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averagejoesolomon · 3 months

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We made it, friends. Welcome to the final installment of Full Circle: 1986. It has been an absolute delight sharing this one with you. It is a downright gift to finally be able to commit this all to paper, after having been in my head for probably close to a decade now. This will probably be the last Full Circle chapter until ~November/December. I know this is longer than usual, but I've finally finished an original manuscript, and I'm going to take an honest shot at publishing it this fall. I so appreciate your patience while I follow that dream. I'll be back as soon as I can with more of Full Circle. There may be some surprises in the meantime (ahem—Listen Series 10-year anniversary), but as always, I can't wait to share what comes next. Those of you doing some math may have already realized we have a very familiar face coming in 1988 👀🍼 Until then, please enjoy. If you're new here, you can read all of Full Circle on Ao3.

Chapter Fourteen

“You’ve got to be goddamn kidding me.”

Joe Solomon can find a way to hide in just about every environment on earth. Anywhere he goes, he’s the figure at the back of the bar, the shadow at the end of the street, the ghost sitting in a blind spot security swears they don’t have. His face is never caught on camera. His name is never on any lists. If there’s darkness around, you can bet Joe’s managed to sink into it. Maybe it’s his New York roots, or old foster kid habits, or Blackthorne training he can’t quite shake, but one thing’s for sure—if Joe don’t want to be found, there’s not a soul on earth who can find him.

But something about the gray-speckled walls of Langley’s third floor draws him out, as though this place was designed to expose all the secrets it collects, starting with men like him. Of course, the hollering doesn’t help either. “Look at yourself.”

Matt turns just in time to see Joe barrel scowl-first down the hall. “Joe,” Matt says, smile wide and welcoming. “Nice to see you up and walking again.”

“Don’t start,” he barks. “You made me stay home, meanwhile you looked like this?”

Joe’s still got a slight limp to his gait, but that’s not much compared to the laundry list of fresh injuries Matt’s working with. He’s officially lost all leverage in this argument. “To be fair,” he says, trying his luck anyway, “I’ve only looked like this for the last 48 hours.”

Joe closes the distance between them, but his voice still stays at that same outraged level. “What the hell happened to you?”

This particular question can’t be answered in the lobby of Director Smith’s main office, which is almost certainly monitored by folks outside of their extremely limited task force—if not bugged by less friendly players. With one look, Matt’s able to tap into their shared shorthand and convey caution. “Details later.”

Joe catches the hint, even if he doesn’t look happy about it. He scans Matt up and down in that even, no-nonsense sort of way Joe scans everything. His voice drops to Matt’s level when he grumbles, “You just get to have all the fun, I guess.”

“If it helps,” Matt says, “I don’t remember most of it.”

“Jesus,” Joe sympathizes. “Would you at least sit down, already? It hurts just looking at you.”

The two of them usually share the same stick-straight posture, a habit leftover from their Army days that proves impossible to break. Joe’s wearing it now, softened over the years, but still there. The subtle draw of his shoulders. The top-to-bottom stacking of his spine. When Matt tries to mimic it, he comes up against the strain in his ribs and curls right back up. He hasn’t been able to pull himself upright since his third helicopter across the Alps, and Joe’s presence ain’t gonna change that, even if Joe’s always made him feel just a little bit invincible. “If I sit down,” says Matt, “I’m not gonna be able to stand back up.”

Joe’s jaw grinds. “I told you I’d get on a flight—”

Matt says, nice and easy, “And I told you I had it handled.”

“You’re never going solo on one of these things again.”

“I didn’t go solo. I had Rachel, and Rachel had a whole team.”

This ain’t much of a comfort in Joe’s book, and it shows. This is the same look Joe gives him anytime Rachel gets mentioned—and as it so happens, it’s also the same look Rachel gives him anytime Joe gets mentioned. Matt’s got no clue how the two most observant people he knows can be this blind to their own similarities.

No doubt Joe’s got plenty to say when it comes to Rachel Cameron and her team, but he bites his tongue because good guys don’t bad-talk ladies when they’re not around to defend themselves. Instead, he keeps his frustrations broad. “It never should’ve gotten this close.”

“We’ve made some powerful enemies,” Matt says with a shrug. The movement aches, but no more than sitting, or standing, or breathing already does. “They were bound to get a couple hits on us one of these days.”

Joe gives him another surveying glance. “This is more than a couple.”

“It’s worse than it looks.”

“And they didn’t get hits on us. They got hits on you.”

Of all his hiding spots, Joe’s favorite is his own guilt. He retreats into it every chance he gets. Lingers in its shadow, sometimes for days at a time. Guilt is the thing that keeps Joe up at night and when he does finally fall asleep, guilt is the thing that brings him back to his feet, wandering down empty hotel halls well into the witching hour. Joe keeps a running list of sins in his head at all times, some small part of him always repenting for the orders he’s followed, the lies he’s told, the lives he’s taken, and a moment of weakness one Christmas Eve night when his own secrets finally became too heavy to hold all on his own.

It’s constant, and Joe’s an old pro at finding new things to take the blame for. He’s doing it right now. Guilt that he wasn’t there to take his own beating. Guilt that Matt was.

This is all a load of hooey, according to Matt. A bunch of shame and remorse put there by the Circle of Cavan, because shame and remorse is exactly what turns Circle recruits into Circle agents. He’s said as much to Joe, but it’s never received well—doesn’t seem to help, anyway, so Matt focuses on something that will. “It’s worse than it looks,” he says again, and he meets Joe’s eyes this time. Lets the words settle how they need to for Joe to really believe it. “Honest.”

Joe squints, assessing Matt with that sharp and attentive look he has. “Chrissake,” he finally sighs. “You lie to Soviet dignitaries with that mouth? Honestly Morgan, you’ve got a godawful tell.”

“Alright, so I’m gonna head down to the docs when we’re done here,” Matt admits. “But Joe, look at me. I’m fine. And if I’m not fine, then I’ll be fine.” Joe looks like he wants to protest and takes in a breath to do exactly that. But Matt’s in no shape for a fight right now, so he interrupts this one before it can even start. “Did you get to my safety deposit box while I was gone?”

This is a lot like asking if Joe got around to sleeping or eating while he was gone, which might be why Joe rolls his eyes. “You asked me to go,” he says, “so I went.”

“And?” Matt prompts.

Joe spots the change in subject, but Matt must look pitiful enough to let it slide. “Nothing,” he says. “No sign of a break-in—passport right where it was supposed to be.”

Matt’s heart drops into his battered gut, landing among the dread that’s been churning there for days. It takes every ounce of training he’s got to keep his face neutral, composed, when he lets out a matter-of-fact, “Huh.”

“Huh?” Joe presses. “What, huh?”

“One of my passports was in Moscow. Saw it with my own two eyes.”

The lobby is empty around them, lined with unoccupied seats and filled with unread magazines. There’s no one to hide from. There’s not a sound to be heard. Not even the plant in the corner is alive, faded plastic leaves feeding off the fluorescents above. Even so, neither one of them risks a scene for fear that someone, somewhere is watching.

Joe’s words are quiet. Barely there. “If it wasn’t from your deposit box…”

“Someone at Langley is selling the passports they have on file,” Matt says. “And if we track them down…”

They don’t dare finish the thought aloud. They don’t have to. This has always been the endgame. The sole objective Director Smith gave them years ago, back when Joe still had an allegiance to the Circle and Matt didn’t know the name Ioseph Cavan. Find the moles, protect the agency, and save Joe’s reputation in the process. All these years, they’ve been tracking Circle agents from the outside in, working with any informant they could to get back to a source at Langley. This may be their one and only shot at an internal investigation.

But Matt’s ribs twinge against his breath, and the timing reeks of a trap. After all these years of looking, they finally reach a breakthrough on this op days after he takes a beating designed to intimidate. Maybe it’s working, because Matt’s not so sure they should follow this one. “Conversation for another time,” he hints. “We’ll talk when we get back to the apartment.”

And Joe doesn’t miss a trick. “There’s more?”

When it comes to the Circle, there’s always more. No one knows that better than Joe Solomon. “There’s no such thing as coincidence, right?”

Joe nods. “Right.”

“Let’s just say,” Matt cautions, “I don’t think it’s a coincidence I was there.”

Matt keeps this theory vague on purpose, trusting Joe to decode the rest. There’s a glint in his eyes as he runs the numbers and plays out every hypothetical. Joe may not have been in Moscow, but that doesn’t mean he can’t piece together what happened. “Jesus,” he spits, realization playing out in his features. “You think Rachel set you up?”

Well. That sure ain’t the conclusion Matt expected him to make. “What? No. God, no,” Matt sputters. They don’t have time to walk back the math on this particular miscalculation, so Matt cuts to the chase before Joe can go any further down that path. “But Joe, listen. I think Catherine might have.”

This has Joe running a whole new set of numbers through his head, pulling the corners of his mouth into a hard, stoic frown. “No,” he says, definite. “Not a chance. You’re sure it wasn’t Rachel—?”

“Morning, Joe.”

With timing too perfect to be accidental, Rachel chooses this moment to round the corner and join their conversation. She has a cup of vending machine coffee in each hand, steam still rising from the slim notches in each plastic cap. As she sips from one, she holds the other out to Matt, and he’s been awake for too many consecutive hours to decline. It ain’t Joe’s coffee, but it’ll do.

“Glad to see you’re feeling better,” she says, and Matt has to hand it to her—she’s got this way of making something perfectly pleasant sound like utter devastation. “I heard you’ve been indisposed as of late.”

Joe’s answering glance is aimed directly at Matt, a scathing pout from someone who ain't above using his highly specialized skill set on a girl, just as long as his best friend gives him permission first.

Matt replies with his own warning look and a placating, “Play nice.” To keep the game fair, he turns to Rachel too. “Both of you.”

“What the hell is she doing here?” Joe asks.

Matt throws a thumb in her direction. “Talk to Rachel, when you’re talking to Rachel.”

“Alright.” His eyes flash to her. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Rachel takes another sip of her coffee, entirely unruffled. “A pleasure, as always, Joe.”

Joe crosses his arms over his chest. Settles into a wider stance. “You’ll have to excuse me if I’m not at my friendliest,” he says. “It’s just that I gave Matt to you in pretty good shape, and you didn’t exactly return him in pristine condition.”

“All things considered, I’d say he’s in pretty excellent condition, actually.” She’s the cool and collected counter to Joe’s stinging emotion. “Despite your best efforts to put him in the ground.”

Joe huffs, a bull seeing red. “Excuse me?”

