#the difficult thing is is that while the situation has improved overall

[tangledinink]

in an older ask (before the bracelet comic) you broke down, basically, the odds of donnie recognizing his family to different degrees on any given day... i'm curious, what would the odds be now, now that he has the bracelet?

Hell yeah let's do more Swanatello Math~

Let's say his family visits him eight times-- this time with the bracelet.

-> Maybe one time out of eight, usually less, Donnie will not be able to recognize them and will treat them as intruders, driving them off. There are occasions when he disregards the message of the bracelet or forgets it too quickly to be helpful.

-> Two times out of eight, Donnie will be able to recognize them enough to not view them as threats, but will not be able to organically recall any further details about them. He is confused and frustrated. He recognizes something is wrong, and can comprehend the research materials he's reading, but no actual memories are being pinged in his brain, leaving him in a very frightening, bizarre, uncanny-valley sort of space. He has to repeatedly reference notes and journals to try to puzzle the identities of his family together, which is upsetting and embarrassing. Days like these focus on providing comfort and support to Donnie, but the context that his research board and bracelet provide does make this easier to manage now.

-> One time out of the eight, Donnie will be able to recognize his family but struggles to comprehend his current situation or recall details surrounding it, though he recognizes something is wrong. He knows that Raph is here, and he remembers Raph fully, but has a difficult time processing why they're here at the lake instead of being at home; it's just not sinking in for him. Things in his brain are not matching up, and he is confused and frustrated. His family will have to re-explain to him what's going on, typically multiple times. Days like these focus on providing comfort and support to Donnie, but the jumpstart that the research and bracelet provide often makes this process much easier.

-> One time out of eight, Donnie will be able to recognize his family enough to not view them as threats, but will not always be able to recall further details about them. He's not able to fully process that anything is wrong unless it's explained to him, (usually more than once,) but even then it seems to overall elude him and not fully sink in. He will happily spend the day showing his lake off to his family, dancing with them, etc. His bracelet and research board help, but on days like these he often seems unable to fully retain this information throughout the day. These days are usually pretty frustrating for his family, but are overall lower-stress for Donnie, at least. False memories are common on these days.

-> Three times out of eight, Donnie is able to both recognize his family and recall details about their current situation. He remembers the family members who are currently with them, and sometimes even those who are absent, and understands that he is currently being affected by magick that manipulates his memory and patterns of thinking.

Overall, the bracelet has improved the situation. The family has to take care to try to be present as much as possible, however, as receiving this information from the bracelet and research board can sometimes be very scary or disorientating, and they've found that having someone around either during this process or immediately after is very important. Typically, if Donnie wakes up, receives the message from his bracelet, inspects the research board, and waits for the promised family to arrive... and then they don't, he'll panic and quickly lose trust in the information. He may react negatively to any family members once they do show up. Swanatello overall tends to do poorly when left alone, they've discovered.

[cozycottagetarot]

What Changes Before You Meet Them?

🧺 Reading Contents:

The theme of what changes

Factors out of your control

Factors within your control

🫧 Reading Notes:

This reading was posted last year on my Patreon, but I've been wanting to share it here for a while now. I also don't remember what I wrote because it's been almost a year but I hope you enjoy! 🫶

This reading is for entertainment purposes only, please take only what resonates be it some, all or none.✨

LINKS: Reading Masterlist | Dividers | Ko-Fi

Personal Readings: Classic (New Readings Available!) | $10 and Under - OPEN

My laptop stopped working unexpectedly, and I had to borrow money to replace it so I could keep up with college and tarot readings. As an online student and tarot reader, my laptop is truly my lifeline.

If you’ve ever thought about getting a reading from me, now would be a really lovely time. It helps me more than you know and I’d love to create something special for you in return. 💛

Pile 1

The theme of what changes:

The Devil, Six of Wands rev, Knight of Pentacles, Two of Pentacles

What changes is how you handle what holds you back from reaching an important milestone or some kind of success (and subsequently reaching that success). It seems like something is holding you back. You should be making progress even though slow but it just has you in such a tight hold. However, once you learn to manage a temptation or commit to overcoming whatever it is that chains you, you will find not only reach a big personal success, but also meet your person.

Factors out of your control:

Eight of Swords, Strength, The Fool

There’s a leap of faith of you have to take, and the journey of what it takes to get out of this cage doesn't feel like it’s in your control. Even though the eight of swords being one of the tougher cards, paired with strength and the fool-- I think it may have it's difficult moments but overall it will be a beneficial experience.

Factors within your control: 

Seven of Wands, Eight of Wands, Two of Cups

When it comes to what you can control, one of the first things that stuck out to me was a matter of controlling who you ally with. This seems like it will be an important factor as you wouldn't want to partner with people who will help to keep those limitations in place. You can also control how you handle conflicts (internally and externally) as well as how you manage impulses and spontaneous decisions.

Pile 2

The theme of what changes: 

Three of Swords, The Lovers, Queen of Cups

A betrayal or heartbreak of some kind (don't panic!)... finding your 'queen of cups energy' again (nurturing, creativity, emotional expression). So there’s multiple ways this could play out as always. My first thought was obviously a previous relationship which is always likely. However, it could also be a friendship that means a lot to you... not so much, but maybe a professional relationship and of course self-betrayal or you breaking your own heart. The theme is one having some kind of harmony or bond being broken and not by positive means. It may even take place in a way where it’s a little bit difficult to differentiate whether or not it was ‘accidental’ or 'purpose work'. Regardless, you have to find your power after this event takes place before you meet your person.

Factors out of your control: 

Seven of Cups, The Ace of Wands, Two of Cups

The partnership or coming together (that is the catalyst for the change) is out of your control. I don’t want to be a fear monger, but it’s not something you can really avoid or see ahead of time and determine 'this person or situation is going to hurt me in some way'. And the purpose of this event is to meet your person so I mean… I don't think you'd want to avoid it? It seems like the relationship itself will bring you passion and spark something in you-- this could be a new interest, passion project etc. It could influence/improve the relationship too, but the relationship itself 'burning out' isn’t something you can control. It will be a deep connection or meaningful event and there’s so much potential — but you can’t control that potential. You can’t control how much something or someone means to you...

Factors within your control: 

Page of Wands, Queen of Swords, Four of Swords

What is in your control around this event is how you handle it and choose to heal from it. Making the decision to take the lesson or experience and use it to fuel you moving forward and to become stronger in the future. You��ll become more firm and self assured. For some it could be a first relationship or maybe a significant situationship? But I think you’ll definitely have what it takes to move forward and face any challenges with your person. So choosing to reflect and and ask yourself what you can take from the experience will be something within your control. Also I think whatever spark is ignited with the ace of wands, you’re going to be in control of how you harness that fire and make something with it.

Pile 3

The theme of what changes: 

Nine of cups, The World, Ace of Cups

I feel like there’s going to be this… I don’t want to say 'new found' desirability but a desirability you may now know how to work in your favour. It could be some kind of glow up or reinventing yourself that results in everyone suddenly seeing what you have to offer or how well rounded you are. It's a change the results in you having so many people clamouring over you and falling head over heels!!!

You also had The Hermit and The Sun as 'honourable mentions', so really doing the work to make yourself happy. It doesn’t feel like you’re the kind of group where romance or companionship is at the forefront of your mind, even though it maybe something you desire to have at some point.

Factors out of your control: 

Two of Pentacles, Death, Knight of Pentacles rev

There’s some kind of transformation that’s going to take place in your life, but you’re not really the one in control of it. It doesn't seem like something that you purposely bring about... just a natural flow of things. I kind of feel like you’re just minding your business. You may not even be aware how attractive you’ve become in the eyes of others. You’re more focus on doing the work and less focused on how doing the work is perceived by others. It doesn’t seem like this is a planned glow up either, just a natural outcome of trying to get yourself together.

Factors within your control: 

Queen of Cups, Eight of Wands, Knight of Wands rev

What you are in control of is your pace and how you channel your creative energy. I think you may be a little impatient or impulsive at times, and those are the two things that you need to work on... How you direct your energy and where you place your attention. What you go after is in your control but there’s a lot of moments of spontaneity and how you channel or use those moments are important. How you nurture those interest of yours is something in your control too, as well as being able to soften that fire when it starts getting a bit unruly and out of hand and being able to channel it carefully again.

Pile 4

The theme of what changes: 

Ten of Cups, Five of Swords, Ace of Cups, Knight of Cups

The theme has to do with a new emotional phase. One where you’re actively opening yourself to love and embodying love… I think the change is being at a point emotionally where a love offer is ready to come in. With the five of swords you could have a better understanding of who you are and it what ways you might be prone to deceiving yourself.

I don’t know why but on this pile I was suddenly concerned as I was shuffling with whether or not I should include a section with have you met your person yet… or do you know of them. I think you may know of them but you’ve either never met them personally, know them but never met the face to face, or you haven’t met “the new and improved” version of them yet….

Factors out of your control: 

The Lovers, Black Numen, Six of Swords

Soooo I’m a little bit stumped... but here’s my best shot. So you can’t control your lover and what I mean by that is you can’t control who it is… but at the same time I was being nosy and trying to get insights to make it make sense— your lover may be someone you’re manifesting. Something in your life is a sinking ship as represented by the Black Numen. The titanic came to me as well (confirmation anyone?) and there’s the six of swords which can be about moving away from something physically or mentally/emotionally. Something is fading into oblivion in your life and you’re already parting ways when this emotional change occurs. It’s like a test of faith it seems. You can’t control what dissolves but will you hold on to this positive out look?

Factors within your control: 

Five of Pentacles, Eight of Swords, Queen of Swords

The swords in this reading are kind of depressing here to be honest, so doubling back to the theme it’s a challenge of mental dexterity. You could be down on your luck financially/materially as the pentacles are the only insights into the physical realm of this change. It could also be in relation to how you approach care for your physical self. However you can control the ways in which you limiting yourself (be it good or bad) and your attitude towards the challenges you may be facing.

[divinesangel]

— 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞'𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲

pm me for an affordable, in-depth personal or soulmate reading! ko-fi.com/solreads

— 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚 𝐩𝐢𝐥���!

