#skyward flight spoilers

[hauntedfarfalle]

So I finally did read the three skyward novellas and I started Defiant yesterday. I am absolutely not terrified or stressed whatsoever about how the series will end 😃

I did make a lot of memes tho, enjoy :)

[kathhey]

i think about spensa and then i remember how much she has been through and then i cry

[ssejdoesthings]

None of the girls in skyward flight alive or dead are straight in this essay I will-

[blogdreamlandtheoristblr]

GranGran you epic woman!

I listened to the Defiant audiobook while driving to work today.

GranGrans biggest scene came on and I started crying out of nowhere. Had to calm down before I entered work aha.

Brandon Sanderson can still get me with his twists.

[mr-legoman]

Finished Defiant

And Oooh boy was it great. And yeah this along with the secret projects confirms that Sanderson can still put out bangers. Like, not gonna lie, Cytonic, The Lost Metal, and to a lesser extent, Rhythm of War all had parts that I either didn't like or just had sections that dragged. Not saying that their stinkers but I do feel like the books mentioned above didn't hit the right notes.

However Defiant was great Spensa development and maturity were perfect in this. I like how Sanderson continues to subvert certain groups without ruining the series. Also, I loved the side characters; they get their time to shine, and we get that connection with them as well, which was missing in Cytonic. Honestly, this was a stronger series than Reckoners.

[winterspellsfrozenkit]

Did the Zonai Stories Lie?

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR TEARS OF THE KINGDOM UNDER THE CUT.

So I have a theory about draconification. When Mineru explains the act, she says that the stories explain it’s forbidden because “To become an immortal dragon is to lose oneself.” 

However, I don’t think this is true. At least, not fully. 

My theory is that when a person draconifies themself, they give up any hope of future cognizance and become ruled by impulse, but whatever pushed them to commit the act becomes the biggest impulse or drive for their dragon form. For example, yes, Zelda draconified herself to save Hyrule from Ganondorf, but her biggest drive was to do it for Link. 

In fact, her last words were to Link directly. 

Now, notice how she serenely flies around the edges of Hyrule, protecting it in a passive way, but whenever Link’s involved, she becomes more ‘aware’. She seems to recognize him when he pulls the Master Sword and stops fighting him, gives him a ride to the Temple of Time which is not on her flight path, and never attacks him when he approaches like Dinraal, Naydra, and Farosh do. But my biggest piece of evidence for my theory is the final battle with Draconified Ganondorf AKA The Demon Dragon. Link was in his teeth, which would’ve killed him because the Demon Dragon gives Link Gloom illness just by Link walking on it, and Zelda came roaring and charging through the sky towards Link. Also, once Ganondorf dropped Link, she ignored Ganondorf growling and snapping at her to save Link from falling. She may not know his name, but she knows he’s important to her. 

I honestly think that because we only have three (likely) examples of Draconification before Zelda, that the subject was not very well understood. If Dinraal, Naydra, and Farosh draconified themselves as I believe they did (given their visual similarities to Rauru and Mineru), it could be that because they wouldn’t respond to their names or react to people trying to rouse them to a form of cognizance that it was believed a person was lost forever. But Zelda explains it as if she was sleeping, which makes me think of Fi’s Farewell from Skyward Sword. 

Fi is trapped in a forever sleep. She even says she feels her consciousness fading away.

Even so, no one except Link can ever wield the Master Sword and she can communicate with people, however, it’s not in the same form she used to when Skyward Sword Link was traveling with her. It’s faint and cannot be heard by everyone, just some people like when she talks to Zelda when Link needed to be saved in BotW and to tell Zelda that Link was OK in Tears of the Kingdom. 

I think draconification is much like Fi sleeping inside the Master Sword. The person inside can’t awaken fully unless the act of draconification is reversed, but they can somewhat communicate or act when they need to, even if it’ll never be as they were before they entered that eternal sleep. 

[sunchaserwings]

Incoming rant about The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Herlock Sholmes from The Great Ace Attorney, and the BBC Sherlock (no major spoilers ahead I promise).

A preface before I begin; I was never a big fan of Sherlock Holmes or any adaptation of the stories. I've seen Elementary although I was very young so I only have the vaguest of memories of enjoying it, and my roommate had me watch a couple BBC Sherlock episodes when I was a tween/young teen. My mother claims she tried to get me into Sherlock Holmes but I'm rather skeptical. Anyhow, onto the story.

Back in March my boyfriend bought me the Ace Attorney games for my birthday which included the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (or Dai Gyakuten Saiban for those who are still stuck on the pre-localization names ;p). I was on my flight home from my birthday trip after I got the news my manager fired my brother while I was out of the state and figured why not, I'd start playing the first TGAA game on the flight. I'd probably enjoy myself and I couldn't sleep.

