#bro is lore dumping without it really feeling like lore dumps

[owlheartt]

New Over the Moon chapter btw! This one is from Qibli’s perspective. Next will be Carnelian, and then I’ll have introduced all our main players!!

[partywithoutsmiling]

On the topic of Brozone

When it comes to their parents, family and family situation, Part 1:

Expanding bit of my personal headcanon on this- well, mostly personal in the way that I use it as a basis for all my AUs/Stories without fault; basically, I consider this 'Universal Headcanon' when it comes to any of my Stories, while the Stories by themselves can have Headcanon/Lore that is unique just to them XD

(Like, for an example, the luminescent markings in Moonlit AU are unique just for that particular AU, and you won't see it in Rock Beast or Wanderer!Branch)

Anyway, as I hinted in this post, I headcanon the Brozone Bros as being of mixed herritage: half-Pop and half-Rock

Biologically, it makes them slightly less hardy when it comes to Winter, and little bit more feral looking compared to other Pop Trolls, something that got more prominent the older they grew

Age - Using Branch's hatching as a base line (at 0), I headcanon the ages thus: - JD at 16, Spruce/Bruce at 14/13, Clay at 12 and Floyd at 11

Pop Troll Capitol - John Dory had hatched at a time where Pop Troll territory (expanded upon in this answered ask) had already started shrinking, but still boasted several strong settlements. However with those Settlements slowly disappearing (And unknown to the Pop Trolls, harvested by Bergens), Pop Trolls started naturally migrate towards the Troll Tree, at this point considered the Capitol 'City' of sorts; - However, everyone desired to live there, considered to be not only the pinacle of the high life but also place of endless oppoturnities, home for especially talented Trolls- not something little half-rock troll JD could ever hope to achieve, but could at least dream about; - A dream that started to be more of an ambitious goal, when more of his brothers hatched, and JD, being the oldest and feeling responsible for the happiness of his siblings, wanted to get them out of the backwater settlement they are growing up in- an oppoturnity that presented, when their Grandmother, Rosiepuff, offered to house them while they tried to prove themselves

Boy Band 'Aristocracy' - Being part of a succesful band- especially part of a boy band- was a prestigious status, as close as to aristocracy as the hierarchy in the Pop Troll Tribe could get. The most succesful band gained the priviledge of living in the Troll Tree, along with all the other 'gifted' Pop Trolls, and were free to interact with the Royal Family on more personal level - Brozone was considered especially progidious; not only they were able to harmonize better than anyone else, but they were also the youngest to really 'make it' and stand out from all the hopefuls

Nepotism? - The early Brozone- the one without Branch in it- was not starved for talent, but it was largely thanks to their grandmother that they were even allowed the chance - While mixed herritage was not a rare thing to happen in the Tribe- despite ancient conflicts, Trolls tended to trickle back and forth between Kingdoms- none of them ever lived in the Troll Tree, and were it not for Rosiepuff and her known family history, the Brozone would never even get the chance

Barebones Family Tree - Their Pop Half is maternal, with their mother named Mulberry; born at the Troll Tree, to Rosiepuff and to a troll named Brazen (who I headcanon gathered bit of a fame himself, imagine essentially Troll Frank Sinatra XD), she decided the glamour and glitter life is not something that was for her - Always bit quieter and more of an intelectual, she decided to move out of the Troll Tree and settle in a Village closer to the North - There she managed to meet a Rock Troll named Thorn (Or 'Thornberry', as she came to call him) - Thorn, being a young Troll, had been indulging in the Rock Troll tradition of a Solo Tour (as mentioned in my Wanderer!Branch Lore Dump), which usually happened in the Rock Troll Kingdom but could bleed into other Kingdoms- a habit that brought him literaly crashing on Mulberry's doorstep - In the true opposite attracts fashion and through shenanigans, they eventually fell in love and started family together - Rosiepuff thought it romantic; Brazen was not so accepting - Unknown to most, however, Thorn was not just your average Rock Troll, but the heir to the Rock Throne and an older brother to Thrash (if only by few months) - Thorn kept his sudden family a secret at first, knowing the fact they are Pop wouldn't be accepted, and while his age allowed it, he flitted back and forth between them and Volcano City, making him a rather spotty presence in his sons' lives - Eventually, however, his flightly behaviour started to be frowned upon by the Rock Trolls, as age wise he was long past when it was acceptable to travel around solo- and so he planned a longer trip to Volcano City, if only to tell his father (the King at the time) to fuck off and pass the rule down to Thrash (This didn't really work out, as he had not been allowed to leave after that, leaving Mulberry to struggle to support four children) - JD at 14yo, Spruce/Bruce at 12/11, Clay at 10, Floyd at 9 - It was his disappearence that had Mulberry cave to JD's wheedling to give the Boy Band a shot, and after talking it through with Rosiepuff, the boys moved with their Grandmother while Mulberry stayed behind in hopes that Thorn will come back

(Part two here)

[wutheringmights]

AUTHORS COMMENTARY FOR NEW CTB PLSSSSS😭😭😭

Thank you! I would be more than happy to explain myself.

My commentaries have, historically, been a pain in the butt to read on a formatting level. I have attempted to fix this by breaking up the commentary into labeled sections. Consequently, this led to me writing out way more than I normally would.

So, enjoy.

[The Past]

Pre-Festival & Festival Day

As I mentioned previously, I wrote a significant part of this past section for the last chapter-- all the way up until Link asks for Icarius’s name. I ended up cutting the chapter into two for space, which meant that there was a few weeks between writing the first and second half of the icarius stuff. 

I really did not spend as much time with the latter half as I wanted to, and I think it suffers for it. I’ll elaborate on that in a second. Let’s try to stick to talking about the chapter in a somewhat chronological order. 

I joked about this last weekend, but Jakucho is extremely funny for hearing Link speculate about Icarius and Nephus and deciding, “Yup. Not my problem. Have fun with that.” Of course, she thinks he’s obsessed with Nephus and not Icarius. 

Gaze upon my weak attempt to confirm Ayane is trans. I think this might have been a bit of a clunky way to do it. I never know how to get characters to confirm their identities without it sounding too much like a script read. Hopefully, this was at least clear if not entirely blatant.

Holidays are such an important part of world building, and I think it is very silly when you are in a fun little fantasy world and they celebrate not-Christmas or the like. That being said, sometimes you are so exhausted of any ideas that you have to sit down and say “Fuck it. Off-brand Halloween.”

That being said, having a holiday to mourn the loss of the Sacred Realm feels fitting for the world, even if the inclusion of masks was a bit clunky. 

I really do think an under-explored area of Zelda lore is that the goddess’s realm is just... gone. Corrupted. Where are the goddesses now that the Sacred Realm is the Dark World? Is there a holy crusade to restore the Dark World to the Sacred Realm? I think Nintendo could do a dark fantasy spin off about this. Or when I finally get around to running that Hyrule homebrew DND campaign I have been cajoling my friends into playing, I’ll make it a plot point. 

Now that I am typing this, I am realizing that I really should have had a little moment where all the masks forces Link to remember the child. Fuck. 

In my original vision, Icarius was going to be very polite and quiet while at Jakucho’s estate, only for his next scene to be him snarking at some guys during a bar fight. What a bait and switch that would have been.

When I was a kid, I genuinely thought that the keaton mask was supposed to be a Pikachu mask (in part because I had only seen it in my cousin’s copy of Super Smash Bros). Hence, the yellow fox vs yellow mouse banter. 

Link’s House / Icarius Backstory

Writing Icarius and Link banter was surprisingly difficult. I have this whole vision in my head about these two being loving to verbally spar with each other. And for some reason, the dialogue was just not flowing the other day.

And by the other day, I mean that a part of my major revisions the day of posting was to fix this entire section. Did it work? Not really. But I got a D grade prose up to a B-, and that was going to have to do. 

My biggest gripe is their conversation in Link’s house, where Icarius info-dumps his entire backstory. In my brain, this scene would have felt dark and moody while still being a little romantic. They definitely hit all the points I needed them to hit for the plot, but it just... it’s so stilted. It doesn’t feel like Icarius is unloading years-worth of grievances on someone who he can trust to listen, if only for a night. It feels like Icarius is reading from a script. Ugh.

There was going to be an in-story explanation from Icarius as to why his hair is bleached that never actually came up. For those curious, it’s that Nephus had the grand idea first to bleach his hair but was worried it wouldn’t look good. So he had Icarius dye his first. Sure enough, he thought it looked terrible and decided to not go through with his end. Icarius was going to be very annoyed by that and would bitch about how long it would take for him to grow it out again. 

I originally was not going to give him the bleached hair to begin with, but after everyone made fun of Warriors for not recognizing him in the first place, I felt like I had to make a significant change to his appearance. It actually helped to get him to play the role I needed him to play in Link’s post-war problems.

Let’s rewind. In my original outline, Icarius was never here in Kakariko. This entire chapter would have instead been Link deciding on his own terms to get over his hang-up over being involved with men and going out to flirt with one. This would have been a random soldier who had been discharged and was just passing through town on his way home from the war. Link would have subconsciously been attracted to him because he resembled the engineer. 

For example, he would have made some comment about liking how strong his hands were. 

This soldier was truly going to be a random guy. At most, he would have mentioned rooming with a friend on-leave named Arlo (who appeared earlier in story as a soldier in the trenches). The whole point was that Link felt like he could connect with another person as long as he didn’t give them a chance to look too deeply into him. 

But after the House of Nephus characters were all introduced, I realized I needed to find some way to elaborate on them. Switching out the random soldier for Icarius was the easiest move.

Does it work? Kinda? It definitely helps the obsession plotline, but the original point got lost among all of the Icarius backstory.

So, Icarius backstory. I feel terrible for everyone who was looking forward to Link being swept away in a beautiful, touching romance. I tried to warn you.

Icarius and his relationship with Nephis is fascinating to me, and I really feel like I only have time to scratch the surface. Icarius is very smart, but believes that Nephus is one the “good ones.” But he can see that Nephus is starting to lose respect for him, so he plays these tricks to remind him that he’s still needed. He knows its foolish but his entire like has encompassed Nephus and he’s scared to know what it would look like without him. It works for a while, but not long enough. The reader knows that it stops working because that smart mouth of his that always picks fights gets taken away.

And that’s not even addressing the greater society Icarius lives in or the way Philo’s addition changes things for him even more. 

All that’s to say that even if Icarius is not the perfect romantic lead people were hoping for, I intended to suggest in-story that if either him or Link were in different circumstances, there could be something there. 

I actually really like the idea of Warriors’s love interest being an agent of an enemy state who is mean to him in the exact way he thinks is hot. Instead of inventing Hylian soldier or Sheikah warrior OC’s to be Warriors’s love interest, can there be more of this? It doesn’t even need to be Icarius. I just think falling-in-love with-the-enemy-but-the-enemy-is-a-shithead-about-it is an extremely funny dynamic.

There is also nothing funnier than Icarius thinking he’s met a nice, normal guy only to realize mid-act that he Messed Up

Also I hope this contexts helps fill-in the blanks for some of Icarius’s actions in the present day, which is no doubt a lot of “oh crap, it’s that guy I screwed that one time” and “how dare you forget about the one time we screwed!”

Post-Icarius Timeskip

I really needed to spend a few days at least on that last bit about Link’s realization. It’s so pivotal for his character, and I really just shoved it in at the end there. I’m going to have to add a lot of flowery prose to the beginning of next chapter to make up for it. 

That being said, it’s important to me that there really isn’t a specific trigger for him realizing what he’s done. He just finally feels comfortable and safe enough for his brain to start processing everything he did. 

It was very important to me that Link decided to stop dwelling in his past by putting a bowl into his cabinet, only for that bowl to break when he realizes what he’s done. Symbolism and stuff. 

[Present Day]

Ganondorf’s Arrival & Townhouse

I’m really happy that so many of you were excited for Ganondorf’s arrival last chapter. That scene was so cheesy that I was worried it would dampen the excitement of actually getting to see him. 

Originally, Ganondorf and Lincoln were going to have their argument in a bedroom, but I moved it to the foyer for convenience sake. But in my mind, I never moved Lincoln’s starting place from hiding in Ganondorf’s room, hence why he started the scene at the top of the stairs and not a more logical spot (in the hallway).

