#from the way they��re framed in the pilot

[lokisgoodgirl]

Open Skies [Loki x Reader]

A link to my Masterlist is HERE Summary: Loki's first time flying the Quinjet is a memorable one. Warnings: 18+ Only Minors DNI. Smut. Loki x Female Reader. Silly things. Mutual pining. Oral (M). (w/c 2.2k)

Tony dangled the key between his thumb and forefinger. The fob swung in front of Loki’s smirking face. “To Virginia, and back again,” Tony said. He was not in the mood for games. Loki’s eyebrows shot up. He pressed his fingers to his chest in mock-hurt before extending the cup of his palm out, fingers unfolding with a graceful flourish. “I need to learn, Stark..." he postured innocently. “The simulations only go so far. You know that.”

“And you’ll behave?” Loki rolled his eyes. “What egregious sin could I possibly commit with your garish vessel while under the watchful eye of our trustworthy Agent here?” he said, flicking a finger towards you. “Is that not why she has been chosen for this farce? To keep me in line? To make sure I don’t damage this metal substitute for masculinity?” Tony’s eyes darted in an aborted eye-roll. He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, observing Loki with suspicion. “It should only take you twenty minutes- if that,” he said, tossing the fob in the air. The god caught it. Loki let you walk ahead up the ramp. The weight of his stare clung to your ass like wet paint as you made your way to the front of the craft and slid into the passenger seat. He paused, giving both headrests a squeeze as he observed the screens. You watched his profile stiffen, a swallow working his neck. For all his breezy pomposity, he was nervous. “Just like the simulator,” you said, “you’ll be fine.” Loki's face remained unchanged by your re-assurance. He cleared his throat, tugging at the sleeves of his sweater; the one with the Avengers logo that he swore the first time he saw it that he would never wear.

He manoeuvred himself into the driver’s seat. “Is he watching?” he asked quietly. You pressed the screen, making the rear camera pop up. Tony stood below the under-hang of the landing area, arms folded. “Right..." Loki said, lips pursing.

He ran his palms down the tight chinos creased to his thighs. One long finger tentatively pressed against the central screen.

In a matter of seconds, the Quinjet’s engines fired to life. Loki flinched. His fingers flexed before their length curled around the lever sitting between you. He pushed it into elevate. "Thirty-five-thousand feet..." Loki murmured to himself, pressing a series of buttons on the screen.

He reached up, pressing an intercom above his head.

"This is Loki Laufeyson, Avengers Unit, Stark Tower," he said, gazing out the huge window at the skyscrapers.

His voice made goose-bumps ripple on your skin. It massaged over the syllables like crude oil over glass, thick and utterly erotic in its uniform sincerity. “Lifting off - flightpath expected from New York City to above Richmond, Virginia. No target, no landing. Training exercise, thirty-five thousand feet. Copy?”

He released the button. Static hummed. Loki’s fingers readjusted around the lever. “Copy, Mr Laufeyson." the radio crackled. "Clear for take-off. Route mapped. Any changes, let us know.”

Loki let out a small, satisfied sigh. He shot you a weak smile. “Good?” he asked. You nodded. His hair was tied back in a messy bun, delicate strands falling around his face. It framed his cheekbones perfectly. “Try not to be too aroused by my piloting-skills, Agent,” Loki goaded, turning his attention to the thrusters. “I have been practising very hard to make it seem effortless.” He pressed several more buttons without a pause.

You and Loki had hooked up for several weeks just before his most recent mission. But whether it was clarity during the absence, or simply lack of interest; when he had come back no moves were made on either side. On your part, it was simple terror. Being with Loki in that way was unbelievable the first time that it had happened, never mind the seventh, eighth, ninth. Part of you didn’t want to push your luck. It had crossed your mind that he had actually forgotten. And if that was true, then you didn’t want to know.

The force of the ascent pushed you back into your seat, facing forwards. Out the corner of your eye you saw a grin stretch over the god’s face as the New York skyline became mere dots below. He yanked the lever a few more times into position, setting it in cruise. The beep of buttons and the hum of the engines were the only sounds. Ahead, there was nothing but open skies. “Well done, I’m very impressed,” you said with a smile, shifting to face him. The seatbelt dug into your shoulder. Without realising, you had set a hand to rest on his thigh. The two of you looked at it, eyes rising to meet. One of Loki’s brows cocked. “Agent?�� he growled. “Are you trying to seduce the captain?”

You were about to deny it. But he was the god of lies, after all. In which case there was no getting around it. And even if there was – did you want to? “Yes.” you said. Loki barked a small laugh of disbelief, turning his eyes back to the wide windows. “It will take more than that, Agent.” he said, offering a small nod to the hand resting mid-way up his thigh. “Especially after giving me the cold-shoulder on my return.” Your stomach dropped. “I did no such thing-” you started, but Loki had begun to tut. It’s slow methodical click ticked over the air between you. His eyes never left the blue sky out the front of the Quinjet. “On the contrary. On my return, I came to your rooms. I left a note, and quite a suggestive one at that. I made myself quite vulnerable, actually.” You frowned. “Loki, I moved rooms like three weeks ago.” Loki pressed a finger to his forehead. “Who’s in your old one?” “Scott.” “Ah,” Loki said, grimacing. “I was wondering why he had been particularly familiar of late.” The god shot you a sheepish smile. “I may have gone into great detail about oral sex in my correspondence.” “Giving or Receiving?” “Receiving.” The two of your burst into raucous laughter.

Loki took his hands from the steering wheel, wiping a tear of mirth. “In defence of my uncouth written request, you do give the most glorious blowjobs,” he muttered, offering a tilt of his head. “And it was a very long mission. I was in desperate need of attention.” “Did you ever get it?” “No. Although in hindsight, Lang did attempt to ease my disposition.”

You and Loki exchanged a restrained smirk before bursting into laughter again. “I feel terrible,” you said, starting to feel giddy. “I thought you weren’t into me anymore, so I just…” “Gave up without a fight?” Loki said, pressing a button and shifting the stick. “Understandable. I am rather intimidating.”

Your hand began to dance up his thigh, following the rise of his insane quad muscle. You squeezed. The fingers slid inward, brushing the growing bulge in his crotch. Loki shifted in his seat, chinos rustling. “Agent…” he warned. But his eyes sparkled.

The god’s legs widened in the generous seat. Creases ran thick across his spread thighs, the outline of his cock stark against the light fabric. It stretched up to his hip by the side of the zipper. You bit your lip as he thrust gently into your cupped hand. “We shouldn’t…” you said, tracing the length of his cock with one light finger. “No,” Loki breathed. “But we will.” The click of your seatbelt and the resulting flurry of your fingers at his buttons was instant. Loki raised one arm to let you work, lowering the tight zipper and setting his cock free with a bounce into your waiting hand. “Fuck,” he choked through ragged breaths, “Agent you don’t have to-” You looked up at him, head pressed back against the rest and the veins in his throat tightening. He had that stoic, regal set upon his features, cheekbones hard and unwavering, mouth closed as he stared at your with hungry eyes. The only thing that gave him away was the sound of small puffs of air flaring in rapid succession from his nostrils. Without looking, you could tell his knuckles were white on the wheel. One of his forearms rested on the nape of your neck.

“If you don’t think I want to suck your cock, Laufeyson,” you whispered, pausing to place a kiss on the leaking tip, “then you’re even crazier than I thought.” Loki inhaled sharply as you swallowed him. The breath caught in his throat, forcing its way back through a series of stuttering breaks that made desire thrash deep in your cunt. Fingers wrapped around the base of him, you worked slowly back and forth until his manhood was slippery with spit. Your face lowered on to the bottom of Loki’s sweatshirt with every dip of your head. Sucking wet and hot as the vein that ran the length of his cock throbbed against your tongue. There it was, that sweet saltiness pearling at the cracked creases of your lips. God, how you’d missed that. The taste of him. There was nothing like it.

Loki’s placid moans filled the cockpit. It was polite, in a way. Gentlemanly, while his slender fingers grasped delicately against your hair. You lingered at the crown, running your tongue against the sensitive underside.

Loki jolted in his seat. The Quinjet took a dive, and you froze - cushioning his glory with your tongue as the god corrected the flightpath. He chuckled, hissing as you tightened the grip of the fingers around his root and began to pump in time with your mouth. “We’ve reached-uh...g-gods, Richmond,” he stammered. His fingers grasped at your hair, knees beginning to tremble. “I’m carrying out a soft turn, bringing us one hundred and sixty degrees before returning to the original..f..f-fuckk-flightpath.” Humming approval through a mouthful of his cock, you lost yourself in the warm musk of his public hair. The metal zipper caught against your chin, grazing with every deep dive of the god into your throat. But you didn’t care. Loki’s gentle whines were all you could hear over the engines, panting praises and murmurs of lustful promises that you would hold him to when this thing landed. If it landed.

“Gods-” Loki choked, punctuated with a thump as his skull fell against the headrest. "How can you do this to me, Agent?” he gasped, rubbing your back as you quickened the pace. “You’re the best…” he moaned, hips rising to meet the bob of your jaw, “you’re the b-best I’ve ever had..I- uhh...”