Second biggest mistake of the year (first biggest was trusting Les Schwab to do my brake job). I. Was. Hooked. I played the first case and fell in love with Kazuma instantly (he's so Zero shaped!). I played the second case and realized that calling him Zero shaped was way too accurate. We all know what happened there. Most important to this rant, I met Herlock Sholmes (more on my opinions on him later). I could barely put the game down but I had to take a break due to finding a new job and getting adjusted. I ended up finishing the game in June or July, one of the two. I finished the final case of the first game in one long 12 hour gaming session it was that good (my back didn't thank me though).

Now, the man of the hour: Herlock Sholmes. I didn't think much of him initially. He was simultaneously charming and annoying in the second case but as I played more he grew on me. I cried when the start of 1-5 happened. He clawed his way up into like the top 7 favorite characters at the time. The ending of the game with him playing his violin made me bawl my eyes out. I. Loved. This. Game.

It took a few more months to start and finish the second game. In between Adventures and Resolve I played Skyward Sword, Minish Cap, and some others so I had a healthy break. I came back to play Resolve and finished it like two months ago. It hit me in the gut just as hard as the first game did although there are a great many things I'd tweak and do differently. But Herlock Sholmes... man, he's not my favorite but he's up there underneath Kazuma and Van Zieks.

Anyhow, I finished the game but the hyperfixation had started and would not let me go. I've never been one to go out and seek fanfiction due to... personal stuff but I had a feeling I didn't want to go probe the depths of AO3 yet for fear of crying. I started a graveyard shift at my job which severely limited my ability to talk with people about stuff and also there's so many major spoilers but very few people I knew had played the game. A thought occurred to me, however. What about Sherlock Holmes audiobooks? I have an auditory processing issue which has made listening to audiobooks hard but I decided to give it a go. Perhaps it would satiate the TGAA hyperfixation hunger.

I found the ones produced by Magpie Audio, expertly narrated by Greg Wagland. Go check him out, he has over 77 videos of Sherlock Holmes audiobook recordings and all of them are a minimum of 40 minutes, often times far more. I went through over 30 hours of audiobook in a few weeks listening to these. Sherlock Holmes is such a good character and I can understand how and why he took late Victorian England by storm. And you know what the best part is?

Herlock Sholmes is the most faithful adaptation I have personally seen as a character of the original Sherlock Holmes.

They got so many of Sherlock's little idiosyncrasies right and you can tell the entire team were genuine fans of the books. I listened to Mr. Wagland's narration *and I saw 221B Baker of the games*. Especially the jack knife impaling the communications to the mantle being referenced in the game? The sheer mess of the flat? It's so good!

My roommate (whom is also a Sherlock Holmes fan) noticed my newest hyper fixation that spawned off of TGAA and that reignited his Sherlock Holmes obsession. He was a fan of the BBC Sherlock and now recognizes it was not a very great show but it's a comfort media for him nonetheless. He just dragged me into rewatching it and... okay, it's playing into a lot of inaccurate Sherlock tropes I don't like but goddamn Martin Freeman carries the whole show. I love his John Watson because it feels like a reasonable version of a modern, younger Watson. He feels real in a way. I do like the fact that even in the first episode, it's established that John and Sherlock can make each other laugh and smile just like in the books. I don't forgive them calling Sherlock a sociopath, however (speaking as someone with a brother that has been diagnosed with being a high-fuctioning sociopath). He's AuDHD to the max and deserves recognition in that department.

All of this to say, I can trace my current Sherlock hyperfixation back to Mega Man. Finding Mega Man in 4th grade led to watching the Ace Attorney anime in late 2021 which led to playing The Great Ace Attorney and that led to listening to Sherlock Holmes. I don't know why I decided to make this post but maybe I might start live blogging this shit? All in all, this is going to be a wild ride.

[echoesofwisdomcountdown]

27 Days until Tears of the Kingdom Release. More trailer analysis today for y'all. I have watched it an unhealthy amount of times but like the music slaps so hard that rewatching it is not a chore at all. I'm sure most of you by now have heard that the main lead in instrument is a Saxophone which is sick imo.

Spoilers under the cut for those avoiding things.

Picking up where we left off yeasterday, we know have giant sinkholes in the desert. They could be quicksand or pits of death but they could also grant access to an underground section beneath the desert. Considering this is Arbiter's ground, these things might be related to the rising structure earlier in the trailer. Whatever the case, I know that one of my first courses of action will be to walk right into one of these to find out just what they are.

This part to me really hammers in that the underground sections of the game are no joke. They seem to be large and extensive and I'm so ready to explore them. Of course this place is also giving me dungeon vibes which is awesome. Also interesting to see the fire resistant armor mostly unchanged (from what I can tell at least.)

FLYING BOATS!! Are they ghost boats? Magic boats? Zonai tech boats? Who knows but I like the way they look. I think I made it very clear in the first trailer analysis that I needed to explore the giant tornado in the sky. Thank you Nintendo for showing more of the stormhead (although I'll get to the similarities with Skyward Sword another day.) You can see that this boat the trampoline that we see later in the trailer. Its going to be fun to use those.

