#there are notable exceptions to this

[ethosnap]

The perception of Etho as someone loyal in the life series is really funny considering his track record of forming like five different secret alliances and eventually being torn to shreds between them. Yeah he's loyal. Loyal to everyone. And you can't count on him to prioritize you, but he'll do his best. That's why he always ends up taking on a defensive stance, because passively betraying someone by refusing to assist them/weaponized incompetence is Less damning than Actively hunting down someone you've pledged your loyalty to

[zippityzap]

Thinking about it, most of the Eggman/Robotnik henchmen across different iterations of him fall into one of two categories: two dipshits, or an abused smart guy who either really loves or really hates Robotnik

[debian-official]

it's so sad how people these days use 'pc' to mean a desktop computer or even a windows computer,, pc was meant to mean personal computer, just a machine that you love and that loves you back

[aurieeeeeenyx]

i'm sure i'm not the only one to point this out, but lu guang looks so much more expressive this season? like:

(excuse the bad quality; i'm sure there's more examples but these are just some screenshots i had on hand)

granted i haven't watched s1 and s2 in a while, but i feel like lu guang would never make these expressions in the present timeline and it makes me kinda sad

[wackywatchdotcom]

before i go do smth else like smth i think abt often but was thinking abt a few hrs ago in particular is how the circus easily tricks the audience into thinking the circus would be Better Than Real Life. when i think from literally almost any angle you examine it its just as bad (if not worse, depending on your own problems)

i think theres like so many problems its hard to even list them all. some of it is personal taste things. cus i think a lot of people think itd be fun because they enjoy specific aesthetic choices in the circus, or bc of other interest related things. but like. what about people who HATE bright colors. what about people who dont like the idea of not being human. what about people who dont enjoy things like roleplaying. some aspects of the circus are only even appealing to specific tastes in things, making one of the few 'draws' of it not really even being a universal thing

and thats the superficial stuff. because more importantly, if you dont like the real world (for whatever reason), the circus may provide a temporary solution to that, because its so far removed from reality. but i think the circus is way smaller than people realize. theres definitely always going to be things to see since caine can always make things, but its just as limited if not more than the real world, because while the world grows and changes, genuinely new things are created and discovered and stuff. caine will never really get to see that, let alone recreate it for the players- and even then, it still isnt actually that thing. that doesnt even factor in that caine is already operating on limited knowledge of the real world. its not clear how detailed he can get on things, since the accuracy can vary (spudsys being so accurate to the real world, vs the dinner in ep 1 being so flat and lacking almost any detail), but theres a good chance that anything he makes is going to be limited to, at the most, a CONCEPT from the real world, if theres nothing in the real world you like, thats still all youll get, just in a different way.and if you DO like things from the real world, youll never get to truly reexperience it (even if caine remakes it, youll know its not the real thing, and it wont be 100% how you remember it, either)

then theres the safety/pain/horror aspect to what caine makes. i think because there hasnt been gore or anything its easy to assume the circus is still tame, and that anything bad that happens cant be TOO bad. but this is NOT true at all. the teaser of the show establishes that even when caine is not going for horror, he still hurts the players. theres things thatd be physically horrifying to a person like getting possessed, theres physical pain (i see it debated but i think its clear that even if they were to experience less pain, they still DO experience pain, but thats a different topic) or extreme discomfort, theres psychological torment (the exit doors are genuinely very cruel even if that wasnt caines goal, what ep 4 did to jax and gangle. kinger getting taunted in ep 3, etc). its all survivable but even if you like them caine isnt trustworthy enough in this way to never do smth horrific to a person, or cause it through his actions

then theres the complete lack of autonomy, which imo is one of the most frightening things about the circus. bc unless your tastes are always aligning with the exciting, completely family friendly existence of the circus, and you never deviate even a little, you are going to be barred from any semblance of it. its best illustrated in how pomni HATES being touched but caines always prodding her and moving her places and stuff, and in how zooble is denied the option to opt out of adventures even when they state they want to directly by episode 4 implying the choice to even have time to yourself is deeply conditional (plus, the whole lack of an exit entirely meaning that even if you liked the circus, the lack of option to leave would still affect a person. youre getting locked in a big room for the rest of time and youll never get to leave). and also this post

and THEN you factor in the social aspect. because regardless of how you prefer socializing if at all, the circus is a nightmare. if you dont like people, thats great! you dont NEED to be anyones friend! except that you are going to be forced to interact with them eventually, and when you do its going to be repeated. its not gonna be once. and once caine notices hes going to bother you about it. forever

