#detail-hero-default

[arodykeism]

but my heart is like a claw machine

[orphanedwolfandfriends]

Looking at the TOH fandom with a lot of scrutiny right now.

[spaceratprodigy]

right now tho I'm really fixated on rogue trader lmao I want to work on Ceciliana ✌😔

[microwavetoaster-selfships]

i can not for the life of me remember if a thing i saw abou t Strangegloffve was a memory or a dream and i swear it was a memory but the more i think about it the less i can remember where i saw it from and that makes me want to think that it was a dream because it's so foggy and like. It's not like I went looking for new content of him or anything. and it is driving me nuts. The more I think about it the more I feel like it might've just been some crazy dream cause it feels like something I'd seen before but I know it was something new as well because there. is no way something like that wouldve slipped my mind. That's probably why i cant rememebr any other details about it even though I remember it as something that happened like. yesterday. Or the day before or something.

[almostwisegalaxy]

I'll Never Leave You

Weak hero class headcanon

First headcanon

Why they will NEVER Leave You? ┐⁠(⁠ ⁠˘⁠_⁠˘⁠)⁠┌

.................................………………………………………

°Yeon Si-eun

I'll never leave you. Because you are my fixed point.

You don't know what it's like to live with a war in your head. Every day, the hypotheses, the probabilities, the details. Everything is a battle. Not against others. Against myself.

But you, you are silence. You are calm. You are real.

You are the only place where I don't have to prove myself. I can just sit. Just that. And breathe. And hear you tell me, "You don't have to save the world today."

I love you like one clings to shore in a raging storm.

I'll never leave. Because without you, I'll get lost in the ocean.

°Ahn Su-ho

I'll never leave you. Because I need to believe there's something gentle in this world.

I'm tired. All the time. Not just in my body. In my head. In my soul.

I chase time, money, shattered dreams. I fight, I deliver, I grit my teeth. And I sleep in class because it's the only place I can stop without someone asking me why.

But when I see you, it's like I'm breathing for the first time. You expect nothing from me. You just want me to be. And that's all I can give.

I love you. In a simple way. Silent. Like flowing water.

I'll never leave you. Because you're the only person I still want to come home to.

°Oh Beom-seok

I'll never leave you. Because if I do, I'm afraid I'll never be loved again.

It's ugly, I know. To stay out of fear. To cling so tightly that I smother you. But you don't know what it's like to grow up in the shadow of others. To always be "not enough." Not funny enough. Not strong enough. Not a good enough "son". Not enough everything.

With you, I believed I was someone. Not an extra. Not a default choice. Someone.

I love you clumsily. Feverishly. Like holding a cracked glass, not wanting it to break.

I'll never leave you. Because without your gaze, I become transparent.

°Na Baek-jin

I'll never leave you. Because you're the only thing I can't control.

I was born to command. To lead. To organize fear like one arranges knives. My world is strategy, threat, obsession.

But you... you refuse to fit into my boxes. You disarm my logic. You blow up the walls I've spent a lifetime building. And through your eyes, I become a kid again. Not a leader. Just... a boy who's scared.

I love you the only way I know how: intensely, violently, like a torrential rain.

I'll never leave you. Because loving someone more than power only happens once.

°Park Hu-min (Baku)

I'll never leave you. Because you're the only person who hears my silence.

I make noise. I fight. I laugh loudly. I take up all the space. People think I'm invincible. But when things go wrong, I disappear. Not another word. Not another glance.

You never forced me to speak. You just sat there, beside my silence, and waited. Without resenting me. Without leaving.

I love you like a wolf loves its pack. Fiercely. Faithfully. Until death.

I'll never leave you. Because no matter how much they try to destroy me, as long as you're waiting, I'll get back up.

°Geum Seong-je

I'll never leave you. Because you're the only place where I don't destroy myself.

I am a storm. Moody, wild, unpredictable. I fight for a glance, I laugh at nothing. I am a walking chaos, undiagnosed, unguided. They call me sick, crazy, wild. Maybe they're right.

But you... you stay. You don't run when I scream. You don't flee when I collapse without tears.

You look at me as if I'm more than just a storm. As if I'm also the sky after.

I'll never leave you. Because you're the only place where I don't scare myself.

°Seo Jun-tae

I'll never leave you. Because you looked at me as if I had value.

I am invisible. An extra. The name people forget, the presence they tolerate. I learned not to make waves. Not to bother. To be silent.

But you, you asked me questions. You remembered my answers. You offered me an umbrella on a rainy day without me saying I was drenched.

I love you gently. With that gratitude that tightens the throat. On my knees, hands trembling.

I'll never leave you. Because you don't leave the first person who saves you without making a sound.

°Go Hyun-tak (Gotak)

I'll never leave you. Because you read my silences better than my words.

I don't speak. Not because I don't want to. Because I've forgotten how. Words escape me. Sentences hurt me. So I stay in gestures.

But you, you learned my invisible alphabet. You know that when I tie your shoelaces, it's because I'm afraid you'll fall. That when I cut the vegetables too small, it's because I'm thinking too loudly.

I love you without saying it. But I show you. Every day. Every gesture.

I'll never leave you. Because you're the only one who listens to me without me needing to speak.

***

And if one day, they doubted? If life hit too hard? If fear returned?

Then each of them would remember. That first hand held. That gaze that says, "I see you." That night without words but full of presence.

And they would stay. Because it's not easy love that saves. It's the one that returns. Again. And again.

The one that says:

I'm not leaving you.

Even when I could.

Even when I'm scared.

Even when you scream or run or break.

I'm not leaving you.

Because I love you like one loves a house ruined by years: with its cracks, its absences, its ghosts.

And I stay.

Always.

.................................………………………………………

New Geum Seongje fanfictions

[thollandsgirl2013]

𝐀 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨'𝐬 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐰

Parings → Peter Parker x Reader

Warnings → angst, fluff, bickering

Summary → Peter Parker and Y/N, classmates with clashing views on Spider-Man, constantly bicker until they unexpectedly start dating. When Y/N discovers Peter’s secret, their relationship is tested, leading to love, trust, and acceptance.

You sat at your usual lunch table, picking at the corner of your sandwich. MJ was engrossed in her sketchbook, adding tiny details to a scene that only made sense to her. Ned was, as usual, scrolling through some Reddit thread about Star Wars theories. And then there was Peter, sitting directly across from you, stealing glances at you between bites of his apple.

Peter Parker. Your classmate. MJ’s friend. By default, your friend. Except you weren’t sure “friend” was the right word when all you ever did was argue.

It all started a month ago.

You had been lamenting over the state of your mom’s flower shop—crushed display racks, smashed windows, and shattered pots after a Spider-Man fight. You weren’t exactly his biggest fan before, but that incident sealed the deal. Since then, any mention of Spider-Man sent you into a tirade, and Peter, for reasons unknown to you, always felt the need to defend him.

“Y’know, I don’t get why you hate him so much,” Peter started, leaning forward on the table. “He’s literally out there saving the city.”

“Oh, please,” you snapped, glaring at him. “Saving the city? More like destroying it in the process.”

MJ smirked but didn’t look up from her sketchbook. She always found these debates amusing.

“He’s trying his best!” Peter argued, raising his hands defensively. “It’s not like he plans to wreck things. Do you know how hard it is to fight a supervillain while keeping everything intact? ”

“I don’t care how hard it is, Peter. He’s supposed to be a superhero. If he’s going to throw someone into a building, maybe pick one that’s already abandoned!”

“Buildings aren’t labeled ‘abandoned,’ Y/N!” Peter shot back, his voice rising slightly.

“And who asked you to be Spider-Man’s PR guy?” You retorted, crossing your arms.

“Someone has to defend him against unreasonable critics!” Peter huffed, his cheeks flushing.

Ned let out a low whistle, leaning back in his chair. “Here we go again.”

“Okay, but seriously,” Peter continued, pointing a finger at you. “You’re ignoring all the good he does. What about the times he’s saved people? The bank robberies he’s stopped? The kids he’s rescued from burning buildings?”

“Yeah, and what about the innocent people he’s hurt in the process?” You fired back. “My mom’s flower shop was destroyed, Peter. Destroyed! And all he did was yell, ‘Sorry!’ like that would magically pay for everything.”

Peter winced at that, and for a brief moment, you thought you’d won. But then he leaned forward, his brown eyes narrowing.

“Well, maybe if you knew the first thing about being a hero, you’d understand that sometimes sacrifices have to be made!”

“Sacrifices? Oh, so now my mom’s livelihood is a sacrifice?”

MJ finally looked up, raising an eyebrow at the two of you. “You guys do know you sound like an old married couple, right?”

“WHAT?” You and Peter shouted in unison, your faces burning.

Ned chuckled. “I mean, she’s not wrong. The bickering, the tension… it’s classic rom-com material.”

“There’s no tension!” Peter exclaimed, his voice cracking slightly.

“Yeah, because there’s no romance!” You added, glaring at him.

MJ smirked knowingly and returned to her sketchbook. “Sure. Whatever you say.”

---

Later that day, as you packed up your books after class, Peter approached you, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

“Hey,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck.

“What now? You want another Spider-Man defense speech?” You asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance in your tone.

“No, uh… not that,” he said quickly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I just… I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

That caught you off guard. “Sorry? For what?”

“For yelling at you earlier,” he admitted, his voice softer now. “I didn’t mean to downplay what happened to your mom’s shop. That sucks, and you have every right to be mad.”

You blinked, unsure how to respond. “Oh… um, thanks, I guess?”

Peter smiled awkwardly, and for a moment, you saw a side of him you hadn’t noticed before—genuine, kind, and a little shy.

“Anyway,” he said, stepping back, “I just thought you should know that… Spider-Man would probably feel awful about what happened. If he knew, I mean.”

You frowned, puzzled by his choice of words. “Yeah, well… too little, too late.”

Peter nodded, his gaze lingering on you for a moment before he walked away.

As you watched him leave, a strange thought crossed your mind. Why did he care so much about what you thought of Spider-Man?