— 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝟏

your person has been feeling quite overwhelmed lately. it's as if they're reluctant to engage in much because of how burdened they feel. it appears they're currently navigating something in their personal life that's causing them to overthink, something they recognize they need to address and possibly discuss with someone, though they worry about causing concern. right now, i see them trying to move forward and redirect their focus, but it's clearly taking a toll. they've always been the type to handle things independently, no matter the challenge, and they definitely project an aura of self-sufficiency. however, this seems to be affecting them emotionally, and it seems likely they'll eventually open up about it, leading to improvement, even if they don't realize it yet. they need reassurance that despite challenges, there's always hope for better days ahead.

— 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝟐

your person is currently going through a difficult situation with a female energy in their life. they seem to be going through a toxic situation that they have been trying to release themselves from. it seems that they have been handling things well. they are aware that the situation is not the best one. they are currently re-evaluating several things in their life regarding their personal connections and the type of people that they want to have in their life. deep down, it seems like they know what they want from others, and they are not willing to settle for less. this person that they have been dealing with seems to be someone that they've known for a while now, but it seems like they haven't grown each other, and unfortunately it has turned a bit toxic. they are not the type of person to let someone else affect their stability, which is why they are reconsidering many things. your person has also been thinking about expanding themselves in ways that may have involved taking some time to disconnect or maybe move to another country. it could also just be travel for a bit. overall, it also seems that they have been feeling a bit stagnant or feeling like they need to take a few steps back to look at things from a different perspective and regain more clarity on the path where they're heading right now. this is someone who likes to be in control of what goes on in their life, which is completely understandable. it seems like in order for them to do that, they need to work on it and distance themselves from people. this person has always been the type of person to be there for others and to care a lot for the people they have around them, but it has not been giving them much these days. it seems like your person has been given more than what they have been receiving, and it's something they're pretty aware of. they're going to be taking their time to reassess certain things and take care of themselves.

— 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝟑

so when it comes to your person, i do feel like they are currently trying to manifest many things for themselves. they have been trying to make their dreams come true, and they have been working on every single project that they want to bring to fruition. they have been feeling quite stable right now, so this is probably one of the most stable periods that they might be going through, and they're trying to keep a balance with everything. they seem to be very focused on their career and their work, and they're trying to maintain a balance between their life and their career. i see them traveling for many different reasons, and it's going to bring a sense of feeling overwhelmed, but they're going to be handling it good. as of right now, they also seem to be wanting to enter some type of connection. it seems like they miss that type of feeling of having someone be there for you and care about you, and because of that they might feel a bit confused on where they stand right now in their love life, and they have been wondering whether that time will come to them or not. they are sort of leaving things up to the universe, and they have this mindset of whatever happens, happens. because deep down they know that changes will end up happening, and that it will happen at some point. i also see them healing from some hurtful situations from their past, and wanting to better themselves and basically become a better person. they feel like they don't want their future partner to deal with the consequences of past traumas or past connections, so they will be working very hard on that as well.

𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 !

hi! it's daphne here.

i'm currently offering personal readings for €5 and soulmate readings for €10 so don't hesitate to send me a private message if you're interested!

thank you for being here!

[willymontana]

2024 has been quite a challenging year for me, from academic pressures to relationship screw-ups to frightful new beginnings. As I look back on the year as a whole, through all the treacherous paths and burned bridges, there was one aspect that stayed by my side the entire ride. The entertainment medium has brought me joy, empathy, and a shoulder to cry on during dark times. Whether I was looking for escapism in a far distant land, an isolated hill to scream my lungs out, a community of laughter and embrace, or a stage to let my freak flag fly. There was always something to accommodate my complicated emotional needs in the form of a book, a TV show, a movie, or a song. As the year is coming to a close, I want to take a moment to revisit my favorite projects and elaborate on my feelings about them.

Starting off in the TV show department, this year sadly didn't see me start or finish that many series. Being a high school senior meant that I was constantly snowed under with rigorous revisions. Even after that ordeal, I didn't find many shows that instantly got me in a tight grip. With that being said, one old series managed to hook me in so deeply that I was left feeling hollow for weeks after finishing. Desperate Housewives is a popular comedic drama that ran from 2004 to 2012. The plot revolves around a group of suburban housewives dealing with their domestic issues while an overarching mystery looms over the neighborhood.

What made this program stand out so much to me was how they could effortlessly switch between comedic to down-right absurd scenarios and highly intensive tear-jerking situations. The 4 main characters all fall into a typical housewife stereotype popular in American culture and throughout the series, you'll laugh your arse off watching them land themselves in all kinds of ridiculous circumstances. However, the show doesn't want you to assume that's just how they are, behind each housewife is a unique story that led to their characterization. With each new season, they all go on their own path of self-improvement and after a while, I stopped liking their satirical portrayal and started enjoying them as fully fleshed-out characters (Yes, even Susan). And of course, I can't leave out the mystery element with a touch of thriller. When I praise this show, the mystery element is usually the last thing I touch upon. But without it, the show wouldn't have been as zany and captivating. The aspect gives each season a definitive goal to reach while also testing the characters' growth and ability to make the best decisions under difficult circumstances. This leads me to my final point, one of the series' prominent ideologies I really love is how different circumstances can change people. Throughout 180 episodes, I've seen protagonists falter morally and antagonists rise above their demeanor because of the situation they're in and the people surrounding them. All of this is to say that you shouldn't immediately judge people or label them as good or bad purely based on first glance. The world is a messy place that has blurred the fine line between good and bad, so it's always best to be decently informed before making an opinion. Overall, I highly recommend this show if you're a fan of drama and comedy. It completely saddens me how this show has fallen so deep into the niche pop culture category since its airing days. Sure, there are still dedicated fans but it's rarely brought up in mainstream conversations. I guess you could say it is to be expected when every project comes to a close.

Next, let's talk about movies. I've actually watched more films since in my mind, they are mostly a one-time thing and don't take as much time to enjoy a story as opposed to a series. The year officially started with my mini-obsession with the 1980 decade. As I've said, I was in a state of burnout from school and in desperate need of reality escapism. The mini-hyperfixation of everything 80s honestly couldn't have come at a better time. One standout movie is The Breakfast Club which sees 5 distinctive personalities locked up in detention at school for an entire day. The film did a great job exploring how students are usually more than how they appear while also criticizing the tendency of a few adults to look down on them. I've seen teachers underestimating students' ability to read the room, thinking that we would follow everything sprung on to us no questions asked. Then, when we dare to stand up for ourselves, they chastise us as being naughty, stepping out of the line, and punishing us. It saddens me how a film all the way from '85 could still hold up so well in '24, we could only hope for the ignorance to finally go away someday.

Jumping to late summer when I had officially bid my goodbyes to high school, there are 2 enjoyable movies I would like to highlight. The first one is Deadpool & Wolverine, the long-awaited sequel of the Deadpool franchise. As a long-time fan of the character, I had a blast watching him return to the big screen in such an epic and glorious way. The action was packed, the jokes were stacked, and the dynamic Hugh Jackman brought to the third movie was just the perfect cherry on top.

The second film that has blessed my eyes this summer is Inside Out 2. Pixar did a great job expanding on the established concept from the first movie as well as constructing a realistic and relatable puberty tale. They truly captured that juvenile intensity that every 13-year-old felt when they started to see the world differently.

During the last few months of the year, I found myself engaging with more horror feature-length films thanks to The Substance. I love how this body-horror gem isn't afraid to really go bonkers, especially with the blood scene at the end. The satirical details help enhance the message that calls out unrealistic beauty standards set by the entertainment industry. The harsh caliber has not only closed the door on many talents, both old and new but also caused many to feel self-loathness. This eventually led them to desperately find ways to modify their body through whatever means necessary.

The final movie that really made a mark on me this year is none other than the highly-praised Wicked. Let me start out by saying aesthetically, the film is absolutely beautiful. So much love and hard work went into the set design to bring the dreamy and dazzling look of Oz to life. Ariana and Jonathan 100% nailed their role respectively, which came as a no surprise to me. That is why most of my attention was placed on Cynthia Erivo since I wasn't familiar with her. She truly gave it her all to the role of Elphaba and her vocal range is just insane. I remember experiencing extreme goosebumps listening to her belt out the final note of Defying Gravity. And speaking of songs, the music is, hands down, fantastic. I have my own personal favorites that I listen to from time to time but the overall soundtrack is solid. Finally, the story being told here is an absolute tear-jerker. With a strong theme of ostracize, I can see why many, especially from the LGBT community, would identify with Elphaba's journey. All in all, this is frankly one of the best projects to come out of 2024, at least in my opinion.

In the reading department, I sadly also faced the same issue with watching series. There was never enough time for me to really sit and really enjoy many books from start to finish. So I refrain from picking them up for fear of inconveniently having to stop midway past the story and losing the drive to continue afterward. Luckily, my country's annual Tet holiday tradition gave me just enough time to squeeze in 2 incredible stories. TJ Klune is an author recommended by so many for his heartfelt tales and diverse casting. I finally got the chance to check him out when one of my local bookstores imported a Vietnamese-translated copy of Under the Whispering Doors. The book follows a dead lawyer temporarily residing in a coffee shop which also acts as a portal leading to the afterlife. Over time, the residing staff help him make peace with his passing and prepare him to cross over. TJ has created such a compelling story with a dynamic cast of characters. The journey our main character goes through, from being a stubborn, career-obsessed jerk to a lovable, selfless dork, is satisfying to witness. The only real downside to this book is some of the humor of the original language got lost in translation. There are many instances where a joke would've definitely landed in English, but in Vietnamese, I just found it to be forced and cringy. That is why I was so happy to have stumbled across one of his novels in English on sale right here in Vietnam. Wolfsong is an emotional found-family tale about Ox, who was piled on for most of his life, finding solidarity and love in a family of werewolves. While Whispering Door leans more on therapeutic vibes, Wolfsong is an angsty rollercoaster ride from start to finish. Everything the characters go through is so severe at some points that I have to take a breather every once in a while. However, it is through these traumatic events that TJ's writing truly shines bright. He goes into specific details to flesh out Ox's intuition, making the story so much more heartbreaking to go through. It has been months since the day I finished Wolfsong but Ox's journey still plagues my mind from time to time. TJ Klune has now become my favorite author and I seriously can't wait to dive deeper into his works.