Matt physically steps between the two of them. “Alright,” he says. “A little civility, please. I’ll remind you both that there are plenty of things I need your help with, but getting myself into trouble ain’t one of them. If you wanna be mad at someone, you can be mad at me.”

They both look ready to follow through on that offer, so Matt holds out his hands in either direction. Before they can speak he says, “But you can’t be mad at me yet—I’m injured, remember? So, so very injured.”

Joe rolls his eyes and spits out a, “Chrissake,” at the same time Rachel says, “Oh honestly, Matthew.” The two of them seem to find some tentative common ground in their shared annoyance, temporarily refraining from any further bickering. That’s fine. Matt can be a common enemy for now. Maybe it’ll remind them that what they’ve actually got is a common friend. There may be hope for them yet.

He lowers his hands slowly, trying not to disturb the peace. “Rachel’s here on orders from the Director,” he explains, “on account of how she’s recently learned some new information.”

Joe deciphers this in a matter of seconds. “You told her?”

“What I could,” Matt confirms. “It was the only way to get her out of Moscow.”

For all his grumbling, Joe knows the same thing every spy knows—that Moscow is a desperate place in a desperate time, always calling for desperate measures. He won’t begrudge any decisions made within the city’s borders, because he knows firsthand how Moscow can wring a fella out and force him to find alliances in the damnedest places.

So rather than holler any more than he already has, he turns to Rachel. Looks at her with a deadly serious intensity. “Then he must have told you that you’ve raised some flags?”

Rachel matches his gaze. “He did.”

“That these are dangerous people?”

“He said that too.”

Joe glaces at Matt, then lands back on Rachel one more time. He looks like he wants to hide, but instead he holds strong. “He told you that if you keep looking for them, they’re going to find you first?”

Guilt for pulling Matt into all this. Guilt for pulling in Rachel by proxy.

Rachel’s chin is in its usual place, high and strong. “I’m not afraid of making a few more enemies.”

“I’m not saying it to scare you,” Joe insists. “I’m saying it because it’s the truth, and because you’re smart enough to walk away while you still can.”

Joe Solomon can hide anywhere in the world, but there are some people not even he can hide from, even if he’s spent most of his adult life trying to do exactly that. His words lack all the signs of their usual squabbles, replaced by a man who has been running for as long as he can remember, and wouldn’t wish it on his worst enemy.

Rachel Cameron is not his worst enemy, but she knows their rivalry well enough to understand this must be important, if Joe’s decided to put it aside for now. She surrenders her own fight, just temporarily, and grants him a nod. “I’ll do what the agency asks of me,” she says. Then, with some consideration. “What’s best for Matt. And I suppose, by association, that means I’ll do what’s best for you, too.”

Sometimes Matt forgets that Joe is older than Rachel, by just under two years. In damn near every aspect of espionage and beyond, the two are evenly matched. But right then, Joe’s experience weighs down his every feature and makes him look horribly, achingly old. When it comes to understanding the toll the Circle can take on a person’s soul, few people know more than Joe.

“Do whatever you want,” he says, letting his head fall into a shameful shake. “But just know, as soon as you walk in those doors, you aren’t making decisions for yourself. You’re making them for Abby and your dad. For any friends you have back in Baltimore. For any future family you might want to have someday. Because once these people find out you’re onto them, they won't just stop at you.”

The best way to send Rachel into an uneasy spiral is to dig up her sense of helplessness. It’s something Matt’s only just started to learn, but something Joe seems to have known for a while now, given how easily he leverages her own fears against her. There’s some irony to the idea that a manipulation technique Joe learned in the Circle is the only thing keeping Rachel out of it.

She glances at Matt, but it’s quick. Like she can’t quite help herself. It’s gone before Matt can decide what it means, hidden behind another sip of coffee. “Fine,” she says, bored as she wipes the corner of her lip with her thumb. “Anything else?”

Joe starts to answer one way or the other, but he doesn’t get the chance. They’re interrupted by a petite woman in a pencil skirt, emerging from the office at their backs. She peers over horn-rimmed glasses as she says, “The Director will see you now.”

Best not to keep the boss waiting.

Rachel straightens her shoulders and starts to turn, leading the pack. “Ladies first,” she reminds them both, looking distinctly Abby-like as she shoots a carefree smile over her shoulder.

Matt starts to follow, the way he always follows her lead, but Joe hooks a hand around his arm instead, keeping Matt planted in place. He waits until Rachel is out of earshot and then, in the most covert voice Matt’s ever heard from him, asks, “Are you sleeping with Rachel Cameron?”

Spy training or not, Matt feels a flush crawl up his neck, as fresh flashes catch along his breath. Rachel’s cool hand on his hot chest. Rachel’s moan in his mouth. “Am I—?” he sputters. “Am I sleeping with—?”

But Joe’s just got this look on his face. Cover blown.

So Matt drops the act. They’ve talked about matters of national security with less urgency when he asks, “How did you know?”

Joe points to the coffee cup in Matt’s hand. “You hate vending machine coffee,” he says. “Which I know, because every time you drink it, you bitch and moan about how my coffee is better.”

“Your coffee is better,” Matt contests.

“And yet, you’re drinking hers,” Joe says. “And the only way you’d ever drink that shit is if you were—”

“Yeah.”

“So you are.”

“Yeah.”

“About time.”

This is so wildly off-base from the response Matt expects that he has to do a double-take. Make sure he heard right. “Wait,” he says. “What’s that supposed to—?”

“Are you boys coming, or what?”

Rachel pops her head around the doorway and Matt resists the completely unspylike urge to throw both hands over Joe’s mouth. “Yep,” he says. “Be right there.”

She retreats back to the office, and Matt turns back toward Joe. “Not a word.”

Joe holds up both hands in faux innocence. “My lips are sealed,” he says, but he’s biting back a grin, and Matt knows he hasn’t heard the last of this. “Now let’s get this over with. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can watch the Royals game.”

Matt really is having a hard time deciding how to feel about Joe, right this moment. “You taped the Royals game for me?”

Joe shrugs. “‘Course I taped the Royals game for you.”

But Matt forgives easy, and Joe’s easy to forgive anyway. “Joe Solomon,” he says, with a grin of his own. “Did you miss me?”

“Alright,” Joe drones. “Get in there, or I’m gonna tell you the scores.”

Matt does as he’s told, because it’s Joe telling him to do it. Plus, the woman with the glasses is tapping her heel in their direction. Even though Matt regularly squares up against arms dealers and armed guards, he's still not willing to tick off the Langley secretaries.

They file into the familiar beige and black office, ready to give their usual debrief and sort out which details should be committed to paper and which should be left to rot in the wind. This process is routine enough that it’s practically scripted, and Matt feels a certain sense of comfort in the repetition, even with Rachel’s presence. In fact, some part of him is relieved for her to finally see all this. To finally understand a part of his life that’s been kept from her for so long.

But the moment he enters the room, he realizes that Rachel ain’t the office’s only new addition.

Director Smith is tucked behind his desk, just like always, shuffling through a stack of paper that never seems to get any smaller, no matter how many times they visit. Like always, his black jacket hangs on the back of his chair and his tie is loose at the collar. He’s filled out the mustache he started growing a few years back, in an attempt to look more like Tom Selleck. He looks mostly the same as he always has, except where age and stress make him look a little more weary.

The man across from him is unfamiliar—at least, Matt thinks he is. But a second glance triggers some deep down certainty that they’ve met before, somewhere, sometime, when Matt was least expecting him.

The Director looks up at them all. Smiles. “Ah, welcome home, boys,” he says, in his easy Virginian accent. “And Ms. Cameron. I’ve heard wonderful things.”

“Likewise, sir,” Rachel replies, always the perfect lady.

“How is your sister?” he wonders. “Bored to tears, I suppose.”

“And healing up just fine,” she says. “Which, I keep reminding her, is the important part.”

“Yes, well, as soon as she’s ready to go again, we’ll be happy to have her,” he says. “Send my best to her—and to your father, while you’re at it.”

“Will do, sir.”

The mystery man turns to face them head-on, and Matt gets that feeling again. It’s the eyes that strike him first, dark in a way that makes them look endless. Something about the cut of his jaw, the angle of his nose, the furrow of his brow. It all sends a surge of hot familiarity through Matt’s veins, landing like metal in his mouth.

“I’m eager to hear about your latest findings,” Smith goes on. “But first, I suppose you’ve all noticed we’re not alone.”

It’s the start of an introduction and the mystery man stands to meet it, buttoning the front of his jacket as he goes. His movements strike more familiarity into Matt, resonating at a single frequency in his bones.

“Trusting that you’re all able to keep a secret until the news is made official,” says Smith, with some humor, “I’d like to introduce you to the new Director of Operations for the CIA—Mr. Max Edwards.”

Max Edwards’ dark eyes settle onto Matt, holding a hand out to shake. Matt takes it with a flinch, hand still sore from fighting off memories he can’t remember. “Nice to meet you,” says Max, in low southern drawl just barely above a whisper. “Alexander has told me great things about this task force.”

Max moves on to the next hand, and it’s Joe who has the wherewithal to ask, “New, sir?”

Director Smith stands to join the rest of the room, rounding his desk and leaning against its front. “I’ve been called up the ranks, Mr. Solomon,” he says, arms crossing casually across his chest. “Come autumn, I will be serving as the Deputy Director of the CIA.”

“Congratulations,” says Rachel, sincerely.

“That’s great,” Matt mutters, distracted.

Leave it to Joe to ask, “What does that mean for—?”

Director Smith holds up a hand, already well ahead of Joe and not afraid to show it. “We will, of course, have some details to work out. Rest assured we will have time to do so, though I’d prefer not to speak in great detail with Ms. Cameron present.” He turns to Rachel. “No offense intended.”

“None taken,” Rachel replies. Her gaze meets Joe’s, one final debate between the two of them. She must let him win, because she turns back to Smith and says, “As I understand it, my involvement is better left at need-to-know.”

Matt should be relieved. He should be thankful that something Joe said got through to her. That she isn't pushing for more. That she won’t be the Circle’s next target, and that she won’t have to spend a lifetime in this fight. But he’s just too caught up in the way Max walks. In the way he speaks, and moves, and looks.

Smith nods in her direction. “Unfortunately, I believe that’s a wise decision,” he says. “While your skills would be more than welcome, I’m certain I don’t have to share that the consequences could be quite dire.”

“No sir,” Rachel agrees. “That’s been made clear.”

“Then we will save our discussion for another time,” he concludes. “Until then, the only thing you three need to know is that I will no longer serve as your primary contact on this case. I simply won’t have the time. But I do still hope to stay involved, which is why I wanted to ensure I had someone I trusted in this position.”

