#they're both TOP TIER designs

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

On the left, the werebear! They have a normal (usually thick and hairy) person form, a larger bear person form, and a full bear form. They're also usually really nice. Most refuse to bite unless the target is a willing companion or apprentice, and will stick with them for a while to help them gain control of the curse. They just love enjoying and protecting nature, doing good out where they can't accidentally hurt anybody.

On the right, the Dao! 8-11 tall (2.4-3.4 m) genies of earth! They love flaunting wealth and dominating others, though very few are able to grant wishes. They know spells like mold earth and invisibility, some can use disguise self innately, and rare ones can even use polymorph on themselves to shapeshift into most creatures or objects!

[keekeenuggets]

ALSO

Can we talk about how the Vees always hang out in the same room???

We first see it when Vox goes to calm Val down:

It's the same table, TV, and couches that are in the extermination watch party scene, and they're also the same couches that Val and Vel are hanging out on in Stayed Gone:

This poster next to Vox when Val threw the glass is also visible in the background (on the left, behind Val) in the scene where Vel is watching the news on her phone:

After which Val immediately turns around and goes to sit on the couch to turn the TV on instead so he can see better. And when it switches to Vox's camera, there's a clear shot of the couches/table as well:

When their song in the finale starts, Vox passes these monitors, which are the same ones as in the first scene with Vox and Val (plus the little photo):

Then they're in front of the couch Vel and Vox were sitting on:

And then you can see the back of Val's couch when Velvette is filming the dancing.

And in her phone screen, you can see barstools in the background, which is probably where Velvette was sitting when she showed Val the news on her phone?

Also she was filming for 10 minutes,

And then remember that uh... weapons closet that Val gets guns out of? You can see it in the background when Val and Vox are singing (just to the right of Vox).

All of this is just to say the Vees 100% always hang out in this space, and it's adorable. It's their hangout space. I was always thinking it's a lobby/living room of some kind, but I've seen people refer to it as Val's room, and you know what? It's amazing either way because either Velvette and Vox both adore Val enough to have all his posters covering their common area wall, OR they have designated Val's room as their hangout spot, and he's just chill with it 😭

Bonus: look at how Velvette looks at her boys when they go off dancing:

These three are top tier polycule material and you cannot convince me otherwise.

[bestanimatedmovie]

Choose your favorite!

Vote in the other polls!

What fans say:

The Lorax:

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse:

It had a very big impact on meme culture. And a really catchy soundtrack. Plus it has the silly sexy green man. What more could you want from a film.*

The Once-ler and the let it die song. This movie is glorious.

It is legit the mother of all great animated movies nowadays. From Mitchells vs the machines to the new mutant mayhem movie! The plot is so good and you can really see character development from almost all of the characters, plus the designs are BANGER.

THE MUSIC?? TOP FUCKING TIER. THE CASUAL DIVERSITY? IT ALSO HAS LITERALLY THE BEST SHOT IN CINEMATIC HISTORY (Miles rising after taking his leap of faith)

BRO THE ANIMATION IS SO SICK. The amount of sheer effort put into this movie is insane. The character growth was so amazing to watch and such a great movie to analyze. Best scenes are obviously the leap of faith. Actually gorgeous. And also the scene where aunt May sees Peter b after her Peter died. Her “you look tired, Peter” is just so heartfelt

Where the hell do I even start. The visuals are incredible and the plot is engaging. Every scene is perfect.

This film has EVERYTHING. Humor, action, inspirational scenes, kickass music, absolutely killer animation, an art style that is an homage to comic books, loveable characters, a talking pig, DR OLIVIA OCTAVIUS, I could go on

This is the best superhero movie ever made, the leap of faith is one of the best movie scenes of ever

The animation style is better than all the others, and makes the movie funnier too! The representation is also good, and the romantic storyline isn't too prevalent in the movie. Probably the best animation Marvel has made. My favorite scene is when the villains show up to Aunt May's house -- its my favorite fight scene!

I’m sure this movie’s been submitted already because it’s arguably the greatest animated film of all time. I have a personal connection to it because I saw it in theaters on opening night with my late father, and we both loved it and I still do. The animation is revolutionary and it’s one of the only 3 movies that make me cry.

gsksvbsvsbsvs I love everything about it, I love the animations, the story, the soundtrack also the style of animation AAAAAA its so beautiful its art it belongs in a museum i get goosebumps everytime I rewatch it

It’s just so good. All the characters are amazing and I love Miles dad. It’s hilarious and sparked my love for spider-man. It’s such a sweet movie about finding yourslef and has such a powerful message. I totally recommend it so I’m not adding spoilers, but like. Ohhhh, it’s so good.

Interesting villains, well-developed character arcs, a fresh take on Spider-Man, unique use of animation, funny, good use of multiverse that adds to the nature of the story being told, complicated character dynamics

It's the best animated movie because A: it takes one of the most well known comic characters of all time, kills him off in the first few minutes, and then shows you every cooler version of him. B: Has a large amount of representation in its main cast, considering that they're all versions of Spiderman, and that requires a white guy by default. C: everything in it is so well done I can't pick a favorite scene, but the most iconic is the jump off the skyscraper window.

The animation is incredible, the movie has so much story and heart, and there’s a perfect balance between humor and seriousness. And the soundtrack slaps

This is probably the best animated film I've ever seen. The animation is definitely the highlight, the way they blend comic book art styles and 3D animation is an absolute joy to look at and is so overwhelmingly creative, every frame of this movie is gorgeous. The impact this had on the industry is undeniable, as we start to see more and more movies getting more creative with their animation styles. It's not just the animation though. All of the characters are entertaining, all of the jokes land and the story is really well done. It leaves me blown away every time I watch it.

This movie kind of changed the western animation industry from the ground up. Apart from being expertly written, funny, and heartfelt, it is also stellarly animated, with a unique visual style that takes direct inspiration from the comic books it adapts and mixes 2d- and 3d-animation in a way and to a degree that hadn't really been seen before in western mainstream. Its critical and monetary success paved the way for mainstream 3d animation to open up to new and excitingly stylised movies that were like a breath of fresh air between the generic Pixar-style animation that had been the largely unchanged norm in the industry since Toy Story circa twenty years earlier**. ITSV divides the screen like panels on a comic page, it uses dots and lines for shading and gradients, doesn't shy away from lowering framerates for stylisation, and makes liberal use of onomatopoeia, both to comedic and dramatic impact. Impact frames and SFX are often hand-drawn and stunningly colourful, and even the simple dialogue scenes astonish with an expressiveness and realism in their depiction of emotions that makes me rewatch a two-second scene of Miles laughing fifteen times in a row. My favourite scene has to be the What's Up Danger scene, the emotional climax of the movie. Set to an absolute banger of a song, it is the moment the entire film has been building up to. I won't spoil anything plot-wise in case you somehow haven't seen this movie, but both from an emotional and a visual standpoint it is Fucking Dope. Conclusion: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse is my favourite movie of all time and I could talk about it for hours. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. Thank you.