alternatively, if you DO like social interactions in any way, no matter what, if its not you, youre going to see others abstract. you are going to inevitably watch those you care abt struggle and eventually get stuck in a state that Seems Extremely Horrifying To Experience forever. its long and drawn out and itd suck and it wouldnt happen once

then is the easy to forget fact that if you have psychological problems they can and WILL follow you to the circus. gangle and zooble are the biggest examples of this. the circus didnt get rid of their problems, they just gave it a new, horrifying inevitable consequence. i sometimes fall victim to looking at the circus and assuming that ohhh i wouldnt have this problem! because i wont have to deal w it getting set off! but like... yeah i would. i wouldnt stop having this or that in the circus id just have to deal w it while ALSO going on adventures

theres many things. you cant truly eat you cant die you dont get to decide anything when you do die it seems terrifying to experience and youll be stuck in some level of that forever and anything you enjoy is not with you and anything you dont enjoy will follow you too to some degree and the list goes on and on

all this said i dont think any of this is an indicator that the characters lives are meaningless or smth just because it sucks. theres a reason gooseworx has said that the takeaway from the show should be that theres meaning to be found in a stagnant life. theres still meaning in their existence and i dont think its as hopeless as it may seem- but i think its still BAD. and tbh the idea that its worse only HELPS that theme of the show!!! i dont think itd hit as hard as a theme if the circus DIDNT suck

[moonshynecybin]

also can i say i love it when marc pretends that he doesn’t know he is the benchmark for all others even broken and on bad machinery while he is also CLEARLY internally holding himself to a standard where he is the benchmark in his head. and then he comes to the press and verbally is all fake humble like idk… maybe third in the championship… like cmon. my man. why are we playing this game.

[quibbs126]

I think motorcycle Transformers are cool and I want more of them, but I also don’t like when they make female Transformers motorcycles as like, an excuse as to why they’re smaller and slimmer than the male characters. Not that a female bot can’t be a motorcycle, it’s just that it feels like that scenario happens too often with motorcycle bots

I think the solution is that we need more male motorcycle Transformers. The only ones I know of are TFA Prowl and Thrash, let’s expand that list a bit more

[frogkicks]

Why do you ship deathstar? Not asking out of malice I just genuinely wanna hear your thoughts.

I hope you have a pleasant morning/afternoon/night :]

I love Wander and Dominator because I see the potential for interesting characterization, and telling a good story. As a writer first and an artist second, that's how I tend to judge ideas. I'll explain some of the reasons why I think that.

I'm not going to justify all my points, since that'll take forever and it's OK if I don't "convince" anybody. If you get me, that's awesome, if you don't, that's totally fine! This is a lighthearted opinion piece, and I'm not trying to one-up other ships. Please don't take me too seriously!

Nobody cares about Dominator except Wander

I'll keep my ideas for a redemption arc vague, since I may explore them in the future. If it were to happen though, I feel the best setup is Dominator's defeat at the end of Season 2, and she should be separated from the main characters for part of it. However, I don't think it's possible all by herself, and there's nobody else as willing to forgive or help her as Wander.

All of the galaxy's natives hate her for destroying their homes. She toyed with Hater's feelings throughout the show, count him out. Peepers hates her for turning his boss into a lovesick fool and dominating "their" galaxy. Sylvia is clearly capable of getting along with her, but it was limited, and she organized the effort to destroy her in "The End of The Galaxy". Basically, Dominator isn't deserving of a second chance from anybody. Wander is the only one currently willing to offer it anyway, and I like the idea of it building to their first constructive interactions.

To be fair, he was definitely afraid of her. Dominator was a uniquely devastating threat, and as a competent villain, it was impossible to figure out her vulnerabilities. That drove him crazy, until he finally realized she was lonely in the Season 2 finale-- which isn't why she's evil, but the lack of company motivated some of her habits.[1] He proceeds to save her life, and after everything, tells her "it's never too late for a fresh start."

This is an absurdly forgiving and compassionate guy. We'll never know how many villains Wander reformed, but his efforts span over 1000 years. She might be a cut above the rest, but in his own way, he is too.

Wander's strengths cover Dominator's worst flaws

Wander has experience in areas Dominator lacks. She needs him far more than he needs her-- especially after being "a bit of a pill" to him-- which is fine, Wander and Sylvia are the same way. I'll explain why these two are still a great team in a moment.

Dominator is callous, emotionally immature, and socially stunted. "The Night Out" emphasizes all of it, and the ending suggests she might've never had a friend. Meanwhile, Wander is far more compassionate, emotionally mature, and experienced with relationships. He seeks nothing for himself,[2] loves the hate out of evildoers, and had plenty of close friendships.[3] I really like the idea of Wander, perceived as "dumb and hopeful and pathetic," turning out to be wiser than her and her needing to learn from it.

