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[azumetapraline]

2/2 Slots Open for Headshots!

One headshot per person (it CAN have two characters on it though). It can be a sketch, flat color or shaded as you wish. If you need more details, feel free to ask.

Please visit my Carrd (pinned post) to check the prices and terms! I've updated them yesterday to adjust them to my new style and skills, so read them carefully.

Contact me on Discord, Tumblr or email if you're interested. Feel free to reblog if you want to help me promote my commissions.

[mdhwrites]

Since you watched Hazbin hotel, you maybe have watched Helluva Boss too. I have a question, cause im curious.

Do you think that Stolas's marriage was retconned to victimize him?

So I'm going to swerve this at first to just talk about the fact that what they did with Stolas is nothing new, it's just essentially twin tropes smashing together at the same time. Both are ways people use family to humanize someone, and in a broader context two ways in general used to humanize someone. His daughter is essentially "Save the Cat" where by showing a gentler, warmer, more caring side of himself, we know there's nobility in him which can paint some of his better actions in a kinder light. Meanwhile, his wife shows the pressure and cruelty upon him, the way life crushes him, that makes his crueler actions seem perhaps more like coping mechanisms. It's like giving an alcoholic a tragic backstory so you understand that he doesn't drink himself to oblivion because it's fun for him and he doesn't care about the harm it does to others but because he needs it to survive and function at all, at least in his eyes.

Neither of these tropes are bad either. Done with less awful character traits, you get stuff like the silly person who covers their trauma by being over the top and maybe ignoring reality more than they should. I myself literally used saving a cat as a way to humanize my noble main character in Little Miss Rich Witch because while she was dismissive of others and seem annoyed at many people's actions, now she was willing to hurt herself by reaching into a bush of brambles and help a kitten find safety. It theoretically can help assure the reader that a better person is under there and going to emerge eventually.

...Which brings us back to Stolas. Now the first thing I have to mention is that you're actually incorrect. I have not watched Hazbin but I mention a lot of shows that I've seen enough analysis, discussion, etc. for and feel comfortable enough mentioning some broadstroke elements that resonate with what I'm discussing. I HAVE seen some of Helluva Boss but ended it on the episode where Blitzo and Moxxie get kidnapped so I'm not ignorant on these subjects but I didn't really see when life went to complete shit for Stolas...

And I do not give a fuck because neither of these tropes function when there is no better man to speak of. I mentioned Rich Witch not just as self promotion but because of a REALLY important element that fails with his daughter: Follow through. Azu, the noble girl, puts herself in danger of breaking the rules because her busy schedule means that in order to bring the kitten to a shelter, she first has to bring it to school the next day. Then we find out that while she's tsundere about the reasons for working there and doesn't think animals like her, she actually volunteers at that same shelter so this is hardly the first animal she's saved in some way. This makes what is essentially virtue signalling an actual part of the fucking character. Stolas on the other hand, in the SAME EPISODE that we introduced to Octavia, has seemingly neglected his daughter's interests and the fact that she's been growing up for roughly a decade. Hell, even then, he still hires his boytoy to guard them so he can focus on being horny than his daughter and on other childish pleasures that he enjoys. So... Yeah, he gets a really sweet song with her but it's hardly like that's some small nugget smoldering at the core of his character as that fire burned out long ago.

Which brings us to his wife. Hey, why does the alcoholic have a tragic backstory instead of saying, "I beat my wife because she's a bitch and that's why I drink"? It's because the latter doesn't feel like a justified response. At that point, you are a horrible human being with little care for others, you're just bitching and moaning so that you can justify your terrible behavior. This is what Stolas is doing to his wife. "You're a bitch so I openly, confidently, CONSTANTLY cheat on you with someone I do not actually act like I give a fuck about except for his dick because otherwise show him basic human decency." At that point, the only reason the show manages to frame Stolas' wife as worse than him is because she never gets a song with Octavia so it comes across like only one tried to be a good parent before things went to hell and... That's just narrative bias, not strict fact. Not from what I saw.

These tropes only work when there is a better man underneath it all. There is no better man to Stolas. It's akin to how Blitzo has this tragic backstory, life has clearly dealt him a terrible hand... And he's just a complete horrid monster when it comes to those around him. Moxxie despises him for what he does to his privacy, his boundaries and his own personal life and for what? Because Blitzo gets off on it? Luna is a trying too hard goth chick and she isn't actually that mean or cruel or the like. Not even the fucking succubi that act as an antagonist for an episode are as bad to their people as Blitzo is to his and that's without getting into how that episode's proper antagonist is actually Blitzo, both because of past actions and present.

