#its like such a high appreciation for the existence of animation

[cyber444angel]

the type of euphoria i feel when i watch the heaven’s light/hellfire sequence in hunchback of notre dame is so next level i stg

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

routine vibe check: what’s the best starter pokemon and why are you right (pictures and long paragraphs of evidence welcomed and appreciated)

Gonna get a good grade in vibe check, normal to want and inevitable to achieve because I have objectively correct Pokemon opinions and will block naysayers

OKAY LET'S GO

I decided to do, like, a top 5 list or something, because I'm bad at picking a single favourite of stuff. And then even that overwhelmed me, so I found one of those tier ranking list sites and produced this:

It was done in less than a minute, so if I wanted to get really picky, I don't know if I would be fully wedded to it (not sure if maybe Sceptile should be one higher) BUT it did help to highlight the important ones.

So!

5. Bulbasaur

It's. Just. So. Nice.

Like you can find cooler, more beautiful, cuter, fancier... there's a whole bunch of ways for a Pokemon to be great. But you will never ever find a nicer Pokemon than Bulbasaur. It's so lovely. Look at it. Look at its face.

I can't put it higher, because the rest of the line is fairly bland in terms of development. It's good and logical and fun, don't get me wrong, but Ivysaur and Venusaur just look like bigger versions with More Flower and Less Cute rather than creatures in their own right. To be honest, if it weren't a starter requiring a three-stage evolution, you could do away with Ivysaur. Something I don't like about a lot of lazy three-step lines is that the middle step just looks like a transitional mid phase rather than a Proper Creacher, like they were artificially inflating the Pokemon number count. Meanwhile it took us until Paldea to get a Girafarig evo that would actually make the giraffe tall. Madness.

However my first ever Pokemon was a Bulbasaur I called Daffodil, and I have traded him forward onto every single successive generation since. He is, quite literally, my First Ever Pokemon. I love him desperately. I still have him. Not many people still have their First Ever Pokemon. But I do and I love him. So, Bulbasaur gets the fifth spot.

4. Snivy

Again, a victim of the Banal Transitional Middle Evo, but both Snivy and Serperior are incredible, and as Meatloaf took such pains to tell us, two out of three ain't bad.

But Snivy! It's so snooty! I was super lucky with mine, too, because I beat the 12.8% odds and got a female, and I loved her. Normally the initial baby starters are designed to be cute but Snivy has SO MUCH PERSONALITY, she's great. And the design of Serperior is utterly gorgeous. She keeps the expression, but rather than the Animal Crossing-style snooty-cute vibe of Snivy you get this thousand yard withering stare of an empress whose servant (you) has just turned up dripping mud in her throne room and asked her for money. Her green and gold colour scheme is exquisite. Her filigree design, including her high collar, give off the air of wealth and sophistication befitting her immaculate pedigree. And all this! In a simple snake. Incredible design work, 10 out of 10, no notes.

Begone, you miserable peasant. Have him boiled.

3. Torchic

Now I'll be real with you, lads, but Pokemon design hit its stride with Hoenn and then got better.

It's partly a fashion thing, of course - you look at some of the Kanto designs and they are remarkably 90s, because that's when the franchise launched. Others are clearly a product of what the 1990's were capable of producing in pixels on an already over-stretched cartridge medium. Like we like to clown on Red and Green/Blue now, but my god, those game designers performed a miracle with Pokemon. Every single square inch of space was used to make that game, and complex designs weren't going to cut it.

(With that said, there is still no excuse for Dragonite.)

And then Johto came about and its Pokedex sucks ass. It's mostly new evolutions for existing Kanto stars, useless babies to inflate the dex number, or poorly thought out single-evos like the inexplicably short Girafarig and the unacceptably dreary Dunsparce (our greatest thanks to Paldea for fixing both of those).

BUT THEN CAME HOENN (trumpets intensify)

And we get habitats! Biomes! A different regional climate, gifting us a brand new area of Pokecology! And therefore a brand new flush of creativity in Pokemon design across the board; less dated, and more inclined to be unique rather than a rehash of Kantonian stuff.

Which brings me nicely to this lad:

Now, I mean. Just look at him. Fucking hell. Cute starter stage, check. LOOK AT HIM FACE

AND THEN he became, at the time, a brand-new unique typing: Fire/Fighting. I realise that is now the norm for like, half of the Fire starters, but that's because of Torchic, actually. He was super popular. In fact if you ever play Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and you do what my husband and I like to call a Mynci Dave run (use one Pokemon almost exclusively, meaning it gets all the experience points and therefore over-levels to a terrifying degree, allowing you to sweep the game; so named after the noble Primeape we first did this with, Mynci Dave), Torchic is the PERFECT Pokemon to choose, because almost everything is weak to either Fire or Fighting in that region.

Anyway, Combusken is, again, kind of mid (although props for the inverted colour scheme and the fact that it actually does look like a teenager.) But Blaziken, on the other hand... Blaziken is a six foot ninja chicken with wings for hair whose Pokedex entry describes it as able to leap tall peaks in a single bound, a feat it achieves after strengthening its legs by hoofing Geodudes down mountains like they're fucking footballs

Also an impressive bulge.

My first was called Gilgamesh, and he was fucking great. For a long time, this mad lad was my actual favourite Pokemon, not just starter. Brilliant. Love him. Five stars out of three. King.

2. Fuecoco

It would probably surprise you to know I've not actually used one. I chose Sprigatito, and I do really like Meowscarada, actually. But pretty anthro cat boys have been done in Pokemon quite a bit at this point; cats, dogs and rabbits are over-represented in terms of Poke-taxa. Possibly this is another reason for a toad, a snake and a chicken being 5, 4 and 3 so far (ooh, basilisk ingredients, I've just realised.) They're new and unusual! I like an Eeveelution as much as the next person, but they're a whole family of cat-dog-rabbits, like.

However.

Nintendo has tried its hand at Pokecrocodilians three times (Feraligatr, Krookodile, Skeledirge), and they have gotten so much better at design each time that the three of them are basically a scale proxy for ongoing design improvement. Look, I've made a diagram:

EXCEPT

(Strap in)

This one is that rare thing: a three step line that deserves to be a three step line. Let's talk Fuecoco first:

SO CUTE. It's charming, it's charismatic, it's adorable.

It also has hints of its evolutionary end goal, but not like an undeveloped middle evo. It likes singing. The white face hints at the eventual calavera, and it looks a bit like a lil chilli pepper - a ghost pepper, probably in reference to the eventual Fire/Ghost typing. But the colours and shape right now also look a bit reminiscent of a babygro, because this thing is a cute starter. Lookit them teefs. That tuft. Its lovely smile. Beautiful.

And then, at the point you expect it to turn into just the awkward teenage version of the adult, instead we get Crocator:

Oh boy. Oh there's so much to say. Okay okay:

The region it's from is based on Spain, but this thing is incorporating Hispanic elements from across the board. It's a mariachi in a sombrero, except the sombrero also looks kind of like a ring of Mexican marigolds and kind of like a Catalonian Easter cake called Mona de Pascua that has an egg (or egg-shaped confectionary) in the middle. Body shape and markings look kind of like a piñata. The white face is now on its way to a calavera, with the cheek and nostril markings more defined. And it sings, with its open mouth (also how crocodiles release heat, appropriate for a Fire type) and signified by the mariachi theme.

THAT IS A LOT.

And then it becomes Skeledirge. A Fire/Ghost crocodile.

Now the obvious design here is the calavera and the  Día de Muertos theming, which is part of it. But there are also many examples of crocodile figures in Spanish folkloric ghost stories: the Catalonian Cocollona, the Lizard of Magdalena from Jaén, or the Drac de Na Coca, or even the Cuca - that one is Portuguese, but turns up in both Brasil and the Iberian Peninsula including in parts of Spain. It's got a Gaudi vibe (like Barcelona). It's got an alebrije vibe (like Mexico).

And the bird! Nile crocs have a cleaning symbiosis with Egyptian plovers; it also sits at the tip of the snout where male gharials have a sort of bulbous bit to help them make sounds (the singing thing).

But this is what the bird does when Skeledirge uses Torch Song:

It becomes a microphone, then grows in size and attacks the opponent in Phoenix form. Phoenix: Fire/Ghost. Resurrected from the ashes.

Quite simply, your fave could never.

5. Rowlet

My god. (My god)

gasp

Look at this lovely creacher. He is so round and so soft and so lovely. He looks like that baby Yoda meme. He looks like that cat that someone's landlord said they would make an exception for because he looks very polite. Look!!! At his lil bow tie!!! He is a smartly dressed young man and he is kind and he is... well, a bit vacant behind the eyes. A himbo, if you will. But he is all the better for that. What a lovely owl.

He looks a little like a barn owl, perhaps, and those were imported to Hawai'i, where Rowlet is from. But I think he looks a little like a Pueo owl, and given that he will eventually be a Ghost type, that seems right - pueos are one of the physical forms assumed by ʻaumākua in Hawai'ian culture, as I understand it.

And then, hang onto your tits, lads, because this is another banger - THE MIDDLE EVOLUTION IS ITS OWN DESIGN!!! (confetti cannons)

I said earlier that boring middle evos are like just awkward teenagers of the adults. Here, I present to you, a very deliberate Awkward Teenager, in Dartrix:

IT'S A DANDY

I love him I love him I love him

He plays with his fringe and if you touch it without permission he has a tantrum. God, he's so charismatic. Also, that fringe further suggests the pueo - they have pronounced outer rims around their facial disks like that. Look at his bow tie and tail coat. So smart and handsome

This one is so good that it could be the final evo. This is actually my issue with the Delphox line - Braixen is amazing, and then it becomes the bland boredom of Delphox. Braixen should have been the final stop. Here, Dartrix is much the same - good enough to be a high-quality end goal.

Where they differ is that Decidueye is better again.

IT SHOOTS ARROWS MADE OF ITS OWN QUILLS

Also, fun fact - This line is the only starter to change secondary typing. Dartrix is part Flying; but on evolving a second time into Decidueye, it switches to Grass/Ghost. In this evolution, it's definitely mostly a pueo, so the ʻaumākua reference is IN, but actually barn owls also have their associations with the dead in various cultures.

The crown of feathers around its head are also reminiscent of an ayaigasa - a hat worn by Japanese samurai archers. And yet! AND YET!

It still has its lil bow tie look. Bigger now, more of a cravat; but there it is.

A perfect Pokemon, and a perfect evolutionary line. No notes.

Anyway, thank you for this chance to waste three and a half hours writing this essay

[lazyevaluationranch]

*pats askbox gently* there are more Thermoreceptors?

(I'm sorry ur dome was so hot; I hope its much cooler now!)

My bluff has been called! Hooray!!

I am not a neurologist, a biologist, or a scientist. If anyone with better credentials than "obsessed with emergent properties" contradicts me, listen to them instead.