The god’s fingertips dragged down your back, fist clenching and unfurling. He let out a primal grumble. “I’m going to cum, darling-” he growled. “Has anything c-changed?” You shook your head, saliva dripping down the side of your mouth and pooling in a wet patch on his chinos. Swallowing all the spit you could, you pressed your lips tighter around his girth, sucking furiously. Loki flinched with pleasure; and although you couldn’t see him, you knew his eyes were rolling back. You’d bet a few more of those slutty little curls had come loose too. Loki’s bucks were quicker now. He was trying to be restrained, but still his hips shuddered against the seat trying not to fuck your mouth with all his might. The Quinjet thrashed to the side, immediately correcting.

The god’s breaths were heavy, unintelligible filth falling from his lips and slithering into your ear as you worked him. "Good girl," he gasped, palm flying to the window my his side, "oh, f-fuck yes...good girl-vakker... just like, u-uh-" His palm slid down the window with an obscene squeak.

With a curse-littered groan, both of his arms went flying up behind the headrest. He pulled it forwards, the force of his abdomen’s clench pressing against your forehead. Loki’s hot cum hit the back of your tongue, filling your mouth with the sweet tang you craved. It kept coming, spreading into every pocket of space not occupied by his meat. His groans of pleasure filled the cockpit while you swallowed - pretty little moans snaking from his throat as he rode higher than the clouds.

Your lips left the tip of his flushed member with a slurp. Loki looked at you, dazed and slut-drunk. His seed glistened at the corners of your mouth as you squeezed his cock from the base a final time. A thick ream of cum blossomed at the opening. With one finger, you scooped it off, placing it carefully on the tip of your tongue.

“How I’ve missed you,” Loki slurred before his mouth was on yours.

You could feel his tongue search your own, tasting himself on each caress, swallowing the mess that you had made of him. Breaking apart, you took a moment to appreciate just how fucked-out Loki looked. The god’s cheeks were flushed, his lips raw and pink from rough kisses; his tied-up hair was askew, one side falling down in inky tendrils across his shoulder. The sweatshirt was rumpled, and there was a spreading wet patch on those lovely cream chinos. “How long do we have?” you asked, realising that you probably didn’t look much better. Loki’s eyes flickered to the screen. “Three minutes.” he said, disappointed. As Loki nailed a perfect landing, you made a final check of yourself in the window’s reflection. His knuckles trailed gently down your bicep. “I’ll see you inside?” he asked quietly. His pupils were still bottomless pools. “At your rooms,” you smiled, fighting to contain a laugh. “Not Scott’s.” Loki nodded agreement, lips curling. “I really did wait, you know.” he said. “I know.” you said, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. The two of you disembarked and Tony was waiting for the debrief exactly where you'd left him. He seemed happy with everything, by and large. But his arms remained folded. You began to make your way into the Tower. “Laufeyson. A word.” Tony barked. Loki rolled his eyes, subtly gesturing for you to go on ahead. “How’d you like her then? State of the art?” Stark hummed, gesturing to the Quinjet. Loki raised a brow. “It was perfectly fine.” Loki said. “Not ‘the best you’ve ever had’?” Tony slipped his sunglasses down his nose. Loki’s brow furrowed. “Cameras?” “Cameras,” Tony replied, tossing Loki the key-fob. “I’ll delete my evidence if you hop on back and delete your evidence with some of that magic-bleach. Deal?” “Deal.” Loki sighed.

Tags (cont in comments) @lokischambermaid @gigglingtiggerv2 @imalovernotahater @avengersalways @littledark11 @lokikissesmyforehead @simplyholl @fictive-sl0th @thedistractedagglomeration @loopsisloops @glitchquake @jaidenhawke @silverfire475 @fandxmslxt69 @marygoddessofmischief @thevillainswhore @yelkmelk @wheredafandomat @mistress-ofmagic @acidcasualties @ozymdias @your-taste-on-my-lips @lokidokieokie @kikster606 @peachyjinx @tbhiddlestan83 @trickster-maiden @skymoonandstardust @justjoanne242 @thenotoriouserg @ladyofthestayingpower @brittbax @smolvenger @liminalpebble @joyful-enchantress @kaleenjackson @fictional-hooman @kellatron55 @icytrickster17 @buttercupcookies-blog

[lockheed-martin-unofficial]

22 for the drabble ask with Starscream!

22: you, from their perspective.

I sort of bent the prompt a little and wrote the moment his perspective of her changed. For context our human is a pilot, and Starscream has agreed to reluctantly cooperate with the Autobots (season 2 ish) even though he refuses to join them. This didn’t turn out 100% the way I wanted it to, all the more motivation to get better at writing so I can re-do it in the future.

Thank you for asking!

Words: 850

——————————————————————————

“You know, it’s nice to finally have another flyer on the team.”

“Right.” Starscream stretched his limbs, his wings twitching from how good it felt to just spread out. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since his last flight. He met the human standing next to the cliff edge, feeling the warm desert air flow around them from all directions.

“And who might your first flyer be?” He asked with a smirk, skeptical.

“Um, myself?”

A deep, rumbling laugh sounded beside the pilot.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You, you’re not a flyer.” He replied, an air of superiority about him. This human, a flyer? What a ridiculous concept. Humans weren’t even created to fly, let alone fly to the degree of a seeker. Whereas he was engineered to aerodynamic perfection. How could they ever be the same?

“I don’t expect you to possibly understand the true meaning of flight.” He replied dismissively.

“Listen, I get it. Here you are, flying since the day you were created, with a body quite literally tailored to the sky. And all of a sudden this small, fragile creature without even wings to call her own says you two are the same? I’d be unimpressed too.”

He looked down at her with one raised eyebrow, not expecting the genuine reply. She didn’t sound angry, she didn’t even sound offended. The human pilot sat down, remaining a safe distance away from the edge and crossing her legs.

“Let me put it this way. When you were left without your T-cog, unable to fly…How did it make you feel?”

Starscream sat down as well, his legs dangling off the cliff. Wings drooped down ever so slowly on his back. It was obvious she’d hit a sensitive spot.

“Restrained. With an indescribable sense of longing.” He replied without missing a beat, gazing off into the distance.

“And every time I looked up at the sky…”

A pause. A tiny crack in his voice.

“You felt the crushing weight of knowing you could never reach it.” She completed, her tone soft yet containing a hint of sorrow. His stabilisers shot up, and he suddenly turned his head to look at her.

“You…”

“That’s how I feel all the time. Look at me. No dancing between the clouds for me. No heat of the sun on my frame, no wind tugging at my stabilisers, and certainly no gentle droplets of rain on my wings.” The human sighed, her voice faltering.

“That’s just the way it is.”

He felt pity. He almost even felt a little guilty. Starscream raised a servo, placing his talons on her shoulder as gently as possible. He felt sorry for her. He could hear the longing in her voice. The passion and love she couldn’t help but feel, despite knowing it only made things worse for her.

“I’m sorry.”

Perhaps he had misjudged her. True, she was a small and fragile little thing, but he had to admit the fact that she was still striving for the sky, even though her own body was against this idea, made her admirable in her own way. The human was startled for a split second at the touch, before relaxing and placing her own hand over his servo, her fingers caressing his digits and her head leaning into his touch.

“It’s alright.”

“No.”

The human looked up, and Starscream leaned down to her level.

“No,” he repeated, “it’s not alright. It’s terrible! How do you even deal with it?” He had already spent a few months unable to fly, but he couldn’t imagine doing it for an entire lifetime. He would’ve gone insane.

She was touched by the outburst. It made her feel seen, made her struggle feel so much more real.

“Well… I try to fly as often as I can, get as close as I can, but it’s not what I want. It’s not the same as having my own wings to fly with, being able to feel and control every little thing. You know?”

“Of course not…” he nodded, contemplating. “It could never be the same.”

It made more sense now, why she had been so eager to assist him all this time, why she’d volunteered to be his partner. She’d seen him going through the same thing she was, but unlike her, his situation could be helped.

For that help, he was silently grateful. And then, Starscream did something unexpected.

“If you’d like…” he averted his gaze, fiddling with his talons as he spoke. “I will allow you to fly me on our way back to base.” He offered, trying to sound as nonchalant, as disinterested as possible.

“Thank you.”

He flinched at the sudden feeling of something warm and soft wrap around his digits. He collected himself, answering quickly.

“Yes, yes, don’t get used to it. I just don’t enjoy seeing you all sappy and miserable.” He waved her away with a servo, still avoiding eye contact.

As humiliating as his current predicament was, he had to admit it was nice to have another flyer on the team. Even such a squishy one.

[campingwiththecharmings]

it's been too long since i've sent something debilitatingly horny to you, so here:

edit: im sorry its so long and plot-y 😭 i've never written for poe and got too excited.

imagine being a first order commander in charge of coaxing information from poe dameron. the first batch of interrogators (a couple stormtroopers) couldn't get a thing out of him so you were called in as back up.

GIF by antagonistenthusiast

you've had a few interactions with poe (as you're both renowned pilots), but you've never actually seen his face. you've only communicated through radios -- well, communicated is a strong word, you've taunted and growled at each other from a distance...

needless to say, you were intrigued to finally meet this 'poe dameron' that you've been chasing around since you became a flight officer.

you're shocked when you see him, not because he's battered and barely conscious, but because he's prettier than you expected.

GIF by one-blog-to-whump-them-all

of course, he's fucking pretty. he's the resistance's flyboy, the general's favorite, complete with a cut jawline, pouty lips and perfect curls.

it enrages you.

long dark lashes frame half-lidded eyes as you approach him. his body is strapped tight to a chair, but he doesn't seem bothered by it. he's so unbothered, in fact, that he immediately greets you with one of his annoying quips:

"you the good cop?" you're sure it would've sounded better if his voice wasn't so hoarse and broken -- not that you didn't enjoy that sound. there's something about a ruined man that immediately sparks a flame inside of you.