There is at no point, besides shallow backstory (which as always, backstory does not actually a character make because their present actions matter WAY MORE), where we really have a reason to think there's good people in there anymore. That's also why I dropped the show. I wanted to continue but it clearly was going to focus on its worst characters rather than anyone with an ounce of likability. Or, better yet, anything actually compelling about them several episodes into the series besides "Uwu, look at my tragedy while I harass the people around me."

I'm sorry, that just makes you the asshole. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I had initially considering answering this privately since I don't know all the nuances about Blitzo's marriage... But also I watched 7 episodes (including the pilot), more than twice as many as most people tell you is a fair shake, and these were my impressions. At that point... Sorry, you have an uphill battle to prove your sexual harassment in story is somehow justified. The CONSTANT sexual harassment that is not just because they're in hell since Moxxie and Millie prove you don't have to be like this. It's still a choice.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[shanmthebrave]

“Are you ready, Leo~?”

“I’m always ready, Azucena.”

“Hehe, great!”

The literal definition of Yapper x Listener - An Leo x Azucena (AzuLeo appreciation/persuasive post) -TEKKEN 8-

~TW - HE/HIM LEO~

Like, Azucena would yap about coffee and Leo wouldn’t mind :)

His laugh and the way he casually answers Azucena that he’s from Germany WHILE IGNORING THE FACT THEY’RE IN A WAR-ZONE BECAUSE THAT DON’T MATTER WHEN YOUR FAV COFFEE CELEBRITY IS IN FRONT OF YOU

Bro she’s gonna send you coffee for being a fan, like a good celebrity doessss

Also he’s ignoring the fact for a moment that she’s with G-Corp…and also also asking at the end what her true purpose was…

Tbh to me Azu’s purpose with this sudden conversation was either:

She really wants to promote her coffee ☕️

Or she finds Leo interesting (Whether Platonic or Romantic)

Either way, we can leave it to imagination :) but I’d always pick red or both

CAN WE ALSO NOT IGNORE THE FACT THAT SHE GAVE LEO A WINK AND BLEW A KISSSSS?! ACKKKKKK

Their only interaction in the story has implied that Leo already knew Azucena before their canonical encounter. Their lines during chapter 10 are proof contributing to this:

Observation from their Chapter 10 interaction:

An instant recognition, Leo’s got good observation skills. He’s kinda shocked that she’s with G-Corp. Understandable, since the people in G-Corp are pretty bad people, and seeing Azu, a person who he knows well for her coffee (only revealed after the fight), working for them, his shock becomes understandable.

Azucena’s motives confuse Leo, as she’s promoting her coffee by working with G-Corp, the company that well, 💀 his mom. Ouch.

Despite that, after their fight, Leo reveals that he’s a a fan of her coffee. AND AZUCENA FINDS HER FELLOW COFFEE DRINKER!

She offers to make a special order for him, and LEAVES THE FIGHT WITHOUT CONSIDERING ITS A WAR-ZONE, IS SHE EVEN OKAY?!

Well she is seen in the good ending so we can assume that yes she did make it

Leo is just standing there, confused as to what her real purpose was (which I covered in the point above)

Now, let’s talk about their lines during their fight and their meaning behind it, and compare this interaction to Leo’s fight with Jin:

When Leo successfully lands a hit, he says lines to try and diffuse the fight, rather then try to continue the counter offensive, unlike what he did with Jin, where his distrust in him is evident.

He says: “Open your eyes!” And “There’s no reason for us to fight!” Clearly showing that he doesn’t wanna fight Azucena. Rather, to convince her to stop siding with G-Corp.

Unlike his fight with Azucena, his interaction with Jin is a tad more hostile, as we know Jin did some pretty messed up stuff, which provoked Leo to initiate a spar with him. However, Azucena chose to fight Leo instead, when he clearly didn’t want to.

Now, let’s chat abt Azucena’s POV. She really just wants to promote her coffee, but also broaden her horizons for new blends, perhaps. Maybe find a fellow coffee enthusiast or a strong opponent (latter is the most likely motive).

When Azucena lands a hit, she only has one line: “Come on, let’s have some fun!” AS IF THIS ISNT A WAR ZONE AND ITS A FRIENDLY SPAR.

She seems to enjoy fighting Leo. This is especially shown when she gets defeated and flips back, exclaiming “You’re pretty good!” As if acknowledging his skill.

This pretty much shows that the entire time, she was fighting for fun, forgetting that she got herself into a war. It makes me laugh inside tbh. Haha.

Oh you think we’re done? Nope cuz we’re covering a lil bit about their character episodes too!

Leo meets Azucena in the final stage. Huh. What a coincidence.

There’s not much to say in this, other than the fact that both of them fight Yoshimitsu in the first stage. lol.

✨Special Interactions!!!!✨

Is there really any points we can make?! It’s so cute! And random…but funny and quite welcoming.