Finally, we have arrived at my greatest supporting mechanism of 2024, music. Whether I'm feeling joyful, confident, upset, messed up, isolated, etc., there's always a soundtrack to accompany my side. As stated, there was an 80s renaissance in my head at the start of the year and it was largely contributed by Kylie Minogue. I started exploring Kylie's discography, searching for fun pop songs to take my mind off my problems. While highly energetic bops such as Fever and Aphrodite definitely took me on an euphoric ride, it was Enjoy Yourself that stayed long after the thrill expired. This 80s synth-pop record invites you into the world of teenage love. Those summer nights longing after that special someone, wishing that they would burst right through your bedroom window and say those 3 special words. Maybe hope is a juvenile thing, and this teenage dream would crumble into a nightmare. Whatever the future holds, the important thing is to enjoy yourself and cherish the memories being made. That was what this obscure album from 1989 made me feel and it was a push I needed to keep on forward with my study.

The second album that gave me a huge dose of adrenaline was brat by Charli XCX. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year ‘cause I knew Charli would deliver something truly sickening. While brat is certainly a Bad B record, perfect to club the house down, the album also explores a more vulnerable side. Below the neon lights and sparkling glitter stands a dysfunctional personality. Whether it was insecurities, peer misunderstandings, or familial trauma, the confident persona was created as a coping mechanism, a reminder to keep on pushing even when the odds aren’t on your side. This message really resonates well with me ‘cause, during my revision journey for finals, there were many moments when I felt like giving it all up. This album and its vibe reminded me to always put on my A game, and even if it doesn’t work out, at least I would look fabulous trying.

The final album that touched me so deeply this year is The Great Impersonator by Halsey. After a 3-year-long hiatus, Halsey came back with such an ambitious project. Taking inspiration from stars of past decades, listeners are invited on a vulnerable journey of self-reflection spanning across multiple genres. Not shying away from anything she’s gone through, Halsey lays all of her cards on the table in such a raw and emotional way. This confessional record has a little bit of something for everyone, from the raging fire of rock to the delicate sound of piano. When all the elements come together, they form a cohesively diverse body of work that will rip your heart straight out of your chest. To sum things up, in a year full of chaotic shenanigans, music was my biggest guide to peaceful stability

While 2024 didn’t go the way I would've wanted to, everything I’ve gone through represents a value lesson that will forever be ingrained into my mind. And of course, I couldn’t have made it through the year without the tremendous help of many entertainment mediums I’ve interacted with. Here’s to a great 2025 with many joyful memories to come❤️

[kogratorm]

QSMP's Candidates Statements (Translated)

From QuackityToo June 19th Stream.

DISCLAIMER: My native language is Brazilian Portuguese, not Spanish nor English. Due to that and the differences in language expression, I made some changes/paraphrases while translating to accommodate the context, but the overall understanding remains 98% loyal to each candidate’s speech.

BadBoyHalo

BBH proposes that he is the only person capable of carrying out the necessary decisions that the president of Quesadilla Island must take. He believes he is the only one who has the courage to make the difficult decisions necessary to keep the island safe and sound for the residents and prevent a dictator from taking power, all while protecting the eggs.

Foolish

Foolish is excited about the opportunity that the island has provided. He says he wants to enjoy and make the most of the situation because it's not every day that you end up on a crazy island with a diverse population speaking a variety of languages. Some people would prefer to get out of here [Quesadilla] as soon as possible, but he wants to make friends with everyone and enjoy everything the island has to offer.

Etoiles

Etoiles stated that he is charismatic, generous, and that the only negativity he carries is for himself and never for others. Etoiles sets out to explore the island in order to better understand the environment of where they are; he will visit as many dungeons as he needs to get a better understanding of the island.

Baghera

Baghera stated that she has her head screwed on the right way and wishes only the best for the islanders. She values communication and maintains positive relationships with everyone. Baghera believes she is capable of dealing with any fervor or rash situations that may arise. Quesadilla Island is where she was introduced to motherhood, and as a result, she has a specific goal. The place that gave her family and friends is one she must protect at all costs.

Felps

Felps work(ed) as a shipping officer, bus driver, artist, and gardener. What he wants to do is make everyone happy by giving more rights to eggs, noodles, and pasta.

Forever

Forever stated that he is one of the most active players on the island, and as such, he will always be there to protect the people's interests. As a professional Minecraft player, he has many ideas for community projects. Forever describes Richarlyson as one of the happiest things that has happened to him, as well as meeting all of the island's inhabitants (despite the fact that the French make a lot of noise at the egg hotel), given how everyone is very friendly and entertaining.

Mike

Mike promised to restore order to Quesadilla Island, his favorite aspect of the island being the islanders themselves. He would forbid the use of waystones, which would improve the island's dynamics by forcing players to build paths between their bases, allowing them to finally implement a railroad train system.

Cellbit

Cellbit has had prior work experience as a tribute (HG), murderer, prisoner, and detective. He claimed to be Roier's husband, capable of making eloquent arguments and pose intricate inquiries in various scenarios and circumstances. In summary, he believes he is a good president for the Island's future, both for introducing new creative ideas and new narratives to other content creators, as well as for protecting the eggs. His husband, son, and friends are his most valuable things on the island.

Gegg

I swear this isn’t bad translated; it is literally what has been said.

Gegg said he's a businessman, going door to door Gegging. He's a Geggwar criminal. He is an influencer of the family lifestyle. Gegg changes the world. What Gegg likes most about Quesadilla Island is the humidity, the damp places and caves. Gegg promises you freedom. Gegg promises the truth. Gegg promises you power. Gegg promises the abolition of all government rules, taxes and any existing laws. The government establishment holds us, so Gegg will release us. Just one geggrule: believe in Gegg, because Gegg believes in you.

El Quackity

His speech is about his character as well as the election scenario (from the perspective of a Content Creator, not a character). I decided to put it all together because it was somewhat scrambled and also because it was an important reminder for the community.

According to ElQuackity, there is a lack of organization and order. He believes that in the ideal scenario, this can be resolved. He believes that his candidacy in this work and position is critical, and that it will be the best possible. One thing to be clear about it: during his campaign, he will do whatever it takes to ensure that the people have a good president. Thus, he reminds and states that this election event isn’t predetermined, scripted, or planned, and there is no pre-written ending. Elections will be decided by the votes of creators, the efforts of creators, and the votes of the community. He warns that if If he decides to kill a candidate or an egg because it suits his political campaign, he will do so. And, if another candidate decides to kill him for their own benefit, it will be done. No one (except the creators) can say anything to encourage another narrative. We, as a community, need to understand that none of the creators will truly hate each other if one decides to attack the other or kill the other for their own campaign benefit. He encourages the community to support their favorite candidate, but if a creator decides to do something bad to another creator within the game at any time, those who send hate towards creators for actions taken by players in game will be rightfully banned and restricted from all QSMP chat streams. It is, after all, a game. It's a block game. The decisions made within the game will be made by the creators themselves. If the creators ever have a disagreement, it will be solved in private DMs. And nothing bad will ever happen because all the QSMP members are adults who understand that this is all for entertainment purposes. The QSMP Elections ARE for entertainment purposes ONLY.

[box-architecture]

CKAU: Part 2 of ???

So!!!!! Sam, Dream, and Punz continue to have sex. Punz continues to stab Sam any time he breaks the rules or doesn't listen, and overall things are going great.

Which means that, as they get together more, more rules get established!

Punz isn't to be tied down. He must always be able to access the communication knife at any time, and being tied down prevents that.

Dream can be loosely tied down. Maybe. On a good day. He must be able to get free at any point. It's much better to just ask him to put his hands somewhere or hold them in a gentle grip.

Sam being tied down is greatly encouraged, but he requires kisses and attention as proof he's a good boy

Punz and Sam are Not Keeping Score, But If They Were, it's based on who can get the best sounds out of Dream, the most noises, the most kisses and the loveliest smiles as he leans into their touches.

if the Communication Knife is brought out, sex must cease until either Sam is stabbed or Punz is listened to. Or both. Usually both.

The Communication Knife is a an incredibly gaudy thing, bright, eye-searing blue and almost glittery, while the rest of Punz's knives look very sleek. There is a noticeable difference between his Fuckoff Knife and his Murder Knives. Its Special, and it remains in Punz's hotbar at all times, even in sleep. Its Important You See.

Despite this entire thing having started with Dream trying to prove he's totally not traumatized and wanted everything the entire time and is totally in control, in reality because Punz refused to leave him in that situation, it ended up proving that having support and having someone to enforce his boundaries/care about his comfort took a situation that would've been horrible and made it mixed results.

Now given, it did spawn more issues with objectification and a lack of agency given Punz & Sam's issues with arguing over him rather than just asking him what he wants, but like, relatively speaking it's less issues than it would've been.

He starts by telling Punz what he wants prior to everything because "he tends to get lost during it" (read, esp at first he's like 5 seconds from a panic attack at any given time, which lengths to 15 seconds as things improve), and then Punz can make sure that those boundaries are being followed (a lot of the time it's literally just physical pain stuff, certain stuff is a lot harder on him since he's still recovering from the torture).

Then slowly he can start making smaller assertions when not directly asked, again, starting with physical pain stuff and then moving into more difficult topics (straight up just saying he just doesn't want to do something right now, or something isn't doing it for him).

Also that is an important part of all this too, Punz and Dream do also just have their own time together sometimes, it's usually softer and an important time for both of them.

Punz doesn't need a lot of physical care or caution like Dream does post-torture, so most of Dream's care comes in the form of reassuring Punz that yes, he did the right thing by listening to Dream and not breaking the plan. No, Dream doesn't blame him and none of this was his fault. Yes, Dream knows Punz loves him and doesn't question his devotion. An alleviation of guilt and a reassurance that Punz is doing a very good job of taking care of things.

When Sam's present, a lot of this takes the form of quiet cues that yes, Punz is doing a good job. When it's the two of them, it's a lot more explicit in both Dream saying it and Punz asking for him to say it.

Punz is very good, he is the best, he is Dream's most precious, treasured, and beloved. Punz is loyal and he did so very good, and Dream knows he never meant the betrayal, and despite everything, they do still have each other.

At some point, one night early on, Punz has to ask "if I needed you to, would you stop?" and it's a bit of an odd question, that means a lot of things, but Dream assumes he means with Sam, and his response isn't quick, but it comes soon enough. "Yes. If you needed me to. You come first."

And Punz thinks about that sometimes, when he's worried and anxious and thinks this can't possible be healthy, but he never quite makes that call. He'll say he thinks it's dumb, that Sam can't be trusted, that Dream should ditch him. But he won't make that call because he knows it's not his choice to make in the end. Either he says that he needs it to stop, or he sticks by Dream's side. And we all know what he'll pick every time.