And why did his apology make your chest feel weirdly warm?

---

Over the next few weeks, your heated arguments with Peter began to mellow out. Sure, you still disagreed on Spider-Man—he’d throw in a sly comment about his heroics, and you’d roll your eyes and retort with something snarky—but the intensity had dulled. MJ even joked that you two were “maturing,” though Ned claimed it was just because you were running out of insults.

Somehow, in the midst of it all, you found yourself… enjoying Peter’s company. He was annoyingly persistent, yes, but he was also witty, kind, and, admittedly, kind of cute when he got flustered.

You weren’t sure when the dynamic shifted, but it became clear one sunny afternoon in the cafeteria.

---

“You’re telling me Spider-Man doesn’t do anything for the city?” Peter asked, raising an eyebrow as he took a sip of his chocolate milk.

“I’m saying he does some things,” you admitted, stabbing your fork into your pasta. “But he could learn to be a little more considerate. Not everything is about showing off with a backflip mid-fight.”

Peter nearly choked on his drink. “A backflip mid-fight? Are you serious right now?”

“It’s true!” You insisted, laughing despite yourself. “What, does he think the villains will be so impressed they’ll just surrender?”

Peter opened his mouth to respond, but then he stopped, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You’re ridiculous,” you shot back, grinning.

Across the table, MJ and Ned exchanged knowing glances.

“Okay,” Ned interrupted, leaning forward. “This is officially weird. When did you two stop hating each other?”

“We never hated each other,” Peter said quickly, his ears turning red.

You tilted your head, smirking. “Yeah, Peter’s more like… a really annoying little brother.”

Peter scoffed. “Little brother? I’m literally older than you.”

“By, what, four months?”

“Still counts,” he retorted, but his smile softened the blow.

---

A few days later, as you packed your books into your bag after chemistry class, Peter lingered by the door.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant.

“Hey, Peter,” you replied, slinging your bag over your shoulder. “What’s up?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit you’d come to recognize. “So, um… I was wondering if you wanted to, uh, grab coffee or something. W-With me. Like… like a date?”

Your heart skipped a beat. “A date?”

“Yeah,” he said quickly, his cheeks flushing. “I mean, I know we argue a lot, but I also think you’re really smart and funny and—”

“Peter,” you interrupted, smiling. “I’d love to.”

He blinked. “Wait… really?”

“Yes, really,” you said, laughing. “But if we’re going on a date, you better not spend the whole time defending Spider-Man.”

Peter grinned, his confidence returning. “Deal. As long as you don’t spend the whole time calling him a diva.”

“No promises on that,” you teased, brushing past him as you walked toward the door. “Pick me up at seven?”

“Seven,” he repeated, nodding like an eager puppy.

As you walked away, you couldn’t help but smile. Maybe Peter Parker wasn’t so bad after all.

---

Peter had been the perfect boyfriend for the past six months—sweet, caring, and thoughtful in every way. He always seemed to know how to make you smile, whether it was sneaking your favorite snacks into your bag or staying up late on FaceTime to help you with homework.

Today, you wanted to return the favor. With his favorite brownies in hand, you headed to his apartment, excited to surprise him

When Aunt May opened the door, her warm smile immediately made you feel welcome. “Y/N! What a surprise,” she said, stepping aside to let you come in.

“I brought brownies for him.” You said with a smile.

“Oh, he'll love those. Peter’s in his room,” she said, drying her hands on a dish towel. “He’ll love that you came.”

“Thanks, Aunt May,” you said, your excitement bubbling as you made your way down the hallway to his bedroom.

Without knocking, you pushed it open. “Hey, Peter—”

The words caught in your throat.

Peter stood in the middle of his room, his back to you. He was peeling a red and blue suit halfway down his body, revealing a torso covered in bruises and cuts. The mask lay discarded on the bed.

Spider-Man.

Peter's Spider-Man.

It was like the air had been sucked out of the room. You froze in place, your mind racing.

Peter turned at the sound of your voice, his eyes going wide with panic. “Y/N!”

Before you could react, he darted forward, grabbing your hand and pulling you inside. He shut the door behind you and leaned against it, as if trying to block out the world.

“Baby, hey,” he said quickly, his hands gently cupping your face. “Look at me. Y/N, please. Just breathe, okay?”

Your chest tightened. Words wouldn’t come. It all made sense now—why he defended Spider-Man so passionately, why he limped sometimes, why he was late or distracted on dates.

“Y-You’re… Spider-Man?” You finally managed, your voice barely above a whisper.

Peter winced, his hands falling to his sides. “Yeah,” he admitted quietly.

Your heart sank. “You’ve been lying to me this whole time?”

“No, I—I wasn’t lying,” Peter stammered, his voice laced with desperation. “I just… I didn’t know how to tell you. I thought… I thought you’d hate me.”

“Hate you?” You repeated, your voice rising. “Peter, why would I hate you?”

He hesitated, his brown eyes searching yours. “Because… you hate Spider-Man.”

His words hit you like a punch to the gut. “That’s why you didn’t tell me? Because you thought I’d hate you?”

Peter nodded, his shoulders slumping. “I didn’t want to lose you, Y/N. You’ve always been so… so vocal about how much you don’t like Spider-Man. I thought if you knew, you’d look at me differently. That you’d leave.”

You stared at him, your emotions spiraling—anger, betrayal, confusion, worry. “Peter, I hated Spider-Man because of what happened to my mom’s shop. But you—you’re not just Spider-Man. You’re Peter. How could you think I’d leave you?”

“Because I’ve seen the way you talk about him—about me,” he said softly, his voice breaking. “I thought… if you knew, it would change everything.”

You took a shaky breath, your chest tight with conflicting emotions. “Peter, you lied to me. You hid a huge part of your life from me. Do you know how that makes me feel?”

“I know,” he said, his voice thick with guilt. “I know I messed up. I should’ve told you. But I was scared, Y/N. Scared that I’d lose you, and I couldn’t handle that.”

For a moment, neither of you spoke. You could see the fear in his eyes, the vulnerability he tried so hard to hide.

“I don’t know how to feel right now,” you admitted, your voice trembling. “I’m mad at you, Peter. But I’m also… worried. You’re out there risking your life every day, and I didn’t even know. I don’t know if I can handle that.”

Peter stepped closer, his hands hovering near yours. “I get it. I do. And if you need time to figure things out, I’ll give you all the time in the world. Just… please don’t walk away. Please.”

Tears welled in your eyes as you looked at him—the boy you loved, the hero you’d misunderstood. “I need to think,” you said quietly.

Peter nodded, his expression pained but understanding. “Okay,” he whispered.

You turned and left the room, your heart heavy with the weight of everything you’d just learned.

As you stepped out into the cool evening air, one thought echoed in your mind: You loved Peter Parker, but could you love Spider-Man, too?

---

The walk home was a blur. Your mind replayed the scene in Peter’s room over and over—his bruised body, the half-on Spider-Man suit, the raw fear in his eyes as he begged you not to hate him. You couldn’t decide what hurt more: that he’d kept such a massive secret from you or that he genuinely believed you’d leave him for it.

The next few days were agonizing. Peter gave you space, just as he promised, but it didn’t stop the text notifications from lighting up your phone.

Peter: I’m sorry.

Peter: Please let me explain everything. I owe you that.

Peter: I miss you.

Peter: I love you.

Each message was harder to read than the last. You missed him, too. But every time you thought about reaching out, doubt crept in. Could you handle being with someone who risked his life every day? Could you handle knowing the person you loved might not come home one night?

By the third day, MJ cornered you at lunch.

“Alright, spill,” she said, sliding into the seat next to you.

You blinked at her, feigning innocence. “Spill what?”

“Don’t play dumb, Y/N,” she said, crossing her arms. “Peter’s been moping around like a kicked puppy, and you’ve been weirdly quiet. What happened?”

You hesitated, unsure if Peter had told MJ the truth about being Spider-Man. But the knowing look in her eyes answered your unspoken question.

“You know, don’t you?” You asked softly.

MJ slowy nodded. “I’ve known for a while. He’s terrible at keeping secrets.”

A bitter laugh escaped you. “Yeah, except from me.”

MJ sighed, resting a hand on your arm. “Look, I get why you’re upset. But Peter’s not a bad guy. He didn’t tell you because he was scared. He’s always scared when it comes to you.”

“Scared of what?” You asked, your voice cracking.

“Of losing you,” MJ said simply. “He thinks you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him, Y/N. And he’s terrified that being Spider-Man will ruin that.”

Your chest tightened. You’d spent so much time feeling hurt and betrayed that you hadn’t stopped to think about how much Peter must have struggled with his decision.

---

That evening, you found yourself standing outside Peter’s apartment. You didn’t even remember deciding to come—it was like your feet had a mind of their own.

Aunt May opened the door, her expression lighting up when she saw you. “Y/N! Oh, thank goodness. Peter’s been mopping around since the day you left. It feels like a gloomy cloud in here.”

You managed a small smile. “Is he home?”

She nodded, stepping aside. “He’s in his room. Go on.”

Your heart pounded as you stopped in front of his door. This time, you knocked.

“Come in,” Peter called, his voice muffled.

You pushed the door open and stepped inside. Peter was sitting at his desk, his back to you, but he froze when he saw you in the reflection of his computer screen.

“Y/N,” he breathed, turning to face you. His eyes were tired, his hair messier than usual, and there was a bruise on his cheek that hadn’t been there before.

“Hey,” you said softly, closing the door behind you.

For a moment, neither of you spoke. Then Peter stood, his hands fidgeting nervously. “I—I didn’t think you’d come back.”

“I needed time,” you admitted. “But I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Peter’s shoulders sagged in relief, but his eyes were still filled with uncertainty. “Are you… okay?”

“No,” you said honestly. “I’m still upset. You kept something huge from me, Peter. I feel like I don’t even know you.”

“You do know me,” he said quickly, stepping closer. “Spider-Man is just… something I do. But Peter Parker? The guy who loves brownies and terrible science jokes and can’t go a day without thinking about you? That’s me. That’s who I am.”