Have you SEEN the Whats Up Danger/rising and falling scene? it's a work of art that makes me fall in love with storytelling all over again whenever I see it. Also the impact that it's had on animated film is absolutely being felt at current, if incrementally. Incredible film.

It has an amazing art style based on comics and mixed up due to genre differences. It's really fun and the characters are great, even the side ones. The story line is great and I love Miles and his family.

*Mod note: errr, quite a lot more than memes and music actually

**Mod note: amen

[fox-guardian]

idk if you've said before but what r your assigned fursonas for the tma characters? and/or tmagp? i'm very curious

jon is a black oriental shorthair cat. the cat part is obvious, but also look at them. they are so long and silly. i love their faces and their huge ears.

martin is a bear. enough said i think

tim is a fox because. i'm biased what do you want from me (danny is also a fox because they're siblings)

sasha is a domestic rabbit with lop ears, while not!sasha is a hare

elias. i think i changed elias, he was gonna be a sphynx cat but i think i decided to change that and never settled on an alternative (@irradiatedsnakes has an excellent barn owl elias that i am Very fond of tbh) (all of his designs are top tier truly please go look at them)

peter is a polar bear as previously mentioned

melanie is a sphynx cat (that's why i changed elias) because i think melanie and jon both being cats is funny

georgie i think i went with capybara

i never drew it, but i think i was gonna go with sheep for daisy. and i don't think i ever had a plan for basira

nikola is a carousel horse <3 with jarringly human hands under her hooves like that deer from adventure time

gertrude was a persian cat, very fluffy and grumpy looking.

trevor was a terrier. specifically like the tramp from lady and the tramp. obviously.

i don't thiiiink i had many other solid ideas?? i think i was going to make oliver some kind of dog (maybe a guard or companion breed??) as a reference to church grims

for tmagp i don't really have many ideas?? i've drawn them as furries but just in an OOPS ALL CATS setting because cats are fun to draw. as actual specific animals i've been leaning towards mouse sam tbh

as a treat tho i'll drop the all cats furry ideas as well

sam is a tuxedo cat

alice is orange and white with a bob tail

gwen i think i'm going for some kind of shorthair calico

celia i think would be fun as a cornish rex perhaps (they both have the same nose <3)

colin is an orange lykoi cat because i think they look so fun and also it works with the hair i gave him (they're partially hairless and he's balding)

teddy is a brown british shorthair. that's basic i know but Have You Seen Them. they're so cute and teddy-bear like.

idk for lena yet

[wishful-thinking64]

HH Rewrite Related Post #01

Not too long ago I reblogged a post that involved some of the background characters in Hazbin Hotel because there's a few that I'd like to make into actual characters as they have potential to be something cool. Well, I finished the key information for what I came up with for the Siren Overlord and I'd like to share it! ________ [APPEARANCE]

[CURRENT NAME] 🞂 SCYLLA. 🞂 She hadn't chosen a new name for herself until after she had been in Hell for about 4 years as that's when she became an Overlord.

[FORMER NAME] 🞂 TANASHIRI DATUMOLOK. 🞂 Her first name means Sacred Lotus while her surname essentially means Natural Born Leader.

[D.O.B + D.O.D] 🞂 BORN JUNE 27TH, 1720. 🞂 DIED AUGUST 27TH, 1756. [AGE] 🞂 BIOLOGICALLY 36. 🞂 CHRONOLOGICALLY 304.

[GENDER & SEX] 🞂 FEMALE.

[ETHNICITY & NATIONALITY] 🞂 A FILIPINA WHO LIVED IN THE PHILIPPINES. 🞂 She never left the motherland until her passing forced her to.

[SOCIAL STATUS] 🞂 OVERLORD. 🞂 I'm still having her be a current Overlord in my rewrite cause I'm a sucker for her design. [OVERLORD SYMBOL/SIGNAL] 🞂 A LOTUS FLOWER. 🞂 This is both a reference to her original name along with being another reference to the Odyssey.

[CRIMES COMMITTED IN LIFE FROM LEAST OFFENSIVE TO MOST OFFENSIVE] 🞂 THEFT. 🞂 B&E (Breaking and Entering.) 🞂 TRAFFICKING OF ILLEGAL & STOLEN GOODS (Specifically treasures belonging to rich or wealthy conquistadors.) 🞂ESPIONAGE. 🞂 AGGRAVATED ASSAULT. 🞂 KIDNAPPING. 🞂 TORTURE. 🞂 MURDER. [SINS COMMITTED IN LIFE FROM LEAST TO GREATEST] 🞂 PRIDE 🞂 GREED 🞂 WRATH 🞂 ENVY [OVERLORD PROFESSION/THEME] 🞂 PRIDE'S #01 KILLING BUSINESS. 🞂 Ranging from run of the mill hitmen to top tier assassins, Scylla's got a wide selection of killers ready to get their hands dirty instead of yours! As long as the price is right (and you actually have the money), simply provide the target's name, time, and location so your killer knows when and where to be. And if you have something sick and twisted in mind, you can customize how your killer handles the process whether it be a specific murder plan to follow through or a more devious torture method before your target breathes their final breath! However, keep in mind that customization does cost extra.

[HOW SHE SECURED HER CONTRACTS] 🞂 PRIMARILY DUE TO DESPERATION. 🞂 Unlike many Overlords who fool demons into signing away their souls with false promises or clever wordplay, the demons that go to Scylla tend do so out of necessity. The majority of her vast catalog of killers were once demons who were either jobless or homeless. With nowhere else to go, they turned to her as a last resort to, financially, get their lives back on track. Her soul contracts offer good perks to the contractor as they get free healthcare should they get injured on the job, if they're homeless when signing their contract they're able to live in company's apartment complex until they get back on their feet, contractors only work four days out of the week, receive a bi-weekly income, etc.

[TERRITORY NAME] 🞂 ANG LUNGSOD NG SALUNGOS. 🞂 English Translation = The City of Urchins.

[CORE PERSONALITY TRAITS] 🞂 ADEPT. 🞂 ALERT. 🞂 AMBITIOUS (I feel like this is just a mandatory trait in order for a demon to become an Overlord.) 🞂 ANTIPATHETIC. 🞂 DARING. 🞂 DILIGENT. 🞂 PERSPICACIOUS. 🞂 RECLUSIVE. 🞂 RESOURCEFUL. 🞂 SELFISH. 🞂 SLY. 🞂 TENACIOUS. 🞂 THANKFUL. [RELATIONS TO OTHER OVERLORDS] 🞂 BARELY ANY. 🞂 She has little to no relations to any of the current Overlords on account of only appearing for mandatory/urgent meetings; the last of which happened back in The Great Depression. The Overlord she knows of and has spoken to the most is Zestial as the old(er) bastard has somehow managed to stick around. She's spoken to Rosie twice and has spoken to Alastor all of one time. What she knows about the current Overlords is through social media and whatever intel Zestial has to offer her but other than that she doesn't know them anywhere near on a personal level and vice versa which is exactly how she wants things to be.