Cell membranes include little portal proteins that open under certain circumstances based on the shape of the protein and let chemicals into and out of the cell. These portals are useful for all sorts of things: managing water and nutrients, sending messages to nearby cells, serving the whims of tiny intercellular cats. Science hasn't found the tiny intercellular cats yet, but we all know they're there; the existence of a door that can be opened necessarily implies an indecisive feline.

Some protein shapes open up if the temperature is within a certain range. This means that if a cell with that sort of protein in its membrane experiences a temperature in the right range, it will move some chemicals around. This is used to make nerve cells that send a message towards the brain whenever they experience a certain temperature.

Because evolution does all its best work the night before the deadline while on a Code Red Mountain Dew bender, the opened-by-temperature portal proteins are mostly copied from opened-by-a-specific-chemical portal proteins. All of them, in fact, still open for specific chemicals, which means there exist out in the world liquids you can put in a bottle that most animals will instead perceive as "a temperature between 8 and 26 degrees" So things can get a little weird.

Temperature-opening portal proteins:

TRPA1 Opens for temperatures below 12C (not air temperature, skin or body temperature, so you might be kind of in trouble when this happens). Used by hunting snakes to detect where heat isn't so they can find prey. Feels painful in an itchy sort of way.

This one also opens for allyl isothiocyanate. Many plants have evolved to take advantage of the existence of a chemical most animals perceive as itchy pain, especially horseradish and wasabi. Allyl isothiocyanate is harmful to plants, so they keep two separate components in tiny compartments. When an animal bites the plant, the compartments break open their contents mix to create allyl isothiocyanate.

"This plant tastes like itching" is a good defense against almost all animals, but some humans have taught themselves to appreciate the taste of itching.

TRPM8 Opens for temperatures between 8 and 26 degrees. Opens for menthol (peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen) and linalool (roses, orange blossoms, basil). Feels cool or cold.

"This plant tastes like cold" is a somewhat less effective defense against being eaten than "this plant tastes like itching" but it's a more widespread defense because TRPM8-activating chemicals don't harm plants and don't need elaborate two-part storage.

TRPV4 Opens for temperatures from 27-37 C. I'm not sure what this one feels like, or if even feels like anything, since it covers normal human body temperatures. Whatever feeling we get from this one, we're feeling it nearly all the time.

Plants do make a chemical that tastes like this temperature, and it can repel nonhuman creatures with different body temperatures: allicin, the flavour of garlic. Like allyl isothiocyante, it is stored in two compartments inside the plant, and combined when the plant is bitten.

Maybe this is why vampires abhor garlic. There is a feeling that, as humans, we always have. Something we don't notice, something deeper than touch. That feel disappears forever when you become a vampire, except those unbearable moments when garlic returns to you for a fleeting moment the experience of lost humanity.

TRPV3 Opens for temperatures 33-39 degrees. Opens for eugenol, found in cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf, holy basil, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Feels like warmth.

Plants with high quantities of eugenol, like holy basil and Japanese star anise, are sometimes sacred to buddhists because they smell nice and bugs don't like to eat them, so you can burn them as incense without worrying about all the little crawly guys.

Humans apparently think food that tastes like "warm" is comforting.

TRPV1 Opens for temperatures over 43 degrees. (The one I was experiencing in the overheated dome, which I had never felt from air before) Opens for capsaicin, the active chemical in hot peppers. Opens for the combination of temperature and acidity of fevers and infected wounds. This one we feel as pain, as burning, as flame.

TRPV1 says: Your flesh is failing, and your doom is very near.

Humanity says: This is incredible. We are going to breed plants that cause this sensation as much as possible, and we will spend thousands of years getting it right. We are going to dry this and powder this and flake it and grill it and ferment it and eat it with everything.

And when we leave earth and go into space, we take hot peppers with us. Without gravity, fluid builds up in nasal passages, and astronauts sort of have colds the entire time they're in space and can't smell food very well. But the Nearness Of Your Doom is not a smell and is not perceived by the nose, so - with their doom always on the other side of ten centimeters of insulated aluminum - astronauts can taste hot peppers. In 2002, Peggy Whitson, commander of the ISS, jokingly refused to let a replacement crew on board until they handed over the hot sauce.

We are a strange and wonderful species.

[theabysss]

Cat Person

pairing: sagau!Zhongli x Reader

summary: Zhongli feels jealous about you and cats, and then finds out that he has no reason to do this (just fluff).

warnings/tags: gn!Reader, possessive & obsessive thoughts, religious + cult themes.

word count: 1.4 k~

Before your descent into Teyvat, before you again graced them with your presence in the physical form, Zhongli believed that if he had to share your attention with anyone and fight for your favor, it would be your other followers. Archons, allogenes or ordinary people, he was confident that he would surpass them all. As your most loyal follower, he was definitely the best at fulfilling your wishes and was worthy of your time and attention like no one else.

The reality turned out to be a little different. It seems there was nothing in the whole world that you loved more than cats and they reciprocated your love. Every time you and Zhongli took a walk, the result was always a picture of you surrounded by these furry creatures.

By this point, Zhongli had tried quite a lot of ways to separate you and the cats, among which were: attempts to walk in high rocks, where these furry creatures could not exist in principle (somehow they still ended up there and stole all your attention), an attempt when he invited you to the ship (somehow there was still a cat there, to whom you devoted all your time) and many others, all just as failed.

The world itself indulged your love, which of course was very logical and correct, but…

Zhongli sighed. Sometimes Always he wanted you to devote your time to him and only him, without any distractions. The dragon part of him now always narrowed his eyes in displeasure and began wagging his tail jealously at the sight of cats, even when you were not around.

To his great regret, he could not even join your hobby; all the cats instinctively did not like him because they sensed in him a strong, dangerous predator and did not want to expose themselves to his touch. So all that remained for him was the role of a silent observer, burning with jealousy.

He was sure that if your fingers had stroked his hair with the same tenderness, he would have purred no worse, maybe louder and rumbling, but was that a minus?

When, in the privacy of his chambers, Zhongli allowed himself to indulge in fantasies of your fingers playing with his hair, sometimes your nails scratching the scalp, or your gentle touches at the base of his horns, they brought him into a state close to euphoria. And it was so unfair that your gentle touches were enjoyed by irrational animals, unable to fully appreciate the honor shown to them.

Today was the day when you agreed to walk along the old streets of Liyue in the most ancient part of the harbor, Zhongli had about ten minutes of your full attention devoted only to him, until a ginger cat appeared around the corner.

As soon as this animal appeared, you instantly approached it and began to gently stroke between its triangular ears, one of which was torn. The cat purred contentedly and began to rub against your legs, pleased with the attention paid to him and your hands caressing his fur. And who wouldn't be happy in his place? He himself would give a lot to be able to enjoy your affection.

Zhongli could have sworn that the cat's blue eyes flashed maliciously when their gazes crossed for a second. Which of course was absolute stupidity; cats were incapable of gloating. He carefully examined the ginger; there were numerous scars on the animal’s body; it seemed that this cat was very pugnacious.

Zhongli narrowed his eyes suspiciously, there was not a single chance that this was possible…

Before the thought had time to fully form in Zhongli’s head, you finally broke away from the cat, and he lastly meowed mournfully and quickly left under the heavy gaze of the dragon.

"I'm sorry, Zhongli, for this little delay, I shouldn't have…"

"There is absolutely no need for you to apologize to me, Your Grace." Zhongli shook his head, you didn’t have to justify your actions to anyone.

"If you really think so, fine." A slight smile touched your lips and a wave of tenderness washed over Zhongli’s heart.

You continued your walk and he began to talk about one of Liyue's legends that you always enjoyed listening to. Words flowed like a river from his mouth, smoothly painting a picture of the events of past years. But Zhongli's mind did not want to leave one question that he had been wanting to ask for quite some time.

“Why…” The question almost escaped his lips, but Zhongli pursed them, burying the unspoken words. A guilty expression appeared on his face, he interrupted his story, which you enjoyed so much, for the sake of unimportant question. Not that anything concerning you could be unimportant. Quite the opposite, there was nothing more important than you, your interests and personality.

“Zhongli, did something happen?”

The concern in your voice covered him with a warm blanket, the knowledge that you found him worthy of your excitement was pleasant, but what a sin it was to force you to experience even a drop of negative emotions.

“No, nothing important, Your Grace,” Zhongli quickly assured you that everything was fine.

Under your attentive, silent gaze, demanding information, Zhongli could only be glad that he was not in his half-dragon form, in which the tail would immediately betray his anxiety. Your whole appearance expressed that you were not going to just let the situation go.

"You know that you can share with me if something bothers you, and ask if something interests you."

The kindness of your words lay like a balm on his heart. If you really thought that there was nothing wrong with his curiosity at the moment, then…

"Why do you like cats so much, Your Grace?" Zhongli tilted his head in interest, letting his hair fall over his shoulders.

"Hmmm, not really that there's a specific reason. They're just cute little furry creatures, with adorable little paw pads and soothing purrs. I guess I've been a bit overzealous in showing my affection, but these fluffies are impossible to resist."

You laughed embarrassedly and Zhongli glared at your face, the sound as clear as spring water, gentle as the most expensive silk, mesmerizing like the most beautiful picture of nature, filled his ears.

“But do you know what I also love Zhongli?” A playful smile appeared on your lips and, fascinated by it, he could only look into your shining eyes.

You moved so close to him that he could feel the warmth of your body, even through your clothes, your breath warming his lips. Your palm rested on Zhongli’s chest, opposite his wildly beating heart, as if it was trying to leave his body and end up in your arms. He wouldn’t mind if this really happened; his heart has long belonged to you and like all of him.

"And what is it, Your Grace?" Zhongli asked enchanted, completely absorbed in the desire to reduce the millimeters separating your lips.

"Dragons, especially the one with the magnificent golden eyes the color of Cor Lapis."

Your declaration of love and the kiss you gave him were sweeter than any sweetness and clouded Zhongli’s mind better than his favorite osmanthus wine. The touch of your lips steals his breath and every single thought from his head, except for one feeling of euphoria, overwhelming his head. The heat of your mouth, your soft tongue intertwining with his, strips him of any remaining self-control. Zhongli purrs hungrily into your mouth and pulls you closer, wanting this moment, wonderful as a dream, to last as long as possible.

When you pull away, with a ragged breath and a haze of pleasure covering your eyes, the dragon inside Zhongli purrs happily, pleased with the view. He unbearably wants to press his lips to yours again, the knowledge of how sweet they are now will never leave him, the eternal temptation to taste the heavenly taste again, but he is restrained following your will.

“I think you can no longer be jealous of cats, okay?”

Zhongli coughs, trying to hide his embarrassment, it turns out you knew about the feelings he was experiencing all along, and nods in agreement.

As you continue your walk, with your permission, he gently holds your hand in his. Now he is happier than ever.

Reblogs, comments, are always greatly appreciated! ヽ(o^ ^o)ﾉ

[kenandeliza]

A Marvel Family Fantasy AU

A few days ago, I randomly dreamt of Drawing Billy and Tawny in a fantasy setting.

