I think it makes this region speak to that theme of Rain World even more so than Five Pebbles's Metropolis. Whereas Metropolis is still relatively barren and unchanged besides the dust, scavengers, and other occasional creatures, Submerged Superstructure is almost entirely flooded, filled with all sorts of flora and fauna, and yet you can still clearly see the identifying architecture of old sections like the Memory Conflux and Abstract Convergence Manifold. Looks to the Moon, both as a region and a character, is just so cool and beautiful in her ability to evoke such sadness to see this strange and fascinating world be lost to time, yet also a deep love of nature knowing that life goes on anyway!

Lastly, I just wanna mention how I love Five Pebbles and Moon's relationship and how central it is to the "story" of Rain World. As much as I love good romance, deep sibling bonds can be so heartfelt too, and it's continuously fascinating and melancholic and beautiful to see these two mechanical gods get humbled from their high status endure so much tragedy, yet still reconnect with each other in the end, if not physically then by mending their relationships and forgiving each other. Throughout everything we see happen to them they seem so interconnected, and yet, at least in my interpretation, they eventually come to learn that isn't such a bad thing after all! Once again, it serves as a reminder than even in this seemingly hopeless and dying world love goes on, like a great cycle! This is honestly part of why I've been hesitant to write my thoughts on this, because their story's ending in Rubicon threatens to make me cry every time I think about it because it's just so poetic!

So, in short, I like the idea that Looks to the Moon is pretty flawed as well as Five Pebbles, I empathize with her a lot, I adore her symbolism as a fascinating relic of a lost civilization, and I honestly think the story of her and Five Pebbles is perhaps one of my favorite parts of Rain World!

Thanks again for the questions, @tanyabadtime159!

[solar-tl-27]

HEY

Whoah I’m posting

All by myself ??

Woah woah woah woah! I am here to show SOME art!

A while ago the announcement of the next pokemon game came out! And with my favorite region returning there was only one thing I could possibly do!

Hyperfixate on my own oc lore in the Pokémon universe so much that once again i’ll only be disappointed by the game in the end lol. So…. Let’s talk about them!

This will be a collection of some of my older art to finally end up on the most recent art i just finished so if u don’t care about Pokémon plz scroll down and appreciate my art ( ToT )

Ok so! I always make original characters to be my protagonist is Pokémon games so when x& y came out i created a character named colette

A woman in her mid 20’s that I totally 100% didn’t oc x canon ship with the villain (i did)

A looong time skip later pokemon sword shield came out which led to the continuation of the colette storyline!

With her daughter Pandora and her friends! Causing the creation of joshua & sapphire (the original image is definitely created with bases so credit to pokemon for the original art & selenaede for the bases)

(Draft didn’t save here so aha sob)

They have been through several versions since then, all slightly different over time

You had pandora: a smart and elegant young girl and the protagonist

Joshua: the nerdy one but also the one that helps everyone no matter what

Saphie: the one who likes cute things and fashion

They were pretty basic characters and evolved but this is theee base line of their characters up until their last design

Just 3 teens on an adventure

BUT NOW

Timeee skip babyyy the return of Colette’s home means i wanna drag her daughter there!

The teens are now young adults! Trying to figure out what they wanna do in life and i can FINALLY MAKE BIG CHANGES TO SOME OF THEM

Let’s goo!

Their outfits are loosely based on the pokemon xyz legendary Pokémon but i also wanted them to be able to stand on their own!

They are now young adults trying to figure out what they want to do with their life and having a change of scenery so

Let’s get into it!

Saphie

Saphie’s finally got his cute accessories back!! He’s finally got a cutesy outfit which suits his style and iiii finally got rid of the side shave going for a complete adorable vibe for him instead. With bows, beads and a new cute hairstyle he’s finally ascended to adorable! He’s easily home sick and going with his friends on this journey sure is a big change. Someone who’s unsure of his future but knows he always has his friends to rely on!