________ I had a lot of fun creating Scylla's character (minus her design of course that credit goes to and belongs to Spindlehorse) sheet and I can't wait to share more stuff like this in the future! Thank you for reading and bye for now everyone!

[intimidating-fettuccine]

Poly LJ + Jason teaching reader how to bake hcs/scenario? Whichever u prefer!

This request was cute as hell, thank you for sending it in :)

If there's one thing above all else those two boys are really fucking good at, it's baking. They can both make the most delicious, intricately decorated desserts you'll ever eat in your life, and they make it look so easy every single time. Of course, as their partner and main consumer of their sweets, it was only a matter of time before you were asking them to teach you how to make delicious things as they do, and who were they to refuse you? Anything to spend time with you and make you happy, but even aside from that, they'd both be lying if they tried to say they hadn't fantasized about baking together with you before, so their acceptance of your request came quite easily.

The thing about the two of them, though, is that they're both very different teachers. While they were both able to agree on helping you make a tiered cake, the way they went about doing so was (humorously, in your opinion) different. Jason, ever the gloater, was trying to be a show-off every step of the way, doing things in methods and paces you wouldn't be able to keep up with as a beginner, and so you'd be left standing there, not quite sure how to replicate his abilities. Jack, chuckling behind you at Jason's behavior, would then step in to help you in a much easier way. He'd guide you with his hands, standing behind you and explaining every step and why it needs to be done a certain way. This, of course, makes Jason very pouty, standing off to the side with his arms crossed and his bottom lip puffed out a bit, jealous of Jack's closeness to you and mad at his own ego for getting him into this situation in the first place. Once it's time to decorate your cake, though, he's shooing Jack out of the way and saying it's his turn to help you and be so close to you, much to the amusement of both you and Jack. At least you had the courtesy to not laugh at Jason for his jealousy, but Jack didn't give him that same privilege, laughing at him so hard Jason's skin was flushing red.

Jason replicates Jack's earlier behavior this time around, helping to keep your hands steady as you beautifully decorate the cake, even lifting you if needed so you can reach the top tiers more efficiently. While decorating and choosing colors and little add-ons is always Jason's favorite part of baking, he gives you full creative control, happy to see you having so much fun. If you want help piping any intricate designs he's more than happy to assist you. He'll do a few lines himself, and then place the frosting bag into your hand, and while gripping your hand with his he'll help you squeeze with the right amount of pressure and movement speed so that you can easily copy what he was doing. Your general excitement over the whole thing makes both of them so happy, and they both constantly interrupt any of your actions to give you kisses and hugs because they just can't help themselves. Once it's time to try the cake they let you have the first piece, and it's come out wonderfully. Once they both try a piece they can't help but agree it just might be the most delicious cake they've ever tasted, which makes sense, because, after all, this cake was made with your love in it. They just might have to eat you up next, with how cute you look with your frosting smeared all over your mouth, and they'll enjoy every bite.

[mylifewasamazinguntiliwasborn]

So why do I think Dual Destinies is a dogshit game @elzux?

It all boils down to one very simple thing - almost nothing about the game feels like Ace Attorney.

I think the first important thing to note here is that by the time Dual Destinies came out, Ace Attorney had been my special interest for over 5 years. I was extremely familiar with the original trilogy, as well as Apollo Justice and both Investigations games. At that point I didn't dislike any of the games I had played, Apollo Justice was my least favourite but I still loved the game a lot.

Now to the meat. Why doesn't Dual Destinies feel like Ace Attorney? Let's break it down.

The dialogue - lacks the usual humour and snark. The game can't keep me focused on the dialogue. In a game where reading the dialogue is required to play the game. The dialogue is so, so boring and often nonsensical that I found myself skipping huge blocks of text, just because I either couldn't or didn't want to read what was going on. It's a massive drop in quality in a series that is known for its top tier dialogue, which usually effectively furthers both the plot and the characters. Here we instead have dialogue that feels like someone who only knew Phoenix Wright through early 2010s Youtube memes had written it. My favourite example is from DD-1 where Phoenix's inner dialogue reads (Noooo, come back my beautiful contradiction!). First glance, it's okay. Maybe even funny. Second glance, hold up. Phoenix would never think that. He might have used this as a punchline after 4-6 text boxes of lamenting, not just as a single one sentence reaction to one Objection by Payne, of all people.

The characters - closely tied to the dialogue. The returning characters don't act like themselves. The new characters are paper thin and without agency. The side characters are so boring I still barely remember anyone's names. Phoenix is stupid. Why is he stupid? Phoenix is goofy, yeah. He's a silly little guy. Sometimes he's slow, although his literal character arc of the first 3 games is becoming The Best Attorney Ever. He can't be stupid 10+ years into his career. Especially remembering that he JUST tried to reinvent the entire court system in his country (more on this later). That's simply not something an idiot or an incapable lawyer fucking does. Apollo isn't Apollo. He's given three new backstories here and in result, Apollo Justice ceased to exist. He was kind even if a little sarcastic, he was unsure about himself, and he was so willing to learn. And here? Here he's just a mean prick and a know-it-all. Yeah okay he's traumatised yadda yadda then why is he like that in DD-2 as well? You know, BEFORE his bEsT fRiEnD died? Also what fucking best friend? How about you talk about his mother instead? Why turn his cute speech patterns into some traumatic goddamn mess? Literally no one asked for that. Athena is an awful character for the first half of the game, then gets some meat, and is then devolved back to 0 by giving all her agency to Simon Blackquill. Amazing. THIS is the game series praised for its strong female characters? Give me a break. I don't know anything about Athena except that she's a polyglot and has PTSD. That's not a character, that's a plot device. Simon Blackquill is kinda okay but he's also the first major overstepping a line Ace Attorney does. His character is too ridiculous. Why is a death row convict a prosecutor. Even within the AA universe it just doesn't make sense. He's just too much. Bobby Fulbright/Phantom is the 3rd worst character of the entire series. Where is Klavier Gavin. And let's talk about character designs while we're here! They're awful! Not only are the 3D models ass, but Pearl Fey's aged up design is fucking horrendous! Also this is the first game that really feels like it was made for cosplayers. The characters don't feel like characters anymore. This is an anime convention in a courtroom, now.