Billy was this kid wizard and Tawny was his companion (or an animal to ride on like a horse)

Then it got me thinking, maybe in this setting, Mary could be someone of high status in this fantasy setting (since she's in a rich family in the golden age comics)

I'm inclined to think Freddy would be a captain of a ship for irony-sake but I have a feeling pirates and fantasy settings don't match well?

It's just funny for me to think of him with a peg leg xD

After further discussion with @the-brash-spud :

Warning: Too many text :>

These are the ideas we have so far (if there are quotation marks, those ideas belonged to @the-brash-spud ):

—

Maybe Billy and Mary were prince and princess separated by birth, (i'm not sure if its a kidnapping or the baby got lost on his own) but the wizard founded billy and trained him.

At the ripe age of (insert young age below a teenager's), The wizard decided to grant him the power of shazam to turn him into the world's mightiest Wizard!

Captain Marvel!

Wizard dies and then Billy and Tawny have adventures together, maybe helping people along the way (maybe somehow found out that Mary is his sister :p idk)

“ I think you could go angst if you made the wizard get brutally hurt in a battle to protect Billy and the rock of eternity so in a last ditch effort he transports the rock to its own pocket of existence and then giving Billy powers of shazam because its as ready as he'll be able to make the kid :) and it's his last effort for Billy to be protected even if he has to do so himself because he has failed :)) made Billy cry as Wizard turns into dust in Billy’s hands :)))”

—

Uncle marvel can be a con-man/thief who took pity on Billy or realiz, teaching Billy that the world isn't always honest and he's like, "Billy, don't always give money to the poor on the streets, sometimes they faked their illness to be lazy”

" Billy: "The man in the shadowy corner needs my help."

Uncle: "No, the hell he doesn't!”"

—-

How Billy Met Freddy

Billy probably met Freddy in a bar fight. How did the kid get into a bar?

Billy looked at the man exiting the pub with a bottle.

Billy: Ohh! So this is where you get refreshments here! I wonder If they have enough Milk for Tawny..

Pub sign written NO KIDS ALLOWED!"

*Billy can only read magic scrolls and not regular alphabet*

Cue him meeting Freddy (who's armwrestling with one of the people there)

(Insert Bar fight for some reason because The child decided to drink a white cocktail thinking it was milk and the fact that Billy is a Kid)

“Freddie is definitely that kid having his ass thrown out of the bar/pub/inn”

I'd like to think he and his brother are a team, prolly sailed a ship together.

“Yes, they target slave ships. Unless you wanna go different routes. Then, he is focused on certain nations' flags that have a whole lot of red in them

Also, he goes to the bars just to start bar fights over drunks being mean/nasty to the landlady. The landlady doesn't appreciate it bc now she has a broken table and four broken chairs”

Freddy faces the Captain Nazi equivalent of a pirate [Captain Arian? Like Aryan?] XD, Freddy lost his leg the same way, from his encounter with Captain Arian.

Kit (probably a necromancer or a ghost who's cursed to be bound in the ship Freddy's in, making Freddy more attached to the ship) can still summon crewmembers.

Maybe they both meet mary during the birthday ceremony parade

Maybe Mary snuck off from her family (disguise herself as a regular girl, i know, generic plot) and then meet Billy accidentally

Billy: It's my birthday today!

Mary: What a coincidence! It's mine too!

The-brash-spud: “Billy, in his innocence, thinks ,"There must be something to us sharing birthdays!" While Freddy calls him stupid, Billy tries to get a look at the princes and then cue the lung-fu panda rocket incident, but maybe something else more fitting with Freddy being pulled along”

On an unrelated note, i think Billy knew about Freddy's peg legafter either a pirate slashed it clean and Freddy just used it to bonk his head.

Billy is still screaming from the shock and immediately casted healing spells (i'd like to think everything about billy is lightning based- so yes getting struck by lightning is a healing spell for him :D) Freddy got shocked lmao

And what about boarding Tawny on the ship?

Billy:"Please???"

Freddy: "I'm not letting a tiger into my ship."

Kit who absolutely adores animals: "YES"

Freddy:"NO!”

Kit:" Does he love belly rubs??"

Billy:" yes but you have to ask him politely for his permission-”

Freddy rolled his eyes, realizing he has to clean cat fur everyday off from the furnitures.

___

How did Mary, a royalty tag along with a kid wizard and a pirate?

“Yeah, I guess forced separation would work better. Hell, go with a scenario that will allow them to have Mary with the parents' blessings as long as she's kept safe (she isn't, but that's because she is the danger herself)”

Mary and Billy: "Yay adventure"

Freddy: "Oh great, now I have to take care of two kids and a tiger in my ship!?"

*Freddy looking at Kit and the kids + a tiger playing together, kit seems happy*

Freddy: "...i guess it's alright..”

___

How Freddy and Mary found out about the wizard?

“Hmmmm, maybe Billy takes them to the rock because they were in a pickle, and unforeseen effects happen?

They got surrounded maybe?

Also I can see the aftermath

"You were raised by THE Wizard!? THE Wizard?! A Wizard of legends so often told he is recognisable even if his name was lost?!"

"Oh, his name is Shazam-" *BANG*”

____

Hopefully i could draw these AU ideas, I don't plan on making this into a story, i just like the concept that my dream gave my a few days ago and I’m just expanding it. Sorry for too many text xD

I don't mind if you want to add something to this silly lil AU, It's just a fun thing for me to do :p

[avillanappears]

godzilla x kong: the new empire

"For most of human civilization, we believed that life could only exist on the surface of our planet. What else were we wrong about?"

okay, I kind of fell off doing this, but we’re back! the best ever tumblr review series that’s written by avillanappears.tumblr.com! I came in not expecting much, but it turns out I really, really liked it, actually! I’m more pleasantly surprised than anyone, godzilla vs kong rubbed me very much the wrong way. godzilla and kong beating the ever-loving tar out of each other was fun, sure, but I have WORDS for the human stuff. I could fill a whole post with those, probably, but we’re not talking about that! we’re thinking good thoughts, about the one I liked!

it’s definitely a fun adventure film. hollow earth was a much more fleshed out setting this time, I loved the varieties of locales and creatures. giant, flying flamingo fish that shoot electricity? kong crossing a rickety bridge made out of the spine of a monster so massive, that it’s kaiju sized compared to him? this is exactly the sort of thing I wanted to see! it was fascinating seeing kaiju sort of “on their level”, in a whole giant sized ecosystem made for them. we got some of that in the atomic time of monsters by @tyrantisterror, and I think it’s such fertile ground to explore. godzilla’s flirted with the idea before in both its netflix animes, but this is them really committing to it. it makes my worldbuilding and specbio freak heart happy. we even got to see more hellhawks! I love those guys.

lookit that face

okay this is going pretty long, but anyhoo, I liked the character stuff too. kong was as lovable as always, you really feel for the big lug. even though he’s a living god the size of a mountain, there’s a real vulnerability to him. he’s just a sad, lonely guy who wants purpose and belonging.

he and suko had some kind of fast, but still very nice bonding. the human side was fun too, they fixed a lot about what I didn’t like from the last movie. jia had more of an arc going instead of just being “the one kong talks to”, bernie was a lot more enjoyable since they cut out the weird conspiracy theorist stuff, trapper was a fun guy. it was nice just seeing someone who loves monsters and weird nature stuff.

skar king surprised me with how personal of a threat he is, they really let him feel like a horrid, nasty piece of work. he’s more than just a big evil overlord, he’s a bullying control freak who wants everything his way, and it makes his wretchedness more tangible in a way.

shimo didn’t get all that much, but I love shimo. I love her, and I can barely even tell why, there’s just some kind of Vibe to her I resonate with. I think it’s how mythical she feels. the oldest of a line of gods, a great being of ice, controlled by a wicked devil….in fact it all felt very mythic. I appreciate that, I love it when kaiju works play out like weird mythological epics.

probably the most tangible complaint I can think of right now is that the godzilla stuff was pretty underwritten. it honestly felt like he was just….doing video game sidequests or something. like, it didn’t have Impact up until the very end when he finally meets kong and SPOILERS SPOILERS. and it feels a shame to kill scylla and tiamat off this early, I liked those two as unpredictable wildcards. with rodan and the others still mia, and two titans unceremoniously dead, it’s starting to feel like the monsterverse is sorta….flattening itself? now that kongs arc is done, I think we need to get back to a godzilla solo or two, flesh things back out a bit. but that’s for future peter to talk about, today we’re leaving things off on a high note. fun characters, dynamic locales, some great monster brawling, this one was a good’un!

godzilla cast monkeys into hell for their sins

[devsgames]

Daggerfall Dev Appreciation Post

Been playing The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall recently. I really admire this game for being smartly made and using a lot of tricks to make it feel like it has more life than it does.

Here's some tricks it does that I like.

Dynamic Character Faces

When a generic NPC is far away, they render as a billboarded sprite of a pre-rendered model as they walk around. When you approach them and stop to talk to them, they 'snap' in to a higher-res idle animation which also applies a random face to them.

Characters can use the same base models can have different faces, to allow reusing the base model but swapping out the face in some instances to make them feel distinct and different.

They also have random portraits in dialog that are related to the model's appearance, which is fun. For example, these are some portraits for the above base model:

Proc-Gen World (But Not Really)

Daggerfall is interesting in that its game world is MASSIVE, however while it's all technically 'proc-gen', it's not dynamically generated.

The world was generated during development and only bespoke parts of the world were hand-crafted on top of that. The only dynamically generated content is the overworld that exists outside of fast-travelling from POI to POI that expands out forever (and admittedly has very little to do).

Vast majority of the POIs in the world however contain areas that rely on smaller gameplay elements like generated side-quests and the like, but it's all explorable and I think that's really fun that there's still stuff to do there!

I think the "static-generated POIs" approach is also really smart because it means you get the benefits of large world generation with procgen, as well as the stability of hand-crafted content.

Here's the full map and all the POIs in just one region of the world (the small dots on the map), each one having been generated during development and now technically has unlimited quests to do!

Proc-Gen Spatial Relations

One thing I also like about the proc-gen approach is that a lot of the interiors of the buildings in the world are actually mapped exactly to the exteriors.

Even in modern games this feels like something of a rarity, but it's surprising how much this helps with orienting oneself inside a building when you know what the exterior looks like! It really adds to the verisimilitude of the space, especially in a proc-gen world. Plus, the number of house variations that exist in the world and match these patterns is very impressive.

For example, the interior of this house's floorplan matches the exterior, and the second story has a high-peaked attic just like the exterior does.

And again, the shape of these houses are so varied and cool that it makes this extra impressive!

Maybe I'll add more to these as I play.

[faceofpoe]

The way Identity Crisis was supposed to give some depth to Emerie and instead just kind of made her... shallower. And reduced her final reflection moments to the civilian version of "Good soldiers follow orders."

"Just doing my job" the hell you were.