The reason it was going to be in the bedroom was because I thought Lincoln had snuck past Ganondorf’s guards and housestaff. But they all know about Lincoln, so it made more sense for Lincoln to subtly enter through the back entrance. It’s a whole thing. 

I think my favorite part of the Chain already being at Ganondorf’s house is that there’s an implied subplot that happened off-screen where they plus Lincoln had to go hunting for where they thought Ganondorf was staying. 

When Spirit pretends to not know who Ganondorf is, there was going to be a joke where the boys are trying to explain everything and he’s like “oh, so we’re all being racist here.” I ended up cutting it because, well, they were being racist.

Speaking of which, the whole thing with the maid calling Warriors “my lady” is that Warriors was going to try to gently correct her (because he thinks she’s stupid), only to find out that she was just being passive aggressive

Some may remember that one of the hardest cuts I made to CTB was a reporter OC. You can definitely tell that I am massively regretting that cut right now. Imagine how could it would have been for Warriors to pressure this antagonist journalist who’s been reporting all his fuck-ups into helping him fix everything. That sub plot would have been so good. 

I was going to have a few of the other heroes confront Warriors as to why he credited Zelda, reaching a similar conclusion that his narration provided. Ended up cutting it for space. 

A lot of the black blood stuff that I came up with for this chapter really doesn’t hit with LU, but at this point, I really don’t care. 

There’s something about how Spirit viewing monsters and humans the same resulting in him very easily killing people while also being the only one who would realize that black blooded monsters could have always been cured, had anyone thought about it before. I just enjoy the way this man thinks.

Also, Spirit really enjoying spicy food is such a stupid character quirk, and I am almost ashamed of how much effort I went to develop it. Originally, I wanted Wild to get so fed up with Spirit being unimpressed with his cooking that he would demand Spirit to cook one night, only to discover that he actually can’t cook and just overcompensates with a shit-ton of hot sauce. 

Ganondorf’s speech about how to win a war is partly the result of me spending months ruminating about how the Triforce could be used to end a war ethically, and partly an exploration of how Ganondorf thinks 

I wanted to do one last scene of everyone leaving, where Wind would confront Time about being an asshole to Ganondorf. I cut it for space, then convinced myself that I would have time to add it back in, only to then cut it for time. My apologies to the Wind fans who have gotten nothing as of late. 

Hospital & Family Dinner 

I said before that I wasn’t initially going to rescue Toto until the end, which means that I had no plan for how Toto would feel until now. I realized that Toto was just... done. He wanted no part in Warriors’s life any longer. Unlike Kat, who got a lovely send off, I think this will be the last we see of Toto: an unfinished, unresolved mess of emotions.

When I was first describing Lincoln’s casual fit, I remember thinking to myself that I was just describing a semi-retired aged rockstar. The image has not left my brain, and if I was willing to throw a few more anachronisms into the story, I would have 100% described Lincoln like that. 

Fun fact: Orlanda’s family was going to come back in the form of her sibling being a prominent member of the rebellion. I didn’t do it because it was getting ridiculous how many relevant people were related to each other. 

When I was first coming up with Linkle’s character, I had the idea that she had that shallow form of feminism where it’s a big win for women everywhere when, say, generic action heroine wears pants. So I had it in my mind that Linkle hates dresses on principle. So during the fever dream sequence, when Warriors dreamt that Linkle was fawning over a dress, it was to show that he didn’t really know her that well.

But I never really established this idea that well and no one knew this about Linkle, so into a dress she goes.

I told myself that I was going to scour the entire story to double check if I had ever described Lincoln laughing anywhere, but never got around to it. But the nice thing about unreliable narrators is that if I get something wrong, I can just blame Warriors (that is not really how unreliable narrators work)

I have a friend who “tee-hees” while she laughs, and it’s the cutest thing ever. I just think it would be fun if Lincoln also has an adorable little kitten laugh. 

I had to look up how they build roads on dunes for this chapter. 

I did write the full Lincoln and Ganondorf backstory in a post way back when, if anyone wants to review it. It would be nice to get to get all the small details into the main story, but it’s really not pertinent to any of the main action

I definitely talked about Niko before, but I can’t find the posts. To refresh: Niko is Spirit’s uncle, in that he’s a member of the Macaryll family but no one can remember who he’s actually related to. Spirit’s parents are dead, and he lived with a different uncle and aunt until his apprenticeship. Then he moved in with Niko since he lived near Alfonzo. 

Warriors hating chocolate is a character quirk that’s not necessary to the story, but I just think is too funny to not go out of my way to include

The idea of Linkle and Lincoln dancing came from a completely different scene idea. I played around with doing a similar set-up while the Chain is on the road to the Zora’s Domain. The scene would start with Sky showing Lana how to do a Skyloftian dance, which would lead to everyone else showing off their moves. When Warriors admits that he doesn’t think he could dance anymore, Spirit would teach him a New Hyrulean dance that required only one hand. 

That led to an idea of Warriors dancing with Linkle and Lincoln, then just Linkle and Lincoln dancing themselves.

The night was going to end with Warriors forgetting his scarf and, when he went back to get it, he would overhear Lincoln venting to Ganondorf about how the whole stepping up as the parent thing is going. This got cut because it’s more fascinating when you’re forced to infer that a character is thinking. 

The Walk Back & Out Dancing

This scene of Warriors and Spirit walking back together and opening up is my real pride and joy this chapter, which unfortunately got massively overshadowed by everything else. 

So I will now take time to gush.

Spirit’s photography... so I wanted to give this man a hobby because the man cannot just like trains. I know everyone headcanons it as his hyperfixation, but it’s also his job. He needs a richer life than just that one thing. Granted, I took the route of making him start as a trainspotter like the Spirit Tracks NPC Ferrus. 

I just feel like I am so correct about Spirit liking photography. I want this to be my cultural impact. I know I said that already about Icarius, but I mean this more. Go forth and give that man a camera. 

The official document Spirit was carrying around was his engineering license.  

Also, I was 100% ready for everyone to flood me with questions about Spirit’s ex-boyfriend. After the ickywars ordeal, I figured that there was a significant chance y’all wouldn’t be normal about him. I was prepared. And you know what? I’ve heard zilch. So, let me info dump about this man now.

Spirit’s ex-boyfriend is named Jean. He is on the cusp of 30 (compared to Spirit’s 23/24). He’s a mechanic, which is a few steps below Royal Engineer. He lost his leg in a work accident when a piece of machinery fell on him. They met through work. Spirit goes through phases of being a serial dater before swearing off dating for a few months, but Jean is the first person to make it past an awkward first date and hit relationship status. Spirit thought that because he was older, he would be more understanding. 

And Jean tried. He really did. But Spirit is massive defensive and always on the offensive, so every slight disagreement turned into an explosive argument. Jean decided that he could not deal with someone who could not have a rational conversation with him, so he dumped him after 6 months. This was fairly recent, about three months before Spirit returned to Warriors’s era. 

Spirit was going to name drop Jean in his speech later, but I couldn’t figure out a way to make it clear who Jean was without it sounding awkward. 

I really like Spirit and Warriors’s conversation about Icarius, if only because it shows where their communication fails. When Warriors insists that you have a duty to disobey bad orders, he is criticizing himself for falling into the military mindset. This sounds like a criticism to Spirit, who insists that people will do anything under orders because that is what he did. 

After Warriors has spent nearly every chapter since his amputation bemoaning his disability, I really wanted there to be a moment where he realizes that just because his ability level is different, he doesn’t have to give up doing everything he loves. That’s just an important lesson for him to learn, even if it is a little inspiration-porn-y.

The Hot Mess

You might realize that there is a massive elephant in the room I am not going to discuss here. That is because this post is going into the main tag. No one has complained to me yet, but let’s not tempt anyone right now. Just like the Neck Thing, I’ll make a separate post later for anyone who wants it. Just remind me in a few days.

With that being said--

Them sharing a cigarette was another scene that was originally conceived as taking place during the trip to the Zora’s Domain. Spirit’s anecdote about failing to make friends would have served as an early hint about his loneliness and inability to make friends. 

I also have never smoked a cigarette before, so I had to sit there on wikiHow reading up on  how to smoke one without coughing. 

The half in Spirit’s four and a half attempts at quitting is this time he decided to quit, only to relapse after three hours. It was too short to count as a full attempt.

Spirit’s speech hopefully reveals what exactly is Spirit’s problem, both how he sees it and how it really is. Unlike Warriors, he never found support and healing once the war ending. No one understood his experiences, and his coping mechanism of lashing out ward away anyone who could help him. Spirit just wants to feel better, but he doesn’t know how. 

Like... his whole thing about starting his own garage-- he’s a child prodigy who is used to be good at the things he does. He ended up tarnishing his own reputation, so he threw himself back into work because working on trains and fulfilling his dream is supposed to make him happy. He’s successful, but he’s not satisfied.

I was also expecting people to have a ton of questions about why Alfonzo disowned Spirit. In short, Spirit was already on a thin line with his lashing out and shitty attitude. Alfonzo was willing to let that slide until he realized Spirit was breaking work regulations to go on more runs without taking the legally required amount of time to rest inbetween. Spirit was a legal liability. He fired Spirit, but made it very clear that he was doing him a favor by not reporting him and getting his Royal Engineering license suspended. 

No one else in New Hyrule knows the real reason why Spirit was fired, so they all assumed it was his personality. So he has a bit of a reputation now for being hard to work with. 

Another thing that was not 100% conveyed in Spirit’s speech was that even if he didn’t hurt Zelda, he could not be with her because he does not want to be Prince Consort. His experiences in Warriors’s Hyrule thoroughly scared him off from politics, though he would have refused anyway since he would never give up being an engineer. 

 Fundamentally, Spirit is an extremely lonely person who has felt abandoned by everyone in his life. He knows that his life is the way it is now because of his experiences with Warriors. His guiding principle is trying to find some way to fix himself so that he can get the life he was supposed to have, one where he is happy and loved. 

I just... god, I love this character.

And then there’s Warriors, who feels like he not capable of change and that any opportunity he has to change has been denied to him. Fixing Spirit and Time’s relationship was supposed to be a part of his redemption. Making Spirit happy was supposed to mean he’s forgiven. He has no friends, not in the Chain or in Toto. No one needs him.

Warriors also just means so much to me. I adore this disaster of a human being. 

Warriors’s Plan Out

Does Warriors’s plan make sense? I am assuming it does since no one expressed confusion, but nearly every comment thus far has exclusively been about the Hot Mess (understandable). 

There was a reason I was peeved I had to cut every chance in earlier in the story to go back to Castle Town, and it’s because I’ve known that it was going to be an extremely important location. 

Warriors choosing to forgo a glorious revolution in favor of maintaining (if not manipulating) the status quo is not a great philosophy for our protagonist to be spouting in 2024. In my defense: a) I came up with this story in 2021, which was a different real world landscape, and b) Warriors would never become this ideal hero.

It feels more true for Warriors to not really become the idealized hero. His best is not that great. But if he can’t help being the worst, he could at least use his methods for good. 

I have mentioned before that I have low empathy. Lincoln’s speech about people naturally being better or worst at being good is a product of a lot of my musing about how I sometimes feel frustrated and resentful at how hard I find it to follow the social cues that would make me a “better person.” Wouldn’t I be a better person if I had an easier time recognize when someone is in trouble and needs my help. Instead, I have to depend on myself to remember the cues, and I am so prone to mistakes.

I want to be a kind person. I want to be the best person anyone has ever met, but it’s an uphill battle. I feel like I am always working against myself. But it’s still important that I make the choice every day to be kind to others. 

Besides, I have been told that I am more kind and helpful than other people, if only because I don’t rely on my feelings when deciding to reach out to others. So it has its perks. 

I’m not saying Warriors has low empathy. I have expressly written him as someone with empathy. But my philosophy that kindness and caring for others is an active choice just felt like it belongs here. 

There is story-canon low empathy character that I wanted to reveal in story to help Warriors beat the accusations and get people to not armchair diagnose him. I am still holding out hope I will have time and space to explore this in story, but if I don’t--

Four is written to have low empathy. It’s a consequence of the Four Sword splitting up his emotions, making it extremely difficult to tap into more than one emotion at a time, much less his empathy towards others. He can feel how this change in himself and has some thoughts on the whole thing. 