It’s not everyday someone encounters you and declares themself the coffee queen and tries to KICK you while you try to process everything (lol)

The pure surprise in Leo’s face never fails to make me laugh. Bro looks so perplexed and afraid 😭

And Azucena kicking him without warning is so random and even more silly, like give this man some time to process you woman 😂

When Azucena wins, she tells Leo that a good coffee takes time to brew, as if encouraging him that he’s doing great and he will get better, like a sparring partner that gives him feedback.

On Leo’s end, he’s awfully happy he won and says it’s time for a coffee break, something he says ONLY when he wins against Azucena. It’s as if fighting her reminds him of his liking for coffee.

Now, I will give my reasons why I love shipping Azucena and Leo together.

They have cute/canon interactions

The relationship has potential

Special intro pass

They relate over the one thing that got them together: COFFEE

Leo likes her products and is a big fan of her.

Azucena seems to enjoy his presence and wants to encourage him to get stronger.

Even tho Azucena sided (formerly) with G-Corp (not confirmed if she stopped working with them), Leo’s pretty chill and is willing to forgive her (Seeing as he forgave Jin, a literal war criminal)

It’s just cute. It’s so random, it’s adorable

It also just works in a way. They’re the literal definition of Yapper x Listener

She would yap to Leo about coffee and whatnot and he’d be so chill with her.

A cute, energetic girl with a shy, gentle boy trope, dominant girlies with gentle boys are just so funny and adorable to watch.

Welp, I can’t add any more photos and I’m running out of ideas, so in conclusion, the points I want to make is:

- AzuLeo is a very cute ship

- It’s hella under appreciated

- It may be random, but who says we can’t ship what we want and promote them?

- I love these two coffee lovers

- BANDAI NAMCO, GIVE THEM MORE SCENES TOGETGER, AND I WILL BE HAPPY. PLEASE!

- Azucena is overhated. Period.

- The creators of Tekken said we can call Leo any gender we want cuz Leo is…Leo. So I’ll call him a male.

I don’t rlly expect people to like the ship after this post. And that’s okay with me. As long as I’m happy and passionate posting what I like. ❤️

If you made it here, thanks for reading through my entire ship post haha. I hope you will start to like this ship or perhaps tolerate it if you hate it. Whatever happens, or if your opinion doesn’t change, at least I’ll be happy, cuz I spoke my mind on something I like :)

[spirithunterzine]

Hello!

First, I would like to say: thank you so much for your interest! We are extremely happy there are people still interested for another run of this zine.

The answer is yes, but as for the timing, we are not sure. Unfortunately, most of the mod team is extremely busy (me and Azu are hoping to tie up other zine projects we're currently modding) at this moment. While our hands are tied, we have discussed perhaps holding a short event to promote excitement and awareness of this zine. This will help substitute for the interest check period since we already had held one last year.

We cannot give a solid timeframe yet, but we hope to restart the project possibly around summer this year!

- Head Mod Jade

[yuiyuihan]

Azu is a crazy Yukinee wota

240803 AKB48 17th Generation Promotion Commemoration LIVE! Shin Member Aisatsu Mawari ~Watashitachi, AKB48 desu~ (in Osaka)

[asknarashikari]

In the absence of the main Rider... the secondary really takes the lead huh? We've seen this happen a lot of times with the Reiwa Riders so far. Zero-One, Saber, Revice, and Geats.

In the 01 Vcines, Fuwa took the lead against Azu.

In Saber, while there wasn't an instance where Touma was absent, but there were instances where Touma was with a different group, Rintaro took the reigns.

In Revice, whenever Ikki is powerless, Daiji took the lead, its prominent in the Revice-Geats movie, especially during the first part of that movie.

In Geats - there were a lot of moments where that happened. Its pretty apparent in the last episode, where Keiwa's at the center flanked by both Neon and Michinaga...

wait if... Keiwa's a secondary... considered a main temporarily... does that mean Neon's considered a secondary temporarily?

No... it doesn't work that way. A Main Rider doesn't get "demoted" just because they get sidelined temporarily (or even permanently). Secondaries do tend to take the lead when they do, but that doesn't "promote" them to the Main Rider.

And, looking at V-Cinemas as a whole (that is, including Heisei era ones) it's actually extremely rare for the Main Rider not to get sidelined. Trio of Deep Sins was the first V-Cinema to prominently feature the Main Rider as one of the main characters- and arguably, this may be due to Saber's lack of a proper solo film (since what was supposed to be their summer solo movie became Superhero Senki, a crossover).

Geats' V-Cinema may also break this trend but that would only make it the third V-Cinema to do this out of the twenty so far (the second example being that movie we do not speak of in this house, and even that's debatable).