Now this construct is fairly massive and it isn't the same as the minecraft looking one from the previous trailer. However, I wonder if this one will actually fight us or if its a larger construction construct (hehe). Either way it looks very cool and I am leaning towards fightin given the amount of boss fights this trailer highlights.

My jaw dropped the first time I saw this (although tbf it might have been dropped lower since so much of the trailer had me in shocked awe.) I love the new jump animation Link has (its shown much better later on) which as far as I've seen is only used in gravity manipulation sections. Also yeah gravity manipulation. I've seen several reactors look at this and the weird steps later on and talked about slowing time. Nah its gravity. The little green circle is keeping the water orbiting it at the center. Although, I wonder exactly how common this will be. I hope its used more than once.

Look at that flight suit!! It reminds me of a flying squirrel and I love it. Also mission impossible style laser dodging is not what I had on my totk bingo but I'm not complaining. However, if this section is motion controlled I think I can confidently say that many of us will need several tries. Still a cool use of the new diving mechanics. After this is the shot in the orb but I don't really have anything to say about it except the thing in the background looks like a gumball machine.

If this isn't one of the labyrinths in the sky, I will eat my shoe. In fact, I'm willing to bet that this is in that cube that haunted me in the past trailer.

Sick new spear, same animation, horse that looks very similar to Epona (oh I hope), and most importantly NPC's FIGHTING ALONG SIDE US!! I'm very stoked to see the other members of Hyrule fighting in groups against monsters. It's not just Link. Hyrule is everyone's home and I'm so happy that Nintendo is letting regular the NPC's fight to defend it. Even if their equipment is a little haphazard.

I love Link's expression so much. A little guy. But also he has the shiekah slate and it's got a usb connection into the spool of wire. I'm guessing this is right after/before the little robot arms shot in the past trailer. I have no idea what this is about but I'm curious. Maybe they are viewing more memories stored in the slate? Either that or plugging the wire into the slate is for upgrades or it accesses a specific area.

I have no clue who this person is but I am intrigued. They kinda look like the wall painting showed off in a past trailer but I have no idea what that means. I give this figure props for being mysterious and interesting looking. (Some people said this was in the art book but again I avoided that.)

This part of the castle is very pretty but I don't believe for one second that Link is actually there in the present. He is either reliving a memory or has time traveled because the throne room for sure hasn't been fixed in his time. Magic is involved here.

Zelda looks like she is at an altar. I'm very much reminded of Skyward Sword. I don't know what this means for her but maybe it has something to do with the Master Sword or her goddess powers.

Hmm I mean the random figure saying Link is the last line of defense is cool and all but this shot confuses me. Link's hand should be damaged/be the ancient hand. Is this even Botw Link? Also why is he pulling out the Master Sword again? We know it was damaged so did Zelda stick it back in the pedestal to recharge? So many questions.

Random figure talking to Zelda (who I think might be related to the Owl/the Sage in OOT that talks to Link in the sacred realm) has a similar looking hand. Maybe it's the same one that Link gets or maybe several Zonai have arms like this. Either way we get the first look at the tears part of Tears of the Kingdom but I'll talk about them more the next time.

That's it for today. The only other news I have is that Nintendo has apparently confirmed we will be starting the game in the sky. I'm assuming we either have a very long starting cutscene before they let us have control of Link or we do Great Platau 2.0 first and then we descend to the ground and have to explain what happened to someone like Impah and then the game gives us the explanation cutscene. Anyway, bye for now.

[sophieinwonderland]

A couple weeks ago, I made a reference to what I call the M-Bot Paradox, M-Bot being a ship AI in the Skyward Flight series.

I'd like to make a longer post about it, but for now, I wanted to share this. Minor spoilers for Brandon Sanderson's Starsight.

“Spensa?” M-Bot said, his voice uncharacteristically reserved. “Mmmm?” “Am I alive?” he asked. That shocked me out of my own thoughts. I blinked, frowning as I sat forward in the cockpit, and spoke carefully. “You’ve always told me that you simulated being alive and having a personality in order to make pilots more comfortable.” “I know,” M-Bot said. “That’s what my programming says I’m to tell people. But…at what point does a simulation become the real thing? I mean, if my fake personality is indistinguishable from a real one, then…what makes it fake?”

As a tulpa who formerly considered herself an imaginary friend, there is something profoundly relatable about this passage.

I still distinctly remember dismissing my own emotions as just imaginary, and it wasn't until I got a push that I really started considering the same questions M-Bot is asking here.

I love this passage, and I love Spensa's reply.

I smiled. “Why are you smiling?” M-Bot asked. “The fact that you’re even asking me that is progress,” I said to him. “From the start, I’ve thought you were alive. You know that.”

I love how Spensa supports M-Bot completely in this.