Joshua

Joshua is definitely still the nerdy one, he’s got the clearest vision of what he wants his life to be, not always understanding his friends but always trying to be supportive. His style is definitely the one that changed over time, leaving the nerdy studious look behind to try something new!

His friends definitely chose this outfit for him and it’s actually the closest he’s been to his oc predecessor as he was actually recycled. Sadly that art has been lost to type but, before he was joshua from this group he was joshua a character who was definitely a lot more edgy and artistic. I wanted to bring that back with this design and I personally think i did his original design justice.

Pandora

Pandora always changes the least, her design has always been clear to me in ways but i did want to try new things. Finally deciding i cant choose between the 2 eye colors she’s had I decided i don’t have to choose SO I JUST GAVE HER BOTH. Putting her into something that’s just her style but also trying different colors she’s now more confident and determined, she’s on this journey to learn more about her family and try to choose what direction to take her life in.

Proud to see her friends figure out who they are but also sometimes feels like depending on what choices she makes could have them drift apart. Having to remind herself to have fun on the trip as well she’s probably the one who’s choices will make the biggest difference in what her life will end up being. A true protagonist with issues to deal with and secrets to uncover!

Thank u forrr looking at my little art post!

Now! I have a secret for all my winx people

Guess who’s back in the building again teehee

Ok bye bye!

[s1zar]

Now after I said how Lich is the best animated show villain, I will say how Fionna and Cake ruined him. Turns out all this talk about him being the end itself was just talk. He is just a fanatic who carves attention from his god. And it all was done in order to give Simon see himself in Lich. It makes even less sense when you think about Farmworld Lich who created a portal that supposed to clone him for every single universe. Which essentially happened. Then way this Lich becomes depressed after destroying only one world? Why he didn’t try to find a way out from his universe to kill other ones? And how does it all connect with fact that Lich was once some ancient monster before time itself and then somehow became a comet? It also makes you question if other monsters are also scholars of GOLB. Speaking of other monsters, remember Orgalorg? You probably not, like showrunners, but if we look at him he actually was just a guy. Like he had some of that deity behaviour, but overall he was pretty chilling evil dude. He spoke and act like any other baddie, without cosmic horror like Lich. So it kinda makes sense that Lich can be just a dude too. That’s one of the reasons why it didn’t outrage me. Because it didn’t outrage me. I was just a little confused that Lich turns out to be just a fanatic for Biggest Big Bad. It doesn’t make Lich from original show and Together Again less evil and less impactful, because it’s a different Lich (even though if you think about it it’s our original Lich, if such thing even exist), but makes all talk about him being THE evil and being this force of nature that destined to win just self-proclamations.

[jimintomystery]

Original character do not steal

Kinda fell down a rabbit hole the other day reading about Ken Penders, the writer/artist who sued Archie Comics to gain ownership of 250 Sonic the Hedgehog characters. Most of them look like this:

You may now be asking yourself: What does one do with 250 Sonic the Hedgehog characters? The answer may surprise you!

I'll try not to get too deep into this, since Bobby Schroeder and Comic Drake have thoroughly covered the story already, and I can't improve on their work. But even the short-short version is going to take a while.

Basically, Penders contributed to Archie's Sonic comics from 1994 to 2006. I'm not certain that he's the only reason the Sonic comics in those days were so overwrought and a little horny. But it's far to say he's representative of that tone, and he really leaned into it.

Penders's worldbuilding was especially prolific in Knuckles the Echidna, where he introduced a lost city of Echidnaopolis. In this sense you could kinda compare him to Carl Barks, who created the "Duck Universe" within Disney's line of Mickey Mouse comics. Of course, the biggest difference between Barks and Penders is that Ken claimed ownership of his work. Normally this never goes well for work-for-hire comics creators. But in this case, Archie literally lost the paperwork that said Penders was work-for-hire in the first place.

Without a leg to stand on, Archie was forced to settle. This meant both sides had to go through the Sonic comics and determine which Sonic recolors unambiguously belonged to Sega, and which ones would be ceded to Penders. I like to think the negotiations were akin to that Beanie Baby divorce photo.