[goldmynetv]

Glo promo winners get prizes at Ofala festival

Glo promo winners get prizes at Ofala festival

Winners of the various prizes in the special promotion organized as part of the Globacom-sponsored 2022 Ofala festival received their prizes at a ceremony on Sunday, October 23, in Onitsha. The items were presented to them during the celebration of the Azu Ofala on the second day of the Ofala festival at Ime Obi, the palace of Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, in Onitsha, Anambra…

[lobotomy-maybe-bestie]

and here's my second rqg thought for today:

as someone who LOVES meaning and parallels above everything... this episode was great:

-"why does he make me think about knives" like obviously it was a sasha reference but there could be just a dozen watsonian explanations to why barret makes people think about knives: 1. apart from just strangling or beating people to death, knives are the most hands-on uncomplicated weapons that really really hurt when you kill someone with them. everyone wants to kill barret personally and painfully, 2. barret in this situation has a metaphorical knife to his throat and yet still acts smug and like he's in control, 3. cel and skraak both get the vibes of "evil boss who has a bunch of rogues and assassins he commands" that barret literally oozes with or 4. there's just a bunch of knives as decor in the mansion because sasha is not the only racket who just likes having lots of knives

-"sometimes you can't save the world but you can save a person" gosh imagine you're azu and you hear gragg say that (maybe not verbatim but still) and just... you can visibly FEEL the dots connect in your mind! but it can also mean a bunch of things, like 1. sasha and gragg were actually way way better friends than "barkeep and the one customer who is as awkward but lovely and on the same wavelength as him" and he taught that sentiment to her after she's been forced by barret/other london politics in general to not care about anyone who isn't useful, 2. they were friends BECAUSE they agreed on this specific philosophy and were some of the only people around who did or 3. the other london "commonfolk" are actually people who look out for each other A LOT and this sentiment is echoed around the entire place and it's barret and people on a similar power level that are the ones promoting crime and violence

and finally:

-"the one that got away" we know what it means now which is GREAT i love it and i cannot wait for next episode BUT! over the course of the series "the one that got away" accidentally references a whole BUNCH of other things: 1. the orb sasha nicked that grizzop smashed later, because it was the one part of mr. ceiling that got away, 2. brock/sasha's mechanical man himself because he was also still there after mr. ceiling shut down, 3. shoin, because he managed to mr. ceiling himself but wasn't powered by the same source, 4. the bloody seed that spread the infections in other london because the riots were already happening at that time and 5., the saddest answer, SASHA BECAUSE SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO EVER TRULY GOT AWAY FROM THIS NIGHTMARE WORLD

[azumetapraline]

i really wanna expand my saiibo friend circle, so if any of you want, i’m a member of a small, old, not very active saiibo server, so feel free to DM me if you want an invite and talk, lurk or post your art there! (i’m not a mod in it BTW, we’re like 3-4 people keeping the server alive lmao)

[mdhwrites]

Swimsuit Chapter Ideas for Rich Witch Silliness

I watched a video about swimsuit issues for Superhero comics and it made me hum about Rich Witch. Not so much how to do cheesecake with them, they're fifteen after all, but like what sort of stories I could tell with them, especially bouncing between different tones. Azu: Honestly, her having a complete nervous breakdown over what sort of swimsuit to do would be a lot of fun. Swimsuits can give off so many different vibes for a girl after all that her not wanting to imply the wrong thing could easily give her a panic attack, not helped by the fact that most swimsuits still present some amount of warmth. Finally, she decides to go with a sarong for modesty, a bikini top that isn't too flashy to still portray confidence and then black gloves to give some amount of coldness to her. To, you know, mostly sit under an umbrella because as an ice demon, she is literally uncomfortable baking on the sand. Daina: She goes with shorts and a t-shirt because she still needs her pockets for any odds and ends she wants to pick up and the like... Or that's her plan before she thinks of the movies she's seen (meant to be like 90s movies from our time) and what they do at beaches and having her own issues as she bounces between each girl to try and hit on them or be suave or the like and falling on her face before getting told to just breathe and enjoy herself. Blaire: She goes with the most conservative of the actual swimsuits with a one piece and sunhat... And an illusion necklace to hide who she is because while Azu's rep makes people afraid of her, she is swarmed by regular people normally. Out at a beach and looking available? Not exactly the best time for the dryad who mostly wants to just enjoy the sun. Pythia: She's the only one in a bikini! Much to even her girlfriend's surprise! She is usually fairly reserved and modest and the like so why is she dressed like this? Because of the sad fact that for once it gets her positive attention from others and she's trying to be confident. It still sucks for her as she's not wholly comfortable with it and so Blaire, being a good girlfriend, swaps the illusion stone with her from time to time to help her breathe and get a break

And finally Igni. The girl who knows what she's got and will flaunt it at all times. The girl who is a literal hellfire demon. Who is more than good in the sand.