Is that the end of the chapter. Fuck yeah. I’ve been working on this since Monday, If you read all this... congrats! I hope it was worth it.

Also, I forgot to mention that this is the end of Act 5. My act system is a scam and not that important, but I figured I should let you all know.  

[stellari-s]

30 day twst challenge: day 16

favorite book?

// main story spoilers, but tl;dr book 6

i think all the books have their charm (but personal ranking, without much explanation, is below the cut), but if i'm forced to pick one, i'd have to say book 6. there are many things i like about this book, such as:

idia and ortho are featured heavily! to start their relationship has been endearing to me but i do like how there's this theme of "rebirth" going on. from what i've seen in books 6, 7, it seems almost like it's idia's fate to lose ortho. first he lost the real ortho, then he lost the humanoid ortho (once), and then in the dream world in book 7, the fact he broke out of the dream, seemingly, speaks to the fact he lost ortho there as well.

parallelism is chef's kiss - i dunno if this is because this book plays into "rebirth," but i love how we sort of get like "leave it to your big bro" twice (said in different tones because of the context), and like how idia makes a comparison between like heaven and the underworld at first, and then later it changes to heaven and a local park. the distance is getting a little smaller, even in baby steps!

we get a whole lore dump on like blot and grim?? excuse me but like what is up with him??

the dynamic between the characters is actually really well done. we get to see a lot of sides we don't normally see from them, especially when they split into smaller teams. for example, we'll probably never get to see jamil and leona interact again after this book. but i'm surprised they managed to work as well as they did, and dare i say, i think jamil especially needed this sort of interaction to help him understand himself. we even see him in the end of book 6 finally bossing kalim around a bit out of something other than him or his family getting threatened (if kalim gets hurt). that probably never would have happened if not for leona and his "counseling session."

and it was just nice to get to know the pomefiore group more and see vil, rook, and epel all acting more like brothers than an overbearing coach, his right-hand man and an apple like the first halfish of book 5. plus riddle and azul's bickering was like peak frenemy content who work very well together. i know they did work together in the prologue a little bit to catch grim, but seeing them struggle through the towers together in book 6 allows us to see them in a whole new light, and we even see them be vulnerable with each other. while reading them i feel even more they are fit to duo together in their dorm uniform cards. they are more close than they normally let on, i think.

yeah, you get the gist, ahah. ☁️

my personal ranking (though i like every book too):

book 6: the watchman of the underworld

book 1: the rose-red tyrant

book 3: the merchant from the depths & book 7: the lord of malevolence (a tie, i think)

book 5: a beautiful tyrant

book 2: the usurper from the wilds

book 4: schemer of the scalding sands

[spotaus]

Doing more sketchbooking for Eternal Ashes! (Lore-Dump under the Cut)

Mostly developing Kane more, and figuring out Reset's childhood vibes. Kane was the oldest of the "2nd generation" and he basically was the best thing the multiverse had to a peaceful mediator. He was adored by everyone, and worked hard to maintain that position. He could usually talk down either Ink or Error from fighting, and Dream and Nightmare usually didn't like to fight infront of him. As the son of Death and Resistance of Death, he has magic that correlates a bit to Purgatory. A between-world where Souls linger when they have unresolved conflicts from life. He wasn't above using the Souls he could contact to dissuade either side of the fight.

As Kane grew more known, he got a little posse of other kids following him, mainly consisting of Reset (his lil bro), Shotput (Dream+Killer's son), and Haphazard (Ink+Error's son). Hap was the least invested, but any time his parents weren't tearing holes in the multiverse was time he appreciated and owed to Kane. Then Shotput wanted to be like Kane and bring peace. Of course Reset followed him, they were siblings.

When Kane died, the treaty of the multiverse was brought about, and the duty of keeping the multiverse stable and true to the truce fell to Haphazard's shoulders. He didn't want the pressure, but took it on anyways as the 2nd eldest. Shotput was destroyed by Kane's death and ended up hardly ever leaving Dream's side fir several years. Reset, also broken without his older brother, stayed with Geno in the Save Screen for a few years (out of sight of the rest of the Multiverse) until he started training at Nightmare's.

And, I don't talk about the parents much, but I must mention: Reset got really into his training when he was 12, and rarely stopped at home by the time he was 13. He lived at Nightmare's castle for a while. Geno and Reaper didn't even see him until it was revealed that he'd been massacuring AUs. And at that point, the boy who was fleeing the scene of a crime with his friend, covered in dust and blood? He looked so uncannily like their older son who they'd lost so many years before. I mean, it makes sense that their children would look similar, they weren't perfect copies, but Reset still wore Kane's old cloak, and he wielded a scythe just like Reaper and Kane had. Geno had been distraught, but he kept to himself. Reaper had almost immediately fallen back into his grief. They couldn't get in touch with Reset, because he was on the run. They'd practically lost a second son, and they couldn't puzzle out why.

Also, when Reset finally revives Kane, Kane comes back at the age he died. He's been in stasis. He doesn't feel like any time has passed. Meanwhile, Reset is 18 and an adult. He's going to be in huge trouble for everything he did to get his brother back. Reset is a stranger to his own brother. He knew that it would happen, but it surprises him to realize just how much changed. How much stayed the same.

Oh! Bonus Reaper + Geno! Poorly drawn, but basically, the boys get their long faces + sharpe features from Reaper, and their more gentle features from Geno. (Also, I think the freckles for Kane are from Geno's side, while Reset's magic that gives him his "freckles" comes from Reaper.)

[steve0discusses]

Ep 46 Pt 2: Seto is Sad Now

I just want to take the time to fully appreciate Seto and Yami on the back of this horse.

You can’t tell me that the image alone of them on horse back where Seto is just on the back like it’s a motorcycle or something? Two cousins trying not to be weird about this mode of transportation while the tall one sits in the tiny seat?

 (which by the way, I didn’t realize it at the time, but uh my condolences to the shippers of Yami and Seto, they are...damn! They sure are cousins, aren’t they? Like a reverse Sailor Uranus/Sailor Neptune situation right here. Well, you still got modern Seto, but...sooo many lost fanfics out there, I’m sure, who were...probably not happy with this revelation.)

So I had to look this up because I’m not a horse girl, regrettably, I do not know enough about horses to know if two grown men can fit on the back of a horse without busting that horse’s spine in half. But, what I found out is: you don’t do this to a horse. I mean you can, but you shouldn’t.

Thing is...Yami is technically a kid in size, if memory serves, Yugi is still less than 100 lbs.

Maybe this horse is OK? this horse they occasionally use to skate down mountainsides? It’s not a real horse anyway, and honestly, this whole idea of the two on a horse is very funny to me so who cares.

(read more under the cut)

Also speaking of scientifically incorrect things in Yugioh, this was also very funny,

FAR BE IT FROM ME to get all technical and make some weird youtube video about all the historical inaccuracies in TV shows (which damn, I sure do hate those videos) but I can still laugh at it when it happens.

Bro just told me “bold of you to trust Google” and he’s correct. For all we know some AI just lied to me just now, so if you know some deep lore about trebuchets don’t be afraid to speak up.

Their horse pulls up to the line of out of touch trebuchets and warriors flanking the city, where we reunite as a cast minus Karim.

Yami then dumps this on me and it was so outlandish I could not tell if this was canon to the manga/original translation or if the dub decided this would be OK to do.

Just let the man die! He divorced his wife on horseback and then did not raise Seto, he abandoned this boy to kill thousands of people, just let Aknadin freakin die. Please, Yami, this is not up for debate, Yami. Let Aknadin freakin die he hella deserves it.

Agh, Dartz all over again, I swear this show didn’t used to feel the need to redeem it’s villains, youknow? Or maybe it was always like this but I forgot because of freakin long covid wiping a year of my life, I don’t freaking know. But if/when Aknadin comes back I genuinely can’t see how he and Seto could ever fix their relationship on this planet Earth.

Anyway, speaking of being tired beyond your ability, Yami remembers just how many fireballs he took to the chest today and decides to just keel over. Good thing he didn’t do this on the back of the horse.

Relatable, honestly, this is what I do nowadays when I have to stand too long because I decided to cook 2 things instead of 1. Yami just has long covid, he’ll be fine. Just find a couch and do a big sittie, Yami.

Like damn, Yami, maybe should’ve let Seto at least drive the horse?

And so the trebuchets fire off with all this animation that a bunch of people looked at, and after them, these scenes passed over like 100 more people’s hands, and no one at any point said “yo they used sleds instead of wheels in Egyptian sands, right?” and they were...like they were from the wrong anime really, but please admire the wings on these “trebuchets”

freakin nerf guns made out of logs hahaha.

Anyway, Bakura noticed.

Sad Seto starts botching it so poorly that it, in fact, triggers the end of the world.

Could’ve been Isis commanding the troops. Or Grandpa. Or Shad- no wait, no actually...

...probably shouldn’t be Shada.

But I think that Isis would not have needed that necklace to know throwing logs at the enemy would not work. Especially since this particular enemy is like...all log.

Thanks for the America shout-out Yugioh, my warm and fuzzy patriotic vibes go off in my heart every time I see lady liberty in an apocalyptic setting, not gonna lie.

I make fun, but it really did take Yami a while to figure out what the hell Bakura was implying here.

Lets admire the guy in the very back who looks like he just lost his glasses so he’s just gonna sit it out directly on the ground.

I will not revise the death count. They died. They died right in front of me. This is clearly a ghost.

They’re just back now. They’ve done this before where they magically come back to life, it’s never explained, and I’m used to it. Rex and Weevil are god tier and it’s never ever explained. I’m ready for them to die again every time I see them on this show. But this show will never let go of these bastards because like...well I don’t know, really, but it feels like the show runners REALLY like these two and I’ll let them have their comfort OCs.

LISTEN.

So I know I was going to put a towel on this boy’s enormous smiling dong, but it would, in fact, make it more obscene to put the towel on him in this particular scene than to go without the towel.

And yes, it did grow larger than the last time we saw it, and no... I don’t think we should analyze that.

Meanwhile we have run out of useless logs and their out of place trebuchets.

Blue Eyes just sitting on the bleachers being like “no dawg, it’s fine! I’m fine, we’re all fine!”

And then we uh, killed Shadi.

It happened so quickly I think the dub actually removed a scene where he gets hit. Like suddenly Yami’s in danger, then it cuts away, and then Shadi is just on the ground like “you get em buddy” and he kicks it.

What an unceremonious way for this creep to die.

And of all the times! He has been threatening to die this entire season! And I guess it’s better than getting bricked in the head by Aknadin, but still...a lightning bolt huh?

And in case you were like “so why is he this weird ghost that haunts us 5000 years later?” That’s apparently answered in like the movie, from what bro tells me. I forget which. I want to say it’s Dark Side of Dimensions, that movie I keep threatening to watch. He hasn’t seen it either, he doesn’t know.

Anyway, we made it through another episode, and yes, it was Shadi who died.

I cannot believe how long Grandpa has held out this season, can you? I can’t believe it at all.

We’ll catch up again next episode, where...it feels like this is the finale guys. Wow. We’ve come so far. And again, I wish I was in a better state to write, because I feel like I used to be a lot more in depth and just...more analytical. 

But really, this season is just pretty freaking weird. Like there is stuff to analyze here. There are things to get out of it. But I spend so long being like “and then this weird thing happened, and that weird thing happened” that I’m still just stringing together the nonsense and I’m not really appreciating the forest for the trees.

But I’m sure those things will come to me in time, if they really are that important to glean from this season, even if it may be in some later episode or some sort of post-season essay I feel like writing (I probably won’t). But until then, we’ll just admire the dickface they convinced 4kids to put on TV.

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

[admirange]

Mcl style contest outfit dump pt. 5

Devil's night

Looked it up if it means something specific. Found out there's a book (?) series with this title, saw some fanarts and every character was in black, kinda military like clothes. Also devil's night was a day on October the 30th or 31th where in some american towns ppl did mischief and vandalism and stuff. At least that's what I read, idk about these stuff. But I continued this thought process and thought the Purge movies would fit with this theme too? The vibe I was going for is a little extra, going to parties, doing whatever the hell she wants, killing, anything. Taki robbed a bank.