-

Punz meeting up with Sapnap for lunch: anyways so I've been getting into polyamory lately. Sapnap, trying very hard not to think about his own fucked up relationships: oh? hows that going? do you think it's going to last? Punz, deadpan: despite my best efforts, I'm afraid it might. Sapnap: damn. who are you dating anyways? Punz, who didn't think this far ahead: …. i plead the 5th.

-

At some point, via the Scrapped Lore, Quackity managed to kidnap both Dream and Punz using Punz's flag system to lure Dream out. Also Ive been rotating some other thoughts about the point in the au where Quackity kidnapped Dream and Punz, because I think Punz witnessing Dream being tortured significantly affected them, more than simply hearing about it the first time.

he actually heard Dream calling Quackity 'sir,' which ignited a rage so deep that he can no longer hear the word in any context without feeling a burst of Killing Intent. Has actually threatened Sam with the knife telling him if he ever made Dream call him that he'd die "more than once."

he did in fact try to keep calm and composed during the torture. They were chained on opposite sides of the box, and Quackity waved him off "nah man you're just his sidekick, a paid actor. I get it I get it, you don't always get to choose your employers" Which made Punz bristle because they've been wanting to say and do so much openly for so long. They've been caught and they're still being denied the privilege of being Dream's. Just a mercenary. Not even worth a thought. When Dream starts screaming he lasts, white-knuckled, for maybe a few minutes. Dreams eyes meet his for the briefest of seconds before he closes his eyes and turns away, and Punz's frozen heart chips because no look at me I'm not mad I'm not thinking less of you for this please don't shut me away please don't leave me. please. He starts shouting, he doesn't even really hear what he's saying, but Quackity throws splashes of weakness on him and he's out like a light.

Punz is briefly awake enough to feel himself on Sam's back. He's barely coherent, but his hand is groping in a panic for Dream's. When a familiar, four fingered hands entwines with his, he goes straight back to passing out, because 30 fucking weakness potions does a lot to you

Punz is still kind of out of it when Dream finally wakes him up in their boxed area, but they smash their entire face into Dreams chest and just. hold him for a moment. They'll do it more when they get back to their base and check him over. They'll spend hours basking in the luxury of having him in their arms, because it is a luxury, after everything.

Other vague thoughts:

Dream liked having his space and alone time to recharge, and it's something that only amplified after prison. Punz doesn't need to spend every waking moment with Dream and likes their own space too, but they do miss him when he's gone for a bit longer than usual. When Sam is added, they spend time with him to offset the loneliness. (They would never, ever begrudge Dream wanting some time alone after being watched 24/7 for over a year. Implicating that Dream should be spending all his time with his partners and no time for himself will get you murdered by Punz. And also me. And probably a therapist.)

Punz has nightmares about being unable to get to Dream, and being left alone in the replica cell. They can't revive Dream, so they're simply trapped, alone, forever.

Dream feeds them strawberry shortcake a week or two after they're freed. Punz attempts to protest, but Dream shoves a strawberry in his mouth and sticks his tongue out. Punz was still acting like he was delicate, and it was beginning to piss him off, but they'd meet with Sam that night and he'd show them both

-

"Sam" Dream is shaking in his hold, eyes warring between relief and self-loathing. "Sam-"

"Shh," He said quietly, trying to contain his own relief. His prison's lesser cells were almost comforting in their isolation from the rest of the world. "I've got you, both of you. You're with me, now."

Dream doesn't stop shaking, hasn't stopped since Sam has found them both in that little box beneath the casino. He'd been awake the whole time, according to Quackity. Hadn't slept in days.

It could have been fear, but Punz had mumbled about keeping watch before passing out from blood loss. Dream wanted Punz safe, so he would keep Punz safe.

Punz themselves was in the corner, healed up, but tied down. Couldn't let them get in the way like they usually did.

The little kisses he managed to snatch the first time they did this paled in comparison to what he was getting now. Dream accepted them easily, each one easing the trembles that consumed him. It was good sweet and comforting and an intimacy that he had missed, even when they fucked. It made the noise that had been plaguing his head for days go quiet with just the softest press of lips. Without thinking, Sam nuzzled his nose, not even registering Dream nuzzle him in return until he was already purring.

Dream spasmed. The purring ceased.

-

(This is the very first time either of them have heard Sam purr, because he's rarely so relaxed and happy as to do it. It takes a lot of relaxation and feeling in control, but also a desire to share that feeling of contentment. Sam very rarely purrs but getting kisses and knowing both of them were contained safe was enough for him.

Because he's never heard Sam purr before, Dream hears it as growling and it causes him to tense up/freak out for the first while until he realizes it's a purr and a good noise. Then he thinks it's cute. Mostly due to the blood loss making him loopy. But like. You know. Ignore the second part.)

-

-

-

At some point, when watching Sam nuzzle Dream during sex, Punz realizes that Sam is actually scent marking Dream, a form of marking that they can't prove is happening because neither Punz nor Dream have the ability to detect those kinds of marks, but They Can Tell. They're Watching This Happen And Its Not Allowed.

Punz suddenly gets really into cologne.

Punz can now replace the scent marks and Sam fucking hates it, meanwhile Dream has no fucking clear what either of them are pissed about now because his sense of smell gave up ages ago.

(He does notice sometimes, when he's baking and Punz comments on how nice it smells and he realizes he had no idea. He can't tell what kind of tea he has in front of him unless he saw the bag. He tries not to let it get to him. It's not the worst thing he could've lost

Punz notices because of course he does, and he can't take it out on Sam and Quackity's hides so he settles with getting foods rich in flavor for Dream to try. Salsas, seasonings, anything to bring a little color to Dreams world again. Dream notices, and he appreciates it. Food can still be rough, but he tries to find things to enjoy where he can.)

During sex however, he has no fucking clue what the recent pissing contest is and has to ask them what's up. Both of them struggle to explain before Sam finally manages to say "He smells like marigolds."

Dream: .... is this a toxic masculinity thing or- Punz, instantly smug: yeah, Sam, can't a guy smell like flowers?<===fully aware creepers fucking hate marigolds

Sam can't explain the full issue, because then he would be admitting that he's scent marking, and Marking Is Against The Rules. So he needs to find a way to make Punz stop, without admitting to that, because Punz can't prove it.

He goes with saying he has a very sensitive nose and fragrances bother him. Dream sides with him, telling Punz to just not wear the scents since it's making stuff hard. Sam gets his one lil method of marking dream and hes so fucking petty about doing it all the time.

Since Punz can't smell it, he just resorts to scrubbing it off when drunz have baths together. Dream notices Punz has some weird new cleaning thing and decides to just not ask.

Punz, aiming soap like a gun: I know you're there, fucker

Also, the first time Sam is allowed in on bath time (probably post or during the first kidnapping), they have to use one of Sam's baths which are basically just hot tubs and so deep that adjustments have to be made so Dream and Punz can sit. Being a centaur shifter is HARD, it's hard and no one understands.

He's going to try his best to take care of them, though. He's going to fuck it up a lot but he's trying. Trying all the wrong things at once.

Dream likes the water but not on his face. Face is Bad everywhere else is good.

He gets water on Dream's face on purpose the first time, not even thinking, just trying to wash him, and Dream just freezes up and goes quiet, and he doesn't notice at first, and Punz had his back turned at the time but he turns around and realizes and is furious.

Sam takes several seconds to realize Punz is mad at him, and huffs it off, thinking he's upset about nothing, Dream is clearly fine, except suddenly he realizes Dream isn't saying anything or responding at all and he's shaking even though it should be warm in the tub, and then he realizes he fucked it all up.

Punz shoves him away to the Shame Corner and has to spend awhile getting Dream resettled, and only after that is Sam allowed to offer a very quiet apology that Punz doesn't think is enough, but Dream is too tired to want any more fighting, so he at least holds Sam's hand while Punz helps him finish washing and then they get out of the tub. Sam doesn't make that mistake again.

Sam is still allowed in the bed for cuddles, and he stays for a bit, at least until Dream falls asleep, but after that he's restless and needs to Guard.

It's the only thing he can't fuck up because when he's guarding like this, the others aren't really involved and he can't hurt them anymore than he already has. He's a good boy! Well, he's not. But he's trying to be, he's just very bad at it.

The first time he gets called good boy by either of them he melts.

He did so good!!!!! He was the best boy!!!!!!! He is the happiest and best boy ever. Creeper purrs and cuddles and happy tail nub wag. He gets many head pets and he has done the best job. Very proud of him.

At the time, the others are distracted so they don't quite catch on to the effect as a result, Sam has to try to wiggle another good boy out of them because now hes got a taste and he's desperate.

He NEEDS it.

He also can't just ask. That's not how it works.

Being upfront???? No. Sam doesn't do that. Sam can't be direct. The communication knife has taught him nothing.

Sam starts just trying very hard to be good, in and out of bed, very eager to please, and he gets appreciation for that, but no "good boys" and it's crushing him but!! Finally he gets a sarcastic good boy from Punz and he's been wanting it for so long that that's enough to have him shivering and that's when they catch on.

There are many benefits to Dream telling Sam he's a good boy and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek as he cuts slices of an apple to feed them.

Even after Punz figures it out though, he's very picky about giving Sam praise because spite. Dream is usually distracted but will at least try to provide, but at some point Sam's brain realizes that it means more coming from Punz because it's earned.

It's important!!!! He needs Punz's approval!!! Punz will almost never give it, but hey. Those rare moments where does especially good and Punz gives in? Worth it.

So he once again has them tied up in his soft pillow prison room and this time he's demanding Punz tell him he's a good boy. Sometimes the kidnapping is about anxiety, sometimes the kidnapping is because Sam will get his praise. This of course is very normal.

He always kidnaps both of them of course, if only because pride demands it and also Dream is very much so needed as a buffer between the two of them. But also, Dream being all alone would make Sam v anxious, despite the fact he's regularly on his own outside of this arrangement.

He's got his own shit to do! But in Sam's head if Dream and Punz both aren't in his visual range then they must be together, obviously, because he would never let Dream leave his sight if he had that option so clearly Punz must do the same. (It's like half an object permanence thing and half a projection thing.)