And she is actually nowhere to be seen by anyone. Finally everyone tries to figure out where she is, fails and then finally asks Azu where she might be. Azu says that's easy: Behind them. When they turn around, they can't see her until Igni, in full camo, lifts her head up, glares at them, and then goes back to stealth. After all, the beach is a giant, open space where they don't have any of their guards, at least not on the beach, so as not to panic the regular people. So she's doing her duty as a knight and keeping an eye out on all of them, though mostly Azu as usual.

And on a side/personal note: This is the sort of thing I wish I could do more often. Not pitching the silly idea but just, you know, doing a silly, promotional side arc theoretically because I want to. It's the sort of thing I theoretically should be able to do with how prolific I am but, well... There's a reason I haven't finished a single project this entire year so far and that hurts a LOT for me.

So for now, I hope you enjoyed the silly ramblings about a couple of my characters. A reminder that if you want to, my asks are open about my stories and the like if you want to know more about them and what not. Anyways, have a good day and until next tale.

[shanmthebrave]

Oh sheesh I’m posting way too much…

BUT THE AZULEO COMMUNITY JUST GOT APPROVED! FEEL FREE TO JOIN :D

[snkmerchandise]

News: Azu Maker SnK Fall 2019 Clear Files

Original Release Date: November 2019 Retail Price: 440 Yen Each

Azu Maker has released previews of four new clear files featuring official promotional art from SnK Seasons 2 & 3! The four available styles are:

Beast Titan, Armored Titan, Levi, & Eren

Lounging Levi

Levi with gun

Levi & Erwin with the the serum

[shy-magpie]

RQG 157

these things get long and are by definition one spoiler after another, so live blog under the cut

pre episode nonsense:

My hopes for this episode are mostly just the obvious: For Zolf to pull out of his spiral; for Azu to talk to someone about how she's doing; for Hamid to find his footing with the Kobolds (loving that they are devoting a proper arc to using unearned privilege/power rather than pretending it doesn't exist); more Cel lore; a Wug; and for someone to shake answers out of the Brorb. Not sure Alex is going to let us get to know the kids individually which makes sense as juggling 7 new NPCs would seriously cut into everyone else's screen time. I think we will get more of Skraak & Hamid working through their issues, and Skraak's helping the kids through recovery. If we are very lucky maybe Zolf & Skraak will talk rather than just have Zolf resent the Kobolds for putting Hamid in a place to fall into old habits. Okay lets hit play!

Episode live blogging:

Intros are quick: Zolf sounds low, Ben sounds higher energy than he was.

Oh the Brorb drawings come better when the other half is distracted but not thinking about the real topic.

Krakens are through out the globe, unknown numbers, not true instances of Shoin, network is down.

Cel and I both react to having Shoin be the one to come closest to a truly non physical form.*

Krakens are cloned brains in robot bodies. Specifically said Daleks not Jurassic Park.

Shoin thinks he sent a ransom note using the Kraken as a threat against the world.

Does not handle it well when Zolf hones in on that no one knows who he is, much less trembles at his name.**

Hamid follows Zolf's lead and twists it towards boasting about beating the Infection. The talking half doesn't seem to know how he did it as clearly as the drawing bit. Unfortunately its strictly surgical which would be hard to reproduce at scale even before you consider the side effects.

Quick huddle with the rest of the team:

Cel always wanted to go to London?

Zolf wants to ask more about how the infection works so they could prevent infection. Wilde thinks he is suggesting using Shoin's solution, I get Alex has to catch people up but I don't like Wilde being a paragraph behind me or underestimating Zolf.

Bryn wants to review the diary. Alex confirms the diary says he had a possible  way to "end it" as a whole.

They go back and Cel feigns being extremely impressed that Shoin might have a way to stop the infection. I think having time to regroup cut him off from his memory of the infection again. Alex spells out Shoin loses coherence whenever they bring up the infection/the time period around when he was infected.

Heal check time. Zolf crit fails. Azu got a 29 and can see where his theory was better than his surgery. It may be an aphasia (issues to with communication. can't get to certain words, some can't be spoken even if he understands the concept; others he can't understand if he hears them even if he uses the word/concept himself. Brain trauma, memory problems more severe the more recent you get, sounds like unable to store short term memory properly so anything longer ago than a week but after surgery likely lost.)

Cel switches to the simulacrum. He verbally dismisses it as a waste of time. His hand keeps drawing based on the previous question re:stopping the infection.

Alex calls for a sense motive. Zolf & Azu see the latest drawing is a landscape using technical notation. Its a barren mine. Yes! it's the entrance to Svalbard. Cel can see its a circuit. Alex makes us/Lydia wait until after he's done with the simulacrum stuff.