She had depth. They made such interesting animation decisions with her but subtle, her reactions to the things going on around her. The look she gives Hemlock in s2e14 when he loses patience with Crosshair - is she reacting to discovering an unknown sister out in the galaxy, or is she reacting to his "all clones are my property" declaration?

She does bad things - she is doing her job/following orders/etc. Echo calls her on her shit.

But she comes across as a rather conditioned victim herself, at least initially (and I do think this impression was severely undermined by Identity Crisis). Crosshair demands her access card - "it won't get you outside"; but Nala Se's datapad will get Omega to a hangar? There's very much a vibe that she's just as trapped as any of the prisoners, but almost doesn't recognize it or fully appreciate it. She tells Omega she's safer in Tantiss than "out there" - in the jungle, or in the broader galaxy?

She cares about Omega's wellbeing in the way she knows how, which is the same way she tries to spare Crosshair suffering needlessly: do what Hemlock says, cooperate, do your job, follow orders, and things will go as good for you as they can (there's no escape). Her hesitation to call security down on the lurca kennels, she wants to spare them both the punishment of the attempt. And then rationalizes it with - it just won't work, you can't escape, better you're punished in here than dead out there.

The look on her face when Omega gets indignant on Batcher's behalf - you don't know she won't survive, she deserves a chance.

Like - that was where the root of her questioning her situation felt like it ought to be. And then their successful escape from the planet? Builds on that! Your reality has been turned on its axis, Hemlock is not infallible, escape is possible, there's a life worth living beyond this mountain and one Omega and Crosshair were willing to fight for!

And then we get to Identity Crisis and... we need Emerie in the orbit of the children (because the Vault was not whatever the Emperor visited in e3, it was the galaxy's worst daycare). So actually, now, despite keeping her away (and never mind all the scientists already working in the vault), and her own attitude of "best not to ask questions" actually sure, why not, be chief scientist. It's like we suddenly portray her as closer to high level subordinate than... almost prize pet clone weird vibe it felt like we had before.

Her entire turnaround became solely 'torturing and experimenting on grown men was one thing but discovering the top secret basement daycare is a step too far!' and it just - falls flat to me. And she was on my bingo card for being the topic of Identity Crisis! Just... not like that lol. Part of it maybe felt like she and Hemlock were both sort of testing each other that episode, little furtive glances but... nothing really came of that either. Hemlock just says 'yeah sure leapfrog over all the other scientists on the project you've earned my trust' when she wasn't even allowed to know the truth of the project until now?

Her whole vibe giving the sense of not really being permitted outside the walls of wherever Hemlock is working at the time and then just - yeah sure go on a Coruscant supply run, whatever, I've got a phone call to get to.

Was straight up shocked she knew how to fly the ship when Echo asked.

Who the fuck is she? Why does she exist, why was she sent away, where did she go, why does she have a last name? How and why did Hemlock snag her? Did she know about Omega before Hemlock started looking for her? Just - nothing.

Her recognizing Echo was *chef's kiss* best moment of that episode. Understanding she wants to do something but needs that extra push/support to figure out how - awesome.

But it really feels like they pulled back from portraying her as a different brand of Hemlock victim and, quite frankly, she deserved some recovery downtime on Pabu too.

(and don't get me started on how much we deserved Crosshair being the one who has to choose to trust her, and they never even got another interaction)

(also don't get me started on the similar 'give me five quick words to encompass this character's morality revelation/turnaround' vibe that was Howzer & Crosshair and "loyalty meant something to me")

[trancylovecraft]

What do you think of the new episode of Helluva?

amazing timing! I just got off a discord call about this topic

And jeez.. this is gonna be a rant, prolly not what you were expecting from an ask about the new episode but.. yk.. I'm sorry this wasn't more positive than you probably wanted, But I don't want to lie and I have a lot to get off my chest

If you enjoy Helluva boss then please, You do what you do and enjoy what you want to. And I'm happy it can bring you joy, Don't let me prevent you from loving something you love <3

.

..

...

So first of all, I bloody hate Helluva boss. I know I've written for it and still write for it but OMG I just don't like it at all and the direction its gone.

Like season one is good, I like it. Its amazing season to start off a seemingly good show with a lot of potential.

The villains are threatening and are set up to become major plot points. Verosika, Striker, The cherubs (which admittedly were the weakest out of the trio, But hey, you can't be perfect)

The conflicts are being set, Aka stolas and Blitzo's toxic relationship and it's struggles. It's got potential for a lot of nuance and oppertunities to explore gay relationships in a more abusive light and I can appreciate that a lot.

Characters arcs have been put into motion with Moxxies inferiority, Blitzo's need for validation and the star prophecy going on with stolas and his daughter.

The animation, The music and the voice acting are all on point with such high profile actors. Ahem ahem.. INVADER ZIM AND BEETLEJUICE!!

It was amazing, A major accomplishment for indie animation and the trailblazer that aet off the youtube animation reinessance.

But then season two comes along.

Right off the bat with the circus its suddenly revealed that stolas and blitzo knew each other from childhood.

This is confusing. Stolas and blitzo knowing each other starts to change their relationship from the toxic transactional it was suppose to explore into a more

This episode could've been great, If it was stella and not blitz. This episode could've explored the begginings of their relationship (platonic)

It was stated by octavia that they at one point liked each other then degraded. This episode couldve shown that and given stella some actual development.

Now throughout the season more issues become prevelant..

The villains that were threatening before have become nothing more than cannon fodder. A monster of the week, If you will. Striker and crimson (we're not gonna get into that episode) were easily defeated by blitz and fizzaroli (ILL GET ONTO HIM) making fun of them and removing all their threatening aura.

Verosika is gone, She might return, Idk tho. The cherubs we'e heard nothing from either. And do NOT get me started on the new villains. (The agents, Crimson, Andrealphus)

The women in helluva are EXTREMELY underdeveloped. There are no girls that stand on their own, Just another limb for the male characters to further their own arcs (Millie is just Moxxies concious, Octavia is just Stolas' reason for staying and Loona is just there tobexplore Blitzo's abandonment issues

Millie especially. The only episode she got out of two seasons is unhappy campers. And even then she had to be a boy to get the praise, It feels like the writers were self aware at that poimt.

Her only personality is violence and moxxie, Thats it.

(I have a lot more to say about Helluva boss, Such as the awful story. The woobification of stolas and Blitzo. The humour. The gay overglorification. Fizzaroli and Asmodeus. The rushed pacing and the non-existant set up)

The newest episode I genuinley disliked, One of my least favourite in the season.

I feel like this was the writers grasping at straws. To make a story and an arc, You've got to set it up.

We had no idea that Fizzaroli was connected to Mammon in any way, We had no hints or suggestion that he was. Nor did we have any hints of his underlying arc about wanting to be free.

For instance this can be done through dialogue or the characters body language. We got none of this and instead this was just pulled out of the writers asses.

I dont care for fizzaroli, I hate him apart from his voice actor. To me, He's boring and just a recoloured blitz.

The whole episode was the setup and the solution. This should not of been the case, This was rushed and this episode should of been the solution of the hinted issue in previous episodes like the one where they got kidnapped.

(That was a great chance to talk about being free, Since yk, They were in a cage and it would of prompted a deeper conversation)

It feels like a reheated angel dust and valentino but platonic im ngl. Besides, Fizz and ozzie's relationship is just not good.

Its too sickly sweet. Im not saying it has to all be angst but a spat or an arguement to prompt the episode wouldve been good you know? All healthy relationships have their rocky parts and it wouldve been nice to see here.

Asmodeus and Mammon just dont seem threatening for demon kings? They take insults and jabs that really degrade their intimidation for the audience yk?

The whole episode boils down to "clown twink gets abused by capitalism"

Overall I ranted too long about this animated show. The episode was not good and the future for this series is looking bleak.

This was a really shallow examination of helluva boss. Im writing this in bed so i dont have time to go deeper into the story structure and concepts portrayed in there

I fucking love mammon tho, He's my husband, Please request him.

-Trancy M. Lovecraft

[688199]

marinette is FAR from being a “normal girl, with a normal life” (general criticism, and analysis of the location concept art)

pardon any mistakes, this is a rant post lmaoo

first and foremost, she is the daughter of paris’s most popular bakery. everyone knows it. and it's not loved the same way a long time neighbourhood bakery is loved. sleek high class interior design, like i bet a simple croissant costs 4 euros or smth.

now how about the earlier bakery design?

cluttered, lots of bread stacked everywhere, but it coneys well their love for baking. wonder why those "run down eating places" are always the one that have the greatest tasting food? it's because their heart is in cooking the meal. tbh, reminds me of the bakery in kikis delivery service actually. and why does these two bakeries feel so much nicer despite being so simple looking? because you can feel the hardwork (oh and the brown is a true vibe). full offence but the neatness of the current bakery feels like its a corporate business.

two, while she goes to a public school, it’s like the kids of all the most rich and famous citizens of paris are gathered there. adrien, model and son of renowned fashion designer. chloe, daughter of the mayor. juleka, daughter of famous rock star, alix, daughter of historian at louvre. mylene, daughter of a leading mine performer that had his posters plastered everywhere. that’s like just some of i remember. definitely not normal. unfortunately no concept art of the school. but knowing that the PV did reference marinette's bedroom, im going to assume the school design existed as a brief sketch.

this seems like a classy, rich college, same like the current one. but the design is better, imo, looks more school-ish. and third, it’s so clear that marinette is super rich. like man what the hell that room is thrice the size of mine. yet it lacks so much personality. what does this tell us about her? she likes pink. i seriously cannot find anything here that stands out to me.

this is why i much prefer the concept art locations. at least they look sort of middle class. it also gives marinette a “cozy” vibe, and someone who makes the best out of a given situation.

marinette is given the attic room. lots of beams, not very well furnished. yet she takes advantage of a seemingly bad room by using the beams to place boxes and toys. she also uses cloth to decorate the place, showing her appreciation of cloth design. it’s small, but has character, compared to marinette’s pink spacious room that’s a mess to look at.

furthermore the rooftop clearly isn’t meant to be used like that. but she adds little features to it, such as a simplistic bird house, wood planks to allow an even surface to place stuff/ sit, and a tent tied down by random pink strings and ribbons. it shows how she’s adaptable, creative and caring (bird house). plus it alludes to a sense of defiance and her “wanting to take a break”.

on the other hand, the current (it’s not even called a rooftop it’s called a balcony) is in big open space, smack right in front of the eifel tower, nicely floored with a proper fence and proper table for teapot. nothing here is "make shift" like the previous design. even if marinette did spend time making this place nice, how can we tell? there's nothing that hints to us that she worked on it. it doesn’t convey anything about marinette to us anymore, other than: “oh holy shit she's pretty rich”.

even this even earlier design is simple, but still says more about marinette than the current balcony. she carried her teapot all the way up there even though it's insanely difficult to. this tells us she's willing to put extra effort into things.

you could say im looking too deep into things. but i really am not. people fail to understand that even art, animation and film, every little detail, no matter how small, is important and should tell us the personality of the character.

with all the choices made in the series, how could you convince anyone that marinette is supposed to be normal? the whole concept of marinette and ladybug is that she looks average on the surface, but is capable of being a superhero due to all these favourable character traits of hers that tend to be overlooked. marinette dupain cheng? writers can't even make her look average for gods sake. from her appearance (stereotypically good-looking instead of charmingly cute, there's a difference), and her life in general (blessed with all the chances in the world that basically spoon feeds her her dream).

its exactly like those famous hollywood stars saying how much they suffered before they could succeed. except they were rich from the start with famous parents.