Tears stung your eyes, but you refused to let them fall. “I’m scared, Peter. Every time you put on that suit, you’re risking your life. How am I supposed to be okay with that?”

Peter reached for your hands, his touch gentle but firm. “I can’t promise I’ll always be safe. But I can promise I’ll do everything I can to come back to you. You’re the reason I fight so hard, Y/N. You make me want to be better.”

Your heart ached at the sincerity in his voice. He wasn’t perfect, but he was Peter—the boy you fell in love with.

“I’m still mad,” you said, your voice wavering.

Peter gave you a small, tentative smile. “I can live with that. As long as you’re still here.”

You let out a shaky laugh, finally letting a tear slip down your cheek. “You’re lucky I love you, Parker.”

Relief flooded his face as he pulled you into a hug, holding you like he was afraid you’d disappear. “I love you, too. So much.”

You buried your face in his chest, the familiar warmth of his embrace grounding you. For better or worse, you were in this together.

And for now, that was enough.

‎∗ ࣪ ˖༺ 𓆩☆𓆪 ༻˖ ࣪ ∗

[dailyadventureprompts]

Monsters Reimagined: Bandits

As a game of heroic fantasy that centers so primarily on combat, D&D  is more often than not a game about righteous violence, which is why I spend so much time thinking about the targets of that violence. Every piece of media made by humans is a thing created from conscious or unconscious design, it’s saying something whether or not its creators intended it to do so. 

Tolkien made his characters peaceloving and pastoral, and coded his embodiment of evil as powerhungry, warlike, and industrial. When d&d directly cribbed from Tolkien's work it purposely changed those enemies to be primitive tribespeople who were resentful of the riches the “civilized” races possessed. Was this intentional? None can say, but as a text d&d says something decidedly different than Tolkien. 

That's why today I want to talk about bandits, the historical concept of being an “outlaw”, and how media uses crime to ���un-person” certain classes of people in order to give heroes a target to beat up. 

Tldr: despite presenting bandits as a generic threat, most d&d scenarios never go into detail about what causes bandits to exist, merely presuming the existence of outlaws up to no good that the heroes should feel no qualms about slaughtering. If your story is going to stand up to the scrutiny of your players however, you need to be aware of WHY these individuals have been driven to banditry, rather than defaulting to “they broke the law so they deserve what’s coming to them.”

I got to thinking about writing this post when playing a modded version of fallout 4, an npc offhndedly mentioned to me that raiders (the postapoc bandit rebrand) were too lazy to do any farming and it was good that I’d offed them by the dozens so that they wouldn’t make trouble for those that did. 

That gave me pause, fallout takes place in an irradiated wasteland where folks struggle to survive but this mod was specifically about rebuilding infrastructure like farms and ensuring people had enough to get by. Lack of resources to go around was a specific justification for why raiders existed in the first place, but as the setting became more arable the mod-author had to create an excuse why the bandit’s didn’t give up their violent ways and start a nice little coop, settling on them being inherently lazy , dumb, and psychopathic.   

This is exactly how d&d has historically painted most of its “monstrous humanoid” enemies. Because the game is ostensibly about combat the authors need to give you reasons why a peaceful solution is impossible, why the orcs, goblins, gnolls (and yes, bandits), can’t just integrate with the local town or find a nice stretch of wilderness to build their own settlement on and manage in accordance with their needs. They go so far in this justification that they end up (accidently or not) recreating a lot of IRL arguments for persecution and genocide.

Bandits are interesting because much like cultists, it’s a descriptor that’s used to unperson groups of characters who would traditionally be inside the “not ontologically evil” bubble that’s applied to d&d’s protagonists.   Break the law or worship the wrong god says d&d and you’re just as worth killing as the mindless minions of darkness, your only purpose to serve as a target of the protagonist’s righteous violence.  

The way we get around this self-justification pitfall and get back to our cool fantasy action game is to relentlessly question authority, not only inside the game but the authors too. We have to interrogate anyone who'd show us evil and direct our outrage a certain way because if we don't we end up with crusades, pogroms, and Qanon.

With that ethical pill out of the way, I thought I’d dive into a listing of different historical groups that we might call “Bandits” at one time or another and what worldbuilding conceits their existence necessitates. 

Brigands: By and large the most common sort of “bandit” you’re going to see are former soldiers left over from wars, often with a social gap between them and the people they’re raiding that prevents reintegration ( IE: They’re from a foreign land and can’t speak the local tongue, their side lost and now they’re considered outlaws, they’re mercenaries who have been stiffed on their contract).  Justifying why brigands are out brigading is as easy as asking yourself “What were the most recent conflicts in this region and who was fighting them?”. There’s also something to say about how a life of trauma and violence can be hard to leave even after the battle is over, which is why you historically tend to see lots of gangs and paramilitary groups pop up in the wake of conflict. 

Raiders:  fundamentally the thing that has caused cultures to raid eachother since the dawn of time is sacristy. When the threat of starvation looms it’s far easier to justify potentially throwing your life away if it means securing enough food to last you and those close to you through the next year/season/day. Raider cultures develop in biomes that don’t support steady agriculture, or in times where famine, war, climate change, or disease make the harvests unreliable. They tend to target neighboring cultures that DO have reliable harvests which is why you frequently see raiders emerging from “the barbaric frontier” to raid “civilization” that just so happens to occupy the space of a reliably fertile river valley. When thinking about including raiders in your story, consider what environmental forces have caused this most recent and previous raids, as well as consider how frequent raiding has shaped the targeted society. Frequent attacks by raiders is how we get walled palaces and warrior classes after all, so this shit is important. 

Slavers: Just like raiding, most cultures have engaged in slavery at one point or another, which is a matter I get into here. While raiders taking captives is not uncommon, actively attacking people for slaves is something that starts occurring once you have a built up slave market, necessitating the existence of at least one or more hierarchical societies that need more disposable workers than then their lower class is capable of providing. The roman legion and its constant campaigns was the apparatus by which the imperium fed its insatiable need for cheap slave labor. Subsistence raiders generally don’t take slaves en masse unless they know somewhere to sell them, because if you’re having trouble feeding your own people you’re not going to capture more ( this is what d&d gets wrong about monstrous humanoids most of the time). 

Tax Farmers: special mention to this underused classic, where gangs of toughs would bid to see who could collect money for government officials, and then proceed to ransack the realm looking to squeeze as much money out of the people as possible. This tends to happen in areas where the state apparatus is stretched too thin or is too lighthanded to have established enduring means of funding.  Tax farmers are a great one-two punch for campaigns where you want your party to be set up against a corrupt authority: our heroes defeat the marauding bandits and then oh-no, turns out they were not only sanctioned by the government but backed by an influential political figure who you’ve just punched in the coinpurse.  If tax farming exists it means the government is strong enough to need a yearly budget but not so established (at least in the local region) that it’s developed a reliably peaceful method of maintaining it.  

Robber Baron: Though the term is now synonymous with ruthless industrialists, it originated from the practice of shortmidned petty gentry (barons and knights and counts and the like) going out to extort and even rob THEIR OWN LANDS out of a desire for personal enrichment/boredom. Schemes can range from using their troops to shake down those who pass through their domain to outright murdering their own peasants for sport because you haven’t gotten to fight in a war for a while.  Just as any greed or violence minded noble can be a robber baron so it doesn’t take that much of a storytelling leap but I encourage you to channel all your landlord hate into this one. 

Rebels: More than just simple outlaws, rebels have a particular cause they’re a part of (just or otherwise) that puts them at odds with the reigning authority. They could violently support a disfavoured political faction, be acting out against a law they think is unjust, or hoping to break away from the authority entirely. Though attacks against those figures of authority are to be expected, it’s all too common for rebels to go onto praying on common folk for the sake of the cause.  To make a group of rebels worth having in your campaign pinpoint an issue that two groups of people with their own distinct interests could disagree on, and then ratchet up the tension. Rebels have to be able to beleive in a cause, so they have to have an argument that supports them.

Remnants: Like a hybrid of brigands, rebels, and taxfarmers, Remnants represent a previously legitimate system of authority that has since been replaced but not yet fully disappeared. This can happen either because the local authority has been replaced by something new (feudal nobles left out after a monarchy toppling revolution) or because it has faded entirely ( Colonial forces of an empire left to their own devices after the empire collapses). Remnants often sat at the top of social structures that had endured for generations and so still hold onto the ghost of power ( and the violence it can command) and the traditions that support it.  Think about big changes that have happened in your world of late, are the remnants looking to overturn it? Win new privilege for themselves? Go overlooked by their new overlords?

Art

[dr-spectre]

Splatoon & Me.

A discussion about my personal history with Splatoon.

So... 10 years huh? We did it, 10 whole years of this franchise being a thing. I honestly can't believe it's been this long since it began, i was in primary school when i first laid my eyes on Splatoon and now I'M A GOD DAMN ADULT! That's.... really scary to think about...

Basically, in this blog post I'm going to be talking about where i was during each Splatoon game and it's respective dlcs, this won't be a retrospective review sort of thing where i review each game, but rather I'm just gonna ramble about each game and dlc and just... talk. It is sort of a retrospective but it's more of a personal one.

I highly encourage you guys to chat and just ramble away about your relationship with the franchise.

So, without further ado, let's talk about where it all began...

Splatoon 1.

So, to give some context, i did not own a Wii U during it's run, i only got one in 2025. However, around 2014 to 2015 is when i first started actually following Nintendo news, i was around 10 years old and i had an iPad where i got to see news and updates on different Nintendo things.

I still remember my initial reaction to Splatoon somewhat, even after all of these years, i remember seeing the orange ink and the squid swimming around and my brain immediately went "OH IS THIS SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE 2?!?!?!" And then... She popped out of the ink. And it showed the gameplay and i was very, perplexed yet, curious... I saw some of the E3 footage of people trying out the game and it intrigued me so much. The bright colours, the character designs, it was something i wanted to get my hands on, yet i didn't have a Wii U and i didn't want to explain what a Wii U was to my parents. We already had a Wii so... yeahhh it would have been a mess you know? (Wii 2 was right there Nintendo...)