Now, the problem with owning dozens of Sonic recolors is that they're not much good for anything except appearing in Sonic stories. But Archie and Sega weren't about to pay Penders to license his weird little guys to them, when Sonic still had plenty of other weird little guys to hang around with. And so, in Sonic The Hedgehog #244 (January 2013), a villain reveals that he teleported the echidnas away forever. After that, none of Ken's concepts were directly referred to again. All that stuff was implicitly erased from history with a soft reboot in #251-252, followed by a hard reboot when the comics moved from Archie to IDW in 2017-2018.

However, Penders already had plans to move forward with his creations without Archie, Sega, or Sonic continuity. In December 2011, he announced The Lara-Su Chronicles, a series of seven graphic novels starring Knuckles's future daughter, who first appeared in Sonic #131. The character designs manage to be legally distinct from the Sonic art style while maintaining the most obnoxious traits. You'd think this would be an opportunity to get away from giant cartoon eyes and "quills" that look like tentacles. But no, Lara-Su still resembles a hot woman wearing a giant fursuit head, except now the fursuit head always looks like it's smelling rotten eggs.

Anyway, it's been nearly twelve years since Penders formally announced The Lara-Su Chronicles, and as far as I can tell he hasn't actually published any of it yet. His website is currently taking pre-orders for the first volume, which is supposed to ship around January 2024. But even that is mostly reprints of Penders's stories from Sonic #131-144, with a new ending tacked on. I'm not sure Ken can reprint Sonic comics, but this should be an interesting way to find out.

From a creative standpoint, I admire the gumption it took for Penders to wrest control of his characters from Archie and forge ahead without the Sonic IP. But strategically, the whole endeavor looks like a huge misfire. The entire selling point of Lara-Su is to revisit an era of Sonic comics that has largely faded into obscurity. Even within that limited audience of the people nostalgic for that era, they mainly liked Ken's melodramatic storytelling because it added depth to the Sonic IP, and not for its own sake. For those Sonic fans, Lara-Su will always be more about what Penders took away "from them" than anything he can give back. And while that may not be entirely fair, I'm not sure it was entirely unforeseeable.

[mamashenanigans]

Official AFO Bad Ending Event Announcement

It’s the end of January and thus the Bad Ending Event is upon us! Read after the gif for all the information and share, share, share!!!

From now until the end of February, writers and artists are invited to take part in the All for One Bad Ending Event hosted by me(MamaShenanigans) and @possiblycringe !!!

Bad endings are fun, but can sometimes be a challenge for writers and hard to depict for artists. This event is meant to be a great exercise in creating a work where the Big Bad(All for One) wins, nobody wins, or a story that takes place AFTER the bad ending(but still is bad). That’s a lot of ‘bad’!

I LOVE bad endings, or rather, when the villain wins! It’s pretty much ALL I write…not counting my still WIP of real world Yoichi being a real world cat lady….we whisper about that in secretive circles.

Types of ‘Endings’

The Big Bad wins: All for One ends up having his cake and eating it too! Doesn’t matter how it gets there, but the self-described Demon Lord HAS to come out on top by the end of the story. In context, it’s bad for everyone else but him.

Nobody Wins: Despite whatever conflict happens, neither side wins. It’s just terrible for everyone including Mr. Comic Nerd in a Suit. So sad, too bad.

After the Bad Ending: This is a fun one! Your story can take place after All for One has eaten his cake, but the platter is still full! This can be a slice of life sort of story or even something wicked where it seems the good guys are finally going to fix that bad ending….except they don’t.

The biggest thing to take away from this is that: there is NO good ending. Even if you write an aftermath(#3), nothing good can come of it. However! You can definitely play around with all three of these. Maybe it’s an aftermath(#3) where nobody wins(#2)…but then AFO wins(#1)? Maybe you continue on past the Big Bad wins(#1) and just continue right on into #3. Or, you can write or draw for each type! Doesn’t matter! Only that it’s bad.