All three of them turn to study Max, the man to be trusted. He stands tall. Confident. Certain that he is exactly where he is supposed to be.

“Mr. Edwards will train at my side in the coming months, learning the ins-and-outs of our objectives here,” says Director Smith. “Boys, you’ll be asked to pursue new leads as they come in—no different than before. Ms. Cameron, we’ll work closely with you on your upcoming reports to ensure we commit the correct details to paper. This is among my top priorities as I transition, and Max has expressed similar dedication.”

This all feels so critical and immediate. Matt wishes he could focus, but his brain is caught on repeat, trying to fill the Max Edwards sized hole in his head.

Max clears his throat. “Everything alright, son?” he asks Matt. “You look shaken.”

The set of his shoulders. The crease in his forehead. “I’m sorry sir, it’s just—” he starts, but he hesitates, worried he’ll sound foolish. The whole room watches him, waiting for an answer he ain’t sure about. “I can’t shake the feeling we’ve met before.”

A small sigh rises and falls in Max’s broad chest, something close to a laugh, although Matt can’t imagine this man ever laughing. Max glances toward Director Smith, who grants a permissive node, and Max holds his hands out, putting himself on full display. “You caught me,” he says, simply. “You have seen me before. At the Bolshoi Theatre.”

With the Bolshoi as a background, Matt’s brain handily fills in the rest of the memory. A bag of passports in his hands, Townsend’s voice at his back, and a mysterious man looking up at him from the ground floor. That must be it. “You spotted us,” Matt remembers. “In the balcony. Before we ran.”

To Matt’s credit, Max didn’t look at all like himself in Moscow, done up in a disguise that relied on dark facial hair and heavy Russian garb. That must be why Matt couldn’t identify him on sight. “You were not too hard to spot, I’m afraid.”

This sounds like it could be a joke, but Matt’s not sure, so he replies in earnest, just in case. “Yes, well,” he says. “Moscow has a way of bringing out unexpected circumstances.”

“I’d like to hear more, when we have time,” says Max. “Learn how we can do better in the future.”

“Yessir.”

When Max Edwards smiles, a chill runs down Matt’s spine, and it must be left over from Moscow. From that feeling of having eyes on his back, and not trusting a single step he takes. It always takes a few days to shake off the Soviet Union and this is no exception.

Matt meets Max’s eyes once more, and he's got this strange urge to hide. Slip into a crowd, the way he always does. Let the world dissolve at his back, then come up for air once its safe again.

But Max already found him once, back on a balcony in the the Bolshoi. Who's to say it couldn't happen again? Matt may be a natural Pavement Artist, but Max seems like the type who can see straight through anything. “Gentlemen,” Max says, clasping his hands together. “I think this is the start of a beautiful partnership.”

#im sorry im sorry im sorry #its a hell of a cliffhanger #if it helps #this doesnt get resolved for another few installments #I am big time committing the End Of Season Cliffhanger That Doesnt Matter Yet crime of tv shows #but MAN #what a twist huh???#no idea how this is gonna play out yet #full circle

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dailydemonspotlight · 6 months

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Quetzalcoatl - Day 9

Race: Dragon

Alignment: Light-Chaos

March 29th, 2024

Today's demon of the day is the serpentine lord of the wind, Quetzalcoatl, the most famous deity from the Aztec pantheon! The feathered serpent is famous for his prominence in several ancient ruins, as well as just being really damn cool looking. Sit down and grab a snack- there's a lot to this guy.

Quetzalcoatl is one of the most important deities in Aztec mythology, a deity seen as protecting humanity by granting them crops and rainwater through his control of the winds. Over time, he became known as the god of the morning and evening, literature, the Aztec calendar, and smithing. While slightly overworked, he served an important purpose as one of the most benevolent deities in the pantheon, saving humanity from the brink (or, literally, bringing them back from) destruction in several myths. One of my personal favorite myths involving him, as well as several others from the pantheon he hails from, comes in the form of the myth of the 5 suns, wherein he served as the second giant ball of light in the sky for Humanity in the endless cycle of destruction and rebirth wherein Tezcatlipoca ruins everything time and time again.

Under Quetzalcoatl, Humanity grew and thrived, though soon his reign began to come to a close as slowly, humanity drifted away into greed and selfishness. As a consequence of this, Tezcatlipoca decided to turn all of humanity into monkeys in a fit of rage, likely leaving the rest of the Pantheon hoping this wouldn't become a habit, though it sure did, soon enough. Eventually, after a nigh-constant conflict of Tezcatlipoca ruining everything time and time again, Huitzilopochtli took a seat as the reigning sun, and became the most successful one to date.

Even now, every day that bears the name of 'Wind' in Aztec mythos is ruled over by Quetzalcoatl, his benevolent gusts guiding humanity forward. Another myth that bears his name is that of him disguising himself as a lowly priest of the Toltecs, soon rising to be the priest-king of them. He never offered human sacrifices, instead opting for things like butterflies, snakes, birds, or other such animals instead- while this worked to keep his people satiated, it didn't do much to keep, you guessed it, Tezcatlipoca at bay. The god of conflict, so rightly named, ended up expelling him from Tula, the home of the Toltecs, causing him to sluggishly wander down to the coast of the 'Divine Water' and end up immolating himself on a pyre. Soon after, he would ascend in spirit, becoming the planet Venus.

Quetzalcoatl has far more myths to his name, so I would recommend you do your own research- a lot of them are downright fascinating, but as of right now, this project is a bit too small-scale to let me recount them here.

However, design-wise... they could've done better. I'm sorry, ATLUS, Quetzalcoatl looks passable, but he feels far too plain to be the feathered serpent- a simple winged snake doesn't feel godly in the slightest, nor does his simple palette and pitiful attempts at patterns. While somewhat accurate to the myths themselves, I wish they would've taken more inspiration from other depictions of Quetzalcoatl, as I find their designs far more interesting.

However, I do find myself loving his usefulness in gameplay- while his design is underwhelming, a typically high-leveled demon who specializes in force skills is always useful, and I've found myself using him on more-than-one occasion. All in all, while I'm not a huge fan of Quetzalcoatl's depiction in SMT, my personal attachment to his story still makes this demon stick out to me.

#megaten #shin megami tensei #smt #persona #daily #smt nocturne #quetzalcoatl #aztec #MAN ATLUS YOU KINDA DROPPED THE BALL ON THIS DESIGN #since i was a kid i've LOVED quetzalcoatl tho #the feathered serpent lives rent free in my head

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viiridiangreen · 9 months

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spent like 30 mins of my unique unrepeatable precious time on this beautiful Earth explaining how no, I didn't make the text gray, it's pure white but when letters are small and thin they look less vividly white and a little greyish..... just because of how monitors / pixels / the concept of displaying text on those works like at a fundamental level. no it's not a problem that needs fixing. no if you turn off that softening effect it's not even gonna be LEGIBLE

the people who needed the explanation have some sort of high & mighty managerial positions in the tech company i work for & have exactly zero business micromanaging the shit out of the smallest minutiae of the design of a web platform that displays data for their clients.... that they BOUGHT as a template and then outsourced the customisation of.... which my section wasn't even assigned to.... we're just getting forced to make 'mockups' of extremely basic changes they want done to the design bc they can't fathom the idea of just... passing on the list of changes directly to the people who can implement them on the live site........

so then naturally i spent ANOTHER 30mins of my finite time on this fantastic planet making (and remaking to my supervisor's specifications) a sort of custom visual explainer for how text antialiasing works in this extremely specific case

the actual design part of this design job i could do w/ my eyes closed since i was in middle school. but the "talking to idiots who don't know anything about the thing they're attempting to micromanage" is fucking......... eroding my soul at the deepest lvls....

one of the suited up old farts in the meeting went "omg... i think i'm noticing a bit of a sarcastic tone there... i hope it's just my nerves" while engaging in the aforementioned SUPREMELY stupid and unproductive and maddening back & forth cluelessplaining about how pixels ought to work. i exploded him in my mind.

just---- fucking. stick to selling the actual products of the company that you likely don't understand either and let me do my silly inconsequential nonconstructive job that contributes tiny little grains of sand towards the already grotesque amassed sterile fortune of some of the worst people on this continent / planet who keep the people living here in a fucking chokehold so they can see number go up in their bank accounts and embarass themselves on twitter. instead of slightly supporting or god forbid bettering the lives of literally any other living being..... PLEASE oh my GOD

#viitalks #jobposting #i hate thisssssssss #i hate themmmmm #idk what i'd do if i didn't have the tattooing thing in my backpocket lmao #like if i WANTED or HAD TO remain in a corpojob all my life.....#???????#i'd kms probably

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mercurydancer · 2 years

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Hi! Really random question but your depiction of Maul is by far my all time favorite, and I would really like to know how do you think Maul would feel about rollercoasters? I know, I know, a really dumb, random question, but I was at the Universal parks in Orlando these past few days and looking up at the newer coaster they have (the Velocicoaster, it's Jurassic World themed and fast as hell) and I don't know why but the thought of "Would Maul like the adrenaline of rollercoasters?" just poofed right into my mind. Like, would he like them or is there something about the whole thing he would avoid? the that got me thinking, how would Savage and Feral would feel? (I just re-read An Unexpected Chance and the three Oppress brothers are living in my head rent free lol) And then having them on the brain got me thinking about Eeth and Agen since they're Zabraks too would they like rollercoasters too? Then that lead to what about Tiq and Plo and MACE?? Like the wait time was about an hour but I spent a good chunk of it trying to think all this through XD Idk I just want all these characters to be happy and have fun at theme parks and live their best lives, Maker knows they deserve it :') Anyway, sorry for the long ass, random ask, but this is all buzzing in my brain and I need to get it out to someone lol

EXCUSE? Your FAVORITE?? Not even just. One of, THE favorite? Shut the fuck up, you're trying to kill me. That is entirely too nice.

Also, aside from that. Your ask ate my brain.

Enjoy

“You’ve literally never been to a theme park?” Anakin asked, staring at Maul as though he’d grown another head.

Maul leveled an unamused stare on him. “Why would I want to?”

“They’re fun?” Anakin answered, his brows rising. “You get to go somewhere where there’s no consequences for going really fast, no one is in danger, and you get to just have fun for a day.”

Maul’s mouth curled, but before he could answer Ahsoka plopped on the back of the chair next to him. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Maul’s never been to a theme park.”

Maul stared at Anakin, waves of betrayal and annoyance and…

“YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO A THEME PARK?”

Oh…here it came…

“No,” Maul said, “between freeing slaves and attempting to free my Brothers from Dathomir, I did not have the time.”