I looked at Splatoon from the outside, seeing all the content, seeing the idols. I didn't think much of Callie and Marie at first but... Well... In years time that would change, dramatically... I saw all of the ancient memes and people talking about white ink and i barely knew what that even meant at the time. Back then we just barely talked about sex ed so white ink was a weird thing to me LMAO!

I remember watching Etika talk about the game and the apparent rumour that Nintendo invited Playboy bunny girls to play the game early as a promotion, i swear to god that was a thing but i barely remember it. I remember seeing all the creepy shit within the story mode, the friggen screams and odd sounds in the boss rooms.

I talked about Splatoon with my friends at primary school, discussing how it would feel like, what weapons we wanna try out... Man... They were simple times. Snack time and lunch time were just friends and i discussing on a table what we thought about recent gaming stuff.

But now, i have a Wii U and it's basically my Splatoon 1 machine. Sure, i played some Bayonetta 1 and 2, some Wii games, but my Wii U is my Splatoon 1 machine, and let me tell you, Splatoon 1.... It's.... It's PEAK!!!!!

THE STAGE DESIGN? THE BEST OF THE BEST! It feels like you're going around a playground, so many paths, so much verticality, so many little details and things to see. it's really really dense and i love it. I love the way the weapons look in Splatoon 1, they are so cartoony and colourful and... yummy looking? That's the best way i can describe them. Callie and Marie greet you when you boot up the game so it's automatically the best Splatoon game by default /j

The hero mode? Octo Valley? It's really fun and cute. Seeing where the series began is very neat. It's just a simple tutorial with some interesting ideas and bosses. It's actually good and tells it's simple story in the most Nintendo way possible, unlike a certain canyon of the octopus variety....

DJ Octavio is really funny and his boss fight in Splatoon 1 is my favourite boss fight in the entire series. The music across the board be banging, Octo Valley is really cool and a good single player experience. It knows what it tries to be, it has a simple story that's neat, it's just nice, nothing crazy but it's just nice.

Splatoon 1 still holds up in my eyes, if you have a Wii U and you somehow don't have Splatoon 1 then what the fuck are you doing!!! IT'S LIKE 10 BUCKS ON EBAY! YOU CAN PLAY THE GAME ONLINE WITH PRETENDO! GO DO IT!!! IT'S MORE ACTIVE THAN SPLATOON 2! GO! IT'S REALLY FUN!

"B-but i don't wanna mod my console!" YOU'LL BE FINE!!! IT'S OKAY! TRUST ME YOU'LL BE OKAY! Go play Splatoon 1, you'll have a really good time!

Speaking of having a good time... NOT! It's time to talk about... IT. You know the game... The game i give a lot of shit, for legit and... well.. petty reasons but, if we are gonna talk about Splatoon and celebrate it's 10th anniversary, we have to talk about-

Splatoon 2.

Oh Splatoon 2... i have... mixed feelings about you. What you gave me was access to a series i would fall in love with, you gave me these amazing memories and make me look back on a time where i can look fondly on. but you also gave me pain... anger... stress.... sadness... you gave me these sharp stinging pains in my chest when i saw... her. What you did to... her. Cause me genuine chest pains and it would get so bad that i couldn't do things i wanted to, you ruined a holiday break for me because my brain became obsessed with... her. The echoed singing ringing in my head, the stinging, i couldn't handle it, i couldn't even look at... her. Anymore, without getting the stinging and tingles in my chest. I couldn't stop thinking about those awful events that your story mode told me happened, the fucking vile events that are so engrained within the community that it has taken years to get out, yet it's still there... It won't go away... The god damn pain was so strong and i couldn't figure out why it was even happening in the first place. Why, why... her. Why did i feel so strongly about this character that everyone treats poorly? Why...

Your story mode, I will NEVER forgive, I can't do it, i can't sit beside and listen to the loudest voices say things i so strongly disagree with, i can't watch lore videos anymore, i cant....

But i can't hate you anymore man, i just don't have the energy within me to continue to bash you down and treat you poorly. I wanna love, not destroy. So i will, for a brief moment in time, say wonderful things about you.

I remember before i got this game, i got the Nintendo Switch 4 days prior on Christmas, i got the console, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and... Sonic Forces... Hey i didn't pick the game okay? I wanted Sonic Mania but my dad and i had no idea it was a digital only title.

But even after all that, my dad gave me a question, one simple question. "What would you like for your birthday?"

I only had two choices in my mind, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, or Splatoon 2.

I chose, Splatoon 2, i badly wanted to play Splatoon since it came out and when i finally had that damn case in my hands... Oh i fell in love. It felt like fate... The game so smooth, it was so fast, so fun, it was a shooter the likes of which I've never played before, i loved the way the game looked, the way it felt, the Inklings, just, oh my god it was like everything clicked in my brain. The music, the visuals, it was so gooodddddd.

Splatoon 2 as a multiplayer game is really really good, not AS good as Splatoon 1 but its very close. The stage design is fantastic and continues off of what Splatoon 1 did, the new weapons like the dualies are so bloody good and the weapon is now my main weapon that i use along with the roller. The music in stages is fantastic too, the visuals for a Switch 1 launch title is really really GOOD! I can give the game it's praises because it does have some really great shit in it. It's not all bad.

And how can we forget, Salmon Run, oh my god i LOVEEEE Salmon Run. One of the best things Splatoon ever introduced and it got it's start in Splatoon 2. I love the salmonids, i love some of the maps and i still miss Ruins of Ark Polaris, one of the most interesting stages that has been designed in the series.

And you know what? The story mode has some cool shit, I love the vibe of Octo Canyon and the background music. I love all the decorations Callie put up. Tidal Rush is a banger and anyone who disagrees I'll just look at you funny.

I played the story mode on an airplane ride and then finished off the final area in my hotel. It was a really cool experience... for a time.... I enjoyed it. At the time i didn't make much of Callie and the shades. I just thought they were direct mind control glasses or some shit. Man.... funny how things change...

And speaking of Callie, this is when uh... the Idol obsession began... this is when the seed was first planted.... I want y'all to remember, I was 13 to 14 when Splatoon 2 was a thing... What do you think happened when i saw a bunch of cute girls WHEN I WAS A TEEN BOY!?!? YEAH! YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT! I wasn't as obsessed with them as i am currently, but i was interested by them, i liked seeing them. Marina captured my heart and definitely uh... influenced me on the type of women that i like... I'm not gonna elaborate on that point...

I so badly wanted the Pearl and Marina amiibo back then but i couldn't get the courage to ask my parents to buy it or ask any EB Games employees if they had stock left.

And this leads me to another thing that i wanna talk about Splatoon 2, this is when i started interacting with other fans online, some of the interactions were fine, but most... i regret... I made a lot of mistakes, did a lot of cringey shit, when i think back to those times, there are little diamonds in the rough but it was mainly a lot of bad shit and i did things i just hate thinking about. I remember being in some call on the bloody NINTENDO SWITCH APP and there was this girl who pretended to be Callie and she would speak in this high pitched voice, and we did uh, roleplaying, i barely remember much but i would rather not talk about it and the other things my brain barely remembers.

I was a teenager, i did stupid teenager things, I'm a better person because I'm not a dumb stupid fucking moron teen anymore and i never wanna think about the shit i did and saw during my teen years.

I think because of that, my thoughts on the game have soured because of the stuff i did as a teenager. Although i can't remember it well, i still remember myself being very cringey.

I don't hate this game, in fact it does a lot of things better than Splatoon 3. But i hate how this game gets praised just to shit on Splatoon 3 because people have rose tinted glasses and forgotten how bad this game can truly be at points. The non story parts of this game are fairly solid, i can admit to that and i wanna celebrate those parts.

Splatoon 2 i fucking LOVE you and HATEEEEE you!!

Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion.

I mean, what is there to talk about that hasn't been talked about already? It's Octo Expansion, the widely beloved single player mode, the number 1 thing Splatoon 2 has over the other two games, the single player mode that everyone has come to agreement is the best in the series, and you know what? I agree too! Shocker i know!

Octo Expansion is fantastic, the atmosphere is brilliant, the ost is probably my favourite in the series, Agent 8 is a cut above the other protagonists because of the memcakes and how much mystery surrounds them. The chat logs which gave Off the Hook so much development it's insane, the difficulty, the final boss, oh my god i LOVE this campaign!

I think the main reason on why this mode is celebrated so much is because it appeals to Splatoon fans the most. It's challenging and doesn't hold back. You WILL die a lot in your first playthrough. But it's not unfair, most of the time, it is challenging but fair... MOST of it.

Like genuinely i will never, EVER forget my first experience playing through the finale of Octo Expansion, the twist of Tartar trying to blend you up and Agent 3 coming in with the SPLATOON 1 MUSIC! THE METAL GEAR SOLID LIKE STEALTH SECTION! NASTY MAJASTY! SHARK BYTES AND USING THE INK JET?!? OH MY GODDDD! It's so fun and hype.

Sanitized Agent 3? The only mind control plot in a piece of Splatoon media that i ACTUALLY LIKE and don't find it incredibly disgusting, vile, stupid, poorly written or wasted potential. The fucked up remix of Splattack, seeing your Splatoon 1 character FIGHT YOU? The first time in the series where the games celebrate the past and try to remix it in a unique spin is so fucking cool.

And... Fly Octo Fly... brother. Oh my god. I listened to that song over and over and over and OVER AND OVER AGAIN! It is probably the best final boss song within the entire series and i don't think I'll never get tired of it.

Octo Expansion is a god damn treasure, it is a miracle that it came out as well as it did. Sure, it is short and it does suck that the really cool development for Off the Hook is pretty much skippable, but i don't care. Octo Expansion is like the dessert that saves a mid meal you just ate. And speaking of saving the best things for last...