"no, they were the good cops." you refer to the storm troopers that left him this way. "i'm the bad cop, and i like to do things a bit differently..."

you can see it on his face: he recognizes you, or your voice, but he doesn't know from where.

"can't fly away anymore, can you, dameron?"

it finally dawns on him, "you." he almost looks...happy about the revelation.

"yeah, me." his stare is intense and interested, and he's not trying to hide it at all.

cocky bastard.

"y'now i didn't expect such a bea--"

you roll your eyes, "ok, let's stop with all this chatter."

there's a piece of paper sticking out of the breast pocket of his leather jacket, folded several times to fit securely in the space.

"you got something for me?" you coo, voice sickly sweet all of the sudden.

you reach out, gliding your hand from his shoulder to his chest, feeling the smooth leather rise and lower under your fingers as he starts to breathe harder. he pushes against your touch like he's touch deprived, like he's been waiting for this moment all his life.

oh, he's easy.

you snicker as you pluck the paper out, taking a second to wag it tauntingly in front of his face.

"what're you...HEY! THAT'S MINE."

bingo

you open it up, satisfied by how fluidly this interrogation is going. once you deliver this to ren, you're sure to get a promotion.

when you see what's inside, you glower: it's just a worn photo of some BB-droid.

"really?" you give him an unimpressed look. "what, is this your pet or something?"

"he's my driod! my little buddy!"

"ok...so we'll do this the hard way."

---

it starts with pain, but it never seems to be enough. he's -- laughing! he's taunting you, groaning out "is that all you got" or whispering a hoarse "i could do this all day".

you realize you're methods will have to be a bit...unconventional to get your point across. you saw how he reacted to your touch, how he looks at you, even when you're punching him in the face.

you know what you need to do, you're just not sure that you could take it.

GIF by joker1315

you take the step -- blurring the line between pain and pleasure.

it's for the first order, you tell yourself, but you're enjoying it.

you're breathing almost as hard as he is -- you need it just as much as he does.

you've been edging him about an hour now. he whines when you slow your hand again, leaving him right at the brink of release. metal clangs and groans as he pulls against his restraints.

"please, please, please..."

"you know what i need." you squeeze him, not tightly, but just enough to drive him wild. "just one word -- the planet -- and i'll give it to you. i'll let you cum all over yourself."

"c-can't."

"can't? or won't?" you swipe your thumb over his leaking tip. he's literally pulsing in your hold.

"fuck!" he yells out a name, one you immediately memorize, desperate voice and all.

;dlfsl;dfgk oh oh oh ohhhhhhh my goddddddddddddd

no but like, the fact that poe was also kind of into the whole thing though?? him arching into your touch, shooting you heated glances even when you're torturing him, like he likes being at your mercy?????? please send help 🫠🫠🫠

(**WARNING: here there be smut and it could potentially be considered dub-con so read at your own risk**)

if you thought he was pretty before, it's nothing compared to how he looks when he comes--his jaw slack, head thrown back, baring his glorious neck (a neck you just wanna bite), his sweaty curls deliciously mussed, eyes closed in ecstasy as he makes a mess of himself and your hand.

heavenly, you think. the sight is heavenly.

unable to resist, you kiss him softly, so contradictory to the rough way you'd been handling him. he sighs, sagging against his restraints as he kisses you back, his breath fanning across your cheek. you tell him he's a good boy when you pull away and he whines, trying to follow your lips, his mouth gaping, pupils blown wide with lust. he's so drunk on you, on the pleasure you've given him, he'd probably give you whatever you wanted right now; the knowledge fills you with glee. you smile, running a hand down his chest before tucking him back in his trousers.

he comes back to himself when you move to leave, his eyes growing a little harder, jaw clenching as you tell him that you look forward to working with him again.

unfortunately, ren isn't around for you to give him the intel poe gave you, so you hold onto it, intent on telling him when he returns. that night though, you can't sleep, can't stop thinking about poe's breathy whines and whimpers and how pretty he looked begging you to let him come. it's all you can think about, the urge to go to him so strong. so you go, shooing the guards from his cell and going inside. he's asleep, still tied up but removed from the rack he'd been on earlier, bloodied and bruised and beautiful. you allow yourself a moment to study him, eyes tracing the curve of his jaw, of his brow, his nose.

then you take him in your hand, squeezing and stroking, his pretty little noises going straight to your core. you want him, you realize, want to claim him, want to make him yours. the urge is so strong it makes you a little angry--that he could have so much power over you in this state is...well, it's unacceptable.

maybe you just need to fuck him, you reason, to get it out of your system. so you do, straddling him and sheathing his hardness inside your warm, wet cunt. he sounds (and looks) even prettier like this, beneath you, his moans breathy, breathing ragged as you ride him. he feels so good inside you, the stretch of his cock scratching an itch you didn't even realize you had. he watches at you with wide, attentive eyes, hips pushing up to meet yours as you impale yourself on him again and again.

you see stars when you come, cunt clenching around his cock as you throw your head back with a strangled moan. he's still hard and inside you when you come down, his ragged breaths reaching your ears. the look in his eyes is almost reverent when you meet them, and when he begs you to let him come inside you, a little piece of your heart crumbles.

you leave his cell, swearing to yourself that you'll never do it again, that you'll tell ren what you've learned and that dameron will be executed and it'll all be done.

but you don't. can't.

you keep the information you learned to yourself so your trysts with him can continue. every day you go to his cell, send away the guards, and fuck him. you start to look forward to it, to seeing him, to being with him. he starts begging you to let him touch you, and one day you cave and allow it. you groan when he cups your breast, arching into his touch as you bounce slowly on his cock. then his hand falls to your hip, his fingers dig into your skin, and a part of you hopes he'll leave behind bruises. when his thumb finds your clit, he circles the bud, groaning as you gasp, cunt fluttering around him. he whispers something as you fall apart, and it isn't until later that you realize...he'd called you beautiful.

(lmaooooooooooo many, many apologies for going overboard with this, i love me a subby man, especially when that man is poe dameron, hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng)

[totkdaily]

Day 62: House Complete, Lake Time Now

I've spent two days and almost 5000 rupees...

...but I've finally built a house I'm proud of, with all the charm of the familiar Hateno house, as well as enjoying the wonderful views of those Akkalan skies. 

I've spent so long wrapped up in this, I still haven't really seen Hudson's jobsite. It's been a couple of days since his daughter left. I wonder how he's doing? I glide across to Tarrey Town to check on him. 

He seems busy - with Kilton!

Kilton wants a bokoblin sculpture but can't describe it. I'll bring him a picture. 

I buy that crystal from Hagie - might as well solve that puzzle.

Ah, excellent- he's no longer charging to use the railcar. The crystal beam points… straight into the cliff. I'll take it down to the jobsite with me - hopefully a different angle will make more sense. 

I ignore several interesting things on the way through the jobsite, and eventually get round to where I can see the shrine frame at the foot of the waterfall. There must be enough debris here that I can make a boat of some kind… 

Weirdly, boat boards are the hardest thing to find, but I eventually spot a landing stage with materials. I also can't find a steering stick anywhere - but luckily I have one from a device dispenser. I pilot across to the shrine.

When I re-emerge, my boat is gone - the current from the waterfalls must have washed it under. I scramble up the cliff, and glide across the lake in the pre-dawn back to the jobsite.

[allthatyouknow]

Hey, been trying to start a game of beam Saber with pals (super inspired by the enthusiasm you guys give it) I've never GM'd before and I'm not sure how to make enemies, do I just re-use pilot/class's and give them random loads and quirks just like pilots do at the start of the game??

Thanks for the help, been enjoying you guys while I'm painting mini's or at work.

Hey there!

Thanks for writing in.

So unlike a game like DnD, enemies don't use any of the same rules that players do. They don't roll any dice, they don't typically have 'moves' the same way players do (though in some cases they could.).

FiTD games (which beamsaber is part of) has much more of a focus on the narrative than things like stats.

It's also much more fluid. In many ways this makes it easier to run than other games which are more stat focused, but it also relies more on the GM having a 'feel' for the story, with less mechanics to rely on.

To make things the simplest possible, we can frame any opposition as Clocks (page 38 of the beamsaber rulebook).

A single, weak enemy (or a group of weak enemies) probably wouldn't have a clock at all. If you imagine a show or a movie, and think of something that is handled quickly, or enemies who die without much opposition - those sorts of obstacles might not have clocks. A single successful roll would be enough to handle them.

(More below)

On the other hand, a more substantial obstacle (an enemy frame, destroying a dam, evacuating civilians) would have a multi-step clock which would be filled over multiple players actions. When you make a clock, you are saying "this is going to take some time, or a coordinated effort to take care of."

There's a lot more to take into account than just clocks though. Tier (the general strength of your player characters, and their opposition), fictional positioning (are the characters well equipped? Are their actions effective against the enemy?) and so on.

Going back to the original question:

At the most basic level - the answer is that enemies don't follow any of the same rules players do. They exist purely in a story sense. Sure they might have weaponry, or special abilities - but they don't have a character sheet - and their weapons and abilities just inform how difficult they'll be in the story, and how they'll be responded to.

Retribution, for instance. Doesn't have any equipment laid out. My notes about him are that:

He's a tier 4 enemy, meaning an isolated tier 1 pilot would probably have limited effect against him from the get go.

