#organisation structure

[keferon]

Are shockwave's wings made out of metal or something different like a soft material, even feathers. And what are the consequences when they get water, can he fly or maybe he'll just stand there waiting for them to dry completely ^^

I feel like wings with sturdy metal structure supporting softer membranes would sorta-kinda make sense? Basically I don’t want to make entirely metal wings because I want them to be able to ruffle funnily hehe. But also copying the entire feather concept seems unfitting for the universe of metal robots. So. Half metal and half..uh..some kind of polymer? What is the material of Predaking’s wings called?..

Oh and when it comes to weather I think Blurr is the one who has troubles flying under rain (he could. But. Ouchy) while Shockwave can easily ignore it. He would however absolutely embarrass himself while landing on a slippery wet surface ahHah but flying part would be easy~

[timkontheunsure]

Narcissistic family structures

Guesses about Blitz and Barbie Wire's relationship

Blitz says they used to be soo close, but she's not in the flashback to the circus.

Not the around during Fizz and Blitz performance, or his traumatic flashbacks to the accident. (I'm not counting her not going to Mammon's concert as that was clearly ment to be a date, but both Blitz and Fizz bottled it. Blitz even bought Fizz's ticket).

There could be any number to reasons for that, but I'm going bet on the logical one of + a bit of a twist here.

The invisible child

We've seen Cash set up antagonistic positions for Fizz (a kid who worked for him) and Blitz (his own son).

As Fizz the golden child, with all the conditional love that can be withdrawn if they are less then perfect.

And Blitz as the scapegoat, who is blamed for any and everything that goes wrong.

Cash is a narcissistic, and the most common 3rd child role is the invisible child. Barbie looks she was talented enough to keep her head down around her dad.

Not getting the abuse of the scapegoat, but not getting the attention either. Being neglected by her dad. And childhood neglect can be a risk factor to addiction. Initially it can also be a cry for help, and some of the attention they are lacking too.

I think she's missing from these memories, because she was overlooked generally.

This could go a way to explaining why she as a teenager she's scratched out her Circus tattoo. And flipping off the camera in their act poster. (Blitz has no scars so they have to be younger than 19. We'd probably see his braces if we could see his teeth).

If pre fire her dad has no use or time for her, what use or time does she have for him.

But that's no longer completely true. Barb's back in contact with her dad. (That who Blitz phoned).

And Cash was the one to sign her out of rehab. (Blitz is most likely who checked her in when things got really bad).

Mental health clinics/rehab normally want family to be involved in discharge. So the person has a place to go, and won't be made homeless.

That why Blitz is confused how she could leave without him knowing.

They've also talked since the fire; because she knows the name he's been using the last 5 years.

Which means unlike Fizz; she does know the fire, that killed their mum, was an accident.

But Barbie fall back on toxic family pattern of blaming Blitz when things go wrong.

People who haven't been in these relationships assume the kids will band together against the abuse. But that doesn't happen. They can be close unless the abuser turns up, or till something goes wrong. Like Barbie dose.

Her dealer dies as part of a random accident with a firework, and she immediately screams at Blitz for it. Reverting to his previously name for extra spite.

Then laughs at him for trying to be a family. I mean yes Blitz really should be reading the room here, but she's still going all in as daddy's little girl here.

With how she touches their mum's necklace, and the joint birthday card, and got of other happy pictures; it clear both twins loved their Mumma.

But it seems likely without Fizz, or Blitz; Cash would probably occasionally turn up to captive audience Barbie in rehab. So they could mutually lick wounds, and scapegoat again.

To truly get over an addiction you need to take a hard look at yourself and your trauma; and not just the things that were outside your control.

Because while they can make you more susceptible, ultimately it was normally your choice to rely on that substance. Be that alcohol, cigarettes or opioids.

(There are cases of showbiz parents force their kids to take substances. But don't know if that Barbie or not).