Splatoon 2: Final Fest.

I wanna say my final words about Splatoon 2 and briefly talk about the Final Fest because i did play it when it was happening.

I remember the build up to this last Splatfest being really intense considering how the previous final Splatfest influenced things and it brought up a lot of interesting debates within the community. Is a world of chaos truly better than a world of order? A world of order would keep everyone safe, but it would be very strict. A world of chaos would allow anyone to do whatever they want, but it would also have a lot of violence and no rules to govern what is right and wrong.

However... What really influenced me to pick the team that i ended up picking was down to a YouTuber's words about the matter.

"Its kill or BE killed, the strong survive!" And who said that? Well... It was Etika. I fucking loved that man's content, so one of his last streams stating that he was on Team Chaos and his tragic passing made the choice obvious. I still miss that man today, it feels like there is this hole that he left and i don't think it will ever be filled ever.

I joined Team Chaos and i fought HARD to make sure Chaos would win. And seeing MC. Princess Diaries and fucking PEARL COMING IN TO USE HER PRINCESS CANON!! OH MY GOD THAT WAS HYPE AS FUCK!!!!

Ultimately, after all the battling and war... Chaos won, and the dialogue that Pearl and Marina said to each other was just... Oh my god it was so fucking CUTEEEE!!! It was a great end to a game that allowed me to join the fandom.

Although Splatoon 2 gives me a lot of... anger, there's still a lot that i love and cherish about it. Everything to do with Off the Hook, Octo Expansion, the stages, the new weapons, oh my god this game did a lot of good things, and i would rather remember Splatoon 2 that way, over the feelings of distain and pure rage i have over the writing that hero mode provided.

Splatoon 3.

I mean, i don't have to say much about Splatoon 3, i made a whole ass blog post about it in the past just before the Grand Fest happened, but i wanna still wanna talk about it.

Splatoon 3 is my favorite game out of the trilogy and I'm gonna defend it no matter what. It feels like Splatoon at it's most polished gameplay wise, it feels somehow smoother and faster, the new movement options while at first being nothing too crazy, actually transform how you move around the stages and are a MASSIVE game changer. You cannot go back to older Splatoon games after experiencing Squid Roll, it's just so hard.

The new weapons like the Splatana, S-Blast, Stringer, Douser Dualies, etc, are really unique and introduce interesting ways and playstyles. I love the god damn Decavitator dude. What an incredible weapon with a funny concept and brutal name.

Salmon Run gets some massive improvements and it's so so so FUN! I love the King Salmonids so god damn much dude holy hell. And once we got to fight ALL THREE OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME!?!? PEAK! PEAK PEAK PEAK!!!

I remember when i got this game at launch, i had to go get a haircut after school finished for the day and let me tell you, it was fucking unbearable, i knew that my copy of Splatoon 3 was waiting for me at home yet i could not play it. I think the funniest part of that day was explaining to my dad what the fuck a Splatoon is, he never really gave it much thought when he got me Splatoon 2 so he must have forgotten what it was and my brother and i just stared at each other when he asked "what's Splatoon?"

But let me tell you... when i got home... Holy mother of god i grinded out ROTM like no tomorrow dude. I had so much fun and i was completely hooked. Sure i got spoiled that Deep Cut were gonna be boss fights and Mr. Grizz was the true antagonist thanks to leaks running rampant before the game came out, but it was still so cool, plus i was sharing my thoughts with my friends on discord and we were all freaking out and shit.

I really adore The Crater and how it fools you into thinking it's gonna be yet another standard hero mode, but then it drops the back to back surprise of DJ Octavio being the first boss fight and then being dragged into Alterna. You can criticize ROTM for any reason you want, but you can't deny, that intro is fucking awesome and a great way to subvert expectations.

And Alterna as a whole has this really cool vibe and aesthetic to it. The snowy, abandoned yet clean areas and the stages themselves invoke this weird sensation in my brain. The stages reach this... nostalgic part of my brain, it's so odd yet i love it. I don't really like the stage design itself because it feels like Octo Expansion diet lite edition with barely any of the difficulty or replay value of Octo Expansion, aside from some levels.

The boss fights are pretty neat and yes, the Big Man fight is awesome and a cool reference to Super Mario Sunshine, yes i did soyjack at it, we all did, moving onnnnn!!

The finale of Splatoon 3 ROTM is truly special, although i think Octo Expansion is better, ROTM still slaps so hard when it comes to an epic finale. Calamari Inkantation 3mix is a banger, your little buddy that's been helping you throughout the entire campaign becomes a FUCKING KAIJU TO BEAT UP A GIANT BEAR THAT WANTS TO COMMITT MASS GENOCIDE AND TURN EVERYONE INTO FURRIES!!! DJ Octavio redeeming himself and you having to pilot his mech when in the previous games you were fighting against it. It feels like everything has come full circle to give a satisfying finale to the Splatoon saga.

Splatoon 3 did a lot of things right, but it has some issues that i HOPE get addressed in the eventual Splatoon 4. Such as the catalogue system and how long it took to get updates and content additions, 3 months for patches is a death sentence for modern online games, that needs to change. The lack of third kits, the stage design being significantly more watered down compared to the previous games, despite there being new movement tools, the stages feel more restrictive which is such a massive shame.

Splatoon 3 is cool but it for sure suffers the issue of death by a thousand paper cuts, it has all these minor issues that some people can handle while some can't, and that's perfectly fine.

Splatoon 3: Side Order.

Side Order... my baby... Oh i love you, but i also think you could have done better. To me Side Order feels like vanilla ice cream, like sure, vanilla ice cream is good on it's own, but MANNNN i want MORE! There's so much shit to love, yet it still needed way more shit and an actual good post game to keep players interested.

This dlc felt like an experiment, to see how the gameplay of Splatoon can adapt to different game genres and go out of it's comfort zone. I really do hope it gets a proper sequel in terms of gameplay and they go even more in-depth. More enemies, more bosses, more variety within bosses, more missions, more post game content including story content, more variety in the environments, etc. etc.

Side Order nails it's OST and environments and it's the most experimental sounding thing within the series. These songs will make people scratch their heads and go "what the fuck am i listening to?" And i LOVE THAT! They could have done Octo Expansion again but they actually wanted to do something unique and I respect the devs for that.

I now wanna talk about my personal experience with this dlc.

I wanna tell you guys something, Side Order came out during the height of my Splatoon fixation, i monitored it's build up to release like a fucking hawk, i saw so many theories and people going crazy on what could happen. I remember when that poster came out and people were screaming that AGENT 4 WAS THERE! AND HOW IT MIRRORED CALLIE IN THE SPLATOON 2 HERO MODE POSTER! IT WAS SO HYPE!! I remember reacting to early impressions of Side Order and all of the people who talked about it kept mentioning that something happens within the tutorial and i was so insanely curious on what it was... And what they were hiding... Where was Marina? Why is Inkopolis Sqaure bleached? So many questions and i wanted to learn it all...

And bro... When it came out... I hooked up my Switch to the main TV in my house, i got READY! And even then, i wasn't ready dude. I fucking gasped, i screamed, i squealed, i was crying, i was going OFF DUDE! I was stimming like a mother fucker, i was losing my god damn mind every 10 minutes.

The build up to Marina Agitando was so intense for me, i knew what was going to happen when Marina's dialogue got cut off and it turned into something sinister... The flashes of the past were in my brain and i was saying "not again... NOT AGAIN!!!"

And once i got to the 10th floor... And i saw her... I gasped so fucking loud and i was in shock for like a solid minute, time froze in that minute, realizing "oh... oh they did it... they actually did it... they did it again..." Once i beat the boss and i got up to the title card i was literally screaming and freaking out on WHAT THE HELL I JUST WITNESSED!!!

Throughout the entire DLC i was just going insane, seeing the first dev diary literally made me ACTUALLY CRY!!!!!! Parallel Canon made me yell, like, i could go on but I'm just gonna talk about the final boss. The final boss of Side Order dude... I... I won't forgot the finale of Side Order, it was so, emotional for me, and i don't exactly know why. I think the remix of Ebb and Flow with elements from the live version, the focus on embracing the chaos of the present, it just... reached to a deep part of my soul. I was trying to sing along, i was swaying with the music, just, bawling my fucking eyes out.

And... the cherry on top... UNLOCKING INKOPOLIS SQUARE?!?! I FUCKING FELL TO THE FLOOR! MY HOME TOWN! MY TURF! IT CAME BACK!!!

Side Order is something special to me, it came out at the perfect time and it's a experience i will cherish until the end of time. But there is... one more thing that tops Side Order in my eyes... Something that really destroyed me in both good and bad ways.

The Grand Finale.

The Grand Fest... Man, just thinking back to it makes me feel teary eyed. Funny how my biggest worry was taking pictures of the Idols... I ended up taking at least over 2k photos if i wanna make a very rough estimate. Yeah... I uh... i went overboard but, i loved every second of it.

At first it was difficult to pick a team because i do love the Squid Sisters but, i didn't wanna think about my past, when i think about my past, it makes me feel sad, lost, depressed, knowing that those past locations, the people I've seen, the vibes, the feelings, the senses.... i would never get them back... Thinking about the future too just makes me feeling so scared and anxious. Am i gonna be forgotten about? Will i be in the same spot for the rest of my life? Will i find success? Will i get a partner? Will i die tomorrow? Will my family get killed? Ultimately, i realised that i felt my most happy when i was in the present, that is where i think we are truly the most happy. You ever think about a birthday from your childhood you went to? You remember how the most fun you had from that party was the part where you were hanging out with friends, laughing it up, playing games, whatever right? Being in the moment, the present. And you were at your most unhappiest when the party was wrapping up and you were reflecting on the past? Realising that those fun times are over now... Or maybe you were really worried about how the party was gonna be like? You were worried about the future.

Plus, Off the Hook mean a lot to me, i think they taught me a lot of things, they showed me what a happy relationship between two people could look like, they showed me that just because someone is so vastly different from you, it doesn't mean that they don't deserve love, they still do. I yearn for the kind of partnership Pearl and Marina have.... My choice was obvious in that moment and i went with Team Present.