Both of them got very quiet, “Oh,” Ahsoka mumbled, “yes, that’s…that’s very important.”

“But you have to have fun sometimes, Maul!” Anakin said, “even when you’re freeing slaves, I podraced and I was a slave.”

“Your Master made you for the money,” Maul said.

“Didn’t stop it from being fun,” Anakin kicked the chair, frowning. “But even so, your brothers are free! You’re working on finding… You know, I bet you the Clones would love to go to a theme park.”

“Anakin all three hundred thousand men could not go to the same theme park.”

“Well, no, but…we could at least take a few that might want to come?”

“Who said anything about ‘we’?”

“Where are you going?” Feral asked.

Maul closed his eyes and prayed to the Force, whatever Gods paid attention to Nightbrothers, and to the Sith itself to save him.

He opened his eyes and Feral and Savage were still there.

Fuck.

“We were talking about going to a theme park,” Ahsoka answered, grinning up at them brightly. “Have you ever gone?”

“What is a theme park?” Feral asked.

“You get to go on rides!”

Feral and Savage both stilled.

“Rollercoasters,” Maul said, “or other things of that nature. They are designed to go very fast, take you on a short track that runs up, down, side to side, and potentially upside down.”

“Oh!” Feral said, “that sounds…kind of fun?”

“No, it does not,” Maul frowned.

“You don’t know, you’ve never been,” Anakin said, sticking his nose up at him, and turning to Feral and Savage. “It is! You get to have all of the adrenaline of a fast chase or a podrace, but none of the danger. I…would admittedly like the danger, but it was the only thing that Obi-Wan let me go on when I was younger, and…I do like them. Qui-Gon doesn’t like them very much, though. He gets sick.”

“Qui-Gon gets motion sick?” Maul asked. “That might be rather funny to watch.”

“So long as you’re not anywhere near him,” Anakin said. “He threw up on Obi-Wan’s shoes.”

Maul laughed.

“Oh, that’s not a good sound,” Obi-Wan hums, and that is the moment when Maul realizes he is damned.

He is damned, because the Force, the Gods of the Nightbrothers, and even the Sith itself have all conspired to force him into this position, and he hates it.

“Be nice, Obi-Wan, he can’t help he laughs like that,” Ahsoka said.

Maul hated everything.

“What is the reason for the laughter, if I may ask?” Obi-Wan asked, choosing to ignore the comment.

Good choice.

“We’re talking about going to a theme park,” Anakin said. “Maul, Feral, and Savage have never gone. We also were talking about maybe taking some of the Clones?”

“We’d have to rent out the theme park for over a week!” Obi-Wan said. “We can’t just bring some and not all.”

“I mean we could do it, though, couldn’t we? We saved all of the Senators!”

“They’re busy rebuilding the new Senate building, they don’t have the means,” Obi-Wan denied. “But maybe we could ask…”

“I’ll ask,” Ahsoka beams, “Feral, Savage, come with me! And call…Cote, he knows how to look very polite.”

Maul blinked, watching as she grabbed his brother’s hands and dragged them out, Anakin following. Maul looked to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan just grinned.

Fuck.

Maul was staring at a theme park.

This in itself would have been bad enough, but he was somehow staring at a theme park with an entourage that consisted of Feral, Savage, Ahsoka, Anakin, Agen, Depa, Eeth, Mace, Plo, Qui-Gon, Tiq, Yoda, Yaddle, a handful of Brothers that decided that they would like to come, and a massive amount of Clones. There were also plenty of other Jedi, but they were keeping their distance and had spent more time mingling. Boba had also come, with Bail and Breha who were taking care of him while his father got his shit together, and of course that meant that Padmé was also there.

Maul still did not understand how this had happened. All he knew is apparently Ahsoka had asked his brothers and Cote to all stand there and look very sad when Ahsoka explained that they had never been to a theme park before.

Somehow, the combination of the Jedi having saved the Galaxy, the Clones having been trained from decanting to be Soldiers, and the Nightbrothers having been slaves from birth had combined to the agreement of a special day that was to celebrate them, as well as show off to the Galaxy how good the theme park was. The tradeoff for a free time was basically lots of publicity.

Maul hated publicity.

They were making a speech, Maul could see, not really paying attention to what they were saying, but aware of how they were speaking of the importance of joy, of laughter, and talking about how important it was to give it to people that had never had it.

Maul wanted to roll his eyes. They had joy, and plenty of laughter, and he could tell that his brothers were shifting, something unhappy buzzing in their souls. The Clones, the Soldiers also seemed a bit unsure, but…

Free theme park.

For more than a week.

And then they finally opened the gates, clearly hoping for a massive pouring in… But they had forgotten that the people they were welcoming had been slaves and soldiers and also Jedi – who were naturally repressed.

There was no rush to the gate, the people applauding as they walked through in their lines were forced to applaud for much longer than they clearly had hoped for.

That was funny.

They finally made it through, were told to ‘cut loose,’ try what they wanted, everything was open, everything was free, including the food. They had typical theme park fair, which…was fine. Maul thought. He hadn’t ever had any.

He’d find out.

They finally made it through the gate which closed behind them, there was a pause as the Nightbrothers and the Soldiers all clearly waited for someone to tell them what to do…

“Find a ride!” Ahsoka yelled out, “AND START, PLAYING!”

There was a pause, and they finally started to drift. The Nightbrothers stayed close together, Maul very aware of the small kittens that they were walking with, carefully protected in the center. They had heard that the theme park was meant to be fun for children, and both the Clones and the Brothers had brought their younglings with them. And then, of course, Ahsoka had grabbed his hand and was beaming at him.

“Come on,” she said, her eyes wide and delighted, “we have to try a roller coaster!”

“Must we?” Maul asked, but it was over before it had begun, finding himself running after her as she dragged him. Anakin was right next to him, and then his brothers were coming. They ran towards, predictably, the biggest, fastest looking coaster in the entire park.

Maul noticed though, that as they ran, a few more of the Clones and the Brothers began moving faster towards whatever caught their eye. He could see his Brothers pointing out different rides, crouching down towards the kittens, speaking to them quietly.

Maul still did not know how he felt about the kittens.

They were very small.

There were still reflections in their eyes when he looked at them. Reflections and glimpses of happiness, but also terrible pain.

Everything was still confused. Tiq said it would get better, and had been working with him to put together his memories. There was so much to sort through… But his introspection was solidly interrupted at the sight of the coaster before them.

Ahsoka looked up, and up…and then turned to him with the biggest smile. “You ready for your first roller coaster?”

Maul stared at it, felt his mouth twist at the corners.

“Yes!” Feral called out, standing next to him. “Do you mind if I steal my twin?”

Ahsoka grinned, and let go of his hand, Maul finding Feral’s grip on his other hand suddenly, looking up to his brother.

“You want to go together?”

Maul sighed, “fine.”

And then they had walked into line and were lining up. As they walked through the empty walkway that was meant to force them into some manner of order, Maul watched as more Clones and Brothers lined up. There were no younglings, all of them too small, but he noticed a few of the Clones he knew.

The blond one that had been there for Boba, had taken the name Rex the last he’d heard, was following up Anakin, Anakin striking up a happy conversation with him.

They were getting closer after that, joining in the conversation, and Maul was happy to see that his Brothers were doing the same.

Feral grinned at him and Maul found himself smiling back without hesitation. It was a…strange reaction, one he was not used to, but did not mind.

They finally made it to the coaster itself, standing there for a moment as they decided where to sit, before Feral tugged him towards the front. Maul followed without thought, Savage behind them. The coaster was divided into six separate cars, four seats within them, and Maul was surprised to realize it required them to stand up. Each individual seat would adjust to the height of the person in them.

“Well, at least your legs won’t be dangling,” Feral grinned, waggling his brows at him.

Maul sneered.

One of the operators approached – also a Zabrak, a wide grin on her mouth. Feral’s hand tightened on his own, and Maul held tight, taking a step forward. She paused for a moment, her gaze darting between them and stopped a reasonable distance back, that smile still on her mouth. Maul in that one moment was grateful. Her smile was warm, and there was no hint that she had meant to get closer, no hurt, and nothing to suggest that she was annoyed.

“Hello,” she said, “welcome to the Jackhammer,” she grinned with all her teeth, “before I let you on, I am going to ask that you put these…” she lifted up a series of caps that Maul realized would fit on their horns, “on the horns most likely to hit the seat. Thank you for your cooperation, as soon as you have them on we’ll get you situated in your ride.”

She went down the line, another working from the back of the car, the two of them handing out caps.

Maul sighed, working them on his horns, Feral and Savage doing the same, and finally going over to adjust themselves in the seat, the other operator helping them get situated and buckling them up, making sure they were in place and situated.

It was a remarkably efficient thing, and Maul wondered mildly about the term ‘jackhammer.’

He had a feeling that some of the non-Zabraks weren’t about to have a good time.

Once they were all adjusted they turned their attention to the Operator, who was grinning at all of them.

“Hello everybody and welcome to the Jackhammer, we are going to take you 62 meters up, drop you at 90 degrees, roll around at a lovely and brisk 70 mph, and take you on more loop the loops and hops than you want to think about. If you’re not seeing stars by the end of it – you’re not on the Jackhammer, thank you for riding~”

She had pressed the button to start the ride before any of them had time to process, the car rolling forward quickly before the chain caught hold of them, slowly beginning to ratchet them up.

Feral was suddenly leaning over. “Maul, Maul, what did she mean seeing stars? Are we going to be okay?”

Maul paused for a moment, realizing that the end of the chain was coming up shortly, they were getting higher and higher, the view expansive. There were so many Clones, there were so many Brothers, and the realization that a few of them had started to run, to push at each other… Maul was suddenly in a good mood. He turned to Feral.

“No.”

And then they were going straight down as the chain released them, and Feral and Savage were screaming.

Maul laughed.

And also found that he was right.

Maul knew what the coaster was going to do, could predict what the forces would be, his natural affinity with machines and with the forces that worked on them meant that it was nearly impossible for it to surprise him. There was not much adrenaline, his body shifting slightly to prepare for each wild loop, and bounce. The speed was nice, and his brothers’ shrieking was also nice, but…

It wasn’t precisely…exciting.

He figured that was alright though.

They finally made it to the end of the coaster, the stops jerking them to a halt, Feral and Savage heaving for breath. Maul couldn’t help the grin on his face.

They were released from the seats, and Maul turned to Savage and Feral, who were staring at him…

Maul took off the caps on his horns, put them where they belonged, watching as they did the same…and then ran.

They chased after him.

Maul led them on a wild chase down the exit ramp, laughing all the while as they hollered various threats, amusement nonetheless burning bright in the words, and in their auras.