[animehouse-moe]

Why You Should Read/Watch 'Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!'

I've wanted to write about Eizouken for a long time now, and after stewing it over following having read volume 5, I feel like I really do need to begin with it from the start. For those that don't want to read a mountain of text to decide whether they should read and/or watch it though? Do it. Even if you're not wooed or in awe at all the detail and information that creates an ocean of animation talk, at the most basic level everybody is able to appreciate and understand the passion that emanates from the characters and this world as they pursue stories and creation with fervor.

So with that in mind, I think it's best to get down to it. Eizouken, by nature, is something that is meant for motion and sound and color, so you can't really experience it without watching the anime. However, by some miracle, Eizouken doesn't rely on those pieces to be successful and creative and expressive.

Right away, you're able to understand that with how they force perspective and even make use of it in the speech bubbles. Not only are the characters and world subject to various angles and such, but the speech bubbles follow suit. An incredibly simple piece, but one that serves to further drag you into its world.

And really, it goes even further than that with how it presents itself. This is within the first chapter of the story, and you already get such a strong idea of how they approach the creation of these scenes. Kanamori and Asakusa are looking over an open space full of students in one panel, and then in the next we're shown the pair from a distance, as if the reader is the one looking over them.

The technique with speech bubbles really is just something else for how it meshes with the world. It matches the angles and perspectives, and in scenes like this really adds to the overall feel of a flow with the scene. It helps guide you in almost mimicking the movement of Asakusa and co.

Also, if it wasn't clear, the manga itself does one of my favorite things with its blocking/storyboarding: it uses space.

It uses the environment around the characters to its fullest, using lower angles to accentuate that feeling of size, like how the girls are sealed in on all sides by tall buildings, or how they very rarely exist on the same plane in a scene. They all take up different spaces in them, and interact with the environment in various ways.

I could just go on forever and ever about it. The characters are always doing something when shown, in different and dynamic poses, and the way Oowara sensei leads readers through the scenes is just awesome. They could have just left it at the interesting scene of Kanamori on the window sill, but instead they allow the conversation to flow and take that positioning and view it from the outside to end the conversation between the trio.

And we're just now getting to how cool the work is with animation/art. I love it, the sketchy overall style of Eizouken works insanely well at expressing the animation process, and the level of detail placed in the art itself is just incredible. Mizusaki's character art is a heavier line weight and is far smoother, while Asakusa's environment/background art is much sketchier with a lighter line weight and more loose details and overall lines.

And then, there's this. The worldbuilding and sheer creativity to approach something so benign with such detail is just wonderful. You're literally getting concept art for a high school student's imagination, and with so much information. It just highlights the incredible depth of passion exhibited by Oowara sensei in creating this story so well.

Plus, the manga art is just so damn pretty.

Anyways, to the anime! I've talked about all the good stuff from the manga, and the vast majority of it exists in the anime, while also elevating various pieces. It starts off with a wonderful anime original section, and just shows off from the get go with it's 2D car driving down a 2D road. I really do love the slightly stretched fov/perspective being used here as well. I'm a real sucker for this type of stylized distortion.

But that's just the start. It takes that dynamic and layered feel of the manga, and extends it by adding motion. Asakusa and the other characters move through environments. The characters exist in their own aspects and are moving and alive, even if they're just delivery men that Asakusa dances around as she explores her new home.

These original scenes totally grasp the purpose and appeal of Eizouken, and extend upon that nature through its focus of animation. It's just such a wonderful thing to see. There's not even words to describe it, truthfully. If the manga is a 10, the anime is a 15 that turns Eizouken into a 25.

And this, well this, it's the first chapter of the manga, and not even the first 5 minutes of the anime. This incredible world, this insane approach to its story, to sharing its passion for animation and storytelling and creation, this is just the beginning. Literally. There's over 40 chapters and 12 episodes of this masterpiece, and I just want to share it with the world, much like how Eizouken wants to share their anime with the world.

[themultifandomgal]

Sweet Pea- Jughead’s Tour

Toni and I walk over to the front door where we’re meant to be meeting FP’s son. I wrap Sweet Pea’s leather jacket closer around me as we see Jughead putting his hat on and Toni takes a photo of him

"Forsythe Pendleton Jones third. I’m Toni Topaz, this is YN Topaz, my twin sister”

“Well I never thought I’d see the day when FP’s son comes to Southside High”

"YN and I are suppose to give you the full animatronic tour of Southside High but some robots went insane and starting killing the guests so we'll just wing it"

“Let’s head towards the lunch hall” I smile turning around.

"So the classrooms don't have WiFi, bathroom stalls don't have doors" I says walking down the stairs

"What about the school paper. The red and black?"

"Yeah no longer exists" I sigh

"Censorship, budget cuts. Take your pick" Toni says

"To your right you'll find a glimpse of jingle jangle being consumed in its natural habitat" Toni points Jughead in the direction she's looking

"Jingle jangle?"

"The place is crawling with the JJ" she tells him

"A highly addictive total gutter drug. My advice, don’t try it or you will be addicted by the first taste" Toni and I continue to walk to the lunch hall

"Ok here is the cafetorium Ghoulies sit over there" Toni points over to where they sit "rival gang, drug dealers, street racers, rumours of cannibalism" she continues

"And we sit over here with the Serpents" I point over to to where everyone is sitting. Toni and I walk over

"Wait your a Southside Serpent" Jug asks Toni

"Why do you think we volunteered to give you the tour?" I say in a duh tone “come meet the others”

"Actually I'm gonna sit alone. Just, you know finish my book and brood" Toni and I look at each other then back at Jughead

"I'm confused aren't you like a Serpent by blood? the son of FP Jones?”

"Yeah well I self identify as a loner not a pack animal. Look I appreciate all this Toni, but I'm just gonna put my head down and try to get through this ok?" Jughead pats Toni on the arm

“If you wanna get through this you should sit with the Serpents" I fold my arms looking at him

"YN’s right if the Ghoulies get a whiff that your alone they'll make you their bitch faster than you can say American History X"

“I’ll take my chances” Jughead turns away and sits alone

“He’s screwed” I say to Toni then turn around to the others

“Hey babe” Pea pecks my lips

“Who’s the dude?” Fangs asks

“Jughead, FP’s kid” I reply

“He’s not sitting with us?” Fangs asks

“Nope. Identifies as a loner” I sit next to Pea

“The Ghoulies will eat him alive” Pea comments

“He’ll come around. You wait and see” Toni sits opposite us next to Fangs.

Later that day we all decide to skip school and head over to Sweetwater River . I text Toni to see where she is, in the old Red and Gold room. Sweet Pea opens the door and walks in

"Topaz number 2 lets bounce" he says with an arm around me "Jones. You wanna come with?"

"We’re going down to Sweetwater" I smile trying to seem nice and inviting

"No thanks. I don't have my beach bod yet"

"What? you’ll ask for help from the Serpents when you need it but won't hang with us"

"Babe" I sigh

"Don't come crawling to us hat in hand when some Ghoulie decides to earn his stripes by taking out FP Jones' kid"

"Duly noted. Thank you Sweet Pea. I appreciate what you and the Serpents have done for me and my dad. I do, but I'm done ok? No more favours coming your way"

Sweet Pea gets angry and starts to move towards Jughead. Toni comes in between them

"Hey hey he's made up his mind ok? Take the hint Sweet Pea, he's just not that into you. Let's motor" we all turn and leave Jughead alone in the room.

“Fancy a dip?” I ask Sweet Pea with a cheeky look as I take off my top

“Hell yeah” Pea leans down and captures my lips in his. I take off his shirt and then take off my jeans before running into the water, Pea following close behind

“Do you think Jughead’s going to be ok?” Toni asks

“Why do you care?” Pea says earning an eye roll from me

“Wether you like him or not. He’s FP’s son which means he automatically has Serpents protection. We have to look out for him, at the very least make sure the Ghoulies leave him be” I sigh looking at Pea

“Fine, but if he flirts with you I’ll hit him”

“He’s not going to flirt with me” I shake my head

“He wouldn’t have the guts” Fangs laughs

“He’s right YN. Took Pea a while to finally ask you out. He was so scared of you”

“Was not”

“No he was scared of rejection Toni, there’s a difference” Fangs points out

“Good job I took the lead then isn’t it” I smile at my boyfriend

“Shut up” Sweet Pea huffs making me laugh.

[poliwhirl42]

Hi! What is your opinion on every pokemon season (by region) or at least the ones you have watched?

Oh man, a great question! I'll try to condense my thoughts about each into a few sentences but you should probably prepare for a novel haha:

Kanto: Honestly, when I watch the Original Series, I actually prefer watching the Orange Islands and Johto over the first season (I'll get to why in the next section). I think the first season is incredibly nostalgic to watch and has some of the most iconic moments in the entire anime, and the rest of the Pokemon anime wouldn't exist without it as a foundation, so I have to give it credit. Aside from most of the gym battles being kinda stupid, I do wish they'd followed up on lore they introduced that could've been incredibly interesting to explore, like Ash's childhood/his father's whereabouts, Jessie's mom, the Mewtwo/Mew stuff and other Team Rocket history from the CD drama, etc. But I also realize that the writers were just getting their bearings with making an anime adaptation in the midst of a rapidly-growing cultural phenomenon based off a video game, so I recognize the challenges and uncertainties that came along with that. Also quickly adding I highly enjoyed Orange Islands and my Pokeshipping heart revisits certain episodes from time to time as well.

Johto: Those who know me well know I LOVE the Johto series. I'm actually in the middle of a rewatch of it. Definitely rewatching it in full nowadays though, has definitely made me recognize that this series was far from perfect, but looking past its writing flaws, it's just purely entertaining for me. The English voice actors really found their voices and added so much to their characters, especially with the dialogue and the creative liberties they took in creating the dub. I like how certain backstories like Jessie's were explored a bit more in Johto as well, and I definitely think the gym battles were taken a little more seriously than they were in the first season. There were also some GREAT Brock episodes which I highly appreciated, and I never tire of watching the Butch and Cassidy episodes (aka the fortune telling one and the Lugia Arc). Also, Gary and Ash's battle in the League is my second favorite League battle of all time behind Ash VS Paul. Johto is also not only my favorite region but is also home to my favorite Pokemon opening song/OST of all time, and I generally just loved the vibes with this series where not every episode or scene had to be jam-packed with action every single second. It was nice to have episodes of them helping out a Character-of-the-Day or visiting a city or just laying in the grass taking a nap after camping out or having lunch. When I think of a Pokemon journey, those in-between moments are for me just as special as the action-packed high stakes moments. I definitely recognize the downside of this, though, because I do recognize that the constant repetitive pattern of Johto's plotlines in many episodes was fatiguing for many fans who wanted to see something different, and as much as I enjoy watching it, I agree. Johto itself is so RICH with its history and traditional Japanese roots and culture and it really felt like the writers shied away from integrating Ash's journey with a lot of the Johto game lore. It would've been cool to have characters like Jimmy and Marina interact with Ash, perhaps have Silver be introduced, and I also think they really dropped the ball on having characters like Casey and Ritchie be rivals in the Silver Conference. This is getting long though lol so onto AG next!