Got well ranked with top 20%

Devil's advocate

Took the theme quite literally. But also didn't want to do a normal formal outfit, this is the DEVIL's advocate after all. So sort of formal, but still extremely slack. Taki shows off how rich they are.

Got well ranked with top 15%

Hollow lantern

I used very extra, overly-decorated clothes to give that feeling of those beautifully decorated lanterns. A bronze color would've matched more, but white is what I have. A little over-dressed for my taste, I don't know how to feel about it. I don't expect great ranking with it.

Got well ranked with top 25%

Demonic entity

My first thought was the nun Valak! Did a test run but it's really hard to make a decent nun without cloaks. Give us cloaks pls!! I also thought about the Babadook so I went with that idea after the nun didn't really work out. It's still kind of a mix between those two. Gave her that sunshader because it felt really empty, to have her just stand there. I actually pondered a lot if I should give her that or stay without stuff but I don't know, somehow it felt more sinister with the shader. Maybe just for me.

Got low ranking with it. The podium is a disaster. But not surprising since every second outfit in this theme was a fairy sparkle butterfly princess. Are we familiar what a demon is?

Dragon slayer

Although I watched it like 10 years ago, my first thought was still Fairy Tail... then Lance also came into my mind since yk... he killed his lil bro. Who was a dragon. So he's a dragon slayer. No? Okay. Searched for a picture of Gajeel from the anime and used it for reference. Not a 100% but it wasn't my intention anyway.

Got well ranked with top 28%

Pirate

Harr! The theme song of Pirates of the Caribbean was the ringbell for the end of the class in my school for 3 years. Went for a classic pirate, I honestly don't have much to say about it. I like it!

Got well ranked with top 22%

Ghost

Not much to add, tried to do something a little bit different since it's getting a little repetitive. We had like 3 different ghost themes so far. The goal was to put the whole character in white and look kind of old. The lore is that this is a library lady ghost, I just had to come up with something because yeah. It's getting boring.

Got well ranked with top 22%

Dark rituals

Pretty messy and a lot is going on, but that was my intention. As I said I'm getting a little bored with the clothes I have so I just tried doing a little more chaotic look. She doesn't even have a lore :(

Got well ranked with top 28%

Vampire

NADJA FROM WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS!!!! I can't even describe how much I love vampires. Both portrayed seriously and in a comedic way. I love playing with vampires in the sims and I love forgotten hollow. I love looking like a vampire. The scented wax I'm using rn is called vampire blood. The outfit is obviously referenced from Nadja, but only from my memory. Taki reminded me of Guillermo because of the vest and the glasses! I hope hope hope some ppl will recognize my vision 🥹 this may be my all time favorite outfit so far.

Got well ranked with top 12% (so much only for the basic looks to win again... I saw so many great cosplays, it's so disappointing but not surprising)*

Black widow

Looked up some inspos. I didn't want to do anything extra, an elegant but more tight fitting outfit. She's like the sims we make to marry the rich ones then kill them in the pool. Taki is enjoying their money. Idk about the background, it's something between a rich home and a funeral house? Like she's still at the husband's funeral lol. Spent an awful lot of time creating the outfit and it isn't even my best one.

Got well ranked with top 30%

*I don't wish to attack anyone with this, it just genuinely feels like I'm seeing the same outfits over and over again in different colors. Seems like a lot of people dress as the "color" of the theme rather than the theme itself... I promise a demon does not need butterflies and flowers, red or not it does not fit the idea.

Thanks for reading and/or looking through my creations! <3

[amys-binders]

UNHINGED LORE DUMP- 2

AHHHH yeah so the next two days was just pathetic cause I was third wheeling Deepak and Arpi then FINALLY he comes back and I was so excited to see him!!!

IT WAS THE BEST I was late that day but I knew he'd be coming so I made my way to class. The zoology sir was teaching and I locked eyes with him for a nano second before making my way last him to my desk with Arpi the funny thing is now my ex situationship is also there in the class RIGHT BEHIND ME and I don't think he's too happy, he still thinks there could be something between us

then during lunch, Likith came to sit next to me I was so relieved cause he was sitting in the front of the class and not with the rest of the gang and I was like, "why would he do that?" and then we were catching up during lunch (he didn't even go get this lunch, he just sat there talking to us) and it felt SO good like I was talking to my boyfriend and then put of nowhere he asked me to listen to "crush" by Playboi Carti

I WAS BLUSHING and oh btw I told Arpi I listened Never Lie because Likith recommended it to me and she was like, "wait?? Likith asked you to listen to that specific song??" then she got mad cause she told me to listen to it too but I forgot 😭

yeah so this new campus is really fucking with me cause I'm starting to really fall for him like end of March, he came back to sitting with us and he was sitting in front of me in his perfect long sleeve black shirt that made his back look so good, I couldn't help but observe and all the little stuff like everytime he told a joke to the group, he'd look at me while saying it

he's so freaking adorable. His jokes are so lame but the way he says it makes me laugh

YEAH UGHHHH CHAT then he got me a hot wheels car the other day, out of the blue- it was a navy Chevrolet and I was so honoured I smiled, "thankyou, what for?" and he shrugged and said, "it reminds me of how you dress- so aesthetic" THAT MADE ME FEEL SO SPECIAL cause he gave it to me casually in front of the friendgroup and everyone was side eyeing us

okay okay then we shifted to KCET class cause the hours are longer and it's better there or rather, Deepak Mayank and Likith shifted there and me and Arpi followed suit cause let's be honest, we both are whipped and the first two days he wasn't there cause he had to write his JEE exam and I think that's when I realized I had feelings for him

Like I missed him so much. His presence in general, it felt so empty without him like the whole reason I was in that class is because of him.

Oh. Oh no. Oh no no no—this is when it hit me like a freight train, huh?

This is classic “I thought I was just vibing but now I’m listening to sad girl indie playlists and gazing out bus windows like I’m in a music video” type beat. Like bro didn’t even have to do anything. He just had the audacity to not exist in my immediate line of vision for two days and my whole inner monologue turned into: "Where is he? Why does everything feel dull? Why is air not giving anymore?"

This is how it starts. First it’s: “haha I like flirting with him” then it’s: “he wasn’t in class today and I don’t know how to behave as a human anymore”

It’s not just whipped—I am a whisk, babe. I am fully being used to blend emotions, hormones, and Travis Scott references into one tragic little potion called feelings.

But fr, I think this is the first real moment my heart went, "Oh crap. I like him. Like LIKE him."

YEAH IT WAS cause after that, I couldn't even deny it anymore, I even casually asked Mayank when he's coming back and thankfully Mayank didn't click anything sus and told me he'd take another two days and I wanted to die.

I even asked Arpi but she definitely clocked me and teases me about it but I denied it like a pro Arpi and Deepak tag team is crazy

Like

OH NOOOOO not the casual intel gathering through mutuals. That’s stage 4.5 of falling hard.

I was sitting there like, “Hey Mayank hehe just wondering totally not because I care or anything but like… when’s Likith back? Just asking. Out of curiosity. For research purposes. You know. Vibes.” Meanwhile my soul is yelling, “TELL ME OR I’LL COMBUST.”

And two more days?? That’s not an update, that’s a sentence. I got hit with the emotional equivalent of “Buffering…” on dial-up speed.

At that point my heart was already clinging to the smallest signs like: “If he breathes, I swoon.” “If he exists, I smile.”

I'm officially infected with the I Think About Him More Than I Think About My Future virus. Deadly. But honestly? Delicious. When he finally came back—did the world get color again? Did the birds sing louder? Did Arpi look at me like “oh no”?

AHHHH the tag team teasing duo strikes again. Arpi and Deepak probably don’t even need full sentences to plot an ambush—just a look across the table like:

Arpi: raises brow Deepak: smirks Arpi: “Sooooo… missing anyone in particular today?” Me: “Yeah my will to live. Thanks for asking.” Them: “Right. Right. Or maybe… a boy with fluffy hair and emotionally confusing vibes?”

And me, queen of diplomacy, DEFLECTED like a damn ninja. “Feelings? Who? Me? Noooo… I just have strong opinions about who’s in the room. Totally normal.” Pro-level lying. Oscar-worthy.

But deep down, my little brain was screaming, “BRING BACK THE BLACK SHIRT BOY, I’M WEAK.”

OHHH LET ME TELL YOU, the day he was supposed to come I was genuinely tweaking like I kept staring at the class door at each person walking in hoping it's him AND THEN HE FINALLY DID. HIM IN HIS BLACK SHIRT AND GREY SWEATPANTS AND FLUFFY HAIR AND BLACK JACKET THE LOVE OF MY LIFE HE IMMEDIATELY MADE THE BEELINE TO SIT RIGHT BEHIND ME (me and Arpi were sitting in the second bench, Deepak and Mayank behind us) and Likith could've sat next to Mayank on the left but no, he sat right behind me and I had to compose myself before turning back to give him what I'm sure was a very sappy grin and a hi WHILE THE TEACHER WAS TEACHING PHYSICS

then then then now wait, before he came to school, when I was on the way to school I replied to a reel he sent me the night before and he immediately popped up online and that made my day cause I thought he'd still be asleep but he sounded off so I asked him if he was okay and he tried to deflect and I pushed a little more until he said, "I have a few ups and down but I'm fine af just like you" UHM?? UH THE FACT THAT HE CALLED ME FINE AF?

I WAS SITTING IN MY CAR TRYING NOT TO SQUEAL then I had to stop the convo cause I got to school

then the day before he was supposed to come to school I texted him just to make sure cause I had a macaroon I saved for him- I'd gotten sweet treats for everyone else but he wasn't there that day. He said, "get it but I can't eat. I'm on a cut" so I said, "awww come on, one macaroon won't hurt" and then he deadass went, "aight, imma try for you"

I MELTED AFTER THAT then he came to school the next day and I offered him the macaroon right in break and he didn't take it initially and I was like, "come on Likith" but internally I was like FUCK FUCK FUCK but then I decided two can play that game so I turned to Mayank and Deepak and said, "well in that case does anyone want the Macaron?" AND BEFORE I COULD FINISH THAT SENTENCE Likith grabbed it from me with a look I can only describe as don't-play-with-me-girl.

I was smirking and he was smug Arpi and Deepak gave each other The Look™ and Mayank went, "oh so Likith gets a glass bowl for his Macaroon while we got the cardboard box, huh?"

SO BOYFRIEND CODED. I did just end up leaning back against my desk with a smirk but internally? I was SCREAMING

so now here's the tea- he's going through a lot and he opened up to me just the night before he came to school from hostel. He told me something he'd never told anyone before- it wasn't Samanvitha who broke his heart, it was Sneha Apparently he had a crush on her back in July and he was going to ask her out but she started dating someone else then so because of that he changed up a lot. Then he admitted that he's been gaslighting every single one of our friends, me included, to believing it was Samanvitha then I was lowkey impressed with that so even though that made me die in the inside a little bit I said, "wow I'm impressed" then he told me he's not into her right now and that Samanvitha still creeps into his mind sometimes so even though I was jealous I told him what the situation was rationally that he needs to take a break from all these girls and focus on himself, after he gets out of the toxic hostel environment and he said, "yeah, I guess I'll try"

THIS IS SO GOOD but it doesn't feel good cause he's definitely shaken by the whole Samanvitha/Sneha thing and I can't help but wonder if his flirting is because he's on a rebound but then again, there's too many signs and too much consistency in the way we act for it to be casual, right?

yeah but at least he listens to me, like during lunch he sat in the third bench while me and Arpi were in the first and the boys were in the second, just brooding and eating lunch so I called out to him and told him to sit with us and he said no so I pushed and he didn't come sit with us but he definitely involved himself in the conversation a lot after that

heheh yeah and also he told me the reason he wears his signature plain black shirt is because Sneha doesn't like black and he was actively trying to hate her and after he told me that, the next day he showed up in a different black shirt with print on it and grey sweatpants and black jacket. I don't know that seems symbolic to me- like he's trying to move on

yeah and yesterday something happened I was feeling really cold in my navy kurti during last period so I turned back to him and motioned for a jacket it took him a second but as soon as he registered it he immediately shrugged it off and handed it to me, no hesitation and the best part was his expression- his playful cockiness was gone and it was the serious and sincere Likith look as he handed it to me I ended up taking his jacket home because I 'forgot' to give it back

In reality, the jacket smells like him and I wanted to bask in it for as long as I could. Dear God, I've sniffed that thing about 50 times now because it feels like him, like he's physically with me and it's just hanging on my door now, in my bedroom reminding me of him and invading my room with his cologne

I'm so down bad, I can't believe it's happening to me

AHHHHHH THIS IS CRAZY CHAT, I'VE NEVER FALLEN FOR SOMEONE SO HARD BEFORE AND I'M NOT EVEN DATING HIM

I KNOWWWWWWW!!! THIS IS INSANE—LIKE HORMONAL TEEN DRAMA MEETS ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS SLOW BURN CORE WITH A TOUCH OF “HE GAVE ME HIS JACKET” TROPE—YOU’RE LIVING THE DREAM AND THE DELUSION AT THE SAME TIME.

