#free stellar blade

[miaqc1]

We are in 2024.

No to censorship in gaming! Free Stellar Blade and Save Skullgirls!

I have posted a similar post on Twitter so I had to do it on tumblr as well.

[jstevh]

With video game Stellar Blade was so glad game designers in South Korea ignored neo-Puritans upset over character design.

Is better way for peoples in other countries to not accept tyranny from some.

[honeynclove]

why do genshin fans get so pissy when u mention hsr is a better game for ftps 😭😭

[shrimp-anon]

Me? Obsessed with Blade?

Yes. Yes, I am Obsessed with Blade.

[deathbxnny]

Can you write something about the stellar on hunters with a so who’s a herrscher?

-----♡

A/N: Hello! Thank you for the request! I wasn't too sure at first how to incorporate the Herrscher part in the hsr world at first, but I hope I did well!<33 Also what Herrscher the s/o is, is up to the reader!

Characters featured: Kafka, Blade and Silver Wolf

Content: Fluff, some very vague, but not really important Honkai lore mentions if some hi3 characters(?), Herrscher s/o

Reader has no set pronouns!

((Not really proofread, so sorry for any mistakes!<3))

-----♡

☆《Stellaron Hunters with a Herrscher S/O!》☆

-----♡

》Kafka

Kafka is very intrigued by your abilities, or rather the power you hold. She wants to know absolutely everything about your abilities and your origin. Your strength is one of the many things she loves about you.

She's glad, that she doesn't need to worry about keeping you safe and is in fact flattered, when you protect her instead. She likes to nearly brag about your power to others in teasing words, knowing that she's unstoppable at your side.

She does her best in help you out too, depending on what type of Herrscher you are. If it's a Seele type of situation, then she makes sure to also bond with your Herrscher counterpart. If you're more like Welt and have your Herrscher abilities completely under control, then she'll make sure that you become stronger.

Either way, she loves your strength and how much it benefits the Organisation. Especially since you get their work done faster and in turn make more free time for her to spend with you. You also keep enemies away, which is always a plus.

As long as she is close to you, she feels powerful as well and that makes her happy.

-----♡

》Blade

He was at first unimpressed by your abilities, seeing as he thought he was quite strong already. But once he saw you out there on the battlefield, destroying waves of enemies with minimal effort and flaunting your powers... well, his opinion on your abilities changed. Yet he never voiced it out loud, being too prideful and stubborn to ever admit it. Not that you needed to hear it, with the way he eyes you everytime you show off your power.

Blade still tries to protect you at all times, even if you can do it on your own just fine. He will also probably get a little salty, if you protect him all the time instead, though he doesn't mind it all too much. Not with the way that it secretly warms his supposedly "cold and dead" heart.

Depending on what your Herrscher type is, he will act differently with your powers. If you have a Herrscher counterpart that's tormenting you from the inside, then he may become hostile towards it. If not, then he'll treat it just like he treats you.

If your in full control of your Herrscher abilities, then he'll take that as an invitation to cause as much havoc and chaos as possible. It makes him proud to see the destructive force of your abilities and know, that you are his. Only his.

All in all pretty impressed by it deep down, even more so if you enjoy the art of battle as much as he does. Protect his back and he'll protect yours.

-----♡

》Silver Wolf

She doesn't really care much, that you're a Herrscher. Don't get her wrong, she finds it impressive and is quite proud to have an s/o like you. But other than that, she doesn't make a big fuss out of it.

She feels more at ease knowing that you're watching her back, whilst she hacks into facilities and such. It makes her more relaxed and focused, her eyes always glancing at you here and there to reassure herself that you are still there with her. Not that she has to worry anyways, when you can easily handle enemies with a single wave of a hand.

Likes it, when you tell her about your abilities or Herrscher existence, whilst she works. Is surprisingly still able to remember every detail you tell her, even if she seems like she isn't listening or she doesn't care. But she promises that she does.

If you have a Herrscher counterpart that's tormenting you, she'll do her best to make it co-operate with her own means. If it's friendly however, then she'll make sure to treat it with equal respect to you.

Is basically proud to have you as her lover, but doesn't make a big deal out of your abilities. With or without your powers, she'd still love you the exact same.

-----♡

A/N: I hope this was okay! I haven't played Honkai in a very long time, so I hope, this isn't too bad.