The hub was truly special, it was so big and complex that it would literally tank the performance which is so funny. Seeing DJ Octavio with his boyfriend, right next to the Squid Sisters stand felt like my heart was healing, it felt, good, to see him like this. Seeing him so silly and ridiculous, how he always was before... Well... Splatoon 2.... Ugh...

The plushies, the jellyfish, the lights, the sounds, nearly every single Idol song in one place, BLUSHING TIDE OH MY GOD I WON'T FORGET HEARING THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME! THE SQUID SISTERS DEFENDER NEURONS IN MY BRAIN WERE JUMPING AROUND I TELL YOU THAT! The performances of the past live concerts being fully preserved into a digital form that can be accessed anytime. Like... Oh my god they put in so much fucking effort into this.

I won't lie, i tried to dance along to some of the songs, yes i did try to sing along to the lyrics out loud, yes i did cry over Three Wishes, yes i did literally sob my eyes out really hard when the credits music from all the games played in the hub. I was a literal mess by the time that it ended. My face was so wet and i couldn't stop crying during that final hour, my eyes were actually hurting I'm not even fucking joking. The only other time i really cried hard over a video game were Red Dead Redemption 2, Super Mario Galaxy and Persona 3 Reload. Even thinking back to how i was i get a little teary eyed. In that moment i thought "oh god... Is this it? Is this the last time i will get to see them again? Is this... the end? I don't want it to end! I don't want them to go!!" Man... I was so fucking sad dude. I think it was the first time that Daybreaker Anthem got to me as well, never thought that Deep Cut could make me cry but hey, they did it. It was a really magical experience. It really was.

And that final day man... That fucking final day with Rainbow Color Inkantation was just... OH MY GOD MY HEART WAS POUNDING! I WAS GOING CRAZY! I never felt so much adrenaline hearing those final 10 seconds. It might actually be my favourite Calamari Inkantation I'm not even kidding. 3mix is a banger and Splatoon 1's inkantation is iconic, but Rainbow Color Inkantation feels climatic, it feels like everyone coming together for one last song, and the idols trying to fight for dominance on that song. Rainbow Calamari Inkantation might be a contender for the magnum opus of the Splatoon OST I'm not even kidding.

The Grand Festival was.... everything. It was the best way to end Splatoon 3 and i don't think they could have done it any better.

Conclusion.

I wanna say, thank you for reading, it means a lot to me, truly it does. Like you spent time out of your day to read the personal ramblings of a random ass autistic man who likes squids and octopuses a bit too muchhhh...

This franchise means a lot to me and countless other people too. From the outside it might seem a bit weird or cringe to be so obsessed with a franchise like this, to cry and sob at some of it despite it's silly and girly appearance. But i do not give a shit about the people who find it weird. To be free is to embrace the cringe, to embrace the shit that makes you feel whole inside. We all need that thing that makes us feel whole and happy in life.

What this franchise gave me is something literally irreplicable.

Although, as of me writing this segment, my interest in the series is for sure fading away, and that is to be expected. I can't hold onto the interest forever. It must be put to rest. I have other things i wish to experience, i have other games to play, tv shows to watch, things to write, so much to do.

But Splatoon will always be in my heart, I will always keep my things on display, I will never give up my love for this franchise and throw it all away. I will never do that.

So remember everyone, i want you all to stay fresh, make sure you don't get cooked and that you stay off the hook.

Catch ya later!!!

[lotusloong]

Requests are Closed!

In between writing my WIPs I’d like to get additional practice in as well as interact with more of y’all!

I do not have a specific time frame I'm giving myself to complete these, it’s for fun and pleasure. Please do not send in message after message asking if I’m doing your prompt or why isn’t it out yet. Writing takes time and I have a life outside of my blog. (If you want to send in an ask to make sure I got your request you are more than welcome to, just don’t spam me with one everyday.)

Accepted fandoms:

Journey to the West

Black Myth Wukong

New Gods Nezha Reborn

Monkey King Reborn

Monkey King Hero is Back

Netflix Monkey King

Lego Monkie Kid*

*When it comes to Lego Monkie Kid I have not actually watched the show in its entirety. If you have an idea for something plot related, be sure to be specific so I can look it up.

Things I will not write:

Torture porn

Scat and piss play

That's literally it, anything else is free game, I welcome dark and twisted ideas just as much as I do happy and fluffy ones

How to make a request:

Send in an ask or submission, be sure to include things like:

The version/fandom 

What themes you would like to see (something dark or something fluffy, smut wanted or keep it platonic, etc)

The characters involved

Any specific details about Reader if it is a reader insert request! My default is to write female Reader, but if you want male or non-binary please specify! Also true if you want specific ties to cultures or backgrounds and such! 

Writing OC’s is pretty shaky ground for me, mostly because I will never know your OC better than you. For this reason, as of right now, I will not do OC requests unless it's a commission.

Other than that go wild! I have a tag under Prompt Ideas to send in, or you can send in your own thoughts!

[bishovapls]

⚠️ Major Thunderbolts spoilers ahead - Part 2 ⚠️

This is another Yelena-centric Thunderbolts post, but this time it’s actually full of praise, because despite everything I said about Alexei, I genuinely loved the movie.

Just a heads up: there are definitely more spoilers below the cut than in the last one.

ANYWAYSSS.

I haven’t stopped thinking about Yelena in Thunderbolts. The film obviously never says it outright, but what it shows is one of the clearest portrayals of passive suicidal ideation I’ve seen in a long time.

From the very beginning, Yelena feels like someone who’s stopped actively trying to survive and has instead defaulted to just… existing. There’s this sense that she’s waiting for something to finally knock her down for good, for a reason to stop fighting, for a moment when it’s okay to let go and maybe see Natasha again.

Take the absence of Fanny, for example. It’s such a small detail, but it says everything. That dog wasn’t just a companion; she was a sign that Yelena had once tried to ground herself, to make a life. If she gave Fanny away, that hurts. If she abandoned her, it’s even worse. Either way, it marks a point where Yelena stopped trying to tether herself to the world.

Consider the jump. She drops from a skyscraper in sweatpants into a building with armed guards like she’s got nothing left to lose. This isn’t bravery; it’s a silent surrender, a middle finger to survival itself. She’s not expecting to die; she’s just stopped giving a damn if she does.

There are those moments when she shuts her eyes and takes slow, steady breaths. Death is close, maybe even certain, but she’s unnervingly calm. It’s the kind of calm born not from courage, but from numbness. When you’ve played out your own death so many times in your head that it just becomes another chore to endure.

Then comes the memory of her in the bathroom, where her past self forces alcohol down her throat. It’s violent, it’s deliberate. It's punishment. It’s proof of how deep her self-loathing runs, how she’s tried to numb it over and over. Another version of herself flirting with destruction, choosing to risk potentially dying alone and wasted rather than facing the endless ache of hating who she is and what she’s done.

There’s also the choice she makes to walk into the void, knowing she might not make it out, knowing no one would blame her if she didn’t. But she does it anyway. She doesn’t walk in like a hero. She walks in like someone who’s got nothing left to lose, and someone else’s life suddenly feels more important than her own.

The truth is, she’s not enough on her own. None of them are. It takes all of the Thunderbolts to pull Bob back, not by beating darkness with power, but by showing up and refusing to let go. That’s the real fight, the one where survival is a group effort and no one walks away unscathed. That’s what saves him, and that’s what begins to save Yelena too.

Each of them, in their own way, understands that void. Some have crawled out of it. Some are still stuck in it. But they see it in each other, and instead of turning away, they reach out.

That’s what Thunderbolts nails. The truth no one likes to say out loud: people don’t just pull themselves out. Survival isn’t something you muscle through alone. Sometimes it takes a room full of other ghosts, all just barely standing, locking arms and refusing to let each other fall.

This film could’ve been about powers or punching or spectacle. Instead, it chose to say something gentler, and far more powerful: sometimes surviving means letting people in. Sometimes it’s not about fighting harder; it’s about not fighting alone.

[britcision]

So I’ve been thinking about cultural Christianity lately and how people tend to get very upset about it without really understanding what it is, so here is a primer

Cultural Christianity is not a choice you make. It does not mean you are Christian, or even that you remotely like Christianity; a lot of people who vehemently hate the religion do so because of their own cultural Christianity

It is not a shortcoming, or a moral failing, or a sin. It just means that the culture you were raised in was predominantly Christian.