They might tease each other. He might get on her nerves. But she always believed he was a living being, and supports him in his own growth, and I just love their relationship so much! 😁

[might-be-a-lynx]

Tattoo for the WIP ask game 👀

So the fic idea (which, surprise, is Cobb heavy) is that Skyward Flight is going to get a tattoo to represent their cadet class. Here's the snippet:

“Hey Cobb,” Nedd asked.

“What, boy? I'm busy.”

“Would you like to get the tattoo?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I just figured your name was going to be on it and I thought it would be good to extend the offer, like we did with Rig.”

Cobb looked at them all for a long moment. “I'll put that under consideration.”

Which was basically saying he wouldn't. Cobb turned and finally left.

So spoiler alert: Cobb gets the tattoo. And he has a *lot* of tattoos which I get into in the fic. It's Cobb so, expect some sads thrown in with his gruff, tatted up exterior.

[gemkun]

@vagrantmenuet said : dead end. there's nowhere left to run; the sender has cornered you at last. // sunday? (-: 2.2 spoilers below ↬ ⭒˚｡🖁‧₊˚ 〖 down these mean streets . . . 〗

      ⸻       it   is   a   feat   alone   ,   to   decipher   the   inner   workings   one’s   mind   ,   but   it   is   another   thing   entirely   ,   to   be   trapped   within   the   confines   of   his   metaphysical   cerebrum.   an   execution   that   simultaneously   earns   admiration   but   garners   displeasure   —   spelt   by   his   countenance.

  this   was   not   part   of   the   plan   ,   but   anticipation   was   their   saviour   ,   albeit   when   unprepared   for   the   exact   complication.   for   every   strategist   —   whether   ipc   exclusive   or   generalised   to   a   party   responsible   for   navigating   hurdles   ,   would   ne’er   find   success   unless   adaptability   was   their   aide.

  besides   ,   the   critical   assignment   had   found   its   completion   prior   to   this   detour.

  ❝   it   was   awfully   apparent   ,   when   your   conduct   was   far   from   harmonious.   imprisoning   those   that   stand   in   your   way   ,   however   ,   is   not   just.   i   warn   you   now   ,   that   the   steps   you   are   taking   ,   are   not   conducive   to   their   desires   —   you   are   straying   from   both   paths.   ❞   though   ,   whether   sunday   walked   the   harmony   or   the   order   ,   it   mattered   not   in   the   grand   scheme   of   their   mission.   well   ,   perhaps   that   was   being   too   generous.   it   was   theirs   ,   after   all.   he   was   simply   a   bystander   ,   observing   whilst   they   planted   the   seed   ,   to   take   root.

  but   for   that   ,   penacony   required   staying   intact.

  and   the   ascension   of   ena   ,   would   be   a   hindrance.

  here   ,   he   stands   before   the   proud   charmony   dove   ,   with   wings   fanned   in   the   wake   of   his   upcoming   flight.   whether   his   fate   was   to   plunge   or   soar   —   was   yet   to   be   seen.

  ❝   i   may   be   your   temporary   prisoner   ,   as   you   put   it   ,   ❞   he   tips   his   chin   ,   motioning   to   gaze   skywards.   where   artifice   masquerading   as   divinity   resides.   ❝   but   when   i   break   free   of   this   cage   ,   you   will   take   my   place.   if   you   have   not   learned   that   your   utopia   is   a   farce.   ❞

[hauntedfarfalle]

Props to them for being willing to change but this drives me insane 💀

[thevibraniumveterans]

《The Mandalorian》『SEASON 3 : Episode 8 - Chapter 24』-「THE RETURN」

SPOILERS!

Thoughts on rewatch……

This episode picks up where last episode leaves off. Did not expect the jetpack to last that long for Axe; given that the fleet was just outside atmosphere.

Bo Katan has a plan. Normally, her plans (just like anyone else’s plans) don’t quite go as intended. But she’s confident, and sends Axe up to the ship.

Ever the leader, she charges in but brings up the rear, setting a detonator charge to buy her some time.

Din is bound between two troopers, and we get a first-person POV from inside his helmet. I’d assumed one’s line of sight from inside the helmet wasn’t much, but I’m wrong.

Din asks Grogu, “You with me?” The music soars from the drums (important later), straight into the theme music.

Din contacts Bo-Katan and lets her know he and Grogu are okay for the time being, and tells her what he’s doing. She updates him on her plan, and tells him to “stay safe”. No surprise, the camera immediately cuts to the Captain, and the crew leaves their current predicament.

Next scene is the TIE/IN Interceptors. They hang upside down like bats, and they drop and take off like them too. It ups the scary factor, as they can launch with little notice. We also see bombers screaming skyward to the flagship. The shot of numerous TIE fighters shooting out of a hole in Mandalore’s surface is just… something else to see.

Gideon puts on his helmet, and when he says “I’ll take care of them myself”, he sounds a lot like Darth Vader.