Dream softly tells Sam that he's a good boy, and Sam purrs and rubs his face all over him apologetically, because yes that's that's what he wants, but he needs it from Punz, but please keep telling him. He does still want it from Dream but he needs it from Punz too, he needs his positive reinforcement :(

He needs to be good Punz please tell him he's good. He will do all the good things!!!! He doesn't know what those good things are but he will do them.

Punz sighs in annoyance and gives a Good Boy once Sam frees them both and Sam is on a high for the rest of the week. There are many benefits to being a good boy. Unfortunately, this has now trained Sam to Commit Kidnappings.

Remember kids, when you want something from your partners the best solution is to lock them up in your homemade prison. Makes sure to line it with fleece so they don't hurt themselves. Prisoners/partners can be feisty and must be properly restrained.

You have to be good in making your prisons! Make sure you have proper restraints and lots of food, and if you've previously kept any partners in more dangerous prisons where you let them be tortured, be sure to not include any environmental references to that one.

Sam learned the hard way that obsidian was Not A Good Block Choice.

Dream disassociated. Punz was focused on getting Dream out and okay, and refused to speak to Sam otherwise. Stabbing is for when behavior can be corrected, once it crosses that line, Sam just gets the cold shoulder and gets shut out, and that hurts a lot more.

(Redstone of any kind needs to be quiet, no lava of any kind, no obsidian, pistons should be invisible.

The area should be cool, it doesn't need to be cold, but it shouldn't be too warm either. Dark colors in general need to be avoided just in case.

Amethyst floors were not as good of an idea. Very slippery.

Carpeting is also not a good idea because Stains, it's like 50% sex stains and like 50% like. Mud. Or blood from various injuries that get sustained at whatever point. Rugs are great b/c they can thrown out.

Sam has a list. He writes these down. It's Very Important. He's going to write a book: How To Build A Good Prison For Your Partners and it's going to sell really well.

-

-

During prison sex, Sam was very careful not to compliment Dream because that was Against What This Was but he was also strict that he wouldn't let Dream compliment him because that felt like flattery, and now in this early phase he's still trying to stick to those rules (while also coping with the new addition of no aftercare or kisses or marks either), so every time he hears Punz compliment Dream it makes something deep inside of him ache.

Part of it is how often and loosely Punz compliments Dream, highlighting all these things that Sam himself had noticed but bit his tongue on. He can manage, at best, backhanded praise, or rewarding good behavior. But Sam can't manage to tell Dream that he thinks his eyes are beautiful or that the room seems brighter when he grins. It doesn't help that Dream can shoot back praise to Punz just as easily (when he can speak), and Sam can see moments when Dream looks like he might offer the same to Sam, but then the words catch in his throat. He looks away. It's left unsaid.

That hurts because Sam knows it's his fault that he told Dream not to.

After he rescues them from Quackity, that's when he offers compliments between the scoldings, calling Dream perfect and his

Dream, half loopy from the pain: oh that's new

Tommy stumbles onto one of Sam's nicer less prisony-prisons, and decides to chill because it seems like it's a cool place and there's even a noteblock set up with music he's never heard before. Very exciting stuff! Doesn't look like anyone's around, and the space looks brand new which is weird.

Until Sam stumbles in and sees him, looking out of breath and very flustered, and totally freezes up.

Sam just barely manages to kick Punz so he and Dream don't walk in behind him, and then they both hear Tommy start yelling and have to hide because literally none of them want to try to explain this.

This incites a 15 minute saga of Tommy trying to figure out why the hell Sam has a base all the way over here when he already has a house, and Sam trying to hide his partners

Dream, whispering when Tommy is distracted by something: listen if you just kill him I can bring him back later it's not a big deal-

Sam, stomping on his foot: no

Listen! It's totally temporary! And way faster! This is a normal solution to problems! It's his own fault for wandering in!

,,,, Sam hesitated and considered it for at least 2 seconds after trying to herd Tommy out of his house for like 10 minutes.

Frankly Tommy would also prefer to die again than learn anything about Dream or Sam's sex life. Really everyone wins here.

He leaves at last, they finally are able to have time for themselves, and literally nobody is in the mood anymore so they decide to just have a cuddle pile since they're all here.

And Tommy forgot something so he comes back quietly to seem them cuddling and that's somehow worse because all three of them are asleep and clearly comfortable.

He's dead silent for a moment. Then he turns and walks all the way back out, not processing. He's in a daze for like 4 days and can't explain why.

[not-poignant]

OMG, I literally found your Astarion/Raphael fic yesterday, desperately looking for something like it. So happy someone else had the same brain worms as me XD

I was wondering if I could pick your brain a bit about what kind of direction you think you will take the fic? I was wondering if you had any plans in your head or if you are just following the vibes so to speak.

Especially with Raphael being in the pairing, I wondered if this is more of a "It turns out they are actually good for each other" kind of thing or more of a "Astarion has to find out what his life is going to be now/get over some things and Raphael will enjoy every second of making him squirm" kind of thing.

In any case, I am looking forward to reading more, thank you :)

Hi hi,

So I guess answering this would kind of be talking about really end-game spoilers, but I also don't have a plan for this story beyond Astarion/Raphael, and 'hopeful ending.'

(I mean I do have more than that, I just don't know how much of that I want to reveal at this stage, when it's only chapter 5, and this story could easily be over 40 chapters long - there's a lot of potential for change and growth that could alter the trajectory of the relationship in a lot of different directions.'

What I will say is that:

I do not consider Astarion giving into a regular non-consensual situation and just accepting it and making painful peace with it, a hopeful ending type situation. Agency is important to me in my characters. Even if he one day decides to voluntarily submit to scenes he doesn't love - that would at least be a choice. Anything done while under contract with difficult consequences will not be where the hopeful ending happens.

It's an Astarion/Raphael story, therefore the hopeful ending will be an Astarion/Raphael ending. That's just how my brain works. It will not be a 'they break up and THAT'S why it's hopeful.' However, the end may not have a conventional looking relationship. And I've written unconventional endings in relationships before (like Stuck on the Puzzle)

For me, a hopeful ending (as opposed to a happy ending) means that we have to have confidence in the idea that Astarion's life will continue to improve and get better even after the story has ended. There's now enough evidence that he has enough enrichment and potentially for happiness in his life, that he won't downward spiral like he has in the same way again. This means he needs - more support, more healing, healthier avenues for communication even if the relationship isn't healthy overall all the time/every second, and some pretty big personal realisations about what he wants in life. Hopeful ending is both 'better than where we found him, but also genuinely, when most people think on the last chapter, they think 'he's got some ways to go in healing, but I really think he's/they're going to be okay'' not just physically, but also emotionally, spiritually, mentally.

Those are the things I'm happy to reveal because that's how I feel about almost all of my hopeful endings. That's what that means to me.

I do think Raphael and Astarion can actually be good for each other, but I think we're missing huge pieces of the puzzle as to why that's true. Because we're missing so much of Raphael's post-death story, because he's deliberately hiding it.

But we'll find out more soon. At some point, High Inquisitor Verillius Receptor will visit, and then we'll find out a lot more, lol.

(Also yeah this story will be long, easily I suspect around 150k in length as a baseline - we're on an emotional journey folks! Sometimes the growth will be healthy, sometimes it'll be negative, we're going in all the directions lmao).

[closetsof-backlogged-dreams]

tiptoeing my way into your ask box: should merlin have revealed his magic in the sins of the father episode

THE WAY I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THIS ASK😭😭😭😭 mbbb but im here now!!! so hi:))

ok so this is the second ask youve sent me that ive literally never thought of once in my life so prepare youself for a brainDUMP

my answer is completely and irrevocably: yes. i can't imagine myself having another opinion on it, because i think you found the only episode in the entire series where a magic reveal would have been a natural and understandable choice, by both the writers and the characters (except for of course the last episode, but i have many feelings on the execution of the actual magic reveal, of which are for another ask lol).

but because im an unnecessary bitch, i'm going to answer this question twice with the same answer (why? because im a nuisance to everyone around me, thats why) by interpreting the question differently. the first interpretation? should merlin have revealed his magic in the sins of the father, as in should MERLIN have revealed his magic. was that the right decision for him to make in this episode? would that have ended in the best outcome? would that have improved the situation? just morally, was that the right choice to make?

i thought about it, and at first i was torn, because arthur was a wreck at this point. he felt angry, betrayed, devastated, and rightfully so. is this really the best time for his best friend of probably over a year, by this point, to admit to him that he was born with magic? and while this definitely would have been a tricky time to do it, i think this is the only episode in which arthur shows completely empathy and compassion towards magic. for once in this series, he doesn't blame magic for all the wrongs in the world, or even reservedly believe that magic may not be a thing to persecute for but can certainly never be trusted—he is fully open to magic and believes that every negative thing he ever knew of it, all stemming from his father, is completely wrong. obviously, this is because he took his hatred for magic and swapped it with his respect for his father due to the switched roles they had in his life (magic: the deceiver, the killer, the villian; uther: the protector, the victim, the hero; but yk, swapped in this episode) but that doesn't make his open mind to magic (IN THIS EPISODE!!) any less real.

so, ik that was a lot lol, but if merlin had told arthur about his magic at this point, i think itd be one of the only times when that revelation would cause arthur to feel angry and betrayed not really because of the magic, but because merlin hadn't told him. and i'm sorry, at any other point in the series, imo, that wouldn't be true. the deception itself may be the root of the hurt, but the magic would just be salt in the wound.

and!! not even to mention the fact that arthur was going to kill uther. instead of lying to him, merlin should have admitted that he has magic, told him not to kill him, explained whatever information he knew (yk, about nimueh or literally anything because he definitely knew more than arthur did, atp). would arthur have felt the betrayal twofold? of course, but i do think that this would have hit him hard enough to stop on his rampage to kill uther. it definitely would have been difficult to get him to STOP long enough to tell him lol, but i think merlin could have done it. all in all, it definitely would have been difficult to execute, but i think overall it would have been the right choice for all the right reasons.

now, onto the second interpretation of the question: should merlin have revealed his magic in the sins of the father, as in the WRITERS should have revealed his magic. and that answer is a resounding fucking YES!!!! im so so sorry, but merlin and arthur's relationship was ridiculous. i can (and will with the slightest prompting) go into an insane amount of depth and detail into why i hate their relationship development despite being obsessed with their dynamic (most of the time) and why i think as the MAIN DUO OF THE ENTIRE FUCKING SHOW deserved better, but i'll try to keep it short and sweet. in season one, their relationship was developed almost perfectly. sure, there definitely should have been more time from the first episode and onwards of actual contempt between them, but besides that i think the writers really did a very good job at building their relationship and dynamic.