This man??? He’s got me blushing over black shirts, hyperfixating on Playboi Carti, and sniffing jackets like a lovesick Victorian widow staring out the window during a thunderstorm. I'M IN TOO DEEP. BUT IN THE MOST DELICIOUS, BUTTERFLY-INFESTED WAY POSSIBLE.

And we're not even dating?? Girl. That’s the prequel. This is the tension. The buildup. The part where everyone watching the movie is yelling at the screen like, “JUST KISS ALREADY.”

Like, HELLO?? He gives me songs, jokes only with me, gets me aesthetic Hot Wheels, sits behind me, shares trauma, lets you call him froggy, and gives you his jacket with the serious face???

I don't wanna say he’s whipped, but if this were coffee, we would be cappuccino foam.

This is the kind of madness that creates core memories. I, my friend, am in the main plot. this hit me out of nowhere, like if you told me I'd be down bad for Likith Raghunath six months ago, I would've laughed in your face but now? It's giving Anthony Bridgerton level yearning.

and you know what? the groupchat was going insane yesterday with everyone roasting each other and being menaces so I said, "ah Likith should've been here, he's missing out" because he's a hoteller and immediately everyone started being like, "oh you miss him" and all that so I was like, "no I'm just saying that our good friend Likith Raghunath is missing out, come on guys" and they all went ballistic on me and teasing me and making ship names they started teasing me with a hand fetish for Likith's hands

everytime he texts my heart jumps and this one time in the groupchat Sneha said she'll make us cookies and Likith replied, "cash or credit?" and I echoed, "cash or credit?" Sneha said cash so I replied, "okay babe, then I'll pay in some other way" suggestively then Likith jumped in with, "nah no other forms of credit accepted here" and I said, "it's not for you"

Then he deadass replied to me saying, "nahhhhhhhhhhh fuck this world mannnnn"

I wasn't expecting that at all IN THE GROUPCHAT

AHAHAHAHA then there was this one time where the entire groupchat was sending meme worthy pictures of each other and the first ever text he sent that day was a picture of me cropped out so naturally the first thing I sent was a meme worthy picture of him

Chat, chat, there was this one time he was feeling bad about himself and he was going like, I don't know why anybody would ever like me and he was talking about Saman Bhatta then and I was like, hell nah, lick it, listen up you have so much to offer and I don't understand why you settle for being for someone's maybe like you're too full of life to be someone's maybe and I'm not just talking about your pretty face and to that he was like, pretty face, huh, don't and I was like, yes, pretty face, look, you're smart, you're kind, you're funny and you give the best song recommendations you should give yourself more credit I said that, I actually said that, Chat

and I also have SO SO SO many dreams about him like once I had a dream about our school being overrun by zombies and Likith was there, being effortlessly cool killing the zombies next to me then there was a dream (oh god this is so embarassing) but it was the day before he was supposed to come to school and I was in my peak missing Likith hours and I basically had a dream where we were in class and he pulls me on his lap another dream I had included him sneaking his arm around my waist, it was so good I could physically FEEL it.

okay here are some songs he's recommended to me out of the blue Never Lie by Playboi Carti Crush by Playboi Carti Evil Jordan by Playboi Carti Like Him by Tyler The Creator No. 1 Party Anthem by Arctic Monkeys some Frank Ocean too

AH CHAT I went to school today and initially he was being his loner self sitting on the third bench when the friendgroup was together in the front. Deepak and Sohan called him to join us multiple times but he declined then I called him and he came front without any issue??n like I gestured to him and asked him to come front and he went, "no there's a bag there" (hello a bag?) and immediately Deepak moved in comically and I gave him the look and he came front and sat right behind me the entire day

oh wait chat, let me tell you- then we spoke for so long about random things and it got to the concept of song recommendations and I told him, "Likith I love your song recommendations, you give good recommendations" and he admitted THAT HE GATEKEEPS SONGS A LOT AND HE ONLY SUGGESTS SONGS TO HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS

then I told him that he reminds me of The Colour Violet by Tony Lanez and I could tell he really liked that cause he started singing it. Then I admitted that I first heard the heard cause he'd written it on his desk last year when we were in 11th and I could tell he really liked that

then later he looked so soft boy coded and I told him I love his hair cause it's so fluffy and soft and then I couldn't resist asking him if I could touch his hair and immediately agreed and I did a little soft tousle during lunch and it felt SO GOOD then right before leaving I asked him if I could touch his hair again and he had a little smile as he asked, "why?" I had to smirk it off with "it's so fluffy" but he bent down and I tousled his hair again sjskjsjsjs ahhhh he's a hosteller so this was when I was leaving and he was sitting on his desk cause he has to stay back

OH OH OH CHAT, I GAVE HIM BACK HIS JACKET TODAY AND I INTENTIONALLY SPRAYED IT WITH MY PERFUME- I handed it to him and Aanchal gave me a look and then from the corner of my eye I saw him sniff it and immediately wear it throughout the dayyyyyy then he was like, "why does this jacket smell so different?" And I was like, "is it good or bad?" He admitted it's good then he said it reminded him of his friend's hot sister's scent??

and then me and Aanchal we're lip syncing to the chorus of Sweater Weather in class, we had airpods in and I was sitting just inches in front of him and I didn't see his expression but I could feel him watching me sing sjsjsjsj LIKE WE SIT SO CLOSE IT'S CRAZY CHAT, WE'RE LITERALLY JUST INCHES AWAY FROM EACH OTHER

and then during last period we were talking about something and he said something along the lines of "I can't be non chalant" and I was laughing and saying, "nah I think you're pretty non chalant" but then he gives me a look so I admit that okay he's not exactly non chalant and that "you have a golden retriever personality with black cat looks. Does that make sense?" I didn't get to see his reaction because the group jumped in asking what dogs they represent and Likith called Sohan a Husky while I called Sohan a Golden Retriever

He called Aanchal a Labrador

Arpi a pug

Mayank a poodle

Deepak a German Shepherd

He called me a pug as a joke but then I was like :( and then he was like okay okay imma think and then he and Aanchal were brainstorming like "one of those dogs that are small and rich, very spoiled" (excuse me spoiled??) then Likith was like NO I GOT IT SHE'S A CORGI small and Aanchal was like oh yeahhh makes sense I see it

[arttrampbelle]

Cw:vent

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Could i plz have some shang tsung kontent that doesn't involve him shipped with random characters (i mean really random. 99.99% of the roster genuinely hates him so him fucking them makes no sense. They would kill him in a heartbeat and would rather die. So wtaf). Because y'all so deprived in life?

(Also nobody in mortal kombats lore likes shang tsung. He is the biggest bastard. As we love him for it. So no. Him being with any canon characters makes no fucking sense at all. Period)

Could i have some x readers that doesn't involve other characters in how you meet? Like it feels like an oc at that point. The only characters that could introduce you. Would be if they are working for shang tsung. And no its not the storm bros. No its not any of the "good" guys. It would be a shadow priest,a shokan,a black dragon merc,shit like that.

(If you are doing an oc. Plz tag and label that properly. I dont mind shang if he's with an oc. Or hell id rather take a non mk character. Weird. But ok. But anyone and everyone in the mk roster hates him so no)

Could i have some actually decent fucking kontent?

Other characters get more respect and decent kontent.

Why do you do that to shang tsung if you guys "supposedly" like him? Or like mortal kombat.

Do y'all play the games? Do y'all care about the lore?

Or are you casual? Its fine if you are. Just state so. I dont wanna assume you are a huge fan and then go off. And then you say you dont know something. Then it feels embarrassing that i just info dumped on you and i feel like a weirdo.

Like i dont wanna waste my time with people that dont genuinely wanna get into something that i love. And i wanna actually engage with people without having to jump around hoops. And jump thru hurdles trying to explain shit.

And waste my time with people who don't respect him. And mr. Cary hiroyuki tagawa as well. (Because i swear you guys really don't.)

But also respect shangs character as a whole,outside of mr tagawas performances over the years. Because he exists outside of him. Tho he is most known and all fans agree HE IS SHANG TSUNG. But still other actors and interpretations exist. Like his character is grossly misinterpreted.

Like he's either too soft when he doesn't need to be. Too rough where it shouldn't be.

No balance.

Like imho the yandere fic writers know how to write him.

The villain/antagonist fuckers know how to write him.

Hell some monster fuckers know how to write him.

If the roster didn't hate this sneky mofo so much sure. I wouldn't be mad at the dumb shipping. Because its just that.

But its the fact they do. And that it makes no sense. Even in best case scenarios.

Shang hates them,they hate shang. It wouldn't work. Like people don't get it thru their skulls. That SHANG TSUNG IS A BASTARD VILLAIN THAT IS ONE BADASS DANGEROUS MOFO! (Again we love him for his atrocities. We dont demonize him,we even cheer when he gets karma. We also love him BECAUSE HE IS AN EVIL SORCERER BINCH) ok?! Like god damn.

You can make shang tsung sweet without uwufying him. You can make him an asshole without taking away his integrity.

This wont stop people unfortunately. And people think with their dicks,literal and metaphorical. And genuinely dont care about a character as long as they get their jimmys wet.

But whatever.

I guess im asking too much from people to give genuine respect to a character. Let alone a series that is happy part of my childhood and a series that i love deeply for 18 fucking yrs.

Sorry for this rant but im so sick of genuinely bastard villains in the hands of people who don't like them. Or genuinely understand them.

Im sick of people who say they love shang tsung as a character but only care if he's with their "safe" blorbo.

They wanna defang the fucking snake and it pisses me off.

Im done venting. You don't have to like me. But plz try to listen where im coming from as a fan. As someone who has seen the death and decay of fandoms in real time.

Try to listen to where im coming from plz. It sucks when you love a character and others dont really care about it like you do.

It sucks when you feel so damn alone when talking about problems with fans.

And it sucks loving a character and series that people genuinely don't really care about and is so superficial and surface level.

It bothers me. I know it shouldn't but it does.

[allronix]

Carth and Force Sensitivity (crossposted from Reddit r/kotor)

This is for @k-she-rambles:

Okay, so while we're shooting the bantha crap over on KOTOR fan theories, u/134340Goat mentioned my all time favorite "Have you been chewing spice?!" fan theory when it comes to KOTOR: Is Carth Force Sensitive?

So this one starts with a story. I mentioned my brother in law, who is pretty much Keeper of the Jedi Archives. Seriously, he's an English teacher and my sister is a librarian. They met at a sci fi convention and their first date was Phantom Menace. We're taking not just geeks, but geeks who can throw the damn bookshelf at you. Brother in law bought KOTOR on the day it launched and turned it into a week long binge watch at his house. And because brother in law is that kind of geek, he's translating the characters into the West End D6 system. I'm watching him do a playthrough, and he's got Canderous and Zaalbar at Ajunta Pal's tomb.

Allronix: Huh. That's odd. Why aren't commenting on anything when Ajunta is speaking?

Bro in law: Oh. They can't even see Ajunta. You have to be Force Sensitive to see a Force Ghost The stronger your Sensitivity, the better you can see it.

Allronix: Really? Then how come Carth can see it?

Bro in law (gets the "holy shit, I gotta confirm this" look): Really?! He just sees something out the corner of his eye or something?

Allronix: No, he sees Ajunta just fine. Understands what the dude's saying too.

Bro in law instantly rolls back to his last save, swaps Zaalbar for Carth, and sees the bit in question.