And I'm not sure Barb's taken that look yet at herself yet. The nurse who's takes odd delight in first blocking access to Blitz visiting Barbie, and then telling him she left months ago saying something pretty interesting. (Perfectly fine to block who you want from hospital, but the nurse is being strangely gleeful).

She calls Blitz a deadbeat. Which doesn't really make sense. Blitz is Barbie's brother. He's not the parent to her. He isn't responsible for Barb's bills, or care. She's an adult who seems to want honest work, (good for her🙂).

But that would definitely be how Cash would see it. Narcissis see children as tools to be used for the good of the narcissist.

This tells us that Cash has been at rehab frequently enough to charm the nurse on side. Instead of her trying to get Barbie to take a fuller look at herself, and her actions.

Unfortunately invisible child are more likely to be roped back in by narcissistic parents; if they get shown some of that attention they've craved when small.

I'm hoping that the longer she's out the less contact Barbie's going to have with Cash. With more of a life she'll no longer be as useful to Cash's ego.

And she didn't appear to tell him about her job with the chemists... Though that come be wasn't paying attention? Blitz does ask if Cash even asked... I'll cross my fingers that she gets to work things out alone for a wee while.

Basically all this is to say I buy that they were close pre fire. I buy Barbie, Blitz and their mum having a good relationship.

But I can't see a world were Barbie would feel secure enough to risk sticking her neck out for Blitz.

She's too much ingrained in the dinamic that things going wrong are Blitz fault.

Yep could end up being wildly wrong, but her being missing from the flashbacks, and being the invisible child would just kinda work for me. 🙂

[hyperpsychomaniac]

I can’t be the only one who wanted to see this spinoff.

[crypticcanidae]

veilguard's kinda like. the monkey's paw of videogames i think.

[astronomalyy]

Mouthwashing notes/analysis: Intro/Chapter 1

The Tulpar is absent from the game's opening shot. We're never given an external view of the ship, just as we're never given an internal view of the void outside. There's an uncrossable chasm between the system and the surroundings — nothing can enter or exit. The windows are plastic. God is not watching.

There's no destination. Wherever they're going, we're told from the onset that the crew won't arrive.

'I hope this hurts' contrasts with the previous objective information. It's unclear is this line is diegetic.

Mouthwashing establishes its non-linear structure in less than a sentence. This narrative style is unusual in games, which often take advantage of their interactive medium to allow the player influence over the story. Even titles with fixed plotlines cultivate the illusion of choice — we're encouraged to take credit for decisions characters are railroaded down, blurring the divide between player and protagonist. Mouthwashing's ludonarrative is a deconstruction of this relationship. We're told from the onset that our choices won't matter — they were never 'our' choices to begin with.

The Tulpar travels at a physics defying speed (21 AU is equivalent to 180 light-minutes) while the ship's appearance is anything but futuristic. The cockpit is crowded with 1-bit displays and analogue dials, all covered in a thick layer of grime — there's even a fax machine stowed in the corner.

Pony Express' branding harkens back even further. Its 1860's namesake lasted all of 18 months, before the telegraph rendered its disposable riders obsolete.

These aesthetics serve as environmental storytelling — technology advances while capitalism stagnates, falling back on the same tried and tested exploitation.

Although Mouthwashing's gameplay is sparse, it still makes use of its medium. During the first 'decision', the player is trapped in the copilot's chair (a piece of early foreshadowing), the ship's yoke the only point of interaction. The option to 'leave' is openly mocking, but presenting it at all instills a sense of culpability. Unlike book or film, gaming requires constant input. Crashing the Tulpar is an active process. We can't look away. We can only delay the inevitable.

Jimmy shares Pony Express' ethos of collective punishment: his suicide method is designed to take the rest of the Tulpar with him.

'Navigational staff' is plural — both Jimmy and Curly bear responsibility, albeit to drastically different extents.

Anya's face is the first we're shown all game. She's at the heart of the narrative, no matter how hard Jimmy tries to erase her.