then comes the giant fucking spiky, iron wrecking ball that is season two. immediately, all the trust and obvious affection and friendliness built in the first season just... disappears. i honestly think that a change in their dynamic was necessary! but with the current canon, there is absolutely no reason for it, and the changes that there were, quite frankly, sucked. they were completely unnecessary. but start off season two with them being all chummy and just genuinely good friends, and merlin starts to feel guilty for not telling arthur about his magic. (that's another thing about this goddamn show. i honestly can't think of a single time merlin expressed any actual guilt for lying to arthur about his magic for an entire fucking decade?? for the most part, all he expresses his fear at the possibility of arthur finding out, which makes me want to kick scream chew on someones eyelids and just generally maul someones face, but whatever ig. but this guilt could definitely result in some distance and loss of trust, and then it keeps building and building and building until... BANG! fucking magic reveal!!

its also perfect for the reason that, im sorry, i dont believe for a fucking second that season one arthur (MY arthur, thanks) would even LET merlin not tell him about his magic for TEN GODDAMN YEARS. he would sniff that shit out and wait patiently for merlin to spill before confronting him after like a month. because in season one, arthur definitely wasn't ready for a magic reveal. they weren't close enough, there wasn't enough trust, arthur hadn't grown enough yet, all the things. but season two? proved the perfect opportunity for all that to happen, and then on you can have ACTAUL GOOD CONFLICT instead of the entire conflict being "oh well merlins secret🥺" ........................SHUT THE FUCK UP

anyways, i think thats my whole opinion?? overall i just really think that the magic reveal should have happened longgg before the finale and this episode is the absolute perfect place for it to occur:)) thank you sm for the ask!! i had a lot of fun with this one if you couldn't tell lol. sorry for forgetting about it😭😭 so glad your back tho, and cant wait to have you lurking in my inbox again!!!

[midfight-artchive]

Hello!! It's been a while and I feel like I should explain why I've been gone for so long despite the blog working on a queue system. The short answer is mental health stuff, the long answer is below.

What's important is that the blog will now officially be on hiatus until further notice. When I come back, I'm going to overhaul how I do things behind the scenes that will hopefully bring more of the archive to you without tiring me out as much. Thank you for understanding, and again a more full explanation is below.

I've been going through probably the worst mental state I've ever been in lately. Nothing to do with the blog itself thankfully, I'm very passionate about this blog and MFM as a whole to this day, but the circumstances I'm currently in make it difficult to run this blog.

You know the saying "it gets worse before it gets better?" I'm basically going through that, fully realizing my traumas and really putting myself under a microscope to pick out what needs to be healed and improved. Things are looking up for me overall, but the amount of mental strain and exhaustion I'm experiencing can't be understated either. (Not to mention the fact that I'm still in the situation that gave me this trauma in the first place, so healing is a little difficult when I'm being retraumatized pretty much constantly... x_x) Said exhaustion makes it very hard to even fill the queue for this blog, let alone have the energy to answer asks or even tag sometimes. It's rough! This blog isn't demanding by any means and it's still too much to even think about. (And I have thought about it a lot!!! I've wanted to come back numerous times but didn't because of the constant fatigue I've been feeling.)

Part of that is because I'm neurodivergent, though, and MFM hasn't been a hyperfixation of mine for YEARS. In fact, I haven't had a solid hyperfixation since about...2019-2020? Since then I've been coasting along on special interests and even my focus on those have lasted shorter and shorter the longer time has gone on. I started this blog way after MFM was in my brainspace full time, which is why it took over a year to even set up. I felt that the premise was more important than my brain's shenanigans, though, so I pushed through and tried my best to keep it up. The sad truth is that I don't think about MFM as much as I used to, and when I do think of them these days it's more of a "damn, I really miss them...." for a few minutes before my brain goes back to whatever it's currently grabbed hold of. It's not my choice, as many people with hyperfixations know, and trust me when I say that if I could keep them in my focus long enough to keep this blog running I would in a heartbeat. The fact that this is comorbid with depression really means I have to scrap for whatever energy I can, and that means focusing on things that actively bring me joy just so I can have enough energy to get out of bed, meaning even a fun side project isn't as possible as I previously thought.

HOWEVER, NOT ALL HOPE IS LOST!!! I've started medication and as I've said, I'm working to better myself. This blog going on the backburner is me taking a break, NOT a cancellation, and when I come back I promise to be better about not disappearing for random stretches of time. :P I can't say exactly when I'll feel well enough to pick this blog back up, but it absolutely will happen.

Thank you all so much for the positive reception to this blog, and I'm looking forward to continue archiving for you all!!

[mbti-notes]

Anon wrote: I (ENTP) am conflicted on whether to try to resolve or end this unstable friendship with an ISFP.

For context: I’m an ENTP and my friend G is an ISFP. We’re both in our late teens and have been platonic friends for a year an a half. We share the same friend group. I’m neurodivergent, have anxiety, and tend to have depressive episodes.

At the beginning of our friendship, G was facing issues in their home life and mental health. I was supportive of them, and they gained the courage to ask for help from their family to get therapy. G seemed very insecure so I often tried to push them out of their comfort zone bit by bit. It worked out quite well as G started trying out new hobbies and overall seemed more satisfied with their life than before.

While I thought everything seemed to have worked out, I noticed G (who admitted to me) started becoming overdependent on me. G often mentioned how I was the ‘only one’ who helped them and how much I changed their lives. I simply took these statements as an exaggeration of gratitude as I didn’t think I played a big part in improving their mental health, as after all had G not been willing to change/ get help, nothing I tried would’ve worked. I also seemed to have been wrong as our friend group has pointed out G puts me on a pedestal.

This is when I noticed these patterns of behavior from G:

-if I don’t text them every day, G assumes I hate them and starts spamming and interrogating me. I don’t text anyone everyday, never have. To me, that’s too much. I’ve tried to explain to G if there are periods I don’t text back, it means I’m either busy, stressed, or having a depressive episode. G still always assumes the most negative outcome: I hate them. I’ve been in the wrong at times where I’ve not texted back for 2-14 days due to burn out from school/ tiredness from dealing with G’s unstable emotions.

-if G gets upset because of the texting issue, they ghost me for a couple of days/ weeks unpromptedly. Unadding me on social platforms, blocking me, you name it. Once they miss me again, they go back to spamming me, sometimes apologizes for ghosting. But it’s all meaningless as they go back to ghosting yet again. When they ghost me, I try to give them space as I literally can’t reach out to them but G sees this as evidence of their persistent assumption that I’m unaffected/ don’t care about them. I’ve expressed to them that I do care about them many many times, it’s just that G’s mood swings I have to deal with mentally exhaust me.

-G is very insecure about their identity and sensitive. We are complete opposites in personality. But lately I’ve noticed they’ve been putting on this sudden act of being nonchalant and carefree. Many times they copy what I would say and how I would phrase it word for word. Our friend group has pointed this out on several occasions. It creeps me out at times.

-At times when I sense G is upset at me, I ask if anything is wrong, try to resolve it. They act nonchalant and say nothing’s wrong (It seems at times they imitate their false impression of me to get me to act towards them the same way they do). It’s a lie as they later black and ghost me soon after. Ghosting periods don’t last.

And currently that’s the state we’re in. I’m unadded on all platforms after I had a conversation with them asking if they’re alright to which G said ‘perfectly fine’

I’ve told G multiple times how much I don’t like the spamming, how I’d rather we text less often (everyday is too much for me), how i’m don’t like them psychoanalyzing my every word and action and drawing a baseless conclusion on my character, many times I’ve had to explain myself when I’ve done no wrong. They do this so often I actually struggle to believe we’ve only known each other for a year and a half; it feels like it’s been forever.

What to do in this situation I’m left in?

----------------------

It is a difficult situation to be in. The most important thing you need to understand is that G's negative pattern of behavior isn't about you. It's really about their own insecurity. Insecurity can arise from many possible factors, such as anxiety, stress, low self-worth, fear of loss, or traumatic relationship experiences. In extreme cases, insecurity can manifest as neediness, clinginess, lack of healthy boundaries, and even emotionally manipulative behavior.

Insecurity isn't something you can fix for someone. The most you can do is be reassuring, try to make them more aware of the problem, and if they're receptive, offer to help or get them help for it. At the end of the day, they have to recognize the problem and seek out a remedy. Unfortunately, some people can't stop repeating their destructive patterns and have to lose relationship after relationship before they admit that they need help. It remains to be seen whether G is one of these cases.

Where does that leave you? If you understand that this issue isn't about you, you might be able to approach it from a more objective vantage point. For example: You'd see G's suffering clearly and address it sensitively. You'd be more focused on support rather than offense. You wouldn't get baited into conflict. You'd communicate matter-of-factly rather than escalate. You'd be a better judge of when to engage and when to step back.

Being more objective won't solve G's problem, but it might bring down the intensity and make interacting less exhausting for you because you're not taking things too personally. This would be the path to take if you genuinely care for G and want to keep this relationship.

Of course, you are free to choose the exit. One of the reasons insecurity often leads to relationship breakup is because there eventually comes a point where all the focus is taken up by one person and the other person's needs are entirely neglected. I think you have reached this point. G doesn't listen to you, doesn't believe in you, doesn't respect your boundaries, doesn't take action to care for your well-being. At this juncture, you have to ask yourself what value this relationship brings to your life. If a relationship really brings you nothing but hurt and pain despite all your efforts to improve the situation, what is there left to do but exit?

Before that point, though, you can communicate your needs and draw your boundaries more forcefully, and give plenty of warning to G that you're reaching a breaking point if nothing changes on their end. Unfortunately, given how much the relationship has deteriorated, I believe it is necessary to be more direct and blunt about your feelings at this point. However, it's risky, because it can go one of two ways: Either G gets shaken into facing the reality of their insecurity and makes a change, or they sink further into insecurity and destructiveness. Either way, you'll know the truth about what is or isn't possible for the future of this relationship.