He can form weapons out of thin air, so he can use whatever weapon I think is coolest in the moment (lol)

He can teleport, meaning he can jump around the battlefield, or even leave entirely when defeated.

He fucking hates Geist!

(It's also noting that since Retribution is a Rival he has special rules and actions he can take: see page 77)

Brighter minds than I have written a ton on running these systems. And it's worth noting that I definitely bend the rules sometimes during our podcast.

Learning them can take a bit but I'd recommend a couple things:

Read the book thoroughly, and multiple times.

Look up any questions you have about the system, in most cases there will be more information on resources for Blades in the Dark or Forged in the Dark which is the parent system to beamsaber. Seriously, there's a TON of resources out there for this stuff.

If you have system specific questions, the creator of the game @austinramsaygames has a blog here on tumblr! You can submit system-specific questions to him at beamsaberrpg@gmail.com. He's always been very patient and kind with any of the questions I've sent, even when they were sometimes a bit self-evident :).

Okay I've rambled on for awhile, anyways THANK you again for writing in (and leaving comments on our youtube videos :), it's always great to hear from a listener.)

[usafphantom2]

Air Force “Starting At The Beginning” With NGAD 6th Gen Fighter Requirements Review

Signs that big changes are coming to the USAF's NGAD combat jet plans, or that the program may be supplanted entirely, are growing.

Joseph Trevithick Posted on Sep 4, 2024 3:52 PM EDT

The U.S. Air Force is re-examining the very core of its requirements for a new sixth-generation stealth combat jet as part of its ongoing review of that element of the larger Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative.

Lockheed Martin

The U.S. Air Force is re-examining the very core of its requirements for a new sixth-generation stealth combat jet as part of its ongoing review of that element of the larger Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative. The service also says the reassessment touches on broader questions about the full mix of capabilities it expects to use to achieve air superiority in the future.

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife and Andrew Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, talked about the NGAD combat jet and related issues during a live-streamed talk at the 2024 Defense News Conference earlier today. The Air Force confirmed in July that it put its sixth-generation tactical aircraft plans on hold amid budgetary pressures and questions about the underlying requirements. The service has insisted that it is still planning on eventually pushing forward with this effort in some form, though what the aircraft might look like in the end, including whether or not it will ultimately require a pilot, has already been increasingly uncertain.

A rendering of a notional sixth-generation stealth crewed combat jet. Collins Aerospace

“So, from a requirements perspective, what I would say is we’re going back and starting at the beginning with what is the thing we’re trying to do,” Gen. Slife explained. “And so you kind of get two different answers if you frame the question as ‘how do we conduct – how do we achieve air superiority in a contested environment?’ That would be one way to frame the question. A different way to frame the question would be, how do we build a sixth-gen manned fighter platform? I mean, those are not necessarily the same question, right?”

“And so we kind of go back to what is it we’re trying to do up front? And I don’t know exactly how we are going to achieve air superiority in a contested environment,” Slife continued. “It may involve a manned sixth-gen fighter platform, but we’re kind of going back and looking, you know, from the beginning.”

Since “when we did the initial Analysis of Alternatives for NGAD, … you know, frankly, our technology base has advanced in ways faster than we anticipated,” he added. “And so we see … capabilities that we have that perhaps we would want to be part of this mission space going forward that weren’t baked into … where we started with the NGAD system.”

Gen. Slife specifically highlighted questions about whether the current plans for the NGAD combat jet present a path to an aircraft that is best optimized to work with the Air Force’s planned future fleets of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones. This is something that Air Force officials, including Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, have now highlighted on multiple occasions. The service’s number two officer also talked more generally today about the potential desire to incorporate new technologies into the aircraft in response to an ever-evolving threat ecosystem.

A rendering of a national sixth-generation crewed stealth combat jet flying together with a trio of drones. Collins Aerospace A rendering of a notional sixth-generation crewed combat jet flying together with a trio of drones. Collins Aerospace

The crewed sixth-generation combat jet component of NGAD traces its roots back to a requirement for what was originally termed a Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA) platform ostensibly to succeed the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, which emerged publicly in the mid-2010s. This, in turn, was an outgrowth of work the Air Force had done in cooperation with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Frank Kendall, now Secretary of the Air Force, was involved in those efforts, which he has said produced at least one flying demonstrator aircraft.

Before questions about its future began emerging earlier this year, the planned NGAD combat jet had already evolved into a much more capable, but also costly aircraft than the F-22, as The War Zone has explored in detail in the past. In July, Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, head of Air Combat Command, said there is now currently no timeline for retiring the F-22.

“Our approach going forward is going to be [about things as] part of our force as a whole, right? So it’s it’s not any individual platform that’s going to deliver air superiority. It’s the entire force,” Assistant Secretary Hunter said today. “And we know that we have many things in our force that we will continue to have into the next several decades. We’re going to have an F-35 force. We’re going to have a F-15EX. We have F-22s. And so what is the role that we need to have to supplement… those capabilities that we will know will be resident in our force to deliver that full capability that we need.”

A row of F-22s, the aircraft the NGAD combat jet was ostensibly envisioned to replace. USAF

In talking today, Slife and Hunter both highlighted a broader shift within the Air Force toward a focus on ways to achieve core mission requirements rather than around specific platforms to meet those needs.

“We tend to get affixed by the prefix. You know, what I mean by that is, what can we do with airplanes that start with a C? We carry cargo because they start with a C. What do we do with airplanes that start with a B? Well, we drop bombs. Why? Because it starts with a B,” Gen. Slife said. “And, you know, in an Air Force where we have launched cruise missiles out of the back of C-17s [as part of a program called Rapid Dragon] and dropped people out of the bomb bay of… B-24s [during World War II] and things of that nature, I don’t even know what a cargo airplane is, or a bomber is, or a fighter is.”

“I know what the mission that we have to get done is, but I don’t know that we need to build an airplane to do the mission,” he continued. “We need to build a system that can do the mission.”

“I think it definitely prioritizes towards having flexibility in our approach … not being over-specified for any particular problem set or any particular approach to the problem set,” Slife added about this mindset.

Slife and Hunter highlighted the CCA program’s iterative development approach as an example of this way of thinking. General Atomics and Anduril are currently developing drones as part of work on an initial tranche of CCAs, also known as Increment 1, focused primarily on the air-to-air combat mission.

A rendering of General Atomics’ CCA design. General Atomics

An artist’s conception of Fury, the design Anduril is now developing further as part of the CCA Program’s Increment 1. Anduril An artist’s conception of the CCA variant of the Fury drone. Anduril

“So what should Increment 2 be? Do not assume and it may not be just an evolution of Increment 1. It could be an entirely different set of missions. Could be [an] entirely different kind of an aircraft,” Hunter said. “And so part of that initial work is, again, starting with a large vendor pool, what are the good ideas out there? We’ll have some ideas [about] what we think Increment 2 needs to do as part of a broader force, and that’s part of this broader look at air dominance and how we’re going to deliver that.”

The Air Force says whatever CCA designs it picks for any of the program’s increments that additional companies could be brought in to help produce them at scale. The service has assembled a larger pool of vendors to provide subsystems and otherwise support that effort, as well.

“We want to see what good ideas industry has so we don’t box out things that might be the right path forward, because we started by asking the wrong question,” Hunter added.

It’s interesting to note here that Air Force Gen. David W. Allvin, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, spoke about the importance of iterative development, and a vision for the acquisition of aircraft going forward focused on “building to adapt” rather than “building to last,” at the Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference in London earlier this year. Allvin’s talk was backed by a presentation that included a graphic created using generative artificial intelligence, seen below, showing a notional light stealth fighter concept. Though described as being for illustrative purposes only, this was still a very interesting visual to see amid these ongoing discussions around the future of the NGAD combat jet, as The War Zone has previously explored.

YouTube Capture

The comments today at the Defense News Conference also put remarks about the status of the NGAD combat jet that Gen. Allvin made during a talk at the Hudson Institute think tank last month into a new light.

“I want to clarify that, just because specifics and words matter. It’s the pause on the NGAD Penetrating Counter-Air platform. NGAD stands for Next Generation Air Dominance. It’s not a thing. It is a family of systems. Within that NGAD family of systems is Collaborative Combat Aircraft, is the open systems and government reference architecture, is some of the sensors that we’re developing, is some of the [other] technology. So all of those, that family of systems, is still going forward,” Allvin said at that time. “We want to make sure we evaluate that [the NGAD combat jet requirements] versus others, given the pace of the threat and how fast the threat has evolved, versus the imagined or estimated threat at the time it was being developed. And so I don’t have an announcement as to whether there’s going to be a contract award at the end of the year or not, but the rationale for the evaluation is because … we want to make sure that we don’t do something that’s a one-way door when we haven’t really looked at that design in the context of all the other things that it makes [sic; takes] to meet the requirement.

Concerns about at-best flat-lining defense budgets in the coming years together with ballooning costs associated with critical programs, especially the new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile and its associated infrastructure demands, are also putting pressure on Air Force modernization plans across the board. It has been projected in the past that a single NGAD combat jet could cost roughly three times that of a stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, or around $250 million based on publicly available data.

“I wouldn’t rule anything out, but I also wouldn’t rule anything back in,” Gen. Slife said today.