At the same time, he's not condescending at all. That's important in the beginning with how haughty Dominator is. I imagine Wander being himself and extending kindness, until she's reached the end of herself and humbled enough to accept help from him. I don't like the idea of shoehorning romance into their reconciliation, S2 was clear about it not redeeming her. This is simply laying the groundwork for it.

Wander and Dominator together might be overpowered

Deathstar is a bit of a "double the trouble" dynamic for me. Wander might not need Dominator as much as she needs him, but I don't think anybody else will simultaneously keep up and enhance the effects (good or bad) of whatever he does. I feel like Sylvia tells him, "You probably shouldn't do that," and Dominator tells him, "You should probably do it like this."

These two share strengths: perceptiveness and strategy. Wander reads villains like a book, figuring out their problems, and intentionally provokes them to get their attention while planning things to help them. Dominator reads her targets like a book, figuring out their vulnerabilities, and intentionally provokes them for attention or exploits their weaknesses for an advantage. I like the thought of her being the villain that stumped him so long, because she's as skilled as playing with people as he is!

If they fell in love, they would be a power couple. You're wedding a seasoned traveler to a technical genius with unmatched engineering skills. Despite their potential, I don't like sidelining Sylvia in their dynamic for a few reasons. For one thing, her grounded mindset is still valuable. Wander and Dominator are adventurous, and since he's optimistic and she's full of herself, both susceptible to thinking they can handle anything.

my favs. they are zilly

ok, i ship it because i think it works, but i am not a robot. i wouldn't love Deathstar as much if it wasn't my top 2 favorite characters. by themselves, i love them as super interesting and cute sillies. put together, their designs are so freaking cohesive idk,,,

Wander meets the greatest villains in the galaxy and wants to befriend them. it's so funny imagining that meeting THE villain eventually makes him go "smh who left this perfectly good wife here" 😭 my dopey headcanon: she's a special (severe) case and that makes her redemption admirable and attractive in particular,,, he thought he's seen it all after living so long

i love him looking up at her for 1 frame. he is so little!!! 🥺 she didn't pull him off btw. is it only shock or is she touch starved and in denial? goofy ahh green spoon. what is wrong with her??? oh right shes evil 🔥

i like when their eyes derp out and they did thE SAME FACE?? WAIT WHY ARE THESE BOTH FROM SEASON FINALES TOO. HELLO???

Thank you so much for asking. At the time of posting, everything I wrote applies to my current vision of Deathstar, whether or not I conveyed it yet.

[cutter-kirby]

the coli siblings have variants of each other’s colors in their outfits btw. in case you were wondering 👍

[suntamer]

okay, i'm going to say something very, very brave.

i think (as in, this is my opinion) veilguard's npcs are better than the ones in da2 and inquisition with some very minor exceptions. i haven't felt this intense urge to write excessive amounts of fic for (relatively) minor characters since origins. i'm absolutely fascinated by most of them. i just need to stop playing for long enough to actually work on something.

[variousqueerthings]

on the one hand, more due south would probably be a bad idea, on the other hand paul gross is the right age to play a fraser who's around frobisher's age now............ all the Themes that got brought up about no longer being young (and invincible) and the last of a breed and the whirligig of time bringing inevitable modernisation for bad and for good............ his hair all white......................

[silencedrowns]

shocked at how much Di Gi Charat (1999) holds up today

[yakourinka]

wait we got an anniversary song by aimer featuring doctor and priestess

[banditblvd]

Kleki.com was one I’ve never heard of, but it was fine nothing special

Basically a less complex version of Aggie.io/magma :-)

[marinsawakening]

LOZ Fic Recs

Deciding to use my hobby of autistically crawling through AO3 tags for good. I'm prioritizing fics with less than 50 kudos. None of these are ship fics, most don't have any romance. All of these are completed one shots, most under 10k words.

Skies, Surfaces, and the Hero Chef That Can't Actually Cook by greatduwangs

Summary: Link's cooking sidequest in Skyward Sword, which goes about as well as you'd expect. Or, the missing ingredient was a home all along, or whatever.

Why I recommend it: 4.5k of Link eating things he shouldn't. Very funny and very cute!

Big Dark by phlyarologist

Summary: Character study of Mido as the events of Ocarina of Time change him, worldbuilding the Kokiri and examining what it means to grow up.

Why I recommend it: Contender for the best LOZ fic I've ever read. Brilliant worldbuilding and characterization, and a fantastic understanding of childhood and its nuances that you rarely see outside of fiction aimed at children.

loop - synonyms: coil, noose, ring, circle by MidnightBunnyy

Summary: Fi gets stuck in a timeloop and is very... well, Fi about it.