I'm not saying the only options are bear it or quit it. Right now, there's still a possibility that G is amenable to change if you raise the topic of their insecurity in the right way, though good communication. After all, I'm sure you have some powers of persuasion and you have helped them change their perspective before. However, once that possibility has been exhausted and you no longer see any hope for moving forward, then you have to search your heart, consider your values, and make the best decision for the sake of everyone's well-being.

[bbyseok]

at first sight? — GOJO SATORU [TEASER]

pairing: gojo satoru x gn!reader

word count: TBA (looking to be around 5k-ish??)

RELEASE DATE: NOW POSTED

content: soulmate au, gender neutral reader, minimal use of they/them pronouns for reader, but gender is not specified, sorcerer reader, fluff, angst with a happy ending, brief swearing/explicit language, implied satosugu as past soulmates: can be interpreted as either romantic or platonic, fic takes place after jjk 0 but before the show starts

analysis: this is a world filled not only with curses, but soulmates too—in which you know someone is your soulmate when you first make eye contact with them. but for your case, things can get a bit complicated when someone is wearing a blindfold.

here, in this universe, you can tell that someone is your soulmate by simply looking at them. so with that, the saying of “love at first sight” is actually pretty accurate here. you see them for the very first time and barely know the person and yet, somehow, they’re the one you’re destined to be with.

with that, you’d think it’d be pretty common for two random people to run into each other while crossing the street or something and bam! suddenly you’ve found the supposed love of your life!

and you? well, for you, that hasn’t happened yet.

to be fair, it’s not like you’re actively trying to look for your soulmate. handling curses as a jujutsu sorcerer is difficult enough. (maybe you’ll run into them one day after saving them from a curse or something. how romantic.)

it’s better to leave it up to fate. it’s fate who decided your pairing anyway, right?

your transfer to jujutsu tech had been fairly smooth. after being stationed in kyoto for a while, tokyo was a nice change of pace.

coincidentally, you had been out of the country during the incident known as the night parade of a thousand demons. a scary event that proved the threat of curse users to be formidable.

because of that, your decision to transfer to tokyo seemed like the right thing to do. and so far, it’s been decent.

it’s a nice change of scenery. the students are aspiring; while maki and megumi aren’t the friendliest, they’re warming up to you. toge and panda are gradually improving.

nanami’s pessimistic outlook on jujutsu society and shoko’s overall unenthusiastic demeanor are certainly interesting for the most part, but your coworkers are pleasant to be around.

well. except for one.

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

gojo satoru knows that you are his soulmate. he has indeed known this fact right from the very start, ever since your first meeting.

even with his blindfold on, he could see your own eyes before him. his six eyes can see everything. the thing is.. he didn’t know he could have another soulmate.

his situation with geto suguru is something he doesn’t talk about with anyone. maybe shoko at times, but even then, it’s rare. it’s not that he doesn’t want to, but it’s pretty hard to talk about.

after suguru defected, gojo could still obviously feel their bond. even though they were no longer together as the strongest duo, did it really matter when their souls were still connected to one another? it was a factor that played in avoiding (and perhaps meeting up with) each other as the years went by.

satoru felt their bond die that day after the events with okkotsu and rika. and it had frightened him. that lingering presence of the bond was no longer there.

so imagine his surprise when he sees you.

a new sorcerer in kyoto, now transferred to tokyo. normally, gojo doesn’t seek out the new recruits, but yaga had dragged him over regardless. besides, he might as well get to know his possible assistant teacher that would be helping him out with the new first years.

“i guess i can check out some new faces,” he relented with a sigh, adjusting his blindfold and looking to the side as yaga’s steps slowed as they approached you.

gojo rolled his eyes–not that you’d see it anyway–as yaga introduced you with your name and your sorcerer grade. he stopped to stand next to the principal.

you extended your hand to offer a handshake, and gojo finally turned his head.

that feeling as his gaze fell upon yours beneath the blindfold was familiar—frighteningly so—and unfamiliar at the same time. as if he could breathe for the first time in ages. your eyes are unaware, but they’re so revealing to him.

satoru stuttered in his movements, reluctantly taking your hand. the skin that touched yours felt like it was on fire. he briefly held on to see if you felt it too.

but you simply smiled up at him.

“it’s nice to meet you, gojo,” you said, blissfully unaware of the revelation currently dawning on the man before you and the turmoil it brought as he abruptly retracted his arm back.

gojo stiffened. he merely offered a curt nod before turning on heel and walking away briskly. he could faintly hear yaga protest about his sudden departure before apologizing to you hastily. satoru shook his head.

how was this be possible? how could the universe give him two soulmates? he didn’t even know that was a thing that could happen. he wondered if there had been a similar occurrence before.

gojo couldn’t help but feel nauseous. was this the world playing some sort of sick, cruel joke on him? or was it perhaps giving him a second chance?

and truthfully, it wasn’t like gojo even wanted another soulmate. not after what he had been through with suguru. he hadn’t given it much thought.

was it really worth it?

what if he couldn’t protect you too?

so satoru had decided on one thing that day. the blindfold stays on. concealing his eyes from the world not only for him, but for your sake too. he was certain in his choice; he would never tell you the truth.

as far as you were concerned, you haven’t met your soulmate yet.

and never will.

[END OF TEASER]

a/n: hi ! thanks for reading the teaser !! this is my first jjk/gojo fic so im excited to post it soon. im thinking about adding a tag list since a few people were suggesting it, so feel free comment if you want to be included <33

[403tarot]

hello! do you do any readings for Enhypen? if yes, could you do one on their current energies + reason for it? they seem to have a different type of glow these few days (in a good way!) 🫶🏻

ENHYPEN'S ENERGY CHECK - 11.23

* since this is a reading to check energies i focused only on the subjects that the members have been most concerned about at the moment

heeseung:

he is going through a phase of changes and choices. I see that the romantic field is what occupies heeseung's mind the most at the moment; he is in a relationship where the terms are not beneficial to both equally. he might be distant from this person, making things difficult and nostalgic, and feels the need to decide between ending everything or remaining in this situation while waiting for an improvement.

jay:

he has been feeling tired in recent days but is trying to maintain a positive mindset. je feels he has given his best and believes this will bear good fruit in the future, even though he feels somewhat anxious now. in love, i see that he misses having someone in mind, being in love, and having a message to look forward to. he has some options, but there's no one who takes his love life out of boredom nevertheless.

jake:

his mood has fluctuated quite a bit recently. i see he's been concerned about many things at the same time, especially regarding his creativity and his image as an artist; he has been striving to improve to give his best. In the romantic field, jake is in a solid and happy relationship, although individually they might not be in the best moments; the other person becomes a safe haven.

sunghoon:

time for change! sunghoon is already getting into the new year spirit and closing chapters of his past. free, light, and looking for something new, he might be aiming to have some free time to dedicate more to hobbies in the future. in the romantic field, he doesn't want to get involved with anyone in a serious way and is more focused on learning to enjoy his own company.

sunoo:

he's been going through a tough time lately; the routine of everyday life and the pressure he feels on himself has made things exhausting. "i don't know what i can do to improve, and even surrounded by people who love me, i still feel lonely." he's trying to ignore present problems and ease his anxiety by thinking that things will get better in the future, he longs for that. in love, no one stays in his heart for long... he has more to worry about.

jungwon:

in a very passionate phase, love is in the air. i see that he feels this relationship has been giving him everything he needs, especially relief from daily stress and worries coming from the professional field. He feels loved and understood; most of his cards are talking about this, so i won't dwell on it for too long. in short, it's a healthy relationship and he's probably the happiest in the group right now.

niki:

something has been disturbing his peace, affecting all other areas of his life. anxiety about the future, mental fatigue, and pressure from external sources that have turned into internal pressures are making him feel caught in a spiral of problems. he feels hurt and misunderstood and likely has been keeping these feelings to himself. i love, niki doesn't feel confident or ready for a relationship; it's something he's not even considering at the moment...

professional field:

i decided to put the part about the members' professional lives separately because the energies of everyone in relation to this are basically the same. the whole group is very tired, physically and mentally. i didn't know that enhypen has a comeback soon, but i looked it up because the level of anxiety in ALL the members regarding their professional lives is a bit unsettling. overall, they are feeling a lot of pressure to achieve numbers and a high return from this work, and most members are having other parts of their lives affected by it (especially niki, sunoo, and jay). some are trying to stay positive and rely on the sense of teamwork they have, while others just want this time to pass quickly.

* based on tarot.

[wandringaesthetic]

Regarding Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, being the second video game I've beaten in 2025:

I first want to say how beautiful this game is. The sprites and animation and the lighting on them are so, so good, especially in the handful of set piece duels. Each character looks unique and interesting, which is difficult for a cast this big! The music is also great. The voice actors are good once I got used to them, and all this huge cast has unique voices and lines. (although, unlike Fantasian, where I think the performances added a lot, I feel this game could have done without them.) Presentation, overall, is top notch. The only negative thing I have to say in regards to how the game looks and sounds is while the mix of 2D characters and 3D backgrounds mostly works, the fact that most monsters and bosses are 3D doesn't, and I wish they'd used 2D sprites for them instead. Some of these monsters look really cool, and I wouldn't mind seeing a full game in the style they're animated in, but they don't mesh well with the 2D sprite characters.

I loved a great many of the (120!) characters. They're nearly all conceptually great, including some 100% optional, jokey ones (Francesca my beloved shouty healer came with me more often than not), but they're not always super well integrated into the plot or even their own side plots.

The central plot is good but not great, and I don't think I ever credited just how much Suikoden plots rely on angst. There are hints toward being that kind of gutwrenching: Nowa and Seign are briefly on opposite sides of a war, Seign's father publicly disowns him. But you're not being forced to kill your dad or ally with your friend's killer, and that sort of pain might actually be the Suikoden secret sauce.

(That and baths)

All the stuff I mentioned so far is okay to great.

Most of the criticisms I have are for the gameplay, which is poorly thought out in several small ways that add up, for example:

In most Suikoden games, each character has a few inventory slots. There's also a small shared inventory, but restorative items have to be on the character in order to be used in battle. A lot of people don't like this, and it's one of the things that kinda dates the earlier Suikoden games.

So there's only the one shared inventory here in Eiyuden! Great, right? But you still have a small inventory (30 slots that you can upgrade to 60 later) and restorative items still come in stacks of 2 to 6, except now, instead of each character carrying a couple stacks of them just in case, they're just jamming up your inventory in a game that is still balanced similarly to the old Suikoden games where healing magic is rare and expensive, and MP restoring items rarer and more expensive still. So you're going to need those restorative items. So you gave up the conceit of this actually being what these characters have in their pockets and got only another annoyance in exchange.