While the future of the NGAD combat jet continues to be very uncertain, signs are growing that the Air Force could move to complement or even supplant its previous plans to acquire those aircraft with one or more other platforms.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

[pilotduty]

PILOT TALK TO ME ABOUT ZOMBIE SOULSUCKER PLS

HI LOVE OF MY LIFE i knew i could rely on u to be as Insane about this as me. putting it below the keep reading line because im about to unload the Directors Cut on you xo

SO a lot of people see soulsucker and starfucker to have a sort of angel/demon dynamic going on, and ive been eating that up because i looove the religious trauma angle this album is taking but then i was like What If st*r didn't align with typical religious imagery because... tbh that trope can get kind of bland.

him being brought back from the dead as a reference to clinging to the safety of the past and hesitance to accept/pursue change.. him being a character who is like the embodiment of everything awsten used to be and the parts of himself that havent changed even though the environment around him and the sound of his music have. st*r being dead makes him feel like he cant change no matter how badly he might want to. if he does something wrong, something that breaks the rules, he could literally physically fall apart. he doesnt know what's keeping him alive but he has to assume its some kind of godly power, because thats all he has as a frame of reference for life and death. but he's a creature that not even god can touch now. whether or not he realizes what that means for him, he knows that he can't go back to how he was, if he even knows what that would look like. he at the very least has the safety of already being dead- "if i'm already dead i can't be killed".

the important thing is that st*r is dead. or he should be. awsten can't figure out how to keep him dead, or re-kill him, or hide him away. no matter how badly he wants st*r gone, he doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

ok anyway heres design aspects that are Important To Me-

i gave him his scene-era haircut intentionally, i think it ads to his character representing his past self

upside down cross necklace because I Felt Like It

st*r's canon excessive layering is mostly to hide that he's dead and decaying

under his shirt his heart is exposed. im going to draw that next i think. theres a constant open wound over his heart- you can literally see directly into his heart :3

the places where his arms and fingers move a lot are the most prone to splitting- thats just a logistical design thing that i thought was cool it doesnt really Mean anything LOL

halo hair design. because of those rumors that he dyed his hair in a halo. unholy creature with holy traits etc etc

gave him that extremely hot and bad for me running/smudged eyeliner that has the little flecks of star glitter in them because It Looks Cool and theres Something there about having tiny stars under his eyes despite stars Not Being His Theme-Relevant Shape

the idea of him supergluing the edges of his gloves to his fingers to keep them from falling off while he performs popped into my head while i was drawing him and i thought you specifically would dig that concept. so.

soulsucker and st*r represent different ways awsten presents himself (i think- i kind of Dont Care about the lore that much ((i care So Much that was a lie)) and dont read other people's interpretations on it, but thats mine) so i think the idea of st*r trying desperately to hold himself together and fit the expectations/aesthetics of his job are kind of devastating from this angle, because he literally physically can't do it. whether its his own reluctance keeping him from doing it or some otherworldly/godly interference is up to interpretation methinks

more on its way i woke up like an hour ago and cant remember everything i wanted to say so sorry if none of this Matters or doesnt make any sense

[twothpaste]

Idk if you've covered this before but what are your thoughts on Porky having a movie about Ness n pals? That scene is rapidly spinning around in my noggin

This turns my cerebral matter into a rotisserie chicken on a spit as well. Part of what's so fascinating about it I think is how much we don't know about the film. How did Porky make this thing?? Are the characters we see on screen paid actors, re-enacting the events of EarthBound for his amusement?? Or did he somehow, through timetravel shenanigans or a deranged obsession all those years ago, actually record Ness n' pals' adventures?! Did Porky himself write a script for this movie, or supervise the editing? Is it documentary or dramatization? We don't see any frames that feature Porky - one's gotta wonder how he presents himself on the silver screen. Like, did he clip out all the times he acted like a total scumbag? Did he change them, so that to an audience of suckers, the esteemed King P seems like a hero too? Or is it presented exactly as it happened, 'cause in Porky's eyes, he really was the hero of this story all along?? I feel like a dedicated fan could make a case either way for every one of these possibilities. And all of them carry haunting implications in a bazillion different ways. ( Lots more beneath the cut. )

What we do know is that this movie's mere existence says a lot about Porky's fixation on the past. New Pork especially - but other areas too - is littered with callbacks to EarthBound, loads of shallow & off-kilter recreations of objects & imagery from Porky's childhood. It's as if he's trying to resurrect everything he's nostalgic for, and superimpose it onto a totally different world. Dude's lived a bazillion years, he's probably had all kinds of crazy experiences in that time. But he's still only got eyes for Ness, and Onett, and that one very special adventure. He's grandly presenting his origin story to a generation of future-people, and presumably expects them to be just as terminally nostalgically enthralled as he is. But these people don't have the context to know what it means. They can't grasp it as anything other than a cartoonishly wacky adventure film. They probably don't even know it's depicting real events (however skewed it may or may not be)! Or that these child heroes almost definitely grew old and died ages ago. The thought of Porky putting forth something so important to him, something that means fucking everything to him - and his flock of brainwashed followers just not getting it at all - is like??? Boil me down into soup and stir the pot around. Pour me in a Campbell's can and don't open it until the end of the world. Agh.

This applies just as much, maybe especially so, to Lucas. Something about it always feels deeply unnerving to me, when I reach New Pork's movie theater on replays. Piloting Lucas n' company to stand there, in the dark, juxtaposed in front of a past they can't possibly comprehend. A past we, as players of this series, identify so strongly with! But our new protagonist flat out just isn't a part of that old world. He's got nothing to do with it, and no clue who Ness is. His fight with Porky is so present and personal… I don't think Lucas is carrying on a mantle here, even symbolically. Porky wants very badly for him to be the new Ness, a worthy opponent who'll "play" with him, to rekindle the same adrenaline he felt when he last fought his old friend. But Lucas is his own person with his own motives. And he's not playing, either. You press A in front of that screen, and you get nothing special in terms of flavor text. 'Cause it doesn't mean anything to Lucas. Porky's memories simply aren't Lucas' baggage.

There are a lot of moments in Mother 3 that turn nostalgia on its head. Makin' stuff that oughtta feel familiar and heartwarming turn queasy in your tummy instead. Making you reconsider why you cling to childhood memories, and whether or not they blind you to future possibilities - like they do for Porky. The movie theater's probably my favorite of these moments.

[mahoushoujotechsupport]

hey its time for episode 4

starting off with one of the funniest fucking scenes in this whole show with suletta just fucking hauling ass right out of there after guel just surprise proposes to her

just want to juxtapose this with her wild feelings speech in 17 about buying rings and wearing the prettiest dresses

this shot just reminded me of a random detail from the manual for chuchu's demi trainer - it says earth house can't afford their own demi trainers so chuchu's is a modified older version because thats the best they could do.

suletta pilots a demi trainer during the whole field test thing so like... does she own or have a demi trainer loaned out for school use or something? i honestly forgot chuchu pilots her own suit in this scene cuz i had just accepted that the demi trainers for practical exams etc were like just there for the students to use whenever

i know this was like probably the easier way to write suletta becoming friends with earth house but lmao why didnt she just ask miorine from the start to help for the makeup exam. baka suletta.

suletta please.

till will forever go down as bestboy in the series tbh. like someone needs to write a fic where he wingmans for suletta while nika does it for miorine

suletta, you naive little baby

there really was absolutely no reason for miorine to get all handsy and possessive here lmao like she could just stood infront of suletta or even right next to her and still had the same confrontation and warning about the other houses being bad news

the 2nd light novel picking up from here and highlighting miorine's jealousy over el4n during this whole arc is perfect lmao

kinda fun to speculate on how suletta saw miorine during the beginning. like she was completely surprised miorine didnt belong to a house. suletta's so awkward and socially inept she couldnt tell she was dealing with the one other person at school who was equally socially inept

i feel like there's a lot of frames i never paused on to read like this one lol. i never realized suletta got so many questions wrong. well "wrong" cuz reading through her answers it almost sounds like she just didnt give the benerit group approved answers lmao kinda like when you get stupid training stuff at work and they're just chockful of anti-union propaganda

never forget the first time we saw miorine's room

i know so many people don't really care about the class conflict in ad stella, but god, i wish they really hadnt dropped the ball on this. like in the 1st cour they had something really good here

obligatory shot of chuchu's dads

miorine rembran will not let anyone insult her woman

does anyone know what this gold gate/door thing was supposed to be? after the second school shooting, there's a shot shown where it's the only thing left standing in that area and i dont think ive ever seen anyone talk about it before

see like even this is good re: class politics. like its not this cut and dry all spacians are evil capitalists thing. mercurian miners were pretty much lured out by the benerit group to be exploited for their labor and then left to dry once a cheaper source for permet was found. bless the fic writers who've turned that into appalachian town suletta because it's such a perfect analogy

suletta mercury literally got decked in the face and we all just focused on the chuchu punch

imagine miorine sitting with her in her room just helping her ice her face

by the way how excited do you think suletta was to call someone senpai just like in her fair use mangas lmao

ok all set with episode 4. ive gotta say, it is super jarring to go back to these slice of life school episodes after everything we've been through in the second cours. like yeah that was kind of the point in having the first half of the series have pretty much no stakes since these kids are about to be thrown into war

you know for all the complaining a lot of losers did when the show started about this not being a "real" gundam series, the only difference between watching suletta's journey versus say amuro's... is that we got to see suletta's life before everything got wrecked. with amuro we just immediately start off at the point where Everything Goes Bad

[fennfromthefen]

Home

FFF prompt 265: galaxies away

@flashfictionfridayofficial

JD7⁷, or "Judy" as the human on board had been most recently calling it, was the navigational system of the Galactic Gate. State of the art technology, all employed for the passengers' safety. Real-time re-routing and autopilot. A state of the art system the human was currently using without permission. Their hands were clenched around each control stick, desperately pulling them in each direction, with seemingly no regard for how dangerously they were making the ship move. They were barely even sitting in the seat correctly.