Advanced Generation: AG to me is like the underrated gem of the pokeani series. I think sometimes it slips through the cracks because it's not as "nostalgic" as OS but not as "hyped up" as XY or DP are. I really like AG a lot even though I don't talk about it much, but I do admittedly feel like several episodes or arcs at least in Hoenn are kind of forgettable to me or lackluster- the two major ones that come to mind are the Hoenn League and the Aqua/Magma arc, both of which should've been FAR more exciting and entertaining. DESPITE THAT THOUGH, I thought the group of four- Ash, Brock, May and Max was incredibly entertaining and brought a whole new dynamic which was different from the OG trio's. I also loved May assuming the role of dual protagonist and absolutely loved the concept of contests! I love Contestshipping and adored every moment May's rivals appeared on screen with their quips and banter. Her growth in this series was fantastic and her battle with Drew at the end of Battle Frontier was chef's kiss. Ash himself, this is actually my favorite portrayal of Ash as he's such a little egotistical brat in Hoenn- other people don't like this as much but I still eat it up, like you just wanna punch him but he's so funny. The battles were also SO MUCH BETTER in AG; I loved little scenes where Ash was teaching his pokemon new moves and actively training alongside them; really showed he was getting more and more serious about being a Pokemon trainer.

Diamond and Pearl: Aside from Johto, DP is my favorite series and is actually the series that was currently airing when I first became fully invested in the Pokemon anime (I did not watch it much as a child), so it's very nostalgic for me. I love almost everything about it, between Dawn continuing the dual protagonist role, contests still being included, Ash's entire team, Paul being an amazing rival, the Sinnoh League being amazing and still my favorite League, rivals like Conway, Zoey, Kenny, Ursula, Nando, and Barry all being awesome in their own ways, so many fun arcs like the summer camp arc, Wallace Cup, Hearthome Tag Battle, Team Galactic's major involvement, Brock's development leading up to him becoming a Pokemon Doctor...I can't get enough of this series. The only thing I don't like is probably the giant amount of filler episodes they really didn't need at certain points and the gaps between Ash's gym battles; even though I love it to pieces like I do Johto, I agree that similarly both did not need to be drawn out as long as they did.

Best Wishes: Besto Wishes!!! So aside from me blabbering on about how much I love Burgundy, gosh I absolutely love BW. There are some things about it I will unfortunately never be able to forgive- like the confirmation of Ash being 10, the Rocket/Plasma arc being canceled, and basically the soft-reboot essentially making all of Ash's development pre-BW for naught. But gosh was this series so refreshing in other ways. Iris and Cilan, both amazing characters, offered a new dynamic with Ash that the previous characters didn't and I will die on this hill disagreeing with everyone who says that Misty and Brock are just like Iris and Cilan. I think Iris out of all the Pokegirls actually had the BEST portrayal of a backstory and I like the development she received. I also love that Ash rotated between pokemon that he caught, aside from his DP team I'm also very attached to his BW and loved all their starkly different personalities. BW was just so much FUN to watch. I go back so many times to rewatch the fun Battle Club arcs and I definitely think the rivals made the series so entertaining. I wish they had explored the connoisseur thing more and wish that Cilan had gotten way more episodes than he did. I wish his rivalry with Burgundy had been explored more as well, and honestly I think they could've done without the Decolore Islands arc. I really wish they had just stayed in Unova and had characters like Georgia and Burgundy return at least one final time since they weren't present for the Unova League. I could say a lot more of course but again don't wanna make this a novel so moving on...~

XY: XY is unfortunately the series I've seen the least of and it's known to be well...not one of my favorites lol. I have a lot of issues with the way Ash is portrayed which is why it's taken me so long to watch it. I have, ironically, seen all of XYZ though, and think the Team Flare arc is the absolute greatest villain arc in the entire series. But I'm still working through all the previous stuff! I was in college when XY aired, so I had unfortunately missed a lot of parts due to being so busy, but it also has its own layer of nostalgia for me, mainly because it was between BW-XY when I first came into the Pokeani fandom on Tumblr and was introduced to a variety of incredible friends, many of which I've now met in person and am still close with to this day. One day I hope to sit down and just power through all of it, because despite some of the issues I have, I know that it has so many good moments and is absolutely gorgeously animated. Also Sawyer is best boy he's my fave and his battle with Ash was one of the best things I've ever seen (my 3rd favorite battle ever).

Sun and Moon: Sun and Moon is simultaneously hilarious and depressing as hell, and I absolutely love it. I don't know if I can say too much because it's been a VERY long time since I've watched SM. It was the first series I watched consistently as it was airing but I also had a lot of stuff going on IRL so by the end I had dropped off just a little bit against my own will. Nonetheless I love so many things about it, between the humor, Ash's found family in Kukui/Burnet, Ash's team, the TRio's team and being so entertaining in this series, Team Skull/Guzma (I find Guzma very attractive lol), and of course Ash winning the Alola League which was amazing to experience and be part of that moment! I love the concept of family in this series and it's just so incredibly heartwarming, hilarious, AND heartwrenching all in one. I really need to do a rewatch of it though.

JN: I'm biting my tongue but I really do not like Journeys lol. I don't really wanna talk about it haha it makes me sad that everything I wanted to happen in the future didn't and it was just so poorly written. The only episodes I like honestly are Lillie/Gladion's return and Paul's return.

I KNOW A LOT OF THIS IS KINDA ALL OVER THE PLACE AND DISJOINTED BUT PLEASE ENJOY MY THOUGHTS and feel free to add yours as well!

[solace-sylphieee]

{Translation} 悪魔王子と操り人形 Evil Prince and The Puppet - Character Introduction

コルチカム王国 Kingdom of Colchicum

The kingdom where [The Farthest Demon] resides.

After the [Crimson Disaster] striked the kingdom 1000 years ago, all of its residents cease to exist, and the fluorish state of its past is no more.

And now, only three - the feared [Fartherest Demon] Dia, the loyal subordinate that was saved by Dia in the past Espada, and Fiori who stays in the castle with a certain motive despite being a human stays there together quietly.

Residents

ディア Dia (CV: 小林ゆう Kobayashi Yuu) "The Demon Prince"

A lonely teen that has fallen as devil that lives in the life of eternal emptiness. Used to be the beloved prince to the kingdom formerly known as [The Farthest Country], Kingdom of Colchicum, 1000 years ago until the [Crimson Disaster], a magic induced catastrophe striked the kingdom - to which his guilt and despair from the event caused his fall. Although he's quite the selfish and capricious prince, his dignity and wisdom extends further due to his long life, making him an existence best suited as a leader. He is also weak towards anything sweet and will at times show his childish side.

Race: Devil | Birthday: 26 November | Age: 1012 y/o | Height: 150cm Weight: 39kg | Dominant Hand: Left | Weapon: Magic Special Skill: Painting that is exclusively unique Interest: Art, Art appreciation | Likes: Crown, Game - Puzzle - Chess Dislikes: Same old things, Death Favourite Food: Stained Glass Cookie (Honey flavoured), Anything sweet, Sweets Disliked Food: Black coffee, Green pepper Favourite Place: Above the castle's tower

エスパダ Espada (CV: 古川 慎 Furukawa Makoto) "The Loyal Knight"

A devil knight who swore an absolute allegience to Dia. He used to stay with the three men from [Belladonna Family], one of the [Six Devil Families] that rules over the Devil Realm, but was captured by the humans in Human Realm for being a devil. When he was about to be sent for execution, Dia came and saved him. From then on, he swore an oath out of his gratitude and admiration and to live on for Dia's sake, staying in Kingdom of Colchicum as his subordinate. Usually calm and collected, his cool facade will crumbles when he gets overly worried over Dia or when he gets thrown off by Fiori's selfishness.

Race: Devil | Birthday: 27 February | Age: 100 y/o | Height: 183cm Weight: 70kg | Dominant Hand: Right | Weapon: Blade Special Skill: Swordmanship | Interest: Fishing | Likes: Animals Dislikes: Belladonna Family, Humans Favourite Food: Salt-grilled river fish, Alba fish soup Disliked Food: Rose syrup | Favourite Place: Beside Dia-sama, Forest

フィオーリ Fiori (CV: 花江夏樹 Hanae Natsuki) "The Magnificient Princess"

The cute and thorny princess from [Kingdom of Galancia], the neighbouring country to Kingdom of Colchicum. A certain incident in the past caused the princess to loathe the devils. With a certain motive in mind and a secret embraced within, the princess got close to Dia and stays in the Colchicum castle for a long time. As the very cute princess, Dia and Espada often get thrown off by the princess' whims. With high communications skills and the mood maker, the princess is very considerate even towards someone new.

Race: Human | Birthday: 2 June | Age: 17 y/o | Height: 169cm Weight: 54kg | Dominant Hand: Right | Weapon: Dual Sword Special Skill: Fashion (coordination) | Interest: Shopping, Gardening Likes: Cosmetics, Beauty care | Dislikes: Devils, Insects Favourite Food: Chiffon cake | Disliked Food: Junk food Favourite Place: Botanical garden, Nivalis (Cosmetic brand shop)

アキレギア帝国 Aquilegia Empire

The largest military state of the [Humans].

Being the empire with the largest territory, it is founded based on the precarious power relation between the imperial and military. Formerly a very weak existence acting as the bait for the Devils, they now begin their move to change the world's power balance with their military prowess supporting them.

The three who are fearless of other races - Claude who is of imperial bloodline and leads the military as the commander at a young age, Eric who holds a very high idealism, and Oscar who fights on despite having a complicated past, marches on to expand the power of Humans.

Residents

クロード Claude (CV: 甲斐田ゆき Kaeda Yuki) "The Beautiful Commander"

A descendent of Aquilegia imperial family as well as the smart commander of its military. Having a very low possibility to inherit the imperial throne, he moves in accordance to protect and solidify the empire's position. On top of being someone very smart, he owns an overwhelming power over the military and has achieved many great feats through his strategies. He usually acts like a gentleman, but he holds a very high expectations for himself and his subordinates to go above their capabilities. He is also feared as he will be very ruthless in order to carry out his operations. In contrast to his gentle first impression, he is inwardly very suspicious of others and no one has ever seen his true self.