For another example: you have a turn order bar, but you still enter commands for your six character party all at once, so it doesn't help you react to changes in situation. There are many examples of making "improvements" to Suikoden II without considering how this effects gameplay downstream, so what we get is a tweaked version of a 25 year old game, which would be okay except some of the tweaks actually make it worse.

So overall, Eiyuden adds up to something that is very beautiful and charming but not that fun to play.

STILL. Nearly everything I've seen online about this game is someone complaining about how disappointed they were in it, and I think those people had unrealistic expectations and Eiyuden deserves better than that. This is still more or less the third or fourth best Genso Suikoden game. In some ways it really is a very thoughtful love letter to JRPG fans and anyone who has feelings about pixelated sprites. It's a decent game that you can see the ghost of a great game in. Like maybe the next game from this studio could be a classic. But small studios with kick-started games often don't get that chance, even if their founder didn't die.

Because that's the elephant in the room, isn't it? Between the time I started this game and the time I finished it, Yoshitaka Murayama, creator of Suikoden and founder of Rabbit and Bear studios, who made Eiyuden, died of cancer.

And I don't know what to say about that. He wasn't so often interviewed that I feel I have a sense of who he was, nor was he quite someone whom I felt like I knew through his work.

I do know there are several thousand backers listed in the credits of Eiyuden Chronicle, people who had faith that he and the people he chose would make something cool, sight unseen.

That feels weak.

I guess I'll eulogize him the same way a lot of people did, with the tagline from Suikoden I

[doorplays]

Door Reviews: Noita (2020)

There was a time I was just… aimless. Looking for the next thing to play, but can’t quite play anything. It’s a shitty feeling. One day, my eyes lazily went to my backlog of games, and out leapt Noita, a game that was played a lot by some online friends I have not contacted in a long time. So I go put it on, and try it. And here we are, reviewing it!

What’s it about? Noita has you playing as a witch who seeks knowledge. You plumb the depths of the world, going deeper and deeper, discovering various wands, spells, and a lot of enemies. You must survive while going deeper towards your goal.

STYLE (Gameplay, Graphics, Music)

The game’s graphics are pixel-based. It gives it a certain aesthetic that I think I overall like. I struggle to describe it, but nonetheless it works for me and the game. It feels quaint!

The pixel art style is very much essential, because each pixel of the game represents certain material. Each pixel matters, in a way, and represents a part of the world. A pixel of water can become vapor, a pixel of acid can eat its way through the ground. You can dig through pixels and pixels of earth. It’s the basis for a lot of the game’s mechanics.

This game has a lot of moving parts operating under the hood, which some people I reckon can appreciate. Having water cling to your clothes is actually a game mechanic - it makes you have a certain degree of protection against fire. And if you’re on fire, you can just splash yourself with water from the flask you are holding.

When you start the game, you have in your inventory two wands and a flask of a random liquid. Your first wand has a random projectile you can fire, and your second wand has a random kind of bomb with limited charges. With this, you are expected to explore the world and fight through any enemies that stand in your way.

And fighting is HARD. It plays like a bullet hell! You have to fight through jumping goons, toxic floaters, fire skulls, machine guns, wizards, and various other enemies the deeper you go. You have to have a lot of situational awareness, a lot of quick thinking, and a lot of foresight.

You have a certain amount of health that gets replenished in between stages and a certain amount of stamina that you can use to fly. You regain stamina automatically when you are on the ground. But health cannot be recovered so easily, so you must pick your battles. Know when to fight, and when to retreat.

Another aspect of the game are the wands and spells. During stages you can find wands littered about that you can put in your inventory. You can have up to 4 at a time, and you can exchange one wand for another that you just found. Each wand can represent an upgrade of your arsenal, so you are incentivized to explore each stage in order to fight wands that can help you go deeper into the levels.

Between stages, you can even calibrate your wands, removing spells from your existing wands and either putting them in your other wands or just save them in your inventory. Or you can even just throw these spells away if you don’t need them. The gameplay aspect here is you have to build the wand with the perfect sequence so that you can better deal with the enemies in each stage, with each spell improving your wands in various ways.

For this game, the gameplay is very much the draw, and it is very strong. I’ve had a lot of fun with it!

SUBSTANCE (Story, Characters, Impact)

This game goes for the Dark Souls approach in storytelling, in that the environment will tell the story. Truth be told, though, I never really cared for the story, if any. It doesn’t seem to be telling a story actively.

Nevertheless, it does give the vibe of an exploring witch perfectly. You shoot out magic with your wand. You can do alchemical stuff with flasks and powders. The deeper you go, the more difficult enemies you face. I like the vibe.

If you seek deep story, you won’t find it here. There’s lore here and there, but no explicit story.

VERDICT

Noita is a fun roguelike if you’re into difficult bullet hell-like games. It is complex, and rewards quick thinking and preparation. Overall, I like it!

Door Rates Game: 4/5!

[i-like-giving-orders]

[ID: 2 dialogue bubbles. The first one on the left says "If you didn't have your body..." The second one picks it up where the last one left off. It says "...you would definitely be like me." /End ID.]

i know that daniel will probably be haunted by these words and wonder whether there's some truth to them but imo while jiho is right that daniel only got better as a consequence of having 2 bodies, jiho and daniel are very different people

jiho is right that they suffered similarly by being bullied for their looks and he is also right that daniel was able to escape that when he switched, but the things that sets them apart are 2 things imo: kindness and a fighting spirit.

you see, when given the opportunity, daniel chooses kindness. jiho has to be grudgingly coaxed into it. when daniel got his second body, he decided to use his privilege to stop jiho and duke from being bullied. he gave duke a nudge and duke ran with it. he tried to do the same with jiho and jiho got entitled. truthfully, if jiho had gotten a second body, i cannot imagine he would have done similarly. he simply would not have become the handsome and strong saviour of the weak. if anything, he probably would have cozied up to vin jin and become a bully himself.

i dont think daniel would have improved without the confidence his second body gave him and the opportunities it opened to him, but the thing with people is that most don't improve without some kind of support. while his mom tried his best, we see him hiding stuff from her since the beginning as to not worry her, so there's only so much she can do. once he got support tho, just a little, he thrived. jiho, well, is not the same way. he got it, but he focused on the wrong things, and, as the last chapter of his arc pointed out, his schizophrenia didn't help his situation and overall personality.

now, im not sure fighting spirit is the correct term, but english is not my first language so i hope i will be able to make clear what i mean.

so at the beginning of the story neither daniel nor jiho fight. they don't have the confidence, the strength, the technique, etc. they both learn to fight in different parts of their lives: daniel with his friends in an attempt to become better and jiho in prison in an attempt to survive. since they are in such different places for this, we cannot compare them. however, we can compare their spirit.

at every opportunity, daniel is trying to do good. when daniel has to make a tough choice, he doesn't shy away from it. he's making mistakes, and he doesn't let people stop him, but because he cannot conceive giving up now that he knows what he is capable of. on the other hand, jiho fought, sure, and we see he is taking decisive action, but all with the intention of getting a second body so he can escape. daniel even offers him a second chance, despite everything he did, which includes but it is not limited to trying to kill him, and he turns him away to try to kill him again. why? perhaps because it's difficult. it's easier to think you can't change. that way, you can't disappoint yourself. despite what he said, we know it's not because he actually thinks people dont change. his mind didn't conjure an image of his past self trailing after him like a spectre, like a whole ass different person, for nothing. in the end, when refused the chance to escape and fearing betrayal from jake, he committed suicide. jiho didn't sit on the edge the building by mistake. although he didn't know it yet, the moment he had stepped foot on the roof, he had given up.

tldr: despite their similarities, when given a little help, daniel chooses to be better, helps others, and offers second chances. jiho, on the other hand, doesn't.

[mad-hunts]

oh. well, i suppose it's headcanon time once more, because i have way too many ideas regarding barton haha — so this may be a bit of a shorter one, but i believe it's equally as important as the one's i've posted thus far, because it really says something about how barton interacts with the world and how his brain works. but let me just start by saying that although barton does appear to have a relatively healthy relationship with food... he does occasionally hoard it, like, subconsciously as a result of the part of his childhood that he spent with wesley ( his biological father ). and this is because he was very much suffering from food insecurity while he was with his bio father. this is because wesley had lost his job as a forester whenever barton was around the age of five due to him missing too many days of work, not only because of how much his bloodthirst was taking over his life, but barton's life as well. he was forcing barton to go along with him on the super twisted ' hunting trips ' that i have talked about before that he unfortunately had to learn to endure with him ( which of course, in actuality, he never should've been forced to do ) about three times a week at one point and so that didn't really leave much time for wesley to attend work as much as he should've been.

and from there, wesley struggled a lot with finding a new job + providing for barton and him, so whenever he had access to food, barton would hoard it underneath his bed or in someplace where he knew that he knew he'd be able to find it because he wasn't sure when he'd be able to eat again. which is... very sad to think about, to say the least. thus, i think in more ways than one, meeting winslow at eight years old was probably the best thing for barton. winslow not only had a stable job, after all, but was a significant improvement in regards to how good of a father figure he was to him. i feel as if he never quite got over this insecurity, however, and that's why he sometimes still does it even till this day; especially since, although barton is NOT a good father overall, there is one thing that he's done right in regard to them and that is making sure that they were always put first in regards to getting to eat something. so hoarding food for him is also kind of a ' safety measure ' in a way as well because he has always been of the mindset that him being hungry is less important than them being hungry because of what wesley put him through as a child.

but yeah, that's just another one of my two-cents about barton's situation and how his mind as a whole works. he will quite literally sacrifice something like that for his children one second, though the next, he is liable to do something that makes it seem like he doesn't care about them at all... which admittedly makes him kind of confusing BUT i think there is reasoning behind this and one of those being that he can definitely feel cognitive empathy towards people, but actually putting himself in their shoes? it's much more difficult for him and sometimes nearly impossible because of how skewed his mind is. i shall expand more upon that another time, however, and what the term actually entails. i hope this didn't bum y'all out too bad but i promise you that i'll try to post more ( semi?? yeah, perhaps that ) fluffy things in the future.