Requirements

Writers

Minimum story length of 1k words

Fits one or more of the above types of endings

Can include any other characters or relationships such as Yoichi(hurray!) and DFO(Dad for One), and any setting such as canon, fantasy au, real world/no quirks au. Etc and so on. All alternate universes are welcome if you want to write one!

Horror and gore are perfectly fine. NSFW is not permitted in this event.

You can submit as many entries as you want!

Artists

Has to depict a bad ending in whatever way you think that would look. All for One must be featured.

Horror and gore are fine. Just no NSFW

Can submit as many entries as you want!

Prizes

Please note that the prizes have changed since the last post was made.

To keep things fair, @possiblycringe and I will be creating prizes based on a “first come, first serve” basis. This way, neither of us will be making more prizes than the other. That would be exhausting for one of us! How that works is, for example, the two 1st prize winners are announced. One for art, the other for writing. The first winner to contact me with what they want(art or fic) gets that pick and the other winner will have to take whichever the first one doesn’t.

Choices for Prizes

Written Prizes

Contact me with a prompt

1st Place: 2k word fic

2nd Place: 1.5 word fic

3rd Place: 1k word fic

Art Prizes

Contact @possiblycringe with your prompt

1st Place: Full body color with cell shading

2nd Place: Half body color

3rd Place: Half body lineart

Timeframe & Submitting

Starting now (January 27th) until the night of Sunday February 26th(I have the next two days off after) by 11:59PM. Please note that there is leeway due to time zones!

Submissions can be made at ANY time, so you don’t need to sit on your work until the 26th! I’d prefer you didn’t!

To submit, post on tumblr, AO3, fanfiction.net, or whatever works for you! Tag me if you are able on the platform, otherwise, tag me in a discord we’re both in or DM me on Discord or here with a link to your work! My discord is MamaShenanigans#9608

AO3 Tag/Collection & Inspiration

For writers that want to keep their bad ending a secret from readers, you can tag your work with AFOBEE2023! I will create a public collection once submissions start coming in!

For inspiration, here are three of my works that hit every type of bad ending!

COLD—example of a nobody wins bad ending. Horror

Alternatives chapters 2-3 & chapter 5 epilogue featuring the bad ending of a Mafia AU

Alternatives chapters 3-4 & chapter 5 epilogue featuring the aftermath of a bad ending where fat!AFO has already become Emperor of the world.

@possiblycringe and I are so excited to see what you all come up with! Have fun and do bad!!!

[mega-ditto-3]

Mha fic ideas #25

‘Perfectly Imperfect’

The universe made a mistake when it created Midoriya Izuku.

Not for the whole quirkless thing, though that had it’s own issues, but because of his face. It was too cute. Too innocent. Too trustworthy…

No matter what he did or what he said, nobody could see him as anything but pure and good. If he cursed it was like the adults hadn’t heard him or they'd think it was another child, like Kacchan. If he stole something, they never asked him to return it. If he pushed a kid into the river, everyone assumed they'd fallen.

And if he threatened to divulge the number 1 hero’s biggest secret to the media?

He got a gentle pat on the head and a fond chuckle.

At first, he thought it must be his quirk. A quirk that involuntarily waived all of his bad deeds to anyone who may witness them. A quick trip to the specialist and he was permanently labeled with the status of ‘quirkless’ and no other way of explaining why he was like this.

He, simply, could do no wrong; and that irritated the hell out of him. He’s lost track of how many villain bases he’s walked into with the intention of being recruited only to end up being gushed and ‘aw’d at until he left.

The only good thing that had come of this ability was Allmights immediate trust. After a few months of training, the man offered him his quirk:

One for All.

Izuku was ecstatic. He could finally test how far his innocent face could take him when he had the ability to level towns and ruin lives with one well placed punch.

Only… He passed out as soon as he’d swallowed the hair and woke up in a strange place with three crumbling walls, surrounded by darkness, and eight (seven and a half?) people standing in front of him.

They didn't look at him like he was perfect.

They looked angry.

And Izuku couldn’t be happier.