(Requests are always appreciated!<33)

[spiralcloudpassage]

watching claymore so i can watch rin daughters of mnemosyne so i can play bayonetta so i can play bloodborne so i can read simone de beauvoir so i can watch utena so i can read claymore so i can play elden ring. all so i can play stellar blade guilt free.

[theresattrpgforthat]

i want to destroy the god king and begin an anarchist uprising. culminating in participating in the aftermath building a new world

You and me both buddy. Let’s get started.

THEME: Destroy God

Dethrone Skeleton God, by emmy verse.

DETHRONE SKELETON GOD. THAT IS ALL YOU HAVE TO DO.

In this gmless role playing game you will set out on a journey to find and dethrone the aforementioned god. You will need some d6s, a d12, and some writing materials.

This game pulls a lot of inspiration from some pretty stellar games, including No Stone Unturned, EXTRACAUSAL, Trophy, and Blades in the Dark. You will play racing against three Fallout Tracks, which track the collapse of the material world, the immaterial world, and the Skeleton God’s Power. When all tracks are full, the game is over, and you narrate how the world ends.

If nobody in your group wants the burden/responsibility of running a game, this game is an excellent option as it is both GM-less and lightweight. It’s only 16 pages long and covers creating location elements and exploring them as a group. Everything is collaborative, so if you’re interested in games that let you come up with a story together as you go, you might want to check out this game.

Dead Gods, by Trollish Delver Games.

After the Cataclysm of Heaven it all changed. Murdered gods fell from the sky, sundering the land and casting their sacred relics about the world. From the woodwork crawl Warcults, scavengers of god-relics to further their own twisted gains. The Eternal seek power over death itself. The Order of the Stars seek relics to unlock god-like omniscience. The Pale Druids imbibe relics to acquire power over nature itself. The Black Maw will create a new, hungrier god under their control. 

Pick up a lovingly-designed weird cult and pit them against your friend in a desperate effort to grab a sacred god-relic in this miniatures skirmish game. Each player will control a number of different kinds of war cult members, and there are 4 war cults to embody in the upcoming skirmish. Great for PvP and lovers of combat, but if you want narrative you’ll want to pick up something else or mostly RP it out. You can also check out Unholy Scavengers, for more relics, more scenarios, more models - more more more!

Karanduun - Make God Bleed, by makapatag.(@makapatag)

Karanduun is a modern Filipino Epic RPG about worthless heroes dismantling God, whatever cycle of oppression that must be.  Inspired by modern Filipino folklore and culture. You play as young heroes who must make their legend known and become a legendary Karanduun by making God (whichever oppressive system and tyrant that is) bleed.

Lovers of Kill Six Billion Demons will probably get a big kick out of this game. The god Batala is already dead, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for some rebellion of your own. There are demons, corrupt angels, and other Kings of the Earth to defeat, in a post-American world inspired by the Philippines. If you’re looking for some narrative play, this game has got you covered, with rules inspired by Exalted 1e and PbtA. You can check out the physical version of this game on SoulMuppet’s website!

Skorne, by Dreaming Dragonslayer.

You are renegades, part of mankind’s insurrection against SKORNE who is devil prince, commander of demon rulers and their armies, and the darkness that reigns. Overthrow the evil Tyrants. Free chained captives. Fight to the last man.

Part of the NSR movement, Skorne is inspired by media such as Berserk, MORK BORG, and games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring. The game itself is only 4 pages long, with a really interesting system for character creation. You roll for your abilities and then use their values to determine your starting kit. The language in the game is also great for putting you into the fiction, such as the instructions found for character name choice:

“In the beginning, give thy renegade a name, though it will not save them.”

You want gritty and dire circumstances? You want to kill demon princes? You wanna play a game with random tyrant generation? This is for you.

Extreme Meatpunks Forever, by Sinister Beard Games.

"In the beginning, there was meat. A decaying chunk of flesh from a dying god, hurtling through the void of space, thousands of miles wide. A million eyes, a billion hands grasping for purchase against nothingness itself.  This is where we live.”

EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER is a tabletop roleplaying game where you’ll play as a gang of queer antifascists in a strange place called Meatworld. Spinning through space on the screaming corpse of a dead god under the glow of an absent sun, the people of Meatworld harvest its flesh to make their technology.

Embody your queer rage and kill fascists in meat-mechs in Extreme Meatpunks Forever. A PbtA game, this option is narrative-heavy and allows you to pick from some pretty metal weapons, including (but not limited to) Excellent Seasoning, A Bit Stick What Has Shrapnel In It, and Deathfucker Cannon. In your downtime, you can kiss your friends and work to heal and deal with your trauma. If you want a game that feels metal and also presents you with extremely punchable enemies, this is your game!