Feral finally caught hold of him as Maul decided he was done running, lifting him up, and for a moment Maul did not understand where this was going, and then Savage clocked his head against Maul’s own at a high rate of speed.

That was adrenaline.

It was a very SOLID thunk! Their horns interlocking and the feeling of another Zabrak latching on after the headbutt was a burst of adrenaline and amusement, and Maul grinned wide.

“Upset?”

“I thought we were going to die,” Savage said.

“I thought that was part of the appeal?”

THUNK!

Maul laughed, Feral dropping him down and thunking him a couple times as well.

“Alright,” Maul laughed, “I’m sorry,” he grinned. “Shall we go on another?”

“Yeah, sure!” Feral beamed.

“Another big one?”

“Why not,” Savage agreed. “Did you enjoy it?”

“It was…alright,” Maul said. “Your reactions were enjoyable though.”

“Happy to please,” Feral rolled his eyes and Maul grinned.

They walked through the park, talking to various Brothers, and Clones, meeting up with Padmé for another ride. She smiled wide, hugging them.

“I’m so happy you’re all here,” she said, pulling back. “Come on, let’s go.”

They met different people as they went through various rides, Maul finding that the rides were nonetheless mostly the same.

Maul rode with Tiq and Plo once, finding with surprise that Plo rather loved roller coasters. They were safe adrenaline, as Plo put out, and they weren’t dangerous enough to threaten his rebreather, so he could ride safely. Tiq enjoyed going with Plo because he went on the bigger ones.

And then he found Depa and Mace and the realization that there were racing coasters was enough to get them on a coaster together, while Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were on another. Qui-Gon was looking a particularly interesting shade of green, Savage and Feral cheering for them, planning on racing the winner. Maul couldn’t help but laugh.

Naturally, their car won, leading to much consternation and yelling from Ahsoka and Anakin.

Obi-Wan pretended to be above it until Maul informed him that it was about as slow as he was. And then he was perfectly interested in sassing.

Maul didn’t give him the opportunity.

Agen and Eeth were more than happy to join them for some of the rides that were too violent for humans, whooping and hollering all the while. It was funny watching Agen tease Eeth, and Maul was happy to bask in the feeling of their amusement, their happiness that they were there, they were safe.

They found Yoda in the kiddie area, as well as a swarm of kittens listening to him talk about Jedi stories, their eyes wide, purring all around.

They immediately jumped on Feral and Savage and Maul when they saw them, happily yelling out about how happy they were to see them. Maul still did not know how to feel about that.

In the end…Maul thought it was not that bad, though the roller coasters remained the least favorite. There were a few that went in different directions, and he didn’t mind the ones that threw a curve at him, but most of the time they were…pleasant. Which he didn’t think was meant to be the point, but he found that while he was not sure about the rides themselves, he more than enjoyed the company.

Maul had been alone for so long…he was getting to the point where he could feel the edges of his tolerance fraying, but it was not…entirely unpleasant.

They finally sat at one of the tables after they had ridden so many rides Feral’s legs were like jelly. There was amusement burning between them, Maul finding that he had been in more hornlocks than he had in his entire life. There were Clones around them, ones that he did not know by name yet, but ones that immediately recognized them.

They were very happy to talk, sharing snacks, and discussing what else they were planning on doing.

It was getting dark by the time they were on the last ride, and when they came in for a halt the sight of fireworks lighting up the sky signaled the end of the day, and a celebration that would last most of the night.

All in all…not that bad of an experience.

Maul would never admit it.

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danwhobrowses · 1 year

Text

One Piece Chapter 1081 - Initial Thoughts

And we're back

Another week break is behind us so we can now resume to the next section Oda chooses to put Egghead in

Let's see what he has going this time

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release too

A colorspread of sleepy boys to start with

Oh we're sticking with Fullalead for the time being!

Grus also uses his fruit to cushion the ship's landing

I love how in Japan a common insult to old people is to call them an 'old fossil' XD like nobody would ever say that in real life but it works well

Garp even laments the 'small-scale' his Galaxy Fist caused, prime Garp would've been worldbreaking

Koby quickly reunites with the group, leading to Grus being jealous of Garp's 'future of the marines' comment, Kujaku wants them to have their moment

Confirmation that Tashigi's not a part of SWORD, which is a shame since the G-5 is as close to SWORD as the Navy can be

Hibari's on the ball though, noting that they're not out of the woods until they escape

Hibari Nooooooo!

Girl got iced

As confirmed by the chapter title, Aokiji is indeed the 10th Captain of Blackbeard

The way he words things is interesting though, it's not 'I can't let you escape' it's 'it'll look bad if he escapes while Teach is away'

Oda is playing that fine line of 'is he or isn't he?'

We flash back to Aokiji joining Blackbeard, a year after the Punk Hazard fight

Aokiji iced Wolf and Teach's men near a bar, where he's having a drink - insistent that Wolf and co started it

And instead of a brawl it's just a merry feast roasting Akainu

Still, would've given Aokiji more credit if Akainu lost a limb, being 'banged up' doesn't really have the same level of impact as losing a leg

The Man Marked by Flames is mentioned again, it seems they think he might have the final Poneglyph

Of course, Teach doesn't know one is in Zou

According to Lafitte though the Man Marked by Flames sails a ship of pitch black, and may have a whirlpool fruit

Tbf yeah I wouldn't have put it past the WG to have had a Poneglyph to keep the One Piece out of reach, but Aokiji notes he never saw one to Shiryu

Some lamenting about Ohara too from Kuzan

Lafitte made the mistake though of asking Teach in Kuzan's earshot whether they intend to take his fruit, so back on the icing

Teach however offers him to join

See, as bad as Blackbeard is, the way he sells thing seems much like how Luffy does it: just people with their agendas living how they feel, the difference mainly is the way people do things

Back in the present, Aokiji refuses Garp's demands to unfreeze Hibari and return to the marines

Aokiji questions if Garp can kill his first protege to save another

But Garp sends him into the ground again 'only weaklings lose their way'

Garp seems to have space-themed attack names, since this one was 'Blue hole'

I wouldn't say Kuzan is being 'weak' here though, even Garp resists the system they worked for, he's living on his own path now is all

And now back to team Law vs Blackbeard ('winners island' as it's called)

Law's hat is on the floor and the Polar Tang destroyed

RIP to another cool ship design

Teach didn't have to pile it on either, his first ship was literally a fucking raft

The Rocky Port people are in Fullalead still too, still without their hearts, I guess the WG are in no mood to return them

Just as Teach sets sights on Law's fruit, Bepo goes Su Long

I was spoiled on this yesterday unfortunately, but the design is good

He did it without a moon too, thanks to Chopper. Makes me sad again though because Carrot could've had this tool in her arsenal if she was in the crew

Law is carried away at sea by Bepo, sadly having to leave the rest of the crew behind - despite Law's objections

Bepo notes how they will survive, but I guess that means the remaining Heart Pirates get to hang out with Pudding

Forced to retreat, like Kid: the Heart Pirates were utterly defeated

Blackbeard stocks are going up again

With Aokiji in Fullalead too that means it's likely that Lafitte and/or Devon are in Egghead, but we have wrapped up the Winner's island incident.

Law losing was expected, him and Bepo getting away does mean that Law may play a role in Luffy's and Blackbeard's eventual clash. We will have to wonder further with Fullalead though if Koby escapes, I mean I don't think Kuzan can beat Garp but Shiryu, Vasco, and Pizarro haven't made a move (not to mention Moria and Perona haven't had a follow up), so until they get involved I can't say the ball is in SWORD's court. Perhaps like Law only some will escape, perhaps Koby, Helmeppo, Hibari and Tashigi get away while Garp, Grus and Kujaku are held (hero of marines, high ranking officer's granddaughter and a high ranking SWORD member).

With Aokiji I still feel like he's playing a bit of a long con, it's just that working with Blackbeard aligns with interest right now. The way Teach is with potential allies though shows the layers of the man, he's an asshole to Law and Luffy, villano numero uno, but to Aokiji he was a lot more palatable, reasonable and a little bit encouraging, the art of the salesman I suppose.

They didn't say a break next week, but Golden Week is approaching so we'll see if we'll follow up, I kinda expect us to go back to Egghead again but we very well may stick to Fullalead a little more, maybe Marejois with Kuma. Lot's of things are still happening, and a big incident in Egghead is still about to occur.

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purgetrooperfox · 2 years

Note

hi! I'm new here, could I possibly get a sparknotes about your oc's? -🍉

hello! welcome! I'll do my best to condense some of my guys lol I've been meaning to post some character sheets on here so maybe this will be the kick into gear I need. you can find my oc fics on ao3 (same username) in a collection on my profile as well!

putting some of my more Frequently Mentioned sw ocs under the cut!

Nocte (he/him) is my Coruscant Guard CMO

he was trained to be the designated medic for an ARF squad, but extenuating circumstances at the start of the war resulted in his assignment to the Guard. acting as CMO means he doesn't get much field exposure but he's well-trained for it when need be

back on Kamino, he thought the Coolest thing one could be was a Mandalorian. he did not, however, like many of the Mandos he met

he's loyal (sometimes to a fault) to family and generally distrustful of politicians

he has a soft spot a mile wide for kids and shinies. very protective of them. like. extremely protective

buddies with Fox. vaguely disapproving of most things Thire does. knows Monnk and Wolffe from when they were all cadets

he has a bit of a reputation for recklessness in his personal life. work hard and play hard amiright

a year and change(ish) into the war, he starts a uhhhh kinda sorta relationship with Kit Fisto. bear with me on that, I swear it makes sense and I'm actively working on a fic with the context. in some (several) verses, he gets into a relationship with both Kit and @/spacerocksarethebestrocks' Dara. and sometimes @/penguinkiwi's Ashe is mixed in too

he's close like 🤞 with @/dilf-archivist's Saleese. she's the only Senator he trusts

after the rise of the Empire, he watches the slow disintegration of his unit until his chip errodes, shorts, and he's killed in the process of breaking some of the younger troopers out :)

he can be friends with your OC too 👉👉

Uj'alayi (he/him) is an ARC trooper

[R art cred: @/maiseey]

initially assigned to work with the Jedi Shadows. he was kind of cocky, and butted heads pretty hard with Quinlan at first. they made a good team once they got on the same page.

about halfway through the war, he suffered a Traumatic Incident, nearly died, lost his arm, nearly died again (via decommission), ended up with the Guard. in the new role, he works primarily with animal handling and occasionally takes the odd assignment with the Shadows on the side

tbh his personality changes a lot after the Incident, in ways I can't concisely explain in a blurb

he's generally pretty easy-going, quick to laugh and joke, gets along well with most people on a surface level

avoidance through humor was always one of his coping mechanisms, but it comes out in force after the Incident

occasionally goes back to Tipoca to help train new batches of ARCs and argue with Alpha-17

once he decides he trusts someone, it takes a Lot to shake that

he gets purge-troopered after the rise of the Empire and gets a squad of stormtroopers to oversee

your OC will have to put in work to be his friend 😔

Lān'drien "Lane" Hurosa (they/them) is a journalist on Coruscant

they're from Ryloth (b. 48BBY) and claim to have used the experience of growing up there amid significant political and social turmoil as motivation to get into reporting

sticking their nose where it doesn't belong has gotten them in a not insignificant amount of trouble, which is how they first met Quinlan Vos

their work puts them in proximity to the Senate fairly regularly and they're usually good at networking among them, regardless of their personal politics. there are exceptions to this though

friends with Saleese <3

they're pretty skeptical of the Jedi tbh. kind of just squinting at them over steepled fingers like "okay you say you're not beholden to politics but..."