The plot - again closely tied to the dialogue as dialogue is the main device used to move the plot along in Ace Attorney. It fucking sucks. The cases don't make sense. It's a trend started by AJ, but DD takes it a step or a hundred further. Every case is so deeply uninteresting that even after having now freshly played the first 2 cases, I couldn't really summarise their plots for you. Where's the motivation, or the motive for that matter? Who cares? Who are these people? The only interesting case is the last one, and it's only interesting because of the last half of it. That's where the game peaks, I'll admit it's even good for a moment there. Then it's of course brought down by the whole Phantom thing (refer to section "The characters"). It's so one-dimensional, something Ace Attorney has barely ever been before. It's like Berry Big Circus: The Game. I'm miserable writing this thinking about how I still have four more cases of this to go. But most importantly: WHY give Apollo all these fucking backstories? And WHY erase everything Phoenix did in AJ? Where's the jury? Why was it buried? What happened? What? Where's Klavier Gavin?

The game mechanics - this is huge. First off, let me go back to the beginning where I said by the time DD came out, I had already made Ace Attorney my entire personality. I knew those games through and through. There's this very specific Ace Attorney logic that one either has/learns along the way or doesn't. Like when you're cross examining and you can Just Tell what to press, or what to present, even if you're not entirely sure why. The games are intuitive, so to speak. Well, not DD! DD remains the only game in the series beside PLvsAA where I have to look up stuff in a guide or save scam to save my ass. DD diverts from the AA logic so much that playing it doesn't feel like Ace Attorney. I can excuse PLvsAA, it was a PL game to begin with so I can understand why sometimes the writing would be lacking, but the 5th installment of the main series!? No way. Also, the mood matrix is easy and stupid and comparable to how Pokémon for the past 10 years has tried to one up itself with each generation when there was no need. Mega evolution was great, why would we need all that other shit. Magatama was great, we don't need Perceive or Moods or Seances. Fuck you. Sorry I'm getting really riled up now. And finally, of course, the elephant in the room. Why. Why can you not examine each location? What? What the fuck? That's where the best dialogue happens. That's where you build the characters you fucking morons. In the background. That's why we have the entire stepladder thing. You can't just take that out. The moment I realised they had done this I lost all hope for the game and haven't seen it since. But Unski, there must be something you like about Dual Destinies, right? It can't all be that bad, right? Right?

Correct. Here's an exhaustive list of all the things I liked about Dual Destinies. -The OST was only the 3rd worst in the series. This isn't entirely on the composer though, it's also that while I like the orchestral arrangements well enough, they just don't quite hit the intensity I fell Ace Attorney deserves. Yes this includes DGS. -Speaking of OST, probably the best Truth theme of the series, and also some of the best Reminiscences are here. -Aura Blackquill is a solid good character with an interesting backstory and her own agenda. She is easily my favourite character in this game, and A tier in the over all series as well. -Phenomenal, haunting artwork. If you've played the game, you probably know which one I'm talking about. -Sometimes the cutscenes weren't entirely awful. -They brought back the black Psyche-Locks. If only they could have done that on someone more meaningful.

[myhyperfixationisiforgot]

Mid-forties Pietro Maximoff really was top tier though. I'm as much of a fan of teenage quicksilver as anyone else, but burnt-out ex-terrorist divorcee Pietro who's both actively ruining his life and doing his best is so funny.

He's got a kid. Everyone he knows eventually became a teacher. He's on every watch list on the planet. His nephews are superheroes. There's nothing in his fridge except for a bundle of carrots and some expired whipped cream. He insists that his combat days are over and immediately gets into a fist fight with a teenager (Layla) in the middle of the street. Sometimes he and Crystal get into screaming matches in the Avengers' backyard for fun. He's assassinated multiple world leaders. His kiddo is doing his taxes because she seriously thinks they're fun, and he's letting her. He sends his nephews scathing hand-written critiques of their latest battles on funky 1980s postcards that he mails from the office of whatever prison he's supposed to be serving time in. There's more warrants for his arrest than you could imagine. He goes to PTA meetings in last week's clothes while his ex-wife shows up in designer suits. One time he actually dove into a bush to avoid Logan.

Luna thinks he's the greatest person on Earth. He threatens to drop her off a building all the time. Everyone else hates this, and she thinks it's the funniest thing he could do.

He brought about the apocalypse. He saved the world.

He doesn't actually pay rent, he just walked into an empty apartment and called it his. He's such a fucking mess, and his daughter adores him, and he fought his wars as a teenager and he's trying to get on with his life except he literally cannot. Everyone who meets him kind of despises him and he couldn't care less.

[tyrantisterror]

Top ten favorite Orcs? Either specific characters or a given setting’s take on the species as a whole.

I'm not sure I have enough strong feelings about Orcs to really make an interesting list of ten, but what the hell I'll try.

Tolkien's orcs - not just LOTR orcs, but specifically orcs as written by J.R.R. Tolkien - are pretty high up there for me. I've probably mentioned this more than enough on this blog, but I'm still moved by the moment in The Lord of the Rings where we get this conversation between two orcs when their bosses aren't around, where both of them commiserate with each other about how shitty being drafted into Sauron's war is, how they long to go back to their simpler life as mountain bandits, and how, maybe, if they could find a way to escape being caught by their superiors, they could run off and find someplace far from the war to settle down together. Their names are Shagrat and Gorbag, and later in the book one of the heroes finds them among a pile of dead orcs, their dream of a simpler life tragically unfulfilled. I bring this up because, for all the flak Tolkien's cosmology gets for codifying the fantasy trope of "Always Chaotic Evil" races, there's a lot more moral complexity to his "evil" races than most people think. The orcs we meet in his stories are universally pretty nasty people - even Gorbag and Shagrat can't conceive of a simple life that doesn't involve killing people for their valuables - but it's very clear this is a result of the culture they are living in, which, if you get nerdy and read up on the Lore (TM), is one that has been specifically designed by the Middle Earth equivalent of Satan to turn all living things in it into tools of warfare - a world that exists solely to serve as a vast machine of industrialized conquest and mass murder. And it makes them miserable. Orcs don't like living this way, even though it's the only way they know how to live. They are at once victim and villain, and that's explicitly the canon way to look at them in the text. So it kind of sucks that their reputation in pop culture - and how they're presented in most adaptations, including good ol' PJ's film trilogy - is as one-dimensional evil henchmen, because they do have more going on than that in the books themselves, and it enriches the themes of the story when those dimensions are included.

The orcs in Rune Factory are probably my favorite from a design standpoint. I'm kind of neutral at best with the standard "green skinned humans with optional tusks" look of most orcs. There's nothing wrong with it, but it doesn't thrill me either, existing in the same nebulous space as, like, traditional fantasy elves, dwarves, and hobbit expies - I understand why they're classics, but they feel kind of boring when you've got other options on the table. So seeing these guys when I booted up my first Rune Factory game was a revelation - finally, orcs that look INTERESTING! And they're so cute, these gnarly little Jim Hensen/Brian Froud style pig people. And they'll help you water your plants! A+ Tier orcs as far as I'm concerned.