The shots of R5, Din, and Grogu sneaking around the base feels A LOT like the sequence in A New Hope where R2D2, Kenobi, Han, Luke, and Chewbacca are sneaking around the Death Star. It’s also interesting how Din speaking to Grogu is sort of a meta-narration, so we learn the details the same time Grogu is hearing it.

Axe notifies command, and sends all his troops down to the planet. He orders them to leave the capital ship. At this point I’m thinking, “Axe is crazy! That’s incredibly self-sacrificing!” But then I remember loyalty is one of the best traits any Mandalorian has, so it’s no surprise he’s willing to do what it takes to help defeat Gideon and his army. Axe’s troops head down to the waiting Gauntlets, and they dive toward the surface. The Gauntlets are accompanied by several smaller fighter ships. I really love the shot where the Gauntlets descend to the planet, the camera lingers above the clouds, and not a few seconds later, the TIE Interceptors shoot out from beneath the clouds and up to the capital ship. The Mandos going down, and the Imperials going up, it is a foreshadow for a later scene, but I’ll explain that later. How ships of both parties never hit each other is beyond me, but smart of the Mandos to use the cloud as cover.

Axe trying his damndest to stay put in the pilot’s seat is a feat in and of itself. He’s fighting the fight/flight instinct. I’ve never seen anything like it.

The scene where Din instructs R5 to keep opening the laser shield doors one at a time is pretty intense, it’s like each door he passes, the level of difficulty goes up. The first pair of guards Din fights, he grabs a knife and fights with it momentarily and throws it at one guard, and he tries to get it back, and he fails. He doesn’t let that stop him. He gets another knife from the first downed guard and tells R5 to open shield #2. The weapons get bigger, and the guards get tougher. He fights messy, but acquires an electro-staff and an actual shield. He instructs R5 to open shield #3. He loses the knife, acquires a blaster. R5 gets intercepted, but does not back down, and opens shield #4. Din loses a shield, but retains the blaster; he shoots the last few guards a few times for good measure. Din now has two blasters. He went from being weaponless to being fully-armed. After all, weapons are part of his religion.

Din and Grogu pass clones of Gideon. This might be a bit of a canonical throwback, but the fact that Gideon has been able to clone himself kind of points to why the Empire, years ago, was looking for Omega from the Bad Batch. She was one of the special ones. Even so, last episode, Gideon says that cloning was not his obsession; clearly that was a lie, but also a misdirect, since he did say about his beskar armor, “the most impressive improvement is that it has me in it.” That, was not a lie. It was a foreshadow. Din shuts down the tanks, which explode, and he and Grogu leave.

Even though Bo and her troops arrive at their very temporary shelter (as they leave literally right after this), it’s not simply just worldbuilding. The Captain explains that though he and his crew have had to cultivate the plants, it was a giant metaphor for just how stubborn Mandalore and its people are. The Empire bombed the planet until it looked like there was nothing left, and yet, and YET people, plants, and animals clung to life. Life on Mandalore does NOT quit. The Captain says, “Life persists.” Bo admits, “I’ve only ever seen gardens in the domed cities.” To which the captain replies, “All they need is room to grow.” Fitting metaphor for the Mandalorians themselves.

Bo’s troops go up, Axe’s troops go down, and they reunite as a single deadly fighting force. Bo takes out the Darksaber - as she believed that it is only with the blade she can reunite her people. This is not really true, and I’ll explain why later. The Mandalorian troops head back down into the planet, and are met with ascending Imperials. Remember the foreshadow earlier when the Gauntlets went down then the TIEs went up? That was a foreshadow for this scene! And what an aerial battle it is. I have never in my life watched a jetpack battle between people in Mandalorian armor. It’s a really awesome scene. The reason why Bo can actually wield the Darksaber is because her goals and feelings regarding her people and her planet are very, very clear - she may not want to rule Mandalore, but she sure as hell wants her home planet and her people back. We hear the frantic but controlled alto instruments, but also the bass line of the Mandalorian theme song playing as the clash begins.

Gideon thought he could “[isolate] the potential to wield the Force” (that’s what he wanted from Grogu a season or two back), but the Force is not something you “get”, it’s something you have. You either have it or you don’t. If you don’t have it you can’t wield it. Gideon’s movements are calculated, controlled rage. His movements sound like there is a robot behind the suit rather than a human, making him seem more menacing. He lets Din face the Praetorians alone. Much like their real world counterparts, Praetorians are elite guards. When Grogu becomes a target, the Guards rush after him. Din tries to run after Grogu, but gets repeatedly downed by Gideon. We see an unnamed Mandolorian warrior make use of her knee blasters. The battle rages on three fronts: The Praetorians are attacking Grogu, Gideon fights Din, and the Mandalorians exchange blaster fire with the Imperials. Bo Katan spears one through the midsection with the Darksaber - brutal, but necessary. She comes in with a flying kick, aided by her jetpack, and downs Gideon. She tells Din to get Grogu. Bo fighting with a saber is definitely NOT the first time we see a non-Force sensitive person wield a saber (see: Han in ESB (briefly), and Sabine Wren in Rebels). Also love how Grogu is just casually using the Force to aid Din, and Din doesn’t even know it (maybe he does).