Quinlan introduces them to Uj early in the war and the rest is history (they're together off-and-on until order 66 and the fall of the Republic)

several years later, they join up with the Rebellion. I haven't hammered out all the details yet but they get to be Ezra's weird old uncle (gn)

they do have that fuckign Rylothian (French) accent and I think it's hilarious

they'll be friends with your OCs if they aren't dirtbags 😌

Bastra Vargdan (he/they) is a Jedi Investigator

[I borrowed his undercover outfit from mk erron black]

he was born (57BBY) and lived on Dathomir until he was like six y/o. Dooku was the one to scoop him and take him back to the Temple, at the behest of his community. fun fact, he went back to Dathomir to get his tattoos done by someone in his village, per tradition

he's in Quinlan's age/crèche group

he's a known buddy and bully (affectionate) of Obi-Wan Kenobi

Sifo-Dyas took him as a Padawan. Dooku had varying levels of influence over his training by proxy, which included making sure he's at least proficient in Makashi. his primary 'saber form is a blend of Djem So and Shien (V)

he was Knighted by Mace Windu after a three-year solo mission undercover with a gang of slavers in the Outer Rim. Sifo-Dyas was only able to act as his remote liason, and only for a year before he died. one of Bastra's home visits was for the funeral

he's been assigned big brother to @/certified-anakinfucker's Omura

when she comes of age, he takes @/certified-anakinfucker's Kimni as a Padawan (Kimni is kinda sorta our joint OC now I guess???)

a lot of his spare time before taking Kimni on was spent in the crèche, helping out with the littles

his role during the war flits between backing Obi-Wan up in leading the 7th Sky Corps and investigative work. he is less than impressed by this. especially the part where he's supposed to bring his Padawan to the frontline

he spends. basically his entire tenure after getting Knighted fighting with himself. let's say he touched the Dark during a low point and has to work to keep it at bay for the rest of his life. and he manages not to Fall

he survives Order 66 by the skin of his teeth and goes into hiding. he does some merc work and bounty hunting to get by, but steers clear of the Core

the Inquisition catches up to him in the end and he dies in Imperial custody on Nur in 14BBY

he'll be friends with your OCs ✌️

#I'm not proofreading this sorry #they're not particularly consistent in length but here are some lol #leocs #clone medic nocte #arc trooper uj'alayi #lane hurosa #bastra vargdan #i have others but i yell about these the most #asks answered #🍉 anon

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starswordneo · 1 year

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Thinking about Sonic and its gameplay, read a twitter thread and someome said that Boost and Momentum can't work, and I just kinda thought about it and y'know, disagree? I think they can work if you put enough thought into it. Like, the boost in Unleashed, Gens, Forces and Frontiers are at a constant speed, you can't really gain nor loose speed, but in the classic games, mania, and adventure, rolling and such gets you plenty of speed!

To keep with that, I think boosting is perfect for long flat distances, or upwards, while rolling is great when going downwards.

With that in mind, I think a hypothetical combination is possible, imagine this senario:

You're boosting down a corridor, side-stepping obstacles and even drifting to the side, then, you continue your boost, then you see a slope going downwards, you roll and exit the boost, and you see you're gaining IMMENSE speed, then when the slope finishes, you swiftly continue boosting, keeping that speed you earned from the slope, and now you just need to KEEP that speed, as if you mess up, the boost looses the bonus speed you earned via rolling

Rolling could replace the slide that gens/unleashed had, and the hypothetical moveset could be this:

Grounded:

Left: Boost

Right: Curl/Uncurl

Top: Light speed dash (Pressing left stick to light speed dash in frontiers just... doesn't feel right.)

Bottom: Jump

Left trigger: Drift (I just really love drifting)

Left/Right bumpers: Side-step

In Air:

Left: Air Boost (Would keep the Frontiers & Forces's little arc they had going, REALLY handy little thing!)

Right: If pressed, stomp, but if held, bounce, this would keep half of Sonic's height he had when he started the bounce

Top: Still light speed dash

Bottom: if pressed, homing attack, if held, Drop dash (Perfect if where you're landing is a slope or you wsnt to make a 180)

Also, for level design, a lot of sonic fangames make levels wayyyy too open and wide, to promote exploration, but.. they never feel right to me. Using Windmil Isle and Rooftop run, both levels are more closed in, and use open areas for battling, spectacle, or for places for you to drift with.

I really do think rolling and boosting can co-exist! It may take a little tinkering around and messing about, but if you get my vision, just imagine how sick it'd look, earning speed by rolling and then boosting to keep that speed and just feeling the world breeze by, watching ahead and reacting in time to obstacles that would make you loose your bonus speed you got.

I'm a huge fan of quick thinking and keeping speed you've earned, the classic games always felt great whenever you earned a bunch of speed, and Unleashed/Gens just felt amazing to breeze by, and while I'm not a huge fan of adventure, I do really enjoy rolling about in that game and Frontiers.

Frontiers gets sorta close to what i like, being able to boost and then drop dash down a slop and gaining silly speeds, but you can't exit it, you have to awkwardly jump out or just watch sonic go at a snails pace to exit out of it. To more seamlessly blend the two styles would be really nice, then having levels designed with both in mind would be even better!

Another kinda level design idea: You start with a spindash in a level with a sloped beginning, and after doing a ring quick-time, Sonic starts with a boost of speed, then rolls down a slope.

Once you hit the bottom, you boost ahead with a bunch of bonus speed from your rolls, and you quickly choose a path to go through, which has a rail taking you up high with a horizontal loop, and you have to side-step holes that'd take you down below to the slower route

At the end of the corridor, you hit a ramp and get tossed along a string of springs, going back down to ground and boosting along, with a drift to the side, and a roll under a fallen log, you launch up via spring and defeat a string of enemies, zip-lining upwards and being thrown up high, preparing a dropdash, you land and dash forwards, and you uncurl back into a boost, climbing up a mountain.

once at the top, with a bunch of baddies in the way, you roll down and just start gaining ludicrous speed, tearing eggman robots apart and chaining defeats together for amazing points, and once you get close to the bottom, you boost ahead, climbing up a wall and a dash panel turns you to the side as you wall run to a rail, watching sonic spiral around into a rainbow ring and doing tricks

Then after landing, you fight off some badniks, dodging and parrying, and once you defeat them all, you zipline along to the rest of the level

I could probably go on for hours on this idea for a moveset, I really think both could really complement each other if they were blended together nicely with care!

A couple more thoughts, but in a game of mine I'd like to have, maybe have segments where Sonic gets shot up or ahead, and have Knuckles swoop in to catch Sonic, watching Sonic sway a bit back, and when dashing, just watching Sonic cling on as he gets flung backwards would be really funny to see.

A fun gimmick idea would probably be Amy using her hammer to golf sonic through a level at specific points, or Tails grabbing Sonic in water segments and doing what he does in Sonic 4: Episode 2, propelling along, Silver perhaps building land for Sonic to traverse, or targets to homing attack. Just me spitballing, but if I ever get into making a sonic game, I would try to make it so fucking fun

#Sonic #sonic the hedgehog #discussion #my stuff

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borrelia · 1 year

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okay time for my FINAL frontiers dlc cyberspace rankings! Here are our competitors...

Ranked by music, difficulty, level design, AND biggest losers! By meeee <3 but if you have an opinion ig you can share it too.

Best Music

This was a close competition, and 4E makes a close 4th, but 4D was the clear winner for me. Instantly blew me away. The worst (not BAD, just least interesting) level music was a tie between 4H and 4A.

Most Difficult

Taking into account both difficulty in completing the missions as well as Surviving, our winners are....

4E's bomb made it stressful but altogether the design of the thing is not that difficult. Meanwhile the floating/falling platforms of 4A and 4B continuously Got me. And while 4A is the only one I've been unable to S rank YET..... that's a matter of precision timing, not of dying on falling platforms all the time 😩. And special mention to 4D in this category as well. We will get to that... The easiest level was 4C!

Best Gimmick

The competitors for this category are:

4A and 4C competing together (rocket boost), 4E (bomb), 4G (rev/gear shift) and 4I (low gravity). 4A and 4C are NOT competing together, bc rocket boost is not a level-exclusive gimmick like these others. Otherwise i'd have to let 4H and 4D compete with mines and well. I don't care about those.

And the winner is... 4G! I made a graphic but it will stretch everythign out... Well I Just Think The Gearshift Is So Cute. Does it add much to the level? no. but. I like it the most and these are my awards so :) There are no losers in this category, because I think they are all neat. But A and C would lose, if there were.

Best Design

This is my opinion based on both visual aesthetics as well as actual level design! Our winners are...

We have a tie for second! 4B comes in third :) 4I's visual motif of the cars was used in just Such a pretty way, i Adore 4I. 4F and 4G were both visually interesting and had some really fun route differences! 4B wins third place for very fun alt routes, but kind of ugly visual motifs. This doubles as my "all-around best" category. Which means the losers here are...

Biggest Losers

We only have two competitors for the Worst level here. One shocked and frustrated me with how difficult it was to even find the main goal or the direction towards it, filled with ugly repetitive visual elements and horrible pop-in. The other can be completed with S rank time, all missions included, while hardly touching the analog stick. And the winner for the worst level is...