Dungeon Meshi found a good middle ground between "gnarly boar people" and "humans with tusks" that I really like, and while the orcs aren't given a whole lot of focus, what world building we do get about them is pretty great, taking a lot of the classic orc tropes and giving them that Ryoko Kui caliber thought and detail that makes them so wonderful.

What else... well, ok, my brain still categorizes these guys as "goblins" rather than "orcs," but since the two are more or less synonymized in both Tolkien and the Rankin Bass adaptations of his work, I guess I can include them. They're one of my favorite designs for goblins of all time, and since I generally like goblins more than orcs, I guess this makes them my favorite orc design by default? I just love them, nasty little toad people.

The 1980 Return of the King movie in particular is one of the few adaptations that keeps Tolkien's sympathy for the orcs in tact, with Frodo even having a dream sequence about living in a world where his run in with orcs is fully pleasant, each of them waving at each other as they cross paths, content to share a beautiful world together.

And while it adapts the parts of the text that take place after the deaths of poor Shagrat and Gorbag, it still manages to work in a moment where the orcs lament their lot in life by way of the infamous "Where There's a Whip There's a Way" song written just for the film. I know this song is generally viewed as "bad" and corny and whatever, fuck that, I unironically love it. It's my wakeup alarm for workdays. I am these orcs five days out of the week.

What else...

So, like, kind of a cheat I suppose, but the Darkspawn in Dragon Age take a lot of cues from Tolkien's take on orcs, right down to seeming like they're just always chaotic evil at first glance, and also being the product of Supernatural Crimes Against Nature by semi-divine powers. And indeed, in Dragon Age Origins you're basically given no reason to view them as anything but evil obstacles to destroy, especially when you learn the body-horror involved in how they reproduce (it's more in the vein of Slither than Goblin Slayer, for those unaware - grotesque but, thankfully, not in that way).

But the big ol' DLC for the same game, called Dragon Age Awakening, throws a big monkey wrench in that view of them. We meet Darkspawn who are capable of speech - ones that have been broken free of the evil hivemind their species is ruled by, and, like freed borg drones, are now at a loss of what to do with themselves. They are, like Tolkien's orcs before them, a people who were made for war and violence, and yet still crave something more than that when given the chance to think about it. It's something that hasn't been followed up on much since, sadly, but it's a damn cool take.

What else...

I'm probably the only person who still remembers this movie, especially with any fondness, but I liked the orcs in the Warcraft movie directed by David Bowie's son. They were given a lot of nuance and I honestly think their parts of the film were by the far the best. Actually I remember liking that movie a lot despite some of its pacing issues, I should revisit it.

Ok that's not ten takes but I feel like there are at least 10 designs on display here so I'm calling this done.

[yakool-foolio]

Maria's design is top tier, love the butterfly motif! GOD DAMN IT STRONGHART STOP SCREWING WITH THE SYSTEM! Woah Wilson and Mikotoba were both involved in Klint's autopsy as well? SHOLMES YOU BETTER NOT HAVE STOLEN THOSE RECORDS ON KLINT DUDE WHAT'RE YOU DOING?! IRIS DON'T TELL ME YOU WERE IN ON THE RECORD ROBBERY TOO?! Oh Ryunosuke we're really in it now...

I'm guessing that Gregson's notebook was logging all the assassinations carried out by Shinn under the Reaper's orders. YAY TOBY'S BACK! I was worried he'd only show up for one chapter, so I'm pleased to have more cute doggo content!

DOG JUMPSCARE

Uhhhhhhh what the heck was in that tea, Iris? And why is Mikotoba wearing Kazuma's mask?! I am confuzzled. Ah well time to sigh in disbelief and laugh at everything Sholmes deduces- AYYYY MY COSPLAY KATANA ARRIVED! Anyway, SHOLMES GOT ROCKETED INTO SPACE BY THAT PUNCH! WHY IS THAT EVEN IN A CHEST?!

Shhhhh they're sleeping

MIKOTOBA WROTE THAT REPORT?! SO MIKOTOBA IS IRIS' DAD AND THEREFORE SHE'S SUSATO'S SISTER?! AND HE'S SHOLMES' PARTNER?!

Susato is ready to throw her dad across the room. OUGH THE GAME IS AFOOT IS PLAYING LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS IN THIS SERIES! A surprisingly pleasant heartfelt reunion!

And that was the end of case 4! Man, I can't believe we're nearing the finish line. I wish this game would go on and on, I'm gonna miss these fellas. Here's to a grand finale to remember!

OH GOD STRONGHART'S THE JUDGE HE WORRIES ME GREATLY! Why do I hear boss music…?

(To Whom It May Concern - @raymondshields)

[nibwhipdragon]

god, dear fucking god, the monster hunter movie was worse than humanly possible

WHY IS THE US MILITARY HERE?! WHY IS IT AN ISEKAI PLOT? WHY DOES THE HUNTER NOT KNOW WHAT CHOCOLATE IS?

if they wanted a monster to fight the military at least use a Bazelgeuse cause it's right up their alley

I'm putting this all under a cut because I ranted much more than I anticipated. All my thoughts on this stupid film are under the cut.

Anon this sounds like you've watched the film for the first time and. Man I am So Sorry. It was worse than what I expected it to be and my expectations were already at rock bottom. They used Gore in the advertising but it was only used as sequel bait??? Nasty. And there was gonna be a scene where it and Rathalos would fight in a shopping center or smth and MAN. That would've made the film a little bit enjoyable. The tiniest bit.

The film REALLY didn't need to be an isekai. If the director wanted to make his wife the protag (again. Why does he do this all the time. Give someone else a chance will you) why couldn't she have been a hunter? Either learning the ropes a la Legends of The Guild (a much better mh film you should watch if you haven't already) OR already a top tier hunter investigating an odd phenomenon. Not. That.

And the way the guns were useless on the Diablos??? (Why were the monsters so oddly big too) Hello. Bowguns. Ballistae. Barrel bombs. Gunlance. They could at least do SOME damage.

Also the hunter not knowing what chocolate is is INSANE. They have donuts canonically. They have coke canonically*. Is chocolate really that far of a stretch??? It's sugar and cocoa beans and milk. Not that hard to make and they sure have a lot of jungles so it's not like they can't find any cocoa beans.