Meanwhile, the capitol ship is on a downward trajectory that cannot be corrected: this is intentional; Axe meant for this to happen. He will crash the ship into the base, the only way to hurt Gideon where it matters most. Gideon knocks her down, but Bo is furious, gets back up, and lunges. Gideon destroys the Darksaber, removing the one thing Bo thought she could use to reunite her people. Suddenly, she is alone again; in the sense that she theoretically loses authority. Gideon states, “You’ve lost everything.” For context, Obi-Wan had told Anakin in AOTC that a saber is a very precious possession, and extremely meaningful to one’s life. To lose it is tantamount to losing one’s life and meaning. So, to Bo, it’s like she lost everything, all over again. Gideon taunts her, saying “Mandalorians are weak once they lose their trinkets.” This is not true. Last episode, Din told her he’s not loyal to some weapon. The Darksaber means NOTHING to him, and now Bo realizes this. She’s had enough of the power grabs and divisions that the Darksaber has caused between Mandalorians, and she fires back: “Mandalorians are stronger together.” Which is her journey so far. She realizes this only now because if not for what had happened to her, she would not have known this otherwise. The Darksaber is but a mythical weapon, ultimately meaning nothing. Bo has stated last episode, “Mandalore has always been too powerful for any enemy to defeat. It is always our own division that destroys us.” Meaning, the Darksaber is nothing but a curse; without it, the Mandalorians come together NOT BECAUSE OF A BLADE, but to retake their damn homeworld once and for all. Bo did not have to worry about some blade. To nobody’s surprise, the moment she utters this, Din comes marching in with Grogu, blasters firing.

The ship is still going down; at this point I’m thinking, “Axe is on a suicide mission!” But then, right after I finish the thought, he shoots out a window and escapes, free to fight another day. His and Bo’s troops evacuate the base. The ship crashes into the base; Din, Gideon, and Bo face off. Din gets hit on the wrist, and Bo comes to his rescue, shielding him. The place explodes around them, Grogu uses the Force to disadvantage Gideon; Din rushes to protect Grogu, and Bo rushes to protect them both. The flames engulf everyone. It looks like they might not survive this, BUT BUT BUT! Grogu saves the day! He is using the Force to create a bubble to shield Din and Bo. This scene feels so familiar because it feels like a heroic inversion of that one scene in S4E8 of Rebels, “Jedi Night”, where Kanan uses the Force to hold back an explosion to save the Ghost crew but sacrifice himself; here Grogu saves both Bo AND Din from the flames. Bo is astonished; she looks from around her, to Din, and finally down at Grogu, like she can’t believe she’s alive. The flames around them dissipate, and both Mandalorians stand up, and we cut to black. It’s not over.

Remember the drums I mentioned earlier? The Mandos are at the Mines of Mandalore, where Ragnar finally gets to be properly baptized, as his last attempt didn’t go so well. Din practically adopts Grogu right there and then, and the Armorer approves. Someone mentioned once that it took so long for Din to call Grogu his son, because he started off a mission but now Din has grown close enough to basically be a dad. It was about time that happened.

So the thing with names- “Din Grogu”, right? I’m thinking, what if, if “Grogu” is a first name, and “Din” is something like a last name, only put before his first name “Djarin”? Therefore “Din Grogu” would make sense on a lastname-firstname basis. It’s not the same with Bo-Katan, or Axe Woves, or even Sabine Wren, for that matter. If Din and Grogu are a Clan of Two, then clearly it should be called Clan Din. It only makes sense that way, that in Clan Din there is Djarin and Grogu. This is the way names work, I think?

The Armorer states, “You must leave Mandalore and take your apprentice on his journeys, just as your teacher did for you.” And why, you might ask? This is the fulfillment of the Hero’s Journey: the Hero returns to whence he came, after a call to adventure, where he meets supernatural aid and comes across guardians, mentors, and friends; he reaches a revelation, a rebirth, after which he transforms, atones, with the gift of the “Goddess”, and returns. Din had started his journey on the call to adventure, and meets Grogu, his supernatural aid. Greef Karga is his mentor and friend. Bo is also his friend and ally. Din’s revelation is sort of him removing his helmet; his transformation, he changes because of how he feels toward Grogu. However, he must atone for that, so he requests that Bo guide him to the Mines so he can baptize himself in the Living Waters to atone. Then he returns to Mandalore to help fight Gideon, and subsequently also returns to his starting point, as a gunman and bounty hunter for hire.

Bo, the Armorer, and the rest of the Mandalorians meet at the Great Forge, finally able to reclaim Mandalore after so many years. The Armorer hands Bo-Katan Kryze a torch, and she lights the Forge. It roars to life, symbolic of the Mandalorians being one once more. The Mandalorians have finally come home, UNITED, and it wasn’t even a blade that reunited them.