In contrast with the rest of the crew, her employee card appears undamaged. Her pain is hidden — her trauma, forced pregnancy and eventual overdose are all internal.

The player is led to believe the 'cartoon horses' stem from Curly's resentment towards Pony Express, but the rest of the imagery contradicts this explanation. The crying baby layered beneath the sirens is the most obvious example; more subtle are the series of unlocked doors.

Polle is used to represent both Anya and her fetus — to Jimmy, the two are interchangeable. He's haunted not by the rape he committed but by its ensuing pregnancy.

Jimmy is outside the cockpit at the moment of impact. He's putting physical distance between himself and his imminent murder-suicide. Evading responsibility until the bitter end.

[soulmvtes]

was a nice end to the semester :)

[totallyseiso]

I really wish I had a group of friends to play tabletop games with. I used to, but that group only ever played 5e (or that's all they played when I was invited).

I want to play shit like VTM, Cyberpunk Red, Shadowrun, and other cool things, and I feel like being in a 5e only crew really ruined my ttrpg experience.

Literally, my only good 5e memory is that time I played a narcissistic dragonborn who would get distracted by his reflection, and always paused for applause after every cheesy one liner he made. Besides that, it was always just dull 5e stuff where every game felt mostly the same.

[vampirekeehl]

this month is so busy for me but as soon as i've got on top of writing fics, that mellodramattic webcomic i started will be getting finished

[witchescollection]

one of the biggest questions i feel folks on tumblr are always trying to answer is "how do i be better? how do i get to the next level of witchcraft? how do i access advanced stuff?" and the thing is, babes, is that that shit isn't external.

you become an "advanced witch" when you stop categorising topics as beginner or intermediate or advanced! there are no rules.

a lot of people make an effort to warn so-called "baby witches" away from different types of magick - "don't do love magick or hexing ever! don't contact X deity until you've been practicing for a year! you have to have been practicing for at least a month to do a spell!" - why? what does that achieve, apart from perpetuating fear mongering and policing others religion?

it comes from this idea that there's a right way to practice, and more importantly, that if you fuck something up then that's sacrilege. if you give a deity the wrong offering they'll be angry with you (and that's the end of that relationship). if you do a love spell without considering the effects then you'll do irreparable damage and be shamed!! you must follow these ideas, that crystals and tarot and candles (conveniently all the things that require you to spend money) are "beginner-friendly" and everything that our ancestors would have done is too advanced for you.

whatever experience you're on is personal to you. no-one knows more than you about your practice than you. if you wanna do a hex, some post on tumblr shouldn't going to stop you. if you fuck it up, you'll learn!

and frankly, witchblr would be a better place if we stopped looking at everything as a strict guide to follow, and as a place where we all share what our practice looks like, and approach each other with curiosity instead of pride and superiority.

[decepti-geek]

tbh an important part of my take on the 'don't be like Sentinel' question is that hours earlier D16 had very decidedly assumed leadership of the High Guard, after which any attempt at resolving his very understandable personal trauma via murder was also, on a wider affects-everyone/your-new-power-means-something scale, inherently going to count as a military coup.

yknow. the thing Sentinel did to assume power/hand it over to the quintessons in the first place

[lilbittymonster]

After using crimes for nearly 3 years i have finally learned how to organise penumbra lmao

[grub-s]

signed on to be union delegate at work and i'm nervous

[maximura]

[angeart]

Can I convince you to release the pirate au chapters 🥺👉👈

i'm not going to release the whole chapters... yet.

i want to see if i can actually write out the first chapter to this all so that it can be a coherent fic rather than just a wip treat :3c ... but it might take a bit of time.

i did share a small snippet though! you can read it >> HERE <<

[watermotif]

do any of you use obsidian....if yes how

[anime-academia]

Besties, we have hit and passed the 40k word count for my dissertation, not including the bibliography (and some other sections). I'm so happy and relieved that I could cry ngl