'Human, Stop this at once!' The pilot of the ship, Kragbnai, hang onto the door frame of the cockpit. 'You can't do this, hijacking a passenger rocket. Passenger safety comes first, not where-ever you've ranked it.'

Rhys didn't bother responding. He had come up with a system a few years ago: if the crew on board insists on referring to him by species, he would insist in not listening. He quickly glanced at the nearest screen. 'Go check if there's anymore power anywhere we could re-route to the engines, will you?' Before Kragbnai could reply, Rhys made sure to add in a cheery thanks to extinguish any chance of arguing back. He watched the pilot scramble for an answer before grudgingly getting to work. Rhys gave them a cocky smile for extra measure, enjoying teasing before joyously talking to JD7⁷ about his home planet, returning to navigating.

'Judy said she'd finally located home, and couldn't ask permission for a detour considering the distance, but-'

Every word Kragbnai heard just left him more confused. The human's gushing focusing on green-filled forests one minute, death-traps of barren land the next. He was starting to believe this was all some elaborate lie. Where he came from, good old Lorinvgi, the sky definitely wasn't designed to release fluids, and the ground definitely wasn't meant to vary dramatically in properties. Just glorious plains, supplying much needed food and materials to its gracious inhabitants. Its children, if you would like to believe. He glared at Rhys for a while, trying to make sense of his ramblings. He needed to be reminded he was a subordinate here. Not a captain, not a pilot, not even security. 'I'm in charge, move over.' Kragbnai pushed his way in front of Rhys, trying to pry his hands off the controls. 'Where are you taking us, anyway? Spontaneous joyride?'

‘“Judy” is just code. An it. Not a she. And… just why? We’re not even in the right galaxy.’

Rhys finally released the controls from his grip, limply slumping into Kragbnai’s chest. He titled his head down to rest his face against their shoulder, muffling his voice. 'I just want to see home.'

Kragbnai hadn’t been able to think of a reasonable response. A maintenance worker can’t just barge in, demanding to take the passengers hundreds of galaxies away from their destination on a whim, it’s irresponsible! “Want to see home”, the passengers want to stay close to theirs. To know where they are, that they can get back home. Kragbnai looked at the monitor showing the path the human- Rhys was attempting. Rhys’ arms found their way around Kragbnai’s body, squeezing his waist. He twisted his head around to look at Kragbnai, still partially talking into his shoulder, ‘Please?’

[drsilverfish]

What’s with all the claws? The Winchesters

There are a lot of talons and claws and tentacles and spines in The Winchesters monster-parade so far (episodes 1-6)

Is that just because monsters are generally claws-and-teethy or is there a symbolic function to all these claws in the narrative?

In the pilot we see the long talons of what? An Akrida, the Akrida leader, a Wicked Witch of the West-esque entity?

In SPNWin 1x01 Pilot we meet a Loup-garou with its very long werewolfy talons:

Image credit: http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/Loup-Garou 

It was placed as a guard by the Men of Letters over the mysterious, trans-dimensional box which can entrap demons, and, apparently, the alien Akrida.

In SPNWin 1x02 Teach Your Children Well, La Tunda has tentacle-vine talons which seek to suck the life-force from her victims:

She is an abusive parent feeding on the life-force of rebellious children, and her lair is other-dimensional (like the Akrida’s, who come from another world).

Second image credit: http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/File:LaTundaVines.png 

In SPNWin 1x03 You’re Lost Little Girl, the Bori Baba emerges, talons first, from its portal-sack into a child’s bedroom:

It also seems to feed particularly on children and young people (judging from the number of stuffed toys in its lair) and its sack is a portal to another alternate realm/ dimension.

SPNWin 1x04 Masters of War has the God Mars-Neto as the monster, so no physically manifest talons there. But the theme of an alternate reality is present, as Mars Neto creates an illusionary return to Vietnam, within which he traps John and Carlos, forcing them to relive and re-experience the traumatic effects of the war.

In SPNWIn 1x05 Legend of a Mind we learn that the Akrida have stingers which they inject into some people’s brains in order to control them:

This appears symbolic of the hold childhood trauma has on the mind (a claw/ spine/ talon/ tentacle of poison, hooked into the self) given that we explore Mary’s childhood trauma at the hands of her hunter parents (with the help of Ada’s Djinn son as a healing mind-guide) after she is brain-injected with an Akrida stinger herself.

And in SPNWin 1x06 Art of Dying Darla is found dead in a barn, mutilated by claw marks, and Carlos finds a claw embedded in the ceiling. The team initially think a werewolf is responsible (this theme of misrecognition of monsters is a recurring one; Mary thought that the monster in 1x03 Teach the Children Well was a shapeshifter). Another taloned creature is responsible, a Soucouyant:

All of which makes me think of the expression, “to get your claws into someone”, meaning to gain a controlling hold over them.  

Psychologically speaking, The Winchesters is exploring the way trauma, in particular the trauma parents visit on their children, gets its claws into the psyche. The claws, talons and tentacles of the monsters symbolise the dark hold that such abuse has on the mind.  

In terms of the recurring themes of alternate dimensions and misrecognition, that may be symbolic of the larger frame of the narrative (which, as I’ve explored in earlier 1x06 meta) might suggest that the entirety of The Winchesters is actually taking place in Dean’s mind, in a liminal state between dying and rebirth, where he works through the main themes of his life; parent-imposed trauma being fundamental.   

[thelediz]

Sonic Underground episode 40: Virtual Danger

AKA: THE FINAL EPISODE

I’m watching Sonic Underground in search of inspiration to finish a fic I’ve been writing forever. It’s a sad state of affairs. See the recap of the first three episodes here, if you're interested!

The Plot (for want of a better word): Sonic and Manic have been training their piloting skills with a virtual reality game, but it turns out their online friend is Robotnik in disguise! Can they escape the trap he’s set for them, or will they be trapped in cyberspace forever?

An interesting factoid, before we begin. The creators of Batman Beyond and The Justice League mentioned that they learned a lot from doing Batman Beyond, and one of the important things was that it doesn’t matter what your series is doing or how well it’s going (or not), the season finale should ALWAYS feel important. It should wrap up a storyline, it should set a full stop on a sentence. That way, no matter what happens, your fans will be satisfied with it.

As we all know, this series was not intended to be viewed in any particular order, so you can't expect this episode to wrap anything up properly.

However! This episode does KIND of wrap up a storyline that’s been running throughout the series, about the Resistance skimming supplies. It shows up in most Cyrus episodes. You probably wouldn’t have noticed it, but hey! Credit where due!

We open on the boys playing a VR game. They are just about to defeat their 'online friend' when Sonia walks in and pulls the plug on their game console. They’re late to a meeting.

CYRUS.

If you remember episode 12, you will remember the zombie robot, which allows a pilot to take remote control of a machine. It’s back. Yay. The boys apparently want to prove their skills have improved, because they’ve been playing video games. And they do pass the test, so it turns out video games ARE good for you, any parents who may be watching and still doubting whether their kids should be allowed to buy a Sega Saturn/Dreamcast in a couple of years.

Robotnik is going to be doing an audit on his supply ships, which means he’s definitely going to notice that the Resistance have been taking them. So they’re onto plan B: steal ALL the supply ships before Robotnik can change strategy.

There are three left to take over, and Cyrus assigns Sonic the last one. Sonia objects, because the last one is the riskiest, and she’s the best pilot. The way it’s framed, this isn’t arrogance so much as her being worried about Sonic. Combined with looks she was giving him a few episodes ago, it makes me wonder if they wanted a mini storyline of Sonia worrying about Sonic taking too much of the risks… could’ve been a good one!

Sonic does indeed get caught, but turns it into a kamikaze flight, turning his ship back on Robotnik’s palace for a crash. He barely misses Robotnik himself by like a half-metre. But the point is, all the supply ships are now out of Robotnik’s reach and he has to re-orient his factories to rebuild. Successful mission all round, and the triplets are given a few days off.

Manic dozes off to have a dream about playing more video games, but this time, Sonia has decided to play too. And of course she is immediately better at it than them. Whether this is just how the show functions or a sign of Manic's low self esteem, we will never know.

The Song: Don’t let your guard down. A very strange 80s/early 90s pop song, running a bit light on lyrics – mostly just “Don’t let your guard down. Keep your shield up, you gotta be ready”. Which, again, propaganda sure, but… not much for a good song, guys. Perhaps this is just proof of why Manic isn't the band's lyricist.

In the ACTUAL game, their 'online friend' offers them a mod, and promises a better one later. Because cyber security is not yet a common thing, the boys do not think twice about downloading and installing both files, no questions asked.

But once they’re in the new mod, their online friend is revealed to be Robotnik, and this has all been a trap! Now the… Okay, I’m not entirely sure how this happens, but they get zapped into the game. And apparently, if you die in the game, you die in real life. And… Look. Shadow the Hedgehog did this too, so I have to accept it as a thing that can happen in the sonic universe, but I will never not think it’s a little silly.

The point is: the boys are trapped and Sonia sees it happen.