This should not be surprising. An ugly mess with some creativity simply can't be worse than Forces-ass level design. 4C is by far the easiest level in a way that is. disgusting. boo 🍅🍅🍅🍅

#myaa #sonic frontiers spoilers #sonic #look at my opinions boy :)

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banana-breadses · 1 year

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holy shit your object show as a whole sounds so interesting if you woulnd't mind i want to hear more

okie lets go! (long ramble ahead)

My show is called Roll Credits!

plot wise its just your standard object show with challenges eliminations and a huge plot thing later in the season! the characters is where it gets fun ;-)

here are the first drawings of most of the characters. its not the best, but they're all here! lets go in order:

Water Bottle(she/her): Athletic! likes sports and excersise. complete opposite of Towel.

Towel(she/her): Lazy! likes television and sleeping. complete opposite of Water Bottle.

Textbook(he/him): Smart! is a green book! i have since updated his design, and added glasses and some blocks of text on his cover. also BAD AT TALKING

Rubik's Cube(he/him): Organized! basically my younger brother's self insert. dont know much about him but hey he seems cool.

Sugar Cookie(she/her): My girl! love her! first character of them all,an oc before i wanted to make a show. Ive talked all about her before, and I love her <3

Snowflake(he/him): honestly he's the one ive thought the least about. cool guy, really chill(pun intended)

Drum(they/them): Likes music i guess. I love them but all conversations end up in an argument because of the ~transphobic family~

Bowl(he/they/it): Cool guy. also a god. this was drawn before he was a god. doesn't talk i also have an original drawing for God Bowl that i dont really like anymore but if you wanna see it... (more lore to come!)

Bill(he/him): Rich! Bowl's best friend, and talks a lot. makes up for Bowl's silence.

Sunglasses(both he/him): the hosts! individually their names are Sun and Glass. Sun is excitable and energetic, and Glass is a cool guy.

Measuring Tape(she/they): Mom friend? i think? no matter what I am in love with their shape!!! she's so cute!!1

Glow Stick(she/her): rowdy teenager! likes to party and have fun. Her emotions do get really big(like me!) and she changes mood really intensely really quickly.

Flashlight(she/her): Cute girl! love her! she's the youngest of the group. kind to everyone, knows everyone, but doesn't have any real friends. Until now! with compassion she and Glow Stick become good friends :)

Speaker(he/him): didn't have a personality, but now he still doesn't! yknow how Rob in TAWOG forces his way from a background character to the villain? Speaker's kinda like that. doesn't have a personality, but hacks into the settings of the show to give himself one.

Pinecone(he/him):!!!!! the angry one!!!! used to be a criminal. he has been cloned!! and he doesn't really know it. as far as Pinecone knows, he got hit with a sciencey beam and thats it.

Marble(he/him):uuuuhh a last minute addition. dont know much about him. :/

Key(he/him): very calm. Kinda like Candle II. his eyes are always closed because when he opens them theyre so shiny it would blind everyone. why? you'l never know(unless you ask him(he polishes them(with bleach)))

Twig(she/her): TWIG!!!! Love her!!! very soft spoken and loves her leaf. doesn't understand people all the time, but she tries :o)

Mushroom(she/her): the mediator. Likes gardening, and tries to keep her alliance from falling apart.

those are all the main characters! there are a few side characters like the mafia, their parents, and the gods.

okie the mafia:

Coney(he/any): Pinecone's clone. wants to distance themself from him a lot, so he became a criminal! leads a band of friends despicable objects.

Poinsettia(she/her): tries to stay calm. Tall. super cool

Butter Knife(they/them): anxious to all tomorrows. i have never seen them not anxious.

Tie(he/she): chaotic. has maybe killed someone for real......? she wont tell.

honestly the mafia is just Team Rocket level evil, but Coney honestly tries to be bad.

their parents are just a few things ive thought about. Sugar Cookie's parents are Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cake, Rubik's cube's parents are Puzzle and Paint Pallet, and Measuring Tapes parents are Ruler and Tape. Ive come up with more(not all of them).

TAPE!!!! LOOK AT HIM!!! HE IS SO SHAPED!!!

the gods are still a bit of a mystery to me. there are twelve of them, (all dishware) but the only ones that are really important and fleshed out are Bowl and Plate. Plate was Bowl's caretaker when it was young, and after Bowl ran away, she got really depressed and holed up in the gods' realm. they all have varying numbers of eyes and wings.

here's a picture of Plate and a ladle guy i might make a god.

okie those are all the characters! (not even all of them I still havent mentioned Doll or any of the alliances ;))

#nimbus speaks #nimbus arts #ocs #Roll Credits

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cryo-lily · 2 years

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Swtor Player Asks

2, 6, 8, 9, 15

Thanks for the ask!

2. What is your favorite class and why? And/or list the player classes in order of most -> least favorite.

Honestly? Jedi Consular has been been my fav so far where I started a redux play through of my Main so I don't repeat my first blind play through where I made some choices I wasn't happy with. I'm honestly all about the Wise Healer slowly becoming more and more disillusioned the more the Consular class story goes on; Wanting to do good only to be just another pawn in just another war.

But I will say Sith Inquisitor quickly shot up the list to a very close second. Just everything about that class story really. Zash? I both love and hate her. Seeing her on Nathema the first time made me go feral. I'm totally not debating playing with the story beat of she didn't die then and will come back AGAIN later down the line... lol. That and the whole force ghost story bits, and the end of the class story? *(Chefs kiss)*

Least fav? Jedi Knight. The whole light vs dark side bits were waaay to ridged for my tastes. Yes Kira was like a little sister to my character, No that doesn't mean she's turning to the dark side.

6. Do you primarily play Republic, Empire, or a mix of both sides? Is there a specific reason for this preference?

Currently I mostly play the pub side only because most of my Cartel items/purchases are reedemed on Isadola (my main). I have been slowly leaning towards playing more of both as I dust off my Sith Inquisitor more and more. But I'm not gunna lie I love the Imp fleet a lot more, it's design is much more up my alley.

8. Name your top favorite companions (feel free to include reasons why).

Ohh, that's a bit of a list but I'll stick with my top 5. Top of the list is Lana hands down, She's Issie's better half among other things that would be too long to list here. Number 2 slot is HK-51, I've had him for less than a few weeks and I would already die for my assassin bot buddy. Next in number 3 & 4 is Nadia & Ashara, My fav force students that are borderline sisters to each of my mains. And number 5 is Khem Val easily, I love my big morose monster of a teddy bear. He reminds me a lot personality wise of my old cat. So yea.. I got quite attached to him.

9. How about your least favorite companions?

Doc. Hands down, no list. Dude does not take "no" for an answer. Kira was close to killing him? Girl would have to get in line behind me as I throw his ass out the air lock. At least Tharan took the hint when you shoot him down, but fuck does Doc just not let it go if you're playing a female jedi. Not to mention he's so fucking full of himself. I could rant all day about this, and no shame to those that do like him, but Doc just rubbed me in all the wrong ways and there was no way I could get rid of him. He made a tedious playthrough like I was pulling teeth.

15. Show us your main(s)!

You mean fav swtor OCs/ my mains? Hell yeah!

First we have Isadola Ardeen Shir (Or known as Issie by those closest to her); Jedi Consular, Miraluka.

This girl can hide so much trauma in her.

I've been trying to write more stuff for her considering she's the Character I have almost literally all my time/progress on. I feel I need to do her backstory justice.

Now my other main, Or in Issie's case the other side of the mirror-

We have the Sith AU Issie, otherwise known as Atteia Ulla Shir, Sith Inquisitor.

Small changes in their shared backstory resulted in her becoming Sith instead. In this timeline she lost her original name, and was given another.

In some sense they are both the same person and different people. And if you forced them to meet, they would probably try to kill each other over who suffered more in what little of their pasts that they share, but would be stuck in a stalemate because they are both on the same power level as the other.

Best quote I can borrow for these two is from Bioshock Infinite: "Constants and Variables". These two are the almost literal embodiment of that quote.

#swtor #swtor ask game #swtor ocs #Thank you again for the ask!!#Always happy to just talk/rant about this game with other players!! ^-^#oc: isadola ardeen #oc: atteia ulla

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custom-keto-diet-plan-review · 10 months

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Custom Keto Diet Plan Review ⚠️ SCAM OR LEGIT?

Making yourself exercise when you really, really hate exercising, also feels like punishment. With so many conflicting options, how do you know which approach might work for you? I’ve tried many, none are easy. Losing weight is always closely related to your dietary preferences. I gave up junk food a decade ago. The I stumbled upon this nutrition and searched and did my research. The Custom Keto Diet program is a highly effective and personalized approach to weight loss through the ketogenic diet. It offers tailored meal plans, positive user testimonials, and long-term sustainability. If you are committed to making lifestyle changes and achieving your health goals, this program is definitely worth considering.The Custom Keto Diet program has proven to be highly effective for many individuals in achieving their weight loss goals. The personalized meal plans and guidance contribute to its value, providing users with a comprehensive plan to follow.

The Custom Keto Diet program is a comprehensive 8-week plan designed to help individuals achieve their weight loss goals through a personalized, low-carb ketogenic diet. This article provides a brief overview of the program, including its 8-week plan, to help readers understand its effectiveness and potential benefits. The Custom Keto Diet is tailored to each individual's specific goals and preferences. The program creates personalized meal plans that focus on low-carb, high-fat foods to induce a state of ketosis. The recommended food items are carefully selected and detailed information is provided to ensure successful implementation of the diet plan. The whole program has been built with personal trainers, chefs, and even nutritionists to ensure that anyone can eat the way that they want without giving up their diet’s progress. Rachel had thoughts that every individual is different from each other, have different bodies, different habits, and different food preferences, most people adhere to diets without any awareness of what works best for them. She developed the strategy after learning from her studies and experience that a diet can be personalized and tailored according to each and every individual’s choices and eating habits and the goal they want to achieve.While following this diet plan, you will not stay hungry. This is the reason why you will be able to stick to this diet plan for a longer duration when compared to other diets that force you to eat less food during the day. You will love this food as it contains foods like bacon, eggs, cheese and steak. While the program does come at a cost, the benefits and long-term sustainability of the ketogenic diet make it well worth the investment. The benefits go beyond weight loss, promoting overall health and well-being.

The Custom Keto Diet program offers numerous benefits, such as rapid weight loss, increased energy levels, and improved mental clarity. It also provides flexibility in food choices and promotes long-term lifestyle changes. Like any diet plan, the Custom Keto Diet program has its challenges. It requires strict adherence to the ketogenic lifestyle, which can be difficult for some individuals. It may also initially cause side effects such as the keto flu. The Custom Keto Diet program has received rave reviews from individuals who have successfully followed the plan. Many have experienced significant weight loss, improved health markers, and increased confidence. Transformation stories and inspiring before/after pictures showcase the effectiveness of this program. The amazing and funny thing is that this nutrition is more suitable for human being than nay other. It has changed my life, As of today I’ve lost 28 pounds, I have no hunger pangs and mentally I feel sharp as a pin. This is definitely going to become a ‘way of life’ for me as it’s so easy to follow… The outcomes range from individual to individual, however in a brief span, one can absolutely see its results on the physique.