Other Recommendations

If you want some more recommendations you can also check out the Attack and Dethrone God Jam on itch.io, or my Revolution recommendation post.

If you’re interested in what happens after you end the world, then I recommend my Post-Apocalyptic Community Building recommendations!

[talbaquix]

A layman's guide to olympic fencing—

for writers, artists, olympic fans, or the otherwise curious.

disclaimer: i say layman for a reason! i'm not at all a professional, or even good, but i have been fencing (very) recreationally at an amateur level for ~7 years. also, my exposure to sabre is extremely limited, and i am speaking from an american POV, so please feel free to correct me on any points you see necessary. :)

long post incoming...

So, what is "Olympic fencing?"

First and foremost, it is a sport. Not a fight, not a duel—a sport. One of five that have been permanent fixtures since the very first modern Olympic games, actually—hence the name! While other similar sword-wielding activities (such as historical European martial arts (HEMA), kendo, or wushu for example) may occasionally be referred to as "fencing," most people (me included) define fencing as this specific sport, and use other classifiers to categorize the rest.

Originally, fencing began as a form of military training in Germany and Italy, before spreading recreationally across more areas in Europe. Currently, the fencing scene is almost uncontestedly dominated by Italy, France, and Hungary, though both China/HK and the US have had some pretty stellar wins more recently.

In addition, French has a pretty large influence on fencing terminology and language, at least in the West. Be prepared!

The Basics

Three Weapons

Fencing is divided into three disciplines, each with their own equipment, strategies, and ruleset. They are as follows:

Épée: The classic. The heaviest and most defensive of the three blades, épée's simple ruleset allows for more elaborate strategy and really lives up to fencing's moniker of "physical chess." In épée, the entirety of your opponents body (including face, toes, etc!) counts as valid target area and all hits must be scored with the tip of the blade. In case of a double-touch (relatively simultaneous hits from both opponents), both opponents score points.

Because there's no need for specific target areas, épéeists enjoy minimal equipment, forgoing lamés (electric jackets, pronounced luh-may) and mask cords in exchange for a larger bell guard to protect the hand (that big bit of metal at the end of the blade). Épéeists can use pistol grips for more point control (molded to fit a hand), or a french grip to get a little bit of extra distance (red stick grip).

Épée bouts are stereotypically known for being slow and boring, since the absence of right-of-way (explained later) allows more freedom in trying to sus out opponent reactions and strategize, and the whole-body target + double-touch system means there's more benefit to fencing slowly in comparison to sabre or foil. It's not uncommon for épée bouts to begin with both fencers being carded for passivity! There's a lot of bouncing back and forth in the middle.

Saber (Sabre): Fast, slashing, and aggressive. The fencing you see in movies? Sabre. It's the only cutting weapon, where the entire length of the blade is able to register contact with the opponent. In sabre, the target area is the upper half of the body (including the face, but excluding the hand) and their lamés reflect that. Sabre also employs what is known as right-of-way/priority/advantage (from here on abbreviated as RoW) which, in the case of a double-touch, essentially gives RoW—and therefore the point—to the "aggressing" fencer at the referee's discretion. RoW is pretty complicated, but is very influential in how both sabre and foil play out.

In their ready (en garde) position, sabreists also hold their blade vertically to protect the face (as opposed to foil and épée, where the blade is held horizontally to keep the point towards the opponent). Sabreists also need special masks to register hits, as well as a mask cord to connect it to the rest of the electric circuit. Sabre bell guards are kinda swoopy and extend downward (think pirates) and are always "french grips" (aka just a stick).

Sabreists are generally known for being (respectfully) batshit insane and dramatic as hell. Bouts are extremely fast (rarely more than a few seconds) and look simple, and rely much more on pure athleticism and fast reaction times than épée. Most bouts consist of the two fencers running towards each other, maybe a parry or two, then both fencers scoring hits with a fair bit of screaming and angrily pointing at the ref. Oh wait, did I say running? Sorry, I meant advancing, since sabre is also the only discipline where crossing-over with your legs got banned because people just started sprinting towards the middle instead of actually fencing. Love them for that.