Sonia calls Cyrus, who creates a program to allow Sonia into the game virtually, and pull Robotnik in physically. Don’t question it. While Sonia’s trying to rescue her brothers, Cyrus is going to try to hack Robotnik’s satellite to disrupt his connection, which will apparently win the game for the hedgehogs. Seriously, don’t question. Just accept.

Surprisingly, Sonia’s amazing piloting skills do not actually save the day. Cyrus cutting off the satellite dish does. I am legitimately surprised.

The episode ends with the triplets sending the now unloaded cargo ships back to Robotnik’s palace, further damaging it. Sonic declares it “Game over, Buttnik!”

And that’s it. That’s the end of Sonic Underground.

Sure was an episode, huh?

Look, it was incredibly underwhelming and very much Just An Episode, but on a meta level, it was actually a pretty good culmination of the series. There was the weirdly fluid animation that was absolutely not quality checked. There was the random disjointed plot that barely hung together. There was the odd character relationships and motivations that were generally fine but also kind of illfitting. There was the conflict and resolution in the final five minutes of the episode.

There was no Sleet or Dingo, and the song was barely an attempt, but OTHERWISE.

This was Sonic Underground, for all its faults and wonders.

Come back tomorrow for final thoughts, if you’re interested!

[liesmyth]

Why do you think Pyrhha never tried to communicate with G1deon and let him know she was still in there? Seems kind of messed up to let him think for 10k years that he killed the person he cared the most about while she was still there the whole time

Congrats! This made me sad <3

I'm honestly not sure HOW much Pyrrha was able to communicate, or even how often she emerged. I tend to believe that she became more aware as time went on, but that especially early on it was a struggle for her to make conscious decisions, as opposed to just piloting G1deon's body while he was in the River or something. I can believe that it took a couple of millennia and that Pyrrha only really became able to take over G1deon for longer periods of time (hours as opposed to minutes or seconds) relatively before canon. Probably his mental condition deteriorating contributed to that, or maybe Pyrrha's presence was actually fucking with his brain. Maybe she feared it making it worse?

I also think that it was a real concern that if G1deon became more aware of her it would complete the integration, and that's why he didn't Think Too Much about it and why she was hesitant to make herself known, but yeah, at some point she would've realised it wasn't as big of an issue as she had feared.* Maybe by that point she had witnessed enough that she didn't trust G1deon would have their best interests in mind and go to John? I find this unlikely though because G1deon "had an affair with Wake for 2 years" would IMO have kept a secret from John if Pyrrha asked him to.

(Re: awareness of Pyrrha and integration. My pet headcanon is that actually the reason why Pyrrha "remained" was because she regained her pre-Res memories since John's mindwipe was tied to the brain and not the soul, and she became aware of an identity that was "broader" than just Pyrrha Dve. Sort of how Harrow removed her memories of Gideon to avoid consuming her soul; the fact that Pyrrha's soul and her sense of identity did NOT match G1deon's memories of her could be WHY she remained even if G1deon clearly remembered her)

Anyway YEAH I truly don't know! Even with all these limits, she could have found a way to leave a sign. But IMO there's a lot we don't know about Pyrrha, and it may come out if we move out of the very narrow frame of Nona's POV in AtN.

(I also wonder what made Pyrrha get SO invested in Wake when realistically they couldn't have interacted that often, and why Wake out of everyone G1deon came into contact with over the centuries? So MUCH to think about)

[theresattrpgforthat]

THEME: MECHS Part 2

There are a lot of great Mech games, so this is a continuation of this week's theme!

Breakup on Re-Entry by Riverhouse Games

Earth is at war w/ The Colonies. Mech pilots must keep their identities secret or risk assassination. You just realized your lover has been secretly piloting your rival mech. It all comes down to this battle. Do you want to keep fighting?

This is a roleplaying game for two Mecha pilots who do not know yet that their mortal enemy sleeps by their side every night. You will need a deck of Poker cards and two index cards to play this game.

Players will draw from the deck of cards and answer questions about Civilian Life, the War, the Fight at Hand and your Lover. Your character won't realize who exactly it is they are fighting until they draw the King of Hearts - and then you will get to roleplay all of the heartbreak and betrayal: if you stop fighting, you will get do decide what happens after. This is a simple, short game, great for two people who want to roleplay out something dramatic without requiring a time commitment longer than a few hours.

Bro, is it Gay to GATTAI? by Lucas Valensa.

Bro, he’s your whole world. He makes you feel fabulous. He completes you. He’s huge, made of metal, and has a heart powered by plutonium.

He’s a giant robot. And so are you.

You’re in love and the two of you combine into an even bigger giant robot.

This is “Bro, Is It Gay To GATTAI!?” a Gay Game about telling your boyfriend you love him and how much he means to you. This game is a hack of “Hot Gay Bro Dragons” by Riverhouse Games, inspired Transformers, LEGO Bionicle, and any other media where two giant robots combine into a bigger robot.  

You'll need some kind of toy robot to build as you play this game together. As you build, you'll ask (and answer) questions about your relationship. Puns and bad jokes are encouraged! This is an excellent game for couples, or people who would like to try romantic roleplay.

Apocalypse Frame by Binary Star Games.

In a ruined and terraformed world where most of humanity is under the yoke of a brutal regime, the former workers of a once-remote factory - now known as The Collective - have risen up to create a future of freedom from oppression. You are an Ace - a highly skilled pilot referred from a Division in The Collective and assigned a humanoid combat vehicle known as a Frame. You and your Strike Team of fellow Aces must take on The Collective’s greatest threats, ensure its survival, and carve a path for its continued success.

APOCALYPSE FRAME is designed to be very fast to pick up and play, and it's suitable for both one-shots and extended campaigns. Combat is quick, punchy, and deadly for Aces' enemies. 

Player characters have three attributes: Drive, Speed and Control. You will choose one of your three attributes for every attack roll you make, and roll a number of d6's equal to your Attribute number. Apocalypse Frame uses the LUMEN system and comes with pre-generated characters (for the table that wants to get roleplaying right away) as well as an expansion called Aces High! You can also pick up Ballad of Industrial Gods, and Explore the Ruined World, which contain missions and seasonal content for Apocalypse Frame. With easy rules and a lot of content, your party can get a new campaign up and running quickly!

Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands by Lumpley Games (Meguey & Vincent Baker.)

Humanity has spread through the Milky way, using interstellar transit gate technology to colonize the galaxy. Mobile frames are the hard-working, hard-fighting combat- and labor mecha they’ve brought with them.

You are romantic ace mobile frame pilots, caught up in an undeclared war for the future of the Bantral system.

MOBILE FRAME ZERO: FIREBRANDS is a roleplaying party game by Meguey Baker & D. Vincent Baker, set in Joshua A.C. Newman’s MOBILE FRAME ZERO universe. You don’t need to be familiar with MF0: RAPID ATTACK or MF0: INTERCEPT ORBIT to play. To play, you’ll need 3–5 players, a copy of the playbook for each, and a handful of coins.

This is the precursor to the Firebrands series, a game in which players engage in a series of mini games in order to play out a series of scenes between their characters. If you are a fan of Mobile Frame Zero, if you like the idea of romance and big mech pilots, if you like games focused on narrative more than anything else, this is the game for you.

Disaster/Wing by A Couple of Drakes.

Deal with drama, pass the test, doubt yourself, trust your friends, face down the Alien Horde, and GET IN THE ROBOT.  

DISASTER/WING, prep for launch.

DISASTER/WING is a mecha tabletop game  made to tell stories of fantastic adolescent heroism and giant robots. The characters are teenagers in a world very much like our own. They go to school, get embroiled in teen drama, and try to find their place in the face of onrushing adult responsibility and societal expectation. They are also in a city that is actually a giant spaceship, hurtling through space, fleeing a catastrophic war with technologically-superior aliens that destroyed their world generations ago. They are also, through no fault of their own, the only ones who can pilot the centuries-old war machines that are their city’s only hope when the aliens inevitably return. They exist between these worlds, juggling their teenage feelings and responsibilities with the duty that has been thrust upon them. 

Another Forged in the Dark game, this game adds the teenage experience to the mecha genre. You'll be running through missions without the fiddly planning, focusing on the action and quick d6-based pools.

Nova by GilaRpgs

NOVA is a rules-lite tabletop RPG in a world where the sun exploded, and humanity struggles to hold onto what little light they have left. The players will pilot exosuits, called Sparks, exploring the dark ruins of old earth, searching for the technology and knowledge that may just bring on a new dawn.

NOVA also uses the LUMEN system, which is designed for action-packed combat, equipping the players with a set of powers that bring the power fantasy feelings of looter shooters to the tabletop. Players will each choose a Spark to pilot, specialized exosuits designed to explore the dangers of the Dusk. Each exosuit was designed by humanity to serve a particular function, and the LUMEN system equips the players with a set of powers and abilities that allow them to excel while on their dangerous missions.

This is a game with a slew of third-party content available for you to modify your gam with, including new Sparks, alternate mechanics and additions to the world. You're not going to get gigantic robots in this game, but you'll get the same theme of humans going up against larger-than-life odds, fighting desperately to cling onto hope. This is a twice-Ennie-nominated game, so it's worth checking out!