Din returns to the rebel base. Some time passes, and he returns to Nevarro. Greef Karga gifts him a home for between assignments, and Din gifts Karga his IG-11 droid back, but improved. For what is perhaps one of the few moments in his life, Din has peace. He sits outside his new home, his N1 parked just outside, and watches Grogu practice his abilities.

===

FINISHING THOUGHTS:

1. I loved this episode, largely in part due to the aerial fights and carefully planned shots. The characters I theorized last week could show up, didn’t, and that’s okay. They didn’t, because they didn’t need to.

2. I also loved the foreshadowing, the visual references, the metaphors. I also loved how the Darksaber is no more. Don’t get me wrong, it is an AWESOME weapon, but it has plagued the Mandalorians for far too long, and has been one of the things that divided them. Struggles for power and all that, all for a blade. It took ages of infighting, division, it took Din telling Bo that the blade didn’t matter to him; it took Gideon finally destroying the very thing that divided the people of Mandalore, for Bo-Katan Kryze to finally, FINALLY, realize that Mandalorians are stronger together. It’s not that she didn’t know, it was that she chased after the blade like her people before her did; now that she doesn’t even have it, she doesn’t even need it! And she is still able to unite her people! WITHOUT THE BLADE!

3. Something about the Great Forge being “the heart of our civilization” (per Axe, last episode), and the Mandalorian creed vows about the words being forged into their hearts, I’m not quite sure how to put into words this association but there’s certainly something there.

4. More thoughts on the Hero’s Journey and episode titles of The Mandalorian:

- S1E3Ch3 : The Sin (“Temptation”/“Threshold”)

- S1E7Ch7 : The Reckoning

- S1E8Ch8 : Redemption

- S2E3Ch11 : The Heiress (“Goddess”)

- S2E6Ch14 : The Tragedy

- S2E8Ch16 : The Rescue

- S3E1Ch17 : The Apostate (“Transformation”)

- S3E3Ch19 : The Convert (“Atonement”)

- S3E8Ch24 : The Return

5. Overall, excellent episode, very much looking forward to Season 4. Which might take place either concurrently to, or after the events of, the Ahsoka series. I guess we’ll find out eventually.

[ladyherenya]

A good month for reading! Despite November’s demands and deadlines, it didn’t turn into a repeat of last November (when I apparently didn’t have the headspace for reading) nor of some of 2022′s more stressful months (when I didn’t have the headspace for some of my favourite genres and instead mostly subsisted on contemporary romance).

Total: Ten novels (including two audiobooks), one novella and one picture book.

Still reading: The Swallows’ Flight by Hilary McKay, Naughty Dragons Try School! by Natalie Jane Prior and Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater.

My favourites: Sarah Morris Remembers (interesting, poignant and enjoyable), The Codebreaker’s Secret (vivid relationships and scenery) and Half a Soul (delightful and satisfyingly not fluffy).

I’d also recommend: Any of these, really -- if one likes their respective genres. (Some of them didn’t appeal so much to me but I’m chalking that up to a me-thing.)

Cover thoughts: I like the cover for A Prayer for the Crown-Shy.

Titles, authors, genres and ratings listed below, with links to my reviews on LibraryThing.

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas. Sixth Charlotte Holmes mystery, following on from Murder on Cold Street. Set in Victorian England. 3☆

Sarah Morris Remembers by D.E. Stevenson (narrated by Patience Tomlinson). A coming-of-age novel about growing up in England the 30s and working in London during WWII. 3½☆

Ex Appeal by Cathy Yardley. Contemporary romance, same series as Love, Comment, Subscribe and Gouda Friends.

Naughty Dragons Make Trouble! by Natalie Jane Prior (illustrated by Simon Howe). Children's fantasy about fostering two dragons. 3½☆

Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell. Science-fiction. Military space opera with telepathy. 3½☆

Skyward: the story of female pilots in WWII by Sally Deng. Fictionalised-nonfiction picture book. 3½☆

The Codebreaker's Secret by Sara Ackerman. Historical mystery set in Hawaii, about a code breaker in 1943 and a journalist in 1965. 3½☆

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater. Romantic regency fantasy. 3½☆

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers. Science-fiction novella about a robot and a tea monk. Sequel to A Psalm for the Wild-Built. 3☆

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade. Companion-sequel to Spoiler Alert and All the Feels. Fandom-y contemporary romance. 3☆

We Can't Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Young adult fiction about a summer working for her family's wedding business. 3☆

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl. Romantic historical fiction set in a (fictional?) coastal English community. 3☆