Foil (Fleuret, rarely): Oh, foil. The artistic middleman. Originating as a practice weapon, foil tends to sit in the middle of épée's careful point-control and elaborate strategy and sabre's split-second reactions and fuck-it-we-ball energy. Yet somehow, it ends up being more nit-picky and complicated than both. It has the smallest target area of the three, only covering the torso, as well as the lightest blade. Touches are only registered from the tip.

RoW's influence is noticeably large, since, compared to sabre, the longer bout times actually allow for opportunity for RoW to be traded between you and your opponent. Foil can almost be thought of as turn-based combat. Fencer A initiates the attack first, now has RoW, lunges and misses, which gives RoW to Fencer B. Fencer B attacks, gets parried (back to Fencer A), A extends, B counterattacks, A gets the point.

Foil stereotypes aren't as strong as épée or sabre stereotypes, but foilists are generally known for either being super pedantic and arguing w/ the ref about RoW or whipping their blade around constantly & being flowery (hence, "fleuret"). Because of how bendy the foil is, foilists can also do cool stuff like flicks (snapping your wrist so that the blade bends around, oftentimes to hit your opponents back) and can also get into pretty funny in-fighting situations a bit more often than sabre/épée (since corps-a-corps contact isn't allowed in fencing, and stepping back means you lose RoW, there's a lot of awkward up-close poking).

Some Positions

En garde: the basic fencing position. In essence, a squat, with one foot facing forward and the other turned out, roughly one and a half foot-lengths apart. This is the basis from which all other movements—the lunge, the advance, the retreat—should be executed, and the position fencers return to once an action is completed.

Lunge: the quintessential fencing attack. From en garde, extend your dominant arm, kick out your front foot, land forward, and extend your back arm for balance. To recover, bend your back leg and return to en garde.

Parry: the most basic piece of defensive bladework that every fencer learns, with the "beat" serving as its offensive counterpart. Consists of hitting your opponents blade to prevent a touch. There are nine different parries in classical fencing, but the most common (in foil/épée) are the four and six, which defend the inside and outside lines respectively.

Ettiquette & Other Fun Facts

All fencers must salute their opponent, referee, and audience (if there is one) before and after the bout. Usually just consists of "nodding" at the salutee with your blade before the mask is donned. At the end of bouts, a handshake with your opponent using your non-dominant hand is also expected. Many people substitute/add on to the handshake by tapping blades instead.

Unlike in tennis, seeing a fencer hold up a one on their hand after a touch is an acknowledgement of the opponent's point, whereas a closed fist is a claim of theirs.

When fencing without a ref, many people will slap their thigh to indicate the start of a bout.

Fencers may not speak while the mask is on.

Fencing clubs are also sometimes called salles.

While electrical equipment can vary between disciplines, all fencers are required to wear knickers, a plastron (under-arm protector), a body cord, a jacket, a glove, and a mask. For women, a plastic chest protector is also required. In sabre and foil, fencers also wear a mask cord and lamé.

The first safety rule most fencers learn is to never raise your blade towards someone without a mask on, and it's taken pretty seriously. Because the back of a mask is exposed, its also a big big no-no to turn your back to your opponent during a bout or otherwise lower your head.

Common Terminology

En garde, prez, allez! - On guard, ready, fence! Used to signal the start of a bout.

Halt! - Said by referees to. halt the bout.

Strip/piste - The surface on which fencers fence. Usually around 2m wide and 14m long, the lines on the piste also dictate where fencers must move to to begin bouts, and where they're considered out-of-bounds. Sometimes, they're on raised platforms. Yes, people have fallen off, yes, it's extremely funny.

Feint - Probably what you think it is.

Disengage - Moving your blade in a little circle to avoid contact with what is usually an incoming parry/beat. On a very basic level, straight attacks beat disengages, disengages beat parries, and parries beat straight attacks.

Fleche - An explosive running attack. Due to not being able to cross-over, sabreists use "flunges" instead, a mix between a fleche and a lunge that essentially entails flinging yourself at your opponent in a flying lunge.

Balestra - hop :)

Riposte - An immediate attack done after a defender's parry. Usually heard as "parry-riposte."

Tempo - A kind of nebulous concept, but very similar to the musical definition of the word. The pace of a bout, sorta. Often used when someone is advised to break tempo or if one fencer is controlling the tempo of a bout.

FAQ

Why are the blades bendy? To keep us from dying, mainly. What, you want the metal pole people can throw at each other at the same speed as a bullet (literally) to be solid? Also, blades break a lot already, especially in the hands of the inexperienced—they'd snap a hell of a lot more if they weren't flexible. Ouch.