Why I recommend it: Excellent Fi characterization that leads to a very funny take on a time loop scenario while still being a serious story.

Notes: Restricted work, only available to AO3 users.

A Legacy Cast in Stone by sagittamoth

Summary: Pre-Skyward Sword Sheikah worldbuilding following an OC who works with the robots and timeshift stones in the last days before the war.

Why I recommend it: Does a great job with worldbuilding, creating a vibrant world that slots neatly into the greater Skyward Sword canon.

missing by fandomsandshit

Summary: Drabble exploring Zelda's time in the dungeon.

Why I recommend it: Does a brilliant job painting fear and an oppressive atmosphere, with stellar Zelda characterization.

Growth by herohelio

Summary: Two connected snippets of Malon in the adult timeline, meeting Link again.

Why I recommend it: Adorable Link and Malon friendship and great Malon characterization, with very effective hints at what living under Ingo had been like.

Because each time we live by grainjew

Summary: Follows Link through ALTTP, written through the lens of the reincarnation theory with a focus on connection to the wider LOZ series.

Why I recommend it: Author described it as a 'mood piece', which it absolutely is and is very good at. I like the surreal and blurry way reincarnation is portrayed in this fic, and it has a great take on the maidens.

Blind and the Bunny by justAPassingThought

Summary: A character study of Blind the Thief through his defeat in the Thieves’ Hideout Dungeon.

Why I recommend it: Excellent exploration of the Dark World and the way its transformations work, and I really like Blind's view on Link's Dark World form.

Litany of Betrayal by RawLiverAndCigarettes

Summary: A foreign warlord swears fielty to the king of Hyrule. Impa knows what the stranger truly wants. She has seen it before. She can still taste the ash.

Why I recommend it: Fantastic character study of Ganondorf and Impa in Ocarina of Time. Everyone is horrible and I'm thriving. Incorporates Hylia into the OOT canon in a way I find actually interesting. Fascinating worldbuilding in general.

Notes: Prequel to a novel-length fic I have not read (I'm terrible at reading long fics rip).

that gentle hubris by cassiopeian

Summary: Zelda bares her soul at the Spring of Wisdom, but the answers she seeks do not come from a goddess.

Why I recommend it: Mipha and Zelda friendship, a fun take on Zora mythology and I always love mortals forging their own paths in worlds where gods are objectively real.

Hunger by Anonymous

Summary: Sequel to Grace, where Zelda struggles to reckon with perceptions out of her control. Link is there to help point out what she's missed. Can be read as standalone.

Why I recommend it: Autistic Zelda, queerplatonic zelink, and a great portrayal of the hunger that comes with trauma.

Notes: Sequel to a fic that is also very good.

As Above, So Below by Mothlight_Witch

Summary: An exploration of the Depths and Hyrule's cosmology.

Why I recommend it: The other contender for 'best LOZ fic I've read'. Astounding atmosphere and worldbuilding, incredibly unique and all-around breathtaking. Lives in my head rent free.

What is your wish? by AdeptArcanist

Summary: Character study of Vaati connecting him to Link's Awakening and Majora's Mask.

Why I recommend it: Very weird and unique take on LOZ lore and I'm so incredibly here for that.

Linner (Link Dinner) by waterglider

Summary: An adaptation of one of Zelda's diary entries set after the "Blades of the Yiga" memory. After a very irritating person saves her life, Zelda has developed a theory-- one she plans to test.

Why I recommend it: Zelda is kinda mean and Link is a monarchist bootlicker. I adore this take on pre-Calamity Link, he's genuinely insufferable and I love that. If I ever end up writing pre-Calamity Link I'm so stealing this characterization.

Notes: Sequel to another stellar fic, prequel to an in progress novel-length fanfic that I have not read (again, terrible at reading longer fic).

[millenari]

Funniest thing about the original Broadway version of M&R (the one that Misto sings with the trash puppets) is how Tugger introduces him so dramatically in the beginning. Bc when it comes to bringing Deut back during Misto's number, that's obviously important and Tugger would obviously be invested in doing whatever's necessary to save him (including hyping Misto up), but M&R is just a silly little song.

Like, Misto comes on stage with his two little puppets made of garbage and a catchy lil ditty about them doing shenanigans and Tugger has to cut in front of him and basically go 'MISTO IS PERFORMING SO EVERYBODY SIT DOWN AND START FUCKING CLAPPING OR ILL BLOW THIS WHOLE PLACE UP'