Note: I did not say “majority Christian”. Christians don’t need to be a majority to have a dominant cultural influence

Cultural Christianity means you inherently understand and probably use swearwords like “damn”, “hell”, or a variation on the name “Jesus Christ”

It means when I say cultural Christianity is not a sin, you understand exactly what I mean without needing to have it explained - and you probably know the phrase “original sin” or “seven deadly sins”, even if not in full detail

It means hearing about Hades, god of the dead, wealth, and volcanoes, and assuming he’s the bad guy of Greek mythology… y’know, like Satan

(EVERYONE went to Hades when they died. The Elysian Fields, where the best heroes went, was in Hades’ underworld. The Eleusinian mysteries, a cult to Demeter and Persephone, was basically about asking them to tell Hades to give you a cool afterlife

And he would cuz he drank his “respect wife” juice if not all of his “respect women” juice. Did still kidnap her. But she is a major feature and often makes the decision herself or influences his when they’re mentioned together

Meanwhile, people try and cast Zeus as a good parent)

It means having to have a dreidel, a menorah, or a kinara explained to you at a time when you already knew about Christmas trees and Santa

(Yes, Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, major host of the Mass of Christ, is culturally Christian. Even though Coke invented his aesthetic - that’s the “cultural” part)

It’s when you go to make up a new non-religious or pan religious winter celebration… that is centred around a day with family and gifts which is obviously the 25 of December. Maybe counting down 12 days before

It’s defaulting to calling a place of worship you don’t know the name of a “church”

Cultural Christianity is not something people have a choice in; you don’t pick where you’re born, and there are so many other cultures in places like Canada, America, and Britain that are culturally Christian out the ass! But… you will catch Contact Christianity in any of these places

It’s damn near impossible to consume any American or most Western media without brushing across it; cross imagery is everywhere, Christian demons and devils sneak into media all around the world

Western (and some other) Gothic fashion leans heavily on gothic architecture and, yeah, heavily Catholic imagery

Now, brushing across the media in other parts of the world does not impart the same level of cultural Christianity as growing up in a city with four churches on a single block and a Santa Claus parade

And you can grow up heavily in an entirely different culture even in the Bible Belt (but you know what Bible Belt means); you don’t have to abandon all other culture just because Christianity has a chokehold on your home

But when December (or fucking November these days) hits and you hear Mariah Carey in 3/6 stores, yes, you probably have some cultural Christianity

You sure as hell don’t need to be able to name half the denominations (can you name more than 4?), you may never set foot in a Christian church in your life, and still have a cultural Christian influence

If your street names have “saint” in them

If there are crosses or angels on more than half the graves in a cemetery

If you know how to cross yourself but aren’t really sure when you learned; you didn’t look it up or do research to find out

Now note: none of these have an inherent moral judgement attached to them

It’s just about what the culture you live in has taught you about the world, and there’s no culture that is magically the Right One or better than the others

There’s no reason to expect even specifically Christian culture to be the same around the world; it isn’t. It has the same root, but what flowers from the soil is another matter entirely

There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that you have culturally Christian influences and biases; being human is 90% absorbing information from the world around us and half processing it at best - there’s just too much input, and intentionally filtering out Everything Christian Ever?

Well unless you started at 2 years old, odds are pretty good it’s not really a personal choice kinda thing

And you cannot compensate for these influences unless you acknowledge that they exist, that you did not choose to form them, and that you do get to choose how they affect your actions going forward

Christmas stuffed a bunch of other religious traditions into a single package to make itself popular, but if you learned them as Christmas traditions first… do I even need to say it?

[amethystarachnid]

MARVEL HOLIDAY SPECIAL 🎄✨

How Does This Work? It’s Christmas in the Multiverse! Pick a holiday trope from the list below, pair it with your favorite MARVEL character, and make a request! You can add as many details as you’d like (reader’s personality, specific plot points, etc.), and be sure to specify the reader’s gender. If unspecified, I’ll default to fem!reader. All the requests will be posted starting from the 1st of December. You can make a request either in the comments or in my inbox! <3

HOLIDAY TROPES 🎅🎁

Choose a classic Christmas theme to bring the holiday spirit into your favorite MARVEL universe, the tropes already requested will be written in italic.

Click here to read more ->

Snowed In  – You and your chosen character are stuck in a cozy cabin together as a blizzard hits. Perfect for slow-burn romance or confessions by the fireplace! Tony Stark x fem!reader

2. Mistletoe Mishap  – Awkward but adorable moments when you and your MARVEL character find yourselves beneath the mistletoe… what happens next? Steve Rogers x short!fem!reader

3. Secret Santa – The annual Avengers gift exchange gets competitive when you and your character are each other’s Secret Santa. Will they go all out or keep it simple? Tony Stark x fem!reader

4. Holiday Party Shenanigans  – Whether it’s Tony Stark’s extravagant bash or a quiet gathering at the X-Mansion, holiday parties mean mischief, laughter, and maybe even romance under the twinkling lights. Loki x fem!reader

5. Christmas Morning Surprise  – Wake up with your MARVEL love interest on Christmas morning and see what holiday surprises await. Breakfast in bed? A special gift? Cuddling by the tree? Tony Stark x fem!reader

6. Ice Skating Date  – A romantic evening on the ice (bonus points for awkward falls or a spontaneous snowball fight!). Thor x fem!reader

7. Holiday Movie Marathon  – You and your character binge all the classic Christmas movies. Will they laugh, cry, or (for the serious heroes) grudgingly admit they might enjoy it?

8. First Christmas Together  – Share a special first holiday celebration with your character, complete with shared traditions and sweet moments. Tony Stark x fem!reader

9. Christmas Caroling (Disaster)  – What happens when you try to drag your chosen MARVEL character out for caroling? Expect laughs, maybe some awkwardness, and possibly a heroic attempt at a festive tune. Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader (platonic)

10. New Year’s Eve Countdown  – Start the new year with your MARVEL character by your side. Will you share a kiss at midnight? Tony Stark x fem!reader

11. A Day of Peace – Even heroes need a break! Imagine a cozy day where your chosen character and the reader spend time away from chaos and just enjoy the quiet of winter. Tony Stark x fem!reader

12. Lost Holiday Spirit – Help your character find their holiday spirit again! The reader surprises them with small, thoughtful gestures to lift their spirits. Sam Wilson x fem!reader x Bucky Barnes / Loki x fem!reader (those are two separate fics)

13. Winter Wonderland Date – The reader gives their character a romantic surprise: a perfect winter day of snowball fights, hot cocoa, and stargazing. Tony Stark x fem!reader

14. A Little Christmas Magic – Maybe it’s a miraculous recovery, or a chance to spend time with someone they miss. This holiday season, something magical happens to fulfill the character’s heart’s desire. Tony Stark x fem!reader

15. A Handcrafted Gift – The reader makes something special for the character—something unique and meaningful that reminds them they’re cared for. How does your character react? Tony Stark x fem!reader

16. Time Together – Your character’s wish is simply for time with the reader. The two spend the day together doing whatever brings them the most joy. Tony Stark x fem!reader

17. Holiday Baking Fiasco – The reader and the character attempt some holiday baking, and… well, things go hilariously wrong. Expect lots of laughs (and flour everywhere). Tony Stark x fem!reader

18. Resolution Reflections – New Year’s Eve is the perfect time for reflection. Your character opens up to the reader about their dreams for the new year. Young!Tony Stark x fem!reader

19. A Second Chance – This wish is a little bittersweet. Your character receives an unexpected chance to make amends or reconnect with someone important from their past. Tony Stark x fem!reader

20. Christmas Eve Confessions – It's Christmas Eve, and you and your chosen MARVEL character are sharing a quiet moment together. Will one of you confess a secret you've been holding onto, like your feelings for each other? Doctor Strange x fem!reader

21. Holiday Disaster  – Everything seems to go wrong during the holiday preparations. Whether it’s burning the cookies or accidentally knocking over the Christmas tree, your character has to help save Christmas (and your sanity). Tony Stark x fem!reader

22. Holiday Road Trip  – A festive road trip adventure with your character, from road snacks to sing-alongs to unexpected pit stops. Will the two of you get into mischief along the way? Loki Laufeyson x fem!reader

23. Santa’s Little Helper  – You and your character end up volunteering together at a local holiday charity or helping out in a Christmas toy drive. Can you keep the Christmas spirit alive while managing the chaos? Steve Rogers x fem!reader

24. Wrapped in Christmas Lights  – While decorating for the holidays, one of you gets tangled in Christmas lights. Is it pure chaos, or does this turn into an unexpected bonding moment? Steve Rogers x fem!reader

25. Reindeer Games  – A little friendly competition to see who’s the best at Christmas-themed games. Whether it’s pin the nose on the reindeer, holiday trivia, or a snowman-building contest, it’s all in good fun!

26. Decorating the Tree Together  – You and your character decorate a Christmas tree together, each putting your personal touch on it. A quiet moment full of holiday spirit, plus maybe a surprise gift hidden in the branches! Tony Stark x fem!reader

27. Christmas Morning with the Kids – You and your MARVEL character wake up to the excitement of Christmas morning, with kids eagerly running around to open presents. It’s chaotic but full of love. How does your character handle this special day with their little ones? Tony Stark x fem!reader

28. First Christmas with the Baby –  It's the first Christmas for your baby, and you and your character are filled with joy. From choosing the perfect first Christmas ornament to finding the cutest little holiday outfit, this is a memory the whole family will cherish. Tony Stark x fem!reader

29. New Year’s Eve Party with the Avengers (or X-men)  – The Avengers come together to celebrate the New Year, but there’s a twist: the kids are part of the celebration. How does your character juggle both the kids' excitement and their own fun as the clock counts down to midnight? Bucky Barnes x fem!reader

30. Holiday Movie Night with the Avengers (or X-Men) – The Avengers decide to have a Christmas movie marathon for the whole family. Your character is skeptical about the cheesy movies, but what happens when they get caught up in the holiday spirit? Tony Stark x fem!reader

31. The Avengers’ (or X-Men) Christmas Play - The Avengers decide to put on a Christmas play for the kids. Each hero gets assigned a role, but things quickly devolve into a hilarious disaster as egos clash and powers get in the way of the script. Your character might play Santa, or the Grinch, or maybe something more ridiculous.

Maybe 31 tropes are a little too much, but what can I say...I love Christmas!

Taglist: @bitchy-bi-trash @ccbsrmsf1

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Character Cliches

Archetypes vs. Stereotypes

Archetype - a character prototype (i.e., a template). Examples: The sidekick, the unwilling hero, and the villain.

Stereotype - an oversimplified and overused character that plays into cultural preconceptions.

Depending on your genre, you can and should use archetypes in your story.

Your readers may expect certain types of characters to pop up in your story.

However, stereotypes are not typically recommended because they may represent immature or lazy writing.

Archetypes can be built upon, whilst stereotypes are generic.

Ways to Avoid Character Cliches:

Focus on Your Character's Origin Story

Why is your character the way he or she is?

What caused them to develop a particular trait?

How does this trait continue to serve them through their life?

Don't be afraid to "interview" your characters. Yes, you'll feel silly initially but the process can provide you with a ton of insight into who you're writing.

Go In Depth With Character Description

It is useful for you, as the writer, to “see” who you’re writing.

You should know what your character looks and sounds like, even if it’s only for the purpose of writing a more faithful narrative.