Does it hurt? About as much as getting poked really hard with a steel stick would. Leaves bruises often, but cuts very rarely. You get used to it. The real kicker is staying in en garde for that long. Trust me, your quads will be screaming.

Is it- No, it's not dangerous. If you follow the rules, fencing is actually extremely safe, especially compared to contact sports.

Does a red light mean no touch? No. One fencer is assigned a red light that lights up whenever a touch is made, and the other is given green. In sabre and foil, yellow (sometimes white) means whatever the fencer hit was off-target, and should not be counted as a point. Épée doesn't have an off-target light, since épéeists don't wear lamés.

How do the masks know when a point is scored? Often asked upon seeing the little lights on the side of masks light up upon touches. Unless you're "dry fencing" (no electricity), you're typically hooked up to a circuit. If you fence épée or foil, there's a little button on the end of your blade that registers when pressure is added onto it. When a hit is scored, the signal goes through the wire in your blade, up your body cord, and eventually to "the box" (and your mask if you're fancy), and the corresponding light is flashed.

Why hold your hand behind your back? Most people don't! Some beginners do it to prevent themselves from reflexively moving their non-gloved hand in front of them when being attacked (which is against the rules), but most fencers either keep their hand relaxed at their side, raised in a t-rex pose, or occasionally above the head.

Helmet? Mask.

Sword? If you want.

Touché? Often "touche," actually. No accent.

Paralympics? On (stationary) wheelchairs. Extremely cool, actually, and very hard. Check it out!

Expensive? To get all your own stuff? Yes. But most clubs will rent you equipment, or sometimes lend it for free! But yes, more expensive than, like, soccer. :(.

Is it fun? Absolutely. To quote some random internet user, "it's like chess, at 90 miles an hour, oh and there's swords!" I would 100% recommend it to everyone, especially if you're on the older side (fencing isn't super age-restricted at all—seeing a 12 y/o and a 70 y/o facing off on a club piste isn't uncommon!) It is exhausting, exhilarating, and super, super fun. Give it a shot!

.

Please feel free to send any and all questions, corrections, or musings my way. Thanks for reading—I hope this was interesting and/or useful!

[rosewood-multifandom-writer]

I swear the way some people will flip-flop between calling people porn addicts for liking an attractive female character as an insult or say “just go watch porn” is astounding because make up your minds, everyone. Yes, this is about Stellar Blade. A game with an attractive woman. I’d much rather deal with the “she’s a lesbian and NOT for the heterosexual men” crowd then hear people trivialize an addiction and a serious one at that just to insult straight men for being attracted to women.

And this is one of the very few times I agree with some of the guys on this because the girl in Stellar Blade is a cutie and like a lot of other video game characters with realistic or semi-realistic graphics, her proportions are realistic as they used a 3D scan of a Korean model.

I also love flashy fashion on fictional women, good looking characters (totally not the reason I played Resident Evil, Street Fighter, The Evil Within, and Devil May Cry lol), hack-and-slash games, so Stellar Blade is on my video game wishlist.

Back to what I’m saying, if this was (and this is me encouraging a future game developer to make this a concept) an attractive man who’s sexualized to oblivion in the game and is shirtless in the vast majority of his outfits with his most scandalous “outfits” being a straight up speedo or a chippendales look, no one would be saying any of that. Just saying. And again, future game developers, feel free to use this idea I popped out of my head.

Besides, it’s not just guys that are convinced or motivated to play a game because of “gameplay” (aka boobies), some of us ladies have played games like COD, RDR2, DMC, RE, TEW, MK, and in my case, SF6 for the hot guys.

To end this positively (or not depending on who comes on here), what is a game that motivated you to play for the “gameplay?” Don’t worry, I don’t judge, cause I got about -10 room to judge.

[beevean]

7, Maxim x Juste or Maxim x Juste x Lydie

…to shut them up.

Juste was in good spirits, that morning. The sun shining outside must have infused him with energy and the desire to have a good fight: Maxim could only be happy to see his best friend having fun, being free of worries, and giving him his all during their sparring. However, as he dodged by a hair's breadth a blow of the whip (thankfully not the deadly Vampire Killer), he saw himself wishing that Juste would run his mouth less.

"Did you get cursed on your way here?" he laughed. "You're growing softer with age!"

"Don't get too cocky, now," Maxim replied, and sent forward his Stellar Sword with its blades spread wide. With an icy flourish and a grin, Juste was able to send it back to him.