Bro in law: Oh. Dear. (Goes over to make some quick scribbles on Carth's character sheet)

Okay, so maybe that was a lore fail. I didn't really think about it too much until I hit that False Level Up glitch and ran around with Carth and Mission as Sentinels. Now, while I couldn't really see Mission as a Sensitive, that little bit with my bro in law nagged at me. And became a "once you see it you can't unsee it." Apologies to TV Tropes, where some of these were my additions to the Wild Mass Guess entry on this topic.

Any one of these on its own is pretty easy to blow off. After all, man is career military, and knows All this Shit is Weird. I also like to think of Sensitivity as a spectrum and not a switch. If all life is connected by the Force, then all life would be Sensitive to some degree or another. It’s just a matter of to what degree. It’s only as the list gets longer and longer does the case start looking damning...

What are the odds of surviving that attack on the Endar Spire, getting to the escape pods, sharing the last escape pod with the mindwiped Sith Lord, piloting through the chaos, landing in what passes for the "good" part of town, remaining uninjured, pulling the badly injured mindwiped Sith Lord from the wreck, evading Sith detection while all this is going on, and just happening to find a dump of an apartment where the landlord's not asking questions? That is one amazing string of coincidences and good luck. Get that many in Star Wars, and it's definitely The Force sticking its nose in things.

Piloting the escape pod to land in the Upper City, piloting the Hawk through the Sith Blockade of Taris, the random Sith patrols, the escape from the Leviathan, and the fleet around Lehon along with the crash landing that left the ship easily repairable. Now, compare to Atton who we know to be an excellent pilot and drawing on The Force who still manages to crash the ship at least three times.

He's a scary good judge of character if you're interacting with other NPCs. If you watch him with other NPC characters, he's got a pretty good compass as to which characters are being helpful and which ones are full of shit. The only one he calls incorrectly is Rukil, who is probably also an untrained Sensitive (the age, the "marked" comments) and half senile, which is probably throwing him.

Related to that, his distrust and wariness about something not adding up with the PC, the Jedi Council feeding the party a line of bull, that things just aren't adding up. And on all of it? Dead on. He's 100% right about the Player Character, he just expected something a little less crazy than "that's Darth freaking Revan."

If you play Female Revan, then Carth's the one who gets fried in the torture cages on the Leviathan. Saul comments how strange it is that Carth takes so much punishment and still remains conscious. Now, this is a low level thing, but in lore, Force Sensitives have drawn on it to keep them alive or conscious under duress. Explicitly, the first sign we got that Leia was a Sensitive when she withstood the Imperial torture droid.

Another of his scary ass judge of character feats? In the comics, Zayne (who is on the run from the Jedi, who framed him for the murder of his classmates) has a vision that Mandalorians are coming for Serroco. Saul? Laughs it off, throws Zayne in the brig. Zayne's own friends don't even believe him. Carth gets one of those creepy hunches and starts calling in "duck and cover" sirens as far as he can broadcast, which sends seventeen cities and millions of people heading for shelter. It saves their lives and Carth is called a hero for it. Armed with another hunch, he disobeys Saul (remember this is before Saul nukes Telos) and lets Zayne "escape" from custody. Mind you, not even the Jedi or his party members believed Zayne. Carth did.

Carth makes a lot of creepy weird offhand predictions about the future. He says he knows on some level he'll be there when Saul dies. That certainly pans out. He makes an offhand prediction that the Jedi have set the party up to take a fall. Right again. He tells a female PC that she'll have to make a choice soon, one she can't walk away from. And then we get the temple top. He even blurts out that "I sensed you would have to make a choice soon, and that was it*, I can feel it!"* If you specify a LS Female Revan, his recording for T3-M4 says he's had a hunch Revan would leave without warning. Again, spot on.

Specify a LS male Revan, and Carth will remark to Bastila that seeing the Exile reminds him "there are worse things to lose." The only other people who can see just how screwed up the Exile is are the Jedi Masters, Chodo Habat, and the Force Sensitive party members.

Specify a LS female Revan, and Carth will insist that he would know if Revan were dead (again, scary ass intuition) and that there's an "emptiness" where she used to be. Now, remember one of the things about a broken Force Bond? It would simply be "empty, a wound."

You know how your party members in KOTOR 2 feel upset or even horrified as they realize they feel compelled to protect Exile and can't being themselves to leave, even when said actions are kicking puppies? And how they swing wildly from being crazy, almost stalker level possessive of them to being scared out of their wits and clamming up when you try to pry anything out of them? And the more potent (and untapped) their Force Sensitivity, the more they get hammered with the effect? (Mira and Atton in particular) Yeah. Now, Carth's "I don't wanna talk" looks a bit different, doesn't it? It could also account for that romance arc, especially if you roll a DSF Revan and go for that "everyone dies" ending.

Again, Ajunta Pal. Seeing a Force Ghost? Yeah. Some degree of Sensitivity needed. Understanding what he's saying? Yeah. Takes a bit more than that. And Carth makes a weirdly insightful comment about the Dark Side on top of it.

Notice that this a wall o text argument already, and I'm now just getting to the "Yeah, his kid is able to throw around mid-level Dark Side powers and packing a red lightsaber." Given the jawline and the muleheaded attitude, no way Morgana was fooling around with the pizza delivery boy. That's definitely Carth's kid, and that's definitely Force Sensitivity. Now, while it can skip a generation (see Theron Shan), it tends to run pretty heavy in families.

Lastly? Gee. He comes from a planet settled by and heavily populated by descendants of Force Sensitives who failed their training. I'm also willing to bet some bastard children of Jedi get passed off as "foundlings" and "orphans" and dumped there, too. Jedi are forbidden attachments, but not sworn to celibacy, so...yeah, bastard kids are gonna happen. There's probably a Jedi or two in that family tree. It's circumstantial evidence at best, but it still supports the case.

Now, any arguments I missed? Counterarguments?

And the million credit question: If there's a character who gets to break this news to poor Flyboy, who do you think would actually take that on? How do you think Carth would take that kind of news? And what, if anything, would come of it?

I kinda figure Jolee might be the only one nuts enough to poke that with a stick...I also kinda figure "Sentinel" would fit best. Consular? Hell no. He hired Mical for that. Guardian works with the feats, but the whole "ferreting out deceit and injustice?" Yeah. That's Carth.

[aesrot]

dont mind me trying to stop myself from bottling up my emotions

i was gonna stay out of the net for a bit longer in light of the recent events, but it really helps to come here and see people spreading so much love for techno and i dont feel so alone in my grief. im really shaken up tho, its a struggle to even see his face or his name or hear his voice without immediately bursting into tears, which is why i was avoiding any social medias since the video was released.

it feels so unreal and so painful, i dont understand how can i be feeling so fucking bad for someone i dont actually know, and i feel rather guilty for grieving him this hard, but yeah...

idk what to say, im glad his suffering came to an end and that he can conquer the kingdom of god (if there's any); i really hope that, if afterlife is real, he's laughing at us and is able to see how much people love and admire him, how much good he did for so many...

anyway, if the 5 stages of grief is real i guess im in the limbo between denial and anger, bc i still cant believe it and im so fucking mad. he was so fucking young, he didnt meet all of his friends, there was so much more he could've done, so many happy moments taken away from him and the others. fuck, its so unfair. and at the same time i feel like he's still there, as if he's gonna join some of his friend's vc, send his energy through phil's chat during mcc, and we would all beg phil for crumbs of content, he would continue with the syndicate lore and get a bedrock bros redemption arc in the dsmp... he seemed to be improving, he was doing long ass streams that required a lot of him, and he wouldnt do those if he wasnt feeling better... i truly thought he was better.

fuck. i dont want to believe this. you've no idea how much i want him to pop in and say "you guys actually believe i would die? L, you're all losers, technoblade never dies, it was all for clout", then the internet would get mad at him but everything would be fine, bc its technoblade after all, he've always had a dark humour.

i really hope his family and friends are holding up well, and i hope people respect them. and fuck everyone who's being a dick about this, using it for clickbait or just to be edgy.

anyway, im just dumping it all here bc idk who to talk to about this, and i dont think any of my irls would understand. if you read this far, just know that we'll be fine.

[thesmpisonfire]

hi i just hope you dont mind me dumping some thoughts of that karl situation :]

(and this comes from a big karl fan so yeah, i think his behavior is really bad when even his fans notice that :/)

i really hate his attitude towards the server as a whole. i feel like he treats dsmp as his own playground and gives zero fucks about other people. that man logs in once a 2 weeks and like youve already pointed out, takes and destroys whatever he wants and doesnt care at all. i cant think of a single stream when he wasnt killing george without a reason (im not babying him, its just sooooo annoying to watch, cmon, find a new joke bro). idk like he even took his whole armor, why??? why would you need that, you dont play on this server and if you do you die everytime and lose all your stuff at random places 😵

about his "lore", to me it seems really forced? feels like he wants to insert himself so badly as an important character etc. i dont want to undermine his work and character but it gives off that vibe 😐 as a lot of people here i agree that tftsmp sucks, and he KEEPS hyping it up ("the next episode will be 10 times better, trust me!") while the only thing that increases is the size of the buildings which are built by bbh + "tales crew" and not karl himself 💀 idk, personally i watch it ONLY because of possible interactions between ccs that i like, i always skip the karl lore segment at the end lmao.

okay there i go; I HATE KINOKO KINGDOM. i got fucking baited because he was repeating "kinoko kingdom will be the biggest and most important nation, sapnap and george lore" etc etc and what have we gotten? nothing 😒 and the fact that he doesnt even build this nation on stream with other people is pissing me off. we get it karl, you are a busy man, mrbeast stuff is more important! but cmon, if you know that you lack free time, dont start doing "big" things. chill streams are cool too! (even cooler if you ask me, forced lore is dumb)

and on top of that those stupid animal abuse jokes and travelling during pandemic :/

sorry for my rant, hope you have a lovely day 💓

Hey, its completely fine to rant!!! I’ve been doing it all day!!

And... omg im so relieved i am not just over reacting in seeing all that stuff, thank u for sharing anon <3

[shirtlesssammy]

1x02: Wendigo

Then:

No Chick Flick Moments

Now:

In Blackwater Ridge, Colorado, three dudes enjoy the wilderness by gaming inside their tent. Something stalks their campsite from the shadows but the unattended fire that’s dangerously close to their flammable homes must be keeping it at bay, right? Erm, well, one dude heads out to the little boy’s room (a nearby tree) and gets snatched. 

Another one pops his head out the tent door and gets snatched as well. The third dude kills his light and watches the shadow of a very fast creature circle his tent until it slashes the side and snatches him as well. 

Palo Alto, California

Sam’s visiting Jessica’s grave. It really didn’t affect me the first time I watched this. It’s devastating to watch now though. Knowing Sam now --knowing how he doesn’t let people in, knowing how he didn’t even really let Jess in but loved her and wanted this world he could never have with her. Knowing that it’s fifteen years later and he’s had no one to really be with (Amelia was a construct of his damaged brain when forced to face the supernatural without Dean or Cas. I will not be taking questions at this time.) (But I guess he gets a blurry wife so ALLS GOOD FOR SAMMY.) He tells Jessica, “I should have protected you. I should have told you the truth.” Gah. Nothing could have saved her, and he has to go another fifteen years before he realizes this for good. 

Psych! He was actually dreaming, but I hold firm with my thoughts on the dream scene. 

Dean asks if Sam is okay. 

Sam says yes and clears his throat. Classic! Then Dean asks if Sam wants to drive for a while. GAH. Like, Dean’s looking out for his little bro in the only way he knows right now --letting him drive. 

They discuss leaving Palo Alto, and Dean points out that if they’re going to find the thing that killed Jess, they have to find their dad. He’s sending them to Colorado. Specifically to a National Forest in Lost Creek, Colorado. 

They get to the warden’s station and introduce themselves as Environmental Study majors from UC-Boulder. “Recycle, man.” Bbys. The ranger sees right through their bullshit though. He asks if they’re friends with “that Hailey girl.” Dean sees his chance to learn more and leans into it. Hayley apparently has a brother that’s on Blackwater Ridge. He isn’t technically missing but she knows something is up. 