You should be able to see your character as an actual three-dimensional person who moves through space. Example:

Know the way they sit in a chair—

Are they hunched over?

Do they usually sit on the edge?

Do they tuck their feet underneath them when they sit?

One reason for writing a stereotypical character is that you don't know enough about them. The more you sit in your character's presence, ask questions, and observe, the less likely you are to create a character that’s flat and generic.

Give Your Characters a Range of Emotions

You should know the emotional range of your principal characters.

Range means that you shouldn't just stop at anger. Anger is perhaps the easiest emotion for any of us to access, and it’s very easy to write.

It doesn't take much skill to write an angry character.

Want to show that your character is angry about something?

Have them furrow their brows and throw their phone across the room. Done.

What about happy?

Aside from a smile, how does your character display happiness?

What about sadness? What about fear?

From the way they wrinkle their face to the way that they breathe, you should see your characters in vivid detail.

Also, consider which emotion your character is most comfortable with and why.

This can inform your writing choices because humans are often stuck in one emotion or another. We’re rarely indifferent.

If you know your character’s default emotion, you can write a fleshed out character who responds in a more realistic way.

Give Your Character a Sense of Motivation

What motivates your character to act?

What is their internal and external motivation in every scene?

What is in their backstory that causes them to take every action?

Give Your Character Fears and Flaws

What is your character afraid of?

What don’t they show?

What’s left unsaid in each scene?

You should know even if it’s never fully revealed to the reader.

Give Your Character Strengths

What makes the character strong?

What does your character readily show?

What does your character—not just you—like about himself or herself?

Source ⚜ On Emotions ⚜ 170 Quirks ⚜ Flaws ⚜ Goals & Motivations More: Notes & References ⚜ Archetypes ⚜ Stereotypical Characters

[dreamauri]

OP81 fluff? maybe something to do with new years?

♪ — 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦 oscar piastri  x  girlfriend! reader (fluff) fic summary . . . when new years celebrations don't go as expected (560 words)

( my master list | more of oscar piastri ) ( requests )

"feel like this was a bad idea." You lean in and whisper to oscar in his ear, cupping your hand over your mouth so the very drunk hostess wouldn't attempt to lip read. Oscar couldn't agree more. The party you were invited to had taken a turn and had become a loud mess of music and alcohol, while led to you and oscar sitting awkwardly sitting on a couch. This was not how you wanted to spend these few minutes.

You had specifically flew over to Oscar because you didn't want him to spend new years alone. And when you were invited to a party from one of Lando's friends, this is not what you had expected. "Lets get out of here." Oscar nodded, taking your hand so you wouldn't get separated on the walk out.

Neither of you had taken a drink so it would've been the default option to take the drive back to where Oscar was staying and spend those last minutes in the car. Oscar himself was going to walk down the ramp to the under ground garage until you had pulled him back from his hand.

"Lets walk for a little bit. I don't want to day to end just yet." The smile that covered oscar's face was one you always found so cute. He held you close walking with you. The city was almost pitch dark with shops closed and buildings with no lights, except for the few bars and clubs of course. Small chats filled the silence between you and oscar. It hadn't been long before you found a kids park.

"As much as I'd like that, i think it's be too soon." "Yeah, but just imagine it," You told him, watching him sit on a swing. "Oscar Piastri, home hero, Wins the Australian Grand Prix in his second season in F1." Oscar shook his head with a small smile, following along with you as you climbed up a slide.

"And we'd kiss after in parc ferme and we can have dinner in my bathtub." "your bathtub?" Oscar scrunched his nose not expecting the detail, a small giggle leaving his lips. He followed you up the play house from the stairs, taking your hand and pulling you in his chest.

"Yeah, you know, with wine and bubbles." Oscar thought for moment. "or us being in close proximity, naked." he added nodding. "Yeah I can see that." he grinned down at you.

Fireworks went off somewhere from behind, lightening up the sky. With a quick check to your watches you were able to conclude that 2024 had begun. "this is actually a perfect way to spend my new years." Oscar chuckled, pocketing his phone so he could lean down and kiss you.

Well, your foot slipped on the slide and in a second you glided down the plastic half tube. And while you covered your face in embarrassment, oscar was crouched down trying to hold in his laugh. the slide wasn't long so you were able to pull the ausie down from his pants. he glided down smoothly, hand over his mouth. "not funny." you poked his chest, climbing on his lap.

"still works though," you couldn't help the smile that came on your face, letting him pull you down for another kiss. Another round of fireworks went off, decorating the sky for you.

[deepdreamnights]

Vidu and the Quest to Make More Toons

So, a ways back I talked about Minmax, but I've been trying out basically all the video generators looking for the tools I need, and low and behold this week I find out I've been accepted into the Vidu Artists program now, wherein I get credits and access to access their cooler features in in exchange for... talking about the tech and how I use it.

Well twist my arm. I shall endeavor to be objective and informative despite free stuff (a challenge my spirit needs practice withstanding if anyone else wishes to test me)

So let's talk Vidu.

(outside of being converted to gif, no animations in this post have been cut or edited)

Also, everyone say hi to Maureen the Lizard Queen, every hero needs an evil queen that really wants in his pteruges, and she's that for TyrannoMax.

Vidu's got a bit more oomph under the hood than MinMax (no shade to MinMax, they're brand new and very promising) and it's way too early to be picking winners when it comes to video.

Anyhow, basic features that are nice include the options to upload start and end frames, options for a 4 or 8 second duration (more about that later), and a cleanup/upscale. Credits line up more or less with seconds. 4 credits for a 4 second clip, 8 for an 8 second, and again at upscale. It's straightforward in a way a lot of services aren't.

Apetomic Pyle, done on the fast settings. (not to shabby still, and it gave him monkey legs which a lot of systems balk at)

If you're on the $30/mo tier, you can choose to do a double-cost "quality" over "speed" option. Thankfully, the artist program gets me access. Since there's not yet a seed option it's hard to do a direct comparison, but the quality is going to be a must if you're doing anything that looks like cel. Much cleaner, much smoother.

(4 and 8 second quality gens)

One of the nicest features is the character reference feature. Basically it's like Midjourney's --cref, but with a very strict adherence to character details.

The above images used reference shots of Maureen and Dr. Underfang, and it got the stripes on Underfang's tie right in basically every gen. That's a ridiculous level of character model adherence and, for my purposes, all but essential.

It did misinterpret Maureen's undertail coloration for a sort of fin or drape, but the shot I used was oddly cropped, and sometimes stuff like that happens with gen AI. Given my measuring stick for errors is the era of animation I'm emulating, whatever does slip through is only going to make it more authentic.

There is a limitation in that character-reference and text-only prompts default to 16:9 presently with no options to adjust, but some room to pan is always handy and most people are going to be outputting for phone and not outdated CRT televisions, so, it's understandable it'd be a lower priority feature for the devs.

Walk cycles! By Saint Eniac it's a miracle!

On the left we have one prompted with TyrannoMax's control art, and on the right we have one using that art as the starting frame (4 and 8 seconds, respectively).

Way More details under the fold.

Vidu likes a hefty prompt.

A lot of detail and evocative language helps, and older prompting tricks like mojo-jojoing important concepts are back. For the Max walk cycles above I used:

1986 vintage cel-shaded cartoon character walk cycle. The orange dinosaur-anthro wearing blue gladiator armor walks toward screen right, the camera tracks him, holding him in center-frame. He completes a full, brisk walk cycles from the side view. He walks boldly, back straight, head high, heroic. His tail sways behind him as he moves. The whole clip has the look and feel of vintage 1986 action adventure cel-animated cartoons. The animation quality is high, with flawless motion and anatomy. animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, studio Ghibli, don bluth. BluRay remaster. flat chroma-key green screen background

The potential for use with my Filmation-inspired technique is readily apparent. Both versions are on-model as much as any two shots in a 1980s action-figure shilling cartoon would be, some minor blurring to clean up in post but nothing serious. It should be pretty easy to extract the needed frames for looping and compositing.

Some Extra Points

There are the usual issues with hands, though more often than not it corrects my four-fingered anthros to having a human five-fingered hand. Buzby Spurlock animation was known for those kinds of inconsistencies, though. So an opening credits video is much less far off than it was at the last post.

It's also generally impressive how well it does with my dinosaur characters. Non-humanoid dinosaurs are difficult for most image generators, much less anthrosaurs in a vintage aesthetic. Vidu has yet to override the character art to give Underfang or Max the Jurassic Park style t-rex jaw, which is something both MJ and Dall-E 3 have trouble with.

Human characters like Kitty Concolor here, much more stable.

As always, clips are curated. I didn't choose my absolute best ones (gotta have something for the videos), and I'm working on a fun series of jank reels across all the generators.

[purple-1-0-1]

AHAHEU

I have so many thoughts about Slay the Princess but cannot formulate them INWISH I COULD DRAW

So. I think your (main characters) mind looks like shards of broken glass everywhere. It was once something put together but then something happened. Something like the Narrator choosing you to house Himself in. It broke everything. You as a person had always been heroic, so Voice of the Hero is your default thinking. With every death you learn and you discover. You discover pieces of yourself you lost. But instead of it being put together each gets their own voice in one shard of broken glass, so each is louder. They think for themselves in that little piece of glass. The mirror on the other hand is put together, it takes them from you and puts them away neatly.

Anyways. I think each shard of glass in empty until it gets a voice. Then it’s only two eyes and a face, not detailed at all, they all have a default face and then different expressions and a telling feature. Hero has a little scar on his lip and his default expression is a determined face. Cheated (my personal favorite, we think alike) has a lot of little scars and one large one over his eye, his default face is angry and betrayed. Smitten has a heart tattoo directly under his right eye and his default expression is love sick. His eyes hold a heart shape and only drop into a normal circle if the Princess says something not to his liking. I could go on and on and on and on about every voice. I won’t UNLESS someone asks. If someone asks I’ll try to draw it maybe 🎉🎉

ALSO IM NOT DONE WITH THE GAME. If this is completely wrong don’t eat my ass about it…I’m learning