Race: Human | Birhtday: 10 February | Age: 23 y/o | Height: 178cm Weight: 62kg | Dominant Hand: Right | Weapon: Rapier Special Skill: Horse riding, Fencing, Art of war Interest: Collecting black teas | Likes: Tea time Dislikes: Being scrutinised Favourite Food: Black tea, Meringue cookie Disliked Food: Raw fish, Ration | Favourite Place: House yard

エリク Eric (CV: 島﨑信長 Shimazaki Nobunaga) "A Sorrowful Soldier"

A young soldier who becomes an adjutant under Claude's squad at a very young age. Born from one of the few military families in the empire, he dislikes promotion due to his family's status and wished to start as a private but was not allowed to do so and he now holds a high rank in the military. He doesn't view himself to be that capable and his serious personality makes him feel troubled that his rank is raised due to his family's influence. Stubborn and hates losing, he works very diligently so that he will be able to confidently take on his position. He has a strong sense of justice and tends to get thrown off by Claude and Oscar who are more unrestrained.

Race: Human | Birthday: 4 September | Age: 18 y/o | Height: 168cm Height: 57kg | Dominant Hand: Right | Weapon: Long gun Special Skill: Tidiness, Mechanical tinkering Interest: Writing, Model building, Astronomy | Likes: Weapons Dislikes: Disorders, Breaking rules Favourite Food: Crab gratin, Beef stew Disliked Food: Liver, Celery | Favourite Place: Church

オスカー Oscar (CV: 前野智昭 Maeno Tomoaki) "The Brave Swordsman"

One of the few swordsmen in Aquilegia Empire, which surpasses even the devils. He rose from the rank of private through innumerable military accomplishments and now acts as the adjutant to Claude's squad. Outside of battle, he seems to be a lazy, but land owners do rely on him whenever he's needed and his older brother counternance earns the admiration of many. He may seem to be cheerful, but his upbringing and experience in the military as well as the complicated past that he embraces is where his dark side lies. He is strong and is always supportive of Claude and Eric who are prone to dangers.

Race: Human | Birthday: 27 March | Age: 26 y/o | Height: 190cm Weight: 79kg | Dominant Hand: Right | Weapon: Saber Special Skill: Martial art - Taijutsu, Culinary Interest: Billiard, Guitar | Likes: Being the kids' opponent Dislikes: Rules, Formal occasions Favourite Food: Whiskey, Spare rib | Disliked Food: None really Favourite Place: Casa (Tavern)

聖地ジプソフィラ Holy Land of Gypsophila

The sacred territory resided by [Angels].

It is a sacred land that exists in the Heaven Realm and is closely tied with [Forest of Blessing], the centre of Sherglen. This paradise is where the angels that exists since the time of eternity, and where their lord is referred to as God stays in. They watch over both the Devils and Humans, and will at times intervene to maintain the harmony of the world.

Through Mere who loves and accepts all and every thing in the world, Kai who can't escape from his feeling of sadness, and Tis who indulge in the fleeting freedom, the three of them will fulfil the grand mission given by their God.

Residents

メーレ Mere (CV: 櫻井孝宏 Sakurai Takahiro) "Angel of Adoration"

A Principality that is born as the seraphim to the emotion of [Love] in the Heaven Realm and one of the Twelve Angels that rules the world. Given the mission to [Fix the world order] by the God, he asserts control over both Devils and Humans. Giving unconditional love to all regardless of their race, he pours an unusual amount of "motherly" love to all "children" that he created. As a result of not understanding love correctly, in the end he is merely just imposing his values upon others. On top of having thought process that are different than normal, he is also an existence shrouded in mystery.

Race: Angel | Birthday: 30 September | Age: 8008 y/o Height: 185cm | Weight: 66kg | Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous Weapon: Holy scripture Special Skill: Playing instruments (piano), Fortune reading, Celestial knowledge Interest: Reading | Likes: His children | Dislikes: Apathy Favourite Food: Strawberry tart | Disliked Food: Chicken Favourite Place: Chapel, Library

カイ Kai (CV: 豊永利行 Toyonaga Toshiyuki) "Angel of Grief"

An angel born from Mere's emotion of [sorrowness]. He collects and makes many teddy bear out of his attachment to it and the reason that it gives him a sense of security in touching them. He has quite the flat personality and is shy and quiet. With a strong sense of inferiority, he has a negative personality and tends to capture all of his own mistakes and faults. However, he also has quite the harsh and sharp tongue, which comes as a surprise to those around him; and if he is angered, he will refuse to help out. He treats Tis who is created later than him out of Mere as akin to his younger brother.

Race: Angel | Birthday: 14 January | Age: 1997 y/o | Height: 173cm Weight: 56kg | Dominant Hand: Right | Weapon: Teddy bear Special Skill: Singing | Interest: Making teddy bears Likes: Teddy bear | Dislikes: Himself, Crowd, Being abandoned Favourite Food: Chocolate mint ice cream (less sweet) Disliked Food: Pizza | Favourite Place: His room, Lake

ティス Tis (CV: 西山宏太朗 Nishiyama Koutaro) "Angel of Pleasure"

An angel born from Mere's emotion of [pleasure]. As someone with a cheerful personality, he always has a bright smile on his face. With [fun] being his creed, he is passionate in seeking for intriguing things and challenging them. A hedonist that is loyal to his desires, he acts freely and capriciously. Although he is an angel that is not supposed to be swayed by his own emotions, he still shows his emotions reagrdless. Him taking action on his priority over his curiosity that disregards the danger that it may impose tends to cause him being involved in troubles are all what he perceives as having fun.

Race: Angel | Birthday: 11 July | Age: 1666 y/o | Height: 172cm Weight: 56kg | Dominant Hand: Right | Weapon: Flying kick Special Skill: Sports | Interest: Travelling, Collecting Likes: Upbeat music | Dislikes: Boredom, Patience, Sleep time Favourite Food: Pineapple burger | Disliked Food: Mint Favourite Place: Lively place, Barnas (a club in Devil Realm), Casa (tavern)

魔都ベラドンナ Belladonna, the Devil's City

A city in Devil Realm where [Devils] reside in.

Governed by [Belladonna Family], one of the [Six Devil Families], where people are allured by the void luxury and grandiose, where the Devils' schemes and betrayal swirls. As the Devil Realm exists underground, the residents tend to come out only in the night.

Through their oppression of fear, they - Adder the devil who plans to rule the world and threatens the Human Realm, Rosé who immersed himself in questionable research, and Vanis the fallen angel seeking refuge after escaing from the Heaven Realm, will dominate the world through any means possible.

Residents

アダラ Adder (CV: 諏訪部順一 Suwabe Junichi) "Ruler of Devil Realm"

The current head of Belladonna Family, one of the devil families ruling the Devil Realm. With a father who is the Devil King and former head of Belladonna Family, he is expected to be the next Devil King in line for his strength, wits, and charisma. He takes action for the sake of protecting the position of being the strongest among the [Six Devil Families] and with his hatred for Humans and Angels, he begins his plan for Devils to rule over the world. Being someone who is very prideful, he has a wall that keeps others away from him and is arrogant in the face of others. He has others obey him through the fear from his overwhelming presence.

Race: Devil | Birthday: 13 August | Age: 135 y/o | Height: 189cm Weight: 73kg | Dominant Hand: Right | Weapon: Handgun Special Skill: Gourmet, Gambling Interest: Music appreciation, Fragrance | Likes: Kiseru, Lucid dream Dislikes: Incapable, weak people Favourite Food: Belladonna Specialty Wine, Caviar Disliked Food: Very spicy food, Rose syrup Favourite Place: Belladonna Manor, Garden with sense of elegance

ローゼ Rosé (CV: 河西健吾 Kawanishi Kengo) "Bewitching Witch"

The mad witch who threatens the Human Realm for over reaping the souls. Taking advantage of his position as the second son of the Belladonna Family, this genius researcher conducts various questionable researches. As he is dull to both physical and mental pain, he is indifferent to whether his opponent is injured or not. His thoughts are unique to himself and his erratic and frenzied words and action throws those around him off. That said, his strangely charming and captivating behaviour earned him quite some enthusiastic admirers. He dotes on his weak and cute younger brother, Espada, a lot.

Race: Devil | Birthday: 29 October | Age: 120 y/o | Height: 181cm Weight: 60 kg | Dominant Hand: Left | Weapon: Scythe Special Skill: Invention - Research Interest: Being fashionable, Nail art Likes: Luxurious trip, Blood collecting, Durable humans Dislikes: Contingency, Abstinence Favourite Food: Rose syrup | Disliked Food: Onion, Garlic Favourite Place: Secret laboratory, High-end boutique

ヴァニス Vanis (CV: 逢坂良太 Osaka Ryota) "The Empty Fallen Angel"

The fallen angel staying in the Belladonna house. He is a former angel that was the very first emotion to be cut off and left on his own from Mere - born out of Mere's emotion of [wrath]. Good at having others wrapped around his fingers, he established his position by charming people with his words. Adder allows his stay due to their common interest, where he will bring in useful information from somewhere. He may seem frivolous and soft-hearted at first, but he is in fact a very smart man and it is difficult to gauge him. As someone in the middle of nowhere who is neither a Devil nor an Angel, he is in quite the unstable state both physically and mentally.

Race: Fallen Angel | Birthday: 13 May | Age: 3945 y/o | Height: 186cm Weight: 63kg | Dominant Hand: Right | Weapon: Black Quill Pen Special Skill: Socialising | Interest: Drawing, Aquarium Likes: Lapis lazuli paint | Dislikes: Restraints, Past self Favourite Food: Apple | Disliked Food: Strawberry, Mutton Favourite Place: On a sofa, Atelier

[adobe-outdesign]

Your thoughts on Tauros (both Kantonian and Paldean)?

From the beginning, Tauros has primarily just been one of those Pokemon that Exist. There's nothing objectively wrong with it, but there's not a whole lot to make it stand out; it's mostly just a bull. Being a non-evolving normal type doesn't help with this, as it's not really gimmick-y enough to stand out as a single-stager. The closest thing to a concept it has is the three tails, which it whips itself with while running:

Even then, though, the three tails aren't really emphasized visually in a way that makes them particularly stand out. It also has metallic-looking horns and three dots down its forehead, which I guess are meant to parallel the three tails. (Side note: missed opportunity to not give us a normal/steel-type Tauros.)

All that said, there's nothing really wrong with Tauros, other than the mane looking weirdly flat and the tails and hooves being a blueish-grey instead of just using the grey from the horns. It just doesn't stand out a whole lot.

The artists working on the new Paldean 'mons must have agreed, because SV gives us not one, but three (3) new regional forms for it. I'm not sure what the rational was beyond maybe wanting to give it a form for each tail, but either way, Tauros definitely needed the love.