IN MHW THEY LITERALLY HAVE CHOCOLATE COVERED APPLES AND DONUTS. COME ON. It's like the director just treated the entire world as this sort of primitive place, rather than a place that's just different to ours. They're quite technologically advanced: They have airships, sandships, the dragonator and dragonrazer, and massive boats that can have up to 3 dragonators at a time on it. Steam trains*² too. All highly complex mechanisms. Yes they all seem to run on steam pressure but honestly? I don't think they'd plunder oil from the earth the way we do, so it makes sense. And all the knowledge on all these monsters and how they work and stuff? That's certainly not primitive. Also how did the Admiral know English. No I'm not taking that stupid timeloop paradox quest that used to be in MHW as canon. Because What Is That.

WHY DOES THE ADMIRAL LOOK LIKE THAT, ACTUALLY?

Like cmon man. I can barely even see a resemblance. $60mil budget is actually fairly small for a film but COULD YOU NOT HAVE SPENT MORE OF THAT ON THE ADMIRAL'S DESIGN??? There was barely even any monster action in the film it was just Artemis and the hunter fighting. Surely the CGI didn't cost that much.

OK I went onto Wikipedia for that info and it led me to find out the director is British. Having a moment of silence to mourn the fact this scourge came from my home country.

Moving on. The insect glaive was shown at the end of the film. No kinsect. My brother in Christ THE KINSECT IS LIKE HALF THE WEAPON. IT'S IN THE NAME.

Another nitpick but the desert is so ridiculously empty I'm convinced the director doesn't know what a desert looks like (I know he wouldn't have been a concept artist. But he both and directed and wrote so I assume he has quite a bit of control over the other parts of the film's creation).

Like cmon. Sure some parts of deserts are quite empty, like the Sahara, but I doubt a big monster like Diablos is going to be chilling in a place with no shade and no cacti. It can go underground to avoid the heat when traversing but in no way would it hang about as much as it did in the film. No reason to there are more optimal environments for it within the desert. At least make the background visually appealing on basis of it being a film. Can't the sand at LEAST be orange-yellow?

Also Bazelgeuse bombing them in the film would've been hilarious to me I wish that happened

Anyways. Go watch Legends of The Guild. Purify yourself. Great animated film that expands on pre-existing characters and also gave us the great indication that the games seem to take place in chronological order. I love you Legends of The Guild

* As one of the meal items in one of the games, I can't remember. Coke is cinnamon and vanilla flavoured so it isn't too outlandish for them to have it as a drink imo

*² The felynes in Elgado use a mini one near the dango food place thingy. Sure it's small but the fact it exist makes the concept of large ones used for transport and the like not too far-fetched

[chillychive]

Suppose it's time to mention this AU to finally give me the motivation to start posting it... or at least bits of it.

Star Trek Life Series AU (season 1)

Some general information:

This will (hopefully) be a fic posted on AO3. To make it feel more Star-Treky, it'll be broken up into seasons and episodes. It'll have Trek like nonsense with better planning and character consistency. It'll feature Life Series, Empires, Hermitcraft, Evo and possibly other MCYT characters. NOT RPF. Some of the species mentioned will be real Star Trek species, others will be made up by yours truly to fit the design of the character. It'll be an ensemble style story, like TNG. Knowledge of Star Trek is NOT required in the slightest, but it might enhance your reading- it will have hidden references/have some episodes based on real Trek episodes.

I've been working on this for genuinely a year, and I'm overhauling the original idea as well. At the minute it's 13k words and a whole lot more planning.

PLEASE send asks if you're curious. I have SO MUCH MORE but I didn't want this post to be too long.

With that out of the way, let's get on to the main characters:

Pearl

Species: Human and Risian Department: Tactical Rank: Lieutenant Design Notes: Pearl's Risian tattoo is fading. Otherwise her design is fairly similar to your average human Pearl. Significant Relationships: Grian, adopted brother (same age), Gem, roommate turned best friend turned partner in later seasons Other: Most of the story will follow Pearl. She grew up at Starfleet academy with Grian, her parents taught there, and her dad still does. Her mom is dead... or is she?

Grian

Species: Human... that is until Evo... Department: Tactical, Bridge Crew (until Evo) Rank: Lieutenant Commander (maybe) Design Notes: Fairly standard Grian, is a human (until Evo) Significant Relationships: Pearl, adopted sister (same age) BigB, academy friend Impulse, friend, Joel, roommate Other: Grian is a prankster. He was promoted to bridge crew literally only hours before the ship left starbase for the first time. He grew up on Earth at Starfleet Academy, with his parents, both of whom taught at the Academy. *his parents are not the same as Pearl's- they grew up together at the academy since their parents were friends, and they basically grew up like siblings- they often forget they're not actually related, by blood or legally* He's an accomplished pilot, but actually has tactical station on the bridge. A few months in, he is assigned to lead a mission to a new planet... and a few months later when the ship returns for rendezvous, he's not among the landing party. He's presumed dead and will not return to the story until the finale. The shuttle they take to the planet is called the "evolution"

Gem

Species: 1/2 Bajoran, 1/8 arkarian, 1/8 ktarian, 1/4 an unnamed species Department: Botany, with a LOT of Tactical training too Rank: Lieutenant/Ensign Design Notes: Gem has a very complicated design. She has the bajoran nose ridges, paired with a barely noticeable version of the ktarian spikes plus faint arkarian ridges on her head. She has small antlers-like structures on her head, that have little fungi things on the end that occasionally move around in response to signals from certain mushrooms. Her pupils are massive and look out of proportion with her eyes, and in bright light she can barely see. The reason for this is because the unnamed species' DNA isnt very compatible with the other species- they have vestigial eyes, which makes Gem's eyes very weak and very sensitive to light. To compensate, she wears a shaded visor and takes breaks often. She also has very light bones (thanks to her unnamed species DNA), which leaves her susceptible to breaking bones easily. Let me know if you want more information on that species. Significant Relationships: Fwhip, twin brother Pearl, best friend/roomate/partner later on Other: Her combat skills are top tier because originally she was told she couldn’t do security training because of the fragility of her bones + her eyes, so she basically went “okay bet” and then learned how to avoid getting hit perfectly. She’s fantastic at dodging and was soo good that security training couldn’t say no to her. She made it through the academy with top notch security training, and then decided to instead go into botany, designing better ways to grow plenty of different plants. She also often gets pulled into security forces when needed as her botany isn’t a 24/7 job. This is especially true whenever they go anywhere with a low light level as that doesn’t affect her as much as it does many of the others, since she’s used to dim light.

this isn't a complete list, so lmk if theres anyone else you're curious about and I'll explain!

thank you for reading if you made it this far... this got longer than intended, and i only got through the 3 main characters...

[crusherthedoctor]

💫 Favorite Sonic gals?

Basically every female that's higher up in the tier list I made yesterday.

If I had to think of a current top ten...

10. Elise - Underwritten, but time has shown us that she wasn't a bad character. '06 wasn't her fault, and Sonic's utilization in the overall plot aside, I like their dynamic together. Her design is also very nice when it doesn't have to abide by the game's overt realism.