[vuetyris]

Crumbled up note with 'wlw and mlm dumbass solidarity'

Long standing Warframe OCs given actual (personal) canonical depiction - due to Duviri/New War giving a lot more leeway to preserve previous fan concepts intact and can play with canon easier. c: With 'Operator' as in-game storyline, and 'Tenno' as an alternate timeline where-in the results after the Zariman's return came out differently. Orb pondering rambling below -

Above is three depictions of Paeva 'Corvin' and Diviyoni-Jacob Warren; as operator, as drifter, as Tenno; with Warren's each having different 'called' names to better distinguish between them. Operator Warren is Jacob, Drifter Warren is Arali, Tenno Warren is Diviyoni. All are vertexes of Warren, but each having their own 'piece' in the story. They all were the son of a public figure and a military pilot, raised solely by their father, and stood alone on the Zariman and faced TMITW. Futures frayed, Arali cast to the drifts holds the remnant of the suffocated possibilities, and makes the link between Jacob and Diviyoni.

A lone fray links (operator) Paeva's involvement decided fate - and Diviyoni is what becomes if Warren hadn't been taken under Margulis' wing. Of many on the Zariman, few survived for it to break through, and fewer to be directly protected by Margulis as the Old War raged on. As Jacob learned by careful tending nurture; Diviyoni learned by brute force and unabated trauma.

Too long to pin in the details, the later was already subject of a nearly 183k word fanfiction series [ found here as Warren: Sprout ]. To draw it short, Diviyoni would only later be taken into the fold of the Lotus' system wide network in his late teens - where (tenno) Paeva would be his direct contact to learn the ropes. In this time he better tended to his psychological and emotional issues, and persuaded his interests in warframe morphology and finding ways to help severely wounded ones recover (especially those not tied to a survivor of the zariman).

The most prominent ones were; Kiln - a towering Oberon that waited beside their deceased operator in a severely damaged Orbiter with their companion warframes too far gone to save. Arkis - a less-than friendly asocial Nova he rescued from a corpus stronghold after an argument with his father-figure; and Malaphin.

Most of following also found on [ Diviyoni's Toyhou.se page ]

(Tenno) Paeva was strict under the Lotus purview, she was a loner through-and-through but was asked to mentor Diviyoni on procedures as they were still recovering from Lua being pulled from the Void. And thus Diviyoni hid a second vessel from her to help foster a home for warframes to retire from the constant wars. He held up taking missions between working on it, but as he took preoccupation to ease Malaphin from the ties of corrupted arboriforms, it became more noticeable he was abandoning his post.

They fought. Tempers, philosophy, morals, and fists until Paeva's chosen frame stepped in - Varik, a beefy Nova she had a close bond with. As being Unairu, tempered to endure and keep standing, Diviyoni won out. Even if it was an underhanded tactic to override Paeva's somatic signal, it was to protect those he cared about.

Paeva left, tail between her legs, and chose to vanish. And re-evaluate her choices.

Between then and the Heart of Deimos, Warren would hone his abilities to repair Malaphin whom he became close to. To where the 'second vessel' outgrew him, and he would set out with Malaphin to take odd jobs in the same venue his father figure (T'viska) would.

[ Following goes over the events in 'Within the heart of Deimos, and soul of the void' fanfic on Ao3]

At Deimos, he would face the prospect of his history as being the son of a public figure of the dead Orokin empire. To confront the phantom that hung at the edges of his vision since he was swallowed by the void a second time by the explosion of a liset. Arali, the haunting in his vision, held all the pain he swallowed down through his torment through the Old War, were a fraction of him torn by the void. He stood before his reflection in the void, held out his hands, and embraced the pain that stood before him.

And after, he would settle into the arms of his companion, his partner, his lover, Malaphin once more.

Arali would give him his arm in trade to help their younger self, reluctant, but settled as it means Jacob would be spared of further childhood trauma as they had not a father figure in a loki - paternal love not tied to enduring the trauma of repetitive deaths as warframes - but in a mother figure in the echo of Margulis, in the Lotus whom cared for every single one who survived the Zariman.

[ladedanixie]

I'm just gonna address this under the cut.

I love helluva boss. Its not a perfect show, but I deeply enjoy it and have re-watched it to death, especially when I was in bad spot. So when I critique it, its not from a place of hatred or pettiness, its more from a place of knowing how good it could be with better execution and focus. Now that I have gotten that out of the way, onto what I wanna say.

Just because someone critiques the show, or dislikes something you liked, does not mean they lack media comprehension or are just a hater. For example, Western Energy and Ozzie's being addressed in texts on Stolas' phone or people not understanding Blitz also cares about Stolas. Or even Seeing Stars, or Queen Bee not giving time to have an awkward moment or two. They say it'll be addressed eventually or its subtext.

And I'd concur. The show isn't over yet, it has 2 and 1/2 seasons more to go. But, that doesn't mean everything done so far is perfect.

First off, I understand that Blitz cares, Truth Seekers proves that, Ozzie's proves that, but if you're defending the texts in Western Energy or even the picture Blitz has on his phone of him and Stolas in Ozzie's, I'd like to counter that with not everyone is as obsessed with the show as you or me. There are casual fans, who yes, will throw their hat in the ring and critique the show, they usually don't pause or go back to read or double check the photos. That and some world-building elements, like the difference between Sinners and demons and imps, aren't explicitly addressed in the show. Sure Season 2 has somewhat addressed it, but there wasn't clarity and most causal viewers only know because other more invested viewers tell them. I know this because I'm a huge fan, and my friend who I got into the show, often asks for explanations.

People nitpick sometimes sure, like in Oops, when most people asked why didn't they just shoot Fizz (my friend was one of them), whereas I didn't think anything of it (probably mostly because I play dnd and I accepted Fizz's song as a Nat 20 on performance). Or claimed the song was too long, I loved the song and how long it was.

But nitpicks aren't bad, nor is all nitpicks made by solely casual fans. And not all critiques are nitpicks. I personally think that some bring up good points. Such as Western Energy and how Ozzie's was addressed in a series of texts between Blitz and Stolas, which if you blinked, you could have missed it. That and in order to read them, you would have to go back and go by frame by frame to read it. Pausing in-between. I am not of the belief that the texts should have been cut, but I do believe it could have been acknowledged if only a little in Seeing Stars (which I do have my opinions on, but I'll that in another post.) Because that would have been better structurally and could have set up the texts better.

Now to address another argument people make against critiques. And I will use Season 2 as my main example. Most people argue that the reason why Season 2 has gotten so much flack is due to people's built up expectations, the fanon, they created in their head. And sure that might be true. I've seen it in the reaction to Stella, which Sarcastic Chorus on youtube did a fantastic video on that that addresses the issue about that far better than I ever could. So check that out.

But I'll touch on it here anyway. Season 1 Stella was barely fleshed out. All we knew was that she was angry that Stolas cheated. Some eagle eyed views noticed her anger seemed to be mostly about him sleeping with an Imp and not the cheating, but aside from that, a picture, and a few split second scenes (Pilot: Blitz apologizing to her. Her telling Stolas to get up instead of her. Octavia briefly mentioning her.) We didn't know anything else about her. Some folks theorized about her in ways that created a lot of depth, only for Season 2 to reveal she was purely one dimensional with no sympathetic virtues whatsoever.

She was an abusive wife bound to Stolas out of a non negotiable duty to the Goetia family. It absolved Stolas of any responsibility or fault. Western Energy took it a step further and then robbed her of any weight as a villain in the story by introducing her brother and making him the mastermind. While Stella was painted as a pretty, petty, short-sighted, spoiled, impulsive brat. Which that's ok. I'm fine with her one dimensionality. Since the show never promised more than that. But some folks were really angry about it, claiming that the show did promise more. Now, that is a good example of building castles out of nothing but a potential future. Not to say that people aren't allowed to be disappointed with Stella's lack of depth. Because while the show didn't promise more, the lack of concrete evidence to the contrary allowed the space for potential. Thus, this is also a good example of how the show could have avoided this, if it were only clearer about Stella's personality from the beginning. Perhaps a scene or two more illustrating this.

This doesn't mean, that I think the creators suck. I do think they are doing the best they can, and are putting a lot of effort into the story. No, I don't think that I could do it better. Which sidebar, sometimes dissatisfaction with the execution of a story, and wanting to do it better i.e. your way, can lead to some pretty cool things. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao comes to mind (The author took inspo from Darling in the Franxx, they were unhappy with how it executed it's concept and they took it and made Iron Widow.) Or any multitude of fanfic. Or stories inspired by stuff in the public domain. But critique is ok, it helps with becoming a better writer/story teller. It tells you what works and what doesn't. Moreover, critique is always a suggestion not a command. Yes, haters exist, entitled fans exist, and people who completely miss the point exist. And yes, smaller projects tend to get more flack, especially when it involves queer stories, but that doesn't mean the rest is all noise. Multiple things can be true at once.

Claiming that people just don't understand subtlety or that they are plain stupid, is just disheartening. As though the only way to enjoy a show is to do so without complaint. I will admit I dislike negativity as much as the next person. I do in fact avoid it. Hell sometimes I don't like seeing critique. And yes, people are allowed to dislike, or express distaste with people critiquing the show. But again, it feels as though its being held on a pedestal, as though it can do no wrong, and its kinda a dangerous mindset to maintain. Nothing is above critique, nothing is perfect, and that includes your favorite shows.

Now does this mean that Helluva Boss is inherently a bad show? No. Are there problems with it? Yes. But, Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder though. Which means not everyone agrees. But I love this show. What's wrong with wanting to see it do its best, live up to its potential? (Oops is epitome of Helluva Boss's potential in my opinion, btw, and I look forward to more.)

Besides, Helluva Boss's creators are still gonna do what they are gonna do. Does it matter what someone on the internet says about it?