Shoin thinks using humans as your base design to improve from is the wrong approach, gives some credit to Francois Henri for taking a different approach.

The circuit maybe to transmit something, it needs an organic component. Cel couldn't roll much better then that so they probably need to kick it towards the Harlequins to set a team on.

Shoin is moaning about paying the bills. Took on the contract to provide Simulacrum fluidics to Damascus for the money.

Drawings change shape get less technical and focus on the cavern entrance. Ben catches it sounds yonic, Alex was trying to not go there but did he really think you could go from cave imagery to seed imagry without stopping there?

Hamid tries to get more on how he caught the infection.

Bryn and Alex spell out that to get answers you ask a real question he won't answer verbally but will answer with his hand, with a decoy to keep the talking him distracted while the hand answers.

Decoy question is about Harrison Campell.

Concept drawing of a person, overwhelmed by an image of a huge figure with lines going from the small to the large? Is he suggesting they plant someone they prepare to be infected, and have them infect it back?

Proofs? Minor changes between the proofs and published version of early Campbell books.

Another review session upstairs. Hamid's red string wall got cited as being useful! Cult of Hades/Wellington may have been the one to hire Shoin to make parts for Damascus. Zolf and Hamid talk briefly, about work and as dry "stick to the subject" as possible but they are talking productively.

Oh Ben finally gets in that the interrogation is hard on Zolf's knees because he has to keep his legs out of the cell. He snaps a little at Cel when they comment on cell vs Cel. Carter suggests "naughty box" which nicely derails that point of tension. Cel refers to Shoin as being more pleasant to talk to than Carter. Not sure if that undermines the tiny Cel/Carter ship or fuels it with tension.

Cel asks who hired Shoin to make Sim parts. He can answer directly. Well directly for him, it seems to be mostly justifying stealing Tesla's work on the basis that Tesla wasn't going to implement his theory. Hamid snipes him with a shot praising Edison to get him back on topic. Shoin says Edison was being backed by a big investor. Is it to much to hope this is Alex finally consolidating the factions? If Hades is Edison's investor (leaving Edison & co as effectively their minions, rather than a faction of their own) and the factory owners we can cut down on sides considerably.

He goes on about how he spied on Henri, religion as money maker. Shoin was directly approached by Hades lot. Shoin made sure his bits won't work since he didn't want competition. Wellington was his contact with Hades. Wellington always had a pair of cloaked figures.  Vinegar + squizard = funny? Could be useful.

Do not follow what is going on with the hand.

Shoin is still unstuck in time and thinks he is going to connect them. Cel unplugs the speaker on his villain speech. Cel induces a dream state by powering him down

~break~

Cel suggests  painlessly killing him. Zolf seconds the idea because its immoral to keep him like that.   Hamid points out the longer the keep him around the more likely it is for someone to be infected. Wilde rules they should kill and seal it off.

Cel & Zolf have an argument about having the Kobolds handle the remains. Cel calls Zolf out on his inconstant stance on whether the Kobolds can be infected because if he doesn't believe that then he is risking them.

Wilde is moving on? Cel suggests letting the Brorb die, putting it in a bag of holding, keeping the bag in the anti magic field.

They can't just call Einstein because using unofficial channels is bad when irregular behavior is a sign of infection(?)

Alex's unhealthy attitudes about productivity are called out when he refers to the time Wilde spends thinking/planning before getting their transport arranged as "working" (with the inverted commas) rather than considering it part of the work.

They work out possible paths if teleporting is off the table.

And the boys are snapping at each other again. Zolf, you can't flip out every time you are reminded that Hamid doesn't have the experience or expertise of a seasoned sailor. Yeah you did leave the team without your skills and maybe the kid was a bit green for a field promotion; but you know what? He did a fine job, and the other choices were Sasha, who wouldn't lead, and Bertie, who shouldn't. Just because stepping down was the right thing to do, doesn't mean you get to lose it when you are confronted with the mere allusion to the idea it had consequences.

Barnes tells Hamid why going over the pole is a really bad idea. That Azu's suggestion is carrying Hamid has troubling symbolism.

Zolf actually comes more or less to Hamid's defense by pointing out that all their options are bad options, so having a go at Hamid's idea in particular is unwarranted.

I'm not going to bother listing out options. They will pick one or won't need to pick one. If we have been a very good fandom Alex may reward us with Earhart coming back as their preferred transport.

There we go, Hamid suggests her, Zolf seizes on the idea compliments Hamid on it, and immediately takes it to Wilde. Thank God he isn't so far down he can't do that. If he isn't compulsively shooting down any hope (especially from Hamid) then he really is on the upswing from the low brought on by quarantine stress.