9. Shahra - I was indifferent to her for the longest time since aside from Erazor's abuse, I didn't think much about her otherwise. Then all of a sudden, I warmed up to her starting from last year, as I've grown to appreciate her friendship with Sonic... though TBH, I have the Toll Girl indoctrination to thank for this shift in perspective.

8. Marine - If you didn't say shit about Bunnie's accent, you're not allowed to complain about Marine's. She's loads of fun, I don't care what anyone in 2007 said.

7. Cream - My favourite speedrunner. With a smile on her face.

6. Blaze - I'm sorry you've been used by Flynn and Co to downplay the other females, you don't deserve to be weaponized like that. Blaze is more than just a disposable Strong Female Character template... and more importantly, she's a cat.

5. Heavy Magician and Heavy Rider - They're both members of the Hard-Boiled Heavies, and as we know, all five of them are Sonic and the Peak Fiction, so I can never mention one in isolation. I like to headcanon that Magician rhymes her sentences, Gruntilda-style.

4. Tikal - She's worth more than the million Whogivesashit the Echidnas in Archie put together. Also associated with Chaos and SA1 as a whole, so y'know.

3. Ariem - I can't justify why an Android-only character is this high up beyond "I just think she's neat". :P Her design is so pretty, and I really like her chemistry with each of the characters... I wanna see more of her (as long as she doesn't get IDW'd)... :<

2. Rouge - She was my #1 Sonic female for so long, and I still love her now. Playful, flirty, smarter than she lets on, and bound to have your back despite her jewel thievery. Just like with Blaze, there's more to her than being able to fight, and if you believe the existence of boobs negates her character, then I don't trust you with female characters in general.

1. Trip - After thinking it over more extensively, I concluded that my unapologetic bias for kindhearted shy ladies wins again, because I'm such a predictable bastard. Can you blame me though? She's cute. :3 She's nice. :3 She's dragon. :3

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2024-09-16

It's Autumn

This is late because turns out there's not really a polite way to finish tapping out your Mondaypost when someone else is already in your bed.

Listening: a recommendation from the Topic Lords podcast, Ancient Sword Cult by Writhen Hilt. It's about swords!

Epic fantasy metal is a tremendously funny genre.

Watching: Watched Saloum with @thosearentcrimes because we heard it on Kill James Bond and both went "that sounds cool as hell" and it was!

Another great addition to the group of films where guys turn to the camera and go "Hey does anyone else feel doomed."

This is a really tense and well put together crime drama, some top-tier monologues and characters who are going all out. Very much worth watching without looking up too much about it I think.

Reading: Started A Desolation Called Peace a few days ago. Three Seagrass! She's so clueless! Man my girlfriend is so cool it's a shame she's not a complete person.

Having read Memory, then all of The Masquerade, and now Desolation, I think this gives me an interesting look at what I like and don't like about each series. Teixcalaan doesn't spend so much time obsessing over little world details, instead building a culture and atmosphere of empire that I really enjoy. The Masquerade is more on the ground which has benefits, but it's somewhat artificial feeling. It's at its best in the very personal moments around Baru and the other cryptarchs.

Still getting through Desolation though.

Playing: Mine Craft. I've been fiddling with some mods like Distant Horizons which does low-res renders of the world out way further than the stock game. I always get back into Minecraft for like three weeks and then put it down for another year. I have a whole lot of thinking done on how the game design of Minecraft is very cleverly pushing on different kinds of players

Making: Printing again for the first time in a while, more home objects. Finally have an excuse to get dozens of tiny neodymium magnets!

Tools and Equipment: I got a new-ish oscilloscope! Proper digital one too, Hantek DSO2D10. It has one feature I consider a nice-to-have and one feature I consider essential for cramped home lab use.

The essential feature is a built-in signal generator. Sure, it can only do a couple dozen MHz cleanly and "cleanly" is being generous there, but for like a $50 premium over a similar non-generator scope you get a single channel generator with arbitrary waveform capabilities, very handy. Saves a lot of space and makes you more likely to actually use the damn thing.

The nice-to-have is built-in logic analyzer features. Yes, a digital logic analyzer will do this better and cheaper, and yes, you could even just dump the waveform and analyze it on a computer, but being able to poke around on a board and just hit "tell me what I'm looking at here" on a random bitstream is tremendously valuable for speed and comfort.

The DSO series is pretty cheap, they're no Tektronix or Keysight, but they're a damn side better than pure analogue, having used pure analogue for a long time. Just skip it, storage and maths functions are so worth it.

[rom-e-o]

TeTe and Magda being the official "Bea Buffers" when going wedding dress shopping with Bess. Yes, ultimately, Josie makes Bess' dress, and they've even settled on a design, but Bea takes it upon herself to set up an appointment at a famous bridal shop (probably where she wanted to get her own dress originally before Marley came in and took the decision out of her hands) and insists the appointment be kept by holding Millie's being a junior bridesmaid over Bess' head. So they go wedding dress shopping. Josie and Bess actually use this as an opportunity to maybe find some dress details they like to add to their original design and they do find some, so there is a silver lining. But "Bea Buffers" are absolutely needed for the appointment.😅

Obsessed with this idea, and their little ploy at outsmarting Bea. Always good serotinin, haha.

TeTe and Magda being on-site at the boutique to, basically, lasso Bea in place and make her behave. I mean, those are two DAMN GOOD allies to have on your side. In addition to being extremely competent, Magda and TeTe have the capability to be immensely terrifying for people who are deserving of their wrath. And any torment of Bess makes Bea a TOP-TIER qualifier for the dual-blade treatment.

Bea may be present and involved (by the result of her sheer force), but they take exceptional care to make sure Bess gets their feedback and genuine praise. And, of course, help narrow down those additions so Josie can craft the perfect dress. They're absolutely in on the act, and pull it off seamlessly. ;)

Being older women themselves, Bea does not scare them, and Bea ALSO can't hurt them. They leverage this.

Like, if Bess emerges in a dress:

TeTe: Oh, my heavens. Elizabeth Felicity, this is stunning. Bea: 'Stunning?' Look at those lace sleeves! I don't- Magda: It's like it was made for you! Oh, do you KNOW how hard it is to look good in a wedding dress right off the rack? It's impossible. Look, not a single clamp - it fits you beautifully! Bea: I actually find it- TeTe: Bea, my dear, I picture you would have been a lovely vision in a similar dress in your youth. You and Elizabeth look quite similar, after all. Bea: Oh. Well, I- Magda: Now, now, don't be so modest. Now, Bess, let's see. Here, up on the stool, so we can see the skirt. I've got your hand ... up you go. TeTe: Even if this is only a dress to consider, it's important to glean information. Look at how these sleeves accentuate your divine shoulders, and this taper to your waist? Simply divine. Do you like this shade of white, dear? Shopping for a white dress is like shopping for pearls, love. Different shades and sheens will look better on different skin tones. Your cooler complexion is very versatile. Bea: Her shoulders? You can't- Magda: I agree, Theresea. Her frame and figure are beautifully highlighted here. Like a poised statue of a goddess. Oh, shall we see it with your hair up? Hold on, I have a bobby pin case. Oh, I'm so giddy!