[longroadstonowhere]

more defiant spoilers

i lied, i was not enough of an adult to make myself get six hours of sleep and i had to read the whole book in less than twelve hours, apparently

i am proud of myself for not crying, though - came real close when they were doing the final skyward role call, and i thought i might when gran-gran had her noble last stand, but i saw that one coming so i was able to prepare myself

love that we got more looks into brade's head, and how she really was just.... spensa without a support system (which did not make any of their interactions any less homoerotic) - i'm a little sad at how anticlimactic her end was, but, well, sometimes a fight really is just hitting the other guy with their shields down and that's it

it's nice to see the emotional throughline of the series, now that it can be taken as a whole - grief sucks, but it's easier with people who understand and support you, and also oppressed peoples should unionize and rebel and seize the means of production (especially when they are the means of production)

i actually really love how the taynix and the delvers come to their own agreement completely separate from the races of people we know and understand, because yeah, they are both intelligent species, they don't need a referee or benefactor standing over them to be part of their decision

there's some details about what chet and m-bot were up to that i think i misread, so i'll have to contemplate those and pay attention on a reread at some point, but for now i have finished it, and i am pleased with the ending

(also thank you sanderson for confirming kimmalyn has a girlfriend, always good to have it in the source material rather than just confirming it off the page)

now i guess i get to look out for skyward legacy at some point? i also want to get a physical copy of the three skyward flight novellas - i have electronic copies but i wanna have physical ones too

overall, a good book - it seemed to be in a holding pattern sometimes, with people going 'oh what could the solution to this be???' when, like, it felt like they'd said the solution three times already, but maybe i was filling in the gaps with my own inferences, and there were many moments that felt surprising and well-earned, so all good in the end

[errorid-mt7lt7k7unfr9ttfua5]

I've just made significant progress in the development of my indie video game Wyrd in regards to its input layout, which is something that i have been struggling with for a while.

specifically, there are quite a few abilities in the game and not enough available bindings on a standard controller, so I've had to get creative with how certain abilities are bound

my constraints:

both analog sticks and the d-pad are strictly reserved for movement and the manipulation of the camera, the reasoning being that i want people who are using tla controller to have the choice of whether to use the left analog stick or the d-pad for movement and aiming as it is very common, and due to the design constraints of keyboard controls the game must be designed to be playable with strictly 8-directional movement input and therefore playing the game on the d-pad may be easier. in addition, there will be occasions where the player is obligated to move the camera in order to be able to properly see certain objects in the environment that are further away from them than the default camera size, hence why the right analog stick controls the camera position

i do not want to bind any important gameplay actions to either the start or select buttons as they are often awkward to press at a moments notice, and therefore will be bound to the menu and inventory actions respectively

this leaves only eight buttons on the controller (South, East, West, North, LB, RB, LT, and RT) to bind the rest of the abilities to, which was difficult given that there are, iirc, 23 distinct actions that require bindings

there are some restrictions on where certain actions can be bound, as some abilities must be pressed either in quick succession or simultaneously

My previous solution was to have a binding system that took the majority of the more situational actions and allow the player to switch which action was bound to another button, similar to the item selection systems of ori and the will of the wisps, the legend of Zelda: skyward sword, or Dandara, but i found this method to be cumbersome in this particular instance given point 4, and set out to solve this problem in a more creative way.

my current solution is an extensive system of multi-button binding for secondary abilities (abilities that are, for the most part, only used in certain situations), where the player must simultaneously press two buttons to use a specific ability. here are my current default bindings: (actions in plaintext indicate that it must be pressed, actions in parenthases indicate it must be held, actions in brackets indicate that it must be released, actions preceded by a parenthases and followed by a bracket may be held to stall then released to activate, and actions preceded by two parenthases and followed by a bracket must be charged by holding then activated by releasing)

Move/Aim: LS/D-Pad

Look: RS

Jump/(Glide): South/S

Parry/(Shield)/[Slash]: West/Space

Restore Anima: East/A

Restore Essence: North/Q

Dash/Dodge: LB/D

(Bash/Flight/Channel]: RB/Shift

(Grapple): LT/W

(Tether]: RT/E

The following are the default multi-input bindings:

Thrust: (West/Space) > LB/D

Slam: (West/Space) > ((LT/W]

Spin: (West/Space) > RB/Shift

(Bow]/((Spear]: (West/Space) > RT/E

Flash: (RB/Shift) > ((LB/D]

Fling: (RB/Shift) > [West/Space]

Freeze: (RB/Shift) > North/A

Flare: (RB/Shift) > East/Q

Delve: (RB/Shift) > (South/S]

i will be posting a description of each of the abilites mentioned here in a separate post, as it will contain spoilers

also, i understand that the controls as they have been lain out here are extremely complex, and i obstensibly criticize other games that have less complex controls for valid reasons, but ultimately i am not willing to compromise my creative vision for the game for the sake of simplifying the controls. in addition, despite the fact that i will be implementing as many accessibility features as possible, this game is intentionally designed to be very difficult given its nature as a precision platformer

note: in order to make the game more accessible, the controls will be fully rebindable, and there will be an option to allow for abilities that must be held to be toggled instead, no longer requiring the simultaneous pressing of multiple buttons