Lydia isn't happy that there isn't going to be an American chapter. Then again we wrote off Svalbard, so don't give up!

Its the Northwest Passage and its so weird realizing that not everyone has it as a cultural reference. Wonder if it's an Oregon thing or a US thing.

Yes it would have been cool, but I think Alex is not going to let us have cool new story arcs when we haven't played with the ones we have at home.

Einstein and Earhart are our two best transport options. I am a happy fan. Especially if Zolf has to use his family and Earhart’s reaching out to him near the end of the journey to appeal to her. I mean we did get more on Zolf's relationship with his family than I expected after Paris, so I'm not going to sulk if they don't pursue this, but it would be nice.

Conflicted as a fan, its hard to remember that this taking months extra is a bad thing when the end of the series is feeling too close for comfort.

Zolf, look at you leveraging your experience with moving even when things feel hopeless!

Cel I love you, kraken as submarine is brilliant. Air kraken is suggested by Carter.

Hamid plays with the ideas while Alex goes "why?". Because you are going to have to work a hell of a lot harder than that if you want Hamid to see it as a no win situation rather than proof he needs to redouble on cheerful creativity. Feeling like he had no options led to the worst parts of Hamid's life, the things he is truly ashamed of; having few losses outside of those, he is going to make Kirk's Kobayashi Maru hang ups look amateur.

Zolf is heading to the beach.

Cel is checking on their village.

Hamid wants to contact Einstein himself, Zolf says he should talk to Wilde about that. Hamid wants Zolf with him for that meeting. Zolf either doesn't want to be a safety blanket, wants Hamid to get used to dealing with Wilde directly, or completely missed Hamid offering a chance to work together because he is incapable of seeing Wilde as an opponent. He does say some nice things about being a team.

Hamid tells Cel to say hi to Jasper for them. He is good at the people side of leadership. Remembering names and relationships, knowing how to show he cares because it's important to Cel without overstepping. If Zolf can learn to let go of the rank stuff, they could be an unbeatable team of co leaders.

Zolf nods at Azu. Azu smiles proudly back. Alex jokes about not liking giving them time to heal because they coordinate.

Hamid offers hugs to both Cel and Zolf. Because this entire character is a "fuck you" to toxic masculinity and he is not afraid to openly show affection to his friends.

Cel gives him a great hug.

Zolf hesitates but gives him a pat on the shoulder. Hamid's has high enough charisma to make that not awkward. Good kid, accepting that Zolf is reaching out as far as he can.

Hamid talks to Skraak. Hamid is worried about taking the kids. Maybe Skraak can convince them to stay & help Jasper with science. Because RQG loves us and wants us to be happy, they are considering a fantasy some of us harbored since "science" as a serious possibility. Could solve the issue with Alex not wanting the kids to take up too much screen time too. Skraak is the perfect character for Hamid to have as his second. He believes in Hamid, and can be confided in, but isn't going to take an ounce of self pity or bullshit.

Alex that village better be okay. Smoke? Controlled burn. Ben lightens the mood. The tank is still guarding the village. The barricade is up but they are guarding about as well as a village of level 0(1?) characters can be expected to.

They are having a party and there is a bon fire. Because Alex knows we wouldn't have trusted him if there wasn't a little scare with the smoke. !puns

The village is visibly healing since the weather is fixed. They thank Cel but know better than to ask.

Jasper! Jasper is looking good. He stepped in as a leader of the village. Cel and I could burst with pride. Jasper thinks Cel is coming to stay, Cel tries to explain they are going to help save the other villages around the world and mentions that Jasper would like the Kobolds.

!puns

* One day I need to hunt down the right corner of SF because there has got to be a decent amount of trans humanist fiction for trans humans out there somewhere.

**Not sure if I should feel bad for hoping this gives him a safe target for his destructive tendencies. Ideally Zolf would get past that point without indulging his dark side lest he reinforce bad coping mechanisms. Ideally Zolf would have weekly therapy without the fate of the world on his shoulders too. Its the more personal version of looking forward to a fight after Hamid's been stressed because he seems to find cooking baddies cathartic.