[icharchivist]

do you think cygames ever intended to kill belial off during the original run of wmtsb and then changed their mind when they realized how much money this slut was going to make them?

I genuinely can't say, honestly.

He was the result of a writer block and we know he wasn't planned to be this important to start with, and they knew he was the riskiest character they've ever made at this time, so it's actually very likely they would just chicken out and keep it as a one-off villain just to get the plot going.

But at the same time it feels like they probably understood that they had something special with Belial. Because the way he took the direction of the wmtsb franchise by his first appearance infused wmtsb with themes that wouldn't have been this much on the foreground otherwise.

Like, Cygames does dwell in popularity yes.... but, credit where credit is due, Cygames especially dwell in good writing. As much as i'd love to see Belial or Lucifer back again for instance it's also obvious they don't actually want to cheapen how strong wmtsb was by bringing them back because they value writing coherence over popularity, and it's something to really command about it.

The moment Belial was introduced as an antagonist i do think some of the thematic elements of the wmtsb shifted.

With wmtsb starting with Sandalphon's journey and setting Lucilius and Beelzebub as the main antagonists, i think the angle of free will and determinism when you're being created for a goal, a purpose that is out of your reach, was probably the biggest core of the story. It's one that is still there, obviously, but considering the extreme Lucilius and Beelzebub push it on their God Complex, i think it was supposed really do be the core of it all. What makes the sky blue, what determine what you are, can you even change if it's not what the skies had planned for you?

But Sandalphon, Beelzebub and Lucilius all have a similar answer to that: if the universe wants them to bow down, then they'll snap the kneecaps of the universe and have it bow down in front of them instead. They're not going to let this determinism take away their free will.

And honestly i think this is probably why there even was a writer block to start with. Because how to you properly introduce two antagonists that, in essence, do have the same morals as the new protagonist of your saga? Like of course you can make it work, but you need to find a way to write to this conflict to see that it's the nuance in the way they approach free will that matters. And to get there, you need some more useful prompting.

Enters Belial and the unique thing he brings to the table by being something who believes he doesn't have any free will, or at least, who convinces himself he doesn't, despite also living for the chaos of it all.

In a story ultimately about rebelling against your creator, about what you've been set on his earth to do, Belial is all about devoting himself to a whole other level to the point of destroying himself.

And with Belial, suddenly the thematic of devotion ends up becoming more important as well, putting even more focus on Sandalphon and Lucifer's relationship than there would be otherwise. Because Belial serves as a foil to Sandalphon, as the comparaison to show us what were Sandalphon's insecurities about his relationship with Lucifer VS the reality of how loved he was. With Belial, Sandalphon's thematic core ends up stronger by contrast, while also genuinely giving more room to explore the issues that can be raised by the initial conflict.

And it added to the determinism plotline. Lucifer and Belial were created equal, but the pressure of how their creators saw them heavily influenced the way they both approached Free Will, and Belial especially has an unique approach to it all.

And Belial's unique approach to all of those themes is not just something they wrote on the side to try to distract themselves until the story was moving forward: it became the thread linking the thematic together.

Because since the thematics of the others players are all so interwined, it becomes difficult to give them space to breath so they can stand out on their own and tell their own story.

Belial didn't just unblock the story by being fun and quirky enough to unblock a writer block, he unblocked the story by giving the theme that was needed for the rest of the themes to fall into places in the story wmtsb wanted to tell.

and as someone who likes literally analysis, i cannot imagine that this is something they just intended to throw out if it hadn't been for popularity's sake. Granblue is smarter than that in the way it tells its stories imo. I do think they gave Belial MORE focus in 000 BECAUSE of the popularity, but even without the popularity Belial would have had something important to bring to the story.

so yeah personally i can't imagine them thinking about killing Belial off by wmtsb p2 if it hadn't been for popularity. I think the moment they commited with this character they realized they couldn't move forward with just the thread he was giving to the plot to start with.

but maybe i'm being too optimistic on the reasons why a gacha keeps a popular character around lol