"You fight like my grandpa!"

"How is that supposed to be an insult?"

"I mean my other one!"

That was enough. In a swift move, Maxim dashed forward; Juste raised the whip, expecting an attack... not expecting him to pull him by the vest and shutting his mouth with his own.

That was not how Maxim imagined their first kiss, but there was never a dull moment with Juste.

His friend stood there, mouth agape at Maxim's boldness. So, it was only natural that he would deliver a low kick and make Juste fall on his rear.

"I won," he smiled.

Juste didn't reply, his face as red as his jacket. But Maxim couldn't relish in his accomplishment of making his friend shut up, because with a snap of his fingers, he conjured a tiny fairy with a hammer disproporionately larger than her.

He always had to have the last word.

[writingquestionsanswered]

I just recently came across your blog but I love it so much!! I’ve always wanted to write and have always had a passion for it. One of my bucket list items is to write a novel. Do you have any suggestions on how to come up with story ideas? I feel like I have a few ideas but they’re more suited for short stories than novels

Tackling "Bucket List" Item of Writing a Novel

Introduction to NaNoWriMo/Coming Up with Ideas

Actually, you've picked a great time to tackle this bucket list item, but we'll get more into that in a moment...

September: If you have ideas that would work for short stories, use the rest of this month to start writing them. They don't have to be perfect (or even good)... the point is to try, because good writing takes practice, and practice means bad writing leads to good writing. You can also start Filling Your Creative Well which will help make your mind a fertile ground for new ideas. You can also do writing prompts (you can find them here on Tumblr, via Google, or in creative writing prompt books.) And, read some books--or at least start reading book blurbs in genres you're interested in.

October: Happy Preptober!!! Now is the time to start gathering up ideas for your novel. You may also want to familiarize yourself with some basics like Literary Fiction vs Genre Fiction, Plot Driven vs Character Driven Stories, and Understanding Goals and Conflict. My posts Guide: How to Turn Ideas into a Story, Guide: Starting a New (Long Fiction) Story, and How to Move a Story Forward might also be helpful. You might also do a Google search for "Preptober Workbook" as many writers and writing coaches offer free or low cost workbooks that will help you develop your ideas into a novel. And why are we doing this in October???

November: Time to write your novel! Happy NaNoWriMo!!! NaNoWriMo (short for National Novel Writing Month) is a 24-year-old writing initiative that challenges people to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days or less. Although NaNoWriMo is just about getting a story down on paper (it doesn't have to be stellar), many popular and successful novels were drafted during NaNoWriMo, including Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, Marissa Meyer's Cinder, and L.L. McKinney's A Blade So Black. NaNoWriMo is completely free and has a great web site where you can track your progress, and forums where you can chat with other participants. While there's no reward for "winning," there are usually a lot of great offers from sponsors, such as huge discounts on writing programs like Scrivener, so it's worth participating and trying to reach your goal.

You can learn more on the NaNoWriMo . org web site, and in my previous posts about NaNoWriMo:

NaNoWriMo: Picking an Idea Staying Pumped Until NaNoWriMoNaNoWriMo: Necessities for PlannersPacing Yourself During NaNoWriMo

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[coldgoldlazarus]

Oh! Sorta responding to the "responding to sexualizing woman. Don't." post. What are your thoughts on Smash Ultimate altering Zero Suit Samus' design? Personally not a fan of it compared to Smash 4. I liked her bigger boobs. 😔

I don't really pay that much attention to Smash, honestly, (fighting games just aren't my thing as is, and I'm not attached to 95% of Nintendo's stuff the same way I am with Metroid (even if I am curious about Zelda and Splatoon)) so I don't really care that much one way or another. But I guess my take is, on one hand I respect the attempt to dial back on Samus's sexualization². On the other hand, as the full un-blackouted version of that post said, focusing on boob size to do so instead of other elements of design, both doesn't really address the actual problems, and kinda carries some dubious implications¹.

But on the other other hand, I remember the ridiculous blowback and controversy from Those Kinds Of Gamers™ being just, embarassing to watch, and I wish Samus hadn't been stuck at the center of that, but I kinda support the move on that front, catering to the assholes that much less, even and especially when they made a huge overblown fuss about it.

So it kinda balances out to a net result of "ehh whatever" either way.