That said, Combat Breed Tauros here is pointless and I really don't know why it exists. As a regional, it's just a black Tauros; the mane has been improved and the head and horn shape are ever-so-slightly different, but those changes are barely noticeable. And in the context of the other two forms, it's redundant; the combat form is literally just a watered-down version of its other two much better forms. What's the point of having a form that's the same as the other forms, but less?

I will say, though, that I do at least appreciate that there's not really any bullfighting references in this or the other two designs, beyond them just being fighting-type black bulls. Considering bullfighting is more than slightly controversial in Spain and is general animal abuse (that kills a fair amount of people as well), trying to base anything directly on it would be tasteless. This may be boring, but at least it's a harmless boring.

Aqua Breed Tauros is significantly better than both original and Combat Breed Tauros. It still sports the black coloration (which, as a side note, does look a lot nicer than original Tauros' plain browns and grays), but it actually plays around with the design in a meaningful way.

The most obvious change is the blue water drop-shaped markings in its mane, which indicate its fighting/water typing. These add a little pop of color, and frankly, I wouldn't have minded more of it in the design; the horns, head dots, or hooves all easily could have been blue as well.

It also changes Tauros body type a bit, more closely resembling a water buffalo than a bull. According to the 'dex, this is a result of high body fat that allows it to float on water. The mane also sports a different shape, as do the horns (which can light up blue along with the head dots).

Finally, the tails are different. For some reason it's not shown in the official art, but they tend to hold them twisted up, like rudders:

While I personally prefer Blaze Bleed Tauros for reasons I'll get into in a second, the Aqua Breed is a very nice regional that looks substantially different from the original design, and adds more of a theme to it as well.

Blaze Breed Tauros is similar to Aqua Breed Tauros, though with a less distinct body shape and horns. Arguably this makes it a little blander than the Aqua Breed, but what it lacks in body shape it makes up for in concept.

Blaze Breed Tauros is, unsurprisingly, part fire-type; so in order to represent that, they just took Tauros' three tails and twisted them together to form a dynamite fuse. Boom. Simple, effective, and fun. The Aqua Breed's tails weren't bad, but they felt a bit more forced and didn't read as immediately.

In addition, the mane on this breed goes upward, and contains fiery streaks. The horns go outward instead of upward, and just like the Aqua Breed, they light up along with the head dots:

I feel like the light-up idea makes more sense with the Blaze Breed, as it's akin to hot metal flaring up and becoming red with head. The Aqua Breed just kind of lights up Because. Though just like the Aqua Breed, I find myself wanting more color in the design by default. The tails in particular would've been great if they had red tips for this breed, as if the dynamite had been lit already.

Basically, in short: original Tauros is fine, but bland and fairly forgettable; likewise, the Combat Breed is just a recolor and didn't need to exist. The Aqua and Blaze Breeds, however, are both very good regionals; both change up Tauros' original design while adding something thematically to spice up the concepts. Whichever breed you personally prefer, both are significant improvements over the original.

[throughtrialbyfire]

WIP Wednesday ♥

a HUGE thank you to @dirty-bosmer @v1ctory-or-sovngarde @skyrim-forever and @umbracirrus for tagging me this week!! i appreciate it so dearly, and i hope everyone's having a good wednesday. <3

i'm tagging @aphocryphas @thequeenofthewinter @gilgamish @totally-not-deacon and @thana-topsy !! and of course, anyone who wants to do this and i didn't directly tag, please feel free to say i tagged you! no pressure as always, can't wait to see what you're all working on!

this week, i have two bits to share. one's from Cycle of the Serpent, chapter 18, and the other is a one-shot i'm slowly piecing together about athenath's mother, Lorasephona, and how she met their family friends. i like working on backstory stuff, and i hope you'll all appreciate it, as well!

Cycle of the Serpent - Chapter 18

Wind raked its strong fingers through the plains. He tugged his cowl over his head to escape the sudden chill. The scent of wood-smoke from chimneys perfumed the air, stirring up against the indigo skies. Houses lined one district of Whiterun, businesses in another. A world of grids and winding streets atop rolling hills, with Dragonsreach perched high above it all, the ground it crested like the great claw of one of those heinous beasts. All of it stuck to him, the images of the houses and trees, the stones and the wood posts, the sound of night birds and insects in their natural chorus. At one time, he'd been adrift in the world. At one time, he'd known nothing but long roads and surface-level observations of towns, and here, he became keenly reminded of that life. After all, it was one he'd sunk back into before he'd crossed into Skyrim.

Briefly, he allowed his memories to play out before his eyes as he walked cautiously through the Whiterun streets. He'd made a good living in his travels, selling wares, healing the sick, even tending to ailing animals when called upon to do so. While he'd never called himself a physick, some did. Saving a few lives would do that to a man's reputation.

As he gazed out on the city, passing through narrow streets, his expectations of Skyrim unwound from his tight hand. Did he truly expect Nurelion to drop everything and take him on as an apprentice? He scoffed at it now. Still, it was worth a shot. He did not intend to give up, quite the opposite. But for now, just for now, a larger purpose presented itself in the wingspan of a beast and the path up a mountain.

Purpose. Lives needed no purpose to exist. He'd shake his head and deny it all he wanted, but in the back of the Bosmer's mind, the longing for it remained. To be known, to have his name scrawled across academic papers and his work lauded far and wide, an alchemist who did things none else could do, who created potions none else could make, who had lived and worked with purpose.

He didn't think his life would ever involve dragons, but c'est la vie.

Guards patrolled long into the night, bearing small torches whose flames starved for more oil. One passed him as he approached the temple of Kynareth, turning his metal face to Emeros. He only stopped momentarily to take a look at the Mer, then muttered an apology upon realizing this was one of the Thanes, and marched off into the dark. Emeros wondered what had passed through his mind.

He figured he didn't want to know.

With trepidation carrying his steps, he approached the Gildergreen. The tree startled him in its stark contrast to the land; where the city lived, breathed, and buzzed, this tree was cold, a husk, discarded shell. He scanned the upper branches, peering into the dark, the torches of passing guards giving him enough illumination to glimpse the wooden carcass before him, the warping in the branches, the angles and jutting shards of the once-living center of Whiterun. He found himself on a bench, allowing the night air to take hold of him. He tugged at his cowl like a shield against the withering breeze, a reflection of the week's past events crawling up from the streams of his consciousness. A week, that's all it had been? Disbelief rattled against him, but he shouldered it anyways.

He'd heard whispers of the Civil War. He had only heeded them as rumors, something that would surely not affect him. If he made it to Windhelm, to the White Phial, he would be so engrossed in work and conversations with Nurelion that the war wouldn't brandish a single thought to his neck. He'd been crossing the border, right before dawn, the thick of night's last breath still coating layers of pink against the horizon. He could remember a struggle, words exchanged, something murky in his memory, people in blue and silver mixed frantically with red and brown armor.

Then, he'd woken up in a cart with two other elves, and quite a few Nords.

The shock of the bindings set his nerves alight and he struggled against the tight-bound leather, but Wyndrelis - apathy coating his features, defeat, even - explained that it was no use, that he had already tried. Together, an idea formed, and they attempted to pry the bindings off one another. An Imperial soldier leading another cart observed them carefully, and they realized with dread pitting their stomachs that this was no use.

Then, Athenath, the wide-eyed Altmer awoke. Last to be tossed on the carts. Last to struggle. His fearful gaze grasped each face for a sign of help, from himself to Wyndrelis to Ralof to Lokir. All of these men were certain that they were going to die. Emeros swallowed the fear. He would go to the axe with dignity. Aldmeri pride, perhaps, stemming from his father.

Of course, they wouldn't make it that far. And with their former captor now a possible ally, they'd promised to warn of the dragon, and made their careful way to Whiterun.

Emeros rested his chin in his hands, watching the dim puff of torchlight and smoke, light passing over the houses, Nord architecture steadfast and hardy, stubborn and proud, much like the people inhabiting each home. He thought back on his companions. Wyndrelis, a mage with strange eyes and a calm demeanor. Athenath, a bard with a bright, silvery laugh and a bitter temper.

And of himself? There wasn't much to tell.

One-shot (unnamed atm)

The night threatened to clasp its hard fingers around her. As she was about to give up any chance of finding another living soul in these woods, a torch landed from a tree above her, plotting down into grasses below. She closed her eyes, the image of her surroundings in flames springing to her mind, but when she opened them, she saw nothing but the torch and it's decisively controlled flickering.

"What brings you here, elf?" Came a voice, roughened against and deep inside the throat of the speaker. Lorasephona slashed her gaze through the trunks of the trees, but catching nothing, she turned her eyes upwards.

Concealed in the darkness, an Alfiq, black as night, golden eyes narrowed down at her curiously. The Khajiit swished her tail lazily from the branch she rested, comfortable, it seems. Perhaps she'd been waiting for someone, Lorasephona thought as she backed slowly from the torch. She knew better than to try to defend herself from bandits, it did more good to outrun them, and Lorasephona was a very good runner.

"I don't-" she swallowed the lump in her throat, "I don't know, I'm quite-" she didn't know why she was admitting her situation, but the Alfiq raised her chin, inquisitive in her posture. "I'm lost, dreadfully, and-"

The Alfiq woman put up a paw, silencing the elf. "Mhm," she hummed, rising to her feet, slinking down to a fork in the branches where they thickened against the body of the tree, hunching down, tail swishing down against the bark. "Ka'taaji thinks, perhaps, you are more lost than you dreamed."

Lorasephona knit her brow. "Was that a threat?"

Swish.

"Only if you make it so."

Swish.

Lorasephona frowned, brow knitting. The Khajiit sighed, and with a controlled motion of her paw, the torch levitated. It found it's way to Lorasephona's hand, nervously outstretched, fingers clasping the handle.

"This one has no ill will for you, but… Wary, perhaps. These are unkind lands, and far from home, one must be prepared for whatever comes their way."

The elf nodded slowly, strings of her blond hair curling around her cheeks. The pallor of her face seemed to alarm the small Alfiq momentarily, golden eyes widening. She wiggled for a moment, cautious of the jump, before leaping down into the grass with an elegance and grace that betrayed her possible upbringing, images of wide, sprawling woods and golden-adorned mages of Elseweyr padding around Lorasephona's thoughts.

"Are you ill, elf?" Ka'taaji asked, tilting her head. Lorasephona paused, knitting her brow.

"What do you mean?"

"If the elf girl is ill, Ka'taaji will take her to Dra'khurra. Simple."

She weighed the options for a moment, but lying felt worse in these circumstances. Biting back the urge to say yes, on the off-chance that these people had food and a spare bed, she closed her eyes and ran her fingers through a stray curl at her cheek.

"No, I'm just… I'm not ill."

Ka'taaji waited, but with Lorasephona's refusal to elaborate, she gave a small shrug. After a moment, she turned, the grass prickling under her paws. "Follow this one, you must be hungry. And take care of that torch, Ka'taaji is using much of her magicka to keep it lit."

So it was magic. Lorasephona, confusion matting her expression, decided not to question the Alfiq, and followed.