Click Here to Download The Custom Keto Diet eBook Now

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linuxgamenews · 1 year

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Roto Force releases with its own unique flair

Roto Force twin-stick shooter game in a rotating world launches on Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. All credit for the intense journey goes to the imaginative team at Accidently Awesome. Available with a discount on Steam, itch, and Humble Store. You're a fresh intern for a team known as Roto Force. Your job? Taking care of the business your boss is too busy to handle. This job is also packed with adrenaline-pumping excitement and high-speed action. A twin-stick shooter that is due to push your skills to the next level. Similar to flying through a kaleidoscope of vivid and striking landscapes. One moment, you're deep within a treacherous jungle, while the next you're navigating a city entirely built from slime. These are not your everyday, humdrum locales. These are due to extraordinary adventures waiting to be conquered by a true Roto Force hero. At your disposal, you have an arsenal of nine different weapons in Roto Force, each with its own unique flair. These aren't just ordinary tools of destruction. Each has a design that will help you unleash mayhem in your very own style. Want to spin while firing bullets? You can do that. Want to rain down an explosive light show of projectiles? You can do that too. The power is literally in your hands.

Roto Force - Trailer

youtube

But here's the key: the Roto Force journey isn't just about shooting and spinning. It's about facing off against not one, not two, but close to 40 different bosses. And trust me, these aren't your average enemies. These are epic battles that will demand your quick thinking, sharp reflexes, and spot-on timing. Can you step up to the challenge? Roto Force is all about accommodating your pace. Whether you're looking to blow off some steam in a quick afternoon session, have a lazy weekend blast, or you're preparing for a week-long grind, it's your call. And if you're feeling skilled, crank up the difficulty for an even wilder ride. There are also plenty of options available to tweak the experience to your liking. Want to take things slow or increase your damage? You can do so. What you won't find in the game, however, is random, procedural generation or a bombardment of colors. This Linux game is a meticulous creation and sticks to a striking, color palette limit for a truly unique and engaging visual experience. So, get ready to fill out that form and start your job with the Roto Force. It's not just an internship, it's a twin-stick shooter adventure. Available with a 10% discount on Steam, itch, and Humble Store. Along with support for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC.

#roto force #twin-stick shooter #rotating world #linux #gaming news #accidently awesome #ubuntu #mac #windows #pc

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splathousefiction · 2 years

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Joyful Stick: Scarlet Maiden And The Power Of Homage

Good day my lovely Deviants. Welcome back to Joyful Stick, our video game review/editorial series. Miss the last entry? You can catch it here. Today, we’re going to be talking about Scarlet Maiden by Otterside Games-and how celebrating pedigree isn’t a bad thing.

Metroid, Castlevania And Their Long Legacies

The original Metroid and Castlevania premiered on the Famicom in 1986 and 1987 respectively. Close to forty years have passed since then and both IPs have secured their foundation at the base of the industry. You can see traits of them in countless imitators over the last four decades. This has been so prevalent that it’s created an entire sub-genre: Metroidvanias.

But all of you know that already. Regardless of how terminally online you are, you’ve likely played a title that borrowed heavily from both of these titles at some point. Perhaps you were even lucky enough to have gotten the opportunity to play that metroid fan game that came out before Nintendo stomped it (hey, go fuck yourself for that one, Kotaku). What’s really wild in the current era is seeing imitators of the imitations-is it still a metroidvania if it’s an incredibly similar take on an already existing metroidvania title? Can we even call it a metroidvania at that point? Or has the genre itself advanced enough from the past for us to shake such terminology?

The idea hadn’t occurred to me until I’d picked up Scarlet Maiden, a raunchy pixel platform combat game. If you’re wondering if you should buy it, I’d say that question is limited only to “do you enjoy this genre”. I most certainly do, and at a $20 price tag I’d say the game is well worth it. Pick your 8Bitdo controller of choice and have at it. As I’m innately biased, this review isn’t going to focus on that. Rather, I want to talk about a feeling I couldn’t shake as I slung spells and struck enemies down.

It plays a lot like Dead Cells.

Like, it’s almost literally Dead Cells with tiddies.

I’d know, as I spent nearly 80 hours in DC beating the title over and over, going through the challenge modes and unlocking everything. I still love the game and there’s a non-zero chance I’ll boot it up when I’m done writing this.

As DC itself proudly wears its pedigree out in the open, that makes me question what Scarlet Maiden itself actually is. Is it a homage? If so, to what? If it’s only a metroidvania, then why does it borrow so liberally from an older title? I want to make it clear, I don’t think this is a bad thing by a country mile. SM is quite good, and I had a wonderful time with the tens of hours I spent playing it.

But when does an imitation cease to be an imitation, and become its own thing?

Diverging Paths On The Same Road

Both Dead Cells and Scarlet Maiden feature extremely similar combat, with randomized rooms filled with enemies. They both also feature progressive gear/ability unlocks via resource purchasing. Both (in game) feel kinetically similar-move fast or die. Time your jumps. Bash your head against the boss until your stats are high enough or you get the right gear to do so. Where the titles differ is through minute design choices that lead to drastically different play styles.

Your experience in each run of Dead Cells is highly dependent upon the choices you make with gear, how you level up your three respective ability classes in play and your own IRL reflexes. The game is fast, and while not especially punishing, a few poorly timed choices can kill you quick. You can ease your progression based on which mutations you choose to focus on or unlock first. However, any health bonuses, gear or more is reset through each run. Progression is made by being forced to spend every single cell you have as you make your way through levels. This way, you’re constantly making progress regardless of how well your run goes. Each run feels unique from the last, though it can lead to frustrations at absolute dog water runs.

Scarlet Maiden has a concurrent leveling system, meaning that you don’t lose any “sins” (this title's version of DC’s cells) regardless of how bad your playthrough is. You can choose to spend your sins in a variety of ways: an ongoing leveling tree, the blacksmith shop that gives you gear and more. You also get sins for slaying every enemy, with stat boosts that profoundly expand your sin gathering ability. If you’re paying attention and have some luck, it’s very easy to power level your Maiden in an afternoon and make the game significantly easier.

While both games play almost identically (and are priced identically), this one design choice leads to radically different vibes during play. Dead cells feels manic and quick, with a determined amount of stakes in each run. Scarlet Maiden is much more fluffy and bouncy, with less “unfair” moments. If you die, you just bounce back.

Aesthetically both titles are also very obviously different. Dead Cells has a high-speed violence focus, with 16 bit blood and gore frequently splashed by the bucketload on screen. Scarlet Maiden has no gore whatsoever, and instead enemies simply disappear in a puff of smoke.

Oh, and the adult content. Dead Cells features our mutant experiment protag kicking open chests, arguing with NPCs and reading graffiti carved into rock to reveal the story of their imprisonment. Scarlet Maiden instead features our protagonist drinking from giant breasts, sucking dick, getting fucked and fisting stat-bonus granting NPCs throughout. It’s all done in a very fluffy, fun and less grotesque way than you’d find in many adult titles. I’d say it’s akin to Lucy’s Got Problems in terms of cheek.

As Dead Cells came out in 2017 and was applauded as an indy success, that brings the question of where Scarlet Maiden got its inspiration from. Was it DC, or those original progenitors of the sub-genre?

Does it ultimately matter either way?

Yes and no, I think.

A Homage, A Copycat

A homage by definition is “a special honor or respect shown publicly”. In media, more often than not this materializes as a dialogue line, a scene shot similarly or some such. In horror films, it’s not uncommon to see cinematography compositions that harken back to 1970s Italian cinema. In the hiphop and rap tracks I myself enjoy, I’ve now been around long enough to see new artists sample songs that were “new” when I was a youth-which themselves were sampling motown and older songs. All done with respect that borders on open admiration. Hell, sometimes the creators getting a homage are even mentioned in the credits.

Scarlet Maiden does no such thing with Dead Cells, and I don’t think it has a responsibility to do so. Frankly, I don’t think any title is under any responsibility to do so. Which is another key difference between the two-as Dead Cells is packed full of homages to other titles.

In DC, you can get Gordon’s crowbar from Half Life and his suit. You can get the needle used in Hollow Night. There’s a pistol and katana that look awfully like the equipment used in Katana Zero. There’s countless others, some overt and some far more subtle. Dead Cells loudly proclaims it’s love for its progenitors, whereas Scarlet Maiden abstains with such from DC.

Is that problematic? I think if we’re to say that, then instantly so much media would be problematic as well. And that’s fucking stupid. Countless creators, artists, singers, writers and more curtailing at the altar of ideas would inevitably lead to everything feeling like the book of Genesis: And Samus Begat Simon, who begat…

Splathouse itself, especially my storyline audios, would owe the creators of John Constantine, Mike Mignola and Kentaro Miura huge cheques. Love you boys, thank you for everything.

Homages can be as overt and loving as we want them to be, and are a great way to share the joy certain media brought us. As stated above and elsewhere, “Jack The Magician” wouldn’t exist without Alan Moore’s run in Swamp Thing and the Hellblazer comics. I’m sure to tell folks I stole John’s whole shtick too because I want people to pick these comics up and love them as I did. The design choice Scarlet Maiden very obviously made with its homage wasn’t that, and I feel it’s a stronger (if softer) title for it. It took the principles of play DC laid down and decided to focus on fun rather than stakes. Both titles are a joy, but if I’ve had a rough afternoon-I’m way more likely to boot up SM over DC.

So. Does that make it a homage, a copycat?

Frankly, I think it’s neither, even if it’s directly copying DC’s style. In the modern creative era, people tend to think there’s either no new ideas/stories/concepts worth telling or that everything is a remix. Personally speaking, I find this line of thinking to be a trap. It enables negative attitudes towards our creative processes and experiences as consumers of art. We’re way less likely to make something at all if we convince ourselves all the good or worthy ideas have already been taken.

And I can’t suck giant mommy milkers in Dead Cells.

Be it that it’s a homage or a copy cat, I think Scarlet Maiden is a nice mutation on the formula Dead Cells loudly proclaims to be a part of. It’s a rewarding title full of fun, and I personally believe it is well worth the purchase. Dead Cells itself is also an excellent game, and I think both can be enjoyed for their own (however borrowed) unique play experiences.

-j

#splathouse #splathousefic #splathousefiction #joyful stick #review #game review #scarlet maiden #dead cells

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