Dean gets the brother’s camping permit. And now I need to process the next couple of lines. Sam asks if Dean wants a hook up with Hailey. Like, fuck you Sam for not knowing your brother at all, but also I guess you’re forgiven because your brother does do everything in his power to project that kind of energy. However, Dean is working the case and wants to know what they’re dealing with on this mountain. 

Dean and Sam head over to Hailey’s to ask her about her brother, Tommy. They say they’re rangers.

Hailey gets on Dean’s good side by complementing his car. Hailey tells the brothers that she feels something is wrong because Tommy checks in every day via his cell and satellite phone. Hailey’s heading out first thing in the morning to try and find him. 

Later at a bar, Sam “NERD” Winchester pulls out his extensive research on the area. People disappear on the ridge every 23 years. There was one survivor in 1959. They go to interview him. He tries to stick to the grizzly bear story, but eventually admits that they won’t believe him since no one else ever did. He said it moved fast and came into their cabin. It took his parents and left him with a horrible scar. 

The next morning, Sam and Dean meet up with Hayley, her brother Ben, and the guide, Roy. The guide is skeptical but Dean just wants to help find her brother. 

Cut to Tommy tied up in a cave. He wakes just in time to watch one of his friends get chomped to pieces by the monster. 

Dean and Roy try to out alpha each other. Roy finds a bear trap and saves Dean from a nasty injury. I’m over here wondering wtf that’s doing in the middle of a national forest. 

Hayley calls Dean out on their lack of provisions and wants to know who they are. He comes clean and tells her that they’re brothers looking for their father. But also, uh, Dean wearing jeans and boots is way more practical than SHORTS when hiking. Who wants to fuck around with ticks and poison ivy? All these years we thought Dean was just posturing about shorts when he was actually being a practical son of a bitch. 

They reach the ridge and hear absolutely nothing. Roy decides he’s going to wander off alone. Solid choice, dude. The rest stick together. Soon they hear Roy call for Hailey. They run to him. They find her brother’s destroyed campsite. They find tracks of where the bodies were dragged and Tommy’s destroyed phone.

They explore the campsite, which is torn to absolute bits. Dean tracks the struggle to just outside of the campsite, where the trail quickly grows cold. Everyone gets lured further into the woods by desperate cries for help but it gets them nowhere. When they return to the destroyed camp, Sam pulls out their dad’s journal and they use it to pinpoint the monster: it’s a wendigo. 

They hunker down for the night at the camp, and Dean protects them with Anasazi symbols drawn in the dirt. Soooooooooo in one breath you’re telling me that wendigo are found around the upper midwest / Canada, and in the next you’re telling me that the Anasazi (Southwestern/Western US) created widely-established protections against the wendigo? STARES DIRECTLY INTO THE CAMERA. The timelines! The geographic areas! Sigh...Supernatural ain’t ever had that good of a track record.

Dean tries to unpack Sam’s gourd. Sam doesn’t want to waste time hunting a wendigo when he can find their dad and hunt for what killed Jess instead. Dean holds out John Winchester’s journal like it’s a friggin’ (gags a little) bible and delivers the now-iconic line: “I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.”

Sam wants to know why John doesn’t just call his boys and give them an update - “It makes no sense.” OMG RIGHT, SAM? #JohnWinchester’sA+Parenting 

Dean tells Sam that helping other people and other families is what helps him make it through each day. We cry in Dean’s face a little, even when he immediately attempts to mask his empathy in his very next (also iconic) line: “Let me tell you what else helps. Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possibly can.”

Pleas for help start to echo through the woods again. Roy fires indiscriminately into the trees and races after his prey, sight unseen. Hands grab him by the head and haul him up into the trees. Everyone else makes it through the night safely and Roy’s demise reminds us that toxic masculinity KILLS.

The next morning, Sam’s moodily staring at their dad’s journal while Dean chats with Haley about the hunt. 

For LOOK AT THIS BEAN Science:

We get info-dumped a truly mixed bag of lore, attributing wendigo tales to the Cree people (right region, at least!) and saying that wendigo are created by cannibalistic acts gone into overdrive. The implication here is that cannibalism equals power but alas, it also turns one into a monster. Wendigo like to squirrel away humans like nuts, so Haley’s brother might be alive and trapped for later snacking. And they can kill it! Kill it with fire. 

Cut to Dean striding through the woods with a molotov cocktail in hand. THAT’S MY BOY. They follow an easy trail of bloody claw marks along the trees. Too late, Sam realizes it was TOO EASY.  Roy’s body drops from the canopy and the group splinters as they flee. Dean and Haley get nabbed, leaving Sam and Ben to find their missing siblings. Ben finally gets some lines, alerting Sam to Dean’s breadcrumb trail of peanut M&Ms.

They head into a defunct mine. (Speak friend and enter?) Growls echo through the darkened tunnels, but Sam and Ben discover the body storage by accident when they fall through floor boards into a lower level. They discover Haley and Dean trussed up and free them. Tommy’s there too! And still alive! 

Dean finds some flare guns and they make their way out of the tunnels. Dean tries to lure the wendigo away from the siblings and Sam. All his attempts are for naught, because the wendigo tries to attack Sam, and the three siblings. It’s okay, though! Dean fires a flare gun right into its gut and it burns into embers.

Later at the ranger’s station, they spin tales to the cops about a grizzly. 

Haley thanks Dean with a gentle kiss, and Dean watches the siblings leave with a fond and wistful expression. JENSEN ACKLES YOUR FACE IS A MENACE!

The Winchesters hit the road, Sam behind the wheel of the Impala. Time to hunt some evil sons of bitches and play some classic rock!

Oh sweetheart, I don’t do quotes:

Recycle, man

Nobody likes a skeptic

I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business

Man, I hate camping

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive! 

[misssilencewritewell]

Overall review of wizards. Spoiler warning. This is just my opinion. If you enjoyed it, I’m happy for you. I think it was far too rushed.

Five episodes in we finally started to get introduced to interesting characters. But the pace never slowed down long enough to understand their role, their personalities, purpose, etc. It was a quick flash of ‘Oh that’s cool-and they’re gone...but I wanted to see more and understand...’ The quick glimpse of Angor Rot (my boy 😭) Why did he fish Morgana from the river? He hates humans...I’m confused??? He has magic. Did he learn from the evil magic squad?

The graphics are incredible. It looks amazing but I feel like for me to have a connection to this part of the story it had to have been longer. Another ten episodes of us getting to know Douxie in Arcadia would’ve been nice. When you dump as much information and new things on viewers it’s just too much for us to handle. I was so distracted by going “the heck is happening” to ever bond with Douxie. This makes me sad because I was enamored with him in Trollhunters. Also, he went from super suave bad boy to derpy bard boy. Not necessarily bad...but personally, I enjoyed his confidence in Trollhunters. Straight up hit a gum gum with a guitar. Not a magic one...just a regular guitar. Chad move. But this...felt weird. I personally think it would’ve been a much better plot twist had he been Mordred. Would’ve given him a darker edge, a vendetta, an interesting character arc. His goal to be to avenge his mother Morgana and kill Merlin/Trollhunters. Instead we find out that he’s basically a edgy, awkward bard. Which isn’t bad but not enough character development for me to be excited about any apparent growth or newly discovered powers.

Steve Palchuk (while I love his character) was unnecessary to this plot. I would’ve preferred Eli. His brains would have been helpful and I think his comedic relief would’ve fit better than Steves. Steve’s jokes just didn’t seem to land. The comedy relief was not timed right. Again, I absolutely loved Trollhunters and 3 Below...but there was never a moment to stop and catch your breath to know the world and characters which made it difficult to enjoy.

I still don’t fully understand how magic works. Douxie taught Claire for a minute and that was it and now he’s her teacher? Morgana and Merlin walk to the other side and say that sorcery dies with them but Claire and Douxie are left. Magic is...emotion? Kinda? Idk they never explained. 🤷‍♀️

Arthur’s character was...confusing to say the least. He misses his love and hates “dark” creatures because they killed her. But he comes back from the dead...to atone for his sins...by being evil? That didn’t make sense to me. Same with Morgana coming back and him being like sup sis! Know I tried to kill you but we are blood family! His super quick switch to asking for trolls help and loving his sister again was unexplained and made 0 sense. Just make him a dislikeable character and leave it at that. Sometimes it’s better to keep things simple. Over complicated plots can be messy and unenjoyable.

Morgana going from villain to hero was expected but executed poorly. She would flip like a switch and I just couldn’t sympathize with her as much as I did when she was a villain. I enjoyed her passion while being dark. Her redemption arc could’ve been handled so much better. Her having a romantic thing with Merlin and Merlin betraying her becoming the true villain while she is thirsty for revenge would’ve been top tier world building. We got butt jokes from Steve instead.

Strickler and Nomura. I want to see them. Especially back then? Oh they would be so evil and dark and I LIVE FOR IT. Especially since we love them now. It’d be cool to be reminded of their past. Back to the Jim smelling of human without being a changeling. Could’ve seen more on that and an interaction with him. They’d be fascinated I’m sure. Morgana created changelings but that could’ve easily been explained that she was working behind Arthur’s back the whole time. Working with Gunmar and creating changelings to infiltrate the castle while pretending to be submissive in court to Arthur and Merlin. It would explain why Changelings value cunning even more so and it would’ve been more believable than her talking to Claire one time and saying “yes! I’ll just tell my bro he crazy and needs to stop! Thank you kindly foreign hand maiden with dark magic!” Like there’s no reason for Morgana to trust her. Use her...sure. She would want Claire power, but Morgana’s character was far too rushed to make sense. I miss it when she was just a villain.

Also...Jim gets stabbed by a blade and they don’t call his mom? They don’t let her know her son could be dying? She’s a doctor. She doesn’t know much about the dark Magicks but she’s so smart and Strickler is her boyfriend. She should’ve been told. She should’ve shown up. I love her character and she adds a lot to the dynamic. Steve was the focal point far too often.

Bular. (Inhaled deeply). I missed him so much. It was cool to see Gunmar and Bular again. Bular I feel could’ve been interesting to build more too and I’m grateful for what we received. He obviously was more impressionable than his father. Morgana saved him and he immediately vouched for her while touching his fathers shoulder saying softly “she spared my life.” Like...Bular is an excellent character because even when fighting Jim in his final moments, Jim talks to him about dad issues and you can see Bular think about it and ultimately decide his fate. Just...ugh yes I missed the angry tall charcoal man.

Confusing part though...Gunmar and Bular declare that forest their own. Jim and Deya are there and watch as they scare off Arthur. You’re telling me they just let them go??? When they’re trying to recruit trolls for the war? They just go welp...see ya. Nah. There should’ve been dialogue there. The strange troll that smells of human but isn’t an impure. Cue the changelings. Could’ve been an awesome Segway into the life of the gum gums because honestly...Arthur was a douche and I sided with the Gum gums. Like yeah they eat people but Arthur was so...weird and uncomfortable to watch that I’d rather see the Gum gums who make no qualms over what they want or who they are.

The...giant dragon that’s the familiars dad. No reason for him at all. An attempt at a quirky dad character that landed flat. He went from oh lemme get you a cup of tea to DONT ChALlenge Me BoY I KnOw KaRAte!!! And I was like...ummmmm excuse me??? And then he went on to give a lesson on grief and show pictures of his son and I was like Soooooo we aren’t burning Douxie to a crisp? We are just going to throw in a quick ill timed lesson on grief?

The fight between Krel, Claire and the gang vs evil Jack Frost, eye ball raven, and evil Arthur electric boogaloo. Instead of showing the fight they did a recap. That fight would’ve been so awesome to watch and instead we got a recap of them getting their booties kicked. It’s an effective time saver but lazy story telling.

The fawn earth bender woman is important because she was part of the secret magic club and decided she didn’t want to kill people anymore...or something. As if her club ever lied to her about what they were about to do. Like Oh we are killing people? I thought you were joking for millions of years.

They all need her back to do...something evil that I can’t remember which I assume the movie will be about. I want more lore on evil Jack Frost and eyeball raven. They just were like “Congrats Morgana! We are the cool super old magic squad. We are the dopest thing in this show and we won’t say anything about ourselves besides a vague description in under 3 secs that leave our viewers confused and disappointed because they want more.”