Basically, if there is even a HINT that she is going to say anything negative, they intercept.

It wouldn't shock me either it Magda and TeTe stole some private moments in the shop while the other distracted Bea.

TeTe: My darling, I have no idea how your and Josie are going to craft only one dress when you are the picture of elegance in everything. Have you considered three dresses? Maybe five? Ebenezar wouldn't mind. We could do a quick-change during the ceremony. It could be a grand display! ...No? Well, it is your day, dear. Juuust don't hesitate to say the word if you need some theatrics~

Magda: Oh, when I was your age, finding a gown was so hard. Everything was expensive and needed alterations. The fact you look so beautiful in so many choices? You're so lucky. Now, your veils. Veils are a traditional addition. How do you feel about embroidery? Would you like to look? We have a moment. Theresea is holding her hostage. ;)

They both take ample notes as well to make sure Josie gets, juuust in case.

[cursedalthoughts]

Priority Research 7 Predictions - Ironblood

Screw it. Time to speculate who the mandatory Ironblood PR is going to be.

As always, these are just the possible options, alongside speculation about their rarity - either PR (Priority Research/SSR) or DR (Decivise Research/UR), and maybe some vague idea about what their skills could be in Azur Lane.

The Ironblood have, perhaps unsurprisingly, a lot of options; just like the Northern Parliament.

KMS Mecklenburg

Fuck it. Let's start strong.

Mecklenburg is, essentially, a battlecruiser. She shares her hull with both Preussen and Großer Kurfürst, however, the main difference with both of those ships (Preussen having eight 457mm guns and G.K having twelve 406mm or 420mm guns (depending on your setup)), is that Mecklenburg has sixteen 305mm guns. With a 26 second reload. And an anomalously high (for a German battleship) main gun accuracy.

This thing is a ludicrously effective cruiser hunter. She has fast shells with an almost pin-point accuracy.

Mecklenburg also has two quadruple torpedo launchers, one per side, on top of the standard highly efficient secondary gun layout comprising of 128mm gun turrets that enjoy German 1/4 HE penetration rules. Oh, also, she's faster than both Preussen and G.K (both doing 30 knots), at a top speed of 32.5 knots.

Yeah, Mecklenburg is easy DR material.

KMS Schröder

Schröder is a personal favorite of mine. You can think of her as a "mini-Prinz Rupprecht".

As a supercruiser, Schröder has eight 305mm main guns in dual turrets. She has no torpedo armament to speak of. Her gimmick(s) lay on the fact that Schröder is one of the best secondary gun cruisers in the game, rivaling both Napoli and Michelangelo (which We'll Get To in the Sardegnan post). A total of 5 dual 128mm gun turrets per side as well as a total of 3 triple 150mm gun turrets (the same ones Nürnberg has in total), and a maximum range of 12km; Schröder has very fun secondary guns.

On top of that, she gets access to a very high base speed of 32.5 knots and a speed boost consumable that boosts her speed by 15% for 3 minutes. Schröder is great at flanking as she can relocate from one side of the map to the other in a relatively short time.

Honestly, she works as either a PR or a DR; but I would prefer her being a DR.

KMS Manfred von Richthofen and KMS Max Immelmann

I'm putting them together as equally likely DR candidates for a simple reason: the only thing that differs is their air complement.

To simplify Richthofen; she's a bigger August von Parseval. Both are carrier conversions of the H-39 battleship design (so, Friederich der Große sisterships).

Max Immelmann only has access to torpedo bombers and skip bombers - the same kind of bombers found on the Soviet aircraft carrier line (so, Chkalov).

Richthofen is a standard research ship and Immelmann is a premium ship. Immelmann was over-hyped by the community as a much superior carrier to Richthofen (the entire tech tree line of German CVs is impressively bad), but she's mediocre at best. Honestly, the funniest thing you can do with both carriers is a full secondary gun build; but Graf Zeppelin is much better at that at Tier 8 than these two at Tier 10.

However, Azur Lane has a track record of taking mediocre-at-best warships and turning them into very good PRs; so if any of the two gets chosen, I have hopes.

KMS Z42

From my cursory two-minute-long Google search, it seems Z42 in this configuration was never planned - or that there was never a Z42 to begin with, I can't find concrete info on that (again, after looking at it for two minutes. I'm sure there is actual info somewhere).

Z42 is a surprisingly good little ship. Her torpedoes are rubbish, but they're not the star of the show. Z42 utilizes German 105mm secondary guns as her main guns - here they are on the sides of Bismarck:

These funny little guns share the standard German 1/4 penetration rules for their HE, meaning that despite the smaller caliber they deal a considerable amount of damage. On top of that, they get access to AP; a thing that doesn't exist when they're in secondary gun form, and this AP does very funny damage against anything broadside.

She's PR material, just like Felix Schultz, but she could be a very good mini-Roon in terms of gameplay and abilities in Azur Lane.

KMS Wiesbaden

To me, this is the 'fuck it we ball' option. Wiesbaden is still in testing, she isn't in the game yet; but I believe she might release very soon.

Wiesbaden is a T8 light cruiser equipped with 6 dual 128mm gun turrets. That's right, she's a German Atlanta!

While Atlanta and Flint have a 4.8 second and 5.1 second reload respectively, Wiesbaden "enjoys" a 6 second reload on her main guns. However, that is compensated greatly by the fact that as all other HE guns from Germany, she has - you guessed it - 1/4 pen on HE shells, as well as six torpedo tubes per side with an 8.5km range. Oh, and a smoke screen generator. Like a destroyer.

Undoubtedly, Wiesbaden would be a PR in rarity.

KMS Preussen

Finally, the Roon-to-Hindenburg analogue of Friederich der Große. Preussen is an enlarged Friederich der Große, a made-up modification of the H-42 design with 457mm main guns. The real H-42 design isn't present in World of Warships; however, H-43 is the Superbattleship Hannover. But that's besides the point.

Preussen is a bigger FdG, so why her? We already have FdG and she's already a DR. This option is more based on vibes than anything else, as Hindenburg is a bigger, better Roon. Preussen could be the same: imagine a battleship that can equip two main guns instead of just one. Also, it's been a few years since PR2. PR7 is as far away from PR2 as PR6 was from PR1, and Roon was a PR1 shipgirl.

I don't know. She's more of a random guess. G.K is more likely, but I'd prefer Mecklenburg over G.K personally.