---

¹The interplay of boobs and sexualization is of course it's own complicated topic, honestly. In an ideal (but hopefully attainable) world, the nipple would be free and breast size would be culturally sexually neutral - as with really any aspect of appearance. Particular people might have particular preferences, but it would be a purely personal thing without an established cultural yardstick to literally measure oneself up against. Unfortunately, we don't currently live in an ideal world, and that yardstick does exist (which is why all the Gamer Bros were so Big Mad over the Smash Samus breast reduction in the first place) and has to be contended with, so it's kind of a catch-22.

I do think breast size shouldn't be tied to sexualization, and unfortunately reducing one in the name of reducing the other, does just kinda serve to reinforce the base assumption of their tie being inherent. At the same time, while a real-life person having giant G-cups might have my sympathy for the back pain involved and little more thought than that, a character designed that same way would definitely have me questioning the creative intent behind that. So I do think there is kind of at least an upper limit to boob size in character design, past which it's hard not to assume sexualization is at play; even if I personally try to set that upper limit a bit higher than some people, and put more stock in other contextual aspects of the character design and source media before jumping to conclusions.

---

There's also a larger discussion to be had around like, what sexualization even is, types of sexualization and appeal, whether or not it's even a bad thing and when and why it is or isn't, and the cultural yardstick stuff surrounding that, but I don't quite have the brainpower or desire to get into all that right now. The distinction between why 2B from Nier Automata being sexualized can be criticized but is also mostly fine, whereas the gal from Stellar Blade being sexualized in a similar way is more dubious; and how the culture they both exist in impacts things, compared to if they existed in a vaccuum or a completely different zeitgeist. I guess a summary of my feeling there is that once again it really just depends from case to case; and the context of creative intent, execution, impact, and just how much narrative sense it makes, are key.

---

²Which brings me back to Samus. I'm running out of steam so I'm just gonna do a quick lightning round.

- Do I have a problem with the broad idea of her being sexualized? Not necessarily. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for her role as a bounty hunter, but it can serve well as part of her personal characterization, and metanarratively as part of the subversion of gender roles and stuff that she can be read as. (Though that in of itself gets into some thorny bigger topics around gender I also don't have the energy for rn.)

- Do I take issue with the specific way most of her canonical appearances do it? Yes, and I've talked at length in other posts about how I think they should do things instead.

- Does her presentation in Smash matter nearly as much as her presentation in the actual Metroid games? Ehh, mostly not, but it would be nice if she was represented better there.

- Do I think her breast size matters all that much? Generally not, barring of course the aformentioned upper limit of reasonability; the problem is more in other aspects of the design. Again, I didn't have a problem with the original boob size or the reduction, so much as Zero Suit Samus's overall design in the first place.

- How should they actually fix those in Smash, then? IMO there are two different approaches there. The simpler way would be to redesign Zero Suit Samus from the ground up to be less of a latex-clad barbie doll. Dread's buffer ZSS model is a pretty good show of how to accomplish that without drastically altering the design; though I also think the Zero Suit itself is in need of a moderate rework, to feel more like the astronaut's undersuit and conduit with the Powersuit that it's excused as in the lore.

The other option would be to address the whole weird thing of Zero Suit Samus for some reason being counted as a completely separate playable character from (Powersuit) Samus, and coalesce them together back into one thing. (Possibly with the option to switch modes at will, or being forced into Zero Suit mode on her last life, or something like that.) This would definitely more significantly impact her place in Smash and would probably cause an uproar that would make the boob controversy look like nothing, but it would be worth it for the greater character accuracy IMO. Honestly of the two options... Well, I'd just prefer they do both, but I think if I had to pick, I'd want the full redesign more.

[topaz-witch-tea]

ok so like

me again :D

imagine yx taking care of yanqing and teaching him forgery (yq is like 10 - 12)

thats it thats all

i dont have any brain juice anymore - paimon

This is adorable!!! I love getting asks so feel free to send them in. I'm sadder that work has taken so much time out of my day that I wasn't able to respond sooner.🥺

I know you meant forging but the idea of Yingxing teaching Yanqing how a good sword is made so he won't get duped by a counterfeit in the market stuck to me. I also don't know much about forging so this was born from the little research I did. I hope you like it. If you want more regarding this, please feel free to send me an ask!

Yingxing has always banned Yanqing from the forge due to the fact that it was dangerous. Molten metal, and sharp tools, all are just accidents waiting to happen. Even in the Artisanship Commission, Yanqing is only allowed in Yingxing's office, the man cannot bear the thought of his child wandering around and getting attacked by an automaton.