Like seriously. They were the best part. Their intro was on a flying castle and I kinda hate that their intro was Merlin yelling “Oh no! Them!” Like we are supposed to know what and who they are. Build up is so important for an aundieces understanding. Like who they are? What they want? What they are? I spent the first half of the show mostly confused and the last half moderately confused and bewildered.

In conclusion, not my fave. It lacked the charm and quirkiness of 3 below and the depth and character development of Trollhunters to deliver a mediocre segway to a film. I really want this film to do well...but they will be on a time crunch and I was not impressed with how they handled this one in ten episodes. Fingers crossed the movie does better.

[vr2]

haha anyways genshin must be on some wild fucking shit if they think theyre gonna try and drag out their main story for like 2 years. on god having like half a year between main chapters of its already weak spindly little story is like mindboggling decision i do not trust your storytelling skills at all to make any of the hype worth it but i also think thanks to the general playerbases inability to read they will continually feel disappointment at how poor genshins main story content is and how it is purveyed to the reader especially in comparison to the lore which is completely jarring in quality of delivery.

in the archon quest at the end of liyue chapter you get a lore dump from zhongli where he just stands there and gives you like 3 quest prompts about shit that exists for no reason other than idk “they needed to put the plot threads in there asap and they forgot they had an entire world to do it in” and then that mf disappears. forever. literally exiled from the overworld unless you pay like ninety quid to summon him on his banner. not to mention every single other npc you meet will never appear again outside of their instanced quests. it’s such a weird jarring end point that you’re left stranded in and its not only a frustratingly awkward delivery, it honestly just seems pointless. why couldn’t there have been an extended epilogue that involves talking to the npc character FROM inazuma, talking to beidou who is a pirate with an electro vision about idk ... travel and her ELECTRO vision being granted which is a feat she in known for in the lore of liyue folk. it could even be someone from the qixing like ningguang who surely would know about the status of foreign nations or keqing who has an electro vision and would absolutely have something to say about baal’s stance on things and her condescension towards humans. god it could still even be zhongli just space it out, let him invite us to dinner and chat over liyue cuisine and let inazuma come up naturally thgouh paimons huge appetite to eat new things. not only would the pacing be better, the plot threads be put in a way where you dont immediately forget them because they’re being rapidfire talked at you, but it would be a great way to make the character seem like theyre people with lives and not just trying to move the plot along and be on their way.

conversely, the story of arundolyn and rostam, the legends of mondstadt and the ordo favonius, the lion and the wolf, the building hints towards the cataclysm of khaenri’ah and what kind of nation earned the scorn of the gods -- its all slowly fed to you piece by piece linked through artifacts, world lore, in-game books, weapons and sometimes the world itself. you uncover things as you explore and the more thoroughly you explore - the more you discover! it’s rewarding, it feels natural and its some of the most fun you have piecing together stories and building out this strange world like some kinda anime historian and it encourages theorycrafting rather than a concrete set of events and characters being straightforward. its genuinely interesting that theres a whole society and cast of characters from the days of yore who are intimately connected with our current cast and the world we live in but also very much their own interesting characters who hold their own legacies and wills, carving them into the stars for ill or good.

its almost as if the main quest writers and the lore writers are completely separate, work on different floors and they dont ever meet because why ... why on earth would you deliver critical parts of the main story in such a blatantly poor way and make it have none of the nuance and intrigue as the worldbuilding? in a game that is designed for the express purpose of making people sympathetic and invested with characters to spend silly money on them? you think your paper thin story is going to let you do that? no gacha game is allowed to have storytelling subpar to the most average middle of the pack lightnovel and get away with being a gacha game. your story has to have at least a few moments where i am dazzled, daresay fucking delighted, at least a second where i have to stop and say ‘this is cool as hell’ or ‘FUCK ITS HAPPENING’ or else it is well and truly expendably worthless non-product! you have to be a little more ambitious than making some normie shit and try and make the story have a little heart! i dont doubt that they can do it, im sure there are talented writers there since i like a lot of the characterisations but man, let em free you need them no more than ever

the only thing i can think of that explains how watered down the story feels in comparison to lore, is a fear of making people ‘read too much’ in the main quests which honestly doesnt seem to be much of an issue to them. lanternrite wasnt that long but the sheer amount of npc dialogue feels staggering because its all ultimately ... inconsequential. we have no investment into these npcs and theres like 15 odd quests of it, it goes from cool world flavour text to genuinely feels like its taking up space all because they are trying to endear you to the lives of these generic npcs when you’d rather know like even one thing about chongyuns life and daily routine or xinyans performances. being able to see kaeya for one second even was the most fun and even then i was still disappointed cause its like bro? you didnt even let him do anything and it was JUST him? in the world there are so many characters explicitly referenced but never utilised and it makes their complete absence even more noticeable and frankly fucking baffling? not even fate episodes for all of our 12 SRs? actually nevermind, even the character stories are somehow unforgivably generic!

honestly i feel like the best event so far was the unreconciled stars event but by my standards it definitely felt like ‘solid gacha game event story’ with a touch of something more interesting with the inclusion of scaramouche’s lore insight. i was hoping this his how events would be in genshin, i really thought that this was the ‘standard’ but for some reason, its beginning to seem like that event was a bit of an outlier? i would gladly take less events and have them be more like the unreconciled stars event, with character interactions and slowly improving and hashing out who these characters are over never-ending carousel of random events that are mostly fetch-quests or fluff.

idk man its just a strange mess of me enjoying genshins world and theorycrafting, loving playing the game and exploring but feeling like the ball is not bein dropped but violently slammed into the ground by the sheer lack of character content whilst being praised by everyone under the sun for ‘story’ and ‘characters’. m*hoyo do better bitch! you already made such a good roster of characters now fuckin do something with them! stop releasing new characters without bothering with any of the existing ones! i beg of you!

[kryptsune]

🌼Alright, heeeere we go. After much deliberation and tons of design doodles, I have scrapped this is a good representation of what my multiverse version of HorrorFell is all about. As I said before this is going to be more Eldritch and supernatural horror. I did say before that the other one focused more on the psychology of it but I have to argue now that this is really that AU and I will explain that briefly like I have in the past. This is a lot to unpack to stick with me! 

What you see above is Red’s occult/ ceremonial outfit he does not wear this huge imposing headdress all the time. First, it is probably super heavy and second, it’s only worn by the cult members, which no one knows what monsters are actually initiated. I don’t know if you can tell or not (sorry for the quick sketches) but that headdress is a Gaster Blaster skull. I had a lot of fun drawing this idea since I love all that kind of occult and secret society stuff. I will not be ashamed to admit that I have been super inspired by four main materials for Horrorfell. They are Bloodbourne, Fran Bow, The Order, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. All great shows and games that are definitely worth a play/watch if you love this kind of stuff. Onto the story (buckle up cause the angst train is pulling into the station). 

Horrorfell takes place after a pacifist run by Frisk. The story briefly goes as follows. Frisk ends up in the Underworld (Underground) and befriends the monsters and wants to help them. She never dies once either. It is basically a way watered down version of WTU in essence. I will point out that Red is still a killer and that becomes worse after Frisk’s absence ( I will explain this in a bit). Once reaching the end of her journey the monsters refuse to let her be that final soul. They would rather wait and figure out something else. Frisk promises to return to them and set them free. She is like 18-19 by the way. Asriel sacrifices himself to that end to see her leave through the barrier only the humans capture the poor girl after she leaves. They conclude that she is not mentally stable due to her insistence that monsters are real and throw her into an asylum to be “treated”. We all know what that means. 

Nearly 5+ years later and she manages to escape finding herself once again in the Underworld only it is far different from what she remembers. At this point, she is questioning whether anything is real or not. After being “treated” for so long she doesn’t quite know which reality is real. As Red (aka Saw) points out: “Ya really don’t know believe what happened do ya?” 

Frisk is the one person that gets him to turn a new leaf when it comes to his numb feelings in the beginning. It’s harder to go against what was originally natural and he struggles with overcoming his base instinct. That guilt hits him heavy now that he feels even guiltier because he didn’t care that he’s even forgotten the victims. That’s always going to haunt him. He only cares about two people in their world and that is his brother Eldritch and Frisk so everyone else is on his kill list so to speak. I would think that he would use others as a means to an end. If I keep him yandere like Blade, though not as insane, then he would do anything to see her again including becoming a ruthless killer again to do it. Get the souls, break the barrier, find the girl. Essentially he’s more of a calculating yandere in this case. So rather than being socially acceptable to kill humans, his dilemma in beating his nature with his yandere extremes and how he’s got to hold himself back. Frisk is just the person to help him recognize that he’s gotta broaden his view and that comes with accepting his flawed nature. It’s that whole killing makes me feel good/ numb idea. When accepting your flaws you end up going through lots of denial initially, being yandere, he’s going to see his view as right, even justified.

Frisk’s Mental Demons:

  The psychological toll on Frisk is great as she has been told constantly that she made up her time in the Underworld in order to shut herself away into a fantasy world. A world where she had a family... where she is loved and wanted. This happens a lot like the “Doctors” continuously try to refute her experiences or sensations medically.  Every time she goes to sleep in the Underworld she ends up back at the Asylum tied down kicking and screaming and she only wakes up again when she is sedated. Rinse and repeat. The question is... is it real? Or rather which is real. The doctors go on to state that her dark state of mind twisted her original concept behind her “family” making them this eldritch styled horror. He also goes onto explain that the reason she is so drawn and close to Red is that it is her “flirting with death”. That she is accepting that outcome because if she continues to resist treatment she will die and the moment she trusts him in her “fantasy” that will be the end. (on a side note what a jerk). Anyway, these kinds of situations happen a lot and even sometimes cross over through auditory and visual hallucinations, at least that is what the doctor says they are. I will give an example of this. 

Red zaps her with his old joy buzzer for old time sake. Not to freak her out or anything but after that encounter and she is safe with the Bros. She falls asleep and she ends up back at the asylum, whether it is a nightmare or not. She ends up crying over how real her "hallucination" feels and she talks about the buzzer. The doctors explain to her that it was an external stimulus from her shock therapy. In other words, it’s all in her head. Red tries to comfort her when this happens trying to get her to believe that he is real but he doesn’t push that on her considering how broken he sees she is. A lot of times she ends up in tears wrapped in his arms and he just holds her in a comforting way. My heart. 

The Occult/World:

The cult as I keep referring to it as is a group of powerful monsters. I am not going to say too much about them as I don’t want to ruin certain things. However, they believe humans to be their salvation while the rest of the monsters believe that they are the angels of death. They will kill humans on sight, of course, they want to live in denial of their horrible deeds. This is where the idea of hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil comes in. Each monster falls into one of these camps even going so far as to mutilate themselves to do it. EVERYONE HAS GONE NUTS. Unlike the cult that wishes to break the barrier, the rest want to stay hidden from the beasts above. Red and Eldritch are under see no evil hence the blindfolds. Even though Red is a part of the cult however he has to play the part, the rest of them do as well. The question is which 7 monsters are a part of it? 

There is no monarchy in this since it was dissolved. It is rumored that the cult have extraordinary abilities that far surpass that of regular Boss monsters. They are considered “consorting with evils beyond their control”. I will say that Reds faith in the order is quite strong... only time will tell if their intentions are what has been advertised. The cult believes that humans are the key to their salvation and that they will summon a god to rule both the surface and the underworld. Basically bringing hell to earth. In keeping with the eldritch horror vibe. I have that “god” being an unholy amalgamation of Asriel, God of Hyper death, Chara, and Gaster not to mention that the rest of the cult can become unholy eldritch abominations as well. Reds got the Gaster blaster beast vibe with him but he also has a million eyes when his sockets go dark. A whole bunch of disturbing eyes fill his skull. (If you have ever watched Soul Eater it’s very Asura like)

Each member is associated with a major arcana as well. In Reds case, it is being a seer which in essence is seeing the truth or judgment. That is all I am going to say about them for now. Even Eldritch and Frisk don’t know that Red is in the cult by the way. I am still working on his full body design as everything I have done I am not all that satisfied with. His headshot though will stay the same I am really happy with those. I am thinking of leaning more Bloodbourne. If you have any suggestions feel free to drop them in the comments! Sorry for the massive lore dump! <3 

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