[taichissu]

hi yes please tell me more about a3!! is it a rhythm game bc i am VERY interested in the fact that theres a gnc guy in it but im only really able to dedicate myself to gacha games if theyre rhythm based :pensive:

under cut because i got carried away-------

it’s not rhythm unfortunately 😔 it’s too bad because this series has VERY AMAZING music and they really got their hands on ones of the best (imo) composers in the field (like yuyoyuppe or emon(tes) or hige driver <3) but it’s Sadly just a card collecting game like enstars (i feel you though, i can’t really get into mobage if they’re not rhythm either, it’s a miracle i still play a3 everyday-) :( if you can’t get into the game though, there’s a currently running anime :D it’s very ugly (compared to game art) but <3 i still love it <3 even if it’s not perfect haha

it promotes itself as an otome game but it’s Really not, it’s just a story heavy card collecting game you’re y/n [izumi] tachibana and you take over mankai (jp: full bloom) company after it’s about to be demolished because your father disappeared and failed to pay off the debt; your job is to bring the company back to its former glory as the director (and work as a personal therapist to all of your actors-) i’m sure you’ll like it if you like the found family trope, because the mankai company to everyone there is a place where they belong and feel safe there are 4 troupes in the company, each specializing in different play genre spring: altered versions of known stories (for example: romeo & juliet, the wizard of oz, some original stories following a similar vibe) summer: comedy (slapstick and tons of ad-lib) autumn: action (if there’s no fighting it’s not an autumn play-) winter: mature and serious stories, often tragic

it’s a really cute series that can get kinda serious at times (there are matters of abuse, child neglect, kidnapping+unconsented drug use, and death (off the top of my head) if that makes you uncomfortable)

the writing sure is flawed; masumi (obsessiveness portrayed as cute and funny), citron (making the only (?) character of color the butt of a joke---), how they portray their ND-coded charas like misumi and homare as jokes too, but i still think it’s possible to just ignore those aspects i mean............... not in MY canon-

the gnc guy is yuki rurikawa and he’s my fave <3 he’s a “crossdresser” (i don’t really like that word but that’s what he calls himself) who loves sewing and is the costume designer (aside from being an actor) for the company, he has a cute appearance but a sharp tongue and sassy attitude <3 he’s strong and mature for his age, if he wants something he’ll get it something i really like is that nobody in the company really questions or comments purely negatively about his choice of clothing, which is very refreshing another character that isn’t really gnc but Borderline Could Be is azuma yukishiro, who speaks in a very delicate and feminine manner and is said by some characters to “feel like a woman” <3 yuki even calls him “azu-nee” (big sister azu)

overall, if you don’t check out the game, i at least recommend you checking out the music because it’s honestly one of my favorite things about the series <3 all 24 characters have solo songs, group songs (4 troupes), plus each released play gets 1 to 2 play-themed songs and i think they’re all great (imo better than some idol-franchise music but not calling any names-)

if you need recs; my faves are

more on the rock side: just for myself, muddy hero, the contract, second shot

ballad-like: minority (yuki’s solo song; the lyrics are very lgbt-coded but we don’t get much of it in game), loner, monologue  

other genres i can’t quite name??: susume pirates, exciting charmer (PLEASE consider tasuku hatanaka (who voices kumon) i’ve been absolutely obsessed with his vocals), mikansei na sora de, buzama, living the dream, shoutai, scarlet game, kiteretsu poemer (literally a musical masterpiece?? it’s so fun????)

sorry for linking so many but literally every single song in this franchise is amazing????? there’s not ONE song i dislike like how??????

i’m also really sorry for rambling on sajfkhsakfjash i just love a3 a lot 🥺

[gold-standard]

"Azu-manju" sweet bean paste filled cakes. Azumanga Daioh promotional item 2001.

[seeesame]

Thoughts on Kirio + Iruma? I mean, I’m fine as it is right now with it just being one-sided crazy.

Canonically...

Battler Party Arc: They're friends! Iruma doesn't really give a shit about Kirio's fake-out backstory and just wants him to come back and act normal. Kirio thinks they Have A Connection(tm) because they got on well and decides to express this by ruining Iruma's life from now on.

Walter Park Arc: Well, they don't see each other. Kirio inadvertently helps Iruma realize his ambition to protect everyone. He also freaks out that Iruma just happened to be there because IT'S DESTINY. ♠

Harvest Festival: [redacted]

So it... really doesn't seem like Iruma can reciprocate his feelings on the same level... but I guess that much is true for like, Azu as well...

...

Non-canonically they're adorable and they should have fun hanging out in their club making gadgets. They have lowkey abuse solidarity even tho neither of them are equipped to talk about it. Kirio feels internally awkward around 'Iruma's friends' for two years before realizing that they're also his friends. Keroli forces him to feature as an extra in one of her promotional videos and he gets 15 minutes of Akudol fame except then he passes out on stage and Iruma is like ¿¡?! SENPAI

They put on another fireworks show! Baal doesn't exist. Yumeko doesn't forgive Kirio for involving her in his backstory but she's doing fine. Iruma goes on a quest to find a treatment for Kiri's Mysterious Ailment. KiriSoi sleeper friendship. Kirio says, "This system is totally broken... so don't let anyone else become the demon king, kay?" Just a lovely wholesome time 10/10