However, as Yanqing got older, his allowance which would go to candy and snacks was now going to swords and scabbards. In the Xianzhou Alliance, swords and spears were preferred over guns as personal weapons. Part of it came from durability and aesthetics, but the other part was due to it being more useful as it did not need to be reloaded. But the high demand also brewed a strong market for counterfeit items which Yingxing had a strong distaste for. There was no way to ensure a weapon was high quality without knowing the artisan and the basic nature of blade-making and Yingxing could never allow Yanqing to be near a poorly made weapon. Which is why, for the first time in his son's 10 years of life, he was allowed in the forge.

Yanqing watched carefully from the bench as his father hammered the heated stick of metal flat, sparks flying with each contact.

"Now look here Yanqing, this is one of the most important steps in making a sword. During this process, both sides must be perfectly even and the point must be blunt. An uneven blade and a dull point are signs of a poor sword and an even more incompetent artisan for allowing such a thing to be sold. Don't ever buy swords from incompetent artisans and merchants. If they are unable to spot a quality sword, then there is no point looking at any of their wares." Yingxing stated very strictly.

"I understand." Yanqing nodded. He's sure that if he ever brought home such a poorly made sword, his Baba would walk straight back to the market and give the artisan an earful.

Yingxing then moved the cooled blade back into the forge and repeated the process 3 more times before sanding the edges smooth. He placed the blade back in the forge again, watching the blade turn bright orange and yellow before dunking it in oil. The sword sizzled upon contact with the liquid and steam erupted from the basin.

"This is to strengthen the metal. Doing this step improperly means a weak and brittle sword. This steel is from the furnace aboard the Zhuming and has very special properties. You can tell from the lines in the metal and the way it glows that the steel was properly quenched. If you don't see these, the sword is either a fake or poorly made."

Yanqing peered at the stellar blade his father made. The lines in the metal were smooth and evenly spaced and when held up to the light it produced an iridescent glow around it. "When I get better at the sword, will you make me one?" His voice brimming with excitement at the thought of weilding one of his father's blades.

Yingxing smiled at him and patted him on the head. "Of course, I look forward to making you as many blades as you wish."

Yingxing awaited the day he could make Yanqing a sword. He had tons of drawings made and a list of the finest materials saved for his son's first real sword. His child would only have the best swords, blades worthy of being compared to Starfall Reverie and Cloud-Piercer.

I hope you like it!❤️

[satoshi-mochida]

ASTRO BOT free DLC ‘Speedrun and Special Bots’ launches this fall - Gematsu

Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer Team ASOBI will release ASTRO BOT free downloadable content “Speedrun and Special Bots” this fall, which adds five new online speedrun levels and 10 new bots to rescue this fall, the companies announced.

Get the latest details below, via Team ASOBI studio director Nicolas Doucet.

Before anything, we wanted to take a minute to thank everyone of you for the huge love and positive comments we received following the game’s release on September 6. We could not possibly be happier with the reception and the little robots at Team Asobi almost short-circuited from so many tears of joy! We also laughed a lot at the many funny videos of the game that we saw popping up. We are glad we could succeed in bringing a little bit of digital sunshine to homes around the world. For all your support, trust, and kindness and from all of us at Team Asobi, doumo arigatou gozaimasu (thank you very much)! Today, we have a little surprise for you! From this fall, we’re happy to announce that ASTRO BOT will receive 5 brand new speedrun levels, at no additional cost. Check out our new teaser trailer below for a sneak peek at what’s in store. Many of you asked for the return of speedrun levels so we hope you enjoy those. Time to sharpen those jumping skills and shave milli-seconds at every turn! To go alongside these extra levels, there will be 10 new Special Bots for you to rescue. These are obtained by beating cheeky birds racing against Astro. We’re super happy to welcome the Helldivers squad who will bring super democracy to the crash site as well as Eve from slick and delightful PlayStation 5 hit Stellar Blade! You’ll have to find out who the other ones are! And of course, there will be leaderboards so that you can compete online with the whole community or with close PlayStation friends. To wrap this up, let us say that having a chance to create a fun, colorful platformer that pays tribute to 30 years of Playstation legacy has been an incredible privilege, one that all members of Team Asobi take very much at heart. Thank you for embarking with us on Astro’s great new adventure!

ASTRO BOT is available now for PlayStation 5.

Watch a new trailer below.

Free Update Trailer

[frasier-crane-style]